The league, however, could potentially clash with the women’s IPL

Danyal Rasool06-Oct-2022The PCB has announced the launch of women’s T20 league, with the inaugural edition set to run alongside next year’s PSL. There will be 12 games played, all of them in Rawalpindi, with the final due to take place on March 18 2023, the day before the Pakistan Super League final. The league will comprise four teams, with 18 players per side, including six foreign players.”I am delighted to announce the women’s league,” PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said. “This league will attract young women cricketers to this great sport and help our current players further enhance their skills when they will get to share dug-outs with the overseas players. To amplify the coverage and promotion of this initiative, some of the matches will precede the HBL Pakistan Super League 8 matches.”This event is aligned to our strategy of making Pakistan a stronger cricket playing nation across all formats and genders. We are not only creating attractive brands to strengthen our cricket economy, but through this tournament are also providing career opportunities to our women cricketers. The more our women cricketers will participate in high-pressure events, the more they will learn.”Related

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Ramiz has been a proponent of a women’s T20 league ever since ascending to the chairmanship, with the lure of pipping India to hosting the first women’s T20 league in Asia a consistent theme among his stated goals. India has held the Women’s T20 challenge since 2018, but is yet to host a franchise-based women’s league similar to the Indian Premier League. The inaugural edition of the women’s IPL is also scheduled for March 2023, with the dates yet to be announced.That means there could theoretically be a clash between the women’s IPL and the women’s T20 league in Pakistan, potentially impacting Pakistan’s foreign options for the league.Ramiz had told ESPNcricinfo earlier this year that the PCB was looking to host a women’s PSL in the January-February window. At the time, Pakistan had just 12 centrally contracted women’s cricketers, though that has since increased to 20. Pakistan still need to have a further 28 local players for the league, meaning they will need to dig deep among their reserves for local talent, and likely turn to players that featured in the national Under-19 tournament in August to make up the shortfall.”There’s a lot of traction and a lot of takers for it,” Ramiz had said at the time. “Pakistan women’s cricket needs to improve a lot, and that will only happen when we give them an environment where they can make money and share the dugout with world-class players. We are also thinking of making first-class women’s teams and attaching them with provincial teams.”

Sri Lanka take chase down to final over as England middle order unravels after fast start

