Opener Ruvindu Gunasekera’s fifty and unbeaten hundred in consecutive innings, and a collective bowling performance, saw Canada win the two-day Auty Cup match against the United States on the basis of a first-innings lead.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2013
ScorecardRuvindu Gunasekera put up strong performances in both innings for Canada, scoring 72 and an unbeaten 100•Canadian Cricket Association

Opener Ruvindu Gunasekera’s fifty and unbeaten hundred in consecutive innings, as well as a collective bowling performance, helped Canada win the two-day Auty Cup match against the United States on the basis of a first-innings lead.Canada, chosing to bat, made a strong start with a 105-run opening stand between Gunasekera and wicketkeeper Trevin Bastiampillai. However, once left-arm spinner Ryan Corns broke the partnership, Canada lost regular wickets and were eventually dismissed for 228. Gunasekera top-scored with a 164-ball 72, which included six fours, while Bastiampillai made 55 off 91 deliveries. USA captain and legspinner Timil Patel took four wickets for 66 runs, while Corns ended with 3 for 21.USA made a poor start to their innings, losing openers Steven Taylor and Alan Dodson for just 28 runs in 11 overs. But a 79-run, fourth-wicket stand between Ravi Timbawala and Karan Ganesh stabilised the innings, before Ganesh fell for 35 to left-arm spinner Salman Nazar. From there on, USA slumped from a stable 134 for 3, to 183 all out. Nazar and medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan picked up three wickets each, as USA conceded a 45-run lead.Canada’s batsmen played freely in the second innings, scoring at more than five runs an over. Gunasekera led the way again, scoring an unbeaten 93-ball 100, which included 11 fours and three sixes.The two teams will play a 50-over match on July 27, as well as two Twenty20 matches on July 28.

Jesse Ryder has been banned for six months after testing positive for a banned substance. He will, however, be able to play again after October 19 once the retrospective ban ends

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2013New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has been banned for six months after failing a drug test in March. He will be available to play again after October 19, once the retrospective penalty ends.Ryder underwent a routine drug test while playing a Ford Trophy match for Wellington on March 24. He tested positive for 1-Phenylbutan-2-amine (PBA) and N, alpha-diethyl-benzeneethanamine (DEBEA), which are banned in sports.Ryder was informed of the result on April 12 and attended a hearing before the New Zealand Sports Tribunal earlier this month, where the ban was handed down. The batsman will not contest the decision of the tribunal.According to the Tribunal, Ryder “‘may not during the period of ineligibility participate in any capacity in a competition or activity authorised or organised by New Zealand Cricket or a cricket club or other member organisation”.The mandatory punishment for a drug violation is a two-year ban, but Ryder was given a lighter sentence because he could establish that he did not use drugs to improve his performance. He was also able to attribute the source of the drugs to a dietary supplement that he was taking as part of a weight-loss programme.According to news reports, Ryder made some enquiries about the supplement on his own and decided to take it after concluding that it did not contain any banned substances. However, he did not contact Drug Free Sport, an anti-doping organisation, to check whether the product was on its list of banned substances. After he tested positive, he commissioned an independent forensic analysis, which confirmed the presence of the substances and traced them to the dietary supplement.In a statement released by the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association, Ryder said: “I’m devastated by this situation. I’ve never taken drugs and to be in this situation distresses me greatly. I simply took the supplement alongside a training programme I was completing to help me lose weight. I have attended anti-doping education seminars during my time in cricket and am a strong supporter of Drug Free Sport New Zealand. I’m aware of the precautions you need to take; I did take steps to check the supplement but ultimately it was my responsibility and I accept that. Whilst everyone is aware of my well-documented battles with alcohol, it’s important for me to state that I abhor drug use of any kind, both recreational and performance-enhancing in sport.”Ryder, who has played 18 Tests and 39 ODIs for New Zealand so far, took a sabbatical from international cricket in 2012, choosing to focus on his fitness and domestic cricket. Earlier this year, Ryder was assaulted outside a bar in Christchurch and spent two days in a medically induced coma before making a recovery. In July, Ryder announced his decision to leave Wellington and represent Otago in the forthcoming domestic season.

Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka Cricket’s chief selector has confirmed that fast bowler Lasith Malinga will miss the tour of Zimbabwe, which starts in the first week of October

Sa'adi Thawfeeq30-Aug-2013Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka Cricket’s chief selector, has confirmed that fast bowler Lasith Malinga will miss the tour of Zimbabwe, which begins in the first week of October. Malinga had requested permission from SLC to skip the tour, stating that he wanted to be with his wife and family, as they expect their second child late in September. He has already made himself unavailable for the Champions League T20 tournament.”The selection committee has accepted Malinga’s request and we have given him permission to forego the tour,” Jayasuriya said on Thursday.Jayasuriya also elaborated on the selection policy for the Zimbabwe tour, saying the selectors would focus on a balanced side, especially for the Test series, because the conditions required the presence of seniors in the side.”We are thinking of bringing in youngsters whenever we can but the Test series is very important for us. We need the senior players in the team also,” Jayasuriya said. “We need to have a serious discussion on how we are going to approach the Test series especially. Just because it is Zimbabwe, we should not get carried away and select a very young side. The conditions are different in Zimbabwe and we will require the services of the senior players, especially for the Test series.”Jayasuriya also said that Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have indicated to the selectors that they will be available for selection until the 2015 World Cup.”Our policy is to give as much exposure to youngsters but, in this regard, we must also be careful as to how we go about it,” Jayasuriya said. “In Tests and ODIs, we cannot experiment too much with youngsters, we need the three seniors around. As you may have noticed, it is the seniors who have won us matches in these two formats over the last couple of years.”We had a tough series against South Africa and, in the ODIs, we had the three senior cricketers and at least six youngsters. For the T20 series, we tried bringing in youngsters because we thought that is one format they can adjust to very quickly.”Jayasuriya also stressed that the team would face a few losses, while experimenting with youngsters in the playing XI.
On the exclusion of allrounder Jeevan Mendis and opener Upul Tharanga from the 27-member squad named for the Zimbabwe tour, Jayasuriya said that Mendis. had been given enough opportunities and the selectors had decided to back another player. He shared a similar opinion about Tharanga”Upul has not performed to our expectations,” said Jayasuriya. “He scored a big hundred in one game but after that he never showed the consistency that we expected from him.”We have retained Kusal Perera because he is young and he has talent. He has shown what a destructive batsman he can be on his day.”Sri Lanka are scheduled to play two Tests, three ODIs and two T20s on their tour of Zimbabwe.

The pitch was pancake flat and slow, the disheartened India A bowling a little listless, and the fielding poor. However, West Indies A balanced it out by throwing away wickets, not taking full advantage of three dropped catches, and failing to convert two

The Report by Sidharth Monga in Shimoga02-Oct-2013
Scorecard
The crowds came in huge numbers, but the action didn’t quite live up to their enthusiasm•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

An enthusiastic holiday crowd of over 10,000 packed under – and on – the trees that surround the cricket ground of Shimoga’s Jawaharlal Nehru College of Engineering, but what happened on the field of play didn’t match their enthusiasm. The pitch was pancake flat and slow, the disheartened India A bowling a little listless, and the fielding poor. However, West Indies A balanced it out by throwing away wickets, not taking full advantage of three dropped catches, and failing to convert two half-centuries into hundreds. They ended at 283 for 6 with Kraigg Brathwaite and Assad Fudadin scoring fifties, and Leon Johnson and Chadwick Walton cushioning the blow of two quick wickets with a 68-run partnership for the sixth wicket.The day began with pleasantries for West Indies A. First they won the toss on the benign pitch, and then as they waited to go out to bat they were treated to a rendition of “Rally Round the West Indies”. Similarly hospitable bowling followed from Mohammed Shami and Zaheer Khan, who couldn’t manage movement in the air. There wasn’t going to be much off the pitch anyway. The openers got through the quicks’ opening spell without having to play at many deliveries.Against spin, though, Kieran Powell and captain Kirk Edwards lost their heads. Powell holed out to cow corner, and Edwards walked past one soon after he was dropped and hit a six off left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt. Narsinh Deonarine played across the line to Zaheer, and was given out lbw.West Indies A had gone from 55 for 1 to 98 for 3, but Brathwaite wasn’t about to lose his mind. He ground the runs out with the spinners – Bhatt and Parvez Rasool offered enough cutting and driving opportunities, sometimes off successive deliveries. Fudadin wasn’t as alert as Bratwaite, but he was dropped by VA Jagadeesh and Mohammad Kaif on 12 and 27 at square gully and backward point. Abhishek Nayar and Shami were the unfortunate bowlers.Either side of tea, the two added 117 runs. After the drops, the game settled into a lethargic little stroll with easy runs for the two. Zaheer bowled a third spell, but wasn’t effective. After Zaheer was taken off after two overs in that spell, spin came on at both ends, and pretty much only a mistake was going to get any batsman out. The mistakes duly arrived. Fudadin fell lbw while sweeping Bhatt, and Brathwaite edged to the keeper while cutting Rasool.The twin breakthrough didn’t buoy India A enough to overcome conditions, and Johnson and Walton began to accumulate runs again. Both of them showed preference for clearing the infield, and kept managing to find vacant spaces to put the ball in. Johnson did that five times in one Rasool over, taking 20 off it. He ended the day unbeaten on 36.India A didn’t claim the new ball, but in the 88th over of the day Walton handed them fillip by trying to square-drive a wide ball and offering Uday Kaul an easy catch.

