Thirimanne century could prove career-defining

Sri Lanka's selectors have persisted with Lahiru Thirimanne, and in his 62nd ODI, he underlined his top-order potential again, under the pressure of a chase in a final

When he looks back on his match-winning 101 in the Asia Cup final, the highlights reel in Lahiru Thirimanne's head is unlikely to include the single that took him to 39. The shot Thirimanne played, moreover, was that banal middle-overs staple: the push, with the spin, for a single. That particular single, though, was significant. It nudged Thirimanne's batting average from 29.9761904761905 to 30.

An ODI average of 30 isn't a massive deal, you might think, but it's probably the equivalent of a Test average of 40. In most cases, the difference between averaging 29 and 30 in ODIs - and between 39 and 40 in Tests - is usually the difference between feeling like you still need to prove yourself and feeling secure about your place in the side.

It's slightly different for Sri Lankans, though. Throughout their history as a cricket team, their batsmen have been slow starters in ODIs. It took Sanath Jayasuriya till his 235th match for his average to stabilise itself above 30 - that is, for it to never dip below that mark again.

It took 102 matches for Kumar Sangakkara, 149 for Mahela Jayawardene, 111 for Aravinda de Silva, 155 for Tillakaratne Dilshan and 86 for Arjuna Ranatunga. The quickest of Sri Lanka's top seven ODI run-getters to achieve a stable 30-plus average was Marvan Atapattu, who got there in his 23rd match. He, of course, began his Test career with five ducks in his first six innings.

Sri Lanka's selectors have always given their talented batsmen a long run in the side, believing they have the game and the temperament to eventually come good. Time and again, they've been proved right. Sri Lanka's current set of selectors, chaired by Jayasuriya, have given Thirimanne that sort of run in the side. The Asia Cup final was his 62nd ODI. It was the perfect stage to play what could prove a career-defining innings.

Two things worked in Thirimanne's favour during the first half of his innings. Early on, Pakistan's attentions were mostly fixed on Kusal Perera, who was worrying them no end with his Jayasuriya-esque flicks and jabs, powered by an iron bottom-hand grip. This took some pressure off Thirimanne, and allowed him to remain inconspicuous and play at his own pace.

Saeed Ajmal then came on, bowled a maiden to Kusal, and struck twice in his second over to dismiss Kusal and Sangakkara. His next over, to Mahela Jayawardene, was another maiden. When Misbah-ul-Haq took Ajmal out of the attack, he had bowled four overs, out of which Thirimanne had only faced two balls. The first of those had squirted off his inside-edge for four. Even during the opening game of the tournament, in which Thirimanne had scored a century, Ajmal had been the only Pakistan bowler to trouble him.

None of this, of course, is to knock Thirimanne's achievement. Sri Lanka were under tremendous pressure when they lost their second wicket. They still needed more than 200 to win, and their momentum had stalled to a considerable extent.

Thirimanne began the process of regaining Sri Lanka's momentum in Mohammad Talha's first over. Talha started with a deep backward square leg and a square-ish fine leg. Third ball of the over, Thirimanne bisected them with his pull. Two balls later, when Talha drifted too straight, he sent fine leg running the other way, once again in vain, with a deft flick off his hips.

Those two shots showcased Thirimanne's timing and placement as well as his ability to keep his head about him under pressure and look for scoring opportunities. He has shown those qualities right through the Asia Cup, and given credence to the comparisons that are often drawn between him and Sangakkara. It helps that they share a tall stance and a cover drive on one knee with a full flourish.

	All three of Thirimanne's ODI hundreds have come when he's batted in the top three; in those positions, he averages 49.08 in 14 innings. At No. 4 or lower, he averages 22.80 in 33 innings. Like Sangakkara, whose blossoming coincided with a move up the order - he had spent a lot of the early part of his career at No. 6 or 7 - Thirimanne will probably bat up the order in the long term

In this innings, on a slow pitch and against a group of fast bowlers who didn't pitch it up all that often, Thirimanne didn't get to play the cover drive that much. Instead, he exploited the V behind the wicket, and picked up a couple of boundaries with open-faced steers past the wicketkeeper that brought Ranatunga to mind.

