Taskin Ahmed picked three wickets before Niroshan Dickwella smashed a fifty as Sri Lanka maintained the driver’s seat on day two of the second Test against Bangladesh here on Friday. An unbroken 87-run seventh-wicket stand between wicket-keeper batsman Dickwella and Ramesh Mendis took Sri Lanka to 469/6 at the end of the second day’s play.

Dickwella is unbeaten on 64 with Ramesh giving him company on 22*. Bangladesh bowlers did bring the visitors back in the game picking five wickets on day two but Dickwella and Ramesh ensured Sri Lanka put on a good total before the play was called off on Friday. After the domination of Sri Lanka on the first day, Bangladesh fought back in the match dur to an impressive display by the bowlers on day two in Kandy. Bad light and rain stopped the play a couple of times on Friday. Sri Lanka started the day with an overnight score of 291 for 1. Taskin bowled with heart from the start of the morning and finally, he was rewarded with two big wickets. He got rid of centurion Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews respectively.

Before lunch, Taijul Islam put more pressure on Sri Lanka by dismissing Dhananjaya on 2. A fifth-wicket partnership between Fernando and Pathum Nissanka looked dangerous before Taskin again gave the breakthrough in his return spell with the wicket for Pathum on 30. Mehidy Hasan on the other also joined the party and picked up the important wicket of Dhananjaya who scored 81. Sri Lanka was in some trouble after losing six wickets for 382. From there Dickwella counter-attack the bowlers and scored a quick fifty. He made an unbeaten 87-run partnership with Ramesh before bad light forced the umpires to call off the day.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 469/6 (Lahiru Thirimanne 140*, Dimuth Karunaratne 118; Taskin Ahmed 3-119) vs Bangladesh

Rohit Sharma’s elegance and Suryakumar Yadav’s flamboyance will be pitted against the brute power of Faf du Plessis and grace of Ruturaj Gaikwad when heavyweights Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) cross swords in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in New Delhi today. MI and CSK head into the match after identical seven-wicket wins over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively and both teams would be keen to continue their winning streak. The biggest positive for Mumbai has been the return to form of opener Quinton de Kock, who made a blistering, unbeaten 70 against Rajasthan.

The faltering Mumbai Indians middle-order also clicked in the previous game, on a comparatively easy batting track compared to the one at the Chepauk.

Suryakumar (170 runs) would need to convert his starts while Krunal Pandya (68 runs) played a useful cameo, which would have bolstered his confidence. He would be keen to take it forward from where he left off.

Kieron Pollard (81 runs) also displayed his hard-hitting skills on Thursday and would be raring to go once again, and so would fellow all-rounder Hardik Pandya (36 runs).

Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult have been exceptional, particularly at the death, and would need to perform again to contain the in-form CSK batters.

Leggie Rahul Chahar, with 11 scalps, has been MI’s leading wicket-taker. He would, however, need support from Krunal and the seasoned off-spinner Jayant Yadav, who was a tad expensive in the last game.

Meanwhile, table-toppers CSK have been a force to reckon with this season, having won five of their six games.

Openers du Plessis (270 runs) and Ruturaj (192 runs) have been in top form and would be keen to provide the team with another strong start.

Their middle-order has also been among runs. Moeen Ali (148 runs) has adjusted well to the role of pinch-hitter, while the presence of the ever-reliable Suresh Raina (121 runs) gives the team a huge cushion.

Then there are Ambati Rayadu (64 runs) and Ravindra Jadeja (109 runs), who has improved as a batsman and can plunder sixes at will, apart from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (37 runs), who appears content to be playing second fiddle these days. Add Englishman Sam Curran and CSK can take any attack apart when in form.

CSK bowlers led by Deepak Chahar (8 wickets) and Curran (6 wickets) have done a splendid job, while Shardul Thakur, with four scalps, could be decisive in breaking partnerships.

Jadeja has also shone with the ball, taking five wickets while Moeen has four and all of them would be hoping to be at their best against Mumbai.

MUMBAI INDIANS

(3 WON, 3 LOSSES)

Strengths:

• Got Rhythm in Delhi

• Quinton de Kock is in good form

• Excellent bowling by Jasprit Bumrah

• Rahul Chahar has a wicket taking ability

Weaknesses:

• Except Bumrah, bowling unit is expensive

• Rohit Sharma is yet to play a big inning

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

(5 WON, 1 LOSS)

Strengths:

• Opening is a big asset

• Middle order is well supported

• Opening bowling and Jadeja are doing well

• Very good fielding in outfield

• Won all the matches convincingly

Weaknesses:

• Shardul Thakur is proved to be expensive

After being handed an eight-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching Anti-Corruption Code, former Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak on Thursday released a statement saying that he was not involved in any sort of match-fixing.

“I also want to place on record to the public and fans that I was not involved in any match-fixing, spot-fixing, or attempts to influence a game or share information from a changeroom during a match at any given time in our relationship. This position has been confirmed by the ICC itself in its own statement,” Streak’s statement read, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. Streak was charged by the ICC as a participant under the Code by virtue of his status as the coach of Zimbabwe from 2016 to 2018 and as the coach of various domestic teams.

