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Worcestershire succumb in an hour’s play on final morning as hosts eye runners-up finish

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2024Kyle Abbott put Hampshire on course for their best Vitality County Championship since 2005 after beating Worcestershire by 235 runs.Abbott took four of the five remaining Worcestershire wickets to return five for 36 and his fourth five-wicket haul of the season.Hampshire collected maximum points to move above Somerset and into second place, ahead of a trip to Taunton to conclude the season next week, with James Vince’s side last finishing as runners-up under Shane Warne’s captaincy.Worcestershire needed 277 more runs to win on the final day, but only lasted until 11.30am as Abbott ran rampant.Abbott broke through in the sixth over of the day as he skidded a short delivery into Ethan Brookes’ ribs.The first-innings centurion attempted to pull, but it dragged off his glove and to Toby Albert at leg slip – who took a stunning diving catch.Jake Libby scored a patient half-century the previous evening but only added a further two runs before he became Abbott’s second scalp in two overs.The South African found significant inwards movement to take an inside-edge onto pad and to Vince at first slip.Albert produced a second brilliant piece of fielding of the morning as Joe Leach’s penultimate Championship appearance ended in a run-out – after Logan van Beek had turned down a single.Tom Taylor came out to bat at No.11 with a runner, but either side of some Amar Virdi swinging, but only lasted six balls before he edged Abbott behind.Abbott now has 46 scalps in the Championship this season, having completed the game an hour into day four with the hosts bowled out for 158.

Justin Langer confident in Australia’s fast-bowling depth if reinforcements are needed

Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2021Cameron Green’s role with the ball shapes a crucial part of Australia’s Ashes plans both in terms of the workload of captain Pat Cummins and whether rotation of the other quicks will be needed during the series.It is, though, unlikely that Australia will field the same fast-bowling trio through all five Tests meaning that Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc could be in line for a break during the series.Last season, it was felt that the quicks had run out of steam by the final match against India although the first two games had been over in less than three and four days respectively.Cummins’ position, as a rare fast-bowling captain, will be in the spotlight but he has shown remarkable durability since returning to Test cricket in 2017 and has missed just two matches.Related

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• Green vs Stokes? Let Cam be his own man

• Marnus Labuschagne eager for James Anderson duel with 'target on the back'

• Squad vs Squad: how do Australia and England stack up?

Green was wicketless in his debut series against India last season while sending down 44 overs and his bowling numbers have blown out since having stress fractures of the back. However, even if he is not striking regularly, the ability to bowl 12-15 overs a day and not let the run rate get away will be vital – Green conceded 2.68 runs per over against India – while Marnus Labuschagne could also have a part to play.”[Cummins] will be fine strategically, it will just be maintaining the balance of everything else that goes with his bowling load and then captaining and all the other commitments that come with it. So we’ll keep an eye on that,” Justin Langer said. “Cameron Green is going to be important there with his extra bowling that he can give. Marnus bowling some as well.”Cameron Green is waiting for his first Test wicket•Getty Images

Cummins has acknowledged that knowing when not to bowl himself, or to end a spell, could be among his tougher decisions. “I think that’s going to be one of the main things that I have to be aware of,” he said. “There’s a lot of experience in the side. Sometimes I might need to listen to what they’ve got to say more than what I’ve got to say myself.”Langer, who said he knew the XI for the Gabba but would keep it under wraps, did not commit to the need to rotate the quick bowlers outside of injury problems but was confident in the depth in the squad. Jhye Richardson has been in impressive form this season for Western Australia with 23 wickets at 13.43 while Michael Neser is on track after a hamstring injury. Sean Abbott and Mark Steketee are also part of the Australia A squad.”Last year there was a lot of discussion at the end of the India series,” Langer said. “We had some criticism that we used the same bowlers, but you can turn that on its head and say it’s actually a real credit to the bowlers who are so fit and the support staff that guys can get through four Tests and not break down. We’ll work through it. What I do know is we have a lot of talent and we keep seeing that.”Jhye Richardson is in great nick, he’s bowled beautifully in Shield cricket. Michael Neser is coming back from his hamstring and he’s one of the heartbeats of the team.”Asked whether Labuschagne’s medium pace, which has become more frequent in domestic cricket, could make an appearance, Langer said: “I’m very happy to see him bowl legspin at the moment…you never know, Matthew Wade bowled a few overs of seam up, but I like to see his leggies.”

