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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:41

Moonda: Ideal conditions for debutant Olivier

At least one Sri Lankan enjoyed himself at the Wanderers. The third Test followed a largely predictable path as South Africa went about trying to secure a 3-0 series whitewash by following up a first-innings score of 426 with four top-order wickets before the close of the second day but Nuwan Pradeep’s ferocious four-wicket burst at least gave Sri Lanka something for their tour diary as the Wanderers lived up to its billing as one of the premier arenas for fast bowling.South Africa maintained a grip on the match despite losing their last seven wickets for 88, with Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada picking up a brace apiece to take their combined tally in the series to 31 at 15.03. Bad light brought an early close to the evening session, with Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal having battled through several overs of insistent probing as the clouds closed in above the ground. Sri Lanka’s hopes of respectability will lie with their two senior batsmen.They needed their top order to show steady heads after Pradeep and his whirling limbs had brought Sri Lanka back into the contest by taking 4 for 1 in 18 balls before lunch but Philander reinforced South African conviction that they had established a match-defining position with his first over with the new ball. Dimuth Karunaratne survived a review for caught behind to his third delivery but made certain of his fate two balls later when some seam movement from Philander’s immaculate line drew a clearly discernible edge to Quinton de Kock.Kaushal Silva and Kusal Mendis survived the odd streaky moment to reach tea but both fell soon after to Rabada. Another thin edge behind did for Silva to end a 47-run stand before Mendis, who struck six fours and a six and also saw the debutant Duanne Olivier put down a straightforward caught-and-bowled chance during a lively knock, was chiselled out by Rabada’s bouncer, a simple catch lobbing off the gloves to gully. In the next over, Dhananjaya de Silva speared a drive point as Sri Lanka subsided to 70 for 4.

SA collapse and Pradeep’s four-fers

• 88-7 South Africa’s score on the second day. They began at 338 for 3 and were all out for 426. They scored those runs at rate of 2.57, compared to 3.75 on the first day

• 6 Number of four-wicket hauls for Nuwan Pradeep, without a five-for. Only Australia’s Wayne Clarke, with seven, has taken more such hauls in Tests.

• 68.54 Percentage of South Africa’s runs that came from the single partnership of Hashim Amla and JP Duminy, 292 out of 426 – the third-highest contribution from a partnership in an all-out innings for South Africa. The highest for them is 70.77%, when Alviro Peterson and Amla made 209 out of a total of 296 at Eden Gardens in 2009-10.

• 33 Wickets taken by Sri Lanka fast bowlers in this series – the second-most for them in any away series. Their highest is 41 wickets in New Zealand in 1990-91.

