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Kano approved.

After a glimpse of the kits at Paris Fashion Week last month, adidas and the Jamaica Football Federation kick off their highly anticipated partnership with a collection of grail-worthy kits. The official release of the kits gives us a proper look at the new home and away kits, alongside a pre-match jersey and wider collection.

adidas

Designed exclusively by Wales Bonner, the adidas Jamaica 2023-24 kit collection celebrates the powerful relationship between Jamaican culture and football, blending football and fashion seamlessly.

adidas

The home jersey comes dressed in the country's world-famous rich and vibrant black, gold, and green with fine '80s-inspired pinstripe details to echo the subtle groove of Jamaican music and style. 

adidas

Woven from the collective memories of proud Jamaicans, the away jersey celebrates the nation's commitment to fine craftsmanship, with its premium collar and cuffs in the signature Wales Bonner crotchet texture.

Inspired by traditional Fair Isle knitwear and Grace Wales Bonner’s own Jamaican heritage and Caribbean cultural influence, the navy pre-match jersey and anthem jacket make for a versatile duo both on and off the pitch.

adidas

The Reggae Girlz (women's team) are to debut the game day collection at the FFA cup of Nations being held from the 13-25 February 2023, with the Reagge Boyz (men's team) debuting the away kit during their Concacaf Nations League group stage match against Mexico on 26 March 2023.

adidas x JFF x Wales Bonner 2023-24 kit collection price & how to buy

The Jamaica Football Federation 23-24 home, away, and pre-match jersey kit collection is available to buy now from adidas. Here's a closer look at some of the items available:

Shop: Jamaica 2023 kit collection

Available in XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, and 3XL.

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Available in XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, and 3XL.

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The MCC’s spinners, James Tredwell and Samit Patel, combined to take five wickets in Yorkshire’s second innings in Abu Dhabi to set up an intriguing final day

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2016Yorkshire 275 and 239 for 7 (Lees 86, Tredwell 3-70) lead MCC 299 by 215 runs
ScorecardAlex Lees made 86 in Yorkshire’s second innings•Getty ImagesThe MCC’s spinners, James Tredwell and Samit Patel, combined to take five wickets in Yorkshire’s second innings in Abu Dhabi to set up an intriguing final day.The MCC could only extend their lead to 24 on the third morning then Yorkshire slipped from a promising 108 for 2 to 147 for 6 with Tredwell and Patel sharing the bulk of the bowling as they sent down 55 overs before them. However, a seventh-wicket stand of 80 between Will Rhodes and Andy Hodd pushed the advantage over 200.Alex Lees had initially anchored Yorkshire’s second innings after Adam Lyth was lbw to Tredwell’s second delivery. He struck seven fours and a six before being bowled by Patel after he had earlier claimed the captain Andrew Gale lbw to begin Yorkshire’s wobble.Tredwell, meanwhile, added to his early strike with the scalps of Jack Leaning caught at slip and Tim Bresnan taken at mid-off to take his match tally to six wickets before the MCC came up against some stubborn lower-order resistance as Yorkshire had done the previous day.Rhodes, who fell five runs short of a maiden first-class hundred in the first innings, and Hodd batted for the majority of the evening session before Hodd was lbw to Jake Ball.Earlier, the MCC had lost their last four wickets for nine runs. Ben Foakes struck two early boundaries but was then bowled by Karl Carver for 91 – to end a seventh-wicket stand of 139 with Rikki Clarke – and Carver also claimed Ball and last-man Graham Onions to finish with 4 for 106.

BK Garudachar, India’s oldest first-class cricketer, who represented Mysore (as Karnataka was called till 1974), United Province and Bombay, died in Bangalore on Friday aged 99

