All posts by csb10.top

Had the events of the final day at Trent Bridge panned out differently, and had England tripped over themselves in their eagerness to chase a remarkable 299 for victory, then Trent Boult would surely have emerged as the Player of the Match. On a belter of a batting surface, his indefatigable seam bowling kept New Zealand competitive throughout as he emerged from a bruising contest with figures of 8 for 200 in 49.3 overs.Instead, Boult bore the brunt of one of the most astonishing onslaughts in Test history, as Jonny Bairstow emerged after tea to belt a 77-ball century and 136 from 92 balls all told, in a thrilling five-wicket victory. And though Boult got his man in the end, it wasn’t until he’d been thrashed for three fours and three sixes from Bairstow’s previous ten balls, as England raced to victory with 22 overs of their allocation unused.”He’s pumped me a couple of times, actually, Jonny,” Boult said during the build-up to the third Test at Headingley. “The way he played in that final day was very special. He really took the game by the horns and didn’t let go. He’s definitely a big player for them in the middle order and we know how destructive he is, he’s done it many a time.”To be on the wrong side of that result was pretty tough, but I think a lot of credit’s due to some phenomenal cricket that’s been played there,” he added. “Nothing too much changes for us [at Headingley] but hopefully we get into him nice and early with the ball a bit new, and we’ll see what happens.”The result meant that New Zealand, the reigning World Test Champions, are already 2-0 down in the three-match series, after losing the Lord’s Test by five wickets as well. Boult conceded it would be hard to rally for what is now a dead-rubber, WTC points notwithstanding, but insisted they would be ready to go again come Thursday.”I suppose it’s hard being 2-0 down in the series,” he said. “But there’s a lot of pride in that changing room from some of the performances we’ve put out over the last few years. If we’re fair we probably haven’t been at the standards we want to be as a group, it’s nice to have one game to go out and play like we know we can.”The scoreline arguably hurts all the more for New Zealand given that one of their own has been such a key factor in the series. Brendon McCullum’s impact as England’s head coach has been astonishing, given that the team had won one match in 17 prior to his arrival last month, and Boult was impressed by the speed with which they had absorbed his message of positivity.”They are playing like I thought he told them to,” he said. “It’s a new change for English cricket. What a start, both games so far have been thrillers really. For Test cricket as a whole, hopefully we see many more games like that, and get many more eyes watching.”A major factor at Trent Bridge, however, was the absence through injury of Kyle Jamieson, who felt a sharp pain in his lower back while bowling in the first innings, and was unavailable to share the load when the going got tough in the second. He’s since been ruled out of the whole series – his first major setback in a previously stellar arrival in Test cricket.”It’s hard for Kyle, I know he’s disappointed with walking off with an injury, every fast bowler is in that situation,” Boult said. “He’s played some great cricket over the last couple of years. You look at some of the guys on the sideline, everyone wants to put their hand up and go out and perform for the side. There’s a guy called Neil Wagner who’s keen to get out there as well, I’m not sure if he’ll walk straight back in, but I know the XI who are selected will go out there and be desperate to do well.”Related

• Fever-pitch cricket keeps contest bubbling in spite of placid deck

• Go, Jonny go. And just keep going

• Ben Stokes' England hurl themselves into riotous embrace of Baz-ball

• England play down Covid concerns after illness affects build-up to Headingley Test

