The culture of togetherness within the squad was the main reason for the upturn in fortunes, Sri Lanka’s captain has said

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2019Sri Lanka have made history in South Africa, becoming only the third team overall – after England and Australia – and the first from Asia to breach the fortress in a Test series.It came against all calculations. After all, Sri Lanka have had very few reasons to cheer on the cricket field – or off it, for that matter – in recent months. Not to forget they had a new captain in the form of Dimuth Karunaratne for the series, with Dinesh Chandimal getting the axe after two huge defeats in Australia. The sword was hanging over coach Chandika Hathurusingha’s head too, and more than one key player picked up injuries and dropped out.”Beating South Africa two-nil isn’t easy. When we came here, we were underdogs. But we learnt a lot of things on previous tours, and the players executed really well in these conditions. That’s why we are here. It’s a great achievement for us,” Karunaratne gushed after Kusal Mendis and Oshada Fernando struck unbeaten half-centuries to take Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket win in Port Elizabeth for a series sweep.Just how big was the result? Karunaratne admitted that even when, at various stages, there were words of positivity and hope thrown about in the dressing room, “we didn’t take that seriously”.”I think we never expected to do it,” he said. “But when we started winning, we had the faith. We wanted to compete. Winning is the ultimate goal, but if we do the right things, the result will definitely be good for us. Most of the guys said that but we didn’t take that seriously, because when we have additional pressure, it’s not easy.”Cut to Saturday, which started with Sri Lanka 60 for 2 in their chase of 197, and “we said when you go out there, you play your natural game; if you can score, if you can hit over the fielder, go for it. That’s what in the first hour Mendis and Oshada did … when we played like that, South Africa were on the back foot.”Kasun Rajitha is pumped up•Getty Images

Karunaratne stressed on “keep smiling” and “keep enjoying” as the main mantras for the players. After over two months on the road – with very little joy – the words proved useful.”The tour (in New Zealand) started in December, so we are out of the country for three months. If you don’t enjoy and if you can’t free your mind, you can’t give your best,” Karunaratne said. “I know the talent we have, so we wanted to get those out. If you’re enjoying yourself, you can definitely get those out.”With Mendis, who hasn’t had his best run with the bat while on the road, the new captain had to work extra hard. “He was really feeling the pressure, he was thinking about the social media and everything,” Karunaratne said. “But I said, ‘When you get a good knock, you’ll forget about it and we’ll keep supporting you. It’s high time you do it.’ And he did it for me.”Mendis and Oshada pulled it off in the end, but Sri Lanka had many other heroes in Port Elizabeth after Kusal Perera had done it all almost single-handedly in the first Test in Durban.South Africa only scored 222 and 128, and that was because the pace trio of Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha picked up 13 wickets between them and Dhananjaya de Silva, the lone spinner after Lasith Embuldeniya dislocated his left thumb, provided crucial breakthroughs in conditions not too suited to his brand of offspin.And no, comments from South Africans like Keshav Maharaj didn’t serve to spur the players on, according to the new captain, who now looks set to hold the job at least for the foreseeable future.”We had a few discussions, what I expect, what the management expects, and after that, we kept hanging together, we ate dinner together, we were together,” he said of the team culture he has tried to put in place. “When you make that culture, when you come overseas, only the squad will stay here … I wanted them to give their best and stay in the game all the time. They enjoyed a lot, still they are enjoying. It’s really a great feeling, when we are playing together, and my job becomes easier.”When we came here, no one thought we can win a series here. But if we back ourselves, we can win those matches. We wanted to do something good for the team, for the Sri Lankan fans. End of the day, we did a really good job.”

