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Pakistan will not tour Bangladesh this year as per schedule; the PCB said the series has been postponed indefinitely by mutual consent. Pakistan was to play two Tests, three ODIs and a T20I series in Bangladesh in July and August.”We had spoken about the possibility of hosting them [Bangladesh in Pakistan] this year,” PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told ESPNcricinfo. “Pakistan have now toured Bangladesh twice without them reciprocating, and we feel we cannot tour Bangladesh for the third straight time. Therefore, we have decided to postpone the tour, and will explore another window in the next year or so.”Bangladesh last toured Pakistan in 2007-08, for a five-ODI series. Since then, Pakistan have toured Bangladesh twice, in 2011-12 and 2015. The PCB had invited Bangladesh for a two-match T20I series this year, only for the BCB to rebuff the invitation.On Pakistan’s last visit to Bangladesh in 2015, the PCB had reportedly taken US$ 325,000 and justified it by saying the series had “technically” been Pakistan’s home series. This year the BCB rejected all such proposals to share revenue, though it was open to playing at a neutral venue if necessary.The PCB, however, was not keen on that option. It is understood the Pakistan board feels that hosting teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the UAE – its adopted home – is not financially viable.Relations between the Pakistan and Bangladesh boards have been sour in the past. During the Zaka Ashraf regime, the PCB had stopped communication with the BCB and barred its cricketers – who had already been auctioned to various teams – from featuring in the Bangladesh Premier League.Bangladesh were the fourth team – after West Indies, Ireland and Sri Lanka – to refuse to travel to Pakistan in the last two years. Nevertheless, the PCB is looking to build on hosting an incident-free PSL final in Lahore in March by inviting a team of international cricketers to play a T20 series in September. However, even the PSL final – touted a success – was marred by Quetta Gladiators’ entire foreign contingent deciding against travelling to Pakistan for the final.In another development, members of the ICC board were briefed on the security situation in Pakistan. According to Shaharyar, Giles Clarke, the head of the ICC task force on Pakistan, confirmed that Lahore would host a World XI in September.”We wanted to share the series between Lahore and Karachi but since the security assessment was focussed on Lahore only, it was decided to restrict the series to Lahore for now,” Shaharyar said. “The presentation about the PSL final was well received and all members understand that the World XI tour will further pave the way for major international cricket in the country. They were supportive overall and we are looking forward to host some of the top players of the world.”

Match facts

March 28-31, 2017
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)Ed Joyce (in pic) needs 84 runs to reach 1000 runs in the Intercontinental Cup.•ICC/Saleem Sanghati

Big picture

When the Intercontinental Cup was initiated by the ICC as part of their global development programme, the concept of an Associate using the competition as a vehicle to vie for Test status was a pipe dream. Thirteen years on, it’s a prospect both Afghanistan and Ireland are faced with; the winner of the current Intercontinental Cup edition will take another step closer to cricket’s ultimate dream.Much discussion recently have pegged a double bump up for both sides, but that will depend on ICC’s reforms being approved, a long-drawn process if history is any indication. For now, only the champion of the Intercontinental Cup will advance to the 2018 Test Challenge, a four-match series against the bottom-ranked Test side, currently Zimbabwe.As such, the stakes remain high in the four-day showdown in Greater Noida, particularly since the format has undergone a slight tweak. Unlike previously where the top two sides met in a final at a neutral venue, the group topper after seven rounds will be declared the winner this time around. Therefore, it’s fair to say this clash will have plenty riding on it, perhaps more than any of the six previous finals have.If Afghanistan claim the full 20 points – six for a first-innings lead and 14 more for an outright win – they will sneak past Ireland by a point into the tournament lead. Their final two games are against Hong Kong and UAE, currently placed last. An Ireland loss would mean they’d be in an uphill battle to surge past Afghanistan since they arguably have the toughest remaining slate of any team in the competition – against Netherlands and Scotland.A full 20-point for Ireland win though would put them in a virtually unassailable position, up 39 points with only 40 left on offer for Afghanistan in the final two rounds. Ireland may also be content to play for a draw away from home, a result that would give them a minimum of three points to maintain their lead on the overall table.Though currently second and 19 points behind Ireland, momentum is on Afghanistan’s side. A thumping 10-wicket demolition of Ireland in the final of the Desert T20 Challenge has been followed by a 3-0 T20I sweep and a 3-2 ODI series win this month over the same opponent. In between the Desert T20 and hosting Ireland, they had another 3-2 ODI series win over Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe.Ireland, who have won four of the last five Intercontinental Cups, have been consistent in the tournament at least. This time around, they have stormed not only to four wins in four matches, but have also claimed full points including a pair of wins by innings margins. All set then for a cracker.

