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Ashleigh Gardner made a successful return from a concussion scare to claim three wickets and help Australia claim an untidy and unconvincing series win over New Zealand after a stunning collapse with the bat in the second T20I in Mackay.Australia lost 7 for 28 to be bowled out for 142 having won the toss and elected to bat. New Zealand legspinner Amelia Kerr put the world champions in a spin, claiming a career-best 4 for 20 as the home side relinquished a commanding position that had been set up by captain Alyssa Healy to be bowled out for just the second time in their last 55 T20Is.Healy made 38 off 25, which was the standout innings of the match on a surface that batters found difficult despite it looking like it would offer plenty of runs. Ellyse Perry compiled a scratchy 34 from 33 that would prove important but her dismissal to a bizarre run-out started Australia’s slide.New Zealand’s chase began cautiously and they paid the price as Australia’s bowlers squeezed. Suzie Bates made another start, scoring a run-a-ball 34, but could not kick on after guiding her side to 34 without loss in the powerplay. Gardner and Annabel Sutherland went to work taking 4 for 34 between them off eight overs in the middle and death phases to close out the game despite some shoddy fielding from Australia.Amelia Kerr returned her T20I best figures of 4 for 20•Getty Images

Healy’s hot start

On a surface where only five batters managed to strike at a rate of above 120, Healy stood head and shoulders above the pack. Molly Penfold had been the biggest threat in the first T20I and Healy took her out of the game in the first over. She thumped her down the ground on the up and then unfurled a stunning front-foot pull shot over midwicket off the next ball as Australia took 12 from the first over. She then carved Lea Tahuhu over point before lap-sweeping Eden Carson fine.She saved her best for Kerr, reverse-sweeping her from middle stump through cover point as Australia reached 48 for 1 in the powerplay. But while Healy was running hot, Perry was ice-cold. After the early loss off Beth Mooney – playing her 100th T20I – bowled by Fran Jonas trying to pull, Perry struggled for timing. She faced eight dot balls in her first 16 and was 13 off 18 at one point. She struggled to even feed Healy the strike. Healy fell trying to keep the foot down against Carson, holing out for 38 from 25. But it would prove an invaluable contribution.

Kerr puts Australia in a spin cycle

Just as Perry started to find some rhythm, her dismissal started Australia’s downfall and was emblematic of what was to follow. She tried to sweep Kerr and was hit on the pad. The ball bounced off her pad high above her head. Perry was confused as to where it had gone and oddly took off for a run. By the time she realised it had landed behind her, wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze had whipped off the bails to run her out for 34 off 33. Shortly after, Australia suffered a cataclysmic collapse, the likes of which has never happened to this all-conquering team.They were bowled out inside 20 overs for just the second time since the T20 World Cup 2020. It started with Phoebe Litchfield charging at Brooke Halliday’s wrong-footed medium pacers and losing her leg stump. Then Kerr whirled her way through the order. Two superb wrong’uns undid Gardner and Tahlia McGrath through the gate. Sophie Molineux was beaten in flight and stumped by a mile before Megan Schutt was done all ends up by a quicker delivery. Kerr finished with 4 for 20 from four overs. Australia looked vulnerable defending just 143.Darcie Brown and Phoebe Litchfield combined to dismiss Suzie Bates•Getty Images

Australia’s bowlers squeeze

Early wickets are always the desired way to put pressure on when defending a small total. The next best thing is to apply run-rate pressure. And that’s exactly what Australia did in the powerplay. They did not concede a boundary in the first four overs with Bates and Georgia Plimmer struggling for rhythm. Bates finally broke free against Schutt and Darcie Brown, finding the rope three times. But New Zealand only managed to score 34 runs in the powerplay despite not losing a wicket. When Plimmer dragged an attempted sweep onto her stumps off Georgia Wareham, the required rate had climbed above eight per over. It soon went over nine when Gardner got her revenge on Kerr, pinning her lbw with a subtle change of pace when she tried to sweep. Litchfield then clung onto an athletic catch at cover to remove the well-set Bates for a run-a-ball 34.Sophie Devine fell two overs later for a tortured 4 off 10 balls, which included being dropped by Brown at short third. Australia were able to close the game out from there despite more untidy fielding. New Zealand’s equation reached 54 off 18 before Maddy Green and Gaze briefly threatened to pull off a miracle. But that was only possible because of some sloppy fielding. Schutt dropped a sitter off Green at cover-point and then watched three of the next five balls reach the rope. Green then should have been run-out by Gardner attempting to steal a second but Healy fumbled the throw, which was a little wider than it could have been. But Sutherland held her nerve in the deep at long-on off Gardner to finally end Green’s rearguard.

