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Yorkshire notched their third consecutive Friends Provident t20 victory by toppling North Group table-toppers Nottinghamshire by seven wickets

24-Jun-2010
ScorecardYorkshire notched their third consecutive Friends Provident t20 victory by toppling North Group table-toppers Nottinghamshire by seven wickets in a fine all-round performance at Headingley.Chasing a 159 target, Yorkshire got there at a canter with 10 balls to spare, Man of the Match Anthony McGrath (38) and Gerard Brophy (31) enjoying an unbroken stand of 61 together. McGrath had earlier picked up a wicket in four accurate overs and also held a catch.Yorkshire showed they meant business from the start of their innings as skipper Andrew Gale slammed the first two deliveries from Darren Pattinson to the boundary and in the same over Adam Lyth cleared the rope over midwicket before striking a four.After Gale had been bowled by Dirk Nannes at 23 in only the second over, Lyth and Herschelle Gibbs put Yorkshire in charge with a 53 stand before Gibbs drove Samit Patel gently to David Hussey at cover.However, Lyth remained in control until he was out for 43 from 33 balls with three fours and a six – hitting spinner Graeme White’s first ball to Alex Hales on the midwicket boundary. Yorkshire continued to play it cool, however, and Brophy boosted the scoring even further with three early boundaries in one over from Paul Franks.Although Nottinghamshire lost a couple of early wickets after winning the toss, they were still able to make rapid progress through a third-wicket stand of 70 in eight overs between Hales and Patel before Yorkshire managed to apply the brake again as only 60 runs came off the last nine overs.Steve Patterson continued his recent habit of taking a wicket with his first ball as Alistair Brown fell to a well-judged catch behind the bowler by McGrath in the second over and after Hales had hit a couple of sixes it became 32 for 2 when Matt Wood off-drove Patterson to Gale.Both Patel and Hales benefited from dropped catches off hard hits before settling in together but the run spree was ended at 102 with the dismissal of Patel for 41 off 24 balls with five fours and a six, the batsman getting a thick edge off the accurate Richard Pyrah to McGrath.An airborne catch by Lyth at long-off brought McGrath the valuable wicket of Hussey but an even more astounding effort by Richard Pyrah in the same fielding spot at the other end got rid of the dangerous Hales for 62 from 43 deliveries with four fours and three sixes, Pyrah leaping to take the catch one-handed in a successful bid to stay inside the rope.With Yorkshire keeping it tight in the closing overs, particularly Pyrah who conceded only 17 runs, Nottinghamshire lost their momentum and they will have been disappointed with their final effort.