Price’s first challenge will be to try and take USA to the T20 World Cup qualifiers in Scotland in August

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2019Former Australia international Julia Price has been appointed the head coach of the USA women’s team. Price was part of the Australia women’s World Cup-winning team in 1997 and 2005. The appointment follows a process that ended with interviews of three candidates, with Price emerging the winner.USA are looking to qualify for the women’s T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia next year, and Price’s first task will be to identify a squad of 14 players – the selection process will take place on March 23 and 24 in California.Her first assignment will be a three-match Americas qualifying tournament against Canada in May, with the winners progressing to the eight-team T20 World Cup qualifier to be held in Scotland in August.”I’m absolutely thrilled to have been appointed as head coach for the USA Cricket women’s national team,” Price was quoted as saying in a press release. “I believe that the potential for growth of cricket in America, particularly in the women’s game, is quite phenomenal. We have a huge year coming up so I can’t wait to get going with the squad and hit the ground running from this weekend.”Price was until last month the head coach of WBBL franchise Hobart Hurricanes. In the past, apart from coaching the Australia women’s team, she has served as a consultant with USA Cricket Combines, a partnership between USA Cricket and Cricket Australia.

Dislocated shoulder could end Billings’ hopes of playing a role in England World Cup campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2019Ben Foakes is set to make his England white-ball debut in Dublin next week, after being called up for the one-off Ireland ODI as a replacement for Sam Billings, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder while fielding for Kent against Glamorgan on Thursday.Foakes, whose 71 from 80 balls for Surrey against Middlesex on Thursday was his third half-century in consecutive Royal London Cup games, is also set to keep wicket in the T20I against Pakistan in Cardiff on May 5, in the absence of England’s first-choice keepers, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, who are being rested after their stints in the IPL.His inclusion comes after a cruelly timed injury for Billings, one that has ruled him out for much of the season and ended his own chances of playing a part in England’s World Cup campaign.Although Billings had not been named in England’s provisional 15-man squad for the World Cup, which gets underway in just over a month’s time, he had seemingly put himself at the head of the queue of batting reserves, should anything befall the men ahead of him in the pecking order between now and the climax of the tournament on July 14.ALSO READ: Back spasms and personal issues: England World Cup watchInstead, having played just once for Chennai Super Kings in this year’s IPL (and scored a duck in that solitary outing), Billings’ start to the English season lasted just a matter of minutes.Fielding at mid-off in Harry Podmore’s opening over in Cardiff, he dived to intercept a drive from Glamorgan’s Australia allrounder, Marnus Labuschagne, and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder.In obvious pain, Billings was left prone on the outfield for several minutes, and treated with oxygen before being helped from the field.He was taken to hospital, where the shoulder was relocated, and underwent scans after seeing a specialist on Friday. Billings was under no illusions about the extent of his injury when he returned to Sophia Gardens after the incident.”Without a doubt, it’s the most painful thing I’ve experienced,” he told BBC Radio Kent. “An hour and 20 minutes with your shoulder not back in its right place isn’t a great time for anyone.”Opportunity knocks, however, for Foakes, who was Man of the Series on his maiden Test tour of Sri Lanka last year after being called up – again as an injury replacement – after Bairstow turned his ankle playing football.Speaking ahead of the announcement, Surrey’s coach, Michael di Venuto, admitted that Foakes’ calm, accumulative approach meant that he didn’t stand out in the way of some of his rivals in white-ball cricket, but said that his one-day county performances over the past three years would fully merit an England call-up.”I think he averaged 91 here [at the Kia Oval], he averaged 60 last year, he’s doing the same this year,” said di Venuto. “In white-ball cricket he’s probably one of the form players in the country, it’s just unfortunate that England are blessed with batsman-wicketkeepers who do it more explosively than he does.”Billings’ injury is one of a number of concerns for England, particularly among their batsmen, as they build towards the World Cup opener against South Africa at The Oval on May 30.Jason Roy has missed Surrey’s last two London Cup games, after suffering a back spasm earlier this week, while Eoin Morgan sat out Middlesex’s match at The Oval after complaining of sore shins.Kent’s other England selection, Joe Denly, was not included for the trip to Glamorgan after himself suffering a back spasm while batting against Gloucestershire on Tuesday.Alex Hales, meanwhile, has been put on indefinite leave by Nottinghamshire for personal reasons, but is expected to link up with the England squad for a pre-season training camp in Cardiff this weekend.

