Dockers too strong for tired Cats

NAB Cup ... Matt de Boer looks to put Fremantle into attack. Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Limited

A fresh Fremantle prove too good for Geelong in the second NAB Cup game in Perth, winning by 18 points.

0.4.2 (26)	Q1	0.2.4 (16)
0.7.6 (48)	Q2	0.4.6 (30)
	Q3
	Q4

Michael Walters 2	Mitchell W. Brown 2
Hayden Crozier 1	Joel Selwood 2
Chris Mayne 1
Tendai Mzungu 1
Clancee Pearce 1
Alex Silvagni 1

As proved last season, the fresher team usually prevailed and so it proved in hot conditions at Patterson Stadium with Fremantle triumphing 7.6 (48) to 4.6 (30).

Geelong had won the opening triple-header against West Coast but couldn't stay with Fremantle, whos run and carry proved damaging on the wide open spaces.

0.3.0 (18)	Q1	0.2.0 (12)
1.6.2 (47)	Q2	1.6.4 (49)
	Q3
	Q4

Jack Darling 3	James Podsiadly 2
Bradd Dalziell 1	Josh Caddy 1
Ashton Hams 1	Tom Hawkins 1
Mark LeCras 1	Joel Selwood 1
Fraser McInnes 1	Travis Varcoe 1
	Joshua Walker 1

Mitchell Brown and Joel Selwood were the only goal scorers for the Cats while six Dockers got on the score sheet, though Michael Walters was the only one to grab two majors.

Fremantle defender Michael Barlow looks to be back to his ball-winning best after gathering 15 touches in the two 20-minutes halves while Selwood and Brown against led the possessions, highlighting how much the team relied on the pair.

In the opening game, it was again Selwood who inspired his team with a last-minute super goal giving the Cats a two-point victory over West Coast.

The Eagles looked to be cruising in the opening contest of the triple-header in Perth when leading by 22 points with just five minutes remaining.

However, the Cats got back within nine-point range and Jimmy Bartel handpassed off from a mark to his captain and Selwood kicked the goal from just outside the 50-metre arc to give Geelong victory 1.6.4 (49) to 1.6.2 (47).

Josh Caddy, who crossed from Gold Coast to the Cats at the end of last season, started brilliantly with a clever goal within 20 seconds in a sign of what he can offer.

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Geelong led by seven points early in the second half of the reduced minutes contest, but that's when the Eagles took over and the most heartening aspect of all was the successful return of All-Australian forward Mark LeCras.

He started solidly enough in the first half in his first official hit out in 17 months since he injured his knee and required a full reconstruction that cost his entire 2012 campaign.

While he had just five disposals in his return, it was what he did from a free-kick on the boundary that showed just how much he was missed and why he could help West Coast go that extra step or two in the finals this year.

LeCras kicked a goal from the boundary after a free-kick and, with a super goal soon after from Bradd Dalziell and a regular six-pointer to Fraser McInnes, the Eagles looked home with a 22-point lead.

However, quick goals to Travis Varcoe and Taylor Walker, and then the super goal by Selwood, saw the Cats scrape home.

Geelong next plays Fremantle before the night concludes with the first western derby of 2013.

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Pocock leads Brumbies to victory

Second spell ... Clyde Rathbone debuts for the second time at the Brumbies. Source: Kym Smith / News Limited

The David Pocock effect has begun in Canberra, with the Wallabies flanker leading the Brumbies to an emphatic 24-6 Super Rugby win over Queensland.

2 Tries 0
Jesse Mogg 9'
Jesse Mogg 80'
1 Conversions 0
Ian Prior 80'
4 Penalties 2
Nic White 36'	Michael Harris 3'
Jesse Mogg 51'	Michael Harris 25'
Jesse Mogg 58'
Nic White 75'

Brumbies coach Jake White talked the talk in the pre-season, boasting that with Pocock in their side, the boys from the ACT can return to the glory days of old.

