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India’s captain wants to create a pool of eight or nine fast bowlers capable of stepping into the Test XI at any given point

Ashish Pant15-Oct-2024Rohit Sharma wants to injury-proof the Indian cricket team, and has called for expanding their bench strength, particularly the fast-bowling department so that they have eight or nine players ready to step into the first XI at any given moment.”We want to create a bench strength where tomorrow if anything happens to anyone, we are not worried, and we don’t want to be worried or too heavily reliant on a few individuals. That’s not the right thing to do,” Rohit said on the eve of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. “We want to look at the future at the same time, try and make sure that we get the right guys in as well.”We want to create guys where even if there are injuries, we have got someone to quickly step in and take that role.”It’s not about three or four options. We want to try and do that like, you know, when it comes to batting, there are a lot of options. We want to create the same with the bowlers as well.”Along with the 15-member squad for the three-match series against New Zealand, India are also carrying Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy as travelling reserves. Mayank and Reddy recently made their international debuts in the T20Is against Bangladesh recently, while Rana was an unused member of that squad.Related

• Rain washes out first day in Bengaluru

• Latham hopes cloudy Bengaluru brings NZ's seamers to life

• India's problem of plenty – three spinners or three seamers?

• India start as favourites, but Bengaluru weather could level the playing field

• Shami not ready for New Zealand Tests; Bumrah named vice-captain

Prasidh Krishna was also initially named as a travelling reserve for the New Zealand Tests, but he has reportedly suffered another injury setback. During Karnataka’s opening fixture of the new Ranji Trophy season, against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, he bowled only eight of the 140 overs that his side sent down.”You know, the reason we wanted to keep them close to us was because we are thinking of them to take them to Australia,” Rohit said. The five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins on November 22. “We just want to monitor them and see their workload. We have seen some talent in them. I understand that they have not played a lot of red-ball cricket, but when you see a talent, you want to try and groom them.Harshit Rana, 22, has played nine first-class matches and picked up 36 wickets•PTI

“You want to try and bring them as close to the team as possible. And in a short period of time, they have shown they have some ability as well. So, we want to keep them with the team and see whether they will be ready for international cricket or not, especially Test cricket, because Test cricket is a different ball game compared to white ball cricket. So, we want to keep them, we want to see what they can offer us, and have more options with us, more than anything else.”Nitish and Harshit both obviously are quite talented individuals, and in the future obviously they are going to provide a lot of stability to the team. So, just want to see what they are capable of, what they have to offer.”Mayank’s rise has been both rapid and eye-catching. He burst on the scene during IPL 2024, bowling at speeds of 155kph, and accurately at that, for Lucknow Super Giants. He could only play four matches though with an abdominal issue keeping him sidelined. Still, India had seen enough to fast-track him into their T20 side against Bangladesh earlier this month, where he picked up four wickets from three games while consistently pushing the speed gun into the high 140kph.”Mayank obviously has shown what he can do, but we just want to be very careful with him, he has had a lot of injuries in the past,” Rohit said. “So, we want to progress him, not rapidly, we want to just see every day how he feels.”We are trying to build his workloads with the red ball. He has not played a lot of red-ball cricket at all. So, for us, it’s important that we try and build them gradually, rather than just getting them into international cricket straight away.”T20 format is such where you can get a lot of these guys and see what they are capable of and if they can handle the international exposure. But Test cricket is a different ball game. The pressure is different. You have to sustain for five days, that’s the most important thing. So, we are trying to monitor them and see, you know, what they can offer to us.”3:36

