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Match facts

Friday, July 1, Headingley
Start time 10.45am (0945 GMT)

Big Picture

Jumping over hoops: James Anderson was England’s hero with the ball at The Oval•Getty Images

Alastair Cook’s return to the England captaincy earlier this week could hardly have gone more swimmingly – literally, at one stage, after a thunderstorm had turned the Oval outfield into a boating lake and shaved 18 overs off the innings allocation. On a personal note, he didn’t have the best of days, as Lasith Malinga strangled him down the leg-side for a three-ball 5, but with four wins out of four in his ODI captaincy career, he’s doing his utmost to dispel the doubts about his suitability for the role.The ODI roadshow heads for Headingley on Friday, a venue where, in 2006, Sri Lanka handed out one of the most astonishing beatings ever seen in a 50-over international. England were already 4-0 down in the five-match series, but believed they’d done enough to salvage some pride by posting 321 for 7 in their 50 overs. Instead, a devastating opening stand of 286 between Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga allowed Sri Lanka to romp home by eight wickets with an incredible 12.3 overs left unused.Jayasuriya, of course, bowed out of international cricket during Tuesday’s match at The Oval, where the final act of his 445-match ODI career was to pound a cut into the hands of Eoin Morgan at point. Though his influence as a batsman has waned in recent years, his boots remain vast ones to fill, and with Tharanga also out of action due to suspension, Sri Lanka will be hoping that their fit-again captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, can put a month of inactivity behind him and rediscover the form that carried him to three centuries and a fifty in his first four matches of the tour.After a crushing win in the Twenty20 in Bristol and a crushing defeat four days later at The Oval, the one-day leg of Sri Lanka’s tour has been topsy-turvy to say the least. A 32-over contest is no real indication of 50-over form, however, and though James Anderson was outstanding in reducing Sri Lanka to 15 for 4 in his first three overs, Mahela Jayawardene reckoned the reduction in overs was a key factor in their demise, as they took too many early risks in chasing a stiff target of 232. If the rain holds off, and a full contest can play out, we may get a better indication of where the current balance of one-day power really lies.

Form guide (most recent first)

England WLWLW
Sri Lanka LLWWW

The spotlight

Stuart Broad is under pressure for his place like never before. His stock within the England dressing-room remains as high as ever, but compared to the angry mongrel who hassled and hurried all batsmen in 2010, this season he has been disturbingly toothless. Despite possessing (in the opinion of England’s bowling coach, David Saker) the “best bouncer in world cricket”, his short balls have lacked venom of late, as if he no longer trusts a body that broke down on him twice in the winter – once at Adelaide during the Ashes, and again in Chennai during the World Cup. A haul of wickets would help settle his mind, but they remain elusive for now.Tillakaratne Dilshan’s comeback from a broken thumb was so brief it was hard to ascertain whether his form has elapsed in the interim. His innings was only two balls old when he wafted an Anderson short ball to fine leg and trudged off for a single, and he didn’t bring himself on to bowl either. Sri Lanka need him to return to his explosive best, although at least, having been through two stand-in captains in Kumar Sangakkara and Thilina Kandamby, the team is finally back with the appointed leader at the helm.

Team news

There’s no real reason for England to tinker with a winning combination. Craig Kieswetter produced a diligent 61 from 56 balls to answer his critics at the top of the order, and with the exception of Broad, all of England’s front-line bowlers chipped in with wickets in the Oval victory. With Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan looking in ominous form, the engine-room of the batting is in fine fettle as well.England (probable) 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alastair Cook (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Jade Dernbach.Jayasuriya’s retirement creates a vacancy at the top of the Sri Lankan order, which is likely to be filled by Mahela Jayawardene, after his return to form in that position in the Bristol Twenty20. Dinesh Chandimal could be restored to the middle order, while the bowling attack will once again be spearheaded by Lasith Malinga.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt) 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Nuwan Kulasekera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Suraj Randiv, 11 Lasith Malinga,

Pitch and conditions

England’s mini-heatwave may have subsided, but the weather is still set fair for Friday, with temperatures in the low-20s and a 10% chance of rain.

Stats and trivia

• Mahela Jayawardene needs 41 runs to take his ODI tally against England to 1,000
• James Anderson’s haul of 4 for 18 at The Oval was his tenth haul of four wickets or more in 143 ODIs, and his second-best performance in that format.
• Sri Lanka’s 110-run loss at The Oval was their first away defeat by England in an ODI since the Champions Trophy group stage in September 2004
• It is five years to the day since Sri Lanka inflicted that Headingley hammering on England.
  

