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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:31

Agarkar: New Zealand went with their best XI

India seemed to have made the ideal start to their 500th Test. They had won the toss on a pitch full of cracks that were expected to widen and offer lots of help for the spinners from the third day onwards. Their top order had made a confident start, and halfway through the first day they were 154 for 1.New Zealand, though, had come to India with the belief that they had the tools they needed to compete hard. Over the second half of the day, their five-man attack showed what it was capable of, and left India 291 for 9 at stumps.By then, each of the New Zealand bowlers – two left-arm quicks of differing methods, an offspinner, a left-arm orthodox spinner, and a legspinner – had struck at least one vital blow. Mitchell Santner, attacking the stumps with his left-arm spin and varying his pace well, chipped out three wickets. Ish Sodhi took out the set M Vijay in the last over before tea. Mark Craig dismissed Ajinkya Rahane in a testing post-tea spell of flight and drift.Trent Boult went wicketless with the first new ball, but swung the second one devastatingly to rip through India’s lower order. The biggest wicket, though, went to Neil Wagner, who turned the mood of the match with the wicket of Virat Kohli.It was the definitive hinge moment. New Zealand had just broken a century stand between M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, and the opposition’s captain and best batsman had walked in to deafening noise. He had begun confidently, slapping Santner to the cover point boundary and then stepping across to hook a good short ball from Wagner to the backward square leg boundary, with a bit of help from a Sodhi fumble on the boundary.Two balls later, he tried the same shot, but this time Wagner had switched from left-arm around to left-arm over. Kohli had to work against the angle, and only managed a top-edge that settled nicely in Sodhi’s hands.Green Park went quiet.Unlike Kohli, Vijay hadn’t taken on Wagner’s short balls, and through both his spells – one with the new ball and another, spanning seven overs, in the afternoon session – he had swayed out of the way, dropped his wrists, and simply watched balls go through to the keeper. He had been similarly watchful against the other bowlers, permitting himself only one indulgence – the late cut. This shot, played off balls that were barely short or wide, had fetched him boundaries against Wagner, Santner, and Trent Boult, but in the last over before tea, batting on 65, he tried it against Ish Sodhi’s legspin and nicked to the keeper BJ Watling.Four down at tea, India were quickly five down as Rahane, reaching out to defend Craig’s offspin, failed to get near the pitch of the ball, and inside-edged to short leg.Rohit Sharma had looked edgy against Craig, outside-edging him past slip, inside-edging him wide of short leg, and surviving a close lbw appeal when he tried to sweep him off the stumps, but grew more comfortable as his sixth-wicket stand with R Ashwin neared and passed the half-century mark. But not for the first time in his Test career, the itch to hit over the top consumed him, against the run of play. Trying to hit Santner down the ground, he only managed to loop a simple catch to mid-on.The dismissal exposed India’s lower order to a ball that was only three overs old. Boult, fast and accurate, swerved one back in from over the wicket to sneak between Wriddhiman Saha’s bat and pad. Then he went around the wicket to Ashwin – who had just become India’s highest run-getter in 2016 – and snaked an offcutter away from him. Rooted to the crease, he nicked to gully. Then another full, swinging left-arm classic to bowl Mohammed Shami. India were 277 for 9.How different it had all been, not all that long ago. India had begun brightly, with KL Rahul going after Boult, who frequently overpitched while trying to find the right length with the new ball. Having rushed to 26 off 35 balls against the seamers, he greeted the introduction of spin with a slog-swept six off Santner’s second ball. But two balls later, he stayed back when he should have been forward, playing the trajectory of a flatter, quicker ball rather than its length, and feathered an edge to the keeper.Thereafter, Vijay and Pujara settled in and brought up their third century partnership – and 12th over 50 – looking at ease on a typically subcontinental first-day pitch, with the abundant cracks on its surface not yet wide enough to affect its behavior. Coming off scores of 166 and 256* in the Duleep Trophy, Pujara had batted with positive footwork against the spinners, stepping out to the pitch or rocking right back, and was looking set for another massive score. But against the run of play, he spooned a drive back into Santner’s hands, with the ball possibly holding up on the pitch.It was a small opening, but an opening nonetheless, and New Zealand showed they had the bowling to break right through it.

