The ball popped up from Kapil Dev’s tentative bat. The bowler, with that distinctive white headband over dark curly hair, dove to his right, in front of the umpire, and took the catch, one-handed, ending the captain’s gritty knock of 78. Sri Lanka thus completed its first-ever Test victory, in Colombo in 1985, against a strong Indian side.

That was Rumesh Ratnayake’s ninth wicket of the match. The quick ended up playing 23 Tests and 70 ODIs, claiming 149 wickets in all. The 62-year-old has also had a memorable stint coaching the Sri Lankan women, guiding them to series victories in England and South Africa, as well as an Asia Cup triumph, beating India in the final. Excerpts from an exclusive interview Ratnayake gave The Hindu at Thiruvananthapuram during Sri Lanka’s T20I series against India:

How do you look back at that Test in Colombo four decades ago? Sri Lanka also went on to win that series, in which Sunil Gavaskar batted in the middle-order.

Yes, and I got him out a few times. India had a fabulous batting line-up, with Mohinder Amarnath and Dilip Vengsarkar, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri. I remember Vengsarkar had this lazy elegance about him. He had sleepy eyes, but would do so much damage with his bat. I think it was a fantastic series. We all knew we had a chance. And those wickets were also conducive to pace. Because our strength was pace at that time. If it was against Pakistan, it would have been a different story.

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You were part of a good pace attack with Ashantha de Mel and Saliya Ahangama.

And we had a young leg-spinner Sanjeewa Weerasinghe, who sadly played only one Test, which we won.

You had figures of four for 76 and five for 49.

That Test match is sort of engraved in my mind. And people throw it back all the time, even now. Somehow, once a week I get a video; somebody will send it from somewhere. Unfortunately, that match was not videoed fully. But when the government knew that we had a chance of winning on the fifth day, they sent a television crew.

How much did that Test win mean to the Sri Lankan team and the country at that time?

It meant a lot. Our President, J.R. Jayewardene, gave a holiday the next day. He had played cricket, you know, for his school.

You bowled at good pace, and had some memorable Test spells in England, Australia, New Zealand…

My ambition was to bowl as fast as I could, to be the fastest bowler. But those days we didn’t have as many opportunities, such as videos, to learn from. So my university was the fast-bowlers of the era. I would talk to them.

I still remember the advice I got from Richard Hadlee, who was such a phenomenal bowler. He bowled like the wind. He was so smooth, it was unbelievable. He is the one who told me about fast-bowling being all about rhythm. I remember him telling me, ‘You have bowled faster than me and you are asking me.’ I was just 18 then. And I remember asking him, ‘Richard, but what do you think I need to do?’ He said, ‘Rumesh, just think of your rhythm. Think of your timing.’ That was the first time I was hearing of the timing of the ball — when you release the ball.

I also looked up to Michael Holding, Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee. And Kapil also has been a favourite. And what a batter he was, too! We used to talk about how he hits the ball. He used to have this shot, which he would play on the up. It would go past the mid-off and extra-cover. He would sort of glide it. And sometimes the shot would be too late for the mid-off. But it’s near the extra-cover. And bang, it’s gone!

But if you ask me who the best fast-bowler I have ever seen or faced is, it is Wasim Akram. He was everything a fast-bowler needed to be. He had swing, pace, seam… He was a complete fast-bowler.

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And the bowlers that you enjoy watching today?

Mitchell Starc is lovely to watch. He has a lovely rhythm, super timing. And Pat Cummins, too.

When you took over as coach, the Sri Lankan women’s team hadn’t been doing well. You began your tenure with a victory over host South Africa in the 2023 T20 World Cup, then won T20I series in England and South Africa and stunned India in the Asia Cup final.

Sri Lanka Cricket’s CEO Ashley de Silva asked me whether I was interested in taking up the position because Hashan Tillakaratne was leaving. At that point of time I said, ‘No, I haven’t ever coached women.’ Besides, Hashan is my friend and I didn’t want to take his job, but he left and joined Bangladesh. So I accepted the offer and when I went for their training and saw them practising, I realised, ‘Man, this is a team I can grow with’.

But I found there were a lot of negatives in the system, especially with the girls. I believe that if you give them confidence, if you create an environment in which they can learn, I am sure they will grow. And I saw in the first match we played against South Africa, we beat them, and remember that team went on to play the final. Our next match was Bangladesh. We beat them. So we were on a sort of a roll. Then we lost…

How do you recall those early days as coach?

I believe in creating the right kind of environment, and it is about saying the right thing at the right time. And no negatives were spoken. If someone bowled a bad ball, I wouldn’t say, ‘What a rubbish ball that is!’ Not that they did not make mistakes or miss catches. They missed catches, but they knew I was backing them for the next catch, or the next moment.

