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Kris Srikkanth, chairman of the Indian selection committee, has backed Yuvraj Singh to come good in Test cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2011Kris Srikkanth, chairman of the Indian selection committee, has backed Yuvraj Singh to come good in Test cricket. Despite being a fixture in India’s limited-overs plans for many years, Yuvraj has not managed to seal a permanent Test spot, but has forced his way back into the squad for England on the back of his starring role in the World Cup.”We all know that Yuvraj has quality,” Srikkanth told the . “Yes, I agree that he has so far failed to carry forward his ODI form into Test cricket. But he still has many years of cricket left in him. If he can cement his place in the Test squad, then that will surely augur well for Indian cricket.”In the absence of several senior players, the ongoing West Indies series would have provided Yuvraj the perfect opportunity to revive his Test career, but a lung infection forced him out of the series. The vacancies in the middle order gave India’s next generation of batsmen a rare Test look-in. Suresh Raina made good use of the opportunity, overcoming his weakness against short-pitched bowling to score two half-centuries, while Virat Kohli failed to build on his strong one-day performances.”We never had any doubt about Raina’s talent,” Srikkanth said. “He started off [his Test career] very well but then had a quiet period. But a player with such talent was bound to return to form. Like all good players he has worked on his weaknesses. This Indian team has a great dressing room atmosphere and the juniors always get the right advice from the seniors. But the bottom line is that you have to solve your own problem.”Raina worked hard and approached the task without any confusion. It’s not easy for a youngster, who grows up on placid Indian wickets, to be a naturally good player of pace bowling. Raina has shown the requisite grit. He was ready to fight it out which was very heartening.”While Srikkanth had words of praise for Raina, he refused to write off Kohli based on the failures in his first two Tests, in which he scored only 46 runs.”Virat should be allowed more time, he has just had his first brush with Tests,” Srikkanth said. “These youngsters will learn from experience. Test cricket is different from ODIs and it’s not easy to get used to the conditions. These days they barely play any side matches and by the time they get acclimatised to the conditions the tour is over. Kohli has performed in the ODIs and now it’s all about taking that form into Test cricket. I’m sure he will work on his game and will improve. He has a bright future ahead.”

West Indies have named an unchanged squad for the second Test against South Africa at St Kitts, despite losing the opening game in Trinidad heavily by 163 runs

Cricinfo staff16-Jun-2010West Indies have named an unchanged squad for the second Test against South Africa at St Kitts, despite losing the opening game in Trinidad heavily by 163 runs. Fast bowler Kemar Roach has been retained, implying that he has recovered fully from the ankle injury which ruled him out of the five-match ODI series before the first Test.The frontline seamers in Trinidad, Ravi Rampaul and debutant Nelon Pascal, went wicketless in both innings. Dwayne Bravo took one wicket while the remaining 13 wickets which fell were accounted for by the spinners. Roach’s raw pace and ability to bowl yorkers with the new ball will come in handy for West Indies, should they play him at Warner Park.However, the batting has been the biggest worry. West Indies crumbled to 102 in their first innings in Trinidad and, chasing 457 in their second, managed just 293 with only the captain Chris Gayle passing fifty.Squad: Chris Gayle (Capt), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain), Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Shane Shillingford, Ravi Rampaul, Nelon Pascal, Kemar Roach

LSG are also keen on giving Zaheer a wider profile, involving scouting and player development

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2024Zaheer Khan has joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as their mentor, filling the vacancy left by Gautam Gambhir’s exit after IPL 2023. Gambhir had taken up the mentor role at Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2024 and has since become head coach of the India men’s team.Zaheer will also take on bowling coach duties, after Morne Morkel left the franchise to join Gambhir’s coaching staff with the Indian team. During a media interaction after his unveiling, Zaheer did not specify that he would be bowling coach, but said with a smile: “If I am there in the set-up, does the team need another bowling coach?”From 2018 to 2022, Zaheer was involved with the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise, first as director of cricket and then head of global development. Prior to that, he was part of three IPL teams as a player – MI, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Daredevils. In all, he featured in 100 games for the three teams across ten seasons, picking up 102 wickets at an economy of 7.58. He last played in the tournament in 2017, when he led Daredevils, before retiring from all forms of cricket.As reported earlier by ESPNcricinfo, apart from the role of mentor, LSG are keen on giving Zaheer a wider profile that will mean involvement with the scouting and player-development programmes during the off season.Related