Until last week, Navdeep Saini hadn’t touched a red ball for over seven months. He was hoping to ease himself into the season with a steady diet of white-ball cricket courtesy of the Delhi Premier League (DPL). But when the Duleep Trophy call-up came, as a late replacement for Mohammed Siraj, he had to hit the ground running.Two days in, Saini has already had a bigger influence on the game than he may have imagined. A mix of stoic defence and the occasional free swing brought him an excellent half-century, his second in first-class cricket. He occupied the crease for 349 minutes, his longest vigil, during the course of a magnificent 205-run stand for the eighth wicket with Musheer Khan as India B recovered from 94 for 7 to post 321.Saini’s contribution was massive in helping Musheer build from an overnight 105 to a majestic 181. But that was one-half of his efforts on the second day’s play in Bengaluru. He later delivered a telling early spell with the new ball to send Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal back. India A then recovered to finish on 125 for 2 still trailing India B by 187 runs.KL Rahul and Riyan Parag added an unbroken 68-run stand for the third wicket for India A•PTI

Gill was out shouldering arms to an in-ducker that flattened his off stump for 25, reminiscent of his dismissal to Australia’s Scott Boland in last year’s World Test Championship final. Agarwal’s wicket for 36 was slightly lucky; made possible thanks to Rishabh Pant’s agility as he threw himself to his left to take a catch down the leg side to dismiss the opener who had tantalised the audience with a series of superb cover drives. Riyan Parag and KL Rahul, playing his first red-ball game since the Hyderabad Test against England in January 2024, then put together an unbroken 68-run partnership, allaying the early jitters.Related

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Rahul’s was largely an exercise in denial after being lucky twice. Still on zero, he could have been Saini’s third wicket when he nearly dragged a ball back on to the stumps while attempting a loose drive. Then, on 3, he was reprieved by Nitish Kumar Reddy at third slip after poking at an away-going delivery from Mukesh Kumar. Rahul scored his first runs off his 14th delivery and it wasn’t until the fag end of the day, when he unfurled a superb cut behind point off Reddy, that he finally seemed in his element.Rahul’s methods also had something to do with the appreciable movement Saini and left-arm seamer Yash Dayal were able to get. Either way, having been on the field for a better part of the game already, there couldn’t have been a bigger endorsement of the middle-order batter’s match fitness as he eyes a return to the Indian Test squad.Parag was a little more sprightly, even though he was occasionally troubled by the late movement on offer. He survived a close lbw shout early off Reddy when the ball curved away to hit him high on the back leg. Like Rahul, Parag is a stroke-maker but his willingness to show fight and deviate from his natural game was an encouraging sign.Musheer Khan finished with 181 for India B•PTI

There were less encouraging signs as well from India A, like the tactics employed by their captain. Having taken the new ball at the first available opportunity at the start of the 81st over, Gill spread his field out to both Musheer and the No. 9 batter Saini. This not only limited the bowlers’ ability to exert pressure, but it also helped India B push their total ever higher.After Musheer initially denied himself run-scoring opportunities in trying to farm the strike, he was encouraged by Saini’s ability to hold his own. The pair, however, got lucky when they were involved in a comical mix-up didn’t somehow result in a wicket. Both batters were stranded mid-pitch looking at each other in the fourth over of the day, the 83rd of the innings, after Musheer had pushed the ball to point. Khaleel Ahmed, who could’ve thrown at either end, eventually went for the striker’s and missed with Saini having long given up.As Musheer opened himself out to take all the available runs, Gill tried to unsettle him by placing a leg slip. Musheer responded by hooking Avesh Khan for six, and then followed it up with a superb pull in front of square for a boundary in the same over. Along the way, Musheer also made judicious use of DRS to overturn two decisions – one lbw and one caught behind.Musheer brought up his 150 off 326 balls when an overthrow allowed a second run with no one backing up. It summed up the state of play at the time, with India A running short of ideas. Soon after the landmark, Musheer launched Parag for a massive six over deep midwicket to signal a change in intentions.But a double-ton wasn’t to be as he fell in the second over after lunch, a ball after he had slog-swept Kuldeep Yadav onto the roof at deep midwicket. Two of Musheer’s three first-class hundreds are now 150-plus scores. This one, like the others, served to reiterate his maturity and hunger at 19.

