Chamari Atapattu, Eshani Lokusuriyage and Dilani Manodara return to Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the five-match series against India, starting September 19

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2018The inclusion of 17-year-old allrounder Kavisha Dilhari, and the returns of Eshani Lokusuriyage and Dilani Manodara, are among seven changes Sri Lanka have made to the squad that will face India for the five-match T20I series starting on September 19. Chamari Atapattu, who had missed the Asia Cup T20 – Sri Lanka’s last T20 assignment – with dengue, but captained the ODI series last week, will lead the side in the T20Is as well.

Sri Lanka squad for T20I series

Chamari Attapattu (captain), Yasoda Mendis, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Eshani Lokusuriyage, Hasini Perera, Dilani Manodara (wk), Shashikala Siriwardena, Nilakshi De Silva, Imalka Mendis, Sripalee Weerakkodi, Sugandika Kumari, Rebeca Vandort, Udeshika Prabodhini, Ama Kanchana, Kavisha Dilhari
Out: Oshadi Ranasinghe, Nipuni Hansika, Malsha Shehani, Achini Kulasooriya, Harshitha Madavi, Inoshi Fernando, and Inoka Ranaweera

Dilhari, who has long been dubbed by the Sri Lanka management as future star, made her international debut against Pakistan in March this year. On Sunday, in the third ODI against India, she picked Harmanpreet Kaur’s wicket and scored a vital 12 not-out in Sri Lanka’s successful chase of 254 – their highest in ODIs – off the penultimate ball of the game. The winning hit came off Dilhari’s bat.The inclusions of Lokusuriyage and Manodara, however, come as a surprise. Lokusuriyage, 34, last played for Sri Lanka in the the 2017 World Cup and hasn’t played in the shortest format since 2016, while 35-year old wicketkeeper-batsman Manodara played all the ODIs against India but scored just 21 runs across the three games. She didn’t keep wickets in any of those matches.Allrounder Ama Kanchana, who had also been ruled out with dengue alongside her captain for the Asia Cup, returned to the side, while 24-year-old batsman Imalka Mendis has also found a place. Mendis’ inexperience had cost her a spot during the Asia Cup, but her cause has been aided by the management deciding to take a long-term view. Sripali Weerakkody also returns on the back of some promising displays in the ODIs against India. The 32-year old allrounder last played a T20I in October 2017.Katunayake will host the first T20I on September 19, before the action moves to Colombo for the next three games on September 21, 22 and 24. The teams will return to Katunayake for the tour ender on September 25.

They took five wickets between them after Babar Azam’s 68* carried Pakistan to 155 for 8

The Report by Danyal Rasool24-Oct-2018
At the trophy unveiling on Tuesday, Aaron Finch and Sarfraz Ahmed stood together, posing for the pre-series picture with the silverware the two teams would fight for. That it was called the TUC Cup for sponsorship reasons was unsurprising in today’s age, but when you looked closely, you saw the Cup was rather aptly named. Perched on top of a set of three stumps and a cricket ball was a monstrously large TUC biscuit.That word is used advisedly. The trophy might have looked horrendous if it wasn’t comical. It was hardly a prize worth fighting for.And so, on Wednesday, as Pakistan took on Australia in the first T20I, the visitors seemed to simply not fight for it. If they didn’t want to take that trophy home, the way the top and middle order batted went a long way towards ensuring they wouldn’t have to. Pakistan bowled well – of course they did; they’re the No. 1 T20I side. But Australia seemed to be lining up to give their wickets away with a slew of shocking shots to collapse to 22 for 6, chasing 156. It was a minor miracle they lost by only 66 runs, making it to 89 before being bowled out in 16.5 overs.Imad Wasim, playing his first international match in almost a year, bowled an impressive first over. But it wasn’t like Finch and D’Arcy Short made it hard for him. Third ball, Finch stepped towards leg stump to make room to a ball that kept drifting in, his ungainly slash missing it as it clattered into middle stump. Three balls later, Short got his feet stuck in the crease and was bowled for 4.Faheem Ashraf at the other end was suffocatingly tight as well, and Glenn Maxwell soon ran out of patience. Attempting to launch the ball out of the ground, he swung at thin air, while the ball rocked the middle stump again. The self-destruction continued from Finch’s men, when Ben McDermott set off for a crazy run after punching to mid-off. Fakhar effected a direct hit, and Australia’s chances were all but over.Things were so different just half an hour before. Australia had even come into the innings with momentum on their side after inflicting a startling collapse: Pakistan went from 105 for 1 to 133 for 8. Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Imad were all dismissed inside two overs for the addition of three runs.In what was a staccato batting performance by Pakistan, they had much to thank Babar Azam for. His relentless hunger for accumulation shows no signs of satiating, at least in the limited-overs game. At 57.85, he averages nine points more than the man with the second highest T20I average – Virat Kohli (minimum 20 innings). He batted through the innings, leading Pakistan’s charge for the first 15 overs, and looking in his own element as he did so. Along with an old hand in Mohammad Hafeez, he kept Australia under the pump during the middle overs. Much of the work the pair did helped cushion the blow of the collapse that came towards the end, and even as the madness unfolded at the other end, Babar, a picture of clarity, was there to steer Pakistan to a total they were comfortable defending.Nathan Coulter-Nile struck a few late blows to take Australia out of humiliating into merely embarrassing territory, ensuring too many records didn’t tumble as swiftly as the top order had. Pakistan are too good for most teams in this format these days, but the visitors’ ineptitude perhaps defined this game.

