All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDilani Manodara struck a career-best 84 off 111 balls•Getty/ICC

Pakistan flirted with their first victory in 14 World Cup matches several times over the course of the action in Leicester. They had Sri Lanka at 98 for 5 in the 27th over but somehow let them scramble to 221. Then, in the chase, they were 134 for 4 with a well-set Nain Abidi finding the boundaries at will. But she would be run out – the result of a mix up with her captain Sana Mir – as self-inflicted wounds eventually led to a defeat most agonising. They needed 16 runs in 21 balls when their last wicket fell.

Will come back stronger – Mir

After finishing a second successive World Cup campaign without a victory, Pakistan captain Sana Mir highlighted weaknesses in their batting line-up as a major area that needed improvement.
“Our batters have been under pressure throughout the tournament but they put up a fight today,” she said. “Mostly we are not able to finish matches when we get on top as we give away wickets at crucial times and that happened again today.
“We are very disappointed. But in life, these things happen but you have to bounce back. We will learn from the tournament and the younger players will come back stronger.”

Watching the chaos unfold from behind the wicket was Dilani Manodara. Thirty-four years old, and perhaps playing her last World Cup game, she couldn’t have hoped for more as she first resurrected Sri Lanka’s innings with a career-best 84 off 111 balls and then savoured a hard-fought victory – the only one her team will take home. Could she have imagined that when she had been at the crease, trying determinedly to glue Sri Lanka together? She might have despaired as her top four couldn’t move past a score of 27, but in Eshani Lokusuriyage, she found someone willing to stick around. The two batsmen put on a pivotal 76 runs in 16.2 overs and the momentum shifted.The other major contributor was left-arm spinner Chandima Gunaratne, who, also, at 35, might wonder if she can stay on the radar until 2021. Perhaps that had only spurred her on to grab her chance. She was given the new ball and it worked for her so well that her first spell lasted eight overs and fetched two wickets – Nahida Khan, bowled by the quicker ball, and Ayesha Zafar, caught off the slower one. Sri Lanka saved the last of her overs for the death, and that too proved a master stroke – she was brought back in the 34th and with her first ball she pinned Mir lbw and eventually finished with 4 for 41.Abidi, by this time, was left to stew in the dressing room. Having come in at 43 for 2 in the 14th over, she did her best to upset the strangle Sri Lanka were so desperate to pull off. She was adept at finding gaps through point, third man and fine leg and her her free-flowing innings – 57 off only 68 balls with nine fours – seemed to suggest Pakistan might not have to walk away from another World Cup winless; they had lost all of their four matches in 2013.But it was not to be. She was run out with the target 88 runs away. Asmavia Iqbal took up her place and fought bravely, guiding a brittle tail so very close to the finish line. But she ended up at the non-strikers end, with 38 off 45 balls, when Sri Lanka captain Inoka Ranaweera bowled No. 11 Sadia Yousuf to cap a special spell. Forty-six of her 58 deliveries were dots and then she took the match-sealing wicket.It was Sri Lanka’s first win in seven World-Cup matches, secured under the watchful eyes of Kathy Cross and Sue Redfern, the first set of female on-field umpires to officiate an international game since at least 2000.

