Make do and mend brings Sussex benefits

Last year: 4th, CC Div 1; Semi-finals, T20; Semi-finals

2012 in a nutshell: Such has been the success at Sussex over recent years - they had won seven major trophies in the previous decade - disappointment over a season that finished without tangible reward was inevitable. But Sussex again pressed hard in the limited-overs formats and finished above many larger clubs in the Championship. They were in a bit of trouble after winning just one of their first seven Championship games, but then threatened a top three finish before losing the last two games to slip back into mid-table. They topped their group in both the CB40 and FLt20, but lost to Yorkshire in the T20 semi-final of the T20 and Hampshire in CB40. Steve Magoffin - with 57 Championship wicket at 20.05 apiece - led the bowling manfully, supported by the decidedly sharp Jimmy Anyon and the relentless Monty Panesar. Ed Joyce and Chris Nash led the way with the bat in the Championship, with Luke Wright - who made three CB40 centuries - exceptional in limited-overs cricket. Matt Prior and Scott Styris were both excellent in T20, with Michael Yardy back to his mean best with the ball. Murray Goodwin was released at the end of the season

2013 prospects: Sussex may not have the bowling depth to mount a sustained Championship challenge, but they remain a very dangerous limited-overs unit. In keeping with their reputation as a mender of broken players, they have brought in Rory Hamilton-Brown and Chris Jordan, two highly-talented cricketers who had lost their way a little at Surrey. Andrew Miller, a tall seamer who previously represented Warwickshire, has joined, too. But John Hastings has pulled out of his T20 contract through injury, Kirk Wernars has taken a year off to explore other career opportunities and Luke Wright will miss the start of the season on IPL duty. They will require more runs from Joe Gatting and Michael Yardy this year, while Ben Brown's wicketkeeping also remains a work in progress. But with the likes of Nash, one of the unsung heroes of English cricket, contributing with impressive consistency, they should have enough quality to avoid relegation. Off the pitch, the club continues to be particularly well run and understand its role in the wider game under a new chief executive, Zac Toumazi.

Key player: Monty Panesar. It's not just the wickets he takes, it is his ability to perform the role of stock bowler. Should he be required by England for lengthy portions of the summer, Sussex will have a huge hole to fill.

Bright young thing: Luke Wells is a batsman with a great deal going for him. Blessed with a similar temperament to Alastair Cook but, perhaps, more elegant, he seems to have the ideal game to step-up to Test cricket. A lack of limited-overs experience - he has only played one T20 and six List A games - cannot help, but this is a 22-year-old who could go a long way in the game.

Captain/coach: Ed Joyce, 34, probably takes on the captaincy at an ideal stage of his career; established, experienced and with little more to prove as a player, he will be able to dedicate his energy towards the role. Mark Robinson, the head coach, will continue to coax the best out of his eclectic squad with a calm and quiet wisdom that, in a shrill world, could easily be undervalued.

ESPNcricinfo verdict: Chris Adams described Sussex as the 'benchmark team' of the Championship; a description that makes sense: finish above them and you are challenging; finish below them and you are in trouble. They are likely to be very competitive in the limited-overs formats.

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Wasim offers help to Pakistan quicks

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has taken the reins of the country's fast-bowlers to help their progress. He and the PCB reached an agreement for a short-term fast-bowling camp in Karachi between April 20-29, ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Along with the camp, Wasim, with the collaboration of the PCB and a cellular company, will search for the fastest bowlers in the country. The search will be nationwide as the candidates will be selected from 8-10 cities over 5-7 days. Any bowler with a bowling speed of 140kph or more will be selected.

He will also work with Pakistan's full-time bowling coach Mohammad Akram in the national camp planned in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, from May 3-9. "The idea is to sit and talk with the bowlers and give them confidence," Akram said. "I will assess the bowlers, find out their problems and help them to rectify them. A lot of young bowlers need some insight. I will then keep a track of them and follow them closely."

"I saw them in Test matches against South Africa they didn't impress me, but in one-day cricket they looked different and wicket taking bowlers. I have to teach them what is a good corridor, what is the right line and length. Regardless of any sort of pitches anywhere in the world, they have to be consistent in length, with yorkers, and know how to take wickets."

Akram, 46, who has been with Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL champions, for the last three seasons, is currently in Pakistan on a two-month break. He rues the absence of Pakistan players in the IPL and believes it is a loss for the tournament. Pakistani players featured in the inaugural IPL in 2008 but India stalled all bilateral ties after the November 2008 Mumbai attack. Despite a short series between the countries in December and January, Pakistani players were not allowed to take part in the sixth edition of the IPL.

