Anderson 'most skilful in world' - Cook

'Anderson most skilful bowler in world' - Cook

Alastair Cook has hailed James Anderson as "the most skilful bowler in the world" and the best "England have ever produced".

Anderson comes into the fifth Test of the Investec series against India requiring just seven more wickets to equal Ian Botham's England record of 383. Cook, the England captain, admitted that Anderson might not have the pace of South Africa's Dale Steyn but suggested his ability to swing the ball both ways rendered him almost as dangerous.

"He is the most skilful bowler in the world," Cook said. "There have been some very good bowlers I've played with but, for pure out-and-out skill, there is no doubt. He is the best bowler England have ever produced.

"No disrespect to Dale Steyn, but the way Jimmy can swing the ball both ways - I don't think Dale can do that quite as well as Jimmy but Dale has the advantage of being able to bowl quicker. Dale has been the No. 1 bowler in the world for quite a long time in terms of the number of wickets he takes. He always picks up wickets. And those two are in the same class.

"Anderson will soon be the leading wicket taker in Test matches for England. That is quite a glowing reference. It's an amazing achievement. If he does it in this game, it will mean England are in a very strong position.

"You saw his guts and determination last week at Manchester when he was bowling when he wasn't very well. That was extraordinary. That pretty much tells me, tells everyone, what a bloke he is and to back it up with his talent and skill means he is a very fine bowler."

Cook also confirmed that Stuart Broad would play despite sustaining a broken nose during the Manchester game.

"We think he's going to be absolutely fine," Cook said. "You don't get a partnership like he and Jimmy Anderson have had without being a world-class bowler. They've taken over 500 wickets together. Any captain would want those two in the team if possible, so it's great news for us as a team that Broady has come through that blow."

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England adapt to keep Test in balance

England 92 and 110 for 6 (Winfield 35) lead India 114 (Gunn 5-19) by 88 runs
Scorecard

Test matches are often decided by a team's ability to adapt. Bowlers who can adapt to a flattening pitch, batsmen who can adapt to a change in the attack and captains who sense when the time is right to switch from defence to offence can all change the momentum of a cricket match as it ebbs and flows in its longest form.

In 50-over cricket, there's a limited amount of time to adjust a plan. In the T20 format, there's virtually none. It is worth remembering this when considering the one-off Test between England and India. It is also worth remembering that in this calendar year only two women's Tests will have been played.

And, while England are considered to be the experienced side in this contest, it is also worth pointing out that since India played their last Test match, in 2006, England have only played five.

After being fed a regular diet of limited-overs matches the players must change their tactics, find the physical stamina to bowl long spells or bat for sessions and summon the power to concentrate for long periods at the crease and in the field.

England seemed to have adapted their approach on the second day and gave themselves a chance to establish control. Jenny Gunn made the early breakthrough to claim a well-deserved five-wicket haul while Kate Cross and Sonia Odedra finished off the India tail.

Trailing by 22 runs after posting their lowest-ever Test score against India, the England batsmen came to the crease with a more positive attitude than they had shown in their nervous and tentative first dig. In the first seven overs on the opening day the hosts had scored three runs and lost a wicket; at the same point in their second innings they were 30 for 1. Not only had they adapted their mindset, they had also learned from their mistakes, playing straighter to India's seamers.

Although Heather Knight lasted just two balls, the Jhulan Goswami delivery that claimed her wicket was at least as good as any wicket-taking ball in this match: a quick, back-of-a-length, swinging delivery on the perfect line to entice the edge. Tammy Beaumont was less convincing, leaving her bat behind her pad as she attempted to defend against the left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht ten overs later.

Lauren Winfield seemed to have adjusted best, the debutant looking confident as she compiled 35 runs. But once Mithali Raj brought spinners on from both ends after lunch, the runs dried up for Winfield and Charlotte Edwards.

Raj has proved to be a canny tactician and, after bottling England up for several overs, the India captain offered up the more tempting pace of Shikha Pandey. Winfield took the bait, pulling Pandey's first delivery to the boundary and briskly collecting four runs off the next three balls. But Winfield attempted another pull of a shorter-pitched delivery that stayed low, missing it completely and becoming yet another leg-before statistic in a match that will surely set a record for such dismissals.

Pandey bowled just one more delivery before the heavens opened and offered another test of each side's ability to adapt and sustain concentration, this time around a two-and-a-half hour rain delay.

