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Former Sri Lanka captain, Sanath Jayasuriya, has urged the country’s current crop of batsmen to take more responsibility on their tour of South Africa

Firdose Moonda20-Dec-2011Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya has urged the country’s current crop of batsmen to take more responsibility on their tour of South Africa. Sri Lanka lost the first Test at Centurion inside three days after being bowled out for under 200 in both innings and Jayasuriya expects them to regroup strongly.”They know what the expectations on them are and they know what responsibility they have,” Jayasuriya told ESPNCricinfo. “It’s high time two or three of them put some runs on the board.”Sri Lanka’s most difficult challenge appears to have stemmed from the South African conditions, which the locals are using to their advantage. Seamer-friendly surfaces with plenty of pace and bounce have turned the already dangerous Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander into cricket’s equivalent’s of fire-breathing dragons and it seems curators in Durban and Cape Town will not allow Sri Lanka’s batsmen any let up.The second Test, Kingsmead’s Boxing Day match, is expected to include another bowlers’ strip. Traditionally the pitch is bouncy and with rain forecast for all five days, there is also expected to be significant swing in the air. Doomsday is, once again, being predicted for Sri Lanka by everyone but Jayasuriya, who believes the batsmen have now spent long enough in South Africa to have acclimatised. “People say Sri Lankans can’t adjust to play in pacy and bouncy conditions but I think they can adjust. They are all experienced enough to do it.” Sri Lanka have played in both Benoni and Centurion so far, and this will be their first trip to the coast on this tour.

The likeliest contender to turn Sri Lanka’s tour around is middle-order man Thilan Samaraweera, who was responsible for Sri Lanka’s highest score in Centurion.

Experience has also not served Sri Lanka well so far, with only one of their batsmen having scored a century in the country before. Hashan Tillakaratne’s hundred at Centurion in 2002 helped Sri Lanka put up a fight against South Africa and they came within three wickets of winning the Test.Jayasuriya himself, does not have a good record in South Africa. In six Test matches in the country, he scored 182 runs at an average of 15.16, although he did manage a half-century, also at Centurion, back in 1998.Sri Lanka’s saving grace may turn out to be that Durban has not been a happy hunting ground for South Africa recently and they have lost three consecutive Tests there against Australia, England and India, in the last three seasons. But if Sri Lanka hope to capitalise on that record their batsmen will have to turn in far more convincing performances.Batting consultant Marvan Atapattu has already said the top six are the “most experienced” batsmen Sri Lanka can put out there and the spotlight is on the country’s leading run to lead the way. Jayawardene has not scored a half-century outside of Sri Lanka in two years, with the last one being his 275 against India in Ahmedabad. His last score of over 50 outside of the subcontinent was in March 2008, when he scored 136 against West Indies in Guyana.Jayasuriya said that Jayawardene’s lean patch should come to an end soon. “It is a concern but he has played enough cricket to come out of these situations,” he said. “He is going through a bad time at the moment and it’s tough for a good player to go through. The run-out was disappointing.” Jayawardene was found short of his ground while attempting his 10,000th Test run in the second innings at Centurion and was dismissed for 15.The likeliest contender to turn Sri Lanka’s tour around is middle-order man Thilan Samaraweera, who was responsible for Sri Lanka’s highest score in the Centurion Test, a fairly fluent 36. He was one of Sri Lanka’s better performers on their tour of England, with two half-centuries and Jayasuriya pinpointed him as the man who should step up. “Twenties and 30s are not going to help the team,” Jayasuriya said. “He needs to continue from there so that the team as a whole can recover.”Jayasuriya’s advice to the rest of the line-up is the same as captain Tillakaratne Dilshan’s. “We have to play our natural game and not think of anything else,” Jayasuriya said. Dilshan was dismissed in the first innings playing an across-the-line hoick, a shot that could easily have been mistaken for a Twenty20 stroke and Jayasuriya was quick to say that he did not advocate that kind of looseness. “We also have to still manage to adjust to bat for long periods of time.”Sri Lanka’s batting failures have diverted criticism off the team’s bowlers – who were talked of as an attack that would struggle to take 20 wickets. With little to bowl at, they have not been able to dispute that theory yet and Jayasuriya sympathised with the fortunes of the attack so far. “We can’t blame the bowlers,” he said. “Many of them are not experienced enough. They are just trying to do the basics and bowl in the right areas in those conditions.”

