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The latest snippets from the Vitality Blast, including Nicholas Pooran at number seven, Paul Nixon’s prophetic tweets, and Lewis McManus’ freak run-out

Matt Roller29-Jul-2019After winning just twice in 2018, Middlesex have already bettered their record from last season, and are now third-favourites with the bookies to win the Vitality Blast – not to be sniffed at, given they have reached the knockouts just once since their 2008 success.They have managed that despite the absence of AB de Villiers, who picked up injuries to both hands in last week’s win at The Oval to miss two of the seven games he had signed for, much to the club’s frustration.That injury was also a source of frustration for Glamorgan and Gloucestershire, whose marketing departments had both appealed to the AB factor in advertising those games; Middlesex themselves have plastered his face on billboards at various London stations, and are confident he will return for Thursday’s fixture against Kent.De Villiers’ replacement for those two games was Berkshire batsman Dan Lincoln, who hit a useful 30 in defeat at Cheltenham. In a throwback to the 1920s ideal of playing one sport in the winter and another in the summer, Lincoln also plays in goal for non-league side Bognor Regis Town. “Congratulations, Dan,” the club tweeted. “Just some minor shoes to fill.”***Yorkshire are set to go into the second half of the T20 Blast group stages without an overseas player, with coach Andrew Gale admitting that the hectic nature of the worldwide schedule meant they would struggle to find a replacement for Nicholas Pooran.”You can’t really do it like-for-like”, he told the , “because there aren’t many of those players out there. There’s a lot of cricket going around the minute. There’s the Canada [Global T20] tournament going on, and there’s a lot of players playing in that.”Pooran’s impact on the Blast was minimised by rain, though he did plunder 122 runs at a strike rate of 184.84 in his three games.
Eyebrows were raised when he came in at No. 7 in Yorkshire’s first game against Derbyshire, but the move simply represented the irrelevance of traditional batting orders in T20.”[Pooran] is at his best… in the last ten overs of the innings,” said Gale. “It just so happened at Chesterfield that he was coming in at seven because we’d lost more wickets than we would have wanted at that stage.”Adil Rashid prepares to bowl during a practice session•Getty Images

Yorkshire will welcome Adil Rashid back into their squad this week – with Moeen Ali and Jack Leach ahead of him in the Ashes pecking order, he is likely to be available for the rest of the tournament.***It was a long weekend to remember for Alex Carey, the wicketkeeper-batsman who was one of the World Cup’s breakout stars.Alex Carey bats, watched by Tom Banton•Getty Images

After missing out on Australia’s Ashes squad, Carey travelled from the Ageas Bowl to Hove on Friday morning, only to realise that he was ineligible for Sussex’s game against Surrey since he was still in the country on his national team visa.That meant booking the first possible flight out of the country – not as easy a task on a mid-summer Saturday morning – to have his visa stamped on the way back, resulting in a quick round trip to Geneva before a Sunday morning ride down to Taunton.Characteristically, Carey was unfazed, and hit a 46-ball 78 to set up a vital Sussex win. If this start is anything to go by, Sussex will be booking him a pre-match city break on a weekly basis.***Leicestershire were roundly thrashed in their first three games of the Blast, to the extent that coach Paul Nixon had to engage in some firefighting on Twitter.”3 international bowlers, bowled well we hit our shots 5-10 yards away from where we wanted to and that’s the game… we will do the same to the oppo next ….” he replied to a fan, in what appeared to be a case of foolhardy optimism.But lo and behold, in a rain-reduced 11-over game against pre-tournament favourites Nottinghamshire, they blitzed 125 for 3 thanks to Arron Lilley’s 66*, and defended it comfortably.Nixon’s bio says he is an “Ex Eng Cricketer, Leicestershire CCC Head Coach and After Dinner Speaker” – perhaps he should throw prophet in there, too.***Hampshire are longing for the glory days of 2010 and 2012, after a win and two defeats has left them languishing towards the bottom of the South Group.Back when they won the competition, Hampshire were innovators, using a series of top-quality spinners and skiddy medium-pacers, with specialist wicketkeeper Michael Bates often stood up to the stumps for all 20 overs.Hampshire are a much-changed side since their T20 title wins in 2010 and 2012•Getty Images

