Mathews targets improved rankings

Sri Lanka's new Test and ODI captain, Angelo Mathews, has said he aims to arrest the team's slide in the ICC rankings, and hoped to count his side among the best in the world in both formats in the next few years

Mathews succeeded Mahela Jayawardene, who stepped down after the tour of Australia, after spending almost two years as vice captain in all formats. Dinesh Chandimal was named his deputy in Tests and ODIs and captain of the Twenty20 team. Sri Lanka have been the top-ranked Twenty20 side in the world since their run to the World Twenty20 final in September, but slipped down the Test and ODI rankings after having been second on both tables in 2009. They have also failed to win a Test series away from home since 2008, and have won only four Tests since Muttiah Muralitharan retired in 2010.

"My main ambition now is to see the Sri Lankan cricket team in the top three in the next few years," Mathews said. "We've dropped down to sixth place in Tests and fifth in ODIs. It won't be easy, and it will take some time. Myself, Chandimal and the selectors will have to work closely to achieve that."

Mathews had been Sri Lanka's Twenty20 captain since the end of the World Twenty20 in 2012, but the new selection panel, headed by Sanath Jayasuriya, opted to give that position to Chandimal instead. Chandimal has not showed great promise in the Twenty20 format, but Jayasuriya said the selectors split the captaincy in order to help build a young leadership core, as well as to ease Mathews' burden.

"We thought that it would be too much for Angelo to give him the Twenty20 captaincy as well, as we wanted to allow him to concentrate on the Tests and ODIs," Jayasuriya said. "We thought the best person for the Twenty20 captaincy was Dinesh Chandimal, who has a long future in the game. He will also get some experience of captaining Sri Lanka in case Angelo gets injured."

Mathews' first assignment as captain will be the two-Test home series against Bangladesh, for which the selectors named a 20-man preliminary squad. The selectors sought to create a break from the past by selecting a young squad for their new captain, but Mathews was grateful for the presence of some senior players, most notably Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who have all captained Sri Lanka in the past. 



"I think you need both experience and youth in a team, because you can't have XI new players in a match. I think the selectors had that balance in mind when they chose the team, and they've done a good job of that." 



Of the older players the selectors omitted, Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene were the most notable exclusions. Jayasuriya was non-committal on whether there was an avenue back into the side for these players, but focused instead on the opportunity to develop fresh talent. He also said the 20-man squad would be whittled down to 15 in the lead up to the first Test. 



"We need to start giving the youngsters an opportunity, and a series against Bangladesh is a good one to give one or two new players a place," he said. "Players like Kithuruwan Vithanage and Ashen Silva have been making runs in domestic cricket, and Jeevan Mendis has also scored well recently.



"We want to make sure these young cricketers to experience the atmosphere in the Sri Lankan team, and this is a good opportunity to allow that, because it's a home Test series. They can work with the Sri Lankan team until about 10 days prior to the Test, when we will name the 15-man squad.

Chandimal, 23, was impressive in Tests and ODIs, but failed to make himself a regular in either side throughout much of 2012. He acknowledged the added responsibility more leadership would bring, but suggested that his new roles would be a boon to his development, rather than a hindrance.

"There's pressure every time you play a match, but I think the captaincy is a boost for me personally, and a validation of my past performances," Chandimal said. "I've been a captain in Under-19 at school level as well. I didn't think I would be captain this early in my career, but that's a source of pride for me."

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Parvez Rasool set to join Pune Warriors

Parvez Rasool, the Jammu and Kashmir allrounder, is set to join Pune Warriors for IPL 2013. Rasool was in the spotlight earlier this week, when he bagged seven wickets against the touring Australians. He will be the first player from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the league.

The formalities are yet to be completed but the franchise is in the process of signing Rasool, a Warriors official confirmed.

Rasool said Warriors were not the only IPL team to contact him, but they had been in touch with him even before that tour match. "A few franchises approached me but it was Pune who approached me first. So it was an ethical decision to join them as they had shown interest much before the Australia match happened," Rasool told PTI. "I am very excited and it is an honour to play in the IPL and become the first cricketer from the valley to achieve this feat."

Twenty-four-year-old Rasool had an impressive 2012-13 Ranji season too, leading both the bowling and batting charts for Jammu and Kashmir; his 594 runs from seven games came at an average of 54, while his 33 wickets came at 18.09 apiece.

