All posts by n8rngtd.top

Starc showed signs of discomfort at the MCG, and went for scans on Wednesday, but he also spent time in the gym in the lead-up to the SCG Test

Andrew McGlashan01-Jan-20252:11

Clarke: ‘Freakish’ debut for Konstas

Mitchell Starc has been termed one of Australia’s “toughest” cricketers as he was backed to be fit for the Sydney Test after having maintained speeds above 140kph in Melbourne despite battling a back problem.Starc first showed signs of discomfort in the first innings at the MCG, but was able to play a key role in the dramatic victory push where he claimed Virat Kohli on the final day. Starc went for scans on Wednesday, but he also spent time in the gym during what became an optional training session where none of the bowlers who played in Melbourne turned their arm over.Normally, Australia have their main training session two days out from a Test but have tweaked their build-up given the short turnaround between the final two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, and the heavier workload at the MCG.”He’ll be fine. He’ll push through,” Alex Carey said. “I’ve played with Starcy for a long time now, and [he’s] one of the toughest cricketers I’ve played with. He’ll grimace, he’ll grab his rib no doubt, but he’ll be ready for the contest.”Related

• Mitchell Marsh dropped, Beau Webster to debut in Sydney

• 'Unfair' to question Marsh's fitness as pressure grows on Test spot

• Stats – A sorry end to 2024 for India and Rohit

• Labuschagne digs deep to handle Bumrah's heat

• A Test match to remember for the lower order

Starc has been lauded for his consistency across this series, with Ricky Ponting regularly saying he has never seen him bowl better. He has 15 wickets at 28.73 in the four Tests and was unfortunate not to claim more than the one wicket at the MCG.”I thought first spell [in the second innings] without the reward was some of the best bowling I’ve seen this series from him,” Carey said. “He’s a quality player and has been for a long time. He’s got an opportunity now to help this team in a Test match. He’ll be up for the contest, and I think his bowling’s just gotten better throughout the series.”Overall, Starc’s numbers have faded towards the end of long Test campaigns, with his average in the fourth and fifth matches at 41.82, whereas it is 25.91 across the first three games of a series. He has also struggled at the SCG, his home ground, with nine Tests having brought 24 wickets at 44.16 on a surface that hasn’t always offered much encouragement for the quicks, although Carey said it was reasonably well grassed two days out from this match.Should Starc not be able to take his place in the XI, it would open the door for Jhye Richardson to play his first Test since the 2021-22 Ashes. He featured for Perth Scorchers on New Year’s Day, where he bowled with pace and movement to claim 3 for 29 against Adelaide Strikers before rejoining the Test team in Sydney.Sean Abbott is the other reserve quick in the squad, and would add more depth to the batting order if he were handed a debut as one of three seamers.”Whenever we have put someone in the spotlight, the true Aussie way is to show them how good we are”•AFP/Getty Images

The other player under scrutiny heading into the final men’s Test of the home summer is Mitchell Marsh, who has made 73 runs in the series, with uncapped allrounder Beau Webster remaining part of the squad. However, as with those who have been in focus during the series – the likes of Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith – Marsh has been backed to make an impact.”Whenever we have put someone in the spotlight, the true Aussie way is to show them how good we are,” Carey said. “So I think it is Mitch’s time.”After his thrilling debut in Melbourne, Sam Konstas will also be the focus of much attention after leaving an impression both with the bat and in the field. He was the only frontline batter not to have a hit at training on Wednesday.”I was a spectator that first session,” Carey said. “I probably had the emotions of the 90,000 that were there. At times I couldn’t watch it, at times I was cheering.”But just the energy he brought, it was something different. I probably wasn’t expecting that amount of difference, but he played a style of cricket that was probably new to India as well.”We’ll wait and see how we plays out here. I don’t think that’s his blueprint every Test match, but to be able to throw a few punches early and get a bit of momentum for us, which the opening partnership was probably just lacking that intensity.”I thought Nathan [McSweeney] and Usman [Khawaja] got us through tough situations as well by facing lots of balls. Sam was able to score a little bit, so hopefully another opportunity in front of his home fans.”Weather is often a talking point around Sydney Tests and, with the series poised at 2-1, could shape as an important factor. Currently the first three days look fine and settled, but there is a greater chance of showers on Monday and Tuesday.Mitchell Starc was often spotted stretching his back at the MCG•Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

