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Former Sri Lanka offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan has been named Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling coach and team mentor for the Indian Premier League 2015 season.Muralitharan, 42, played 66 IPL games across seven seasons for Chennai Super Kings, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore, taking 63 wickets at an average of 26.92. During his time with Super Kings, from 2008 to 2010, he claimed 52 scalps from 46 matches, helping the team win the IPL as well as the Champions League Twenty20 in 2010.In 2011, Muralitharan called time on an illustrious international career which yielded a record 1347 wickets across all three formats. He continued playing franchise cricket for a number of teams across the world including Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, and Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League.After a disappointing season with Royal Challengers in 2014 in which he played only five matches, Muralitharan decided to end his playing career. In June last year, Muralitharan joined Australia as a coaching consultant ahead of the team’s series against Pakistan in the UAE.Sunrisers finished sixth last year and missed out on the playoffs, having lost eight of their 14 games.

An allrounder display from Jan Smuts propelled Warriors to a 31-run win over Knights at Buffalo Park in East London. Warriors chose to bat and Smuts led the way with a patient 98 to anchor his side. The innings was built the old fashioned way, with the top order scoring at less than five an over, before the lower order had a go at the end. Four of the top five batsmen had strike-rates under 80; the next three had strike-rates over 140. JP Kresuch, who made 46, shared the biggest partnership of the innings with Smuts, 85 for the fourth wicket. It was Smuts’ departure, caught and bowled by Werner Coetsee in the 44th over, that led to surge in the scoring rate as Johan Botha, Craig Thyssen and Nicky Boje all had a go to take their side to 265 for 7.Knights lost regular wickets from the start of their chase, and struggled to build momentum. They had slid to 119 for 7 before Coetsee and Charl Pietersen attempted to resurrect their challenge, but it was too little too late. Smut had Pietersen caught for 41 and though Coetsee remained unbeaten on 66, Knights were always behind the asking rate and could only manage 234 for 9. Smuts finished with figures of 3 for 48 to and was named Player of the Match.The game between Dolphins and Cape Cobras was called off due to rain after just 10 overs were bowled.

ScorecardMartin van Jaarsveld and Geraint Jones rescued Kent with a gritty unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 128 in 36 overs after Somerset had threatened to take complete control in the County Championship Division One game at Canterbury.Van Jaarsveld (70 not out) and Jones (47 not out) joined forces when former Kent seamer Ben Phillips reduced the hosts to 47 for 3, still 333 runs adrift of Somerset’s total, shortly before lunch. Neither ever looked totally secure and both were dropped as they steered Kent to a more prosperous 175 for 3 at the close – rain wiping out the last 33 overs.Replying to Somerset’s all-out total of 380, Kent were soon in trouble, Phillips posing consistent problems by swinging the ball on a full length. He broke through in the sixth over when Craig Kieswetter flung himself away to his right to catch a fast-travelling edge from Joe Denly. A nick from Sam Northeast, when he had made only 2, landed just in front of Kieswetter before Northeast hooked Alfonso Thomas for six in an over which cost 15 runs.Phillips won leg-before verdicts against Rob Key and Northeast in successive overs as his excellent opening spell of eight overs yielded figures of 3 for 14. van Jaarsveld and Jones, who added 176 for the fourth wicket against Essex last week, survived until lunch – which was quickly followed by a 15-minute break for rain.They were never fully settled as van Jaarsveld survived a confident leg-before shout against Thomas and Jones was similarly spared when he tried to sweep slow left-armer Murali Kartik. An early tea was taken because of bad light, but van Jaarsveld and Jones found the batting conditions easier until van Jaarsveld, on 39, survived a tough chance away to Kartik’s right at second slip.The century stand and van Jaarsveld’s 115-ball fifty arrived in the same over from Charl Willoughby. Jones was given a life on 47 when Zander de Bruyn could only parry a chance at short extra cover but van Jaarsveld emerged from a sticky patch to on-drive Willoughby for two crisp fours.Somerset were still optimistic of picking up a full quota of batting points at the start of the day, but they had added only three singles to their overnight total of 363 for 7 when Kieswetter edged a full-length outswinger from Azhar Mahmood to Jones behind the stumps.Thomas thumped Mahmood over extra cover but was then smartly caught by Van Jaarsveld away to his right at second slip off Amjad Khan. Willoughby hooked the first ball he faced for four, but in trying a repeat holed out next ball to Malinga Bandara on the square-leg boundary.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rangana Herath expertly exploited a turning surface and England’s deficiencies against spin bowling•AFP

