Even during his consecutive half-centuries for Ruhuna in the Champions League Twenty20, he has shown that he prefers playing orthodox shots better suited to the longer format

Abhishek Purohit in Hyderabad21-Sep-2011Dinesh Chandimal carries himself with the smile of a schoolboy. His batting does not have the regal touch of Kumar Sangakkara or the raw power of MS Dhoni. What he has displayed so far in his short career is the pluck of Romesh Kaluwitharana allied with the patience to build an innings, a skill that has brought him consecutive half-centuries in the Champions League Twenty20 qualifier.In both matches, he came in early at No. 3 following the fall of Sanath Jayasuriya – the past of Sri Lankan cricket – and provided a glimpse into its future. He batted like he keeps wicket, busily and intelligently. It took him seven balls to get off the mark today but not once did he betray any signs of desperation. And the way he scored his first runs was telling. Offspinner Jigar Naik had kept him quiet with a succession of quick deliveries fired in full. Off the last ball of the over, Chandimal coolly made some room and lofted Naik over extra cover for six.As he had done against Trinidad and Tobago, he played spin with assured hands and quick feet, lofting cleanly whenever the opportunity was there. In the subcontinent, where he will play most of his cricket, that usually proves to be a productive combination.Chandimal chose the right pace to target when he picked on Abdul Razzaq, pulling and flicking him for three of his six fours. The quicker Wayne White, however, troubled him as had T&T’s Ravi Rampaul, who had dismissed him when he top-edged a pull. There will be time for the 21-year old Chandimal to work on that aspect of his game.He has expressed his desire to take over from Prasanna Jayawardene for Sri Lanka in Test cricket. And that is why it was a touch pleasing to see that he struggled to time the cross-batted swipes at the death. It is clearly not something that comes naturally to him. He is much more comfortable batting the correct and orthodox way, even in the shortest format.He is safe behind the stumps and bustles with energy on the field. He cringes at dropped chances and has regular words of advice for his captain. A first-class average of 58.52 points at huge potential and it is inevitable that Chandimal will increasingly put more and more pressure on the much older Jayawardene for the Test keeper’s slot.Chandimal has been judged good enough to be played as a specialist batsman in ODIs with Sangakkara still having not given up keeping in the format. With Sri Lanka opting to ignore Thilan Samaraweera for the upcoming Tests against Pakistan, Chandimal’s Test cap might not be far away, whether with the larger gloves or without them.

A round-up from the latest matches at the ICC World Cricket League Division Six tournament in Kuala Lumpur

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2011It remains a tight battle at the top of World Cricket Division Six between Guernsey and hosts Malaysia, but Jersey were left frustrated by the weather.Guernsey held on for a 12-run victory as Kuwait suffered a late collapse at Bayuemas Oval. Jamie Nussbaumer was the matchwinner with 5 for 35 which included a crucial spell in the closing overs. At 183 for 5 – following Irfan Bhatti’s solid 66 – Kuwait needed 30 off 29 balls but Nussbaumer struck with consecutive deliveries and also had a hand in a run out. The demise was so swift that Kuwait still had eight balls of their innings unused when they were bowled out. Guernsey’s innings had also collapsed at the end after they’d been 177 for 5 in the 42nd over. Jeremy Frith had provided the anchor with 82 off 95 balls, but in the final outcome it was the 23 extras conceded by Kuwait (including 12 wides and three no-balls) which proved the difference.”I bowled with intent because we knew the guys top of the order batted well and we had to restrict them when it came to scoring runs,” Nussbuamer said. “I think things worked particularly well for me today when it came down to the Powerplays and I made sure I bowled my yorkers and made it hard for them and it paid off.”In regards to chasing down our total, they batted sensibly taking their time and I think they had 115 up off 20 overs or so and with eight or nine wickets in hand they thought they had the game in easy reach. They were slow to start but credit has to be given to them that they were in control until we managed to start taking wickets regularly.”Hosts Malaysia cruised to an eight-wicket victory against Fiji at Kinrara Academy Oval to remain top of the table on net run-rate, ahead of Guernsey. Captain Suhan Alagaratnam (54 not out) and Shafiq Sharif (55 not out) guided the run chase home with more than 14 overs to spare after Fiji had been bowled out for 129. Eszrafiq Aziz had done most of the damage with 5 for 36 as Fiji lost wickets at regular intervals and only two batsmen passed 20.”I think today we played a really good all-round game,” Alagaratnam said. “We were on the mark with our bowling and fielding in the first innings and credit should really go to Eszrafiq again who performed really well for us. In the batting department the top order contributed and it feels good to have won by a big margin to improve our run-rate even further in the points table. It’s by no means a done deal for us, we need to keep winning every game to secure ourselves promotion.”Jersey were in a promising position against Nigeria when their match was washed out after 44 overs at the Selangor Turf Club. Jersey had reached 218 for 6 after a series of solid top-order contributions. Ben Stevens top-scored with 48 before he was run out while Dean Morrison had opened the innings with a positive 50-ball 46. Nigeria chipped away with Endurance Ofem taking 2 for 30 in his 10 overs, but when the rain arrived Samuel de la Haye had placed himself to push the total towards 250. The match may be replayed on September 22 depending on the completion of Wednesday’s round of fixtures.

