West Indies to make first full tour of Bangladesh in six years

West Indies are set to visit Bangladesh in November and December this year for their first full tour of the country since 2012. There will be a two-day practice match before the tour kicks off with two Tests. Three ODIs and three T20Is follow.

Tour itinerary

  • 1st Test, Nov 22-26, Chittagong

  • 2nd Test, Nov 30-Dec 4, Mirpur

  • 1st ODI, Dec 9, Mirpur

  • 2nd ODI, Dec 11, Mirpur

  • 3rd ODI, Dec 14, Sylhet

  • 1st T20I, Dec 17, Sylhet

  • 2nd T20I, Dec 20, Mirpur

  • 3rd T20I, Dec 22, Mirpur

West Indies’ visit means Bangladesh will have a packed home season, with Zimbabwe touring in October and the Bangladesh Premier League scheduled in January. The November-December window had been left empty due to the general elections scheduled in the country at that time, but, as things stand now, the West Indies series will happen alongside the elections.The last match West Indies played in Bangladesh was during the 2014 World T20. Their last bilateral tour of the country was in 2012-13. West Indies had blanked Bangladesh 2-0 in the Test series then, but the home side fought back to take the ODI series 3-2, while West Indies ended the tour with victory in the solitary T20I.The two sides are currently playing each other in the West Indies, where the home side brushed Bangladesh aside 2-0 in the two Tests but the visitors came back to win the first ODI of the ongoing three-match series. The teams will also play three T20Is.

Jonny Tattersall guides Yorkshire to Chelmsford play-off

ScorecardYorkshire edged through to the Royal London Cup knockout stages for the fifth year running by beating already eliminated Northamptonshire at Emerald Headingley. The Vikings claimed a fourth successive North Group win by chasing 242 with four wickets in hand and an over remaining.On a tense final day in North Group, they had to be satisfied with third place and an away tie in the play-offs, missing out on a home semi-final eliminator tie by not reaching their target in 41 overs in order to better Nottinghamshire’s net run-rate.In fact, they nearly missed out all together by slipping to 134 for 5 with David Willey out for 71. But Gary Ballance and Jonny Tattersall, who made a maiden county half-century in his second attempt to make the grade at Headingley, went a long way to clinching the win with a calm 87-run stand for the sixth wicket inside 14 overs. Ballance made 66 off 61 balls and Tattersall 52 not out off 51.Yorkshire now travel to Chelmsford to face Essex next Thursday for the right to advance to the semi-finals.Willey, who was outstanding against Lancashire earlier in the week, starred with bat and ball against his former county, also taking 3 for 24 from 9.5 overs as Northants were bowled out for 241.In pursuit, Yorkshire slipped to 14 for 2 early in the fifth over of their reply as Adam Lyth and Tom Kohler-Cadmore were both caught behind off Kleinveldt and Hutton. The hosts then stuttered as Rob Keogh’s offspin (2 for 26 from 10 overs) tied them down.Willey was fast out of the blocks. He hit four of his first six balls for four, hit Kleinveldt for two leg-side sixes in the 10th over and reached 50 off 42 balls in the 17th over as the score advanced to 85 for 2. But shortly afterwards Keogh made two crucial breakthroughs, getting Joe Root caught behind reverse sweeping for 18 and Che Pujara lbw as the score slipped to 102 for four in the 25th over.A workman on Headingley’s new stand takes a breather•Getty Images

When Willey miscued Saif Zaib’s left-arm spin to long-on eight overs later, Yorkshire nerves were jangling. But Ballance and Tattersall held it together, reaching fifties to the delight of the 2000 strong home crowd before the former fell with 21 needed.Willey had claimed two of the first three wickets as the visitors, who elected to bat, fell to 23 for 3. He had Ben Duckett caught behind and Ricardo Vasconcelos at first slip before returning at the death to get last man Ben Cotton caught at mid-off, but Yorkshire made things more difficult for themselves as Northants recovered from 101 for 6.Debutant Charlie Thurston, 21, was the Northants standout with 53 off 62 balls. Thurston shared partnerships of 42 and 46 for the seventh and eighth wickets with Rory Kleinveldt and Graeme White, who finished 41 not out.