Form guide

Afghanistan LDWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland WWWWW

In the spotlight

Rashid Khan has never taken the field for Afghanistan in the I-Cup. However, he took 12 for 122 on his first-class debut against England Lions in December to dispel any doubts over his capabilities in long-form cricket. Rashid was the leading wicket-taker in both the T20I and ODI series ahead of this with nine and 16 respectively across eight matches.Ireland’s Ed Joyce is the leading scorer in the competition with 592 runs in six innings. The bulk of that output came in a pair of double-century knocks against UAE and Namibia in June and October 2015. He kept up that form in limited-overs cricket against Afghanistan in the summer of 2016, finishing as the leading scorer in the home four-ODI series with 339 runs. However, he’s had a much leaner run since arriving in Greater Noida, making just 137 runs in five ODIs.

Team news

Zahir Khan, the left-arm wristspinner who is tied with George Dockrell for most wickets in the tournament, is one of several expected changes from the limited-overs leg as Afghanistan may produce a three-pronged spin attack: Zahir, Rashid and Mohammad Nabi.Afghanistan (probable XI): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Javed Ahmadi, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Nasir Jamal, 5 Asghar Stanikzai (capt.), 6 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Dawlat Zadran, 10 Yamin Ahmadzai, 11 Zahir KhanIreland’s lack of depth will be further tested by the absence of Kevin O’Brien, who flew home after suffering a hamstring injury in the fourth ODI. Boyd Rankin missed the T20I and ODI series with a back problem he has battled since the Desert T20 in January. If Rankin can’t go, Ireland may opt for offspinning allrounder Andy McBrine rather than specialist legspinner Jacob Mulder or medium pacer Peter Chase. That would leave Tim Murtagh and Craig Young as the two seam options.Ireland (probable XI): 1 William Porterfield (capt.), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 John Anderson, 5 Niall O’Brien (wk), 6 Andy Balbirnie, 7 Gary Wilson, 8 Andy McBrine/Jacob Mulder, 9 George Dockrell, 10 Tim Murtagh, 11 Craig Young/Boyd Rankin

Pitch and conditions

Afghanistan’s spinners took 16 of the 20 wickets in an innings and 36 run win over Namibia in the only I-Cup game at this venue. Spinners dominated throughout the just completed ODI series, highlighted by Rashid and Paul Stirling taking 6-fors in the same match. Slow bowlers are expected to continue prospering. Fitness levels will be tested with temperatures expected to hover around 40 degrees.

Stats and trivia

• Ireland captain William Porterfield needs 47 runs to pass Andrew White as his country’s all-time leading scorer in the I-Cup. Porterfield has 1506 runs in 21 matches, which puts him seventh overall behind Kenya’s Steve Tikolo (1918 runs).
• Ed Joyce needs 84 runs to reach 1000 runs in the Intercontinental Cup. He’d be the second-fastest to the mark if he gets there. Ryan ten Doeschate took just seven matches to cross 1000 I-Cup runs for the Netherlands.
• Mohammad Nabi needs three more wickets to surpass Hamid Hassan for the most by an Afghanistan bowler in the I-Cup. Nabi has 53 in 17 games. Three wickets will also take him into 10th position for most wickets by a bowler in the tournament’s history. Former Ireland captain Trent Johnston is number one with 91 wickets in 25 matches.

Quotes

“I feel this will be the best and most important game in the entire Intercontinental Cup league as both teams can top the league. Our strength is spin bowling and most of our batsmen are in good form. It’s a matter of performing well on the day.”
“It will be a big test for us – the conditions, the turning surface against a side that has a lot of spinners. We’ve been here for three or four weeks, played a lot of cricket on the same ground, so we could not have asked for better preparation.”