Success for the home quicks was not unexpected after Pradeep had gambolled in to cause havoc during the morning. South Africa’s position was already bulwarked by the 292-run stand between JP Duminy and Hashim Amla but any hopes they had of batting on at their leisure disappeared amid a clatter of wickets in the second hour.De Kock was the only South Africa batsman to make a notable contribution to the scorecard after the two first-day centurions and he was last man out as the persevering Lahiru Kumara also finished with four wickets. Following a slide of 4 for 14, with Pradeep on the rampage, De Kock’s 34 helped swell the total to still-daunting proportions: only once in home Tests have South Africa lost after making 400 in the first innings.The sight of the ball seaming, swinging and flying through with a hungry cordon awaiting was double-edged for Sri Lanka, foreshadowing as it did another searching examination for their batsmen. The first session was nevertheless one to savour for the tourists, arguably their best during a difficult series, as Pradeep’s interventions caused South Africa to tumble from 364 for 4 to 378 for 8 in a rambunctious 30-minute period of play.South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis – who was hit several times during his stay at the crease – may have spent lunch reflecting with satisfaction on his decision to get runs on the board first. This surface looked like only getting more treacherous to bat on.Even if the odds were stacked against Sri Lanka, after a dispiriting first day in which South Africa made 338 for 3, Suranga Lakmal and Mathews began with just the sort of tight, probing spells needed if they were to wrest the match back their way. Amla and the debutant nightwatchman, Olivier, had added just eight to the total in as many overs, during which ball regularly beat bat, when Mathews finally made an incision, with the aid of DRS. Olivier pushed at a rising ball in the channel and tickled a fine edge to Chandimal.The first hour was a cagey affair, as Amla attempted to retrench himself after marking his 100th Test with a revivifying hundred. Only 26 runs came, Olivier went and it could have been even better for Sri Lanka but for Mendis making an awful hash of taking a thick edge from du Plessis that looped to second slip, only to squirm from his grasp inches above the ground.Lakmal was the unlucky bowler on that occasion and figures of 7-4-9-0 were scant reward for a spell of controlled away swing. Pradeep had no such complaints, however. In humid conditions and with the pitch having seemingly quickened up overnight, he proceeded to rip through South Africa’s middle order.Du Plessis, who had been worked over by several blows to the body, enjoyed a let-off on 1 but was taken at the second time of asking by Mendis when Pradeep had him fending at a back-of-a-length delivery. Two balls later, Temba Bavuma reached for an ill-advised drive only to see Silva snap up a sharp, overhead chance at third slip, extending a poor series for South Africa’s No. 6.There was more to come, too, as Pradeep feasted on the Bullring’s famed pace and bounce. Amla was squared up by a beauty and Chandimal threw himself bodily to his right to cling on one-handed in front of slip; then Philander, having successfully reviewed a caught-behind off Kumara when his glove came off the handle, was removed by an absolute snorter that leapt from a length to take his thumb before settling in Chandimal’s gauntlets once again.De Kock and Wayne Parnell chanced their arm to good effect in adding 46 for the ninth wicket to stave off a complete collapse and take South Africa past 400. Pradeep was denied a maiden Test five-for when Karunaratne, the lone slip, could not hold on to diving chance to his left with Parnell on 21 but he was dismissed in the following over when he carved a square drive off Kumara straight to deep point. De Kock then fell in similar fashion two overs later, slicing a cut with only Rabada for company.

Remote, tranquil and alluring, little about the St. Xavier’s College Ground in Thumba is reminiscent of the archetypal cricket stadium. Away from the hubhub of the city, the gentle breeze that steadily blows across mitigates the lingering humidity due to the geographic location, with the St. Andrew’s beach to the west of the ground.Jharkhand return to the venue not just with fond memories – Ishan Kishan slammed 273, the highest in Jharkhand’s history in their previous match here – but an unwavering confidence that stems from having made the quarter-finals for the second successive season.Jharkhand’s youngsters have been the flavour of their season, and nothing encapsulated that better than that innings from Kishan. The 18-year-old has grabbed eyeballs not just for his attacking brand of batsmanship, but also for the remarkable consistency with which he has been able to do it. Kishan and Ishank Jaggi have scored over 1200 runs and six centuries, making Jharkhand one of only two teams – Tamil Nadu being the other – to have two batsmen with three or more centuries.At the other end, Odisha would be more relieved than confident heading into the match. A frantic week of uncertainties ended with Odisha qualifying for their first knockouts in a decade courtesy Delhi’s defeat to Saurashtra.Odisha have benefitted immensely from their team firing in unison. Six of their batsmen have scored centuries, and their bowlers too have shared the wickets. Odisha have welcomed Biplab Samantray’s return to form after a drab 2015-16. Samantray was sacked as captain and later left out, but has regained his mojo; his 498 runs to go alongside 11 wickets have served Odisha well.Govinda Poddar, the man who took over from Samantray as leader, has thrived in his new role and hasn’t let it affect his batting. Young Subhranshu Senapati and Sandeep Pattnaik have also impressed in their debut seasons. While opener Pattnaik’s performances have fallen off in the latter half, Senapati’s consistency despite floating a bit in the line-up has lent solidity in the middle order.Odisha’s new-ball combination has come good with Suryakant Pradhan topping their charts with 26 wickets and Basant Mohanty claiming 17. Samantray has performed the supporting seamer’s role well, while left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh has also been among the wickets. Jharkhand, on the other hand, have primarily relied on Shahbaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner, and medium pacer Ashish Kumar, although they do hold a slight advantage having already played a match here.Jharkhand are through to the knockouts for the second time running•KCA/Ranjith Peralam