Arun Venugopal26-Feb-2016BK Garudachar, India’s oldest living first-class cricketer, who represented Mysore (as Karnataka was called till 1974), United Province and Bombay, died in Bangalore on Friday aged 99.A right-hand batsman and a leg-break bowler, Garudachar scored 1126 runs at an average of 29.63 from 27 matches in first-class cricket between 1935 and 1946. Born on January 13, 1917 in Chikamagalur, Karnataka, Garudachar graduated in engineering from the Benares University, and started playing for Mysore before turning out for United Province and Bombay in the 1940s.As a bowler, Garudachar finished his career with exactly 100 wickets, which included seven five-fors and three ten-wicket match hauls. His solitary century came against the Holkar team in the 1946 Ranji Trophy semi-final. That 164 held a pride of place for Garudachar, who captained Mysore against a side led by CK Nayudu. That match against Holkar also turned out to be Garudachar’s farewell tofirst-class cricket.”We never knew the kind of leather hunt we were in for. Holkar played for two-and-a-half days and destroyed our attack to score 912 for 8 declared,” Garudachar told journalist ES Ramachandran in the 1980s, during an interview. “Six of the first eight Holkar batsmen scored centuries with Mushtaq Ali who rarely ever failed, being caught and bowled for 2!”I felt, if we had run all the way to Bangalore we would have reached earlier than the time we took running around the field fetching the ballfrom the boundary.”Former India and Karnataka batsman GR Viswanath called Garudachar’s death a sad day for Karnataka cricket. “[It is] very unfortunate that he couldn’t complete his century there and I could make out that he wanted to live a 100 years,” Viswanath told ESPNcricinfo.”I have never watched him play, but whenever I met former cricketers they used to mention his name. He was a very versatile cricketer and everyone felt he should have played for the country. I have met him quite a few times and listening to him you could make out his knowledge about the game.”Viswanath said he always made it a point to listen to the anecdotes that Garudachar would recount: “He himself would tell: ‘Vishu, I used to bowl fast-ish offspinners but in between I used to bowl the googly and the batsman would think it was a leg break. They used to play for a leg break and it used to go in. I got quite a few wickets like that.’ It used to amaze me because you always hear about googly bowlers being legspinners but it was strange to see an offspinner bowling a googly.”Whenever I have met him he was very jovial. I used to go and sit next to him because I wanted to hear stories of cricket from his era. He used to say how my batting style was similar to [former Mysore batsman] CJ Ramdev. When people of that stature say such things it will be with you throughout.”Former India offspinner Erapalli Prasanna felt Garudachar’s contributions did not receive enough credit. “He has done a lot of yeoman service for the Mysore State Cricket Association when he was playing,” Prasanna told ESPNcricinfo. “In spite of his achievements and his contributions, he was very simple and straightforward. The only time I have met him was in one of the KSCA functions when he was given some award. At that point of time I congratulated him even though the appreciation was not in direct proportion to the contribution that he had done for the state.”

Durham redrew battle lines as 16 wickets fell in an all-action second day at New Road through a century by Scott Borthwick

