That Dimuth Karunaratne is a stats nerd, particularly about his career, has been known for some time. But now, 89 Tests in, the captaincy behind him (to his great relief), he has got some serious numbers in his sights. We’ll get to those soon, but for now, the man he is chasing is Usman Khawaja – another left-handed opener.Karunaratne had once spoken about how the player whose record he wanted to better was Dean Elgar, who at the time had a better average and run tally than him. Karunaratne has surpassed Elgar on both those fronts, and now wants to get past Khawaja’s annual run tallies.Since the start of 2022, Khawaja has scored 2476 runs, to Karunaratne’s 1254. But then Khawaja has played 50 Test innings, to Karunaratne’s 26. Khawaja’s average is better through that period – 56.27, while Karunaratne’s is 50.16.Related

• Mathews 141, Chandimal 107 put SL 212 ahead

No other openers have been in their class in terms of average. They were the openers chosen for the ICC’s Test team of the year, though Sri Lanka played only six Tests in 2023.”Among openers, I think I’m in a pretty good place, compared to others internationally,” Karunaratne said after hitting 77 against Afghanistan. “But recently Usman Khawaja has been very good. He’s been consistent last year and the year before. What I’m trying to do is to compare myself to him year by year, and also to be in that World XI every year. When Khawaja plays, I follow that series – the Ashes, and even the recent West Indies series. I watch how he bats and what he does.”You need these things to force you forward. Otherwise, when you don’t have a target, you don’t have that kick to improve.”But 35 years old now, Karunaratne is also ticking off some major milestones that not many openers outside England and Australia (who tend to play the most Tests) get to. Numbers with zeros that follow them. The kinds of numbers you associate with the best.”My first goal is to get to 100 Tests,” Karunaratne said. “That’s a great achievement for any Test cricketer. If I get there, I want to see how close I am to 10,000 runs, and then I’d try to push for that. At the moment my fitness is good. I’m trying to leave a good legacy in this format. I’m close to 7000 runs, and maybe in the next two or three years, I can get to that 3000 more. Those are my two goals, so I have to maintain my fitness and consistency.”It’s a little more than 3000, because even after his 77 against Afghanistan, he’s still on 6708 career runs. Which sounds pretty middle-of-the-road until you clock that he is by far Sri Lanka’s highest run-scorer as an opener, having made 6615 when opening the innings, with Sanath Jayasuriya at second place with 5932.Overall, he is the fifth-highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka behind Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews and Jayasuriya (who batted lower down the order for a significant portion of his career).”Yes, I’m someone who is very aware of my stats and I compare that with others. There’s Sanath , and then there’s Angelo after that. I am trying to get to my targets and then be able to look back after I retire and take satisfaction in that.”It’s not enough to have played cricket and represented your national team. That’s why I love this format, because it gives me a lot of satisfaction. I want to try to pass all these legends one by one. I’ve been able to do that to some extent. I’m trying to do more.”

“He’s the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger,” says Ponting

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2024Four-hundred-and-fifty-three days since he last played a competitive match, India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is “jittery” to resume playing cricket on Saturday afternoon when he will lead Delhi Capitals in their IPL opener against hosts Punjab Kings. The hiatus was forced on Pant after a life-threatening car crash on December 30, 2022, from which he successfully recovered after extensive rehab.”Jittery, nervous, excited – all of it,” Pant described his emotional state on the eve of his first IPL match in two years, having sat out the 2023 season. “But at the same time, just happy being able to come back to professional cricket. I’m just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow.”As soon as the BCCI’s medical team had declared Pant fit, both as a wicketkeeper and batter, Pant flew to join the franchise’s preparatory camp in Visakhapatnam, where Capitals will play home matches in the schedule announced so far. Like a kid who had been kept away from doing his favourite thing, Pant batted obsessively in the nets, according to Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting.Related

