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Sri Lanka have named a full-strength squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, marking an official end to the contracts crisis between the players and the board

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Mar-2013Sri Lanka have picked their best-available squad for the first Test in Galle after the contracts crisis that threatened to derail the home series against Bangladesh was brought to a swift resolution. Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, who facilitated the resolution, and his panel, has chosen four uncapped Test players in the squad of 16, in keeping with the panel’s vision for building a young team.Batsmen Kithuruwan Vithanage and Kushal Janith Perera, both 22, have been named in a Test squad for the first time, as has legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis. Nineteen-year-old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal is the other uncapped player in the squad, though he had been in a Test squad once before, without playing a match. All four players have been in form in Sri Lanka’s ongoing first-class league, while Vithanage sealed his place in the squad with an unbeaten 168 from 165 balls against a full-strength Bangladesh attack, in the tour match in Matara.Ajantha Mendis, who last played a Test in May 2011, has also been recalled to the side.All but one of the 23 players who had been locked out for 24 hours by Sri Lanka Cricket over the weekend have on Monday, signed the original contracts SLC had issued to them. Only Mahela Jayawardene has not yet signed, but he is expected to do so as soon as he returns to the country. Jayawardene was not considered for this series as he is nursing a fractured finger, while fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep also misses out through injury.Thilan Samaraweera has been omitted from the final squad, despite having been drafted into the preliminary squad after Jayawardene’s injury ruled him out of the series. Samaraweera had a woeful tour of Australia, scoring only 79 runs in 6 innings, but has since been prolific in first-class cricket. He has made 464 runs at an average of 92.8 in four matches in the Premier League Tournament.Offspinner Suraj Randiv is the other major omission, having been Sri Lanka’s second Test spinner for throughout 2012, but indifferent form at the top level has resulted in him losing his place. Ajantha Mendis, who replaces him, has also had recent success in domestic cricket, while Kaushal’s debut domestic season has been phenomenal in all formats. He leads the league with 41 wickets from five matches at 14.02 apiece, and has six five-wicket and two ten-wicket hauls to his name.Among the new batsmen, both Perera and Jeevan Mendis have made double-hundreds in the last three weeks, while Vithanage has an average of 75.25 over five innings.Fast bowler Dhammika Prasad cannot find a place in the squad, having played two Tests on the tour of Australia, but Suranga Lakmal, who arrived as a replacement, retains his place. Shaminda Eranga and Chanaka Welegedara have also been named.The two-Test series against Bangladesh will be Angelo Mathews’ first assignment as Test captain. The first Test begins on Friday March 8, with the second to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.Squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt, wicketkeeper), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Shaminda Eranga, Kushal Janith Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Chanaka Welegedera, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, Tharindu Kaushal.

Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura and Hamilton Masakadza have claimed they are yet to be paid the second installment of payments for their participation in the Bangladesh Premier League

Mohammad Isam07-May-2013Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura and Hamilton Masakadza have claimed they are yet to be paid the second installment of payments for their participation in the Bangladesh Premier League. The two appeared for Sylhet Royals, which is among five franchises that haven’t paid the Bangladesh Cricket Board the second installmentAccording to the players’ contract this season, the first installment was to be paid before the start of the tournament while the second was due at the end of it. The third installment is to be paid within six months of the tournament’s end.The BCB had taken over the responsibility of player payments this year after there were irregularities by the franchises in the inaugural edition of 2012. But as per the current process, the board needs to receive the amount from the franchises before paying the players. According to BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick, the BCB have only received money for the second installment from Dhaka Gladiators and Duronto Rajshahi.”It is true that five out of seven franchises haven’t made payments after the first 25%,” Mallick told ESPNcricinfo. “Our lawyers have told us that we have to wait till May 15 before sending out legal notices. We will take action if we are not paid by that time.””The BCB has taken up the responsibility of paying the players mainly because of what happened after the first edition of the BPL. We will continue to do so, but the franchises have to pay us the players’ fees. Once they fail to make the payments, we will take out the bank guarantees to pay the players.”Masakadza was bought in the players’ auction for $30,000, but has only received the first 25% of the payment. He played in seven matches for the Royals, making 90 runs at an average of 12.85.”I was so excited when I was bought in the auction,” Masakadza said. “The experience of being involved in the tournament was great but it has become a real disappointment since that our second payment is still due, and I’ve been waiting patiently for ten weeks now.”Chigumbura echoed his Zimbabwe team-mate’s concerns, reminding the Sylhet Royals to ensure payment. He averaged 44.33 with the bat, picked up 13 wickets and hit the most number of sixes in the tournament – 19.”I hope the organisers can arrange the payments very, very soon as we had our first payment during the event,” Chigumbura said. “But the next payment does not seem to be coming. I have waited more than two months already since it should have been paid.””It’s a shame because I have great memories of the tournament, as I finished as the highest six-hitter in the whole thing. But ultimately we are there to earn money, we love cricket, but it’s also a job for us.”

