All posts by n8rngtd.top

McCullum takes over as New Zealand captain

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Brendon McCullum has been appointed New Zealand’s captain in all three formats after Ross Taylor declined an offer to stay on as leader of the Test side in a split-captaincy scenario

Brydon Coverdale06-Dec-2012Brendon McCullum has been appointed New Zealand’s captain in all three formats after Ross Taylor declined an offer to stay on as leader of the Test side in a split-captaincy scenario. Taylor has also chosen to make himself unavailable for the upcoming tour of South Africa, although New Zealand are hopeful he will be back in the side for the home series against England early next year.The confirmation of the change came at a press conference in Auckland on Friday morning where David White, the New Zealand Cricket CEO, said he regretted the way the captaincy debate had played out in the public spotlight. McCullum, who has previously led New Zealand in eight ODIs and 12 Twenty20s, will become the country’s 28th Test captain when the series against South Africa begins on January 2 in Cape Town.There had been much speculation this week about the future of Taylor since the squad returned from Sri Lanka despite their impressive series-leveling victory in Colombo. In that match Taylor, who took over as captain in 2011 after being preferred to McCullum for the role, scored 142 in the first innings, but it was one of few highlights in a disappointing year for New Zealand, whose only other victory came in the first Test of the year against Zimbabwe.They lost Test series against South Africa, West Indies and India before the draw in Sri Lanka while they have slipped to ninth in the one-day rankings below Bangladesh. They were also knocked out in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20. It was after the review of that tournament, as well as the tours of India and Sri Lanka, that the coach Mike Hesson recommended splitting the captaincy.”Mike Hesson proposed a split captaincy that was endorsed by me as CEO and agreed by the board,” White said. “The original recommendation was for Ross Taylor to be retained as Test captain and Brendon McCullum to be short-form captain. We regret that Ross Taylor has declined the opportunity, therefore Brendon McCullum has been appointed as Black Caps captain for all three forms of the game.”I met with Ross … for about three hours yesterday and we considered a number of different options. One of them was … for him to go to South Africa and even just play the Test matches if he wanted to do that. But he thought about it long and hard and he said that he would like a break and to spend time with his family and we’ve agreed with that and we respect that. It’s not ideal and we would be a stronger team with Ross Taylor in it.”Despite the change in captaincy, White said he did not believe Taylor had lost the support of his players. “I don’t believe he lost the dressing room,” White said. “He is well respected.”Hesson, who took over from John Wright as New Zealand’s coach in July, said he wanted Taylor to stay on as Test captain and his main concern was that the leadership in all three formats was a lot for anyone to take on. Hesson said split captaincy had worked for other countries and he believed McCullum would have been the best man for the job in the shorter formats.”Brendon certainly reads the one-day game well and is very adaptable and changes quickly,” Hesson said. “The one-day game and the T20 game move very quickly. I think Brendon McCullum has attributes to really add value to our team in that area.”Split captaincy is something that works and with the high volume of cricket around the world at the moment, for one person to take on all three forms of the game is an extremely difficult task. It’s very difficult for anybody to be up to that.”We play ten months of the year. In terms of planning from series to series it’s extremely difficult, to look after your own game and worry about that of the team. Therefore my recommendation was for Ross to stay on as Test captain and focus on that, and also focus on his batting in all three forms, and for Brendon to come in as leader of the one-day and T20 squads.”

Peter Fulton out of South Africa Tests

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Peter Fulton, the New Zealand batsman, will return home because of a knee injury that flared up during the tour match against the South African Invitation XI in Paarl