The opening pair put on 181, the highest ever IPL stand for any wicket for CSK

Deivarayan Muthu04-Oct-20201:35

Should Kings XI Punjab now look at playing Mujeeb Ur Rahman?

After losing three matches in a row, the Chennai Super Kings finally ditched their go-slow at the top and maximised the powerplay, dragging themselves off the bottom of the points table with a ten-wicket shellacking of the Kings XI Punjab in Dubai. Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson reeled off an unbroken 181 together for the first wicket – the highest partnership ever for the Super Kings – to hand the Kings XI their fourth defeat. It was also the second-highest target chased down in the IPL without losing a wicket.Du Plessis, in particular, wasn’t fluent in the early exchanges, but he chanced his arm and kept clearing the infield. In the last over of the powerplay, du Plessis flitted around the crease and carted Chris Jordan for four fours in five balls, seemingly ruining the bowler’s 32nd birthday.After managing 4, 33, 14, 1 in his first four innings this season, Watson, too, dashed out of the blocks rolling out his vintage slog-sweeps and lofts down the ground. He was the first to raise his half-century, off 31 balls, before du Plessis brought up his own landmark off 33 balls. The pair then cranked up the tempo further and toyed with a Kings XI side that had drafted in Jordan to beef up their bowling attack in place of New Zealand allrounder Jimmy Neesham.The Kings XI had started strongly, too, earlier in the evening, with captain KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal putting together their third fifty-plus opening stand in five innings. Rahul cut out all risks and was on 46 off 44 balls at the start of the 15th over; the Kings XI were 114 for 2 at that point. However, the big acceleration didn’t quite come to pass as Shardul Thakur had Rahul edging behind for 63 off 52 balls with a slower yorker. Thakur had also dismissed the big-hitting Nicholas Pooran in the same over – the 18th – to help limit the Kings XI to 178 for 4.Rahul and Agarwal at it again
After opting to bat, Rahul saw off the early swing from Deepak Chahar and only went on the offensive when the Super Kings’ seamers provided him width. At the other end, though, Agarwal was more adventurous, backing away outside leg and clattering Chahar over extra-cover. He then nailed a front-foot pull off a heavy-length delivery from Thakur. However, legspinner Piyush Chawla cut short Agarwal’s knock at 26 off 19 balls with his first delivery.Mandeep Singh, who was picked ahead of Karun Nair, infused more urgency into the innings, taking Chawla for 20 off just nine balls. Then, when he tried to take on Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm fingerspin, he drilled him straight to Ambati Rayudu at extra-cover. After not picking up a single wicket in his last three matches, Jadeja got away to 3-0-17-1. However, the left-handed Pooran messed with his figures, cracking him for back-to-back boundaries in his final over, including a massive six over midwicket. In contrast, Rahul continued to play himself in for the slog overs.Thakur stays alive at the death
Rahul raised his fifty off his 46th ball with a six and hit the next two balls for boundaries as well. Just when he threatened to accelerate, Thakur tricked him with a slower wide yorker that found his outside edge. Dhoni dived to his right and became the second wicketkeeper, after Dinesh Karthik, to bag 100 catches. A ball before removing Rahul, Thakur had Pooran skying a catch for 33 off 17 balls. Although, Sarfaraz Khan got two fours away off the first two balls off the last over, Thakur adjusted his pace and lines to close out the innings well. In all, the Kings XI scored only 37 off their last four overs.Hello, again, CSK
Watson set the tone for the Super Kings’ chase when he planted his front leg and lofted left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell over mid-on in the first over. The Kings XI then threw Harpreet Brar into the powerplay, matching him up with Watson, who tends to struggle against left-arm fingerspinners. In the game against the Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel found drift and cramped him for room, drawing a weak pull to deep midwicket. Watson, though, lofted Brar over his head and settled down. Du Plessis then kept swishing at the ball, exploiting the field restrictions, taking the Super Kings to 60 for 0 in six overs. It was the first time this season that the Super Kings openers had moved past the powerplay unscathed.With Chawla, Shardul Thakur, and Deepak Chahar at Nos. 9, 10, and 11, Watson and du Plessis kept going after the bowlers. Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi put Watson off with his reverse diagonal run-up across the umpire like how Mumbai Indians’ Rahul Chahar often does. However, he, too, wasn’t spared as Watson smoked him past extra-cover and then Jordan returned to cop more punishment from Du Plessis.Du Plessis finished the chase off in grand fashion in the 18th over with a one-handed six followed by a punched four off Mohammed Shami.

