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A 57-ball 62 from the opener Heino Kuhn helped Titans to a four-wicket victory against Dolphins in Benoni.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Heino Kuhn (left) scored 129 and 62•BCCI

A 57-ball 62 from the opener Heino Kuhn helped Titans to a four-wicket victory against Dolphins in Benoni. Set a fourth-innings chase of 173, Kuhn’s blast laid a strong platform for Titans, who also rode on a handy 38 from Qaasim Adams to secure the win inside 34 overs.Titans win, though, was mainly set up by Kuhn’s performance in the first-innings, as he and Theunis de Bruyn both scored centuries, powering the team to 440 and collecting a vital innings lead. Kuhn struck 16 fours and a six during his 129, while de Bruyn’s 123 featured 19 fours. This was despite a five-for from Keshav Maharaj, and a 4 for 101 from Craig Alexander.Earlier, Dolphins, having been inserted, managed 357 in their first innings on the back of fifties from Imraan Khan, Khaya Zondo and Daryn Smit. Imraan got among the runs again in the second innings, stroking a patient 107, but received little by way of support from his team-mates, as Dolphins folded for 255.

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2015

Matt Coles finished with match figures of 10 for 154 as Hampshire crushed Essex by an innings and 31 runs soon after lunch on the third day at the Ageas Bowl

26-Sep-2013
ScorecardMatt Coles collected the first ten-wicket haul of his first-class career•PA Photos

Matt Coles finished with match figures of 10 for 154 as Hampshire crushed Essex by an innings and 31 runs soon after lunch on the third day at the Ageas Bowl. Pace bowler Coles, on loan from Kent and now a free agent, took 4 for 83 in the Essex second innings to add to his 6 for 71 in the first as Essex, without several key players, lost all their batsmen in fewer than 43 overs.The batting strip, so bland all summer, sparked to life in the overcast conditions and left-arm pace bowler James Tomlinson was as destructive as Coles, taking 4 for 63, as Essex revealed little determination to make Hampshire bat a second time.Following-on 249 behind, Essex were all out for 218 and it would have been less but for a typical big-hitting cameo from Graham Napier of 53 in a 60-ball innings which included two sixes off Coles before the inevitable conclusion.Essex went into the match without David Masters, Ravi Bopara and Reece Topley, who were all rested, Owais Shah who had retired and Ryan ten Doeschate, away playing in the Champions League. In addition, their captain James Foster allowed Ben Foakes to replace him behind the stumps. All this when Essex needed to gain maximum points to snatch the runners-up spot ahead of Northamptonshire.Resuming the third day at 44 for no loss, Essex still needed another 205 to avoid being beaten by an innings but wickets tumbled at regular intervals in the morning session so that a big Hampshire win – only their second at home – came within an hour of the resumption after lunch.Coles had Jake Middleburgh leg-before eleven balls into the day’s play and Gautam Gambhir edged Tomlinson to Liam Dawson at first slip in the next over to make Essex 49 for 2. Tom Westley became the first of five catches for wicketkeeper Michael Bates at 69 and Greg Smith went the same way, a second victim for Tomlinson, at 73 as Essex quickly subsided.At 117 for 6, Essex were already doomed but Ben Foakes and Napier at last applied some resistance in a stand of 39 for seventh. It was too little and far too late to alter the course of a one-sided match.Coles and Tomlinson returned later to wipe out the Essex tail, Tomlinson removing Napier and Sajid Mahmood while Coles, who said he is talking to several counties about his destination next season, finished off by dismissing Foakes for 27 and last man Monty Panesar in the 58th over.Coles’ five-match spell with Hampshire earned him a total of 21 wickets, including his best match figures here, helping his temporary club to 24 points from the win. Essex collected eight from a match they had to win but never looked like doing so once Foster had won the toss and watched as Hampshire amassed a first-innings total of 456.