Yorkshire’s allrounder David Willey will rejoin the England ODI squad later this week after an injury to his left hand was found to be less serious than first feared.Willey was struck on the hand in his follow through by a fierce drive from Durham’s Mark Stoneman while bowling in Yorkshire’s NatWest T20 Blast semi-final on Saturday. He continued to play a full part in the game, finishing his overs and opening the batting with his hand tightly strapped, but was initially ruled out of the one-day series against Pakistan after scans on Sunday.However, it has now been confirmed that Willey only suffered bruising, rather than any kind of break, and he will link up with the England squad after Wednesday’s first ODI at the Ageas Bowl.An England spokesman said: “On further review today, David Willey has been cleared of a fracture to his left hand and he will rejoin England’s ODI squad on Thursday. His progress will be monitored by the medical team during the series.”Willey had tweeted on Sunday evening that he still hoped to play a part in the series and he followed that up with a picture of the bruising on Monday, adding: “Good news! No serious damage so I’ll be back as soon as the swelling goes!”Willey’s commitment to the cause was not enough to get Yorkshire through to the NatWest Blast final but England will doubtless be happy to have him available, as well as relieved that his fighting spirit did not result in greater damage. Jake Ball, who was called up as cover, will remain with the squad.England also have a slight concern over the fitness of Stuart Broad, who also played on Finals Day but is not part of the limited-overs squads. Broad will undergo a scan on his left ankle on Tuesday and has been withdrawn from Nottinghamshire’s Championship squad for their match against Yorkshire at Scarborough.Alastair Cook, England’s Test captain, has meanwhile been made available to play in Essex’s next two Championship matches, against Leicestershire and Worcestershire.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said that bowling Zimbabwe out twice on what is expected to be a slow and low Bulawayo surface will be a challenge ahead of his side’s two-Test tour. Hesson stated that both batsmen and bowlers would have to show patience to get the better of the home team.”In Bulawayo, we are expecting something that’s going to be slow and not a heck of a lot of bounce, so taking 20 wickets will be a challenge,” Hesson said after the team’s arrival in Harare, where they are currently playing a three-day warm-up match before heading to Bulawayo. “Zimbabwe’s bowling attack is very disciplined, so from a batting point of view, it’s about committing to your plans over a long period of time.”With little assistance for seamers and spinners, and scoring rates likely to be curbed as well, frustration may prove to be the most effective wicket-taker in the series. But New Zealand have several other options – an attack that will be led by Tim Southee and Doug Bracewell, has Neil Wagner and Matt Henry backing up, and includes spin options as well. With an offspinner in Mark Craig and two legspinners in their arsenal – Ish Sodhi and the uncapped Jeet Raval – New Zealand will aim to exploit Zimbabwe’s vulnerability against turn, as they did when the two sides met five years ago.That match, which New Zealand won by 34 runs, saw them field two spinners – Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel – and Vettori claimed eight wickets. Hesson remembers the fixture more for Zimbabwe’s fight than Vettori’s Man-of-the-Match-winning performance, and expects the same from them this time. “The last time we played a Test match in Bulawayo, it went down to the last session on the last day, so we are certainly expecting a tough series,” Hesson said.However, things may not pan out as Hesson expects, as since that day, New Zealand have played 43 Tests and won 14, including series wins over West Indies, India and Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have played just 11 Tests, won two and have not been back to Bulawayo at all. While they will still be more familiar with the conditions, Zimbabwe do not have the kind of home advantage that teams who play more regularly hold.In fact, given that New Zealand have been at a training camp in Pretoria for the last 10 days, the tourists may feel fairly well-versed in southern African winter conditions. “We trained at the Tuks University and it was a good chance for us to get used to conditions that we are likely to face here,” Hesson said.Zimbabwe’s ace could be the element of surprise in their personnel. Only four in their current squad played in the 2011 Test against New Zealand: Tino Mawoyo, Hamilton Masakadza, Regis Chakabva and Njabulo Ncube. A further four – Prince Masvaure, Chamu Chibhabha, Peter Moor and Taurai Muzarabani – are uncapped at the Test level. New Zealand will not be able to do any homework on the rookies because they have not been included in the warm-up match either, and will have to rely on their ability to react to the competition they are faced with on game day.That, and a stubborn surface, has prompted Hesson to urge his charges not to take Zimbabwe lightly as they open their African adventure. “Some of the Zimbabwe players we don’t know very well, we don’t have a lot of footage of them, so we are going to have to deal with that when we arrive. But we certainly won’t be underestimating Zimbabwe in their own conditions.”

