All posts by n8rngtd.top

Same squad that won the ODI series 2-0 picked for the T20Is as well

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2023West Indies women U-19 players Zaida James, Ashmini Munisar and Djenaba Joseph have been named in the side’s 14-player squad that will play three T20Is against Ireland this week.The selectors have opted to retain the same squad that won the ODI series 2-0 last week, with chief selector Ann Browne-John saying the group has a strong balance of experience and youth.”The selection panel decided to retain the players who completed the ODI series,” Browne-John said. “These players have shown form and performance which enabled the team to secure a series win, which the team has been striving for in recent times.”As we continue the rebuilding, we believe we have found a competent balance in mix of senior players and the younger players selected. It is in keeping with our ethos of preparing the next batch of West Indies women’s players, by combining the experienced and the newly capped players.”The side, led by Hayley Matthews and her deputy Shemaine Campbelle, will be playing their first set of T20I games since the T20 World Cup earlier this year, where West Indies were knocked out in the group stage.All three games will be played in St Lucia’s Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. The first fixture is on Tuesday, July 4, followed by matches on July 6 and 8.West Indies T20I squad: Hayley Matthews (captain), Shemaine Campbelle (vice-captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, Qiana Joseph, Ashmini Munisar, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams.

Both teams have had setbacks in the recent past and have turned to the next generation to try and fix them

Alagappan Muthu11-Jul-20232:06

Deep Dasgupta picks India’s playing XI for the first Test

Big picture

A Test series begins with both teams hoping for a fresh start. There will be interest as well in some of the new players who are about to take their first steps in red-ball cricket. These may be two low-key matches happening at a time when the biggest market in the cricket world will be fast asleep but there is a chance that the gains made over these next few weeks in the Caribbean could reverberate through the annals of time.India are in transition. West Indies are in shock. Two great cricket nations trying to capture their best form have turned to the upstarts among their number to lead the way forward.Related

• Rohit: 'Gill will play at No. 3' against West Indies

• Time to temper expectations as India enter Test transition

• Shai Hope: 'We can't just wake up one morning and be a great team'

Yashasvi Jaiswal is 21. He is preparing to open the batting for India on Test debut. Alick Athanaze is 24. He is preparing to live up to the faith that no less than Brian Lara has in him. There are others vying to prove themselves as well. Ajinkya Rahane has the words vice-captain next to his name but he’ll know only consistent runs will keep him in the side. Rahkeem Cornwall comes with all the potential in the world and though he has lived up to some of it with his offspin, a batting average of 18 from nine Test does not tally with just how good he can be.Plenty of focus will be on the kind of pitches that will be used in these games. Windsor Park in Dominica is hosting a Test match for the first time in over six years. And given the discrepancy between the two pace attacks – West Indies can call on quicker, taller and more experienced fast bowlers through the course of this series – they have an excellent opportunity. Not to mention seamer-friendly pitches might also help negate India’s biggest threats with the ball – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.West Indies haven’t beaten India in a Test series since April 2002. They’ll be hungry to change that.

Form guide

West Indies: LLWDL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: LDLWW

In the spotlight

This feels like a pivotal year for Rohit Sharma. He already seems to have been phased out in T20 cricket. And the way India perform under his captaincy in the upcoming ODI World Cup may well determine how long he continues in that format. So Tests are, all of a sudden, looking like his most stable source of game time, especially after that bumper tour of England in 2021 where his defence was almost on par with his offence. India take pride in winning away from home and as an opening batter, Rohit has the chance to lay the foundations for that.Tagenarine Chanderpaul began his Test career by staring down the might of the Australian bowling attack on their own turf. It didn’t take a lot of time for him to put the lessons he learned on that tour to good use, scoring a double-century in his third match. The 27-year-old has his father’s stance and more importantly his hunger as well. Now to see if he has Shivnarine’s fondness (seven centuries at an average of 63.85) for Indian bowlers.Tagenarine Chanderpaul converted his maiden Test hundred into a double, against Zimbabwe•Associated Press

