There are no experienced spinners to replace the ageing spinner, but the country’s spin-bowling academy is busy identifying younger alternatives

Sharda Ugra12-Oct-2015If there was ever an opposition against whom Sri Lanka could consider a set of try-outs, West Indies would be it. In the light of Tharindu Kaushal’s current entanglements over his action, Sri Lanka will certainly need to test the spin options that will be available to them in a post-Rangana Herath world.The team’s strength at home in the era after Murali has revolved around Herath. In 20 Murali-less home Tests, Herath cleaned out 136 wickets, Sri Lanka winning eight and drawing five. Herath, Sri Lanka’s most successful spinner after Mr 800 is currently held together by crepe bandages and hope, his creaking knees and the rest of a generously proportioned 37-year-old body testing his ability to play through pain. The next two Sri Lankan front-line spinners after him have played eight (Dilruwan Perera) and six Tests (Kaushal); the latter has now been given a rap on his doosra fingers by the ICC.The home Test series against West Indies will test Sri Lanka’s spin programme after an era of more than plenty – more like an excellent tuck-in. The man in charge of training a new generation of Sri Lankan spinners, national spin bowling coach Piyal Wijetunge, works the balancing act between finding new, unorthodox talent and then keeping them on the straight and narrow when they are lured by the rewards of short-form cricket. Offspinner Kaushal came into the programme at the age of 12 and rose through the system to play his first Test in 2014 against New Zealand.

“When Murali was playing, we never wanted another spinner. Then Murali went. We thought it was the end of Sri Lankan spin, but then fortunately we had Rangana”Piyal Wijetunge

The load of Sri Lanka’s attack against West Indies will once again rest on Herath. The country is aware that their last mystery-spin offering, Ajantha Mendis, is still recovering from injury and the yips. The bowlers now coming through SLC’s spin programme are, sooner rather than later, going to be thrown in at the deep end.The Sri Lankans have been here before. “When Murali was playing, we never wanted another spinner. Then Murali went. We thought it was the end of Sri Lankan spin, but then fortunately we had Rangana, who single-handedly started winning games for us,” Wijetunge said during the recent Test series against India, who, alongside their lead spinner R Ashwin, aged 29, themselves picked two spinners aged 32 and 35.”We’re not far from India,” Wijetunge laughed when talking about seeking the next young prodigious match-winning talent. Herath is at the tail end of his career and Sri Lanka don’t have an experienced enough left-arm spinner to replace him. Wijetunge did, however, sound optimistic about the next generation he has watched grow during his last seven seasons as national spin coach. “Our young spinners might be able to do the job for us because they are highly skilled and have the potential,” he said of a trio – legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who played two T20s against Pakistan this year, and Herath’s two possible successors, left-armers Amila Aponso and Sahan Nanayakkare.Sri Lanka’s spin-bowling academy works through its national training centre, housed at the Khettarama Stadium, and features four groups of spinners – under the ages of 13, 15, 19 and 23, along with a fifth, elite, group. There are currently 67 in the ranks – 10-15 per age group – at a time when, Wijetunge says, “most of the kids want to be fast bowlers, the kids want to bowl fast and nobody wants to be a spinner. When Murali was playing, he was a hero and every kid wanted to be a spinner.”Sri Lanka embraces bowlers with unorthodox actions, like Akila Dananjaya•AFPThe SLC coaches try to keep the pool of available spin talent deep by reaching into the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association competition, the first feeder line for their academy. Scouts follow players at school events, call the most promising in for match trials, and then gather them at a central location. Since 2007, talent-search programmes have been held twice a year, in February and August, when scouts head out to watch local games. The U-13 level was introduced during the early years of Wijetunge’s tenure: the players train at the centre once a week, and residential camps of longer duration are held twice a year.The best spinners, Wijetunge says, still come from the main cities – Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Kurunegala. A former left-arm spinner himself, he smiles the smile of every slow bowler who has a good diss at bigger, quicker men. He expresses it quietly in words: “Spin bowling is an art. You need to have rhythm and you need to have a brain.”What the scouts look out for, he adds, are long fingers and the ability to turn the ball. When it comes to raw spinners, the ability, dexterity at turning the ball, to send it whirring, revving through the air or off the ground, is innate. Like timing is with batsmen. Much can be trained, but the talent of spinning the ball? “Boys are born with that talent. Between 15 and 19, they learn the skills.”Sri Lanka are proud of the spinners they produce – unconventional, unorthodox, controversial even. At their best, always attacking, devastating match-winners. “We always go for the unorthodox actions. If they spin the ball, they can be trained to be good spinners.”The blurred boundary between unorthodox and illegal will crop up every time a bowler gets hauled up by the ICC, as happened most recently with Kaushal. It is a situation that has caused much heartburn within the SLC over the last few years. “We had these problems earlier,” Wijetunge says. “In 2010 two of our spinners were called at the junior World Cup.”In 2014, Sachithra Senanayake was reported for a suspect action and banned from bowling•University of Western AustraliaThere were two more cases in 2012 and another bowler called in 2014. “This was a severe problem for us, we just wanted to eradicate it, it became a nuisance, it gave us a bad name,” he says. A protocol was laid out, empowering umpires to call bowlers with suspect actions and stop them from bowling during a game. Wijetunge says that in 2014, 65 spinners with suspect actions between the U-13 and U-19 age groups were called by umpires. “They were summoned to the national training centre. We assessed them, screened them and gave them remedial programmes.” Some bowlers were successful after the remedial action, “some are still struggling, and the remaining have given up spin bowling altogether”.Like Muralitharan, Wijetunge too grew up in Kandy, also coached by Sunil Fernando, whose prime lessons to his spin trainees were “concentration, hard work” and the dead cert that “if you want to be a good spinner, there are no shortcuts”. Already spin-friendly, pitches all over Sri Lanka tend to wear down over a season into rank turners, giving average spinners bucketfuls of wickets and the selectors a headache as to how to separate quality from quantity. It is why curators at the national training centre are told to produce good batting wickets, to test the trainee spinner’s mind and his skills. It gives Wijetunge and his coaches the best chance to convert possible shortcuts into the long haul.Along with regular training, there rests in the Sri Lankan academy a tool to strengthen spinners’ fingers, so that they can give the ball more revs or give the middle finger the force with which to flick the carrom ball out of the hand. In Wijetunge’s playing days, building finger strength was about doing endless push-ups off the fingers rather than the palms. These days fingers work out using a simple device: a stick with a spring at one end, which has a cricket ball fixed to it. The ball is meant to be turned, using the fingers, in the direction other than the one the torque of the spring imparts it. It was devised at the Khettarama training centre and is in full use, but wait till multinational sports goods manufacturers get hold of “The Twister”.The upcoming season for Sri Lanka promises to be a twister by itself. Sri Lankan ingenuity and innovation, particularly the kind emerging from its spin bowling factory, will be in demand. If an aspirant successor is found, the old masters and their country will be pleased.

