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It’s the first time the two sides match up in IPL 2022

Hemant Brar28-Apr-20222:30

Have Punjab Kings found the ideal playing XI?

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For how long do you trust a high-risk process if it doesn’t produce high rewards? Punjab Kings face that question as IPL 2022 moves into the second half.Even before they got up from the auction table in February, it was clear how they would approach the season: Go hard or go home. But with four wins and four losses after eight matches, they are currently in the bottom half of the table.

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In the last couple of games, they made tweaks to their XI and approach to find the optimum point where they can operate. Against Delhi Capitals, they picked five frontline bowlers but were bundled out for 115. In their next game, against Chennai Super Kings, despite going back to an allrounder at No. 7, their batters didn’t unleash an all-out attack. They teed off but not recklessly – to borrow a phrase used by the late Shane Warne – and posted a match-winning 187 for 4. Kings’ batting consultant Julian Wood has also talked about being “aggressively smart”. So is this the approach we will see from them in the upcoming matches?On Friday, Kings will be up against Lucknow Super Giants, who are currently fourth with ten points from eight games. A side brimming with allrounders, Super Giants are showing there are many ways to ace this format. With the likes of Jason Holder, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda in the XI, they have depth in batting as well as bowling.The main architect of their success, though, has been captain KL Rahul. With 368 runs, Rahul is the second-highest run-getter this season. More importantly, those runs have come at a strike rate of 147.79. Quinton de Kock, Super Giants’ next best batter, is 143 runs behind, which also shows Rahul alone has been doing the hard yards – something that could come to haunt him against his former team.Mayank Agarwal took over as Punjab Kings’ captain after KL Rahul left for Lucknow Super Giants•BCCI

In the news

There has been no update on the availability of Avesh Khan, who missed Super Giants’ last game with what captain Rahul described as a “small niggle”. If fit, Avesh should replace Mohsin Khan in the XI.

Likely XIs

Lucknow Super Giants 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Jason Holder, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh Khan/Mohsin KhanPunjab Kings 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Mayank Agarwal (capt), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Rishi Dhawan, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Strategy punts

• If Kings want someone to play more of an anchor’s role, Shikhar Dhawan could be that batter. Super Giants, though, can counter that move somewhat with Dushmantha Chameera. Chameera has dismissed Shikhar twice in 25 balls while conceding only 30 runs.In the middle overs, Super Giants can keep Shikhar quiet by pairing him against Pandya. Even though Pandya turns the ball in to Dhawan, the batter has managed only 29 runs off 26 balls against him. On the other hand, Shikhar has taken Ravi Bishnoi, a legspinner who mostly bowls sliders and googlies, for 36 runs off 19 balls. Neither spinner, though, has dismissed him so far in T20 cricket.
• Manish Pandey has been struggling for runs. In six innings this season, he has scored only 88 runs at a strike rate of 110. Super Giants have a couple of options in front of them. They can replace him with Manan Vohra, who can bat at No. 3. Or they can even bring in K Gowtham and move Ayush Badoni up the order.
  

  Stats that matter

  • Rahul is one of only three batters to have struck at more than 145 against both pace and spin (minimum 100 runs against each type). Jos Buttler and David Miller are the other two.
  • Against Kagiso Rabada, de Kock has scored 89 runs off 61 balls without any dismissal, but Arshdeep Singh has got him out twice in 14 balls while giving away only 14 runs.
  • Among those who have bowled at least five death overs this season, Arshdeep has the best economy (5.66).
  • Rahul has scored only 36 runs off 35 balls against Rahul Chahar with one dismissal but Stoinis has taken the legspinner apart, plundering 32 runs off 12 balls without getting out.
  • Out of eight, Kings have lost seven tosses in this season.

Niroshan Dickwella’s return to form secured a thrilling nine-run win for his side