Rohit: Bumrah has always been in our leadership group

The most important cog in India’s fast-bowling line-up is the leader of the pack Jasprit Bumrah. The 30-year-old was recently named vice-captain for the series against New Zealand.There is a chance Bumrah might step in as captain in the early Tests against Australia next month with Rohit’s participation in doubt owing to personal reasons.”He’s always been part of that leadership group and one of the experienced players as well,” Rohit said of Bumrah. “He’s played a lot of cricket and I’ve played a lot of cricket with him. He understands the game pretty well. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”Tactically, I can’t say much because he’s not captained much. But, when you talk to him, he understands the game. He understands what is required. When you are in a situation where you need a leader to step up, I think Bumrah will be one of them. In the past, he’s always been in our leadership group.”So, it’s probably the right thing to just have him around and speak to the bowlers and internally discuss how to take the team forward.”Rohit remained tight-lipped about the India XI for the opening Test against New Zealand stating that they will take a call once they reach the venue on match day. It has been raining relentlessly in Bengaluru over the last few days, forcing India to cancel their training session on the eve of the game, while New Zealand were left to train indoors.”It all depends on the conditions now. Even today, there has been a lot of rain. The pitch is under the covers. So, we want to take that call when we come here in the morning tomorrow,” Rohit said. “And again, it depends on match-to-match, what sort of pitch we play on. Based on that, we want to decide what is going to be our best playing XI. We keep our options open for playing three seamers and three spinners as well.”

Sydney Thunder, the defending champions, picked up their first points in the 2016-17 Big Bash League with a six-wicket win over Melbourne Stars that was achieved on the back of Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 71

Will Macpherson in Sydney04-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEoin Morgan made amends for a slow start to deliver Sydney Thunder their first win of the tournament•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

The defending champions are still alive – mathematically at least. Eoin Morgan crunched a last-ball six straight down the ground to give the Sydney Thunder a famous six-wicket win – their first of the season – in his last game for them before he flies to India with the England team.The Thunder required five to win from the final ball, and as the smite – off a half-volley from Ben Hilfenhaus – flew into the sightscreen, Morgan dropped his bat and leapt. Pat Cummins, the bowler who reinvented himself as an allrounder at No. 6, and who had already hit a huge six earlier in the over (from which the Thunder had required 16), gave him a bearhug.Earlier, Morgan’s former England team-mate Kevin Pietersen had guided the Stars, who were invited to bat, to 8 for 166. But his dismissal sparked a dismal collapse in the final five overs, and it came back to haunt him.KP’s backWithout the middle-order ballast of Peter Handscomb – who should return for the latter half of the pool stage – the Stars’ batting line-up looks rather top-heavy. Over 70% of Stars’ runs this season have been scored by their top three – if they are to make the finals again, this needs addressing.And so it proved here. Glenn Maxwell and Luke Wright had given Pietersen a punchy platform in the Powerplay, but he got off to a slow start. There was the standard Red Bull run to get things going, but he could barely manage more than a single, moving to 28 from 27. From there, he flew, taking 32 from his next 10, with Chris Green reverse-swept, then tonked over midwicket, for four and six, and Gurinder Sandhu ripped to shreds.Watson stalls the StarsAfter Sandhu leaked 21 from the 15th over, Stars looked set for a huge total. Pietersen was on 60 and had shared 55 with Faulkner for the fourth wicket. Shane Watson appeared to be running out of bowling options; Russell had pulled up lame, Sandhu and Cummins had been too costly, and he had just one over of spin – from Green – up his sleeve.So Watson turned to his own bowling, which had looked in fine fettle earlier on. Pietersen drilled one back to the left of Watson, who took a magnificent caught-and-bowled in an over that cost just five. With the partnership broken, it was the perfect time to reintroduce the hitherto expensive Cummins. He sent down the 17th, which cost just seven, before Green bowled Faulkner and Sam Harper in consecutive balls with his skiddy offbreaks in the 18th over that went for just one. He nearly had Adam Zampa, too. Never mind, Watson brought himself back, dismissed Zampa and conceded two.With Cummins’ last yielding just five, the final five overs had been worth 20 runs for the loss of five wickets. With rain tumbling, the Thunder had hauled themselves back into the game.Morgan’s innings of two halvesThunder found themselves in a spot of bother early. Aiden Blizzard had played out eight dots in the 11 balls he had faced when he fell. Kurtis Patterson’s fast start fell to nothing. Watson was brilliantly caught by Harper. Morgan and Ben Rohrer, realistically, were the last hope. Russell was carded to come in at No. 6, but his left hamstring injury ruled that out, so Cummins was promoted. Against the likes of Zampa, who bowled beautifully, Morgan looked horribly scratchy at first. He managed just 15 runs from his first 28 balls.But then, Michael Beer – very tight until then – returned for the 15th over. Thunder needed 72 off 36. Beer’s first ball was whacked down the ground for four, before he was slog-swept for six. Morgan was away, and he didn’t look back. On a pitch favouring spin, Morgan realised that seamers were to bowl each of the last five overs. When they dropped short, he pulled, and he flat-batted over long-on too. By the time his winning six had sailed into the night, he had taken 56 off his last 22 balls to finish with 71. Finally, Thunder had a win.Legspin it to win itAs Morgan recognised, pace off was the order of the day, and two legspinners were to the fore. In the chase, Beer’s first two overs cost just seven, while Zampa’s four excellent overs cost just 19, with a wicket, 10 dot balls and one boundary. The blueprint had been set earlier, however: Thunder’s three best bowlers were the variations in pace of Watson, the darts of Green and particularly the dangerous leg-breaks of Ahmed, who wasn’t afraid to give the ball some flight and rip, notably when bowling David Hussey. The trio’s 12 overs cost 79 and resulted in seven of the eight wickets.

