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Billy Doctrove has announced his retirement from umpiring in international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2012Billy Doctrove, a member of the ICC’s Elite panel of umpires, has announced his retirement from international cricket. Doctrove, who served as an international umpire for 14 years, will not be seeking a renewal of his contract after it expires at the end of this month.Doctrove was due to officiate in the ODI and Test series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan but had to withdraw and return home to Dominica due to a family bereavement. The second Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Hamilton in March this year was his last international assignment.”After much consideration I have informed the selectors of my decision to retire,” Doctrove said. “It has been an incredible 14 years for me as an international umpire and I have enjoyed every moment of it.”It has been a dream journey and to supervise international matches which were played by many great players at iconic venues.”I am also honoured and privileged to have been part of the transformation process in cricket with the introduction of technology which is now considered as an integral component of international cricket and the introduction of the revolutionary twenty20 format which has taken cricket to a completely new level.”Doctrove made his international umpiring debut in 1998, in an ODI between West Indies and England in St Vincent, and stood in his first Test two years later when West Indies took on Pakistan in Antigua. He went on to stand in 38 Tests, 112 ODIs and 17 T20 internationals, including the final of the ICC World Twenty20 between England and Australia in Barbados in 2010. He became part of the ICC’s International Panel of Umpires in 2004 and was promoted to the Elite Panel in 2006.”It was a highlight to umpire in the ICC World Twenty20 final in Barbados,” he said. “That was a special and an unforgettable occasion. I am extremely thankful to my family and friends worldwide, for their support and encouragement that they afforded to me during my career.”I would also like to thank the WICB and the ICC for the many opportunities they provided me to serve this wonderful game.”Doctrove umpired in the controversial Oval Test of 2006 between England and Pakistan. His on-field partner then was Darrell Hair, who was at the centre of the controversy. Accusations of ball-tampering prompted the Pakistan team to refuse to take the field after tea on the fourth day and England were declared victors – the result was changed to a draw in 2008 before being reversed again to an England win in 2009.Doctrove was also Dominica’s first FIFA referee and between 1995 and 1997 he officiated in a number of internationals in the Caribbean, including a World Cup qualifier between Guyana and Grenada in 1996. He quit football in 1997.Vince van der Bijl, the ICC umpires and referees manager, said: “Billy has been an excellent servant of the game and we thank him on behalf of the entire cricket fraternity for his outstanding contribution as an international umpire for 14 years.”To have remained as one of the game’s top officials for that length of time has required Billy to be self-motivated, confident and well respected.”Billy is a very special man, with strong values, firm beliefs yet with an underlying gentleness and humour, and a great family man – a wonderful blend.”

Matthew Wade has refused to lobby for the No. 1 Australia wicketkeeper’s spot, even after his match-turning century against West Indies in Dominica made a compelling case for his retention at the start of the next home summer

