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The nearly-est of nearly-men throughout tournament history and one of them will lift the trophy at long last

The Preview by Andrew Miller13-Jul-2019

Big picture

And so it all comes down to this. After 47 matches stretched across six weeks, after a rollercoaster of a group stage (which, like all the best big dippers, started tame before lurching into a series of gut-wrenching twists and turns), and after a pair of semi-finals that were as compelling as they were different, we’re left with just two teams standing. World Cup virgins the pair of them, each with their own tales of heartbreak and regret to fall back on as they look to go that one step beyond.England and New Zealand, eh? The nearly-est of nearly-men throughout the tournament’s history. Three times runners-up in the first five editions on the one hand (followed by a three-decade bout of mourning that gives Queen Victoria a run for her money); eight semi-final appearances out of 12 on the other, a succession of doughty line-ups invariably greater than the sum of their parts, invariably found wanting in the final analysis. But at some stage on Sunday afternoon, someone’s World Cup record is going to have to lurch into credit … at long, long last.But it also had to be these two teams, didn’t it? Fate plays a spurious hand in sporting contests – it’s there for all to see when it suits the narrative but strangely takes a back seat on all other occasions – but these two teams have been locked in a special embrace for the past four years; from the shellacking that was meted out on Eoin Morgan’s men at Wellington in the 2015 World Cup, to their stunning resurgence on home soil a couple of months later. And now onwards to the biggest stage of all.WATCH on Hotstar (INDIA ONLY) – Highlights of England’s semi-final win over AustraliaNew Zealand are the team on which Morgan modelled England’s rebirth, and now they are the team that England must beat to achieve that ultimate fulfilment. It’s a symmetry that was not lost on the captain in the build-up – not least when he caught up with Brendon McCullum, his closest of friends and de facto mentor, outside the Lord’s pavilion in the moments before the pre-match press conference. When asked about that reunion, and the lessons he had gleaned from their often bruising encounters on the field, Morgan said that, above all, McCullum’s stewardship had proved “you can get to the top by being yourself, not trying to be somebody else”.And with that in mind, the match-up in Sunday’s final offers both sides the best opportunity of the tournament to be as true to their selves as they could wish to be. England arrive with their chests puffed out, their confidence spilling over, their key weapons fit and firing in every facet of their game – precisely the sort of cocksure attitude that would have set previous England sides up for disaster … except that in this team’s case, Morgan has been conditioning them to embrace the role of favourites pretty much since that first flowering of competence against these same opponents four years ago.It’s a subtle positioning for any sporting team to achieve – on the cusp of arrogance, maybe, but in reality, it’s just a matter of self-awareness – something that the great Australia dynasty from 1999 to 2007 knew better than any other side.England know they are a good team, and they know they go into this contest as overwhelming favourites – a tag that Kane Williamson was all too happy to palm off in their direction on the eve of the contest. As such, now is not the time for the team or its individuals to start second-guessing themselves or their methods.But England have learned also, from the pitfalls they’ve encountered in the tournament to date, that there are moments to push and moments to sit tight – never better demonstrated than in their dramatic explosion against Australia in the semi-final. From 6 for 0 after three overs to 50 for 0 after ten, and onwards to their date with destiny. It is an inadvertent benefit of those back-to-back defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia that England have been playing knock-out cricket since, as it were, the Last 16 – a fact that Morgan admitted had forced them to play with more positivity and smartness than perhaps had been the case in their carefree opening rounds.As for New Zealand, they have no qualms whatsoever about assuming their habitual position of underdogs. “England rightly deserve to be favourites, but whatever dog we are, it’s just important that we focus on the cricket that we play, any team can beat any team, regardless of the breed of dog,” Williamson said.They are a compelling story in their own right. A side with unfinished business on the one hand, after the crushing disappointment of their maiden World Cup final appearance at the MCG four years ago, and yet seemingly grateful to have another chance so soon to set the record straight. Not that they are seeking to project any confidence that they can do so, of course.They are a vastly different outfit to the 2015 team, with just six survivors from that final still in the squad today. McCullum is gone of course, taking with him his hair-raising habit of charging the new ball and clobbering his team a fifty-run start before the bowlers have found their length. Now they sit deep, bat long, stay in the game with caution to the fore – that has been their method throughout a tournament in which they have yet to pass 300 with the bat, but have remained competitive thanks to a bowling attack with individual components that any team would envy.They’ll roll out that familiar canny game on Sunday – new-ball threat, old-ball savvy, and a senior statesman in Williamson whose batting has been like a barometer all World Cup long. And by the end of their measured, forensic display with bat and ball, we’ll know for sure whether the formula that they shared with England four years ago is a World Cup-winning one, or just another cause for regret in a 44-year tale of woe.

