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Michael Clarke has confirmed that he will move up the order from his customary No.5 position after Australia’s shambolic display in both innings in Hyderabad

Brydon Coverdale 05-Mar-2013Michael Clarke has confirmed that he will move up the order from his customary No. 5 position after Australia’s shambolic display in both innings in Hyderabad. Clarke is the joint leading run-scorer in the series with 268, the same tally as India’s captain MS Dhoni, and more than double scored by any other member of Australia’s top six.He scored 130 in the first innings in Chennai and followed that with 91 on the first day in Hyderabad but neither effort could prevent a heavy defeat. Despite his outstanding form since taking over the captaincy in 2011, Clarke has steadfastly remained at No. 5, but given the struggles of Phillip Hughes and Shane Watson at Nos. 3 and 4 in this series, that will change for the third Test.”I think I have no choice,” Clarke said after the innings loss in Hyderabad. “Again, it hasn’t been about me, it’s about trying to do what’s best for the team, and I think now, especially in these conditions, I have to bat higher.”When asked if that would mean first drop or second drop, Clarke said: “I’ve got nine days to work it out. Wherever I can go and put some runs on the board to help the team.”Although Ed Cowan showed some signs during the second innings that he had learnt from his first three efforts and occupied the crease for nearly three hours, the rest of the batting order collapsed. So far in this series Watson has made 28, 17, 23 and 9; Hughes has scored 6, 0, 19 and 0; Cowan has managed 29, 32, 4 and 44 and Warner has tallied 59, 23, 6 and 26.”I don’t think picking your batting order can revolve around one person, the team needs the team to play well,” Clarke said. “We need our top six batters to be scoring runs, we need our four, five or six bowlers to be taking wickets. It can’t be about one person. I’ve never played cricket that way and I don’t want this team to go to that.”We have enough talent, but we have to get better, every single one of us. I would have liked more runs in the first innings and more runs today in the second innings, so I have work to do as well. I don’t want it to be about the individuals, I want it to be about the whole team improving.

Jonny Bairstow revived memories of his brilliant England one-day debut with a maiden international fifty to set up a resounding 38-run victory against Pakistan

The Report by David Hopps25-Feb-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonny Bairstow showed composure and judgement in his maiden international fifty•Getty Images