For once, the choke was almost on the opposition in a game involving South Africa. Sri Lanka almost messed up what had been the perfect big ODI chase

The Report by Abhishek Purohit22-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kumar Sangakkara fashioned Sri Lanka’s second consecutive 300-plus chase•Getty Images

For once, the choke was almost on the opposition in a game involving South Africa. Sri Lanka almost messed up what had been the perfect big ODI chase. Their openers had blazed away and their middle order had kept up with the asking rate. Kumar Sangakkara was batting on a silken century with Sri Lanka on 274 for 3 in 44 overs chasing 313. And then came the collapse. Sangakkara holed out. It became 308 for 8 before Sachithra Senanayake, playing his second ODI, slog-swept the penultimate delivery for six to ensure the visitors left South Africa with a respectable 2-3 scoreline.Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne had looked on course to lead Sri Lanka to their second consecutive successful chase of a 300-plus target after centuries from AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith had boosted South Africa to 312. In only his fifth ODI, Lahiru Thirimanne matched Sangakkara in an ultimately match-winning fourth-wicket partnership of 100, built on the solid start given by the openers. Following a rain delay after seven overs, the bowlers found it difficult to grip the ball.But having reached his hundred off 96 deliveries, Sangakkara lofted JP Duminy straight to long-off. Fortune seemed to favour Sri Lanka in the next over when Thirimanne inside-edged Morne Morkel past his stumps for a four and off the next ball, Wayne Parnell fumbled at third man in the glare of the floodlights.With 19 needed off 24, Sri Lanka were still on top. Angelo Mathews, though, chipped a Parnell high full toss to short extra cover to bring the hero of the fourth ODI, Thisara Perera, in. Duminy sneaked in a tight penultimate over to Perera which ended with the batsman smashing another high full toss to deep midwicket.It came down to six off the final over with Sri Lanka ahead. de Villiers gambled with Robin Peterson but even he would not have bargained for the left-arm spinner taking two wickets in three deliveries. Nuwan Kulasekara missed an attempted loft over extra cover to be bowled first ball. Rangana Herath sensibly gave the strike to Thirimanne next ball but the latter charged out and sliced the third delivery to short third man. The Wanderers roared with anticipation as Senanayake stepped out to defend the fourth one but was silenced when he slammed the fifth ball for a flat six over deep midwicket. It was also his first scoring shot in one-day internationals.It was a chaotic end to what had been a well-choreographed chase. Sangakkara looked in no trouble and after unfortunate dismissals in the previous two games, carried on to play a decisive innings. Young Thirimanne showed remarkable composure in the company of his senior partner to make his maiden ODI fifty. While Sangakkara was in a zone of his own, finding all corners of the ground, Thirimanne favoured the point region whenever Sri Lanka needed a boundary.

Smart stats

• Sri Lanka’s chase made it only the second instance of a team chasing 300 in two consecutive matches after New Zealand did so against Australia in 2007. It is also the 38th time overall and the seventh time that Sri Lanka have chased down a 300-plus target.

• This is the fifth time overall and the second time in consecutive matches that South Africa have lost despite setting a target of 300 or more. Their other losses have come against Australia, New Zealand and India.

• For the 11th time in ODIs, there were two centuries scored in an innings for South Africa. Seven of these occasions have come since the start of 2010.

• AB de Villiers became only the fourth South African batsman to score 300 or more runs in a bilateral series (maximum five matches). His strike rate of 125.09 is the highest among the players in the list.

• Kumar Sangakkara set up the chase with only his second hundred in the second innings in ODIs. It is also the 13th occasion overall and the second time against South Africa that a Sri Lankan has scored a century in a successful chase (only matches outside the subcontinent).

• Lasith Malinga conceded 75 or more runs in an innings for only the sixth time in his career and the second time in a game in Johannesburg, after the Champions Trophy game against New Zealand in 2009.