Comilla Victorians put together their highest total of this season’s BPL, allowing their bowlers enough cushion to set up a victory that came after five successive losses

Mohammad Isam19-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNazmul Hossain Shanto struck four boundaries in his 40-ball 41•BCB

Comilla Victorians ended a string of five successive losses with a 32-run victory over Rajshahi Kings. The defending champions scored their highest total while batting first in this season, to give their bowlers enough of a cushion to bowl in a match that took more than four hours to finish.Sohail Tanvir’s four-wicket haul paved the way for Comilla’s successful defence as Mashrafe Mortaza relied heavily on pace bowlers because of dew on the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium outfield.Rajshahi’s 153-run chase was derailed as early as the fifth over when Tanvir removed Junaid Siddique and Sabbir Rahman off successive deliveries. Mohammad Saifuddin then removed Umar Akmal and Nurul Hasan, while Mominul Haque battled to time the ball at the other end.Mominul started off with a six over long-on, the first of the match, before hitting four boundaries until the end of the ninth over. His fifth four brought up his half-century in a chaotic 11-ball over from Ryan ten Doeschate that cost 19 runs. Mominul fell at the end of that over, having made 53 off 43 balls.Khalid Latif ran out Sammy off the next ball, and Rajshahi were left panicking without their main hitter. When Mashrafe Mortaza bowled Samit Patel in the 17th over, Comilla finally began to smell a win.Tanvir completed his four-wicket haul with two dismissals in the 18th over before Saifuddin finished off the game with a yorker.Earlier Nazmul Hossain Shanto top-scored for Comilla with 41 off 40 balls, a knock that included four foursImrul Kayes’ 25-ball 34 looked promising as he was timing the ball better, but a direct hit from substitute fielder Nazmul Islam had him inches short of the crease in the 15th over.Comilla struck only two fours in the last five overs, despite the fact that Rajshahi were not at their best with the ball, giving away extras. However, Rajshahi did prevent Comilla from hitting a single six in the innings, only the fourth such occasion in the BPL.

Former captain weighs in on Australia’s attack for Edgbaston, and Pat Cummins’ no-ball issues at the WTC final

Andrew McGlashan09-Jun-20230:51

Smith: ‘Intrigued to see how Bazball goes against us’