Form guide

England WWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WLLLW

In the spotlight

It perhaps wasn’t as obvious as it should have been coming into this World Cup, but for a team that invests so much faith in the power and majesty of its batting, the poise and presence of Jason Roy at the top of the order is absolutely fundamental to their tempo. His fifty in the tournament opener against South Africa settled the nerves after the shock of Jonny Bairstow’s first-over first-baller; his bruising century against Bangladesh in Cardiff set up the second-highest total of the World Cup to date. And his absence with a hamstring injury coincided with their headless chicken defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia. But it was his evisceration of Mitchell Starc at Edgbaston that really showed his worth. Tight in defence, lethal in attack. He played with respect when the delivery called for it, and furious aggression when Starc erred even fractionally in line. And given the potency of New Zealand’s own attack, it’s a template that his team will want him to replicate on the biggest stage of all.Eoin Morgan and Kane Williamson pose with the World Cup trophy•Getty Images

Okay, so Williamson is a given. With scores of 40, 79 not out, 106 not out, 148, 41, 40, 27 and 67 in his eight innings to date, the significance of the skipper to New Zealand’s cause is self-evident. But the real story of their tournament has been the support cast – intermittent, erratic, and yet providing sufficient runs from somewhere in the order to get them over the line more often than not. In that seismic semi-final, it was Ross Taylor who did the needful with a superbly weighted 74 from 90 balls. Hindsight demonstrated that he had measured the conditions to perfection, and given that he had come into the tournament as one of the outstanding form players of the past 18 months, he is surely one of the men on whom New Zealand has to rely come Sunday.WATCH on Hotstar (INDIA ONLY) – Taylor’s innings against India

Team news

Bairstow appeared to tweak his groin while batting in the semi-final, but he was not sent for a scan and seems set to take his place in an unchanged XI. Given the green tinge on the pitch, it is highly improbable that England will sub out one of their seamers to accommodate Moeen Ali.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Mark WoodHenry Nicholls was to undergo a fitness test on Saturday after tweaking a hamstring against India, but no other changes are anticipated. The legspinner Ish Sodhi played in New Zealand’s last visit to Lord’s against Australia, but that was on a used deck.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Lockie Ferguson.

Pitch and conditions

It’s perhaps an indication of the distance that England have come since the start of the tournament that Morgan did not raise more of an eyebrow at a remarkably green wicket that had more in keeping with a golf green than a cricket pitch two days out. Some of the colour had drained from the surface by preview day, but there’s still going to be some live grass come the 10.30am start on Sunday. “It looks greener from afar than it is up close,” said Morgan, diplomatically, adding that it’ll go whiter and burn off when the sun comes out. Whether England would choose to bat or ball first “depends on how hard the wicket gets”, he added.

Strategy punt

• There’s mode of attack in New Zealand’s ranks that England will be unable to replicate (even allowing for Jofra Archer’s ambidexterity in the nets). Left-arm seam has accounted for a staggering 39 wickets at 13.6 in the course of the four group games at Lord’s – compared to 18 at 42.7 for the right-arm quicks. And that tally, of course, includes Trent Boult, who claimed a hat-trick in New Zealand’s defeat against Australia. England, meanwhile, lost nine of their ten wickets to Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff in their group-stage loss to the Aussies. If Boult can shape the new ball down the slope, into England’s front pads, there could be fireworks.
• England’s recent prowess against spin will be tested by one of New Zealand’s unsung heroes of the campaign. In the three matches where Mitchell Santner has conceded over 6 RPO, NZ has lost two and scraped through the third, by five runs against West Indies. Conversely, his first spell of 6-2-7-2 against India was instrumental in their successful defence of 239.