India were the clear winner of this particular challenge, Edwards playing a forward defensive shot to Bisht's first ball after the break and somehow feathering it to the keeper. When Lydia Greenway became the 16th player to fall lbw shortly afterwards, followed by an unconvincing Nat Sciver being bowled for another single-figure score, England had lost four wickets for the addition of 11 runs.

It was hardly surprising to see England retreat into survival mode at this point. It was, however, surprising to see the diminutive Bisht, on a pitch deemed such a green seamer that England chose not to select a specialist spinner, virtually shut down the naturally aggressive Sarah Taylor and the workmanlike Gunn and finish the day with the outstanding figures of 2 for 15 off 21 overs.

Taylor, certainly, understands the challenge. "This work will be for nothing if we don't kick on tomorrow and I think me and Jen have got to be the ones to stick around and keep pushing and just accumulating," she said. "I don't think we'll be looking to take the bowlers out of the attack at all.

"My cricket's probably matched towards the T20 style of cricket but actually it was one of those battles I relished and really enjoyed."

With a precarious lead of 88, England's chances of snatching victory will largely lie with Taylor and Gunn's ability to rein in their natural instincts and continue to adapt.

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Plunket Shield schedule announced

New Zealand Cricket has released the Plunket Shield schedule for 2014-15 and has said it has locked in a format for the domestic season for the next four years. The first round of matches will be played in late October, followed by two full rounds in December, and the remainder of the competition will take place from early February onwards.

"Our major associations told us certainty of scheduling was crucial, so this season's format will be in place for the next four years," David Cooper, the general manager of domestic cricket with NZC, said. "It's a key outcome from the Domestic Cricket Review, which is all about maximising entertainment and commercial opportunities, and supporting high performance.

"Recommendations from the review will be in place this year, to capitalise on public interest in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The Plunket Shield has been domestic cricket's most fiercely fought prize for 108 years, and is the testing ground for future Black Caps."

The schedule for New Zealand's domestic limited-overs competitions will be released in the next two weeks.

Plunket Shield 2014-15

Oct 23-26: Northern Districts v Auckland, Whangarei
Oct 25-28: Canterbury v Wellington, Christchurch
Oct 26-29: Central Districts v Otago, Napier
Dec 11-14: Wellington v Auckland, Wellington
Dec 11-14: Canterbury v Central Districts, Christchurch
Dec 11-14: Otago v Northern Districts, Dunedin
Dec 18-21: Canterbury v Otago, Rangiora
Dec 18-21: Northern Districts v Wellington, Hamilton
Dec 18-21: Auckland v Central Districts, Auckland
Feb 6-9: Wellington v Canterbury, Wellington
Feb 6-9: Auckland v Northern Districts, Auckland
Feb 6-9: Otago v Central Districts, Invercargill
Feb 15-18: Wellington v Otago, Wellington
Feb 15-18: Central Districts v Northern Districts, New Plymouth
Feb 16-19: Canterbury v Auckland, Rangiora
Feb 27-Mar 2: Northern Districts v Central Districts, Whangarei
Feb 28-Mar 3: Otago v Wellington, Queenstown
Mar 1-4: Auckland v Canterbury, Auckland
Mar 9-12: Canterbury v Northern Districts, Christchurch
Mar 9-12: Otago v Auckland, Dunedin
Mar 9-12: Wellington v Central Districts, Wellington
Mar 17-20: Central Districts v Canterbury, Nelson
Mar 17-20: Auckland v Wellington, Auckland
Mar 18-21: Northern Districts v Otago, Hamilton
Mar 25-28: Otago v Canterbury, Dunedin
Mar 25-28: Central Districts v Auckland, Napier
Mar 25-28: Wellington v Northern Districts, Wellington
Apr 1-4: Central Districts v Wellington, Napier
Apr 1-4: Northern Districts v Canterbury, Mt Maunganui
Apr 1-4: Auckland v Otago, Auckland

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Rain ruins first set of games at USACA Nationals

'Everyone's looking to make the Uganda tour' - Japen Patel

Central East Region was the big winner after lightning and rain caused the first set of games at the USACA T20 National Championship to end with no result. Central East was sent in to bat by the South East in the first game played on the main stadium wicket. They were reduced to 40 for 7 at the 13 over mark when lightning interrupted play. Legspinner Camilus Alexander had figures of 3 for 10 in three overs to put his side on a sure path to victory before they were thwarted by the weather as the teams split points.

