All posts by csb10.top

The oldest swinger in town was at it again in Canterbury, clubbing the ball to all parts, defying age and occasionally defying logic. Darren Stevens played one of the most remarkable attacking innings witnessed in the Championship for many a year as he again underlined his status as one of the most notable servants county cricket has ever known.Stevens’ resounding assault on Glamorgan’s bowling, glorious in its simplicity, brought him 190 from 149 balls. Kent, at one time 128 for 8, made 307 as he walloped 15 sixes and 15 fours. On a day of strong breezes which bent tree branches, removed umpires’ caps and caused advertising boards to take flight, the Stevens whirlwind settled in the middle of the square and caused the most damage of all.At 45 years and 21 days, he became the oldest player to score a first-class century since Chris Balderstone (45 years, 247 days) for Leicestershire in July 1986. (Geoffrey Boycott might remind you that he was a slightly older 45-year-old when he struck two centuries earlier that month, although without Stevens’ shower of sixes.)To put things in perspective, before this round of matches the leading six-hitter in the Championship was Nottinghamshire’s Tom Moores… with seven. To further put things into perspective, Stevens entered this game with six single-figure scores on the bounce. In the past two years he has virtually had to talk his way into squeezing another year’s contract. Kent supporters will hope he again has the gift of the gab in September because they are not yet ready to let go. He is a player who can’t be pinned down, who every so often does wondrous things with bat or ball.How fortunate we feel as we edge gingerly out of this global pandemic, like rabbits out of burrows, to witness cricket so free of guile. How blessed Stevens must feel to still be playing on; he lost his father, who loved watching him play, to a Covid-related illness about a year ago, and lived in a caravan for two weeks on his cousin’s driveway in Leicester so he could talk through the window to his mum, who was self-isolating. Dreadful times, and these are the days that we treasure more strongly as a result.Greedily for the statisticians, the six that mattered most was the one that got away. If only Stevens had made a sweeter connection with a blow down the ground against the legspin of the Australia Test batsman, Marnus Labuschagne, he would have equalled the most sixes in English first-class cricket, jointly held by Graham Napier and Andrew Symonds. As soon as he hit it, he walked away from the crease, pausing momentarily to glance over his shoulder to confirm that Kiran Carlson had held the catch at long-on.

Most sixes in County Championship innings

• 16 – Andrew Symonds, Gloucestershire v Glamorgan, Abergavenny, 1995

• 16 – Graham Napier, Essex v Surrey, Whitgift School, 2011

• 15 – Kevin Pietersen, Surrey v Leicestershire, Kia Oval, 2015

• 15 – Aneurin Donald, Glamorgan v Derbyshire, Colwyn Bay, 2015

• 15 – Darren Stevens, Kent v Glamorgan, Canterbury, 2021

It was by no means certain that Carlson would hang on because in the latter stages of their browbeating, Glamorgan had been run ragged. Stevens was dropped three times, a tough diving chance for Lloyd in the slips when he was 67, on 136 when Labuschagne failed to hold a waist-high, running catch at deep square, and again one run later, this time Billy Root the offender as he pushed the ball over the ropes at deep midwicket.Kent’s ninth-wicket record – 171 by Mark Ealham and Paul Strang – also narrowly survived, and that serves as a reminder of the redoubtable part played by Miguel Cummins, who likes a bit of a tail-end hit, but who loyally committed himself to abstinence. Of their extraordinary stand of 166 in 28 overs, Stevens made 160, Cummins 1 and extras made up the rest; Stevens’ contribution of 96.38% of the partnership runs was a record for 100-plus stands in first-class cricket. Cummins had made 7, from 61 balls, when he dragged on Labuschagne to end Kent’s innings.Stevens majored in leg-side clunks and consummate lofts down the ground. He used the wind intelligently, lofting when it was in his favour, wary when it was not. The most startling six was something different when he dropped to one knee to hit David Lloyd’s medium pace over extra cover. The least impressive was probably his first, a wind-assisted top-edged pull to fine leg against Michael Hogan.Every Glamorgan bowler suffered from Stevens’ assault, although the Australian pair, Labuschagne and Michael Neser suffered less than most. Neser, bearded and strongly built, had sparked Kent’s collapse from their overnight 70 for 2 with inswingers to pick off Jamie Cox, Jack Leaning and Daniel Bell-Drummond, but Stevens treated him to a leg-side pick-up when he lost his line. Labuschagne, the seventh bowler tried, looked spooked as he began with a full toss that was called a wide, but he settled and briefly made Stevens look a little cumbersome.Timm van der Gugten, who had rendered Kent strokeless for much of the morning session, conceded two sixes and still returned 4 for 34 in 19 overs. Andrew Salter’s offspin was the meekest adversary. Stevens cleared the boundary five times two overs; Salter tried to hide one or two, but there was no hiding place; he might as well have been the infant putting his hands over his eyes and hoping that the big, bad man could not see him.Stevens soaks up the applause for his 36th first-class hundred•Getty Images

