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Two days of extensive talks have broken down barriers of rhetoric and transparency between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association, but the signing of a new MoU remains elusive.As more than 230 of the nation’s professional cricketers enter a third week of unemployment, the two parties are set to resume negotiations on Monday after a week in which they were at least able to communicate their positions, needs and options for flexibility to each other.CA’s long-time chief executive James Sutherland and his ACA counterpart Alistair Nicholson have been central to discussions following their lengthy one-on-one meeting on Tuesday. Their presence has brought a more pragmatic tone to talks that had previously been far less flexible and cordial.Rather than ending a two-decade era of revenue sharing agreements between CA and the players, discussions are believed to have reverted to issues of cricket’s rising cost base and the players’ willingness to reduce their revenue percentage and narrow its definition to suit their shared interests with the board.At the same time, CA’s desire for strategic investments – such as expanding their digital arm and building grassroots facilities – without ceding a portion of their cost to the players has also been tackled. The players are believed to be open to excluding such areas from their revenue percentage, provided CA can outline what they are and for how long they must be exempt.Another discussion now unfolding is the financial relationship between CA and the ACA. After the board expressed a desire to cease direct funding of the association, the ACA set up a commercial arm called the Cricketers Brand to sell rights to the players’ intellectual property. It now appears likely that most of these rights will revert to CA for a fee that will in turn help fund the ACA but be much more closely linked to IP rights rather than simply being a catch-all grant.While the improved dialogue marks a turning point in the pay war, time is short for the two parties to come to a formal agreement given all the time wasted in a public slanging match. The game’s current and prospective commercial partners in particular are impatient for a resolution to end the standoff.Apart from Sutherland’s increased involvement, the back channel work of the player manager and ACA executive member Neil Maxwell has also been significant. As a former New South Wales seam bowler in the 1990s, Maxwell has been able to draw on relationships with the likes of his former teammates Mark Taylor and Kevin Roberts to help promote greater understanding between the parties.One of the key areas where this was required was how much the ACA was prepared to move away from the model used in the 2012 MoU, which gave the players 24.5-27% of Australian Cricket Revenue depending on the performance of the national team.In the words of Australia’s captain Steven Smith: “Through the ACA we are willing to make important changes to modernise the existing model for the good of the game. We are and have always been willing to make those changes. Changes for how the model can be adapted for the even greater benefit of grass roots cricket, which is after all where we all started.”Nicholson and Sutherland, meanwhile, have been able to bring their financial expertise to the table.”The increased involvement of CA CEO James Sutherland has been pleasing,” Nicholson said. “A better understanding has been established on both parties’ positions.”CA declined to comment.

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has strong views about the fixed revenue percentage model that the players are presently battling Cricket Australia to retain in the next payment MOU. But he’s not going to air them publicly.Lehmann, a former player delegate and president of the Australian Cricketers’ Association and now a highly-paid employee of CA, sat firmly on the fence ahead of the national team’s departure for England and the ICC Champions Trophy – the last tournament to take place before the June 30 expiry of the current pay deal.Though he acknowledged that the dispute would be a distraction for the players over at least the next six weeks, he doubted the Ashes would be disrupted, saying “I wouldn’t think so, and I would hope not as a fan”. Most of all, he stressed the importance of the two parties re-opening effective, respectful communication to get a deal done.”Both parties have got to get talking, that’s what they’ve got to do,” Lehmann said the day after CA rejected the ACA’s request for independent mediation. “Once they get that they’ll get a deal done, and once that happens we’ll be right and get the game going the way it should be.”What I want to do is see both parties come to the table and get a deal done for the betterment of the game. From the grass roots right through to the elite cricketers. From a players point of view they’re sticking together, we support players and support CA. Everyone supports each other, it is just a case of getting a deal done.”Communication has been a hallmark of how Lehmann has coached Australia, and he has continued that theme during the dispute. He has discussed matters at length with the national captain Steven Smith during his IPL stint, and also indicated that he would open the floor to players to discuss matters together when they convene in England, for the start of a campaign that leads ultimately to the 2019 World Cup and Ashes double.”It is going to be a bit of a distraction there’s no doubt about that,” Lehmann said. “But at the end of the day we’re there to concentrate on the cricket, we’ve got to do the best job we possibly can so from my point of view they’ve just got to get talking, simple fact of life. They’re both adults, both will deal with it as best they can and get the outcome right for the game.”We’ll talk about it when we all meet. You have to do that, you’ve got to keep it open in communication so we know the direction everyone’s going. At the end of the day it’s about getting ready for that first game and playing well. The next three years we go to England for one dayers the following year and then we’ve got the World Cup, so it’s a pretty important tournament for us in many ways.”While pointing out that negotiations have often run close to the wire in the past, Lehmann admitted he had not seen such acrimony between the two parties since the 1997-98 dispute that ultimately led to the revenue-sharing arrangement that has existed over the past 20 years.”I was there as a player and a delegate and then president,” he said. “You have those issues, every sport has them, so it’s just about communication and getting the right outcome for both parties. That’s the key. Both sides I’m sure will get there. It traditionally goes quite late, so there’s no panic, it’s just about those two parties getting together.”