Their attack is much-changed, but they still have possess an excellent gloveman in the shape of Lewis McManus. His sharp-thinking brought about an MS Dhoni-style run-out in Wednesday night’s loss at Sussex, and he waited for Laurie Evans to leave his crease before whipping off the bails.It was no surprise, then, to learn that Bates has been working with McManus, and that the club are benefitting from his genius behind the stumps despite his premature release.Bates is the subject and co-author of a newly-released book, , in which he opens up about his struggles with the bat and the difficulty of coming to terms with his axing.While it seems unlikely that Bates’ role – keeping wicket and batting in the tail – will become part of the mainstream, his book offers an unusual and intriguing perspective on the changing demands on keepers, and the demise of the specialist.

Former Australia vice-captain has been brought in to replace opener D’Arcy Short, who will be touring India with Australia A during the CPL

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2018David Warner will make his first appearance in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) later this year, after being signed by the St Lucia Stars. The franchise announced that he will come in as a replacement for Australia’s D’Arcy Short, who they said is unavailable for the tournament because he is touring India as part of an Australia A squad in August and September.Warner is currently into the third month of a one-year ban handed to him by Cricket Australia for his part in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, but has started to make his way back into competitive cricket. He was not allowed to play the IPL, but has since signed up with Global T20 Canada franchise Winnipeg Hawks for the league that will begin from June 28, and also committed to playing in the NT Strike League in Darwin starting in July, alongside Cameron Bancroft who is also serving a CA ban for the same issue.Speaking about the signing, Stars’ general manager, Mohammad Khan said: “We are excited to bring David to the St Lucia Stars. David is arguably one of the greatest batsmen of the modern era and a winning player. He is going to add a lot of value on the field and in the dressing room as we pursue our first title.”

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches held on April 20, 2017

Mohammad Isam20-Apr-2017In the first close contest of this season’s Dhaka Premier League, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club registered a five-run win over Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club at the BKSP-4 Ground in Savar.Needing 15 runs off the last over in a truncated game of 38 overs a side, Doleshwar’s Mohammad Sharifullah managed to hit a solitary boundary as Abdur Razzak conceded only nine runs off the deciding six balls.That Doleshwar’s chances were alive until the last over was largely due to a 108-run fourth-wicket stand between Puneet Bisht (83) and Marshall Ayub (42). But a sluggish start earlier meant there was too much to be done in the last eight overs. Shahadat Hossain picked up two wickets for Dhanmondi, while Razzak’s 3 for 39 in eight overs earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.Earlier, Dhanmondi Club amassed 235 for 7 in 38 overs, piloted by a 123-run second-wicket stand between Fazle Mahmud (55) and Imrul Kayes (67) before Nurul Hasan’s unbeaten 47 off 41. Habibur Rahman and Arafat Sunny took two wickets each.Gazi Group Cricketers cruised to an eight-wicket win, led by their bowlers, against Legends of Rupganj at the BKSP-3 Ground in Savar. Overnight rain had effected a 30-minute delay before the match got underway, reducing the contest to 47 overs a side.Gazi Group’s left-arm pace bowler Abu Hider took full advantage of the overcast conditions by picking up two early wickets during his four-wicket haul. Offspinner Parvez Rasool picked three wickets, while Mahedi Hasan bagged two, bowling out Rupganj for 156 runs in 44 overs.For Rupganj, No. 9 Mosharraf Hossain top-scored with 37 while No. 4 Mahmudul Hasan made 30.In reply, Gazi Group wrapped up the chase in 36 overs, with opening batsman Jahurul Islam closing out the game unbeaten on 62 off 106 with six fours. Mominul Haque contributed with 44 off 53 balls.Uday Kaul missed out on a century by just six runs but his effort helped Abahani Limited snaffle a 32-run win over Brothers Union at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah.Kaul struck just five fours in his 120-ball knock that spanned 41 overs. He added 96 for the opening stand with Liton Das (48) before adding a further 88 runs with Nazmul Hossain Shanto, who struck a 56-ball 49. Mahmudullah also fell one run short of a half-century, but Shuvagata Hom’s 17-ball 44 – studded with seven fours and a six – propelled Abahani to 327 for 6 in 50 overs.Opener Junaid Siddique’s century kept Brothers Union on track with his 112-ball 114, clobbering eight fours and three sixes. He added 86 runs for the second wicket with Mizanur Rahman and another 61 runs for the fourth wicket with Myshukur Rahman.However, when captain Alok Kapali fell for 6 in the 38th over, Brothers Union lost two more wickets in quick succession, including that of Siddique in the 41st over. No. 10 Nihaduzzaman kept his side in the chase with an unbeaten 32-ball 41, but it insufficient as Brothers Union could only manage 295 for 8 in 50 overs.For Abahani, Shuvagata finished with 3 for 45 from 10 overs and Mohammad Saifuddin ended on 2 for 50 after he dismissed the openers.