Firdose Moonda29-Dec-2012Peter Fulton, the New Zealand batsman, has been ruled out of the two-Test series against South Africa because of a tendon injury to his right knee. The problem is an old one that has recurred throughout Fulton’s career and flared up again during the practice match against the South African Invitation XI in Paarl.Fulton had opened the batting with Martin Guptill and was at the crease for an hour and six minutes on the first day. He scored 39 and did not appear to be in any discomfort, but on assessment on the second morning the injury was deemed too serious for him to stay on the tour.”We have been monitoring the injury closely and Peter played yesterday in an effort to determine whether the injury would affect his batting. By the end of his innings the pain was significant and it became clear that the injury would prevent him from playing a full range of shots,” Paul Close, the New Zealand physiotherapist said. “Due to the condensed nature of the tour there is insufficient time to fully recover and he has therefore been withdrawn from the squad. We believe it is best for Peter to return to New Zealand where he can undergo further assessment and continue his rehabilitation.”Fulton was unlikely to play in the two-Test series, with Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum set to open the batting. New Zealand retained Colin Munro from the Twenty20 series as cover and also have Daniel Flynn as an extra batsman in the squad.This is the second withdrawal from New Zealand’s Test squad after Tim Southee had to pull out of with a thumb injury. Southee was replaced by left-armer Mitchell McClenaghan, who was also part of the T20 squad and impressed with his performances in that series.

Maddinson, Zampa roll Redbacks

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Nic Maddinson and Adam Zampa showcased their considerable talents to deliver New South Wales victory over South Australia at the SCG

Daniel Brettig at the SCG14-Feb-2013
ScorecardNic Maddinson crashed seven sixes in an attractive innings for the Blues•Getty Images

Nic Maddinson, Adam Zampa and Gurinder Sandhu showcased their considerable talents to deliver New South Wales a bonus-point victory over South Australia’s final aspirants in the domestic limited overs match at the SCG.SA had entered the match needing to win one of two games over the Blues to guarantee their spot in the tournament decider, but were second best by a distance in Sydney, leaving them with it all to do in Sunday’s return bout at Adelaide Oval.For much of this summer Maddinson’s best batting touch has deserted him, in keeping with a season that had the Blues well out of contention for the final before this match. But he was crispness itself for much of his afternoon innings, setting NSW on the path to a strong total.After Sandhu’s early incisions, Zampa kept SA’s middle order quiet with his array of leg breaks and variations. He then snapped up the wickets of Johan Botha and Kane Richardson to ensure the visitors would fall short.Richardson deserved better after plucking six NSW wickets in his 13 overs, another striking analysis to follow his premium purchase for this year’s IPL. Callum Ferguson scrounged 78 but was afflicted by a groin problem, which may yet rule him out of Australia A’s matches against the England Lions.The Redbacks made a halting start to their pursuit when Tim Ludeman touched a Trent Copeland away swinger behind. Sandhu’s bounce accounted for Michael Klinger and Travis Head, leaving Ferguson and Dan Christian to attempt a salvage operation.Ferguson played neatly but was soon hobbling, and stands of 60 with Christian and 62 with Alex Ross were kept from blossoming fully by neat bowling from the young legspinner Zampa. The handicap of injury ultimately proved too much for Ferguson, who scooped Copeland to the NSW captain Ben Rohrer.Richardson landed a few late blows, but Zampa’s return brought his demise alongside Botha’s, and the match petered out to the unedifying sight of SA’s tail trying to bat out the innings. The final over of the evening was a maiden.SA had made a decent start in the field, Richardson nipping out David Dawson before Scott Henry picked out deep midwicket when trying to swing Jake Haberfield for a boundary. However Maddinson and Tim Cruickshank would establish a strong union, pushing the Blues towards a staunch total on a pitch that played better than its dry appearance suggested.Maddinson’s first scoring stroke was a six cut cleanly over gully, and it would turn out to be a fitting start to an innings in which he cleared the rope seven times in all. Nevertheless this was not the innings of an agricultural basher, Maddinson’s strokes played crisply and correctly, underlining the talent he possesses.Having made a century in the Blues’ recent Sheffield Shield win over Tasmania in Hobart, Maddinson’s strong form was welcome, after he struggled badly in the first half of the season. In the end he was to fall short of a hundred here, bowled as he drew back to blaze at Richardson.That dismissal brought a change to the tone of the innings, as Richardson surged into the hosts’ tail with bowling of pace and accuracy. His rising fortunes contrasted with those of the legspinner Cullen Bailey, who was taken for 43 in four overs, including one of the batting Powerplay that went for 19 – an over Botha might have delivered.

