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Dimuth Karunaratne, on debut, scored 0 in the first innings and 60 in the second. Sixteen Tests on, he averages 23.58 in the first innings but 47.35 in the second dig

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele02-Jul-2015When Dimuth Karunaratne was out for a duck in his first Test innings, he was following in the footsteps of other openers in the dressing room. Batting coach Marvan Atapattu had also begun his career with a zero and the then-manager Charith Senanayake, who had awarded Karunaratne his Test cap, was no different.But it was in the third day of that match that Karunaratne set up a trend that would define his Test career to date. Having failed in the first innings, Karunaratne redeemed himself in the second, hitting a run-a-ball 60 in a small chase. Sixteen Tests on, Karunaratne now averages 47.35 in the second innings, but 23.58 in the first. Only one of his seven 50-plus scores has come in the first dig.”The way I see it, maybe I bat better under pressure,” Karunaratne said, by way of explanation. “When there is a target, or there is something concrete to be achieved, maybe I take more responsibility. I have played a few more loose shots in the first innings, because there’s no concrete goal. Maybe I was too casual. Even when I was going to school, I liked those concrete situations better. In the big matches, I preferred to chase, and I’ve taken responsibility in those situations.”Though a natural strokemaker, two of Karunaratne’s better knocks have come when a Test needed to be saved. When Sri Lanka gave up a first-innings lead of 303 in Christchurch late last year, Karunaratne withstood waves of high-quality seam bowling to grind out 152 from 363 deliveries. In the Galle Test of this series, Karunaratne hit 79 from 173 balls, with Sri Lanka standing little chance of winning that match.”Even in that match in New Zealand, we were well behind in the game, and I knew I had to bat for a long time, so that helped,” Karunaratne said. “Once the situation becomes clear in the second innings, I think that effects me.”I’ve talked to the coach about this, and what he said was that batting in the second innings was more difficult because the pitch does more, and there’s more pressure. In this next match, I have something I want to try, which will hopefully help me concentrate harder in the first innings.”In the early portion of his career, Karunaratne had largely opened alongside Tillakaratne Dilshan. However, Sri Lanka have since found a far less flamboyant batsman to partner him at the top of the order. Since 2000, of Sri Lanka batsmen with more than 1000 Test runs, Kaushal Silva’s strike rate of 40.76 is the lowest. Karunaratne said that batting with a cautious opener presents a mixed challenge.”If the ball is moving around, Kaushal has does a great job,” he said. “What I try to do in those situations is to get off the strike and let him bat. Once I do that, he plays the rest of the balls and it works well. But if we get a flatter wicket, if Kaushal rotated the strike a bit more, it would be easier for us, and for the team.””I am naturally aggressive and am usually looking for scoring opportunities. If I was to close up an end as well, we would find it tough to win matches, especially in home conditions. You need runs for that. The Pakistan batsmen, for example, usually have a better run rate than us. They give themselves a better chance of winning the match that way. So my role is to rotate the strike and look to push the team forward. But I need to cut down the loose shots as well. Because Kaushal closes up one end, I’ve got to try to score at the other.”Karunaratne said that although Kumar Sangakkara’s unavailability for this match increased the burden on the remaining batsmen, Sri Lanka should not dwell on Sangakkara’s absence. Upul Tharanga has replaced Sangakkara in the squad, and appears likely to play on Friday.”Only the Sangakkara name goes out of the team, and we can’t depend on him forever. He’s only playing two more matches, so we should take more responsibility.”It’s a good chance for us to prove ourselves, because the series is at 1-1 and Upul has played well in the practice match. He’s also a good player, and we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on Sangakkara not being here. The game plans are the same, only Sanga is missing. We can learn how to play without him.”