Ricky Ponting believes that Josh Hazlewood will start the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston ahead of Scott Boland if he is fully fit.Hazlewood was withdrawn from Australia’s World Test Championship (WTC) squad after it was decided he was not quite ready following his truncated IPL, from which he returned home with some side soreness although he was later cleared of any injury.He was said to be “very close” to being available and is on track for the first Test against England, but Boland has continued to make a strong case to be selected as one of Australia’s three specialist quicks.He was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings of the WTC final against India with 2 for 59 from 20 overs, removing Shubman Gill with one that nipped back on the second evening then spearing a delivery through KS Bharat with the second ball of the third day.”Nothing changes for me,” Ponting said. “If Hazlewood is fit and they are 100% convinced that he can get through the game, then I think he’ll start, but if he doesn’t you have a pretty good back-up.”Hazlewood has only played four Tests in this WTC cycle through a combination of injury and the balance of the side on the subcontinent. He made an impressive return against South Africa at the SCG in January but picked up an Achillies injury due to the soft run-ups.Over the last 18 months, Boland has made a remarkable start to his Test career, bursting onto the scene with 6 for 7 at the MCG in the previous Ashes, and appears to be a bowler with all the attributes to be successful with the Dukes ball in England.”Scotty is very impressive,” Ponting said. “The thing the selectors might be thinking about is Josh’s injury record over the last few years. When you look at it, with Scotty bowling the way he is, it’s a pretty compelling argument to say is he in their starting XI for the first Test.”Looking ahead, though, with five Test matches in six weeks, don’t think we can expect either bowling group to get through [fully], both teams will probably have to rest a quick or two here and there through the series.”However, Ponting added that he thinks Pat Cummins’ stated ambition to play all six Tests in the condensed schedule is possible because of the presence of Cameron Green in Australia’s line-up.”In series gone by, where there hasn’t’ been that world-class allrounder to throw the ball to for 15 overs an innings, then it would have been less likely,” he said. “But I think if Pat manages himself well enough, with Green there to help out, I think the captain can get through.”Cummins took three wickets in India’s first innings but cost himself three due to no-balls. On the second day he would have removed both Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane lbw, then on the third he pinned Shardul Thakur in front but was marginally over again.In all Cummins was called for six no-balls, the most he has sent down in an international innings, and Ponting said it was a symptom of his lengthy layoff from the game having not played competitively since the end of February when he left the tour of India early for personal reasons. However, there is evidence that he has been called more frequently since the automated front-foot technology was introduced.”Simple, he’s lacking rhythm, he hasn’t played for three months,” Ponting said. “He’s bowled six no-balls in this innings, two [three] of them have cost him wickets…but he’s never been someone that I can remember that’s been plagued by any kind of no-ball issue.”I just think it’s because he’s not back into full game mode, and not back into his full rhythm. As today went on, I did think he looked better and I think he’ll be better in the second innings as well.”

With his team looking down and out, MS Dhoni smacked an unbeaten 61 off 34 balls to lift Rising Pune Supergiant to a six-wicket victory

The Report by Sidharth Monga22-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
MS Dhoni was at his devastating best•BCCI