The duo had Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan to thank for giving Sri Lanka the start they needed in a challenging chase. Sri Lanka’s task had been further complicated by the need to keep one eye on the Duckworth-Lewis par score, with the looming threat of more rain after a thunderstorm caused nearly an hour’s break in play.Dilshan was his usual mix of plays-and-misses, on-the-up drives and whips. Tharanga was his usual self as well, timing the ball effortlessly through the off side after Morne dropped a sharp return chance with the batsman on 8. Sri Lanka had raced to 56 when the rain finally arrived in the eighth over.Tharanga launched Lonwabo Tsotsobe for consecutive fours on resumption. Two deliveries later, Tsotsobe slipped in the slower one, and Tharanga sliced his lofted stroke for Duminy to hold on a sensational catch, diving after running back from cover.Dilshan and Sangakkara kept Sri Lanka comfortably ahead of the par score but Tsotsobe struck again, having Dilshan edging an attempted steer off a short ball to the wicketkeeper. But Sangakkara kept finding the odd boundary to ensure that the asking rate did not gallop away.That Sri Lanka were faced with such a stiff chase was because South Africa blasted 209 runs in the second half of their innings, and 109 off the final ten overs, to surge past 300. Smith overcame a scratchy start to biff his first ODI hundred since September 2009; de Villers carried on his superb form in the series to breeze to his first hundred as captain. The partnership of 186 between Smith and de Villiers was the second-highest in an ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka.As he had done in the fourth ODI, de Villiers put on an incredible display of boundary-hitting; he had targeted extra cover against the spinners in Kimberley, now he added fine leg against the medium-pacers. He repeatedly scooped deliveries from three feet outside off stump over short fine leg. Smith took an eternity to find his range, but when he did, he peppered the midwicket boundary with four sixes, all against the offspin of Senanayake.There was no sign in the first half of the innings of what was to come later. South Africa had been kept down to 103 for 2 in 25 overs, with their latest experiment at the No. 3 position, Faf du Plessis, not working, and Smith struggling to find his timing. It was de Villiers who signalled the shift, launching Tillakaratne Dilshan’s first ball of the 26th over for six over midwicket.Smith soon got to his hundred with a typical nudge on the leg side and the Wanderers did not hold back the applause for their Test captain. To his credit, he was prepared to bat uglier than usual. He fell to Malinga on 125 to a brilliant leaping catch by Dinesh Chandimal at midwicket. An over earlier, Dilshan had spilled a much simpler catch off de Villiers at extra cover. de Villiers was on 84 then, he finished unbeaten on 125.de Villiers’ late assault wasn’t beyond Sri Lanka in the end, though, and left them wondering what could have been had rain not determined the fate of the third ODI.

Miller has played in 12 ODIs and averages 26.50, slightly more than Kallis did at the same stage, but has not set the stage alight as much as was expected

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg14-Jan-2011″Can you imagine if we wrote Jacques Kallis off after his first 12 ODIs?” HD Ackerman, former South Africa Test batsman, asked. It would have meant aborting a career that has, so far, spanned 307 ODIs, seen over 11,000 runs, including 17 centuries, and boasts an average of 45.84.It’s unfathomable to think that such an illustrious career should have been cut short based on Kallis’ first 12 ODIs; in those, he only managed 203 runs, at an average of 25.38, with one half-century. That’s Ackerman’s answer when he is asked if he thinks David Miller has done enough in his short time as a national cricketer to warrant a place in the South African team. Miller has played in 12 ODIs and averages 26.50, slightly more than Kallis did at the same stage, but has not set the stage alight as much as was expected.In a shaky-looking middle to lower order, that consists of Miller, Johan Botha and the tail, it seems Miller is the weakest link. Ackerman has been one of Miller’s strongest backers and said that in time, he can become the strongest member of the middle order. “The selectors and the fans are going to be have to patient with him. He is only 21-years old but he has massive potential to represent South Africa in all forms of the game.”Patience is not something South Africa can afford to have in abundance for the next few weeks, because the World Cup is looming. “People are going to ask questions about him [Miller] because of the World Cup. South Africa are desperate to win the World Cup, so they want the best side possible,” Ackerman said. Miller’s position, at No.6 or 7, will be a crucial one according to Ackerman, because it will require batsmen to be able “to play spin well.”Ackerman saw the two places being contested between Miller, Colin Ingram and Faf du Plessis, with du Plessis guaranteed a spot if Ackerman was the man choosing. “Faf hasn’t played yet but he has the advantage of being able to bowl, which neither David or Colin do. He is also a fine fielder. The other two are also good fielders, but Faf is better than both of them.”Essentially, that means Miller and Ingram will fight it out for the remaining berth and Ackerman backed Miller to take it, saying his true batting style had not been allowed to come out at national level yet, but was lurking. “The David Miller I saw get out on Wednesday was not the David Miller I know. He is a good, clean hitter of the ball and he was trying to nudge and nurdle and he got out.”Miller made a name at the Dolphins for being a big hitter but Ackerman said that didn’t mean Miller can’t rotate the strike in the middle overs if needed. “When I say he is a big hitter, I mean that he gets the ball to the sweepers, the deep covers, the mid-offs. He doesn’t just drop the ball and run, he hits it well and far. He can still take a single or a two off those shots.” As for sticking to that skill and not getting bogged down into playing differently to what he is used to, Duncan Fletcher, the team’s batting consultant, felt that ability would come with time. “All it needs is a little bit more experience I guess,” he said.Ingram, who has more of that experience at the domestic level and has fared better in his nine ODIs than Miller has in his 12, may be the more automatic choice in the subcontinent for that reason. Ingram is currently standing in for Kallis in No.3 position, and it may be a tricky task for him to move down the order, according to Ackerman. “For him to be taken to the World Cup and have to bat six could be difficult. The No.3 and No.6 roles are completely different and it will need a total change of mindset.”Kallis is not going to play any part in the ODI series, which means Ingram will probably stay at No.3 for the remaining four matches and not have any time lower down the order.
Ackerman felt that experience was vital but added that the line-up may shift as South Africa get within sniffing distance of the ICC showpiece. “If South Africa go three-nil up in the series, then we will start seeing them use their game-plan that they want to carry into the World Cup.” With conditions in South Africa very different to what they will experience in the subcontinent, they can’t afford to experiment with their World Cup combinations before securing the series. Whatever happens, Ackerman hopes Miller will be part of it.

