Peter Handscomb scored his third score of fifty-plus in as many Tests, before Steven Smith hit a hundred to help Australia take the lead against Pakistan on day four

The Report by Daniel Brettig at the MCG29-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAustralia’s captain Steven Smith beat encroaching bad weather by a matter of minutes to post his 17th Test hundred before a monsoonal downpour all but ensured a drawn Boxing Day Test at the MCG.Moments after Smith reached his 100, the umpires suspended play, a decision followed soon after by a deluge that was more tropical Brisbane than Melbourne’s more typical southerly climate. It would take a pair of highly imaginative declarations from here to manufacture a result, with the hosts likely to be happy to sit on their 1-0 series lead.Smith’s ease at the crease contrasted with two more low scores for Nic Maddinson and Matthew Wade, neither of whom can be sure of their places in the XI, and made life difficult for the visitors who were also inconvenienced when Azhar Ali was helped from the field after suffering a stunning blow to the helmet when fielding at short leg.Usman Khawaja fell three runs short of a century for the second time this summer but the emerging No. 5 Peter Handscomb also made a useful contribution in Smith’s company before the monsoonal rain arrived. Whether either side is inclined to creativity to set-up a final-day run chase from here is a matter for conjecture.As he had done in the Perth Test against South Africa, Khawaja made it to 97 before being dismissed, this time trying to cover drive Wahab Riaz and edging through to Sarfraz Ahmed. He had shelved the stroke when making an excellent century against South Africa under lights in Adelaide.That wicket brought the Victorian Handscomb to the crease on his home ground, and he showed plenty of attacking intent to outpace Smith and close the gap with the visitors’ total. On a pitch offering precious little to the bowlers, Pakistan reverted largely to a short-pitched angle of attack with a leg-side field.Neither Handscomb nor Smith had too many awkward moments before the second new ball was taken, the former passing 50 for the third time in as many Tests. However in Mohammad Amir’s first over with the fresh projectile, Handscomb was beaten by one delivery then, next ball, pushed a difficult return catch back to the bowler, who dropped it.While Amir continued to bowl well, it was Sohail Khan who claimed the wicket, when Handscomb sliced an attempted drive to backward point. Maddinson accompanied Smith to lunch and made it as far as 22 after it, before yorking himself when dancing down the wicket to Yasir Shah to be bowled.Wade connected with several meaty blows, one of which felled the double-centurion Azhar at bad pad, before he edged Sohail Khan to depart for another underwhelming score. It was around this time that the weather began to close in on the ground, and the umpires conferred over the matter of bad light before Smith forced one through an off-side gap for three runs to go to his second century in as many Tests.That, then, was more or less that. A further 42 scheduled overs were lost from the match, meaning a more optimistic weather forecast for day five is most probably a moot point.

Faf du Plessis struck a match-winning 117, and pulled off a superb catch for South Africa as they beat Sri Lanka by 121 runs in Durban

Firdose Moonda02-Feb-2017There’s a secret behind Faf du Plessis’ success in snatching balls one-handed out of the sky to send batsmen on their way and after his second one against Sri Lanka, he was willing to share it.”Someone once told me that if you fear getting hit on the finger or if you fear what happens when you fall, that’s when you are going to get hurt because you go into it 50-50. But if you go into balls-to-the-wall, if I can say that, then you are going to be okay,” du Plessis said in Durban, where he enabled South Africa to pick up their first wicket by running to his left from cover, leaping in the air and pulling off a one-handed catch in effortless fashion.Du Plessis had put in a similarly stunning effort in the slips to dismiss Angelo Matthews in the Test at the Wanderers. The Sri Lanka captain flashed hard at a ball that looked destined to clear the cordon but du Plessis timed his leap perfectly and his right hand did the rest. He rated the Test catch a little higher, because of the force with which the ball was hit.”The Test one will be hard to beat. The ball was traveling very quickly and it was a lot higher than this one was today,” du Plessis said. “Today, my legs were just too tired, I couldn’t jump up off the ground so I had to save it with my hand. It will take a lot to beat that catch I took at Wanderers.”In the ODI, which South Africa won by 121 runs, du Plessis’ time in the field came after he spent two hours and 44 minutes in the middle, crafting a Man-of-the-Match worthy century and sharing in a 117-run stand with David Miller. Du Plessis’ innings included 53 singles, six twos and two threes, which meant a lot of running between the wickets in high humidity.He expected to feel the effects of his exertion in the lead-up to the third ODI on Saturday but does not anticipate having to miss it. “I feel when you get older your body gets more sore after a game after you’ve done it so the next two days will be a write off for me and then we’ll come back for the next game and I will do it again.”‘Two brilliant catches that you very seldom see get taken and then an outstanding run out, real Jonty-style. That killed us’ – Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford on South Africa’s fielding•AFP