Daniel Brettig at Windsor Park25-Apr-2012Matthew Wade has refused to lobby for the No. 1 Australia wicketkeeper’s spot, even after his match-turning century against West Indies in Dominica made a compelling case for his retention at the start of the next home summer. Captain Michael Clarke has made it patently clear that he wants Brad Haddin back in the Australia Test team as soon as he is able to return – Haddin had withdrawn from this tour due to a serious family issue – and Wade showed no inclination to dispute the order of seniority following his 106 at Windsor Park.While many observers at the ground were left to wonder how Haddin could take the gloves back against South Africa at the Gabba later this year, given how capably Wade batted with the Australia tail, the man himself said he was quite happy to cede the position come November.”Hadds was supposed to play this tour and I’ve come in and taken his spot in an unfortunate situation – personal reasons back home that Hadds has. So that’s as far as I’m looking,” Wade said. “I know it’s cliché, but that’s as far as I’m looking. We’re playing these games then we’ve got a pretty big gap in Test cricket. Hopefully I can hold my spot in the one-dayers and take things from there.”I don’t think it [the century] changes [anything], my mindset definitely hasn’t changed. There’s a lot of one-day and Twenty20 cricket in between, a lot of water under the bridge before the first Test against South Africa at the Gabba, so I’ll do my job and see how it goes. Pup [Clarke] said that Haddin’s No. 1 in Test cricket and that sits fine with me, I’m happy to fill the void for a while and go and play some one-day cricket.”Having fought and scrapped early on in his knock, as he had done in most of his innings so far on this tour, Wade accelerated in stunning fashion around the fall of Mitchell Starc’s wicket. Unperturbed by the fact he was batting with the bowlers, Wade said that while his advance to a century had been dramatic, it was in keeping with the sort of back-end rhythm that typified most of his better innings.”In first-class cricket that’s generally the way I play,” he said. “I know that if I can get myself in for long enough that I can make it [the scoring-rate] up towards the end if I’m batting with the tail. I think a lot of my innings at times are like that. It takes me a little bit of time to get going but I can make it up towards the end. Maybe not make it up like I did today, but that’s generally my game plan. I’m not too worried about scoreboard pressure as such. I try and build an innings and try, and catch up at the back end.”Towards the end I knew Hilfy [Ben Hilfenhaus] and Lyono [Nathan Lyon] had been batting well, so I wasn’t too concerned. I didn’t change my game too much. I backed them because I knew they would stick around for me. If I happened to be not out at the end then I was not out, that’s how I looked at it. There was definitely no intent to go out and try and slog sweep or get the run-rate up, I just batted the way I thought I should have batted in that situation and backed the bloke at the other end.”Wade struggled noticeably early in the tour, in conditions completely foreign to him as both wicketkeeper and batsman. But he has learned over time, adding the sweep shot to his game against the slow bowlers, and in Dominica was able to contribute a critical innings when his team was in most desperate need.”I don’t think I had any doubt I could play Test cricket. It’s been a massive tour for me, I’ve learned so much right from the first game we played, the one-dayers where the conditions were just so different from what I’m used to,” he said. “I felt every game that I was getting a lot better, we’ve been working on things every day to get better in these conditions – we’ve got subcontinent conditions coming up at the Twenty20 World Cup and that kind of stuff.”It was about more improvement to get better. I felt I was good enough to play at this level if I could just get things to go right for me. It was about improving the little things, the conditions were a massive thing and I brought out my sweep halfway through the one-day series, I decided I’d use the sweep a lot more and I’ve brought that with me into the Tests. It’s going to be a massive shot for me going forward in subcontinent conditions.”

Glamorgan’s County Championship Division Two clash with Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay was abandoned as a draw on Saturday with no play possible on any of the final three days.

09-Jun-2012
ScorecardGlamorgan’s County Championship Division Two clash with Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay was abandoned as a draw on Saturday with no play possible on any of the final three days.Umpires Mark Benson and Paul Baldwin called the game off at 9.15am with no prospect of play because of persistent rain which had left pools of water on the outfield. Yorkshire take four points from the contest to three for Glamorgan, who remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the table.There has been so much rain that Sunday’s Clydesdale Bank 40 game between Glamorgan and Durham at the ground must be in doubt unless there is a dramatic change in the weather.

Ravi Bopara, who relinquished an IPL deal last year to concentrate on winning a place in England’s Test side, has changed his stance by joining the 2012 auction