Team news

Shubman Gill was always destined to slip down into India’s middle order in Test cricket, and this might be the tour where that happens. He’ll own the No. 4 slot eventually but for now No. 3 will do. Jaiswal, who averages 80 from 15 first-class games, with a penchant for converting fifties (2) into hundreds (9), will partner Rohit at the top of the order. Picking the pace attack though is much more of a problem, with only Siraj guaranteed a spot.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 KS Bharat/Ishan Kishan (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Jaydev Unadkat/Navdeep Saini/Mukesh Kumar, 11 Mohammed SirajWest Indies will have a good mix of orthodox batters at the top and some agenda pushers in the middle order, and if they all click together, they can really make it hard for the opposition. Their bowling, of course, is their biggest strength and all of their frontliners appear fit and ready for battle.West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 3 Raymon Reifer, 4 Jermaine Blackwood, 5 Alick Athanaze, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Rahkeem Cornwall, 8 Joshua de Silva (wk), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

It is a long time since West Indies has been a fast bowlers’ paradise. Both venues for this series are more known for producing slow pitches that lead to attritional cricket. Weather wise, there is some rain forecast on the first, second and fifth days of the Test.

Stats and trivia

• India’s pace attack on the Test tour of the West Indies carries a total experience of 88 Test wickets between them; Mohammed Siraj, the leader of the pack, has 52.
• West Indies have played five Tests at Windsor Park but have won only one of them.

Quotes

“Looking at the wicket, I think we might go in with two spinners and three seamers. The last Test match played here was in 2017 and the spinners picked a lot of the wickets (18 of 38). Having trained here for days, we noticed there has been a lot of bounce. Think we will play a 3-2 combination.”

Rohit and Dravid to be part of the meeting in which the selectors are also likely to pencil in the draft squad for the World Cup

Shashank Kishore19-Aug-20232:15

Who will make the final cut in India’s Asia Cup squad?

Will KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah be on the plane to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup? We will know on Monday, August 21, when the senior men’s selection committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, convenes in New Delhi to pick the squad.It is understood that Rohit Sharma, the India captain, will attend the meeting. SS Das will too, but via video conference because he’s the selector on tour in Ireland with a second-rung squad which is currently in the middle of a three-match T20I series. According to PTI, head coach Rahul Dravid will also be present in his official capacity. The coach is generally not part of the selection meetings.Rohit’s participation is significant given the selectors are also likely to pencil in the draft squad for the World Cup. While September 5 is the ICC’s deadline to submit the draft squad, it is understood the selection panel wants to pick the same 15 for both events as far as possible. The picked squad, along with a few stand-by players, will then assemble in Bengaluru for a six-day camp prior to their departure to Colombo.Related

• Bumrah and Prasidh's promising comebacks good news for India

• Rahul, Iyer in match simulation training ahead of Asia Cup selection

• Suryakumar, Samson and Tilak jostle to fit in India's Asia Cup jigsaw

• Suryakumar: No shame in admitting 'really bad' ODI record

Rahul and Iyer’s fitness status could be a main discussion point as the BCCI awaits a final nod from the NCA. The duo is currently in Bengaluru, where they have been put through a series of match-simulation exercises and practice matches to test their readiness for 50-over cricket.Iyer is understood to have ticked most boxes in his first practice game earlier this week, where he fielded for the entire 50 overs and batted for 38 without much discomfort. The match was closely monitored by NCA chief VVS Laxman and batting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar. Rahul, who didn’t feature in that game, is expected to line up alongside Iyer for a second practice game on Sunday.Rahul’s fitness is key to India solving their wicketkeeper conundrum, especially with Rishabh Pant still recovering from injuries sustained during a serious car crash in December.Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were recently put through a series of match simulation exercises at NCA•Getty Images

