Durham Jets took a step towards the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast by notching their fifth win in a row in the competition

ECB Reporters Network02-Aug-2018

Durham 170 for 4 (Collingwood 50*) beat Northants 95 (Tahir 4-16) by 75 runs
ScorecardDurham Jets took a step towards the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast by notching their fifth win in a row in the competition, defeating Northamptonshire Steelbacks by 75 runs at Emirates Riverside.The home side were inserted by the winless Steelbacks ,and although they were unable to get off to a flying start, Paul Collingwood’s fifty along with quickfire scores in the twenties from Liam Trevaskis and James Weighell guided Durham to a competitive total of 170.Northamptonshire were behind the rate from the off as Durham’s bowlers dominated the second half of the contest. Imran Tahir led the way with four wickets for 16 runs, while Weighell and Nathan Rimmington notched two wickets apiece, to guide the Jets to a comfortable win and within touching distance of the last eight.Durham made a ponderous start to their innings, failing to find their feet until the sixth over when three boundaries came off Seekkuge Prasanna’s first over. Tom Latham was the first man to fall when he top edged Luke Procter’s first delivery to fine leg where Richard Gleeson took a good low catch.The Steelbacks limited the home side’s progress, and Graham Clark’s attempt to cut loose resulted in the opener being bowled by Prasanna for 29. The arrival of Liam Trevaskis at the crease brought Durham to life as the left-hander blasted two straight sixes to provide impetus. His brisk innings took the pressure off Collingwood at the opposite end, allowing the veteran to find his rhythm.The wickets of Trevaskis and Ryan Davies threatened to stymie the home side’s late push for runs. However, Weighell found his touch immediately, scoring 20 off 14 deliveries. Collingwood was able to scamper through on tiring legs to reach his half-century off the final ball, getting over the line with the aid of a Ricardo Vasconcelos error.Northamptonshire struggled in their reply as the Durham attack found their line and length. Rimmington made the breakthrough to dismiss Richard Levi for two off just 10 deliveries. Weighell then handed the home side control with two strikes in the following over. First he removed Ben Duckett as Trevaskis took a fine catch on the run on the legside boundary before Josh Cobb drove straight to Latham at mid-off.Imran Tahir kept the pressure on the Steelbacks, pinning Vasconcelos lbw for six, leaving the visitors 31 for 4 in the eighth over. Steven Crook offered brief resistance with an innings of 21 before Tahir produced a full delivery to send him on his way.Northants began to unravel quickly in the tail. Procter and Graham White were dismissed by Ryan Pringle and Rimmington respectively before Tahir wrapped up the victory with two wickets in his final over by removing Prasanna and Nathan Buck.

Speaking to after being called up to the Test squad, the batsman also spoke about the influence of Rahul Dravid on his game

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2018Almost exactly a year ago, India A travelled to South Africa for two unofficial Tests and a one-day triangular. Hanuma Vihari was only part of the squad for the two four-day games against South Africa A, and he only got to play in the second of them, in Potchefstroom.He scored 7 in the first innings, and in the second dig he walked in when India were two runs away from their target of 224. He faced one ball, and hit the winning boundary.It’s hard to draw any conclusions from a match like that, but for Vihari it was an opportunity missed. He knew what it meant to be part of the India A set-up, and didn’t want to miss out when the next tour came along. Despite getting such a limited opportunity, Vihari says the tour taught him a lot, especially since he was in close proximity to Rahul Dravid, the India A coach.”Going to South Africa and playing in those conditions, especially [since] it was my first tour, I learned a lot from that tour,” Vihari told . “I knew what was coming after that. I knew I had to perform a lot in the domestic season again to get back into the India A squad because that tour didn’t go well for me, especially with the bat.”I had only one innings – I didn’t perform, but I knew I had to perform more in the domestic season to get back into the side, and grow in the India A level, because if you have to play for India, you have to score in the A team, there’s no other choice.”So I knew I had to do well again. It helped me a lot in South Africa, especially with Rahul sir. It was the first tour with him, for me, and he gave us advice in that tour, it helped me a lot.”Since then, Vihari has made good his desire to keep scoring heavily. He scored a century in his only match in the Duleep Trophy and another hundred in the Irani Cup, those two knocks sandwiching a Ranji Trophy season in which he made 752 runs at an average of 94.00 – including a career-best 302 not out. On the tour of England with India A in June-July, he made scores of 69 and 147 in the one-day triangular series, and a 68 in an unofficial Test against West Indies A. Back home, he made 202 runs at 67.33 in two four-day games against South Africa A.All those runs have catapulted Vihari into India’s Test squad for the last two Tests in England. He knows it won’t be easy for him to break into the first XI immediately – apart from the established middle-order batsmen, he also has Karun Nair to get past – but he is mindful that he has to be ready mentally to grab the opportunity when it does arrive.”To be honest, if you see the Indian side, it’s tough to get into the side, but once you get into the side you have to make sure that you grab that opportunity,” he said. “That’s the only thing I’m thinking about. I know that opportunity will come, but I have to be really ready for the opportunity. Once it comes I really want to grab it and make it my own.”And when he does get the opportunity, he wants to show the world that he can adapt his game to any situation.”It’s more the situation that matters to me rather than the strike rates I’m batting at,” Vihari said. “Sometimes on a good day you’ll bat at 60-70 in a four-day game, but sometimes you have to grind for the team, you have to bat at 45-50 as well.”If you have that mental ability to bat differently at different situations, you’re rated as one of the best batsmen, you can score consistently at a higher level as well.”