We spoke of winning the ball, winning the moments. If you can’t hit a six, try for a four, and if you can’t get hit a four, look for a one or a two. And I took the individual aspect away. Five-wicket hauls did not matter. Everybody chipping in at the right time mattered more. Nothing makes the coach happier. I didn’t care for a batter’s fifty. I would give her six or seven balls when she is on 40. I took inspiration from the New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, where nobody is bigger than the team. The Australian cricket team is also like that.

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In this series, your last of this stint as coach, Sri Lanka showed a lot of spirit in the last two T20Is, but lost 0-5.

Yes, the girls fought hard, and regardless of the result, it was a great experience for them, playing against the Indian side that won the ODI World Cup recently.

Women’s cricket is becoming more popular…

The game is evolving fast. I think some of the sixes you see in women’s cricket today are almost as big as the ones that were scored by the men 30 years ago.

The emergence of T20 cricket has given the sport some fresh greats of the game. Among the modern superstars, Rashid Khan has truly emerged as a game-changer. When it comes to white-ball cricket, the Afghanistan spinner is arguably considered the greatest in modern times, especially in T20 cricket. While comparisons across different eras of the game make it difficult to assess which player has had a greater impact, former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has claimed that Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan is a ‘greater cricketer’ than his country’s own Wasim Akram, the man considered by many as the greatest fast bowler of all time.

The assessment from Latif comes from the point of view that Rashid had a bigger role to play in putting Afghanistan on the global cricketing map in comparison to Wasim who was one of the several superstars in the Pakistan team at that time.

“Rashid has brought Afghanistan on the map, he has helped them get recognition,” he said on Hasna Mana hai show on Geo News. “He is greater than Wasim Akram. I am sorry to say but Rashid’s stature is bigger.”

Rashid, however, hasn’t been able to create as much impact in Test cricket as he has in T20s. The spinner, who plays in T20 leagues across the globe, is among the top wicket-takers, almost in every country he has played in. But, in red-ball cricket, he has struggled to make a name for himself. But, that’s also because of Afghanistan’s weak representation in Tests.

“I have only one piece of advice for Rashid Khan. ‘Improve your Test team and play more Test matches against Pakistan,'” Latif further said.

Rashid and his team will be hoping to create a bigger impact as they play in the ICC Champions Trophy, starting February 19.

Afghanistan squad for Champions Trophy: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fareeh Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharote, Naveed Zadran, Noor Ahmad.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played in Pakistan and the UAE.© X/@ICC

Former Australia head coach Justin Langer heaped rich praise on Jasprit Bumrah, calling India’s fast-bowling spearhead a right-handed equivalent of legendary Pakistan left-arm pacer Wasim Akram. Bumrah has taken 21 wickets at an average of 10.90 to be the leading wicket-taker of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, including a five-wicket haul in Perth and a six-fer in Brisbane. He has also dismissed Australia openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney four times each in the series so far.

“I would hate to face him. He is like Wasim Akram. For me, he is a right-hand version of Wasim Akram, and every time I am asked the question ‘Who is the best bowler you have ever faced’, I say Wasim Akram.”

“They have got good pace and the great bowlers just hit the same spot every time, and they have got a good bouncer, so it makes them a bloody nightmare. He has got the ability to swing the ball both ways, his seam is literally picture perfect.”

“If you present a perfect seam and it comes perfectly out of the fingers as it does with him, you get the double whammy, swing in the right conditions and if it hits the rope it can go either way. That’s what Akram used to do and was a nightmare to face,” he added.

“I would hate to face Bumrah. He’s a great competitor, he bowls good pace and he’s just awesome. I said at the start of the series, if Bumrah stays fit, it is going to be a really tough summer for the Australian batters, if he doesn’t, then I think Australia will win the series easily, and I still maintain that,” said Langer to The Nightly on Thursday.

Langer also expressed surprise by the sudden retirement of veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin after the third Test at Brisbane ended in a draw, citing that the visitors’ could turn to him for at least one of the two remaining Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.

Ashwin’s last international game was the day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide, where he took 1-53 in his 18 overs and made 29 runs with the bat, as India lost by ten wickets.

“I was surprised Ashwin retired because I thought they would use him and (Ravindra) Jadeja – go to their big guns for maybe Melbourne and definitely Sydney. I think Melbourne and Sydney are as likely to suit India as the other two venues,” he added.

Langer signed off by believing Australia will not make any changes in terms of its batting make-up, despite its top-order misfiring, for the crunch Test in Melbourne, starting from next Thursday.

“I can’t see them making any changes now at 1-1 in the series. There will be some discussions about a few players, but my gut feeling is they will keep it the same,” said Langer.

