Tag Futebol

Bradley Hope and Jordan Silk rescued the leaders after Joel Paris did the early damage

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2024Reigning champions Western Australia fought back to trail leaders Tasmania by 65 runs with six wickets in hand after a dramatic first day of their Sheffield Shield match in Hobart.After routing Tasmania for 183 in 49 overs, WA stumbled to 28 for 3 before reaching stumps on 118 for 4 through the efforts of Jayden Goodwin.WA captain Sam Whiteman’s decision to bowl first on a tricky Blundstone Arena paid dividends as the visitors tore through Tasmania’s top-order.After losing opener Tim Ward on the first ball of the match, Tasmania’s day didn’t get much better. It could still have been worse for the home side, who were reeling at 19 for and 90 for 6.But an accomplished 63 from Bradley Hope, who grew up in WA, and captain Jordan Silk pushed them to a more competitive score.WA quick Joel Paris, who started the carnage with the dismissal of Ward, was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 48.Tasmania’s batters tried to go after Cameron Gannon but he finished with 3 for 49 from eight overs.Like Tasmania, WA found themselves in early trouble with the bat as snubbed Test hopeful Cameron Bancroft fell for 2 in the third over.The visitors top order collapsed, with Tasmanian debutant Kieran Elliott snaring the wicket of Test No.4 Cameron Green when he was trapped lbwBut No.3 Goodwin and veteran allrounder Hilton Cartwright helped steady the innings.WA will resume their innings on Saturday hoping they can the ruin Tasmania’s prospects of hosting the Shield final. They sit top of the table with three games to be completed, while WA are third having had an inconsistent title defence so far.

The allrounder has not been discouraged by the selectors, but acknowledges that there is a monster international workload through the year

Alex Malcolm28-Nov-20221:02

Warner on Green: Nineteen weeks straight in India will get you cooked

Cameron Green is excited about the possibility of going to the IPL in 2023 despite a warning from David Warner about the consequences of adding the world’s longest T20 franchise tournament to a monstrous Test and ODI workload in the calendar year.Green will enter the auction, and could well be at the centre of a bidding war after catching the eye of a number of the franchise owners in the three-T20I tour of India in September, where he smashed two blistering half-centuries, striking at 214.54 for the series.Related

• Australia's Test return to Perth likely to prove a tough sell

• Steve Waugh: 'The public has almost overdosed on cricket'

• At home, and yet not quite – Cameron Green at the centre of unfamiliar homecoming

• Smith feels primed for big summer despite hip niggle

• The WI quicks who could give Australia the hurry-up

But he will have nine Tests to play between now and the start of the IPL, including a four-Test tour of India just prior to the tournament. Australia also have a three-ODI series scheduled on the back of the Test series in India. Green is also contracted to play some BBL cricket for Perth Scorchers in the three weeks between the Sydney Test against South Africa, his fifth of the summer, and the first Test in India.Immediately after the IPL, Australia will play the five-match Ashes in England and there is also the possibility they could play the World Test Championship final in England in early June. Australia then have a white-ball tour of South Africa in August prior to the 50-over World Cup in October in India.”I think from an experience point of view, it’s great,” Warner, an IPL regular since 2009, said. “From a playing point of view, he’s obviously got four Test matches and a few T20s [and] ODIs after it. So, look, 19 weeks straight in India… being your first trip there as well can be quite challenging from the heat perspective, the playing, the recovery. It’s a different heat. I’ve been through that, I’ve played that, I’ve done the Test series and the IPL straight before. It is tough.”Put on the back of that, you’ve got five Test matches in England. I think it’s 20 days off before you go play World Cup. It’s a big year. Glenn Maxwell did it a couple years ago, played the whole year, and was cooked come the [home] season.”So, from a youngster’s point of view, it’s totally up to him. It’s a decision he has to make for the longevity of his career. It’s a big call for him as a youngster and whatever decision he goes with, you know, we’ll respect it as players. But, ultimately, it’s down to him and obviously with CA and I don’t know what those conversations are.”Green has had those conversations with Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey and coach Andrew McDonald, also a selector, and they have not discouraged Green from going to the IPL.”I’ve had really good chats with those guys, and they’re really open to me going,” Green said. “Obviously you’re going to a pretty cool environment where you’re around all the best players in the world and the best coaching staff and you’ve got all the facilities to bat all day if you want to and really learn about your game. So, I think it’s just a really good environment to learn about your cricket and hopefully a lot of things that I can take back with me and then share with the guys in Australia.””I think it’s just a really good environment to learn about your cricket and hopefully a lot of things that I can take back with me”•Getty Images