Peter George picked up three wickets as Tasmania slumped from 1 for 188 to 4 for 195 before ending the day at 5 for 257

The Report by Alex Malcolm16-Oct-2018Alex Doolan scored his tenth first-class hundred•Getty Images

Australia coach Justin Langer asked for more centuries in the Sheffield Shield this season and veteran Tasmania batsman Alex Doolan provided the first on a tightly contested opening day against Queensland at the Gabba.Doolan made his tenth first-class hundred on a day when scoring was not free-flowing. He struck 17 fours and two sixes in his 193-ball 115.He put together a 54-run opening partnership with Jordan Silk and a 134-run stand for the second wicket with Beau Webster, who made 43. But Queensland’s seamers stuck to their task and pulled things back late in the day.One-time Test bowler Peter George was the pick of the bowlers, removing both Silk and Doolan caught behind. He also bowled Jake Doran cheaply with a full-toss as Tasmania slumped from 1 for 188 to 4 for 195 in the space of 34 balls.Both George and Luke Feldman were miserly, conceding just 91 in a combined 46.4 overs, and Feldman removed Tasmania’s captain George Bailey late in the day.Bad light stopped play just before the scheduled close. Matthew Wade was batting on 37 and Simon Milenko on 9. They will hope to build again early on day two.

Stand-in captain Suranga Lakmal is “trusting” that the team’s batting will come good as Sri Lanka look to level the series in Pallekele

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele13-Nov-2018Sri Lanka have asked for a turning pitch – a proper one this time – and they will go in with three spinners and a lone quick again, but for the hosts to level the series, the batsmen still have to pull their weight.So said Suranga Lakmal, who has captained three Tests and won all three, thanks largely to his attack. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka’s bowlers have dismissed oppositions for scores such as 93, 73, 123 and 124. One or two batsmen – Dimuth Karunaratne in particular – have scored heavily on one or two of those occasions. But as a group, Sri Lanka’s top order has fallen short of excellence.”Unfortunately over the recent past we haven’t got what we expected from the batsmen,” Lakmal said. “But we can change that in this match. No one goes to the middle trying to make a low score. I’m trusting that a lot of things will change in this Test.”What I’d say as a captain or vice-captain is that we need to bat positively. That’s one thing we can do. If you get a good ball, any batsman can get out. Think about that and go to the middle with the intention of scoring runs. Have positive body language. That’s what I expect from our players.”One batsman who can generally be relied upon for a positive approach, although not always for runs, is Kusal Mendis. While much has been made of Mendis’ poor ODI form over the past few months, his Test output has been modest as well – he has failed to cross fifty in eight innings now. Lakmal hoped Mendis would be among those leading the batting turnaround.”Any player, bowler or batsman, fails in cricket – in that time it’s the players who are mentally strong who come out of it quickly,” Lakmal said. “In the last match Kusal scored a few runs [19 and 45], and he’s pretty good psychologically. I’m sure he’ll make a difference in this match. He backs his game plan, and I’m trusting that he’ll produce a good innings here.”On the bowling front there may never have been room in this XI for 21-year-old quick Lahiru Kumara, but that doesn’t mean the curfew-breaking antics that saw him dumped from the squad prior to the series has not caused disappointment within the side. Kumara was among those who bowled well under Lakmal in Barbados, where Sri Lanka’s bowlers helped overturn a 50-run first innings deficit. With any luck, Lakmal said, Kumara will make a comeback, and play a role in such team performances again.”There’s something called discipline in the team,” he said. “You could be a senior, or someone who is not very experienced, but if the team suffers even a little because of your indiscipline, then we have to take action. That’s what we’ve done here.”That’s not to say Lahiru Kumara will keep making that mistake, nor are we saying he’s out of the team forever. We’ve sent him a message, and hopefully he will learn from that. This can happen to any player – senior or junior. If they break the rules, we’ll take that action.”

