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Combined Campuses and Colleges’ bowlers ensured their team’s place in the final of the Regional Super50, comfortably defending a modest to beat Trinidad & Tobago by 140 runs in a big upset in Bridgetown

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCombined Campuses and Colleges’ bowlers ensured their team’s place in the final of the Regional Super50, comfortably defending a modest to beat Trinidad & Tobago by 140 runs in a big upset in Bridgetown. CCC batted first, with the openers putting together 45 runs for the first wicket. After Chadwick Walton was dismissed, Anthony Alleyne took over the anchoring role, building a 37-run partnership for the third wicket with captain Kyle Corbin, before putting on an 83-run stand with Nekoli Parris. The T&T bowlers did a good job in restricting the scoring after a belligerent start from the openers. Alleyne ultimately fell in the 48th over, just one run short of a deserved century, after he was given leg before to Yannick Ottley. CCC posted 232 for 7 at the end of their fifty overs, with Ottley picking up best figures of 3 for 37.T&T had a horror start in their reply, being reduced to 19 for 3 by Keswick Williams, before continually losing wickets at regular intervals. Only three batsman were able to get into double digits as the innings was controlled through effective bowling and fielding from CCC. There were a total of three run outs affected in the innings, with Williams picking up fine figures of 3 for 16, and was ably supported by Raymon Reifer (2 for 11) and Akeem Dewar (2 for 14). They were dismissed for 92 in the 32nd over, giving CCC a resounding 140-run victory, and propelling them into the final on Sunday, where they will play the winner between Jamaica and Windward Islands.

Surrey claimed three bowling points but Notts fought back well in the final session, or at least Steven Mullaney did

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge15-May-2013
ScorecardJames Taylor made 47 before playing on as Notts struggled with the bat•Getty ImagesNottinghamshire would be attracting as much attention as Surrey for reasons they had not anticipated but for their points tally having been inflated by a win over Derbyshire.Neither side has shown much so far to justify pre-season optimism yet they produced an opening day of compelling intensity that suggested better to come from both. Surrey claimed three bowling points but Notts fought back well in the final session, or at least Steven Mullaney did.Mullaney stepped in neatly where Notts usually look to Chris Read as the man to pull them out of a tricky spot. They could not on this occasion as, rarely, their wicketkeeper and captain is injured, which might be mentioned merely in passing but for the fact that Read had not previously missed a Championship match since he was trying to forge a Test career in 2006. He had made 98 consecutive appearances since the start of the 2007 season and there was talk of a presentation being made had he completed a century. Sadly, a nagging neck injury has put paid to that.In his absence, therefore, someone else had to step up after Notts, asked to bat first, had struggled to 181 for 7 as a Surrey attack, in which there was no place for Chris Tremlett, made them work hard for runs, even on a pitch that looks essentially sound.Mullaney, who has shown before that he has something of Read’s doggedness in his mindset, provided what was required in an eighth-wicket stand of 66, although there was much merit too in the support offered by Ajmal Shahzad, whose restraint and discipline reflected well on him. He faced 84 balls for his eight runs, barely striking a blow in anger, and was cross with himself in the end for failing to resist a Jade Dernbach bouncer that had him caught behind off a top edge.It was a second wicket for Dernbach, who had looked as though he might be the bowler of the day when he wrecked Alex Hales’ stumps in his second over. Hales, who earned compliments for the new discipline in his batting after an unusually patient half-century in the win over Derbyshire, has since returned scores of 4, 2, 0 and 4, much to his own frustration.In the event it was not Dernbach but Stuart Meaker and Tim Linley who did most to justify Gareth Batty’s decision to field. Meaker, whose high ambitions for this season have not been helped by a thigh injury, ended Ed Cowan’s hopes of building on a morning of hard graft when he bowled him off an inside edge shortly before lunch, and struck again soon afterwards when Michael Lumb, beaten three times by Dernbach in the preceding over, tried to work him through midwicket only to be caught off a leading edge at mid-off.The pressure on the home side had grown through a string of maidens — seven in his first 10 overs — from Tim Linley, who was unlucky to go wicketless before lunch but was rewarded in the afternoon when Samit Patel, forced to defend on the back foot, edged to first slip, where Gary Wilson took a good catch.Of the front line batsmen, only James Taylor had looked in any way at ease. Captain for this match, Taylor’s innings had for the most part been a mix of well-judged leaves and sweetly timed boundaries until, three short of a half-century, he misjudged a ball from Linley that he chopped on to his leg stump.Meaker by then had beaten Riki Wessels for pace and claimed a fourth wicket when Paul Franks was drawn into nibbling at one outside off stump, at which moment Notts were not well fancied even to scrape a solitary batting point.In the end they picked up two thanks to Mullaney, who drew confidence from six fours and a second half-century in as many games to take on even Dernbach ultimately, taking 12 in one over, including six pulled over midwicket, although those were the last of his runs before he was leg before to Linley for 68 in the next over.Wessels will keep wicket in place of Read, while Franks’s first appearance of the season will be curtailed should England decide to go without Stuart Broad or Graeme Swann at Lord’s.

