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Hugh Morris announces decision to step down as Glamorgan chief executive

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2023Kent have appointed Simon Cook, the former seamer who is currently the club’s bowling coach, as their new director of cricket. Cook will take over from Paul Downton at the start of October, after Downton announced his intention to retire after six years in the job.Cook, 46, played for Kent between 2005 and 2012, before rejoining the club’s coaching staff in 2019. In between, he served as head coach and high performance manager for Hong Kong.As Kent’s lead bowling coach, he has overseen the specialist fast-bowling programme at age-group level and with the academy. He also took charge of the first XI as interim head coach for the One-Day Cup campaign in 2022 – when Kent won the competition – and again this year, while Matt Walker was working with Oval Invincibles at the Hundred.Related

• 'We're governed by things we can't control' – Hong Kong coach Cook

• Glamorgan to conduct external review after grim 2018

• Morris steps down as Glamorgan director of cricket

“Simon was the outstanding candidate throughout the very rigorous selection process,” Kent Cricket’s chair, Simon Philip, said. “He provided a compelling and clear vision of how he wants the club to move forward from the pathway to the first XI, allied to a very strong view of the brand of cricket that he wants the club to play.”His existing knowledge as player and coach will prove invaluable in delivering his vision. I’m sure that all members and supporters will welcome Simon to his new role.”Meanwhile, Glamorgan have announced that Hugh Morris, the former England managing director, will step down as chief executive after ten years in the role. Morris, who was capped three times by England, spent his entire playing career with the Welsh county, later moving to the ECB as technical director before serving as chief executive and then managing director. He departed the national set-up in 2013, returning to Glamorgan soon after in a dual role as CEO and director of cricket.Morris, 59, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2022, and said “the time is right for me to spend more time with my family, enjoying other pastimes, and focusing on my ongoing treatment”.Richard Thompson, ECB chair, added: “Hugh has served cricket in England and Wales both on and off the field, with extraordinary distinction. Few if any have given what Hugh has, both in terms of impact as well as commitment.”To say he has made a difference would not be enough. I know that Hugh has been focused on re-establishing cricket as the national summer sport in Wales and ‘making Wales proud’ of cricket’s achievements on and off the field. Over many decades he has made both Wales and England very proud and given more than anyone could ever ask. He has been exceptional in every sense.”

Captain lashes out at star opener after World Cup squad omission

Mohammad Isam27-Sep-2023Shakib Al Hasan, has launched a scathing attack on Tamim Iqbal ahead of the World Cup, calling him “childish” and criticising Tamim for putting himself ahead of the team’s needs.Tamim has been in and out of the Bangladesh side, battling a persistent back injury, which on Tuesday was cited as the reason for his exclusion from the World Cup squad. Except, earlier today, Tamim took to Facebook to insist he would have been fit enough to take part in the tournament and that the reason he won’t be travelling to India is because he had grown weary of the BCB creating roadblocks for him. One of which, he said, was a top board official asking him to bat down the order.”I am sure someone who is authorized had said this (to Tamim),” Shakib, the Bangladesh captain, told the Dhaka-based TV channel T-Sports in an interview that was aired on Wednesday night. “I am sure whoever has said it, he thought of the team. A lot of things go into building a combination for a match. So if someone has said this to him, was it wrong? Or we can’t make such a proposal? I am just going to tell someone that you can do whatever you want. Is the team first or the individual?”Related

• Tamim Iqbal to 'wait till January' before deciding on his international future

• Hathurusinghe deflects Shakib vs Tamim talk, wants focus to be on making final four

• Shakib Al Hasan outlines his retirement plan

• Tamim hits out at BCB; claims he would have been fit in time for World Cup

In a sustained and unsparing critique, Shakib said Tamim was being selfish in not thinking of the team.”Someone like Rohit Sharma built his career from No. 7 to opener, scored 10,000-plus runs. If he sometimes bats at No 3 or 4, would it be a big problem? It is totally childish. It is my bat, I will play. No one else can play. A player should bat at any position for the team. Team first. It doesn’t make any difference if you have made 100 or 200, and the team loses. What can you do with personal achievement? You want to make a name for yourself?”You are not thinking about the team at all. People don’t understand these things. Why was the proposal given to him? It was for the team. What is wrong in that? You are a team man when you agree to such a proposal. Unless you are thinking along those lines, you are not a team man. You are playing for individual records, success, fame, and name. Not for the team.”Tamim’s troubles began in July during a home series against Afghanistan, where he said he was playing through a back injury, the same one that he is currently managing. It led to his missing the Asia Cup and the final match of his comeback series as well, against New Zealand, earlier this week.Shakib said he didn’t want to carry a player with a fitness question mark over him into the World Cup and even went to the extent of saying anyone playing without being 100% fit is cheating the team.Tamim Iqbal did not like being asked to bat down the order•AFP/Getty Images