I'm a bit more versatile now – Fulton

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Peter Fulton has admitted he has “a pretty average” Test record, but hopes a new found versatility will help him grasp his latest opportunity in international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2013Peter Fulton has admitted he has “a pretty average” Test record, but hopes a new found versatility will help him grasp his latest opportunity in international cricket. Fulton has not played a Test since December 2009 but, having enjoyed a fine run of form in domestic cricket, finds himself back in the New Zealand Test squad to face England.Fulton has averaged just 20.93 from his first 10 Tests but, as the second-highest run-scorer in this season’s Plunket Shield, has forced his way back into contention. Fulton scored 902 runs in nine Shield matches, with three centuries, seven half-centuries at an average of 56.37. Had the recurrence of a knee injury not forced him home, he would have opened the batting during the series against South Africa.”Getting selected is great, but now I need to work hard, play well and score runs to keep myself in there,” 34-year-old Fulton said. “I’ve always looked at my international career in two parts. There’s the ODI stuff, where I played 49 games and compiled a pretty handy record. Then there’s the 10 or so Tests I played. I never really got going and had a pretty average record.”I do think my game has changed a bit though and I’m a bit more versatile now. I’ve scored a few runs this season, some quite quickly and some I’ve really had to grind out.”He is not the only mature face in the New Zealand squad. Bruce Martin was first called into the New Zealand squad as a teenager in 2000 but, 13 years later and aged 32, remains without an international cap. Now, like then, he owes his call-up in part to injury to his fellow left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori but, while he missed out to Darly Tuffey on that occasion, looks certain to play this time.Martin’s Plunket Shied record this season is modest – he averages 40.40 runs per wicket – but, having narrowly missed out to Jeetan Patel for selection in the Tests against South Africa – will play unless New Zealand opt for an all-seam attack.”I worked hard in South Africa and I was disappointed I didn’t get a run there,” Martin said. “I knew I was thereabouts and I had to keep working hard. It was still a nice surprise. It’s going to be good fun and I can’t wait.”I like to be attacking rather than hold up an end, I’ll be looking to take poles and bowl to some pretty attacking fields.”

Rajasthan thrash Mumbai to go top

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The fans at the Sawai Man Singh stadium were treated to one of the joys of the IPL, watching journeymen cricketers take their chance in the limelight as Royals brushed away their underdog tag

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran17-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ajinkya Rahane anchored the innings with an unbeaten 68•BCCI

This match was billed as a clash of the legends, with three of cricket’s greatest run-getters – Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar – featuring, and there was the added draw of Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh facing off days after Sreesanth’s barrage of tweets re-opened the Slapgate controversy from the first season of the IPL. To dash the dreams of the marketing men, the three legends played 12 deliveries in all, and Sreesanth was rested from the game as Rajasthan Royals wanted to ensure they didn’t overwork him soon after a long lay-off.Still, the fans at the Sawai Man Singh stadium were treated to one of the joys of the IPL, watching journeymen cricketers take their chance in the limelight as Royals brushed away their underdog tag to go top of the table after demolishing the high-profile Mumbai Indians. Dishant Yagnik made the most of being promoted to No. 3 to ensure the momentum wasn’t lost after Shane Watson’s high-octane start, the unheralded offspinner Ajit Chandila can tell his grandkids he’s the first bowler to have dismissed both Tendulkar and Ponting in the same match, and the under-rated Siddharth Trivedi virtually ended the chase by getting the dangerous Rohit Sharma in a wicket maiden.This was a night on which almost everything went right for Royals. Their Twenty20 superstar Watson took apart Mumbai’s main threat, Lasith Malinga, to lead Royals to 58 after six overs. The trouble for Royals has been that they have struggled to kick on once Watson departs – this time in the eight over – but Dravid decided to demote himself and gave Yagnik a go.Yagnik had shown in the limited chances he has got that he is not short on confidence, and loves to try unorthodox strokes. He began with a streaky four past the keeper, but then became far more assured as he thrashed Kieron Pollard over midwicket for six, and drilled several boundaries to point before falling for a 24-ball 34 while attempting a reverse-sweep.Ajinkya Rahane was at the other end when Watson and Yagnik were going ballistic, and though he too played some big hits in the Powerplay, he couldn’t find the boundary easily after that. He wisely decided to turn the strike over to the power-hitters, anchoring the innings with his typically orthodox strokes. He hit three fours in the final over after an extended dry spell in the second half of the innings, but the real acceleration came from Twenty20 expert Brad Hodge, who slammed a 15-ball 27.Mumbai had to chase 180 to win, and against the innocuous Chandila and left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan, they lost Tendulkar and Ponting cheaply. Tendulkar top-edged a sweep and Ponting lobbed back a return catch, and when Trivedi had Rohit holing out to midwicket in the seventh over, Mumbai were virtually out of it. Pollard was promoted but he was done in by an inswinger from Stuart Binny in the eighth over, after which Mumbai were only looking to limit the margin of defeat. They didn’t do too well on that front either, slumping to their biggest loss in terms of runs.