Surrey appear unstoppable on their title march after deposing of the defending champions in three days

Matt Roller at Chelmsford06-Sep-20181:55

Surrey make it eight and promotion race hots up

ScorecardNot since 1999 have Surrey won eight Championship games on the bounce, and their current run certainly has a once-in-a-generation feel to it. That run owed much to the dual spin threat of Saqlain Mushtaq and Ian Salisbury; this time, it has been all about the seamers.On the third day at Chelmsford, led by Morne Morkel and the evergreen Rikki Clarke, they bowled Essex out for the second time in just over three sessions to go 43 points clear at the top of the Championship, and look certain to secure the pennant before the final round of games. Ravi Bopara offered staunch resistance with an unbeaten 81, but despite being some way short of their bullish best, Surrey’s pace attack was simply too good.For some time this fixture had been earmarked as a final test of Surrey’s credentials. Away from home against the reigning champions, it should have been a tough challenge; instead, they cruised to victory with a full day to spare.Surrey have proved over the course of the year that Championship cricket requires a squad rather than just a team. They have used 20 players, and that Tom Curran, who did the early damage, was playing for just the second time in this competition this season, showed their impressive level of depth.Curran was fearsome in his opening burst, running in with his collar up and his hair slicked back. He trapped Varun Chopra lbw early, before beating Tom Westley’s outside edge time after time and eventually ending his difficult stay at the crease by sending his off stump cartwheeling.It seems a long time since Curran made his Test bow at the MCG back in December, and his youngest brother Sam has overtaken him in England’s long-form plans this summer. But Tom remains a fine bowler at the Championship level, and his first spell of the day was a reminder of his worth in red-ball cricket. He bowled with hostility and an extra yard of pace, and found enough movement off the seam to keep Essex guessing.The middle-order destroyer was again Clarke. He made good use of a helpful pitch to remove Dan Lawrence and Nick Browne, both caught in the slips off back-of-a-length balls that lifted sharply, before Rory Burns’ stunning catch in the gully accounted for Ryan ten Doeschate to leave Essex five down going into lunch.At that point, the only question was whether or not Essex could make Surrey bat again, and thanks to Bopara and some old-fashioned tail-end slogging from Jamie Porter and Sam Cook, they did. Bopara was the only Essex batsman throughout the game to look comfortable at the crease, as he rotated the strike well and scored fluently both sides of the wicket. When he brought up a 76-ball half-century, he had hit just three boundaries; it was an innings that highlighted the importance of ticking over against quality bowling.But in truth, Bopara’s knock served only to delay the inevitable. Morkel returned to remove Simon Harmer for a pair, and then ended Porter’s fun after a couple of lofted boundaries off Clarke, before Bopara and Cook added 18 to leave Surrey needing two.The impact Morkel has had on this Surrey team cannot be overstated. His Championship debut was the first game of this eight-match winning run, and it would be brave to suggest that is in any way coincidental. He now has 42 wickets at 14.57, and has terrorised Division One batsman up and down the country. He did not bowl as well as he can here, but a couple of sharp bouncers to Michael Pepper and Porter showed that his pace has by no means dropped.Surrey now go to New Road next week to play bottom club Worcestershire in the knowledge that a win will effectively, if not mathematically, seal the title with two games to spare. On the basis of this run, they will be worthy winners.

