All posts by csb10.top

Australia captain Steven Smith has said a victorious Champions Trophy campaign will be the ideal bargaining chip for the players in their ongoing pay dispute with Cricket Australia. He was also confident this summer’s Ashes will go ahead despite his deputy David Warner suggesting the players might miss the marquee series if CA did not retain the existing revenue distribution model, which is at the heart of the disagreements.Smith’s optimism comes amid talks that CA is reconsidering its stance on independent mediation. The Australian Cricketers’ Association had offered the option to the board last week but it had been rejected. The ACA chief executive Alastair Nicholson will be in London later this week, and is expected to meet with CA chief executive James Sutherland and team performance manager Pat Howard to try and find a solution.In any case, Australia’s players feel they have an additional incentive ahead of the Champions Trophy. “If we win it will certainly be really good for the playing group,” Smith said at Lord’s where Australia conducted their first training camp. “We are sticking really strong together. We are backing what the ACA is doing back home. But as I said before it is about focussing on this tournament and making sure we are entirely switched on.”Smith admitted that he was unaware that CA were mulling over third-party mediation to break the deadlock that has flared up in the past month. “Okay, that is news to me,” he said. “I am not sure. It is great that they [CA] are trying to sort things out. And as I said we are supporting the ACA and what they are doing. They are working really hard to get what the player group wants. I am sure everything will be resolved soon.”Doubts persist over what CA’s next step would be. Sutherland had earlier sent a blunt missive to the players threatening their employment once their existing contracts expire on June 30. If the players did not accede to CA’s pay proposal, which the ACA had rejected, Sutherland warned that they would not be paid under any new alternative model.To safeguard the players’ future, the ACA has set up the Cricketers’ Brand, a company that will manage the players’ intellectual property rights moving forward. Smith said the new venture had all the players’ support. “Yeah, I think everyone’s signed up to that. We are supportive of the ACA in what they are doing back home. They are working really hard with CA to get the deal right. And I am sure in time they will get that and everything will be okay for everyone involved.”Smith was hopeful that the impasse between the players and the board would be solved in time for the Ashes in November. “I saw the comments [Warner’s on missing the Ashes]. I certainly don’t think…Of course, we want to play in the Ashes. Of course, we want everything to go really well there. It is just about making sure the guys finalise a deal and get the MoU sorted and then everything will be fine. Certainly nothing from us that we don’t want to play, we certainly want to be playing in the Ashes. Hopefully they will get things resolved soon and everything will be back to normal.”

Women’s cricket in Sri Lanka has received a major boost as Sri Lanka Cricket awarded contracts to 30 young female players of potential, and named them in a national development squad.Players were identified through the recently concluded Under-23 provincial tournament, and are set to be paid to train in their home provinces for the next six months, following which the squad will be re-evaluated, and the number of paid players whittled down to 20, a board release said.”We conducted talent search camps throughout the island, identified the best players from each of these camps, and then conducted an Under-23 district tournament,” SLC’s convenor for women’s cricket, Apsari Tillakaratne, said. “This led to the first ever Under-23 provincial tournament, and 68 of the best players from this tournament attended a training camp in Colombo. The national selectors have selected the most promising 30 players from that evaluative camp.”Part of the board’s challenge in advancing women’s cricket in Sri Lanka is convincing women to pursue cricket as a viable career option. To that end, the board has announced it will pay members of this development squad 12,000 LKR a month (approx. USD $ 80) – far from a living wage, but a sum that may help supplement players’ regular income, which may in turn free them up for matches and training.”The contracts will give the players a sense of security and stability, without which they cannot engage in playing cricket, as is not economically viable to them,” SLC vice-president, K Mathivanan, said. “I am happy to see the progress we have made in these few short months. The face of women’s cricket is changing.”Of the thirty players, 12 came from the Western Province, eight from the Southern Province, four from the Central Province, three from the North Central province, two from Uva, and one from Wayamba.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:21

‘I deserved Misbah’s wicket’ – Holder

A slow but steady hundred from Azhar Ali, and Misbah-ul-Haq’s 99, ensured Pakistan tightened their grip on the Bridgetown Test. After they secured a lead of 81 in response to West Indies’ 312 on a deteriorating pitch, fast bowler Mohammad Abbas had Kieran Powell caught behind. West Indies ended the day trailing by 41.