Sri Lanka won their first home Test since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan in July 2010 as they completed a 75-run victory over England in Galle. Sri Lanka had, until this game, played 17 Tests and won just one since Murali’s retirement as the leading Test wicket-taker.Having set England a mammoth 340 to win, Sri Lanka endured a few nervous moments as Jonathan Trott, in particular, batted with great fortitude. In the end, though, the target was too great and Sri Lanka held their nerve.It was another spinner, Rangana Herath, who led Sri Lanka’s victory charge; he took 12 wickets in the match and expertly exploited a turning surface and England’s deficiencies against spin bowling.It might be tempting, then, to claim that Sri Lanka have discovered a replacement for Murali. In truth, Sri Lanka are learning new ways to win. With Murali in the side, life was relatively easy; his excellence allowed Sri Lanka to mask other weaknesses. Those days have gone and may never return.The Sri Lanka team still contains match-winners, though. Mahela Jayawardene’s first-innings century – a magnificent innings – provided a welcome reminder of his genius, while Kumar Sangakkara remains one of the finest batsmen in world cricket.Generally, however, they are now a team that require contributions from every individual.Herath is a perfect example. He is a skilled performer, certainly. He bowls with pleasing flight, has all the traditional variations and has excellent control. His second-innings performance was his ninth five-wicket haul and left him the fifth Sri Lanka bowler to claim ten wickets in a Test.But he is no Murali. Only three years ago he was plying his trade as a journeymen pro – and with modest success – in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League, while a spell as overseas player with Hampshire produced just ten first-class wickets at an average of 46.30.In these conditions, however, he is a tough proposition. And, with the support of Suraj Ranjiv and two underrated seamers, he was able to apply pressure on a batting line-up lacking competence and confidence.Herath was also supported by some outstanding fielding. The wicketkeeper, Prasanna Jayawardene, enjoyed an excellent came with bat and gloves. But, in a match that took many twists and turns, perhaps the defining moment came when Lahiru Thirimanne clung on to a desperately tough chance at short leg to end a fifth-wicket partnership that looked as if it could take England to a record-breaking victory.Matt Prior and Trott added 81 runs. With the field pushed back, the pair were able to rotate the strike and accumulate without undue risk.Then, however, Prior connected well with a sweep only to see Thirimanne, anticipating the path of the ball as he saw the batsman shape for the shot, react brilliantly to hold on after it struck him on the body. The dismissal precipitated a dramatic collapse as England lost their last six wickets for only 31 runs.Defeat was cruel reward for Trott. Trott’s century, a wonderful example of patience, technique and concentration, would, in many circumstances, have deserved to win a Test. As it was, however, he was unable to compensate for the failure of his colleagues.Trott’s seventh Test century sustained England’s hopes of a remarkable win until the brink of tea but his dismissal, caught at leg slip as he attempted to turn an off break into the leg side, ended any realistic hopes the tourists may have had.On the final day Trott helplessly watched on as Kevin Pietersen – now averaging just 12.50 on England’s winter tours – was beaten in the flight and chipped to midwicket and Ian Bell missed a premeditated sweep. Samit Patel, trying to give himself room and hit through the off side, was another man to be superbly caught at the second attempt by Tillakaratne Dilshan at short extra cover, before Graeme Swann, attempting an ugly sweep, was leg before the two left-hand tailenders were soon mopped up by Randiv’s off-spin.The result sentenced England to their fourth successive Test defeat. For the No.1 rated team who, only a few months ago, were talking about setting a legacy, that is an acute embarrassment.They need not look too far to see where they want wrong. They simply made too many mistakes. In dropping Mahela Jayawardene four times during the course of his match-defining century they were profligate beyond repair. Stuart Broad’s no-ball to Prasanna Jayawardene – and the manner in which Sri Lanka’s last two wickets were able to eke out more than 50 runs in each innings (65 in the first and 87 in the second) – were also costly.Most pertinently, though, England’s batsmen continue to struggle against spin bowling. To be bowled out within 47 overs on a blameless second day track was always likely to prove decisive. Andrew Strauss, Pietersen and Bell (despite his half-century in the first innings) are all in need of runs in Test cricket and it was telling that, even in their second innings, when England batted so much better, they lost all ten of their wickets to spin.Perhaps, though, they can take just a little encouragement from certain aspects of this performance. England have never made more than 332 to win in the fourth innings of a Test but, set 340 here, there were moments when they threatened to go close. Yes, they fell short, but they at least showed some of the fight and fibre that was missing in the UAE.

