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The 33-year-old was part of the Sri Lankan side that won the T20 World Cup in 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2023Sri Lanka batter Lahiru Thirimanne has announced his retirement from international cricket after a 13-year career.”As a player I have given my best, I have tried my best, I have respected the game and I have done my duty honestly and ethically to my motherland,” Thirimanne posted on Facebook on Saturday.”It was a difficult decision to make, but I cannot mention here the many unexpected reasons that influenced me to take this decision willingly or unwillingly. I take this opportunity to thank the SLC members, my coaches, teammates, physios, trainers and analysts for their support and encouragement.”Thirimanne, 33, played 44 Tests, 127 ODIs and 26 T20Is after making his international debut in 2010. He was part of three T20 World Cup campaigns, including Sri Lanka’s win in 2014, and played two ODI World Cups. He also led Sri Lanka in five ODIs.”Absolute honor to have the opportunity to represent the country,” he posted on Instagram. “Thanks a lot for the 13 years of amazing memories and well wishes thru out my journey (sic). See you on the other side.”His last international match was the Test against India in Bengaluru in March 2022. The last of his three Test centuries came against Bangladesh in 2021 when his 140 helped Sri Lanka win the match in Pallekele. He was especially impressive in ODIs in 2015 when he scored 861 runs in 25 games with one century and six half-centuries.Thirimanne played first-class cricket in the most recent season in Sri Lanka, but has lived in Australia for much of the past two years. He has not been consistently available for Test selection, and has since been replaced at the top of the order by the likes of Nishan Madushka and Pathum Nissanka.

CSK team members react to the news of having to move out of Chennai for their home games in IPL 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2018

Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and over 55,000 have already been sold

Matt Roller08-Mar-20232:25

Where do you see women’s cricket in five years?

One hundred days before the start of the 2023 Women’s Ashes, England Women are set to attract record crowds this summer.Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and ESPNcricinfo understands that over 55,000 tickets have already been sold for England’s home fixtures. The Ashes, a multi-format series, start with the Test match at Trent Bridge on June 22, followed by white-ball fixtures from July 1-18, while Sri Lanka will tour for six white-ball matches in September.The sales figures mean that England are already guaranteed a record-breaking total attendance this summer, having attracted around 50,000 fans to series against South Africa and India in 2022.England will play at some of the country’s biggest stadia in 2023. Ticket sales for the Ashes T20Is at Edgbaston, The Oval and Lord’s are internally considered a major priority by the ECB, who have made a point of marketing the women’s series alongside the men’s.Warwickshire announced last week that they have already sold over 14,000 tickets for the Edgbaston T20I, which looks set to become the best-attended England Women’s home game outside of world events. The current record, set at Lord’s for last year’s India ODI, stands at 15,187.”It’s really exciting that we’ve sold so many tickets,” Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is playing for Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Women’s Premier League, said. “You see it out here in the WPL and back home in the Hundred: a big crowd makes such a difference.”The prospect of playing in front of a full Lord’s or Edgbaston in an Ashes game is pretty cool. It’s what you grow up watching, so I’m really looking forward to that.”Early-bird ticket prices are available until March 9.

Regular captain Shanto continues to miss out due to a groin strain

Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2024Mehidy Hasan Miraz will continue to lead Bangladesh in regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s absence in the ODI series against West Indies. Mehidy was named captain for the ongoing two-Test series in the Caribbean, which the hosts are leading 1-0, with Shanto missing out due to groin strain. Shakib Al Hasan, who has not played for Bangladesh since the Tests in India, continues to miss out, with BCB president Faruque Ahmed saying the senior allrounder was not “in a mental state to play for the country”.Middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy also misses out due to a groin injury which he picked up while playing football recently. Mushfiqur Rahim also misses out as he recovers from finger injury, while Mustafizur Rahman has opted out of the series due to personal reasons. Left-handed opener Zakir Hasan, meanwhile, has been dropped. Litton Das, who missed the ODIs against Afghanistan in November, returns to the side, while Parvez Hossain Emon, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Hasan Mahmud and Tanzim Hasan Sakib have also been included.Shakib, who retired from Tests and T20Is in September, missed the ODIs against Afghanistan last month too. He was part of the Abu Dhabi T10 where he played seven matches for Bangla Tigers. He had not traveled to Dhaka to play his farewell Test, against South Africa, in October because of protests against him after being named in an FIR for an alleged murder during the political unrest in the country.BCB president Ahmed said Shakib remained in contention for selection in ODIs, adding that he needed sufficient preparation to get back into the national side.”Right now, he [Shakib] is still in the list,” Ahmed said. “We hope that the issues get solved in the way he wants. Definitely, he still possesses the capability to play for the national team. Playing for a franchise and playing for the country is not the same thing. You need preparation and also you really need to gel with the team. Since he can’t do those things, I don’t think he is in a mental state to play for the country. Because of that, we have left this thing up to him.”The players named for the ODIs will leave Dhaka on Monday to link with the rest of the players in St Kitts to play the three ODIs on December 8, 10 and 12.

