Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund and Saurashtra quick bowler Jaidev Unadkat, both of whom are uncapped, have been named as replacements

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2010India have omitted Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma from the second Test in Bangalore following injuries to their right knees. The squad for that Test, announced hours after the win against Australia in Mohali, includes Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund and Saurashtra quick bowler Jaidev Unadkat, both of whom are uncapped, as replacements.Mukund, 20, has been a consistent performer in domestic first-class matches since his debut in late 2007. He has nine centuries in 29 matches, and an average of 55.88, and his career highlights include an unbeaten triple-century against Maharashtra in 2008 and a 257 against Hyderabad last season.Unadkat, 18, has been promoted despite not having played a Ranji Trophy match. He first came into the spotlight when his Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach Wasim Akram endorsed his talent ahead of the 2010 IPL season. Though Unadkat did not make much of an impression in the IPL, he made the cut for India A’s tour of England. He impressed with a 13-wicket haul at Grace Road on first-class debut against West Indies A. He was included in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy game against Mumbai that coincided with the first Test, and he returned figures of 4 for 41 in the first innings to put his name firmly in the selectors’ radar.The youngsters get their chance due to the injuries to two of India’s first-choice players. Ishant had been off the field for much of the first innings due to his injury but returned to play a crucial role in India’s heart-stopping win in the first Test in Mohali. On Monday, he took three quick top-order wickets to deflate Australia’s strong start and on Tuesday he stoutly hung on for a career-best 32 – and a match-turning 81-run stand for the ninth wicket with VVS Laxman.Gambhir, who scored 25 and 0 in the first Test, was hit in the knee while fielding at short leg on Monday when he was trying to take evasive action to save himself from a Michael Hussey sweep off Pragyan Ojha.

Peter English19-Nov-2010Michael Kasprowicz, the former Test bowler, has replaced Darren Lehmann as the Australian Cricketers’ Association president, taking on the role which includes juggling the game’s expansion through Twenty20. Kasprowicz was voted in at the organisation’s AGM in Brisbane on Friday after being nominated by Lehmann, who held the honorary post for four years.”I’ve played 19 years for Queensland and been part of the process, seeing the game evolve from non-professional to where we are today,” Kasprowicz told ESPNcricinfo. “There are some very exciting things happening and exciting challenges and opportunities for both players and the game.”Kasprowicz took 113 wickets in 38 Tests for Australia between 1996 and 2006, but since he’s retired the sport has zoomed off in a new direction. The domestic Twenty20 competition will expand to eight teams next year in the Big Bash League and the explosion of overseas competitions means players will face battles of allegiance between their franchises and countries.Managing the newest format will be one of the key areas under Kasprowicz’s watch. “That’s something pretty exciting in Australian cricket,” he said. “It’s a great thing that we can take the game further, certainly at domestic level. What [the Big Bash League] provides for all the players is more opportunities to get noticed with eight teams in place. There are so many good outcomes that I think everything is looking forward.”The domestic players have lost some ground this year, with the introduction of the split-innings one-day format overlooking the concerns of 78% of ACA members who rejected the idea. Issues are also expected between Cricket Australia and the ACA over how the players will be distributed to the eight Big Bash League teams.”Historically the Australian Cricketers’ Association has always been a voice from the players,” Kasprowicz said. “So in the past our relationship with Cricket Australia has always been good, and I certainly want to be part of that.” The initial meetings could be interesting after Cricket Australia refused to deal with Kasprowicz while he was signed to the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League.Kasprowicz has been a board member of the Queensland Cricketers’ Club for the past two years and his new role will be his first official post with the ACA. He is keen to be involved in the body’s hardship fund, which assists players with health or financial difficulties, and has been a regular member of the ACA Masters teams as they take the game to the country’s regional areas. “One of the things I really want to do is provide benefit for all the members right across the board,” he said.Lehmann said it had been a rewarding four years in the role. “It has given me the chance to stay involved with the game in a new and challenging position outside of being a player,” he said. “I hope my commitment has in some way allowed me to give something back to the game of cricket which has given me so much in life.”

Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has been included in the squad for the remaining three ODIs against New Zealand after he missed the third Test and the first two ODIs with a groin strain

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2010Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has been included in the squad for the remaining three ODIs against New Zealand after he missed the third Test and the first two ODIs with a groin strain. Praveen Kumar, who missed the first two ODIs with a fever, also made a comeback.The Indian selectors also gave Suresh Raina a break for the rest of the series following comments by MS Dhoni saying the batsman needed a rest. Sreesanth, too, didn’t feature in the squad. Both of them will presumably leave for South Africa early to prepare for the Test series, which begins on December 16.Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai batsman who was dropped after the tri-series in Sri Lanka in August, is part of the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs. Rohit is currently representing Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy game against Gujarat in Valsad, which won’t finish before the third ODI that will be played in Vadodara on December 4.Medium-pacer R Vinay Kumar will stay with the team for third ODI, but will be released to play for Karnataka by the time the fourth and fifth ODIs arrive. The only other change in the squad for the fourth and fifth games is Parthiv Patel taking over wicketkeeping duties from Wriddhiman Saha, who might also be leaving for South Africa.Squad for third ODI: Gautam Gambhir (capt), M Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, R Vinay Kumar.Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Gautam Gambhir (capt), M Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Parthiv Patel (wk), R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma.

Kamran Akmal and former captain Shoaib Malik have been told that they will not be in contention for World Cup selection unless they submit documents listing their assets and bank accounts to the PCB by December 30

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2010Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal have until December 30 to provide the PCB with the necessary documents to clear their names for World Cup selection.”The PCB has asked them to submit the documents about their assets and bank accounts by December 30 to be considered in the list of probables for the World Cup,” Subhan Ahmad, the board’s COO, told .The ICC had extended Pakistan’s deadline for the submission of its preliminary 30-member squad for the tournament to January 5, after receiving a request from the board. Kamran and Malik have not played for Pakistan since their controversial tour of England in August and were left out of the tour to the United Arab Emirates. They have also been denied permission to play league cricket in Bangladesh. The PCB has remained fairly tight-lipped about the reasons for their exclusion.Kamran and Malik had both questioned the board’s decision to not clear them for the New Zealand tour. Kamran had written to the ICC asking if he was under investigation and got a clean chit from them. The ICC had sent him and Salman Butt notices during Pakistan’s tour of England in August, seeking information about events related to the 2010 World Twenty20 held in May.Legspinner Danish Kaneria, who has not figured in Pakistan’s one-day plans in recent times, was also earlier given until the end of the year to submit his replies to the board’s integrity committee’s queries, in order to gain clearance to play for the country.

A round-up of action from the World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Hong Kong

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2011Papua New Guinea maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament with a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Denmark at the Kowloon Cricket Club. Denmark won the toss and batted, but were in strife right from the start as each of their top six batsmen failed to get into double figures. Loa Nou, Hitolo Areni and Chris Amini shared two wickets apiece as the Denmark batsmen failed to cope with their seam bowling and were reeling at 33 for 6. Denmark’s lower order showed some fight: Martin Pedersen made 17, and Bobby Chawla and Aftab Ahmed added 55 runs for the ninth wicket to take Denmark past 100. Ahmed was unbeaten on 39 as Denmark were bowled out for a paltry 112 in just under 42 overs.That score was never going to be enough to challenge PNG and though they lost Asad Vala in the first over, Tony Ura and Amini put on a solid unbeaten 114-run partnership to carry PNG home. Ura was unbeaten on 64 while Amini was 43 not out.Half-centuries from Waqas Barkat and Najeeb Amar carried Hong Kong to a thrilling one-wicket win over Italy at the Mission Road Ground. Italy elected to bat but started poorly, losing openers Andy Northcote and Damian Fernando with just 26 runs on the board. Italy captain Alessandro Bonora and Peter Petricola then put on 110 runs for the third wicket to set the base for a big total. Bonora was run out for 40 but Petricola remained solid as he added a further 42 with Damian Crowley. However, Italy frittered away the advantage as they lost five wickets for 50 runs to slide from 178 for 3 to 228 for 8. Petricola was unbeaten on 104 as Italy reached 235 for 8 at the end of their 50 overs.Italy looked set to defend that total as Gayashan Munasinghe struck with his medium-pace to pick up three quick wickets to leave Hong Kong struggling at 25 for 4. Hussain Butt and Nizakat Khan revived the Hong Kong innings with a 43-run fifth-wicket partnership but it was the 97-run seventh wicket partnership between captain Najeeb Amar and Waqas Barkat that got Hong Kong’s chase back on track. Both batsmen looked set to carry their team across the line before Amar fell for 52 in the 44th over with the score on 184. Hong Kong seemed to lose the momentum with Amar’s dismissal as Munir Dar and Nadeem Ahmed fell in quick succession. They needed 26 off the last 12 balls with just one wicket in hand but No. 11 Aizaz Khan played a blinder, swatting three sixes in an eight-ball 24 to take Hong Kong home with two balls to spare.United States of America overcame an early batting collapse to post a two-wicket win in a low-scoring encounter against Oman at the Hong Kong Cricket Club. Oman, who were sent in to bat, started strongly, with openers Hemin Desai (28) and Deep Trivedi (11) putting on 42 runs in just under 7 overs before Desai was bowled by Kevin Darlington. His dismissal triggered a collapse as Oman slumped from 42 for 1 to 110 all out in just under 38 overs. Only Sultan Ahmed, with his 30, offered some resistance as Usman Shuja, Orlando Baker and Asif Khan picked up seven wickets between them.USA’s chase started disastrously as medium-pacer Rajesh Kumar picked up three key wickets and ran out Sushil Nadkarni to leave USA reeling at 16 for 6 in the eighth over. However, No. 9 Usman Shuja (43) and No. 10 Asif Khan (31) held firm to carry USA home. The duo added an unbeaten 71 runs for the ninth wicket to anchor USA to victory with 16 overs remaining.