This was a heartwarming innings, an innings of abandon, one which for all his cricketing nous ultimately reduced to game to the basics of “bat hits ball.” It was apt that this was the week that crowds returned in limited numbers because few players have gained more affection than Stevens has in Kent, and indeed beyond. And as well as the smattering of spectators who braved the cheerless conditions, many more rushed to the ball-by-ball services and the live stream.When named Stevens as one of their Five Cricketers of the Year in April it brought delight to many on the county circuit, and some nonplussed looks beyond. He was the oldest player to be given the honour since Leicestershire’s Ewart Astill in 1933 and his reputation had been built without a single international cap. He did not need to prove himself a worthy recipient, but he did anyway.Later, to prevent stiffness setting in, he bowled a few overs and took a wicket – that of Labuschagne, for the second time this season. Afterwards, his captain, Sam Billings made a dressing room speech in tribute, and a rousing one it would have been. Glamorgan, who must have imagined themselves in a winning position, were 55 for 2 at the close, 252 behind, regathering their poise.

South East Stars 324 for 7 (Dunkley 104*) beat Sunrisers 189 (Farrant 5-33) by 135 runs
Sophia Dunkley earned the applause of Lisa Keightley as her century set up a crushing 135-run bonus point victory for South East Stars over Sunrisers.All-rounder Dunkley smashed an unbeaten 104 off 93 balls to send the Stars to a record highest Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy total of 324 for 7.Dunkley, who has played 15 international T20s, is hoping to make her ODI debut this summer with India and New Zealand touring and will have impressed an on-looking England head coach Keightley.England fast bowler Tash Farrant took 5 for 33 as Sunrisers were bowled out for 189, with 65 balls to spare at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford.Bryony Smith and Alice Davidson-Richards got the Stars off to a flier by putting on 107 in 18 overs, having been asked to bat first on a belting wicket in flawless conditions.Smith was the more aggressive, pulling a six in just the second over and another to bring up a 53-ball fifty – comfortably bettering her best score of 8 in last year’s truncated competition.Davidson-Richards joined her at the milestone in 63 balls before Kelly Castle entered the attack and halted the visitors’ progress.Related

• Sunrisers greet new dawn for women's game with equal focus on mental and physical strength

• Same family, same team: meet Kathryn and Sarah Bryce of Scotland

• Who can stop Southern Vipers from defending the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy?

The Essex-born seamer had Smith well caught at square leg with her first delivery before picking up Davidson-Richards and Alice Capsey in consecutive deliveries soon after – eventually returning 3 for 40.Dunkley rebuilt, initially steadily, but with Aylish Cranstone began to find her tempo while playing strongly in front of the wicket.Cranstone, Kirstie White and Farrant fell in quick succession but Dunkley went past her 51-ball half-century for the seventh time in her last eight List A innings.Partnerships of 53 and 44 with the destructive Grace Gibbs and Rhianna Southby pushed the Stars over 300 before Dunkley firmly swept through mid-on to wave her bat on her third 50-over hundred – with Keightley clapping the impressive knock.Left-armer Farrant made sure the chase was never really on for Sunrisers as she had Cordelia Griffin and Amara Carr caught within the first nine overs.The Stars captain then picked up Lissy MacLeod and Fran Wilson in her sixth over before Sunrisers retaliated in the shape of a 73-run stand between Mady Villiers and Naomi Dattani. Gibbs broke the stand by castling Villiers before Dattani was bowled for 47.The required run-rate continued to grow exponentially to leave the chase to fizzle out, with Farrant and Smith taking the last two wickets.