ScorecardThe warnings were there for Somerset in their first match of the season, slightly less than three months ago, when they began their Division One campaign with an eight-wicket home defeat to Essex, new to the rigours of First Division life. Their situation became graver by the week as they remained stuck at the foot of Division One and their young captain, Tom Abell, stood down from the side because of a loss of form.Finally, at Scarborough, at the eighth time of asking, and with a new captain at the helm, Somerset’s cricketers ended their torment in 2017 with a 179-run victory over the once highly-fancied Yorkshire at Scarborough.”It’s been a tough year, and there’s been some tough words,” said Gregory as Somerset prepared for a long trek home in happy frame of mind. “It’s brilliant to get that first win on the board, and to put in a performance like that is very special. I think I’ll call it quits there and just go with the 100 per cent record as captain.”Somerset remained stoically winless until Liam Plunkett attempted to hit Jack Leach for a fourth six but only nicked the ball to Jim Allenby at slip. Cue delight in Stogumber. Cue street parties in Lydeard St. Lawrence.In truth, though, the cricket had descended into late-innings carnival by the time that last wicket fell. Yorkshire’s attempt to score 337 in 90 overs had long been a laughably optimistic enterprise and the chief giggler was a 6ft 5ins seamer from North Devon whose pace and hostility were appreciated by everyone at North Marine Road, not only the band of hardy supporters with wyverns on their chests.This was Craig Overton’s day and it was Craig Overton’s match. The giant all-rounder took 4 for 47 on this final day at Scarborough and finished the match with career-best figures of 9 for 134. Making good use of a pitch which offered him bounce and carry, Overton discomfited all the batsmen in this game and dismissed every member of Yorkshire’s top order at least once.On the day when Somerset at last took closer order on the counties above them, the all-rounder’s cricket displayed the brio that may sustain his county in dark times. No doubt the absent captain, Abell, who has played a couple of second team T20 games this week, was quick to text the players with his congratulations. Abell is that sort of bloke.As for Yorkshire, the bitter truth is that supporters at North Marine Road were more surprised by the rapidity of their side’s collapse than the fact of it. A once formidable batting order which used to cope serenely with England calls now seems riven with an unlucky bag of fallibilities. These weaknesses have been largely responsible for their team losing two of their last three Division One games and trailing leaders Essex by 38 points having played a game more.Harry Brook, who now has three championship appearances on his CV, looked the most secure of the top order and his appearances may be restricted by the broken hand he sustained in the nets on the final morning of this game. Seeking to explain this defeat by referring to the injuries which befell Plunkett and Ryan Sidebottom avoids the central problem which has suddenly befallen Yorkshire cricket. “It won’t do” said someone at North Marine Road before explaining himself in some detail.”We’ve spoken at length about our batting for a long time now but it’s got past the point of talking about it,” said the Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale. “It’s about doing it now and we need to back things up on the field. We didn’t work hard enough and we now want players to respond to what’s happened. Whether that’s by going into the second team and making big runs or by making runs in the T20, you just want to see a response. We’ve been here many a time before with Yorkshire cricket and we can turn this on its head.”Yorkshire’s woes began with the fifth ball of their innings when Alex Lees drove carelessly outside a Lewis Gregory inswinger and heard the ash dancing behind him. But it was not until the fourth over that West Country hope trespassed into the land of belief and it was Overton who led that cautious advance.The delivery which dismissed Brook would have moved the bowels of a Test cricketer, let alone a batsman whose memories of Peppa Pig are still fresh. Short, quick and deeply nasty, it reared up at the 18-year-old and brushed his glove. Steve Davies completed a difficult one-handed catch with deceptive aplomb. Rather less allowance can be made for Peter Handscomb, who pushed forward a trifle at his first ball but was hit on his front pad. Some thought the ball but might have been going over the top but Tim Robinson sent the batsman on his way. Yorkshire were 12 for 3 and the North Devonian did his best to disappear into the arms of his colleagues, a task that proved well beyond him.Four overs later Tom Kohler-Cadmore hooked Overton into the pavilion, where a spectator received a glancing blow but proved himself the sort of chap with whom one would go flying by brushing away all solicitous enquiries. Next ball Kohler-Cadmore failed to cover Overton’s steep bounce and edged the ball to slip where Tim Rouse held on. .For ten overs Adam Lyth and Tim Bresnan scored freely against attacking fields before Lyth, having flattered his supporters briefly, deceived them grievously when he drove at Overton and inside-edged the ball into his wicket. That left Yorkshire on 67 for 5 and all but doomed. The folded arms and the grim expressions said as much.An hour after lunch the players were shaking hands. Jack Leach, who had not been required to bowl in the first innings, took four of the wickets, bowling Tim Bresnan with a ball that pitched on leg but hit off and having Rashid caught at slip. Another tasty bouncer from Overton left Andy Hodd with little option but to scoop the ball to Eddie Byrom at square leg.”I’d like to bowl on that sort of wicket every day,” said Overton. “It was ideal for me and I don’t think I’ve bowled better than I did at the start of the second innings. I’m not sure Harry could have done too much about the ball that got him this morning. It’s one of those you just try and avoid and it can be a tough one to take.”As Overton spoke he was interrupted by Somerset supporters offering their congratulations. This victory is not enough to take their side out of the bottom two places in the table but it offers them hope, enough at any rate to speed them home in good heart this summer evening.

Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club kept themselves in contention for the 2017 Dhaka Premier League title with a 97-run win over Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Doleshwar moved to 22 points to draw level with Abahani Limited, while Gazi Group Cricketers occupy the top spot with 24 points. If Gazi Group beat Doleshwar on June 5, the last day of the Super League, they are assured of becoming champions, even if Abahani win against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.But if Gazi lose to Doleshwar, and Abahani beat Dhanmondi Club, then Gazi, Doleshwar and Abahani will be level on 24 points, making for a three-way tie. In that case, Gazi Group’s three wins in matches against Abahani and Doleshwar will see them to the title.If, however, Abahani and Gazi both lose, Gazi and Doleshwar will be on 24 points each. And with both teams having beaten each other once, it will come down to net run rate to determine the champions. Given how close they are currently in that regard – Gazi have a net run rate of 0.687 and Doleshwar of 0.532 – it is more than likely that Doleshwar will win the title.During the match on Saturday, Doleshwar lost wicketkeeper and opener Jaker Ali after being inserted. Shahriar Nafees, who top-scored with 70, and Imtiaz Hossain (48) then stitched together 79 runs for the second wicket. Nafees added a further 51 with Marshall Ayub, the only other half-centurion of the match, before being caught off Bipul Sharma’s left-arm spin.Marshall’s 50 came off 60 balls. Following his dismissal in the 45th over, contributions from Rajat Bhatia (37 off 32) and Farhad Reza (20 0ff 12) shored up Doleshwar to 264 for 6.Mohammedan were reduced to 24 for 2 in the fifth over, before Shamsur Rahman and Bipul added 69 for the third wicket. The dismissal of Bipul, who top-scored with 48, triggered a slide as Mohammedan went from 93 for 2 to 103 for 6. They never quite recovered thereafter, and were bowled out for 167 in 34.5 overs despite a late 31 from Sajedul Islam.Offspinner Sharifullah took 3 for 32 in seven overs, while Reza, Delwar Hossain and Rahatul Ferdous took two wickets each.

Warwickshire have hailed the decision to host a day-night Test a “great success” after better than anticipated ticket sales.The club have already sold more than 45,000 tickets for the first three days of the Test (against West Indies) and expect that number to exceed 60,000 before the match starts on August 17. Sales for day two and three – Friday and Saturday – are particularly strong.Day-night Tests have been played with success in Australia and the UAE but, given the unpredictable climate in the UK, there is some trepidation about how the first day-night Test in England will go. There were also fears that a relatively modest West Indies Test team might not represent the attractive proposition it once did.From a ticketing perspective, though, the idea has clearly been well-received. Warwickshire are especially delighted with the fact that more than 40 percent of the sales have been made to people who have never previously bought Test tickets which suggests either the timing – with the game stretching into the evening – or the spectacle is helping the game appeal to a new market.While it is hard to provide more than a rough estimate, the club believe that, had the game been scheduled as a normal day encounter, they might well not have reached 30,000 sales by this point.”This is a Test that could have proved a pretty tough sell,” Warwickshire’s chief executive, Neil Snowball, told ESPNcricinfo. “But we’ve seen there are clear benefits from the novelty value and we’re looking forward to a great event.”The match – the first day-night Test in which England have played – will be preceded by a round of day-night Championship matches at the end of June in which all of England’s Test players are scheduled to be made available. That means that James Anderson, who is likely to take the new, pink ball in the Test against West Indies, will have the chance to bowl with it when Warwickshire host his Lancashire team at Edgbaston in a game starting on June 26.England will also play a day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide in November.

Royal Challengers Bangalore might have to start IPL 2017 without their captain Virat Kohli, as he battles against time to recover from the shoulder injury he picked up during the Australia Tests. The IPL starts on April 5, with Royal Challengers playing defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener.”It’s still a few weeks to go before I can be 100% on the field,” Kohli said at the end of the Dharamsala Test, when asked about his fitness. “But these things happen in your career. Got to take it in my strike and move forward.”Kohli had hurt his right shoulder during the third Test in Ranchi, when he dived in an attempt to stop a boundary. He sat out the final Test as a result.Royal Challengers were yet to offer an official comment on Kohli’s availability. Kohli has missed only one game for the franchise so far, in the inaugural season in 2008. In 2016, he scored 973 runs for RCB and could have become the first player to score 1000 runs in an IPL season.