Rishabh Pant is back – celebrating life, loving cricket

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Pant felt he did that because he wanted to practise as much as possible and give himself “the best chance to become a better cricketer”.Ponting described Pant as the “heartbeat” of the team. “There’s no doubt last year we missed our captain, we missed one of the best players in the world,” he said. “Just his attitude, his smile, the way he goes about his cricket, he’s a winner. He wants to win games.”He wants to do the best he can for the team all the time. And when you have that attitude coming back into a team, that’s infectious. Everyone wants to be like Rishabh and play the way that he plays his cricket. He’s our leader. He’s the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot better and a lot stronger.”Ponting the coach is usually a positive and smiling person, but Pant’s return has got him super excited for the new season as Capitals attempt to win the IPL for the first time. “The fact that he is back smiling puts a smile on my face as well. Knowing that I’ve got my captain back, knowing that I’ve got one of the best players in the world in all three formats back in my team, I’m smiling, his team-mates are all smiling.”

The Philadelphia Union forward, who is participating in a training camp with City this summer, scored in an appearance off the bench Saturday

Sullivan scores for Man City in 3-2 loss to BuxtonUnion forward participating in summer training camp with clubTeenager will join City permanently at age 18Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

American forward Cavan Sullivan, 15, scored for Manchester City's U21 team in a 3-2 loss to Buxton of the National League North on Saturday, making his first mark on the club that he will join permanently upon turning 18.

Sullivan, who signed the largest Homegrown Deal in MLS history in 2024, had a clause inserted in the contract that upon turning of age, he would join the Premier League giants on a permanent deal from the Philadelphia Union.

This July, Sullivan is participating in a training camp with the English club, and he made his first appearance on Saturday off the bench. Sixteen minutes into his cameo, he found the back of the net for their first goal of the day in the second half in the 61st minute.

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Sullivan is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in his age group across the world. He recently earned his first start in MLS for the Union, and has recorded two other senior starts this campaign in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for Philly.

In total, he's made eight appearances for the senior team this season, while at the MLS NEXT Pro level, he has nine appearances this season, scoring five goals and recording one assist.

DID YOU KNOW?

Sullivan was named to GOAL's top-50 NXGN wonderkids in world football in 2025.

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Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SULLIVAN?

The teenager will miss the Union's match against the Colorado Rapids Saturday evening, but will return to the club next week.

Aston Villa paid a heartfelt tribute to Black Sabbath frontman and music legend Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away aged 76. Osbourne performed his final live show at Villa Park, a homecoming farewell concert attended by 42,000 fans. The concert, dubbed Back To The Beginning, was staged as a celebration of Osbourne’s monumental career and life in music.

• Osbourne dies aged 76
• Performed his last concert at Villa Park
• Had five Grammy wins from 12 nominations

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The farewell performance was not just a solo act as the legendary frontman was joined by original Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Terence "Geezer" Butler, and Bill Ward, a momentous reunion after two decades apart. Metallica and Guns N' Roses took to the stage in tribute to the man who helped birth a musical movement. The lineup made the event not just a concert, but a monumental chapter in rock history, a final bow that would come to define Osbourne's legacy.

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  Following the announcement of his death, an outpouring of love and grief came from fellow musicians and fans worldwide. Metallica shared a photo on the social media platform X, standing alongside Osbourne, captioned only with a broken heart emoji. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood also expressed his sorrow, stating: "I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne. What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham." Black Sabbath’s official account shared an image of their iconic frontman from the recent show, simply writing: "Ozzy Forever!"

• WHAT ASTON VILLA SAID

  Villa's statement on Tuesday night read: "Aston Villa Football Club is saddened to learn that world-renowned rockstar and Villan, Ozzy Osbourne has passed away.

  "Growing up in Aston, not far from Villa Park, Ozzy always held a special connection to the club and the community he came from.

  "The thoughts of everyone at Aston Villa are with his wife Sharon, his family, friends, and countless fans at this extremely difficult time.

  "Rest in peace, Ozzy."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, in the Aston district of Birmingham, Ozzy grew up surrounded by the industrial grit that would shape his musical identity. He soon emerged as a defining voice of heavy metal, earning him the title "Godfather of Metal." The band’s 1970 debut album stormed the UK charts, and subsequent releases like , , and cemented their place in rock history. Their influence was enormous as they inspired generations of bands and sold more than 75 million albums across the globe.