A round-up of the action from the first day of the fifth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2011Fast bowler Junaid Nadir took five wickets in just 5.1 overs and Pakistan opener Imran Nazir made an unbeaten hundred to give Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) control of their game against Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Junaid was instrumental in bowling Islamabad out for 123 on the first day, snapping up Zeeshan Mushtaq, the innings top scorer, for 38 before running through the tail to finish with 5 for 14. Nazir led ZTBL’s reply, making 105 and sharing an unbroken partnership of 115 with Faisal Athar (46*) for the fourth wicket, as ZTBL ended the day on 212 for 3, a lead of 89.Fourteen wickets fell on the first day at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Rawalpindi were routed for 153, with Naved-ul-Hasan and Sarfraz Ahmed taking four wickets each, before unbeaten Water and Power Development Authority stumbled to 68 for 4. Ahmed and Naved knocked over the hosts’ top four batsmen and Imran Khan picked up two wickets to leave Rawalpindi tottering at 97 for 6. It took No.8 Haseeb Azam, who made an unbeaten 35, to carry the side past 150. Left-arm seamer Mohammad Ayaz ensured it wasn’t all one-way traffic though, taking three early wickets to keep his side in the game.Ali Imran’s six-for helped Pakistan International Airlines scuttle last-placed Abbotabad for 175 before Kamran Sajid’s half-century took PIA to 106 for 3 at the end of the first day at the Abbotabad Cricket Stadium. Imran and Najaf Shah had Abbotabad in immediate trouble at 18 for 4. A mini-recovery ensued but at 90 for 7, Abbotabad looked hard pressed to post much over three figures, but wicketkeeper Mir Azam made an aggressive 63, and found support in Ikramullah Khan (23) to boost his side to 175. Imran finished with 6 for 48.Ahmed Shahzad and Shan Masood, the Habib Bank Limited openers, put their team in a dominating position against Karachi Blues at the National Stadium in Karachi. The pair added 195 for the first wicket, with Shahzad leading the way with a brisk 108 that included 18 fours, while Masood made a more sedate 90. Bilal Shafayat and Khaqan Arsal made sure the momentum would not be lost, putting on 96 together before Shafayat was dismissed for 54. Arsal remained unbeaten on 48, taking HBL to 329 for 4, and will look to pile further misery on the Karachi bowlers on the second day. Offspinner Atif Maqbool took all the four wickets to fall but conceded 142 runs.Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and Qaiser Abbas posted centuries, sharing an unbroken stand of 217 runs, to boost National Bank of Pakistan to 345 for 5 against Sialkot on the first day at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. The pair came together with their side in a bit of bother at 128 for 5 and proceeded to take charge. Kamran made 131, his second century this season, peppering it with 19 fours. Abbas matched Kamran almost stroke for stroke in making his 107 that included 16 fours.State Bank of Pakistan plodded to 224 for 3 in 83 overs against Faisalabad in Sargodha after Mohtashim Ali (63) and Waqar Orakzai put on 109 in a slow opening stand. Orakzai was bowled by Zeeshan Butt for 29 off 111 balls and SBP lost two more quickly to be in some bother at 128 for 3. A relatively positive Adnan Raees and Rameez Alam steadied things in an unbeaten 96-run partnership for the fourth wicket. SBP were also helped by 27 extras, including 12 no-balls.

Andrew Strauss has said it is time for cricket to “move on” from the spot-fixing scandal

