New fielding rules hard on spinners, captains

Kieron Pollard, the West Indians' stand-in captain for the warm-up game against BCB XI in Khulna, has said the new playing conditions for fielding restrictions in ODIs were challenging for bowlers and captains. West Indies and Bangladesh will be the third and fourth teams to experience the amended playing conditions when they begin the five-ODI series on November 30.

"It was very challenging," Pollard said, after winning the warm-up match with the new playing conditions. "The bowlers have to mind their Ps and Qs. They can't let it stray because there are not many guys outside [the circle].

"Having said that, the rules have been set and players have to just follow, so I think it is something that we have to get used to. I hope we can get the right combination and have the right tactics to counter the restrictions."

Under the new conditions, only two fielders will be allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the first ten overs, and three during the Powerplay. At other times, a maximum of four fielders can be placed outside the circle, a reduction from the earlier five.

The one-day series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand earlier this month was the first with the new restrictions and Mahela Jayawardene said they were harsh on the spinners. That sentiment was shared by left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr, who played for BCB XI against West Indians and Bangladesh, and had to bowl without that extra fielder outside the circle for the first time in his career. Enamul took 3 for 31 and 0 for 58 in those games.

"I think it is going to have a negative impact on Bangladesh's cricket on the international stage," Enamul told ESPNcricinfo. "We depend mainly on spinners but with this new rule it will become very difficult to cut out the runs. Today we conceded 12 boundaries from the one gap that couldn't be filled during those non-Powerplay overs. I think these extra runs will hurt the chances of Bangladesh because of the higher number of spinners we usually pick in limited-overs cricket."

The introduction of two new balls in one-day internationals was supposed to be a disadvantage for bowling attacks like that of Bangladesh, which depend heavily on spin, but Enamul said it wasn't as damaging as the new fielding restrictions.

"Spinners have been more adaptable to the new balls than the fielding restrictions. What this new rule does is it takes out the security of an extra man in the deep," he said. "The only thing to do is bowl as straight as possible and to think about using variations with a lot of accuracy. Otherwise runs will be leaked."

Pollard said the powerful batsmen in the West Indies line-up will enjoy the larger gaps in the outfield, but cautioned against playing over-ambitious shots. "It can be good and bad," he said. "If you want to hit the ball outside, being too eager because of the four fielders, you can still find one of them. We have a lot of power-hitters so clearing the boundary and the ball falling in gaps is important for us. Hopefully we can capitalise on it until there's any further changes.

"I think captains will have a hard job in setting the fields and bowlers will have an even tougher job trying to restrict the batsmen. You'll see a lot more 300-run games in place of the 270-280 games because of that extra guy inside."

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Bahawalpur new addition to Faysal Bank T-20

The PCB has announced a new format and a new team for its domestic Twenty20 tournament, and created a window for it in the 2012-13 season by indefinitely pushing back the President Trophy final, which was scheduled to begin on December 3. Bahawalpur is the new team in the T20 competition.

The Faysal Bank T-20 Cup will begin on December 1 and its final will be on December 9, and it will be held entirely in Lahore. The 14 teams were divided into two groups of seven each and the tournament will comprise 45 matches. The top two teams from each group will contest the semi-finals.

Defending champions Sialkot Stallions were pooled in Group A with Lahore Lions, Islamabad Leopards, Karachi Zebras, Abbottabad Falcons, Quetta Bears and Multan Tigers. Group B comprises Karachi Dolphins, Rawalpindi Rams, Faisalabad Wolves, Bahawalpur Stags, Peshawar Panthers, Lahore Eagles and Hyderabad Hawks. Apart from Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore City Cricket Association Ground and the historical Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground will stage the games.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be played in Karachi from December 2 to 10. "Karachi was our a definite choice but we have been monitoring the circumstances in Karachi, so in the larger interest of the cricket we have decided to hold the event in Lahore." Zakir Khan, PCB's director of domestic cricket operations, said.

Last year, Rawalpindi was first given hosting rights but after the local authorities could not complete renovation on the dilapidated stadium in time, the event was shifted to Lahore. In 2010-11, the T20 tournament was shifted from Lahore to Karachi owing to the outbreak of dengue in the Punjab province.