The selectors have an eye on the T20 World Cup in 2024 – Green’s relative inexperience in the format was a major reason why he was not used more in the recent 2022 tournament in Australia. The 2024 IPL appears a better fit for Green from a workload perspective, given Australia have a lighter Test schedule and it provides a perfect lead-in to the tournament mid-year in the Caribbean and the USA. However, Green was confident about playing next year.”It’s going to be a really tough year – I don’t think anyone’s disagreeing with that,” he said. “But it’s just a really good opportunity. I think if you’re playing all three formats, and the IPL, you’re going to be learning a lot about your cricket. Yeah, you might get pushed a little bit with your body but I’ve got good resources around me to kind of get through that. You do everything you can to look after your body and have rest when you can.”Green had been considering a stint in county cricket in England in the winter of 2022 in between Australia’s away Test series in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, before opting to rest after the attritional series in Pakistan.

Earlier, Fabian Allen and Dwayne Bravo picked up two wickets each to restrict the visitors to a below-par total

Firdose Moonda26-Jun-2021A week is a long time in international sport.West Indies went from being completely outplayed in the Test series to completely outplaying South Africa in the opening T20I of the five-match series. West Indies had successfully chased down a target of 160 or more at home only once before this match – against India in 2017 – but on Saturday, they reached the total with five overs to spare.They made South Africa’s total of 160 look insufficient and forced Temba Bavuma, in his first match as T20I captain, to consider team balance and strategy. South Africa went into the match with six specialist batters, a spin-bowling allrounder, three seamers and a specialist spinner, a combination that did not seem to work for them on the day. West Indies do not need to think too much about their line-up, because the top four did the job with the bat before their attack, with a mix of youth and experience, limited South Africa to a gettable total.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

The WI vs SA series is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

Left-arm spinner Fabian Allen enjoyed the best return of any of the bowlers and was well supported by left-arm seamer Obed McCoy and offspinner Kevin Sinclair alongside senior bowlers Jason Holder, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo. But it was Evin Lewis who stole the show. His 71 off 35 balls batted South Africa out of the match and gave them some questions to consider ahead of the second fixture in less than 24 hours.Fabian Allen’s career-best
West Indies chose to introduce spin as soon as they could, opening the bowling with Sinclair and bowling Allen in the fourth over. While Sinclair’s second over cost 17 runs, Allen had almost immediate success. Reeza Hendricks advanced down the track to meet the fourth delivery Allen bowled but the ball snuck between the bat-pad gap and hit his off stump. Allen celebrated with a signature dance move that he may have wanted to bring out several more times. He appealed for lbw after Rassie van der Dussen missed the reverse sweep and was hit on the pad and Kieron Pollard agreed to review but replays showed the ball was going over the stumps. Allen was brought back in the 12th over, with South Africa well on their way to 100 runs, and had Temba Bavuma caught at deep square leg, off the sweep, to end an innings that seemed well set. Allen conceded just 18 runs in his four overs at an economy rate of 4.50, the best in the match.van der Dussen’s fifth fifty
In Faf du Plessis’ absence, van der Dussen proved to be the glue that kept South Africa together. He survived an lbw appeal off the second ball he faced and went on to play an attractive array of strokes, mostly on the leg side. van der Dussen’s first boundary was a deliberate guide through third man and he went on to slog Bravo and Russell through square leg, pull Bravo over midwicket for six, and sweep McCoy over midwicket and through fine leg. He finished unbeaten on 56 and was, by some distance, South Africa’s most accomplished batter of the innings.Evin Lewis’ 1000
Chris Gayle is the quickest West Indian batter to get to 1000 T20I runs, in 34 innings, and Lewis is right behind him, reaching there in his 35th innings. Lewis opened his account with a pulled six off George Linde, and then smacked Kagiso Rabada over midwicket for four to become the sixth West Indian to reach 1000 T20I runs. He went on to flick Rabada for four more and then hook him for six before plundering 20 runs off Lungi Ngidi’s opening over. He reached his half-century off 22 balls, with a glorious six down the ground off Ngidi. This was Lewis’ fifth T20I fifty in less than 25 balls. His career strike rate of 158.20 is also the second-highest, a fraction behind Glenn Maxwell’s, among batters with at least 1000 T20I runs.Running out of options
South Africa’s XI contained only five bowling options but with West Indies on 93 for 1 at the halfway stage, they decided to try something different. Very different. Though Hendricks has turned his arm over at first-class and List A level, he had never bowled a ball in T20 cricket, never mind T20Is but was tasked with delivering the 11th over. Gayle sent Hendrick’s first ball back over his head and his second over midwicket for successive sixes before taking a single to give Lewis strike. Lewis hit another six and took a couple and Hendricks’ over cost 21 runs, the most expensive among the South African bowlers. In all, West Indies hit 15 sixes, South Africa just five.