‘Always felt I had a chance against Misbah’

West Indies captain Jason Holder on:
West Indies’ plan for the fourth day: The first priority is to get a lead, put some runs on the board for Pakistan to chase. The way the pitch is playing, and if it deteriorates anymore, anything in excess of 175 will be good for us, and give ourselves time and a chance to bowl Pakistan out. We really have to set it up tomorrow morning, make use of that first session. It’s important that Kraigg and Hetmyer carry us as far as possible and one of the top four batsmen can get a hundred that will put us in good stead.
Misbah’s dismissal: I always felt I was in with a chance with Misbah, specially outside the off stump. I was hoping one could pop off a length. I didn’t really expect that one to pop off of a length after he had been batting for so long and so well. I got it in the right areas pretty consistently the entire day and I think I deserved that wicket at that stage.
Tackling the pitch: We have to be positive but also selective. It’s not a pitch that’s for free-scoring I believe. Once we maximise the loose deliveries they give us we will put ourselves in much better stead

The hosts had built up some momentum before tea, when they claimed three wickets for 13 runs, but they squandered it by allowing Pakistan’s tailenders to make sizeable contributions in a game where batting in the second innings is expected to get significantly harder.Jason Holder bowled an incisive spell, and along with Shannon Gabriel, had Pakistan seven down at tea for a lead of 17. Any hope of bowling them out swiftly, however, were dismissed by wayward bowling at the start of the final session. West Indies gave away three sets of byes that went for four down leg side. They were runs that, in this context, were such a gift they might as well have had a bow on them.In all Pakistan added 64 runs, of which Yasir Shah scored 24. With Gabriel and Holder chipping away, Pakistan’s lead had not become unassailable but the early loss of Powell meant West Indies would begin day four on the back foot.The third day had begun with Misbah and Azhar in survival mode, scoring 54 runs in 26 overs on a pitch too slow to offer encouragement to the quicks. The likeliest route to a breakthrough was through the cracks spread across a misbehaving surface with variable bounce.The second session was more lively, as if the teams had an epiphany over lunch that Test cricket in 2017 was supposed to be different to the kind they had displayed in the morning. Misbah was responsible for the injection of pace into the innings as Pakistan’s batsmen looked more comfortable against spin at both ends.Misbah broke the shackles when he swung freely for a six over long-on. The Pakistan captain looked good for a hundred, after being stranded on 99 in Kingston. However, he fell agonisingly on the same score again when a Holder delivery reared up to smash his gloves and loop to gully. What followed was a manic 20 minutes in which Pakistan went from 316 for 4 to 329 for 7.Azhar brought up his 13th Test hundred shortly after, with a cut past backward point for four. However, Devendra Bishoo was beginning to find his range, and beat Azhar’s bat from around the wicket on more than one occasion. Eight overs in, he found the outside edge with a sharp legbreak, breaking a 98-run partnership that took over 42 overs.Misbah, though, continued to play in a liberated mood, sweeping well and even bringing out the reverse sweep to neutralise the spinners’ leg-stump line. As a result, the runs began to flow, with 67 runs coming off 15 overs of spin. By then, Pakistan were ticking off milestones: the 300, the 50-partnership between Asad Shafiq and Misbah, and then going past West Indies’ first-innings total.However, it will be the one that got away – by one run yet again – that will likely remain memorable, as Misbah became the first man in Test cricket to have three scores of 99.The mini-collapse that followed Misbah’s dismissal was West Indies’ best spell of the game so far. If they are to fight back once again during this Test, they will have to produce a better one with the bat on the fourth day.