In 2015, Zaheer Khan had announced that he would retire from all forms of cricket after the ninth IPL season. Two years on, he’s set to lead Delhi Daredevils again in their quest for their maiden title, in the tenth edition. Zaheer hasn’t played a competitive game for a year, but believes a shift in roles – from being the leader of the bowling group to one who will play the supporting act – will help him ease into the demands of the shortest format.”It’s very difficult to not play any match and then to turn up here and play the whole season. I look at it as a challenge. I stick to my routines along with discussion I have had with my trainers and physios,” he said. “The process remains the same. I picked up the ball around December, got into it slowly and here I am now, ready to take on another IPL season.”Every time I get on the field, the excitement comes back. It’s the right dose of cricket for me at this stage of my career. I have supreme fast bowlers who will take the pressure off me. I’m not playing the lead role, but just the support role. I’m playing the role I enjoy the most. This is my way of giving back to the game.”Among the “supreme fast bowlers” he referred to are Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada, two of their latest acquisitions, and Mohammed Shami, who Zaheer confirmed was “fully available.”Cummins, earlier part of Kolkata Knight Riders, will start the tournament on the back of two intense Tests against India, while Rabada, in his first IPL stint, is coming off a full series with South Africa in New Zealand. “It’s good to have a bowling captain for starters,” Cummins said. “It’s easier to adjust to the T20 format from Tests than the other way round.”Zaheer was also hopeful that a young batting unit that was empowered to deliver under crunch moments in the past steps up in the absence of two high-profile players in Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy due to injuries.”We’ve always believed in youngsters and the potential they have. If you look at last season’s squad, you’ve got someone like Karun Nair, who has a triple century at the Test level,” Zaheer said. “Shreyas Iyer has made his mark, he’s part of the Test team. These youngsters are no longer youngsters, they’re seasoned campaigners now. That is the strength of DD this year.”You’ve got an Indian batting line-up [also having in their ranks Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant] which is more experienced and know more about of their roles. The squad is settled. We’re sitting pretty despite JP and Quinton’s unavailability. If you look at all the squads, you will find players who are missing out because of international duties and injuries. We’re prepared for the uncertainties.”Highly regarded in Indian cricket circles as a bowling mentor, Zaheer also explained the need to have fast bowlers playing as much cricket as possible, when asked if an entire IPL season could bring about injuries and fatigue to India’s fast bowlers, Umesh Yadav in particular, after undergoing heavy workloads during the course of India’s 13 home Tests.”When I was playing, I preferred to play more and more. When you’re in rhythm, you can maintain that,” Zaheer said. “You can maintain workloads at practice. Someone like Umesh, who has played all season, he isn’t going to realise when 20 overs are done. That’s the beauty of bowling fitness. With all the bowlers who’ve been playing Tests and some level of cricket, it will be easier in terms of bowling fitness. The more you bowl, the better you will get. I’ve always endorsed match practice is the best practice.”

Players’ failure to adjust to foreign conditions – rather than sweeping flaws in the domestic system – are to blame for the Sri Lanka’s plight in South Africa, chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya has said. Sri Lanka won the T20 series 2-1, but have been clean-swept in the Tests, and are presently 0-4 in the five-match ODI series. Until Tuesday, no Sri Lanka batsman had made a century on tour, and only three half-centuries were hit in the Test series.”We should be able to play under any conditions, not just at home,” said Jayasuriya. “There’s no point giving excuses or blaming our domestic structure after we lose a series. Your success depends on how fast you adjust to these conditions but sadly we have taken too long to do that.”Sri Lanka’s domestic structure has been the subject of increasing criticism over recent years, not least from recently retired players. It has been repeatedly claimed that the Premier League Tournament – the main first-class competition, which features 14 teams – is too inflated to allow for adequate concentration of talent. It has also been suggested that domestic surfaces are too spin-friendly. Fourteen of the 15 top wicket-takers of the ongoing Premier League Tournament are spinners – the previous season’s final statistics had laid out a similar breakdown.”I wouldn’t say there’s a dearth of talent but we don’t produce those champion cricketers as much as we did in the past,” Jayasuriya said. “I don’t think it’s a problem with the domestic structure or the school structure, because it’s the very system that produced all those champion cricketers in the past. So, we need to assess this situation and find out where the problem is and correct it.”The problem I see here is not lack of talent but their inability to adjust quickly to situations and handle the pressure. You can’t play cricket, if you can’t absorb pressure.”Sri Lanka have, nevertheless, unearthed cricketers the team’s coaches and managers believe are capable of becoming world-class players. Two of those, Kusal Mendis and Lahiru Kumara, had had substantial exposure to overseas conditions before they were picked in the national side – Mendis having spent a season playing club cricket in Middlesex, and Kumara having toured England with the Under-19s side. Jayasuriya said this kind of exposure may mark Sri Lanka’s route to better overseas performance on future tours.”If we can do a player programme at least at the Under-19 level that will do a world of good for the players,” he said. “We sent Kusal Mendis to England and we all know how well he performed in England last year. We’ve also seen South African players being sent to India to get use to spin wickets. This is one area we could really look at in the future.”We really need to find a way to play outside of our comfort zone. We do better in our own conditions and win matches, but when we go out, we struggle. If we don’t change this situation fast, we will only be winning matches at home.”