Brendon McCullum still believes in Zak Crawley despite his pair in the first Test against Australia, and has called on England bat with more conviction following their two-day defeat in Perth. The visiting head coach even cited Travis Head’s match-winning 123 as an example to follow.Head made light work of what looked a more-than-competitive target of 205, driving Australia most of the way home to an eight-wicket win in just 28.2 overs. With Usman Khawaja yet again suffering from a back injury, Head replaced Marnus Labuschagne (who opened in the first innings) and proceeded to slap 20 boundaries, including four sixes that belied the size of the Optus Stadium boundaries.As well as flaying an England attack that 24 hours earlier had put the frighteners up the home batters, Head was responsible for the first runs for an opening partnership in the Test. The first overs of the previous three innings had brought ducks. Crawley was responsible for two at the hands of Mitchell Starc. Jake Weatherald – knocked off his feet by Jofra Archer on day one – maintained his footing with 23, his first runs in Test cricket.A careless waft outside off stump six balls into the match was followed by a checked-push five balls into his second innings, brilliantly caught by Starc. With that, Crawley became the first English opener dismissed without scoring in both innings of an Ashes Test since Michael Atherton at Melbourne in 1998.Pegged as a batter to thrive on Australian pitches, England have groomed Crawley as an X-factor player ahead of this tour. He has been backed to the hilt by captain Ben Stokes since the start of his tenure.Though Crawley was the leading run-scorer in 2023’s Ashes, and England’s standout run-scorer on the following tour of India, he has averaged just 32.26 since the start of 2022. His career average – 30.96 – is close to dipping under the thirty mark.McCullum has previously insisted Crawley is not picked to be “a consistent player”. Essentially, he is a scorer of great runs rather than a great run-scorer. That point of view remains undimmed, as is his importance in an opening partnership with Ben Duckett that remains the fastest since 1998. Travis Head starred as an opener with an extraordinary 69-ball century•Getty Images

“We believe he is a quality player,” McCullum said, when asked if Crawley was undroppable. “Particularly in these conditions against this sort of opposition. How many balls did he face? 10 or 11? He got out cheaply, but we believe in Zak.”He’s been around this group for a long time, he’s done really well. The combination with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley has allowed us to enter games as best as we think we can. And I’d expect to see a strong bounce-back from Zak in the next little while. Sometimes you get out early, right? It would have been nice if he hadn’t. But that’s life. If he can get going, he can do some damage.””If” being the operative word. Crawley is now joint-fourth on England’s duck list from 96 innings – the only member of that top five to have batted fewer than 142 times in Test cricket. And the suggestion he cracks on when he gets a start is not backed up by the statistics. The 27-year-old has 24 fifty-plus scores, but of openers with at least 20, his average of 85.80 is the third lowest.Of course, Crawley is not the sole batter to blame for the fact England are 1-0 down. It was a top-order collapse of 5 for 23 – including Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root across six deliveries for no run – that relinquished what had been a lead of 105 with nine second-innings wickets in hand.It was Scott Boland who thrived during this passage, eventually finishing with 4 for 33, making amends for a difficult 0 for 62 in the first innings.Related

