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Former Warwickshire batsman Andy Moles has been put in charge of South African provincial team South Western Districts (SWD) for the next two seasons

Firdose Moonda25-May-2016Former Warwickshire batsman Andy Moles has been put in charge of South African provincial team South Western Districts (SWD) for the next two seasons. Moles, who had coached New Zealand, Hong Kong, Scotland, Kenya and Afghanistan in the past, has a long-standing association with South African cricket, having spent five seasons playing at Griqualand-West in Kimberley and coaching Free State.Moles was in charge of the Free State side, which included players such as Boeta Dippenaar, Nicky Boje and Morne van Wyk, in 1998 – before South Africa’s domestic system was franchised. Then, he coached at the highest domestic level in the country.He has now accepted a post in the second tier of the structure. South Africa’s six franchises form the top level of domestic cricket, with the 13 provincial semi-professional sides making up a lower level. SWD, who are based in Oudtshoorn – 350 kilometres east of Cape Town – feed into the Cobras set-up and contain a rich basin of cricketing talent that Moles hopes to tap into.”I have followed the structures and growth in SWD during the past decade and I firmly believe that there is a pool of exceptional talent in the Southern Cape,” Moles said.In 2013, SWD were granted CSA affiliate status and they have continued to grow since then. Their home ground has received major upgrades, and this summer, they are one of the four hosts of the Africa T0 Cup, which will also be Moles’ first assignment. Last year, SWD missed out on a place in the playoffs after beating Gauteng and losing to Kenya by one run. However, they are hoping to improve on those performances this time around and challenge in the three-day and one-day cups as well.”Andy has achieved great success at every level he has coached at and we expect that he will continue to achieve such success at SWD upon his appointment as our new head coach,” Rudy Claassen, the SWD president, said. “We believe that he has what it takes to get the best out of our players as he brings something special with him in that he has a proven track record, and hopefully his experience and expertise aids in SWD winning some silverware in the near future.”

While Chelsea's main problem this season has been putting the ball in the back of the net, their previous defensive solidity has also abandoned them in recent weeks.

Have Chelsea struggled defensively this season?

Although the Blues have conceded the third-fewest goals in the division behind Newcastle United and Manchester City, they have mustered just one clean sheet in their last 10 games in all competitions, which came in a 0-0 stalemate with Liverpool.

Summer signing Marc Cucurella has proven something of a disaster at Stamford Bridge, as he is ranked as the 12th-best performer at Chelsea with a disappointing 6.65 average rating from WhoScored, while the ageing Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta will soon need replacing.

Blues fans will be wishing that they had a player similar to club legend John Terry to steer them through this difficult period, as the powerful centre-back was widely recognised as one of the best in European football during his time at Stamford Bridge, forming a big part of a near-impenetrable defence under Jose Mourinho in the 2004/05 campaign.

He made 717 appearances for Chelsea in total, winning five Premier League titles and one Champions League, with it perhaps no surprise that the west London outfit haven't achieved the same sort of domestic success since his departure.

However, the academy at Cobham is always sure to produce some top talents, and it seems as though they could soon have another Terry on their hands in 19-year-old talent Alfie Gilchrist.

Who is Chelsea youngster Alfie Gilchrist?

Gilchrist has progressed through Chelsea's academy and has been a regular for the U21 side in the Premier League 2 so far this campaign, contributing one goal and one assist in 22 appearances.

As a regular captain of the academy sides despite only being 19, the young defender certainly seems to possess the leadership skills to make an impact in the first team in the near future.

Sean Conlon, who works as a scout for Chelsea, was full of praise for the Englishman in an interview with Caught Offside last year.

He said: "Alfie Gilchrist, he’s the Chelsea Under-23s captain. He’s only 18 but he could be the next John Terry, he’s a really good player.

“I’m a huge fan of his. I coached him and spent a lot of time with him. I’m hoping he goes on to do big things. At 18 he’s captain of the Under-23s and I think he’s got great promise."

Chelsea's trust in academy players has significantly increased in recent years, with the likes of Mason Mount and Reece James establishing themselves as key players in the first team, and if Gilchrist can live up to his potential, he could become the next big thing at Stamford Bridge, especially if he can emulate a Blues legend such as Terry.

