Sports

Two years on, England’s Galle win still hurts

Published

5 years ago

2020/11/11

England completed a rare win in Galle in the opening Test match of the 2018 series.

England barely last three days in Galle. The extreme heat, turning tracks and little help for seam bowlers makes the venue a nightmarish experience for most visiting teams, particularly the ones from England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. But exactly two years ago to this week, England achieved the unimaginable. They won a Test match in Galle which has been a true fortress for successive Sri Lankan teams over two decades.

Sri Lanka Cricket makes a kill when England visit the island. Everyone – from hoteliers to small business owners make huge profits. Us, poor journalists, who book our rooms in the last minute, can’t find anything in Galle and have to go beyond Hikkaduwa to find accommodation. Tickets per day are priced at Rs. 5000 and when some 5000 Barmy Army fans land in Galle, it is a financial windfall for the board. So when a Test match that is supposed to last five days ends in three days, a lot of people are unhappy, particularly SLC. One meticulous treasurer of the board told journalists that when a Test match involving England’s ends with two days to spare, the board loses Rs. 50 million from gate collection alone.

So, how come Sri Lanka who have dominated England in Galle lose in 2018? They played some sloppy cricket and had very little back up plan.

There was unnecessary distractions for the hosts on the eve of the opening Test as their premier fast bowler was sent home on disciplinary grounds.

This eventually resulted in Sri Lanka going into the first Test with a lone seamer and poor Suranga Lakmal had too much on his plate as Akila Dananjaya who was returning to the side after a ban for a suspect bowling action was less effective.

Making debut for England was 25-year-old Surrey wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and he had a fabulous game. He made a century in the first innings, a crucial 37 in the second essay and was neat behind the stumps. He was Man of the Match. Much accomplished England players had come to Sri Lanka and their technique in playing spin had been found wanting. So how did a debutant have such a massive impact?

Foakes was out three times when he made the hundred in the first innings. But Sri Lanka had run out of their referrals. The team’s use of referrals was so poor that they had exhausted their referrals even before their premier bowler – Rangana Herath had come onto bowl.

Herath had decided to quit after the first Test and it wasn’t the farewell he wanted as England handed his side a thumping 211 run defeat.

Sri Lanka’s use of reviews never improved throughout the series. The series was a disaster. The hosts were thrashed well and truly 3-0.

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Wobbly England register first Test win in Australia in 15 years

Published

52 seconds ago

2025/12/27

Priyan

Jacob Bethell scored 40 in a chase of 175 [Cricinfo]

For the first time in 19 matches, and nearly 15 years, England’s men experienced a Test victory in Australia as the MCG raced to the second two-day finish of the Ashes series. On a tough surface which will continue to come under the spotlight in the aftermath, England’s top order met their target of 175 with aggression and they eventually got home with four wickets in hand.

It was only the fifth time in Test history that a series had included multiple two-day finishes, and before this summer, there had only been two in history in Australia. Although more than 186,000 had attended the match across two record-breaking days, it left Cricket Australia facing another significant financial loss – the Ashes has proved a costly affair, and Ben Stokes acknowledged it was far from ideal, but England have avoided the risk of another whitewash down under.

Jacob Bethell who was recalled for this match, compiled 40 to give a glimpse at his potential, but his dismissal meant this would be the first Test in Australia without an individual half-century since 1932 and just the fifth overall. Bethell’s wicket was followed by a little wobble with the winning line in sight. Joe Root was lbw to Jhye Richardson and Stokes carved an edge off Mitchell Starc with ten need, but four leg byes finished the job to roars from the travelling support, although more muted celebrations from England.

Australia, who had earned a first-innings lead of 42 on the manic opening day which brought 20 wickets, could only manage 132 the second time around as Stokes and Brydon Carse shared seven wickets, while Josh Tongue added two more to his impressive match tally. It meant they were able to overcome the loss of Gus Atkinson to a hamstring injury early in the day.

Still, the target was comfortably the highest total of the match. But the intent from Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett was clear and they wiped off 51 inside seven overs. Duckett pinged Starc through the leg side first ball and Crawley launched Michael Neser down the ground in his first over to set the tone. Starc produced some gems, especially to Duckett, and came within fingertips of getting to a return catch from a leading edge.

Tellingly, though, the first ball that Alex Carey came up to the stumps against Neser, Crawley launched him straight down the ground for six and followed that with a blazing drive through the covers. Duckett also took on Neser, a top-edged hoick flying to deep third and then, most stunningly, a scoop going for six. Perhaps there was life in Bazball, after all.

The ball after Duckett cracked his fourth boundary behind point, Starc speared a full delivery through him, but the openers had shifted the mood. England pulled a trick, promoting Carse to No. 3, but he sliced down to deep third, which opened the door for Bethell to play what could prove a significant innings.

