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William Somerville and Ajaz Patel took three wickets each to help bowl Pakistan out for 156 and seal the series 2-1

The Report by Danyal Rasool07-Dec-2018For all the excuses Pakistan and their support staff come up with, for all the platitudes of disappointment and frustration that will be bandied around in press conferences, no one could justify what has taken place over the past couple of days. Mickey Arthur said after the first Test here in Abu Dhabi that Pakistan cricket had the ability to move on, and it looks like they’ve moved on without learning a single thing from it.A remarkable turnaround from New Zealand produced a result that is more a heist than a series win. After the smash-and-grab in Abu Dhabi in the first Test, New Zealand repeated the formula in the decider, skittling out a listless, spineless Pakistan for 156. For several teams, it would be a match that stood out for years, the poster child for the need to learn lessons. For Pakistan, it won’t even be the most dramatic implosion of this three-Test series, which they relinquished 2-1 to the visitors. It is the second series loss in last three for Pakistan at their adopted home, after going unbeaten here for almost a decade.Where there was class from New Zealand on the fourth day, there was complacency from Pakistan on the third and a capitulation on the fifth. Having blown their chance to bat New Zealand out of the game, they lacked the powers of concentration to see out 80 overs on the final day. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls’ partnership alone had spent 24 more overs out in the middle than the entire Pakistan lineup on a fifth day that could not have gone better for Williamson if he had demanded it at a wishing well.Ajaz Patel and William Somerville took three wickets each, with Somerville enjoying a brilliant debut. He can take satisfaction in being the architect of the comeback on the third day after a somewhat toothless start to his bowling career. On day five, however, he looked a completely different bowler, with confidence shimmering in all aspects of his game, tossing the ball up and beating the Pakistan batsmen in the flight. His seven wickets were the fourth-best figures by a New Zealand player on debut, and the glisten in the eyes told of how much it meant to the 34-year-old who had perhaps wondered if such a moment would ever be his.Sarfraz Ahmed and Babar Azam took some control during the middle stages, but nothing short of a wicketless session would do for the hosts. While Sarfraz played in the mould of the player he used to be before becoming captain, he seemed to have found a way to survive in the middle. One wonders why he has lost the confidence to play that way more often, because as things stand, his contributions have rarely amounted to something that advances his side’s cause. Babar’s half-century was a bright spot in a dispiriting series for Pakistan, and a reminder he will have to carry an increasing burden over the weeks and months to come, most immediately in the series in South Africa later this month. When he fell looking to go over the top, Pakistan just had Nos. 10 and 11 at the crease, and the end was inevitable.Getty Images

A chase of 280 had begun with Mohammad Hafeez dropped off the first ball he faced, allowing him to avoid a pair in his final Test. He was castled soon after by a dream of a ball from Tim Southee, pitching on middle and off and shaping away to clip the top of the off stump. Hafeez’s batting career had ended with a moment of cricketing brilliance. Just a shame it didn’t come from him.Any thoughts Pakistan might have had of chasing down New Zealand’s total – and they do seem laughably naïve now – were extinguished soon after, when Azhar Ali edged behind off Colin de Grandhomme. That slowed them down, but the worst was yet to come.Somerville then got rid of Haris Sohail and Asad Shafiq off consecutive balls, blowing away realistic hopes of Pakistan salvaging a draw.
The day had started with New Zealand letting their hair down. In a wildly entertaining mini-session, Nicholls took charge with his unbeaten 126, and with assistance from de Grandhomme and Southee, New Zealand walloped 81 runs in nine overs. It was a final show of dominance from the visitors before they put Pakistan in to bat, a swift lashing to add to the bruises they had inflicted yesterday. Within a day, the situation was flipped completely, and with Pakistan set 280 in 79 overs, a win for the hosts looked impossible.Williamson’s dismissal off the first ball of the day failed to scare the visitors into conservatism, and two fours in the same over sent across that message. Another ten runs off the next, in which Nicholls moved to 99, made it clear that a quick declaration was on the cards. Nicholls’ third Test hundred – his first outside New Zealand – came in the next over, and after that, he too cut loose. The short balls from the fast bowlers were most mercilessly put away, while at the other end de Grandhomme, looking a much freer player, smashed Shaheen Afridi and Yasir Shah for sixes. Yasir removed de Grandhomme and BJ Watling off successive deliveries in response, but even Southee couldn’t be contained here.Pakistan could manage none of the commitment, quality, mental strength or dynamism of the visitors in just about every single moment that mattered across both Tests in Abu Dhabi. It seems a shocking claim, but in truth, they should have walked away with a 3-0 win. Instead, they ceded this series to a side that refused to believe it was beaten against one that, worryingly, looks like it has forgotten how to win.

