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Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman who has not played for his country since June 2011, has turned on national team’s coaching set up for his continued non-selection

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2012Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman who has not played for his country since June 2011, has turned on the national team’s coaching set up for his continued non-selection.Sarwan, 31, has scored 5,842 Test runs at 40.01 and captained West Indies in two Tests in England in 2007 but was overlooked for this tour and instead signed for Leicestershire where he has been in form with two centuries and two half-centuries and has captained the side while Matthew Hoggard has been injured.”The coach said some negative stuff that hurt me mentally and emotionally,” Sarwan told . “Mentally I was broken down, not from the stress of playing, it’s just certain individuals have drained me mentally. It took a toll on my confidence and the way I play. Everything went away.”Sarwan lost his central contract in 2010 with an “extremely indifferent attitude and sporadic approach towards fitness” cited as the reason. He played four more Tests, scoring 83 runs before being dropped. He is now pleased to be out of the West Indies set-up. “I’m away from all those problems, my mind is at ease and I have had nothing to worry about, no coach to say any negative things,” he said. “At one point I didn’t know which was my back foot and which was my front foot. Now I’m much better, more precise with my movements, everything crystal clear in my head.””I never spoke about this because I was caught up in a shell and I used to not come out of my house for up to three days. My dad was the one to inspire me to start back playing. I was going to stop because they were getting the better of me but when I saw him break down emotionally that inspired me.”Sarwan returned to county cricket with Leicestershire, after scoring 442 runs at 31.57 for Gloucestershire in 2005. His comeback has been a success, with a century in his second match against Derbyshire and scores of 117 and 98 against Essex – form that has prompted many to call for his return to international cricket.But even if he was offered the chance of a recall, Sarwan said he wouldn’t walk out on Leicestershire. “I owe them because they’ve invested in me,” he said. “I’m big on principle and when I was in the dust being kicked by my own people I was given an opportunity by this club and I will not forsake that or betray anyone. I don’t want to find myself in a situation where I was two years ago, where I couldn’t have fun. My happiness is utmost and the most important thing to me. I want to stay focused and forget about what has gone before.”

Ravi Sawani, the head of the BCCI’s new anti-corruption wing, has submitted his report into allegations of corruptions levelled against five domestic Indian players to board president N Srinivasan

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Jun-2012Ravi Sawani, the head of the BCCI’s new anti-corruption wing, has submitted his report on the allegations of corruption levelled against five domestic Indian players to board president N Srinivasan. The allegations, which allude to match-fixing and negotiating for extra illegal pay, emerged after a sting operation carried out by and forced the Indian board to call for an immediate investigation on May 16. Sawani, who was appointed as the commissioner of inquiry by the BCCI, had been asked to submit his report in 15 days’ time.The report will now be studied by the BCCI disciplinary committee, which comprises Srinivasan, Arun Jaitley and Niranjan Shah (both BCCI vice-presidents). Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary, said that no date has yet been fixed for the disciplinary committee to meet.The three-man panel, after studying the report, will decide on the final action to be taken against the players – Shalabh Srivastava, Mohnish Mishra, TP Sudhindra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali. The players, if found guilty, will be charged under the BCCI and IPL codes of conduct.It is understood that Sawani, a former head of the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit, interviewed all the five accused in person. Sawani’s interrogation was based on the information and evidence he gathered from sources.The probe was ordered to investigate charges arising from the sting operation, including allegations of players agreeing to fix a match and being involved in match-fixing, players discussing IPL contracts outside the validity of their existing contracts with their respective franchises and whether the players’ conduct brought disrepute to the game or the BCCI in any form., in mid-May, had showed footage of a player bowling a big no-ball in a limited-overs match and played a recording of a phone conversation that it said was of a current IPL player negotiating a fee for bowling a no-ball. It also had at least three players on camera allegedly seeking more lucrative IPL deals – including extra money that would have violated their IPL contracts – with other league franchises through an undercover reporter posing as a sports agent.