From being homeless, Rajasthan Royals have gone winless in no time. Delhi Daredevils, on the other hand, seem to have started getting it right, with their first-choice eleven finally available for selection

The Preview by Amol Karhadkar02-May-2015

Match facts

Sunday, May 3, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:43

O’Brien: RR seem to have lost it after a good start

Big Picture

From being homeless, Rajasthan Royals have gone winless in no time. Delhi Daredevils, on the other hand, seem to have started getting it right, with their first-choice eleven finally available for selection.After winning their first five matches of the season, Royals have failed to win any of their last five. With two of those games washed out, Royals have seen an addition of two points to their kitty. That has helped them retain their top-two standing. But with just four matches remaining, Royals would know they are running out of time to get back to winning ways.Delhi Daredevils have no such problems. After a slowish start, they have started appearing as a more consistent unit and have moved from the bottom of the pile into the Playoffs cut-off. A win against a higher-ranked team would bolster their chances to make the cut.It is supposed to be a home game for the Royals but the Brabourne Stadium will see its first game of the season. Royals may hold the edge, not just because of a strong presence of Mumbai players in their squad, but also due to the fact that they had a pre-tournament camp at Cricket Club of India. Delhi would also be far from alien to the conditions, with Mumbaikars Zaheer Khan, Shreyas Iyer and Pravin Amre being vital cogs in their set-up.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals LLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils WLWLW

Watch out for…

It took him seven innings to score his first fifty of the season but Sanju Samson would still be cursing himself for having failed to see his team through against Mumbai Indians on Friday night. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been shuffled in the batting order as much as Steven Smith’s horizontal movement at the crease. Samson appeared comfortable at No. 3 and would look to build on his good form.Zaheer Khan was considered to be more of a bowling coach rather than being a player. But the injury-prone bowler made his presence felt in the first game he played for a year by dismissing Virender Sehwag off his second ball. If Zaheer can keep himself fit, Daredevils would have a lethal pace combo in him and an in-form Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Stats and trivia

• Ajinkya Rahane is six runs shy of becoming the 20th batsman to tally 2000 IPL runs. With 1846 of his 1994 IPL runs having been scored for Royals, Rahane sits behind Shane Watson (2197 runs) in leading scorers for Royals in IPL.
• Amit Mishra needs one wicket to become the first bowler to earn 50 wickets for Delhi Daredevils in IPL.
• Rajasthan Royals are one win away from joining Chennai Super Kings (75) and Mumbai Indians (60) to join the 60-win club in IPL.

Quotes

“In our team even if you don’t do well you can see so many people coming to you and talking positive things to you.””We now have to win 4 out of the remaining 6 games. That’s how we are looking at it.”