"Politics should stay away from sports, and we should play cricket," Akram added. "Our players should have gone to the IPL. I think batsman are scoring easy runs in the absence of Pakistani bowlers and our bowlers could be top wicket takers there. The psyche of Pakistan bowlers is strong, they are physical and mentally tough while Indian bowlers get spoiled within a year. They start with express pace from 140-plus but in a year go down around 130."

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SLC expects financial assistance from government

Sri Lanka Cricket expects government assistance to pay for the two new stadia that were the prime contributors to the board's financial disarray, even though it has wiped over $8 million from its debt since January 2012, SLC treasurer Nuski Mohamed has said. SLC owed almost $70 million after building international venues in Hambantota and Pallekele, as well as renovating Colombo's Premadasa Stadium.

"We talked with the national treasury twice about the stadium debt, and we are discussing it with them now," Mohamed said. "The ICC has also told us that because this debt has had such a major bearing on our balance sheet, we should somehow negotiate to get that money from the government. As far as I see it, the government has said it would look at things and take over that debt, but there has not been a concrete outcome there yet."




The stadium in Hambantota is understood to have been built on Sri Lankan government's recommendation. Hambantota was a largely rural district before the tenure of president Mahinda Rajapakse, but it has since had substantial infrastructure development, and now has a functional international airport as well as a port. The cricket stadium forms part of the government's plan to transform Hambantota into the second major urban hub of Sri Lanka, away from Colombo.



Mohamed said that in addition to making a dent in the debt, SLC had also kept up with ongoing payments, including player salaries, and had settled accounts from the World Twenty20 tournament Sri Lanka hosted last year. Not counting the debt incurred by building stadia, for which government assistance is now expected, Mohamed said he hoped SLC would be debt-free inside two years.




"During the year, we made a profit of 1.369 billion rupees (approx $10.9 million). Most of that surplus went to the payment of capital and interest to the bank, in order to reduce our liabilities. The liabilities we took over at the time were almost US $18.5 million, and I am pleased to inform you that the current liability position is a little over $10 million with the Bank of Ceylon."

SLC paid outstanding player salaries in February 2012 by obtaining a loan of just over $5 million from the state-owned Bank of Ceylon. Mohamed said the loan taken specifically for player payments had been settled by the middle of last year, but that SLC is still in massive debt to Bank of Ceylon, due to other loans.


"Because we don't have many tours this year, our cashflow is low," Mohamed said. "As a result we asked the bank to spread our loan repayments over 36 months, rather than 24 months as originally planned, so that we can get a little bit of relief."



In addition to asking for a repayment extension, SLC has also proposed a change in the interest rate, in order to assist with the board's ongoing financial recovery. 



"If you look at it on the international level, interest is only about 3 or 3.5%," Mohamed said. "The interest on the loans given to us are higher than that. I don't think that given the interest rates in Sri Lanka, they will lower them that much, but even if they lower it by half a per cent or one per cent, that would be a big amount for us."

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Sunrisers defend 126 on IPL debut

Sunrisers Hyderabad 126 for 6 (Perera 30) beat Pune Warriors 104 (Steyn 3-11, Mishra 3-19) by 22 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Sunrisers Hyderabad made a winning debut in the IPL as they defended a low score at their home ground on a slow, difficult pitch. Thisara Perera, Sunrisers' $675,000 acquisition, did not begin too badly for his new franchise, top-scoring with a quick 30, taking the first two Pune Warriors wickets and causing a run-out. Amit Mishra wasn't too far behind, his legbreaks leaving Warriors confounded on a helpful surface. Dale Steyn left the Warriors top order dazed with his outswingers and returned to blow away the lower order with three wickets in four balls.

Not many would have given Sunrisers a chance when they almost sleepwalked their way to 126 after being put in, barring a brief effort to break free from Perera. Deccan Chargers, the franchise Sunrisers replaced, had an atrocious record at this ground, and Sunrisers appeared set to extend that in front of a lukewarm turnout. But they came out a different unit with the ball.

Steyn, charged up as almost always, beat the Warriors openers repeatedly with quick outswingers. Ishant Sharma was accurate and testing, as he can be in helpful conditions. The wickets came Perera's way, though.

