Root ‘fed up’ with England’s off-field dramas
1-115, 2-328, 3-354, 4-392
D. Karthik, M. Pandey, B. Kumar, W. Sundar, J. Bumrah, Y. Chahal
Mathews 4-1-9-0, Lakmal 8-071-0 (w1), Perera 8-0-80-3 (w1), Pradeep 10-0-106-0 (w3), Dananjaya 10-0-51-0 (w1), Pathirana 9-0-63-1 (w3), Gunaratne 1-0-10-0 (w2)
(target 393) D. Gunathilaka c Dhoni b Bumrah U. Tharanga c Karthik b Pandya L. Thirimanne b Sundar A. Mathews not out N. Dickwella c Sundar b Chahal A. Gunaratne st Dhoni b Chahal T. Perera c Dhoni b Chahal S. Pathirana c Dhawan b Kumar A. Dananjaya c Sharma b Bumrah S. Lakmal not out
(lb2, w9) 1-15, 2-30, 3-62, 4-115, 5-159, 6-166, 7-180, 8-207 N. Pradeep Kumar 9-0-40-1 (w2), Pandya 10-0-39-1, Bumrah 10-0-43-2 (w2), Sundar 10-0-65-1, Chahal 10-0-60-3 (w5), Iyer 1-0-2-0 Sri Lanka India won by 141 runs Three-match series level at 1-1 CK Nandan (IND) and Paul Reiffel (AUS) Simon Fry (AUS) Jeff Crowe (NZL) 16 7 21 111 22 34 5 2 11 11 11
perth — Joe Root’s first Ashes tour as England cricket captain has been more eventful than he expected, just not in the way he had hoped.
“I knew it would be challenging, and I knew there would be stuff around the cricket, but not to this extent,” Root said of the off-field issues that have followed his squad around Australia. “I’m fed up of talking about stuff that’s not cricket. I don’t know how I’ve still got all my hair ... I can completely see how captaincy can take its toll.”
England trails the five-test series 2-0 after losses in Brisbane and Adelaide. Australia can clinch the series with a win at the Waca in a match that will also mark England opener Alastair Cook’s 150th test, and the last as the stadium’s premier cricket venue in Perth.
Skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday became the first batsman to hit three double centuries in oneday internationals as he powered India to a 141-run win over Sri Lanka in the second match on Wednesday.
Sharma’s unbeaten 208 steered the hosts to an imposing 392-4 and then restricted Sri Lanka to 251-8 to level the three-match series at 1-1 in Mohali.
His epic knock, laced with 12 sixes and 13 fours in 153-ball stay, led the Indian charge after they were invited to bat first in overcast conditions.
Sharma reached 200 in the 50th over, bowled by opposition skipper Thisara Perera. His first hundred came off 115 balls, and his second off just 38 balls.
“It was a great day. Winning the game was important for me and the team after that loss in Dharamsala,” Sharma said after his first win as Indian captain.
“In the first two 200s as well I got the century in the 38th over and I kept telling myself to hold my shape and hit through the line. “I did pretty similar things in the earlier ones too — getting 50 off 70 balls. This wicket was superb to start off, the longer I stayed the easier it became to bat on,” said Sharma.
The right-hander scored 209 against Australia in Bangalore in 2013, and followed that doublehundred with his highest score of 264 against Sri Lanka a year later in Kolkata.
Martin Guptill (New Zealand), Virender Sehwag (India), Chris Gayle (West Indies) and Sachin Tendulkar (India) have recorded a double century each in ODI cricket. Sharma made a bright start with his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan (68) after the Indian batsmen’s horror showing in the opening ODI, when they Feb 24, 2010
Only one team in Ashes history has rallied from 2-0 down to win the series: Don Bradman’s Australia in 1936-37 at home. England has only ever had one win at the Waca, in the 1978-79 series.
Root has faced more questions about the team’s conduct and curfew than its cricket. Ben Stokes’ involvement in an incident outside a bar in England in September has resulted in the allrounder being suspended from England duties while police determine whether charges will be laid.
Recent alcohol-fuelled incidents involving wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and Ben Duckett, who is traveling with England’s secondtier squad, have only added to the focus on off-field issues.
The latest episode, in which Duckett poured a drink on the Dec 8, 2011 Nov 2, 2013
> Australia vs England third Test (at Perth)
06:30AM (UAE TIME) were skittled out for just 112.
“All three came at crucial times. 264 is obviously very close to me. I’ve said it many times, but I honestly cannot pick one,” Sharma said of his three double tons.
“The Australia one was a decider, the Sri Lanka 264 — I came back after a three-month layoff after a big injury, and this one also — after a humiliating loss, we wanted to come back as a team, as a batting unit especially.”
Sharma’s 213-run stand for the second wicket with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 88, also stood out on a hazy day in Mohali.
Dhawan, who hit nine boundaries during his 67-ball knock, was caught at mid-wicket off Sachith Pathirana.
The wicket though proved to be a minor blemish on India’s innings as Sharma dominated the bowlers with the attack-minded Iyer for company.
Iyer also changed gears after completing his maiden fifty in just his second ODI, smashing the Sri Lankan bowlers around the park.
Perera got three wickets with his medium-pace bowling but was still hit around the park by Sharma. Sri Lanka were never in the chase after losing their openers for just 30 runs as Angelo Mathews top-scored with an unbeaten 111. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal claimed three wickets.
“We had a plan A, B and C but none of that clicked for us which was the most important thing,” said Perera.
“If you want to chase a score as big as this, you need starts and scores in the middle order as well. But none of it clicked for us.
“Angelo did really well for us, but it wasn’t enough. We’ll come back hard in the decider,” he said.
The third and deciding match will be played in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. — Nov 13, 2014 head of veteran pace bowler Jimmy Anderson, came on a night when team officials had relaxed a midnight curfew.
“I feel like I’ve learned a large amount.” Root said. “The lads have to wake up and smarten up. It’s been frustrating ... very frustrating. Guys have made silly mistakes that of course are going to get blown out of proportion.”
Root, who took over the captaincy in July and led England in seven tests against South Africa and the West Indies at home, is desperate to avoid a repeat of the series sweep on the last tour to Feb 24, 2015 Mar 22, 2015 Dec 13, 2017 Australia in 2013-14 and is urging his teammates to lift “for one of the biggest games of our lives” in the third test.
England retained the same lineup from the second test, with one change in the batting order to promote Jonny Bairstow to No. 6 in a direct switch with Moeen Al, who drops back to No. 7. Root will be looking for support from Cook, already England’s most-capped test player, who has no plans to retire just yet.
Cook has been below form so far on the Ashes tour. In Brisbane he made nine runs and in Adelaide 37 and 16. Another player in a form slump is Australian batsman Peter Handscomb, who is facing being axed for the third test. Local media have suggested selectors will replace Handscomb with tall Western Australia allrounder Mitch Marsh. — Printed and Published by Galadari Printing & Publishing (LLC), P.O. Box 11243, Dubai. Telephone: 3383535/ 3384545. Telefax: 3382238/ 3383676. email: sports@khaleejtimes.com Internet Home Page: www.khaleejtimes.com