New Zealand have suffered a third major injury blow in three Tests with news that vice-captain Tim Southee has been ruled out of the Hamilton match with a hamstring tear. Although only a grade one tear, Southee will not be risked in an attack that is still waiting on confirmation of whether Trent Boult, who sat out the Wellington Test with an upper leg injury, will be able to lead it. At the other end of the line-up, New Zealand are without their most experienced batsman Ross Taylor, who suffered a calf tear in the first Test and has not been able to participate in the remaining two.Southee’s absence leaves New Zealand with four other seam options: Neil Wagner, Matt Henry, who is yet to play in the series, and allrounders Colin de Grandhomme and Jimmy Neesham. It is likely New Zealand will choose between three of the quartet to feature in an attack that is set to include both specialist spinners.Jeetan Patel and Mitchell Santner are the two slower bowlers in the New Zealand squad and both played in the first Test in Dunedin, at the expense of Southee, on a slow, low surface. The Hamilton one is set to be similar, although it is also expected to take some turn. With New Zealand deciding not to add legspinner Ish Sodhi to their squad, the two tweakers will likely be in the starting XI.This is Southee’s second injury of the summer. In September, he was ruled out of the three-Test series in India after an ankle ligament strain. He went on to play the four home Tests against Pakistan and Bangladesh, against whom he picked up his 200th Test wicket, before sitting out the first Test against South Africa in Dunedin and being brought back for the second. There is no word on whether the injury will affect Southee’s participation in the IPL, which starts on April 5.Since Boult’s Test debut in December 2011, New Zealand have played only three matches without both Boult and Southee, none of which the side could win.South Africa have an injury concern of their own. Quinton de Kock suffered damage to a tendon on his right index finger and could need up to six weeks on the sidelines. A late call will be taken on de Kock’s availability on Friday afternoon.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnother day on tour, another collapse – Sri Lanka sank from 60 for no loss to 163 all out at the Wanderers, mis-hitting short balls, hanging their bats out to give catches behind the wicket, and in general committing the same batting mistakes that will have become familiar to their fans during the past six weeks. Of their diminutive target, South Africa made short work. AB de Villiers produced a clinical 60 not out to bring his team home in 32 overs, seven wickets in hand.The hosts were far from their best in their pink gear, dropping catches and attempting needless runs, but they did not need to be at their best. They have won the series now. The two remaining games are dead rubbers.

De Villiers’ hot streak at the Wanderers

• 100.85 Average of AB De Villiers at the Wanderers . He has three hundreds and three fifties from 10 innings.

• 108 Balls remaining in South Africa’s innings. This is their fifth-quickest win against Sri Lanka. Two of these wins have come at the Wanderers.

• 3 Number of lower scores than 163 for Sri Lanka against South Africa while batting first. Incidentally in 2002 they were dismissed for 128 at the Wanderers.

• 7 Consecutive series wins for South Africa at home since 2013. They have won 20 out of the 25 matches played during this period.

The hosts’ bowlers were disciplined – Imran Tahir miserly and menacing in equal measure, as usual – but there was little in the surface to warrant Sri Lanka’s loss of 10 wickets for 103 runs. A little extra bounce – hardly a surprise at the Wanderers – was responsible for the wickets of Upul Tharanga, Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunaratne and Suranga Lakmal. Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva were caught behind. Sachith Pathirana left a stock legbreak which turned to hit his off stump. Such was the quality of their batting.If it wasn’t for a 65-minute delay due to the arrival of a swarm of bees, Sri Lanka’s innings would have been even shorter. Plenty noted that the bees had spent more time in the middle than most batsmen. Only Dickwella resisted for any notable length of time, his 74 studded with spunky square-of-the-wicket shots – usually timed impeccably. Of his teammates only three others made more than five, and only Tharanga breached 20.It was Dwaine Pretorius, playing in his fourth ODI after replacing Wayne Parnell in the XI, who took the game’s best figures of 3 for 19. He was tight with the new ball, and although not especially quick, was accurate with his variations. Tahir claimed 2 for 21 in 9.2 overs, and Kagiso Rabada got two scalps as well. South Africa’s fielding was not as effective as usual, but in his 100th ODI, Faf du Plessis nevertheless managed to complete his third spectacular one-handed grab of the series, when he sprang horizontally from second slip to intercept an edge from debutant Lahiru Madushanka.Though the scorecard will suggest Sri Lanka squandered a good foundation – the openers having made 60 together – in truth, their start was inauspicious. The first boundary came off a Dickwella top edge, and Tharanga was dropped on 11 soon after – the one-handed grab at second slip too tough for du Plessis, for once.At the end of the first Powerplay, however, Sri Lanka were well-placed at 54 for no loss, both batsmen having found some fluency. Pretorius bowled tightly from the beginning, but Rabada, who would have been seen as the primary wicket-taking threat in the innings, had even been a little expensive in those early overs.But when the openers both sent catches into the air off their top edges in the 12th over, things began to unravel quickly. The first of those chances – off Dickwella on 25 – was spilled by JP Duminy, who had backtracked from backward point. The second was secured by Pretorius, and the rapid fall of wickets had begun.Dwaine Pretorius, replacing Wayne Parnell, took the game’s best figures of 3 for 19•AFP