After running him fine for a boundary, Robin Uthappa tried repeating the stroke and went caught behind. Marlon Samuels gave the lone slip catching practice in Perera's next over, Kumar Sangakkara deserving credit for sticking with the fielder and the bowler.

Warriors' batting line-up stretched way down to No. 8 Mitchell Marsh, but it was to come unstuck as Mishra brought out his control and variations. Yuvraj Singh, on IPL comeback, walked down, and was easily beaten and stumped. Manish Pandey's struggle to put bat to ball ended with a mishit slog off Mishra, as the asking-rate started mounting.

Almost everything clicked for Sangakkara on the field. He needed young Ashish Reddy to bowl a decent 17th over, and the bowler responded by uprooting Ross Taylor's leg stump with a full, slower delivery.

With 33 needed off three overs, Perera was to make another important contribution. Angelo Mathews, who came in at No. 7, smashed a full toss straight back at Perera, who stuck out his right hand, and the dangerous Marsh was caught short of his crease at the non-striker's end.

Warriors' lower order panicked against Steyn, trying to attack the fast bowler while their captain looked on helplessly from the other end, ruing the fact that his team left as many as seven deliveries unused.

Sunrisers used up their quota when they batted, but weren't able to find any momentum. The top four got only starts, and it was down to Perera to breathe some life into a suffocating innings. He began with consecutive fours off Rahul Sharma and slogged Marlon Samuels' darts for two more boundaries before mishitting an Ashok Dinda full toss in the 18th over. Perera's fall meant Sunrisers weren't able to finish well with the bat, but they were far more determined with the ball.

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Selectors need progress to continue

Bangladesh's selection committee will complete a full circle when they announce the Test team on Friday that will take on Zimbabwe in two Tests later this month.

The three-member panel that began its reign exactly two years ago, had their first assignment to pick a team for the previous Zimbabwe tour, but this time the challenges are more perceptible rather than being routine.

Much of the injury trouble has disappeared as Shakib Al Hasan is being readied for the tour and the recovery of Enamul Haque jnr, Shahriar Nafees and Naeem Islam now complete. Tamim Iqbal, who fractured his thumb during the first ODI against Sri Lanka, could also feature as early as the first Test against Zimbabwe. The only worry is Mashrafe Mortaza whose Test claims were shelved after he could not recuperate from a heel injury, but he is likely to make the ODI squad.

All this is as much good news for the selection committee as it is a challenge. They have several options to pick from and whichever way they go, be it continuing with the incumbent squad of players or bringing back experienced players, they will have to back their decision to the hilt.

There will be no other way for Akram, Minhazul Abedin and Habibul Bashar, all former Bangladesh captains. A tour to Zimbabwe has been traditionally a challenge that had the allure of a positive outcome. It was the same two years ago, but Bangladesh lost and that possibly made the selectors time in office a lot harder as they started their job with defeat.

The Bangladesh team that lost the one-off Test was a team that was supposed to be in transition after the 2011 World Cup campaign. Instead, the losses in the Test and ODI series in Zimbabwe forced a drastic re-think in leadership while the team combination went through several changes, some of which were necessary, while many have been reactionary.

As they complete selection for their second series against Zimbabwe during their reign, the selectors are facing a similar challenge as they did in April 2011, but this time with a history of small discretions along the way, which is adding to their expectation. In other words, a series win beckons and with a sense of anticipation that is a few times more than the last series against the same team.

Their inability to find a proper set of pace bowlers has been a big disappointment. They have gone through six so far, none of whom got more than eleven wickets in Tests in the last two years. Injuries have also hurt their chances of forging a settled combination but their handling of these pace bowlers' preparation has been quite poor. The constant excuse that these pace bowlers have used is the lack of bowling in longer games, which is a decision taken mainly by the selectors, who are caught between giving them enough bowling in domestic matches but mindful of using them in Test cricket.

What has resulted is half-fit and poorly prepared pace bowlers relying on a defensive line and length and often without the accuracy of first-class bowlers. They have also made an error in judgment by not looking past Shahadat Hossain and using Robiul Islam as just a Test match bowler. Abul Hasan is another who is falling into the trap of less bowling and more mollycoddling, and it has resulted in his on-field performance and his continuous helplessness after a good first spell.

What is on the selectors' side is the settled look of the overall batting order. Their continuous chop and change to find Tamim Iqbal's opening partner is a factor held against them. But the middle-order hasn't seen too many upheavals and this has been one of their achievements.

