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Usman Khawaja staked a late claim to one of Australia’s top-order batting slots despite an injury scare during their five-wicket victory in their World Cup warm-up match against Sri Lanka in Hampshire.Khawaja hobbled off the field after a ball struck him flush on the left kneecap. He was fielding at mid-off when he dived to his left to stop a ball that had been driven firmly by Jeevan Mendis off the bowling of Steven Smith. Khawaja limped off the field after receiving treatment from the medical staff but was cleared to bat in Australia’s innings.”It’s fine, embarrassing more than anything,” said Khawaja, after the match. “It just hit the side of my knee and I couldn’t put any weight on it. I’d try to get up, Gaz [Nathan Lyon] was telling me to just lie down, but I was saying I’m not going to lie down, I’m going to get up, but I’d try to get up and I couldn’t. My knee collapsed underneath me because of where it hit, I went off, iced it and after about 25 minutes I felt all right, it’s a bit sore now but nothing structurally wrong.”When I walked off I was laughing, I was in pain but I knew there was nothing serious about it. It was the same knee I had a reco on, so we were a bit careful about going back on the field just because it was collapsing a little bit but I was alright when I went back out there.”PLAY: Who will win the World Cup? Play Cricket Picks and win prizesOpening the batting with Aaron Finch, Khawaja went on to comfortably steer Australia towards Sri Lanka’s total of 239 for 8 in the 45th over with an innings of 89 off 105 balls.Coach Justin Langer has rotated Khawaja, David Warner and Shaun Marsh in their World Cup warm-up matches, as they attempt to settle on their best batting line-up. Warner was left out of the team against Sri Lanka, amid reports he had complained of tightness or soreness to his upper leg, giving Khawaja one last chance to impress selectors before the World Cup kicks off.Warner’s absence during the year-long ban for his involvement in the Newland’s ball-tampering scandal allowed Khawaja to cement his place at the top of the order, forming a formidable opening partnership with captain Finch.But after six warm-up matches played since Warner’s return, the final makeup of Australia’s batting order is still very much open to interpretation. Khawaja has opened four times and Warner on three occasions, although Warner may have had another opportunity at the top in Hampshire if he hadn’t been forced to sit out the match. Khawaja has batted at No.3 once and Warner twice while Marsh – who made 34 off 46 balls before holing out in the deep – has floated between batting at No.3, 4 and 5.”I do love opening, absolutely,” said Khawaja. “That’s where I’ve batted my whole life in one-day cricket. But at the end of the day it is about winning games and doing the best for your team.”I’d much rather get a duck and win then me get 100 and lose. It doesn’t matter what happens, where I play, if I play, if I don’t play, if I’m running the drinks, I’m going to try and contribute to the squad.”I know what the changeroom feels like when you’re winning and what it feels like when you’re losing and the winning one I’ll take any day of the week.”Australia have now won 13 of their their past 14 matches, a streak that began during their tour of India in March and continued through their series against Pakistan in the UAE, and then in their warm-up games against New Zealand in Brisbane and the West Indies, England and now Sri Lanka in England. While Pakistan were not at full strength and the following matches were not official ODIs, such a run will give them welcome confidence as they head to Bristol for their opening World Cup game against Afghanistan on Saturday.”I thought the Indian series in Australia was, from what I saw from the outside coming into that series – obviously we’d lost a lot of one-dayers before that, was a turning point for us because we probably should’ve won that series and we didn’t,” Khawaja said. “But they’re one of the best sides in the world and we gave them a real run for their money.”Then we went over to India and lost the first two games and won the series. We all had that confidence even though we lost the first two games that we could compete and actually beat these guys.”Once we started doing it we got that winning feeling back. Winning is a habit, we say that a lot amongst the team, hence why we try to win all the (warm-up) games we’re playing in, just to keep that habit going. We might’ve lost that habit before but hopefully we’ve found it again leading into the World Cup.”

