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Avishka on Sri Lanka Under-19 prospects

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by Reemus Fernando

Sri Lanka Under 19 squad comprising 26 players concluded a three weeks long training camp on Wednesday. It was the first training opportunity for junior cricketers after the Covid 19 pandemic hampered sports for more than a year.

Sri Lanka Under-19 will meet their Bangladesh counterparts this month before encountering England in November. The squad of 26 players will continue to train for the ICC Youth World Cup which will be held early next year.

The Island interviewed the Under 19 head coach Avishka Gunawardene after the training camp conducted in a biosecure bubble concluded. Here are the excerpts.

Unlike many previous Under-19 coaches you had only a month to train the team for a series against Bangladesh and will get only a couple of months to prepare them for the ICC Youth World Cup. How do you see the challenge at hand and how has the training gone so far? 

“I am very happy with the way the team improved during the last couple of weeks and everyone was happy about the way the camp was held. It is a big challenge. Because the players haven’t played any cricket for some time. The Under-19 boys are playing international cricket at least after 18 months. It is challenging because we had only a month to prepare and we have to get the combinations right. We are playing (Bangladesh) to win the series but that is where we will be trying two or three combinations to get them right. For the World Cup, there may be around 100 days to prepare. There is another Under-19 tour planned for November which is England. Asia Cup is in December but it is not confirmed. If that does not happen we will have to get the combinations right during the England tour before the World Cup. That is the only chance we have to get it right.”

When an Under-19 coach is selected he has a general idea of the talent pool that will come under his supervision. But with no schools tournaments conducted due to Covid 19 pandemic, you may not have had an idea about the players before you started to work with them. Can you explain how you cope up with that? 

“I have experience in the system. I have been in the system for a very long time. I first went on a tour as a schoolboy in 1992. Since then I have not left the system and I have not left cricket. During my previous tenure, when I was with SLC, I was with the Under-19 team in 2015 and 2016 and we made it to the semi-finals in the World Cup. It is not new to me. But because of the pandemic, there is a challenge. By the time I took over the Under 19, there was a pool of 26 picked by the national selectors. The selectors had a camp in Kandy for 75 players. They had played matches and I am sure the national selectors would have seen them. During the last month, we had a camp and it was a good opportunity for me to get to know how talented they are. And I think that I have a good idea about the players now and what their capabilities are. The challenge I have now is to get the players to play together and jell together because they have not been playing together.

The selectors had included several players from new Division I team Devapathiraja College Rathgama who generally play on matting wickets and Malsha Tharupathi a player from Division III school- Madampa Central. What are your thoughts on them? 

The most exciting was the 16-year-old spinner(Tharupathi). This is the first time that he actually bowled on a turf wicket. What I saw in the last few weeks is how he improved, how confident he is. I am very excited to see him. He can play in another World Cup. You don’t find 16-year-old right-arm leg spinners very often. I am pretty excited about him and there is Jeewaka Shasheen (from Devapathiraja) who looks very good. He has a lovely technique and a nice temperament. He is another guy who I will keep an eye on for the future.

How did the young boys got accustomed to living in a biosecure bubble for more than three weeks? 

“It was the first time that I too went into a bubble after I took over. It was all about keeping the players occupied, keeping their minds free, letting them enjoy each other’s company. If you don’t do that it is very difficult to survive in a bubble. It is important to keep them together, keep their friendship going, keep them entertained. We had programmes arranged in the evenings like quiz programmes and in-house games and stuff like that. I am very happy how the training camp went and they adjusted pretty well.”

You will get only limited-overs matches during both the Bangladesh and England series. Isn’t it a concern as the players will not be able to compete in the innings format? 

“I firmly believe that younger players should play the longer version of cricket more to improve their skills. But at this point, they haven’t had any cricket to play. Since there had been no cricket in the country and since there is a World Cup in less than 100 days I think it is relevant (that we play limited-overs cricket). Basically, the players will have only ten matches before they go for the World Cup. In terms of preparation for the World Cup, it is important to play white-ball cricket.

Not many fast bowlers who excel at the junior level have not gone on to represent Sri Lanka at the senior level. But in Matheesha Pathirana, you have a speedster who has experience playing franchise cricket before even making it to the senior national level. How do you see his future prospects?

