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Both players said they didn’t have to face any hospitalisations or restrictions

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2021Chinelle Henry and Chedean Nation, the two West Indies Women players who collapsed on the field during their team’s second T20I against Pakistan Women, have recovered and are back with the team ahead of the third and final T20I.Both players had collapsed on the field in separate incidents during the second T20I on Friday, but were back with the team on Sunday, the day of the third game.In separate messages posted on Twitter, both said they didn’t have any hospital stay or restrictions imposed on them.”I just want to thank you guys for all your concern and well wishes, and I am doing well. No hospital stay, no restrictions. Now I’m just focussed on going out there and getting the series 3-nil,” Henry said. Nation also thanked all those who had expressed concern. “Just want to say thank you guys for the love and support I’ve received over the past 48 hours. No hospital stay, no restrictions, just eager and ready to get out there and hit some sixes.” Both incidents had taken place during Pakistan’s chase, which was also beset by weather interruptions. West Indies eventually won by 7 runs via the DLS method, as Pakistan fell short of an 18-over target of 111. West Indies had also won the first T20I, by 10 runs after scoring 136 for 6 and restricting Pakistan to 126 for 6, and thus have an unbeatable 2-0 lead heading into the last game.Nation has batted at No.5 in both games, while Henry has come in at No.7. Nation has had a reasonable outing with the bat so far, making 14 off 13 and then 28 off 33. Henry was not out on a run-a-ball 4 in the first game, and made 1 off 2 in the second.

Paddy Upton joins as “Team Catalyst” and will look after the players’ mental well-being

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2022Rajasthan Royals have roped in Lasith Malinga as their fast-bowling coach ahead of IPL 2022, and Paddy Upton as “Team Catalyst”.Malinga, who retired as a player in 2021, is the highest wicket-taker in the IPL with 170 scalps across nine seasons for Mumbai Indians. In 2018, he was Mumbai’s bowling mentor as well, and earlier this year, he was appointed Sri Lanka’s bowling strategy coach for the T20I series in Australia.At Royals, Malinga will work alongside his former captain Kumar Sangakkara, who is the franchise’s head coach and director of cricket, and Steffan Jones, who was named as high-performance fast-bowling coach last week.”It’s a wonderful feeling for me to return to the IPL and an absolute honour to join Rajasthan Royals, a franchise that has always promoted and developed young talent,” Malinga said. “I am excited by the pace bowling unit we have going into the tournament and looking forward to supporting all the fast bowlers with the execution of their game-plans and their overall development. I’ve made some very special memories in the IPL with Mumbai Indians and now with Royals, looking forward to new experiences and creating great memories in this journey.”Upton returns to Royals having previously worked as their coach from 2013 to 2015 and then in 2019, leading them to a top-four finish in 2013 and 2015. He will be with the team for the first four weeks of the season, after which he will support them virtually.”Being the Team Catalyst, Upton will play a crucial role in establishing team integration by bringing them together as a cohesive and mutually supporting unit, and look after their mental well-being with the use of various mental conditioning processes and activities that aid in maintaining a healthy culture and environment, especially within the restrictions of being in a bio-bubble,” a Royals statement said.Sangakkara said both Malinga and Upton would be great additions to the coaching staff. “Lasith is arguably one of the greatest T20 fast bowlers of all time, and to have a personality like his around the training ground, and the expertise he brings to the table, is certainly something we feel the team can benefit from,” he said. “We have some of the best fast bowlers in our squad and we are delighted that they will have the chance to work with Lasith and get to learn and develop further.”It’s the same with Paddy, who has been a great servant for the Royals, and has done an exceptional job in building that cohesion between players and also conditioning them mentally. We believe he will act as a great addition to our coaching staff.”Trevor Penney (assistant coach), Zubin Bharucha (strategy, development and performance director) and Dishant Yagnik (fielding coach) will continue in their respective roles.