There was nothing wrong with Surrey’s commitment here, and not much awry with their cricket, either

David Lloyd at Arundel13-Jun-2013
ScorecardMichael Yardy was the one batsman to pass fifty on a tricky pitch•PA PhotosThere was nothing wrong with Surrey’s commitment here, and not much awry with their cricket, either. But taking complete command of a Championship match remains beyond them, for another day at least.Having won a toss they would not have been distraught to lose, bowling first had to be the right decision – given that the pitch spent all of a wet day one under cover and conditions this morning were ripe for a bit of lateral movement.But, as is almost always the way at this delightful tree-ringed and grassy banked ground, batting was not even close to being an impossible occupation, meaning that the visitors could never quite claim to have a significant advantage, despite periods of real success and a four-wicket haul for the deserving Tim Linley.Given that Sussex are the leaders and their opponents arrived only one place off the bottom, denying all but Mike Yardy a half-century can count as a Surrey triumph. Collectively, though, the hosts posted the sort of total which could yet see them in a position to apply pressure over the final two days.This was a situation, and a grafter’s pitch, made for Yardy. More than happy to dig in, play low and wait for opportunities to drive and pull, the left-hander enabled Sussex to overcome the early loss of Luke Wells and the unexpected departure of Chris Nash, just before lunch, with some comfort.Getting rid of Wells, lbw to Jade Dernbach when shouldering arms, counted as a perfect start for Surrey. Back in April, the opener scored a double hundred at The Oval, having made a century in each of last season’s four-day fixtures between the two sides. But it was Nash’s dismissal that underlined the need for care on this surface.Driving at Linley, Nash was undone by a ball that appeared to stick in the pitch, was through his shot too early and succeeded only in poking a simple catch to cover.Thereafter, Yardy and, for a time, Ed Joyce, kept Surrey’s attack at bay with confidence and increasing success. Indeed, six overs immediately after lunch yielded 34 runs with Linley and Dernbach, especially, being punished for errors of length.Joyce fell victim to a combination of pitch and lightning reflexes – miscuing a pull against one that also stopped on him but then looking aghast as Linley stuck out a hand to hold a return catch to treasure. But Yardy appeared well set for a second century of the season, only to have those thoughts ended by a yorker-length delivery that capped an excellent spell from Zander de Bruyn.Soon it was time for the pendulum to swing Surrey’s way. Matt Prior, victim of a controversial catch at Lord’s last week, survived two chances in the deep but could not get away with a third error, top-edging a sweep against left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari. Then Ben Brown had his stumps re-arranged by one from Dernbach that nipped back and Sussex were in trouble at 206 for 6.In trouble, but not in tatters. Luke Wright, hero of that great escape against Middlesex at Lord’s last weekend, and Chris Jordan both scored useful runs with some ease to put this match perfectly back in the balance.The second new ball did for Sussex’s last four wickets in just 10 overs. Then Surrey survived the final 24 deliveries without alarm. Yes, the visitors can be said to have their noses in front, just about, but this contest could yet go any one of three ways. Perfect, really.