The finisher is not finished yet. MS Dhoni struck a 34-ball 61 to help clean up some of the mess he himself created as Rising Pune Supergiant chased down 177 with a last-ball boundary. Dhoni’s slow start of 26 off 23 balls had converted an equation of 90 off 55 into 47 off 18, but he took out the best bowler of the tournament, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, in an almighty assault of 35 runs off his last 11 balls to seal the win.Before Saturday, Sunrisers Hyderabad had lost only two of the 12 matches in which they made 175 or more. On Saturday, though, they huffed and puffed on a flat pitch, without the services of Ashish Nehra and Mustafizur Rahman, but it wasn’t enough. The fielding didn’t help – they dropped Rahul Tripathi on 17, who then made 59, Manoj Tiwary too was given a life in a tense final. That Sunrisers had something to bowl at was thanks to Moises Henriques’ 28-ball 55. This loss was as much because of their fielding as their batting before Henriques.Dhawan-Warner go-slow
Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner are the two slowest openers of this season. They are also the slowest partnership, and as a result, their side has been the second-slowest in Powerplays. While Dhawan’s strike rate of 118 is more in keeping with his career stats, Warner struggled uncharacteristically as Sunrisers crawled to 55 for 1 in 8.1 overs, with Dhawan top-edging the first ball Imran Tahir bowled.Kane Williamson took risks to try to correct the rate, and was lbw to Dan Christian after walking too far across. Christian’s miserly spell continued, going for just 20 in four overs, as Sunrisers, the best side in the middle overs this year, managed only 68 runs between the sixth and the 15th to be reduced to 113 for 2.Moises mayhem
Even as Warner failed to convert a slow start, Henriques unleashed his array of strokes, mostly over midwicket or through point. He scored 34 runs off the last 14 balls he faced as Rising Pune lived up to their reputation of being the worst side at the death, conceding 63 off the last 30 balls, which is worse than their tournament average so far.Bipul and Rashid v Tripathi and Smith
Bipul Sharma replaced the unwell Yuvraj Singh in the Sunrisers XI. He had bowled only 21 overs in his last 10 matches for them, but in Pune he took the new ball and shackled the openers. He bowled nothing in their swinging arc, and gave them no pace to work with. Ajinkya Rahane fell prey to him, but Tripathi managed to find a way around him, hitting the quicks away, especially Mohammed Siraj, off whose bowling he was dropped, and Siddarth Kaul. Against spin he scored 17 off 18, and against pace he managed 42 off 23.At the other end, Smith too struggled with the lack of pace from Bipul, but finally in the 10th over, Bipul’s last, he delayed his bat swing and slogged him for back-to-back sixes. That rearranged the left-arm spinner’s figures to 4-0-30-1 and brought the asking rate down to 9.4.The ebbs and flows of Rising Pune Supergiant’s clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Just before that, Rashid Khan did something not many can claim to have done: he bowled a wrong’un that Smith didn’t pick and beat the batsman comprehensively. Now perhaps in the 11th over Smith picked it, or perhaps he read it off the hand, but he went back to cut, and inside-edged the googly onto his pad and then onto the stumps. Smith was livid with himself as he walked off. Out walked Dhoni, his strike rate under 100 this season, and ahead of Ben Stokes, Manoj Tiwary and Christian.The Dhoni show
Ever since Dhoni’s last-ball win for Pune against Kings XI Punjab last year, no chasing side had won a match off the last ball in the IPL. Surely Dhoni didn’t want to take this to the last ball but he can’t help himself, can he? At the presentation, he said he wanted to see Rashid off without further damage because the ground was small and the asking rate could be managed. But as well as he prodded and nudged, Rashid struck with his electric fielding to run Tripathi out off his own bowling.Rashid was done, with 17 runs off his four overs, and the required rate was above 12 for the last six overs, but Dhoni still struggled to find his range. Siraj, bowling the 16th over, tied him and Stokes down with yorkers, and even beat Dhoni for pace. Dhoni 21 off 19, and 56 required off four overs.On came Bhuvneshwar, for overs 17 and 19, and removed Stokes with the first ball he bowled, and the equation went up to 47 off 18. Dhoni now picked on the rookie Siraj, dropping a slower ball over long-on and upper-cutting a slower bouncer over point. With 30 required off two, Dhoni still needed to take another bowler down, and he couldn’t have left it for the last over.Bhuvneshwar, Dhoni’s favourite bowler when he was India captain, had not conceded 10 runs in any of his death overs this IPL. But Dhoni got stuck into his protégé as Bhuvneshwar kept missing his line or length by inches. A border-line wide first up, followed by a squirt for a four to leg, then a lofted drive over point, and finally the helicopter shot that sent everyone into frenzy.There were now only 10 runs to defend and youngster Kaul was given the last over. He should have had Manoj Tiwary, who had done his job so far, caught first ball. What looked like a six had got caught up in the wind, but the fielder Rashid couldn’t control it inside the midwicket boundary. Kaul followed it up with four really good deliveries to bring it to two required off the last over. He continued what he had been doing – yorkers from round the wicket – but missed his length, and Dhoni drove him through extra cover for four.

Gambhir will mentor the Lucknow (IPL) and Durban (SA20) franchises, both of which are part of the RPSG group