With 21 runs to get off the final over, Karn nearly pulled off a miracle, but Knight Riders and Phil Salt held their nerve to effect a run-out off the last ball

Alagappan Muthu21-Apr-20241:50

Jaffer: ‘If Narine doesn’t get you, Salt will’

Mitchell Starc had 20 runs to defend and he nearly didn’t. In the course of six balls, he exemplified just how difficult it is to be a bowler in T20 cricket, and how he will always fly in the face of it. Having been hit for three sixes in the final over which reduced the equation down to 3 off 2, he went to his bread and butter. He went pace on. He went yorker. And he produced a wicket. Karn Sharma, who had brought this game back from the dead, was gone. As soon as the catch was taken – Starc himself diving low to his right in his followthrough – RCB knew there were no more miracles.Ramandeep Singh contrived to give them one. His throw from deep point was poor. It didn’t come in quick enough or straight enough. It left the wicketkeeper with a lot to do. Phil Salt, though, was fine with it. He was alert enough to step forward and shrink the distance the ball had to travel and then agile enough to fling his whole body at the stumps and break it before the No. 11 Lockie Ferguson could make his ground and trigger a Super Over. KKR had won, by one run, and maybe five inches.Related

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Du Plessis: 'Your decision making is clearer when you are winning'

Plans made, plans fall apartRCB did beautifully to keep Sunil Narine quiet. While most teams do know not to give him any room, they went a step further, dropped all pretense and tried to bowl nothing but leg-stump yorkers. KKR’s biggest hitter this season needed eight balls to get off the mark. Salt came to his rescue though hitting 10 of the first 13 balls to the boundary and flirting with the fastest fifty of IPL 2024. He could have had it too but in going for another six – to a ball that was very hittable – he got caught at deep midwicket. Still, 48 off 14 with seven fours and three sixes is nothing to scoff at.The middle overs slowdownKarn bowled the first boundary-less over in the 10th. Cameron Green was keeping Rinku Singh quiet, their head-to-head for the first six balls yielding three dots and two singles. The Australian had used his height to great effect earlier, leaping up to catch a ball that was 8.1m off the ground and travelling fast, to dismiss Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Now, he was digging off-pace deliveries into the pitch and getting them to soar past Rinku’s bat swing. Even with Shreyas Iyer scoring his first IPL fifty since May 2022, RCB had the better of the middle overs (economy rate 8, from 12.5 in the powerplay). Ferguson, who conceded a boundary with every ball of his first over, gave up only one more after that in the next three. He also took a wicket, a skillful use of the knuckle ball which got big on Rinku and took away his power.Faf du Plessis fined for slow over rate

RCB captain Faf du Plessis was fined for his side maintaining a slow over rate against KKR. As it was his first such offence, he was penalised with a minimum over-rate fine of INR 12 lakh.

Small marginsAndre Russell had walked in during the 14th over. At the time of the 18th, he was still 11 off 13 with only one hit to the fence, and still, he was toying with the bowlers.Yash Dayal was desperate to keep the ball out of his hitting arc, which forced him to spray one too wide outside off and another too wide outside leg, which also beat the keeper and went for four. To make matters worse, he had overstepped.Dayal was only trying to do the right thing but it is so hard in this format. A nine-ball 17th over ended with Shreyas pinging the long-on boundary twice and yielding 22 runs. RCB trusted him to close the innings out but that over went for 16. Once again, he did the right things. Went wide yorker, but missed the mark and got hit. Took pace off, but Muscle Russell found a way. Recovered to string two yorkers and a bouncer that cost only three runs but the last ball was cleverly ramped for four by Ramandeep. KKR 222 for 6.Mohammed Siraj is distraught even as KKR celebrate their dramatic one-run win•BCCI

