Sports

‘We can turn the tables on England. This series is 50-50’ – Mahela Jayawardene

Published

5 years ago

2021/01/12

Jayawardene isn’t keen on taking up a permanent role in the Sri Lankan setup despite his status(Getty)

Sri Lanka are raring to go ahead of facing an under-prepared England for a two-Test series, and the hosts see an opportunity for an upset.

England head into the series without Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes and with less than two days of match practice, while Sri Lanka are keen to bounce-back after a series defeat to South Africa.

Sportsmail’s Nasser Hussain caught up with Sri Lanka legend and Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene ahead of the series.

NH:

I know Sri Lanka have asked you in the past, and you felt they hadn’t taken on board some of your proposals, but in the long term would you like to coach the national side?

MJ:

For me the biggest hurdle is to be involved full-time, whether it’s franchise cricket or a national team. I don’t see myself being a coach who’s going to be involved with one team for 12 months a year. That’s not enjoyable for me.

It’s got nothing to do with Sri Lanka Cricket as such, and I’ve always said I’m happy to contribute and help the team — as long as what I see is wrong has been corrected. It hasn’t happened over the years.

I don’t want to walk in and be a figure in a process where I know the system hasn’t allowed cricketers or the team to evolve.

NH:

The talent in Sri Lanka has always been remarkable. What is it like at the moment?

MJ:

The raw ingredients are there. It’s just that a lot of the guys struggle with the pathway after school. The domestic structure has so many teams, so the quality gets diluted pretty quickly, and people make wrong decisions.

Not all the coaches are good enough, so we lose a lot of talent in that process. It’s not a professional setup at that level, and a lot of the guys give up and do other things, like league cricket in Australia or England.

NH:

Is Test cricket still financially viable in Sri Lanka?

MJ:

We still have an appetite for Test cricket. Because of the history of Sri Lanka’s Test team, they all want to play cricket at that level. But if you don’t improve and evolve, five or 10 years down the line we will have guys who only want to play white-ball cricket.

The recent T20 Lankan Premier League was good. We’ve needed something like that for the last 10 years, to make the game at that level financially viable.

NH:

The Test team have just come back from South Africa with a lot of injuries. Where are they at the moment?

MJ:

I was pretty pleased with the way they started in South Africa, putting nearly 400 on the board at Centurion. But the bowlers broke down, and that was a real issue. Guys who played at the LPL still had niggles, and they went into the second Test quite depleted.

For the English tour, we’ve got Angelo Mathews coming back after the injury, and Dinesh Chandimal should be fit as well — two experienced guys in the middle order to support Dimuth Karunaratne at the top. It’s about that discipline in the longer format: how do you cope with pressure for four to five days?

NH:

Any promising players England fans might not have heard of?

MJ:

It’s unfortunate that Dhananjaya de Silva has a long-term injury, but Kusal Mendis is a talent, and has scored seven hundreds in his short Test career. He knows how to go big.

And Sri Lankan have found two all-rounders: Wanindu Hasaranga, the leg-spinner, who bats at seven, and seamer Dasun Shanaka, who bowled really well in South Africa.

NH:

Is Mickey Arthur the right man to coach them at the moment?

MJ:

Yeah, he’s one of those guys who’s quite methodical and regimental, but he’s a good coach — a players’ coach. We need to give Mickey some time with the team, because he’s proven himself with a lot of international teams.

NH:

And he tends to speak his mind. He did an interview the other day when he said ‘I don’t think the pitch at Galle will turn: I know it will turn.’ Are you expecting a bunsen burner at Galle?

MJ:

You know Galle: it’s going to slow down, and start turning. So those first two days are crucial, and after that it’s going to be a grind. It will be quite interesting to see how the second Test match is going to pan out, because you’re playing at the same venue.

They’ll definitely make sure Sri Lanka have that advantage of playing at Galle, but the England boys have played there many times.

NH:

Where do you see England at the moment, and in particular their playing of spin. Is that still a nemesis for them?

MJ:

I think it can be. It depends on the tempo they want to play. The modern England team plays at a different tempo, but you still need someone to grind out an innings — Cooky (Alastair Cook) has done that in the past. Someone has to do that now, whether it’s Rooty (Joe Root) or someone else.

The other guys are much more high-tempo players, so how you balance that is crucial. And which way do you go with the bowlers? You don’t have the pace of Jofra (Archer), so who’s going to take up that role on a slow wicket? Sometimes you need extra firepower to get something going.

NH:

As you say, there’s no Jofra, no Ben Stokes, and Moeen Ali is ill. Is this an opportunity for Sri Lanka, on a turner, to get payback for England’s 3-0 win there in 2018?

MJ:

Yeah, it is. Even though Sri Lanka didn’t do well in South Africa, they’ll see this as a very good opportunity.

