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Yuvraj Singh, the India batsman, has said this is the right time to focus on his Test career as he is finally injury-free after a three-month break following the broken finger he sustained in England

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2011Yuvraj Singh, the India batsman, has said this is the right time to focus on his Test career as he is finally injury-free after a three-month break following the broken finger he sustained in England. He has played just two competitive games since he was hit on the left index finger by Tim Bresnan during the Nottingham Test, and returns to the India squad for the home Test series against West Indies. Yuvraj, who has not enjoyed the same success in the longer format as he has in ODIs, said he wanted to rejuvenate his Test career.”It’s the right time to focus on my Test career,” he told . “I want to be remembered as a good batsman in the longer format of the game. I have always tried to give my best shot whenever on the field but unfortunately injury issues were there. In the upcoming series against West Indies and Australia, I want to score big and make a mark in the Test format. I want to restructure my Test career and I’ll raise the bar this time.”The 35 Tests Yuvraj has featured in have been played over eight years. For a large part of his career, he was kept out of the Test side by a strong middle order that included Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Once Ganguly retired, he was given an extended run in the side but couldn’t cement his place. He fell ill before the second Test in Sri Lanka in 2010, and a century from Suresh Raina on debut in that game meant Yuvraj was once again relegated to the sidelines. His Man-of-the-Series performance in the 2011 World Cup put him back in contention for a Test place, but an injury kept him out of the tour to the West Indies and his series in England was cut short by the finger injury.Yuvraj said his Test career had been blighted by the number of injuries he has had but he still had time to change things. “My best years are yet to come. After a long injury layoff, I am fully fit and raring to go. My career has been marred by a lot of injury issues but I think it’s on the right path now. After coming back from England, I trained hard. My body has taken a beating in the past year but there are no more injuries now.”The first Test between India and West Indies starts on November 6 in Delhi, and Yuvraj could be in a contest with Virat Kohli for a place in India’s middle order.

Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal powered his side to a formidable position with a bristling unbeaten 168 on the opening day of the Intercontinental Cup game against Kenya in Nairobi

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2010

ScorecardAfghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal powered his side to a formidable position with a bristling unbeaten 168 on the opening day of the Intercontinental Cup game against Kenya in Nairobi.With Afghanistan’s spot in next month’s final against Scotland already secure, the batsmen had the freedom rattle along at almost five an over as Mangal was ably supported by Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Shahzad and Mirwais Ashraf, who all posted half-centuries.There was plenty of punishment for the Kenyan bowlers but paceman Nehemiah Odhiambo emerged with some credit, taking 3 for 68 from 17 overs. Afghanistan’s care-free approach threatened to undo them when, despite racing along, they lost their fifth wicket at 210 but led by Mangal, they stuck to their attacking instincts to finish the day well on top.Having opted to bat first after winning the toss, the Afghanistan innings did not get off to the brightest start. Javed Ahmadi, making his first-class debut after impressing for the Under-19 side, was trapped in front by experienced paceman Thomas Odoyo for 11 but, in their contrasting styles, Sadiq and Shahzad scripted an impressive response.Shahzad blazed boundary after boundary from one end while Sadiq held on resolutely at the other, as the pair added 104 in 22.1 overs. Shahzad reached 72 off 68 balls, thumping 12 fours and a six before becoming the first of Odhiambo’s three victims.Sadiq was out soon after for 55 and Asghar Stanikzai followed in the next over as the home side made an impressive comeback. Once again, though, Afghanistan rallied. Mangal, who had watched on helplessly as the wickets fell, found enough support from Mohammad Nabi to add 60 in 14 overs. Nabi only made 13 in the partnership but he stuck around long enough for Mangal to find his range as the Afghanistan captain upped the pace.Samiullah Shenwari helped turn a potentially tricky 210 for 5 following Nabi’s dismissal into a more commanding total with 45 from 64 balls while Mangal took charge from the other end. Mangal reached his maiden first-class hundred at almost a run a ball and continued to attack after Shenwari chipped back a return catch to Odhiambo.In all Mangal struck 23 fours and a six in his 185-ball stay and together with Ashraf pushed the score well beyond 400. Ashraf took his cue from his captain and was similarly cavalier, reaching his first first-class half-century to end the day unbeaten on 62 off 77 balls. Having batted so positively, Afghanistan have plenty of time to try and push the score out of reach before unleashing one of the most potent attacks in the competition.

