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Misbah-ul-Haq has been signed by Rangpur to play in the third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League which begins from November 22

Umar Farooq09-Nov-2015Misbah-ul-Haq has been signed by Rangpur to play in the third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League which begins from November 22. Misbah has not played international T20 cricket since he stepped down as Pakistan captain in 2012, but he has been a consistent feature in domestic T20s and foreign leagues.Misbah, 41, recently led Pakistan to No. 2 in the Test rankings after a 2-0 defeat of England in the UAE. He had hinted at retiring after the series but the PCB had asked him to delay those plans.So that means his next assignment would be a tour of England in July 2016. The remainder of Pakistan’s Test specialists will play plenty of limited-overs cricket, including the Asia Cup and the World T20 next year, but Misbah who has retired from both the shorter formats, is hoping to keep himself match-ready by playing the Quaid-E-Azam trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, and later the Bangladesh Premier League.”I have signed with BPL,” Misbah told ESPNcricinfo. “I want to carry on and keep myself motivated and maintain my fitness. So whatever cricket comes in I want to play to avoid being complacent.”Pakistan’s domestic season will conclude in February next year. The first Test at Lord’s is in July, four months later. So Misbah is keen to secure a contract with an English county to make sure he doesn’t turn up undercooked.”I love the game and want to play it,” Misbah had said after the England Test series. “It’s really difficult when you have not played any competitive cricket for six, seven, eight months and suddenly you come and play against top players. So this is a period you need to motivate yourself.”I can still play domestic cricket and be ready for that kind of challenge, but that’s not easy. I have mentioned that before because after retiring from ODIs, I can feel that whenever the Tests come the first game is always difficult and the body mechanism is not working. I feel that I am playing after a long time and it takes one or two innings to settle and if you are getting out early it could be horrible for you so these things are there so I am just trying to rethink and work out.”

Four wickets for Anya Shrubsole and an unbeaten 41 from Sarah Taylor were the major components of England’s seven-wicket win over South Africa in Benoni

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2016
ScorecardAnya Shrubsole removed the South Africa top order•Gallo Images

Four wickets for Anya Shrubsole and an unbeaten 41 from Sarah Taylor were the major components of England’s seven-wicket win over South Africa in Benoni, giving new coach Mark Robinson victory in his first match in charge.England’s innings was twice interrupted by rain, with their target eventually revised down to 150 in 35 overs after South Africa had made 196 having chosen to bat first. Amy Jones helped get England’s chase off to a brisk start, hitting six fours in 34 from 27 balls, but she and fellow opener Lauren Winfield fell before the weather closed in with the score on 63 for 2.The target was cut to 194 in 48 overs and England lost captain Charlotte Edwards for 33 before lightning and further rain sent the players off again. On the resumption, Taylor and Heather Knight saw England home with 39 balls to spare.South Africa’s total was based around 90 from opener Trisha Chetty but she did not find enough support from her team-mates. Chetty, who was dropped twice off Katherine Brunt, put on 93 for the second wicket with captain Mignon du Preez but from 119 for 1 they subsided during the final 20 overs to be dismissed with four deliveries left spare.Shrubsole returned to get du Preez for 38 and bagged the first four wickets to fall with her testing inswingers. South Africa lost 5 for 40 before No. 8 Sune Luus provided some resistance but when Knight had Chetty caught behind ten short of a maiden century, the hosts’ hopes of a more imposing total disappeared.The last four wickets fell for 14 in 23 balls as Jenny Gunn and Rebecca Grundy cleaned up the tail before the batsmen avoided major hiccups to put England 1-0 up in the three-match series. Victory also gave England a valuable two points in the ICC Women’s Championship, drawing them level with South Africa in fourth.

