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Glamorgan secured their first LV= County Championship win of the season with 30 overs to spare on Thursday despite a spirited effort from Essex’s batsmen in Cardiff.

ECB/PA21-May-2015Glamorgan 314 (Rudolph 82, Meschede 68) and 270 (Wallace 79) beat Essex 221 (Wagg 5-54) and 274 (ten Doeschate 74*) by 89 runs
ScorecardDaniel Lawrence regrets his choice of shot after falling to Andrew Salter•Getty ImagesGlamorgan secured their first LV= County Championship win of the season with 30 overs to spare on Thursday despite a spirited effort from Essex’s batsmen in Cardiff.After their disappointing first-innings performance, many expected the visitors to fold quickly, but to their credit they took the game into the final session and if any of the other batsman could have shared a substantial partnership with Ryan ten Doeschate they could have pulled off an unexpected win.On a pitch which helped the quicker bowlers, Glamorgan were without their fourth seamer David Lloyd for all but 4.2 overs of the game, but the others performed admirably – especially young offspinner Andrew Salter in his first Championship game of the campaign – as the hosts secured an 89-run triumph.Resuming on 51 for 2 in pursuit of a victory target of 364, Dan Lawrence and nightwatchman Jamie Porter defied the Glamorgan attack for 57 minutes before Salter had Lawrence caught at mid-wicket.Salter then then took a return catch to remove James Foster, but Porter faced 93 balls before he was finally bowled by Michael Hogan for 34. Ten Doeschate then had useful support from their younger brigade, namely Kishen Velani and Callum Taylor.Twenty-year-old Velani was unlucky to play on to Hogan before 17-year-old Taylor, who had added 44 with ten Doeschate, edged to first slip. With ten Doeschate and Graham Napier at the crease at the tea interval, Essex needed 110 more runs and Glamorgan three wickets.But as soon as Hogan and Craig Meschede took the new ball Essex lost their last three wickets for just five runs. Napier fell for 8, Adeel Malik 2, and David Masters without troubling the scorers as Essex were dismissed for 274.After drawing their first four games and winning the fifth, Glamorgan are now well placed at third position in Division Two and unbeaten in all competitions.Glamorgan coach Toby Radford said: “I’m very pleased with the all-round performance, especially today, when we were without David Lloyd, our fourth seamer.”Although there was some help for the quicker bowlers, there were times when the pitch became placid and it was hard work. It was also good to see Andrew Salter contribute so well in only his first championship game of the season.”Essex coach Paul Grayson said: “I’m disappointed overall, especially the way we collapsed in the first innings, but pleased by the character of the young lads today. If we show the same fight for the rest of the season, we will be alright.”

