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ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the seventh ODI in Wellington

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Jan-2015The stump-breaking slideTillakaratne Dilshan ran 55 of his 81 runs in Wellington, but none more urgently than the single that took him to his fifty. Pushing the ball defensively to the off side, Dilshan called his partner through for the run, but found halfway down the track that the fielder at cover had made good ground. He had run right down the middle of the pitch in his haste, and when he dove to ensure he’d make his ground, he went clattering into the stumps at the other end, spraining a wrist in the process. He was not admonished by the umpires for treading on the wicket though, and continued to do so for much of the remainder of his knock.The déjà vu in inverseIn the fifth ODI in Dunedin, Martin Guptill had been out first ball of the innings as a wide Nuwan Kulasekara ball took his outside edge and flew to the keeper. In Wellington, Guptill collected another golden duck, though this time it was his other edge that was beaten, by the same bowler. Planting his front foot on off stump to a length ball, Guptill failed to adjust to the seam off the deck, and was struck in front by a ball heading towards middle and leg stump.The non-turning mystery ballDilshan has developed into a reliable offspin option over the last few years, and on Thursday, he unveiled what he perhaps hoped would add a new dimension to his bowling. In the 28th over, Dilshan sent down the first of his carrom balls, and though he had fired it down the legside, he managed to dismiss Kane Williamson, who had got himself into a tangle advancing to the ball. Replays showed the ball had not even turned a fraction, however, and throughout the evening, none of Dilshan’s carrom balls would take any spin.The nutmegDaniel Vettori had been whipping everything off his legs brutally into the leg side all evening, but Seekkuge Prasanna found a way through them in the 42nd over. Vettori walked down the pitch to the legspinner, but as the ball drifted and dipped, only ended up yorking himself. The ball passed between his boots, and Prasanna, who is enlisted in Sri Lanka’s army, gave Vettori a see-you-later salute.

As has been the case throughout their history, Bangladesh show promise, fail to build on it, and are ultimately left wondering what could have been

Jarrod Kimber26-Feb-20155:05

Holding: Bangladesh need to give players longer run

If Tamim Iqbal gets going.That is the essence of a conversation between two people in the press box. The conversation is longer than Tamim’s innings.A photo of Tamim facing Lasith Malinga would have looked fairly close to perfect. He was on the front foot, his bat and pad were together, and the full face of the bat was right there. It was only the ball that made him look silly. The ball came into him, yet Tamim missed it on the outside of his bat. It was actually hard to tell if Tamim was leaving or playing, he was so far inside the ball. Had the stumps not been taken down, people might have assumed it was a good leave.That was, and maybe is, Bangladesh. A team that looks good at times, but ultimately, the stumps are broken. If only.

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A short, dangerous gully, and a short catching mid-off is just a part of Bangladesh’s plan to dismiss Lahiru Thirimanne.It looks good, but actually Thirimanne keeps edging behind. One is dropped by slip. Another is not attempted by Mushfiqur Rahim behind the stumps. Later, Mushfiqur misses a stumping as well. While the edges and general edginess of Thirimanne continues, the slips aren’t added too, or even restructured. There is a hint of a good idea, some very decent new ball bowling, and a bunch of missed opportunities.Eventually Bangladesh do take Thirimanne, but by then, the match is all but gone. If only they had taken him early.Bangladesh look fit. They look fit, and they look young. They look fit, they look young, they look well drilled. But they don’t always field like those three things. They should be, at worst, a competent fielding side. They often aren’t. On top of the several missed chances, they added shoddy ground fielding.They missed and fumbled simple balls, and at one stage, a shy at the stumps is backed up, but the fielder backing up is not actually watching, and so Sri Lanka collect some extra runs. It is not always like this, but today it is like this, all day. If only they had held their chances, kept the pressure on, and made Sri Lanka take more risks.The Bangladeshi plan is obvious, they have their men all out on the leg side, they have their men up on the offside. They try to bowl to that plan, but Sri Lanka keep hitting through and over the off side. Conferences are had, bowlers, captains and leaders discuss this plan.They stick with it, and the Sri Lankans stick with theirs of backing away and hitting the ball through the off side. The Sri Lanka batsmen know the plan, they see the plan, they react to the plan, and the Bangladeshis let them. If only Bangladesh had practiced their plans better.If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were wickets and runs, Bangladesh would probably be the greatest ever ODI side. But they aren’t.•AFP

