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Stats highlights from the Group A match between Australia and Sri Lanka in Sydney

Shiva Jayaraman08-Mar-20153:26

Insights: Best World Cup for No. 5 batsmen

51 Balls taken by Glenn Maxwell for his hundred – the second-fastest in World Cups after Kevin O’Brien’s 50-ball hundred against England in 2011. Maxwell took one ball less than AB de Villiers, who hit a 52-ball hundred against West Indies earlier in this World Cup. This is the fastest ODI hundred by an Australia batsman beating James Faulkner’s 57-ball century against India in 2013.2 Number of hundreds by Australia’s No. 5 in World Cups before Maxwell’s. Brad Hodge was the last one to hit a century at that position for Australia, against Netherlands in 2007. The first such hundred was the famous Steve Waugh century against South Africa in 1999.5 Centuries by No. 5 batsmen in this World Cup – the most, by far in any World Cup. Along with Maxwell , there have been centuries by David Miller, Mahela Jayawardene, AB de Villiers and Brendan Taylor batting at No. 5. The 1996 World Cup saw two such hundreds – by Vinod Kambli and Chris Harris. The other World Cups have had only one such hundred each at most.195.12 Strike rate of the partnership between Maxwell and Shane Watson – the second highest in a century partnership by an Australian pair in ODIs. Mitchell Marsh and Maxwell had added 109 runs at a strike rate of 201.85 against Zimbabwe last year, which is the highest. Overall, this is the third-highest strike rate in a stand of 150 or more in ODIs. De Villiers and Hashim Amla had added 192 runs at a strike rate of 286.56 against West Indies in this World Cup which is the highest.1 Batsmen to complete 14000 ODI runs before Kumar Sangakkara; Sangakkara has taken 378 innings to Sachin Tendulkar’s 350 to pass the landmark. Like Sangakkar, Tendulkar had also passed the milestone with a century, against Pakistan in 2006.0 Number of batsmen to have scored three consecutive centuries in a World Cup. Kumar Sangakkara is the first batsman to do so. Only three other batsmen have scored three hundreds in a World Cup before him – Mark Waugh in 1996, Sourav Ganguly in 2003 and Matthew Hayden in 2007. Overall, six other batsmen have hit three consecutive centuries in ODIs.24 Runs plundered off Mitchell Johnson’s third over by Tillakaratne Dilshan. This was just two runs short of the most conceded by an Australia bowler in an ODI. Three Australian bowlers – Simon Davis, Craig McDermott and Xavier Doherty have each conceded 26 runs off one over.0 Number of hundreds Sangakkara had in his first-25 innings in the World Cup. He had scored 778 runs at an average of 40.94 with six fifties. His last-eight World Cup innings have produced four centuries and one fifty and he has scored 585 runs at 97.50.160 Runs added by Maxwell and Watson – the second-highest fifth-wicket partnership in World Cups. The highest had also come in this World Cup – an unbeaten 256-run stand between JP Duminy and Miller against Zimbabwe. This was also Australia’s third-highest fifth-wicket partnership in ODIs.92.30 Maxwell’s strike rate against Lasith Malinga, who took 2 for 59 from his 10 overs. Malinga bowled 13 deliveries to Maxwell and conceded only 12 runs, while the other Sri Lanka bowlers collectively conceded 90 off 40 balls. While Maxwell hit only one four off Malinga, the other bowlers were hit for nine fours and four sixes in 40 balls.

Glenn Maxwell v Sri Lanka bowlers

4s 6s Dismissal Runs Balls SRLasith Malinga 1 0 0 12 13 92.30v other SL bowlers 9 4 1 90 40 225.0022 Balls taken by Dinesh Chandimal to hit his fifty in this match – Sri Lanka’s second fastest in ODIs. Sanath Jayasuriya’s 17-ball fifty against Pakistan in 1996 is their fastest. The fastest Chandimal had completed his fifty before this match in international cricket was off 40 balls, against Pakistan in a T20 international.1 Number of times a team had scored 300 chasing in a losing cause in the World Cup before Sri Lanka in this match. Zimbabwe had scored 326 all out against Ireland just two matches earlier.376 Total conceded by Sri Lanka in this match – the highest conceded by them in World Cups, beating the 373 for 6 scored by India in Taunton in 1999. This was also the third-highest total scored against Sri Lanka in ODIs. This was also Australia’s fourth-highest total in ODIs, but only their third highest in World Cups.* An erroneous stat on Mitchell Starc’s economy was removed from the piece

As they look to land an act of transfer genius once again, Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly closely following a former Premier League winner who has stolen plenty of headlines since leaving England.