Jonny Bairstow revived memories of his brilliant England one-day debut with a maiden international fifty to set up a resounding 38-run victory against Pakistan under the Dubai floodlights and level the Twenty20 series at 1-1 with one to play.Bairstow’s 41 from 21 balls against India in Cardiff on a rainy night last September identified him as a one-day cricketer of immense promise but it had remained his highest score in eight innings in ODIs and T20s as England awaited confirmation that he could follow up his flash of brilliance by proving that, at 22, he was ready for the international stage.Slow Asian pitches have forced some self-analysis for Bairstow but the Yorkshireman indicated it had been time well spent as he came alive against a high-class Pakistan attack. If Cardiff had brought excitement, Dubai, with the ring of fire blazing down, confirmed that it was not misplaced. An immensely watchable series will be decided in Abu Dhabi on Monday.A dead surface made it a demanding night for batting and Pakistan, who had successfully defended 144 for 6 on the same ground two days earlier, floundered against one of the most skilful and intelligent England T20 bowling displays of recent memory. They never got close, even if while Shahid Afridi is around a distant target is seen as if through binoculars. Afridi was last out for 25, hacking Stuart Broad into the offside, kept off strike so successfully that he faced only 23 balls of the 58 delivered while he was at the crease.Pakistan lost half their side for 50 by the ninth over, leaving their captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, to try to remedy a situation that he is not really designed to address. In both matches, slower balls have not as much deceived him as stripped him bare. He has done much to stabilise Pakistan in Test cricket, but the argument for a new one-day captain is a persuasive one. Bairstow had a say in his dismissal, too, a brilliant diving catch at long-on as Misbah charged at Graeme Swann.Consolation for Pakistan came in the promise of Hammad Azam. Misbah has yet to allow him a bowl in this series, which is short-termism at its worst with World Twenty20 approaching, but even at more than 10 an over he posed a threat until a steepling blow was held at long-on by Jos Buttler, who had been off the field with an injured hand sustained when he dropped Umar Akmal at short midwicket, and who in one moment proved his fitness.But the night belonged to Bairstow. Against an excellent Pakistan attack, his unbeaten 60 from 46 balls were runs well earned. He is that rare commodity for England, a power hitter, and after he squirted Umar Gul into the leg side to secure his half-century four balls from the end of the innings, he emphasised the fact it by slapping a slow ball from Gul, a shot he did not really middle, over long-on for six.He was determined to provide impetus from the outset. A flat six into the sightscreen bolstered his confidence; in his examination by Pakistan’s spinners, he had at least gained pass marks on the subject of Afridi’s googly. His most exceptional stroke, though, was reserved for Saeed Ajmal with slick footwork to make room followed by a regal off drive. There were muscular sweeps against the spinners and there was fun, too, as he grinned at Ajmal after daring a reverse sweep. He relishes a challenge and it will serve him well.For another England batsman, life is not so grand. Eoin Morgan’s tortured tour continued. He has yet to manage a half-century and, although he briefly hinted at better with two successive cover boundaries against Gul, he poked forward to Mohammad Hafeez and was lbw. He should have been lbw the previous ball, when he was defeated on the cut, but the umpire Ahsan Raza, unsure whether the ball had hit bat before pad, gave him the benefit of the doubt. Morgan insists that playing spin is a strength of his game, but the evidence that he is deluding himself is irrefutable.When Craig Kieswetter, who had looked more threatening than at any time on tour, holed out at long-off for 31, with four wickets lost by the 10th over, England split their two greenhorns, Bairstow and Buttler, with Samit Patel, himself a veteran of only seven Twenty20s but more proven in these conditions and with a solid T20 record at Nottinghamshire behind him. Patel’s run out, eschewing a dive to the crease as Ajmal hit direct with a throw from long leg will not find favour with England’s management. It was careless from a player whose athleticism is forever in focus and whose fielding has shown signs of improvement.Gul at the death – predominantly bowling yorkers with a hint of reverse swing – was again excellent and it did nothing for the reputation of Buttler’s trademark shot, the step to leg and horizontal-bat shovel over his left shoulder. As Gul hit the stumps with a low full toss, the shot had got Buttler out on two successive occasions.England again exposed the fragility of Pakistan’s batting line-up and this time they did it with the aid of excellent catches. Hafeez made nought as a tall fast bowler, Steve Finn, was backed up by a tall first slip, Kevin Pietersen, who had received a rare invitation to the catching cordon. Jade Dernbach’s reflexes were in good order, too, as he held Asad Shafiq’s return drive and Morgan’s catch was the best of the lot, intercepted at backward point to silence the dangerous Akmal.But nothing was more impressive than the way they unravelled Awais Zia, mini Boom Boom, who had briefly flared in the first Twenty20. Zia faced 12 balls and managed only one scoring shot – a straight, length ball from Finn, just the delivery he feasts upon, which he clobbered over midwicket for six.That apart, his limitations as a legside hitter were intelligently exposed as England nullified him with width and changes of pace. It is doubtful whether he has ever gone so many balls without scoring in his life. His last shot, which fell to Dernbach at mid-off, told of his desperation. It will be intriguing to see how he responds.