After he had moved into the 70s, Thirimanne picked up a cheeky boundary off Umar Gul with one of these late dabs. Next ball, he blocked solidly, back to the bowler. Gul raised his arm, as bowlers often do, as if to throw the ball at the stumps. Thirimanne said something. Gul, moving closer to the batsman, responded with an observation of his own. Thirimanne, like Ranatunga and Sangakkara, didn't seem to mind a bit of chat.

None of this affected Thirimanne's batting. He flowed on, smoothly, content to stay within the confines imposed by the pitch and the lengths Pakistan bowled. It took until he had moved to 81 for someone to give him a wide half-volley, and he pounced on it gleefully.

The next 15 runs took a while coming, as Jayawardene took centre-stage for a while before he and Ashan Priyanjan fell in quick succession. Thirimanne didn't have too much of the strike in all that while. He had been on 85 off 85 balls at the end of the 33rd over. At the start of the 44th, he was on 99 off 105. When he finally flicked Junaid Khan to reach 100, he leaped and punched the air twice, once with helmet on, once with helmet off.

Thirimanne's century was his third in ODIs. All three of them have come when he's batted in the top three; in those positions, he averages 49.08 in 14 innings. At No. 4 or lower, he averages 22.80 in 33 innings.

Like Sangakkara, whose blossoming coincided with a move up the order - he had spent a lot of the early part of his career at No. 6 or 7 - Thirimanne will probably bat up the order in the long term. In the short term, though, with Dilshan set to return from injury, he gives Sri Lanka a bit of a headache. It isn't one they'll mind too much.

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Misbah bemoans ineffective bowling

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has attributed his team's Asia Cup final defeat to his bowlers' inability to put pressure on Sri Lanka's batsmen. Chasing 261, Sri Lanka, led by a century from Lahiru Thirimanne, cruised to a five-wicket win to take their fifth Asia Cup title.

Only Saeed Ajmal posed a threat to Sri Lanka, as Pakistan looked to defend a hard-earned total. Ajmal took 3 for 26 in 10 overs, but apart from him and to an extent, Mohammad Hafeez, the rest of the attack - Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Talha and Shahid Afridi - were all ineffective.

Misbah had to take Ajmal off after the offspinner had taken two quick wickets in his first spell of four overs. He had given away just ten runs, having delivered two maiden overs as well. The Sri Lankan batsmen opted against attacking Ajmal, prompting Misbah to switch bowlers to try and wrestle a wicket.

"They were just consuming his [Ajmal's] overs, just blocking him," Misbah said. "I thought I would take a chance with someone else, to get the wicket. But I think it was a bad day for all the bowlers. They couldn't really put pressure, and you can't win matches with just one bowler. You need to bowl well as a unit."

Gul and Talha have now had two poor games back-to-back after bowling ordinarily against Bangladesh. Junaid went for 56 in nine overs, only picking up Ashan Priyanjan's wicket very late in the game.

"We sought early breakthroughs which Saeed Ajmal finally provided us. Bowling too requires partnerships but none of the bowlers could build that sort of pressure on the batsmen. I think it became easy for them, and they won the game.

"We didn't bowl wicket to wicket, and build pressure. Sri Lankan bowlers did that. It was a slow wicket so you had to bowl straighter. Our lengths were quite short too. And we gave a lot of width too, which made it easy for them."

But Pakistan's real problem, as the captain recognised, was their start with the bat. Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad and Hafeez all got out in 4.3 overs, leaving the middle- and lower-order far too much to do in a final.

Lasith Malinga was the man responsible for Pakistan having a poor start, picking up a five-wicket haul just as he did in the tournament opener against the same team in Fatullah. Incidentally, Thrimianne too had scored a century in that game.

"Thirimanne played really well and Malinga's first spell was a good one as he swung the ball. He put us under pressure, but we did play some bad shots.

"It was our plan not to give Malinga wickets, but we failed to execute that. He again took five wickets and put us under pressure."

Despite losing the first and last game of the tournament, Pakistan will leave with a happy batting line-up after the wins against India and Bangladesh. They successfully chased 245 and 327 respectively, the latter having broken the record for their biggest chase.

