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Yorkshire will be able to play host to day/night matches this season with the installation of floodlights but a lower-than capacity crowd may be there to watch after safety concerns were raised about the rugby stand at Headingley

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2015Yorkshire will be able to play host to day/night matches this season with the installation of floodlights but a lower-than-capacity crowd may be there to watch.Four 56-metre floodlights, complete with innovative “white rose” head frames, are being installed but the Rugby Stand may have seen its final spectators after concerns were raised over safety.Part of the stand, built in 1932, has been condemned due to corrosion and a structural engineer is due to report on the remainder of the somewhat iconic stand which doubles up to provide accommodation for spectators watching both the cricket and rugby on the opposite side.Rugby fans are unaffected by the corrosion because they use a separate entrance.If the stand was forced to be closed, Headingley’s capacity would reduce to around 14,000, around 3500 lower than present, and lost ticket sales could see the club lose around £130,000.The rugby stand was due to be developed anyway from 2017 and if the cost of repairs is too high, that side of the ground could remain empty until the renovations are completed in 2019.”If it’s going to cost over £100,000, we’re not going to spend that money and throw good money after bad,” Mark Arthur, Yorkshire chief executive, told the . “It’s a blow, but only potentially for two days of the year, which is for the one-day international and the T20 match against Lancashire, which are the only days that we really sell out.”It might be possible to just use the ground floor of the stand, the bottom tier, but when you get people in stands you get what’s known as vibration. It’s not just a question of roping an area off.”If you’ve got a lot of vibration, and suddenly a great lump of concrete comes off the front and bangs on somebody’s head…We simply wouldn’t open the stand unless it was absolutely safe to do so.”

Trevor Bayliss is understood to have been offered the role of England coach ahead of fellow Australian Jason Gillespie

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2015Trevor Bayliss has been offered the role of England coach ahead of fellow Australian Jason Gillespie.Bayliss, 52, a former Sri Lanka coach who led them to the World Cup final in 2011, has also been a successful coach with New South Wales, Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash and Kolkata Knight Riders. The initial reports emerged in the UK and Australia newspapers and were later confirmed. It is believed that he was the ECB’s first choice for the role after an interview process led by Andrew Strauss.Bayliss would not fill the criteria of international playing experience, but his considerable coaching pedigree around the world has seemingly held sway. He briefly coached Australia last year during a Twenty20 series against South Africa.Alastair Cook admitted it will be good to get the appointment confirmed although was out of the loop having been focussing on the final day at Lord’s. “We are a little bit in limbo, not quite sure what’s happening behind the scenes. it broke at lunch, and kind of took us all by surprise a little bit. I’ve probably now got to go and ring Andrew and see what’s going on.”Gillespie, the current Yorkshire coach, had been the frontrunner for the job of next England coach even before Moores was sacked earlier this month following the tour of West Indies. He recently became Adelaide Strikers coach in the Big Bash although that contract had a clause allowing him to take up an international role if it was offered.Trevor Bayliss during his time with the Sri Lankan team•AFPHe confirmed that he had informed that the ECB had an alternative preferred candidate. “I’ve spoken to Andrew Strauss and I’m not that preferred candidate, so that’s their call,” Gillespie told .”I’d hardly say I’m disappointed but I think it would have been a good job to have, no question. There’s exciting times ahead for English cricket and it would have been a great challenge, but it’s not to be. I’ve got a wonderful job with Yorkshire and the Adelaide Strikers, and I’m really looking forward to continuing that work.”Bayliss was interviewed a year ago when England searched for a replacement for Andy Flower before they eventually settled on returning to Peter Moores – an appointment that lasted barely 12 months. His appointment would see him reunited with Paul Farbrace who was his assistant with Sri Lanka.Last year, during England’s previous coach hunt, Bayliss said: “I am interested in hearing more about the job. I am happy doing the jobs I have got at the moment but when it comes to a position like that I would be silly not to find out what they have to say and finding out a bit more about it.”Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, has played under Bayliss in the IPL. “It’s a bit different in the IPL because teams are made up slightly different but I really enjoyed working with Trevor, he’s a champion fella, he’s very relaxed in the background and I’m sure he’ll have a very good relationship with Alastair and Eoin.”He’s had a lot of success of all the teams he’s worked with. The majority of teams have gone on to be very good. He’s a backroom guy, you won’t see him front and centre all the time. He encourages you to play his game.”