Andile Phehlukwayo removed Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal in the space of three overs with two unremarkable deliveries. Chandimal, especially, will be unhappy with this dismissal on what has been a poor tour. Seeing a full, wide delivery, he went down on one knee and nailed it in the air straight to the deep cover sweeper.When de Silva fell, and following the delay, Gunaratne also went, Sri Lanka had slid to 125 for 5. Dickwella attacked for a little while, perhaps knowing there was not much batting to come, and fell by his sword when he gloved a Pretorius bouncer to the keeper. The tail barely resisted. It was all done inside 40 overs.Lahiru Kumara bowled with characteristic spirit on ODI debut, and claimed the wicket of Quinton de Kock in the fourth over with a 142kph short ball. But though he continued to threaten through the remainder of his overs, was wayward between the good balls, and conceded more than six an over.Kumara’s opening partner Suranga Lakmal was unlucky, as he has been through the tour, gleaning an edge off Hashim Amla on 12 only for wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal to grass the diving chance. But with so much batting in South Africa’s line-up, perhaps it wouldn’t have made a major difference to the final score. Amla ran himself out for 34 anyway, though by that stage de Villiers had already begun to take the chase by the collar.Early in his innings, de Villiers dominated Lakshan Sandakan, who had dismissed him in the previous ODI, and after about 20 balls at the crease, there was no bowler that de Villiers didn’t seem capable of dictating to. He was especially active on the legside – each of his five boundaries coming there – but that was more a reflection of the lines Sri Lanka bowled to him. He took clutches of singles out to deep cover as well, and generally made a small chase seem even smaller.Sri Lanka may take heart in the bowling of Madushanka, who swung the ball away, albeit at gentle pace, and seemed a player worth a few more games at least. Apart from him and Dickwella’s innings, there was precious little to salvage from this match.

Aditya Tare is a domestic veteran now. Having come through a competitive system, he is now in a position where he can dictate how the team functions. Tare’s elevation to captaincy in 2014-15 came during a crisis: his predecessor Suryakumar Yadav stepped down amid a slew of ordinary results and reports of infighting. Along the way, he has had a senior player in Abhishek Nayar to guide him. In Chandrakant Pandit, Mumbai have a strict disciplinarian as coach.It’s this confluence of an easy-going attitude and the competitive spirit that allows the team to be who they are off the field, and yet remain focused and fiercely competitive on it. It has helped mould Mumbai into their present form, following the departure of stalwarts like Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Wasim Jaffer.This season hasn’t been easy for Mumbai, but the way they have jumped over every hurdle shows their character. Off the field, they are a bunch of jolly blokes who indulge in their share of fun and games. Team-bonding activities, where they watch movies and dine together, are a norm, and more so this season, given they have spent nearly three months on the road, with little time for rest and recovery. In the time spent at home, they’ve been spotted together at gyms, or even at a tattoo studio.On the field, the free-spirited individuals have all been driven in the same direction. It’s almost as if the Mumbai cap comes with a rider that says ‘you have to win the Ranji Trophy’. These were the same words that were famously ingrained into Sachin Tendulkar when he made his debut as a 15-year-old. Prithvi Shaw, who was born a good 12 years later, and, at 17, is the youngest member of this Mumbai team, spoke of this burning desire when he was asked to make a formal speech during a team welcome ahead of the semi-final in Rajkot.”Every Mumbai player who enters the dressing room aims to win the trophy. It doesn’t matter if it’s the most experienced player or the least experienced player,” Tare said on the eve of Mumbai’s quest for their 42nd title. “When Prithvi came into the squad, he mentioned he wants to win the Ranji Trophy in his speech. Anyone who comes in the squad, their aim is to win. That’s the whole point, especially when you play for Bombay [Mumbai].”Wanting to be fierce and competitive is one thing, pulling together in tough situations – especially after having to cope with long periods of travel – is another. It is, of course, a lot easier when players like Nayar are around to bail the team out of tough situations. Nayar was brushed aside early in his career as an “ordinary cricketer” by those who were supposed to welcome him into the set-up. Despite that, at 33, he has been a part of five Ranji Trophy-winning teams, and has exemplified the fighting spirit and their burning desire to rise above obstacles.Nayar took nine wickets in a tense win in the quarter-final against Hyderabad. In the semi-final against Tamil Nadu, he scored a feisty half-century from a position where Mumbai could have conceded a lead, and perhaps even the game. That knock helped them eventually pull off a win that hadn’t seemed likely on the second day, after a first-innings batting slump.Aditya Tare has benefited from the presence senior players like Abhishek Nayar, who have exemplified the team’s desire to rise above obstacles•Fotocorp