"The team really played well, especially the batting department. Ahmed Shehzad played well. Fawad Alam played two very good innings. Shahid Afridi finished two games. Hafeez and Umar Akmal are in good touch. These are positives. We chased well in two games. Before the World T20s, we are in good shape and are confident."

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'Thirimanne batted with a niggle' - Mathews

After missing most of Sri Lanka's series against Bangladesh with an ankle injury, Lahiru Thirimanne returned to the side ahead of the Asia Cup. After he scored a century in the final to help his team achieve a five-wicket win, Sri Lanka's captain Angelo Mathews said Thirimanne had batted with a "bit of a niggle" in their last two games.

"He [Thirimanne] has been amazing for us," Mathews said. "He got injured, unfortunately, in the last series but he came back for us. He had a little bit of a niggle still, while he was batting, in the last two games, and he was very courageous to come out and play, the way he did.

"[I am] very happy, because you push him up the order, you push him down the order, he's one of those players who never get a chance at one spot. And wherever he gets the opportunity he scores runs for us. And that's a team player for me, and he did amazing for us, and he's a great find for us."

Mathews agreed when asked if Thirimanne was in line to become Kumar Sangakkara's long-term replacement in the Sri Lanka side.

"Yeah, after Sangakkara, Mahela [Jayawardene] retire, Thirimanne, [Dinesh] Chandimal are the ones who are going to take their reins. It is not easy to fill their shoes, but the way they are performing right now, I'm pretty sure they'll take responsibility in the future."

After his century in the final, Thirimanne's average in the top three rose to 49.08 in 14 innings. At No. 4 or lower, he averages 22.80 in 33 innings.

"We've got to see how it goes," Mathews said, when asked if Thirimanne would retain his role as opener in the near future. "He opened the batting because [Tillakaratne] Dilshan got injured in the Bangladesh series. As I said before, he's one of those players, you give him the opportunity, wherever you bat him, he will score runs for us. We still haven't thought about where he's going to bat, but definitely he's been a find for us this tournament."

Lasith Malinga was Sri Lanka's other hero of the day, taking all five wickets that fell during Pakistan's innings. He was returning to the side after sitting out the match against Bangladesh.

"Really happy that he rested against Bangladesh," Mathews said. "It's not easy to play consistently, especially for the fast bowlers [who] especially tire out so much. We don't have a lot of time in between [matches] so it's always useful to manage the fast bowlers, especially their workloads, and we saved him for the final. He got a five-for in the first game against Pakistan, and also another five-for today, so he's been performing tremendously for us and he's been our premier bowler for so many years."

At the toss, Sri Lanka took the unexpected decision of leaving out Ajantha Mendis, who had till then been their highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Mathews said the team had wanted to play an extra fast bowler after looking at the pitch.

"All we talked about was, the wicket is very good, and it played very good as well," Mathews said. "It didn't spin so much, that's why we wanted to play the extra seamer, because the wicket wasn't, it didn't look slow, initially."

Asked why it was Mendis who sat out, Mathews said it had been a hard call, but the team went with Sachithra Senanayake's ability to bowl economically in difficult situations.

"He's been performing for us, brilliantly, Mendis, and all the bowlers played their part in the last game as well, so it was a very tough decision," Mathews said. "Even though Senanayake went wicketless in the last game [against Bangladesh], in his 10 overs he went for 37 runs and he bowled in the first Powerplay and also in the batting Powerplay and also in the last 10 overs, so those are the crucial times you have to stop runs and he's been doing that for us.

"It's just that one game where he went off track today, can't really blame, because bowlers tend to have one off day. He has been a star performer for us, even though he hasn't taken a lot of wickets."

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Collingwood's aggressive outlook on new T20 era

A return to the international scene as a coach has allowed Paul Collingwood to see first hand how the game has developed in the few years since he played

It is one of the ironies of England cricket at present that, in attempting to instil a new confidence and exuberance into the team, the management have decided to dispense with the most confident and exuberant player.

Now is not the time to get into the rights and wrongs of the sacking of Kevin Pietersen. Lines have been drawn; conclusions reached. Further debate is, like a radio phone-in on capital punishment, superfluous. No-one is going to change their mind at this stage.