India coach Anil Kumble has said he is looking to cultivate a “feeling of Indianness” in the team

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2016India coach Anil Kumble has said he is looking to cultivate a “feeling of Indianness” in the team. That, he said, would involve incorporating the “best practices” in Indian culture into the way the players play and interact with each other.”It is important we create an Indian way,” Kumble told . “I don’t mean to say sledging is not Indian culture or is somebody else’s culture. What I meant is, you would want to bring a feeling of Indianness – that is, extended family, respect for one another.”Take all the best practices in Indian culture, mesh them in a way that all of us own what we want to be seen as, known as, how do we want to play the game, how do we want to practice, how do we want to be seen as an Indian team.”The best practices in the Indian family would be, generally, follow whatever elders say, but here we want to be a bit more open and express our views even if they differ from that of the seniors. Here it is having family values and say, if a senior has taken a decision, I will follow it. However, you should also have the freedom to disagree but in a more civilised way, where everyone has the opportunity to express himself.”India left for the tour of the West Indies earlier this week, following a five-day training camp in Bangalore. Kumble said he was pleasantly surprised by the players’ receptiveness to new ideas during that camp.”This group is very open to ideas and, I must confess, given the current generation and the way they are perceived, I thought getting them into a room for an hour or so and seriously discussing certain issues would not be easy and after ten minutes or so, they won’t be listening or responding. But I was surprised to see that not only were they very receptive and embraced new ideas, but we spent more time than what was stipulated.”

Everton will need to dip into the transfer market this summer if they retain their Premier League status and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on a potential target.

What's the latest on Everton's interest in Michail Antonio?

According to talkSPORT's transfer expert Alex Crook, Everton are interested in signing West Ham United striker Michail Antonio this summer.

As per the report, it is claimed that Sean Dyche is in the market for a target man after a struggle for goals at Goodison Park and has Antonio in his sights once again after an offer was rebuffed in January for the centre-forward.

Would Michail Antonio be a good signing for Everton?

There is no doubt that Everton are desperate for a goal-scorer who can provide consistency in the final third following the departure of Richarlison last summer.

Indeed, the Toffees have Dominic Calvert-Lewin back in action at Goodison Park but his injury struggles over the last 18 months have left the club in a precarious position in the Premier League with consecutive relegation scraps leaving their top-flight status hanging in the balance.

As a result, there will be no room for error in the upcoming transfer window if Everton earn the chance to compete again next season, and Antonio could be the Romelu Lukaku-esque signing to get the Toffees firing again, with the positional peers sharing many similarities.

Everton have always thrived when they have had a powerful and dominant force in their striker role, whilst more lightweight options like Neal Maupay and Cenk Tosun have failed to make the impact needed, scoring 12 goals between them, of which only one belongs to the former.

A bullish physical specimen, you only need to look at the West Ham striker's physique to notice the comparison, but when it comes to their overall play, there are further similarities.

Indeed, when comparing Antonio and Lukaku in their last full Premier League season (2021/22) they came close in several attributes including shots on target rate (32.9% v 33.3%), successful take-ons (53.8% 52%) and shot-creating actions per 90 (2.94 v 2.83), as per FBref, proving they can use their destructive power to fight their way through defences.

The similarities haven't gone unnoticed between the two top-flight goal machines, with Brentford boss Thomas Frank comparing Antonio to the former Everton talisman last season:

"He's a handful, very, very difficult. He's a little bit like Lukaku in terms of the power and the speed but also a very good finisher."

The £85k-per-week titan – dubbed "strong" by Pep Guardiola – has scored 13 goals and registered five assists over the current campaign in all competitions, with a goal contribution every 139 minutes.

That is an output that would be valuable to Dyche next season if he can deliver similar numbers alongside Calvert-Lewin.

With that being said, Antonio is the perfect profile of striker to succeed at Everton if the club can secure his signature in the summer and would certainly add fantastic depth to the role with his Premier League experience.

Tymal Mills, the Sussex left-arm fast bowler capable of topping 90mph, could earn an England call-up for next month’s T20I against Sri Lanka when the limited-overs squads are named on Monday