Another guy who is set to walk back in is New Zealand’s captain, Kane Williamson, who was withdrawn on the eve of the match after testing positive for Covid. Michael Bracewell and Devon Conway have since undergone five-day periods of isolation after also picking up the virus, but Boult said they were all fit and ready for selection.”He’s a big player for us,” Boult said of Williamson. “His record speaks for itself, everyone’s healthy and available for selection. It looks like another good wicket, so we’ll see what happens.”[Kane]’s always hungry to get in the nets. He was disappointed to have to sit out the last game. It was a big game for us. He’s hungry to get out there to lead the side and desperate to get some runs. I know the boys are looking forward to the challenge. There have been some good chats going on off the ground. Hopefully we can let the bat do the talking and we’ll go from there.”Boult’s key role in the series for New Zealand is all the more impressive given his limited preparation time. Due to Rajasthan Royals’ qualification for the IPL final, he arrived in the country with just 48 hours to acclimatise ahead of the Lord’s Test. However, he impressed in that game too with three first-innings wickets in England’s collapse to 141 all out, and insists he’s got the stamina and the motivation to dig deep once more.”I flew through Dubai, then came to here… and then just really cracked on with it really!” he said. “The Dukes ball is always exciting to get in your hand and it’s nice to see the ball move around a little bit. It’s one of those things, a lot of the guys in that group have a lot of passion to put the Black Cap on their head and the motivation for everyone is there to go out and perform. So it was an easy choice for me.”I enjoy the conditioning side of things and the stuff that goes in off the field,” he added. “It’s a big challenge. Test cricket is called Test cricket for a reason and it’s the format I’m definitely the most passionate about. So when there is an opportunity to put the Black Cap on and the whites, I try to grab it with both hands.”It’s been a busy couple of months for me coming from the IPL. It is a challenge as a modern-day fast bowler to move between the formats but I love the challenge, I love the opportunity to run in for my country and the group of guys in there as well. It was nice to get away and refresh a little bit and the guys are energised and really looking forward to the next couple of the days. “Boult emerged from the Trent Bridge Test with an additional cause for pride, after two battling innings of 16 not out and 17 took him clear of Muthiah Muralidaran’s longstanding record as the highest-scoring No.11 in Test history. He currently has 640 in the position, 17 clear of Murali’s 623, but with James Anderson still threatening to claim the title for himself with 618 in third place.Asked if he was more proud of his runs than his tally of 313 Test wickets, Boult joked: “The runs. No… I enjoy my batting.”

Stumps Sri Lanka dislodged both of Pakistan’s openers in the final hour of play on day one in Galle, as the hosts fought back hard on a day that had largely belonged to the visitors.Kasun Rajitha got one to nip back in from around the wicket to trap the left-handed Imam-ul-Haq lbw – a delivery that’s fast becoming a hallmark of Rajitha’s bowling – while Prabath Jayasuriya accounted for Abdullah Shafique, who was also dismissed leg before, rapped on the pads by one going on with the arm.From that point on, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam shut up shop and looked to bat out the rest of the day, though with the wicket starting to show some assistance for the spinners, Sri Lanka would have no doubt been encouraged.Related

• Tait: Big turners might not work for Sri Lanka against Pakistan

• Yasir returns to Sri Lanka hoping to rediscover glory days

Pakistan would end the day 198 runs behind, a deficit that could have been significantly less if not for the efforts of Dinesh Chandimal counterattack and Maheesh Theekshana rearguard, who scored 76 and 38 respectively.Chandimal’s counterattack and Theekshana’s resolute rearguard had managed to cajole a respectable total after Pakistan’s bowlers, led by the excellent Shaheen Shah Afridi – who finished with 4 for 58 – had at one point threatened to blow them away; Sri Lanka’s final two wickets added 89 runs as they recovered from an ignominious 133 for 8 to a more respectable 222.Chandimal’s innings was reminiscent at times of the blitzkrieg effort he had mounted against Australia less than a week prior. The battle-worn former skipper cut, pulled, swept and drove his way to a 115-ball 76, even if he was forced to share much of that knock with Theekshana – ostensibly a tail-ender, even if some of his strokeplay at times belied that definition.The zenith of his knock came when Sri Lanka were at their lowest, having just a few overs prior lost their eighth wicket. Chandimal, realising that runs were at a premium, took on the challenge, lacing Naseem Shah for three consecutive boundaries. The first two were short balls disdainfully dispatched in front of square leg, while the final brought up his 22nd Test fifty, a delightful front-foot clip piercing deep square leg and deep fine leg that reached the ropes on the bounce. He saved his best stroke, though, for left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz, who he slog-swept for a maximum over square leg.Had Chandimal had his way, though, he probably would have played a more watchful knock on a wicket that needed patience, even if it wasn’t quite the raging turner Galle is known for. The wastefulness of his team-mates, however, had forced his hand.Dinesh Chandimal raises his fifty•SLC