Madushka Balasuriya05-Dec-2020How the game played outThe Dambulla Viiking withstood game-changing innings from Danushka Gunathilaka and Azam Khan, as well as a host of dropped catches, to eventually secure a hard-fought nine run win – their fourth win of the tournament – and with it a place in the semi-finals of the Lanka Premier League.Having been set an imposing target of 208, at 47 for 2 in the sixth over, the Gladiators were in danger of falling behind a required rate that was already quite steep.Enter Azam Khan, whose 24-ball 55 would transform the entire innings, as the Gladiators, who had been second-favourites for much of the game, were all of a sudden looking the side likelier to pull off a win.Khan and Gunathilaka would put on 94 together, though it wasn’t a stand without its moments of peril, with Gunathilaka and Azam dropped twice and once respectively. Had those catches been taken at the first time of asking though, the game would not have been nearly as close an affair.For the Gladiators, the result, which is their fifth consecutive defeat and one which sees them rooted to the bottom of the table, will be particularly worrying in the context of their seeming inability to impact the game with the ball.At no point in the Viiking innings were they put under any sort of pressure by the Gladiators’ bowlers, with the 110-run opening stand between Niroshan Dickwella and Upul Tharanga coming with neither batsman required to undertake any real risk.And by the time Dickwella fell, midway through the 13th over, the platform was set for Dasun Shanaka – who rarely needs an invitation to attack – to have free rein. Shanaka would continue his rich vein of form, smashing a 21-ball 37 to propel the Viiking past 200.Niroshan Dickwella clobbers one away•LPL

Stars of the dayWhile his team remains rooted to the bottom of the table, captain Gunathilaka is peaking the heady heights at the top of the tournament top-scorer charts. The most distinctive feature of Gunathilaka’s batting is his uncanny ability to split the field; while other batsmen focus on clearing the fielders in the deep, Gunathilaka takes pleasure in dissecting them with forensic precision.The big difference for the Gladiators from their previous games was that Gunathilaka was finally provided substantial support at the other end. Azam’s 55 came at a rate comfortably beyond 200, as he utilised a combination of his powerful frame and deft wristwork to grab the momentum – that had until that point been firmly in the Viiking camp – and, more importantly, give Gunathilaka the freedom to play at his own pace.For the Viiking, the big positive would have been the return to form of Dickwella. With several of his national team-mates having already cashed in with big scores, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dickwella’s 50 runs across four games had left him with a minor case of FOMO. A 37-ball 60 later however, he will be feeling much better about himself, though it owed as much to the Gladiators’ lack of penetration as it did to Dickwella hunkering down and playing more percentage cricket – he attempted, uncharacteristically, just one scoop all innings. But seeing how effective this new approach proved, the Viiking will be hoping for more of the same for the rest of the tournament.Turning pointAnwar Ali bowling the penultimate over of the Gladiators chase. With 21 required of 12 balls, and Gunathilaka at the crease, the odds were in the Gladiators’ favour. But Ali would call upon every ounce of experience to give away just four runs, while picking up the crucial wicket of Gunathilaka – despite having dropped him once already in the over.The big missGunathilaka was dropped thrice, once each at the start of the 11th and 13th overs, and then incredibly once more in the penultimate over of the game. While the first was an admittedly tough chance, smacked flat and hard to Ashen Bandara at deep midwicket, the second was not as easy to forgive, as Ramesh Mendis running in from deep square leg spilled a slog-sweep that was miscued high into the air. The final drop though looked to have been the most painful of the lot, Ali missing a skied return catch in the penultimate over of the game, but he would get his man two balls later to ensure the Viiking would ultimately not pay for their lax efforts in the field.Where the teams standWith the Viiking joining the Jaffna Stallions on eight points, and bottom side Gladiators now only able to get a maximum of six points, both the Viiking and Stallions have become the first side to qualify for the semi-finals. For the Gladiators, they need to start winning and also hope results go their way, with their game against the Kandy Tuskers likely to be a play-off of sorts.

Bhuvneshwar was the only player left out from the T20I squad that recently played against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2019Hardik Pandya is back in India’s 15-man T20I squad, that will play three matches against South Africa starting September 15. His addition, in place of fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, is the only change India have made to the squad that recently beat West Indies 3-0 away.MS Dhoni missed a second successive T20I series, with reports suggesting he was unavailable for selection, and joining him on the sidelines was Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested from the white-ball leg of the Caribbean tour.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The absence of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah means India will face South Africa with an inexperienced fast-bowling line-up – Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed have played only 11 T20Is between them. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, the frontline white-ball spinners, have been rested too, but the spin department remains well stocked, led by left-arm-spinning allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Krunal Pandya. Offspinner Washington Sundar and legspinner Rahul Chahar are also in the mix.Hardik was rested from the tour of the Caribbean from all three formats after a long season that included tours of Australia and New Zealand followed by the Indian Premier League and the World Cup.Hardik’s workload had been a concern for the team ever since he picked up a stress-fracture injury at the Asia Cup last year and the lower-back stiffness that forced him to miss the ODIs against Australia at home in March.Among the batsmen, Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer keep their spots along with KL Rahul. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and the captain Virat Kohli complete the squad.