The second and third 50-over matches between India A and New Zealand A will now be held on October 10 and 11 in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2017The second and third matches of the unofficial ODI series between India A and New Zealand A has been postponed due to rain in Visakhapatnam. The first match, which was scheduled for Friday, October 6, was abandoned without a ball bowled.The second and third matches, originally scheduled for October 8 and 10, will now be held on October 10 and 11. The fourth and fifth matches will go on as scheduled, on October 13 and 15.There were no reserve days planned for the series originally, but the matches have been rescheduled to comply with a request from the New Zealand A management, who wanted their players to have some game time, with six among their squad set to be named in the senior New Zealand team that is touring India for three ODIs and three T20Is, starting October 22.

Andrew McDonald, the former Australia allrounder, has been confirmed as the new coach of the Melbourne Renegades

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2016Andrew McDonald, the former Australia allrounder, has been confirmed as the new coach of the Melbourne Renegades. McDonald has impressed as coach of Leicestershire over the past two seasons and has been linked with the job of Victoria coach, which like the Renegades position has been vacated by Australia’s new assistant coach David Saker.”I’m delighted to have been appointed head doach at the Melbourne Renegades and it’s a role I’m very much looking forward to,” McDonald said. “The Big Bash League is extremely competitive and you do need some luck in this league but you create that as well. The smarter we play as a team and the more pressure we can put on our opposition, the more we’ll find ourselves in winning positions.”McDonald, who played four Tests for Australia during 2009, began his BBL career with the Renegades before moving to the Sydney Thunder. He played one game for the Thunder last summer but at 35, coaching appears to be the future for McDonald.”We had a good field of people who were very interested in this role and we’re really pleased Andrew has agreed to come back to the Melbourne Renegades as our next coach,” Stuart Coventry, the Renegades CEO, said.”Andrew has a wide breadth of experience playing for Australia and from a T20 perspective in the Indian Premier League, the BBL and now in his coaching role at Leicestershire. He obviously knows plenty of the players in our squad so he’ll be a great fit to inspire our team towards a finals appearance this season.”

Rain has now become the dominant aspect of this Test – and the series – with a third successive day completely washed out in Dhaka

The Report by Firdose Moonda02-Aug-2015Play abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Dane Vilas and JP Duminy walk across a wet outfield in Mirpur•AFP

Rain has now become the dominant aspect of this Test – and the series – with a third successive day completely washed out in Dhaka. No play was possible even though the covers were removed and the ground was prepared for a 1pm inspection. An hour before the umpires were due to determine whether it was fit for any action, the heavens opened.The match is still in its first innings and only 88.1 overs have been bowled, all on the first day. Dale Steyn, who became the 13th bowler to 400 Test wickets on the opening day, is yet to complete his 17th over. Given the match situation and the time lost, a drawn game and a shared series seems the only likely scenario.Before the series started, Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes said a draw would be a “big achievement” for the team, considering they are ranked ninth on the Test rankings, while South Africa are on top. Bangladesh may not have wanted to share the spoils in this way.South Africa would also be disappointed with the outcome. These two Tests were the first of 10 they will play in the next seven months and the only long-format fixtures ahead of their high-profile tour of India later this year.

New Zealand allrounder Grant Elliott has been named as a replacement for Corey Anderson, who has sustained a fracture to his left thumb

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2013New Zealand allrounder Grant Elliott has been named as a replacement for Corey Anderson, who has sustained a fracture to his left thumb, for the ODI series against South Africa.Anderson was struck on his hand while bowling during practice. He will be in a cast for the next two weeks, thus ending his chances of making his ODI debut on this tour. Anderson played in all three T20s against South Africa last month, scoring 17 runs in two innings and failing to take a wicket.Elliott, who grew up in Johannesburg, has played five Tests, 37 ODIs and a single T20 for New Zealand but hasn’t featured in an international game since December 2010. He has scored four fifties and a century in his ODI career. He has played only once before against South Africa, in the 2009 Champions Trophy.New Zealand will play three ODIs against South Africa, between January 19 and 25.