Alex Hartley dropped; Sarah Taylor and Katherine Brunt return for England

Left-arm spinner Alex Hartley, who played an important role in England’s World Cup final victory over India last year, has been left out of the one-day squad for the first two matches against South Africa.Sophie Ecclestone, the 19-year-old left-arm spinner, has been preferred having taken eight wickets in the three-match series against India in April during which Hartley took one wicket in the three games. Hartley claimed 2 for 58 at Lord’s last year, including the key wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur, when England beat India by nine runs to lift the World Cup.England are able to recall the experienced pair of Katherine Brunt and Sarah Taylor who both missed the tour of India. Brunt was recovering from a back injury while Taylor was left out as part of the management of her anxiety condition.Georgia Elwiss, Laura Marsh and Lauren Winfield also return having missed the trip to India. From the squad that travelled to India, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Tash Farrant, Fran Wilson, Bryony Smith and Katie George have been left out.”It should be a really exciting summer against two of the best teams in the world,” Mark Robinson, the head coach, said. “South Africa are an up-and-coming team with some really dangerous players. They pushed us close the last time we met them and we will have to be at our best to beat them.”It’s obviously great to have Katherine and Sarah back, and Lauren and Laura’s recent form has earned them recalls.”The South Africa series forms part of the ICC Women’s Championship and marks England’s first steps on the way to qualification for the 2021 World Cup. After the one-day series there is a triangular T20I tournament also featuring New Zealand before a one-day series against New Zealand in July.Squad Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Anya Shrubsole, Nat Sciver, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt

Afghanistan agree 'in principle' to support women's cricket

The ICC’s Afghanistan Working Group (AWG) has conveyed to the governing body’s board that the country’s government has reiterated its commitment to “fully respect and comply” with the ICC constitution, including agreeing “in principle” to support the development of women’s cricket.The focus was to ensure “diversity and inclusivity, and for the Afghanistan Cricket Board to operate independent from government interference,” an ICC statement following meetings in Melbourne over the weekend said.Related

  • IOC will decide if Afghanistan play in the Olympics – ICC CEO Allardice

  • Women's cricket 'in peril' but fans rejoice as the game returns to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

  • Afghanistan women's cricket in danger after Taliban's reported opposition

  • Cricket Australia confirms postponement of Afghanistan Test

“The meeting was positive and respectful, and the [Afghanistan] government representative was clear in his support for the ICC constitution including in principle for women’s cricket in Afghanistan,” Imran Khwaja, the AWG chair, was quoted as saying. “There are obviously challenges for it to resume but we will continue to work with the ACB to take this forward. The Working Group will closely monitor the commitment undertaken by the Afghanistan government and will continue to report back to the ICC Board.”As things stand, Afghanistan is the only Full Member to have received that status without having an operational women’s team in place. Last year, the ACB had announced its first contracts for women in their quest to build a team, but those efforts were put on the back-burner following the Taliban’s takeover of the administrative affairs of the country in September 2021.At the time, ACB chief executive Hamid Shinwari admitted that the women’s game was “in peril”, even as then acting chairman Azizullah Fazli said women would be allowed to play as long as the players adhered to Islamic rules. Soon after, Afghanistan’s Test in Australia – their first in the country – was called off. Australian sports minister Richard Colbeck said at the time that Afghan athletes would “remain welcome in Australia, but not under the flag of the Taliban”.The men’s ODI World Cup will be a 14-team affair in 2027•Getty Images

Thailand, Nepal, Namibia among hosts for U19 World Cups
Sri Lanka will host the men’s Under-19 World Cup in 2024, while Zimbabwe and Namibia will stage the 2026 edition together. And, as part of the ICC’s attempts to spread the game, Malaysia and Thailand have been named joint hosts of the women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup in 2025, while Bangladesh and Nepal will jointly host the 2027 edition of the same tournament.The Under-19 World Cup for women is finally set to take off after a pandemic-enforced delay, with South Africa hosting the inaugural edition in January 2023.Men’s 50-over World Cup in 2027 will feature 14 teams
The ICC has also formulated a qualification pathway for the women’s 2024 T20 World Cup – the ten-team event will have eight automatic qualifiers – the top-three teams from each of the two groups at the 2023 women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, hosts Bangladesh (if they fail to make the cut in 2023), and the next-highest-ranked teams in the ICC rankings when the 2023 edition concludes. The remaining two teams will be identified through the ten-team global qualifying event.The men’s ODI World Cup in 2027 will be a 14-team event, as compared to ten in 2023 in India. South Africa and Zimbabwe will qualify as hosts, along with the next eight teams in the rankings on a date that is yet to be announced. Four others will join these ten via a global qualifier.