Root wants to play regularly in all three formats and Nottinghamshire’s spending splurge suggested his chances might be limited

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2018

Billy Root, brother of the England captain Joe, has left Nottinghamshire for Glamorgan in search of more playing opportunities.Root’s departure continues a huge overhaul at Nottinghamshire which has seen three top-order batsmen – Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett and Ben Slater – arrive at Trent Bridge and Riki Wessels and now Root move on.Despite having one year left to run on his current deal, Root’s playing possibilities were limited in 2018, and the influx of three highly-rated batsmen, two with perceived England potential, suggested that was unlikely to change next summer.”We’re sad to see Billy go but understand that he wants more regular playing opportunities, something which has been hard to come by over the past year,” said Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket.”He has the ability to play in all three formats, as he has shown during his time with us and I am sure he will relish his new challenge with Glamorgan.”Root made over 1000 runs in his time at the club, including centuries in both first-class and List A cricket. His 133 alongside Chris Read in the final game of the 2017 season against Sussex, helped secure promotion from Division Two of the Championship and saw the Sheffield-born batsman sign his first professional deal.Glamorgan were attracted by the fact that he averages more than 30 in all three formats – albeit only just – as they sought to address a dismal 2018 campaign in which their homegrown players were not up to the task.Glamorgan’s director of cricket, Hugh Morris, still retains faith in the advantages of giving opportunities to Welsh youngsters – indeed the Welsh Assembly expects it – and the introduction of Root is not remotely a signal that such a policy is about to be abandoned.Root in many ways is a direct replacement for Aneurin Donald, who had encouraged such optimism in Wales but whose form declined before he left for Hampshire midway through last season.”Over the course of the campaign it became apparent we needed to supplement our batting stocks and in Billy we have signed a player who is still young but has experience playing Division One cricket and is hungry to succeed,” Morris said.”He can play across all three formats which makes him an ideal signing for the club and he will be a fantastic addition to the dressing room.”

The left-arm seamer has effectively ended his South Africa career in favour of the county deal and the chance to explore T20 leagues

Umar Farooq17-Sep-2018South Africa pace bowler Wayne Parnell has signed a Kolpak deal with Worcestershire, effectively bringing an end to his international career, having just been part of the county’s Vitality T20 Blast success.Parnell, 29, last played for South Africa in October 2017 against Bangladesh and lost his national contract earlier this year. He said he has not had much communication with the selectors in recent times. However, he still called the decision to go Kolpak as the “toughest” of his life but was “comfortable and content” with his choice. It is a path that has recently been taken by a number of South Africans including Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw.”This is probably the toughest decision I’ve had to make in my career,” Parnell told ESPNcricinfo. “Of course this wasn’t an overnight decision, it’s a very difficult decision and I am fully aware and understand the pros and cons of it. I have always enjoyed playing for my country since making my debut. I’d like to thank everybody who has supported me through thick and thin, my family, my friends.”Special mention must go to the Eastern Province and Warriors unions for taking a risk and giving a kid from the dusty streets of Booysen Park a chance play this wonderful game. To all of those people who dislike me for whatever reason I thank you as well, you’ve helped make me mentally and emotionally tougher.”Parnell admitted he had been considering the move for almost a year during which time he has slipped out of South Africa’s teams across all formats and battled with injury.”After my serious injury in January I had three to four months out and really had time to reflect and think about what I want for the rest of my career going forward,” he said. It was a very tough period in my life emotionally and mentally as it could potentially have been a career-ending injury and my wife was heavily pregnant with our first born son so I had a lot going on. You can’t really predict the future so you try and formulate and plot a plan and see how it unfolds.”Parnell played six Tests, 65 ODIs and 40 T20Is during his international career. His six Tests were spread over seven years, having made his debut against England in early 2010. After three appearances he was out of the side for four years before a brief return followed by another three-year absence.Though he still harboured international ambitions, the serious shoulder injury in January and subsequent lack of communication with CSA has made him look to the future.”I am still young and I have plenty to offer to any environment that I’m in,” he said. “I have played more than 100 games for my country in all formats and I’ve loved every time I’ve put on the South African jersey and I’m almost certain that nothing can replace that feeling, certainly on the cricket field.”The reality of life is that that goals and aspirations change all the time and it seems the Proteas have moved passed me since I’ve not really had any communications since I had my injury and then not going to India for the ‘A’ tours was also another indication.”But I’m happy with that and I am comfortable with where I’m at and what I’m doing. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Worcestershire since joining up with them and I’m excited about my future with them.”Financially, the Kolpak deal will help bring Parnell security and he is also keen to explore the opportunities in T20 leagues around the world. He was part of the Global T20 in Canada earlier this year, and already has a deal to play in the upcoming Afghanistan Cricket League in Sharjah. He is also eyeing a spot at the PSL.”[I have] no regrets,” he insisted. “This isn’t an overnight decision like I’ve mentioned. The goalposts for me have shifted. I’m comfortable and content with my decision and the people in my corner are all fully supportive of my decision. I can’t really predict what the future holds but I’m excited by it at the same time. I’ve never really had the October to March window open to explore the different T20 leagues so that could potentially be in the pipeline.”I expressed to Shahid Afridi, who was my team-mate during the Canadian T20 league, that I would love to play a professional game of cricket in Pakistan before I retire so hopefully I get to experience that in the PSL at some stage. Cricket has taken me to some amazing places and I’ve been lucky to meet some incredible people along the way. And the journey continues but now in a slightly different manner.”