Michael Bevan, the former Australia middle-order batsman, has been named coach of the Orissa team for the next edition of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011Michael Bevan, the former Australia middle-order batsman, has been named coach of the Orissa team for the next season of the Ranji Trophy. Earlier this month, Bevan was also appointed coach of the Kings XI Punjab team for the IPL.”Bevan has, in principle, agreed to render his service from October 2011 to February 2012,” Orissa Cricket Association Secretary Asirbad Behera told reporters in Cuttack. Orissa had a disappointing Ranji campaign in the 2010-11 season, finishing second from bottom in Group B after losing two of their six games and drawing four.”I will remain accountable to OCA for the performance of the team,” Bevan said, adding he was keen on working towards the overall development of cricket in the state.

Pakistan were still swooning from Ross Taylor’s blitz when they came out to bat, and the seamers destroyed the top order

The Bulletin by George Binoy08-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ross Taylor hurt Pakistan with an explosive hundred after they let him off twice•AFP

The fans who travelled through the hills to watch the first one-day international in Pallekele witnessed a Pakistan team in shambles: they saw a glut of extras, three dropped catches, the worst possible display of end-over bowling and a batting implosion from a shell-shocked team. They also saw a struggling New Zealand side take advantage of their opponent’s extraordinary failings, slowly at first, before Ross Taylor launched an assault so brutal that Pakistan were gutted and rendered defenseless by the end of the innings.Stronger opponents would have made Pakistan regret their shoddy performance – in which Kamran Akmal played the lead and Shoaib Akhtar a supporting role – sooner in the piece, but New Zealand’s batsmen did not until the end. Then, though, they did so without mercy. Martin Guptill was their solitary performer in the first half of the innings, and Taylor needed massive slices luck to get going. But in the last six overs Taylor broke free with unprecedented violence, taking 28 off a Shoaib over before plundering 30 – a new tournament record – off one from Abdul Razzaq. It began to rain sixes and fours and Pakistan’s helplessness was startling as New Zealand plundered 114 off the last six overs to reach 302.Pakistan’s batsmen were still swooning from Taylor’s rope-a-dope when they began their chase and the inevitable collapse came to pass. The contest had ended before the mandatory Powerplay was over and, after the innings had been reduced to 23 for 4 and 66 for 6, Abdul Razzaq merely delayed the inevitable with a half-century. The only worry for New Zealand was the fitness of their captain – Daniel Vettori hobbled painfully off the field after injuring his knee in the sixth over and did not return. Taylor, who took over the captaincy, however, had ensured that Vettori’s bowling wasn’t needed on the day.New Zealand’s formidable total didn’t take shape until very late though. When Pakistan’s spinners dismissed Guptill and James Franklin to reduce the innings from 112 for 2 to 113 for 4, New Zealand were slipping. When Scott Styris, who was dropped by Kamran Akmal, was trapped by an Umar Gul yorker in the first batting-Powerplay over they were only 175 for 5, in sight of a middling total. That changed in a blink.In the 47th over, Shoaib bowled wide deliveries, length deliveries and full tosses that Taylor savaged through cover point and over the deep-midwicket boundary. That exhibition of how not to bowl at the death was outdone by Razzaq, whose medium-pace at poor length was meat and drink for a