Saturday night's two-tries-to-nothing victory proved they are certainly on the right path.

Jesse Mogg scored both tries for the Brumbies, but it was their suffocating defence that shut down Quade Cooper and the Reds.

The fiery build-up to the anticipated match continued on the pitch, with players coming together for some push in shove at regular intervals in the first half.

There was plenty of rust for Pocock and his teammates, but the world's most dominant No.7 added an edge the Brumbies lacked last year when they stumbled with a finals berth in reach.

The win broke a two-match losing streak against Queensland as the Brumbies showed they'll again build their campaign around a rock-solid defensive game.

Halfback Nic White played a leading role, setting up a try and kicking two long-range penalties that kept the Reds out of reach.

Nine minutes into the match and with referee Andrew Lees playing the advantage in the Reds' 22, White dabbed a smart kick in behind the line, with speedster Mogg touching down in the corner.

Penalty kicks from White and Mogg had the Brumbies in control, before flying fullback Mogg put the icing on the cake with a last-minute intercept try.

Last year Queensland ground out a 13-12 win in Canberra and went on to steal the Brumbies finals spot in the last round when White's men choked against the Blues.

With Pocock in their stable and playmaking combination Matt Toomua and Christian Lealiifano back from injury, the Brumbies showed signs against Queensland that they are back with a vengeance.

Toomua and Lealiifano ran the backline smoothly, in the second half especially, and showed a willingness to run the ball to the line.

Clyde Rathbone didn't see much ball in his much anticipated return after a four-year retirement.

Queensland five-eighth Cooper didn't get much opportunity to show his wares, with the Reds scarcely getting themselves into an attacking position all night.

Fullback Mike Harris booted two penalties for the visitors but was offline with a couple of other strikes.

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Re-live the match, including highlights of both Mogg's tries, in our Super Rugby Match Centre.

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Wanderers' build streak to six

Shinji Ono ... scores in Western Sydney's win over Melbourne Victory. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

The A-League's form side Western Sydney have strengthened their hold on a top two berth with an impressive 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.

Iacopo La Rocca and Shinji Ono scored the Wanderers' goals as the visitors notched their sixth straight win - the best streak in the league this season - to move five points clear of the third-placed Victory.

It was the Victory's first home defeat since crosstown rivals Melbourne Heart downed them to open the season and their second straight loss, after falling to fourth-placed Adelaide United last weekend.

The Wanderers' win, in front of 21,638 fans including a noisy throng of their own supporters, was well-deserved.

They put the Victory under constant pressure, not letting the home side develop fluidity or freedom at any stage.

The Victory's speedy New Zealand attacker Marco Rojas, who has been in dazzling form this season, was given little room to move and with the injured Archie Thompson missing the Victory lacked inspiration.

La Rocca gave the visitors the lead in the 18th minute, after Ono sent a free kick from about 30m deep into the box and La Rocca showed poise in a goalmouth scramble to put it home.

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While the Wanderers had two more dangerous attacking thrusts soon after, the Victory didn't look like scoring in the first half.

They showed a few positive signs early in the second.

Argentinian play-maker Marcos Flores forced Wanderers keeper Ante Covic into his first save of the match four minutes into the half.

Covic had to work even harder two minutes later, when a slick Flores pass allowed Rojas to penetrate deep and cross to the goalmouth, where Covic did well to block Andrew Nabbout's shot.

The Wanderers looked to have snuffed out Victory's rally when Ono pounced on a rebound to goal in the 72nd minute after Nathan Coe had parried a Youssouf Hersi shot.

Young Victory substitute Connor Pain gave his side a flicker of hope when he scored his first A-League goal on the counter-attack three minutes later but the home side couldn't fashion another.

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Bulls keep finals hopes alive

Vital ... Chris Hartley launches a boundary for Queensland. Source: Michael Klein / News Limited

Queensland have kept their one-day cricket final hopes alive with a six-wicket win over top side Victoria.