Whether to retain or discontinue the Impact Player rule, as well as possibly increasing the number of uncapped players on each IPL team’s retention list feature on the agenda of a meeting between the IPL and the ten franchises, to take place on Wednesday. The closed-door meeting will take place at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai with the franchises represented by members of their ownership teams.Other significant points up for discussion are: have the mega auction every five years instead of the existing three; reinstating the right-to-match (RTM) card option at auctions; the availability (or lack thereof) of overseas players; and a fix on the total number of retentions.All these points have been framed by the IPL after its chief operating officer, Hemang Amin, met various franchises over the past few months seeking feedback ahead of finalising next year’s mega auction.

Impact Player – abolish or retain?

There were eight 250-plus totals in IPL 2024 including the highest in the tournament’s history – 287, which Sunrisers Hyderabad plundered against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Pundits and team officials agreed the six-hitting spree, especially in the powerplay segment, was a consequence of the Impact Player rule, introduced in IPL 2023, which allowed teams to pick an extra specialist batter or bowler based on the game situation. Nine of the ten highest totals in IPL history have been recorded since the Impact Player rule was introduced.The original motive of this rule was to allow more Indian players, especially the uncapped ones, to get exposure. However, Rohit Sharma, India’s Test and ODI captain, said he was not a big fan of the rule because it would hold back the “development” of allrounders, a skillset that is not easily available in Indian T20 cricket. This view is also shared by a few franchises and one of them told ESPNcricinfo that it had informed the IPL it would be in favour of scrapping the rule.The question for the IPL, though, is whether the bigger totals are contributing to the overall enhancement of their product and whether the fans like it. Or not.13:31

Runorder: Is the mega auction good for the IPL?

Increase uncapped retentions

Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, the IPL allowed the eight original franchises to retain a maximum of two uncapped Indian players and the two new teams – Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants – could have one each. However, with these players putting in consistent performances, and with the franchises devoting a lot of resources to scout them and develop their game, a change may be coming.It is learned that the franchises have put forward some suggestions to Amin, one of which is to either create a special allowance within the main retention pool for uncapped talent or increase the number of RTM cards, with which a team can match the winning bid at the auction for a player they had on their rolls till the previous season and bring him back in.

Incremental performance pay

During discussions, the IPL is understood to have told the franchises about the need to incentivise players financially considering the teams were getting bigger money than before. One of the reasons behind the IPL’s proposal could be that it wants to better the salary of a player who was bought at his base price at the auction and was then retained at the same price even though his stature has grown since.The IPL is believed to have recommended paying players a match fee, but an immediate counter came from several franchises: what about the players who sit on the bench? Currently, as part of their contract, a player gets a discretionary fee from the franchise’s overall auction purse based on where the team finished the previous season. This number is set by the IPL. One of the suggestions given to the IPL is that instead of a match fee it would be better to finalise the amount to be put in the incentive pot, which the franchise could use at its discretion to reward their performers.Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc both went for over INR 20 crore at the last mini auction•KKR Knight Club

Overseas players

There are various proposals franchises have put forth concerning the overseas players. At least one franchise has told the IPL that there should be no restriction on the number of overseas players it can retain so long as it is within the retention cap. So, if the IPL allows five overall retentions, then the franchise said it should be able to fill all the slots with overseas players if they want.Franchises have also told the IPL that they believe overseas players have been exploiting mini auctions to get record sums of money. Some of these players, the franchises believe, have avoided mega auctions where the purse is evenly spread with various teams looking to build from the ground up and therefore be more mindful about how much money they spend on a single player. At mini auctions, since teams usually have a core already in place, they are able to go all guns blazing for that one player who will complete the make-up of the side. One suggestion on the table is whether the IPL should make it mandatory for overseas players to register for mega auctions.According to a franchise head, the IPL is also looking to impose a bidding cap at mini auctions. This will be based on the amount that a franchise will set aside for its No. 1 retention pick ahead of the mega auctions. Bidding at mini auctions cannot go past that number.For example, if INR 20 crore is what the IPL decides a franchise must pay its highest retained player before a mega auction, then at the mini auction the highest bid cannot exceed that. If there are teams still willing to bid more for that player, then, the franchises have suggested, the option of a silent tie-breaker should come into play.The silent tie-breaker was a method utilised in earlier IPL auctions. Devised in 2010, the tie-breaker was designed to be used in smaller auctions, where there is a smaller purse, to break a deadlock. In the IPL’s history, three players have been bought via the tie-breaker rule: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) and Shane Bond (Kolkata Knight Riders) in 2010, and Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) in 2012.Those privy to Wednesday’s meeting point out that while all the recommendations and proposals are likely to be put forth at the meeting, there is no confirmation on whether IPL will announce its final decision on these matters right away.