North East Region got off to an impressive start against pre-tournament favorites New York before their match was interrupted in the 12th over. Aditya Mishra and Akil Husbands put on a 79-run stand for the first wicket. Mishra came out on top of an intriguing battle with former West Indies paceman Adam Sanford, hooking him for six on one occasion. He finished with 35 off 19 before he was stumped overbalancing on a sweep attempt against the offspin of Karan Ganesh. Husbands finished with 54 off 29, including six sixes, before falling to Rashard Marshall shortly before play stopped.

Central West rocked South West early on behind early strikes from pace bowlers Usman Shuja and Jasdeep Singh to remove both openers without scoring. Ravi Timbawala and Nisarg Patel added 68 for the third wicket to steady the South West cause. Nisarg was unbeaten on 54 off 29 balls including six sixes when the players cleared off the field with one ball to go in the 10th over. The players waited patiently after leaving the field in dry conditions following a siren alert from the lightning alarm system installed at the Central Broward Regional Park, but after 90 minutes a torrential downpour commenced and play was eventually called off for the first round of matches.

Rain and lightning continued on and off into the evening, causing the second round of matches to be postponed. They will now be played beginning at 9:30 am on Friday, with the third round starting at 1:30 pm followed by an evening slate of matches.

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India hold edge as 16 wickets tumble

India Women 87 for 6 (Gunn 4-13) trail England Women 92 (Niranjana 4-19) by five runs
Scorecard

The dawn of the fully professional era for England Women did not exactly unfold as planned.

This was expected, by many, to be a lop-sided affair between a team of full-time athletes, most with Test match experience, and a team containing eight players on Test debut. Between a side which has played two Tests in the preceding twelve months and a side which has not played a Test in eight years. Between a team which has won back-to-back Women's Ashes Series - and reached the finals of the most recent 50 over World Cup and World T20 - and a team which has slipped to seventh in the world in the shorter formats of the game.

Based on the opening day of the stand-alone Test at Wormsley, it was difficult to tell which side was which.

In fact, at one point in the afternoon, when India reached 40 without losing a wicket after bowling England out for 92 runs - their lowest ever Test total against India - it was the tourists who looked comfortable, in control and with the perfect opportunity to take a significant first innings lead.

India will undoubtedly rue the fact they squandered the chance to seriously press their advantage with the bat after their bowlers had performed so admirably. Instead of going on the offensive, India batted defensively and allowed the hosts back into the contest, losing 6 for 24 in the evening session. Thanks largely to the efforts of the excellent Jenny Gunn, who took 4 for 13 in 12 overs, the match now rests evenly poised, although India, trailing by five with four wickets in hand, still have the chance to establish a decent lead in the morning of the second day.

After Mithali Raj won the toss it was no surprise to see her elect to insert England and give her seamers the chance to bowl on a green-tinged pitch - a stark contrast to the slow wicket on offer here a year ago when England and Australia fought out a frustrating and slow-scoring draw. In the lead up to this Test the ECB asked for a more lively pitch to allow both sides to display their skills with bat and ball. They perhaps got more than they bargained for, with 16 wickets tumbling on a day when only seven players reached double figures.

The question of professionalism in the women's game must also include the location of future Tests. While the surrounds of Wormsley provide a stunningly picturesque backdrop, the remote location of the ground, the cost of travel and lack of nearby public transport must be an impediment to attracting crowds, particularly on weekdays.

As a result it is understood the ECB is considering moving future women's Tests to more accessible locations, with Lord's the likely venue for next summer's Test against Australia as part of the 2015 Women's Ashes Series.

India's opening bowlers certainly rewarded Raj's decision to field. The veteran Jhulan Goswami and Nagarajan Niranjana bowled intelligently and accurately, consistently delivering full-length outswingers that forced the England batsmen to play their shots but also regularly beat the bat.

The deliveries that jagged back were more than effective. Seduced by the balls that moved away, seven England players were trapped lbw - setting a new record for number of lbws in a women's Test innings - one was caught behind, and another was clean bowled. Only the final wicket, when Kate Cross was run out chasing a second run, which was never really on offer, provided any variation.