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Nov-2022England are through to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, knocking Australia out in the process, thanks to a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka.It was an anxiety-riddled chase in the final match in Group 1, despite a target of 142 looking well within reach after openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales posted 75 for the first wicket inside eight overs. But a series of unforced errors saw six wickets fall in the space of 65 deliveries, for the addition of just 54. The trio of Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva and Lahiru Kumara split those dismissals evenly between them and for a moment an upset looked well and truly on the cards.But Ben Stokes – as ever – saw England over the line with 42 from 36 that only contained two fours but constantly worked the scoreboard and Sri Lanka’s outfielders before Chris Woakes’ cut for four confirmed victory with two balls left. Stokes came in at No. 3 after Dawid Malan injured his groin fielding and showed typical poise under immense pressure.It was a far closer than it should have been, England having fought back strongly to limit Sri Lanka to a modest total after opener Pathum Nissanka (67 off 45) got them off to a flyer. For Australia, now officially done as defending champions, they will wonder what might have been having relinquished the opportunity to surpass England’s net run rate with their own modest win over Afghanistan on Friday.But for Nissanka’s blitz, which had Sri Lanka 65 for 1 after seven overs, there was little around him as England’s collective attack served up cutters and slower deliveries that were responding well to a worn surface at the SCG. Adil Rashid’s 1 for 16 from his four overs led the retort, though Mark Wood collected the more eye-catching figures of 3 for 26, two of them coming in the 20th over, which also featured a run out, as Sri Lanka crept to 141 for 8 – the lowest total posted first at this ground in the competition. England also became the first to win at the SCG when chasing.Buttler’s charges now head to Adelaide for their semi-final. They will play whoever finishes first in Group 2, which culminates on Sunday.Stokes. Again
Make no mistake, there was always going to be a space for Stokes, even if the pre-tournament conversations over whether he is in England’s best T20 team were merited. In many ways, it is his bowling that has been as close to a revelation as you can get for a multifaceted cricketer admired the world over, and yet again he opened up, finishing with 1 for 24 from three overs. Batting, however, was where the real question remained and it took until England were in the doldrums in Sydney to truly appreciate how valuable he is.Yes, his best spot is as an opener, but the way he gauged the conditions around him – both the tangible challenge of the pitch and intangible stress of having to be the saviour once more – was a reminder of his unparalleled worth to England. He only hit two fours, picking up the majority of his runs with his feet, as that problematic left knee worked more overtime. He is still yet to register a fifty in T20Is, and this score was only the third time he has passed 40 in 35 innings, not that he or his team-mates will care.If Malan’s injury is as feared, a batting replacement will have to be drafted in, and there is no guarantee Stokes will reprise his first-drop role in the semi-final. Whatever position he comes in at, there can be no doubt England’s best XI is one with him in it.Rashid dulls with class
Four games played, 16 overs bowled and, finally, a wicket. It has been a peculiar tournament for Rashid, one which has seen the legspinner operate as a dampener rather than a disruptor. Even though the former is a role of immense value in this format, the fear was the shoulder injury that has limited his usual zip off the pitch was cutting into his incisiveness. Of course, the reality may be closer to the fact batters are more watchful against him, willing to play his overs out before making hay at the other end.Here, he wedded both sides: stopping Sri Lanka in their tracks – he did not concede a boundary in his four overs – and dismissing Nissanka. Had he failed at either task, things would have ended very differently. As it happens, he now has 90 T20I wickets – the joint most for an Englishman, level with Chris Jordan.Change of pace
In a tournament where those topping the speed gun have stolen the headlines, here was a fixture that rewarded shifting down a few gears. The spinners were always likely to shine on this used pitch, but the quicks got in on the act with variations of their own. England’s attack sussed this halfway through and by the halfway stage, pace-off deliveries were going at 4.87 runs per over, while pace-on checked in at 8.46. The most notable element of this in the second innings came in the 18th over, when Sri Lanka’s own speedster Lahiru Kumara bowled six balls – almost entirely reserved and into the pitch – that yielded just two runs and the wicket of Sam Curran, leaving England needing over a run a ball for the last two overs.

Veteran seamer describes “incredible” Stokes as “someone you want to play for”

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2022James Anderson described England’s dramatic, 74-run win over Pakistan on the final day in Rawalpindi as “one of the best” victories of his career.Anderson has won 79 Test matches, the most of any England player, but said that this victory – with minutes to spare on the fifth evening – was among the best due to the placid nature of the pitch, which required bowlers on both sides to “dig deep”.”It’s probably one of the best wins I’ve been involved in, if not the best,” Anderson told . “On a pitch like that, to play the way we did, to score the runs at the rate we did, we gave ourselves a chance of getting a result and I think we deserved to put ourselves in that position at the end of the game.”Today, it was an unbelievable effort from everyone. We tried so hard to get the ball reversing and doing something, going off the straight, and we created enough chances to get the win. It was hard, but we knew it was going to be difficult.”With Ben [Stokes] and Brendon [McCullum], their mantra is that we’ve got to take wickets and look to take wickets all the time. Even though they [Pakistan] got 500-plus in the first innings, we still felt with that lead that we had, the way we scored, we could set ourselves something to defend.”Coming into today, we knew it was going to be hard because it’s still a good wicket but we managed to get the ball reversing which was absolutely huge. Getting the ball moving through the air makes a massive difference, and we executed our skills brilliantly.”Related

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Anderson returned second-innings figures of 4 for 36 in 24 overs, including the key wickets of Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan, but praised Stokes and Ollie Robinson for their burst with the new ball on the fourth evening.”The one thing that stood out for me was the way that Ollie and Ben bowled with the new ball after not having much rest,” he said. “They came out with that short-ball theory and it got us a couple of wickets early.”That set things going and gave us a lot of confidence coming into today. We knew that it was going to be a big push and we dug deep today; we had to dig deep to try and get anything from that wicket.”Anderson described Stokes, the eighth captain he has played under, as an “incredible” leader. “He’s someone you want to play for,” he said. “He gives you so much confidence heading out there and the way he just knows what he wants to do.”He thinks about it a lot: the fields that he sets and the way that he just tells you what to do, basically, is great for us. It’s exciting, trying different things as well: exciting fields, different fields, thinking outside the box which you’ve got to do on pitches like this.”There are only three days between the first and second Tests of the series – the second starts in Multan on Friday – and Anderson admitted with a smile that he would feel sore on Tuesday after getting through 46 overs in the match at the age of 40.”It’s nice to have the win but I don’t think tomorrow will feel great for me,” he said. “It was a long five days. Quick turnaround, but that’s the nature of Test cricket. You know coming into a series that you’ve got back-to-back games and have to recover well and then come back in three days’ time and do it all over again.”