Three top-order fifties, led by James Taylor’s unbeaten 67, gave Nottinghamshire a chance to put more strain on the confidence of promoted Derbyshire

Jon Culley at Derby25-Apr-2013
ScorecardJames Taylor faced 183 balls but should have been run out before reaching his fifty•Getty ImagesNottinghamshire’s innings in one way resembles a series of missed opportunities, given that four of their top five batsmen fell around the half-century mark – and another should have done. Collectively, though, it adds up to a chance to put more strain on the confidence of promoted Derbyshire, whose introduction to the first division is teaching them quickly that survival will be a hard-won prize.In some respects, Derbyshire did not do too badly. The pitch, tricky for batsmen on the opening day, settled into one that played well, with good pace and carry, yet Derbyshire’s bowlers for the most part kept their lines. Nottinghamshire’s batting is as well-equipped as any to exploit favourable conditions, so to have allowed the scoring rate to creep only rarely above three per over was a good effort.It was undermined by errors in the field. Two catches went down at first slip and an easy run-out went begging when James Taylor, pushing to cover, stumbled halfway down the track after Samit Patel sent him back only for Billy Godleman, taking aim from five yards as he ran in, to miss the stumps.In terms of runs, the catches, both spilled by Wes Durston, were not especially expensive. Michael Lumb scored only 23 more after his escape, Patel 25. But these things add up psychologically. The extent of the damage done by Taylor’s let-off on 41 is still to be determined.Taylor, under pressure to prove himself after a somewhat disappointing first year with Nottinghamshire, was the third batsman to pass fifty, following Ed Cowan and Alex Hales.Cowan, who will open for Australia this summer, is clearly acclimatising quickly in English conditions, which will only encourage criticism of Nottinghamshire for giving him the chance. He looked in the frame of mind to supplement his debut 61 against Middlesex with his first century for the county until he greeted David Wainwright’s ugly long-hop – the spinner’s first ball of the season — with an equally poor shot.His attempt to clear midwicket went horribly wrong and he was caught by a substitute fielder, revealed to be Greg Cork, an 18-year-old academy player and son of the former Derbyshire and England fast bowler Dominic, who was on the ground to witness the moment for Sky TV.Nottinghamshire scarcely consider the Cowan complaints to be worthy of comment. In any case, it might be argued that England could draw a benefit if he can teach the naturally aggressive Hales a lesson or two about building an innings against the new ball. Hales, who has had a tendency to allow himself liberties, was a model of restraint, his 56 spanning 153 balls and including one sequence, lasting more than an hour, of 36 balls without a run.Chris Read, Notts’ captain, insists the change of approach has not come at his behest. “It is something he seems to have taken on himself,” Read said. “He has made a name for himself in the Twenty20 format but he is another year older now and a bit wiser and I’m pleased to see him taking more responsibility at the top of the order. It can only hold him in good stead.”Hales succumbed ultimately to a decent ball from Tony Palladino, as did Lumb, who edged one from Jonathan Clare that moved away. Riki Wessels surrendered to the only cheap dismissal, driving loosely at Ross Whiteley, while Patel’s was almost comical, his downfall caused by a complete loss of footing when Taylor changed his mind about a run to midwicket, leaving him flat on his backside and no chance of getting back as Shivnarine Chanderpaul threw in and the wicketkeeper broke the stumps, this time with a flourish.

Rob Key led the way with a buccaneering 144 not out as Kent maintained their challenge in Group A of the YB40 by crushing Netherlands by eight wickets on the first day of the 101st Tunbridge Wells festival week.