“I didn’t discuss the subject with the particular player, medical team or selector. It is definitely the board’s decision. People might doubt my capability or capacity but someone like MS Dhoni, who has won everything and has the knowledge and sense, once said that the unfit player who is playing is cheating his team and country. I think we should accept it, and not just Tamim but every player (that you have to be fully fit when playing for the team or country).”Other teams have similar concerns, like New Zealand have named their captain Kane Williamson for the World Cup despite him not being 100% after an ACL injury. But there has already been clarity around the extent of his participation and the lack of certainty when it comes to Tamim appears to be a sticking point.”Kane Williamson won’t play the first two matches, but then he will start playing,” Shakib said. “If I knew something like this, I wouldn’t have any problems. But if I know that there’s uncertainty about him playing the seventh or the third or the first game, or that I will only know in the morning of the game, it will be difficult for me to select the team. I don’t think we need such a player.”There has been speculation that Tamim was only fit enough to play five matches at the World Cup and though the opener has refuted them as lies, not everyone is convinced.”I certainly heard that he will play selectively,” Shakib said. “A journalist can’t really tell you that he will come to the office an hour before he wants to come to office. If you ask me personally, if I was the company CEO, I won’t keep that employee. Although I never had any discussion about this matter.”Shakib also took a dim view of Tamim choosing to resign as ODI captain just two months out from the World Cup. “I have often heard in the dressing room that he is leaving the captaincy. Even a player once told him that ‘, leave it early so that the new captain gets a bit of time’. Exactly that’s what happened. The one who came in, didn’t get the time. Each and everyone knew including the selectors and board officials. Papon (BCB president Nazmul Hassan) certainly knew about it.”I don’t know why he didn’t leave it (earlier). He can tell you. It is like, your commander takes you to war but (Shakib mimicking a solider) after he has got you ready, the commander isn’t telling you to fire or retreat. Where will you go? We were in this situation in the last two matches against Afghanistan (in July).”The captain wouldn’t have changed ahead of the Asia Cup and the World Cup, unless he himself announced that he was resigning or retiring. It would have happened 18 months ago, when everyone knew what was about to happen.”

ESPNcricinfo understands SLC officials had themselves requested suspension to force sports minister to back down from replacing the board with interim committee

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Nov-2023Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Shammi Silva made a “fervent appeal” to the ICC to “carve out an exception” that would allow Sri Lanka to continue playing international cricket despite SLC getting suspended, according to an SLC release.The ICC removed Sri Lanka as hosts of the Men’s Under-19 World Cup, which was set for January next year – it will now be held in South Africa instead – due to the ICC’s objection to government interference in Sri Lanka’s cricket administration. But the ICC did allow Sri Lanka to continue playing international cricket after “hearing representation from SLC”, according to an ICC release earlier in the day.”Participating in [the ICC board meeting on November 21] as an observer, the President of SLC, Mr. Shammi Silva, urged the ICC board to grant additional time for the Sri Lankan government to rectify the issue of political interference in cricket,” SLC’s release said.Related

• Sri Lanka Cricket suspended by ICC board

• ICC shifts Men's Under 19 World Cup from Sri Lanka to South Africa

• SLC initiates defamation lawsuit against Sri Lanka's sports minister

It continued: “However, the ICC Board, taking cognizance of similar suspensions imposed by World Rugby and FIFA in response to political interference, concluded that ample time had already been afforded to the Sri Lankan government to address and rectify the issue. Consequently, the ICC board confirmed the suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket.”ESPNcricinfo understands, however, that SLC officials had themselves requested a suspension from the ICC in order to force Sri Lanka’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe to back down in his attempts to replace the board with an interim committee. This committee was headed by former captain Arjuna Ranatunga, and featured retired judges, as well as sons of politicians with no known cricket administration experience.Following that suspension, SLC held a press conference in which Silva reiterated that Sri Lanka was at risk of losing its hosting rights to the Men’s Under-19 World Cup, among other things. He also made personal attacks against the sports minister, as the minister has made against him in various public interactions.According to the ICC’s Articles of Association, there is no specific definition of what repercussions a suspension carries. Section 2.10 (B) of that document states: “Any suspension of a Member by the Board of Directors in accordance with Article 2.10 (A) shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors may determine…”