  Quotes

  “Oh, you’re talking about 2006 – thanks for reminding me about that.”
  Tim Bresnan prefers not to dwell on his debut experience against Sri Lanka five years ago.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTillakaratne Dilshan took the challenge back to England with an outstanding hundred•Getty Images

Even in good batting conditions, for a team who were bowled out for 82 five days ago to reach 231 for 1 when the opposition have amassed 486 shows they have plenty of fighting spirit. Tillakaratne Dilshan led the way for Sri Lanka at Lord’s with an unbeaten captain’s innings of 127, in a record opening stand of 207 alongside Tharanga Paranavitana, to ensure England toiled after enjoying a fine morning when Matt Prior hit 126.Dilshan showed real emotion when he cut Steven Finn for his 11th boundary to raise Test hundred number 12, pumping his fist and punching the Sri Lankan badge. It has been a difficult week for the captain, who was at a loss to explain what happened on the final day in Cardiff, and his problems continued when England recovered from 22 for 3 in their first innings here. He doesn’t have a huge amount of bowling resources on offer – the disappointing fielding will have been a greater annoyance – but where Sri Lanka should be able to compete is in the batting.It looked as though they would when they posted 400 in the first innings at Cardiff, but their later capitulation threatened to leave scars for the rest of the series. England went for three tall quicks to exploit their perceived weakness, but with the sun on their backs the openers showed there were few devils facing them as they compiled Sri Lanka’s highest first-wicket stand against England. It was also the third time on tour the pair had added a double-century opening partnership.They were helped by the bowling attack being collectively below par. Chris Tremlett was poor with the new ball, Stuart Broad couldn’t make early inroads and Finn struggled for consistency. Dilshan, unsurprisingly, did most of the early scoring, including a top-edge for six off Tremlett, while Paranavitana made 5 from his first 41 deliveries. Finn, on his return to the team, should have broken through but Alastair Cook spilled a regulation chance at third slip when Paranavitana was on 13 and later the left hander was almost run out on 48.Dilshan, too, was offered a reprieve on 80 when he got a thin edge off Graeme Swann which Prior couldn’t gather to blot his copybook. Swann’s duel with Dilshan was an engrossing battle and earlier there had almost been a stumping chance when the ball was jabbed into the batsman’s boot but it rolled wide of Prior. Dilshan was eager to dominate the contest and lofted a six into the pavilion which struck an MCC member.Dilshan also took a painful blow on the thumb in Tremlett’s first over after tea, for which he was sent for a precautionary scan at the close of play. Nothing, however, broke his concentration as he picked off anything remotely loose. Yet Paranavitana’s role should not be underestimated. He is a perfect foil for the aggressive Dilshan and doesn’t get caught up trying to match his flamboyant partner. A 142-ball fifty was 13 more deliveries than Dilshan needed for three figures but the value was the same. However, like in Cardiff, a loose shot undid the hard work when he drove at a wide ball from Finn and edged to first slip.

Smart Stats

• The 207-run opening stand for the opening wicket is Sri Lanka’s highest in Tests against England and their third-highest overall.

• Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 127 is the seventh century and the third-highest score by a Sri Lankan batsman at Lord’s. The highest is Sidath Wettimuny’s 190 in 1984.

• Dilshan’s century is the 19th instance of a visiting captain scoring a century at Lord’s and the third such instance of a Sri Lankan captain doing so.

• Tharanga Paranavitana’s 65 is his seventh half-century in Tests and his second against England. He has scored 1094 runs at an average of 37.72 from 18 Tests.

• Matt Prior’s 126 equals his second-highest Test score and is also his second consecutive hundred after the 118 against Australia in the final Test of the Ashes in January 2011.