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There is a Bangladesh woman in the crowd who looks close to tears. She wears a Bangladesh t-shirt and face paint. She holds her hands over her mouth as Mominul Haque walks off. Mominul has played two horrendous cut shots. One was reviewed by Sri Lanka, the other was caught by Sri Lanka. In Test cricket, Mominul averages 63. He averages over 50 both home and away against Sri Lanka in Tests. But in ODIs, he more often than not only makes women almost cry. If only he could turn his Test form into ODI results.A six from Anamul Haque gets the Bangladeshi press core screaming in the box. Unfortunately, there are few, virtually no other scream-worthy moments from him. Anamul spends most of his time at the crease scoring to fine-leg and facing dot balls. One over from Herath, he faces five balls without a run, and then pushes one off the last ball to take the strike.It was almost as if he was trolling his team-mates. Recently, Anamul said “Even if I am wasting balls, my team’s score crosses the 250-mark when I am in the middle”.Here, they needed well over 300 and it’s hard to see how they will do it as his 43 balls have produced only two boundaries. And he appears allergic to rotating the strike. Eventually Anamul is run out, oddly attempting a single for the non-striker. If only he had more experience taking ODI singles.

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Shakib al Hasan plays back to a ball he should have come forward to from Dilshan. Somehow, the ball doesn’t bowl him. In the confusion, Sangakkara fumbles it. Mushfiqur Rahim sets off and almost causes a run-out. In what was one of the straightest, easiest balls to face in human history, Bangladesh have manufactured two chances for wickets for Sri Lanka. And not just two normal batsmen, their best two ODI batsmen, sitting far enough down the order that by the time they come in, their chances of winning are non-existent. If only they had batted when it mattered.On Twitter, R Ashwin gushes, “My god this guy Soumya sarkar looks a solid bat”. He looks more than solid; he looks explosive and full of boundaries. As much as you can when you only face 15 balls. Soumya hints at something special. Soumya is out shortly after. He often is. In three ODIs, he has scored, 20, 25 and 28. His ODI career is 58 balls long. Twelve of them have gone to the rope, one more over them. If he ever stays in. If he ever stays around. If he ever builds on his house of dynamite.If.

Despite the nervousness caused by the weather, Australia’s professional victory secured their preferred route for the knockouts