Finding enough players for a Saturday club game can be difficult enough – but the prospect of a clash with England’s World Cup quarter-final is making leagues and captains sweat

David Hopps04-Jul-2018″Get The Game On” is the name of the campaign devised by the ECB to aid the survival of amateur cricket clubs up and down the country. But they may have an insurmountable task getting sides to turn out for Saturday afternoon’s league fixtures as leagues grapple with the worst headache imaginable – a clash with England’s World Cup quarter-final against Sweden.England’s first-ever victory in a World Cup penalty shoot-out, to win their last-16 tie against Colombia, has brought a rare surge of patriotic fervour. This might not be the most star-studded England side (not yet anyway), but their singular optimism has caught the nation’s mood. When there has supposedly even been a rush to buy waistcoasts – a fashion preferred by their manager, Gareth Southgate – then something is clearly afoot.League officials, often famed for their inflexibility, are grappling with how to respond. An insistence that the games go ahead at the normal time would be bound to bring a rush of conceded matches as many clubs fail to raise an XI, never mind a good one. Meanwhile, prospering clubs will expect to play as normal to maintain the integrity of the competition. Whatever the solution, defunct membership lists stretching back decades will be rooted out from the backs of cupboards, and football-haters plied with beer – and an offer to bat in the top six.Recreational cricket has long since had to contend with dropouts for the flimsiest of reasons. Never mind the routine explanations such as holidays or family illness. Every captain has their favourite story of players who pull out because the lawn needs cutting, a furniture delivery is expected, or my own favourite, “I seem to have woken up on a stag weekend in Amsterdam”.England have reached final stages before, of course. Former clubbies reminisce about the sense of obligation which meant they played cricket on World Cup final day in 1966 with barely a second thought: the same XI was pinned up on the notice board as usual. But society has changed and, for most, cricket is now just one of many optional pastimes to be enjoyed or jettisoned at will.It takes strength of character to phone up a possible player on a Friday night, only to hear him in the background advising his wife: “Tell the fool I’m out.”There are a sprinkling of amateur cricketers who have no interest in football, or who affect to despise it. One cricket journalist looking forward to his weekly fix has tweeted morbidly: “League cricket making contingency for breakfast starts so players can still watch afternoon football on Saturday. There goes that bit of sanctuary…”At the last time of checking, it had gained 0 replies, 0 retweets and 0 likes, as if the whole of Twitter was afraid to intrude on his grief.As clubs fold, leagues amalgamate, and the ECB works to stem the decline, whether it be through its excellent All Stars scheme for juniors, or attempts to grow participation in the inner cities, taking on the England football team might be an ask too far.TV viewing figures for England’s dramatic win over Colombia were an estimated 23 million and pubs, bars and open-air viewing areas were packed. That is the biggest outbreak of national pride since a few million more watched the opening and closing ceremonies in the 2012 London Olympics.A country where millions have routinely felt excluded by, or uncomfortable with, excessive displays of patriotism, has again found, perhaps only briefly, a sense of national identity. Respected newspaper columnists, entering a world they are unfamilar with, write ill-advised columns calling for bigger goals. Arguments rage over whether England represent Brexit or Remain (Remain clearly, not sure why anyone should ask). The size of Harry Maguire’s head has become the stuff of polite conversation.Even getting teams on to the field is only half the battle. If the match does go ahead at the normal time and, approaching 6pm, England find themselves in yet another penalty shootout, woe betide the umpires who refuse to suspend the match. This captain once had little choice but to set four third men, close to the nearest radio, while England lost on penalties. And, to make it even more unseemly, I was one of them.Many leagues, in a welcome show of pragmatism, are seeking to be flexible, offering a range of options if both clubs can agree. These include a change of date, or a tea interval lasting more than two hours (favoured by the Airedale and Wharfedale League, north of Leeds). An early start has also been mooted, although a mid-afternoon kick-off for England in the south-western city of Samara, where Stalin’s bunker is now an underground museum, would mean the first ball would be bowled at some godforsaken time like 9am. There is a heatwave in England, so the pitches are dry and could cope, but Friday night drinking or Saturday morning working are common and it’s hard enough to get people to turn up in time for 1.30pm.Some authorities are folding their arms. The Greater Manchester League has ruled that fixtures will go on as planned “to ensure the smooth running of the league” and urged: “GET THE GAME ON”.It might take more than Caps Lock to pull this one off.