Stuart Law, the Bangladesh coach, has said it was disappointing that his batsmen were getting themselves out, instead of making Pakistan toil for wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2011Stuart Law, the Bangladesh coach, has said it was disappointing that his batsmen were getting themselves out, instead of making Pakistan toil for wickets, and that it was a frequently recurring problem. Bangladesh were dismissed for 135 on the first day of the Chittagong Test because several of their batsmen played rash shots.”We are not making Pakistan get us out, we are just giving up our wickets easily. It’s happening over and over again, that is disappointing for anybody,” Law said. “It’s not through lack of talk, not through lack of practice. I can’t really explain it.”Bangladesh had good batting conditions as well, after Misbah-ul-Haq made the surprising decision to bowl after winning the toss. They were all out inside two sessions, though. Of the top six batsmen only the debutant opener, Nazimuddin, went past 10. He was involved in the highest partnership of the innings – 24 for the seventh wicket with Mahmudullah. Bangladesh got past 100 only because of Nasir Hossain’s 41 at No. 8.”The conditions were ideal for batting. The wicket may have been a little slow, but if you prepare for bat a long time, you got it easy and easier,” Law said. “It looks like a pretty good batting wicket as well. It was probably a little bit of a gamble by Misbah, very well calculated and credit to Pakistan, they picked up the wickets they needed at a regular intervals.”Two bright points, Nazimuddin, on debut, I think he looked very good. He looked very comfortable. And once again Nasir Hossain continued to score runs. He has put his hand up to probably go up the order at some stage.”Law said the key was to bat carefully at the start because the pitch eased out after the tea break. The Pakistan openers virtually wiped out Bangladesh’s total during their partnership. Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar added 132.”We have very talented cricketers, we just have got a mental block somewhere,” Law said. “We tried to talk about the longer we bat, the easier it gets. After tea today it was one of the nicest batting wickets.”

Top-order batsman Stuart Matsikenyeri has made a comeback to the Zimbabwe squad for their upcoming tour of New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2012Zimbabwe squad

Brendan Taylor (capt), Regis Chakabva, Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer (Test only), Kyle Jarvis, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingirai Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Keegan Meth, Forster Mutizwa, Raymond Price, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Prosper Utseya (limited-overs only), Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller

Top-order batsman Stuart Matsikenyeri has made a comeback to the Zimbabwe squad for their upcoming tour of New Zealand. Vusi Sibanda missed out since he was ineligible for selection, after declining a domestic contract in favour of playing grade cricket in Australia. There were no other surprises in the 16-member side that will be led by Brendan Taylor.Matsikenyeri played the last of his 108 ODIs in March 2010 before being dropped from the side. He has had a good run of form for the Mashonaland Eagles in domestic cricket, which helped him force his way back into the national squad. “Stuart Matsikenyeri has earned a recall into the national squad as he has done very well in the domestic competitions and is one of the few batsmen who has been consistent,” Givemore Makoni, convener of selectors, said. “He is an experienced and aggressive player.”Zimbabwe Cricket’s eligibility policy for selection provides for exceptions in the case of one-off tournaments abroad in which case a no-objection certificate is issued, such as the one given to Taylor for his foreign assignments. Sibanda, unlike Taylor, declined a ZC contract, which ruled him out of contention.Legspinner Graeme Cremer finds a place in the Test side, but will make way for Prosper Utseya ahead of the limited-overs leg of the tour. The series will comprise a one-off Test starting January 26, followed by three ODIs and two Twenty20s.

South Africa are set to continue being flexible with their batting order against New Zealand, with the aim of sending in the batsman best suited to the state of the game

