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England Under-19 229 for 7 (Ekansh 66*, Rew 59) vs India Under-19 Half-centuries by skipper Thomas Rew and Ekansh Singh spearheaded England’s fightback after slumping to 46 for four on a rain-affected opening day of their second Youth Test against India.Inserted in bowler-friendly conditions at Chelmsford, the home side lost openers Ben Dawkins and Adam Thomas for ducks and struggled until an elongated evening session, when they scurried along to reach 229 for seven.Ben Mayes began England’s recovery before Somerset’s Rew – leading a reshuffled side in place of Hamza Sheikh – struck 59, sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of 90 with Kent all-rounder Singh, who remained unbeaten on 66 at stumps.India seamers Aditya Rawat and RS Ambrish captured two wickets apiece, with another two falling to spinner Naman Pushpak in the final session as the tourists sped up their pedestrian over-rate.With the start delayed by morning rain and a gloomy grey blanket of cloud hovering above the ground, it was little surprise that India opted to give their seamers first crack under the floodlights.That decision was quickly justified, with the first delivery of the match from Rawat pinning Dawkins leg before and Thomas lasting just one additional ball before he fell to Henil Patel in identical fashion.Another ball from Rawat almost cut Aaryan Sawant in half, while Rocky Flintoff edged just wide of the slips on nought, but the pair withstood a testing spell and pierced the off-side field for a couple of boundaries apiece.They advanced England’s total to 18 for two before the rain returned – but, with the players warming up ahead of a post-lunch restart, a further downpour prompted the groundstaff to cover the square again.Play eventually resumed at 3.15pm, with the consistent Rawat getting the ball to swing both ways and he gained some reward by tempting Flintoff into the drive, with Vihaan Malhotra diving low to clasp a fine catch at second slip.Sawant’s gritty knock of 20 was ended by another slip catch for Malhotra, but Mayes took the battle to India’s bowlers, launching his innings with a thunderous square cut for four off Rawat.Pulling and driving with power, Mayes progressed to 31 after tea – only to perish wafting at a loose ball from Ambrish after he and Rew had laid the foundations of an England fightback with their partnership of 34.Despite an uncertain start, when he survived a couple of edges just out of reach of the slips, Rew began to flourish in the wake of Mayes’ departure, cutting Ambrish to the fence to lift his side’s score beyond three figures.The England captain targeted leg-spinner Pushpak, whose first two overs cost him 20, while Singh arrived at the party in style, sweeping Kanishk Chauhan for six and combining power with some wristy strokeplay.Pushpak took his revenge on Rew, returning for a second spell to have him caught at slip off the googly, but Singh progressed to 50 from just 53 balls and, with the help of Ralphie Albert (16) and James Minto (18 not out), kept England in contention for a competitive total.

Steven Smith is on track to be fit for Australia’s second Test against West Indies in Grenada after the compound dislocation he suffered against South Africa at Lord’s during the World Test Championship final.Smith has spent the last week in New York where he has had a net against a tennis ball and an “incredi-ball” (a soft cricket ball) and rejoined the squad in Barbados on Saturday evening following their three-day victory in the opening Test.He still needs to tick off a few protocols with the medical staff, with Tuesday’s training session in Grenada likely to be the key day, but head coach Andrew McDonald expected him to be ready to return at No. 4, which is likely to see Josh Inglis drop out of the XI.Related