“It’s only really a problem if the left-handers think, ‘oh, hell. We’ve got to face Ashwin and he could get me out,'”

Shashank Kishore07-Feb-20234:42

How do Australia counter the Ashwin threat?

Ian Chappell, the former Australia captain, believes India will begin the Border-Gavaskar series as favorites, but that doesn’t mean Pat Cummins’ team should be written off.Australia are touring India for a Test series for the first time in six years. That series in 2016-17 ended 2-1 in India’s favour despite Steven Smith’s brilliant second-innings century on a Pune turner set up a series-opening 333-run win for Australia.For the record, Australia last won a Test series in India in 2004. Incidentally, they sealed that series win at Nagpur, where the two teams will begin the 2023 series on Thursday. That surface at the old VCA ground was a green-tinged deck that assisted pace and bounce, where the pace trio of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz picked up 16 of the 20 wickets.Related

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It’s likely this one at Jamtha, where the new stadium is located, will turn.”I don’t know whether it’s their best chance or not, but they’ve got a chance of winning because they’re a good cricket team,” Chappell told ESPNcricinfo’s India vs Australia Curtain Raiser show. “Unfortunately, they will be missing two very good bowlers (Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood) in the first Test. But as I said earlier, there are only two teams playing and you must have a chance of winning. And they’re both playing on the same pitch.”I was told by Richie Benaud, who was a very wise person and a very good cricketer and commentator, when I was 19, and he said, ‘Ian, this is a simple game. The simpler you keep it, the better off you will be’, and I think that’s the way you have to approach India. Okay, that’s not to say it’s going to be easy, but it’s also not impossible.”Yes, Australia have a chance. Is it their best chance? I don’t know. What’s more, I don’t care. If you win the series, nobody is going to worry about when was the last time Australia won in India. Let’s worry about Pat Cummins’ team. I would have India have starting as favourites, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think Australia can win.”Australia could have five left-handed batters in their top seven if Matt Renshaw makes the XI•Getty Images

‘Rubbish to worry if a guy is a left-hander or right-hander’Chappell also wasn’t in favour of weighing up batting options based on whether they were right-handed or left-handed. It’s entirely possible Australia may have five left-handers in the top seven should they pick Matt Renshaw ahead of Peter Handscomb in the middle order. The others are David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Alex Carey.”Well, again, I think it’s a load of rubbish to worry about whether the guy is left-hander or right-hander,” he said. “I see Ashwin’s record. If you think you can play, you have got to think you can play Ashwin or whoever plays. I think Renshaw will be delighted to get picked. If that means a lot of left-handers, and if Ashwin has a record of getting left-handers out, okay that’s a problem.”But it’s only really a problem if the left-handers think, ‘oh, hell. We’ve got to face Ashwin and he could get me out.’ If they think Handscomb is the player in the middle order because he plays spin well, then pick him, that’s fine, but pick guys because you think they can bat or pick guys you think they can bowl, and not because he can get few runs down the orders. I’m not picking bowlers because they can bat a little bit, am picking them because they can pick wickets.”

Loss of revenue during pandemic plus historic pensions error leaves reserves precarious