Leicestershire still in with a shout of the top three after holding their nerve at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network11-Aug-2024Australian international Peter Handscomb rescued Leicestershire from 59 for five with a superb 103 to set up a winning score against previously unbeaten Group B leaders Glamorgan and keep the defending champions in contention for the knock-out stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.Chasing 272 after seamer Timm van der Gugten had taken 5 for 49, Glamorgan were all out for 262, with Foxes left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis their star man with the ball, taking 4 for 54 to go with the 47 he made with the bat in a vital 103-run partnership with Handscomb for Leicestershire’s seventh wicket, although ex-Glamorgan man Roman Walker ran him close, taking the last three wickets for figures of 3 for 40 to seal a nine-run victory.Veteran Colin Ingram top-scored for the Welsh side with 68. His dismissal to Trevaskis with 75 still needed from 55 balls looked to have swung the balance heavily towards the home side, but a List A career-best 61 from Dan Douthwaite took the contest into the penultimate over.The result puts Lewis Hill’s side on 10 points, one behind Glamorgan and Warwickshire – who also surrendered their unbeaten record against Yorkshire – and two ahead of Gloucestershire and Yorkshire.Both Glamorgan, who take on Yorkshire in Cardiff in the final round of group matches on Wednesday, and Warwickshire, who face eliminated Nottinghamshire at Rugby School, are already sure of at least a quarter-final place. Leicestershire, who travel to Bristol to meet Gloucestershire, have the potential to finish in any of the top three places – or be knocked out on net run-rate.The one shadow over their celebrations after this victory was an injury to Handscomb suffered while batting, after which he did not field in Glamorgan’s innings and may make him a doubt for Bristol.Needing to score at 5.44 per over, Glamorgan – missing top scorer Eddie Byrom through injury – lost both openers in first nine overs to all-rounder Ian Holland, Tom Bevan helping a leg-side delivery into the hands of short fine leg before Will Smale’s attempt to clear the leg-side fence only picked out the man at deep square. They were 43 for 2 from 10.Leicestershire’s attack was depleted by injuries and Hundred call-ups, yet by the halfway stage of their innings at 108 for 4, they seemed not so much to be biding their time as making hard going of what was required.They had lost Sam Northeast to a return catch tamely chipped back to Trevaskis for 31, the same score at which Kiran Carlson, showing signs of frustration, had holed out to deep midwicket off Tom Scriven. The rate needed was up to 6.56.Billy Root was caught behind square on the reverse sweep off Trevaskis, Asa Tribe holing out to deep midwicket, a third wicket for the left-arm spinner. Ingram, who hit two sixes and seven fours, reached his fifty from 48 balls and needed to be there at the end if Glamorgan were to win, so little wonder there were loud celebrations among the home players when Trevaskis had him leg before sweeping.Douthwaite’s four fours and four sixes kept Glamorgan in the hunt but after Walker bowled Van der Gugten and had Andy Gorvin caught at backward point in the space of four deliveries, he was the hero again as Sol Budinger patiently waited for the ball to come down at deep midwicket and Douthwaite’s brave effort came to an end.Glamorgan had won the toss and while a frenetic opening powerplay saw them concede 59 runs after opting to bowl first on use on a green-tinged pitch but take four wickets, with a fifth quickly following in the 11th over. Four of them came from Van der Gugten.The pacy Netherlands international dismissed Ian Holland leg before in his first over. Sent back by the lively Sol Budinger, skipper Hill was run out by Asa Tribe’s direct hit from extra cover before the former edged to first slip, having hit six fours in a 23-ball 28.The departure of the Foxes’ leading run-scorer was quickly followed by that of their undoubted star turn, the Indian Test batter Ajinkya Rahane, who was leg before offering no shot, and Louis Kimber, who returned from The Hundred to be bowled through the gate for a four-ball duck.New man Ben Cox hit six boundaries in his 34 but hooked Douthwaite to deep backward square, leaving the Foxes 105 for 6. The combination of Andy Gorvin and the spin of Carlson and Bevan proved restrictive but Handscomb and Trevaskis stayed patient, adding 103 in 23 overs before the latter was bowled by the returning Van der Gugten.Handscomb pulled Gorvin for his only six and dispatched Van der Gugten for his 10th four before completing his second hundred of this year’s competition, never hurried yet taking only 91 balls. He and Scriven added 47 in five overs before the Australian – limping towards the end of his innings – succumbed to a catch at backward point.

Super Giants aim to do season double over RCB and consolidate their position on the points table

Shashank Kishore30-Apr-20234:41

Moody: Conditions will dictate contest between Bishnoi and RCB

Big picture – RCB begin long streak of away games

The effect of travel fatigue is underrated. It can’t be easy playing IPL games up until midnight and fly out the next day, before that same old routine for another game on the third day.Teams were spared of this routine during the Covid-19 era, but the return of home-and-away has added another layer of intrigue. Royal Challengers Bangalore have played six of their eight games so far at home and have felt a sense of comfort not because of any apparent home advantage, but by knowing they ain’t just living out of suitcases.But all that changes now with Lucknow being the first of five pitstops during what promises to be a hectic series of away games, bunched together due to assembly election in Karnataka.Playing on bigger grounds, and on some challenging decks may come as a relief for a side that has blown hot-and-cold. Their wins have been spectacular, but familiar failings – of being over reliant on their big three – have been exposed in defeats.Related

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Lucknow can’t get more challenging, both because of the surface that has tended to be slow and crumbly, but also because the Lucknow Super Giants will be coming into the game on the back of a record bash in Mohali two nights ago.The RCB attack should welcome more bowler-friendly conditions as much as their batting will be wary of slip-ups; especially a slightly shaky middle order that has struggled to fill the Rajat Patidar void. Dinesh Karthik’s lean run hasn’t helped matters either.Both sides played out a last-ball thriller in a high-scoring contest when the sides met for the first leg. This time around, LSG could have the edge because of their adaptability in playing on surfaces where 135 v 135 have made for compelling contests.

