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The T20Is will serve as preparation for the Asia Cup, while ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship

Madushka Balasuriya16-May-2024Fresh off qualification for the Women’s T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka will host West Indies for three ODIs and three T20Is from June 15-28.For Sri Lanka, the tour will primarily serve as preparation for the T20 Asia Cup, also to be hosted in Sri Lanka, starting July 20. It will be their second bilateral T20I series this year, following their successful tour of South Africa across March and April. They are also set to tour Ireland in August.As for West Indies, they just concluded a month-long tour of Pakistan where they won both ODI and T20I series. As things stand, this will be their last competitive games before the World Cup in October.

West Indies tour of Sri Lanka

T20I series (all matches in Galle): June 15, 18 and 21
ODI series (all matches in Hambantota): June 24, 26 and 28

The last time these two sides squared off in a bilateral series was back in 2017, where West Indies swept Sri Lanka across both T20Is and ODIs. West Indies have dominated Sri Lanka in T20Is with a head-to-head record of 18-4. In ODIs, the contest has been much closer with West Indies winning 18 and Sri Lanka 14.This tour though has the potential to be a much more closely fought affair, with Sri Lanka entering on the back of historic series wins over the England, New Zealand and South Africa over the past year.The ODI series will be played from June 15-21 in Galle and is part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which serves as a pathway to the 2025 ODI World Cup. West Indies are currently seventh on the Women’s Championship points table and Sri Lanka eighth. Top four teams, apart from hosts India, will get a direct qualification.The T20Is will be held in Hambantota from June 24-28.

Second round of Covid-19 tests all come back negative

George Dobell25-Jun-2020West Indies provided a double boost to all those looking forward to a return to something approaching normality as their preparations for the Test series against England moved up a level.As well as offering a glimpse of the first organised cricket of the English season – you would have struggled to find many guessing the first game of the summer would feature two West Indies XIs – there was also good news off the pitch. ESPNcricinfo understands that every member of the touring squad tested negative for the Covid-19 virus – the second such test of the tour – increasing confidence that the series will start, as planned, on July 8.While this three-day match will not be recorded as a first-class encounter – the tourists named all 25 players across the two sides and wore coloured training kits, shorts and hoodies rather than whites – the fact that it represented the first professional cricket since the Pakistan Super League was suspended in mid-March rendered it a notable occasion.West Indies will be quietly satisfied with it, too. There were runs for key batsmen, Kraigg Brathwaite (who made 84 off 162 balls) and Shai Hope (83 off 127), while three of the fast bowlers looked in decent shape.Alzarri Joseph, who wrapped up the tail, was the top wicket-taker with 4 for 60, but Shannon Gabriel, who remains officially a reserve for the tour but looks all but certain to be added to the main squad, was equally impressive in claiming 3 for 32. Kemar Roach also started to find his rhythm after a slow start and claimed the wicket of Brathwaite as the batting side lost their last five wickets for the addition of just two runs.ALSO READ: Gabriel set to be added to Windies Test squadThe only cloud on the horizon was the lack of bowling from Jason Holder. While Phil Simmons, West Indies’ head coach, suggested the previous day that Holder had recovered from a minor ankle injury, there one or two looking at the scorecard with a furrowed brow. West Indies do have another match – a four-day, first-class game – ahead of the Test, however, providing Holder ample opportunity to prove his fitness.The Holder XI enjoyed the better of the opening session. John Campbell, who top-edged a pull to mid-wicket, went for a 16-ball duck, before Shamarh Brooks edged one to the keeper.But Brathwaite and Hope are made of stern stuff. Despite taking 23-balls to get off the mark, Hope made 39 off his next 45 and reached his half-century from 76 deliveries with seven fours. Brathwaite, meanwhile, defended and drove well and reached his half-century from 166 deliveries. In all, they added 103 for the third wicket.Shannon Gabriel celebrates the wicket of Shamarh Brooks•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

They were finally parted by Roach, quietly effective throughout, as he took out Brathwaite’s off stump before tea. From 176 for 3 at the start of the last session, the batting side were rounded up efficiently in the evening.Hope was the key wicket, sixth man down nicking Joseph behind. That was the start of a decisive spell for the seamer, who had Raymon Reifer and Anderson Philip caught in the slips and finished off the day by skittling Chemar Holder first ball. Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and left-arm seamer Preston McSween each contributed a wicket as the Brathwaite XI were bowled out on the brink of stumps for 275.”The intensity was there from ball one,” Brathwaite told PA afterwards. “Everyone was playing with a purpose. Those guys we faced are quality, so it was very good practice for batters and bowlers. It was intense, it felt like we were in a battle all day. When you play a game like this you want to come out on top.”Shannon looks fit to me and I believe he is ready for the Test series.”

Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson took five wickets on debut but South Australia face a big chase

AAP21-Feb-2023Matt Short scored his maiden Sheffield Shield century in stunning fashion to put Victoria in a strong position at the midway point of their match against South Australia in Melbourne.A low-scoring contest was turned on its head as Short mastered the tricky Junction Oval pitch to score 119 – a tally nearly three times better than any other batter in the match.The century continues a rich vein of form for Short, who broke through for his first 50-over century last week, more than seven years after his senior debut.Related

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Victoria ended the day at 8 for 285 for a massive 340-run lead that seemed highly improbable just 24 hours earlier.South Australia’s lower order capitulated earlier in the day. Having resumed at 5 for 75, they were dismissed for 114 to concede a 55-run first-innings deficit.Short played a major role in building that advantage, with his 70 off 69 balls on day one more than double the next best for either side in the first innings.In the second innings, he punched 15 boundaries and a six in his 135-ball knock of 119, and it took some fancy footwork to dismiss him, with Jordan Buckingham taking a juggling catch on the boundary rope.Short’s wicket earned Spencer Johnson a five-wicket haul, with the debutant paceman returning figures of 5 for 72.At the time of his dismissal, Short had, incredibly, scored some 36 percent of the runs in the match across the three innings.Batting seemed much simpler during the latter two sessions of the day, highlighted by an 82-run stand – easily the largest in the match – for the seventh wicket between Short and Will Sutherland (43).The news wasn’t so good for returning short-form star Glenn Maxwell, who was clean bowled second ball after playing an expansive drive off Wes Agar.Maxwell made just 5 in the first innings, though his dismissal came via a contentious lbw decision.Earlier, in his first game back after suffering a broken leg, Maxwell left the field during SA’s innings after being struck on a wrist by a ball when fielding at slip.

Following her key role in India levelling the T20I series against England, allrounder says she has learnt to “read and handle situations” better

PTI12-Jul-20212:05

Deepti Sharma: ‘Leading from the front gives you special confidence’

Deepti Sharma, one of the chief architects of India’s eight-run win over England in the second women’s T20I, says she has got better at reading and handling difficult match situations and enjoys playing under pressure.Chasing 149, England were cruising with opener Tammy Beaumont (59) and captain Heather Knight (30) in the middle but Sharma was involved in the dismissal of both the batters – the former lbw, and the latter via an unusual run-out – off successive balls in the 14th over to bring India back into the match.Related

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“I like playing in pressure situations, whether it is in any position in the team – batting, bowling, or fielding. As an allrounder, I just want to contribute to my department and take the team forward,” Sharma said at the post-match virtual press conference. “I like leading from the front, like in domestic tournaments when I play as a senior player and win matches for my team, that gives different confidence.”When you bring that confidence here, of course this platform is not easy but it depends on how you handle it. I now know how to read and handle situations, so I find it easy to play because I know I can handle things easily now.”After that 14th over, England were left needing 43 off the last 36 balls with six wickets in hand, but they fell short – a fatal slide had been triggered by Sharma.

India penalised for slow over rate

India were fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over rate. They were ruled one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.

“In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time,” the ICC said in a release on Monday.

India T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Ian Blackwell and Paul Baldwin, third umpire Sue Redfern and fourth umpire Tim Robinson levelled the charge. Phil Whitticase of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction.

“It was a crucial over and crucial wicket [of Beaumont]. Earlier [in the same over] also we had taken a DRS [review against Beaumont] but we were unlucky [as the had ball pitched outside off],” Sharma said. “Next, when I bowled [Beaumont was given lbw, England reviewed and this time] it was umpire’s call and it was hitting the stumps. It gave us a lot of confidence.”We bounced back after that and then the run-out helped us to pull back the match.”The 23-year-old also contributed with the bat, scoring 24 off 27 balls as India posted 148 for 4. Opener Shafali Verma (48 off 38) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (31 off 25) were the other major contributors.”When I was batting, I was looking forward to building a partnership and also score six to seven runs per over,” Sharma said. “That was the mindset but we couldn’t score as much as we wanted. We had got a good start, we thought we can score 160 but the 140 total wasn’t bad because we knew as a bowling unit, we bowl in partnership and we were supporting each other and we could defend the total.”She said the conditions were slightly difficult for batting at the County Ground in Hove. “Actually wicket was holding up a bit. In the last match, ball was coming onto the bat but today it was holding, it was slightly slow off the pitch, so it was little difficult batting.”With the series tied at 1-1, India will take on England in the third and final T20I on July 14 to wrap up their UK tour.