Shardul Thakur produced an efficient bowling display but quickly found the difference between domestic cricket and the highest level while bowling to some of the world’s best batsmen

Firdose Moonda in Mumbai31-Oct-2015After taking four South African wickets, two in the space of five overs this morning, Shardul Thakur can be forgiven for thinking he had a Midas touch. He had Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla to his name, and wanted to add AB de Villiers to the list.The first ball he bowled to de Villiers was what Thakur thought was “a good ball.” It was in the corridor outside off stump that Thakur had been peppering and on a teasing length which he thought was not short enough for de Villiers to cut. So he was pretty surprised to see de Villiers back away slightly, get under him and square cut him for four. But he was willing to accept that the batsmen may have superior skills.”I thought it was a good ball and that he had played a very good shot,” Thakur said, although he wanted to confirm that at the drinks break when he had the chance to speak to de Villiers. “I went and asked him why he hit that ball for four because I thought it was a good ball.” The response sent Thakur crashing back down to earth. “AB said, ‘For me, it wasn’t a good ball.”If morale could be deflated quicker, it would have to be a popped balloon.Thakur did not take any more wickets as de Villiers stamped his authority on a day that was slipping away from the South Africans, as the pitch flattened and the spinners came more into play. But 24-year-old Thakur did enough to earn a place at the post-day press conference where the local reporters were talking up his chances of earning a call-up to the national side soon.He can’t afford to think that far. He is not part of the Test squad that features Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, and has to return to Ranji Trophy action where he is “hopeful of picking up wickets,” armed with some new knowledge. Thakur has learnt what it takes to take on the big boys, and concluded that only that was on his mind.”When you play against quality batsmen, you can’t afford to lose your momentum or focus. You have to keep your concentration the same all day,” he said. “In Ranji Trophy matches you can sometimes take it easy but against these guys you have to put all your energy in every ball. So that’s what I am trying to do.”Even the ball that Thakur thought so highly of which de Villiers dismissed with such disdain, had all his effort behind it and it allowed him to assess how he matches up to the best. “This match was very big for me because I could analyse myself and see: where do I stand?,” he said. “It lets me see – given a chance to play against these guys, how would I perform in the future. I got to look at myself and where can I improve.”Now that he knows, Thakur is hoping conditions during the rest of the domestic season will help prove he is ready for the step up. “It depends on the pitches but until there is a rank turner, I don’t find anything to stop me from taking wickets.”

