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Sri Lanka have announced that the country’s main cricket academy is to be named after Muttiah Muralitharan. Normally, retired and venerable players are given the honour of having roads, stands, stadiums or institutions named after them. But Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s highest wicket-taker, has been deemed worthy enough to be an exception to this unwritten rule.The symbolic importance of this can be gauged from the fact the announcement was made not by a board official, but by prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe himself.

Western Australia selectors will give Damien Martyn until the coin toss to prove his fitness for tomorrow’s Pura Cup cricket match against Tasmania at the WACA.Martyn threw a scare into the WA and Australian camps when he injured his thigh during his 108-run innings in WA’s five wicket loss to the Tigers in their one-day clash on Wednesday.The Warriors shielded Martyn from the media today but Australia’s chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said he had received an update this morning and the newswas not as bad as first thought.”They (Warriors’ medical staff) think it is just a bit of muscle tiredness from overuse,” he said.Should Martyn’s injury fail to respond, the spotlight would fall on team-mate Simon Katich with the first Test against New Zealand less than a fortnight away.Katich has had a poor start to the domestic summer but he is now entrenched as the next-in-line, a role Martyn filled for two years before cementing his position at the expense of Warriors team-mate Justin Langer on the Ashes tour.Langer fought his way back for the final Test and should retain his place ahead of Michael Slater at the top of the order after a fighting century at The Oval.But both would be hoping for some runs this week as several of the nation’s leading batsmen have embarked on run feasts to start the Australian summer.One such player is Tigers captain Ricky Ponting who followed back-to-back centuries in the Pura Cup match with NSW with a classy 102 here on Wednesdaynight.But in addition to Ponting, regulars Mark Waugh and Matthew Hayden have been amongst the runs while Test hopefuls Brad Hodge, Greg Blewett, Martin Loveand Jamie Cox are all in good touch.Ponting said the Tigers had taken plenty of confidence from Wednesday night’s game and hoped to build on their solid four-day form against NSW.”We played well in our last four-day game, to get two points down in Sydney was a pretty good effort against a strong NSW side,” he said.”So we’ll go into the game fairly confident.”Warriors captain Adam Gilchrist said it was too early to sound the alarm bells after following losses to Queensland in both forms of the game as well as the loss to the Tigers.But he admitted it was time the much vaunted batting line-up began to deliver.”I think we’ve got to, as individuals, assess whether you’ve given yourself the best chance to play well enough,” he said.”I think we’ve all prepared well enough but when we’ve got into the game we probably haven’t executed what we’d talked about as well as we should have.”Teams:Western Australia (from): Adam Gilchrist(c), Justin Langer, Murray Goodwin, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich, Damien Martyn, Marcus North, Ryan Campbell, ScottMeuleman, Brad Williams, Jo Angel, Sean Cary, Gavin Swan.Tasmania (from): Ricky Ponting (c), Jamie Cox, Graeme Cunningham, Michael Dighton, Sean Clingeleffer, Dene Hills, Adam Polkinghorne, Josh Marquet, DanielMarsh, David Saker, Shane Watson, Damien Wright, Shaun Young, Andrew Downton, Brad Thomas.

The BCCI has constituted an ad-hoc committee to run cricket in Rajasthan and ensure the participation of teams from the state in the 2015-16 domestic season. Amrit Mathur, a former manager of the India team, will take over as the co-ordinator of the committee, which will comprise CK Khanna, Milind Kanmadikar, Snehal Parikh and PV Shetty.”This step is in line with the BCCI philosophy of keeping the interest of cricket and the players on top priority,” Jagmohan Dalmiya, the BCCI president, said. “Like any other side playing domestic cricket in India, Rajasthan cricketers will have all the facilities, exposure and opportunities to perform and excel.”According to a BCCI insider, an ad-hoc committee was the most logical option considering the complex situation in Rajasthan cricket, and remained the last hope for the state’s players to compete in the upcoming domestic season.The BCCI had suspended the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) in May 2014 after the latter elected Lalit Modi, an expelled administrator, as its president. The board then omitted the RCA from the 2014-15 domestic programme.Rajasthan eventually got to play – though not under the RCA banner – after the Rajasthan High Court heard a writ petition signed by 75 players, and directed the Rajasthan Sports Council, the RCA and the BCCI to work in tandem and appoint selection committees to select teams for the board’s senior, junior and women’s tournaments. Mathur had helped facilitate the process.While that came as a boost for the players, the impasse between the BCCI and the RCA continued. The RCA remains suspended, and a faction led by Amin Pathan has staged a revolt against Modi’s body. As a result, the High Court hasn’t even allowed the Sports Council to run the state’s cricket affairs.

Shafali Verma continued her superb form, cracking a 42-ball 79 as India brushed aside Sri Lanka once again to win the third T20I in Thiruvananthapuram and complete a series victory.The template was familiar and ruthlessly executed: win the toss, bowl, restrict Sri Lanka, and then stroll through the chase. Just as in the first two matches, India were clinical. Renuka Singh spearheaded the bowling, with support from Deepti Sharma, to keep Sri Lanka to 112 for 7 before Shafali wrapped up the chase with 40 balls to spare.

Renuka returns with a bang

Sri Lanka shuffled their opening combination, leaving out Vishmi Gunaratne and promoting Hasini Perera to partner Chamari Athapaththu. Perera showed early intent, striking two boundaries off Renuka, who returned to the XI in place of Arundhati Reddy, in the first over.India introduced Deepti in the third, and Perera greeted her with another boundary. While Perera looked positive, Athapaththu struggled to find her rhythm, managing just 3 off 12 in a stand worth 25 – Sri Lanka’s highest opening partnership of the series. The pressure told in the fifth over when Athapaththu attempted a cross-batted swipe and top-edged to mid-on, handing Deepti her first wicket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Renuka then turned the screws in her second over of the powerplay. After Perera pierced the infield early in the over, Renuka placed Deepti at short third, a move that paid dividends as Perera edged one straight to the fielder. She fell for 25 off 18, unable to capitalise on her start. Renuka capped off the over in style, having Harshitha Samarawickrama caught and bowled off the final delivery, swinging the powerplay decisively India’s way.From there, the contest drifted into territory that had become all too familiar over the course of the series.

Dulani, Dilhari offer hope

With Sri Lanka at 45 for 4 at the halfway stage, Imesha Dulani – coming into the XI for this match – combined with Kavisha Dilhari to add some much-needed runs for the fifth wicket. Dulani, reprieved on 8 when Shree Charani put down a chance, found the gaps, while Dilhari injected some intent, launching Kranti Gaud for a six.The partnership, however, was short-lived. Deepti ensured it did not go beyond 40 runs, having Dilhari caught at deep midwicket for 20 en route to becoming the joint-highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is.India were not flawless in the field, putting down two more chances – Kaushini Nuthyangana on 4 by Gaud and Malsha Shehani on 5 by Deepti – but Sri Lanka failed to make India pay, drifting to 112 for 7 at the end of 20 overs.Shafali Verma’s 79 not out made up 68.7% of India’s total•BCCI

Shafali Shafalies the chase

Shafali set the tone for the chase immediately, launching Shehani for 6, 4 and 4 in the opening over. Smriti Mandhana struggled to find fluency at the other end, but it scarcely mattered with Shafali in full flow. She took on debutant Nimasha Meepage in the third over, picking up two boundaries, before Mandhana fell for 1 in the fourth, also burning a review in the process.Shafali, meanwhile, continued to show her full range. In the fifth over, she took Meepage for 19 runs: starting with an uppish drive to the extra cover boundary, a back-foot whip that raced through midwicket, a full toss that was muscled for six over extra, and finishing the over by dropping to one knee to loft another boundary over cover. By then, she had raced to 43 off just 19 balls, bringing up her half-century in the following over from 24 deliveries. India, on the whole, were 55 for 1.-Dilhari, who had bowled tidily in the fourth over, was reintroduced in the eighth and immediately created a chance, but Jemimah Rodrigues was put down by captain Athapaththu. The miss proved inconsequential as Dilhari struck the very next ball, bowling Rodrigues.Shafali continued to dictate terms, scoring 68.7% of her team’s runs in a completed innings – which is a new national record – and rising to No. 4 on the list of India’s highest run-getters in women’s T20Is.The win, along with a 3-0 lead in the five-match series, marked Harmanpreet Kaur’s 77th as captain, going past Meg Lanning to become the most successful captain in the format.

Alastair Cook has warned that England’s 104-run thrashing of India in their one-day opener will count for little unless they back it up during the remaining six games of the series. England’s best limited-overs display since before the World Cup saw Cook and Ian Bell both score maiden centuries before James Anderson’s career-best return finished the deal.Cook, who laid the platform with a patient 102, said: “The ability to tough out a result when you’re up against it is a skill that good teams have, it is what Australia have done for so long and it really only comes with the experience of winning matches. That is the next challenge for us.”We’re really excited about what we did on Tuesday but it will mean very little if it stands out on its own for the rest of the summer.”Cook, 22, said consistency was the key to England improving their low standing in one-day cricket. “There is no point putting in one performance like that with two hundreds and then forgetting about it.”Cook’s place in the one-day line-up was under scrutiny after five previous appearances had not even yielded a half-century. Bell too was under pressure before scoring a hundred in what was his 48th ODI. “I’d played a few games and got a couple of forties but I hadn’t really made a score so to get to three figures, especially at the start of your career, is always nice,” said Cook. “It shows you and everyone else that you can do it. Now it’s up to me to repeat it as I have done in Test-match cricket.”England will again be without left-arm pace bowler Ryan Sidebottom for Friday’s match and Monday’s third fixture at Edgbaston after he failed to overcome a side strain he sustained during the third and final Test against India at The Oval nearly two weeks ago.

ScorecardSussex followed up their C&G Trophy success with an impressive seven-wicket victory against Durham in the Pro40 to keep their hopes of a treble alive. Richard Montgomerie carried them most of the way towards their target after James Kirtley, riding high after his match-winning effort on Saturday, bagged three wickets.Kirtley and Yasir Arafat knocked the stuffing out of Durham’s innings as they slumped to 10 for 3. That became 40 for 4 when Ben Harmison fell to Luke Wright and, although Gareth Breese’s 50 led a recovery, Durham could only muster a modest total. Robin Martin-Jenkins produced a miserly spell with the ball, as his eight overs cost just 10 runs with four maidens.Matt Prior fell early in the chase, but Chris Nash added 66 for the second wicket with Montgomerie. Chris Adams was at the crease to complete the formalities and Sussex had a massive 82 balls to spare.

ScorecardGraeme Skennar and Tom Cooper put on a blistering 118-run opening partnership for the first wicket as Australia coasted to 231 for 4 in just 34.3 overs in pursuit of India’s 230 at Mohali.Skennar blasted seven fours and four sixes in his 64 of just 45 balls, while Cooper’s 62 was a relatively patient effort but still included eight fours and two sixes. India hit back with three quick wickets to reduce Asutralia to 139 for 3 but David Warner (34 not out) and Moises Henriques (42) did not panic and took Australia home.India failed to make use of an excellent pitch at Mohali as none of their batsmen, except Piyush Shukla who made 55, played an innings of any significance. As many as nine bowlers were used by Australia as India were dismissed within their 50 overs.The five-match series is now tied at one a piece as the teams travel to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh for the next two matches.