He is looking forward to drawing on the knowledge of the international players at the IPL, he said, to further lift his game. "It is a dream come true for me that I will be interacting with Michael Clarke. Also having Yuvi paaji [Yuvraj Singh] will be a bonus. I have just started my journey in top-flight cricket, and this stint with Pune will only help me grow. I hope that I will be able soak in all the information that I can get from our coach Allan Donald too."

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Dhaka finish second after easy win

Dhaka Gladiators 168 for 6 (Shakib 59*, Dilshan 49) beat Chittagong Kings 139 for 9 (Nurul 43) by 29 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Two attacking knocks, by Shakib Al Hasan and Tillakaratne Dilshan, and a collapse - eight wickets for 37 runs - secured Dhaka Gladiators' 29-run victory over Chittagong Kings in Mirpur. The win gave the Gladiators second spot in the points table at the end of the group stages.

They suffered an early blow after being put in to bat, when opener Joshua Cobb was dismissed cheaply in the second over. However, Dilshan helped steady the innings, with a 66-run stand with Anamul Haque, who scored 23. After Dilshan departed in the 12th over for 49 off 38 balls Shakib, who ended with 59 off 29 balls, added 75 runs with Darren Stevens, dominating the partnership, and lifting the run-rate to 8.40 by the end of the innings. Ryan ten Doeschate was the most expensive bowler, conceding 45 runs in his four overs.

The Kings, however, were in the contest when Nurul Hasan and Marshall Ayub added 72 runs for the second wicket in 48 balls. But spinners Mosharraf Hossain and Dilshan brought the home side back with two quick wickets each, and the Kings couldn't recover. Six of the last seven batsmen scored in single digits, and they slipped from 92 for 1 to 129 for 9 in the penultimate over. Four bowlers took two wickets each.

The match did not hold much consequence, however, with both teams already in the final four.

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SLC not to recognise player agents

Sri Lanka Cricket has decided not to recognise player agents and will take a harsh view of players who decline central contracts, SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga has said. Players will still be allowed to have agents represent them elsewhere, but will not be able to involve their agents in dealings with SLC.

Ranatunga said he had made SLC's stance on player agents clear to new captains Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, and that the new policy to ignore agents and deal directly with players was borne out of a belief that agent involvement constituted a net negative to cricket in Sri Lanka.

"If you look at the past, the board used to correspond and communicate with the player agents," Ranatunga said. "At that time the board felt agents would allow the players to concentrate on the game as the agents would do the other work. But after what has happened in the past few years, the board took a clear decision not to recognise player agents, because they bring more negatives than positives.

"We explained to the new captain and the vice-captain that if there are any players who don't sign the SLC contracts within 10 days, we don't expect them to be in the national team."

In 2011, Lasith Malinga turned down a central contract with SLC, citing dissatisfaction with the amount the board had offered him. Malinga was placed in the top salary bracket, but was only eligible for 40% of the $100,000 the other players would receive, because he did not play Test cricket. He has, however, made himself available for every ODI and Twenty20 match for Sri Lanka since.

Ranatunga also emphasised that SLC's purview extended beyond the interests of the elite band of players who have agents, and suggested that in representing a handful of players, agents had been detrimental to both the game at large, and players without agents in particular.

"Agents are interested in looking after their players financially, and SLC has felt that they don't have the best interests of cricket at heart," he said. "Our job isn't to look after the 20 or 25 players who have agents. We have to think about every cricketer from 13-year-olds upwards, as well as club cricketers and provincial players. There are some who haven't earned a cent from the game, and we need to look after them and appreciate their efforts as well."

The Sri Lanka cricketers' central contracts expire at the end of February, and a new contract list will be drawn up and released by SLC soon after. In 2012, players and the board were locked in almost five months of negotiations over their contracts, after a heavily indebted SLC had failed to pay its players for almost eight months. Players threatened to boycott the Sri Lanka Premier League, and a clause requiring players to seek permission from the board before speaking to media had to be struck out, before an agreement was reached in July last year.

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West Indies' best yet to come - Aguilleira

Despite beating five-time world champions Australia for the first time in an ODI, and qualifying for their maiden World Cup final, West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said her team hadn't produced its best performance yet. And West Indies had just defended 164 to win their last Super Six match in Mumbai, knocking out England and New Zealand.

"Since we have come to this World Cup, we haven't brought forth our A game," Aguilleira said. "The final is definitely the place to bring our A game. Yes, we had a few misfields and there is lot of room for improvement, not just on the field, but batting wise as well."