Uganda scored a record 314 for 2, thanks to centuries from Musamali and Alako, as Mali set another dubious record

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2019Mali women’s miserable run in the Kwibuka Women’s Twenty20 Tournament 2019 continued for a third straight day, as they sank to a record 304-run defeat against Uganda women on Thursday.Mali had already set a world record for the lowest ever total on Tuesday, having been bowled out for 6 against Rwanda.Their 10 all out came after Uganda had racked up a massive 314 for 2 after choosing to bat first – the highest total in all T20Is – men or women.Opener Prosscovia Alako and captain Rita Musamali both hit centuries for Uganda, the first time two centuries had been hit in the same innings of a women’s T20I. Alako made 116 off 71, and was run out off the penultimate delivery of the innings. Musamali stayed not out on 103 off 61, having shared a 227-run stand with Alako for the second wicket off 14.1 overs.Oumou Sow bowled three overs, conceding 82 runs. Mali’s only wicket taker was Aicha Kone, who bowled Immaculate Nakisuuyi in the 6th over, by when Uganda had already reached 82. Tenin Konate gave away only 32 runs in her four overs, the only bowler with an economy rate under 10. Mali bowled 61 extras, with 30 no-balls and 28 wides.No Mali batsman made more than 4, with six falling for ducks. Their innings was wrapped up in 11.1 overs, with Mildred Anyigo’s 3 for 1 being the best figures. With a double round-robin league format, Mali will have to play each of Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda over the next three days.List of records broken in the match:

• Highest total in women’s T20Is, beating England women’s 250 for 3 against South Africa women exactly a year ago.
• The 227-run stand between Musamali and Alako is the highest for any wicket in women’s T20Is. The previous best was 182 put on by Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine against South Africa women , exactly a year ago. [South Africa women played two T20Is on the same day in Taunton on June 20, 2018]
• The margin of victory (304 runs) is the highest ever by a distance. The previous best in women’s T20Is was when UAE women beat China women by 189 runs in January.
• Mali have the three lowest totals in women’s T20Is, having incredibly achieved those on three consecutive days.
• The 61 extras Mali gave up are the third most in women’s T20Is.
• The 82 runs Oumou Sow conceded are the most ever for Women’s T20Is. The most ever conceded in men’s cricket is 81 (in four overs) by Sarmad Anwar in a domestic match in Pakistan.

Opening batsman says New Zealand were “right in the box seat” until his throw deflected for four off Ben Stokes’ bat

Andrew Miller18-Jul-2019New Zealand’s crushing disappointment after the World Cup final against England on Sunday was mitigated by the knowledge that they had played a huge part in one of the most thrilling cricket matches of all time, according to Martin Guptill, the opening batsman whose ill-fortune came to epitomise his side’s cruel luck.Not only was Guptill the man left sprawling for his crease in the Super Over, as Jos Buttler fielded the shy from midwicket that sealed the final in England’s favour, he was also the man whose own throw from the deep – in England’s final over of the original run-chase – inadvertently turned the course of the match on its head.After gathering Ben Stokes’ clip to midwicket with nine runs needed from three balls, Guptill’s return to the keeper deflected off Stokes’ bat and away to the third man boundary for four overthrows, making a total of six runs for the incident. Stokes had already smashed the third ball of the over for another six, and managed to eke out two more singles from the final two balls of Trent Boult’s over to tie the scores.”Up until the third ball we were right in the box seat,” Guptill told Sky Sports ahead of his debut for Worcestershire Rapids in the Vitality Blast. “And then it wasn’t to be, but that’s just the way cricket goes, as players. It was one hell of a final.”Guptill admitted that “the thought crosses your mind” that New Zealand were simply fated to miss out, but he had no doubt about the moment that changed the game.”I guess it was the throw that I threw in from the boundary and hit the back of Stokes’ bat, and trickled off for four,” he said. “You know when that sort of thing happens, from a throw from the boundary, it tends not to go your way.”Chasing 16 runs to win the Super Over, Guptill was left needing two from the final ball of the match, but this time Jason Roy’s shy from midwicket was accurate enough to leave him well short as Buttler confirmed England’s first World Cup in 44 barren years.”I didn’t really know where the ball was, I just put the head down and just started running,” Guptill said. “It was a good throw and I dived from about halfway, and just come up a little bit short.”New Zealand received huge credit for the manner in which they accepted their defeat, in spite of having scored the same number of runs across the match, and Guptill said that the team had been quick to recognise quite what a massive part of sporting history they had played a part in.”Yeah, I think so,” he said. “You know, the support that we had from back home and even around here, and what you see on social media, everyone just loved the game, whether they were cricket watchers or not. Everyone was all over the game and they loved it and it was just a shame for us about the result.”We actually had quite a good party,” he added. “I mean, obviously it was quite a sombre mood for a while but then we realised we were part of one of the greatest games in cricket history, so we got over it fairly quickly. We had a good time together, because we’re not going to be together as a group like that for a while yet.”Guptill’s World Cup had been a luckless affair for much of the campaign. Despite making a half-century to seal a ten-wicket win over Sri Lanka in New Zealand’s opening match, he didn’t pass 35 in his remaining 10 innings.But a change of scene could be just the tonic, as he links up with Worcestershire, the defending T20 Blast champions.”You need a bit of luck in the game as a batsman sometimes,” he said. “And T20 can be the place to find that luck. So who knows, hopefully tonight I can find a little bit and hopefully score a few runs.”It’s a young team and I think there’s a lot of excitement around it,” he added of his Worcestershire team-mates. “The guys just have fun playing together. I think that’s a big part of cricket and something that we pride ourselves on as New Zealanders and the Black Caps. We just go out and have some fun with our mates.”