India are unlikely to bring the allrounder back until the final group game against Netherlands on November 12

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2023India allrounder Hardik Pandya is set to miss two more matches at the World Cup, against Sri Lanka and South Africa, as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered against Bangladesh. Pandya has not played a match since October 19, and ESPNcricinfo understands that India are unlikely to rush him back till at least the final game of the league stages, against Netherlands on November 12.”Whatever procedure he went through after the injury, it was very positive,” Rohit Sharma said on Wednesday. “He is obviously not available for tomorrow’s match. But it is an injury that we have to see every day how much percent he has recovered, how much he is bowling, how much he is batting. So we are monitoring it on a day-to-day basis. The way it’s going, hopefully we’ll get to see him as soon as possible. That’s all I can say for now.”Pandya had injured himself when he appeared to twist his left ankle while trying to stop a shot in his follow-through. He played no further part in that match, and was taken for scans. The injury ruled Pandya out of India’s next match, against New Zealand in Dharamsala, and though the allrounder was expected to join the team directly in Lucknow in time for the October 29 game against England, he was forced to sit that game out as well due to a ligament injury.Pandya has since been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, and is expected to take his time with the recovery. To make up for his all-round skills, India played Suryakumar Yadav, and replaced Shardul Thakur with Mohammed Shami against New Zealand. Suryakumar was run-out for 2, but Shami, playing his first match of this World Cup, picked up a five-for to help India restrict New Zealand to under 300.India then had little trouble seeing off England as well, eventually cruising to a 100-run win. After the England match, India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey had said that the medical team was in constant touch with Pandya and the NCA, and that they were hoping to get an update on his fitness in the “next couple of days”.India are currently on top of the points table, and the only unbeaten side in the tournament, with six wins from as many matches. They are next to play Sri Lanka, in Mumbai on November 2, before heading to Kolkata for the game against South Africa. India will then round off the league stages by taking on Netherlands in Bengaluru.

India’s last-over hero in Bengaluru glad to get a chance to bounce back from an expensive start to win the game for his team

Hemant Brar03-Dec-20232:06

Arshdeep: It was a nothing-to-lose situation for me

It’s not always that you score 160 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and feel you are 15 to 20 runs above par. But that’s what Arshdeep Singh said after India beat Australia by six runs in the fifth and final T20I to take a 4-1 series win.After being sent in, India hobbled to 160 for 8. In response, Australia were 144 for 7 after 18 overs, needing 17 from 12 balls with Matthew Wade in the middle. Mukesh Kumar gave away only seven in the 19th over, making it ten required from six balls.Arshdeep, who had conceded 37 in his first three, bowled an excellent last over. After bowling two dots, though the first one should have been a wide for height, he had Wade holing out to long-on on the third to ensure India’s win. The last time a team defended 160 or fewer in a T20 at this venue was in 2017.Related