Bowling Somerset's one sticking point

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With some ageing stalwarts and raw youngsters, whether Somerset have the bowling firepower to bowl sides out twice remains to be seen

George Dobell04-Apr-2013Last year: Second, CC Div 1; Semi-final, T20; Third Group B, CB402012 in a nutshell: It says much about how expectations have risen at Somerset that last year was seen as disappointing by some. It probably shouldn’t have been. Somerset equalled their best-ever Championship finish in coming second – the fifth time in succession they have finished in the top four – and again qualified – for the fourth time in succession – for T20 finals day only to come unstuck against Hampshire’s medium-pacers and spinners in the semi-final. They were the only side to defeat Warwickshire in the Championship, thanks to a terrific innings from Craig Kieswetter, and, along with Warwickshire, the only side to lose only one game. They suffered terribly with injury – the loss of Marcus Trescothick for almost half the season was a colossal blow – though the sustained excellence of Nick Compton, who averaged 99.25 in the Championship, with the bat and Peter Trego, who claimed 50 Championship wickets for the first time in his career, partially made up for it. Various overseas players, notably Chris Gayle, flirted with the club only to ultimately disappoint, but the emergence of yet more talented young players – such as the Overton twins – compensated. They lost their first four CB40 games, which all but ended their interest in the competition, but then went through the rest of the campaign unbeaten.2013 prospects: If, as seems likely, Somerset are to be without Compton for much of the season, he will prove desperately hard to replace. Alviro Petersen, who has been signed as an overseas player for the first part of the season, is one of those charged with filling Compton’s boots, while spinner Abdur Rehman, so successful in his brief stint in 2012, returns towards the end of the season. With a long, strong and positive batting order, Somerset should continue to be a force in the limited-overs formats and look hard to beat in the Championship, but whether they have the bowling firepower to bowl sides out twice remains to be seen. While there are some exciting bowlers emerging, some of the more experienced performers – the likes of Steve Kirby and Alfonso Thomas – are in their mid-30s and may need careful handling. Dave Nosworthy, the new director of cricket, will also have to resolve the issue of finding a way to satisfy two talented young wicketkeeper-batsmen with England aspirations.Key player: Gemaal Hussain secured a large pay rise when he left Gloucestershire for Taunton at the start of 2011 but, so far, he has failed to live up to expectations with only 35 first-class wickets in two seasons at an average of 39.20. Now aged 29, time is running out for him to justify his signing. It goes without saying that Tresocthick remains a giant at this level.Bright young thing: Somerset have a host of talented young players. George Dockrell, the Overton twins – Craig has more than a hint of Stuart Broad about his bowling – Lewis Gregory and Craig Meschede – should all have bright futures. But, amid the excitement in his unique style, it could be easily forgotten that Jos Buttler is only 22. He continues to learn his trade as a batsman – he didn’t score a Championship century last year – and a keeper but has the potential to become a special player.Captain/coach: Marcus Trescothick remains as captain, with Dave Nosworthy, the South African coach who has enjoyed success both at home and in New Zealand, replacing Brian Rose as director of cricket. Andy Hurry remains as head coach.Cricinfo’s verdict: A strong and explosive batting unit and canny bowling attack remains well-suited to the shorter formats, though a nagging worry remains about their Championship prospects: has Somerset’s best chance of success passed them by?