The secret is to adapt, because mysteries get solved easily these days, feels the offspinner about the emerging bunch of young spinners

Sruthi Ravindranath in Jaipur25-Mar-2019He might not have used a moniker to describe himself like his Kings XI Punjab team-mate Chris ‘Universe Boss’ Gayle, but R Ashwin had no reservations in calling himself one of the top bowlers in the T20 format. The Kings XI captain even threw numbers at doubters and pointed to his success during the 2016 T20 World Cup to make his case.”In terms of the T20 format, my stats are at 6.72 [6.85 as per records] as my economy rate and I’ve played highest number of games in the IPL alongside Harbhajan [Singh],” Ashwin said in Jaipur ahead of his team’s IPL 2019 opener against Rajasthan Royals. “The last T20 World Cup, I played extraordinarily for my side and won Man of the Match in a game as well. That’s where I’d like to rest my case.”For the record, among frontline Indian offspinners in the IPL, Harbhajan has played 150 matches, while Ashwin has played 125.It’s been nearly two years since Ashwin turned out for India in coloured clothes, but he still remains India’s top wicket-taker in T20Is with 52 dismissals. Over the last couple of years, with the spotlight shifting from fingerspinners to wristpinners, Ashwin has struggled to break into the side – Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been match-winners in recent times with the white ball.A number of young spinners with various weapons in their arsenal have emerged in recent times. Ashwin argued that with technological advancements, no bowler could remain deceptive for too long, adding that adaptability was the only way around.
In a bid to adapt and reinvent himself in the limited-overs format, Ashwin had tried bowling legspin apart from his usual fingerspin variations in the IPL last year. Recently, he also stated that his exclusion from India’s limited-overs teams was down to a “perception” that wristspin is a must in the shorter formats, and insisted he was no “slouch” in white-ball cricket.”Cricket nowadays reveals everything. There is a lot of analysis and cameras can read out every movement of your fingers. The secret is to adapt to conditions. Look at Virat Kohli, earlier he was very strong on leg side but he adapted and now he is as strong on the off side too,” Ashwin said.While India captain Kohli had said that IPL form would have no bearing on World Cup selection, Ashwin believed he could make an impact. “Although I think the formats are very different, adapting will be the key. This time we do have a big break between the IPL and World Cup so whoever is in good form is going to get a place,” he said.It’s unlikely that Ashwin – who has been branded a red-ball specialist – would be considered for the World Cup, especially with Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav around too. Jadeja came back into the ODI fold during the Asia Cup last year – after sitting out for more than a year – and has been an integral part of the side since then, valued for his lower-order hitting and experience. Jadhav, meanwhile, is primarily a middle-order batsman, but has been impressive with his low-angle slingy spinners in the middle overs.”India have a number of multi-utility cricketers. These are players who excel in one skill and constantly work on other skills as well,” Ashwin agreed. “In the Indian team, there’s Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar. Even Suresh Raina was an allrounder at a point. And there’s me and Jadeja who bowl as well as bat. Nowadays cricketers are very aware that you’ve to contribute both ways.”

Players and coaches involved in the game between Karnataka and Saurashtra have indicated that they would welcome the use of technology in domestic cricket, especially in knockout matches.

