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Sri Lanka have promised to field a “full-strength side”, and that might mean Maheesh Theekshana getting in keeping in mind the conditions in Dubai

Madushka Balasuriya14-Sep-20258:05

Should SL play Wellalage or Theekshana?

Big picture – Can Sri Lanka continue to play like ‘defending champions’?

Prior to Sri Lanka’s tournament opener against Bangladesh at the Asia Cup, Charith Asalanka had reminded people that his team was, indeed, the defending T20 Asia Cup champions. A fact not strictly inaccurate but one that might have raised a few eyebrows when put in context: Sri Lanka’s form in major tournaments in the three years since that momentous victory has been less than stellar.But for Asalanka, the psychological boost that it had provided was something he was sure would spur his side on. And so it proved to be against Bangladesh on Saturday, when whatever confidence or motivation was being derived was on total display – they dominated a contest that was expected to be much more closely fought, and quite frankly looked every bit the champions.Related

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Consistency, however, has been Sri Lanka’s Achilles’ heel, and against Hong Kong on Monday, they have a chance to build up a head of steam ahead of their final group game against Afghanistan.As for Hong Kong, two defeats already means they are out of the qualification reckoning, but they will no doubt want to bow out on a high note. And who better against the “defending champions”?While this Sri Lankan side seems to be ironing out weaknesses, their middle order is still on the soft side. Kamil Mishara has added some much-needed aggression, but in general there is still a heavy reliance on the opening pair of Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka. Get them early and who knows what’s possible.Against both Afghanistan and Bangladesh, seamers Ayush Shukla and Ateeq Iqbal showed they can pick up wickets in the powerplay. Where the Hong Kong bowling struggled was in limiting scoring through the middle overs – a period Sri Lanka’s batters have been known to struggle. That heavy collapse against Zimbabwe just three games ago has also served to highlight this Sri Lanka batting line-up’s propensity to unravel, and with the pitch expected to be on the slower side, the stage is as set as can be for a low-scoring contest.But to be clear, Sri Lanka are overwhelming favourites and, considering their clinical performance against Bangladesh, are also right on top of their game. It’s an uphill task for Hong Kong whichever way you slice it, though not impossible.Ayush Shukla has shown he can pick up wickets early on•Getty Images

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWLWL
Hong Kong LLLWW

In the spotlight: Ehsan Khan and Wanindu Hasaranga

If Hong Kong are to pull off an upset, their best path will be to limit Sri Lanka’s batting. While there are plenty of dangerous batters in the Sri Lanka line-up, their sometimes brittle middle order has no less than four left-hand batters – Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Asalanka and Kamindu Mendis. With offspinner Ehsan Khan being Hong Kong’s most prolific wicket-taker – 128 wickets in 94 innings at an economy rate of 6.29 – the match-ups are tailor-made.Wanindu Hasaranga didn’t look like he had missed a step on his return to the side against Bangladesh. His googly caused chaos as he ended with figures of 2 for 25, and it might have been more had heavy bails not been used with Jaker Ali surviving one that grazed his off stump. On a surface where spin has been at the forefront, it would take a special effort from Hong Kong to keep Hasaranga from adding to his 133 T20I wickets.Does Maheesh Theekshana fit into Sri Lanka’s “full-strength” side?•Getty Images

Team news: Will Maheesh Theekshana return?

Hong Kong are likely to be unchanged, but with this being their final match of the tournament, it would be unsurprising to see some bench players get a game.Hong Kong (probable): 1 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 2 Anshuman Rath, 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Kalhan Challu, 6 Kinchit Shah, 7 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ayush Shukla, 10 Ateeq Iqbal, 11 Ehsan KhanSri Lanka have stated that they will go with a full-strength side, which means there are unlikely to be any changes in the batting unit. On the bowling front, there could be a return for Maheesh Theekshana as the pitch is likely to aid spin.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan Thushara

Pitch and conditions: Spin, what else?

The pitch in Dubai hasn’t necessarily proved conducive to high scores over the past year, with spinners generally finding conditions to their liking. For example, of the 17 wickets to fall in the Oman vs Pakistan game, nine fell to spin, while pace-off deliveries were regularly employed by the seamers.