George Dobell20-Jan-2012Ravi Bopara, who relinquished an IPL deal last year to concentrate on winning a place in England’s Test side, has changed his stance by joining a host of England players in the preliminary list for the 2012 player auction.Bopara chose to play County Championship cricket for Essex early last season on the advice of his England and Essex mentor Graham Gooch but his form was patchy and Eoin Morgan, who was unabashed about his preference for IPL, was preferred to him for the final batting spot in the first Test against Sri Lanka.James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Matt Prior and Chris Tremlett are among other England players who appear in the preliminary list for the 2012 IPL auction. Swann and Anderson failed to win a place last year, their appeal not enhanced by a clash with England’s first home Test series of the season.Despite a heavy schedule for England throughout 2012 – they play 15 Tests, 17 ODIs and seven Twenty20 internationals, as well as defending their World T20 title – the players are keen to follow the likes of Morgan and Kevin Pietersen in experiencing IPL and the rewards available.Stuart Broad, England’s T20 captain, might have gained from more experience in 20-over cricket but he has suffered a troubled time through injury and he will have delighted the England management by choosing to rest and recuperate.Strictly speaking, the ECB could prevent any English players from participating in the IPL by withholding no objection certificates, but their resistance seems to be lessening, perhaps after pressure from the Professional Cricketers Association.There may also be a growing recognition that players will want to enhance their earnings and that experience of playing in Asian conditions and against some of the best players in the world should prove beneficial ahead of the World T20 in Sri Lanka in September.The auction will be held on February 4 in Bangalore and the IPL season runs between April 4 and May 27. The involvement of England players is likely to be curtailed by international duty, with their series in Sri Lanka not finishing until April 7 and their series against West Indies starting on May 17.Other England, or former England, players involved in the auction are Luke Wright, who recently made the fastest century in Australian domestic T20s in the Big Bash League, Rikki Clarke, Jade Dernbach, Simon Jones and Mal Loye. Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan international who now has a UK passport, is also included.Swann is the only player in the preliminary list for the 2012 IPL auction to command the highest reserve price: US$400,000. Two former Australia spinners, Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill, are the oldest players on the list, at 41 and 40 respectively. Both their reserve prices have been set at $100,000.A total of 183 players have been listed for the auction that will be held in Bangalore, but that number does not include the players from the terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise. ESPNcricinfo understands they will be included in the final list for the auction.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Durban

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran25-Dec-2011Match factsDecember 26-30, Durban
Start time 10:00 (08:00GMT)Vernon Philander’s knee injury was a major worry for South Africa ahead of the Durban Test•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureFor a team that has almost always been near the summit of the Test rankings, South Africa’s recent home record is surprisingly ordinary – no series wins in more than three years. Their performances at Kingsmead in that period are similarly bleak – losing to each of the other major contenders for the title of world’s best Test team. Graeme Smith and his side get the chance to erase both those blots this week as they take on a disjointed Sri Lanka.After subsiding for below 200 in both innings of the first Test, the Sri Lanka batsmen won’t be overly thrilled at the sight of a green-tinged track. In a bid to bolster the batting, Sri Lanka are mulling bringing in highly rated wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal in place of Kaushal Silva, who hasn’t had the best of times in his three matches as replacement for regular gloveman Prasanna Jayawardene.The number that is becoming synonymous with discussions about the decline of Sri Lankan cricket is the number of Tests they have gone without a victory since the retirement of their greatest player, Muttiah Muralitharan, last year. That now stands at 15, but almost as worrying is that in only two of those matches have Sri Lanka managed to bowl out the opposition twice.Adding to the troubles on the field, are the many problems off it. A bankrupt board which is struggling to pay player salaries, and has indefinitely postponed its domestic matches. To top it off was the confusion in communication – their captain Tillakaratne Dilshan’s announcement that fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara will join the squad was over-ruled a few days later by the sports ministry. All of which means Sri Lanka will need a Christmas miracle to pull off a victory in Durban.Form guide (Most recent first)
South Africa WLWDL
Sri Lanka LDLDDWatch out for…Thilan Samaraweera boasts a career average of 52.20 after playing as many as 69 Tests. But he doesn’t get the respect that others with similar figures do because of his average record overseas, particularly against top teams like England, Australia and India. A big contribution on a tough Kingsmead track against a world-class South Africa attack will be a fitting riposte to his detractors.Jacques Rudolph revived a seemingly dead South Africa career with a wagon-load of domestic runs this year, but he hasn’t been able to carry that form to the Test level. With no half-century in three Tests, the selectors could be tempted to bring back Alviro Petersen if there are more failures. Petersen himself was axed after a relatively short fallow period, and his recall to the squad for the series sends a message to Rudolph.Team newsSouth Africa will be waiting on Vernon Philander’s fitness after he injured his knee during training, but it seems likely he will play. If he doesn’t, Lonwabo Tsotsobe is the likely replacement, provided he has recovered fully from a side strain which has sidelined him since early November. If not, South Africa will have to call on a reserve – Marchant de Lange could make his debut. Smith has said that “ideally the team will stay the same.”South Africa: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Jacques Rudolph, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirDilshan has hinted that Chandimal will play in place of Kaushal Silva and it’s expected that Thisara Perera will sit out for Dhammika Prasad.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Chanaka WelegedaraPitch and conditionsDurban has usually been a fast bowler’s delight, and it is expected to have plenty of swing this time round as well, so don’t count on a high-scoring draw. The bowlers will relish the green pitch and overcast conditions and the only downer is the mid-week rain that is predicted.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka are the only team against which Jacques Kallis hasn’t scored a Test century If Chandimal is picked, he will be Sri Lanka’s eighth Test debutant this year, the most since 1999 In Tests between the two countries, Muttiah Muralitharan has 104 wickets – that’s more than twice the next highest, Shaun Pollock with 48For a full stats analysis, click here.Quotes”The wicket looks like it should go more than three days, unless one team puts up their hand and plays unbelievable cricket. It will be a good Test wicket with something for both bat and ball and something to play for over five days for a change.”
“I remember facing Mfuneko Ngam, who was the quickest bowler I had faced. It was a Test match that we fought hard to draw.”