Although they had the advantage of greater experience, England's batsman looked somewhat nervous and uncomfortable at the crease, with the exception of Sarah Taylor, who compiled 30 runs - the highest score of the day - before she was trapped by one of Goswami's inswingers.

In contrast India's openers, Thirush Kamini and Smriti Mandhana, looked almost too comfortable - generally content to prod and defend. England had made the unusual decision not to play a specialist spinner and rely on their seamers to do the damage and, while Anya Shrubsole had two big appeals for lbw turned down in her opening over, it was not until Charlotte Edwards brought Gunn into the attack that the breakthrough was made.

Whatever happens from here, India's competitive display sends a message to the BCCI that there is talent here worthy of investment. If a semi-professional side can compete with players who now have the opportunity to train full-time together, it remains to be seen what could be achieved if central contracts were introduced to the India players.

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Tredwell spins out his other team

Kent 299 (Bell-Drummond 83, Billings 51, Arafat 4-49) beat Sussex 183 (Joyce 47, Tredwell 4-27, Claydon 3-26)
Scorecard

Kent retained their unbeaten tag in the Royal London Cup and stretched their Group B lead to four points with a hard-earned 59-run win over Sussex in a rain-affected clash at Canterbury.

A heavy shower during the break between innings coupled with a second shower early in the Sussex reply left the visitors in the driving seat when facing a revised target of 243 in 35 overs.

However, James Tredwell's seven-over stint of 4 for 27 - against the team he rejoins on County Championship loan later in the week - restored Kent's superiority and helped land a deserved fourth win, and with it, almost certainly, a home tie in the quarter finals.

Having restricted Kent to 299, the Sussex reply started uncertainly once Luke Wright fell in the seventh over. His rasping drive against Doug Bollinger picked out Ben Harmison diving to his left at cover point.

Three overs later, Chris Nash feathered a Darren Stevens away swinger to slip just moments before rain arrived for the second time sparking the loss of a further 10 overs.

After the resumption, Craig Cachopa, the young New Zealand-raised South African batsman, got his side ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis rate for the first time with a brace of fours off Darren Stevens.

Cachopa undid his good work in the next over, however, lobbing a simple catch to mid-off against offspinner Tredwell, who then trimmed the off stump of Ed Joyce as the left-hander made room to cut.

Kent pushed further ahead under Duckworth-Lewis when Calum Haggett snared Matt Machan lbw with the third ball of a new spell. Then, when Mitch Claydon returned to rearrange Ben Brown's stumps, any lingering hopes of a Sussex win evaporated.

Batting first having lost the toss, Kent would have expected to post in excess of 320 after a reasonably bright start on a parched, white pitch that appeared conducive to batting.

The hosts had 36 on the board before acting captain Sam Northeast instinctively followed and edged behind off a Lewis Hatchett leg-cutter that went down the St Lawrence.

Spitfires' second-wicket partners Daniel Bell-Drummond and Harmison repaired the damage with a no-frills stand of 69 in 13.1 overs that ended when Steffan Piolet's slower ball fooled Harmison into chipping a catch to long-off.

Fabian Cowdrey upped the run-rate tempo with an eye-catching 40, while Bell-Drummond posted his half-century from 60 balls and with four fours.

In tandem the pair added 74 in 11.1 overs before Cowdrey fell lbw when walking across his stumps and aiming to leg against Chris Liddle to make it 179 for 3.

With Bell-Drummond seemingly well established, Kent called their batting Powerplay soon after only for the young right-hander to clip the very first ball from Yasir Arafat straight to cover to go for 83.

Kent never re-established their momentum thereafter and, while looking secure in scoring ones and twos, a succession of batsmen perished when attempting anything more lavish.

Stevens was yorked when driving at Arafat, who then had Alex Blake caught on the deep cover ropes to finish with figures of 4 for 49 against his former county.

Sam Billings did his best to farm the strike in posting an unbeaten 51 off 39 balls with three fours and six, but two runs outs and two more miscues saw Kent dismissed with one ball of their innings remaining.

Billings, who has reaped 337 cup runs at an average of 168.5 - having passed 50 four times - was delighted by the win that guaranteed Kent's passage and a home quarter-final tie.

"The pitch got better as the night went on and the ball skidded on beautifully under lights, so for Sussex, it was a great toss to win, but our bowlers did superbly well to hit those difficult lengths," he said. "I felt we might have got 315 batting but, when anyone tried to accelerate they got out, and we were left having to rebuild.