A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League matches on April 1, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2015Group APrasanth Kumar put in a an all-round show, picking up 2 for 39 and then scoring 51 to help Andhra to a six wicket win over Himachal Pradesh in Bhubaneshwar.Put in by Andhra, Himachal managed 122 from their 20 overs. Only three batsman managed double-digit scores as they were helped mainly by Prashant Chopra’s 43 and Rishi Dhawan’s 37. Cheepurapalli Stephen snared 2 for 14 and Bandaru Ayyappa had figures of 2 for 19 .Andhra’s reply started with a 42-run opening stand, which was broken with the fall of AG Pradeep’s wicket. Prasanth then compiled 65 with Ashwin Hebbar but fell to Rahul Singh soon after reaching his fifty.Rahul also dismissed the captain Mohammed Kaif for 6, and Akshay Chauhan got rid of Ricky Bhui for 1, but Hebbar remained unbeaten on 44 and saw his side home with four balls to spare.Gujarat beat Jharkand by six wickets in a low-scoring game in Bhubaneshwar in which only five batsmen from both sides put together managed double figure scores.Put in, Jharkand lost Shiv Gautam on the fifth ball of the first over. Jasprit Bumrah then dismissed Virat Singh for 4, leaving them at 10 for 2. Ishank Jaggi and Ishan Kisan were soon dismissed by Rohit Dahiya putting Jharkand on 31 for 4. Dahiya ended with figures of 3 for 7.Jharkand couldn’t arrest the fall of wickets as Jasprit Bumrah, Rush Kalaria and Jesal Karia picked up two wickets each as Jharkand’s innings folded in for a paltry 78 in 19.2 overs.Vikash Kumar picked up two wickets to reduce Gujarat to 25 for 2 inside four overs a 19-run stand between Smit Patel and Rujul Bhatt before Bhatt was bowled by Rituraj Singh leaving Gujarat at 44 for 3.They lost one more wicket before an unbeaten 29-run fifth wicket stand between Chirag Gandhi and Himalaya Barad saw them over the line with 46 balls to spare.Group BMandeep Singh starred with the bat in a tense 147-run chase for Punjab as they beat Hyderabad by 1 wicket in Cuttack.Put in to bat, Hyderabad made 146 for 5 in their 20 overs. Tirumalasetti Suman and Tanmay Agarwal put on a 60-run opening stand before Taruwar Kohli picked up Suman for 31 off the last ball of the ninth over. Two balls later, Kaul had Agarwal caught for 22. Andhra lost three more wickets and managed 50 runs in the final five overs.Punjab began their chase briskly making 23 in 2.5 overs before Ravi Kiran had Jaskaranveer Singh caught behind for 7 on the final ball of the third over. Off his next ball – at the start of the fifth over – the bowler got rid of Manan Vohra, leaving Punjab at 30 for 2. Inder Singh and Mandeep added 44 for the third wicket as Punjab went past 50 before the partnership was broken by Akash Bhandari in the 11th over.They soon slid from 114 for 3 to 144 for 9, and Mandeep was one of the batsmen to fall after making 63 off 43 balls, with eight fours and a six. Chama Milind did most of the damage taking 4 for 24, including the wickets of Brainder Sran and Gurinder Singh off the first two balls of the final over. Punjab needed only two runs to win at the start of the over and they secured a win off the third ball of the final over.Debutant left-arm spinner Shesdeep Patra picked up 5 for 18 in three overs to help Odisha beat Mumbai by 17 runs in a 15-over-a-side game in Cuttack.Chasing 126, Mumbai lost two wickets in the first over – of Akhil Herwadkar and Jay Bista for ducks – to Deepak Behera, leaving the score at 1 for 2. Shoaib Shaikh (34) was then part of two 30-plus partnerships which steadied the innings, until Patra struck. He picked three wickets in the 12th over, of Shoaib, Abhishekh Raut and Rohan Raje, reducing them to 85 for 7. Patra then ran through the middle and lower order, as Mumbai were bowled out for 108 in 14.4 overs. Behera finished with 2 for 9 from two overs.Earlier, Odisha chose to bat and raced to 33 in 3.3 overs before Akash Parkar broke the opening stand. Odisha, however, didn’t lose momentum and Govinda Podder added 48 with Roshan Kumar Rao before Podder fell in the 10th over, leaving Odisha at 81 for 2.They then lost three wickets within a space of six balls. Raut dismissed Arabind Singh in the 12th over, then Rao was run-out by Herwadkar four balls later, for a 34-ball 48, and Raje then cleaned up Biplab Samantaray to leave Odisha at 95 for 5. Raje picked up two more wickets as Suryakant Pradhan made a seven-ball 20 to help Odisha to 125 for 8.

GOAL picks out some eye-catching and unimpressive showings from the last-four clashes in Cameroon

GettyAfcon 2021 semi-finals

Senegal and Egypt defeated Burkina Faso and Cameroon, respectively, to set up what is a highly anticipated final between the West Africans and seven-time winners.

Which performances in the last four were impressive and whose displays were a disappointment?

AdvertisementBackpagepixToo Good: Gabaski

Since replacing Mohamed El-Shenawy in the 88th minute of the Round of 16 success over the Ivory Coast, Egypt’s replacement goalkeeper has now saved three penalties in those two games.

He stopped one in the victory over the Elephants and repeated the trick against the hosts on Thursday night and then some.

Gabaski thwarted Harold Moukoudi and James Lea Siliki to put the Pharaohs into a healthy advantage in the shootout, thus becoming the hero for the North African side.

If El-Shenawy is unable to feature on Sunday, Carlos Queiroz will trust in Gabaski who is yet to concede from open play since deputising for Egypt’s number one.

BackpagepixToo Bad: Vincent Aboubakar

For a second game running, the Indomitable Lions forward fired blanks, failing to convert one of the host nation’s best chances.

While Aboubakar did not quite miss as many opportunities against the Pharaohs as the quarter-finals, the striker’s off-kilter finishing proved costly this time.

Having flourished hitherto, the competition’s top scorer petered out when he needed to come up trumps.