ScorecardEssex beat Netherlands by eight wickets under the Duckworth/Lewis method having been set 74 from 16 overs to win the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B match at Chelmsford. The victory keeps alive the county’s hopes of reaching the semi-final stages of the competition after Ravi Bopara hit an unbeaten 43 including 28 off one over from Mohammed Kashif as Essex reached 77 for 2 from eight overs to complete the win.Bopara and Mark Pettini had posted 47 for the first wicket before Brad Kruger struck twice in one over to gain some consolation for the Dutch side. Pettini was caught by Bas Zuiderent at midwicket for 31 and three balls later, Ryan ten Doeschate, playing against his international colleagues, was bowled for 2.However, Bopara decided to make his positive move and plundered the hapless Kashif for two sixes and four other boundaries to wrap up an effortless win for his side. Having chosen to bat first, the visitors had reached 29 for 3 from just over 13 overs after an hour’s play when rain swept across the County Ground in earnest and continued for 30 minutes before abating.Although the pitch was covered immediately, the intensity of the downpour soon left the surrounds and bowlers run-ups saturated with play ultimately delayed for three and a half hours. Umpires Jeremy Lloyds and Michael Gough made the first of four inspections at 4.00pm but were concerned that areas of the playing square were unsafe. Three further inspections in bright sunshine followed with the crowd growing increasingly restless.Finally the officials decided at 6.00pm conditions had improved sufficiently to allow Netherlands to continue their innings for a further 2.3 overs with the match reduced to 16 overs per side. Wilf Diepeveen and Zuiderent than added a further 22 runs from their remaining 15 deliveries with the CB40 debutant on 14 and Zuiderent 15 not out as the Netherlands innings closed on 51 for 3.

Ruhuna advanced to the final of the Sri Lanka Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament, beating Kandurata by seven runs at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Asked to bat, Ruhuna’s batsmen put in a collective effort, with useful 20s from Dinesh Chandimal, TM Sampath, Janaka Gunaratne and Chinthaka Perera. Perera’s was the quickest, his 21 coming off 10 balls and boosting Ruhuna to 155 for 8. Kandurata faltered in their chase, struggling at 29 for 4. But Tharanga Paranavitana launched a fighting recovery with a 33-ball 46 and Jehan Mubarak made a steady 28 to give Kandurata hope. But left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara cut through the lower order to pick up three wickets and help Ruhuna edge the semi-final.The first semi-final between Basnahira and Wayamba at the Premadasa Stadium was decided by a coin toss, owing to persistent rain and the difficulty in accommodating a bowl-out to decide the finalist. Wayamba went through to the final after winning the toss. The winner of the final will take part in the qualifier stage of the Champions League to be held in India later in the year.

Michael Chinouya picked up 5 for 35 as Mid West Rhinos beat Matabeleland Tuskers by three wickets at Kewkwe Sports Club to confirm their berth in the finals of the Pro50 Championship. Rhinos’ decision to bowl was vindicated by strong opening spells from Ed Rainsford and Chinouya. A 33-run opening stand between Gavin Ewing and Keith Dabengwa proved to be a false start, as the first five wickets tumbled for eight runs. Rainsford picked up three wickets and the Tuskers never recovered. They were bowled out in the 22nd over for 81.It was then the turn of Njabulo Ncube and Tawanda Mupariwa to wreak havoc with the new ball. Vusi Sibanda fell for a duck in the first over, but a 31-run stand for the second wicket put Rhinos on course for an easy win. Thereafter, Ncube got into the act, slicing through the top order with a five-for, that left Rhinos gasping at 42 for 7. Rainsford put his head down to score 21 off 35 balls, and along with Graeme Cremer sealed a nervous win in the 25th over. Rhinos will play Eagles in the final, in Harare on February 25.In another low-scoring thriller, Southern Rocks overcame Mountaineers by one wicket at Masvingo Sports Club. After being inserted, Mountaineers were shot out for 134 in 29.4 overs, their humble score embellished considerably by Timycen Maruma’s 72 off 82 balls. No one else in the Mountaineers line-up managed to cross 19, as the Rocks’ bowlers shared the spoils around. Natsai Mushangwe’s four-wicket haul made the Rocks strive for their runs. From a relatively comfortable 105 for 4, and later 125 for 6, they lost their nerve to go within a wicket of defeat, but Hilary Matanga managed to save them the blushes.