ECB/PA25-May-2015
ScorecardScott Borthwick battled to a most-valuable century•Getty ImagesDurham redrew battle lines as 16 wickets fell in an all-action second day at New Road. A century by Scott Borthwick, more than half of his runs coming in a last-wicket stand of 95 with Graham Onions, halted a stampede by Worcestershire’s seamers and then Durham’s pace attack went on the rampage with 6 for 65 before bad light came to the home side’s rescue.Borthwick made 103 and Onions was unbeaten on 36, his highest Championship score in three years, as Durham were dismissed for 198, a deficit of 125, but Worcestershire, with a lead of 190 at the end of play, probably hold a marginal advantage in bowler-friendly conditions.Borthwick’s innings, always resolute and frequently exhilarating, was perhaps the most unexpected and most rewarding of his six Championship centuries since he became a top-order batsman two years ago.When Onions went to the crease some 40 minutes after lunch, Durham had lost nine wickets on the day for the addition of 89 after a harrowing experience against Worcestershire’s impressive seam trio of Joe Leach, Charlie Morris and Jack Shantry. Given all the tools they needed, with cloud cover and signs of unreliable bounce, they shifted Durham’s openers in quick time, Keaton Jennings and Mark Stoneman beaten on the drive, and the next seven batsmen failed to reach double figures.Leach claimed three wickets in 30 balls, notably when an lbw decision scuppered Paul Collingwood’s move up the order, and the momentum was such that Durham could hardly find a run other than those that Borthwick chiselled from a desperate situation.Calum MacLeod was last out before lunch, an inside edge finding short leg via the thigh pad, and the afternoon session began with five slips posted for Shantry. Chances duly flew to third and fourth in the line, and then first slip was called on when Chris Rushworth was ninth out, a fourth wicket for Leach.At that point Durham were 220 adrift and perhaps only those with memories of Onions’ international career – and his part in saving two Test matches in South Africa – may have dared to consider that they could muster 174 to save the follow-on.At first Borthwick made it his mission to keep Onions off strike, which he did to the extent that his partner rarely faced more than two balls in an over, and more worryingly for Worcestershire, he mostly did this with some comfort.Borthwick’s fifty arrived in a flurry of three consecutive boundaries, two pulls and sumptuous cover drive, and as Onions began to earn a vote of confidence, the last man raised a fifty partnership with an edged four and later cleared the follow-on threat with a crashing shot past cover.The stand became a Durham record for this fixture, surpassing 84 added by Danny Law and Nick Hatch at Kidderminster in 2001, and Borthwick completed his hundred with a pull off Leach for his 14th four. He was to face only seven more balls, making 185 in all, before he was given out leg-before, a fourth wicket for Shantry as he attempted to turn the left-arm seamer on the leg-side.Bowlers regained control again when Rushworth captured the first two Worcestershire wickets and handed over to John Hastings, who took 3 for 6 in two overs. The ball that did for Alex Gidman was an unplayable shooter.Afterwards, Durham batsman Borthwick celebrated what he described as “one of my best hundreds”. He said: “At 103 for 9 we tried to bat as long as we could. ‘Bunny’ hung around and after a while we got a bit of rhythm, with me taking four balls and him two. It was fantastic that I managed to get a nice score and put us back in the game. It was an unbelievable partnership but you can bat on this pitch if you get in.”Worcestershire assistant coach Matt Mason said of his team’s performance: “What a strange day. At one point there, when we got that ninth wicket, I thought ‘you beauty’ and we’re in a position here to maybe force the follow on. We were in a really strong position but I thought their last wicket stand was terrific.”To be fair to our seamers, I thought they threw everything they could at them and hats off to the opposition. But we ended up with a 125-run lead that we would have taken at the start of the game. Those wickets tonight have rocked us a bit and put us a bit on the back foot but let’s remember we are still 190 runs in front and still have four wickets in hand, so we are still in a strong position. The new ball in particular has definitely seamed around a bit and as time goes on it gets a little bit easier to bat.”

The Three Lions coach's legacy is secure after turning the team's fortunes around dramatically since 2016, but his days in the hot seat feel numbered

While Gareth Southgate and England will have their attention fixed on Euro 2024 having secured their place in Germany, a great abyss lies beyond the summer amid uncertainty over the manager's future. After a testing few months on and off the pitch, cracks have finally begun to show in Southgate's perpetually composed demeanour.

Despite everything he has done for the national team and its standing on the world stage over the last eight years, his selection decisions, performances and, indeed, words have arguably never been under more scrutiny.

With a golden opportunity to end England's agonising wait for silverware on the horizon, and a momentous decision facing him beyond that, it feels as though we are already witnessing Southgate's final days as England manager.

Getty'Not where we want to be'

Southgate should predominantly be judged on qualification for major tournaments and England's performances at those showpieces, with lulls in the months in between perhaps par for the course. However, inconsistent and disjointed displays since the 2023-24 season began are cause for concern with so few games between now and Euro 2024. Their form was even worse going into the 2022 World Cup, courtesy of a forgettable Nations League campaign, and that was arguably reflected in an overall underperformance as they bowed out in the quarter-finals.

Since September, the Three Lions have been held to draws by Ukraine and North Macedonia on the road, and only managed unconvincing victories over Australia and Malta at Wembley. Southgate has a knack for getting the best out of his team when the cards are down, but it's evident that something is amiss.

Speaking after edging Malta recently, the manager rather alarmingly admitted: "We know the level we've got should be better, can be better. Those games that you know you can win at a canter, the number of games these players are playing, it's almost a self-regulation. There are positives, but we know we were not where we want to be and can be."

AdvertisementGettyQuestionable selections

Despite the relative success he has delivered and his usually inoffensive, calm demeanour, Southgate has become a polarising figure for England fans – not least because of his squad and team selections.

While there has always been light-hearted debate over who should start on the wing or at right-back, the manager has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for inexplicably continuing to call upon Jordan Henderson, despite his money-motivated move to the inferior Saudi Pro League at the age of 33 and the political connotations that go with that decision.

There have been some glaring inconsistencies, too, with blind loyalty shown to those who are out of form or out of favour at club level, such as Kalvin Phillips, Marcus Rashford and, previously, Harry Maguire, while in-form Raheem Sterling has been consistently overlooked despite having been one of Southgate's most trusted lieutenants.