The decision follows BCCI’s move earlier on Friday to defer the IPL till April 15

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Mar-2020Less than 24 hours after it said the remainder of the home ODI series between India and South Africa would be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, the BCCI on Friday decided to call off the matches in Lucknow (March 15) and Kolkata (March 18) for now. A BCCI statement said both they and CSA had decided to “reschedule” the series and that South Africa would visit India at a later date to play three ODIs, with a revised schedule.”The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) along with Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Friday announced to reschedule the ongoing ODI series in view of the Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) outbreak,” the BCCI said in a media release on Friday. “Cricket South Africa will visit India at a later date to play 3 One-day Internationals. The BCCI-CSA will jointly work out the revised schedule.”The statement seemed to suggest that the two teams would play a fresh set of three ODIs even though technically the first ODI had been completed in this series, though it was a washout without a ball being bowled in Dharamsala.Rescheduling the ongoing series was the second significant decision about Indian cricket that the BCCI made on Friday, having earlier deferred the IPL until April 15.The rescheduling of the ODI series is likely to have come as a surprise to even the Indian and South African teams, considering the BCCI had sent out the practice schedule for both teams for Saturday less than an hour before the board’s decision. As per the training schedule, India were to have an optional training session between 10.00 am to 1.00 pm in the morning, with South Africa’s session from 2.00 pm in the afternoon.In a later release, CSA said chief executive Jacques Faul and interim director of cricket Graeme Smith had both personally been in contact with the BCCI and “expressed their gratitude for their understanding and cooperation in arriving at this very responsible decision”. Faul added that CSA was also doing a risk-assessment of its ongoing domestic season.”Our view is that this decision is both necessary and a precaution that had to be taken in the interest of cricket and the sustainability of the game,” Faul said. “We are monitoring the situation with the virus and are in constant consultation with medical and virology experts. We will apply our minds to the input of experts and act in a way that reflects our duty of caring for our players. We are currently doing a full risk assessment on the influence of the virus on our operations, including the current domestic season.”On Thursday, the BCCI had said that it had consulted the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare as well as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports before deciding to conduct the last two ODIs without spectators. The Health Ministry and the Indian government had said they were strongly against mass gatherings of any kind, including at a sporting event such as a cricket match. On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh government, the state of which Lucknow is the capital city, also endorsed those guidelines.In the first ODI washout, a healthy crowd had turned up despite government authorities asking fans not to attend mass gatherings in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Big totals for the team, an excellent run of scores for himself – all of this is helping New Zealand pick up speed as they head towards the World Cup, he said

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Jan-20191:55

‘We played well till the last 20 overs’ – Taylor

Mammoth totals for the team, an excellent run of scores for himself – all of this is just helping New Zealand pick up speed as they head towards the World Cup, according to Ross Taylor.Batting first in both matches in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand set Sri Lanka targets of 372 and 320, going on to successfully defend both totals despite some fight from the opposition. In general, New Zealand’s conditions are the closest to those of England from among the World Cup-going nations, but extremely batting-friendly tracks could be especially helpful, Taylor suggested.”Even though 300 is a par score, sometimes chasing 300 can be pretty intimidating,” he said. “You’ve got to go about it in a certain way. I’m sure at the World Cup the scores will be very high – certainly at a few of the grounds. We’ve got to find ways of getting to the big scores, and also of restricting the opposition as well.”Taylor top-scored in the second ODI, hitting 90 off 105 balls, and has in general been in spectacular one-day form – that 90 being the fifth successive ODI innings in which he has passed 50. He had been excellent in ODIs in 2018 as well, averaging 91.28 from 10 innings, including two centuries.”It’s a World Cup year, and I’ve put a big focus on the tournament and on one-day cricket,” Taylor said. “There are still a few things I want to work on, but I can hopefully continue the form over the summer.”New Zealand have now wrapped up the series against Sri Lanka with a match still to play, but one area of concern from Saturday’s match is their catching, which fell to pieces towards the end of the innings. No fewer than five clear-cut chances went down – most of them straightforward – which allowed Sri Lanka to get within 21 runs of the hosts’ total, despite having lost five wickets for 16 runs in the middle overs. It was an unusual performance from one of the best fielding sides in the world.”Some of our best fielders were dropping catches,” Taylor said. “It was a bit windy, but at the end of the day, there are no excuses for that. We have to work hard at training to rectify that. I’m sure once those first couple go in in the next match, all the boys’ hearts will be a bit calmer than they were last night.”

