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Sri Lanka Board President’s XI 298 for 9 dec and 77 for 8 (Hoggard 5-25) lead England XI 134 (Bopara 47) by 241 runs
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Matthew Hoggard demonstrated his imperturbability in the face of a bowling crisis, while Ravi Bopara rose to the occasion with both bat and – less expectedly – the new ball, as England’s cricketers turned their fortunes upside down on a frenetic second day at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.At the tea break, England were bracing themselves for embarrassment. Their batting had imploded for 134, less than half the 298 for 9 on which their opponents had declared overnight, and to make matters worse, they had been reduced to a solitary fit fast bowler in Hoggard. With Steve Harmison already receiving treatment for a back spasm, James Anderson reported soreness in his left ankle while warming up in the innings break and took no further part in the day.And so Hoggard did what he has done so often in the course of his 64-Test career, and hoisted the entire burden of the attack onto his own perpetually stooped shoulders. First, he inflicted Upul Tharanga’s first failure in three innings by bowling him for 5, then he bagged three further wickets in four balls – Tillakaratne Dilshan edged low to Owais Shah at slip, Jehan Mubarak was trapped lbw for a second-ball duck, and Chamara Kapugedera fended his first delivery to Paul Collingwood in the gully.In between whiles, Bopara, maintaining a brisk line and length, picked up a bonus wicket as Malinda Warnapura played across the line to a straight one. Hoggard then wrapped up a fine spell by removing the attritional young keeper, Kaushal Silva, with a thin nick to the keeper, and finished with the superb figures of 9-3-25-5.Only the opener, Mahela Udawatte, showed any measure of control. He had negotiated his way to 45 from 83 deliveries before Bopara, who had earlier completed the run-out of de Silva, found the thinnest of edges through to Matt Prior. He was the eighth man out, and with Lokuarachchi in hospital, England needed just one more breakthrough to wrap up the innings, but Welegedera and Amerasinghe made it through to the close.It was entertaining cricket, but it wasn’t quite what England had had in mind when Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook had walked out to open their innings at the start of play. This was meant to be a day in which the top-order gained valuable time in the middle ahead of next week’s first Test at Kandy. Instead Vaughan fell for a duck, losing his off stump to a beauty from the left-armer Sujeewa de Silva, to set the tone for a day of batting collapses.Ian Bell was the next to go, after a chaotic 16-ball innings in which he was dropped at slip on 1 and caught at square leg on 3 off a no-ball. de Silva made it third time lucky when he grazed the inside edge of a loose defensive stroke, before his fellow left-armer, Chanaka Welagedera, inflicted another failure on the out-of-form Kevin Pietersen. He was pinned lbw for 1.Cook looked in fluent form for his 35, until he missed a sweep at Kaushal Lokuarachchi and was given out lbw, but Owais Shah at No. 5 looked anything but. With Bopara enhancing his claims for a Test spot with every passing minute, Shah required 34 balls and more than an hour at the crease before he recorded his first run, and was eventually bowled through the gate for 26 as he drove without conviction at Ishara Amerasinghe.The pair had at least added an important 54 for the fifth wicket, but Bopara was the one to make his opportunity count. He survived one life on 17 when Lokuarachchi dropped a tough caught-and-bowled chance – so tough, in fact, that he was forced to leave the field with a broken finger. He picked off four fours in the course of his innings, including a pair of pulls off de Silva, and a half-century was there for the taking until he drove uppishly to short cover with only the tail for company.England’s tail, once again, did not cover itself in glory. Prior managed 10 from 27 balls before edging Kapugedera to first slip, while the remainder didn’t manage a single run between them. Hoggard and Anderson were both bowled for ducks, and Harmison didn’t come out to bat. The last four wickets fell for 11 runs in 20 balls and Muttiah Muralitharan will be licking his lips.

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An unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 213 between David Hemp and Saleem Mukuddem turned a likely first-innings deficit into a lead of 54 for Bermuda on the third day of their Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands. Barring something remarkable tomorrow, this fightback all but ends Netherlands’ hopes of progressing to the final.Hemp, the current Glamorgan captain, is now plying his trade with Bermuda – the country of his birth – when his commitments allow and showed the value of having professional players in the team. He faced 231 balls, with his century coming off 158 deliveries, and struck 20 fours and six as he turned the Bermuda innings around from a rocky 219 for 6.However, Hemp would not have been able to cream the bowler without the support of Mukuddem who made his second first-class half-century. He is now just 11 short of a maiden century having faced 182 balls.The mammoth stand has ensured Bermuda are virtually safe from defeat, a prospect that was far less certain when Ryan ten Doeschate, another county professional with Essex, struck twice during the morning session. He removed Clay Smith and Steven Outerbridge, who only added 19 to his overnight 61.But Hemp, who reached as far as England A level earlier in his career, used his years of experience as the Netherlands attack was made to toil after their earlier success. If he can maintain this form Bermuda’s prospects over the coming months may not be as bleak as previously thought.

