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Three days on from the World Test Championship final, the Ageas Bowl (as it is once again allowed to be known) plays host to a final of a rather less epochal variety. The final T20I between England and Sri Lanka will be a daylight-hours dead rubber after England’s comprehensive victories in Cardiff earlier this week, and if that prospect fails to set your pulse racing then never fear – at least you’ll be able to flick over to Wales versus Denmark during the second innings if the going gets too stodgy.Perhaps that’s unfair. Thursday night’s rain-interrupted second encounter had its moments, perhaps most notably Sam Curran’s sublime side-foot into the stumps to run out Danushka Gunathilaka. But for all that England’s bowlers have been excellent in both contests, the grim truth is that Sri Lanka have limped along to consecutive totals of 129 and 111 in their 20 overs – a series run-rate of precisely one a ball. And impressive though their initial defence of that second total may have been, the jeopardy was short-lived once England’s middle-order pair of Liam Livingstone and Sam Billings had calibrated the appropriate tempo for their chase.It is, as Sri Lanka’s coach Mickey Arthur acknowledged, a case of No. 1 versus No. 9 in the ICC T20I rankings, and the gulf has been plain for all to see. Even the continued absence of England’s most accomplished white-ball batter is unlikely to close up the gap between the sides. Jos Buttler has been ruled out for the remainder of the Sri Lanka tour with a minor calf tear, but Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy – reunited at the top of the order – aren’t exactly a second-best option among white-ball opening partnerships.It’s hard to see exactly where Sri Lanka can hope to catch a break in this contest. Wanindu Hasaranga has impressed once again with his legspin, while their new-ball pairing of Dushmantha Chameera and Binura Fernando bowled with heart and fire in the Powerplay. But Adil Rashid goes from strength to strength, rising to every new role that Eoin Morgan seeks to audition him for, while Mark Wood’s lavish loosener-free pace is a bruising option to bomb the middle overs. When you’re barely stretching the ability of a player with as much star billing as Sam Curran, you know you’ve got your bases covered.Related

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• Mickey Arthur: They're No. 1, we're No. 9, and you can see the difference

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• Jos Buttler ruled out of Sri Lanka white-ball series with calf injury

Sri Lanka may be tempted to make changes to their line-up, particularly in the batting, but such is the volatility of their current team, at some stage too they will need simply to opt for continuity and trust their chosen players to come out of their shells. That said, it took until the eighth over on Thursday for Sri Lanka to post their first boundary, and nonsensically only two players all night managed so much as hit a four. Kusal Mendis top-scored with a run-a-ball 39; Isuru Udana ruined Chris Jordan’s figures with some belated intent in the 20th over of their innings. Without that, they might not even have scraped past 100.Who knows what England can learn from these contests, although the state of the wickets in Cardiff suggest that they are focused on used-pitch practice given the likelihood of the T20 World Cup taking place in the UAE, straight after the IPL has swiped what little juice the surfaces may have had. That is, after all, the real end-game. This is just another staging post in the quest for further ICC silverware.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)England WWLLWSri Lanka LLLWL

In the spotlight

Dawid Malan has been drafted into England’s ODI squad as a replacement for Buttler, which may help to reassure him that he is still a hugely valued part of the white-ball set-up. But there’s no question he’ll be feeling the heat as the focus intensifies on his place at No. 3. In six T20s this summer – two for England, four for Yorkshire – he has a highest score of 23, while his consecutive scores of 7 and 4 in Cardiff were, incredibly, only his second and third single-digit returns in 26 T20Is. A truer surface in Southampton may be what he needs to get back to his dominant best, although quite how much of a pointer that would be for the T20 World Cup’s conditions is anyone’s guess.Wanindu Hasaranga has been a flicker of hope in a rough period for Sri Lankan cricket. His three-card trick to bamboozle Sam Billings on Thursday capped another fine display of legspin – 2 for 20 in four overs on this occasion – and he is now ranked in the top ten T20I bowlers in the world, according to the ICC. With his combination of accuracy and variety, including a superb googly, if any one player is likely to put in the sort of performance that can earn Sri Lanka a consolation win, it is him.