The BCB has requested its Afghanistan counterpart to postpone next month’s white-ball series in Greater Noida, and asked for the games to be played as soon as “the two boards find a window”, ESPNcricinfo has learnt.The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had proposed three ODIs and three T20Is in late July, sending the BCB match dates – between July 25 and August 6 – too. It was a revised schedule after the tour initially also included two Tests.The BCB felt that the weather in that part of India at that time wouldn’t be ideal for an international series. June to September is usually considered off-season in the subcontinent because of the monsoons. The BCB had earlier postponed the series keeping in mind the workload management of its players.Bangladesh’s next assignment is a two-Test series in Pakistan from mid-August, the schedule for which hasn’t been announced yet. Many of the Test players will get busy playing red-ball matches ahead of this series as part of the preparations. They will play three internal matches in Chattogram and Sylhet, followed by four four-day matches against Pakistan Shaheens in Darwin and later in Pakistan.Later, Bangladesh will also go to India to play two Tests and three T20Is from September 19 to October 12. It will be followed by two Tests at home against South Africa, followed by a full tour of the West Indies that includes two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is in November and December.That workload is the reason why the BCB was always reluctant for the two Tests against Afghanistan. They had also postponed one Test against Zimbabwe earlier this year, turning that tour into five T20Is in May. Bangladesh will complete their World Test Championship cycle by December 2024.

Notts Outlaws avenged a heavy defeat at Derby with a eight-run victory at Trent Bridge to keep their Vitality Blast season just about alive.Joe Clarke’s side climb off the bottom of the North Group table for the first time with their second win. After losing their first five matches, qualification for the quarter-finals will be a tall order but it remains mathematically possible.Clarke, still searching for his first half-century of the season, hit 47 from 28 balls with Tom Moores (31 from 27) and Matt Montgomery (28 not out from 31) adding useful late runs to give Falcons a target of 174, skipper Samit Patel taking 2 for 24 on his first visit to Trent Bridge as a Derbyshire player, supported by Pat Brown’s 2 for 39.Aneurin Donald hit a 26-ball 52 and veteran Wayne Madsen 40 from 35 in Falcons’ response but a solid performance with the ball by the home side, led by New Zealand left-arm quick Ben Lister taking 2 for 24 in his final appearance, ensured there would be no fairytale return for Patel.After opting to bat first, Clarke hit 36 out of 59 for 1 in the powerplay. He was dropped just behind square off Patel on 24, but responded with three fours in an over off South African quick Daryn Dupavillon before slog-sweeping Ross Whiteley for his second six. Ben Martindale, in his maiden Blast innings, fell to a well-judged catch at long-off for 16.Controversy followed before Outlaws reached half-way on 89 for 2, Clarke putting himself at serious risk of sanction after being given out caught at short third man.As Dupavillon insisted he had his fingers fully under the ball to take Clarke’s reverse-scoop just above the ground, the Notts skipper stood his ground, shooting alternate glares at standing umpire Graham Lloyd and the fielders, before ex-colleague Patel persuaded him he should leave the field.Alex Hales (26 off 23) and Jack Haynes (18 off 13) both made starts before being caught off Patel in the deep and it took some enterprising batting from Moores and Montgomery to give the Outlaws bowlers something to defend, Moores hammering Patel for six over long-on before being athletically caught at short fine leg by 40-year-old Madsen.Giving early impetus to the chase, Donald’s extraordinary hitting power lifted the Falcons to 70 for 1 in their batting powerplay after David Lloyd had hoicked Olly Stone to midwicket for 7, the former Glamorgan batter completing a 21-ball half-century with his fifth six as Liam Patterson-White’s first over went for 27 runs.But the Outlaws left-arm spinner responded superbly, having Donald caught on the slog-sweep before bowling Zak Chappell in a second over that conceded only two runs. With legspinner Calvin Harrison miserly at the other end, Falcons were 87 for 3 from 10, the outcome squarely in the balance.Cam Fletcher was well caught at long-off but Madsen stepped up to damage Harrison’s figures with a four drilled through the on side and a six over long-off to bring the requirement down to 46 from five overs before Ross Whitely cleared the rope off Stone but holed out off Lister.Patel’s visions of being the match-winner vanished when he bottom-edged Stone into his stumps and when Madsen slashed Lister to be caught on the point boundary – a second wicket in two superb death overs – Outlaws were favourites, Falcons needing 19 from six balls, which proved too much.

