Lasith Malinga made available to Mumbai Indians after SLC change of heart

Lasith Malinga will now be available for Mumbai Indians through the entirety of April, with Sri Lanka Cricket granting the paceman permission to skip the domestic Super Provincial One-Day Tournament, which he was earlier expected to take part in. However, Malinga is keen to participate in the domestic tournament, because, as Sri Lanka's limited-overs captain, he wants to have a close look at some of the players that are likely to feature in the World Cup squad.

In a statement on Tuesday, SLC said that the decision to release Malinga was because "he would get an opportunity to play with much stronger opposition in the IPL tournament, which consist of international players."

Malinga told ESPNcricinfo that he would consult the Mumbai Indians management on whether he would be allowed to participate in the domestic one-day tournament, which is likely to be played between April 4 to 11, although the SLC has not yet released the final schedule for the tournament.

"As the captain of the Sri Lanka ODI team, I also think it is important to play the provincial tournament, because I will also be able to see our players in action first hand"

LASITH MALINGA

"I'm very thankful to the board for having released me for the full IPL," Malinga said. "But as the captain of the Sri Lanka ODI team, I also think it is important to play the provincial tournament, because I will also be able to see our players in action first hand. I will go to Mumbai and I'll talk to the management there about getting released to play the provincial tournament."

Malinga will now join the Mumbai team, and is likely to be available for selection for their next match, away against Royal Challengers Bangalore, on Thursday. In case Malinga does return to Sri Lanka to play in the domestic one-dayers, he might leave after the April 3 match against Chennai Super Kings and miss about three matches in case his team - Galle - reach the final.

Incidentally, it was only last week the SLC had a very different view on Malinga's participation in the IPL. Last Friday, the SLC had stipulated that Malinga must play in the weeklong provincial one-day tournament in Sri Lanka in order to be considered for selection in the World Cup squad. But the board climbed down from that position over the weekend, until the final decision to allow Malinga to skip the provincial tournament in its entirety.

The SLC decision comes on the back of intervention from BCCI, which wanted to ensure maximum availability of prominent overseas players in the IPL at least in the first half. Before the player auction in December, all the international boards had already notified the BCCI about the cut-off dates for their players to be released from the IPL. Barring New Zealand and West Indies, players from rest of the World Cup-participating countries would be leaving the IPL early to take part in preparatory camps or ODI series in the lead-up to the World Cup.

Although there is some dissatisfaction on the Malinga issue within the board (at least one official believes Malinga used his contacts in India to get the BCCI to campaign for his release from the domestic tournament in Sri Lanka), the board's decision is a reflection of the power the BCCI wields. Not only is SLC heavily reliant on India tours for broadcast income, the board is also hoping for the BCCI's support with the launch of the Lankan Premier League, which is tentatively scheduled for September.

Even if Malinga doesn't play in the domestic tournament, he may yet be required to cut his IPL stint short in May, when Sri Lanka's World Cup squad assembles for a pre-tournament camp. Sri Lanka are expected to undertake several weeks of acclimatisation and training in Scotland, ahead of the World Cup in England and Wales.

Former Australia spinner Bruce Yardley dies aged 71

Bruce Yardley, the former Australian spin bowler, coach and commentator, has died in far north Western Australia after a prolonged fight with cancer at the age of 71.

Starting his cricketing life as one of many swing and seam bowlers in WA, Yardley found his niche after converting to off-breaks spun idiosyncratically from his right middle and ring fingers, first earning Test selection in the summer of 1977-78 during the World Series Cricket split that spirited away a host of Australian players to Kerry Packer's breakaway competition.

Not immediately successful for Australia, Yardley gradually improved as a bowler generating turn and bounce from a long, angled run-up and high action, while also smiting the intimidating West Indian attack for a memorable, 29-ball half century in a Test at Barbados in 1978 - a tour on which he was also called, once, for throwing in the tour match against Jamaica.

The following season he turned out for Graeme Yallop's "lambs to the slaughter" against England, and notably took the old ball for the start of the second innings of the final Test of the series at the SCG, as Yallop stretched the game's laws by opting not to take a new ball, much to the indignation of his opposite number, Mike Brearley.

Yardley returned to state ranks when Packer and the Australian Cricket Board reached a compromise ahead of the 1979-80 season, having toured India ahead of the home summer.

A season later, however, Yardley returned as the nation's No. 1 spinner, and enjoyed three summers in the national spotlight from 1980 to 1983.

The most striking of these was 1981-82, when he plucked no fewer than 38 wickets in six home Tests against Pakistan and the West Indies, winning a cult following for the quality of his bowling and the infectiousness nature of his celebrations, his fielding at gully and his pesky lower order batting. These feats earned him the crown of International Cricketer of the Year, and he also winkled out 13 New Zealand wickets in three Tests across the Tasman.

Yardley was to fall out of favour with the national selectors in 1983 despite taking seven wickets against Sri Lanka in his final Test, and retired from the game in 1985, though he returned to represent Western Australia in 1989-90.

Following the end of his playing days, Yardley coached both close to home for Midland Guildford in Perth club cricket, and further afield as the national team coach of Sri Lanka from 1996 to 1998, where he was a noted advocate for Muttiah Muralitharan and a defender of his bowling action in contrast to many of his countrymen.

He also coached and commentated internationally, before battling cancer back home in Western Australia, where he died at Kununurra District Hospital.

"Bruce was a significant figure in Australian cricket, contributing in many ways on and off the field," Cricket Australia's chief executive Kevin Roberts said. ​"As a player, it took him more than ten years of persistence playing First-Class and Premier cricket to find the art of off-spin, earning him a Test debut at the age of 30.

