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Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has paid tribute to Mahela Jayawardene, who is set to make his 400th ODI appearance, against India in the tri-series final. Jayawardene will be only the second Sri Lankan player, after Sanath Jayasuriya, to achieve this milestone, and the third overall.”I am a great fan of Jayawardene. He’s one of the best Sri Lanka has ever produced,” Mathews said. “The amount of fight he shows in the middle; even when he plays a warm-up game he wants to win. He carries that attitude into the game. He wants to be in all the time, and he gets the others going as well. It’s unbelievable to have him in the team.”He’s a living legend, and [has] been part of the Sri Lankan team for more than a decade and a half. He’s been a great servant for Sri Lanka. He’s one of our main batsmen [and has] experience in these conditions. I’m really happy we have him in the team. We want him in the team for as long as possible.”Mathews was also not too dismayed after losing to India just a couple of days before the final. “We are not worried about the last result, but we need to flush that out of our system as soon as possible. When we came into the tournament, we wanted to take it one game at a time and not look too far ahead. We were not thinking of [reaching] the final, we just wanted to play our brand of cricket and do our best.”We are happy with the way we responded, and we would have almost played a four-day game if it had rained out [day before.] The guys were a bit physically and mentally drained. The credit should go to the boys [with] the way they handled the pressure.”Regarding facing India’s batting line-up, Mathews said the team felt the loss of Nuwan Kulasekara, who was ruled out of the final after picking up a hand injury. “On this wicket, Kulasekara would have been unplayable. Looking at the Indian batting order, their top seven are all equally good. We can’t plan for just the first three, we need to plan for all of them. On their day, they can take the game apart, so we need to be cautious.”India captain Virat Kohli was pleased with how India have turned the corner after falling to the bottom of the pack early in the tournament. “I think it’s a very good effort for the team to come back from that (being last placed), to win both games with bonus points and ending on top of the table,” Kohli said.When asked how the wicket would play out in Port-of-Spain, Kohli said: “It’s the sort of wicket you play in phases. Initially the ball does quite a bit when it’s new and hard, and the seam is upright. You have to analyse your game plans while you’re out in the middle.”

Overview

It has been a long time since England have gone into a global ODI event with realistic hopes of challenging. Apart from the 2004 Champions Trophy, when they were thwarted by a remarkable fightback from West Indies in the final, you have to go back to the 1992 World Cup for the last time they have entered an event with such genuine expectations of success.They may never have a better chance, either. The changes to ODI regulations – particularly the use of two new balls – and home advantage are substantial positives for an England side boasting more players with traditional cricket skills than the explosive match turners sometimes associated with modern limited-overs cricket. England’s top-order of Ian Bell, Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott may not hit as many sixes as other sides, but they may also bat a lot longer, seeing off the new balls at their most potent and providing a solid platform for those who follow.The absence of Kevin Pietersen with a knee injury is a substantial loss. Without him, there is a large onus on Eoin Morgan and, to a lesser extent, the two 22-year-olds, Joe Root and Jos Buttler, to provide impetus to innings that are expected to enjoy solid starts but may well require acceleration. The lack of experience of Root and Buttler – they have played 11 and nine ODIs respectively – is one area of concern but, bearing in mind that this event is seen more as a marker on the road to the World Cup than a destination in itself, their early elevation may prove to be the making of them. Neither will be overawed.The bowling attack is likely to prove almost identical to the Test side. Certainly the four senior bowlers – James Anderson, Steven Finn, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann – form an impressive unit, with the seam of Tim Bresnan and the spin of James Tredwell the most likely to make up the final place depending on conditions. The option of selecting Ravi Bopara, an underrated bowler but seemingly a fading force as a batsman, and Chris Woakes, who can change games with the bat but who still looks more potent with the red ball, should probably be considered Plan B.The appointment of Ashley Giles as England’s limited-overs coach may prove to be the final piece in the jigsaw. Giles’ elevation means England have a coach with the time to plan and prepare in detail without the distraction of Test series. No longer is limited-overs cricket seen as the lesser game in England and no longer are players selected for the ODI side as a halfway house on the road to Test cricket. Continuity of selection, a policy for so long applied only to Test cricket, has allowed this England side to develop greater role awareness and confidence and their form in England over recent years justifies their position as one of the pre-tournament favourites.Despite the sobering affects of defeat to New Zealand, anything less than a semi-final appearance would be considered a bitter disappointment.Jonathan Trott is one of three Test-class linchpins at the top of England’s order•AFP