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“It’s really about functionality around the finger rather than anything else,” McDonald said. “There’ll be no risk to long-term health of that finger. He’ll return and I think it’s likely he’ll play. Leading into the next game, he’ll have the main session two days out.”He’ll [also] train the day before [the match]. If that all goes well, then I’d expect Steve to resume at No. 4.”When Smith suffered the injury, dropping a catch offered by Temba Bavuma on the third day at Lord’s, he was told he would need to wear a splint for eight weeks. He won’t be able to field in the slips on his return and will need to patrol the outfield somewhere, which may need some management given the problems he has had with his elbow.While there is no question that Smith, if fit, will resume his role at No. 4 the problems at the top of Australia’s order have prompted the debate about whether he should resume the No. 3 job to allow Cameron Green to come in a position lower.”In terms of why we see him as No. 4, I think we’ve settled on that,” McDonald said. “We could slide him up higher if we wanted to. He’s been excellent at number three. But I think if you look at the last 12 months at No. 4 and his ability to stabilise that position, two down, arguably our greatest batter, we want to keep him at four and build around that rather than potentially risking too many moves in the order.”Knowing that Smith may only miss the first Test, McDonald was also keen not to create further uncertainty in the batting order which is why Travis Head has not moved from his No. 5 position despite being a senior player.Marnus Labuschagne could be released from the squad if Steven Smith is available•Getty Images

Should Smith be available for the remainder of the series, there is a possibility that Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped for the first time in the format since 2019 ahead of the first Test, may be released from the squad in order to play some cricket, either for Glamorgan or in the Australia A series against Sri Lanka A in Darwin, which starts next month. The first four-day game of the ‘A’ series begins on July 13, which would run concurrently with the final Test in Jamacia.”If we do have a surfeit of batters then we’ll explore match opportunities for sure,” McDonald said. “I think we’ve done that with the fast bowlers over time. We’ve sent Scott Boland back from India. So if we feel as though we’re carrying too many, we’ll look for game time.”[But] it’s a long way for players to get here as well. If we release someone and then someone has to come in late, then it’s a big journey. So we’ve just got to balance that out.”However, McDonald indicated that Labuschagne was set to be part of the ODI squad that will face South Africa in the Top End during August.”He’s important in our one-day structure,” he said. “[With] Steve Smith’s recent retirement, Glenn Maxwell retiring as well. We don’t want to compromise one-day cricket in the build towards 2027.”

Offspinner Shreyanka Patil is among three Indians who will be in action in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) 2025. Patil, who had missed WPL 2025 with injury and has not played competitive cricket since October 2024, is set to return to action in the WCPL, where she will represent Barbados Royals (BR), the defending champions.Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) have signed seamer Shikha Pandey and uncapped legspinner Salonee Dangore, who was a net bowler for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2025.Pandey had also played for TKR last season, picking up four wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 6.80. Patil, meanwhile, had turned out for Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) in 2023, taking a chart-topping nine wickets in their run to the final that season. Patil was also the leading wicket-taker in WPL 2024.Related

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Big-hitting Sri Lanka allrounder Chamari Athapaththu will join Patil at BR for the upcoming season. Australians Laura Harris and Madeline Penna will be part of GAW’s overseas contingent, which will also include Shabnim Ismail, one of the fastest bowlers in the women’s game.As expected, Dottin (TKR), Hayley Matthews (BR) and Stafanie Taylor (GAW) were the top retentions for the franchises. Having won the WCPL in 2023 and 2024, BR are eyeing a three-peat this season.Guyana is set to host the fourth season of the WCPL, starting on September 6. The final will be played on September 17. All seven games – including the final – will be played at Providence Stadium. The tournament will have six league games spread across 11 days, with the final scheduled just one day after the final league-stage match. All matches are afternoon games. Four fixtures, including the final, start at 2pm. There are two 3pm starts and one 4pm start.The tournament’s highest run-scorer is BR’s Hayley Matthews (424). She is also the highest wicket-taker (23).

WCPL squads

Barbados Royals: Hayley Matthews, Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Kycia Knight, Steffie Soogrim, Shamilia Connell, Sheneta Grimmond, Qiana Joseph, Trishan Holder, NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Chamari Athapaththu, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Webb, Shreyanka PatilGuyana Amazon Warriors: Stafanie Taylor, Ashmini Munisar, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Chedean Nation, Plaffiana Millington, Britney Cooper, Kaysia Schultz, Shemaine Campbelle, Karishma Ramharack, Nyia Latchman, Realeanna Grimmond, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Shabnim Ismail, Laura Harris, Madeline PennaTrinbago Knight Riders: Deandra Dottin, Shabika Gajnabi, Shawnisha Hector, Rashada Williams, Nerissa Crafton, Jahzara Claxton, Zaida James, Jannillea Glasgow, Keila Elliott, Abigail Bryce, Samara Ramnath, Jess Jonassen, Lizelle Lee, Shikha Pandey, Salonee Dangore