Brydon Coverdale in Hobart14-Mar-2015At 6.02pm, the rain blew in over Bellerive Oval, the sky darkened and so did the faces of Australia’s cricketers. Washed out against Bangladesh in Brisbane, surely it would not happen against Scotland too? The consequences would have been severe: finish third in their group, face South Africa in a quarter-final, take on New Zealand in Auckland in a semi-final. There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but that one would be prone to avalanche.A nervous hour-and-a-half ensued, Australia still needing 39 runs to overhaul Scotland’s total of 130. The rain eased up, the covers were removed, and then the weather turned once more. Only 13.2 overs had been bowled, 40 balls short of what is required to constitute a match and bring Duckworth-Lewis into play. When play resumed at 7.35pm, 12 balls was all David Warner and James Faulkner needed.The overwhelming feeling amongst the Australians was relief. In their quarter-final in Adelaide they will now face the winner of Sunday’s game between Pakistan and Ireland, and should they reach a semi-final it will be at home, at the SCG, against India or Bangladesh. It must certainly be their preferred side of the draw, given their success against Asian teams at home.Australia’s desperation for a fourth victory was apparent from Michael Clarke’s decision to send Scotland in. Pragmatism is not always a strength of the bullish Australians, but Clarke read the forecast and sniffed the breeze. The Hobart crowd jeered his choice to bowl first, but this was not a day for a 400-plus score. This was a day to get the job done, and get it done quickly.The first ball of the match was a bouncer from Mitchell Starc, keen to immediately put Scotland’s top order on the back foot. The slip cordon stayed in place for the fast men through the whole innings. Wickets fell, the Australians moved quickly back to their positions. The drinks break was an obstacle; with time of the essence, they waited in their places for Scotland’s batsmen to have a sip and return.Eyes constantly glanced above the new Ricky Ponting Stand on the west side of the ground, nervously waiting for the rain. When it came it was light, but Ian Gould and Richard Illingworth were taking no chances. Play was suspended with Scotland eight down. The Australians dawdled, miffed by the decision. They could have played on, and probably should have. But there is no DRS for rain interruptions.When play was set to resume, the Australians were all in their fielding positions before the umpires or the Scotland batsmen made it onto the field. They wanted a quick kill, and through Starc they got it, the last two wickets falling in four balls. Part one of their job was done, Scotland were skittled for 130 in the 26th over. Part two required beating the rain again.But still there was a chance to ensure their second priority could be achieved as well, getting some batting time into Clarke, Shane Watson and James Faulkner. Criticised for not batting against Afghanistan in Perth, Clarke here took the opposite route: for the first time since 2009, he walked out to open in an ODI innings.There were scratchy moments. He copped one in the groin and another in the shoulder when he missed his pulls and hooks. Watson came out at No. 3 and struck a few boundaries but was notably grumpy, bickering with Scotland bowler Rob Taylor. Clarke too had been terse at his pre-match press conference: Australia wanted this pool stage over, and over on their terms.Their Brisbane match had seemed more like the swimming pool stage, not a ball bowled due to a deluge. In Hobart the rain was just frustrating. After Australia went off with 39 runs needed, Duckworth-Lewis calculations began. They already had the runs required for the 20-over mark, they just didn’t have the 20 overs.It was not out of the question that they could have lost overs, had the target reduced and have play nominally start but with their new target already reached. In the end, no overs were lost, just a few fingernails. After the win, Clarke was a relieved man.”There was obviously doubt about getting a result,” Clarke said. “There was rain forecast and it didn’t look great. There was always a fair bit of wind so we had confidence that would continue and blow the rain away – but it could also blow rain in.”The fact we already knew we’d qualified for a World Cup quarter-final was positive. It’s just that we wanted to win this game to finish second, rather than third or fourth. That was our main focus, on making sure we did everything we could to win this game.”I think we did whatever we could. We made the most of our opportunity. Most importantly, everyone in the squad mentally is ready to go. I still felt a little bit rusty there with the bat. I don’t think Watto would’ve played that shot if he wasn’t putting the team first, and Jimmy Faulkner came in and tried to smack it at the end there. We made the most of it. All three of us got a bat, so it’s better than it could have been.”The whole day was much better than it could have been, despite the nervous moments. Australia won as comfortably as they could have under the circumstances, in only 41 overs of cricket. It was pragmatic and professional, a quick kill, if an interrupted one. Crisis averted.

Plays of the day from the match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in Chennai