Run-fest, the norm. Will it be different this time around?The ground has faced its share of criticism despite its short history. Sunil Joshi, the Assam coach, had expressed disappointment at the run-up areas that were too sandy and the dressing rooms where repair works were underway during their match against Vidarbha. Jharkhand too had some complaints.”I found the dressing room too small. There is no air conditioner, and in this heat, if you field for two and a half hours, what do you do?” Saurabh Tiwary, the captain, said. “In the last match we played, when we used to come back after fielding, we used to get our lunch and sit outside in the tent. This time, too, we will do the same. You will see it.”The dressing room works have been completed now. But with two new grounds coming up around the city, this venue is soon set to be used only for junior cricket, meaning the change room facilities are only temporary arrangements.The presence of sand, which can still be seen abundantly on the peripheries of the stadium, is a result of the ground’s topography. But on the flip side, it makes the outfield quick and soft, minimising the risk of injury.The last time a match was played here, between Delhi and Jharkhand in November, 1307 runs were scored across four days – the third-highest aggregate of the season. That game was played on a red soil surface, while Thursday’s clash happens on a clay surface. Nonetheless, it’s expected to be another high-scoring match, although spinners will find a lot of assistance and the pitch could start crumbling as early as on the second day.”The pitch for the first game (against Delhi), we knew that it was fully flat. But this one is entirely different,” Tiwary said. “For around eight feet on either side, there has been no rolling or watering. I reckon it should start spinning on the second or the third day.”While the result of this match will make no difference to the qualification scenario with both teams already through, there is still plenty to look forward to. Odisha, despite having qualified, have only two outright wins, and another one here will set things up nicely heading into the knockouts of what has been a huge season for them. For Jharkhand, this will be an opportunity to top the group.