Delhi Daredevils have brought in Marlon Samuels as a replacement for the injured wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, for the remainder of the season. De Kock had been ruled out of the IPL with an injury to his right index finger he picked up during the New Zealand tour last month. Samuels is expected to join the Daredevils squad on April 29.Samuels was among the unsold players in the IPL auction this year, with a base price of INR 100 lakhs. He last played in the IPL over four years ago, in 2013 for Pune Warriors, the only franchise he has represented so far. In 2012, he played eight matches for them to score a total of 124 runs and take eight wickets. In 2013, he featured in only two matches, with scores of 5 and 3, and only one wicket to his name.His overall T20 record is more impressive though. In 149 matches since his debut in 2006, he has scored 3757 runs at an average of 32.66 and a strike rate of 117.51, with two hundreds to his name. He has also taken 68 wickets with an economy rate of 7.01.Daredevils, currently placed second from bottom with only two wins from six matches, play their next match on Friday, against table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. While Daredevils posses one of the best bowling attacks this IPL, their batting has cost them a few matches so far. Not one of their batsmen features among the top 10 run-scorers this season and they will further lose overseas recruits Sam Billings and Chris Morris in the coming weeks. Samuels’ inclusion is likely to beef up an inexperienced batting line-up that features domestic batsmen such as Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and Aditya Tare.

Match Facts

March 28, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Bangladesh won only their second ODI in Sri Lanka to take a lead in the series•AFP

Big Picture

A win in a landmark Test, post-match calls from the prime minister, outstanding performances from debutants, seniors producing their best work – this hastily arranged tour was only supposed to be the postscript to Bangladesh’s high-profile visits to New Zealand and India, but now has the makings of a dream tour.Consider how dominant Sri Lanka have been against Bangladesh in the past. Muttiah Muralitharan’s record is sometimes attacked for containing too many Bangladesh wickets. Kumar Sangakkara looked bored while hitting half of his hundreds against them. Now, tables are turned, boots have switched feet, and the vanquishers are on the verge of becoming vanquished. Before Saturday, Bangladesh had won only one ODI in 15 attempts in Sri Lanka – and that, too, a rain-affected match that became a little chancy towards the end. Now they have crushed Sri Lanka by 90 runs, have players in form, and have possibly become favourites on an away tour.Not that Sri Lanka balk at the underdog tag. Often it’s when little is expected of them that they are at their most stirring. But in reality, this is a team that have now lost six ODIs in a row, have been defeated in five of their last six home one-dayers, and are operating without their best player – Angelo Mathews.Failed strategies have been curiously persisted with too. Sri Lanka have stacked their XI with allrounders, which seems to routinely leave them a bowler short in the death overs. They seem to constantly try to make limited-overs stars out of promising Test players, who might be better left to develop in one format (20-year-old Lahiru Kumara being a prime example). There is also the fielding, which we won’t go into again, because if you are a Sri Lanka fan, it will only want to make you cry.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLLL

In the spotlight

It is time to talk about Thisara Perera – perhaps Sri Lanka’s best batsman of the first ODI, where he hit 55 off 35 balls. Is he a batsman who can bowl a bit? Well, in 18 innings since the start of 2015, he has averaged 14.23 with the bat. Is he then a bowler who bats a bit? This seems even less likely, as since the start of 2015, he averages 54.33 with the ball, and concedes runs at 6.63 an over. His role in the team seems unclear.He has often found ways to be overshadowed in Sri Lanka, but Mehedi Hasan has been consistently effective, and has been a key contributor to Bangladesh’s success through this tour. On ODI debut on Saturday, Mehedi took the new ball – a task only experienced spinners are usually saddled with – and delivered a five-over spell that yielded one wicket and cost only 17, helping sink Sri Lanka’s chase early. Mehedi has also been an enthusiastic contributor with the bat and in the field. Here is a player worth keeping tabs on.

