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Lahiru Madushanka, Chaturanga de Silva, and Sandun Weerakkody have been added to the ODI squad as replacements for the injured trio of Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Pradeep, and Danushka Gunathilaka

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2017With an injured Angelo Mathews returning home, Upul Tharanga has been named stand-in captain for the five-match ODI series against South Africa, ahead of Dinesh Chandimal, who will lead the side in the series-deciding third T20I on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka’s ODI squad

Upul Tharanga (capt.), Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thikshila de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Madushanka, Asela Gunaratne, Sandun Weerakkody, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Kusal Mendis, Chaturanga de Silva,Sachith Pathirana, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan, Isuru Udana.

Seam-bowling allrounder Lahiru Madushanka and wicketkeeper-batsman Sandun Weerakkody received their maiden call-ups in ODIs and are due to join the squad already in South Africa along with left-arm spinning allrounder Chaturanga de Silva, who has played six ODIs.They will act as cover for fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep and opener Danushka Gunathilaka who have returned home with hand and back problems respectively.In November, when both Mathews and Chandimal were injured, Tharanga became Sri Lanka’s 19th captain in ODIs, and led them to a tri-series win in Zimbabwe. This came after Tharanga was dropped for the home series against Australia, only playing in the fifth ODI after the series was lost.Chaturanga last played for Sri Lanka in 2014, but he has worked his way back into contention with strong performances in first-class cricket. He picked up 35 wickets in six matches at 21.71, including two five-wicket hauls, in addition to 560 runs at 50.90, including six fifties, for Nondescripts Cricket Club in the Premier League tournament.Madushanka hit 346 runs and took 15 wickets in seven matches in the same tournament, while Weerakoddy, opening the batting, scored 530 runs in six matches. He is the third wicketkeeper-batsman in the squad behind Nondescripts Cricket Club team-mates Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella.The first ODI begins in Port Elizabeth on January 28.

New Zealand Women have picked 16-year-old legspinner Amelia Kerr for the next month’s home series against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2016New Zealand Women have picked 16-year-old legspinner Amelia Kerr for the next month’s home series against Pakistan Women. Allrounder Sophie Devine and batsman Liz Perry returned to the squad, while spinners Leigh Kasperek and Erin Bermingham were unavailable for selection.Kerr has represented Wellington Women for close to two years in limited-overs cricket. She is the granddaughter of former Test cricketer Bruce Murray, and her parents have also represented Wellington in domestic cricket.New Zealand coach Haidee Tiffin said changes like Kerr’s inclusion were done keeping the 2017 Women’s World Cup in mind.”Amelia has deserved this recognition – it’s a wonderful opportunity for her, and we’re also delighted to be welcoming back Sophie and Liz,” Tiffin said. “Our strategy is to use the opportunities we have to challenge players and to evaluate our game-plans, in order to give us the best possible lead-in to the 2017 World Cup.”Batsman Natalie Dodd and allrounder Maddy Green, who are a part of the squad in the ongoing series against South Africa, have been left out. Green had been picked for the South Africa matches as a replacement for offspinner Kasperek who was sidelined for eight weeks after fracturing her finger.Pakistan’s tour will start with the five-match ODI series from November 9, and will be played in Lincoln and Nelson. The last three ODIs will be counted for points in the ICC Women’s Championship and will be the last round of matches in the tournament for both teams. New Zealand are currently placed fourth on the table with 20 points, one point behind England Women, and have a chance to cement automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup by beating Pakistan, who are placed seventh. The top four teams in the Championship gain automatic entry into the World Cup, and table-toppers Australia Women have already ascertained their place.New Zealand Women’s squad: Suzie Bates (capt), Sam Curtis, Sophie Devine, Holly Huddleston, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Thamsyn Newton, Morna Nielsen, Katie Perkins, Liz Perry, Rachel Priest, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu.