Form guide

Lucknow Super Giants WLWLW (last five games, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore LWWLWMarcus Stoinis was hit on the finger while trying to stop the ball in his follow-through•BCCI

Team news – Hazlewood likely for RCB; Stoinis under injury cloud

David Willey could sit out after injuring his foot while batting in RCB’s previous game. But the good news is they have Josh Hazlewood fit and ready to replace him. Hazlewood has completed his rehab for an Achilles injury under the franchise and Cricket Australia’s supervision.Marcus Stoinis underwent a scan for his injured left index finger during Super Giants’ previous game, and although it doesn’t seem very serious, the short turnaround could potentially have him miss out this game.

Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants

Super Giants have shown a settled pattern with Amit Mishra coming in as an Impact Player with the ball by replacing a top-order batter like Kyle Mayers, after he’s sent down his quota up front.Super Giants XII: 1 KL Rahul (capt), , 3 Ayush Badoni, 4 Marcus Stoinis/Quinton de Kock, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Deepak Hooda, 8 Naveen-ul-Haq, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11Yash Thakur, Royal Challengers Bangalore

Harshal Patel’s finger injury hasn’t made batting easy, while Faf du Plessis continues to manage his rib injury. It’s been three games now that they’ve not used the Impact Player rule to full capacity just so that du Plessis only bats and Harshal only bowls.RCB XII: 1 Virat Kohli (capt), , 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Suyash Prabhudessai, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Vijaykumar Vyshak, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Mohammed Siraj,

Stats that matter – Watch out for Rahul v Siraj

• In IPL 2023, fast bowlers have averaged 3.8 wickets per innings on an average in the eight batting innings here. Spinners, who’ve had purchase and turn on offer, have been more economical by conceding at 7.2 an over, compared to 7.7 off the quicks.
• The Ekana Stadium is the least favourable IPL 2023 venue in terms of run rate (7.50). Because scoring has been difficult, it’s also produced the second-highest balls per six (22.3) in a match.
• Siraj has the second-most powerplay wickets among fast bowlers this season, but KL Rahul, who has tended to start slow, has a favourable match-up. His strike rate of 181 against Siraj is the second-highest against those who’ve bowled at least 40 T20 balls to him.

Pitch and conditions

Dew hasn’t had much of an effect so far in Lucknow, and it’s unlikely to change come Monday. Surfaces have been slow and have aided turn. Spinners will yet again have a massive say. RCB would gladly welcome the prospect of bowling to much bigger boundaries. There is also some rain predicted for Monday.

The big question

He had travelled for a charity cricket event in Bundaberg

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2022Former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh is in a Queensland hospital after suffering a serious heart attack.Marsh, 74, was in Bundaberg for an event for the Bulls Masters charity group. He was reportedly rushed to hospital by Bulls Masters organisers John Glanville and David Hillier.”John and Dave deserve so much credit because the doctor said if they had waited for an ambulance he would not have made it,” Bulls Masters boss Jimmy Maher told .”Rod landed at 10.05am and rang me from the car at about 10.30. He said he could not wait to have a beer with me. Then soon [after] Dave rang me from the car and told me what had happened. It’s devastating.”Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said: “We are very concerned to hear the news about Rod and send him all our best wishes. Our thoughts are with him, his wife Ros and their family and many friends at this difficult time. Rod is one of the most iconic and popular figures in the game and we thank and acknowledge those who are looking after him.”The Australian Cricketers’ Association said: “The thoughts of everyone within cricket are with the family and many friends of Rod Marsh who is in a critical condition in hospital after suffering a heart attack this morning. Rod is an influential figure in Australian cricket and has been so for more than 50 years.”He was in Bundaberg as part of the Queensland Bulls Masters event and is currently surrounded by some of his former team-mates. He will soon be joined by his family who are making their way to Bundaberg.”Marsh played 96 Tests for Australia between 1970 and 1984, snaring 355 dismissals behind the stumps. He also previously served as Australia’s men’s chairman of selectors before stepping down in 2016.