Brighton transfer news

The Seagulls are continuing to defy the odds. Even when some thought Roberto De Zerbi’s exit could at least stall their incredible rise, Fabian Hurzeler emerged from Germany’s second tier to take charge.

On paper, the arrival of a 31-year-old looked a step too far for Brighton; a risk too great to work out. But eight games into the season, the Premier League’s youngest manager has enjoyed victories over Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United as well as a draw against title contenders Arsenal. Brighton have once again plucked a gem from nowhere like they have so often in the player market too.

Those in Sussex may yet steal further headlines in 2025 too, especially if they welcome a Premier League winner back to the Premier League amid his recent rise away from English football.

According to reports in Spain, Brighton are closely following Takumi Minamino, who Hurzeler believes is the perfect fit for his side at the Amex. The winger swapped Liverpool for AS Monaco in 2022 and has been back to his best ever since after being limited to a squad role at Anfield.

Leaving the Reds as somewhat of a cult hero having played a large part in their domestic cup success as well as a hand in Premier League victory, Minamino may now get the chance to complete unfinished business courtesy of Brighton.

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Now 29 years old and someone who has won every trophy there is to win in English football, the Japan star can join international teammate Kaoru Mitoma and former Liverpool teammate James Milner to offer key experience within a relatively young squad.

"Composed" Minamino is ready for Premier League return

Although his time at Liverpool didn’t go exactly to plan despite coming away with a number of winners’ medals, Minamino has battled back well at Monaco and is now ready to take the Premier League by storm.

Helping the French side to an excellent start in Ligue 1, where they sit top and unbeaten, the winger has scored three goals and assisted a further two in all competitions to follow up on last season’s nine goals and six assists. It’s a rise that some may have seen coming in and around Liverpool even as he struggled for game time, with The Tactical Times dubbing the forward “unnaturally composed” in 2021.

As Brighton continue to make progress under Hurzeler, Minamino represents an ideal option to turn to when 2025 arrives.

In what would send quite the statement, Arsenal are now reportedly battling to beat Real Madrid in the race to sign one of Europe’s best players for Mikel Arteta and his side next summer.

Arsenal transfer news

The Gunners are well and truly back among Europe’s elite both on and off the pitch, putting an era of moments to forget behind them and looking ahead as they look to make it third time lucky in their pursuit of dethroning Premier League champions Manchester City.

On that front, it’s been a case of so far, so good. Those at the Emirates have put themselves straight into the title picture once again in a battle only set to heat up between themselves, City and Liverpool.

The Gunners’ project is one that is still in its infancy, and those in north London could yet welcome further additions to take things up yet another level under Arteta – especially if they beat Real Madrid to a star man on both of their respective radars.

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According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are now battling Real Madrid to sign Florian Wirtz, who has also attracted the interest of Premier League rivals Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Such interest in the Bayer Leverkusen star should come as little surprise. The German played a starring role as Xabi Alonso’s side remained invincible in domestic action last season to win the Bundesliga in historic fashion, suffering their only defeat in all competitions against Atalanta in the Europa League final. Since picking up where he left off, Wirtz could soon be on the move.

"Incredible" Wirtz would take Arsenal up a level

The idea of Wirtz partnering up with Martin Odegaard within Arsenal’s attack is a mouth-watering prospect, enough for the German to become one to watch in 2025.

The Bayer Leverkusen star was simply on another level to most in the last campaign, and at just 21 years old, there is no limit to what the £72,000-a-week ace could go on and achieve in either German or English football – and potentially at Arsenal for years to come.

Goals

11

8

Assists

11

10

Key passes

73

102

Expected goals

8.9

7.4

Already earning the praise of those in English football, Joe Cole told TNT Sports last season: “Incredible. I’ve watched him three times this year now and he’s blown me away every time.