There are no immediate plans to change the captaincy of England’s Test or limited-overs team, according to Andrew Strauss

George Dobell16-Nov-2016There are no immediate plans to change the captaincy of England’s Test or limited-overs team, according to Andrew Strauss. Strauss, the managing director of England cricket, has said he has “every faith” that Alastair Cook will continue as Test captain into the English summer and promised no “recriminations” against Eoin Morgan for his decision not to tour Bangladesh.While Strauss admits to some disappointment that Morgan did not feel able to commit to the Bangladesh tour – Morgan suggested his focus and, as a consequence, his performance might be compromised by the security issues – he defended Morgan’s long-term record and confirmed that he would lead England in the limited-overs series in India after Christmas. Alex Hales also pulled out of the Bangladesh tour.”I’m disappointed that we didn’t take a full squad out to Bangladesh,” Strauss said. “But if I’m honest we’ve moved on and it is right to move on. That was a tour that could have derailed us and undermined a lot of the good work that has gone on. I’m confident it hasn’t done that and that is a relief.”We told the players there wouldn’t be any recriminations for pulling out and when I look back on it I am very grateful that the vast majority of the team thought it was the right thing to do. Those that did go probably strengthened their opinions that it was the right thing to do.”I stand by what I said and there is every reason to expect Eoin Morgan will come back in as captain against India. He’s done a great job with the one-day team over the last 18 months and it has been a phenomenal transformation. He has to take a lot of credit for that and we look forward to him continuing that.”Whether there are long-term consequences for Morgan remains to be seen. While it is clear England are reluctant to make a change to the captaincy ahead of the Champions Trophy in June – they have been down that path before, not least at the 2015 World Cup – it may be that Morgan’s authority has been eroded to the point where he cannot withstand any sustained loss of form. It’s not just that his relationship with his ECB employers is a little more strained than before, it is that Jos Buttler and Joe Root have emerged as viable candidates as leadership replacements.It all means Morgan will arrive in India under more pressure to deliver, in terms of runs and results, than for some time.Cook’s future lies within his own hands. Strauss is clear that he wants him to continue but respects that, after several turbulent years in the job and with a young family to consider, Cook will look no further into the future than the end of each series. As things stand, though, Strauss has received no indication from Cook that his resignation as captain is imminent.”He’s given me no indication that he is thinking of standing down,” Strauss said. “But one thing we’ve consistently done is find time at the end of series to have a conversation about what direction the team is going in, what challenges there are and for him personally and how much the captaincy is taking out of him. We’ve done that a couple of times and it is guaranteed that we’ll have a similar conversation at the end of this series.”From what I’ve seen he is in a really good place. I think he is very comfortable leading this team as he has been for a while now, so it probably takes less out of him now than it used to. He’s batting well, which is a big part of it, and he’s still young. It is quite scary how young his is really and I have every faith that he will carry on past this series and into the summer.”Whether that includes the Ashes remains to be seen. Once the India series is over, Cook will have six months away from the glare of international cricket and, in that time, he will have plenty of time to reflect on his motivations and priorities. There is no indication at all that he is considering retiring as a player: he has said often that he likes the idea of a future as a specialist batsman and without the responsibilities of captaincy.”It is always dangerous to look too far ahead in this game,” Strauss said. “My gut feeling at the moment is that there is benefit in him carrying on past this series definitely. But a lot of it comes down to where he is at and what his motivation is and how the team is developing. We’re sitting here right now and it looks to be in a good place but who knows where we will be in three Tests time or in seven Tests time.”Alastair has still got a lot of cricket left in him whether he is captain or not. Every indication he has given me is, he is driven, he’s passionate, he’s motivated, he’s loving this environment and he’s excited about some of the young players coming through and that is not a bad place for him to be.”Ultimately the decision is about whether Alastair is the right person to take the team forward and if we decide that is not the case then we think about who his replacement is. The first thing we need to ask ourselves is whether it is right to continue and as I’ve said he is in a really good place at the moment.”Strauss also suggested that Saqlain Mushtaq could be offered a much greater coaching role with England. Saqlain, the former Pakistan offspinner, is currently in the middle of a short-term consultancy role which has garnered effusive praise from the team and his fellow coaches. The ECB has already extended the role, and Saqlain is also thought likely to return to India to work with the limited-overs team in January, with Strauss hinting that they are effectively using this series as an extended trial period.”Clearly the development of spin bowlers is really important,” Strauss said. “We’ve got a couple of guys here who are quite young and making their way in the game and we’ve tried to provide them with some support along the way.”We hadn’t worked much with Saqlain before. He did some work in the summer and we wanted to see more of him over the course of this tour.”The indication is that he’s done a good job. He’s a very good people person and he connects well with the bowlers, so that is great and why we want him to work more with us over the winter. At the end of the winter we will sit down and work out what we want to do with our spin bowling and work out the best way of supporting them.”Personally I’m not convinced you need a coach there every single game, but I think you need someone there enough that they develop strong relationships with players and be there at important times in series and on tours.”It is an obvious area we need to have the right support for players in, while also bearing in mind that we don’t want people there for the sake of it. And we also want players to think for themselves and not become too reliant on coaches to do their thinking for them.”