West Indies added a Twenty20 series win to their upset of top-ranked England in the one-dayers by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2009
ScorecardCharlotte Edwards had no support from the other batsmen again•Getty Images

West Indies added a Twenty20 series win to their upset of top-ranked England in the one-dayers by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. Allrounder Pamela Lavine was the match-winner for the home side, taking four wickets to skittle England before making a brisk 37 to shepherd West Indies to a five-wicket victory in the second Twenty20 international at St Kitts.The match followed a pattern similar to the first Twenty20 on Monday: the start was delayed by three hours due to a thunderstorm, West Indies won the toss and chose to field, England were inept with the bat with no one supporting captain Charlotte Edwards (who top scored again, this time with a battling 41), and West Indies chased down the modest target in the final over.Edwards had guided England to a reasonable 70 for 2 in the 14th over, but her dismissal sparked a dramatic collapse. The visitors lost their final eight wickets for 29 runs, and didn’t even play out their quota of 20 overs.West Indies were rarely in trouble chasing 100, despite losing two of their best batsmen, Stafanie Taylor and Cordel Jack, for ducks. Stacy-Ann King and Deandra Dottin stitched together valuable partnerships with Lavine to put the home side on track.After the match England head coach, Mark Lane, said though his team had lost both the one-dayers and the Twenty20s, the experience would prove handy when they return for the World Twenty20 next year. “The team played well for maybe 75% of the match today but ultimately that’s not good enough to win these sorts of games,” he said. “I think we’ve all learnt a huge amount from the trip so far which will help us when we come back here in May for the ICC World Twenty20.”The final Twenty20 match will take place on Thursday at Warner Park, St Kitts.

With both teams in with a good shot of making the WTC final, there will be plenty at stake in Durban

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Nov-2024

Big picture: Two teams on an upward trajectory

Sri Lanka’s men are third on the World Test Championship table, with a win percentage of 55.56, and South Africa are right on their heels, on 54.17. Both are in striking distance of a top-two finish, for which presently, there are five serious contenders – India, Australia, and New Zealand being the other three.Ordinarily, this is enough to make this a tilt worth watching (there are distractions such as some Border-Gavaskar Trophy, plus a New Zealand vs England series elsewhere, apparently), but there are further layers of dramatic potential here. Sri Lanka, if you remember, are the only Asian team to ever have beaten South Africa at home in a series, back in 2019. Seven players from this current Sri Lanka squad had played roles in that 2-0 sweep.And in Durban, Sri Lanka have never once lost a Test, having played three there. In fact, they have won their two most recent games at Kingsmead, Rangana Herath’s wizardry having delivered their first triumph on South African soil back in 2011, before the Kusal Perera special sent them screaming to one of the most miraculous wins in Test history in 2019.Related

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• Embuldeniya and Oshada Fernando return for Sri Lanka's Tests in SA

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• Bavuma battles 'mental demons' as he returns from lengthy injury layoff

• South Africa not pushing for green tops for massive home season

But while the Sri Lanka team of that 2019 tour were held together by hope and kinesiology tape, this one seems to be building to something? (We ask tentatively, as this is a strange assertion to make for Sri Lanka teams over the last decade.) So far this year, they have won six Tests, the most impressive of which was their victory at The Oval. And they have what is increasingly beginning to seem like a seam-bowling outfit. Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, and Lahiru Kumara are the likely starters. But they have others like Kasun Rajitha and Milan Rathnayake who have had good showings in overseas conditions too.South Africa, meanwhile, are on an upward trajectory of their own. They’d sent what amounted to about an E-team to New Zealand for a pasting in February, but since then, their big dogs back in the XI, have won away series in West Indies and Bangladesh. They’re at the start of their home summer now, so presumably they are overflowing with confidence. The one wrinkle in all of this is that they haven’t especially loved playing at Kingsmead over the past 15 years. Since the start of 2010, they have lost five matches to the two they have won at this venue. While South Africa quicks revel in the extra bounce their home surfaces usually deliver, the coastal venues, and this one in particular, tends to play slower and lower in comparison.On top of which, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has said that they will not be requesting made-to-order green tops on this tour, which will please Sri Lanka’s batters especially. That doesn’t mean there will be no bounce or movement. Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s head coach, said he expected “some good pace” at Kingsmead. But expect the surface to take turn on the later days, especially. South Africa have some skillful seamers, but their spin attack will be tested here too.