After choosing to bat, West Indies were dismissed in 47 overs by a disciplined Australian attack. They were 59 for 5 at one stage and could have been out for a lower score had Deandra Dottin not scored 60 at No. 7. Aguilleira said the difference between Dottin and the others was her natural ability to hit the ball hard. "That's a god-given talent and I think she is using it well. She is not using it enough, but she is using it."

Australia lost wickets regularly too, but they also had steady partnerships that kept swinging the match in their favour. However, when three important middle-order batsmen fell in quick succession, Aguilleira said she could sense panic in Australia's players.

"I felt some panic happening in their camp and that's the time we started to attack even more. We realised that as long as we bowl in the right areas, we can get wickets and that's exactly what happened. You really need bowlers to bowl as tight as possible. The bowlers made it easier for me by doing exactly what they are supposed to do."

West Indies had to win this match to qualify for the final, because the gap between their net run rate and that of the other contenders was marginal. "The atmosphere in the dressing room was high because we knew how important this match was, not just for us but for the people of the Carribbean and our fans as well," Aguilleira said. "We have a lot of people supporting us. We knew that we could make it to the final and that's exactly what we did."

Amid all the questions after the match, she admitted with a beaming smile that she was overjoyed. "I'm overwhelmed right now. Words can't express the way I'm feeling right now. We got to thank god for it, we had been through a lot as a team and hope his blessings continue to shine on us."

Aguilleira said West Indies now had a better idea of Australia's game, which would help them prepare for the final. "We understand them much better having seen them and I think they understand us as well. We made mistakes in some areas and those are the things we need to work on. Since we have a few days, we will work on areas such as not giving their batsmen much width because they are strong whenever they get a chance to free their arms."

Australia's captain Jodie Fields gave the credit to the West Indies players. "Their bowling was very disciplined and they put the ball in good areas," she said. "Their spinners took it to our batsmen and that helped them win the game today. They bowled with disciplined, tight lines and fielded very well today. The pitch was a bit slow and also turning a lot, so it was hard to score."

West Indies complemented their bowling with sharp fielding, which resulted in three catches and three run-outs. The run-outs occurred not just because of good fielding, but also because of poor running. "We had to score runs and sometimes you have to take those risks and to West Indies' credit they got a few run-outs. They are great fielders, Deandra Dottin was really good at point today and Daley and others backed each other up."

Australia had been undefeated in the World Cup until now and that's how they wanted the record to be. After losing to West Indies, who they will meet again in the finals, Fields said they have time to prepare and work on their shortcomings.

"I don't think it's ever good to have a loss. We definitely came out today to win the match and wanted to go through the tournament undefeated. We have to go and focus on our training. Since we are going to play them in the final, at least we got a chance to look at their game and hopefully we can bring it back on Sunday."

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Shehzad, Afridi lead Pak A to comfortable win

Pakistan A 189 for 6 (Shehzad 68, Afridi 45) beat Afghanistan 140 for 9 (Stanikzai 47) by 49 runs
Scorecard

Afghanistan crumbled under the weight of Pakistan A's big total of 189, to lose by 49 runs in the Twenty20 in Lahore. Opener Ahmed Shehzad and Shahid Afridi took the contest away from Afghanistan with their attacking knocks of 68 and 45 respectively. In reply, regular wickets and slow scoring hurt them, and they limped to 140 for 9.

Afghanistan started the chase brightly, the openers scoring 32 in three overs, but they slipped to 89 for 6 in the 11th over. Asghar Stanikzai was the only batsman to remain unbeaten eventually, scoring 47. The last seven batsmen scored 27 runs in all.

Pakistan's innings was based on partnerships of 66, between openers Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan, and 65, between Shehzad and Afridi, after which they were 131 for 2 in 13 overs. Although Afghanistan bounced back to keep them to below 200, the target ultimately proved too daunting for them.

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Rawalpindi rout Karachi Whites in two days

Rawalpindi 292 (Zia 67, Naeem 66, Ameer 8-98) beat Karachi Whites 69 (Tanvir 5-20) and 200 (Hasan 81, Azam 7-46) by 23 runs
Scorecard

Rawalpindi's bowlers, Sohail Tanvir and Hammad Azam, wrecked Karachi Whites in either innings to complete an innings victory inside two days for the home side. They took nine points from the game, while Karachi took none.

The advantage was secured early on the first day, when Karachi were shot out for 69 in 29 overs. Tanvir took 5 for 29, while Sadaf Hussain and Azam took two wickets each. Opener Shazaib Hasan's 19 was the top score.