Many players try to play like Lionel Messi but few come anywhere close – That doesn't stop pundits from comparing their stars to the icon, though!

GettyBarcelona's new Messi: Bojan KrkicBest known to English football fans thanks to his goals for Stoke City, Bojan Krkic broke Lionel Messi's record for Barcelona's youngest debutant in 2007, earning him instant comparisons to the Argentine forward. He played over 100 La Liga games for Barca before moving on to Roma, AC Milan, Ajax and Stoke. In 2018, he revealed that the "new Messi" nickname held him back and that he rejected a chance to go to Euro 2008 with Spain because of anxiety issues.AdvertisementGettyCatalan Messi: Gerard DeulofeuAny player who comes up through the Barcelona academy is always going to be in the shadow of Messi. Gerard Deulofeu was given the nickname the "Catalan Messi" as he broke through during his teenage years. Now at Watford, the Spain international was sold by Barca to Everton in 2015 but actually returned to his hometown club in 2017 when they exercised a buy-back option in his contract. He teamed up with Messi, playing 23 times before being loaned out and then sold back to England.Getty ImagesCroatian Messi: Alen HalilovicNot all the new Messis get to follow in the original Messi's footsteps, but the 'Croatian Messi' arrived at Camp Nou in 2014 to sign for Barcelona from Dinamo Zagreb, where he had rose to fame. The youngest ever player to play for Zagreb at 16 years and 101 days, he also became the youngest player to play for Croatia in 2013. Unfortunately, his only first team involvement at Barcelona was less than half an hour in a cup game and he was sold to Hamburg in 2016. Now on the books at AC Milan, the 22-year-old joined Standard Liege on loan in January with the Belgian club having an option to buy him this summer.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesEgyptian Messi: Mohamed SalahMohamed Salah was named the 'Egyptian Messi' due to his amazing left foot, but by now he has moved on from the nickname to be regarded as one of the best players in the world. He finished sixth in the 2018 Ballon d'Or voting, just one place below Messi, having helped Liverpool reach the Champions League final and bringing Egypt to the World Cup. Still just 26, he followed up an exellent 2017-18 season with Liverpool by scoring over 20 league goals again in 2018-19 with the Reds again reaching the last four in Europe.

Bruno Fernandes scored a wonderful goal to give Manchester United a 2-0 lead in their crucial Champions League match against Galatasaray.

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Fernandes scored amazing goal for UnitedGave visitors 2-0 lead against GalatasarayEnglish team need three points from matchWHAT HAPPENED?

United got off to an awesome start in Istanbul as Fernandes teed up Alejandro Garnacho for the opening goal just 11 minutes into the match. Fernandes doubled the visitors lead seven minutes later, sending the ball sailing into the top corner from distance.

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The United captain's strike gives United an important early lead in the Champions League clash. United are in need of three points to keep their dream of staying in the competition alive. The Red Devils were on three points at the bottom of the group, with Galatasaray and Copenhagen sitting a point ahead of them.

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United will try to hold onto their advantage and overtake Galatasaray in the table. A win would give them six points from five matches ahead of their final game of the group stage against Bayern Munich, who are top with four wins from four.

Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland are among the list of nominees for prestigious prizes at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards.

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Argentine icon took Sportsman of the Year prize in 2023Looking to defend that crown 12 months onSuperstars of sport in the running for several awardsGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Inter Miami superstar Messi, who has added to his collection of Ballons d’Or and FIFA Best Awards over the course of the last 12 months, is in contention for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year – an honour previously bestowed upon him in 2023.