England boss Gareth Southgate has revealed Jude Bellingham has found the going tough of late in the intense spotlight at Real Madrid.

Article continues below

Article continues below

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• Bellingham injured and suspended
• Joins up with England for friendlies
• Southgate comments on struggles

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 20-year-old superstar missed three games due to an ankle sprain throughout February before making his return during the 2-2 draw against Valencia. Sadly for Bellingham, this game was also tarnished after he was sent off by referee Jesus Gil Manzano in the 99th minute for dissent. The England international was less than impressed after the final whistle was blown just seconds before he nodded in what he thought was the winner on the evening.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bellingham was able to feature in the 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig in the Champions League four days after the red card, but has since missed the games against both Celta Vigo and Osasuna in the top flight of Spanish football.

• WHAT SOUTHGATE SAID

  Speaking in his press conference on Friday ahead of the friendly clash with Brazil, Southgate said: "We are super happy to have him, but he is still 20 years old. The success of our team will depend on the entire team."

  The England boss then went on to talk about Bellingham's struggles across recent weeks, where he added: "The last few weeks have been a bit difficult for him, with the injuries and the red card, so he is a bit upset.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM?

  The Real Madrid man has now linked up with England and will likely feature in the friendlies against both Brazil – where he will face his Real Madrid team-mate Vinicius Junior – and Belgium. He has now served the two-game ban he was handed by La Liga for his red card against Valencia and will be available to face Athletic Club after the break.

The Barcelona defender failed to check her shoulder and club-mate Fridolina Rolfo took advantage to ensure the spoils were shared at Wembley

A Lucy Bronze error cost England a perfect start to their European title defence on Friday night as the Lionesses were held to a 1-1 draw by Sweden in a flat start to their 2025 UEFA Women's Euro qualifying campaign. Alessia Russo gave Sarina Wiegman's side the lead in the first half but Fridolina Rolfo levelled things up just past the hour as the spoils were shared.

The Lionesses took some time to get going and it was Rolfo who came closest to opening the scoring after a mis-hit pass by her Barcelona team-mate, Keira Walsh, but Mary Earps was able to watch the Swede's left-footed shot fly wide. It was a chance that seemed to wake England up, as just minutes later Lauren James showcased her magical footwork before delivering a cross right onto the head of Russo, who couldn't miss.

Having started strong, Sweden regained control of the game in the second half and they got their reward when Bronze failed to check her shoulder and Rolfo was there waiting to convert a great cross from Rosa Kafaji, the 20-year-old starlet who had barely been on the pitch a minute when she created the equaliser.

Both teams had chances to win the game, none bigger than when Stina Blackstenius found herself one-on-one with Earps but somehow missed the target. England saved their brightest moments for late on as Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead both tested Jennifer Falk but couldn't beat the Sweden goalkeeper. A draw was probably a fair result in the end, with both sides in need of improvement.

GOAL rates England's players from Wembley Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Mary Earps (6/10):

  Didn't have anything to do except pick the ball out of her own net.

  Lucy Bronze (4/10):

  Should've been aware of Rolfo behind her for Sweden's equaliser.