ScorecardJason Roy gave Surrey a flying start with 36 from 25 balls•Getty Images

Surrey kept their hopes of reaching the last eight of the NatWest T20 Blast alive with a comfortable six-wicket win over Sussex Sharks in front of a 22,601 crowd at The Kia Oval.Having restricted Sussex to 153 for 6 on a slow pitch, Surrey paced their response perfectly and won the game with ten balls to spare when Chris Morris swung Mustafizur Rahman over midwicket for six.It was Surrey’s sixth win in the ultra-competitive South Group and they join Sussex on 12 points, but the Sharks only have one game left – at home to second-placed Glamorgan next Wednesday – and their chances of making the quarter-finals appear remote.Surrey had been given a strong start by England opener Jason Roy, who made 36 off 25 balls, hitting six fours and a six.Roy looked in the mood but was becalmed by slow left-armer Danny Briggs who came on in the powerplay and bowled Roy in his second over as the batsman slogged across the line. A clearly frustrated Roy angrily swished his bat at the stumps as he departed, an act which may earn him a rebuke from umpires David Millns and Alex Wharf.Roy’s opening partner Aaron Finch had gone in the third over, caught at backward point off a huge top-edge to give Jofra Archer, the Barbados-born fast bowler playing only his third game in the competition, the first of two wickets.But Dominic Sibley and Rory Burns were determined not to squander Surrey’s good start. The third-wicket pair added 42 in 27 balls and although Burns (13) was superbly caught at long leg by the diving Rahman, Sibley made a composed 40 off 31 deliveries with three sixes and a four to put his side in control.He was athletically caught by Sussex captain Luke Wright at extra cover in the 15th over, but Surrey required just 38 runs at that stage and Morris (20) and Ben Foakes (22) eased them to their sixth win of the group stage.Sussex, who had been put in, were 15-20 runs short in the end. With four overs to go they were 135 for 3 but Jade Dernbach and Tom Curran bowled superbly at the death, taking three wickets as Sussex cobbled together just 18 more runs.Craig Cachopa and Matt Machan had put on 51 in 31 balls for the fourth wicket but they fell off successive Dernbach deliveries in the 19th over. Machan (18) top-edged a pull and Cachopa was held at long on for 45 (34 balls, 7 fours) while Chris Jordan gave Curran a deserved wicket when he holed out to deep mid-wicket in the final over.Sussex were without fast bowler Tymal Mills because of ankle trouble and their leading scorer in this season’s Blast Ross Taylor, who has joined up with New Zealand for their tour of South Africa.In Taylor’s absence they needed experienced openers Chris Nash and Wright to perform and although Nash played well for his 39 from 34 balls, Sussex captain Wright was out for just 7.Surrey’s seamers showed good control with Dernbach taking 2 for 25, Morris 2 for 21 and Tom Curran 1 for 20.

Match facts

Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Start time 0900 local (0700 GMT)1:03

Can Zimbabwe stop series whitewash in Harare?

