All posts by h716a5.icu

Tim May’s removal from the ICC’s cricket committee following allegations of pressure by the BCCI should be the subject of an ethics committee enquiry, according to FICA

Daniel Brettig07-May-2013Tim May’s removal from the ICC cricket committee following allegations of pressure exerted by the BCCI to install their preferred candidate Laxman Sivaramakrishnan should be the subject of an ICC ethics committee enquiry, according to the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA) of which May is the chief executive.Ian Smith, FICA’s legal advisor, has also said that the players’ body is aware the ICC warned member nations not to interfere with the voting process but then did nothing when those warnings were ignored, accusing Boards of applying “direct pressure on their captains to amend their votes.” He said there had been been a “very clear distinction” between routine “lobbying” before an election and “threatening an employee to change their vote.””In light of media reports that five ICC full member boards applied direct pressure on their captains to amend their votes in the recent elections, FICA’s official stance is that these allegations must warrant careful and independent scrutiny,” Smith said. “Especially because we understand ICC specifically instructed the Boards not to interfere in the voting process.”The actions, allegedly instigated by BCCI, are a timely and stark reminder of the very serious shortcomings in governance at ICC highlighted more than a year ago by the Woolf Report and about which ICC has done nothing in the intervening period.May wants ICC governance to be the focus

Tim May, who was ousted from the ICC Cricket Committee and replaced by former Indian spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, has said the perception that he is anti-BCCI was wrong.
“There are some aspects of BCCI that I am a strong supporter of and there are other aspects that concern me and others,” May told PTI. “Unfortunately, only the negative stuff gets publicised.”
When asked whether he felt a particular board was influencing others, May said: “This is an issue that has been identified and raised by a number of parties for a significant number of years, including Woolf Committee’s report on ICC’s governance. Indeed I am more focused on the ICC policing its own stated standards in terms of governance – this is the real issue, not whether I got voted onto this committee.”

“It is further apparent from statements made by unnamed ICC Board sources overnight that they are trying to position the involved Boards’ actions as ‘lobbying’, but there should be a very clear distinction made between a candidate lobbying for a vote and an employer threatening an employee to change their vote.”May, a staunch advocate of players’ rights for more than a decade, lost his place as one of two current players’ representatives on the cricket committee following a captains’ vote to Sivaramakrishnan, who is employed by the BCCI as a television commentator.Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies captain and FICA president, said the process by which May was ousted has raised major questions of the ICC’s ethics. He also questioned how the game’s governing body had the right to stand in judgement over the actions of the players when its own moral compass is so often found to be lacking.”How can the players of the world look to ICC for leadership in these circumstances and how does the spirit of cricket apply to the organisation itself?” Adams said. “Board members didn’t like how their captains intended to vote, so they apparently ordered them to change that vote. This type of behaviour from the game’s ruling body makes a mockery of their motives behind the procurement of the Woolf report.”FICA want ICC to use its own processes to deal with this. It has a Code of Ethics with which Directors and Members need to comply – the reported actions of some of the Member Boards and ICC directors, at the very least warrant investigation under this Code. We call on ICC to hold itself up to the high standards of moral conduct it constantly tells the players and officials it expects from them.”Ultimately, these actions are symptoms of poor governance at the top level and a blatant disregard for what most would regard as the necessary ethical standards required to run a prominent international sport – cricket deserves a lot better.”Comment has been sought from the ICC and the BCCI.

Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, believes that the Ross Taylor captaincy controversy might have helped him become a “better” coach

Nagraj Gollapudi10-May-2013Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, believes that the Ross Taylor captaincy controversy has helped him become a “better” coach.Hesson, who replaced John Wright as New Zealand head coach last July, was a key figure in pressing for a change of captaincy from Taylor to Brendon McCullum. Consequently Taylor opted out of the South African tour before returning for the home series against England in February.”I learned a lot during the whole experience and it might make me a better coach,” Hesson told ESPNcricnfo in Leicester as New Zealand continued their preparations for the return series.Speaking on a wide range of issues in an extensive interview, Hesson spoke about his coaching philosophy, the challenges of managing players, the mistakes committed on the road, as well as giving an insight into the game plans that worked in the drawn Test series against England.Asked specifically whether the way Taylor was removed as captain was a mistake, Hesson said: “Whenever you make a decision like changing a captain it is difficult decision to make. All I want to say is at no stage during that process you want to upset anybody or put someone in a difficult situation. That obviously occurred, which was unfortunate.”It was an emotionally difficult moment for everyone involved, Hesson said. It has been six months since the incident and according to Hesson the relationship with Taylor, the best batsman in the New Zealand squad, is on the mend.”We certainly are developing our relationship nicely. The circumstances have been well documented. We have been working well together.”Hesson pointed out that Taylor’s success as a batsman was very important to New Zealand because that would help the inexperienced youngsters to play their own game with more freedom.”Ross is a huge part of our group,” Hesson said. “He is our premier batsman and he has performed very well in England in the past. We are a far better team when Ross Taylor is in the team and performing well. It is great to have him back.”It is important for Ross to impose himself. He is quite an imposing batsman. Once he has got that level of confidence he is actually quite hard to bowl to. So it is matter of getting the confidence, getting that imposing nature at the crease. And also he works with some of younger batsmen as well. So the more comfortable he can feel about his own game the more comfortable he will feel helping others.”

Cricket South Africa has been dealt another blow with acting chief executive Jacques Faul confirming he will not apply for the post full-time

Firdose Moonda08-Jan-2013On the eve of the meeting in which Cricket South Africa will restructure its board, the organisation has been dealt another blow. Acting chief executive Jacques Faul has confirmed he will not apply for the post full-time which means CSA will need to search for a new boss.”I don’t see myself doing the job permanently,” Faul told ESPNcricinfo while sources close to him said the recent infighting was the last straw. Faul has been in the position as a stand-in since March last year after Gerald Majola was suspended and then dismissed. His tenure will only end when a replacement has been found.Since Faul was appointed, CSA’s board has had multiple speed bumps on the road to transition. The latest involves a feud with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) over the composition of the new structure. In accordance with the ministerial-convened Nicholson commission, CSA’s new board must contain five independent directors, one of whom is the chairperson but SASCOC are opposed to an independent chair.Tomorrow, CSA will decide how they will make up their new board and whether they will honour Nicholson or give in to SASCOC. They will also make a call on the acting president Willie Basson against whom allegations of Apartheid-era wrongdoing were made last week. Basson’s initial threat of resignation and subsequent withdrawal has thrown the board into further turmoil which Faul has decided he can do without in the long-term.The post of CEO has been advertised but the successful applicant can only be appointed after the new board is put in place. Faul was considered the frontrunner for the job because of the positive gains made by CSA in his time in office. The organisation went from losing major sponsors across all formats during the Majola debacle to regaining corporate backing to the tune of millions of Rands.Although deals with Test-sponsor Sunfoil and ODI-backer Momentum were put in place before Faul took over, under him the former’s agreement was extended and the latter’s sewn up. Fast-food giant KFC have the naming rights to international and domestic T20 matches and Blue Label Telecoms back the T20 squad. Some of those agreements now also hang in the balance because they were conditional to board restructure.Faul was previously the CEO of the North West Cricket Union and has had a long involvement in the game. He is completing a doctorate and may walk away from cricket altogether, although he has also been linked to the Titans job, who also have an acting CEO in operation after the sudden death of their boss Elise Lombard last August.Former ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat has also expressed interest in the position but stipulated that he would only consider it if the corporate governance issues at CSA had been sorted out. Since leaving the ICC, Lorgat has worked as a consultant with Sri Lanka Cricket and is now doing work in Pakistan. Lorgat has worked with CSA before as convenor of selectors.