Domingo denies reports of his resignation as Bangladesh's head coach for Tests and ODIs

Russell Domingo has reaffirmed his commitment as Bangladesh’s head coach in the Test and ODI formats after reports on Thursday morning said that he had resigned. Domingo and the BCB have both denied those claims, saying that Domingo’s contract remains intact till November next year.Domingo, who is currently in South Africa, said that he would get back to work in October with the Bangladesh A side that takes on Afghanistan A in the UAE, before joining the senior team ahead of their preparation for the India series at home in December.”This is to confirm that all the rumours and speculations that I have resigned from the Bangladesh Cricket Board are not true,” Domingo told ESPNcricinfo. “I am trying to get our cricket to where it needs to be in the one-day and Test format. I will be going to Abu Dhabi in October to work with the A side. I will then join the national team in December. As far as I am concerned, it is business as usual. I will continue the journey that I have started. My contract is till November 2023. I am fully committed to the Bangladesh Cricket Board for the next 15 months.”Earlier this week, the BCB replaced Domingo with S Sriram as the one in charge of the T20I side, although they stopped short of calling Sriram the head coach, using the term “technical consultant”. Domingo said at the time that he was happy with the arrangement as it gave him more time to prepare for the ODI and Test teams, as well as giving him time with his family back in South Africa.Domingo took up the Bangladesh job in September 2019. Since then, he has overseen the ODI side into the second position in the World Cup Super League, while winning a Test in New Zealand. His record in T20Is, however, came under scrutiny after Bangladesh’s underwhelming performance at the T20 World Cup last year. This year so far, the team has just two wins from seven completed T20Is.Bangladesh are currently in Dubai for the Asia Cup. After that, they will play a T20I tri-series in New Zealand that also involves Pakistan, before heading to Australia for the T20 World Cup in late October.

Jack Brooks runs rampant to give Somerset the upper hand

Jack Brooks bit the hand that used to feed him as Somerset gained the upper hand on the second day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Yorkshire at Taunton.Facing his former club, the veteran seamer turned back the years with 3 for 38 from ten overs to help restrict them to 167 for 4 in their first innings, 257 runs behind.Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit an unbeaten 68 against the team he will join next season, while Harry Brook was dismissed for 41.Somerset had earlier extended their first-innings score from 262 for 5 to 424 all out, skipper Tom Abell falling for 116, Lewis Gregory making 77 and Kasey Aldridge a career-best 41.Former Somerset off-spinner Dom Bess finished with 4 for 68 and seamer Matthew Waite 3 for 64.The hosts began the day poorly when Abell, having added only two to his score, fell to the second new ball, lbw to a delivery from Waite that thumped into his back pad.Floodlights were on under grey skies as Gregory and Aldridge progressed the innings to 298 for 6 before rain caused a 45 minute delay, with 11 overs overs lost. By lunch, the pair had added a further 26.Gregory reached his half-century with an edged four to third man off Jordan Thompson, having faced 87 balls and hit seven fours.Aldridge grew in confidence from a sketchy start and brought up 350 with an elegant back-foot boundary off Thompson.Gregory smacked Bess for a straight six, but perished trying to repeat the shot, caught at long-on by Adam Lyth with the total on 376.Somerset had settled for four batting points. But Jack Leach dispatched Bess over long-off for six and cleared the ropes again with a reverse sweep off Jack Shutt, who gained revenge by having the England spinner stumped for 16.Brooks was caught behind to give Bess his fourth wicket before Marchant de Lange took six and four off successive balls from Shannon Gabriel.Aldridge was last man out, bowled attempting a big hit off Gabriel, having boosted his reputation with a composed contribution.Adam Lyth began Yorkshire’s reply with two quick boundaries. But, on 13, he drove at Brooks and was picked up at gully by a tumbling Abell.Brooks almost had a second wicket with the total on 36, just failing to hold a low caught and bowled chance, offered by George Hill on 12.Hill didn’t profit for long, advancing to Leach in only his second over and miscuing a running catch to Matt Renshaw at mid-off to make it 55 for two.Kohler-Cadmore had already hit Leach for a straight six and repeated the dose as he and Brook built a half-century stand, off 92 balls.Tall seamer Aldridge produced a tight six-over spell from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End. But Brook pulled his replacement, de Lange, over the short leg side boundary as the South African went for 23 from three overs.Leach switched to the same end, only to be dispatched for another six by Kohler-Cadmore. The Yorkshire pair looked in complete control when Brook clipped Brooks off his toes to mid-wicket where Aldridge took a diving catch.The next ball saw Matthew Revis fall lbw on the back foot and suddenly Yorkshire were 129 for 4, with Brooks rampant.Kohler-Cadmore went to fifty off 86 balls, with four fours and four sixes, showing a relish for his future environment. But when bad light ended play two overs early, he faced more important work in the morning.