27-May-2013
ScorecardRob Key made his highest List A score•Getty ImagesRob Key led the way with a buccaneering 144 not out as Kent maintained their challenge in Group A of the Yorkshire Bank 40 by crushing Netherlands by eight wickets on the first day of the 101st Tunbridge Wells festival week.Kent made short work of overhauling Netherlands’ competitive 249 for 5, earning themselves an important victory 24 hours after they had thrown away the chance of beating Sussex at Horsham in a nervy run chase.But there was no mistake this time as Key, with the support of Sam Northeast and Brendan Nash, made sure of Kent’s fourth win in six matches.Key dominated an opening stand of 115 with Northeast, who chopped on to slow left-arm spinner Pieter Seelaar for 35 in the 18th over, and was then joined by Nash in a further partnership worth 89 in 13 overs. Nash hit six fours in a 38-ball 57 and Kent had already gone past 200 in the 30th over when he skied a catch to deep mid-on off Michael Swart’s darting offspin.But Key stayed to the end, clubbing Malik Jamil for six wide of long-on and also including 19 fours in a 121-ball effort that was his highest List A score and the seventh one-day hundred of his career.The Dutch batted well after captain Peter Borren had won the toss on a sunny but breezy day at the Nevill Ground. A home crowd of more than 2,000 watched with increasing anxiety as Netherlands steadily accelerated their scoring rate, reaching 150 only in the 28th over and then taking the attack to the Kent bowlers.Wesley Barresi and Tom Cooper both hit assured fifties in a third wicket stand of 95 in 19 overs and, when they were out, Dom Michael struck three sixes and four fours in a 40-ball 51 not out and was joined by Daan van Bunge and Borren in a burst of productive late hitting that exposed Kent’s lack of experienced death bowlers.Netherlands’ innings had begun badly, with Swart under-edging an intended pull against Matt Coles into his stumps and Stephan Myburgh falling lbw to Calum Haggett, who had replaced the injured Mark Davies in the Kent line-up.Barresi and Cooper then rebuilt the innings, reaching half-centuries from 59 and 58 balls respectively, before Barresi was bowled by a ball from offspinner Adam Riley that kept low. He made 69 from 83 balls, with nine fours, and Cooper soon followed for 54, caught by keeper Geraint Jones from a James Tredwell arm ball.A brilliant sprawling catch by Adam Ball, running around from short third man to take a swirling top edge off a short ball from Coles, ended Van Bunge’s bright 28, but Michael and Borren plundered 51 from the last 4.2 overs of the innings to set Kent a challenging target but one to which Key was more than equal.Netherlands now have three defeats and two no results in their five YB40 matches this season.

Bangladesh pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, who is recovering from a heel injury, is targeting the home ODI series against New Zealand in October for his international comeback

Mohammad Isam07-Jul-2013Bangladesh pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza is targeting the home ODI series against New Zealand in October for his international comeback. His fitness has been boosted by a three-week fitness programme that ended at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.Mortaza, who has been recovering from a left-heel injury, said that he has lost weight and has started to bowl more overs progressively. He suffered the injury during the Bangladesh Premier League final in February, and has taken unusually long to cure because of the myriad injuries on his left leg. He had undergone a rehabilitation programme while the Bangladesh team was touring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and continued to work on his fitness thereafter to participate in the fitness camp which began last month.Nazmul Hossain set for comeback

Nazmul Hossain, currently recovering from a surgery on his left knee, is targeting the start of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League on August 29 to return to cricket, well in time for the New Zealand series in October. It has been more than a month since he underwent the operation in Australia after he got hurt in Sri Lanka in March this year.
“I hope to start bowling from next week,” Nazmul said. “I have already begun running after completing a month after the surgery. Dr David Young, who operated on me, said that I can return to full fitness after a month.”
Fast bowler Abul Hasan, however, is set for a long lay-off as he prepares for surgery on a slipped disc. He had recurring back pain since the Test series in Sri Lanka in March. It has degenerated into a prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc, according to physio Vibhav Singh.
BCB’s sports phyisician Dr Debashish Chowdhury said that the sooner the surgery takes place the better, because he could be out for more than a year. “Even if the operation takes place today, he will probably miss out on the World Twenty20. We are trying to find out where he can be sent as soon as possible,” he said.