Form guide

South Africa WWWDL
Sri Lanka WWWLL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)Keshav Maharaj could end up playing a big role for South Africa in the home summer•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Keshav Maharaj and Kamindu Mendis

No bowler in this match knows the Kingsmead surface better than Keshav Maharaj. He was born in Durban, has played all his first-class cricket for the KwaZulu Natal Dolphins, and averages 21.52 in Tests at the venue. Though he has 54 Tests on his resume now, he’s only played three in his hometown, though. Partly, this is down to Covid. But one of those matches was against Sri Lanka, on that 2019 tour, and he took three wickets for 87 runs in that match. This sounds like it wasn’t especially impressive, but when one of the greatest innings of all time is being played by the opposition, it’s not terrible. He is also five years down the road in his development now, and at 34, should be in his spin-bowling prime. How Maharaj fares against Sri Lanka’s batters will go a long way to determining this series, you suspect.When will the Kamindu Mendis fever dream end? Eight Tests in, he has five hundreds – in three different countries – and in September became the fastest player to 1000 Test runs in 74 years. That average of 91.27 has to come down at some point, surely? But then people said that about him when he was in England, in August. His average was only in the 80s then. Though he is an all-format player for Sri Lanka now, Kamindu’s prowess has been limited to Tests for now – he is only a decent white-ball player, though his being able to bowl with either arm is likely more useful in those formats. Can he take this rocket-fueled start to a Test career to a whole new continent? In any case, there has never been a Sri Lanka batter who has been this hot out of the gate.

Team news: Sri Lanka ponder attack

*South Africa named their XI on the eve of the Test and picked Gerald Coetzee over the left-arm spin of Senuran Muthusamy, to join the pace attack of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder, with Keshav Maharaj the lone spinner.South Africa: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt.), 5 David Bedingham, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Wiaan Mulder, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Kagiso RabadaSeven Sri Lanka players have been in Durban for at least two weeks, and they should have a full complement of cricketers to choose from. They have decisions to make on the bowling front. They will likely go with Milan Rathnayake, for the batting value he adds. But do they pick Vishwa Fernando or Lahiru Kumara? Vishwa brings in the left-arm angle and has had success in Durban. But Kumara has the pace to trouble batters.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karuanaratne, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Milan Rathnayake, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Lahiru Kumara/Vishwa Fernando

Pitch and conditions: A wet start to the Test?

Some pace and bounce is likely early on, but if the sun falls on this Kingsmead pitch, expect it to become a little lower, and slower. Sun, though, might be in short supply early on in this match, with showers forecast for Wednesday, and overcast conditions predicted for Thursday.

Stats and trivia

• Maharaj’s best-ever figures have come against Sri Lanka – his 9 for 129 in the first innings at the SSC, in Colombo, in 2018.
  
• Kamindu Mendis’ away average so far, from nine innings, is 79.25. Five of those knocks came in England, where he averages 53.40, his lowest in any country.
  
• In the nine Tests these teams have played since the start of 2015, South Africa have won five and Sri Lanka four. All but two of these Tests were in South Africa.

• If Prabath Jayasuriya gets three wickets in Durban – his 17th Test – he will become the joint second-fastest bowler to 100 Test wickets, behind George Lohmann, who made his debut in the 19th century. Among players active since 1950, only Yasir Shah has done it in 17 Tests.
• Lahiru Kumara is also closing in on 100 dismissals. He’d be the fifth Sri Lanka fast bowler to the milestone, behind Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, and Suranga Lakmal.

  Quotes

  “Neil [McKenzie]) was good. He was with us for a week. It was a good week, and we got some points from him. We went to a lot of batting sessions with him. He’s a very good cricketer and a very open person, so we took a lot of his information. How do we adapt to this bounce? How do we adapt to these conditions? How do we adapt to this seam? How do we adapt to this ground condition? We took a lot of things.”
  *1100 hours: The story was updated after South Africa named their XI

It’s a precautionary measure, taken after Rauf felt “a little discomfort in his right flank” on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-20231:13

How will Pakistan cope without Haris Rauf?