James Anderson is expecting a tough challenge for England to remain the number one Test side in the world

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2011James Anderson is expecting a tough challenge for England to remain the No. 1 Test side in the world as they prepare to return to action in January. The team travel to UAE to play Pakistan early next year before a two-Test series against Sri Lanka in March.It will be the first time England will play a Test match in the Middle East and Anderson believes England will need to adapt quickly to the conditions to be successful with their opponents having an inside track on what to expect.”Pakistan played Sri Lanka over there recently and played really well and won the series,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo. “They’re used to those conditions now but we’ve never played a Test match over there so it will be a new challenge for us and we’ll see how we cope with that.”We’ve had challenges before. We went to Australia and won there, so we’ll be confident. We’ll look to see how we’re going to take 20 wickets because that will be difficult and crucial for us; the spinners might play a big part”Anderson, with fellow England bowlers Stuart Broad, Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions, is heading out to South Africa with the England performance squad for a training camp ahead of the Test series as England look to preserve their status as the world’s best Test team.”It’s been our goal to become number one in the world and we’ve got there sooner than we thought we would,” he said. “Next year is going to be really tough for us. Getting to No. 1 is one thing but staying there is a completely different task.”Anderson was also the latest player to throw his weight behind the five-day game. “Test cricket, for most players, is the pinnacle. Obviously when you see games going on abroad with crowds not looking that great it does get quite worrying but I’m sure it’s something that will be addressed and will work itself out in a few years.”While Graeme Swann recently suggested scrapping ODIs to preserve Test cricket, Anderson believes more five-Test series between the top sides could generate more interest. “When there’s a five match series against Australia it’s really exciting and goes down to the wire and the best team wins,” he said. “The Ashes over the last few years have been really exciting cricket and it’s keeping people interested, they still want to come back and see Test cricket.”Anderson also feels that a balance needs to be struck in the preparation of pitches for Test matches. “In the English summer the pitches had a little bit in them for the bowlers but if you bat well enough you can score big runs which we did,” he said. “Organisers are going to want five days of cricket for the gate receipts but at the same time people want to see exciting cricket so the pitches need to be result pitches.”England begin a three-Test series against Pakistan in Dubai on January 17 before a two-Test series in Sri Lanka starting on March 26.