“He’s got a South American flair with a German efficiency about him. We’ve all heard of Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, and [Jamal] Musiala. This lad will be new to the British viewers. Let me tell you, he is every bit as talented as those players. He could go on to be anything.”

He was also a notable administrator and the selector who identified Shivnarine Chanderpaul

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2022David Holford, former West Indies allrounder, has died in Barbados, his homeland, at the age of 82. Reports indicate he was ailing for some time. He was a legspinner and lower-middle-order batter who featured for West Indies in 24 Tests between 1966 and 1977, picking up 51 wickets and scoring 768 runs with a hundred to his name.He captained Barbados in the 1970s and led them to five Shell Shield titles. He also represented Trinidad and Tobago.Holford was the first cricketer to score 1000 runs and pick 100 wickets in the competition. He also featured in the Kerry Packer series in 1978.The highlight of his career came when he made a disciplined 32 while sharing a 127-run stand with his cousin Garfield Sobers against England at Old Trafford in 1966. He spoke later about the knock and his fondest memory, picking up Fred Titmus as his first international scalp, in this interview.Garry Sobers and David Holford during their mammoth partnership at Lord’s•PA Photos

In the following test at Lord’s, he made a match-saving 105, coming in with West Indies in trouble at 95 for 5 the second innings, with another big partnership with Sobers. This time, it was an unbroken 260 run-stand that bailed them out. West Indies went on to win that series 3-1.With the ball, his career-best was the 5 for 23 against India at his home ground in Barbados in 1975.His career was preluded by leaving Harrison college and becoming a member of the Spartan Club. Post-retirement, he went back there as President. Furthermore, the positions he held included Director of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), Chairman of the Selection Committee and Manager of the West Indies team in the 1990s.BCA president, Conde Riley, paid tribute to Holford’s contributions to Barbados.”As an administrator, David was a no-nonsense person,” he said. “He always spoke about what Barbados’ cricket meant to Barbados and he paid a lot of attention to the preparation of our national teams.”As chairman of the West Indies selection panel, he was responsible for picking Shivnarine Chanderpaul at a very young age and the rest is history.”Ricky Skerritt, President of Cricket West Indies, fondly remembered Holford and showered heaps of praise.”David Holford epitomized the values of cricket both on and off the field, and was the quintessential West Indies cricketer and ambassador. As a player, he was a top-quality allrounder and captain who gave his utmost at all levels.”He had a hand in the development of several young players across the region, not just in cricket but in several other fields of endeavour. David’s legacy is therefore one of service and dedication to Barbados and West Indies cricket. CWI hereby extends our deepest condolences to his wife, Marva, and all family and friends.”

In 2024/25, Newcastle United would view a poor campaign as one that concludes without a concerted shot at silverware and without qualifying for next year’s European competition.

How things have changed. Eddie Howe has been the architect of something special since his appointment shortly after the lucrative PIF takeover.

But we need only cast our mind back across the past 15 seasons and view two Toon relegations from the Premier League – with plenty of near misses and disappointing finishes throughout.

Oh sure, Newcastle have deeper pockets than once before, but the errant strategy has also been swatted away. High-profile signings of players such as Sven Botman, Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon have hit the mark.

It wasn’t always the case, with money spent hastily and efforts to land top targets falling short. The transfer of Gabriel Obertan is one such case – just wait until you hear who could have been signed instead.

Why Newcastle signed Gabriel Obertan

It was the summer of 2011, and Newcastle were about to be treated to a season of Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba-fuelled wonder, so it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

But not everything worked out all dandy. That same summer, Obertan moved to Newcastle from Manchester United in a deal worth £3m. The 22-year-old had featured 21 times for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils after emerging from the youth ranks, but he scored just one goal and patently needed a fresh lease of life.

Newcastle struggled to give him the conditions he needed – and vice versa, in a way. But it didn’t work out in any case, with Obertan suffering injury misfortune and failing to grow into the player that Ferguson thought he might become, having once hailed him as an “exciting prospect”.

And it was luckless fitness dips that proved to form the crux of Obertan’s woes at St. James’ Park, for he was scarcely found in the starting lineup in the Premier League and failed to hit the consistency that would have earned him the right kind of form.

Indeed, Obertan scored three goals and added ten assists across 77 matches for Newcastle, meaning that he technically cost the club £1m per goal.