Azhar Ali has said he and Mohammad Amir had “moved on” from the complications that beset Amir’s reintegration to the Pakistan team, in the approach to the New Zealand tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Jan-2016Azhar Ali has said he and Mohammad Amir had “moved on” from the complications that beset Amir’s reintegration to the Pakistan team, in the approach to the New Zealand tour. He said he would focus on captaining Amir, and helping create an environment in which the bowler could thrive.The first ODI on Monday will be the first occasion in which the two will play together, since Amir’s return to international cricket. “He bowled well in the T20s I think,” Azhar said. “As the captain my job is to take the best out of him. Hopefully we will all be united and with Mohammad Amir, and we will allow him to bowl really well and get wickets for Pakistan.”

Elliott credits diligence for bowling contributions

New Zealand allrounder Grant Elliott said his recent effectiveness with the ball in T20s was thanks to “hard work”. Elliott took nine wickets on the four occasions he bowled in the recent T20 series, against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“As an allrounder sometimes your batting’s not going as well and you want to be able to get into the game,” Elliott said. “I always think about what I wouldn’t want to face, when I’m bowling. For me in T20s, it’s about taking pace off the ball. In the one-dayers it’s slightly different. I want to try and swing the ball and hit the back of the length.”
New Zealand are without Ross Taylor in the ODI series, after the batsman sustained a muscle injury in his side during the final T20. Brendon McCullum is also injured, but Elliott said the team had enough skill and experience to cope with the absences.
“It’s unfortunate what’s happened to Ross, but that always creates opportunity for guys to step up. We’ve got a lot of experience in this team. I think what we’ve seen in the past is that guys have come in during the recent tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe, filled gaps and done pretty well.”

Four weeks ago, Azhar had been among two players who sought to avoid a pre-tour conditioning camp, stating: “I will not attend the camp as long as Amir is there.” He had also attempted to resign the ODI captaincy over Amir’s inclusion, before the Pakistan Cricket Board intervened. He struck a more philosophical tone in Wellington.”Whatever my stance was, my job is to lead this side and keep harmony in the dressing room,” he said. “We are all united and keen for this challenge.He did not want to be drawn on what has allowed his position to change since December. “We should not discuss more about it. We’ve moved on.”In the event Azhar is the passive-aggressive type, the Basin Reserve does present him with a unique opportunity. Bowlers who have upset their captains sometimes find themselves bowling into the stiff wind that is a feature of the Wellington climate. A strong northerly breeze is forecast for the day.”We already discussed it and we’re practicing in this wind,” Azhar said. “So everyone is prepared for that.”In addition to Amir, Azhar has a legion of left-armers in the squad. Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan and Rahat Ali are likely to play at some point in the series, and left-arm spinning allrounder Imad Wasim has also been effective with the ball since making his debut last year.”A lot of the good bowlers that are coming in – most of them are left-armers, in Pakistan,” Azhar said. “Sometimes it’s an advantage because not every team has left-armers. They bowl at good pace as well, so we’re lucky to have them.”With bounce and pace expected in the Basin Reserve surface, Azhar said he hoped Irfan could trouble opposition batsmen. New Zealand allrounder Grant Elliott said Irfan’s height and pace made him an “exciting” bowler to face.”I think I made the comment that playing Irfan was like batting on a trampoline,” Elliott said. “The height that he comes from is very different. It takes a little bit of getting used to – the first couple of balls. He’s another great player for the crowd to see bowl. He’s seven foot and bowls at 140 clicks.”