Mortaza now believes that not only has he completely recovered from the injury, his confidence has also been on the rise.”I have lost four kilos from the start of the camp, and I still need to reduce [another] four to five kilos,” he said. “I need to weigh around 84-85 to feel completely fit. Vibhav Singh [Bangladesh physio] told me that I still need four to five weeks to be completely fit.”This time, however, Mortaza hasn’t required a surgery, which would have been his 11th since his Test debut in 2001. His last international match was an ODI in December last year against West Indies. “I bowled four-five overs yesterday with a short run up, and I bowled almost six overs today with the same run-up, and I didn’t feel any pain,” he said.”But I am not able to bowl at my full strength as I feel that the pain may return if I rush myself. There is enough time for me to make myself fitter as the New Zealand series is in October, and I am confident of getting there on time.”The fitness programme has been useful for many players who were injured after the BPL this year, and have been trying for a comeback since then. According to one of the coaches, the programme was their first since their preparations for the 2011 World Cup. They will return next week with more focus on skills, but Mortaza will continue to build confidence through more fitness work.Closing in on his 30th birthday, and having suffered several injuries, Mortaza has little margin for more injuries. He has already been restricted to limited-overs cricket, and a return to Tests or first-class cricket is still quite a distance away.The ODIs against New Zealand are scheduled after the Test series, which will give Mortaza more time to recover. The last time New Zealand toured Bangladesh, he tumbled over after bowling just one over in the first ODI, injuring his ankle. This time, he knows that his international career would be jeopardised if there’s another injury.”I am very careful about recovering from my injury this time. I can’t afford any more injuries at this point of my career,” he said.

The SLPL has been thrown into uncertainty after the tournament failed to secure fees from all its franchises with less than a month before its scheduled start

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Jul-2013The Sri Lanka Premier League has been thrown into uncertainty after the tournament failed to secure fees from its franchises, less than a month from its scheduled start date. Somerset Entertainment Ventures (SEV) CEO Sandip Bhammer, whose company is the marketing partner for the tournament, confirmed that not all franchises have paid their tournament fees, despite having breached two deadlines. Neither Bhammer or tournament director Ajit Jayasekara would comment on how many franchises had paid their fee.The tournament draft was originally scheduled to take place on July 14, but was postponed by six days to allow the franchisees more time to pay. The second deadline of July 16 is also now likely to pass with at least some franchise fees outstanding. Each of the eight franchises are due to pay USD $4.33 million a year on average to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), in order to take part in the tournament. They also sustain operational costs in addition to that payment.”SLC have made it clear that unless the franchises pay, they will not be able to take part in the draft,” Bhammer said. “The state of it at the moment is that the SLC executive committee will meet on Wednesday and decide on what will happen. As far as SLC and SEV are concerned, we are ready.”The franchises’ original contract with SLC had been for a period of seven years, but they had applied to have that extended to 15 years earlier in the year, amid fears the franchises would not be able to recover their costs in that time. All eight franchises, and SEV, are understood to have made a loss from the first season, while SLC achieved a profit.”We will know more after the executive committee meeting tomorrow,” Jayasekara said. “I will be presenting the situation to them then, and making the details known after that.”

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said he was happy to see the allegations of fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League being thoroughly investigated by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, even though the entire episode has been distressing

Mohammad Isam13-Aug-2013BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said he was happy to see the allegations of fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League being thoroughly investigated by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, even though the entire episode has been distressing. It was necessary to take strict and swift action, he said, given how “corruption is spreading in sport”.”I am not happy at all [about the alleged corruption in BPL],” Hassan said. “Many of our favourite players and people are involved. We trusted them and if anybody breaks the trust, it is painful. But at the same time, I am also happy that we took this initiative.”If we didn’t do anything, [at the rate at which] corruption is spreading in sport, it will be almost impossible to stop it in the future. We are happy for the ACSU to do a thorough investigation, and whatever the result, it will be a message to everyone that whoever is found guilty will not be spared.”On Tuesday, the BCB and ICC jointly announced that nine individuals have been charged with various offences allegedly committed in the BPL in violation of Bangladesh’s anti-corruption code. The nine persons were not named, but the Bangladesh cricketers who are among the nine will not be able to participate in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, the domestic one-day tournament, which is scheduled to begin on September 3.ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCB had wanted to name the nine individuals during the press conference but ICC chief executive officer Dave Richardson wanted to strictly adhere to the provisions of the anti-corruption code.Explaining how the case will progress, Richardson said the hearing for the accused could still be a couple of months away. “The prosecution of the case and conduct of the hearing will be carried out on behalf of the BCB by the ICC,” he said. “There will be pre-hearing procedures where the ICC will make its own submissions once we know whether the charged have pleaded guilty or not. Then the accused will be able to reply to those submissions. Then, once everyone is available – the tribunal, the witnesses and all the accused – a date will be set. We think that it is still a couple of months away.”If any of the nine individuals are from overseas, they are still liable under the BCB’s anti-corruption code, Richardson said. “All those individuals who have been charged have submitted to the jurisdiction of the BCB’s anti-corruption code. Obviously one is required to sign a contract with the BPL as a foreign player, by which one of the terms would be to submit yourself to the jurisdiction of the code. The same applies to support personnel, or any other person involved with the teams.”Now, the BCB, as per Article 5 of the anti-corruption code, is required to appoint a disciplinary-panel chairman. The chairman is supposed to be a retired justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He is required to then form a 10-member disciplinary panel, which should comprise of three retired judges, three eminent civilians and four cricket experts. Then, the chairman must form a three-member anti-corruption tribunal – which will hear the case – from among the disciplinary panel’s members, with one representative from each of the panel’s three groups.Hassan said that the BCB will immediately initiate proceedings to form the disciplinary panel, though the anti-corruption code specifies that BCB directors choose only the disciplinary panel’s chairman. “The tribunal will be formed immediately,” Hassan said. “The [disciplinary] panel will be announced within the next two or three days. It will be a ten-member panel from which three members will form the tribunal. We are just re-confirming the panel.”

