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Continuity is a word seldom associated with Pakistan cricket, so when onediscovered that seven members of the Pakistan A squad that triumphed overSri Lanka in the unofficial three-Test series, also played in the Under 19World Cup here last year, one felt obliged to comment, because the converseis true of Sri Lanka.Not a single member of the Sri Lankan team in the final Test Match, played in the Youth World Cup; a tournament in which they had defeated Pakistan in the semi-finals, before losing to India in the final. Ian Daniel, who played in the First Test Match in Dambulla, and Akalanka Ganegama, who played in the first two Test Matches, were the only representatives in the entire series.Indeed, for Pakistani players, the route into the national side is clearer.The Under 19 team side is a natural feeder into the A team and then fromthere one can progress into the national team.For Sri Lankan cricketers, however, the process is confused – there is nonatural progression from the Under 19 team to the A side. Worse, no oneseems to quite know what the A team is.Sri Lanka used 22 players in this three-match series, an unwieldy numberthat smacks of selectorial indecision and almost certainly hampered theperformances of individuals involved and contributed to the team’s eventualdownfall.With the squad being chopped and changed with alacrity, the players wereforever looking over their shoulders and were put under unbearable pressureto perform. Privately they admitted to unsettling feelings of insecurity.According to the team management, the selectors rationale was that theywanted to give an opportunity to as many players as possible. This serieswas to act as a stepping to the future when a leaner squad of approximately16 could be picked for forthcoming A tours.It is true that many players were given an opportunity, but it is thequality of that opportunity that poses the problem. With an overbearingimportance attached to each innings played and with the omnipresent threatof the axe should they fail, it is no wonder that the batsmen failed to liveup their potential.Sure, the selectors are looking for strong-minded players, but one cannotexpect even the most battle hardened young cricketers to flourish in such anenvironment of flux. Continuity of selection breeds confidence and anenvironment conducive to personal success.One wonders as to what poor Hemantha Devapriya, the A-team coach, said tohis batsmen before each match. Perhaps it was: “Good luck machang butremember, if you don’t score today, you will probably be dropped because theselectors think you may be a good player but they are not very sure.”Is it really true that the selectors could not identify a squad of 15players for the Test series? If they have not seen enough of the playersinvolved then the obvious question is, why not? A stable squad would havebeen preferred by the players and would have provided a clearer indicationas to the potential of each player.As it stands, the selectors have gained few insights from this three-matchseries. The now know that Thilan Samaraweera deserves to be promoted aheadof Kumar Dharmasena; they will realise, perhaps reluctantly, that AvishkaGunawardene is head and shoulders above the other upcoming batsmen; and thatMichael Vandort is an exceptional slip fielder and a promising batsman.Apart from those three, we know little more. Those that have failed were notgiven a proper chance, so a judgment now would be premature. This is true ofIan Daniel, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Dammika Sudharshana, Shantha Kalavitigodaand Malintha Warnapura.In the defense of the selectors they did they need to balance the needs ofthe national team. For several of the 24-man national squad this A tourprovided an ideal opportunity to gain valuable match practice against a highquality opposition. In normal circumstances the likes of Kumar Sangakkara,Tillakaratne Dilshan, and Indika de Saram may not have played.Clearly a decision has to be made: the A team is either a vehicle for thenational players to practice or it is a gateway to the senior side, a meansof providing experience to an emerging crop of players.In fact, the situation is crying for a complete overhaul of thedevelopmental system. The concept of an A team has become confused. Is itthe Sri Lankan second team, a natural feeder into the test team? Or is it acollection of young players, a true developmental team, who are unlikely toplay for the national team immediately, but could so in a couple of years?The obvious solution, in a country such as Sri Lanka where the domesticcricket is so poor, is to have two developmental sides: an A team which iseffectively a Sri Lankan 2nd XI and an Academy side, which provides astepping stone from the Under 19’s to the A team, and offers young playersan exposure to a high standard of cricket at an early age.A proper Second XI or A team is crucial because it will help to bridge thegapping divide between first class and international cricket. The Second XIwould play touring teams in Sri Lanka and could tour the likes of Australia,South Africa and England to gain greater experience. In the spirit of Asianco-operation there could even be regular tournaments with our neighbours.The Academy Side would also play touring sides in their warm-up games andtour abroad to play against the Academies that are springing up all over theworld. The important point is that the squad members get a greater exposureto a higher standard of cricket at an earlier age, something that is notpossible in the present hybrid system because the youngsters are crowded outby more established players. Even if they do get an opportunity, it is oftenshortlived.The root of the problem is, of course, domestic cricket, but that is adilemma that could take time to adequately resolve. In the meantime thesetting up of an Academy and A team is essential if Sri Lanka’s youngcricketers are to realise their full potential.

Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, the owners of the team which has been suspended for two years in the IPL, has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court asking for the Lodha Committee order to be set aside in so far as it relates to Super Kings. The court subsequently asked both respondents – the BCCI and India Cements – to file a response by August 27.A Super Kings insider confirmed the development, terming the writ as a “substantive challenge to the punishment.”The case is being argued by Dushyant Dave, a senior Delhi-based advocate, who has hitherto not appeared in cases relating to the franchise, has been engaged to pursue the matter. The source also clarified that the affidavit, running to 36 pages, was different from an appeal. Legal experts say that while an interim relief is unlikely at this stage, a notice may be ordered on the BCCI, listed as first respondent, seeking its response.After lying low for more than a month since being suspended by the RM Lodha Committee, Super Kings have made their first move. While sources from Super Kings had all the while suggested their appeal would be contingent to the BCCI working group’s report, the affidavit seems to have taken even those close to the franchise by surprise.Meanwhile, the BCCI working group, studying the Lodha panel verdict, is aware of the Super Kings writ, but a board official said it would not put spanner in their works. He said the working group would not await the court’s decision and instead go ahead with its decision which would be revealed to the BCCI working committee on August 28.The writ, a copy of which is in the possession of ESPNcricinfo, alleges the Lodha Committee order went against the “fundamental principles of natural justice and fair hearing”, and had “led to grave miscarriage of justice.””The Justice Lodha Committee had failed to note that the very reason for appointing a high level committee comprising of former judges of apex court was that they could look into the findings of the Mudgal committee,” Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, the petitioner, stated in the affidavit.”The Supreme Court had categorically held they were not sitting in appeal over the findings of the Mudgal committee nor were they inclined to look into the materials which were placed before the said committee. The Justice Lodha committee always had the authority to call for the material forming the basis of the justice Mudgal committee reports as observed by the apex court in its recent order dated 7.8.2015.”Having held that the offence under Article 4.1.1 of the Anti Corruption code was extremely grave, at least the degree of culpability of the franchise ought to have been considered by the Committee.”

Bowler of the day“I don’t have too many secrets,” claimed Daniel Vettori on the eve of the match, and it’s true, he’s not a bowler of the mysterious variety, a la Warne, Murali or even Harbhajan. Even so, England struggled to make head or tail of his subtle variations of pace and flight, and he conceded his runs at less than one-and-a-half an over, while ripping out two priceless wickets in Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. He allowed himself a good look at the track during his second-day 88, and demonstrated a knowhow that none of England’s bowlers came close to matching. All in all, he’s having a pretty good game.Crass dismissal of the daySo many to choose from, but Strauss’s has to take the biscuit, seeing as it came just three balls after lunch, at a time when he had done the hard graft and could look forward to a lengthy afternoon of accumulation. Strauss was recalled to bolster a batting line-up that mustered a solitary century in their last series in Sri Lanka, but he himself has now failed to reach three figures in 26 attempts. Vettori floated one up into the blockhole, Strauss launched himself into a reckless drive, and the ball dipped, bit and span into the stumps.False dawn of the dayWhen Kevin Pietersen launched his third delivery, from Jeetan Patel, straight back over the bowler’s head for six, it was easy to assume that the tempo of his innings had been set. Not a bit of it. That shot was entirely out of keeping with what followed. Pietersen didn’t reach the boundary again for another 90 deliveries, and only three times in all in a 131-ball stay that was his slowest ever for any score above 30.Debut of the dayTim Ambrose has been anonymous in this match so far, which in wicketkeeping terms is a very good thing. He kept flawlessly for 138.3 overs of New Zealand’s innings, then finally appeared for his first Test innings with England precariously placed on 245 for 6. By the close he was still sitting pretty on 23 not out, an innings of compact certainty that bodes well for his future. He endured an agonising first 18 deliveries, as Patel and Vettori denied him that cathartic maiden run, but in the end he tucked Vettori off his hips for one, then celebrated with boundaries from each of his next two deliveries.Scoreline of the dayEngland reached the close on 286 for 6, which was almost identical to New Zealand’s first-day 282 for 6. Paul Collingwood will have to convert his overnight 41 into a rare England century, and Ambrose will have to emulate New Zealand’s No. 8, Daniel Vettori, if they intend reaching parity before the second innings gets underway. Because the men to come, with all due respect to the obdurate Ryan Sidebottom, are not in the class of New Zealand’s lower order.Hymn of the dayThe Barmy Army were pretty subdued for most of England’s travails, but they had clearly put their down time to good use when they finally burst into voice after tea. “Ambrose. We’ve got Tim Ambrose,” they declared. “Just like Ambrosia. They made good custard. When we were kids.”