"It was a hard pitch to just come in and go hard from ball one. I was happy with the way I played because I had to get in and work it around before I pushed on.

"The great thing is we won tonight, yet we might have been better in all facets of the game. We've got that improvement to come so, although we're a young team, we feel we can take on anyone right now.''

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Essex fightback denies Wheater

Essex 324 (Ryder 87, Westley 74, Bopara 51) beat Hampshire 319 for 9 (Wheater 135, Vince 79, Masters 3-51) by five runs
Scorecard

Essex clinched their place in the Royal London Cup quarter-finals with a thrilling five-run win over Hampshire at Chelmsford.

Half-centuries from Jesse Ryder, Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara had laid the foundation for their imposing total - but at one stage it did not look enough as Adam Wheater showed his liking for the home attack.

He struck a brilliant 135 runs from only 97 deliveries, which followed the century he scored against his former colleagues when the sides met in the County Championship at Colchester last month.

When Wheater was out, caught at mid-off by Graham Napier off Ryan ten Doeschate, his side needed just 55 runs from 10 overs, with six wickets intact.

His main accomplice was James Vince, the pair sharing in a partnership of 198 in 28 overs, a county record for any partnership against Essex in List A matches. They would have expected that stand to have carried their side to victory.

Essex skipper Ryan ten Doeschate said: "It was a fantastic win. While Wheater and Vince were together, it did not look good for us but we kept on fighting to get over the line.

"The first part of our mission has been accomplished by getting into the quarter-finals but now we want victory at Northampton to put us in line for a home draw.''

Vince made 79 from 83 deliveries, 26 of his runs coming in boundaries, before he fell to a superb catch by Tim Phillips at long-on - providing David Masters with one of his three wickets.

But Essex made things difficult for themselves by spurning opportunities to remove both batsmen.

Wheater, on 73, was let off as James Foster missed a comparatively easy stumping off Phillips with the total on 175, while Vince was put down by Kishen Velani on the square-leg boundary in the next over when attacking ten Doeschate.

The pair had come together after Masters had removed openers Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry in the space of three deliveries with the total on 48 in the ninth over.

After Wheater's dismissal, the Hampshire innings disintegrated and they fell behind the asking rate in the face of some fine ground fielding and tight bowling.

They lost five more wickets while adding 43 runs, including that of Chris Wood - who was run out by ten Doeschate off the penultimate ball.

James Tomlinson arrived with six needed to tie the match but he could only manage a single, ending any hopes Hampshire entertained by that stage.

Masters finished with 3 for 51 and Napier 2 for 58, the Essex attack having been handicapped earlier by Tymal Mills leaving the field with a muscle injury during his third over.

Essex had been put into bat and Westley and Pettini gave them a solid start with a stand of 80 before the latter was caught down the leg side by Wheater off Matt Coles with the last delivery of the 15th over.

Westley, fresh from his unbeaten century on Monday against Yorkshire, then took part in another productive stand of 81 in 13 overs with Ryder as they underlined the friendly nature of the pitch.

Both were run out. Westley had made 74 from 79 balls with the help of 10 fours when he failed to beat the arm of Danny Briggs attempting a second run, while a Wood throw from backward point saw off Ryder as he called Bopara for a single with the total on 219.

Ryder's approach brought him four sixes amongst his 13 boundaries, while contributing 87 from just 61 deliveries. After that, wickets fell steadily as Essex tried to increase their tempo further. Among them was Bopara, whose 51 from 52 deliveries contained just three fours, until Wood took a fine catch at mid-on to provide Tomlinson with his solitary success.

The last 10 overs of the innings produced only 56 runs for the home side at a cost of five wickets, all of which fell in the final eight overs.

Wheater said: "It was disappointing to lose after coming so close and being well placed to win. But now we can focus on our four-day game in the hope of getting promotion.''

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Blewett joins Australia as fielding consultant

Former Test batsman Greg Blewett has joined the growing list of ex-players called upon to help coach Australia, having been named as a fielding consultant for their next two tours. Blewett will work with the Australians for the one-day tri-series in Zimbabwe and for their matches against Pakistan in the UAE.

Australia have not had a permanent fielding coach since Steve Rixon left the support staff in January, although before the home summer they had appointed Mike Young on a short-term contract. The inclusion of Blewett continues the trend under head coach Darren Lehmann of bringing in ex-players as short-term consultants, tapping a wider knowledge base than may otherwise be the case.

