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Central Zone wasted little time in playing themselves into a positionof considerable strength on the opening day of their Duleep Trophymatch against South Zone at the Bhanasheb Bandokar stadium in Goa onThursday. After dismissing South for 141, Central replied with 178 fortwo at stumps.It was another poor day for South Zone who are lying at the bottom ofthe points table. Winning the toss, South Zone were rocked by aninspired spell by Devendra Bundela. The Madhya Pradesh seam bowler,who turns 24 later this month, removed openers Sridharan Sriram (14)and A Nandakishore (2) off successive deliveries and got the prizescalp of VVS Laxman (10), all in his first five overs. Hemang Badani(5) and wicketkeeper VST Naidu (4) followed a little later and SouthZone were reeling at 57 for five in the 19th over.Then followed the only stand of note with Vijay Bharadwaj and SunilJoshi (17) adding 47 runs for the sixth wicket off 10 overs. But theremaining batsmen offered little resistance and it was left toBhardwaj to put up a lone battle. The former Indian player who hadcome in the tenth over when Bundela was on the rampage, was last outin the 43rd over for a gallant 50. He batted a shade over 2-1/2 hours,faced 109 balls and hit eight fours. Bundela finished with four for 58while Jai Yadav picked up three for 46.Central Zone lost an early wicket through the run out of Jai Yadav.But Gagan Khoda and skipper Amay Khurasiya put Central Zone back ontrack with a second wicket partnership of 98 runs off 19.1 oversbefore the latter was out for 51. The former Indian batsman faced just49 balls and hit eight fours and a six in his aggressive knock. MohdKaif joined Khoda and the two placed Central Zone in the lead andcarried on unbeaten still stumps. By close, the third wicket pair hadadded 72 runs off 21.5 overs. Khoda was within striking distance ofhis hundred. He has compiled his unbeaten 87 off 148 balls with tenfours and three sixes. Kaif is keeping him company on 28. The muchvaunted South Zone attack, with six bowlers who have played for thecountry, picked up just one wicket between them in 45 overs.

The Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Tim Lamb,today responded to media comment regarding the length of Pakistan’s currenttour to England.He said: “It is completely wrong to suggest that the ECB’s decision to hosttwo npower Test Matches against Pakistan this summer reflects poorly on thetourists.”Our original plan for this summer was to play a six-Test Ashes seriesagainst Australia only. However, following our new broadcasting deal withChannel Four and Sky in 1998, we agreed to expand the international matchprogramme to seven Test Matches per summer and introduce a triangularone-day tournament, the NatWest Series.”This enabled us to extend an invitation to another international side andthe Pakistan Cricket Board readily accepted our offer to play two npowerTests this summer and take part in the NatWest Series.”It would not have made cricketing or commercial sense for us to play aseven-Test series against one country and we firmly believe that the currentinternational match programme is in tune with what cricket fans want.”It should also be stressed that Pakistan’s tour this year was originallyintended to be an additional tour over and above the visit Pakistan were dueto make here in 2004 under the previous touring programme. This has now beenovertaken by the new ICC Test Cricket World Championship whereby eachcountry has to play each other twice home and away during a five-year periodand, as a consequence, Pakistan will now not tour here in 2004.”I can reassure Pakistan supporters that the ECB has the utmost respect fortheir team’s ability. They are one of the most exciting sides to watch inworld cricket and we will be looking to play a minimum of three Test Matchesand possibly four when Pakistan are next due to tour here again in 2006.”

ScorecardMichael Carberry launched into the Sussex’s bowlers with a 36-ball 68•Getty Images

