Tag Futebol

Joe Root has admitted England were given a “massive shock” by their experiences in Brisbane four years ago but believes it will be different this time

George Dobell in Brisbane21-Nov-20171:59

‘Australia realise that The Gabba is their fortress’

Joe Root has admitted England were given a “massive shock” by their experiences in Brisbane four years ago that set them back for the rest of the series.But Root, the England captain, insisted the current England and Australian teams were “completely different” from 2013-14 so the talk of reopening “scars” that has dominated the build-up to this year’s Ashes series was “completely irrelevant”.Root was part of an England team who travelled to Australia at the end of 2013 on the back of a good year. But then they ran into Mitchell Johnson at his best and were unable to cope with either him or the period of introspection it precipitated. Instead, it proved the final stand of one of the best England sides for many years.”Last time round we came here at the end of a year when we hadn’t lost a Test match,” Root said. “We had a very experienced side with a lot of guys who had won a lot of Ashes cricket and had great success on the last trip to Australia.”It was a massive shock and we struggled to come back from that.”But this time round it is a completely different set of players. And we’re playing against a completely different Australia side.”So of course you want to harness those experiences and make sure you don’t fall into a similar trap. But both sides are in two very different places to where they were.”Root was especially underwhelmed by Nathan Lyon’s recent comments, dismissing them as “bizarre” and suggesting they could backfire on Australia.”The more guys talk going into a series the more they put pressure on themselves,” Root said. “You can sort of see through it a little as well.”We’ve won four of the last five Ashes series. We’ve a lot of guys who were part of the squad in the last series, in 2015, and have very fond memories of it. Maybe they are trying to brush that under the carpet but for me it’s completely irrelevant what happened four years ago.”They have a completely different bowling attack. Their seam bowlers haven’t played an Ashes series in Australia themselves.”And they haven’t lost at the Gabba for such a long time. So they are under pressure, too. It’s not just our team that is going to be feeling the heat, it is those guys as well.”One thing Australia did very well last time was talking up certain things and they delivered. But this is a completely different tour and a completely different series and we have to make sure we don’t give them those opportunities this time.”Of course we have to be ready for everything the Gabba brings and all the media hype around the series. But ultimately it is about how we perform on the field. If we keep trusting what we have been doing really well for the last six to eight months then we give ourselves a great chance.”One area England hope to exploit is the relative lack of depth of the Australian seam attack. While there is no lack of respect for the trio of seamers they expect to see in Brisbane, there is a belief that, if they can be pushed into fourth and fifth spells, their venom can be extracted. So an England side with a reputation for playing relatively aggressive cricket may, at times, need to be patient with bat and ball.”Whenever you get sides bowling three or four spells you’re on top of them,” Root said. “That’s always an aim: to bat long and put overs in their legs. We have got to be quite pragmatic and realistic. Certain players in certain periods of the game will have to, I’m sure, be patient.”It will be quite hostile and potentially slightly intimidating but it shouldn’t scare us. It is part of Ashes cricket. It should excite us. We have a chance to do something that not many people do.”We just need to find a way of concentrating on what we do best out in the middle. And remember that we’re not the ones out there. There are 16 or 17 guys in the dressing room who are all out there with you.”

Dougie Brown has stepped down as Warwickshire’s director of cricket by mutual consent, inviting the belief that Ashley Giles could make a return to Edgbaston