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Tredwell to join England squad

James Trewell, the Kent offspinner, will fly out to India and join up with the England Test squad on December 1.

The 30-year-old Tredwell, who was appointed captain of Kent earlier this month, was not selected as part of the England Performance Programme - who are currently in India playing their first match on tour - but he will join the Test squad as back-up for the first choice spinners, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.

With England now committed to playing two spinners in the remaining two Tests in the series, the team management decided it was wise to ensure there was cover for illness or injury.

"Tredwell has performed really well for us," Andy Flower, England's team director said. "He can make a real impact as a spin bowler. He is arriving in Kolkata as cover. We have some spinners with the performance programme but Tredwell is our senior spinner and will stay with us for the Tests."

Tredwell has only represented England in one Test, but he made a favourable impression in it - claiming six wickets in the match as England defeated Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2010 - and has continued to perform decently as a fringe member of the ODI side.

He took 4 for 48 in England's crucial victory over West Indies at the 2011 World Cup and last summer took 3 for 35 at Lord's, doing the majority of the damage in victory over South Africa.

The strength of his recent ODI performances saw him named as England's premier spinner for the T20 and ODI series against India either side of Christmas. Swann has been rested from both series.

England do have the option of calling on left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, legspinner Scott Borthwick or offspinner Azeem Rafiq, all of whom are currently in Mumbai as part of the England Performance Programme. But none have the experience of Tredwell.

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England role was unsustainable says Flower

Andy Flower, who has relinquished his day-to-day involvement with England's one-day side, has admitted that he found the conflicting demands of his coaching role "unsustainable" as he agonised over his need to contribute to a family life with his wife and three young children.

Flower, according to an estimate from England's managing director of cricket, Hugh Morris, has spent around 60% of his life away from home over the last few years - with no prospect that if he had maintained both roles the burden would ease for at least the next eight years.

Flower, the England coach since early 2008, will remain as England's team director with responsibility for the playing strategies and preparation of the team in all formats of the game. He remains in direct charge of the Test side but will relinquish the day-to-day management of the limited-overs teams to Ashley Giles, who will step down as Warwickshire's director of cricket.

ESPNcricinfo revealed that the ECB were exploring options to ease Flower's workload and that he ODI series against India in January was a potential series where Flower could be rested, with Giles in the running for the job. This appointment confirms that intention, with Flower's next engagement the Tests leg of England's New Zealand tour in March.

"We are all aware over the last five-and-a-half years since Andy's been involved that we've enjoyed some fantastic successes," Morris said. "Over that period Andy has missed a handful of days. We all know how busy the schedule is. Andy is 44 and has three young kids and spends a hell of a lot of time away from home.

"We also know over the next eight-year period we will have a similar volume of cricket. We need a step change in order to protect our greatest assets which are our players and our team director and senior management. We aim to retain our talent over a long period of time.

"We have played as much as India, ahead of Australia and pretty much all the other full member nations. Andy has had the busiest workload, including 15 overseas tours. Sixty per cent of his life has been in a hotel room. It is not sustainable for one person to be looking after all aspects of the game."

Flower agreed that the demands of England's touring schedule were not conducive to family life. Indeed, he suggested involvement in all three formats of the game might only be sustainable for single men or those with grown-up families.

"With young families it is very hard to get that work-life balance right," Flower said. "If you were single or had a grown up family then I think it would be more possible to do all three forms of the game.

"We have talked about what the most effective coaching structure for our national side is and we're still not sure. But we believe that this might be a more efficient use of our resources. With unlimited resources and unlimited high-quality coaching staff, you might even have two separate coaching teams.

"There is a bit of unfinished business. But I hope to see Ashley Giles and Alastair Cook hoisting a trophy above their heads at some stage. I will be watching but not there on a day to day level. It is a little sad to be stepping away to be honest. But I will certainly gain in other areas of my life. I don't believe this decision will bring an erosion of my authority or influence."

Both Flower and Morris dismissed the suggestion that the appointment of a second senior coach would create confusion or undermine Flower's position. Morris insisted that, such was their confidence in Giles as a man and a coach, there had been no need to consider any other candidates.

"I don't see it as an erosion of Andy's power," Morris said. "Ultimately he is accountable for playing strategy of all three formats of the game. He remains a selector and also has responsibility for the day to day planning. He will also see some young players he wouldn't have seen before in the county scene.