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Getty Images.Too Good: Saliou Ciss

Ciss was a constant menace bombing forward for the entirety of Senegal’s 3-1 success over a plucky Burkina Faso outfit, fashioning more opportunities than all but Sadio Mane.

The left-back was equally dominant in his one-v-one tussles against the Stallions, winning every aerial duel on the night.

The 32-year-old has featured in every game so far at the finals and Aliou Cisse will count on the full-back for the decider.

Hull City star Jaden Philogene was cruelly denied one of the all-time great goals after a stunning Rabona strike against Rotherham.

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Hull beat Rotherham 2-1 in ChampionshipPhilogene pulls off incredible RabonaFootball League decides goal will not go down as his Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The 22-year-old thought he'd scored the goal of the season when he nonchalantly nutmegged Rotherham's Oliver Rathbone and then tried an audacious Rabona chip over goalkeeper Viktor Johansson. After looking like he had produced something miraculous, it turned out his effort took a slight deflection off Cameron Humphreys' shoulder – meaning it was cruelly registered as an own goal by the Football League.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

That stupendous piece of skill from the former Aston Villa man drew Hull level with bottom of the table Championship side Rotherham, following Christ Tiehi's opener for the Millers. Then Liam Rosenior's men completed the comeback as Noah Ohio's goal secured the Tigers their first league double against the Yorkshire outfit for 40 years. Philogene's goal, that will have surely been a contender for the Puskas award, is undoubtedly one of the greatest rabona efforts ever seen, with Erik Lamela's strike for Tottenham against Arsenal – that won the Puskas award in 2021 – arguably at the top of the pile.

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WHAT NEXT?

Hull are back in Championship action on Sunday away to lowly Huddersfield Town, before two crunch games against third-placed Southampton three days later, and a home clash against fifth-positioned West Brom on February 24.

Lauren James, Cole Palmer and Agnes Beever-Jones won a hat-trick of honours for Chelsea at the London Football Awards.

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Chelsea trio win at London Football AwardsJames claims WSL player of the year titlePalmer & Beever-Jones claim rising star gongsGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

In the 10th edition of the event, Chelsea star James, 22, won the Women’s Super League Player of the Year title after scoring 12 goals this season; while fellow Blues Palmer, 21, and Beever-Jones, 20, picked up the Men’s and Women’s Young Player of the Year awards respectively. The former has scored 12 goals and bagged nine assists in all competitions and "super sub" Beever-Jones, who succeeded James as this year's young winner, has seven goals to date. It's clear all three Chelsea youngsters have a bright future ahead of them.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

On the men's side, Arsenal's Declan Rice won the Premier League Player of the Year, Tottenham's Ange Postecoglou won Manager of the Year, and Goal of the Season, which was voted for by the public, went to Crystal Palace's Michael Olise for his strike against Luton Town last November.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

In the other categories, former manager Harry Redknapp won the Outstanding Contribution to London Football gong, John Berylson received the Power of Football Award, Charlton Athletic's Alfie May won the EFL Player of the Year prize, and Spurs stopper Guglielmo Vicario clinched Goalkeeper of the Year. Pan-Disability Football (Sutton United Foundation) picked up the Community Project of the Year honour.

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WHAT NEXT?

James and Beever-Jones are set to return to WSL action on Sunday when table-topping Chelsea travel to Leicester City, whereas Mauricio Pochettino's men make the short trip to London neighbours Brentford on Saturday in the Premier League.

Cameron Gannon, the Queensland seamer, has been barred from bowling in domestic matches after his action was found to be illegal by Cricket Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2013Cameron Gannon, the Queensland seamer, has been barred from bowling in domestic matches after his action was found to be illegal by Cricket Australia.Biomechanical analysis of Gannon’s action, undertaken after he was reported by the umpires in the Sheffield Shield final against Tasmania in Hobart last month, showed that he bowled with an elbow extension beyond the allowable 15-degree level.”Analysis conducted at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra found that Gannon bowls with an illegal action for all deliveries, with an average elbow extension of 24 degrees,” a CA statement said. “The allowable elbow extension is 15 degrees.”As such, Gannon is now suspended from bowling in interstate cricket until he passes another analysis of his action in accordance with the provisions set out in the Cricket Australia Doubtful Bowling procedures.”This suspension is effective immediately and Gannon is not able to request a fresh analysis of his action until at least 90 days from today’s date.”Gannon was reported four times across the summer, including twice in the final. A minimum of three reports within the same season are required for a bowler to be subjected to testing.

