All the stats as Bangladesh successfully defend 106 against Nepal in Kingstown

Sampath Bandarupalli17-Jun-2024106 The total Bangladesh defended against Nepal, the lowest any team has successfully defended at the men’s T20 World Cup in a full 20-over game. The previous such total was 113 for 6, defended by South Africa against Bangladesh in New York last week.2 Number of totals lower than Bangladesh’s 106 successfully defended in a full 20-over men’s T20I by a Full Member. West Indies defended their 96 for 9 against Ireland in 2014, and Zimbabwe 105 all out against West Indies in 2010.21 Dot balls bowled by Tanzim Hasan Sakib, the most by any bowler in a men’s T20 World Cup game. The previous highest was 20 by nine bowlers, including seven in the ongoing edition.Related

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3 Number of men’s T20 World Cup matches where both the teams got bowled out, including Bangladesh and Nepal at the Kingstown. The previous instances were Australia and Pakistan at Gros Islet in 2010, and Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Chattogram in 2014.7 Runs conceded by Tanzim as well as Mustafizur Rahman against Nepal, the joint-fewest for Bangladesh in a men’s T20I while bowling four overs. They levelled with Rishad Hossain, who did that against USA in Houston earlier this year.85 Nepal’s total against Bangladesh, the third-lowest all-out total in men’s T20Is to feature a fifty partnership. The lowest is 76 by Norway against Germany in 2021 despite a 59-run stand for the eighth wicket, while Cameroon also got bowled out for 76 against Ghana in 2022 despite a 52-run opening partnership.ESPNcricinfo LtdAt the men’s T20 World Cup, the previous lowest all-out total that had a fifty partnership was 101 by Ireland against Sri Lanka in 2021.106 Bangladesh’s total against Nepal, the second-lowest by a Full Member against an Associate at the men’s T20 World Cup. The lowest is 88 all out by England against Netherlands in 2014.Bangladesh’s 106 all out is also the fifth-lowest in men’s T20Is by a Full Member against an Associate. Bangladesh’s previous lowest was 108 all out against Hong Kong in T20 World Cup 2014.

It’s not all rosy when it’s raining sixes

Ian Chappell05-May-2024Over the years I’ve learnt that for every upside in an idea – no matter how good – it’s guaranteed there’ll also be a downside.Consequently there’s some disillusionment with the growing amount of six-hitting involved in the T20 game and particularly in the highly successful IPL tournament.Big hitting has dramatically increased. At the present pace IPL 2024 will comfortably set the record for the number of sixes clouted in a match. The big-hitting spree was highlighted by England seamer and Punjab Kings captain Sam Curran, who said after his team’s high scoring victory over Kolkata Knight Riders: “Cricket is turning into baseball isn’t it?”Related

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There are many reasons offered for the massive increase in six-hitting; among them improved bats, short boundaries and evening dew. Curran also highlighted the current players’ training methods, explaining “they can hit balls for a long time” as another reason for the improvement.The current training regime highlights how batting is now more of a power game as distinct from the artistry of the past. While training is an acknowledged part of professional cricket, it’s worth investigating the exponential growth in six-hitting.
The IPL tournament plays a particularly important role.The popularity of the IPL is ingrained and as Curran says: “I’m sure everyone wants to keep seeing sixes.”There’s no doubt the younger generation, bred on big hitting and high scoring in T20 cricket, embrace the IPL. Then there’s the older generation, who have grown up with batting artistry and quality bowling spells and are often bewildered by segments of the modern game.Those are facts of life. As the IPL (and other administrations) consider the bottom line critical, then big hitting and thrilling chases, while they continue to draw large crowds, will remain as attractions of the game.