Australia put in an impressive performance at the SCG and could wrap up their first ODI series victory in two years with a win in Adelaide

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan14-Jan-20195:10

Dasgupta: Difficult for India to accommodate two wristspinners

Big Picture

That was largely unexpected. Australia produced arguably their best ODI performance in two years to convincingly take the honours at the SCG and, as in the T20 series which began the tour, leave India needing to find a response.Australia’s batting was efficient rather than electric and the question remains whether the current line-up, with Glenn Maxwell at No. 7, has the firepower to push 350 when required but in Sydney they scored enough runs and defended them impressively. It was the new-ball attack of Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson that stood out, taking six wickets between them, and providing a reminder that pace bowling is where Australia’s depth is at its greatest.India’s performance reinforced the issues they need to resolve before the World Cup later this year. MS Dhoni’s innings fuelled the debate about whether he can still do the role needed at this level – although he entered at a very difficult time – with Rohit Sharma later saying he’d like Dhoni at No. 4. That discussion is likely to remain throughout this series and the rest of India’s matches before the tournament.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WLWLL
India LWWLT

In the spotlight

It is shaping as a season he’ll want to forget for captain Aaron Finch who collected another low score in the opening match when Bhuvneshwar Kumar nipped one back between bat and pad. Despite their victory, Australia have enough issues to think about in their side without the form of the captain heading into a World Cup year being one of them. He has plenty of time to turn it around, but starting in Adelaide would be handy.The Sydney ODI was Ambati Rayudu‘s first competitive match for more than two months and it showed. He was caught in the crease, beaten for pace by Richardson, to be trapped lbw and then used up India’s review which could later have been used to save Dhoni. He has the backing of Virat Kohli which counts for a lot and scored heavily against West Indies last year but will need to get himself back up to speed swiftly. The less said about his bowling, which has been reported for a suspect action, the better.Australia’s players get together to celebrate a wicket•Getty Images

Team news

Australia did not confirm their XI but vice-captain Alex Carey said that Mitchell Marsh was available for selection following the stomach illness that put him in hospital for two days. However, given that the middle order all made runs they may not tinker with the team.Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Alex Carey, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Jhye Richardson, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jason BehrendorffBalance is the big question for India. Kedar Jadhav will come back into the reckoning to provide some stop-gap overs and could replace Dinesh Karthik. Khaleel Ahmed struggled a little at the SCG but may be given another chance.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav/Dinesh Karthik, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Mohammed Shami

Pitch and conditions

The last couple of ODIs in Adelaide have been reasonably low scoring – earlier this season Australia defended 231 against South Africa – with pace bowlers enjoying considerable success. The forecast is for a very hot day.

Stats and trivia

• The three runs contributed by India’s Nos. 2-4 at the SCG was the second-lowest for that combination in their history, behind the two runs scored between the three against Sri Lanka in Dhaka in 2009-10
• Dhoni’s 51 off 96 balls finishes as his second slowest 50-plus score in ODIs behind the 54 off 114 balls against West Indies at North Sound in 2017
• Australia lead 4-1 in ODIs played between the teams in Adelaide although the last match, in 2012, India won by four wickets

Quotes

“I think the other night was a really big step forward and we can improve from that, definitely. If you look across the list, there are so many opportunities for guys to put their hand up and really make a spot their own.”
Alex Carey, Australia’s vice-captain“It’s more of a batting wicket. I am not sure about reverse swing, it should hardly reverse swing here. But the boundaries are a bit short, so it’s going to be more of a batting wicket.”

