Essex’s successful run chase on a thrilling day in Cardiff took them second in Division Two and stilled talk of crisis

18-May-2013
ScorecardTom Westley (pictured) and Jake Mickleburgh set up Essex’s successful run chase at SWALEC Stadium•Getty Images

Mark Pettini kept his cool to see Essex to their second LV= County Championship Division Two victory of the season by beating Glamorgan by five wickets with seven balls to spare at Cardiff.In an enthralling final day Essex chased down 275 for victory with openers Tom Westley and Jaik Mickleburgh hitting half centuries to give their side a good foundation and still the talk of crisis which clouded a poor start to the seasonAfter a couple of scares Pettini (47 not out) and Greg Smith helped to see Essex past the winning post at the end of the penultimate over. Essex took 22 points from the contest to Glamorgan’s four.Earlier in the day Glamorgan, thanks to 101 from skipper Mark Wallace – Glamorgan’s first Championship century of the season – left Essex 275 to win in 70 overs.Essex were given a fine start by Westley and Mickleburgh as the openers put on 143 for the first wicket before the latter fell lbw to Jim Allenby for 66.But though Essex were favourites to win they did suffer their setbacks on the way. Westley was run out for 88 by Michael Hogan coming back for a second run.And with 64 needed in fewer than 11 overs Ravi Bopara went for the big hit off slow left armer Dean Cosker only to be caught at long on by Stewart Walters.Significantly, Essex sent in the big-hitting Graham Napier as they required 58 from the final 10 overs. Napier also tried to hit Cosker out of the ground only to be caught at long off
by Will Bragg leaving Essex still needing 45 from 7.5 overs.With seven runs required and 13 balls remaining skipper James Foster holed out, but Pettini and Smith saw them home.Glamorgan had resumed the final day on 303 for 6 – a lead of 189. The seventh-wicket pair of Wallace and Graham Wagg took the lead beyond 200. Wagg completed his half-century from 67 balls but his innings was ended by Reece Topley who had the Glamorgan bowler caught behind leaving them 343 for 7.Wallace went into the 90s as the lead also went beyond 250, but with the score on 375 Napier had Cosker caught behind. Hogan stayed around long enough for Wallace to become Glamorgan’s first century-maker of the summer.Wallace’s 15th first-class century came up off 171 balls with seven fours, but his fine innings ended in the next over when he was bowled playing forward to Bopara, departing for 101.Five balls later slow left armer Tim Phillips bowled Hogan as Glamorgan were dismissed leaving the visitors their 3.92 runs an over target in the final two sessions.

Offspinner Parvez Rasool, named in India’s 15-man squad to tour Zimbabwe, said his consistency in the last domestic season helped earn him the national call-up

Amol Karhadkar05-Jul-2013Parvez Rasool was practising in Bijbehara, a remote village in the Anantnag district of Jammu & Kashmir, when he started getting calls from his friends and the media. At the same time, a Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Associaltion official confirmed to him what he had been waiting to hear for a long time.After creating a series of firsts earlier in the 2012-13 season – Rasool became the first J&K player to be picked for India A, the first from the state to compete against an international side and also the first J&K cricketer to earn an IPL contract – he realised his long-cherished dream of earning a national call-up, when he was named in India’s ODI squad for the tour to Zimbabwe starting July 24.Once the selectors decided to rest R Ashwin, Rasool was their first choice as a replacement.With the kind of domestic season Rasool had – 33 wickets at just over 18 apiece in the Ranji Trophy, followed by a seven-wicket haul in a tour game against the Australians – he was far from being surprised after being included in the squad.”To be honest, I always expected to be picked in the squad. Not that I was overconfident but I thought if they (selectors) decide to rest a few regulars, then Zimbabwe (tour) would be my best chance to become an international cricketer,” Rasool told ESPNcricinfo. “And with the kind of consistent season I had, I think I was just in expecting a call-up.”At the same time, Rasool said it was “just the beginning and he has a long way to go”.”After proving the faith of all the cricket fans from the state, I hope I can do the same for the entire nation,” Rasool said.Bishan Singh Bedi, who coached Jammu & Kashmir last season, and has rated Rasool highly, reiterated the offspinner’s strengths. “He is technically very sound off-break bowler,” Bedi told . “I used to tell him that his offbreak is good enough and he doesn’t need a .”The opportunity may have come with India choosing to rest their first-choice bowlers, but Bedi said that for Rasool, it was a chance to show that he belongs to the highest level.”Why in the world should Rasool think about competing with Ashwin? Ashwin has created his niche and it’s Rasool’s turn to impress the team management with his prowess,” he said. “Just because Ashwin might come back tomorrow doesn’t stop Rasool from grabbing this opportunity with both hands. He did well against visiting sides to show he belongs to the level. Now he has made the cut and most importantly he should get proper match time.”Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta, who worked with Rasool at the Pune Warriors during IPL 2013, said Rasool didn’t lose heart when he was not being included in the XI and responded by working even harder. “What I liked about him was his ability to soak in information,” he said. “Even our coach Allan Donald was impressed with his work ethics and sincerity. He is humble, always ready to learn and is a team man to the core.”