In Nagpur, Amandeep Khare’s double-ton propelled Chhattisgarh to 489 while slow bowlers Akash Vashisht and Vikas Yadav dominated in Delhi

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2017Shadab Jakati’s five-for restricted Punjab‘s dominance as they posted a total of 635 against Goain Porvorim, following Jiwanjot Singh’s double-hundred (238) and centuries from Anmolpreet Singh (113) and Gurkeerat Singh Mann (114).Resuming their unbeaten 236-run stand, Jiwanjot and Anmolpreet could add only 24 runs more to their partnership as the latter was run out by Reagen Pinto in the fourth over of the day. With Jiwanjot being dismissed soon after, Gurkeerat struck his ton, powering Punjab to 600. Jakati dismissed Gurkeerat and scythed through the tail to finish with figures of 5 for 165.In reply, Goa moved to 94 for 1 in 29 overs, with Swapnil Asnodkar (28*) and Sagun Kamat (32*) at the crease. Siddarth Kaul dismissed opener Sumiran Amonkar for 30.Amandeep Khare’s double ton, and his 105-run sixth-wicket partnership with Jatin Saxena(62) powered Chhattisgarh to 489 in Nagpur. Vidarbha spinners Karn Sharma and Akshay Karnewar did most of the damage post lunch as they picked three each to clear the lower order.Vidarbha lost their opener Sanjay Ramaswamy (7) in reply, before captain Faiz Fazal (20*) and Shrikant Wagh (4*) took them to 31 for 1 in 13 overs at stumps.Slow left-armers dominated in Delhi as Himachal‘s Akash Vasisht ran through the core of Services‘ batting as they were reduced to 153 for 6 in their first innings. Earlier in the day, Rahul Singh and Vikas Yadav shared five wickets to clear up Himachal’s lower order as they crumbled from 320 for 5 to 364 all out.Nikhil Gangta, who converted his overnight score of 89 to bring up his second century of the season, helped Himachal get to their eventual total before being dismissed by Yadav.Services lost their openers Navneet Singh (49) and Ravi Chauhan (38) after a 50-run stand, and failed to recover as Vasisht worked through the top order. Nitin Tanwar (11*) and Vikas (1*) were at the crease at stumps.

International cricket is headed for a major financial shift as Australia, England and South Africa lead a push to sell overseas television rights in a collective bundle overseen by a new, independent administrative body

Daniel Brettig09-Sep-20161:17

Could all cricket be sold as one TV package?