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LSG’s coaching set-up is currently headed by Justin Langer, who will continue in the role after having replaced Andy Flower as head coach ahead of IPL 2024, with Lance Klusener and Adam Voges as his assistants. After securing playoff berths in their first two seasons, the KL Rahul-led side was pipped on net run rate for a spot in the top four in 2024.Zaheer’s return to the IPL fold comes at a time when teams are preparing for a mega auction. The IPL is likely to announce the retention rules by early September.

Chase got tricky as WI stuttered in the afternoon, but an experienced Da Silva took the visitors home

Mohammad Isam27-May-2023Kevin Sinclair’s match-haul of 7 for 123, backed up by important runs in both innings from Joshua Da Silva helped West Indies A win the second unofficial Test against Bangladesh A by three wickets in Sylhet. They now have a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Chasing 190 on the fourth and final day, it was the captain Da Silva who shepherded the chase after the visitors slipped to 70 for 5 in the afternoon. He added 76 with Brandon King, and then a 41-run unbroken eighth-wicket stand with Akeem Jordan. Da Silva was unbeaten on 47, with seven fours and a six.King struck six fours and two sixes in his 54 off 78 balls, but when he popped a catch to Shahadat Hossain at silly mid-off, the Bangladesh A side got hope. The hosts were truly back in the game when Tanvir Islam then removed Sinclair in the same over. Da Silva and Akeem, however, kept their calm, scoring the remaining 41 runs in the following 6.5 overs.Offspinner Sinclair was Player of the Match for his seven wickets, which included a five-wicket haul in the second innings. He took two wickets in the first innings, which Akeem dominated with his 5 for 45.Sent into bat, Bangladesh A were bowled out for 237 runs in 65.3 overs in their first innings, with Shahadat top scoring with 73, his innings laced with ten fours and two sixes. While he was the ninth man out, the rest of the batters hardly supported him. The captain Afif Hossain cracked seven fours in his 37. Akeem’s five wickets apart, Anderson Philip and Sinclair took two each, while Jair McAllister picked up one.Kirk McKenzie top scored in West Indies A’s first-innings response, making 91 with nine fours and three sixes. He added 116 runs for the second wicket with Raymon Reifer. Keacy Carty made 68 – the second highest score in West Indies A’s first innings – and added 79 runs with Alick Athanaze. Then then put on another 48 runs with Da Silva for the sixth wicket as the visitors claimed a 108-run lead.Fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib took four wickets while Saif Hassan took two wickets.The hosts put up a better batting effort second time around. Shadman Islam struck 74 with ten fours, but it was Irfan Sukkur’s 72 which gave Bangladesh A an important boost. He struck 12 fours in his 106-ball stay. Alongside Sinclair, Akeem and McAllister were among the wickets in the second innings.It set up the visitors for a 190-run fourth innings chase on the final day. King, Da Silva and Akeem got them home in the final session.

Match haul of nine wickets to go with his 175 not out; R Ashwin ends game with six scalps to go past Kapil Dev