Even in the midst of a defeat that will sting as much as any in recent Ashes memory, Darren Lehmann and Australia had reason not to get too wrapped up in grief about a game of cricket as news of the death of Jason Gillespie’s father, Neil, came in

Daniel Brettig15-Jul-2013Even in the midst of a defeat that will sting as much as any in recent Ashes memory, Darren Lehmann and Australia had reason not to get too wrapped up in grief about a game of cricket. On the fourth evening of the Test match word went around the team, and others in Nottingham, that Jason Gillespie’s father Neil had died while visiting his son and their family in Leeds.This was sobering news for Lehmann, a close friend of Gillespie’s since their days playing together with South Australia and then the national side. It also offered a reminder of why Lehmann has pushed for his players to be balanced in their lives, and why a narrow loss at Trent Bridge should not be carried too heavily with them on the journey down to London.”Try to relax at the right times is our motto,” Lehmann said. “We want to have fun. It’s a game of cricket. After the game [on Saturday night] I spoke to one of my great mates, Jason Gillespie, who lost his father yesterday. That puts things in a bit of perspective. So we’re playing a game, yes it’s a big Ashes series, but as we talk about all the time there’s a bit more important things that go on than a game of cricket.”We like to relax and be quite comfortable around everyone and hopefully the guys have been respectful of you guys and helpful. That’s a big thing for us. But when we play our cricket we want to play it hard and fair. There’s all other things other things outside.”Not letting the memories of Nottingham loom too large over the second Test will be critical to Australia’s chances of levelling the series at Lord’s. Lehmann said his years in the game had taught him to hang on to anything positive that may be gained from a painful defeat while discarding the rest. Memories of Peter Siddle, Ashton Agar, Phillip Hughes and Brad Haddin will provide some sort of sustenance when training resumes on Tuesday.”It was a fantastic game of cricket for everyone to watch,” Lehmann said. “It would have been nice to get the other runs but we didn’t get them so we’ve got to bounce back quickly and come Thursday play a good brand of cricket again, a nice attacking brand. There’s a lot of positives for us out of that game. So moving forward, no dramas in getting the lads ready. Have a day or an afternoon off, head down to London and away we go again.”Lehmann’s first Test as Australia’s coach will never be forgotten and it was clear that he lived every ball with his players, whether beaming at Agar’s efforts or cursing Stuart Broad’s unjust reprieve. “It was tense, wasn’t it? It was tense Test match cricket,” he said. “That’s why the players play the game. It’s probably worse for us sitting back watching to be perfectly honest. It’s a lot easier for the guys out there, the fielders and the batters. For us it’s always tense.”

India A bowlers defended a total of 243 to beat Australia A by 50 runs in the final of the A-team tri-series

The Report by Firdose Moonda in Pretoria14-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Dinesh Karthik’s 73 and his stand with Shikhar Dhawan helped India to a challenging 243•AFPIt was only a shade over half of what they showed they were capable of – 243 instead of 433 – but India A’s bowlers defended it to win the tri-series. In doing so, they bowled Australia A out for the lowest total of the week-long tournament, which has been played at a small ground on flat pitches and was, until today, a struggle for the bowlers.Australia A’s attack showed what discipline could do as they reined in India A from 141 for 2 after 23 overs to 243 all out. Through tight lines and fairly full lengths, they ensured India A only posted two partnerships higher than 20. Their last five wickets fell for 14 runs as they recorded the third-lowest total of the tournament.Through a display of inept stroke-making and poor shot selection, Australia A’s line-up did themselves no favours on a surface that finally showed a few sparks of life. India A’s quicks were able to extract slight extra bounce but it was not a strip that justified Australia A’s dismal showing in what should have been the event’s climax.Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch seemed determine to polish off the total in quick time. Marsh drove Mohammed Shami powerfully for four while Finch charged Suresh Raina, who opened the bowling, for a six and then a four in successive overs.The big hitting soon cost them. Finch tried to heave Shami down the ground but missed, and the ball found its way into the massive gap between bat and pad to bowl him. Shami got Marsh out to a similar shot – the batsman tried to pull him over mid-on but found Cheteshwar Pujara instead.Despite being two down early on, the Australian approach did not change. Glenn Maxwell took on Ishwar Pandey and enjoyed fleeting success before pulling off Raina and falling in a manner similar to Marsh. At 50 for 3, Australia A needed consolidation but India sensed opportunity.When Nic Maddinson got a healthy edge off Pandey, Raina leapt up at slip to pluck the ball out of the sky. And when Mitchell Marsh went too far down from the non-striker’s end after thinking of a sneaky single, Rohit Sharma was quick to get to the ball and ran him out. At 53 for 5, the only thing left for Australia A was to find a dignified way to end their challenge.They were in danger of missing out on that ending when Moises Henriques and Nathan Coulter-Nile both fell to Shahbaz Nadeem, the former edging to Raina, the latter being stumped by some distance. But Tim Paine and Josh Hazlewood batted manfully in an eight-wicket stand of 54 before Hazlewood became Nadeem’s third victim. Wriddhiman Saha showed quick reflexes to pull off a second stumping in a match where his keeping stood out for its efficiency.Paine quietly approached a half-century but was bowled for 47 in the 45th over. Although Australia’s lower order already had too much to do, with him out, they simply marked time to the end.Earlier, India lost A Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara early on but man-of-the-moment Shikhar Dhawan was on hand to take control. He drove the first ball he faced for four, was strong down the ground and dispatched anything pitched up. In a bid to stem the flow, Australia A resorted to a short-ball barrage but Dinesh Karthik’s pull shot was up to the task.The pair put on 108 runs for the third wicket and kept India A’s run-rate above six an over to sound a warning that a big total could be on the cards again. Australia A hauled them in after Dhawan reached for a Henriques delivery and was caught behind in the 24th over. Kartik was bowled by Nathan Coluter-Nile in the 29th over and Suresh Raina was dismissed cheaply three overs later.Ambati Rayudu, who edged a couple of times before settling in, and Wriddiman Saha rebuilt slowly. They did not find the boundary for 36 balls between the 36th and 42nd over, which slowed India A down, and Rayudu was bowled as he tried to accelerate, heaving and missing against a straight Hazlewood ball.Saha drove with confidence but when he tried to go aerial, he looped one to Maxwell at point to leave the lower order in charge of the final five-over surge.Hazlewood and Coulter-Nile did not give India A’s lower order much opportunity to score and took four wickets, including Saha in that time. They bowled full and straight to limit scoring. India A posted just 12 runs in the last 4.2 overs and their total appeared below-par but eventually, it turned out to be more than enough.