• England need to shut out the noise and look in the mirror

• Ranking England's Australian nightmares

• Head's 69-ball ton secures remarkable win for Australia

• 'Shellshocked' Stokes hails Head for 'knocking the wind' out of England

• Stats – Perth serves up a short and spicy Test

Having bested the 36-year-old on Friday, England were unable to get a hold of him on Saturday. A mistake, in McCullum’s eyes, which he puts down to batters not wholly committed to their respective methods. Unlike Head.”Maybe just back away and slay it over point, or slog it to cow?!” McCullum said, tongue in cheek, when asked how England might have batted better. “I’m not saying they didn’t go hard enough, but there was a player [Head] who had total conviction in his method and has done it across different formats and on different stages over the last few years.”‘Have conviction’ – that’s been what we’ve said. Choose a method and have conviction in it. If it works then great. But if it doesn’t at least you’ve done it your way.”Despite the early finish, England are set to remain in Perth for the time being before heading straight to Queensland ahead of the second Test, a day-night affair in Brisbane, which begins on December 4.A decision is yet to be made on whether any of the main squad will drop into the England XI – originally the Lions – for the Prime Minister’s XI match in Canberra (November 29), which will offers them pink-ball practice. Most importantly for McCullum is shedding the pain of this whirlwind defeat as quickly as possible.”We will let the dust settle, but we are bitterly disappointed for us, but also all the fans who have turned up here to support us so well here and we know we will be throughout the series.”We can’t carry this one onto the next. We’ve been trying to insulate against things going wrong for a while. For us that connectivity and camaraderie is something we pride ourselves on. We will need it over the next few days.”

Small targets. Big drama. The story has done the rounds for as long as there has been Test cricket and yet another riveting chapter was added to it at Sabina Park.West Indies were set 168 to win. But they ended up battered and bruised and barely standing as Pakistan, and especially Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali, went into mode.A match that had ebbed and flowed, forever refusing to reveal a clear winner, had come to an unbelievable climax. One team needed 17 runs. The other needed one wicket. Anything was possible.”I have never been in a situation like that before, batting with the tail,” Kemar Roach, a professional cricketer of 13 years, said after play. “I am part of the tail, so for me it was to go out there and believe. That was the biggest thing – to believe and stay positive – and it worked, and I give thanks.”Roach’s strength of will translated into 30 unbeaten, match-winning runs. His experience shepherded the 19-year old Seales, who had already announced that he was ready for the big stage by picking up 5 for 55 on Saturday, through a last-wicket partnership that just wouldn’t be broken, even across four high-pressure overs.”The plan was to just stay positive. That’s me,” Roach said. “I was just trying to take on every ball as it came. This is by far the most important innings so far. I was just trying to pick the gaps and run hard. My advice to Jayden was just protect the stumps. The biggest threat is the straight ball. He did it very well. He is a star for the future. His five wickets today speaks wonders about our cricket. All the best to him, and I wish him a great career!”Seales’ contribution to West Indies’ victory – eight wickets and an equally crucial two runs off 13 balls – earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. It also left him speechless. “Test cricket has been a dream come true for me,” he managed in the end as he picked up his prize and walked away during the presentation.So it was up to his captain to come up with some suitable words, much as it had been down to him to come up with a suitable total in the first innings. Kraigg Brathwaite’s 97 off 221 deliveries was the highest individual score across all four innings of an extremely tight game. “We never lost hope,” he said. “It was truly amazing. I thought Pakistan bowled really well. It is about patience – who has more patience will come out on top.”Last week, Phil Simmons, the West Indies coach, had pulled his batters up, demanding more runs from them, but he has rarely had a bad thing to say about his bowlers. And in the end, with light fading and tensions rising, they were the ones that stood up to be counted yet again.

Kurtis Patterson hopes having the New South Wales captaincy to focus on will help free up his batting as he searches for a return to the form that earned him two Test caps three seasons ago.Since playing for Australia, and scoring a maiden century in his second outing against Sri Lanka, Patterson has endured a frustrating couple of seasons: first through injury which disrupted his 2019-2020 campaign followed by a struggle for runs last year as he averaged just 21.29 in the Sheffield Shield.He admitted considering whether it was the right time take over the Sheffield Shield captaincy from Peter Nevill amid looking for a batting revival. Having had a taste of the role at the end of last season, though, he believes having other areas of responsibility will be an advantage.”I guess being able to do it last year doing for the one-day final and the last couple of Shield games was good for me to see how I reacted and how I thought with it,” he said. “To be honest with you, half of my battle with my batting is getting myself out of my own head, so the captaincy does that naturally because you can’t just think about yourself, you have to think about the rest of the team.Related

