Ben Duckett and James Vince warmed up for the North-South Series with fluent centuries on a high-scoring day at the ICC Academy in Dubai

ECB Reporters Network15-Mar-2017Ben Duckett and James Vince warmed up for the North-South Series with fluent centuries on a high-scoring day at the ICC Academy in Dubai.Duckett cracked 137 from 92 balls, with three sixes and 22 fours, as the North piled up 416 for 6 against a full-strength but rusty Worcestershire attack in their warm-up match – with captain Keaton Jennings dropping to No.3 to hit five sixes in his 92, his highest score since his century on Test debut in Mumbai last year.That always seemed likely to prove too much for Worcestershire, who are in the UAE for their pre-season preparations and accepted a late opportunity to replace Afghanistan as the North’s warm-up opposition – and despite an opening stand of 128 in 20 overs between Daryl Mitchell (89) and Brett D’Oliveira (65), and defiant lower-order half centuries by Ed Barnard and new captain Joe Leach, they were all out for 345 in the 49th over.The first five wickets fell to the North spinners – Graeme White, Liam Livingstone and Josh Poysden, who ended with three for 42 – before Mark Wood returned after a tidy three-over opening spell to take his first wicket of the year, in an encouraging comeback after his ankle operation last autumn.The South seemed set for more of a struggle on the adjoining oval against the UAE, who made 343 for 9 from their 50 overs with centuries from Rohan Mustafa and Shaiman Anwar.But Dawid Malan, fresh from his triumph in the Pakistan Super League, laid a sound platform with 79 from 71 balls, sharing a second-wicket stand of exactly 100 with Vince – who went on to make an unbeaten 125 from 85 balls with 14 fours and four sixes before retiring to give the South’s middle-order some time at the crease.Mark Wood was making his comeback after ankle surgery•Getty Images

They won by five wickets with 10 balls to spare, with handy contributions from Sam Northeast and Tom Alsop, after Daniel Bell-Drummond had made 37 in an opening stand of 81 with Malan.Neither game had List A status, but both Vince and Duckett look ready to stake their claims for an England white-ball recall in the North-South Series – which will be watched by England head coach Trevor Bayliss and all three selectors.Vince, who turned 26 on Tuesday, was batting for the first time since his farewell appearance for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash on January 18, while Duckett looked in good touch throughout England Lions’ one-day series in Sri Lanka but was frustrated to be restricted to a single half century.The serious business begins on Friday in the grander surroundings of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which will stage the first two matches of the series before it concludes in Abu Dhabi next Tuesday.Tom Curran, the only member of either 13-man squad not to take part in the warm-up matches because of a stiff back, is confident of being available for selection to the South’s coach Paul Farbrace.

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said that Lasith Malinga’s contribution in “certain scenarios” could still be useful in the Champions Trophy even if he could not bowl ten full overs

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-May-2017Early signs suggest Lasith Malinga will be fit enough to bowl ten overs per match by the time the Champions Trophy rolls around, according to Sri Lanka’s head coach Graham Ford, though he also hinted there was a possibility Malinga could play even if not quite fully fit.Effectively, the feeling in the Sri Lanka camp seems to be this: they need Malinga. They need him bad.Malinga’s returns in the 2017 IPL so far – a tournament he has historically dominated – have been mixed. He has claimed wickets in most matches, but has also been expensive at times, most notably against Kings XI Punjab, against whom he conceded 58 runs. But he does seem to be getting through his four overs comfortably, and both SLC and Sri Lanka’s coaching staff are adamant that his workload is gradually being increased at training.Fortuitously, Malinga’s coach at Mumbai Indians happens to be Mahela Jayawardene, who, having captained Malinga, will understand at what rate the bowler’s fitness will have to progress if he is to be ready for the Champions Trophy.Malinga has not played an ODI since November 2015, thanks to various leg injuries, but he had made a return to international T20s against Australia in February, following a year-long layoff.”I’m really hoping that he’s going to be 100% fit,” Ford said of Malinga. “Before he left for the IPL, some of the work that he was putting in gave me great confidence. I’m not at all looking at the possibility that he might be half-fit. All the reports I’ve had is that he’s going really well. I’ve spoken to Mahela a couple of times, and when Mumbai left him out for one game I quickly got hold of Mahela wondering if there was something wrong. He said there’s nothing wrong with him, but that the programme is so hectic that they have plans to win the competition and they need him to go the whole way through. Rest time is important. “”All the indications are that he’s going to be able to give us something special. What I saw of his attitude is that he’s missed international cricket and missed doing wonderful things for Sri Lankan cricket. As time runs out on his career, he’s very determined to make an impact on this Champions Trophy.”Sri Lanka have sorely missed Malinga’s bowling in their limited-overs cricket, having bombed at last year’s World T20 without him, and having been mostly miserable in ODIs in the past year. They had won a tri-series in Zimbabwe against two sides who did not qualify for the Champions Trophy, but were winless in ODIs on tours of England and South Africa. It is hoped Malinga’s return can help give the attack a little more menace.Malinga returned to international cricket during the T20I series against Australia in February•Associated Press

