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Lanka Post 319 On Board To Put South Africa On Backfoot

The word is taboo in South African cricket. The cricketers take great pains to shelve the persistent queries, the fans live in denial, and for days now, the local media here has been steadily building up the Champions Trophy steam by portraying Graeme Smiths men as the favourites. Cover stories in magazines have harped on how this generation of South African cricketers are used to success when it matters most. On how the knack of faltering at crucial stages in the biggest events is no more an issue. The repeated emphasis is a pointer. Choke is never far away from South African cricketing minds.
On Tuesday, Graeme Smith and his men carved another opportunity for the naysayers to sharpen their knives as they found themselves having to chase down a mammoth 320 under lights as Tillekeratne Dilshan (106 off 92 balls; 16×4, 1×6), Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara dutifully refused to look the gift horse in the mouth and helped Sri Lanka pile on a massive total in the opener, after Graeme Smith opted to bowl first on a dryish wicket. At the time of going to press, SA were 34 for one in 8.2 overs, with Kallis and Smith holding fort.

Tilakratne dilshan

Even the pleasing turnout, which would have calmed organizers wary about the drawing power of One-day cricket, could not propel South Africa to shed the rust as they bowled badly and made their skippers decision seem farcical. It all began when the promising Wayne Parnell was carted around and even though Jayasuriya fell early, the first 10 overs had yielded 70 and South Africas best were running out of answers . Sangakkara and Jayawardene accumulated with ease as Dilshan took control , capitalizing on the wayward lengths and width offered to exhibit his full array of innovative strokeplay.
Morkel went for 16 in one over, Parnell ended as badly as he had begun, gifting away 15 in the batting Powerplay with six overs remaining and even spearhead Dale Steyn, who ended with 3/47 off his 10, will be looking to raise his game a notch as he gets into the groove. SA went in with two spinners but with Muralitharan and Mendis both playing, an extraordinary batting effort needed to be made by the hosts.
AB De Villiers had recently harped on how important it was for the South African team to finish well in big ICC events rather than just start off with a bang, and the team now has ample opportunity. Can they chase down the total and keep skeptics away for a while

Led by a blazing century from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a brace of cameos, the world’s No. 5 team started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style by beating the top-ranked side. Graeme Smith’s decision to field was based on the lack of dew in the afternoon but none of the bowlers, barring Dale Steyn, made an impression. Dilshan’s 92-ball 106, coupled with significant inputs from captains past and present, lifted them to a daunting total that was well beyond South Africa.

Sri Lanka carried the energy from their powerful batting display into the field and Ajantha Mendis, unlike the home side’s spinners, extracted bounce and turn under lights. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis showed signs of dominance with an 81-run stand in quick time but once Smith was bowled off Mendis’ first delivery, and Kallis and JP Duminy fell in successive balls, Sri Lanka could apply the chokehold.

Tilkaratane Dilshan

Smith had a smile on his face when the toss went his way and Steyn nipped out Sanath Jayasuriya, but it was soon replaced by a frown. In a 158-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, who provided solid support with 54 from 74 balls, Dilshan played anchor and aggressor in equal measure. The first to feel Dilshan’s force was Wayne Parnell, preferred to Makhaya Ntini; he struggled to hit a consistent length and went for 39 in five overs. It was a recurring trend in those early overs, Parnell dragging the ball down and Dilshan finding the deep point and midwicket boundaries. Albie Morkel was thrashed for 22 in two overs as Sri Lanka reached 100 in the 13th over.

The onslaught forced Smith, who refused to delay the Powerplay, to turn to his spin pair to try and stop the destruction. The pair stemmed the flow of boundaries but lacked bite and Sri Lanka ticked along at over six an over. Dabs, drives, flicks, shots off angled bats, and punches all evaded fielders and Sangakkara brought up his first half-century since February. He fell to an innocuous delivery from Duminy, after which Dilshan’s boundary blasting – he hit 16 fours and a six – ended when he slashed the first ball of Steyn’s return over to third man.