Mithali Raj, the India Women’s captain, has reclaimed the top spot in the one-day batting rankings, displacing West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2012Mithali Raj, the India Women’s captain, has reclaimed the top spot in the one-day batting rankings, displacing West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor.Raj top scored in the recent five-match series against England, making 251 runs at 83.66, but couldn’t prevent India from going down 2-3. Her three half-centuries, including an unbeaten 92 and an unbeaten 94, helped India weather regular top-order failures.Her team-mate, Harmanpreet Kaur, who was the next highest run-getter in the series, also moved up, jumping from 15th to 7th. England’s Sarah Taylor and Lydia Greenway have also both risen up the rankings, to third and fourth respectively.The bowling chart continues to be led by Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar, whose lead over second-placed Katherine Brunt of England is now only two points. Former India captain Jhulan Goswami remained in fourth spot, after finishing the series with seven wickets.Batting rankings:
1 Mithali Raj (India), 2 Stafanie Taylor (West Indies), 3 Sarah Taylor (England), 4 Lydia Greenway (England), 5 Alex Blackwell (Australia)
Bowling rankings:
1. Lisa Sthalekar (Australia), 2 Katherine Brunt (England), 3 Ellyse Perry (Australia), 4 Jhulan Goswami (India), 5 Anisa Mohammed (West Indies)
For more on the rankings, click here.

England must decide whether to accommodate Kevin Pietersen in their squad for the third Test despite a week of damaging headlines

George Dobell11-Aug-2012The stability that underpinned England’s ascent to No. 1 in the Test rankings is most noticeably absent as they select their side for, arguably, the most important Test they have played since the Ashes were decided at The Oval in 2009.For several years, the announcement of England’s Test squad has been a welcomingly predictable episode. Barring injury or prolonged loss of form, life contained few surprises.But not this time. This time, as England try to select a team that must beat South Africa at Lord’s in order to retain their No. 1 status, the selectors are faced with a major dilemma: do they drop their best player or retain him in the knowledge that his presence risks compromising team spirit. In short, do Kevin Pietersen’s positive qualities outweigh his negative ones?The news that he has exchanged texts with members of the South Africa team comes in the same week that his post-match press conference at Headingley revealed the extent of the tension between the two parties.There can be, at this stage, no doubt that Pietersen’s presence is a distraction in the dressing room. As if the speculation about his possible World Twenty20 inclusion was not enough, there is also doubt about his Test future and his relationship with other players. Whatever the content of text messages sent to players in the South Africa side, the episode has done nothing to diminish the growing division and suspicion building between Pietersen and his England colleagues. Some of them have been ambivalent about Pietersen for some time. This new episode – an episode viewed as a betrayal by some – means that ambivalence is now one of the warmer emotions expressed towards him.He is respected as a player, though. If there were any doubts over his unrivalled skills – in England, anyway – with the bat, they were dispelled in Leeds. Pietersen was magnificent. He played the sort of innings that would demand inclusion in any team.That should probably be the bottom line for the selectors. Rather than over-complicating the process with talk of principle or team spirit, the selectors should stick to picking the best 11 individuals and trust in the players’ professionalism. Just as Pietersen and Andy Flower managed to work together after the debacle that saw Pietersen sacked as captain – and he was sacked as captain whatever revisionist ECB spin may suggest – and Peter Moores sacked as coach, so the players should be mature enough to work with those with which they may not naturally socialise.In truth, recent stories amount to little more than playground tittle-tattle. Does it really matter if a few England team-mates laughed at a parody Twitter account or if Pietersen was mildly mocking of his team-mates in a private text message? It is surely more important that everyone within the England dressing room concentrates on winning the Test and does not use issues from the past week to further their own agendas against rival factions.There is little doubt that the selectors are torn, though. Their appetite for Pietersen-related baggage is more than sated. If they could afford to be rid of him, they would surely take that chance.There are faults on both sides. Pietersen has a legitimate gripe by complaining about leaks emanating from the ECB and it is hard not to wonder if, in a more sophisticated dressing room, he might not have been managed better. Surely Mike Brearley, for example, might have coaxed the best from him as he did such diverse characters as Sir Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott and Phil Edmonds. Perhaps a little more carrot and a little less stick might have worked wonders on Pietersen?England, it should be noted, have won without Pietersen before. He played little role in the Ashes success of 2009 and none in the recent ODI victories over Australia. He is no more irreplaceable than any other England player of the past and, just as West Indies managed without Sobers and Australia managed without Bradman, England will manage without Pietersen.Chris Woakes is an option should England want to include an allrounder in the side•Getty Images