He endured a disappointing 2022 season after the franchise spent INR 14 crore to retain him

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Nov-2022Sunrisers Hyderabad have released Kane Williamson, their captain and most expensive player during the 2022 IPL campaign. The New Zealand captain spent eight years at the franchise, scoring 2101 runs at an average of 36.22 and a strike rate of 126.03. He played 76 matches for Sunrisers and captained them 46 times.Letting go of Williamson will free up a significant chunk of Sunrisers’ purse ahead of the 2023 auction as they look to rebuild after a disappointing 2022 campaign where they finished eighth on the points table on the 10-team table with only six wins in 14 games. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Sunrirsers will keep their options open about buying back Williamson at the auction.Related

• Curran, Stokes and Green to be in second set at IPL 2023 auction

• Kane Williamson to miss third T20I against India because of a medical appointment

• KKR's unusual approach, and a wake-up call for West Indies

• Pollard, Williamson, Bravo, Mayank released: How the IPL teams stack up ahead of the 2023 player auction

• Kieron Pollard calls time on IPL career, stays with Mumbai Indians as batting coach

Williamson was one of three players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2022 auction: Sunrisers spent INR 14 crore – the highest price paid to retain an overseas player in the IPL – to keep hold of him, and INR 4 crore each to retain Abdul Samad and Umran Malik.Sunrisers’ move to make Williamson their first retained player was a contentious one. It meant the franchise let go of the Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan, who it is learned wanted to be the first retention pick having been a serial match-winner for them.But Sunrisers prized Williamson’s skills as top-order anchor and captain. In the absence of David Warner – who was serving a one-year ban imposed by Cricket Australia for his role in the Newlands ball-tampering episode – Williamson had led Sunrisers to the IPL final in 2018, a season when he finished as the IPL’s most prolific batter with 735 runs at an average of 52.50 and a strike rate of 142.44. When Sunrisers’ long relationship with Warner soured midway through the 2021 season, they made Williamson their full-time captain.As things turned out, the 2022 season was a struggle for Williamson with the bat. Nursing a troublesome elbow condition, he scored 216 runs in 13 innings at an average of 19.63 and a strike rate of 93.50. Of all batters who faced at least 100 balls in the tournament, his strike rate was the worst. His performance had a bearing on Sunrisers’ overall season as well.

It is yet to be confirmed though whether family members of the India squad will join the tour

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2020The schedule for India’s tour to Australia has been rubberstamped with Adelaide to host a day-night Test as part of the four-match series. Melbourne is also set for the traditional Boxing Day Test with a crowd of up to 25,000, although it is yet to be confirmed whether families of the Indian players will join the tour.The ODIs will start on November 27 – just two days after the players complete quarantine – followed by matches on November 29 and December 2, with the T20Is on December 4, 6 and 8. The first Test in Adelaide will begin on December 17. Ahead of the Test series, India A will play Australia A at the Drummoyne Oval from December 6-8, followed by India playing Australia A in a day-night warm-up match at the SCG from December 11-13.The Australia A sides may feature a number of members of the Test side to give them a chance of red and pink-ball practice ahead of the series. For David Warner, Steven Smith, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood returning from the IPL, it would be their only chance of preparation. The first batch of Sheffield Shield matches in Adelaide conclude on November 11.Last week, the New South Wales government signed off on allowing the India squad – and Australia players returning from the IPL – to quarantine and train in Sydney after Queensland had raised issues. Capacity for some family members to join the tour has been built into the plan by the NSW government, but it will be decided between Cricket Australia and the BCCI how those spots are filled. Earlier this week, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly indicated he expected families to be able to travel.”We are working that through at the moment with BCCI and the Australia government,” Nick Hockley, the Cricket Australia CEO said. “It would have to be a compelling case for families to come but that’s something we are working through.”