15/16

6 (4)

0

1

14/15

16 (11)

1

2

13/14

5 (0)

0

0

12/13

24 (14)

1

3

11/12

26 (19)

2

4

Grim reading, especially when considering the track that Newcastle took to secure the Frenchman’s signature. Mike Ashley’s Magpies were unable to cash in on their wayward venture due to his issues, and thus he trundled through his contract and departed on a free in 2016, having not returned to the Premier League since.

It could have been so different, for Newcastle could have signed Mohamed Salah instead…

When Newcastle missed out on Mohamed Salah

It’s a well-known name on the English scene. Salah has been the veritable lifeforce of Liverpool’s frontline throughout an illustrious point in their history, notably winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup under Jurgen Klopp’s wing.

One of the Premier League’s finest forwards, Salah, aged 32, has scored 160 goals and supplied 72 assists across 267 matches in England’s top flight, principally for Liverpool but also, briefly, for Chelsea.

The Egypt international is widely regarded as a “world-class” player, as Klopp states below, but he really could have enjoyed his rise and rise as a Magpie – just think of the difference it could have made over the past decade.

It dates back to the winger’s humble beginnings in his homeland, with Al Mokawloon, one of Egypt’s most prestigious outfits. Newcastle had noted his potential and wanted to bring him across the seas and allow him to cut his teeth in the Premier League.

There’s no word of mouth here, the news came from the man himself, who said back in 2011: “Newcastle will soon make an official offer to sign me for one season. I don’t think contractors will refuse to let me play in the English Premier League. It’s a dream for any player to play in one of the strongest league competitions in the world.”

It, obviously, didn’t work out. Salah would move to FC Basel and hone his craft in Switzerland before catching Chelsea’s attention and transferring to the Premier League for an £11m fee in 2014.

But just think of what could have been. Salah has become one of Europe’s most devastating players at Anfield and actually emerged as the Saudi Pro League’s top transfer target in 2023, with Al Ittihad willing to pay £150m for his services – this was rejected by Liverpool who clearly valued him even higher.

Newcastle have had to live with the fact that they opted against signing Salah way back when. Let’s face it, the young talent was awestruck by the prospect of donning the black and white stripes and would have boarded the first plane had Ashley’s outfit followed up their interest with a bid.

He signed for Basel in 2012 for an undisclosed figure that can’t have been much more than was paid for Obertan at Newcastle one year earlier, so it would take a brave football fanatic to stake a convincing argument as to why, in hindsight, the Magpies decided not to swoop.

Anyway, it’s all water under a bridge. Newcastle are on the up and are targetting new levels of success once again this season – deals like this one matter little now, but it’s a stark reminder not to deviate from the thriving strategy of modern times.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have made some impressive signings over the past few seasons. Since they returned to the Premier League in 2018/19, they have not spent heavily, but have signed some quality players and managed to sell them on for a superb profit. The likes of Pedro Neto spring to mind, whom they sold to Chelsea for £51m.

This has certainly been a consistent transfer policy for the Midlands club, and other players who fit that include the likes of Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes, who now play their trade for Al Hilal and Manchester City, respectively. Their current squad certainly has players who fit such a mould, too.

Wolves’ recent major signings

Over the course of the past few seasons, the Old Gold have brought in several enterprising players to Molineux, who have put in some important contributions to their survival in the Premier League.

One of those players is Matheus Cunha. He cost £43m from Atletico Madrid, a deal that went through in the summer of 2023, after moving to Molineux on an initial loan deal in the previous winter transfer window. He has been superb for the club so far, last season scoring 12 goals and registering seven assists.

The Brazilian attacker was the Old Gold’s leading scorer and leading assist-maker last campaign, finishing with 19 goals and assists in the Premier League in total, as per Sofascore. Finishing slightly behind him was South Korean attacker Hwang Hee-chan.

The 28-year-old cost the Old Gold £14m from RB Leipzig, also joining the club on an initial loan deal, as Cunha did. He was also impressive last season, scoring 12 goals and registering three assists in 29 Premier League games.

Player

Number of G/A

Matheus Cunha

19

Hwang Hee-chan

15

Pablo Sarabia

11

Pedro Neto

11

Mario Lemina

5

Other notable additions for Wolves over the past few seasons include the likes of midfielder Joao Gomes and experienced attacker Pablo Sarabia. However, one player who has not lived up to expectations since joining the Old Gold is Sasa Kalajdzic.