Key player

Since the start of 2012, Jonathan Trott has been involved in 20 of the 26 ODIs that England have played. England have lost only four of those 20 games and, though they have been bowled out three times, they have never been bowled out for under 200. In the six games without him, England have been beaten four times and bowled out for under 200 on three occasions. Trott’s ODI batting average (52.28) is 20% higher than anyone to have represented England in more than 20 ODIs. He will never win over those critics who feel he bats too slowly for the modern limited-overs game but the records show that his will be the wicket the opposition most desires.

Surprise package

It may sound odd to suggest that a man with a batting average of 16.83 can be considered a potential match-winner with the bat. But Jos Buttler, despite his youth, his inexperience and his relatively modest first-class record, is an extravagantly talented batsman with the power and range of strokes to damage any bowling attack. There may be moments, against the very best bowling, when his improvisation gets him into trouble but, so capable of unorthodoxy is he, that even the best could be discombobulated. Only Morgan, of his England team-mates, possesses the same ability to change a game with the bat in so few deliveries.His keeping remains a work in progress – he is second choice in Somerset’s County Championship side – and there may be times, in helpful bowling conditions, when he struggles with the gloves. But England believe he has much scope in that department and he appears to have the temperament to cope with the inevitable setbacks he will encounter.

Weakness

After years of persisting with ‘bits and pieces’ allrounders, England have embraced a policy of specialism. They will generally field a team which differs only in two or three positions – that of the keeper, Buttler, an extra bowler in Tim Bresnan and a limited-overs specialist batsman in Eoin Morgan – from their Test side. It is a policy which, in English conditions in particular, makes a great deal of sense.But their greatest strength may also be their greatest weakness. There is little margin for error in England’s strategy. While the likes of Root and Trott could be pressed into service as support bowlers, England will generally expect their five main bowlers to deliver 10 over spells. If one of them experiences an off-day or is injured, England will be over-reliant on part-timers. Similarly, if the top-order batting is knocked over quickly, an inexperienced middle-order may be exposed before they are ready.

Champions Trophy history

Reached the final on home soil in 2004 only to be robbed by a ninth-wicket partnership of 71 by Courtney Brown and Ian Bradshaw that gave West Indies the titles. Beyond that, and a semi-final appearance at the last tournament when they lost by nine wickets to Australia, there has not been much for England to write home about.

Recent form

Good, despite the 2-1 defeat to New Zealand, which dropped them to fourth in the ODI rankings. England were No. 1 – albeit fairly briefly – in 2012 and enjoyed the longest run of successive victories (10) in their history between February and July. New Zealand ended England’s sequence of eight ODI series unbeaten at home – before that, you had to go back to 2009, against Australia, to find a loss, though South Africa drew in 2012 – but, since the start of 2010, England have won 23 and lost only 11 of the 37 ODIs they have played at home.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has asked the West Indies Cricket Board to reschedule the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL), in order to avoid a scheduling clash with the Sri Lanka Premier League, SLPL director Ajit Jayasekara has said. The CPL is scheduled between July 29 and August 26, while the SLPL is penciled in for an August 10 start. SLC cannot postpone their tournament because the Champions League T20, which will feature SLPL winners in the qualifying stage, begins in mid-September.”There is quite a big overlap there, and because we announced our tournament last year and have set that window aside, we have asked the Caribbean Premier League tournament to move their tournament up,” Jayasekara said. “Those discussions haven’t started yet, but we are hopeful we can work something out.”The scheduling clash was brought into focus this week after former Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan signed with the CPL. Muralitharan said he has not yet decided which tournament he will prioritise. In addition to being one of the SLPL’s biggest draws, Muralitharan was also the icon player for his Uthura Rudra’s franchise in the inaugural tournament last year. However, as one of only six international signings, he is a major asset to the CPL as well.Chris Gayle also has an SLPL deal for the next two years, but his contract with the Uva Next franchise is fitted with an escape clause, and he is almost certain to forego the SLPL to play in his home board’s Twenty20 tournament. In addition to player unavailability, the presence of a competing Twenty20 league undermines SLPL’s global broadcast value as well.Jayasekara said SLPL’s organisers were in discussions with several new foreign players, and will be announcing new signings in the months to come. Last year’s tournament was played at only two venues – Colombo and Kandy – but the 2013 tournament is likely include more venues, Jayasekara said.”We only had one production crew last time, but we have two this year, so that gives us more options. We are looking at Hambantota, Galle, Moratuwa and Dambulla as venues as well.”The Uva Next franchise won 2012’s SLPL but was unable to move ahead of the qualifying stage of the Champions League T20 in South Africa. The tournament itself was mired in a series of controversies, including late player payments, but turned a minor profit for SLC.