The Ramadan Cup T20 match between Pakistan International Airlines and Water and Power Development Authority in Karachi was called off due to rain.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2013No result
ScorecardWeather played spoilsport as the Ramadan T20 Cup match between Pakistan International Airlines and Water and Power Development Authority in Karachi was called off due to rain.WAPDA scored 151 in their 20 overs after being put in to bat. However, PIA’s chase lasted only eight deliveries before rain interrupted play.PIA got an early breakthrough in the first innings, as medium-pacer Anwar Ali got the wicket of opener Shoaib Nasir in the first over. Sohaib Maqsood, batting at No.3, then shared a 77-run second-wicket partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed, to revive the innings. Maqsood hit 10 fours and three sixes during his 60-ball 86 as WAPDA reached a score of 151 for 8 in 20 overs. Ali was the pick of the bowlers for PIA, ending with figures of 4-0-22-2.Both teams were awarded a point each.

Damodar Daesrath, a former Guyana captain, will debut for Canada in their ICC Intercontinental Cup game against Scotland next week

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2012Damodar Daesrath, a former Guyana captain, will debut for Canada in their ICC Intercontinental Cup game against Scotland next week. Daesrath has been playing club cricket in Canada for the past four years.He last represented Guyana in a first-class fixture in March 2005 before settling in Canada. Daesrath has played for the Brampton Masters Cricket Club in the Toronto Elite competition, captaining them for the last two years.”I [am] extremely delighted to be named in Canada’s senior team for the first time and I am eager to go out there and make a big impression for them as early as possible,” Daesrath said. “I love playing cricket in Canada. The standard is very good and I can truly compare it to inter-county cricket tournament in Guyana which I think is very competitive.”Daesrath’s first game for Canada will be a four-day match against Scotland in Glasgow where he will join Jeremy Gordon, another ex- Guyana player, who made his Canada debut against his former team in the Caribbean T20 in January this year.”It will be a challenging experience for my first outing with Canada but I think I am prepared and equipped to meet the high demand on the international scene,” Daesrath said.

A lack of consistency cost England the right to push for victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka, according their captain Andrew Strauss