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Treble-winning Manchester City striker Haaland – who has already been pipped to a Golden Ball and FIFA gong by Argentine icon Messi – is also in the running for the Sportsman award and has said of that nod: "Last year was a very special year for me and the whole team. I couldn’t have scored the number of goals I did without my incredible teammates, the coaches and staff at the club, without them the success would not be possible. I am really proud to be nominated for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award alongside so many other incredible athletes."

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City – who claimed Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles last season – are up for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award, with head coach Pep Guardiola saying: “We are really proud for our club to have been nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award. Of course we are nominated because we won so much last season and the credit must go to all our players and all our staff who worked so hard throughout the season to compete in England and across Europe. It is an honour to be included in such an illustrious list of teams who also achieved success at the elite level of sport last year.”

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Elsewhere, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is among the nominees for the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award, with the 20-year-old England international – who already has Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy wins to his name – joined on that list by Scottish middle distance runner Josh Kerr, teenage tennis sensation Coco Gauff, Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang and fellow footballers Linda Caicedo and Salma Paralluelo, who caught the eye at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

Preview of the match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in Chennai

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran05-Apr-2013Match factsApril 6, 2013
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Mumbai fell short by two runs in their opening game•BCCIBig PictureMumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings flagged off IPL 2012 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Two strong sides played out a tepid match, with Mumbai trouncing the hosts. Mumbai’s opening game of this edition didn’t quite go to plan, losing narrowly to Royal Challengers Bangalore in a game that see-sawed in the final stages. With the asking rate climbing during Mumbai’s chase, Royal Challengers appeared to have the match in control, but Dinesh Karthik’s three consecutive sixes eased the equation considerably. Though Karthik failed to see the side through, Mumbai would have been better served if Karthik had more support.Not for the first time, Kieron Pollard walked in later than he should have (he got to face only two deliveries). For the past few seasons, fans have pushed for a promotion in the batting order and never understood Mumbai’s conservative approach to Pollard. Perhaps there is a good reason for that strategy, but it is hard to fathom. Had he been set, the result could have been different. Despite the defeat, Mumbai needn’t tinker with their line-up. Lasith Malinga missed the game due to injury, but he will be forced to sit out the second match, fit or not, since the game’s in Chennai.Super Kings haven’t always been the strongest starters. Given the form of their protagonists from the Australia Tests – MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and M Vijay – it’s hard to imagine the side stuttering. The ban on Sri Lanka players affects them the least, given they have only two such players in their line-up, who aren’t automatic picks. Chennai are without Faf du Plessis for at least the first month due to injury, while two other South Africans, Albie Morkel and Chris Morris join the team after the South African domestic T20 competition ends on April 7..Players to watchAfter being smacked for three fours off his first four balls, Jasprit Bumrah’s selection was starting to look farcical for Mumbai Indians. Bumrah scripted a remarkable turnaround, picking up three wickets on IPL debut. His unusual high-arm action makes him worth watching, and his performance should guarantee at least another game. He bowls from wide of the crease and generates a sharp angle into the right-handers, which fetched him two of his three wickets.Ravindra Jadeja has in recent times been the butt of jokes on social media networks for failing to justify his two-million-dollar price tag. While Jadeja may have underachieved as a batsman for India, respect for him should have grown following the Australia Tests in which he picked up 24 wickets, second behind Ashwin (29).2012 head-to-headMumbai won the opening game by eight wickets, chasing down a paltry 113. The second match, at Wankhede Stadium, was a nailbiter, with Dwayne Smith playing a blinder for Mumbai with 16 needed off the final over. Smith smashed three boundaries off the last three balls to steal a two-wicket win for Mumbai. Super Kings hit back in the Elimination final, winning by 38 runs in Bangalore.Stats and trivia Mumbai lead the head-to-head with seven wins against Super Kings, out of 13 games. Suresh Raina was the leading run-scorer for Super Kings last season with 441 runs in 19 games. Sachin Tendulkar is the top-scorer in matches between the two sides, with 353 runs at an average of 44.12 from 10 innings.Quotes”The focus is on a few star players, both Indian and foreign, but there are others too who have contributed immensely. Take Badrinath for instance. He might not be a big hitter but has come up with several important performances for the team.”