Sidharth Monga06-Mar-20222:22

Jaffer: Jadeja can win a game with bat and a series with ball

It was a day of landmarks and milestones for India. Ravindra Jadeja became only the sixth man to score 150 or more and take a five-for in the same Test. R Ashwin went past Kapil Dev as the second-highest wicket-taker for India. In the process, Sri Lanka collapsed under the weight of a relentless India attack and lost 16 wickets in 67 overs to lose by an innings and 222 runs inside three days. Jadeja, who ended one wicket short of becoming the first man to score 150 or more in a Test innings and take 10 wickets in the same match, ended his third straight Mohali Test as the Player of the Match.The longest resistance Sri Lanka offered was a 17-over partnership in the second innings between Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva, followed by the 15 overs it took India to take the first wicket in the morning. Six wickets fell for 13 runs in 43 balls to encourage Rohit Sharma to enforce the follow-on.The bigger hauls might have gone to the spinners, but the fast bowlers added to their threat with their continuous interrogation of the batters, which meant the pressure was not released and spinners could get their breaks. The first wicket of the day went to pace, a bewitching slower ball from Japsrit Bumrah, which pitched within the stumps, beat Charith Asalanka, squared him up, hit him within the stumps, and would have gone to hit the top of off.With Pathum Nissanka fighting diligently at the other end, the rest folded in a strangely reckless manner. Niroshan Dickwella faced five balls from Jadeja, played three sweeps, not in control of any of them, and the final top edge settled with square leg placed two-thirds to the boundary. Suranga Lakmal tried an almighty slog the second ball he faced.Lasith Embuldeniya could not cope with a nasty skiddy bouncer from Mohammed Shami. Jadeja was too good for Nos. 10 and 11. Vishwa Fernando edged to second slip, and the injured Lahiru Kumara hobbled out to find out his feet didn’t move quick enough to cover the off stump, leaving Jadeja with a five-for and a shot at a hat-trick in the second innings, which was to resume immediately thanks to a rare follow-on.Ravindra Jadeja ripped through Sri Lanka on day three•BCCI

In the four overs possible before lunch, Ashwin gave India the first wicket just like in the first innings. With this edge from Lahiru Thirimanne to second slip, the result of dip and turn, Ashwin has taken Thirimanne out seven times for 50 runs in Tests, and 14 times for 140 runs in international cricket. Ashwin’s second, on the other side of lunch, was just as masterful, with the ball dipping on Nissanka to make him defend away from the body. The ball didn’t turn as much as the previous ones did, and the edge settled with Rishabh Pant, who continued to show how much he has improved as a wicketkeeper.It took a special delivery to get rid of Sri Lanka’s best batter, Dimuth Karunaratne. Shami angled it in from round the wicket, making him play, but the ball hit the seam and moved away slightly to take a soft edge that Pant took diving in front. His best grab was yet to come, though.Mathews and de Silva now got a bit of a partnership, but Jadeja came back to separate them. de Silva got too ambitious with the driving, and Jadeja inevitably got the ball to dip and draw an aerial response for short extra cover to take.The flood gates opened then with the next three wickets falling at the same score of 121. The first of those was Asalanka, edging Ashwin to slip in the first over after tea, which took Ashwin to 435 Test wickets. In the course of the match, Ashwin overtook Richard Hadlee, Rangana Herath and Kapil. Dale Steyn at 439 wickets remains in his sights.Once Jadeja got Mathews out with a ball turned from middle and leg, it was only a matter of time. Time has been short for Lakmal, who bagged his pair with a second heave in five balls of batting.Dickwella hung around with the tail, but Jadeja reached his ninth wicket with a lovely catch from Pant when the ball stayed low, turned less than expected and took a healthy deviation from the bat of Embuldeniya.The last two, though, went to Shami and Ashwin, but Jadeja wasn’t complaining.

Shadab Khan appointed limited-overs vice-captain and there’s no place for Malik, Sarfaraz and Amir in 22-member squad