Canada’s Twenty20 squad will travel to Houston, Texas ahead of the ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament to play three warm-up matches against an invitational XI assembled by local entrepreneur Sakhi Muhammad

Peter Della Penna21-Apr-2015Canada’s Twenty20 squad will travel to Houston, Texas ahead of the ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament to play three warm-up matches against an invitational XI assembled by local entrepreneur Sakhi Muhammad.A Cricket Canada official confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the games will be played on April 28, 29 and May 1 before the ICC Americas qualifier which begins on May 3 in Indianapolis. Muhammad’s Smart Choice Auto Group is a former sponsor of the USA national team, and they will play an XI that is likely to include former West Indies internationals Mervyn Dillon and Ricardo Powell, as well Timroy Allen, Usman Shuja and former USA captain Steve Massiah, who were omitted from USA’s squad for the ICC Americas tournament.Muhammad, 48, will cover Canada’s local expenses in Houston including hotel accommodation, ground transportation and meals. He says he made a similar offer to USACA to host USA’s squad for warm-up matches ahead of their participation at ICC WCL Division Three in Malaysia last October, but USACA never responded to his phone calls or emails. It played a part in his decision to end sponsorship ties with USACA after an 18-month partnership beginning in May 2013.”How can you ignore people who have sponsored you?” Muhammad said. “How can you forget those guys and not respond to them? Every customer is important to me. If they contact you, you must respond. It doesn’t look good from a business point of view. You don’t do stuff like that.”Though he is no longer a sponsor of USACA, Muhammad says he has an interest in helping out cricketers from around the region. His Smart Choice club team, which participates in various private cash tournaments around the country, has featured many USA players including new captain Muhammad Ghous, Steven Taylor, Jasdeep Singh and Adil Bhatti. Muhammad also has a good relationship with Canada players like Ruvindu Gunasekera, Hiral Patel and Rizwan Cheema – one of the reasons he invited Cricket Canada for the mini-tour.”Canada will be better prepared,” Muhammad said. “This is the fact right now and we cannot walk away from it. You’d have to ask USACA why they refused yesterday and weren’t approached this time. I waited to assemble my team for about a month before finalising. If they had approached me and said we’d like to have our guys play against Canada, I’d have loved to do it because ultimately our preference is to help out the USA team too.”The games will be played at the Smart Choice Moosa Stadium – a brand new turf wicket complex in the suburb of Pearland located about 20 miles south of downtown Houston, for which Muhammad pitched in $2million of his own money. He insists he does not want his initiative to be seen as a threat to other facilities in the country like the World Sports Park or Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida.”We are not here to compete against California, Florida or Indianapolis,” Muhammad said. “More turf wickets are good for the country overall. You can’t just have Houston only. There need to be four or five centers where you can do this but the advantage we have is that Houston has a subcontinent population of over 250,000. Even if you get 5,000 of them interested you’re still doing good and if you have a good facility that gets people to come out and doesn’t cost too much to maintain then I think it’s worth it.”The winner of the mini-series will claim the Sushil Nadkarni International Trophy, named after the recently retired USA batsman.”He (Nadkarni) is from Houston and he has done a lot for US cricket,” Muhammad said, when asked about his reason for naming the trophy after Nadkarni. “After he retired I noticed that there was nothing done officially so being a Houstonian, it was important for us to acknowledge him. Doing this is something good in the long term for other players, especially for Houston people and for other senior players who play for the national team.”

Ahead of Tuesday's 2022 World Cup qualifying decider in Abuja, we look at five of Otto Addo's possible weapons against the Super Eagles

GettyJoseph Wollacott

The Swindon Town goalkeeper put up a fine display in Friday’s first leg fixture in Kumasi, producing some crucial saves, particularly on Moses Simon’s goal-bound shot. Another good day at the office on Tuesday can massively frustrate the hosts.

AdvertisementGettyDaniel Amartey

The most experienced man in Ghana’s backline, the Leicester City defender kept Nigeria danger man Victor Osimhen quiet on Friday. Should the centre-back find his rhythm again, he could significantly contribute to spoiling the Super Eagles’ party in Abuja.