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2022After mentoring Lucknow Super Giants to a top-four finish in the IPL in their maiden outing, former India batter Gautam Gambhir has been elevated to the role of “global mentor” by the Sanjiv Goenka-led RPSG Group. That means Gambhir will also mentor the Durban Super Giants franchise in the new SA20 competition – a team that the RPSG Group acquired in July 2022 – in addition to his role with the Lucknow franchise.”He is one of the sharpest cricketing minds going around,” a statement from the RPSG Group read. “The group feels he can not only add value in Indian conditions but across the cricketing map as well.”Gambhir, a two-time IPL winning captain, was present in the dug out for all of Super Giants’ games in the IPL, and was a key member of the Lucknow franchise’s think-tank at the auction too. He was visible in the field during strategic time outs and regularly addressed the team in post-match dressing room debriefs as well.”In my ideology of a team sport, designations don’t play much role,” Gambhir was quoted as saying in the statement. “At best, they are there to facilitate a process to make a team win. As a global mentor of Super Giants I look forward to some added responsibility.”My intensity and passion to win have just got international wings. It will be a proud moment to see the Super Giants family leave a global imprint. I thank Super Giants family for showing that faith in me. Guess it’s time for some more sleepless nights.”Gambhir will now also be working closely with the Durban franchise’s head coach Lance Klusener. On Friday, Klusener stepped down as batting coach of the Zimbabwe men’s team to “pursue professional engagements around the globe.”The Durban franchise has a few other crossovers from the Lucknow team, with Quinton de Kock, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers part of both teams. Those three were among five players signed up by the franchise ahead the SA20 auction, while the likes of Reece Topley, Dwaine Pretorius, Heinrich Klaasen, Keemo Paul, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Abbott, Dilshan Madushanka and Wiaan Mulder were added during the auction.The inaugural edition of the SA20 competition starts on January 10 next year and will be a 33-match competition featuring sides representing Durban, Johannesburg, Paarl, Cape Town, Pretoria and Gqeberha. All six teams have been bought by owners of IPL teams.

Spin-bowling allrounder Anna Peterson, who was the Player of the Match in the third ODI, has been named as replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-20190:49

‘It’s easier to transition to the T20s after playing the longer format’ – Satterthwaite

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Bernadine Bezuidenhout has been ruled out of the T20 series against India, owing to a fractured middle finger of her right hand. Spin-bowling allrounder Anna Peterson, who was the Player of the Match in the third and last ODI on February 1, has been named Bezuidenhout’s replacement, and will join the squad in Auckland on Thursday.Coming off an underwhelming run in the three-match ODI series where she scored 22 runs in two innings took two catches, Bezuidenhout was struck on the hand when batting at the Basin Reserve nets ahead of the T20I series opener on Wednesday. New Zealand head coach Haidee Tiffen confirmed Bezuidenhout will return home to rest.”You never like to see players miss out due to injury and it’s no different in Bernie’s case but unfortunately it’s just part of the game,” Tiffen said. “We wish her a speedy recovery and know she will be doing everything in her power to get back on the park.”Peterson, meanwhile, finished as the hosts’ leading wicket-taker with five wickets in two innings in the ODI series, and the second across teams, behind India’s Poonam Yadav.Anna Peterson is congratulated after one of her three wickets•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

“Anna joins the side and brings with her experience as well as an option with both the bat and ball,” Tiffen said of the 28-year-old Peterson. “She will slot right in having already been with the squad for the ODI campaign.”New Zealand lost the three-match ODI series 1-2 but their captain Amy Satterthwaite was excited to see what the new faces can do during the T20I series that starts on February 6.Meanwhile, New Zealand Test opener Jeet Raval has been named captain of the New Zealand XI side for a one-off 50-over tour match against Bangladesh, in Lincoln on Sunday. Rachin Ravindra, the Under-19 batting allrounder, has also been included in the squad.”We’ve identified Rachin as a player of interest for a significant period of time now,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “He did a very good job for the NZ A team in both the UAE and at home against India A and we believe another day of international cricket would be very advantageous for him.”New Zealand White Ferns: Amy Satterthwaite (capt), Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Caitlin Gurrey, Katey Martin (wk), Frances McKay, Leigh Kasperek, Hannah Rowe, Amelia Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair, Hayley Jensen, Anna PetersonNew Zealand XI to face Bangladesh: Jeet Raval (capt), Andrew Fletcher, Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Dale Phillips, Katene Clarke, Sean Solia, Max Chu (wk), Theo van Woerkom, Iain McPeake, Andrew Hazeldine, Jamie Brown

First-innings centurion Dimuth Karunaratne scored an unbeaten 39 to guide Sri Lanka A to a seven-wicket win over West Indies A

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Dimuth Karunaratne top-scored in the second innings with an unbeaten 39 to see Sri Lanka A through•Getty Images