A round-up of the all the action as the WBBL as rain again has a major impact

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2020A club record partnership of 122 between Heather Knight and Rachael Haynes formed the backbone of a convincing Sydney Thunder victory as they overpowered the Adelaide Strikers. The stand between Knight and Haynes was the Thunder’s highest for any wicket in the WBBL and Knight’s 83, which came off just 39 balls, was their highest individual score. There was a six-over period of their partnership from the 14th to the 19th over where they collected 91 runs and until the loss of a few late wickets looked like crossing 200. Their innings had actually got off to a sluggish start and they were 1 for 28 after the Powerplay, but Sammy-Jo Johnson then took 26 off the seventh over from Amanda-Jade Wellington which included four sixes. Johnson had 29 off nine deliveries before edging behind off Tahlia McGrath, but it gave Knight and Haynes time to play themselves in. The Strikers’ chase never threatened to make an impression as the asking rate swelled. Lauren Smith, in her first bowl for her new club, claimed 3 for 26 and Knight capped off her day by taking a wicket first ball.Beth Mooney makes a diving catch•Getty Images

A disciplined bowling display from the Perth Scorchers suffocated the Melbourne Renegades at Drummoyne Oval. Early wickets from skipper Sophie Devine and Nicole Bolton put the Renegades on the back foot and they never recovered crawling to 5 for 105 from their 20 overs. Devine and Beth Mooney cruised to an unbeaten 62-run stand before rain ended proceedings after just 9.5 overs with the Scorchers 18 runs clear under the DLS method. Devine knocked over the dangerous Lizelle Lee in the second over and made 31 not out to claim Player of the Match honours. Bolton’s four overs of offspin cost just 13 runs and she took the prized wicket of Sophie Molineux who made an uncharacteristically slow 29 from 41 balls. Molineux and Courtney Webb put together a 57-run partnership but chewed up 66 balls in doing so after the Renegades had slumped to 3 for 16. Webb top-scored with 33 from 44 balls but it wasn’t enough for the Scorchers experienced opening pair. Devine and Mooney were scarcely troubled until the rain ended the Renegades’ misery.Chloe Tryon was cutting loose when rain arrived•Getty Images

The Hobart Hurricanes were denied a good chance of victory when their chase against defending champions the Brisbane Heat was curtailed three balls short of the minimum five overs needed for a game. Strong hitting from South Africa Chloe Tryon, who had been promoted to open, when she took 16 off an over from Delissa Kimmince gave the Hurricanes impetus in their chase of a revived 106 in 11 overs after the Heat’s innings had been stopped as their momentum was building. Georgia Redmayne fell to the second ball of the match, but Maddy Green 33 off 24 balls provided a good base which captain Jess Jonassen and Grace Harris were starting to build on when the rain came.The final match of the triple-header at the Sydney Showgrounds, between the Sydney Sixers and the Melbourne Stars was abandoned without a ball bowled as rain swept across the city. The Stars’ first three matches of the tournament have all been no results. It meant there was no chance to see Australia captain Meg Lanning go up against team-mates Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy.

