Tag Futebol

The openings were created when Devon Conway and Finn Allen opted out of their deals to play T20 leagues

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2024Allrounders Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson have been handed New Zealand central contracts, filling the spots vacated by Devon Conway and Finn Allen declining deals last month.Clarkson, the 27-year-old middle-order batter and medium-pace bowler, has played three ODIs and T20Is while 26-year-old Smith has yet to make his international debut.Related

• Santner named NZ's interim captain for SL white-ball tour; Smith and Hay get maiden call-ups

• Meet Josh Clarkson, New Zealand's most 'dangerous' T20 hitter

• Conway offered casual contract, Allen declines New Zealand deal

Smith was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s Plunket Shield with 33 at 17.18 for champions Wellington. He also represented Worcestershire this season where he claimed 27 wickets at 21.14 in seven County Championship matches alongside making three half-centuries and took eight wickets in nine T20 Blast games before he was forced home with a hamstring injury.”Nathan’s been on our radar for a while having been a significant performer in domestic cricket for some time,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead. “He’s been particularly impressive in red-ball cricket and we think he has the skills to be successful in international cricket when he gets a chance.”New Zealand Men’s central contracts for 2024-25•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Clarkson, meanwhile, featured in series against Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan last season.”Josh has been involved in both white ball squads over the past twelve months which shows the strides he’s made in his game,” Stead said. “He’s a hard-hitting player with plenty of skills and has shown in his chances so far that he can offer a lot with bat and ball on the international stage. Josh will provide depth and adds value given the volume of white ball cricket on the horizon.”The vacancies on the contract list arose when Conway and Allen opted out in order to take up T20 league deals during January. Conway, who will play in the SA20 for Joburg Super Kings, was offered a casual playing contract, the same model given Kane Williamson. Allen, who signed a two-year deal with Perth Scorchers in the BBL, wasn’t provided the same option but will remain eligible or selection on a case-by-case basis.New Zealand return to action next week with a one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida before traveling to Sri Lanka for two Tests then India for three.

Updated New Zealand Men’s central contracts

Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young

He is the team’s third coach in as many seasons, and will take over from JP Duminy

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-2023Justin Ontong, the former South Africa batter and most recently national men’s team fielding coach, has been named as the new coach of the Paarl Rocks provincial side.Ontong succeeds JP Duminy, who was in charge for a season and is now the South African men’s white-ball batting coach. This is Ontong’s first position as a head coach.”I am honoured to be given this opportunity to lead the Rocks team. I have worked with several different teams and understand what it takes to build a winning team,” Ontong said. “My focus will be to ensure that all the players are working towards the same goal and remain motivated.”Related

• SA20 teams given R39.1 million salary purse to build their squads

Ontong is the third Paarl Rocks head coach in as many seasons. Adrian Birrell headed up the province in the 2021-22 summer, when the Paarl Rocks won the T20 Challenge, before Duminy got the job. Duminy was in charge in the 2022-23 season during which time he also held the position of Paarl Royals coach in the SA20. It is not known whether he will continue in that role in the coming season. Paarl are yet to add to their sole trophy but have maintained their position in the top-tier of South Africa’s domestic structure.CSA revamped the domestic cricket system three summers ago in which they did away with the six franchises and introduced two divisions, with eight teams in tier one and seven in tier two, and a promotion-relegation system. The first movements from that came after two complete seasons, and saw Bloemfontein’s Knights drop down to division two, while the Pietermaritzburg-based Tuskers earned promotion. Paarl, who did not have its own franchise in the previous system, achieved a respectable fourth-place finish on the combined log.Paarl Rocks have proven themselves to be strong contenders in white-ball tournaments, but have only won one red-ball match in the new era, something they would like to change. “Having Justin Ontong on board as the head coach of the Rocks is an immense addition to our organisation,” James Fortuin, Paarl Rocks CEO, said.While Ontong is mostly known for his white-ball numbers – he played 42 white-ball internationals for South Africa – he was capped twice in Tests and finished his career with a first-class average of 41.87 which makes him the ideal candidate to turn Paarl’s red-ball form around.When his playing days ended in late 2017, Ontong moved straight into coaching. He was appointed South Africa’s fielding coach under Ottis Gibson in the 2017-8 season and remained in that role when Mark Boucher took over in December 2019. Boucher resigned the post after last year’s T20 World Cup and has been succeeded by Shukri Conrad in Tests and Rob Walter in ODIs and T20Is, each of who has their own support staff. The white-ball fielding job has been given to Lions’ coach Wandile Gwavu.