First-innings centurion Dimuth Karunaratne scored an unbeaten 39 to guide Sri Lanka A to a seven-wicket win over West Indies A in the first match of West Indies A’s tour of Sri Lanka. After taking the last wicket to bowl out West Indies A for 175, Sri Lanka A knocked off the 66-run target in 20.3 overs.The day began with West Indies A on an overnight score of 165-9 and a lead of 55. They added only ten more runs before Lakshan Sandakan picked up his fourth wicket, getting No. 11 Reynard Leveridge stumped. Keon Joseph, who had resisted with Gudakesh Moti-Kanhai in a ninth-wicket stand the previous evening, remained unbeaten on 12 off 73 balls.Lahiru Thirimanne, who had played his last Test in June, was promoted to open with Karunaratne. He scored 21 in a 43-run opening stand, before Rahkeem Cornwall trapped in him in front.Fast-bowler Joseph removed Roshen Silva in the following over and Charith Asalanka shortly after. But Sri Lanka A were never in any danger as Niroshan Dickwella joined Karunaratne to see them through.

Defeat will leave Rohit Sharma’s team dependent on other results going their way to make the final

Hemant Brar05-Sep-20226:15

Pujara: India need to play Axar, and an extra seamer

Big picture

One bad result is all it takes to leave a team staring at possible elimination from the Asia Cup. Pakistan faced – and overcame – that challenge after losing to India in the group stages. And now it’s India who are in a precarious position after losing to Pakistan in the Super 4 round.Rohit Sharma’s team cannot afford to lose to Sri Lanka in Dubai on Tuesday. If they do so, the defending champions will have to rely on other results going their way to have a chance of making the final. And Sri Lanka will become favourites for a place in the summit clash.Sri Lanka didn’t start the tournament well. They were dismissed for 105 in the opening game and then watched Afghanistan run down the target with 59 balls to spare. Since then, however, Sri Lanka have had two morale-boosting wins, chasing down 184 in a must-win group game against Bangladesh, and 176 in their first Super 4 match against Afghanistan.Sri Lanka’s batters aren’t globe-trotting T20 superstars but a big target seems to liberate them. Against Afghanistan, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa smashed quick 30s to overpower Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 45-ball 84. They may follow the same plan in a chase against India as well.Though India lost off the penultimate ball against Pakistan, they had a couple of big positives in that game. After a first-ball duck and a 39-ball 36 in his first two innings, KL Rahul found fluency and played some gorgeous shots during his 20-ball 28. His straight whip for six off Naseem Shah was arguably the shot of the match. Virat Kohli also looked close to his best, making a “conscious effort” to score at a higher rate. While Kohli was at the crease, he scored 60 runs off 44 balls; batters at the other end scored 45 off 45.But as far as their campaign is concerned, it’s crunch time, and India must beat Sri Lanka to stay in control of their own fate at the Asia Cup. They will draw confidence from the fact that they whitewashed them at home in the three-match T20I series earlier this year.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWLWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
India LWWWWRelated

• Is Yuzvendra Chahal in need of a plan B?

• Sri Lanka continue to ace the big chase, somehow

• Kohli 'made a conscious effort to strike at a higher pace'

In the spotlight

Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan stifled India on Sunday, and Sri Lanka will hope their spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana can do the same. Both Hasaranga and Theekshana have impressive numbers in the UAE, and also have experience of bowling to the Indian batters at the IPL. On the flip side, India too will be aware of the tricks they have. All in all, it could be a contest that decides the game.2:00

Uthappa, Pujara on what’s gone wrong for Chahal at the Asia Cup

After going wicketless in India’s first two games of the Asia Cup, Yuzvendra Chahal had figures of 1 for 43 from his four overs in the Super 4 game against Pakistan. That performance was on a pitch where the other three spinners in the match had combined figures of 4 for 82 from 12 overs (economy 6.83). In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, India needed Chahal to up his game.

Pitch and conditions

The last three games in Dubai featured five innings with scores in excess of 180. However, it all depends on which pitch Tuesday’s match will be played on, and its location on the square will decide if there’s a shorter boundary for batters to exploit. Evening temperatures will be around 35°C and the night will not be much cooler, which reduces the chances of dew playing a role in the chase.