As a young man I enjoyed playing both cricket and baseball. If I’m not going to face many deliveries in a short version of cricket but field a lot, then the game loses a lot of its attraction

Nevertheless a cricket dilemma could occur if the T20 spectacle became wearisome. If an administration decided to further shorten the game this would severely test player loyalty. If players aren’t experiencing much cricket other than being in the field a lot, then a large contract can only conceal so much dissatisfaction. Apart from throwing the ball back, there’s not much fielding involved when it’s raining sixes.The increased growth in shorter forms of the game is allied to the exorbitant cost of running first-class competitions. Strong first-class competitions are crucial to developing Test cricketers and hence the current five-day game favours India, Australia and England but is under immense strain.Then there’s the financial return from the media for a cricket board. The shorter forms of the game bring far greater financial rewards than a first-class competition, so guess which route a board, strapped for cash, is going to take.India, with its huge spending power rules cricket, therefore other countries tend to follow their example. Hence the growth in T20 leagues in other countries mirrors the IPL success.In many ways one of cricket’s perceived blunders is turning out to be a blessing in disguise for administrators. They could never have envisioned the vast power they were conceding but IPL auctions have provided massive financial rewards for players.However, the administrators are now almost assured of player loyalty, as they are not going to revolt against the short length of a game when they are being well rewarded.As a young man I enjoyed playing both cricket and baseball. If I’m not going to face many deliveries in a short version of cricket but field a lot, then the game loses a lot of its attraction. If that were the case I’d prefer to play baseball, where fielding is integral and at least I’d bat a few times. In the short version of cricket I would often feel I hadn’t earned my beer at the end of the game.That is the opinion of someone from the older generation. However that thinking ignores the enormous preference a modern administration places on market trends and financial returns rather than a player’s wishes.

The allrounder’s back injury does not solve Australia’s selection issues, even if it might create room for Smith to move back to No.4

Alex Malcolm01-Oct-2024Australia are sweating on the outcome of Cameron Green’s back injury as the make-up of the side for the Test series against India becomes complex depending on his availability.Green, 25, was flown home from the UK following the third ODI against England after he complained of soreness in his lower back. He underwent a scan in the UK but is due to have more consultations in Perth this week after Australia’s medical staff return home following the final game of the series in Bristol on Sunday.The severity of the injury is still being determined but the seriousness is clear given he was flown home mid-series. Green has already had four stress fractures in his lower back during his career, all of which came before his Test debut in 2020. However, it has not been revealed whether this is a recurrence of that injury or something different.Related