Andrew McGlashan25-Nov-2011Andrew Strauss has said it is time for cricket to “move on” from the spot-fixing scandal but issued another warning that more needs to be done to stamp out corruption in the sport. England’s next series brings them head-to-head with Pakistan less than 18 months after cricket was rocked by the News of the World story during the 2010 Lord’s Test.Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir had appeals against their sentences rejected this week but Mohammad Asif is set to challenge his conviction. There have been considerable changes to the Pakistan team since the controversy erupted and Strauss hopes that the focus returns to the quality of cricket produced by both teams.”I think it’s a good time for cricket to move on,” he said. “We’ve been on the front pages rather than the back pages and for the good of the game it’s important we produce a good, entertaining series of Test cricket. It was all quite emotive when it went on but it was quite a long time ago. We are all aware that the game didn’t come out if it well and are aware we’ve got to do as much as we can to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”We’ve all seen what happened to the players involved and I think that sends out a very strong deterrent. In a certain degree that matter has been dealt with it’s in the best interest of both sets of players to leave that in the past and look to future.”However, Strauss remains fully aware that there is a long road ahead to ensure the sport is clean. “I think it’s hard to know exactly to what extent this goes on but there’s no doubt the individual boards, the ICC and the players themselves have to be vigilant and we’ve got to do more to ensure it is stamped out to as great a degree as possible.”Ensuring that there are no residual tensions that spill over on the pitch is all part of England maintaining their discipline. The team came in for criticism during the one-day tour of India for some of their behaviour and Strauss knows it’s about finding a balance.”We’ve played our best cricket when we’ve been competitive, but in a controlled environment and I thought we did that very well in Australia when there was a lot of emotion involved,” he said. “That’s a recipe for good cricket for us regardless of the opposition.”However, as recent events involving the England rugby union team have shown, the issue of discipline within a sports team is about much more than what happens on the pitch. Since Strauss and Andy Flower took over they have formed a strongly-knit unit which includes a players’ charter to lay out what is expected of cricketers representing their country.”We all have to work hard to ensure players understand their responsibilities on and off the pitch,” Strauss said. “In the cricket team we have a strong players’ charter which is a starting point, but we are aware things can get out of hand if you aren’t careful about it. My gut feeling is that the majority of the responsibility is on the players themselves and as a group rather than management.”And Strauss won’t need any unwanted distractions as England embark on the challenge of staying at No. 1 in the Test rankings. The 5-0 one-day whitewash against India showed that playing in subcontinental conditions remains a huge challenge and the five Tests England play in the first part of 2012 – three against Pakistan and two against Sri Lanka – will push all aspects of their game.”Clearly it’s a challenge for us and it’s a challenge we’ve always had in that part of the world,” he said. “The most important thing is we face it head-on. I think there were some good things to come out of that series despite the 5-0 defeat. Hopefully it’s given all of us a bit of impetus and shown us there are areas we need to improve. We can’t be arrogant and say everything is rosy, we must strive to improve.”

Nuwan Kulasekara, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, will join the national squad for the ODI series in South Africa after four months on the sidelines

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2012Nuwan Kulasekara, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, will join the squad for the ODI series in South Africa after four months on the sidelines. Lasith Malinga, Upul Tharanga and Kosala Kulasekara will also be part of the one-day leg of the tour, while Chanaka Welegedara, Kaushal Silva, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kanishka Alvitigala will not be involved after the Test series concludes.Sri Lanka picked a different spin attack to the one they played against Pakistan in the UAE, their previous one-day series. Suraj Randiv, Jeevan Mendis and Seekkuge Prasanna, who were in the squad against Pakistan, were left out, with the selectors sticking with Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis, who are already in South Africa.Nuwan Kulasekara, who has not played for Sri Lanka since picking up an injury in their home ODI series against Australia in August, was initially set to join the squad for the second and third Tests in South Africa. Sri Lanka’s sports ministry, however, vetoed his selection and the uncapped Kanishka Alvitigala was picked instead. Alvitigala did not get a game in the Test series and has now been replaced by Kulasekara.Malinga, who is retired from Test cricket, and Tharanga were the expected additions to the squad in South Africa, while allrounder Kosala Kulasekara, who played only one Test and one ODI on the tour of the UAE, retained his spot.Herath, who is considered more suited to Tests, was kept for the ODIs after he took nine wickets in Sri Lanka’s upset of South Africa in Durban. Ajantha Mendis, meanwhile, did not play a Test but was picked in the ODI squad after being dropped for the series against Pakistan. He was chosen ahead of Prasanna, who took just four wickets in five ODIs in the UAE.Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vc), Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kosala Kulasekara, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Dhammika Prasad, Dilhara Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne

Mahela Jayawardene will play no further part in the series after injuring his back but will watch carefully from the sidelines as Sri Lankan cricket enters yet another critical phase