Goal Kenya.Thomas Partey

By his own standard, Partey did not exactly live up to expectations on Friday. But by what he has shown at club level for Arsenal in recent times, the former Atletico Madrid man is more than capable of silencing Nigeria’s midfield.

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GettyMohammed Kudus

Kudus had a quiet first half on Friday but raised his game after the break. A repeat of his second half performance on Tuesday, or probably something even better, could spell doom for the hosts.

Gabriel Martinelli celebrated Declan Rice's last-minute winner with his father in the stands as emotions ran high for Arsenal away at Luton Town.

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Martinelli celebrated Rice's winner with his fatherArsenal edged out Luton in seven-goal thrillerMartinelli opened the scoring for the GunnersWHAT HAPPENED?

The Brazilian opened the scoring in Arsenal's win over Luton Town in a seven-goal thriller at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday. The Gunners squandered the lead twice in the match before Declan Rice finally sealed the 4-3 victory with a last-gasp header. As soon as the Englishman scored the winner, Martinelli ran towards the away stand to greet his father – who took in the Premier League clash alongside Arsenal's die-hard fans.

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The 22-year-old shared his celebration video on his official X profile with the caption: "A goal and a last minute winner with your Dad in the away end? Perfect."

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While the dramatic win will prove to be a massive boost for Mikel Arteta's side, who are currently five points clear at the top of the table, David Raya's form will be a matter of headache for the manager. The Spanish goalkeeper not only conceded three goals against Luton, but he also made a glaring mistake for Ross Barkley's goal in the second half which momentarily handed the Hatters the lead.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

The Gunners now have three very difficult Premier League fixtures coming up, starting with Aston Villa on Saturday. They will then face Brighton on December 17 and fellow title contenders Liverpool six days later.

The mother and agent of Kylian Mbappe, Fayza Lamari, has travelled to Spain to find a house ahead of the forward's move to Real Madrid this summer.

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Mbappe's mum has travelled to SpainOn the hunt for a house ahead of moveForward expected to sign Real Madrid dealWHAT HAPPENED?

The player's mum and other members of his entourage have been in Madrid recently, according to as they begin preparations for his move to the Spanish capital. Finding a house for the attacker is one of the main issues on their plate, as it may take time to find the right property and security for such a big name.

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Mbappe looks set to join the Santiago Bernabeu side to bring an end to a transfer saga that has been dragging on for years. The 25-year-old has informed Paris Saint-Germain that he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season and it has been reported in Spain that he has reached an agreement with Madrid, though he is said to have denied such claims this week.

DID YOU KNOW?

Mbappe joined PSG in an initial loan deal in 2017 but reports of an imminent move to Madrid have been circulating since shortly afterwards. The France star has won five Ligue 1 titles so far with the club but will hope to add more glory to his name – including in the shape of a Champions League crown – before he leaves for Madrid.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

The attacker's entourage will hope to found the perfect home to help make his transition to life in Spain as smooth as possible before he starts work with Carlo Ancelotti's team, who are chasing down La Liga and Champions League success this term.

England will return to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the first time since their Test against West Indies in 2009 was abandoned after 10 balls

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2013England will return to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the first time since their Test against West Indies in 2009 was abandoned after 10 balls due to a dangerous outfield consisting largely of sand.Alastair Cook, who opened the batting with Andrew Strauss in that match, will take his ODI team to West Indies for three ODIs beginning at the end of February all of which will be held at North Sound. Three Twenty20s then follow, which will be staged in Barbados, as preparation for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh which is due to start in mid-March.The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium returned to the international scene in May 2010, 14 months after the abandonment involving England, after the outfield was relayed for a second time and has since held matches in all formats.The brief tour of the Caribbean is part of a period full of ODI and Twenty20 cricket for England in the early part of 2014 following the conclusion of the Ashes in Sydney in early January.