• Covid could threaten Cricket Australia's hopes of full domestic season

• Steven Smith 'building up nicely' in cautious rehab from elbow injury

• Patterson replaces Nevill as New South Wales Sheffield Shield captain

“I certainly felt that when I was batting last year as captain that it allowed me to kind of see the bigger picture. But it certainly was something that I thought about because at the end of the day, even now that I am captain, first and foremost I’m a batter, certainly when we are batting it’s no longer Kurtis the captain I have to perform as a batter.”It’s something that I probably won’t really know the answer to until we’re in the depths of the season, but last year I felt really comfortable, it didn’t feel like it hindered my batting at all. It felt if anything like it helped. So looking forward to hopefully seeing that come through again this year.”Although Patterson’s only substantial score last season was the 102 he made against South Australia, he felt he had found something close to his best rhythm during the Sheffield Shield final against Queensland, where he scored 43 in the first innings against a strong attack in demanding conditions.That had coincided with him delving back into footage of the run of scores he had in the 2018-19 summer, which included twin centuries for a Cricket Australia XI in Hobart and the Test century in Canberra, as well as a conversation with New South Wales batting coach Chandika Hathurusingha.”I feel like I’d got to a place that I was satisfied with before the Shield final and it wasn’t until before the final that I’d looked back on my lead up, my Test series I played, and the Australia A game,” Patterson said. “I watched some footage and just tried to focus on one or two of the basic things that I did well. Really they were just being still at point of release and looking to get forward.”I had a really good chat with Chandika, just spoke about simplifying things as much as we can. I only scored 40-odd in that Shield final but in terms of just the way I felt, it felt like I was back to my normal self, which was nice in a way but also a bit disappointing that it took me the whole season to work that out.”I think that was just I was just lacking confidence last year coming off coming off the injury the year before, there was probably an extra layer of thought in my head that probably didn’t need to be there. It was a challenging year for everyone. It’s been nice to take a step back and take learnings out of it.”

Former Australia allrounder James Faulkner feels disrespected and shattered following a contract saga that has led to his departure from Hobart Hurricanes.Faulkner, 31, will not play for Hurricanes this year, and appears very unlikely to play in the BBL altogether, after turning down a one-year contract offer that he claims was “pretty embarrassing”.Faulkner made the comments on , in an interview with close friend and Australia Test captain Tim Paine who was co-hosting the show.”I found it pretty hard to take when I first heard it on the phone,” Faulkner said. “I found it pretty disrespectful for what I’ve sort of given to Tasmanian cricket. I’ve put my heart and soul into it and to hear their initial offer, and that is what it all comes down to, it cut pretty deep.”I know what I’m worth. I’ve signed enough contracts around the world for different teams. I didn’t want more. I just wanted what was fair and what I thought I was worth and even maybe a little bit less. But it just comes back to that first offer. I didn’t feel respected as a player or a person or a Tasmanian athlete. I’m just shattered how it has all played out.”Faulkner, who last played international cricket for Australia in 2017, joined Hurricanes in his home state of Tasmania ahead of the 2018-19 BBL season after seven years at Melbourne Stars on a three-year deal that finished at the end of last season.Related

• Usman Khawaja confirmed as new Sydney Thunder captain

• Alex Hales reunited with Trevor Bayliss on Sydney Thunder return

• Lamichhane lured back to Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL

He has been plagued by a series of injuries since his international career ended and played just 12 of 29 matches in the last two BBL seasons. Last season he suffered a serious hamstring injury which ended his tournament in December. Faulkner said it was unfair for his injuries to be used against him in the negotiations.”They just used injury the whole time against me, really,” he said. “Last season I had an eight-week hamstring I did at the Gabba and tried to come back in three-and-a-half weeks and put my body on the line to come back so we had a shot at making finals and we weren’t really in the mix at that stage, which I’m happy to do and I’ll always do that. But for the coach to use that against me, I felt was wrong.”He also took aim at head coach Adam Griffith following comments he made at a press conference last week.”When you watch the news, and you see who I thought was one of my mates, as well as the head coach, say the bowling group and the team have performed well without me, first of all, and then secondly saying, we need to move on and that he didn’t really care – that cuts deep,” Faulkner said. “That’s like sticking a knife straight in my back. That’s not called for.Faulkner also claimed the lengthy BBL embargo period on contract signings had left him in limbo.”I’ve had teams make contact but the issue we have is the fact there was an embargo period with Cricket Australia and obviously you can’t speak throughout that,” Faulkner said.”And obviously because the contract negotiation went on for so long teams obviously want to sign their list. So I was sort of left stranded six months down the line. Other lists were full and that’s the big thing that hurts.”I wouldn’t have wanted to play for any other franchise anyway. The whole reason I came to the Hurricanes was to finish here and play in front of my family and friends and play with some of my best teammates that I have great memories with and for that not to happen it’s bloody disappointing.”However, teams, players, and agents are allowed to talk informally during the embargo period and often do. The embargo only applies to binding agreements meaning no contracts can be formally signed.Faulkner will now ply his trade in various leagues around the world. He performed well in this year’s PSL for Lahore Qalandars taking 13 wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 6.50. He will also look to play in the Abu Dhabi T10 and the Lanka Premier League.

