Fidel Edwards’ pace also caught the eye on the opening day at The Oval where almost 3000 spectators soaked up the action

Paul Edwards at Kia Oval20-Apr-2018
ScorecardPosters in tube stations are sometimes weirdly prescient. “We know what we are, but know not what we may be,” asserts a current advert for the Globe’s production of , and Ophelia’s words seemed curiously apt on Friday morning as one exchanged a fetid underland for Kennington’s rather cleaner air. On Thursday the uncertain prospect of hundred-ball cricket in 2020 had been all our rage. Hours later spectators at The Oval – around three thousand of them this Friday stolen from June – watched in perfect absorption, though nothing like content, as Surrey were dismissed for 211 by Hampshire, whose batsmen reached 52 for the loss of both openers and nightwatchman Chris Wood by the close.The Saturday papers may still label it “the visitors’ day” but such an outcome had not seemed at all likely until Surrey squandered their last six wickets for 24 runs immediately after tea. Four of those wickets fell to Liam Dawson in successive overs from the Vauxhall End but the collapse had begun with the first ball of the session when Ollie Pope played across the line to Kyle Abbott and was sent on his way by Steve O’Shaughnessy, the batsman dismissed by a delivery whose only virtue was its straightness. Pope had played well for his 34 but was plainly not infallible, which some may see as letting the side down.But the youngster’s misjudgement was quickly followed by more grievous errors, some of them committed by cricketers who know better. Sam Curran drove Dawson to Wood at mid-off and Rikki Clarke brainlessly lifted the same bowler to the same safe hands at long on. In between these lapses, Ben Foakes, who had stroked the ball with polished ease for 46, was leg before to a quicker arm-ball. Dawson and Fidel Edwards disposed of the tail and the home side’s profligacy was complete.The extent of the wastefulness became plain when one recalled that four of Surrey’s top six had done the groundwork necessary for a major innings and had effected a recovery from a poor start. For in the first six overs of the day the home side had lost Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick, both of whom were pinned leg before by Fidel Edwards’ inswingers. Rory Burns and Dean Elgar viewed those early wickets quite properly as proof that caution was needed and the pair batted with Puritan restraint in taking their side to 83 for 2 at lunch.In the interval hundreds of spectators wandered out and inspected the wicket. They did so in the manner of benevolent landlords returning to demesnes they had not visited for some time.Surrey’s third-wicket pair maintained their vigilance into the afternoon session. Then Burns was dismissed for 46 when an authentic glance off Edwards was neatly pouched by Sam Northeast who had been precisely placed at leg slip. It was a fine piece of cricketing craft, much finer at any rate than the inelegant and uncharacteristic slash which Elgar played to a wide ball from Wood, the edge being taken by McManus. That wicket left Surrey on 114 for 4 but Foakes and Pope’s 73-run stand repaired the innings until Dawson recalled the heyday of Peter Sainsbury and began to wheel away after tea.One’s mind turned briefly from a fine slow left-armer to the more immediate changes about to affect the English game. In two years’ time we shall be assailed by hundreds of balls and who knows what the penalty may be for non-compliance with the ECB’s trend hounds? “They say the owl was a baker’s daughter” muses Ophelia as she reflects upon the penalties for disobedience.For the moment, though, let us enjoy the County Championship. For on the day Surrey banned single-use plastics from The Oval, cricket’s older format again proved yet again that it should not be carelessly discarded. May your God be at your table this season but you had better make haste. Hampshire’s cricketers are already tucking in.

Pakistan coach rues the inconsistency in his young team as England bounce back from a humbling defeat at Lord’s

Andrew Miller03-Jun-2018Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach, said that he would need to “dish out a couple of hidings tonight”, as he rued the inconsistency in his young team that allowed England to bounce back from a humbling defeat at Lord’s to square the series in some style at Headingley.Arthur, who was also at the helm when Pakistan drew their last Test series in England, 2-2 in 2016, said that his players were “gutted” to have been rolled aside inside three days, but said that a setback such as this could be instrumental in helping them grow as a side, so long as the right lessons are learned.”I am incredibly disappointed to be brutally honest,” Arthur told Sky Sports. “It was a poor display from us, coming off the back of such a high at Lord’s. It’s all about trying to get this consistency right and trying to get us playing in the right style and manner, so I’m incredibly disappointed with what we’ve dished up here.”We’ll talk about it and have a hard discussion right now but as long as that dressing room has learned from it, it’s a young team and we can grow, and grow quicker.”Only four players remain from the side that toured in 2016, and Arthur admitted that his current team had not been able to replicate the levels of consistency that they were able to generate, especially in the absence of such proven performers as Younis Khan, Yasir Shah and the then-captain Misbah-ul-Haq.”The guys are feeling what it’s like to play tough Test cricket over an extended period, a lot of guys haven’t done that before,” he said. “But our expectation is more, it’s better than that. They will take it on the chin tonight, and they will hopefully grow and learn from it.”In particular, Arthur bemoaned Pakistan’s batting in this contest, particularly on the first day, when they slumped to 174 all out having won what could have been a useful toss.”Inconsistency is something that comes with a young team, however hard that is to take at the moment for all of us,” he said. “[At Lord’s] they were patient, they committed to defence, committed to attack and showed good intent.”We got the balance wrong here. We weren’t as disciplined, we weren’t as patient in this first innings especially. There was always going to be something in the wicket but we had to get through a session and a half there, because the sun came out and it became really good batting conditions late in the day .”If we had got ourselves a big score we could have put them under some pressure but we could never do that at 180 [all out]. The key thing is that a number of batsmen got starts and no one got a hundred. For us to grow as a team, we need someone in top six get hundreds consistently.”Another critical lapse in Pakistan’s hitherto high standards came late on the second day at Headingley, when Jos Buttler was dropped on 4 at short midwicket by Hasan Ali, off the bowling of the legspinner Shadab Khan. Buttler went on to blaze a decisive 80 not out from 101 balls, extending England’s lead to an insuperable 189.”It was a massive chance, massive in the way the game panned out,” said Arthur. “We knew in the moment it went down it had the potential to be big, and it was. Shadab had bowled a really good spell up to that point so that would have capped it off really nicely, in terms of him confirming he belongs at this level.”But that happens. No one drops them on purpose. On the whole we fielded well, we caught well, we’ve done a hell of a lot right in this series. We’re just disappointed at the eventual outcome.”We need to dish out a couple of hidings tonight, but that’s how they’ll grow. I can’t fault effort, the way the boys worked. They are hungry, they want to do well for Pakistan, most of these young players have advance their cause, and it confirmed to us we are on the right track.”I think to be honest, most of these boys have advanced. The talent in that dressing room is phenomenal, we’ve just got to get that consistency back and that’s what we strive for as a coaching team.”

The performance of Chris Woakes, on his return to side was a huge boost for England as he absence of Ben Stokes was barely noticed

Melinda Farrell at Lord's12-Aug-2018England may be 2-0 up in the series after a resounding victory over India. They may have dominated the entire Indian batting line-up apart from Virat Kohli. Not to mention there is a chance Kohli may not be at full strength for Trent Bridge after battling back stiffness at Lord’s.And yet… Joe Root isn’t leading the wagon-circling just yet. That is to be expected of course. Captains are naturally cautious of prematurely blowing the victory horn, they’d rather wait until all the ladies of varying girth have packed up their vocal chords and gone home. So it was no surprise that Root was keen to play down any talk of smelling five-nil-type blood in the water after an innings victory that has left India in disarray.”Obviously, that would be the dream – to put in five complete performances and have five wins,” said Root. “But it’s important we don’t get complacent, arrogant, or look too far ahead.”We’re playing against the No. 1 side in the world, with some very talented players, and we have to make sure we keep looking to learn and develop.”We’re not the finished article – we’ve got a long way to go to where we want to get to. We’re going to have to start again and work extremely hard over the next five days to win the next game.”That’s got to be our mentality…of course, it’s a great position to be in – 2-0 up with three to go, going into Nottingham, which is a great place for us to play.”But we’ve really got to make sure we are realistic about things. Enjoy the position we’re in, and when we get our opportunities really try to put India under pressure and drive the game forward, but not get ahead of ourselves”The question of how to fit both Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes into one Test team is one that has hovered around the England camp for some time. Stokes’ availability for the third Test is completely out of England’s hands for now but his loss has been softened by Woakes’ Man of the Match performance – he took four wickets and made an unbeaten 137 – in his first match back from side and knee injuries.”Ben is obviously a huge part of this squad, so it’s a miss him not being here this week,” said Root. “But what it did do was create an opportunity for Chris to come in and perform – and boy, he didn’t disappoint did he? He was outstanding.”He’s a big part of our squad, all three formats, it’s been a frustrating summer for him, he’s been injured for a long part of it, and to get an opportunity to come in this week – the easy thing to do is get anxious, try a bit too hard, but he settled in magnificently well with that first spell in particular, then took that confidence into his batting, that partnership changed the game, turned it on its head, and got us miles ahead on that surface.”It’s a great headache to have for us, going into next week.”It’s nice to see guys really taking opportunities, and that’s something we really want to harness as an example to the guys in and around the squad – when you get your chance, make it as hard as possible to leave you out.England are mindful that their own performances with the bat and in the field have hardly been blemish free in the first two Tests and Root doesn’t want his side distracted by the prospect of any changes India make as they try to salvage the series.”We haven’t played the perfect performance yet, and that’s something we’ve got to keep striving towards, regardless of what team India have at Trent Bridge. We’ve got a place we want to get to as a side, and we have to continue to work hard to get there. It’s important we enjoy this win then we spend next couple of days getting good preparation into that third Test.”

Simon Kerrigan, the left-arm spinner who played one Test for England during the 2013 Ashes, has been let go by Lancashire

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2018Simon Kerrigan, the left-arm spinner who played one Test for England during the 2013 Ashes, has been released by Lancashire. Kerrigan made the decision earlier this year to put his playing career on hold and help out with coaching at the club.He did not play at all during the 2018 season and has now been allowed to leave Lancashire at the end of his contract, along with two other homegrown players, batsman Karl Brown and allrounder Arron Lilley.It marks a sad decline for Kerrigan, 29, who played a key role in Lancashire’s 2011 title win – his 9 for 51 sealed a last-gasp victory over Hampshire at Aigburth – and was then handed a Test cap two years later. His appearance at The Oval was wrecked by nerves, however, as his eight wicketless overs went for 53 runs, Shane Watson mercilessly cashing in.Kerrigan’s career seemingly never fully recovered. Having taken 58 wickets at 21.98 in 2013, his returns fell away steadily, and he spent the end of the 2017 season on loan at Northamptonshire. In April this year, he decided to take a break from playing.”My form hasn’t been at the level that it needs to be for a while now and after discussions with head coach Glen Chapple and the cricket management team at the club, we have all agreed that I will remain part of the playing squad and assist with coaching across all areas of Lancashire cricket for the time being,” Kerrigan said at the time.Brown was also a member of the 2011 title-winning team – Lancashire’s first outright for 77 years – contributing 997 runs at 35.60, but he was never able to match those returns in first-class cricket. He did continue to feature regularly as a white-ball batsman, and alongside Lilley helped Lancashire to lift the T20 Blast trophy in 2015.Lilley made his debut in 2013 and featured regularly in the T20 side – 70 of his 96 appearances were in the shortest format. This season, he played in all 15 of Lancashire’s Vitality Blast matches, helping them to Finals Day, but only bowled 13 overs, taking one wicket at 105.00.Lancashire’s director of cricket, Paul Allott, said: “Karl, Simon and Arron have given their absolute all for the club over the years, having come through the age-group and Academy system. The club would like to thank them for their contributions both on and off the field, and we wish them all the best for their futures in whatever paths they take.”

One of the first things Tim Paine did after finding himself cleaning up the mess post-Newlands was to make it a point for his team to shake hands with the opposition

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai06-Oct-2018To shake hands or not to shake hands is perhaps not the most important conversation Sarfraz Ahmed will have this week. But to Tim Paine and this new Australia, as they move on from that era to this, what Paine called, “bit of a new one”, it is slightly more important.The two teams will shake hands before the Test begins, it was decided in a conversation between the two captains in between their press conferences that lasted about as long as a good, sturdy handshake.Sarfraz was slightly bemused by the request, asking only when and how it would happen (after the team photographs, before play, in case you were anxious to know).”Yes definitely, why not?” Sarfraz said later when asked whether he would take up Paine’s offer. “We have no issues. We actually talked about it just before the press conference. So we have no issues with shaking hands. It’s a very good sign. No issues.”One of the first things Paine did after finding himself cleaning up the mess post-Newlands was to make it a point for his teams to shake hands with the opposition, a practice generally restricted to football.”There’s no doubt this Test series is about winning,” he said. “We’re playing international sport so its the highest level and I think players will be judged on how many games we’ve won,” Paine said. “That’s certainly really important, but on the flip side of that, the image of Australian cricket is also really important to me and Justin and the rest of our team, so we’re going to be going about things in a really professional, really respectful manner and we’ll continue to do that for the foreseeable future.”That practice continued during their ODI series with England, the handshake becoming the clearest sign that this Australia would be better behaved on the field and more respectful towards their opponents than previous sides.But the pre-game handshake was absent from the last time Pakistan met Australia, in a T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe over the summer, where Aaron Finch was leading Australia.In fact, after the final of that series TV cameras clearly captured Glenn Maxwell not shaking Sarfraz’s hand as the Pakistan captain offered it after his side’s win. Maxwell later clarified it had been an oversight and “not the way I play the game”. Sarfraz and Maxwell had been at each other verbally during the game when Sarfraz was batting, and also right after the winning runs had been scored when Sarfraz ran on to celebrate.

The left-arm/right-arm spinner couldn’t prevent Joe Root and Eoin Morgan finding their form in England’s first outing of the tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo05-Oct-2018England XI 215 for 2 (Morgan 91*, Root 90*) beat Sri Lanka Cricket Board XI 288 (Chandimal 77, Moeen 3-42) by 43 runs (DLS method)
ScorecardJoe Root and Eoin Morgan struck confident, unbeaten nineties in England’s first match of the Sri Lanka tour, after Moeen Ali, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes had shared seven wickets between them against a strong Sri Lanka Board XI side.Their collective efforts enabled England to cruise to a 43-run Duckworth-Lewis victory, after rain then bad light prevented the game from reaching its natural conclusion. In pursuit of a target of 288, England finished up on 215 for 2 after 35.3,Sri Lanka’s new ODI captain Dinesh Chandimal also made use of the occasion, spending 85 deliveries in the middle and hitting 77 runs in the process. Twenty-year-old Kamindu Mendis was the other half-centurion for the Board XI making 61 off 72. He also dusted off his ambidextrous finger-spin later in the day, bowling offbreaks to the left-handed Morgan, and left-arm orthodox to the right-handed Root, as those two batsmen went about their unbroken 174-run stand.The Board XI had made a bright start to the day when Lahiru Thirimanne and Test opener Dimuth Karunaratne produced a fifty-run stand. But Moeen then claimed England’s first spoils, wriggling two deliveries between the defences of both batsmen in the space of three deliveries.Kusal Mendis – recently dropped from the ODI side – could manage only 22 before he became Moeen’s third victim, leaving Chandimal to rebuild the innings from 107 for 3. He forged a 56-run stand with Kamindu for the fifth wicket, before he was dismissed by Root. That the Board XI got anywhere near 300 was thanks also to the enterprise of No. 8 batsman Isuru Udana, who hit three sixes and three fours in his 26-ball 40.England lost Jonny Bairstow to the bowling of Udana in the fourth over, and Jason Roy to Kasun Rajitha in the ninth, but Root and Morgan quickly took control of the situation, and the visitors practically cruised from there on out. Morgan, predictably, was the more eager of the pair to venture big strokes, hitting three sixes and nine fours in his 91 not out off 84 balls. Root was 90 off 92 with eight fours to his name, when the covers came on for the final timeEngland play their second warm-up one-dayer in as many days on Saturday, also at the P Sara Oval.

The New Zealand batsman appeared to publicly question the legality of the Pakistan offspinner’s action during the first ODI in Abu Dhabi

Danyal Rasool07-Nov-2018Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, has lashed out at Ross Taylor after the New Zealand batsman appeared to publicly question the legality of Mohammad Hafeez’s bowling action during the first ODI in Abu Dhabi.Taylor made the gesture at the end of Hafeez’s first over, when he seemed to look directly at the umpires – or his partner Tom Latham – and mimicked delivering the ball with a bent arm. Whether or not it was an attempt to call attention to Hafeez’s action, it enraged Sarfraz, who had a lengthy chat with the umpires, and had to be calmed down.
That wasn’t the end of the episode as Sarfraz persisted with Hafeez, and kept exchanging comments with Taylor, looking none too happy with the New Zealand batsman. The umpires Shozab Raza and Joel Wilson eventually got involved and had a chat with Taylor.Later, Sarfraz called Taylor’s gesture “disgraceful”.”I will say that Taylor’s action was not correct,” Sarfraz said in his post-match press conference. “It’s not his job to give (the) action which was shown on TV. It was disgraceful, for me.”His job is to do batting and if he concentrates on that, it’s better. I complained to umpires that his action did not come under sportsmanship.”Ross is a professional cricketer and he should not have done that. He did it two or three times – it’s (the) umpires’ job. Hafeez’s action has no problem and (Taylor) was trying to create an issue without a reason.”As well as how it impacts how the officials view Hafeez’s action, Taylor could face the possibility of sanctions himself. They may not relate to dissent but it could come under on-field behavior. Pakistan are understood to have spoken to the match referee Javagal Srinath about it as well.A similar incident had occurred in 2009 when Saeed Ajmal was called for a suspect action and he felt it had been the result of an opposition batsman – in that case, Australia’s Shane Watson – who had directed the umpire’s attention to the way he bowled his doosra.That this one involves Hafeez makes it particularly uncomfortable for Pakistan. The ICC has ruled his action illegal no fewer than four times in his career; three of them in the last four years.Hafeez was first reported almost 14 years ago during an ODI tri-series in Australia in 2005. Regulations concerning illegal actions were different back then and he soon returned. In 2014, his action was reported during the Champions League T20, and then again following a Test match against New Zealand later that year. He was suspended from bowling after results indicated the flex of his elbow was more than the allowed 15 degrees.Hafeez finally got to bowl again in April 2015, but a month later, he was back under the umpires’ scanner. Since that constituted a second report in the space of two years – with the first one resulting in a suspension – the ICC put his offspin on ice for 12 months.Hafeez returned to bowling after his ban, clearing a test of his action in 2016, but the issue cropped up again leading to his latest suspension in October 2017. He eventually received a clean chit from the ICC in April 2018 and now, after a late call-up to Pakistan’s squad for their ongoing home season, he has bowled 19 overs in one Test and six T20Is against Australia and New Zealand, without drawing any attention to his remodelled action before this.November 8, GMT 0400 The article was updated to include Sarfraz’s post-match quotes

Bangladesh would be wary of slip-ups in the third ODI. Losing wickets in clusters after a big partnership has been a long-term problem for them

The Preview by Mohammad Isam13-Dec-2018

Big Picture

Both Test series between Bangladesh and West Indies this year panned out similarly, with the home team dominating. The ODI series, however, have been closer contests. After Bangladesh won the first ODI convincingly in Dhaka, West Indies bounced back with a tight win to level the series. The teams were in a similar situation in July this year, and it was Bangladesh who prevailed then, winning the final ODI to clinch the series 2-1. While hopes of an encore are alive for the hosts, the visitors, buoyed by the series-leveling win, would for their part hope to keep the trend of the away team winning the ODIs going.While West Indies were not entirely convincing in the second game, their first win on the tour sure was a much-needed boost. Shai Hope displayed guts to take them through in a difficult chase on a challenging pitch in Dhaka. He found little support at the other end but the starts that Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels got are little things the visitors can build on.Like many of them, stand-in captain Rovman Powell too is due runs, particularly quick ones, if West Indies are to impose themselves on the Bangladesh bowlers. Keemo Paul batted well in the first two games but his batting position suggests that his contributions are at this stage seen as a bonus. Overall, West Indies need all-round discipline in their bowling, and a bit more patience from their batsmen.Bangladesh would be wary of slip-ups in the decider. Losing wickets in clusters after a big partnership has been a long-term problem, and both seniors and newcomers have been afflicted with it. It might be slightly easier for batsmen to get going from the start in Sylhet, but guarding against a collapse has to be quite high on their priority list.Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan would all be disappointed with their fifties given how they were well set at the crease for bigger things. Mahmudullah would also not have been too pleased getting out in the 41st over, usually the time when he is at his destructive best.But Bangladesh also have to look beyond these four and Mashrafe Mortaza when looking for performers. Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar are due some runs, while Imrul Kayes may be fighting for his place in the side despite scoring 349 runs in Bangladesh’s previous ODI series, against Zimbabwe. If the trio can step up in this crunch game, it will ease the pressure off the big guns.

Form guide

Bangladesh LWWWW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLLLW

In the spotlight

Analysts have already started to discuss Oshane Thomas‘ pace, which despite being wayward at times, has had somewhat of an impact on the Bangladesh batting. He has so far taken four wickets at an average of 22.00 in the series.Mustafizur Rahman has the best economy rate, 5.30, among bowlers who have bowled in the last five overs of an ODI on at least ten occasions since his debut. Therefore, he should treat his 16-run penultimate over in the second ODI as a one-off.

Team news

As it usually does after one or two low scores, a question mark will hang over Imrul Kayes’ place in the top order with Mohammad Mithun a likely replacement; in that case, Soumya Sarkar will bat at No 3. Rubel Hossain may well have staved off the vultures too, after a decent showing in the second game.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Soumya Sarkar, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Mustafizur RahmanWest Indies may not want to tinker with their winning combination, which means Chandrapaul Hemraj gets another go.West Indies (probable): 1 Chandrapaul Hemraj, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Rovman Powell (capt), 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

Sylhet offers an altogether different pitch than Dhaka, with hope for truer bounce and a bit more pace on the ball. There’s usually dew around early evening. Weather is set to be clear.

Stats and trivia

• Shimron Hetmyer has scored three ODI hundreds this year – joint fourth in the world, closely followed by Shai Hope who has scored two.
• Mustafizur Rahman is Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs this year with 29 scalps at an average of 20.58. Mashrafe Mortaza has taken 24 wickets, while Rubel Hossain has 23.

Quotes

“We have come here to win the games. We came here to fight and make sure we finish the series 2-1.”

Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell stood firm for West Indies after their bowlers rolled England out for 187 on a lively surface

The Report by Valkerie Baynes31-Jan-2019West Indies 30 for 1 (Campbell 16*, Brathwaite 11*) trail England 187 (Moeen 60, Bairstow 52, Roach 4-30) by 157 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAgain England were dismissed inside a day, again West Indies’ strike bowlers were damaging and again the home side capitalised on winning the toss, this time on a green and lively pitch that provided an entertaining start to the second Test in Antigua.While on the subject of deja vu, once again a pair of West Indies batsmen proved stubborn, thwarting England’s bowlers to end the day on 30 without loss, Kraigg Brathwaite unbeaten on 11 and John Campbell 16 not out.But it is worth noting the differences between England’s latest first-innings performance and their dismal collapse for 77 that set the stage for a 381-run defeat in Barbados to put this match in context so far.Moeen Ali’s timely score of 60, after a pair in the first Test and a nervy start to the second, Jonny Bairstow’s rapid-scoring half-century while wickets tumbled around him, and a couple of almost unavoidable dismissals thanks to the challenging pitch and some menacing bowling were in sharp contrast to England’s rank capitulation of the previous match.That is not to say there were not some soft dismissals as well. Opener Joe Denly sabotaged his maiden Test innings by reaching for a short, wide Alzarri Joseph delivery that was sailing well outside off stump to connect with the toe of his bat and send a simple catch to wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich.Having narrowly survived an appeal for lbw off Kemar Roach, which the DRS conferred back to the original umpire’s call of not out despite the ball looking fairly perilous for Denly, the debutant faced 15 deliveries for his first run and added just five more before his dismissal.Denly and fellow opener Rory Burns had endured four maiden overs before Burns was finally off the mark with a four, clipped through square leg off Roach. But Roach struck two balls later with a good line and length that tempted an outside edge from Burns, which was collected low at second slip by Jason Holder.England were in trouble at 55 for 4 and 93 for 6, but Moeen and Ben Foakes gave the innings some respectability. Foakes eventually mistimed a pull shot off Shannon Gabriel and gloved the ball on to his stumps via his hip after sharing an important 85-run partnership with Moeen. The blow to his hand resulted in Bairstow taking his place behind the stumps for the West Indies innings while Foakes received treatment.Moeen’s dismissal shortly after tea when he skied a Roach delivery to Gabriel, who had all the time in the world to take the catch at midwicket, looked soft but it was in fact indicative of the tricky bounce off the pitch.However, even more helpless was Joe Root, who could do little about his dismissal to a vicious Joseph delivery that hit the top of his bat handle and bobbled up towards Campbell who, reeling back at third slip, parried the ball high behind his head to Shai Hope, who ran across from gully to collect the catch.Bairstow faced just 64 balls for his 52, which included nine fours and a six, before he was trapped lbw by Roach with the second ball after lunch. His dismissal meant it looked like Ben Stokes would be forced to take up the rescue mission with England struggling on 78 for 5, but Gabriel had other ideas.Gabriel appeared to have broken down in his first over of the match, limping off with some apparent leg pain before returning gingerly in time for his second. But he returned from lunch with plenty of venom, sending down some brutal deliveries and engaging in a brief but notable verbal battle with Stokes.While the chat ended in a good-natured bump of fists the bowling barrage continued. Gabriel whacked Stokes on the thumb with a spitting delivery that elicited a yelp of pain, though Stokes responded well with a straight drive for four on the next ball.In his next over, Gabriel struck Moeen on the helmet with a short ball the batsman should have ducked but tried to pull instead. Just four balls later, Gabriel delivered another pearler that forced a defensive prod from Stokes, only to be caught behind by Dowrich for 14.Roach, the architect of England’s first-innings collapse in Barbados, finshed with 4 for 30, while Gabriel took 3 for 45 and Joseph 2 for 38.But perhaps most frustrating for England was that, despite the pitch only being subjected to a light rolling at the change of innings, their bowlers – including veteran strike duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad – were unable to make inroads on the West Indies’ batting after 21 overs with Brathwaite and Campbell offering stubborn, if static, resistance.Some individual performances aside, it begs the question, are England really in much better shape this time around?

The Sri Lanka batsman picked up the injury while fielding in the Durban ODI on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2019Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Perera has been ruled out of the remainder of the South Africa tour following a hamstring tear, sustained in Durban on Sunday. The SLC also announced it won’t be sending a replacement player.Perera had been fielding at mid-on when he dived to intercept a shot hit by Faf du Plessis in the seventh over of the ODI in Durban. Having landed awkwardly, he immediately clutched his knee, and hobbled off the field soon after. He did not return to field, nor did he bat in Sri Lanka’s chase.This is the third serious hamstring injury he has suffered in as many years. In 2017, a hamstring tear at the Champions Trophy had kept Perera out of top-level cricket for several months, before he endured a long layoff last year as well. This injury, however, is not expected to keep him out of the reckoning for the World Cup.Perera had a rewarding run in the Test leg of the tour, scoring 353 runs in five innings, including a fifty and a sensational 153 not-out in the first Test that handed Sri Lanka one of their most memorable victories in the format, and set up their 2-0 series sweep. In his two innings in the ODIs, though, he made only 33 and 8.Sri Lanka have lost all three ODIs so far, by big margins, and will play the fourth ODI on Wednesday, in Port Elizabeth.