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Four quick wickets from Andy Bichel saw Queensland fight their way into the match after being bowled out for just 169 by Victoria on the opening day of the Pura Cup match at Brisbane. Bichel (4 for 31), began the rot by forcing Michael Klinger to edge behind in the fifth over, and followed that up by claiming the key scalps of Nick Jewell, David Hussey, and Cameron White as Victoria failed to capitalise on its fine work in the morning session.Earlier, White, the Victoria captain, got it right when he inserted Queensland on a greenish wicket and saw Michael Lewis (4 for 35) and Gerard Denton (4 for 58) rip through the opposition. Together, both fast bowlers delivered Victoria a strong start, Denton trapping Jimmy Maher, the Queensland captain, leg before for just 1 in the fourth over. Lewis was more lethal, dismissing Martin Love, Clinton Perren, and Craig Philipson in a fiery burst of 3 for 9 off eight overs.Queensland had done well to recover from 6 for 69 thanks to a 46-run partnership between Bichel and Christ Hartley, the wicketkeeper, before Lewis returned to trap Hartley in front of the wicket for 24. Bichel continued the repair work in a 42-run eighth wicket stand with Chris Simpson (32), taking Queensland beyond the 150 mark before Denton and Allan Wise (2 for 37) returned to wipe up the tail.Jon Moss and Adam Crosthwaite will have a tough task ahead of them on the second day as Victoria try and build a lead over Queensland.

Cricket Australia is considering cancelling the annual one-day tri-series as part of a summer revamp to give spectators more certain schedules. The proposal could see limited overs games played before the Test matches, which would have set annual dates.”There has been quite a lot of discussion within Australian cricket over the last six months or so around the whole issue of the international program,” Peter Young, the Cricket Australia public affairs manager, told The Australian. “Building a program is a little bit like trying to play chess in three dimensions. It’s really hard and when you move one piece all the other pieces are impacted.”The six states will send in their suggestions to Cricket Australia by January and South Australia have already requested returning their Test to the Australia Day weekend. The Boxing Day and New Year Tests in Melbourne and Sydney are not expected to be moved but the VB Series could switch from a three-team tournament to Australia playing series against each touring side.Cricket Australia’s summer television and major sponsorship deals for internationals lapse at the conclusion of next season and have sparked the requests for change.

Rashid Latif has dismissed criticism of his captaincy style, amid demands that he resigns as Pakistan captain.Returning to Karachi after a month’s holiday with his family, Latif was adamant that he has no intention of quitting. “I have read the criticism aimed at my style of captaincy, my age and performance and demands for appointing a new captain,” he told the International News. “I just want to make it clear I have no intention of either stepping down as captain or quitting international cricket just now.”On one hand they are demanding the recall of some senior players. On the other hand they want the board to appoint a young and new captain for the future as they feel Rashid is old,” he continued. “Pakistan cricket will go nowhere if you have an inexperienced and young captain. One has to groom a captain for a long-term future.”I will continue to play as long as I feel I am fit and am contributing to the team. I have no injury problems. I am mentally stronger and ready to play Test cricket again. I can stand the rigours of both forms of cricket. Age is not really an issue with me but it is made an issue in Pakistan. But I think if you are holding onto your place in the team on merit and through performances, you deserve to play on.”Latif then dropped a hint that some of the discarded older players might be in line for a recall. “I have in mind roles for some of the senior players in the coming matches. But it is something that has to be discussed with the national selectors. There is no doubt some of the players who served us well in the one-day tournaments will find it difficult to get places in a Test squad.”Latif went on to warn against complacency in the forthcoming three-Test, five-ODI series against Bangladesh which starts on August 13. “Don’t write them off,” he said. “Their record until now is not exactly impressive. But after playing against Australia I think they will be a changed and improved side.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board says it has applied to the sport’s ruling body to use one of four neutral venues should the West Indies decide against touring there in February.The grounds are at Sharjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Rabat inMorocco, and Dhaka, where Test newcomer Bangladesh plays, according to PCBChairman General Tauqir Zia. Sharjah and Dhaka already meet InternationalCricket Council standards to host Test matches.At a meeting of Test-playing nations in Kuala Lumpur this month, the ICC agreed to let countries play on neutral grounds in light of events in Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a border for 2,430 kilometers (1,518 miles).”It’s safe to play cricket in Pakistan but if outside perception is that it is not then we have to find an alternative venue,” Zia said. “It would be a home fixture so we should have the usual benefits like preparing the pitch.”Following the September 11th attacks, New Zealand cancelled plans to play three Tests and three one-day matches in Pakistan in September and October. The PCB then tried and failed to bring Sri Lanka there for three one-day matches.Those cancellations, coupled with India’s decision not to tour in Januarybecause of the hostilities between the countries over the disputed state ofKashmir, cost the PCB about $25 million in lost television and advertisingrevenue, Zia said.India almost experienced similar problems with the England tour from November14th. The England and Wales Cricket Board considered not going but received assurances on safety from officials and will tour. England bowlers Andy Caddick and Robert Croft, however, refused to go.”Cricket in some countries, most notably Pakistan, is in the front line of world events,” ICC President Malcolm Gray said recently. “We need to adopt creative solutions to support those affected and to overcome these problems.”