England reached the final of the tri-nation Under-19 tournament against Pakistan after a 183-run stand between Ryan Higgins, who scored his maiden century, and Jonathan Tattersall helped England beat Bangladesh by nine wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2013
ScorecardAn unbeaten 183-run partnership between Ryan Higgins and Jonathan Tattersall led England Under-19s to a nine-wicket win over Bangladesh Under-19s, and a place in the final against Pakistan Under-19s on Monday.Having set a target of 199, Bangladesh received an early boost when Harry Finch, whose unbeaten century had taken England home when the two sides had met on Tuesday, was dismissed in the fifth over. But Rifat Pradhan’s success was an isolated event, with Higgins setting up England’s advantage with a flurry of boundaries – hitting five in the four overs after Finch’s exit.Opener Tattersall dropped anchor, while Higgins was more adventurous, raising fifty with another four as the score ticked past hundred in the 21st over. Tattersall’s 73 off 128 balls, with five fours and Higgins’ maiden century, 112 off 102 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes ensured victory with nine overs to spare.Bangladesh’s decision to bat backfired, as their top three each departed for single-figure scores. Matthew Fisher, the 15-year old seamer who had become the youngest post-war county cricketer in June, had opener Mossadek Hossain caught behind and Sadman Islam holed out to Lewis McManus to leave Bangladesh at 15 for 3 in the sixth over.A 55-run stand between captain Mehedy Hasan and Nazmul Hossain Shanto seemed to revive Bangladesh, but England struck back through seamer Will Rhodes who dismissed Mehedy in the 20th over. From 92 for 5, Joyraz Sheik looked to carry Bangladesh towards a competitive score, but Rhodes came back to dismiss him for 47 off 66 balls. No. 10 Pradhan’s 15-ball 22, including a six and three fours took Bangladesh to the cusp of 200 before Fisher broke his stumps to claim his third wicket and end the innings.