Bethell got away with a leading edge first ball, then drove Scott Boland confidently down the ground. He started the final session by reverse-scoping Boland over Carey, then nailed a cover drive.

Boland, who curiously had not been introduced until the 11th over by when England already had 70 on the board, conjured thoughts of another MCG burst from him when he trapped Crawley lbw and had Bethell caught at cover, but Australia didn’t have quite enough runs to play with.

Australia had resumed one over into their second innings with Boland having survived amid heady scenes the night before. He hung around for five more overs before Atkinson found the outside edge to remove a potential frustration for England. However, Atkinson’s day – and potentially series – was soon done when he walked off holding his hamstring at the end of his fifth over, leaving three frontline quicks.

The captain took on the task, Stokes striking in his first over when Jake Weatherald misjudged a delivery from around the wicket which he left alone at the last moment and was bowled. After his excellent first innings in Brisbane, returns have been lean for Weatherald, who faces a big outing in Sydney next week before Australia’s lengthy gap in Test cricket.

By now, the pitch was offering some uneven bounce as well as sideways movement. Marnus Labuschagne took two blows on the gloves before being drawn into poking outside off stump, edging to first slip in a manner that suggests his game is still not in top working order, although conditions provided some caveat.

Travis Head was playing as well as anyone had all game, latching onto anything loose but not breaking into the full-blown attack seen in the second innings in Perth. However, even someone who had survived more than an hour and a half could do nothing about the delivery from Carse, which jagged off the seam to take the top of off stump.

Three balls later, Usman Khawaja top-edged a well-directed short ball from Tongue to long leg. There was no rescue act from Carey this time as he steered a delivery to second slip, where England’s catching continued to be secure.

Either side of lunch, Steven Smith and Cameron Green held firm for nine overs, adding 31 runs, to tip the balance once again. Without ever looking entirely secure, Green again got himself set, as he had in the first innings before running himself out, but flashed an edge to second slip when he drove at a short delivery.

In the absence of Atkinson, Carse lifted impressively and clutched a sharp return catch, full stretch to his left, to remove Neser. Then, with the seventh delivery of the over after a no-ball, he had Starc edging to slip.

Smith showed no inclination to shield No. 11 Richardson (who has a first-class average of 20.70) and a crunched straight drive suggested it was a fair call, but Richardson carved Stokes into the off side to leave England with their target. The pubs, golf courses and Boxing Day sales around Melbourne could get an unexpected boost.

Brief scores:
England 110 in 29.5 overs (Harry Brook 41; Michael Neser 4-45, Scott Boland 3-30, Mitchell Starc 2-23) and 178 for 6 in 32.2 overs (Zak Crawley 37, Ben Duckett 34, Jacob Bethell 40; Mitchell Starc 2-55, Jhye Richardson 2-22, Scott Boland 2-29) beat Australia 152 in 45.2 overs (Michael Neser 35; Josh Tongue 5-45, Gus Atkinson 2-28) and 132 in 34.3 overs (Travis Head 46; Brydon Carse 4-34, Ben Stokes 3-24) by four wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Renuka and Deepti back with a bang as India seal the series

Published

22 hours ago

2025/12/27

Priyan

Renuka Singh picked up figures of 4-1-21-4 (BCCI)

Shafali Verma continued her superb form, cracking a 42-ball 79 as India brushed aside Sri Lanka once again to win the third T20I in Thiruvananthapuram and complete a series victory.

The template was familiar and ruthlessly executed: win the toss, bowl, restrict Sri Lanka, and then stroll through the chase. Just as in the first two matches, India were clinical. Renuka Singh spearheaded the bowling, with support from Deepti Sharma, to keep Sri Lanka to 112 for 7 before Shafali wrapped up the chase with 40 balls to spare.

Sri Lanka shuffled their opening combination, leaving out Vishmi Gunaratne and promoting Hasini Perera to partner Chamari Athapaththu. Perera showed early intent, striking two boundaries off Renuka, who returned to the XI in place of Arundhati Reddy, in the first over.

India introduced Deepti in the third, and Perera greeted her with another boundary. While Perera looked positive, Athapaththu struggled to find her rhythm, managing just 3 off 12 in a stand worth 25 – Sri Lanka’s highest opening partnership of the series. The pressure told in the fifth over when Athapaththu attempted a cross-batted swipe and top-edged to mid-on, handing Deepti her first wicket.

Renuka then turned the screws in her second over of the powerplay. After Perera pierced the infield early in the over, Renuka placed Deepti at short third, a move that paid dividends as Perera edged one straight to the fielder. She fell for 25 off 18, unable to capitalise on her start. Renuka capped off the over in style, having Harshitha Samarawickrama caught and bowled off the final delivery, swinging the powerplay decisively India’s way.