The Australian umpire Simon Taufel will step down from the ICC’s elite panel at the end of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2012The Australian umpire Simon Taufel will step down from the ICC’s elite panel at the end of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. He will be replaced by his countryman Bruce Oxenford, who will join the elite panel from November 1, having impressed the ICC with his work at international level over the past few years.Taufel, 41, will take up the newly-created role of umpire performance and training manager with the ICC, a job that he hopes will allow him to spend more time at home in Sydney with his wife and children after nearly a decade of travelling the world as a match official. Taufel was named the ICC’s Umpire of the Year five successive times from 2004 to 2008 and has remained one of the game’s most respected umpires throughout his career.In 2011, he stood in the World Cup final and has also been in the middle for the deciders of the World Twenty20 in 2007 and 2009, as well as the Champions Trophy in 2004. However, Taufel also endured the horror of being part of the group of officials shot at during the terrorist attack in Pakistan in 2009.”Following the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012, I’m moving on from active international umpiring for personal and professional reasons,” Taufel said. “My wife and children have supported me immensely throughout my career and it is time for me to spend more time with them.”My passion for cricket umpiring and personal professional development has shifted from on the field to off the field. In my new position as ICC umpire performance and training manager, I look forward to help create professional programmes and resources to support the current and future generations of cricket match officials. The new role includes working closely with the national cricket federations which is really exciting as is continuing to work with the entire cricket community in helping the development of our cricket umpires.”The ICC’s chief executive, Dave Richardson, said: “Simon has been one of the most respected umpires for over a decade due to his excellent decision-making and man-management skills. He has been a role model for umpires globally who look to him for inspiration and guidance.”I am delighted that he will be working with us to groom and develop the next generation of elite umpires and have no doubt that he will be equally successful in his new role as ICC’s umpire performance and training manager. In the meantime I know that Simon, thorough professional that he is, will want to focus on the job at hand, that of getting things right on the field, something he has done as well as any other umpire in the history of the game.”Taufel will leave the game having stood in 74 Test matches and 174 one-day internationals. He made his international debut at the age of 27 in a one-day international in Sydney in 1999 and his first Test appearance came in the Boxing Day Test of 2000, when he was 29.A former leading schoolboy cricketer in Sydney, Taufel was a fast bowler who played in teams alongside Michael Slater and Adam Gilchrist. However, a back injury ended his playing career and he took to umpiring at a young age.His replacement on the international panel, Oxenford, is a former first-class cricketer who played eight matches for Queensland in the early 1990s. Oxenford, 52, made his debut as an international umpires in a T20 match in early 2006 and over the past three years has regularly been appointed to tours outside Australia as part of the ICC’s international panel.”Bruce is a very experienced and respected umpire, and follows a long line of elite Australian umpires,” Vince van der Bijl, the ICC’s umpire and referee manager, said. “He has been umpiring at the first-class level for well over a decade and is committed and dedicated to officiating. We are delighted to welcome Bruce, who will add his own brand of professionalism, energy and love of umpiring to the elite panel.”

Zero to one millimetre of rain is forecast for the final day in Adelaide. One millimetre can be enough to save a batsman if a bowler has overstepped the crease but it won’t be sufficient to rescue South Africa in this Test

The Report by Brydon Coverdale25-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Michael Hussey scored a half-century as Australia retained control of the match on the fourth day•Getty ImagesZero to one millimetre of rain is forecast for the final day in Adelaide. One millimetre can be enough to save a batsman if a bowler has overstepped the crease but it won’t be sufficient to rescue South Africa in this Test. They will need either an unexpected deluge or something equally miraculous from their remaining batsmen if they are to avoid defeat, and although South African sides have done remarkable things before, it is impossible to see any way out of this predicament.Michael Clarke left Adelaide Oval on the fourth evening knowing that only six wickets stood between his men and a 1-0 series lead. Even though the Australians were one bowler down after James Pattinson was ruled out of the rest of the Test summer due to injury, the strong start provided by Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon meant the effect of his absence was significantly lessened. At stumps, South Africa were 4 for 77 in their chase of 430, with AB de Villiers on 12 and Faf du Plessis on 19.Smart stats

South Africa’s run rate of 1.54 in their second innings is at the moment their third-slowest in an innings in which they’ve faced at least 50 overs since 1990. In 1994 at the same venue, they scored 129 in 105.5 overs.