Jason Gillespie said that if it had been up to him to choose from the candidates on England cricket director Andrew Strauss’s shortlist then he would also have picked Trevor Bayliss

Jon Culley25-May-2015Jason Gillespie took the news that he has apparently been snubbed for the vacant England head coach’s job with typically jocular sangfroid and said that if it had been up to him to choose from the candidates on England cricket director Andrew Strauss’s shortlist then he would also have picked Trevor Bayliss.He said that in his final telephone conversation with Strauss before play began on the second morning of Yorkshire’s match at Taunton he had been told only that there was a “preferred candidate” and had been given to understand that his fellow Australian Bayliss was the ECB’s choice to succeed Peter Moores.But he exonerated Strauss from any blame in what appears to have been another embarrassing leak, with news that Bayliss had accepted the job gathering pace even with no official announcement.”I knew before the news came out,” Gillespie said. “That’s one thing the ECB may need to work on because things do seem to be coming out but I spoke to Straussy early this morning and one thing I was impressed with is that Andrew was able to contact me and let me know. So I’ve absolutely no problem with that.”He fully endorsed Bayliss as the best man for the position following his successes in Australia with New South Wales and the Sydney Sixers, with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and with Sri Lanka, whom he took to the 2011 World Cup final.”England wanted a coach with a proven track record, and if it is Trevor, as it appears likely, his track record’s absolutely unbelievable,” Gillespie said. “I’ve got absolutely no qualms about that. If I put myself in Andrew’s shoes, I’d probably make the same decision if I’m honest.”He is a very good operator and I’ve only heard good things about him. Farby [England’s interim head coach Paul Farbrace] speaks very highly of him from the time he worked with him in Sri Lanka so I can’t say anything negative. I wish him well.”Gillespie, the 40-year-old former Australia bowler, admitted he would have almost certainly taken the job had it been offered but found plenty of positives to balance his disappointment.”I have always seen it as a win-win from my end,” he said. “I have got two great jobs – here with Yorkshire and with Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash. If I had have got offered an international job I would have had to have seriously considered it, that’s for sure. Either way, I don’t see any negatives.”My thoughts were: ‘what is the worst that can happen?’ Go and sit for an interview, which is another experience for me. I can only be better for that, I saw I had nothing to lose.”Straussy said to me, ‘You interviewed very well, but we have made a decision that we are going to go with another candidate.’ I said, that’s fine, mate. I wish you well. You’ve got to believe in your decisions and this is what your job is.”Gillespie admitted there were elements of the job as it was presented that were not ideal, but that the ECB’s refusal to readmit Kevin Pietersen to the fold was not one of them.”They made it very clear they’ve got a stance with Kev,” he said. “I didn’t have a problem with it. That certainly wasn’t any issue.”Where he might have had second thoughts was over the length of time he would have been required to stay away from his young family. “It is a massive commitment and you are away from home a lot. It would have been something I would have had to consider, but I think if I did get offered it I would have jumped at it.”

England traveled prepared to play a second spinner in the first Investec Ashes Test in Cardiff but Adil Rashid’s chances of a Test debut look to be receding

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2015England traveled prepared to play a second spinner in the first Investec Ashes Test in Cardiff but Adil Rashid’s chances of a Test debut look to be receding. After the squad was selected during a brief heatwave, conditions have become markedly cooler and Glamorgan’s head groundsman has suggested that the chances of a spinning pitch were “very unlikely”.England rarely play two spinners in home Tests – the most recent occasion was the Oval Ashes Test in 2013 – and the new coach, Trevor Bayliss, has already indicated that Moeen Ali is currently first choice.The warm weather that helped Keith Exton and his team in preparing the surface appears to have passed, with showers interrupting an England team autograph session in Cardiff on Sunday. Further rain is forecast, though Exton is still confident that “a classic Test pitch” will be on show when England and Australia come out for the toss on Wednesday morning.”We’re happy because we’re in control of moisture levels and the density and profile of the soil,” Exton said. “Dry conditions take the guess work out so we’re very much in control which is all that a groundsman can wish for.”This track had two T20 games on it last year and the ball went through well. It will start off as a classic Test pitch but if we have a lot of dry heat then the characteristics could change as the game progresses. We would need to have extremely high temperatures for it to become a spinning pitch, which is very unlikely, but once the toss takes place, everything is out of our hands.”England got their first look at the surface when they trained at the ground on Sunday afternoon. This will be Cardiff’s second Ashes Test, after the series opener in 2009 that saw England hang on for a draw. Although Test pitches at the SWALEC Stadium have sometimes been on the slow side, Exton is hopeful that there will be something for batsmen and bowlers this time around.”We hope this one will have a little more pace but we hope that we see an equally good game of cricket,” he said. “It’s natural to be nervous and excited at the same time but watch me after three overs – I’ll either be beaming with delight or hiding. It’s the pinnacle of any groundsman’s career to produce a Test Match pitch and if the game is as finely balanced as the one we hosted here in 2009, I’ll be very happy.”