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Sri Lanka got off to an inauspicious start, with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne playing on to his stumps.He became the latest victim of Afridi’s trademark early-overs blitz. Afridi had probed the line outside Karunaratne’s off stump, and having spotted his propensity to push towards cover, got one to nip back just enough to catch the inside edge off the forward defence on to pad and then the off peg.This early blow, however, wouldn’t slow down the Sri Lankans, as Kusal Mendis and Oshada Fernando, who came in for the indisposed Pathum Nissanka, found boundaries with regularity, and the seamers struggled for the most part to keep to consistent lines and lengths.At the height of their 49-run stand – which would be Sri Lanka’s best of the innings – the hosts were going at around four an over. However, they fell in the space of three deliveries after the first drinks break. Kusal was the first to go, getting a faint bottom edge through to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps, as he looked to cut one that was pushed through quicker by Yasir. Oshada followed, as a tentative defensive push to one wide outside off from Hasan Ali at the start of the next over found the edge – thicker than Kusal’s – to Rizwan, who had to put in a dive to cling on.Angelo Mathews followed soon after; frustrated after 14 scoreless deliveries, he chipped a simple catch to mid-on off Yasir.Those four wickets came in the morning session alone; Sri Lanka would lose four more post-lunch, a session which had started with Sri Lanka on 80 for 4.Dhananjaya de Silva, back in place of Kamindu Mendis after recovering from Covid-19, fell in the fifth over after the break, chopping on a somewhat casual attempt at a cover drive off Afridi – his second such wicket of the day.Afridi then dismissed Niroshan Dickwella off the first ball of his very next over, angling one into the left hander’s off stump, coaxing the drive, only to seam it away just enough to grab a thick outside edge to gully, where debutant Agha Salman completed an impressive low take.Ramesh Mendis then joined Chandimal at the crease, and the two ground out a 27-run stand before Ramesh gloved a short one from Naseem Shah down leg. It was yet another avoidable dismissal.Pakistan were then on the home stretch, and having been held off for most of the day – largely down to how well the rest of the bowlers did – the left-arm orthodox spin of Nawaz finally came into play, as he trapped Prabath Jayasuriya lbw with one that skidded through.Babar Azam and Azhar Ali have a job to do on the second day•AFP/Getty Images

At that point Sri Lanka were 133 for 8, on the floor, struggling to beat the 10 count. Chandimal and Theekshana though would not be cowed, as they putting on a 44-run stand off just 65 deliveries. And while Chandimal would fall shortly after tea – caught in the covers courtesy an excellent take by Yasir, diving full stretch to his right, off Hasan – Theekshana and last man Kasun Rajitha would continue to frustrate the visitors.On the way to 70-ball 45-run stand, the pair would show defiance some of their more illustrious teammates would do well to take note off. The pair would bat for over an hour, comfortably dealing with the short stuff the seamers threw their way, while also occasionally finding the gaps in the covers. In between the forward defence was frequently employed against the spin of Yasir and Nawaz.Theekshana was very enterprising, his 65-ball 38 including four boundaries and a six, a jaunt down the track and hit over long-off off the bowling of Yasir. The boundaries came mainly square of the wicket on the off side, Theekshana capitalising on Pakistan’s persistence with shorter lengths.Pakistan looked to be growing increasingly vexed, when Rajitha top edged to deep square-leg only to be dropped by Hasan at deep square-leg. Pakistan might have that been feeling a sense of de ja vu, with yet another instance of wagging tail thwarting them. But in the end that drop didn’t prove too costly. Theekshana would fall a few deliveries later, getting a tickle on an attempted uppercut off Afridi.By that time though, his job had been done, as Sri Lanka will feel they now have some sort of foothold in a game that for much of the day looked to have been slipping away.

Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama has been ruled out of the second Test against Australia, due to start in Galle on Friday, after testing positive for Covid-19.An SLC media release stated that the 23-year-old had complained of feeling “unwell”, which was prompted the test. “Jayawickrama was immediately isolated from the rest of the team members and now will remain in room isolation for 5 days,” added the release.Related

• Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage called into Sri Lanka Test squad

• Australia's subcontinent journey looks to stay on track amid Galle challenge

• Silverwood: Sri Lanka need to get better at sweeping

• Australia have eye on India as building blocks slot into place

Following Jayawickrama testing positive, the rest of the Sri Lanka players and support staff were subjected to Rapid Antigen Tests, with SLC confirming they had all returned negative results.The news is a blow for Sri Lanka, who would have been banking on Jayawickrama in their bid to level the series. Sri Lanka succumbed to a heavy 10-wicket defeat on a spin-heavy Galle surface last week. However among the most striking aspects was seeing the visiting spinners extracting far more assistance off the surface than those from the home side. Of those left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya struggled the most, going wicketless and bowling just the 15 overs.Jayawickrama had been slated to come into the side, likely in place of the out-of-form Embuldeniya. His unavailability leaves Embuldeniya as the only left-arm spinner in the squad, though the uncapped spin-bowling allrounder Dunith Wellalage, 19, who had impressed in the ODI series against Australia and ended it as the leading wicket-taker, is on the list of standby players.Jayawickrama is the second player to contract Covid on tour, with Angelo Mathews being ruled out midway through the first Test. Mathews is currently recovering from the illness, though SLC is hopeful of him being passed fit for the second Test.

Grant Roelofsen’s sublime innings helped Essex to a third successive Royal London Cup win and bolstered their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.The South African recorded his third half-century in a row in the competition, finishing with a season’s high of 90 off 97 balls before Essex’s last eight wickets fell inside 14 overs for the addition of 56 runs.Roelofsen put on 151 – the only significant partnership of the game – with Essex captain Tom Westley, whose 52 was his fourth successive score above fifty.Yorkshire were soon in trouble in pursuit of 241, losing four wickets in the first six overs, and never recovered before heavy rain ended play – a relief not just for the Chelmsford outfield, but also or one of the most parched parts of the country. Essex, winning by 88 runs on DLS, leapfrogged Yorkshire into third place, though they have played a game more.Related

• Surrey maintain a brave face as Pujara and Clark hundreds prey on ECB-approved weaknesses