Defeat for Perth Scorchers makes their push for a semi-final berth all the more difficult, as they suffered their sixth loss in nine matches

The Report by Tristan Lavalette18-Jan-2019Masterful batting at the death by James Faulkner bookended his spectacular opening bowling onslaught to lead Hobart Hurricanes to a nerve-jangling victory over a shell-shocked Perth Scorchers at Perth Stadium.Faulkner claimed three wickets in his first seven deliveries to leave Scorchers reeling at 3 for 7 before the home side recovered to post a seemingly sizeable total of 9 for 177.In an unpredictable contest, Hurricanes looked out of the chase on several occasions and needed 16 runs off the last over against Scorchers ace bowler Andrew Tye.Enter Faulkner, who lived up to his moniker of ‘The Finisher’ as he needed just three deliveries to seal a memorable victory and move top-of-the-ladder Hurricanes a step closer to a finals berth.The stinging defeat leaves BBL powerhouses Scorchers (three wins and six losses) in jeopardy of missing the knockout stages for the first time.Faulkner tears through Scorchers The match was slightly delayed due to the ODI at the MCG going the distance and Scorchers’ innings started with India still needing 14 runs to complete a series triumph.Those who tuned in late missed Faulkner run through Scorchers’ vaunted top-order with a masterclass of swing bowling. Once a mainstay of Australia’s limited-overs teams, the 28-year-old reminded everyone of his talents removing Cameron Bancroft (0) with the third delivery of the match as the in-form opener hit straight to gully.Faulkner struck two balls later when he trapped struggling opener Michael Klinger lbw for a golden duck with a gem of an in-swinger. Klinger, however, could consider himself unlucky after replays showed the ball would have missed the stumps and had also pitched outside leg.A luckless Klinger, the BBL’s all-time leading scorer, fell off the seventh legal delivery of a Ben Dwarshuis over last start against Sydney Sixers and has scored a miserable 115 runs during a wretched campaign.Faulkner’s most important scalp came in his next over with the prized wicket of Ashton Turner for two. With another biting in-swinger, Faulkner deceived Turner who who had smashed 210 runs in his past four innings.Nathan Coulter-Nile celebrates a wicket with his team-mates•Getty Images

Archer’s horror show, Scorchers’ counterattackDespite a horrendous start, Scorchers did not revert to conservatism with Sam Whiteman counterattacking Faulkner impressively by smashing two huge sixes in the fifth over. Whiteman combined well in a 77-run partnership with Hilton Cartwright to get Scorchers back into the match but they were aided by monumental struggles from quick Jofra Archer.The 23-year-old’s spell ended prematurely after bowling two beamers in his first 10 deliveries. He received a warning in his first over after miscuing a slower ball full toss to Whiteman before repeating the dose.Archer had also misfired on his fourth delivery with a short delivery flying way over Whiteman and resulting in a free hit. He conceded 19 runs during his brief bowling spell as his lacklustre campaign continues.Hurricanes, however, recovered by picking up four wickets from overs 12-to-15 as the Scorchers slumped to 7 for 117 before dynamic batting at the death from Tye and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who smacked consecutive sixes off the last two balls, lifted Scorchers to a strong total – a score unimaginable after the first 13 deliveries.Short falls earlyD’Arcy Short, the BBL’s leading run-scorer, has spurred Hurricanes’ sizzling start to the season with his imperious batting setting the tone at the top. There was added spice in the contest with Short playing against some of his Western Australian teammates, who hoped to have inside knowledge in how to stop the rampaging southpaw.There was much resting on Short after Matthew Wade fell in the second over, but he was unable to find his groove against a weakened Scorchers attack minus Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson and Ashton Agar.Short (13) perished attempting a trademark belligerent hoick off Andrew Tye’s second delivery leaving Hurricanes in a hole at 2 for 40.Debutant Caleb Jewell took it upon himself to revive the visitors with a slew of shots marked by sweet timing. Jewell (32 off 20 balls) was feeling confident after smashing an Aaron Hardie delivery for a huge six but fell two balls later in the seventh over as Scorchers took control of the contest.Bailey fights gamely before Faulkner’s heroicsHurricanes’ chances looked dire when Simon Milenko fell at 5 for 96 in the 13th over but George Bailey summoned his wealth of experience to ensure a tense finish. He put the foot down against spinner Usman Qadir in the 14th over with a six and two boundaries as Scorchers’ inexperienced attack started faltering under pressure.Bailey found willing support through Faulkner and inched Hurricanes within 25 runs of the target until the match flipped again when he was caught behind off Tye in the 18th over.Hurricanes appeared to be up against it needing 16 runs off the final over before Faulkner’s finish for the ages. He hit Tye’s first ball for six over fine leg and then smoked a boundary on the next ball to move Hurricanes closer.Faulkner memorably iced the match with a straight six to trigger scenes of jubilation from the Hurricanes players amid stunned silence at Perth Stadium.