Delhi have named first-class newbies Nitish Rana and Sarang Rawat in their squad to face Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy from October 8 to 11. Rana, a 21-year-old left-hand batsman, has played three List A and six Twenty20 matches, while Rawat, a 19-year-old medium-pacer, is yet to make an appearance at the senior level.They will replace batsman Yogesh Nagar and left-arm seamer Pawan Suyal from the team that played the opening game against Rajasthan. Ishant Sharma, who was first left out and then named in the initial squad despite saying he was only available for the second match, is back in the squad proper at the expense of Parvinder Awana, in a like-for-like pace-bowling switch.

Nathan Lyon suffered a right hamstring injury on the final day of the Adelaide Test and is in serious doubt for the remainder of the series.Lyon, 38, dived to save a ball at fine leg but got up gingerly and immediately signaled to the dressing room after grabbing his right hamstring. He stepped off the field of play at fine leg and hobbled to the changing rooms after exchanging a brief word with Marnus Labuschagne, who patted him on the back.He left Adelaide Oval on crutches before lunch to have a scan but had returned in time to join Australia’s celebrations after they wrapped up the Ashes 3-0.Related

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He had taken five key wickets in the match, including three in the second innings to swing the game Australia’s way and captain Pat Cummins said he would be hard to replace if he is ruled out for Melbourne.”It doesn’t look great,” captain Cummins said. “I don’t know yet, but seeing someone on crutches doesn’t really bode well for a Test match a week away. Gaz is pretty close to irreplaceable. The ability to take breakthroughs, but also control an innings is really important, so it’s going to be hard to replace.”Lyon suffered a series-ending right calf injury in the 2023 Ashes while running for a ball in the field at Lord’s in the second Test.If Lyon is unable to play in the fourth Test in Melbourne, it will create an interesting selection debate about who would play as Australia’s specialist spinner.”We’ve got some guys who have already had a taste of international cricket around the traps,” Cummins said. “Other guys have done really well in domestic cricket. I think it’s been one of the benefits, actually, of the Sri Lankan tour, even West Indies and a couple of these tours where we take a couple of spinners, there’s guys that can step in and you feel like it’s not going to be too overwhelming for them.”Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann is on Australia’s contract list as Australia’s No. 2 Test spinner and toured West Indies with the team. But he has that role as a complementary second spinner to Lyon in spin-friendly conditions overseas having played all of his five Tests in India and Sri Lanka in 2023 and 2025.Left-arm orthodox has not been as successful as offspin in Australian conditions in recent years. Kuhnemann has only played two Sheffield Shield matches this summer due to Australia white-ball duty and injury, taking four wickets at 36.Victorian offspinner Todd Murphy, who has played seven Tests including two in the 2023 Ashes as Lyon’s replacement, has bowled well in Sheffield Shield cricket this summer and was Australia A’s specialist spinner in the recent game against England Lions in Brisbane, taking three wickets.Todd Murphy played two Tests in the 2023 Ashes when Lyon was injured•Tanuj Pandey/UPCA

Murphy also has an excellent record at the MCG. He has 10 Shield wickets at 23.70, striking at 55.80, but has not bowled a lot due to the dominance of Victoria’s seamers.Western Australian offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli has been the leading spinner in Shield cricket in recent years with his extra height and bounce proving a handful for Shield batters on his home ground at the WACA. He has 20 wickets at 28.20, striking at 53.30 after taking 38 at 27.71 last season. Murphy and Rocchiccioli were also spin partners on Australia A’s recent tour of India but Kuhnemann was absent because he was touring with Australia’s T20I team.Australia played an all-seam attack in the second Test at the Gabba in Brisbane but would be unlikely to do so in Melbourne.