“I think he’s very determined to really make an impact,” Ford said. “Even if he’s not giving us the full ten overs, he is a class act in setting that tone up front and finishing the innings off. If we can have the privilege of using him in those scenarios, that’s going to stand us in good stead.”One of Sri Lanka’s recent shortcomings in the ODI format has been their death bowling, and Ford reflected that Sri Lanka have largely been weak in this area because they had not managed to groom a death bowler to take over from the waning seniors.”For a long, long time we relied on the genius of Malinga at the death, and we also had Nuwan Kulasekara, who was a really good partner,” Ford said. “Those two looked after the death on many an occasion. I’ve had the privilege of sitting in the dressing room knowing that even though the opposition might be ahead of the rate, we’ve got these two really good death bowlers to finish off. That was always a comforting feeling.”Unfortunately, no young guys really got the experience of doing that job. Suddenly we’ve got some young guys doing that job, and it’s not an easy job. Experience is important in being able to handle the pressure, and of course do a lot of hard work on your skills so that you can handle the pressure easier. I think maybe, in a way, because those guys knew they were never going to be asked to do it because we had the two experts doing it, they didn’t have to work very hard on those skills. It’s been a new experience for some of them. They’re getting a heck of a lot better. In modern-day cricket you probably need three or four that can execute those skills at the end.”Most of the Champions Trophy squad begin their training in Colombo over the next few days, before captain Angelo Mathew joins them on May 10 – when they head to a training camp in Pallekele. Malinga will be allowed to stay on at the IPL and work on his fitness remotely – SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala stating that him being involved in competitive matches was better for Malinga than joining the rest of the team at the camp.Sri Lanka have also hired fast Allan Donald as a fast bowling consultant for the Champions Trophy. Donald has arrived on the island and will begin his work with the team over the next few days.

Former Australian batsman Leah Poulton will take over the role of High Performance Coach for Cricket Australia’s Female Program from Cathryn Fitzpatrick

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2017Former Australian batsman Leah Poulton has been appointed the High Performance Coach for Cricket Australia’s Female Program to oversee the development of the country’s up-and-coming female cricketers. She will take over from former Australia fast bowler and coach Cathryn Fitzpatrick in July.Poulton, 33, will also oversee the Australia A women’s squad, the Under-15 and Under-18 programmes, and the inaugural female National Performance Squad. She said the growth of the women’s game has led to the demand of additional coaching resources at a youth level.”Cathryn Fitzpatrick was in this role before me on a part-time basis and I think it was inevitable that it would turn full-time, because it is such an important space and there are so many great things happening in the female pathway,” Poulton said. “Australia’s had such a great history and that doesn’t happen by accident, we have to put a lot of work into our pathway to help cultivate those emerging players. It’s not a case of creating them, the talent is there and it’s about creating the right environments where they can thrive.”Following her retirement at the end of the 2014-15 season, Poulton made her foray into coaching as Cricket NSW Female Pathway Manager before she stepped into the role of assistant coach with the NSW Breakers and the Sydney Thunder in the Women’s BBL. Recently, she returned from a study trip to the USA with fellow state and WBBL coaches Julia Price, Lisa Keightley and Shelley Nitschke and said she was looking forward to passing on some of her learnings.”We went over there and explored a lot of high performance environments, looking at the way they did things. It’s always great to learn from different areas, there’s lots of synergies between sport and business,” she said. “It was excellent to hear their take on things and to see if they’re doing things a little bit differently and what we can learn from them.”Poulton captained the Australia Under-19 side before featuring in two Tests, 48 ODIs and 40 T20Is, and played more than 100 domestic matches for New South Wales.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second T20I between England and South Africa at Taunton