Big picture

Over the last two years and a bit, India’s ODI top three has been among the best in the world. They have had issues, however, with Nos. 4, 5 and 6. Addressing those issues must have been among the selectors’ primary concerns when they picked a largely experimental squad to tour Zimbabwe. Two-thirds of the way into the ODI series, India’s Nos. 4, 5 and 6 have faced one ball between them. One ball.Two matches down, the series already won, India have barely been tested. Their bowlers have enjoyed the conditions, which have offered a bit of swing and seam for the quicks and a bit of grip for the spinners, and have racked up sensational numbers. Of the five bowlers India have used, only Axar Patel (24.00) averages more than 20 in this series. But perhaps they have had it all too easy. No meaningful partnerships to stretch their patience or skillsets, no withering attack to quell, not one batsman building an innings and refusing to give his wicket away.The batsmen, needless to say, have had it even easier: they had to chase 169 in the first ODI and 127 in the second.Zimbabwe aren’t a great side. This was known even before the series began. But they are better than their displays so far suggest. It will be in both sides’ interests if they actually show up on Wednesday, and play to their potential. The series cries out for a big top-order partnership from Zimbabwe, for a burst of wickets from their bowlers, for the crackling contest that isn’t beyond them.

Form guide

Zimbabwe: LLLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
India: WWWLL

In the spotlight

It isn’t his fault that he has bowled with woefully inadequate totals to defend, and, given those circumstances, Tendai Chatara has actually bowled pretty well so far. His pace isn’t yet up to the level it was at before he broke his shin last year, but he has hit the deck, straightened a few past the edge, picked up Zimbabwe’s only wicket in the first ODI and could have had one in the second game too, had he not overstepped. He will hope Zimbabwe either bowl first or put decent total on the board on Wednesday, giving him a chance to apply some sort of pressure on India’s batsmen.Kedar Jadhav scored an unbeaten 105 the last time he batted in an ODI. That was in July 2015. Since then, he has lost his place to more established names and come back for this series only to notch up DNBs in the first two matches. He will hope India bat first, or that they get a decent target to chase, or that he gets a major promotion up the order.

Team news

Craig Ervine injured his hamstring before the second ODI, and Sean Williams, who replaced him, injured his finger soon after the toss and was unable to bat. It is unclear if either will be available on Wednesday. Timycen Maruma could get a look-in if both are ruled out. Zimbabwe already have a lengthy batting line-up, though, and might be tempted instead to pick an extra bowler – either a seamer in Donald Tiripano or Tawanda Mupariwa, or a spinner in Wellington Masakadza or Tendai Chisoro.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Peter Moor, 4 Vusi Sibanda, 5 Sean Williams/Craig Ervine/Timycen Maruma, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 9 Graeme Cremer (capt), 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Taurai MuzarabaniIndia played the same XI in the first two games and, given the lack of batting time for their middle order, could shuffle the top six. MS Dhoni hinted after the second ODI that India might rest one of their bowlers, and that could mean Jaydev Unadkat, Rishi Dhawan or Jayant Yadav gets a look-in.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul/Mandeep Singh, 2 & 3 Karun Nair/Ambati Rayudu/Faiz Fazal, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Axar Patel/Jayant Yadav, 8 Dhawal Kulkarni, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Jasprit Bumrah/Rishi Dhawan, 11 Barinder Sran/Jaydev Unadkat

Pitch and conditions

Chilly weather is likely to continue on Wednesday, with a high in the low 20s, though no rain is forecast. The early morning start will tempt both teams to bowl first and utilise the swing on offer, but India might look to bat first and challenge both their batsmen and bowlers.

Stats and trivia

• MS Dhoni is one short of 350 ODI dismissals. He currently has 260 catches and 89 stumpings from 277 matches.
• One stat to sum up the series so far: India’s batsmen average 100.66 per wicket. Zimbabwe’s average 15.47.

Quotes

“They put a fielder there. If there’s a fielder, hit it down, get the single. We didn’t do that.”