Team news

Niroshan Dickwella was set to be available after suspension, only he has got himself injured and is now out of series. In his place Sri Lanka have drafted in offspinner Dilruwan Perera, while also strengthening their fast-bowling options with the addition of Nuwan Pradeep and Nuwan Kulasekara to the squad. There is a chance one of these new additions will play – Kulasekara the most likely. There is also some concern about a niggle to Suranga Lakmal.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Upul Tharanga (capt), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva/Sachith Pathirana, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal/Nuwan Pradeep, 10 Nuwan Kulasekara, 11 Lakshan SandakanBangladesh may retain their winning XI, although Mashrafe Mortaza said he was not afraid to make changes if conditions demanded.Bangladesh: (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

A little extra grass has been left on the Dambulla surface, so it may not be as given to turn as the previous one. The weather is expected to be mostly fine.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have now lost their last three matches at Dambulla. They had lost two ODIs to Australia there last year.
• If Bangladesh whitewash Sri Lanka in the series, they will move to sixth on the ODI rankings list, and displace Sri Lanka to seventh.

Quotes

“We have [previously] broken our winning combination against India and South Africa in 2015. The wicket tomorrow may be different, so we have to keep that in mind.”

The Trinidad quartet of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons and Samuel Badree has been picked by the West Indies selectors to play in the T20 segment of the limited-overs series against Pakistan. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the four players are part of a squad picked for the first two contests of the four-match series.The T20 series starts on March 26 in Barbados with the following three matches to be played in Trinidad on March 30, April 1 and 2.It is understood that all the four players were informed on their selection on Wednesday, by WICB selection committee head Courtney Browne. It is not clear whether the four will feature in the final two games of the T20 series, which will end three days before the IPL begins. All the four players are part of various franchises in the IPL.West Indies’ last T20 series was also against Pakistan, in the UAE last September.With the exception of Simmons, the players in question all featured, although West Indies lost the three-match series 3-0. Simmons has not played for West Indies since featuring in the two-match T20 series against India last August in Fort Lauderdale.Based on the WICB policy to pick only players who featured in the Regional Super50, none of the four players are expected be available for selection for the ODI segment of the Pakistan series which follows the T20 series. Although the senior WICB staff comprising team director Jimmy Adams and chief selector Courtney Browne have indicated that the board is likely to review its selection policy, it is fair to assume that none between Pollard, Narine, Simmons and Badree will be picked for the three-match ODI series.Despite his lean recent form, Carlos Brathwaite is expected to lead West Indies in the T20 series against Pakistan. It remains to be seen whether the selectors would bring back former West Indies captain Darren Sammy, whose last assignment was winning the World T20 crown in Kolkata last year. Sammy was instrumental in Peshawar Zalmi winning the PSL earlier this month and says he has not yet given up hope of making a West Indies comeback in limited-overs cricket.”I’m only retired from Test cricket,” Sammy said after participating in the recently concluded Hong Kong T20 Blitz. “I’m not retired from limited-overs cricket. I’m available for selection. We have a series coming up against Pakistan, [I’m] available for that and wherever my services are needed.”

Zimbabwe squad

Graeme Cremer (capt), PJ Moor (wk), Ryan Burl, Tarisai Musakanda, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Wellington Masakadza, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara, Christopher Mpofu, Nathan Waller, Craig Ervine, Solomon Mire, Carl Mumba, Richard Ngarava

Richard Ngarava, the uncapped left-arm pacer, and Carl Mumba have been added to Zimbabwe’s squad for the home ODI series against Afghanistan in Harare, beginning on Thursday.Ngarava first impressed in the Under-19 World Cup early last year when he took five wickets in as many matches, including 4 for 10 in nine overs against South Africa. Ngarava was also at the receiving end of the Mankad dismissal at the same event, when he was the last man out as West Indies pacer Keemo Paul whipped off the bails at the non-striker’s end to run him out and seal the win with a quarter-final spot at stake. More recently, Ngarava made his List A debut in the five-match series against Afghanistan A, and in his second match in the same series took 3 for 24.Mumba, the 21-year-old right-arm pacer, earned his maiden Test and ODI caps last year when Sri Lanka visited the country. He had a lacklustre start to his debut Test, taking 1 for 101 in 24 overs, but hit back with four scalps in the second innings. In his only ODI, he conceded 31 runs in four overs without picking up a wicket. Mumba was also part of the series against Afghanistan A and snared a five-wicket haul in the second ODI, albeit in a losing effort.The two pacers join the 14-man squad that was named last week; two spots had been left open until the end of the domestic List A competition, the Pro50 Championship, which concluded on Sunday. Zimbabwe face Afghanistan in five ODIs across 11 days. All the matches are scheduled to take place at the Harare Sports Club.