Saurabh Somani28-Jan-2019Players and coaches involved in the sometimes contentious Ranji Trophy 2018-19 semi-final between Karnataka and Saurashtra have indicated that they would welcome the use of technology to aid umpires in domestic cricket too, especially in knockout matches.”Definitely, if they can use DRS then nothing like it. We will have a fair game,” Yere Goud, the Karnataka coach, said.Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat was also for the idea. “It’s good for the game, whatever technology you can include,” he said. “We’ve seen it at the international level as well. It has really helped teams. I think the BCCI would be the best judge to look at it. I’m sure people there would be looking at it. Obviously, whatever technology you can include can help the game for sure.”Saurashtra won the game by five wickets on the fifth morning, driven by Cheteshwar Pujara’s 131 not out in the fourth innings, but Karnataka were left aggrieved by umpiring errors, believing that Pujara had got a nick when on 34, shortly after lunch on the fourth day. Vinay Kumar, the bowler, and all the Karnataka fielders appealed spontaneously, but umpire Saiyed Khalid remained unmoved. There was a sound as ball passed bat – though on replays, without the aid of HotSpot or UltraEdge, it was difficult to say conclusively that the sound was the result of an edge.
That this followed from the first innings when Pujara had been given a reprieve by the same umpire when he appeared to have gloved Abhimanyu Mithun behind lent an edge to the proceedings, with the crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium also getting involved as Pujara was greeted by chants of “cheater” and booed.ESPNcricinfo understand that Khalid has been rated as among the top 15 umpires in the country based on this season’s domestic performance, which played a part in him being appointed for the semi-finals.Goud didn’t appear to hold issue with Pujara not having walked. “It is left on the individual,” he said. “Because sometimes players get bad decisions, generally they don’t walk. That has been the case in most of the domestic matches we’ve seen.”On the umpiring specific to the match, Unadkat said both sides had received decisions for and against them, but held that nothing could take away from the way Pujara and Sheldon Jackson (100) constructed the chase, with a 214-run stand for the fourth wicket from 23 for 3.”I think anyone can have a tough game. The ball was moving a lot, deviating from the wicket,” Unadkat said. “I’d just say that [the umpiring] has been neutral for sure… [Karnataka] thought it was out, we thought it was not out. There were a couple of other decisions as well, which went against us, and we didn’t really it take in our mind and play the game, which I think they did.”I’m really happy, don’t want to take any credit away from how we played this game, how we fought after being 23 for 3, and playing the way Cheteshwar and Sheldon played.”Karnataka captain Manish Pandey mentioned the umpiring obliquely, telling the host broadcaster after the game, “Unfortunately, a couple of decisions went against us, maybe a couple of performances would have made a difference today.”

Aaron Finch also pitched in with a half-century, helping Australia progress to 6 for 277 at stumps on day one

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu14-Dec-20181:44

Laxman: Bumrah is leading the pace attack in a short span of time

Contrasting half-centuries from local boy Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch and Travis Head helped Australia overcome a mini-collapse of 4 for 36 and made India feel the heat – both literally and figuratively – on a 39-degree day at the new Perth Stadium. Despite the late dismissals of Shaun Marsh (45) and Head (58) on a pitch where one ball exploded and the next rolled at shin height, Australia progressed to 6 for 277 at stumps on day one.After India went into a Test without a frontline spinner for only the third time in their history, Harris and Finch, perhaps, made them rue the decision by putting on a 112-run opening stand. Although part-time offspinner Hanuma Vihari plucked out Harris and Marsh, India’s attack lacked the control a fit R Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja could have provided. Their absence also ramped up the workload on Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, who had just sealed the Adelaide Test for India on Tuesday. Ishant even left the field in the post-tea session because of an abdominal strain before returning and stretching his body at the edge of the boundary.The scorecard will tell you Ishant conceded only 35 runs in 16 overs, but he had struggled for rhythm with the new ball. His lengths weren’t full enough and his lines didn’t quite threaten the stumps either. That umpire Kumar Dharmasena pulled him up for a front-foot no-ball, when he had a fair margin of his foot behind the crease, perhaps, rattled him.Finch, meanwhile, was rattled by a bevy of inswingers, including Shami’s first ball, which drew an lbw appeal. Despite Finch getting pinged above the knee-roll, India chanced a review and lost it, with ball-tracking confirming that it would have bounced over the stumps.Harris, though, at the other end was simply unflappable. He needed 16 balls to get off the mark, but once he bed in with a variety of strokes, he looked the part. He got cracking with a triptych of drives: back-to-back hits down the ground off Ishant and then one through the covers off Umesh Yadav. He was just as unflustered when Shami sent down a shooter that crept under his defensive bat and bounced twice before Rishabh Pant collected it in the 28th over. The next ball was scythed through cover-point and Harris continued to be severe on anything that was remotely full and wide outside off.1:53