​"Bruce's bowling dominates his career highlights with 126 Test wickets, holding the mantle as Australia's most successful Test off-spinner before being surpassed by Nathan Lyon. He was also an excellent fielder and handy batter, holding the record for the quickest Test fifty for 38 years.

​"Off the field, Bruce had an infectious personality and was regarded as one of the best spin-bowing coaches in the world, coaching Sri Lanka and mentoring the greatest Test wicket-taker of all time, Muttiah Muralitharan. On behalf of the Board and staff at Cricket Australia, we acknowledge Bruce's outstanding contribution to Australian cricket, and our thoughts are with his family, friends and many of those in the cricketing community who knew him."

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                        ESPN-Cricinfo

Problems galore for Pakistan as Australia eye series win

Big Picture

Following a meek, uninspired performance that saw Australia thump Pakistan in Sharjah - that could apply to either of the two ODIs, in all honesty - a seemingly throwaway comment from Shoaib Malik came in for sustained criticism.

At the post-match presentation, Malik told Ramiz Raja that Pakistan were using this series to test their bench strength and "winning or losing doesn't make a difference". It was clumsily phrased, probably not what he meant in the manner it was interpreted, but it set off a firestorm of outrage, led by Ramiz himself, who questioned why the series was being played then. Either way, Malik and his men find themselves in the limelight squarely once again, looking to stave off a series loss in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan may be missing several key players, but even so, their toothless bowling attack will be of concern. The quicker bowlers in particular have struggled to put Australia under pressure with the new ball, having taken just four wickets all series, conceding 566 runs.

As if these problems weren't intractable enough, Faheem Ashraf has been rested for the remainder of the series, depriving Pakistan of a valuable all-round option. Mohammad Amir's ODI drought shows no signs of abating, having taken just 5 wickets at 92.6 in the past 21 months. Mohammad Hasnain will probably be given another game, but Usman Shinwari and Junaid Khan could also be looked at as Pakistan seek to bring in changes in the fast bowling department.

Leading up to the World Cup, Australia have quietly, efficiently, suddenly, moved into top gear, peaking at just the right time to sneak into the contenders conversation. Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja suddenly look so impregnable you wonder how David Warner can squeeze into an opening slot at present, while the both pace and spin bowlers have discomfited Pakistan enough to keep them well below par twice in a row.

Jhye Richardson's unavailability following a nasty dislocation of the shoulder opens up an opportunity for Jason Behrendorff or Kane Richardson in the remaining three ODIs. With Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood already battling to be fit ahead of the World Cup, Australia will hope to have as many fast bowling options as possible to choose from. The middle order hasn't been tested this series, but if the India games were anything to go by, they will be up for the challenge. Pakistan's job for now is to at least pose them some serious questions.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan LLLWL

In the spotlight

Shan Masood was a shining beacon on a fairly grey Test tour to South Africa a couple of months ago, so much so he was selected for the ODI series here to see if he could be fast-tracked to the World Cup squad. It was a great opportunity to pile on the runs on gentle, docile pitches, but so far, Masood has fallen well short of doing that. He got starts in both games, scoring 40 and 19, but when the time came to kick on, he played ordinary, careless strokes to give his wicket away. His domestic limited-overs form over the past year has been exceptional, but with time running out to claim a World Cup slot, Masood needs a noteworthy display in the games that remain. If that doesn't happen in the third ODI, Masood may well find himself trying to impress in two dead rubbers, where performances will understandably carry lesser weight.

While his circumstances aren't as dire as his Pakistani counterpart Yasir Shah, Adam Zampa hasn't reaped the rewards a top spinner on Sharjah's pitches normally should. He was disciplined and consistent in the first ODI, conceding just 44 in 10 overs, but discipline and consistency is what finger spinners are usually for. The wicket-taking menace that makes legspinners so revered and frustrating in equal measure hasn't shone through in Zampa's game thus far, and 1-57 in the second ODI indicated he hasn't quite hit his straps yet. It was markedly different in the series against India, where, despite going for runs, Zampa took 11 wickets across five games. It is a trade-off any legspinner would be happy to accept, and Zampa's ODI career average of 36.42 belies the promise of his talent.

Team news

Shoaib Malik was willing to be so clear about his intentions he didn't mind copping heavy censure for it, so expect more rotation from Pakistan. Don't be surprised to see at least one of Abid Ali and Saad Ali make their debuts.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Shan Masood/Abid Ali, 3 Umar Akmal, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Mohammad Amir 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Usman Shinwari, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Australia will need to replace Jhye Richardson. They may opt for the safety of Pat Cummins, or give one of Jason Behrendorff or Kane Richardson some game time

Australia (possible): 1 Usman Khawaja 2 Aaron Finch (capt) 3 Peter Handscomb 4 Shaun Marsh 5 Marcus Stoinis 6 Glenn Maxwell 7 Alex Carey (wk) 8 Pat Cummins/Jason Behrendorff/Kane Richardson 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile 10 Nathan Lyon 11 Adam Zampa

Pitch and conditions

Spin is expected to play an important role in Abu Dhabi, too, with both teams likely to opt for two spinners. The weather will be overcast, but rain is unlikely to play any part.

Stats and trivia

Australia have won 10 of the last 11 ODIs they have played against Pakistan. The only loss came at the MCG in a five-match series in 2017 that Australia won 4-1.

If Usman Khawaja scores more than two runs, he will overtake Virat Kohli to become the leading ODI scorer in 2019.

Half of Yasir Shah's 20 ODI wickets have come in just two matches, a four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka and a six-wicket haul versus Zimbabwe.

