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Sri Lanka have not lost a Test series at home to South Africa since 1993. If they are to protect that record, the final day of the tour has to be about all-out attack, says Kumar Sangakkara

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the SSC27-Jul-2014Sri Lanka have not lost a Test series at home to South Africa since 1993. If they are to protect that record, the final day of the tour has to be about all-out attack, says Kumar Sangakkara.”Our objective is to win at all costs,” Sangakkara said. “Our chances are pretty good. It would have been good if all the overs had been bowled today. I thought with the way that the wicket is, Rangana Herath is going to bowl well to the lefties. If we can keep the pressure with Dilruwan bowling from the other end, that would be good. In the second innings we need Ajantha Mendis to contribute as well. If we can get about three wickets in the first session, that will set us up nicely.”What will encourage Sri Lanka is an SSC surface that has deteriorated more than most seen at the venue in recent years. There has been extravagant turn off the footmarks since day three, and the likes of Perera also had balls fizzing off the straight, late on Saturday.”It’s a slightly different wicket here,” Sangakkara said. “Bit quicker than it used to be, probably because they relaid the wicket. There seems to be a lot more rough than I remember at SSC. Good hard rough as well. It’d be interesting to see whether we can exploit that to our advantage.”The weather forecast, though, will not encourage the hosts. More rain is expected on day five, after the weather had cut more than 30 overs from day four’s schedule. However, Sri Lanka will take heart from South Africa’s conservative approach, Sangakkara said.”Even in the first innings I thought they played for time, rather than scoring runs. That allowed us to put pressure on them. We had a few opportunities that didn’t go our way. But the moment they went negative yesterday and today as well, it was going to be a case of us having enough fielders near the bat, and hopefully one or two will start jumping off the glove, or maybe bat-pad. That will give us an opportunity to close in.”Sangakkara also had words of praise for debutant wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who scored 72 in the first innings, and had a catch and a stumping to his name by the end of the first innings.”Dickwella looks very organised, and a good prospect in all formats of the game. I have played with him for NCC (Nondescripts Cricket Club) quite a lot and he has got a lot of runs in all formats. It’s just a case of him staying true to what got him here, which is the ability to score runs. He showed a lot of promise. He is a soft spoken guy but he has got a lot of character and toughness in him and I am sure that will come through as he progresses.”

Unless Zimbabwe put one across India on Sunday, this series may fade from memory faster than it normally would

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran27-Jul-2013Match factsSunday, July 28, 2013
Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)Zimbabwe need to win to stay alive in the series•Associated PressBig PictureWhen India sent an inexperienced side to Zimbabwe for the second time in three years, there must have been a glimmer of hope that the hosts would seal a win or two, just like they did in the tri-series in 2010. Two games later, the series has lacked the competitiveness the home fans were expecting, as India proved themselves equally adept at defending and chasing targets. The toss was a factor on Friday, as India limped to 65 for 4, but then Zimbabwe had themselves to blame, dropping catches which released the stranglehold on the batsmen. Better fielding would have kept the target to something more achievable than 295. Zimbabwe had their moments in both innings where they stretched India, but matches are rarely won by teams that fumble in the field.The biggest positive for India was that they managed to weather the storm after a top-order collapse. Shikhar Dhawan, dropped twice and caught off a no-ball, made the most of those lapses and had an equally positive partner in Dinesh Karthik to take India to a winning total. Batting first in seaming conditions – aided by two new balls – may not have been the worst thing to happen for India, for it was an education for the top order, which will face tougher examinations for prolonged periods in South Africa later on.The positive for Zimbabwe was that they batted out 50 overs, instead of surrendering meekly. At 133 for 6, a humiliation loomed, before Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya showed some resistance. Aside from the dropped catches, the no-show from the middle order was another concern. Zimbabwe are one defeat away from conceding the series. Unless they put one across India on Sunday, this series may fade from memory faster than it normally would, given its lack of context in a packed calendar.Form guide India WWWWW (most recent first, last five completed games)
Zimbabwe LLWWLIn the spotlightThough Suresh Raina came in to bat with India moments from victory in the first game, he had an opportunity in the second to build an innings but failed to step up as the senior. He was caught tickling one down the leg side for 4, leaving India in trouble at 69 for 4. His ODI average outside the subcontinent is 25.82 with two fifties, a climbdown from his overall figures of 35.69. The seamers will look to target his weakness against the short ball.One of Vusi Sibanda’s biggest problems has been his consistency, but in the last six games, he has delivered better, with a century and two fifties at an average of 66.60. Had he batted through the bulk of the innings on Friday, Zimbabwe would have been in with a fighting chance. His dismissal in the 21st over, caught at midwicket, was untimely.Team newsCheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohit Sharma and Parvez Rasool are yet to get a game, but it’s uncertain if India will change its winning combination yet.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Vinay Kumar, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Mohammed ShamiRay Price is in the squad and Zimbabwe could use his experience as the second spinner.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Sikandar Raza, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Sean Williams, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Brian Vitori, 10 and 11 Kyle Jarvis/Tendai Chatara/Ray PriceStats and trivia India have recorded the most ODI wins (42) among all countries since the start of the 2011 World Cup. Zimbabwe have eight Rohit Sharma averages 56.20 in ODIs in Zimbabwe, with two centuriesQuotes”What’s quite frustrating is we should be learning from the opposition. We look at guys like Kohli bat, they don’t play too many rash shots, they just keep it simple and we should be learning from that. We’re not, and we’ve got to start doing that, otherwise we’re going to find it difficult.”
“You need a lot of match practice – that’s what I feel. That way you learn how to take the pressure and how to play in different situations. I feel that works for us.”