He is not easy to replace, though. With Ravi Bopara still absent for personal reasons – an episode that may have damaged his own Test career irreversibly – there is no obvious replacement for Pietersen. Jonny Bairstow, fresh from his century against Australia A, might be considered, so might Eoin Morgan, who has the character if not the technique to flourish at this level.Chris Woakes is a more rounded solution. If Pietersen were dropped, Ian Bell, James Taylor and Matt Prior could shuffle up a position with Woakes coming in at No. 7. It is asking a great deal of anyone to come into such an important game against such high-quality opposition but Woakes has the ability, with bat and with ball, to shine. Just as importantly, he has a rock solid character that will not be flustered by the occasion. England will never have a moment of worry about the ego of Woakes.Graeme Swann is sure to be named in the team on Thursday – omitting him at Leeds was a huge error of judgement – with a late choice required over which of Steven Finn, Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan plays alongside Stuart Broad and James Anderson. All are likely to be named in the squad, with home ground advantage likely to favour Finn, despite a disappointing display at Leeds.Whatever is revealed in Sunday’s squad announcement, it seems we are coming to the end of the Pietersen story. In the long term, we may reflect on the episode as one of the great wasted opportunities in the history of England cricket. Talents like Pietersen appear rarely. That the ECB have failed to handle him – a man who must be considered one of their most precious resources – does not reflect well on them.Make no mistake, though. However much England cricket misses Pietersen over the coming weeks and months, he will miss it more. His premature departure, at this point seemingly inevitable, will leave him many years to reflect upon the mistakes that have led him so far along this path. He will surely come to regret that he has allowed his pride and a series of petty incidents to have built up into a career-threatening scenario.Pietersen might also reflect long and hard on his own role in his alienation. As Oscar Wilde almost said, to fall out with one team may be considered unfortunate, but to fall out with Natal, Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and England? You do not have to be a genius to work out the common denominator.

The implications of the Kevin Pietersen affair have been widespread within English cricket, but Andrew Hodd stands to benefit most from the controversy.

Myles Hodgson at Headingley15-Aug-2012
ScorecardAndrew Hodd, seen here batting for Sussex, is grateful for a chance of more cricket with Yorkshire•PA Photos