Tour schedule

1st ODI, November 27 – SCG (D-N)

2nd ODI, November 29 – SCG (D-N)

3rd ODI: December 2 – Canberra (D-N)

1st T20I: December 4 – Canberra (Night)

Practice match: December 6-8 – Drummoyne Oval

2nd T20I: December 6 – SCG (Night)

3rd T20I: December 8 – SCG (Night)

Practice match: December 11-13 – SCG (D-N)

1st Test: December 17-21 – Adelaide Oval (D-N)

2nd Test: December 26-30 – MCG

3rd Test: January 7-11 – SCG

4th Test: January 15-19 – Brisbane

Stuart Ayres, the NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism, said: “We’ve built provision for some family members to be in the bubble, they have to follow all the same requirements that are placed on other internationals or Australians returning home. The amount of people who fit into that will be a discussion between CA and the BCCI. How they make those selections by those two, but they have to pick within the Covid-safe plan that the NSW government has approved.”This week, the Victoria Premier, Daniel Andrews, said he was confident of having a crowd at the Boxing Day Test as Melbourne emerged from a four-month lockdown on Wednesday and the figure being worked towards currently is 25,000 spectators – a quarter of capacity.Contrasting emotions for the two captains•Getty Images

“The Victorian Government, MCC and Cricket Australia will develop a rigorous Covid-safe plan based on the most up-to-date public health advice to enable a limited number of fans to safely attend the Test this year,” Victorian Minister for Sport Martin Pakula said. “Crowd numbers will be confirmed closer to the match but will be capped at around 25,000 spectators.”The schedule announced on Wednesday will require the border between New South Wales and Victoria to be open by the end of the year to allow teams to travel between the second and third Tests.”We were really encouraged by comments coming out from national cabinet last week around borders opening before Christmas so that will allow us to deliver the schedule,” Hockley said. “As we do for any series we have contingencies but we are planning full steam ahead and hopefully we won’t have to use them.””Across all three formats, Australia and India represents one of the great rivalries in world sport and we are delighted to welcome Virat Kohli’s outstanding squad to Australian shores this summer,” Hockley added in an earlier statement. “We have worked closely with the BCCI for many months to bring this tour to life, and I cannot speak more highly of the professional, thorough and collaborative manner with which they have approached this tour in these extraordinary and complex times.”I would like to express my gratitude to everyone at the BCCI for the faith and support they have shown in the plan we have developed, which we believe will result in a safe and successful summer for all involved.”We would also like to especially thank the NSW Government for allowing players from both teams to safely prepare during quarantine, as well as other governments and health authorities who have worked with us to host a series which, I have no doubt, will live long in the memories of all who experience it.”India announced their Test squad as well as limited-overs squads earlier this week with the small group of players and coaches not involved at the IPL heading to Dubai shortly from where they will all travel to Sydney on a charter flight with the Australian players after the tournament finishes on November 10. The players will have exclusive use of a hotel at the Sydney Olympic Park and will train at Blacktown.

18-year-old Kwena Maphaka is the only uncapped player in the squad that will play Pakistan in three ODIs

Firdose Moonda12-Dec-2024South Africa have selected their strongest available squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan in order to make full use of their last opportunity to play together ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy.Though South Africa will play a tri-series in Pakistan, which also includes New Zealand, in February next year, those matches will take place too close to the conclusion of the SA20 on February 8 for a first-choice squad to be available.There are nine additions to the squad that last played the format, against Ireland in the UAE, including the return of Kagiso Rabada, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, who last played an ODI almost a year ago.

South Africa vs Pakistan ODI series

Dec 17 – 1st ODI, Paarl
Dec 19 – 2nd ODI, Cape Town
Dec 22 – 3rd ODI, Johannesburg