Ricky Skerritt ends Dave Cameron's six-year reign to take over as CWI president

Dave Cameron's controversial reign as the Cricket West Indies president has finally come an end after six years. Pitted against just one challenger, former West Indies team manager Ricky Skerritt, Cameron lost by an 8-4 margin after the elections were conducted through a secret ballot on Sunday.

Emmanuel Nanthan, who was also standing for a fourth term as Cameron's deputy, was beaten by the same margin by Kishore Shallow, an entrepreneur and president of the St Vincent & The Grenadines Cricket Association. Both Skerritt, who is 62, and Shallow, 35, are also CWI directors.

Cameron had to swallow the embarrassment of defeat on home turf - he is understood to have moved the CWI annual general meeting to Jamaica. The turnaround might have come as a shock for Cameron, who was part of the CWI for 17 years, and took charge as board president in March 2013 replacing Julien Hunte, before which he was a vice-president of the board. Cameron served in the president's seat for three terms.

Incidentally, when the nominations for the elections were closed on February 24, Cameron and Nanthan were nominated twice: by the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control (WICBC) and seconded by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), with the second hand of backing coming from his native Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), subsequently seconded by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA).

The opposition camp of Skerritt and Shallow were nominated by the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB) and seconded by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB).

ESPNcricinfo understands that before the elections began on Sunday, one of the two representatives from TTCB raised a motion to conduct the voting through a secret ballot. It received majority support, thus deepening the mystery over who exactly voted for Cameron or Skerritt.

Each of the six territorial boards (JCA, BCA, WICB, LICB, TTCB and GCA) had two votes each, and the votes can be cast by two representatives nominated by each of the territorial boards.

In a brief statement issued by CWI, both Skerritt and Shallow said they were "humbled" by the victory. While Skerritt said the new administration would "pledge to work for improvement on and off the field for West Indies cricket", Shallow claimed the change of guard was a "victory for West Indies cricket".

On February 21, Skerritt announced his intention to challenge the Cameron administration, motivated primarily to nip the latter's plan to "implement sweeping changes to the democratic process of decision-making" in Caribbean cricket. Skerritt said Cameron's desire to take "executive control" was "troubling".

"His desire to lead CWI as a full-time executive, is not reflective of the West Indies cricket ethos," Skerritt and Shallow had said in an inaugural email to launch their campaign. "By advancing his plans for an autocratic leadership structure, which marginalises the role of commercially recruited executives, the incumbent has placed his personal thinking diametrically opposed to the values of West Indies cricket."

       Dave Cameron (L) and Emmanuel Nanthan, the outgoing
CWI president and vice-president

In their manifesto, Skerritt and Shallow also stated that they would propose capping the tenure of the CWI presidency to a maximum of six years. "I am convinced that a presidential term limit will remove much of the uncertainty and anxiety caused by the cricket politics and excesses that too often surround the office of president," Shallow had said at the time.

In a parting note, issued by CWI, Cameron and Nanthan noted the board members had "trusted" them to "safeguard" the West Indies team, "the region's most valuable asset".

Listing some of their achievements, the pair said they were "happy" to be leaving having handed contracts to 123 players, creating a "home" for the board at Coolidge Cricket Grounds in Antigua, overseeing West Indies men's team winning the recent Test series against England at home and the "world championships" which included the twin men's World T20s titles which Darren Sammy's team won in 2012 and 2016 as well as the women's World T20 and Under-19 World Cup in 2016.

"More than anything else we have a fit youthful team that is prepared to face the world," Cameron and Nanthan said in the statement.

It remains to be seen, though, whether the players, especially some of the senior ones like Sammy, would agree with Cameron's self-appraisal. Sammy is among several senior West Indies players who have had fallouts with Cameron. The biggest player revolt against Cameron took place in 2014 when Dwayne Bravo and his squad decided to abandon the tour of India over contractual disputes with CWI.

Cameron also played a big role in the suspension and eventual sacking of head coach Phil Simmons in 2016 under controversial circumstances. Simmons, who is currently Afghanistan coach, has claimed damages worth more than US $300,000. Simmons said he was seeking damages for constructive dismissal.

More recently, Cameron played a big hand in getting Richard Pybus as the interim head coach at least until August, a period that encompasses the 2019 World Cup and India's visit to the Caribbean. His appointment came in the wake of Stuart Law leaving the position last December, despite his contract being till the upcoming World Cup, which will be held from May to July.

Pybus, who was West Indies' high-performance director, has never been popular in the Caribbean, with former West Indies opener Desmond Haynes publicly asking Cameron whether the job had been advertised

More Updates:ABOC-Cricinfo            

                          

                          ESPN-Cricinfo

SLC softens stance, Lasith Malinga likely to be available for Mumbai Indians' next two games

Yet to talk to SLC about Malinga's unavailability - JayawardeneMumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene talks about preparation, player availability and more

Lasith Malinga is likely to play at least two early-season games for Mumbai Indians in the IPL after the BCCI asked Sri Lanka Cricket to make the paceman available for as much of the tournament as possible.

ABOCcricinfo understands that Malinga is likely to be available for selection for Mumbai's next two matches, both away games - on March 28 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and on March 30 against Kings XI Punjab. Malinga is then likely to return to Sri Lanka to feature in the Super Provincial One-Day Tournament before rejoining Mumbai after April 10.

SLC and its selectors had earlier insisted that only players who participate in the weeklong one-day competition would be eligible for selection to the World Cup squad. They had also named Malinga captain of the Galle team for that tournament.