Kings XI Punjab aim to end their three-match losing streak as they play their last home game in Indore against a confident Mumbai Indians outfit

The Preview by Sreshth Shah19-Apr-2017

Match facts

Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians
Indore, April 20, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:17

Hogg: Pollard is starting to become a mentor

Form guide

• Kings XI Punjab (Fifth): lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 5 runs, lost to Delhi Daredevils by 51 runs, lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets

• Mumbai Indians (Third): defeated Gujarat Lions by 6 wickets, defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 4 wickets, defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 4 wickets

Head to head

Overall:
After 18 matches, both teams are deadlocked at nine wins apiece. But Mumbai Indians have a 6-3 lead in the last nine matches.Last season:
It’s another deadlock. Marcus Stoinis set up Kings XI Punjab’s win in Visakhapatnam, taking 4 for 15, while Mumbai’s win in Mohali was headlined by a 137-run second-wicket partnership between Parthiv Patel and Ambati Rayudu.

In the news

Mumbai are off to their best start in IPL history with four wins in five matches and would hope to better that record considering Kings XI have lost all three of their most recent games.Manan Vohra’s sublime 95 almost papered over Kings XI’s overseas players – Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Eoin Morgan and Hashim Amla – scoring only 24 runs in the last match and it is this area that has been letting them down. Miller has the second-lowest strike-rate (103.75) among the 30 batsmen who have faced at least 65 balls this season and he might lose his spot if Shaun Marsh and Martin Guptill are match fit,Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma has not been opening because he feels his experience is needed in the middle order. That strategy works with Nitish Rana doing so well at No. 3 that he is the team’s top scorer.

The likely XIs

Kings XI Punjab 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Manan Vohra, 3 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 4 Glenn Maxwell (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 David Miller, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Mohit Sharma, 9 Sandeep Sharma, 10 KC Cariappa, 11 Ishant SharmaMumbai Indians 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Rohit Sharma (capt), 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Lasith Malinga

Strategy punt

• Kings XI bowlers could look to bowl wide of off stump to the left-handed Rana, and get KC Cariappa to bowl more offbreaks than carrom balls at him. Rana has scored 127 runs off 77 balls on the leg side while only scoring 66 runs off 60 balls on the off side.
• Rohit should expect to face Axar Patel, Cariappa or even Maxwell as soon as he comes in. He has been dismissed by spin bowling four times in four innings this season, scoring 13 runs off 21 balls. Rohit would still back himself considering he averaged 54.28 against slow bowling in the previous two seasons.

Stats that matter

• In the two IPL games at the Holkar Stadium this year, batsmen have clobbered as many as 36 sixes, and only 39 fours.
• Fast bowlers have the worst average in Indore out of all the venues this season. They have taken nine wickets at an average of 50.33 and an economy rate of 9.24. By contrast, spinners have taken seven wickets at 24.57 and an economy of 7.02.
• Nitish Rana has hit a half-century in each of the three times he has batted at No. 3. He made 70 against Gujarat Lions in 2016 to go along with his two fifties this year. Rohit Sharma, in comparison, scored 3, 4 and 0 the last three times he was at No. 3. Rana is also excellent against left-arm bowlers: he has scored 63 runs off 34 balls without ever being dismissed. Against right-arm bowlers, he has made 130 runs in 111 balls.
• Spin has troubled Mumbai’s batsmen in the Powerplay this season. They have gained only 26 runs in 42 deliveries and have given up five wickets in the process. By contrast, Mumbai have scored 201 off 138 against fast bowlers in the first six overs.
• In six innings, Rohit has been dismissed by Sandeep Sharma twice, with the Mumbai batsman managing only 18 runs off 19 balls. Kings XI’s Miller, on the other hand, has been knocked over by Lasith Malinga thrice in four games.
• Indore has offered an economy rate of 4.83 to teams bowling first in the Powerplay. At every other venue this season, runs have been scored at a rate of at least seven per over in this phase. Indore makes up with the batsmen in the slog overs though, affording runs at a rate of 13.20, the second-highest among all venues in 2017

Queensland are looking for a new chief executive, following the sudden resignation of Geoff Cockerill, six months before the conclusion of a three-year contract