If picked, Rahul is likely to bat at No. 5 and keep wicket. If he isn’t, Ishan Kishan is the frontrunner for the wicketkeeper’s role. Kishan’s selection could also then lead to a bit of a shuffle in the batting order. It’s something several former cricketers, including former head coach Ravi Shastri, feel strongly about.Iyer, meanwhile, solves the crucial No. 4 debate should he be fit. It’s a position that proved to be India’s bugbear at the 2019 World Cup, when the MSK Prasad-led selection committee punted on Vijay Shankar’s all-round skills over Ambati Rayudu, who was the designated No. 4 for much of India’s build-up to the tournament. Eventually, Shankar’s injury paved the way for Pant’s belated inclusion in the squad.In Iyer’s absence, India recently tried out Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel at No. 4 in the Caribbean. Suryakumar, India’s T20I vice-captain, admitted having not been able to make the best use of his opportunities at that spot, and the team management is believed to be trying him as a finisher.Bumrah, meanwhile, opened India’s Ireland tour with a Player-of-the-Match winning effort in Dublin on Friday. Bumrah took 2 for 24; both his strikes came in his opening over upon a return to international cricket after 11 months. Prasidh Krishna, another key bowler in India’s World Cup plans, also made a promising return and picked up two wickets.India open their Asia Cup campaign against Pakistan on September 2, before playing Nepal on September 4. Both games will be played in Pallekele, with the top two sides of the group progressing through to the Super 4s, where they will play three more games.After the Asia Cup, India will also play three ODIs at home against Australia prior to opening their World Cup campaign, also against Australia, on October 8 in Chennai.

But Mohammad Abbas makes inroads for Hampshire as visitors close 172 behind at Ageas

ECB Reporters Network26-Sep-2023Tom Lawes took back-to-back five-wicket hauls as Surrey claimed three of the five points needed to be crowned LV= Insurance County Championship winners.Allrounder Lawes pulled out the Hampshire middle order for his third five-for of the season with Kemar Roach picking up 3 for 41.Hampshire built their below-par 219 around Ben Brown’s positive 78, before Mohammad Abbas pinned back Surrey to end the day on 47 for two – a deficit of 172.Surrey needed five points to be confirmed Champions for a second year in a row – even if they failed to do so all they’d need to do is avoid defeat to prevent Essex from overtaking them.Early morning rain saw the toss, and play, delayed by an hour before Surrey choose to bowl – with Jamie Smith and Will Jacks likely to boost the batting once they return from England duty.It took until the ninth over for Surrey to open up the Hampshire top order as Toby Albert jabbed unconvincingly at Roach to edge to second slip Jamie Overton. In the West Indian’s following over, he found Nick Gubbins chopping on a floaty ball outside off stump.Point one of five was chalked off in the 18th over when James Vince’s back-foot swish was gobbled by Overton to hand Lawes his first wicket with his fourth ball.The pitch didn’t appear to have any demons but Hampshire’s batters struggled to escape the accurate Surrey bowler’s clasp. Fletcha Middleton was a fine example of this as he battled hard for 52 balls before losing patience against Jordan Clark – who cleaned out his off stump.Lawes had been forced to wait until senior bowlers Roach, Dan Worrall, Jordan Clark and Overton had their go, but the 20-year-old out-shone them all. The pace bowler claimed 5 for 105 against Northamptonshire last week and slaughtered the Hampshire middle-order.After Vince, Tom Prest was Lawes’ next victim when last week’s century-maker followed his captain in wafting on the back foot – this time Ben Foakes grabbed the simple catch.The match-winner in Hampshire’s sensational victory over Essex last week, which put the title in Surrey’s hands, Liam Dawson failed to replicate his heroics as he drove to second slip.Ian Holland stuck around to put on 33 with Brown – who was starting to get into his work – before Roach returned to strangle him down the leg side.Brown was forced to guide the tail through things to get the score towards respectability, with stands of 55 and 45 with James Fuller and Kyle Abbott.The wicketkeeper has had a disappointing season with the bat in the Championship, with this his third fifty of the campaign. His best being the 95 he scored in the reverse fixture at the Kia Oval in April. His ten boundaries all came square or behind the wicket on his way to a 63-ball half-century.Fuller fell after a nicely crafted 25 when he was lbw to spinner Cam Steel before Brown gave a fourth wicket to Lawes and a fourth catch to second slip Overton, a third point in the bag for the Brown Caps.Abbas was the last to fall for a four-ball duck when Lawes pinned him leg before.Surrey had 20 overs to bat under the now clear skies with 300 in their sights to win the title. Abbas had other ideas as Dom Sibley faintly edged behind and Rory Burns played onto his stumps for evening figures of 2 for 20. But Ryan Patel and Sai Sudharsan carefully guided the visitors to the close.