Match Facts

March 4, 2017
Start time 1400 local (0100GMT)1:38

McGlashan: de Villiers could decide fate of series

The Big Picture

Neither side has wanted to grasp hold of this series. There has been some impressive cricket from both, headlined by Martin Guptill in Hamilton and AB de Villiers throughout, but also vulnerabilities exposed – perhaps more than expected in the case of South Africa who arrived as the No. 1 side. It has made for compelling viewing.New Zealand have made it their thing this season to dethrone the top one-day side. Firstly they did it to Australia and now they have done it to South Africa (at least briefly). Whatever the outcome at Eden Park it is unlikely to change each sides’ thinking too much in terms of the Champions Trophy, but South Africa have a few unwanted concerns over the middle order while New Zealand remain in a muddle over the wicketkeeping position which has a knock-on impact to the middle order.Talk of momentum heading into the decider would appear pointless given how New Zealand responded to being bowled out for 112 in Wellington. South Africa need to find a similar reply after being Guptill-ed. If they don’t, de Villiers will leave Eden Park with that sinking feeling again.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WLWLW
South Africa LWLWW

In the spotlight

Tim Southee has had an interesting series. He has bowled some superb deliveries, and his four-over spell of cutters in Hamilton helped throttle the South Africa middle order, but overall he has gone for 6.59. Although it needs to be qualified that he bowled to de Villiers at the death and, crucially, got his yorkers in to seal the Christchurch victory. He returns to the ground where he (just about) held his nerve against Marcus Stoinis’ onslaught earlier this season.AB de Villiers has barely put a foot wrong with the bat – although some help from his middle order would not go amiss – but he now needs to steel himself and his team for a crunch encounter. Was it fate that there would be a deciding match at Eden Park? Before the T20I, he had noticed now much semi-final was replayed on TV. This is another excuse for the sports channels in New Zealand to re-run the match again.

Team news

New Zealand have added Matt Henry to the squad on duty in Hamilton. It is unlikely they will play two frontline spinners at this ground although Jeetan Patel’s offspin added a new dimension to the attack. Henry bowled well in the recent Plunket Shield match, even if it wasn’t enough to keep him in the Test squad, while Lockie Ferguson was expensive in the Wellington ODI.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 James Neesham, 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson/Matt Henry, 11 Trent BoultAndile Phehlukwayo sat out the previous match with a tight groin – his changes of pace were missed – but is fit and could rotate with one of the other allrounders. South Africa would have liked a chance to rest Kagiso Rabada, but with the series on the line may find it difficult. After backing from de Villiers, it appears unlikely JP Duminy or David Miller will be replaced by Farhaan Behardien.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

This could be the truest wicket of a series where the pitches have provided unexpected assistance, especially for the spinners. De Villiers said that Imran Tahir, who took 5 for 24 in the T20I here, would enjoy the extra pace in the wicket. There is the chance of late showers. Rain in an Eden Park match between these two. Where have we seen that before?

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won just two of their nine one-day series against South Africa: 2004 at home and 2013 away.
• In 73 ODIs at Eden Park, New Zealand’s record is level-pegging: 34 wins and 34 losses (with two ties and three no results)
• AB de Villiers averages 203 against New Zealand on their home soil. He has only been dismissed three times in 11 innings. The most runs by a visiting batsman to New Zealand in a series of up to five matches is Rahul Dravid’s 309 in 1998-99 – De Villiers is on 239.

Quotes

“Really looking forward to it, it’s a nice challenge for us as team. Don’t think this series has seen the best cricket we capable of, so tomorrow is a little opportunity to play in big pressure game.”
“I don’t think either side has played the perfect game. There have been patches of brilliance but not a complete performance.”

While AB de Villiers admitted South Africa enjoyed getting their own back at Eden Park, he stressed there was more to the series win than just erasing bad memories. Victory in the decider has put the Champions Trophy firmly in South Africa’s sights as they proved to themselves they can perform under pressure.”There’s a bit of emotion in us winning the series, especially chasing under pressure. We’ll enjoy the victory. It doesn’t make it right after we lost the semi-final. That will never change,” de Villiers said. “But as we sit here now, we’ve just won a game against New Zealand in a final at Eden Park so it’s a great feeling. We’ve come a long way since that semi-final.”South Africa have won seven of their nine series since the 2015 World Cup, including a one-off match against Ireland and a 5-0 whitewash over each of Australia and Sri Lanka this summer, and have hit a run of form that gives de Villiers hope that an ICC trophy is not far away.”I felt ready [for the Champions Trophy] before this tour but this was a really good test for us. I truly believe we are ready,” he said. “It will be silly for me to say yes we are going to win it even though I believe that in my heart, but no one is going to make silly statements like that. We are going there to win and I think we are ready, so if all things go well I think we will be there at the end of the tournament.”