"We know Ashley Giles as a person and we know him as a coach. He has been through our coaching programme over the last four years and he has done a terrific job with Warwickshire."

Flower dismissed the suggestion that he was benefitting from just the sort of rest period denied to Kevin Pietersen. The difference, Flower contended , was that Pietersen had requested that he was omitted from the ODI squad while continuing in the T20 team, while the policy of the ECB remained that players were available either for all limited-overs cricket or none of it.

"He wanted to retire from 50 overs cricket and play T20 cricket," Flower said. "That is not in line with ECB policy. So the situations are not directly comparable."

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Southee happy to hunt wickets with Boult

Unlike Sri Lanka's attack, New Zealand's has supported their spearhead effectively at the P Sara Oval. Their spearhead, Tim Southee, has claimed another heavy haul in Colombo, after his four wickets in the first innings in Galle, and he has attributed this to the others in the attack. Southee had removed Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara on the second evening, and he dismissed Angelo Mathews and Tharanga Paranavitana the next day, claiming figures of 4 for 51.

Southee said left-arm seamer Trent Boult had been especially helpful to his success in Sri Lanka. The bowlers not only complement each other by testing batsmen against different angles of attack, but also specialise in swinging the ball in opposite directions. Southee largely takes the ball away from the right-hand batsmen, while Boult moves it in.

"Trent Boult has got a massive role to play in the wickets I've taken," Southee said. "He's helping out by putting pressure at the other end and I am sure his turn to take wickets is just around the corner. It's tough conditions at the moment, but I'm going through a period where it's coming out nicely."

New Zealand were only able to remove three batsmen in almost 70 overs on the third day, and despite having worked their way to the start of Sri Lanka's tail, they were unable to dismiss the hosts for less than the follow-on mark. Thilan Samaraweera and Suraj Randiv resisted with an unbeaten stand of 97 towards the end of the day, but Southee's efforts leave his team still in the hunt for a win as, having lost six wickets, Sri Lanka still trail by 187 runs.

Southee said wickets in the first hour of the fourth day would be crucial to New Zealand's hopes of levelling the series, particularly as the pitch offers little for bowlers once the ball gets old. New Zealand will begin the day with a ball that is only 4.2 overs old.

"Massive hour tomorrow morning, if we can pick up a couple of wickets and run through them then who knows," Southee said. "It's definitely a new-ball wicket, and if you can grab a couple with the new ball, then it makes it easier to make inroads into the batting line-up. It's not as easy when the ball gets older, and that can affect the team."

Southee said New Zealand weren't displeased with their day's work, given the number of good batsmen in Sri Lanka's ranks. "It's a tough batting line-up and there are some world class players here who have scored a lot of runs. They keep coming one after another and it just shows their great batting depth is. It would have been nice to have a couple of more [wickets] today to really get into their tail. Hopefully in the second innings, the spinners come to play."

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Stop questioning Nehra's absence, says Dahiya

Delhi are now at the halfway stage of their Ranji Trophy campaign and are looking for outright victories in two of their four remaining games. Central to their chances of progressing to the quarters is the fitness of their most experienced and skillful bowler, left-arm swing man Ashish Nehra. An injury to Nehra's hamstring meant he bowled only six overs in Delhi's previous Ranji game against Baroda and then missed the fourth-round match against Tamil Nadu, both matches held at the Kotla.

It is not yet certain if Nehra will travel with Delhi to Lahli for their next Ranji fixture against Haryana on a pitch that is expected to produce seam movement. Conditions in Lahli, outside Rohtak, are expected to suit Delhi's strong pack of quick bowlers in Nehra, Parvinder Awana, Pawan Suyal and Sumit Narwal; captain Shikhar Dhawan said Nehra would definitely play if he was declared fit.

At the start of the season, it was believed that Nehra, who has been dogged by injury all his career whether for India or Delhi, would most probably play four of Delhi's eight Ranji matches. Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya has no issue with the idea, nor does he take criticism of his most experienced and effective bowler lightly.