Michael Clarke has conceded he is far from guaranteed to be fit in time for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane next month, while James Pattinson may miss the Ashes altogether

Daniel Brettig03-Oct-20130:00

Clarke doubtful for Brisbane Test

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has conceded he is far from guaranteed to be fit in time for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane next month, as his chronic back trouble grows increasingly stubborn.Having been ruled out of the limited overs tour to India that precedes the home series against England, Clarke showed unusual pessimism about his fitness when discussing his chances of returning to full strength and flexibility in time for the Gabba.There were grim tidings also from James Pattinson, who had originally hoped to recover from a back stress fracture he picked up in England in time to contend for a Brisbane pace berth.Instead he admitted he was now well behind that schedule, and was looking at a place in the Perth Test as one of four fast bowlers as his earliest chance to resume in Test matches.Since returning home from England, Clarke has undergone daily treatment on his back, and between now and the start of the Ashes the Australian team physio Alex Kountouris is readying himself to make frequent flights from Melbourne to Sydney to spend as much time as possible with his most pivotal patient.However the process of constant work to strengthen Clarke has been progressing slowly, and there is always the danger of a relapse such as the one that curtailed his Champions Trophy campaign before the Ashes in England.”There’s certainly no guarantee at this stage,” Clarke said at the national team’s pre-season camp in Sydney. “It’s hard for me to say that because I’m trying my best not to look at it like that. I’m always positive and if they ask me, I’ll say I’ll be fit in a week’s time. But you ask Alex who knows me very well, and he’d say there’d be doubt I won’t be right. Making sure I’m doing everything I can to give myself the best chance … plenty of rehab and recovery getting strength back in the areas that support my back. It’s a lot of hard work but I’m willing to do the work to make sure I’m right for that first Test.”Where I sit right now is I don’t know when I’ll be back playing cricket. We have no idea how long it’s going to take. But in Australia I’ve got the physio in Sydney I’ve been working with since I was 17, I’ve got the machine, the medics machine that’s helped me stay on the park for as long as I have through my career, and I’m in consistent contact with Alex Kountouris who will fly back and forth from Melbourne to Sydney to see me and make sure I’m improving.”Clarke’s ideal preparation for the Gabba will be to regain full mobility in time to play in the Sheffield Shield matches scheduled to lead-in to the Ashes, granting him the chance to gain confidence and batting form before facing England’s pacemen once more. “My best preparation has always been to play cricket and score runs doesn’t matter what form of the game,” Clarke said. “If I’m playing games of cricket and performing that helps me take it into one day cricket or test cricket. I probably train harder than what you have to do in game so playing is probably easier for me mentally and physically with the work that goes into it.”Pattinson had fought back tears when his Ashes campaign in England was ended during the Lord’s Test by back pain that was revealed to be a fracture. While speaking more happily with the benefit of a few months in the recovery room, he is yet to resume running let alone bowling, and remains a long distance from fitness.”I’m not even running yet which is not great,” Pattinson said. “I get a scan in two weeks time which is a 12 week scan to determine whether the fracture has healed or not. Go from there, get results back from scan start running, should be fine. My back feels fine at the moment, I have no pain. Just a bit of a long process. I’m probably a month off bowling.”I won’t be back for the first Test, don’t think I’ll be right for the second … but all things going well I could push for that WACA Test. If it’s a bit green we could play four quicks up there, but I’ll know more when I start bowling. I’m probably rushing a bit if I’m trying to get back for that first Test and last thing I want is for that to happen again and push my body too far and it’s hard enough going through it once without going through it again. Long term is where I’m looking.”

Gautam Gambhir and Cheteshwar Pujara scored centuries as India A finished at a strong 334 for 3 against West Indies A in Hubli