The selectors too have been a settled line-up for the last two years, another notch on their belt. But as far as a lower-ranked team like Bangladesh is concerned, they haven't actually brought on many rare talents and backed them. Sohag Gazi was only an option against left-handed batsmen from West Indies, but the offspinner has exceeded that expectation from the selectors. Nasir Hossain, Anamul Haque and Mominul Haque are batsmen who "selected themselves" as one chief selector liked to say frequently.

They have given eight debuts each in Tests, ODIs and Twenty20s so far and of them, players like Suhrawadi Shuvo, Nazimuddin and Shuvogoto Hom have already faded away from national contention.

All of these negatives and positives will be weighed against Akram and his colleagues if a result other than a series win happens in Zimbabwe. With the World Cup two years away, it would not be wise to put them under more pressure because that would translate into pressure on the players, which should hardly be the case given how rapidly the team has developed in the last two years.

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New beginnings in Hyderabad

Match facts

Friday, April 5, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

After the top two teams of last year's points table kicked-off the carnival on Wednesday, the bottom two will meet in Hyderabad on Friday. While the host city has a new team - Sunrisers Hyderabad - led by the same captain Kumar Sangakkara, Pune Warriors have a new captain - Angelo Mathews - after Michael Clarke was ruled out of the entire season.

Sunrisers will feel the absence of an in-from Shikhar Dhawan, who was Deccan Chargers' leading run-scorer last season. After retaining 20 players from the Chargers, Sunrisers revamped their leadership, bringing together Tom Moody and Sangakkara, who had worked together as coach and captain for Sri Lanka. They also have overseas pace options in Dale Steyn and Clint McKay, and allrounders Darren Sammy and Thisara Perera, but only Steyn picks himself.

Warriors had an unsettled team last year and the addition of Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Ross Taylor, Abhishek Nayar, and the return of Yuvraj Singh, will bolster their prospects. Steve Smith is more a batsman than allrounder these days and Warriors will be tempted to include Clarke's replacement, Aaron Finch, who scored two fifties and a hundred against England Lions recently. With Marlon Samuels, Luke Wright, Wayne Parnell also in the squad, a right balance might not be easy to find.

Players to watch

Kumar Sangakkara scored 48, 63, 139, 55, 142, 105 and 58 in the recent ODIs and Tests against Bangladesh. He will now have to score in the shortest format against compatriots Ajantha Mendis and Mathews, among others. His captaincy will also be under the spotlight, because he led Chargers to only four wins last season.

Yuvraj Singh scored consecutive fifties in the Deodhar Trophy and took 3 for 39 and 3 for 19 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, so his recent form has been promising. With captaincy off his shoulders, and having missed all of 2012, he will want to score more than the two fifties he scored in 2011.

Stats and trivia

• Both Sunrisers and Warriors won only four out of their 16 matches last season
• Warriors did not have a single bowler in the top-20 wicket-takers last season. Ashish Nehra, now with Delhi Daredevils, took 11 wickets for them and was in 26th place. Their leading run-scorer, Robin Uthappa, was 12th with 405 runs.

Quotes

"I am not looking far ahead. I am not looking at the semi-finals or anything like that. I just want to concentrate on every game, and on what we do in every game."
Allan Donald, the Warriors coach.

"We have got replacements who are probably good enough to do the job and we are excited to give that opportunity to a younger guy."
Sunrisers captain Kumar Sangakkara believes his team has replacements for injured players, such as Shikhar Dhawan.

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Taylor signs for Caribbean Premier League

Ross Taylor, the New Zealand batsman, became the third foreign player to sign for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist. Six international players from West Indies have already confirmed their participation - Darren Sammy, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Marlon Samuels.

"I am very excited about playing in the first ever edition of the CPL," Taylor said. "As current world champions, West Indies have been a force in T20 cricket over the past couple of years, and CPL should help uncover new international superstars in the mould of Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine. The Caribbean is one of my favourite places to play cricket and with the passionate crowds, great atmosphere and the athletic style of play, I'm looking forward to being a part of this exciting competition."

Taylor has 3450 runs in 151 Twenty20s at 30.80 with a strike rate of 142.79. He is currently playing in the Indian Premier League for his fourth franchise Pune Warriors, after having previously represented Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils.

The inaugural edition of the CPL will be played this year from July 29 to August 26 by six franchise countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago. Each team will select 15 players with a limit of four international players and at least four players under the age of 23.