"Why is it that when our bowlers get tired and take a break, it is said they are picking and choosing? Why is no one else criticised?" Dahiya said. He went on to name bowlers, either more celebrated or younger than Nehra, who had not been seen in action for a while in the Ranji Trophy. "How many games has Ajit Agarkar played this season when he is supposed to lead Mumbai? Praveen Kumar has not played in any match after the game in Ghaziabad. Where is Abhimanyu Mithun? Or Varun Aaron or RP Singh? Why is Ashish's case always picked on?"

Dahiya said Nehra was improving and said that he would play only when the team was sure that there was no chance of him picking up another injury. It would, he said, be "tempting" to take Nehra to Lahli, if only to put the cat among Haryana's Ranji pigeons. Group B is tight at the top but Haryana are at the bottom of the points table, having lost three of three matches - all, ironically, at home.

"To have a guy like Ashish in our team it will put Haryana on the spot; [it will make them wonder] whether to play safe or to go for the outright win. They've got tough matches ahead," Dahiya said, adding that he will do a recce of the Lahli conditions by speaking to the Baroda team that played there in the just-concluded round.

After Haryana, Delhi travel again, to play Karnataka who were handed a staggering defeat by Odisha on Tuesday. Karnataka, with five points from four matches, are now seventh out of nine teams in Group B. "Karnataka are also under pressure," Dahiya said. "They too may want to play us on a pitch where you have results, so it gives us a good chance."

If Delhi were to get two outright wins from their four games, it could be enough for them to finish in the top three and qualify for the quarter-finals. Group B, Dahiya said, was still open: "The desperation will come in the last two rounds. Teams will then know where they stand and what they need to do. It is going to be crazy."

The first-innings points against Tamil Nadu means that Delhi can go into the crazy phase of their Ranji season feeling upbeat. "We think we've covered the points we lost in UP here. Look at the reputation of the Tamil Nadu side, look where they come from. Four of our guys got 100s, I can't remember when we've scored back to back totals of 500, it has been very good for our morale. "

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'An amazing but harrowing day'

Lahli in Haryana is a village 14 km from Rohtak, which is a further 70km from Delhi, the nearest city you can trust an average cricket fan in India to know of. It is cold there these days. Temperatures have begun to fall to a low of single digits. On Tuesday, though, two Ranji teams warmed the place up with frenetic action.

Fourteen wickets fell in the space of 30 overs and 81 runs, a total of 17 fell on the day, the ball turned and seamed, there was a 'mankading', an injured opener batted at No. 7 to help his side, a desperate fast bowler bowled 15 overs on the trot, there was a six hit by a No. 11 batsman with 16 runs to win, and finally the visitors, Baroda, went on to register only the 14th one-wicket win in the history of Ranji Trophy.

Only a handful watched the match, and the players don't know of any reporter's presence. Yet it was a day everyone was proud to have been a part of. "There was action in every over," Ambati Rayudu, Baroda's captain, told ESPNcricinfo. "It's one of the best games of first-class cricket I have been a part of. I am fortunate and privileged to have led the winning side."

"An amazing but harrowing day" is how Baroda's coach, Sanath Kumar, described it.

Even the vanquished, although bitterly disappointed, took a lot out of it. "Yes we are gutted," Amit Mishra, Haryana's captain, said. "But we also look at it the other way. If we can fight this well when defending 130, we can do a lot more." Haryana are in need of that belief. They have already registered two of their lowest totals this season - 55 and 60 - and are the only team without a point.

The overwhelming feeling, though, remains that of disappointment. They began the day at 127 for 2, with a lead of 98, one of their better starts in recent history. But too soon the craziness began with the run-out of Abhimanyu Khod, in the second over of the day. The partnership was broken, and as it happens with sides low on confidence, Haryana couldn't arrest the slide.

Rayudu had sensed that too. He said Baroda knew they could convert their first-innings lead into an outright win if they could get early wickets. They were relying on reminding Haryana of their previous collapses. It worked. A little more than an hour later, Baroda could sniff those six full points. Haryana had lost their last eight wickets for the addition of just 33 runs.

Lahli is set in open fields. The water table is high too. The pitch hardly ever loses its moisture, and the wind keeps the bowlers interested too. Mishra said that the Baroda bowlers managed both seam and reverse swing.

"When we got them all out for 150-odd, we felt a target of around 130 shouldn't take much out of our batsmen," Sanath said, before adding he couldn't have been more wrong. For starters, they couldn't open the innings with their first-innings centurion, Saurabh Wakaskar, who was injured and had been off the field.