But what has become apparent over the course of this brief tour is that a new spirit is emerging within this England squad. Without not just Pietersen, but other battle-weary and slightly cynical regular squad members, a sense of enjoyment and wonder has crept back into the set-up. Many of this T20 squad are young men still thrilled with all the travel, all the cricket and all the new experiences. It feels like a fresh start.

That is all well and good. But just how deep that recovery is we may discover over the coming weeks. Ultimately this team's mood will be goverened by its success on the pitch and, after an encouraging start to their new age in Antigua, the competition will become that much harder in Barbados where they face a West Indies team considerably strengthened by the return of Chris Gayle.

In the context of their grim winter and the early stages of the rebuilding job with which they are faced, England's ambitions for the next few weeks should be modest. To win this series and progress to the semi-finals of the World T20 should be considered a considerable success. The more realistic goal is to see improvement: to witness the continued development of players such as Jos Buttler and Alex Hales and see better death bowling. Anyone expecting more has not been watching.

The management of expectations has been a reiterated theme of England briefings of late. When Andy Flower said in Sydney that things may get worse before they got better, this is what he meant. The likes of Ben Stokes and, just below the surface, the Overton twins, are prodigiously talented but they are raw and there will be days they make mistakes. Ashley Giles and co. are at the start of a long-term process.

But, come triumph or disaster, the England management are also keen to encourage within the new team the retention of positivity and exuberance. They do not want safety-first cricket; they do not want a team that plays the averages or seeks respectability. They know that, to win major T20 events, aggression is required.

Certainly that was the message of Paul Collingwood the day before the start of the T20 series against West Indies at the Kensington Oval. Collingwood, captain when England won the World T20 here in 2010, is back at the scene of his greatest victory with the squad as part of a seven-week deal designed to bring new energy not just to the fielding, but also the batting, planning and positivity of the squad.

"When we won the World T20, our philosophy was 'we've never won anything being conservative, so we may as well have a go on the other side of the line'," Collingwood said.

"I'm a big believer in straying on the more aggressive side of the line. Not vocally, or anything like that, but how you play your cricket, with a lot more intent. You'll make mistakes along the way, but hope you come up with more wins than losses."

	I'm a big believer in straying on the more aggressive side of the line. Not vocally, or anything like that, but how you play your cricket, with a lot more intent. You'll make mistakes along the way, but hope you come up with more wins than losses Paul Collingwood on his 'brand' of cricket

Losses are inevitable, though. So part of Collingwood and the other coach's roles is to ensure that, whatever happens over the next few weeks, England continue to play attacking cricket.

"I sensed when I first came in a bit of a lack of confidence from what's happened over the winter," Collingwood said. "But Graham Thorpe has worked fantastically well with the batsmen, giving the guys a simple plan and backing their ability. They bounced back well from being one-down in Antigua and the way that Joe Root and Jos Buttler played was exceptional. Michael Lumb and Moeen Ali can take a lot of confidence from the way they've played, too. It's amazing how quickly things can turn around."

The Barbados pitch, though nowhere near as quick as the surface on which England won the World T20 in 2010, will bear little comparison to those expected in Bangladesh. Spin is expected to play far less a role here than it did in Antigua or will in Bangladesh, with the threat of Gayle, in particular, likely to dissuade England from the early introduction of a spinner.

As a consequence, it is likely that the balance of the England team here will provide no more than a rough pointer to the one expected to play in Bangladesh. So, rather than allowing the likely Bangladesh XI more match practice, England will aim to win these games and hope that the resulting confidence is more beneficial than

"It's going to be difficult to find a strategy that will work here in Barbados and also would work in Bangladesh," Collingwood agreed. "Looking at the pitch here, spin is one of the things that could be hit a long way. Personally I think confidence is a key thing going into a World T20. If you can go in with a few wins under your belt, that is more crucial than going in with a settled team."

Nor will Collingwood be seeking to replicate the formula that proved successful in 2010. He accepts that the T20 game has evolved and, having recently returned from a coaching assignment with Scotland that saw them qualify for the 2015 World Cup, is admirably candid about his own limitations as a player.

"The game has changed a lot in those four years since we won," he said. "You would think it has got the same principles and the same strategies but they wouldn't work in this game. The scores that people are getting these days are a lot higher.