Du Plessis is not the only one who can pull off those kinds of moves in this South African team. “We are very lucky. If you look at the guys in the ring – they are all brilliant fielders. There’s not any fielder there that’s a bowler. It’s all quality fielders, who field at point or cover for the different franchises,” he said. “We’ve got the right personnel and with that you can obviously make sure you train hard and then you can change games with them. New Zealand have been a great example of that for many years and we are right up with them now.”The Durban match provided ample proof of that statement. AB de Villiers took a catch running backwards to dismiss Upul Tharanga and a direct hit from JP Duminy at backward point did Asela Gunaratne. Sri Lanka’s coach Graham Ford had to concede that apart from being out-batted and out-bowled, his side were also out-fielded.”I am not too sure there’s any other side in world cricket that can field as brilliantly as they do. If there is, hopefully we don’t have to play against them. Their fielding is electric,” Ford said. “They have got some amazing athletes in that fielding group. South Africa are very lucky that Jonty Rhodes set such a great example years ago. These kids, when they were young, all they wanted to be was be like Jonty. So from a very young age, really worked on their fielding and enjoyed their fielding and it shows. They must have saved plenty of runs and then two brilliant catches that you very seldom see get taken and then an outstanding run out, real Jonty-style. That killed us.”More so, because Sri Lanka put down what could have been a match-defining catch. South Africa were 118 for 4 and du Plessis on 63 when he edged left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan to slip but Dhananjaya de Silva could not hold on. They also grassed two more chances. Hashim Amla was dropped on 6 by the bowler Suranga Lakmal, although he barely had any time to react and and David Miller, the other centurion, was reprieved on 67, when a very thick edge eluded Dinesh Chandimal standing up to the stumps.Overall, Ford was not too unhappy with what he saw from his players. “It was one of the best ground fielding performances I have seen some Sri Lanka for quite a while. The commitment, the energy, the effort in the field, in fairly tough conditions was amazing,” he said. “We so easily could have had a different day. We had a chance to have them 120 for 5 with two bowling all-rounders to come after that. The game could have been very different if we’d managed to take that chance.”

Stand-in captain Alyssa Healy’s 77 was the backbone of the Sydney Sixers’ match-winning total of 169, with supporting roles from Sara McGlashan, Marizanne Kapp and Ashleigh Gardner

The Report by Will Macpherson at the Gabba25-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:15

Macpherson: Sixers have amazing depth in line-up

Like they did in the first edition of the Women’s Big Bash League, the Sydney Sixers thrashed the Hobart Hurricanes to book their spot in the final. Last year, the margin was ten wickets (Duckworth-Lewis method) and this time, under the scorching Brisbane sun, it was equally emphatic: 103 runs.Alyssa Healy’s 77 provided the backbone of a charge to 169, before the Hurricanes were bowled out for just 66. The Sixers will travel to Perth to face the Scorchers on Sunday and, if their male counterparts beat the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba, only two clubs will compete the finals.A Healy hurricane
Healy has reveled as captain since she took over from an injured Ellyse Perry. In her first game as stand-in captain, she made 84 off 56 against the Melbourne Renegades. Here, she was even more belligerent, making a magnificent 77 off 45 balls before cutting Hayley Matthews to point in the 13th over.Having opted to bat first, Healy thumped Amy Satterthwaite over long-on for six in the second over and by the time Ashleigh Gardner became the second batsman to be dismissed, caught brilliantly at point, Healy had scored 41 of the Sixers’ 49 runs. In the following over, she brought up her half-century with a pull over midwicket for six, and went on to play a cover drive, late cut and reverse sweeps for boundaries. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of her innings, however, was her running between the wickets and the ability to turn ones into twos.She was dismissed with the Sixers on 108, and resourceful knocks from Sara McGlashan (38), who was carrying a hamstring injury, and Marizanne Kapp (36 not out), left the Hurricanes with a stiff target of 170.In her two matches as stand-in captain, Alyssa Healy has scored 161 runs•Getty Images

