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Harbhajan Singh, the Indian offspinner, wants to win the 2011 World Cup and be part of teams that reached the top in all three formats of the game

Cricinfo staff10-Dec-2009Harbhajan Singh, the Indian offspinner, wants to win the 2011 World Cup and be part of teams that reached the top in all three formats of the game. India are presently the No. 1 Test side after beating Sri Lanka 2-0 at home; they won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 and so the only world title that has eluded this team is the World Cup.”We’ve won the Twenty20 World Cup, we are the number one Test side and now if we can win the 2011 World Cup, that would be a great thing for Indian cricket and all of us who will be part of that triumphant squad,” Harbhajan told . “I will be on top of the world if it happens.”The closest India got to winning the World Cup, after their triumph in 1983, was in 2003, when they reached the final in South Africa but were crushed by Australia. “It would have been nice if we could win the 50-over cricket World Cup in 2003,” Harbhajan Singh said. “We could not win it but I have great memories of that tournament, of playing some really great matches along with some great players. It will be very exciting if we can win the 2011 World Cup.”India were drawn in Group B for the 2011 World Cup along with South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands. They will play the tournament opener against Bangladesh in Dhaka on February 19. “It would require special efforts and special performance [to win the World Cup] and that would add on to team’s success,” Harbhajan said. “I will be very happy if we can achieve that. It would be very satisfying.”

He will however have to forgo his PSL deal to participate in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2025Mumbai Indians have signed allrounder Corbin Bosch as a replacement for fellow South African Lizaad Williams, who has been ruled out of IPL 2025 with injury.Bosch, a bowling allrounder, is yet to make his IPL debut, but has been part of Rajasthan Royals in the past as a reserve player. Bosch, 30, though is familiar with the MI franchise, having been part of their title-winning SA20 side, MI Cape Town, in February earlier this year. He took 11 wickets in seven innings at an economy rate of 8.68 in MICT’s run to their maiden SA20 title. Bosch will reunite with his SA20 team-mate Ryan Rickelton at Mumbai Indians. He will slot in as the third seam-bowling allrounder at MI behind captain Hardik Pandya and Raj Bawa.He was a diamond pick by Peshawar Zalmi for PSL 2025 at the draft that was held in January, but will now have to forgo that deal to participate in the IPL. Starting this year, the PSL will be played in an April-May window, clashing with the IPL.Related

• PCB serves Corbin Bosch legal notice after switch from PSL to IPL

• Mujeeb Ur Rahman replaces injured AM Ghazanfar in Mumbai Indians' squad for IPL 2025

Bosch has also been part of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and now-defunct Mzansi Super League (MSL). He can float in the batting line-up – he even batted at No.3 for Barbados Royals in CPL 2022 – and bowl at the death too.Overall, Bosch has played 86 T20s so far, taking 59 wickets at an economy rate of 8.38 to go with 663 runs at a strike rate of 113.33.An IPL deal with MI has added to his recent success. In the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan in Centurion, Bosch became the first South Africa player to take a four-wicket haul and make a fifty-plus score on debut. Bosch’s all-round effort helped South Africa confirm their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which will be held at Lord’s in June later this year.After winning the SA20, Bosch also made South Africa’s Champions Trophy squad as an injury replacement but ended up playing just a warm-up fixture in Karachi.As for Williams, he is the second MI player to be sidelined from the upcoming season after Afghanistan’s mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, who is nursing a back injury.

NZ coach wants the regulars, who are rested for ODIs, to be “mentally fresh” since there’s “lots of cricket coming up”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2023New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said the reason behind picking a new-look squad for the Bangladesh ODIs, including three uncapped players, was with one eye on resting some of the regulars who have been on tour with the national team for a long time and another on starting preparations for the next ODI World Cup in 2027. The three-match series begins on Sunday in Dunedin.”Look, the guys who have been rested have been away for a long period of time. If you look back, it’s anything up to three to four months away on the road. So for us, finding that balance between playing series and looking at the health and physical wellbeing of these players is really important,” Stead said at a press conference. “We’ve got a huge summer in front of us with a lot of cricket coming up. So it’s really having conversations with the guys that when they are playing, they are mentally fresh and ready to go.”It’s also the start of an ICC cycle. So this is the first ODI games when we prepare for 2027 in South Africa,” Stead said. “And whilst that might seem a long time away, we don’t actually play any other ODIs for another nine or ten months after this. So it’s an opportunity to look at some potential faces for the future.”Related

