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ScorecardHong Kong scored their first ever ODI win over a Full Member when they beat Afghanistan by 30 runs on a rainy afternoon at the Bulawayo Athletic Club. The victory was built around Anshuman Rath’s half-century and was sealed by an outstanding spell of offspin bowling from Ehsan Khan, backed up by some inspired fielding.As a result, Afghanistan were left needing a miracle to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. They have lost three out of three matches in this tournament so far and will need several things going their way to stay in contention.Afghanistan were trundling along steadily in pursuit of 242 when Ehsan was brought on from the clubhouse end in the 16th over. With loop and flight, he tempted Rahmat Shah into an expansive drive. With dip and turn, he spun the ball sharply in between bat and pad to disturb the stumps. With that, Afghanistan were 56 for 2, and Hong Kong had their opening. Before his first over was up, Ehsan had also dismissed the set Ihsanullah for 20, a gloved sweep landing in the hands of Rath, tumbling to his left at slip.At 57 for 3, with Mohammad Nabi still to bat, Afghanistan might still have considered themselves in a favourable position. But Hong Kong’s bowling attack never let the pressure drop, with Tanwir Azfal’s medium pace particularly effective. Bowling a wicket-to-wicket line with Scott McKechnie up to the stumps, Afzal didn’t give the batsmen much to work with. Having made the first incision with the wicket of Javed Ahmadi for 22, his figures in his first spell were 6-0-15-1.The pressure built up by the bowlers brought desperate strokes against Ehsan at the other end. With the required rate closing in on six an over, Samiullah Shenwari bent low to sweep but missed the ball entirely to be bowled for 9, as Afghanistan slipped to 73 for 4.Hong Kong gather around wicket-taker Ehsan Khan•ICC

Still, though, Afghanistan were not entirely out of the match. Mohammad Nabi shepherded the middle order, helping to keep a fidgety Najibullah Zadran in accumulation mode. They nudged and pushed their way through a 59-run stand.With the required rate climbing and ominous rain clouds closing in from the north, Najibullah eventually decided to have a go at Nadeem Ahmed’s left-arm spin. He couldn’t get anything on his slog sweep, however, with the ball crashing into his pad and the umpire upholding a vociferous lbw shout. Two overs later, Sharafuddin Ashraf missed a huge slog across the line and was bowled for 1; Afghanistan 134 for 6.Hong Kong’s discipline soon brought results, Ehsan Nawaz sprinting around at short third man to cut off a dab, and firing a flat throw to McKechnie to find Nabi short of his ground and run out for 38.Fifteen minutes later, rain, thunder and lightning arrived to force the players from the field. When they returned, Afghanistan’s total was revised to 226, with three overs left to play. Dawlat threw the bat around, but they were never going to get close. For his career best figures of 4 for 33, Ehsan was named Man of the Match.Earlier in the day, Rath provided the bedrock of Hong Kong’s innings, helping them recover from an early wobble which saw them reduced to 43 for 3. He put together stands of 50 with captain Babar Hayat and 67 with McKechnie to keep Hong Kong ticking over, looking particularly effective when playing off the front foot through the covers.Rath, who was Hong Kong’s leading run-scorer during the World Cricket League Championship with 678 runs at 75.33, started in measured fashion against both pace and spin. His innings eventually gained momentum, and he came out on top during a fascinating duel with Afghanistan’s quicks, cutting and pulling both Dawlat and Shapoor Zadran. With Tanwir Afzal smashing 22 from just 9 deliveries towards the end, Hong Kong reached a total that would prove more than enough.