Stats and trivia

• This will be the first match between Sri Lanka and Hong Kong in any format in international cricket.
• The side batting first has won seven of the last ten T20Is played in Dubai.
• Sri Lanka last played in Dubai in 2022, in the final of the Asia Cup that they won.
• Nissanka’s 902 runs are the most by a player from a Full-Member nation in T20Is since the start of 2024.

Quotes

“We don’t want to take any chances. In this format, everybody is tough to beat. We will go with our full-strength side.”

Pooran is also captain of the MI franchises in the MLC and the ILT20

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2025Nicholas Pooran has been named Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) captain ahead of CPL 2025. He will take over from Kieron Pollard, who has led the team since 2019, when he replaced Dwayne Bravo in the role.”It means a lot, first and foremost, to represent Trinbago Knight Riders. It is a privilege that I’m getting the opportunity to lead this franchise,” Pooran said. “I want to give it my best shot, and hopefully make as many correct decisions as I can. It’s a responsibility that has been passed on from Bravo to Pollard, and now to me.”For me, the most satisfying thing is that Pollard is still playing; Sunil [Narine] and Andre [Russell] are here too. That’s a lot of experience I can bank on. To lead them on the field – it means a lot to me.”Related

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Pooran, who is one of the most sought-after players on the T20 circuit, made his debut in the format as a 17-year-old in the inaugural season of the CPL for TKR, who were then known as Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel. He switched to Barbados Royals (BR) and Guyana Amazon Warriors before returning to TKR in 2022. He’s played in all the CPL seasons so far except for 2015, when he was out injured due to an accident. Overall in the CPL, Pooran has 2447 runs at a strike rate of 152.27 in 114 matches. At present, he is also the captain of MI New York in the MLC and MI Emirates in the ILT20.Under Pollard’s leadership, TKR not only won their fourth CPL title in 2020 but had a record unbeaten season – with 12 out of 12 wins – before making two more playoff appearances. In 2024, they lost the Eliminator to BR. Bravo was named head coach this season after he retired last year.”I believe grooming the next generation is very important,” Pollard said. “With Bravo coming on board this year as the new head coach, we felt this is the right time to get a new captain in. Pooran is homegrown, and I think this is the right opportunity for him. We’ve actually been preparing him for this over the years.”I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be playing for, but I’m happy for the opportunity to still be on the field and help Nicholas ease into this role. He’s someone who we’ve seen grow in front of us and he understands our values and principles. He understands how we want to play cricket, he understands the winning culture that we want to create, and he shares a lot of respect with a lot of players around the world. So for me, it was an easy decision to hand over the captaincy to Pooran.”TKR start their CPL 2025 campaign against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on August 17.

Aston Villa are now prepared to make a £52m offer for a “baller” in the January transfer window, with Unai Emery personally keen.

Villa make major statement in dramatic Arsenal victory

Villa sent out a message to the rest of the Premier League by picking up a dramatic late victory against league leaders Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, with Emiliano Buendia firing home in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win.

In the wake of the result, which leaves Emery’s side just three points behind the Gunners, Mikel Arteta has admitted the Villans are genuine Premier League title contenders.

When asked whether the Villa Park outfit can challenge, Arteta said: “They are. When you look at where they are, the way they play, they have beaten some big teams, especially at home. Everybody is going to have to play everybody, so at the moment they are where they are and we are there as well.”

That said, it is still early days, given that we aren’t even at the half-way stage of the season just yet, and Emery is eager to bring in some new reinforcements, who could boost his side’s title push, during the January transfer window.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states the Aston Villa manager is now personally keen on signing Athletic Club star Mikel Jauregizar next month, but a deal could be on the expensive side.

Villa are prepared to offer up to €60m (£52m) to secure Jauregizar’s signature, with the Spanish club reluctant to sanction a departure unless they receive an ‘irresistible’ bid.

Emery believes the central midfielder would be an ideal fit in his system, and the Villans are now determined to get a deal done, so much so that they may even be willing to make an even higher bid.