No regrets over Test hiatus for de Villiers

South Africa’s ODI series win in New Zealand was not enough to change AB de Villiers’ mind about his decision to take a break from Test cricket until at least December this year. De Villiers has opted out of South Africa’s upcoming three Tests in New Zealand, the four-Test series in England and a two-match series at home against Bangladesh in September-October, as he focuses on workload management in order to stay fit until the 2019 World Cup.
“I can’t wait to get home. I am really looking forward to get to my family,” he said. “A three-week tour works really well. A couple of weeks at home before more cricket starts again is coming at a great time for me. I will really miss the boys and I will watch the cricket, but it’s a great time for me to get back and rest the mind.”

De Villiers is particularly pleased with South Africa’s consistency with the ball – they have bowled their opposition out in 10 of their last 16 ODIs – and confidence with the bat, which he thought shone through on Saturday. Although South Africa were only chasing 150, the surface offered the bowlers a bit and things could have gone very wrong very quickly. South Africa were 48 for 3 and then 88 for 4, when de Villiers was dismissed, and they needed calm heads to get home.Faf du Plessis’ second half-century of the series and David Miller’s 35-ball 45 got them there and showed de Villiers improvement in the way his team approaches chases. “Tonight was a great way to show everyone we can handle pressure, that we can cross the line in tight games with tricky totals and a really good bowling opposition who squeeze you very hard,” he said. “All our batters showed a lot of positivity, which was great. In the past we fell into traps of being conservative and being stuck in a bubble when the pressure is on. We hit ourselves out of that with great body language and good skill throughout the innings. It’s a great step in the right direction.”His pace spearhead, Kagiso Rabada agrees.The 21 year old used exactly the same words to describe South Africa’s position at the moment and also thinks they are ripe for major-tournament success, but Rabada’s assessment came with a warning: the Champions Trophy is still three months away. “We are going in the right direction. If the Champions Trophy was tomorrow will be ready but, when we get to England, we will be apart from each other for quite a while,” he said. “We will get back together when it’s closer to the time and recuperate and then we need to get going from where we left off. That’s going to be important.”That South Africa’s major preparations for the Champions Trophy are complete long before the event could be considered super-efficient. It could also become a case of peaking too early, so their biggest challenge will be sustaining the momentum they have gathered so far.What might assist them in that cause is the differing nature of their most recent series wins. South Africa have swung from complete domination over Sri Lanka to a seesaw contest against New Zealand, in which the advantage changed hands after every game. Rabada saw the value in both experiences and chances are the rest of the team did too.”It was nice to beat Sri Lanka 5-0. It shows a clinical performance and attention to detail and then this one was really nitty gritty. Both of them have their pros and both have their own feelings,” he said. “Beating a team 5-0 shows you are going into every game not being complacent, paying attention to the small things and professionalism. In a tight series, there’s more pressure and we handled the pressure really well. Competition keeps you on your toes, so I enjoy both.”

Match facts

Sunday, October 30, Sharjah
Start time 10am local (0600 GMT)

Big picture

Pakistan have already won the series, after taking a 2-0 lead with their victory in Abu Dhabi, but the final Test in Sharjah presents them with an opportunity to set some benchmarks. In their sights is a sixth series whitewash, and a chance to complete a clean sweep of West Indies: 3-0 in the Tests, to go with 3-0 in the ODIs and 3-0 in the T20 internationals. Misbah-ul-Haq is also set to lead Pakistan for the 49th time in Tests, and pass Imran Khan as the country’s most-capped captain. Little did anyone think he would come this far – Misbah is 42 years old now – when he was appointed captain in 2010, and success in Sharjah would be an occasion for more celebratory push-ups.West Indies were not easily beaten in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They pushed each Test into the fifth day and made Pakistan bowl more than 100 overs in the fourth innings before the game was up. There were heartening performances from Darren Bravo, Devendra Bishoo, Shannon Gabriel and Jermaine Blackwood, but West Indies’ wait for victory continues despite having arrived in the UAE about 40 days ago.Jason Holder’s young team will hope they can end a couple of longer waits too. West Indies have not won a Test since May 2015, and the last time they won one outside the Caribbean and Bangladesh was in December 2007, against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. The Sharjah fixture is West Indies’ last chance to perform creditably in Test cricket for a while; their next series is only in March 2017, when they host Pakistan.