The Bushrangers will still probably finish in first place and host the February 27 final.

ODD - Melbourne Cricket Ground

16 February 2013 - Day 1, Session 2

Queensland 1st Innings

N. Reardon	52	45	5	1	115.56
D. Michael	30	20	4	0	150
D. Hussey	4.4	0	20	0	4.29

But they must now wait until the result of Sunday's game between second-placed South Australia and NSW.

The third-placed Bulls won with 14 balls left on Saturday night, scoring 4-243 in reply to Victoria's 8-242.

Chris Hartley top-scored with 74 and Nathan Reardon made an unbeaten 52.

Reardon combined with first-gamer Dominic Michael (30no) for a stand of 43 from 35 balls to ensure the win.

Michael appeared lucky to survive an lbw appeal from Will Sheridan on the first ball he faced.

Victoria led SA by a game at the top of the table before this loss.

The Redbacks will need a massive win over New South Wales at Adelaide Oval on Sunday to take top spot from the Bushrangers.

Queensland will make the final against Victoria if SA lose.

Every team except last-placed Tasmania has a mathematical chance of making the final.

Hartley and Luke Pomersbach set up the Queensland innings with a second-wicket stand of 116.

Leg-spinner Fawaz Ahmed, who will probably make his Sheffield Shield debut against the Bulls on Monday, then made a double breakthrough.

He bowled Pomersbach for 51 and five balls later trapped Peter Forrest lbw for six.

But that only briefly held up Queensland's scoring.

When Hartley holed out to Clive Rose in the deep off Will Sheridan's bowling for 74, the Bulls were cruising at 4-200 in the 42nd over.

Michael Hill top-scored for Victoria with 88 and Matthew Gale took 5-67 from 11 overs.

Queensland started well, restricting Victoria to only 1-18 from the first 10 overs.

Former Test paceman Ryan Harris, playing his first match for the Bulls this summer, had opener Rob Quiney caught behind for two.

But Harris quickly ran out of steam and only bowled seven overs, taking 1-30.

Hill and Chris Rogers survived the early trouble, putting on 125 for the second wicket.

By the time Rogers was well-caught by Peter Forrest off the bowling of captain James Hopes for 60, Victoria were 2-130 in the 30th over.

David Hussey belted 22 from 18 balls before James Hopes had him caught behind and from there Queensland kept a reasonable check on the run rate.

Peter Handscomb made 38, with Forrest catching him on the boundary from the last ball of the innings.

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O'Keefe: Rotation is guesswork

Guesswork ... Stephen O'Keefe (L) speaks out at the Northcott Cricket Legends Lunch. Source: Tim Hunter / News Limited

Twenty20 player Stephen O'Keefe has branded the controversial rotation policy as guesswork, but ruefully admits he wouldn't mind it being extended to spinners.

The resting and management of players has been a hot topic throughout the summer with most established cricketers getting a break at some stage.

O'Keefe drew a big round of applause on Friday when he supported what most cricket followers probably believe - the now seemingly radical policy of choosing your strongest available XI at all times.

''You just think will the team suffer by not playing (someone) and then a player getting injured, it's all guesswork,'' O'Keefe said at the Northcott Cricket Legends lunch in Sydney.

''I just think your 11 best fit players should be playing.

''I think, as a public, we deserve it and I think, as a player, you have earned your right to stay there and play.

''I'd like to see it remain that simple.''

Asked if the players understood how the policy works, a candid O'Keefe said ''no, I don't think they understand it.

''It would be nice if they rotated a few more spinners.

''I think there is a lot of grey area and I certainly don't envy the coaching staff, the selectors or the physios who are put in this position and are trying to rotate through quicks.''

O'Keefe was considered a chance to make the four-Test tour of India, but missed out behind Nathan Lyon and Xavier Doherty.