Sri Lanka used the platform extremely well and crossed 300 thanks largely to Mahela Jayawardene’s 77 off 61. He was his usual deft self: cutting, nudging and pushing into the gaps with excellent timing. His feet constantly moved as he made room to create singles and, with Thilan Samaraweera playing in a similar vein, Sri Lanka pressed ahead. Before South Africa knew it Jayawardene was on 41 off 40 balls – the majority of those runs coming from controlled paddles and sweeps – and the stage was set for a late surge; the final ten overs cost 85. Parnell gave some respectability to his figures by dismissing Jayawardene and Samaraweera in successive deliveries though by then Sri Lanka were 297 for 5 in the 47th over.

Prime Numbers 5The number of times Sri Lanka have beaten South Africa in South Africa. In 18 ODIs, they have lost 12 and tied one. 54.90Tillakaratne Dilshan’s ODI average in 2009. In 12 innings he has scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 98.53, with two centuries and two fifties. 158The partnership for the second wicket between Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, which is Sri Lanka’s third-highest in the Champions Trophy. It fell only seven short of equalling the record, of 165, between Upul Tharanga and Sangakkara against Zimbabwe in 2006. 24The number of times Sri Lanka have scored 300 or more in the first innings of an ODI. Out of those 24 instances, they’ve lost only once, against India in the 2008 Asia Cup. 79The number of runs conceded by Wayne Parnell, which is among the most by a South African in a home game. Only six times has a bowler conceded more.

Chasing more than a run a ball from the start, South Africa needed a strong platform. They were in early trouble when Hashim Amla was cleaned up by Angelo Mathews off an inside edge in the third over. Kallis joined Smith, looking leaner having shed a few kilos, and the pair milked the wayward Nuwan Kulasekara, who seemed to have contracted Parnell’s problem of bowling short. Kallis was quick to punish him and Kulasekara’s fifth over went for 14, with Smith particularly strong through the off side.

While Smith danced down the track at will and shuffled about to unsettle the fast bowlers, Kallis chose to clip the ball sweetly from the crease. Smith looked increasingly confident at the crease, but playing for a Mendis offbreak he missed one that skidded and hurried on and had his leg stump pegged back.

Mendis had again proved a valuable go-to man for his captain by ending the flourishing partnership. Smith’s bullish start hinted at the possibility of a Dilshan-style ambush, but inside four overs Mendis ripped the heart out of the batting order. Kallis showed glimpses of his class in compiling a brisk 41 before he was excellently caught at mid-off by a tumbling Mathews. Next ball, Duminy was castled by a flipper.

The required run-rate was already above seven at 113 for 4 in the 21st over, placing too much pressure on the rest of the order. Lasith Malinga, having bowled just one over at the start, returned to dismiss AB de Villiers and later snapped a gung-ho stand between Morkel and Johan Botha before rain interrupted the chase. At that stage Sri Lanka were well in command, and were later adjudged deserved winners.

Sri Lanka had previously lost only once after posting a 300-plus total in one-day internationals and, led by Mendis, the masters of asphyxiation struck. Adapting to early-season South African conditions superbly, Sri Lanka have taken the lead in showing that Asian teams are a force to be reckoned with in this tournament. South Africa, frustratingly, have shown again why their ability in multi-team tournaments has long been questioned.

After many hurdles the much awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2009 will begin in South Africa, Initialy the Tournament was supposed to be held in Pakistan last year, but since the situation in Pakistan and the recent terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan Team forced the  ICC to shift the venue to South Africa.

The South Africans start favourites to win the Champions trophy however its interesting to note that they have lost two World Cup semi-finals, one World Twenty20 semi-final, and three Champions Trophy semi-finals so far. They have been so near yet so far from winning a major ICC Event

Head to Head:

South Africa lead 5-1  on Sri Lanka in ICC events.
SriLankan Murali, with 23 wickets, is the highest wicket-taker in Champions Trophy history.

South Africa and Sri Lanka have faced each other only two times in the  Champions Trophy.Both the matches have been won by South Africa.

Pitch and conditions

SuperSport Park at the Centurian has  a seating capacity of 20,000, is known to have the best ‘Player facilities’. Indian legend Kapil Dev rates this ground as one of the 10 best grounds in the world.

South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Roelof van der Merwe/Wayne Parnell, 9 Johan Botha, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Dale Steyn.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Pakistan’s strategy was clear from the outset – step out and whack. The difficulties the home batsmen faced under lights in the two ODIs didn’t deter Pakistan’s top order as they regularly went down the track to smother the slightest hint of seam movement. Kamran Akmal’s first-ball dismissal turned out to be no more than a scare as Pakistan stuck to their gameplan.