From there, the contest drifted into territory that had become all too familiar over the course of the series.

With Sri Lanka at 45 for 4 at the halfway stage, Imesha Dulani – coming into the XI for this match – combined with Kavisha Dilhari to add some much-needed runs for the fifth wicket. Dulani, reprieved on 8 when Shree Charani put down a chance, found the gaps, while Dilhari injected some intent, launching Kranti Gaud for a six.

The partnership, however, was short-lived. Deepti ensured it did not go beyond 40 runs, having Dilhari caught at deep midwicket for 20 en route to becoming the joint highest wicket taker in women’s T20Is.

India were not flawless in the field, putting down two more chances – Kaushini Nuthyangana on 4 by Gaud and Malsha Shehani on 5 by Deepti – but Sri Lanka failed to make India pay, drifting to 112 for 7 at the end of 20 overs.

Shafali set the tone for the chase immediately, launching Shehani for 6, 4 and 4 in the opening over. Smriti Mandhana struggled to find fluency at the other end, but it scarcely mattered with Shafali in full flow. She took on debutant Nimasha Meepage in the third over, picking up two boundaries, before Mandhana fell for 1 in the fourth, also burning a review in the process.

Shafali, meanwhile, continued to show her full range. In the fifth over, she took Meepage for 19 runs: starting with an uppish drive to the extra cover boundary, a back-foot whip that raced through midwicket, a full toss that was muscled for six over extra, and finishing the over by dropping to one knee to loft another boundary over cover. By then, she had raced to 43 off just 19 balls, bringing up her half-century in the following over from 24 deliveries. India, on the whole, were 55 for 1.

Shafali continued to dictate terms, scoring 68.7% of her team’s runs in a completed innings – which is a new national record – and rising to No. 4 on the list of India’s highest run-getters in women’s T20Is.

The win, along with a 3-0 lead in the five-match series, marked Harmanpreet Kaur’s 77th as captain, going past Meg Lanning to become the most successful captain in the format.

Brief scores:

India Women 115 for 2 in 13.2 overs (Shafali Verma 79*, Harmanpreet Kaur 21*; Kavisha Dilhari 2-18) beat Sri Lanka Women 112 for 7 in 20 overs (Hasini Perera 25, Imesha Dulani 27, Kavisha Dilhari 20, Kaushini Nuthyangana 10*; Renuka Singh 4-21, Deepti Sharma 3-18) by eight wickets

(Cricinfo)

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Australia seize handy lead after Josh Tongue five-for on 20-wicket day

Published

1 day ago

2025/12/26

Priyan

Scott Boland claimed the big wicket of Harry Brook (Cricinfo)

With the recriminations well underway from an Ashes defeat, compounded by the fallout from some rather embarrassing off-field shenanigans, England were momentarily feeling the Christmas cheer at a heaving MCG on the biggest day in Australian cricket.

But not for the first time this series, England could not capitalise on a position of strength as they trailed by 42 runs on the first innings – a seemingly sizeable deficit given the bowler-friendly conditions. By the end of a madcap opening day of the Boxing Day Test, England once again have their backs against the wall.

A ground record crowd of 94,119, surpassing the 2015 World Cup final for the biggest attendance, saw an astonishing 20 wickets fall – the most on an opening day at an Ashes MCG Test since 1901-02.

Reminiscent of the first Test in Perth, the match is moving at warp speed on a surface that is set to attract scrutiny. With 10mm of grass left on the pitch by curator Matt Page, the wickedly seaming conditions made batting extremely difficult with Usman Khawaja the only batter to face more than 50 deliveries. No England batter faced more than 40 balls with only three making more than five runs.

England’s bid to halt Australia’s push for a 5-0 whitewash did start well with Josh Tongue starring with 5 for 45. After being sent in, Australia were bundled out for 152 from just 45.2 overs amid overcast and cool morning conditions. It was their third-shortest innings in a home Ashes Test but the total was made to look formidable with England crashing to 16 for 4 when Joe Root walked off after a 15-ball duck.

Harry Brook then produced the most extraordinary counterattack, top-scoring with 41 off 34 balls as he audaciously danced down the wicket, reviving Bazball along the way amid an increasingly febrile atmosphere.

But his cavalier knock didn’t last long enough as recalled Michael Neser and hometown hero Scott Boland combined for seven wickets as England were bowled out just before stumps

To cap a whirlwind day, Australia had to face one over before the close with Boland opening alongside Travis Head in place of Jake Weatherald. He faced the entire over, but only just survived after Jacob Bethell dropped a tough chance at fifth slip before he hit a boundary to bring the curtain down on a dramatic day.