No more Mr. Nice Guy

Southgate's vehement defence of Henderson's continued involvement was particularly telling. This is a manager who is revered as someone who, alongside his players, has united the country – taking a stand against racism and discrimination while promoting progressive politics. Indeed, his open letter ahead of Euro 2020, 'Dear England', has even been adapted into a West End stage production.

A self-proclaimed LGBTQ+ ally, Henderson's lucrative move to Saudi Arabia – where homosexuality is punishable by death – belies those supposed values, and Southgate is now complicit in that. However, to date his response and defence of both himself and Henderson has been tone deaf and disappointing, with his exasperated tone suggesting that media scrutiny might be getting to him.

In a fraught press conference in September, he said: "My job is to pick a football team. I don’t think you can pick a football team based on any prejudice about where they might be playing their football. I am a bit lost with some of the questioning. You walk in to talk about a squad for football and we are wading into complex political situations, which I am not really trained to do."

He then doubled down when Henderson was booed during the friendly with Australia at Wembley, saying: "I really don’t understand it. He’s a brilliant role model for all of the group in his professionalism and his approach. Some people deciding to boo I really don’t understand what that is for. Come on.

"I don’t really know where we are heading with everything. I’m hugely impressed with the impeccable values and decisions that everyone in our country is making now. I know what’s created it and it’s happened but it defies logic to me that you would give a player – who is putting his heart and soul into playing for England – why you would boo him? Is that going to help him or the team? I don’t understand it.”

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Getty ImagesAn underwhelming World Cup

Southgate has built an unlikely reputation as an adept tournament manager since taking the reins from Sam Allardyce in 2016, memorably guiding England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the Euro 2020 final in consecutive major tournaments, although they came up agonisingly short on both occasions.

Expectation, then, was heightened when last year's World Cup rolled around, with the hope that England could finally go one step further. However, although they swiftly clicked into gear and cruised into the quarter-finals, their hopes were brought to an abrupt end by France as Harry Kane missed that crucial penalty.

There is no doubting the quality in the French squad, but a quarter-final exit was quite literally a step backwards for Southgate's England given what had come before, resulting in the nagging sense that a golden opportunity had been passed up by an exceptional set of players. Indeed, with the tools he has at his disposal, Southgate arguably should have delivered some form of silverware, with the Nations League also eluding him.

Martin Guptill blasted a sensational maiden first-class double century to bring back memories of his World Cup quarter-final spectacular and guide Derbyshire into a winning position against Gloucestershire in Bristol

Press Association27-Apr-2015
ScorecardFlashback to Wellington as Guptill became the centre of attention•ICCMartin Guptill blasted a sensational maiden first-class double century to bring back memories of his World Cup quarter-final spectacular and guide Derbyshire into a winning position on the second day of the LV=County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.The 28-year-old New Zealander hit 227, off just 176 balls, with 29 fours and 11 sixes, reaching his double hundred with three successive maximums off Liam Norwell, as his side ran up 511 for 8 in reply to the home side’s 275. Matt Taylor claimed five for 89.An increasingly grouchy day in Bristol, before a modest crowd, might not have had much in common with his memorable intervention in the World Cup last eight against West Indies in Wellington, when his double hundred came up in 152 balls, but there was a reminder in his bruising strokeplay.On a day when Gloucestershire spilled six catches, Guptill received good support from Ben Slater (56), Billy Godleman (44) and Shiv Thakor, who contributed a sparkling 83 off 109 balls, with 13 fours and a six.The tone of the day was set with the first ball as Derbyshire resumed on 24 without loss. Slater drove at a wide one from James Fuller and saw a straightforward chance spilled by Geraint Jones at first slip.It was a day to forget for the Gloucestershire skipper, who later gave Guptill a life on 57 from another routine slip chance off Liam Norwell.Godleman was also dropped before falling with the score on 88 in the 27th over, adjudged caught behind off Norwell.It was 118 for one at lunch, Slater having reached his half-century off 114 balls, with 8 fours, and Guptill on 17. They took the total to 162 before Slater, given another life on 55, was held by Chris Dent in the slips off Norwell.Guptill pulled Norwell for six and after his reprieve set about the Gloucestershire attack with some savagely-struck boundaries. He lost two more partners as Wayne Madsen played on to Taylor and Wes Durston was caught by Jones, also off the young left-arm seamer.Guptill three figures off 101 balls with a glorious straight drive for four off Craig Miles On 101 he was dropped again by Will Tavare at point before tea was taken at 270 for 4.Thakor was on 22 and in the final session he began to match Guptill’s strokeplay, despite overcast conditions. The former Leicestershire player moved to 50 off 89 deliveries, with 6 fours and a six, just after Guptill had launched Kieran Noema-Barnett for a huge six over long-on.By the time the second new ball was taken at 360 for four, Guptill had reached 150 off 147 balls, with 23 fours and 4 sixes, and together with Thakor had added 90 in the previous ten overs.The carnage continued until Thakor got a thin edge to Taylor and was caught behind. The next ball was an inswinger that pinned Alex Hughes lbw and the one after that beat the outside edge of Harvey Hosein’s bat.It was belated reward for Taylor, who had bowled without much luck. But even he came in for punishment as the irrepressible Guptill starting lofting the ball over the ropes at will to reach 200 off 165 balls.An unforgettable exhibition came to an end when he miscued a Taylor full toss to extra cover, giving the bowler his fifth wicket.By the close Derbyshire led by 236, having scored 487 runs in the day, 241 of them in the final session.