Round-up of the third day of the sixth round of Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2010On a day when he was once again ignored by the Pakistan selectors, Shoaib Malik served a reminder of his skills with a match-winning five-wicket haul for Pakistan International Airlines as Multan slumped to a nine-wicket defeat at the Gymkhana Ground in Okara. Resuming their second innings at a nervy 27 for 3, Multan collapsed in a heap against Malik who picked up 5 for 14 in 6.5 overs. Ahmed Raza’s 20 was the highest score as they surrendered for 72. PIA lost only one wicket as they knocked off the 35 runs required for victory.Water and Power Development Authority and Rawalpindi were neck and neck at the end of the third day’s play at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Chasing 248 for victory, WAPDA had progressed to a dodgy 106 for 4, leaving both sides in the hunt going into the final day. Resuming their second innings at 77 for 4, the hosts quickly fell behind the eight ball with seamer Umaid Asif rattling the lower order with his second first-class five-for. Rawalpindi found their saviour in No. 8 Muzammil Nizam who defied WAPDA with an unbeaten 51. His tenth-wicket partnership of 61 with Rizwan Akbar could eventually prove to be the difference between the sides.Akbar-ur-Rehman’s second first-class ton steered Karachi Blues’ quest to avert an innings defeat against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the National Stadium in Karachi, but the visitors remained favourites going into the final day. Despite Akbar’s unbeaten 145, Karachi Blues still trail by 58 runs with only four second-innings wickets in hand. Resuming at 54 for 0, they were quickly pegged back by the quick loss of the top three batsmen before Akbar settled in. He struck 20 fours in his effort, and steadied the ship along with captain Saeed Bin Nasir who made 66. The innings stuttered again after their 174-run stand, with ZTBL prising out three more wickets. They will look to complete the formalities on the final day, but Akbar’s presence won’t make their effort any easier.Faisalabad‘s Mohammad Salman hit a counterattacking century that arrested a major top-order collapse and set up an exciting finish to their match against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at the Iqbal Stadium. Having conceded a 41-run first-innings lead, Faisalabad slumped to 32 for 5 and later 98 for 7, before Salman resurrected the innings. He found a willing ally in Rauf Nazir, and their unbroken 94-run stand will keep SNGPL worried. Earlier Khurram Shehzad added 34 vital unbeaten runs to his overnight 26, pushing SNGPL to a handy lead.A sparkling 110-run stand between the overnight pair of Aftab Alam and Fahad Masood set up Habib Bank Limited for victory against Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground. Aftab remained unbeaten after completing his fifth first-class ton while No. 10 Fahad Masood slammed 65 off 70 balls. HBL ended 300 runs ahead in the first innings and Islamabad finished the day still 104 behind with six wickets remaining. Half-centuries from Umair Mir and Zeeshan Mushtaq were the highlights of their second innings but only a big effort can avert a reversal on the final day.Sialkot dawdled along at a questionable pace, consuming 31.4 overs to add 52 runs, but could not get the first-innings lead against National Bank of Pakistan at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. In-form seamer Mohammad Talha eventually broke their resistance, finishing with a six-wicket haul, giving his side a 61-run advantage, which they bolstered by moving to 149 for 1 by stumps. Opener Nasir Jamshed led their progress with an unbeaten 65 and will look to step on the gas if they seek to declare and push for a win on the final day.

A Brad Hodge-inspired Victoria have booked a place in the Big Bash preliminary final with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Tasmania

Andrew Fuss15-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Brad Hodge’s belligerent innings sealed a spot for Victoria in the preliminary final of the Big Bash•Getty Images