Devashish Fuloria10-May-2015The scoop that worked
A few years ago, the scoop-shot was a novelty; now, there are a million versions of the shot. Brendon McCullum added one to it. In the eighth over, he got into the position early but was made to wait for the slower ball from Rajat Bhatia. Instead of going towards the ball, though, he stayed beside the line, let the ball pass him and just before it was about to reach the wicketkeeper’s gloves, he shovelled it over Sanju Samson’s left shoulder.The scoop that didn’t
By the 17th over, McCullum was exhausted in the Chennai heat. He tried to play a scoop, but the length was a bit too full from Shane Watson, and the ball went in front of the batsman rather than behind him. As Faf du Plessis charged down the pitch, he should have known McCullum was not going to run. By the time he got the message, he had come too far. Watson, the bowler, picked up, turned back and hit the stumps direct.The defensive punch
Watson found his timing in the fifth over of the chase as he hit his first boundary – a crisp cut shot. The next ball confirmed it. As he defended the length ball solidly, the connection was so sweet that the ball bounced on the sluggish pitch and leapt so high that by the time the bowler got to the ball and threw at the non-striker’s end, the batsmen had sneaked a comfortable single.Jadeja’s wait
Ravindra Jadeja’s wait for a wicket was on its 15th day. Since taking three wickets against Kings XI Punjab, he had drawn a blank for five games. He hadn’t been scoring runs either. To top it all, he had also dropped a catch in Super Kings’ previous match. Then, just when he thought he had beaten Steven Smith’s sweep and hit the leg stump, the umpire’s made him wait some more as they checked with the TV umpire. To Jadeja’s delight, the finger was raised.Bravo’s leap of faith
Dwayne Bravo loves to dance for the crowd. And invariably, he does something every match to give himself an opportunity. When Watson drove Jadeja towards the sight-screen, he would have not expected Bravo to come in between. Even Bravo, moving to his left from long-on, did not expect to intercept it. But he jumped up a couple of feet anyway, stuck his right hand out and came down with the ball. He ran towards long-off, eyes on the crowd, then pulled off his favourite moves.

In Bangladesh on a commentary stint, Morne van Wyk is exploring an aspect of life outside the game. His focus, however, remains on staying prepared for any opportunities to play for South Africa again

Mohammad Isam09-Jul-2015During the T20 series between Bangladesh and South Africa at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, the commentary box had a surprise visitor. Morne van Wyk, the man who scored a century in South Africa’s last T20 at home in January this year, was doing commentary for the first time.The mild-mannered wicketkeeper-batsman was one of three commentators for the first game, alongside Athar Ali Khan and Shamim Ashraf Chowdhury, and was joined by former South Africa allrounder Jon Kent for the second game of the series. He has worked as a studio expert back home but is enjoying this new experience, shifting from a role behind the stumps to one behind the microphone.He admitted he was disappointed at being dropped from the national side after getting a good score, an unbeaten 114 he made against West Indies in January this year, but stated he was focused on the 2016 World T20 that is less than a year away.”I think I scored 60-70 odd off 40 balls but also got dropped,” van Wyk told ESPNcricinfo. “I think it was in 2010. It was a T20 game in the Moses Mahbida Stadium. And then I scored a hundred and got dropped [in 2015]. Maybe I should not score runs once or twice and then see what happens [laughs]. I cannot tell you why or how but clearly it is very disappointing. It takes a couple of days to get over it.”Sometimes it is not really about understanding, but focusing on what you have. Certainly that’s what I am going to try to do going forward. It is not over yet. There’s a World Cup in February and I just have to keep myself ready; stay fit, stay in form. If an opportunity comes knocking, I have to use it.”Van Wyk was realistic about his exclusion saying that he had come into the T20 side in January – his first international appearance since March 2011 – as a replacement for Quinton de Kock, who had injured his ankle. Once the incumbent was deemed fit, van Wyk knew the selectors would have to make a tough choice. But he said that the commentating stint was a good opportunity for him to get a taste of a different profession albeit one connected to cricket.”It was an honor to score a century. It was little disappointing at not being picked but that’s the way it goes,” he said. “The selectors decided to put Quinton back in. I only played the game because he was injured. I suppose they had to decide whether to give me another game after the hundred or not.”Clearly they decided to give Quinton another opportunity. Life’s got a way of working out. Because of that I got an opportunity to come to Bangladesh and to commentate. It is my third time to Bangladesh. I thoroughly enjoy it. I love the passion people have for cricket. (Commentary is) Something I am thoroughly enjoying and if it becomes something I can do after my career, I will count myself very lucky.”I feel very blessed in my career. I have experienced a lot from World Cups and numerous records, highlights to winning trophies, international Man of the Match, the hundred. I have been privileged to captain teams for a long time. I am loving my time at the Dolphins,” said van Wyk.He revealed he had hopes of a shot at a World Cup spot if de Kock was not fit. “I think my name was definitely in the hat. But you know in all fairness, the hundred was in a T20. I think it all depended whether Quinton’s ankle came right or not. If he hadn’t gone, I would have gone I assume.”He turned out to be fit enough to play. So they took him. I was in the mix. I have been in the mix for a couple of World Cups. If it was a squad of 16-17, I would have been to a couple of World Cups. It wasn’t the case, it wasn’t meant to be,” he said.Van Wyk said he felt like he was making his debut all over again when he started doing commentary on Sunday. By the next game, he was out conducting the toss with Mashrafe Mortaza, his one-time Kolkata Knight Riders team-mate, and Faf du Plessis, his captain from last January.”I think from a cricketing point of view, I have played first-class cricket for 16-17 years. A lot of those things are very natural to me now. As a commentator, it is a completely new ball game so it almost felt like I have made my debut again on Sunday. Everything has been so different,” he said.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2015James Anderson picked up two wickets in an over to leave Pakistan wobbling on 3 for 2•Associated PressMohammad Hafeez helped calms nerves and, although he was run out after lunch, there was no hint of the drama to come when Pakistan were 102 for 3 at tea•Associated PressMisbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan seemed to have guided Pakistan to safety…•Associated Press…but Younis gave Adil Rashid his first Test wicket and a collapse ensued•Associated PressMisbah was bowled aiming a slog at Moeen…•Associated Press…Wahab Riaz did not last long either…•Getty Images…and Adil Rashid took the last two wickets with consecutive deliveries to bowl Pakistan out for 173•Getty ImagesRashid finished with 5 for 64, the first five-wicket haul by an English legspinner since 1959•Getty ImagesThat left England needing only 99 to win but although there were plenty of overs left, the light was fading•Getty ImagesJoe Root provided much of the impetus but England were 25 short on 74 for 4 when the umpires decided to call a halt and declare the match a draw•Getty Images