However, such is the terrific platform Sri Lanka have they will now have designs on batting past England in a role reversal of Cardiff. That is some way off, but after dominating the morning session convincingly by collecting 144 runs in 25 overs – and the last five wickets added 285 – there is plenty for the hosts to ponder.Prior, though, played a fine innings. His 126 made it consecutive Test hundreds after his 118 against Australia, at Sydney, in January as England’s lower order gave another strong argument of being the best in the world. However, he had more than the occasional moment of fortune and was given a helping hand towards three figures.On 86 he edged past a diving Prasanna Jayawardene, then on 94 Mahela Jayawardene spilled a simple chance at second slip and one run later another edge chance flew between the keeper and first slip as neither moved. Three of the chances came off the luckless Suranga Lakmal, during a four-over spell that cost 40 runs, and next ball Prior worked a single to reach his second Lord’s hundred from 107 balls.It had been Broad who set the tone for England’s rapid-scoring morning as he took two boundaries in the opening over from Chanaka Welegedara. This was only Broad’s second Test innings since his 169 here against Pakistan – his only other knock being a first-ball duck in Brisbane – and, as he was last year, he was strong on the pull and drive.His fifty came from 47 deliveries but he fell four balls later as Welegedara managed to get one straight in a very similar dismissal to Andrew Strauss yesterday morning. Welegedara, the pick of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, made it two wickets in the over when Swann edged to first slip although Prasanna did his best to put off the catcher by diving across in front of Paranavitana.Still, England motored on as Tremlett offered Prior further support. Prior continued to pepper the boundary despite a deep-set field before he was finally bowled in Rangana Herath’s first over when he went for a sweep. By the end of the day it was looking as though England will be grateful for all his runs.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Shane Warne is bowled by fellow Victorian Brad Hodge•AFP

The short boundaries in Indore proved to be bad masters for Rajasthan Royals. The small playing field seemed to be playing on their minds as batsman after batsman in the middle order perished to reckless strokes. Brad Hodge was at the receiving end of those gifts, ending up with a career-best 4 for 13, but it was perhaps a tight first spell from Sreesanth – three overs for 15 runs and the wickets of Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane – that set the desperation in. Kochi chased the paltry 98 in style, giving their net run-rate a boost too.Coming into the game, both the teams had an outside chance of making it to the play-offs, but Rajasthan didn’t seem too optimistic on that front. They knew the remoteness of the outside chance, and took the opportunity to make six changes to their side. Rajasthan now stand knocked out, and Kochi, with 12 points from 13 games, need to win their last game and need Kolkata and Punjab to lose theirs.None of Rajasthan’s experiments worked. RP Singh and Sreesanth offered no freebies. Faiz Fazal was caught plumb in front by a full toss before Sreesanth got Dravid with a nice outswinger. Rahane followed up a flick from wide outside off to mid-on with a shuffle too far across, making it 26 for 3 in 5.2 overs.Rajasthan didn’t look to rebuild; they knew they would need a substantial total here. Ashok Menaria began with a six off Sreesanth, Shane Watson with three off debutant left-arm spinner P Prashanth. At 56 for 3 after eight, it seemed like Rajasthan were on their way back, but Watson played all around a full delivery from Prasanth Parameswaran.Now began the Hodge show. He kept tossing the ball up, the Rajasthan batsmen kept trying to hit the ball into the jungles of Madhya Pradesh. All of Hodge’s four victims thought they could hit him for sixes; they could not have been more wrong. Pinal Shah managed to go as far as long-on, Jacob Oram failed to even get a touch, Shane Warne dragged one slog-sweep on, and Menaria found long-off. When Menaria fell, Rajasthan had slumped to 89 for 9 in the 16th over, and they were not going to get many more.Brendon McCullum came out obsessed with improving his team’s net run-rate, charging at Shaun Tait first ball. Tait didn’t do himself any favours, bowling two no-balls in the first over. One of them – when he cut the side crease – had bowled McCullum. After hitting Tait for a four and six in the first over, McCullum proceeded to treat Oram as a club bowler, nonchalantly flicking him for three straight sixes. When MCullum fell for a 12-ball 29, it was important for Kochi to keep scoring fast. Hodge and Parthiv Patel didn’t disappoint, ending the chase in 7.2 overs. It was the second-biggest win in terms of balls remaining in IPLs and the fourth-biggest in all Twenty20 matches.