Shane Warne was named as a spin consultant for Australia's World Twenty20 campaign earlier this year and worked with the side in South Africa ahead of the tournament. Muttiah Muralitharan was appointed as a coaching consultant in June in an effort to help Australia's spinners maximise their success against Pakistan in the UAE, and now he will be joined on the staff by Blewett.

"Greg was a brilliant fielder in his playing days and he will bring some fresh advice and ideas as well as a new voice for the players to hear from which is important for everyone's development," Lehmann said. "It will be great to have him on board in Zimbabwe and the UAE."

Although Blewett has spent much of his post-cricket career in the commentary box, he recently completed a level three coaching accreditation and worked with Australia A and the National Performance Squad at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane. Blewett said he was keen to help the Australians hone their fielding, especially with a World Cup coming up.

"I think Australia has built a good reputation for its fielding over the years and I'm looking forward to maintaining those high standards and hopefully continuing to improve," Blewett said. "That's always the goal.

"I'm really excited to be involved, particularly with a World Cup on the horizon and hopefully having some small impact. I'm also looking forward to the opportunity to work with Darren and the other great coaches that are part of the team setup, it should be fun."

Australia's first match in Zimbabwe is against the hosts on August 25. Their UAE tour starts with a T20 against Pakistan on October 5.

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O'Keefe ready for UAE audition

Spinner Steve O'Keefe is hoping his shoulder stands up to the rigours of a four-day match against South Africa A this week as he auditions for a possible place in Australia's Test squad.

O'Keefe will take the field for Australia A in Townsville in a match starting on Thursday, his first game for nearly five months, after he had a shoulder reconstruction at the end of the summer. However, the good news for O'Keefe's left-arm bowling is that it was his right shoulder that required the surgery, meaning that his main test will come if he has to dive in the field.

"It's as good as I can be," O'Keefe told the Daily Telegraph. "It's going to take six months for it to heal properly and the surgeon said it doesn't matter what I do in terms of strength or stretching, that's just how long the body is going to take naturally.

"I've done everything in my power to get it to a standard where I can bat and bowl, the only issue is diving on it [fielding] but I've been able to manage that. It's good enough to play, that's for certain."

If fully fit, O'Keefe would be difficult to ignore for Australia's upcoming Test tour of Pakistan in October, given the likelihood of spinning conditions there. Nathan Lyon was the only specialist slow bowler taken on Australia's most recent Test tour, to South Africa in February-March, but there is no question that at least two will be needed in the UAE.

O'Keefe was the leading wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield last summer, with 41 victims at 20.43, and over the course of a 40-match first-class career has collected 126 wickets at 24.52. He played seven T20 internationals from 2010 to 2011 but has been overlooked for Test duties while other left-arm orthodox spinners such as Ashton Agar, Xavier Doherty and Michael Beer have been chosen.

"I haven't had any feedback be it technical or mental but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out why you haven't been picked," O'Keefe said. "I can understand why they've picked those guys in front of me. You certainly can't whinge. You have to improve your game and put performances on the board. It's as simple as it gets."

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Gamage called up as cover for Eranga

Right-arm seam bowler Lahiru Gamage has been called up to the Sri Lanka squad as injury cover for Shaminda Eranga, who has developed inflammation in his hip following the first Test against Pakistan. Gamage was with the Sri Lanka A team on their tour of England, but will arrive in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, and is available for selection for the match, which begins on Thursday.

Sri Lanka are likely to go in with a two-man pace attack at the SSC, with Dhammika Prasad and Chanaka Welegedara the frontrunners to be in the XI, if Eranga is unfit. Gamage and rookie Binura Fernando are the other quicks in the squad.

Gamage, 26, plays for Chilaw Marians Cricket Club and has 93 first-class wickets at 33.58. He had taken 3 for 59 against England Lions in a high-scoring match in Taunton on August 6, and had had a five-wicket haul against Durham in another one-dayer two weeks prior.

Eranga is the third Sri Lanka fast bowler to have his place put in doubt by injury during the series. Nuwan Pradeep injured his ankle at training during the Galle Test, ruling him out of the SSC match, and Suranga Lakmal had already been ruled out of the series, also with an ankle injury.

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