Umar Farooq19-Oct-2020Veterans Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir have been left out of Pakistan’s limited-overs squad of 22 for the home series against Zimbabwe next month. Shadab Khan was appointed Pakistan’s vice-captain in both limited-overs formats, while Abdullah Shafique, the uncapped 20-year old, top order batsman has found a place following strong performances for Central Punjab in the recently-concluded National T20 Cup.Shafique, who hails from Sialkot, made a stunning century on T20 debut to help Central Punjab pull off a remarkable chase of 201. He finished the tournament with 358 runs in 10 innings, striking them at 133 with an average of 44.75. These include two half-centuries and a century. Shafique has also made a century in his only first-class appearance so far, making him the first Pakistani and second in cricket history to manage debut hundreds at both the first-class and T20 cricket. Although the squad has been named for the full tour, the team management and the Pakistan selectors will pick a squad for the ODIs and T20Is from this pool at a later date. A big pool has been picked to ensure all players can comply with strict covid-19 protocols in a bio-secure bubble that will be in place for the full series.”The philosophy and throughout process behind the selection is that we don’t want excessive experiments in ODIs and would rather play to our strengths,” Misbah said before naming the list of probables. “Going forward, we know how important every single ODI game will be in terms of qualification for the ICC event. We want to win every game regardless of opponent as we know Zimbabwe didn’t play much in the recent past and we don’t know what to expect. So we have to be watchful against them. Our intention will be to regain our winning momentum from when we last played against Sri Lanka a year ago.”In T20I squad, it’s a bit different as we want to give young boys an extended run so that they can show what they are capable of at the highest level and cement their places for future assignments. We all saw some outstanding individual performances in the National T20 Cup but not everyone got a chance and must be disappointed. But they have a chance for the New Zealand tour to get into the “A” team. I want to reassure them that they will remain in consideration for the New Zealand tour and next year’s home series. All they now need to do is to carry those impressive run of forms into the upcoming domestic competitions.”The axing of notable names – Malik, Amir and Sarfraz – meant Pakistan are compelled to dig deep into their reserves in search of younger players. The senior trio lost Misbah’s faith after their fading form. Amir was wicketless on the England tour and had a lacklustre stint in the National T20 cup with six wickets at 38.83. ESPNcricinfo understands the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to move on from veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik, while Sarfaraz was dropped from every squad last year after he lost the captaincy, and only returned to the side for the England tour when Pakistan travelled with a larger group of players. He was left out once more, allowing the youngster Rohail Nazir to be integrated into the squad, behind their first-choice wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan.”Seniors like Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Amir are the notable absentees in this squad and that is mainly because we want to give youngsters a chance. Having all of them in the squad makes it tough to play youngsters, and their absence will provide players like Abdullah Shafique, Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah better chances of featuring in the upcoming matches. Dropping Sarfraz is meant to give him a chance to play first-class cricket, because on form Mohammad Rizwan is the first-choice wicketkeeper. With an eye on future and as part of our succession planning, Rohail Nazir has been chosen as Rizwan’s back-up wicketkeeper. Instead of Sarfaraz sitting on the substitute bench, it makes sense that he plays in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy so that he retains his fitness and rediscovers form for the tour for the longer and more demanding tour of New Zealand.”Zimbabwe’s tour of Pakistan will begin when their 32-man squad arrives in Islamabad tomorrow. They will then undergo an isolation period from October 21 to 27 before they can start training at the Pindi Cricket Stadium from October 28. Rawalpindi will be hosting the ODI series, scheduled for October 30, November 1 and 3 while both teams will travel to Lahore for the T20 series – set for November 7, 8 and 10.Full squad: Babar Azam, Haider Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Imam ul Haq, Harris Sohail, Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Rohail Nazir, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Musa Khan, Wahab Riaz, Usman Qadar, Zafar Gohar.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore hits unbeaten 76, Dom Sibley continues excellent summer with polished 64

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2019Birmingham Bears snatched a tie from the jaws of defeat against Yorkshire at Headingley, a result which realistically suits neither side in the Vitality Blast.Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit 76 not out off 54 balls and was looking like underpinning Yorkshire’s pursuit of 178, especially having shared 88 inside 10 overs for the first wicket with Adam Lyth, who reached 40.But the Bears fought back to leave the Vikings needing 29 off three overs, 23 off two, 11 off the last and two off the last ball, which Kohler-Cadmore hit to mid-off for a single against Fidel Edwards.Both sides finished on 177 for four, with Bears opener Dom Sibley earlier continuing his excellent summer with a polished 64. Sibley’s 43-ball innings was the feature for the Bears after the visitors had been invited to bat. It was his first Blast innings of 2019 and included seven fours and two sixes.While Yorkshire have now only won one from seven games in the North, Birmingham have won two from six. Both remain outside the North Group’s top four places.Rain delayed the start by 40 minutes, until 3.10pm, and opener Sibley shared 37 and 62 for the first and second wickets with Michael Burgess and Sam Hain.Sibley hit sixes over long-leg off David Willey and over long-on off Dom Bess’ off-spin on the way to his third fifty against Yorkshire in all formats this season. The 23-year-old England Lion had come into the Birmingham side in place of out of form Ed Pollock and continued the form which has had him discussed as a potential Ashes opener.Once both Sibley and Hain had departed (99 for 2 after 13 overs and 137 for 4 in the 18th), middle order pair Will Rhodes and Liam Banks boosted the total significantly. Both hit two fours and a leg-side six apiece, with Rhodes not out on 22 off 13 balls and Banks 24 off 10. The last 17 balls of the innings yielded 40 runs.Only Willey went at less than eight runs an over for the hosts. Former South Africa fast bowler Duanne Olivier claimed two wickets but was expensive in three overs.Lyth then got the Vikings chase up and running by hitting the lion’s share of 20 off the second over from Fidel Edwards, pulling a six over deep square-leg to take the score to 26 without loss.Kohler-Cadmore, assuming captaincy duties from Steve Patterson after the seamer had left himself out in favour of a second spinner in youngster Jack Shutt, then took on the lead role as the hosts reached 50 in the fifth. He top-edged Henry Brookes for six over fine-leg before Lyth caught him up on 40 in the ninth over (87 without loss).Lyth was then stumped off Jeetan Patel’s off-spin in the next over before Kohler-Cadmore reached 50 off 34 balls and maintained the momentum alongside Willey, who hit three leg-side sixes in a quick-fire 30 off 15 balls. He pulled West Indian quick Edwards over the ropes twice in the 13th over before falling to Alex Thomson’s off-spin – 131 for two in the 14th.Brookes then had Gary Ballance caught at cover before Patel bowled Harry Brook scooping as the Bears fought back well, leaving the score at 151 for 4 in the 18th.But Kohler-Cadmore pulled Brookes for six with last ball of the 19th before Jonny Tattersall scooped the first ball of the last over for four off Edwards, who recovered to seal a point.