South Africa’s serious stuff, in the form of back-to-back Test series in the subcontinent, is over. Their experimental stuff, over the course of an ODI series that began preparations for the home World Cup in 2027, is also over. Now, it’s time for the fun stuff, with a T20 carnival that will last for the next three months.There’s five against India, a month of the SA20 over the holiday season, three against West Indies and then the big one: the T20 World Cup, where South Africa are aiming to go one better than they did in 2024. There, they went on a magnificent eight-match unbeaten run to reach the final and had one hand on the trophy before a spectacular collapse saw India claim a sensational win. David Miller, who was dismissed as the final over began with 16 runs to get, was among the most distraught as South Africa watched another trophy slip away.Post-tournament, he has only played 10 white-ball internationals out of a possible 54. His last appearance for South Africa was in the Champions Trophy semi-final in March, where he scored a hundred in a losing cause. Since then, South Africa have had a change of white-ball coach, gone on to win the World Test Championship final and have played in some entertaining series everywhere from Zimbabwe to India.Miller, who is halfway to 37, may have raised questions about his future through his absence but it’s explainable. He was given special dispensation to miss the Australia series to play in the Hundred. He then picked up a hamstring injury that sidelined him for several months. Now, he is fully fit and raring to go as South Africa begin the quest to complete unfinished business.Related

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“It’s just great to be back. It’s been great watching the guys back at home even though I always feel I want to be there, but the guys have been doing so well, and it’s been lovely to watch,” Miller said from Cuttack, where the series against India will begin on Tuesday. “It’s been an interesting couple of months for me, just being at home and reflecting on a few things was really cool. I moved into a different space by trying out different things with my body and tapping into a few different training regimes. It was actually a really good time away. I enjoyed it. You’ve got to take the positives from what’s negative so it was really good. I’m feeling strong. I’m feeling fit and I’m feeling ready to go.”Is the possibility of trying for another World Cup title what keeps Miller going? Maybe, because he seems to suggest South Africa are getting closer. “I’ve spoken to a lot of different people and teams that have been very successful over the years with league trophies and World Cups and I don’t think there’s really one recipe to win a World Cup. It takes a team effort, it takes a group effort, management and players included. And it’s about standing up when the moments matter,” he said.”Looking back on that previous World Cup where we got to the final, there were some very, very close games throughout that World Cup and we got over the line, so you build confidence as you go along. We’re going to need some of that moving forward. In terms of players, there’s a huge group and pool of players that are putting up their hands so it’s going to be tough for the selectors. We’re really in a good space.”In personnel terms, South Africa have welcomed back two of their standout performers from the last T20 World Cup in Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje. Though Heinrich Klaasen has retired from international cricket, and Bjorn Fortuin and Gerald Coetzee were not chosen, they have Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch and George Linde while only Kagiso Rabada (who has a rib injury) is missing from a first-choice squad. They also have a different support staff to the one that oversaw the last T20 World Cup after Rob Walter’s resignation. Shukri Conrad has taken over the all-format coaching duties, with a support staff that includes batting coach Ashwell Prince, bowling coach Piet Botha and fielding coach Kruger van Wyk.It will be Miller’s first time working closely with Conrad. With the success Conrad has had with the Test, Miller is looking forward to the interaction. “I’ve dealt with Shukri very briefly in the past, in the one-off series against England a couple of years ago (January-February 2023) in South Africa where he was an interim coach and then a couple of A-side games in the past quite a few years ago. I’ve not had a lot of dealing with Shukri, but obviously over the years you always see each other and we get on really well,” Miller said. “He’s done superbly well, so it’s good to be on the train.”Along the way, Miller will also begin to have discussions with Conrad about his ODI role, as South Africa build to the home World Cup in 2027. “I haven’t had good chats yet with Shukri but now that I am back in the mix, we’ll be opening up those conversations and seeing where we’re at,” Miller said. “The ODI World Cup is just under two years away, there’s a lot of new players that have come through and a big pool of players now that are doing really well. I feel like I can add something with my experience. In terms of selection, you’re never guaranteed with certain things in life so it’s a conversation that will unfold as the months go on and see where we’re at.”Given the choice, Miller would opt in as South Africa’s stocks seem to keep rising and the fun, just beginning. “Obviously, I would love to play a part for South Africa as long as I can, but it’s just being real with certain conversations and time,” he said. “I’m 36 now and I’m feeling that I do have to step up off the field. I’m being a lot more diligent and a lot more consistent in training and being as fit as I can is something that I’m going to focus on a lot. I’m also a lot more in control with my emotions and pressure. I’m a lot clearer in my thinking, making better decisions under pressure and understanding the match situation.”