Cameron Gannon, the Queensland right-arm seamer who was earlier reported for a suspect bowling action, has had his suspension lifted by Cricket Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2013Cameron Gannon, the Queensland right-arm seamer who was earlier reported for a suspect bowling action, has had his suspension lifted by Cricket Australia after a biomechanical analysis of his action.Gannon was reported during the 2012-13 Sheffield Shield final in March and was tested under the Cricket Australia Doubtful Bowling Action Procedures. Results found that not all of his deliveries were legal, and was suspended the following month for a minimum period of 90 days. He had figures of 1 for 88 and 2 for 35 as Queensland conceded the title to Tasmania in Hobart.Gannon worked with Queensland Cricket and Centre of Excellence staff to modify his action. This testing was conducted at the Australian Institute of Sport biomechanics facility in Canberra on July 30. His action complied with CA’s tolerance level, which is an elbow extension of 15 degrees or less for every delivery.Gannon was reported four times across the summer, including twice in the final. A minimum of three reports within the same season are required for a bowler to be subjected to testing.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai will lead Canada for their last two matches of the World Cricket League Championships against Netherlands

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2013Wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai will lead Canada for their last two matches of the World Cricket League Championships against Netherlands. Bagai was recalled to the squad in May this year, after spending some time away from the game pursuing an academic degree.The two matches will be held in King City on August 27 and 28. While Canada, who are placed last on the table with three points, will look to salvage some pride, Netherlands will look to strengthen their case for direct qualification into the 2015 World Cup. The top two teams in the WCL Championship gain direct entry into the World Cup and Ireland have already sealed their place with an unassailable lead. Netherlands, second on the table with 15 points, will look to win both matches to open up a lead ahead of Scotland and Afghanistan, who are also on 15 points. Teams that finish between the third and seventh places will play a second qualifying tournament in 2014The two teams will also play their final league match of the Intercontinental Cup on August 22-25. Canada are placed last with 23 points in six matches, while Netherlands are second from last with 36 points from six matches. Canada’s squad for the Intercontinental Cup match will be led by Amarbir Hansra.Squads for the WCL Championship games
Canada Ashish Bagai (capt), Harvir Baidwan, Damodar Daesrath, Jeremy Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Amarbir Hansra, Kenneth Kamyuka, Nitish Kumar, Usman Limbada, Salman Nazar, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Raza Rehman, Junaid SiddiquiNetherlands Peter Borren (capt), Wesley Barresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan Van Bunge, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Timm Van Der Gugten, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Michael Swart, Eric SzwarczynskiSquads for the Intercontinental Cup match
Canada Amarbir Hansra (capt), Ashish Bagai, Harvir Baidwan, Damodar Daesrath, Jeremy Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Nitish Kumar, Usman Limbada, Salman Nazar, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Cecil Pervez, Raza Rehman, Junaid SiddiquiNetherlands Peter Borren (capt), Wesley Barresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan Van Bunge, Tim Gruijters, Tom Heggelman, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Paul Van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Michael Swart, Eric Szwarczynski

Tamim Iqbal has submitted a letter to the BPL governing council, asking their assistance to clear the rest of his payments from Duronto Rajshahi