Sidharth Monga in Hubli10-Oct-2013
ScorecardFile photo – Gautam Gambhir’s knock of 128 was his third first-class century of the year, and the third since January 2010•ESPNcricinfo LtdIt was a distracting sort of day in Hubli. Even before Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement, taking the fizz out of the game, there was enough to sidetrack you. West Indies A used four wicketkeepers – one of them not even part of their XI, but allowed on humanitarian grounds, – on two separate occasions bees invaded the field forcing the players to lie prone for minutes, a batsman was hit-wicket and bowled to the same delivery, and the goods train kept honking its horns on the nearby railway track. Gautam Gambhir, though, managed to put all that aside, concentrated hard, got lucky when the concentration broke on the rare occasion, and scored his third first-class century of the year. He has scored only three since January 2010, which is why he finds himself out of the Test side.With Gambhir, for a majority of the innings, was a man with whom he has been discussing batting in the lead-up to the match, Cheteshwar Pujara. The two put on 207 for the second wicket to put India A in a position from where they can push for a win. At the end of the second day, they led West Indies A by 66 runs with seven wickets in hand. While Pujara remained unbeaten on 139, Virender Sehwag fell for a middling 38 after he had begun well and had the dispirited West Indies A attack at his mercy.If that soft dismissal wasn’t enough for Sehwag, he walked back to the news that his good friend, ODI opening partner, mentor and team-mate of 93 Tests, had retired. His reaction was a stunned “Oh, he is retiring?”Gambhir had already been dismissed by then. His century was not quite a scratchy effort, but it had periods where the conviction was missing. It isn’t entirely unexpected of a batsman fighting to come back to form. There were the reassuring off-drives and late cuts, and the milking of the spinners to go with it. Along the way he was helped by the generous fielding: 10 overthrows came his way to go with a dropped chance.Gambhir’s day began with two plays-and-misses in the first over, but he saw off the new ball well. Even during the spells when boundaries didn’t come regularly, he didn’t go out of his way looking for them. He left well on length, and reacted well to the fuller change-up deliveries, either driving them down the ground or clipping them to leg.The first blip in concentration came in the last over before lunch when Gambhir went driving at a wide delivery, but was dropped at second slip by Ashley Nurse. He was 56 then. Soon after lunch other elements would test his concentration. In the first over after the interval, wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton hurt his finger, handing the gloves over to Jonathan Carter, who looked pretty uncomfortable but there was no better option around. Soon Carter hurt his finger too, and Nurse had to don the gloves. While that was happening, bees attacked the field. The crowd went wild. Minutes were wasted, and the batsmen wondered what was going on.By the time Nurse took a knock himself, the match referee had allowed West Indies A to use the specialist wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, who had sat out this game. Even as the surreal session went ahead, the odd delivery would jump out of nowhere. Gambhir was 85 when he tried his dab to third man, but was beaten by a stinger from Delorn Johnson.When Gambhir was 93, the tea break arrived. After the break he went from 93 to 99 without fuss, but grew awfully nervous on one run short of the hundred. The first two balls on 99 went well, but the next six were excruciating even as the 15,000 spectators cheered him on. He tried to rock back and cut, he tried to step out and loft, on the odd occasion he began to run after hitting straight, and also survived a loud lbw shout when he played Nurse across the line.Finally Nurse provided him a long hop, which Gambhir pulled in the air – not high enough to go over the head of a fielder – but in the gap between the two midwickets placed for him. Gambhir couldn’t carry on for much longer. When he went back to cut Narsingh Deonarine, he went too deep into the crease, the bat came down on the middle stump, after which the ball hit the stumps.Gambhir was given out bowled. Just like “bowled” takes precedence even though a decision against a batsman for any other method of dismissal is justified, the Tendulkar news was bound to take precedence.

After completing a limited-overs series against Pakistan, Tillakaratne Dilshan will turn up for Sydney Thunder in Big Bash League 2013-14

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2013Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka batsman, has signed with Sydney Thunder for the coming season of the Big Bash League. He will miss Thunder’s first two matches because of Sri Lanka’s ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE until December 27 but will be available thereafter.”I’m really keen to play in the Big Bash. It’s such a wonderful, competitive tournament,” Dilshan said. ”I’ve been hoping to play for the past three years but [each time] I’ve had to go for international duty. This year I’m free to play almost the entire tournament. It’s really exciting. I’ve always enjoyed Australian wickets, with the extra bounce. I’m really eager for this opportunity.”Dilshan, who had retired from Test cricket in October, said his decision was influenced by his relationship with the Thunder coach, former Sri Lanka batsman Chandika Hathurusinghe, who had taken over in April after the side finished bottom of the table. Dilshan also said he was looking forward to playing with former Australia batsman Michael Hussey.