McCullum told Crawley to “chase moments” before the start of the series and he duly delivered

Matt Roller01-Aug-2023Brendon McCullum believes that Zak Crawley’s success against Australia validated England’s approach to Test cricket since he took over as head coach, saying of his Ashes record this summer: “People don’t do that, you know?”Crawley is one of three players – along with Joe Root and Ben Stokes – to have featured in every one of England’s 18 Tests since McCullum’s appointment, and has consistently been backed publicly despite averaging 23 last summer, with a single half-century.McCullum told Crawley to “chase moments” before the start of the series and he duly delivered, thumping the first ball of the series for four through the covers off Pat Cummins on his way to an agenda-setting 61 off 73 at Edgbaston.After 48 and 3 at Lord’s, he made 44 and 33 in a low-scorer at Headingley, then thrashed 189 off 182 balls in Manchester as England dominated a rain-ruined fourth Test. He finished with 22 and 73 at The Oval, helping to set up England’s 49-run win and securing his status as their leading run-scorer for the series.Related

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“Coming into the series, he was under quite a lot of pressure,” McCullum said. “The great thing was he was able to block that out as much as possible… you hope that’s down to the environment the skipper’s trying to create, and the sincere messaging.”480 runs at a strike rate of 90 [88.72], against the best bowling attack in the world, against the Dukes ball, in an Ashes series: people don’t do that, you know? As the skipper said: you look at what people’s upsides are, what their best days are, what they’re capable of achieving rather than focusing on things that might not be there. He’s a case in point.”I think we’ve seen someone really grow and mature and really develop over the last six weeks or so. I’m sure he’ll be proud of the series he’s had and won’t get carried away, because that’s the type of personality he is. It’s great – not just for Zak, but also for other guys around the side and around county cricket. They know that when they get the opportunity, they’ll get support.”For the first time in a decade, there are no doubts about the identity of England’s best opening pair, with Ben Duckett averaging 35.66 for the series and 53.21 since he was recalled to the Test set-up for the tour to Pakistan last year.”Their contrasting skills – which we’ve talked a lot about leading into the series – is pretty evident and it helps one another,” McCullum said. “Ben Duckett’s turned into a really serious player at the top of the order for us. Away from home as well, his game in sub-continent conditions you’d expect to really flourish, too.”McCullum said that squaring the series from two-nil down – while doubling down on their attacking style with the bat – proved the point that the approach he and Stokes have implemented gets the most out of England’s players. “We have a certain style we try to exhibit every time we play,” he said.”I think for us, that is our best chance of winning. The skipper and I firmly believe that, and some of the performances we’ve seen… are testament to that. Look, you’re always trying to win, right? You just don’t want to be bogged down in key moments by the result.”What we are trying to do is allow ourselves to get in a space in our own minds where it allows your talent to come out. If you’re weighed down by fear of failure or by external noise, all you’re doing is suffocating that talent. It’s as simple as that. For us, entertainment is a big part of it and how we play is a big part of it. But for sure, we want to win.”From one win in 17 when Stokes and McCullum took over, England have won 13 of their 18 Tests under new leadership. “You look back to when the skipper took over and to come in as well,” McCullum reflected, “would we be able to take on a great Australian team – and they are a great Australian team – and go toe-to-toe with them?”I think the answer is yes – and that’s a tremendous confidence-booster for the group, but also testament to the investment to all the guys who have really gone quids-in with their belief in this side and the direction the skipper wants it to head. When you go two-nil down in a series and you’ve played some really good cricket, you know there’s going to be some challenges.”To come back from that and square the series two-two, both teams will be disappointed they don’t end up walking away with the scoreline, albeit Australia walk away with the urn. We stayed true to that under the fiercest of pressure.”