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2023Chief executive Andrew Cornish says “there is no hiding away” from Middlesex’s financial difficulties, after acknowledging that the club may require an ECB bail-out after racking up a loss of £952,000 in their most recently published accounts.In an open letter to Middlesex’s members, Cornish acknowledged that a recent report in the Daily Telegraph had been an “accurate depiction” of the club’s financial status, following a hit to their revenue from the Covid pandemic in 2020-21, plus a historic pensions miscalculation that has cost the club a further £500,000 to rectify.However, Cornish also insisted that none of this was “new news”, and that with Middlesex forecast to return a profit in 2023, any involvement of the ECB in the club’s management was merely a case of putting contingency plans in place, in the event of a “rainy day”. At present the club’s reserves have been reduced to £179,000, from more than £2 million prior to the pandemic.”Losses have been significant, the accounts are filed publicly for all to see, as well as being sent to all members and discussed at the AGM, so there is no hiding away from the fact that the last two years have been an extremely challenging time for Middlesex Cricket,” Cornish wrote.”As I have said, none of this is news to Middlesex members … we have made every effort to ensure that this has been conveyed to you in as transparent and open manner as possible.”Unlike the other 17 first-class counties, Middlesex is in the unique position of renting its home ground, Lord’s, from MCC – a situation that has both exacerbated their current exposure, given that their sole revenue stream is from county cricket activities, but also ensures that they are debt-free, with their landlords for example footing the bill for last year’s £53 million redevelopment of the Compton and Edrich Stands.For that reason, however, the income that Middlesex receives from the ECB makes up more than 70 percent of their overall figure – £4.733 million out of £6.589 million, according to their latest accounts, including their long-standing county partnership agreement, plus a further £1.3 million in return for agreeing to the staging of the Hundred.”We are much more reliant on the revenue that the ECB provides through its broadcast deals than our counterparts at other venues,” Cornish added. “This difference comes about due to us not owning our own ground and therefore being unable to stage profitable non-cricket events, which some might view as a blessing.Related

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“With such a vested interest in protecting the future wellbeing of the English game, and the counties that are the stakeholders in it, it is only right that open and honest discussions are being had between both organisations to ensure that there is an understanding of our position.”In 2016, Durham was punished for receiving a £3.8 million ECB bail-out, with relegation from Division One, a 48-point deduction for the following season, and a loss of Test status. However, the new ECB leadership of Richard Gould and Richard Thompson, formerly of Surrey, are unlikely to take such a hard line as they seek to make the case that their regime is more supportive of the counties than their forebears.”We are grateful for the assistance and help the ECB are providing to the Club throughout this process and will continue to liaise with them closely on this matter moving forwards,” Cornish added. “They are assured and encouraged that the financial position of the Club at this point is far more encouraging than previously.”However, whilst unlike many other counties we have no debt, we also have minimal assets and that leaves our cashflow potentially exposed to the seasonality of cricket, hence our need as responsible Directors to ensure the Club has contingency plans in the event of a ‘rainy day’ – if you’ll forgive the pun.”

England batter has never previously captained in a professional T20 fixture

Matt Roller20-Mar-2023Dan Lawrence has been appointed captain of London Spirit men in the Hundred, replacing the retired Eoin Morgan in the role.Lawrence, 25, has never captained a team in a professional T20 fixture and his leadership experience extends to one Championship match for Essex and a warm-up match for England Lions in Abu Dhabi earlier this winter.He has played nine times for the Spirit across the first two seasons of the Hundred, scoring 135 runs and taking five wickets – four of them in a single fixture against Welsh Fire at Lord’s last summer.Related

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He was retained for the 2023 season on a £75,000 contract, and will receive a £10,000 bonus as captain.”It’s a real honour to be asked to captain this side,” Lawrence said. “Following on from England’s greatest white-ball captain is a huge challenge, but one I’m really excited to be taking on.”Spirit’s men finished third in the Hundred last summer, losing the eliminator against Manchester Originals at the Ageas Bowl. They have retained most of their squad and will make three signings in Thursday evening’s draft, including one overseas player.”We’ve got a talented group of players coming back this season, and it’s a great chance to build on last year’s strong performance,” Lawrence added. “I can’t wait to lead the team out in front of a packed ground at Lord’s.”Dan Lawrence celebrates a wicket with Eoin Morgan•ECB/Getty Images

Fraser Stewart, Spirit’s general manager, said: “We are delighted that Dan has agreed to captain London Spirit’s men’s team this year. He is tactically astute and is a very popular and respected member of the dressing room.”It’s also pleasing that he’s a local player from one of our partner counties, Essex, whose fans we hope will come to Lord’s to support Dan and the London Spirit teams.”The Hundred runs from August 1-27 this summer, and has a standalone window which does not clash with any England international fixtures – men’s or women’s – for the first time.