Stats and trivia

• The importance of Roy and Bairstow’s opening partnership extends beyond numbers. Their mere presence at the crease has been talismanic for England. On the seven occasions that England have not lost more than one wicket in the first Powerplay, they have won every time. On the three occasions they’ve lost more than one wicket in the same period (including of course with James Vince in the side for Roy) they’ve lost every time.
• In keeping with the theme of this tournament, the team batting first has won seven out of the previous 11 World Cup finals. However, each of the last two has been won by the chasing team, India in Mumbai in 2011 and Australia at the MCG in 2015.
• England have won seven of their last nine meetings in ODIs with New Zealand, including a 3-2 victory on their tour of New Zealand in February and March 2018. However, New Zealand have won both of their most recent encounters at Lord’s – by 51 runs in 2008 and by five wickets in 2013.
• Of the four World Cup finals played at Lord’s, the team in the away dressing room has won all of them. England will be in the home dressing room on Sunday.

Quotes

“Whether having had experience in a final or not is a good thing, any final you get the opportunity to play in is a really positive thing. But at the same time, as we know, in this game nothing promises, so it does come down to putting a performance on the board that gives us the best opportunity to win.”
“I haven’t allowed myself to think about lifting the trophy. Cricket and sport, in particular, is very fickle. If you ever get ahead, it always seems to bite you in the backside, so for us to win it, I think around the country it would be awesome, great for the game..”

Victoria finished higher than New South Wales on the table by a net run rate difference of 0.02 and thus progressed to face Western Australia

Alex Malcolm04-Oct-2018Victoria have progressed to the semi-finals of the JLT Cup after persistent rain in Sydney washed out the qualifying final against New South Wales at Drummoyne Oval.Victoria finished higher than New South Wales on the table by a net run rate difference of 0.02 and thus progress to face Western Australia in Sunday’s semi-final at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.Experienced Victorian batsman Cameron White faces a race to be fit for the semi-final after suffering a low-grade groin strain that would have kept him out of the clash with the Blues had rain not ruined proceedings.The wash-out has also delayed the return of Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood from a back injury. Hazlewood played one game in New South Wales Premier cricket for his grade club St George a fortnight ago where he bowled eight overs in a 50-over match. He was held out of Monday’s JLT Cup clash against Queensland with the aim of playing in the qualifying final against Victoria.New South Wales do not play again until the four-day Sheffield Shield competition begins on October 16.

It felt like a night to remember for Keaton Jennings and Matt Parkinson, but their exploits with bat and ball counted for nothing as Notts emerged victorious

ECB Reporters Network17-May-2018
ScorecardNottinghamshire, the Royal London Cup holders, reaffirmed their credentials with a thrilling come from behind win over Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford during the opening night of the competition.The Outlaws defended a target of 319 as the Red Rose county slipped from 245 for 3 after 40 overs when it looked like they would secure their record chase.Lancashire’s Keaton Jennings opened with an excellent 136 during a mixed day for him, with them finishing on 309 for 9, losing by nine runs.He also claimed a career best two-wicket haul, but the England hopeful will be frustrated that, despite a third successive century in all forms, he fell in the 47th over to leave the score at 288 for 6. Harry Gurney had him caught at square-leg pulling before Jake Ball struck twice in the next. Left-arm seamer Gurney finished with three for 61.After electing to bat, Outlaws captain Steven Mullaney crunched a whirlwind 70 during the final 20 overs of an innings which started well, stuttered and was revived fiercely on a superb surface.Chris Nash and New Zealand overseas Ross Taylor hit 52 and 58, with the 84 for the fifth wicket in 12.2 overs shared between Taylor and Mullaney sparking a late flood of runs after 128 for one had become 164 for four inside 32 overs.While the last 10 overs yielded 106 runs, Lancashire leg-spinner Matt Parkinson claimed all of his five wickets inside the last seven on the way to career best figures of five for 68 on his Red Rose List A debut. He had Taylor caught at long-off and Mullaney, who faced 54 balls, caught at cover.Captain Liam Livingstone and Dane Vilas then attacked for 33 and 41 respectively, taking all the pressure off left-handed Jennings in the chase.He shared half-century stands with both of them (70 with Livingstone and 63 with Vilas) as the hosts reached the 30-over mark ideally played at 179 for three. The former Durham man reached his fourth career List A off 98 balls with nine fours just under six overs later, becoming the fourth player to score a century on Lancashire List A debut.Jennings added 87 for the fourth wicket with Steven Croft before the score fell to 245 for 4 in the 41st with the departure of the latter to Samit Patel.At that stage, Notts were still behind, but they weren’t for long as new ball pair Gurney and Ball combined to leave the target at 16 off the last, bowled by Ball, with only last pair Arron Lilley and Parkinson to get them.