West Indies Women are set to tour Pakistan for three ODIs in November ahead of the ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.The matches will be held from November 8 to 14 with all games scheduled to take place at the National Stadium in Karachi. West Indies will then fly directly to Zimbabwe, with the Qualifiers to begin on November 21.Earlier this year, Pakistan Women had toured West Indies for three T20Is and five ODIs, and Johnny Grave, Cricket West Indies’ CEO, said West Indies’ visit to Pakistan this time would serve as ideal preparation “in different conditions” ahead of the Qualifiers.

West Indies Women in Pakistan, 2021

• First ODI: November 8

• Second ODI: November 11

• Third ODI: November 14

“This reciprocal tour to Pakistan is an important part of our preparation plans ahead of the World Cup qualifying tournament that is scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe in mid-November,” Graves said. “This tour to Pakistan will give the team the chance to play in different conditions compared to the Caribbean and have more high level competitive cricket ahead of aiming to secure one of the three qualifying spots available for the Women’s Cricket World Cup next year.”The West Indies players are currently in Antigua for a high-performance training camp as part of their preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers, where they will be one of ten teams to compete for three spots in the tournament proper, to be held in New Zealand next year.Related

• Security alert: New Zealand call off Pakistan tour minutes before first ODI

• England withdraw from October tours to Pakistan

• Zimbabwe to host Women's ODI World Cup qualifier

Meanwhile, Grave sounded confident of the security measures to be provided by Pakistan for the West Indies side, after the New Zealand and England’s men’s teams and England Women, recently pulled out of their Pakistan tours.””The security plan arranged by the PCB is the same high level that the West Indies men’s and women’s teams received when they last toured Pakistan in 2018 and 2019, respectively,” Grave said. “Independent security advisors, Eastern Star International (ESI) have confirmed to both CWI and WIPA [West Indies Players’ Association] that they are satisfied that the risk is manageable and can be mitigated to an acceptable level of safety. We will now take a final recommendation to our Board of Directors before the Selection Panel confirms the squad.”

Big picture

Chris Gayle made a triple-hundred in Galle, Brian Lara hit 351 runs in one match in Colombo, and 688 in that three-match series, but this has to be one of cricket’s more surprising facts: West Indies have never won a Test in Sri Lanka. Partly this is down to their not having played on the island in their roaring 1980s – Sri Lanka too weak to attract them then perhaps, and too volatile geopolitically to have had a consistent touring schedule anyway. But still, since 1993, these teams have met eleven times in Sri Lanka; they have drawn just four of those games – three on a severely rain-affected tour in late 2010.Related

• Sri Lanka pick Asalanka, Bhanuka for West Indies Tests

• SL fielding coach McDermott tests Covid-19 positive

• Mickey Arthur to move to Derbyshire after end of Sri Lanka stint

On paper, this doesn’t seem like the West Indies team to improve that record, but it is clear this is an improving team. Their batting, for one, looks better than it did in 2016, when they last toured Sri Lanka. On their most-recent trip to South Asia, West Indies had pulled off a chase for the ages, debutant Kyle Mayers hitting 210 not out as West Indies hunted down 385 in Chattogram. They won the second Test, in Dhaka, too. In the next series, against Sri Lanka, in the Caribbean, they established substantial first-innings leads in both matches, even if they would eventually peter out to draws.Sri Lanka aren’t quite ripe for the plucking; Tests are still probably their safest format. But there is a little instability around this outfit that could hypothetically make them vulnerable. This series sees the return of several senior players – including Angelo Mathews – who had felt slighted during the months-long contracts standoff the players were involved in, with the board. This is also Mickey Arthur’s final Test series as coach, and the likes of batting coach Grant Flower, and bowling coach Chaminda Vaas, aren’t guaranteed their positions into next year either.As both matches are due to be played in Galle, spin is likeliest to decide the series. How will these flawed teams use it? How will they play it? On that front, Sri Lanka would seem to have a significant edge, particularly after West Indies’ tour match in Colombo was rained out.