Sasa Kalajdzic’s Wolves career so far

It has been an incredibly tough career at Molineux so far for 27-year-old striker Kalajdzic. He has been sadly plagued by injuries and has not really been able to show the form he did at his former club, VFB Stuttgart.

The Old Gold signed the attacker from the German club in 2022, for a fee in the region of £15m. This deal came off the back of 24 goals and 12 assists in 60 games for Stuttgart, including 16 Bundesliga goals in 33 games in 2020/21.

He was previously linked with Borussia Dortmund, and the German giants believed that he could be their long-term replacement for Manchester City star Erling Haaland. Standing at 6 foot 7, the similarities between the deadly City marksman and the Austrian centre-forward are clear to see.

Eventually, it was Wolves who managed to bring the striker to the club. However, almost immediately he suffered a terrible anterior cruciate ligament injury which saw him out for the remainder of the season.

The 27-year-old returned the following campaign but struggled to find form so was loaned out back to the Bundesliga, to Eintracht Frankfurt the following season. Sadly, he managed just six games before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury once again. It is an injury he is still sidelined with, and is now back at Molineux to undergo rehab.

It is incredibly frustrating for both Kalajdzic and Wolves that he has not been able to live up to the hype he came with, and has struggled so much with injury issues.

So far, the Austrian has played just 14 games for the Midlands outfit scoring three goals and registering one assist. In that same time frame, Haaland has scored 97 goals in 102 games for City.

There is no doubt that Wolves will hope their number 18 can overcome his recurring injury issues and rediscover his best form, with the aim of getting him back to the type of player who was once touted to fill the shoes of Haaland.

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Barcelona are reportedly keeping a watchful eye on Aston Villa's reported interest in Celta Vigo's Oscar Mingueza amid their financial troubles.

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Barcelona in deep financial strife Keeping an eye on Villa's interest in Mingueza Celta Vigo transfer may help them financially Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Villa are reportedly trying to sign versatile Celta Vigo defender Mingueza in January, which could help Barcelona financially. According to Mundo Deportivo, the 25-year-old, who joined Vigo from Barca in 2022, has a €20 million (£16.5m) release clause, and if he is sold, 50 per cent of those funds will go to the Catalan outfit.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Barcelona have tried and failed to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor for the second half of the season but they do not have the funds to do so at present. Therefore, a cash injection such as Mingueza's would be a welcome boost and can help solve the Spanish team's financial concerns.

DID YOU KNOW?

The report claims that Barca have an option to buy their former academy player back for €10m (£8.5m) but they won't do that as they need to urgently raise funds to register Olmo and Victor.

GettyWHAT NEXT?

Amid these financial troubles, Barca are next in La Liga action on January 18 away to Getafe.

Marcus Stoinis’ takedown of Haris Rauf – and not Pakistan’s lapses in the field – was the turning point in a wildly fluctuating semi-final, according to Matthew Wade.Wade was dropped on 12 by Hasan Ali in the outfield when he miscued a slog in the penultimate over of Australia’s chase of 177. Wade then hit the next three balls for sixes as Australia snatched victory, with an over and five wickets to spare.”I don’t think any of them [the drop and missed run-out chances] were the turning points of the match,” Wade said at the post-match press conference. “I think the way Marcus Stoinis batted at the end, to be honest, was probably the turning point of the match.”I think when I came out there, he might have hit the spinner [Shadab Khan] for six, the first ball when I got out there. I think that kind of play, in my eyes, he’s really gutsy in those decisions that you make out in the middle, win you games. He could’ve easily blocked that ball he went for, hit a six and then that total comes down a little bit more.”But I think the turning point of the game I thought was Marcus’s over against Rauf. I thought that kind of swung the momentum our way and gave us an opportunity to win the game. It’s just an easy thing to do to focus in on missed chances. Yes, maybe it would have gone down late in the last over, but I’m still confident we could have gone home.”