Andrew Miller at Lord's07-Jun-2011A lack of consistency cost England the right to push for victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka, according their captain Andrew Strauss, after five hard-fought days petered out into a draw on a docile wicket at Lord’s.Given England’s recent run of form in Test cricket – which includes four innings victories in their last six matches, including a remarkable last-session triumph in Cardiff last week – Strauss admitted to a certain amount of frustration that they were unable to close out the Sri Lanka series with a game to spare. However, he conceded that at critical moments, his team lacked the spark and penetration of previous contests, adding that by the final afternoon of the match, they had “run their race”.”We didn’t expect them to fold quite as they did at Cardiff, and they didn’t on a flat wicket,” said Strauss. “Over the last 18 months we’ve prided ourselves on just how consistent we have been as a bowling line-up. But the guys are not machines, and sometimes the rhythm’s not there – and it’s hard work.”England’s realistic hopes of a result were thwarted on the second afternoon, when Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana responded to their team’s 82 all out capitulation in Cardiff with an opening stand of 207. In that period, and again on the third morning, England’s seamers were as off-colour as at any stage in the past 18 months, with the bowling coach, David Saker, describing the number of balls down the leg-side as “inexcusable”.”We’re not going to play the perfect Test match every time – we’ve got to be realistic about that – but the most important thing is we don’t make the same mistake twice,” said Strauss. “I was very happy with the way the guys came back and improved as the game went on, although it is always frustrating when a Test match ends in a draw, because you’ve put in a lot of hard work for five days.”The pick of England’s attack, in terms of wickets, was the 22-year-old Steven Finn, who fought back from a wayward start to claim 4 for 108, and in the process became the youngest England bowler to 50 Test wickets. Despite that acclaim, however, his career economy-rate is close to 4 an over, and with James Anderson on the mend following a side strain in Cardiff, he could find himself back on the sidelines at the Rose Bowl.”I think Steven Finn got a lot better as the game went on,” said Strauss. “He’d been out of the side a little bit, so I suppose he had every right to feel a bit anxious at the start. But all our bowlers bring something different, and certainly Jimmy does with his consistent lines and swinging it a bit more than the others. We are very hopeful he’ll be fit.”It would certainly be a surprise if the man to make way was Stuart Broad, whose recent appointment as England Twenty20 captain was an acknowledgement of his senior status within the England squad. Nevertheless, his record in red-ball cricket is becoming something of a concern, with his two wickets at Lord’s costing 154 and coming at 3.75 an over. After 36 Tests, he still averages an unworthy 35.97.Though Strauss defended his team-mate, he didn’t deny there were concerns. “I don’t think he’s quite getting the rub of the green at the moment,” he said. “He’s bowled some very good balls that are passing the edge, and has probably bowled better than the statistics say. But all of us have to keep trying to improve, and make sure our performances get better.”That goes for the batsmen as well, not least Strauss himself, who made scores of 4 and 0 in his two innings and was nailed on both occasions by the left-arm seam of Chanaka Welegedara. He has now fallen to that style of bowling 22 times in his career, and nine in the past 12 months. With the excellent Zaheer Khan set to lead the attack for India later in the summer, Strauss knows he can’t afford to let the problem spread.”I was obviously frustrated to miss out twice on a good batting surface,” he said. “But I think to some extent that’s the nature of the beast as an opening batsman … sometimes you get a couple of good ones early. But I obviously need to keep working and make sure it doesn’t happen again at the Rose Bowl.”The final-day positives for England included the form of Ian Bell, whose 40-ball half-century on the final afternoon was the most fluent innings of the match, and an impressive display from Kevin Pietersen, who fell once again to a left-arm spinner, but not before he’d racked up a dominant 72. Given that he had started his innings in a no-win situation late on the fourth day, it was a satisfactory upshot in his quest for his former glories.”It wasn’t an easy situation when he went in yesterday, with dark cloud cover and the lights on,” said Strauss. “Lord’s does a lot more in those conditions, so he did have to graft pretty hard then. But he did that outstandingly well and then obviously came out the other side and played some lovely shots today. We always knew he was going to score runs at some stage, and we hope this is the catalyst to go and have a purple patch like Alastair Cook’s having.”There was some criticism of England’s intent as they built towards their eventual declaration total of 335 for 7, and by the end of the innings, the on-field events had been overshadowed by Matt Prior’s run-in with the dressing-room window. Nevertheless, Strauss felt they could not have done much more to force the game.”It was a bit tricky prior to lunch when the left-armer was bowling over the wicket into the rough – it was a bit hard to keep the momentum going, and we lost a little bit there,” he said. “But we still scored at more than four an over, but I think it was always going to be a little bit hard to force a result on the final day here – because we know the Lord’s wicket doesn’t deteriorate.”I just told them what I wanted us to get, and how many overs we had to get it – and we needed to bat pretty quickly. But there are always things in a Test match we could have done better. We hope we do that at the Rose Bowl.”

Tom Cooper’s first effort stood out for its maturity as he made an unbeaten 80 to guide Netherlands to a six-wicket win with three balls to spare over Scotland at Hazelaarweg in Rotterdam

Cricinfo staff15-Jun-2010
Scorecard
In a game in which five players made their one-day international debuts, Tom Cooper’s first effort stood out for its maturity as he made an unbeaten 80 to guide Netherlands to a six-wicket win with three balls to spare over Scotland at Hazelaarweg in Rotterdam. He put on 158 for the third wicket with Ryan ten Doeschate, who missed out on a fourth one-day international hundred but did enough in his 101-ball 90 to secure the win after Richie Berrington’s 84 had helped Scotland set 235 for 6.Cooper, who was born in Wollongong and represented Australia Under-19s, came to the crease as early as the sixth over when opener Eric Szwarczynski fell to Matthew Parker – another player making his ODI debut. ten Doeschate, who is regarded as one of the finest allrounders in Associate cricket, joined him in the 14th over with the match in the balance after Alexei Kervezee’s dismissal saw his side slip to 50 for 2. Both batsmen started their innings very cautiously before gradually beginning to play with more fluency and taking control of the game.While Cooper was content to anchor the innings, ten Doeschate opened up after reaching his half-century and struck five fours and two sixes before he was dismissed with the win, and his century, in sight in the 45th over. Netherlands still needed to score at a-run-a-ball when he left the crease, but they still had seven wickets in hand and despite Bas Zuiderent’s departure in the penultimate over they were always cruising. Cooper was named Man-of-the-Match for his innings.Richie Berrington’s well-paced innings appeared to have set a competitive total as he steadied Scotland’s middle order in a see-sawing first innings. Josh Davey and Preston Mommsen, also debutants, put on a steady 43 but then fell within three overs of each other as Scotland slipped to 55 for 2. Berrington and Gregor Maiden, who struck a breezy 31, seized back the initiative with a 47-run stand in under nine overs before offspinner Adeel Raja struck back with the wickets of Maiden and Qasim Sheikh in the midst of an economical five-over spell.With Sheikh’s dismissal, Scotland were 131 for 4 and struggled to build momentum before Neil McCallum was pinned in front of his stumps for 11 by Mudassar Bukhari to reduce the visitors to a shaky 155 for 5 in the 38th over.But Berrington found an able partner in Douglas Lockhart, putting together a 71-run stand – the highest of the innings – to stretch Scotland’s score past 200. Though Berrington fell to ten Doeschate in the closing overs, Lockhart remained unbeaten on 31 at the close and Parker found the boundary in the final over to boost the total. Raja and ten Doeschate were the pick of the Dutch bowling attack with two dismissals apiece, taking wickets at crucial times to finish with combined figures of 4 for 54 from 15 overs.