Morne Morkel has been appointed as the team’s bowling coach

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2023Shaheen Shah Afridi has returned to Pakistan’s Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka next month. The 16-member roster also includes batter Muhammad Hurraira and allrounder Aamer Jamal. It’s a maiden Test call-up for both of them.From the last Test squad, which played a two-match home series against New Zealand in December-January, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mahmood and Kamran Ghulam missed out.Morne Morkel, meanwhile, has been appointed as the team’s bowling coach with a six-month contract.Afridi, who is currently on 99 Test wickets, last played in the format in July 2022. That was also against Sri Lanka, in Galle, where he sustained a knee injury. He made a comeback at the T20 World Cup in October but hurt his knee again in the final. Earlier this year, he captained Lahore Qalandars to their second successive PSL title. He also featured in the subsequent T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, and is currently playing the T20 Blast in England, where he is the top wicket-taker for Nottinghamshire.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I am very excited to be returning to the Pakistan Test side after a year,” Afridi said. “I dearly missed Test cricket and it was tough for me to be away from this format.”After missing our entire home season because of the injury I suffered in Sri Lanka, I am eager to make an impactful comeback in the same country and complete a century of wickets in Test cricket. I want to thank my fans who have provided me support in tough times and I am ready for the challenges ahead.”Hurraira, 21, has been rewarded for his performances in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy; he was the highest run-getter in the previous two seasons. In 24 first-class games, he has 2252 runs at an average of 68.24, with a best of 311 off 343 balls. He was the second-youngest triple-centurion in Pakistan, behind Javed Miandad.Jamal made his Pakistan debut during the T20I series against England last year. In his very first game, he impressed by defending 14 runs in the last over against Moeen Ali and David Willey.He was also the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers in the 2022-23 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, taking 31 scalps at 29.71. More recently, he picked up five wickets in the only red-ball game he played for Pakistan Shaheens against Zimbabwe Select. He topped the charts in the white-ball series, with 16 strikes in six games at an economy rate of 6.33.The squad features four spinners, four fast bowlers, six specialist batters and two wicketkeeper-batters, including Mohammad Rizwan, who has also been drafted in for the Global T20 Canada, which is set to clash with the Sri Lanka Tests next month.”The conditions in Sri Lanka largely favour finger spinners – something that we have seen over the years and during Pakistan’s last visit to the island – so we have three such bowlers to go with the mystery spin of Abrar Ahmed,” chief selector Haroon Rashid said. “At the same time, we cannot overlook the need for fast bowlers and, as such, we have included four pacers so the captain and team management have ample resources on the tour. We boast a strong batting line-up, which I am confident will do well in the two matches.”The players who have missed out on the selection should not get bogged down as they firmly remain part of our plans. We have an exciting and challenging season ahead of us and they should make the most of the opportunities in domestic cricket and Shaheens’ tours to keep themselves ready.”This series will be Pakistan’s first assignment in the new World Test Championship cycle, which runs from 2023 to 2025. The squad will assemble in Karachi on July 3 for a camp before departing for Sri Lanka on July 9. The itinerary of the tour has not been announced yet.Pakistan Test squad: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-capt, wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hurraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood

“Just the ability to be together, the connections that you make with your older child, it’s amazing.”