It had been inevitable for much of the previous three days but England officially became the No. 1 Test team in the world, ending India’s stay at the top with one of their most crushing victories, by an innings and 242 runs

The Report by Andrew McGlashan13-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson did the early damage for England as he removed key batsmen in his first spell•Getty ImagesIt had been inevitable for much of the previous three days but England officially became the No. 1 Test team in the world shortly after 3pm, ending India’s stay at the top with one of their most crushing victories, by an innings and 242 runs. The fourth day didn’t even last until tea as the visitors were dispatched for 244 after James Anderson ripped the top off the batting before Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad chipped in.In theory India had the line-up to at least make England toil for victory, but in reality they have looked a beaten side throughout this match. When Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid fell within the first four overs of the day it was clear Sunday wouldn’t be required although at least India went down swinging as Praveen Kumar clubbed 40 off 18 balls – momentarily looking on course for the fastest Test half-century – and MS Dhoni continued his return to form with an unbeaten 74.Yet all it did was delay the inevitable and when Sreesanth fended at Tim Bresnan, Kevin Pietersen held the catch at gully and England went top of the pile. Although the tables weren’t introduced until 2003 back-dating shows it’s the first time they have been No. 1 since 1979 although that was when West Indies had been severely depleted due to the Packer-era.India, meanwhile, lose their title after a stint of 21 months and will have to dig very deep to try and salvage pride at The Oval. If they lose the series 4-0 they will be down to third. Sachin Tendulkar was the only one of the top six to really show the hunger for a fight and had moved to 40 when Dhoni drove towards Swann, who got his right hand to the ball, deflecting it into the stumps with Tendulkar’s bat on the line. While it’s always a tough way to fall, Tendulkar had backed up a long way which leaves the chance of such a dismissal. Regardless, though, Tendulkar wouldn’t have saved the match for India because of the damage inflicted in the first hour.Anderson didn’t wait long to make an impression; he found Gautam Gambhir’s outside edge with his first ball of the day and the catch was taken by Swann at second slip. Gambhir has shown the ability to occupy the crease in the past – he cited his 436-ball innings at Napier as how India could save this game – but with him removed early the pressure was squarely on Dravid and, of course, Tendulkar. Dravid, though, did not last long but his dismissal appeared to throw up a bizarre set of circumstances.When he played forward to Anderson’s outswinger, the noise suggested a clear outside edge and Simon Taufel gave the decision. However, subsequent replays showed that the sound didn’t quite match the pictures and it appeared Dravid’s shoelace may have flicked the bottom of his bat. Dravid could have reviewed but didn’t take the option and whether there would have been enough clear evidence to overturn the decision will never be known.India were 40 for 3 and sinking fast. Tendulkar gave momentary relief with a couple of sweet drives, but VVS Laxman was given a tough time by England’s fast bowlers. Anderson’s swing and Broad’s extra bounce kept him on nought for 16 balls before Anderson produced another fine delivery to take the outside edge.Broad, meanwhile, tried to take advantage of Tendulkar’s problems with the sightscreen behind the bowler’s arm. In a similar manner to Andrew Flintoff against Jacques Kallis in 2008, Tendulkar was having trouble picking up deliveries from a set of dark windows and Broad probed away with a series of very full balls which he tried to squeeze under Tendulkar’s bat.Tendulkar, though, responded with a fighting effort although a few of his drives came with a hint of frustration – even anger? – at India’s position. The wait for the 100th hundred carries on until at least The Oval and there is a growing sense that it isn’t meant to happen in this series.Before Swann’s literal hand in Tendulkar’s scalp, he’d been brought on to target Suresh Raina and it was an absorbing, if brief, battle. Raina should have gone for 1, but Andrew Strauss couldn’t hold a low chance at gully as Swann tried to add to his lean tally of two wickets in the series. Raina didn’t hold back, crunching a straight drive past Swann’s right hand, then driving over cover, but Swann had the final say when he gained an lbw decision from Steve Davis.Raina wasn’t happy, and even signalled for a review having forgotten they can’t be used for lbws, but replays confirmed Davis was spot on with the ball hitting middle and leg. The fact Raina even considered the DRS showed his frazzled mindset. Swann claimed his second shortly after lunch when Amit Mishra was well caught at mid-off but his figures then suffered at the hands of Praveen with one over costing 21.The fifty stand between Praveen and Dhoni was raised in 28 balls of free swinging to ensure no record defeat for India. The fun ended when Broad was recalled and immediately had Praveen, whose right thumb had been given a battering, caught at cover. Dhoni continued to show the fight that has been so lacking from India, but it had long since become a forlorn effort. His team has had their time at the top, for the time being at least, and now that’s England’s honour. The next challenge is to stay there.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers in Mumbai