Big picture

(completed matches, most recent first)West Indies LWLLD
Sri Lanka WDDDL

In the spotlight

Kyle Mayers may have created more buzz this year, but West Indies’ most consistent batter, by a slim margin, has been their captain, Kraigg Brathwaite. In 2021, he has hit 556 runs at 34.75, and given most of his 16 innings have come against the brand new Dukes ball, these are laudable numbers. But does he struggle against spin bowling, on turning tracks? He had one outstanding tour of the UAE in 2016, but even with his 328 from that series, his numbers in Asia (average of 28.87), lags behind his career stats. If he can spend substantial time at the crease (in his trademark shades-and-helmet), West Indies will likely make a bigger impact than they did in 2016, when they lost 2-0.66, 118, 244, 75 – so read Dimuth Karunaratne‘s last four Test knocks. The problem is, the most recent of these came way back in May, so it’s not as if you can say he comes into the series in form. Rarely does a home Test series pass by without a serious contribution from him, however, and he is especially good at Galle, where he has produced exceptional innings on tough pitches. West Indies’ bowlers will be desperate to neutralise him early.Dimuth Karunaratne has been Sri Lanka’s most consistent batter in recent Tests•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

The surface is likely to be spin-friendly, but with the amount of rain that’s been around in all parts of the country, the pitch is unlikely to start out very dry. Given the northeast monsoon is still in operation, expect frequent rain interruptions, particularly in the afternoons.

Team news

Sri Lanka had thought about giving Charith Asalanka a debut, but it appears that they will go in with a bowling-heavy side instead, fielding two legspinners – Lasith Embuldeniya and Praveen Jayawickrama, in addition to offspin-bowling allrounder Ramesh Mendis (Dhananjaya de Silva is also there to contribute with his offbreaks).Dinesh Chandimal is likely to keep wickets, with Niroshan Dickwella suspended for a year over breaking Covid protocols in England.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Oshada Fernando, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 7 Ramesh Mendis, 8 Suranga Lakmal, 9 Lasith Embuldeniya, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Praveen Jayawickrama.Jeremy Solozano, the Trinidad opening batter, could also be in line for a debut, as Brathwaite’s opening partner. With Roston Chase capable of delivering half-decent offspin, West Indies will also have to decide which of their other spin options – offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall, or left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican – plays. They could field them both, but that would mean their only serious seam options are Kemar Roach and Jason Holder.West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt.), 2 Jeremy Solozano, 3 Nkrumah Bonner, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Kyle Mayers, 7 Rahkeem Cornwall, 8 Jason Holder, 9 Joshua da Silva (wk), 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jomel Warrican/Jayden Seales

Stats and rivia

• This is West Indies’ second World Test Championship series in the new cycle. They had won one Test and lost one against Pakistan in August, giving them 12 points. For Sri Lanka, this is their first series in the new cycle.
• Kraigg Brathwaite averages 25.75 in four innings in Sri Lanka – his third worst average in host countries, after India (where he averages 19.91), and Bangladesh (21.16).
• Dimuth Karunaratne averages 51.36 in Galle, and averages 47.52 as captain. His career average is 38.62.
• Across conditions, West Indies have won just one of the seven most-recent Tests between these sides. Sri Lanka have won three of them.