The former Pakistan legspinner signed a one-month contract with Cricket West Indies, after which he is likely to return as head coach at the NCA in Lahore

Umar Farooq08-May-2018Former Pakistan legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed has signed a one-month contract as West Indies’ spin-bowling coach.Mushtaq’s contract with the PCB as the National Cricket Academy head coach ended last month and the extension takes effect from July, allowing him to take up the role with Cricket West Indies.”It’s a privilege to work with the West Indies cricket team,” Mushtaq told ESPNcricinfo. “They have produced many greatest cricketers and I have wonderful memories playing against a few in the 90s. They probably are not the same force in the world cricket at this stage but they still have a consistent pipeline of exceptional cricketers coming in the system. It’s a short contract but still a month-long deal is ample enough for me to create a difference.”Mushtaq, 47, had also spent 18 months with Pakistan as bowling coach between 2016 and 2017. Azhar Mahmood, who was recently appointed Pakistan’s bowling coach, had first been brought on as a temporary replacement for Mushtaq for the Asia Cup in February 2016. He then worked along with Mushtaq at the World T20.Mushtaq had also worked with England as a spin-bowling consultant in the past.ESPNcricinfo understands that Mushtaq’s contract renewal with PCB remained uncertain until last week, because the board was contemplating roping in former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq. Amid this, Mushtaq was considered by Sri Lanka for the position of spin-bowling coach but then signed with West Indies after Sri Lanka went with a local coach.He is likely to resume working at the NCA after this short assignment.

Islamabad United opener Sam Billings combined clean timing with explosive power-hitting to ensure the defending champions inflicted the season’s first defeat upon Quetta Gladiators