Kartik: Finch needed this innings to resurrect his Test career

He raised his maiden Test fifty with a neat clip through midwicket and elicited warm applause from his coach Justin Langer, who has a stand named after him at this venue, and his father Kim Harris, who was in the grandstand. He could have been dismissed on 60 had KL Rahul latched onto a difficult catch at second slip off Shami.Finch scored a less fluent fifty before Bumrah pinned him with a perfectly pitched inswinger. Bumrah then got on a roll with the old ball and had bouncers snarling at Khawaja’s throat from around the wicket. Khawaja wore blows on his body, stabbed and fended his way to 1 off 25 balls against Bumrah. Something had to give, and that something was Khawaja throwing his hands at a short, wide ball from Umesh and nicking off for an utterly painstaking 5 off 38 balls. Three overs later, this place flew like the curator had promised. A back-of-a-length offbreak from Vihari took off like a NASA rocket and had Harris fending a catch behind to Pant for 70 off 141 balls.Three for 134 then became 4 for 148 when Peter Handscomb slashed Ishant to second slip, where Virat Kohli who had replaced Rahul pulled off a blinding one-handed catch.India’s seamers tested Head and Marsh with extra bounce after the pitch seemed to have quickened up in the final session. They somehow weathered the burst and settled down, adding 84 for the fifth wicket. However, three overs before the second new ball was due, Marsh chased a wide offbreak from Vihari and sent a thick outside edge flying to Ajinkya Rahane for a chest-high grab at first slip.Head pressed on to follow his first-innings 72 in Adelaide with an equally vital fifty here. However, he threw his wicket away when he went after a wide ball from Ishant and carved it to third man in the 83rd over. Tim Paine and Pat Cummins ushered Australia to stumps without any further damage and left India with a teasing thought: what might have been on a pitch where the ball is turning sharply for even a part-time spinner.

ESPNcricinfo’s live blog of the first round of the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season

Sidharth Monga04-Nov-2018

Georgia came from behind to beat Kennesaw State 6-4 in some early-season college baseball action on Tuesday. The Bulldogs fell behind 4-0 early but scored the final six runs of the game and took the lead in the top of the ninth before closer Brian Curley came on for the save.

The Owls put runners on first and second with one out, but Curley struck out the final two batters as No. 8 Georgia improved to 4-1 on the season.

Of course, it's the manner in which Curley got that final out that we're here to examine. With two outs and two strikes, Curley checked on the runner at second and could be seen making some aggressive tongue motions. Then he turned and delivered a curveball to the plate for a called strike three.

Lost in the shadow of the tongue motions is the fact that he then tossed his glove and put his hands up as if to say, ?

Curley, who played the first two years of his college career at VCU, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 16th round of the 2024 MLB amateur draft. Since he didn't sign, he went back to college and transferred to Georgia where he was clocked at 100mph in a game over the weekend.

He's certainly a player to watch this sason. For various reasons.

Of their 15 century partnerships, which has been Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan’s most important? Vote for your favourite

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2017

Former players reacted in anger and with shock to Australia’s admission of ball-tampering in the Newlands Test

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-20181:19

‘It seemed completely beyond belief’

“I have no doubt the current Australian team continues to believe in this mantra (of skilful and fair cricket), however some have now failed our culture, making a serious error of judgement in the Cape Town Test Match. A focused and balanced perspective is needed in the condemnation on those involved in this, with a clear and critical consideration to the social impact and mental health of all players.”
– Former Australia captain Steve Waugh”It contaminates and allows people to speculate on a whole lot of things now. Not just the fact Australian cricket, which has a great deal of pride, is the laughing stock of the cricket but it allows people to speculate and cast aspirations over other activities.”
– Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, speaking to .”We all woke up this morning shocked and bitterly disappointed by the news from South Africa. It seemed completely beyond belief that the Australian cricket team had been involved in cheating.”
– Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull”This morning [Australian cricket fans] have every reason to wake up and not be proud of the Australian team. It’s a sad day for Australian cricket. Activities on the field yesterday in Cape Town are neither within the Laws of the game or within the spirit of the game.”
– Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland”Being labelled a cheat is the worst name you can get in sport. It’s almost impossible to live down. It can have a really big impact on a player. Smith will need to be really strong to overcome this. If you’ve got a conscience I would think it would be a very hard thing to live down.”
– Former Australia captain Ian Chappell, speaking to “I can’t talk for them but when the evidence is as damning as it was, it is sometimes just better to come clean. That’s probably what they were thinking… We’ve had Ottis Gibson address the boys this morning and the focus is very much to apply relentless pressure and to be focused on the job at hand.”
– South Africa team manager, Mohammed Moosajee