“It is interesting. Although he has played one franchise tournament and played in the last World Cup, he has played very little cricket during the last six to seven months. It is important for him to keep his rhythm. He is unorthodox and is an exciting talent. He can bowl fast. With all that he needs to have match practice. That is the most important thing that we are looking at. He has been improving from the time we started the camp. I hope he will show more improvement as we get closer to the World Cup and he will be a good asset there.

The fast bowling department has been the weak link of many junior teams when Youth World Cups were played in conditions supporting quick bowlers. How confident are you of your fast bowling department?

“I am very happy with the fast bowling unit we have in the Under-19 squad. One of the plus points is that there are two or three fast bowlers who can bat well. They are not only giving fast bowling options but add value to the team by coming down the order and adding runs. I hope we can peak them at the right time and go on to play the next level.

 Since the team is likely to play only in local conditions before the World Cup how are you going to prepare the team for the challenges in West Indies? 

“I have been to the Caribbean a few times. The last time was in 2018. When I was the head coach of the ‘A’ team we went there. From my experience, it is not very different from Sri Lankan conditions. The weather is pretty much similar. And wickets are also quite similar to Sri Lankan conditions. It might actually help spinners from my experience. But they might prepare better wickets since it is a World Cup and an ICC event. I am not, too much worried about West Indies’ conditions.



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Pakistan will not travel to India for 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup

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India did not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy [Cricinfo]

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has reiterated that Pakistan would not be travelling to India for the women’s ODI World Cup later this year.

Pakistan will play their matches at a neutral venue, following the hybrid model that was adopted by the two boards earlier this year. Naqvi said that the BCCI and the ICC would decide what the neutral venue will be.

“Just like India didn’t play in Pakistan in the Champions Trophy and were allowed to play at a neutral venue [Dubai], whatever venue is decided, we will play [there],” Naqvi said. “When there is an agreement, it has to be adhered to.”

According to the hybrid model, India and Pakistan are going to play their matches at neutral venues if one of the two countries were to host an ICC event – this is valid till 2027. India will host the women’s World Cup from September 29 to October 26, with Australia the defending champions.

Pakistan hosted and won all their five matches in the recent women’s ODI World Cup Qualifiers. They beat Ireland, Scotland, West Indies, Thailand and Bangladesh and will join the ODI World Cup for which hosts India, England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka had directly qualified based on their standings in the ICC Women’s Championship. Naqvi expressed satisfaction at the team’s progress and said that the PCB would announce a special reward for the women’s team for their performance.

“The team showed how to take home advantage and play like a collective unit,” he said. “I am happy that women’s cricket is doing well now.”

[Cricinfo]

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IPL 2025: Buttler bosses the chase to power Gujarat Titans to No.1

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Jos Buttler led Gujarat Titans' chase [Cricinfo]

It got tight for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the end , but Jos  Buttler’s unbeaten 97 ensured their first successful chase of a 200-plus total in Ahmedabad. It was also the first time Delhi Capitals (DC) ended up being unsuccessful in defending a 200-plus total.

Buttler stitched partnerships of 60 withB Sai Sudarshan and 119 with Sherfane Rutherford after keeping wicket for 20 overs on a hot afternoon.

Mukesh Kumar’s wide yorker dismissed Rutherford and left GT needing ten off the final over. The tension was short-lived as Starc missed the wide yorker and Rahul Tewatia slog swept the first ball of the last over over midwicket for six. He then squeezed the next ball past the keeper for four to complete the chase with four balls to spare.

Buttler was hit on the groin early in his innings by a length ball from Starc, but he overcame that blow and cleared the boundaries.

When Axar brought Starc back in the 15th over, hoping for reverse swing from around the wicket, there wasn’t any. The lengths were good, and the line was outside off, but Buttler scythed the ball with ease, finding gaps in front of and behind point.

A change of angle made no difference. Starc went full and was driven through mid-off. A bouncer drew a top-edged pull, but it did not carry to Vipraj Nigam running in from deep backward square leg. That 20-run over brought the required rate down to nine from 11.

GT are top heavy. Their plan is for one of the top three to bat deep into the innings, and it was Buttler’s turn today on a batting-friendly pitch.

He came in early in GT’s chase of 204 after Shubman Gill had gifted his wicket looking to pinch a quick single to Karun Nair at midwicket. Buttler then set up exhibition of fours through the off side alongside Sai Sudharsan.