Competition is open to girls between the ages of 7 and 11 in England and Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2019Ahead of a significant international summer for the England women’s team – including a home Ashes series – ECB is teaming up with the nine first-class counties hosting international women’s cricket this year to launch the #HeathersPride competition on International Women’s Day.Women’s and girls’ cricket in England and Wales continues to grow and to celebrate that, this competition, fronted by England captain Heather Knight, will give 11 girls across the country a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join her and the England players for a training session ahead of the Ashes.The competition is open to girls between the ages of 7 and 11 across the country. To find the 11 winners, the nine first-class counties in question will each select one worthy winner from their county who explains to them why she deserves the chance to be a member of #HeathersPride.The remaining two winners will be selected from across England and Wales by Knight herself, as ‘Captain’s Picks’.Entries will be made via social media (using #HeathersPride) or via email. Those applying through their counties should see their respective county websites for further details. If you do not have a connection with one of the nine venues hosting international women’s cricket this summer, you can apply to be a Captain’s Pick by emailing [email protected] with subject #HeathersPride.Entries for the competition will close on May 1.Speaking about the competition, Knight said: “International Women’s Day is a great moment to reflect on the progress of women’s and girls’ cricket. We’ve made so much progress over the last few years and we want to keep moving forward. At the very top, we’re pushing towards more depth and having more professional players, while it’s amazing that more and more girls are playing the game through initiatives like All Stars.Nat Sciver celebrates the World Cup win at Lord’s with her team-mates•Getty Images

“Chance to Shine also celebrated introducing cricket to its two-millionth girl this week. It’s exciting to think of how many girls are now choosing cricket. Some of the best moments from our win in the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup was seeing young girls imitate us on the sidelines and hopefully many more will be inspired by this competition to become part of #HeathersPride. I can’t wait to see all the winners in the summer!”Clare Connor, who was appointed managing director of women’s cricket at ECB, in January 2019, added, “Our strategy for 2020-24 is all about inspiring future generations and this is a great initiative from Heather and the counties to really bring that to life by giving 11 lucky girls the chance to train with their heroes for the day.”Whilst International Women’s Day is an appropriate day to celebrate the progress made so far it’s also important to recognise the challenges we still face in our ultimate ambition of making cricket a gender balanced sport. The Inspiring Generations strategy outlines an ambition to invest £50m into women’s and girls’ cricket over the four-year period and this level of investment will help us continue to both increase the number of women and girls playing recreationally, as well as grow the profile of the elite women’s game.”Heather’s and the team’s victory at the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup created a huge opportunity for us and now we must take that to the next level through this strategy. As all of that exciting work takes shape, I’m looking forward to seeing the training session with the 11 winners of Heather’s Pride and the England women’s team this summer.”This week has also seen the independent national cricket charity, Chance to Shine, celebrate the two-millionth girl signing up to play cricket as part of its development programme: nine-year-old Keira from Staffordshire. The charity used this opportunity to announce new funding for a secondary school’s girls’ programme, which will aim to reach over 14,000 girls across the country teaching them key leadership skills through the game of cricket.To enter the #HeathersPride competition please email [email protected] or visit the website of your respective County. The nine venues hosting international women’s cricket this summer and taking part in the competition are:* Derbyshire
* Essex
* Gloucestershire
* Kent
* Leicestershire
* Northamptonshire
* Somerset
* Sussex
* Worcestershire

Tom Harrison says failure to secure Lions fast bowler a visa for India tour was a “difficult and very political” issue