Contrasting but equally vital half-centuries from Victoria youngsters Campbell Kellaway and Harry Dixon alongside four wickets to Liam Scott set up a tantilising final day run chase for South Australia at Junction Oval in Melbourne.Kellaway made 77 and Dixon plundered 76 as Victoria were bowled out for 297 on the third day. Scott took 4 for 49 while Henry Thornton bagged 3 for 44 to leave South Australia needing exactly 300 to win. They finished the day 47 for 1 with Henry Hunt and Nathan McSweeney, who had earlier left the field after bowling one ball, negotiating a challenging final hour.Kellaway fought hard to make his second half-century of the match but Dixon’s impressive innings in the afternoon ensured Victoria had a decent total to defend as they look to keep alive their hopes of making the Sheffield Shield final.Related

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Where Kellaway showed hard graft for the second straight innings, Dixon showcased a stunning display of counterattacking batting following a collapse where Victoria lost 5 for 20. There were shades of Travis Head in the 19-year-old left-hander as he pummeled six fours and five sixes. Anything wide and overpitched was laced through cover while length balls sailed onto the hill forward of square.Kellaway had batted through a difficult period on the second evening and the entire first session on the third day as the Junction Oval surface continued to offer plenty for the bowlers. He was fortunate to survive on 31 when the edged Brendan Doggett behind but Harry Nielsen spilled the chance diving his left.Marcus Harris was not as fortunate. Harris chopped on trying to a leave a length ball that reared a touch off Doggett for a hard fought 19. Blake Macdonald was much more fluent, striking four boundaries, but he fell trying to drop-kick Scott over midwicket and instead skied a catch to mid-on.Kellaway and Peter Handscomb appeared to settle in after lunch and looked set to build a hefty total for Victoria. But just as they did in the first innings, the home side suffered a huge middle-order collapse with Scott and Thornton doing the damage.Kellaway had copped a barrage of short balls and his strokeplay had become a little frantic before he edged to slip trying to drive Scott on the up. Thornton then hurried Handscomb with a short ball and his attempted pull was skied straight up to Nielsen.Thornton found Sam Harper’s outside edge with another delivery that climbed before he rattled the top of Sam Elliott’s off stump with a terrific ball that angled in and straightened. Scott got one to snake through Xavier Crone’s gate at the other end to also clean bowl him.Dixon watched all of this carnage unfold having walked in after Kellaway had fallen. He was completely unflappable thumping a handful of superb cover drives whenever the bowlers overpitched.He found a superb ally in Fergus O’Neill who made a busy 34, rotating the strike and frustrating South Australia with his slightly unorthodox method. The pair put on 80 for the eighth wicket.When O’Neill fell, Dixon let loose. With men stationed everywhere on the rope he thumped five sixes over the leg side including two in a row off Doggett, one of which sailed out of the ground over square leg. He finally miscued one on 76, hitting Scott straight up to hand the allrounder his fourth wicket.Conor McInerney’s tortured match-up with Scott Boland continued. After being clean bowled in the first over of the first innings, he nicked Boland to first slip in the opening over of the second innings only for Macdonald to grass the knee high chance. It did not cost much. McInerney made just 1 off 24 balls before nicking Boland again with keeper Harper pouching the chance diving low to his left.Hunt enjoyed some fortune at the other end nicking a couple of balls short of slip. He also survived a very close lbw shout off Elliott. McSweeney, too, nicked Boland short of slip but thereafter both players settled and played positively whilst defending and leaving well.