Middlesex were in sight of victory and promotion at the end of the third day of their County Championship Division Two match against Leicestershire

14-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Middlesex were in sight of victory and promotion at the end of the third day of their County Championship Division Two match against Leicestershire at Grace Road. Gareth Berg hit a career-best unbeaten 130 as Middlesex totalled 502 to secure a first-innings lead of 183 runs.Then their bowlers took over leaving Leicestershire tottering on 222 for 7 by the close. Tim Murtagh dismissed both Leicestershire openers in his first two overs before offspinner Ollie Rayner took three for 32 as the home side crumbled in the evening session despite half-centuries from Greg Smith and James Taylor.Middlesex now look set to clinch the victory that would send them up as Division Two champions. They began the day at 401 for 8 and added another 101 runs in 19 overs with Berg and Murtagh sharing a record ninth-wicket partnership of 172.It beat the previous best of 160 set by Patsy Hendren and Jack Durston against Essex at Leyton in 1927. The runs came quickly against some erratic Leicestershire bowling with Berg reaching the second century of his career off 122 balls with three sixes and 11 fours.Murtagh also enjoyed himself cracking nine boundaries on the way to his first half-century of the season. He finally succumbed, edging a delivery from Wayne White that provided wicket-keeper Ned Eckersley with his sixth catch of the innings, one short of the record held by Neil Burns against Somerset 10 years ago.With a lead of 183 Middlesex made immediate inroads into Leicestershire’s second innings with openers Matt Boyce and Will Jones back in the pavilion in less than three overs for the second time in the match. After striking two crisp fours in Murtagh’s first over Boyce was out lbw to the final delivery.Jones, out for a duck in the first innings, managed two runs before he too was trapped lbw by Murtagh leaving Leicestershire at 11 for 2. But a battling third-wicket stand of 121 in 34 overs between Smith and Taylor put the break on Middlesex’s progress.The two of them showed plenty of determination and concentration with Smith reaching his second half-century of the game with a glorious off-driven boundary against Steven Crook. Taylor also went to his 50 off 89 balls with six boundaries and the pair of them finally began to give Leicestershire some hope of staging a fight back.But Smith was then trapped lbw by a quicker delivery from Jamie Dalrymple for 58 and although Taylor continued to look in good form wickets began falling at the other end.Having reached 80 Taylor edged a short pitch delivery from Crook through to the wicket-keeper and Rayner bagged the wickets of Jacques Du Toit, White and Rob Taylor as the home side lost four wickets for 35 runs in the final session.

Given Lancashire’s game in hand, talk of this match being a title decider is premature at best and actually a little absurd