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Wade usually opens in the BBL, as does Stoinis, but on Thursday the pair sealed a tense chase without panicking. When they came together, Australia required 81 off 46 balls. They finished it off with an over to spare. Wade put down their success to “confidence” and work put in behind the scenes.”It’s confidence, I think. Confidence in your ability to be able to finish the game,” Wade said. “To be able to bat with Marcus has been awesome. Obviously [I’ve] played a lot of cricket with him at Victoria and early on in his career. Obviously saw him grow into the cricketer he is today.”To go out and bat with him certainly gives you a lot of confidence. I know if I can just hang with him for four or five overs, then he’s going to find the boundary. He’s too good and strong not to. So, the reason that me and him are working well towards the back end is we know each other’s game so much.Related

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“In the optional sessions, the day before the game, you’ll find me and Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis go down again in closed sessions because we haven’t got a lot of match practice. It’s been invaluable to see what those guys are doing in training, especially Stoiny, work out his strengths, when he’s hitting the ball at his best. And he can see me do exactly the same thing.”Wade, 33, admitted that his international career might have been over had he not won the semi-final for Australia. In the recent past, Australia have had other keeping options in Josh Philippe, Alex Carey and Josh Inglis, who was a wildcard pick in the World Cup squad after impressing in the Vitality Blast and the Hundred in the UK. However, the team management persisted with Wade and he delivered under pressure.”I don’t feel like it’s on the line anymore so much because I’m not 23 anymore,” Wade said. “And if this is it, this is it. It’s not really on the line for me. It’s going to be all over, I suppose. A little bit, I think… I was a little bit nervous coming into the game and knowing potentially it could be the last opportunity to represent Australia.”I just wanted to do well and really wanted us to win this game, give us an opportunity to win the whole thing. We have a great bunch of guys in that dressing room and guys that I have played with for a long, long period of time.”So, yeah, just really I feel like this game was probably hard on nerves than maybe what the final will be because now we’re in it. We’ve got nothing to lose. We’re going to go out there, do our absolute best. It [the final] might be my last game too. As I’ve said to you before in the past, I’m comfortable with it. If it is it, then it’s it. I’ll play as long as they need me and hopefully, we can win some games while I’m there.”Matthew Wade scooped Shaheen Shah Afridi for two sixes at the close•ICC via Getty Images

The scoop served Wade well against Shaheen Shah Afridi at the death when fine leg was up in the circle and he pointed out that the shot allows him to manipulate the field.”I’ve had those [scoops and laps] for a longish period of time,” Wade said. “I’ve been playing them from early on in my career as well. But, yes, certainly [it] was something I needed to tap back into a little bit more when I’m batting down the bottom.”It’s easy to have the fine leg up a lot of the time at the end, but someone that laps, it kind of opens up the whole field for you. You’ve got to either have mid-off up or third man up or one of the fielders on the off side. It kind of opens the whole field up for you a little bit.”

Tim Paine has admitted he believed the texting scandal that has cost him the Australian Test captaincy was a ticking time bomb that was always going to become public at some point.The ramifications of Paine’s resignation from the captaincy are continuing to flow in Australian cricket in the Ashes lead up, with the search for a new captain to include background checks for possible integrity issues.Paine was cleared of any misconduct in a 2018 integrity unit investigation, after he sent lewd messages and a graphic image to a Cricket Tasmania colleague.Cricket Australia chairman Richard Freudenstein and CEO Nick Hockley on Saturday admitted they would have axed Paine as captain had they been in charge at the time. But they defended the inaction since, claiming they’d felt no need to delve deeper into the investigation after being made aware of it when they joined the organisation in 2019 and 2020 respectively.However, Paine has conceded he always felt the issue could come to the fore, after previously being aware of other attempts for the story to be revealed publicly.Related

• Paine involved in Tasmania coaching set-up

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“I thought the issue was dealt with, but it always popped up around a big series, or at the start of the cricket season,” Paine said in a interview beside his wife Bonnie. “Over the last three years, there have been numerous times where media agencies have put to us that they had evidence, yet they never chose to write it.”But I knew it was going to come out at some point, as much as I didn’t want it to.”Paine remains adamant that the 2017 messages between he and the colleague were fully consensual, and he only became aware there was an issue when a complaint was lodged six months later.By that point he had been appointed Test captain, with the integrity unit interviews taking place before the white-ball tour to England in mid-2018. He did not believe the existence of the messages were a reason not to accept the captaincy long-term.”Because it was a consensual exchange of messages months beforehand, I didn’t think it was anything to consider,” he said. “I never thought for a moment that it would become an issue. I was just excited and honoured to be asked.”He is also certain he can continue as a player in Australia’s Test team, having indicated the home Ashes summer had been his target for potential retirement.Tim Paine insists he will be able to play in the Ashes•Getty Images