The Preview by Andrew Miller22-Jun-2017

Match Facts

June 23, 2017
Start time 5pm local (1600 GMT)Jonny Bairstow seized his chance to start another England match with 60 not out from 35 balls•Getty Images

Big Picture

What are we to make of South Africa’s efforts on their tour of England so far? They arrived in the country as the world’s No.1 ODI side, but having impressed only in spurts in their 2-1 series defeat against England, they were dumped out in the group stages of the Champions Trophy after a pair of scatter-brained defeats to India and Pakistan. And now it’s hard to know which direction they think they are pointing after a puzzling loss in the opening T20I at the Ageas Bowl.There were signs of obvious life while AB de Villiers and Farhaan Behardien were adding 110 runs for South Africa’s fourth wicket to revive their side from a perilous 32 for 3. The trouble is, they gnawed through 95 balls in doing so, all the while giving off the vibe of two men combatting untold demons in the wicket. It was an approach that caused a few pundits to hedge their bets at the halfway mark – mindful, perhaps, of England’s most recent batting effort against South Africa – but no-one was fooled for long.A target of 143 was never remotely in doubt as soon as Jason Roy signalled a return to his hard-hitting best, and had it not been for his aberration of a reverse-sweep with a match-sealing innings at his mercy, England would have backed themselves to wrap up a ten-wicket victory for the third time in their T20 history. The state of South Africa’s fielding – for so many years one of the proudest aspects of their game – merely added to that sense of inevitability. Berhardien’s drop of Alex Hales on the long-on boundary was the most cataclysmic moment in a ragged display.But, T20 being what it is, few international sides can be written off for long – not least a side that possesses a true great such as de Villiers in their ranks. Only a player of his calibre could make an unbeaten 65 from 58 balls seem dour, but having enjoyed his extended net in the Southampton sunshine, who’s to say he won’t find the short boundaries at Taunton much more to his liking? After all, his fellow RCB superstar, Chris Gayle, took to this surface with alacrity two seasons ago, smashing 151 from 62 balls in a NatWest T20 Blast contest against Kent, including one of his 15 (fifteen!) sixes being retrieved by a soggy fan from the nearby River Tone.The trouble for South Africa is that England aren’t exactly shy about giving it a tonk in permissive situations either – Jonny Bairstow’s ballistic innings a case in point. England’s perennial stand-in batted with the brazen hostility of a man who is fed up of being made to wait for his opening, and his unbeaten 60 from 35 balls made even Alex Hales, the possessor of England’s highest limited-overs score, look pedestrian alongside him. Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, Taunton’s second-favourite export after Scrumpy, weren’t even required to flex their muscles, let alone Sam Billings, who might at a pinch have touched the ball in the deep at some stage of the contest, but overall produced less activity than an office-based clock-watcher on a Friday afternoon.And on that note, if the events of the Ageas Bowl are anything to go by, the result matters little compared to the opportunity for a packed house to appreciate a rare international contest in their neck of the woods, while skiving from work early to soak up the English summer as it deigns to make an appearance. It promises to be fun while it lasts, even if there have been, and will continue to be, bigger prizes up for grabs this season.

Form guide

England WLLWL (completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LWLLW

In the spotlight

Jos Buttler has toured the world in his short but sharp stint as a limited-overs powerhouse – racking up international appearances at 52 venues to date, from Mirpur to Malahide, from Headingley to Hamilton. But on Friday, he’ll make his first England appearance in the town of his birth, and his kith and kin will be expecting a masterclass. Buttler upped sticks from Taunton back in 2013, a move prompted in part by the need to tone his wicketkeeping skills, with Craig Kieswetter then still a fixture behind the stumps, prior to the terrible facial injury that forced his early retirement. Buttler has played on the ground just once since his departure, for Lancashire against Somerset in the County Championship in June 2014. It wasn’t the most comfortable experience of his career, as he made 18 and 4 in a hard-fought draw. Friday ought to be a much more pleasurable homecoming.There were few positives for South Africa to take from their shellacking, but for JJ Smuts. At least, things can only get better. His nervy poke outside off to David Willey’s first delivery at the Ageas Bowl resulted in an inside-edge and a golden duck, which leaves his international tally at a precarious 36 runs from four matches to date. Still, Smuts does at least have a second string to his bow, and his perfectly serviceable left-arm spin was one of the few restrictive weapons that de Villiers was able to call upon in England’s run-chase. He took the new ball and kept things tight, and maybe the confidence gained from his three overs for 20 will rub off on his batting.