South African Marizanne Kapp has again showed how big a loss she will be to the Melbourne Stars once she leaves the WBBL for international duties. Kapp starred in the field as the Stars easily beat Hobart Hurricanes by 37 runs on Thursday at Junction Oval.Their third-straight win left the Stars second on the ladder ahead of Saturday’s massive home derby against the third-placed Melbourne Renegades.While teammate Amy Jones was Player of the Match, Kapp bowled Lizelle Lee with the first delivery of the Hurricanes innings. She removed fellow opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge in the third over and took an outstanding catch to remove No.4 Nicola Carey.But Saturday’s match will be the last for Kapp before she returns to the South African team.”Obviously Kappy is going to be a massive loss – it seems like she’s playing her best cricket, now that she’s leaving us, which is a bit frustrating,” teammate Kim Garth said. “But I feel like we do have the depth to cover it.”Garth added they were worried about what damage Lee could do.”I was pretty relieved – she was hitting them pretty well,” Garth said. “We did a lot of planning for her and when Kappy comes in and knocks her over first ball, it’s quite nice.”After starting the season with five-straight wins, Hurricanes have lost their last two and are in danger of ceding top spot to either Melbourne team.Renegades will host Perth on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Stars, who are only one point behind Hurricanes.After Hurricanes won the toss on Wednesday at Junction Oval, Jones and Danielle Gibson gave momentum to Stars’ stalled innings and the home side reached 151 for 6 from their 20 overs. Hurricanes were bundled out for 114 with 22 deliveries left.Jones top-scored with 59 from 40 balls, featuring six fours and a six. Jones and Gibson came together at 91 for 4 in the 14th over – not yet a crisis, but Hurricanes would have felt they had the momentum.Instead, Gibson belted 39 from 27 deliveries, with five fours and a six, as they put on a quickfire 44 for the fifth wicket. Carey took 2-29 from her four overs.After Hurricanes slumped to 59 for 6, captain Elyse Villani and Hayley Silver-Holmes gave them a glimmer of hope with their 40-run stand for the seventh wicket.Then Sophie Day bowled Silver-Holmes for 18 from 14 deliveries and Sutherland bowled Villani for 38 off 21 balls to kill off the late rally.Kapp took 2 for 29 from her four overs, while Sutherland also snared two and Day cleaned up the tail on the way to 4 for 17 from three overs.

Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya couldn’t believe Sri Lanka had bottled yet another last over against India in their Asia Cup Super Fours game in Dubai.Their loss instantly brought back memories from July 2024, when they squandered what should have been a straightforward chase against India. On that scarcely believable night in Pallekele, Sri Lanka needed just nine runs from two overs with six wickets in hand. Yet, they stumbled against the bowling of Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav as the game went into a Super Over, where they managed just one run, which Suryakumar took one delivery to score.On Friday, Sri Lanka needed 12 runs to win in the last over with six wickets remaining and centurion Pathum Nissanka on strike. But he fell immediately and when Dasun Shanaka hit the last ball towards wide long-on with Sri Lanka needing three to win, there was a chance of closing out the game in regulation time. Except, Shanaka sprawled a full-length dive to complete the second run to level the scores, anticipating the throw to be fired at his end, completely unaware that Kuldeep Yadav had misfielded and that there could have been a chance for a third. It meant the game was to be decided in the Super Over, where Sri Lanka stumbled again.Related