It means the country’s prime minister has no power to dissolve the board or remove the chairman, with that clause being removed completely

Umar Farooq21-Aug-2019The government of Pakistan formally notified the new PCB constitution with certain amendments, toning down the powers of its own patron-in-chief. This is the fourth time in the last 12 years that the PCB constitution has been redrafted. This latest change means the patron-in-chief, who is also the country’s prime minister, has no power to dissolve the board or remove the chairman, with that clause being removed completely, effectively making the PCB an independent body.According to the new constitution, the prime minister of the country is still a patron of the board, but his power to dictate to it has been curbed. Earlier, his general policy directions were compulsory to implement, but will now, constitutionally at least, only be up for consideration. “The Patron may, from time to time, give to the Board general policy directions for its consideration,” clause 5.3 reads.The patron earlier had the power to dissolve the PCB, with this once igniting an embarrassing crisis for the board when former patron Nawaz Shariff dismissed the then-chairman Zaka Ashraf and dissolved the board of governors. Sharif formed a management committee to pick the new PCB chairman from among its eight members, which ultimately brought Najam Sethi to power.Changes of government have always rung changes at the PCB because the prime minister has held absolute power with the board. This has hindered the PCB’s ability to push through a long-term vision, with the board beholden to the desires of its incoming patron every few years. But the new constitution makes a significant tweak that eradicates the ability of the patron to dissolve the board of governors altogether.When Imran Khan won a general election in 2018, Sethi’s future became the subject of intense speculation, with the two of them having a famously poor relationship. With the prime minister allowed – according to the then PCB constitution – to change the PCB chairman if he so desired, it seemed unlikely Sethi would be able to stay on beyond Imran formally taking charge. In what was widely seen as an anticipation of his impending removal once Imran became prime minister, Sethi tendered his resignation just before Imran was due to take office, leading to Ehsan Mani being ushered in.Until now, chairmen had the authority to act as executives of the board who tried to implement policy they had proposed themselves, which according to Mani was a conflict of interest. The new constitution tackled governance loopholes related to the administration of cricket and the functioning of its governing body, bringing it in line with the best practices of corporate governance.The patron’s role is now more narrowly worded in Clause 32.5, giving them only oversight authority and the ability to launch an audit if they believed financial mismanagement may have taken place at the board. “Notwithstanding anything contained in this clause, the Patron in his exclusive discretion to be exercised, for reasons to be recorded in writing, after being reasonably satisfied that there is sufficient evidence of financial mismanagement within the Board, may direct conducting of a special audit of the Board’s accounts. The audit report shall only be submitted to the Patron for his consideration,” the clause reads.To many, this change might seem a calculated political ploy by the current patron-in-chief, with Imran already having made one intervention which resulted in Mani becoming chairman of the PCB. But whether the constitution, and indeed the institution that is the PCB, is sturdy enough to withstand a future patron-in-chief looking to shake things up at the PCB once more, only time will tell.