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-20242:11

Moody: Kohli showed all his gears

Virat Kohli, after his match-winning 77 against Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, opened up about his two-month break when his wife Anushka Sharma gave birth to their second child. Kohli missed India’s home Test series against England as he and his family spent time away from the country.”We were not in the country. We were at a place where people were not recognising us. Just time together as a family, just to feel normal for two months,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “For me, for us as a family, it was a surreal experience.”Of course, having two kids, things become totally different from a family perspective. So just the ability to be together, the connections that you make with your older child, it’s amazing.”I mean, I couldn’t have been more grateful to God for the opportunity that I got to spend time with my family.”Kohli spoke about how he enjoyed not being treated like a celebrity.”And yeah, just the place that we were in, I was telling the guys that when we came back, the voices back home felt that much louder,” he said. “I couldn’t look up because I was just not used to being called my name for two months. And then immediately you hear these loud noises and then you’re back in it all again.”But it was beautiful. It’s an amazing experience to just be another person on the road and not be recognised and just carry on about life that normally people would on a daily basis,” he said.Kohli also spoke about the love he gets from the RCB fans, especially in Bengaluru, having played for the franchise since the inception of the IPL.”It’s been going on for years and you know, people talk about a lot of other things when you play sport. The achievements, the stats, the numbers. Look at the end of the day when you look back you’re not going to think of the numbers and the stats. It’s the memories that you create,” Kohli said, before citing the Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid. “Famously Rahul in the change room nowadays says exactly the same to us. When you play, you play your heart out because you’re going to miss these times when you’re with your friends in the change room playing in front of fans.”So the relationship that’s happened organically over so many years it’s something that I can never ever forget. Just the love and the appreciation and the backing I’ve received for so many years that’s been amazing.”Kohli, however, knows that he has to make changes to his game to keep up with the ever-evolving nature of T20 cricket.”Well I mean you have to [make additions to your game],” he said while speaking about stepping out to fast bowlers and hitting them over cover, as opposed to playing the grounded cover drive that he is so famous for.”People know I play the cover drive pretty well so they’re not going to allow me to hit gaps and with guys like KG [Kagiso Rabada] and Arshdeep [Singh] as well, he’s tall. So, I mean, if they’re hitting length, you have to create some momentum in the ball.”And once you’re closer to the ball, you kind of negate the bounce that’s going to happen. You meet it earlier.”So, I mean, you have to come up with a game plan here and there and try to keep improving your game,” Kohli said, before issuing a friendly reminder.”I know my name is nowadays quite attached to just promoting the game in many parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. But, I’ve still got it, I guess.”

South Africa captain admitted they “dropped the ball” after Netherlands scored 245 after being 112 for 6 in the 27th over

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-20231:44

How do South Africa move on from this loss?

Temba Bavuma has said South Africa should “feel the emotion of today” and question themselves as to where they are mentally after they suffered a shock 38-run defeat at the hands of Netherlands, their first loss of the 2023 World Cup.”You got to let the emotion kind of seep in,” Bavuma said at the post-match presentation. “Don’t think there is any point in trying to forget what’s happened. It is going to hurt, it should hurt.””But then you come back tomorrow, you wake up and we get back onto the journey. Our campaign is not over by any stretch of the imagination, but you got to feel the emotion of today and come back tomorrow with the head held up.”Related

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Coming into the game running hot on a five-game ODI winning streak, South Africa seemed uncharacteristically lax. They gave away 32 extras – 21 wides, one no-ball and 10 leg byes – as Netherlands recovered from 112 for 6 in the 27th over to post 245 for 8 in the rain-shortened 43-overs-a-side clash.This is the second time in the last 12 months that Netherlands have got the better of South Africa at an ICC event. They had earlier eliminated the South Africans from the 2022 T20 World Cup with a 13-run win. Bavuma said that it was not just with the ball that South Africa were off the boil, but also in the field.”The extras that’s something you can control. Getting 30 (32) extras, that is an extra five overs is always going to hurt you. That is a conversation for us to have – whether it is skill or a complacency thing – but at the end it did count for quite a thing,” he said.”We were clinical against Australia, but the challenge was always to come back and replicate that performance. The fielding wasn’t up to standard. Again if you look at the way we fielded against Australia compared to today, definitely not the same standard.”Those are conversations we need to have. The guys need to answer the questions themselves where mentally they were. That’s definitely not the standard we’d like to show from a fielding point of view.”Bavuma was effusive in praise of the Netherlands unit, who first came back in the game with half-centuries from Scott Edwards and useful cameos from Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt before picking wickets at regular intervals in the chase.”I think we got them to 112 for 6. From that point, you are probably not looking at anything more than 200. We definitely dropped the ball there letting them get to 240-plus,” Bavuma said. “With the batting, we were still confident in chasing down that score but we didn’t get any partnerships. Them with their double-spin in the powerplay, was something we did not adapt to. Kudos to them, the way they were able to exploit certain weaknesses within our game.”