ScorecardDaniel Bell-Drummond continued his good form•Getty Images

No quarter was asked or given in testing conditions at Canterbury where day two of Kent’s County Championship Division Two clash with Leicestershire was hampered by bad light and drizzle.Some 47 overs were lost in the day – taking Kent’s tally of missed action to 804 overs so far this summer – but, in the two sessions of engaging cricket that were possible, Kent fought their way to 117 for 2, to trail the visitors by 224 on first innings.Kent opener Tom Latham was the home side’s sole casualty during a gloomy morning session when, shortly after a 14-minute delay for bad light from noon, the New Zealand Test batsman played half forward and outside the line of a Clint McKay in-swinger to go leg before for 9.With the floodlights on from the start, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly, with double-centuries to their names already this season, played and missed a couple of times. The pair also survived concerted appeals for catches behind the stumps, but made it through to lunch without further casualty.They added 88 in 28.2 overs either side of the lunch break before Denly, defending off balance to a full-length ball from Ben Raine, went lbw to make it 103 for 2.Bell-Drummond duly posted his sixth Championship half-century of the summer from 99 balls and with eight fours. It was his eighth score in excess of 50 in all forms of cricket this summer. When the players went in for a slightly early tea, Bell-Drummond had reached 65, while his captain Sam Northeast was unbeaten on 5.The players did not emerge for the final session and at 5.45pm umpires Alex Wharf and Paul Pollard called proceedings off for the day.At the start of day two, Kent needed only 15 balls to mop up Leicestershire’s two remaining first-innings wickets for the addition of only a single. McKay nicked to Sam Billings off the bowling of Darren Stevens, then Matt Coles knocked over last man Charlie Shreck without scoring.

Cameron Green, playing as a specialist batter, fell for a duck but Western Australia team-mate Cameron Bancroft issued a reminder of his indefatigable approach at the top of the order with a determined century at the WACA.Bancroft’s 122 off 255 balls guided WA into a position of strength against South Australia on day two despite the stirring efforts of spearhead Brendan Doggett who finished with 6 for 48 from 21.2 overs.Related

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Doggett is pushing to be a fast-bowling reserve for the Ashes having been part of the World Test Championship squad earlier this year and originally due to tour West Indies before injury struck.”There has been a little bit of noise, but trying not to think about it,” Doggett said about his potential Ashes chances. “I just want to keep playing for South Australia and keep putting good performances together. I think that’s all I can control at the moment.”After missing the India ODIs due to side soreness, Green had a starring role in the field on day one as he eyes making a bowling return in WA’s next Shield match against Queensland starting on November 11.But Green, batting at his preferred No. 4, lasted just six deliveries after whacking Doggett straight to mid-off. It was left to Bancroft to anchor the innings and he returned to form with steely defence mixed with classical drives.A slow start to the season has seen him slip outside of the Ashes selection mix on the back of making just 344 runs at 26.46 last season compared to an average of 48.37 across WA’s hat-trick of titles.Cameron Green fell for a duck as he builds towards the Ashes•Getty Images

“I’ve had my time at that level, feel really grateful. If an opportunity came to play for Australia, that’s great, but certainly not feverish about it,” said Bancroft, who played the last of his 10 Tests during the 2019 Ashes.After dominating the opening day, WA resumed on 87 for 0 with Bancroft and skipper Sam Whiteman having to contend with far more disciplined bowling from South Australia’s quicks.In his return from a hamstring injury, Doggett had been sluggish late on the opening day but found his rhythm from the get go amid overcast morning conditions. Doggett had Whiteman edging to second slip to break the 93-run opening stand and immediately caused Hilton Cartwright problems by pitching up and targeting the pads.Cartwright was made to dig in as he shifted up the order from his customary No. 4 spot due to Green’s return. With the surface flattening out after notable sharp bounce and carry on the opening day, Bancroft and Cartwright started to take the game away from South Australia as they built a half-century partnership and batted into the second session.Cameron Bancroft drives during his century•Getty Images