The Report by Danyal Rasool15-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshell
A blistering 78-run knock from Islamabad United opener Sam Billings neutralised Quetta Gladiators’ impressive spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Hasan Khan and ensured the defending champions inflicted the season’s first defeat upon Quetta. In the first game of this season’s PSL at the Sharjah Stadium, the 25-year-old England batsman combined clean timing with explosive power-hitting to keep his side on course throughout the chase.Quetta had earlier managed a slightly under-par 148, thanks to a disciplined bowling display from Misbah’s men. It centred around 18-year old legspinner Shadab Khan, who was extremely difficult to read as he spun the ball sharply both ways. Each of the bowlers bowled according to their strengths; Mohammad Sami consistently found the inswinging yorker – one of which accounted for Kevin Pietersen’s second successive golden duck – and Shane Watson’s short deliveries and pace variations were just as hard to dispatch as they have been all tournament. Quetta’s innings never really took off as wickets fell regularly and the scoring rate stayed below seven for much of the first 15 overs, before a late partnership between Mahmudullah and Thisara Perera took them near 150. It was to be competitive, but not match-winning.Where the match was won
Quetta’s middle-order pairing of Sarfraz Ahmed and Rilee Rossouw – the PSL’s top scorer thus far – got them over the line against Karachi in their last game. So when Ahmed Shehzad got off to a quick start with Pietersen and that duo lying in wait, Quetta might have looked set for a total nearer 200. However, they reckoned without a fiery Mohammad Sami having one of his better days. He beat Shehzad for pace, forcing him to pull right down midwicket’s throat, before a 146 kph yorker crashed into Pietersen’s pads and pinned him lbw.Shadab and Shane Watson then took charge of the middle overs, strangulating Quetta, and continuing to push the run rate down. In the ten overs that began with Shehzad’s dismissal, Quetta managed only 56 runs, and lost four wickets. Powerplays and death overs might make for better talking points, but these middle overs were what handed Islamabad the two points today.The men that won it
Billings seemed to be batting on a different surface to his fellow team-mates, finding the gaps regularly in the first six overs and clearing the ropes periodically thereafter. It wasn’t all guns blazing, either; he was content to show respect where it was due, taking the singles off left-arm spinners Nawaz and Hasan, while unleashing his ire on the pace attack. Perera bore the brunt of Billings’ buffeting, going for 40 in 3.1 overs. It was a mark of Billings’ dominance that by the end the 17th over of the Islamabad innings, no other batsman had a strike rate above 100. Billings, meanwhile, was coasting along at 150.Shane Watson removed Asad Shafiq and Rilee Rossouw•PCB

The drop v the missed stumping
When Rilee Rossouw was on 5 in the first innings, he charged down the track to the young Shadab, missing the ball completely. Haddin, however, fluffed an easy stumping chance, and must have feared the worst after reprieving the South African. Next over, however, Rossouw holed out to deep midwicket. In contrast, when Watson joined Billings with their side wobbling at 72 for 3, he nicked Mohammad Nawaz behind before he had got off the mark. It popped right out of Sarfraz’s hands, and from thereon, Quetta’s fate was sealed. The pair combined for what turned out to be a match-winning 63-run partnership, Watson contributing 36 in 27 balls. He, unlike Rossouw, made the opposition pay.The moment of the match
Hasan, singled out by Moin Khan as the most promising of Quetta’s youngsters, might have been on the losing side, but there was a moment the 18-year old is unlikely to forget. He had been bowling a tight line to opposition captain Misbah-ul-Haq, not hesitating to follow him when he attempted to make room. So when Misbah stepped inside the line to sweep the teenager over fine leg for four, Hasan appeared to be under pressure. Two balls later, he bowled a similar delivery, except he had slid it in with the arm. Misbah attempted the same shot, but he was too late. The ball struck him on the thigh and the umpire raised the finger. Hasan, more than 24 years his junior, had out-thought Pakistan’s most successful Test captain.Where they stand
This result means both Quetta and Islamabad now have two wins from three games. They occupy second and third position respectively on four points each, with Quetta ahead on net run rate.

Sri Lanka Cricket has suspended fast bowling coach Anusha Samaranayake for two months and barred Gayan Wishwajith totally from participating in any capacity in Sri Lankan cricket in the future

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2016Sri Lanka Cricket has suspended Anusha Samaranayake, a fast bowling coach with their National Coaching Department, for two months and barred “main suspect” Gayan Wishwajith totally from participating in any capacity in Sri Lankan cricket in the future.Wishvanath is being investigated by the SLC for allegedly approaching several national players for match-fixing and is understood to be linked with Samaranayake, who was suspended after a preliminary inquiry conducted by the board.SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has ordered a report on the incident and Samaranayake’s role in it. “Sri Lanka Cricket has received several complaints regarding close acquaintance of Mr. Anusha Samaranayake with the main suspect Gayan Wishvanath who had approached several national players for the alleged illegal activities of match fixing,” an SLC release said.Samaranayake is a long time fast bowling coach and played a role in the emergence of several Sri Lankan bowlers, including Lasith Malinga.Earlier this month, Sri Lanka’s sports ministry had reported an alleged fixing approach made to Kusal Perera and another national player, to the country’s Financial Crimes Investigation Department. The two players had been approached by a net bowler during West Indies’ tour of Sri Lanka last October.