Graeme Smith’s duck is only his third in the fourth innings of a Test, and his first since the Super Test in 2005. Since that 0, he’d scored 1092 runs in fourth innings at 60.66.

AB de Villiers’ 11 off 102 balls is so far his slowest innings among those in which he has faced at least 20 balls.

The unbeaten 32-run stand between de Villiers and Faf du Plessis has consumed 29 overs – it’s the second slowest so far for any stand which has lasted 150 or more balls, since 1990.

Imran Tahir’s none for 260 is the most runs conceded in a Test without taking a wicket.

Since 1990, the most balls South Africa have survived in the fourth innings after the fall of the fourth wicket is 439 (73.1 overs) in Sydney in 2009. This pair has survived 29 overs so far.

The target never appeared particularly realistic. Smith’s men have done the seemingly impossible before, chasing down 414 in Perth four years ago, but the Adelaide Oval pitch had started to break up and was providing a much sterner challenge. The highest successful chase ever recorded in Test history was the 418 scored by West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003, and once this target had moved into such territory Clarke was happy to declare and give his bowlers four and a half sessions to do their job.His declaration paid off handsomely. In the first over of South Africa’s innings, Smith edged Hilfenhaus to slip and was snapped up sharply by Ricky Ponting. Soon afterwards, Hashim Amla (17) also departed to an edge, his drive at a straight ball from Lyon flying to first slip, where Clarke juggled the chance on his second grab.Jacques Rudolph at no point looked like a threat and was out for 3 when he clipped Lyon off his pads and was brilliantly taken low to the ground by Ed Cowan at short leg. And the man who had been at the other end while all of those wickets fell, Alviro Petersen, made it 4 for 45 in the next over when he played on to Siddle.By the time de Villiers and du Plessis came together, the South Africans had clearly decided to shut up shop. Crease occupation was their only concern for the remainder of the day and the pair managed it. By the time stumps arrived, the South Africans had managed only one boundary in the past 43 overs, a remarkable figure given the tiny dimensions of Adelaide Oval square of the wicket. De Villiers had 12 from 101 balls; du Plessis 19 from 74.It was hard to believe it was the same match that had produced 482 runs on the first day. Australia’s runs also came quickly in the final stages of their second innings as Hilfenhaus (18 not out) and Pattinson (29 not out) found the boundary a number of times before Clarke called an end to the innings at 8 for 267, about an hour into the second session.Earlier, it was Michael Hussey who kept the scoreboard ticking over. The South Africans really needed to pick up where they left off on the third afternoon, when their fast men troubled Australia’s top order. But the runs flowed a little too easily for Hussey and Clarke during the morning, especially off the legspin of Imran Tahir, who continued to leak nearly a run a ball and ended up with the most expensive wicketless analysis ever in a Test match, 0 for 260.Dale Steyn broke the 70-run partnership when he had Clarke lbw for 38, a hopeful review from Australia’s captain not saving him. But the runs kept coming from Hussey, who was not only lightning fast between the wickets but was finding the gaps in the field with impressive regularity, and brought up his half-century from his 81st ball with a punch through cover-point for four.Hussey fell for 54 in the last over before lunch when he tried to pull Morne Morkel and succeeded only in top-edging a catch to Steyn at midwicket. Matthew Wade departed soon after lunch when he tickled a catch behind off Morkel, but by then South Africa’s task was already substantial. By stumps, substantial appeared an understatement.