Sir Ian Botham has called for the ECB to offer greater rewards to counties producing first-class players through their academy system after Durham’s NatWest Blast captain Paul Coughlin rejected a new contract and opted to join Nottinghamshire.Botham did not rule out support for a football-style transfer system if satisfactory compensation figures could not be agreed.He also lambasted directors of cricket who also serve as England selectors – putting Nottinghamshire, where Mick Newell fulfils such a role, in direct line of fire.Coughlin, a combative allrounder, joins a Nottinghamshire side that has won both limited-overs trophies and is poised to return to the first division of the Specsavers Championship.Durham say they “made a substantial offer to keep his services”, but that he has decided to accept an offer elsewhere.”It was an extremely tough decision to leave Durham, but I am very excited about joining Nottinghamshire and playing at Trent Bridge,” said Coughlin.”It is a fantastic opportunity to continue my development and I look forward to working with Peter Moores and his coaching staff.”Coughlin, born in Sunderland, came through the Durham Academy, making his first-class debut against Australia A in 2012 as a 19-year-old and has since made 29 appearances in that format. He took over as captain of the T20 side this season.Newell, unabashed at Notts’ transfer success, said: “We see Paul as someone who can be influential for us in all forms of cricket and fits the type of cricketer that we want to sign.”He is a dynamic fielder, bowls quickly and is an aggressive batsman – he’s an exciting young player.”From our perspective, he is coming to a club where we have a good coaching team in place who we think can improve him as a player. We want to help Paul be the best cricketer that he can be.”It is another blow for Durham, who suffered heavy points penalties this season as punishment for having to seek a bale-out from the ECB to preserve their Division One status.Coughlin, brought through Durham’s academy system and helped through some severe injury problems, is currently injured with a side injury and won’t feature again for Durham this season.Botham, Durham’s president, said: “Following Paul Coughlin’s decision to leave Durham County Cricket Club, I would like to express my frustration at a number of issues.”Despite offering Paul – a player we have nurtured through our academy system and someone we hold in extremely high regard – a very competitive contract extension, our devoted support during periods of injury, continuous development and leadership opportunities; the player has chosen to leave Durham.”I respect Paul’s right to move clubs and understand that players at certain times in their careers may want to move on.”However, it’s without question that our second division status, points penalties and difficult financial situation has created an opportunity for rival counties and intermediaries to unsettle players with promises of first division cricket, greater England opportunities and immediate financial reward.”It concerns me that the current arrangements within cricket do not reward counties that invest in academies and produce exciting young English players.”Botham promised that Durham would be at the forefront of the fight to win greater financial compensation for counties who produce their own players – and did not rule out support for a transfer system if suitable compensation was not possible.He went on: “The ECB is currently reviewing its partnership agreement with the counties and Durham will be making strong representations to properly reward those that invest in the development of local talent.”They need to introduce a transfer or similar system of compensation, to remove the potential for conflict of interest by preventing serving directors of cricket acting as selectors and to better regulate the behaviour of agents.”Durham receive about £100,000 as a direct grant from the ECB towards the running of their academy which despite stringent cost controls costs about £230,000 a year.As transfers become increasingly common, clubs with a strong commitment to producing players within their own community are increasingly exasperated.Durham’s promotion ambitions were scuppered by a 48-point penalty, although they have put together a decent run of form as the season has gone on.”In the meantime, Durham will devote all of its available resources to putting together a squad of players that are committed to the club and share our ambition to return to the first division and winning trophies,” Botham said.”We are currently negotiating with a number of players, domestic and overseas with a view to returning to the top flight next season.Durham’s academy has been marked as outstanding by the ECB and no fewer than 75% of the 1st XI squads in 2016 were drawn from north-eastern communities.

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have appointed former Australia batsman Dean Jones as interim head coach for Afghanistan’s Intercontinental Cup fixture in Hong Kong. Afghanistan have been without a coach since August after the board chose not to renew Lalchand Rajput’s contract following a year-long stint with the side. Jones, 56, recently covered the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan’s premier T20 competition, in Kabul as a commentator, his style of commentary making him popular with the Afghanistan fans.”Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones has appointed as interim head coach of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team for the upcoming tour of Hong Kong for the Intercontinental Cup fixture,” the ACB announced in a statement. “Both sides will consider a long-term coaching agreement after the tour of Hong Kong.”Afghanistan have struggled for consistency in the coaching department, having changed five coaches over the past five years. Before Rajput, former Pakistan internationals Inzamam-ul Haq, Rashid Latif and Kabir Khan all had spells as Afghanistan head coach.Afghanistan are set to play a first-class game in the ICC Intercontinental Cup on October 20 at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Hong Kong. Afghanistan are presently unbeaten, in second place with 81 points behind Ireland, who lead the table with 89 points from six games. They won the Intercontinental Cup in 2010, beating Scotland in the final, after bursting onto international cricket’s collective consciousness in 2009 when they gained ODI status with a sixth-place finish at that year’s World Cup Qualifier in South Africa.

