Tag Futebol

Pakistan’s limited-overs captain, Shahid Afridi, has said he is ready to testify before the ICC tribunal hearing the case of the three Pakistan players

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2011Pakistan’s limited-overs captain, Shahid Afridi, has said he is ready to testify before the ICC tribunal hearing the case of the three Pakistan players who have been provisionally suspended by the ICC for their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy. Afridi had already spoken to the ICC ahead of its decision against Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt.”I have already said what I had to say and what I saw,” Afridi told Pakistani daily . “I could not have lied before the ICC because they already had enough information about the case. I have a clean conscience … I was asked about Mazhar Majeed [the central figure in the controversy] and his brother Azhar so whatever I knew I told the ICC.”The ICC’s tribunal is set to hear the case in Doha from January 6-11, before delivering the final verdict on the trio’s future. They have been suspended from the game since the time the controversy first erupted, after the released a sting video in which Majeed allegedly claimed to have bribed the Pakistan trio to bowl pre-planned no-balls in the final Test against England at Lord’s.Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s coach during the England tour, is also set to testify along with Afridi in Doha.

The New Zealand batsman will not be considered for selection for the home series against Bangladesh as he continues to struggle with a lower stomach muscle injury

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2010Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, will not be considered for selection for the home series against Bangladesh as he continues to struggle with a lower stomach muscle injury. Ryder had a recurrence of the injury while training, and there are serious doubts over his availability for New Zealand’s home series against Australia as well as the ICC World Twenty20 in May.”Unfortunately Jesse is not fit at the moment,” the national selector Mark Greatbatch said. “He has had a bit of a relapse with his injury. He has still got quite a bit of work to do to get back and play club cricket and for Wellington.”Ryder recently took a significant step in his recovery from an injury that has troubled him since the Indian Premier League in March 2009, appearing for Wellington A in a practice game against the England Under-19 team. He has been sidelined since suffering an abductor strain that he aggravated during the Champions Trophy in South Africa.New Zealand team physiotherapist Kate Stalker met Ryder in Christchurch, along with other New Zealand Cricket medical staff. “He has some abdominal pain again. He hasn’t reinjured it to the same extent he had in the past, but he’s certainly tweaked it,” she told the . “Biomechanical faults take a long time to sort out. It’s not an overnight fix.”Stalker’s comments indicate that Ryder could easily be out of action for the next few months, but as she put it, there was a much bigger picture looming ahead in 13 months. “Is it more important to have him playing against Bangladesh or playing in the World Cup? … my goal is the World Cup,” she said.”Anything else we can have players ready for, like the world Twenty20, that’s fantastic, but our focus is the World Cup and I want the New Zealand selectors to be able to choose from every player we have to make that squad. It’s really important for its longevity that we sort this out now”.New Zealand host Bangladesh for a Twenty20, three ODIs and a one-off Test in Hamilton during February.

Sibley’s 25th century came up alongside Curran’s second during a 170-run stand between them