West Indies’ proposed tour to Pakistan for two T20Is in mid-March is off the table, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. The WICB rejected the PCB’s proposal for the tour after receiving advice on security from the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations. The WICB has also cancelled an expected security recce, which was planned for later this month. The two boards, however, continue to discuss the possibility of two T20 internationals in Florida on March 19 and 20.It is understood that earlier this week the West Indies Players Association wrote to FICA, seeking advice on the current security situation in Pakistan. FICA reportedly gave WIPA the latest security advisory from its security consultants, Eastern Star International, who provide security for various international boards including the ECB, Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket and the ICC.In the report, FICA warned that the risk level in Pakistan remains “at an extremely elevated state” and that “an acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed”. Earlier this month, FICA’s report on player safety and security strongly discouraged players from traveling to Lahore for the Pakistan Super League final, scheduled for March 5.According to the proposal, Lahore was likely to host the two matches on March 18 and 19, followed by two matches in Florida, which are still being discussed and are likely to go ahead.On Wednesday, the WICB released the schedule of Pakistan’s seven-week tour of the Caribbean, beginning from March, which comprises two T20Is, three ODIs and three Tests across five venues. As per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), four Tests had been originally slated for this series, but one Test was dropped from the itinerary to accommodate the proposed tour of Pakistan and the T20Is in the USA.West Indies are the third team – after Ireland and Sri Lanka – to reject travelling to Pakistan in the last two years.In 2015, Zimbabwe became the first the first Test-playing nation to tour Pakistan since 2009, when an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus resulted in the suspension of international cricket from Pakistan. The ICC, however, had refused to send its match officials for the series. The PCB appointed its own match officials, and hoped the Zimbabwe series would serve as a stepping stone to reviving international cricket in the country. That ambition, however, suffered a setback when a suicide attack took place near the Gaddafi Stadium during the second ODI. Zimbabwe, though, played the third and final ODI two days later and completed the tour.The PCB remains firm in its plan to host the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore on March 5, and has drawn up contingency plans to replace those overseas players unwilling to travel to the country due to security reasons. The board has decided to hold a new draft in the last week of February to bring in foreign players who will be willing to travel to Pakistan in place of those who will opt out.

It was a somewhat incongruous sight on day one in Brisbane: a West Indies legend attending a Test between Australia and Pakistan. Had Sir Garry Sobers, currently on a speaking tour in Australia, stayed at the Gabba a few days more, he would have witnessed Asad Shafiq break a 43-year-old record set by Sobers himself.As Asad steered the tail and led Pakistan’s fightback in a marathon final session on day four, he also passed Sobers’ tally of eight centuries from No. 6.The technically proficient Shafiq, who had never batted at six before making his Test debut, has made the most of his position down the order, becoming something of a specialist at guiding the bowlers through difficult periods at the crease.”He always batted brilliantly with the tail,” his team-mate Azhar Ali said after play. “He always loved to bat up the order, but he performed for us at number six. Especially scoring [nine] centuries at number six is not easy.”Our lower order didn’t really have very good averages, but he bats with them very well and he scored [nine] hundreds, it’s a very special achievement. He has scored a lot of runs also, he’s averaging 40-plus, which is a very good achievement.”It seemed as though the chance to break Sobers’ record had passed Shafiq by when he was promoted up the order for Pakistan’s fourth Test against England in August and scored a century from No. 4. But the emergence of Babar Azam, combined with his own form tapering off, meant Shafiq moved back to his original Test batting position.”He’s a special player. I’ve always rated him as a very fine player, because batting at No. 6 is never easy,” Azhar said. “But as a team plan, he started batting [up the order], but again the team manager thinks that this is our best combination. As team players we always are willing to play wherever our team needs. He’s a brilliant player who can bat at any number. Hopefully he gets his number soon.”He bats at number six really well. He could be probably better than any of us [there]. That’s probably the reason he got back at number six. Sometimes you have to make decisions according to the situation, according to the team plan. That’s why I went to open the batting, because of the requirement of the team. It’s a team game, so we’re all happy with what the team demands of us.”Pakistan’s chase so far – described by the Australia bowling coach, David Saker, as “heroic” – could hardly have been foreseen by the most optimistic of their supporters, given how fragile they appeared in the first innings. Azhar said Mickey Arthur and Misbah-ul-Haq had instilled confidence in their players, telling them to take the fight to the Australians.”Before we started today, the discussion was to back ourselves, and back our ability to score runs in these conditions,” Azhar said. “First innings, it didn’t go to plan and you can easily doubt your techniques and ability to score runs in these conditions.”But the message from the captain and the coach was to back yourself. I think everyone batted with a lot of determination and a lot of skills. As a unit, we’re really happy how this day has gone.”It’s never easy to chase that big a total, but we certainly made a very good effort, especially the way Younis Khan batted – he came back into form, which is very important; he’s a senior player and is always there to perform for us.”Asad was struggling for runs and he came back with a bang and in the dressing room we really enjoyed his innings and the way he batted. It was a really special knock. Also special contributions from Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, the way they showed the determination. It will really help us get more confidence going through the series.”Pakistan came tantalisingly close to finishing the extended session with three wickets still in hand, but Jackson Bird claimed the wicket of Wahab Riaz in the final over of the day. Pakistan went to stumps needing 108 runs more.”Obviously the wicket in the last over really hurt,” Azhar said. “It still would have been a big task, but it looks a bit bigger now because we have only two wickets. But still Asad is there, so we have hopes that if he carries on – and Yasir Shah and Rahat [Ali] can bat with him as long as they can – we can actually get closer at least.”