A draw would be enough for Australia to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, but would leave them short of cementing a place in the World Test Championship final before the Sri Lanka tour at the end of January.”[It would be] reward for 24 months of really solid cricket,” Carey said. “[It is] a group that is extremely experienced, skilful, [with] Australian legends amongst it, who are continuing to surprise us with how good they are… but we can’t look too far ahead.”We know it’s a really quality outfit in India, who have shown they are well and truly capable of bouncing back. So for this group, it’s head down, another opportunity to win a Test match, and if are able to secure the trophy it would be fantastic.”It is hoped that the first three days at the SCG, the annual Pink Test to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation, will be a sellout following an Australian-record attendance across the Melbourne Test.

Since they last won the title, Sydney Sixers have consistently reached the finals but stumbled short of the prize

Andrew McGlashan25-Jan-2025Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has called for the club to take a hard look at why they have stumbled in finals over recent seasons after falling to crosstown rivals Sydney Thunder in the Challenger on Friday, but he refused to blame the absence of key players on Australia Test duty.Sixers had given themselves a double chance of reaching Monday’s final by finishing second in the regular season but lost to Hobart Hurricanes in the Qualifier before coming up short against Thunder at the SCG.It meant that since winning the second of back-to-back titles in the 2020-21 season, they have won just two out of nine matches in finals series.Related

• All the BBL lists ahead of the trade window and those off contract

• Thunder one step away from BBL title as Billings, spinners shine

• Warner 'still the best by a country mile' as he leads Thunder to BBL final

“Unfortunately we’ve saved our worst two performances for the last two games of the year,” he said. “We do have to have a look at how we’ve performed in finals the last three years because I don’t think our record is great now. We gave ourselves two chances this year because of how well we played throughout the year. We had two chances last year as well and two chances the year before.”I am proud that we’ve got a group that consistently puts us in a position to win the tournament and gives us the very best opportunity at the end of the league games to go on and win but unfortunately this year we weren’t good enough.”Henriques said the debrief on the season would start straightaway. After the final there is a ten-day trade window where out-of-contract players from other clubs can be signed. Sixers head into that period with ten on their list – the maximum permitted – leaving Jackson Bird, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti and Kurtis Patterson as those who are free agents.”It’s the high pressure nature of sport that you can’t always perform when you want to,” Henriques said. “Why we’ve been not able to play our best in these games is something we’re going to have to have a look at and definitely discuss for a while after the game because we’re not rushing off to anywhere. There’s a lot to learn from the last couple of days.”Some of the best learnings are in these situations because a lot of that group is going to be around again next year and hopefully we can put ourselves in a position next year to challenge again.”Steven Smith was available for three matches this season where he made a spectacular 121 not out followed by 52 but, along with Todd Murphy and Sean Abbott, left after the regular season for Australia’s training camp in Dubai ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.When Sixers won the first of the back-to-back titles in the 2019-2020 season, they had Smith, Nathan Lyon (who is now with Melbourne Renegades) and Josh Hazlewood (currently recovering from injury) available for the finals along with their regular key names.”It’s a really tough one,” Henriques said when asked about the overlapping schedules. “I think the pinnacle of cricket is playing international sport for your country and we’re very proud of the three guys that get selected. That’s obviously not including Starcy and Josh Hazlewood.”That’s a feather in our cap as a squad that they want to play cricket for our team and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I still feel like we’ve got players that can win us the match when they go away.”I said before the last game to the group, even though we only had 12 players, somehow it was still a headache to try and pick 11 because of what I believe to be the quality of this group and the quality of players that we have.”In the 2020-21 final, James Vince produced the match-winning hand of 95 against Perth Scorchers and has remained a regular with the club but left early for the ILT20, as did West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein. The other draft signing was young English legspinner Jafer Chohan who stood out when he came into the side, returning 2 for 28 and 2 for 22 the two finals, conceding just one boundary in each game.”He’s been really impressive,” Henriques said. “He sat patiently waiting for a game. I think through the four matches that he played, I couldn’t remember one bad ball, which, for a wristspinner, is just extraordinary. I think he’s got a big future ahead of him.”