The implications of the Kevin Pietersen affair have been widespread within English cricket, but Andrew Hodd stands to benefit most from the controversy. Frustrated and nearing the end of his contract at Sussex, an unexpected opening at Yorkshire has given him four matches to prove himself worthy of a permanent deal.Until last week, Hodd, 28, was facing an uncertain future having not played a championship match for Sussex all season. The selectors’ decision to drop Pietersen for the final Test changed all that, however, when Yorkshire suddenly found themselves without a wicketkeeper for the climax to a season they hope will culminate in promotion.Jonny Bairstow’s recall to the Test squad as Pietersen’s replacement and Yorkshire’s decision to release Gerard Brophy, his deputy, prompted an immediate loan approach for Hodd, who has four championship fixtures to help in the promotion bid and possibly earn himself a long-term deal.”I’ve been speaking to Martyn Moxon (Yorkshire’s Director of Cricket) for a month now with a view to maybe something happening the end of this year or next year,” Hodd explained. “They were very low key chats, but suddenly on Sunday night I got a phone call saying that Gerard had retired and asking if I would come up. I jumped at the opportunity.”I just want to play some cricket. It’s never good not playing, although no one is playing at the moment with the weather the way it is. I am sure Johnny Bairstow will go well and hopefully it will open up a door for me.”He looks certain to be given further chances to impress. Bairstow is unlikely to feature again for Yorkshire in the championship before the end of the summer. England have five one-day internationals and two
Twenty20 internationals against South Africa, before flying straight off to the World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka.Hodd’s debut, like most of Yorkshire’s season, was badly interrupted by the weather. Facing Derbyshire, leaders of Division Two, at Headingley, only 30.1 overs were possible before heavy rain halted play just after lunch with Yorkshire handily placed on 127 for 2.Derbyshire’s 26-point lead looked unlikely to be threatened after Phil Jacques was bowled shouldering arms to Tim Groenewald in the fourth over that may have kept a little low. But given favourable conditions, the bowlers failed to exploit the conditions and allowed Adam Lyth and Andrew Gale to add 87 in only
20.3 overs.Gale, the Yorkshire captain, looked on course to claim only his second championship half-century of the summer after racing to 47 off 69 balls, including seven fours. Most of his runs were helped by Derbyshire sticking to a leg-stump line, which paid off in the end when he got a top edge attempting to pull Ross Whiteley and picked out fine leg only 25 minutes before lunch.Only one delivery was possible after the interval, continuing a theme for Yorkshire’s summer. They have played only 128 hours of championship cricket out of a possible 294 and, with further rain forecast during this match, may struggle to force the positive result that will help their promotion challenge.The extra time spent in the dressing room will, at least, have given Hodd more time to assimilate himself into the Yorkshire culture. He has not played a first-class match since featuring for Sussex against Warwickshire in July last year, since when Ben Brown has been preferred as their wicketkeeper.He does not believe it will take him long to become used to playing first team cricket again. He has been signed only for championship cricket with Yorkshire giving Dan Hodgson, a 22-year-old who has been playing for Leeds-Bradford MCCU, experience keeping in their remaining CB40 matches.”You don’t just want to sit in the second team, you want to play, score some runs and feel good about yourself,” Hodd said. “I just want to make the most of the next 16 days or so.”With cricket you just try and play the ball and even in the second team this summer I will have faced good bowlers at certain times. Playing at first-class level is a bit more relentless, you will face better spells for a longer duration but I’m just hoping I’ll be up to it – I’ve got that hunger to do well.”

A hard-working team, Ireland will need to get past two strong teams in Group B to make it to the knockouts

Alan Gardner18-Sep-2012

Overview

The exploits of the Ireland team at global ICC tournaments have become a colourful side narrative in recent years, from the thrilling humiliations of Pakistan and England at successive World Cups to their ousting of Bangladesh in the World Twenty20 group stage in 2009.Ireland have put in place a roadmap to playing Test cricket and despite the talent drain across the Irish Sea – Boyd Rankin will retire after the tournament in the bid to pursue a career with England – they have built solid foundations in the limited-overs formats. Briefly ranked above Australia in T20Is earlier this month, the group meeting between the two will be eagerly anticipated by schadenfreude fans the world over, as well as by Ireland’s miserly attack leader Trent Johnston, born in Wollongong, New South Wales, 38 years ago.A hard-working team, Ireland have several players capable of making the difference in tight games. Allrounder Kevin O’Brien is instantly recognisable – even without the mangy purple dye job – after his record-breaking innings in Bangalore, while Paul Stirling and William Porterfield provide a potentially explosive opening partnership and Niall O’Brien brings experience of playing in the Bangladesh Premier League. If the ball swings, Middlesex seamer Tim Murtagh could be a canny addition to their set-up.

Key players

George Dockrell tends to play in red boots but that is not the only eye-catching thing about him. A tall left-arm spinner, the 20-year-old impressed for Somerset during the English domestic season and was the county’s leading T20 wicket-taker, despite missing finals day while on duty at the Under-19 World Cup. You don’t have to be Peter Falk to work out that his form in Colombo could be crucial.