ScorecardAdam Wheater’s highest score for Essex helped them to a battling draw in their County Championship Division Two match against Middlesex at Chelmsford. The 21-year-old middle order batsman struck 76 as the home side were content to finish on 196 for 7 after being set the formidable target of 306 in a minimum of 53 overs.Essex were never able to mount any sort of challenge after Tim Murtagh had got rid of Jaik Mickleburgh, Owais Shah and Mark Pettini in the space of 16 deliveries at a cost of just four runs.Shah was bowled without scoring following his 96 in the first innings.But after destroying the top order, Murtagh retired to the pavilion with a knee problem and although he later returned he did not bowl again. Anthony Ireland, who completed Murtagh’s unfinished over, went on to pick up the wickets of Ravi Bopara and Matt Walker to reduce Essex to 80 for 5.However, Wheater and James Foster resisted for a further 20 overs. During that time they added 95, with the pugnacious Wheater playing the major role. He wasted no opportunity to drive and pull with power and authority as he helped himself to 13 boundaries in an innings which spanned 83 balls.In the end he succumbed to legspinner Dawid Malan, who followed up that success by removing Graham Napier – both batsmen falling lbw while playing back. But Foster, following his half-century in the first innings, and Tim Phillips carried Essex to safety and no doubt left visiting captain Neil Dexter wishing he had declared earlier to give his bowlers more time to try to force victory.Foster finished with 44, a superb effort of defiance which spanned 94 deliveries. Murtagh had figures of three wickets for nine runs from 5.2 overs, while Ireland and Malan each picked up two victims at a cost of 51 and 10 runs respectively.Earlier, Middlesex declared on 211 for 6, with the bulk of their runs coming from opener Chris Rogers and Dexter. Rogers’ aggression brought him 10 fours in an innings of 63 which spanned 60 balls, before 17-year-old paceman Reece Topley trapped him leg before wicket.Dexter finished on an unbeaten 73 from 86 deliveries, which contained one six and eight fours.Fast bowler David Masters was the pick of the Essex attack with 4 for 61 from 18 overs. Middlesex emerged from the game with 10 points which keeps them in third place in the table, while Essex had to settle for seven.

Johan Botha was offered a rare gift two days before Rajasthan Royals’ opening game in the 2011 IPL – the gift of time. With Shane Watson in Bangladesh on international duty with Australia, there was a vacant spot in the top order and captain Shane Warne and coach Jeremy Snape thought Botha could be the man to fill the gap.The South Africa offspinner typically bats down the order for his country, where the need of the hour tends to be quick runs. But he has a reputation for being a resourceful and intelligent limited-overs cricketer, and some of his performances have hinted at more potential with the bat. It was this potential that Snape and Warne sought to unlock.”They both approached me at the same time and we had a general chat and they said ‘are you keen to do it?'” Botha told ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously, I was keen. I always watch guys bat. It is not great coming in with just a few balls to go.”Botha was confident he could handle the responsibility of coming in at No. 3, given his experience of doing it in four-day cricket in South Africa early in his career. That he would be doing it in Twenty20 in the subcontinent, which is always a good place to bat, only made the offer more tempting. But the biggest draw was the time to build an innings.”You have a few balls to have a look,” he said. “The field is up at the start too, so you can get off to a bit of a flier and have 10, 15, or 20 runs before the field is spread out, so that makes quite a difference. Normally, when you come in at the end, it is a few balls to go and one or two of the best bowlers on again, so that is not easy.”The move surprised many but so far Botha has looked like he has been batting up the order all his life. In Rajasthan’s opening game against Deccan Chargers, he made a fluent, unbeaten 67 from 47 balls to lead his team to a comfortable eight-wicket win. He backed that up with 39 from 32 balls, also unbeaten, against Delhi Daredevils as Rajasthan chased down 151.”I’ve really enjoyed it. Most of the time we have chased when I have batted at three and then the game dictates how you must play. It’s pretty simple.”He was also quick to praise his team-mates for making his job easier. “The guys I’ve batted with have been great also. Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson a few times, Ross Taylor … they can hit the ball out of the ground if they want to and that’s taken a little pressure of me.”Botha played in Rajasthan’s first loss to Kolkata Knight Riders but missed the next few games with a finger injury and Rajasthan went into a bit of a tailspin in his absence, despite the arrival of Watson. They lost two of three games in that spell, with the game against Bangalore rained out. Since Botha returned for the seventh game against Kochi, the team has promptly embarked on a three-game winning streak that has taken them into the top four.The streak includes a crucial win over then table-toppers Mumbai Indians on April 29. Botha masterminded his team’s chase of Mumbai’s total of 94, a target made tougher by a two-paced pitch, and his 45 was the highest score on either side by miles. More importantly, he blunted the threat posed by Mumbai’s human-yorker-machine, Lasith Malinga. Following the game against Pune, Botha’s average stands at a lofty 94.50 and his strike-rate is 121.93. Not too shabby for a makeshift top-order batsman.Botha’s unexpected success with the bat has overshadowed his day job, but he has been no mug with the ball either, as the confidence he has gained with the willow has trickled down to his bowling as well.”It has taken a bit of pressure off me. It does make me relax a little bit. To do something for the team is always good. It might not always be bowling. It is nice to contribute in a way. Hopefully, now I can keep doing both.”Warne has used him in every conceivable situation – to open the bowling, control the middle overs and bowl at the end of the innings. His best performance came against Mumbai, when he was introduced in the 16th over, a gamble which paid off spectacularly as Botha took the wickets of Mumbai’s twin towers, Kieron Pollard and Andrew Symonds, on his way to figures of 3 for 6. He has taken five wickets in all to this point in the tournament, and has an economy rate of 6.40, forming a potent spin combination with Warne that can take wickets while simultaneously keeping the run-rate down.Botha said he is happy to bowl whenever he is asked, though it is obviously easier to bowl once the field is spread out. “If you are bowling in the first six, you want to bowl early, in the first or second over because after that the batsmen get in and you are off for a hiding to nothing.”The key to opening the bowling, according to him, is to make sure you practise with the new ball, which is quite slippery when the shine is still on it, and to remember that there are only two guys outside the 30-yard circle in the first six overs. At the same time you want to be aggressive and try to take wickets “because that stops the other team from scoring”.”You are bowling to quality players so you might go for the odd boundary in the first few overs, but I think as long as you stay aggressive and want to take wickets, things will go your way more often than not.” Botha said he relies on changes of pace to keep the batsman guessing and while he may not be the biggest turner of the ball, he is very accurate, which makes it tougher for batsmen to get after him.His recent good run with bat and ball has him thinking perhaps there is an allrounder lurking somewhere inside that is ready to step out on the world stage, though it is still early days. “In the IPL, you can say that. In international cricket, I haven’t performed that well with the bat, or that consistently. I’ve had a good last few months. Yes, I would like to be [an allrounder].”There were many raised eyebrows when Rajasthan spent $950,000 on Botha in the January player auction, but it has already proved to be money well spent.