He and Graham Clark put on 181 together to break their own record for Durham’s highest T20 stand

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Jul-2025Durham secured a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast as a record-breaking partnership from centurion Alex Lees and Graham Clark led them to a resounding nine-wicket win over Northamptonshire Steelbacks.Steelbacks won the toss and batted first and David Willey (62) exploited a platform set by Matthew Breetzke (52) with some destructive hitting, but an excellent spell from Matthew Potts helped reel Northants in late on as they finished on 203 for 5.Lees and Clark made an excellent start to the Durham chase as they raced to 100 within eight overs and they continued the charge as they broke the record for Durham’s highest T20 partnership, previously held by the same pair against the same team.They made the chase look easy, hitting 12 sixes between them in a partnership worth 181, while Lees reached his maiden T20 century as he steered his side home with plenty of time to spare.Northants started well, but there was a big let-off for them early on as Will Rhodes dropped Breetzke on 10 when the South African opener mistimed a pull shot off Potts. He made Durham pay for that mishap as he heaved a Codi Yusuf ball over the legside boundary for six to continue his positive start.Breetzke continued his onslaught as he smashed three consecutive balls from Yusuf for six, but Durham struck through Callum Parkinson as Ricardo Vasconcelos tried to smash one down the ground but he could only find Potts at long-off.Breetzke continued his side’s charge and he passed fifty from 31 balls, his fourth in the competition, but he then fell for a swashbuckling 52, with Nathan Sowter picking up the wicket as the opener holed out to Rhodes on the boundary.Willey then made the most of some short-pitched bowling from Parkinson as he smashed back-to-back sixes down the ground.The Northants skipper then reached his fifty from 25 balls with a six off the bowling of Sowter to continue his team’s charge towards a massive total.Willey then continued his devastating display of hitting as he smashed a Raine ball over the long-on boundary for six.Potts removed Ravi Bopara for a tidy 33 to halt the Northants charge, with a jumping David Bedingham taking a nice catch, and Willey’s excellent knock ended as he feathered a Potts ball through to Ollie Robinson for 62.Potts struck for a third time in the final over to remove George Bartlett, but the Steelbacks finished on a total of 203 for 5.In pursuit of 204, Lees and Clark got off to a solid start, with the former clubbing a Ben Sanderson delivery down the ground for four.Lees then pulled off an inventive shot as he scooped a Willey ball for six and he backed that up with one that he whipped away for four.The Durham skipper sent George Scrimshaw’s first ball into the stands as he produced an excellent pull shot and he did the same thing with the following ball.Clark then pulled a Luke Procter ball for six as the hosts raced to 78 without loss in the powerplay, while Lees reached his half-century from 23 balls at the other end.Clark then heaved a Sanderson ball for six to reach his half-century from 26 balls as Durham continued their charge.Clark pummeled a Lloyd Pope delivery down the ground for six and Lees followed that up with two more blows over the long-on boundary.Lees then hit a beautiful cover drive off the bowling of Procter for four, but the partnership was finally broken by Procter as Clark went for 79 as he miscued a ramp shot and was caught behind.Lees then reached his century from 48 balls and guided his team home with 21 balls to spare.

