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Match facts

Saturday, July 11, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)A young Sri Lanka side will be boosted by the presence of Lasith Malinga and Tillakaratne Dilshan•Getty Images

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Pakistan have recently been whitewashed in Bangladesh. Sri Lanka’s last ODI outing was that traumatic Sydney World Cup quarterfinal against South Africa. Both teams have lost key men. Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi have stepped off the one-day planet. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have disappeared over the horizon. These teams are not so much waging high-octane battle in the five-ODI series, as conducting experiments. Is Kusal Perera a viable long-term opener, for example? Or can Sarfraz Ahmed learn to transplant his knack of playing vital Test innings, into his ODI game, and where should he bat? What is each team’s top attack? Which batsmen will take the middle order into the future.The stakes are much higher for Pakistan, though. Presently ninth in the ODI rankings, they must defeat Sri Lanka to displace West Indies, and move up a spot. A proposed ODI triangular in Zimbabwe has added uncertainty to Champions Trophy qualifications, but a healthy margin of victory in this series would put a small buffer between them and the next team.The hosts are coming off a dispiriting Test series, but have often rebounded in the limited-overs formats. Lest we forget, Tillakaratne Dilshan still plays one-dayers, and Lasith Malinga leads the attack. Along with Angelo Mathews, they are capable of rallying a young team to at least present a challenge to transitional Pakistan.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka: LWLWWPakistan: WWLLL

In the spotlight

With Rangana Herath omitted from the squad, Mathews said Sachithra Senanayake was Sri Lanka’s premier limited-overs spinner. Senanayake appeared to have returned successfully following the remodeling of his action, in the series against England at home last year. His returns in Australia and New Zealand, however, were less encouraging. With Nuwan Kulasekara’s experience also overlooked for this squad, pressure mounts on Senanayake to prove he remains a high-quality one-day bowler.Who else but Yasir Shah? They tried to attack him in the Tests, and Yasir took wickets. They tried to block him in the Tests, and Yasir still took wickets. They tried a mix of both, Yasir’s wickets still came. In the end, Sri Lanka only succeeded by tiring him out, at Pallekele. They will not be able to do that in an ODI. Even the batsmen who made big scores in the Test series didn’t have him worked out. He is the hosts’ top threat.

Team news

With Tillakaratne Dilshan back at the top, Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne are likely to slot in at No. 3 and 4.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Upul Tharanga, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Seekkuge Prasanna, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Suranga LakmalAsad Shafiq suffered a groin strain in the third Test, but has now recovered. He will likely face off with Babar Azam for his middle-order spot however.Pakistan (likely): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Azhar Ali (capt.), 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Mukhtar Ahmed, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Babar Azam/Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Anwar Ali, 10 Mohammad Irfan, 11 Rahat Ali

Pitch and conditions

With a little bit of rain around all across the island, there is likely to be a little seam movement at Dambulla. This doesn’t mean the spinners are out of it either. The weather is expected to be fine.

Stats and trivia

• Sarfraz Ahmed’s average as opener is 43. This is roughly twice his average in the middle order.
• Pakistan were blasted out for 102 the last time they played in Dambulla, in August last year.
• Angelo Mathews averages 53.69 from 42 innings at no. 5. This is again much higher than his average in other positions.

Peter Drinnen has stood down as Scotland’s coach, ending a fortnight of speculation over his job. Cricinfo understands that Andy Tennant and Pete Steindl will be in charge until the end of the season.On June 27 it emerged that Drinnen’s position was under threat following a whispering campaign by senior players. “I always try to deal with people in an open, honest and respectful manner,” he said. “It appears that some of my players – and I stress it is only a few – haven’t been able to pay me the same courtesy.”He then called for the backing of Cricket Scotland, but today it was announced that the board had decided to appoint caretaker coaches for the national team until the end of the Twenty20 World Championship in September 2007. Officially, Drinnen will continue to work with the A team and Under-23s.News of his departure had been circulating for a few days with one insider saying that the delay in making the announcement had been caused by the two parties having to thrash out contractual details.Roddy Smith, chief executive of Cricket Scotland, said that “given Peter’s wider remit, it is felt that a change of personnel is required with the national team”.Smith is likely to face awkward questions in the coming days as Drinnen is the second coach seemingly forced out by player power. In January 2006 Andy Moles quit in similar circumstances and he too failed to get backing from the board.

Sachin Tendulkar will make his much-awaited return to cricket through a series of charity matches in England beginning this week. He has been sidelined since March after undergoing shoulder surgery, but will appear for Lashings against Cambridge University Cricket Club at Fenners on Wednesday.Tendulkar, 33, will then face Reigate CC on Sunday, June 25, before taking on Middleton CC in West Sussex the next weekend. He will conclude his stint with Lashings against Sutton Valence School in Kent on July 6.”This is a great opportunity for me to get back into cricket, to get some batting practice, and to play matches that will help raise money for charity,” he told BBC Sport. “I get the chance to play alongside international players, but not in games where every run counts.”His last international appearance was the third and final Test against England at his home ground of Wankhede in March. He made himself unavailable for the one-day series against England and the entire tour of the West Indies but now he hopes to be fit for a tri-series in Sri Lanka in August.

Pakistan today announced their squad for the opening Test against South Africa, which starts at Lahore on Friday (Oct 14). Yousuf Youhana takes over the captaincy from the injured Inzamam-ul-Haq, but the major surprise was the recall of the former captain Moin Khan.Moin, 32, has not played international cricket since March 2001, when he was replaced as captain after a string of poor results, culminating in the series defeat by England in December 2000. He led the side in the following series in New Zealand, but was forced out of the team with a knee injury, was replaced by Waqar Younis as captain, and then cast into the wilderness. However, with Rashid Latif refusing to play in this series after his sudden resignation, Moin has another chance.Also recalled were Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat and Misbah-ul-Haq, but there was no place for Younis Khan or Abdul Razzaq. Mushtaq Ahmed’s inclusion was subject to his recovery from a stomach-muscle injury, while Umar Gul is on standby. The 16-man squad included just one uncapped player in Asim Kamal, a middle-order batsman.”The team has been selected on the availability of players, current performance and form,” said Aamer Sohail, the chairman of selectors. “We understand that there are some injury concerns and that did make our task difficult. However, the squad has been picked with the consent of the team management.”Meanwhile, Inzamam is expected to be fit for next week’s second Test at Faisalabad. He pulled a hamstring during the second ODI last week, and although he played in Sunday’s series decider he was clearly incapacitated. “Tauseef Razzak [Pakistan’s team doctor] examined Inzamam,” explained Haroon Rashid, the Pakistan manager, “and has confirmed he needs at least a week’s rest to recover from his hamstring strain.”Squad
Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Mushtaq Ahmed, Danish Kaneria, Shabbir Ahmed, Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal (wk).

ScorecardVictoria virtually ensured their hold on the Pura Cup, as Queensland ended the fourth day of the final on 2 for 56, needing a further 520 on the last day. Earlier, Victoria declared their second innings at 1 for 140, after bowling out Queensland for 275 in their first innings.Full report follows …

Australia v Zimbabwe:Adam Gilchrist (AUS) needs 134 runs to complete 5000 ODI runs
Andy Symonds (AUS) needs 95 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs
Grant Flower (ZIM) needs 90 runs to complete 6000 ODI runs
Heath Streak (ZIM) needs 14 runs to complete 2000 ODI runsGrand Flower (ZIM) needs 3 wicket to join the 100 ODI-wicket clubMichael Bevan (AUS) needs 111 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Adam Gilchrist (AUS) needs 227 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Grand Flower (ZIM) need 64 runs to complete 500 World Cup runsHeath Streak (ZIM) needs 7 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-clubSri Lanka v Kenya:Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) needs 171 runs to complete 9000 ODI runs
Thomas Odoyo (KEN) needs 76 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs
Ravindu Shah (KEN) needs 52 runs to complete 1000 ODI runsAravinda De Silva (SL) needs 2 wickets to join the 100 ODI-wicket clubAravinda De Silva (SL) needs 191 runs to complete 1000 World Cup runs
Hashan Tillakaratne (SL) needs 211 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Steve Tikolo (KEN) needs 92 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Maurice Odumbe (KEN) needs 217 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Ravindu Shah (KEN) needs 225 runs to complete 500 World Cup runsMuttiah Muralitharan (SL) needs 6 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club
Chaminda Vaas (SL) needs 3 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club

Goa Cricket Association (GCA) president Dayanand Narvekar and threeother GCA officials were arrested and subsequently released by Margaopolice last evening, police sources said in Panaji on Tuesday.Narvekar, GCA secretary Vinod Phadke, former treasurer Rama Shankardasand a member Vivek Pednekar were arrested under section 336 of IndianPenal Code (IPC) on charges of endangering human lives during theIndia-Australia ODI on April 6, they said. They were subsequentlyreleased on bail bond of Rs 10,000 each, sources said.Narvekar, a former deputy chief minister, Phadke and Shankardas are onbail in another case connected with the fake ticket scam. Achargesheet in the case was likely to be filed by the police thisweek, they said.According to police, around 15,000 ticket holders had to be deniedentry fearing a stampede on the day of the ODI as the stadium waspacked to capacity. It had to then resort to a lathi charge todisperse the crowd.

The former Gloucestershire wicketkeeper, international umpire and professional footballer Barrie Meyer has died in Durban aged 83.Meyer stood in 26 Tests and 23 ODIs, including the 1979 and 1983 World Cup finals, following a career where he played 406 first-class matches and 44 List A games. He stood in the famous 1981 Ashes Test at Headingley where Ian Botham and Bob Willis turned the match on its head.He was an all-round sportsman having played football for Bristol Rovers, Plymouth, Newport County and Bristol City. For Bristol Rovers he scored 60 goals in 139 league matches and scored against Manchester United in the 4-0 FA Cup victory in 1951.Meyer umpired his first international in 1977, an ODI against Australia at Old Trafford, and his final match was also against Australia, a Test at The Oval, in 1993.

Scorecard

New Zealand may only have three-quarters of their squad assembled in England, but their new opening batsman, Aaron Redmond, got his tour off to a useful start with a solid 72 against MCC in the traditional opening match at Arundel. Rain interrupted the game throughout the day, and it dribbled into a draw after nine overs of MCC’s run-chase.Jamie How, New Zealand’s stand-in captain in place of Daniel Vettori – who is on leave with the Indian Premier League – shared in an opening stand of 91 with Redmond. How smacked 10 fours in his slick 46 from 56 balls before he was caught off Chris Cairns, his former team-mate, who was captaining MCC. Redmond, who played for Wigan in the Lancashire League last year, fell to a brilliant one-handed catch by Paul Nixon for 72.New Zealand’s innings fell away thereafter, not helped by frequent rain interruptions, but Tim Southee clattered two huge sixes to lift their total to a challenging 239 for 7 from 47 overs. Mark Gillespie nipped out the MCC openers in quick succession before the final rain break terminated the match, and attention now turns to New Zealand’s first proper warm-up against Kent at Canterbury tomorrow.New Zealand have always struggled to find a reliable opening combination, and Redmond, 28, is their latest. He was once a middle-order batsman but reinvented himself as an opener when he joined Otago in 2004, and was awarded with a contract with New Zealand two weeks ago.”I was a little bit nervous at the start because it’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to play for a New Zealand side, but it was great to find my feet,” Redmond told PA. “It’s a great opportunity and the best thing I can do is keep performing and training hard. I thought it would give me a better chance to play for the Black Caps and I tried to work on my game and make it nice and tight and it’s worked for me.”Redmond is the son of Rodney who played one Test for New Zealand and was highly successful, scoring 107 and 56 against Pakistan in Auckland in 1972-73. However, he then struggled to adjust to new contact lenses on the visit to England later that year and managed only 483 runs at 28.41 and had to settle for being remembered as a one-Test wonder.The first Test gets underway at Lord’s on May 15.

The Indian team had mixed news from the sick bay ahead of the second ODI against South Africa on Friday. While S Sreesanth has been ruled out of the match, and Gautam Gambhir was also deemed unfit, MS Dhoni and Ajit Agarkar appeared to be ready for selection.”Sreesanth is still not well. He’s definitely not well enough to play tomorrow (Friday)”, said Rahul Dravid, the India captain, after the fast bowler did not turn up for practice.Gautam Gambhir, the opening batsman, has also joined the sick list. “Gautam Gambhir has also had a bit of a viral fever so he’s in the hotel”.”Ajit Agarkar and Dhoni seem to have recovered but we would have loved to have had them practice today because they’ve not played cricket for a week and to have an idea of exactly how they are feeling”, Dravid addedHeavy rain meant that the Indian team could not have an outdoor practice session and instead had to settle for gym work.Dravid said that the flu-related illness within the Indian team was continuing to pose selection problems.”We have an idea but it’s all dependent on who is fully fit and available. We will have to wait on Gautam [Gambhir] and see how he is before we make a call on that.Meanwhile, Ranadeb Bose and Ishant Sharma, the emergency reinforcements, have joined the team after arriving on Wednesday.Dravid responded to comments from Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, that India would be weakened without the presence of a genuine allrounder in their squad.”In these sort of conditions we have used Sourav Ganguly, used Sachin Tendulkar a little bit and we used Yuvraj Singh in the last game because the spinners were bowling well and against the South Africans we thought he might be quite handy”.”You’ve just got to see who is best for the conditions. If there was one guy we were using all the time we wouldn’t need a part-time bowler”, he said.Arthur said Dale Steyn, the fast bowler, and Thandi Tshabalala, the off-spinner, could give the Proteas’ attack increased variety on Friday. They are struggling with flu but Arthur expects them to play – and possibly play a crucial role.”I’ve done a lot of analysis of our last performance,” Arthur said. “And the only thing I can think of is I still think between overs 20-35 we are still a little bit predictable, if you look at the likes of Andrew Hall, Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis bowling in that area, they are all pretty much the same. I really want to see Steyn and Tshabalala tomorrow. We need to go home with some answers. We need them bowling at the Tendulkars, the Dravids the Sourav Gangulys and Yuvraj Singhs.”Spin has been a problem area for South Africa for some time and whether Tshabalala, known for firing the ball in at the stumps, is the answer against high-class batsmen, remains to be seen. Steyn is a more experienced cricketer and this season has also been playing for English county Warwickshire.”Maybe they will give us the variation we are looking for”, Arthur said. “We were criticised a lot in terms of the variation of our attack – and I think that criticism was true.We need to find a spinner, and the other variation you can have is express pace – which Dale Steyn does bring to the party.”