Mumbai bowled out Uttar Pradesh for 225 to pick up a slender first-innings lead and end the second day 59 runs ahead in Mysore.A double-strike by Tushar Deshpande (3 for 66) in the 16th over reduced UP to 45 for 4, after Shardul Thakur had removed overnight batsman Saurabh Kumar in the first over of the day. Rinku Singh, playing only his second Ranji game, scored his second fifty, but found little support from the other end till Kuldeep Yadav (50) put on 53 with him for the eighth wicket. He was dismissed for 70 by debutant Aditya Dhumal, with the score on 170 and UP still 63 behind.Kuldeep put on 46 for the ninth wicket with Imtiaz Ahmed (19) to bring UP close, but fell to Abhishek Nayar (2 for 19) after reaching his fifty, with UP nine short of the first-innings lead.Mumbai were 51 for 2 at stumps, having lost Kaustubh Pawar for 29, and Dhumal, who came in as nightwatchman for Shreyas Iyer.Saurabh Wakaskar’s 104 helped Railways take a 127-run first-innings lead against Baroda in Nagpur.Railways began the day on 39 for 0, after Avinash Yadav’s five-wicket haul had reduced Baroda to 183 on the first day. Wakaskar and Shivakant Shukla (51) added a further 54 to that score, before Yusuf Pathan dismissed Shukla. Only three other batsmen got to double figures, and there were no other significant partnership in the innings, even as Wakaskar brought up his seventh first-class hundred and took Railways past Baroda’s score.Medium-pacer Atit Sheth’s struck regularly to finish with 4 for 54. But Mahesh Rawat’s 79-ball 72 stretched Railways’ lead to 127 before he was the last man out with the score on 310.Baroda were 27 for no loss at stumps.Axar Patel and Rush Kalaria took two wickets each as Gujarat reduced Madhya Pradesh to 162 for 5 after putting on 302 in the first innings at the Reliance Cricket Stadium in Nagothane.Gujarat had begun the day on 224 for 4, but were reduced to 225 for 6 within the third over. Medium-pacer Gaurav Yadav (3-57) took both those wickets, before removing Karan Patel shortly after to leave Gujarat reeling at 243 for 7. But overnight batsman Manpreet Juneja (79) put on 47 with Kalaria (28) to stretch the score past 300. Chandrakant Sakure took the last three wickets to finish with 4 for 65.In MP’s response, Rajat Patidar put on a 47-run second-wicket stand with Rameez Khan (13), and 74 for the third wicket with Naman Ojha (28) after losing his opening partner Aditya Shrivastava in the third over. Patidar scored 71 before Jasprit Bumrah removed him late in the day. Kalaria then removed Harpreet Singh Bhatia as MP ended the day five-down. Devendra Bundela (16*) and Shubham Sharma (4*) were at the crease.Sudip Chatterjee’s 100 took Bengal to 337 against Tamil Nadu in Rajkot.Bengal scored at the same rate as on the opening day – just above two an over. They added 147 in 64 overs to their overnight score of 190 for 3.Overnight batsman Agniv Pan fell in the fifth over of the day for 59. Sudip Chatterjee, who had retired hurt on 34 on the first day, returned to join Shreevats Goswami (35) and the pair put on 44 for the sixth wicket, before Goswami was removed by medium-pacer K Vignesh. Chatterjee then batted with the lower order to stretch the score to 337 and bring up his first century of the season, after scoring fifties in the first innings of each of the previous three matches he played. He was dismissed by K Vignesh, who finished with 4 for 70.Tamil Nadu lost Washington Sundar in the first over of their response, but Abhinav Mukund (19*) and Kaushik Gandhi (25*) took them to stumps without further damage, as Tamil Nadu ended on 60 for 1.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNazmul Hossain Shanto struck four boundaries in his 40-ball 41•BCB

Comilla Victorians ended a string of five successive losses with a 32-run victory over Rajshahi Kings. The defending champions scored their highest total while batting first in this season, to give their bowlers enough of a cushion to bowl in a match that took more than four hours to finish.Sohail Tanvir’s four-wicket haul paved the way for Comilla’s successful defence as Mashrafe Mortaza relied heavily on pace bowlers because of dew on the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium outfield.Rajshahi’s 153-run chase was derailed as early as the fifth over when Tanvir removed Junaid Siddique and Sabbir Rahman off successive deliveries. Mohammad Saifuddin then removed Umar Akmal and Nurul Hasan, while Mominul Haque battled to time the ball at the other end.Mominul started off with a six over long-on, the first of the match, before hitting four boundaries until the end of the ninth over. His fifth four brought up his half-century in a chaotic 11-ball over from Ryan ten Doeschate that cost 19 runs. Mominul fell at the end of that over, having made 53 off 43 balls.Khalid Latif ran out Sammy off the next ball, and Rajshahi were left panicking without their main hitter. When Mashrafe Mortaza bowled Samit Patel in the 17th over, Comilla finally began to smell a win.Tanvir completed his four-wicket haul with two dismissals in the 18th over before Saifuddin finished off the game with a yorker.Earlier Nazmul Hossain Shanto top-scored for Comilla with 41 off 40 balls, a knock that included four foursImrul Kayes’ 25-ball 34 looked promising as he was timing the ball better, but a direct hit from substitute fielder Nazmul Islam had him inches short of the crease in the 15th over.Comilla struck only two fours in the last five overs, despite the fact that Rajshahi were not at their best with the ball, giving away extras. However, Rajshahi did prevent Comilla from hitting a single six in the innings, only the fourth such occasion in the BPL.