A Brad Hodge-inspired Victoria have booked a place in the Big Bash preliminary final with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Tasmania in front of a record crowd of 43,125 at the MCG. Hodge blasted five sixes in his 56-ball 90 as he and fellow opener Aaron Finch (58 not out off 39), who was pushed up the order in the absence of keeper Matthew Wade, set a Victorian record partnership of 147 to hunt down the Tigers’ modest total of 160 easily.It was vintage Hodge in front of his big home crowd, bludgeoning the Tigers attack to all corners, including one huge six over midwicket off the crafty Rana Naved, which landed more than 20 rows back in the Great Southern Stand. The visitors had no answers to the opening duo’s relentless attack, making bowling and fielding changes to no avail, as the hosts reached the total with a massive 19 balls to spare.Tim Paine had earlier blasted the Tigers to a great start, smashing a 26-ball 50 to have the visitors well placed at 2 for 98 at the half-way mark. But young spinner Jon Holland made a surprise breakthrough in the 11th over, trapping the keeper in front for 61.From there, the Bushrangers’ regular bowling changes (nobody delivered more than a one-over spell in the last 10) unsettled the Tigers’ rhythm, with Dirk Nannes, Clint McKay and Dwayne Bravo combining to restrict the visitors to 38 off the final eight overs.With Victoria’s spot in the next round secured, attention turns to the Gabba for Saturday night’s winner-takes-all clash between Queensland and Western Australia. The victor will host Tuesday night’s preliminary final and the winner of that game will play South Australia for the title, as well as gaining a spot in the lucrative Champions League in India.

England spinner starred at Lord’s last week, but reveals she ‘wasn’t sure’ she’d return from mental-health break

Valkerie Baynes22-Jul-2025Sophie Ecclestone has revealed she considered quitting cricket in the aftermath of the off-field drama surrounding England Women’s T20 World Cup and Ashes failures.Ecclestone missed the start of the international summer when England hosted West Indies, instead playing for Lancashire during the T20I series while she managed her comeback from a knee injury. She was then ruled out of the ODI series, citing the need to prioritise her wellbeing.Having returned for both white-ball series against India, Ecclestone spoke about the reasons surrounding her absence in a pre-match interview ahead of the third and final ODI at Chester-le-Street.She had come under fire during the Ashes in Australia, where England lost the points series 16-0, after Alex Hartley, the former England spinner turned broadcaster, said Ecclestone had refused to be interviewed by her on TV. Hartley also said she had been “given the cold shoulder” by England players since criticising their fitness following their group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup last October.”It was a tough time for me personally,” Ecclestone told Sky Sports in a pitch-side interview before play on Tuesday. “I tore my meniscus and I had a very sore knee, but I feel like personally I was so tired and so drained from the last few months.Related

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“As a cricketer, we don’t stop, we don’t get much time off and we go from franchise tournaments to England tournaments and it takes it out of you. I feel like during the West Indies series I wasn’t actually sure if I was going to come back and play cricket.”I was away from cricket and I cried to a few people, I cried to my dad, I get emotional now, but it was it was a tough time. But I feel like I’ve come out the other side now and I’m back playing cricket.”Ecclestone credited team-mates Lauren Bell and Alice Capsey, along with her family and friends for helping her return to the cricket field with “a smile on my face again”. That culminated in a Player-of-the-Match award for her 3 for 37 at Lord’s on Saturday, which helped England to an ODI series-levelling victory.Ecclestone disputed the use of the word “refusal” when it came to the infamous interview with Hartley, and appeared to take issue with the timing of the request to talk, suggesting that she wanted to concentrate on her warm-up.”It was a weird time,” Ecclestone said. “I feel like obviously that went down the wrong way, and a few things were said, and I was just concentrating on cricket at that moment.”A lot of things were being said which wasn’t ideal for me and it affected me quite a lot to be honest. It took a lot out of me. There were a lot of words being thrown around about me that I thought were untrue and it wasn’t very nice to hear.”I kind of had to put that to one side, and I did go off social media for a couple of weeks actually during the Ashes, just because it was affecting me quite a lot, what was being said. It wasn’t very nice but we’ve all learnt from that now and there’s a lot of feelings involved but we’re all over that now, and ready to move on.”Ecclestone went on to say that she believed misconceptions had emerged about her in the fallout from the incident.”I feel like a lot of words were being thrown around about me that weren’t true,” she said. “Just that I was really arrogant maybe, and that’s just not me as a person.”The word refusal was getting thrown around and that just wasn’t really true and some of the things people were saying about the team I didn’t really agree with, so it was hard to take for me and hard to take for the team.”Immediately after the Ashes, Clare Connor, managing director of England women’s cricket, described the interview situation as “an unfortunate incident that won’t happen again”.”Our players in general… embrace their media obligations,” Connor said. “It matters to them to be good role models for women’s cricket and the England women’s cricket team. As professional women’s cricket has developed at the rate that it has over recent years, that scrutiny is something that we will all have to embrace and accept.”Ecclestone acknowledged that women’s cricket being in the spotlight more than when she made her debut as a 17-year-old in 2016 was a positive thing and said she had learned from the experience, including the public’s reaction.”I was so surprised,” she said. “I feel like it got slightly blown out of proportion but it was no-one’s fault. It was hard at the time because I feel like I came out to my phone and had about 25,000 messages about something that had happened in the media and I was like, ‘well what’s happened?’ Then I came out and I saw it all, and I was just like, ‘wow like that’s mega.'”