Firdose Moonda16-Feb-2012South Africa are set to continue being flexible with their batting order against New Zealand, with the aim of sending in the batsman best suited to the state of the game. In the five-ODI series at home against Sri Lanka, South Africa used three batsmen – AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis – at No. 4 to keep their opponents guessing.”We’ve got six or seven totally different batters out there and we’d like to get the best player in the right situation for the team,” de Villiers said on the eve of the first Twenty20 in Wellington. “We’ve got a few big hitters and some guys that can knock it around. If we need a few boundaries, Albie [Morkel] might go up the order. Gary and I like to keep the guys on their toes.”On paper, the line-up has Colin Ingram at No.3 followed by de Villiers, Duminy, Justin Ontong and Morkel, but de Villiers made it clear that could change. In the ODIs against Sri Lanka, de Villiers moved the most, batting everywhere from Nos. 3 to 6. He is in a rich vein of form and said he was enjoying the ability to give everything for his team.The three-match series will be de Villiers’ first as captain in the Twenty20 format since he took over the leadership in June 2011. He expected a stern of character against New Zealand, a team ranked two places above South Africa in the Twenty20 ratings. “Tomorrow will be a high pressure game, there’s a lot of expectation around but we are just going to go out and enjoy it.”South Africa began their tour by beating Canterbury in a warm-up Twenty20 game, but their performance was not clinical. There were a few fumbles in the field – Canterbury’s top scorer Matt Henry was dropped – but de Villiers said he was pleased by the commitment his side showed.”I’m not a captain that harps on the mistakes we make, mistakes are always there. What I really liked is the presence we had in the field and the energy,” he said. “You are going to drop catches, the best in the world drop catches sometimes. I don’t mind that, we really fielded well and the guys are switched on.”Tomorrow’s match is the first of 11 that South Africa will play before the World Twenty20 in September, a tournament they are putting many resources into winning. They have introduced new players – opener Richard Levi, middle-order batsman Justin Ontong and fast bowler Marchant de Lange, who will probably sit out the first game – and are trying new strategies as well.”I’m expecting to see a lot of these faces there [at the World Twenty20],” de Villiers said. “That’s definitely part of the plan, to get these boys ready for the big tournament later in the year. We’ve got bigger goals like the World Cup but this is a huge series for us and we’d love to win it.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has criticised the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association for its “rigid views” even as the board attempts to revive international cricket in the country

Umar Farooq09-Mar-2012The Pakistan Cricket Board has criticised the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association for its “rigid views” even as the board attempts to revive international cricket in the country. Tim May, the chief executive of FICA, the players’ representative body, had questioned the ICC’s plan to allow Bangladesh’s proposed tour of Pakistan to go ahead despite the governing body not willing to send its own match officials to the country on advice that it was unsafe to visit.”FICA always has rigid views sitting thousands of miles away,” Subhan Ahmed, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told ESPNcricinfo. “This is one of the reasons why we don’t recognise and endorse FICA at any level. They [FICA] should restrict their comments to those countries they represent.” The FICA represents players’ associations from Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies but not from Pakistan.The ICC’s plan involves countries having to seek a “special dispensation” which allows them to host bilateral series with “non-neutral match officials”. This means that even if the ICC deems a series to be “unsafe” for its own officials, the tour will proceed since the final call rests with the participating countries.Pakistan hasn’t hosted international cricket since the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore three years ago. The PCB, under its new chairman Zaka Ashraf, is working hard towards bringing international cricket back to Pakistan and are hoping a short limited-overs series with Bangladesh will end the drought. Last week, a nine-member Bangladesh delegation, led by board president Mustafa Kamal, gave the nod to the security arrangements at various venues after a two-day visit.”We have made a significant attempt to satisfy Bangladesh’s security delegation and obviously our first priority is to provide a safe atmosphere for the ICC officials and for the Bangladesh team,” Ahmed said. “But in any case if the ICC allows non-neutral officials for the proposed series, which ultimately goes in the record book as an official series, we have no issue at all.”We are seeking one chance to host an international series and prove that we have the infrastructure and the capability to host a safe series. This could help us to change the perception about Pakistan. The Bangladesh series will be a stepping stone for us and the series will be a success.”

Ireland would play 12 to 15 one-day internationals a year if the ICC approves their ambitious proposals to be given further challenges