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Ronchi picked in New Zealand one-day squad

Luke Ronchi, the former Australia wicketkeeper, has earned his first call-up to a New Zealand squad after being picked for the one-day series against England and the Champions Trophy in June. Daniel Vettori also made a return after eight months out of international cricket with an ankle injury, selected in the one-day side.

There were few surprises in New Zealand's Test squad for the England tour, with opener Martin Guptill and fast bowler Mark Gillespie, both returnign from injuries, added to the group that featured in the recent home series against England.

Test squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Peter Fulton, Martin Guptill, Mark Gillespie, Tom Latham, Bruce Martin, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk), Kane Williamson

ODI Champions Trophy squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson

More to follow

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Middlesex rejuvenated under Fraser

Last year: 3rd, CC Div 1; Group stage, FLt20; 2nd in Group A, CB40.

2012 in a nutshell: Third in the Championship constituted a very decent year after promotion. Perhaps only a lack of consistency cost them an even higher finish, with four losses including a 15-run defeat against Durham when set only 118 to win and an eight-run defeat against Surrey when set 254. The seam bowling - led by Toby Roland-Jones and supported by Tim Murtagh, Gareth Berg and Steven Finn - was very good, but the spin bowling - Ollie Rayner, with 15 wickets in 10 games, was the leading wicket-taker - and the batting were weaker. Of those who played regularly, only Chris Rogers averaged more than 35, with Neil Dexter, Dawid Malan and Jo Denly struggling for consistency. Eoin Morgan, when he was available, also proved a great disappointment, averaging 18.16 in the Championship. They struggled for runs from their wicketkeeper, too, with John Simpson and Adam Rossington failing to make a Championship half-century between them. They might consider themselves unfortunate to miss out in the CB40 - they finished second in their group - but started poorly, with early losses against Gloucestershire and Worcestershire and then suffered the abandonment of two potentially-winnable games. They lost four of their first five T20 games and never looked likely to challenge.

2013 prospects: Any team with a seam attack including James Harris, Toby Roland-Jones, Tim Murtagh, Corey Collymore and, perhaps, Steven Finn, have to be contenders. Some doubts remain about the batting and spin bowling in the longer format, but it is hoped that the appointment of Mark Ramprakash as batting coach will help Dexter, Denly, Malan and co find the consistency to complement their quality. Stirling, who is not part of the Championship side, and Morgan are largely underutilised, too. They will require more runs from their wicketkeeper, whoever it might be. Middlesex could be dangerous in the shorter formats, too, particularly when Stirling and Morgan are available. They remain in the market for a second overseas player in FLt20, with a batting allrounder the ideal candidate. There is some concern that Australia's chaos could bring an unforseen call for either of their overseas players: Chris Roger or Adam Voges. Their T20 record - they have reached the knockout stages once in seven years - is a disappointment, but they seem to have the personnel to do better. Off the pitch, Middlesex have invested around £750,000 in their facilities away from Lord's, at both Radlett and in Finchley.

Key player: Such was the desire within the county game to sign James Harris that, upon his departure from Glamorgan, he held discussions with every Division One county and the top three in Division Two. Middlesex won a very competitive race to sign him and, as a consequence, have a highly-skilled, highly-motivated seamer who, if he stays fit, should prove a regular matchwinner.

Bright young thing: Ravi Patel is a 21-year-old left-arm spin bowler in the mould of Murali Kartik who could make the spin bowling position his own in 2013. He broke into the team at the end of end of the 2012 season and claimed eight wickets in the match in an innings defeat of Lancashire. He chose shortly before the season to abandon his degree at Loughborough in order to concentrate full time on cricket and has been rewarded with a two-year contract.

Captain/coach: Neil Dexter remains the club captain and will lead the side in limited-overs cricket, but Chris Rogers remains the captain of the County Championship side. Angus Fraser, the director of cricket, inherited a club lacking direction and has, relatively quickly, helped fashion a team with an exciting future. Richard Scott remains head coach.

ESPNcricinfo verdict: The issues with the batting and, perhaps the spin bowling, may mean this is a year early to expect a sustained Championship challenge, but that seam attack will always give them a chance. While their neighbours across the river hog the headlines, it is Middlesex who look better placed for the next few years.

Read our supporters' network preview on Middlesex. ESPNcricinfo will be publishing a fan blog for each of the 18 counties as we build up to the 2013 season

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Moors, SSC move into finals

Moors Sports Club beat Panadura Sports Club by seven runs in a thrilling, final-round match of the Premier League tournament. The win put Moors at the top of Group A and helped them book a place in next weekend's final.