Surprise package

Wicketkeeper Gary Wilson is a pugnacious batsman who has increasingly demonstrated his worth after deputising for the absent Niall O’Brien at the World Twenty20 Qualifier in March. He finished the county season as Surrey’s first choice keeper and has made all three of his T20 half-centuries this year.

Weakness

It seems odd to say it for one of the tournament minnows but Ireland will have to deal with the expectation that comes with being serial jack-in-the-boxes. Neither Australia nor West Indies will be taking them lightly and their chances of springing out of Group B rest on their ability to play with the same freedom that has characterised previous campaigns.

World T20 history

Ireland failed to qualify in 2007 but reached the super eights two years later, beating Bangladesh out of their group. They left the Caribbean in a right funk in 2010, after rain denied them the chance to chase England’s meagre total of 120 and they were eliminated on net run-rate.

Recent form

A planned four-match series with South Africa A in August was abandoned due to poor weather and, prior to that, Ireland lost 3-0 at home to Bangladesh – though some measure of revenge was achieved in their final warm-up match. Ireland won 10 out 11 games at the World Twenty20 Qualifier, beating Afghanistan in the final, and have played much more T20 cricket this year than most of the Full Members.

Jacques Faul, CSA’s acting CEO, has voiced his displeasure over the fallout of the Kevin Pietersen saga

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2012Jacques Faul, CSA’s acting CEO, has voiced his displeasure over the fallout of the Kevin Pietersen saga, with South African players being blamed for playing a role in the controversy. His comments come a day after the ECB chief executive David Collier suggested South African players had provoked Pietersen into the exchange of messages that led to him being dropped earlier this summer.”I am very disappointed that this has played out in the media,” Faul told ESPNcricinfo. “It is absolutely not true that our players provoked Pietersen.”CSA later issued a statement on the issue in which Faul added: “What is particularly disappointing is that I had a face-to-face meeting with Mr Collier when I was in London for the Lord’s Test match. He did not raise this allegation with me then and I would have thought as a matter of courtesy and decency he would have spoken to me about it before going public in the media.”It is not the way CSA goes about its business and it is not the way the ECB have done business with us in the past either. It is very disappointing because in the past our relationships with the ECB have always been cordial and constructive.”This is an internal ECB matter in which we do not wish to be involved. It served as a distraction to our players that we did not need during the Test series.”Media reports had also suggested that the South African board was pondering legal action over Collier’s claims, but a senior CSA official denied any such move.Collier had said on Sunday that he believed the messages were a South African strategy to unsettle England. “I think there was a tactic which was used,” Collier said. “I think that is sadly some of the ways of modern sport.”Last week, the ECB announced a process of “reintegration” for Pietersen following his exile from the team during the summer after it was revealed he had sent provocative messages to the South Africans. Initially it was claimed these included tactical advice on how to dismiss Andrew Strauss although this has since been denied.

The debutant Sohag Gazi didn’t lose his nerve even after an early Chris Gayle onslaught but couldn’t prevent West Indies reaching a strong position