Alastair Cook has expressed his “frustration” with the umpires’ treatment of Ben Stokes during the second Test in Mirpur.Stokes, the England allrounder, was fined 15 percent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur.The incident happened during the morning session on Sunday when Stokes ignored the on-field umpires’ requests to stop “verbally engaging” with Bangladesh batsman Sabbir Rahman. The on-field umpires – Kumar Dharmasena and S Ravi – had also advised England captain Cook of Stokes’ actions but, in the words of the ICC media release, “the player didn’t comply with the instructions”.Sabbir and Stokes were involved in a heated passage of play, with Sabbir taking the attack to Stokes’ bowling and Stokes beating his bat on a couple of occasions. Each time, Stokes treated the unflustered Sabbir to a piece of his mind.As a result, Stokes was found to have violated Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”.In addition to the sanction imposed for his breach of Article 2.1.1, one demerit point has been added to Stokes’ disciplinary record. If Stokes reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they will be converted into suspension points and he will be banned. Two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player.Stokes admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. As such, there was no need for a formal hearing.All level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official warning, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.But Cook, the England captain, suggested the umpires had involved themselves “too quickly” and felt Stokes and Sabbir had contested a compelling passage of play.”I do find it a little bit frustrating,” Cook said. “Both Sabbir and Stokesy are very competitive cricketers. To me, people love it. That’s what people watch.”Sometimes I believe the umpires can get involved too quickly, and then it blows up even more. When umpires get involved it can drag it out and brings more theatre to it than you need.”

West Indies T20I captain Carlos Brathwaite has urged newcomers Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran to play their natural game ahead of the three-match T20I series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.Both Powell and Pooran had promising performances in CPL 2016. Powell, the 23-year old batsman from Jamaica, scored 228 runs in 13 matches for Tallawahs. Pooran, the 20-year old wicketkeeper-batsman from Trinidad, played for the Barbados Tridents and belted 217 runs in 10 matches at 27.12 and a strike rate of 197.27. Pooran also effected eight dismissals behind the stumps.”Go there, express yourselves, continue to be exciting and eventually win games for the West Indies. It’s a big task to represent the West Indies, and away from home is probably a little easier because you don’t have family in the stands with that extra pressure,” Brathwaite advised. “You’re just surrounded by your team-mates and it’s a good team to be in at the moment, so it’s just about going there and continuing to do the things that they did to get themselves here and do it for longer periods – it’s a higher stage, more pressure, but I’m sure they can continue with it and do well.”Brathwaite also credited the selectors for ensuring that youngsters got the best exposure possible. “The selectors were very big in ensuring that some young players are blooded and rubbed shoulders with some of the best T20 players in the world so we can continue our legacy of being dominant in this format, and those were two of the guys who fit the bill at this point in time,” he said.West Indies were in Dubai earlier this year when they held a preparatory camp ahead of the 2016 World T20, which they went on to win, so while they might know a bit about what to expect from the surfaces, Brathwaite acknowledged that the weather at this time of the year was a lot harsher.”It wasn’t as hot early in the year, but, apparently, we’re smack dab in the middle of their summer, so it can get very, very hot,” he said. “It’s for the players to prepare well, manage themselves well off the field, rehydration-wise, get enough rest, and each and every one of us is a professional and we know what our body needs to be an optimal thing to perform, so it’s just about us doing things we do off the field, planning well, preparing well, and evidently performing well when the games come.”The first T20I will take place in Dubai on September 23. The T20Is will be followed by a three-match ODI series, before the tour concludes with three Tests. This is the first series for West Indies after the WICB sacked coach Phil Simmons earlier this week. The team will be under the supervision of former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner for this tour, along with assistant coaches Henderson Springer and Roddy Estwick.