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Green has had long layoffs from bowling after each of his previous stress fractures but has, at times, been allowed to play as a batter. He missed the entire 2017-18 domestic summer and instead played grade, Under-19 and second XI cricket as a batter only. He missed another stretch of domestic cricket between January and October 2019. Following a recurrence of a stress fracture in November 2019 he was still able to play Sheffield Shield cricket as a batter only just a week later. However, he was not cleared to bowl until October 2020 in the lead up to his Test debut.Australia’s Test selection for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series was already complicated with the possibility of Steven Smith moving back down the order causing debate as to who might open given the selectors were on record saying the top six would not change barring injury.If Green is ruled out of playing altogether, Smith could slot straight back into No.4 and a domestic opener could be elevated, with Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw once again vying for a Test recall while Nic Maddinson could also throw his hat in the ring with a hot start to the summer.Cameron Green made 174 not out in Australia’s last series•Getty ImagesIf Green is fit to play Test cricket as a batter only, and the selectors deem him valuable enough to pick, then the debate about who bats where will rage on.But either way, it will be highly unlikely he will be available to bowl. There has been external criticism of the need for two pace-bowling allrounders in Australia’s XI with Green and Mitchell Marsh picked together in Australia’s last four Test matches. But captain Pat Cummins has already stated the importance of having both in his arsenal to deploy across a tightly condensed five-Test series against India, and their presence together played a significant part in allowing Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc to play all seven Tests last summer without needing a rest.Without Green, Marsh’s overs become even more important. But there is a serious concern over Marsh’s ability to handle that workload. He only bowled four overs across the eight white-ball matches he played in the UK, having not bowled in a match since a hamstring injury ended his IPL in April, and pulled up sore following those four overs at Lord’s and was unable to play two days later at Bristol.Marsh has only bowled more than nine overs in a Test once since his return to the side at Headingley last year, when he bowled 16 at the Oval including eight in each innings. He then did not bowl again in a match until the ODI World Cup despite playing 11 limited-overs internationals as a batter in the lead-in.Since Green has returned to the Test side, Marsh only bowled two overs in each of the two Tests against West Indies, four overs in the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington and nine overs in the second in Christchurch.If Green plays and Marsh pulls up sore during a Test match, Australia will not have any seam bowling support in their XI against India. Such a scenario would be a concern for the selectors. It may lead to the consideration of either Aaron Hardie or Beau Webster to come into the Test frame.Aaron Hardie could push his case in Shield cricket•Getty ImagesHardie has elevated his case after a wonderful white-ball tour of the UK but still has to prove his case as a legitimate top-six batter for Test cricket having not played much red-ball cricket in recent times. His two Shield hundreds have come batting at No.8 and No.7 but he does have a century batting at No.4 for Australia A and scored 99 for Western Australia at No.5 against South Australia last summer. His red-ball bowling workloads are also set to be carefully monitored at the start of the home summer. He only played seven Shield matches last summer. He suffered calf tightness mid-innings in Tasmania, which saw him miss a T20I tour of New Zealand, and didn’t bowl in the next two Shield games after that before only bowling 10 overs in the last round and two overs in the Shield final. He was withdrawn from a county championship stint with Surrey in the winter.Webster is coming off the second-best season by an allrounder in the history of the Shield. He scored 938 runs at 58.62 and took 30 wickets at 29.30. Only the legendary Garry Sobers (973 runs at 74.85 and 47 wickets at 27.60) in 1963-64 has managed to have a better all-round year in Shield cricket. Webster’s recent batting success has come exclusively at Nos. 6-7. But he does have a Shield century opening the batting for Tasmania and two batting at No.3. His bowling has been very effective on Shield pitches, given his ability to stand the seam up from 200cm, but there will be a question as to whether that translates on Test pitches given his pace is generally sub-130kph.Both men are likely to get the chance to put a case forward in the early Shield rounds and for Australia A against India A in two four-day matches in late October and early November.But if one of those players were needed in the Test XI at the expense of an injured Green, it still means Australia will either have to stick with Smith as opener or use Marnus Labuschagne or Travis Head in the role.The debate was already complicated. Green’s injury only adds another layer.

The NCA chief talks about the work involved in looking after India’s top and emerging players

Shashank Kishore03-Oct-2024Meetings, mentoring sessions, project walkthroughs – VVS Laxman’s life as the head of BCCI’s new Centre of Excellence is comparable to that of a CEO’s.We’ve travelled about 35km from Bengaluru’s city centre to this new facility near the international airport. Once fully operational from January 2025, it will replace the existing National Cricket Academy, which adjoins the Chinnaswamy Stadium.”Better than the world’s best,” is how Laxman describes it to our media contingent. This “new NCA” has been in the making for 15 years, with litigation hurdles stalling its progress until two years ago. Since Laxman took charge in December 2021, he’s been busy engaging with site engineers and building consultants, overseeing blueprints, action plans and budgets among other things.”The target for completion was 15 months [from November 2022],” Laxman says. “I was a bit sceptical, but the way work has progressed right from the time construction began has been remarkable. I have been to some of the best academies in the world, not only limited to cricket, but other sports also, but I have not seen this kind of a facility.”As Laxman takes a seat in the media conference room on the second floor, overlooking the ground, he is reminded of his time before becoming the NCA head. “Haven’t seen mics and cameras for a while,” he jokes, referring to his television commentary stint in the past.This is his first official media interaction since taking on the administrative role and while Laxman has consciously avoided the media glare, today, he is happy to explain the ins and outs of his role as he basks in the afterglow of the project’s inauguration a day earlier.Related