Other issues discussed

• Rest days between matches during the Vijay Hazare Trophy

• Increasing and standardising boundary sizes across grounds

• Playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in a league-cum-knockout format

• Use of DRS in domestic cricket

• Scheduling matches with weather conditions in mind

Captains and coaches of India’s domestic sides have called for an increase in the number of round-robin matches in the Ranji Trophy and the use of quality balls in domestic tournaments. At a meeting in Mumbai to gather feedback on the 2017-18 domestic season from the captains and coaches, there were discussions on scheduling, umpiring standards, pitches and pay hikes. Sourav Ganguly, the chairman of the BCCI’s technical committee, Saba Karim, the board’s general manager of cricket operations, and MSK Prasad, the chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, were present at the meeting.ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI had invited teams to offer feedback on the aforementioned issues about a month ago. It is learnt that a number of coaches and captains favoured reverting to the earlier Ranji Trophy format in which the teams, divided into three groups, played a minimum of eight matches each. The new format introduced last season, had 28 teams split into four groups of seven each, meaning each side played six matches in the group stages. Andhra coach Sanath Kumar said an increase in the number of matches played would give players more opportunities to showcase their talent. “After working so hard ahead of the season, almost 80 percent of the teams will only get to play 24 days of first-class cricket [in the existing format],” he told ESPNcricinfo. “They should ideally get to play more cricket.”Mumbai captain Aditya Tare echoed Sanath’s opinion and said the current format made it difficult for teams to come back into the competition after a bad start. “If a team has had a bad game or has missed a game due to the weather, it becomes very difficult for them to get into the groove,” he said. “Take the example of Hyderabad, who missed two games at the start of the last season due to rain, and found it hard to come back into the competition. So going back to the three-group format will be better and players will also have better opportunities.”Both Tare and Sanath said nearly every team welcomed the return to the home-and-away format in the Ranji Trophy after the experiment with neutral venues in 2016-17, and also the concept of neutral curators. The quality of balls used in domestic cricket, however, has been another persistent issue. Balls going out of shape has been a frequent occurrence in the Ranji Trophy over the last few years – there have been instances of balls being changed as many as three or four times in a single session.The players have also urged the BCCI to revisit the use of the SG LE white ball in the shorter formats. The captain of a top state team felt the gulf in the quality between the white Kookaburra ball and the SG Test LE was huge. “I can understand the logic of playing with the SG Test LE if it was used in limited-overs internationals played in India, like the SG Test which is used in Test matches in India and thereby employed in Ranji Trophy cricket as well,” the player said. “When you play with the white Kookaburra in international matches, it would make sense for players to get a hang of it in domestic cricket as well.”Sanath, however, said that while the BCCI had agreed to work on the quality of the balls, it had indicated that the use of the SG Test LE would continue. “The BCCI said it will work with the manufacturers to ensure the quality of the red and white balls get better,” he said. “The board feels the SG Test LE can be used in limited-overs internationals played in India and in the IPL over a period of time, after improvements are made to its quality.”Umpiring was another area that left a lot to be desired, according to Tare, and was a matter of concern for many that attended the meeting. “When players do something wrong they are penalised for that. We are criticised or dropped following a bad performance,” Tare said. “The umpiring has been an issue for many years now and something has to be done to ensure that certain standards are maintained. If someone is consistently having bad games as an umpire, then he could be made to go back to officiating in age-group cricket [to prove his abilities]. That’s what my suggestion was.”A state captain felt it was also time to return to the run-quotient rule instead of net run-rate, which is used as the tie-breaker when teams are level on points. “I have raised this issue several times in the past, but there has been little progress on this front,” he said. “I don’t think the net run-rate is relevant in the longer format. The bowling should also come into play and that’s why the quotient rule works better.”The coaches and captains, though, welcomed the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators’ decision to increase the remuneration of players. The revised pay structure will see a first-class cricketer earn INR 35,000 per day for a four-day match apart from a percentage of the BCCI’s profits. “It is a real boost for the players and will give an incentive to talented cricketers to pursue cricket as a professional option and not drop out in favour of other career options,” Sanath said.