Pathirana had suffered a shoulder injury against Pakistan and missed Sri Lanka’s next two games

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2023Allrounder Angelo Mathews has replaced fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana in Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad. Pathirana had suffered a shoulder injury while playing Pakistan in Hyderabad on October 10, and was ruled out of Sri Lanka’s subsequent matches against Australia and Netherlands.Mathews had already linked up with the squad ahead of the match against Netherlands, having been called up as a travelling reserve along side fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera.Related

• Cornered lions England and Sri Lanka aim for miraculous resurrection

• Kishore: Sri Lanka find new lionhearts in sloppy-to-sublime performance

• Sri Lanka's finishing failings exposed against Australia

• Fernando: Sri Lanka bowling fire doused by flat Indian pitches

Former captain Mathews, 36, last played an ODI against Afghanistan in June. He comes with plenty of experience on this stage though, having played the World Cups in 2011, 2015 and 2019. He was Sri Lanka’s captain during the 2015 edition.Pathirana is Sri Lanka’s second injury loss this World Cup after their captain Dasun Shanaka was ruled out due to a quadriceps tear, which he had also picked up during the match against Pakistan. Chamika Karunaratne had taken Shanaka’s place in Sri Lanka’s squad, with wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis standing in as captain. They are also without legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who was ruled out of the World Cup with an injury.Before his injury, Pathirana was taken for as many as 185 runs in the 19 overs that he had bowled across matches against South Africa and Pakistan, with an economy rate of almost 10.Sri Lanka are looking for an upswing in form themselves, having registered their first win of the World Cup when they beat Netherlands by five wickets in Lucknow on Saturday, having lost three in a row till then. They are currently placed ninth on the points table.

Victoria’s formidable attack was irresistible late on day three as they tore through a struggling NSW batting order

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2023
Peter Handscomb defied a challenging MCG surface before captain Will Sutherland produced a hostile spell of pace bowling as Victoria closed in on a big Sheffield Shield victory over New South Wales.Victoria’s formidable attack was irresistible late on day three as they tore through a struggling NSW batting order and they need just two wickets to claim their first win of the Shield season.Chasing a daunting 379 runs in bowling-friendly conditions, NSW openers Ryan Hackney and Daniel Hughes started doggedly but faced an uphill battle against masterful new ball bowling from Scott Boland and Fergus O’Neill.Hackney succumbed to a typically metronomical Boland after he was sharply caught by Handscomb at first slip. O’Neill then clean bowled Hughes with a superb delivery from around the wicket before a pumped-up Sutherland took over after tea.He had skipper Moises Henriques trapped lbw before dismissing Blake MacDonald caught behind with a brute of a short delivery. Sutherland’s purple patch was complete when late movement deceived Matthew Gilkes, whose off stump was rattled after shouldering arms.Offspinner Todd Murphy, playing in his 17th first-class match, bowled for the first time in a Shield match at the MCG. Having not been needed to bowl in NSW’s first innings, Murphy dismissed Ben Dwarshuis lbw in his first over and later claimed Chris Tremain with a return catch.Play was extended by an extra half an hour, but Victoria’s push to wrap up victory before the close of play was thwarted by Jason Sangha, who made a fighting half-century in a lone hand.With sunny conditions forecast on day four, Victoria should complete a convincing victory to get their season back on track.After falling short to Western Australia in the last two Shield finals, Victoria armed with a blend of youth and experience entered the season confident of going one step better.But innings defeats to WA and Queensland on the road have caused concern in a sluggish start to the season. Victoria have clearly enjoyed returning home in what has been a domination of NSW, who finished with the wooden spoon last season.Resuming on 40, having lifted Victoria from 92 for 5, Handscomb took the contest away from NSW with composed batting as he notched his first half-century of the Shield season.Handscomb did his best to shake being pigeonholed as a subcontinent specialist as he thwarted NSW’s quicks, particularly Tremain who was the Blues’ most threatening bowler.He also used his feet nicely to curb Test offspinner Nathan Lyon, who bowled accurately but without reward. Handscomb appeared set for a deserved century until falling on 90, when he was caught behind off an outside edge to DwarshuisLyon had his first wicket of the match when he had understudy Murphy caught at short-leg. In his second game since returning from a calf injury that ended his Ashes tour, Lyon finished with match figures of 1-81 from 36 overs.Victoria were left frustrated by tailenders Boland and O’Neill, who effectively threw the bat and reached his maiden first-class half-century with a boundary.Boland contributed just one of the 58 runs in the last-wicket partnership before he was bowled by the hardworking Tremain, who finished with eight wickets for the match.O’Neill’s cavalier unbeaten 70 left NSW dejected and they never recovered.