Pitch and conditions

This will be the first T20 at the Ageas Bowl this season – Hampshire have played a glut of away games in the Blast while the ground was being used as India’s base ahead of the WTC final. To judge by that contest, there should be plenty of carry for the quicks on offer, but most importantly the weather is set fair after the nonsense of this time last week. A pleasant summer’s afternoon is in prospect, come what may.

Team news

As a rule, England are loath to make too many changes to their XIs, although the continued absence of Buttler has caused a degree of upheaval in their ranks. Bairstow is set to open with Jason Roy once more, and probably retain the gloves too, even though Billings was on standby to make his Test debut as a keeper against New Zealand earlier this month. After two blistering displays, Wood may be due a rest – compared to Chris Woakes, his recent workload has been whip-crackingly brutal. Woakes ought to return – otherwise, what did England hope to learn from his recall after a six-year gap? – but then there’s Moeen Ali, absent for ten T20Is and counting.England: (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Sam Billings, 7 Sam Curran, 8 David Willey, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Adil RashidThere’s a chance that Sri Lanka may choose to blood their latest all-round prospect, the 22-year-old Dhananjaya Lakshan, whose lusty hitting and variety-laden seam bowling shot to prominence at the recent Lanka Premier League, where he claimed at least one wicket in each of his outings, and thumped Galle Gladiators into the final with some timely hitting in their semi-final victory over Colombo Kings.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Perera (capt/wk), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Dhananjaya Lakshan, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Binura Fernando

Stats and trivia

• England have won five of their previous eight T20Is at Southampton, including the very first such contest they ever played – and only the second globally – by 100 runs against Australia in 2005.
• Sri Lanka have placed two T20Is at the ground, winning the first by two runs in 2006, but losing the second, ten years later, by eight wickets
• Sri Lanka are yet to score a boundary off Adil Rashid in the series, who has combined figures of 4 for 41 from his eight overs.

  Quotes

  “It’s something I’ve worked hard on for this sort of opportunity, to push my way into a team as someone that can offer something in all three facets of the game.”
  Allrounder Liam Livingstone believes he’s got the skills to enhance England’s T20I line-up“We’re consistently talking about freedom, about taking the handbrake off as a batting unit. But you can only bat as well as you’re allowed to and I thought England were world-class with the lengths they hit.”
  Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur praises the discipline and skill of England’s attack.

Heather Knight, the England captain, has expressed her disappointment at being given a used pitch to host India in the first women’s Test between the sides for seven years.Knight revealed on the eve of the match at Bristol’s County Ground that the pitch had been used for Gloucestershire’s T20 Blast fixture against Sussex last Friday and described the situation as “not ideal”.”We’d much prefer to be on a fresh one but it is what it is,” Knight said. “We found out last week, which obviously we tried to get changed, but it was a little bit too late for that to happen.”It’s unfortunate, it’s not ideal, we’d much rather be on a fresh one, but we don’t know how it’s going to play yet. It still could play very well. Generally, at Bristol you look at the deck, sometimes it looks not great but actually plays brilliantly. So yeah, look, it’s not ideal but it is what it is and we’re obviously going to have to perform as best we can on the wicket we’re given.”The provision of a used pitch at Taunton for the 2019 Women’s Ashes Test sparked controversy. On that occasion the same surface had been used during the men’s World Cup nearly six weeks prior. As it turned out, the pitch offered little assistance to anyone and the match ended in a draw allowing Australia to retain the Ashes.Related