The allrounder suffered back spasms last Tuesday and “ran out of time to prove her fitness” for the knockout against West Indies

Annesha Ghosh29-Mar-20222:06

Perry: Chance to include more teams in ODI World Cup in the coming years

Ellyse Perry has been ruled out of Australia’s 2022 ODI World Cup semi-final against West Indies scheduled for Wednesday in Wellington. Meg Lanning, the Australia captain, confirmed Perry’s unavailability and said the allrounder, who suffered back spasms in the league game against South Africa a week ago, “unfortunately, just ran out of time to prove her fitness”.”We’ll go in without her tomorrow and we’ll keep assessing her if we are to progress in the tournament,” Lanning said on match eve. “So, unfortunate for her and the team, obviously, a big blow but we feel like we’ve got some good depth to be able to cover it and we’re going to have to do that tomorrow.”Lanning said Australia were optimistic about Perry recovering in time for the final in Christchurch on April 3, should they advance, but stressed that they were focused on putting their best foot forward in the semi-final with the personnel available at their disposal.Related

• ICC CEO Allardice says discussions on 'to bridge the gap between women and men's prize money'

• England off the canvas and knockout-ready – Heather Knight

• More Australian dominance, and veterans leave the building

• West Indies out to defy expectations once again

• Injured Perry ruled out of Bangladesh game, expected to be fit for semi-finals

“Look, she hasn’t done a lot [of training] over the past week, to be fair. She batted a little bit in the nets yesterday and felt okay, but she certainly just wasn’t in a position, unfortunately, to be able to perform at the level needed tomorrow,” Lanning said. “So, that was why we’ve made the call on that today.”But, to be honest, we haven’t looked too far ahead. We will keep assessing her as we go if we are to progress but the team and the squad is very focused on tomorrow and making sure that we’re putting out our best game because everything else is is irrelevant, to be honest.”I’m sure there’s work going on in the background to try and get her up to play if we were to get through but from a playing-group perspective and coaching staff, we’re just really focused on tomorrow and the players that are going to be able to go out there and perform.”This is the second World Cup semi-final on the trot Perry will miss, having sat out the 2020 T20 World Cup semi-final and the final on home soil through a hamstring injury sustained in eventual champions Australia’s last league fixture.During the South Africa match in the ongoing World Cup, she appeared to be hurt when tumbling over the boundary rope in a fielding attempt. She went off the field and didn’t bat as Australia romped to a sixth consecutive win in the tournament.Ellyse Perry was the Player of the Match in two league-stage games in the World Cup•Getty Images

Perry said on Monday she had never had back spasms before in her career, but she made clear the injury was “not hugely serious” and that it “definitely has been improving.” She added “there’s a pretty high percentage that I’ll be able to play at some point” in the knockouts.Before being sidelined from Australia’s last league game – against Bangladesh on Friday – Perry contributed with both bat and ball in her side’s undefeated campaign. Having shouldered new-ball responsibilities regularly, she took five wickets in six innings, and also scored 146 runs in five innings while being the Player of the Match in back-to-back fixtures against New Zealand and West Indies.With Perry sidelined, pace-bowling allrounder Annabel Sutherland, who had replaced Perry against Bangladesh in what is her first ODI World Cup, is likely to retain her spot. Sutherland, 20, had picked 1 for 22 and scored 26 vital unbeaten runs in that game.”I thought Annabel played extremely well last game under pressure as well,” Lanning said. “It wasn’t just an easy time to come out and bat for her and for someone so young to be able to do that gives the group a lot of confidence. We’ve spoken a lot about the depth that we’ve got within our squad and I guess now we’re going to be tested with it.”So, I guess, that’s what it comes down to: new players stepping up in different situations and [Australia] not relying on one or two players. So that gives me a lot of confidence; it gives the team a lot of confidence that someone like Annabel could come into the team and make an impact straightaway, so hopefully she can do it again tomorrow.”