Jacks and Patidar step upAngry Virat Kohli made an appearance after a long time, disputing the technology that gave him out off a full toss that he was certain was over waist high. Faf du Plessis couldn’t stick around for long enough. RCB were in familiar dire straits once again when two of their least heralded players decided to shoot their shot.Will Jacks took down Starc in the final over of the powerplay, hitting him for three sixes and a four. The whole over was symptomatic of the way KKR had bowled to him, pace on and in the slot. A tall batter with a strong front foot game loves it there. So did the RCB fans who were sat down the ground or at midwicket.At the other end, Rajat Patidar found his rhythm. He has looked short of confidence ever since he was dropped by India during the Tests against England. A batter who relies on feel more than technique was struggling to get it back, until it all came back, and he was sitting pretty with a 21-ball fifty. He scored 16 off 8 off Narine, with two sixes, and 30 off 9 against Suyash Sharma, with three sixes and two fours.Russell goes slow, Starc goes fastRCB were 77% favourites at this point, needing 86 off 54 balls. Then on came Russell for his first over of the night and knocked over both of RCB’s half-centurions. For a guy who wants to look like a UFC fighter, he keeps sucker-punching people. Running in nice and hard. Properly powering through his action. That tree-trunk like shoulder whipping the ball down the pitch. But then the fingers do their magic, and all of a sudden, a batter prepping for 140kph is caught off guard with 115kph.Starc has not learned that lesson yet. He has found all his success – even here in the IPL when he was wearing the opposition’s colours – by trusting his pace and his accuracy. According to ESPNcricnfo ball-by-ball data, he has attempted a slower ball only 11 times this season. It is part of why he has given up 44 boundaries, the most by any bowler in IPL 2024. The opposition sets up for his thunderbolts, which in India, don’t always kiss the pitch and fly through. They sometimes sit up to be smacked.However, people under pressure trust what has worked for them in the past and the Starc yorker is still money. He went for it. It came out as a low full toss. Karn, who had already carved three sixes off near yorkers, set up to smash it down the ground. But this time he couldn’t get enough power on it. He could only bunt it and Starc was agile enough to dive to his right and come up with a blinder. That was the decisive play in a game full of them. Pace on for the win. Who knew.

Australia will not have a concussion replacement if a batter were to suffer a head knock on day three of the Adelaide Test

Alex Malcolm17-Jan-2024Australia’s reserve batter Matt Renshaw will be released to play in the BBL qualifier for Brisbane Heat against Sydney Sixers on Friday night on the Gold Coast, which leaves Australia’s Test team without a concussion replacement for 24 hours if a batter were to suffer a head knock against West Indies on day three of the Adelaide Test.Renshaw was selected as the only spare batter in Australia’s 13-man squad for the first Test but was always going to carry the drinks with Steven Smith opening the batting in place of the retired David Warner, and Cameron Green coming into the side to bat at No. 4.Cricket Australia confirmed that Renshaw would fly from Adelaide to Gold Coast on Thursday night and return on Saturday morning.It is one of the rare times Australia will not have a batting concussion substitute available at the ground in recent years, but they are confident they can fly Renshaw back at short notice from Gold Coast in the unlikely event of a mishap.Previously, Australia have twice needed a concussion substitute in Tests but never at home. Marnus Labsuchagne was famously the first to fill the role in Test cricket at Lord’s in 2019. Labuschagne was also a concussion sub in ODI cricket last year when Cameron Green was hit in South Africa. Renshaw was Australia’s only other Test concussion sub when he came in for Warner during the second Test against India in Delhi last year.

Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie is glad to finally have the “monkey off their backs” and is hopeful Ireland’s maiden Test win will “inspire people back home to want to be Test match cricketers”. Seven years since first making their Test debut and in their eighth attempt, Ireland finally got their first win in the longest format of the game getting the better of Afghanistan by six wickets in Abu Dhabi.”It’s a lot bigger than cricket. Hopefully, we will inspire some people back home to want to be Test match cricketers and hopefully we can back them up to do it,” a beaming Balbirnie said after the one-off Test against Afghanistan.It was a Test dominated by Ireland right from the outset. Fast bowler Mark Adair cut through the Afghanistan batting unit on day one, picking up 5 for 39. Paul Stirling’s fifty and crucial 40s from Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campher helped Ireland take a 108-run lead.Related