Umpire Paul Reiffel will not stand for the remainder of the Mumbai Test after suffering concussion because of a blow to the back of the head on the opening day.Reiffel was helped off the field by England’s medical staff and went to hospital where tests cleared him of serious injury, but he was advised to rest. Marais Erasmus, who was the TV umpire, will continue in the on-field role for the rest of the match.*An ICC statement said: “Paul Reiffel underwent precautionary tests yesterday, which came back all clear. Paul, however, has been advised to rest, which is the normal course prescribed following a concussion. As such, he will not take any further part in the Mumbai Test and has been replaced by Marais Erasmus.”The accident took place in the 49th over of England’s innings, when Keaton Jennings worked R Ashwin past the square leg. From three-fourths of the way to the fence, Bhuvneshwar Kumar lobbed a throw back to Cheteshwar Pujara, who stood between Reiffel and the stumps. The throw didn’t have enough power, and Pujara seemed to warn Reiffel late, leaving him time only to duck. Had Reiffel stood upright the ball might have glanced the top of his head; but now it hit the sensitive area on the back of the head.The other umpire Bruce Oxenford, who wears an arm guard in limited-overs cricket, rushed to provide Reiffel shade with his hat and the England medical team looked after the 50-year-old umpire as he collapsed to the ground. Play was held up for 10 to 12 minutes shortly before the scheduled afternoon drinks break. Erasmus took Reiffel’s place on the field as he walked off for a medical examination.It helped that there was an understudy for the third umpire: C Shamshuddin, who has stood in ODIs, was at the ground as part of a programme to train local umpires on the DRS. Shamshuddin, who was better versed with DRS protocols than fourth umpire Nitin Menon, moved into the TV umpire’s seat.Reiffel is scheduled to be an on-field official during the final Test in Chennai.* December 9, 2.15pm IST: This story was updated with news of Paul Reiffel not returning for the Test

Rana Dutta’s six-wicket haul, which included a hat-trick, put Tripura on track for an innings victory against Himachal Pradesh in Kalyani. Resuming the third day at 50 for 1, Himachal Pradesh were bowled out for 311. They lost their last five wickets for only 30 runs, with Dutta dismissing Rishi Dhawan, Sumeet Verma and Mayank Dagar in the 88th over. Having gained a lead of 238, Tripura enforced the follow-on and in the 2.2 overs possible before stumps got a wicket too, that of Pankaj Jaiswal, who had batted at No. 9 in Himachal’s first innings.Three-wicket hauls from left-arm spinnerShadab Jakati and right-arm seamer Felix Alemao, who was playing only his second first-class game, strengthened Goa‘s grip over Services in Cuttack.In reply to Goa’s 606, which was built on Sagun Kamat’s record triple-century, Services slumped to 228 for 7. Ravi Chauhan was the first to go on the third day when he was bowled by Alemao for 47 off 49 balls. Alemao then had Nakul Verma and Shamsher Yadav caught behind.Captain Soumik Chatterjee resisted with 12 off 77 balls before becoming Jakati’s first victim. Rahul Singh, coming in at No.6, supplied more fight with 89 off 180 balls before Jakati struck in the 92nd over. Services got through the remaining 11 overs with the eighth-wicket pair of Muzzaffaruddin Khalid and Diwesh Pathania at the crease, but they still trail Goa by a whopping 339 runs.After declaring their first innings at 517 for 9, Kerala made deep inroads into the Hyderabad line-up on the third day in Bhubaneswar. Seamer Sandeep Warrier, offspinning allrounder Jalaj Saxena, and left-arm spinner K Monish returned two wickets each to reduce Hyderabad to 212 for 7. B Sandeep was the only batsmen to make a half-century and were it not for some handy contributions from the lower order – Akash Bhandari made 40 and Mehdi Hasan, an unbeaten 26, Hyderabad would have struggled even more.Left-arm spinner Aamir Aziz’s maiden five-wicket haul bowled Andhra out for 255 and gave Jammu & Kashmir a first-innings lead of 79 at Brabourne Stadium. They eventually stretched it past 100, for the loss of two wickets late in the day.Having started the day at 72 for 2, Andhra stumbled to 90 for 5 and then 156 for 6. Dwaraka Ravi Teja and Ashwin Hebbar then mounted a fightback, putting on 94 for the seventh wicket. Ravi Teja top-scored with 81 off 194 balls, including nine fours. Once he fell, the tail was wiped out, the last four wickets tumbling for only five runs.Haryana captain Mohit Sharma took three wickets and left Chhattisgarh at 50 for 6 in a chase of 279 in Guwhati. Earlier Harynana were propped up by fifties from Himanshu Rana and Rajat Paliwal in their second innings. They were ultimately dismissed for 289 from an overnight 121 for 3. Seamer Pankaj Rao, who was playing only his second first-class game, did the bulk of the damage for Chhattisgarh, claiming 5 for 74. His new-ball partner Pratik Sinha, meanwhile, took 2 for 84.