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“When I took up this role, I was very reluctant,” he says. “But once I embraced this position, it’s been such a satisfying and fulfilling experience. You’re dealing with not only the established international stars, but you’re creating bench strength. And that has been very, very fulfilling – to see the amount of talent, the amount of potential at our disposal.”In the past the perception has been that the NCA is merely a facility for injured players. Laxman rejects that notion.”There has been a lot of misconception about how NCA is just used for rehab programmes and how players getting back also are getting injured [soon after they resume playing], but you have seen it with Rishabh [Pant], how well NCA manages [players],” Laxman says. “I can’t comment on what has happened in the past, but I can say with a lot of conviction that I am very, very proud of every member of my team.”It’s high-pressure work because they are dealing with injuries, and there is a misconception that timelines have to be met. I understand that at times you [the player] know you will be fit in a particular time frame, but sometimes the recovery won’t be [within a specific time frame] or the result won’t be seen, so having patience and following the protocols is very, very critical.”He also highlights the work the NCA staff put in to motivate and care for injured players.”I sometimes joke with my S&C coaches that they’ve become good counsellors because there will be days when the player will feel little down, a little frustrated, but you have those conversations to convince players that whatever is happening is in their best interest.”The challenging part of rehab is that the entire rehab will probably be done within two-three hours [in a day] and players have nothing to do for the rest of the day. We’re talking about elite sportspersons who are usually busy playing or training six to eight hours, and suddenly they realise they are confined to the rehab room.One of three grounds at the Centre of Excellence that can host first-class cricket•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Once they recover, they progress to the ground [at the NCA], but it’s a maximum of four to five hours, so they are required to be mentally strong and to not get frustrated. It’s very important that the player also understands that and there’s always one or two conversations around it.”Another aspect of the NCA that has come under criticism is the methods used for injury diagnosis. A few players have complained about the rigidity of the system – like having an injured player field for the entire duration of a 50-over game before being declared fit. Players say there have been instances when the ball has hardly come to them while fielding during the game and that processes designed to simply tick a box don’t help in the long run.Laxman tries to explain why the processes are necessary and insists that rapid strides have been taken towards injury prevention in recent times.The BCCI has adopted a system that determines through a series of tests – on shoulders, hip flexors, and hamstrings, for example – certain markers that indicate player fitness, which are then assessed to fine-tune their workloads.This helps determine the extent of injuries and monitors a player’s physical state. If any of the parameters seem off, the physios and coaches can tailor workloads, or look to avoid certain routines that run the risk of causing injuries.”The idea is to prevent injuries,” Laxman says. “And that’s why there has been a focus on recovery and setting fitness standards – it’s very, very critical. In fact, what we have done over the last two years is to standardise fitness procedures from top to bottom. It’s not only the Indian team, but even the state teams. As far as the fitness, recovery or S&C part is concerned, one of the main challenges was how to standardise. How can a player who is at the NCA continue to work on their fitness levels with the same intensity when they are at a zonal camp or back with their state associations?”A view of a