Chahar, Ashwin, Hooda? Competition heats up as India's Asia Cup selection looms

Later this week or early next week, India’s selectors will pick the squad for the Asia Cup – their last selection before having to put together the 15 for the T20 World Cup in October. While there are home T20I series against Australia and South Africa after the Asia Cup in September, it is likely that the World Cup squad will have to be named before those matches.India could approach the Asia Cup in two ways: pick their best squad, or use the tournament to further assess options for the World Cup. As things stand, provided everyone is fit, 12 slots are sealed. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik on the batting front. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja should be the two allrounders. Yuzvendra Chahal should be the wristspinner to go with three fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel. That leaves, in ESPNcricinfo’s eyes, three slots open.Whether India pick these 12 and their first choices for back-up roles for the Asia Cup, or give one final chance to other contenders, remains to be seen. The idea could be to cover as many bases as possible with the remaining three players. Here are some of the options for whom the Asia Cup selection will be crucial.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Deepak Chahar
Not too long ago, Deepak Chahar might have been India’s preferred option as the powerplay wicket-hunter, but in his injury-forced absence, Bhuvneshwar has served a timely reminder of his class. Chahar’s ability to hit sixes will still tempt India, especially to cover for the possibility of Jadeja not succeeding. While Hardik and Jadeja will be India’s first choices as allrounders, Jadeja’s strike rates both with bat and ball have been a concern this year. So if Jadeja’s batting doesn’t quite click, India could look for a more attacking spin option, in which case Chahar can lengthen the batting order. India will surely want to see how he goes at the Asia Cup.R Ashwin
A piece of trivia: in 2022, Ashwin has a better batting strike rate than Jadeja in T20s. But batting is not the reason for Ashwin’s resurgence in this format. The offpsinner has emerged as the bankable bowler that teams have gone back to of late: an experienced bowler who can give you four overs of considerable wicket-taking potential and few horrible days. Ashwin has a good chance of playing against teams with several left-hand batters, especially if India can find Jadeja’s runs from elsewhere. But if they’re up against a line-up that is right-hander heavy, then Chahal and Jadeja will probably play as first-choice spinners, and it is hard to imagine a scenario in which India play three spinners.Axar Patel
Axar is a like-for-like back-up for Jadeja. The shorter the format gets, the bigger the threat Axar poses to Jadeja’s place. However, it is unlikely India will pick a player who is a back-up in that exact role and not much else. Eventually, it is going to be either Jadeja or Axar in the XI. So if Axar makes the cut for the Asia Cup, it will mean he is still a threat to Jadeja’s place.Deepak Hooda
Hooda has taken every opportunity that has come his way in 2022. He has also proved his utility with the ball, should he be required to sneak in an over or two against left-hand batters. While it’s likely that one batter from the first-choice 12 mentioned earlier will already be on the bench, there could still be place for Hooda as a second batting back-up in the squad of 15.Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep’s USP is his ability to nail yorkers at the death and the fact that he is the only left-arm quick in the running. If India pick only one fast-bowling back-up, it could come down to Arshdeep vs Chahar. Arshdeep could lose out on the batting front, because in Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal, India already have two sure starters who aren’t six-hitters. Chances are, India pick both Arshdeep and Chahar for the Asia Cup and see how they go.Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi
The two wristspinners have been around the T20I set-up for the last few months, but India’s recent selections suggest they will not play two wristspinners in the same XI, and they might not need back-up for Chahal. However, don’t be surprised if one of Kuldeep and Bishnoi makes the cut for the Asia Cup.