Rain ended any hope of a result at Blacktown Oval in Sydney, where only ten overs were bowled on the final day between New South Wales and Western Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2013
Scorecard
Rain ended any hope of a result at Blacktown Oval in Sydney, where only ten overs were bowled on the final day between New South Wales and Western Australia. The Blues finished the third day needing two wickets to end the Warriors’ second innings and set up a potentially small chase, but their hopes were thwarted by the weather and they had to settle for first-innings points.When play finally began, Western Australia added only eight runs to their overnight total and finished on 8 for 219 when the match was called off, with debutant Ashton Agar unbeaten on 34 and Jason Behrendorff on 7. Steve O’Keefe ended up with 4 for 47 in the second innings and match figures of 8 for 102, a career-best analysis.

In 2015, Goal asked readers in Spain to vote for the best players in Los Blancos history. Ahead of Saturday's Clasico, find out who made the cut…

Goal1The final XI…Do you agree with our selection or would you make adjustments? Let us know in the comments!AdvertisementGetty Images2The benchPaco Buyo, Jose Santamaria, Ferenc Puskas, Fernando Redondo and Hugo Sanchez. Buyo was vital in the team that dominated La Liga in the second half of the 1980s. Santamaria was the leader of the defence that won the first five European Cups and shared two of those titles with the famous Puskas, who was also part of the sixth crown. Redondo was master of the midfield in La Septima and La Octava. Hugo Sanchez won five Pichichis in a six-year span, the last four with Los Merengues.RealMadrid.com3​Francisco Gento | 1953-1971Nobody in the world can match his CV. The winger won a record six European Cups and was one of the best players Real Madrid ever had. Fast and dynamic, he was electric on the left. This helped him rack up 30 goals in 89 European Cup clashes.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images4Alfredo Di Stefano | 1953-1964Perhaps the man most responsible for Real Madrid's aura of greatness. The late footballing legend's arrival in Madrid was a breath of fresh air in the 1950s, inspiring them to their first five European Cups. Perhaps the most complete player in history, Di Stefano formed an amazing partnership with Ferenc Puskas.

International men’s cricket will return to Dambulla International Stadium in November after a three-year hiatus

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2013International men’s cricket will return to Dambulla International Stadium in November after a three-year hiatus, Sri Lanka Cricket has said. The stadium is built on lands owned by the nearby Buddhist temple and the hiatus partly resulted from a disagreement between SLC and the clergy, who believed the sale of alcohol and tobacco at the venue was a breach of the lease agreement.The SLC release said the board had had discussions with senior Buddhist clergy and come to an understanding on the use of the venue. Dambulla had hosted day/night matches in the past but because the stadium floodlights now fall short of the minimum standards required by ICC, it will only host day matches in the near future.”It was suggested at the executive committee meeting to upgrade or reinstall a new floodlight system as per new ICC regulations in the future by SLC,” the release said. “Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket stadium will host one New Zealand ODI in November 2013.” New Zealand were involved in the last series that was played at Dambulla as well, where they and India were beaten by Sri Lanka.The stadium has in the past been a valuable asset to SLC, as it is located in Sri Lanka’s dry-zone, which is less susceptible to bad weather during the monsoon seasons. The stadium had hosted a three-match ODI series between West Indies Women and Sri Lanka Women in February this year.