England are back in the knock-outs for the first time in four World Cups, and given the excitement they have served up in the past month, their Colombo encounter once again has the makings of a humdinger

The Preview by Andrew Miller25-Mar-2011Match FactsMarch 26, Colombo
Start time 2.30pm (0900 GMT)Graeme Swann’s expertise will be invaluable for England as they seek to stifle a talented Sri Lankan batting order•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureFifteen years ago this month, England and Sri Lanka met at the same quarter-final stage of the 1996 World Cup, only for an epoch-changing contest to pan out in front of an astounded crowd in Faisalabad. With his remarkable 82 from 44 balls, Sanath Jayasuriya not only ignited Sri Lanka’s charge towards their maiden global title, he signalled the end of England as a force in one-day cricket, as they failed to reach the last four of the World Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history.Since that match, the fortunes and expectations associated with the two teams have been flipped on their head. Sri Lanka went on to crush Australia in the 1996 final in Lahore, and have since contested a semi-final in 2003 and another final four years later in Barbados. England, on the other hand, have found a range of ignominious means to bomb out at the earliest opportunity – a trait they came perilously close to emulating this time around as well, following their embarrassments at the hands of Ireland and Bangladesh.But regardless of their numerous scares along the way, England are back in the knockouts for the first time in four World Cups, and given the excitement they have served up in the past month, their Colombo encounter once again has the makings of a humdinger. It is doubtless being greedy to expect their seventh consecutive contest to go down to the wire, but the one and only constant in England’s skittish campaign has been their ability to raise their game against more fancied opposition. And make no mistake, Sri Lanka on home soil present a formidable challenge – arguably the toughest assignment that any of the quarter-finalists could have landed.Four years ago in the Caribbean, the Sri Lankans were by some distance the best of the rest – the only team worthy of facing Ricky Ponting’s invincible Australians in the final. That they failed to bring home the spoils was no disgrace whatsoever, but while Ponting and his colleagues have since been vanquished at long last, Sri Lanka are arguably a stronger outfit than ever before. Eight of the 11 men who played in that final remain in their squad today, but crucially, sentiment has played next to no part in that fact. Two legends in Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas have been put out to pasture, leaving the stage clear for the likes of Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews to bid for their own indelible mark on the tournament’s history.To judge by the narrative of their campaign to date, England will relish their underdog status – for it is a peculiar fact that of the eight quarter-finalists, they are the only side to boast an unbeaten record in matches against their fellow qualifiers. They salvaged a tie against India before out-muscling South Africa and West Indies in a pair of Chennai thrillers, and their never-say-die spirit will doubtless prove invaluable at some stage of a high-octane encounter.But can sheer tenacity prevail against a team so brimful with talented campaigners? Sri Lanka’s top-order triumvirate of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara is second only to India in terms of scorecard menace, while the breadth and variety of their attack is hard to rival – Lasith Malinga’s slingers and Muttiah Muralitharan’s enduring class epitomise the two extremes of a line-up that has men for all seasons and conditions. “It’s going to be a significant challenge for us,” remarked Andrew Strauss, never a man to cares to overstate the case.At least England have had a chance to put down some roots in the course of an itinerant campaign. They’ve had nine days of down-time since their decisive victory in Chennai, and the past week has been spent in the pleasant environs of Colombo, where they will remain in the event of progressing to the semi-final. Nevertheless, the sad news of Michael Yardy’s early departure to the UK once again speaks of a squad that is clinging on at the end of a draining winter, rather than clicking through its gears as the grandest prize draws closer. How many more “last big efforts” have they got in them?Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka WWWLW