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay29-Jun-2025Surrey 407 for 3 (Sibley 169*, Curran 108, Lawrence 58*) vs DurhamDom Sibley and Sam Curran scored excellent centuries as champions Surrey made Durham rue their decision to field first on day one at the Kia Oval.Sibley’s batted all day for his unbeaten 169, his third century of the campaign, while Curran’s 108 from 117 balls was his first Championship ton of the season. The duo added 170 for the third wicket as the hosts piled up 407 for 3.Prior to their mammoth stand Rory Burns lit up the morning’s play with a half century full of trademark shots and laced with 12 fours and Dan Lawrence (58*) too passed 50 at better than a run a ball before stumps were drawn.Durham were without the services of Ben Raine from early afternoon and there was a nasty moment for England quick Matthew Potts, who collided with the advertising boards in stopping a boundary shortly before lunch. He didn’t appear at the start of the afternoon session but returned to bowl later, seemingly without issue.Shorn of the services of Brydon Carse, Mark Wood and Codi Yusuf, Durham nevertheless followed the accepted practice of bowling first at the Oval even with the Kookaburra ball in play.Burns soon caused them to question the wisdom of that decision, producing his full repertoire of strokes. Durham aided this process, guilty of bowling either short and wide to feed the cut shot or drifting onto the pads whereupon the former England opener would drive them through mid-on and mid-wicket.There was the odd cover-drive too, all of which meant Burns was not required to exert himself with too much running on a hot day. His 12th four raised his 50, at which point he’s scored only three aside from his boundaries.A loose stroke brought his downfall shortly before lunch and when Ryan Patel went cheaply soon after the resumption there seemed a tiny window of opportunity for the visitors. However, Raine (1 for 32) left the field in the wake of taking the wicket and Curran and Sibley soon slammed that window shut again.Curran bristled aggression from the start, taking a particular liking to the spin of George Drissell, clouting his first ball, a full toss back, over the bowler’s head and later muscling him over the ropes for six.Against seam he was ruthless given any width, his first 50 coming in only 48 balls. Only a tight spell from Will Rhodes dragged him back below a run a ball, but his sparkling hundred containing a six and 14 fours was completed soon after tea before Drissell gained a measure of recompense by having him caught in the deep.Sibley, who edged short of wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson on four in the second over of the day, was content to play second fiddle, though he did unfurl three boundaries in one Jimmy Neesham over, the former New Zealand Test bowler pressed into service with a red ball for the first time in three years.A lovely pull shot was among eight fours in his first fifty and while there were only two more on route to 100, reached in 238 balls, he was a man transformed thereafter.Two short-pitched balls were expertly guided to the fence at third, while a punch through mid-wicket, his 19th four in all took him past 150.A ramp shot and a drive on the up came out in the death throes of the day as he dominated a stand of 131 with Dan Lawrence, who in turn scored his 1000th run for Surrey as the 400 was raised shortly before the close.

Nishant Sindhu, Aditya Sarwate, and Bhargav Bhatt were among the top performers of the week

Shashank Kishore14-Jan-2024

Pujara the lone ranger as Jayant and Sindhu spin out Saurashtra

Saurashtra, the defending champions, have had a tough start to the 2023-24 Ranji season. After being denied an outright win in their opening game by Jharkhand, they slumped to a four-wicket defeat to Haryana in the second round of matches after being spun out on home turf by Jayant Yadav and Nishant Sindhu.Jayant picked up a five-for in the first innings to bowl Saurashtra out for 145 on the opening day. Only Cheteshwar Pujara, who struck his 17th first-class double ton last week, offered resistance by top scoring with 49. Haryana were on course for a bigger lead than the 55 they managed, especially at 132 for 1, with Ankit Kumar and Himanshu Rana hitting half-centuries.From there, Haryana lost 9 for 68, with Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, the offspinner, along with the left-arm spinners, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Parth Bhut, picking up all the wickets among them.Saurashtra’s second innings was once again punctuated with solidity from Pujara and Arpit Vasavada, who made 43 and 45 respectively, but there was very little of note from the others until Bhut and Jaydev Unadkat, the captain, hauled them from a precarious 150 for 8 to 220 all out.Set 166 for victory, Haryana were in a hint of trouble at 78 for 3 before being guided over the line courtesy a half-century from Ashok Menaria, the captain. He was unbeaten on 58, while Sindhu contributed a handy 24 to round off an impactful game with both bat and ball. The win gives Haryana massive legroom in Elite Group A, after they started the season with a weather-affected game against Rajasthan in Lahli, where even the first innings couldn’t be completed.File photo: Aditya Sarwate picked nine wickets against Manipur•PTI

Sarwate’s nine-wicket haul and half-century help Vidarbha top Group A

Vidarbha currently top Group A, having put together two big wins; their latest in round two being fairly one-sided with Manipur lasting all of 66.3 overs combined in both innings. Aditya Sarwate, the left-arm spinner, picked up a match haul of 9 for 16.Having bowled Manipur out for 75 shortly after lunch on the opening day, Vidarbha secured a 155-run lead thanks to Sarwate’s 69, the highest score of the innings. That would prove to be more than enough as Vidarbha won by an innings and 90 runs to secure a bonus-point win.

