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“Fast bowling has been my first love, and though I step off the field, it will always be a part of who I am”

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2025Varun Aaron, the former India quick bowler, has announced his retirement from “representative cricket”. Aaron, 35, had retired from red-ball cricket at the end of the 2023-24 Indian domestic season, and has now finished up altogether after his team, Jharkhand, were knocked out of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, in which he played four games and picked up three wickets at an average of 53.33.”For the past 20 years, I have lived, breathed, and thrived on the rush of bowling fast. Today, with immense gratitude, I officially announce my retirement from representative cricket,” Aaron wrote on Instagram. “As I bid farewell to a pursuit that has consumed me completely, I now look forward to savoring the smaller joys in life while staying deeply connected to the game that has given me everything. Fast Bowling has been my first love, and though I step off the field, it will always be a part of who I am.”Aaron burst on to the scene as a genuine tearaway during the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy, when he was 21, by clocking speeds upwards of 150kph. But bowling fast came with its pitfalls, and in a career blighted by injuries – stress fractures of the back, in the main – Aaron played nine Tests and nine ODIs, but the last of those was way back in November 2015, a Test against South Africa in Bengaluru, where he picked up one wicket in a match that lost four days to the weather.”Over the years, I’ve had to push both my physical and mental limits to recover from numerous career-threatening injuries, having to come back time and again, this was only possible thanks to the relentless dedication of the physios, trainers, and coaches at the National Cricket Academy,” Aaron wrote.He finishes up with 88 List A matches, in which he got 141 wickets at an average of 26.47 and economy rate of 5.44, and 95 T20s, where he has 93 wickets at an economy rate of 8.53.Aaron played nine seasons of the IPL between 2011 and 2022 – with Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans – and won the title with Titans in what was his final season in the competition. His own contribution in it was, however, modest, as he picked up two wickets in two games, and had an economy rate of 10.40.A product of the MRF Pace Academy, he has worked with the organisation since the middle of 2024, and has also worked as a cricket pundit, including with ESPNcricinfo.

Pakistan struggled to score on a slow surface and ended up with an under-par score in the semi-final

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2023Sri Lanka outplayed Pakistan on a slow and sticky surface in Hangzhou to advance to the final of the Asian Games. Chasing a small target of 76, Sri Lanka took the game till 17 overs to set up the gold-medal contest with India – who beat Bangladesh in a low-scoring, one-sided contest earlier in the day – on Monday.Opting to field first in the second semi-final, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were all over Pakistan’s batters from the beginning. They were restricted to 75 for 9 in 20 overs with right-arm medium pacer Udeshika Prabodhani starring with three wickets and young offspinner Kavisha Dilhari picking up two wickets. Inoshi Priyadharshani, Achini Kulasuriya and Inoka Ranaweera took a wicket apiece to blunt Pakistan. That only three batters crossed double digits showed how Nida Dar’s side struggled to score.On the other hand, Sri Lanka got off to a decent start with Chamari Athapaththu using sweep shots to negate the spinners’ turn. After scoring two boundaries, she mistimed a slog sweep to hole out on 14 off 19 balls. Opener Anushka Sanjeewani also fell inside the powerplay for a 13-ball 15 but Harshitha Samarawickrama at one-drop stitched a 35-run stand in 51 deliveries with Nilakshi de Silva for the third wicket to ensure Sri Lanka didn’t lose wickets in a flurry. Samarawickrama, despite consuming 41 balls, played a crucial knock of 23 while de Silva’s unbeaten 18 saw Sri Lanka chasing down the target with 21 balls to spare and six wickets in hand.Sadia Iqbal, Daina Baig and Umm-e-Hani were among the wickets for Pakistan, but it wasn’t enough to stop Sri Lanka from advancing to the final. They will face Bangladesh for a third-place play-off on Monday.