• Not much sunshine on Neath as Glamorgan hearts are broken

• Will Rhodes' maiden List A hundred keeps Warwickshire ticking

• Surrey's next generation come good to make light of Hundred withdrawals

Roelofsen dominated the third-wicket stand. Though not afraid to improvise with the reverse-sweep, the most eye-catching of Roelofsen’s impressive array of strokes was a punishing off-drive though the covers for one of eight fours.There were two sixes for the South African in an over from Harry Sullivan over midwicket, and a third even more effortlessly off Matt Revis. At other times he was content to keep the scoreboard ticking along with nudges and flicks for singles and doubles.Westley was very much the sleeping partner. His fifth boundary, clouted firmly past Revis, brought up not only his own fifty, but also 150 for the stand. However, without addition he miscued an attempted pull over midwicket and skied a return catch to Sullivan. Roelofsen perished not long after when he went for one reverse-sweep too many against Sullivan and picked out Shutt at backward point.The pair had come together 25 overs earlier after Feroze Khushi was bowled by Ben Coad playing down the wrong line, and was followed almost immediately by opening partner Josh Rymell, run out on his call by a direct throw to the non-striker’s end by Shutt fielding at mid-off.However, the parting of Roelofsen and Westley prefaced a collapse from 184-2 to 240 all out.Robin Das fell to a carbon-copy of Roelofsen’s dismissal, chipping up Dom Bess to Coad. Nick Browne was bowled trying to give himself room against Shutt. Luc Benkenstein attempted to slog Waite and was bowled before Aron Nijjar was castled by Shutt. Waite mopped up the innings by having Jamal Richards caught behind and Ray Toole held one-handed at full stretch by Will Fraine at wide mid-on.The target did not initially look onerous, but Yorkshire were quickly in trouble. Roelofsen, swapping batting pads for the wicketkeeper’s, was soon back on the scorecard, catching Harry Duke behind off a faint tickle and then stumping Will Luxton, who tried to charge Nijjar.Shane Snater then had Fraine edging to slip, and next ball trapped Jonathan Tattersall like a statue in his crease to claim his third wicket in 11 balls.George Hill and Waite dug in doggedly for nine overs until Waite’s 35-ball vigil for 15 ended when he was lbw to one that kept low from Toole. The New Zealand seamer followed that by finding the edge of Revis’s bat and Yorkshire had fallen to 71-6.Five runs later the players scuttled off as the first serious rainfall of an otherwise dry season quickly flooded the ground and forced Duckworth and Lewis into decisive action.Tom Westley, expecting rain, had even slipped in a couple of rapid overs himself to ensure there would be a positive resut. “With 10 overs constituting a game, I brought myself on early. It started spitting in the sixth or seventh over and you could see clouds building everywhere so that was the reason why I came on for those token two overs.”I suppose being bowled out before we had faced the full 50 overs went in our favour because it gave us a bit more time to move the game forward and give us a bit more time with the ball. It’s pretty infuriating though that our number 11 is having to bat in every single game after we have got ourselves into some fantastic positions.”We don’t want to sell ourselves short by making the same mistakes over and over again it is a learning experience for a lot of these guys but from where we started against Derbyshire, which was an appalling performance given the standards we set, we have gone from strength to strength.”

Paul Stirling proved he has lost none of his firepower as he guided Southern Brave to another nine-wicket victory over Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens.The Ireland opener won the match award in the inaugural final last year and picked up where he left off, joining Quinton de Kock in a first-wicket run-fest in his first appearance of the season after international duty. He is a replacement for Marcus Stoinis, who has left to play in Australia’s ODI series against Zimbabwe.He notched a record individual score for Brave with an unbeaten knock of 74 off 42 balls and joined de Kock in a season-high partnership of 121 for the first wicket – just three short of the best for any wicket in the Hundred of 124 by D’Arcy Short and Dawid Malan for Trent Rockets against Brave last season.After George Garton had blasted out three top-order Fire batters in his opening seven balls to leave the home side shell-shocked at 1 for 3, the reigning champions restricted their hosts to 129 for 8 from their 100 balls.Related

• Shrubsole takes three as Brave defend modest total to go top

• Buttler out of remainder of the Hundred with calf strain

• Salt assault leads Originals to Hundred record total

• Munro makes light of target after Rashid, Patel contain Spirit

• Lyth, Hose, Wiese inflict first home defeat on Phoenix

Despite a 20-minute break for rain when they batted, Brave didn’t hang around in their chase as they condemned Fire to a fifth successive defeat to leave them pointless. Stirling started at breakneck speed with two boundaries off David Payne and Brave were 18 off 10 balls when the teams went off for the rain break.He then punished George Scrimshaw, hitting him for four successive fours when the game resumed. The visitors had 40 on the board from the powerplay and brought up their 50 off 63 balls. Stirling then hit Payne for successive sixes to reach his half-century.The only blot on Brave’s copybook was the loss of de Kock for 37 with nine runs left to win. They were added within four more balls to see Brave home with 18 balls to spare.The home side were seeking their first win of the campaign after four straight defeats and also had revenge in mind having been beaten by nine wickets by the reigning champions in their opening game.James Vince won the toss and had no hesitation in inserting Fire on a greasy wicket and with a heavy cloud covering overhead. Garton opened the bowling and produced one of the finest 10-ball spells in the history of the competition, sending back three batters for only one run.George Garton struck three times in the first seven balls•Getty Images