• Ice-cool Arshdeep clinches thriller as India finish series 4-1

“I guess for the big part of the game, for almost the first 19 overs, I was thinking that I gave away too many runs and would be the culprit of the game,” Arshdeep said on the official broadcast. “But god gave me another chance and I believed in myself. Thanks to god that I defended it and thanks to the staff as well who believed in me.”When asked what his thought process was for the final over, he said: “To be honest, nothing was going through my mind. Surya [Suryakumar Yadav] told me that whatever happens, happens. The credit goes to our batsmen as well. They gave us a really good total here on a tricky wicket and we had a cushion of an extra 15 to 20 runs.”Before this match, Bengaluru had hosted seven T20s in 2023, all in the IPL. The average first-innings total in those games was 196. But this was not a typical Chinnaswamy pitch, which Ben McDermott later called “sticky”, because of the weather around. “I am not really sure what Chinnaswamy is normally like,” McDermott, who was playing at the venue for the first time, said. “But I heard it was a really high-scoring ground but the rain coming in all day, these little sprinkles here and there kept it pretty moist. The outfield was quite soft as well. But coming in, it [pitch] looked beautiful, looked really nice but yeah, it was a little bit sticky.”In the first innings, legspinner Tanveer Sangha registered figures of 1 for 26. When it was India’s turn, Axar Patel was the pick of the bowlers, conceding just 14 from his four overs while picking up the wicket of Tim David. Ravi Bishnoi, too, chipped in with 2 for 29.Shreyas Iyer, whose 37-ball 53 had steered India to what they eventually got, agreed with Arshdeep’s assessment.”To be honest, my mindset was to go boom-boom from ball one,” Iyer said. “But when I saw three wickets falling down, my mind started calculating what would be the best total on this wicket. Then I had a few batsmen contributing as well. It wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on, but if you have a total in mind, you try to play accordingly and today was the right example of how we did it as a team.”I feel 160 was the right total, which we got eventually. After losing consecutive wickets in the powerplay to get to 160, it was a commendable effort, and to defend it at the same time, brilliant performance by the team.”Still, it was not a perfect outing for India’s seamers. They missed their lengths on multiple occasions and Arshdeep and Mukesh were lucky to get the wickets of McDermott and Matthew Short, respectively, off full tosses.”According to the standards we have set as a bowling unit in the Indian team, it was not even near par,” Arshdeep accepted. “But a lot of lessons learnt and, in the future, I will make sure to rectify those mistakes and come back stronger.”

The series starts on July 6, with all matches to be played in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2024Zimbabwe will host India for a five-match T20I series in July, a week after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. All five games will be played in Harare, from July 6 to 14. Four of the five T20Is will be day games, starting at 1pm local time. The third T20I, the only night match, will begin at 6pm.”We are absolutely thrilled to be hosting India for a T20I series in July in what will be our biggest international attraction at home this year,” Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said in a press release. “The significance and magnitude of this tour cannot be over-emphasised, especially as it is coming at a time we are working round the clock to re-establish ourselves as a force to reckon with at the highest level of the game.”India last toured Zimbabwe for three ODIs in August 2022, when they won 3-0. Since then, the two sides have met only once across formats, at the T20 World Cup in Australia later that year.Overall, the two teams have played eight T20Is each other, with India winning six of them.Zimbabwe could not qualify for this year’s T20 World Cup even though as many as 20 teams will participate for the first time in the tournament. Before that, they had failed to make the cut for the 2023 ODI World Cup as well.

Fixtures

July 6: 1st T20I
July 7: 2nd T20I
July 10: 3rd T20I
July 13: 4th T20I
July 14: 5th T20I

Prime Bank Cricket Club, Legends of Rupganj and Gazi Group Cricketers also have perfect starts

Mohammad Isam19-Mar-2024

Key takeaways

Defending champions Abahani Limited are off to a flying start in this season’s Dhaka Premier League, crushing all three opponents in the first week. But they have got company. Prime Bank Cricket Club, Legends of Rupganj and Gazi Group Cricketers have all started with three wins.A top-heavy league also means that there are four teams without a single win. It already reflects the disparity of wealth among the clubs as the DPL of this season was said to be one with several low-budget teams.Brothers Union, Gazi Tyres Cricket Academy, City Club and Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club are all winless after three games each. Partex Sporting Club beat Gazi Tyres in an early battle between the two newly promoted sides.

Best batters

Parvez Hossain Emon struck two centuries in the first week. He started the tournament with a cheap dismissal against Shinepukur Cricket Club, but then stepped up with a career-best 151 against Brothers Union. He struck nine fours and eight sixes in his 129-ball knock, while adding 246 runs for the opening stand with Shahadat Hossain, a record for Prime Bank. The pair was sent to open after Tamim Iqbal got stuck in traffic on the Dhaka-Savar highway. Shahadat also made a century in that game.Nurul Hasan, Imrul Kayes and Ariful Islam also struck hundreds in the first week. Imrul and Ariful’s combined tally for Mohammedan against Rupganj Tigers was 221. The other five batters in the innings scored a total of 29 runs.Parvez Hossain Emon celebrates his century against Brothers Union•Prime Bank Cricket Club

Best bowlers

There were several standout bowlers in the first week, but fast bowlers Mehedi Hasan and Abdul Halim stood apart with two four-wicket hauls each. Offspinner Mahedi Hasan, meanwhile, took a hat-trick on the last three balls of the match against City Club.Almost all of Bangladesh’s fast-bowling prospects, including Musfik Hasan who earned a Test call-up against Sri Lanka, took four-fors. Gazi Group Cricketers’ left-arm quick Ruyel Miah took a five-wicket haul against Mohammedan Sporting Club.