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“We don’t know how it’s going to play necessarily,” Knight said. “Obviously slightly different with it being used but we’re confident we’ve got the squad and the XI that we’re going to pick to win this Test match.”At Taunton there was a lot of talk about the pitch and it didn’t actually do too much so I guess we’re going to have to wait and see and see how it plays.”It’s not something that we can change now. There’s no point looking too much into how it will play, we’ll obviously try to adapt as much as we can to the situation and how the wicket plays. We’ve got to go out there now and get our heads round playing on the pitch we’ve been given.”An ECB spokesperson said that the surfaces for all of England white-ball fixtures with India would be freshly prepared – with the exception of the second T20I at Hove, which would use a hybrid pitch.”We are all disappointed that the wicket for the LV= Insurance Test match against India will have had 37 overs played on it,” the spokesperson said. “We know that England Women deserve a fresh wicket and we are sorry that we were unable to provide that in this instance.”With the Test only being added to the calendar in mid-April, coupled with the lack of available first class grounds, we knew a fresh TV pitch was going to be a challenge. We accept that this issue shouldn’t have arisen and we will make sure it doesn’t happen in the future.”For her part, Mithali Raj, the India skipper, was prepared to play whatever conditions prevailed. “We are here to play a match,” she said. “Whatever strip we get, we will try and get a result out of it. That’s what our thought process is. Whether it’s a used wicket or a fresh wicket, as players and captain, I definitely want my team to get a result and for that it’s important we put down our strategies accordingly.”Unlike the Ashes, where the Test is the middle game in a multi-format series, this match kicks off India’s tour which also includes three ODIs and two T20Is. Each white-ball game is worth two points for a win while four points are up for grabs for victory in the Test with two each for a draw and one each for no result.Women’s Tests are a rarity and, as much as the players say they enjoy them, they are almost universal in stating their understanding that the shorter formats are the way forward for growing the game.England Women had to contend with a used pitch at Taunton during the 2019 Ashes•Getty Images

Even so, there is a sense of pressure to make each Test entertaining, something that Knight feels differs from the expectation on her male counterparts.”You obviously want to be entertaining and want to put on a show and show off the best of your skills and the best of women’s cricket,” she said. “But our job first and foremost is to try and win and be successful. That’s at the forefront of our mind, and if we can do both at the same time, even better.”I think often in women’s cricket, when we’re playing Test matches, we’re judged slightly to a different standard than the men’s game is. I think there’s games that you look at in isolation, a Test matches in the men’s game, that if it was a women’s game it would get looked at differently and judged on a different pedestal and saying it was attritional cricket or whatever, which I hope doesn’t happen this week.”As a group of players we want to be successful, we want to win, and obviously if we can entertain whilst that goes on, that’s even better. We certainly don’t want to be known as a boring side and have a draw but our first port of call is to win games of cricket and that’s what we’ll be looking to do this week.”Knight will be playing 100th match as England captain and her eighth Test match, with a proud record in the format including a highest score of 157 in the 2013 Ashes draw at Wormsley, her second Test appearance. More recently she scored 62 and 79 not out against Australia in 2017, which also ended in a draw.”I’m desperate to be successful in Test match cricket because it doesn’t come around very often,” Knight said. “I’ve had a little bit of success and will be desperate to have more.”For me personally, it’d be about my mental approach, being able to deal with the things that red-ball cricket throws at you, being able to concentrate for longer and being really tight, and also taking those opportunities to score that you get given.”

John Cornell, the Australian TV and film icon and one of the major architects behind World Series Cricket (WSC), has died at the age of 80 after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.Cornell played a central role in the creation of WSC when he took the idea to Kerry Packer in 1976. After initially struggling to get it off the ground, the format went on to revolutionise the game while also for a time threatening to tear it apart.Cornell was managing Dennis Lillee when the idea of WSC was first formed as a way of better paying players and he would be a key figure in signing other international stars to the competition. And it was Cornell who approached a Sydney advertising agency to create a jingle for the competition when it had struggled to take off in the first season – the outcome was the iconic “A classic Australian character, John Cornell made the lives he touched much richer, not only through donations, but also through his generosity of spirit, humour, humility and honour,” his family said in a statement. “A true egalitarian, John sought equity and equality, and fought for a fair go.”John’s acute instincts and sharp intelligence drove his rebellious push of World Series Cricket against the establishment for higher recognition and bigger salaries for the world’s players of his favourite game, reimagining, marketing and capturing it in a brand-new form.”Away from his impact on cricket, his achievements were legendary in TV and film including producing and co-writing which starred his long-time business partner Paul Hogan and remains the most profitable Australian movie of all time.Prior to the movie he started out as a journalist in Perth, then was the original producer of before a 16-year run of “John Cornell was a man of enormous intellect and a creative genius who managed to touch so many, but as importantly he was a man with a big heart that filled a room,” Michael Healy, Nine’s director of television, said.”From journalism with the creation of A Current Affair, through sport with World Series Cricket and entertainment with his mate Hoges they made magic on television for decades here at Nine.”