Falcons are the first Antigua-based CPL franchise after a ten-year gap

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2024Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, the newly unveiled franchise, will replace Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League. Worldwide Sports Management Group, owners of the franchise, made the announcement on Tuesday, February 20, in an opening ceremony at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, which is set to be their home ground.”The Antigua & Barbuda Falcons will bring a unique energy and vitality to the Republic Bank CPL,” Krishna Persaud, founder and president of Worldwide Sports Management Group, said. “We want to establish a winner’s culture within the team and also a culture of winning and success off the field – among every individual associated with this franchise and the amazing fans we will have at our special home base at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in lovely Antigua.”Antigua previously hosted a franchise named Antigua Hawksbills in the first two CPL seasons, but they won only three matches and were replaced by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2015.Related

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Antigua & Barbados’ entry means Jamaica will not host a game in CPL 2024. A CPL spokesperson had mentioned there will be efforts to create a Jamaica-based franchise but that it will be in 2025 at the earliest. Sabina Park, in Jamaica, last hosted a CPL match in 2019 and league’s chief executive Pete Russell had criticised the island for its reluctance to engage with cricket.Details on the overall structure of the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons and the coaching and management staff for the team will be announced at a later date.The 2024 edition of the CPL will take place from August 28 to October 6 with games taking place in Antigua for the first time in ten years. Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago are the other venues. The National Stadium in Providence, Guyana, will host the final.

The wicketkeeper revealed Matt Renshaw’s return to opening was with an eye on Australia’s future needs

AAP09-Oct-2022Chicago’s Bulls had Michael Jordan lifting the standard and Jimmy Peirson says there’s two men doing the same for Queensland’s Bulls.The in-form wicketkeeper has also revealed the strategic shift designed to catapult team-mate Matt Renshaw back into a baggy green as he continues his own push for a Test debut.Peirson powered to a fifth first-class century in the last two years as the Bulls beat Tasmania by an innings and 172 runs on Saturday to open the Sheffield Shield season.His bright innings on the tricky, newly-laid Allan Border Field square followed an unbeaten 128 for Australia A in a successful chase of 367 in Sri Lanka in June. He scored 67 not out in the first innings of that game, only called into the squad as a late replacement.The state’s youngest-ever Sheffield Shield winning captain when Queensland won the competition in 2018, Peirson is enjoying the presence of Test pair Marnus Labuschagne and regular captain Usman Khawaja to begin their season.Related