Team news

It’s hard to know what to expect from this match, and the series finale in Cardiff as well, on account of England’s stated commitment to pack-shuffling. Each of their five debutants has been guaranteed an outing at some stage, which means that, even though Mason Crane’s hugely composed debut should have earned him the right to give his legspin another rip, those short boundaries at the County Ground may prompt a change of tactic – and where better to blood Somerset’s Craig Overton than on his very own ground? One enforced change will be the omission of Mark Wood, who was only ever going to play the first match, as England wrap his race-horse-delicate body up in cotton wool before the Test series. Liam Plunkett is the obvious deck-hitting alternative. Among the batters, Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone, Lancashire’s star in the making, are both itching to get a hit, though they are hardly alone after the Ageas Bowl mismatch. Surely they won’t dare rest Bairstow just as he becomes an automatic pick? The less volcanic option would be to blood Dawid Malan as an opener and give Hales a day off to top up his tan.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales/Dawid Malan, 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Sam Billings/Liam Livingstone, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Liam Dawson, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 David Willey 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Craig OvertonFor South Africa, it’s hard to see how they can justify the exclusion of Chris Morris and his heavy artillery, but with quota issues to consider, there are always extra factors at play in their selection. Wayne Parnell was heavily criticised for another leaky day at the office – his 23-run over to Roy was effectively game over – but his ability to clear the ropes cannot be discounted for a team who clearly need more oomph in their batting.South Africa (possible): 1 JJ Smuts, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 AB de Villiers (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Farhaan Berhardien, 6 Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Imran Tahir, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch and conditions

The weather has retreated from the white heat of the past few days, but a pleasantly cloudy afternoon is in prospect. Given Taunton’s reputation for limited-overs batting tracks, if England bat first, it’s hard to see them doing anything other than planting the front foot, and aiming for the Quantocks. The first-class pitches do tend to sit up for the spinners, however…

Stats and trivia

• England’s victory in the first T20I featured fewer wickets (four) than had ever before been taken in a completed T20I of 30 overs or more.
• If anyone doubted the potential for a run-feast on this surface, the recent Royal London show-down between Somerset and Nottinghamshire ought to set them straight. Nottinghamshire batted first and racked up 429 for 9; Somerset stayed in the hunt to the bitter end, making 405 all out with two overs left unused.
• As if Buttler needs any greater incentive to angle for a promotion up the order, he needs another 57 runs to complete 1000 runs in T20I cricket.

Quotes

“Ever since Taunton was awarded the game it was one I have been desperate to try and be involved in.”
“It’s not done and dusted. We go to Taunton and like all South Africans we always fight our way back so I’m expecting a really good performance in the next one.”
AB de Villiers backs his side to force their way back into the series

Vernon Philander said South Africa have got used to AB de Villiers’ absence from the Test side, winning their last four series without him

Firdose Moonda04-Jul-2017AB de Villiers left the South Africa camp 10 days ago but that does not mean he is far from the opposition minds. With the Test series looming, English crowds will have to do without among one of the world’s most entertaining batsmen but they can be reassured South Africa have learned to cope without him.Asked whether South Africa had “moved on” from de Villiers, Vernon Philander referred to recent results as evidence that they have found a way to do just that. “We’ve made adjustments in order to move on,” Philander said. “I think that’s a personal decision. It’s entirely up to him what he wants to play. We’re a settled unit now. The boys have moved on, the boys have obviously done well over the last 12 months. Our focus is not on one particular player. Our focus is on the team and getting the team to do well.”Since de Villiers’ elbow injury and subsequent sabbatical from the longest format, South Africa have played four Test series and won them all, including away series in Australia and New Zealand. The Test captaincy has been taken over by Faf du Plessis but South Africa will also be without him for the series opener.Du Plessis has remained in South Africa following the birth of his daughter and opening bat Dean Elgar will lead in his absence. Although that leaves South Africa with a fairly inexperienced top order – Heino Kuhn will debut while Theunis de Bruyn has only one Test cap – South Africa still have a fair amount of experience in the ranks, Philander among them. He confirmed their support for Elgar.”It’s an opportunity for someone else to step up and lead the country,” Philander said. “We’ve got all the faith in Dean. If you have the support of the other ten guys on the field, his job will be easier. It’s a big miss losing Faf but we understand his circumstances.”And among their younger crop, South Africa are excited by the potential they possess. Philander’s new-ball partner Kagiso Rabada will play his first Test series in England and expectation is high that he will prove tough to face.”He is just a phenomenal talent. Every time he gets the ball in hand he seems to want to run in and bowl faster and get wickets,” Philander said. “He has got a never-say-die attitude about him which is exciting to have. He is not shy of bowling the overs and giving it to the batters as well. Hopefully he will have a good Test series.”