Hasin Jahan, the fast bowler’s wife, is understood to have backtracked on her original allegation about her husband accepting money during a recent stopover in Dubai

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2018Hasin Jahan, Mohammed Shami’s wife, is understood to have backtracked on her original allegation about her husband accepting money during a recent stopover in Dubai. That allegation was the basis for the BCCI anti-corruption unit’s (ACU) investigation into the matter while the board withheld Shami’s central contract.On March 13, the BCCI had asked the ACU, headed by former Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar, to complete a limited-mandate probe, “preferably” within a week, to verify if Shami had breached its code of conduct. Kumar submitted his report on Wednesday, absolving Shami of any corrupt practice, following which the BCCI handed the fast bowler a Category B contract.One of the primary leads for the ACU to verify was whether Shami had indeed accepted any money, as alleged by Jahan, from a woman named Alisba, a Pakistan national, in Dubai, on his way back from India’s tour of South Africa. Jahan had said in her statement to the Kolkata Police that money had been sent by a certain Mohammad Bhai, who is based in the UK. Shami had vehemently denied the allegations, and is understood to have done the same to the ACU during his interrogation.The ACU team travelled to Kolkata and met Jahan in person. According to a BCCI official familiar with the investigation, Jahan is believed to have told the ACU that she never meant to say what she had. “During the ACU inquiry she [Jahan] herself said, “I never meant to make this allegation that he took money for match-fixing”,” the official said.The ACU then spoke to both Mohammad Bhai and Alisba by phone. The ACU found that the two did not know each other. The ACU also ran both names through their internal database and that of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit. “Their names were run through the databases and there was no match found for either Alisba or Mohammad Bhai. Nothing came up which showed their antecedents could be shady. They are not elusive, underground, unknown people. Both have proper identification and documentation.”According to the BCCI official Mohammad Bhai is “known to several other” Indian team players and is a British passport holder who hails originally from Gujarat. Alisba, too, was “up front” and clear about events during her chat with the ACU.

The pay dispute between Cricket Australia and its players is set to continue after the Australian Cricketers’ Association rejected CA’s latest pay proposal

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2017The pay dispute between Cricket Australia and its players is set to continue after the Australian Cricketers’ Association rejected CA’s latest pay proposal. At the core of the ACA’s opposition is CA’s desire to scrap the revenue-sharing model that for nearly 20 years has linked player payments to the amount of income generated by the game.This, in the words of the ACA, would end a partnership “that allows players to share in the ups and downs of the games and its revenue, and allows for fluctuations in media rights cycles”. CA has argued that the revenue-sharing system has served its original purpose of making cricketers some of the highest-paid sportspeople in the country.Under CA’s proposal, only international players would have the chance to share in any surplus revenue: CA has proposed a $20 million pool to be split with $16m for international men and $4m for international women. Other players – domestic male and female players – would have to settle for fixed amounts that would not fluctuate according to the game’s income.However, the ACA on Friday argued that the proposal “disrespects the value of domestic cricketers and the role they play in Australian cricket”, and that it would create inequity within playing groups. The ACA also said that while CA’s response for gender equity had largely been positive, this plan “denies female cricketers the opportunity to share in the game’s revenue.””I’ve gone round every state player group, male and female, national and domestic, and they’re absolutely committed behind the revenue-sharing model because that’s something that they believe works, and it’s important that that continues on for the next MoU and the generations going forward,” Alistair Nicholson, the ACA chief executive, said.”In the proposal that we reviewed, and then in our discussions with key players on the board, we weren’t able to see where the model that has worked well, why it is being called out-of-date or unviable. They’re proposing a change in the model, we’re saying, the players are saying, we don’t want to change the model but we’re happy to talk about what sits underneath that, to get the best agreement for the game.”The ACA has offered its own proposal for what it calls a “modernised” revenue-sharing model, with a 55% share for CA, a 22.5% share for grassroots cricket, and a 22.5% share for male and female players. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said he was disappointed with the ACA’s decision to reject the tabled offer, but he remained confident of achieving a resolution by the end of June deadline.”They appear to have spent nearly six weeks talking with everyone but the organisation that can provide them with the right information, and with whom they need to conclude an agreement on behalf of their members,” Sutherland said. “They will find, when they sit down with us and understand the detail, that this really is a ground-breaking offer and a fair deal for all players.”In particular, it offers higher guaranteed payments at a time of uncertainty, while continuing to provide a share of cricket’s financial surpluses to players at the pinnacle of the game. It also allows CA to address the disparity between pay for men and women and the urgent need to invest more in the grassroots of the game, particularly junior cricket. We make no apology for investing in priorities that will secure cricket’s sustainable future.”I must make it clear that the analysis presented by the ACA today contains many errors. We have offered to provide them with realistic financial scenarios, an opportunity they have not taken up. I also reject any suggestion that we would hide money from the players. They receive full audited accounts, and we have always been fair and honest with our players.”We understand their commitment to the existing model, but the fact is that the world has changed, and it needs to be updated to take that into account. It has to include women, it has to support our juniors and community cricket clubs, and it has to provide greater financial certainty for all players, at every level.”CA said its proposal would lead to increased pay for all players, with female players receiving an immediate average pay increase of more than 125%, and the average wage for international women’s players increasing from $79,000 to $179,000. According to CA’s figures, domestic male cricketers would earn an average of $235,000 by 2021-22, up from $199,000 last summer.”We have placed the emphasis on increasing the guaranteed amount that the men will receive, rather than rely on any projected increase in revenue,” Sutherland said. “We understand that the ACA prefers the status quo, but CA believes that the model devised in the 1990s, which is based on a fixed percentage of revenue, has served its intended purpose – to make Australia’s cricketers some of the best paid sportspeople in the country.”