Axar and Vipraj came on to bowl in the powerplay but did not find turn and were taken for three sixes and a four. Sai Sudharsan got boundaries off front and back foot against Mukesh Kumar as GT scored 67 in the powerplay.

Kuldeep Yadav had Sai Sudharsan pulling to deep midwicket with his third ball. Rutherford then started slowly as the required rate rose. The mounting pressure was released when Rutherford sliced a drive against Kuldeep that sailed over long-off. Mohit Sharma was introduced in the 13th over to replicate the role he performed for GT in previous years. He started with two slower bouncers but they sat up and Rutherford pulled them for sixes.

Buttler drilled a full ball from Mohit through mid-off to bring up his 32-ball fifty.

Gill won the toss in the afternoon and put DC in to bat. With Faf du Plessis not having recovered and DC leaving out Jake Fraser-McGurk, DC paired up Abhishek Porel with Karun Nair at the top.

Porel’s boundaries in the first over – drive on the up over mid-off and help-along flick behind square – showed that the bounce on the pitch was even. Porel, though, couldn’t capitalise on the start as he fell to a full toss from Arshad Khan.

KL Rahul’s shift in approach then kept DC ticking. Rahul cut Siraj for four and pumped him down the ground for six. His innings, though, was cut short on 28 off 14 balls by an outswinging yorker from Prasidh Krishna.  Nair fell for 31 off 18 balls when he glided Prasidh to deep third.

A pristine cover drive from Tristan Stubbs off Prasidh brought up DC’s hundred in the ninth over. But he and Axar were relatively sedate after that during their 53-run stand off 36 balls. They were happy to take Rashid Khan and Ishant Sharma for ones and twos.

Rashid bowled quicker and at the stumps in his first two overs. When he slowed the pace down in his third, Stubbs took him for six down the ground but then miscued a swipe across the line. Rashid ran back but couldn’t hold onto the catch near mid-on. GT reached 150 in 15 overs.

Ishant was struggling in the heat and went off the pitch after two overs. Siraj returned and removed Stubbs, who reverse-swept a yorker and the ball lobbed to short third.

GT’s death bowlers attempted a lot of yorkers with short balls peppered in between. It nearly worked at the start of the 17th over, but Rashid dropped Axar.

The DC captain could not hit a boundary in his last nine balls and was out caught behind for 39 off 32 balls. He charged at Prasidh and tried to slap a length ball over cover and got an edge. Prasidh then got rid of Nigam next ball, thanks to a brilliant diving catch from Buttler.

Ashutosh Sharma gave DC the finishing kick they were looking for. He scored a six and a four off Arshad early in his innings and hit two sixes off Prasidh later. R Sai Kishore – whose only over was the final one of the innings – went for just nine, but it was enough for GT to cross 200.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 204 for 3 in 19.2 overs (Sai Sudarshan 36, Jos Buttler 97*, Sherfaine Rutherford 43, Rahul Tewita 11*; Mukesh Kumar 1-40,  Kuldeep Yadav 1-30) beat Delhi Capitals 203 for 8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Porel 18, Karun Nair 31, KL Rahul 28,  Axar Patel  39, Ashutosh Sharma 37: Mohammed Siraj 1-47, Arshad Kahan 1-46,  Prasidh Krishna 4-41, Ishant Sharma 1-19, Sai Kishore 1-09) by seven wickets

[Cricinfo]

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IPL 2025: Ice-man Avesh holds his nerves as Lucknow Super Giants edge past Rajasthan Royals in last-over classic

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14 year old Vaibhav Suryavanshi got off the mark in the IPL with a first-ball six

For the second game in a row, Rajasthan Royals (RR) stumbled in a seemingly straightforward chase, unable to score nine off the final over. In Jaipur on Saturday night, Avesh Khan’s ice-cold death bowling turned a cruise into chaos, as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) snatched victory from under RR’s nose.

Up until 17 overs of their chase, RR seemed set to break their three-match losing streak. But with 25 needed off 18, Avesh nailed his execution in a double-wicket over that went for just five.

He first dismissed a well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal for 74 when he backed away to scythe a yorker-length delivery behind point. Then, four balls later, Riyan Parag’s attempt to play a cheeky scoop to a full ball that reversed in to strike his toe caught him plumb in front.