Phones could be banned from all county dressing rooms, whether a match is televised or not

George Dobell03-Dec-2020The ECB are likely to bring in new measures designed to safeguard the domestic game from the threat of corruption.At present, there are different protocols in place to manage games which are broadcast and those which are not. But with the streaming of matches growing more common and more sophisticated, it is anticipated the majority of games will now be treated as if broadcast.In 2020, streamed games – including the Bob Willis Trophy final, which was viewed by almost a million people across five days just on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel – were not subject to the same strict requirements of games broadcast in a more traditional manner.The ECB’s integrity officers review their protocols after every season to ensure they are keeping abreast of developments. Before the start of the 2020 season, for example, the use of smartwatches was banned in all county cricket whether the games were broadcast or not.ALSO READ: Time up for the smartwatch as ECB tighten anti-corruption protocolsAlthough the ECB have not yet confirmed their plans for the 2021 season – any recommendations will have to be signed off by the board – it seems likely that players, officials and support staff will be required to hand over their mobile phones, and any other devices which can be used for communication, before play each day.While such a measure may sound simple, it is likely to require significant investment both in terms of educating those involved and in terms of enforcement. For an organisation still coming to terms with the impact of Covid-19 and having just made more than 60 redundancies, that is not ideal.But the popularity of the streaming services has risen sharply. Now, with multiple cameras and dedicated commentary teams, the county feeds are not just the preserve of diehard fans. In recent days, Lancashire have announced an intention to target the Indian market with their matches being shown on JioTv.With an enlarged audience, however, there is a possibility that some will seek to exploit their access to more cricket. And with routes into more high-profile matches already effectively policed by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit, these games could be targeted with experience suggesting those involved will attempt to contact players involved in ongoing matches.It is unlikely any changes will be announced before February.

Teenager falls for 91 but Sam Hain remains firm after Olly Stone’s five-for limits Hampshire to 539

ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2019Teenager Rob Yates fell nine runs of his maiden first-class century as Warwickshire battled hard to eat into Hampshire’s huge first-innings total of 539.Top order batsman Yates, who only signed his first professional deal last December, showed maturity which belied his age to guide his side towards the follow-on target. The 19-year-old academy graduate added a vital 142-run stand for the third wicket with fellow talented youngster Sam Hain, who collected his second Specsavers County Championship half-century of the season.Earlier, Olly Stone had marked his return from almost seven months on the sidelines with a bone stress injury in his lower back with a five-wicket haul. Stone, who had taken three wickets on his first day of action of the season helped wrap up the Hampshire tail inside 20 overs during the morning.Hampshire returned on 450 for 6 after an an extraordinary opening day which had seen Ian Holland and Aneurin Donald notch centuries. The bright sunshine which had shone over the Ageas Bowl made way for overcast conditions on day two, although the wicket remained flat as Hampshire added 89 more runs.Gareth Berg lasted five overs before he was castled by Oliver Hannon-Dalby. Lewis McManus and Keith Barker, against his former county, added 60 for the eighth wicket, scoring 41 not out and 35 respectively. But the final three wickets fell for six runs as Ben Mike had Barker caught at deep square leg before Stone had Kyle Abbott lbw and Fidel Edwards bounced out to claim figures of 5 for 93.Warwickshire’s reply started poorly as Will Rhodes edged Kyle Abbott behind to leave the visitors 15 for 1 at lunch. That became 39 for 2 when Division One’s highest run-maker Dom Sibley tamely chipped Abbott to cover.With 350 runs still required to avoid the follow-on, and an uber-accurate and disciplined Hampshire bowling attack asserting plenty of pressure, Hain and Yates joined for a dogged partnership. Attacking shots came at a premium throughout the afternoon session, with the run-rate barely touching two.Solihull-born Yates, who has played for Warwickshire since their Under-10s, was handed two lives, on 35 and 45, as plenty of runs came through the slip cordon.Yates broke into the first team during Warwickshire’s Royal London Cup campaign and hasn’t been left out since. He batted patiently to reach a half-century in 144 balls, beating his previous best score of 49, and appeared on course for three figures. But he meekly fell for 91 when he struck part-time spinner Felix Organ to short midwicket.Meanwhile, Hain passed his 3000th Championship run before moving to his own fifty in 85-balls as he ended the day unbeaten on 68. Warwickshire on 198 for 3, still 191 adrift of the follow-on and trailing by 341.