Stats highlight from the first ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in Dhaka

Shiva Jayaraman07-Nov-2015 145 Runs Bangladesh won by – their third-biggest win while batting first in ODIs and their biggest against Zimbabwe. They had won against Zimbabwe by 124 runs at the same venue last year which was the previous largest margin against them. 0 Number of five-wicket hauls Shakib Al Hasan had taken in ODIs before his 5 for 47 in this match. His previous best was the 4 for 16 he took against West Indies in Chittagong in 2011. Shakib has now taken 68 wickets against Zimbabwe in ODIs at 21.83. His next-highest against any team in ODIs are the 28 wickets he has taken against New Zealand. 3 Centuries by Mushfiqur Rahim in ODIs before the one in this match. Two of these have come against Zimbabwe. Mushfiqur has made 1122 runs at 40.07 against them in ODIs. 4 Man-of-the-match awards won by Mushfiqur in ODIs including the one in this match. This is his second such award in 2015 – he had won it in an ODI against Pakistan in April this year. 75.40 Average stand for the fifth wicket for Bangladesh in ODIs in 2015 – the highest any team has averaged for that wicket. The stand between Mushfiqur and Sabbir Rahman in this match was the third century partnership for Bangladesh’s fifth wicket this year – also the highest for any team. 15-6 Bangladesh’s win-loss record under Mashrafe Mortaza’s captaincy; among those who have led full-member teams to at least 15 wins, Mashrafe win-loss ratio of 2.50 is currently the fourth highest. 1 Number of times Zimbabwe have been dismissed by Bangladesh in ODIs for a lower total. They had been bowled out for just 44 runs in an ODI in 2009, which is their lowest. In a separate instance last year, Zimbabwe were dismissed for 128 – exactly their total in this game. 15 Centuries by wicketkeeper-batsmen in ODIs in 2015 – the most in any calendar year. Last year saw 13 hundreds in ODIs by wicketkeepers which was the previous highest in a year.

Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe Mortaza had shared a light-hearted chat about facing Mohammad Amir before the BPL began, but it was Mashrafe who had the last laugh

Mohammad Isam24-Nov-2015On the day before BPL began, Tamim Iqbal was going to Chittagong Vikings’ training at the BCB Academy ground when he bumped into Mashrafe Mortaza. When their conversation was winding down, the talk drifted to Mohammad Amir and how Tamim will use him in the tournament.”When you will come to bat, I will just tell him to hit you there,” Tamim told Mashrafe pointing to his toes.”Bring him on if you dare. I will hit him out of the park,” Mashrafe said in mock warning.Tamim pointed to his toes once again, the two laughed heartily, before he joined his team-mates for training.That moment arrived in the 17th over on Tuesday when Comilla Victorians needed 36 off the last four overs. It wasn’t a surprise to see Amir come on to bowl, and Tamim didn’t just bring him on because Mashrafe was at the crease. Chittagong’s plan is to use Amir up front for two overs and then at the death.Tamim possibly forgot to inform Amir to bowl at Mashrafe’s toes as both deliveries he sent down to him on the over were angling away, giving him room to take a single off the inside edge and a couple with a hoick over cover.The scenario had changed rapidly when Amir bowled his next over, the 19th of the innings, as Comilla just needed a run-a-ball 12 after Samuels carted Shafiul Islam for 18 runs to reduce the gap.Amir tried to jam the ball past Mashrafe’s bat but he tapped it on the off-side field to reach his maiden T20 fifty. A fuller delivery was next up, the fourth of the over, but Mashrafe squeezed it past point for a couple and then the next ball too, another full one outside off stump was squeezed away past point. This time it reached the boundary and Mashrafe was off, celebrating Comilla’s first win in the BPL.After the brief celebrations, Tamim later caught up with Mashrafe and shared a brief handshake. It was done in all seriousness.Mashrafe later ranked the unbeaten 56 off 32 balls as his all-time best, and said that his self-promotion to No. 5 was a tactical move.”This is my best ever innings with the bat,” Mashrafe said. “When I went to bat however, I didn’t think much. I just wanted to hustle their bowlers and maybe prompt a bit of change in their bowling plans. When I could be there till the end, I couldn’t really believe it. You could see it in how I ran off to celebrate.”It worked, and although his prophecy to Tamim didn’t pan out exactly as he said Mashrafe would count himself lucky none of those Amir yorkers dipped into his feet.

Any apprehension about whether fans would turn up was immediately forgotten on Thursday night as people of all ages turned out in strong numbers to Dubai Sports City, keen to see the T20 spectacle