Form guide

Pakistan WWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLDLD

In the spotlight

After taking ten wickets in Dubai, West Indies legspinner Devendra Bishoo managed only one in Abu Dhabi despite bowling 46 overs in the second Test. Misbah had said those conditions were extremely tough for wicket-taking, but Sharjah offers a bit more turn and Bishoo will want to ensure that eight-for isn’t his only fond memory of the series.Bowling coach Roddy Estwick urged people to have patience in Jason Holder’s young side•AFP

Sarfraz Ahmed‘s 56 in Abu Dhabi was his first half-century in 15 innings, and his consistency with the bat has been a talking point lately. Sharjah was the venue where Sarfraz kick-started his Test career with 48 off 46 balls in an astonishing chase of 302 against Sri Lanka in 2014, and he will hope to rediscover strong batting form over the next five days.

Team news

Misbah hinted at changes in Pakistan’s XI and it is understood that left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar may make way for an extra fast bowler. Sohail Khan may also miss the game to give a younger quick a chance.Pakistan (probable) 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah ul Haq (capt), 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Imran Khan, 11 Sohail KhanWest Indies wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich was declared fit and is likely to return to the XI. Fast bowler Miguel Cummins, who took only one wicket in the first two Tests, is likely to make way for Alzarri Joseph.West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Leon Johnson, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

Sharjah is much hotter than Abu Dhabi and Dubai were and temperatures are forecast to hit 33-34C. The pitch appears flat and is likely to offer assistance to the spinners only towards the end of the Test.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have played four Tests in Sharjah since 2010. They drew one and won one against Sri Lanka, lost to New Zealand, and beat England.
• None of the present Pakistan batsmen average over 45 in Sharjah. Misbah’s 43 is the best of the lot. Younis Khan averages 34 and Azhar Ali 31 here.
• Yasir Shah’s 11 wickets at this venue have come at 30 apiece.

Quotes

“Every Test win has value in term of ranking, confidence level, so it’s important for us to try to win this game as well.”
“People forget this is a very, very young side. When you look at the number of players under 25, it is unbelievable that a side in Test cricket could be so young. But it’s a good thing and once the people of the Caribbean and the selectors remain patient, I think we’ve got the making of a pretty decent side in 12 to 18 months.”

ScorecardHarry Gurney was in the wickets for Nottinghamshire•Getty Images

Keaton Jennings hit the last two balls of the match from Harry Gurney for six and four to bring Durham a two-wicket victory under the Duckworth / Lewis method.Durham had to chase a revised target of 252 from 37 overs and Gurney had all but secured Nottinghamshire’s win by dismissing Michael Richardson with the fourth ball of the last over when nine runs were still needed.Michael Lumb’s third successive Royal London Cup hundred proved in vain as Nottinghamshire’s blazing start to the competition was halted at Chester-le-Street.It spoilt the excellent effort of Gurney, who had five for 42 until a full toss was launched over mid-wicket by the left-handed Jennings, who then drove the final ball between mid-off and extra cover.Richardson almost took Durham to the line with a List A best of 65 off 56 balls, while Paul Collingwood’s 69 off 65 was also crucial.In a match interrupted five times by drizzle, Nottinghamshire may have had cause to regret choosing to bat as they totalled 274 for 5 in 42 overs.Lumb made 105 to take his aggregate to 422 at an average of 140.66, but with hindsight the visitors would have felt they did not go quickly enough in reaching 124 for 1 after 25 overs.The innings reached a crescendo with 48 off the last four as Samit Patel made 40 off 25 balls and Dan Christian thrashed 57 off 43 before he was run out off the last ball of the innings.Durham raced to 32 without loss after four before being halted by the only break in their innings.Gurney knocked out Mark Stoneman’s middle stump with the third ball on the resumption and quickly struck twice more.Collingwood joined Phil Mustard on 54 for 3 and dominated a stand of 74 before the wicketkeeper was lbw for 45, trying to sweep Patel.Collingwood swept to a 40-ball half-century by cutting Jake Ball for his sixth four and when Richardson pulled a Patel long hop for six Durham needed 105 off 15.They had the target down to 62 off eight when Collingwood was superbly caught by Brendan Taylor at long-off for 69 off Patel.But Richardson kept going until three balls from the end, when he holed at deep mid-wicket off Gurney. It looked all over, but Jennings had other ideas.