Sam and Tom Curran are closing in on a special feat after both were named in England’s T20 squad for the series against Australia and India

George Dobell19-Jun-2018Sam and Tom Curran are set to become the first brothers to play together for England this century having been named in the England
squad for the Vitality T20I series against Australia and India.The Surrey pair, who have both played international cricket but never in the same side, are set to become the first brothers to represent
England at the same time since Ben and Adam Hollioake – also of Surrey – played an ODI against Sri Lanka in Sydney in 1999.With both Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes missing the series due to injury – Stokes will be with the squad throughout the series as he continues his rehabilitation from his torn left hamstring – both Currans have every chance of appearing in an England side that has won only one of their last five and three of their last 10 IT20 matches.There is no place in the squad for Sam Billings, Dawid Malan, Liam Dawson or James Vince – all of whom were in the squad for the
tri-series tournament also involving Australia and New Zealand earlier this year – while Mark Wood, who has struggled to maintain his top
pace in the ODI series against Australia, is rested.Mooen Ali, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, who were rested from the previous IT20 tri-series, return while Jake Ball is recalled.Stokes could be added to the squad if he is deemed to have returned to full fitness.England IT20 squad
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), captain, Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire)Fixtures:
June 27: England v Australia, Edgbaston (6.30pm BST); July 3: England v India, Emirates Old Trafford (5.30pm BST); July 6: England v India, Cardiff (5.30pm BST); July 8: England v India, Sunday July 8, Bristol (2pm BST)

AB de Villiers rallied the middle and lower order to help South Africa score 271 for 8 before their fast bowlers scripted New Zealand’s collapse for 112

The Report by Andrew McGlashan in Wellington25-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:38

McGlashan: NZ batting beginning to look a little flaky

AB de Villiers had called on his batsmen to take responsibility for an innings and he showed the way in Wellington as South Africa surged to a crushing 159-run victory. De Villiers’ controlled 85, during which he became the fastest player to 9000 ODI runs, turned the tables after a middle-order slide, then the pace bowlers combined with unnerving accuracy to dismantle New Zealand for 112 in the 33rd over.

Another Latham duck

6 Number of lower scores at home for New Zealand than the 112 they made against South Africa. This was also New Zealand’s lowest score against South Africa in ODIs. The previous lowest was 134 at Newlands in 1994.
3 Ducks scored by Tom Latham in his last four innings. Latham has scored 13 runs in this period.
5 Consecutive fifties for Quinton de Kock in ODIs. He equaled the record for most consecutive fifties for South Africa joining Jonty Rhodes. The overall record for most consecutive fifties is held by Javed Miandad who made nine such scores in 1987.

On a slower-than-normal pitch that offered assistance for seamers, especially in the evening, South Africa’s 271 for 8 – bolstered by a seventh-wicket stand of 84 in 10.4 overs between de Villiers and Wayne Parnell – had the makings of a demanding chase and it soon proved that way.Kagiso Rabada, back in the side after missing Christchurch, set the tone with an exemplary new-ball spell. He was followed by Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius who removed the cream of New Zealand’s batting by nabbing Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor in the space of five deliveries. The pair bowled nine overs between them in their first spells, returning figures of 4 for 16, in the sort of seam-friendly conditions that could be on show in the Champions Trophy. Pretorius finished with 3 for 5 from 5.2 overs.New Zealand had entered this match buoyed by their batting performance at Hagley Oval, but this display will raise a few concerns as they fell in a heap in a manner not often seen. Tom Latham collected his third duck in four ODI innings and there was another failure for Neil Broom.They had made one change, replacing legspinner Ish Sodhi with the pace of Lockie Ferguson and may ponder if that was correct after he went for 71 in his 10 overs – the most expensive bowling performance of the day.Quinton de Kock, with his fifth 50-plus ODI score in a row, and Faf du Plessis led South Africa to 114 for 1 in the 23rd over but then followed a collapse of 5 for 66. Colin de Grandhomme gave New Zealand the control they strived for, claiming two wickets in four deliveries and bowling his 10 overs straight through, while Mitchell Santner produced another impressive performance of left-arm spin.De Grandhomme removed du Plessis who riffled a drive low to mid-off, then in what is becoming a habit on this tour, de Kock picked out the leg-side field having set himself for a century. He hung his head and could barely drag himself off.De Villiers was greeted by a hostile delivery from Ferguson which rammed into his gloves but quickly ticked off the five runs he needed to jump past Sourav Ganguly to top the 9000 list. However, senior batsmen came and went. JP Duminy, who had struggled for fluency, was run out by a direct hit from Tim Southee at backward point and David Miller chipped a low catch to midwicket which was upheld by the third umpire.AB de Villiers scored his 51st ODI half-century•AFP