The opener is recovering from a hamstring injury while the fast bowler has been suffering from some stiffness in his side

George Dobell in Edgbaston29-Jun-2019In normal circumstances, England wouldn’t consider taking a risk with Jason Roy or Jofra Archer. These are the men they hope will open the batting and bowling in not just the knockout stages of this tournament, but in the Ashes that follows on its heels. They are precious assets.But these are not normal circumstances. And such is England’s need to win on Sunday at Edgbaston – they could still progress if they lose, but it would require good fortune with other results – that Eoin Morgan, the captain, has confirmed that both will play if they come through fitness tests on the morning of the match even if it risks exacerbating their injuries.Roy has missed England’s last three World Cup games – two of which have been defeats – after sustaining a hamstring injury during the match against West Indies. His replacement, James Vince, has managed just 40 runs in three innings while Roy has passed 50 in five of his last six ODIs in a spell that includes two centuries. In his absence, his value has become abundantly clear.ALSO READ: Aakash Chopra: What India need to do against England’s key playersArcher, meanwhile, has been suffering from some stiffness in his side. His average pace has dropped a little in that period and he did not bowl in training on Friday. But even with that discomfort, he bowled at 92mph at Lord’s. He has quickly become one of England’s most valuable bowlers: threatening at every stage of the innings. Both men are, in short, some way better than their potential replacements.”Jason is preparing to play tomorrow,” Morgan said on Saturday. “Provided he gets through today’s practice and tomorrow morning unscathed. We think he might be fit to play.”If him playing is going to rule him out long-term, then absolutely not,” Morgan said in reply to a question asking if Roy would be risked for the game. “But if it’s going to rule him out for a couple of weeks, yes.”The exact same thing applies [with Archer]. If it’s long-term (risk), then no. if it’s short-term, then yes. Again, we’re going to see how he comes through today. It’s the same thing he’s been playing with the last three games.”There were moments on Saturday when it didn’t seem Archer was especially likely to get through any fitness session. After bowling one delivery off something approaching a full run – albeit wearing a cap – he left the pitch with the team doctor only to reappear a little while later and bowl several overs of spin. The team management seem confident he will be fine.England might also bring Liam Plunkett back into their team. They are anticipating a very good batting track – Ashley Giles, the England team’s managing director, reckons it may be the best batting surface this tournament has seen so far – which will offer very little to spinners or seamers. As a consequence, they are considering dropping Moeen Ali, who has not enjoyed the best of campaigns, to make space for Plunkett’s back-of-a-length cutters. Edgbaston’s wide square boundaries may well suit them. And, if England require some spin support for Adil Rashid, they can utilise Joe Root.Jason Roy of England speaks with captain Eoin Morgan during a nets session at Headingley•Getty Images

The reading of the pitch could yet prove crucial. The India team management, having watched previous games on the ground (not just in this tournament, but in the Champions Trophy of 2013), seem confident the pitch will spin and look set to include two specialist spinners and one part-timer. If either England or India have misread the conditions, they could be exposed.While the conspiracy theorists will suggest England are getting the pitch they demand, the truth is a little more mundane. It has simply stopped raining in England in recent days and the groundstaff have, at last, had a decent amount of preparation time. Had the weather been better, it is likely nearly all the surfaces in the tournament would have been this good. Besides, a surface enjoyed by England’s batsmen, may well be a surface enjoyed by India’s too.”We want to play on best possible batting wicket and we always do,” Morgan said. “We bat deep and we bat strong. It’s an area we’re more confident. Everybody knows that. On those wickets, we don’t have to think about adapting too much or fighting our natural game. We can just go out and play.”But where we’ve let ourselves down as a group is adapting to conditions. We haven’t adapted well enough. It’s been a bigger challenge in this World Cup than previous bilateral series that we’ve played. It’s been the most difficult part of the World Cup. Tomorrow is going to be the same. We’re going to have to adapt to conditions and to playing against a strong side in India.”We going to be clear about how we’re going to go about it. We’re going to show a huge amount of positivity in the way we play and back it with the courage to play that way.”One area India might have an advantage is in the level of support. While the percentage of ticket-buyers expressing an allegiance to India at the point of sale was around 55, it is understood some tickets may have changed hands subsequently. It will, Morgan admitted, leave England feeling they are playing away from home.”I sort of recall the Champions Trophy final we played here against India in 2013,” he said. “It was a complete away game. We had a number of fans in the ground, but the noise the Indian fans make with horns makes it that much louder. So yes, tomorrow will feel like an away game.”While Jonny Bairstow’s comments may have given a picture of a tense England camp, the reality appears quite different. Training over the last couple of days has been as relaxed as ever with no sign of the importance of the game ahead. We have seen tense and divided England sides before: this does not look like one of those at all. Even a somewhat bruised Bairstow, who feels the humour in his words was lost in the publication process.”We haven’t performed well, so critics are going to be critical,” Morgan said. “They’re entitled to their own opinion. I think the support that we’ve had from our fans and everybody around the country has been unbelievable. It has been outstanding. There’s been an enormous amount of goodwill going around, and it’s making our tournament that much more special to be a part of and to play in.”And there’s the rub. To remain part of it, they have to beat the world’s No. 1-ranked ODI side on Sunday. It is a scenario that could – should, really – have been avoided. But it’s only a year since they defeated them in an ODI series in England and only a week since they were the No. 1 side themselves. These are the big games in which these players love to be involved. They have enjoyed some fine moments over the last four years and they have been building to just such a moment throughout. Now it really is time to put all that work, all that talk and all that progress into action. It’s time to deliver.