Baroda give Puducherry a reality check

Puducherry began with a stunning win over Delhi last week, but twin batting failures cost them big as they slumped to a 98-run loss to Baroda on a red-soil deck at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara.Playing in only his sixth first-class match, Mahesh Pithiya, the offspinner, picked up a match haul of seven wickets. Pithiya had made headlines last year when he was picked by Australia as a net bowler for the Border-Gavaskar series to try and simulate scenarios against R Ashwin. As it turned out, Pithiya was the sidekick to the main hero, Bhargav Bhatt. The left-arm-spinner ended with eleven wickets in the match as Puducherry folded for 119 while chasing 218.It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Puducherry, though. If Gaurav Yadav, the fast bowler, hit the high notes in their opening win with a ten-for, offspinner Sagar Udeshi was at the forefront of their bowling performance this time, taking 13 for 152.

Hyderabad – runaway Plate toppers

Rohit Rayudu, cousin of Ambati Rayudu, struck his third first-class century as Hyderabad beat Meghalaya with a bonus point to top the Plate group after two rounds. Last week, they’d begun the new season with an innings win over Nagaland.Like they’d done in that win, Hyderabad pressed the accelerator and accumulated 346 for 7 in 80 overs before declaring. The 235-run lead was more than comfortable to secure victory; Meghalaya did a tad better in the second innings to make 154 in 36.1 overs as opposed to the 111 they made in 33.1 overs in the first innings.In another plate game, Ankur Malik’s century and five-for helped Sikkim secure an innings and 288-run win over Arunachal Pradesh.

Wasim has been released from the squad, and is expected to be out of action for around three weeks

Umar Farooq26-Aug-2022Mohammad Wasim will miss the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 after picking a side strain. He is being released from the squad, that’s currently in the UAE, and will be out for at least three weeks. Hasan Ali, who was one of the notable omissions when the squad was announced, has been brought in as Wasim’s replacement.Wasim had complained of back pain while bowling in a net session at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Thursday, and was taken for an MRI scan shortly afterwards. In the PCB’s update on Friday, it has emerged that he had suffered a side strain. He has also been reviewed by a specialist. The team’s main physiotherapist, Cliffe Deacon, is working with Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has been ruled out of the Asia Cup because of a knee injury but is travelling with the team.Hasan was dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the ODI series in the Netherlands as well as for the Asia Cup following a poor run of form with the ball. Hasan’s form across formats in the last year has been middling at best. He has picked up eight wickets in eight T20Is in this period. In the three ODIs he has played in the last 12 months – all at home between March and June this year – he averaged 76.50 with the ball, picking up two wickets. Earlier this year, in the PSL, he had a bowling average of 40.55 and had an economy rate of 10.84 as he got nine wickets in nine games for Islamabad United.PCB confirmed that the team management had asked for Hasan as a replacement and chief selector Mohammad Wasim accepted the request. When the 16-man squad had been announced earlier this month, Naseem Shah had been called up to replace Hasan. Now, with Afridi and Wasim out, Pakistan’s pace-bowling unit has Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shah and Hasan. Their campaign at the Asia Cup starts on August 28 against India.In a bid to regain his form, Hasan had been preparing for the National T20, starting on August 30. He was named Southern Punjab captain, having moved away from his regular team, Central Punjab. He had been at the PCB’s high-performance centre in Lahore training after being dropped.

Sibley injures finger, Vihari struggles on first day as Notts make inroads via Broad and Chappell