Stats highlights from the Vijay Hazare Trophy final between Gujarat and Delhi, in Bangalore

Bharath Seervi29-Dec-20150 Vijay Hazare Trophy titles for Gujarat, before this season. They beat Delhi by 139 runs in the final at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore to get their maiden title. They were the runners-up in 2010-11, losing in the finals to Jharkhand by 159 runs in Indore. Tamil Nadu have won the most Vijay Hazare titles: four. Mumbai and Karnataka have two. Here is the list of Vijay Hazare Trophy winners.2 Finals played by Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, including this one. Their first was in 2012-13, when they beat Assam in Visakhapatnam by 75 runs to get their maiden Vijay Hazare title.139 Margin of victory for Gujarat in this final – the third-highest in a Vijay Hazare Trophy final. Jharkhand’s 159-run win over Gujarat in Indore in 2011-12 and Karnataka’s 156-run win against Punjab in Ahmedabad in 2014-15 top this list.0 Centuries by Parthiv Patel in 148 innings in List-A cricket before scoring 105 in this match. His highest before this was 95 in an ODI against England in Chester-le-Street in 2011. He had hit 27 half-centuries before his century in today’s match, and had the most List-A runs by an Indian batsman without a century. Now Pankaj Dharmani, who has 3212 runs list-A runs without a hundred, moves up to the first position on the list. Overall, Wasim Akram’s 6993 runs are the most by a batsman in List-A cricket without making a hundred.0 Runs Parthiv had scored the last time Gujarat played in a Vijay Hazare final, in 2010-11. On that occasion too he had kept wicket and opened and led Gujarat. His team had lost that final by 159 runs.21 Wickets by Gujarat’s Jasprit Bumrah – the most by any bowler this Vijay Hazare season. He beat his team-mate Axar Patel to the top of this list with a maiden List-A five-wicket haul in the final. Axar, who had 19 wickets before the final, went wicket-less from this five overs.0 Bowlers to take five-fors in a Vijay Hazare Trophy final before Bumrah. The previous best was Shahbaz Nadeem’s 4 for 6 for Jharkhand against Gujarat in 2010-11 final.111.84 Pawan Negi’s strike rate in this tournament – 170 runs in 152 balls for Delhi, in five innings. His strike rate is the highest among all players who aggregated over 150 runs in the season. His scores in this season batting at No. 7 and No. 8 read: 47* (57 balls), 0 (4), 28* (28), 38* (16) and 57 (47). His average of 85.00 was the fifth-highest among batsmen with 150-plus runs in the season.149 Runs added for the third wicket between captain Parthiv and Rujul Bhatt in the final – the highest for Gujarat this season. This was the third century stand for Gujarat this season and their captain was involved in all three: the other two were 120 runs with Rujul Bhatt against Railways in Alur on December 13 and 106 runs with Priyank Panchal against Jharkhand in Alur on December 11.

On November 27 last year, Phillip Hughes died in hospital after being struck by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield game two days before. It was a tragedy that changed cricket forever

