Sports
Buoyed Lankans take on new look South Africans on Boxing Day Test
The action shifts to the Test cricket from a long vacuum of dried up international fare for the Sri Lankans by the raging COVID-19 pandemic as Dimuth Karunaratne’s men flex their muscles in a high buoyance for todays Boxing Day Test versus a rather new look South African outfit at Centurion Park. That charged up mood in the Lankan camp is derived by the historic 2-nil drubbing Karunaratne’s men handed out to the Proteas in their own backyard when the two nations last met in December 2019- January ‘20.
Indeed, the 32-year old Karunaratne will carry that high buoyance streak in the final countdown when the two sides draw the battle lines backed by his stealthy trade mark cool and calculated daring dash accentuated by a lucky captain element heightened by the left hander’s stealthy, specialist opening batsman role upfront. That it will be on a Centurion batting oriented turf of which the Lankan skipper has in the pre-match press confab pepped up his batting juggernaut to be keyed up to, will be the center piece to the unfolding contest where the predictable willow works are expected to dictate the fortunes of the opening test. No doubt, Karunaratne will be looking to a tight reigning upfront role with the bat which the 9-century strong experience the Lankan skipper will look to maximise to put his side on top in a contest which according to reports flitting in Sri Lanka is expected to cap a few promising new players. The sword edged upswing the Sri Lankans will carry is that there quite a number of tried and tested players who starred in bringing down the South Africans when they last met. That the Karunaratne influence in that landmark feat was a double icing on the cake in terms of self and country in a truly remarkable Cinderella fairytale type of emergence from the unknown to anointing his name as a highly potential captain in a feat that many of his predecessors had failed in Protea land is tall stuff. In that turn around, it is significant that Dimuth Karunaratne achieved the near impossible catapulted having been handed the high profile job in a shaky period that Sri Lanka had not won a single match in over two months. His stocks further rose when he was appointed the ODI captain as well ahead of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.
That apart, the Sri Lankans possess in their ranks a world record breaking batsman in a fourth innings chase in Kusal Janith Perera who did just that versus the South Africans in the first testwith an all-time great match winning unbeaten 153 in a last ditch stand. Significantly, the 22-member Lankan squad basking of dashing batsman Kusal Mendis and the recalled inform Dinesh Chandimal is a mixture of experience and new talent. While there are several players from the successful squad that toured last time, the uncapped are Wanindu Hasaranga, Minod Bhanuka, Asistha Fernando, Santhush Gunathilake and Dilshan Madushanka.
The Karunaratne element to the Lankan team is derived from a sound past of having become Sri Lanka’s leading Test batsman since 2015 by his century making in the second innings of a Test match. Four of his centuries in the second innings were out of six centuries he made until October 2017. On 7 October 2017, Karunaratne became the second Sri Lankan opener after Tillakaratne Dilshan to score three Test centuries in a calendar year.
Overall, it is a confidence high Lankan outfit that has touched down in South African shores questing for a repeat performance against a home team that had some early COVID-19 related player worries. What is more, South Africa will be going into a series with new trappings from the last series with a new captain in de Kock who has replaced Faf du Plessis when the two sides last met, while out of the equation from the 2019 squad are star batsman Hashim Amla, Kagisso Rabada through injury and Dale Steyn.
For the record, Sri Lanka defeated South Africa in the 1st Test by 1-wicket at Durban chasing down 304 on the final day with Kusal Janith Perera doing the impossible in the breathtaking drama of a 200-ball 153 in 309 minutes powered by 12 boundaries and 5 sixes. That the final assault was mounted in the make or break death stages yielding a record 78 runs for the last wicket with Vishwa Fernando whose contribution was 6 off 27 balls consuming 73 minutes was the high point of it. South Africa, batting first made 235 and 259 and Sri Lanka 191 and 304 for 9. Another feature of that win was Perera top scoring in the first innings as well with 51 off 63 (7×4, 1×6). Skipper Karunaratne’s 30 off 59 (3×4) was the next best. Sri Lanka went on to win the second test by 8 wickets chasing down 197 at Port Elizabeth with Kusal Mendis the Player of the Match with an unbeaten 84 off 110 (13×4) and one drop batsman Oshada Fernando undefeated on 75 off 106 (10×4, 2×6) in a total of 197 for 2. South Africa made 222 and 128 with Suranga Lakmal claiming 4 for 39, Dhananjaya de Silva 3 for 36 and Kasun Rajitha 2 for 20. Sri Lanka made 154 in the first innings with Niroshan Dickwella top scoring with 42. Karunaratne’s contributions of 17 and 19 and 30 and 20 in the series, though not high stuff, measured in terms of holding the batting together.
(SLC)
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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