"Baller" Jauregizar impressing in the Champions League

If Villa are going to make a genuine push to win the Premier League title, they may need to bring in some new players with experience at the highest level, and the 22-year-old has been impressing in the Champions League this season, chipping in with two assists in five matches.

Hailed as an “underrated baller” by scout Ben Mattinson, the maestro is also strong at winning back possession, averaging 2.87 tackles per 90 over the past year, placing him in the 89th percentile, when compared to other midfielders.

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Jauregizar is clearly a very well-rounded midfielder, capable of making an impact at both ends of the pitch, and Aston Villa could strengthen their title chances by getting a deal done in January.

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UAE are returning to their favourite format after a poor run in ODIs, while Bangladesh are gearing up for a busy season against some strong teams

Mohammad Isam16-May-2025Are Bangladesh too top-heavy?Bangladesh have picked five batters that have to be fitted into the top four. Tanzid Hasan is likely to open with Soumya Sarkar with captain Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto likely to come in next. They will get first dibs before Parvez Hossain Emon, who is still in a development stage as a T20 opener. Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Jaker Ali have strong strike rates that should come in handy in the later overs, before Rishad Hossain and Mahedi Hasan come in as the designated hitters.Bangladesh’s pace attack is also quite full, with Mustafizur Rahman the most experienced, and Tanzim Hasan the most versatile. Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam are also in the squad, while left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam is the back-up spinner to Rishad and Mahedi.Jaker Ali has been Bangladesh’s key batter in the middle order across formats•AFP/Getty ImagesJaker the in-form batterJaker has already bailed out the Bangladesh batting several times in his first year in international cricket. He made a bright start against Sri Lanka last year before losing his way during the T20 World Cup, but made important runs in both Tests and T20Is on the West Indies tour, striking the ball sweetly, especially on the leg side.Related

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Jaker is a heavy run-getter in the middle-order in domestic cricket, which has now translated into good form at the highest level. There are more attractive strokemakers in the middle order, like Shamim and Hridoy, but Jaker is the one Bangladesh rely on the most these days. He has earned that reputation.UAE would welcome T20 returnUAE will have little time to recalibrate to T20 mode after their trip for to the Netherlands for the Cricket World Cup League 2 matches, where they were beaten by both the hosts and Scotland, winning just one game in the last two weeks. Rahul Chopra’s century and Simranjeet Singh’s four-wicket haul in a match against Scotland were the only real high points from the tour for UAE. They should, however, feel better playing T20Is, their best format.Their good form in the format helped them qualify for this year’s Asia Cup after they dominated the Asian Cricket Council’s Premier Cup last year. But UAE haven’t really played a lot of cricket against the Full-Member teams. Afghanistan beat them 2-1 in their bilateral series in 2023-24. They also beat New Zealand in 2023, while they lost a similar two-match series against Bangladesh in 2022.Muhammad Waseem has been one of the star T20I batters since his debut•SLCCan Waseem live up to his reputation?Muhammad Waseem is the highest run-getter in T20Is in the world since his debut in 2021, but it hasn’t gone too well for him of late. Waseem went through the ILT20 without scoring a half-century – the last time he did was in December last year, against Qatar. He has also scored just a single ODI fifty in the last two years.Waseem, the UAE captain, had a very brief stint in the BPL, when he appeared for Chattogram Challengers in one game in the 2023-24 season. He made just one run then. However, Waseem is the most prominent UAE batter, so the Bangladesh analysts will rev up their laptops to show his footage to the bowlers. Waseem on song is a treat to watch, but it has been a long time since he has really taken on a top attack.Sharjah is steamingNight games will be welcomed by the players in Sharjah, which is very hot at the moment. The temperatures are in the high 30s (Celsius) this week.Bangladesh, though, have some idea about the Sharjah pitches, where they played the three ODIs against Afghanistan last year, while UAE don’t play much of their home T20Is in Sharjah. Generally, 170-180 would be seen as competitive totals; the two 180-plus scores were both comfortably defended in Sharjah in the last two years.