Pakistan cricket great Wasim Akram surprised his countrymen with an appearance during a recent Coke Studio event. With the Champions Trophy in his hand, Akram thanked the audience for remaining seated at the venue, as he narrated the high expectations he has for next year’s event. Though the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to confirm the model in which the tournament will be held, as well as its schedule, Akram seemed confident of hosting the entire tournament in the country next year.

“I would like to thank everyone. Your passion is typical Pakistani passion. This is the Champions Trophy which is happening in Pakistan,” Akram said. Further during his speech, the legendary speedster said that “Pakistan is ready to host the Champions Trophy”.

– Loved the vibe & passion of the crowd… #Cokestudio x #ChampionsTrophy × #ICC pic.twitter.com/vWZfRgz2yv

— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) December 10, 2024

The future of the Champions Trophy has been left in doubt after India held its stance of not sending the men’s team to Pakistan for next year’s marquee event, citing “security concerns.” On the other hand, Pakistan has stayed adamant about hosting the entire tournament without the prospect of a hybrid model.

After weeks of stalemate, recent reports have suggested a potential breakthrough has been made over the future of the Champions Trophy.

According to recent reports, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have reportedly reached an in-principle agreement to adopt a hybrid model for global tournaments hosted in Pakistan or India until 2027.

This model would allow both nations to play their games at ICC tournaments hosted by the other country at a neutral venue. Although sources confirmed the agreement to ESPNcricinfo, the PCB, the official host of the 2025 Champions Trophy, has not publicly commented, only that discussions are ongoing.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the agreement was reportedly reached after meetings between new ICC Chair Jay Shah and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Dubai.

These discussions took place alongside a courtesy board meeting arranged by Shah during his visit to the ICC headquarters in his new role. A formal Board meeting to discuss the Champions Trophy was scheduled for Saturday, but the meeting was postponed.

With ANI Inputs

Basit Ali has reserved the highest of praises for India pacer Jasprit Bumrah.© AFP

Pakistan registered a historic ODI series win against Australia on Sunday. Mohammad Rizwan and co thrashed Australia by eight wickets in the third ODI in Perth and clinched the three-match series 2-1. This was Pakistan’s first ODI series win in Australia after 22 years. The entire team clicked like a single unit and completely dominated Australia in all the departments. In the backdrop of this memorable win, former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram, who was a part of the commentary panel, narrated a hilarious incident.

During one of the matches of the three-match series, Akram told his fellow commentators that he spent 1000 Australian dollars for his cat’s haircut.

“I had a cat haircut yesterday. I have to pay 1000 Australian dollars for the cat’s haircut. They have got to sedate the cat, they have to keep the cat, then they have to feed the act. I said about 200 cats in Pakistan can get haircut for this money,” Wasim Akram said during the commentary.

Wasim Akram @wasimakramlive got charged 822$ for the haircut of a CAT in Australia

Commentary in Australia >>>>>#ChampionsTrophy2025 #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/jroq5x5hyg

— Zain Cric (@Zain_Cric) November 11, 2024

To make the moment more hilarious, Akram even shared the invoice of the service, leaving the other commentators in splits.

Australia rested their key players during the third ODI, giving them rest ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

Australia’s former captain Michael Clarke voiced his frustrations on Big Sports Breakfast, questioning why the team prioritised rest for star players over a chance to secure the series win.

“I’m just a bit confused. With 11 days between now and the first Test, why can’t the Aussie boys who are part of this Test series play in the one-dayer?” Clarke said, addressing the choice to keep major players like Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood off the field.

“If Australia had won the first two games, then you can understand why they rest their big fish, but it was series on the line. I feel like we obviously don’t care about losing that series,” he added.

(With IANS Inputs)

Legendary Pakistan bowler foreshadowed an incident during the second ODI between Australia and Pakistan in Adelaide. Akram, on commentary, was told that during his era, him and pace bowling partner Waqar Younis would send stumps flying and trap batters leg-before-wicket. Akram joked that that was because the bowlers did not trust the Pakistan fielders and, therefore, they’d have to get the wickets by themselves. In a hilarious coincidence, Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi went on to drop a catch in the ongoing game in the very next ball, proving Akram’s sarcasm scarily true.

“We did not trust our fielders. We only heard ‘Sorry’ from the slip cordon, or ‘We didn’t see the ball’,” said Akram jokingly.

Wasim Akram told us he couldn’t trust his fielders, and the very next ball… pic.twitter.com/iZpa4rvhRx

— Triple M Cricket (@triplemcricket) November 8, 2024

Almost immediately, Akram’s statement was proven right in the match going on. Australian opener Matthew Short had tried to hook Naseem Shah, but it ended up coming straight at Shaheen Afridi fielding at deep square leg. Unfortunately, Afridi ended up dropping the catch, causing uproar in the commentary box.