Sixers’ fabulous fielding
Gardner has been the competition’s break-out star this season, largely due to the three half-centuries that have underpinned her brilliant batting efforts. But her bowling – she took her ninth and tenth wickets of the season, including the vital one of Hayley Matthews for a duck – and fielding have been excellent, too. It was a moment of magic from Gardner that nipped a solid start from the Hurricanes in the bud. She lobbed an off-break up at Erin Burns and it was drilled hard back at her, but barely a foot off the ground. She dropped low in her follow-through and took a fine catch, which was so tight that it had to be reviewed.That was not the last of the Sixers’ superb interventions in the field. Each of the seam bowlers hammered away with a consistent line and length, while the spinners were tough to get away. Angela Reakes took an excellent catch in the deep to get rid of Emma Thompson, but it was the run-outs of Heather Knight and Amy Satterthwaite – with sharp throws from Kim Garth and Dane van Niekerk (the latter a direct hit) – that guaranteed the Hurricanes would fall short.And yet… Hobart self-destruct
Hobart were out-classed but they also contributed to their own downfall. Healy was dropped on 18 by Brooke Hepburn at mid-on, and on 60 by Thompson at short third man, while Kapp was given a life on 13. With the bat, Satterthwaite was responsible for the run-outs of Knight and herself. They are the Hurricanes’ most reliable batsmen and once they fell, there was no way back for the side.The best two teams in the final
This was a complete performance from the Sixers and showed the intimidating depth in the squad. Amy Jones, the England international, could not make the side for this, while Lisa Sthalekar’s experience was not required either. Perry has been ruled out of the final but, given the Sixers’ dominance in the league stages and their performance today, the final against the Scorchers could serve up a humdinger.

Fifties from Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne then led Queensland’s response, bringing them to within 19 runs of Tasmania’s first-innings total

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Luke Feldman picked up three of Tasmania’s first six wickets•Getty Images

Queensland’s strong seam attack bowled out Tasmania for 150 before the Bulls pushed to within 19 of the Tigers’ total on day one of the Sheffield Shield match at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.Peter George, Luke Feldman, Cameron Gannon and Jack Wildermuth shared the wickets between them after the acting captain Joe Burns won the toss and sent the last-placed Tigers in to bat. The Bulls need to win this match to keep pace with the Bushrangers and the Redbacks at the top of the Shield table.Tasmania slipped as low as 6 for 61 as the new Dukes ball darted about a well-grassed surface, before Tim Paine and the former Bulls allrounder Simon Milenko mounted a minor rearguard action, adding 68 for the seventh wicket. Even so, the visitors were delighted to roll the hosts for 150 and be batting well before the tea break.Peter Forrest was out for a duck at the start of Queensland’s reply, but Burns was able to lead his side into more comfortable territory. Marnus Labuschagne offered useful support, and he will resume in the company of Sam Heazlett on the second morning.

Rory Kleinveldt took three wickets and smashed a 23-ball fifty as Northamptonshire dominated the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship season

ECB Reporters Network07-Apr-2017
ScorecardRory Kleinveldt had an opening day remember•Getty Images