Jaiswal’s captain was impressed by the temperament he showed while playing the longest innings by an India Test debutant

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2023India captain Rohit Sharma has hailed Yashasvi Jaiswal for the temperament he showed while scoring 171 on debut in the Dominica Test against West Indies. The 21-year-old Jaiswal was adjudged Player of the Match after India wrapped up victory by an innings and 141 runs late on the third evening.Jaiswal’s innings, lasting 501 minutes and 387 balls, was the longest by an India Test debutant, and Rohit watched a large part of it from the other end during an opening stand of 229.Related

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“He’s got the talent,” Rohit said of Jaiswal. “We knew about it. He’s shown us in the past couple of years that he’s ready for this big stage. Came and batted sensibly, showed a lot of patience, and the temperament was tested as well – at no stage [did it look] like he was panicking or going away from his plans, which was good to see.”Rohit, who experienced scoring a century on Test debut against West Indies a decade ago, said all he told Jaiswal during their partnership was that he belonged at the Test level.”In the middle, it was just about having a chat, letting him know, ‘You belong here.’ That is the most important thing, because when you’re playing your first Test match, you kind of keep asking yourself whether you belong here or not, but my job from the other side was to just keep telling him, ‘You’ve done all the hard yards, it’s just about enjoying your time in the middle. Don’t worry about the results, just enjoy your time, and if you do that the results will flow.'”Paras Mhambrey, India’s bowling coach, also heaped praise on Jaiswal, particularly for his application as per the conditions.”The way he batted was fabulous, Mhambrey said of Jaiswal’s innings. “It was a slow wicket and got slower as the game progressed, stroke-making wasn’t easy. If you look at the way he’s batted earlier, he’s the kind of guy who likes to take on the game, likes to play his stroles. But the way he applied himself on that wicket was very good to see. That’s what you need at the international level, to be able to adapt to different conditions and situations, and that was expected by the team. He did the role for the team so it’s definitely very heartening and positive to see. This performance will give him a lot of confidence and hold him good going ahead.”India had two debutants in Dominica, the other being the keeper-batter Ishan Kishan who spent 145.2 overs waiting for his turn to bat, and only got to spend seven overs at the crease before Rohit declared. The declaration came two balls after Rohit had indicated from the dressing-room balcony that it was imminent. That early warning gave Kishan just enough time to work Alzarri Joseph off his hip for a single and get off the mark in Test cricket, off the 20th ball he had faced.”I was just letting them know that we probably have an over or so and then we’re declaring,” Rohit said. “I just wanted Ishan to get off the mark, because he had probably played close to 15-20 balls without getting off the mark, so I wanted to tell him, get your first runs in Test cricket and then we have to declare.”I can understand, playing your first Test match, you have a lot of nerves going around, and I could see, he was sitting there in the dressing room, entire [second] day, wanting to go out to bat, so I know the feeling, but I was just letting him know that we probably have an over or two and then we’re going to declare.”On a pitch with slow but sharp turn, the biggest match-winners, inevitably, were R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared 17 of the 20 wickets India took, with Ashwin claiming match figures of 12 for 131, his best in overseas Tests.”The results speak for themselves,” Rohit said of the two spinners. “Both of these guys have been doing it for a while for us now. They know exactly what is expected out of them. There’s not much to tell them [about] what we need to do. It’s just about going to them and giving them that freedom to go and express, because that is when they’re doing their best for the side as well.”When you have the kind of experience that these guys have, bowling on pitches like this, it’s always a luxury, but yeah, you’ve got to come out and pitch it in the area that you want, and get the pitch to do the rest. Both Ashwin and Jadeja were magnificent in the game, especially Ashwin. To come out and bowl like that shows his class.”Mhambrey didn’t fall short of calling Ashwin “one of the greatest match-winners” India has produced.”He has been one of the greatest matchwinners from India, he’s right up there,” Mhambrey said. “The way he has won us so many matches can’t be praised enough. He has been performing for so many years, I can’t even put it into words.”