International cricket is headed for a major financial shift as Australia, England and South Africa lead a push to sell overseas television rights in a collective bundle overseen by a new, independent administrative body.While the BCCI has expressed reservations about the concept, ESPNcricinfo understands that Cricket Australia, the ECB and CSA are adamant that a more collaborative approach to selling bilateral rights is the only way to minimise potential damage to revenue levels due to a shrinking of the Indian television market.Their push for a new way to sell bilateral rights was a key part of discussions at a workshop convened by the ICC in Dubai this week. These meetings effectively signalled the death knell for the concept of two-tier Test cricket, but prospects are brighter for a Test Championship playoff, and formalised league structures for ODIs and international Twenty20 matches.The recent acquisition of Ten Sports by Sony has cut the number of major Indian television rights bidders by a third, and both CA and the ECB are aware their current rich deals with Star Sports – worth up to US$8 million per international match – are unlikely to be matched next time around.Overseas rights contracts for both nations are soon to expire, adding urgency to the boards’ desire for another approach that will mean less
competition between nations and a better overall return.”All countries are worried about the downturn in the Indian market and they feel a linked-together approach will be better,” a source told
ESPNcricinfo. “Otherwise they’re out there on their own, two Indian broadcasters and 10 countries all with rights deals to sell – broadcasters can pick and choose.”If you’ve got one rights package to sell with content they want included somewhere in it then you’re in a much better position.”So eager are Australian, English and South African administrators to try the collective approach that they are unlikely to wait for
consensus before pulling the trigger. The pooled bid could feature as few as three nations or as many as 10, depending on who responds positively between now and the next round of official ICC meetings in October.Given that the deal would be for bilateral series only, there is no requirement for the pooled option to pass a vote of the ICC executive board. Instead CA, the ECB and CSA will need to convince other nations that the new deal is in their best financial interests, and also to formulate an independent body to oversee proceedings in a manner that would remove any doubts about the rich seeking a bilateral cash-grab at the expense of the rest.”The decision to pool rights could be made by three, five, 10 countries, however many agree,” the source said. “It isn’t all in or none in – it will take place regardless of how many sign up.”While the ICC has a department tasked with selling commercial rights to global tournaments, it has no authority to sell bilateral series. “Independence in decision-making in that group and also independence in terms of how the money is divided up is going to be really important,” the source said. “If big countries are seen to be muscling little countries then the concept weakens.”But it’s got [to have] independent management and potentially governance that will position it as a genuine media player, rather than countries pursuing their own individual interests.”The BCCI’s hesitance to get involved in the pooled deal thus far is driven in part by the differing television rights priorities for each nation. Indian cricket has generated massive revenue from the IPL, dwarfing the still-strong returns derived from international series and ICC events.By contrast, all other boards including Australia, England and South Africa rely far more heavily on the television rights from bilateral series sold into the Indian market and ICC tournaments. While T20 began in England and has found a successful outlet in Australia’s BBL, neither competition is anywhere near as lucrative as the IPL – likewise the tournaments run by other nations.”In the end the boards are competing against themselves and pulling in three directions,” the source said. “They’re the beneficiaries of ICC events, they’re the rights holders for bilateral cricket and they own domestic T20 competitions. It does come back to where they want to prioritise their energies and what balance of those three things they see their business running on in the future.”

Samit Patel picked up four wickets to help Nottinghamshire into the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup after defeating Durham by 49 runs on DLS

ECB/PA25-Aug-2015
ScorecardAlex Hales reached his half-century off 46 balls before the rain came•Getty Images

Samit Patel picked up four wickets for the second day running to help Nottinghamshire into the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup after defeating Durham by 49 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.Patel, who helped spin his county to a Championship success over Warwickshire a day earlier, produced figures of 4 for 11 to end Durham’s reign as domestic one-day cup holders. The visitors had been set a target of 194 but they lost their way once pace had been taken from the ball and were bowled out for just 144 in 21.2 overs.Earlier in the day Notts had reached 94 for 1 in 17.2 overs, after being put in, before deteriorating conditions forced the players from the field. After a stoppage of almost five hours, the contest was then reduced to 24 overs per side. The home team managed to advance their innings to 170 for 4, with Alex Hales making 62 and Dan Christian blasting an unbeaten 48.

Semi-final draw

Nottinghamshire v Surrey or Kent
Essex or Yorkshire v Gloucestershire or Hampshire

Hales and Riki Wessels gave the Outlaws a perfect platform as they posted 55 for the first wicket, making the best of any width offered by Graham Onions and Chris Rushworth.The introduction of John Hastings into the attack accounted for Wessels, who pulled the Australian straight into the hands of Scott Borthwick at short midwicket for 25.Dan Christian, promoted to No. 3 in the order, punched Onions down the ground for four from his first delivery and repeated the dose two overs later. Hales moved to his fifty in spectacular style, slog-sweeping Borthwick for the first maximum of the match, with his half-century coming from 46 deliveries, seven of which were struck for fours.When play resumed after the rain interruption Hales hit another six before holing out to Ryan Pringle at deep midwicket. James Taylor wasted little time in finding his range, striking Borthwick for three consecutive sixes on his way to 29 from just 15 balls. Taylor fell in the final over of the innings and was followed back to the pavilion by Patel, who hit the last delivery into the hands of Rushworth at third man.Mark Stoneman and Phil Mustard gave the northeast county a flying start to their reply by putting on 63, but the contest swung back again when three wickets fell in six deliveries. Christian enticed Stoneman to hit to midwicket for 36 and then Steven Mullaney picked up two wickets in his first over. Mustard lofted to long-on for 24 and then Paul Collingwood drilled his first delivery straight back into the waiting hands of the bowler.Calum MacLeod and Graham Clark shared in a stand of 61 for the fourth wicket but Durham collapsed dramatically as the required run rate soared. Patel’s introduction saw off both players and he then removed Hastings and Pringle in quick succession, having also caught Gordon Muchall off Mullaney’s bowling.Rushworth was run out and Onions had his stumps knocked over by Jake Ball as Durham’s reign came to an end. Notts progress to the last four, where an away trip to the winners of the Surrey versus Kent quarter-final awaits them.