Batter calls time on England having not featured since 50-over World Cup in 2023

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2024Dawid Malan, England’s former No.1-ranked T20I batter, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 37.Malan, who played 22 Tests, 30 ODIs and 62 T20Is, is one of only two England men’s batters (alongside Jos Buttler) to have made centuries in all three international formats. However, he had not featured in an England squad since the 50-over World Cup in India last year, and confirmed his decision after his omission from the forthcoming white-ball series against Australia.”It has been an incredible journey since July 2017,” Malan said. “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play for England in all three formats.”Cricket, like most sports, is an industry where almost everyone eventually retires wishing they had done that little bit more. Whether you’ve played ten Tests or 100, many step away regretting not playing just one more, scoring a few more runs, or winning more trophies.”Right now, as I retire from international cricket, I can say I am genuinely satisfied. It has not been easy. It may be my nature, but for whatever reason, it has always seemed that I had something to prove and often felt as if I was playing for my place. The pressure goes with the territory, but it does take a mental and physical toll. Even so, I look back with pride on what I have been able to achieve.”Despite announcing himself with a free-flowing innings of 78 from 44 on his T20I debut against South Africa in 2017, Malan’s initial breakthrough with England came on the following winter’s Ashes tour, where he made his only Test hundred, 140 from 227 balls, in partnership with Jonny Bairstow at Perth.However, it was in the T20I format that he truly made his name, most particularly in the aftermath of England’s ODI World Cup victory in 2019, when he forced his way into the team’s 20-over plans through his sheer weight of run-making, including a 48-ball hundred at Napier on that winter’s tour of New Zealand.In September 2020, he reached the top of the ICC’s batting rankings for T20I cricket, and the following March, he became the fastest men’s player to reach 1000 runs in the format, from just 24 innings, all but one of which had been at least double-figures. He was also a T20 World Cup winner in Australia in 2022, although he missed the knock-out stages after tearing his groin in the field against Sri Lanka.Due to the success of the 50-over squad, Malan took longer to break into the ODI team – despite the prevailing sense that it was the format for which he was best suited, with his tendency to begin an innings cautiously before unfurling his full range of strokes at the back end often attracting criticism during his T20I performances.Nevertheless, he seized his chance when it came, scoring five ODI hundreds in the space of 15 innings between June 2022 and September 2023, to make an unequivocal case to replace England’s incumbent opener, Jason Roy, in the 2023 World Cup squad. He then added a sixth hundred in the second match of the tournament to guide England to victory over Bangladesh in Dharamsala, but he could not survive the fall-out from the team’s disappointing overall campaign.Speaking to The Times, Malan said that he had “exceeded all expectations of myself in white-ball formats”, but admitted that his inability to forge a more consistent Test career would be a regret. Ten of his 22 appearances came on consecutive tours of Australia in 2017-18 and 2021-22, where his average of 33.00 is bettered only by Alastair Cook, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow among regular England performers of the past decade. However, he never played the format again after England’s 146-run defeat at Hobart in January 2022.Related

• England turn focus towards Champions Trophy qualification

• England's golden generation faces the end of an era

• Dawid Malan at peace with England axe – but set for talks with Rob Key

“Test cricket was always the pinnacle for me growing up,” he said. “At times I played well but in between just wasn’t good enough or consistent enough, which was disappointing because I felt I was a better player than that.”I took all three formats extremely seriously but the intensity of Test cricket was something else: five days plus the days building up. I’m a big trainer; I love hitting lots of balls and I’d train hard in the build-up, and then the days were long and intense. You can’t switch off. I found it very mentally draining, especially the long Test series that I played, where my performances dropped off from the third or fourth Test onwards.””But, you know, on the field I always did what I felt was right to win a game for the team. I never walked off the field if I got runs not caring about whether we had won or lost. It was always about winning and I’d always question myself as to whether I’d made the right decisions on the field to do that.”Malan is likely to be in high demand on the T20 franchise circuit with his England career behind him. He was most recently in action for Oval Invincibles, helping the team to victory in the Men’s Hundred, two years after he was part of the Trent Rockets squad that claimed the 2022 title. Last winter, he helped Sunrisers Eastern Cape win the second season of the SA20, and was also in action for Multan Sultans in the PSL.Rob Key, the managing director of England Men’s Cricket, added: “Dawid Malan retires after an excellent international career marked by resilience and determination.”Early on, he had to fight for every opportunity, often facing some of the best teams in the world. His contributions were pivotal, particularly during the memorable World Cup victories in Australia, where he played an integral role in the team’s success.”His legacy will be remembered as one of tenacity and achievement on the international stage – traits any player would be extremely proud to have.”