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“I would’ve preferred to finish games in normal time,” Jayasuriya said at the post-match press conference. “No captain or coach wants to go to a Super Over. Unfortunately, Dasun missed completing the third run. But no, there’s no mental block against India. Our batting line-up is strong, and we’ve given them confidence. Chasing 200 (203) is never easy, but we almost did it, which shows the quality we have.”There is no doubting Sri Lanka’s class or quality, and few embody it better than Nissanka. Having first broken through as a Test batter in 2021, he has since blossomed into a formidable white-ball player. Just last week, after the group stage, Nissanka spoke glowingly of Jayasuriya’s influence, and the freedom the coach has given him to develop a niche, along with a leeway for mistakes. On Friday, he repaid that faith in style, turning what looked a daunting chase of 203 into a stroll at one stage with a sublime 107 off 58 balls.What made the innings even more remarkable was the character behind it. Jayasuriya revealed afterwards that Nissanka had been carrying groin and hamstring niggles since the group stage. Yet, his determination to deliver for the team drove him through the pain. On a muggy night when as many as three Indian fielders cramped up, Nissanka put his body on the line.It took an ill-judged flick straight into the hands of Varun Chakravarthy at short fine leg with 12 needed off the final over to finally stop him. Jayasuriya was all praise for Nissanka and Kusal Perera, who scored 58 off 32 balls during their second-wicket stand of 127 in just 70 deliveries.2:01

‘SL will surprise some teams in T20 World Cup’

“When you’re chasing 202 (203), you have to keep finding boundaries,” Jayasuriya said. “Their partnership was the key. The momentum shifted when we started losing wickets. That’s natural in a chase because someone has to take risks. Sadly, Pathum got out at the wrong time, and later on, the ball began to turn more. Still, it was a very good game of cricket.”Kusal is one of the best players of spin in our team. He played that role well again, though I’d have liked him to bat longer. Both took calculated risks, and when they wanted boundaries, they executed them. Pathum also had a bit of a hamstring issue recently but still gave 100% for the team, which shows his commitment.”Sri Lanka will return home without a win in the Super Fours from their three games; such a result didn’t seem likely when they went through the group stages unbeaten, following wins against Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong in what was dubbed as the group of death. Reflecting on their campaign and looking ahead to the next six months leading into the T20 World Cup in February, Jayasuriya stressed on the need for the batters to adapt faster to challenging conditions.”In T20 cricket, assessing conditions quickly is everything,” Jayasuriya said. “In Abu Dhabi, for example, the first-round pitches had pace and bounce, but in the second round, things changed, and we were too slow to adapt. That cost us. The disappointment was the Bangladesh match in the Super Four – 168 on that pitch was a good score, but we didn’t bowl well enough to defend it. Against Pakistan, we didn’t assess the conditions [in Abu Dhabi] quickly enough, and were late to adapt.”Today, India played very well to get over 200. Our boys showed they’re capable of chasing that, but again we just fell short. Apart from that Bangladesh game, I’m fairly satisfied, though disappointed not to reach the final. We have the batting and bowling quality. The key is to execute plans according to conditions and opposition. If we do that consistently, this team can go very far.”

West Indies seamer Matthew Forde has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Pakistan that starts in Tarouba from Friday. Forde suffered a shoulder dislocation earlier on Wednesday while attempting a catch during a training session.Johann Layne, the West Indies academy seam-bowling allrounder, has replaced Forde in the squad. Layne is among the seamers that impressed Ian Bishop, who called him “rangy, tall and intelligent”.Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph, Romario Shepherd and Jediah Blades are the quicks in their ODI squad with Gudakesh Motie as their frontline wristspinner. Alzarri Joseph has been rested. West Indies would also miss Forde’s talent with the bat lower down the order; he holds the ODI record for fastest fifty (16 balls), achieved in May against Ireland.Related

• Alzarri Joseph rested, Shepherd back in WI squad for Pakistan ODIs

• Pakistan and West Indies look to break out of their ODI funk

West Indies lost the T20I series against Pakistan 2-1 in Lauderhill, but are looking to claim a fourth-straight ODI series with the tour moving to Trinidad & Tobago. It is only their fifth ODI series since the start of 2023, but come into the contest having beaten England twice (2-1, on both occasions) and Bangladesh once (3-0).The 50-over game has been a difficult format for West Indies in recent history, missing out on the last two ICC tournaments for ODIs. Their qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup is also far from guaranteed as they are ranked tenth in the rankings. West Indies realistically need to finish within the top nine – one place higher than they are – to secure automatic passage at the cut-off date. A series win against Pakistan, ranked six places above them, would help them significantly.