Netherlands cricket has received a major boost after securing a four-year sponsorship deal with the major Dutch bank ABN AMBRO

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2012Netherlands cricket has received a major boost after securing a four-year sponsorship deal with the major Dutch bank ABN AMBRO. It will allow them to pump more money into central contracts as they build towards the 2015 World Cup.As with other Associate nations, Netherlands’ players have to balance their cricket careers with full-time jobs to ensure they can make a living. Some of their leading stars, like Ryan ten Doeschate and Alexei Kervezee, play county cricket – where Netherlands compete in the CB40 competition – while Tom Cooper has reached as far as the Australia A setup. Currently three players have contracts with the Netherlands board but they now expect that to increase.”We are delighted to be able to secure this deal, which also provides us with a two-fold opportunity,” Richard Cox, the Netherlands chief-executive, said. “Firstly we will be able to offer considerably more full-time playing contracts to our players and effectively turn professional for the foreseeable four years and beyond. Secondly we will be able to offer a career-path for our best young cricketers from our development programmes in to the national team. This is a sea-change for the future of Dutch cricket and is the fruit of many months of work by team manager Ed van Nierop and the KNCB.”Netherlands took part in last year’s World Cup but did not manage to win any of their group matches, although they gave England a tough outing when ten Doeschate struck 119 in Nagpur. In March they will be one of 16 teams taking part in the World Twenty20 qualifiers in Dubai, from which two sides will qualify for the main event in Sri Lanka. Their attention will then turn to preparing for the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, in 2015.

Ian Bell carried his sparkling Test form into the one-day arena with an elegant, unbeaten 102-ball 124 to guide England to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against the Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval

Andrew McGlashan at Manuka Oval09-Jan-2011
ScorecardIan Bell finished unbeaten on 124•Getty Images

Ian Bell carried his sparkling Test form into the one-day arena with an elegant, unbeaten 102-ball 124 to guide England to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against the Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval. Bell’s innings made light work of an adjusted target as he added 82 with Steven Davies and 98 with Jonathan Trott before the team made a hasty trip to the airport for their flight to Adelaide.The Prime Minister’s XI total was built around brisk fifties from the captain Tim Paine and Daniel Christian before a late flourish from Brett Lee. Michael Yardy was the pick of England’s bowlers with 3 for 33, but while the visitors had rested their frontline quicks after the Test series they played a strong batting line-up and even needing more than a run-a-ball didn’t stretch them.Bell hasn’t been part of England’s Twenty20 set-up since 2008, but in his current form could push Michael Lumb for an opening berth against Australia in the absence of Craig Kieswetter. He is also trying to ensure he retains his place in the 50-over line-up with competition for places in England’s top order. Bell reached his hundred from 89 balls with ten boundaries and cleared the ropes with a straight drive as victory approached.However, as good as he was, he was fed some filth by the PM XI’s attack. Trent Copeland and James Pattinson, two young bowlers tipped for Test honours, struggled to tie the batsmen down while Christian, bought for US$900,000 at the IPL auction, was taken for ten-an-over. The fielding was also poor with Davies offered two lives during his 23 – on 2 and 20 – and Bell was put down at midwicket on 71 by Callum Ferguson.England scored at more than seven-an-over early in the chase as Copeland repeatedly dropped short and Lee also failed to make an impression despite showing decent pace. Xavier Doherty eventually broke the opening stand when Davies drove to cover but the early charge had put England well ahead of the rate when rain arrived to cut the chase from 44 to 35 overs. It made things a little tougher, at least on paper, but Bell was in serene touch and did as he pleased.Trott, who could be in a straight fight with Bell for a one-day berth, was equally comfortable as he switch from Test to one-day mode. Shortly after the rain break he collected consecutive boundaries off Pattinson to get his innings going. Christian bowled consecutive no-balls as the PM XI’s showed poor discipline. Doherty had Trott caught behind and Kevin Pietersen (13) missed a straight ball from Lee with four, but they were minor blips.The PM XI’s innings was a mixed affair with some attractive strokeplay but England managed to pull them back after a swift opening stand following a delayed start. Having playing little cricket in recent weeks, Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Woakes were rusty with the new ball as Paine and Usman Khawaja (22) added 75 with Paine taking 14 off one Woakes over.Spin was introduced for the 11th over in the shape of James Tredwell and he provided the breakthrough in his second over when he held a sharp caught-and-bowled from a thumping Khawaja drive. Paine went to a 55-ball half century but fell three balls later when he played back to Yardy’s left-arm darts and was lbw.Yardy proved especially difficult to score off as he went for just eight in his first four overs and collected a second wicket when Alex Keath, the Victoria batsman who turned down an AFL contract in favour of cricket, was also trapped on the back foot. The innings was steadied as Ferguson and Christian added 59 for the fourth, but a short shower interrupted their momentum and on the resumption Ferguson lost his leg stump when he backed away against Shahzad.Yardy then claimed his third when Tom Thornton, an ACT batsman, popped a regulation leading edge back to the bowler and Woakes took his first wicket in England colours courtesy of a fine catch at midwicket by Paul Collingwood to remove Sam Miller. Christian went to a 51-ball half-century with a thumping straight drive off Shahzad but couldn’t remain to finish off the innings when he tried a scoop over short fine-leg and was taken by Pietersen.Lee and Doherty added 35 to give the innings a late boost, but with a view to gaining some meaningful practice ahead of the one-day matches England probably didn’t mind a tougher run chase and they made it look so easy.