Tom Westley’s patient innings of 71 led Essex Eagles to a thrilling two-wicket Royal London Cup victory over Gloucestershire at the Bristol County Ground.The home side posted 204 all out in 49.1 overs after losing the toss, rescued from 73 for 5 by Jack Taylor’s battling 62 and a valuable 64 from George Scott.Shane Snater took three wickets in his final over for figures of 4 for 48, but off-spinner Simon Harmer was the pick of the Essex attack with 1 for 22 from his ten overs.In reply, the Eagles made 207 for 8, reaching their target off the last ball of the game. Aron Nijjar saw them home with a rapid 32 not out after Westley had laid the foundation with his 90-ball innings.Needing two to win off the final delivery from Jared Warner, Snater cut a short ball past backward point for four.Gloucestershire’s early slump was much of their own doing, having reached 46 for 1 following the early loss of skipper Chris Dent for a duck.Tom Lace fell to a decent delivery, Ryan ten Doeschate’s first of the game, which nipped back and pinned him leg before for 19.But James Bracey was then run out in a mix-up with Ben Charlesworth, who clipped the ball to mid-wicket and called for a quick single. Charlesworth appeared unsettled by the incident and, having played well to reach 22, offered a tame catch to point off Harmer.Then Graeme van Buuren failed to commit fully to a lofted drive and was caught and bowled by ten Doeschate.Taylor and Scott had no option but to build steadily, taking the score to 98 for 5 after 30 overs. Taylor was first to his half-century, off 71 balls, with four fours and a six. The pair had added 99 when he was caught aiming a big shot to leg off Nijar.Scott’s fifty occupied 75 deliveries, with five fours. He celebrated with a six over mid-wicket off Snater.But the 49th over from the same bowler saw Matt Taylor caught at long-off, Scott edge to short third and Josh Shaw taken at mid-off before Ben Allison ended the innings.Essex lost Alastair Cook with the score on 14, bowled behind his legs by Matt Taylor before left-arm spinner Tom Smith began to make inroads, getting the ball to grip from the Pavilion End.He bowled Will Buttleman with a delivery that straightened and had Michael Pepper well caught by the diving Charlesworth, who had just been posted as a second slip.Westley moved to a sound fifty, made from 65 balls, with five fours, and found a reliable partner in 20-year-old Josh Rymell. Playing his first List A innings, the youngster moved to 30 before being bowled attempting to sweep a full delivery from van Buuren with the total on 120.The experienced ten Doeschate could make only five before lofting a catch to long off to give van Buuren his second wicket and Adam Wheater quickly fell lbw to Taylor.Harmer was stumped advancing to van Buuren before Westley was controversially run out, a bail apparently already dislodged before wicketkeeper Bracey broke the stumps.It didn’t matter because Nijar came in to smack two sixes and two fours, turning the game in the final overs.