Mohammad Isam23-Sep-2013Tamim Iqbal has submitted a letter to the BPL governing council, asking their assistance to clear the rest of his payments from Duronto Rajshahi. So far he has been paid 50 percent of his total amount for BPL 2013, and the franchise owner last month said that Tamim would not be paid anymore because he left during the Twenty20 tournament without prior notice.Tamim heard from his Rajshahi teammates that some of them have been paid a 25 percent installment recently. As a result of this new information and the statement made by Mushfiqur Rahman, the Rajshahi franchise’s owner, Tamim wrote the letter addressed to BPL chairman Afzalur Rahman Sinha on Sunday.Tamim confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he has sent the letter, and was expecting an outcome. “I have said it at the time, and I will say it again, I didn’t leave the team* without seeking permission. I told every relevant person at the time,” he told ESPNcricinfo.In the letter, Tamim mentioned that he played 10 out of the team’s 13 matches. He missed the three matches due to a left wrist injury, but he would not mind if he is not paid for those missed games. He would like to be paid the rest of the amount for the 10 matches in which he appeared.Ahead of Rajshahi’s game against the Rangpur Riders, the BCB had requested the franchise to rest Tamim, as Bangladesh were set to tour Sri Lanka two weeks later. He didn’t play the last two matches, after which he says that he took permission from several people in authoritative positions to leave the team hotel and go to Chittagong to meet his family.Last month however, Mushfiqur told the media that he had asked the board not to pay Tamim. “I have only barred the board from paying Tamim. He did not play some matches due to the board’s request. Also, he went abroad without taking the team management’s permission,” he told reporters on August 30.Tamim rebuffed Mushfiqur’s statement on the same day, saying he talked to everyone in Rajshahi’s management and in the BCB who needed to know, before he left the country.”Immediately after my left wrist was diagnosed with a crack, I informed Mushfiqur and the board president that the BPL is over for me,” Tamim told reporters. “I talked to our coach Khaled Mashud, and later when I went to the Shere Bangla National Stadium, I talked to the team owner once again, telling him that I will leave the team hotel.””I left for Chittagong subsequently, the board president can vouch for me. I went abroad after 4-5 days. BCB’s medical staff has all the written records. That injury prevented me from playing the Galle Test in March. I cannot understand why he [Mushfiqur] has said this.”Meanwhile, Tamim’s teammate Ziaur Rahman has made a similar claim, after he was told by his franchise that he would not receive his full amount.”I am absolutely fine if I am not paid for the matches that I missed due to injury but they still owe me money,” Ziaur told . “They bought me for $137,000 at the auction. I have received 50 percent of it and now they are asking me to compromise $37,000. They said it is because I couldn’t perform [according to their expectations].””I am sorry for [not meeting their expectations] but this is not professional at all. I was a contracted cricketer of that team and my performance should have no effect on the remuneration. Even the contract doesn’t say so.”* 13:11 GMT – Tamim Iqbal’s quote was changed

Wise heads around these parts do not give Durham better than an outside chance in the Championship this season, arguing that for all the strength of their seam bowling resources they have a brittle quality to their batting line-up that too often lets them

Jon Culley at Chester-le-Street12-May-2015
ScorecardMark Wood completed a fine match with 66 in Durham’s chase•Getty Images