Ger Siggins15-Apr-2012Ireland would play 12 to 15 one-day internationals a year if the ICC approves their ambitious proposals to be given further challenges to take recognition of their rising standards.Warren Deutrom, the chief executive, told the Cricket Ireland annual meeting that the ICC has received its submission and it will be go before the ICC board meeting in June for final approval. Under the proposals, ICC will help to identify gaps in the existing Future Tours Programme where Ireland can be accommodated for ODIs.Cricket Ireland has made the case that it has rapidly outgrown its fellow associates and needs further challenges. The senior side, coached by Phil Simmons, has won 30 of its last 33 games against associate members of ICC. And in recent years Ireland has also beaten Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, West Indies and England.Deutrom told the meeting that he hoped ICC would adopt the bulk of the Woolf Report, which he described as “better than our wildest dreams” and potentially the key moment in the history of the game’s ambition to be a world sport.While Ireland gets funding from ICC, Deutrom pointed to the disparity between its $685,000 grant compared to the $7-9million received by full members, who are also guaranteed participation in ICC tournaments and the FTP.”Our battle is to convince ICC to fund cricket nations on the basis of merit and need, not of entitlement,” Deutrom said.The newly-announced plan also seeks ICC funding for an ambitious academy structure which will see the best young talent nurtured in both the north and south of the island.While at times over the past decade the senior side has relied on naturalised players, the Irish system has produced some startlingly good players, with three – Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan and Boyd Rankin – playing for England at various levels and new stars such as George Dockrell and Paul Stirling attracting the covetous ECB.There are currently ten Irishmen contracted to English counties – which is more than Pakistan and West Indies put together when you discount the fly-in fly-out Twenty20 players.The third item on Deutrom’s shopping list is ICC’s assistance in progressing the non-existent domestic first-class structure. At present the game is based on club leagues in three unions, based around Dublin, Derry and Belfast. The ambitious plan is to form these districts into an inter-provincial structure similar to the successful Irish rugby provinces.This last point is seen as crucial for the development of the game and helping Ireland to continue to produce top players.The AGM in Dundalk also elected Jimmy Joyce of Merrion as president for 2012-13. Joyce is father of five Irish internationals, including Ed, currently at Sussex, and Ireland women’s captain Isobel. The respected veteran journalist Robin Walsh was named as president-elect.

Gloucestershire’s future in Bristol has been secured after planning permission for the development of Nevil Road was granted on appeal

Alex Winter30-May-2012Gloucestershire’s future in Bristol has been secured after planning permission for the development of Nevil Road was granted on appeal. The club’s revised plans were voted seven to three in favour by Bristol City Council.The original application was rejected in January, raising fears that the club would be forced out of Bristol – their home since the formation of the club in 1870. But the plans were scaled down and building can now start at the end of this season.The initial objection was about the height of of the apartment block at the Ashley Down end of the ground – the development that will fund the £10 million project. The design was reduced by a storey but still maintained 147 dwellings – the number necessary to make the apartment block financially viable – by lengthening the building. The sustainability of the building was also improved and three councillors accepted the amendments – a swing sufficient to see the application approved.Gloucestershire were aided at the council meeting by Paul Russell, the former chairman of Glamorgan who oversaw the transformation of Sophia Gardens into a Test ground, and Robert Griffiths QC, who was in charge of the proposed £400 million redevelopment of Lord’s before the project was scrapped. Griffiths was also involved in the rebuilding of Old Trafford.Development can now take place to bring Nevil Road up to ECB standards for international cricket. Gloucestershire have staged an international each year since 1999 – a match which generates £1 million for the local economy and is essential to the club’s business model.The delay in gaining permission saw Bristol stripped of an ODI against New Zealand, scheduled for 2013, together with budget constrictions that saw long-serving players Jon Lewis and Chris Taylor leave the county. The club was forced to turn to the city council for financial help and were granted a £400,000 bridging loan to help afford the professional services to remodel the planning application. But the financial pressure should now begin to ease and Gloucestershire hope to welcome India for an ODI in 2014.Around 7,000 permanent seats will be installed mostly on the side of the ground adjacent to City of Bristol College, with 10,000 temporary seats brought in for international matches. A world-class media centre will be built in a new pavilion, along with an improved business centre and cricketing facilities.Gloucestershire chief executive, Tom Richardson, was pleased the drawn-out process had finally been resolved. “We are very pleased that the committee has come to this decision as it finally allows us to realise our ambitions in bringing the very best of what cricket can offer to our home city.”We have many people to thank – it has been a long journey and a huge amount of hard work has gone into it, which in turn has been supported by residents across Bristol, including our local area of Bishopston. We can now look forward to making the next stage of our plans happen.”

Eoin Morgan sent a timely reminder to the England selectors by hitting the fastest century of the season as Middlesex crushed Lancashire by 167 runs at Lord’s.