“It was the first time that I played in front of such huge crowd but I wasn’t paying any attention to the crowd. The more you focus on the inside, the better it is.”

There was no shortage of superlatives as England basked in the glow of their 196-run victory at Lord’s with Andrew Strauss terming their success at taking 20 wickets a near perfect effort

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's25-Jul-2011There was no shortage of superlatives as England basked in the glow of their 196-run victory at Lord’s with Andrew Strauss terming their success at taking 20 wickets a near-perfect effort and calling Kevin Pietersen’s match-defining double hundred one of the finest innings he has seen. Beating the world No. 1 side can have that effect.Strauss’s comments are hard to argue with. Except for an unusually high number of dropped catches – the captain himself was responsible for two, including missing Sachin Tendulkar today – there were few holes to pick in England’s complete performance. Some might mention about the top-order wobble in the second innings, yet the way Matt Prior led the stirring recovery only went to highlight the belief this team has.The game was set up by Pietersen and consolidated by Prior, but England’s bowlers will be rightly lauded for extracting India twice. The pitch offered a little more than recent surfaces here, yet it wasn’t one that warranted such a star-studded line-up being removed for less than 300 twice. Given the pre-match talk, Stuart Broad has understandably grabbed the attention but Chris Tremlett – who Strauss called the “real deal” after he troubled all the batsmen – was colossal in both innings and James Anderson sparked into life on the final day with devastating effect by claiming 5 for 65, including Tendulkar for the sixth time in Tests.”I think over the two innings that was as close to the perfect bowling performance we’ve had in the last two years and that is saying a lot because we have had a lot of exceptional performances,” Strauss said. “It was an outstanding effort by the whole attack over five days. You do have to work hard for your wickets here and I think it showed the value of persistent lines and lengths. That’s the only way of taking wickets here and I think we did that brilliantly.”England’s attack combined perfectly to deliver victory on the final day at Lord’s•Getty ImagesBroad’s Test future was on the line coming into this match. He was given a show of confidence by being preferred to Tim Bresnan but had to repay the faith. The end product was his finest performance in an England shirt, seven wickets in the match and an unbeaten 74, eclipsing that of The Oval in 2009 because the pitch offered him less help.”It was outstanding,” Strauss said. “When your place in the side is called into question it’s a big test of character as much as anything. Stuart showed immense character over five days. He bowled very well and his second-innings 70 was crucial to the outcome of the game. He showed his class and it was a timely reminder to everyone of what a great talent he is.”Broad could easily have been Man of the Match, especially given his half-century, but England set up their victory by surviving the truncated first day just two wickets down then building a commanding 474 as the sun began to shine. Pietersen’s unbeaten 202 was reward for battling through the tough conditions.”That first innings total was a magnificent performance and Kevin was mainly responsible for that,” Strauss said. “That was one of the great innings I’ve seen since being involved, in very difficult circumstances. He had to be smart in the way be played their seamers, he had to graft and then when we had the opportunity to attack, he attacked.”With the No. 1 spot there for the taking if England win the series by two clear Tests, comparisons are never far away with the last time they challenged for the crown in 2005. On that occasion they faded before being able to overtake Australia, but before this match Strauss was bullish that his team are now ready for the mantle and this result has supported his belief.”It’s a pretty worthless pursuit comparing teams, but what I like is that there are no obvious weaknesses in our team as was the case in 2005,” he said. “We have a good mix of youthful experience, guys who are reasonably young but quite experienced now and who know their role in the side. It’s a good recipe for success but doesn’t guarantee you anything next time you play.”That next time will be in four days at Trent Bridge and England have named an unchanged 12-man squad with Bresnan retaining his place. Tremlett suffered a small amount of pain in his hamstring during Lord’s, but didn’t appear troubled on the final day during any of his spells. India can expect another tough examination; Nottingham often provides a pitch that helps the pace bowlers.