"Back then we went on a nine-game unbeaten run and the top score was 149 against us. That doesn't happen these days. The game has changed massively - for the better - and we have to come up with new strategies to overcome these powerful batsmen. It's no longer a nudge-and-nurdler kind of game.

"A lot of it about power and trying to hit the ball 360 degrees. For the bowlers, it's about execution: you've got to come up with different things, whether it be Jade Dernbach with his slower balls or whatever.

"There is no chance, absolutely no chance, that I would get into this England side. I wouldn't get in the Scotland team now. I told them that.

"The game's moved on at a rapid rate. Guys for Scotland were hitting it 100 metres and Afghanistan lost five new balls in the first six overs of a Twenty20 in Sharjah. They went out of the stadium. I've never hit a ball out of the stadium."

Collingwood insists he has no intention of taking on a more permanent coaching position within the next six months. He is about to enter what is almost certain to be his final season for Durham and, knowing the club has had to cut its squad for financial reasons, is loathe to leave them in the lurch. As he puts it: "Durham are down to the bare bones in terms of personnel, so to lose a captain would be a bit harsh at the last second. I'm determined to play for Durham this summer."

A future in coaching appears assured, though. And while there might be a certain irony in Giles and Collingwood advocating an attacking approach that was the antitheses of their own playing careers, it would surely take a gruesome set of results over the next few weeks to see the former denied the chance to build a new England and the latter appointed as one of his deputies.

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Gayle calls for 'drastic improvement'

West Indies opener Chris Gayle has pronounced himself "99 per cent fit" at the start of the three-match Twenty20 series against England in Barbados and admits that West Indies need to up their game drastically in time for their World T20 title defence in Bangladesh.

"We've had some poor results in the last few games on the limited overs front but both teams are going through some challenging times," Gayle said. "Personally, I'm feeling really great, having rested my glutes.

"I haven't really been doing much in the way of playing, or even watching, cricket to be honest. But as long as my body's feeling fine, I can't wait to get out there. I owe the people some big runs and I think with home support for us, this is the time and place to deliver," he said.

Gayle stressed that following England's 2-1 ODI series win in Antigua, West Indies needed to address their sub-par batting and added that this series was ideally positioned for them to garner some momentum going into Bangladesh.

"It's been rough recently. I think we need to be more steady in the crease but we do have the batting capable of getting big runs and more importantly, the wins. We also have disciplined players like Sunil Narine and Ravi Rampaul to deliver on the bowling end of things."

Alongside Gayle's hitting prowess, the return of Marlon Samuels to the fold will help to offset the loss of Kieron Pollard, which Gayle labelled as "a huge blow to the team". He was nonetheless pleased to see the core of the title-winning unit from 2012 in Sri Lanka back in the mix.

"We have Marlon back but we all know how dangerous 'Polly' can be and it's devastating when you lose a player like that. But, even with as many talented individuals as we have, we have to go out there and play as a team to win. We also have one or two new faces to add a fresh dimension to our side."

Gayle did not escape the obligatory question about Kevin Pietersen's enforced retirement from the England side. He suggested that England were substantially weaker without Pietersen and regarded England's treatment of him as "disrespectful".

"KP is one of the best. Any team would love to have him in their ranks. I think it was disrespectful how he was treated and the way he went out but you never know what happens behind closed doors. I'm glad I won't be facing him on the field. He's a tremendous asset and someday I hope he gets back into the England mix if the door ever re-opens."

He remained adamant that the losses of Pietersen and Root would be detrimental to England's T20 aspirations but his own resolution of his long-standing personal spats with the WICB encouraged his belief that there was a chance Pietersen could make his return someday.

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Afridi, Shehzad among Pakistan's injury concerns

Misbah-ul-Haq expects high-intensity final

Soon after Shahid Afridi had reached his half-century against Bangladesh on Tuesday, Pakistan's physio had run out to the field to attend to him. Struggling to move after that, Afridi was run out. Three days later, he was still walking gingerly when Pakistan trained on the eve of the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka.  

"Shahid Afridi has a grade one hip flexor strain," their manager Zakir Khan said. "Our physio is working on him. He's been given rest and treatment. 