In each of the three matches in this series, someone from the lower order has stepped forward for South Africa. It wasn’t Pretorius this time – he was bowled by Ferguson – but Parnell helped de Villiers stop New Zealand in their tracks.De Villiers had been above a run-a-ball early in his innings, but bided his time as he lost partners for the closing overs. Back-to-back boundaries off Ferguson, rasping shots through midwicket and cover, hustled him through the 40s and the half-century came from 59 deliveries. He went from 39 off 51 balls to 85 off 80; it was not one of de Villiers’ more explosive innings, but it was a masterclass in repairing damage, judging conditions and not overreaching.And his efforts were soon put into context. Latham middled a square drive but picked out point. Dean Brownlie then feathered to the keeper off Rabada who found considered seam movement and proceeded to work over Williamson.Williamson was dropped at slip on 4 by Hashim Amla off Parnell and alongside Taylor weathered the new balls for a period although scoring was always hard work and the pressure did not relent.Phehlukwayo had conceded just four runs into his third over when Williamson, trying to dab the ball to third man, played into his stumps and in the next over, Taylor fell across a full, straight delivery from Pretorius. He was not far off walking for the lbw decision. The stuffing had been knocked out of New Zealand’s innings and there was precious little else on offer. Broom’s poke outside off against Phehlukwayo was a poor shot and Pretorius’ miserly spell, as he nipped the ball around off the seam under the lights, also accounted for Mitchell Santner.New Zealand’s total was their lowest completed innings at home since being bowled out for 73 by Sri Lanka, in Auckland in 2007, and the result their heaviest runs defeat to South Africa.

A round-up of the Ford Trophy 1st and 2nd preliminary finals, played on January 23, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2016A career-best, unbeaten 80 from 24-year-old allrounder Ben Wheeler helped Central Districts seal a tight chase of 295 against Canterbury, and confirm their place in the final of the Ford Trophy 2015-16. Wheeler’s knock came from No. 8, and egging him on from the other end was the brutal force of Jesse Ryder – he made 136 off 114 from No. 3, smoking seven sixes and 13 fours. The pair added 163 in 21 overs, at close to eight an over, rescuing Central Districts from the pits of 105 for 6 to help them home with two wickets and three balls to spare.It was right-arm pacer Kyle Jamieson who had done a large chunk of the damage to Central Districts’ top order, and he threatened to derail them once again with the massive wicket of Ryder in 44th over, with the team still 27 runs short of their target. Wheeler kept his head though, and finished the job.Canterbury’s 294 was built around a brisk century from opener Tom Latham – he scored 126 off 135. The rest of the top order made 20- and 30-somethings around him to ensure the team got within range of 300. Medium-pacer Seth Rance was the most incisive of the Central Districts bowlers, with three middle-order wickets, and Doug Bracewell made sure Canterbury did not get past 300 by polishing off the tail.Canterbury will have a second shot at the final when they take on Otago in the third preliminary final on Wednesday – they get a second chance since they finished the league stage in the top two on the points table, along with Central Districts. Central Districts, meanwhile, will have a week to prepare for the title game, which is scheduled for next Saturday.Otago had finished the league stage third on the points table and therefore have twice the work to do: they took the first step successfully, beating Auckland in the second preliminary final (effectively a quarter-final, with the loser going out and the winner needing to win one more game to get into the final).Otago batted first and piled up 312, led by 109 from Neil Broom. Batting at No. 3, Broom put on 158 with Michael Bracewell (69), after the other opener Anaru Kitchen was out off second legal ball of the game. Jimmy Neesham also chipped in with 59 off 54, before Derek de Boorder’s late cameo of 24 lifted them past 300.By the eighth over of the chase, 21-year-old pacer Jacob Duffy had Otago firmly on top. He took three early wickets, reducing Auckland to 40 for 3. Neil Wagner and Neesham struck soon after, and the game was as good as done. Unlike Central Districts’ case, there was no Auckland revival. Rain did end things early and Duckworth/Lewis came into play, but by then Auckland were already spluttering at 159 for 8 in 34, deemed to be 126 short of a winning score.