Likeable teams in lively tussle for playoff push

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A preview of the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in Mohali

The Preview by Sidharth Monga08-May-2013

Match facts

Thursday, May 9, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)It’s in his arc, and David Miller is ready to send it out of the park•BCCI

Big Picture

These must be the two teams neutrals like the most. Rajasthan Royals are led by one of the most admired Indian cricketers of all time, and have made the most use of domestic – and limited, mind you – resources. Kings XI Punjab have not been the most efficient side of the tournament by a long distance, but they have played attractively. It also helps that at almost every step of the way, they have had to deal with umpiring howlers, which they have complained about but not without humour.This is no goodwill match, though. This is pretty serious business with pretty serious implications. Kings XI need to win almost every one of their remaining five games. They have five wins so far, and nine is no longer the magic number because three teams have either been eliminated or are on the brink of elimination, making it a much tighter competition in the middle of the table.Royals have six points more than Kings XI, but the latter have a game in hand. All the winning of hearts and matches against odds might amount to nothing if Royals slip here.

Form guide

Kings XI Punjab WLLLW
Rajasthan Royals WWLWW

Watch out for…

Kings XI have relied mainly on David Miller, whose good performance hasn’t come as a surprise to those who follow South African cricket, but they have in their side a man who almost single-handedly took them to the semi-final of the inaugural IPL. Shaun Marsh has shown glimpses of that form in the three matches he has been able to play so far, but Kings XI can really do with the real deal here.If IPL performances matter for India selection, Ajinkya Rahane has started his good run a touch too late, scoring back-to-back fifties and claiming the Man-of-the-Match award in both the matches. For Royals, though, the runs haven’t come too late, and they will need more of the same from him.

Stats and trivia

  • The two highest successful chases this IPL belong to Kings XI. Royals are not too far behind. They have scripted the fourth- and fifth-highest successful chases this season.
  • Miller has now scored three successive scores of fifty or more. This is not too rare an even in Twenty20 cricket, but only seven men have gone a step ahead. His century against Royal Challengers Bangalore, scored off 38 balls, was the sixth-fastest in T20s.
  • At 813 runs, Rahul Dravid and Rahane are now the fourth-most prolific opening partnership in IPL. Only Michael Hussey and M Vijay have done better than their eight stands of 50 or above.
  • This is the fourth match Royals are playing in eight days. Only Royal Challengers have had to go through such a busy week in this IPL.

Quotes

“We are very close to play-offs, there is no doubt about that. We have been playing very good cricket, but we still need to finish it off strongly. To get to the finals, certainly we have got the quality players.”
“I know it sounds like a whinge. And it is.”

Lees leads from front with maiden ton

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Alex Lees scored an unbeaten century in only his third Championship match to lead Yorkshire to a commanding 215 for 2 against Middlesex

11-Jun-2013
ScorecardAndrew Gale’s form continued in partnership with centurion Alex Lees•Getty Images