Under the provisions of the Code, Streak chose to admit the charges and agreed with the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing. He will be free to resume his involvement in the game on March 28, 2029.

“In 2017, I met an individual keen to invest in cricket in Africa, and in particular they wanted to sponsor a T20 tournament in Zimbabwe, which would be called the Safari Blast. The individual was subsequently vetted and cleared through the usual protocols and to be honest, I let my guard down as the friendship and potential business partnership blossomed. The nature of our relationship was fraternal and cordial at all times. I genuinely believed it was a safe space. I also hoped the relationship would be beneficial not only to myself and to the academy but to Zimbabwean cricket and I pursued its growth with vigour,” said Streak.

“At the onset I was engaged, and paid the Bitcoin, to assist in buying and building teams in different regional T20 competitions, which was successful, resulting in the purchase of a team in Dubai for this individual. Much later on in our friendship, the only other thing I received was a bottle of whisky and my wife was gifted a phone. Several months down the line the ICC then brought to my attention the fact that the individual with whom I had been dealing, and some of the information that I had shared during our friendship/interaction may have been used for online betting,” he added.

Streak also said that he does not want cricket in Zimbabwe to suffer for his actions and he also said that he intends to serve out the sanction handed by the ICC.

Goals in the second half from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez helped Manchester City stage a stunning comeback to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.

Manchester City took a 2-1 advantage into the second leg of this UEFA Champions League semi-final after an impressive comeback win in the French capital. Mauricio Pochettino’s side was quickly out of the blocks with Neymar testing Ederson before Marquinhos towered above the City defence to head a goal in the 15th minute.

Phil Foden was denied by Keylor Navas from the visitors’ clearest opening but, on the whole, Paris kept Josep Guardiola’s men at arm’s length before the interval.

Trailing at the break to a first-half Marquinhos header, Pep Guardiola’s side staged an incredible turnaround after the break at the Parc des Princes stadium.

The second half was a different story. City dominated possession and their pressure told when De Bruyne’s cross-shot veered inside the far post, quickly followed by Riyad Mahrez’s free-kick zipping through the Paris wall and past Navas.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who are among the most consistent teams at this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) will take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) who have been among the most inconsistent, losing four out of their six matches.

RCB have won five of the six matches they have played with their only loss coming against Chennai Super Kings.

They are coming off a close one-run win against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday. The win took them to 10 points.

In contrast, PBKS are in poor shape. Their batting has been failing. West Indian superstar Chris Gayle hasn’t got runs under his belt while skipper KL Rahul too hasn’t been in top form.

Mayank Agarwal got a few scores recently but PBKS haven’t seen two or three of their batsmen score big together in one match.

PBKS’ bowling though has been impressive. But the RCB batting line-up will provide a massive challenge to them. With the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, skipper Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell in the batting line-up, the PBKS bowlers will be tested.

The Punjab franchise needs to win desperately to enter the second phase of the tournament on a high.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

Strengths:

• Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers in tremendous form

• Always hope from the talented Devdutt Padikkal

Weaknesses:

• Virat Kohli is performing inconsistently.

• Siraj was expensive in the last match

PUNJAB KINGS

Strengths:

• Henriques and Shami.

• Ravi Bishnoi’s magic.

Weaknesses:

• Batsmen not doing to their potential.

• Fielding is not up to the mark

Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne (118) and Lahiru Thirimanne (131*) both scored centuries as the hosts dominated all three sessions on day one of the second Test against Bangladesh here on Thursday.

An unbroken 82-run second-wicket stand between Thirimanne and Oshada Fernando took Sri Lanka to 291/1 at the end of the opening day’s play. Shoriful Islam was the lone man from Bangladesh who gave visitors something to cheer about as Sri Lanka batsmen enjoyed another day of run-fest on Thursday. Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka got off to a steady start as opening batsmen Karunaratne and Thirimanne batted through the first session. Sri Lanka went to lunch at 66/0 with both batsmen well set, forming a solid base for the innings ahead. In the second session, Karunaratne and Thirimanne took Sri Lanka over the 100-run mark without losing wickets, with both batsmen reaching their respective fifties.

The duo continued their dream run and piled further misery as Sri Lanka reached 188 for the loss of no wicket before tea. Meanwhile, Thirimanne surpassed the 2,000 Test runs and Karunaratne scored another century as the openers put Sri Lanka in full control.

In the third session, Shoriful broke the opening stand of 209 in the 64th over as he dismissed Karunaratne. However, Thirimanne continued scoring runs and brought up his third Test century, also his second of the year. Bangladesh was not able to make any further inroads as Sri Lanka ended day one of the second Test on 291/1.

During the game, Karunaratne also became the 10th Lankan batsman to score 5,000 runs in the longest format of the game. He is also the fourth fastest Sri Lanka cricketer to reach 5,000 Test runs in terms of matches played.

Karunaratne scored his 5,000th run in his 72nd Test and 138th innings. Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara is still the highest run-scorer for the country with 12,400 Test runs under his belt.