WHAT THE …….. HAVE I JUST WOKEN UP TO. Please tell me this is a bad dream.

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) March 24, 2018

Steve Smith,his Team & ALL the management will have to accept that whatever happens in their careers they will all be known for trying to CHEAT the game … #SAvAUS

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 24, 2018

Don’t tell me this is happening for the first time,,,,is it ?????? We might have to dig out some old footage pic.twitter.com/wnk0Qvml3Q

— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) 25 March 2018

For those who want life ban on Smith- Faf du Plessis was found guilty of ball tampering twice. 1st time in 2013, he was fined 50% of his match fee. 2nd time in 2016, he was fined 100% of his match fee & demerit points. Following month he was made captain.

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) March 26, 2018

Typical over reaction. No, ball tampering is not the same as match fixing. Match fixing is a far more serious crime.

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) March 26, 2018

Can we talk about this? pic.twitter.com/cmpRrOArgD

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) March 24, 2018

Bud you know nothing in professional sport is done without the consent of your captain and coach… Tough times ahead.

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) March 24, 2018

The coach ran away!

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) March 24, 2018

Laws of cricket: “The major responsibility for fair play rests with the captains…” Smith has admitted not merely cheating, but planning to cheat. Everything else in that ill-tempered series is irrelevant to this. By his own actions, Smith’s position as captain is untenable.

— Jonathan Agnew (@Aggerscricket) March 24, 2018

Disappointing and disgraceful…….. a shocking day for the baggy green

— CraigMcDermott (@c_mcdermott328) March 24, 2018

Surely, ICC will react under the laws of the game. But the World will be eagerly waiting for Cricket Australia to react appropriately…under the ethics of the game.

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) March 24, 2018

Absolutely love cricket and love watching mens cricket, but after all that has been said and happened during this Test series – I am not a fan… this DOES NOT happen in Women’s Cricket https://t.co/pWPoCciEAz

— Marizanne Kapp (@kappie777) March 24, 2018

When a player cannot feed corn flakes to the lucky hamster he keeps in his jockstrap, what is cricket coming to? https://t.co/k2NNMryw2R

— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket) March 24, 2018

Take it from a woodwork craftsman. That’s 1100 grit yellow. pic.twitter.com/5gDDIGFxGk

— IG: Beuran_H13 (@Beuran_H13) March 24, 2018

Well, last night was nothing short of a disaster for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side travelled to Anfield with an incredibly hard-fought 1-0 aggregate lead and a slim but real chance to make it to the League Cup final, but instead of battling to keep that lead or even fighting to extend it, the North Londoners did neither.

Instead, they sat back and watched Liverpool put four past them in a display that might be one of their worst in an already shockingly poor season.

4

Goals

0

64%

Possession

36%

5

Big Chances

0

26

Total Shots

5

10

Shots on Target

0

14

Corners

4

580

Passes

327

Aside from perhaps Djed Spence and, to a lesser extent, Kevin Danso and Archie Gray, there were dire performances across the pitch for the visitors, but two players stood out for all the wrong reasons, including Antonín Kinský.

Kinský's performance vs Liverpool

In the first leg, Kinský was sublime, and many argued that he was the man of the match for his shot-stopping and skills with the ball at his feet, but that couldn’t have been further from the reality of his performance last night.