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide27-Nov-2015Perched in the top left corner of the venerable Adelaide Oval scoreboard on Friday was a small addition to its 104-year old visage. “Remembering 408″ was a minimalist message, but a suitable signifier of the mark left by Phillip Hughes a year ago. Like the scoreboard itself, Hughes’ memory will always endure, and the addition of those words will leave the board, like the game, forever changed.A broad array of emotions has been evident among all the players gathering in Adelaide this week. As was the case on the awful days and weeks after Hughes’ death, not everyone is in exactly the same place. Some have kept Hughes at the front of their minds every day since, and as a result will not feel too different. But others, who tried to push the events of last November to the backs of their minds, must wrestle with the presence of many reminders.The contrast was summed up by Steve O’Keefe and Peter Siddle, two men with plenty of vivid memories of Hughes, but differing approaches to his memory. For O’Keefe, who was among those players at the SCG on the day Hughes was felled, this week was another in which he would be reminded of how events so jolted him, but also how he ultimately resolved to carry on with the game.”I think the game has changed for me forever,” O’Keefe said. “It lost a bit of its context in regards to what it meant to me. Your perspective changes I think. You play a game that’s meant to be fun, meant to be in a great contest, and in the blink of a ball it completely changes on you.”It’s not what it was but that’s how fragile life is and the game is changed, but it made me reassess why I play the game. And I play it because I love it and it’s the same reason why Phil played it and the same reason my team-mates play it, because we love that competition and what we do.”Siddle reflected the other position, of having to deal with images and memories previously put to one side. “We’ve sort of distanced ourselves a little bit, haven’t thought too much about it,” he said. “We’re just worrying about the cricket side of things, getting back here after a few days at home.”It’s always nice to spend a bit of time with the boys and get comfy in the new environment but get into the cricket side of things. Start training, start our preparations and get into the cricket stuff. But I think as the day comes closer it’ll probably dawn on us a little bit more then but at this stage it’s been good. It’s been at the back of our minds, which is a nice thing.”David Warner has tried to forge a path between these two poles. “Our preparation has been like any other Test match that we play,” he said. “There were a lot of emotions this time last year. That’s one thing in the back of a lot of our minds. But end of the day we have to come out here and play a game that we love. It’s about crossing that line, putting out cricket caps on and thinking about the job ahead.”We always know our mate is looking down on us and we’ll always do our best for him every time we walk out on the field. As we have done so in the last 12 months. So I don’t think it’s going to change anything this game. We’ve said from the first Test last year when we played here, he’s with us every day.”Hughes’ death took a toll on many across Australian cricket. But it has helped somewhat that last year’s Test ended in a cathartic victory, not least for Nathan Lyon who took seven wickets on the final afternoon. “Definitely, no doubt that helped,” he said. “That game is pretty special for a lot of reasons obviously, but I look back at that game with a lot of pride and a lot of memories I try to look back on and re-live. It’s one of those games that’s going to stick with me for the rest of my life and it’s pretty special. I look back at it a fair bit.”It is in many ways fitting that this week is being shared by New Zealand. A year ago they were on the other side of the world, playing a Test match against Pakistan in Dubai, when news of Hughes’ death reverberated around the globe. Ross Taylor remembered the impact of those events, and also how he sought a way to do something about it, contacting Sean Abbott to tell him he was in their thoughts.”It definitely touched our team, and touched the world,” Taylor told ESPNcricinfo. “Just thinking about it now it feels like it didn’t happen that long ago, there were a lot of emotions. I’d played against him and never had the chance to play with him, but the effects that has on us as people will be until the end of our careers I think. It was an emotional time.A mark of remembrance on the Adelaide Oval scoreboard•Getty Images”I sent a message to Trent [Woodhill] and a few of the Australian players. I said to Trent, ‘Mate I feel like I want to do something,’ and he said ‘send him a message,’ so Trent sent me his number, I didn’t expect to have a reply back from him, but got one back straight away.”I’ve never met the bloke, and we had discussions two and fro a few messages. It’s a sad story about Hughesy, but it’s amazing how Sean’s out there playing and giving it 100% after what he had to go through over the last little while.”In this can be found the more redemptive elements of the past 12 months. Cricket has become a little less combative, a little more friendly, and certainly more safety conscious. “I think everyone around the world, that feeling was echoed and I think the positive to take out of it was how strong the cricket community is, how everyone bonded together,” O’Keefe said. “That’s the thing that I want to remember out of that.”Guys from every team, from every state, all around the country and the world. I remember seeing the Indians present at the funeral and to me it’s just a game but it’s more than that. Cricket is a big family and as much as you like to compete on the field, we know it’s a game we just enjoy and love and I try to look at it as positively as possible. As much as it does get emotional and I just hope in my lifetime I never have to see anything like that again and we can remember Phillip Hughes for what he was, a great bloke and even better player.”Ironically, Taylor has been the subject of a debate over the Australian team’s behaviour after they did not shake his hand after his dismissal for a mammoth 290 in Perth last week. But he noted that the teams have shared drinks after each of the first two Tests in this series, and that all now played the game in a spirit influenced by Hughes.”Anytime you play against Australia you know they’re going to play hard, aggressive cricket, and if they didn’t I think something would be wrong,” Taylor said. “Off the field the teams get along really well and we’ve caught up after both Test matches. It’s good to know a few of them – with IPL you get to play with a few of them, but there’s a lot I haven’t played with either, so it’s good to know them.”It’s something in cricket that’s been lost, and Brendon [McCullum’s] got to take a lot of credit for that, he’s been big on that right from when he started. I’m not saying it should be friendly cricket, because I don’t think that’s the way it should be, but camaraderie off the paddock is good and I hope it continues. Life’s too short to take it off the field.”At the other end of Adelaide Oval to the scoreboard, the new Riverbank Stand was the place chosen for the South Australian Cricket Association memorial to Hughes, with flowers and tributes mounting up affectingly over the course of last summer. A year on, the memorial has gone, but something else has emerged in its place that will draw knowing nods from those who knew Hughes – a new coffee shop.”He’d just catch your eye and say, ‘Latte?'” Usman Khawaja recalled in . “He was always up for it. I don’t know how much coffee he drank, but it was a lot.”