West Indies A captain Kirk Edwards aims to use the tour of India later this month to force his way back into contention for the senior team

Renaldo Matadeen03-Sep-2013West Indies A captain Kirk Edwards aims to use the tour of India later this month to force his way back into contention for the senior team.”There’s a job to be done [for the team]. I look forward to that,” Edwards said. “Personally, I know people harp on my Test stint against England last year but I think I had a good outing with some consistent scores. It was a bit disappointing but I’ve got over it and I’m looking forward to making some runs and moving back into the senior spotlight.”Edwards, 28, last played for West Indies in May 2012 and has since been searching for consistency in his batting. He seems a viable option in Tests with an average of 39.11 in nine matches but his ODI credentials – a top score of 40* at 19.12 – struggle to match up. His recent form is suspect as well, having played only one game for the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League. However, the selectors have seen him as an A-team mainstay and continued to place faith in his leadership.With a mooted senior team trip to India before the visit to New Zealand, Edwards was determined to make the most out of this tour. “This is an opportunity to propel you into the senior team,” he said. “I need to keep getting scores to get back into Test cricket and I’ll be going about things in a professional manner, day-by-day. I’ve been on tour to India before and I’m familiar with the conditions, so this knowledge counts for a lot.”Edwards believes that his team has the right balance of youth and experience to enjoy a good outing in India. While happy to lead in the four-day matches, he was hopeful being relieved of limited-overs captaincy – with Kieran Powell taking over – will allow him to focus more on his own performances and present himself in better light to the West Indies selectors.His side completed a successful series against Sri Lanka A in June and Edwards was grateful that the selectors kept the majority of the nucleus intact. West Indies began those unofficial Tests in emphatic fashion, with three of their batsmen recording centuries in the same innings; Edwards, with 190, was the top-scorer. Besides two high-scoring draws, Edwards led his side to a 2-1 victory in the ODI series and secured the T20 series 1-0.”This unit we have here was formed for a while,” he said. “It’s positive to stay with this group, let players get comfortable and learn the game from and with each other. Experience counts for a lot and this continuity will help us.”The pitches and environment [in India] are different to the Caribbean. It’s different for spin and the new ball turns from ball one. Some outfields are quick and some pitches have a lack of bounce but we can – and will – capitalise on the good batting tracks. It’s a brilliant atmosphere because people love cricket in India, so I hope they come out for the games.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the Group B Champions League match between Brisbane Heat and Titans