New Zealand saved their best batting display for the last game as they revelled in the leniency showed by Shere Bangla National Stadium curator Gamini Silva. On a pitch much more conducive for strokeplay, they piled up 161 for 5 and beat Bangladesh by 27 runs. Tom Latham struck his second fifty of the series and Finn Allen played a telling innings as well. His 41 off 24 balls gave the visitors the perfect start after they decided to bat first for the fourth time in the series.Bangladesh were, predictably, off colour, having chosen only three specialist bowlers in the XI, leaving nine overs in the care of part-timers. Shoriful Islam, playing for the first time in the series, took two wickets but looked rusty.Chasing 162, Bangladesh made a poor start, leaving too much for the middle-order to do in the last ten overs. Afif Hossain blazed briefly to make an unbeaten 49, but ran out of partners.Ajaz Patel, once again, led the way with 2 for 21 from his four overs, but it was how New Zealand batted that made most of the difference.Allen lives by the sword, dies by the sword
Allen promised that he will bat in his own way. He failed to launch in the previous two matches, but lived up to his billing in this game. He began by pulling a Nasum Ahmed half-tracker for six, before taking Shoriful apart with two fours and a six in the fourth over.Allen repeated the dose, hitting Shoriful for another four and six, this time waiting on the slower-ball to hammer it over deep square leg. But Shoriful struck back in the same over, first removing Rachin Ravindra for 17, before clean bowling Allen as well. Against what was the last ball of the powerplay, Allen missed a hoick going across his stumps, staying true to his style.Latham provides final flourish
Taking two more wickets, Bangladesh left New Zealand (83 for 4 in the 11th over) with the same problem of the previous four matches. But Latham kept them on track, with a nice blend of ones and twos and boundaries. He added 35 runs for the fifth wicket with Henry Nicholls, who was brilliantly caught behind by Nurul Hasan.Latham then went for the jugular, adding 43 in the last 3.3 overs with Colin McConchie. In the process, the New Zealand stand-in captain raised his second fifty of the series, which has been played on some very tricky pitches. He struck two fours and two sixes, both off Taskin Ahmed in the 19th over and both hammered over midwicket.Bangladesh sink fastThe home side couldn’t adjust to a better pitch, getting bogged down during the powerplay, unable to reach even a six an over. Liton Das finished the series poorly, falling for 10 thanks to Scott Kuggeleijn taking a brilliant one-handed catch at backward point.Soumya Sarkar was also caught at point, cutting at a ball without any balance. Next over, Ben Sears took his maiden T20I wicket, getting Mohammad Naim caught behind for 23. Mushfiqur Rahim became the third batter to fall in as many overs when he holed out to Colin de Grandhomme, off Ravindra. On 48 for 4 at the half-way mark, Bangladesh were sinking fast.NZ douse a brief spark
Mahmudullah and Afif revived Bangladesh’s innings with a 63-run fifth wicket stand. There were some breathtaking shots, particularly Afif’s flicked four and six off Sears, which led to two big overs, the 14th and 15th, that yielded 24 for the home side.But when Mahmudullah holed out at sweeper cover for 23, the sting was gone. Nurul and Shamim Hossain made 4 and 2 respectively, before the tail caved in. Afif struck two fours and three sixes in his 33-ball stay.Every New Zealand bowler took a wicket, with Patel and Kuggeleijn taking two each. It was a fine effort, one that they can take to Pakistan for the ODIs and T20Is as encouragement.

Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s T20I captain, has spent more time on the physio’s table than at the crease in India colours in 2021 but is hopeful of finally being able to change that.In March, a hip-flexor injury limited her participation in the T20I series against South Africa at home. In April, she was forced to isolate herself after testing positive for Covid-19. Then, she suffered a groin injury that hampered her form and fitness during the England tour and her campaign at the Hundred with Manchester Originals.Related

