Sports
Australia fear rank turner for second Test
Rex Clementine in Galle
Having taken an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, Australia fear they might be walking into a spin trap for the second Test, which gets underway in Galle today.
Australia blew Sri Lanka out of the water in the opening contest, winning by an innings and 242 runs – the heaviest defeat Sri Lanka has suffered in Test cricket. That game, also played in Galle, was on a good batting deck, but the pitch for the second Test looks a different beast altogether.
“This looks like a very dry surface. Dare say it’s going to turn square,” Australia skipper Steve Smith said at the pre-match media briefing.
“We’re not naming a team just yet. We’ll take a call in the morning, once we have a better read on the conditions,” he added.
With the Warne-Murali Trophy already in the bag and a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final secured, Australia could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas. But Smith has no intention of taking the foot off the pedal and wants a 2-0 sweep.
“It would be brilliant for this group if we can finish 2-0. I thought we played really well last week, controlling the game from the outset. We didn’t do that last time we were here, so it would be a great achievement to win 2-0,” Smith added.
Australia have sent young opening batsman Sam Konstas back home to play Sheffield Shield cricket, reinforcing their focus on preparing for the long haul.
Sri Lanka, licking their wounds after the crushing defeat, are expected to shuffle the pack for the second Test. Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka is set to return, having recovered from a groin injury, and will replace Oshada Fernando. Meanwhile, off-spinner Ramesh Mendis is likely to come back into the XI in place of Jeffrey Vandersay. Lahiu Kumara will replace Asitha Fernando.
“Pathum has been declared fit and he will play. But we haven’t finalized our bowling combination yet,” Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva revealed.
Reflecting on the opening Test, de Silva admitted that Sri Lanka let themselves down with the bat.
“It wasn’t the typical Galle wicket last time around. It was a disappointing Test match because we should have batted much better than that. Too many guys got starts but failed to kick on. We know where things went wrong, and we’re looking to correct those mistakes,” de Silva added.
Australia (Probable XI)
Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (Captain), Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (Wicketkeeper), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy.
Sri Lanka (Probable XI)
Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Kusal Mendis (Wicketkeeper), Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris and Lahiru Kumara.
Umpires:
Chris Gaffaney (NZL), Joel Wilson (WI)
Third Umpire:
Adrian Holdstock (RSA)
Match Referee:
Jeff Crowe (NZL)
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has removed Nazmul Islam as chairman of the board’s finance committee, following the CWAB’s player boycott of cricket in country until he resigns from his position.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wishes to inform that, following a review of recent developments and in the best interest of the organisation, the BCB President has decided to release Mr. Najmul Islam from his responsibilities as Chairman of the Finance Committee with immediate effect,” the BCB said in a statement.
“The decision has been taken in accordance with the authority vested in the BCB President under Article 31 of the BCB Constitution and is aimed at ensuring the continued smooth and effective functioning of the Board’s affairs. Until further notice, the BCB President will assume the role of Acting Chairman of the Finance Committee.
“The BCB reiterates that the interests of the cricketers remain its highest priority. The Board remains fully committed to upholding the honour and dignity of all players under its jurisdiction.
“In this regard, the BCB hopes that all cricketers will continue to display the highest standards of professionalism and dedication to the betterment of Bangladesh cricket during what is a challenging period for the game, and will do their utmost to ensure continued participation in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).”
Both BPL matches on Thursday – the first between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, and the second between Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans – have been postponed due to the player boycott.
Even though there seemed to be movement on the issues – the BCB agreed to the player body CWAB’s demands and removed Nazmul Islam from his position as head of the board’s finance committee – but it came too late in the day for the matches to go ahead as scheduled. There was no confirmation yet whether the boycott would be called off or not, and whether the BPL matches on Friday would also be impacted.
[Cricinfo]
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has issued a show cause notice to its director M Nazmul Islam over his “objectionable comments” in public against the country’s cricketers on Wednesday.
The notice came a couple of hours before the scheduled start of the BPL matches for the day, though the players’ body CWAB has called for a nationwide boycott on all forms of cricket unless Islam tenders his resignation.
The four first-division matches in the Dhaka Cricket League scheduled for the day didn’t start on Thursday morning, which caused serious concern in the BCB. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express players, who were supposed to play the first BPL match on Thursday, are sticking to the boycott.
“The board has already initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against the board member concerned,” the BCB statement read. “A show cause letter has been issued, and the individual has been instructed to submit a written response within 48 hours. The matter will be dealt with through due process and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the proceedings.”
ESPNcricinfo understands that some board directors contacted the CWAB president Mohammad Mithun late on Wednesday night, offering that they would make Nazmul stand down from his role as the finance committee chairman. But Mithun said the cricketers’ call for the boycott remained in place.
The toss of the first BPL match on Thursday is at 12.30 pm local time. Once the start time for the match has passed, the CWAB leaders are supposed to hold a press conference, where they will present the BCB with their demands, including the resignation of the director.
[Cricinfo]
Sadio Mane fired Senegal into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over seven-time winners Egypt.
The two-time African Footballer of the Year broke the deadlock in the 78th minute on Wednesday when he let fly from just outside the penalty area inside the bottom left corner after Lamine Camara’s initial effort was blocked.
It sparked joy and relief among the Teranga Lions’ fans in Tangier, where the 2021 champions – after beating Egypt in the final – had taken the initiative but struggled to create clear chances against the Pharaohs’ stubborn defence.
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly will miss the title match – against either host Morocco or Nigeria, who were to play in Rabat later on Wednesday – after picking up a yellow card that meant a suspension and then going off injured in the 23rd minute.
Koulibaly was booked in the 17th for a tactical foul on Omar Marmoush. The captain was also sent off in the group-stage win over Benin and consequently missed the win over Sudan. His tournament was effectively ended when he had to be replaced by Mamadou Sarr because of injury.
Nicolas Jackson had fired over just before Senegal displayed more attacking intent. Habib Diarra and Pape Gueye also had efforts saved.
Tensions boiled over when Mohamed Salah fouled his former Liverpool teammate Mane, but Senegal coach Pape Thiaw and Egypt counterpart Hossam Hassan managed to cool tempers.
Senegal’s Habib Diarra was booked for arguing, however, meaning he will miss the final, too.
[Aljazeera]
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