Afridi wasn’t very convincing at the start of his innings, slashing and swishing at deliveries far too early. He also survived a very confident shout for lbw off Muttiah Muralitharan, with the ball appearing to turn enough to clip the leg stump. As he got his eye in, though, the shots flew off his bat. He chipped down the track to Murali and carved them inside out over extra cover but the shot of the evening was a stylish one-legged whip off Malinga that cleared the deep midwicket boundary.

There was a bit of drama in between when he claimed an overthrow after the throw from Mahela Jayawardene deflected off his body. Tempers flared for a few seconds but, unlike what happened between Younis Khan and Kumar Sangakkara in the fifth ODI, the issue was quickly settled.

Umar too carried on from where he left off in the one-dayers, using his feet to clear the infield. His stand with Afridi yielded 66 in a little more than seven overs but he fell off a tame top edge while attempting a cheeky paddle off Angelo Mathews.

Afridi fell shortly after getting to his third consecutive fifty in Twenty20s, failing to clear Kulasekara at long-off. Abdul Razzaq then finished the innings with a cameo and Pakistan appeared at that stage that they had enough to push the Sri Lankans once more.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Udawatte began the chase at a rate of nearly ten an over. Jayasuriya entertained in typical fashion with his trademark flicks but failed to put away a short delivery off Mohammad Aamer, miscuing him to fine leg. Udawatte failed to make the most of his recall, trapped lbw off Naved-ul-Hasan though he was a trifle unlucky as the ball pitched fractionally outside leg.

The middle order’s failure to contribute hurt them once more. Sangakkara and Jayawardene entertained, albeit briefly, with almost nonchalant shots over the ropes but they failed to put together that one big partnership to nail the chase. The pressure was on because the boundaries were few and far between. Sri Lanka managed just six fours, while Pakistan hit 19.

Afridi rushed through his overs, denying the batsmen too much room. When Jayawardene backed away to push the ball into the gaps, Afridi slipped in the googly and cramped him up. He conceded 21 runs and bagged the wicket of Chamara Kapugedera, well caught at midwicket by Naved.

The most incisive bowler was Ajmal, who bagged three wickets. In contrast to Afridi, he was much slower through the air, making the batsmen reach out for their strokes. Their attempts to take out their frustrations on him led to tame dismissals, like Sangakkara’s, sweeping against the turn.

With the specialists gone, Sri Lanka’s last hopes rested on Angelo Mathews but he too was sent scampering back by a direct hit from Afridi.

In the end, Sri Lanka’s defeat will be analysed through one critical statistic. While Pakistan’s fourth wicket added 66, Sri Lanka’s last eight managed only 49.

A hostile Mohammad Aamer and an inconsistent-but-smart Naved-ul-Hasan sent Sri Lanka crashing to what was very nearly their worst-ever ODI defeat at home. Naved earlier gave Pakistan’s total a boost with hefty hitting in the final overs, after Pakistan had threatened to let half-centuries from Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq go to waste. Sri Lanka however, took the series having already won the first three matches.

This was also the 10th straight time that a side batting first won at the R Premadasa Stadium. It can’t be ascertained if it was just the conditions, but the Pakistan pace bowlers were way better than their Sri Lankan counterparts. Aamer and Naved got more movement, and demonstrated better control and variation.

Aamer set the agenda with the first ball, a brute that injured Upul Tharanga’s middle finger. Even if the finger wasn’t broken, the spirit was as he played and missed at an away-swinger next. The third ball, short and climbing into Tharanga, duly produced the edge. Even before the returning Sanath Jayasuriya could cause any damage, Naved flummoxed him with a superb slower delivery, putting the onus squarely on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

They added 35 in 37 deliveries, targeting Naved, before the veteran bowler fooled Sangakkara too with a slower one. Even before Sri Lanka could recover from that blow, Jayawardene edged an angling delivery from Aamer, finishing the match – at 58 for 4 – for all practical purposes.

Aamer and Naved, though, proceeded to take out whatever life remained in the contest. Aamer did away with Chamara Kapugedera and Angelo Mathews in his next two overs, while Naved came back to take out Nuwan Kaulasekara and Dammika Prasad. Kulasekara’s dismissal was a splendid effort by Misbah, diving forward at first slip, giving him his third catch of the innings. Aamer finished with a career-best effort and Naved reached 100 wickets in ODIs.

Thilina Kandamby and Malinga Bandara delayed the inevitable, but the record for the highest successful chase at the Premadasa Stadium never really came under threat. That Pakistan got to that total was largely due to the responsible fifties from Younis and Misbah.

After an 83-run stand between Younis and Misbah for the fourth wicket, Pakistan lost three quick wickets, making them reassess the total they aimed for, but Naved’s late hitting made sure they felt confident going into the defence.

Throughout their disastrous tour Younis has spoken about the importance of partnerships. Today he was involved in three valuable ones. The first one started after the first ball of the match, when umpire Gamini Silva welcomed back Nuwan Kulasekara by missing a thick inside edge from Kamran Akmal, and giving Sri Lanka a bonus wicket.

Younis was sedate to begin with, enjoying a ferocious start from Iman Nazir from the other end. Nazir, playing his second match since his comeback from the ICL, raced to 35 from 21 balls in the first seven overs, as Prasad’s first three overs went for 30. Sangakkara then took a gamble, bringing on Mendis in the eighth over. The Pakistan batsmen have been exceptional in playing Mendis, looking to play him straight as often as possible, but Nazir went to turn the second ball he faced from him to midwicket, paying the price as he was trapped plumb in front.

Younis found the perfect partner in Mohammad Yousuf, who did the majority of the scoring in the 68-run third-wicket partnership. But by the time Yousuf fell for 43, Younis looked set to convert the slow start.

Younis, 13 off 39 at one stage, had started accelerating and along with Misbah, who also started fluently, Younis threatened to take Pakistan past 300. It was a typical Younis knock – a slow start, an increase in the number of singles and doubles in the middle portions, and only a few boundaries. Without a flurry of hits to the fence, Younis got 37 off the next 32 balls he faced, to reach his second fifty in a row.

If Younis was playing an ideal middle-order ODI innings, Misbah at the other end started to mirror him, rotating the strike with ease. His first boundary came off the 25th ball, but he had reached 19 by then. He looked to dominate against the spinners, Jayasuriya and Bandara, getting three boundaries, and by the time the ball was changed after 34 overs, Pakistan had reached 186 for 3. With the slightly newer ball, Sangakkara brought back Prasad.

Younis’ fall to a yorker from Prasad was followed by two more quick wickets, at which point Misbah took control and set himself to bat through the innings. He got good support from Naved, who hit two huge sixes and a boundary in the batting Powerplay, also the last five overs of the innings. Naved scored 33 off 29, Pakistan got 46 in the last five, and Misbah finished with an unbeaten 73.

ICC Champions Trophy will give Dhoni’s team the chance to take over as number-one ODI side in the world

Australia slips to third position and England jumps two spots to fourth as New Zealand drops to fifth and Pakistan sixth following annual update

Shakib Al Hasan goes to third position in bowling rankings as Kumar Sangakkara returns to top 10 batsmen

India has moved up to second place on the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table following the annual update.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team has jumped ahead of Australia and is now just one ratings point behind number-one-ranked South Africa after the adjustment.

The annual update is carried out to ensure the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table continues to reflect recent form with older results being discarded.

The table reflects all ODIs between the teams represented on the table that took place since 1 August two years ago. All matches played until the start of next August will be added to this table, so by then the ratings will be based on three years of results and, over those three years, matches played in the most recent year will carry most weight.

Next August the first year of results will be dropped and this pattern is repeated each August, with the oldest of the three years of results removed to be gradually replaced with results of matches played over the following 12 months.

Thus, once a year, the rankings change overnight without any new ODIs necessarily being played. India’s rise in this year’s update reflects its outstanding record during the past 12 months and also the dropping of a much poorer set of results in the year ending July 2007.

England has fared well as a result of the update as it rises two places from sixth to fourth spot in the latest team rankings. As a consequence, New Zealand falls from fourth to fifth position with Pakistan dropping to sixth spot after losing the first two of the ongoing ODI series in Sri Lanka.

Indeed, if Younus Khan’s team loses the next ODI in Dambulla on Monday, it will fall below Sri Lanka into seventh spot albeit with an immediate chance to retake sixth place in the fourth and fifth ODIs of the series.

Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara has returned to the top 10 of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after helping his side to victory in the first and second ODIs of the current series against Pakistan.

The news is not so good for Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan who slips two places to 15th position while his team-mate Shoaib Malik and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya also lose ground to joint-19th spot.

Their loss is India’s and New Zealand’s gain, however, as Gautam Gambhir and Ross Taylor both move up to joint-17th position in the latest rankings.

The batting list is still headed by the Indian duo of Dhoni in first place and Yuvraj Singh in second position. Australia’s Michael Hussey is currently third.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan continues his rise up the rankings and has gained two more places to third in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers. Shakib has benefited from the fact that Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralidaran has slipped two spots in the latest rankings and now sits in fifth position.

The other main mover in the top 20 of the bowling list is Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, who drops three places to 12th position after the first matches of the ongoing series in Sri Lanka.

Afridi’s woes also extend to the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders as the 29-year-old slips one place to fourth with Shakib still the man in possession of number-one position.

New Zealand’s Jacob Oram benefits from Afridi’s slip, moving up two places to third position. Afridi’s team-mate Shoaib Malik has dropped out of the top five, slipping four places to seventh spot in the all-rounders’ list. Australia’s James Hopes moves into fifth position as a consequence.

Sanath Jayasuriya blazed away briefly as only he can, but the loss of two wickets in an over, one of them to a silly run-out, pushed Sri Lanka back as they sought to chase down 169 for victory. There was another fine spell from the 17-year-old Mohammad Aamer, who had earlier top-scored with the bat, and when Mahela Jayawardene slapped a long hop from Shahid Afridi to short midwicket, Pakistan were beginning to scent an unlikely success.

sangkara

Jayasuriya had flayed Abdul Razzaq over cover to get going, and two short deliveries were summarily dismissed with short-arm pulls. Upul Tharanga was far from comfortable again though, and when Aamer tempted him into a half-hearted drive, Nasir Jamshed held on at slip.

 Jayasuriya then survived a strong shout for leg-before from Aamer, before Umar Gul was greeted with a miscued pull for four. With Kumar Sangakkara struggling though, the run rate dropped, and a moment of madness between two experienced pros gave Pakistan a route back into the game. Jayasuriya pushed one to mid-off, but half-set off, but when he stopped, Sangakkara was still haring down without looking.

 Two balls later, Jayasuriya carved one to deep point, where Umar Akmal held his nerve to hold a difficult catch. Chamara Kapugedera eased the pressure somewhat with two lovely strokes through the covers, but Jayawardene’s exit left the game beautifully poised going into the final stretch. 

 Sri Lanka made best use of winning the toss, routing a remodelled Pakistani batting line-up on a blustery and overcast morning in Dambulla. Once again, the pace bowlers were to the fore, with Thilan Thushara taking 3 for 33, and but for a 38-run stand between Abdul Razzaq and Umar Gul, even a three-figure total might have been beyond Pakistan. Muttiah Muralitharan chipped in later in the innings, but a fighting last-wicket partnership of 40 stretched the innings to 47 overs.

 Pakistan had made two changes from the side that lost by 36 runs two days earlier, but they started disastrously. Nasir Jamshed, who had come in along with Umar Akmal at the expense of Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq, sparred at a Nuwan Kulasekara delivery that was moving away from him, and Mahela Jayawardene took a smart catch over his head at second slip.

 Kamran Akmal eased a couple of lovely drives in front of the wicket, but any thought of consolidation disappeared as two wickets fell with the score on 21. First, Akmal edged one that slanted across him for Thilan Samaraweera to take an excellent tumbling catch at first slip, and then Shoaib Malik was unfortunate to be given out leg-before after being struck high on the pad. Two wickets for Thushara, and Sri Lanka right on top.

 On a green-tinged pitch where the ball darted around, Younis Khan was in all sorts of strife against Lasith Malinga and it was left to Umar to highlight his potential with a couple of fluent drives on either side of the wicket. But soon after drinks, Sri Lanka struck again, with Umar flailing at a wide one from Angelo Mathews. Kumar Sangakkara held on to that chance, and when Thushara came back for a sixth over and had Fawad Alam top-edging a cut behind, Pakistan were once again facing acute batting embarrassment.

 Younis found it tough to turn the strike over, facing 73 balls for his 23, and his dismissal was as tame as the innings itself, chipping Murali to midwicket. Shahid Afridi had been held back, but it didn’t prove a successful gambit as a big heave off Murali went only as far as deep square leg.

 Razzaq and Gul kept the bowlers at bay for 10 overs without making a big dent on the scoreboard, but again, Sri Lanka shut off the escape route. This time, it was brilliant fielding, with Malinga Bandara, the substitute fielder, catching Gul short with a direct hit from gully. Razzaq then slapped Sanath Jayasuriya to long-on, and it was left to Mohammad Aamer, who showed impressive commitment once again, and Saeed Ajmal to steer the side past 150. On a bowler-friendly surface, it gave them a glimmer of a chance.

The Tests delivered the promise of riveting cricket, at a time when the game’s traditional format was under threat. Now save your appetite for the one-dayers. The selling point of the series comes from the visitor’s camp. It marks the return of two exciting players from the ICL, who have been in heavy demand from loyal Pakistan followers to give the team a facelift – Imran Nazir and Naved-ul-Hasan. The other player from the ICL, Abdul Razzaq, had already started his rebirth as an international player in the World Twenty20 but was kept out of the Tests and Mohammad Yousuf too made a stirring comeback in the Tests.

Both teams are at a rebuilding stage, with the 2011 World Cup in mind. The Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, highlighted that on the eve of the opening ODI in Dambulla, as it gives a chance for his team to experiment before arriving at the right combination. Instead of trying out new blood, both teams have handed comebacks to old faces, Thilan Samaraweera being a prime example from the home team. Tillakaratne Dilshan’s temporary absence may come as a blessing in disguise for them as it’s an opportunity for another attacking opener to fill the breach. After all, Sri Lanka cannot depend on Sanath Jayasuriya forever.

They will be up against the team which thumped them fairly convincingly the last time they met in the limited-overs format – the ICC World Twenty20. Where will the pendulum swing this time?

Watch out for…

Upul Tharanga: With Dilshan bandaged and ruled out for the first couple of ODIs at least, Tharanga’s spot at the top is more or less guaranteed. Holding his place once Dilshan returns will be his challenge. He last played an ODI during the tour of Bangladesh earlier this year but was overlooked for the series against Pakistan and India. His performance in the warm-up game in Kurunegala on Monday was inauspicious – he was out for a first-ball duck. Tharanga is a tried and tested player who’s had success in the past and if he backs himself, he should manage some substantial scores, focus on building an innings and leave the power hitting to Jayasuriya.

Imran Nazir: He was the people’s favourite not too long ago and still is. Trawl through the comments from readers in Cricinfo’s recent stories and blogs on Pakistan and Nazir features almost everywhere. He was the most-wanted player from the ICL and for a good reason too. He smacked an unbeaten 111 off 44 balls to guide Lahore Badshahs to the ICL title last November and fans realised just how much they missed him. Pakistan can look forward to the exciting opening duo of Nazir and Kamran Akmal.

Sri Lanka’s new one-day kit: Hopefully the dawn of a new era, after three consecutive series defeats at home.

Team news

Dilhara Fernando was added at the last minute as cover for the injury-prone Lasith Malinga. Sangakkara didn’t reveal the exact combination and said that Samaraweera and Thilina Kandamby were in the mix.

Sri Lanka: (likely)  Upul Tharanga,  Sanath Jayasuriya,Kumar Sangakkara (capt and wk), Mahela Jayawardene,  Thilina Kandamdy/Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera,  Thilan Thushara,  Nuwan Kulasekara,  Lasith Malinga/Dilhara Fernando,  Muttiah Muralitharan

Pakistan have an embarrassment of riches and the competition for places has shot up. Will Yousuf walk in, and if he does, at whose expense? There was no word on a possible debut for Umar Akmal, who smashed an unbeaten 103 off 76 balls in Kurunegala.