The Preview by Rachna Shetty23-Sep-2013Match factsSeptember 24, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Titans’ batting is built around AB de Villiers’ inventive style of play•BCCIBig PictureBrisbane Heat and Titans have started their Champions League T20 campaigns with losses, but compare the two teams and it’s hard to deny the advantage that Titans hold.One of Titans’ biggest strengths, as captain Henry Davids stated, is their powerful batting line-up, which is built around AB de Villiers and his brutally effective style of play. Davids, Jacques Rudolph and Farhaan Behardien complement de Villiers well. Their bowling has been strengthened by the presence of the Morne Morkel and they have a strong part-time bowling reserves in medium-pace and spin.Heat, meanwhile, are already feeling the absence of Luke Pomersbach and Shane Watson, absent due to injury and IPL-team commitments respectively.Titans will be out to better their average bowling performance that cost them the match against Chennai Super Kings though. Granted, the dew did play a role in the second half of the game in Ranchi, but Titans didn’t do themselves any favours with erratic bowling. After the match, Titans’ captain Henry Davids admitted the bowling lacked discipline, but this is an attack that is still finding its feet.Morne Morkel had 11 wickets from five ODIs and three T20Is in Sri Lanka, but also conceded a few runs. Marchant de Lange, finding his way back to cricket after a rib injury struggled for rhythm against Super Kings. The spin bowling attack rests largely on the shoulders of Roelof van der Merwe – their other spin options include Jacques Rudolph, Eden Links and Graeme van Buuren.They would do well to learn from Trinidad & Tobago, who successfully defended a total of 135 by stifling the Heat batsmen during the Powerplay overs with tight, disciplined lines. Joe Burns was the only Heat batsman who looked in form against T&T – the rest of the batsmen will need to ensure they don’t lose their focus in the instance that they lose quick wickets.Kemar Roach and Alister McDermott are key to Heat’s hopes of containing Titans’ batsmen. Ben Cutting is another good bowler for Heat, with the bounce that he can derive thanks to his height. Nathan Hauritz, who missed a hat-trick against T&T, can be expected to shepherd the spin attack once again.Players to watchBrisbane Heat entered this year’s Champions League as Australia’s top T20 team and a lot of credit for that rests on the shoulders of Kemar Roach, who shrugged off an indifferent league stage to pick up 3 for 18 off his four overs in the final of the Big Bash League. Roach’s skiddish pace can trouble the Titans batsmen and it will be interesting to watch how he uses his short ball against batsmen who are bred on pace.Marchant de Lange has bigger goals in the tournament. A stress fracture kept him out for most of the previous domestic season and a rib injury put him out of the A-team tri-series recently. The Champions League is an important chance to prove form and, more importantly, fitness to South Africa’s selectors, with a place in the 2015 World Cup squad in the offing.

A round-up of the fourth and fifth unofficial T20s between Sri Lanka A and Kenya

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Oct-20134th T20
ScorecardAnother lacklustre performance from Kenya’s batsmen formed the basis for a fourth straight walloping at the hands of Sri Lanka A in Colombo, where the visitors were defeated by nine wickets. Having chosen to bat, Kenya mustered only 99 for 9 from their 20 overs – a total that barely tested the opposition, who eclipsed it in the 14th over.The clatter of Kenya wickets began in the second over and continued without respite until the end of their innings, as nine batsmen failed to reach double figures. Seam bowler Lahiru Jayaratne dismissed both openers inside the Powerplay, and though wicketkeeper-batsman Morris Ouma held one end up from with a 29-ball 28, the spin bowlers began to strike at the other.Offspinner Ramith Rambukwella inched closer to a Twenty20 international debut for Sri Lanka with another impressive turn with the ball, taking 2 for 12 in his four overs, while left-arm spinner Milinda Siriwardene and seam bowler Isuru Udana took one scalp apiece.Kusal Perera hit his second half-century on the trot in response, striking four fours and two sixes in his 43-ball 54 not out, and his unbeaten 71-run stand with Dinesh Chandimal took Sri Lanka home at a canter.5th T20
ScorecardKenya broke their duck against Sri Lanka A in the fifth match in Colombo, as they first sparked a middle-order collapse, then produced their best batting performance of the series, to sneak home off the last ball. Seam-bowler Nelson Odhiambo’s three wickets were instrumental in dismissing Sri Lanka A for 134, before Morris Ouma struck 64 off 55 to propel the successful chase.Odhiambo struck in his first over to remove Danushka Gunathilaka, who had been impressive for Sri Lanka A earlier in the series, before coming back to dismiss Chaturanga de Silva and Isuru Udana in later spells. Angelo Perera hit 56 off 47 balls for the hosts, but was short of substantial support, with no other top-order batsman crossing 20.Still, Sri Lanka A had been progressing comfortably, at 88 for 4 at the start of the 14th over, before a string of quick wickets caused the innings to unravel.Legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna struck early in Kenya’s chase, but an 84-run stand between Duncan Allan and Ouma provided the platform for their innings. Ouma hit six fours and a six in his knock, and stayed at the crease until the match was tied, in the final over. With one run to win off the last two balls, though, he was run out, but Rakep Patel hit four off Isuru Udana’s final ball to take Kenya home.The seven match series concludes with the double-header on Saturday. Sri Lanka A have already won the series, leading 4-1.