Yorkshire have defended renaming their limited-overs side “Yorkshire Vikings”, insisting the name reflects the history of the region and will help the club appeal to a new, young audience

George Dobell06-Mar-2013Yorkshire have defended renaming their limited-overs side “Yorkshire Vikings”, insisting the name reflects the history of the region and will help the club appeal to a new, young audience.While immediate associations with the Vikings might not be positive – Yorkshire are understandably keen not to be seen to endorse pillaging or plundering – the club feel the name will provide a useful marketing hook and should have no negative connotations. As part of the rebranding the club have agreed a partnership with the Jorvik Viking Centre in York, which will offer “match-day experiences” to younger supporters in a bid to attract new followers to the club.”We wanted a name that was relevant to the community,” Danny Reuben, Head of Media & Marketing at Yorkshire, told ESPNcricinfo. “And, as the Vikings settled here 1,300 years ago and shaped the look and the language of the region, they have had a huge impact. One of their legacies was establishing the three Ridings of Yorkshire and the words ‘York’ and ‘Yorkshire’.”We are also entering into a partnership with the Jorvik Centre in York, which is the home of Viking history in this part of the world, and they will provide match-day experiences which will hope will capture the imagination of younger supporters.”We did have an online poll to pick a new name but we had to ignore the results as it was high-jacked by Lancashire supporters. Had it been up to them, we would have been called the Yorkshire Puddings.”Yorkshire’s commercial director, Andy Dawson, said: “With the Vikings brand, we now have a name that is marketable and gives us a hook to promote the club to a wider audience. Our creativity in developing a new look and feel for the team will enable us to implement new revenue streams and attract a younger audience.”Cricket cannot be viewed simply as a sport. It is a form of entertainment that in modern times operates in a highly competitive environment vying for consumers’ leisure time. We hope that people and in particular children will identify with the Yorkshire Vikings and embrace the activity we have planned at Headingley this season.”Sarah Maltby, director of attractions at the Jorvik Group, agreed that the Vikings’ negative reputation was largely unfair. “The Vikings did many things,” Maltby told ESPNcricinfo. “They did invade, but then they settled, they created towns and cities, they manufactured and they traded across the world. The fierce stereotype people have of them is only one side of the story. They were much more than that.”As well as having a bat and ball game that some have compared to cricket, the Vikings also invented the words “ball”, “run”, “leg”, “loft”, “hit”, “cake” and even “sledge”.Yorkshire, who had been branded as Yorkshire Carnegie in limited-overs cricket until the end of their sponsorship deal with Leeds Metropolitan University, will play under the Vikings name for the first time on their pre-season tour of Barbados, which commences on March 16 against Hampshire Royals.

Virat Kohli admitted that his painstaking hundred against England in Nagpur was a learning experience