RR went into panic mode, and stumbled at the finish line as LSG celebrated a jailbreak that didn’t seem possible.

Four nights ago in Delhi, RR failed to knock off the two runs they needed off the final ball. Here, they needed four. Shubham Dubey had just been dropped off the previous delivery by David Miller at long-on. This was his shot at redemption, but Avesh stuck his left arm out on his follow-through to stop a straight hit.

But there was more to the final over than just those last two deliveries.

With RR needing eight off five, Shimron Hetmyer swung wildly to get a thick outside edge to third man where Shardul Thakur fumbled to concede a second that wasn’t on. Shardul was immediately jettisoned to square leg because of the misfield. And guess what happened next?

Hetmyer played a powerful flick to an attempted leg-stump yorker to a waiting Shardul at backward square leg. Avesh then nailed a pin-point yorker off the fourth ball before the Miller drama and his own nifty effort off the final ball to seal an improbable win.

The spark came early, and it came young when Vaibhav Suravanshi, all of 14 years and 23 days, strode out for his debut as the youngest player in IPL history when he was brought in as an Impact Player for their 181 chase. And the moment didn’t faze him one bit.

Early impressions are that Suryavanshi is fearless. How else can you show that kind of audacity, where you make room and pummel your first ball in the IPL for six on the rise over cover? Shardul found it scarcely believable.

Surely that was a one-off. Maybe he was trying to calm himself. Nope. His second attempt, off just his third ball, was even more audacious. He cleared his front leg, exposing all three stumps, and bludgeoned a six down the ground off Avesh.

Fifth ball, there was even more drama. Avesh had steam coming off, and thought he’d done enough by banging in a short ball that Suryavanshi top edged. Prince Yadav, running back from midwicket, ended up dropping it and Ravi Bishnoi parried the ball to the boundary.

Rishabh Pant quickly brought on his trump card, hoping the youngster would swing at one blindly. Suryavanshi showed smarts in playing him out. But before long, he climbed into Rathi, muscling him for a six over deep midwicket, and then hitting Bishnoi straight down the ground.

But on 34, Suryavanshi was deceived in flight by Aiden Markram,  who was only perhaps operating because the accomplished bowlers had been taken to the cleaners by Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who put on 85 off just 8.3 overs. He got one to turn sharply to beat a lunging Suryavanshi. His back foot was in the air, and Pant has him stumped.

The Suryavanshi show was over, but not before he had had millions excited for more.

Jaiswal soon raised a half-century off just 31 balls – his fourth half-century in five innings – and seemed set to see the chase. His picking of lengths against spin was impeccable, until one grave mistake gave LSG an opening they burst through.

Bowlers may have heroically helped seal victory, but Abdul Samad’s contribution – an unbeaten 10-ball 30 – was as important.

He was held back on the face of a batting collapse – LSG were 54 for 3 when Pant fell cheaply – for him to be able to maximise damage in the end overs along with David Miller. This meant LSG summoned Ayush Badoni as their Impact Player to stabilise the innings, replacing Mitchell Marsh.

The consequence of this move was that they couldn’t now bring in Mayank Yadav, listed as one of the Impact Subs, even if they had him in their plans.

Badoni repaid the faith, scoring 50 in 34, to repair the innings with Markram, who top-scored with 66. But it was truly Samad’s pyrotechnics in the end that lifted a floundering innings.

Holding his shape and picking deliveries off Sandeep Sharma’s hand, Samad picked his arc between deep squares and deep midwicket to pummel four sixes in a 27-run final over that gave LSG momentum.

In terms of overall contribution, this was worth its weight in gold, one that combined with Avesh’s to strengthen LSG’s position in the top four – all of whom now have 10 points.

Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 180 for 5 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 66, Nicholas Pooran 11, Ayush Badoni 50, Abdul Samad 30*; Jofra Archer 1-32, Sandeep Sharma 1-55, Thushar Deshpande 1-26, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-31) beat  Rajasthan Royals 178 for 5 in 20 overs (Yashaswi Jaiswal 74, Vaibhav Suryanathi 34, Riyan Parag 39, Shimron Hetmyer 12; Shardul Thakur 1-34,  Avesh Khan  3-37,Aiden Markram 1-18)   by two runs

[Cricinfo]

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