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“It’s great having Marnie [Labuschagne] around; you see the problem-solving that goes on while he’s batting, [it] is something I’ve learned from,” he said.Peirson reserved high praise for Test opener Khawaja and Australia’s No.3 Labuschagne, who scored 72 and 127 respectively in Brisbane last week.”It just sets good standards, you see how they go about their business and see that’s the level you need to be at to play Test cricket,” he said. “As team-mates we want to be rising to that level. I know when [Michael] Jordan played basketball he spoke about bringing guys along with him, and those guys do that for us.”While Peirson has been piling on the runs Alex Carey has been making the Test spot his own.”There’s a lot of keepers doing the job at the moment in Australia; all you can do is worry about your own backyard,” Peirson said of the fight for higher honours. “Kez [Carey] has done a really good job, especially in the subcontinent. He’s earned his position, but there’s no doubt everyone wants that position.”Peirson isn’t the only Queensland player pushing his case with former Test opener Renshaw and fast bowler Mark Steketee, who had a hat-trick ball dropped in the slips on Saturday, making claims.Khawaja had pushed long-term opener Renshaw into the middle order when the veteran forced his way back into the Test fold. Now cemented at the top of Australia’s order, Khawaja slid himself back down to No. 4 for Queensland’s season opener so Renshaw could face the new ball.”Matty has earned his way back up into the opening role with national selectors hopefully looking at him as a future opener for Australia,” Peirson said of the surprise move. “We’re fortunate [to have top-order depth] and Uz is at the point in his career where he scores runs wherever he bats.”

Saha is in the Test squad for India’s upcoming tour of England, while Krishna has been named as a standby

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2021Wriddhiman Saha and Amit Mishra have announced their respective recoveries from Covid-19. Both players had tested positive for the virus on May 4, the same day that IPL 2021 was suspended indefinitely.ESPNcricinfo has understood that Prasidh Krishna, who tested positive on May 8, has also recovered from Covid-19.Related

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Saha is part of the India squad that is due to tour England for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, followed by a five-Test series against the hosts. Krishna is one of the four players named as stand-bys. These two, along with KL Rahul, who has undergone surgery after being diagnosed with appendicitis, had been named in the squad subject to clearing fitness tests.The England-bound India squad is set to begin its pre-departure quarantine in Mumbai on Wednesday, but Saha is expected to join his team-mates later, having received the BCCI’s permission to spend some time with his family in Kolkata. Both Saha and Mishra announced their recoveries via Twitter on Tuesday. Mishra, the Delhi Capitals legspinner, did so while expressing his gratitude to healthcare workers.GMT 1700 The story was updated with the news of Saha and Krishna’s respective recoveries.

The series may be over, but West Indies will be hoping to score their first ODI win in Sri Lanka since 2005

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Feb-2020

Big Picture

For both these teams, ODIs are perhaps their weakest format. Neither gave themselves a great chance of making the semi-finals in last year’s World Cup, and both have poor bilateral form, winning only two of their 10 previous series. As Sri Lanka move to the dead rubber at Pallekele after winning the series in Hambantota, however, they may feel they are the more resurgent outfit.The second ODI was almost the perfect game – one of their openers hit a hundred, and a middle-order man joined him for a record-breaking partnership that came at better than a run-a-ball. Both those batsmen are relatively young – 25 and 21. Then the spinners did what Sri Lanka’s coaches hoped they would – take wickets through the middle overs, after the seamers had produced an opening earlier on.West Indies, meanwhile, had an outing captain Kieron Pollard later described as “pretty, pretty poor”. Although their quicks have at times seemed penetrative through the course of the series, both bowling efforts so far have been plagued with indiscpline. At Sooriyawewa, West Indies bowled 10 wides and two no-balls. At the SSC a few days before that, they had delivered 14 wides and one no ball. Beyond just the extra runs and deliveries, these stats are indications that even when West Indies are not conceding extras, their bowlers may not have quite found their lines. In the second ODI especially, there were easy runs into the legside for almost the entirety of Sri Lanka’s innings.Pallekele, though, generally offers the most seam-friendly ODI surface in the country. Perhaps West Indies’ phalanx of fast bowlers will be more effective there. But that’s only if they put enough balls in testing areas.