Bangladesh now have it in their control to put up a tough, competitive show against the No. 1 side in the world

The Preview by Sidharth Monga16-Jan-2010

Match facts

January 17-21, 2010
Start time 0930 (0330 GMT)

Big picture

Tamim Iqbal has yet to play a Test against India, but fancies his chances of tempering his game•AFP

It’s reality-check time for Bangladesh. This is the first time they will be playing Tests after their historic series win against a replacement West Indies side last July. Opinions were divided on whether to see that success as a big step forward for Bangladesh cricket, the opposition notwithstanding.While they couldn’t control the murmured asterisks that were being put next to the most glorious moment of their young cricket life, Bangladesh now have it in their control to put up a tough, competitive show against the No. 1 side in the world.In a harsh sort of way – such is the nature of the beast – Bangladesh will add more credibility to their West Indies success by pushing India in this series. They know if they are rolled over without a contest, time will not be wasted in reminding them of the pedigree of the team they beat in the Caribbean.Their opponents, who are without their captain MS Dhoni, out due to a back strain, know better than to take them lightly, not least because of the 2007 World Cup debacle which they can never forget. What is less documented, however, is how immediately after that exit India struggled to put Bangladesh out in their last, albeit rain-affected, Chittagong Test. The first Test of the 2007 series started with Wasim Jaffer shouldering arms and getting bowled first ball, and ended with India never being able to create enough distance to win the match. Normal service was resumed in the next Test, but India know that if a No. 1 side takes so long to warm up, it is not allowed to remain at the top for long.

Form guide (last 5 completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WWLLL
India WWDDD

Watch out for

Virender Sehwag doesn’t have an international century against Bangladesh. In two Tests against them, he has managed 23 runs, and even his ODI average against Bangladesh is lower than his overall average. Some correction of those stats might be in order.Tamim Iqbal’s case is inverse. When playing India in ODIs, his average, his strike-rate, and his adrenalin, all shot up. In the lead-up to his first Test against his favourite opponents, Tamim has been talking about the importance of bringing more patience to his game, of “controlling” his mind. This Test won’t be a bad time to start.

Team news

The one big change for Bangladesh from the ODIs will the inclusion of Enamul Haque jnr for Abdur Razzak. One of the part-timers should make way for another specialist batsman, Junaid Siddique in all likelihood. Shahadat Hossain, who was in the squad for the tri-series but not used, should take back his Test spot.Bangladesh: (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Raqibul Hasan, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 9 Enamul Haque jnr, 10 Shahadat Hossain, 11 Rubel Hossain.Wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik will replace Dhoni, while Sehwag takes over the reins. The other selection issue will be whether to play two spinners or one, and if they opt for two, then who to pick as the second spinner. Tradition suggests they will go with two spinners, and Amit Mishra won the toss-up between him and Pragyan Ojha for the first Test. Ojha played in India’s last Test, and then lost his place in the ODI team to Mishra, who had originally lost that place to Ojha after having only travelled with the squad without getting a game.India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8, Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Sreesanth 12th man Ishant Sharma

Pitch and conditions

The Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, previously the Chittagong Divisional Stadium, and even more previously Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, has traditionally been good for spinners. This is the same venue where Shakib Al Hasan took 7 for 36 against New Zealand, the best innings figures by a Bangladesh bowler in Tests. Despite the ground’s proximity to the sea, there is nothing in the forecast to suggest any loss of play over the next five days.