  Lotte Wubben-Moy (6/10):

  Came up with some big defensive interventions in a good first half, though her level dropped in the second.

  Alex Greenwood (5/10):

  Despite some notable contributions, another who was shaky at times in a vulnerable looking defence.

  Niamh Charles (6/10):

  Struggled for support and was regularly under pressure. Given those circumstances, she did well.

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  Midfield

  Keira Walsh (6/10):

  Mis-hit pass gave Rolfo a great chance to open the scoring. Was near-faultless on the ball after that, without doing anything spectacular.

  Georgia Stanway (5/10):

  Struggled to get involved, really. Her and Clinton were almost too similar in the midfield at times.

  Grace Clinton (5/10):

  Picked up the ball in some decent areas in the final third but couldn't make the most of those opportunities.

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  Attack

  Lauren Hemp (7/10):

  Struggled to get involved on the right but was much brighter down her usual left. Tracked back well more often than not.

  Alessia Russo (7/10):

  Good movement between the defenders to get on the end of James' ball to put England ahead. Only real chance she had and she took it.

  Lauren James (6/10):

  Lovely run and cross for Russo to break the deadlock. Should've helped her defence out a lot more than she did.

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  Subs & Manager

  Ella Toone (5/10):

  Came on for more than half an hour but did so when Sweden were taking control and struggled to make an impact as a result. Did her defensive duties well.

  Beth Mead (5/10):

  Had over 20 minutes to make her mark but only notable involvement was a late effort that was saved by Falk.

  Chloe Kelly (N/A):

  Only on for the final 10 minutes or so and wasn't able to contribute much in that time.

  Jess Carter (N/A):

  Came on at left-back for the final stages.

  Sarina Wiegman (6/10):

  Decision to switch James and Hemp around around midway through the first half paid dividends immediately when James teed up Russo to score. Line-up lacked pace, midfield didn't have any real spark and the subs couldn't change the game, either.

Shaun Marsh was ruled out of the opening ODI against South Africa due to requiring minor surgery on a buttock abscess.There were no further details given by Cricket Australia when the news was confirmed shortly before the toss in Perth, but it was hoped Marsh would be available for the second ODI in Adelaide on Friday. It meant D’Arcy Short came into the line-up.The loss of Marsh robbed Australia of one of their most in-form one-day batsmen of recent times following the tour of England earlier this year where he made two centuries.After a lean Test series against Pakistan in the UAE it was suggested that Marsh should potentially skip this one-day series to spend more time in the Sheffield Shield ahead of the India series, but that was quickly talked down by coach Justin Langer who said you had to reward good form in various formats and Marsh was a key part of the one-day side.Marsh did make the most of his Shield outing for Western Australia last week when he made 80 and 98 against Tasmania

West Indies pacer gets two demerit points for shoulder contact with Imrul Kayes, taking his tally to five and forcing the suspension

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2018

West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has received a one-Test suspension from the ICC, following an incident in the Chattogram Test wherein he made physical contact with Bangladesh’s Imrul Kayes. This means Gabriel will not be available for the second Test of the series, which will be played in Mirpur form November 30.In the eighth over in Chattogram, Gabriel and Kayes made shoulder contact while the bowler was in his follow-through. This happened as the batsman was looking for a single on the leg side and didn’t have the bowler in his line of vision. Gabriel was warned by Aleem Dar but, in his next over, the 10th of the innings, he appeared to have nudged Kayes’ shoulder again, which was accompanied by a verbal exchange between the two.Gabriel received two demerit points – and was fined 30% of his match fee – for the incident, taking his tally of demerit points to five. He had picked up three demerit points during the Jamaica Test against Pakistan in April 2017. Then, too, Gabriel had made contact with a batsman, in that case Sarfraz Ahmed at the non-striker’s end while collecting his cap from the umpire.As per ICC regulations, if a player reaches a tally of four demerit points within a 24-month period, he or she receives a suspension. Each point stays on the player’s record for 24 months from the date of sanctioning, and suspensions are handed out when four, eight or 12 points are aggregated. That means that if Gabriel receives three more demerit points for any reason before April 2019 – which is when his Jamaica transgressions will be wiped from his record – he will receive a longer suspension. The two demerit points he has received for the latest incident will stay on his record till November 2020.An ICC statement said Gabriel admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee David Boon, so there was no formal hearing. The charge against him was brought by the match’s umpires, Aleem Dar, Richard Illingworth, Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Masudur Rahman.