Neither side has been able to train much due to the weather in Hobart, with more rains expected on Monday

Mohammad Isam23-Oct-2022

Big picture

It has been eight years since Netherlands have qualified for the main round of the T20 World Cup, but even longer since Bangladesh last won a match at this stage of the competition – 15 years to be precise. Long enough for the notion to spread that Bangladesh are miles behind most T20 teams at this level.But as keen as both sides will be to get points in their name, they could end up splitting the game as there’s a lot of rain in the forecast in Hobart. As such, neither side had been able to train much at the venue.Bangladesh have come into this tournament with the lowest of expectations from their fans, who are mostly hoping that the team comes out of the competition with their reputation intact. Bangladesh have had an ordinary year, having won just four T20Is, including two against the UAE in a hastily arranged series last month.Related

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Bangladesh then lost all four of their tri-series matches in Christchurch, at times looking like a side only there to make up the numbers. One might argue that experimentation was the goal in New Zealand, but even so, this is a side low on confidence.Regular changes in their top order, leadership instability and injuries have really done a number on Bangladesh in the last three months. All that means is that the onus is on Shakib Al Hasan to present a united front, and bring out the best in his team. Most Bangladesh coaches have figured out that individual performances, particularly in T20Is, haven’t helped them win games.What has been missing is a complete team effort, and although the fast bowlers have been in form this year, and there have been pockets of good performances from Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh need improvement from their batters and fielders to bring them some respite in T20Is.Netherlands should be smart enough to take advantage of Bangladesh’s situation. They have one of the more successful fast-bowling attacks from the first round. Fred Klaasen, Bas de Leede and Paul van Meekeren have been quick and accurate, although Timm van der Gugten hasn’t quite hit his stride.Their spinners have surprised everyone, producing the second-most economical attack, at 5.65 runs per over, in the first round. They have a left-arm spin pairing of Tim Pringle, a vastly improved bowler, and the veteran Roelof van der Merwe, who has held his own.But Netherlands’ batting hasn’t yet reached its full potential, with Max O’Dowd scoring their only half-century and generally being a threat at the top. The likes of de Leede, captain Scott Edwards and Tom Cooper are short of runs. There, however, couldn’t be a better occasion for these batters to finally come to the party.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches; most recent first)
Netherlands LWWLL
Bangladesh WWLLL

In the spotlight

Paul van Meekeren is the in-form fast bowler in the Netherlands side, having bowled three top spells in the first round. The culmination was Meekeren’s burst against Sri Lanka that nearly derailed the Asia Cup champions. Meekeren will bowl fast, at times short but mostly full, to test the Bangladesh batters who are often found wanting against fast, short bowling.There will be a lot of expectations surrounding Litton Das, recognised as the team’s most reliable batter in 2022. Litton has made runs in all three formats, but some more in the T20Is will certainly help the team in this World Cup. Litton is likely to return as an opener, as Bangladesh have seriously struggled to get one pair to work this year.Netherlands have made it to the main round of the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2014•AFP/Getty Images