R Ashwin has a career strike rate of 55.35 with the bat. But in his first three innings at No. 6, he has scored his runs at 40.90. Speaking to the media after scoring his second hundred of those three innings, and becoming only the fourth allrounder ever to score two hundreds and take two five-wicket hauls in the same Test series, Ashwin said his promotion up the order had induced a conscious change of approach with the bat.”It’s difficult to try and think too far ahead [at No. 6],” Ashwin said. “That’s easily possible if you are batting at No. 7 or 8, which has happened to me before when I have batted at No. 8. When I have batted at No. 8, you think like a bowler at times and want to get a few extra runs. So I used to play a few more shots.”Thankfully I had a very good preparation one month before the series. I batted quite a lot and devised a gameplan if and when I got a chance to bat at No. 6. The idea was to knock as many balls as possible. My goal is very simple. If I get a good start, if I get to 20 runs then I’m going to capitalise on it. Then I’m going to play percentage cricket. It’s all about trying to play the percentages and trying to string together a partnership and not look too far ahead in the game.”One thing I try to do is to bat sessions. There have been times when I’ve scored hundreds in two sessions or less than two sessions. This is kind of different, but I do enjoy it. It’s time-consuming and concentration-consuming but it’s enjoyable.”Ashwin came in to bat at 87 for 4, and was joined by Wriddhiman Saha at 126 for 5. They added 213 for the sixth wicket, allowing India to post a first-innings total of 353. Ashwin said his 118, which lasted 297 balls and was his longest Test innings – could prove a “series-defining” effort.”It is indeed,” he said, when asked if he considered it a special hundred. “I mean if we look at the scenario in hindsight later on, this could very well be a series-defining knock because we were in some trouble yesterday and there was every chance that we could be skittled out and also I thought it needed a bit of application.”It was not like making a hundred back home or anywhere in the world. I’m sure about that because it was definitely not a wicket where you could just plonk your front foot and play through the line. It was a hard-fought day yesterday and it was no different today. We just hope we can capitalise on the rearguard action later tomorrow.”Given West Indies’ bowling discipline, a bit of help from the surface, and a slow outfield, Ashwin only hit six fours and a six in his innings. While Saha played his shots after negotiating the first hour of the morning session, he too went through periods of almost pure defence. Ashwin said it had been “very difficult to score” at times.”When we got together we were in quite a bit of trouble and it was one of the wickets, I don’t know whether it’s improving any bit, where you are not in at any time,” he said. “There was a good chance that you might be nicked off or you might get a good ball any time. It was very difficult to score.”So we went and bit the bullet quite hard and wanted to just stick in there even if the runs weren’t quite coming. Obviously, the results came later on. It was a good partnership and both enjoyed each other’s company to be very honest.”Having batted with Saha in the past and watched him in first-class cricket, Ashwin knew what to expect from him.”I think we’ve batted a few times in the past,” he said. “Even [in Sydney] we put together a gritty partnership. The thing with Saha is he puts a price on his wicket and he’s a damn good player of spinners. He can tonk the ball, that I know from having played first-class cricket with him.”I know Saha pretty well and the communication was sticking around rather than look for avenues to score. It was just that even if we played a couple of maiden overs, we wanted to tell each other that we need to keep going and it was not about the maiden overs they keep bowling.”During the partnership, Ashwin said he and Saha had also picked up clues that might help India’s bowlers later on.”When Saha and me were batting, we were communicating about which way the ball was swinging, what the bowler was trying to do. There was a lot of help when the bowlers bowled cross-seam, and we’ve communicated to the bowlers and we hope they will find their rhythm tomorrow as well.”West Indies began strongly in their reply, ending the second day 107 for 1, with Kraigg Brathwaite batting on 53. Ashwin said India would need to stay patient and try to capitalise whenever a new batsman was at the crease.”Long partnerships came in, one breakthrough and somebody gets into a spell. That’s what we’re looking at. If and when a couple of wickets fall, we can squeeze and jam them in.”The thing is that [West Indies] did get some momentum, I believe, from the Jamaica Test, but that’s how Test cricket is like. We didn’t come over here thinking or expecting to roll them over. They’re also a Test team, and in their home conditions, it’s going to be hard and we expected it.”