dressing room in the 40-acre campus•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo LtdTo do that, the NCA has tied up with the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA) to introduce upskilling programmes for state-level coaches and physios.The NCA also keeps tabs on players throughout the year, not just during camps, using an Athlete Management System (AMS), which monitors several parameters, like fatigue, sleep, mood, menstrual cycle in case of female athletes, and non-sport stressors. The data is analysed to chart out personalised programmes for every player.”When Rahul [Dravid] was the head coach of the Indian team, he used to take care of the contracted players and we at NCA took care of the targeted players, emerging players and the U-19s throughout the year.”They come for camps and once they go back to their respective state association, we [continue to] monitor them. Every coach would have at least ten players they are monitoring. So, one spin bowling coach, like a Sairaj Bahutule, would have ten spinners under him.”We know the areas they are required to work on, and through the year we make sure the player is working [on those]. We collaborate with the coaches back in the state. A majority of those coaches are part of our ecosystem through the summer programmes. I think ours is always a very open and inclusive way of working.”Laxman says the focus is centred on the player. “We don’t want the player to feel the burden of whose advice he has to listen to. We take into confidence the state association coaches, because they spend a lot more time with that player than we do [at the NCA].”The outdoor nets at the new facility feature 45 pitches•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo LtdAhead of the Border-Gavaskar series down under, India’s A team will also tour Australia, which gives players on the fringes of the Test squad the chance to make their case for selection. In recent times, there have been fewer India A tours, partly due to the knock-on effects of the pandemic on cricket’s calendar, but Laxman says the focus is to have at least two A tours every year.”It’s just about getting exposure to different kind of conditions, so that when they graduate to the national team they are ready. That is the whole objective of the A programme. I think the pitches here [some of which have been made from soil imported from UK and Australia, and others using soil from other parts of India] will allow them to improve their adaptability.”After this Q&A session, Laxman is heading to Chennai to meet the India men’s Under-19 team, currently playing a Youth Test against Australia, so the conversation moves towards the BCCI’s development programme, whose main focus is on age-group cricket.India have featured in the last five men’s U-19 World Cup finals, and won two. They also won the inaugural women’s one in 2023. While the policy of picking an age-group player for only one U-19 World Cup remains in force, there is a concerted effort to make sure that players who miss out on qualifying for the biennial event get some high-profile exposure as well. It’s partly why Samit Dravid was picked in India’s U-19 squad for the Australia series, even though he wasn’t going to be in contention for the next World Cup (injury has ruled him out since then).”When you go from one U-19 World Cup to another, there’s always one batch who misses out. While I’m not saying that it is the most important step in their growth and progress as a cricketer, when you represent India at any level it gives that confidence.”So now currently we are playing a series against Australia U-19 and, luckily, a lot of the guys who may miss out on the next World Cup are part of this series.”It’s time for Laxman to catch his flight to Chennai to meet this next generation of Indian talent. He signs a few autographs, poses for photographs with the Centre of Excellence ground as the backdrop, and as he exits, he asks: “I’ve given y’all three years worth of quotes, haven’t I?”He sure did. And as was the case most times in his career, he couldn’t have timed it better.