A round-up of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge games played on November 8, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2015Kevin Pietersen continued his fine form for Dolphins with his third successive fifty-plus score to guide Dolphins to their fourth win in as many games – and to the top of the points table – against Warriors in Durban.After being put in to bat, Dolphins lost Cameron Delport early as the batsman got a thick inside edge which was acrobatically taken by Clyde Fortuin. Pietersen started slowly – scoring two off his first eight balls – but then got stuck into the bowling and found the boundary with regularity. Morne van Wyk anchored the innings from the other end and struck a fifty (53) of his own. The second-wicket stand swelled to 92 before Pietersen holed out to long-on for a 44-ball 68 in the 13th over. David Miller provided the late impetus with 46 off just 25 balls as Dolphins smashed 52 off the last five overs to finish with 179 for 4.The Warriors chase began in sprightly fashion with the openers – JJ Smuts (30) and Colin Ackermann (26) adding 44 in 34 balls. However, the bowlers kept chipping away at the wickets, stalling the run-rate in the process. Prenelan Subrayen picked up 4 for 29 and Delport also took three wickets as the Warriors were eventually bundled out for 145 in the 20th over.Farhaan Behardien’s counter-attacking 61 powered Titans to a total of 173 for 5 against Cape Cobras in Centurion, a total they easily defended by 26 runs to record their second successive win.Titans lost two early wickets after being put in to bat before Quinton de Kock (34) and Graeme van Buuren (27) formed a 51-run stand. However, Justin Ontong dismissed them both in the 11th over to reduce Titans to 74 for 4. Behardien then took charge after getting himself set as the runs started to flow. Behardien, along with Albie Morkel, clobbered 46 runs in the last three overs as Titans put up a formidable score.Cobras lost Richard Levi in the second over for 11 but a 43-run, second-wicket stand between Andrew Puttick and Keegan Petersen meant the match was not out of their grasp. However, a clump of wickets followed which reduced Cobras to 73 for 4 in the 12th over. Omphile Ramela and Sybrand Engelbrecht forged a 50-run partnership but with the required run-rate spiralling out of control, Cobras could only manage 147 for 6. Morkel, Chris Morris and Ruben Claassen picked up two wickets apiece.

Thakur starred with three wickets; however, it wasn’t a convincing batting show from India with Samson top-scoring with 43 not out

S Sudarshanan20-Aug-2022A complete bowling performance led by Shardul Thakur’s three-for, followed by a 56-run partnership between Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson, helped India inflict a 14th straight ODI defeat on Zimbabwe to win the three-ODI series, on Saturday in Harare, with one game to go.Thakur got the most wickets for India on the day. But it was a collective effort, with Mohammed Siraj’s eight overs going for just 16 runs, and all the bowlers on show getting among the wickets to bowl Zimbabwe out for 161. In reply, India cruised home with five wickets and more than 24 overs to spare.After being asked to bat, Zimbabwe openers Takudzwanashe Kaitano, brought in for Tadiwanashe Marumani, and Innocent Kaia began cautiously. Having lost four wickets in just over ten overs in the first ODI, the instruction, clearly, was to conserve wickets upfront, when there is help for seamers.They crawled to 12 for none in seven overs when Kaia decided to attack Thakur. He used the cross-batted pull to send one past mid-on’s right before flicking one well over midwicket in Thakur’s next.Shardul Thakur led the way with the ball with a three-wicket haul•Associated Press

But Siraj struck from the other end when he had Kaitano edging one to wicketkeeper Samson, who dived to his right to cling on after having been wrong-footed. Thakur then bookended his third over with the wickets of Kaia and Regis Chakabva, before Prasidh Krishna’s peach had Wessly Madhevere walking back.It was familiar territory for Zimbabwe despite the watchfulness at the start, with the scoreboard reading 31 for 4 after 12.4 overs. It had been 31 for 4 in 10.1 the last time.Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams, moved down to No. 6, then held fort for a while; with Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav in the attack, they stayed firm despite looking uncomfortable. Raza, in particular, struggled against Axar, who was mixing his orthodox spinners and arm balls, and survived a strong lbw appeal too. But Raza fell to Kuldeep when he sliced one to backward point, ending a 41-run union with Williams.Williams found the boundaries and ran well between the wickets, and looked on course for his second fifty-plus score in ODIs in 2022, when he slogged Hooda straight to deep backward square-leg. Along with Ryan Burl, he had just started to rebuild the innings with a 33-run stand.Thakur then returned to bounce out Luke Jongwe, which opened the floodgates all over again. Burl was left stranded on 39 not out as Axar had Brad Evans – dropped earlier by Kuldeep off his own bowling – chopping on before the last two batters were run-out.Sean Williams top-scored for Zimbabwe•AFP/Getty Images