George Dobell and Andrew McGlashan12-Jun-2016Tymal Mills, the Sussex left-arm fast bowler capable of topping 90mph, could earn an England call-up for next month’s T20I against Sri Lanka when the limited-overs squads are named on Monday.Mills, who was forced to retire from first-class cricket last year after being diagnosed with a congenital back condition, is limited to the four-over workloads of T20 cricket. Prior to his diagnosis he was already on England’s radar because of his extreme pace – he was used as a net bowler during the 2013-14 Ashes tour – and has continued to be involved in the fast bowling programme during last winter.In a recent televised T20 Blast match against Somerset he was clocked at 93mph, when he gave Chris Gayle a working over before shattering his stumps, and also showed his variety of slower balls he often uses at the death. On Friday he claimed 3 for 15 from his four overs against Kent.Earlier this month he told ESPNcricinfo about his ambitions to be a T20 specialist for England. “In a perfect world I could make a career doing this for a long time. I’ve just got to stay fit,” he said. “Everything I do is aimed at being a top T20 player. I want to play for England even if it’s just in T20 cricket.”England’s squads for the five ODIs and lone T20 against Sri Lanka have a few spaces to fill due to James Taylor’s enforced retirement (he was the spare batsman in South Africa when England last played ODIs) as well as injuries to Ben Stokes and Reece Topley. David Willey has recently resumed bowling for Yorkshire after his abdominal injury so is on course to be available.Jonny Bairstow is expected to be the man to challenge for a middle-order role after his stellar Test form, while Jos Buttler resumes behind the stumps, although the selectors may ponder returning Bairstow to county cricket so he can continue to refine his keeping in the Championship for Yorkshire. England also need to decide the balance of the final XI in the absence of Stokes, who has been around the squad during the third Test against Sri Lanka continuing his rehab from knee surgery.Stuart Broad was recalled to the one-day side in South Africa after Steven Finn was ruled out through injury but may again be left out ahead of the Test series against Pakistan. James Anderson, who has not played an ODI since the World Cup, is not expected to earn a recall. Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball, who has been in all three Test squads so far this season, is a contender for one of the pace-bowling slots.Possible squad Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Steven Finn, James Vince, Chris Jordan, Sam Billings, Jake Ball, Tymal Mills (T20 only)

Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has been urged to step away from footballing decisions at Goodison Park by talkSPORT's Simon Jordan.

Will Everton avoid the drop?

It has been yet another season which Everton will want to forget in a hurry over the summer with their Premier League status under serious threat.

This comes on the back of last season which offered up a similar story as Frank Lampard's men narrowly avoided the drop in the end.

However, it is apparent the Toffees have not learnt from their lessons last year with just three games remaining to save their top-flight status.

The victory over Brighton & Hove Albion has not only taken them out of the drop zone, but it has also allowed them to open up a two-point cushion on 18th place.

But their fortunes could all change by the end of the weekend with their cushion on the relegation spots so small.

Ahead of the new season, talkSPORT's Jordan has issued Moshiri with a warning to stand down from making footballing decisions on the back of their recent failures:

(0:40) "And the third thing is get Moshiri as far away from the football side of things as possible."

"£500m/£750m on players to achieve a side that's in absolute freefall, financial meltdown, sitting at the bottom of the table two seasons in a row for the football club, the size of Everton, with its neighbours across the road, constantly doing better and sneering at them. I think I'd say to myself, maybe, maybe it's better for me to take a back seat and put some people in place that are capable.

"Maybe I'd look at changing up the board with no disrespect to Denise [Barrett-Baxendale] and Bill [Kenwright] and look at the calibre of people that I've got there and where they are in the great scheme of things. And try and get this club back on the right track."

Can Everton return to their old self?

The reality is, Everton absolutely have to avoid relegation this season given the financial implications which could affect the club over the coming years if they were to go down.

Currently, the Toffees are funding the construction of their new state-of-the-art stadium which will could do without the revenue stream which Championship football would bring.

But perhaps just as importantly, they are currently under financial scrutiny for their losses over the last few years which will hinder their ability to spend in the summer.

If Everton are able to avoid the drop over the coming weeks, it will be intriguing to see whether Moshiri does look to make significant changes behind the scenes.

Although Everton fans will never accept their side being a relegation-battling side, a one-off season probably could have been accepted had this season offered up more.

However, it has almost been a carbon copy which is a serious indication that change is perhaps needed off the field if Everton are to return to playing top-half football.

This new stadium currently under construction will host more home fans but Moshiri will surely recognise he may struggle to maximise the stadium's profitability if the action on the pitch is not to improve.