However, it isn’t confirmed whether Dravid has accepted the offer, which comes days after India’s defeat in the World Cup final

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Nov-2023In a move that signals continuity, the BCCI has offered Rahul Dravid an extension to continue as India’s head coach. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Dravid was approached by the BCCI last week, with the tenure of the extension being open-ended.However, it is yet to be confirmed whether Dravid has accepted the offer. It is learned that one crucial reason the BCCI was keen on sticking with Dravid was to ensure continuity to the structure he had put in place over the past two years, which might have otherwise got disrupted had a new head coach been appointed.But if Dravid does take up the offer, his first assignment in his second stint will be India’s tour of South Africa, which starts with the white-ball leg from December 10 – there will be three T20Is and ODIs each – and will be followed by two Tests, in Centurion (from December 26) and Cape Town (from January 3). Then there is the five-match Test series against England at home, before the T20 World Cup in June.Dravid had replaced Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup in 2021, getting appointed for a two-year term which ended with the ODI World Cup recently, where India finished as runners-up. That was the joint-best finish for India at ICC events under Dravid as coach, after they had also lost to Australia this June in the World Test Championship final. Before that, India were beaten by England in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup.If Dravid continues, it is also expected that he will retain the same set of assistant coaches he had joined hands with in 2021: Vikram Rathour (batting coach), Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), and T Dilip (fielding coach).Speaking after the World Cup final defeat, Dravid had said he was proud that India were ranked No. 1 across the three formats, although the absence of a global trophy was a “disappointment”. Asked more than once if he would want to continue in the job, Dravid said he had not thought about it at all, having been consumed in preparing for the World Cup.”I haven’t thought about it. I have no time to think about this, and no time to reflect on this,” Dravid had said. “I will when I get the time to do that. But at this point of time, I was completely focused on this campaign. It was focused on this World Cup, and there was nothing else on my mind. And I haven’t given any other thought to what happens in the future.”

The WA captain led from the front but the home side collapsed during the final session to leave the game well balanced

Tristan Lavalette03-Feb-2024Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman compiled a brilliant century on a grassy WACA surface, but New South Wales hit back late on day one as the Sheffield Shield resumed after the mid-season break.After being sent in, Whiteman and Cameron Bancroft overcame the tough conditions with a century partnership as they batted into the second session.Back to his favoured format, Whiteman shrugged off a lean BBL and a first ball duck in Thursday’s Marsh Cup against NSW with 107 off 188 balls. He was particularly fluent driving the ball and ruthless against short-pitched bowling.Related