Kenya’s fifth match of the tournament is coming up and the side has been a shambles so far, with heavy defeats in all the four games they have played. The latest loss was perhaps the most disheartening as it came against fellow Associate Canada, one of the two encounters Kenya realistically hoped to win in the World Cup. To make matters worse, their next match is against triple world champions Australia, a prospect Kenya batsman Tanmay Mishra tried to remain upbeat about.”It’s a challenge; you have to be psyched for games like these,” Mishra said. “Australia are a world champion team; 28 to 29 games unbeaten, possibly the best attack in the tournament; we just have to remain positive.”That Australian attack will prove a difficult proposition for the misfiring Kenya batting. Though their scores have gradually improved through the tournament, the team has been bowled out in all their matches, and is yet to put up a strong total. “We haven’t really done well; the top order hasn’t really connected,” Mishra said. “We’ve spoken about it; we have Australia up next, and we’ve still got to look positive, still do the basics right, and bat positively, not just bat the 50 overs.”Kenya batsman Tanmay Mishra says structures are finally being put in place for cricket in his country•AFP

The Canada match was the first time Kenya played out all their overs in this World Cup, but it was mostly a rebuilding effort after the top order failed once more, and eventually they posted a total which was too small. Mishra said the loss to Canada hurt Kenya, particularly because they had come into the tournament in good form. “The Canada defeat was a difficult one to swallow because we had been playing really well against the Associates. Even in Dubai (in the warm-up matches before the World Cup) we had some really good results. It was just the top-order collapse that delfated us; we were 41 for 4, and after that everyone’s heads were down, but these things happen in cricket and you have still got to be positive. We spoke about it and we have left it behind us.”Though Kenya have regressed from the performance level they displayed both in their inaugural World Cup in 1996 and in their high point in 2003 when they made the semi-finals, Mishra expected improvements in the next few years. “We are going through a transition period; we’ve got a lot of youngsters including myself coming through. Structures are being put in place. To be honest it is a bit late but it is getting in place, we are re-developing, cricket is spreading; in 3 or 4 years this team will rise up again.”