• Jamieson rested for remainder of Bangladesh ODI series

• Three uncapped players in New Zealand's ODI squad for Bangladesh series

• Meet Will O'Rourke, New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson clone

• Ben Sears added to NZ ODI squad as cover for Kyle Jamieson

• Wellington to Wankhede: How Rachin Ravindra has made himself cricket's new poster boy

Will O’Rourke, Josh Clarkson and Adithya Ashok are all uncapped, while Ben Sears last played for New Zealand in a T20I in 2022 and might make his ODI debut.”The reason they’ve been selected is we’ve seen things we like in their game. So it’s really about coming in and just being themselves,” Stead said. “We try and put them in roles similar to what they play in domestic games. Sometimes it’s slightly different, so it’s just making sure they’re nice and clear on what their roles are and what we expect of them.”But really, it’s about being themselves and coming in and enjoying the environment.”Fast bowler Sears has been picked for the first ODI but is currently not in the squad for the second and third games. However, with Kyle Jamieson unlikely to take part in this series after returning from the Bangladesh Test tour with a stiff hamstring, Sears could end up being retained for the whole series, Stead said.Stead also heaped praise on Sears, saying that he brings something different from the other fast bowlers in the squad.”The other three bowlers we look at in that squad right now are new-ball bowlers and can bowl, I guess, more up front. Ben gives us that option of having genuine pace through the middle overs. So it’s exciting,” he said. “We’ve had Ben in the past. He’s had a bit of an injury run for a while, but he’s back bowling fast again, and we like the look of the way he’s going.”Stead also said he is excited to see O’Rourke and Clarkson in action.”We’ve had a couple of trainings out there. Will O’Rourke certainly troubled a number of our batsmen yesterday. It was spicy and new ball doing plenty, that was encouraging to see. He gets good bounce off the wicket, which is nice.””Josh Clarkson is one of the hardest hitters in New Zealand and certainly puts bowlers on notice if they miss,” Stead said. “It’s exciting to see the skillsets that they bring. I think when you have new and inexperienced people at the international level that come to it, it brings that added excitement to the group as well, so that’s always nice to see.”

The allrounder last played in the BBL two years ago

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2022Cameron Green will return to the BBL with Perth Scorchers after adding his name to the list of Australia Test players who will appear after the series against South Africa.Green last played in the tournament during the 2019-2020 season and could be available for six regular-season matches following the Sydney Test depending on how he is managed with an eye on the tour to India in February.His T20 career remains in its infancy with 14 appears – 13 for Scorchers and one for Australia – and he has yet to make a meaningful impact but the majority of his innings have come at No. 6 and 7. However, team-mate AJ Tye was of little doubt he would break through in the format.Related

• BBL overseas draft: Livingstone to Renegades, Boult to Stars, du Plessis and Russell unpicked