"Hopefully tomorrow, before the start of the match we will know the complete situation about Afridi. He has responded well to the treatment. We are all analysing and assessing his situation. Tomorrow we will take the final decision about Afridi."

Afridi isn't the only Pakistan player with a fitness issue.

"We have little bit of niggles and strains to Ahmed Shehzad who was struggling with his shoulder," Zakir said. "He's also responding well to treatment. He's coming up well. Umar Gul was little bit stiff but he's also coming out of it."

Zakir added that Sharjeel Khan, who had missed the Bangladesh game with a knee injury, was "nearly 98% fit. He batted and fielded at the nets and looked good today."  

From these comments, it seemed as if Sharjeel and Gul would probably be fully fit in time to play the final. Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's captain, didn't provide too many clues to the likelihood of Afridi and Shehzad making it.

"Obviously your main players make a difference to the side," Misbah said. "We are, however, mentally strong. You may have seen [Fawad] Alam played really well in absence of Sharjeel Khan. The confidence level is very high. All the members of the team have been performing well. There is a will to win. We hope to get them in the side but at the same time we're confident that even if they don't play, we have the boys in the bench who are capable and confident to win the game for us."

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Mathews backs Jayawardene to come good

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said it will be tough to pick a XI for the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, and predicts a hard contest, like in their league game.

"None of the games were easy for us," Mathews said on the eve of the final. "It is going to be a fresh match against Pakistan. We have to play positive cricket. We are not worried about any individuals but the Pakistan team is balanced and strong. They have good batters and bowlers so we have to play the best cricket to win against them.

"Selection is very hard, because the bowlers and batters are performing quite well. It is a good problem to have as a selector or captain. You want the whole team having competition within themselves. We will have a tough time to select the team."

So far seven Sri Lankans have played all four games in the tournament. They are Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thisara Perera, Mathews and, surprisingly, the newcomer Chaturanga de Silva.

Among them, Jayawardene has had an awful run, having scored just 36 runs in four innings, but Perera, Thirimanne, Sangakkara and Mathews have played well. De Silva has only made 72 runs but he has picked up five wickets, bowling at 4.26 runs per over.

Mathews made it clear there was no doubt over Jayawardene's place in the team. "We know the type of player he is," he said. "I believe he is a big-match player. I am very confident that he will come out to take the Pakistan attack apart."

Dinesh Chandimal has also made only 45 runs in three innings but he too is expected to play, although Ashan Priyanjan replaced him against Bangladesh without much success. Sri Lanka have to make a choice between de Silva and Suranga Lakmal, who has taken six wickets at 21.16 and has been economical at 4.88 per over.

Mathews had special praise for his most effective bowler, Lasith Malinga. "He is an exception. He is doing consistently because he is working hard. He wants to get things right when he walks into the game.

"He is working on his fitness, fielding and batting. He is our premier bowler for so many years. We want him to continue to do the same thing."

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Jordan returns to old Barbados haunts

If Bill Athey, the former England batsman, had not gone on a reconnaissance trip to Barbados to seek out a potential cricketer for a scholarship at Dulwich College, Chris Jordan might conceivably have been lining up for West Indies against England in Barbados on Sunday.

Kensington Oval, after all, was where Jordan watched from the stands, played on the outfield in front of the old media box and even took part in the first match after the ground had been refurbished in time for the 2007 World Cup.

But Athey liked what he saw and Jordan found himself living among the unaccustomed splendour of Dulwich College, an independent school in South East London which is approaching its 400th anniversary, where England and Sri Lanka trained during the Champions Trophy last summer, and where there are comfortably more artificial outdoor cricket pitches than any county ground in the land.

At 25, and with the best year of his career behind him, Jordan is strong enough to cope with the inevitable consequence of his change of allegiance, knowing that, if he wins a place in the final XI in the first of three Twenty20 internationals on Sunday, for every well-wisher there could be a partisan West Indies who will be happy to see him fall flat on his face.

But his task in the three Twenty20 internationals at Kensington Oval is to get his preparations for World Twenty20 in Bangladesh right on track and contribute to the lifting of morale in an England side that has gained some release with a 2-1 ODI series win in Antigua, but which few people regard as serious challengers in World Twenty20.