England WLWLTWatch out for…It was on England’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2007-08 that Graeme Swann first showcased the skills and mindset that have since propelled him to the upper echelons of the international game. It was his first England tour since his ill-fated debut in South Africa seven years earlier, and with seven wickets at 22.28 in his four games, his determination to grasp his second chance was tangible. That refusal to surrender has driven England’s sketchy challenge throughout this World Cup, even in Chittagong when a dew-sodden ball drove him to distraction. He was immense in both Chennai victories, and his touch of class will be invaluable against such potent opposition.After 492 international appearances, 1343 wickets and almost 63,000 deliveries in a 19-year career, Muttiah Muralitharan is now a maximum of three matches and 180 balls from bidding farewell to the global stage. And in the event of an England win on Saturday, it will all end precisely where it began against Australia in August 1992, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Murali, however, will not care a jot for such elegant symmetry – even as he approaches his 40th year, he remains as fiercely competitive and enthusiastic as ever. And, as his four-wicket haul against New Zealand last week demonstrated, his wiles cannot be trifled with, least of all by an England team whose collective performance against spin has been leaden-footed in the tournament to date.Team newsAfter a difficult tournament, Yardy was never likely to feature in this showdown, though his departure has been an understandable disruption to England’s preparations, with Adil Rashid – his nominated replacement – still finding his way to Sri Lanka from the Caribbean. Tim Bresnan’s troublesome calf has flared up once again, though he came through a fitness test without any visible concerns and has been passed fit for selection. Jade Dernbach, the surprise replacement for Ajmal Shahzad, has been preparing all week as if he is going to play, although James Anderson’s big-match experience ought to earn him a recall following a fortnight out of the firing line. The identity of Strauss’s opening partner has been confirmed within the squad, with Ian Bell believed to be the chosen man.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Tredwell, 11 James Anderson.Fewer dilemmas for Sri Lanka to consider, especially now that Murali has been declared “100% fit” by his captain Kumar Sangakkara after struggling through the New Zealand victory with a hamstring strain. Sangakkara also acknowledged the potential weakness of Sri Lanka’s untested middle order, but backed Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, angelo Mathews and Chamara Kapugedera as “the best players we have to do that job”. One of the Chamaras – Silva and Kapu – seems set to miss out.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Ajantha Mendis..The pitch is flat, as they generally tend to be at the Premadasa, although the threat of thunderstorms adds an extra factor to the team’s preparations. Afternoon showers on the eve of the game caused the entire outfield to be covered in tarpaulins, which may just sweat a bit more moisture to the surface for the seamers.Stats and trivia England and Sri Lanka have faced each other on eight previous occasions in World Cup history, and though England eased to victory in each of the first five of those encounters from 1979 to 1992, they have lost two of the last three – including a thrilling two-run margin in Antigua four years ago. The overall head-to-head for the two teams could scarcely be tighter. In 44 contests, England have won 23 and Sri Lanka 21. However, Sri Lanka have won eight of their last 12 encounters, dating back to 2006. England did, however, achieve a notable success on their last one-day tour of Sri Lanka in October 2007 – Swann’s aforementioned comeback tour. Despite losing the first game of a five-match series, they bounced back to win each of the next three for a well-deserved 3-2 victory.Quotes”It’s not difficult for us to focus our minds on this game of cricket. It is a massive game. If we lose we’re on the plane home; if we win we’re in the semi-finals.”
Andrew Strauss believes England’s off-field distractions will be of no consequence.“It’s do-or-die for all the teams when you get to the quarter-finals. That incentive is going to be there, and both sides will feel that intensity and that pressure equally.”Kumar Sangakkara prepares for his team’s biggest match of the tournament to date.

Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson has signed on as as the overseas player for the Zimbabwe franchise Mountaineers

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2011Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson has signed on as the overseas player for the Zimbabwe franchise Mountaineers.Dawson, 21, scored 908 runs for Hampshire in the County Championship Division One at an average of 36.32 including two centuries and also picked up three wickets. Hampshire finished at the bottom of the points table and were relegated to the second division.”I’ve never been over there [Zimbabwe] before but I’ve got to be prepared because there’s extra pressure and responsibility as an overseas player,” Dawson said. “You’ve got to prove that you’re good enough to take their overseas place – there should be a few other players from England out there too.”