Sri Lanka “not risking” Pathirana after he jarred his shoulder in the third T20I; uncapped seamers Mohamed Shiraz and Eshan Malinga added to squad

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Aug-2024Two further Sri Lanka fast bowlers have been ruled out of the ODIs against India, with Matheesha Pathirana picking up a shoulder complaint, and Dilshan Madushanka injuring a hamstring.Sri Lanka are also without Dushmantha Chameera, who is out with illness, and Nuwan Thushara, who fractured his thumb. Both these players had missed the T20Is as well.For now Sri Lanka have brought uncapped right-arm seamer Mohamed Shiraz into the squad, team manager Mahinda Halangoda confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. Later in the afternoon, a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed a second uncapped right-arm seamer was added to the squad: Eshan Malinga. Three players were also put on standby: batter Kusal Perera, seamer Pramod Madushan and spinner Jeffrey Vandersay.Related

• Jayasuriya: 'Don't see a lack of commitment, but SL players have to tackle pressure better'

• 'It's not a practice ground, it's an international game' – Rohit Sharma keeps his focus on the present

• Will it be another mismatch as Sri Lanka and India switch to ODIs?

• Thushara out of India T20Is with broken finger

“Matheesha has jarred his shoulder, and because it is the same issue that he had during the World Cup last year, they have chosen not to risk it,” Halangoda said. Pathirana had picked up the injury while fielding in the third T20I in Pallekele, and had left the field soon after, before he had bowled a single delivery in that game.Madushanka, meanwhile, had sustained the hamstring injury while training, Halangoda said. He had played only one match in the T20I series.Both Pathirana and Madushanka were likely to be in the XI for the first ODI against India, on Friday. Sri Lanka have lost their last 10 matches across formats against India.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Danushka Gunathilaka, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Thirimanne among the players dropped from the list

Madushka Balasuriya10-May-2024Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has handed out upgraded central contracts to a whopping 41 male players, up from 29 previously. Like in previous years, there are six categories – A1, A2, B2, C1, C2, and ‘A’ Team – with several performance-based clauses included.However, SLC has declined to disclose the exact categories each of the players has been slotted in, with CEO Ashley de Silva telling ESPNcricinfo, “We don’t want to negatively impact player morale by publicly revealing that information.”The expanded contract list means new faces such as Shevon Daniel, Dushan Hemantha, Nuwanidu Fernando and Sahan Arachchige have all earned deals despite their limited game time with the national side.Related

• Spin-heavy SL confident of success at T20 World Cup

• Uncapped Dunith Wellalage in Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup squad

• South Africa to host Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2024-25 summer

In all, 18 fresh players have been brought on board, and six players dropped – most notably Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Danushka Gunathilaka, who have not turned out for the national team in over a year. Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Pradeep, Minod Bhanuka and Lakshan Sandakan are the other four to not make the cut from the last set of contracts handed out in 2022.Key in the new contracts is a focus on red-ball cricket, with Test-match fees seeing a 100% bump, the idea being to incentivise players to make themselves available for the longer format of the game. The payments, though, will be merit-based with “different payment structures” depending on results. ODI and T20I match fees have had a flat 25% increase.Along with enhanced daily allowances, players will also receive one-time payments for topping the ICC player rankings either as a batter, a bowler or an allrounder. Players making it into the top ten in the rankings but not topping them will also be granted a one-time payment.

Sri Lanka’s centrally contracted men’s players

Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Asitha Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dunith Wellalage, Lahiru Kumara, Nishan Madushka, Matheesha Pathirana, Kusal Janith Perera, Vishwa Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay, Pramod Madushan, Janith Liyanage, Akila Dananjaya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Nuwan Thushara, Sahan Arachchige, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dushan Hemantha, Lasith Embuldeniya, Binura Fernando, Shevon Daniel, Niroshan Dickwella, Ashen Bandara, Oshada Fernando, Avishka Fernando

The trio shares nine wickets to bowl out Central Districts for 92 in 14.2 overs in a chase of 159

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2025Guyana Amazon Warriors opened their account in Global Super League 2025 with a thumping 66-run win over Central Districts in Providence. The win took Warriors to the top of the points table, at least for the time being, while Central Districts are at the bottom with two defeats in two games.The star of the show for Warriors were their bowlers: Imran Tahir, Dwaine Pretorius and David Wiese. Tahir picked up 4 for 23, Pretorius 3 for 18 and Wiese 2 for 13, as Central Districts were bowled out for a mere 92 in 14.2 overs in their chase of 159.Earlier, Central Districts won the toss and opted to field. They removed Johnson Charles and Moeen Ali cheaply but Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jewel Andrew added 84 off 63 balls for the third wicket. Andrew was run out for 45 off 29 in the 15th over and Gurbaz fell for 58 off 47 in the next. The incoming batters could not step up and Warriors could manage only 28 in the last four overs.Central Districts, though, never got going in their chase. Pretorius removed Dane Cleaver in the very first over and by the end of the powerplay, the scoreboard read 23 for 4. There was no coming back from there.Tahir hurt them further with two wickets in the 13th over. Two overs later, Wiese wrapped up the innings with the wicket of opener Will Young, who top-scored with 26 off 29 balls.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali replaces him in the squad