Rory Kleinveldt took three wickets and smashed a 23-ball fifty as Northamptonshire dominated the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship season. Kleinveldt first helped fire out Glamorgan for just 101 before going to a rapid fifty as Northants closed 268 for 6, a lead of 167.Kleinveldt took 3 for 35 among a fine performance from the Northants seamers. Nathan Buck, on his Northants debut, and Ben Sanderson also took three wickets each as Glamorgan were bundled out in only 31.3 overs.Then late in the day, Kleinveldt was back, this time bat in hand, to smear the bowling all over Wantage Road, his seemingly effortless power on show. In just 23 balls he heaved away seven fours and three sixes – the pick of which was a flat slap over long-on to bring up his fifty – to push Northants towards a match-winning lead.With the ball, Kleinveldt set up the day with two early wickets before Buck produced a dream start to his Northants career. Buck arrived from Lancashire over the winter with the aim of reviving a career that began with much promise at Leicestershire but stalled during two injury-affected seasons in the North West. But back in more homely East Midlands air, he showed the ability that brought him England Lions selection.He struck second ball, drawing an edge from Colin Ingram to wicketkeeper Adam Rossington. Next over a full delivery trapped Chris Cooke lbw for a six-ball duck and Kieran Carlson followed with an edge to Alex Wakely, who took a sharp catch low down at second slip.The hat-trick wasn’t to be but Buck had plunged Glamorgan to 26 for 6 after Kleinveldt removed Nick Selman lbw for 10-ball duck in the third over of the day. David Lloyd shouldered arms and was also lbw, for a five-ball duck, in the following over.Sanderson was equally probing with the new ball and removed Jacques Rudolph caught at second slip for 9. He returned after lunch to induce an edge from Harry Podmore that was sharply held by Richard Levi at third slip.It took several heaves from No. 10 Marchant de Lange – one a wild edge that flew for six over the slip cordon – to nudge Glamorgan into three figures but de Lange was last man out, swinging wildly at Sanderson and losing his off stump. It rounded off a very poor effort from the visitors.Glamorgan tried to keep themselves in the game, reducing Northants to 27 for 3 before Wakely and Rossington shared 65 for the fourth wicket. Wakely fell to a top-edged pull for 38 – Rossington in the same fashion, but only after an attractive 84-ball fifty.Rossington made a rapid century against Loughborough MCCU earlier in the week and looked in good touch here. He pulled Podmore for six over square leg and lifted de Lange over midwicket for the third of his five boundaries. But his best stroke was a sumptuous straight drive off Craig Meschede.But his innings was completely overshadowed by Kleinveldt. He survived an early scare when he pulled to Carlson on the deep square boundary, only for Carlson to run out of room in trying to complete the catch. But thereafter used his power to brutal effect and put Northants into a match-winning position.

Lord MacLaurin of Knebworth, the former chairman of the England & Wales Cricket Board, will make a return to the sport later this year when he succeeds Matthew Fleming as president of MCC

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2017Lord MacLaurin of Knebworth, the former chairman of the England & Wales Cricket Board, will make a return to the sport later this year when he succeeds Matthew Fleming as president of MCC.Lord MacLaurin, who also served as chairman and chief executive of Tesco and chairman of Vodafone, is widely credited for ushering in a new, more professional era for English cricket during his five-year term from 1997 to 2002.On his watch, which coincided with the formation of the ECB to succeed the former governing body, TCCB, England laid the foundations of the team that, in 2005, ended Australia’s 18-year stranglehold on the Ashes.Aside from the appointment of Duncan Fletcher as England’s first overseas coach, and the groundbreaking introduction of central contracts, MacLaurin oversaw several incremental changes, such as ending the practice of sharing rooms on tour, and insisting on a stricter adherence to dress codes when travelling.Fleming, whose nomination of MacLaurin was ratified at MCC’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, believes that his successor is “uniquely qualified” for a role that will commence on October 1.”I first came to know Ian in the late 1990s, when I was chairman of the PCA and he was chairman of the ECB,” said Fleming. “Ian was exploring ways of restructuring domestic cricket, recognising the increasingly important role of international cricket and international cricketers.”I was struck by his fairness and clarity of thought about the future of the game, qualities that I believe will be needed in the year ahead, given the uncertainties in the cricketing landscape at present and the opportunities and threats facing the sport.”In choosing my successor, I was looking for someone who can harness a passion and knowledge of cricket with experience and pragmatism. Ian was a talented cricketer, who played to a good level, and has always been a passionate supporter of MCC. A visionary leader of the ECB, widely respected in the business world he is, all in all, uniquely qualified for and deserving of the role of MCC President.””It is one of the greatest honours in cricket to be invited to be the President of the finest cricket club in the world and I am thankful to Matthew Fleming for asking me to succeed him,” said MacLaurin.”I have been a member of MCC for over 50 years, and I take great pride in seeing how the club has blossomed over that period – not only with the development of this iconic ground but also with all of the work done to promote the game for men and women, boys and girls, around the world. I very much look forward to my year in office and hope to help the excellent team at MCC continue all this good work.”