The first two days will set the tone. But England have two good experienced bowlers in Broady (Stuart Broad) and Jimmy (Anderson), who understand what needs to be done in these conditions. They will fall back on them. It’ll be interesting to se if they pick both in the same Test.

NH:

How much did the 3-0 defeat hurt Sri Lanka, and how much is it feeding into their mindset now?

MJ:

It did hurt Sri Lanka a lot, although it feels like a lifetime ago now. They had opportunities in that series, but never grabbed them, and England had that experience to control sessions. They were dominant.

But these two Test matches are at Galle, whereas last time it was in three different places, and Sri Lanka have a much better record at Galle. It will suit the current group of players. I don’t think Sri Lanka will be thinking too much about last time around.

NH:

Do you worry about the mental and physical wellbeing of players when they’re spending so much time in bubbles?

MJ:

Yeah, that’s something you have to look at. We used to have three weeks’ R&R with our families between tours, but now they’re straight into another bubble.

That’s when player management is important. When you see guys who aren’t mentally fresh, you might have to let them go home for two or three weeks. Going bubble to bubble is always going to have an impact. If this runs through 2021, that’s going to be a long stretch for a lot of cricketers.

NH:

When I went to Sri Lanka, England were never favourites. Do you see this England as favourites?

MJ:

With Stokes missing, England don’t have that same experience in the top order, so I make it 50-50. I don’t think they’re going as favourites. I think Sri Lanka have something in them. (Daily Mail)

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

Published

18 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)

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BCB takes ownership rights of Chattogram Royals for remainder of BPL

Published

2 days ago

2025/12/25

Priyan

BCB appointed former national captain Habibul Bashar as mentor while Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal will act as team manager of the Chattogram Royals [BCB]

The Bangladesh Cricket Board took over the ownership rights of Chattogram Royals for the remainder of the Bangladesh Premier League season. BCB vice-chairman Shakhawat Hossain, a member of BPL Governing Council, confirmed the development to Cricbuzz on Thursday.

Royals owner Kayum Rashed submitted a written request to the BCB, citing difficulties in continuing to run the team under the current circumstances and asked the board to take over the operations.

“We have taken over the ownership right of the team, and now the board will run the team,” Shakhawat told Cricbuzz. “We will sit with the players and discuss the next steps.”

According to the letter submitted to the board, and seen by Cricbuzz, Royals failed to attract sponsors.

“Since the acquisition of the franchise, there have been persistent and widespread speculations in various media outlets regarding the team’s uncertainty in participating in the tournament, as well as repeated questions surrounding the franchise’s financial and operational credibility. These rumours included, but were not limited to, allegations that franchise fees, bank guarantees, and players’ payments had not been made-despite the fact that such payments were not contractually required at those early stages,” it was stated in the letter.

“Unfortunately, no formal clarification or reassurance was issued to the media to counter these claims. As a direct consequence, the rumors gained traction across multiple platforms, severely impacting the reputation of Chattogram Royals. Several potential and confirmed sponsors, questioning the franchise’s credibility and the certainty of its participation in the tournament, withdrew from their partnerships.

“The withdrawal of sponsorship support has resulted in significant financial challenges, directly hampering the team’s preparation and jeopardizing its future prospects within the tournament. This situation arose not from any failure on our part to comply with contractual obligations, but rather from unchecked misinformation and the absence of authoritative clarification.

“In light of the above circumstances, and considering the substantial reputational and financial damage already sustained, I respectfully request the Bangladesh Cricket Board to take over from this point forward and assume the necessary responsibilities throughout the remainder of the tournament. This includes providing clear, timely communication to stakeholders and ensuring the integrity, stability, and smooth operation of the franchise within the BPL framework.

“I trust the Board will appreciate the seriousness of this matter and act in the best interests of the league, the franchise, and all associated stakeholders. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your guidance and support.”

Another BCB official said that their connection with dubious characters from the start of forming the team hit them hard in the long run considering the activities of those characters in their team jeopardized their reputation in the sponsorship market.

It is learnt, BCB appointed former national captain Habibul Bashar as mentor while Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal will act as team manager of the Chattogram Royals.

Bashar was initially appointed as mentor of the team but left the position citing family issues though many feel he was uncomfortable seeing dubious characters in and around the franchise set-up, and as a result took up the decision. The move to change the set-up was aimed at stabilizing the franchise and ensuring the smooth running of the team for the rest of the tournament.

Many cricketers of the Royals decided to leave the team hotel on Wednesday (December 25) as they failed to receive money from the franchise till last night. The BPL is all set to commence at Sylhet on December 26 and it started with the expected move made by Royals owner. He insisted that he will pull out from the competition if things don’t turn his way.

[Cricbuzz]