Daniel Brettig01-Apr-2016Queensland are looking for a new chief executive, following the sudden resignation of Geoff Cockerill, six months before the conclusion of a three-year contract.The state association has been through some troubled times in recent years, and Cockerill has overseen the use of strategic funding of some $4.05 million handed to Queensland by Cricket Australia, following the rejigging of the Board’s revenue model in 2012. Cockerill’s successor, not expected to be known for some months, will work closely with Kevin Roberts, the CA head of strategy, on building the game in the state.”The business has gone a long way to achieving the type of financial freedom that we had identified as a priority when I started in the role,” Cockerill said. “Whilst that is important, I also take much pleasure in knowing that the groundwork has been laid for a sound transition as Australian cricket embraces the One Team philosophy and implementation that will drive the game to greater heights nationally.”Queensland continues to generate excellent participation numbers as more boys and girls, and men and women join our shared vision of being Australia’s favourite sport, and a sport for all Australians. Strategic funding levels from Cricket Australia have never been higher, and Queenslanders are benefitting from this all around the state. I will look back on this time with pride and wish the staff and board every success as they continue on the path we have created.”Cockerill, who replaced the late Graham Dixon as CEO in September 2013, joined QC from a background in the liquor industry, where he worked selling brands like XXXX and Bundaberg Rum for Lion Nathan and Diageo. While he enjoyed a wildly successful first summer as bumper Gabba Test crowds bankrolled a $4 million profit, last season was more problematic as Brisbane played only a peripheral role in the World Cup. It is presently jockeying for a day/night Test next summer.Jim Holding, the Queensland chairman, said the association had not expected Cockerill’s resignation. “Whilst unexpected, the Board has accepted his resignation and we wish him the best for his future endeavours,” Holding said. “We will now proceed with a process that will allow us to spend the time, looking for the best candidate to lead the organisation into the future.”Geoff was able to oversee a period of significant change in that period, and assist Queensland Cricket to reach a position of stability and strength. Our financial outcomes have been strong under his guidance, he has worked diligently to enhance and grow strong relationships with our key stakeholders, and he has taken significant roles in driving national outcomes such as the OneTeam project, as well as growing the game at a grassroots level.””He should be satisfied and proud of his achievements and we thank him for his efforts.”

Australia Women’s spin duo of Jess Jonassen and Erin Osborne shared seven wickets between them to orchestrate a batting collapse at Lord’s, giving the visitors a 27-run win in the first ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2013
ScorecardJess Jonassen took 4 for 38•PA Photos

Australia Women’s spin duo of Jess Jonassen and Erin Osborne shared seven wickets between them to orchestrate a batting collapse at Lord’s, giving the visitors a 27-run win in the first ODI. Chasing 204, England Women progressed steadily to 99 for 1 but lost their last nine wickets for 77 runs.After opting to bat first, Australia got off to a shaky start, losing Rachel Haynes in the first over, caught and bowled by Katherine Brunt. Brunt returned to dismiss Jess Cameron, caught at square leg. Opener Meg Lanning gave Australia the platform with a half-century, adding 74 for the third wicket with the captain Jodie Fields. Lanning hit eight boundaries in her 56 before she was dismissed by Laura Marsh, caught at mid-off. Marsh dismissed Fields for 32 shortly after, caught at the same position, leaving Australia at 113 for 4.The middle and lower order chipped in to push the score past 200. Jenny Gunn, the right-arm seamer, became England’s leading ODI wicket-taker when she had Sarah Coyte caught, claiming her 103rd victim and going past Clare Taylor.England’s openers, Charlotte Edwards and Arran Brindle, started steadily, adding 63 in just under 20 overs. Offspinner Osborne struck by getting rid of Brindle for a watchful 21 off 72 balls. Edwards and Sarah Taylor took the score to 99 before the left-arm spinner Jonassen claimed the first of her four victims, trapping Taylor lbw. She struck again soon after, dismissing Lydia Greenway.Edwards held the innings together with a half-century, but her dismissal in the 38th over, caught behind trying to cut Osborne, marked the turning point. The spinners chipped away in tandem, as England lost their last six wickets for 34 runs.Australia took the lead in the Women’s Ashes points table with four points, while England still held two from the drawn Test.