There were positives in the batting for both teams, but the bowling will be in focus, after expensive outings for the attacks

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Dec-2013Match factsFriday, December 20, 2013
Start time 1500 local (1100 GMT)Sohaib Maqsood’s 68-ball 73 was as mature as it was skilful•AFPBig PictureThe first ODI finished in circumstances that may have left both teams with a positive outlook for the upcoming matches. Pakistan will be buoyed by the mastery of their batsmen. Mohammad Hafeez’s return to form is a valuable boost to their top order, and it was not so long ago that Ahmed Shehzad made a ton against the best pace attack around, in South Africa.Even more heartening were Sharjeel Khan and Sohaib Maqsood’s innings. Both scored briskly, but responsibly – working attack out, manipulating the field and making fine judgements as per the bowling and the pitch. So many Pakistan batsmen have burned hot in their international honeymoon only to rapidly diminish after that, so their challenge is to make good on their obvious potential in the long term.Sri Lanka, however, will be pleased at the fight from the lower order. Seekkuge Prasanna and Sachithra Senanayake hit the highest eighth-wicket stand ever in Sharjah, reviving a chase that most would have felt was irredeemable. Prasanna, in particular, has been brought into the side with the World Twenty20 in mind and to that end, his all-round contribution on Wednesday could not have been any better. He was the most economical of Sri Lanka’s bowlers – the only one to go at less than five – and he again demonstrated an affinity for big-hitting that has blossomed in his game over the last 18 months.Somewhat surprisingly for both teams, it is the bowling that must improve for the second match. Faced with fluent batsmen on a very good batting surface, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were listless and unimaginative. Their fast men attempted so many yorkers between overs 32 and 50 that Pakistan’s batsmen learned to expect them and exploit the inevitable errors in length.Pakistan’s bowlers will aim to be less wayward in the second match, after having allowed indiscipline to creep in towards the later stages of Sri Lanka’s innings. Their fielding too, slipped from poor to abysmal in the last hour, much to the chagrin of Misbah-ul-Haq who had warned against exactly that kind of complacency before the match. They know now that Sri Lanka are among the more dangerous teams to ease off on.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan: WLWWL

Sri Lanka: LWLWW
In the spotlightSharjeel’s 61 at the top of the order set the tone for Pakistan, but Sohaib Maqsood’s 73 from 68 was arguably the more impressive innings. Maqsood not only prevented the scoring rate from waning through the middle overs, he embellished Pakistan’s advantage in an innings wrought from batting intelligence, as much as skill. He worked the field beautifully in step with Hafeez and his aggressive strokes were superbly calculated. If he can consistently play similar knocks, he will ease the middle-order burden on Misbah.At 37 Tillakaratne Dilshan’s hand-eye coordination is not what it once was. Increasingly in the past year, he has missed big shots he would have connected with in his youth, and has often struggled for timing early in his innings. He has not only overcome these challenges though, he has found something within himself that has actually increased his output. He bides his time now, but when he pounces, he does so selectively and tellingly. He had averaged 134 in the five innings before his last match, and recently, he has not allowed failures to stack up in a series. He will be desperate to fire after a mediocre 30 in game one.Pitch and conditionsDew did not seem to have formed at Sharjah for the first match, just as Misbah had predicted at the toss. If another batting-friendly pitch is prepared, the team batting first will again have an advantage.Team newsIt is difficult to see Pakistan making more than one change to their XI, following the victory. Junaid Khan and Bilawal Bhatti were both expensive in the last match, but Junaid was also the top wicket-taker. may come into the team for the second game at the expense of one of the above.Pakistan (probable): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Sohaib Maqsood, 5 Misbah ul Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Bilawal Bhatti/Anwar Ali, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10. Saeed Ajmal, 11. Junaid KhanNuwan Kulasekara’s absence from Wednesday’s XI remains a mystery. Over the past two years, Kulasekara has been Sri Lanka’s most reliable seam bowler in limited overs cricket, and moreover, his often prodigious inswing provides and edge that no other bowler can replicate at the beginning of the innings. He is likely to return in place of Suranga Lakmal.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5. Angelo Mathews (capt), 6. Lahiru Thirimanne, 7. Thisara Perera 8. Seekuge Prasanna/Ajantha Mendis, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10. Sachithra Senanayake, 11. Lasith MalingaStats and trivia Shahid Afridi has more wickets (62) and 50-plus scores (8) against Sri Lanka, than he does against any other nation.2013 has comfortably been Tillakaratne Dilshan’s best year by average (67.20), but his worst in terms of strike rate since 2005 – before he began opening the innings.Quote”It’s extremely important to begin a series with a win. We know what it’s like to begin a series losing too. We did that against South Africa, and we did it against Sri Lanka when we toured there last year. It is important to draw first blood, albeit in a close game. But whether you win by one run or a hundred runs it’s still a win, and that was important for us.”
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore