All posts by n8rngtd.top

Pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s arrival in the UK for the NatWest t20 Blast has been delayed due to visa issues

Mohammad Isam13-Jul-2016Pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s arrival in the UK for the NatWest t20 Blast has been delayed due to visa issues. The delay was caused by the unusually long Eid vacation, which meant he had to wait till after the holidays to apply for the UK visa.Mustafizur couldn’t leave on July 13 as planned. That means he will miss his scheduled debut for Sussex on July 15 against Hampshire.The visa procedure is set to be completed “any day”, according to a BCB spokesman, upon which Mustafizur will immediately fly out. He will now have to target Sussex’s July 21 T20 fixture, in Essex.That leaves him with only seven possible appearances in the 2016 English season. He had already missed most of Sussex’s T20 and one-day campaign through multiple injuries on his right leg following IPL 2016 where he turned out for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The BCCI has convened a special general meeting on August 5 in Mumbai to discuss the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations approved by the Supreme Court

Arun Venugopal26-Jul-2016The BCCI has convened a special general meeting on August 5 in Mumbai to discuss the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations approved by the Supreme Court. Officials from the BCCI and multiple state associations told ESPNcricinfo they had received formal communication from the board on Tuesday evening, but were reluctant to speculate on the next course of action.It is understood that the board’s legal committee, which will likely meet before the SGM, will offer some clarity to the BCCI and its member units. “The legal committee has to meet first. The legal heads are making different points that we have to discuss,” a senior BCCI official said. “All of a sudden they can’t say anything without going through the whole thing. We cannot take a unilateral decision.”While the BCCI’s top brass is scheduled to meet the Lodha committee in Delhi on August 9, it is learnt that the board, disillusioned by the recent developments, is not in any hurry to go through with the meeting. “The date is not fixed yet,” the board official said. “Before that we are going to make sure that whatever we want to discuss we should discuss it among ourselves first and only then take it forward. We cannot just directly go [to a meeting].”The Mumbai Cricket Association recently announced its decision to accept the recommendations totally, with its president Sharad Pawar agreeing to voluntarily step down within six months in accordance with the verdict. The BCCI official expressed concern over entirely new teams possibly taking over state associations, and conceded that the mood in the BCCI was downbeat.”Everybody is going through the same problem. In some associations, all the people will have to be replaced,” he said. “They cannot function – either they are 70 and above or they [are disqualified because of the] cooling period [rule]. The entire team will comprise new people. I don’t know how we are going to function.”The Supreme Court, on July 18, had accepted the majority of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations covering wide-ranging aspects of Indian cricket at the central and state level. It has given the BCCI between four and six months to implement the recommendations and appointed RM Lodha, the former chief justice of India who was the architect of the report, to oversee the transition.

Northamptonshire’s seamers embraced the role of wreckers, intent on ending Kent’s hopes of promotion back to Division One

Tim Wigmore at Beckenham06-Sep-2016
ScorecardSean Dickson made a steady fifty but Kent were dismissed for 230•Getty Images

Northamptonshire are easily branded a team of white-ball specialists. Yet for all their excellence in the limited overs games – T20 champions twice in four seasons, and denied a Royal London Cup semi-final berth only by the majesty of Kumar Sangakkara – the club feel that they have not given the best of themselves in the County Championship.Chances of a tilt at promotion went in the dying embers of spring, never mind the onset of autumn. But an evisceration of Glamorgan last week hinted at Northants’ potential over four days, especially when the end of their white-ball season means that David Ripley does not have to preserve his side’s vitality for limited-overs.The return of the schools in September feels like no time for outground cricket. For Northants, this sepulchral day allowed their seamers to embrace the role of wreckers, intent on ending Kent’s hopes of promotion back to Division One.Jokes about Rory Kleinveldt’s girth are trotted out often, yet Kent would have felt in no mood for them after his skilful swing with the second new ball prevented a score more substantial than 230. Ben Sanderson was relentlessly accurate, and Steven Crook in unyielding mood too.Yet it was Azharullah who left the greatest mark on Kent. First, Sam Northeast, the totem of his side’s batting all season, was induced to give an outside edge behind. Next ball, Darren Stevens’ edge found Rob Keogh at third slip, a dismissal for which the batsman could not be considered culpable.An odd feature of Beckenham is the Kent team analyst occupies the same tent as the media. As a result, batsmen often pop in to watch how they were dismissed. When he did so, Stevens could only rue his bad luck: the delivery had swung in, seamed away and squared him up, the sort of ball to render his outstanding form meaningless.After the end Sean Dickson’s austere 63, an innings in keeping with the sombre mood of the day, Kent slipped to 122 for 6, a position from which they feared not even gaining a single batting point. That they did so owed everything to a contrasting pair of half-centuries.It is only two years since Will Gidman was one of the most sought-after county cricketers in the land. Yet he has spent much of the intervening period marooned in 2nd XI cricket, seemingly a man too good for Division Two but not good enough for Division One. Kent still reckoned that he could assist their attempt to return to Division One for the first since 2010, and in July enlisted him on loan from Nottinghamshire.Gidman’s reputation in Division Two was built on his parsimonious seam bowling, but it is as an unobtrusive middle-order batsman that he has been most valuable for Kent. He plays the ball late, prefers to hit along the ground, and is skilled in working the ball around adroitly – so much so that, when Gidman chipped Graeme White to midwicket for 51, where Kleinveldt took a neat catch, it was the first time that he had been dismissed for Kent in the County Championship. Four innings have brought four half-centuries, an average of 283 and enough, surely, for Kent to be keen to sign him permanently should Gidman be released from the final year of his contract at Trent Bridge.Matt Coles, who could be considered the anti-Gidman, is not the sort to escape notice in anything he does. On this gloomy day, Coles briefly restored a little of the festival feeling that is supposed to be inherent to outgrounds with a sparkling 41-ball half century that was a distillation of Coles’ power, bravado and considerable skill. All were in evidence in an astonishing reverse-sweep for six over midwicket off Rob Keogh’s offspin, the sort of shot to startle any indulging in a late-afternoon nap.Yet when Coles failed to take a wicket in his opening burst, memories of this bravado were overtaken by Kent’s frustration with their opening-day batting. “Wish it was this easy when we batted,” chuntered a Kent member as the evening session meandered to a conclusion with Kent’s promotion ambitions cooling – at least for now.

James Tomlinson, the Hampshire left-arm seamer, has announced his retirement after a 14-year career, saying he feels like the ‘old dog’ at the back of pack and now is the time to ‘head back to the den’

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2016James Tomlinson, the Hampshire left-arm seamer, has announced his retirement after a 14-year career, saying he feels like the “old dog” at the back of pack and now is the time to “head back to the den”.Tomlinson, 34, played 129 first-class matches taking 382 wickets at 31.92 with a career-best 8 for 46 against Somerset, at Taunton, in 2008. Known for his humorous personality, Tomlinson confirmed his retirement with a colourful statement.”I remember years ago watching a nature documentary that followed a pack of wild dogs on a hunt. At the front of the pack there were the young and keen dogs who couldn’t wait to get stuck in, then in the middle were the experienced, healthy dogs who knew what they were doing and held the pack together.”But I will never forget the image of one old dog at the back of the pack trying to keep up. He had half a leg missing and an ear hanging off from what must have been years of previous battles. When he finally arrived at the scene all that was left were scraps… Although I was once both the young dog at the front and the healthy dog in the middle I feel now is the right time to head back to the den. I now have the opportunity to do just that and look after all the young dogs coming through. A job I already love and cherish.”He went on to thank his brothers, Hugh and Ralph, as well as former Pakistan great Wasim Akram who had a spell with Hampshire in 2003 which was early in Tomlinson’s career. He also praised Hampshire’s slip cordon and the Dukes ball used in county cricket, before signing off in light-hearted style.”However I would most like to thank the opposition batters who somehow for over a decade missed the straight ones and nicked the half volleys… to you all I will be forever grateful!”

The international players’ association has said the advice it has received concerning security in Pakistan is that travel to the country is still a risk for international players

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Oct-2016The security risk for foreign players travelling to Pakistan remains “unmanageable” according to independent consultants, the international players’ association FICA has said, after the PCB announced that the 2017 Pakistan Super League final would be held in Lahore.The league stage and the semi-finals of the PSL, the PCB’s T20 tournament along the lines of the IPL and the Big Bash League, is scheduled to be held in the UAE in February and March, with only the finals being played in Pakistan.”The consistent advice we have received from independent security consultants over the last few years is that playing cricket in Pakistan for foreign teams and players constitutes an unacceptably high security risk,” Tony Irish, the FICA chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “Although we are sure that PSL and PCB would do their very best to implement security plans, the advice of our consultants is also that this risk is unmanageable in the current environment.”FICA has a duty to relay that advice to players and, given that players are participating as individuals in PSL and they are not participating as part of a touring foreign team, it will be up to each individual player to decide whether or not to take that advice.”Irish said that FICA would seek an update on the security advice nearer to the tournament. “We understand how much people want to see foreign teams and players playing in Pakistan and therefore sympathise with cricket lovers and fans in the country. We hope that normal cricket will return to Pakistan as soon as it is safe to play there.”Zimbabwe is the only Full Member nation to have toured Pakistan since March 2009, when gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus as the players were travelling to the Gaddafi Stadium during a Test match. However, there was a suicide attack near the Gaddafi Stadium during that tour as well in 2015, but Zimbabwe stayed on to complete the three-match series. Over the last seven years, Pakistan have hosted their home series at neutral venues, predominantly the UAE.Chris Gayle joined Karachi Kings and will be captained by Kumar Sangakkara•AFP

The PSL chairman Najam Sethi had said there was a clause in the PSL player contracts that stated they would need to travel to Lahore if their team made the final. Summarising the nature of the clause, a PSL team official said players would be offered extremely high security and cash incentives if they were willing to go. However, there would also be no repercussions if they did not.Two player agents who manage cricketers from different countries told ESPNcricinfo the clause did not say that travel to Pakistan was mandatory. “There is a clause, but several international players have made their participation subject to security advice at the time and they cannot be compelled to go,” one agent said.Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who were part of the Sri Lankan team that was attacked in Lahore in 2009, are set to play in the PSL, as are England’s Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales, both of whom had pulled out of the ongoing tour of Bangladesh because of security concerns, although they are likely to be on England duty in West Indies when the finals are staged. The Karachi Kings team also announced Sangakkara as captain, and there are several other international players from Australia, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa, and New Zealand.During the inaugural season of the PSL in February this year, West Indies allrounder Andre Russell was the first international player to hint at a willingness to travel to Pakistan, though he admitted he would be “scared” too.

Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara added 226 for the third wicket, both scoring centuries, to put India in control on the opening day in Vizag

The Report by Andrew Miller17-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:22

Ganguly: Kohli relishes pressure and responsibility

It was a day of firsts at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The first day of the first Test at what is now the 111th such venue in world cricket, and quite possibly the first occasion on which a pitch invasion by a stray dog has brought about an early tea interval.But, notwithstanding a trio of breakthroughs for England’s returning attack leader, James Anderson, who was playing in his first competitive fixture since August, it was also a day dominated by numbers three and four – specifically Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, who compiled a masterful pair of hundreds in a 226-run stand for India’s third wicket that has, for the first time in this series, given their side unequivocal control of the contest.England, emulating their wholehearted efforts in the drawn first match at Rajkot, started the day with a flourish and finished it with a grind, digging deep on all fronts – with seam and spin, new ball and old – to demand that India had to work hard for their runs. But by the close, with Kohli still in situ on 151 not out, his 14th century in his 50th Test appearance, the task awaiting them was already looking formidable.India’s overnight scoreline of 317 for 4 was everything that Kohli could have wished for after winning a vital toss. First-innings runs, on a wicket that neither captain expects to last five days, will be a critical aspect of this contest, and Alastair Cook had cut an almost condemned figure after missing out on the chance to have first use. “Now we’ve got nothing to lose,” he admitted after calling incorrectly. He might wish to revise that assessment now.Ominously for England, there had been glimmers of the assistance that the pitch is likely to offer at every juncture of India’s day, including signs of turn and uneven bounce for the spinners and indications of reverse swing in the evening session. Anderson, in particular, tried desperately to exploit that aspect in a wholehearted five-over spell that yielded the vital scalp of Pujara for 119. And then, with two overs of the day remaining, he struck with his third delivery with the second new ball to unseat a tentative Ajinkya Rahane for 23.But up until those late intercessions, such was the quality of India’s third-wicket stand that England had little option but to cling onto the batsmen’s coat-tails and seek to manage the speed of their progress, rather than the inevitability.England certainly started their day’s work with a flourish. Stuart Broad struck with his fifth ball of the match as KL Rahul, Gautam Gambhir’s replacement at the top of the order, fenced outside off to poke a sharp catch to third slip, before Anderson, fit again after three months out with a fractured shoulder blade, suckered Murali Vijay with a bouncer to leave India perilously placed on 22 for 2 after five overs.But Pujara, fresh from his first-innings century at Rajkot, and Kohli, whose masterful 49 not out had averted calamity on the final afternoon of that match, were precisely the right pair to set aside the scoreline and play the conditions as placidly as they were – at this stage – proving to be.Virat Kohli raises his bat to the crowd after raising his century•Associated Press

Chances to unsettle their progress were few and far between, as is often the way in the subcontinent, and England were left ruing two fleeting moments in particular: first, a crazy over from Adil Rashid midway through the morning session, when Pujara might have run himself out twice in three deliveries – his belated response to Kohli’s clip to midwicket was especially close to curtains.And then, in a moribund passage of play in the first hour after lunch, Kohli was dropped on the hook by Rashid at fine leg when he had 56. Ben Stokes by this stage had settled into an aggressive back-of-a-length line in a bid to slow India’s progress to a crawl and Kohli, who had survived a similar miscue for his second boundary of the day off Anderson, took the bait but Rashid’s fingers couldn’t spring the trap.It would prove to be a costly miss, but it was Pujara who responded most immediately to that sense that England had lost control of the contest. He signalled India’s charge in the final half-an-hour of the afternoon session by lambasting Zafar Ansari for six and four in consecutive deliveries, before making a mockery of Broad’s 8-1 off-side field by picking the solitary gap at backward point for his 11th four of the innings.As Cook fumbled for his options, Moeen Ali, England’s senior spinner, was curiously overlooked until the 40th over of the innings – an inexplicable delay, notwithstanding the early control that Rashid in particular had been able to exert. Instead, armed with a flat ball, he encountered Kohli in full exhibition mode and his seventh over was banished for three fours through cover, third man and mid-on respectively.It was the left-arm spin of Ansari to whom Cook first turned, in the 11th over of the innings, but despite his tendency in his first two Tests to create chances, today his 12 overs were milked for 45 runs. Both Pujara and Kohli had surged into the nineties when the afternoon session was brought to a close four balls early, when a local mutt chose to lead the groundstaff on such a merry dance that the umpires pointed the players to the pavilion.The distraction might well have played into England’s hands – not even the most assured of cricketers like to dwell over their landmarks. But Pujara in particular was not standing on ceremony. A yawning six off Rashid, high over the midwicket boundary, brought up his tenth Test century from 184 deliveries, and his third in succession, following on from his whitewashing-sealing effort against New Zealand at Indore last month.Kohli followed suit three overs later, with a punch through the covers to welcome Anderson back for his third spell, and before the close he had marched past 150 for the fourth time in Tests, with scarcely a shot out of place. He had one last moment of good fortune on the stroke of 80 overs, when he missed a reverse-sweep against Moeen that was shown, on review, to have been clipping leg. England took the second opinion in the knowledge that they would be getting their top-ups one delivery later. It was a shot to nothing, and nothing was the upshot.By the close, England’s worries weren’t limited to the scoreline, or the state of the wicket, which was already showing significant rough in the bowlers’ footmarks. The fitness of Broad was also a significant concern. His morning spell had been prematurely – and inconveniently – halted after three overs when he reopened a cut on his right wrist while diving in the outfield, and though he did front up to bowl a solitary new-ball over before the close, he appeared to be hobbling badly and had already left the field for a change of boots.England will need a change of something if they are to haul their way back to parity in this contest, but not for the first time, it was their application, not their attitude, that had been found wanting. Anderson, armed with the new ball and a good night’s sleep, might be their best hope. But Kohli already has 151 reasons to be supremely satisfied with India’s position.

The first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan is expected to go ahead as scheduled on November 17, despite Christchurch having suffered a 7.5 magnitude earthquake

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Nov-2016The first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Hagley Oval is expected to go ahead as scheduled on November 17, despite Christchurch having suffered a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, just after midnight on Monday.The Pakistan men’s team, who were in Nelson when the quake occurred, reported being a little shaken by the experience, but will prepare for Thursday’s Test as usual.”Preparations for the Test are going ahead, but we are continuing to monitor the situation,” a New Zealand Cricket spokesperson said. “It’s just a case of staying in touch with authorities.”Both teams arrived in Christchurch on Monday and have training sessions scheduled for Tuesday. The area continued to be hit by aftershocks, however. A 6.3 magnitude quake was felt at around 1.30pm on Monday, and these are expected to continue through the next week.Pakistan team manager Wasim Bari said NZC had assured his side of their safety, in the team hotel and at the ground. The cricketers had spent a largely sleepless night in Nelson. They had evacuated their hotel when the quake hit, and most had not returned to their rooms for the remainder of the night, electing instead to remain in the reception area.”For us it was something new because we don’t have many earthquakes in Pakistan,” Bari said. “This was a pretty strong one. We’d just finished watching the India-England match and the doors and windows were going from one side to another as if they were made of paper. There was some trauma as well for the boys. Back home, the families had felt disturbed.”The Pakistan women’s team, meanwhile, had ridden out the quake in the upper floors of a Christchurch hotel. Their manager Basit Ali told Geo News that the team was safe, though “still scared”.The New Zealand men’s squad had only assembled in Christchurch on Monday morning, but fast bowler Matt Henry – a Christchurch native – had been in the city overnight. He described the experience as “a bit scary”, but was pleased the Test would go ahead.”It always brings the community together – provides a brief moment of normality,” Henry said. “It’s probably good timing to have the Test match this week. Hopefully the weather plays it’s part.”The epicentre of the earthquake was at a depth of about 5km, about 40km from the town of Amberley, which is only about 90km north-east of Hagley Oval. Hagley Oval had become a Test venue after the previous Christchurch ground was devastated by an earthquake in 2011.

Punjab run out of steam, Kaushik Gandhi carries Tamil Nadu into the quarter-finals – a round-up of the final day action from the ninth round of Group A matches

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2016Shreyas Iyer ended his season with a century as Mumbai put up 227 for 4 after being asked to follow on by Punjab at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. Though they conceded first-innings points, Mumbai finished on top of the table, while Punjab missed out on a berth in the quarterfinals, finishing fourth with 21 points.Mumbai had been bowled out 185 in reply to Punjab’s 468 before ending the third day on 94 for 2 in their second innings. Iyer, who resumed on 59, struck 123 off 209 balls with 14 fours and a six. Mumbai’s batsmen put up a stoic resistance. Punjab got their first breakthrough in the 28th over of the day when Vishal Dabholkar was trapped lbw by Siddarth Kaul for 16 off 117 balls. Iyer was caught behind off left-arm spinner Rajwinder Singh having spent over five and a half hours, after which Suryakumar Yadav (27* off 157) and captain Aditya Tare (22* off 115) prevented further inroads.At the Palam Grounds in Delhi, Bengal took just 19 balls to take the final two Madhya Pradesh wickets and collect first-innings points. The day had begun with MP on 363 for 8, trailing Bengal by 112 in the first innings. Ankit Sharma added just four more to his overnight score to fall six short of a maiden first-class century, while Naman Ojha who was not out on 40, added just three more. Sayan Ghosh, the right-arm medium pacer, took a career-best 5 for 94 as MP were bowled out for 370.Bengal’s top-order came good in their second innings. Abhishek Raman (91) and Prasanjit Das (72) put on 155 for the first wicket. After the duo were dismissed, Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal captain, struck an unbeaten 50, and along with Abhimanyu Easwaran (33*), took Bengal to 261 for 2 before stumps were drawn. Bengal finished on fifth position with 21 points, while MP trailed them by a point on sixth.A run glut between Tamil Nadu and Gujarat laboured to a draw at the KSCA Stadium in Belagavi. TN declared on 580 for 6 in their first innings in response to Gujarat’s 307 before stumps were drawn. Though TN took first-innings points, both teams are through to the knockouts.Overnight centurion Kaushik Gandhi not only went past 150 for the third time in the season, but also raised his maiden double century in first-class cricket. Vijay Shankar, who resumed on 35, also hit a century. Vijay retired hurt before he returned to complete his ton. Gandhi fell with the score on 496 when he was bowled by Hardik Patel having batted 538 balls for his 202. Vijay retired hurt a second time, having struck 102 with the help of 13 fours. B Aparajith stayed not out on 54.Centuries from Shivam Chaudhary and Akshdeep Nath highlighted the final day’s action in Nasik where Uttar Pradesh ended their campaign with first-innings points against Baroda.The day began with UP on 117 for no loss in their second innings, after they had already taken a first-innings lead of 23. They struck an even 300 in just 73.1 overs on the final day to end on 417 for 3 – their second 400-plus total of the match. After a century from Chaudhary, Nath made his start count to finish unbeaten on 107. UP ended on seventh place with 13 points, while Baroda finished a rung below with 10 points.

The Wanderers will look like the Wanderers on Saturday, which is hardly startling news except if you saw it two weeks ago during the second T20 between South Africa and Sri Lanka

Firdose Moonda03-Feb-2017The Wanderers will look like the Wanderers on Saturday, which is hardly startling news except if you saw it two weeks ago during the second T20 between South Africa and Sri Lanka. The surface was dry, cracked and took turn, the hosts criticised it for resembling Colombo, Sri Lanka had them in the spin and levelled the three-match series.There will be none of that again.Even if groundsman Bethuel Buthelezi has not been given any instructions, he would have heard stand-in T20 skipper Farhaan Behardien wonder what happened to the pitch that is reputed for its bounce and carry. “We haven’t quite got to the bottom of it,” Behardien said, when asked if he was given an explanation for the conditions. “But it wasn’t a traditional Wanderers wicket.”For the ODI it should be after captain AB de Villiers stressed the importance of making the most of local conditions. “Everywhere you play around the world teams try and cash in on home ground advantage. It’s important for us to – not make it ridiculous – but to play to our strengths,” he said. “That’s why touring is so difficult, especially to the subcontinent and there’s nothing wrong with that. They make pitches the way that they feel they’ve got the best chance to win. We’ve probably haven’t got it right in that last T20 and one or two of the ODIs but this wicket looks really good.”A Johannesburg ODI is usually a run-fest, especially since South Africa started playing there in pink as part of a breast-cancer awareness project. In the four pink games since 2013, South Africa have averaged 351 and won all of them.Specifically, de Villiers himself has taken to the change of kit. He has scored two centuries, including the fastest hundred in ODIs off 31 balls against West Indies, to average 97.50 and admits there’s something about the occasion that gets him going. “I enjoy big crowds and big moments and there’s a bit of hype and a lot of noise around this game.” he said. “I love playing at the Bullring. Once I get going and I get to 50 or so and the crowd gets a bit louder, it gets me going as well.”A sell-out is expected on Saturday, which means more than 30,000 people will pack into the venue in anticipation of a series win. South Africa could secure the trophy with two games to play, not only to give them the opportunity for a second series whitewash at home but as part of a strategy to learn to string together victories as they would need to do at an ICC event.”If we are going to win big tournaments, you’ve got to win five or six games in a row sometimes. We’ve got to get that habit going of winning series 4-1, 5-0, instead of 3-2 like we’ve done in the past because when you get to a World Cup, 3-2 is not good enough,” de Villiers said.With the Champions Trophy less than five months and only 11 matches away, de Villiers wants South Africa to start getting into good habits now and to maintain them until the 2019 World Cup. As has often been the case, de Villiers is confident South Africa have what it takes to break their trophy drought but knows the proof will only come with a cup. “The culture is stronger than ever. The guys seem to have a lot of direction and a lot of feel for where we are going as a team but our true test will be at the Champions Trophy.”

England Lions were put to the sword by an unbroken stand of 303 on another sweltering day in Dambulla

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2017Sri Lanka A 333 for 3 (Samarawickrama 177*, Karunaratne 140*) trail England Lions 353 (Livingstone 105, Westley 68, Pushpakumara 8-127) by 20 runs
ScorecardDimuth Karunaratne found form ahead of the Test series against Bangladesh•AFP

England Lions were put to the sword by an unbroken stand of 303 on the second day in Dambulla. Test opener Dimuth Karunaratne and 21-year-old Sadeera Samarawickrama gorged themselves during the latter two sessions to put Sri Lanka A in control.The Lions had extended their total to 353 and when Sri Lanka A stumbled to 30 for 3 it looked a formidable score. But that changed dramatically as the day wore on, and it was Samarawickrama who led the way to finish unbeaten on a career-best 177 from 219 deliveries.He was given one life, on 90, when Tom Curran could not hold a leading edge off Jack Leach but otherwise it was a dominant performance. It was an expensive day for Leach, who missed the opening game after feeling uncertain about his remodelled action, as he finished with 0 for 76 from 12 overs.For Karunaratne this series is a chance to find some form ahead of the Test series against Bangladesh. He chipped in against South Africa, with scores of 43, 24 and 50 alongside three single-figure innings, but he had not reached 20 in his previous six completed first-class innings which included two failures in the opening match against the Lions.This time he survived the new ball and began to prosper against a tiring Lions attack. By the end of the day he had struck 15 boundaries in his 216-ball stay.The picture looked very different during the morning session. Tom Curran struck in his second over to have Udara Jayasundera, who carried his bat in the second innings of the previous match, caught behind and Ron Chandraguptha went the same way against Toby Roland-Jones.When Ollie Rayner trapped Sandun Weerakkody lbw sweeping the Lions were buoyant, but that proved the last moment of success on what became a day of toil. They are not the first England side to feel that in Asia this season.