Russell Domingo has said that he has not yet reapplied for his post as South Africa’s head coach and can’t say whether he has plans to take the team to the 2019 World Cup

Firdose Moonda13-Jun-2017Russell Domingo still has no clarity on whether he will continue in his role as South Africa’s head coach after the current tour to England. After South Africa crashed out of the Champions Trophy in the first round, Domingo told the media he had “not yet” reapplied for his post and “can’t say” whether he has plans to take the team to the 2019 World Cup.CSA has also given no indication of whether the process to appoint a new coach has moved forward since it appointed a five-person panel in May to recommend the next coach, who will be in charge for the next two years.While Domingo confirmed he had not yet given any thought to what he might do if he did not continue as national coach, he was willing to reflect on the four major tournaments – the 2014 and 2016 World T20, 2015 World Cup and 2017 Champions Trophy – he has overseen.”We’ve come so close on so many occasions, and it’s just disappointing that we didn’t give ourselves the best chance here,” Domingo said. “The players are bitterly disappointed. I can tell you it’s not through lack of trying or lack of effort or commitment. Someone told me that India didn’t field at all for the last couple of days (before our match), we try and field as much as we can. So it’s not through lack of effort. I’m just bitterly disappointed for the players. They’ve played some great cricket this year and sometimes life can be unfair. But you’ve got to make your own luck as well.”Like his captain, AB de Villiers, Domingo admitted not being able to pinpoint exactly what had gone wrong for South Africa or what needs to be done to change their fortunes. “You just need to play well on the day, that’s the bottom line. There’s no magic wand or injection that you’re going to give guys,” he said. “Guys just need to make the best decision on the day and do what they’ve done prior to those particular games. We haven’t done that. We’ve played great cricket over the last year and Sunday was probably our worst game. We didn’t do the basics well enough and that’s what you need to do in these games.”While Domingo did not directly accept responsibility for the team’s inability to do those things, he indicated that management had done all they can and then some, to no avail. “We’ve had two bad games here, it doesn’t make the side a bad side,” he said. “There are always going to be questions asked until the side wins an event, wins these knock-out games, wins these big games, and rightly so. But there’s no magic wand. A lot of things have been tried, a lot of things have been discussed. A lot of people have been involved and unfortunately the results at the moment are still the same.”South Africa did not employ any specific special methods for this event – no extreme sports adventures a la 2012 when they went mountaineering with Mike Horn, no foreign consultants like Mike Hussey, who was with them at the 2015 World Cup – but entered this tournament on the back of form and on an upward curve. Still, they remain at a loss to explain how things went so wrong and the only consolation they can offer fans is that they will keep at it.”You keep trying, that’s the bottom line. You can’t give up,” Domingo said. “The side’s got to go away and reassess, think about it, and start moving forward again.”In the post-mortem, Domingo cautioned against any impulsive reactions and urged the administrators to wait for the dust to settle before deciding if heads, perhaps even his own, will roll. “Players need to go away and think about it for a couple of days. Never good to make decisions when emotions are high, so once things have calmed down I suppose people need to sit down and think of a way forward once again. Take it from there. Now is not the time,” Domingo said.

Jake Libby returned to his old stamping ground in Cardiff with a century to help Nottinghamshire into a strong position on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship game against Glamorgan

ECB Reporters Network19-May-2017
ScorecardJake Libby impressed in his old stamping ground•Getty Images