Lancashire 177 (Phillips 3-20) and 253 for 7 (Prince 80, Brown 80, Topley 5-80) beat Essex 226 (Napier 102*, Procter 4-66) and 203 for 3 dec (Cook 60, Mickleburgh 53*) by three wickets
ScorecardSaj Mahmood suffered another head-in-hands moment against his former club•Getty Images

Sajid Mahmood may have pictured a triumphant homecoming on his return to Old Trafford with Essex, who he joined following an acrimonious departure from Lancashire during the winter, but instead he suffered a final day that will haunt him for many years to come.The stage was set for Mahmood, furious that Lancashire were not prepared to offer him a new contract at the end of last season, to deny his former team a thrilling victory as they attempted to chase down 253 off 51 overs on the final afternoon. That target was later reduced by four overs by an interruption for bad light, but it was Mahmood’s intervention that proved decisive.Given the responsibility to bowl the 44th over of the innings, with Lancashire needing 32 to win off the final four overs, it was pretty much the turning point of the match as Steven Croft helping himself to 15 off the final five balls, including a six over midwicket and an all-run four through the covers.If that was not enough of a setback for Mahmood, he was to play an even bigger role in the final over, with Lancashire needing five runs to win having lost three wickets in the previous over. They scored four off the first four deliveries before Wayne White launched Graham Napier to Mahmood at long leg, only for him to spill the regulation catch and allow the single to be scrambled that secured victory.”When we saw that last ball, we all ended up with mixed feelings,” said Karl Brown, whose 80 in a 169-run stand with Ashwell Prince proved crucial to Lancashire’s win. “Saj is a great mate of a lot of the lads, we’ve played with him for a long time and it’s not nice to see that happen. We won the game so we were really happy, but I think we all spared a thought for Saj because that’s not nice when that happens, especially to someone you’re so close to.”Lancashire’s triumph came a week after they dismissed Glamorgan for 139 at Colwyn Bay chasing 154 for victory and boosts their promotion hopes. That the umpires saw fit to dock each side a point for slow over rates was barely noticed in either dressing room after such a compelling advert for county cricket.Essex, in particular, deserve plenty of credit for their role in such an exciting finale. Having reached 203 for 3 overnight and in little trouble, they could have watched from the dressing room for the final afternoon and enjoyed batting practice in the middle.Instead they set up a game to remember and so nearly secured an astonishing win themselves. They began the final afternoon impressively, dismissing both Lancashire openers in the space of three balls to leave them struggling on 13 for 2. Despite an outstanding opening spell from Reece Topley, and Mahood troubling Lancashire’s batsmen with his pace and bounce, Essex could not dislodge Brown and Prince during their 198-ball partnership.Both fell in quick succession for 80, Prince bowled by Topley making himself room and Brown in similar fashion to Napier, only for Steven Croft and Simon Katich to add 41 in four overs to leave Lancashire needing 12 off the final two overs.Just as victory was in sight, Topley responded by claiming three wickets in an over to finish with 5 for 80, with Croft falling to a brilliant diving catch from Rob Quiney in the deep that forced him off the field with a shoulder injury.It left Lancashire facing a tense final over, which was finally settled by Mahmood’s misfield, and left Essex rueing missed opportunities. “We took a bit of a punt, but the way we’d been playing, showing a lot of character and skill, we thought it was an excellent opportunity to get a win under our belts and get a lot of points,” captain James Foster said. “It was a risk but we thought it was a calculated risk.”