George Dobell and David Hopps05-Oct-2016Dougie Brown has stepped down as Warwickshire’s director of cricket by mutual consent.His departure invites the possibility that Ashley Giles could be enticed back to Warwickshire to take up the role that he relinquished to join England’s coaching set-up.Giles has made an impact as Lancashire’s director of cricket, with homegrown players at the core, but his impatience with criticism from a minority of supporters has been evident and he retains strong emotional and family ties with Warwickshire where he spent his playing career.He spends most of the week in a hotel near Manchester and his family still live in Droitwich, 25 miles south of Birmingham. If he expressed an interest, it would be a surprise if Lancashire tried to stand in his way.Brown’s position seemed strengthened when Warwickshire won the Royal London Cup, following their victory in the NatWest Blast in 2014, but even two trophies in three years could not satisfy the hankering for change among senior figures in the county.Brown responded philosophically, saying: “The club has a very proud history of challenging for silverware and despite winning the Royal London One-Day Cup this season, failure to qualify for the NatWest T20 Blast quarter finals and narrowly avoiding relegation from Division One of the Specsavers County Championship on the last day of the season is not where the club should be.”It is, therefore, the right time for me to agree to step down from my role as director of cricket. I wish the club and the players all the very best in 2017 and thank everyone for a fantastic journey over the past 27 years.”Brown, 46, assumed Giles’ role at Edgbaston four years ago, stepping up from the role of academy coach and, in keeping with his 27-year involcement with the county, he has fulfilled it with undoubted passion and energy.But the sense has grown at Edgbaston that the squad is ageing, with few signs of high-quality, long-term replacements emerging from the academy. Warwickshire remain burdened by debt, with around £20m owed to Birmingham City Council, and Twenty20 crowds have not grown as fast as in some other areas of the country.Ian Bell, who took over the captaincy last season after losing his England place, has taken on a central role in Warwickshire’s affairs and his belief that the county would make a strong Championship challenge did not bear examination as they found themselves in a final match against Lancashire at Edgbaston in which either side, had results gone against them, could have been relegated.Neil Snowball, the chief executive of Warwickshire, said: “Dougie is a true Bear, having served the club with great distinction for many years as a player, coach and director of cricket.”On behalf of the players, members and supporters, I would like to thank him for everything that he has contributed to Warwickshire CCC and wish him the very best for the future.”Snowball, who held senior organising roles for the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 Rugby World Cup, set high expectations when he assumed the chief executive’s role earlier this year, calling for the county to challenge across all three competitions and produce more than 50% of its players.Giles extended his contract with Lancashire until 2018 following the double success of winning the NatWest T20 Blast and securing Championship promotion during his first summer.Jim Troughton, a former captain, is also among the favourites for a role of 1st team coach.

Trouble-shooter Chris Read guided Nottinghamshire into a strong position at New Road, helping eke out a total of 330 by making 90

ECB/PA08-Aug-2015
ScorecardWho else but Chris Read to steer Notts from trouble?•Getty Images

Trouble-shooter Chris Read guided Nottinghamshire into a strong position at New Road, helping eke out a total of 330 by making 90 – his seventh score of 50 or more in 14 championship innings this season – before Worcestershire lost three wickets in clearing a deficit of 61.After a backs-to-the-wall final session, they were 54 in front on 115 for 4 and looking for much more from Joe Clarke, who closed 43 not out, and Ross Whiteley, on 22. It seemed they could not escape from those who piled on the pressure as Notts added 157 in the afternoon session. Brett Hutton, who made 40 out of 83 with Read, and Jake Ball, who reached a career-best 38 in a stand of 60 in seven overs, hit them hard with the new ball.Richard Oliver departed in Ball’s opening over – Read holding the catch – and Tom Fell’s off stump was knocked back when he played forward to Hutton with only nine runs on the board by the sixth over. With the score on 44 it was three down with Brett D’Oliveira lbw to Hutton for 19 and more trouble followed when Steven Mullaney took a well-deserved wicket by bowling Alex Gidman, middle stump, for 21.For Worcestershire it was yet another frustrating day in which they did so much right, taking 10 wickets in two sessions, but saw a promising position slip away despite claiming maximum bowling bonus points for the 39th time in 40 matches.Nottinghamshire were able to get away from them thanks to Alex Hales, who survived a mid-morning collapse to make 85, his first half-century since April, and Read, who has regularly dragged his side of trouble down the years. This season alone he has impacted on numerous matches, making 73 when Worcestershire lost at Trent Bridge and more recently scoring hundreds as Notts took 35 points in drawing with Middlesex and overwhelming Sussex.Although they secured the lead they wanted in this match, it was not done with total conviction. As soon as the opening stand was broken at 75 – with Brendan Taylor lbw to Joe Leach for 31 – they nosedived to 128 for 5.Charlie Morris became the third Worcestershire seamer to reach 40 Championship wickets this season when he took three in 10 balls. Mullaney edged to third slip, James Taylor was bowled off stump, and Riki Wessels went lbw for a duck. More upsets were not far away. A slip by Hales in turning for a second run caused the confusion which saw Samit Patel run out without scoring, and immediately after lunch, Hales shouldered arms when he was lbw to Jack Shantry after hitting 15 fours.From there it was the Read show. Dropped at first slip off Whiteley on 55, he picked off a dozen fours and a six until he was last out, falling leg-before to Shantry when wafting across the line.

A round-up of the Women’s World Cup warm-up matches played on January 29

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2013Australia Women secured their second win in two days as they chased down the 223-run target set by India Women with five wicket in hands at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.Australia were 117 for 4 at one stage, but captain Jodie Fields scored a quick half-century and put up 39 with Lisa Sthalekar and 41 with Alyssa Healy to keep India’s bowlers at bay. Fields retired when 26 were needed off 15 overs and Healy scored quick runs to complete the chase. Amita Sharma got the wickets of the openers, but the rest of the bowling attack was taken for runs.India chose to bat and made a strong start getting to 100 for 1 in the 21st over. But they lost three wickets within the space of six balls – two to Sthalekar – to lose momentum. Important lower-order contributions by Reema Malhotra (35 off 63 balls) and Nagarajan Niranjana (35 off 26) helped India cross 200.In Cuttack, half-centuries by Nain Abidi and Bismah Maroof and stifling spells by the bowlers helped Pakistan Women annihilate Odisha XI by 95 runs. Pakistan were in a spot of bother at 7 for 2 after choosing to bat, but a 148-run stand between Abidi and Maroof lifted the team. Javeria Khan (33) and Qanita Jalil (25) were the other two main contributors, while the rest were out for single-digit scores. Sujata Mallik and Gangotra Behera shared three wickets each.Opener Madhusmita Behera responded with a slow half-century to take Odisha to 84 for 1 in the 31st over. But once Sana Mir struck twice in the same over, the rest of Odisha batting crumbled. Asmavia Iqbal returned with figures of 3 for 20 from her 10 overs as Odisha limped to 145 for 8 in their 50 overs.In a tight contest at the MIG ground in Mumbai, Sri Lanka Women edged out South Africa Women by two wickets in a low-scoring match. Chasing 165, Sri Lanka had collapsed to 66 for 6. But No. 8 Sripali Weerakkody, who scored an unbeaten fifty, first partnered Eshani Kaushalya (22) in a 40-run stand, then put up 41 with Chamani Seneviratna and finally shared an unbeaten 20-run stand for the ninth wicket to help Sri Lanka clinch a win.South Africa’s innings had followed a similar pattern earlier. Kaushalya struck thrice in the early overs as South Africa were reduced to 59 for 6. But a half-century by captain Mignon du Preez and her 72-run partnership with Dane van Niekerk (46) revived the team. Once du Preez was out in the 35th over, the rest folded and the team was all out for 164 in the 46th over.Danielle Hazell’s five-wicket haul went in vain as England Women lost to New Zealand Women by 13 runs in Mumbai.New Zealand, after being asked to bat, were in a position to put much more than the 223 they eventually got. They were 209 for 5 with five overs to come. But Hazell first removed the well-set Sara McGlashan (88 off 90 balls) and then ran through the tail as only 14 came off last five overs. McGlashan had helped revive the team from 117 for 5 with a 92-run stand with Nicola Browne (40).England stumbled at the start of their chase as they lost the openers with 25 on the board. But Sarah Taylor (32) and Lydia Greenway (51) did the repair job and took England past 100. Loss of regular wickets, though, pushed them to the brink on 152 for 7. A 48-run eighth-wicket stand between Jenny Gunn (35) and Tammy Beaumont (22) threatened for a while, but New Zealand removed the last three wickets quickly to complete the win.

The ideal captain is a man who can compartmentalise and focus on his own game when necessary, but keep the big picture in the back of his mind. In that respect, Michael Clarke has been the perfect leader in the first ten Tests of his captaincy career

Brydon Coverdale in Perth12-Jan-2012Being handed the Test captaincy can weigh on the mind of a batsman when he’s at the crease. Was it a mistake to bat first? Should I rein in my game to set an example? What happens if I fail a few times? What will our bowlers do on this pitch? When should I declare? The ideal captain is a man who can compartmentalise and focus on his own game when necessary, but keep the big picture in the back of his mind.In that respect, Michael Clarke has been the perfect leader in the first ten Tests of his captaincy career. His unbeaten 329 at the SCG last week was a fine example: a well-paced innings full of determination that ended with a declaration that was designed only to give his team the best possible chance of victory. Personal milestones were ignored.It was also his fourth hundred in ten Tests as captain. As leader, he has averaged 59.18. Ricky Ponting didn’t manage a Test hundred as skipper until his tenth match in charge. Brian Lara took even longer. Sachin Tendulkar averaged 34.61 from his first ten Tests as captain. Not since Allan Border has Australia had a leader whose own game has thrived so much in the initial stages at the helm.Clarke brushes off the idea that he has lifted his batting as leader. The stats suggest he is being overly modest. But what he doesn’t deny is that it has been pleasing to prove that the captaincy has not been a burden on his own batting.”It’s nice to be getting some results now and it’s even more special being captain,” Clarke said. “There’s always that stigma that the extra responsibility can affect your batting, so I’m pleased that it hasn’t. But I don’t feel any different, to be honest.”I feel I’m doing the hard work and it’s nice to see some results but I know things change quickly. I could be sitting here in a couple of games time under pressure that I haven’t scored any runs. It’s about making sure that my work ethic off the field is my No.1 priority.”I think my game is continuing to improve. I hope it is. I think results have probably shown me that it is. I don’t feel I’ve changed much since becoming captain. I feel I’m still able to do the work [on my batting] that I need to do in the nets, to prepare and improve on my weaknesses. That’s what I’ve tried to do over the last two years.”After an innings of such strength and control as his tripled-hundred in Sydney, Clarke appears to be in the best form of his career. That it follows a captain’s century in trying conditions in Cape Town in November and another ton against New Zealand in Brisbane in the first Test of the summer, only adds to the idea. But Clarke himself is not convinced.”If I go and get a pair in this Test match, I’m then talking about my spot in the team, as I was two weeks ago,” he said. “One innings … it’s fantastic, don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have made some runs in Sydney to contribute to the success we’ve had in this series so far … but it’s irrelevant right now. It’s gone. It’s a completely different wicket, we’re in completely different conditions, and I’m on zero when I walk out to bat.”And that different pitch is very different indeed. Australia and India were greeted in the few days before the Test, which starts on Friday, by a WACA surface with plenty of grass on it. The curator, Cameron Sutherland, expects pace and bounce just like last summer, when Australia used the conditions to complete their only win of the Ashes campaign. Clarke is looking forward to playing on the Perth pitch.”I prefer the pace,” he said. “I think I’ve had my most success in Australia on wickets like the Gabba and here in Perth. I like the ball coming on. For smaller guys like myself, it means you don’t have to try and hit the ball too hard, you can use the pace to your advantage. And they’re probably the best conditions to face spin on, because the ball bounces a lot more and you can hit through the line.”But on wickets like this that do have pace and bounce it’s really hard to start your innings. You’ll see a lot of players through this Test match who will nick, it’ll find the edges of their bat. But I think once you get in, generally the faster, bouncier wickets are as good to bat on as anywhere in the world.”That won’t necessarily mean that he chooses to bat if he wins the toss. Nor will he second-guess his own decision once it is made. And when he’s at the crease, don’t expect anything but the battle between bat and ball to weigh on his mind.

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.

Pakistan A shocked their England counterparts with a six-wicket win off the penultimate ball in their Twenty20 match in Abu Dubai

Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2010

ScorecardPakistan A gained some revenge over their England counterparts with a six-wicket win off the penultimate ball in their Twenty20 match in Abu Dubai. Led by a 47-ball 49 from Umair Khan, Pakistan A chased down’ 147 with a ball to spare to consign the Lions to their first defeat since arriving in UAE.With six still needed off the final over from Sajid Mahmood, Naeem Anjum was run out from the first delivery to set up a tense finish. Tanvir Ahmed then found a crucial boundary to ease the pressure on Pakistan A as he and Kashif Siddiq scampered home with one ball remaining.It is a frustrating result for the Lions after they responded well to Mohammad Hafeez’s invitation to bat first, reaching 58 without loss inside the first six overs. Craig Kieswetter and Steven Davies looked well set, with Kieswetter in particular in good order. He is pushing for a berth in the senior side having qualified for England on Tuesday and earned special mention from Andy Flower on Monday.After Davies departed for 17, Kieswetter clubbed his way to his second half-century of the tour, hitting five fours and three sixes, including one which sailed over midwicket, on his way to 50 from 31 balls. His dismissal in the 10th over, stumped running down the wicket at former Test left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, robbed his side of a chance to post a really imposing total. While Ian Bell and Michael Lumb played tidily it was only Peter Trego that attempted anything expansive. He hit 14 from nine balls to help lift the total to 146.Pakistan A were reduced to 18 for 2 inside the first three overs of their reply, with the openers falling to each of the opening bowlers. Asad Shafiq then set about reviving Pakistan A’s hopes in a 61-run stand with Umair, carrying the total to 79 before he was out in the 12th over.At that stage the game was evenly poised and Pakistan A did well to work the ball around and calmly lay the foundations for the victory. Umair was bowled one short of a deserved 50 by Steve Kirby but England Lions couldn’t quite take decisive control of the game. Aamer Sajjad picked off two boundaries and ran well between the wickets to take his side within nine runs of the target with nine balls to go. In the end they had just enough to take them over the line.

This was the 12th instance of a batter retiring out in a men’s T20I, and the first in a match featuring two Full Member teams

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2025Roston Chase became the first batter to retire out during a men’s T20I featuring two Full Member teams when he went off during West Indies’ chase of 190 in the deciding game against Pakistan in Lauderhill on Sunday.West Indies had gotten off to a good start, with Alick Athanaze scoring a 40-ball 60 opening the innings, but they slowed down once he was dismissed to leave the scoreboard reading 110 for 3 at the end of the 13th over. The requirement then was 80 runs from 42 balls.While Sherfane Rutherford, the No. 4, got going immediately, Chase struggled to go big, hitting just two fours in a 12-ball 15 before he was called back to the dugout – 41 runs were needed off 18 balls after that, and West Indies only managed 27 to concede the series 2-1.There has been only one previous instance of a batter retiring out in a men’s T20I featuring a Full Member team: in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Namibia’s opening batter Nikolaas Davin retired out after scoring 18 from 16 balls in a chase of 126 in ten overs against England in North Sound. The other ten such dismissals have all been recorded in matches involving two Associate teams.Chase, incidentally, had been retired out once before in a T20, at the ILT20 earlier this year. His team Abu Dhabi Knight Riders batted first in that game against MI Emirates, and Chase, batting at No. 6, had failed to get a move on after walking out in the 12th over, scoring 20 from 13 at the end of the 18th over, when he was retired out.