Sheldon Jackson, the Saurashtra batter, has called time on his limited-overs career. He retires with 2792 runs in 84 innings, the highlight being his unbeaten 133 to help Saurashtra win their second Vijay Hazare Trophy crown in 2022. He hit nine centuries and 14 half-centuries in all.While the announcement came in the middle of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, Jackson had been contemplating retirement for a while. He announced his decision to the team management prior to Saurashtra’s fixture against Punjab on December 31. Jackson featured in five one-day games this season, with the 71 he made against Puducherry in their tournament opener his highest.”It’d been at the back of my mind from even before the tournament and I kept taking it game by game, but before the Punjab match, I told the team, but they wanted me to bow out on the field,” Jackson told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a very gracious move from them and I’m really thankful for that gesture.”Saurashtra’s performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, where they won six out of seven group-stage fixtures to storm into the quarter-finals, convinced Jackson that he was done.”The way Saurashtra’s youngsters played during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy convinced me my time was up,” he said. “I didn’t find it right to be blocking someone’s spot. At 37-38, even if I score 5000 runs, I wasn’t going to be in the reckoning for the national team. Or say I scored ten ducks, the worse that would’ve happened is I’d be out of the state team.”In that sense, there was no scope for growth. What’s the point in me holding on to my spot when it wasn’t going to lead me anywhere? I rang up Jaydev Shah [the Saurashtra Cricket Association president, who is currently in Australia as the India team manager] and expressed my thoughts and then communicated it to the captain [Jaydev Unadkat] and the coach [Niraj Odedra].”Jackson didn’t feature in any of the T20 games at the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It’s believed the team management had been keen on blooding younger players. As it turned out, a number of them, like Jay Gohil, Ruchit Ahir and Sammar Gajjar broke through.”For the past two years, I hadn’t even been registering for the IPL auction,” Jackson said. “And in all honesty, the motivation for someone to be a part of SMAT, especially if you’re not in the reckoning for the Indian team, is to get an IPL gig. If I wasn’t even in the auctions, it felt pointless to simply soldier on and block a spot.Sheldon Jackson has won two Ranji Trophy titles with Saurashtra•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Because even if I wasn’t going to be in the XI, chances are I’d be in the 15. And that’d mean blocking the place of one young player. So, in that sense, it really wasn’t a hard decision, the time was right.”I’d communicated the same to the selectors a week before SMAT. I’m not entirely sure how it would’ve played out – whether I made their decision easier or if it was already decided I won’t be a part of it – but I’d decided the best thing to do was communicate clearly.”Jackson isn’t done just yet with first-class cricket. A two-time Ranji Trophy winner and a veteran of 103 first-class games, he’s hopeful of being able to give Saurashtra a chance of winning their third title, however tough it may seem at this point. Saurashtra are currently jostling mid-table in Elite Group D and need to win both their remaining games, against Delhi and Assam, to have a chance of making the knockouts.”I still want to keep going in first-class cricket, at least for these two games, and then take it from there,” Jackson said. “I really don’t know for how long. But my immediate focus is to try and see if I can help contribute towards us making the knockouts. It’s tough but it’s still possible. And from there, I’ll reassess after the two games about my red-ball future. I’ve had the complete support of the team and Jaydev and Niranjan Shah. I hope I can finish on a high.”

Pat Cummins expects to see a more proactive Marnus Labuschagne at the crease in Adelaide as Australia’s No. 3 searches for a revival of fortunes, but it appears less likely he will be used extensively as a medium-pace bowler despite question marks over how many overs Mitchell Marsh has in him.Labuschagne has come in for significant scrutiny after his first innings in Perth where he made 2 off 52 balls, which was followed by shouldering arms to Jasprit Bumrah in the second and being lbw for 3. However, analysis has shown it was a wicked delivery from Bumrah that skidded through low and Labuschagne was within his rights to believe it would have missed the stumps.Still, his form has been troublesome for a while with 90 of the 123 runs he has made in his last ten Tests coming from one innings in Christchurch. During his net sessions in Adelaide, there has been a noticeable urgency to his strokeplay and indications he is looking for ways to rotate the strike. Labuschagne has an impressive record at Adelaide Oval with an average of 71.75 and three centuries.Related