Nayar is the mentor, the one who young players turn to for suggestion and advice, the player who the coach and captain trust. Tare’s praise for the former captain comes straight from the heart. “He loves playing cricket, loves playing for Bombay and that’s seen by everyone,” he said. “He plays with his heart on his sleeve. He’s a great senior player to have.”The determination he shows is infectious. He has been a crucial player for us for the past two seasons. He had a barren spell two seasons ago, but he’s come back and won matches single-handedly for Bombay throughout the season. Whenever we were under pressure, he was my go-to man with bat and ball. He did that especially in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.”As happy as he seems to be in a job that comes with plenty of challenges, Tare has also left an imprint as a batsman. He may not have the big hundreds, but his cameos and steely half-centuries have gone a long way in helping Mumbai. In the quarter-final against Hyderabad, he counter-attacked to take the game forward and set up a strong first-innings total. In the second innings, with the ball reversing, he once again took the attack to the opposition and set Hyderabad a target that proved too much.Many of his traits as a captain stem from this confidence of contributing as a batsman. He understands that while it is important to make big runs to be in the national reckoning, it isn’t something he is beating himself to do, because it matters more to him that these contributions come in a Mumbai win.”Every Mumbai player who enters the dressing room aims to win the trophy” – Aditya Tare•John Michel

“It’s the standard that we’ve been brought up in – such tough situations and conditions,” Tare, who has struck five half-centuries and more than 500 runs this season, said. “We may qualify every season, but if we don’t win the Ranji Trophy, it’s an unsuccessful season, whereas for other states, qualification itself is a big thing. That is how the standard is, and that’s how it should be. Every player who comes into the squad knows it.”I don’t rate myself on the number of hundreds I score, but the number of matches I’ve won for Bombay. That holds a special thing in my mind. As a batsman, you’re rated for hundreds. That’s one thing I haven’t done, but I am working on it. It’s important that your contribution help teams win championships. I’m doing all that I can. It’s still a dream to play Test cricket. I’m chasing it, I don’t know for how far but I’m right behind it.”What of winning the big championships then? Is having a happy team, a competitive environment and a great bunch of boys enough to create an aura? Tare didn’t think there’s a choice. It’s a responsibility, according to him, that comes with the Mumbai cap.”When you’re playing for Bombay, you’re used to playing big games against big teams. I think it’s just a tag. It’s just another five-day game we’ve to play to the best of our abilities,” he said. “There’s no cakewalk. You have to face a lot of issues – injuries to players, lack of form sometimes, but it’s been great. The support staff has been great, the selectors have been terrific. Whoever has come in has done superbly. We’ve shown we can handle tough situations. Coming in, we were prepared for every situation.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:54