Australia captain Meg Lanning has signed a three-year WBBL deal with the Perth Scorchers after announcing earlier this week that she was leaving the Melbourne Stars

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2017Australia captain Meg Lanning has signed a three-year WBBL deal with the Perth Scorchers after announcing earlier this week that she was leaving the Melbourne Stars.Lanning has topped the WBBL run tally in both of the tournament’s first two seasons, yet her Stars failed to reach the finals either time.She will be unable to play for the Scorchers this summer, having already been ruled out of the Women’s Ashes due to shoulder surgery, and looks set to make her debut for the team in 2018-19.”The Perth Scorchers are a great club with a strong core of experienced and up-and-coming players, so it’s a really exciting opportunity for me to join the group,” Lanning said. “They made the semi-final in WBBL|01, then the Scorchers hosted the final last season, so they’re definitely a team on the rise, with a bright future ahead.”It’s obviously frustrating to be ruled out of this summer with injury, but I’m really looking forward to being around the team and contributing off the field, before getting on the park again for WBBL|04 and going for that championship.”

The India left-arm wristspinner says he bowls to the explosive Australia opener confident of being able to dismiss him

Alagappan Muthu in Kolkata20-Sep-20172:10

I play with the confidence that I can dismiss Warner – Kuldeep

As an opening batsman, there is a target on David Warner’s back, not least because he has the capability to win games on his own. It has grown steadily larger – he is the vice-captain of the Australian team in India, and is one of the two most experienced players in the line-up. The value of his wicket is huge, and India’s left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav is coming to collect it.Warner was Kuldeep’s first Test wicket. He became the first of two Kuldeep wickets in the Chennai ODI, and they’ve had a couple of other run-ins in the IPL that didn’t quite end well for Australia’s power-hitting opener. Based on that record – four wickets in five matches – Kuldeep is raring for the Kolkata game to begin so they can resume the rivalry.”If you are consistently getting the better of a player, you do think that you want to get him out as soon as you can,” Kuldeep said at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “You’re not under pressure while bowling to that player. It’s the same for Warner; I think that he puts pressure on himself while facing me, thinking that I might get his wicket. I enjoy bowling at him, since I do so without taking any stress and along with the confidence that I can dismiss him. I come up with a proper plan as to how I should go about doing that. That’s what I’ve been doing and, hopefully, I get to dismiss him as many times as I can in the remaining four matches.”Being a left-hand batsman, Warner might not have faced a left-arm spinner turning the ball away from him too often. Plus, he is excellent against spin in one-day cricket – only 19 times has he fallen to a slow bowler, averaging 51 and scoring at a rate of 86. His presence, alongside Steven Smith, who will be playing his 100th ODI on Wednesday, has ensured India remain wary.”If you dismiss the No. 1 and No. 3 of any team, they’re bound to come under pressure,” Kuldeep said. “Our plan is to always get Warner out as soon as possible, since he’s one player who can change the game, irrespective of the situation.”Steven Smith is also like that. If he hangs in there for 30 to 40 overs, the opposition comes under pressure, since he can strike any time and stretch the score into a big one. During the Tests [earlier this year], he played with us after reading us very well, and also had a good idea as to how and when he should rotate the strike. It’s a bit tough going up against him, since he prefers balls pitched in line with the leg stump. He can both play big shots and get singles. I feel it’s going to be tough while bowling at him.”Kuldeep felt that playing against such batsmen would be good for him as a young bowler still finding his feet in international cricket, especially considering they have been asked to lead the spin attack with R Ashwin in England and Ravindra Jadeja yet to play for India since the Test series in Sri Lanka.”We’re now faced with quite a bit of responsibility. Two young spinners are in the team, and everyone’s expectations are high. There may even be times when we end up wicketless. It’s an experience for us. The better we perform now, the easier it will be for us in the future. If we make a partnership, it will be good for both us and Indian cricket. There’s quite lot left for us to learn. We’ll mature series by series.”A part of that process, it appears, is figuring out how to bowl dry too. “Wristspinners are always an attacking option for the captain. Sometimes I feel that you have to play a defensive game, give a single away so that you can attack the other batsman. That’s why I’m working on that other side of this as well, be it in the nets, or off the field by watching videos.”Kuldeep also credited his seniors at the Ranji and IPL level for his growth. “When I joined Kolkata Knight Riders, there were many quality spinners around, such as Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla , and Shakib [Al Hasan]. Brad Hogg joined us in the next year. It was a good experience for me, especially with someone like PC [Chawla] , who was also with me during the Ranji Trophy.”It’s good to have senior players tell you what to do next, along with giving you a read of the batsman you’re up against. I’ve discussed quite a few things with PC , and I’ve learnt a lot of things from him over these three-four years. I’ve also matured since my Under-19 days, considering that after that level, you’re up against senior batsmen. In that period, you need someone to guide you and tell you how to handle situations. And PC did that for me.”India’s preparation was hurt by persistent rain, and they could only train indoors on the eve of the match. Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri and B Arun had a brief look at the pitch in the company of Sujan Mukherjee, the chief curator at Eden Gardens, before the entire outfield was placed under covers as a precaution. They were peeled off at half past three local time as the groundstaff took the time to roll the surface in, while CAB president Sourav Ganguly watched.