Sophie Molineux will be gently brought back to the international fold via Australia A’s matches with a chance she could be called up later in the Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2019Burgeoning allrounder Sophie Molineux has not recovered from a shoulder surgery in time to be named in Australia’s women’s Ashes squad to tour England this year, though she has been offered an indirect path back to selection via the Australia A group who will be touring in parallel with the senior team.Following a strong domestic season in which she was part of the Melbourne Renegades side narrowly beaten by the Sydney Sixers in a thrilling WBBL season four semi-final at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney, Molineux went in for surgery with the hope of being fit in time for the Ashes.However, her recovery is still progressing, meaning Molineux will be gently brought back to the international fold via Australia A’s matches against the England Women’s Academy and also a tour game against the England senior side, ahead of the one-off Ashes Test at Taunton from July 18 to 21.Tayla Vlaeminck, the 20-year-old quick bowler who has played one ODI and one T20I, has been included after overcoming injury. She had missed the ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year as did Nicole Bolton, who had opted to take a break due to personal reasons and has been included in the Ashes squad. Meanwhile, Lauren Cheatle – who returned to the national fold during the New Zealand – has been left out.”We’ve been able to name a reasonably stable squad which is really important with Sophie Molineux the only player to miss out from Australia’s most recent series against New Zealand,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “Sophie has been doing everything she could do prove her fitness having had a shoulder reconstruction back in February, but she still needs a bit more time to make sure she’s 100% [fit], so she’ll travel to England with the Australia A side.”Tayla was also under an injury cloud but she’s back bowling and has had a terrific off-season up in Brisbane, so we’re really excited to see what she can do in English conditions. We’re fortunate to be able to take an Australia A side to England as well which will give us flexibility with the squad as we move through the various formats.”The Ashes is arguably Australia’s biggest bilateral series and one that is always a really tightly fought contest. As holders of the Ashes it’s going to be a big challenge for the team to bring the trophy back to Australia, but we believe the side has the right mix of talent and the depth to do exactly that.”The tour will follow the same aggregate format used in recent times, with points accumulated over three ODIs, the one-off Test, and then three T20Is. Molineux will be hopeful of resuming her place in the national team by the time the shortest of the three formats rolls around in late July.One name of note in the Australia A squad is the 17-year-old Annabel Sutherland, making her first international tour after appearing for the Governor-General’s XI against the touring New Zealand side late in the home summer.Australia will depart for England on June 21, and will play two 50-over warm-up matches against England Women’s Academy in Loughborough on June 26 and 28, and a three-day red-ball game in Swindon from July 11-13. The one-day leg of the Ashes begins on July 3.Australia Ashes squad: Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Georgia Wareham, Tayla VlaeminckAustralia A squad: Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Josie Dooley, Heather Graham, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Redmayne, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Rachel Trenaman, Belinda Vakarewa, Amanda-Jade Wellington.

Uncapped allrounder Dwaine Pretorius has been named as Dale Steyn’s replacement for the remaining Tests in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2016Uncapped allrounder Dwaine Pretorius has been named as Dale Steyn’s replacement for the remaining Tests in Australia. South Africa needed the reinforcement because Steyn broke his shoulder while bowling on the first day of the Perth Test; he bowled only 12.4 overs in the match and was ruled out of the series.Pretorius, 27, represents the Lions franchise in domestic cricket in South Africa and made his ODI debut in September, playing three matches against Ireland and Australia. He has played 36 first-class matches and taken 115 wickets at an average of 22.27. He also has 1963 first-class runs at an average of 43.62 with four centuries.In the first three rounds of the ongoing Sunfoil Series, South Africa’s first-class competition, Pretorius made scores of 87, 80, 97, 28 and 72. He also took 6 for 81 in an innings, against Warriors.Despite losing Steyn – he is expected to be sidelined for around six months – South Africa were able to win the Perth Test by 177 runs, bowling Australia out twice with a three-man attack comprising fast bowlers Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada, and debutant left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. South Africa have Kyle Abbott and Morne Morkel, who was not 100% for the first Test, in the squad as well and they will now be joined by Pretorius.

India A bowlers defended a total of 243 to beat Australia A by 50 runs in the final of the A-team tri-series

The Report by Firdose Moonda in Pretoria14-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Dinesh Karthik’s 73 and his stand with Shikhar Dhawan helped India to a challenging 243•AFP

It was only a shade over half of what they showed they were capable of – 243 instead of 433 – but India A’s bowlers defended it to win the tri-series. In doing so, they bowled Australia A out for the lowest total of the week-long tournament, which has been played at a small ground on flat pitches and was, until today, a struggle for the bowlers.Australia A’s attack showed what discipline could do as they reined in India A from 141 for 2 after 23 overs to 243 all out. Through tight lines and fairly full lengths, they ensured India A only posted two partnerships higher than 20. Their last five wickets fell for 14 runs as they recorded the third-lowest total of the tournament.Through a display of inept stroke-making and poor shot selection, Australia A’s line-up did themselves no favours on a surface that finally showed a few sparks of life. India A’s quicks were able to extract slight extra bounce but it was not a strip that justified Australia A’s dismal showing in what should have been the event’s climax.Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch seemed determine to polish off the total in quick time. Marsh drove Mohammed Shami powerfully for four while Finch charged Suresh Raina, who opened the bowling, for a six and then a four in successive overs.The big hitting soon cost them. Finch tried to heave Shami down the ground but missed, and the ball found its way into the massive gap between bat and pad to bowl him. Shami got Marsh out to a similar shot – the batsman tried to pull him over mid-on but found Cheteshwar Pujara instead.Despite being two down early on, the Australian approach did not change. Glenn Maxwell took on Ishwar Pandey and enjoyed fleeting success before pulling off Raina and falling in a manner similar to Marsh. At 50 for 3, Australia A needed consolidation but India sensed opportunity.When Nic Maddinson got a healthy edge off Pandey, Raina leapt up at slip to pluck the ball out of the sky. And when Mitchell Marsh went too far down from the non-striker’s end after thinking of a sneaky single, Rohit Sharma was quick to get to the ball and ran him out. At 53 for 5, the only thing left for Australia A was to find a dignified way to end their challenge.They were in danger of missing out on that ending when Moises Henriques and Nathan Coulter-Nile both fell to Shahbaz Nadeem, the former edging to Raina, the latter being stumped by some distance. But Tim Paine and Josh Hazlewood batted manfully in an eight-wicket stand of 54 before Hazlewood became Nadeem’s third victim. Wriddhiman Saha showed quick reflexes to pull off a second stumping in a match where his keeping stood out for its efficiency.Paine quietly approached a half-century but was bowled for 47 in the 45th over. Although Australia’s lower order already had too much to do, with him out, they simply marked time to the end.Earlier, India lost A Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara early on but man-of-the-moment Shikhar Dhawan was on hand to take control. He drove the first ball he faced for four, was strong down the ground and dispatched anything pitched up. In a bid to stem the flow, Australia A resorted to a short-ball barrage but Dinesh Karthik’s pull shot was up to the task.The pair put on 108 runs for the third wicket and kept India A’s run-rate above six an over to sound a warning that a big total could be on the cards again. Australia A hauled them in after Dhawan reached for a Henriques delivery and was caught behind in the 24th over. Kartik was bowled by Nathan Coluter-Nile in the 29th over and Suresh Raina was dismissed cheaply three overs later.Ambati Rayudu, who edged a couple of times before settling in, and Wriddiman Saha rebuilt slowly. They did not find the boundary for 36 balls between the 36th and 42nd over, which slowed India A down, and Rayudu was bowled as he tried to accelerate, heaving and missing against a straight Hazlewood ball.Saha drove with confidence but when he tried to go aerial, he looped one to Maxwell at point to leave the lower order in charge of the final five-over surge.Hazlewood and Coulter-Nile did not give India A’s lower order much opportunity to score and took four wickets, including Saha in that time. They bowled full and straight to limit scoring. India A posted just 12 runs in the last 4.2 overs and their total appeared below-par but eventually, it turned out to be more than enough.

India secured second place in Group C of the Under-19 World Cup with a comfortable victory against Papua New Guinea, their second in three games

The Report by George Binoy in Townsville16-Aug-2012
ScorecardRavikant Singh’s five-for earned him the player-of-the-match award•ICC/Getty

India secured second place in Group C of the Under-19 World Cup with a comfortable victory against Papua New Guinea, their second in three games. Ravikant Singh led the efficient bowling performance, taking 5 for 21, which made up for a weak effort with the bat against inexperienced opposition. India will now face Pakistan in a quarterfinal at the Tony Ireland Stadium.After a disappointing effort against West Indies and an average one against Zimbabwe, India’s batsman had one last chance to find fluency ahead of the quarterfinals. However, the team was shot out for 204 off 45.1 overs, with Chad Soper, a Papua New Guinea medium-pacer who lives in Sydney, picking up a five-wicket haul.Unmukt Chand won the toss for the first time in the tournament and chose to bat at Endeavour Park 1, a club ground with small boundaries. He, however, was the first to fall, caught at slip off Soper. Chand hung around while the umpires checked if the ball had carried to Christopher Kent but was eventually on his way for 4.India’s batsmen were unable to apply the sort of pressure that makes inexperienced teams lose their disciplines. Papua New Guinea were frequently buoyed by wickets and they celebrated each one with loud whoops of excitement.The other opening batsman, Prashant Chopra, was responsible for most of India’s early runs but he was dismissed for 58 in the 23rd over, with the score on 95 for 4. Then it was up to Vijay Zol, who had an 82-run partnership for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Smit Patel. They played a few shots – Patel pulled over the midwicket boundary, while Zol scooped past the wicketkeeper. The resistance ended when Patel, on 30, lofted Raymond Haoda towards deep midwicket and was caught by Nigel Boge, who had to cover quite a bit of ground to his left.The end came quickly after that with Soper running through the tail, bowling full and straight to hit the stumps or the pads successfully. He had Zol caught behind for 72 to finish with 5 for 32.A target of 205 was always going to stretch Papua New Guinea. The only time when they looked like putting up a fight was when Christopher Kent went on the attack, hitting offspinner Vikas Mishra on to the roof of the club house and into the playing area of the West Indies-Zimbabwe game in an adjacent ground at Endeavour Park. Mishra eventually dismissed Kent, caught at long-on by Ravikant Singh.Ravikant then took three wickets in the space of four runs, reducing Papua New Guinea from 50 for 2 to 54 for 5. They were all out for 97 in the 32nd over.

