Mathews ruled out of Bangladesh tour

Colombo (AFP): Sri Lanka’s limited-overs skipper Angelo Mathews has been ruled out of the rest of the Bangladesh tour due to a hamstring injury, the country’s cricket board said Tuesday. 

Mathews, who sustained the injury during the tri-nation ODI tournament that Sri Lanka won in Bangladesh last month, will miss the second and final Test against the hosts as well as the two subsequent T20 matches. 

Mathews, 30, was recently named as Sri Lanka’s captain in the shorter format until the 2019 World Cup. 

But he has been beset by injuries and now faces a race against time to be fit for a T20 tri-nation tournament at home involving Bangladesh and India. 

The tri-series will be played at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium from 8 March. 

Mathews has suffered “a right hamstring tightness (and) will not take part in the two T20 matches”, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement. 

“His participation in the Nidahas Trophy 2018 will be decided after an assessment of his medical conditions.” Thisara Perera is likely to stand in as captain for the two T20 games in Bangladesh on February 15 and 18.  Mathews’ absence from the deciding Test starting Thursday is unlikely to trouble Sri Lankan plans given their dominant batting performance in the drawn first game in Chittagong. 

Sri Lanka’s top-order fired in their only innings, with three of their batsmen hitting centuries including a fine 196 by Kusal Mendis to post a mammoth 713-9 declared.  Bangladesh have already indicated a change in strategy for the deciding game after adding strength to their batting by bringing in Sabbir Rahman. 

Veteran left-arm spinner Abdur Razzaq is also expected to make the starting XI in Dhaka. Bangladesh have been a dominant side at homeafter registering memorable Test wins against England and Australia in the 2016-17 season. Their only Test win against Sri Lanka came in their landmark 100th Test in Colombo, when the visitors drew the two-match series 1-1. 

Former captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored 92 in the first Test in Chittagong, said the team had “every chance to win the series 1-0”.  “In the last Test, bowlers did not get the purchase from the wicket, that’s why they could not be effective,” the senior batsman said Tuesday. “Hopefully the Mirpur wicket will be different. I have full faith in our bowling department. We have good memories here as we beat both England and Australia in Dhaka, so obviously the team will be confident.” 

ICC criticises Bangladesh Test pitch after run spree

DHAKA, AFP:  The International Cricket Council on Tuesday penalised the “below average” pitch in Chittagong after batsmen plundered more than 1,500 runs during last week’s Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 

Five centuries and six half-centuries were smashed over five days at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium before the teams accepted a draw in the opening Test of the two-match series. 

Sri Lanka -- who declared at a colossal 713 for nine in their first and only innings -- criticised the pitch after the match. 

ICC match referee David Boon said the pitch “provided no seam movement to the fast bowlers with the new ball and also lacked carry and bounce throughout the match.” He added that the pitch provided “occasional slow turn for the spinners early on” but did not deteriorate as expected over the course of the Test. 

That resulted “in a pitch that too heavily favoured the batsmen across the five days,” Boon said in an ICC statement issued Tuesday. 

Cricket’s governing body gave one demerit point to the Chittagong pitch, rating it “below average”. 

Any ground that receives five demerits from the ICC over five years is suspended from hosting international cricket for a year. 

Chittagong is the second Bangladeshi venue to be rebuked in just half a year. In September, the ICC rated the outfield of Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium “poor” after the hosts defeated Australia by 20 runs in a Test match.