Form guide

West Indies LLWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WWLLW

In the spotlight

Wanindu Hasaranga had a good finish to 2019, but he has been outstanding across disciplines in the first two ODIs of 2020. Having won the match with the bat on Sunday, he was lethal with his googly on Wednesday, taking 3 for 30. Having hunted so long for a reliably penetrative middle-overs spinner, Sri Lanka finally have a long-term prospect on their hands. Unlike spin-prospects that came before him, Hasaranga should have no issues with his action.West Indies’ spin options, meanwhile, have been less impressive. On the same track that Sri Lanka’s spinners would later go on to get six wickets, neither left-arm spinner Fabian Allen nor offspinner Roston Chase could get a wicket. That they only bowled six overs apiece is also a reflection of the fact that Sri Lanka’s batsmen looked utterly comfortable against them. Before the series, Pollard expressed confidence in a light-on-spin strategy, suggesting that Sri Lanka are good players of spin, so it may be better not to feed their strength. Sri Lanka, though, have actually not covered themselves in glory against slow bowling over the last few years.

Team news

West Indies may be tempted to bring back legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr, who at least took wickets at the SSC, although he was expensive.West Indies(possible): 1 Sunil Ambris, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt.), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Hayden Walsh Jr., 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Sheldon CottrellSri Lanka will toy with the idea of bringing Dasun Shanaka in for a match. If the pitch looks like they won’t need an extra spin option, they may leave out Dhananjaya de Silva to make room. Lahiru Kumara could come in for Nuwan Pradeep as well.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva/Dasun Shanaka, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Lakshan Sandakan, 11 Nuwan Pradeep/Lahiru Kumara

Pitch and conditions

There can be seam movement with the new ball in Pallekele, particularly under lights. It is not expected to rain on Sunday, but you never can tell for sure at this venue.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have lost each of their last eight ODIs in Sri Lanka. The last time they won a match here was back in 2005, when Shivnarine Chanderpaul was captain.
• Kieron Pollard has been especially modest on the island. After six innings, he’s scored just 17 runs an an average of 2.83. He’s never taken a wicket in Sri Lanka either.
• Avishka Fernando and Shai Hope – both openers – have each hit a hundred and a fifty in the series.

Quotes

“Within the next 18 months or so, we need to be among the best four teams in all formats. That’s vision of every member of the team.”Lakshan Sandkan outlines Sri Lnaka’s long-term vision.

A 76-run win helped the Sixers climb out of the bottom of the points table

The Report by Mohammad Isam25-Jan-2019How the game played outSylhet Sixers climbed out of the bottom of the Bangladesh Premier League points table with a 76-run win over Rajshahi Kings in this season’s first match played in Chattogram. Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Nawaz took three wickets each to headline an excellent Sylhet bowling performance to shoot Rajshahi out for 104 in 18.2 overs.Laurie Evans’ early dismissal rocked Rajshahi, who failed to gain any momentum in their chase of Sylhet’s 180 for 6.Sylhet earlier put up a strong total, mainly because of a 62-run third-wicket stand between Jason Roy and Afif Hossain. Roy, in his first innings for Sylhet, struck four fours and two sixes in his 28-ball 42, while Afif scored 28 in 29 balls. Towards the end, Tanvir slammed four fours in his unbeaten 23 off nine balls.Turning points

• Sylhet added 90 runs in the second half of their innings despite losing a set Roy at the end of the tenth over.
• Zakir Hasan and Fazle Mahmud took up 5.2 overs to add 36 runs, and that didn’t really help Rajshahi to recover from their three early losses.
• Run-rate pressure led to Fazle, Christiaan Jonker and Mehidy Hasan falling in the 15th over to Nawaz.

Star of the dayThe experienced Tanvir wasn’t the captain for this game, but he delivered a very good all-round performance. First, he blasted 23 in quick time before picking up three wickets.The big missSoft dismissals hurt Rajshahi in their pursuit of 181. First, Mominul Haque’s attempted clip off Taskin Ahmed went straight to short fine-leg, and then Ryan ten Doeschate was bowled off a really short delivery from Alok Kapali.Where the teams standRajshahi are stuck in fifth place with three games remaining, while Sylhet have returned to the sixth spot following the win.