Firdose Moonda19-Jan-2012The winds of change blew over Colombo on Thursday with the appointment of a new selection committee for Sri Lankan cricket, but in hot, dry, still Kimberley, nothing had moved. Sri Lanka remained under pressure after a fourth consecutive series defeat. They trained as hard as they have all tour and they continued to search for answers for success.”Since Paarl, we have made progress. We were in shambles in that game,” Mahela Jayawardene admitted. “We have improved in areas but we haven’t been consistent in all areas. The win in [the second Test] Durban is something we will cherish but now we’ve got two games to try and get things right. The guys are keen to show what we are capable of. We want to try and make sure we get things right.”Jayawardene will play no further part in the series after injuring his back but will watch carefully from the sidelines as Sri Lankan cricket enters yet another critical phase. Whatever the result of the next two matches, more movement is expected as a result of their poor showing in South Africa and the shift is said to be starting at the top.Tillakaratne Dilshan faces the possibility of not having his captaincy lease renewed and Jayawardene is being talked of as the team’s future leader, again. Jayawardene said he has not been spoken to about it yet but if offered the job will take time to consider it. Dilshan has been criticised from many fronts as his rash attitude with the bat appeared to translate into irresponsible leadership. Jayawardene, though, said he felt Dilshan had done an admirable job so far.”Dilly is a good player, a good leader. A captain is as good as his team. I don’t think we should be pointing fingers at anybody right now. He has tried everything,” Jayawardene said. “As an individual, he will be disappointed with his performances, so will I and so will the rest of the boys who didn’t do well.”To couple the captaincy movement, another change is also being touted: Geoff Marsh is also allegedly in the firing line. Since taking over as coach, after the home series against Australia, Marsh’s successes have been few but Jayawardene said it is too early to judge the coach’s influence.”Geoff has been with us for two tours. The first tour he had to assess how the system works. On his tour, he tried to bring new things into the team,” Jayawardene said. “As a coach, he has done what he could do. It’s up to the players to gather what he is trying to bring into the side. It’s tough to say how good a coach he is and how hard he has worked having only been three months with the team.”Graham Ford, who was initially interviewed for the Sri Lanka job six months ago, is being mentioned as a successor. Ford asked for immediate release from his franchise contract at the Dolphins – a domestic team in South Africa – on Tuesday to “follow my dreams of involvement at international level”. Nothing is confirmed yet, but uncertainty can have its own pitfalls and Sri Lanka will want to avoid falling into one of them.”We definitely need to pull something out,” Jayawardene said. “We are very disappointed with the way we have played. We are not playing to our potential and we haven’t performed. It’s tough times but we can come back.”Like Dishan, he stressed that there is no need to take drastic action and repaint the portrait of the starting XI. It is more a case of filling in a few lines here and there and adding some colour where necessary. Fielding, for example, is a discipline that Sri Lanka can control but have let slip. “We have been sloppy in the field,” Jayawardene said. “In the recent past it is an area where we were good and we pride ourselves on our fielding, but we have not been good in this series.”By stacking small progressions on top of each other, Jayawardene hopes Sri Lanka will end up with a more complete structure and something to take with them on the plane back home, even if it’s only pride. “It’s about the whole unit improving individually, only then, as a whole, we can improve.”

Omari Banks, the former West Indies allrounder, has announced his retirement from cricket at 29

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2012Omari Banks, the former West Indies allrounder, has announced his retirement from cricket. Banks, 29, was the first Test cricketer from the island of Anguilla, and represented West Indies in ten Tests and five ODIs between 2003 and 2005. He continued to play for Leeward Islands till 2010-11, after a three-season spell with Somerset ended in 2009.One of the highlights of Banks’ international career was his unbeaten 47 against Australia in 2003 when West Indies famously hunted down 418, still the largest successful chase in Test history. He also captained Leeward Islands on the domestic circuit, and played 80 first-class matches after making his debut in 2000-01.Banks currently works as a physical education teacher in Anguilla, and has also been trying to build a career in music. He is the son of reggae musician Bankie Banx, and his first single ‘Move On’, will be part of his father’s upcoming album, ‘Just Cool’, due to be released on March 6.

An unbeaten century stand between Mahmudullah and Ziaur Rahman helped Chittagong Kings chase down 153 against Sylhet Royals in Mirpur

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2012
ScorecardPeter Trego’s effort was in vain•BPL T20

An unbeaten century stand between Mahmudullah and Ziaur Rahman helped Chittagong Kings chase down 153 against Sylhet Royals in Mirpur. The win puts Chittagong at the top of the points table, while it was the fourth loss in four games for Sylhet.Sylhet had chosen to bat and were jolted early, with opener Imrul Kayes falling for a duck. That wicket brought captain Peter Trego to the crease and he put on a solid partnership with Kamran Akmal. The pair added 83 in ten overs, but could not provide an adequate late surge and fell soon after crossing their fifties. That meant Sylhet finished on 152 for 4.After the Powerplay in the chase, Sylhet looked good to register maiden points in the competition, picking up three wickets and keeping Chittagong to 45 in 6.1 overs. However, that was a good as it got for Sylhet. From there on captain Mahmudullah and Ziaur flayed the bowling around, adding 109 at almost ten an over. They smacked six sixes between them to take Chittagong home in the 18th over. Mahmudullah finished on 56 not out and was named Man of the Match.Sylhet, meanwhile, will replace fast bowler Rubel Hossain with Abul Hossain in their squad. Rubel has been ruled out of the BPL 2012 with a shoulder injury.