In a low scorer on a black-soil pitch, RCB reduced the hosts to 38 for 5 and then 66 for 7 with Rahul injured

Hemant Brar01-May-20232:33

Moody: Lucknow suffocated their own strength

In the previous meeting between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants, 425 runs were scored in 40 overs on the batting paradise at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. On Monday night, LSG served a black-soil pitch on their home ground where the ball gripped and held into the surface. The result: 234 runs in 39.5 overs with RCB coming out on top by 18 runs.After Faf du Plessis opted to bat, he and Virat Kohli set the platform by adding 62 in nine overs. But the innings never really came out of the first gear. Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Amit Mishra and K Gowtham combined to bowl 13 overs of spin and picked up 5 for 73 between them. Naveen-ul-Haq, too, reaped the rewards of bowling his cutters into the pitch and picked up three wickets at the death to restrict RCB to a modest 126 for 9.Related

• Kohli vs Gambhir: 'If you can give it, you got to take it'

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In response, LSG had a nightmarish start. They were 38 for 5 after seven overs, and when Marcus Stoinis and Gowtham too fell in back-to-back overs, they were soon 77 for 8. LSG’s only hope at that point was KL Rahul. He had hobbled off the field after hurting his right leg in the second over of the game. But by the time he came out at No. 11, LSG needed 24 off eight balls.It was clear Rahul was not going to run between the wickets. He played three dots, one of which was a free hit, and then saw Mishra trying and failing to score the required 23 in the final over. A post-match altercation between Kohli and LSG’s mentor Gautam Gambhir, though, took the shine off RCB’s win.

RCB’s slow start

After RCB scored only 20 runs in the first three overs, du Plessis and Kohli tried to break the shackles. In the fourth over, du Plessis hit Naveen for a straight six and Kohli followed it with a four. However, Krunal and Bishnoi conceded only ten in the next two, and RCB finished the powerplay on 42 for no loss.

Bishnoi gets Kohli and Maxwell

Du Plessis and Kohli had put on 62 when Kohli decided to skip down the track against Bishnoi but reached nowhere near the ball. it also turned it to be a googly and beat him on the inside edge for Nicholas Pooran to effect an easy stumping.No. 3 Anuj Rawat managed only 9 before being dismissed by Gowtham. That brought Glenn Maxwell, arguably RCB’s best batter against spin, in the middle. On his fifth ball, he tried to reverse-sweep a Bishnoi legbreak only to get hit on the thigh and be given out lbw.In the 15th over, Mishra had Suyash Prabhudessai caught at long-off, courtesy an excellent diving catch by Gowtham, to leave RCB 90 for 4.2:24

Moody unhappy with the pitch in Lucknow

Rain but no runs

After a brief spell of rain that halted play for around 25 minutes, Dinesh Karthik resumed by hitting Naveen over midwicket for four. In the next over, the 17th, he pulled a half-tracker from Mishra for a six and du Plessis also tried to take Mishra on but ended up miscuing his attempt. Krunal ran to his right from point and completed the tumbling catch near extra cover.RCB were relying on Karthik for some late blows but Yash Thakur dashed their hopes. In the 19th over, Wanindu Hasaranga hit one back towards Thakur who fielded the ball and nailed the direct hit at the non-striker’s end to find Karthik well short after he had taken off a long way.

RCB bounce back

Mohammed Siraj has been lethal with the new ball this season, and he once again struck early, having Kyle Mayers caught at mid-on with the second ball of the chase. After two overs, LSG were 2 for 1.Krunal hit Siraj for three successive fours in the third to move the needle, but LSG lost four wickets in the next four overs. Krunal was the first to go, chipping Maxwell to long-off. From the other end, Josh Hazlewood removed Ayush Badoni, who had come in as Impact Player for Thakur and opened the innings.Wanindu Hasaranga dealt a blow with his first ball, drawing Deepak Hooda out of the crease with a googly and having him stumped. Pooran started with a first-ball six but when he tried to go for another big hit against Karn Sharma, he holed out to deep square leg.

LSG slip further

LSG still looked to attack their way to the target. Gowtham hit Karn for a six and four, and followed it with another six off Hasaranga. That reduced the equation to 64 needed from the last ten overs. But when Stoinis tried to go big against Karn, he sliced it to long-off. In the next over, Gowtham too perished, his casual running while returning for a second run leading to him being run-out.