Sidharth Monga15-Dec-2012Early this year, Virat Kohli scored a scarcely believable 133 off 86 to help India chase 321 in 36.4 overs. In his last Test innings of the year, Kohli showed the other side of his batting by scoring 103 off 295 balls. These two completely different innings have proved he is India’s player of the year and their impact has been similar.The first innings – a blazing century in Hobart which kept India alive in the CB Series only for Sri Lanka to crush their hopes two days later – showed Kolhi the power of a free mind with nothing to lose.This latest hundred has emphasised what can be achieved through patience, an innings which has kept India alive in the series, even if the state of a slow and low pitch suggests that England are likely to crush India’s hopes again.Kohli, though, is wiser after the effort. “I didn’t think about the runs, I didn’t think about the number of balls I was playing, I was just batting,” he said. “You just keep batting, you just keep watching the ball and eventually you get the right results. I was pretty pleased to bat for long hours in this game and that is something you will need to do in future in Test matches. It was a learning innings for me.”What had been going wrong earlier in the series then? “Three times I got 20,” he said. “I probably got a good ball in Ahmedabad in the first innings, and I made a few mistakes after that. Sometimes you need that bit of luck, you get beaten and then sometimes you know today is the right day and you put your foot down and concentrate for long hours.”I was waiting for this one innings, I was not doubting myself at all. I was working hard for the last one month and eventually if you keep working hard these little things happen in cricket.”Kohli said he and MS Dhoni, who scored 99, had to stay patient. “It was challenging for both of us,” he said. “It was a slowish wicket, not that easy to get the ball away. I had to show some patience and I just thought of applying myself and not think of anything else. It was all about showing patience and just watching the ball and reacting to it rather than thinking about what we are going to be at the end of the day or the end of the session.”Not thinking about where they will be at the end of the day actually put them on the path to a strong position, but a mix of slow run rate – that can’t be helped because of the slow pitch – and late wickets relinquished that position. India still see a way to win, though, said Kohli.”You get some runs’ lead and you put the opposition under pressure,” he said. “It won’t be easy to defend all day. That is not something you can do every Test match. We will just be looking for the one opening and probably get two-three wickets and you never know where the game goes from there.”India, 2-1 down in the series, still trail by 33, and will need all the help from the pitch and England to bowl the opposition out in four sessions at most, and then chase the total down. The pitch has given the bowlers nothing at all. Kohli said that can change.”The wicket hasn’t changed much,” he said, “but I think the cracks are opening up slowly so you might see a completely different wicket tomorrow. The spinners might come into play a bit more. This is kind of wicket where you need to apply yourself the whole time, you just can’t relax.”

George Bailey does not think Australia are over-dependent on Shane Watson, after the allrounder weighed in with bat and ball in both group-stage victories

Abhishek Purohit in Colombo27-Sep-2012George Bailey, the Australia captain, does not think his team is over-dependent on Shane Watson, after the allrounder weighed in with bat and ball in both group-stage victories. Watson made 51 off 30 balls and took 3 for 26 against Ireland, and followed that with an unbeaten 41 and 2 for 29 against West Indies.”I don’t know whether you can call it over-dependence on Watson just because he has performed well in both the games,” Bailey said. “He is a very good player, he is good with the ball and he is an outstanding batsman. He is one of the players that opposition teams fear when they run into him. At the moment, one of his strengths is his consistency, so he is dependable, but I am not sure if we are over-dependent on him.”Watson and David Warner, one of the most powerful opening combinations currently in limited-overs cricket, gave Australia solid starts in both games so far but Bailey said that did not mean the rest of the line-up was not capable. “Watson and Warner are able to provide us an urgent start. There is no doubt that they are key wickets because they can take the game away,” Bailey said. “I guess they are crucial, but we are not at a stage where the rest of us are just making up the numbers.”Bailey was asked whether Watson and Warner’s contributions meant the middle order was undercooked in terms of time spent in the middle. “The middle-order is very happy,” he said. “I know it’s a tough one now but you’ve just got to prepare and train well. It’s not that any of these guys haven’t played a lot. In fact, we have played a lot against the guys we are coming up against. Whenever you get the opportunity to perform, you make sure you are ready to go.”MS Dhoni, the India captain, was also asked about the Watson-Warner combine, and his side’s plans to control the duo. “They are one of the best because they have done consistently well,” Dhoni said. “Both of them play aggressive cricket and look to score as many runs as possible in the first six overs. Since we are looking to play with five bowlers there is a bit more variety up the sleeve, which can be used in the first six overs. So let’s see how they start.”Dhoni said most international sides had aggressive openers in Twenty20s, which helped in getting good starts against the new ball. “If you can put pressure on the opposition bowler, then more often than not they look to save themselves, so if you have a good start, you have an upper hand,” Dhoni said. “In the subcontinent also it is important, initially the ball comes on to the bat nicely, and from the eighth to the 12th over is the time when the game changes. We have seen that quite a few wickets slow down and stroke-play becomes a bit tough. It is important that the top four take advantage of the ball coming on to the bat.”