Stats and trivia

• When Bangladesh won the series in the West Indies last year, it was the first time in their 61-match career that they had won back-to-back Tests.
• Outside the matches against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh have managed three draws, and one of them came against India.
• Gautam Gambhir scored his first Test century against Bangladesh, and then started his international comeback with an ODI ton against them, his second overall.

Quotes

“We might possibly go with three quicks and have Shakib [Al Hasan] and Mahmudullah share the spin bowling. The pitch might keep low on days three, four and five and seamers might be handy. But again, nothing is fixed, we might go with three spinners.”
“In one-day [cricket] they can surprise anybody but not in Test matches. It’s an ordinary side. It’s difficult for Bangladesh to take 20 Indian wickets. The kind of batting line up we have, I don’t think so. Even Sri Lanka can’t do that.”

His penalty has been reduced from a three-match ban to a fine of 75% of his match fee and three demerit points

Mohammad Isam09-Feb-20221:08

Ravi Bopara: My attempt to bowl a knuckle ball was mistaken for ball-tampering

Sylhet Sunrisers captain Ravi Bopara has had his penalty for “changing the condition of the ball” reduced from a three-match ban to a fine of 75% of his match fee and three demerit points.The incident had occurred during Sylhet’s game against Khulna Tigers on February 7, and, initially, match referee Debabrata Paul had imposed the ban. But following Bopara’s appeal on February 8, the BPL technical committee reduced the match referee’s ruling.Later, at a press conference* after the match against Comilla Victorians, Bopara claimed that his grip for the knuckle ball was mistaken for ball-tampering. Bopara brought a ball to the press conference room anticipating the question. Showing how he bowls the knuckle ball, he explained that he grips it in a particular way if the ball is wet.”I bowl a knuckle ball where I run in hiding the ball,” he said. “Sometimes I run in holding it like this and that . It is not easy to get this grip, especially with the wet ball. You have to find the best part of the ball to put it. Otherwise, if the ball is wet, it can fly and you can bowl no-balls [for height].”I think there was a mistake there. It is disappointing but this is life.”Related

• Sylhet docked five runs for changing the condition of the ball

Bopara was caught on camera running his finger over the ball during the ninth over of the Khulna innings. The on-field umpires Mahfuzur Rahman and Prageeth Rambukwella duly stopped play and changed the ball during the over, and docked Sylhet five runs. They had brought the charge against Bopara to the match referee, relating to changing the condition of the ball which is a breach of clause 41.3 of the BPL’s match playing conditions.A BCB statement on Friday read: “The technical committee reversed the suspension and executed the fine in accordance with the authority awarded to it in Article 8.2.3.4 of the [tournament’s] code of conduct which states that ‘the Technical Committee shall have the power to increase or decrease, amend or otherwise substitute a new decision on the appropriateness (or otherwise) of the sanction imposed at first instance’. It is further confirmed as per Article 8.2.3.6 that, ‘Any decision made by the Technical Committee under this Article 8.2, shall be the full, final and complete disposition of the matter and will be binding on all parties’.”If Bopara gets another demerit point during this tournament, he will get a one-match suspension. Every four demerit points translate into a one-match suspension as per Article 7.5 of the code of conduct.*1740 GMT The copy was updated after the press conference

Several senior players who are not part of the white-ball set-up are now without deals after SLC withdrew offer of annual contracts

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Jul-2021Sri Lanka’s men’s limited-overs cricketers have signed tour contracts that cover the forthcoming series against India. But Sri Lanka Cricket’s decision to withdraw its offer of annual contracts had caused substantial dismay among players.Angelo Mathews, who was offered a tour contract for the India series, is the only member of a group of 30 who declined to sign. Although an SLC release said Mathews had asked to be relieved from national duties owing to “personal reasons”, Mathews’ disillusionment with the contract offer and the general situation within Sri Lanka Cricket is understood to have informed his decision.SLC CEO Ashley de Silva confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the board would only offer a succession of tour contracts until the end of the year, because “the players had enough time to sign the central (annual) contracts but they didn’t”. Essentially, this is the board’s way of penalising players for making demands over their central contracts.Related

• Chandimal seeks clarity from SLC about international future

• SLC forms panel to probe Durham bubble breach

• Shanaka set to replace Kusal Perera as white-ball captain

• New SL contracts: Lower base salaries, focus on performance

• Players 'not in agreement to sign non-transparent contracts'

Unsurprisingly, this decision by SLC has caused significant distress among players. Firstly, those players who are not within the limited-overs frame have been left without contracts of any sort. Senior players such as Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne, Suranga Lakmal and Dinesh Chandimal may not see a contract from SLC until November, when they are next due to play Tests.Secondly, players who were holding out for better central contracts are now unhappy with those who agreed to sign SLC’s temporary tour contract – a move that essentially ended the contracts negotiation, because to sign the tour contracts was to concede to SLC.”I don’t know how there can be unity in the team while all this is going on,” one player told ESPNcricinfo. “Some players are being blamed for being the first to sign the tour contracts, and others are defending themselves for doing that.”Part-way through the England tour, the players had apparently decided to sign the annual contracts that SLC was offering. This was after SLC had provided the methodology on how the new contracts scheme was drawn up – the players’ main objection always having been the lack of transparency in the new scheme. However, by the time the team returned from the UK on Monday, SLC had already made the decision to withdraw the central contracts it had offered. A first group of players then signed the tour contract for the India series on July 6, before the remainder of the squad followed.de Silva said SLC would revisit the men’s central contracts again in 2022.

Elsewhere, Rohit Motwani’s career-best 189 helped Maharashtra put up 481 after they had been put in

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2017Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar continued the Uttar Pradesh fightback with 4 for 54, with an economy rate under 2, as Assam finished the second day on 279 for 6, still trailing by 70 runs. He had already struck a century from No. 8 to lift his side to a more than respectable 349, but clearly it wasn’t enough to satisfy him. Coming on as the second-change bowler, he knocked over four of the top five in Assam’s line-up to make sure the visitors retained the upper hand in Guwahati. Only Sibsankar Roy (72) and Rishav Das (52) were able to progress past fifty. Assam’s hopes of a first-innings rest rather heavily on Swarupam Purkayastha (34 not out) and Pallavkumar Das (10 not out).Wicketkeeper-batsman Rohit Motwani built on his overnight half-century to make a career-best 189 to help Maharashtra put on 481 against Railways in Pune. Railways responded with an unbroken stand of 88 for the opening wicket that took them to stumps 393 runs behind on the second day.Maharashtra had begun the day on 249 for 5. They lost Chirag Khurana and Nikit Dhumal in quick succession and were reduced to 287 for 7, before Motwani dominated partnerships with the tail enders, putting on a combined 194 runs for the last three wickets. It began with 94-run stand for the eighth with debutant Mukesh Choudhary, during which Motwani brought up his fourth first-class hundred. He was the last man out, eleven short of a double-hundred, having struck 24 fours and three sixes.

Club president Jayantha Silva has denied the occurrence of anything untoward during the Tier-B game under question

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Sep-2017Administrators of Panadura Sports Club have demanded that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) rescind the bans handed out to its players, while several players themselves have formally asked the board to reconsider its ruling.On Saturday, SLC had announced that 22 first-class players would be banned from “cricket-related activities” for one year, for their supposed role in manipulating the result of a Tier B first-class match in January. Captains Chamara Silva and Manoj Deshapriya were given two-year bans.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that at least six of these players have retained the services of a lawyer, and that those players have lodged a formal complaint to the board.Those players contend, effectively, that they had not had adequate opportunity to defend themselves at the inquiry that found them guilty of misconduct – a claim the board has already vehemently denied. The players have also raised the possibility of a getting the club to launch a fresh inquiry.Meanwhile, Panadura Sports Club has said that the match in question – in which 605 runs were scored off 60 overs on the final day – did not feature unfair play. They pointed to alleged irregularities in the match referee’s report to support their claim.”What we are saying is that nothing untoward happened in this game,” Panadura SC president Jayantha Silva said. “Our cricketers didn’t do anything untoward, and as a club we didn’t do anything untoward.”If something did happen, the people who have to bear that responsibility are the umpires. The charge sheet was founded on unlawful documents provided by the umpires. There is some unseen conspiracy being carried out against us here. We suspect the umpires and the match referee for that.”The club also asked that the points that were stripped from them on the basis of SLC’s ruling be reinstated, meaning they would secure promotion to Tier A of the Premier League Tournament for next season.It is for promotion-relegation purposes, in fact, that the result of match is suspected to have been manipulated. At no stage is money thought to have changed hands.