Mishra, on the other hand, told his side that they have won such games in the past too, and they just needed to keep fighting. He also thought that if they could get a couple of early wickets, Baroda would have everything to lose -- not only the opportunity to gain six points, but also the three they had already secured via the first-innings lead.

Mohit Sharma, who had taken four wickets in the first innings, began with the wicket of Kedar Devdhar with the first ball of Haryana's defence. The real collapse, though, began with the run-out of No. 3 Abhimanyu Chauhan in the eight over. That was the last ball before lunch. Thereafter, it became a contest between a bicycle stand and house of cards. Four wickets fell in the next 28 balls, and Haryana were now favourites at 48 for 6.

	"When we got them all out for 150-odd, we felt a target of around 130 shouldn't take much out of our batsmen," Baroda coach Sanath Kumar said, before adding he couldn't have been more wrong.

Wakaskar, though, came out to bat, without a runner, and he and Gagandeep Singh took Baroda to 85. The needle was on, and so was the heat. Mishra, who saw the help for the quicks and brought himself on quite late despite a five-for in the first innings, lost the grip on the ball as he was about to deliver. He saw Wakaskar was backing up too far ... And this is where the stories from the two sides differ: Haryana say they clearly warned Wakaskar here, Baroda say they didn't.

A little later, Ashish Hooda 'mankaded' Wakaskar. Baroda say they were shocked. The umpires confirmed with Haryana whether they wanted to go through with the appeal. Haryana did. And Wakaskar was gone. The Ranji Trophy, where teams try every trick for every single point, is not the place for such charity. Moreover, there is legally nothing wrong with 'mankading'. Neither side reported ugly scenes. Eighty-five for 7 then.

Mishra said it was difficult to take the ball away from Mohit. He was enjoying bowling here, had had a tea break in between, and wanted to continue bowling until he had won the side the game. Three overs after the run-out, he produced the wicket of Gagandeep too, completing his second first-class five-for. At 91 for 8, Haryana were favourites again.

However, Murtuja Vahora, who had triggered the Haryana collapse, was not going to watch his hard work being washed away. He hit two boundaries in a crucial 12, taking Baroda to 108 before he fell to Mishra. Twenty-four still required. Just the time for the biggest partnership of the innings.

Enter left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt to join offspinner Utkarsh Patel. A reaffirmation that this is the week of spin twins in India (though not necessarily to the benefit of the home side). "When I walked in to bat after Murtuja was dismissed, not much was said in the dressing room," Bhatt said. "When I joined Utkarsh, all we said was 'humein khade rehna hai' [we have to stay at the wicket]."

They did more than just stay in. Both began to attack. Mishra was taken on but kept himself on. With 16 required, Bhatt played the shot that rang around Lahli. The ball turned into him, and he stretched and lofted it for a six. "That wasn't predetermined," Bhatt said. "We required 16 or 17 then. He tossed it up and I felt I could reach it and stepped out and connected well."

Mishra opted for Sachin Rana now. He felt the different pace could do the trick, but it didn't. "It was sensible batting," Sanath said. "They were positive, very positive. When the ball was there to be hit, they played their shots. One over of Mishra - they hit him for 12 runs. They were scoring off the balls that needed to be scored off. As a result, they didn't let the tension rise."

In 3.5 overs, the two added 25 to take Baroda to the top of the table in Group B, and break Haryana's hearts. A game of four days was won or lost in the final 23 balls.

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Broad's Test place in the balance

David Saker, the England bowling coach, has admitted Stuart Broad's performance in Mumbai "wasn't up to scratch" and provided the biggest hint yet that he will struggle to keep his place in the team for the third Test in Kolkata.

Broad has yet to take a wicket in the Test series against India and, since the start of June, has taken 11 Test wickets, eight of those at Headingley against South Africa, at 54.00.

With Steven Finn returning from injury to take 4 for 50 in the England Performance Programme match in Mumbai and England now committed to playing two spinners in the rest of the series, it is hard to see how Broad can be accommodated.

Saker accepted that conditions in India were tough for seam bowlers like Broad, but urged him to "front up" and learn from the example of fast bowlers who have achieved success on such wickets.