The Preview by Firdose Moonda13-May-2011Match factsSaturday, May 14, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Mumbai, who seem uncomfortable chasing, could use the match as preparation for the play-offs•AFPBig PictureIt’s not quite a case of top versus bottom, but its close enough. Mumbai Indians have been table-toppers for most of this IPL season while Deccan Chargers are the basement dwellers, and were the first to be knocked out of contention for the play-offs. Expectations of a mismatch are not unfounded and it will take a particularly poor performance from Mumbai or a supreme effort from Deccan for an upset to take place.Both situations have become reality once before in this edition of the tournament. Mumbai were bundled out for 87 to lose by 76 runs to Kings XI Punjab and Deccan were able to defend 129 against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Nonetheless performances like these have been rare for either side and the difference in their form is as stark as this fact – Deccan have won as many matches as Mumbai have lost: three.More victories will do nothing for their cause but Deccan will want to go out having fought as much as they can. They will need their batting to improve significantly to achieve that. Their highest run-scorer is Kumar Sangakkara with 306 runs, and they don’t have a single batsman with an average over 28. It’s time for the likes of JP Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan and Bharat Chipli to step up. Against the dangerous Mumbai attack, which boasts Lasith Malinga, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh, that will be a tough task.Mumbai have batting worries of their own, seeming to have problems with chasing targets. They will be expecting more from Kieron Pollard, who has been nothing more than a gentle giant. Even so, Ambati Rayudu’s continued and promising form will be pleasing and Mumbai will hope that with Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, he can carry the line-up. The Deccan bowlers, while not as menacing as Mumbai’s, have put in a decent performance throughout the tournament, with Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma leading the attack.Form guide (most recent first) Mumbai LWWWL (second in table)
Deccan LLLLW (tenth in table)Team talkIt’s unlikely that Mumbai will fiddle with their combination too much after the success they have enjoyed this season. The only area of concern may be at the top, but with Davy Jacobs still nursing an injured thumb, Aiden Blizzard will probably keep his place.Deccan have the luxury of being able to experiment and may want to bring Cameron White back in as he is one of the names being mentioned as a possible captain when Sangakkara leaves. Daniel Christian has failed to impress and may get the chop.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.In the spotlightAmbati Rayudu is only nine runs behind Sachin Tendulkar on the run-getters’ chart and has shown his desire to stay at the crease for as long as possible. His 59 off 39 balls against Delhi was his most convincing knock and he will want to prove his worth marshalling the middle order, especially after being ignored by the selectors for the West Indies tour.Pragyan Ojha was a purple cap holder in previous editions of the tournament and has 57 IPL wickets. He has only taken seven this season, but his hunger has not lessened. He enjoys a big stage and the match against Mumbai may just prove the occasion for him to excel.Prime numbers Mumbai’s best scoring batsmen have been Tendulkar, Rayudu and Rohit Sharma. Andrew Symonds, who has scored the fourth-most number of runs for Mumbai, 127, is 160 runs behind Rohit Deccan have bowled out their opposition only once in 11 matches, but all three of their wins have come defending totalsThe chatter”We don’t mind losing from time to time. But the manner in which we lost the last game to King’s XI was disappointing. I think that has motivated the team. They are very keen to get that right and play better tomorrow.”

Lance Klusener, the former South Africa allrounder, has been appointed interim coach of the Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise, until the end of the 2011-12 season