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur13-Nov-2012Sohag Gazi is the first offspinner in Test history to bowl the first over of a Test match on debut, and the first debutant spinner to do so in 103 years.The surprise move didn’t ruffle Chris Gayle, though, who lashed the first ball of the match for a six, on his way to 18 runs in the opening over. Gazi removed Gayle soon after but despite his best efforts, West Indies scored more than four an over on the first day and are poised for a big total. This, after the hosts gave up the momentum they had gained at the end of the first session, picking up three wickets.Bangladesh had to wait out a full session for their next wicket, as both Kieran Powell and Shivnarine Chanderpaul helped themselves to centuries. As the day progressed even the more experienced Bangladesh bowlers looked short of ideas, and later liveliness.This was Bangladesh’s first Test of the year, and none of the front-line bowlers, barring Shahadat Hossain, have played enough first-class cricket recently to be physically prepared for staying on the field for a long time. With the wicket easing up, more hard work lies ahead for them. Shahadat and Rubel Hossain were costly as they have been throughout their careers while Shakib Al Hasan was simply steady, mainly because the allrounder finds it tricky to switch between long stints as a Twenty20 bowler to bowling long spells in Test cricket.”The wicket flattened out after the lunch session, but there was turn in the first hour,” Gazi said after the first day. “We will try to bowl them out as quickly as we can. We don’t have any sort of targets because the wicket is flat. We will try to keep them to as low a total as possible.”But it was the first session which showed Bangladesh in a positive light. Mushfiqur Rahim had decided quite early, in fact the day before, that it would be Gazi who would open the bowling regardless of who takes first strike for West Indies. So despite the inevitable attack, Gazi was only encouraged by his captain and to his credit, the debutant kept giving the ball flight. “He told me that Gayle wasn’t comfortable with my bowling, that’s why he gave me the charge. He said keep doing what you’re doing.”I was prepared to bowl the first over, whether Gayle took the strike or not,” Gazi said. “It was my bad luck that I got hit for two sixes in the first over. I was going to bowl my second over, and I just wanted to bowl dot balls. I didn’t really think of who was on strike.”The first-ball six was a jolt for Gazi, but he wasn’t frazzled. “Anyone can hit a six, I wasn’t expecting that exact shot. The ball I got him out turned slightly, because there was turn on the pitch in the first session. He tried to lift me over mid-on but mistimed it.”After he had picked up Gayle’s wicket, Gazi added that of Darren Bravo before Shahadat Hossain accounted for Marlon Samuels. But they hit a wall in the form of the Powell-Chanderpaul partnership during the middle session and lost their way in the final two hours.With West Indies sitting on a strong position after the first day, questions will be asked about the need for three off-spinning allrounders – Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam and Nasir Hossain. The trio bowled 16 wicketless overs and Gazi’s introduction to international cricket could spell the end of Bangladesh’s defensive ploy of employing eight batsmen and playing three similar allrounders. It is now clear that all three would have to make major contributions with the bat in the next four days to be automatic picks in the near future.

A round-up of the fifth round of Ranji Trophy’s Group A matches on December 1, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2012
ScorecardSmit Patel, the India Under-19 wicketkeeper, made his maiden first-class century in only his fifth game to lead a strong Gujarat batting performance against Hyderabad in Valsad. Smit and Samit Gohel, who made 85, put on 163 upfront before the latter fell. Bhargav Merai joined Smit and the two added another 87. Smit, who had fifties in his first four first-class games, was finally dismissed for 114 off 240 deliveries, having struck 15 fours. Merai was unbeaten on 45 as Gujarat ended on a comfortable 254 for 2.
ScorecardWasim Jaffer returned from the Haj pilgrimage and immediately showed how important he still is to the Mumbai line-up, his 80 taking them to 262 for 7 against a spirited Bengal side at Brabourne Stadium. The visitors chose to bowl on a wicket which had some grass, and Laxmi Shukla exploited it to take 4 for 35. Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma lasted seven deliveries before he became Shukla’s second victim. Jaffer and Abhishek Nayar (62) steadied Mumbai from 46 for 3 but Shukla returned to remove Jaffer, and Nayar played on to Veer Pratap Singh. Mumbai lost two more wickets before Dhawal Kulkarni took them past 250.
ScorecardSIddarth Kaul picked up four wickets as Punjab continued their red-hot form to dismiss defending champions Rajasthan for 222 in Mohali. Only Puneet Yadav was able to make a fifty as the Punjab medium-pace trio of Kaul, Baltej Singh and Sandeep Sharma picked up a combined nine wickets. Dishant Yagnik, Ashok Menaria and Deepak Chahar all made thirties, but none of them could carry on. Rajasthan fast bowler Pankaj Singh struck in his third over as Punjab ended on 20 for 1. Punjab have won three of their four games this season and drawn the fourth.
ScorecardRavindra Jadeja already has a triple hundred and a six-for this season. He added another century to that against Railways in Rajkot as Saurashtra reached 227 for 4. Sanjay Bangar and Krishnakant Upadhyay took two wickets each to reduce Saurashtra to 90 for 4 but Jadeja found support in veteran Shitanshu Kotak. The duo put on an unbeaten 137 with Jadeja hitting 12 boundaries during his 111 off 224 balls. Kotak, as usual, was more sedate, making 53 off 133.