George Dobell15-Apr-2021Dom Sibley and Hanuma Vihari were reminded of the humbling powers of sport on the first day of the Championship match between Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire.A day that started with Sibley named as a Wisden cricketer of the year and Vihari retain his India central contract finished with the former nursing an injured finger and the latter contemplating a duck on debut for his new team.Sibley, the England opener, sustained the injury when failing to cling on to a regulation chance at slip offered by Steven Mullaney, on 26, off the bowling of Tim Bresnan. He left the field for treatment shortly afterwards and subsequently went for an X-ray.With seven weeks to go before the first Test of the summer, Sibley should have time to recover even if the results of the scan show a break. But having endured a tough series in India – he averaged 16.75 across the four Tests – he could have done with time at the crease ahead of the series against New Zealand. He is the second member of England’s first-choice Test XI to sustain a finger injury within the week after Ben Stokes’ IPL was ended by a broken finger.Sibley’s absence obliged Warwickshire to reorganise their batting line-up. That meant Rob Yates was promoted to open and Vihari moved up to No. 3. In normal circumstances, that would be fine. But Yates, making a fearsome hash of an attempted cut, fell first ball and Vihari only emerged from quarantine on Wednesday. That meant he had time for one net session before embarking on his first innings since the Sydney Test in January. It was hardly ideal preparation for facing Stuart Broad in his own back yard.While Vihari resisted stoutly for 40 minutes, he was eventually forced to play at one on off stump which may have bounced a little more than he expected and took the edge. Haseeb Hameed held on to a low catch at slip.For all the familiar names on show in this game – and there are eight Test players involved – it was the relatively unknown Liam Patterson-White who produced the key performance.Nottinghamshire don’t have the best reputation for the development of young players. While that’s not entirely fair – they have the same number of home-grown players (three) in this match as Warwickshire – it is true they have leaned pretty heavily on the surrounding counties over the years. In this game, for example, they have included five players who developed at either Leicestershire (Stuart Broad and Zak Chappell), Worcestershire (Joe Clarke), Northants (Ben Duckett) and Derbyshire (Ben Slater). Jake Libby, meanwhile, has flourished at New Road having left Trent Bridge.But they are determined to provide more opportunities for their current crop of youngsters. And, having declined the opportunity to sign a second overseas player, they preferred Patterson-White to Samit Patel, among others, as their spin-bowling allrounder.He went a long way to justifying the choice, too. Nottinghamshire were 119 for 6 when he came to the wicket but, in partnership with Tom Moores, Broad and Chappell, he helped his side to two batting bonus points and a competitive first-innings score. In withstanding a decent examination of pace from Olly Stone, who got through 20 overs and at times looked hostile, he showed decent temperament and technique and was eventually left stranded on an unbeaten 73. Nobody else managed more than 31.Patterson-White’s success is not a complete surprise. He scored heavily at second XI and academy level and played for England U-19s as an allrounder. Having broken into the Nottinghamshire team in 2019 – he took a five-for on debut and soon followed it with a maiden half-century – and been sent to winter under the tutelage of Jeetan Patel in New Zealand, it was some surprise when he missed out in the shortened season of 2020.While he has yet to play a first team limited-overs game – his opportunities have been limited by the presence of Patel, Imad Wasim and Matt Carter at various times – Nottinghamshire expect him to feature regularly in the first-class side and hope a Lions tour could be a possibility next winter.His ninth-wicket stand with Chappell was worth 63. While Chappell was happy to play a supporting role, he got in line, played straight and demonstrated the patience and hunger that some of his top-order colleagues would do well to emulate. Earlier Ben Slater had been drawn into pushing at a wide one, Hameed drove a full toss to cover and Clarke edged an attempted cut. Duckett and Moores were both dismissed by fine deliveries which nipped back, while Lyndon James over committed himself when backing up and was run out by an outstanding direct hit from cover by Will Rhodes.Poor Vihari’s bowling was little better than his batting. He was only entrusted with one over after his second ball, the longest of long-hops, was pulled for six by Moores. The boundary on one side of the pitch is unusually small but that was a stroke that would have carried beyond the boundary of any ground. A similar delivery was thumped for four later in the over. He did, at least, redeem himself a little in the field by clinging on to a brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss Mullaney at midwicket.Hanuma Vihari celebrates after catching Steven Mullaney•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire were grateful for Broad’s enthusiasm to play. They were without Jake Ball and Brett Hutton due to injury and Luke Fletcher due to illness so to hear that Broad was keen to play a week earlier than originally envisaged by the England management was something of a bonus.Their new overseas player, Dane Paterson, didn’t enjoy the most impressive of starts, either. Having succumbed to a second-ball duck, his first delivery was a no-ball that was hit for four. Having conceded six before bowling a ball he could probably empathise with Vihari. The only way is up for both of them.