Wise heads around these parts do not give Durham better than an outside chance in the Championship this season, arguing that for all the strength of their seam bowling resources they have a brittle quality to their batting line-up that too often lets them down.It therefore came as something of a surprise to them when what appeared to be a testing challenge to score the largest total of the match to record a third win in four matches proved to be a relative breeze. Faced with chasing 261 to win on a pitch that had been difficult to bat on for everyone bar Riki Wessels, even their captain, Paul Collingwood, had his doubts. “We’ll set out to be positive but it will be difficult,” he had said on the second evening. “It is probably going to need something special from someone.”Maybe it did, in a way. Half-centuries from Keaton Jennings, Scott Borthwick and Michael Richardson, three of those batsmen under critical scrutiny, eased them home with the best part of four sessions to space, but only after Mark Wood, newly elevated to international status as a bowler and capable but not renowned for his prowess with bat in hand, had delivered a masterclass in the nightwatchman’s art, and a little more.Wood’s job initially had been to mind one end on Monday evening as Durham sought to avoid the early loss of Mark Stoneman triggering one of the wicket clusters that had undermined them in their first innings as the ball seamed and swung.But having done that, he began to unveil a few shots and there were moments during his partnership with Jennings as it evolved during the morning session when it was hard to tell which of them was supposed to feel out of place. Wood hit nine fours and pulled Samit Patel’s left-arm spin for six, not every shot going in the direction he intended but with enough authentic strokes to demonstrate that he is no rabbit. He outstayed Jennings, who was well caught at gully off Luke Wood, and had set a new career high of 66 before Harry Gurney eventually located his off stump.It was Wood’s second half-century, beating his 58 not out, also made against Nottinghamshire, in 2013. It is an oddity of Wood’s career to date that he has played against Nottinghamshire more than any other county and always been successful. In four matches he has taken 21 wickets and scored 240 runs.”It was a big partnership,” Jennings said afterwards. “If we’d lost wickets and they’d got off to a good start, the pressure would have been on but Woody took all pressure off me and the other betters and the partnership held us in good stead, Badge (Scott Borthwick) and Richo to play beautiful knocks.”Not losing wickets here at the Riverside creates pressure on the bowlers. They try to get you out and then things happen.”It left Nottinghamshire feeling somewhat dismayed. Still searching for a first win of the season, they can already see their title prospects receding, even with a squad on paper a match for most of the contenders.Two of their seamers were inexperienced, in 19-year-old Luke Wood and 22-year-old Brett Hutton, with only a handful of first-class matches between them, but director of cricket Mick Newell would not fall back on that as an excuse.”I thought they were our best bowlers in both innings,” he said. “But if you have a lead of 82 on first innings on this ground and lose the game you have played pretty poorly.”There was still a bit in the pitch in terms of seam movement but we didn’t swing the ball. We bowled a bit too short, a slightly shorter length than you need to bowl at Durham. It is not a difficult pitch to bowl on if you bowl well.”It is important now that we get a win quickly. People keep telling me what a great squad we’ve got but we have to win games. We have a very strong batting unit but we are still trying to find the right balance in the bowling attack that is going to get us 20 wickets.”

Zimbabwe’s cricketers were given a guarantee of $12,500 each by the Pakistan Cricket Board before they agreed to tour that country for a historic series last month, ESPNcricinfo has learned

Firdose Moonda03-Jun-2015Zimbabwe’s cricketers were given a guarantee of US$12,500 each by the Pakistan Cricket Board before they agreed to tour that country for a historic series last month, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The tour, the first by a Full Member team since March 2009, went ahead despite advice to the contrary from the Zimbabwe government’s Sports and Recreation Committee (SRC).The individual payments were part of the US$500,000 the PCB is understood to have paid Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) before the tour. The PCB has not commented on the issue of any financial payments to ZC or the players.The amount paid to the individual players is substantially more than nationally contracted Zimbabwean cricketers’ monthly salaries, which are US$6,500 a month at their maximum and comes with the players still waiting to be paid their World Cup fees.The PCB initially offered Zimbabwe’s players US$10,000 each, which a significant number of players felt was too little given the safety concerns. That was the reason behind ZC issuing a press release on May 14, eight days before the first match, confirming the suspension of the tour on the instructions of the SRC. Less than half an hour later, ZC recanted and said discussions were ongoing between the PCB and ZC. Insiders have revealed this was when the PCB upped their offer to Zimbabwe’s cricketers, offering to pay those that were still wary even more money to make the trip.An agreement was reached on US$12,500 although one source believes some players may have still negotiated more money. The money is understood to have been paid in two amounts, the first on arrival and the second at the conclusion of the series, which could explain why Zimbabwe stayed on despite a suicide attack during their second ODI.ZC is also believed to have benefitted financially from agreeing to be the first Test-playing team to tour Pakistan since 2009. One source revealed that Ozias Bvute, the former managing director of ZC, played a role in securing the deals even though he resigned from his post in July 2012. His resignation followed his implication in the mismanagement of an ICC loan to ZC but he remained an advisor to the board.Bvute traveled with the Zimbabwe team as the head of their delegation, and ZC chairman Wilson Manase said his role was because of his experience in the country. “Because of the terrain, I had to look back at the people we have in the administration who have the experience and I realised that Ozias Bvute has been to Pakistan before,” Manase told . “Bvute was the most suitable candidate…We need someone like him who can understand what to do, what to say to the players among other things.”The Zimbabwean team’s experience in Pakistan was described by several players in favourable terms. Sikandar Raza tweeted that Zimbabwe were”welcomed with open arms, smiles and love,” while Craig Ervine said he was “loving the passion for cricket in Pakistan,” and thanked the PCB for the “hospitality and security over this tour.”Over 3,500 security officials were deployed to look after the Zimbabwe team, whose only movement in Lahore was between the hotel and the Gaddafi stadium. They were due to go shopping the day before their final ODI but the trip was cancelled after the suicide attack.