Tillakaratne Dilshan batted through the innings with a century to take Sri Lanka to 280. Azhar Ali looked set to match Dilshan’s feat and nearly launched his maiden ODI ton. Ultimately, it was Thisara Perera’s six-wicket haul, aided by his own brilliant f

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran09-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTillakaratne Dilshan batted through the innings with a century to take Sri Lanka to 280. Azhar Ali looked set to match Dilshan’s feat and nearly reached his maiden ODI ton. Ultimately though, it was Thisara Perera’s six-wicket haul, aided by his own brilliant fielding, which helped Sri Lanka level the series after a disappointing showing on Thursday. Perera’s efforts were all the more special because four of those wickets included top-order victims. In the process, he bagged the overall best bowling figures against Pakistan in one-dayers.Pakistan gambled with their line-up by playing only five specialist batsmen in both games. It didn’t matter in the first ODI, where they were chasing a paltry target. However, in their chase of 281, their over-reliance on Azhar bit them. As the required-rate increased, Azhar’s own strike-rate dipped. None of the others passed 50, the next highest being 27.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, didn’t gamble with theirs. Thursday’s batting meltdown necessitated a reshuffle and the change gave the hosts a greater sense of security. It was imperative that at least one of the seniors – who were struggling for consistency – batted through. Upul Tharanga returned to the position he’s best known for, while Dinesh Chandimal was sandwiched between two experienced players to ease the pressure off his shoulders. It led to an efficient batting effort, led by Dilshan, who dropped anchor and batted with the intention of playing 50 overs. The foundation he provided allowed the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, dropping to No.5, the freedom to innovate in the slog overs.

Smart stats

• Thisara Perera’s 6 for 44 is his third five-wicket haul and best bowling performance in ODIs. It is also the best bowling performance against Pakistan in ODIs.

• Perera’s 6 for 44 is also sixth on the list of best bowling performances by a Sri Lankan bowler in home ODIs. The best is Chaminda Vaas’ 8 for 19 against Zimbabwe in 2001.

• Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 119 is his second-highest score against Pakistan after the 137 in Lahore in 2009. It is also the fourth-highest score in Pallekele. Dilshan holds the record at the venue with 144 against Zimbabwe.

• Sri Lanka’s 76-run win is their highest margin of victory against Pakistan at home.

• Sri Lanka’s total of 280 is their second-highest total against Pakistan at home after the 289 in Dambulla in 2009. Their highest at home remains the 398 against Kenya in 1996.

• Azhar Ali’s 96 is the fourth-highest score by a Pakistani batsman in an ODI defeat against Sri Lanka. The highest is Zaheer Abbas’ 123 in Lahore in 1982.