Bangladesh still trail by 42 runs after their batting struggled again

Associated Press27-Jun-20223:41

Holding lauds Roach’s ‘great achievement’ of 250 Test wickets

Kemar Roach reached the landmark of 250 Test wickets as West Indies dominated the third day of the second test with Bangladesh fighting to avoid an innings defeat.Bangladesh was reduced to 132 for 6 in its second innings at stumps on Sunday and still trailed the hosts by 42 runs at Daren Sammy Stadium.Roach took the first three wickets to finish the day on 3 for 32 in 10 overs and move to 252 wickets in his 73rd test for West Indies. Bangladesh opener
Tamim Iqbal was caught behind to give Roach his 250th wicket.Roach is now the sixth-highest test wicket-taker for West Indies. Another quick, Courtney Walsh, tops that list with 519 wickets in 132 matches.Roach went on to dismiss opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Anamul Haque to leave Bangladesh struggling on 32 for 3.Najmul Hossain Shanto is the top scorer so far for Bangladesh in its innings with a 91-ball 42. He was also caught behind off Alzarri Joseph.West Indies earlier resumed on 340 for 5 – thanks to a chanceless and unbeaten 126 from allrounder Kyle Mayers – and extended its overnight lead of 106 to 174 after being dismissed for 408 in the first innings.Mayers was dismissed by Khaled Ahmed after moving on to 146, caught by Shoriful Islam. Mayers’ innings included 18 fours and two sixes. Khaled took 5 for 106.Play was called off for the day at 5.30 p.m. local time after heavy rain.Bangladesh scored a sub-par 234 in the first innings. West Indies won the first test in Antigua in just over three days, by seven wickets.

“Maybe from a mental point of view we lacked a little bit, or maybe we don’t trust our technique”

Firdose Moonda04-Jan-2021Dean Elgar helped himself to a little tipple before bed after day one at the Wanderers – something many other South Africans who have failed to stock up would have been envious of as the country navigates its third alcohol ban as part of coronavirus restrictions – but it was not necessarily to soothe his senses.Elgar had gone in on 92 not out, just a couple of shots away from his first Test hundred in 15 months, as well as shouldering the responsibility of steering his side into a strong position after Sri Lanka had mustered just 157 in their first innings.”I had a glass of wine and it made me sleep very well but I’ve been in the nineties overnight in first-class cricket before so it’s not my first time,” Elgar said. “I didn’t feel anything; I didn’t feel anxious. And I woke up nice and early as well thinking I might not wake up to my alarm. But no, I didn’t feel too nervous starting today’s play.”The jitters, if there had been any, had come during the course of the opening day. After racing to 39 off the first 44 balls he faced, Elgar was made to knuckle down, especially against Dasun Shanaka, who teased in the channel outside off and nipped the ball off the seam. Sri Lanka’s attack improved as the first afternoon wore on and they demanded discipline from Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen. Elgar’s next 53 runs took 75 balls.Related

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“We had to absorb a little bit and there were quite a few moments when we went through the gears,” he said. “You have to be able to adapt. You can’t just be batting in one gear and expect to be consistent.”Elgar expected he would have to shift tempo again on day two but it took just 14 balls for him to bring up his 13th Test hundred, becoming the first South African opener to raise his bat to triple figures in 11 home Tests. With the hard work having brought reward and van der Dussen well set, South Africa seemed to be shaping up to bat once – but when Elgar was dismissed off the edge to first slip, it sparked a collapse of 9 for 84 to leave South Africa on 302, a lead of 145. Elgar called the total “quite under-par, especially after that partnership”.Elgar and van der Dussen put on 184 for the second wicket but no other South African stand contributed more than 34 runs (that too involved Elgar with his opening partner Aiden Markram). The inability for the other batsmen to kick on and South Africa’s penchant for collapsing – this was the eighth time in 16 innings they have lost five wickets for less than 50 runs – is something Elgar was willing to interrogate more critically, although he wasn’t sure what is holding them back.”It’s maybe the nature of the pitches we are playing on, especially now. When you come into bat you’ve really got to be on the ball and it shows you how important it is to have batters in. I went out and then Rassie went out which is not ideal.”But maybe from a mental point of view we lacked a little bit, or maybe we don’t trust our technique. We’ve got to take conditions into account. Once you are able to get through that time and respect conditions, you can conquer the conditions. Being our first series at home we have played in a long time, we will address it and take it from there. I think it’s a mental thing and guys need to be made aware of it.”It’s something for South Africa to analyse post-series, around the bonfire, with some tipple for those who indulge. As things stand, South Africa can sleep on a favourable match situation and with a series win in sight, and Elgar warned Sri Lanka that it is the tourists who may need to keep the nightmares at bay.”With covers on the pitch overnight, there’s a bit of moisture and it’s still on top of the grass when we start the day’s play and the wicket deteriorates,” Elgar said. “Hopefully tomorrow morning, the wicket still has sideways movement which has caused quite a bit of trouble and there is still that moisture and deterioration.”