Mohammad Isam16-Mar-2024Bangladesh have dropped Litton Das for the third ODI against Sri Lanka. He has been released from the squad on advice from the team management to play in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League.Bangladesh have replaced him with wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali, who scored an impressive 68 in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. He has 84 List A appearances and has racked up 1918 runs at an average of 34.87.It is the first time that Litton has lost his place since 2021 when he was dropped for a T20I series against Pakistan.Litton was out without scoring in the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka, and also failed to impress in the T20I series against them, registering scores of 0, 36 and 7 in the three matches.From the start of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Litton has scored just 313 runs in 14 ODIs at an average of 24.07. He has crossed the 50-run mark just twice in that time.”With the series now hanging in the balance, we believe Jaker Ali’s addition will provide the team with more options and flexibility in the middle order,” Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chairman of the Bangladesh selection panel was quoted as saying in a BCB release. “Considering Litton’s recent performance in white-ball cricket, we opted for this change, mindful of the availability of two other capable openers within the squad.”Anamul Haque and Tanzid Hasan are the other two openers in the Bangladesh squad, and one of them will likely slot in alongside Soumya Sarkar, who impressed with a 66-ball 68 in the last match.Bangladesh squad for 3rd ODI: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Anamul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Jaker Ali

The surface for the second Test in Galle appears substantially drier than the track used for the first match, which Australia won by a massive margin

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Feb-2025″The wicket was very good last time. I’m hoping it will turn more in this match.”When a Sri Lanka captain says this in Galle on the eve of a Test, there might be a dustbowl in the offing. What is clear is that the surface Sri Lanka and Australia are set to play the second Test on appears substantially drier than the track they played the first match on.Partly, this is down to bright conditions in the lead-up. Where the days before the first Test had been beset by rain, this pitch has more or less baked in ferocious heat since the first match ended, on Saturday.Related

• Kusal Mendis fights for Sri Lanka as Starc and Lyon stand out

• Ramesh Mendis recalled for second Test against Australia

• Karunaratne to retire from Test cricket after 100th appearance

• Sri Lanka hope for Nissanka boost as Australia target rare series win in Asia

There is also the theory that producing pitches that only break up after days three and four offers too substantial an advantage to the side batting first. Sri Lanka want to avoid conceding another score in the realm of 654 for 6 declared, which deflated them in the first Test. They are seeking an advantage and have fallen back to what they tend to rely on in Galle: big turn.”Our strength is spin,” Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said. “If you look through the history in Galle, a lot of spinners have been among the wickets, and hopefully ours can be effective.”The problem for Sri Lanka is that Australia have learned to thrive in spinning conditions as well. Their bowlers might have had the better bowling conditions in the first Test, but they made the unusual move of strapping three frontline spinners to the plow, and between them, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy shared 17 wickets, dismissing Sri Lanka for 165 and 247.Australia have been outspoken about their having prepared for “extreme” surfaces as well as flatter ones, partly through their week-long training camp in Dubai. Steven Smith revealed ahead of this Test that it was India’s spin-blueprint in Asia that Australia had chosen to emulate, to some extent. Devising bowling strategy around three frontline spinners is not a challenge that many Australia captains have had to contend with, but on the evidence of the first Test, Smith has been relishing it.”Looks a very dry surface and I dare say it will take a reasonable amount of spin,” Smith said. “In these conditions, it’s great to have more than two options of guys who can take wickets and build pressure. If you look at India, who have done it so well, they’ve had R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and either Kuldeep Yadav or Jayant Yadav or Axar Patel – someone who bowls good spin – with them in their line-up.”In these conditions, it’s tiring for a spinner as well. It’s hot and humid out there, and you can get tired bowling spin as well as pace. If a batter looks comfortable against a bowler, you can take that bowler off and get someone else in. Even if a new bowler takes a wicket early in the spell, you can go back to the other guy, which is what India have done so well for a number of years. I just have a similar philosophy. “Australia’s batting against spin has also improved substantially, particularly since the 2016 tour of Sri Lanka, which they lost 3-0. Smith said many Australia batters’ exposure to big-spinning conditions – even through the T20 leagues in Asia – has helped raise their game.Ramesh Mendis has been recalled, and could slot into Sri Lanka’s XI straightaway•AFP/Getty Images