Bangladesh ODI squad vs West Indies

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Parvez Hossain, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Afif Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana.

The opener has arrived home from India after injury but will return for the ODIs

AAP23-Feb-20232:35

Chopra: Head is potentially Australia’s long-term Test opener

David Warner is not feeling the pressure and has vowed to play international cricket until 2024 even if the selectors end his prolific Test career.He arrived back in Sydney on Thursday after his tour of India was cut short due to a fractured elbow. Warner also suffered a concussion during the second Test defeat in Delhi and was subbed out of the match before play on day two.Related

• Taylor sees potential for Warner to follow 1997 revival

• Ghosts of 2019: Warner's Ashes fate remains uncertain

• Australia's WTC final squad – Will David Warner keep his place?

• Ponting: Ideal time for Warner to retire was after 2022 MCG double hundred

• It's all in the geometry – how Shami and Siraj put the skids under Australia

But the 36-year-old believes he is the right man to open the batting on this year’s Ashes tour despite scoring just one Test century during the last three years.”I’ve always said I’m playing to 2024; if the selectors feel that I’m not worthy of my spot, then so be it, and I can push on to the white-ball stuff,” Warner told reporters at Sydney Airport. “I’ve got the next 12 months, a lot of cricket’s ahead for the team and if I can keep scoring runs and putting my best foot forward for the team and I can help my spot, it’d be great for the team.”It’s easy pickings [for critics] when you’re 36 going on 37. I’ve seen it before with the ex-players as well. So for me if I’m taking pressure off the rest of the other guys, and no one’s worrying about the rest of the team, I’m happy to do that.”David Warner has left the India tour early•Associated Press

When asked if Warner was still in Australia’s plans for the five-Test tour of England in June, Australia selector Tony Dodemaide declined to commit to the aggressive left-hander.”We’re worried about what we can get out of these remaining two Tests [in India], obviously that’s a clear focus for us at the moment,” Dodemaide said on Wednesday.”We’ll address the Ashes planning [at a later time], but we are committed to picking the best fit and available players for Test series, particularly something as big as the Ashes.”That’s not a question that we’ve addressed so far. We are very keen, as everyone I’m sure at home would be, for us to get something out of this remaining series.”Warner has been joined by fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and bowling allrounder Ashton Agar in exiting the troubled tour, with Australia trailing 0-2 and their hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy already over.

The board has appointed a task team to present a new business model for the tournament such that it can grow the cricketing fan base as well as turn a profit

Firdose Moonda14-Feb-2018A task team appointed by Cricket South Africa (CSA) has been asked to present a new business model for the T20 Global League such that a 20-over tournament can both grow the cricketing fan base and turn a profit in order to put South Africa on the world’s T20 landscape.The team will present its plans on March 31 to the Members’ Council, the decision-making body made up of the 12 provincial presidents, who rejected a proposal presented at a board meeting in Durban because they wanted more options to consider.The Members’ Council will take the final decision on whether the tournament will go ahead or not.The council were not in favour of the most recent model, which moved away from private ownership to a centrally owned CSA-run league – which also threatened the existing domestic game – but the CSA’s acting CEO Thabang Moroe, who is on the task team, told ESPNcricinfo that both the Members’ Council and the board want to see the tournament go ahead in some form.”It was not so much about rejecting the proposed model,” Moroe said. “The Members’ Council were of the opinion that a number of options needed to be considered to come up with the best possible model. There is general agreement that the final model should be based on growing CSA’s fans base to draw new fans to the game and produce a viable alternative source of revenue.”Growing the local fan base is part of the reason the proposal presented to the board at the beginning of February opted for a league that was owned and run by the CSA, as opposed to the original tournament in which all but one team was foreign owned. Three IPL owners, two PSL teams, and businesspersons based out of the UAE and Hong Kong were announced as owners of seven of the eight teams. However, contracts were signed and no money changed hands.Players who were contracted for the original event did receive contracts and were subsequently paid – foreign players received 50% and local players 60% of their total fee – and the postponement of the inaugural event cost CSA US $14 million. They had forecast that staging the event would amount to losses of US $25 million and are now aiming for an event which will only cost US $6 million to run per year – with fewer foreign players – for the first three years.Though the most cost-effective model was not approved by the Members’ Council, Moroe aims to present them with something better when they meet next on March 31. He also offered an assurance that a new T20 tournament will not crowd out the current domestic set-up, as has been feared.”The T20 [league] will be a product for fan and economic growth,” Moroe said. “The one-day cup and the Sunfoil Series four-day competitions are cricket-specific and will continue to operate as key elements of CSA’s talent and development pipelines to ensure that our future players are well-prepared to take the step up to international level.”A GLT20, however, will still not be possible without a host broadcaster and title sponsor, both of which were absent when the original tournament was postponed. Moroe confirmed those are “the two most important initial objectives,” and that negotiations were “underway with interested parties.”