Kevin Pietersen made 151 as England established a 185-run first-innings lead over Sri Lanka on day three of the second Test

The Report by David Hopps05-Apr-2012
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen acknowledges his century after the controversy•Getty ImagesA century of great bravado, and not a little theatre, by Kevin Pietersen sharpened England’s anticipation of their first Test win of a troubled winter as they took a first-innings lead of 185 runs in the second Test in Colombo.Pietersen brought chaos to Sri Lanka’s ranks with a potent combination of imperious strokeplay and impatient slogs. His 151 came from 165 balls with 16 fours and six sixes and was a flamboyant contradiction of the suspicious, attritional cricket that had gone before. As he struck 88 runs between lunch and tea to transform the game, he batted pretty much as he pleased. “I probably played a bit one-day modish, but I feel as if I’m in very good form so why not,” he said.On a dead pitch that experts galore had agreed made strokeplay almost impossible, Pietersen batted as if such limitations were intended for lesser men, banishing the memories of a demoralising winter. He had been England’s least successful batsman in four Tests in Asia, scoring only 100 runs at 13. To draw supreme confidence from that record was quite something. It does not take much to stir his self-belief.He departed reluctantly, appealing to the DRS for clemency after Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Rangana Herath defeated his paddle shot with a flatter delivery. As reviews go, it was based on little more than the fact that he fancied an encore or two, and replays predictably judged him plumb, but he had provided such flamboyant entertainment that he could be forgiven his indulgence.Herath, who had 1 for 102 at one stage, recovered his poise once Pietersen’s storm had blown out and finished with 6 for 133, his third six-for in successive innings, but there was none of the pleasure he had felt during Sri Lanka’s 75-run win in Galle. There is enough treacherous bounce in this pitch to encourage England’s stronger pace attack and Graeme Swann can expect substantial, if slow turn.There was also a controversial element to Pietersen’s innings when the umpires, Asad Rauf and Bruce Oxenford, clamped down on his unconventional switch hit when he was only two runs away from his 20th Test century, issuing a warning on the dubious grounds that he was changing his stance too early. “To bowl before the bowler delivers is unfair,” Rauf said afterwards. “There is no intention to outlaw the stroke,” Oxenford added.Smart stats

Kevin Pietersen’s century is his first in nine Test innings. Between his 175 against India at The Oval and this knock, he had scored 100 runs in eight innings at 12.50. It is also his highest score in Sri Lanka, surpassing his previous best of 45.

Pietersen’s century is his 20th in Tests, which puts him level with Graham Gooch and Ken Barrington among England batsmen with most hundreds. Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoff Boycott are on top of the list with 22.

This was Pietersen’s ninth 150-plus score in Tests. He is only one behind Hammond and Len Hutton (10 scores) on the list of England batsmen with the most 150-plus scores.

Pietersen’s century is the highest score by an England batsman in Sri Lanka, surpassing Robin Smith’s 128 in 1993. It is also the third-highest score at the P Sara Oval by a visiting batsman.

The strike rate of 91.51 during Pietersen’s 151 is the third-highest for a non-subcontinent batsman and the sixth-highest overall for a visiting batsman in Tests in Sri Lanka.

England’s score is their highest ever in Sri Lanka surpassing their previous best of 387 in Kandy in 2001.

Rangana Herath picked up his third consecutive five-wicket haul and became the second bowler after Daniel Vettori (in 2004) to pick up six wickets in an innings three consecutive times. Herath’s series haul of 18 wickets makes it his highest ever.

England have never lost a Test match after taking a first-innings lead of more than 180. Their highest lead in a losing cause is 177, against Australia at Old Trafford in 1961.