The ECB has more than doubled salaries for female players in the second season of the Hundred after the inaugural women’s competition broke records for attendances and TV viewing figures.Women’s salaries ranged from £3600 (US$4800) to £15,000 (US$20,000) – with a captaincy bonus of £1200 (US$1600) – in the 2021 edition of the Hundred and while prize money for the men’s and women’s tournaments was equal, there was a stark disparity in wages with the lowest-paid male players earning 60% more than the highest-paid female players.Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, had pledged after the tournament’s final was watched by a record-breaking 17,116 crowd that salaries would rise as a result of the success of the women’s competition, while confirming that the double-header model would continue to be used in 2022.ESPNcricinfo can reveal that women’s salaries will increase by 108% across the board for 2022, ranging from £7500 (US$10,000) to £31,250 (US$41,500), with a £2500 (US$3300) captaincy bonus. Teams will have a £250,000 (US$330,000) purse to split across their 15-player squads, up from £120,000 (US$160,000), with the ECB’s total outlay on women’s salaries jumping from £960,000 (US$1.28m) to £2 million (US$2.66m).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Salaries in the Hundred women’s competition have more than doubled ahead of the second year of the competition,” a spokesperson for the Hundred told ESPNcricinfo. “We’re proud to be significantly increasing our investment in women’s salaries, we believe this is a step in the right direction as we grow the women’s game and are committed to our ongoing support of the Hundred women’s competition.”The salary hike further increases the chances of the world’s best women’s cricketers appearing in the 2022 edition of the Hundred, after a raft of Australia internationals withdrew shortly before its first season due to quarantine requirements and restrictions on international travel. With the Commonwealth Games due to be staged at Edgbaston from July 29 to August 7, many leading internationals are likely to remain in the country for the Hundred.The increase is particularly significant for the lowest-paid players in the tournament, several of whom had to take annual leave or ask for time off from their employers during the inaugural season. Kate Cross, the England seamer, told the last year that “until those lower brackets are topped up, you could have some girls dropping out because ultimately it’s not worth their while with work”, but an increase in the bottom salary band to £7500 for a month’s work will make playing in the Hundred more financially viable.The ECB has also confirmed that men’s salaries will increase by 25% and return to their pre-Covid levels, as ESPNcricinfo revealed earlier on Wednesday.

Batter Yash Dhull will lead a 17-member India squad at the next edition of the Under-19 World Cup, to be played across four countries in the Caribbean from January 14 to February 5 next year. The Delhi man’s deputy is SK Rasheed, the batter from Andhra Pradesh.India are grouped with Ireland, South Africa and Uganda in Group B, and start their campaign on January 15 against South Africa in Guyana, followed by fixtures on January 19 against Ireland and on January 22 against Uganda; both those matches will be played in Trinidad & Tobago.Related

• New Zealand withdraw from 2022 Under-19 World Cup

• VVS Laxman to be part of India's U-19 World Cup contingent

Defending champions Bangladesh are in Group A with Canada, England and UAE. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe make up Group C. And Group D has Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka and hosts West Indies.New Zealand are the only major side that will be missing in this edition of the tournament, after they decided to withdraw owing to “extensive mandatory quarantine restrictions [because of Covid-19] for minors on their return home”. Scotland, who had initially missed qualification in the Europe qualifiers, became the 16th team to participate in New Zealand’s absence.Recently, in November-December, two India Under-19 sides, A and B, faced off against Bangladesh Under-19s in a triangular tournament in Kolkata, but fell short, with the visiting side winning all their matches, except one that was washed out, on their way to the title. The main India squad now has the Under-19 Asia Cup – to be played in the UAE from December 23 – to get its finetuning done.India, four-time title-winners, have been the most successful team in the history of the Under-19 World Cup, with Australia in second place, with three crowns, followed by Pakistan, who have won it twice. India last won the tournament in 2018, when they were led by Prithvi Shaw, and finished runners-up in 2020 to Bangladesh, who won the title for the first time.India’s other successes came in 2000, when they were led by Mohammad Kaif, in 2008, when Virat Kohli was the captain, and in 2012, under Unmukt Chand’s leadership.Squad: Yash Dhull (capt), SK Rasheed (vice-capt), Harnoor Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Nishant Sindhu, Siddarth Yadav, Aneeshwar Gautam, Dinesh Bana (wk), Aaradhya Yadav (wk), Raj Angad Bawa, Manav Parakh, Kaushal Tambe, RS Hangargekar, Vasu Vats, Vicky Ostwal, Ravikumar, Garv Sangwan.
Stand-by players: Rishit Reddy, Uday Saharan, Ansh Gosai, Amrit Raj Upadhyay, PM Singh Rathore.