Mohammad Amir has the skills he needs – notably his inswinger – and the nous to use it in the most effective way possible. In Twenty20 cricket, all it takes is a few balls to change the match

Alagappan Muthu26-Feb-2016Mohammad Amir has only ever bowled 107 balls against Indian batsmen in international cricket. It is likely he will up that number by 24 on Saturday in Mirpur, as much as it is likely that he will finally get to land his first delivery on an Indian ground three weeks from now at the World T20.Since his ban for spot-fixing in 2010, Pakistan and India have played only one bilateral series against each other. One-off meetings in multi-team tournaments rally the number of matches up to 12 over a period of nearly six years. That’s almost as surprising as the fact that Amir, still only 23, is the second-youngest member of the Pakistan squad in the Asia Cup. He was the youngest when he debuted as a 17-year old in 2009. His talent was apparent and the romance was compelling. A teenaged left-arm fast bowler who generated prodigious swing with pin-point accuracy. It would have been one surprise too many if Amir’s idol had not been Wasim Akram.Several eventful years later, Amir had laid himself bare in an interview. He spoke of losing hope and his family helping him find it; of his growth as a person and the expectations he has for the future. It was then a casual reference that slipped out – the desire to become a legend. Amir’s story certainly makes people sit up and notice. So that’s a start.Some see him as the young lad whose front foot strayed on captain’s orders five years ago at Lord’s. Others believe, at 18, he was old enough to know better. The Southwark Crown Court did and sent him to juvenile prison. Now we bring another faction of people that Amir’s career timeline has created. Those who believe he has done the time for his crime.The PCB falls into his category as it fast-tracked his return to international cricket. There were some wrinkles to handle before Amir got back into the Pakistan fold, but a picture taken in New Zealand, where he is bursting from laughter looking at Pakistan’s one-day captain Azhar Ali, who hadn’t been his greatest fan a few weeks prior, hints that all is well now. All of this puts a permanent spotlight on Amir. And now he is going to play an India-Pakistan match.Amir was first in line at the fast-bowling nets in Fatullah. Khurram Manzoor was at the other end. After the luxury of a few warm-up deliveries, a trap was set in motion. Amir slid a few across the right-hander, dragging Manzoor’s feet in front of the stumps. Then came an indipper, which the surprised batsman just about fended away. Azhar Mahmood, a temporary consultant with the team, was watching from the umpire’s position. Waqar Younis was a few paces to the right.Amir kept running in, even as the next lot of Pakistan seamers began practice. Mohammad Hafeez was on strike now and the left-arm quick tempted him into driving away from the body. The ball pinged off the inside edge and crashed into the stumps.None of this is to say he’s going to be the only threat India will face on Saturday on a Mirpur track that has been partial to the fast bowlers at least during the Powerplays. Both Manzoor and Hafeez in that very training session cut and pulled him with ease. This is Amir’s second tour back with the Pakistan team; and he didn’t particularly trouble the New Zealand batsman on his first. He took a PSL hat-trick earlier this month, but he must be anxious to now play India; the lengthy training session hints as much. Last month, Amir’s coach Waqar had said he was “not at his best, but getting there.”The point simply is that Amir still has the skills he needs – notably the left-arm fast bowler’s inswinger – and the nous to use it in the most effective way possible. In Twenty20 cricket, all it takes is a few balls to change the match.India have not had much first-hand information about Amir. Shikhar Dhawan has never faced him. Yuvraj Singh has never faced him. In fact, from this squad, Harbhajan Singh has the most experience playing Amir – 11 balls. And he won’t likely play tomorrow. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have faced five each, Virat Kohli six, Rohit Sharma seven.India’s top order has world-class batsmen in the prime of their careers. The threat of a slightly unknown entity does not deter them. “I have played Amir before,” Rohit remembers, “but I am preparing for all of them. It’s not about one individual. We have to be well prepared. We are up for the challenge and we will see what they have for us in store. I won’t focus on one bowler. They have a good bowling attack, so we will take all of them seriously.”Not to mention India can turn around and say players like Dhawan, Yuvraj and Hardik Pandya not having faced Amir is an ace up their sleeve. All of it makes for a delightful story.So when Amir runs in to bowl on Saturday, remember that he has dismissed Kumar Sangakkara twice in a Test. When Kohli takes guard, remember that he has the best average (minimum 500 runs) and the least dot-ball percentage (minimum 500 balls) in T20Is. And remember this is India-Pakistan cricket.

Will it be the most sixes or the fastest hundred? Cast your vote

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2016

Plays of the day from Kanpur’s first T20 clash, involving Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders

Nikhil Kalro19-May-2016Fortune reversalIn Kolkata Knight Riders’ previous game, Gautam Gambhir dropped a straightforward catch at point to reprieve Virat Kohli. Three days later, Gambhir’s luck seemed to have turned for the better. Late on the pull, he could only miscue a Dhawal Kulkarni short ball to mid-on, where Praveen Kumar made a royal mess. Praveen backtracked after misjudging the catch, then stretched his arms over his head but could only get his fingertips on the ball as he tumbled over.In the next over, Gambhir wafted at a Praveen Kumar offcutter but could only steer to a wide slip. Dwayne Smith dived acrobatically to his left but could not hold on to a tough chance.Gambhir’s communication troubles. Again.Gambhir was run-out in the previous game, after a mix-up with Manish Pandey. On Thursday, miscommunication with Robin Uthappa resulted in another run-out. Uthappa flicked a half-volley stylishly towards midwicket where Shadab Jakati hurled himself to his left to stop the boundary. Uthappa slipped mid-pitch while Gambhir was stranded next to him. For a split second, both batsman were motionless before Gambhir carried on with the run towards the striker’s end. He clearly didn’t account for Jakati’s pyrotechnics.Jakati quickly sussed out the opportunity, picked up the ball and fired an accurate throw that knocked the stumps down at the striker’s end. Gambhir was typically miffed as he trudged off.A send-offDwayne Bravo v Jason Holder. Round one. Holder attempted a heave off a full delivery. A thick outside edge flew to the third man boundary for four. Round two. Bravo missed his length. The slower delivery was in Holder’s arc, and it was smeared into the stands over midwicket for six.Round three. Holder miscued a length ball towards mid-off, where Finch clutched the catch to his chest. Bravo spontaneously broke out into his jig in front of Holder. A few seconds later, Holder wore a wry smile on his face and shoved Bravo out of his way as he walked off. All in good humor though.The nasty collisionIn the 10th over of Lions’ chase, Suresh Raina clipped a Sunil Narine delivery to fine leg. Raina and Aaron Finch ran along parallel paths for the first two runs, before suddenly criss-crossing on the third run. Raina veered towards his right to avoid Finch’s bulky figure. Finch, too, saw Raina careening in his direction and swerved to his left. They collided into each other, with Finch surprisingly thrown back by the momentum. In between, Uthappa cleanly collected Ankit Rajpoot’s throw to whip the bails off and send Finch back.

Stats highlights from New Zealand’s big victory against Bangladesh in Kolkata

Bharath Seervi26-Mar-201670 Bangladesh’s total – their lowest in T20Is. The previous lowest was also against New Zealand, when they were all out for 78 in Hamilton in February 2010. Bangladesh’s score is also the lowest for any team against New Zealand in T20Is.6 Consecutive wins for New Zealand in T20Is. They had won the last two matches against Pakistan before the four wins in this tournament. This is New Zealand’s longest winning streak in T20Is. Their previous longest was five wins in a row between October 2011 and February 2012. Click here for the most consecutive wins in T20Is.3 Number of times New Zealand had defended a score less than 150 in their first 16 attempts. But since December 2014, they have won all four times defending a score of less than 150 – three of those instances have been in this tournament.2 Instances of a team dismissing the oppositions for less than 80 runs twice in a single series or tournament. New Zealand had dismissed India for 79 in their first game of this tournament before getting Bangladesh for 70 in this game. Similarly, in the last World T20, Sri Lanka had dismissed Netherlands for 39 and New Zealand for 60.2 Five-wicket hauls by Bangladesh bowlers in T20Is. Mustafizur Rahman’s 5 for 22 is the second such haul for Bangladesh after Elias Sunny took 5 for 13 against Ireland in Belfast in 2012. The previous four best figures for Bangladesh in the World T20 were all by Shakib Al Hasan.3 Five-wicket hauls taken by bowlers against New Zealand, the most against any team in T20Is. Before Mustafizur, Umar Gul had taken 5 for 6 at the Oval in the 2009 World T20 and Rangana Herath had snared 5 for 3 in Chittagong during the 2014 World T20.4 Number of five-wicket hauls which have come in losing cause in T20Is. Mustafizur’s 5 for 22 is the second-best bowling figures on a losing occasion for a team.22 Wickets for Mustafizur within one year of his T20I career. He made his T20I debut on April 24 last year and has played 13 matches in these 11 months. Only Saeed Ajmal (26 wickets) and Ajantha Mendis (25) had taken more wickets in the first year of their T20I career (first 365 days). Dirk Nannes had also picked up 22 wickets in his first one year of T20Is.10 Batsmen who were out bowled in this match, the most in a T20I. There were six players bowled in New Zealand’s innings and four in Bangladesh’s. The six batsmen bowled in New Zealand’s innings is also the joint-most in a singleT20I innings.1 Number of times New Zealand had got seven wickets for 50 or fewer runs in a T20I before this World T20. But in this tournament, they have wrecked their opponents to such extents twice: India lost their seventh wicket with the score at 53 in Nagpur, and Bangladesh lost their seventh wicket for 48 in this match.22.30 Average opening stand for New Zealand in the last ten T20Is, including this match, where Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson did not open for them. In the last ten matches where those two opened, New Zealand average 75.11 with eight stands of 50 or more.9 Wickets for Mitchell Santner in this World T20, second-most for New Zealand in a series or tournament. Only Daniel Vettori’s 11 wickets in the 2007 World T20 is higher than Santner’s tally. Ish Sodhi also has eight wickets in this tournament.