Middlesex beat Gloucestershire at Uxbridge for the first time in 12 attempts last year but normal service was resumed as they succumbed to Michael Klinger’s ebullience

ECB Reporters Network08-Jul-2018
ScorecardMichael Klinger’s assured half-century saw Gloucestershire resume their T20 hoodoo over Middlesex with a comfortable six-wicket win at Uxbridge.Gloucestershire’s first defeat to Middlesex at Uxbridge last season came at the 12th attempt but thanks to Klinger’s 58 that result proved the exception.The 38-year-old Australian was content to play second fiddle initially to Miles Hammond before taking responsibility for seeing his charges comfortably to their under-par target with a succession of elegant variations.For Middlesex, the only cause for cheer was a belligerent 33 in just 12 balls from James Fuller, back playing again after an 18-month injury hell.Middlesex were glad to have skipper Dawid Malan back from 12th-man duties with England, but the left-hander’s recent run of low scores continued as he chipped one back to David Payne in the first over to depart without scoring.Worse followed in the next over when Paul Stirling skied a top-edge from Matt Taylor which eventually came down into the gloves of wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick.Nick Gubbins responded with four quick-fire boundaries but when he edged Thisara Perera to Roderick, Middlesex were 35 for 3.Attempts at a rebuild by Stevie Eskinazi and John Simpson also came up short when the latter holed out at long-off for 13 off Benny Howell. It was all-rounder’s last contribution to the bowling effort as he pulled up injured one ball later and promptly left the field. He has damaged a groin and could miss several weeks – a blow for Gloucestershire as he is the kingpin of their attack.However, there was to be no respite for Middlesex as Ryan Higgins grabbed the chance to bowl against his former county and promptly had Eskinazi caught off the glove.At 63 for 5 off nine, Middlesex effected a rally of sorts courtesy of Dwayne Bravo and Hilton Cartwright, the pair adding 47 in seven overs before Cartwright failed to clear cow corner.Such was the Gloucestershire strangled-hold, typified by Middlesex old-boy Tom Smith’s four overs for just 15 runs, it was the 18th over before Bravo (34) flayed the first six of the innings. He would depart next ball, hit wicket, to cue Fuller’s extraordinary cameo.Gloucester began their pursuit of 161 at full throttle, Hammond, in only his second match in almost three years because of architectural studies, hammering eight fours in a breezy 36 before hitting a Bravo full toss straight to substitute fielder James Harris.Under no scoreboard pressure skipper Klinger and Ian Cockbain continued, albeit with few boundaries, to tick the score along until the latter lofted Stirling to Cartwright on the square leg boundary with the score on 93.Roderick weighed in with 24 to go with his three catches and although Klinger, too, left before the end, bowled by Bravo, Gloucester eased home with eight balls to spare.