Hampshire remain on course for a domestic double in limited-overs cricket after Sussex’s semi-final frailties were exposed for the second week running. Despite a century of controlled aggression from Luke Wright, Hampshire shredded what could have been a testing chase with a 129-run stand inside the first 13 overs, to set up a repeat of their 2005 C&G Trophy final against Warwickshire.With FLt20 silverware already in the cabinet, there was a thought that one or two of the more ‘experienced’ members of the Hampshire side may have had a eye on some deckchair time by the seaside but even without the taped-up talisman of their T20 triumph, injured allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, there was no sign that the visitors had begun to build mental sandcastles. Rather it was Sussex, FLt20 semi-finalists and defeated at the same stage in this competition last year, who were left to rue another failure to launch.James Vince and Michael Carberry eviscerated the home attack with a calculated onslaught that took Hampshire more than halfway to their target, silencing the crowd and, in Carberry’s case, endangering a few of them too. “It looked difficult to score in the middle period so we had to do the early damage up front while the ball was hard and coming on to the bat,” he said.While Vince pierced the field with a series of back-foot drives, Carberry was a more muscular aggressor, smashing five sixes back down the ground. The biggest came via a huge mow that cleared the video screen on the north-east corner of the stadium, as the left-hander reached his fifty from 25 deliveries during a sequence of 6-4-4-4 against Chris Liddle.Carberry has been mentioned as a potential successor to Andrew Strauss at the top of England’s Test order and his Man of the Match performance, like Wright’s display in defeat, will not have gone unnoticed. He departed trying to smash a second six off Will Beer, underhitting by a matter of inches to be caught at long-on, before Vince fell to the same bowler one run later but Jimmy Adams and Simon Katich went about accumulating the further 90 required in the same unfussy manner of their t20 Finals Day contributions.”We’ve come into a fair amount of these games as the underdogs in various people’s eyes and that never does any harm,” Hampshire captain Adams said. “We’ve got guys capable of being match-winners and as a team there’s a belief we can do it. Today there were some standout performances that swung the game for us.”England’s south coast may often be characterised as a slumbering retirement destination but this was a feisty, energetic encounter between two sides with significant one-day pedigree. Recent t20 successes aside, Hampshire (in 2005) and Sussex (2006) were the last two winners of the C&G Trophy, while they contested the final of its successor, the FP Trophy, in 2009. Hampshire won that Lord’s encounter and repeated the trick by an even more comfortable margin here, despite the chasing given them by Wright.Wright has not played international cricket in over a year but he once again demonstrated his clean striking and the ability to clear the ropes – a much yearned-for quality among England batsmen – in a knock that provided more than half his side’s runs. He is timing his run of form into the World Twenty20 to perfection and although there will be competition from the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler when it comes to providing the middle-order gunpowder, his extra experience gained around the world, in the Big Bash league, IPL and South Africa’s domestic T20, stands him in good stead.”I suppose the silver lining is that I’ve got myself in good nick going into the Twenty20s, so fingers crossed I can push for a place and if I get a chance I can do well,” said Wright, a member of England’s successful 2010 team in the Caribbean. “The harder bit is getting in the XI and winning the title again.”In Sussex’s innings, Chris Nash started much the quicker of the openers and had scored 23 of the first 25 runs before Wright decided to even the ledger. With his spiky hair and slightly crooked grin there is a touch of anarchy to Wright’s appearance and he brought chaos where there had briefly been calm. David Griffiths, replacing Chris Wood, began with a maiden to Nash, while Wright had pottered his way to 7 from 16 balls when the two first collided – and it was the Hampshire seamer who came off significantly the worse.From the eighth over of the match, Wright carved four fours, all through the off side, then mugged Griffiths again in his next, smoking a six and a four back down the ground. To compound the bowler’s pain, with Wright on 35, Bilal Shafayat clutched at an aerial hook to deep square-leg like it was a bar of soap and put down a simple chance.Wright made sure it was an expensive fumble, reaching his second consecutive hundred in the competition and progressing to 122 before steering a short ball from Sean Ervine into the hands of Danny Briggs at short third-man. In all, Wright faced 19 deliveries from Griffiths and picked up 49 runs, including two of his three sixes. “Punk” may have been one of the one of the more repeatable words muttered by the bowler.Partnerships of 71 and 88 had put Sussex in a position, at 159 from 28 overs, to cause some real destruction but after Nash and Matt Prior had departed in the twenties, the middle order were quickly scattered like seagulls on the square. Sussex lost five wickets for four runs in 12 balls and Hampshire, having scrapped their way back into the game, once again proved that underdogs still know how to bite.