Eleven wickets fell on day two in Galle, with Pakistan trailing by 187 runs

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jul-2022Sri Lanka made huge strides towards taking control of the Test on the second day, despite having lost their last four wickets for 63 runs in the morning.Asitha Fernando made the crucial breakthrough, removing form batter Abullah Shafique with the second ball of the innings, before the spinners went to work. Prabath Jayasuriya had Babar Azam playing on. Dhananjaya de Silva slipped a full delivery through Imam-ul-Haq’s defences. Mohammad Rizwan, Fawad Alam, and Mohammad Nawaz were out to Ramesh Mendis’ offspin.The end result is that although Pakistan kept Sri Lanka to a manageable 378 in the first innings, they’ve stumbled so badly, they are now fighting to stay alive in the Test. Agha Salman, playing his second Test, was the batter who fought hardest, hitting 62 off 126 balls, as wickets fell around him. His dismissal off what turned out to be the last ball of the day entrenched Sri Lanka’s dominant position, however.Things had begun so well for Pakistan. Naseem Shah blew Sri Lanka’s overnight pair away in the first half-hour of play. He first fired a vicious one at debutant Dunith Wellalage’s throat in the fourth over of the day, which the batter could only fend to second slip, as he tried to get out of the way. In Naseem’s next over, another bouncer accounted for Niroshan Dickwella, who tried to help the ball around the corner, and only managed to give an edge. Dickwella had got to his half-century shortly before, having begun the day on 42.Yasir Shah then took the last two wickets as Ramesh Mendis prevented an all-out lower-order folding, with his 35, during which he struck up a 20-run partnership with No. 10 Prabath Jayasuriya, and a 25-run last-wicket stand with Asitha. Still, 378 did not seem like a total that locked Pakistan out of the game.The Pakistan top order though, did not take advantage of the situation. Second ball of the innings, their form batter Shafique played a leaden-footed push at Asitha, whose length delivery took the inside edge and cannoned into middle and leg stump.Babar Azam was out next, also chopping on, pushing at a full Prabath Jayasuriya delivery that did not turn as much as expected, to be out for 16. Imam was also bowled, but this time the bat did not interfere. De Silva beat him in the air, and slipped the ball into middle.From there, it wasn’t quite a procession, but the wickets fell regularly. Mohammad Rizwan was lbw playing back to a quicker one from Ramesh. It looked plumb from the outset, but Rizwan burned one of his team’s reviews. Fawad Alam battled to 24 before he too played back to a sliding Ramesh delivery, that hit him in front. Fawad didn’t review.Mohammad Nawaz was out a little more than 10 overs later, when he edged Ramesh behind. But Pakistan’s best batter of the day was also out before the day’s end. Salman ground his way through the innings, not hitting a boundary in his first 67 balls. When he did hit out, he advanced to pound Jayasuriya over long on, before sweeping him for four behind deep square leg.Salman was more adventurous after that, particularly when he used his feet. He got to his maiden fifty off 93 balls, and was out off the last delivery of the day for 62, edging Jayasuriya to slip.Of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, Ramesh returned the best figures, taking 3 for 42. Pakistan had two bowlers on three wickets in their innings too – Yasir taking 3 for 80, and Naseem 3 for 58.It didn’t seem like a bowlers’ pitch on day two at Galle. And yet, 11 wickets fell.