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“He’s training well like he always does, hitting millions of balls,” Cummins said. “It’s pretty impossible to kind of dismiss or ignore some of the commentary about perhaps being a little bit more proactive, so I think you’ve seen that side of it in the nets. The challenge is always going out there and making sure you have that mindset. But he’s been great like he always is. Always working on things, trying to plan how he’s going to score his hundred this Test.”While accepting that Australia were not up to the mark in Perth, Cummins was hopeful that the batters would be better for having faced the India attack, most significantly Jasprit Bumrah, even though it did not go well.”I hope there’s some lessons learnt,” he said. “The good thing is, batting and bowling we’ve now had a look at them, they’ve had a look at us as well, but you get a look at some of the bowling plans that you want to implement. The same with the batters, they know how they are going to be attacked first up. I’m sure – well, I really hope – everyone’s kind of learnt a bit and come back here slightly better prepared having had a look at what they are going to throw at us.”Marsh, meanwhile, was locked in Australia’s XI 24 hours out from the Test – the only change being Scott Boland replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood – and Cummins, who confirmed Marsh had been battling back stiffness since the white-ball tour of the UK, was confident the allrounder would be able to be part of the attack despite not doing any bowling in the lead-up.”[We] made the call with the medical staff over the last couple of days to give him a couple of days off bowling, but expect him to warm up and if required [he] will bowl,” Cummins said. “Guessing he would be required at some point… prioritise his overs for the games rather than kind of using up some of them in the nets.”In Perth, Labuschagne was used as a bouncer bowler until reverting to legspin late in India’s second innings but Cummins indicated that any extra overs required in this match would likely be soaked up by the four main bowlers if Marsh was limited in his output.”I’d say more likely turn to the fast bowlers a bit more,” Cummins said. “In Perth, Joshy was getting a little bit sore as well there towards the end, so there’s a bit of preservation there. Whereas this Test everyone’s fit and firing so if that remains the case as a general rule you try and rely on your four main guys.”1:42

McGlashan: Crucial few days in Adelaide for Australia

Significantly, Cummins made mention of Boland’s ability to bowl long spells as he returns to the Test side for the first time since last year’s Ashes.”All last summer he was geared up to go and no one fell over,” Cummins said. “Feels like it’s been quite a while [since he’s played]. As a captain, it’s pretty awesome to have someone like Scotty come straight in, you know he can bowl a huge amount of overs if you need. He’s super consistent, he’s performed at this level and looks ready to go.”However, there is increasing confidence that Hazlewood could be ready to return for the third Test in Brisbane after he bowled during training on Wednesday. Cummins explained that Hazlewood had initially continued to bowl after first feeling the side issue in Perth before the decision was taken not to push him through the problem.”That’s probably the right call in hindsight,” he said. “I think in previous years where he’s kept bowling, it’s probably turned that one week injury into a three or four or five week injury whereas this year seems a little bit different and he’s really confident.”

After a frustrating day of no action on day one, Gloucester won the toss and put Glamorgan in to bat on a dampish pitch at Sophia Gardens.With the previous day’s torrential rain a thing of the past, the home side started well when play began at midday, but then found themselves pinned back by another great spell from Matt Taylor.Having picked up three wickets for 18 runs in the T20 Vitality Blast final triumph over Somerset, he broke up a flourishing partnership between opener Asa Tribe and Colin Ingram that had accumulated 129 runs for the second wicket with the ninth ball after tea when he trapped Tribe lbw for 70.Ingram, the first player to reach 1,000 first-class runs this season, was at his fluent best and hit 12 fours as he faced 96 balls in an innings that lasted just over two hours.Better was to follow from Taylor when he bowled the dangerous Ingram for 84 in the 50th over to make it 209 for 3. Two overs later he had Kiran Carlson caught at the wicket by James Bracey for 1. That made it 210 for 4 to temporarily put the brakes on Glamorgan.Taylor ended the day with figures of 3 for 43 from 14 overs, including three maidens. The other wicket to fall went to fellow paceman Tom Price, who removed opener Will Smale for 41 thanks to a catch by his brother, Ollie Price.Smale laid a solid foundation with Tribe as they put on 79 for the first wicket in 17.3 overs. Had the catching by the visitors been sharper then Glamorgan would have had a tougher day. No fewer than five catching chances went down.Skipper Sam Northeast and Chris Cooke then got together and put on an enterprising and unbeaten 73 for the fifth wicket before rain stopped play once again at 5.39pm. Cooke plundered seven fours in his 43* in 54 balls, while Northeast was for once the more silent partner with three boundaries in his 27 as Glamorgan reached 283 for 4 before the day was closed at 5.54pm.