A drier pitch, devoid of the moisture present in the first game, made life easier for the batsmen, allowing them to play across the line. Two boundaries whipped off the pads early on gave Dilshan the confidence to settle in and take on a leadership role at the top of the order. After looking like a walking wicket in the first ODI, he was more sure of his off stump and was prepared to leave deliveries angling across him. Sohail Tanvir troubled him with a few that beat the bat, but he played out his spell and cashed in when debutant left-arm seamer Rahat Ali strayed too wide of the off stump.Dilshan shared shared stands of 37 with Tharanga and 47 with Kumar Sangakkara. Chandimal and Dilshan ensured the run-rate didn’t drop after that dismissal, knocking the singles and scoring boundaries when the spinners, in particular, erred in length. A sweep off Afridi brought up Dilshan’s fifty.Afridi trapped Chandimal lbw but there was no respite for Pakistan as what followed was Sri Lanka’s most productive partnership, of 86. Jayawardene, no stranger to unconventional shots, unsettled the spinners with a delicate late cut, a Dilscoop, a paddle sweep, reverse sweep and a conventional sweep.Dilshan nudged and punched the singles during the stand, allowing Jayawardene to play the aggressor. Though Dilshan slowed down after getting his century, it didn’t cause a slowdown because Perera tonked two fours and two sixes in a 14-ball 24 to lift Sri Lanka to a challenging score.Pakistan got more than what would have expected from a makeshift opener. Azhar did well to shrug off the tag of being a ‘Test-match player’. It was classical batsmanship on view as Azhar relied purely on timing to fetch his boundaries. With minimal foot movement, he managed to drive on the up and yet place it in the gaps through the off side. The pace at which he scored would have surprised Sri Lanka. The short of a length deliveries were punched off the back foot, while the fuller ones were driven through the covers.Sri Lanka’s seamers may have failed to make early inroads but Perera more than made up for that. He sent back Mohammad Hafeez off his first ball, flinging himself in the opposite direction of his follow-through to pull off a return catch. He then had Younis Khan nicking to the wicketkeeper and later sparked Pakistan’s slide by trapping Misbah-ul-Haq lbw.The boundaries dried up for Pakistan after the 20th over. Misbah’s departure left the inexperienced Azhar marshaling the unpredictable Umar Akmal and Afridi, both of whom failed to turn the game around. Perera had Akmal caught behind – a doubtful dismissal – and then got rid of Gul to register his third five-wicket haul. The game was all but over when Azhar’s leg stump was taken to pieces by a Nuwan Kulasekara yorker. Sri Lanka’s emphatic comeback has set the series up nicely for the last three games in Colombo.

The Pakistan board has offered its cooperation to the ECB, should the England board decide to hold an inquiry into Danish Kaneria’s alleged involvement in the Westfield spot-fixing case

Umar Farooq18-Feb-2012The Pakistan board’s integrity committee has offered its full cooperation to the ECB, should the England board decide to hold an inquiry into Danish Kaneria’s alleged involvement in the Mervyn Westfield spot-fixing case, Taffuzul Rizvi, the PCB’s legal advisor, has said.Kaneria, the former Pakistan and Essex legspinner, was not on trial in London, where former Essex bowler Westfield was sentenced to four months in jail after pleading guilty to the charge of accepting or obtaining corrupt payments. Kaneria’s name, however, dominated the proceedings in court as he was presented as the influential figure who led Westfield astray.Westfield, 23, had admitted to accepting £6000 in return for conceding a set number of runs in an over during a Pro40 match against Durham in September 2009. Kaneria, who was arrested along with Westfield in 2010 only for charges to be dropped due to a lack of evidence, could now face an investigation by the ECB.”This match was an England domestic match, so it’s in the ECB’s basic jurisdiction, but since Danish is a Pakistan player we are obviously looking into the matter with a lot of concern,” Rizvi told ESPNcricinfo. “The stance of the PCB is one of zero tolerance towards any player with questionable integrity.”The judgment of Westfield raised a lot of questions but in law everybody is innocent until proven guilty. A detailed inquiry is required and the integrity committee will resume its proceedings in due course. The PCB will be working closely with the ECB to get to the bottom of this matter.”ESPNcricinfo understands Kaneria did not give an undertaking to return to England nor was he asked by the Essex Police to return to face any inquiry.Despite the latest developments concerning Kaneria, he is captaining Sind in the Pentangular Cup final, which began today in Lahore. The PCB did not prevent Kaneria from playing the match because it did not want to act in haste. “Even Westfield was suspended after he was sentenced so there should not be a knee-jerk reaction,” Rizvi said. “The integrity committee has taken up a detailed inquiry proceeding and obviously fairness has to be followed in all proceedings.”Kaneria has always pleaded his innocence and his lawyer, Farogh Naseem, reiterated that his client had been cleared. “At the time of the police inquiry, Kaneria was not charged and [was] cleared,” Naseem said. “The ICC cleared him. We feel that Kaneria was discharged in the case.”