A fine unbeaten century from Adam Lyth saw Yorkshire through to a supremely comfortable nine-wicket victory over Leicestershire

ECB Reporters Network27-May-2018
ScorecardA fine unbeaten century from Adam Lyth saw Yorkshire through to a supremely comfortable nine-wicket victory over Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.The left-handed opener played with real fluency and timing, albeit against some distinctly average seam bowling, first in compiling first a partnership of 153 with fellow opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore (74 from 71 balls) and then of 112 with Cheteshwar Pujara (75 not out from 81 balls).With the match being played on a pitch which had yielded over 700 runs in Leicestershire’s previous RL50 match, against Nottinghamshire, the Foxes were well aware they needed a good start: they got the opposite, losing their first three wickets for only 39 runs.First to go was Cameron Delport. Back from IPL duty, the South African cracked two boundaries off Ben Coad, but in the second over Matthew Fisher swung a ball back in to the left-hander to have him leg-before. Colin Ackermann gave Coad the charge but could only give the bowler a straightforward return catch, and captain Paul Horton then off-drove a delivery from Fisher waist-high to Steve Patterson at mid-off.Mark Cosgrove and Ned Eckersley repaired the innings with a stand of 128 for the fourth wicket, compiled in 20.1 overs, but having reached his 50 off 61 balls, Eckersley’s attempted on-drive failed to clear mid-on, and Pujara took a simple catch.Leicestershire badly needed Cosgrove to go on to three figures, but the Australian’s attempt to loft Adil Rashid for a straight six was well held by Kohler-Cadmore above his head on the boundary at long-on, and soon afterwards the same combination accounted for Tom Wells, this time at long-off. Neil Dexter and Callum Parkinson compiled a partnership of 41 for the eighth wicket, but though Dexter reached his half-century off the final ball, a total of under 300 never looked likely to be enough.So it proved. Neither Lyth nor Kohler-Cadmore needed to take risks in scoring at six runs an over, thanks in part to a series of half-volleys bowled by Richard Jones, making his first appearance of the season for the Foxes after returning from injury.Carelessness saw the end of Kohler-Cadmore, the right-hander pulling a long-hop from Delport to Horton at midwicket, but Lyth went to his century off just 96 balls, hitting thirteen fours and a six before finishing on 132 not out, just four short of his List A career best. Pujara too played with freedom and, towards the end, creativity, twice ramping countryman Aaron Varun for four to third man as the end came quickly.

A chase of 134 became severely dicey at 72 for 6 but the captain stood up big time

Tristan Lavalette26-Dec-2022Captain Ashton Turner held his nerve to steer Perth Scorchers past league-leaders Adelaide Strikers in a low-scoring thriller at Optus Stadium.Chasing a modest 134, Scorchers were in disarray at 72 for 6 before Turner and Jhye Richardson combined for a 43-run partnership.It came down to the decisive 19th over with Turner smashing 16 runs off three deliveries from quick Henry Thornton to effectively ice the match.Turner superbly rescues Scorchers
Scorchers’ new-look batting order has had a mixed bag this season. They smashed their highest ever total with 229 for 7 against Melbourne Stars last time but were brought back to earth against Strikers.Their batting largely revolves around Faf du Plessis and Josh Inglis, both of whom smashed rapid half-centuries against Stars, but fell amid a disastrous first 10 overs here.Scorchers’ chances appeared slim but Turner never lost his composure and received strong support from Richardson. Turner wisely kept the power surge up his sleeve and finally claimed it in the 19th over with Scorchers needing 19 runs for victory.Richardson fell first ball in the over before Turner flipped the match on its head with a trio of big blows to whip the home crowd into a frenzy. It was a return to form for Turner whose batting across formats has nosedived in recent years.Turner, who has played nine ODIs and 18 T20Is for Australia, is highly regarded for his tactical nous and is seen as arguably the best captain in the BBL.More performances like this could see him return to the national fold, especially with Australia looking for more leadership options in limited-overs cricket.Strikers gamble with spin until decisive over
Wes Agar was a shock omission having memorably claimed 4 for 6 in Strikers’ extraordinary rout of Sydney Thunder, while he also claimed a three-wicket haul last start against Brisbane Heat.Adelaide Strikers’ spinners put in a massive shift trying to defend 133•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