England have taken a 2-0 series lead over Sri Lanka after victory in another rain-affected match in Pallekele

The Report by George Dobell17-Oct-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEngland have taken a 2-0 series lead over Sri Lanka after victory in another rain-affected match in Pallekele.An excellent spell of spin bowling from Adil Rashid and the well-controlled variations of Tom Curran held Sri Lanka to a total that always appeared significantly under par before Eoin Morgan marshalled a calm and controlled run chase. Victory was perhaps even more comfortable than the margins – seven wickets and 15 deliveries to spare – suggested. Sri Lanka, who have now lost 32 of their last 42 completed ODIs, will need to win both the remaining games to square the series.In many ways, this was a deeply forgettable encounter. With the toss delayed for more than five hours by rain, the match was reduced to 21-over per side and both gripping the ball and retaining footing proved challenging throughout. Not for the first time, the folly, greed or desperation (delete as appropriate) of scheduling a tour during the monsoon period was clear to see. Every day of cricket on England’s tour has been affected by rain.But an England side that is working hard to shed its reputation as flat-track bullies will take heart from such a professional performance in trying circumstances. When their Champions Trophy hopes were halted at the semi-final stage by a skilful Pakistan side and a used wicket, England recognised they had to learn some adaptability if they were going to go the extra step in such tournaments. They couldn’t just plunder vast scores on perfect batting surfaces; they had to learn to win when the ball spun or seamed or even stopped.In that respect, this soggy series may yet prove a valuable learning experience. While conditions are unlikely to bear much comparisons with those expected at the World Cup in England next year, that ability to play in a slightly more clinical manner – and the calm which is required to do so – is an adaptable skill that will serve them well.There were a couple of nervous moments here. When left-arm spinner, Amila Aponso, opened the bowling and had Jonny Bairstow miscuing to mid-off and then skidded one through Joe Root’s forward press, England found themselves at 34 for 2 and facing the prospect of a nervy chase.But so fluent was Jason Roy and so assured Morgan that Sri Lanka were never able to build any pressure. While Sri Lanka’s batsmen faced 53 dot balls, England faced 37, managing to rotate the strike and find the gaps with far greater freedom.And while Roy’s impressive innings – he got off the mark with a six flicked over midwicket off Lasith Malinga and lofted another off Akila Dananjaya – was ended when Sri Lanka reviewed a shout for leg before, so good is the form of Morgan and Ben Stokes, that victory was achieved without Jos Buttler – perhaps England finest ever ODI batsman – being required to bat.Morgan has now been dismissed just once on this tour – including the warm-up game – for an aggregate of 255 runs, while Stokes looked back to his best. He got off the mark with an apparently gentle push that raced to the long-on boundary and subsequently hit two sixes: one a scoop off Nuwan Pradeep that would have pleased Buttler; the other a thrash down the ground off Aponso that sealed the game.Sri Lanka had started the match brightly. With Niroshan Dickwella striking the ball beautifully, Sri Lanka hit nine fours in the first three overs – Olly Stone’s first over, which cost 17, included four of them – and raced to 55 without loss after five.It was to prove the high watermark of their performance. The next 16 overs realised only 95 runs and nine wickets as they lost their way against a disciplined England side that showed fine control of their variations with the ball and continued to field well despite the slippery conditions.If Curran started the rot with a perfect slower-ball delivered out of the back of his hand – Dickwella’s attempt to hit over the top resulted in a comfortable catch for mid-off – it was Rashid who inflicted the more serious damage. Striking with his second delivery, a fine googly that deceived Kusal Mendis, he followed with the wicket of Thisara Perera, whose attempt to thrash his first ball out of the ground resulted in a skied catch, and Dasun Shanaka who was also deceived by a googly.And, if the wicket of Sadeera Samarawickrama, who mishit a horrid full-toss to square-leg, owed more than a little to fortune, perhaps Rashid deserved it for retaining his composure and control despite the damp ball and decent batting surface.Dinesh Chandimal’s unconvincing innings – his 34 from 42 balls proved well off the pace – was ended by another fine back of the hand slower-ball from Curran who continues to make a strong case for inclusion in England’s full-strength side. They are the sort of problems a team loves to have a few months out from a World Cup; the sort of problems Sri Lanka must dream of at present.