Kemar Roach, the West Indies fast bowler, is hoping the traditionally seamer-friendly Barbados track will help him produce a better performance in what is a crucial game for the home team

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2011Kemar Roach, the West Indies fast bowler, is hoping the traditionally seamer-friendly Barbados track will help him produce a better performance in what is a crucial game for the home team. West Indies trail the five-match ODI series against Pakistan 0-2, and Roach, who’s had a poor series thus far, was eager to revive his fortunes in home conditions.”This is a big match in the series – a crucial match. We know we need a win and we will be coming out to play hard. We have fallen behind two-nil, so here is the time to get things right and get a win and stay in the series,” Roach said. “It’s always good to play at home in very familiar conditions. I’m looking to hit my ‘areas’ and look to make inroads into the batting. I always look for wickets with the new ball – that always puts pressure on the batsmen to come.”Roach had an impressive World Cup, grabbing a hat-trick against Netherlands and good returns in the other games with the exception of the quarter-final. He picked up 13 wickets in six games, but has gone wicketless in 18.3 overs in the two games he’s played this series; he’s also been a touch expensive, conceding 101 runs.”The pitch (at Beausejour) in St Lucia was a bit on the slow side and it was a bit flat. Kensington is usually somewhat faster and offers more to my type of bowling so I will be looking for better returns. You still have to work hard, there are no half measures. Cricket at this level is never easy, so we know we have to keep working hard to reap success.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the CLT20 match between Cape Cobras and Trinidad & Tobago

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit03-Oct-2011Match factsCape Cobras v Trinidad & Tobago, October 4, Chennai
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can the T&T bowlers choke the opposition again?•AFPBig PictureAfter the last-ball and one-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians, and the Super Over defeat to New South Wales, one wondered what Trinidad & Tobago would come up with next. Along with MI, T&T did their best to infuse excitement into a tournament that has struggled to pull in crowds. They finally managed to get it right against Chennai Super Kings to give themselves an outside chance of making the semi-finals. T&T have one last opportunity, against Cape Cobras, to add more thrills to the Champions League. It is a must-win game for both sides.While T&T’s spinners will look to use the slowness of the Chennai pitch to their advantage, they would have also noted that the Cobras batsmen struggled more against the Super Kings’ seamers in their only loss so far.A win tomorrow will put Cobras at the top of Group A and ensure their qualification for the semi-finals. Victory alone will not be enough for T&T, though, as they will need the Super Kings to beat New South Wales to force a three-way tie for the second place.Watch out for …Unlike the T&T spinners, there is nothing mysterious about medium-pacer Kevon Cooper but he has gone for just over five runs an over in the tournament. Even fellow Trinidadian Dwayne Bravo could not go after him in the death. Cooper’s 28 at a strike-rate of 280 was the difference against the Super Kings. T&T’s next best strike-rate was 121. Cobras will have to be wary on both fronts.You either get Herschelle Gibbs early or else he gets you. New South Wales didn’t, and suffered. Super Kings did, and got a target that could be chased. Gibbs will go after all the sliders, wrong ‘uns and flicked legbreaks that the T&T spinners try against him. Who will get whom?Team newsBarring last-minute injuries, neither side has reason to change their XIs.Stats and trivia Not surprisingly, slow and low Chennai is where batsmen have struggled the most. It has the lowest average per wicket, 21.22, and the lowest economy-rate, 6.80, of the three venues used in the tournament T&T’s loss to MI was only the 11th instance of a Twenty20 being decided by the smallest margin of one wicket off the last ball.Quotes”There is still a remote chance of us qualifying. God only knows what will happen in the last game but we still hold faith that we will qualify for the semi-finals.”
“We are playing T&T at the end, so their spinners are not complete unknowns to us. We have done a little bit of work on how to face them.”