For most of Sri Lanka’s Test squad, Christmas may almost seem like déjà vu, having found themselves in a near-identical situation this time last year

Andrew Fernando in Melbourne23-Dec-2012For most of Sri Lanka’s Test squad, Christmas may almost seem like déjà vu, having found themselves in a near-identical situation this time last year. Chasing their first ever win in South Africa, Sri Lanka had been defeated on a difficult surface in the first Test, though their demise on that occasion had been scripted on a Centurion greentop that derailed their first innings, unlike the fissured Hobart track that made survival difficult on the final day.In Australia, Rodney Hogg had announced the visiting quicks “the worst new-ball attack” ever to arrive in the country, but in South Africa, Sri Lanka had suffered an even more injurious assessment, when Kepler Wessels claimed even South Africa’s A side could defeat the visitors. On both occasions, Sri Lanka have largely been viewed as soft opposition against whom youngsters may be blooded and sides can be bedded down for more harrowing tests ahead.But in the test starting on 2011’s Boxing Day, Sri Lanka stunned their hosts on a dry surface in Durban to record as unexpected a victory as any in the year. A Thilan Samaraweera century and Chanaka Welegedara rampage in the first innings secured a 170-run first-innings lead, before 108 to Kumar Sangakkara and Rangana Herath’s five-wicket haul delivered the 208-run win.Sri Lanka’s fifth-day fight at Bellerive Oval that had delayed Australia’s victory until the final hour constituted a more meritorious showing than the innings-loss at the Centurion, and Sangakkara was hopeful that a lift in performance would be easier to achieve for this year’s Boxing Day Test. The MCG surface is also expected to be more given to turn than the Hobart pitch.”I think Durban is a great example of how we bounced back,” Sangakkara said. “We went there knowing that that was a wicket that’s more suited for our style of play. Centurion I don’t think anyone has experienced in a long time the kind of wicket we got. Here again similar sort of scenario. Different sides of course, but the only different is that the conditions might not be as spin friendly as it was in Durban. But we have three to four fast bowlers who can do a job for us.”Sri Lanka are likely to field the same seam attack that played in the first Test, where the fast men were economical in patches, but lacked penetration until reverse swing arrived in earnest on the fourth day. Welegedara collected six of the eight wickets taken by Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers, having found pace and rhythm in the second innings, which he had lacked in the first. Shaminda Eranga was also intermittently wayward, but delivered tight spells in patches, surpassing 140 kph regularly, while Nuwan Kulasekara was reliable but wicketless.”With our bowling I think we have got to be we have to be more consistent and put pressure on batsmen. It doesn’t matter that we can’t bowl at 145 or 145. What matters is that we put the ball in the right areas. A good ball is a good ball for anyone. We have the skills to do that. On occasions like Boxing Day Test Matches it’s important that we get everything together.”That said we have three to four fast bowlers who can do the job for us. It’s interesting to see how people step up. You need to look at our fast-bowling line-up and each one is different and each on has got the ability to go out there and take those wickets. If we go out there with a positive frame of mind knowing that we have done the hard work at training, it will be a good game.”Sangakkara also called for increased resolve from Sri Lanka’s experienced top order, who had slipped to 87 for 4 in Hobart, before a strong partnership from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews revived the innings. The top order had also collectively had a poor series against New Zealand, in two Tests at home, though various players had passed fifty in different innings.”It’s great that we are playing a Boxing Day Test Match. It’s important that we realise that it’s a great occasion and also understand where we went wrong in the first Test. First innings is always important, especially when you are playing good sides. We really need to buckle down and put on a good enough total for our bowlers to be able to put pressure on the opposition from that position onwards.”