“Even in one-day tours you can get similar wickets in the nets to what you get out there,” Smith said. “Last time we played in Colombo in one-dayers, the ball was ragging all over the place. For guys that play IPL and things like that, and you can get nets there that can be extreme, you just learn on the go through those experiences. It’s almost been attack before defence and thinking proactively. I thought we did that magnificently in the first Test.”Because of how enormous the winning margin was in the first Test – an innings and 242 runs – Sri Lanka now find themselves having to prove that their own batting in spinning conditions is up to scratch. And that their own bowlers can be penetrative in helpful conditions. Early signs are that this game could be a classic low-scoring Galle shootout.”In the first Test, a lot of our batters got starts but didn’t carry on,” de Silva said. “During the match and afterwards, what we’d talked about was that someone has to make 150 or 200, because then others can bat around him, and we can get to a big score. That’s what Australia did. I’m expecting that will happen for us in this match.”

The opener’s 41-ball 102 set up Sunrisers Hyderabad’s record-breaking 287 for 3 at the Chinnaswamy

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-20242:47

Head: Impact Player rule has helped us push the boundaries

After helping Sunrisers Hyderabad amass 287 for 3 with a 39-ball century and break the IPL record for highest total for the second time this season, opener Travis Head said his side would fancy targeting 300 as their next challenge. He also credited the captain Pat Cummins and head coach Daniel Vettori for pushing the openers to keep being aggressive in the first six overs.”[Our total] needs a three in front of it, does it now?” Head joked, when asked between innings about the benchmarks Sunrisers are setting for themselves, after the first innings against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday. “It’s proper batting. We’ve wanted to be exciting the whole time, and we’ve wanted to take the game on, and Pat and then Dan have put pressure on the batting line-up to make sure we try and maximise the powerplay and then keep going.”We’ve got guys like [Heinrich] Klaasen, [Abdul] Samad and Nitish [Kumar Reddy, who] didn’t even get a hit today. We’ve got some power through the middle, and we want to keep just putting the foot down as much as we can. We know that’s not always guaranteed, but at the moment I think we’re setting it up really well in each game and getting to the score that we need.”Related

• Maxwell takes a break to refresh after asking to be rested by RCB

• Shock and awe all around at Head's hair-raising hundred

• Du Plessis: 'When the confidence is low, there's nowhere to hide'

• Stats – Sunrisers Hyderabad break their own record for highest-ever IPL total

• Head, Klaasen play decisive hands in Chinnaswamy big bash

Sunrisers smashed 22 sixes, the most in IPL history, and Head hit nine of them. Along with Abhishek Sharma, Head helped Sunrisers race away to 76 for 0 in the powerplay while also getting to his fifty. After the game, Head said he was enjoying batting with Abhishek. “We complement each other really well. He’s a young player and pretty fearless. There was a little bit of spin in the powerplay and he was so dominant against them. I’m loving it.”Head was eventually out in the 13th over for a 41-ball 102. His wicket brought zero respite though, as Klaasen pumped a 31-ball 67 from No. 3. Klaasen too was full of praise for his team-mate for setting up the match and making his job easier. “Unbelievable start there from Heady. It’s a special knock that. Puts the bowler under a lot of pressure,” Klaasen told the broadcaster after the game. “[I] came in and wanted to be very sensible and knock it around and make sure he faces majority of the balls. It is difficult to out-hit players like that so when it’s his night, make sure I’m on the other side and wait for a couple of bad balls. And then I should take over when he gets out.”It was nice batting out there, the wicket was nice and good but the tempo was set there upfront. Its nice to have bowlers under pressure when you come in.”