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Having overcome all that, she flew to Australia and underwent a 14-day hard quarantine, before being hit on the thumb in one of her first few net sessions on tour. It forced her out of the ODIs and the one-off Test.Now, after several training sessions and the confidence of hitting balls in the nets and undergoing fielding drills full tilt, Harmanpreet wants to make up for lost time and is looking forward to the cricket that is coming up.While the focus remains around next year’s 50-over World Cup, Harmanpreet will have a good run of matches over the next two months – she is one of seven Indians to participate in the WBBL – leading into the tournament. For now, she is excited to be back leading the team as they prepare for the T20I leg of the multi-format series against Australia on the Gold Coast. India currently trail 4-6 and will need a clean sweep to clinch the series.”It was tough, initially, we didn’t play for a year, and then when opportunities came, I got injured back to back,” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the first T20I. “You have to accept it sometimes and give time to yourself. Personally, if I keep feeling things aren’t going my way, I’ll end up draining myself, which isn’t good for me. Right now, I am looking forward to playing whatever comes my way. I want to give it my 100%. I’m very thankful to the support staff for taking care of me and managing my workload.”Harmanpreet revealed missing the pink-ball Test was frustrating because she was very close to starting in the XI. “Initially, when I got injured, I was not able to bat or field,” she said. “From the second and third day of the Test, I was able to do that. If we had four more days between the Tests and ODIs, I could’ve played, but unfortunately, we didn’t have that much time.”It [sitting out of the ODIs and one-off Test] was tough, but I learnt a lot even sitting outside. I’m batting well, I’m fielding well. I didn’t play the Test because my fielding was being hampered. Had there been a four-day gap, maybe, I could have. But now I’m confident. I’m absolutely fine and looking forward to lots of cricket coming up.”Then she explained the “learnt a lot bit” by touching upon how the psyche of the team has been different across the last six months. The change of head coach from WV Raman to Ramesh Powar, along with the focus on improving the fast bowling pool and middle-overs batting has meant making a number of changes along the way in search of better balance.Harmanpreet has had a ringside view of all these, which she elaborated. “See, when we played South Africa and England [earlier in the year], we were playing after a long time,” she said. “We were building our team, and we made changes. Players were coming back in [after a while], and it takes time to get back as a group. After both series, now we are all in a great frame of mind.”Everyone understands their game better after playing in back-to-back series. Things are clear. Both those series helped me learn and build individually and as a team. The three-match T20Is coming up is very important, and everyone is confident and in great form. Smriti [Mandhana] and Shafali [Verma] with the bat, the bowling department has done a great job in the ODIs and Test, everyone is taking equal responsibility, and these are good signs.”Harmanpreet gave a pat to the multi-format nature of the tour that she felt threw up opportunities to players with diverse skillsets. “Earlier, we played a lot of T20s or 50-over cricket. Now this [multi-format tour] gives everyone an opportunity to work on their skills. Say someone has good hitting skills, someone is more patient – everyone gets equal opportunities to prove and perform.”The momentum we created in the ODIs, it’s important, and we want to continue that in the T20Is. We need to win all three to win the series, and we want to go all out. We will go with our best talent because we want to win this series at any cost.”

James Pattinson’s decision to retire from international cricket did not come as a huge surprise to his Victoria coach, and former Australia team-mate, Chris Rogers who had sensed the fast bowler was struggling for motivation during the longer winter months.Pattinson was expected to be in the frame for the Ashes but had been battling a knee injury during pre-season and made the call to bring an end to a Test career during which, when his body allowed, he often showed his destructive ability with 81 wickets at 26.33. At home, his numbers were even more impressive with 49 wickets from 11 matches at 21.87Related

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His career has been hampered by numerous injuries but he recovered from major back surgery to make the 2019 Ashes then played twice during the following home summer against New Zealand. He was part of Australia’s Test squad last season until an accident at home left him with fractured ribs.”He’s been through so much in his career,” Rogers said. “He has played through pain a lot of the time and that wears you down. You get a little bit older and your motivation starts to change. He’ll be thinking about his family and life after cricket.”We’ve known [each other] for a little while. We’ve observed him closely over this pre-season. When you have a caged lion in the depths of winter in the indoor center trying to get motivated you can sense something is a little bit amiss. We probably felt there were a few question marks about what he would do and he’s made the decision.”Rogers played three Tests alongside Pattinson. “[He had] so much energy. Sometimes, he found it hard to control [the ball] but other times, when he did it was epic to watch,” he said.Pattinson will continue playing state and BBL cricket and also hinted he would look to return to county cricket next season. Victoria also have a crop of young pace bowlers with Pattinson keen to help mentor them.”Every time he plays for us we improve dramatically as a side. The way he lifts people around him is fantastic,” Rogers said of his impact for Victoria.Nick Cummins, the Cricket Victoria CEO, said: “Throughout his career, he has consistently challenged the very best batters in the world. James’ journey has included injury hurdles and setbacks, which he has shown the determination to fight his way back from. He always took great pride in representing his country and was the ultimate competitor every time he stepped on the field for Australia.”

At 97 Tests, Ishant Sharma was arguably the most improved bowler in the history of Test cricket. In the first half of his career at that point, Ishant averaged 38.44. In the second half he took wickets at 27.21 each. In the last third – which was 33 Tests – he averaged 22.90. In his last 18 Tests at that point, he conceded only 19.14 runs per wicket. Since the injury in New Zealand, though, he has averaged 32.71 over eight Tests, which is back to being consistent with his career numbers. Commentators have said during the England tour and the Kanpur Test that he has lacked rhythm, which affects the pace and the movement you generate.