Arne Slot heaped praise on the Liverpool fans at Anfield after some were spotted leaving early during their Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

The under-fire Dutchman does not believe Liverpool’s sixth loss in seven matches has increased the pressure on his team ahead of this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa. The Premier League champions won seven straight matches in all competitions as they bounced back from their shoot-out loss to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.

But that run came to a halt with a late defeat to the Eagles at Selhurst Park a month ago, sending the Reds into a spiral that they have yet to climb out of.

Palace got the better of Liverpool for the third time this season in Wednesday’s 3-0 Carabao Cup fourth round win at Anfield as Slot’s decision to leave out stars and make 10 changes backfired.

Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister were the first-team players deployed in a team of mostly youngsters, but the senior stars were some of Liverpool’s lowest rated players against Palace.

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Fans were spotted leaving the stadium as early as the 70th minute, but the Dutchman said he had no regrets and brushed aside the suggestion it had increased the pressure heading into Saturday’s return to Premier League action at home to Villa, with Man City and Real Madrid also to come in the next ten days.

“I don’t think it’s possible if you lose five out of six that there’s now after six out of seven even more pressure,” Slot said.

“If you’re on a run of results like this, if you play for Liverpool, if you manage Liverpool, you know the pressure is there and I don’t think it has changed much after this loss.

“But if it did then maybe the most positive thing about tonight was that the position we were in, 2-0 down and we weren’t really pushing for a goal because we weren’t able to, the fans were behind the team, were supporting us.

“That gives me the feeling that Saturday when our players will show how much it means to them, our fans will be incredibly supportive for us Saturday.

“But, again, we face a team that has rested in the week to play us, and that’s Villa.”

Liverpool could be boosted by the return of midfielder Ryan Gravenberch against Villa following an ankle issue, but British record signing Alexander Isak remains a doubt with to a groin complaint.

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Liverpool are now reportedly ready to accept a cut-price offer for one of their star men on one important condition in the January transfer window.

Salah accuses Liverpool of throwing him "under the bus"

To say it was a bad Saturday evening for Liverpool would be an understatement. Life was good at 2-0 up. The champions were in control. Cruising, in fact, before Ibrahima Konate’s needless challenge allowed Leeds United the climb back into the game before both sides battled out a dramatic 3-3 draw.

But the worst was yet to come. Mohamed Salah didn’t get on the pitch yet again, but he did get behind the mic after the game to unleash an explosive rant against Arne Slot and Liverpool.

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The Egyptian said: “That I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes! The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I’m very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season.

“Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.

“I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.”

It’s a new low point in Liverpool’s shocking title defence and where they even go from here is anyone’s guess. It is, however, time to get ruthless it seems, with reports now suggesting that those at Anfield are ready to sell Konate following his disastrous form.

Liverpool ready to accept Konate offer

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are now ready to accept a £15m offer to sell Konate in January if they manage to find a replacement. The Frenchman has played himself out of a Real Madrid move this season, but is still on course to become a free agent when his contract expires in the summer.

After he gave away a penalty to allow Leeds back into Saturday’s game, Slot admitted that Konate has been at the scene of the crime too often this season.

A player who Virgil van Dijk dubbed “fantastic” last year, Konate has now become Liverpool’s biggest liability. With just over six months remaining on his current deal, it remains to be seen whether he puts pen to paper on fresh terms.

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Clayton Kershaw is calling it a career after 18 seasons with the Dodgers. The three-time Cy Young winner announced his retirement from baseball on Thursday, and he will make his final regular season start on Friday, Sept. 19 against the Giants at home.

Kershaw held a pregame press conference on Thursday to address his fans and the media. He was understandably emotional when speaking about his future, even though he said he's "at peace" with his decision.

“I’m gonna call it. I’m gonna gonna retire. I’m at peace with it. I think it’s the right time," Kershaw said. "I’m really not sad, I’m really not. I’m really at peace with this. It’s just emotional."

The 11-time All-Star had to wipe away some tears when he was asked what his time on the Dodgers has meant to him.