Test regulars Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Ashwin and Saha are part of the four-day squad for the shadow tour

Shashank Kishore23-Dec-2019Hardik Pandya and Prithvi Shaw are part of strong India A squads for the shadow tour of New Zealand in January 2020.While Hardik is part of just the one-day leg of the tour, Shaw has been named in both the 50-overs and four-day squads, and will be in the race to be India’s back-up Test opener with former India Under-19 team-mate Shubman Gill. While Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma opened in all five Tests of India’s home season, against South Africa and Bangladesh, Gill was part of the reserves as the third opener.ALSO READ: Bumrah, Dhawan return for home series against Sri Lanka and AustraliaGill will captain India A’s one-day squad, while middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari will lead a strong four-day contingent. Test regulars Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha are all expected to feature in the second four-dayer, ahead of the two-Test series starting on February 21 in Wellington.Hardik hasn’t played international cricket since September, and underwent back surgery in London in October when he decided that “managing the injury” – he recently said he had done this for five years – was no longer an option.Prithvi Shaw lets a bouncer go•AFP

On Monday, chief selector MSK Prasad confirmed to journalists after the selection meeting that “Hardik would be looked at in the third week of January”, which is around the time the one-day leg of India A’s tour is scheduled. The three-match ODI series against New Zealand is slated to begin on February 5.Meanwhile, Shaw returned to competitive cricket in November after the completion of a backdated eight-month suspension for a doping violation. He struck form immediately, scoring 240 runs in five innings, including three half-centuries, for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He followed that up with scores of 66 and 202, his maiden first-class double century, in Mumbai’s 309-run win over Baroda in their Ranji Trophy opener earlier this month.KL Rahul is a notable absentee from the four-day India A squad, with the selectors seemingly happy to look at the next generation of talent. Rahul lost his Test berth to Rohit after the tour of West Indies in July-August, but has been in prolific white-ball form for Karnataka and India since.Two other prolific domestic openers, Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran, will be part of the squad for the first four-dayer, which will also feature the promising fast bowlers Sandeep Warrier, Ishan Porel, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan.India A squad for two tour matches and three one-day games: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill (capt), Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Axar Patel, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Warrier, Ishan Porel, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed SirajIndia A squad for 1st four-day game: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari (capt), KS Bharat (wk), Shivam Dube, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Warrier, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Ishan Porel, Ishan KishanIndia A squad for 2nd four-day game: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Hanuma Vihari (capt), KS Bharat (wk), Shivam Dube, R Ashwin, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Warrier, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Ishan Porel

England need to savour the experience of Stuart Broad and James Anderson for as long as they can, says captain

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2018Joe Root insists that England need to savour the experience and expertise of Stuart Broad and James Anderson for as long as they can, despite both of his senior seam bowlers enduring frustrating series in an otherwise triumphant tour of Sri Lanka.Broad is set to make his first appearance of the series in the third Test at Colombo, having missed out in Galle and Pallekele to make room for the extra spinner in Jack Leach.He will replace Anderson, who struck with his second ball at Galle to remove Dimuth Karunaratne for a duck, but subsequently admitted to feeling like a “spare part” as he failed to add to that tally in 40 subsequent overs across four innings.However, with a combined tally of 998 Test wickets in careers that stretch back to 2003 and 2007 respectively, Root was grateful for the wisdom they had been able to impart behind the scenes, and was adamant that both men still had a huge role to play when the conditions return to their favour.”It’s a great luxury to have isn’t it?” Root said. “For that amount of experience to be around the squad and offering so much to the group has been excellent.”We’ve played in conditions where we’ve not needed that much seam bowling in the middle but [Broad’s] been raring to go and doing everything he can. He’s got the opportunity to play this week and I’m sure he’ll be desperate to put in a really strong performance and show he’s very skilful in these conditions.”Of the two veterans, Broad is the one whose long-term future has come under the greater scrutiny in recent months. He endured a lean Ashes series after encountering some issues with his wrist position, and though he rediscovered his form for the English season, his haul of 16 wickets at 29.68 still paled compared to Anderson’s 24 at 18.12.But Root is adamant that Broad remains integral to their Test plans in the coming months, which include a tour of the Caribbean in the new year and a home Ashes campaign in the English summer, in which England hope to keep pressing towards their stated aim of becoming the No.1 Test team in the world.Stuart Broad and James Anderson chat with coach Trevor Bayliss•AFP