• Warner signing only one part of a much bigger challenge for BBL

• Full BBL overseas player draft list – 332 names confirmed

• Lynn signs 11-game Adelaide Strikers BBL deal to split time with ILT20

“We had a year of him at the Scorchers two years ago and he was still leaning his craft then, but you look at him and the way he’s matured in the last couple of years, he may not be the star T20 player but he will be,” Tye told ESPNcricinfo at the BBL draft launch. “He’s got the game, he’s got the attributes, he can bowl quickly and bat anywhere. He’s definitely a player to watch and hopefully in the next few years we see him a bit more in the Big Bash.”Green completes Scorchers’ domestic list for the 2022-23 season with their final three slots in the 18-player squad to be filled during the overseas player draft on Sunday.”We’re thrilled to see Cam back in Scorchers colours. To add a player of his calibre to our strong group of local players is enormous,” Scorchers head coach Adam Voges said. “His talent with bat and ball has regularly been on show for WA and Australia in recent years, and we’re excited by the versatility he offers us.”Green’s deal follows the big-money offer made to David Warner for his two-year Sydney deal. Travis Head (Adelaide Strikers) and Marnus Labuschagne (Brisbane Heat) have also signed new contracts. Mitchell Starc has already said he will rest with Pat Cummins expected to do the same. It has yet to be confirmed whether Josh Hazlewood will be available. Steven Smith turned down Sydney Sixers’ initial offer, but there still remains hope he will play.

Agarwal’s 99 on IPL captaincy debut in vain as Kings slump to fifth loss in eight matches

Sidharth Monga02-May-2021On his IPL captaincy debut, Mayank Agarwal scored 60% of Punjab Kings’ runs in fewer than half the balls but his unbeaten 99 was not enough to push his side to a total that would challenge Delhi Capitals in the chase. Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan broke the back of the chase in the Powerplay, and Dhawan went on to seal the win, reclaiming the orange cap as he did so. A sixth win in eight matches took capitals to the top of the table.Replacing KL Rahul, who had to be pulled out because of appendicitis, Agarwal found himself in a Rahul-like predicament. Losing wickets at the other end added extra slowness to his apparent role of batting through the innings, but a Rahul-like finishing kick took him from 40 off 34 to 99 off 58. However, as with Rahul, you need at least one quick contribution from the other end to make the strategy work. Agarwal found none, with IPL debutant Dawid Malan’s run-a-ball 26 being the only other contribution to talk of.Ishant circles the prey, Rabada swoops inIshant Sharma, an under-rated part of Capitals’ success, began the match with a maiden to Prabhsimran Singh, moving the ball either way to tie up the batter. With just 15 off the first three overs, Capitals knew there was an opportunity around. On came Kagiso Rabada and for the first time in the IPL took two wickets in the Powerplay. The under-pressure Prabhsimran found mid-off, and Gayle missed a swinging full toss that hit the top of off. Kings 39 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay.Two men drop anchorAgainst two fingerspinners, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel, Agarwal and Malan failed to transfer the pressure back on to the bowlers. Only one boundary came in the next five overs. The spinners denied them the rank bad ball, and the batsmen weren’t too keen to take risks on good balls.Malan began the 12th over at 11 off 17, but a bowling change to pace brought some freedom for him. The freedom was short-lived as Axar came back to knock his leg stump over. The run-out of Deepak Hooda followed to make it 88 for 2 in the 14th over.Agarwal takes offAt this point, Agarwal had faced only 29 of the 81 legal deliveries bowled for a debate-inducing 35. Not only did he turn around the share of strike in the remaining innings, Agarwal corrected the strike-rate too. He faced 29 of the remaining 39 balls, sending nine of them past the fence and scoring 64 additional runs. The remaining 10 balls brought two wickets and 10 runs. The hitting was breathtaking but it was also evidence that the pitch was easy enough to hit through the line of the ball.Dhawan, Shaw carry on the fireworksAnd the Capitals batting is built to hit through the line. Before this match, three of the top four Powerplay scores in this IPL belonged to Capitals. They duly made a fourth entry in the top five with an unbeaten 63 in the first six overs. Believe it or not, it came after Riley Meredith troubled both Dhawan and Shaw in his first two overs. Against other bowlers, though, Shaw ran riot and Dhawan followed suit. Shaw hit three sixes and three fours in the Powerplay, and Dhawan managed four fours. It included a first-ball six off Kings’ key bowler in the middle overs, Ravi Bishnoi.Dhawan carries onShaw perished trying to dominate everyone, bowled first ball by left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar, but he left the job to a man in the T20 form of his life. Dhawan might not be brightest star while Shaw is around, but what a side won’t do to have a second fiddle who is averaging xx and striking at xx per 100 balls.The start gave Dhawan and Steven Smith some breathing space as they added just 34 in the first five overs of their partnership. Dhawan, though, settled any nerves in the dugout by unleashing his slog sweep against Bishnoi. It didn’t matter which way Bishnoi turned it; Dhawan took 25 off the 12th and 14th overs, making it 41 required off the last six even though he lost Smith in between.If there was any doubt this was a done deal, Shimron Hetmyer removed it with two sixes and a four to end it in the 18th over.