Match facts

Friday, December 13, 2013
Start time 2000 local (1600 GMT)Shahid Afridi played a rare, controlled innings in the first T20•Getty Images

Big Picture

Mohammad Hafeez had been confident his side would head into the tour with more momentum, and Pakistan’s victory in the first Twenty20 proved him correct. Pakistan’s senior bowlers were sharp, quick-witted and collected, and their batsmen unruffled, as they chased 146 with five balls to spare. Sri Lanka may be the top-ranked Twenty20 side for now, but Pakistan were clearly the better-drilled and more fluent outfit, after their tough series against South Africa.Pakistan will also take pleasure in the versatility of their XI from the first match. Left-arm seamer Usman Khan had debuted as a frontline bowler on Wednesday, but after a wayward first over, he was not required to bowl any more, as the spin-bowling allrounders delivered their quotas cheaply. Similarly, 22-year-old Bilawal Bhatti produced a crucial 10 runs from No. 8, providing support to Shahid Afridi, who was in danger of running out of capable partners. Hafeez has spoken repeatedly of blooding players for the World Twenty20 in March, and packing your side with high-impact allrounders is not a bad ploy in the shortest format.It does not help Sri Lanka that their best player of spin – Mahela Jayawardene – is on paternal leave, but Wednesday’s match also served to highlight an emerging trend in the side: the youngsters’ aversion to facing slow-bowling in limited-overs cricket. Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal are all more comfortable against the quicks, and they have yet to develop the ability to rotate the strike efficiently when they face high-quality spin. Mathews overcame his deficiency by pulling off several big shots, but Saeed Ajmal and Afridi will be encouraged by the number of dot balls they bowled at Sri Lanka’s batsmen.Pakistan’s side remains an inexperienced one, however, and as such their performance is unpredictable. If dew arrives in the second half of the match, as it did on Wednesday, the toss may also play an important role in the outcome.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

 Sri Lanka: LWWLL
Pakistan: WWWLL

In the spotlight

After the first match Shahid Afridi said he had focused on his bowling for the second half of his career, but admitted that consistent returns with the bat would have made him a more valuable asset for Pakistan. Afridi’s innings are often decided by his own mindset. Occasionally he plays sensible knocks that harness his immense talent, but often he is ruled by carelessness, as he attempts low-percentage shots early in his innings. He has tormented Sri Lanka with the bat before, on international debut, and in the 2009 World Twenty20 final, and another good turn might push Pakistan to a series win.Dinesh Chandimal made his first score over 15 in two years, on Wednesday. How unfortunate for him that the statistic is even worthy of mention. He arrived in 2011 as one of Sri Lanka’s brightest, most ebullient talents, but he has faded rapidly in 2013, particularly after being saddled with the Twenty20 captaincy. He will have another chance to bat in the top four again, and if he can play a significant innings, he may help allay fears that he will be a non-contributing captain in the next World Twenty20.

Team news

Bilawal Bhatti finished with acceptable figures despite having bowled the most expensive over in the first match, and he is likely to retain his place in the side, particularly if Pakistan stick with their plan to blood youngsters. Sohaib Maqsood only made 13 but he may also remain in the team for the same reason.Pakistan (probable): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 4 Sohaib Maqsood, 5 Umar Akmal (wk), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Umar Amin, 8 Bilawal Bhatti , 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Usman Khan/Junaid KhanBefore the series, Sri Lanka had suggested they would like to trial at least one of the rookie spin-bowling allrounders they have brought on tour, and there is a chance they will do so in this match. Lahiru Thirimanne would be the most likely player to make way for either Ramith Rambukwella or Seekkuge Prasanna.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Thisara Perera, 7 Lahiru Thirimanne/Ramith Rambukwella/Seekkuge Prasanna 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Ajantha Mendis

Stats and trivia

• If Pakistan win this match, they become the No. 1 ranked Twenty20 side in the world, sending Sri Lanka to second alongside India and South Africa.
• Dinesh Chandimal has only one score above 30, in 17 Twenty20 innings

Quotes

“In the last four-five years, I’ve been focusing on my bowling. But I know how important my batting is for us, and I have to thank Mohammad Hafeez, who keeps saying, “You’re still the best. Keeep going and play your natural game.”