Best match

There were three nail-biting finishes in the DPL this week. Mahedi’s hat-trick helped Prime Bank beat City Club by three runs in a high-scoring game, while Anisul Islam Emon bowled a superb final over to thwart Mohammedan and lead Gazi Group to a three-run win.Aminul Islam hung around till the end to help Legends of Rupganj to a one-wicket win against Rupganj Tigers. With six runs needed in the last over, Aminul couldn’t connect properly with the first three balls against Qazi Onik but walloped the fourth ball for a straight six to start the celebrations.

Points to ponder

Abahani have definitely built the team and made a start towards their 22nd league title. Prime Bank, Legends of Rupganj, Gazi Group and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will definitely be in the running, but they have to beat Abahani to have any chance of a shot at the trophy.The likes of Brothers Union, City Club and Rupganj Tigers seem to be early contenders for teams trying to avoid relegation.

Players to watch

Many of the youngsters, particularly those from the Bangladesh Under-19 side that played in this year’s World Cup, have started the DPL quite well. Since the DPL is regarded as Bangladesh cricket’s finishing school, allrounder Ariful Islam and left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby performing for major clubs, Mohammedan and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, respectively, is a big plus.

DPL Week 4: Shinepukur have reached the Super League for the first time

Mohammad Isam19-Apr-2024There’s no stopping Abahani Limited – they have now crushed their closest rivals, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, to win all 11 matches of the first phase of the Dhaka Premier League. It has left them just three wins away from claiming their 22nd DPL title as the top six teams head into the Super League phase.In the match billed as this season’s biggest fixture – between the two supposedly richest teams – Abahani bowled out Sheikh Jamal for just 88 runs, their lowest-ever score in the DPL. Then they chased down the meagre target in 10.2 overs without losing a wicket.Shinepukur Cricket Club, meanwhile, have finished second on the table with eight wins, ahead of Mohammedan Sporting Club and Sheikh Jamal on net run-rate. They beat fellow Super League qualifiers Gazi Group Cricketers and Mohammedan, before polishing off Legends of Rupganj this week. Significantly for them, Shinepukur have reached the Super League phase for the first time.

Best batters

Irfan Sukkur and Habibur Rahman Sohan scored crucial runs after the Eid break to take their respective sides, Shinepukur and Gazi Group, into the Super League. Left-hand batter Irfan struck an unbeaten 106 against Rupganj after his 84 against Gazi Group, both match-winning knocks. Young Sohan struck a 55-ball 81 against Brothers Union before the unbeaten 102 against City Club that sealed Gazi Group’s Super League spot.Parvez Hossain Emon finished the first phase with the most runs, 585 at 53.18 with three centuries. He is the only one to breach the 500-run mark, while Mohammad Naim, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Saif Hassan and Tamim Iqbal are among the top-five scorers.

Best bowlers

Quick bowler Nahid Rana, who recently made his Test debut against Sri Lanka, took 12 wickets this week, including a five-wicket haul against Mohammedan and a four-for against Gazi Group. Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed took the other five-for this week.Left-arm quicks have ruled the DPL’s first phase. Gazi Group’s Ruyel Miah finished as the top wicket-taker with 25 wickets at 14.76. Abu Hider and Maruf Mridha, both left-arm fast bowlers, are among the top four, while Ifran Hossain, a right-arm quick, is in sixth place. Rishad Hossain, the legspinner, and left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam are the others in the top five.Nahid Rana is one of the big reasons for Shinepukur’s success this season•BCB

Best match

Abahani came into the week with nine wins in a row but it would all come to nothing if they couldn’t dominate fellow big-spenders Prime Bank Cricket Club and Sheikh Jamal. They racked up 341 for 4 against Prime Bank, with Anamul Haque and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto hitting centuries. Towhid Hridoy struck a breezy unbeaten 65 too. Prime Bank were all out for 283 in reply after Taskin Ahmed and Tanjim Hasan Sakib took three wickets each to kill off any threat.Shoriful Islam’s four wickets, with help from Taskin and Tanjim, bowled Sheikh Jamal out for 88.