Jake Libby returned to his old stamping ground in Cardiff with a century to help Nottinghamshire into a strong position on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship game against Glamorgan.The former Cardiff MCCU batsman made his first-class debut at the SSE Swalec, against Glamorgan, back in the summer of 2014, during a three-year stint at the Metropolitan University.Later that season, Libby not only secured a two-year contract with Notts, but capped his first-class debut with a Championship century against Sussex.Yesterday, back in the Welsh capital, the 24-year-old Devonian helped himself to a 291 minute century off 229 balls as Notts made Glamorgan pay for not building on an impressive start.Having seen his side reduced to 108 for 4, shortly after lunch on day one, it was Libby and Rikki Wessels who rescued the day by adding 123 for the fifth wicket. Notts finished the day on 335 for 6 with Wessels out in the penultimate over of the day for a sparkling 120.Having chosen to bat first, Nottinghamshire made slow progress against a Glamorgan side yet to win a Championship game in 2017. The host county bowled particularly well throughout the session and reduced the league leaders to 64 for 2 at lunch with Steven Mullaney and debutant Cheteshwar Pujara the men out.Mullaney was well caught by wicket keeper Chris Cooke, for 14, off the impressive Timm van der Gutgen (4-52), whilst Indian Test batsman Pujara offered a catch to Aneurin Donald off the bowling of Marchant de Lange.From 64 for 2 at lunch, Notts found themselves 68 for 3 when Samit Patel was trapped leg before by the impressive van der Gutgen. Michael Lumb followed, at 108 for 4, as 19-year-old Welshman Lukas Carey bagged his first wicket of the game.Glamorgan continued to bowl well throughout the afternoon session, albeit without reward.
Libby, who passed 50 off 115 balls with four boundary fours, arrived at tea, unbeaten on 74 whilst Wessels, who was the more aggressive of the two, was 32 not out.Both players continued to prosper after tea with Wessels passing 50 off 79 balls and Libby, who was rarely troubled, reaching three figures in the 73rd over with his ninth four. He faced 213 deliveries in passing 100, and 229 in all before Cooke took another smart catch at the wicket, once again off the bowling of van der Gutgen.Wessels continued to make hay and added 99 for the sixth wicket with Chris Read, who finished the day unbeaten on 47. However, having reached his century off 119 balls, the Aussie departed in the 95th over when he was trapped lbw by van der Gutgen for 120.

Sri Lanka’s cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha said the team was slightly let down by lack of bounce and slow pace of the the R Premadasa Stadium surface

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Jul-2017For Asanka Gurusinha, Sri Lanka’s inability to dismiss Zimbabwe by the end of the first day, after having them 96 for 4 at lunch, was partly owed to a significant slowing of the R Premadasa Stadium pitch. Gurusinha, the team’s cricket manager, suggested the slow bowlers’ menace dived substantially after the first break.”The feedback I got from the players was that there was moisture in the morning, so the track did turn a bit, and the ball did a little bit,” Gurusinha said. “After lunch it settled down so much, and even now, when I spoke to them, they said the ball comes slow off the wicket, and doesn’t do anything. It’s more like an old Premadasa wicket.”Zimbabwe scored 117 for the loss of two batsmen in the afternoon session, and 132 for the loss of a further two wickets in the evening. The run rate across both those sessions was four, and the unbeaten ninth-wicket partnership was especially brisk, with 62 runs coming off 97 deliveries.”We did bowl some loose stuff,” Gurusinha said. “We were lucky to have Rangana Herath there, but even to him they had time to get on the back foot and pull him, because it wasn’t coming on at the pace we were expecting. Our discussion at lunch was that we had done well in that first session to take four.”In the second session, we actually discussed that this was a tough session, because the wicket was settling down, and we’ve got to contain as well. To me Zimbabwe got off easy a little in that session. They got some runs, as well as us getting wickets.”Gurusinha put the seamers’ inability to take more than one wicket between them in the day down to conditions, with little seam or bounce on offer. Among the other disappointments for Sri Lanka was the bowling of Dilruwan Perera, the offspinner. He took the wicket of Sean Williams in the morning, but rarely threatened in the second and third sessions, and finished with 1 for 86.”Dilruwan I don’t think he was his normal self, and that might be because he hasn’t played matches recently,” Gurusinha said. “I’m hoping by the second innings he will get that loop we’re used to seeing, and build that partnership.”We also expected a little more bounce than this. That bounce is not that good. It’s a bit low bounce. As soon as that happens, the spinners will also struggle. People like Rangana and Dilruwan will do well if there was a little bit of bounce on the wicket as a spinner, but we’ve got to work hard on these tracks and do well.”Gurusinha said Sri Lanka would also have batted if they had won the toss. Zimbabwe bat deep in this match. Their recognised batsmen go down to No. 8, but even their No. 10 batsman – Donald Tiripano – has a first-class hundred. When it comes time for Sri Lanka to bat, the hosts will also hope their long lineup pays off.”The way the track is playing, I’m expecting our batsmen also to put their heads down and bat long,” Gurusinha said. “Especially in the last session today you saw there were no demons on the wicket. It was easy to play shots and even their no. 10 was batting well. That showed there was enough time to play the shots. The batsmen will have to play their shots and play normal cricket. But the first thing is to get those last two wickets in the first hour or half hour tomorrow.”Meanwhile, Craig Ervine agreed with Gurusinha that the pitch became easier to bat on, but was unsatisfied by the absence of a big score from his teammates. After Ervine’s 151, the highest score for Zimbabwe was 36, by Sikander Raza and Malcolm Waller. Zimbabwe’s No. 10 Donald Tiripano is still unbeaten on 24, however.”It was disappointing to have only one fifty-plus score,” Ervine said. “Guys did get in, but gave couple of wickets away. That’s the way it goes and we put that behind us and come back tomorrow. Donald can bat and he can stick around. I have lot of faith in him.”Ervine described his five-and-a-half hour stay at the crease as exhausting, thanks to Colombo’s heat and humidity. However, his work was made easier by a flattening surface. “At the start, the wicket was little bit damp. But once it dried out, it’s nice wicket to bat on. We wanted a good rate throughout the day.”