Warwickshire captain Alex Davies became the first player to score 1,000 runs in Division One of the Vitality County Championship this summer on a severely truncated second day against local rivals Worcestershire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.The 30-year-old began his innings needing a further 34 and turned Logan van Beek square of the wicket for a boundary to reach the milestone during the morning session.Surrey batter Rory Burns started the day as Davies’ nearest challenger but he was dismissed for 21 against Somerset with his total on 974.It was the second time Davies had completed 1,000 runs in a campaign after, in 2017, becoming the first Lancashire wicket-keeper to achieve the feat.He moved to Warwickshire for the 2022 season and the first two years at Edgbaston produced first class returns of 649 at 28.21 and 437 at 25.70.This summer he has struck four centuries and averages 56.88.He eventually fell to Ethan Brookes who delivered an impressive nine-over spell which yielded two wickets before bad light and rain ended play for the day at 2.15pm after 37 overs were possible.Those spectators who waited until the play was officially called off were entertained via the club PA to a series of weather anthems including ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’ and ‘It’s Raining Men.’Warwickshire needed only four overs to polish off the Worcestershire first innings but not before the home side had secured a second batting point.Jack Home, who was making his Championship debut, pulled Chris Rushworth for successive boundaries to bring up the 300.But then Rushworth struck twice in the space of three balls.He ended a stand of 65 between Tom Taylor and Home by trapping the latter lbw for 29 and then knocked out the off stump of on loan Surrey spinner Amar Virdi.It left Taylor unbeaten on 36 from 49 balls.Taylor then took the new ball but only five balls were possible before bad light stopped play with Warwickshire 6-0.When play resumed after a short delay, Taylor made the first breakthrough when Rob Yates tried to work the ball on the leg side and was caught off a leading edge at mid on by Virdi.Taylor bowled an excellent opening spell and constantly beat the bat.Davies went to his four-figure milestone in spectacular fashion against Logan van Beek during his first over.He twice hit the New Zealander for sixes backward of square and then a square drive to the boundary took him past 1,000 in an over costing 16 runs.Davies completed a 59-ball half-century with three sixes and six fours as Warwickshire reached 76 for 1 off 20 overs by lunch.But former Warwickshire all-rounder Ethan Brookes struck with the first delivery after the resumption when Will Rhodes aimed to work to leg and inside edged through to keeper Gareth Roderick moving away to his right.There was more joy for Brookes with the prized scalp of Davies (58) who went for a drive but took his one hand off the bat and inside-edged onto his stumps at 91 for 3.Van Beek switched ends and claimed his first scalp when Sam Hain (11) tried to turn a delivery on the on-side and was bowled shortly before the players left the field for the final time.

Former Australia captain Tim Paine has been named Adelaide Strikers’ new BBL head coach less than two years after he finished his professional career.Paine, who was Jason Gillespie’s assistant last season, will take the role vacated by Gillespie’s departure with the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) deciding to split the state and BBL jobs. Last week Ryan Harris was confirmed as South Australia’s new head coach.Related