Australia restricted Sri Lanka to 93 and were in a spot of bother themselves at 35 for 3 in the chase, when Mooney steadied the ship

Firdose Moonda05-Oct-2024Australia began their T20 World Cup defence with a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka, who slumped to a second defeat in less than 48 hours to leave their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread. Australia kept Sri Lanka to under 100, and knocked off the runs inside 15 overs. But their speed of run-scoring was not enough to put Australia on top of the group ahead of New Zealand on NRR, which could prove crucial in a pool where they have already been two upsets.While it was relatively straightforward for Australia, they would be the first to admit that they were not at their most clinical best. Their bowlers sent down five no-balls and two wides, and the 13 extras were the fourth-highest contributor on a sorry Sri Lanka scorecard. That continues a trend of Australia conceding the most number of extras since the start of last year, and is a discipline they would want to tighten up on.Nitpicking aside, Australia held the advantage early thanks to medium-pacer Megan Schutt, who finished with the best figures among the bowlers on a spinner-friendly track. Between them, spinners Ash Gardner, Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham bowled 12 overs, which cost only 55 runs while they shared four wickets.Sri Lanka’s only real resistance came from a 31-run fifth-wicket stand between Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshika Silva, and they were the only batters to get more than 20. Sri Lanka ended up well short of a par total, but initially made a fist of defending it. They had Australia 35 for 3 and were fielding excellently, but did not have enough runs to make a game of it.Beth Mooney hit 43*, and sealed the chase in the 15th over•ICC/Getty Images

Australia’s awesome start

If there was any thought that Australia would be anything less than their absolute best as their tournament got underway, that was swiftly dismissed as they got off to the perfect start. Schutt started proceedings with the tournament’s second maiden over, and Gardner followed up with a second, which immediately raised questions of Chamari Athapaththu’s decision to bat first.She got bat on ball in the third over, when she guided Schutt past backward point for two, but the over ended badly when Vishmi Gunaratne was given out lbw off the last ball, and reviewed to no avail. Schutt got the ball to tail in from outside off and pin Gunaratne on the back pad in front of middle and leg stump. Ball tracking confirmed her dismissal.Things got worse two balls later, as Gardner beat Athapaththu’s sweep shot and asked for a review after the on-field decision seemed to suggest it was sliding down leg. But ball-tracking judged it to be hitting leg, and Athapaththu had to depart for a second single-figure score to start the World Cup. Sri Lanka were 6 for 2 in the fourth over.

Sri Lanka fail to cross 100 second time

Sri Lanka’s batters can’t be blamed for trying to make something happen in their search for runs, but their attempts to be attacking were unsuccessful as they could not get the ball to clear the boundary. Samarawickrama, who battled hard to score 23 off 35 balls, was the first to play a poor shot when she swung at a full, wide delivery from Molineux without much conviction, and popped a simple return catch to the bowler.Hasini Perera only faced four balls for her 2, and was then given a gift when Wareham sent down a filthy full toss which she swiped at, but towards Gardner, who took a good catch over her right shoulder. And in the final over, with runs needed to put up a respectable total, Anushka Sanjeewani tried to lap Schutt but ended up scooping the ball straight to Wareham at short fine leg.Udeshika Prabodhani cleaned up Alyssa Healy in the first over of the chase•ICC/Getty Images

Alyssa’s aggression = Udeshika’s reward

Sri Lanka were under the pump when they conceded eight runs off the first three legal deliveries of the Australia innings, but Udeshika Prabodhani had the perfect response. Her fourth ball was on a length and angled in, and Alyssa Healy shaped up for the leg-side flick, but the ball held its line and beat her completely to find off stump. Prabodhani closed out the over without conceding another run, and from nowhere, Sri Lanka were in the contest.