R Ashwin held the match ball aloft to an applauding crowd after his five second-innings wickets sent Worcestershire second at New Road

ECB Reporters Network31-Aug-2017R Ashwin took eight wickets in the match•Getty Images

Indian spinner R Ashwin took five second-innings wicket to ensure a winning debut as Worcestershire climbed back into the second promotion spot in the Specsavers County Championship with a 189 run success over Gloucestershire at New Road.Ashwin, having a brief taste of county cricket ahead of India’s tour next year, completed a productive opening game for his adopted county by taking eight wickets in total – including 5 for 68 in the second innings – and making useful contributions with the bat.He left the outfield to a standing ovation proudly displaying the match ball.Worcestershire’s sixth Championship win of the campaign moved them 19 points clear of Sussex, who have a game in hand as Gloucestershire were dismissed for 211.They will head into next week’s top of the table clash with leaders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge full of confidence after this comprehensive victory against their neighbours from down the M5.It was a welcome return to form for the home side after a disappointing NatWest T20 Blast campaign and defeat against Sussex in their last Championship match at New Road.The majority of their batsman made sizeable contributions and Ashwin was well supported on a used pitch that might have been designed for him by Worcestershire’s seam attack in which Ed Barnard was again outstanding.Gareth Roderick, skipper Phil Mustard and first innings century-maker Jack Taylor all got into the 40s for mid-table Gloucestershire but their resistance was ended in mid-afternoon by Ashwin and co.Gloucestershire resumed on 55 for 3 and Ashwin came straight into the attack for the second over of the morning and, apart from a brief spell by Brett D’Oliveira, bowled from the New Road End for the majority of the day.It was Barnard who made the first breakthrough as nightwatchman Tom Smith (9) was trapped lbw by a delivery which ket low.Ashwin collected his third wicket of the innings in the next over as George Hankins also fell leg before for a duck.Gareth Roderick and Mustard defied Worcestershire for 13 overs.Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach brought himself into the attack and knocked back the middle stump of Roderick for 47 – his 49th Championship victim of 2017.Mustard and Taylor provided stiff resistance during a partnership of 71 in 18 overs but the contest was effectively ended when they both departed in quick succession.
Mustard (40) presented Leach with a comfortable catch at mid off when facing rookie paceman Pat Brown and Taylor (43) fell leg before to Ashwin who completed his nap hand when Kieran Noema-Barnett was caught at fine leg.Leach rounded off Worcestershire’s victory by bowling Liam Norwell to secure his 50th Championship wicket of the campaign.