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Paine has moved rapidly through the coaching system. He is currently working with NT Strike in the Top End T20 series, last season was an assistant to Adam Voges for Australia A and has also worked with the Under-19 set up and the women’s team. He had previously spoken about his interest in the BBL role if the two men’s coaching jobs were broken up.”I am honoured and excited by the opportunity to coach such a well-established and strongly supported club, and I can’t wait for the start of BBL|14 in December,” Paine said.”After spending time in Adelaide last year, I believe the Strikers team and the whole of South Australian cricket has huge potential and I’m looking forward to being part of taking it forward and winning a few trophies.”Last season Strikers went on a late run with four consecutive victories to squeeze into the finals where they defeated defending champions Perth Scorchers in the Knockout before falling to eventual winners Brisbane Heat in the Challenger.Paine’s international career ended controversially when he resigned on the eve of the 2021-22 Ashes.His first major duty will be overseeing the BBL draft alongside Strikers’ captain Matt Short on September 1. The club have yet to confirm a pre-draft signing and will have picks 5, 11, 20 and 29.Rashid Khan has been a long-time figure at Strikers and had been due to return last season before being ruled out through injury. He will be part of MI Cape Town in the SA20 which overlaps with the BBL during January and it has yet to be confirmed whether he will nominate this year.Strikers will be boosted by Chris Lynn being available for the entire tournament after he signed a new one-year deal having previously left the BBL early to play in the ILT20.Current Adelaide Strikers BBL squad: James Bazley, Jordan Buckingham, Cameron Boyce, Brendan Doggett, Chris Lynn, Lloyd Pope, Alex Ross, D’Arcy Short, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald

Dunith Wellalage, all of 21, produced an exemplary all-round performance on a tough pitch at Khettarama. Batting at No. 7, he played Sri Lanka’s best innings, hitting 67 not out off 65, in a total of 230 for 8 in the first ODI.When defending, the left-arm spinner took 2 for 39 off nine overs, taking the crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma, who was India’s best batter on the evening, and Sri Lanka went on to tie the game.On the batting front, Wellalage had started watchfully after coming in at 101 for 5 in the 27th over, but on a surface on which no one truly looked set, he seemed the most comfortable batter across both teams, even striking powerful boundaries at the close. For this innings, he took inspiration from a Sri Lanka team-mate, he said.Related

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Pathum Nissanka, who hit another fifty on Friday, has been the hosts’ best batter of the tour so far, having also made runs in the T20Is.”They have a lot of experienced bowlers, so the more we can limit our mistakes, the more we can put pressure on them,” Wellalage said of his thinking during his innings. “I was watching Pathum Nissanka bat quite a lot. I put his batting in my mind as I came up with a plan. If you take the pitch, it was one that supported spin bowling. I tried to put as much pressure on the bowler and build partnerships.”With the ball, he perhaps struck the most important blow of the night. Rohit was threatening to make easy work of the target when he galloped to his fifty off 33 balls. But in the 15th over, Wellalage beat him in flight, and struck Rohit in front of the stumps as he attempted a sweep shot, cutting that innings short for 58 off 47.This is after he’d also dismissed Shubman Gill, again with a nicely flighted delivery that Gill top edged high enough for the keeper to track it down. Wellalage had been the first spinner to be introduced, inside the powerplay.”We knew that the wicket was spinning. So Charith Asalanka had told me that I would be bowling in the powerplay. I had good support from the wicket too.”With Rohit at the time, I was trying just to bowl wicket-to-wicket, because I knew how much assistance there was from the pitch.”The middle to late overs, were all Wanindu Hasaranga and Asalanka, said Wellalage. Those two bowlers took three wickets apiece, with Asalanka providing the final touches, taking two wickets in the 48th over when India had already tied the game. Having Axar Patel caught behind was his other wicket.Earlier, Hasaranga had removed Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Kuldeep Yadav.”When we bowled, the game changed with the wickets that Wanindu and Charith took. They took wickets at very difficult times, and that’s how we were able to at least keep it to this score. If you take Axar Patel and KL Rahul, these are batters who have finished a lot of matches.”At that time we needed to get the bowlers in, and when Charith got Axar out and Wanindu got KL Rahul out. It was important to stay calm at that stage, and the match turned our way.”