Asad Shafiq’s fighting 112 was not enough as Sri Lanka picked up the last five wickets in the first 90 minutes of the final day

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:23

Arnold: Chandimal has taken captaincy challenge with both hands

Like waves breaking upon a cliff, Sri Lanka’s bowlers kept coming at Pakistan, until eventually, the hosts fractured and tumbled into the sea. So tantalisingly had the match been poised overnight, perhaps the ending was even a little anticlimactic. Sri Lanka’s margin of victory was 68 runs – a comfortable win by most standards. Though Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq had begun confidently, the visitors needed only 5.5 overs to break that partnership, and about 90 minutes in all to wipe out the lower half of the Pakistan innings. The series had been swept, completely unexpectedly, 2-0.Dilruwan Perera was Sri Lanka’s primary bowling figure on day five, as he had been throughout the innings, claiming two further wickets to complete a fourth career five-wicket haul. He also took that vital wicket of Sarfraz to break the mighty resistance Pakistan’s sixth-wicket partnership had mounted.Rangana Herath, who had had an uncharacteristically quiet fourth-innings until then, took two wickets of his own, and Suranga Lakmal had Shafiq caught at slip. After the battering Sri Lanka had received at home, at India’s hands, this series victory must surely rank among the most surprising results of their Test history. On the Sri Lankan balcony, support staff were ecstatic, while on the field Dinesh Chandimal led elated celebrations. The joy was justified: not counting the win in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe, this was Sri Lanka’s first Test series victory in almost a year.Pakistan, meanwhile, have had a disappointing start to life post Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan. Sarfraz and Shafiq needed to see out seven overs before the second new ball became available, but Sarfraz’s wicket exposed the tail prematurely. That Shafiq progressed to an outstanding 11th Test hundred was almost forgotten in the final wash-up. He finished on 112 off 176 balls. The partnership with Sarfraz was worth 173. For the first time, Pakistan have lost a Test series since moving base to the UAE.The previous four sessions of this match were practically dripping with drama, and day five also began with a little excitement. Shafiq glanced the second ball of the day to the fine leg fence to move into the 90s, before Sarfraz cracked a four behind point next over. Then, Sri Lanka had three near misses. Kaushal Silva swooped on the ball from point, but could not effect the direct hit that might have seen a diving Shafiq run-out for 95.A few balls later, Sarfraz had dragged his back foot out of the crease while attempting a sweep, but wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella could not quite get the bails off in time. Finally, after Shafiq had completed a century off the 151st delivery he faced, Dimuth Karunaratne dropped him at slip off the bowling of Dilruwan. Hands began to go to Sri Lankan heads. Sarfraz and Shafiq had progressed so faultlessly on day four, that it seemed unlikely many more chances would come.Then, suddenly: the breakthrough. Dilruwan got a ball to drift in towards the batsman, and Sarfraz – aiming a hard, flat sweep – managed only to get a thick top-edge to the ball. The man at long leg, Nuwan Pradeep, almost got tangled up in his own legs, but did well enough to take the catch cleanly. With only seven deliveries to be bowled before the second new ball was due, Sri Lanka had struck.The remaining batsmen fell without notable resistance. Mohammad Amir was out to a Dilruwan slider off the ninth ball. Yasir Shah was stumped off Herath, attempting a giant heave. Lakmal shaped a ball away from Shafiq – who had not quite looked himself after getting to triple figures – and Kusal Mendis took another excellent tumbling catch at slip.The final batting act of the series belonged to Wahab Riaz. Attempting to wallop Herath out of the ground, he wound up only sending a catch high in the air, to Chandimal at cover. On Sri Lanka’s balcony, cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha broke into an uncharacteristically wide grin, and wrapped interim coach Nic Pothas up in a bear hug.For Sarfraz, it was a return to earth, after his captaincy had begun so successfully with the victory at the Champions Trophy. For Chandimal, a victory in the first full series he has captained – the Zimbabwe match was a one-off, and he had not played the first match against India – has helped put some belief in his team, a quality that had previously been lacking. A series that was enlivened by a litany of twists has thrown up a startling result.