In the reply, Shikhar Dhawan got off to a rollicking start, even as captain KL Rahul, promoted to the top, fell lbw to Victor Nyauchi for just 1.Dhawan used his feet against the high pace of Tanaka Chivanga, who replaced Richard Ngarava in the Zimbabwe XI, cutting and driving well. India had raced to 41 for 1 inside six overs before Chivanga got revenge with a perfect fast bowler’s response. After being driven crisply through covers, Chivanga angled a bouncer into Dhawan, who was caught off guard, and skied the pull towards midwicket.Shubman Gill, who had finished 82 not out in the first game when Dhawan got 81 not out in the ten-wicket win, got going from No. 3 with a pull through midwicket before hitting a couple of drives through the covers off Nyauchi.However, Jongwe managed to strike twice in two overs to peg India back. He first had Ishan Kishan playing away from his body and inside-edging on to his stumps and then had Gill hop and cut one straight down deep third’s throat.But Hooda and Samson ensured the chase didn’t stutter while unveiling some of their best attacking shots. Samson took a special liking to the spin of Raza and Williams, hitting the two for three sixes combined, before smacking another one off the legspin of Kaia to seal the win. Batting at No. 6, Samson finished on 43 not out off just 39 balls to exhibit his finishing prowess and perhaps provide another reminder of his abilities in white-ball cricket.

Perfect day at perfect ground, as Madsen seals chase after Masood makes 98

Paul Edwards14-Jun-2022
You really should come to Queen’s Park, you know. I can’t promise you a game such as we have enjoyed over these three days; a game which saw Derbyshire inflict a first Championship defeat on Middlesex and move themselves up to third place in Division Two; a game that ended with a guttural, flat-vowelled roar from the pavilion as Luis Reece completed a win that will always look more facile than it was.But the outgrounds always seem to conjure something precious and you might think it’s a reward for the volunteer labour expended in putting the matches on in the first place. Nor can I promise you a contest as enthralling as this, whose outcome only became clear on this third evening when Shan Masood made 98 and Wayne Madsen’s unbeaten 49 ensured that Derbyshire would suffer no jitters en route to their first victory over Middlesex at Chesterfield since 1965, when Brian Jackson took eight wickets and the home side were five down when chasing a paltry 34.No, I can guarantee none of these things should you come to Chesterfield…But there are beeches and copper beeches, there are oaks and weeping ash and liquidambar and ancient yews; there is an old mulberry tree near one of the two bandstands, and there is a lake, and across the road there is Parkside Café, which rivals Wickets in Taunton as the best nosebag on the circuit.And while you are eating your cobs and drinking your coffee, you can look again at the sweet chestnut and the sycamores and marvel at the trees’ fellowship and think of the consolation offered by conifers that stay green when the rest of their world is grey and the cricket ground is sleeping. And when you look beyond or above the trees, you will see buildings that have summat about them, like the six-columned town hall or the Church of St Mary and All Saints; yes, the one with the spire that’s gone in the fetlock. You see, you know the place already. Look up the route, now, before the magic fades.There is cricket, too, and there are times, like today, when it becomes the sole focus for those sitting in this greatly blessed world. Only when Derbyshire needed fewer than ten to win did the spectators began to drift slowly away and very few left properly until the game was done. They recalled their team had collapsed in a heap on Monday and they knew it was less than seven hours since the match was utterly in the hazard..Middlesex began the morning with a lead of 117 and seven wickets in hand as they sought a target beyond Derbyshire’s capabilities. Mark Stoneman and Ethan Bamber added another 23 runs in half an hour before Stoneman gloved a lifter from Anuj Dal to Brooke Guest and trooped off through the warm, dandelion-seeded air. Bamber fell to Dal as well but not before he had got on one knee and swept Mark Watt into the avenue of limes, where a fellow gave not a fig for his years and reached up to stop the ball.The lead was 179 when Bamber drove fatally to Sam Conners at point and it had been extended by only 13 more where John Simpson called Max Holden for a single and seemed to receive a tentative ‘yes’, followed by a mighty ‘no’. Simpson was run out by 20 yards; indeed when the bails were removed, he was near enough to give Holden a mighty kick up the arse, which is a course of action he may have contemplated. Unembarrassed, Holden hit Alex Thomson for a six over long on but was brilliantly caught by Billy Godleman running from mid-off to cover when he attempted to repeat the trick.We had lunch with Middlesex on 189 for 7. I walked out to the middle and wondered if this was how Fanshawe felt in M R James’ “A View from a Hill” when he sees the glorious spire of Fulnaker Abbey through Baxter’s binoculars, only to find it was a vision from the past. Reassurance was provided by an unlikely source: “From the Lake End, Mark Watt” boomed the chap on the public address.I drifted uncertainly back to the present and, almost on the instant, Luke Hollman was caught by Masood off Reece. The lead was 212 and no one thought it enough against a batting side that included the Pakistani. Give or take, it would have to do, though. Only six more runs had been added by the time Middlesex were bowled out and one admired the medium-pace bowling of Reece and Dal, each of whom took three wickets.Derbyshire’s pursuit of 219 began disastrously but could have been bum-numbingly awful. In the fourth over, Godleman was sent back when he called Masood for a mirage-single and Holden’s throw beat the Derbyshire skipper by around 11 yards. Next over, Masood nicked Roland-Jones to first slip where Stevie Eskinazi, possibly put off by Simpson, shelled the thing. The game settled again and the folk under the limes lost themselves in the struggle.Derbyshire got to tea on 89 for 2, the second batter dismissed being Guest, who was caught behind off Murtagh for 10. On the resumption, Masood got inside the line and drove Roland-Jones wide of mid-on; two overs later he nodded appreciatively when utterly beaten but resumed more normal service by cover-driving Hollman twice in the same over. The ball was changed at the end of the 30th over, which is normally a sign the shape of the game does not suit the fielding side. Ten minutes later, Masood cut Roland-Jones hard to gully where Sam Robson dropped the chance. Had not the Derbyshire’s supporters recalled their side’s first innings hours previously, they would have begun to believe this great thing was possible.Masood had batted beautifully but not faultlessly. Nevertheless, he was two short of a century and nine shy of his thousand first-class runs for the season when he cut Bamber to gully, where Robson clutched the thing. Derbyshire still needed 74 at this point but Leus du Plooy chose the fast lane to glory, whacking Bamber and Roland-Jones for sixes before nicking Tim Murtagh to Robbie White at slip.If Reece felt any nerves, he concealed them perfectly. The Middlesex cricketers, who had hardly celebrated their late successes with much joy, became reconciled to defeat. A few minutes later, players and spectators were shaking hands, saying their farewells and looking ruefully at their sunburn. One day, I hope you will be able to join them. Indeed, I hope beyond dreaming that you will get the chance, not least because if you do, it will probably mean that Chesterfield and so much else that is precious about our game has been saved. Evenings like this encourage the hope it might be so.