Sri Lanka have picked fast bowler Dilhara Fernando for the T20 series against India, which begins on February 9. Dilhara, 36, last played for Sri Lanka in mid-2012

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jan-2016

SL squad for India T20s

Squad: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Seekuge Prasanna, Milinda Siriwardana, Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Asela Gunaratne, Chamara Kapugedera, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilhara Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Binura Fernando, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeffrey Vandersay
In: Dilhara Fernando, Seekuge Prasanna, Dasun Shanaka, Asela Gunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Binura Fernando
Out: Shehan Jayasuriya, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Angelo Mathews, Isuru Udana, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Lasith Malinga, Kusal Perera

Sri Lanka have picked fast bowler Dilhara Fernando for the T20 series against India, which begins on February 9. Dilhara last played for Sri Lanka in mid-2012. Legspinnning allrounder Seekkuge Prasanna also makes a comeback.T20 captain Lasith Malinga misses out due to injury, as does allrounder Angelo Mathews, seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. Malinga is still recovering from a knee injury that kept him out of the tour to New Zealand. It is learnt that he will require another fortnight to regain full fitness. Dinesh Chandimal leads the side in Malinga’s stead.Mathews is nursing a groin strain that prevented him from bowling in New Zealand on Sri Lanka’s previous T20 assignment. His injury is less severe than Malinga’s, though, and Sri Lanka Cricket are hoping he will be available for the Asia Cup at the end of the month.Sri Lanka lost the T20s to New Zealand, earlier this month, 2-0. Among the others missing out from that squad are batsmen Shehan Jayasuriya and Kithuruwan Vithanage, pacers Suranga Lakmal and Isuru Udana. Of course, batsman Kusal Perera, who was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance, also misses out. Nuwan Pradeep was not considered for selection due to injury. There is no place for Ajantha Mendis, despite good returns in the recently-concluded domestic T20 competition.Asela Gunaratne, who bats in the middle order and bowls offspin for Sri Lanka Army, and Kasun Rajitha, the Badureliya Sports Club seamer, are the only uncapped members of the squad that will visit India. Middle order batsman Dasun Shanaka, who played one T20 international last year, keeps his spot after his record-setting run in domestic T20.Fernando’s inclusion comes as something of a surprise, after the selectors had invested heavily in youth over the past three years. Now 36, he bowled himself into contention in the recent T20 competition, taking 11 wickets in four matches, with an economy rate of 8.40. Fernando is said to have much of the pace of his younger years, and has been consistently penetrative across formats this season. Fernando had finished third on the Premier T20 Tournament wicket-taker’s list, but there is no place in the squad for Mendis, who finished second, with 12 scalps from six games. Prasanna picked up nine wickets in that tournament, at an economy rate of 6.79.Shanaka, 24, has been in sublime form for the Sinhalese Sports Club this season, cracking two breakneck hundreds in his seven Premier T20 innings. He had hit a Sri Lanka record 16 sixes on his way to 123 from 46 balls in one of those innings, and was also the top run scorer for the tournament. Gunaratne had not been in quite such hot form, but hit an important 65 not out in the final of that competition, to guide Army to the championship.Rajitha also has a good domestic T20 record, with 23 wickets from 11 matches and an economy rate of 6.77. He had not played the Premier T20 tournament, but has made a good start in the Provincial T20 tournament, taking a pair wickets in each of the first two matches. Rajitha had also been impressive in a tour match against India last year, albeit in the longer form of the game.Elsewhere, quick Dushmantha Chameera and legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who played on the recent New Zealand tour, retain their places. Left-arm seamer Binura Fernando, who played in the two T20 series last year, also finds a place. Prasanna, Thisara Perera and Milinda Siriwardana comprise the all-round options, with Tillakaratne Dilshan’s offbreaks also on offer.Lahiru Thirimanne does not have a place in the team, despite having played well in Sri Lanka’s 2014 World T20 campaign. Opener Danushka Gunathilaka – who dazzled briefly in New Zealand – and Chamara Kapugedara, are in the squad.Sri Lanka play three T20s in India, beginning in Pune on February 9, followed by games in Delhi on February 12 and Visakhapatnam on February 14.