Angelo Mathews talks about the challenges of leading an inexperienced team, and the possibility of giving up the T20 captaincy

Tim Wigmore23-Jun-2016In the space of 23 months at Headingley, Sri Lanka went from series winners to a rabble bundled out twice in the equivalent of under a day’s play. For Angelo Mathews, the journey was from a “personal triumph”, as termed the Test series win in 2014, to a figure decried as lethargic and inert.”The [2016] England Test tour was pretty poor from our side. We didn’t do well,” Mathews says. “But we kept improving day by day.”He isn’t happy about one aspect of the team’s performance, though. “There’s a lot to improve in our fielding. It is still not up to the mark,” he says. No one who witnessed Sri Lanka’s shoddy catching in England would disagree. Nor is the problem new. “The way our guys are fielding, they are carrying excess weight and we are in shambles,” Jerome Jayaratne said last September, during his stint as interim head coach.”It’s not about quantity – we do a lot of fielding practice,” Mathews says. “It’s just the nerves sometimes that the boys have, but hopefully we can all get over it. We’ve made a few mistakes on the field in the last couple of matches.”Mathews’ captaincy came under scrutiny too. On occasion – most strikingly while Moeen Ali and Steven Finn were adding 72 for the ninth wicket at Chester-le-Street – his leadership appeared devoid of energy or imagination. His strategy seemed to be to ensure Finn was facing the first ball of the next over, yet Moeen was able to take singles far too easily off the fifth or sixth ball of each over.

“If I think there is a suitable captain and a better captain than me, I’ll talk to the selectors and step down”On his future as T20 captain

The sense of a captain who lets matters drift, sleepwalking from a good position to one of peril, was familiar. Sri Lanka began 2015 by allowing New Zealand to recover from 159 for 5 to 524 for 5 declared in Wellington. At home against Pakistan later that year, Sri Lanka allowed a score of 96 for 5 to become 417 all out in Galle; Pakistan then chased 377 in Pallekele to seal the series. At Headingley, they allowed England to recover from 83 for 5 to 298, and at Lord’s England got to 416 from 84 for 4.Yet Mathews rejects the label that he is a conservative captain. “You try to be cautious sometimes, but I think losing a game by trying to win one is key. I always go for a win and don’t mind losing a few on the way to a win,” he says.”I’m still learning as captain. I’ve done the job for three years but every day you learn. You learn through your mistakes. It’s not an easy road, it’s tough, but as long as I enjoy my captaincy, I’ll try and be positive and go for wins. You’ve got to try and embrace the pressure and not think too much about it. You go out there and enjoy yourself and everything else will look after itself.”However, one cannot dispute the fact that Mathews’ batting has been transformed for the better since he took on the responsibility of captaincy. In Test cricket he averages 57.48 as captain from 52 innings, compared to 39.71 from 50 innings before he was captain. He has scored six of his seven centuries after taking over as captain. He also averages five runs more with the bat as captain in ODIs, and his bowling average is lower in both Tests and ODIs when he is leading the side.”After I got the captaincy I’ve done pretty well with the bat,” he says. “I try not to put myself under a lot of pressure. I just try to go out there, be positive and enjoy the game. When you’re captaining, you’re not just the captain, you’re a player as well. So when you’re batting, you’re a batsman, when you’re bowling, you’re a bowler. I try to stick to that and on the field try and concentrate on my performances.””We have a good bunch of players who are willing to go out there and fight it out”•AFPAs captain, Mathews has witnessed transformation in the Sri Lanka side. He was handed the job three years ago when Mahela Jayawardene resigned, wanting to give Mathews the chance to grow into the role while he and Kumar Sangakkara were still around. Now with both retired, Mathews leads a team attempting to forge a new identity.”The guys have to take responsibility. We don’t have the senior players now but we have a good bunch of players who are willing to go out there and fight it out, so it’s pretty pleasing,” Mathews says. “We’ve got so many players who are helping each other out. They’re throwing in a lot of ideas as well. We’ve got a lot of younger guys but they’re not afraid of throwing their thoughts in, which is very positive from our point of view.” He cites Dinesh Chandimal, who at 26 has already been vice-captain for three years, as a particular source of support.Chandimal might soon succeed Mathews as T20 captain. When Lasith Malinga resigned just before the World T20, Mathews was appointed to replace him. He became captain in all three formats: an onerous, indeed unsustainable, burden in today’s age. Mathews hinted as much when he said, “I was not mentally prepared to take up captaincy in the tournament”, just before the World T20.And he suggests that he might not be T20 captain for much longer. “If I think there is a suitable captain and a better captain than me, I’ll talk to the selectors and step down. If somebody comes through the ranks and is doing really well and is up for the challenge, well, I’ll obviously give it to him.”