South Africa fast bowler Vernon Philander believes the key to succeeding in Sri Lankan conditions lies in picking up early wickets while the ball is still new

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2014South Africa fast bowler Vernon Philander believes the key to succeeding in Sri Lankan conditions lies in picking up wickets while the ball is still new. Philander, on his first Test tour of Sri Lanka, feels that seam bowlers can fetch wickets in spin-friendly surfaces by maintaining a simple off-stump line and making the batsmen play.”The more damage you can do with the new ball the better,” Philander said on Monday in Galle two days before the first Test. “You want batsmen five, six and seven batting against a newish nut. In these conditions you want to be striking with the new ball, our lines upfront need to get the batsmen to play.”I wouldn’t really say that lengths change, its more the line of attack. You need to sit on that off-stump line, and make sure you get the lbw into the game, the wider ball becomes the nick-off. Hopefully we can adjust really quickly and assess conditions accordingly.”Philander said he had recovered from the viral infection that ruled him out of the third ODI in Hambantota on Saturday. If he makes the starting XI, it will be his first Test in the subcontinent. Since his Test debut in 2011, Philander has played the majority of his 23 Tests at home in South Africa and toured England, Australia and New Zealand. He played two Tests in the UAE last year – his first Test series in Asia – where he picked up six wickets in two games.Spinners have performed well in Galle but Philander was hopeful of getting some swing, given the occasional showers.”There is a bit of moisture and overhead conditions around which will favour the swing bowlers,” he said. “We have to wait and see what the deck looks like tomorrow and on the morning of the Test.”Philander was also confident his team would be able to negate the threat of Sri Lanka’s lead spinner Rangana Herath, who has 48 wickets at this ground, the second-highest behind Muttiah Muralitharan (111).”Spin is always a factor when you come to the subcontinent. That’s why they prepare wickets to suit their bowlers,” Philander said. “He (Herath) is going to be a big threat, but our batsmen played him quite well in the last one-dayer in Hambantota, so hopefully we can continue to do so. I’d like to see our guys stepping up against the spinners and playing them to the best of their abilities.”

Two county academy players, Gavin Main and Andrew Umeed, have been selected in Scotland’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2014Two county academy players, Gavin Main and Andrew Umeed, have been selected in Scotland’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup. Fast bowler Main, who recently signed for Durham, and Warwickshire batsman Umeed were among the 15-man squad, which will be led by Ross McLean and also includes 16-year-old spinner Ryan Brown.McLean, Main and Umeed, along with Nick Farrar, will all be playing in their second U-19 World Cup. Scotland are the only European Associate featuring in the UAE, having beaten Ireland in the final of the qualifier, and will look to improve on their best U-19 World Cup finish of 12th in 2012.Glamorgan’s Ruaidhri Smith, who was controversially ruled ineligible for Scotland’s regional qualifying campaign last year despite having played at the previous Under-19 World Cup, has not been included due to university commitments.The Scotland squad are due to take part in a week-long training camp in Sri Lanka, as well as warm-up matches against Afghanistan and England, ahead of the start of the tournament on February 14. They will face India, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea in Group A.”The players have earned the right to test themselves against the best players in the world at their age group,” Scotland’s U-19 head coach, Craig Wright, said. “They performed with impressive consistency in the qualifying tournament last year and now have a fantastic opportunity to show what they are capable of on the World stage.”McLean said: “We definitely believe Scotland can cause an upset. We have players in the squad who played in the last World Cup, so have a better understanding of what to expect and will be drawing on that experience.”Scotland U19 World Cup squad: Ross McLean (capt), Alex Baum (wk), Ryan Brown, Will Edwards, Michael English, Nick Farrar, Chayank Gosain, Gavin Main, Zander Muir, Abdul Sabri, Chris Sole, Kyle Stirling, Andrew Umeed, Mark Watt, Stuart Whittingham