"He's finding it tough, no doubt," Saker said. "I don't think he's the first fast bowler to come over here and find it tough. It's another great learning curve for him. Bowling fast over here isn't easy and you have to find a way to survive. The really great bowlers always have. You don't just say the fast bowlers are going to have no influence - a defeatist attitude like that is not accepted. We've got to have a look at the way bowlers have done it over here and try your best at replicating that.

"He's learning it the hard way at the moment and it's probably not going the way he'd like it to go. His confidence is probably not as high as he'd like but this place can really dent your confidence quickly. As a fast bowler you want to see a few balls zinging through to the keeper and it's hard to do that here. He's finding that difficult but it's something he will learn from and hopefully become a better bowler for it.

On Tuesday, Broad tweeted that he had lost 5kgs over the last week after reports during the Test that he was suffering from illness, but Saker did not want to look for excuses.

"I think he had a little bit of an illness but once you cross the line you're a hundred percent. His performance wasn't up to scratch but that happens over here," he said. "It's a tough place to bowl fast. He's had a little bit of a break, he needs to front up and find out what's the best way to go about it over here.

Broad certainly appears to have fallen behind Finn and James Anderson in the pecking order. Although Anderson has only claimed two wickets in the series to date, Saker was hugely impressed by his performance in Mumbai and conceded that, if Finn came through the EPP game, he would prove hard to ignore.

	"He's finding it really difficult to get his head around changing the way he bowls. You can bowl fourth stump nearly everywhere in the world but if you go wide of the stumps here you get hurt." David Saker on Stuart Broad's struggles

"Jimmy was outstanding here," Saker said. "It was as good as I've ever seen him bowl and he could have had a few more wickets if things had gone his way.

"Finn has been monitored the last few days and if he gets through this game with the Lions squad there's a good chance he might play in Kolkata, without a doubt. He's a special talent and has the pace we probably need for this place. We'd like to get him in the team.

"If he can get through that game there's no doubt he'll come into the selection picture. We thought he was on target for the Mumbai Test. I was very optimistic he could play, and that backfired so we don't want to get ahead of ourselves this time. We want to see him bowl 20 overs and take some wickets.

"It would have been an interesting selection call if he'd been fit here. We obviously made the right call with the two spinners so one of the fast bowlers may have had to miss out and both Stuart and Jimmy have played well up to now. We would have had to make a call on that and we'll have to make a call for this one, for sure, if Finn is fit."

Saker rejected the idea that Broad had lost pace over the last few months, suggesting that the issue was more a failure to react to the conditions in India and a subsequent loss of confidence.

"I don't think it's a matter of pace," Saker said. "He came back from injury at the World Twenty20 and bowled at good pace and I thought in the warm-up games and in the first Test he bowled at a good pace.

"I just think he's lacking a bit of confidence and finding it really difficult to get his head around maybe changing the way he bowls. Here you have to change it a bit. You can bowl fourth stump nearly everywhere else in the world but if you go wide of the stumps here you get hurt. We did discuss that before this trip, how bowling straight is crucial, and we watched as lot of footage of the teams who have come here and done well, Australia, South Africa and even the West Indies who came out here not long ago, bowled straight and had some success.

"He probably just hasn't played that well in these two Tests. Maybe he's looking for something that just isn't there as well. He's asking a lot of questions that probably don't need to be asked."

Saker also hinted that recent weeks have provided him with his biggest challenge while working with England. "I've been blessed in that I haven't had to do a lot of hard yards up to now as a bowling coach but now, with Tim Bresnan and Stuart of late, we've had to have some good talks and maybe some tinkering with actions. At the end of the day we still have to keep the game as simple as we can."

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Sri Lanka not worried about following on - Herath

Sri Lanka may have lost three of the four most prolific batsmen in their side on the second evening at the P Sara, but Rangana Herath says Sri Lanka will give little thought to avoiding the follow on. New Zealand made 412 in their first innings, with Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson both making hundreds, but Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene could only manage nine among the three of them.

Dilshan played around a straight ball that clattered into middle and off from Tim Southee, before Sangakkara failed to control a hook on zero, finding the only leg-side fielder in the deep. Mahela Jayawardene then flirted outside off stump repeatedly before edging a cover drive to gully off Trent Boult, who angled the ball across him.