marauding Taylor. Fielders looked on helplessly, Shahid Afridi tore his hair out metaphorically and Taylor continued to batter a ragged Pakistan. He had added 35 in 3.5 overs with Nathan McCullum, who initiated the acceleration, and then 85 in 3.4 overs with Jacob Oram, who muscled 25 off 9 balls.Before the massacre was The Comedy of Errors. The litany began off the first ball of the innings, when Shoaib overstepped and umpire Nigel Llong didn’t spot it. Llong called Shoaib’s next three foot-faults, though, and the New Zealand batsmen sent all those free-hits to the boundary. Brendon McCullum, however, missed an incutter soon after pulling the first free-hit for six and his dismissal brought in How, playing for the unwell Jesse Ryder.How’s problem was he couldn’t get the ball off the square. Pakistan gave the new ball to a spinner for the first time in 13 years and Abdur Rehman’s left-arm darts were hard to score off. Shoaib, at the other end, was in a generous mood, throwing a ball he fielded on his follow through wide of Kamran Akmal to concede four overthrows. That Pakistan allowed 45 during the mandatory Powerplay was largely due to Shoaib’s largesse. It was also due to Guptill’s ability to focus despite the drama around him. He dragged New Zealand forward with no help from his partner.How’s misery mercifully ended in the 13th over, when Gul’s incutter struck him so plumb that the ball would have hit the middle of middle stump. He’d made 4 off 29 balls.In walked Taylor, on his 27th birthday, and he received two enormous gifts. Before he had scored, Taylor edged the second ball of Shoaib’s second spell. Akmal moved to towards his right, then stopped and looked expectantly at first slip, where Younis Khan was in shock as the ball sped between them to the boundary. Two balls later Taylor edged again, this time the simplest of chances straight to Akmal, and survived. In between those deliveries, Taylor had slashed to the point boundary.Taylor, whose early struggle was substantial by normal standards but incomparable to How’s, slowly grew in confidence. Then Pakistan went to pieces and, though he shoudn’t have been, Taylor was there to hurt them. He finished unbeaten on 131 off 124 balls.The day’s ironic moment came when Kamran Akmal edged to slip and watched Taylor, whom he had dropped twice in single digits, take a low catch without even the faintest fumble.

Match Timeline

A round-up of the action from the seventh round of the Regional Four-Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2011Johnson Charles hit an unbeaten half-century to carry Windward Islands to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Leeward Islands in St Lucia.Leeward, who were bowled out for a paltry 72 in their first-innings, fared much better in their second. They ended the third day on 284 for 7 with Jacques Taylor (48*) and Gavin Tonge (41*). Both batsmen went on to make half-centuries, and put on a further 60 runs, before they were dismissed in quick succession. The Leeward innings folded for 344 with Gary Mathurin picking up the three wickets to fall, ending with 5 for 86. This meant that Windward had to get 99 runs for victory, which they managed with ease, with Charles anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 52. Winward, who finished with 41 points, will now play Combined Campuses and Colleges in the semi-final beginning April 1 in Bridgetown.

Warwickshire face the prospect of winning at Edgbaston but ending the game with fewer points than they started as concerns over the quality of their pitch grow

George Dobell at Edgbaston12-May-2011
Scorecard
Chris Metters scored some useful runs, but really impressed with the ball as he took five wickets on debut•PA Photos