Tillakaratne Dilshan objected to the switch hit, in which Pietersen changes his hands on the bat to become, in effect, a left-hander, and stopped twice in his run-up as he anticipated a repeat. Rauf intervened on the grounds of timewasting – not against Dilshan but Pietersen – and after a conversation with Oxenford warned Pietersen, informing him England would recieve a five-run penalty if he repeated the tactic.Dilshan’s protest came during an over in when Pietersen thrashed his way from 86 to 104. He had unveiled the switch hit in Dilshan’s previous over to combat a defensive leg-stump line and when he was rewarded by a woeful long hop it was apparent that Dilshan, until then Sri Lanka’s most effective bowler, had lost the psychological game.After being told by the umpires that he risked a timewasting penalty, he bided his time, reverse swept again with Dilshan committed to the delivery, and reached his hundred to roars of approval from England’s sizeable contingent of fans. “No dramas,” he said. “They just told me to get my timing right.”Soon afterwards, Ian Bell fell for 18, mistiming a hook to midwicket as a ball from Dhammika Prasad did not get up. It was symptomatic of an innings in which he had rarely timed the ball and he walked off shaking his head at Pietersen’s audacity. Batting alongside Pietersen has a tendency to make you feel inadequate. If Bell felt its full force, so did Matt Prior when he tried to hit Herath down the ground and paid the consequences.For Pietersen, it was all plain sailing. He had been riddled by doubt against Pakistan’s spinners, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, in the Test series in the UAE, but Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers – for all Herath’s recovery – were a grade below that class. When Suraj Randiv attempted an Ajmal-style doosra it pitched halfway down. Pietersen had a life on 82, though, when Prasad deceived him with a slower ball but followed up with an even slower attempt to catch.England produced their most authoritative batting of the winter. They resumed on 154 for 1 and their top three created the platform to enable Pietersen to strut his stuff.Alastair Cook, six runs short of a century, was the only England batsman to fall before lunch. It was Dilshan who did the trick, finding modest turn to have Cook caught by Mahela Jayawardene at slip. Earlier, when Cook had 84 to his name, it was still a surprise to see him dust off a reverse sweep, especially as he had eschewed the conventional variety. The ball deflected off the pad to Jayawardene at leg slip, umpire Rauf showed no interest, and despite innumerable replays the third umpire could discern no sign of a flick of the glove for which Sri Lanka’s captain had appealed.Randiv’s use of DRS for an lbw appeal against Trott, on 42, was even more wasteful. Replays showed an obvious inside edge. Trott communicated this to the umpire with a subtle quizzical look and a peaceful examination of his inside edge, his alibis presented with the tranquillity of his strokeplay. He fell soon after lunch, edging a turning delivery from Herath to slip.Nothing was going right for Sri Lanka. Appeal began to follow appeal, each one of them increasingly absurd. Sri Lanka entered lunch with one more wicket and an urge to study TV replays that would have only brought more disappointment. Pietersen at his most disrespectful was about to inflame them even more.Edited by Alan Gardner

Abdul Qadir, the former Pakistan legspinner, has said he rues the fact that the Lahore-born Imran Tahir went on to play for South Africa and not Pakistan

Umar Farooq29-May-2012Abdul Qadir, the former Pakistan legspinner, has said he rues the fact that the Lahore-born Imran Tahir went on to play for South Africa and not Pakistan. Tahir had met Qadir in Lahore on Tuesday, and will remain in Pakistan for the rest of the week, for personalised training sessions in preparation for South Africa’s tour of England in July.The pair had worked on increasing the variations in Tahir’s bowling. “He is here to enhance his variations, and sought my guidelines regarding the finger googly and using flight as a weapon,” Qadir told ESPNcricinfo. “He is very keen to learn more and I love to help him, because he applies what I teach him. I have only shared the googly information with him and Shahid Afridi.”Qadir is confident of Tahir making an impression in England. “England [have always] struggled against spin bowling a lot, but once it comes to their home conditions, they are good. I have shared my past experiences with Tahir, told him how to counter English batsman in their own conditions … I am optimistic that he will make an impact with his improved bowling.”Tahir, who has played seven Tests for South Africa, played cricket in Pakistan from 1996 to 2006. “My relations with Imran aren’t something new,” Qadir said. “I’ve know this boy since he was playing in the Under-19 team here; he had tremendous talent and I was urging the [Pakistan] board to try him. I still regret not having this boy in Pakistan colours, but I am proud of him.”Tahir was once part of the Pakistan A team and was one of the popular legspinners on the Pakistani domestic circuit in 90s. He was team-mates with Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq in 1996, in the Under-19 squad that played against England and Australia.”He has played an ample amount of cricket in Pakistan, it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t have him playing for Pakistan,” Qadir said. “He was so hardworking and a good learner, and always wanted to play cricket on the big stage. He eventually got there, where he always wanted to get.”This is not the first time he has come up to me for tips, he was consistently in touch with me and always visits me when he is here in Lahore.”