Mashrafe Mortaza asks that he be kept off contracts list

Mohammad Isam12-Jan-2020The BCB has raised the match fees of Bangladesh’s centrally contracted players after three years, with the highest jump given to Test fees. In the 2020 calendar year, a player will earn BDT 600,000 (approximately $7,000 approx) per Test, which is a rise of more than 70% from their BDT 350,000 ($4,000 approx) from 2017 and 2019.The rise in Test match fees comes after a poor year in the longest format, when Bangladesh lost all five matches to New Zealand, Afghanistan and India. But the BCB has put emphasis on their performance in Tests in light of the World Test Championship, which has already increased the number of Tests Bangladesh play in the next two years.Match fees for ODIs and T20Is have also increased significantly from the previous three years. For each ODI, a player will get BDT 300,000 ($3,500 approx) compared to the previous BDT 200,000 ($2,300 approx), while the match fees for T20Is have increased from BDT 125,000 ($1,400 approx) to BDT 200,000 ($2,300 approx).BCB president Nazmul Hassan, after the board meeting on Sunday, said that they will also reconsider the number of centrally contracted players. During the players’ strike last year, the cricketers had demanded that the number should be 30. They had also pointed out that their salary or match fee hadn’t increased since 2017.”We will again discuss the number of players on January 15. We want there to be some more new guys who have performed recently,” said Hassan.He also said that Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh’s ODI captain, had asked the board to not given him a central contract. “Mashrafe Mortaza has asked us not to keep him in the central contract [list]. He will continue playing but he wants someone new to get a place among the contracted players,” Hassan said. “We have accepted it.”

England could bring back Joe Denly after eight years in the wilderness, while Sri Lanka have called up Sadeera Samarawickrama

The Preview by Alan Gardner26-Oct-2018

Big Picture

Following an ODI series in which all five matches were affected by the rain, Sri Lanka and England will now attempt to squeeze in a one-off T20 that could be more splash than thrash. By the time the rain came hammering down in Colombo on Tuesday, England had suffered a painful-looking belly-flop to end their winning run; Sri Lanka will be hoping it is them handing out the towellings from here on in, with three Tests to follow next month.Given that the third ODI in Pallekele was a 21-over affair, things might not be greatly different now the teams are officially playing T20. England have taken to opening with Jos Buttler (where he averages 62.75, at a strike rate of 158.86, from five innings) and have added yorker specialist Chris Jordan to their party; there might not be room for Joe Root, and Joe Denly could complete a remarkably long-and-winding return to England colours, but otherwise the line-up will be pretty familiar.Sri Lanka will be led by Thisara Perera in this format, while Lasith Malinga could win his first T20I cap in over a year following a successful return in the ODIs. Perhaps the most interesting name in their squad is that of batting allrounder (and ambidextrous bowler) Kamindu Mendis. A former U-19s captain, and one among a crop of young players trying to perfect the skill of bowling with both arms, Mendis played against England in one of their warm-up games and could make his full international debut.With the next men’s World T20 still more than two years away, there may not be many significant lessons to learn – but both teams, and an expected full house at the R Premadasa Stadium, will be hoping the weather doesn’t spoil their fun.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
England LWLWW

In the spotlight

After his barnstorming return to form in the fifth ODI, Kusal Mendis will be champing at the bit for another crack. A 30-ball fifty, which featured several imperious blows beyond the ropes, was pretty decent practice for shifting up into T20 gear – a format in which he has already made four half-centuries this year. Sri Lanka will be hoping that their foremost young batting talent can go into next month’s Test series with confidence fully replenished.Alex Hales was unable to capitalise on the opportunity afforded by Jonny Bairstow’s injury during the ODI series, making scores of 12 and 0, while his fielding has also come in for scrutiny – in the second Pallekele game, he managed to drop Dasun Shanaka for six. He has competition in the T20 side, too, after Buttler’s successful outings at opener. Having given up first-class cricket to focus on smacking the white ball, these are the moments he needs to seize.