Nagraj Gollapudi in Dubai05-Feb-20160:25

Fireworks galore in Dubai

Shahid Afridi looked anxious as he stepped out of the team bus in the early evening light of Thursday. And why not – this was a special occasion in his career. Not just his. The inaugural Pakistan Super League was about to begin. All of Pakistan was waiting in expectation. Afridi and Pakistan needn’t have worried, though.A couple of steps away from Afridi, a young boy was shrieking in delight. This youngster could not believe he was at arm’s length from Pakistan’s most popular modern-day cricketer. Such episodes are what make and sell franchise-based sport: access and intimacy with your idols, favourite players and heroes.If there was any apprehension about whether fans would turn up at all, it was immediately forgotten as the queues started to build up four hours before the start time. By the time the five team buses snaked their way into the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, as the sun set on Dubai, there was a huge din in and around the ground.Inside, the stadium had descended into a choreographed darkness. Cleverly the organisers had left LED wrist bands for the fans to wear. Soon those LEDs on the wrists blinked different colours resembling the jersey colours of the five franchises. And then the music started. Like gleaming ocean waters on a full-moon night, those LEDs on the wrists and the empty seats danced dazzlingly.It was an electric atmosphere by now, with the 26,000 capacity stadium 60% full. And the din inside had already made those waiting outside eager and anxious. Like avid movie-goers, no one wanted to miss even the trailers. Boys, girls, teenagers, men, women, grandparents, families, parents pushing pushchairs, fathers swaddling babies… everyone made their way to their seats, keen to see the spectacle.Franchise cricket encourages loyalty towards your team and, as the five captains lead their contingents onto the ground, the crowd reserved their loudest cheers for their respective regions. Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq got handsome cheers from the crowds as they led the Karachi Kings and Islamabad United out, but the loudest, craziest shrieks were reserved for Pehshawar Zalmi. Afridi, who entered the ground with his trademark star-pose, waved both hands to acknowledge the support of his fans.The crowd erupted once again when the “world boss” Chris Gayle joined his Jamaican countryman Sean Paul, the rapper, on the stage, along with fellow Caribbean players in the league – Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy – to shake a leg. Even the rock called Misbah moved rhythmically as he clapped and nodded his head as Pakistani singer Ali Zafar sang the PSL’s anthem – (Show Me How You Play).Among the crowd was a special set of 146 that had been flown in on Thursday by Javed Afridi, Zalmi’s owner. The group comprised students and teachers of the Army Public School in Peshawar, which had been attacked by the Taliban in 2014. Lead by their teachers and the school principal, the students – dressed in their school attire – enjoyed the evening out.According to the school coordinator, Zalmi’s gesture was bigger than just benevolence. Sport is a great healer and the for the young minds who had witnessed the brutal attacks on their friends from close quarters, being part of a festive atmosphere like the PSL could have a significant and positive impact psychologically.The PSL has been a longstanding dream for Pakistan cricketers. At the trophy unveiling on Wednesday afternoon, the tension was palpable on the faces of all five captains. Forced to play cricket away from their home, forced to sit out of the IPL, both the players and their fans have been left hungry and frustrated.Salman Sarwar Butt, one of the main architects of the PSL, told the five franchises during an address on the eve of the tournament that he and his management team had done all the hard work. “‘Now it was for you guys to go and fight hard. We have done what we could.’ I told them it was in their hands to make PSL a success,” Butt says.He might have just said:

The Sri Lankan captain has the skill to stand up to England’s bowlers, so why did he not use a review? Whatever the situation, it was surely worth it