Match Facts

July 5, 2016
Start time 6.30pm (1730GMT)Tymal Mills steams in during a net session•Getty Images

Big Picture

England return to the format that provided heartbreak earlier this year when Carlos Brathwaite grabbed the World T20 from under their noses. But the game moves on and judging by the way they played in the one-day series against Sri Lanka, their belief with the white-ball remains undimmed.A one-off T20 at the end of a tour feels a lonely fixture but there is added spice to this game with England on the verge of unleashing Tymal Mills, the Sussex left-arm quick, who is purely a T20 player these days due to a congenital back condition and is making a fine stab and forging a career from it.If Sri Lanka thought they were peppered in the Test and ODIs from England’s quicks – especially Liam Plunkett in the one-dayers – then they had better make sure chest pads, arm guards, and other assorted protective equipment is securely in place at the Ageas Bowl.This is their last chance to take something from a dispiriting tour. Angelo Mathews has looked a more forlorn captain the longer the trip has gone – exasperated by repeated failings in his team – but insists he has the stomach to continue leading them. Whether that decision is taken out of his hands on return home remains to be seen.The format has not provided much solace for Sri Lanka amid their struggles. England knocked them out of the World T20 and they have won just three of 13 T20s they have played in 2016 – and only one of those against a Full Member. They may as well go out swinging and see if it provides a change in fortune.

Form guide

England LWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLLWL

In the spotlight

He left England’s best batsmen hopping around the Centurion Park nets. He has roughed up Chris Gayle. And just when the batsmen are camped on the back foot, he has confounded them with a slower ball. You dare not take your eyes off Tymal Mills when he is bowling. He admits it won’t always go well – as a career economy rate of 8.10 attests to – but this season he has produced four-over spells of 3 for 15 and 1 for 15 off four oversKusal Perera will likely be in the firing line early against Mills. He hasn’t quite managed to translate the promising form he showed in the Lord’s Test, and then with a century against Ireland in Malahide, but that is not surprising given his enforced absence of six months after the erroneous drugs suspension.

Team news

Trevor Bayliss wants Mills in the final XI and though he is not the sole voice in selection it would seem perverse to name Mills in the squad and not give him a game. Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder who was in the World T20 squad, has been confirmed to make his debut while Dawid Malan, the Middlesex left-hander, could make it three new caps. Alex Hales, Joe Root and Moeen Ali have all been rested.England (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 James Vince, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Liam Dawson, 7 Adil Rashid, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 David Willey, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Tymal MillsDhananjaya de Silva could replace Upul Tharanga who is not part of the T20 squad.Chaminda Bandara was given his ODI debut in Cardiff and though he went for 83 there isn’t much to lose playing him in the T20 where left-armers have proved particularly effective. Suraj Randiv, the offspinner, could also come into the equation.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal(wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Seekkuge Prasanna, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Dasun Shanaka, 9 Chaminda Bandara/Suraj Randiv, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

The pitches at the Ageas are normally excellent for international cricket, offering pace for both bowlers and batsmen to work with, although the recent wet weather could make things tougher this time for the groundsman. The forecast is for a dry and mild evening.

Stats and trivia

• England played their first T20I on this ground, against Australia in 2005 when they won by 100 runs by bowling out Australia for 79.
• James Vince, who plays for Hampshire, has batted four times in T20Is and has not scored fewer than 22. He was Man of the Series against Pakistan in the UAE.
• The Ageas Bowl is comfortably the fastest scoring T20I venue in England with runs coming at 9.07 over its three games. Worldwide, of grounds to have hosted three or more T20Is, only Mumbai and Pune have seen runs come quicker.
• The highest score in T20Is was made on this ground: Aaron Finch’s 156 in 2013.

Quotes

“I saw him at a practice in South Africa when he bowled to the boys and again the other night against Kent and it was impressive stuff. Good to see some batsmen ducking and weaving. I’d love to see him play, I won’t be the sole selector but from my point of view it would be great to see someone like that charge and give it everything.”
“Hopefully quite a number of our players have grown as cricketers even though we haven’t had the results we wanted. Although we’ve come second I think there has been some progress.”