There are only two survivors from semi-final between South Africa and Australia at Edgbaston in 1999 in this World Cup. Only Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting have experienced the heartache and exhilaration that laid the foundation for an intense rivalry between the two countries in the 21st century. Most of the men in the present squads only had a small taste of the tough contest that plays out when these two teams meet, in the 2008-09 season. They’ll be served another morsel in the warm-up match in Bangalore, and even though it’s only for practice, the winners will take confidence out of beating their old foes.South Africa have more painful memories and will be particularly gleeful if they walk away with a victory, although coach Corrie van Zyl warned against reading too much into the match. “It’s important for us to win in terms of getting ready for the 24th, which is when the real thing starts,” he said. South Africa have another ten days before their World Cup campaign gets underway against West Indies in Delhi and are being careful not to get distracted before then.The outcome of tomorrow’s match could be one such distraction, perhaps more so if South Africa win. Australia are by no means the invincible side they once were, and they don’t have the same hold over South Africa that they once did, but the contest is still talked up. van Zyl is trying to get his team to think beyond that. “To think about those things in the past is unnecessary,” he said. “This is a different side now.”The biggest change for South Africa is that they have a more varied bowling attack than ever before, headlined by three frontline and two part-time spinners. Collectively, they took six wickets in the warm-up game against Zimbabwe, and after seeing the amount of turn the Bangalore pitch offered, they must be drooling at the sight of it. Australia lost 9 for 58 against India on Sunday, and their batsmen have plenty to ponder over before facing South Africa’s spinners, all of whom are likely to play.”We want to give everyone an opportunity,” van Zyl said, indicating South Africa may field all 15 players. It will be a helpful exercise for Dale Steyn, who got nothing out of the Chennai pitch and saw some Australian seamers succeed in Bangalore. Steyn bowled much slower than normal against Zimbabwe but there were no doubts over his fitness. “Dale brings a uniqueness to the bowling attack with his pace and swing and is obviously a very important player for us. We are looking to have a complete bowling attack and he is part of that.”There was a fear that one of the prongs of that attack, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, may be out of action for a while after spraining his knee against Zimbabwe but he was running during training with no problems. “He has done work with the physio and practiced under guidance and we hope he will be ready for tomorrow,” van Zyl said.The emphasis is on getting every member of the squad as prepared as possible and not on the overall outcome. With that in mind, the middle order is a concern because it did not have much time at the crease on Saturday. Although van Zyl would like to see the likes of JP Duminy, Colin Ingram and Johan Botha batting, he doesn’t want it to come “because the top order did a bad job.” Ideally he would like them to “get an opportunity at a later stage in the innings.”The only other player whose preparation is under scrutiny is Jacques Kallis. He batted with sublime confidence on Saturday but did not bowl and is unlikely to do so on Tuesday. van Zyl hoped the step-by-step reintroduction will pay off and Kallis will peak during the tournament. “When he has had periods of rest, he always comes back so strongly, so we hope that will happen again. It’s important that he is ready for the business end.”That end of the tournament is not for another five weeks, and even though many will see Tuesday’s match as a possible semi-final or final, it will be crucial for South Africa to remember that it isn’t and concentrate on their method, not the result. A victory over Australia later in the tournament will be much sweeter.