With South Australia needing a spark, it was up to Doggett to bend his back and he did exactly that after lunch with a stirring spell that accounted for Cartwright and Green in consecutive overs.But South Australia’s momentum was halted by Cooper Connolly, playing his first Shield match of the season having recently impressed in the India ODI series. Connolly has already proven he’s a three-format player in his fledgling career and seemed set to add a sixth half-century in eight Shield innings as he scored at a run-a-ball pace.Connolly was particularly aggressive against offspinner Ben Manenti and the approach rubbed off on Bancroft with the pair trading sixes as WA powered past South Australia’s first innings total of 215.But Connolly’s cavalier knock ended on 33 when he whacked Nathan McSweeney to extra cover before rain halted play for an hour. On resumption, McSweeney unexpectedly turned the game briefly with the further scalps of Bancroft and Aaron Hardie, who threw away his wicket after miscuing a reverse sweep.WA did finish with a 92-run first innings lead but were unable to make a breakthrough before stumps were called early due to bad light.

Harry Brook will not read too much into “a bit of a shambles of a night” in Cardiff as England lost a truncated first T20I against South Africa.Just 12.5 overs were possible at Sophia Gardens as persistent showers delayed the start by more than two hours. Play eventually began at 8:50pm for a nine-over match. Having won the toss and elected to bowl, Brook watched on as a powerful South Africa batting card smashed 97 for 5 from 7.5 overs before rain curtailed their innings. That downpour subsequently gave England an adjusted chase of 69 in five overs, of which they fell 15 short.Related

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England opted to remove Jofra Archer from their XI announced on Tuesday on safety grounds, after ruling conditions were too risky for their prized fast bowler. Luke Wood was the late replacement, earning his eighth T20I cap, and was the pick of the home attack with 2 for 22.”It was a bit of a shambles really, wasn’t it?” said Brook, whose 0 from four deliveries was his first duck in T20Is. “You can’t take much from that. There was so much going on. They got nine overs, we got five overs. You can’t take much from it.”It was a long, long day. I don’t think we need to make any excuses up. We probably didn’t execute as well as we should have done with bat and ball. It’s bloody hard when you only bat for five overs.”Brook stopped short of saying the match should not have gone ahead: “That’s not for me to decide, that’s for the umpires or the match referee. We just try to do what we can on the field.”However, the decision to park Archer was an admission of the risk involved, particularly given the amount of time and money invested to get the 30-year-old back playing all international formats this summer ahead of the winter’s Ashes. Brook even cited Adam Hose’s horrific ankle injury sustained during The Hundred as a worse-case scenario had Archer played.”It would have been stupid to play him with the amount of cricket we’ve got coming up,” said Brook. “If he’d have gone out in the boundary and done what Adam Hose did in The Hundred and broken his leg or whatever, that would have been a shambles.”As soon as we knew that the game was shortened, we didn’t think it was quite necessary for Jof to play. Obviously, the outfield was sodden and he’s got a lot of cricket to play in the next few months with a big series coming up. So, yeah, we, we decided to not play him.”

Scotland vs South Africa

Dubai, 2pm local time

Scotland squad: Kathryn Bryce (capt), Chloe Abel, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Olivia Bell, Sarah Bryce (wk), Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Chatterji, Katherine Fraser, Saskia Horley, Lorna Jack, Ailsa Lister, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Hannah Rainey, Rachel SlaterSouth Africa squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe TryonTournament form guide: Scotland’s maiden T20 World Cup appearance hasn’t gone to plan so far with two back-to-back losses. They started their tournament with a 16-run defeat against Bangladesh, before going down heavily to West Indies by six wickets and 50 balls to spare. South Africa are also coming into this game on the back of a seven-wicket loss against England which saw them slip to third on the points table. Their ten-wicket win against West Indies, though, has kept their net run rate (NRR) relatively healthy.Related

