Cricket News

Malinda Warnapura's brisk unbeaten 50 off 74 balls proved to be the difference between an emphatic session and a merely satisfactory one for India on a rain-hit opening day of the Test series

Cricinfo previews the first Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo

The two main topics of conversation before the first Test was the to-be trialled umpiring referral system, and Ajantha Mendis, the unorthodox spinner who is in line to make his debut

Rahul Dravid, the former Indian captain, has said it would be wrong to concentrate on tackling Ajantha Mendis alone before the three-Test series against Sri Lanka commences on Wednesday at the SSC in Colombo

International cricket's new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis was named in a Sri Lanka's 14-member squad for the first Test against India starting at the SSC on Wednesday

Sri Lanka, the official alternate venue for the Champions Trophy, is "very confident" of staging the tournament within the short preparation time available

India's coach Gary Kirsten has said that with so much cricket in different formats taking place, it is vital that every player understands the role that he is expected to play

Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilhara Fernando's return to Test cricket suffered a setback when he complained of knee pain and was unable to take the field during India's second innings

India's only chance to acclimatise before the Test series ended in a tame draw with less than three days' play at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo

Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik were the only batsmen to get meaningful practice ahead of the first Test, as the rest of the Indians fell cheaply on the second day of the tour game against Sri Lanka Board XI

Zaheer Khan and Chamara Silva, two players pressing for places in their national teams shone on the opening day of India's three-day warm up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI

India's bowlers, several of whom are returning to the Test squad after breaks due to injury, form or discipline, had a satisfactory start to the tour of Sri Lanka

Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain and interim chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, has said that money brought in by Twenty20s should be used for the benefit of Test cricket

The preview of the warm-up tour game between Sri Lanka Board's XI and India, Colombo

Sri Lanka Cricket is still in discussions with the ECB about the status of their tour to England next year

Terry Jenner, the former Australian legspinner who mentored Shane Warne, has said while Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis is an exciting prospect, it is too early to assess him

Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has predicted a close contest in the three-Test series against India, while his counterpart Anil Kumble emphasised the team's consistency in the run-up to the tour

Options being considered are to hold a five-ODI series or rework the dates of the Test and one-day series, Graeme Labrooy, the secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricketers' Association (SLCA), said

Anil Kumble, India's Test captain, has brushed off suggestions that the team may be distracted by the approaching milestone for Sachin Tendulkar

Jehan Mubarak will lead a Sri Lanka Board XI in their three-day fixture against India at the Nondescripts Cricket Club starting July 18