Shoaib Malik and Thisara Perera were also among the first group of World XI players confirmed for the side that will be captained by Eoin Morgan

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2018Shahid Afridi will return to the scene of his 2009 World T20 starring role in a brief comeback to international cricket after being confirmed among the first group of players in the World XI to face West Indies at Lord’s next month.The match on May 31 has been arranged to raise money for the rebuilding of stadiums in the Caribbean that were badly damaged Hurricanes Irma and Maria last year.Afridi, Man of the Match as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to win the 2009 tournament, played the last of his 98 T20Is in March 2016 and will be joined by former Pakistan team-mate Shoaib Malik, who also played in the final, and Sri Lanka allrounder Thisara Perera.

The five major venues

• Ronald Webster Park, Anguilla – damaged in Irma

• Sir Viv Richards Stadium, Antigua – temporarily converted to host refugees from Barbuda following Irma

• Windsor Park Stadium, Dominica – damaged in Maria

• A.O. Shirley Recreation Ground, BVI – damaged in Irma

• Carib Lumber Ball Park, St Maarten – damaged in Irma

“I am humbled to have been selected for such a noble cause,” Afridi said. “Cricket is one big family and no matter how hard and tough we play against each other, there is tremendous camaraderie within the group. As such, it is our moral and professional obligation to stand up and support whenever and wherever we can, to assist our members, colleagues and cricket fans.”Malik said: “As much as the chance of figuring in such a select group, I also see this as an opportunity to contribute in a meaningful cause. We have all heard of the damage caused by the two hurricanes in the West Indies last year and it is really good to see so many cricketers come together for the objective of raising funds to repair the damage to cricket venues.”That the match is being played at Lord’s makes this event extra special for me. Lord’s obviously is one of the most revered cricket venues but I also have some very delightful memories there. One that really stands out is anchoring the chase along with Shahid Afridi when we beat Sri Lanka in the final to win the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009.”West Indies, who will be led by Carlos Brathwaite, recently confirmed their squad for the match, with Andre Russell set to make his international return following his doping-code violation.The World XI will be captained by Eoin Morgan with the remainder of the squad to be named in the coming weeks.

Asela Gunaratne has been described by his school-cricket coach Aubrey Kuruppu as a “confident” but “reluctant cricketer” in his youth