• Sheffield Shield returns after BBL break with compelling contests in store

• Boland injury scare takes gloss off Victoria's excellent day

• McDermott's resurgent century lifts Queensland out of trouble

But WA collapsed to be bowled out for 256 after being well positioned at 164 for 2 with wicketkeeper-batter Josh Philippe left stranded on 52 not out.Bowling tirelessly from the Lillee-Marsh end, veteran seamer Jackson Bird hauled NSW back into the contest to finish with 3 for 37 off 20 overs.Two-time defending champions WA’s only defeat of the season was a 10-wicket thrashing to NSW at the SCG as they sit fractionally behind Tasmania on the table. NSW, who were winless last season, had built momentum before the break to be in striking position of an unexpected final’s tilt.Captain Moises Henriques had no hesitation to bowl on a green-tinged surface and in notably cooler weather than the teams experienced in Thursday’s Marsh Cup, where temperatures hit 43 degrees in Perth.But Whiteman and Bancroft expertly navigated the bowler-friendly conditions with the occasional delivery rearing off the surface. Bancroft was cautious and scored just one off his first 12 balls before he settled with a beautiful cover drive as Whiteman also flourished through the off-side.They judged the length superbly and pounced on stray deliveries from NSW’s quicks, who often bowled too full or short. Chris Tremain and Jack Edwards were unable to consistently bowl in dangerous areas outside off stump with Henriques turning to speedster Liam Hatcher for a spark.He delivered with a vicious spell before lunch and hit speeds of around 140kph, but Bancroft and Whiteman held firm. Offspinner Chris Green was carried away with the surface’s bounce and repeatedly bowled too short as NSW toiled in a barren first session.Batting appeared easier after lunch with Whiteman at ease against Edwards’ rather pedestrian short bowling to rattle past his half-century. Whiteman sped past Bancroft, who edged through slips against the luckless Hatcher.A desperate Henriques turned to Bird, who ended the 107-run partnership by having Bancroft well caught by Edwards at second slip. Bird found a trademark groove as he relentlessly hit a menacing spot outside off-stump to torture Jayden Goodwin.Goodwin, the son of former Zimbabwe Test batter Murray Goodwin, has impressed this season and was preferred at No. 3 over Teague Wyllie, who for much of the past couple of seasons has batted in that position. But Goodwin was all at sea against Bird and nicked off on his 13th delivery for a duck.Once Bird went out of the attack, Whiteman capitalised and charged towards his century on the stroke of tea. He whacked a tiring Hatcher for three consecutive boundaries to move to 97 before guiding him over the slips for six to notch his second Shield ton of the season.But NSW fought back in the final session with WA losing 4 for 8, including Whiteman who was brilliantly run out from a direct throw by Ryan Hackney at square-leg. Whiteman attempted a second run back to the striker’s end, but Hackney charged in from the boundary and left him stunned having just one stump to aim at.NSW were on a roll when Wyllie fell lbw to Edwards for a golden duck, but they rued Green dropping Philippe before he had scored in a sitter at third slip. In a late twist, Matt Kelly and Corey Rocchiccioli were dismissed on the last two balls of the day’s play as WA were bowled out.Having played in the Marsh Cup following an indifferent BBL, left-arm spinner Ashton Agar was overlooked with WA sticking with offspinner Rocchiccioli, who has been a mainstay in their Shield team in recent seasons. Nathan Lyon is not playing for NSW after a hectic Test summer.

Asalanka is standing in for the suspended Wanindu Hasaranga

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2024Charith Asalanka will stand in as Sri Lanka captain in place of the suspended Wanindu Hasaranga for the first two of three T20Is against Bangladesh starting March 4 in Sylhet. Asalanka, the designated vice-captain, will be leading Sri Lanka for the first time.Sri Lanka have brought in opening batter Avishka Fernando in place of Pathum Nissanka, who is recovering from the injury he sustained during the series against Afghanistan recently. Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who last played a T20I in February 2022, has been recalled too.Hasaranga, who was suspended for two T20Is by the ICC following his run-in with umpire Lyndon Hannibal in the third T20I against Afghanistan on February 21, will be returning as captain for the final T20I on March 9.Related

• Kusal Perera ruled out of Bangladesh T20Is with respiratory infection

• Shakib out of Bangladesh's white-ball squads against SL

• Hasaranga suspended for two T20Is for outburst against umpire

Fernando came into the squad largely on the back of good ODI form. In the series against Afghanistan, he had hit 91 off 66 balls and a run-a-ball 88 in two of the three games. He last played a T20I in January last year, and has been an inconsistent presence in Sri Lanka’s squad owing to a combination of fitness and form. However, Sri Lanka’s new set of selectors appear to want to reintegrate him into the top teams.Vandersay, meanwhile, last played a T20I two years ago. He is there essentially as cover for Hasaranga in the matches for which Hasaranga is suspended. Akila Dananjaya and Maheesh Theekshana are the other frontline spinners in the squad.The first T20I is scheduled for March 4. The whole series will be played in Sylhet.Sri Lanka T20I squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (capt for last game), Charith Asalanka (capt for first two games), Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Janith Perera, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay

She finishes as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in ODIs and T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2024Former Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof has called time on a storied 17-year international cricket career with immediate effect. She is, however, available to play league cricket.One of the most prominent names in women’s cricket, the 32-year-old finishes as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in both the ODI and T20I formats. She scored 3369 runs in 136 ODIs at an average of 29.55, which included 21 half-centuries and a best score of 99. In T20Is, she had 2893 runs in 140 games, with 12 fifties to her name and an average of 27.55.