Eighteen-year-old quick Kwena Maphaka is the only uncapped player in the squad, Maphaka was the leading wicket-take at this year’s Under-19 World Cup, which is played in the 50-over format, and has impressed with speeds of up to 152kph in the T20I series against Pakistan. He also gets an opportunity thanks to the absence of several injured quicks. None of Anrich Nortje (broken toe), Lungi Ngidi (hip injury), Gerald Coetzee (groin injury), Wiaan Mulder (broken finger) and Nandre Burger (lower back stress fracture) could be considered for selection.The squad will be led by regular captain Temba Bavuma, who was injured when playing an ODI against Ireland in October but has since returned to form in the Test arena. It is likely he will be partnered by Ryan Rickelton at the top of the order with Reeza Hendricks, who did not cross 20 in his last five ODIS, dropped. Tony de Zorzi is another top-order option. Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Klaasen and Miller all give South Africa an experienced and strong batting line-up.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Two seam-bowling allrounders in Andile Phehlukwayo and Marco Jansen have been selected, while one other specialist seamer, Ottneil Baartman, and two frontline spinners – Maharaj and Shamsi – have come in at the expense of Bjorn Fortuin and Nqaba Peter. Shamsi’s return is significant because he opted out of a national contract in October in order to have flexibility for league performances and was not included in the T20I series to play India last month. He has since been recalled for the Pakistan matches.”The bowling line-up features one of the fastest in the game in KG, and this series offers another great opportunity for a young talent like Kwena to come in and learn first-hand from the best,” Rob Walter, South Africa’s white-ball coach, said. “In the batting department, we are thrilled to welcome back David and Heinrich, two of the most destructive players in the game. Overall, we are very pleased with this squad.”Bavuma, de Zorzi, Jansen, Maharaj, Markram, Rabada, Stubbs and Rickelton will have a four-day turnaround between the end of the ODI series and the start of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. South Africa need one more Test win to guarantee themselves a place at next year’s World Test Championship final.

South Africa squad for ODI series against Pakistan

Temba Bavuma (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen

Former England opener racks up big hundred to put seal on Durham’s campaign

ECB Reporters Network28-Sep-2024Kent 96 for 3 (Finch 34, Ackermann 1-1) trail Durham 360 (Lees 144, Bedingham 66, Parkins 6-109)A sparkling century from Alex Lees gave Durham the upper hand in their Vitality County Championship clash with Kent despite a six-wicket haul from Matt Parkinson.Play was abandoned without a ball bowled on days one and two after heavy downpours at the Seat Unique Riverside, so Lees was on a mission to get quick runs with so much time lost in the game. Lees (144 off 180) was well backed up by Emilio Gay, who made 52, and David Bedingham, who made a swashbuckling 66, as the hosts made 360 in their first innings.Matt Parkinson led a Kent fightback after tea as he picked up figures of 6 for 109 to give the visitors some hope.Kent’s reply didn’t get off to the best start as they lost early wickets but Harry Finch and Jack Leaning combined for a partnership worth 72 to stall the hosts but they closed on 96 for 3, still 264 behind Durham.Kent captain Leaning won the toss and elected to bowl, with Ben McKinney and stand-in skipper Lees opening for the hosts. Lees found his groove early on with a lovely cover drive off the bowling of Grant Stewart.McKinney joined the party as he crunched a glorious shot to the boundary and Lees then reached his run-a-ball fifty with eight boundaries in the Durham skipper’s knock. Kent struck back, with Nathan Gilchrist removing McKinney for 23 after he was caught in the covers.Gay, who is on loan from Northamptonshire ahead of his permanent move to the North East next year, came in and elegantly flicked one off his pads for four. Lees continued to motor, combining well with Gay, and he carved a Stewart delivery for four to third man.After lunch, Lees resumed unbeaten on 95 and reached his fourth century of the season from 115 balls just minutes later. Gay impressed on his home debut looking calm at the crease and he manipulated the field well with the number three reaching his fifty from 92 balls. However, he didn’t last much longer as he feathered a Jas Singh delivery down the legside and it was caught well by Harry Finch behind the stumps.Bedingham wasted no time getting into the groove as Division One’s leading run scorer hit back-to-back sixes over the legside boundary off the bowling of Singh. Bedingham continued to hit the Kent attack around the park with the South African international reaching fifty from 30 balls, which included three fours and four sixes.Bedingham then smashed a Stewart full toss over the ropes, but he went for one maximum too many as he was caught off the bowling of Matt Parkinson for a 38-ball 66. Kent then got a second wicket in quick succession as Lees fell for an excellent 144 after he was caught at mid-wicket off the bowling of Stewart.Ollie Robinson then holed out for five, giving Matt Parkinson his second of the afternoon, and Bas de Leede quickly followed for a duck. Durham resumed after tea and 16-year-old James Minto, who is making his home debut, hit his first six in first class cricket as he smashed a Matt Parkinson delivery down the ground for six. However, the teenager’s joy did not last as the leg spinner bowled him for 25.Matt Parkinson then got his fourth as Daniel Hogg edged to slip and he then got his twin brother Callum out caught and bowled to wrap up his five wicket haul. The former Lancashire man then got his sixth as Durham were bowled out for 360.Kent’s reply got off to the worst possible start with Tawanda Muyeye caught behind off the bowling of Daniel Hogg for five. Kent then lost a second wicket as de Leede sent Jaydn Denly’s off-stump flying for 12.Finch and Leaning then came together and combined well with some lovely shots, but Colin Ackermann bowled Finch for 34 just before the close to leave Kent three down at stumps.