AB de Villiers has put most of the uncertainty of the last few months behind him and said he wants to enjoy cricket in his last few years

Firdose Moonda in Paarl18-Oct-20172:31

‘It felt like my first game again’ – AB de Villiers

It can sometimes be confusing listening to AB de Villiers. Some days he wants to captain, some days he doesn’t. Some days he wants to keep wicket, some days he doesn’t. Some days he isn’t sure how much longer he wants to keep playing, some days he wants to go on for as long as he can.But it is never confusing AB de Villiers. Every time he walks out, he wants only one thing: runs. For the team, for himself, for the fans. De Villiers deals in runs.For most of the last two years, he hasn’t been doing that at all. Since January 2016, de Villiers has battled injury and uncertainty and when he has been available for South Africa, he has not been at his best. Even as recently as June, his future was cloudy with a chance of retirement.South Africa had crashed out of the Champions Trophy to start a three-month tour of England on an embarrassing note. De Villiers was not staying on for the Tests that would follow and was unsure what kind of role, if any, he would play going forward. His former captain and close friend Graeme Smith wrote a column in confirming de Villiers actually wanted to walk away from the whites at some point early in the 2016-17 summer but was convinced to stay on and allowed to take a sabbatical from the longest format.The decision was met with mixed feelings: some felt de Villiers had earned the right to rest, others that he was picking and choosing, and in all that, the team had to find a way to sort-of move on, unsure whether they were making a clean break or just treading water until he returns. All de Villiers said at the time was that he would wait for the new coach to be announced before making a decision.Int the months before the coach was appointed, de Villiers welcomed a second son into the world, launched a coaching tips app and enjoyed his first offseason in more than a decade. When Ottis Gibson was confirmed coach, he had made his decision. He made himself available across all three formats.”I needed a couple of months away with the family and then Ottis made contact. I had met him before he was announced coach and I knew he was a great guy. He wanted to know where I was headed with my career and I told him I wanted to get back in the side,” de Villiers said.But not as captain.AB de Villiers marked his return with a 68-ball hundred•Getty Images