Allrounder Washington Sundar’s maiden first-class hundred – 156* off 223 balls – underpinned Tamil Nadu‘s dominance against Tripura in Chennai. Opening the batting in the absence of M Vijay – who is suffering from a neck spasm – Sundar struck 14 fours and a six to give his team a 74-run first-innings lead at stumps on the second day.He first added 162 for the opening stand with his captain Abhinav Mukund before combining with B Indrajith for an unbroken 152-run stand for the third wicket. Abhinav made 76 off 130 balls – his second successive first-class fifty – while Indrajith stayed unbeaten on 73 off 121 balls. Tripura used seven bowlers with only Joydeep Bhattacharjee and Gurinder Singh finding success. The hosts, ultimately, closed the day at 332 for 2, scoring at over four runs per over.Earlier, seamer K Vignesh’s 4 for 41 helped Tamil Nadu dismiss Tripura for 258 from an overnight 244 for 7. The visitors had lost their last seven wickets for just 55 runs. R Ashwin finished with figures of 25.1-6-64-2.Wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha completed his 21st first-class hundred – 180 off 410 balls – to propel Madhya Pradesh to 409 against a depleted Mumbai side in Indore. In reply, Mumbai ended the day at 130 for 1 with opener Jay Bista punching 89 of those in only 96 balls.Resuming from an overnight 250 for 5, MP lost Ankit Sharma early on the second day, but Ankit Kushwah and Mihir Hirwani made 34 and 31 respectively to assist Ojha and help take the total past 400. Debutant Akash Parkar was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai, finishing with 4 for 70.Kushwah then struck with the ball to have Akhil Herwadkar caught behind for 17, but Bista’s counterattack and Siddhesh Lad’s stickability helped Mumbai trim the deficit to 279.A 139-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Swapnil Singh and Atit Sheth lifted Baroda from 203 for 7 to an eventual score of 373 against Andhra in Vadodara. Andhra’s batting line-up, which had given Tamil Nadu a scare in the first round, mounted a strong reply with captain Hanuma Vihari and Ricky Bhui scoring unbeaten half-centuries. The two batsmen helped Andhra end the day at 190 for 2.Sheth followed his 70 not out with the wicket of opener Prasanth Kumar. Left-arm spinner Swapnil, who was the top-scorer for Baroda with 88, went wicketless in five overs.

Trent Boult and Tim Southee pillaged 61 runs together at the start of the day, then claimed two wickets apiece, and held one spectacular catch each, as they set off and then perpetuated West Indies’ dramatic decline on a rain-interrupted day.By stumps, New Zealand had a stranglehold on the Test. Their opposition, eight down, and still 158 runs short of the hosts’ 373, were facing a long climb back into contention. Only Kraigg Brathwaite made a substantial score, hitting 66 off 116 deliveries while several batsmen made promising starts and perished around him. Having ended the first day with so much momentum, and even begun day two with a wicket in the first over, West Indies were guilty of failing to apply themselves on a pitch that – while lively – was not the challenge their scoreline made it seem.It was in the eighth over of the day, with New Zealand’s score on 312 for 9, that Tim and Trent’s day-two adventure began. Getting off the mark with an enterprising uppercut for four over the slips off Shannon Gabriel, Boult tried the shot again next over, and this time fetched six for it. Before long he and Southee were in the middle of a full-scale blitz, Boult hitting five fours and two sixes in his 27-ball 37 not out, while Southee cracked 31 off 39, hitting two leg-side sixes and a four of his own. They were aided by Seddon Park’s modest dimensions, as even mis-hits proved a challenge to West Indies’ fielders. But there was spunk to go with the luck – Boult backing off awkwardly against Miguel Cummins at one stage, only to reach out and blast past point a ball that might have shaved the top of off stump.New Zealand had begun the day in danger of not making it to 300, but thanks largely to their No. 10 and No. 11, 87 runs were added to the overnight score. Kemar Roach, who dismissed Neil Wagner third ball of the day (thanks to a flying catch at gully by Shai Hope) claimed the final wicket to finish with figures of 3 for 58, while Gabriel, who also took a day-two wicket, ended with 4 for 119.It was in the field, and with the ball, however, that Boult and Southee really left their mark on this Test. Gaining more bounce and carry from the surface than West Indies had managed (though it is possible the pitch had quickened up), they began beating edges almost immediately. Southee took the wicket of Kieran Powell in the first over, having the batsman caught behind for zero. Boult took longer to make his breakthrough, dismissing the spirited Shimron Hetmyer with a sublime return catch, leaping to his left.Having tottered to 46 for 2, West Indies then seemed to be regaining their composure while Brathwaite and Hope were at the crease, but when play resumed after a rain delay of almost two hours, more wickets were in store. Hope nicked one to the slips off Southee soon after play re-started, then Roston Chase and Sunil Ambris both departed in quick succession – the latter treading on his stumps to the bowling of Boult, as he played a back-foot shot on the leg side. This was the second time in three innings that Ambris was out hit wicket.When Southee caught Brathwaite spectacularly on the juggle soon after – the ball hitting the tips of his outstretch hands at short cover, only to bounce out and then be re-taken just before it hit the turf behind him – West Indies had lost four wickets for 45 runs. Brathwaite had been the player holding the innings together, keeping out the good balls and finding boundaries behind the wicket – though he did have some luck when he was dropped off Boult in the slips, on 14. He left West Indies at 135 for 6 – in danger of not making 200. Thankfully, for the visitors, Shane Dowrich struck a belligerent 35 before top-edging a pull off Neil Wagner, and debutant Raymon Reifer moved to an unbeaten 22 by stumps.Southee returned New Zealand’s best figures of the day, his two wickets only costing him 34 runs. Colin de Grandhomme and Wagner also had two wickets to their name. Mitchell Santner’s left-arm spin was not required.