Allrounder smacks 51 and then returns 5-29 to help Bangladesh script a 62-run win and get in the top half of the points table

The Report by Saurabh Somani24-Jun-2019As it happenedShakib Al Hasan came, spun, and conquered, carrying Bangladesh to a comfortable 62-run win over Afghanistan that kept their semi-final aspirations alive at the 2019 World Cup.Shakib made it to the record books on the way, most significantly becoming only the third player – after Kapil Dev and Yuvraj Singh – to have a century and a five-wicket haul in the same edition of the World Cup, and the second, after Yuvraj, to score a 50-plus score and return a five-for in the same World Cup game. He first extended his good batting form to hit a fifth 50-plus score in six innings in the tournament, and then broke the back of Afghanistan’s chase with 5 for 29 in ten overs – Bangladesh’s best World Cup figures.Watch on Hotstar (India only): Highlights of Bangladesh’s 62-run win over AfghanistanBangladesh now have seven points with two games in hand. Those two games are against India and Pakistan, but the manner in which Bangladesh have been playing, they will have the belief that they can continue to upset pre-tournament predictions.Against Afghanistan, form-wise, Bangladesh were heavily favoured to win. But they have had a prickly history with Afghanistan and the head-to-head record is a lot closer than they would want. They did look tentative in the initial exchanges, but on pitch that gripped, and a ground with long boundaries, that wasn’t catastrophic.Watch on Hotstar (India only): Highlights from Mushfiqur Rahim’s 87-ball 83Gulbadin Naib made the surprising decision to bowl first on winning the toss, a move that made Mashrafe Mortaza happy because he wanted to bat first in any case.Afghanistan’s game plan while bowling revolved around their spinners – making the decision to bat first seem more inexplicable – and Bangladesh prepared their tactics accordingly. They broke up the successful opening combine of Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar, sending Liton Das at the top instead of Soumya to counter Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The move didn’t work, with Mujeeb accounting for Liton with a carrom ball. He would later get Soumya, who came in at No. 5, too.In the middle, he struck another crucial blow by trapping Shakib lbw, which allowed Afghanistan some measure of control in the middle overs. Mujeeb’s 3 for 39 was just rewards for his excellent show. He had bowled the tough overs and kept Bangladesh’s batsmen quiet. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan too had good outings, with Nabi taking out Tamim.Shakib Al Hasan entered the record books on his way to a match-winning performance•Getty Images