Tim Ambrose and Ian Blackwell piled on the runs at Edgbaston as Warwickshire all but ended Nottinghamshire’s Championship hopes

Jon Culley at Edgbaston30-Aug-2012Nottinghamshire 188 for 4 (Hales 80*, Read 54*) trail Warwickshire 504 for 6 (Ambrose 151*, Westwood 81, Blackwell 69*) by 316 runs
ScorecardTim Ambrose notched his first century in three years, while Ian Blackwell added quick runs•PA Photos

If the bounce in Warwickshire’s step and the low set of Nottinghamshire’s shoulders was anything to go by as Tim Ambrose and Ian Blackwell piled on the runs at Edgbaston, the participants in this game believe the die is already cast in the race for the County Championship.Warwickshire, with every chance of taking maximum bonus points, will be happy with a draw from a rain-affected match, which would consolidate what already looks like a title-winning lead. When Nottinghamshire slumped to 69 for 4, their cause not helped when James Taylor trod on his stumps after he had scored only a single, it seemed they might do even better than that. At least Chris Read, who comes with a desire to uphold team pride as fierce as most players, was ready to make a fight of it.When bad light forced an early close – early in times of overs left, if not the time on the clock – he and Alex Hales had put on 119 for the fifth wicket, with every hope of adding a few more on the final morning. Another 167 are required, however, for the follow-on point to be passed.This is because Warwickshire, who were 298 for 5 before rain washed out the whole of the second day, cracked on at such a pace in the morning session against a weakened Nottinghamshire attack they were able to declare on 504 for 6, just seven overs after lunch. Maximum batting points were sealed with eight balls of the first 110 overs to spare during an onslaught that added 206 in just 37 overs.Tim Ambrose finished unbeaten on 151 – his first century since he hit three in 2009 – after rarely passing up a chance to score against weary Nottinghamshire bowling. His hundred came off 169 balls with 17 fours, to which he had added five more plus a six before the declaration came. There was an impressive crispness to his driving and there was a confidence about him, after so long without a substantial score, that you suspect reflects the buoyancy in the whole Warwickshire team at the moment, aware that the title that eluded them last season is now theirs to lose.Nottinghamshire have conceded, more or less, that if anyone is to deprive Warwickshire this time, it will not be them. With Andre Adams taking no further part after aggravating his calf injury on Tuesday, the seam bowling trio of Luke Fletcher, Andy Carter and Paul Franks were unable to do much to stem the flow of runs and Graeme White, the left-arm spinner, took some heavy punishment, especially at the hands of Ian Blackwell. Fletcher, who is not the lightest man on the field, deserves special mention for his stamina, getting through 37 overs and finishing with an economy rate of 2.75 even after his last three went for 24.The only wicket to fall went to White after Chris Wright had added a first-half century for Warwickshire to the 69 Championship wickets he has taken since joining them from Essex towards the end of last season. Attempting to hit the ball over midwicket, Wright – ostensibly nightwatchman – got a leading edge which Carter collected at mid-off.Blackwell, on loan from Durham and with an interest in following Wright’s lead by obtaining a full contract, hit 69 off 59 balls, with five sixes, four of them off White. He may have to do more with the ball, however, to make his move permanent.Nottinghamshire, needing to pass 354 to avoid the follow-on, started badly when Riki Wessels, who had just found the boundary on the leg side with a similar shot, flicked a ball from Wright straight into the hands of Ian Westwood at square leg. Keith Barker, finding some dangerous swing, then drew the left-handed Michael Lumb to play at one outside off stump, taken by Varun Chopra at first slip.Taylor was unfortunate – or careless, depending on your point of view – when he went back to a ball from Wright and knocked the bails off with his boot as he played on the leg side. Either way, it was not what Nottinghamshire needed from the newly elevated Test batsman and when Adam Voges, chasing a widish ball from young Tom Milnes that kept somewhat low, was snapped up superbly by William Porterfield at gully, Nottinghamshire were in serious trouble. For Milnes, the 19-year-old seamer who has come in for Darren Maddy in this match, it was a first Championship wicket at Edgbaston and Warwickshire, their tails up, celebrated it with some gusto.But Alex Hales, after surviving an edge between first and second slip off Wright on 43, completed an 86-ball half century and had moved to 80 from 136 deliveries at the close, with Read responding to the challenge in his familiar, positive style. There is much work still to be done, however, if Warwickshire’s charge is to be delayed.