Habib Bank Limited won a high-scoring match against Pakistan International Airlines by 27 runs in Karachi. HBL were put in to bat and started inauspiciously as Imran Farhat was dismissed first ball of the innings. Ahmed Shehzad and Younis Khan then put on a 142-run partnership for the second wicket before Shehzad fell to Shoaib Malik leg before. Younish and Asad Shafiq then combined for 118 runs for the third wicket. Younis, recently omitted from the 30-man pool for the Champions Trophy, finally fell for 101, with Shafiq scoring a quick fire 92 off 74 balls. Shahid Afridi played a cameo, scoring 39 off 15 balls, striking three sixes and three fours. Habib finished on 331 for 3 at the end of their allotted overs.PIA lost Agha Sabir for 4, before Kamran Sajid and Shoaib Khan snr put on 92 for the second wicket to help steady the innings. Sajid was dismissed on 48, with Shoaib bringing up 52 before being bowled by Abdur Rehman. Malik scored an aggressive 108 off 76 balls to keep PIA in the chase, but was restricted by the fall of wickets tumbling at the other end. In the end, PIA fell by 27 runs as they were dismissed for 304 in the 49th over.Sui Gas Northern Pipelines Limited pulled off a close two-run win over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in their second match of the tournament. Batting first, SGNPL put on a strong batting display as their top three batsmen chipped in with key contributions. Azhar Ali struck his second consecutive half-century for SGNPL, top-scoring with 89 off 102. His innings built on an 83-run opening partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar and a late flourish from Khurram Shehzad took SGNPL to a strong 314 for 5.ZTBL began their chase confidently as Sharjeel Khan and Hussain Talat shared an opening stand of 96. The middle-order built on their start, as Babar Azam and Haris Sohail struck half-centuries. Sohail missed out on his first List-A century, falling to Asad Ali for 99. His innings, which came off 89 balls, included five fours and two sixes. ZTBL struggled once their top four were dismissed and their innings eventually finished at 312 for 6. Mohammad Hafeez was the most economical bowler for SGNPL, conceding 33 runs in his 10 overs of offspin. Bilawal Bhatti took three wickets for an expensive 77 runs.State Bank of Pakistan won a thriller against Water and Power Development Authority by three runs in Ghari Khuda Baksh. SBP were put in to bat, and had contributions from their top- and middle-order, through Kashif Siddiq (11), Gulraiz Sadaf (29), Rameez Raja (23) and Usman Arshad (26). Adnan Raees and Usman Saeed combined for 107 runs for the fifth wicket, with both being dismissed finally for 54. WAPDA’s bowlers took wickets regularly throughout the innings to prevent any substantial partnerships, as SBP finished on 244 all out.WAPDA’s innings started abjectly as they lost both openers with the score on 12. After losing Aamer Sajjad caught behind for 27, Sohaib Maqsood and Mohammad Ayub combined for a fourth wicket partnership of 144. Maqsood finished on 119, as he was dismissed with 37 runs required. Ayub and Naved-ul-Hasan then brought the game very close, falling an agonising three runs short of the target at the end of their innings. Ayub would finish unbeaten on 64.The biggest win of the day came at Gaddafi Stadium, where National Bank of Pakistan hammered Port Qasim Authority by nine wickets. After being sent in, PQA managed to put up 248, thanks chiefly to Khurram Manzoor’s 94. Medium-pacer Imran Khan, who hadn’t taken a wicket in his past four games, took four wickets to be the most successful of the NBP bowlers.If PQA thought they had put up a competitive total, they were made to change their minds by NBP’s openers, Kamran Akmal and Sami Aslam, who put together a 201-run stand that effectively ended the contest. Akmal hit 22 fours as he remained unbeaten on 132, while Aslam fell for 82. NBP finished off the game in the 39th over, with nine wickets still in hand.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKnights won a nailbiter against the Warriors in Port Elizabeth, as they held on to a six-run margin, with Dean Elgar starring with both bat and ball. With this result the Knights moved up to second place, still eight points behind the Lions. Knights chose to bat, but lost both openers cheaply with the score on 9. Obus Pienaar and Elgar combined for 37 runs to add some stability, before Pienaar was dismissed. Elgar and Pite van Biljon put together 61, with Elgar finishing unbeaten on 61, as Knights reached 114 for 4.Warriors in response looked set to overhaul the target as they moved along at the required rate. Contributions from Ashwell Prince (37) and Davy Jacobs (30) helped steer the ship. However, once Elgar came on to bowl, the match began to shift in the Knights’ favour, as he picked up both Prince and Jacobs, then followed it up by picking off Samit Patel and Adrian McLaren. In the final over, the Warriors required 15 runs, and a tight over from Jandree Coetzee ensured they held on by six runs.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA four-wicket haul by Calvin Savage helped Dolphins beat Cape Cobras by 22 runs in Durban. Dolphins were put into bat, with opener Divan van Wyk and Cody Chetty involved in a 42-run stand for the second wicket, to assure Dolphins a good start. Daryn Smit’s unbeaten 33 off 17 balls helped push the total to 158 for 7. Dane Piedt was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 16.Cape Cobras lost opener Yaseen Vallie for a duck, and simply couldn’t put together substantial partnerships, as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Dane Vilas played a lone hand with 47 off 40, but the rest of the batting crumbed as Mthokozisi Shezi and Savage combined to pick up six of seven wickets. The required run-rate was beyond them throughout their 20 overs, with Savage picking up 4 for 33.