Crowds are what we play cricket for – Porterfield

Four years ago, Ireland were the dominant force among Associates, beating virtually all comers on their voyages in the desert at back-to-back World T20 Qualifiers. But after falling on hard times in the game’s shortest format, their performance in a semi-final win over Scotland may have been a rebirth. They thrashed Scotland by 98 runs to set up a clash with Afghanistan in the final for the fourth time, and first since Ireland’s undefeated run to the 2013 World T20 Qualifier.In scoring a mammoth 211 for 6, Ireland tied a T20I record score at the ground set by Sri Lanka against Pakistan in 2013. It’s also Ireland’s second-highest T20I score, 14 short of the 225 for 7 they racked up against Afghanistan in the final of the World T20 Qualifier in Abu Dhabi. Paul Stirling and Stuart Poynter fired Ireland at the top, scoring 71 for 0 in the Powerplay, the best first six overs for any team at the tournament, and added 78 for the first wicket before Poynter fell to Con de Lange for 39 off 19 balls.Stirling peppered the rope between point and cover for most of his five boundaries and hit two of his three sixes over square leg before he fell for 60 at the start of the 12th over. Gary Wilson picked up the baton and continued the relay sprint past 200, firing a clinically savage 65 not out off 29 balls.Scotland fought gamely in their own Powerplay as Matthew Cross biffed his way to 35 off 16 balls. Cross lifted Craig Young, Kevin O’Brien and George Dockrell over the rope for six in a frenetic first four overs before he was beaten for pace by Boyd Rankin attempting a pull and was caught at mid-on. Young persisted with a short-ball plan to Coetzer. He was hit over the leg side for a pair of fours and sixes in the fifth over as Coetzer tried to balance the ledger after the wicket of Cross.Legspinner Jacob Mulder entered in the eighth over and hastened Scotland’s demise, producing another impressive spell to finish with 4 for 16. After his first two overs, the required run-rate had jumped to 13 halfway through the chase. Forced to take more risks, Scotland started to slog their way back to the dugout and the innings concluded one ball into the 16th over.What if … Left-arm spinner Mark Watt took the new ball, coming around the stumps. With his first delivery, Watt found Paul Stirling’s outside edge prodding forward to a good-length ball. Cross, one of the best pure glovemen on the global circuit, couldn’t hand on to the chance. Two balls later, Stirling played a scoop over fine leg and Ireland never looked back.Legspinner Jacob Mulder has used the bounce in the Dubai surface to induce plenty of false strokes•Peter Della Penna

Mr RobotAfter Stirling broke down Scotland’s firewall with a blitz at the top of the innings, Man of the Match Wilson continued to hack through their opponent’s operating system.Wilson’s finest sequence came against Josh Davey in the 18th over. He cut the fourth ball past point to the boundary, then lofted straight for six over long-on, who had been fielding wide on the boundary. He moved straighter for the next ball, and Wilson took pleasure in manipulating the field as he flicked Davey’s last ball of the over through wide long-on for another boundary.Jacob’s ladderThe emergence of legspinner Mulder in this tournament has been positively divine for Ireland. Like most bowlers at the tournament, Mulder hasn’t been getting a lot of turn, but in Dubai in particular, he has seized on the extra bounce on offer to produce plenty of top edges and wickets.Calum MacLeod was his first victim in the semi-final, as his slog against the turn ballooned up to Andy McBrine at deep square leg. Coetzer fell targeting mid-off but sent a catch swirling to Porterfield at cover. He put himself on a hat-trick next ball when he got Safyaan Sharif to slog to deep midwicket, then clipped Craig Wallace’s top edge in the 14th over as an attempted cut fluttered to short third man.Heading into the final, Mulder is the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 10, one more than Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan. The final is all set to be a tantalising legspin duel.