Team news

Netherlands are likely to go with the same line-up that took on Sri Lanka in their last group game from the first round.Netherlands (probable): 1 Max O’Dowd, 2 Vikramjit Singh. 3 Bas de Leede, 4 Colin Ackermann, 5 Tom Cooper, 6 Scott Edwards (capt & wk), 7 Tim Pringle, 8 Timm van der Gugten, 9 Fred Klaassen 10 Paul van Meekeren, 11 Roelof van der MerweBangladesh’s experiments with the opening combination haven’t really worked, so reverting to the Soumya Sarkar-Litton duo is likely. They will bank on a three-man pace attack with Shakib and Mehidy providing the spin specialty.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Soumya Sarkar, 2 Litton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Afif Hossain, 5 Yasir Ali, 6 Nurul Hasan (wk), 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Hasan Mahmud

Pitch and conditions

Teams have averaged 156 runs batting first at the Bellerive Oval, but the teams may not be able to play a full match. There’s a lot of rain in the forecast from around the time the match starts on Monday.

Stats and trivia

Their success in the two Tests against Ireland has pushed Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis up in the bowlers’ rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2023Pakistan have a one-two at the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings, with opener Fakhar Zaman moving eight places up to achieve a career-best second spot, only behind his captain Babar Azam. Fakhar has scored back-to-back centuries in Rawalpindi in the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand, while Babar has hit 49 and 65 in the two matches.Fakhar made 117 in the chase of 289 in the first ODI and followed it up with 180 not out in the second as Pakistan chased down 337, taking them 2-0 up in the five-series. His previous best ranking in the format was No. 7, which he reached in April 2021.With Fakhar moving up, South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen has slipped one place down to No. 3, while India’s Shubman Gill is at No. 4.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

Pakistan also have Fakhar’s opening partner Imam-ul-Haq rounding off the top five after scores of 60 and 25 in the two ODIs.In the men’s Test rankings, a number of Sri Lanka players have made moved up after their a 2-0 series win over Ireland in Galle.Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who picked up 17 wickets across the two Tests, including a ten-wicket match haul in the first Test, is up six places to No. 13 in the bowling rankings, while offspinner Ramesh Mendis is up ten places to 22nd after taking 11 wickets in the series.Angelo Mathews has also moved one place up to No. 22 in the batting rankings after scoring 100 not out in the second Test, where Sri Lanka put up 704 for 3 declared on their way to an innings win, while Kusal Mendis is up three places to 39th after making his career-best score of 245 in the same game.

He followed up an unbeaten half-century with two key outfield catches

AAP09-Jan-2025Glenn Maxwell’s heroics inspired the Melbourne Stars to a crucial 16-run upset of the ladder-leading Sydney Sixers at the MCG, keeping their slim BBL finals chances alive.On the same day his Test ambitions likely ended for good, Maxwell belted a game-high unbeaten 58 and took two important catches in the deep.Related

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Marcus Stoinis was out cheaply, but Stars’ captain claimed 2 for 30 in a valuable contribution with the ball.Ben Duckett appeared to have cost Stars dearly when he dropped countryman James Vince on 36. It was only two weeks ago Vince smashed an unbeaten century in a thumping Sixers win against Stars at the SCG on Boxing Day.But Maxwell made no mistake when he hung on to a high catch in the deep, leading to Vince departing for 53. The 36-year-old almost spilled the chance, too, and stayed on the ground for a long time in pure relief.Just two balls later, Maxwell was in the action again when he took a catch to dismiss Sixers captain Moises Henriques, sparking passionate, animated celebrations with Stoinis and other Stars players.James Vince scored a half-century but the Sixers fell away after his dismissal•Getty Images