Moors, who were placed second before this match, needed an outright victory over leaders Panadura to secure a final berth. Panadura won the toss and put the opposition into bat on a result-oriented pitch. Moors were dismissed for 240, thanks largely to a five-wicket haul by Gayan Sirisoma. Panadura, though, were skittled for exactly half that score in their first innings as Malinda Pushpakumara took 7 for 56, dismissing five of the top six batsmen. Sirisoma grabbed another five wickets in the second innings as Moors fell for 130 with none of their batsmen crossing an individual score of 20. That collapse gave Panadura a second chance, but they fell eight runs short of a target of 251, in spite of contributions from Chamara Silva, Prasanna Jayawardene and Dinesh Ranga Cooray. The last-wicket pair of Sirisoma and Sujeewa de Silva added 23 runs together before de Silva was given out lbw, ending Panadura's season.

In Group B, a run fest helped Sinhala Sports Club (SSC) keep Tamil Union at bay as they qualified for the final, which will be played on their home ground. SSC captain Thilina Kandamby's unbeaten 340, which broke the Sri Lankan first-class record for the highest individual score set by Kusal Perera two weeks ago, was the standout performance of the round.

A Tamil Union bowling attack, that featured Chanaka Welegedera, Suranga Lakmal and Rangana Herath, failed to prevent SSC from scoring a massive 787 for 8, nullifying Tamil Union's chances of an outright win. Dimuth Karunaratne was the first of three centurions, hitting 115 off 170 balls, after his opening partner fell for a four-ball duck. Kaushal Silva made 180 at No. 4. Kandamby arrived after Karunaratne's dismissal, with the score at 241 for 3, and put on 195 with Silva. He later shared a 226-run partnership with Upul Bandara for the seventh wicket, before eventually declaring the innings at stumps on the second day. Needing almost 800 to get the first-innings points they needed to displace SSC, Tamil Union had little to play for on the final day and were all out for 314. Kaushal Lokuarachchi was the highest wicket-taker for SSC, picking 4 for 136.

Air Force Sports Club and Burgher Recreation Club competed in what was effectively a relegation battle amid some controversy. The pitch prepared for the match was deemed unsuitable and the teams played on a different surface, which only allowed for a two-day match. The difference between the two teams was 1.7 points, with Air Force on 51.6 and Burgher on 49.9, but Air Force managed to secure first-innings points by gaining a lead of 29 runs to help seal their place in the Premier League. Opener Thuppahi Nadeera scored an unbeaten 105 in the first innings for Air Force and guided his side to 244, with little support from his teammates. Left-arm spinner Akila Isanka then took 5 for 90 as Burgher were dismissed for 215. With only two days of play possible, the match ended in a draw.

Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club defeated bottom-placed Kurunegala Youth by six wickets. Navy needed an innings victory to stay in the first-class competition and, their six-wicket victory wasn't enough to take them past Badureliya Cricket Club in the points table. Navy made 369 in the first innings, with Chanaka Ruwansiri making 122. Although they dismissed Kurunegala Youth for 212 and 182, they still had to bat in the fourth innings to chase a target of 26.

Three left-arm spinners topped the list of wicket-takers this season. Moors' Pushpakumara took 64 wickets, ahead of Panadura's Sirisoma and Colombo Cricket Club's Dinouk Hettiarachchi, who both took 58. No bowler with more than 30 wickets had a better average or strike rate than 19-year-old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal who finished with 50 wickets in spite of playing fewer matches than the table leaders due to his national commitments. Sachithra Senanayake, who led the table before he left for national duty, finished with 49 scalps.

Among the batsmen, SSC's wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva scored the most runs, hitting four hundreds and two fifties to pile up 814 runs. Former Test opener Malinda Warnapura made 804 runs while Air Force's 20-year-old batsman Yashodha Lanka made 802. The best average however, belonged to Kusal Perera who scored 695 runs at an average of 115.83 in four fewer matches than the table leaders.

The end of the season also sees six teams - three lowest-ranked teams from each group - culled from the top competition. These teams will move down to form an emerging league, which begins next year. The matches in the league will be treated as club matches. After the final round, Burgher Recreation Club, Lankan Cricket Club and Saracens Sports Club were relegated from Group A, while from Group B, Navy Sports Club, Galle Cricket Club and Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club will not play first-class cricket in 2014. The relegations are part of a three-year plan to halve the number of clubs playing in the top three-day tournament, in order to improve the quality of the first-class competition.

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