Alex Lees scored an unbeaten century in only his third Championship match to lead Yorkshire to a commanding 215 for 2 against Middlesex on a day shortened by persistent drizzle and bad light at Lord’s.With rain stopping play four times and bad light bringing a further interruption, it was not easy for the batsmen to maintain their concentration but Lees showed he had a sound temperament as well as a solid technique by reaching his century in the penultimate over in dazzling sunshine. He had been batting more than four and a half hours and faced 221 balls when he swept off spinner Ollie Rayner nervelessly for his 11th four to complete his second first-class hundred.Middlesex must have fancied their chances against a Yorkshire side missing their England trio of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan as well as Gary Ballance (virus), Jack Brooks (broken thumb) and Moin Ashraf (stiff back).They did not mind bowling first, either, after Yorkshire won the toss and chose to bat in overcast conditions but they were to be denied by Lees, who made 121 against Leeds/Bradford MCCU earlier in the season but had managed only 12 runs in his three previous Championship innings. A powerfully-built, 6ft 3in left-hander, he withstood a thorough examination from Tim Murtagh and Corey Collymore with the new ball, applied himself diligently and received his due reward.Yorkshire had lost Adam Lyth for 11, caught low down at first slip off Murtagh, at 32 and Phil Jaques, caught behind off Gareth Berg, at 70 but Lees got all the support he needed from Andrew Gale, his captain, in an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 145 in 53 overs.Lees played and missed a few times early on and there were a couple of streaky fours through the slips, including the one off Neil Dexter that took him to his fifty off 116 balls but he was growing in confidence all the time. Gale, fresh from his monumental 272, the 13th highest score in Yorkshire’s history, against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough last week, was a reassuring presence as he batted with great assurance to reach 61 off 165 balls with five fours.It made it a chastening day for Middlesex, who began the game joint second with Yorkshire, only five points behind first division leaders Sussex. They had further cause for concern when James Harris pulled up with a side strain in his fifth over. Curiously he stayed on the field, presumably so he will be able to bowl straight away if his condition improves overnight.

Bhuvneshwar, Rohit carry India to final

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar ended the Sri Lanka chase early with a spell of 6-1-8-4, his best international figures, to take India to the final

The Report by Abhishek Purohit09-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRohit Sharma fought hard on a difficult surface to remain unbeaten on 48•AFP

After a four-and-a-half hour rain interruption, Sri Lanka had ten wickets available over a truncated 26 overs to chase 178. India needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 167 or below to make the final ahead of West Indies. In an ideal Twenty20 world, this was a situation loaded in favour of the chasing side. The Queen’s Park Oval pitch, with patches of green spiced up by all the rain, was an ideal Test bowler’s paradise, though. And Bhuvneshwar Kumar used it to perfection, ending the chase early and taking India to the final with a spell of 6-1-8-4, his best international figures.Bhuvneshwar got the ball to do so much, even survival became a lottery, leave alone a chase that began at an asking rate of close to seven an over. Some moved in, some moved away, some hit a green patch and bounced extra, with Bhuvneshwar’s impeccable control forcing the batsmen to play at almost everything. It was only his 16th ODI, but Bhuvneshwar has already built up a reputation for striking early in his spell. Again, he did not disappoint.Upul Tharanga flashed to the slips in Bhuvneshwar’s second over, Kumar Sangakkara got a first-ball shocker of a leg-before decision, Mahela Jayawardene could not keep a cut down, and Lahiru Thirimanne hit an airy drive. In no time, Sri Lanka were 31 for 4, and India already had the final within their sights. Of course, it was the asking rate that made the batsmen play all those strokes, but against the combination of Bhuvneshwar and the pitch, the attempts were doomed to fail. The spinners found generous help from the pitch as well, and made sure there was no fightback from the Sri Lanka lower middle order. The margin of the win showed just how futile a T20-style chase can be on a difficult pitch.This pitch was so difficult it forced even the usually flashy Rohit Sharma to play the survival game. A battered and struggling Rohit fought the conditions, his own lack of touch, and a disciplined Sri Lanka attack but still hung in to build a base for India. But we will never know what could have been in this Rohit knock as the rain terminated India’s innings at 119 for 3 in 29 overs.Though the normally free-flowing Rohit’s grind wasn’t easy on the eye, it was far more refreshing to see him unwilling to fall to a soft dismissal, though he benefited from a dropped catch off Lasith Malinga when on 11.Despite West Indies losing both their games on the same ground after choosing to bowl, Angelo Mathews had no hesitation in doing the same. And his attack bowled far better than West Indies had, which was highly commendable, considering they had sent down 41 overs a day ago against the hosts. There was swing, seam, sharp lift, and the occasional low bounce.Rohit was beaten several times by the movement initially, but to his credit, he played the original line close to his body. For some time, Virat Kohli looked even more uncomfortable than Rohit had and even played out a maiden to Malinga for the first time.Kohli slowly started to come to terms against the fast bowlers and put away the rare wide delivery. Perhaps the pitch made Kohli hesitant to get forward against spin as well, and led to his downfall, when he went back and was caught in front by a flighted Rangana Herath slider, cutting short a second-wicket stand of 49 in 14.1 overs.Rohit, meanwhile, continued to find it hard, inside-edging onto the box, and taking blows on the glove. He did slog-sweep Herath for six but the left-arm spinner hit back in his next over, when another India batsman played back to him. This time, Dinesh Karthik got a turner that spun away to hit his off stump. India were three down now, making it even more important for Rohit to not give it away. As it turned out, though, he had already done enough, after which Bhuvneshwar took over.