N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, has appeared before the Mudgal committee investigating corruption in the IPL as part of a series of interviews it is conducting in Chennai. The committee also met with Gurunath Meiyappan, Srinivasan’s son-in-law, who handed over a letter exercising his right to remain silent.Gurunath chose not to explain his position and actions vis-a-vis the Chennai Super Kings to the committee because of the ongoing criminal case against him in the Bombay High Court – it was argued that making any statement before the committee would affect his right to defend himself in the criminal case. In any case this is not a judicial commission and Gurunath is not obliged to testify or otherwise appear before it.The commission must now depend on documentary evidence currently available to it rather than depend on fresh clarifications from Gurunath.The committee has also questioned Kris Srikkanth and Sundar Raman, the IPL chief executive, and will meet Ravi Sawani, the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit chief, among others over the next two days.So far, the three-man committee has questioned a number of people, including the three Rajasthan Royals players – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Sidhharth Trivedi, while they have also met with the officials of Delhi and Mumbai police.The probe committee’s brief covers the corruption charges against Gurunath, CSK team owners India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owners Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as a larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot fixing on IPL matches and the larger involvement of players.

England’s revamped domestic Twenty20 competition will adopt the Super Over to settle tied matches throughout the tournament in a package of changes intended to make the tournament more appealing for spectators.The NatWest T20 will also include coloured crease markings, with the intention of making them easier to see for spectators, and a shorter cut-off time of 60 seconds for a new batsman to reach the crease, reduced from 90 seconds in previous seasons.This will be the first time a Super Over has been used in the group stages of England’s T20 competition and reflects the growing adoption of the American-influenced antipathy to drawn or tied matches.But the ECB has resisted a number of changes floated by a sub-committee, under the chairmanship of the Essex chairman Nigel Hilliard, which was drawn up specifically to look into how to re-energise T20 when it is restructured next season as a summer-long competition played predominantly on Friday nightsAmong the suggestions rejected by the ECB cricket committee, and now supported by the full Board, were a ‘Joker’ Over where runs would count double, a free hit for all no-balls rather than just front foot and a reduction in the minimum size of boundaries.David Collier, the ECB’s chief executive, said: “These changes are designed to make our domestic game even more spectator and viewer-friendly as well as bring the county game into line with rule changes which have been successfully implemented at international level by the ICC. They will come into force along with the new county schedule next season and are the product of extensive consultation and discussion with all our key stakeholders in the domestic game.”If the draw is frowned upon in T20, it has gained in importance in Championship cricket – a psychological necessity perhaps for the ECB as it follows up the adoption of a Super Over by restating that some traditions will be protected: draws in the Championship will be worth five points next season, a rise from three. Wins, 16 points, and bonus points, a maximum of eight, remain unchanged.The Royal London One-Day Cup will “replicate ODI playing conditions wherever possible,” which entails that two new balls will be used. With India sounding increasingly unconvinced by the policy, it is not beyond possibility that the ECB will find itself revisiting the decision sooner rather than later.Students of regulations on the heavy roller will also be excited by another shift. The heavy roller was banned in Championship cricket between 2010-2012, so ending a reliance on Law 10 in the MCC Laws which basically allows seven minutes’ rolling – heavy or otherwise – at the behest of the batting captain before the start of each innings.Heavy rolling was reintroduced in 2013 in the belief that county squares were becoming too uneven, and that pitches were not breaking up for the spinners, but the reaction was mixed: some county squares seemed to benefit and others becoming increasingly moribund.For the 2014 season therefore, the decision on what weight of roller should be available will be made before the start of the match by the home county. This is intended to empower groundstaff who have more knowledge of their own squares to produce good pitches, although the risk is that home advantage could in future be deemed too great, with counties now able to prepare a pitch to suit their circumstances and decide what roller to use on it.