Gamini Goonesena, a former Sri Lanka captain and allrounder who also played for Cambridge University and Nottinghamshire, has died at the age of 80 in Canberra

Sa'adi Thawfeeq02-Aug-2011Gamini Goonesena, the former Sri Lanka captain and allrounder who also played for Cambridge University and Nottinghamshire, has died at the age of 80 in Canberra.Goonesena played for Sri Lanka in the country’s pre-Test era and captained them against India in the unofficial Test played at the P Sara Oval in 1956. He captured 7 for 69 with his legspin and top-scored for his side with 48 in the drawn game.In a career spanning 194 first-class matches, Goonesena scored 5751 runs at an average of 21.53 and captured 674 wickets at 24.37. He also held 108 catches.Goonesena studied at the Royal College, Colombo, and played in the annual Royal-Thomian encounter. Following his retirement from competitive cricket, he was appointed Sri Lanka’s representative at the ICC and subsequently managed the Test side on a tour of India in 1982. He also worked as a Test commentator before retiring in 2004 and settling down in Australia.Goonesena is best remembered for his contribution as an an allrounder for Cambridge University, a team he represented between 1954 and 1957. He became the first Asian to captain the university in 1957 and scored 211 against arch-rivals Oxford at Lord’s – it remains the highest score by a Cambridge player in the annual university fixture. He also took four wickets for 40 in the second innings to beat Oxford by an innings and 86 runs.Goonesena played for Nottinghamshire from 1953 to 1964 and also in seven consecutive games for Gentlemen v Players between 1954 and 1958, a record for an overseas player.Goonesena first represented Ceylon (later Sri Lanka) against Pakistan in 1950 and went on to play for international sides led by Joe Lister and EW Swanton and toured the West Indies twice. He also played for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield between 1961 and 1964, while employed with the Ceylon Tea Board in Australia.Bertie Wijesinghe, the oldest living Sri Lanka cricketer who played with Goonesena, said, “It’s a pity that Gamini was lost to Sri Lanka cricket and could not spend time at home to coach and inspire the younger generation with his vast knowledge of the game.”I’ve never known a cricketer apart from the late FC de Saram who was so clean about the game. He was an outstanding bowler and his record at Cambridge speaks for itself.”Chandra Sandrasagara, a close associate of Goonesena who played district cricket with him said, “Richie Benaud the former Australian captain and famed legspinner would always inquire about Gamini whenever I met him. Gamini was the back-up spin bowler to Benaud in the New South Wales side whenever Benaud was away on Test duty.”

Waqar Younis has said it will only be a matter of time before Pakistan start winning matches

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Dambulla21-Jun-2010Pakistan may have gone through turmoil in recent months, and suffered a league-stage exit in the Asia Cup, but coach Waqar Younis has said it will only be a matter of time before they start winning matches. Pakistan ended their campaign in Sri Lanka with a 139-run win against Bangladesh in Dambulla, after losing to the hosts and India.”We are very close to being winners,” Waqar said. “We didn’t do badly in the T20 World Cup and even in this tournament. It’s just that one extra step you need to take and start winning the games. I think it will come very soon. We got heaps of cricket after this. I think by the time we finish the England tour, or start the South African tour, we will start winning and we will look good. We still look a good side at the moment and these youngsters need a bit more time.”In the subcontinent and Asia, I know it gets very frustrating very quickly when you are not winning. But now I feel like they look like one team. They look to win but it’s not coming as we have seen in the recent past. But soon it will come.”Waqar said that he was happy with Pakistan’s performance against Bangladesh and with their performance in the Asia Cup. “We are in a rebuilding process, with a couple of youngsters in our side. It’s a great learning curve for them. We didn’t qualify [for the final] but I know the boys performed extremely well. They batted well, bowled well and what they are missing on the field will come with experience.”He also praised the captaincy of Shahid Afridi and his contribution to the team. Afridi scored two centuries in three matches – against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – and signed off with a scorching 124 off 60 balls. “You always need your captain to be performing and the captain to be in form. Afridi played a superb knock. It’s superb that he has scored runs and taken wickets that will really help the future of Pakistan cricket.””Once we start winning it will be a different story. The wins are not coming but Afridi has got it in him. If the captain can go and play this sort of knock that shows that he’s got the leadership qualities. It’s just that a little bit more experience will do him a world of good.”Waqar was also pleased with the way Shoaib Akhtar was shaping up after returning to the national side following a lengthy absence. “Shoaib is still a little rusty and he needs more bowling. We are ready to give it to him in the mode of one-dayers and T20s,” he said. “We’ll go about him gradually and slowly. He bowled well in this tournament, quite fast and he’s become a very intelligent bowler. I think he will come good in the near future.”