The loss of three wickets means Sri Lanka have to rebuild in the first session tomorrow to earn parity with their opponents, but Angelo Mathews batted positively towards the end of play for an unbeaten 20, giving Sri Lanka hope of salvaging a good first-innings score. Opener Tharanga Paranavitana remained unbeaten on nine alongside him.

"We're not looking at the follow-on target, because we know the capability of our batsmen and if we bat well, we can go past 400 and past their score," Herath said. "We trust our batsmen to be able to do that. The first hour of tomorrow is very important for us. We have to make sure that we don't give away a wicket in that period and score as many runs as we can.

Mathews had contributed to a first-innings rescue in Galle, where Sri Lanka recovered from 50 for 5 to take a lead. Sri Lanka finished at a comparatively more comfortable 43 for 3 at the P Sara, but have a much steeper New Zealand total to overhaul than the visitors' 221 of the first Test.

"I think we can do it, like we did in Galle. This is a similar situation and Angelo and Para are batting really well for us."

Herath said that although Sri Lanka could have been more circumspect, New Zealand's fast men bowled well with the new ball. "I think we should have been little more cautious in batting than we were today, but mistakes can be there in any match. The most important thing is not really what happened, but how we are going to recover from this situation."

The hosts are unlikely to be without Thilan Samaraweera in the first innings, despite a split webbing on his hand that required stitches. Samaraweera sustained the injury at slip, when he spilt a difficult chance off Daniel Flynn, and Mathews was sent out to bat to allow him time to recover.

Herath also completed his third consecutive five-wicket haul on day two, taking 6 for 103 in the first innings. He became the highest wicket-taker in 2012 when he bagged 11 scalps in the first Test, but now trails Graeme Swann by one wicket after Swann took eight wickets against India. With Monty Panesar and Pragyan Ojha also taking five-wicket hauls in the Test in Mumbai, Herath said it had been a special few days for left-arm spinners.

"I think patience plays a crucial role for spinners. I played first-class cricket for more than 15 years and that taught me patience. This is my 42nd Test match but I think I have played more than 170 first-class matches."

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Championship returns to late September in 2013

County cricket will return to the latter half of September in 2013, with the fixture list confirming that the window in the ICC's Future Tours Programme reserved for the T20 Champions League will not be kept free. The final round of the Championship will begin on September 24, 2013, meaning that the season will not be subject to the record early starts of recent years.

For the last three seasons, cricket in England has ceased in mid-September, to accommodate the Champions League. However, the counties recently agreed not to participate in the 2013 competition, in order to protect the domestic calendar.

The opening round of Championship matches will commence on April 10, five days later than in 2012, when the traditional pre-season university fixtures were forced to begin in March. The final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 will be held at Lord's on Saturday September 21, meaning that the domestic season will start and finish with first-class cricket.

The Friends Life t20 group stage, in its final year as a block, has been moved back due to the staging of the Champions Trophy in England and is scheduled to run for six weeks from June 26. The tournament retains the same format as last season, with three groups and ten games per county; Finals Day will be held at Edgbaston on Saturday August 17.

Warwickshire, winners of the 2012 Championship, will play the Champion County match against MCC in Abu Dhabi at the end of March before beginning their defence against newly promoted Derbyshire. Yorkshire, runners-up behind Derbyshire in Division Two, will mark their return to the top tier by hosting Sussex at Headingley. The two relegated clubs, Lancashire and Worcestershire, are to face off at Old Trafford in the opening round of Division Two.

Hampshire, holders of both limited-overs trophies, will play the first CB40 fixture of the season in a floodlit match at Essex on May 3, with Scotland, Netherlands and the Unicorns again joining the 18 counties in three groups. The competition is due to revert to a 50-over format from 2014, after the ECB and the counties agreed a compromise that would retain the current Championship structure.

As well as the Champions Trophy, which runs from June 6 until June 23, New Zealand will tour England in the first part of the summer, followed by the Ashes, with the first Test against Australia starting at Trent Bridge on July 10. Derbyshire, Kent, Somerset, Worcestershire, Sussex and Northamptonshire are all scheduled to host tour matches, while England will play an Ashes warm-up fixture at Essex.

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