Rahul leaves it too late

LSG needed 49 in the last five overs with two wickets in hand. Mishra and Naveen were in the middle; Rahul was still padded up in the dugout. The required rate kept ballooning, and when Rahul finally walked in, it was too late because he couldn’t run and Mishra couldn’t get the boundaries.

Cricket West Indies also approved a new committee to work towards achieving equality for women’s players

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2023West Indies women will now fly business class for long-haul international flights and stay in single rooms for international games, bringing them level with the travel policy for the men’s teams, according to Cricket West Indies (CWI).These decisions were made at the first CWI board of directors meeting following the election of new president Kishore Shallow in March.”The women’s game in international cricket continues to evolve, and CWI must keep apace and, where possible, lead,” Shallow said. “Introducing these policies and adding a second female to the board as an independent director are monumental strides in the right direction.”CWI also approved a new committee – the Women’s Cricket Transformation Committee – to work towards achieving equality for women’s players.”The committee’s remit will include but not be limited to recommending strategies geared towards increasing the interest and participation of women and girls in the sport, as well as proposing cricket competitions, events, and pathways that foster competitive women’s and girls’ cricket,” CWI said in a statement.”We welcome this move by CWI in the quest to achieve greater equality within our work environment among our cricketers,” Wavell Hinds, the president and CEO of the West Indies Players Association, said. “We look forward to achieving similar goals in our ongoing negotiations on the renewal of our MOU for another four-year period.”West Indies women play Ireland in June and July, followed by a tour of Australia in October, where they will play three ODIs and three T20Is.

Pollard to captain MI squad that also features David and Brevis

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2023MI New York have announced a star-studded bowling group for the upcoming MLC 2023 competition with Rashid Khan, Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada all part of the squad. They have also signed up Nicholas Pooran, Tim David, Dewald Brevis and Jason Behrendorff for the three-week tournament in Dallas. To round off their overseas contingent, Kieron Pollard is the captain while David Wiese is the other allrounder.This will be the second team under the MI franchise for Rashid and Rabada, having previously represented MI Cape Town in the SA20. Pooran and Boult will also extend their relationship with the MI group, having previously played for MI Emirates in the ILT20 event in the UAE. For David and Brevis, this will be the third MI franchise (apart from the IPL and SA20).Former South Africa international Robin Peterson has been named head coach while former Mumbai Indians seamer Lasith Malinga will be bowling coach. J Arunkumar and James Pamment will be the batting and fielding coaches respectively.Related

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“It is an extraordinary line-up of youth, experience, and power,” Akash Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians, said in a statement. “Further, we have exciting talent in the form of Tim David and Brevis, while Jason Behrendorff and David Wiese are proven performers. Combined with the exceptional skills of our local US players, we are confident that MI New York will raise the bar of competition in the cricket ecosystem of the US.”At a draft held in March, the New York franchise had selected current USA captain Monank Patel and former USA captain Steven Taylor. Also drafted in – among others – were allrounder Nosthush Kenjige, wicketkeeper Shayan Jahangir and fast bowler Kyle Phillip.The six-team MLC begins on July 13. On Tuesday, the LA Knight Riders announced Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy and Lockie Ferguson as their marquee overseas players for the competition.

While Sri Lanka have played six of their last eight Tests in Galle, Pakistan’s form in the longest format will be their biggest concern

Danyal Rasool15-Jul-2023

Big picture: Sri Lanka start as favourites

On July 16, Sri Lanka played Pakistan in Galle in the first of two Test matches, with the second Test starting on the 24th. That statement is true for both 2022 and 2023.It’s not clear why this series has been set up to perfectly mirror Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka last year, but it provides the opportunity to evaluate each side’s progress in the interceding 12 months. Sri Lanka begin as obvious favourites despite mixed results in the past 12 months primarily because of their level of familiarity with conditions; six of the hosts’ last eight Test matches have come at this venue, and four of those games have resulted in wins for them. A relatively settled Test side who recognise their best red-ball squad, Sri Lanka went on to challenge New Zealand away in the only other Test series they played, going down by two wickets in the first before being overpowered in the second.They come off pitch-perfect recent form – albeit in another format. The ignominy of being forced to qualify for the World Cup in India was more than made up for by Sri Lanka vanquishing all before them in Zimbabwe, winning all eight games and the trophy to book their place at the tournament in style. They are bolstered by the likely return of Dimuth Karunaratne, who missed the final of that competition with a hamstring injury. With two centuries and four fifties in his last seven Test innings, the availability of arguably the world’s best opener of the past five years adds some welcome heft against an opening attack comprising Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.Related