• Balbirnie leads Ireland to historic first Test win

Adair picked up a three-wicket haul again in Afghanistan’s second innings as they were bowled out for 218. Chasing 111, Ireland were in a spot of bother at 13 for 3, but Balbirnie held his nerves with an unbeaten 58 to take his side over the line late on the third day.”We started the Test really well after losing the toss,” Balbirnie said. “The bowling was outstanding and really disciplined. With the score [target] like that, you are one partnership away, the more time we spent there, the easier it got. Obviously there were nerves, we were chasing our first win, but I knew if I could settle in there, we could win.”Balbirnie was also effusive in praise of the fast bowlers, who picked up 19 of the 20 wickets to fall. There were three debutants in the Ireland XI – Barry McCarthy, Craig Young and Theo van Woerkom – all of whom gave good support to Adair.”We knew it would be attritional stuff, probably swung a bit more on that first day, but we still had to bowl well and create chances,” Balbirnie said. “And I think we did that. The spinners came into the game as well, created chances, tied down ends when they needed to as well. It was just an all-round performance and I think we deserved it.”From the first day we won a lot of sessions out there and to win our first Test, we are absolutely ecstatic.”Mark Adair took eight wickets in the Test•ACB

Adair had a huge role to play in Ireland’s maiden Test win finishing with 8 for 95, the best bowling figures for an Irishman in Test cricket. He said that he was “absolutely buzzing” with the win, especially after the losses they have suffered over the years.”I am absolutely buzzing if I am honest,” Adair, who was named player of the match said. “The way the lads put out a few fires there at the end and a bit nervy on the way home. But it was obviously nice to get a win.””The lads are absolutely brilliant and I am absolutely chuffed for them. Last year Test cricket was pretty difficult. We found ourselves on the losing side everytime and it was just tough. This is a really stepping stone for us and hopefully we get back in the whites in August time and chase [win] number two.”The way the entire bowling attack stood up was what helped Ireland pull through, something which pleased Adair to no end.”We have got a really good bowling group and I think that is what really matters,” Adair said. “These lads here have played a lot of cricket and I think we have the most experienced bowling group we’ve had in a long time. There are new guys coming in but at the same time we still have that core.”Ireland might have made their Test debut in 2018, but they have only played seven more times since then. Does the win open up more opportunities for them then?”You have to look at how busy the schedule is,” Balbirnie said. “There is a lot of cricket in the world going on. We know that we are not going to get 10-15 Tests a year, that’s fine. But when we do get the opportunity, we are going to do our best to create result and create history.”We have done that now. It is nice to get the monkey off the back. There was a list coming up the screen every so often about how when the first Test win came. Very special to be a part of the group to do that.”

England batter hits 100 not out off 69 balls in his first competitive innings of 2024

ECB Reporters Network08-Apr-2024England star Harry Brook hit a stunning final day 100 not out in his first competitive innings since December as Yorkshire and Leicestershire had to settle for an opening round Vitality County Championship draw at Headingley.Brook arrived at the crease four balls into day four of this weather-ravaged Division Two fixture, overnight rain and a wet outfield once again delaying the start of play.Yorkshire resumed, at 1.35pm, on 72 for 2 in their first-innings reply to Leicestershire’s 354. George Hill fell caught off a miscue in the day’s opening over, paving the way for Brook to come in and royally entertain the 178 hardy spectators who had waited patiently for play.He smashed 14 fours and two sixes in 69 balls, Yorkshire declaring immediately on 264 for 6 just before tea in order to improve a slow over-rate from the first innings. They did so successfully as spinners Dan Moriarty and Lyth raced through 7.2 overs before the rain arrived at 4pm. No more play was possible, with Yorkshire taking 12 points and Leicestershire 13.Brook shared 128 inside 16 overs for the fourth wicket with fellow centurion Adam Lyth, who played second fiddle despite posting his 101 off 100 balls. Yorkshire’s opener started the day on 43.

Innovator.

Harry Brook is showing us all his shots today pic.twitter.com/5KOWOti7Eu

— Vitality County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 8, 2024