Australia produced a commanding all-round performance to take a 2-0 lead with a 140-run demolition of Pakistan at the SCG

The Bulletin by Peter English24-Jan-2010Australia 6 for 267 (Watson 69, White 55, Aamer 3-53) beat Pakistan 127 (Yousuf 58, McKay 3-15) by 140 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Cameron White scored 55 and took two catches as Pakistan were over-run at the SCG•Getty Images

Australia produced a commanding all-round performance to take a 2-0 lead with a 140-run demolition of Pakistan at the SCG. After being led by Shane Watson and Cameron White in their 6 for 267, the hosts delivered a stinging bowling display to knock over the tourists for 127 in 37.3 overs.Pakistan lost their first five wickets for 42 in an awful opening and the result added further to the troubles of the captain Mohammad Yousuf, who is being replaced after the series. Yousuf had mistakenly chosen to bowl first in the hope of getting an advantage from the overcast conditions in the afternoon, but all the support came for the fast men as the sun started to go down. The ball seamed and bounced dangerously for Doug Bollinger, Peter Siddle and Clint McKay and the tourists could not cope.Salman Butt (2) went in the fifth over nicking a shorter one from Bollinger and was taken at second slip by White. Three balls later the combination repeated the dismissal, dropping Pakistan to 2 for 7, when White dived to his left to catch the edge of Younis Khan.Kamran Akmal was soon run out for 16 after chasing a quick single, having been sent back eventually by Yousuf and then beaten by McKay’s direct hit in his follow through. Akmal’s brother Umar joined him in the dressing room two deliveries later after his off stump was clipped by Siddle.The hosts would not allow a recovery and lost their fifth man when Ricky Ponting leaped to his left at point for the superb one-handed take of Shoaib Malik (2). Yousuf was watching all the damage from the other end but was ultimately helpless, although he struck a strong six to long-on off Watson and was committed in his 58 off 94.Rana Naved-ul-Hasan kept him company for an explosive 27 before being stumped off Nathan Hauritz, who caught Yousuf at short fine leg. There were few highlights for Pakistan on a night dominated by the hosts. Bollinger had 2 for 19 off nine, Siddle and McKay (3 for 15) also gave up less than three runs an over, and Hauritz collected 2 for 45.Australia were challenged in Brisbane on Friday but they controlled most of match from the moment Watson struck the opening ball for four through point. While Watson lit up the innings with 69 off 71 balls and dominated a 100-run stand in 19.5 overs with Shaun Marsh, the chances of a massive total were upset by the frugal Afridi. In the end it didn’t matter.Afridi removed both openers and it was difficult for the hosts to increase the pace until White led the final thrust. White followed his century at the Gabba with 55 off 58 and benefited from delaying the batting Powerplay until the last five overs.White belted a six and a four in an over from Naved-ul-Hasan and scrambled to the finish, bringing up his fifty with a drive over point. He departed on the fourth-last ball – the wicket went to Mohammad Aamer, who returned 3 for 53 – and Brad Haddin helped out with an unbeaten 27 off 14.Afridi was central in regaining control for Pakistan after the opening burst and gave up only 35 from 10, including a crucial eight-over spell of 2 for 25 after coming on in the bowling Powerplay. He picked up Watson and Marsh while Saeed Ajmal and Malik were also tight, going at slightly more than four an over.Watson muscled nine boundaries and a six off Naved-ul-Hasan that landed not far from the dressing room at midwicket. After five overs he was 34 off 22 – Australia were soon speeding at 65 off 10 – and brought up his fifty from 42 deliveries before accepting a standing ovation.Yousuf called for the bowling Powerplay as soon as possible and Watson was held back by the spin as Afridi arrived. Afridi struck when Watson tried for another clearance and was well taken by Malik at deep midwicket.Marsh (41) also fell to Afridi when he attempted to hit to the leg side and got a leading edge to long-on in a troubling period for the home side. Ponting (13) lacked fluency for the second match in a row and Australia were 4 for 166 when Michael Clarke fell on 25. White rallied and the bowlers backed up his charge, giving Australia the chance to claim the five-match series in Adelaide on Tuesday.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers promised an all-out attack when South Africa take on India in the Champions Trophy opener on Thursday