Jarrod Kimber at Headingley20-May-2016Sri Lanka hold the trophy between these two sides. Not because of a win over England earned in dust pits at Colombo and Galle, but one they claimed in early season England, at Headingley, with Yorkshire-coloured clouds. That was a spectacular effort.Yet, when they arrived this time, people were whispering about England going unbeaten during the entire summer. That was before Sri Lanka had even played a tour match. Not one of their batsmen have been mentioned more than the two they didn’t bring, Mahela and Kumar. In their last five series they had won one. And their chairman of selectors Sanath Jayasuriya played one of the most audacious shots, even for him, when he claimed that Sri Lanka had the world’s best bowling attack.The holders of the trophy suddenly were being treated like an appetiser for an English banquet, with their best players not here, their form seemingly retired with them, and their bowling attack had been put under more pressure than a violent Ben Stokes attack.Angelo Mathews is used to playing in tricky situations, this was tricky before the coin toss.Then they arrived at Headingley, and the pitch was green. So they bowled. Those bowlers, Sanath’s best men, struggled with the new ball. The first drinks break happened, and then the sun came out, this team that had been written off was staring at a big first innings score. They threw the ball to their latest gamble, an allrounder who can make two T20 hundreds in a week, but one who his own former team-mate, Mahela Jayawardene, seemed confused about when he came on to bowl.Then it was magic, it was like the Headingley of two years ago. Dasun Shanaka didn’t bowl within-himself medium-pace, he seemed to throw everything he had at the other end, and in a moment, he had two more Test wickets than he had given up runs, and over 10% of his career first-class wicket tally.It didn’t stop. England had lost their first five wickets before they had scored 100. Mathews was in control, his bowlers were swinging the ball, Shanaka had been bowling pure fairy dust and Sri Lanka were a solid hour from heading for victory.There is a theory that Jonny Bairstow doesn’t like the short ball. That at Test level, when the ball is at him, he is weak. Sri Lanka had certainly heard that. They decided from the start that Bairstow would be bounced out. They tried two men out on the hook. They tried leg-side heavy fields. They tried men in leg-side catching positions. They tried around the wicket. They tried, and failed.Bairstow often gets bowled. But a look at the seamers’ beehive to Bairstow would suggest the stumps were some kind of a forbidden zone the ball physically couldn’t hit. Like Bairstow had brought a forcefield with him, rather than it just being stupid bowling. Even when the umpire gave him out lbw the ball wasn’t hitting the stumps and it was overturned.Bairstow wasn’t playing an innings of carnage and destruction, he wasn’t taking Sri Lanka apart one blow at a time, he was just batting, and with him and Alex Hales together, they put on the sort of partnership that changes the game, and makes momentum look like a buzzword.But Sri Lanka had another chance to end it. Nuwan Pradeep dropped a catch. A simple catch. What he saw was a death ball covered in razor wire that was operated by a super villain, and he had the balance of a building that was being imploded. What we saw was a mistimed shot heading slowly towards a man who seemed more destined to end up swallowing the pitch than catching a simple caught and bowled. All this while Hales was scoring three runs in 50 minutes, a near Nick Compton state of self-denial. It could have been Sri Lanka’s morning, instead it was Hales and Bairstow’s, and then Finn and Bairstow’s, but mostly Bairstow’s.But Sri Lanka weren’t batting with a massive total to chase, they were batting in the afternoon when the Test should be at its calmest. And 32 balls into their innings their captain arrived in one of those tricky positions he knows so much about: 12 for 3.No one was mentioning Mahela and Kumar, no one had time. Sri Lankan batsmen were checking in and out quicker than you would a hotel made of giant alien rats. If they had a tactic to overcome the swinging ball, they forget to use it. If they had an idea of how to play in England, they forgot it. They never even flirted with something that should be called a total.It was only Angelo that looked right. It was Angelo who very nearly had Bairstow lbw. It was Angelo who very nearly had Hales caught at slip. It was now Angelo, striding out, having to calm and carry his team. At one stage he was saving wickets at his end, but also stopping Chandimal from a suicidal second run. He couldn’t save him forever, but Sri Lanka’s first, and only, partnership of note was when Angelo batted with Lahiru Thirimanne.It was as calm as you can be with your first four men gone, a green pitch, Yorkshire coloured-clouds, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn moving the ball, Mahela in the comm box, and Kumar playing for Surrey. But Angelo had been there before, his batting style should be called “right hand rearguard”.Then Anderson hit his pad, and the umpire thought it was out. But Angelo was across the crease, and asked Thirimanne if he should review. Obviously he should. If Mathews had taken a flame thrower to his stumps after being caught at mid-on slogging, he should review in this situation. Sri Lanka hadn’t used one review, and they were one Angelo innings from complete annihilation. There were people travelling on buses going past the ground who thought it was obvious he should review. The entire nation of Sri Lanka agreed with them.Except Thirimanne.He told his captain, his best batsman, his country’s only hope, to leave the crease. Suddenly this didn’t look like a team with the best bowling attack, a team that had won last time, or even a team that Angelo could save. It looked like a team that was in rush, a mad dash, a screaming naked panic-riddled sprint to get the trophy back into England’s hands.Angelo has been in tricky positions before, and he has saved Sri Lanka so many times from those tricky positions. This time he turned and walked. Sri Lanka’s hopes went with him.