Mendis' maiden ODI ton hauls SL to 311

Sri Lanka 311 (Mendis 102, Tharanga 65, Gunaratne 39, Taskin 4-47) v BangladeshLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details Kusal Mendis overcame a scratchy start to hit nine fours and two sixes in his 107-ball 102 © AFP Kusal Mendis‘ maiden ODI hundred took Sri Lanka to a formidable 311, but Taskin Ahmed’s hat-trick in the last over capped off a fine last 10 overs for Bangladesh. Taskin first had Asela Gunaratne…

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Read announces decision to retire

Chris Read has become one of Nottinghamshire’s most consistent batsmen in the latter half of his career © Getty Images Chris Read, the Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper, has announced his decision to retire from cricket at the end of the 2017 season. Read, aged 38 and with a professional career that stretches back to the mid-90s, will take up a position as director of cricket at Uppingham School. While Read’s career started…

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India take million-dollar prize for finishing No. 1

India won in Dharamsala to seal the series against Australia 2-1 © Associated Press India have finished at the top of the ICC Test rankings for the second successive year after beating Australia 2-1 in the four-Test series. As a result of being No. 1 by the cut-off date of April 1, India will be presented with a cash award of $1 million by the ICC. India had gone into…

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Kohli says friendship with Australian players has been damaged

Play 02:46 Smith disappointed with BCCI, Kohli says ‘friends no more’ A contentious, fractious and ill-tempered Test series has claimed a final victim: Virat Kohli‘s relationships with Australian players, the Indian captain said, have been irrevocably damaged. Tensions continued to simmer even after the conclusion in Dharamsala, with Steven Smith apologising for his behavior during the series, but also registering his disappointment at another bit of off-field sparring. Before the…

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South Africa look to du Plessis to repeat blockathon

Faf du Plessis will be hoping he can produce one of his signature resolute innings on the final day in Hamilton © Getty Images Although South Africa know they have what assistant coach Adrian Birrell called a “mountain to climb” to avoid defeat on the final day to New Zealand, they also know they have summited these kinds of peaks before: Adelaide 2012, Johannesburg 2013, Colombo 2014. Three famous blockathons…

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Headingley future assured after council reaches funding agreement

Without council support, Headingley could have been stripped of the right to host international cricket © Getty Images Headingley’s future as a Test venue appears to have been assured, following a funding agreement between Yorkshire and Leeds City Council over the redevelopment of the ground’s rugby stand that has served a dual purpose for cricket and rugby clubs over the past 84 years. Without the agreement, the ground’s future would…

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BCCI office bearers not to heed to CoA directives

Anirudh Chaudhry (right) was one of the three BCCI officials to meet the CoA in Mumbai © PTI The BCCI office bearers have told the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) that they will not heed to the directives issued last week which curtailed their decision-making powers. The office bearers have also said that it would not be possible to postpone the BCCI’s special general body meeting (SGM) on April…

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Holland takes seven as Victoria remain on top

Victoria 487 and 2 for 38 lead South Australia 287 (Weatherald 60, Carey 57, Holland 7-82) by 238 runsScorecard Jon Holland picked up 7 for 82, including the wicket of Travis Head © Getty Images A career-best seven-wicket haul from Jon Holland ensured Victoria remained in control of the Sheffield Shield final on the third day against South Australia in Alice Springs. It was the second consecutive season that Holland…

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Virat Kohli in doubt for start of IPL

Play 01:00 Quick Facts – Virat Kohli in the IPL Royal Challengers Bangalore might have to start IPL 2017 without their captain Virat Kohli, as he battles against time to recover from the shoulder injury he picked up during the Australia Tests. The IPL starts on April 5, with Royal Challengers playing defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener. Should Kohli rest until his shoulder is completely healed? “It’s…

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Kohli credits Rahane for five-bowler strategy

Play 04:20 ‘I spoke to Jinks, he instantly said five bowlers’ – Kohli Before the start of the Dharamsala Test, India had a big call to make. They knew their captain, Virat Kohli, was out with a shoulder injury – they now needed to decide whether to replace him with another batsman in a like-for-like swap or to play an extra bowler instead. With Kohli out of the side, India…

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