"Hold on, I can answer that, just give me a minute," Kershaw said while holding back tears. "I think we all play this game for the respect of our teammates, so having these guys here is pretty special."

Kershaw's retirement isn't a total surprise as he is 37 years old and is in his 18th season. He signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers, the only club he's ever known, back in February, and it was assumed that he signed the short-term deal for a chance to retire after the season.

Kershaw's 18th season has definitely been memorable. He made history by joining the elite 3,000 strikeout club, something only 20 pitchers in total have done. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred named Kershaw a "Legend Pick" at this year's All-Star Game, too. Through 20 appearances before his final start on Friday, Kershaw posted a 3.53 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 40 earned runs on him over 102 innings pitched.

Richard Thompson insists 100-ball format will not change before end of current rights cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025

The tight turnaround between England’s international and the Hundred is a “short-term issue” which ECB chairman Richard Thompson has pledged will be solved for the next TV rights cycle.England’s men played one day before the start and two days after the end of the Hundred this year, leaving all-format players short on relevant preparation for the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. The same scenario will play out in 2026, with the Hundred expected to start two days after an ODI series against India and three days before the first Test against Pakistan.New investors in the Hundred will expect their England players to be available throughout the tournament. Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton and Ollie Pope missed London Spirit’s first game of this season, the day after the fifth Test at The Oval, which their incoming co-owner Nikesh Arora described as “disappointing” while calling for “better planning” by the ECB.Thompson acknowledged that the schedule is too crammed, speaking in his capacity as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society during England’s third ODI against South Africa on Sunday. “There are no easy answers, but the reality is we can’t have our cake and eat it,” Thompson told Sky Sports.”We want England players to play. This is our premium white-ball competition and we want England players to play in it. What we have to do is find a way of ensuring the schedule before and after the tournament [is better]. Take this year: the gap was a day or two days… That can’t be right.Related

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“If we’re going to get this level of investment, we’ve got to commit to ensuring our England players are available. We don’t want that to be at the expense of the success of England. We need to find a balance, and ultimately we can look at the schedule and we can try and free up time.”We’ve done this deal in the middle of a rights schedule. Come ’28, when we then cut the next deal for the next four years, we can cut this in a different way. We might have a short-term issue here, but we can overcome that.”Ultimately, if a player feels they’re injured, they’re going to rest themselves. They won’t want to play on an injury. England is still everything here. But we are not prepared to accept that you can’t find a halfway house and work with the owners to ensure that the owner will get what they need, and England will get what it needs.”Thompson also said that the tournament’s format will not change from 100-balls-a-side to T20 during the current broadcast cycle, which runs to the end of the 2028 summer, and denied that the sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises equates to selling the month of August to private investors.”I can categorically tell you it’s 100 balls next year,” he said. “I don’t think anything will change in this rights cycle. Sky [the Hundred’s main broadcaster] have bought 100 [balls a side]. Sky are not going to want to change that. It’s up to the owners and the ECB to decide what that might be in the future.”This is not English cricket selling off the family silver. This is English cricket bringing in investors to enable us to have a tournament that could challenge the IPL.”

After being scratched from the Atlanta Braves' lineup on Tuesday due to a back issue, Ronald Acuna Jr. returned on Wednesday with a bang. Acuna led off the game with a rocket home run, a long ball that apparently landed in uncharted waters at Sutter Health Park, as neither ESPN nor Statcast could get a good reading on the distance the ball traveled. But that arguably wasn't even Acuna's most impressive homer of the contest.

That came later in the top of the fourth inning.

Facing Athletics right-hander Mitch Spence, Acuna took the first two offerings for strikes, then opted to swing at a slider that was well out of the strike zone, but one that Spence hung nonetheless. The Braves' superstar somehow reached out and crushed the ball the opposite way to right field at 106 mph for his second homer of the game.

How indeed. The pitch was 1.19 feet from the center of home plate, which is tied for the furthest outside pitch that Acuna has homered on in his career, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

Acuna certainly looks Home Run Derby-ready. The Braves' superstar will be swinging for the fences in the competition in front of the hometown fans at Truist Park on July 14 at 8 p.m. ET.