"Anyway he has been one of our best bowlers in one dayers, so there's no question about his place in the team"

ASHANTHA DE MEL, SRI LANKA'S CHIEF SELECTOR

But a call from the BCCI over the past three days has prompted SLC to climb down from their position. Not only does SLC heavily depend on India tours for broadcast income, the board is also hoping for BCCI support for the Lankan Premier League franchise tournament, which is tentatively slated for September.

Malinga is expected to travel to Sri Lanka from South Africa first, and then travel to India to join Mumbai. Once the SLC confirms the dates for the domestic ODI tournament (it is tentatively scheduled for April 4-11), Malinga will return home and then rejoin Mumbai post the Super Provincial tournament.

In any case, his World Cup place should not be under threat, chief selector Ashantha de Mel said.

"We have no issues if he goes to IPL - the board had given him a no-objection certificate already, so he's free to go," said de Mel. "Anyway he has been one of our best bowlers in one dayers, so there's no question about his place in the team."

It was as recently as on Friday, however, that SLC CEO Ashley de Silva had stated that participation in the domestic tournament was likely to be essential for World Cup selection.

Although the board has now loosened its grip on Malinga, there is at least one SLC official who feels Malinga had used his connections in India to put pressure on SLC to release him for the IPL. In past years, Malinga has generally prioritised commitments for Mumbai Indians over domestic tournaments.

The latest news will buoy Mumbai, who had already lost Adam Milne to injury. Ahead of their IPL opener - which Mumbai went on to lose to Delhi Capitals - coach Mahela Jayawardene had said about Malinga's involvement: "The tournament in Sri Lanka is for four or five days in April. So till that time there is availability and when we got in at the auction, Sri Lanka Cricket gave us his availability schedule, so obviously that tournament wasn't a part of that. So there is a conversation to be made, once we get through that conversation, we will let you know what's exactly happening."

Regardless of what happens at the IPL or at the Super Provincial event, Malinga may be forced to cut his time with Mumbai short towards the end of the IPL, as Sri Lanka gear up for the 2019 World Cup. At present, there are plans to do several weeks of training in Scotland, just before the World Cup, which will be played in England and Wales.

Finch's Australia keep defying expectations as World Cup nears

Big Picture

Australia's win on Friday not only provided a further indicator that the team of Aaron Finch and Justin Langer is now humming nicely as the World Cup draws closer, but also overturned a few preconceptions about the series. A comfortable chase of 281, the second-highest ever in Sharjah, despite the surfeit of ODI matches played there over the years, indicated that high scoring and aggressive batsmanship will be required on surfaces that offer little more than a hint of slow spin and little to nothing for the pacemen.

Equally, the expectations of the Australians that Pakistan would seek to take down the spin of Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon was somewhat confounded by the fact that this increasingly confident duo were able to dictate economical terms throughout large chunks of the Pakistan innings. Creating and sustaining tempo will be critical to this series, both with the bat and in the field. Australia were energy personified in the field - if not completely spotless - while Zampa and Lyon were able to control the pace of Pakistan's scoring in such a way that Finch never looked too perturbed by the the run rate. His confidence was evident in the chase, where once again Australia controlled the tempo of the innings expertly, scoring regular boundaries without ever looking like they were trying too hard to force things.

For Pakistan, there will be concerns that despite a serviceable-enough batting performance, the bowlers lacked the incisiveness to defend it while the fielding display bordered at times on the listless. Mohammad Amir was particularly expensive, while Mohammad Abbas was unable to exert quite the same measure of control he enjoyed over Finch and the Australians during the October Test series in the UAE. More, too, will be expected of Yasir Shah, who played only a brief role in the 2015 World Cup, and with more days like game one, he might be in danger of a similar fringe post in 2019.

Form guide

Australia WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan LLWLL

In the spotlight

As the stand-in captain, Shoaib Malik will be hoping for a more substantial contribution than his seven-ball 11 with the bat and one expensive over with the ball in the series opener. More vitally, Shoaib must find a way to marshal and enliven his team, after they appeared to be lacking verve and direction for much of a chase where the Australians never looked under any serious pressure despite the fact that the chase got over only in the penultimate over. A promotion in the batting order may be one way for Shoaib to dictate terms a little more.

With a determined - if not exactly fluent - 91 not-outs, Shaun Marsh added further to the selection logjam faced by Australia with Steven Smith and David Warner soon to be eligible for national duty following their Newlands scandal bans. The key to Marsh being able to secure a spot in the World Cup squad after his recent travails will be consistency - making scores in more matches than this one. Seldom has this been strength for Marsh, meaning he will battle the voices between his ears as much as the threats posed by the Pakistan attack.

Team news

Pakistan are taking the opportunity to experiment ahead of the World Cup. Abid Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Saad Ali could all be in line for debuts at some point, but when that happens over the course of this series remains to be seen.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Shan Masood, 3 Umar Akmal, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Amir/Usman Shinwari, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Pat Cummins was rested for the opening match as his workload is managed ahead of the World Cup and the Ashes, but he could come back into consideration. Most of the players in the squad can expect some game time during the series as Australia firm up their World Cup squad, so room may also be found for Ashton Turner.

Australia (possible): 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Peter Handscomb, 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Ashton Turner, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Jhye Richardson, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Adam Zampa

 

As seen in game one, Sharjah's surface is dry, slow and low, offering little in the way of assistance to bowlers but also posing some challenges to batsmen in terms of timing the ball. The weather forecast is fine.

Stats and trivia

Australia haven't won five ODIs in succession since they were victorious in nine in a row in 2015, including their World Cup winning run that year

Pakistan haven't beaten Australia in an ODI in Sharjah since the final of the Austral-Asia Cup in Sharjah in May 1990. Australia haven't lost to any team in Sharjah since India defeated them at the ground in 1998.