Sa'adi Thawfeeq24-Feb-2017Sri Lanka batsman Asela Gunaratne has been described by his school-cricket coach Aubrey Kuruppu as a “confident” but “reluctant cricketer” in his youth. Kuruppu, a Sri Lanka cricketer of their pre-Test era, who coached Gunaratne in the basics of the game, said he had the batsman pinned as a long-format player but was glad to see him proving him wrong by performing in the shorter formats too.”It was not that he was not interested in cricket, he used to play in the paddy fields a lot, but he never pushed himself to attain goals,” Kuruppu said. “Initially I thought that his approach to cricket was only suited to the five-day game, but he has proved me wrong. He has shown that he is as good playing in all three formats. The first match he played against Trinity [College], I sent him at No. 9 and he made 12. In the next game against St Aloysius Ratnapura I was short of an opener and I promoted him up the order. He responded with a magnificent 158.”Gunaratne, 31, made his mark in international cricket on the tour to Zimbabwe last October where he scored a fifty on his Test debut and followed it up with a maiden hundred in the next Test. On the recent tour to South Africa, Gunaratne scored his maiden ODI hundred in the fifth match of the series, and in the recently-concluded T20 series in Australia, he played two eye-catching innings to give his team a 2-1 win – their third successive T20 series victory in Australia.All this after he began to seriously play cricket only at the age of 16. He went on to become the first player from his school Rahula College, Kandy, to play at the international level. For Rahula, Gunaratne played for the first XI from 2003-04 to 2005-06, and captained in the final year. Solid though he was, he never made enough runs nor took enough wickets with his right-arm medium pace to draw the attention of the national selectors.”Asela was a good player and the good thing about him was that he was confident about his ability,” Kuruppu said. “He batted at No. 4 at school and bowled medium pace. From what I’ve seen of him lately, he has worked hard at his game to attain the level he has and he now bowls cutters.”Following his career at school, Kuruppu got Gunaratne to play for his former club Saracens CC in the division III tournament, and he scored a hundred in his first match. He went on to join the Sri Lanka Army and play for them. “I think the five years of cricket he spent playing for the Army in the company of Sri Lanka cricketers like Ajantha Mendis and Seekkuge Prasanna has improved his cricketing skills greatly,” Kuruppu said.”He has been a consistent run-scorer in domestic cricket for Army, getting 700-800 runs regularly each season, but he never got the opportunity to showcase his talent at a higher level until now. Once he gets going there is no stopping him.”

Kane Williamson will return to Yorkshire for a third time after agreeing a six-week stint in the middle of the English season

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2016Kane Williamson will return to Yorkshire for a third time after agreeing a six-week stint in the middle of the English season.Williamson, who previously played for Yorkshire in 2013 and 2014, will be available from June 9 to July 18 – a period which will include three County Championship matches, eight NatWest T20 Blast fixtures and three Royal London one-day games.Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire’s head coach, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kane back to Headingley. He is a quality player and person. The opportunity to secure one of, if not, the best players in the world is one you have to take up.”His value as a player is beyond question. His attitude, work ethic and leadership as an overseas player is brilliant.In 2015, Williamson set a New Zealand scoring record with 2692 runs across all formats. Depending on England call-ups, he is likely to form a hefty Yorkshire top order alongside Adam Lyth, Alex Lees and Gary Ballance.

India beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the sixth match of the Top End Under-19 Series.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2013
ScorecardMedium-pacer Deepak Hooda took 3 for 26 to help India secure a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the sixth match of the Top End Under-19 Series in Darwin. India had already made it to the final, but the defeat ended New Zealand’s hopes of qualifying and, as a result, Australia will take on India on July 12.After electing to bat, New Zealand were immediately put on the defensive with some restrictive bowling from India. Medium-pacer Abhimanyu Lamba made the first breakthrough, bowling opener Tim Seifert out for five in the 10th over. New Zealand continued to lose wickets regularly and failed to create any substantial partnership. The runs came mainly from Kyle Jamieson, who top-scored with 34, hitting two fours.Offspinner Aamir Gani picked up two wickets, while medium-pacers Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammad Saif took a wicket each to dismiss New Zealand for 119 within 48 overs.In reply, India got off to a shaky start, losing openers Shreyas Iyer and Akhil Herwadkar within the first ten overs. But Vijay Zol and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson stabilised the innings, putting up 48 runs for the third wicket. Zol, who hit six fours and one six during his 70-ball 46, took India home with more than 25 overs remaining.