All of 19, he has already played in the IPL, PSL, BBL, the Hundred, MLC, LPL and SA20, and could soon have a CPL title to his name

Ashish Pant05-Oct-2024It has been an incredibly consistent run for St Lucia Kings in CPL 2024. After winning seven of their ten league games and bagging 14 points for the first time, Kings became the first team to make the playoffs this season. At different stages in the tournament, different people have put their hands up for Kings. While Johnson Charles and Faf du Plessis have led the way with the bat, it is Noor Ahmad, the Afghanistan wristspinner, who has made the biggest impact with the ball, in his maiden CPL season.All of 19, he has already played in the IPL, PSL, BBL, the Hundred, MLC, LPL and SA20. So, it was no surprise that when he arrived at the CPL, he looked like a seasoned campaigner almost from the get-go. And he’s bowled that way.Noor is comfortably the leading wicket-taker so far in the tournament with 19 wickets in 11 games, averaging 14.31 at an economy rate of 6.32. He has taken at least a wicket in all but two matches, which includes three three-wicket hauls. Having a gun wristspinner is something that Kings lacked last season with Sikandar Raza, who can now turn the ball both ways, and Peter Hatzoglou not as effective. But getting Noor on board has changed the narrative for Kings.Related

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“Playing CPL is a wonderful experience,” Noor tells ESPNcricinfo. “It is very competitive, [has] beautiful stadiums, a beautiful crowd. The atmosphere to play cricket in the Caribbean is absolutely great.”The belief and trust that I have got from the management and captain, that is something that gives me the feeling that I can do well for my team in any situation of the game. Reading the situation, reading the conditions, then I know how to bowl in that particular situation. That is something that has helped me a lot throughout this CPL.”The conditions in the Caribbean aren’t always the easiest for an overseas spinner. The winds can often disrupt lengths, and adjusting to the surfaces is also a challenge, but Noor has adapted quickly. Sixteen of the 19 wickets that he has picked in CPL 2024 have been of right-handers. He’s used the wind to his advantage and got the wrong’uns to pitch on the right areas. And against left-handers, he has been tight, conceding just 5.34 runs against them.ESPNcricinfo LtdIt helped that Noor was part of the Afghanistan T20 World Cup squad in the West Indies and USA earlier in the year and while he just managed a wicket in seven outings, the experience of the Caribbean conditions has kept him in good stead.”Yeah, I already played in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean,” Noor says. “So it wasn’t much to think about all these things as to how the conditions will be because I had already played here recently, and I know the situations and the conditions very well. I had three training sessions before the start of the tournament, and I got the idea what to do and it’s been great since then.”His proudest moment was certainly being part of the Afghanistan team that had qualified for the T20 World Cup semi-final for the very first time.”It was an unforgettable journey. Going to the semi-final among the best teams in the world was not easy,” Noor said. “Before the start of the tournament, we as a group, as a team believed that we can go to the semi-final and final because of the skills and talent we had in our team. All these things made the difference for us.”Kings have made it to the Eliminator three times and the final twice but have not been able to lay their hands on the trophy even once. With Noor going the way he is, and the top order firing, Kings will be hopeful of going all the way. They will have four days to rest and reboot and will hope they get third time lucky as far as CPL finals go.

In a chat with ESPNcricinfo, Shanto and Mehidy speak about what the 2-0 series win against Pakistan means to the side, and more

Mohammad Isam04-Sep-2024Mehidy, you have won Player of the Series against England and now this one against Pakistan. Which one is bigger?Mehidy: [friend], you tell him. What do I say? I’m confused.Shanto: I was the captain in this series, so this one is better.Related

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How would you rate Mehidy’s performance in the second Test?Shanto: He was just brilliant. The way he bowled on the first day on this wicket – a spinner taking five wickets, it was unbelievable. It was something else.And how about his batting?Shanto: We were 26 for 6. He comes up to me and says, ‘, this happens to our team all the time; Litton [Das] and I are there’. That’s all he said. He said it with all seriousness.Your turn, Mehidy – you have had quite a few clutch performances already…Mehidy: To be honest with you, I try hard. Allah helps me. If a person tries something and works hard for it, he’s going to be successful. You mentioned the two Player-of-the-Series awards – these two are huge moments in my life. I can’t choose one, both are big achievements. That was my debut Test series against England. It was our first Test win against them. This is my first Player of the Series on foreign soil. I never expected that I would contribute with bat and ball. So both are special for me.What do you tell yourself when the team is in trouble?Mehidy: I try to be calm. I try not to be too excited. I try to remember good memories from the past. Whoever I bat with, I try to diffuse the tension. I will joke with the batter at the other end. When I joined Litton at 26 for 6, I was joking with him. I asked him if he remembered how nervous we were when we opened the batting in the final of the Asia Cup [in 2018]. He joined in, he started to joke with me too. This is how we got rid of the nervousness.When the momentum came back, we started to discuss how to turn things around. We wanted to take the team to a good position. We had a very good partnership [of 165 runs]. I am thankful to Allah, he keeps me calm and cool even in these moments.9:19

Tamim: ‘Bangladesh’s biggest achievement in Test cricket’

Shanto, which was your favourite Mehidy performance in this series?Shanto: Batting. Both knocks [77 in the first Test and 78 in the second]. I would say it was 49-51 [between his batting and bowling performances].We always thought Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Mehidy only take wickets at home…Mehidy: Now you can say that we take wickets abroad too. To be honest, you cannot make a Test player in one or two days. You have to give him time. You have to allow him to do well. It takes time for him to settle into a role and dominate in world cricket. The more time he gets, the better he will be.Maybe my home performances gave me a certain kind of mindset, but now that I am bowling well abroad, I will have this as a reference point to do well in the future. It raises your confidence for the next big series abroad. Confidence comes from records and references. I have both now. I will be more confident next time.