West Indies lost by an innings and 134 runs despite a rearguard by Jermaine Blackwood and Alzarri Joseph

Saurabh Somani06-Dec-2020
In the end, it ended with a full ball from Neil Wagner. The man who has turned bowling sustained short-ball spells into an art form got six wickets in New Zealand’s first Test victory over West Indies, and only one of them via a short ball. It was the kind of end that was strangely fitting in a Test that New Zealand dominated, as evidenced by their victory margin of an innings and 134 runs, but where they were made to stretch themselves a bit further than they would have imagined. It still ended up being New Zealand’s biggest win over West Indies in terms of innings victories, and their fifth biggest ever.

Mitchell fined 15% of match fees

Daryl Mitchell has been fined 15% of his match fees and a a demerit point has been added to his disciplinary record after breaching Article 2.3 of the ICC code, which relates to “use of an audible obscenity during an international match”, against West Indies on Saturday. The incident occurred in the 62nd over when Mitchell used inappropriate language as captain Jason Holder was running between the wickets in close proximity to Mitchell.
The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney, Wayne Knights and TV umpire Christopher Brown. Match referee Jeff Crowe imposed the sanction and Mitchell pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the penalty.

West Indies had got through the first hour of the fourth day with the overnight pair of Jermaine Blackwood and Alzarri Joseph still together. Not only had their partnership crossed 150 – more than the entire first-innings total West Indies mustered – but Blackwood had also progressed to a second Test century. The clouds that had gathered for much of the third day had given way to bright sunshine on day four, and both Blackwood and Joseph continued to be positive. That didn’t mean they attacked indiscriminately, but they were assured while defending and leaving the ball, and full of punch when putting it away.

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Blackwood showed great control of his game, not shelving his aggressive instincts but picking his moments well. He had a bit of luck early on when Tim Southee got one to shape away beautifully in the channel and draw a leaden-footed drive, but New Zealand’s catching woes that dogged them in the latter part of West Indies’ second innings continued, as Ross Taylor put down a straightforward chance at first slip. That was Blackwood’s only blemish in the first hour, and he got to his century via the patient route, through singles rather than any ambitiously aimed big shots.Joseph, who had crossed fifty in a Test match for the first time, was impressive too. He showed sound judgement of his off stump when leaving the ball, and had a full range of shots. When defending he got behind the line, and when a few balls were banged in short to him, he carted them in the arc between backward square leg and deep midwicket. He had shown vulnerability against the short ball earlier, but for that to come into play the bowlers needed to get it up to his throat. When the short ball sat up, Joseph was not hanging back.The seventh-wicket stand kept flourishing until Kyle Jamieson made the breakthrough. He had pushed Joseph on the back foot on the third day, and when he dangled one full and wide, Joseph went for it without the balance being quite right. He ended up slicing it off the toe end to deep cover to end a 155-run stand. After that the end was swift. Wagner got his only wicket with a ball pitched in his half when Blackwood miscued a pull to backward square leg, cramped for room. In the same over, a fast and full delivery took out last-man Shannon Gabriel’s stumps to give Wagner his fourth for the innings.New Zealand had only needed nine wickets to bowl West Indies out in both innings with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich absent hurt both times, having injured his hand on the first day while keeping. West Indies captain Jason Holder later said it wasn’t still certain whether Dowrich would be fit in time for the second and final Test, starting on December 11 in Wellington.Kane Williamson was the undisputed Man of the Match for his masterful 251. Wagner’s 4 for 66 were the best figures in the second innings, while Southee’s 4 for 35 in the first innings had set up West Indies’ collapse.