The only result of the weekend came from the contest involving the fifth and last places teams in the SuperSport Series, with the other two fixtures ending in draws. The bottom of the table clash between the Knights and the Warriors finished in three days in Kimberley. The Warriors earned their first win of the competition, but they remain rooted to the bottom of the table.It was uncharacteristically low-scoring match on the usually flat De Beers Diamond Oval. The Knights put up a respectable 301 in their first innings. Rilee Rossouw and Dean Elgar were the rocks on which that total was built. Rossouw scored 122 and Elgar an unbeaten 70, the pair sharing a second-wicket partnership of 157. The rest of the scorecard was the property of Andrew Birch and South Africa seamer Rusty Theron. They took 4 for 68 and 4 for 55 respectively.The Warriors, who have looked inept with the bat all season, continued in that fashion, and were bowled out for 210. Johan van der Wath sliced his way through them with 6 for 66, claiming wickets all through the order. Bevan Bennett was the only batsman to show any fight, top scoring with 41.Birch and Theron were not finished and shared eight wickets between them again in the Knights second innings. Birch claiming a five-for and Theron three for 42 as the Knights were bundle out for 120, setting the Warriors a target of 212 to win. It was an exciting chase, which started with van der Wath capturing Michael Price’s wicket with the score on 11. Jon-Jon Smuts 86 held the innings together, while van der Wath’s 3 for 42 and Victor Mpitsang’s 3 for 38 almost gave the Knights victory. Birch was there at the end with Basheer Walters and the Warriors won by two wickets.Rain had a major say in the Titans clash with the Dolphins in Benoni. The Dolphins opted to bat first in bowler friendly conditions and found themselves in big trouble at 95 for six. Albie Morkel, who ended with five for 73, did the bulk of the early damage. Jon Kent’s 66 and Kyle Abbott’s 80 put them back on the right path. Glen Addicott’s unbeaten 43, batting at No.9 was vital and the Dolphins were bowled out for 301.They were expected to struggle in the field without their ace Imran Tahir, who is on national duty, but bowled the Titans out for 193. Abbott ended with a five-for as none of the Titans batsmen made it over the half-century mark. The Dolphins second innings only just managed to get underway, they had scored one run, a no-ball from Ethy Mbhalati when rain stopped play on day three. There was no play on day four and the spoils were shared. The Titans stay top of the table after the result.The Lions have moved into second place after a high scoring draw against the Cobras in Paarl. The Cobras opted to field first and spent a difficult day chasing the ball. After the Lions were under some pressure at 97 for 3, Neil McKenzie and Zander de Bruyn demoralised the Cobras bowlers with a century apiece. Their fourth wicket partnership of 258 is a new first-class record for that wicket. Claude Henderson’s five for 90 went almost unnoticed as the Lions were bowled out for 458.It was then the Cobras turn to inflict suffering on the Lions bowlers. Owais Shah played his most notable innings since becoming the Cobras overseas professional with 151 and Ryan Canning chipped in with 121. The two innings were almost identical as the Lions spinner, Dale Deeb, took five for 131 and the Cobras were bowled out for 485.The length of time taken meant that only a draw was possible and the Lions reached 113 for two in their second knock. Alviro Petersen, who is under pressure for his Test place was out for 44 and two in the either innings.Bowler of the week: Two national discards made sure they got noticed. Rusty Theron took seven wickets for the Warriors and Albie Morkel an economical five-for for the Titans. Both are bidding for limited overs places but to show their ability in the longer version of the game is never a bad thing.Batsman of the week: Neil McKenzie has been in rock solid form for the Lions all season. He continues to top the run charts with 771 runs and scored his third century this weekend. Perhaps a national recall is on the cards.