Harry Kane has lifted the lid slightly on his private life, with the Bayern Munich striker revealing what he likes to get up to away from the pitch.

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England captain now in GermanyHas always been a model professionalFamily comes first for prolific frontmanWHAT HAPPENED?

The England captain has never been one to chase the limelight, with the humble 30-year-old frontman happy to let his football do the talking. That has continued to be the case in 2023-24, with Kane rewriting the history books while netting 22 goals through 18 appearances for Bayern – with three hat-tricks recorded along the way.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT KANE SAID

Kane has now told of how he spends his time off the field, with there never any desire on his part to enjoy wild nights out. He has said: “I like to keep things private and I think that’s all down to the type of person I am. I’m a pretty normal guy and do normal things. I’ve never been someone who goes out to nightclubs. When I have spare time, I like to spend it with my wife and kids, I like to play some golf. Unfortunately, there are some things that are a bit more difficult to do when you are going to a busy place and people recognise you. In general, I’m just a pretty normal guy.

“People have different personalities and take different paths in their life. You can’t say one is right and one is wrong, but this is just the way I have always been. I don’t tend to give too much of my personal life away and like to keep my children away from the spotlight as there is so much out there on social media and you have to be careful. That is all part of learning to be a dad, being a parent. You need to protect your kids from seeing things you don’t want them to see. There are advantages to the internet and social media, but you don’t want to expose your kids to too much too young.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane is yet to be joined in Germany by his young family, with a house hunt in Bavaria having dragged on, but they will soon be reunited and the expectation is that stability off the pitch will help the record-breaking forward to take his game to even greater heights.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

Kane is already the all-time leading goalscorer for Tottenham and England, but a €100 million (£86m/$109m) transfer to Bayern was completed in a bid to get his hands on elusive major silverware – with the Bundesliga title holders in the hunt for another domestic crown and continental glory in the Champions League.

The 2017-18 FIFA Ultimate Team of the Season has been revealed, with all this year's biggest and best performers getting huge ratings boosts

EA SportsSergio Aguero – Man City89 > 97AdvertisementEA SportsDele Alli – Spurs84 > 92EA SportsCesar Azpilicueta – Chelsea86 > 92ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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EA SportsDavid Silva – Man City89 > 95

UAE kept pace with the asking rate in their chase of 309 but regular wickets ensured Afghanistan wrapped up a 14-run win with 10 balls still left to play