Team news

Kusal Perera has not recovered from the quad strain he sustained during the second ODI, so Sadeera Samarawickrama has been added to the squad and will likely come into the XI. Kamindu has won his first senior call-up for Sri Lanka at 20, and he could compete with Dhananjaya de Silva for a spot. There has been some late news that Akila Dananjaya is also injured, which means Amila Aponso has been added to the squad, and could take his spot in the XI.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 2 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Thisara Perera (capt.), 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Amila Aponso, 11 Dushmantha ChameeraEngland have flown in Jordan but will otherwise pick from the same squad as for the ODIs. Several players missed training on Friday, however, including Joe Root, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone. Denly looks set to come in for his first England cap in over eight years, though he is unlikely to be given the top-order berth he occupies for Kent.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Alex Hales, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Denly, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Tom Curran

Pitch and conditions

The Premadasa was flat and full of runs for Tuesday’s ODI (during the Sri Lanka innings, at least) and they will be using a fresh surface – although that doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of spin. However, the weather once again looms as a major obstacle, with showers and thunderstorms likely to arrive over Colombo during the late afternoon/evening.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have lost three of their last four T20 outings in Colombo, including a penultimate ball defeat to Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy that led to a dressing room door being smashed.
• England have played two T20s at Khettarama, beating Afghanistan and losing to India during the 2012 World T20.
• Denly’s last international appearance came against Pakistan in Dubai in 2010. England promptly switched to the uncapped Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter as their opening combination and went on to win the World T20.
• Denly does however hold the distinction of being one of only 15 men to take a wicket with their first ball in international T20.

Quotes

“Kamindu played alongside with me for Colombo District in domestic cricket. We know what he is capable of. He’s a remarkable player – he can bowl with either hands and when a right-hand/left-hand combination is out in the middle, having him in the team is a big bonus for us. He is a good fielder and a good batsman as well.”
“The last ODI was a wake-up. I don’t recall the last time we were hit for 360 as a bowling unit or played so poorly with the bat. It was a big learning curve. It gave us a big kick up the arse. Hopefully we can right those wrongs on Saturday.”

An undercooked England side will go into their first day-night Test almost as pink as the ball in these conditions

George Dobell at Edgbaston15-Aug-20171:40

‘Grit your teeth and crack on’ – England prepare for the pink ball

An undercooked England side will go into their first day-night Test almost as pink as the ball in these conditions.While West Indies have already played a day-night Test – and had a warm-up match under lights on this tour – several of this England squad will be learning on their feet when this match starts. And with three day-night Tests in England’s schedule over the next few months (subject to confirmation from Auckland), they will need to learn fast.None of that is to suggest the initiative is a mistake. It has, in some ways, already proved itself a success with around 70,000 tickets sold over the first three days of the match. Had the novelty factor not been there, this match, against a side shorn of many of its best-known names, could have proved a desperately tough sell. In attracting a new audience to Test cricket – Warwickshire reckon more than a third of these ticket sales are to those who have not bought Test tickets previously – and allowing more people to watch the TV coverage after work, the authorities are to be congratulated on their attempt to keep the game relevant.But there are doubts. There are doubts over how comfortable it will be for people to sit outside in England in the final session, there are doubts over the durability of the pink ball and there are doubts over England’s readiness to use it.In a perfect world, England would have had more time to prepare for their first pink ball Test. While all players were made available for the round of County Championship lights played under these conditions at the end of June, many of those games were ruined by rain. So Jonny Bairstow, Tom Westley, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad and Mason Crane either didn’t bat or didn’t play at all, while Joe Root (who faced 13 balls) and Ben Stokes (who was dismissed for a duck) had limited opportunity to benefit from the experience.James Anderson, meanwhile, delivered 32 overs in Lancashire’s first innings against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. But even the man who might be England’s greatest swing bowler couldn’t persuade the old pink ball to move once it was 20 overs old. Perhaps, when twilight fell, there was a hint more assistance for the bowlers – or more trouble for the batsmen, anyway – but the evidence so far suggests the pink ball goes softer quicker than a red ball, is hard to buff and shine and, after those first few overs, won’t swing, conventionally, at least.Ben Stokes keeps his eye on the pink ball•Getty Images