David Hopps at Taunton12-Sep-2013
ScorecardNick Compton gave a timely reminder of his ability•Getty ImagesThere was no England selector at Taunton yesterday so in the spirit of co-operation, here is a summary for the next meeting of the top table. NRD Compton v Surrey, Taunton, September 12: Runs 66. Balls: 88. Dollars (looking like): A million. A few facts to gather dust ahead of the announcement of the Ashes squad on September 23.Observing Compton in this form begs the question why England seemingly drew such a heavy line under his Test career. Opting to open with Joe Root in the Ashes was one thing; allowing Compton’s exclusion to be seen as perpetual banishment was quite another.England, it seemed, observed a couple of tortuous innings against New Zealand and took a view, but watching his clear-headed strokeplay at Taunton begged the question of exactly which opener would offer more reliable opening cover for the tour of Australia? Compton remains short of 1,000 first-class runs this season – so does every Somerset batsman – but he averages 48 which is respectable enough. Michael Carberry, incidentally averages 40 for Hampshire in Division Two. To opt for Varun Chopra would be a gamble on an untried player at international level.There was a time just before lunch when it was possible to imagine that this was a top-of-the table encounter, not a match between two candidates for relegation. Compton, in league with Craig Kieswetter, was central to that, counterpunching with style against a highly-regarded Surrey pace attack. The quality of the strokeplay was as good as you could wish to witness. Taunton was a good place to be.In this troubled Somerset season, home supporters drank it in like they might soak up the last sunshine of summer, regarding it as all the sweeter because they knew how ephemeral it would be.Kieswetter fell softly on the stroke of lunch, driving loosely to cover; and soon after the resumption, Compton became one of two wickets in an over for Jade Dernbach as he tried to guide behind square on the off side and played on. It was a frustrating end, but he was the only Somerset batsman to give the impression of permanence.At 133 for 6, the Somerset scoreboard had a familiar ring to it, but they found something within themselves to reach 260, securing two priceless batting bonus points and a first-innings lead of 65. Surrey’s second innings began briefly, but bad light stole 20 overs from the day.If enterprise was the impression as Compton and Kieswetter added 62 for the fourth wicket, the stand of 68 between Peter Trego and Craig Meschede for the seventh wicket was a judicious one. A brilliant catch by the 18-year-old debutant, Dom Sibley, at deep cover silenced Trego. Piyush Chawla also dug in for 32 at No. 10; a late overseas acquisition respecting the opportunity he has been given.But all that felt like struggle; it was the hour up to lunch that raised the spirits. Compton drove vigorously and Kieswetter’s dash was backed up by rapid running between the wickets. Compton was dropped off Dernbach on 42, a challenging low catch to Vikram Solanki at second slip, diving across Gareth Batty at first, and Meaker was ill-served by several thick edges to third man (fashionably unguarded), but the overriding mood of a stand of 62 in 12 overs was one of optimism.Somerset had begun the day with a little victory, denying Surrey a batting bonus point as Alfonso Thomas snaffled the last two wickets without a run added. But Surrey struck back immediately when Somerset lost both openers for nought, with Marcus Trescothick dragging on third ball – a reward for Dernbach’s insistent line.Trescothick’s immediate desire to retain the Somerset captaincy had been reasserted in timely fashion in his column in the . “What I can say is I love captaining Somerset as much as I love the club itself and at this point I have no intention of handing over the reins,” he said. “I know there are people who have looked at my shortage of runs this season and linked it to the added pressure of being skipper – but I have been doing the job for four seasons and I don’t believe it has any adverse effect on my form. I enjoy the challenge and it remains my dream to lead the team to the success we all crave.”Success was not the word that sprung immediately to mind. Survival will do for a start.

Tom Lockyer showed off his "battle wound" and explained how the fitted defibrillator could save his life if his heart ever stopped again.

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Lockyer collapsed on the field twice in just seven months Has an Implanted Cardiac Device (ICD) fitted to his chestCould be life-saving in case of another setback on the fieldWHAT HAPPENED?

Lockyer experienced a mid-game cardiac arrest earlier in the season, during a match against Bournemouth in December, marking the second time Lockyer collapsed on the pitch within seven months, after having previously endured atrial fibrillation during the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May. He has now been fitted with an Implanted Cardiac Device (ICD) in his chest which would shock his heart into action should it stop, eliminating the need for external defibrillation and potentially saving his life.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT LOCKYER SAID

Speaking to Lockyer said: "So that's my battle wound. My defibrillator sits in there, as you can see there's a wire that runs across and up to the heart in case it ever needs to go off.

"So that's constantly monitoring my heart rate and if it goes outside certain parameters then it's designed to give me a shock. That's the wire – the battery lasts about 10 years so only needs changing every 10 years and hopefully I'm never going to need it but it's there as a precaution."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Lockyer recounted the December incident in vivid detail and insisted that he knew that the second emergency was distinctively different from the first one.

"I was running up to the halfway line and went really light-headed, thinking would be OK in a second. I wasn't and woke up with paramedics everywhere," he revealed.

"It happened in May but I knew instantly this time was different, the last time I woke up almost like from a dream and this time woke up from nothingness.