In seam-friendly, overcast conditions reminiscent of the 2010 Boxing Day Test – fond memories for England – one suspected that Ben Stokes was much more enthusiastic to win this toss compared to a couple of others earlier in the series.

But his mood soured quickly with 27 of Australia’s 72 runs in the session scored in the first six overs. Brydon Carse was the culprit with his forgettable opening spell starting off with a front-foot no-ball. Things did not improve with Carse wasting the new ball and conceding three boundaries in the fifth over.

England were in danger of wilting early before Gus Atkinson was rewarded for tight lengths when he had Head dragging onto his stumps in a similar dismissal to the backend of the second Test.

It was a tonic for Atkinson, who had been dropped for the third Test after a luckless start to the series – a selection decision that had raised the eyebrows of the Australia camp.

Atkinson received strong support from Tongue, who had a simple game plan that perhaps England’s quicks should have implemented earlier in the series – pitch the ball full outside off stump. His eight-over spell yielded 3 for 24 to put England well on top at lunch.

Tongue had initial good fortune when he had Weatherald strangled down the leg side. It continued a strange run of dismissals to start the Test career of Weatherald, who has not quite bedded down his spot despite a fluent 72 in Brisbane.

Tongue then removed Marnus Labuschagne and skipper Steven Smith, back in the side after being unwell to play the third Test, with top-shelf full-length deliveries. Labuschagne’s long Test century drought continued after edging a drive to first slip before Smith’s middle stump was knocked over having loosely attempted a booming drive.

It continued Tongue’s mastery over Smith across formats, having dismissed him in every innings from five games. Retaining his spot in the middle-order in favour of Josh Inglis, Khawaja and the in-form Alex Carey managed to get through to lunch in a session Stokes only deployed his three pace bowlers.

Stokes came into the attack after the interval as the ground suddenly became bathed in sunshine to suggest that batting might become slightly easier in the afternoon. Khawaja carried over his form from Adelaide and rolled past 8000 career Test runs before nicking off to Atkinson in an overturned decision – the latest example of him being troubled by quicks bowling around the wicket.

Carey has been a thorn for England through the series, but Stokes had him hitting straight to leg gully in a well-executed plan. Neser then dominated a 52-run partnership with Cameron Green, who entered under pressure having been demoted down the order after clinging onto his spot in the XI.

Green was mostly content with hanging in there, but Neser decided to counterattack and it was a plan that worked well as he clubbed Tongue for three consecutive boundaries in a rare period of batter dominance.

But Australia collapsed after Green ran himself out on 17, following a direct throw from a swift-moving Carse, who was perhaps fortunate to later dismiss Mitchell Starc after seemingly overstepping.

England were buoyed as they walked off the field but knew the job was not nearly done given the surface, Australia’s vaunted pace attack and also their own batting frailties.

Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley got through the first couple of overs unscathed before the mayhem started. Capping off a horror week amid the fallout from Noosa, Duckett gifted Starc another early wicket after tamely hitting straight to mid-on.

Recalled into the side – playing his fourth career Test match but first without the pink ball – Neser’s seam-bowling prowess saw him open the bowling to devastating effect.

He was all over Root and Bethell, who both were reduced to being lame ducks by the ball darting off the surface. Bethell’s much-hyped inclusion, finally replacing maligned No. 3 Ollie Pope, failed to materialise as he nicked off for 1 before Root also succumbed to Neser in similar fashion.

In the midst of all that, Starc added to his extraordinary series after Crawley edged to Smith at second slip before Brook for an hour had the fans in the palm of his hands.

There was drama on almost every delivery he faced, starting off from the very first ball when Brook charged Starc only to fail to connect. That did not deter him and he doubled down on the tactic in an effort to knock the bowlers off their lengths.

England finally had a batter in double-figures when Brook charged down the pitch and snicked Neser past Green’s outstretched arms at gully. He best stroke was a bludgeoning blow for six off Starc over extra cover and he also pulled Boland into the crowd.

But Boland got his revenge when he had Brook trapped plumb lbw to trigger another collapse. It was a field day for Australia’s quicks except for Jhye Richardson, who went wickletless from just four overs in his return to Test cricket since his last match in the 2021-22 Ashes series.

Atkinson added some invaluable runs to ensure England at least reached triple-figures, a landmark that was enthusiastically celebrated by the Barmy Army. But it was little solace for the embattled tourists who are again on the back foot in a match that might not last longer than two days.

Brief scores:

Australia 152 in 45.2 overs (Michael Neser 35; Josh Tongue 5-45, Gus Atkinson 2-28) and 4 for 0 lead England 110 in (Harry Brook 41; Michael Neser 4-45, Scott Boland 3-30) by 46 runs

(Cricinfo)