But Mushfiqur Rahim stayed put, moving the score along. Bangladesh had a phase of more than 12 overs – from 24.1 to 36.1 inclusive – without a boundary, but Mushfiqur didn’t lose patience in that phase and opened out after that. He had a shot at emulating countrymen Shakib and Mahmudullah in hitting back-to-back World Cup tons, but fell for an 87-ball 83 in the penultimate over.However, Bangladesh did get the finishing kick courtesy Mossadek Hossain’s 35 off 24, and once they had put on in excess of 250, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Afghanistan, who didn’t help themselves with a sloppy display in the field – ESPNcricinfo’s data had them saving three runs and conceding 19.The chase needed one top-order batsman to play a big innings, batting throughout, but Gulbadin’s 47 was the only substantial score in the top five. The openers built a steady platform, but they needed more than steady. Bangladesh gave the new ball to their pacers, Mortaza and Mustafizur Rahman, and Afghanistan’s best bet was to get off to a fast start against the hard new ball with the sun out, and later milk the spinners. But with Mashrafe and Mustafizur keeping things relatively tight, Afghanistan weren’t quite where they had hoped to be after the first Powerplay.Enter Shakib. And mayhem. He got Rahmat Shah in his first over, and then returned to prise the heart out of Afghanistan’s chase with the wickets of Gulbadin and Nabi within three balls.Adding to Afghanistan’s strange decision-making was another odd move: sending Najibullah Zadran at No. 8, behind wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil. Najibullah showed the folly of that move with pleasing strokeplay, but he had walked in against an asking rate that was improbable, against a spinner on top of his game.Shakib duly got his five-for when Najibullah wandered too far down and was stumped, and any faint hope Afghanistan might have had vanished, even though Samiullah Shinwari, playing his first game of the competition, did push them along with a stroke-filled 49 not out.When Kapil, in 1983, and Yuvraj, in 2011, hit a century and took a five-wicket haul in the same World Cup, their teams lifted the trophy. That final result is still a long way off for this edition, but Shakib’s wizardry has meant that the boulder souls in Bangladesh will dare to hope of a repeat.

Ibrahim Zadran and Qais Ahmad the new names in the long-format squad, while the T20I set-up also includes some fresh faces

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2019Rashid Khan will have several familiar players around him as he begins his stint as Afghanistan’s all-format captain, but the Test and T20I squads he has been given for the tour of Bangladesh also include a number of new names.

Afghanistan squads

Test: Rashid Khan (capt), Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Ihsanullah, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Zahir Khan, Javed Ahmadi, Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Afsar Zazai (wk), Shapoor Zadran, Qais Ahmad
T20I: Rashid Khan (capt), Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Hazratullah Zazai, Najeeb Tarakai, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Najibullah Zadran, Shahidullah, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Fareed Ahmad, Shafiqullah, Fazal Niazai, Dawlat Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)

The September tour will begin with a one-off Test match, Afghanistan’s third ever, in Chattogram.Apart from Mohammad Shahzad, who is serving a suspension, middle-order batsman Nasir Jamal, left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, paceman Wafadar Momand, and left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil have all been left out of the squad that beat Ireland in the one-off Test in Dehradun in March.The experienced left-arm paceman Shapoor Zadran, who has never played Test cricket but did take part in the ODIs against Ireland, as well as Afsar Zazai, the wicketkeeper-batsman who played Afghanistan’s maiden Test – against India in June 2018 in Bengaluru – have both been included. The others to make the cut were left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan, medium pacer Ahmad Shirzad and two players who have never represented Afghanistan, opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran and legspinner Qais Ahmad.The squad of 15 includes veterans Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Afghan, the captain in Afghanistan’s first two Test matches, with other experienced players like Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi in the mix too.The Test will be played from September 5-9, and will be followed by a triangular T20I series, also involving Zimbabwe, scheduled from September 13-24. Apart from the regulars, that side also has the uncapped trio of left-hand batsman Shahidullah, medium pace-bowling allrounder Fazal Niazai, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz.”We have selected a 17-member squad for the T20I matches as per the advice of the captain as we have two important tournaments – T20I Asia Cup and ICC T20 World Cup 2020 – ahead of us,” chief selector Andy Moles said. “We will seek to prepare good sides for these tournaments and those players who perform well, will be considered for selection.”We will also consider the performance of players in the upcoming Shpageeza Cricket League and Afghanistan Premier League T20 for future selection.”The Test squad will leave for Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, where the players will train from September 22 to 29 before travelling to Bangladesh.