Jon Culley at Aigburth29-Jun-2011
ScorecardDale Benkenstein was the matchwinner for Durham in Liverpool•PA PhotosGiven Lancashire’s game in hand, talk of this match being a title decider is premature at best and actually a little absurd. What victory has done for Durham, though, if you were to think of the Championship as a horse race, is to take them a couple of lengths clear at just the moment the pace is hotting up, which means that Lancashire cannot really afford to falter.The home side sniffed a chance overnight. Three wickets lost in 10 overs on Tuesday evening certainly discomfited Durham, leaving them to troop up on the third morning with still 154 to get of the 181 needed to win, and not much room for error.It required a steady, unflappable attitude, for there would be more setbacks, inevitably. Yet, as predicted, the depth of Durham’s batting saw them home. Dale Benkenstein, whose steady hand guided them to a 102-run lead on that bizarre, 20-wicket first day, supplemented his 83 not out with an unbeaten 60.Benkenstein, 37, is having a remarkable season. In 15 Championship innings he has four centuries and has failed to reach 50 on only five occasions. He made 137 in Durham’s win over Lancashire at Chester-le-Street, which means has scored 280 against them in three innings for once out.In this innings, as impervious to pressure, seemingly, as he had been in the first innings, he passed 1,000 first-class runs for the season and overtook Jon Lewis’s mark of 7,854 to become Durham’s all-time leading scorer.Winning by five wickets suggests a degree of comfort in the end for Durham but there had been some tension along the way, as you suspected there would be.At first, it seemed as though Paul Collingwood, thrilled to have found some form with the bat and “pleasantly surprised” at how much he is enjoying being a Durham player again, would follow his century against Yorkshire with another match-winning hundred.Only too eager to confirm afterwards, after scratching around so much during his last year as a Test player, that he felt as comfortable as he ever has with bat in hand, Collingwood looked in complete control. He had a life on 21, put down by Paul Horton at first slip off Kyle Hogg, but that apart reached 45 in relative comfort.Hogg and Mahmood had both run in well without enjoying much luck. But how often is it that a bowling change brings a wicket? Luke Procter gave Mahmood a breather at the river end and struck with his second ball, Collingwood falling to a catch he might have made himself, in his prime.Collingwood went for a drive as if he was sure it would come off the middle of the bat but edged it instead, whereupon Steven Croft flung himself to his right at third slip and clung on spectacularly. Likewise, when Gary Keedy then replaced Procter, he needed only two balls to trap Will Smith leg before.Paul Collingwood played a vital hand before falling to Luke Procter•PA PhotosSo, five down, still 99 short, the pressure was back on Durham. But the depth of their batting allows for setbacks where in other teams they might induce a fatal attack of nerves.And few batsman put experience to better use than Benkenstein. Lancashire had other chances, notably when Ian Blackwell, who had made 14 of his 26, was badly dropped at long leg by Hogg, at which point Durham would have been six down and still 53 away from victory. Yet Mark Chilton, standing in for the injured – and missed – Glen Chapple as captain, readily acknowledged the role that Benkenstein had played in putting his side in their place for the second time.”Dale played really well,” Chilton said. “He is in fantastic nick, as he showed up at the Riverside. His 83 in the first innings was exceptional and his innings today saw them home in a pressure situation.”We felt in the game this morning and on another day could have had three wickets in the first hour with Saj and Kyle bowling very well. We were well in the game but then with 50 runs left we missed a run-out chance and a catch and then they put a good partnership together to see them home.”Benkenstein’s sixth and seventh boundaries completed the job, a little before a quarter to three. Typically, he accepted the applause with self-deprecating modesty.”Sometimes it frees you up when you bat in a situation like that and others are being drawn into making mistakes,” he said. “It takes the pressure off because if you fail it does not really matter whereas if everyone is scoring hundreds you feel you should do as well.”I only play one way and my approach does not change. I’m pretty boring, I stick to the same things. If I see a bad ball I hit it. You just hope for a bit of luck and that when you get a good ball you miss it.”Chilton, quite rightly, said that Lancashire need only to keep winning to make sure that Durham remain under pressure to keep winning too but there is an ominous confidence about the leaders.”We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” Collingwood said. “There are things we can improve on but we’d like to feel our brand of attacking cricket will be good enough for most sides.”Benkenstein echoed that assessment, even going a little further. “I think that the experience we have, the old heads who know the situations and what it takes to win matches will be crucial in terms of the championship. We have a good balance, with some enthusiastic young guys as well. In terms of batting I think this is as good a side as we have had.”