If you had to pick three of the following seven players to complete India’s 15-man squad, who would you choose?

Hooda, Arshdeep, Malik star in India's comfortable win

Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik enjoyed bowling time, Deepak Hooda continued his rich run of form, Suryakumar Yadav, returning from injury, had time in the middle and Sanju Samson carried on from his maiden T20I half-century from three days ago. All this meant India pocketed a comfortable seven-wicket win over Derbyshire in a warm-up T20 clash on Friday night.Led by Dinesh Karthik in 11 vs 11 contest, the visitors elected to field and rocked Derbyshire by removing openers Shan Masood and Luis Reece inside four overs. This was to be the order of the evening for the hosts, who didn’t have momentum at any stage. As many as four Derbyshire batters got off to starts, none bettering No. 3 Wayne Madsen’s 28.From 88 for 5 in the 13th over, they managed to post 150 thanks largely to Alex Hughes (24 off 17) and Hilton Cartwright (27 off 26). Late blows from Arshdeep and Umran, who picked up two wickets apiece, ensured Derbyshire didn’t get a final kick.Indians lost Ruturaj Gaikwad in the first over, but pressed on courtesy two half-century stands. The first, (51 runs) between Samson and Hooda was about laying the foundation of the chase, the second (78 runs), between Hooda and Suryakumar was about building on and completing the job. Hooda fell for a 37-ball 59 with India needing 17, which they polished off in just 16.4 overs.The Indians travel up the road to Northampton for their second warm-up fixture on Sunday ahead of the three-match T20I series starting on July 7.

Graeme Cremer available for Zimbabwe selection after seven-year hiatus

Former Zimbabwe captain and legspinner Graeme Cremer has returned to the country’s domestic cricket structure and is available for international selection. Cremer, who is 38 and led Zimbabwe between 2016 and 2018, gave up cricket for golf and then moved with his family to the UAE, where his wife Merna works as an airline pilot. He has now made his return in Zimbabwe’s National Premier League, the 45-over club competition.ESPNcricinfo has confirmed he is eligible for selection for the national side and could be in contention for September’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers, which will be played in Zimbabwe.Cremer last played international cricket in March 2018 and has been involved in coaching roles in Dubai, including with the Rajasthan Royals Academy. He is now playing for the defending champions, Takashinga Patriots 1 Cricket Club, and is the leading wicket-taker after two matches.Related

  • Cremer temporarily puts cricket career on hold for family

  • 'A debut-like feeling' – Taylor grateful for second chance

“It’s amazing being back,” Cremer told about his return after the match against Queens Sports Club in Kwekwe. “Kwekwe was my home ground for many years, so it was great walking out and being part of Takashinga, which is such a prestigious club. They welcomed me into the team and it was an amazing team environment. I’m really happy with the start.”Cremer took 4 for 43 as Takashinga defended 263 for 6 and won by 134 runs. That match, played on August 3, also featured Brendan Taylor, who has subsequently made his return to the Test side after serving a three-and-a-half-year ban for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code. Taylor scored 61 in that match as he tuned up ahead of his international comeback.”We are close friends, myself and Brendan, so it was an amazing feeling being on the field with him again and nice to see him score some runs,” Cremer said. “It’s great watching him bat, and then walking out onto the field with him, just how we communicate because we have played so much cricket together. It really helps someone like that out with me.”Taylor and Cremer are two of Zimbabwe’s most experienced players, and their return to the set-up with two ICC tournaments (T20 World Cup 2026 and ODI World Cup 2027, which Zimbabwe will co-host) speaks to Zimbabwe Cricket’s seriousness to ensure they qualify. Zimbabwe missed out on the last T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean after losing to Uganda in qualifiers and have not played a 50-over World Cup since 2015 after missing out on both the 2019 and 2023 editions.Zimbabwe will host the Africa Regional Qualifier for the upcoming T20 World Cup from September 26 to October 4. The tournament consists of eight teams, and the top two will progress to the main event.