“Exactly (on what he was saying earlier). That could’ve changed the game and put a lot of pressure on Australia, but Shaheen Shah Afridi did not judge the height,” Akram lamented.

Despite the incredible coincidence of a dropped catch while Akram was speaking about the same issue, Pakistan did not face much trouble in the game. Shaheen Afridi made up for his dropped catch by picking up Matthew Short’s wicket himself.

Haris Rauf went on to take five wickets, while Shaheen took three, as Pakistan bowled out Australia for a mere 163. Pakistan chased down the target with ease, with Saim Ayub top-scoring with a cracking 71-ball 82, laced with five boundaries and six sixes.

Pakistan’s win meant that they levelled the three-match ODI series at 1-1, heading into the final game. It was also Mohammad Rizwan’s first win as Pakistan’s new white ball captain.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is hopeful of India’s arrival in Pakistan for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy and sees it as a great thing for cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has neither denied nor confirmed yet that the Indian team will travel to Pakistan for the tournament. The BCCI has repeatedly said they will follow the directions of the Central government. “I think whatever I’m reading there are positive vibes from (the) Indian government and (the) BCCI.

“I also read somewhere they will play probably all their games in Lahore. They will probably come to Lahore and travel (back) the same night. I’m all for it, as long as India is comfortable,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Akram as saying.

“And I can promise you, they (are) going to get looked after amazingly well. I mean, Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, (Hardik) Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, they have fans in Pakistan. The young cricket fans adore them,” he added.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is determined to host the entire 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9. It has proposed holding all of India’s matches in Lahore, a city near the Indian border, to simplify logistics and security arrangements. Additionally, the PCB plans to issue around 17,000 visas for Indian fans wishing to support their team. The final is set to take place in Lahore, along with any semi-final involving India, should they qualify.

The legendary pacer claimed that India’s visit to Pakistan will be a huge thing in the world of cricket not only for Pakistan.

“People-to-people contact is very important in this day and ago. In this social media age, there’s so much negativity all over the world, unnecessary negativity, in my opinion, and I think if India come, it will be great for cricket, and of course, it’ll be great for Pakistan too,” Akram said.

Since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, India have not played an international match in Pakistan. India did not travel to Pakistan last year for Asia Cup and their matches were played in Sri Lanka. However, Pakistan visited India to play in the ODI World Cup 2023 and made an early exit in the tournament.

Earlier this month, the ECB’s chief executive Richard Gould and chair Richard Thompson mentioned that there are “various alternatives and contingencies” if India decide not to travel to Pakistan, raising the possibility of a hybrid model. However, they emphasised that holding the Champions Trophy without India’s participation is not feasible, as “it would not be in cricket’s interests for India not to be playing in the Champions Trophy”.

The Champions Trophy will feature eight teams – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa – competing in two groups of four, followed by semi-finals and a final.

Coaches have changed, captains have changed, players have changed, selectors have changed, even board chairmen have changed but Pakistan cricket’s problems remain the same. A fresh change in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection committee was unrolled after the team lost the opening Test against England. Ahead of the second Test, the team management even decided to bench the likes of Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. However, England great Nasser Hussan doesn’t feel these players to be blamed for Pakistan team’s current crisis.

“The issue is not Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, or Naseem Shah,” Hussain said on Sky Cricket. “The issue is behind the scenes in the way Pakistan cricket runs.”

Hussain, in a chat with Michael Atherton, further highlighted how Pakistan have used 26 different selectors for the senior men’s national team. The selection committee isn’t the only body that has undergone significant changes the last few years.

For Hussain, no sport or business can be run effectively if it undergoes so many changes on a regular basis. The Pakistan team, hence, only have themselves to blame for the mess they are in.

“In the paper, I saw there were 26 different selectors; in another, it said 27. Nobody can keep count. How many have England had? Two or three, maybe. But if you keep changing selectors, coaches, captains-constantly shuffling leadership-it’s impossible to plan ahead. No successful business or sports team works that way. When you operate with short-term thinking, you show up unprepared, and by the time you lose the first Test, you’re already scrambling for solutions,” he further added

“Their cricket and some of it, you give them a bit of leeway because of the way the finances of the world game have gone with the big three, and they’re picking up the scraps like other nations are. So I really feel for Pakistan cricket and we mustn’t be too harsh on them, but at times, they shoot themselves in the foot,” Hussain remarked. 

Even Pakistan cricket great Wasim Akram reacted to the comments made by Hussain, saying he and Atherton are onto something.

I think finally boys are on too something here https://t.co/AbKlRYXnL4

— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) October 14, 2024

Pakistan would hope to produce a change in their fortunes as they take on England in the second Test without Babar, Shaheen and Naseem.