Marvan Atapattu, the former Sri Lanka captain, has been left out of the 15-man squad for the one-day series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. Only nine of the 15 players who travelled to the World Cup have been selected for the three-match series starting May 18. Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas had earlier been released from selection for the series so they could play county cricket in England.Asantha de Mel, Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, said that Atapattu, who did not play a single game in the World Cup, had been dropped so that younger players could be given an opportunity to perform. “Marvan will be considered in the future, but for this series we thought of going with a couple of young guys,” de Mel told AFP.Among the uncapped players named in the squad is Malinda Warnapura, a left-hand batsman, who turned out a great performance for Sri Lanka A against Bangladesh A in March-April this year. Warnapura’s unbeaten 104, as opener in the second ODI clinched the series for Sri Lanka A. He also made 242 in Sri Lanka A’s 283-run victory in the first of the two four-day games that preceded the ODIs. Warnapura’s team-mate in that A squad, Ishara Amerasinghe, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, has also been named in the touring party. He took four wickets at an average of 30 in the three ODIs against Bangladesh A.”Malinda deserves the break,” said de Mel. “He’s done exceptionally well with the A team and was an automatic choice. Ishara bowls at a good pace and he’s got the talent and we want to see how he goes.” de Mel said Amerasinghe’s action was similar to Lasith Malinga’s, the Sri Lankan fast bowler, who has an unusual side-arm action.Prasanna Jayawardene will keep wickets in the absence of Sangakkara. Middle-order batsman Chamara Kapugedara and legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi are also part of the squad.Sri Lanka squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt) Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Malinga Bandara, Lasith Malinga, Malinda Warnapura, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Ruchira Perera, Ishara Amerasinghe, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Chamara Kapugedara.

There will be no cricket in Barbados this weekend under the auspices of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA).The embattled association was hit with an injunction yesterday, which prohibits the governing body for cricket from starting the 2006 domestic season until it receives an order from the High Court to do so.Following an afternoon hearing in the No.5 Supreme Court, Justice William Chandler granted an injunction sought by attorney Ralph Thorne, on behalf of Bristol Cricket Club and its president, John Greaves.Consequently, cricketers who were getting ready to take the field in the 58 scheduled matches ranging from the Banks Division 1 competition, to the Premier League, Intermediate, Second Division and Schools League, will now have to remain indoors today.The case has been adjourned until next Friday and in the interim, the BCA, through Queen’s Counsel Peter Symmonds, will file an affidavit in response to Bristol’s claim.The Old Coleridge, St Peter-based Oran/Carib Bristol team, who won the Premier League in 2004 and were second last year, are contending they should be promoted to the Division 1 competition.Greaves, also a long-serving player, has made it clear he believes his club has been given a raw deal after the BCA this year promoted the University of the West Indies (UWI) and a second Barbados Youth team to the Division 1 competition.Angered by their omission from the highest division, Bristol, arguably the most successful Premier League team in the past decade, sought a hearing and met with three high-ranking BCA board members on Wednesday when the matter was discussed for the first time.After there was no resolution, the matter was referred to the BCA’s board of management, which held a meeting yesterday morning.However, Bristol’s request for promotion was apparently turned down, and by mid-afternoon Thorne headed a team of lawyers, including Gregory Nicholls and Larry Smith, in seeking an injunction from the Supreme Court. BCA president Tony Marshall, general secretary Vernon Williams and business manager Rollins Howard attended yesterday’s proceedings which were held in chambers.Over the last few weeks cricketers were busy practising for the start of the season with nets and training sessions. By Thursday night, the majority of the clubs had already chosen their teams to play in the first series of matches, but they will now have to wait a while before they can get on the field of play.