Rawalpindi were comfortably placed at 153 for 1 in their first innings before Abdul Ameer began to slice through the line-up. He took 8 for 98 but half-centuries from Awais Zia and the captain Babar Naeem had ensured a healthy lead. Rawalpindi made 292.

Trailing by 223, Karachi's openers managed 76 before the collapse began. Hasan stayed firm at one end, making 81 as Azam ran through his team-mates and finished with figures of 7 for 46. Karachi were dismissed for 200 in 43 overs.

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Edwards 'heartbroken' by World Cup exit

When it started on Wednesday afternoon, the final Super Six match of the Women's World Cup looked set to decide which of England or New Zealand, the 2009 finalists, would face Australia in Sunday's final. The third contenders, West Indies, had been bowled out for 164 in a morning start and surely Australia would chase that down. Which is why Charlotte Edwards, in the midst of providing her side a solid base, didn't believe a New Zealand fielder who told her that Australia had in fact fallen short.

It was only when her partner Sarah Taylor walked up to Edwards and broke the news that the England captain realise that her side's tournament was all but over. For those watching the match, the excitement had drained as soon as online updates showed Australia had been bowled out for 156. But Edwards had to swallow her disappointment and get on with the game in the middle. She went on to score a vital half-century.

"I looked at the big screen to see the result," Edwards said. "I didn't actually take in what the information was telling me. I assumed Australia had won the game because when I went out to bat they were going pretty well. [I was] pretty heartbroken really. For three overs after that I didn't know what was going on. It was disappointing for both teams. It was kind of an anti-climax. I'm very proud of how both teams stuck to it out there."

New Zealand captain, Suzie Bates, also spoke of how the sides had played a competitive game but said intensity levels weren't the same after the dispiriting news came in. Bates felt it would have been better to have not known the result of the other match.

It was a particularly shattering end for the holders England, who went out of the tournament without having had a single really poor game. Their defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia were by one wicket - off the last ball - and two runs. Edwards, however, refused to offer any excuses and said England had paid for their "slow start" to the tournament, beginning with the shock loss to Sri Lanka.

"We had come here to win this tournament and we haven't. We haven't even got to the final," Edwards said. "That is disappointing for us as a group of players. We were very inconsistent in the first phase of the tournament and are probably now playing our best cricket, which is too late. We prepared well. We have no excuses. We didn't play well. We didn't hold our catches against Sri Lanka."

Edwards said there would be time for reflection on England's performance in this tournament, and also over a "disappointing" previous 18 months, after they return home but ruled out any immediate decision over her own future. The 33-year-old Edwards, who is now in the 17th year of her international career, said she hadn't even thought about retirement.

"That is a long way off. I am not going to make any rash decisions," she said. "I am going to enjoy my cricket. I am loving my time with this group. We have got a big summer. There is a World Twenty20 next year. I can't say if I am going to be there in four years' time [at the next World Cup] but the only thing that will keep me going is that it might be in England. But four years is a long time."

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Dominant Pakistan A seal series

Pakistan A 208 for 3 (K Akmal 104*) beat Afghanistan 207 for 9 (Naib 100, Imran 3-35, Riaz 3-40) by seven wickets
Scorecard

A collective bowling effort was backed up by an attacking century from wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal as Pakistan A clinched the second unofficial ODI against Afghanistan by seven wickets, and thereby the series 2-0.

Afghanistan were behind for most of the game, after their top-order batsmen were dismissed cheaply. Seamers Imran Khan and Wahab Riaz, and spinner Adnan Rasool reduced them to 77 for 6, before 21-year old Gulbodin Naib put on a 93-run partnership with Mirwais Ashraf to help push their score beyond 200.

Naib started slowly, but made up for it towards the end of the innings to bring up his hundred in the penultimate over, before falling to Wahab Riaz five balls later. He struck 13 fours and three sixes in his innings.

Pakistan, unlike their opponents, were in control of their innings throughout. An opening stand of 94, dominated by Akmal, in 18.4 overs set the base for a comfortable victory. Akmal retired hurt after scoring 104, and by then he had seen his side through to a secure position at 177 for 3.

Pakistan had won the first match comfortably as well, by eight wickets.

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NCC, SL Army dominant after second round

A comprehensive performance from Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) set up their second big win in two matches and sent them to the top of the Group B table, while Sri Lanka Army topped group A, having won a low-scorer, in the second round of the Premier League Tournament. Ports Authority Cricket Club (PACC) recorded the only innings victory of the round, which yielded two draws and eight outright results. In addition to NCC and Army, Colts Cricket Club, Tamil Union and Sinhalese Sports Club have also won both matches so far.