Irfan Karim’s 54-ball 74 led Kenya to a convincing seven-wicket win against Canada in Edinburgh

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Irfan Karim struck six fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 74•Getty Images

Irfan Karim’s 54-ball 74 led Kenya to a convincing seven-wicket win against Canada in Edinburgh. An unbeaten 94 run fourth-wicket stand between Karim and Morris Ouma helped Kenya romp home in a 144-run chase with nine balls to spare.After being inserted to bat, Ruvindu Gunasekara and Rizwan Cheema got Canada off to a sedate start – 15 were scored off the first four overs. However, the pair attacked the last two overs of the Powerplay, smashing 38 to lift the score to 53 in six overs. Three sixes were hit in the eighth over as well as Canada looked set for a dominating total. James Ngoche broke the stand in the 10th over, dismissing Cheema for 35 and also got the wicket of Gunasekara(51) in his next over, slowing Canada down. From the 15th over, Canada scored a boundary in each over save the last, but could add only 45 runs in the last six overs, eventually ending at 143 for 5. Nelson Odhiambo picked up 2 for 22, his wickets of Navneet Dhaliwal and Hiral Patel coming off successive deliveries in the 19th over.In the chase, Narendra Kalyan and Karim provided a solid start – 35 in 29 balls, which included two fours each in the third and fourth overs – before Kalyan was caught off Jeremy Gordon for 19. Kenya lost two more wickets in the space of three runs as the match evened out at 52 for 3 in the eighth over. However, Karim and Ouma’s partnership consolidated for Kenya and at the mid-way point in the chase, Kenya required 84. Seventeen were scored in the 13th over as the pair took control of the chase. They hit boundaries regularly and kept the required run-rate in check, and a four and a six in the 15th and 16th over effectively sealed the game, before Ouma wrapped it up with successive fours. Jeremy Gordon picked up two wickets.

For Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, Tuesday’s judgement was far worse than the franchises expected and the initial reaction was to hunker down, close ranks and reflect on the situation rather than react

Arun Venugopal14-Jul-2015For Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, Tuesday’s judgement was far worse than the franchises expected and the initial reaction was to hunker down, close ranks and reflect on the situation rather than react. Speculation abounded in the absence of any official comment from either franchise, including rumours that suggested the franchises might be up for sale, but it seems whatever decisions are to be taken will be done after consideration and not in a knee-jerk manner.As the initial shock wore off concerns shifted to the huge hit the franchises’ brand identity would have taken. The immediate impact of Super Kings’ suspension, for instance, was felt in the stock market as India Cements’ share price dipped in the afternoon. Later in the day Aircel, one of Super Kings’ key sponsors, said in a statement that it was “reviewing our position in the matter [its association with the team].”One senior Super Kings official, however, said they had not once entertained thoughts of giving up the team. “You know, we have worked very hard to nurture the team over eight years,” he said. “Besides, will anyone even come up to buy the team now? We will never sell the team.”The official swiftly dismissed as rumour news of Super Kings appealing against the order. “All that you have been hearing and reading are rumours,” he said. “We haven’t taken any decision and neither will we arrive at anything without consulting our in-house legal counsel. We will be sitting down to discuss this in a day or two. The pros and cons of an appeal will have to be considered. We are not in a hurry.”The official, however, admitted that the outcome was “shattering.””We were trying to brace ourselves for this as everyone was talking about a possible suspension. But we didn’t expect to be suspended for two years. In that way, it has been very disappointing,” the official stated.The Royals management, meanwhile, were nervous ahead of the announcement in the morning, but slipped into a huddle soon after. It is understood they, too, are in consultation with their legal team to study the different aspects of the order.”I thought we would get away,” one Royals source said. “I don’t know whether it was the heart thinking or my head. So, the suspension was a bit of a shock.”The biggest impact, as the Super Kings official said, would be on the brand identity. George John, manager, marketing and operations, Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, said it was too early to speculate on how much the team will be hurt on the sponsorship front. He, however, said sponsors had not abandoned them even in the wake of the 2013 spot-fixing scandal that saw top Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan being arrested.”We have never had any problem with our sponsors,” John told ESPNcricinfo. “They have always stood by us. They know what we stand for.”Brand consultant Harish Bijoor felt while the reputation of the two teams had corroded, advertisers and broadcasters were unlikely to pay a huge price. “They are all fair weather friends,” Bijoor said of advertisers and broadcasters. “Their money is totally protected, their contracts are reasonably waterproof to protect themselves against these things. Contracts are clean and sharp. The only people who suffer are the two franchise owners.”Please note that the recommendations are that these two teams don’t play for two years. It’s quite likely that many of the stars of these teams are likely to be figuring in other teams. Two or three teams, theoretically, might come into the IPL. End of the day, the net count of the matches will remain the same if not go up. Nobody loses except the franchises.”Bijoor said it was the end of the road for both Super Kings and Royals as brands, “even if not legally.” “Brands have morality elements. The real custodian of the brand is the viewer. The problem is this brand is not like EPL. It is not as old as a Manchester United is, or as old as a Chelsea is. And loyalties are portable. People will take their loyalties to a new brand. At the end of the day, nobody is wedded to a team as much as to a [MS] Dhoni or a [Suresh] Raina or a [Rahul] Dravid.”He suggested that the teams re-brand themselves if and when they come back into the league, either after the term of suspension or after a change in ownership: “Brands enjoy positive karma and negative karma. This is a bit of negative karma as far as these brands are concerned. Changing the name, the ownership, the entire ethos and putting together a set of corporate governance laws will change that. It has to be an amalgam of many things. It’s a brand restructuring guy’s delight.”