Eoin Morgan has said he remains “comfortable” with his decision not to take part in England’s tour of Bangladesh due to his concerns over the security situation.Morgan and Alex Hales made themselves unavailable for the tour following the terror attacks in the country earlier this year despite the unprecedented levels of security the team were granted for the visit.Andrew Strauss, the managing director of England cricket, who gave the players the right to choose, said an individual’s decision would not be held against them in future selection. Morgan, who is currently in Australia for a spell at the Big Bash for Sydney Thunder, has been recalled to captain the limited-overs squads in India next month. Hales has also been included with Ben Duckett, who made two half-centuries in the one-day series win over Bangladesh, losing his place.”I wasn’t comfortable travelling because of security concerns and I weighed up the question ‘would I be able to perform as a captain and as a player given the security concerns in Bangladesh?'” Morgan said. “I’m still comfortable with it. It is something I considered before confirming my decision to the ECB. I tried to imagine all the different circumstances and didn’t feel comfortable enough in my mind to go and be able to perform.”I have had a great deal of support, everyone who I trust in a tight-knit circle has supported me, everyone within the game that I trust has supported me, players ex and current who I lean on for big decisions. It’s been really good, it was a difficult decision to make and I don’t think a lot of people would have made it but I am certainly happy with the decision that I have made.”Shortly before Morgan confirmed his decision not to tour he cited being involved in previous security scares in both Bangladesh, when he played domestic cricket 2013-14, and India, during the 2010 IPL, as a factor that was weighing heavily on his mind. He has since returned to India on both international and IPL duty but explained that his concerns over Bangladesh also stemmed from the fact that England were the first western team to tour there since the attacks in Dhaka on July 1.”I think one thing that had changed from 2010 in India was that other teams had travelled there and security had increased, also since then there had been no terrorist attacks or sightings or threats in regard to either a tournament or a national team,” he said. “I think going to Bangladesh and being the first western team to travel there since the terrorist attack and the fact that Australia had pulled out even before the terrorist attack happened, was another reason.”England’s three-match one-day series begins in Pune on January 15 and is followed by a three-match T20 series. The first half of 2017 is entirely one-day focused for England with a short tour to West Indies followed by series against Ireland and South Africa in May ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDhananjaya de Silva’s 143-run stand with Upul Tharanga helped Sri Lanka fight back from 112 for 4•Getty Images

It took Upul Tharanga multiple stints and close to 11 years after his first Test century to bring up his second. A week on, he looked set to add to that tally. He had progressed serenely to 79 during the course of a 143-run fifth-wicket stand with Dhananjaya De Silva and revived Sri Lanka after a top order wobble, before fading light brought about a slightly more circumspect approach that may have contributed to his dismissal. At the other end, Dhananjaya calmly waded through the 90s to bring up his second Test century as Sri Lanka nudged ahead on a see-saw opening day, ending it 290 for 5.Things could have been much better for Zimbabwe had they fielded and caught better. In the penultimate over of the day, Brian Chari’s underarm flick at the bowler’s end missed the stumps and reprieved Asela Gunaratne, who was on 10. Before that came a costlier miss, Peter Moor fluffing a chance down the leg side off Graeme Cremer to let Dhananjaya off on 64. That was the only uncertain moment in Dhananjaya’s innings, which showcased his ability to tailor his tactics to Sri Lanka’s situation.Happy to hit through the line against the seamers, he eliminated drives against Cremer’s legspin as the day wore on. That wasn’t to say he was completely guarded, for the bad balls were punished, at times with a touch of disdain.If Tharanga was an accumulator, Dhananjaya was the artist during the course of Sri Lanka’s highest fifth-wicket stand against Zimbabwe – they surpassed the previous best of 114 between Asanka Gurusinha and Hashan Tillakaratne at Sinhalese Sports Club (Colombo) in 1996. The pair batted through 50.3 overs on a surface that offered plenty of lateral movement.As the day progressed, there was even a hint of turn and inconsistent bounce, which further underlined the importance of the partnership. Dhananjaya, who walked in to bat with Sri Lanka 112 for 4, hit 11 fours and was batting on 100 at stumps.Zimbabwe, who were on the wrong side of several decisions in the first Test, were beneficiaries of the Decision Review System that was introduced for the first time in the country. Tharanga, initially given not out by umpire Simon Fry, had to walk back when replays suggested he had nicked the ball while driving away from his body at Cremer, before the ball bounced to slip off the wicketkeeper’s pads.Zimbabwe’s relief was palpable, and continued to attack with the seamers, taking the second new ball as soon as it became available, but Dhananjaya and Gunaratne saw out the rest of the day’s play.Choosing to bowl first, Zimbabwe were dealt an early blow when Carl Mumba, one of their three frontline seamers, left the field with knee trouble after bowling his first over. His absence, coupled with the waywardness of Christopher Mpofu, helped Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva to rattle off 60 in the first hour.Hamilton Masakadza led Zimbabwe’s revival with his part-time seam after being summoned up to give Mpofu and Donald Tiripano a breather. It took him just 10 balls to break the 62-run opening stand, Dimuth Karunarate gliding an away-going delivery into the hands of Sean Williams at gully. In Masakadza’s next over, Kusal Perera swiped a full-length delivery to Mumba at long-on.The pressure Zimbabwe maintained thereon played a part in their next breakthrough, Mpofu trapping Kaushal Silva lbw with an in-dipper in the penultimate over before lunch. It was a dramatic dismissal. Given out by umpire Fry, Kaushal was denied a review by his own indecision – he took more than the prescribed 15 seconds before asking for it. Replays suggested Zimbabwe were lucky, with ball-tracking showing the angle taking the ball past leg stump.Two overs after lunch, Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis and were a precarious 112 for 4. Tharanga, who walked in at No 5, laced the first two balls he faced to the cover boundary and glanced his fourth ball for another four. Having gotten off to that turbocharged start, he progressed steadily. Early in his innings, Dhananjaya marked his arrival, splitting midwicket and mid-on with a whiplash flick off Mpofu. That was just one of several moments of class in his effort to lead Sri Lanka’s revival.