The Czech ace was nervous on the ball and, for some reason, seemingly hellbent on never actually catching it in dangerous situations either, constantly punching it unnecessarily and often into danger.

He should have done better for Cody Gakpo’s opener and gave away the penalty for the Reds’ second, and while he did pull off a great save from Mohamed Salah in the first half, it was a night to forget for the 21-year-old.

It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by football.london’s Alasdair Gold, who awarded him a 4/10 match rating at full-time.

In all, Kinský is still very young for a keeper, and there is every chance he could grow into the number one Spurs need him to be.

However, tonight was an indication that it might take a while for that to happen, and unfortunately for Ange, he wasn’t the only starter to struggle, as Dejan Kulusevski was just as poor.

Kulusevski's performance vs Liverpool

There is no denying that when he’s on form, Kulusevski is one of the best players in the Premier League, let alone at Spurs, but last night was another game in which he was a million miles from his best.

Postecoglou decided to start the former Juventus star off the right despite how well he’s played in midfield this season, and to say he was ineffective would be an understatement.

The Stockholm-born maestro looked almost afraid to take anyone on, and the few times he found himself in a dangerous position, he ended up making the wrong decision.

Minutes

93′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Shots on Target

0

Dribbles (Successful)

5 (1)

Touches

45

Key Passes

1

Crosses (Accurate)

2 (0)

Duels (Won)

12 (2)

Lost Possession

14

Fouls

1

Again, while this may sound harsh, it’s an opinion shared by Gold, who gave him a potentially kind 5/10 match rating and wrote that he ‘could barely control the ball’ at times, while journalist Hunter Godson pointed out that he looked “shattered.”

Unfortunately for the Swede, his statistics don’t help his case either, as in 93 minutes, he failed to take a single shot on target on a woeful night in front of goal.

He was uncharacteristically poor with the ball at his feet too, failing with four of five dribble attempts, taking just 45 touches and playing only one key pass.

His woes were compounded by his ability to win duels as well, notably losing ten of the 12 he contested at Anfield.

Ultimately, while Kinský was certainly one of Spurs’ worst players last night, Kulusevski was just as poor at the other end of the pitch.

Spurs must regret losing "world-class" PL star who was their original Tel

The talented winger would be great for this Spurs side.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 5, 2025

A five-match one-day series gives those jostling in the ranks for England recognition a chance to impress the selectors

David Hopps in Dambulla01-Mar-2017If England Lions needed any reminder that they are just one step away from the international stage as they embark upon a five-match series in Sri Lanka, Tom Curran’s dead-of-night text message from the national selector, James Whitaker, duly provided it.When Curran went to bed in Dambulla after the four-day leg of the tour, he was an England Lion, just looking forward to advancing his reputation in a series that he knew would make little impact back home. When he awoke around 4.30am it was to discover instructions to pack his bags and join England’s senior tour of the Caribbean. All it took was a couple of sentences for his aspirations, at 21, to move a step nearer reality.Andy Flower, full of vim again in his relatively new role as England Lions coach, recognises that fact. “The loss of a player from our squad and being promoted to the full England squad is always a reminder to them about how close they are to fulfilling their dreams,” he said.Such reinforcement does no harm as the Lions prepare the face Sri Lanka A, a series which will be quickly followed by the North v South affair, another 50-over series, in the UAE. Together they realistically represent the last chance for players to advance their case for late inclusion in the Champions Trophy in England this summer. It is quite a prize. Unbeloved in some eyes it might be, its future permanently under question, but this is the tournament that will dominate the first part of the English summer.Clarke, Overton set to play