Pakistan: (likely)  Kamran Akmal (wk) Imran Nazir,  Younis Khan,  Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik,  Misbah-ul-Haq/ Mohammad Yousuf,  Abdul Razzaq,  Umar Gul,  Naved-ul-Hasan,  Saeed Ajmal/ Mohammad Aamer

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan is the only team with a positive win-loss record against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka: in 21 ODIs they have won ten and lost nine. Since 2000, though, they have lost five and won three against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.
• Teams batting first have won only five out of 13 day games in Dambula. The last four day matches here have all been won by the team batting second.
• Sri Lanka’s main batsmen have had a tough time in Dambulla. Sangakkara averages less than 29 in 20 innings, while Jayasuriya has only two 50-plus scores in 18 innings.
• Both Sangakkara and Jayawardene haven’t managed a half-century at home against Pakistan in 15 ODI innings. Sangakkara’s highest in eight innings is an unbeaten 36, while Jayawardene’s best in seven innings is 49.
• Muralitharan has enjoyed the conditions in Dambulla, taking 33 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 15.36 at an economy rate of 3.46 runs per over.

Quotes

“You are never sure as to whether they will be explosive or be destructive. Sometimes they are a hard side to play, all the more so we should be thinking about our game a lot more that we should about theirs.”
Kumar Sangakkara on Pakistan

“We are aware of Sri Lanka’s strength we must stick to our basics every day and in every game. Sri Lanka’s fielding is fantastic and they have the upper hand in fielding. If we field like we did in the Twenty20 we can provide good competition.”

Gautam Gambhir’s stay at the top of the ICC Test batsmen ranking lasted just 10 days as Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara grabbed the
coveted position from the Indian opener on Saturday.

Gambhir had replaced Pakistani run-machine Mohammad Yousuf as the number one Test batsmen on July 15 but Sangakkara’s match-saving 130 run innings in the third Test against Pakistan propelled him to the top.

By virtue of his performance in the third and final Test against Pakistan, the 31-year-old Sri Lankan wicket-keeper gained two places to secure the number one position with 862 points while Gambhir followed him with 847 points.

Apart from Gambhir, no other Indian finds a place in the top-10 chart and the next in the list is Sachin Tendulakar, who dropped a place to find himself in the 15th spot.

Among Indian bowlers, Harbhajan Singh has dropped a spot to the sixth while Zaheer Khan gained one rung to be ninth.

South African Dale Steyn leads the bowlers chart, followed by Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan and Aussie pacer Mitchell Johnson.

Meanwhile, there was no change in the top-five of the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders with South African Jacques Kallis still leading the pack, followed by Johnson and New Zealand captain Daniel

Kumar Sangakkara hit an unbeaten century to wrestle Sri Lanka to a draw in the final Test against Pakistan here on Friday and win his first series as captain.
The left-hander made 130 not out as Sri Lanka, faced with a world record target of 492, rebeled the Pakistani bowlers to finish with 391-4 on the fifth day at the Sinhalese sports club. The rock solid Sangakaras  19th Test century featured a fourth-wicket stand of 122 with Thilan Samaraweera (73) and 114 for the unbroken fifth with Angelo Mathews (64 not out).
Sri Lanka clinched the series 2-0 , their first at home against Pakistan after five unsuccessful attempts, and provided Sangakkara with a winning start as captain after he took over from Mahela Jayawardene in April.
Sangakkara hung on for nearly seven hours on a placid pitch to frustrate Pakistans bid to record a face-saving win ahead of the five-match One-day series starting at Dambulla on July 30. No team has achieved this high a target in the fourth innings to win a Test match. The highest successful chase so far is 418-7 by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003. The two teams went into the last session of the match with Sri Lanka needing 154 runs from a possible 38 overs to record a record-breaking win and Pakistan requiring six wickets.
The hosts gave an indication they would prefer to settle for a draw when they made just 76 runs from 26 overs in the two hours after lunch. The final session, watched by some 3,000 home fans, provided dull cricket from both sides as the batsmen plodded along and the bowlers set defensive fields to ensure the run-rate did not pick up. Play was finally called off when 15 overs remained with Sri Lanka needing a further 101 runs. It was the first time in the series that play went into the fifth day after the tourists lost the first Test in four days and the second in three. Sangakkara and Samaraweera , who resumed the day at 183-3 , batted through the morning session to take Sri Lanka to 262 without further loss by lunch.