Surrey kept their hopes of reaching the last eight of the NatWest T20 Blast alive with a comfortable six-wicket win over Sussex Sharks in front of a 22,601 crowd at The Kia Oval

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2016
ScorecardJason Roy gave Surrey a flying start with 36 from 25 balls•Getty ImagesSurrey kept their hopes of reaching the last eight of the NatWest T20 Blast alive with a comfortable six-wicket win over Sussex Sharks in front of a 22,601 crowd at The Kia Oval.Having restricted Sussex to 153 for 6 on a slow pitch, Surrey paced their response perfectly and won the game with ten balls to spare when Chris Morris swung Mustafizur Rahman over midwicket for six.It was Surrey’s sixth win in the ultra-competitive South Group and they join Sussex on 12 points, but the Sharks only have one game left – at home to second-placed Glamorgan next Wednesday – and their chances of making the quarter-finals appear remote.Surrey had been given a strong start by England opener Jason Roy, who made 36 off 25 balls, hitting six fours and a six.Roy looked in the mood but was becalmed by slow left-armer Danny Briggs who came on in the powerplay and bowled Roy in his second over as the batsman slogged across the line. A clearly frustrated Roy angrily swished his bat at the stumps as he departed, an act which may earn him a rebuke from umpires David Millns and Alex Wharf.Roy’s opening partner Aaron Finch had gone in the third over, caught at backward point off a huge top-edge to give Jofra Archer, the Barbados-born fast bowler playing only his third game in the competition, the first of two wickets.But Dominic Sibley and Rory Burns were determined not to squander Surrey’s good start. The third-wicket pair added 42 in 27 balls and although Burns (13) was superbly caught at long leg by the diving Rahman, Sibley made a composed 40 off 31 deliveries with three sixes and a four to put his side in control.He was athletically caught by Sussex captain Luke Wright at extra cover in the 15th over, but Surrey required just 38 runs at that stage and Morris (20) and Ben Foakes (22) eased them to their sixth win of the group stage.Sussex, who had been put in, were 15-20 runs short in the end. With four overs to go they were 135 for 3 but Jade Dernbach and Tom Curran bowled superbly at the death, taking three wickets as Sussex cobbled together just 18 more runs.Craig Cachopa and Matt Machan had put on 51 in 31 balls for the fourth wicket but they fell off successive Dernbach deliveries in the 19th over. Machan (18) top-edged a pull and Cachopa was held at long on for 45 (34 balls, 7 fours) while Chris Jordan gave Curran a deserved wicket when he holed out to deep mid-wicket in the final over.Sussex were without fast bowler Tymal Mills because of ankle trouble and their leading scorer in this season’s Blast Ross Taylor, who has joined up with New Zealand for their tour of South Africa.In Taylor’s absence they needed experienced openers Chris Nash and Wright to perform and although Nash played well for his 39 from 34 balls, Sussex captain Wright was out for just 7.Surrey’s seamers showed good control with Dernbach taking 2 for 25, Morris 2 for 21 and Tom Curran 1 for 20.

Journalist Charles Watts has suggested that Granit Xhaka could be used by Arsenal in a swap deal to land Moussa Diaby.

Is Xhaka leaving Arsenal?

It's been a great season for the Gunners who have surprised many by genuinely fighting for a Premier League title.

And while they look destined to fall short of that goal, they have still achieved their main goal of getting back into the Champions League.

At the heart of the improvement, has been Xhaka who has played in all but one league game this season, scoring five goals and assisting seven.

Despite this arguably best season of his Arsenal career, it looks as though the time has come for him to depart.

Indeed, Fabrizio Romano has explained on Twitter that Bayer Leverkusen are in "advanced talks" to sign the midfielder.

With this being the case, Watts has suggested it could be an opportunity to use Xhaka in part of a swap deal that could see Leverkusen winger Diaby move to the Emirates.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, he explained (3:38): “Diaby at Leverkusen, you know, could that be something that's potentially tied in with Granit Xhaka going to Leverkusen in the summer?

“All these things are going to be decided over the next few months but I think selling players is going to be absolutely key for Arsenal in terms of what they're going to do this summer and how they take the squad up to the next level.”

Will Arsenal try to sign Moussa Diaby this summer?

In the winter, Arsenal were reported by Sky Sports as having made contact with Bayer Leverkusen over Diaby with a €100m (£88.5m) price tag floating around.

That's an awful lot of money but if the Gunners added Xhaka – who is supposedly on the move for €15m (£13m) – then this transfer could become a little more affordable.

What's more, Diaby – who's been hailed a "beast" by some in the media – earns considerably less than the Swiss midfielder, with his wages at £38k-p/w and the current Arsenal man on £120k-p/w, so this would also make the deal a little more palatable for the club accountants.

All in all, it sounds as though Xhaka will be leaving north London this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to ruthlessly upgrade his squad.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Diaby is viewed as someone who can come in and help raise the level of the team.