The result? Fairly attritional cricket where neither batsmen nor bowler gain full value for their work. At Edgbaston, Andrew Umeed compiled the second slowest century (in terms of minutes) in the history of the County Championship. If those new to Test cricket are treated to any innings like that this week, they may be put off for life.It is not all bad, though. The black seam helps with the ball’s visibility, while the way in which that seam remains hard will encourage the bowlers even after the shine has gone. In trails towards the end of the 2016 season, the Dukes ball out-performed the Kookaburra comprehensively. The Kookaburra looked as if it had been a dog’s toy by the time is was 40 overs old.The Edgbaston groundsman, Gary Barwell, is reckoning upon a good, Test wicket offering true bounce and decent pace and carry. While it is not the same surface used for the Ashes Test of 2015 when Australia were bowled out for 136 on the opening day (that one was used for the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final here) it is only one pitch away on the square and he expects it to behave similarly.Chris Woakes, back with the England squad but far from sure to play, admitted the preparation – both in team and personal terms – had not been ideal. Ideally, Woakes would have liked at least one more Championship match before returning to Test cricket but the schedule – weighted, as it is, to T20 cricket at this time of year – does not allow and he has instead had to make-do with one Championship match and a few overs for the Warwickshire second team.”Monday night was the first time I’ve actually bowled with the pink ball,” Woakes said. “I suppose the more that we play with it the more we’ll learn about it but at the minute it’s a little bit of an unknown.”It would be nice to have a few more games under our belts. But I guess the nature of the beast is that we haven’t and we have to go out there and try to perform and react quickly to what the ball’s doing whether with ball in hand or bat.”While Woakes has not yet been informed whether he will play at his home ground, it seems probable he will have to wait a little longer for a return. He might add some pace to the attack, though, and his batting – he has made nine first-class centuries and made his Test debut as a No. 6 – might be considered good enough to allow him to play ahead of Dawid Malan and shuffle the middle-order up a space. England’s embarrassment of allrounders – suggestions as to what a collective of all-rounders should be is very welcome; a Sobers, maybe, or even a circumference? – gives them many options.The England coaching staff was, as usual, augmented by the presence of some familiar faces form the county game at training. Pierre de Bruyn, the Leicestershire coach, Tony Frost, the Warwickshire batting coach, and James Foster, the veteran Essex wicketkeeper, were among those involved in the fielding drills, while Somerset spinners, Jack Leach and Dominic Bess took a full part in training, though they did face the indignity of being picked last for the football match (teams were picked in a manner that would be familiar in school yards across the land) that precedes nets. Bess, an offspinner of rich potential, later spent some time working with Saqlain Mushtaq.

Alex Hales is getting closer to a treasured maiden Test hundred, but he will have to wait a while yet. He was on 94, only six runs short, when he fell only 10 minutes before tea at Lord’s

The Report by David Hopps12-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEngland would have had two main ambitions on a bedraggled fourth day at Lord’s. The first would have been to make incursions into Sri Lanka’s second innings to prepare a route to victory and a 3-0 clean sweep in the series; the second, a maiden Test hundred for Alex Hales. Neither eventuated as Sri Lanka continued to resist gamely in the final Test.Left with 12 overs to see out at the end of the day, Sri Lanka’s openers clipped 32 from the 362 needed for victory. Alastair Cook’s declaration at 233 for 7 was well judged, a touch more generous perhaps than if the series had been level. The pitch is a little uneven, but nothing excessive and, judging by the sober way Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva went about their work, Sri Lanka look in the mood to scrap every inch of the way.Hales is getting closer to a treasured first Test hundred, but he will have to wait a while yet. He was on 94, only six runs short, when he fell lbw only 10 minutes before tea, trying to turn Angelo Mathews quietly on the leg side. He reviewed umpire Rod Tucker’s decision, but it was with a wan expression from a man fearing the worst. Ball-tracking technology held that the ball would have struck the top of leg stump.

Smart stats

• 3 – 80-plus scores for Alex Hales in five innings in this series; his highest in eight innings in South Africa was 60

• 7 – England batsmen who have been dismissed in the 90s more often than Hales in all international cricket

• 7054 – Balls between sixes for Alastair Cook in Tests; his last one before the second innings at Lord’s was versus India in Kolkata in 2012

• 2009 – The last time, before the second innings of this match, that James Anderson didn’t bowl the first over of an innings: he bowled first change versus West Indies at Lord’s in 2009

• 2 – Instances, in the last 30 years, of teams scoring more than 310 in the fourth innings of a Lord’s Test – by Australia (406 in 2009) and India (397 in 2002)

With two 80s to his name in the series, Hales could at least console himself that he had done much to implant himself at the top of the order, his composed, if occasionally fortunate, innings providing more evidence that he can successfully adjust to the demands of the five-day game. Without repeated self-destruction against Sri Lanka’s spinners earlier in the series, he could have been basking in something even better.Rain had prevented a start until 2.40pm, but England held an overnight lead of 237 and, despite several more pesky showers, the day yielded 45 overs, enough to keep the Test meaningful.Hales’ composure held England’s second innings together, even if he was not without fortune. On 58, he suffered a replica of Joe Root’s dismissal the previous day – his off stump hit by a shooter from Nuwan Pradeep – only for umpire Tucker to call no-ball. TV replays suggested that Pradeep’s heel was behind the line on first impact, the umpire perhaps being fooled by the bowler’s foot slipping forward on landing.Understandable complaints that international umpires were ignoring repeated no-balls so that they could concentrate on events at the business end of the pitch seem to have caused a recent reassessment of that approach, but Tucker’s no-ball call for such a borderline delivery – a wrong call as it turned out – will not allay concerns that the system has become outdated in a TV age..With no chance under current regulations to use TV evidence to reverse the decision, Sri Lanka were understandably aggrieved. Those regulations were already due to be examined at the ICC annual meeting in Edinburgh later this month.Undiplomatically, Sri Lanka responded by hanging the national flag from the Lord’s balcony, which could either be regarded as a plucky statement to their players that they would fight on regardless of their mounting ill luck or, conversely, as an infantile gesture carrying the implication of umpiring bias. The request soon came through for them to take it down: Lord’s does not allow flags of any description, certainly not from dressing room balconies.Thilanga Sumathipala, SLC’s president, called the decision “unacceptable” and said: “It will be reported to the ICC. The flag is a symbol. It is a mark to say we are not happy with the decision. To show solidarity and fight back.”Sri Lanka also thought they might have had Hales on 45 when Shaminda Eranga brought one back to strike him on the top of the pad but umpire S Ravi’s not-out decision was upheld by virtue of “umpire’s call” on review.The breaks in Hales’ favour were fast adding up. In reaching 41 by Saturday’s close, he might have fallen on 19, if Karunaratne had clung on to a low chance to his left at second slip and again on 39, shortly before the close, when he glanced Pradeep down the leg side only for Dinesh Chandimal to grass the chance. There were no reports of draped flags then.Nevertheless, Hales had some dominant moments, too, none better than when he conquered Rangana Herath’s over-the-wicket attack into the rough by hoisting the left-arm spinner straight for six, then sweeping his next delivery for four.England did lose the nightwatchman Steven Finn, lbw to Eranga, clearing the way for Cook. His place at No. 7 was purely happenstance, and not due to regulations limiting a player’s place in the batting order after injury, explained by the fact that his mishap while fielding at silly point was regarded as an external injury.Cook showed no ill effects although he, too, flirted with the vagaries of the review system. On 6, Herath spun one back to hit his thigh, playing back, but replays showed the ball had struck him outside the line. Then, in Herath’s very next over, he was struck in line of off stump by another sharp spinner, but this Sri Lanka erroneously chose not to appeal the original not-out decision. Hawk-Eye would have sent the England captain on his way for 11.Cook’s unbeaten 49, batting at No. 7, including a deep midwicket six into the Mound Stand off Eranga – he had hit 10 previously in Tests – and surely his first attempted ramp shot. The latter felt a bit like tipsy dad on the dancefloor. Probably judging that was enough tomfoolery for one day, he then declared, no doubt returning to a dressing room where he commands so much respect that players can happily giggle at his adventure.

Even as England slid towards defeat at The Oval, there remained a thrilling sense of possibility in the air. Sadly, it was intermingled with the rain

Alan Gardner at Kia Oval12-Jun-20151:05

‘Duckworth-Lewis needs to evolve’ – Morgan

Even as England slid towards defeat at The Oval, there remained a thrilling sense of possibility in the air. Sadly, it was intermingled with the rain and when the umpires took the players off with a little more than six overs remaining, England seven wickets down and behind on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern, the boos from the crowd were not just because an evening’s entertainment was being curtailed – they carried with them a sense that England were being denied a chance of victory.England’s prospects had begun to look bleak when Eoin Morgan, who made 88 from 47 balls, was one of three wickets to fall in four overs, leaving England on 275 for 7, still 124 from victory. But Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett kept England in touch with the asking rate, until the point that rain began to fall with 54 required from 37 balls.When the players returned after a 50-minute delay, the equation had been reduced to 34 runs in 2.1 overs. Morgan said the message in the dressing room was “It’s our game to win” but despite Plunkett hitting England’s 14th six of the innings – equalling the record they set in the first ODI at Edgbaston on Tuesday – they eventually fell short.”Considering we got so close in the chase, it’s a little bit disappointing at the end,” Morgan said. “It’s a huge ask, not only to chase down 399 but to have 34 to chase in 13 balls, given that we set it up so deep, the guys were in and the momentum was with us – it was very disappointing that it did rain.”Asked if he thought that England had got the worst of the DLS method – an updated version of the original Duckworth-Lewis formula that was first used at the World Cup – Morgan indicated he thought the system could still produce unsatisfactory results. “I think it happens a lot in T20 cricket, probably not so much in 50-over cricket,” he said, “but I think as the game evolves as it has done, particularly in 50-over cricket, Duckworth-Lewis could be looked at.”Ross Taylor, who scored an unbeaten century as New Zealand piled up 398 for 5 in their 50 overs, said that the break had certainly helped his side, as they held their nerve when the teams got back out to level the series at 1-1.”When we did come off it was probably slightly in our favour, they still would have had to have batted very well,” Taylor said. “But definitely the rain did help us out, coming in and needing 34 off 2.1 overs, it’s a tough ask. The way Plunkett and Rashid batted, got themselves back in the game with a crucial partnership, if the rain didn’t come it could have been a different story.”Despite defeat, there were further encouraging signs for England after their 210-run victory earlier in the week. An 85-run opening stand between Jason Roy and Alex Hales got the innings off to a flying start, before Morgan provided further proof of his improved form during exhilarating partnerships of 63 with Ben Stokes and 96 with Jos Buttler.Morgan, electricity crackling through him as he repeatedly struck the spin of Nathan McCullum and Mitchell Santner over the ropes, was on course to smash the record for England’s fastest one-day hundred when he fell. That England, who will assess the fitness of Chris Jordan after he suffered a side strain while bowling, got so close was down to the sense of freedom – most notably with the bat – that Morgan said made up for the side’s relative inexperience.”We’re enjoying this brand of cricket and certainly having the guys in the changing room to play in that way naturally – not making it such a big deal,” Morgan said. “The guys are quite young, I think Liam Plunkett’s the oldest at 30, so there’s a huge amount of potential and talent to work with. That’s great for any captain and backroom staff.”