ScorecardNoor Ali Zadran anchored the Afghanistan innings•ICC/Getty

Kenya failed to win what was a must-win game for them against Afghanistan, meaning they are out of the running for a spot in the 2014 World Twenty20. Afghanistan’s victory meant they topped Group B and ensured their passage into the showpiece Twenty20 event in Bangladesh next year, irrespective of what happens in the playoffs that follow this round.The victory was a relatively straightforward one for Afghanistan, built on a half-century by No. 3 Noor Ali Zadran and a five-for from legspinner Samiullah Shenwari. Afghanistan were dealt an early blow after choosing to bat, but Zadran and Karim Sadiq counterattacked with 48 in 4.4 overs. After Sadiq fell for 30, Zadran held the innings together. He was out in the penultimate over of the innings, lbw for 50 to Collins Obuya, but by then Afghanistan were well on their way to a competitive total. They ended with 148 for 9.After a brief sparkle from Kenya’s openers, Shenwari proceeded to carve up their top and middle order – he claimed five of the top seven batsmen, and was on a hat-trick at one point of his spell. Kenya never looked like chasing down the total towards the end, despite a half-century from Rakep Patel, and fell well short, bowled out for 114 in 18.2 overs.
ScorecardPapua New Guinea fought their way to a 25-run victory over Bermuda to ensure they stayed in the race for a place in the World Twenty20 2014. Their victory, coupled with Kenya’s loss to Afghanistan, meant PNG finished at No. 5 on the Group B points table and edged out Kenya – who finished sixth – for the final spot in the playoffs.PNG chose to bat and were off to a disastrous start, reduced to 3 for 9 and 4 for 26, before the middle order rescued the innings alongside opener Tony Ura. First Ura was involved in a 76-run stand with Mahuru Dai – who top scored with 64 – at close to nine an over. Then, when Ura fell three short of a half-century, Dai carried the innings forward with Charles Amini. They added 66 in 6.5 overs to lift the team to 168 for 5.They might have been a tad worried defending that total, with Bermuda at 107 for 2 – the platform for the chase was laid by David Hemp and Janeiro Tucker, who scored 63 in partnership – in the 14th over, but a slide ensued. The Amini brothers, Chris and Charles, were chiefly responsible for that collapse. First Charles removed the well-set Tucker with his legspin, before seamer Chris picked up a wicket and effected a run-out to all but seal the game for PNG.With two wins in seven games, Bermuda finished second from last in Group B and are out of the running for a place in the World T20.
ScorecardScotland beat Denmark by 75 runs to finish in fourth place to keep their chances of qualifying for the World Twenty20 alive. The finish guarantees them a place in the playoffs that begin next week.Scotland chose to bat and were in trouble early on, losing opener Richie Berrington for 4. It was a minor blip, however, as Matt Machan’s second successive half-century set the foundation for a big total. Machan had two big partnerships – a 99-run second-wicket stand with Calum MacLeod and 62-run third wicket stand with Michael Leask that came in just 5.3 overs. Machan finished unbeaten on 90 off 55 balls, with nine fours and four sixes as Scotland finished on a strong 205 for 3.Faced with a steep target, Denmark struggled throughout, losing wickets regularly. Carsten Pedersen top-scored with 43 off 48 balls as the side crashed to their sixth loss in the tournament to finish last in Group B.The other teams to make it to the playoff from the group were Netherlands and Nepal.