Jordan waved aside the crowd reaction he might face as "pretty irrelevant really," adding "As long as my friends and my family are backing me, that's honestly all that matters. It doesn't matter who I play for at the end of the day, my family and friends will back me 100 per cent and that's all that matters.''

Jordan still returns regularly to Barbados to look up old friends and old haunts. After he practiced at Kensington Oval, he recalled: "I used to sit down in the old press box - and as these kids are doing now, I used to go on the field at lunchtimes and have little games. I really do remember it.''

The ground had quite a makeover for the World Cup, turning from a homely ground with a stirring tradition to a sports stadium. As the renovations took place, Jordan himself was among those who first experienced the changing atmosphere from the middle. "It has changed so much," he said.

For all the stirred memories, he says he remains proud of his return with England to his native land. "I'm very proud actually,'' he said. "Obviously I grew up here ... but I went to England and learned most of my trade there. I'm more than happy with the decision I've made.''

Injury problems disrupted his development in England, and only when he moved from Surrey to Sussex for the 2013 season did he really make a breakthrough. In that phase of his career, he had better fortune for Barbados - but by then he was classified as an overseas player. There would be no thoughts of going back.

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Root set to miss World T20

Joe Root has been ruled out of the Twenty20 series against West Indies and, in all probability, the World Twenty20 to follow after x-rays revealed he had suffered a broken thumb in the deciding ODI in Antigua on Wednesday. It means Ian Bell, who last played Twenty20 cricket in January 2011, is in line for a place in the World T20 squad.

Although the ECB announcement did not rule Root out of the World T20 in Bangladesh - it just stated that he would be returning to the UK to see a specialist, the recovery time frame means he appears to have very little chance of being available. England's first group match is against New Zealand on March 22.

Root was struck by a Ravi Rampaul delivery third ball of his innings and the medical staff wanted him to retire hurt during a rain break, but Root insisted on resuming and scored a superbly-paced maiden ODI hundred to help England to a series-winning total of 303 for 6.

He also opened the bowling, removing Kieran Powell in his first over, but soon left the field and spent the majority of West Indies' innings in the dugout with a large ice pack strapped to his thumb. His all-round performances in the ODIs earned him the Man-of-the-Series award.

Given the way Root was used to open the bowling in the one-day series against West Indies - with considerable success - it appeared he was in line for the role in Bangladesh while he also has a batting strike of 139 from his seven T20Is, including a career-best 90 not out. Although he has become bogged down at the crease during his Test career, he can manipulate the field, has deceptive power and is electric between the wickets.

Bell has already joined up with the England squad, which arrived in Barbados on Thursday, having been called in as cover for Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan who picked up injuries before the one-day series.

Ashley Giles, the England coach, said that he wanted a batsman who could fill a variety of roles and who was adept at playing spin, but Bell's selection was odd given he has not played a Twenty20 for anyone since January 2011 - an international against Australia.

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IPL schedule will be 'finalised' on Friday - Biswal

IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal has confirmed that the decision over the venues and scheduling of the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League will be "finalised and announced" on Friday. Bangladesh and South Africa have emerged as contenders to host the away leg of the IPL, if required, depending on the union home ministry's decree.

Though Biswal declined to discuss the details over whether the IPL - which clashes with the Indian federal elections - will be held in one or more countries among India, South Africa, Bangladesh and UAE, ESPNcricinfo understands that the BCCI has prepared two options, based on the directive from the home ministry. A senior BCCI functionary on Wednesday is believed to have discussed the possibility of the IPL returning to India at the start of May - once the polling in a few IPL-hosting states is over - with a bureaucrat in the home ministry.

If union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who had recently declared the inability to provide security till the elections are over, allows IPL games to be staged in states where polling is completed, then the BCCI is contemplating to stage the first 16 matches in the latter half of April in the neighbouring Bangladesh. "Logistically it would make a lot of sense," said a BCCI insider. "We won't end up wasting a lot of time between the overseas and home legs in such a case. However, ultimately the ball is in the ministry's court."

If the home ministry sticks to its earlier stand, then the BCCI will be forced to stage at least two-thirds of the tournament away from home. In that case, South Africa emerges as the likely host for the overseas leg due to the availability of infrastructure and the experience of 2009, when the IPL was shifted there for the same reason.

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