Sri Lanka’s spinners made a mark in the ODIs, now can they do the same in the Tests?

Alex Malcolm28-Jun-2022

Big picture

Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka has already had an impact following the special scenes in Colombo of locals dressed in yellow to thank the visitors for touring during a desperate time in their country’s history.Sri Lanka winning the ODI series provided moments of joy for the home supporters, but there is a sense among Australia that the real stuff starts now. There were no ODI Super League points up for grabs and the visitors had injuries galore, although they were thoroughly outplayed by the hosts. But there are vital World Test Championship points at stake in the two Tests in Galle, as is Australia’s Asian reputation. They currently sit top of the WTC table while Sri Lanka occupy fourth with just 12 months remaining before the final. A 2-0 series sweep, either way, would have significant ramifications.Sri Lanka are a side on the rise having beaten Bangladesh away in their most recent series in May under new coach Chris Silverwood and their performance in the ODI series proves that the belief is building. But they were uncompetitive against India away in early March. They won three of the six home Tests in 2021 against West Indies and Bangladesh but lost 2-0 to England in back-to-back Tests at Galle.Related

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Australia proved their subcontinent bona fides in Pakistan with a 1-0 series win. However, it was a different type of challenge with spin being almost a non-factor in all three Tests save for Nathan Lyon’s five-wicket haul on the final day in Lahore. Australia haven’t been tested in true spinning conditions since touring Bangladesh in 2017 and the last time they faced Sri Lanka on their own turf they were humbled 3-0.But Sri Lanka’s spin options for the 2022 series of Lasith Embuldeniya (16 Tests), Praveen Jayawickrama (five Tests) Ramesh Mendis (six Tests) and potentially the uncapped Jeffrey Vandersay are not yet of the same quality as the 2016 destroyers Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera. Although Embuldeniya did take 15 wickets in two Tests against England in Galle last year.Steven Smith is the only Australia batter with a Test hundred in Sri Lanka, while Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green and Alex Carey have never played there. The series could well hinge on the battle between Sri Lanka’s inexperienced spinners and Australia’s inexperienced middle order. Australia will hope that one of their batters can emulate Joe Root’s sweeping masterclass in Galle last year, while Sri Lanka need Embuldeniya to channel Herath.Sri Lanka’s batting group have great memories of home series against Australia with four of the top six having all scored Test hundreds against them. Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Dinesh Chandimal all made centuries in 2016 against an attack close to the one Australia might field. The only difference is Pat Cummins. The captain was the difference in Pakistan. He also took eight wickets in the last three ODIs including 4 for 35 in Pallekele. If the ball was to reverse in Galle, Cummins and Mitchell Starc will play a significant part in shaping the series.What role can Australia’s pace play?•AFP/Getty Images

Form guide

(Last five completed matches; most recent first)