“You look at the experience he can bring to the team and his record in English conditions, and what he’s capable of there, and he’s invaluable,” said Root. “He’s still one of England’s best bowlers – I genuinely believe that – but we’ve had to be quite cute and smart about exploiting these conditions here and we’ll have to do the same later on in the winter in the West Indies.”I’m very aware how talented the group is and how talented our two senior guys are. We generally get very excited about wishing people into retirement and I think with those two in particular, we have to make the most of them while we can, be smart about managing and see how long they can go for.”They both look on top of their game at the moment, if you ask me. They’re both bowling fantastically well and keep looking to improve and get better. As far as I’m concerned I want to get the most out of them for as long as we can.”In spite of the lack of impact for England’s seamers in this series – a record 38 wickets fell to spin in the Pallekele Test – Root praised their efforts regardless, particularly the manner in which they had held Sri Lanka’s run rates in check to allow their trio of spinners to turn the screw.”Our seamers have done a fantastic job when they’ve had the opportunity to play,” he said. “Look at Jimmy and the spells that he’s bowled: he’s built and created a lot of pressure. And that sometimes has got rewards at the other end.”It can be overlooked on occasions. Stuart is more than capable of doing that and we know if we can take two or three early wickets on unresponsive wickets for seam bowling, it’ll be a massive bonus, which, again, you’d like to think he’ll be able to do. It’s a great opportunity for him to play this game. And hopefully he can do some damage.”Root added that there was a further reason for England to be grateful for the endurance of their veteran quicks. With the twin demands of the Ashes and World Cup next summer, two huge events that are sure to stretch their multi-format players to the limit, having two senior Test specialists waiting in the wings to hit the ground running for the Ashes in August could be invaluable.”I think it’s going to be the case for us and Australia going through that World Cup, making sure the guys are fresh and prepared,” Root said. “It’ll be interesting to see which sides are selected for that World Cup, especially in Australia’s case leading into it. It’s a long time away.”We’ve a lot of cricket to play before then. But look where we’re at in the Test team: there are still some Test specialists in there who will make sure they get some good first-class cricket in and game time under their belts ahead of that series. I feel like we’ve a good handle on things at the moment. And hopefully everyone is in a really good position going into the start of the year.”

Hardus Viljoen took the first eight wickets to give Derbyshire a rare victory and leave Sussex’s outside hopes of promotion in tatters

ECB Reporters Network15-Sep-2017A magnificent display of fast bowling by burly South African Hardus Viljoen inspired Derbyshire to only their second championship victory of the season against Sussex at Hove.Viloen took the first eight wickets to have a chance of all-10 before Harry Podmore nipped in for the last two to complete Derbyshire’s win and end Sussex’s promotion hopes in the processViljoen, 28, followed up his first innings return of seven for 80 to take 8 for 90 to finish with career best match figures of 15 for 170 as Sussex, bowled out for 344, were beaten by 45 runs. It was the fifth best match return by a Derbyshire bowler.This was the fifth time Viljoen had taken ten or more wickets in an match – but it’s the first time he has achieved it for Derbyshire, who must regret that he has been injured for most of the season.At the start of the day it looked as though Derbyshire had been stingy with their declaration. By declaring their innings closed at their overnight score of 322 for 8 they set Sussex a formidable 390 for victory.But Sussex had to go for the win to keep their promotion hopes alive. And Derbyshire knew that that would give them their best chance of victory.Viljoen, who is a genuine fast bowler, started his demolition job in his second over of the day, when he had Angus Robson caught at third slip. The fielder, Matt Critchley, took the ball with his hands high above his head.But by lunchtime Sussex had put themselves in with a chance of pulling off a stunning victory. They were 110 for 1, and needed another 280.Luke Wells and Stiaan van Zyl had set the platform for an unlikely win by the home side, van Zyl bringing up the 100 partnership just before lunch when he straight drove Luis Reece for four.After the break, Wells hit Viljoen for three successive fours but was then lbw looking for a fourth. And when Chris Nash was caught in the slips for just nine in Viljoen’s next over Sussex were 147 for 3 and Derbyshire were back in the match.But the match turned towards Sussex once again as even Viljoen struggled against van Zyl and the more pugnacious Luke Wright as the pair put on 120 for the fourth wicket. At tea, when Sussex were 236 for 3, needing another 154 from 36 overs, they were clear favourites to win the match.But then Viljoen turned the game towards Derbyshire once again. He had van Zyl caught at third man for 85 and then dismissed the Sussex captain Ben Brown, caught at slip. Then, when he plucked out Wright’s middle stump for 80 with a yorker Sussex were struggling at 276 for 6.Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer continued to encourage the Sussex supporters with a seventh wicket stand of 31. But then Viljoen took out Robinson’s off stump for 15 before having Archer caught at slip for 25.Podmore finished the job for Derbyshire with the final two wickets, thanks to fine catches by Hamidullah Qadri and Ben Slater. But Viljoen was the great hero of the day.