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• Madushanka eyes Test debut after being picked to play Pakistan

• Shaheen Afridi returns to Galle after year of misery and joy

Add to that the quality Sri Lanka have in their spinning ranks – a recent area of particular famine for Pakistan – and their impregnability is further cemented. Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis were Pakistan’s chief tormentors on a dramatic final day of the series last year, and should play key roles. Pakistan, meanwhile, have struggled to appropriately replace Yasir Shah, with Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali – the two they turned to most frequently – struggling to have a similar impact. This series will see Abrar Ahmed get another run after impressing against England, but Mohammad Nawaz and Salman Ali Agha are expected to have significant bowling duties should Galle’s surfaces live up to their gripping reputation.But Pakistan’s underdog status comes just as much from their own track record as anything Sri Lanka can throw at them. They haven’t won a single Test in the year since their win at Galle in the corresponding fixture 12 months ago, and that was their only win of 2022. Since the start of last year, Babar Azam’s side have triumphed just once in ten matches, losing five of the other nine. A shaky top order will be put to the test once more in Sri Lanka, and Sarfaraz Ahmed, who retains his place as wicketkeeper, will need to back up excellent recent batting performances with ability with the gloves on testing surfaces.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan DDLLLShaheen Shah Afridi is set to play his first Test since the first game in Galle last year•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Prabath Jayasuriya and Shaheen Afridi

In five Test matches in Galle, Prabath Jayasuriya has taken 46 wickets, registering six five-fors and two match ten-wicket hauls. That included 17 wickets in two Test matches against Pakistan last year, famously skittling Pakistan out post-lunch on the final day of the series to level it up 1-1. Another world-class spinner of the Sri Lankan production line, the slow left armer was named the Player of the Series, and will be one of the key antagonists for the visitors this time around, too. Whether they’ve learned to cope with him any better might go a long way in determining the destination of the series trophy.You needn’t look past Shaheen Afridi for Pakistan, given all the baggage Galle at this time of year carries for him. Playing his first Test since a nasty injury in the corresponding Test last year, all eyes will be on his pace, rhythm and ability to withstand five days of a format he has had an extended break from. The surface is more likely to suit spin, and whether Afridi retains his bowling speed – something he has expressed recent scepticism about – could be a bellwether for his red-ball future. With Pakistan likely fielding just two fast bowlers, Babar’s workload management of Shaheen will also be under scrutiny, with in-game management an area the Pakistan captain has struggled with in the past.

Team news

If Karunaratne is available, he will lead the side as captain and opener, with Nishan Madushka likely to pip Pathum Nissanka to be his opening partner. Left-arm fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka is in line for a Test debut, while Sri Lanka are spoiled for spin choices.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Nishan Madhushka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Dilshan Madushanka, 11 Vishwa Fernando/Praveen JayawickramaPakistan are likely to go with the extra spin allrounder and sacrifice a seamer in the process, which brings Nawaz into the frame.Pakistan (probable): 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Shan Masood, 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), 6 Saud Shakeel, 7 Agha Salman, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pitch and conditions

There are showers forecast for every day of the Test, though persistent wet weather is unlikely, and Sri Lanka’s world-beating groundstaff should ensure delays are kept to a minimum. The wickets are likely to be slow and conducive to spin.

Stats and trivia

• Shaheen Afridi is one wicket away from becoming the 19th Pakistan bowler to 100 Test wickets, and the first since Mohammad Amir in 2018.
• In the last five years, Dimuth Karunaratne has scored more runs as opener than anyone else in Test cricket. His 3256 runs have come at 50.87, with Tom Latham (2711) a distant second.

Quotes

“Injuries are part of an athlete’s life, but it is good to be back. I enjoy red-ball cricket a lot, and I am one wicket away from a century of Test wickets, which would be a big achievement for me ” Shaheen Afridi is raring to be back after a year out of red-ball cricket