ScorecardJubair Hossain’s late hat-trick sealed the win for Bangladesh Under-19s•WICB Media

West Indies Under-19 crumbled against spin bowling to crash to a 198-run defeat against Bangladesh Under-19 in the Youth ODI series in Guyana. Chasing 287, a middle-order collapse saw West Indies reach only 88, giving Bangladesh a 2-1 lead in the seven-match series.West Indies began their chase steadily as openers Leroy Lugg and Jeremy Solozano added 39 runs. However, offspinner Mehedy Hassan and left-arm spinners Nihaduzzaman and Rahatul Ferdous dismissed the West Indies top order in the space of three overs to leave the batting side tottering at 44 for 3. Fabian Allen and wicketkeeper Shimron Hetmyre had a brief partnership of 24 runs, but once Hetmyre fell to Nihaduzzaman, West Indies slid from 68 for 4 to 88 all out in just 13 deliveries. Legspinner Jubair Hossain picked up a hat-trick, dismissing Jofra Archer, Jerome Jones and Bryan Charles for ducks. He finished with figures of 3 for 7 off two overs, with Ferdous also taking three.Earlier, Shadman Islam anchored the Bangladesh innings with a solid 95, after his side chose to bat. Shadman lost his opening partner, Munim Shahriar, early but combined with wicketkeeper Jashimuddin to add 116 runs for the second wicket. Jashimuddin scored 68 off 92 balls with six fours before he was dismissed by Taryck Gabriel. Shadman then added another 60 runs with Mossadek Hossain, and was also involved in useful partnerships with Nazmul Hussain Shanto and Mehedy Hasan, which helped consolidate Bangladesh’s score. Although the side lost three quick wickets towards the end, Shadman’s knock had ensured the side reached a strong 286 for 8.

ScorecardFile photo – Hamid Hassan’s 4 for 19 derailed Kenya’s innings•Getty Images

Afghanistan did one half of their job in their pursuit of a 2015 World Cup berth as they beat Kenya by eight wickets in Sharjah, thanks largely to Hamid Hassans’ 4 for 19, and Nawroz Mangal’s unbeaten 52.Kenya won the toss and elected to bat first, a decision they would come to rue. In the first over, Hassan removed Irfan Karim, followed soon by Obanda’s wicket in the 4th over.Kenya lost wickets like they were going out of style as some tight bowling from Hassan and Shapoor Zadran kept them in check. In fact, only three batsmen were able to pass double figures, with Maurice Ouma top-scoring with a doughty 24 off 48 balls. Hiren Varaiya’s wicket in the 38th over signaled the end of Kenya’s innings, where they finished on 89.Afghanistan’s reply, in contrast, was calm and considered as they cantered to 79 without any wicket. Mohammad Shahzad holed out to Dhiren Gondaria of the bowling off Varaiya in the 16th over, followed by Hashmutallah Shadi being removed for a three-ball duck. But by then, Afghanistan had done enough, as they were able to knock off the remaining 9 runs to seal an emphatic eight-wicket win, with 32.1 overs to spare.”I seriously enjoyed bowling today, 10 overs, 18 runs, four wickets – just missed the five wickets, but that’s alright,” Hassan said after the game. “We got the win and hopefully on Friday we’ll do the same,” he said.If Afghanistan win their next match against Kenya on October 4, then they guarantee themselves a spot in the 2015 World Cup. If not, they will then have to travel to New Zealand for another chance at qualification.”If we win on Friday, the whole nation will be celebrating,” Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi said. “We will now try even harder for our next game to play positively.”

James Faulkner, the bowling allrounder, will make his Test debut at The Oval on Wednesday and will bat at No.7 as the Australians search desperately for a way to end their failed Ashes campaign on a high. Faulkner and Mitchell Starc have been included for the final Test while Usman Khawaja and Jackson Bird have been dropped, and the batting order will be reshuffled to feature Shane Watson at No.3 and Brad Haddin at No.6.The inclusion of Starc was expected but the naming of Faulkner was a major surprise given that it is Australia’s batting that has been their biggest issue on this tour. Faulkner has scored 111 runs in the tour matches and has been dismissed only once, but there is no question that his bowling is his stronger suit: in 37 first-class matches, he has made eight half-centuries and is yet to register a hundred, but has 132 wickets at 22.87.Faulkner will become the 17th player used by the Australians in this Ashes series, leaving backup wicketkeeper Matthew Wade as the only squad member not to have played a Test on the trip. He will also be Australia’s 435th Test cricketer, and the 18th man to make his debut under the captaincy of Michael Clarke, who took charge only two and a half years ago. Clarke said Faulkner’s fighting attitude was as much a reason for his inclusion as his record.”As we’ve seen so far in this series, statistics, records, first-class performances haven’t meant that much,” Clarke said. “It’s about finding a way on that day or over those five days to have success. I know James Faulkner has got the strength to do that whether it be with the bat or with the ball.”Like a lot of our young players, he’s a wonderful young talent. But I think he’s got the toughness to mix it with any opposition in any form of the game at the highest level. He’s a fighter. He’s a competitor. He might not look the best all the time but he’ll find a way to stay out there and help his partner go on and make a hundred, or make sure he’s batting with the tail and find a way to get them through. I think he’s got that in him.James Faulkner will bat at No.7•Getty Images