10-Jun-2012ScorecardEoin Morgan will hope to return to international cricket in England’s ODI series against West Indies•AFPEoin Morgan sent a timely reminder to the England selectors by hitting the fastest century of the season as Middlesex crushed Lancashire by 167 runs at Lord’s.Morgan, who struggled in both Tests and one-day internationals during the winter, showed that he is back to his audacious best by reaching his hundred off only 49 balls, 17 fewer than the previous quickest by Durham’s Phil Mustard against Nottinghamshire last Sunday.He went on to make 116 off 54 balls with 11 sixes and six fours and, with Paul Stirling, Morgan’s fellow Irishman, making a rapid century of his own as Middlesex ran up a total of 350 for 6, their highest in one-day cricket. It was always going to be too many for Lancashire who slumped to 55 for 5 before Paul Horton’s defiant 49 enabled them to reach 183.The stage had been set for Morgan by a second wicket partnership of 142 in 20 overs between Stirling and Joe Denly, who had made 58 off 57 balls with six fours and a six when he sliced Gary Keedy to backward point.It was not long before Stirling completed his century off 84 balls and he had scored 119 off 99 balls with five sixes and 12 fours when Keedy had him caught at square leg off a top-edged sweep but he was to be upstaged by Morgan in a third wicket stand of 126 in only 11 overs.A scoreboard showing 168 for 2, a short boundary on the Tavern side of the ground and a Lancashire attack containing three left arm spinners could not have been more inviting for the Morgan.He had scored only 66 runs in four one-day internationals for England and did not get a game for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. But ahead of the naming tomorrow of England’s squad to face the West Indies he was back to his best.He impudently reverse-swept his first ball from Keedy for four, straight drove Ajmal Shahzad for his first six soon afterwards and then began peppering the Mound and Tavern Stands with a fusillade of sixes which had spectators ducking for cover.One of them off Sajid Mahmood took him to his first century for Middlesex in any form of cricket since 2009 and he was trying to clear the boundary again when he was caught at wide long on off Keedy, who emerged from the onslaught with the exemplary figures of 5 for 55.

Stand in Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has been fined 20% of his match fee, for maintaining a slow over-rate in the final ODI against India in Pallekele

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2012Stand-in Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has been fined 20% of his match fee, for maintaining a slow over-rate in the final ODI against India in Pallekele. Match referee Chris Broad found Sri Lanka to be one over short, after taking allowances into consideration, and fined the rest of the team 10% of their fees.According to the ICC code of conduct, players are fined 10% of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that. If Mathews is found guilty of one more minor over-rate offence in ODIs over the next 12 months, he will receive a one-match suspension.Sri Lanka, who bowled first in Pallekele and went on to lose the match by 20 runs, had already lost the series and so rested their fulltime captain Mahela Jayawardene for the game. In his absence, vice-captain Mathews was in charge.Earlier in the series, MS Dhoni and India had been fined for their slow over-rate in the first ODI in Hambantota.

A round-up of the fifth and ninth place play-off semi-finals in the Under-19 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2012A solid all-round performance from Derone Davis helped West Indies to a 16-run victory over Pakistan in their fifth-place play-off semi-final in Townsville. West Indies were sent in and their captain Kraigg Brathwaite (39) was the key in the top order as wickets fell around him, including three to the new-ball bowler Mir Hamza. When Brathwaite departed in the 32nd over, West Indies were in trouble at 106 for 6, but the wicketkeeper Stephen Katwaroo (35) and Davis (24) helped push them to 182 before the side was dismissed after 49 overs.Pakistan lost two early wickets in the chase before Babar Azam (38) and Umar Waheed (31) put things back on track, but once their 51-run stand ended the wickets just kept falling. The left-arm spin of Davis earned him 3 for 20, including the wicket of Usman Qadir, which left Pakistan wobbling at 134 for 7. The final three partnerships put on 32 but it wasn’t enough for Pakistan, who were bowled out for 166 in the 49th over.Sandun Weerakkody and Lahiru Madushanka starred as Sri Lanka routed Ireland by 109 runs in the ninth-place play-off semi-final in Brisbane.Sri Lanka chose to bat and their total of 258 was anchored by Weerakkody’s unbeaten 112. Weerakkody and Angelo Jayasinghe (55) put on 87 for the fourth wicket to take Sri Lanka to 155 for 3 in the 35th over as Sri Lanka looked set for a big total. Ireland captain George Dockrell picked up three quick wickets as Sri Lanka slipped from 197 for 4 to 219 for 8 before they were finally bowled out for 258.However the target proved to be too much for Ireland, who kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Shane Getkate (46) was the only batsman to offer some resistance as medium-pacer Lahiru Madushanka ran through their batting, ending with figures of 6 for 24. Ireland lasted just 37.5 overs as they were bowled out for 149.