NCC's victory over Chilaw Marians was set-up by an unbeaten 205 from Upul Tharanga in the first innings, which helped his side to 405 for 6 declared by the third session on day one. Tharanga's innings came off 266 deliveries, and featured a 174-run fourth-wicket partnership with Angelo Perera, who joined Tharanga at the crease at 65 for 3. The Marians' reply began well, with Sachith Pathirana and Angelo Jayasinghe adding 163 for the second wicket, but Tharindu Kaushal's most successful spell in an already brilliant debut domestic season ensured NCC took a 149-run lead into the second innings, with Kaushal finishing with 7 for 69. Dinesh Chandimal and Perera then pushed home NCC's advantage with the bat, with Perera adding a stroke-filled 100 not out from 77 balls to the 87 he made in the first innings, before Kaushal took his third five-wicket haul in four innings, to complete a 289-run victory.

Army succumbed to 174 in the first innings, surrendering eight wickets to Panadura Sports Clubs trio of spinners, but that total turned out to be the highest in the match on a Panadura pitch heavily tilted towards spin bowling. Legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna opened the bowling alongside Ajantha Mendis, and took 6 wickets for 45, skittling Panadura for 121 from 28.1 overs. Army only fielded one fast bowler, but he was unused in the first innings, and only delivered an over in the second. Left-arm orthodox spinner Gayan Sirisoma took 6 for 66 for Panadura to help dismiss army for 135, but the hosts fell 54 runs short of their target of 189 in the final innings, as Mendis collected a five-wicket haul of his own.

Badureliya Sports Club had an opportunity to score a major upset when they dismissed SSC for 102 in the first innings, having made 227 themselves after being sent in, but saw their chance slip away when they could only muster 115 in the second innings, before Dimuth Karunaratne century took the hosts to their target. First-innings fifties to Pabasara Waduge and Mapa Bandara saw Badureliya breach 200 on a green SSC pitch, before right-arm fast-bowling allrounder Saliya Saman took a career-best 8 for 53 in 14 overs, to hand his side a 125-run lead. But a resurgent SSC ensured they would prevail, first by dismissing the visitors cheaply - despite opening with the spin of Sachithra Senanayake - and then making the highest total in the match in the fourth innings. Karunaratne's 109 came in 155 deliveries, as he continued to play himself into form, having also made a 70 and an unbeaten 27 in the last match. Thilan Samaraweera also backed up his hundred from round one, with a second-innings 57 against Badureliya.

Tamil Union were missing Shaminda Eranga and Rangana Herath for the second round, but still managed an eight-wicket win over Colombo Cricket Club, thanks largely to an unbeaten 206 from Jeevan Mendis in the first innings, that set up a 160-run lead. Mendis' innings at the Colombo Cricket Club ground featured 21 fours and three sixes, and came in 225 deliveries. Allrounders Sachithra Serasinghe and TM Sampath took three wickets each with their offspin in the first innings, before Colombo were asked to follow on. Suranga Lakmal then took 5 wickets for 63, to leave his side with only 128 to win. Gihan Rupasinghe and Hasantha Fernando both made 80s for Colombo.

Elsewhere, Bloomfield Cricket Club's clash with Sri Lanka Air Force ended in a draw, just as the match headed towards a nail-biting finale. Air Force needed 51 more runs to win with four fourth-innings wickets in hand at stumps on the final day, having fought back from a 75-run first-innings deficit. Bloomfield will feel they should have won however, given they had the three best individual performances in the match. Suraj Randiv took 11 for 145 in the match, with seven of those wickets coming in the first innings, after Madawa Warnapura and Nipun Karunanayake made hundreds. But the remaining batsmen only made 74 in the first innings, and could not manage an intimidating second-innings total either. Bloomfield were hamstrung in the field, by an injury to speedster Nuwan Pradeep, who only bowled nine overs in the match.

Ports Authority subjected Kurunegala Youth to their second innings loss in as many matches, after amassing 523 for 8 declared in the first innings. Ports Authority's opening pace bowlers Chaminda Bandara and Sanitha de Mel took three wickets each, as their side dismissed Kurunegala for 171, after sending them in. Opening batsman Manoj Sarathchandra fell two short of a hundred for Kurunegala in the second innings, but although wicketkeeper-batsman Bhatiya Ratnayaka and captain Saman Priyanthaka also made fifties in a much-improved second innings, Kurunegala fell 37 runs short of wiping out their massive deficit.

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