Maxwell was overlooked for Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka on Thursday, with selectors preferring younger options in the squad.Numerous replays were needed to decide on a return catch to Stars spinner Usama Mir, with Sixers allrounder Jack Edwards eventually given out by the TV umpire.Stuck in a deep hole at 64 for 4 at the halfway mark of their innings, Stars were rescued by an 88-run stand between Maxwell and Test hero Beau Webster.After a fairytale debut for Australia, Webster’s golden run continued when he was out off a no-ball and was called back, then was dropped by Vince.During Maxwell’s blazing 32-ball knock, he became the fifth player in BBL history to reach 3000 career runs, joining Chris Lynn, Aaron Finch, D’Arcy Short and Henriques.Play was stopped for about two minutes after a seagull was taken down by a powerful shot from Vince.After starting the season 0-5, Stars can still qualify for finals if they beat the Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes in their remaining two games and other results go their way.Sixers (4-2, one no-result) missed a golden opportunity to consolidate their position on top of the table ahead of a clash at the SCG on Saturday against Perth Scorchers.

India offspinner also breaks down Kuhnemann’s bowling action and explains why it was easier to play him in Ahmedabad

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2023R Ashwin said that Australia’s offspinner Todd Murphy was “10 to 50 times better” than Nathan Lyon was when he first came to India in 2013.Murphy, with 14 wickets from four Tests, was only behind Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Lyon in the wicket-takers’ list in his maiden Test series.”Nathan Lyon did pick up 20 wickets in this series. However, the pressure was built by other spinners too. Todd Murphy had a sensational debut series,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “You might wonder what is there to talk about Todd Murphy. This is his first tour to India. I remember many spinners’ first tour to India.Related

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“Nathan Lyon came here first in 2013. He went to Sri Lanka before that. Todd Murphy came here 10 to 50 times better than how Nathan Lyon came here on his first Test tour,” Ashwin said. “I am not saying that he is a better bowler in terms of quality, skill, or performance. I am talking about his capacity and composure to be able to bowl around the stumps and over the stumps.”Lyon, in 2013, had taken 15 wickets in three Tests and, like Murphy, had registered a seven-wicket haul.”In the Ahmedabad Test, he [Murphy] bowled most of his overs from over the stumps,” Ashwin said. “Until then, he was bowling around the stumps. But from both around and over, he looked equally comfortable. He was able to attack the stumps while bowling from around the wicket as well as over the wicket.”Nathan Lyon’s strongest feature is that he uses Mitchell Starc’s footmark really well. He bowls the sixth-stump and seventh-stump line really well. That has been his bread and butter. That’s how he has built his ten-year career.Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy took 23 wickets between them in the series•Getty Images

“Because in a country like Australia, there won’t be much happening for the spinners from the centre of the surface. He has to make things happen from the footholes only. His bowling, his pace, his trajectory and his body position are all attuned to that.”Whereas Todd Murphy, being the current-generation spinner that he is, is attacking the stumps from over the stumps. He is also bowling from wide of the stumps. He is going from around the wicket and attacking the stumps. And he is also taking the odd ball away. He is not only bowling the fast back-of-the-length delivery but also has an odd slower one. That flight is definitely catching the batter by surprise. It’s not that easy to go on the back foot and play him. So a lot of credit to Todd Murphy.”Ashwin also praised Matthew Kuhnemann, who made his debut in the Test match in Delhi.”There were Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar in the squad but he [Matthew Kuhnemann] flew down as a replacement once Swepson went to Australia after his wife gave birth to a baby,” Ashwin said. “Matthew Kuhnemann took a five-for [in Indore] and broke the game open for Australia.”An interesting feature of his action is his loading. For Kuhnemann, his wrist breaks during his loading. So sometimes it will look like there is an elbow extension. But there is nothing like that in his action. But there is wrist involvement, for sure.”Because of this wrist involvement, the ball will come down faster. Since there is extra involvement of his wrists, the disadvantage is that since the wrist is coming down, and since there is not enough wrist and finger behind the ball, sometimes the ball comes down slowly.”And if the wicket is slow, you can adjust and play him easily. I am saying this because I have also done this wrist-breaking in my career. However, he is getting that drop. He is a left-arm spinner on his first tour. He bowled really well in Delhi and Indore. Of course, the wicket in Ahmedabad was a bit tough to bowl. Even on that hard surface, he bowled really well.”