Haris Rauf hasn’t taken the field against India on Monday’s reserve day in the Asia Cup Super Four game in Colombo after feeling “a little discomfort in his right flank” on Sunday’s scheduled match day. Only 24.1 overs were bowled on Sunday before rain pushed the game into the spare day.The extent of Rauf’s injury is not clear. The PCB statement that confirmed the injury said, “He was subsequently taken for a precautionary MRI, which revealed no tear. He is under the observation of the team’s medical panel.”Morne Morkel, Pakistan’s bowling coach, said on the official broadcast that Rauf had “pulled an oblique muscle” and with the ODI World Cup around the corner, “we’re going to put him on ice” for the moment. Morkel also said that Rauf had started feeling discomfort when he bowled his second over on Sunday.As a result, for the rest of the India innings in Colombo, Pakistan will have to make do with the three pace options in Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf, with Shadab Khan their lead spinner and a combination of Iftikhar Ahmed and Agha Salman’s part-time offspin.Rauf bowled five wicketless overs and conceded 27 runs on Sunday but brought some sense of control to an innings in which India’s openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scored half-centuries and put on 121 in a flying start. Pakistan fought back to dismiss both and control the run rate but India were 147 on board for the loss of two wickets.Rauf’s absence will be a cause of concern for Pakistan, given how significant a part he has become of Pakistan’s bowling attack. He has been Pakistan’s in-form bowler, and crucial at first change after Afridi and Naseem. He is also the tournament’s joint-leading wicket-taker with nine wickets in four matches.

Akeal Hosein hit a rapid 60, while Nicholas Pooran surprisingly got four wickets, but visitors fell short in the end

Danyal Rasool12-Jun-202248 overs Pakistan 269 for 9 (Shadab 86, Imam 62, Pooran 4-48) beat West Indies 216 (Hosein 60, Shadab 4-62, Hasan 2-29) by 53 runsA sensational all-round performance from Shadab Khan sealed a commanding 53-run win for Pakistan, and a 3-0 series win to give their World Cup qualification hopes a major fillip. The 23-year old came in with the hosts in a spot of bother at 117 for 5, serving as both anchor and slogger through various stages of the second half of the innings, before a four-wicket haul with the ball brought the visitors down.The 269 that Pakistan put up in the first innings might briefly have seemed like a few runs short when West Indies began brightly, but in the absence of in-form middle-order batters to shepherd the innings through, they found the Pakistan bowlers a touch too good to handle.For once, Pakistan lost the top order early despite an 85-run opening stand between Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq. It thrust significant responsibility on the middle order, with Shadab Khan stepping up to the mark, as his 78-ball 86 helped Pakistan to a defensible 269.West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran was the surprise architect of the hosts’ middle-order collapse, getting significant spin and bounce as his first four ODI wickets left Pakistan tottering at 117 for 5. The game was also suspended by an unexpected dust storm on a hot day in Multan, leading two overs being sliced off the contest.Pakistan chose to bat first, with a more cautious Zaman prioritising time at the crease over his trademark truculence. The first third of the innings was spent with the two turning the strike over and minimising risk, and aside from an early drop from Shai Hope that reprieved Imam, the openers looked fairly comfortable.Pooran, who had before today bowled just three balls in ODI cricket, brought himself on, and in his third over, yorked Fakhar to provide his side the breakthrough. Following that, Hayden Walsh Jnr stunned Multan next over by trapping Babar Azam in front, with a successful West Indian review sending him back for 1.Three further quickfire strikes from Pooran – including two in three balls – dismissed Imam, Haris and Mohammad Rizwan, as Pakistan suddenly looked vulnerable to being bowled out early.But Shadab and Khushdil Shah strung together an 84-run partnership, coming either side of a dust storm that briefly reduced visibility at the ground to almost none. When the players returned, the sixth-wicket pair upped the tempo, and though Khushdil never quite moved into top gear as he is so lethally capable of, it was Shadab who was having the more telling impact on the innings.Akeal Hosein tried to keep West Indies alive, before Shadab had him stumped•PCB