Harris scores unbeaten 52 in front of selectors but Smith waits in wings after bowling one over in comeback match

Daniel Brettig29-Aug-2019Not even present for the tour game at Worcester, Australia’s coach Justin Langer underlined the impending pointy end of this Ashes series by intently watching day one of the encounter with Derbyshire from behind the wicket, accompanying the selection chairman Trevor Hohns for long segments of play at the county ground in Derby.What they saw, joined at various junctures by the captain Tim Paine, the resting David Warner and the former New Zealand coach John Wright, was more or less as might have been expected, save for the curious initial decision to field rather than bat first on a straw-coloured pitch.Michael Neser claimed two wickets in as many deliveries with the brand new ball and later added a third, Mitchell Starc went wicketless for 12 overs before blasting out three Derbyshire batsmen in his 13th, two by splaying the stumps, and Peter Siddle bowled eight overs for 11 runs while accounting for the hosts’ top scorer, the elegant Leus de Plooy.Wrapping up Derbyshire’s innings shortly after tea, the acting captain Usman Khawaja and the opener Marcus Harris then got comfortable against modest bowling, taking their time in the knowledge that only one of them is likely to play in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Khawaja, as the senior player of the two, appears more certain of retaining his place, and one or two of Harris’ signature airy cut shots through a gully area not overly staffed by Derbyshire did not inspire a great deal of confidence.Nonetheless, he scored more freely of the batsmen, and in staying undefeated to the close, Harris and Khawaja ensured that Steven Smith’s return to the middle following his concussion substitution at Lord’s and subsequent absence from Headingley would be delayed by another day.”He’s always looking to score,” Paine said of Harris. “I think if you bowl a bad ball to Harry he puts it away and I think that puts guys under pressure. He’s just an attacking opening batter and he keeps the scoreboard moving, but as he’s shown in Shield cricket he’s got the ability to bat for a long time and score big hundreds when he gets in, we know that Harry’s got Test runs in him, and when he gets set hopefully he starts well tomorrow, gets a big score and he can continue putting runs on the board like he has for the last 18 months.”Steve Smith is going to come back in and play. So obviously someone from the last Test is going to miss out. There’s no doubt about that. You have the best player in the world coming back into your line-up. I suppose this tour game is important for guys to make sure that you’re keeping your name up in front of the selectors. And so far a few guys have done it, which is very pleasing. That’s what we want. We want to have depth and we want our selectors to have to make difficult decisions.”Steven Smith had an over before lunch on his return to action•Getty Images

In fact Smith’s only involvement was a single over of ropey off-spin, including one practice delivery that sailed over the head of a startled Siddle at mid off. Neser, Starc and Siddle all bowled better than that, demonstrating what the selectors could expect should they choose any for Manchester. Paine said that Starc’s bowling was steadily on the improve in terms of what the team needed him to do in English conditions.”I think if anyone’s stops trying to get better, that’s a problem,” Paine said. “We know what Starcy can do in terms of blowing teams away. We also know that coming to England in the past that hasn’t worked. So he’s been working really hard on getting his length right more so than anything. I think his opening spell today was really good. I thought he bowled in very good areas.”He bowled with good pace on a wicket that was very slow. So I thought the signs that he showed with the new ball were really good. And then, like we saw again at the end, when he can go back to what his strengths are, attack the stumps and use his short-balls, he’s a handful for the tail as well.”He’s been working on his length and I think he showed some really good control in his first spell. He bowled a long spell too [seven overs and eight overs] which he doesn’t do a lot when he plays for Australia. I thought he controlled pretty well and, the areas he has been trying to improve so he can be important for us in English conditions, I thought he showed today he’s going really well with that.”Rather less of a chance to figure in Lancashire is Cameron Bancroft, who must have been informed of a fairly lowly posting in the batting order after heading, at change of innings, for an extended practice session in the Derby nets. Langer, meanwhile, kept both eyes firmly on the middle.