“To play over there and hopefully play really well is kind of the goal,” Agar, whose last Test had come in 2017, said

Tristan Lavalette10-Nov-2022Eyeing Australia’s tour of India early next year, Ashton Agar has started his preparation towards a potential long-awaited Test recall, confident he can shift between formats “quickly”.Agar was a notable inclusion in the Prime Minister’s XI squad to play West Indies in Canberra in a four-day day-night first-class fixture starting on November 23. Back in Perth after Australia’s T20 World Cup exit, Agar hit the WACA nets in a bid to get reacquainted with the red ball.”I just had a nice long bowl at the WACA, and faced the red ball again,” Agar told reporters on Thursday as part of Youth Focus, a leading provider of youth mental-health services in Western Australia, being announced as charity partner for the Perth Test. “I still have a desire to play red-ball cricket. I would love to be part of the India Test tour.”Related

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The Prime Minister’s XI affair is effectively a warm-up for the visiting West Indies side ahead of the two-Test series which begins in Perth on November 30, but also presents opportunities for Australia’s fringe players.Agar has been a regular member of Australia’s limited-overs squads over the years, and played in their victory over Sri Lanka in Perth at the T20 World Cup, where he was a late replacement for frontline spinner Adam Zampa, who had tested positive for Covid-19.But his busy commitments in the limited-overs formats have caused Agar to be unavailable for Western Australia (WA) in the Sheffield Shield, with his last appearance being in April 2021. He has a middling first-class record overall averaging 41.28 and striking at 80.7 with the ball.Despite his suspect red ball record, Agar remains an intriguing prospect for Australia’s hierarchy who are keen for the left-arm spinner to bowl more in first-class cricket with the tour of India looming.Ashton Agar said he was not perturbed by being pigeonholed as a white-ball specialist•AFP via Getty Images

“I think all the skills are there. I have enough experience to shift formats quickly,” he said while revealing he might play in WA’s Shield match against Queensland starting December 1. “But getting your body right and building your bowling loads up to bowl for a long period of time… it’s just a different battle.”I’ve had a couple of decent side strains recently, which I have to be a little wary of. So just taking that extra care on your body and trying to be as professional as you can is probably the key going forward.”Agar, who famously scored 98 from No.11 on Test debut during the 2013 Ashes, played the last of his four Tests in 2017, although was considered a strong chance to play in the mid-year series in Sri Lanka until he suffered a significant side strain.He won’t be playing in WA’s Shield match against South Australia at the WACA starting on Friday, but has been named in Australia’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against England. And Agar said he was not perturbed by being somewhat pigeonholed as a white-ball specialist.”The important thing is communication with the selectors,” he said. “They’ve been really good with me. The communication has been really open and really clear. If they wanted me to play more red-ball cricket, they would have given me the opportunity. That’s exactly what they are doing now with the Prime Minister XI game, and maybe another Shield game after that.”If he does end up playing in India, it would be a dream come true for Agar, whose only previous Test experience in the subcontinent was in Bangladesh, also the last time he played a Test.”They (matches in India) were my favourite games to watch growing up,” Agar said. “Games happen quickly. The ball spins miles… if you bat well over there, you’ve batted really well. To play over there and hopefully play really well is kind of the goal.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the second ODI between Ireland and Sri Lanka in Dublin

The Preview by Andrew Miller17-Jun-2016

Match facts

Saturday, June 18
Start time 10.45 local (0945 GMT)