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India’s new bowling coach Paras Mhambrey feels it is a matter of getting overs in his legs before he regains the rhythm. “Ishant hasn’t played much Test cricket for a long time,” Mhambrey said after the team landed in Mumbai. “He hasn’t played the IPL and the World Cup as well. That does make a difference. Yes we are working on it. He has got enough experience under his belt.”Ishant went wicketless in his 22 overs in Kanpur but Mhambrey said it was not a big concern because he still brings with him the experience of 105 Tests. “Obviously it makes a huge difference having him in the dressing room with the experience that he has,” Mhambrey said. “An opportunity for other bowlers to spend some time with him and understand the nuances of fast bowling. He is a great help around. Something which we will work on is his rhythm. We are aware of it. He needs a couple of games under his belt to get that rhythm going. He will be back for sure.”Ishant Sharma has averaged 32.71 over eight Tests since his injury in New Zealand•PTI

Does that mean Ishant gets to play in Mumbai to get back into rhythm or does Mohammed Siraj replace him? Or do both of them play?Related

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“We will have a look at the wicket, then we will see what combination is right: three spinners and two seamers or two spinners and three seamers,” Mhmabrey said. “Depending on that we will decide the playing XI. But everybody in the group believes whoever is part of the team is good enough to represent the country. And we know that the potential they have in winning the games for us. We will decide the combination on the surface, but whomever plays, we believe, has the ability to win the game for India.”India’s training two days before the Test was cancelled because of rain in Mumbai so they perhaps don’t know yet what the pitch has to offer. India will be hoping there is more on offer than there was in Kanpur. “I think we are happy, honestly,” Mhambrey said when asked about the bowling effort in Kanpur where India fell one wicket short of a win. “If you look at the outcome of the game – yes we want to win the Test match, we were so close – but looking at the wicket it was not that kind of surface.1:58

Jaffer: Siraj might replace Ishant in Mumbai

“We knew in the morning that this is not the kind of surface where you turn up and run through a side. We knew it was going to be hard work. Especially there was no bounce, the ball was keeping low. Unfortunately, a couple of edges didn’t carry. Had that happened it would have been a different result. A lot of positive we can take, especially in the effort that we put in. Honestly, I feel we made a game out of it. Picking 19 wickets on that surface wasn’t easy. But we really took it to the end.”One of the big efforts was made by Umesh Yadav.”Very happy with the way Umesh bowled, especially in the second innings,” Mhmabrey said. “There was one spell where he troubled Kane and that’s so positive and happy to see it on that kind of surface. He created opportunities for us. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get the wicket. [But] That created opportunities for others to rally around. Very happy to see that on that pitch. A really, really special spell. We wanted someone to put his hand up and say, ‘I will give it my best’. He tried his best even though he didn’t pick the wicket.”While Mhambrey will be involved in the selection of the bowlers, he is glad he is not part of the group that will decide who makes way for the returning captain, Virat Kohli. There is also likely to be a debate around Wriddhiman Saha, who didn’t keep for long in the last Test because of a stiff neck, and KS Bharat. That decision, Mhambrey said, was going to be made based on the physios’ assessment of Saha’s injury. As of now he has neither been cleared nor ruled out.