In what has already been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran27-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Chanaka Welegedara dismissed four of South Africa’s top five•Associated PressIn what has already been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011. There were no signs of Durban’s famed Green Mamba – tides which are rumoured to make the Kingsmead track juicy – but that didn’t prevent South Africa from being knocked over for their lowest total against Sri Lanka. While the lower order had to deal with some sharp spin, the specialist batsmen didn’t have to face any snorters, which makes the collapse more baffling.An assured stand of 76 for the fourth wicket between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers showed how few gremlins there were in the surface, but collapses on either side of that partnership had South Africa scrambling to avert the follow-on. Their tail managed to achieve that, before Welegedara completed his five-for and ended the innings by getting Marchant de Lange to edge to the keeper. de Lange’s 7 for 81 had limited Sri Lanka to 338 in the morning, but instead of a well-earned rest after becoming the eighth debutant to take a five-wicket haul this year, he had to bat in the gloom towards the end of the day.The substantial lead of 170 did not seem likely even after Thilan Samaraweera became only the second Sri Lanka batsman to make a Test century in South Africa. de Lange had ripped out the final three batsmen for three runs, but unfortunately for the home fans the wickets continued to tumble even when South Africa were batting.Two overs after lunch, Jacques Rudolph continued the trend of batsmen throwing away their wickets, by helping a short ball on leg stump to deep-backward square leg. Graeme Smith followed minutes later, as he fished without footwork at a Chanaka Welegedara delivery to give wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal his first Test catch. It got a lot worse in Welegedara’s next over as Jacques Kallis edged to slip to collect a rare Test duck, leaving South Africa at 27 for 3.South Africa still had two of their most bankable batsmen in the middle – Amla and de Villiers – and they revived the home side by comfortably playing out the rest of the session. de Villiers was subdued, but Amla showed his wide range of whiplash shots through the off side. There were several punches through cover for four and the point boundary was peppered as he pounced on the wide deliveries offered. Dilhara Fernando, regarded as the spearhead of the Sri Lankan attack, was only brought on as the fourth-change bowler, but even his introduction didn’t stop Amla, who lashed three fours in one over to cruise towards another half-century.If South Africa were breathing easier at tea, when they were 100 for 3, they were left gasping by what followed after the break. de Villiers chased a half-volley so wide that he ended up on his knees as he edged the ball to second slip. Welegedara had his fourth important wicket two overs later when Amla was caught behind pushing at a delivery angling across.That put Sri Lanka in charge, and two players whose places in the South Africa side are under scrutiny were left to launch a rescue effort. Questions over Mark Boucher’s batting ability will intensify after his poke to gully off Rangana Herath for 3, but there will be even more pressure on Ashwell Prince after his botched reverse-sweep against the spin, that too when South Africa were 119 for 6. With Herath proving too good for Morne Morkel, South Africa had lost five for 16.Dale Steyn didn’t get a wicket in a completed Test innings for the first time since 2008, but he still made a crucial contribution as he shepherded South Africa past the follow-on mark. The final two wickets put on 49, again showing that this wasn’t a pitch impossible to bat on.South Africa’s capitulation made Samaraweera’s century – only his second outside Asia -even more significant. He and Herath defied the home side for more than an hour in contrasting style: Samaraweera was 14 short of his hundred overnight and was in no hurry to reach the landmark, while Herath swung at everything, playing some comical yet effective flat-batted swipes against the hulking fast bowlers.Samaraweera got to his century soon after drinks, pushing the ball towards cover for two, before exuberantly celebrating the milestone by pretending to shoot at someone in the dressing room. Herath was also enjoying himself, with consecutive boundaries, both confident steers past cover point as Sri Lanka moved to 335 for 7 before de Lange’s burst brought the innings to a quick end.South Africa had some cheer late in the day, when Tillakaratne Dilshan perished for 4, but Sri Lanka are still in pole position to extend the home side’s Durban jinx.