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                        ESPN-Cricinfo

'It's about believing we're good enough' - Aaron Finch

A matter of weeks ago, Australia's touring team arrived in India with quiet optimism but little else. There had been scarcely a break since a draining home summer, and in the case of Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, all participants in the Big Bash League final, only a few snatched hours of sleep before they were on the plane to India.

Benefiting from the rare format continuity, the T20 side emerged victorious in the two-match entree, but after a pair of opening defeats in Vizag and Bangalore, the second from a position where the Australians really should have won, it appeared that both the ODI sides; time in the wilderness would be continuing.

Finch's side had other ideas however, and over the ensuing three matches something notable emerged. Suddenly, Australia looked to be balanced, confident and capable, able to win game on three different pitches and in a variety of scenarios. Ashton Turner's fireworks in Mohali were undoubtedly the highlight, taking the team coached by Justin Langer into the sort of territory that will cause even the World Cup fancies England to be worried, but there was much to savour in Ranchi and Delhi also.

Most importantly, the Australians have emerged from India with belief in their plans and their ability, whether it was in putting runs on the board beyond the opponent's reach or chasing down a mighty total in Mohali that was also kept within reach by the excellent late innings bowling of Pat Cummins. Spin bowling has also been a feature: both Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon can expect World Cup inclusion on the strength of their displays here.

"The resilience and fight that we showed being down 0-2, it would have been easy to roll over in those small moments in the game, just let them drift away and India win the series," Finch said. "But the fight that we showed, we've had our backs against the walls for quite a while now so I'm really proud of the group.

"From 2-0 down to win 3-2 is pretty special. I've been coming here for a while now trying to win and haven't, so have a lot of Australian players, so it's a special moment. People have written us off for quite a while now. We always knew that the plans and the style that we wanted to play are all there, can win us the World Cup, win us big series against great teams and India are definitely a great team.

"It's about ourselves believing we're good enough and sticking to our game plan. We did that for four of the five games and India were too good in a close one in Nagpur. To get over the line in three of them was a great series all round."

Reflecting on how Australia had found the right balance, albeit with a combination of circumstances dating back to the bans on Steven Smith and David Warner, and then more recently an injury to Marcus Stoinis that allowed Turner his chance, Finch reflected on the fact that the selectors had looked for a better combination of heavy hitters and strike rotators, namely Peter Handscomb and Usman Khawaja.

"If you go in with all attacking players in these conditions you're going to struggle, because we know the wickets slow up and the quality of Chahal, Kuldeep, Jadeja these guys they're too good to just walk out and blast them out of the park," Finch said. "You need good batsmanship on these wickets and guys who know how to play situations."

Another man with something to prove was Cummins, who did not enjoy being bullied by England's top order in the home ODI series a little more than a year ago and has subsequently pointed out that he needed more time to hone his white-ball skills. In India, Cummins was granted the new ball for the first time in some years and used it expertly before returning to the crease later in the innings with equally strong effect.

"I've played a little bit of one-day cricket before but it felt like I hadn't really clicked in this format," Cummins said. "It felt like I bowled well in the Australian summer, so glad it keeps on clicking. Hopefully it continues for the World Cup.

"We always seem to peak around the World Cup. I wouldn't want to be a selector, it's going to be a tough job whittling the team down to 15 and there are obviously a few to come back as well. Especially the batsmen, I thought the way they played the spin let alone the quicks, to get those scores on these kind of wickets, they made it look a lot easier than they were."

As far as selection is concerned, Cummins isn't wrong. From a time a few weeks ago when Australia looked forlornly towards the returns of Smith and Warner. The success of the India tour now means that the suspended pair will have to do something many have wondered about in the 11 and a half months since they were ruled out: actually earn their places.

Lakmal, Vandersay back for T20Is against South Africa

Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, seam bowlers Suranga Lakmal and Asitha Fernando, and batsman Sadeera Samarawickrama have all been named in Sri Lanka's T20 squad for the forthcoming three-match T20 series against South Africa. Allrounder Dasun Shanaka, meanwhile, has been dropped.

Also included in the squad are some of the less-experienced players currently in the one-day outfit. Opener Avishka Fernando and batsmen Priyamal Perera and Angelo Perera have all been picked. There is no room, however, for Oshada Fernando, who had been especially impressive in the Test leg of the ongoing tour.

Dinesh Chandimal, who had been in the T20 squad in New Zealand, and had recently top-scored in Sri Lanka's club-based T20 tournament, has been omitted from this squad as well.

Several injured players were unavailable for selection for this squad. According to chief selector Ashantha de Mel, Angelo Mathews has not yet regained full fitness following his latest hamstring injury, Danushka Gunathilaka continues to suffer with a spine problem, while fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera has picked up another hamstring injury, just as he was recovering from the ankle complaint that had seen him leave the tour of Australia.

Kusal Perera's hamstring injury, meanwhile, is expected to take up to nine weeks to recover from, and he is struggling to make it into the World Cup squad, according to de Mel.

Vandersay is one of two wrist spinners in the squad, with Lakshan Sandakan also present. Akila Dananjaya has been named as well.

Seam bowler Lakmal's presence in the T20 side is something of a surprise. Although a first-choice selection in the Test format, the selectors had cooled on him as a limited-overs bowler in recent months, but have now brought him back for the shortest format.

The T20 series begins in Cape Town on March 19.

Full squad: Lasith Malinga (captain) Niroshan Dickwella (vice-captain), Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Perera, Dhananjaya De Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Priyamal Perera, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Isuru Udana, Asitha Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lakshan Sandakan

Hungry Abu Jayed guns for swing-bowling glory

Abu Jayed doesn't quite think that he belongs to international cricket. He's been in the senior set up for over a year, but has featured in just eight internationals.It has taken him a decade of first-class cricket to finally get noticed.

Since his debut in July 2018, Jayed has played only one out of four Tests at home, and even though he has been picked for their last four overseas Tests, that's hardly a sign of continuity in Bangladesh cricket.

Yet, Bangladesh have an impressive swing bowler who invests a lot of thought in his bowling and has become, almost quietly, the highest wicket-taker in the country's first-class competitions since his debut in 2010.

These are early days for Jayed the international cricketer, but in this brief period, he has shown he can be a potent swing bowler in Bangladesh's attack. It is, however, spin that overrides swing in the Bangladesh attack's mindset.

Spin wins them a lot of home Tests these days, which has also meant far less focus on trying to find ways to win abroad. In the lead-up to the ongoing New Zealand tour, there hadn't been any tour-specific preparations (unlike their last two tours to this region), so newcomers like Jayed had to simply rely on their existing skillset.

Yet Jayed has, for the major part, been accurate, been willing to bowl long spells, upped his pace over the past nine months and looked to have every weapon available in a swing bowler's arsenal that Bangladesh have missed in the past six years.

"While I was reviewing videos from West Indies," Jayed said, "I saw that my pace on that tour was between 122 and 125kph. Now I am bowling between 129 to 134kph on this tour. I have got some belief in myself that I can swing the ball. I can see that batsmen have to work hard to face my bowling. If I can keep improving, I can become an international level pace bowler."

During commentary in the Hamilton Test, former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull compared Jayed's bowling action to James Anderson. For most of his teenage years, Jayed spent time trying to emulate Anderson's action. A chance encounter with Mizanur Rahman, a senior coach in the BCB, put Jayed on the path from transitioning from a dreamy kid to a serious swing bowler. It helped that Rahman took an interest in Jayed's progress.

"I started off as a fast bowler, but my brother told me that pace bowling won't work in Bangladesh," Jayed said. "After his suggestion, I started to bowl off-spin. I played U-13s as an offspinner, but I would bowl them quite quickly. I switched back to pace bowling soon. In the U-16s, someone told me that I was quite a quick bowler for my age, so I kept going."

"In one of the age-group games, Babul sir [Mizanur Rahman] noticed me. My bowling action was totally like Anderson's in those days. But I was falling over on the left side, so he corrected my action. From that point, I started to get the outswing going."

As he evolved through Under-19 and first-class cricket, Jayed got a boost from one of the foremost names in fast-bowling coaching in Bangladesh. "[Sarwar] Imran sir inspired me by saying that I can play for Bangladesh," Jayed said. "He said that Bangladesh doesn't have many swing bowlers, so I can keep trying."

Jayed quietly made himself indispensable in Sylhet division's NCL campaigns from 2010, taking 135 wickets at an average of 25.62 with eight five-wicket hauls. He was an easy pick for the East Zone side in the Bangladesh Cricket League, the higher-level first-class competition, in which he has so far been the standout pace bowler with 76 wickets in 24 matches.

Predominantly, Jayed bowls long spells, and preys on the batsmen's patience. "For example, when I play under Sourav bhai [Mominul Haque] in the BCL, I stick to his plan. I am usually able to bowl 10-12 overs, so I work on the batsmen's patience," Jayed said.

Jayed developed the inswing and has honed his ability to reverse the ball, too. He is known to be an energetic bowler, who doesn't just trundle through a mid-innings spell. He gives it his all. Among his team-mates, he is also known as someone who has great knowledge of the ball.

Some also feel that Jayed, one of the few Sylhet-born cricketers from his generation, has also inspired others to take up fast bowling. Ebadot Hossain and Khaled Ahmed, who are also in the Bangladesh Test squad for the tour of New Zealand, are also from Sylhet.

"There was a time [when I felt bad], but I started to focus more on first-class cricket... I wanted to be the highest wicket-taker every year..."

However, given he was overlooked for so many years, despite being the top pace bowler on the wickets-chart, the exclusion had been becoming demanding for Jayed. But like a true professional, he respected the domestic game, which earned him his keep, and he set his new goals to move up the ladder.

"There was a time [when I felt bad], but I started to focus more on first-class cricket," Jayed said. "I wanted to be the highest wicket-taker every year, and slowly eclipse bowlers like Tapash Baisya, Hasibul Hossain, Tarek Aziz and Talha Jubair. I stopped thinking about the national team at one point.

"I told Talha [Jubair] bhai recently that I am close to catching up with his tally of first-class wickets. One day, I want to catch up with Mohammad Sharif, or at least get close to it."

But Jayed wouldn't want to emulate the fate of Sharif, Tapash, Hasibul, Tarek or Talha, neither of whom had a long career despite the promise they exuded. Among them only Tapash was more of a regular but only when Mashrafe Mortaza was injured in the early to mid-2000s. But injuries, a drop in the pacers' form and, most pertinently, the impatience of selection committees over the last two decades, have made pace bowling in Bangladesh cricket a sideshow.

Jayed doesn't obviously plan to change any of that. He simply wants to learn better the complex art of swing bowling. He wants to meet his hero Anderson one day, but for now he is keen to play more Tests, and keep picking up vital life lessons along the way.

By the end of the tour, he hopes to have a chat with Tim Southee, from whom he wants to learn a new kind of delivery: one that is delivered cross-seamed and while appears to be an outswinger originally, comes back into the right-hander.