Firdose Moonda in Cardiff05-Jun-2013

South Africa captain AB de Villiers promised an all-out attack when South Africa take on India in the Champions Trophy opener on Thursday. Despite a lethargic start to their stay in England, which was underlined by a six-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the warm-up on Monday, de Villiers gave an assurance that his team will up the intensity significantly when the event begins.”We’ll have to come out like a pack of wolves tomorrow and really try towards one goal and that is to win the game,” he said. “There is no room to hide in these tournaments.”De Villiers knows South Africa enter the competition with expectations high even though they may not inspire confidence in those who have tracked their progress at ICC events in the past and have followed their preparations in the build-up this time. Nevermind that they are without two of their senior-most players, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, they have the added concern of Dale Steyn’s injury and the unit’s lack of game time over the last two months.Their team camp in Holland was dampened by the wet weather and even though they breezed past the Netherlands in an ODI, they were soon brought down to earth by Pakistan. Still, its de Villiers’ job to play down the problems and deliver the fighting talk, so that’s what he did.He said there was “no reason whatsoever to be over-positive coming into England,” to dismiss thoughts that the big win over the Netherlands caused complacency against Pakistan. “The Netherlands game was just for team bowling, getting mentally in a good space,” he said.With both JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis making their returns from injury with runs in that match, it almost did not matter that South Africa did not bowl their minnow opposition out. There was reason to be positive. “Mentally we feel ready and we feel strong,” he said.Phrases like that come out because of South Africa’s reputation. If they did not crumble pressure and are not been labelled chokers, speaking about their state of mind would be unwarranted. But because South Africa are seen to have problems in that department, anyone who leads them into an ICC event has to overcompensate by turning even obvious dark spots into something shiny and bright.”The other thing that is very good is to have walked into a very good Pakistan team on a wicket that did a bit in the morning and all the bowlers had a nice work through. It was really good and it’s not a bad thing to lose those warm-up games,” de Villiers said, dispelling the theory of winning momentum. “It’s a bit of a wake up call to remind us that this is the time to go. We’re in the big tournament now, no more room for error.”Why South Africa would need any extra signposting for what they need to do at a competition like this is anyone’s guess. After 15 years of disappointments, they should know putting even a toe wrong will cause alarm back home.What may be a greater worry than their attempts at reverse-psychology in the immediate term is Steyn, especially because South Africa’s strategies seem to rely heavily on their bowlers. “We all know in England the new ball is important and in the first ten overs we have to try and get wickets,” de Villiers said. “Looking at the stats as well and the local games, they get a lot of wickets in the first 10 or 20 overs. So we’ll be trying to target that. We’ll definitely have an attacking mindset of picking up wickets early on.”Steyn’s swing would have been a trump card but it seems de Villiers will only be able to use him later on. “It’s obviously not looking good,” he said, referring to Steyn’s side-strain. “It’s sort of touch and go, but it is, obviously, an issue and something we’ll have to look at. There are a few more games coming up. It’s not the one and only game so we wouldn’t like to get him out of the rest of the tournament.” The fast bowler trained with the squad on Wednesday and a final call will only be taken in the morning.Without him there is every chance South Africa will revert to a more conservative approach, which they intend to employ with the bat anyway. After hearing news of India’s demolition of Australia at the same ground yesterday, de Villiers said that even without seeing the match, he could tell from the scorecard that the Australian batsmen, “probably didn’t respect the new ball enough in the first 10 or 15 overs.”Australia were 28 for 5 inside 10 overs and even though India also struggled upfront (they were 39 for 4), de Villiers believed they showed the “skill to adapt and assess conditions better.” South Africa have long tried to be similar cricket chameleons and while their Test side are professionals at it, their limited-overs teams can never change colours quickly enough. They went to the 2011 World Cup with three spinners to suit conditions and it still backfired on them.Because of instances like that, nothing South Africa say in the lead-up will change the overall theme of any preview about their chances. Until they win a World Cup, they will always be nearly men in this format and all they can do while they wait and hope for that to happen is keep believing like de Villiers does. “We’ll be using the experience we do have and the energy we have in team to get out there and win one game at a time and hopefully we’ll take the trophy back home.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI in Pallekele

The Preview by Mohammad Isam27-Mar-2013Match factsMarch 28, Pallekele
Start time 1430 local (0900GMT)The legend of Kusal Janith Perera is gathering momentum•Associated PressBig PictureThe second-ODI washout may have disturbed the flow of the series, but for Bangladesh it has comes as a welcome opportunity. Bangladesh have never been alive in a series in Sri Lanka going into the third match, but this time they are just a win away from squaring it.They have batted well in patches, Tamim Iqbal’s century and the excellent finish from Nasir Hossain being the bright spots. But this is a big game where the three senior batsmen – Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah – need to step up. Ashraful and Mushfiqur got out in the middle of a mini-collapse in the first ODI while Mahmudullah showed signs of some form . He gave it away after tickling one to the wicketkeeper, but till that point he had batted soundly.Bowling is Bangladesh’s main worry. The pace bowlers were clobbered in a confidence-sapping outing in the first ODI. They cut down on the number of seamers in the second ODI using allrounder Ziaur Rahman as a new-ball bowler. The spinners will give them the best chance of winning, although it goes against the grain at Pallekele.For Sri Lanka, a win is of paramount importance given the circumstances surrounding the players. The team has so far fended off questions about their participation in the IPL, but it is a much talked-about issue. The only way to regain focus would be by winning the series. It is a test for captain Angelo Mathews to keep his eyes set on beating a lower-ranked side and Bangladesh’s current improvement is likely to keep them honest to the job at hand.Form guide Sri Lanka WLWWL (most recent first, completed matches only)
Bangladesh LWLLWIn the spotlightIt has not been a great tour for young Anamul Haque but he has come to the senior team with the tag of “young and hungry”. His only Test appearance was disappointing while in the first ODI, Anamul looked good in bits. Much is expected from him, especially after the century he hit in only his second ODI.The excitement surrounding Kusal Perera is bourgeoning with every shot in his repertoire. But there’s more to him than just playing like Sanath Jayasuriya. He was expected to play a long innings at some point in this series, given the triple and double hundred he struck in two of the three innings before this series.Team newsMathews didn’t hint at many changes ahead of the second ODI and he played with an unchanged line-up from the first game. It is likely to remain the same this time too.Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2. Kusal Janith Perera, 3. Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4. Dinesh Chandimal, 5. Lahiru Thirimanne, 6. Angelo Mathews (c), 7. Jeevan Mendis, 8. Thisara Perera, 9. Nuwan Kulasekara, 10. Sachithra Senanayake, 11. Lasith MalingaBangladesh didn’t pick a line-up that suited the Hambantota wicket for the second ODI and it is likely they would go with the team’s strength in Pallekele too. In other words, avoid the weakness (read pace bowling).Bangladesh (probable): 1. Anamul Haque, 2. Jahurul Islam, 3. Mohammad Ashraful, 4. Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), 5. Mahmudullah, 6. Mominul Haque, 7. Nasir Hossain, 8. Ziaur Rahman, 9. Sohag Gazi, 10. Abdur Razzak, 11. Rubel HossainPitch and conditionsThe top five ODI wicket-takers in Pallekele are pace bowlers but the Bangladesh management has expressed confidence in its strength, i.e., spin bowling. The weather for the second game of the series offers encouraging signs, but it has rained in the surrounding areas over the last few days.Stats & Trivia Among the top eight wicket-takers in Sri Lanka-Bangladesh encounters, none of them are playing in this series. Nuwan Kulasekara and Abdur Razzak have taken 14 wickets each, among the current bowlers.Tamim Iqbal’s 112 was the highest individual score for a Bangladesh batsman in Sri Lanka and the team’s 259 runs was also the highest in this country.Quotes”We can’t win the series, but at the same time, we can prevent a series loss.”

“I feel it is a good challenge for us, because we haven’t won the series yet.”