Chelsea have endured a torrid campaign and it is safe to say everyone connected with the club will be relieved to see 2022/23 come to an end as soon as possible.

Of course, the Blues still have one more Premier League match left to complete on Sunday when they take on Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge before taking some time off and then regrouping ahead of 2023/24.

Once Chelsea fulfil their last fixture of this season against the Magpies, attention will turn to the summer transfer window for incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is set to preside over plenty of incomings and outgoings as the west Londoners look to ensure they climb the Premier League table next term.

One man who looks to face an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge is Levi Colwill, who has spent the year on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion and has attracted interest from Liverpool and Manchester City in recent times, as per talkSPORT.

What's the latest transfer news involving Levi Colwill and why is he highly regarded?

The talkSPORT report states that Chelsea may have to sell several homegrown players this summer to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, with Colwill, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek being earmarked as assets that could generate the club 'pure profit'.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Paul Brown thinks that Chelsea could be tempted into selling Colwill in the off-season if a suitable offer for his services arises.

Brown told FFC: "The only issue is if anybody comes in for him, whether a really big bid might tempt Chelsea's owners to sell. Ultimately, they're businessmen and I think if they see any opportunity to bring money in and reduce the squad, they might be tempted to do it. That is the one question mark over him and several players really."

In 2022/23, the 20-year-old has made 23 appearances in all competitions on loan at Brighton and has managed to register three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Colwill is regarded as one of the brightest youth products to come through at Stamford Bridge and earned enormous praise from former boss Carlos Corberan when on loan at Huddersfield Town in 2021, as per Yorkshire Live, who said: “I think he’s going to be one of the most important centre-backs for this country in the future.”

It is easy to see why the £15k-a-week ace has been given such plaudits in the past, with WhoScored showing that Colwill has managed to maintain a pass success rate of 89.1% in the Premier League this campaign, demonstrating his composure in possession and capacity to play out from deep.

FBRef conclude that Colwill has also managed to establish dominance in the Brighton backline and has fared well compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of aerial duels won, successfully winning 3.27 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the sixth percentile for this metric.

Since allowing Antonio Rudiger to leave Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid on a free transfer last year, Chelsea have struggled to replace the Germany international and Todd Boehly would be making a huge mistake if he sanctioned a deal for Colwill, who has extremely high potential, to depart SW6 in the forthcoming transfer window.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi gave Colwill praise for his role in the Seagulls' 3-0 victory over Arsenal earlier this month, as cited by The Argus, stating: “I think the best example of courage was Colwill in this game. We defended man-to-man and Colwill’s man was Odegaard.

Colwill went 90 minutes to defend with Odegaard 80 metres from Jason Steele. This is courage.”

The Italian coach also spoke of his desire to work with the England Under-21 international on a longer-term basis and didn't rule out trying to sign him permanently, adding: “I would like to work with him for another two, three, four years because it’s difficult to find another left centre-back with his qualities. He’s a good guy, he’s improving a lot. This year his improvement has been fantastic and I hope he can stay with us.”

Chelsea would be making a poor decision if they allowed Colwill to leave the club in the summer. Nevertheless, The Evening Standard claimed in March that they are working to extend his deal, which would be a wise decision for all involved and would provide more first-team opportunities for the youngster in west London.

Aaron Finch blasted an 18-ball half-century, the equal fastest in Australia’s ODI history, as Australia beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the fourth ODI

The Report by Brydon Coverdale31-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:58