Seam bowler Nuwan Pradeep has become the latest Sri Lanka bowler to sustain an injury, putting him in serious doubt for the Galle Test match. Pradeep had been Sri Lanka’s only frontline quick in the Pallekele Test, but suffered a hamstring strain during training on Monday. He will undergo a fitness Test on Wednesday before a final decision on his availability is made for the Test starting on Thursday.At least one of the two uncapped seamers in Sri Lanka’s squad are now in line for a debut, with Suranga Lakmal also yet to make a full recovery from a hamstring strain. Left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando is the more experienced of the two candidates, having played 44 first-class matches to 19-year-old Asitha Fernando’s two games. With the Galle surface expected to take significant turn, it appears likely Sri Lanka will field three frontline spinners in their attack again.Though Pradeep now joins an injury list featuring Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay and Lakmal, Pradeep had played nine consecutive Tests, going back 11 months. He had also played in ODIs during that time.If he is ruled out, Rangana Herath will be the only man in Sri Lanka’s likely attack to have played more than 10 Tests. Offspinner Dilruwan Perera has played exactly 10, and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan made his debut in the previous Test.

ScorecardDaniel Bell-Drummond continued his good form after returning from Lions duty•Getty Images

Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly set Kent on their way to a five-wicket win over Hampshire in the Royal London Cup to boost their quarter-final hopes. Matt Coles took six wickets and Kent survived a collapse with the target in sight to come away victorious.Former England batsman Denly continued his impressive recent form with a chanceless century, his sixth in the format. Bell-Drummond helped add 203 for the first wicket, a club record against Hampshire, and notched his highest score for Kent with an exciting 91.The pair looked unstoppable and on course for a ten-wicket annihilation but three wickets in seven balls halted the charge.Bell-Drummond, who survived a caught behind appeal early on, was the first to finally depart when he picked out Tom Alsop on the boundary rope. Four balls later Brad Wheal, on his Hampshire 50-over debut, took his second, getting Denly looping one up to Sean Ervine.Skipper Sam Northeast was then lbw to Ryan McLaren and Darren Stevens was well caught by Mason Crane, Wheal with a third to send a panic through Kent.A collapse was in motion when Sam Billings pulled tamely to Gareth Berg to put Wheal on a hat-trick but Alex Blake and Will Gidman steered the away side out the storm and to victory with 39 balls to spare.Earlier Hampshire were stuck in, and despite a solid 38-run stand to kick-start the innings, they haemorrhaged wickets regularly. Tom Alsop was the first man to depart as he tickled a delivery outside off stump to be caught behind and he was quickly followed back by opening partner Will Smith who dragged on.Captain Ervine added a stodgy 21 before attempting to ramp over his shoulder but was caught at extra cover.Adam Wheater gave the hosts hope with a nicely crafted half-century, from 56 deliveries, during a useful 61 run partnership with Liam Dawson. But in the 31st over both departed in exactly the same way, Coles grabbing his first with Wheater hooking to Blake. And Blake was again the catcher when Dawson fell into the same trap three balls later.From then on it was the Coles show on his former home ground as he yorked Lewis McManus and had Gareth Berg slashing away from his body.Coles had his fifth when Gareth Andrew chipped to extra cover, and with his final delivery pulled off a remarkable reaction caught and bowled to see off Ryan McLaren, who had quietly scored 43. It was the second time Coles had taken six wickets in a List A fixture, finishing this time with 6 for 56.Wheal was the last to depart, mind boggled by a slower ball, to give Hampshire a below-par total of 229, which never looked enough once Denly and Bell-Drummond got going.

Match facts

Saturday, June 18
Start time 10.45 local (0945 GMT)

Big picture

Two months ago in Dublin, Cricket Ireland unveiled an ambitious scheme in which it sought to rid the game of its elitist perception and become, by 2020, a mainstream sport to rank alongside the Emerald Isle’s big three: rugby, football and GAA.Nobody expects it to be an overnight process, least of all coming at a time – ten years on from their maiden ODI – when many of the players who have carried the side so far, so quickly, are coming to the end of their careers.But Thursday’s first match against Sri Lanka was a dispiriting setback nonetheless, as a calm century from Dinesh Chandimal and another remarkable international format debut from Dasun Shanaka proved sufficient to overwhelm a host nation whose hopes faded with the dismissal of their captain William Porterfield, for 73, and then collapsed in an undignified heap with their last six wickets tumbling for 18 runs.A further reminder of cricket’s second-tier status will be on parade during the second ODI – albeit one that would cause palpitations for any county ground hosting England for a major match. The Republic of Ireland’s campaign in Euro 2016 will reach a critical juncture during the early stages of the second innings, when they kick off against Belgium in Bordeaux.To their credit, the organisers at Malahide have taken that contest in their stride, with decent advance sales of 2000 tickets, allied to a relaxed gate policy that will make it easy for spectators to come and go when the conflicting priorities kick in.But for the sake of their ambitions at the start of the busiest home season in their history, Ireland need an improved performance against Sri Lanka, having now had a good sighter of both the conditions and a set of opponents whose early tour angst in the Test series against England is now a distant memory.

Form guide

Ireland: LWLLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WLWLL

In the spotlight

Dasun Shanaka was underestimated by England when he wobbled through their top order in the first Test at Headingley last month, and he produced a similar display of canny seam and swing to dismember Ireland’s lower-middle order in the opening fixture. Only 12 bowlers in ODI history have taken five wickets on debut, and few of them will have clobbered 42 runs from 19 balls as an . It’s been an impressive arrival.Barry McCarthy had a debut to remember as well. He needed just two deliveries to claim the first wicket of his international career, when Danushka Gunathilaka edged his burly seam to slip. As a 20-year-old net bowler in 2013, a sharp spell in the Malahide nets ahead of England’s fixture in September caught the eye of Ben Stokes, who then recommended McCarthy for a trial at Durham. He went on to become the first Irishman since the 19th Century to play county cricket before making an international appearance.

Team news

With McCarthy seemingly having earned a follow-up appearance, Max Sorensen could be the seamer to make way if Andy McBrine’s offspin is deemed worthy of an outing.Ireland (possible): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 John Anderson, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Stuart Poynter, 7 Gary Wilson (wk), 8 Andy McBrine, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Tim Murtagh, 11 Boyd RankinSri Lanka’s batting line-up for the opening match featured the improbable sight of Upul Tharanga coming in at No. 8, an indication of how many options and alternatives their line-up possesses. Kusal Perera, restored to the top of the order after his successful return during the Test series, offers an explosive point of difference.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne/Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Upul Tharanga/Farveez Maharoof, 8 Seekkuge Prasanna, 9 Suraj Randiv, 10 Shaminda Eranga, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

Despite rain in the air, not to mention Northern Ireland’s stunning Euro 2016 victory over Ukraine which provided an alternative focus for the crowd, Thursday’s first ODI produced more than 500 runs across 90.4 overs, which would have been more but for Ireland’s alarming collapse. Sri Lanka proved there are runs on offer, but both sides’ seamers enjoyed the assistance on offer from the surface.

Stats and trivia

• Ireland have yet to beat Sri Lanka in five ODI encounters, with three losses and two abandonments.
• Ireland have never yet won an ODI in Dublin against a Full Member nation. Their best result in nine previous matches was a tie with Pakistan at Clontarf in 2013.

Quotes

“We need to put a couple of things right that we didn’t do, a couple of more partnerships with the bat, and even myself or Kevin [O’Brien] or the lads that get in, kicking on a little bit more and getting that score that’s going to take us up to close to a winning score.”