'Nothing in pitch warranted scores that low' – Chandimal

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A succession of rash strokes and an inability to handle pressure brought Sri Lanka’s downfall in the first Twenty20 in Colombo, captain Dinesh Chandimal has said

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo03-Aug-2013A succession of rash strokes and an inability to handle pressure brought Sri Lanka’s downfall in the first Twenty20 in Colombo, captain Dinesh Chandimal has said. Having restricted South Africa to 115 for 6, Sri Lanka mustered only 103 for 9 in their 20 overs, on a surface that presented no great obstacle for scoring runs.Sri Lanka had been 72 for 3 in the 14th over, but lost six wickets for 23 runs thereafter in which time they used up 32 balls. Kumar Sangakkara hit 59 off 53 and remained unbeaten at the close, but no other batsman in his company managed double figures.”There was nothing in the pitch that warranted scores that low,” Chandimal said. “The bowlers on both teams bowled very well, and for us, our batsmen we just didn’t play to the situation. Early on we lost two or three wickets and then played some rash shots. We played some really good cricket in the first half, but we didn’t have anyone to support Sangakkara. Not even one batsman stayed with him.”Chandimal said Sri Lanka had planned to use this series strategically, as they looked to build a Twenty20 side for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next year. As a result Sri Lanka’s most successful Twenty20 batsman, Mahela Jayawardene, did not play in this match, despite being available. The series moves to Hambantota for two matches now, and despite the failure in Colombo, Sri Lanka may not play their best XI there either.”We are giving the young players a chance in this series, because it’s the best chance to test our young players looking ahead to the World Twenty20 in five months’ time. Most probably, even in the next two matches, only two of our experienced players will take the field, so that we can give that place to a young player. The senior players can come into any match and perform, because they have that experience. We took that decision with the management and selection committee.”Chandimal’s promotion to No. 3 had also been made with development in mind. Sangakkara usually occupies the first-drop position across all formats, but was displaced to No. 4 against South Africa.”In the last ODI Lahiru Thirimanne had the chance to bat at three. In the ODIs, I didn’t get a chance to bat very much so that’s why I batted at three today. I’m also a No. 3 or 4 batsman and there was a plan to get some experience in the top order for the young players. Kumar is batting very well, so his game wouldn’t be affected. I accept though, that I didn’t bat well.”Thirimanne’s place in the Twenty20 side has also come under scrutiny, after he contributed a nine-ball five, and was caught on the fence attempting to hit out. The harder-hitting Angelo Perera would appear to be the better option for Sri Lanka in Twenty20s, but could not find a place in the side, although he is in the squad.”In some T20 matches Thirimanne bats really well. We also have to look at the future of Sri Lanka cricket. Thirimanne, Kusal Perera and myself can get experience and take Sri Lanka cricket forward. So it’s up to us to figure out how to learn quickly and perform well. We’re doing our best to do that. Angelo Perera is a really good Twenty20 batsman as well, and in the future we’ll have to see what our plans are and what our changes and combination will be.”