Mahela Jaywardene has confirmed he will step down from the captaincy at the end of Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia – a move he had hinted at for some months now

Andrew Fernando in Hobart13-Dec-2012Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed he will step down from the captaincy at the end of Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia – a move he had hinted at for some months now. Jayawardene’s second stint at the helm began in January, when he was called in to replace Tillakaratne Dilshan. The fifth ODI on January 23 in Hobart will be his final match as captain.Vice-captain Angelo Mathews is the most likely successor, and Jayawardene said his decision to step down was largely borne from a desire to assist Mathews with leadership in Mathews’ first phase as captain. Jayawardene will continue to be available for selection in all forms of cricket.”I took over the captaincy for 12 months and that ends after this series, so I don’t want to continue to captain Sri Lanka after this tour. This will be my last,” Jayawardene said on the eve of the first Test. “I was going to wait until the end of the series but I thought I might as well do it now, having had a chat to the selectors.”Jayawardene had resigned from the captaincy in 2009 after four years in the job, and was reinstalled by the selectors after Dilshan’s leadership had proven unsuccessful. The team had had a poor stretch of results since the 2011 World Cup, amid financial distress for the board and administrative tumult in Sri Lanka Cricket’s first election in seven years.Jayawardene’s leadership appeared to restore Sri Lanka’s on-field fortunes almost immediately, when they performed creditably in the ODI tri-series in Australia in February. Since then he has also led the side to a home win against then No.1-ranked Test side England, making a critical 180 to set up victory in March, before earning Sri Lanka their first Test series win in three years, in July. Sri Lanka then advanced to the final of the World Twenty20 under his watch, matching the runners-up medals they had also earnt in the 2007 World Cup, during Jayawardene’s first stint at the helm.”I hope I don’t get any more SOS calls from them later on,” he said. “This year has been brilliant. I’ve enjoyed and what I’ve achieved.”Angelo Mathews is the most likely successor to Mahela Jayawardene•Manoj Ridimahaliyadda

Mathews has been considered for the captaincy as far back as April 2011, when Kumar Sangakkara resigned from the job. Dilshan was considered the safer alternative then, given Mathews’ youth and inexperience, but he has become a much more mature player since and has also had a successful brush with leadership in the Sri Lanka Premier League. Mathews was made vice-captain in all forms in July 2011, and has more recently been named Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 captain. If he succeeds Jayawardene, he will be Sri Lanka’s fourth Test captain in 24 months.”I think Angelo is the one everyone has earmarked and I think he’s good enough. If you see some of the other captains while they were young, you’ve got [Graeme] Smith, [Stephen] Fleming and a few others around – maybe the first few years will be tough for them, but they’ll grow into the job. I think maybe if Angelo gets the opportunity, the transition will be much easier for him because he’ll have Kumar, myself and Dilshan around him in tough situations. We can build him through that period and after that he’ll be on his own.”Sri Lanka are light on Tests in 2013, thanks to five Tests being removed from their calendar next year, and a home series against Bangladesh will be the new captain’s first assignment at the helm. The Champions Trophy looms later in the year however, as well as an ODI tri-series in the West Indies and a full away tour against Pakistan in December.
“We don’t have a lot of cricket next year – not many big tours,” Jayawardene said. “So it will be a nice easy start for Angelo if he takes over.”