Sri Lanka WDLLW

Australia WDDWD

In the spotlight

Lasith Embuldeniya has a good record in Galle having taken 32 wickets at 26.15 including a 10-wicket haul against England. But he enters this series with the spotlight on him after a disappointing tour of Bangladesh. It might be unfair to compare a 25-year-old who has played 16 Tests to a bowler like Herath who took 433 Test wickets. But Australia’s record against left-arm spin since 2016 is damning as they average just 21.36 as a unit, the worst of all the major nations in that time. Jayawickrama is the other option in the squad, but the responsibility will fall on Embuldeniya’s shoulders to cause some chaos among Australia’s batters.Marnus Labuschagne was the No. 1 Test batter in the world at one stage earlier this year but it came with a large caveat. None of his six Test centuries had been scored away from home and he had played just six of his 23 Tests overseas, prior to the tour of Pakistan. He put pressure on himself in Pakistan to remove that qualifier from his record and nearly did in the first Test in Rawalpindi. But he had a disappointing tour thereafter, although it was Shaheen Shah Afridi more so than spin that brought about his undoing. He did battle against Sri Lanka’s spinners in the ODI series but the pressure of scoring at a rate saw him try to manoeuvre the ball square against the spin far more than ever would in Test cricket. He will be determined to make some significant scores in this series and Australia will need someone to go big if they are to be triumphant.Angelo Mathews will have a big part to play with the bat•AFP

Team news

Sri Lanka appeared to be heading towards a debut for legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay as one of three frontline spinners, leaving the pace bowling to Asitha Fernando. Pathum Nissanka, who impressed in the ODIs, will return at the top of the order after missing the Bangladesh series due to injurySri Lanka (possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Lasith Embuldeniya, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Kasun Rajitha/Jeffrey VandersayAustralia look set to pick the same side that won in Pakistan. There was a debate circling around the Australia camp about Mitchell Swepson’s place as the second spinner, with Victoria left-armer Jon Holland being heavily considered despite not playing a Test since 2018 and not being initially selected among six spinners named across Australia’s Test and Australia A squads. But Cummins confirmed on Tuesday that Swepson would play with Holland’s spinning finger not recovering from the A game following a limited preparation. Travis Head will be given time until the toss to prove his hamstring has recovered from the strain he suffered in the ODI series. If he doesn’t come up, Glenn Maxwell will play his first Test since 2017 and his first first-class match since 2019.Australia (possible): 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 David Warner, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head/Glenn Maxwell, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Mitchell Swepson

Pitch and conditions

There will be no surprises in Galle with spin likely to play a huge part. The practice pitches have spun sharply including the ones on the edge of the square. The playing strip has very little grass on it, but the pitches on either side of it have a solid covering of grass which could negate reverse swing if the ball doesn’t get roughed up on the square as quickly as it might do otherwise. It will be hot and humid and it wouldn’t be Sri Lanka in July without some rain around but it’s unlikely there will be many delays over the five days.

Stats and trivia

• In 21 Tests in Galle, teams have chosen to bat first 20 times after winning the toss and only three times have teams lost having won the toss and batted. Sri Lanka suffered two of those losses against England in Galle last year.
• In five Tests in Galle since 2018, the average first innings score has been 273, with batters averaging just 26.98 against spin. Spinners have taken 78% of the wickets and bowled 77% of the overs in those Tests.
• Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne has scored 848 runs at 65.23 from his last 14 innings in Galle, scoring three fifties and three centuries. Angelo Mathews is the only other player with more than 500 runs at Galle in that time.
• Mitchell Starc took 11 for 94 at Galle in 2016. He is the only fast bowler to have taken 10 wickets in a Test match at the venue.

“Every opportunity we get to play together is vital now to try and find our mojo again,” says England coach ahead of Sunday’s India game

Matt Roller27-Oct-20232:53

Have England failed to plan well for this World Cup?

Matthew Mott accepts that his position as England’s white-ball coach will come under pressure with his side on the brink of an early World Cup exit, but said he is “fully determined” that he and captain Jos Buttler can turn things around in the future.Mott was appointed on a four-year contract in May 2022 and Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket, made clear to him that he would be judged on results at World Cups rather than bilateral series, where England have routinely rested first-choice players.He oversaw their success at the T20 World Cup in Australia last year, sealing England’s legacy as world champions in both white-ball formats. But after four defeats in their first five group games in India this month, England’s semi-final hopes are merely theoretical and Mott’s role will be scrutinised.Related