I’m bringing Polly back
Although Shaun Pollock was dropped in favour of younger bowlers in the Tests, he remains integral to South Africa’s attack when it comes to ODIs. Two nights back, in a high-scoring game, he finished with figures of 10-2-30-0. And it was back to business as usual today: he might have been lucky with the bounce for Kamran Akmal’s wicket but it pitched in a faultless area. He finished with 10-1-29-1 and little wonder he feels happier in this format.Are you really a fast bowler?
Fast bowlers rarely make good fielders, hidden away at fine leg or third man. The likes of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and James Anderson are changing that notion, and on the basis of his catch today, the unlikely name of Charl Langeveldt could be added to that list, if only temporarily. With a figure not as lithe and lean as the aforementioned, Langeveldt raced after a skier from Shahid Afridi from short fine-leg. He approached the deep square-leg boundary where, over his shoulder, he latched on while also falling over. Catch of the day, hands down.The captain who wasn’t … but was
Younis Khan never satisfactorily explained why he turned down the Pakistan captaincy but when Shoaib Malik went off the field after the 10th over of the innings, Pakistan had a dilemma on their hands. Salman Butt is the official vice-captain provided he’s in the playing XI. Mohammad Yousuf was an option, as was Afridi. Pakistan eventually turned to Younis, so often the stand-in during the Inzamam-ul-Haq days. Such was the immediate burst of enthusiasm and energy from Younis into the side, and so much did he seem to enjoy it, you wondered why he turned it down in the first place? fingers
Pakistan surely isn’t the worst fielding side in the world. However, judging by tonight’s display, they should not have many contenders to the throne. While the ground fielding left much to be desired as the home side relaxed following the early breakthroughs, Gul, who was mysteriously placed in the covers, let a Smith aerial drive through his palms. Next over, an AB de Villiers mistimed flick and an Abdur Rehman mistimed dive made that two dropped chances. Afridi, normally one of the safest in the side, grassed a caught-and-bowled off Smith before Misbah-ul-Haq’s dive to his weaker hand not only resulted in yet another dropped catch, but four additional runs for the South African captain. And there was still time for Misbah to misjudge an Albie Morkel skier at square leg. With five dropped catches, a few going through the legs and a couple of run-out chances being missed, it was surprising to see Shoaib Malik take the winner’s cheque. And if you thought that was that for Smith’s luck …A start to remember
As Gul ran in to open the bowling for Pakistan, much rested on his shoulders to provide the early breakthrough. Gul duly obliged. As his swinging delivery crashed into the stumps off the inside edge of Smith’s bat, Pakistan thought they had the perfect start. Only for Asad Rauf, the umpire, to extend his left arm and signal a no-ball. As the free hit was delayed due to movement by the sight screen, Smith crouched and pondered. A single taken and Herschelle Gibbs, centurion in the last match, had his first ball miss the bat and crash into his pads after yet more sight-screen delays. Gul, dejected after the reprieve he offered Smith, was clearly ecstatic to see the back of Gibbs.

The international flavour in Indian domestic cricket is getting stronger and stronger with Vikram Solanki and Kabir Ali being the two latest imports. They will turn out for Rajasthan in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy as well as in the domestic one-day competition.Solanki, who was born in Udaipur in Rajasthan, plays for Worcestershire in the County Championship, and has been spoken about as being a strong candidate to lead Rajasthan in this year’s competition. He arrived in India on Wednesday along with Kabir and was received at the airport by Murali Kartik, the Indian left-arm spinner, who is an old friend of Solanki’s.This follows the news that Sarfaraz Nawaz, the former Pakistan fast bowler, is scheduled to conduct a seven-day coaching stint with Delhi’s fast bowlers. However, neither are firsts. Maharashtra have employed Darren Holder, the Australian, as coach for some time now, and Punjab used the services of Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistani captain. Technically, neither Solanki nor Kabir will be the first foreign players to compete in Indian domestic cricket.Nayan Doshi, who, like his father Dilip, also bowls left-arm spin, has turned out for Saurashtra, the state his family originally hails from. Nayan, who lives in England now and turns out for Surrey, is a British passport holder, so he would technically qualify as a foreign player. Jermaine Lawson, the West Indies fast bowler, has been recently linked with Maharashtra.The rules allow each state team to field up to three “professionals” – players from outside the state in the XI. Cricketers moving from state to another have to obtain a no-objection certificate from their home states, but, of course, no such thing exists for cricketers who come from outside the country.