“I had a long run as a captain. I had some fantastic ups, and also quite a few lows in between. I just felt like it was enough. I wanted to enjoy the last few years of my career. I know what Faf is capable of as captain, and I think he’s going to become one of the best leaders we have had in this country. We’re going to give him all the support we can.”Instead, de Villiers wanted to play with the freedom that he thrives under and which Gibson seems to be willing to provide. Though he didn’t reveal exactly what it was about Gibson that he liked, he hinted that having someone with good knowledge and a strong sense of direction helped. “He is quite a confident man and knows what he wants. You get the feeling we know where we are going as a team,” de Villiers said.With 19 months between now and the World Cup, Gibson’s immediate task is to begin moulding the team into a unit that could challenge for the title. He understands that because of the difference in quality between the two sides, this series is not going to give him accurate feedback on whether that process has begun, so all he can ask for now is that they play as ruthlessly as possible.On Sunday, openers Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla answered that call when they marched South Africa to the biggest margin of victory with an unbroken stand; on Wednesday de Villiers did. His 176 is not just about the numbers. It’s about the manner in which he flayed the opposition bowling, almost from the first ball.While other batsmen had been struggling to find the boundary, de Villiers breached it at will and accelerated as his innings took shape. His first 50 runs took 34 balls and the next 50, also 34 but then he needed just 36 balls to add a further 76 runs in a late blitz that included six of his seven sixes. That he did all that without playing an international game in more than three months speaks of his quality.”I was still nervous,” de Villiers said. “It took me an over or so to remember I had a good net in Kimberley and I am in good form. I had to remind myself that I am hitting the ball well. It was great to be out there with Hashim, he has a very calming influence. I am hitting the ball as well as ever. I just spent a bit of time out there and then some of the boundaries kept flowing.”Thoughts of a double hundred were on everyone’s mind but de Villiers’, who insists he does not play for records. But there’s reason to believe he may yet break a few more.De Villiers appears relaxed and ready to do his bit in a big summer for South Africa, that only really kicks off early next year against the touring India and Australia. Before then, there is the small matter of finishing Bangladesh off, and the inaugural four-day day-night Test over Boxing Day, for which de Villiers is available.Having not played a Test since January 2016 though, he does not expect that door to open as easily as the limited-overs’ one did.”If selected, I will be there but I can’t accept that I am going to be in the squad. I have been out of the squad for a while and guys that have come in have done well. You don’t just walk into the Test team,” he said. I am going to have to work my way back. I am prepared to do the hard work.”And that much is as clear as can be.

A reduction in the number of board members and limits on director terms could see ECB president Giles Clarke step down next year

George Dobell04-Nov-2017Giles Clarke’s long spell at the ECB looks set to end in 2018 due to changes in the governance of the sport.Clarke, currently the ECB’s first president, has been on the board of the organisation since 2005 and, between 2007 and 2015, was its chairman. But with the ECB set to reduce the size of its board from 13 to a maximum of 12 (and quite possibly 10) and introduce maximum term limits, it seems certain Clarke, now aged 64, will stand aside in the next few months.To comply with the governance requirements of UK Sport and Sport England, the ECB will shortly introduce a term limit of nine years (three terms of three years) for directors, while it will also be obliged to have a minimum of 30% of each gender on the board. At present, only two of the ECB’s 13 directors are women. While there is some scope for a director staying in position for 12 years if they are “appointed as chair… or to a senior position on an international federation” – Clarke qualifies on both counts – it will shortly become necessary for a director to have a break of four years before serving on the board again.The ECB has previously opposed any reduction in the size of the board suggesting that to do so would pose a threat to its “operational effectiveness”. They have also claimed that the “highly complex nature of the business” necessitated longer periods in office.The changes will be enshrined in the ECB’s amended Articles of Association – sent to counties this week and scheduled to be agreed in December and ratified at the AGM in April 2018 – alongside a raft of other adaptations. Among them will be an end to the system where the first-class counties (and the MCC) elect a chairman. It will instead be left to the board to elect one.Clarke might charitably be said to have polarised opinions during his spell at the ECB. While he oversaw an influx of money into the game – money that helped improve facilities for spectators and players and contributed to a period of much-improved results on the pitch – he also presided over a period when cricket’s relevance diminished in the public consciousness and gained an ever-more-elitist reputation. Clarke also deserves credit for his support of women’s cricket, disability cricket and, more latterly, Pakistan cricket though his attempts to backtrack on his role on the ‘Big Three’ takeover at the ICC convinced few.The ECB also intends to introduce a Regulatory Committee in the coming weeks. Increasingly anxious about government scrutiny of governance in sport – ECB chairman Colin Graves recently described it as “the most important issue for our sport” in a letter to the counties – the committee is intended, in Graves’ words, to “ensure that we are properly protecting ourselves in relation to integrity matters”.The committee will be chaired by Nick Coward, who has previously been CEO of the British Horseracing Authority and General Secretary of the Premier League, and also include three independent members, two senior ECB executives and an independent member from the ECB board.