George Dobell22-Feb-2019Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, has admitted he was “concerned” by the ECB’s failure to obtain a visa for Saqib Mahmood to travel to India.Mahmood, the 21-year-old Lancashire fast bowler, was due to go to India as part of the England Lions limited-overs squad earlier this year. But delays in obtaining his visa, caused in part by his Pakistan heritage, eventually saw him replaced in the squad by Tom Bailey.”I was concerned,” Harrison said. “We worked closely with the BCCI to try and get Saqib a visa. But these are difficult issues and very political. We can kick and scream all we like but these are issues that are sensitive and I’m not going to make a clumsy comment about it.”While India’s long-standing strained relationship with Pakistan was part of the reason for the delay – Saqib was Birmingham born but is of Pakistan heritage – it appears there were also delays at England’s end. At one stage his passport was sent to the wrong address and, with the Lions squad able to be named only after the full England squads, there was limited time to go through the necessary process.”It’s very disappointing because he’s a young bowler who’s missed out on a really exciting opportunity which would develop him,” Ashley Giles, the director of England men’s cricket, said. “I’m not sure there’s much I can do but it’s important we keep dialogue open that tries to mitigate this sort of stuff in the future.”It’s difficult because once you’ve got politics involved… tours are only so long and if there’s a block there. It’s very disappointing.”Relations between India and Pakistan have dipped even lower in recent days, following a terrorist attack in Kashmir, amid suggestions the BCCI could ask for Pakistan to be removed from the World Cup.

An attempt to deny Barbados the chance to collect more bonus points fell flat in a dramatic and controversial finish to the match

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2019A bizarre declaration from Leeward Islands to lose a match in an apparent attempt to deny their opposition Barbados the chance to build enough bonus points to overtake them in the WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament, has backfired with Barbados securing second place.Whatever calculations took place from Leeward Islands, who were captained by Rahkeem Cornwall, did not work as the result was enough to put Barbados into second place by just 0.2 points with 17.4 points and end with 134.2, which proved to be just enough to overtake Leeward Islands, who collected 2.8 points from the match and ended with 134.After Guyana had been confirmed as champions the previous day following Leeward Islands’ collapse for 90 in the first innings against Barbados, courtesy a career-best 5 for 29 from Keon Harding, it became a battle between the two for second place.Barbados built a first-innings lead of 101 when they declared early on the second day at 191 with two wickets still in hand, after Alazarri Joseph took 4 for 28, before Leeward Islands moved to 83 for 2, still 18 behind, when they declared about 40 minutes after lunch and conceded the match.

South African bowling all-rounder to play seven matches when competition resumes

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2019Wiaan Mulder has signed with Kent for a stint in the County Championship, starting later this month.Bowling all-rounder Mulder has played one Test for South Africa, in Sri Lanka’s historic series-clinching victory at Port Elizabeth in February. He will play seven county games, starting with Kent’s second match after the competition resumes, against Surrey at Beckenham from May 20, and ending at Hampshire from July 13.Kent won their only Championship match for the season so far, an eight-wicket victory over Warwickshire. They suffered a terrible run of injuries during their Royal London Cup campaign, where they have won two of their seven games and lost four. Captain Sam Billings has been ruled out for the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder while fielding in a Royal London Cup match and vice-captain Joe Denly is with the England squad for the one-day series against Pakistan.Mulder played the first of his 10 ODIs for South Africa as an 18-year-old, taking 1 for 32 off eight overs against Bangladesh in October, 2017.In first-class cricket, he has taken 66 wickets from 22 matches at an average of just 22.93 with best bowling figures in an innings of 7 for 25 in only his second first-class appearance for the Lions against the Dolphins in 2016. Usually batting at No. 5 or 6, Mulder also averages 39.50 with the bat in first-class cricket with a high score of 146 in Bloemfontein in January.”I have always wanted to play county cricket and I am stoked to be joining a top-division side such as Kent,” Mulder said. “I’m fully focused on proving my abilities at this high level and hope to contribute to success at this historic club.”Kent director of cricket, Paul Downton, said: “With Sam Billings and Joe Denly unavailable for differing reasons, Wiaan’s ability to bowl a heavy ball and bat in the top six will be a huge asset to the side as we look to establish ourselves in Division One following our exciting win at Edgbaston earlier this season.”