Kusal Perera and Dhananjaya de Silva, who were left out of the ODI series, are also part of the squad

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Jan-2024Angelo Mathews is in line to play his first T20I in nearly three years after being named in Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the series against Zimbabwe. Also in the squad are batters Kusal Perera and Dhananjaya de Silva, who are not in the squad for the ongoing ODIs, as well as spinner Akila Dananjaya, round-arm seam bowler Nuwan Thushara, and batting allrounder Kamindu Mendis.This will be Wanindu Hasaranga’s first series as captain. There is still a spot in the squad for previous captain Dasun Shanaka.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Among the omissions from this squad are of opener Avishka Fernando and top order batters Nuwanidu Fernando and Janith Liyanage, who was Player of the Match in the second ODI against Zimbabwe. Also not in the squad are allrounder Dunith Wellalage, seamer Pramod Madushan, and legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay. Pathum Nissanka has been named subject to fitness, after he was admitted to hospital last week with suspected dengue.These three T20Is will mark Sri Lanka’s earnest preparation for the T20 World Cup to be held later this year. Sri Lanka only played seven T20Is in 2023.Related

• Mendis appointed ODI captain; Hasaranga to lead in T20Is

• Fernando, Dananjaya, Vandersay back in ODI squad

• Dhananjaya replaces Karunaratne as Test captain

All three T20Is will be played at Kettarama, on January 14, 16 and 18.Sri Lanka squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (capt), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Akila Dananjaya.

Kellapotha, 31, played 20 first-class matches in Sri Lanka but has lived in Melbourne since 2013 and has signed as an overseas replacement player after dominating club cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2022Melbourne Renegades have made a shock signing by adding uncapped Melbourne-based Sri Lanka legspinner Ruwantha Kellapotha to their BBL squad as an overseas replacement player for the upcoming season.Kellapotha, 31, played 20 first-class matches and 12 List A matches in Sri Lanka between 2010 and 2013 before moving to Australia to live. He played eight seasons in the lower-tier Dandenong District Cricket Association in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs representing four different clubs before playing premier cricket for Casey-South Melbourne last season where he took 46 wickets across 50-over and T20 cricket to finish the competition’s leading wicket-taker and help Casey South-Melbourne reach the final.Related

• BBL and WBBL to finally have DRS; Bash Boost and X-Factor scrapped

• BBL overseas draft: Livingstone to Renegades, Boult to Stars, du Plessis and Russell unpicked

He also was selected to play in two second XI games for Victoria late in the season playing alongside Will Pucovski in one of them. Kellapotha recently travelled with the Renegades Academy squad to play in the Top End T20 Series in Darwin and bowled superbly. That has moved Renegades General Manager James Rosengarten and coach David Saker to sign him as a replacement overseas after the Renegades drafted Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and West Indies left-arm orthodox Akeal Hosein in August’s BBL overseas draft despite both men signing with the UAE ILT20.”We were impressed by what we saw from Ruwantha up in Darwin as part of the Renegades Academy and his performances in Premier Cricket last year showed he can match it with Victoria’s best,” Rosengarten, said.”He’s had a unique cricketing journey to get to this level. We’re confident he can come in and have an impact for us this season.”Kellapotha said he was really excited to get an opportunity with the Renegades.”My journey to here has been a bit different,” Kellapotha said. “I played first-class cricket back in Sri Lanka, came to Melbourne in 2013 to play local cricket and then last year went to Premier Cricket.”I’d achieved what I wanted to achieve in local cricket, so I wanted to see what I could do in Premier Cricket. Now I want to see what I can do at the highest level.”I really appreciate this opportunity the Renegades have given me to be involved this year. It is a huge privilege and something I do not take lightly.”This is going to be a great experience for me, playing with and against some of the best players in the world. I want to be a team player and whatever my team needs, I’ll give it 100 per cent.”Melbourne Renegades BBL squad: Nic Maddinson (c), Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein (West Indies), Ruwantha Kellapotha (Sri Lanka), Liam Livingstone (England), Shaun Marsh, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Jon Wells