India’s premier spinner on how a ‘blank’ state of mind has brought success

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2021In this chat conducted by immediately after India’s series-levelling victory in the second Test against England in Chennai, Virat Kohli tells R Ashwin that he has seen a kind of metamorphosis in his lead spinner.According to Kohli Ashwin, who is closing in fast on 400 Test wickets, has naturally been strike bowler, not just at home but also during India’s triumph in Australia recently. Ashwin explains to Kohli what has helped him reach a “balance” state of mind where he is not desperate.Virat Kohli: I know you’ve done very well in Test cricket and you take a lot of pride in doing well for the team. This collective performance, which you’ve been working very hard for, coming in front of your home fans and your family as well, how does it feel?R Ashwin: For the first time in my career, I feel blank. When I went out to bat [on Tuesday] as well [in the second innings of the second Test], I was blank when I came and asked you “can I start sweeping?”, “can I reverse sweep?”. So that’s exactly how I feel: zero feelings or emotions inside. Very rarely I find myself in such situations.You know me very well, my mind is always ticking, but for a change it’s really, really blank. And out there, especially being 1-0 down, what I did was something incredible. Yes, I had things go my way, but that partnership (96 runs for the seventh wicket) between us set the tone and I’m really pleased for that.Kohli: Before you came to Australia, I saw a different body language, different mindset. What did you change about your approach towards the game which changed the way you approached situations on the field, and which is making a massive difference, not just in India but in Australia as well. Guys [Australians] were really very nervous to take you on. To be very honest, that body language I’ve seen away from home from you after a very long time. So I wanted to know at this stage of your career, what did you do and how did you manage to do it?Ashwin: The whole pandemic, where we shut off and locked ourselves down, it made me think “what is going to happen?”. For me, if you take the game away, I’m literally lost. Even if I’m not playing some formats of the game for the country, I’m putting the TV on, watching some preview, what’s happening, what’s not happening….I’m that sort of a person. Suddenly, the game’s not happening and we’re all sitting at home, so I was reflecting upon myself and trying to understand how I can learn from people, what people were perceiving of me.That perception really made sure that I was playing a game that is completely different to who I was. In the past when I toured [overseas], there was more of a desperation trying to prove others wrong. But this time when I went out there, it was more about proving to myself what I’m capable of. One thing I’ve noticed from a distance, and when I see people who do well through the year is how balanced they are in terms of not wanting to be desperate. Jinks, yourself when you came back to England the second time and wanted to do well, but really within yourself, within your crease, within your space, which is something I wanted to embrace.Kohli: We had a special partnership. The game was tentatively poised. Ash came out and changed the whole momentum of the game. That partnerships was special I want you to touch upon our partnership?Ashwin: This didn’t happen today. It happened at Blacktown (Sydney, during the first practice match). We were practising, and I was looking on how to take the short ball. I was a trying to set a base, trying to pull, trying to give myself options when you came up to me and said, “Ash, your big strength is to watch the ball and hit it, and play your natural game.”After that, when I went into the Adelaide day-night game, I sort of hit a few balls off the middle and something started to click. I said [to myself], ‘I’ve been too worried about technically getting things right. I’m just going to watch the ball and give myself space and also time, that extra bit of time to react to what’s in front of me.For me that had been missing in the whole puzzle of wanting to be excellent. Even this game, I’m sure you’ve been noticing, about how we wanted to sweep, try and be a little proactive. So (when) I walked out there (second innings) the first question I asked you was: “I want to try and sweep, what do you think?” And you just said “just go ahead”. For instance, if you had told me ” (take some time),” then things might have been different, because for me the right trigger has always helped. That’s what I have noticed in the last year or so.