Stand-in captain Ross Taylor expressed satisfaction at having won the final ODI in Auckland, to end 3-2 after Pakistan wrapped the series up in Hamilton. New Zealand made ample use of the small Eden Park boundaries and a terrific batting pitch to make 310, before bowling Pakistan out for 254 in the 45th over. The host’s top order finally fired after disappointing showings in the three previous matches and Pakistan never quite recovered from three early strikes to launch a meaningful challenge on New Zealand’s total.”It’s been a tough six months, but to finish on that note was very satisfying,” Taylor said. “Hopefully we can take some momentum into the World Cup and get a couple of victories in the warm up games.”The New Zealand players endured a gruelling team meeting following their loss to Pakistan in Hamilton on Thursday. Team management and support staff had apparently not been present at the meeting and the players had talked openly about the team’s recent failures and the need to turn it around before the World Cup for an hour and a half in the Seddon Park dressing room.”We’re not going to talk about what we said in the meeting,” Taylor said. “We wanted to improve our performance on the field and a few different things off it and the team went a long way to achieving how we want to play. 300 is normally just the par in New Zealand, so to get 310 today was very satisfying.”New Zealand hadn’t been totally outclassed during the series, having lost three matches by a reasonably narrow margin, but the team had lacked a standout individual performance – which Jesse Ryder provided in the sixth ODI with a 93 ball 107. “We were very close in the other matches. We just didn’t step up and players got out at crucial times. In the two matches we won, players did step up – so it shows that when we do that we’re a competitive side.”Brendon McCullum returned to his familiar opening role, having spent most of the series lower down the order, in order to take advantage of the batting Powerplay. The experiment had not worked for New Zealand however, as McCullum made just 58 runs in three innings, proving ineffective as a lower order pinch hitter. Ryder had moved to number three to make room for McCullum’s return to the top, and Taylor claimed the top three could remain unchanged going into the World Cup.”Brendon’s always going to be opening now with Jesse doing so well. We had a meeting last night and thought of having Brendon up there. We also wanting keep Martin as an opener so it was either Brendon or Jesse batting at three.”Ryder also expressed a desire to stay put in the batting order, following his century. “Going forward to the World Cup I don’t really want to change now, so we’ll see what happens when we get over there,” said Ryder. “There’s been a lot of change over the last six games and wherever I’m put it’s my job to play as well as I can for the team. Leading up to the World Cup I guess it will be Baz and Guppy opening.”Scott Styris and Nathan McCullum also pitched in during the end overs with two blistering half-centuries. The pair added 120 from 84 balls and plundered 71 runs from the batting Powerplay to propel New Zealand beyond the 300. “Scotty and Nathan took their time early on but it shows you they can catch up later on,” Taylor said. “We need someone to step up in those crucial death overs [in the World Cup] and with the ball reversing in the subcontinent, it won’t be an easy time.”Taylor was also impressed with the way his bowlers handled the final overs of the match, as Shahid Afridi attempted to blast his side home, and claimed that it’s a crucial aspect of their game heading into the World Cup. “It’s an area we haven’t performed as well as we would have liked. The bowling up front has been quite consistent over the last 6-12 months but the death bowling we haven’t quite mastered. With the rough wickets in the subcontinent, reverse swing is an area we need to get better at. But the way Tim Southee and Hamish Bennett bowled was outstanding. In the other games we became a little bit predictable, but today we just tried to change it up.”Ryder was also pleased to end his bad run with the bat. Ryder had failed to score several times during the tour, making three noughts in a row during the Tests, and being run out before facing a delivery in the last match at Seddon Park. His manic knock laid the foundation for New Zealand’s innings as he exploited Eden Park’s short boundaries to hit seven fours and six sixes.”It has been a frustrating series for me with all those ducks under my belt. Today batting at three, I just wanted to go out there and express myself and I just backed my ability. I was feeling good after that first game in Wellington, and to score a hundred today just topped it off before the World Cup.”

Scorecard
Katherine Brunt struck early for England as the visitors surged ahead on the second day•Getty Images

England fought back well with the ball on the second day at the Bankstown Oval, running through Australia to put the value of Charlotte Edwards’ unbeaten 114 into stark perspective. England’s tail clung on stubbornly in the morning session, Holly Colvin stretching her stay to 98 balls, and the bowling attack then combined to reduce Australia to 9 for 159 before the hosts declared. England’s openers then negotiated a tricky couple of overs to increase the lead to 57 at stumps.Edwards’ ton propped England up on the first day, and she remained firm on day two, receiving good support from a determined Colvin. Their partnership was worth 49 when Colvin missed one from offspinner Lisa Sthalekar to be bowled for an obdurate 15 with the score at 196.Lauren Griffiths managed to stick around for 23 balls before she fell to Sarah Elliott, and she was back in the action – behind the stumps this time – shortly afterwards as England’s new-ball bowlers nipped out a couple of wickets before lunch.Katherine Brunt, opening the bowling for England in her first Ashes Test in Australia, found the edge of Shelley Nitschke’s bat and Isa Guha then dismissed Elliott in similar fashion as Australia slipped to 2 for 8 in the eighth over and reached 2 for 16 by lunch.England continued to chip away after the interval, reducing Australia to 6 for 68 before a battling partnership between Jess Cameron and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy. They carried Australia to 6 for 105 at tea but Guha then struck back with two wickets in two balls. Ellyse Perry clung limpet-like to the crease for 90 balls as Healy played a few shots to reach 37 on Test debut before she top-edged a pull to be caught at mid-on.Australia extended their innings for just over six overs before the declaration came. That left Heather Knight and Caroline Atkins with 10 overs to face before the close, and they opted for watchful defence to ensure England go into the third day with all 10 wickets intact.”Things didn’t quite go right for us today but we’re all really positive and we’re looking to play a nice aggressive style of cricket,” said Healy. “We declared 50-runs behind because we wanted to have a crack at them tonight and although we didn’t get a break through we’re really confident that we can take 10 more wickets and chase down the target.”England were up and bowling really, really well today but we know when get a second crack we can turn it around and chase whatever they set us. We know we can win from any position.””I’m really pleased with how we have performed today,” said Guha, who picked up 3 for 27. “It’s been a real team effort with wickets shared amongst the bowlers. I think that shows the strength and variety in our bowling attack. We’ll be looking to have a good day with the bat tomorrow.””It was a great feeling to pick up my first Test wickets,” said Danielle Hazell, playing in her debut Test. “There was good energy in the field and support for all the bowlers. It was an interesting decision for them to declare but they know they have to win. We too are playing to win and I would personally love to pick up some more wickets along the way.”