Sri Lankan batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 30, has announced his intention to retire from international cricket. He handed in a letter of resignation to Sri Lanka Cricket, citing “familial obligations”. Rajapaksa for his part is yet speak on the matter.”I have very carefully considered my position as a player, husband and am taking this decision looking forward to fatherhood and associated familial obligations,” SLC cited Rajapaksa’s resignation letter as stating.Despite only a brief period on the international stage, Rajapaksa has had his fair share of career ups and downs. Known for his explosive middle-order hitting, the left-handed bat first made waves as a promising schoolboy cricketer. He most-notably finished as Sri Lanka’s top run scorer in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup.The next decade saw Rajapaksa grind the domestic circuit. He made 4087 first-class runs at an average of 36.49. In List A (and T20 cricket, he made 2842 and 1912 runs respectively. In choosing to retire, he gives an undoubted sense of unfulfilled potential.This would prove to be a theme of sorts after Rajapaksa eventually made his national team debut in 2019 with the T20 side; he would make his ODI debut in 2021. His 18 T20Is brought 320 runs at an average of 26.66, including two fifties, the second of which was a memorable match-winning effort in a 2021 T20 World Cup chase against Bangladesh, while his five ODIS produced 89 runs at 17.80. He also last month led the Galle Gladiators to the final of the Lanka Premier League, where his team lost out to the Jaffna Stallions.Much of the noise surrounding the 30-year-old though has stemmed from his run-ins with the board surrounding his fitness. He was fined US$ 5000 in July last year after he gave an interview in which he criticised his omission from the national team. This prompted then head coach Mickey Arthur to hit back, calling into question the Rajapaksa’s attitude. Rajapaksa is understood to have failed a mandatory skinfold test, while was also pulled up for poor weight management and substandard fielding.The reintroduction of skinfold tests had been part of a fitness-oriented revamp of Sri Lanka cricket’s selection process. Rajapaksa, to his credit, worked on his fitness and fielding and found his way back into the national side, where he and Arthur eventually patched up their relationship.Rajapaksa acknowledged the “differences” the pair had in a farewell tweet following the end of Arthur’s tenure last month, to which Arthur responded: “I am so glad that you are delivering on your amazing talent and loved working with you! I just want to see you be the best you can be….keep on this path and the world is your oyster!”Prior to Arthur’s departure as head coach, Rajapaksa had become a regular member of the Sri Lanka national setup, however this seemed to once more be brought into question after SLC last month announced tougher fitness benchmarks starting from 2022.Players will now be expected to run 2km in a minimum of 8.10 minutes, down from 8.55 minutes last year, itself increased from the original benchmark of 8.35 minutes following player complaints. As things stand, players who run below 8.10 minutes will be eligible for selection, while those who clear 8.35 minutes will be eligible for selection but with a percentage of their contract fee withheld. Skinfold test benchmarks meanwhile have reduced from 85 to 70.There has been speculation that Rajapaksa’s decision to resign was prompted by the new fitness requirements.Former Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been one of the notable voices asking Rajapaksa to reconsider his decision. “Representing your country at International level is not an easy task and players always face so many challenges. I truly believe that @BhanukaRajapak3 has a lot more to give to Sri Lankan cricket and I request him to reconsider his decision to retire from International cricket,” Malinga tweeted.

How the match played out
A day after announcing his break from T20Is, Tamim Iqbal played one of his most destructive innings. It led to Minister Group Dhaka’s nine-wicket win over Sylhet Sunrisers with three overs to spare. A smiling Tamim finished things off with his umpteenth cover-driven boundary as he and Mohammad Shahzad made a mockery of the 176-run chase.The Dhaka opening pair brought up the first century stand of the BBL 2022, which ended at 173 when Shahzad got out with the target three runs away. Tamim’s century upended Lendl Simmons’ 65-ball 116, which was the first hundred of the season.The win lifted Dhaka from the bottom of the points table to fourth position, while Sylhet lost their second game in three outings.Big hit
Tamim was dropped on nought when Mohammad Mithun failed to latch on to a tough chance at slip off Taskin Ahmed. After the reprieve, the opener didn’t let the Sylhet bowlers settle. He hammered the ball through the covers, both from the crease and while charging the bowlers. He also scored runs down the ground, but his most productive area was behind square on the leg side, where he hit six fours and one six.Shahzad, for once, was the quieter of the two openers. When Tamim reached his fifty, Shahzad was on 14. The Afghan marauder did get his boundaries eventually, with well-timed cuts and wristy flicks, but he mostly played a supportive role.Earlier in the day, Simmons provided entertainment as well. He struck all five of his sixes down the ground, two over long-off and the other three towards long-on or wide long-on. During his stay, Simmons also hit 14 fours, most of which were through the off side.Andre Russell bore the brunt of Simmons’ big-hitting, conceding 42 runs off 14 balls against him, including seven fours and two sixes.Big miss
Simmons made 116, but the rest of the Sylhet batters combined to score only 52 runs off 55 balls, hitting just four fours and two sixes between them. This is where Sylhet fell behind in the match. They also missed the left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam, who took seven wickets in the last two matches including 4 for18 in their previous match against Dhaka. In the same match, however, Nazmul injured his right hand and was ruled out of this game.