Joe Clarke and Craig Overton, the only two members of the England Lions’ four-day squad not to get a game in Kandy or Dambulla, will both play in the opening 50-over match against Sri Lanka A.
Clarke will play as a specialist batsman at No. 4, with Ben Foakes keeping wicket. Overton will join a pace attack which is missing Tom Curran, after his call to join the senior England squad in the West Indies.
Keaton Jennings, who continues as captain, is expected to open with Ben Duckett, who is one of five new arrivals for the one-day section of the tour with his Northamptonshire club-mate Graeme White, the Warwickshire legspinner Josh Poysden, Kent opener Daniel Bell-Drummond and Middlesex seamer James Fuller.
Lions one-day squad: Keaton Jennings (capt), Ben Duckett, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Clarke, Liam Livingstone, Ben Foakes, Sam Curran, Toby Roland-Jones, Craig Overton, Tom Helm, Ollie Rayner, Josh Poysden, Graeme White, James Fuller, Tom Alsop

Curran might yet become a Champions Trophy bolter especially as the composition of England’s seam attack remains uncertain: Mark Wood’s recovery from injury is ongoing, Liam Plunkett’s enforcer role has not entirely convinced and Stuart Broad’s ambitions about a white-ball comeback have yet to receive much official encouragement.To come into the reckoning as a batsman seems a harder task, but Ben Duckett, in particular, will want to restate his credentials over the next 10 days after his blip in the Test series in India when his technique against spin, most strikingly involving his method of staying markedly leg side of the ball, was unpicked by R Ashwin.Duckett’s prolific 2016 was never more wondrous than during his appearances for the Lions last summer. Against the same Sri Lanka A opposition, he registered the highest-ever score by an England Lions player, making 220 in Canterbury in an unbeaten stand of 367 with Daniel Bell-Drummond, the joint-second highest List A partnership of all-time. Duckett and Bell-Drummond will be reunited on Thursday, but it remains to be seen whether confidence will come flooding back on subcontinental pitches.It might be asking a lot of Liam Livingstone to make his own case. He is only two years into his first-class career, still not all that well known outside Lancashire. But two hundreds in a match in the last four-day game against Sri Lanka A have already done much for his self-belief and reputation, revealing him as a destructive hitter with a selective cricket brain. “He hits the ball as hard as anybody I can remember,” said Flower, and he does not give praise glibly.In cricket’s brave new world, where international cricket and Twenty20 jostle for attention, England Lions tours can these days pass by almost unnoticed. Spectators will be virtually non-existent, media interest patchy at best. Passion has to come from within. England might no longer be able to discover at Lions level who can withstand the pressure of a shrieking and hostile crowd, but they can still find out a lot about the internal drive that should rightly turn every representative match into something to cherish.Flower accepts this fact of life. “Ideally we would love a packed crowd but realistically these days we aren’t going to get it so recreating the atmosphere of a true international game with that regard is not going to happen,” he said.”However, what they are getting is scrutiny. They have selectors watching their results constantly and they are competing with their peers. These are all ambitious young guys, looking at each other and judging each other. There is that individual ambition, but there is also the fact that they are representing their country with a lot of pride.”The presence of a selector on Lions tours is an admirable development (Mick Newell has replaced Angus Fraser for the one-dayers). It adds to the sense of scrutiny, enables players to develop a working relationship with those who sit in judgment on their careers, and also provides an opportunity for selectors to gain an impression of the next generation not just as players but as personalities.There was a time when a developmental side pulled in the crowds. Twenty-five years ago, with such trips still in their infancy, England A fulfilled a ground-breaking tour to Sri Lanka, which had been starved of international cricket for several years because of a nationalist uprising. Now tourism is booming; then a Sri Lanka dressing room attendant was able to say without too much exaggeration: “You are the first foreigner I have seen for years – I am lucky to be alive.”An unorthodox spinner called Muttiah Muralitharan attracted attention for the first time and, for England, Nasser Hussain, Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe all emerged with credit. The crowds flocked in. In Murali’s first appearance, the stand roof fell down like a pack of dominoes, but nobody much seemed to mind.These days, beginning with the first match in Dambulla on Thursday, the only certainty is that the ubiquitous Dambulla dog will put in an appearance. It sat attentively for England’s sole practice session before it was curtailed by a heavy downpour. Most of these young Lions might only have a dog’s chance of a Champions Trophy spot, but that won’t stop them trying to make it over coming days and weeks.