But Strikers’ brains trust had a plan. They believed Scorchers’ batters weren’t as proficient with the pace off so selected offspinner Ben Manenti for his Strikers debut after crossing over from Sydney Sixers.It looked like a masterstroke with Manenti snaring the key wicket of Inglis. It was one of four picked up by Strikers’ three spinners.A tense game went down to the wire and the captain Peter Siddle had a major decision to make ahead of the 19th over. He was deliberating between in-form quick Thornton, who had been expensive, and spinners Manenti and Matt Short, who had both performed well earlier in the innings.Siddle went with Thornton in a move that ultimately backfired.Spinner Hatzoglou justifies selection
Scorchers’ strong pace attack has been the backbone of their success since the BBL’s inception, particularly on bouncy home surfaces. But for this game, they decided to back legspinner Peter Hatzoglou over seamer Matt Kelly, who was expensive in their season opener against Sixers at Optus Stadium.Hatzoglou, a key part of Scorchers’ title-winning team last season, didn’t put a foot wrong in their games on the road against Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars. Against Strikers, he repaid the faith with a miserly performance to concede just 22 runs from his four overs.He bowled well after the powerplay in conjunction with frontline spinner Ashton Agar, which is a blueprint for their attack on the slower pitches on the east coast.Hatzoglou might just have to be an automatic selection at home too as Scorchers’ spinners superbly backed up a trademark clinical effort from their quicks.Lynn again fails to capitalise on start
There has obviously been a lot of attention on Chris Lynn, whose long career with Heat netted him the most runs in BBL history. With his new team, Lynn has shown glimpses of his muscular batting but hasn’t been able to play a signature innings yet.Lynn had a golden opportunity after coming to the crease when Henry Hunt fell in the opening over. Against trademark accuracy from Scorchers’ quicks, Lynn was tied down as Strikers endured their lowest ever four-over powerplay with just 18 runs.A determined Lynn shed the big shots as he played within himself. Working into his innings, Lynn looked ready to put the foot down with a thumping drive to the boundary off Agar but once again it proved a tease.Scampering for a quick single, Lynn was brilliantly run out by a direct underarm throw from Jason Behrendorff at cover. His 33-ball 35 top-scored for Strikers, but he would have hoped for so much more.

As Anderson passed Glenn McGrath’s record, the retiring Cook called him “England’s greatest cricketer”

Andrew Miller11-Sep-20181:46

‘What Jimmy has and can still achieve is astounding’ – Joe Root

An emotional James Anderson admitted that the achievement in overtaking Glenn McGrath to become the most prolific fast bowler in Test history was made all the more special because his team-mate and best friend Alastair Cook was still on the field to witness it.In turn, Cook lauded Anderson as “England’s greatest cricketer” with only spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800 Test wickets), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) now ahead of him.In remarkable scenes at the end of a thrilling fifth day of the final Test at The Oval, Anderson reeled off a 14-over spell either side of tea to, first, slow India’s onslaught as KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant combined in a brilliant 204-run stand for the sixth wicket, and then to seal victory by bowling Mohammed Shami for the final wicket of the match.Shami’s wicket was Anderson’s 564th in Test cricket – taking him past Australia’s McGrath in his 143rd Test – and it sealed a 118-run win for England, and a 4-1 series scoreline.”I’m happy that Cookie was on the field to see that wicket, it’s been a tough week,” Anderson told Sky Sports, after he and Cook had left the field together for the 130th and final time in their combined Test careers.”I’m just happy to win the game to be honest,” he added. “I wasn’t even thinking about it [the record]. When they were building that partnership it was looking like they were going to get close. My job was just to try and hold an end and I didn’t think I’d end up bowling 14 overs from that end.”But got into a really good rhythm and thankfully Joe [Root] let me take the new ball eventually and give me half a chance to take that wicket.”Asked what it meant to play his final match with Cook, after a 12-year England partnership that began on the tour of India in March 2006, Anderson had to choke back tears as he said: “He’s my best mate. And he’s been brilliant just to be there for me, all the time.”Speaking shortly afterwards, Cook admitted that the thought of no longer sharing such experiences with the likes of Anderson and Stuart Broad, who made his own Test debut in Colombo in December 2007, would be tough to accept.”That was the hard bit,” Cook told Sky Sports. “Even though the decision [to retire] was quite easy, I know that I’ll never stand at first slip and take a catch off one of those two again.””We have lived in each other’s pockets for 12 years,” he said of Anderson. “There was a picture of us, and Swanny, lying on a bed in India fast asleep, all three of us in exactly the same position and it just shows how close we’ve become, and it’s been a privilege to play with, I think, England’s greatest cricketer.”No disrespect to any of the other guys, but his skill [is] to do it time and time again,” he added. “You almost take it for granted that he’ll hit a length from ball one, and when he doesn’t you think, what’s wrong? And it shouldn’t be like that”That spell today when it was a bit tight, I don’t think he missed his length once outside off, and it’s only fitting that he gets the wicket, knocks middle stump out, to win a Test for England.”