Sri Lanka secured a place in the tri-series finals with a tense victory over Australia

The Report by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG02-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDaniel Christian picked up a hat-trick, but it was Sri Lanka who finished on top•Getty ImagesSri Lanka entered this match with their fate in their own hands. It turns out those are pretty safe hands. Not even a hat-trick from Daniel Christian, a four-wicket comeback from James Pattinson, a captain’s half-century from Shane Watson or a remarkable, late, fighting fifty from David Hussey could prevent Sri Lanka from winning the last qualifying match at the MCG. Lasith Malinga led a strong bowling performance to complete Sri Lanka’s nine-run victory, which propelled them into the tri-series finals.No doubt Australia were disappointed, for they must now enter the best-of-three deciders knowing they have lost their previous three games to their Sri Lankan opponents. But India would have been even more gutted. An Australia win would have sent Sri Lanka packing and secured India a place in the finals. Instead, MS Dhoni’s men will now fly home at the weekend, ending a disheartening three-month tour.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have a chance to win a tri-series in Australia for the first time at their ninth attempt. Their total of 238 at the MCG, set up by half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal, Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne, seemed a fraction skinny on what looked like a reasonable batting surface. But despite losing Thisara Perera to injury during his first over, Sri Lanka’s total proved defendable with Malinga in their attack.Not that it was straightforward. Hussey’s run-a-ball 74 nearly snatched victory for Australia. They needed 10 runs from the final over, bowled by Kulasekara, but Hussey holed out to long-off from the first ball of it and Sri Lanka celebrated. They had been on top early, when Australia were 3 for 26 after Malinga and Kulasekara troubled the top order, but then Australia fought back.Batting at first drop, the stand-in captain Watson – Michael Clarke was not risked ahead of the finals – led Australia’s fightback with a solid, composed 65 and he had good support from Michael Hussey (29). But once their 87-run stand was broken, Australia struggled again.Michael Hussey has proven a handy partnership breaker with his slow-medium bowling recently and this time he was on the receiving end of a similar ploy, as Thirimanne drew an edge behind that was well taken by Sangakkara. It was Thirimanne’s first international wicket and his second in all List A cricket, and importantly for Sri Lanka it was followed a few overs later by the departure of Watson.Watson had brought up his half-century from his 61st delivery with a straight drive off Thirimanne and he had been strong when the bowlers had strayed too straight, but he was in no particular hurry. His innings, an encouraging one in his second match back from a long injury lay-off, ended when he played all around a fast, straight Malinga ball that knocked middle stump out of the ground.David Hussey kept Australia afloat and did a fine job but his partners gradually dwindled. His fifth half-century of the series shot him to the top of the tournament runs tally but it wasn’t quite enough for Australia, whose innings started with the loss of both David Warner and Matthew Wade, who had been reunited as the opening pair. Warner (6) slapped Malinga to short cover, a strange shot to a ball that sat up on him, and Wade was lbw for 9 to Kulasekara, before Peter Forrest tickled a catch behind for 2 when he tried to cut Malinga.Smart stats

Sri Lanka beat Australia for the third time in the series. This is the first ever series in which Sri Lanka have managed three wins over Australia.