Mishara's maiden fifty seals Sri Lanka's T20I series against Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe put forward a team effort led by Tadiwanashe Marumani’s fourth T20I fifty to post an imposing 191 for 8. But Sri Lanka’s top four batters made light work of their target by ending the game with 14 balls and eight wickets to spare. With it, Sri Lanka took the series 2-1.Kamil Mishara will be the name on everyone’s lips after the game, though, with his 73 not out off 43 balls the shining light in an outstanding display of batting from the Sri Lankans. Pathum Nissanka (30 from 20 deliveries) and Kusal Mendis (30 off 17) once more delivered a strong start in the powerplay. But while Sri Lanka have long struggled to maintain that momentum, on Sunday, Mishara and the returning Kusal Perera dusted off the 192 chase with ease with an unbeaten stand of 117 from 63 balls.Earlier, Marumani rode his luck to propel Zimbabwe’s efforts, and he was ably assisted by cameos throughout the innings. At one point, Zimbabwe looked poised to breach 200, but Sri Lanka again excelled during the death overs, particularly with Dushmantha Chameera and Matheesha Pathirana, to ensure Zimbabwe had a total that was eventually gettable.Tadiwanashe Marumani scored a steady half-century•Zimbabwe Cricket

SL’s powerplay one-upmanship

After Zimbabwe posted their highest total against Sri Lanka – and their third highest total at the Harare Sports Club – Sri Lanka knew what they needed to do to chase it down.Part one played out as expected, with Kusal Mendis and Nissanka once more providing the Sri Lanka with a customary blistering start to the chase. The pair put on an opening stand of 58 off 32 deliveries, as Sri Lanka struck 67 runs in the powerplay for the loss of just one wicket.It was the ideal response to Zimbabwe, who had done similarly well in the powerplay by scoring 58 for 1. That effort had been led by a somewhat chancy knock by Marumani, who played anchor, as both Brian Bennett and Sean Williams provided the aggression.Dushan Hemantha picked up three wickets•Sri Lanka Cricket

Mishara announces himself

Prior to this tour, Mishara had briefly introduced himself to Sri Lanka’s cricket followers in 2022 during matches against India and Australia before swiftly finding himself back in the domestic wilderness. In the years since, he has crafted himself as a batter full of intent and aggression – it was ill-advised in the second T20I, but on Sunday, he showed how useful that skillset can be.Coming into bat late in the powerplay, Mishara soon found himself the senior man in a partnership with Perera, as both Mendis and Nissanka had fallen in quick succession. But with lopsided boundaries on offer, both Mishara and Perera smartly took the singles and twos on offer, without searching for the boundaries – a luxury afforded by the strong powerplay.However, a stunning loft down the ground for six, hitting through the line, signalled to all watching what Mishara was all about. It would be another ten deliveries until he found his next boundary, but scarcely was a dot ball registered under his watch.Mishara’s assurance also seemed to revive Perera, who had been dropped for the second T20I following a lean patch of form, but here he seemed to be finding his feet once more. The pair eventually began finding boundaries as and when needed, with Mishara in particular looking always keen to take on the onus. By the end, Mishara looked assured in a challenging middle-order role, one Sri Lanka will be hoping he can hold on to for a while.Sikandar Raza batted at a high tempo•Zimbabwe Cricket

Chameera, Pathirana dent Zimbabwe’s charge

Sikandar Raza said after the game that he was absolutely thrilled with Zimbabwe’s batting effort, and with 191 on the board, you don’t have to wonder why. It was a performance built on a strong powerplay, but more importantly, smart and aggressive cricket throughout.Dushan Hemantha, for example, picked up three wickets – the most in the innings – and they were the prized scalps of Williams, Raza and Marumani. But such was the trajectory of the Zimbabwean innings that it hardly halted their momentum.Each of Zimbabwe’s top seven reached double digits, while five of them struck at a strike rate of 150 or more. It was the quintessential team innings, and one that saw them score 95 runs through the middle overs (7 to 16). Yet, by the end of the game, many watching on may have felt they were perhaps 30 runs short.That is primarily down to Sri Lanka’s excellent effort with the ball at the death, where they conceded just 38 runs and picked up four wickets, a period which culminated in a final over where the returning Pathirana gave away just six runs and accounted for two wickets – one of which was a run-out.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus