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Will Young set for a recall to the XI while Mark Chapman is added to New Zealand’s squad

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Dec-2024Devon Conway will miss New Zealand’s third and final Test against England this week ahead of the birth of his first child.The opener will remain in Wellington, where the Black Caps suffered a series-losing 323-run defeat in the second Test, to be with his family. Auckland Aces batter Mark Chapman has been drafted in as a replacement.New Zealand coach Gary Stead said the team supported Conway’s decision.Related

• Southee's long farewell the subplot as New Zealand seek series consolation

• Stokes urges England to stay in the now as Ashes year looms once more

• Hero of India tour, Young ready to slot into his old position at the top

• Stokes lauds England's 'more dominant cricket' for series win in NZ

• Stats – England's first series win in NZ since 2008, New Zealand's worst home defeat

“Family comes first in this environment and we’re all really excited for Dev and his wife Kim to welcome their first child,” Stead said.”Mark was with the Test squad in India recently and returned to the Plunket Shield by scoring an impressive 276 – so it’s a good time for him to be joining us.”Conway’s absence will likely mean a start for Will Young, player of the series on last month’s historic tour of India, with 244 runs at 48.40, but a spectator for the last fortnight as England stormed to an unassailable 2-0 lead.Young was the unfortunate collateral of Kane Williamson’s return from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the India series. Williamson has picked up where he left off, with two half-centuries as the team’s leading run-scorer with 195 at 48.75.However, the rest of the line-up have been found wanting, particularly Conway. A five-ball duck on Sunday dropped the left-hander’s series average to 5.25.Speaking after the defeat at the Basin Reserve, Black Caps skipper Tom Latham was coy on further changes for Friday’s match at Seddon Park. The squad will reconvene in Hamilton on Wednesday, with Latham keen to assess conditions before deciding upon a different balance of XI, having gone unchanged for the first two Tests.Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner could come into consideration given the flat nature of surfaces at the venue. Tim Southee, who will retire from Test cricket at the end of the series, should get his farewell at his home ground despite being the worst-performing home seamer, with four wickets at 61.50.

Nishita Akter Nishi took 3 for 11 to help beat WI in the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2025Opener Gongadi Trisha of India became the first person in the history of the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup to hit a century. Her 59-ball unbeaten 110 in the process helped the defending champions trounce Scotland in their Group 1 Super Six game in Kuala Lumpur.India posted 208 for 1 after Trisha’s landmark-shattering innings which had 13 fours and four sixes. She led the charge in a 147-run opening partnership with G Kamalini. Kamalini herself scored a 42-ball 51, but was dismissed in the 14th over by Maisie Maceira. Trisha then continued the charge in the company of No. 3 Sanika Chalke (29*) to take India to the second-highest total in the history of the tournament.Scotland’s batters offered little resistance in the chase, folding for 58 to hand India a 150-run win. Left-arm spinner Aayushi Shukla ran through the line-up to finish with 4 for 8. Vaishnavi Sharma, another left-arm spinner, also grabbed 3 for 5 in her two-over spell. Trisha, with her legbreak, then cleaned up the tail to claim 3 for 6, rounding off her all-round performance.India, along with Australia, are already secured of a semi-final spot from Group 1 of the Super Six round.Nishita Akter Nishi of Bangladesh celebrates with team-mates after bowling Jahzara Claxton of West Indies•ICC

Bangladesh ended their Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup campaign by defeating West Indies in their last Super Six game. They finished third on the Group 1 table, behind semi-finalists India and Australia, by wrapping up a ten-wicket win in a rain-hit contest.Offspinner Nishita Akter Nishi took 3 for 11 to restrict West Indies to 54 for 6 in 13 overs. Her spell with the new ball removed three of the top four inside five overs. From 16 for 3, West Indies sunk to 22 for 4 and 37 for 5. Amrita Ramtahal, the No. 6, scored a 23-ball 16 to give West Indies 54 to defend.In response, Bangladesh openers Juairiya Ferdous (25*) and Fahomida Choya (14*) took only 8.5 overs to chase the target. They were also helped by the 16 wide runs that West Indies’ bowlers conceded. West Indies finished bottom of their Super Six table with four defeats.South Africa – one of the Group 2 semi-finalists alongside England – finished their Super Six campaign with a washed-out game against United States of America in Kuching.The result helped South Africa complete their Group 2 campaign unbeaten, finishing on seven points and as table toppers.

Omarzai picked up 5 for 58 on a flat pitch after scoring 41 off 31 balls to beat England in the Champions Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-20251:40

Mumtaz: Fantastic execution under pressure from Omarzai

There was a moment that captured the tension beautifully in Lahore on Wednesday. With England needing 27 runs to get in 20 balls, Jamie Overton tapped a full toss to sweeper cover and the fielder just couldn’t pick it up. He tried once, didn’t work, he tried again, it was fumbled. Azmatullah Omarzai was watching it all, knowing he would be bowling the next over, knowing he couldn’t afford missteps like that.In a wildly see-sawing Champions Trophy game, where both teams had to win to stay alive, Omarzai produced a death-overs performance of 3.5-0-26-3. When he came on to bowl in this unforgiving phase of play, Joe Root was still out there, 114 not out, and it seemed like he had tilted the contest in England’s favour. Omarzai conjured an incredible effort ball that defied a lifeless pitch, got big on a set batter and bounced him out.”Omarzai is one who just flies under the radar,” former Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “He is so effective with both bat and ball. He’s a very smart cricketer. I think he bowls the harder overs, the tougher overs, and what he did so well was obviously change the pace and continue to hammer down that length, and length on such placid flat tracks is the key. I think he’s got the makings of being one of those Hardik Pandyas or Azhar Mahmoods, the perfect utility allrounder for Afghanistan.”Related

• Steyn: Afghanistan can win an ICC tournament in next decade

• Ibrahim Zadran goes from staid to spectacular to finish England off

• Zadran 177, Omarzai five-wicket haul knock England out

• Stats – Ibrahim Zadran achieves new Champions Trophy high

• Group B scenarios: How can Afghanistan qualify? Are South Africa favourites to finish on top?

Root was slow on the upper cut. That doesn’t happen a lot. It almost seemed like he was expecting the offcutter again. He had been deceived by one earlier in the over, but still managed to hit it for a boundary. And he might have been setting up for another, with short fine and short third up, but was caught completely off guard. Being unpredictable is a vital asset for a fast bowler in the back end of an innings. Omarzai couldn’t be lined up. Not even by a member of the Fab Four.”To outfox somebody of the calibre of Joe at the position of the game, batting well across a hundred, when he had the measure of the other bowlers, that is what [sets him apart],” Mumtaz said.Omarzai had provided Afghanistan with their first wicket as well, taking out the hard-hitting Phil Salt in just the fourth over of a chase of 326. He compensated for Rashid Khan having an off night with the wicket of Jos Buttler through the middle overs. An equation of 110 off 79 balls got that bit harder because England had only two recognised batters left – Overton and Liam Livingstone and – he knocked over one of them to drag a game with plenty of twists and turns back in Afghanistan’s favour.”He picked up Salt, he picked up Buttler, and he picked up Overton as well,” Mumtaz said, “All four of those wickets crucial, obviously in the end finished with a five-for, [with Adil] Rahid[‘s wicket] as well. He broke the game open not once but on three different occasions. I thought Root, Buttler and Overton, given the position of the game was quite spectacular.Azmatullah Omarzai is on top of the world after Afghanistan beat England•AFP/Getty Images

“Afghanistan just held the nerve and I think that is the biggest transition for this side, that they now know how to win key moments in games and they know how to win against better-ranked sides in the international circuit. The crowd, obviously the England support was outnumbered 99 to 1%. The roar was magnificent, and I think a true victory celebration. They are one for the big events now, the Afghanistan side.”Former England batter Nick Knight looked back at Afghanistan’s history to highlight how far they had come. “You don’t have to go that far back. Before you looked at Afghanistan cricket and you just focused on one player. Rashid Khan. If he has a really good day, Afghanistan maybe had a chance of winning,” Knight said. “You think how quickly that’s moved on. Rashid, his figures in the last couple of games haven’t been great [1 for 125 in 20 overs]. His impact in the contest hasn’t been that great.”Yet they’re very competitive. You think of the trajectory that Afghanistan cricket has been on, perhaps the pioneer, you might say, has been Rashid Khan. He’s been a huge influence, but now you think of the other players that are making immense contributions in major competitions.”Omarzai has a cherished memory, one of his earliest associated with cricket, when he went out to celebrate Afghanistan’s first ever ODI victory against a Full Member. Eleven years later, he is the one inspiring others to take to the streets. His team faces Australia on Friday in a rematch of that epic from the 2023 World Cup and if they win, they will progress to a second successive ICC tournament semi-final.

The left-arm spinner was tested in Brisbane over the weekend having been reported after the second Test in Sri Lanka

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2025Matthew Kuhnemann is expected to learn his fate by the end of next week, after being put through intensive tests on his bowling action in Brisbane over the weekend.Just a week after being reported during Australia’s 2-0 Test series win in Sri Lanka, Kuhnemann has now completed tests on his suspect action.Related

• 'It will always be there' – Botha warns Kuhnemann after suspect action report

• Kuhnemann's action to be tested despite thumb injury

“Matthew has completed the assessment which was performed at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane,” CA said in a statement on Wednesday. “The ICC will make a determination in due course. Neither Cricket Australia nor Matthew will be making any public comment at this time.”The 28-year-old was put through his paces during a session that lasted more than one hour in Brisbane, asked to bowl at a similar speed and with similar revolutions to what he did in Galle.International Cricket Council (ICC) experts watched on, with Kuhnemann wearing markers on his body and being surrounded by several high-speed cameras, and a 3D motion analysis system.The results of those tests will be assessed over the next week, before a determination is made by the ICC on Kuhnemann’s action. If he is found to extend his elbow by more than 15 degrees on his stock ball, Kuhnemann will be banned from bowling until he can prove he has remedied the issue.Otherwise, the spinner will be cleared to continue bowling for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield and be available for Australia’s tour of West Indies in June.The ICC also has the power to determine if a bowler’s action is only problematic on certain types of deliveries. In that case, a player would be able to continue bowling in matches without those variations until cleared.Australia’s players are no stranger to biomechanical testing, with high performance staff often using the same facilities to help streamline or improve the bowling actions of quicks.Kuhnemann’s test came as he was put on ice for Tasmania’s Shield clash with South Australia this week, still battling the thumb injury he suffered in the BBL. He was, however, still able to get through the ICC testing given the injury is on his non-bowling hand.Kuhnemann also played through the pain to be the leading wicket-taker of the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy with 16 wickets at 17.18 in the two Tests in Sri Lanka. It was after the second Test that Kuhnemann was told his action had been reported, for the first time in eight years of professional cricket.Australia’s players have backed Kuhnemann in the bid to have his action cleared, with stand-in captain Steven Smith expecting him to have no issue.”It’s come as a bit of a surprise to me,” Smith, who captained Australia against Sri Lanka, said last Friday. “He has been playing for eight years in professional cricket and nothing has been said in that amount of time.”I am thinking of him, at present, he has to go through the process.  We’re confident he will pass. He will go through that process back home, we wish him all the best.”

Fast bowler confident he’s ready for Test comeback after coming through Sussex return unscathed

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2025Jofra Archer says that the mental challenge of returning to four-day cricket after a four-year absence has been a bigger issue than the physical toil. However, he is confident that his body will be ready for Test cricket if he gets the call-up later this summer.Speaking to Sussex Cricket at Chester-le-Street after the second day’s play, where he had dismissed Emilio Gay lbw for his first first-class wicket for 1,501 days, Archer admitted the experience had been “mentally tough” on a surface that offered very little lateral movement for the bowlers.”I’m glad to just finish a day of four-day cricket,” he said. “Last time I played [against Kent at Hove in May 2021], I just made it to tea, so I’m glad to go all the way today.”When the scoreboard got to 50 overs, I was, like, ‘Jesus, time to come off now!'” he joked. “But it wasn’t too bad. Doing it session-by-session was okay, but the pitch didn’t do much.”Today could have been the longest day I’ve ever had, and not because it’s red-ball cricket,” he added. “I’ve been in the field for two-and-a-half days before, and it still didn’t feel as long as today. When the ball is moving, and you’re getting something off the pitch, it feels a bit more exciting.”However, crucially for Archer’s hopes of getting back into the Test team – for whom he last featured on the tour of India in 2020-21 – his body has so far shown no reaction to the added toil of red-ball cricket.”It felt all right today,” he said. “I’ve been playing for a year, and bowling for two years, including the build-up, so everything is fine.”There have been no restrictions on this game,” he added, when asked if the ECB had requested that he limit his workload. “Whatever I did, I did. Obviously there can’t be a limit if you’re looking at a Test match. They were in the field for a day-and-a-half [in the first Test at Headingley].Related

• The wait is Over: Six balls and a lifetime later, Jofra Archer returns with a bang

• Rob Key: 'Pure talent' Jofra Archer ready to hit the ground running

• Archer ruled out of West Indies ODIs due to thumb injury

• Archer in frame for Test comeback in second game of India series

• James Coles puts Sussex on front foot with unbeaten hundred

“You can’t have restrictions if you’re potentially going to go in. You put your body through as much pressure, safely, as possible, to put yourself in the best position.”Archer’s return to action this summer was delayed by an injured right thumb that he sustained during the IPL. However, he classified that setback alongside the freak glass cut he received from a broken fishtank back in 2021, calling it more of an “accident than an injury” compared to the career-threatening elbow and back fractures that have chequered his recent career.”If you get cut in the kitchen with a knife, no-one’s going to call it an injury,” he said. “It’s similar with my thumb. I just got hit while batting as we do all the time, but unfortunately it got fractured. If it was my left thumb I could have carried on and no-one would know but, because it was my bowling hand, I had to give it a bit of care.”But injuries are injuries. Nobody gets injured on purpose, no one knows when they will happen … it can be in the gym, or rehab, pre-hab, or whatever. If you’re supposed to get injured, there’s nothing you can do to get away from it.”Asked if he could ever have envisaged a return to first-class cricket during his long lay-off, Archer replied: “Back then, I didn’t have the choice because I didn’t think my body could hold up to it.”Now it’s a different challenge, because I know my body can hold up to it. The mental part of the game [will be tough]. Over the next couple of days, I’m going to have to battle a bit with it, but it’s all good. It’s a new challenge, and I’ll keep trucking along.”

Move to 12/6 conference-style Championship also favoured by players’ union

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2025The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has called for a reduction in both County Championship and Men’s T20 Blast games, urging county chairs and CEOs to “prioritise the welfare” of players ahead of a vote on restructuring the domestic game from 2026 onwards.A majority of male county cricketers in England and Wales favour reducing the number of Championship games played from 14 to 12, according to data collected by the PCA. The players’ union is also recommending a cut to the Blast schedule to help ease the number of back-to-back fixtures which it believes put players at risk.Players would also back a proposed move to a conference system for the Championship with a 12/6 split – two upper divisions of six above a lower division of six, with promotion and relegation as well as a grand final between the conference winners.Related

• Counties agree to cut in men's Vitality Blast games for 2026

• PCA reiterates fatigue concerns ahead of county domestic review

• Reduced County Championship on agenda for latest domestic review

England allrounder Chris Woakes, the PCA’s England Men’s representative, said the call for change was not about playing “less cricket because they don’t want to – it’s about being able to produce the best cricket on the field as possible”.”Welfare is extremely important and not just players but coaches and staff,” he said. “We need to get the scheduling right to give players the time to prepare, recover and make sure they’re in the best state physically and mentally.”The game is now played at a greater intensity and faster rate, especially in white-ball cricket. When you’re having to play back-to-back games it’s almost impossible to be at 100%. Having gaps between games and with safe travel is very important.”The ECB announced on the eve of the new season a review into the domestic structure – the third in the last seven years – overseen by the Professional Game Committee. Consultation has been ongoing, with a vote on the proposals expected later this month.Recently, a number of counties have begun making their preferences public: Surrey and Somerset have called for maintaining 14 Championship games, with a return to eight teams in Division One and 10 in Division Two; Durham and Lancashire support the 12/6 conference plan, while Middlesex have backed sticking with the Championship as is, with two divisions and 10 teams in the top tier.The PCA expressed concerns about the current schedule at the start of the summer, saying 83% of respondents to a survey cited physical concerns over their workload and 67% called the fixture list detrimental to their mental health.Olly Hannon-Dalby, PCA chair, suggested that “a change in format of the County Championship to 12 league games is the only reasonable option” and that it would “breathe new life” into the competition.”We are at a critical moment regarding the future of professional cricketers in England and Wales,” he said. “The schedule has always been a contentious issue and we have seen too many reviews with no change but the feeling in recent seasons due to ever-increasing intensity of fixtures has led the game to a position where positive action has to be taken immediately and as an opportunity for the game to grow.”We understand the process is not straightforward and all counties have their own prerogative, however, the game needs to come to a consensus on a way forward to prioritise a duty of care to its players who are asking for reform, not just for their own health but also for an improved product on the field.”We have over 400 male players and we recognise the different career paths available … to protect the majority, a change in format of the County Championship to 12 league games is the only reasonable option and would breathe new life into what I believe would become the best red-ball competition in the world.”Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s chief executive, said: “Cricket has always been an incredibly innovative sport and relaunching the Blast and Championship with an optimum schedule would see clubs, supporters and players benefit from being involved in world-leading domestic cricket.”We have been pleased the consultation has provided space for player views to be heard and there is a consensus that back-to-back Blast games need to be drastically eased with the aim for the competition to change to 12 regional group games.”With the One Day Cup to stay alongside The Hundred, the congestion of the intense schedule cannot be improved enough by losing two 20-over games across a six-month season alone.”As employers, every county needs to understand the player concerns while looking at the positive outcome a 12/6 split would have in the Championship. The welfare of the players should be at the heart of the decision-making process and we urge all county Chairs and CEOs to consider this when taking their vote.”Ultimately, the right decision would serve to future-proof our game with clarity and commitment to a new era.”

India dominated from start to finish to extend their dominance over Pakistan to 11-3 in T20Is

Sidharth Monga14-Sep-20251:13

Wahab: Kuldeep always one step ahead of batters

India extended their dominance over Pakistan to 11-3 in T20Is with a comfortable seven-wicket win in the first of three possible meetings at the Asia Cup. It was one-way traffic right from the time Hardik Pandya removed Saim Ayub with the first legal ball of the match.India’s superior bowling attack proved to be too much for Pakistan, who were frequently forced to play low-percentage shots to be able to score at a respectable pace. Still, 63 balls went unscored off, the scoring rate went past a run a ball only in the last over of the innings, and 128 was hardly a target for a power-packed India line-up.Related

• Hesson: We were a bit frenzied at the start with the bat and then got squeezed

• Suryakumar: Spinners come well prepared so things move 'on autopilot'

• How Kuldeep and Axar slammed the door shut on Pakistan in middle overs

• Suryakumar: Staying not out at the finish is 'one box I always wanted to tick'

Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel two each, and Hardik and Varun Chakravarthy one apiece in a performance with no let-up.

Hardik, Bumrah strike, but Farhan fights

Taking the new ball ahead of Bumrah, Hardik started with a loose delivery, but Ayub hit him straight to Bumrah at backward point. In the next over, Mohammad Haris tried to impose himself on Bumrah, and managed only to hole out to Hardik at long leg.Sahibzada Farhan, though, went on to do something no Pakistani had ever done: hit a six off Bumrah in an international match. He then hit another in the final over of the powerplay, making him only the sixth batter to have hit more than one six off Bumrah in all T20Is.However, 42 for 2 was still only a strictly fighting score for a powerplay. It was to be Pakistan’s last bit of joy in a long time.

India’s spin strangle

The trio of Varun, Kuldeep and Axar immediately shut out all the scoring after the powerplay. It took Pakistan 31 balls to hit their first boundary after the powerplay. In the intervening period they scored just 12 runs for the loss of two wickets. Both were shots borne out of desperation, resulting in the wickets of Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha.2:20

How big is the gulf between India and Pakistan?

These two wickets came off slogs, but Kuldeep now began to go past defensive shots as well, his wrong’un to consign Mohammad Nawaz to a golden duck leaving him on a hat-trick.Pakistan’s struggles were summed up by their best-looking batter, Farhan, going into the death overs on 40 off 43, and getting out off the first ball of that phase. Shaheen Shah Afridi snatched that honour away from Farhan immediately with some clean striking for a personal T20I best of 33 not out off 16 to give Pakistan some hope.

Abhishek, Gill end Pakistan’s hopes

That small ray of hope was snuffed out immediately by Abhishek Sharma, who charged at Afridi first ball and hit it back over his head for four. He then hit the second for a six over long-off. Shubman Gill then hit successive boundaries off Ayub. Even though Ayub got his own back with the wickets of both openers, India had raced away to 41 for 2 in 3.4 overs.India themselves struggled to score freely once their second-best powerplay against Pakistan ended, but the quality difference between the sides was still palpable. Pakistan’s bowling didn’t ask as many questions as India’s did, and India’s batting was able to keep finding runs.The seven overs immediately after the powerplay produced just 39 runs and Tilak Varma’s wicket, but India were still comfortably placed. All it took was a small final push from Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube to seal the win with 4.1 overs to spare.

Chamari Athapaththu looms as a key figure as the joint-hosts look to kickstart their tournament

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Oct-20252:46

Preview: Can Athapaththu dismantle England’s plans?

Big picture: Sri Lanka eye another World Cup upset

In 18 completed games against England, Sri Lanka have won only once. But that one win was worth 18 at least. Sri Lanka’s victory over England in the 2013 World Cup wasn’t just the upset of that particular tournament, it was a vital staging post in the march of women’s cricket on the smaller of these two islands.Without that last-ball win at Brabourne, Sri Lankan women’s cricket would not be where it is now. Shashikala Siriwardene, Sri Lanka’s captain at the time, remembered it this way: “Our lives and our cricket changed with that match. It started with that game. We actually didn’t celebrate massively. We shouted a little bit in the dressing room, and the coach said a few words. And then we just went to our rooms. But I couldn’t sleep! I was up most of the night remembering all the little things in that match, and the big moments. I was overjoyed. It was only the next day that I got a little sleep. I think that happened to a lot of the others as well.”Since that match, England have won 10 ODIs against Sri Lanka on the bounce. There is no question who the favourites are on Saturday. England, additionally, have humbled South Africa, and eased past Bangladesh already in the tournament. Sri Lanka have one point from a washout against Australia, but lost their tournament opener to India in Guwahati.England have surmised that while Sri Lanka have more batting weapons now than they used to have, their best chance of securing victory is to dismiss Chamari Athapaththu cheaply. England opener Tammy Beaumont said as much on the eve of the match: “Chamari will certainly be the one we’ll be desperate to get out. It’ll be really well planned for.” Athapaththu is no stranger to being one of the most-analysed players by oppositions, having been such a singular star for Sri Lanka for a decade.And yet it feels accurate. If Sri Lanka are to topple England, it feels almost inescapable that Athapaththu will have to play a role. England, though, have a bowling attack brimming with confidence. They decked South Africa for 69 all out in their tournament opener, then restricted Bangladesh for 178 in their next game. England’s slow bowlers have been doing the damage. Finger-spinners Linsey Smith, Sophie Ecclestone, and Charlie Dean have 14 wickets between them, in two matches.

Form guide:

England: WWLWL LLLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka:

In the spotlight: Heather Knight and Inoka Ranaweera

In 11 innings against Sri Lanka, Heather Knight has three half-centuries, and an average of 50. In Sri Lanka, her returns are even better – 208 runs, four not outs, and an average of 52.00. She hasn’t batted on the island since 2019, though. Sri Lanka will be aware that Knight comes in to this match with some runs, having top-scored against Bangladesh with 79. Her vast experience and success in Asia is daunting.Athapaththu may dominate opposition bowler’s minds ahead of a match against Sri Lanka, but left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera will have plenty of airtime in the batting discussions. In Sri Lanka’s first match, she took three wickets in one over to leave India 121 for 5, before they recovered (a theme of this World Cup so far). She finished with 4 for 46 in that match. If the Khettarama track takes turn – which it is likely to do – she will be difficult to handle again.

Pitch and conditions: Spin, swing… and rain?

It has been drier in the last few days in Colombo, but the forecast is again for showers, which is normal for this time of year. Expect another track on which there will be turn. But the humidity at this time of year also makes for great swing-bowling conditions.

Team news: Hasini to open for SL

England could stick with a winning XI for the third game running.England: (possible) 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Emma Lamb, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren BellSri Lanka have been trying Hasini Perera as opener rather than Vishmi Gunaratne. They will likely retain that order for this match.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Hasini Perera, 2 Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 3 Harshith Samarawickrama, 4 Vishmi Gunaratne, 5 Kavisha Dihari, 6 Nilakshika de Silva, 7 Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), 8 Sugandika Kumari, 9 Achini Kulasuriya, 10 Udeshika Prabodhani, 11 Inoka Ranaweera

Stats and trivia

• Although she hit an important 62 in that 2013 win against England, Athapaththu’s numbers against this opposition are modest. She hasn’t hit another half-century against them in 13 other innings.
  
• One of Knight’s two half-centuries in Sri Lanka came at Khettarama. She strikes at 80.62 in the country, up from a career strike rate of 72.45.
  
• Although Sri Lanka have never beaten England in an ODI series, they did win a T20I series 2-1 in England in 2023.

Quotes

“I think you can never write off Chamari at all. We’ve been on the tough end of it a couple of times over the last few years, particularly when Chamari came to England. She played a couple of amazing innings. But I think over the last few years there’s probably a few more [players] that we’ve started to talk about. There’s certainly a lot more depth to that team that can bat around someone like Chamari.”England opener Tammy Beaumont says Sri Lanka’s batting isn’t all about Athapaththu any more

The Sheffield Shield match ended late on day three with Queensland players saying the twilight period was key

AAP25-Nov-20252:51

Ehantharajah: This defeat will hurt for England

Gabba curator Dave Sandurski is set to prepare a pitch for the day-night second Ashes Test that will reward both batters and bowlers, just like in the recent Sheffield Shield clash.Queensland’s Matt Renshaw and Xavier Bartlett were standout performers in the day-night pink-ball Shield game at the Gabba which they won by seven wickets on day three.Related

• Khawaja confident of Gabba fitness but slams Perth pitch

• ICC hands down pitch rating for two-day Perth Test

• The world where Lyon doesn't play at the Gabba

• Bartlett, Sandhu dismantle Victoria under Gabba lights as pink-ball wickets tumble

• Hazlewood returns to training, Cummins arms himself with pink ball

While the pitch for the Test will be a different strip, both players said the Gabba had presented a surface that rewarded bat and ball.Renshaw made 114 in the first innings while Bartlett scored 72 and took 4 for 35 in the second.The fact the Shield match finished at the end of the third day means Sandurski will get more preparation time with hot weather forecast ahead of the Test that starts Thursday week.”Gaining an extra day to get it close to that 10-day [preparation] period makes life just that little bit more comfortable,” Sandurski told AAP. “All indications are there is a bit of heat around. The wicket will dry out a lot quicker so you’ve got to make sure you keep enough moisture in it to last five days.”We try and make our wickets pretty much the same for four and five-day cricket. The aim is to provide a wicket where all players get a chance to perform their skills so hopefully all facets of the game come into the match.”Sandurski said the Shield match was indicative of how good batting and bowling would pay dividends at the Gabba.The Gabba during the day-night Sheffield Shield match•Getty Images

The two-day Test in Perth was a reflection of how England and Australia approached their task rather than the surface. “Years ago draws were acceptable but now they are not and people play more shots and can provide more chances,” added Sandurski.Bartlett identified the middle session, played in a twilight period under lights, as the key to success. Both he and Gurinder Sandhu extracted seam and pace from the surface in that period on day three.”Just on twilight the pink ball talks a little bit more and the game goes through massive ebbs and flows,” Bartlett told AAP. “You see wickets falling in clumps. You’ve got to stay in it and make the most of that middle session.”If the Test wicket is like the one we just played on it will be a really good cricket wicket. We got a result in three days but when you bat well you get rewarded and if you bowl well it’s the same.”Renshaw said that twilight period was a challenge and when the game could change quickly.”While batting it feels like you can get a ball with your name on it at some point, but I think it will be a pretty similar wicket to what we have normally had at the Gabba,” he said. “We saw the pink-ball Test a few years ago when West Indies were touring and it swung around at times and was also nice for batting.”

New Zealand captain says his side is well aware of Varun’s threats, having faced him in the group-stage match

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Mar-20253:34

Mitchell Santner on Varun Chakravarthy: ‘We know what his threats are now’

There are many experienced players in the India team that New Zealand men’s side will be wary of in the Champions Trophy final. But one of their most inexperienced players will also loom large on the minds of New Zealand’s batters.Varun Chakravarthy has played all of three ODIs, but in that stretch, he has got eight wickets, and averages 18.12. By far his best haul came against New Zealand, in these teams’ final group match, when on a big-turning track, he claimed 5 for 42, with several New Zealand batters unable to pick him.In fact it’s not only New Zealand’s own batters. On Friday evening, two days out from the final, Chakravarthy was even seen bamboozling no less a player than Virat Kohli in the nets at the ICC Academy. Chakravarthy had followed up his five-for against New Zealand with another solid outing against Australia, on a track less given to spin, in the semi-final. He took 2 for 49 from 10 overs.Related

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Having seen him once already could make it easier for the batters to handle him, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said on the eve of the final.”I think guys will be better for the run against Varun. He’s obviously a world-class bowler we’ve seen it here and in the IPL. He’s got that little bit of mystery. But it was the first time some of the guys have been facing him. I think they’ll learn from the other day.”Santner got a particularly vicious delivery from Chakravarthy in the group match, one that was flat and fast, and yet took substantial turn to take out his off stump.Varun Chakravarthy picked up five wickets against New Zealand•ICC via Getty Images

“If the pitch plays a similar way, it’s going to be a challenge along with all three of their other spinners. I think the boys will be ready for tomorrow having looked at a little bit more footage. We know what his threats are now. That 115kph arm ball, that got me – that was a bit of a threat.”While Chakravarthy is India’s top spin-bowling wicket-taker in the tournament, their other three spinners have also prospered on a turning Dubai track. Axar Patel has five wickets for the tournament, and Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have four each. They had been effective through the middle in that previous game against New Zealand.”I think the way Axar and Jadeja denied us for a long time, it might be something similar again on a slow wicket, where it’s as if you can kind of just rotate and hit the odd bad ball away, you can get yourself up to a decent score,” Santner said.”We’ve got some good players of spin and it’s about them trying to just play their games and whether it’s to get your broom out and sweep, or it’s to use your feet, I guess we kind of give our players the freedom to play their own way.”New Zealand have their own quartet of spinners, in Santner himself, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra.”On the flipside, it’s the same with us. For us it’s about trying to build pressure for a long period of time to produce a false shot.”