• England balancing act leaves them staring into World Cup abyss

• England's woes weigh heavy on Jos Buttler, the captain

“Jos and I are incredibly aligned and united,” Mott said after England’s latest defeat, an eight-wicket thrashing by Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. “Rob Key has been an amazing support to us [but] when you lose tournaments like this, everyone’s under scrutiny; everyone’s place will be questioned.”I’m fully determined that we can turn this around. I’ve got great faith in Jos: he’s hurting now and he’ll be feeling like there’s a lot on him. I certainly feel like I could have done things a lot better. But I’ve been in the job 18 months: we’ve won a World Cup and lost a World Cup. I think I’ve shown the capability that I can coach this team.”Buttler said on Thursday night that he retains “a lot of confidence and belief in myself as a leader” despite England’s results, but conceded that his future lies in the hands of the ECB. “If you’re asking if I should still be captaining the team, that’s a question for the guys above me,” he said.Mott is used to coaching at World Cups with high expectations after seven years with Australia’s women. Under his leadership, they won one 50-over World Cup and two T20 World Cups – though were also shocked by West Indies in the 2016 T20 final, and India in the 2017 50-over semi-finals.”I think, having experiences from the past where I’ve had tournaments like this, I’ve shown an ability to be able to turn things around,” Mott said. “So that’ll have to happen pretty quickly. But yeah, what will be, will be.”Matthew Mott•Getty Images

England travelled to Lucknow on Friday ahead of their next fixture against India on Sunday, for which they are massive underdogs. “[They] are probably raging favourites at the moment,” Mott said. “That’s an opportunity to restore some pride and confidence in the group, and every opportunity we get to play together is vital now to try and find our mojo again.”After picking a side comprising 11 players aged 30 or over for the first time in their ODI history against Sri Lanka, England will consider making changes again on Sunday. All four of the squad members who did not feature on Thursday – Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse and Sam Curran – are aged between 24 and 28.Mott did not commit to using young players for the rest of the World Cup, despite widespread expectations that England will overhaul their ODI set-up after this tournament. They still have four group matches to play, with fixtures against Australia, Netherlands and Pakistan after Sunday’s clash with India.”We’ll just try and keep picking our best side for the conditions – as we’ve tried to do all the way throughout,” Mott said. “What we need to get our heads around is restoring pride… that is our first priority at the moment: to make sure we come out and give India a good scrap, and hopefully perform a lot better than we have.”Brook was left out in favour of Liam Livingstone against Sri Lanka, but is England’s third-highest run-scorer of the tournament and one of only four batters to reach 50 in an innings. Asked specifically about his omission, Mott said: “Harry Brook is going to be a world-class player in all three formats.”We picked what we thought was the best balance for this and certainly after losing those wickets, the deeper batting line-up gave us a chance. We thought we could keep throwing punches through the back-end but it wasn’t to be today. Harry will have an amazing white-ball future: he’s a special player.”

It means she will again be working alongside former England coach Lisa Keightley

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2023England captain Heather Knight will lead Sydney Thunder in this year’s WBBL, taking over from the retired Rachael Haynes.Thunder finished bottom last season but had a strong draft last month where they secured South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp and England quick Lauren Bell alongside Knight.Related

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It means that Knight will link back up in a leadership capacity with former England coach Lisa Keightley who took over in charge of Thunder to replace Trevor Griffin after the 2022-23 campaign brought just one win in 14 matches.Knight was previously part of the Thunder side which won the title in 2020-21 when she was their leading run-scorer with 446 at 40.54 and a strike-rate of 124.92.”We’re thrilled to have Heather captain Thunder this summer. She’s an incredibly experienced leader and the perfect fit to take us into this new era at the club.” Keightley said. “She’s one of the most gutsy and determined individuals I’ve worked with and I’m excited to see the effect she’ll have on the group.”Her positive energy will be a great asset to an already strong side with the other international signings and domestic players we have lined up.”Thunder start their WBBL campaign with a local derby against Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval on October 22