Daniel Christian became the fourth Australia bowler overall and the first since Brett Lee (2003 World Cup) to pick up an ODI hat-trick. He became only the fourth bowler after Shahadat Hossain, Shane Bond and Lasith Malinga to pick up a hat-trick in a defeat.

Christian’s 5 for 31 is the third-best bowling performance for an Australia bowler in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Mitchell Johnson holds the record with 6 for 31 in Pallekele in 2011.

For the fourth time against Sri Lanka and the 11th time overall, two Australia bowlers picked up four or more wickets in an innings. The last time this happened was in Colombo in 2011.

David Hussey scored his fifth half-century of the series. He became the ninth Australia batsman to score five or more fifty-plus scores in the Australian tri-series. Mark Waugh and Dean Jones have achieved the feat twice.

The 123-run stand between Kumar Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal is the third-highest third-wicket stand for Sri Lanka in ODIs against Australia.

The target of 239 is the third-lowest that Australia have failed to chase down against Sri Lanka and the second-lowest in Melbourne after the 222 in 2008.

Shane Watson improved on his tremendous record in ODI chases. In chases, he now averages 59.10 with five centuries and 12 fifties.

It was just the start Sri Lanka needed in the field after posting 238. Their three half-centuries at the top of the order made for a lopsided scorecard as the lower order struggled, especially against Christian, who collected a career-best 5 for 31 and wrote himself into the record books as the first player from Australia since Brett Lee in 2003 to take an ODI hat-trick, and the fourth overall alongside Lee, Bruce Reid and Anthony Stuart.Christian was mobbed by his team-mates after completing the feat, which began when Thisara Perera skied a ball and was taken at deep midwicket by Michael Hussey, who caught the ball inside play, tossed it up before he fell over the rope and completed the catch after stepping back in. The ball had gone so high that the batsmen had crossed twice, leaving the new man Sachithra Senanayake on strike instead of the established Thirimanne.Senanayake was lbw first ball and replays indicated the ball would have gone on to hit leg stump. The same could not have been said for the next delivery. Rod Tucker raised his finger to give Kulasekara lbw but the ball appeared to be sliding down leg side and replays confirmed it was a poor decision. Christian didn’t care. It was a hat-trick, and they are rare.Thirimanne (51) was good enough to help Sri Lanka survive their quota of overs, falling only in the penultimate over when he played on while trying to paddle sweep Pattinson. Rangana Herath remained 14 not out and Malinga was bowled off the last ball of the innings to give Christian his fifth wicket.By batting out their time Sri Lanka ensured that the efforts of Sangakkara and Chandimal were not wasted. They had put on 123 for the third wicket and Chandimal was the more aggressive partner. He continued his good series and brought up his fifty off his 47th delivery with a glanced single off Clint McKay, before Sangakkara registered his in the same over from his 79th ball. Throughout his innings, Sangakkara had been in no hurry and didn’t score a boundary until his 55th delivery, when he punched Ben Hilfenhaus forward of point.His runs came largely through ones and twos and it was an important stabilising performance after Sri Lanka were 2 for 17. Sangakkara fell for 64 when he top-edged a pull off Pattinson, and his departure slowed Chandimal down. Chandimal was out for 75 from 84 when he too was beaten by the pace of Pattinson, lobbing a ball to mid-off.Chandimal had been willing to play his strokes and he brought the crowd to life with a muscular hit that sailed straight over the head of the bowler Christian and crashed into the sightscreen. Another followed off the spin of Xavier Doherty, over long-on this time, and Chandimal spent most of his time hovering around the run-a-ball mark.As it turned out, the Chandimal-Sangakkara combination was just what Sri Lanka needed after Mahela Jayawardene was run out early thanks to a poor call by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who followed by edging Pattinson behind. At that point, Sri Lanka were wobbling. But they will enter the finals with stability, and form against Australia, on their side.Edited by Nikita Bastian