Jonny Bairstow and Scott Borthwick shone in England’s final warm-up match before the ODIs begin on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2011ScorecardJonny Bairstow cracked eight sixes during his hundred•Getty ImagesEngland’s one-day tour of India is a chance for some of the youngsters to impress and two of them, Jonny Bairstow and Scott Borthwick, shone in the final warm-up match before the ODIs begin on Friday. Bairstow underlined his precocious talent with a thunderous 53-ball hundred as England piled up 367 for 4 then Borthwick took advantage of some slap-happy batting from the hosts to finish with 5 for 31 in a 253-run victory.Bairstow’s onslaught, which included eight sixes, built on solid work from the top order, including an opening stand of 159 between Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter, while Jonathan Trott also found form with 74 off 68 balls as he and Bairstow added 143. Bairstow’s second fifty took just 20 deliveries. The only batsman to miss out was Kevin Pietersen, who fell to the left-arm spin of Medhi Hasan for 10, and he has failed in both warm-ups on his return to the one-day side.Ian Bell sat out this match with a stomach upset and Ravi Bopara was rested following his 73 in the first game so, with Bairstow’s form clear, there are now some tricky selection issues ahead of the opening one-day international. Given that Pietersen has been brought on this tour rather than continuing his rest he is unlikely to be left out so Bell could be the player who has to make way.The top three, however, appear to be set in stone despite a few early doubts when Trott was named at No. 4 in the team sheet. England will need to be flexible with their thinking during the series, but the tried and tested order seems likely to start. Cook and Kieswetter reacquainted themselves in a productive partnership following the latter’s return from the Champions League and were not overly tested by a friendly home attack.However, after England’s less-than-inspiring display on Saturday when they were bowled out for 219 it was an important statement of intent to produce a commanding batting performance. Both openers could have reached three figures, but neither will be too concerned to have missed out as it ensured others had the chance for time in the middle. Cook, having again outscored his opening partner, was caught on the boundary and Kieswetter mistimed a pull.Pietersen was caught at backward point after a brief stay but England’s innings never threatened to lose direction as Trott and Bairstow combined in their different styles. Trott manoeuvred the field while Bairstow gave a display of the power and timing that had been on show during his ODI debut in Cardiff last month. The last 10 overs of England’s innings – outside of Powerplay restrictions under the new regulations – brought 105 runs.Despite a promising start against England’s pace bowlers – which included Stuart Meaker – the home side collapsed when spin came into the attack. A superb catch at slip from Cook to remove Akshath Reddy gave Borthwick his first wicket and the same combination struck again two balls later.Wickets continued to fall in a hurry and Meaker then got in on the act with three for himself in the 29th over as his pace proved too much for the lower order. Neither Borthwick nor Meaker are expected to push for initial selection in the series, but their performances will have been noted.It completed a fine day for England’s new faces but tougher challenges await.

Round-up of the qualifying match of the MiWAY T20 Challenge that took place on March 25

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2012Farhaan Behardien and Alfonso Thomas’ late exploits helped Titans edge out Knights in a one-over eliminator in Centurion to set up a clash with Lions in the final on Sunday. Titans, who batted first in the eliminator, had middle-order batsman Behardien to thank as he smashed a six and a four over extra cover to give Knights a target of 20 runs. But it was the Thomas’ stranglehold on the Knights batsmen that closed the contest as he gave away only six runs.Chasing 145 for a victory, Titans were in trouble early as they were reduced to 29 for 4 after Johan van der Wath removed the dangerous pair of Roelof van der Merwe and Faf du Plessis in his third over. Titans’ problems were further compounded when tournament’s top wicket-taker, Jandre Coetzee removed Martin van Jaarsveld after he had scored 24. With 78 still required in nine overs, Albie Morkel, who scored 25 off 21 balls, combined with Behardien in a 53-run partnership to bring the Titans close. In the last three overs, 26 runs were required and Titans let the game slip as both their set batsmen were removed. When the last over started, the home side needed 13 and were in a dire situation when Thomas swung and missed first three balls off Coetzee. However, he connected in the fourth and the sixth ball, well enough to launch the ball out of the boundary to tie the score.Knights were put into bat and openers Morne van Wyk and Rilee Rossouw immediately stuck into van der Merwe’s spin to take 15 runs. However, van der Merwe got his revenge in the next over as he took a diving catch at deep-square leg to remove Rossouw. Two more diving catches later by Morkel, one of them one-handed at the long-on boundary, Knights started to falter. Spinners Eden Links and du Plessis slowed the Knights with few tight overs in the middle of the innings. However, Ryan McLaren, who scored 42 off 28 balls, stayed unbeaten till the end to set up a competitive target, which proved just a little short in the end.With this victory, Titans have also qualified for the Champions League.