Points to ponder

An official of the cricket committee of Dhaka Metropolis, the body that runs the Dhaka leagues, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Gazi Tyres Cricket Academy, City Club and Rupganj Tigers will play in the relegation playoffs. They are all tied on four points along with Partex Sporting Club, who avoided relegation because of a higher net run-rate than Rupganj.

Players to watch

Mridha stood out among the teenaged cricketers who debuted in the DPL this season. The left-arm fast bowler took 19 wickets for Gazi Tyres Cricket Academy. Among the others, 16-year old Nuhayel Sandeed became the first left-arm wristspinner to play List-A cricket in Bangladesh. Sandeed took two wickets on debut against Prime Bank, the DPL side coached by his father Mohammad Salahuddin.

This is the highest total in a Test innings without a single century

Madushka Balasuriya31-Mar-2024Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis joined the trio of half-centurions from day one as Sri Lanka batted out nearly the entirety of the second day in Chattogram to rack up an imposing first-innings total of 531, and put themselves in a commanding position in the second Test.In the process, they also posted the highest total in a Test innings without a single century, surpassing India’s effort of 524 for 9 declared against New Zealand in 1976. Kamindu Mendis, who was unbeaten on 92, also equalled Javed Miandad for the most runs in the first four innings of the career with 419.Related

• Bangladesh 'pay the price' for multiple dropped catches

• 'Let's judge them in two years' – Pothas calls for patience towards young Bangladesh batters

Bangladesh, who had to bat a little over an hour before stumps, negotiated it quite comfortably for the most part with openers Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Zakir Hasan scoring freely. They would have gone wicketless too if not for an absolute peach from Lahiru Kumara that seamed back sharply from outside off to scythe through Joy and clip the bails.Zakir Hasan and nightwatcher Taijul Islam saw things through without further damage as Bangladesh ended the day on 55 for 1 in 15 overs.The story of the day though was about the Sri Lanka batters. It took Bangladesh 159 overs to bowl out the visitors, roughly an hour into the final session. Shakib Al Hasan ended with figures of 3 for 110, along with two for debutant Hasan Mahmud and one apiece for Khaled Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.On the whole, though, it was a tough day in the field for the hosts, particularly with their profligacy in the field once more coming to the fore. They dropped two more catches, making it five for the innings, as Prabath Jayasuriya and Kamindu became the latest beneficiaries.Jayasuriya, who was on 6 at the time, flashed at a wide one from Khaled and got a thick edge. It flew to first slip, who bobbled it up towards second slip, who continued the juggling before third slip also sprung forward and failed to hold on. It was a sequence that summed up Bangladesh’s time in the field.Shakib Al Hasan picked up 3 for 110•AFP/Getty Images

That it came during Bangladesh’s most menacing period of the day – post lunch – was also further evidence of how such lapses served to snuff out any momentum that might have been building. In this instance, with Khaled having just trapped Dhananjaya de Silva lbw, another wicket could have set them on their way to bundling out Sri Lanka’s tail cheaply.But as things would pan out, Jayasuriya ended up sticking around for another 66 deliveries, contributing 28 in a 65-run stand with Kamindu. Kamindu himself was dropped later on – on 60 – by a sprinting Mahmud on the square-leg boundary. He scored another 32 after the reprieve.In total, Kamindu added 120 alongside the last four batters, a majority of which could have been mitigated had Bangladesh held on to their catches.Earlier in the day, Chandimal and Dhananjaya patiently negotiated the first hour of play, and were content to wait for the loose deliveries. While the Bangladesh seamers did probe good areas, boundary balls were a frequent feature as well, which alleviated any pressure being built.For most of the day, the Bangladesh bowlers did not stick to set lines and lengths. And even when they did, all it took was one shot of aggression by the Sri Lanka batters to disrupt their plans.And when a plan did work, such as when Khaled and Mahmud were peppering the batters with a barrage of bouncers, the lack of a third seamer allied with the hot and humid conditions meant it could not be persevered for any significant length of time.With the pitch still offering uneven bounce and the odd one gripping and turning, Sri Lanka never pressed too hard to up the rate of scoring – even when it might have been prudent to do so – and were happy to bat out time until their bowlers could use the new ball towards the close of play. A plan which seemed to have been justified in the end due to Kumara’s late breakthrough.