Angelo Mathews has paid tribute to Mahela Jayawardene as he is set to become the second Sri Lankan player to appear in 400 ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2013Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has paid tribute to Mahela Jayawardene, who is set to make his 400th ODI appearance, against India in the tri-series final. Jayawardene will be only the second Sri Lankan player, after Sanath Jayasuriya, to achieve this milestone, and the third overall.”I am a great fan of Jayawardene. He’s one of the best Sri Lanka has ever produced,” Mathews said. “The amount of fight he shows in the middle; even when he plays a warm-up game he wants to win. He carries that attitude into the game. He wants to be in all the time, and he gets the others going as well. It’s unbelievable to have him in the team.”He’s a living legend, and [has] been part of the Sri Lankan team for more than a decade and a half. He’s been a great servant for Sri Lanka. He’s one of our main batsmen [and has] experience in these conditions. I’m really happy we have him in the team. We want him in the team for as long as possible.”Mathews was also not too dismayed after losing to India just a couple of days before the final. “We are not worried about the last result, but we need to flush that out of our system as soon as possible. When we came into the tournament, we wanted to take it one game at a time and not look too far ahead. We were not thinking of [reaching] the final, we just wanted to play our brand of cricket and do our best.”We are happy with the way we responded, and we would have almost played a four-day game if it had rained out [day before.] The guys were a bit physically and mentally drained. The credit should go to the boys [with] the way they handled the pressure.”Regarding facing India’s batting line-up, Mathews said the team felt the loss of Nuwan Kulasekara, who was ruled out of the final after picking up a hand injury. “On this wicket, Kulasekara would have been unplayable. Looking at the Indian batting order, their top seven are all equally good. We can’t plan for just the first three, we need to plan for all of them. On their day, they can take the game apart, so we need to be cautious.”India captain Virat Kohli was pleased with how India have turned the corner after falling to the bottom of the pack early in the tournament. “I think it’s a very good effort for the team to come back from that (being last placed), to win both games with bonus points and ending on top of the table,” Kohli said.When asked how the wicket would play out in Port-of-Spain, Kohli said: “It’s the sort of wicket you play in phases. Initially the ball does quite a bit when it’s new and hard, and the seam is upright. You have to analyse your game plans while you’re out in the middle.”

Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has been rested for the remaining three ODIs against Pakistan following a knee operation after the home series against England in March

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo12-Jun-2012Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has been rested for the remaining three ODIs against Pakistan following a knee operation after the home series against England in March. The national selectors have picked the uncapped left-arm spinner Sajeewa Weerakoon as his replacement.Herath played the first two ODIs in Pallekele, but keeping in mind his expected heavy workload in the Tests as the lead spinner, the team management has decided to let him recuperate till the Test series which begins in Galle on June 22.”We had decided that he would play only two to three games in this series because it’s always tough to return after an operation,” Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, said on the eve of the third ODI in Colombo. “He felt it sore in the first two games. If you noticed while fielding he was struggling a bit.”Weerakoon, 34, has been on the fringes of national selection for a few years. He was the third-highest wicket-taker in the first-class 2011-12 Tier A competition with 42 wickets for Colts Cricket Club. In 2005, the consistency Weerakoon showed for the A team pushed the selectors to include him in the senior squad for three Tests against India in place of Herath, but he didn’t break into the playing XI.”I’m really happy and thrilled about this call,” Weerakoon said. “I got this call after seven years, and seven years means a long time. I made lots of sacrifices during that period.”I think I have done enough to convince them that I deserve a place in the Sri Lanka team. I was told about this decision just a couple of days ago by the team manager (Charith Senanayake).”Weerakoon said that it was his performances in the Premier tournament that earned him a call-up. “I think that’s why I’m here today. I was really determined to make my way into the national side. I never gave up. All I wanted was to represent Sri Lanka, at least in one game. I think that’s why I’m here today.”Weerakoon said that in those seven years he got valuable advice from spin bowling coach Piyal Wijetunge, a former Sri Lanka left-arm spinner. If picked, Weerakoon will become the second oldest Sri Lanka to make an ODI debut, after Michael Tissera, who played his first ODI in 1975 at the age of 36.Jayawardene said Weerakoon’s experience in the domestic circuit – he has 693 first-class wickets – should serve him well. “Personally I feel he is a deserving candidate and hopefully he will get his opportunity tomorrow,” Jayawardene said. “He has been in the shadows of Murali, Malinga Bandara, Herath and Ajantha Mendis for quite some time. He is a fighter. He has a lot of experience in club cricket and the A team.”With inputs from Kanishkaa Balachandran