There is only a 10% chance of rain on Monday, which should mean a match of some sort will be possible between Pakistan and Sri Lanka

The preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Sep-2019

Big Picture

It had rained pretty much constantly for two weeks in Colombo before Sri Lanka had left to Pakistan. After arriving in Karachi early last week, it had rained pretty much constantly for the first few days, forcing the abandonment of the first ODI. In a fortnight in which climate change has been in the news globally, perhaps it has been fitting that unstinting, unseasonal rains in both cities have also left their mark on the game.Whether the rains are a result of a changing climate or not, they certainly have made Sri Lanka’s unenviable position even worse. Already weakened by a slew of withdrawals, Sri Lanka have also been unable to train as they would like, both before they left for the tour, as well as since arriving in Pakistan. What’s more, if there is extra moisture in the Karachi surface to aid seam bowling, this too, may play into the hands of their hosts, who have the superior seam attack.ALSO READ: Ian Chappell on why cricket needs to take climate change seriouslyPakistan may be stepping out into a new era, under Misbah-ul-Haq. But they were always strong favourites in this series, against a team that still does not have a permanent coach. The rains have only made Sri Lanka’s challenge more difficult.

Form guide

Pakistan WWWWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri LankaWWWLWShadab Khan celebrates after taking a wicket•Getty Images

In the spotlight

There is no doubt Danushka Gunathilaka is a talented batsman. But he has, in the past three years, been on the end of too many disciplinary indiscretions, the most-recent of which was a broken curfew in the middle of a Test match last year. Gunathilaka was not picked for Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad, partly because of that history. He needs more runs most to convince the selectors that he should be part of Sri Lanka’s best starting XI when all players are available.ALSO READ: This tour a precursor to December Test series, says SL coach RatnayakeThe days when Sri Lanka’s batsmen could consider themselves among the best players of spin are long gone. As the likes of Imran Tahir have repeatedly proved, this generation of Sri Lanka batsmen have a particular weakness against legspin. In the five games he has played against them so far, Shadab Khan has excellently exploited this weakness, taking 10 wickets at an average of 16.3 – his best against any major nation. With the current Sri Lanka top-order batsmen being essentially the second string, perhaps Shadab has an opportunity to improve on those numbers.

Team news

It is difficult to predict Sri Lanka’s XI, but Nuwan Pradeep may get a game owing to his experience. Lakshan Sandakan is the only specialist spinner in the squad, but with the likes of Shehan Jayasuriya and Wanindu Hasaranga (both spin-bowling allrounders) around, perhaps he will not be required, especially if seam movement is expected.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Lahiru Thirimanne (capt.), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 5 Oshada Fernando, 6 Shehan Jayasuriya, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Wanindu Hasaranga, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Nuwan PradeepDanushka Gunathilaka takes off for a run•Associated Press

Batsman Asif Ali played only two World Cup matches, but may get an opportunity here. Left-arm seamer Usman Shinwari, who last played an ODI in March, could also get a game.Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt.) (wk), 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Usman Shinwari

Pitch and conditions

There is only a 10% chance of rain on Monday, which should mean a match of some sort will be possible. Bright sunshine over the weekend has also helped dry the ground, which had been seriously waterlogged on Friday.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have won their six most-recent (completed) matches against Sri Lanka – a streak that goes back to 2017
  
• Gunathilaka has played only five ODIs since the start of 2018, but averages 46.50 through that period
  
• Shadab has never gone wicketless against Sri Lanka. All five of his matches against them were in the UAE
  
• Babar Azam is ranked third on the ICC rankings for ODI batting, while Imam-ul-Haq is joint 11th with Australia’s Aaron Finch. To find the best-ranking Sri Lanka batsman involved in this series, you have to go all the way down to No. 80: Avishka Fernando