'I could see straight away, paramedics, physios, club doctors, there was more panic, I couldn't speak, couldn't move, trying to work out what was happening. While that was going on I remember thinking, 'I could be dying here'.

"It's a surreal thought to have been thinking that and not being able to move or respond, and you could see panic going on. Once I came around it was a relief I was alive and fortunate it happened where it happened, I was living it and my family almost had it worse than I have. After what happened in May I have a recording device, and two minutes 40 seconds I was out for, and had to have a defib to shock me back."

Chris Rogers and Steven Smith placed Australia in a dominant position on the first day at Lord’s, where they reached 337 for 1 at stumps

The Report by Brydon Coverdale16-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOn the first day in Cardiff, Joe Root had a life on zero and went on to score a century. On the first day at Lord’s, Chris Rogers had a life on zero and went on to score a century. In Cardiff it was Brad Haddin who dropped Root; at Lord’s it was Root himself who missed Rogers’ edge at third slip. Root’s hundred set up an England victory; Rogers’ ton might yet do the same for Australia.Of course, it is not as simple as to say that had Root got his hands above his head to snare Rogers the day would have belonged to England. But a wicket in the first over would have been the perfect start. Instead they had to settle for one breakthrough for the entire day, a David Warner brain-freeze that brought Rogers and Steven Smith together to begin a 259-run partnership.By stumps, Australia were in a dominant position at 337 for 1. Rogers was on 158 and had earned a place on the Lord’s honours board, a fitting achievement given the service he has provided to Middlesex over the past four years. Smith was on 129 and got his name on the board too, five years after he made his Test debut at Lord’s as a No. 8.For Rogers, this day ended a frustrating run of half-centuries that failed to turn into hundreds, seven in consecutive innings until that streak ended with his 10 in the second innings in Cardiff. For Smith, it was simply a continuation of his remarkable first-innings form of the past eight months: it was the sixth time in the past eight Tests that he had scored a first-innings century.The Lord’s pitch offered little for Alastair Cook’s bowlers. The pace was slow and sideways movement infrequent. But if they were to give themselves the best shot at a 2-0 lead in this Investec Ashes series, they had to take their half-chances. And they didn’t. James Anderson drew the Rogers edge that flew at catchable height over Root’s head, but other chances were missed later in the day.On 50, Smith edged a good Ben Stokes delivery that moved away off the pitch and Ian Bell, at second slip, got his hands low to the ground but failed to cling on to a chance he should have taken. A tougher chance was missed when Rogers was 78, his attempted sweep off Moeen Ali brushing the glove on the way through and ricocheting off Jos Buttler’s gloves down the leg side.Chris Rogers scored an unbeaten 158 to put Australia in a dominant position•Associated PressIt was a frustrating day for England’s bowlers. The fast men struggled to have any real impact, though a couple of balls fizzed past edges. Moeen delivered enough scoring opportunities that the batsmen could wait him out. Except, that is, Warner, who on 38 had struck two boundaries already in Moeen’s first over when he intemperately tried to thump him over long-off for another and was caught.That left Australia at 78 for 1, but two-and-a-half wicketless sessions followed. Rogers had been the more positive of the opening partners and although he slowed done somewhat after Warner’s departure, the scoring rate never stagnated too much. He was especially strong when late-cutting the spinners and punching the fast bowlers through point, and he finished with 25 boundaries.He slowed as triple-figures approached but from his 209th delivery Rogers pushed a drive back past the bowler Anderson for four. Almost as soon as the ball left his bat Rogers let out a scream of excitement, knowing that it would reach the boundary and a Test hundred at Lord’s was his.By the end of the day he had passed his previous highest Test score of 119 and as the evening grew near he steered a boundary through third man to bring up his 150. Among Australians, only Don Bradman and Bill Brown have scored Test double-centuries at Lord’s, and Rogers will begin day two with a realistic chance of joining them.He had well and truly overtaken Smith, who beat Rogers to a century by two overs. The milestone came from his 161st delivery with a pull for four off Anderson, and it was one of 13 fours (plus a six) he struck over the course of the day. His runs came all around the wicket, a perfectly timed on-drive off Broad and a dancing cover-drive off Moeen among the highlights.Smith’s first fifty came from 111 balls and his second fifty from 50 balls, but his pace then dropped away again as he complemented Rogers’ lifting tempo. The two men worked together to ensure they reached stumps safely, though an edge from Rogers in the last over fell just short of Bell at slip. If everything went England’s way in Cardiff, at Lord’s it was quite the opposite.