The third season of the tournament is set to be played between November 15 to 24

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2019Trevor Bayliss’ hunt for more trophies continues with the former World Cup-winning coach of England unveiled as the man in charge of the Abu Dhabi franchise in the T10 league. He will have a familiar face for company with allrounder Moeen Ali announced as the side’s marquee player at the tournament draft held on Wednesday.The T10 league is into its third season and is set to be played between November 15 to 24. Eight teams will take part in the competition including three that have been newly formed: Team Abu Dhabi, Qalandars, who signed former Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi as their icon player last month, and Bangla Tigers, who picked up 2015 World Cup-winner James Faulkner. He last played for Australia in October 2017.”T10 cricket is big, and it’s bold, but it also requires a certain style of player and capability,” Bayliss said. “It tests players’ tactical talent and skills at the very highest level.”Moeen said: “It’s an impressive list of some of the best T10 players on show in Abu Dhabi. Fans are going to be treated to something quite special, there’s no doubt about it. I would say there’s extra incentive playing for Team Abu Dhabi to show the world what Abu Dhabi T10 cricket is all about.”There is a strong English presence in the T10 league this season with Somerset’s new sensation Tom Banton, often compared to Kevin Pietersen and mentored by Marcus Trescothick, picked up by the Qalandars. Eoin Morgan, who became the first England captain to win a 50-over World Cup, is an icon player with Delhi Bulls (a rebranding of the Bengal Tigers team which took part in the 2018 T10 league) and he will have the assistance of legspinner Adil Rashid, who played a key part of the revolution that culminated with an ICC trophy. Former England head coach Andy Flower is at the helm of the Maratha Arabians franchise, who chose Australia’s T20 specialist Chris Lynn as their icon player.Most short-form tournaments become a hub for West Indian players and this one is no different. Darren Sammy, the two-time T20 World Cup winner lines up for Northern Warriors. His team took the trophy home the T10 league last season. West Indies’ current white-ball cricket captain, Kieron Pollard, was picked up by Deccan Gladiators (previously the team called Sindhis) while Marlon Samuels and Evin Lewis will partner former South Africa batsman Hashim Amla and Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane at Karnataka Tuskers.Pakistan also had solid representation with fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who retired from Test cricket to focus on the white-ball formats, finding a place with the Arabians. Allrounders Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Hafeez are part of the Qalandars, who have close links with their Pakistan Super League (PSL) namesake Lahore Qalandars. Young fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain and the now retired (from internationals) allrounder Shoaib Malik were picked up by the Bulls.Sri Lanka’s T20 stars such as Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera (Bangla Tigers) and Niroshan Dickwella (Abu Dhabi) will also be a part of this season’s actionThere was no Indian picked up at the draft but the reported that the T10 league is in talks with a very big name. “Yuvraj Singh is almost there,” tournament chairman Shaji Ul Mulk said. “We hope to make an announcement soon. We are in the final stages of negotiations with him.”This season, we are limited by the BCCI’s policy of having only retired India players in leagues outside India.” Harbhajan Singh recently took his name out of consideration from the Hundred for the same reason.The early seasons of the T10 league had issues with corruption. This year they have shifted base from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi and claim that the ICC will be involved in dealing with it.”We have always had a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to corruption.” Shaji Ul Mulk was quoted as saying by the . “The whole monitoring of the tournament has been done by the ICC. We have outsourced anti-corruption and dope testing to the ICC. All key elements are outsourced to the ICC.”

Among the skills Dale Benkenstein is trying to teach his charges is to pick spinners out of the hand

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Jul-2018South Africa’s batsmen had a rough time in the Tests, but when it comes to ODIs, there are few places better to be right now than Sri Lanka. That is what batting coach Dale Benkenstein is hoping anyway, and his thinking is this: with several top teams fielding wristspinners in their ODI attacks right now, South Africa’s batsmen need to be primed against high-quality spin ahead of next year’s World Cup. With the hosts likely to stack their attack with spin options, and with tracks on the island likely to take some turn, this is as good a place as any, for South Africa to hone their skills ahead of the World Cup.”It’s huge value for us to be here – we’re not in the subcontinent again for a while,” Benkenstein said. “Even though we’ve had a poor Test series, there’s been a lot of work done on spin for a lot of batters. There’s been a lot of learning going on. We’re seeing this as a great opportunity to just get better. Not only the guys who are playing, but some of the young guys who are with us now. We tell them to use these conditions. Use the nets. Ask people around you. Try and get as much out of it as you can, other than just in the matches that are going on.”Among the skills Benkenstein is trying to teach his charges is to pick spinners out of the hand. South Africa had struggled substantially against wristspin in their 5-1 home series defeat against India earlier in the year, when Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav took 33 wickets between them. Sri Lanka’s ODI spinners have been nowhere near as prolific as India’s wristpsinners, but they do pose unorthodox challenges as well. Akila Dananjaya is ostensibly an offspinner, but also delivers an accurate legbreak and a good googly. South Africa may also have to contend with left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan through the course of the series.”Picking the bowlers is massive,” Benkenstein said. “It’s something that’s fairly hard to coach. You’ve got to have a lot of experience. Now we are lucky – we’ve got some technology that you can go and watch bowlers, and try and pick up anything that can help you out. But ultimately, the guys have got to go out there and work it out for themselves.”One of the big things is trying to take out one form of dismissal. If you’re not sure which way the ball’s going, it’s always better to be covering your own stumps until you start to find that you’re picking him. Often with wristspinners, once you get one wicket, they get two or three. It’s just trying to prevent that. The senior guys have got no problem – they’ve been there before. It’s really for the younger guys who are trying to understand that you can’t actually face a ball that’s spinning both ways until you can actually read it. It’s really those first 10 balls – to make sure they’ve got a gameplan to cover one way. With spinners, if you face them longer, you start to pick up the changes the bowler has.”South Africa’s first spin challenge of the series is likely to be posed by Dananjaya, who took seven wickets in the SSC Test. Although he is unorthodox, South Africa’s top order can be confident of picking him, said Benkenstein. But just picking him doesn’t mean they will automatically play him well.”One of the impressive things is that Dananjaya is very consistent. Even though he bowls three different styles, he does tend to land the ball in the right place. He’s not a massive spinner of the ball. But I think it’s just his consistency that you have to be aware of. So I think it’s just [about] getting yourself in. Once you’ve got in, then I think it’s a lot easier. It’s just really [about] being calm and not panicking when you’re finding it a bit tough. That’s probably the key to our success.”