Australia’s third consecutive bilateral ODI series win in Sri Lanka

Who needs a world-record ODI total? There was plenty of breathless action in Dambulla without one. Aaron Finch smashed the equal fastest ODI fifty by an Australian. John Hastings took six wickets. Angelo Mathews limped off with a calf injury while batting. Dhananjaya de Silva entertained with a breezy 76. And Sachith Pathirana was briefly unplayable, collecting three wickets in five balls early in Australia’s chase.It all made George Bailey’s unbeaten 90 off 85 seem tame by comparison, although he initially joined the party by scoring his first 20 off five balls. But in the end, Bailey’s cool head – not to mention Travis Head, too – ensured an Australian victory in the series. Chasing 213, Australia raced to their goal within 31 overs, the six-wicket win meaning they would go to Pallekele for the fifth and final match with an unassailable 3-1 lead.The contrast between the two innings of this match was stunning. After 10 overs, Sri Lanka were 32 for 3. After 10 overs, Australia were 109 for 3. Same number of wickets, but they were about as neck-and-neck as an emu and a hummingbird. Sri Lanka laboured on and eked out 212 from their allotted overs – the final wicket fell from the last ball of the 50th over. Their total would have been good for a T20, and Finch batted like he thought it was one.One of the most remarkable things about Australia’s innings was that it started with a maiden, as Thisara Perera tested David Warner. But next over Finch launched 17 runs off Amila Aponso, including four fours, and he added a further 18 off Thisara in the over after that, including one huge straight six. It led to the ridiculous situation of Australia having 35 for 0, and Finch having all 35 runs. Warner was still on 0 from six balls.Warner got in on the action with a couple of boundaries of his own, but had no chance of keeping pace with Finch, who used the field restrictions to make a mockery of Sri Lanka’s attack. He got to 49 from 15 balls and thus had the perfect chance to equal AB de Villiers’ record of the fastest ODI fifty, from 16 deliveries, but Finch missed the next one, then found a fielder, and had to settle for an 18-ball half-century, equalling the Australian record shared by Simon O’Donnell and Glenn Maxwell.Finch brought up the milestone with a fearsome six swept off Pathirana, but next ball was adjudged lbw trying another sweep; he asked for a review, and Hawkeye showed the ball just kissing the outside of leg stump. Finch was gone for 55 off 19. Usman Khawaja, dropped from the Test side earlier on this tour and now playing his first ODI of the trip, walked out and was lbw to Pathirana for a second-ball duck. Hawkeye showed the ball missing leg, but Finch had used the review.Next came Bailey, who punched two off Pathirana’s last ball and then plundered three fours and a six off the next over from Dilruwan Perera, sweeping and reverse sweeping with ease. But as soon as Pathirana had the ball again in the next over, he had Warner deceived in flight and bowled for 19 off 16. Australia were flying, but were they be about to crash back down to earth? Pathirana’s next few overs were key, and while he beat the bat several times, there were no more wickets.There should have been – Dilruwan bowled Head for 13 off a no-ball – but Bailey eased his tempo, Head assisted, and their 100-run partnership put Australia on the brink of victory. Dilruwan eventually did remove Head, lbw for 40, but by then it was too late. Australia needed only 16 more runs and got them with ease, the winning strike a Matthew Wade six over long-on off the bowling of Dilruwan. Home with 114 balls to spare.Australia’s batting completely overshadowed the earlier achievement of Hastings, who used the slowish surface to his advantage and collected 6 for 45. In 45 years of ODI history, he was just the seventh Australian to claim at least six wickets in an innings, after Gary Gilmour, Ken MacLeay, Glenn McGrath, Andy Bichel, Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc, who has done so twice. Here, Starc had to settle for one wicket – in the first over, as usual.Starc trapped 18-year-old debutant Avishka Fernando lbw with a quick inswinger with the fourth ball of the game, and Sri Lanka’s start went from bad to worse when their two best batsmen of the series to date – Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal – fell cheaply. Mendis was caught behind on review off Hastings for 1 and Chandimal was caught behind for 5, beaten by a little extra bounce from Scott Boland.Despite the wickets, de Silva remained keen to entertain, driving and flicking off his pads, and dominating the Sri Lankan scorecard. At the other end, Mathews was battling along slowly having been struck on the helmet by a Boland bouncer. But on 28, Mathews was forced to retire hurt, hobbling off after injuring his right calf while taking off for a run. Not only did it hurt Sri Lanka’s batting, but he was one of only two seamers in their attack, and could not bowl.De Silva moved to his half-century from 62 deliveries but fell when he pulled Hastings to midwicket. He had taken risks throughout his innings and finally one had not paid off, but Sri Lanka could still be pleased that they had found an opener after the retirement of Tillakaratne Dilshan.The rest of the innings rather petered out. Angelo Perera and Kusal Perera gave their wickets up limply to the spin of Adam Zampa and Head respectively, and although a few lower-order contributions pushed Sri Lanka above 200, Hastings finished off the remaining four wickets. The last of them was Mathews, who had limped back to the crease at the fall of the eighth wicket in an effort to pinch a few more boundaries.Mathews was out for 40, skying the last ball of the innings, a Hastings cross-seamer. He had added 12 since retiring hurt, and it was tempting to wonder if those 12 runs might be the difference in the match. As it turned out, Finch negated them with the first three balls of his innings. From then on, the match was in Australia’s grasp.