Team news

Expect Sri Lanka, searching for a hat-trick of wins, to stick with the same XI.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Danushka Gunathilaka, 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Dilshan Madushanka.With Avesh Khan available, India could return to their original combination of three specialist fast bowlers, one specialist spinner, and two allrounders. That could mean Ravi Bishnoi, despite doing well against Pakistan, making way for Axar Patel.With Axar being a left-hand batter, and Hasaranga the only spinner with a stock ball that turns away from right-handers, India could also replace Rishabh Pant with their designated finisher Dinesh Karthik.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Dinesh Karthik/Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Stats and trivia

• Apart from the two games involving Hong Kong, the other six matches have been won by the chasing team in this Asia Cup.
• Kohli now has the most 50-plus scores in T20 internationals. His innings of 60 against Pakistan on Sunday took him past Rohit’s tally of 31.
• Suryakumar Yadav (183.33) and Kusal Mendis (163.33) have the best strike rates for India and Sri Lanka at the 2022 Asia Cup.

Quotes

“When it comes to Asian cricket, everyone talks about India-Pakistan games. But I don’t mind the [lack of] big talk [around our team]. I would prefer to focus on the way we are playing.”
“When you are under pressure, anyone can make a mistake. It was a big match. The situation was also tight… but when the environment is good, you learn from those situations. And you look forward to the next opportunity. I give the credit to the captain and the team management for creating such an environment where everyone feels that the next time such an opportunity comes, we want to seize it.”

Coach Simon Helmot confident she will be available for their third game in Adelaide despite busy schedule

Alex Malcolm15-Oct-2022India captain Harmanpreet Kaur will miss Melbourne Renegades opening two WBBL matches in Mackay but coach Simon Helmot is confident last year’s player of the tournament will be available for their third match in Adelaide despite a heavy workload at the Asia Cup.Harmanpreet will captain India in the women’s Asia Cup final on Saturday in Sylhet just 24 hours before Renegades open their WBBL campaign against Adelaide Strikers in north Queensland.Workloads have become a major issue for the elite female players this year with Smriti Mandhana withdrawing from the WBBL while Australia captain Meg Lanning is on an indefinite break from the game.Harmanpreet has played 16 T20Is and six ODIs for India since late June including tours to Sri Lanka, England, which included the Commonwealth Games, and the Asia Cup in Bangladesh. She also played in the ODI World Cup earlier this year in New Zealand during February and March.Helmot was confident she will be fine to join the Renegades after the Asia Cup final for the full WBBL but he said they would carefully monitor her workloads when she arrives in Australia.”Obviously, she’s heavy into the Asia Cup at the moment so hopefully as soon as that finishes she can jump on a plane and come and join us up in Mackay or in fact, in Adelaide,” Helmot told ESPNcricinfo. “So that’s when we expect her. I’m expecting her to miss the first two matches, and then we’ll have to check how she’s feeling and how she’s going.”She’s played a heck of a lot of cricket recently. But having had a few messages over WhatsApp with her in recent times she’s really excited about coming back. She had an awesome time [last season]. She was player of the series and she was such an important player, not just runs but 15 wickets as well, and her support and leadership for Soph [Molineux].”Related

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• WBBL warned not to be complacent as T20 leagues grow

• Smriti Mandhana: 'I'll be thinking about pulling out of WBBL'

Workloads have become a major topic of conversation among the senior players in the women’s game with the rise of T20 domestic leagues on top of a burgeoning international schedule that is set to get busier over the coming years under the new women’s Future Tours Programme. A women’s IPL is also set to be launched next year.The WBBL runs over six weeks and is a full 14-game tournament plus finals. There is more travel involved for all the teams this season than the last two with Covid bubbles and hubs a thing of the past.Helmot is acutely aware of workload management having spent more than a decade travelling on the men’s international T20 circuit. He has coached in both the IPL and CPL this year alone. He is keen to have the Renegades’ female players take control of their own preparation to ensure they stay physically and mentally fresh.”I don’t know all the answers,” Helmot said. “But what I do know is that for the Melbourne Renegades, every single training from today onwards is optional. Most of these girls are still going to want to train. In fact, there’s times where I’ll need to suggest or recommend or enforce that they’re not training. And that’s hard.”Some have had a heavy workload coming into this competition. And so we will be careful in how much we train and what training looks like and the intensity because the most important thing is the 14 matches. I think now the players can make more decisions for themselves.”