Thirush Kamini overcame a nervy start to become the first Indian to score a century in the Women’s World Cup. Her 100 set up India’s match-winning total against WI

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai31-Jan-2013Thirush Kamini, who became the first Indian to make a hundred in a Women’s World Cup, said she had “too many things running” in her mind when she walked out to open in her first international match in nearly three years. Despite a slow start, she went on to add 175 for the first wicket with Poonam Raut, setting up a match-winning total of 284 for 6 against West Indies.Kamini’s previous match for India was in February 2010, but she calmed whatever nerves there may have been at the start to allow Raut to take charge, before opening up to overtake her opening partner. Mithali Raj, the India captain, had spoken about India’s strong opening combination going into this World Cup, unlike previous editions.Kamini said she had worked on her strokes during her time away from the national team. She had made an unbeaten 95 during the domestic Challenger Trophy in December 2012. “I was coming back from an injury. I had focused a lot on knocking,” Kamini said. “Today, I decided to take it ball by ball. I made a slow start but I knew I could make up later, which I was able to.”It was a perfect start to the tournament for the hosts as they piled on an imposing total after being asked to bat by West Indies, before defending it comfortably. Raj said she was “surprised” at being put in, and would have batted on the flat pitch had she won the toss.Raj believed chasing such a big total was a difficult task but West Indies captain Merissa Aguillera felt it was her batsmen, and not the bowlers who let the side down. Aguillera said with batsmen such as Stefanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Shanel Daley, West Indies should have batted much better than being dismissed for 179. Batting seemed to get slightly difficult in the evening as India’s seam bowlers got the ball to move around through the chase, but Aguillera refused to give much weight to that, saying her side should have been able to adapt to the conditions.Dottin gave India a brief scare as she cracked four powerful sixes on her way to 39 off just 16 deliveries. Her cameo lasted a little more than four overs but it was a “dangerous period”, according to Raj. “I am glad she didn’t continue further,” a relieved Raj said.The promoted Jhulan Goswami and Harmanpreet Kaur had earlier played cameos of their own as India kicked on to take 109 off the final 13 overs after the big opening stand. Raj said the team had worked on having a slog and decided to send the two batsmen before her so that they could go after the bowling.With India’s bowlers constantly keeping West Indies under pressure, Raj did not feel the fielding had been tested much and warned that tougher contests lay ahead against sides such as England.

Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the tour of South Africa and will return home to recover from a hamstring tear.

Firdose Moonda in Centurion 12-Dec-2011Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the tour of South Africa and will return home to recover from a hamstring tear. Pradeep sustained the injury after bowling 10 deliveries in the tour match against the South African Invitation XI in Benoni on Saturday and will be out of cricket for almost a month.An MRI scan was done and after examining it, physiotherapist Stephen Mount is of the view that Nuwan will be unable to play for another three to four weeks,” said Brian Thomas, Sri Lanka media manager. “Team management have requested a replacement player.”With injuries to four other seamers before the tour even started, Sri Lanka have limited options over who to bring into the squad. Two of the wounded, Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Kulasekara started bowling again recently and former captain, Kumar Sangakkara said they “stand a good chance of coming back on the tour.”Sangakkara himself joined the injured ranks when he tore the webbing between the first and second finger on his right hand during the tour match. He left the field on the second day’s play and took no further part in the match and had three stitches put in. After play on Sunday, Sangakkara said he would be monitored but would not play in the Test unless he was fully fit.Although he has not been cleared to play, there is some positive news after he was examined on Monday. “Doctors feel the injury will heal enabling him to play in the first Test,” Thomas said. The first Test starts on Thursday at Centurion.