First to go was Jacob Bethell, caught at the wicket off the second ball for a golden duck. Next up was skipper Josh Cobb, who also went for a duck, and then Ben Duckett fell to a diving catch behind the wicket by de Kock.That reduced the Fire to 1 for 3 and they limped to a record-equaling lowest powerplay total of 17 off 25 balls.Joe Clarke and David Miller dug in and Miller had the honour of striking the first boundary off the 19th ball. Miller was the fourth man out when he was clean bowled by James Fuller for 15 and Clarke followed after a calamitous run-out with Leus du Plooy for 17.Du Plooy hit three boundaries in his 37 and his compatriot Dwaine Pretorius chipped in with 15 off seven balls. He struck a six to take his side past the lowest total in the tournament, 87, and then hit a four to take his side past their own previous lowest total, 91.Matt Critchley made hay off the last set of five from Michael Hogan, launching the last two balls for sixes to take his total to 32 and carry the Fire to 129 for 8. It was nowhere near enough.

If the last year is anything to go by, Sri Lanka don’t mind doing things the hard way.In their most recent Test series at home against Australia, they lost the first Test comprehensively before bouncing back to take the second. In the ODI leg of the tour, too, there was a first-game defeat before winning three on the trot to take the series. They then repeated the trick against Pakistan, losing the first Test and winning the second. And then, most recently, they suffered an big defeat to Afghanistan in the Asia Cup opener before winning five in a row to take the title.Related

• Sri Lanka pacers change their plan – and allow Namibia to change the mood at Kardinia Park

• Namibia kick off World Cup in style with famous upset

• All you need to know about the Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Safe to say, an early wake-up call seems to be a go-to Sri Lankan strategy of late – well, at least that’s the running joke within Sri Lankan cricket social-media circles. Even so, Sunday’s 55-run defeat to Namibia has taken the now-customary slow Sri Lankan start to new levels – or depths.As things stand right now, Sri Lanka know they need to win their next two games, against UAE and Netherlands, to have a chance to make the main round of the T20 World Cup, but they will need other results to go their way because of the heavy opening-day loss. And that’s without considering possible washouts.”You know, yesterday we lost the match, and so right now, somehow we have to win; no matter what, we have to win the next two matches,” Chamika Karunaratne said, speaking ahead of Tuesday’s game against UAE. “I think the boys all know that. We are definitely going to put more than 100% in the next two matches. We are looking at the players that we have right now.”Still, all four teams are playing good cricket. Even in the last match yesterday, UAE versus the Netherlands finished in the last ball. We don’t know what can happen, and because this game is always exciting and a bunch of funny things. Anything can happen, so we’ll see.”Reflecting on their loss to Namibia, Karunaratne echoed Dasun Shanaka’s sentiments from the previous evening, giving credit to their opponents while accepting his own team’s failings.”We just had a bad day, and we have to accept that Namibia played good cricket yesterday from all three departments, batting, bowling and fielding,” he said. “So we have to accept that, and what we have to do is we have to review what we did, our mistakes and everything.”So we will take it more seriously and just play the next few matches because we are better than that. We are so much better than that.”The similarity with the Asia Cup start were pointed out to Karunaratne, but he was keen to highlight the differing circumstances.Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup after losing their first match against Afghanistan•AFP/Getty Images

“[At] the Asia Cup, we lost to Afghanistan in the first match, and after that, we won all the matches. But we aren’t thinking the same way because the Asia Cup is over now. It’s history,” he said. “Now we have to think about the World Cup. Different places, different conditions, and different countries.”The ground is also so different. Even one side is 57, one side is 55, and long straight. So many things are different, so we have to plan, and we have to play our game.”After that Asia Cup win, Sri Lanka had been touted by many as dark horses for the World Cup. Provided they make it through following this early blip, Karunaratne feels they have all the tools in place to go deep in the tournament.”We have everything. We have the power-hitting, we have players who can control the game, and we are fit players, strong players and mindful, tactical – we have all who can play in the different areas, where we have the pace, we have the variation and the spin is really good,” he said. “What we have to do is we have to bring the right attitude. That’s the most important thing.”But we have to have that. Not for us, even for the other sides, as well. But I think if we bring the right attitude – that’s the main thing – we can beat any team anytime.”