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News brief: There are no major injury concerns in either camp, though it remains to be seen how South Africa manage the players’ workload considering a less-than-48 hours turnaround time after their game against England was a day-night affair in Sharjah on Monday. Scotland are bottom placed on the group B points table, and with an NRR of -1.897, a loss against South Africa will most certainly end their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. South Africa, on the other hand, can leapfrog England and secure top spot with a big win in Dubai. This is the first time South Africa and Scotland will face-off in any format in women’s cricket. Heat is once again going to be a factor in the day game in Dubai, with temperatures likely to touch 38 degrees Celsius.Player to watch: Nonkululeko Mlaba is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with five wickets and could once again be South Africa’s trump card, especially in the day game where the ball is expected to turn more. Mlaba picked a four-wicket haul the last time she played in Dubai – against West Indies, earlier in this World Cup – and will want a repeat of that performance.Harmanpreet Kaur, who sprained her neck against Pakistan, is expected to play against Sri Lanka•ICC/Getty Images

India vs Sri Lanka

Dubai, 6pm local time

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, S SajanaSri Lanka squad: Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilshari, Nilakshika Silva, Hasini Perera, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Sachini Nisansala, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Achini Kulasuriya, Inoka Ranaweera, Shashini Gimhani, Ama Kanchana, Sugandika KumariTournament form guide: India suffered a big 58-run loss against New Zealand in their opening game, but managed to get past Pakistan in Dubai by six wickets on Sunday. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are currently bottom of the group A points table, and are yet to win a game. They lost their opening match against lower-ranked Pakistan by 31 runs, and then went down to Australia by six wickets on Saturday.News brief: India received good news on the fitness of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who is available to play Wednesday’s game after spraining her neck and retiring hurt in the last over of India’s chase against Pakistan. Pooja Vastrakar, though, is unlikely to take part having missed Sunday’s match due to a niggle, with S Sajana replacing her.India hold the advantage by a 19-5 margin in T20Is against Sri Lanka. But one of those five defeats was as recent as this July at the Asia Cup final. India will be keen on exacting revenge. They need a big win to bolster their NRR, something that they did not manage in their victory against Pakistan despite restricting them to 105. A defeat for Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will make their chances of moving to the next round almost nil. Dew has not had much of an effect in the games in Dubai so far, with the sticky nature of the surface and long boundaries also not making run-scoring easy.Player to watch: Smriti Mandhana does not have the greatest of records in T20Is against Sri Lanka: 379 runs in 19 innings at 22.29 with two fifties. But in a crunch game, India will bank on their experienced batter to give them a grand start, something that has not happened so far in the tournament.

South Africa ran out of time, ideas and most importantly bowlers, as they fell five wickets short of winning the first Test against West Indies in Trinidad. The hosts weren’t too far from challenging for a win themselves: West Indies were 97 short of their target when the curtains came down.With 142 overs lost to rain over the five days, South Africa made a fist of the final day when they batted quickly, declared early and gave themselves a little over two sessions to bowl West Indies out. But, Alick Athanaze, playing in his eighth Test match, scored a career-best 92 and shared in half-century stands with Kavem Hodge and Jason Holder to deny South Africa and save the match. This was the first drawn Test worldwide in 28 matches, since July last year.Related

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• Maharaj's 28-over spell applies squeeze on West Indies on rain-affected day

• Maharaj, Rabada's perfect mini-day puts South Africa in position to push for win