Warwickshire face the prospect of winning at Edgbaston but ending the game with fewer points than they started as concerns over the quality of their pitch grow.While Warwickshire have taken a firm grip on their Championship match against Worcestershire, their success was overshadowed by news that the ECB have convened a pitch panel to discuss the surface.The casual observer could be forgiven for concluding that this pitch is not really so bad. There is, after all, nothing from the scores to suggest anything particularly malign. And it perhaps behaved a little better on day two than it had on day one.But David Hughes, the ECB Pitch Liaison Officer present on day two, was not convinced. Indeed, he was sufficiently concerned to call in a second PLO, Tony Pigott, while Chris Wood, the ECB’s ‘Pitch Consultant’ will be present on day three. At the end of play, they will hold a pitch panel meeting to decide what action, if any, should be taken.Should the pitch be deemed ‘unfit’ for four-day cricket – the lowest grade – then Warwickshire will be penalised 24 points. Should it be deemed ‘poor’ – a more likely scenario – then they would lose eight points. For a team that flirted with relegation throughout last season, such a blow could prove very costly indeed.Whatever happens, the episode is an embarrassment to Warwickshire. The club have worked hard in recent years to redevelop their dilapidated ground and reinvigorate a fading team. And, as CB40 Champions and the owners of a vastly improved stadium, they have generally been very successful.But this will hurt them. The club’s management admit they need to host major matches every year if they are to repay the millions they have borrowed for the redevelopment and they have realistic hopes of securing Ashes Test in 2013 and 2015. But no-one will talk about excellent conference facilities or the new media centre if the pitch is sub-standard.To be fair, Edgbaston have a very good record with their international pitches since the mid-90s and there is plenty of time to improve matters before India play a Test here in August. The suggestion of Colin Povey, Warwickshire’s chief executive, that the perceived pitch problems are all “in the head” of the batsmen is surely just wishful thinking, however.Suffice it to say, his words met with an underwhelmed response from the home dressing room. Ben Scott, Worcestershire’s wicket-keeper, subsequently referred to it as “a 70 all out wicket.” As he put it: “you wouldn’t expect that here, would you?”The biggest shame of the pitch problem is that it will detract attention from an excellent debut from Chris Metters. Metters, a 20-year-old left-arm spinner who came to attention through his fine performances in Minor Counties cricket with Devon, finished the day with five for 65 and could yet add to his haul. It’s the first time a Warwickshire player has taken a five-wicket haul in the championship on their first-class debut since Jack Marshall did so, also against Worcestershire, in 1946. No-one else managed the feat in the 20th century.Few, if any, of Metter’s wickets owed much to the pitch. Bowling from the City End, by far the less helpful end in this match, he was instead rewarded for his accuracy, his variation and some gentle turn. Like his director of cricket, Ashley Giles, Metters is a former seamer turned spinner and the pace with which he bowls and the aggression he shows suggest there’s no reason why he shouldn’t enjoy a long career in the game.It would be disingenuous to deny that he was also fortunate to run into a Worcestershire side who bat, at times, with a reckless abandon that makes their position at the foot of the Championship table quite unsurprising.There is something glorious about some of the Worcestershire batting. But it’s glorious in the sense of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And we all know how that ended.Alexei Kervezee, for example, was very badly missed by Boyd Rankin on the square leg boundary before he had scored, but continued to flail away as if involved in a demanding run chase and finally fell after missing a sweep. Damien Wright slogged a full toss down the throat of deep mid-wicket, while Moeen Ali ruined his two-hours of defiance, by turning an innocuous delivery straight into the hands of leg slip. Jack Shantry, bizarrely trying to take the attack to the bowler, perished to a return catch to the last ball of the day as he tried to hit over the top, while Vikram Solanki edged to first slip as he attempted a highly ambitious back foot drive. It was not impressive batting.Only Matt Pardoe impressed. The 20-year-old, pressed into service as an opener, left the ball with discipline but drove with real style as he recorded his third half-century in just his fifth Championship appearance. His colleagues could learn much from his straight bat and patient approach.Pardoe prodded a return catch to Metters, however, as Worcestershire squandered a decent platform and lost eight for 113. It all means that they will resume on the third day requiring five more runs to avoid the possibility of the follow-on. With two days to play, however, and Warwickshire not overly keen on batting last, it might well not be enforced anyway.Earlier, Warwickshire secured a fourth batting bonus point as Worcestershire’s creaking attack was exposed for its over reliance on two seamers the wrong side of 35. Though Mohammad Yousuf’s excellent inning was ended when he left one that nipped back sharply, Tim Ambrose reached his second half-century of the season and Metters and Rankin enjoyed a merry tenth-wicket stand of 39.Wright, getting a couple to rear horribly to dismiss Tahir and Ambrose, finished with his third five-wicket haul of the season, but it was Alan Richardson who was the pick of the attack. The pair, aged 35 and 36 respectively, bowled 62 overs between them and looked infinitely superior to their colleagues. To see Rankin, a batsman with few pretensions, thrashing the support bowlers back over their heads for four, suggested there was either little wrong with the pitch, or something seriously wrong with the bowling. And this pitch is far from good.

Conjuring victories out of nowhere is the hallmark of an outstanding cricket team and England is certainly one of those

Andrew McGlashan02-Jun-2011

Match Facts

June 3-7, Lord’s
Start time 11.00am (1000GMT)Kevin Pietersen’s form is about the only significant concern for England•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Conjuring victories out of nowhere is the hallmark of an outstanding cricket team and England is certainly one of those. Their thrilling effort to bowl out Sri Lanka for 82 in 24.4 overs on the final afternoon in Cardiff secured their fifth innings victory in seven Tests. Regardless of the frailties in Sri Lanka’s batting, it was a mind-boggling performance from Chris Tremlett, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad.It has set them up perfectly for the season and they will enter the second Test at Lord’s with confidence soaring, especially as they started Cardiff with a hint of early-season rustiness to let Sri Lanka battle their way to 400. Then, though, things started slotting into place with a double-hundred from Jonathan Trott, another century for Alastair Cook and an effortless ton from Ian Bell.The challenge now will be to refocus their energies and start afresh, but with the leadership of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower that shouldn’t be a problem. They see every success as just another stepping stone towards an ultimate goal. They will enjoy turning up at Lord’s, too, because it’s a ground where England have a strong recent record with three consecutive victories and no defeat since 2005.The pitch is also likely to suit them with more pace than Cardiff which will benefit their batsmen and their three-pronged pace attack, that’s set to be England’s tallest ever with Steven Finn favourite to replace the injured James Anderson. It all adds up to a monumental task facing Sri Lanka if they want to regain pride. They’ve never won at Lord’s, although on the last two visits have secured creditable draws, particularly in 2006 when they batted more than two days to save the game.Although it was their batting which crumbled on Monday, it’s the bowling that requires the most work because there will be no way back into the series if they can’t take 20 wickets. They didn’t even look like taking 10 in Cardiff and at 1-0 down there is no point being anything less than attacking in their mindset from here. That, though, is easier said than done when you’ve just been humbled for 82. The next five days will show us what this Sri Lankan team is really made of.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England WWWLW
Sri Lanka LDDDL

Watch out for…

Kevin Pietersen made the headlines and filled reams of newsprint in the first Test and he only made 3. His dismissal, lbw to left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, meant his mindset and form were once again being dissected. The pre-series bravado will count for nothing unless he starts scoring big runs consistently. Everyone from the coach to the captain to his team-mates are fully behind him, yet at some point time will run out. He averages 62.71 in Tests at Lord’s, but Herath is already loosening up.Mahela Jayawardene has a terrific record at Lord’s with a hundred in each of his previous Test visits to the ground. Sri Lanka desperately need their senior middle-order batsman to fire and Jayawardene had a poor game in Cardiff with scores of 4 and 15, edging twice to first slip. However, he has the technique to withstand England’s tall pace attack, and the home side will know they have suffered many long hours in the field at his hands before.

Team news

The one decision for England to make is whether Finn or Jade Dernbach replaces Anderson. All the indications are that it will be Finn even though Dernbach’s fuller length and swing would complement the attack nicely. However, Lord’s is Finn’s home ground and in two Tests here he has 13 wickets.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 Steven FinnIt was a positive move by Sri Lanka to promote Prasanna Jayawardene to No. 6, and it worked in the first innings at Cardiff when he made an excellent 112. But will they be spooked by how the match end? The temptation will be to play an extra batsman, but somehow they need to find wicket-taking bowlers. The return of Dilhara Fernando will be a bonus and Chanaka Welegedara, the left-arm seamer, should play to add variation.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara , 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Chanaka Welegedara

Pitch and conditions

The good news after the often dreary weather in Cardiff is that the forecast for London is excellent over the next four or five days. Temperatures are set to hit the mid-20s and no rain is forecast. Interestingly, the Lord’s pitch had a distinct tinge of green in the lead up to the game but most of that is expected to disappear by the first morning.

Stats and trivia

• In the 2006 meeting between these two teams at Lord’s, Sri Lanka batted for 199 overs to save the match and Andrew Flintoff bowled 51 of them.
• Jonathan Trott, who scored 203 in Cardiff, also likes batting at Lord’s. Last season he hit 226 and 36 not out against Bangladesh followed by 184 against Pakistan.
• In 1984, Duleep Mendis, currently the selector in tour with Sri Lanka, hit 111 and 94 in the country’s first Test at Lord’s.

For a full stats preview click here.

Quotes

“I don’t think any of us want to take our foot off the pedal now. We’ve got some early momentum in this series. We’ve got to push on and keep challenging ourselves to get better and better.”