Sidelined by a split webbing injury, O'Keefe said Doherty's bowling would suit Indian conditions.

''I think (England spinner) Monty Panesar had great success over there bowling fast and accurately and I think that's the reason why the Australian selectors have gone with Doherty,'' O'Keefe said.

''I think his international (record) in one-day cricket certainly holds up.''

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Rebels open account against Force

One from one ... the Rebels open their Super Rugby account against the Force. Source: Mark Dadswell / AAP

Melbourne Rebels are first on the Super Rugby winners' list after escaping with a 30-23 win over Western Force in their season-opening clash.

The Rebels trailed 11-0 midway through Friday night's opening half at AAMI Park, but three tries and 15 points from the radar boot of star fullback James O'Connor helped the home team to victory.

3 Tries 3
Ged Robinson 33'	Alfi Mafi 27'
Hugh Pyle 46'	Alfi Mafi 50'
Richard Kingi 64'	Richard Brown 71'
3 Conversions 1
James O'Connor 34'	Kyle Godwin 71'
James O'Connor 48'
James O'Connor 65'
3 Penalties 2
James O'Connor 38'	Kyle Godwin 7'
James O'Connor 53'	Kyle Godwin 23'
James O'Connor 75'

The Force were rocked in the second half when they had only 13 players for seven minutes with key flanker Chris Alcock and then halfback Alby Mathewson both yellow-carded for seemingly innocuous off-the-ball incidents.

Referee Angus Gardner had already set a precedent in the first half, yellow-carding Rebels recruit Scott Higginbotham for allegedly throwing a punch at Force lock Toby Lynn.

While the Force duo were off, Rebels winger Richard Kingi touched down after a long pass across field by O'Connor, with the conversion opening the lead up to 11 points.

But the Perth side showed their spirit with replacement forward Richard Brown scoring in the 69th minute for a 27-23 scoreline.

Force winger Alfie Mafi did his best to help his side snap a two-game losing streak to Melbourne, scoring two tries, but in the end the Rebels had too much firepower.

It started as a slow burn, however, with Melbourne playing the first half with only 40 per cent possession.

With the Force piling on the pressure, the Rebels' error rate was costly early on as they struggled to find rhythm.

The visitors, missing injured skipper Matt Hodgson, set up their 11-0 lead through the boot of rising star Kyle Godwin and Mafi's first try.

Tries each side of the main break, scored by hooker Ged Robinson and Hugh Pyle, proved the difference.

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Re-live the action and check out the key stats with our Super Rugby Match Centre.

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Pyle's try came after Kingi showed his skill and managed to bat the ball back inside to the athletic lock as he was going over the sideline.

While O'Connor looked sharp after a long stint on the sidelines with a troublesome hamstring, Kiwi Mathewson also impressed in his Force debut, particularly in the first half.

It was their third straight victory over the Force and biggest winning margin, with only a point deciding their past two clashes.

Despite the tight scoreline, coach Damien Hill said there were a lot of positives, not the least being the first opening-round win for the Rebels.

He was particularly pleased with the effort of the tight five, especially prop Laurie Weeks and second-rowers Pyle and Luke Jones.

"In the first 20 minutes, we chose not to treasure possession and then the discipline started to go as fatigue started to build.

"For the first 30 minutes, we were on the back foot but, to the players' credit, they were able to go into the second half still in the game.

"The second half, while not as clinical as we would have liked, was better."

Force coach Michael Foley, in his first Super game since switching from NSW, was also pleased with his team's effort, pointing to their ball usage.

He wasn't too fazed by the two yellow cards, saying the teams had been warned on a crackdown.

"The referees have warned us they are going to be particularly tough early in the season because they want to see the game open up.

"If we've infringed and they've made those decisions, we accept that."

The Force next travel to South Africa to face new team the Southern Kings while the Rebels host the Brumbies next week.