And when Akeal Hosein breached Khushdil’s defences, the responsibility on Shadab only rose; and so did he to the occasion.He brought up his half-century the following over, shepherding the strike with the responsibility of a frontline batter and the artistry of a modern death-overs game management specialist. Shadab found regular boundaries, and for a brief time, might have entertained thoughts of a maiden international hundred before a perfect yorker breached his defence as he tried to lap it over fine leg.However, by then he had 86, and against a West Indies batting line-up reeling from the second game, Pakistan took momentum with them at the halfway mark.In the absence of Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan’s new-ball attack carried an intrigue in itself, and debutant Shahnawaz Dahani swiftly delivered. After a breezy start from West Indies, Dahani drew Kyle Mayers into a slash that found Imam at point. Soon after, Shamarh Brooks was coaxed into chopping one on to his stumps.At the other end, the luckless Hasan Ali took a wicket, only for the third umpire to find he had overstepped. But he wouldn’t be denied for long. A hook from Shai Hope found Khushdil sprinting across the boundary to pluck one out of thin air, giving Hasan a wicket his confidence sorely needed.West Indies had a few partnerships midway, but Pakistan kept stubbing them out before they became any kind of menace. Shadab was the chief architect of this kind of preemptive strike. Keacy Carty was undone by a gem of a legspinner that Mohammad Haris behind the stumps was quick to react to, catching the batter out of his crease, while a loose shot from Rovman Powell found Zaman at long-off.The only reason Pakistan might have had to put their victory celebrations on hold was a feisty counterattack from Hosein, who breathed some hope into the West Indies camp when he smashed Mohammad Nawaz for two sixes in an over.Shadab was smashed for one too off the first ball of the next, but he wouldn’t be kept quiet for long, coming back to deceive him with a wrong’un, with Haris reacting sharply behind the stumps once more to whip the bails off.That knocked the stuffing out of the West Indies side, who, despite enjoying plenty of success in phases of play this series, never really did enough to merit an outright win on the tour. Pakistan managed to cash out in the heat, while with World Cup qualification becoming an uphill task, West Indies found themselves left out in the cold in Multan.

Time is a healer, says captain, as prospect of summer training-camp invite remains

George Dobell10-Mar-2021Eoin Morgan has downplayed the possibility of Alex Hales winning an England recall ahead of the T20 World Cup.Hales recently enjoyed an excellent BBL campaign and continues to hold the record for the highest T20I score by an England player – 116 not out against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20. He also has a higher T20I average than anyone in the current England squad (31.01; only Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen, among England players, average more) and continues to excel in T20 leagues around the world.But he hasn’t played for England since March 2019 after failing two tests for recreational drugs. As a result, Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, said he had shown a “complete disregard” for team values and would need to rebuild that trust before he could be recalled.While Ed Smith, the national selector, has recently suggested the process of reintegrating Hales into the England squad could begin in the coming months with invitations to training sessions, Morgan has stressed that breaking back into a team that cannot, at present, accommodate Root, could prove challenging.”Our position on Alex still remains the same,” Morgan said. “He’s out of the squad. The squad is very strong at the moment.”You look at the strength of our squad at the moment and the areas that we’re trying to improve… one area we don’t struggle for players, it’s probably in the top three.”He’s not in the squad and the squad is very difficult to get back into. The player that he is has never been in doubt.”Could he return ahead of the World Cup? Only time will tell. But time is a great healer.”Morgan did accept that Hales could be invited to training sessions during the English summer, but admitted the pair had yet to speak. He also stressed his continuing faith in Jason Roy at the top of the order despite having not reached 25 in his most recent 10 international innings dating back to February 2020 and Jonny Bairstow, who endured a miserable Test series against India.”One area, every summer, that we try and grow and learn more about players outside the squad is trying to bring them in, in the build-up to series say, two days out, a practice day,” Morgan explained. “We’ll have guys come in and bowl, bat in the nets and just be around the group.Related

• Test of loyalty looms as heat is turned up on England's World Cup contenders

• Hales' 'lack of regard' meant he had to go – Eoin Morgan

• Hales given hope of recall as Livingstone earns T20I call-up

• Hales: World Cup axe was 'sickening' but hopes for forgiveness

“Last summer, we weren’t able to do that. This summer it’s looking like restrictions and our bubbles will be a little bit more relaxed, depending on vaccinations and spikes and all that sort of thing. But it could present an opportunity to have Alex in and around. We haven’t spoken yet.”As for Jason… he doesn’t need to remind any of us how good he is. We watch him train day in, day out and know the quality of player he is. We also know the impact of how he plays and the influence it has on the dressing room and the other batters.”I’m not concerned whatsoever about Jonny. I think, the way the formats are now, there’s a huge distinction between Test cricket and white-ball cricket.”Morgan also appeared to confirm that Ben Stokes would continue to bat in the middle order. While Rajasthan Royals have utilised him in the top-order in recent times – even experimenting with moving Jos Buttler into the middle-order – England have no such plans.”I’m happy with the structure I have,” Morgan said. “Ben has done really well for us there [in the middle order] and hopefully that will continue.”