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews hopes to set up a winning farewell for Kumar Sangakkara, much like how the hosts had seen off Muttiah Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo19-Aug-2015Talk has already begun of how difficult it will be for Sri Lanka to fill the Kumar Sangakkara-shaped hole in their side, but for now there is a Test series on the line, and a successful farewell to be delivered.Angelo Mathews said the match would be sentimental. Sri Lanka, though, have usually been adept at channeling their emotions, rather than becoming mired in them. Muttiah Muralitharan had a victory in his final Test. Mahela Jayawardene was no different. Sri Lanka’s XI is light on experience, but following the stirring victory in Galle, belief will have risen that Sangakkara can be seen off the same way.If there is one thing Mathews can be relied on, it is keeping both feet on the ground. In Galle, Sri Lanka careened haphazardly to victory, and Mathews has not forgotten that they could have wound up at the bottom of a cliff. The hosts lost five wickets for less than 100 in both innings, and were guilty of dropping three catches, missing another, and failing to collect what seemed an easy run-out. The bowlers emerged with credit, but Tharindu Kaushal will want to cut out his loose deliveries, and the quicks will want to be more penetrative, particularly in the first innings.”We can improve a lot when it comes to all three departments,” Mathews said. “India had us by our throats for two-and-a-half days and the courage and the character the boys showed was unbelievable – to come back within three sessions to win the game. Now we have already shoved that under the carpet and it’s history. We’ve got two more games to go, we’ve got to play very good cricket to beat India.”Sri Lanka will likely leave their batting order untouched, but their attack has changed almost every match in the last few months, and it will be no different in this game. True to form, Nuwan Pradeep delivered some excellent spells in Galle, then promptly parked himself under an injury cloud. A hamstring niggle will likely keep him out of this match, Mathews said.In the wings is Dushamantha Chameera – Sri Lanka’s stick-thin fast-bowling hope. There were worries he would struggle to find his place in the top attack given his limited first-class experience, but these were unfounded. He has almost immediately begun following in the footsteps of the senior Sri Lanka quicks. Following an encouraging debut against Pakistan, he got himself ruled out through injury, for the following six weeks. The side strain has now adequately healed.”Unfortunately Chameera got injured when he played his first game against Pakistan,” Mathews said. “But he is back, and has got a lot of pace. He bowls 145-plus consistently. He is very exciting, and I’m extremely happy to have him back fit.”There was hope that Sangakkara would push his batting average towards 60 in his last four Tests, but having crossed fifty only once in his six most recent innings, Sangakkara’s numbers have headed south in the staggered last gasp of his career. His fans will want a Bradman-equalling double-ton, though the P Sara is one of the tougher batting pitches in the world.”From what I can see he just wants to score a hundred tomorrow,” Mathews said. “He’s worked extremely hard and is so determined to do that and we truly wish and hope he does that.”The best farewell we can give him is to win his last Test. I don’t think he expects anything else from us. We are trying our best to do that.”