“With the ball, he’s extremely competitive and will find a way to take wickets, as he’s done so far on this tour and in the shorter forms of the game. I think generally the better conditions are for batting, the better bowler James is, because he’s at you all the time and he’s extremely competitive. I think he’s the right character for this team and I think you’ll have a good opportunity to see just how much talent he’s got in this Test match.”Faulkner will provide the Australians with a fifth seam-bowling option at The Oval, while Watson will be available to bowl despite picking up a groin injury during the Chester-le-Street Test. Watson’s move to first drop will mean on this Ashes tour he has occupied the opening role, No.4 and No.6, and this year he will have batted in every position in the top six.”Shane will be able to bowl,” Clarke said. “Shane will certainly play that allrounder role once again. But I think it’s an extra string to James’ bow that he can bowl as many overs as possible. He’s fit and strong and he’ll play a big part with the ball. He adds that extra option to help us take 20 wickets.”But I think it’s the overall package that James brings: his toughness, his performances of late in whatever form of the game he’s played, and the fact that he’s not just a bowler, he can certainly make some very handy and crucial runs for us.”Faulkner will be the second debutant used by the Australians in the series after Ashton Agar played in the first two matches at Trent Bridge and Lord’s. Agar will not be at The Oval for the final Test, though, as he will be sent home early due to illness.”Ashton has had a mild viral illness for the past week and needs some time to rest and recuperate,” team doctor Peter Brukner said. “It has been a long tour and while he has handled the pressure extremely well, we thought it would be a good idea for him to get home as soon possible to have a short break before preparing for the domestic season.”Australia: 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Nathan Lyon

Sri Lanka Cricket vice-president K Mathivanan has resigned after his months of discontent with the board culminated in being “compelled” to withdraw from a club cricket election. Mathivanan is the present Colts Cricket Club president, and was set to re-contest that position in an election on Friday, but his withdrawal will now allow SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga to take the post uncontested.”I have had to step down from the election today for reasons that are out of my control. I can’t say anything about those reasons,” Mathivanan said. “Because I have not been happy at my job in Sri Lanka cricket for the last four or five months, I also stepped down from my role there. Everyone knows what’s happening at SLC and I thought I must safeguard my reputation and just step down.”[Ranatunga] was supposed to contest me today, but after I stepped down, he is uncontested as usual.”Ranatunga has been elected to the post of secretary unopposed in the last two SLC elections. He had had a rival in the lead-up to the 2012 elections, but the opposing candidate also withdrew close to the elections.Mathivanan said he had become increasingly disenchanted with SLC, and had had only attended two executive committee meetings since being reelected in April. “Last year, as vice-president, I was in charge of cricket affairs and chairman of the district cricket and school cricket committees, but this year I was not given anything. I was just a spectator.”SLC president Jayantha Dharmadasa said that Mathivanan’s letter of resignation had been circulated among the board’s committee members and an emergency meeting will be held on Monday to discuss the issue. Certain statements made by Mathivanan to the media had painted the wrong picture of his administration, he said, and he was shocked by the developments. “When Mathi came to see me I thought that he had come to discuss some issues he had with his club Colombo Colts CC,” Dharmadasa said. “But he took me by surprise when he handed me his letter to resign from the post of vice-president. I told him that he had no problems working with the SLC and that he should reconsider his decision. But he was adamant and wanted to resign.”*Mathivanan was serving his second term as vice-president of SLC, and had also been secretary for the interim committees between 2006 and December 2008. A long-serving champion of domestic cricket, he was a popular figure among the local clubs, and had easily received the highest number of votes from among the four vice-presidential candidates in the last SLC elections.*18.55GMT, September 7: This article has been updated with Jayantha Dharmadasa’s reaction