Big picture

Two months ago in Dublin, Cricket Ireland unveiled an ambitious scheme in which it sought to rid the game of its elitist perception and become, by 2020, a mainstream sport to rank alongside the Emerald Isle’s big three: rugby, football and GAA.Nobody expects it to be an overnight process, least of all coming at a time – ten years on from their maiden ODI – when many of the players who have carried the side so far, so quickly, are coming to the end of their careers.But Thursday’s first match against Sri Lanka was a dispiriting setback nonetheless, as a calm century from Dinesh Chandimal and another remarkable international format debut from Dasun Shanaka proved sufficient to overwhelm a host nation whose hopes faded with the dismissal of their captain William Porterfield, for 73, and then collapsed in an undignified heap with their last six wickets tumbling for 18 runs.A further reminder of cricket’s second-tier status will be on parade during the second ODI – albeit one that would cause palpitations for any county ground hosting England for a major match. The Republic of Ireland’s campaign in Euro 2016 will reach a critical juncture during the early stages of the second innings, when they kick off against Belgium in Bordeaux.To their credit, the organisers at Malahide have taken that contest in their stride, with decent advance sales of 2000 tickets, allied to a relaxed gate policy that will make it easy for spectators to come and go when the conflicting priorities kick in.But for the sake of their ambitions at the start of the busiest home season in their history, Ireland need an improved performance against Sri Lanka, having now had a good sighter of both the conditions and a set of opponents whose early tour angst in the Test series against England is now a distant memory.

Form guide

Ireland: LWLLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WLWLL

In the spotlight

Dasun Shanaka was underestimated by England when he wobbled through their top order in the first Test at Headingley last month, and he produced a similar display of canny seam and swing to dismember Ireland’s lower-middle order in the opening fixture. Only 12 bowlers in ODI history have taken five wickets on debut, and few of them will have clobbered 42 runs from 19 balls as an . It’s been an impressive arrival.Barry McCarthy had a debut to remember as well. He needed just two deliveries to claim the first wicket of his international career, when Danushka Gunathilaka edged his burly seam to slip. As a 20-year-old net bowler in 2013, a sharp spell in the Malahide nets ahead of England’s fixture in September caught the eye of Ben Stokes, who then recommended McCarthy for a trial at Durham. He went on to become the first Irishman since the 19th Century to play county cricket before making an international appearance.

Team news

With McCarthy seemingly having earned a follow-up appearance, Max Sorensen could be the seamer to make way if Andy McBrine’s offspin is deemed worthy of an outing.Ireland (possible): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 John Anderson, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Stuart Poynter, 7 Gary Wilson (wk), 8 Andy McBrine, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Tim Murtagh, 11 Boyd RankinSri Lanka’s batting line-up for the opening match featured the improbable sight of Upul Tharanga coming in at No. 8, an indication of how many options and alternatives their line-up possesses. Kusal Perera, restored to the top of the order after his successful return during the Test series, offers an explosive point of difference.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne/Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Upul Tharanga/Farveez Maharoof, 8 Seekkuge Prasanna, 9 Suraj Randiv, 10 Shaminda Eranga, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

Despite rain in the air, not to mention Northern Ireland’s stunning Euro 2016 victory over Ukraine which provided an alternative focus for the crowd, Thursday’s first ODI produced more than 500 runs across 90.4 overs, which would have been more but for Ireland’s alarming collapse. Sri Lanka proved there are runs on offer, but both sides’ seamers enjoyed the assistance on offer from the surface.

Stats and trivia

• Ireland have yet to beat Sri Lanka in five ODI encounters, with three losses and two abandonments.
• Ireland have never yet won an ODI in Dublin against a Full Member nation. Their best result in nine previous matches was a tie with Pakistan at Clontarf in 2013.

Quotes

“We need to put a couple of things right that we didn’t do, a couple of more partnerships with the bat, and even myself or Kevin [O’Brien] or the lads that get in, kicking on a little bit more and getting that score that’s going to take us up to close to a winning score.”