He has become the kind of player that can produce something special, and still be deserving of a scolding because it is widely understood that he is better than that

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Dec-2024Before “Pathum Nissanka” was ever a search in your device, before his switch to being a primarily white-ball player, before he hit Sri Lanka’s first ODI double-hundred, he was a 22-year-old batter who averaged 63 in first-class cricket. It is worth clocking this early, very good-boy version of Nissanka, because clearly the man himself has moved on so emphatically, it is easy to forget. This guy, once, took 252 balls to hit 103 on debut in Antigua. Nerd.Since first making a name in Tests, he has crashed over 4000 limited-overs runs at pretty solid strike rates, tattoo-sleeves have appeared, and though a back injury had apparently pushed him out of Tests for a while, he’s already hit a rapid, match-winning hundred in England since returning to the longest format. Three-and-a-half years into his international journey, it feels like we’re already on Nissanka version 2.0. The man is speed-running a career.If you know where he’s come from, and how far he’s traveled to get here, you’ll respect the hustle, though. There is no doubt that he’s talented. What you frequently also hear from coaches, is that he’s hungry. You watch this latest version of him at the crease now, and you can sense he wants more than he already has. He’ll leave that ball alone, but the way he shadow-bats a drive after it’s past him, a part of him wishes he’d tried to hit it for four.Related

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There is sense, and quiet, and discipline there. But deep beneath all that, also greed.How else do you explain that dismissal? Apologies that the first mention of his 89 on day two is of him getting out, running at Keshav Maharaj, and yorking himself against an otherwise unremarkable delivery. But even batting coach Thilina Kandamby sounded pretty annoyed, after play.”The way he got out – he only has himself to blame,” Kandamby said. “It was a good opportunity to get a century in South Africa. It’s not an easy thing. Only a few Sri Lankans have ever done it. At a time when the bowlers are tired, and the pitch is flat, he let go a great opportunity. Even I can’t put my finger on what happened, except to think that he lost his concentration suddenly. It’s not easy, because he’s got to to start from zero again to get to a hundred. But he’s a young cricketer, so I think he’ll make sure these sorts of things don’t happen again in future.”If the public criticism sounds especially harsh, it is because there is a widespread acknowledgement that Nissanka has a higher ceiling than almost anyone. He is a phenomenal player of the short ball, as he proved on day two, playing that shot to vicious effect against all three South Africa frontline seamers. On top of which he can be compact in defence when he wants to be, and is devastating against spin, in the shorter formats at least. Maharaj has a slog-sweep shaped bruise in his figures to prove it.Pathum Nissanka defends off the front foot•Associated PressIncreasingly, Nissanka is the kind of cricketer from whom you expect a solid score at some point in the series. Almost seamlessly, this has become expected of him in Tests as well, even though Nissanka 2.0 feels very much like a white-ball sort of guy. Though he himself is the “next big thing” in Sri Lankan batting, in Tests at least, he has to share that space with Kamindu Mendis, whose average (and we promise we don’t mean to shame Nissanka any further on a day in which he has been outstanding) is more than twice what Nissanka’s is, in this format.But Nissanka bats in an era in which other young players are gunning to be the next big thing. Avishka Fernando is around in limited-overs cricket. Charith Asalanka has already risen to the captaincy and excels in the ODI middle order. You’ve got to work for your stardom right now, and Nissanka seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t just want a job for the next 12 years, but wants to build a legacy. He was out for 89, but it felt like he needed 89 minutes to leave the field, so slowly did he amble off it. Though, that might also be because he was steeling himself for the batting coach-bollocking.In any case, in this innings, quelling a confident attack, Nissanka produced another glimpse into his quality. If we’re already at Nissanka 2.0, and he has as much potential as his innings suggest, and as much desire as his coaches say, we may have something special on our hands.For now, he is the kind of player that can strike up a century partnership, quell difficult opening spells, defy short-ball attacks on a bouncy pitch, push Sri Lanka into a slight advantage with his 89, and still be deserving of a scolding because it is widely understood that he is better than that.