“I see that as the ultimate high, to be able to finish your Test career after winning an Ashes series in Australia,” Paine said. “That’s the dream. That’s what I want to do.”Asked if he can play in an Ashes series, which would come with huge scrutiny even without a controversy hanging over him, Paine said: “Yep, I’m sure I can.”He revealed that head coach had initially tried to persuaded him to continue and that he does not believe any of his team-mates knew about the messages.”JL [Justin Langer] told me he’s devastated,” Paine said. “He was pretty firm that he wanted me to continue as captain, and again, once I explained to him the reasons that I thought resigning was the best thing to do, he was with me all the way.”Regardless, Paine’s admissions bring into question why new CA management did not look further into the 2018 investigation if there had always been fears the story would resurface.In stating his board would have acted differently, Freudenstein claimed on Saturday the Australian captain should be held to the highest account for his actions. However, he defended his organisation’s handover process, given the CEO, seven directors and several other key executives have changed since the 2018 investigation.”Once you have a private matter that has been subject to a full integrity unit investigation, it wouldn’t be normal for that to be part of the handover,” Freudenstein said.”All I can say is the whole current Australian cricket board, including those members that were on the board in 2018, are very clear that if the same circumstances arose today, we would make a different decision.”

Sri Lanka are in talks to tour Pakistan for a series of three ODIs which will be vital preparation for both teams ahead of the Women’s ODI World Cup global qualifier that starts on November 21 in Zimbabwe. If the tour goes ahead the matches will be Sri Lanka’s first in 18 months, since the T20 World Cup in February-March last year.Talks for the bilateral series have happened as an eleventh-hour arrangement after the ECB pulled their men and women’s teams from a tour of Pakistan in mid-October citing concerns over the players’ “mental and physical well-being” as well as security.ESPNcricinfo understands that Harshitha Madavi will likely lead Sri Lanka given Chamari Athapaththu, the regular captain, had taken the SLC’s permission months before this series was ever in the works to go and play the WBBL. She is currently in Adelaide, undergoing quarantine with the Perth Scorchers.If these three ODIs are confirmed – and the PCB said it is still a “work in progress” – Sri Lanka will fly out to Pakistan on October 15, following a seven-day self-isolation period. A practice game is also on the schedule.Related

• Sri Lanka Women to not tour Pakistan in October as SLC-PCB talks fall through

• Hashan Tillakaratne named Sri Lanka's head coach

• Zimbabwe to host Women's ODI World Cup qualifier

• SLC rolls out plan for women's T20 league in October

Considering they may be coming out of an 18-month break from international cricket, newly-appointed women’s head coach Hashan Tillakaratne has been focused on doing what he can to get rid of the players’ ring rust.”From October onwards we’re trying to play at least nine games with the Under-17 side boys,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We also finished a three-week practice program in Dambulla, which went off very well. So what we’re trying to do is go through the process and give them more challenges in due course.”SLC say the lack of playing time for the women’s team has not been for want of effort. Ashley de Silva, the board CEO, said they had been trying to get a home series against Pakistan since the start of the year but could never figure out the timing.”There was a time that we wanted to get them [Pakistan] down to Sri Lanka, but due to the fact that we were playing so many tournaments, we couldn’t create so many bubbles at the same time,” he said. “We were also having problem with the resources; we couldn’t find the necessary amount of doctors to handle so many bubbles.”We were going to host them here, but then we had two tours (for the men’s side) with the South African team and then the Indian team. On top of that there were bubbles and training for some other teams as well, such as the A team. So we couldn’t find the resources to handle so many bubbles.”But we were on the lookout for a window. Now that the window has opened up, and they invited us, we jumped at the idea.”The SLC had announced a four-team 50-over women’s invitational tournament set for October, but that is unlikely to happen now, with the turnaround between the team’s return from Pakistan and their flying out again to Zimbabwe on November 15, a little over two weeks.