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Jets beat Heart, boost finals hopes

Outmuscled ... Emile Heskey (C) holds off an opponent in the Jets 2-0 win. Source: AAP

Newcastle landed a crucial blow in the scrap for A-League finals places with 2-0 win over fellow top-six contenders Melbourne Heart on Friday.

Emile Heskey and Ryan Griffiths scored in each half at Hunter Stadium as the Jets climbed back into the top six with their first win in five games.

The result in front of 11,396 fans continued the Heart's disastrous run away from home, their sixth straight loss on the road leaving them sitting perilously in sixth spot.

Jets coach Gary van Egmond made five changes to his starting side, including three in defence and a first start of the season for English striker Michael Bridges.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Central Coast	20	12	6	2	22	42
2	Western Sydney	20	12	2	6	11	38
3	Victory	20	11	3	6	3	36
4	Adelaide	20	11	2	7	3	35
5	Newcastle	21	7	5	9	-7	26
6	Heart	21	7	3	11	-3	24
7	Sydney	20	7	3	10	-8	24
8	Brisbane	20	6	3	11	-2	21
9	Wellington	20	5	5	10	-15	20
10	Perth	20	5	4	11	-4	19

And it had the desired effect, with Bridges impressing in a classy display and striker Adam Taggart also making an impact after being promoted.

Griffiths and midfielder Zenon Caravella were other strong contributors while Heskey was a tower of strength up front.

He gave the home side the lead after just nine minutes, taking a first-time shot well after Griffiths unlocked the Heart defence with a clever through ball.

The visitors had several chances to hit back, with dangerous striker Eli Babalj causing most headaches in attack.

He wasted one chance in the 13th minute but was unlucky not to equalise when his volley struck the post from a Richard Garcia cross.peTaggart and Heskey also had decent chances late in the half and the home side looked in control as they headed to halftime in front.

The Heart started the second half strongly and came within centimetres of an equaliser through Nick Kalmar in the 53rd minute.

Brazilian playmaker Fred made his return from a quad injury off the bench but the Heart hit a flat spot with little created in attack.

Taggart was unlucky not to extend the Jets' lead in the 65th minute, striking the left post with a low shot from just outside the box.

But he capped a strong performance when he set up the Jets' second in the 81st minute.

Taggart found Griffiths with a looped through ball and the striker controlled beautifully before craftily scooping the ball over Heart goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne.

Van Egmond admitted it was a tough call to drop the likes of young guns Craig Goodwin and James Virgili to the bench but felt the inclusion of new faces worked a treat.

''It was time (to make changes),'' van Egmond told Fox Sports.

''As you saw tonight, we always looked dangerous going forward. It always looked like we had goals in us.

''I thought Bridgey early on, when he was nice and fresh, did some very clever things ... hopefully he can derive a lot of fitness out of this and continue.''

Heskey said the performance augured well for the Jets' remaining six regular-season games.

''We knew how important the game was. It was one of those ones we knew we had to win,'' Heskey said.

''When we perform like this, that's what we're capable of doing.''

Heart coach John Aloisi was disappointed his men didn't take their chances in the first half and admitted the winless away form this season was a serious problem.

''It's not good - we know that,'' Aloisi said.

''We're trying to put it right but now we've got a home game to look forward to next week (against Sydney FC). It's a big game for us.

''We're still in finals contention and we have to keep working hard.''

New Dutch recruit Marcel Meeuwis made his debut off the bench in the 62nd minute and Aloisi said he would be better for the run. 

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Check out all the action, including highlights of both goals, in our A-League Match Centre.

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Pies undefeated with win over Bombers

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Screamer ... Magpie Jamie Elliott can't hang onto this attempt. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

Collingwood has finished the first triple-header of the NAB Cup undefeated after a dramatic late win over heated-rivals Essendon at Etihad Stadium.

1.0.5 (14)	Q1	0.2.3 (15)
1.2.10 (31)	Q2	0.4.5 (29)
	Q3
	Q4

Travis Cloke 1	Leroy Jetta 2
Andrew Krakouer 1	Brendon Goddard 1
Ben Sinclair 1	Dyson Heppell 1

In the final game of the night, the two clubs played out a two-point thriller and it was a free-kick to Magpies key forward Travis Cloke in the dying seconds that settled it.

Cloke was awarded a push in the back just 10 metres from goal and duly slotted it with 34 seconds left on the clock to leave the scores on 1.2.10 (31) to 4.5 (29)

0.3.3 (21)	Q1	0.3.1 (19)
0.4.5 (29)	Q2	1.6.2 (47)
	Q3
	Q4

Daniel Giansiracusa 2	Travis Cloke 2
Tory Dickson 1	Jarryd Blair 1
Jarrad Grant 1	Jamie Elliott 1
	Quinten Lynch 1
	Brent Macaffer 1
	Dane Swan 1

In a final twist, young Bomber Luke Davis was awarded a free kick after the final siren but his shot from outside 50m did not make the distance.

Essendon held a one-point lead at half-time and they extended that to 13 points midway through the second half, with star recruit Brendon Goddard kicking his first goal.

Magpies star midfielder Scott Pendlebury and former Carlton defender Jordan Russell impressed for the 'Pies, while Dyson Heppell and Goddard were high in Essendon's best..

Collingwood were equally lucky to come away with a win in the second game of the night after they came from behind to score a 18-point win over a gusty Western Bulldogs outfit in the first round of the NAB Cup at Etihad Stadium.

Backing up from the first game of the night, the Bulldogs looked the hungrier of the two team for most of the game but the fresher Magpies surged home in the closing stages and finished 1.6.2 (47) to 4.5 (29).

After losing the first game to Essendon, the Bulldogs earnt a two-point lead at half-time and were a much better team in the second game following a spray from coach Brenton McCartney.

1.2.4 (25)	Q1	1.0.3 (12)
1.5.6 (45)	Q2	1.1.4 (19)
	Q3
	Q4

Tom Bellchambers 1	Shaun Higgins 1
Alex Browne 1	Liam Jones 1
Alwyn Davey 1
Cory Dell'Olio 1
Kyle Hardingham 1
Nick Kommer 1

"When fatigue set in and the opposition put defensive pressure on us, we didn't use it that well,'' McCartney said.

"We gave up goals late in quarters.

"Sometimes you've just got to hang in there for the last three or four minutes and that's something we've got to get better at.''

Collingwood looked a little rusty at the beginning but were sparked by a classy performance from small forward Jarryd Blair and superstar midfielder Dane Swan.

In the night's opening game, Essendon gained some respite from their off-field nightmare with a morale-boosting AFL pre-season win over the Western Bulldogs.

The Bombers opened the NAB Cup on Friday night with a 26-point win over the Western Bulldogs in the first of three mini-games.

Essendon then had a break before playing Collingwood in the last game of the evening.

Star recruit Brendon Goddard had a team-high 13 possessions and Kyle Hardingham kicked the supergoal as the 'Dons won 1.5.6 (45) to 1.1.4 (19).

Essendon's defence was superb, the league's oldest active player Dustin Fletcher and his young key-defender apprentice Jake Carlisle dominating.

There was plenty of applause for the Bombers as they took to the field, a welcome change from the intense media scrutiny of the past few days.

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Essendon are under Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority and AFL investigation because of supplements their players took last season.

The club was also implicated in the landmark Australian Crime Commission investigation into sport.

While the Bulldogs took the early initiative when Shaun Higgins kicked their supergoal, Essendon kicked the last two goals of the half to lead by 13 points.

They then kicked clear in the second half and first-year player Nick Kommer goaled seconds before the fulltime siren to add emphasis to the win.

Captain Matthew Boyd had a game-high 17 disposals for the Bulldogs and fellow midfielder Nick Lower also impressed in the first game for his third AFL club.

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Mathews named new Test skipper

New blood ... Angelo Mathews will take the reins as Sri Lanka skipper. Source: Theron Kirkman / AP

All-rounder Angelo Mathews has been appointed Sri Lanka's new Test and one-day captain for next month's home series against Bangladesh, selectors announced on Thursday.

The 25-year-old replaced prolific batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who stepped down after leading on a recent tour of Australia where Sri Lanka lost the Test series 3-0 and drew a one-day series 2-2.

Dinesh Chandimal, named Mathews's deputy in Tests and one-day internationals, will lead the side in T20 matches.

Mathews and Chandimal will lead the teams until the end of January 2014, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement.

Bangladesh will play two Tests, three one-dayers and a one-off T20 match. The Tests will be played in Galle (March 8-12) and Colombo (March 16-20), while Hambantota (March 23 and 25) and Pallekele (March 28) will host the limited overs games.

Mathews, with 1,668 runs in 31 Tests, has also scored 1,784 runs and taken 54 wickets in 90 one-day internationals.

Jayawardene, with more than 10,000 runs both in Tests and one-dayers, led Sri Lanka to the finals of the 50-over World Cup in the West Indies in 2007 and then the World T20 at home last year.

The 20-man Test squad has six uncapped players - batsmen Ashen Silva and Kithuruwan Vithanage, seamer Dushmantha Chameera, spinners Tharindu Kaushal and Jeevan Mendis, and wicketkeeper-batsman Kushal Perera.

Middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera and opener Tharanga Paranavitana, who toured Australia, were dropped while unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis returned to the Test squad.

Mendis, who played his last Test in May 2011, has so far bagged 62 wickets in 16 matches.

Kumar Sangakkara's participation in Tests is subject to recovery from an injury, according to the SLC statement.

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Crusaders edge Waratahs in trial

Israel Folau ... impresses again for the Waratahs in a trial. Source: News Limited

NSW Waratahs knocked back a whopping nine kickable penalty shots at goal as they fell 16-14 to the Crusaders in a scrappy Super Rugby trial at Allianz Stadium.

Waratahs coach Michael Cheika stuck with his policy for the trials of not taking three-pointers as they looked to get their attack fine-tuned ahead of their Super Rugby opener against Queensland on Saturday week.

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Young five-eighth Ben Volavola had an indifferent night at the office for the Waratahs but showed glimpses of class and enough to please Cheika with playmakers Berrick Barnes and Bernard Foley in doubt for the Reds' clash.

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Israel Folau was named man of the match as the star fullback made the most of his limited opportunities with several line breaks for the hosts who scored two tries to one.

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Folau brought the small crowd to their feet every time he chimed into the backline and showed enough to suggest he's in for a big year.

The Waratahs fought back well in the second half after trailling 13-0 at halftime.

Brendan McKibbin's injection at halfback for Grayson Heart in the 27th minute was pivotal for the Waratahs with the classy No.9 giving his side some much-needed direction.

NSW scored their first points of the night when back-rower Lopeti Timani charged onto a pass from McKibbin close the line with the big Tongan barging his way over on 60 minutes.

McKibbin slotted the goal from the sideline to make it 13-7.

The Waratahs hit the lead for the first time about seven minutes later when replacement hooker Luke Holmes scored after a rolling maul from a lineout close to the Crusaders' line with Brendan McKibbin kicked the conversion to make it 14-13.

The Crusaders hit back with a penalty goal to Tom Taylor to make it 16-14 much to the disapproval of the enthusiastic small crowd.

The first half of the match which was split into 20 minute periods didn't reach any great heights with the Crusaders scoring a try through prop Pa'ea Fununu off a rolling maul while the other points came from a conversion and penalty goal to star No.10 Dan Carter while replacement five-eighth Tom Taylor slotted kicked the first of his two penalties in the first half.

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