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Ian Bell backs batters to come good
BY REX CLEMENTINE at Old Trafford
It has been a tough tour of England for the Sri Lankan side with the batters struggling to cope with the moving ball. Sri Lanka were reduced to 92 for six in the first innings after electing to bat first and then again in the second innings were collapsed to 95 for four and then recovered thanks to a partnership between Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis
They finished day three on 204 for six and lead by 82 runs with four wickets in hand. The tourists are down to the last recognized pair and with doubts over Mark Wood’s availability for the remainder of the Test, if Sri Lanka can push the lead close to 200 runs, they can travel back to London unscathed.
“Firstly, with the bat we have seen lot of courage and the team has dug in. It wasn’t a great start in both innings. You expect that in England against a quality attack. We want to improve on our first hour’s batting. The courage the middle order and lower order showed was outstanding,” Ian Bell, the team’s Batting Coach told journalists.
The partnership between Mathews and Kamindu was exciting. Mathews, the team’s senior-most has come on several tours to England while Kamindu is on his maiden visit.
“It is important to have a balance between youth and experience. Angelo was superb today. That’s what we want to see from seniors. Obviously as the series goes on that confidence will get better,” Bell added.
When the partnership was on, Sri Lanka were beginning to have hope. But England complained about the ball and managed to change it and suddenly the new cherry started darting around and soon Mathews departed for 65.
“The seam looked pretty awful on that last ball. When the ball is changed it can swing around. The lights did come on. Clouds rolled over and that’s the beauty of playing in England. You have to adapt to conditions. It’s unfortunate but the team is in good spirits. I don’t think we worried too much about it and started moaning. We need to put many runs on the board to put England under pressure.”
“Sri Lanka is a team that I have admired so much. To know the players and working with them is great. I am enjoying every minute of spending time in the Sri Lankan dressing room. The passion in the Sri Lankan dressing room for Test cricket is great and they want more of it.”
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
US President Donald Trump claims the US Navy’s “effective” blockade has stopped all Iranian ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy says a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil has struck a sea mine while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an “unauthorised” route.
The collision caused a huge explosion and a major fire on board the vessel, the IRGC said in a statement reported by semi-official Tasnim news agency.
It alleged that the tanker had turned off all tracking and radar systems, attempting to pass through the strait using deception and with US military support.
‘The Strait of Hormuz is closed’, the IRGC navy warned, adding that vessels violating Iranian regulations would face severe consequences for relying on US backing.
[Aljazeera]
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
Review of progress in reforms and modernisation of key state revenue-collecting institutions
Rose Bowl expanded to include Australia vs New Zealand T20Is
Trump claims US Navy blockade stops Iranian ships in Hormuz
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-central provinces and in Trincomalee and Mullaitivu districts
Cut power bills by 3-5%, don’t hike them, consumers demand
Asgiri Mahanayake calls for immediate release of Gnanasara Thera
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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