The selectors have named five fast bowlers in the squad to face Pakistan but there is some genuine uncertainty among them as to who will play

Alex Malcolm15-Nov-2019Strength in depth is something the Australian selectors would dearly love with their batting options. They have in it in spades with the fast bowling, however, and that creates a different problem.The selection of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Michael Neser in the Test squad to face Pakistan looks like a luxury teams the world over would love to have.Now it’s about which three to pick for the Gabba. The selectors rotated their fast bowlers with mixed success in England. Heading into the final Test at The Oval they seemed genuinely unsure of their best trio, with Peter Siddle playing ahead of Starc and Pattinson who were both fully fit.Pattinson, perhaps to his own detriment given his desire to play his first Test on home soil since January 2016, thinks the New South Wales trio of Cummins, Hazlewood, and Starc will line-up in Brisbane.ALSO READ: James Pattinson wants to play back-to-back Tests“I think those three are probably going to get the first look in, realistically,” Pattinson said on Thursday. When probed as to whether the selectors had indicated that to him he responded, “Not really, that’s just my personal opinion.”The New South Wales trio tuned up for Brisbane by dismantling Western Australia on a slow dry SCG track, the antithesis of what will be presented at the Gabba. The trio took 13 wickets between them on a spin-friendly surface to bowl WA out for 191 and 128. All three were outstanding with a reverse-swinging ball.They were the trio that secured the Ashes for Australia at Old Trafford, in Starc’s only Test of the campaign, but he was unsure whether they would get the nod together in Brisbane.”We’ve all said we are here to win games for New South Wales and the rest of it will take care of itself,” Starc said. “For this week it was nice to have everyone back in blue, Patty’s [Cummins] first game and was nice seeing him bowl fast as well. We’ve played a lot of cricket together for New South Wales and Australia and if that’s the way they go in the first Test then great, if not keep pushing for the next one.”Starc’s form probably makes him the favourite to be named alongside Cummins and Hazlewood, who appear certain starters. After a lean match at the Gabba against Queensland, where he claimed 1 for 129, some remedial work with NSW bowling coach Andre Adams propelled him to a man of the match display against Tasmania at Drummoyne Oval where he took 10 for 60 from 43.2 overs.He then took eight wickets in six T20Is but stepped back into Shield cricket without missing a beat, claiming 4 for 57 in the second innings against Western Australia with some vicious reverse swing and six wickets in the matchJosh Hazlewood and James Pattinson bowl in the nets•Getty Images

“I’ve just been happy with the rhythm and things I’ve worked on, just to get into a clearer mindset,” Starc said. “The things I worked on coming out of the Gabba Shield game and into Drummoyne I’ve been pretty focused and clear since the Gabba – in the T20s as well – so that’s pretty pleasing. Hopefully having that mindset can carry on through the summer.”Pattinson’s form in the Sheffield Shield should not be overlooked. He consistently troubled opponents with pace and hostility on three very flat surfaces at the Junction Oval, the WACA and the MCG. He was rested for the game against Tasmania on a bowler-friendly surface in Hobart. He has 11 wickets in four innings thus far this season with two four-wicket hauls but has bowled without luck at times.The squad mentality has been spoken about at length, with Australia’s hierarchy keen to sell the idea to the fast bowlers to both keep them fresh and extend their careers.Pattinson spoke last Friday of his desire to play back-to-back Test matches and his envy of the batsmen being able to find form through continuity of playing.But it seems the bowlers, begrudgingly or not, have accepted their fate that they may not play every game.”We spoke about the squad mentality during the Ashes and having five fast bowlers again it will be the same thing,” Starc said. “Whether that’s conditions-based, Nes [Neser] bowled really well in that A game from what I’ve heard and Patto has been bowling really nicely. Joshy, Patty and myself are pretty happy with how we’ve been progressing.”While Pattinson believed he would not play in the first Test he did believe that his opportunity would come depending on conditions.”I think it’s just a game to game basis, however, they pull up. If I’m just there staying fit and bowling well and putting my name forward, hopefully at some stage I’ll get the nod.”