Sunday was the third time New Zealand were denied parity by India’s lower order, which has been crucial in a low-scoring series. In the first innings in Kanpur, India’s sixth wicket added 52 and the last 41. In response New Zealand lost their last five wickets for seven runs. In Kolkata, Wriddhiman Saha led the lower-order fightback, taking India from 200 for 6 to 316. In the second innings, India have exceeded those last two comebacks by converting 106 for 6 into 227 for 8. New Zealand’s leading bowler, Trent Boult, though, feels they are not doing much wrong against the lower order.”Not necessarily,” Boult said when asked if they could have done much differently to prevent another frustrating resistance from India’s lower order. “We are trying to apply the pressure for as long as we can and not let off at all throughout the whole innings. But we know and realise they are going to put partnerships together, and we just can’t afford to get frustrated by that. It is still a challenge as a bowling unit to not drift and release that pressure, but it is something we are trying to get much better at.”Some of it could be put down to the exhaustion in the heat. “I have to put these down as some of the tougher conditions I’ve ever played in in my career,” Boult said. “I’m not too sure what it looks like on TV, but it is pretty taxing. Obviously the dryness in the wicket and in the air is pretty tough. The last session is probably the easiest session in terms of heat. [But] You are just sapped by the time that comes around.”The guys did extremely well to put the balls in the areas we did and apply that pressure. It was spoken in the huddle that we weren’t just going to let them drift away with the game with a figure in mind. We wanted to put pressure on them and make them earn every run. I think we did very well.”Thanks to Jeetan Patel and BJ Watling’s batting at the start of the day and the six early wickets, New Zealand fought their way back, but perhaps it was that deficit that meant India weren’t under the pressure New Zealand would have wanted to put them under. It was mostly on day two that they let the game slip with India’s lower-order runs and their own collapses with rain and bad light around.”It’s very disappointing but that is done now and we can’t do anything about it,” Boult said of the second day. “They had some good conditions there last night to put us under pretty big pressure with the ball. Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took five wickets] bowled very well, and that has played a big part in the game. But we are not just going to roll over, we’ve fought very nicely to get ourselves back in the position we are in now.”Boult said New Zealand would need every bit of skill with the bat to fight back again in this Test. “We have the guys with the ability to bat long periods of time,” Boult said. “In terms of the wicket there is a little bit of variation in bounce and that is obviously going to be in the back of a few of our minds. We have to take it small steps at a time. If we can tick off our goals of trying to bat for half a session, then a session and just keep them out there and try to build like that. Anything that is set is definitely achievable.”They could learn from Jeetan Patel’s innings in the morning, Boult said. “He did very well. It’s his first in a wee while and to come back and play an innings like that was good to watch. The rest of us can take a leaf out of his book and try to apply yourself like he did because they were valuable runs.”