Mithali Raj’s world record and Punam Raut’s maiden World Cup century were mere footnotes on a day when Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Australia’s spinners stamped their authority to seal a semi-final berth

The Report by Shashank Kishore12-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMeg Lanning’s half-century helped Australia make lightwork of a tricky target•Getty Images

Australia secured a semi-final berth as they overpowered India’s 226 for 7 with consummate ease on a slow turner in Bristol. India’s inability to bring to the fore their power-game at various stages during the course of the 157-run second-wicket stand between centurion Punam Raut and Mithali Raj, who became the leading run-getter in Women’s ODIs, left them shortchanged. They will now have to beat New Zealand in their final group game on Sunday to make it through to the semi-final of an ICC event for the first time since 2010.Beth Mooney and Nicole Bolton added 62 for the first wicket in 15.4 overs to set Australia up. After Bolton bottom-edged a sweep off Poonam Yadav to Sushma Verma, the wicketkeeper, Meg Lanning dug in. Batting with a strapped shoulder, she displayed nimble footwork to negate India’s spin troika of Ekta Bisht, Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav, to make 76 not out as Australia eased home with 29 balls to spare. She was complemented by the in-form Ellyse Perry, who finished with 60 not out, her fourth successive fifty to go with two wickets.Where Australia’s spinners wrested control – they combined to take 4 for 129 off 29 overs – partly due to India’s diffidence with the bat, India’s slower bowlers leaked a combined 183 in 34 overs. India’s slow scoring was largely due to the inability of Raj to hit the ball off the square; she consumed 82 deliveries and limped past the 34 she needed to eclipse Charlotte Edwards’ record.Jess Jonassen and Kristen Beams used angles and flight to cut off scoring options for Raut and Raj. Their protection of the leg-side boundary kept teasing the batsmen to work against the turn, making it difficult to maneuver the ball over the off side.Once the record was out of the way, Raj seemed a little more relaxed. The first sign of intent came three balls later as she waltzed down the pitch to hit a straight six to also become the first batsman in Women’s ODIs to cross 6000 runs. By then, Punam was in her 50s. From time-to-time, she resorted to sweeping against the turn and bringing out the delicate paddles to keep the runs ticking. Off the pacers, she was particularly punishing towards Megan Schutt, who she shovelled and lap-swept to pick off boundaries.Yet, at no stage did the pair give Australia any shivers. When Raj mistimed a lofted hit back to Beams in the 41st over, India had barely managed to cross the four-runs per over mark. Over the next six overs, Harmanpreet Kaur brought out the odd big hit to make a 22-ball 23, but Raut’s wicket in the 47th led to a total breakdown. India lost four wickets for 16, with Deepti Sharma, their second-highest run-getter of the tournament, not coming out to bat until the final over.Early in the chase, India kept things tight, conceding just 34 off the first 10. The situation was ripe for their spinners to mount a challenge. But Bisht’s first over that went for three boundaries led to opening of the floodgates. Poonam Yadav looped the ball up, but by not landing it right on a surface where the turn was slow, gave the batsmen enough time to rock back and pull.Lanning showed intent right from the time she walked out, lofting Yadav over her head for six off the fourth ball she faced. To compensate, the spinners resorted to bowling short and kept getting put away square of the wicket through cuts and sweeps. India didn’t help matters by fielding as poorly as they did, runs regularly conceded by letting the ball through their legs at the boundary. All of this meant, the chase went cold at the halfway mark. For large parts of the last 15 overs, it seemed as if an extended net session was on, the sense of helplessness in India’s ranks all too evident as what should’ve been a challenging chase turned into a cakewalk.

Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera has said support from family, the board, and fans kept him upbeat through his five-month suspension due to doping charges that have now been withdrawn by the ICC

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-May-2016Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera has said support from family, the board, and fans kept him upbeat through his five-month suspension due to doping charges that have now been withdrawn by the ICC.

Sangakkara wants Perera for England tour

“Before this tour he’d have been at the T20 World Cup, opening with [Tillakaratne] Dilshan which would have been a huge advantage for us because he’s a fantastic player,” Kumar Sangakkara said during an event in London.
“I’m extremely confused as to what has happened, the labs in Qatar came back with an adverse finding in one of his urine samples and named the steroid that was found, then over the last few days they have withdrawn that, saying there’s been a mistake. The poor boy has been out for quite a long time. [He’s] 24-25, one of the most exciting talents we have, a wicketkeeper, a strong batsman.
“I hope they do [fly him out for the England tour] because when you’ve got through something like that the best support is to be allowed to play cricket again. He’s good enough to be here. But the sad fact is that when you are provisionally banned, you can’t even train, using the facilities that international teams use.
“A sad situation but thankfully that’s all over, he can carry on what he loves doing, but unfortunately Sri Lanka has lost a remarkable player for quite some time now.”

He had been preparing for the Test leg of the New Zealand tour when he was informed of having failed a doping Test. In addition to that tour, he also missed a bilateral T20 series in India, the Asia Cup and the World T20 due to the suspension.”I think people believed me through the whole ordeal,” Perera said. “I said I hadn’t taken illegal then, and I still say it now. The board believed me, and the media believed me and left me alone. The fans also believed me, so I don’t think there has been much damage done to my reputation.”His plight appeared bleak when his initial sample had tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug, 19-Norandrostenedione, but it grew bleaker when the B sample returned identical results, in January. Perera said that despite the findings, he was intent on maintaining his innocence.”People told me after the B sample also was shown to have the substance, that it would be better to accept my fault and hope for a shorter ban. But I didn’t want to accept a wrong that I hadn’t actually committed. If there had been any wrongdoing, I would have accepted it. For four years I had played with no problem.”Perera had also spent a substantial amount of his own money in fighting the WADA-approved lab’s findings. His campaign to be cleared had included a trip to England for a polygraph test, a hair analysis and a separate urine test, as well as substantial coordination with his main legal team, which was based in the UK. He received news of his being cleared on Wednesday evening, but he had already begun to focus on making a return to the game, he said.”I can’t think much about the personal cost to me, because all I want to do is play cricket again. I’ve been out of the game for five months. I need to get back to practice soon. I’m really not thinking much about the financial losses. The first priority is to play for Sri Lanka and get back to form.”Perera is theoretically available for Sri Lanka’s Tests in England, which begin on May 19, but appears unlikely to join the squad immediately, as he has been forced to miss official team practices or training sessions since December 7. It is conceivable that he will play in the limited-overs leg of the tour to UK and Ireland, which starts on June 16 after the three Tests. There is also a full home tour against Australia in July and August.”The first month of the suspension I couldn’t train much because I was getting a lot of legal advice,” Perera said. “I did try to find time to train with a coach. I also worked on my fitness through the period.”I need to do a bit more practice before I think about tours. That’s how I’ll get my form back. Through this period I couldn’t work with the Sri Lanka trainer, so there will be work to do on my fitness as well.”Perera thanked a range of people for assisting him in both clearing his name, and in staying positive through a difficult period.”I’m very happy about being able to come back to cricket. I got the news from Thilanga Sumathipala last night. I’m really happy that the board and fans trusted me. A lot of people had made supportive comments.”I need to thank by family. My brothers were there for me especially. [My manager] Ravi helped me. And a lot of coaches helped me and gave me words of encouragement as well, which helped me along.”Former captains Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene came out in support of Perera’s charges being cleared.