Given Sri Lanka’s growing injury concerns, the national selectors will pick a squad ahead of each Test for their upcoming three-match series against Australia, which begins on July 26

Sa'adi Thawfeeq17-Jul-2016Given Sri Lanka’s growing injury concerns, the national selectors will pick a squad ahead of each Test for their upcoming three-match series against Australia, which begins on July 26.Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya and co-selectors Romesh Kaluwitharana, Eric Upashantha and Ranjith Madurusinghe face a dearth of fast-bowling options after injuries to several first XI players. Dhammika Prasad’s shoulder injury is likely to keep him out of the Test series, while Dushmantha Chameera and Suranga Lakmal, who will undergo a fitness test on Monday for a hamstring strain, will be assessed later. Shaming Eranga’s suspect action leaves Nuwan Pradeep as the only seamer available for selection from the recent tour of England.”It is very difficult times as a selector to pick a balanced squad with so many injuries,” Jayasuriya, who is in his second stint as chief selector, said. “It’s a bit tough but we will try and pick the best possible team. I hope the players picked also know what is expected of them and that they will do their best.”Whoever is fit and whoever is doing well in the Sri Lanka A team, we’ll have to give them the opportunity. It is the feeding place for the senior side. If we feel there is somebody who is very good in the Sri Lanka A, emerging or Under-19 squads, we will not hesitate to pick them.”I am really happy the way some of the Sri Lanka A players have been performing in England. Fast bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando, batsmen Dhananjaya de Silva and Roshen Silva are quite a few players.”When we play in Sri Lanka we have a better chance of performing than when you are overseas. I am confident they can do well. But it’s a lot of hard work to come out and show their character.”Jayasuriya said despite the bowling concerns, Sri Lanka’s young batting core is headed in the right direction.”Our main concern is the bowling but this is also a good time for a youngster to put his hand up and perform and show his character,” he said. “The batting line-up is a fairly good one and stable. If you see the way they progressed in the Tests the batting was really good. It’s the one key department we can think that we are on the right direction.”With players like Kusal Mendis, Kaushal Silva, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, the batting line-up did really well. Some of the innings of 20s and 30s, I would like to see them go and get a big 100 or 200.”The unfortunate thing about the Test series in England was that we had a very good bowling line-up but we started getting injuries from the first Test onwards and before long our main three fast bowlers – Prasad, Chameera and Eranga – were out of the scene. We were basically left with only another two fast bowlers Pradeep and Lakmal to run through the rest of the games. If not for those injures we would have done really well. But injuries are part and parcel of cricket and you have to face them.”Jayasuriya also felt the increased workload of international cricket was responsible for Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling injury crisis.”At the moment, they are playing a lot of cricket – Tests, ODIs and T20Is. In our days, our cricketing life span would have been about 15 years but now it has come down to about eight years.”In the present context if you play for 10 years you will have played more than 150 Tests and almost 300-400 ODIs on top of T20Is. A human body cannot take such a workload. The main thing is how the player manages and rehabs himself. It is easy to come and say ‘I am injured’. To play with the pain is the key. No fast bowler can play without any pain. They have to play with niggles here and there. We are currently working on the players with one of the best trainers, Michael Mann, who has been trying to get them into shape.”Jayasuriya said Chandimal will continue to be Sri Lanka’s designated wicketkeeper during the Test series with Kusal Perera as a middle-order batsman.”At the moment Chandimal is the better keeper, Kusal is a bit out of touch. Chandimal normally bats at No. 4 but because of the conditions in England, we pushed him to No. 6 and it was successful. We will discuss with him what position he is comfortable batting, he is flexible.”Although many Australian players have not played a Test in Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya warned against complacency.”They (Australia) have come early and started practice to get to know our conditions and they have hired (Muttiah) Muralitharan to get information about Sri Lankan conditions and pitches. They are very smartly doing their homework. At the end of the day they are also professionals, their coach has played here. We can’t take things lightly.”