Nitin Patel, the physiotherapist of the India team, resigned during the IPL citing personal reasons

Amol Karhadkar26-May-2015Besides finalising the new coach of the India team, the BCCI will also have to search for a new chief physiotherapist after Nitin Patel resigned from the post.Patel is understood to have put in his papers during the IPL, citing personal reasons. Though the resignation has not been formally accepted yet, a BCCI insider revealed that Patel had “made up his mind since he wants to spare more time at home”.Patel has been one of the longest-serving support staff members of the national team. Ever since being roped in midway through India’s tour to England in 2007, after John Gloster had been injured, Patel has emerged as one of the key backroom staff for India.For the last couple of years, Patel had been touring with the India team primarily for limited-overs series and used to look after the rehabilitation of BCCI-contracted players at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He had been instrumental in relocating the injury rehabilitation centre from Bangalore to the Sri Ramachandra Medical College campus in Chennai last year. Besides helping in healing player injuries, Patel also developed the modules for the BCCI’s physiotherapy training courses.

Sri Lanka felt their commanding lead of 376 should provide a straightforward victory, but a combination of the pitch flattening out, an inexperienced spin bowler and Younis Khan pulled the rug from under their feet

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele07-Jul-2015Sri Lanka did not imagine they could lose the match at lunch on day four, Angelo Mathews admitted after Pakistan strode to a seven-wicket win in Pallekele, to complete a 2-1 series victory. Mathews had been instrumental in Sri Lanka’s third-innings 313, which set up a lead of 376. However, Pakistan chased down this target with ease, inside four sessions of batting.Sri Lanka’s seamers had claimed two early wickets in the Pakistan chase, but could not separate Younis Khan and Shan Masood for 66.4 overs, during which the pair added 242. Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal’s waywardness fetched him figures of 1 for 153 from 31 overs.”I actually thought after we made 376 that we were sitting pretty,” Mathews said. “This will definitely take a lot of time to digest, this defeat. We never expected this sort of performance from our team as well as the Pakistanis. We obviously played three seamers because there was a little grass in the pitch and we had to go with three [of them]. But then on the fourth and fifth day in Sri Lanka, you can’t expect a lot of help from the wicket for the seamers. Unfortunately, Tharindu Kaushal didn’t bowl that well and we couldn’t put the pressure on them. We fought really hard to get to 376 and we never thought we would lose from there.”Pakistan, having made only 215 in the first innings, made the game’s highest total of 382 in their chase. Mathews said the pitch had flattened out by the fourth and fifth day, but added that his attack’s indiscipline remained a key cause for the loss.”The ball didn’t turn that much in the last couple of days,” Mathews said. “It turned a little bit in patches. It turned in the third session yesterday and then settled down. In the first couple of sessions of their innings, it barely turned. For the seamers, there was no hope at all. They bowled their hearts out. Hats off to them, they’ve been brilliant throughout the series. I thought Dhammika Prasad was brilliant, as were Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal. Even Dushmantha Chameera was excellent in the last game. I thought there was no help from the wicket.”But you can’t really blame that when you’ve got 376 to get them all out. Kaushal has played a lot of matches in A team cricket, which is why we chose him. But we need to think about the pressure of being the only spinner. He’s not an experienced Test bowler.”In the fourth innings, Sri Lanka appeared to miss the control usually provided by Rangana Herath, who was dropped from the side for the first time since 2010. Herath had taken only two wickets in three innings in the first two Tests and Mathews described his omission as a ‘tactical decision’.”It was a tough call to leave him out and it was just a tactical decision because he is our No. 1 bowler. Unfortunately, we had to leave him out because they [Pakistan] were playing Rangana really well in the first couple of matches and Kaushal was troubling them in the second Test. We thought that’s the way to go in this particular Test. Rangana is our top spinner still.”The third Test also marked the return of two older batsmen for Sri Lanka. Upul Tharanga returned to the Test side after almost a year’s hiatus, and Jehan Mubarak played his first Test since 2007. While neither of them managed a substantial score, Mathews suggested they had both done enough to retain their place in the side.”Upul and Jehan are older cricketers with a bit of experience. Even if they haven’t played many Tests, they have played a lot of domestic cricket. In the second innings they dealt with the pressure they [Pakistan] put us under well. They didn’t go past 50, but the partnerships they put up helped us get to 376. Both of them are playing a Test after a long time. They gave their best to the team according to the context of the game.”Lahiru Thirimanne, meanwhile, had a wretched series with the bat. He had a high-score of 44 not out from six innings at an average of 18.”It does happen as a cricketer. You do run into poor form,” Mathews said. “We are backing Thirimanne because we know that he is a very good player. We can’t really expect the guys to be Kumar Sangakkaras and Mahela Jayawardenes right now because the guys are still finding their way in Test cricket. A lot of them haven’t played much Test cricket. When a batsman is having a rough time you’ve got to deal with it carefully. You can’t blame it on him. But I think he will definitely take responsibility in the future.”Over 15 years we’ve seen Mahela and Kumar play, but we can’t measure the young players on their scale. In the past years, if one misses out, the other scores a hundred most of the time. We have to be patient with this side. We’re all learning.”

Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu said Lasith Malinga’s lack of penetration, and the bowlers’ failure to execute plans has paved their path to decline, though the plans themselves remain robust

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo23-Jul-2015Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu said Lasith Malinga’s lack of penetration, and the bowlers’ failure to execute plans has paved their path to decline, though the plans themselves remain robust.Sri Lanka had run hot in the first six months of 2014, winning all of their limited-overs tournaments, including an Asia Cup, a World T20 and an ODI series in England. However, they have been much poorer since January this year, losing bilateral series against New Zealand and now Pakistan, in addition to losing a quarter-final at the World Cup.

‘Shehzad played exceptionally’ – Azhar

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali lauded the consistency of his batsmen, as they chased down 252 with ease, to win their first ODI series in Sri Lanka since 2006. Pakistan’s top order has made runs all through the series. On Wednesday, Ahmed Shehzad hit 95 and Mohammad Hafeez scored 70.
“Shehzad played exceptionally,” Azhar said. “He played very positively and put the bad balls away. When Hafeez came, he played a crucial knock as they were putting a lot of pressure on us. He played like a senior player would play. We had a 100-run stand between them.”
Pakistan’s batsmen have also scored quickly throughout the series, notching run rates higher than six in each of the last two innings. “Once you have confidence that all the batsmen are in good form, you suddenly have a leverage to play fluently and take a few risks as well.”
The victory had been set up by Pakistan’s bowling, which has consistently been menacing through the tour. “When we got wickets we knew they lack a little bit of experience after Mathews – they didn’t have a lot of in form batsmen,” Azhar said. “When the wickets did come we knew that we can keep them to about 250 or 260.”

The team’s strategy has been brought into question through their limited-overs forays in 2015, as they have persisted with a substantial number of allrounders instead of fielding specialist bowlers. In this series, Pakistan’s bowlers have claimed 33 wickets to the Sri Lanka attack’s 15. Malinga, meanwhile, averages 37.50 this year.”I don’t think there’s a hell of a lot of issues with our planning and what we want to do with the ball,” Atapattu said. “Executing under pressure is something that concerns us. Plus we have played on good wickets. We’ve played on really good tracks starting in January this year when we started playing New Zealand in New Zealand.”We got six wickets in Kandy, but we haven’t got the wickets quite regularly as you would expect from Lasith Malinga. That’s something that we have missed. That’s one of the reasons we’ve lost the series.”Sri Lanka hit 252 for 9 batting first in the fourth ODI, but the ease with which Pakistan chased this total down suggested the target was at least 20 runs light. Atapattu said the absence of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara had left a considerable void in the side, but urged the young batsmen to begin converting their chances.”A lot of the batsmen getting starts and not going on to get a big score on basically flat wickets is disappointing. Most of them got starts and we needed a big one off one of them to get a big score or chase a big score. We got one when Kusal Perera got a 50 off 17 balls in Kandy. We haven’t had that frequently, and that is something people have to be responsible at the top of the order.”The exit of the two senior players has not just impacted the team’s batting, Atapattu said. “Missing two knowledgeable experienced players like that is going to be a bit difficult at the start, but life goes on. The young players have to take responsibility. Their capabilities and their thinking only surfaces when players like Mahela and Sanga leave. It’s a learning curve in terms of tactics and so on, but they are the ones who have to take Sri Lankan cricket forward. “Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep bowled only 2.2 overs on Wednesday, before leaving the field with a hamstring complaint. He will be assessed before the team can decides on whether to draft another player into the squad, Atapattu said.