South Africa U-19s and India U-19s were victorious on the opening day of the Quadrangular tournament in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2013Bradley Dial’s all-round display was instrumental in South Africa Under-19s securing a 17-run victory over Australia Under-19s in the first match of the Quadrangular one-day series in Visakhapatnam.Dial’s innings was the sole source of impetus for South Africa, who were 43 for 5 in the 13th over after winning the toss. Matthew Fotia, who has taken 17 wickets in his last seven matches, continued his fine form, claiming all his three wickets in the space of two overs.Dial, however, was resolute, and his 48 off 53 balls included five fours and one six. But South Africa had slipped to 119 for 9 before a last-wicket stand of 60 between No. 11 Andile Phehlukwayo, who made 39 off 38 balls, and Justin Dill took them to a fighting total. South Africa folded for 179 in 44 overs, as legspinner Tom Andrews picked up two wickets.Damien Mortimer and Jaron Morgan set up Australia’s chase with a steady opening partnership, but the introduction of spin caused multiple mini-collapses. From 40 for 0, Australia slipped to 67 for 4 as Yaseen Valli’s offbreaks fetched two wickets in successive overs. Jake Doran kept Australia’s hopes alive with a sedate 35, but once Dial removed Cameron Valante to end the 46-run partnership and then claimed Tom Andrews in the 43rd over, Australia were bowled out for 162.Deepak Hooda powered India Under-19s to 291 in their 50 overs before Kuldeep Yadav took four wickets to set up a massive 148-run win over Zimbabwe Under-19s.Hooda cut lose after a 77-run stand with Sarfaraz Khan was broken in the 45th over. India leaped from 219 for 6 to 291 as Hooda dominated a seventh-wicket stand of 72 runs with Aamir Gani, who contributed only 14. Wicketkeeper Ankush Bains and captain Vijay Zol gave India a solid start, but they wobbled primarily because of Kieran Geyle’s three for 32. Hooda’s 83 off 55 balls, however, with five fours and five sixes, transformed the innings.Zimbabwe’s chase was hampered early when Yadav dismissed the openers with only 36 on the board and their recovery efforts were foiled by the Hooda-Gani combination again. Offspinner Gani’s double-strike in the 31st over accounted for the innings top-scorer Ryan Hurl, for 46, and Luke Jongwe. With the score at 116 for 5, Hooda dismissed Charles Kwinje and later captain Malcolm Lake for 13 and Yadav returned to finish off the tail, claiming two more wickets.

Chris Tremlett has committed his short-term future to Surrey after a signing a one-year deal following the loss of the ECB central contract

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2012Chris Tremlett has committed his short-term future to Surrey after a signing a one-year deal following the loss of his ECB central contract.Tremlett had an injury-hit 2012 season, with back and knee problems, which restricted him to a single Championship appearance. He has since undergone knee surgery and is now targeting a full return for Surrey’s pre-season training.”I’ve signed the new contract at the end of the season and I’m absolutely delighted to stay at Surrey for another year,” he told Surrey TV. “We’ve got a big year ahead of us next year so I’m looking forward to that challenge. In the meantime it’s all about working hard and getting my body in the best shape ready so I can hit the ground running for the new season.”Tremlett last played for England in the first Test against Pakistan, in Dubai, in January before being forced out of that trip with his back injury. When the latest round of central contracts were announced earlier this month his name was absent meaning he now goes back on Surrey’s payroll. However, Tremlett does not see this as an end to his international career.”I’m very keen to get back out there and almost start a new chapter in my career,” he said. “I still feel as though I have a lot to offer at Surrey and hopefully again at England at some point.”