Mashrafe Mortaza has said he sees a bright future for Bangladesh, provided young players are given the right environment to develop. The limited-overs captain completes 15 years in international cricket on Tuesday, becoming the longest-serving international cricketer in the country’s Test status era.Mashrafe, who made his debut against Zimbabwe in November 2001, said that the players also must remain eager to perform, and focus on hard work to bring out their individual potential.”I am sure that Bangladesh will achieve many things in the next 15 years,” Mashrafe told ESPNcricinfo. “We have to take care of the players, and by that I mean we have to create an environment for them. We have to keep them in the right process. The players also need to remain hungry.”We will achieve things in 15 years that we cannot imagine now. But, for it to happen, we have to head in the right direction. It is not that we didn’t have talented players in the past, but they were wasted. There has to be hard work to make use of the talent. If we can do these things properly, we will get better.”Mashrafe, who is seen as a vital cog in Bangladesh’s ODI success over the last two years, predicted that Bangladesh’s Test team would improve significantly, especially after having figured out a way to compete against teams like England, whom they beat in a Test match last week.”Our Test ranking will get much better in the coming years. We need to have specific targets since now we have also realised that we can win Tests in home conditions. We had done the same in ODIs, so I believe that the boys will do better. We will have a higher win percentage at home.”Mashrafe added that a strong group of fast bowlers would also help the team when they played overseas, which should be part of their long-term planning. “We have good fast bowlers so we also have a better chance of doing well abroad. But there has to be long-term planning. Our coaching staff, including those in the High Performance programme, are preparing them to that tune.”Meanwhile, senior batsman Tamim Iqbal said that Mashrafe’s presence had been a significant boon to Bangladesh cricket over the past 15 years.”In our Bangladesh team, Mashrafe is the character who fulfills the team. He plays a big role by being the elder brother, friend and father figure,” Tamim said. “He may be just five years older than most of us, but I see that many see him as a father figure. I know a lot of guys who will take the direction Mashrafe tells them to.”His presence is very important. You cannot buy his character with a million dollars, nor by being the captain or a performer. He is such a character, everyone is drawn to him. I would say that his character played a massive role in raising our cricket to this stage.”

Warwickshire hope to have completed the recruitment of Ashley Giles as director of cricket by the end of the week.As ESPNcricinfo revealed at the time, Giles was the club’s first choice when they made the decision to sack Dougie Brown at the end of the season.Giles is currently director of cricket at Lancashire, however, and is contracted to the club until the end of the 2017 season.Negotiations between the two clubs are understood to be on-going with Warwickshire expected to pay compensation to Lancashire in return for Giles’ release.It would be a surprise if his release is not granted, though. While the news is a substantial inconvenience to Lancashire, there is respect for Giles’ personal circumstances – there have been some health issues within his family and he currently spends much of his time living out of a hotel room in Manchester – and an acceptance that, if he wants to be elsewhere, he is no longer the man for the club. Glen Chapple would appear to be particularly well placed to replace Giles.If the move is not completed soon – perhaps even by the end of the week – Warwickshire are expected to abandon the attempt and appoint another candidate. ESPNcricinfo understands that Richard Pybus, who is currently director of cricket with West Indies but has been linked with a string of county jobs in recent times, and Dav Whatmore, who oversaw Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup victory, have already been informally interviewed. If Giles is deemed unobtainable, one of them will be offered the role.The new director of cricket will be expected to lead the process of finding a new head coach for the side. If Giles is appointed that is very likely to be Jim Troughton. Troughton was club captain and Giles the coach when Warwickshire won the County Championship in 2012.