Match facts

Saturday, November 20
Start time 9.30 (0400 GMT)India will be wary of Brendon McCullum with the bat and in the field•AFP

Big Picture

In the late 90s and early 2000s, Australia was the country where teams went to get clean-swept. Pakistan, India and West Indies had managed the distinction in sequence, and the same was expected of New Zealand in 2001-02. Not least because of the form they carried across the ditch, having fought to draw a home Test series against Pakistan and having lost home ODI series to Zimbabwe and Pakistan, along with unsuccessful forays into tri-series in the subcontinent. Yet the top team in the world had to bowl wide outside off to draw the first Test, and then save the final through batting contributions from Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist. Series result: 0-0.Not too different, in a way, from New Zealand getting Bangla-washed on their way to India, a team looking to extend its reign at the top, its broadcasters selling the series as “Mission Domination”. Score line going into the final match: 0-0, with India being made to save one of those Tests.Still there are differences, outside the obvious reiteration that New Zealand should never be taken lightly. New Zealand then had a much stronger side through the presence of Chris Cairns, Stephen Fleming, Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle and Dion Nash, along with two promising youngsters in Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond. Also, the conditions in Australia aren’t as alien as the ones in India are. Which is what makes the performance in India so far every bit as sweet for New Zealand, if not sweeter.The way the top team played then and the way the top team is playing now cannot be more different. Australia made bold declarations, setting targets such as 284 runs in 56 overs. India are so used to playing on flat tracks that they send a deep point out the moment the leading wicket-taker still playing the game is hit for one boundary. With the exception of Virender Sehwag, India have shown no inclination to set the pace.It will be interesting to see if India will become more aggressive in the decider, for attacking consistently will go against what has worked for them in recent times: damage-control to stay in the game until the wickets arrive. Failing to win a home series against the No. 8 team in the world, though, might require much more damage-control than deep point and deep midwicket can provide.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
India DDWWW
New Zealand DDLLW

Watch out for…

Gautam Gambhir scratched through in Hyderabad for his first half-century in 10 months. Those 10 months have featured an evil concoction of injury and poor form, the latter possibly a result of the former. There were signs, though, that he might be getting back to his free-flowing self. Still, being a man who is often too hard on himself, Gambhir can do with a century before he goes to South Africa.

Brendon McCullum invited pressure when he gave up the wicketkeeping gloves to concentrate on his batting. Two Tests into the exercise McCullum already seems to have made a change, albeit in a country that doesn’t test openers as much as some of the others do. Twice in three innings, his impetus at the top has put India on the defensive. India will be wary of his batting, and also keep an eye out for that flying object in the covers.

Pitch and conditions

The tracks in this series so far have received a lot of negative attention from the home team, who will be hoping for a better pitch in Nagpur. Both the captains have found this pitch to be drier than the ones in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, but neither of them expects a raging turner designed to give the home team the best possible chance of a win.
More than the pitch now, weather has become the centre of attention, with unseasonal rains washing out both of India’s practice sessions ahead of the match. The main pitch and the bowlers’ run-ups have stayed covered, but puddles have formed in the outfield. A delayed start won’t come as a surprise.

Team news

Zaheer Khan, India’s best bowler at the moment, has been ruled out with a groin strain, and Ishant Sharma is likely to take his place in the XI. Despite two draws, India are not going to make any other dramatic changes to their combination.
India 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 SreesanthNew Zealand are likely to bring in the left-arm pace of Andy McKay ahead of Brent Arnel’s steady seamers.New Zealand 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Andy McKay, 11 Chris Martin

Stats and trivia

• India are sure to lose rating points irrespective of the result of this match. Even if they win the match, they will lose one point; a loss and a draw will cost them six and four points respectively.
• Six out of India’s top seven batsmen, Virender Sehwag being the exception, have scored at less than 50 runs per 100 balls.
• New Zealand last won an away Test, not counting Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, in 2002 in the West Indies, which was also the last time they won an away series.

Quotes

“If you look at the schedule players like myself and Suresh Raina have been playing non-stop cricket since the Sri Lanka tour … So there has not been enough time to switch on and switch off.”

“We are not satisfied because once we are satisfied, it will be the start of our downfall.”