Pakistan wristspinner Shadab Khan has been fined 20% of his match fee after being found guilty of verbal abuse during the second T20 international against West Indies in Karachi. Shadab’s offence amounted to a Level 1 breach of the ICC’s code of conduct, which also earned him one demerit point.The incident occurred in the ninth over of the West Indies chase, when Shadab dismissed Chadwick Walton. After being taken for 11 runs in his first over by the batsman, Shadab returned to clean him up with a wrong’un off the first ball of his next over. Shadab then followed up by pointing his finger at the departing Walton, and made an inappropriate comment. Shadab, who is Walton’s teammate at Islamabad United, admitted his offence and accepted the sanction proposed by the match referee David Boon.As per the ICC’s code, Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, and a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points. This is the first time Shadab has been caught breaching the player code. If he accumulates three more demerit points within a 24-month period, it will translate into suspension points that will earn him a one-match ban.Pakistan are presently hosting West Indies in Karachi, and have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-T20I series. The third and final game takes place on Tuesday.

Tamil Nadu coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar has admitted to being aware of M Vijay’s injury that kept him out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture against Mumbai in Chennai on Thursday. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) had subsequently left Vijay out of the squad for the remaining games after he had “failed to report” to the ground citing “shoulder pain”.The TNCA had also stated in a press release that the state body, selection committee and the team physio were unaware of Vijay’s injury.Kanitkar, however, acknowledged the possibility of a “communication gap”, and said Vijay had informed him of his unavailability on the morning of the match. He also said the team wasn’t caught unawares. “Vijay had told me on the morning of the match that he wouldn’t be able to play,” reports quoted Kanitkar as saying at the end of the Tamil Nadu-Madhya Pradesh match on Friday. “I think there was some communication gap with the association. I knew about it before coming to the ground. I also already knew who to replace him with. It wasn’t a surprise because we were prepared for it.”Even during the Ranji Trophy match against Tripura earlier this season, he opted out on the morning of the match with a neck sprain. But on that occasion he came to the ground to get it treated. I know Vijay has always played with commitment for the state.”A top TNCA official, however, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the association’s decision to replace Vijay with young batsman Pradosh Ranjan Paul remained unchanged and that “the matter was closed.” The TNCA official had said on Friday that Vijay had informed the Tamil Nadu coach at about 7.30am on the day of the match. The TNCA was upset by Vijay’s last-minute withdrawal and had generally been unhappy with his “attitude” over a period of time.Although the TNCA official had confirmed there wasn’t any disciplinary action initiated against Vijay, he said that going forward national players wouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose matches once they had confirmed their availability for a tournament. He further said the issue was likely to come up for discussion at an executive committee meeting of the TNCA.Meanwhile, an injury-ridden Tamil Nadu side suffered another blow with captain Vijay Shankar ruled out of the Andhra game on Sunday. Offspinner Malolan Rangarajan has been added to the squad, which will now be captained by B Aparajith. Lead spinner R Ashwin, who picked up seven wickets from four games, is also set to miss the game. The official clarified Ashwin had sought permission of the TNCA in advance, and the association, in consultation with the selectors, granted his request.

ScorecardShabnim Ismail is congratulated on the wicket of Hayley Matthews•Getty Images

Seamer Shabnim Ismail’s three-for and opener Lizelle Lee’s 38-ball 46 helped South Africa beat Bangladesh by 17 runs and go 1-0 up in the three-match T20I series.Having elected to bat at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley, South Africa openers Lee and Laura Wolvaardt put together 77 by the 10th over. Wolvaardt’s wicket, however, sent them sliding as spinners Rumana Ahmed and Khadija Tul Kubra ran through the top order to pick up four wickets in the space of 20 deliveries.Sune Luus steered them to safety, making an unbeaten 28 off just 23 balls from No. 7 to lift them from 86 for 5 in the 13th over to 127 for 6 at the end of 20 overs.Bangladesh slipped to 14 for 2 in the fifth over, and from there on, South Africa didn’t look back. Ahmed and Fargana Hoque put together 72 off just 68 balls for the third wicket to keep Bangladesh in the hunt, before Ismail returned to rattle the middle order. She had Rumana caught by Mignon du Preez for 36 and then sent Nigar Sultana back for a first-ball duck to stifle them.Bangladesh needed 32 off two overs, but tight overs from Kapp and Ismail closed out the game.

They may have ended at 75 for 7 and been saved from defeat by bad light, but for most of the five rain-interrupted days at Eden Gardens, Sri Lanka were the dominant side. While concerned by his team’s batting collapse on the final afternoon, interim coach Nic Pothas was pleased overall with their performance to begin their tour of India.It was the continuation, he said, of a process of improvement that began when India visited Sri Lanka in July-August and whitewashed them 3-0.”The process absolutely began there, in Sri Lanka,” he said. “The day the Indian team got on a plane and flew out, the process started. It probably started before that, because of the amount of planning that goes on, so that we were ready. Things like that don’t happen overnight and certainly we’re not going to be counting our chickens.”We’ve played a couple of good Tests against Pakistan [against whom they won 2-0 in the UAE], we’ve played pretty well here. But we’ve got a long way to go. But this side is going to be a very good side in the future, there’s no doubt.”Pothas hoped Sri Lanka could keep this positive trend going through the rest of this series.”I think you always set a goal to improve,” he said. “We had a series in Sri Lanka where we did not compete at all. We’ve come here, and we’ve actually been very competitive in the first Test match. That’s a huge positive, and it’s a credit to the support staff, the players, the way they got about preparing, about strategising for this game.”You know, it’s only one game of cricket, this series is three games long. But the takeaway is going to be that we played a series against them, we got tougher. We obviously had some success; we played some very good cricket. So we’ll see if we could continue to ride that wave.”In the fourth innings, set a task of either surviving 47 overs or chasing 231, Sri Lanka crumbled against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. Pothas said India’s quicks maintained intense pressure on the batsmen, and that they would only learn to deal with such pressure by experiencing it more often.”I think there always are concerns if you lose seven wickets,” he said. “That’s going to be a concern for any team. But you look at three very good quicks, you’re going to be under pressure, but the more often you play, [the better you will get at handling it.] I think these two series back-to-back against India is going to be the making of the Sri Lankan team in the future, because if you play against quality under pressure you become better.”So yes, it’s a concern but I’m more excited about how we fought and came out the other end. Actually, you’re looking at one day or a couple of hours of cricket; I’m looking at four days of cricket where we played very good cricket.”India were in trouble in the morning session when three quick wickets from Suranga Lakmal left them four down while only leading by 91. Sri Lanka continued to chip away at the wickets, but India pulled away thanks to Virat Kohli’s 18th Test hundred, a knock that Pothas termed “fantastic”.”I don’t think it went wrong [for Sri Lanka],” Pothas said. “You’ve got to look at it in two ways. There was a fantastic innings played by a world-class cricketer. I thought we bowled very well, we fielded very well. The intensity was good. Yes, we had India under some pressure. Virat played a fantastic innings and actually set up a very good game of Test-match cricket. I don’t think anything went wrong. I think there was some very good cricket on both sides.”Kohli’s innings set up a tense finish, with Shami and Bhuvneshwar steaming in backed by the noise of a large Monday crowd, and sparks flew when Shami exchanged words with the combative wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella.”That’s fantastic, isn’t it? That’s Test-match cricket,” Pothas said. “It’s a tough environment, it’s a cauldron, and that’s how players earn respect from each other. I thought it was played fantastically well. Very tough, high-pressure. Very enjoyable. Great for the spectators.”