“We’ve got so many players who are helping each other out. They’re throwing in a lot of ideas as well”

A little like Nasser Hussain’s and Duncan Fletcher’s alliance for England, coach Graham Ford and Mathews aim to put the days of selection issues behind and empower a young generation to lead the side forward. Mathews’ admiration for Ford is palpable. “He’s put a lot of thoughts on the table and we discuss combinations and strategies all the time. He’s been a wonderful coach throughout.”For all the concern about Sri Lanka’s recent underwhelming form, Mathews senses a tough new team in the making. “You try and share your experiences with the younger guys so that they can take it on and move forward when we retire. It’s all about passing it on to the younger generation,” he says. “We see lots of guys taking responsibility, now that we don’t have the big guns,” citing Kusal Perera and Dasun Shanaka.”We are trying not to chop and change too much. We are trying to pick a set of players and keep them for as long as possible. There will be changes here and there but you try to stick to one combination and give them a good run.”Mathews is convinced that experience and selectorial faith will ensure more moments like Headingley 2014, and fewer like Headingley 2016.

Stats highlights from the one-off T20I in Southampton which was also won by the hosts and Sri Lanka end the tour win-less

Bharath Seervi05-Jul-20160 Number of matches won by Sri Lanka on this tour of England. They lost the three-match Test series by 2-0, lost the five-match ODI series 3-0 before losing the one-off T20I. The last instance of a visiting side not winning any match against England in a season, containing series of at least two formats, was West Indies in 2012. Incidentally, Sri Lanka had won all the three series against England on their last tour, in 2014.73* Jos Buttler’s score in this match – his highest in T20Is as well as the highest in his overall T20 career. He beat his previous best T20I score of 67 which came against West Indies in Bridgetown in 2013-14 and his previous best T20 score of 72 not out which was for Somerset against Gloucestershire in Taunton in 2011. His unbeaten knock of 73 is the second-highest for England against Sri Lanka. Alex Hales made 116 not out in Chittagong in the 2014 World T20.0 Number of higher targets successfully chased by England losing two or fewer wickets, than the target of 141 in this T20I. They had chased down 140 without losing any wickets against New Zealand in Wellington in 2012-13. This was only their fourth win by eight or more wickets in T20Is.3/27 Liam Dawson’s figures in this match – the best for an England spinner on T20I debut. The previous highest was Chris Schofield’s 2 for 15 against Zimbabwe in Cape Town in 2007 World T20. Dawson’s figures are overall the fifth-best by an England bowler on T20I debut.61 – Runs scored by Sri Lanka in their last ten overs of the innings losing seven wickets after being 79 for 3 at the end of the tenth over. England scored only 66 in their first ten and then made 78 runs in the next 7.3 overs to chase down the target comfortably. For Sri Lanka, there were six overs in the first ten where they scored eight or more runs compared to just two such overs in the last ten.114* Runs added by Eoin Morgan and Buttler for the third-wicket, which is the second-highest partnership for England in T20Is against Sri Lanka. The highest of 152 was also for the third-wicket involving Morgan and Hales in Chittagong in the 2014 World T20.0 Number of England players who had scored 50 or more in their first innings as an opener in T20Is, before Buttler. This was the first time Buttler had opened in his 49-match T20I career and he made 73 not out. The previous highest by an England player in his first innings as an opener was 46 by James Vince against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2015-16. The highest by any player in his maiden innings as an opener is 96 by Damien Martyn against South Africa at the Gabba in 2005-06 – the only time he opened in his four-match T20I career. This was only the second time Buttler opened in his entire T20 career of 140 innings. The first time he opened was for Somerset against Jamaica in Bridgetown in the 2011 Caribbean T20 where he was out without scoring.5 – Number of instances of a team’s top five all scoring more than 10 runs but none of them going past 30 in a T20I innings. In this match, Sri Lanka’s top five all went onto double figures but the highest was 26 by Danushka Gunathilaka. This was the first such instance for Sri Lanka. The last such instance for any team was for West Indies against Ireland in Kingston in 2013-14.18.85 Kusal Perera’s average on this England tour – 132 runs in seven innings. His highest score on this tour was 43 and he was out three times for single digits. He, though, made 32 and 135 in two ODI innings against Ireland in Dublin between the Test and ODI series against England.72 Number of T20Is missed by Farveez Maharoof for Sri Lanka, before appearing in this match. His last T20I, before this, was in October 2008. Only Liam Plunkett (74 matches) has missed more consecutive T20Is for a team. Among Sri Lanka players, the next highest is 37 T20Is missed by Dilhara Fernando who made a comeback in February earlier this year after having not played a T20I since November 2011.