Firdose Moonda25-Jan-2012Lance Klusener, the former South Africa allrounder, has been appointed interim coach of the Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise, until the end of the 2011-12 season. Klusener replaces Graham Ford, who resigned with immediate effect last week and has been confirmed as Sri Lanka’s new coach.Klusener, best remembered for his Man-of-the-Series performance in the 1999 World Cup, retired from international cricket in 2004 and has since had a range of cricket-related work. He has a Level 3 coaching qualification and has been involved with age-group sides at the Dolphins for the last three years. He has also worked with the South African High Performance Program and assisted the South Africa A side.”Being a former Dolphin, I am very proud of my team and want to be part of the process of rebuilding the team to its rightful place as South Africa’s No. 1 franchise,” Klusener said.The Dolphins have not won a trophy since they shared the SuperSport Series in the 2004-05 season, and are targetting the upcoming domestic Twenty20 competition as an opportunity for silverware. They have contracted Chris Gayle for the series and had also lined up Australia quick Shaun Tait, but he pulled out with an elbow injury.”We are still focused on the T20 competition,” Faeez Jaffer, the Dolphins president, said. “With Lance’s vast experience at our disposal, we believe that our players will be challenged and want to perform. Lance also has first-hand knowledge of the dynamics and makeup of our team.”Jesse Chellan, the Dolphins chief-executive, told ESPNcricinfo that the franchise is still looking for another big-name player.The mid-season change of coach has not affected the Dolphins team, Chellan said. The senior players filled the gap and have been organising and running team practices. “Team leadership stepped in and everything has been running well,” Chellan said.The Dolphins will soon undertake a formal process to recruit a new head coach for the start of next season.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Champions League Twenty20 qualifier between Trinidad & Tobago and Ruhuna in Hyderabad

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo18-Sep-2011Match factsRuhuna v Trinidad & Tobago, September 19
Start time 16.00 (10.30 GMT)Big PictureEach team plays only two matches in the qualifying round, and needs to win both to be guaranteed of a place in the main draw. Ruhuna and Trinidad & Tobago are pooled with Leicestershire and run-rate could come into play if all teams are level on a win each. A big loss for either side will effectively knock them out.T&T will start favourites, given their squad is similar to the one that reached the final of the first Champions League Twenty20 in 2009. Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul and Darren Bravo have all chosen to play the Champions League rather than the Twenty20 internationals in England. T&T relied heavily on their top three of Barath, Simmons and Bravo for runs during their victorious campaign in the Caribbean T20 in January. It was their bowling, however, that was the crux of their unbeaten run; the highest score they allowed any team was 136.Ruhuna’s win in the Sri Lanka Cricket Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Tournament was also built on strong bowling performances – they twice bowled out the opposition – but they will be missing their best bowler, Suraj Randiv, who has chosen to play for Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League.Team newsSanath Jayasuriya is the biggest name in the Ruhuna squad but has off late been found more often in the commentary box than on the field. Apart from him and Dinesh Chandimal, the rest of the squad consists of players unknown on the international stage. We may get a glimpse of Tillakaratne Dilshan’s brother, allrounder TN Sampath.Ruhuna (probable): 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Mahela Udawatte (capt) , 3 TN Sampath, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Janaka Gunaratne, 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Chinthaka Perera, 8 Omesh Wijesiriwardene, 9 Arosh Janoda, 10 Yashodha Lanka, 11 Alankara Asanka SilvaT&T had a settled line-up through their Caribbean T20 campaign and should feature the same side against Ruhuna.T&T (probable): 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Daren Ganga (capt), 7 Sherwin Ganga, 8 Kevon Cooper, 9 Samuel Badree, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Sunil NarineDarren Bravo averaged 48 in the Caribbean T20•Randy BrooksWatch out for …In recent times Caribbean players have earned as much recognition for their exploits in foreign Twenty20 competitions as for the West Indies team. For Darren Bravo, this is an opportunity not only to impress the West Indies selectors, but also the owners of IPL franchises.Dinesh Chandimal has had a stop-start beginning to his international career: after a century during the ODI series in England, he was dropped for the final two home ODIs against Australia. The Twenty20 format may not be the best place to show he has overcome some technical deficiencies but he will be looking to impress the Sri Lankan selectors.Key contestRuhuna’s batsmen v T&T spinners: Offspinning allrounder Sherwin Ganga, offspinner Sunil Narine and legspinner Samuel Badree had plenty of success in the Caribbean T20 but will now be bowling against batsmen well-versed in playing spin.Stats & triviaDuring the Caribbean T20, four of T&T’s bowlers had economy-rates of less than six an over, with Badree going at just 3.90 an over in his 20 overs.Quotes”Who knows, in the future cricket could be an Olympic sport and we could even play as a nation.”
“We are missing out on Chanaka Welegedara, Suraj Randiv and Shaminda Eranga, who are all doing national duty against Australia. The bowling department is a bit weak.”