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.”

New Zealand beat South Africa by an innings and 276 runs without Williamson, Taylor or Boult

Alagappan Muthu19-Feb-2022It’s been 14 years since New Zealand have had to play a Test match without Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Trent Boult. And yet they still managed to beat South Africa by an innings and 276 runs, a performance that the stand-in captain Tom Latham called “the perfect blueprint.””Yeah, it’s obviously great for the side,” he said. “It’s been documented it’s a long time ago since we haven’t seen any of those three names who are such a vital part of the side. I guess its testament to the depth that we’re creating to the depth in New Zealand cricket that guys who haven’t played a lot can step up and come up and perform straight away.”Along the way, the one stalwart that they did have, got to a memorable milestone. Tim Southee overtook Richard Hadlee as the highest New Zealand wicket-taker on home soil. It took a while to become official though, with New Zealand needing to overturn a not-out lbw decision. But that also meant the 33-year-old had all his team-mates around him, waiting with him, for the big moment.Related

• Tom Latham and New Zealand chasing 'as many WTC points as possible'

• Wagner: Winning against South Africa 'no different to any of the other ones'

• Matt Henry: 'Everyone on the team offers something different, and it creates a bit more versatility'

• Dean Elgar: South Africa 'trying too hard' to compete a 'scenario' behind opening Test innings defeat

• Tim Southee five-for wraps up clinical innings win as South Africa unravel again

“Tim thought it was going down leg. So I was a little bit surprised that he didn’t want to use it. But with the nature of having a couple of reviews left in that situation [South Africa were nine down] it was a bit of a no-brainer to use it.’I guess it’s a unique scenario but it’s also a situation we’re used to nowadays with the DRS. Obviously, [it’s] great for us all to be together and certainly regardless of how you get it, it’s certainly a great way [to break the record]. So yeah, it’s been a Test match that we’re very proud of and one we’ll celebrate tonight.”With Covid-19 still a threat, New Zealand has been dealing with stringent travel and quarantine restrictions, which resulted in a tour of Australia being postponed.”Obviously, disappointing for that series to be called off,” Latham said. “I guess the guys have been playing different forms of cricket whether it be T20 cricket, one-day cricket or some first-class cricket over recent weeks. Even though we haven’t played a Test match for a month or so, I think the way we just switched back straight into the rhythm of Test cricket and hit the ground running, it was certainly the way you want to start and hopefully we can continue the momentum in the next Test match.”It hasn’t been decided whether Boult, who is on paternity leave, will be back in time for that. Williamson is still recovering from a long-standing elbow injury. And Taylor has retired. So New Zealand may have to do without any of them again in the second Test against South Africa starting on February 25. But given they’ve just wrapped up their third-biggest win in the format, Latham feels it’s the kind of problem he doesn’t mind having as temporary caretaker.”For me, it’s just about trying to fill this position as well I can. Certainly when Kane’s available, he’ll slip right back in. For me, it’s just about trying to continue what this group has been doing for such a long period of time. Got some great leaders amongst the group. Got some experience as well even, though we’ve lost some over the last couple of Test matches. But I guess trying to continue the formula that New Zealand cricket has produced over recent years and I guess I probably had my spin on things in terms of doing things slightly differently but I think as a whole it’s about continuing the blueprint as best I can. We’ve had some really good success recently and just trying to continue that.”