Beth bosses it

When Wareham was run-out in the third over and Ellyse Perry was bowled, the match teetered on an upset. But then, there was Beth Mooney. Arguably the best chaser in the women’s game, she took her time upfront and found her first boundary after the powerplay, when Inoshi Priyadarshani offered a full ball down leg, and Mooney paddled it fine for four.She was into her work when she sent Sugandika Kumari over mid-on for four, which reduced the runs required to under 50. In typically responsible fashion, Mooney was there at the end, unbeaten on 43, and hit the winning run in the 15th over.

Australia played Scott Boland ahead of him at Edgbaston, but there’s a chance he could feature at Lord’s

Andrew McGlashan26-Jun-2023It’s a sign that a tour is running smoothly when there are very few unknowns about selection for the next match. As with last week, the only question for Australia to answer is around the final make-up of their pace attack with Mitchell Starc waiting in the wings should a change be made at Lord’s.The likeliest route would appear to be that Starc replaces Scott Boland whose treatment by England at Edgbaston was termed a “surprise” by coach Andrew McDonald. However, two days out from the second Test the pitch was reasonably green and, should it remain that way, such a surface could keep Boland in the frame. There is promise of more pace and bounce at Lord’s than what was seen in Birmingham, which wouldn’t disappoint either side.The other scenario that may play out is based on whether the selectors are confident in playing Josh Hazlewood in back-to-back Tests early into his latest comeback. His workload was reasonably light at Edgbaston where he sent down 25 overs and there has been a good gap (of eight days) between matches.Related

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• Will Australia bring in Starc for Boland at Lord's?

There is a reasonable chance that Starc could know his fate by the end of Monday, but either way, it is not a new situation for him when it comes to Ashes tours of England having played just once in 2019.”I’m used to it now coming to England. It’s a squad mentality, much the same as last time,” Starc said. “Been around long enough, been dropped enough. Probably dropped the most in this squad. Not something new to me, won’t be the last time, either. It’s never fun, everyone wants to play.”Starc was part of the Australia side for the World Test Championship final against India earlier this month before missing the cut at Edgbaston, although McDonald acknowledged that with hindsight he could have had a role to play on what was a docile surface.Starc claimed four wickets in the WTC final, including a brute of a lifter to have Virat Kohli caught at slip, but later conceded he had not been able at his best.”I came into that game feeling pretty good, but then my rhythm wasn’t quite there,” Starc said. “It’s been a good couple of weeks of work to get back into that rhythm. We were all better for the run after that Test final at The Oval and I certainly feel less clunky than I did throughout the game.”Hopefully, that results in some good stuff if and when I play. It’s all in good order, it’s just about getting some time in the middle when the time comes.”A look at the green Lord’s pitch a couple of days before the Test•Getty Images

Starc’s Test experience at Lord’s amounts to one game in 2015, when he claimed two wickets in a big Australia win, but he was outstanding at the ground during the 2019 World Cup where he bagged nine scalps in two matches against England and New Zealand.Unlike some visiting bowlers, he has not found the slope that runs across the playing area to be a problem. “It’s probably more visual than anything, I didn’t find it too much of an adjustment because it’s got a slope,” he said.One other element that could come into play, should Starc make the cut for Lord’s, is whether he will take the new ball. In the second innings of the WTC final he was used behind Boland and Pat Cummins. It was only the 13th time in his career that he had not been among the first pair, the previous of which came in his lone appearance in the 2019 Ashes at Old Trafford.”There’s been a few discussions from a few of the guys playing county cricket and the way the Dukes ball is reacting this season, potentially the fact that you get eight to 15 overs into an innings and the ball actually starts to swing then, not when it’s brand new,” Starc said. “There was very little swing at Edgbaston for anyone because of the dryness of the wicket.”