The PCB has asked Sri Lanka Cricket “for their views” on the prospect of playing their series later this year in Pakistan instead of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka were the last team to play international cricket in Pakistan – their tour in March 2009 was cut short after terrorists attacked their team bus as it was on the way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the second Test.That attack, on the back of growing security concerns over the previous two years, brought to an end international cricket in the country, taking away the 2011 World Cup in the process.The two sides are due to play a full Test and limited-overs series in October, scheduled in the FTP officially as a ‘home’ series for Pakistan. Until now the series was due to take place in Sri Lanka, but after a meeting between PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and Pakistan’s interior minister Rehman Malik on Thursday, the government is keen on bringing international cricket back to the country.”The government wants this [series to be held in Pakistan],” a senior PCB official told ESPNcricinfo. “We have asked SLC again to let us have their views on the issue.”The prospect of the series actually taking place in Pakistan remains a distant one. So far the government has only passed on verbal instructions to the PCB, who in turn have written to SLC. As of Saturday, when a SLC official was asked about the development or whether the board had been approached, he told ESPNcricinfo: “Not to my knowledge.”Most of Pakistan’s major cities – where such a series is likely to be played – have been targeted fairly recently by terrorist attacks, within the last year in the cases of Lahore and Karachi. At the beginning of this month Osama bin Laden was killed in an operation by US forces in Abbottabad, a town not far from the country’s capital Islamabad.Pakistan have played their ‘home’ series since the Lahore attacks at a number of venues; a series against South Africa was arranged in the UAE. In 2009-10, they broke up a full tour of New Zealand by playing the ODIs in Abu Dhabi and the Tests in New Zealand itself. They used England as a venue for two ‘home’ Tests against Australia last summer. Pakistan is also, incidentally, in talks with SLC over staging their series with England over the turn of the year in Sri Lanka.Afghanistan will actually become the first international team to play in Pakistan next week when they take on Pakistan ‘A’ in three 50-over games. Interestingly enough, one of the games was arranged for Abbottabad, but after the meeting between Butt and Malik the venue was switched to Islamabad.

ScorecardAmjad Khan was the hero for Sussex with the bat•Getty Images

Yorkshire had victory snatched from their grasp by Sussex off the last ball in a thrilling finish to the Clydesdale Bank 40 contest at Headingley which the visitors won by three wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis system.Defeat for Yorkshire in the 28-over game ended their hopes of making it through to the semi-finals whereas Sussex remain top of the Group C table.The visitors chased down a revised target of 207 after Yorkshire had knocked up 200 for 8 and they still required 16 with three wickets in hand off the last over which was bowled by offspinner Azeem Rafiq.The game swung dramatically their way as Amjad Khan lashed the first delivery for six and the next for four. Two were needed off the final delivery and Khan got them by managing to squeeze the ball through backward point.It was tough luck on Rafiq and fellow spinner, Adil Rashid, who had bowled splendidly together when Sussex were 156 for 4, needing 51 off six overs. The pair conceded only five apiece off the next two overs, Rafiq also bowling Joe Gatting, and he later dismissed Mike Yardy, leaving Sussex wanting 35 from 14 balls, their position improving through a six from Ben Brown.Brown fell to Tim Bresnan to make it 185 for 7 and Yorkshire were still firm favourites until Khan’s late onslaught, Sussex earlier having been well served with half-centuries from Chris Nash and Ed Joyce.Put in to bat, Yorkshire made 14 off the first four overs before rain caused a lengthy delay and on the resumption skipper Andrew Gale and Phil Jaques were eager to make up for lost time. They had advanced the score to 33 by the eighth over when Jaques was bowled making room to try and cut a yorker from Chris Liddle but the tempo increased still further with the arrival of Joe Root.He powered to 13 with three boundaries off the first four balls he faced while Gale launched himself at Monty Panesar with two big sixes over long on. The second wicket pair raced their stand to 50 off 34 balls and it had galloped on to 75 in 10 overs when Gale was caught on the boundary edge off Luke Wright for 43 from 55 deliveries with three fours and two sixes.A return catch to Nash ended Root’s spree on 41 from 26 balls with four fours and a six but Adam Lyth and Bresnan made sure that Yorkshire’s progress was maintained, Lyth making a bright 19 and Bresnan including a front foot cover drive for six off Khan and two consecutive boundaries off Yardy who pinned him lbw for 27 with his next delivery. Sussex employed seven bowlers, the most successful being Liddle with three for 44.