Weather aside, questions will be asked of South Africa’s selection after they chose an extra batter at the expense of a fifth frontline-bowling option and were forced to rely heavily on two players. Keshav Maharaj bowled 66.2 overs and Kagiso Rabada 30 out of the 148.1 West Indies faced across both innings, while Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder contributed 30.5. In the absence of a second specialist spinner, Aiden Markram delivered 21 overs.There may also be some scrutiny on the Queen’s Park Oval pitch. It lacked pace and bounce and did not facilitate a free-flow of runs, ostensibly because the square has already been used extensively for club cricket this season. Whatever the reason, it made for an attritional style of play, emphasised by the amount of time lost, and both teams did well to turn most of the final day into a cat-and-mouse battle with all four results possible.Maharaj and Rabada bowled 96.2 overs between themselves in the Test•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa came out with clear intent on the fifth morning: to get runs and get them quickly. Tony de Zorzi and Markram scored 48 in the first 10.2 overs and the 13 they took off Jayden Seales’ third over best illustrated their approach. De Zorzi appeared to defend the first ball but somehow timed it well enough to get through mid-off and almost to the boundary and the pair ran three. Then Markram smashed a short ball through midwicket and drove a full one over mid-on for two fours. Timing, power and finesse all went into their 78-run opening stand.When Jomel Warrican was introduced in the 16th over, de Zorzi tried to be innovative and paddle him away fine but gloved a leg-stump delivery to Joshua Da Silva, ending his 60-ball stay. He fell five runs short of scoring successive half-centuries in this Test and has put a peg in the ground as an enterprising opening option.Tristan Stubbs was in at No.3 and edged the fourth ball he faced past the only slip to frustrate Holder, but Stubbs calmed his nerves with a sweep off Warrican in the next over. The sweep shot was profitable for him and Warrican was a clear target. Markram hit Warrican for six over long-on once but when he tried it a second time, he did not get enough behind the shot and was caught on the boundary by Holder.Tristan Stubbs celebrates his maiden Test fifty•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Temba Bavuma stayed in his No. 4 spot and provided a foil to Stubbs, who was given a licence to thrill. He reverse swept and advanced on Warrican to hit him over the leg side and scored 36 runs off the 25 balls he faced from him. In the process, he reached his first Test fifty, off 42 balls – the second-fastest maiden half-century by a South African after Dudley Nourse’s 40-ball fifty on debut. Stubbs also took on the senior seamer, Kemar Roach, and scored 13 runs off three balls from him before Roach took out his leg stump, and South Africa declared half an hour before lunch.They gave their bowlers 20 minutes in the first session but only had 15 before the rain came down. Maharaj opened the bowling and, with his third ball, had the usually sedate Kraigg Braithwaite attempting a big shot from a full ball and caught at sweeper cover. Stubbs judged his run from the boundary well to hold on to the catch.At the other end, Rabada tested Keacy Carty by beating his outside edge, almost having him played on, and thought he had him caught behind but didn’t. He then reviewed an lbw appeal that hit Carty’s front pad in line with off-stump. Ball-tracking showed it was clipping the top on umpire’s call and Carty survived but then rain arrived.Rain affected play in all five days of the Test•AFP/Getty Images

An hour was lost and when play resumed, Rabada returned with a plan. He set up Mikyle Louis with a series of full deliveries including a fabulous yorker that was well kept out and then bowled a short one. Louis got a top edge to midwicket where he found Stubbs, who held on to a second good catch.With Carty and Athanaze at the crease, South Africa would have hoped to exploit their inexperience but the young pair survived and then thrived. Athanaze became comfortable sweeping and Carty took 12 runs off Ngidi’s second over. The third-wicket stand grew to 46 before Carty hit Maharaj towards cover where Mulder dived forward to take a low catch.South Africa could not prise West Indies open in the second session and put down two chances. Hodge offered Markram a return catch when on 9 and survived again on the last ball before tea when, on 24, he gloved a Maharaj delivery in Bavuma’s direction at second slip. Bavuma went to his right but the ball evaded him. Hodge’s dance with danger ended in the first over after tea when Maharaj found turn and bounce and Hodge got the faintest of edges to Kyle Verreynne.But Athanaze was not easily moved and was excellent against the short ball. He scored quickly, reached 50 off 58 balls and took on South Africa’s main bowlers. He scored 18 runs off 19 balls he faced from Rabada and 47 off 62 from Maharaj and had three figures in his sights until he top-edged a sweep from Maharaj to Ryan Rickelton at deep-backward square leg. By then, West Indies were on safe ground and it was too late for South Africa to push for a result. The captains shook hands on a draw in fading light with 6.4 overs of play remaining.