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2015
ScorecardFile photo – Khurram Khan’s 70-ball 86 ensured UAE kept pace with their asking rate•ICCUAE kept pace with the asking rate in their chase of 309 but regular wickets ensured Afghanistan wrapped up a 14-run win with 10 balls still left to play. UAE had lost their seventh wicket with 56 runs still required, before a 36-run partnership between Rohan Mustafa and Amjad Javed brought them within touching distance. Both fell in the 48th over, Dawlat Zadran bowling Amjad and Rohan getting run out next ball, and Aftab Alam picked up the final wicket in the next over to finish with a three-for.UAE’s chase was helmed by their captain Khurram Khan, who came in after a strong start from the top three and proceeded to make 86 off 70 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes. He put on 82 for the third wicket with Krishna Chandran and 52 with Swapnil Patil for the fourth wicket, leaving UAE at a comfortable 234 for 3 in the 40th over. That became 253 for 7, as Mohammad Nabi had Swapnil caught and bowled before Aftab dismissed Khurram and Shaiman Anwar in successive overs.Having chosen to bat, Afghanistan made a concerted push to a big total with each of their batsmen batsmen getting into double figures. The three lowest scores came from the top three, and Afghanistan were 50 for 3 before Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari steadied the innings with a 59-run fourth-wicket stand. Following Stanikzai’s dismissal for 33, Shenwari played second fiddle to Nabi and Najibullah Zadran, who made 30 and 46 at over a run-a-ball.When Shenwari was dismissed for an 80-ball 58, Afghanistan were at a wobbly 226 for 7 in the 44th over, but Mirwais Ashraf’s 17-ball 34 and Gulbadin Naib’s 10-ball 24 carried the total past 300. Medium-pacer Amjad Javed was UAE’s most successful bowler, finishing with figures of 4 for 39 in 10 overs.

Angelo Mathews has had his sights set on the World Cup for some time now, and as the build up begins in earnest, he hopes to make adaptability a cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s bid

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Aug-2014Adaptability has been among Sri Lanka’s strengths in global competitions. Since 2007, they have put together their fine run of finals appearances by reacting quickly to the diverse challenges each new opposition and venue pose, during the competition. In recent years, Sri Lanka have achieved this with a clot of multi-skilled cricketers in the middle order.
Angelo Mathews has been chief among these, finishing innings with increasing aplomb, and maintaining economy with the ball when he can’t quite manage to penetrate. Thisara Perera has contributed in both disciplines as well, and in the past, cricketers like Jeevan Mendis and Farveez Maharoof have been part of good campaigns.Mathews has had his sights set on the World Cup for some time now, and as the build up begins in earnest, he hopes to make adaptability a cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s next bid for global-tournament silverware. He had hoped to experiment with his XI in this series, but after Sri Lanka ran up a total of 310 and defended it with some comfort at Hambantota, Mathews has begun to feel Sri Lanka are zeroing in on a unit that is well-equipped to deal with any situation.”The combination that we have can play on any wicket,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll have to change the combination for the Dambulla wicket. It might have a little bit more carry than Hambantota. It might get drier and drier as the day goes on. It might be effective for the spinners. You can never predict it 100%. I think the XI that played in the last game can handle any sort of pitch.”The advantage with that XI is that Mathews has a wide array of bowling resources to call upon. There are the frontliners in Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and Rangana Herath, but then Mathews himself, Perera and Seekkuge Prasanna are almost frontliners themselves. In that core group of bowlers, Mathews has the best death bowler in the world, a swing bowler who can be a threat at the start of an innings, an experienced spinner who exerts control, and a more attacking slow-bowling option in Prasanna.Mathews and Perera themselves add variety. Both have cutters, slower balls and bouncers, but can also deliver line, length and seam. Beyond the bowlers and allrounders, Tillakaratne Dilshan is among the most reliable part-time spinners in limited-overs cricket, and Ashan Priyanjan also bowls finger spin. Although Malinga and Kulasekara had a poor outing in the second ODI in Hambantota, Mathews had the resources with which to pare back Pakistan’s chase, unlikely though it was that the opposition would run down 310. The buffer his support bowlers provide, means there is more margin for error for the frontline bowlers.”Not really worried about Lasith and Kule,” Mathews said. “For example, if Kumar Sangakkara or Dilshan or Mahela Jayawardene fail in a couple of innings, we’re not going to throw them out because we know the class that they have in themselves. Lasith and Kule know their mistakes and they will come back. We need to be patient with them because sometimes people can have rough patches and they will turn up and win you games. They are that quality. They’ve always been our pressure situation bowlers and we need to have faith in them. We don’t need to get panicked. We still have time. We’ll go with them.”On the batting front, Sri Lanka have twice made good scores despite few runs from the top three. A strong lower order gives the batsmen leeway as well. With batting down to Kulasekara at No. 9, Sri Lanka have rarely batted so deep.”We’re playing seven batters, and we expect at least a few to get the runs on that day. I’m pretty sure the top order will start getting runs, because they’re not out of form. It didn’t happen in the last two games, but I have faith in them. I’m sure if they get a good start they will carry on.”