Gloucestershire 221 and 145 for 5 (Spearman 66, Weston 55) need another 107 runs to beat Hampshire 197 and 275 (Tremlett 64, Warne 62)
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Billy Taylor (3 for 40) and Shane Warne (2 for 27) grabbed five late wickets to give Hampshire the edge after Gloucestershire had seemed on their way to victory when they reached 129 for 0 chasing a target of 252. But Taylor removed Spearman for 66, and in the final hour Gloucestershire lost five wickets for 26 runs before bad light brough a premature end to a day so cold that Warne shuddered in the slips in a layer of sweaters and a fetching bobble hat. It was Hampshire’s second fightback of the day. Resuming on 111 for 6, only 88 runs ahead, Warne’s 62 and a career-best 64 from Tim Tremlett enabled their last four wickets to put on 181 runs.
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Only 13.3 overs were possible at The Oval before the rain set in, with most of the excitment for the day centred on the fox which was trapped on top of one of the gas holders outside the ground. When play was possible Richard Clinton and Mark Ramprakash were in the process of seeing off the Sussex new-ball attack, as James Kirtley continued his impressive spell from yesterday evening. Mark Ramprakash broke the shackles with a brilliant cover-drive off Kirtley but in the most part the bowling demanded respect — Sussex had obviously learnt the lessons from watching Surrey waste helpful conditions over the first two days. But the light soon closed in, soon followed by the rain, and the umpires called play off shortly after tea.
For a report on Surrey’s fox click on Roving Reporter
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Ian Bell followed his good performance with the bat yesterday by grabbing three wickets in nine balls to rip the heart out of Glamorgan’s top order before bad light ended play shortly after tea. Matthew Elliott (69) and David Hemp (96) had taken the visitors to 169 for 1 when Bell struck. First he trapped Elliott leg-before attempting an ambitious pull, and in Bell’s next over Hemp lost his middle stump and three balls later Matthew Maynard chopped into his wicket. None of the strokes were what the situation called for and left Glamorgan facing a daunting challenge to save the game tomorrow. In the morning, Warwickshire resumed on 415 for 4 and immediately cut loose, cracking 149 runs in 24.4 overs. Dougie Brown completed a breezy hundred, and then Heath Streak (41*) and Neil Carter (39) put on 77 for the eighth wicket before Nick Knight declared half an hour before lunch.

Khaled Mahmud has left the international cricket scene a bitter man after finding himself surplus to requirements in his very own team.Mahmud led Bangladesh in three Test series, after being appointed as captain last April. But he realised that the door to Test cricket was shut forever after losing his job to Habibul Bashar, and his place in the 16-member tour party bound for Zimbabwe.”I believe this is the right time to say goodbye to international cricket,” said an emotional Mahmud. “It is not only because I’ve been dropped from the Test squad, but also to avoid further embarrassment. I love this game very much. But I have placed self-respect above everything throughout my career.”Mahmud announced his retirement as soon as the squad had been revealed, although his mind had been made up for some time, after sensing something was not quite right in the behaviour of his team-mates.”I was not getting enough chances to bat in the nets and also I noticed that the bowlers were acting funny whenever it was my turn,” said Mahmud. “This is not the way to behave with a captain who should always command the respect of his team-mates. And if this trend continues, Bangladesh will never get a good captain in the future.””I admit that I have shortcomings. But tell me how many consistent performers are there in the team right now? I have failed in the home series against England but it is unfair to pass judgment on one player when everybody should be sharing the blame.”Mahmud made his one-day debut in 1998 but had to wait until November 2001 to play Test cricket. His finest hour came at Northampton in the 1999 World Cup, when he bowled Bangladesh to that famous victory over Pakistan.