Nobody in Bangladesh cricket, mad about ODIs and the upcoming World Cup in particular, can be bothered. Jayed is, and wants to get better. Swing bowling is a tough art, and Jayed perhaps is learning it in the toughest setting in world cricket.

PCB takes 'strong notice' of India's army caps

The PCB has taken "strong notice" of India's use of army camouflage caps during their third ODI against Australia in Ranchi, urging the ICC to take action against the BCCI.

MS Dhoni, who is an honorary lieutenant colonel in the Indian territorial army, distributed the caps to the team before the toss. The move was initiated as a way to pay tribute to those killed in the terror attack in Pulwama last month. The BCCI had approached the ICC before going ahead with the plan, and the ICC confirmed to ABOCricinfo that permission had been granted as it was part of a charity fundraising effort.

"We have strongly taken up the matter with the ICC," PCB chairman Ehsan Mani told reporters in Karachi. "There is absolutely no misunderstanding in the ICC about our position. We believe that cricket and sports should not be used for politics and we have said this very clearly. Their [India] credibility in the cricketing world has gone down very badly."

"There should not be any ambiguity as we are taking this very strongly. We don't do politics, neither we do we use cricket for politics"

EHSAN MANI

India's captain Virat Kohli had explained at the toss in Ranchi that donning the caps were meant to encourage countrymen to donate to the National Defence Fund to help with the education of the martyrs' dependents.

"This is to pay respect to the martyrs of the Pulwama attack and their families," Kohli said. "All the players have decided to donate their match fees from this particular game to the National Defence Fund. I, as the captain of the team, would urge everyone in the country to do the same, donate how much ever they can to the National Defence Fund and help in the education and well-being of the families and the children of those who lost their lives in the attack. So this is a very special cap and a very special game indeed."

Mani, however, insisted that ICC should take "strong action" against India, especially as there was already precedent for the same.

Moeen Ali, the England allrounder, was banned in 2014 for wearing wristbands bearing the slogans 'Save Gaza' and 'Free Palestine' on the first two days of the third Test against India at The Ageas Bowl. While the ECB had defended Moeen's stance, describing his actions as humanitarian rather than political, match referee David Boon had reminded Moeen of the ICC's clothing and equipment regulations.

Similarly, South African legspinner Imran Tahir was reprimanded by the ICC for his celebrations during a T20I against Sri Lanka in early 2017. After dismissing Asela Gunaratne, Tahir went off on one of his usual celebratory runs before taking off his playing kit and revealing a t-shirt with an image of the late Junaid Jamshed, a Pakistani pop icon and latterly religious preacher who had died in a plane crash.

"You have two examples from the past already, where both Imran Tahir and Moeen Ali were sanctioned for something similar," Mani said. "The ICC had taken strong action against them and we have sought similar action against India. The permission they took was for a different purpose but they acted differently.

"We have been in touch with ICC from day one, sent one letter already and another is being followed up in next 12 hours. There should not be any ambiguity as we are taking this very strongly. We don't do politics, neither we do we use cricket for politics."

Ties between the two boards have deteriorated sharply in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack. The BCCI initially wanted to have Pakistan banned from the World Cup this summer, before deciding to tone that down by asking the ICC to "sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates".

BCCI officials did not bring up the request at a recent ICC board meeting but it was brought up - and turned down - by the ICC head Shashank Manohar.

Turner 195.34 as Australia complete their highest chase

5- Australia successfully chased down the fifth-biggest target in ODI history, by getting 359 in this ODI. It was also the highest successful chase for Australia, beating the 334 chased down against England at SCG in 2011.

322- The previous highest target successfully chased down versus India by any side before Australia making a new record in this match. Pakistan had won chasing 322, also in Mohali, in 2007 and Sri Lanka did so at The Oval in the 2017 Champions Trophy. This is also the second-highest successful chase for any side in India. In 2013, India quickly chased down 360 versus Australia in Jaipur.

2- Instances of three batsmen making 80 or more in a successful ODI chase. The trio of Peter Handscomb (117), Usman Khawaja (91) and Ashton Turner (84*) emulated Rohit Sharma (141*), Virat Kohli (100*) and Shikhar Dhawan (95) who achieved this against Australia in Jaipur in 2013 when chasing 360.

98- Runs scored by Australia in the last 10 overs, which is after the 40th over the most by any team against India in a successful chase. The previous highest was also in Mohali in 2013 when James Faulkner did the most damage and scored 96. Before these two, Pakistan had also made 91 in the final 10 overs in 2007. The Australia batsmen got 64 runs off four overs between the 44th and 47th overs.

68- Runs scored by Turner in the last 10 overs, off 29 balls - the second-most by a batsman in a successful chase in the final 10 overs (after the 40th over). Abdul Razzaq had hit 76 off 35 against South Africa in Abu Dhabi in 2010. Faulkner got 67 off 29 in Mohali in 2013.

Most Runs By A Batsman In The Last 10 Overs In A Successful Chase

Batsman              Runs        SR               Runs required      Opposition         Venue           Year

Abdul Razzaq     76 (35)  217.14                   87                     South Africa         Abu Dhabi    2010

Ashton Turner   68 (29)  234.48                    98                       India                      Mohali        2019

James Faulkner 67 (29)  231.03                    96                       India                      Mohali        2013

Gulbadin Naib   66 (34)  194.11                     88                     Zimbabwe              Sharjah        2016

Kevin Pietersen 64 (25)  256.00                    76                     Australia                 Bristol         2005

195.34- Ashton Turner's strike rate in scoring 84 off 43 is the highest by a non-opening batsman facing a minimum of 40 balls during a successful chase. For Australia, the previous such quick innings was by Damien Martyn when scoring unbeaten 92 off 51 versus Bangladesh in Cairns in 2003.

DRS 'is not consistent at all' - Virat Kohli

Question marks on the accuracy of the Decision Review System (DRS) have now come up in two successive matches in the ongoing India-Australia series, with Virat Kohli making his displeasure public, saying "it's just not consistent at all" following an overturned review for caught-behind of Ashton Turner during a crucial passage of play in the fourth ODI in Mohali on Sunday.

The incident took place in the 44th over of Australia's pursuit of India's 358 for 9, when Turner tried to slash a slow, wide legbreak from Yuzvendra Chahal. Turner lunged to cut a ball from inside the crease to one that spun way. The ball seemed to have connected with the toe-end of Turner's bat. Having collected the ball, Rishabh Pant whipped off the bails and appealed for what initially felt like a stumping. However, he then urged Kohli to take the review even as umpire Anil Chaudhary called it not out, and the decision was referred to third umpire Joel Wilson.

Ultra Edge picked some murmurs even before the ball had passed the bat and once again flickered just after the ball went passed the swinging blade. Wilson duly turned down India's review, something Kohli disagreed with, displaying his displeasure by shaking his head and saying a few words.

At that point, Turner was on 41 with Australia needing a further 66 from 39 balls with five wickets in hand. He went on to hurt India by helping Australia to their highest chase in ODIs, Kohli describing his innings as the "game-changer".

Without any prompting at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli called the DRS decision contentious, saying it "was a bit of a surprise". "It's becoming more of a talking point every game. It's just not consistent at all, and that was a game-changer moment as well," he said.

"But yeah, that's more of an uncontrollable, but the controllable we had to do right, and we didn't do it right, and the opportunity slipped away," he added, pointing to the many chances the Indians missed on the field.

Kohli's mention of DRS becoming 'a talking point' was likely a reference to the third ODI in Ranchi, where a glaring error in ball-tracking projection came into the spotlight when Australian captain Aaron Finch was given out lbw off left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep got a stock ball to straighten and rap the Australia captain on the back pad in the 32nd over, and C Shamshuddin, the on-field umpire, ruled the batsman out lbw. Finch asked for a review, and replays showed the ball pitching on leg stump, when it had actually bounced on middle stump.

While the ball might have still gone on to hit the stumps even if it had pitched on leg stump, it was a noticeable mistake on the part of the ball-tracking technology in use.

ABOCricinfo understands that the technology might have suffered a technical glitch during the Ranchi game, which resulted in it missing the line. Australia's management has not lodged any official complaint with the match officials following the incident.

Kane Williamson taken for scans after injuring shoulder

Kane Williamson was taken for scans on his injured shoulder, and didn't come out to field in the Bangladesh second innings in the ongoing second Test in Wellington. The New Zealand captain picked up the injury during the third day's play when he fell awkwardly trying to stop a ball at gully.

While batting during the first session on the fourth day of the rain-hit Test, Williamson had struggled with his left shoulder and the physio to come out a couple of times to check on him.

Though in discomfort - he took his hand off the bat upon making contact with the ball a couple of times too - he scored 74, lasting nearly three hours at the crease. He added 172 runs for the third wicket with Ross Taylor as New Zealand put up 432 for 6 declared in response to Bangladesh's first-innings score of 211.

With Williamson off the field, New Zealand were led by Tim Southee, while Peter Bocock fielded in his place.

The third Test in Christchurch begins on March 16.

Ross Taylor goes past mentor Martin Crowe's century tally

Ross Taylor admitted that getting past his late mentor Martin Crowe's 17 Test hundreds weighed heavily on him until today, when he reached his 18th. Taylor's three centuries in 2016 got him close to Crowe's record but then he took a bit of time to equal him, finally doing it in December 2017 against West Indies. Then, again, he had to wait a long time for the next one, to go past Crowe who died in March 2016 of cancer.

On the way to his 200 against Bangladesh on the fourth day in Wellington, Taylor also crossed Crowe's record for most runs at a venue in New Zealand, after reaching 1,226 at the Basin Reserve.

"I told Hogan [Crowe] "my apologies" for taking so long to get there," Taylor said. "I also broke his [record] for most runs at the Basin [Reserve], so he's probably a bit annoyed with that one.

"I guess 17 was such a big number when I just started playing cricket. Once I got there it was probably a bit of a relief and then didn't kick on. It was probably a little in my subconscious. I must admit it probably played on my mind for a bit as well, so before this I had a chat to our sports psych guy Pete [Sanford] and just acknowledged that it's always going to be there. But now it's nice to knock it off and just go out there and play."

Taylor also said that reaching his third double-hundred was also a relief for him, especially after he survived the two dropped chances in the first 15 minutes of the morning session. He said that after getting out to a great catch by Dimuth Karunaratne in Wellington a couple of months ago, he felt that there will be a time when his luck would turn.

Taylor reached his fifty off 61 balls and went even more quickly to his century, taking a further 36 balls to get there - he struck six fours and three sixes during this period. He batted at even pace for the rest of his innings, finishing with 19 fours and four sixes, before getting caught behind the wicket in the 84th over.

"There was a stage out there when I thought 'Hogan got 299, I might get 199', so it was nice to get past that. I've always loved playing at the Basin. It's nice for family and friends to be here as well. If you'd told me that [I'd get a double] at the start of the day, especially how the first 10 overs went, I would have said 'you're kidding'.

"I felt really good when I played against Sri Lanka here and got an absolute screamer at short-leg, second ball of the day. I just went back to that and thought well my luck's got to change sooner or later. Let's make it pay off."

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