It is not yet clear if Shaw and Suryakumar will be available for the second T20I

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jul-2021

Big picture

Sri Lanka have lost 13 of their last 14 completed matches. Although this is not India’s main team – and there may be further changes following Krunal Pandya* testing positive for Covid-19 – they are more experienced in the format than Sri Lanka, and won comfortably on Sunday. So how do the hosts turn this series around? With a T20 World Cup coming up late in the year, how do they turn their whole game around?On Sunday’s evidence, it is Sri Lanka’s middle order that needs the most work. With Dasun Shanaka out of form, and Wanindu Hasaranga having so far failed to provide the kinds of innings he produced in England, they have been short of firepower through the middle and late stages. In the first match, only Minod Bhanuka (10 off 7) and Charith Asalanka (44 off 26) struck at more than 120.India, you suspect, will feel as if they didn’t bat particularly well in that first match, and yet, their bowlers were good enough to defend their 164 for 5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar ended up with the most wickets, but as has been the case through the tour, Yuzvendra Chahal has troubled Sri Lanka most – some flat out failing to read him, others yet to work out how to score against him, as he gains substantial turn from the Khettarama surface and varies his pace effectively. On the batting front, each of the top four – Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Sanju Samson, and Suryakumar Yadav – has been in decent touch this tour.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka LLLLLIndia WWWLW

In the spotlight

Like any new captain, Dasun Shanaka wants respect in the dressing room. So far on India’s visit, though, he has not quite found his best form with the bat, failing to produce those explosive, finishing innings. It is India’s wristspin that has usually worked against him – Chahal getting him twice in the ODIs, and Varun Chakravarthy having him stumped on Sunday. If he can overcome this apparent weakness, a boundary-laden innings would do Shanaka, and by extension the team, a world of good.Hardik Pandya made headlines in Sri Lanka, first for giving Chamika Karunaratne (who describes Hardik as a role model) his bat before the first match, and then singing along to the Sri Lankan national anthem. This has been enough to win hearts on the island, but you suspect he is not particularly satisfied with that. His batting form seems to have deserted him, and his bowling has been only marginally better. He also dropped a straightforward catch on Sunday. He is generally a cricketer of such soaring confidence it seems almost unthinkable he could be feeling down about his game. But he’s got only two innings left to rediscover some of that hitting ability.

Pitch and conditions

The surface is likely to be good for batting again, though it will take turn, as all Khettarama tracks do. Colombo has had heavy rain on Monday, and there is a chance of bad weather interrupting the match, but there should be enough play to constitute a match.

Team news

Krunal and eight others identified as his close contacts are now isolating to prevent further spread of the virus. So India’s XI for this game is going to involve a lot of guesswork. Additionally, it is not totally clear whether Shaw and Suryakumar are available, given they have been called up to the Test squad in England. But after the first T20I, Dhawan did say he expected them to be available, so we’ll go with his word.India (possible): 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Ishan Kishan (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 K Gowtham, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Varun ChakravarthyYou would have thought Ashen Bandara batted himself out of the XI with his nine off 19 in the first match, but with Bhanuka Rajapaksa still likely to be out with a finger injury, and Asalanka also doubtful now with a hamstring complaint, Sri Lanka are running out of batters in the squad. Sadeera Samarawickrama may come in.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Avishka Fernando, 2 Minod Bhanuka (wk), 3 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Ashen Bandara, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Akila Dananjaya

Stats and trivia

• Despite having played 43 innings in the format, Shanaka’s T20I strike rate is 108.
• India have now won 11 of their last 12 completed T20Is against Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka’s three top T20I runscorers since 2016 – Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, and Danushka Gunathilaka – are all unavailable for this series. Kusal is out through injury, Gunathilaka is suspended, and Thisara retired earlier in the year.