BRISBANE, Jan 21 AAP – Makeshift opener Clinton Perren posted the highest Pura Cup score of the season today as Queensland left South Australia struggling to avoid defeat at the Gabba.At stumps on the third day, South Australia was 2-46 in its second innings in pursuit of a victory target of 409.The Redbacks lost openers Ben Johnson (seven) and David Fitzgerald (nought from 34 balls) during a 22-over stint before stumps as they tried to repair the damage inflicted by Perren.The right-hander scored 224 – the 10th highest total by a Queenslander in an interstate match – as the Bulls surged to 8-487 declared in their second innings.Perren batted for 501 minutes, justifying the decision of selectors to promote him to the opening spot vacated by Australian one-day players Matthew Hayden and Jimmy Maher.With Stuart Law (72) and Wade Seccombe (70) posting half-centuries, the Bulls continued the fightback which seemed unlikely when they crashed for 129 on the first day.South Australia claimed first-innings points but the visitors finished the day in desperate trouble, plenty of hope riding with captain Greg Blewett (21 not out), who has made centuries in his last two first-class matches at the Gabba.Johnson fell to Joe Dawes (1-19) before Fitzgerald was given out LBW to Adam Dale (1-11) without playing a shot.The Gabba wicket held up well for batting but the Redbacks’ confidence won’t be boosted by some low bounce late on the third day.

All rounder Thilan Samaraweera has been retained as the captain of Sri LankaA team to take on Pakistan A in the three match One Day series, which startsat De Soyza Park Stadium, Moratuwa on Saturday.Samaraweera performed remarkable well in the three Match Test series wherehe claimed 21 wickets at 14.09 apiece. Apart from his impressive bowling thecaptain scored 94 runs in five innings, averaging 23.Other than the captain, Avishka Gunawardene, Chamara Silva, TillakarathneDilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Suresh Perera, Akalanka Ganegama, and NiroshanBandarathillake all have played in the senior side.With the triangular series against India and New Zealand close at hand, theselectors will be keen to pick up few players who could move up the ladder.Suresh Perera, back after a long period of injury, will be keen to press hisclaims for the national team while Avishka Gunawardene is a strong contenderto get back to the side after his powerful batting in the three-Test Aseries. He is though not even in the 24-man training squad for thetriangular series.Jehan Mubarak, who was not selected to play in the three unofficial TestMatches, gets a chance while Muthumudalige Pushpakumara who was the 12th manin the first and the last Test Matches gets an overdue chance.The full squad:Thilan Samaraweera, Avishka Gunawardene, Shantha Kalavitigoda, JehanMubarak, Chamara Silva, T.M.Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Suresh Perera,Sajeeva Weerakoon, Akalanka Ganegama, Dinusha Fernando, Upeka Fernando,Gayan Wijekoon, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Niroshan Bandarathillake.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) may be cash-strapped at the moment but there are riches lying ahead of them during the rest of the year with a whopping US$ 17 million expected from international commitments at home and abroad.Arjuna Ranatunga, the SLC chairman, recently revealed that the board’s coffers were empty and that it was surviving on bank borrowings. Ranatunga had also appealed to the Indian board to help alleviate the financial mess and it appears some revenue has been projected by way of an Indian visit from July 12 to September 2.A series of three Tests and five one-day internationals is expected to net SLC US$ 16,014,446 from television rights alone. The three Tests are likely to be played at Galle and in Colombo and Dambulla is likely to host at least one ODI. Zimbabwe are the other country Sri Lanka will be hosting during 2008 and the turnout for a series of three ODIs is US$ 218,101.Sri Lanka are currently touring Australia for the CB Series against the hosts and India. Their next assignment will be a full series in the West Indies, starting with the first Test in Guyana on March 22.From April 18 to June 17 Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Zoysa are expected to feature in the inaugural Indian Premier League. Given the amount of interest and money the IPL has already gathered, it remains to be seen if the proposed Asia Cup in June and July materialises. If it does, SLC will received US$ 200,000 for their participation.It is more likely that they will receive US$1 million for taking part in the ICC Champions Trophy, also scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in September and October. Only the top eight ODI teams in the world will be invited to play in the Champions Trophy, the venues for which are Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. Islamabad was initially touted as a possible venue, but it is unlikely that the stadium, which is currently being developed, will be ready for the tournament.The advent of the IPL has also thrown the Afro-Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Kenya in June, in doubt. There is also uncertainty surrounding the Stanford 20/20 tournament taking place in the West Indies in June, due to the IPL.SLC are also due to get revenue when they host Bangladesh for a series of three Tests and three ODIs starting at the end of the year.