Ashwell Prince has resigned from South Africa’s selection panel to concentrate his efforts on coaching. Prince was one of two former internationals, alongside Errol Stewart, on the four-man committee which also includes convener Linda Zondi and former Gauteng player Hussein Manack. There is no indication of when a replacement for Prince will be announced.”I feel I have more to offer as a coach, so that’s what I want to concentrate on,” Prince told ESPNcricinfo. “Being both a coach and a selector was not an option as it is regarded as a conflict of interest.”Prince, a batsman who played 66 Tests, 52 ODIs and a T20I between 2002 and 2011, signed off as a selector before South Africa A’s tour to Australia, where he travelled as the team’s assistant and batting coach. He is considering opportunities at domestic level for the upcoming season and is close to confirming a position. He is also hopeful of completing coaching qualifications, although he missed out on the Level Three course that started last Monday. The course is only run once a year, so Prince may have to wait until 2017 to further his studies.Prince became a national selector in June 2015, a tough period for South African cricket. In that time, the team played 12 Tests and won just two, played 22 ODIs and won 11 and were victorious in 10 of their 15 T20s. Among the positives from the period was the rise of Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma and Tabraiz Shamsi.

ScorecardHeather Knight’s 74 from 46 balls took Western Storm close•Getty Images

England wicketkeeper Amy Jones and Australian star Ellyse Perry shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 83 as home side Loughborough Lightning beat Western Storm by five runs in a thriller, despite Heather Knight’s 74, the highest score in the Kia Super League to date.Jones and Perry came together at a perilous 31 for 3 to share the impressive stand, building a solid platform before accelerating to put Lightning in a great position. A flurry of wickets saw Storm slow the rate down, before an Eve Jones cameo saw Loughborough post 158 for 8 off their 20 overs.Western Storm were looking for a fast start but were pegged back by some tight early bowling from Loughborough. Knight’s excellent knock looked to have given Western Storm the platform to chase down the score, but when she was run out, the game went away from the visitors.”It felt really good and it was about trying to get a partnership together with Ellyse,” Amy Jones said. “Luckily I’d had a couple of opportunities in warm-up games so it was nice to push on a bit and get the win.”Knight was undoubtedly disappointed to fall short. “We just wanted to stay in the game as long as possible but a couple of wickets cost us but we can turn things around quickly and we can get back on track.”Nine runs off the first three balls of the match looked to have given Loughborough a great start, but a clever piece of bowling saw Lightning captain Georgia Elwiss lured out of her crease, to be stumped by New Zealand international Rachel Priest.Storm captain Knight then forced a mistake from one off Loughborough’s overseas stars, grabbing the wicket of Sophie Devine before Anya Shrubsole bowled Dane Van Niekerk after runs had begun to dry up.That brought together the partnership of Jones and Perry, who first consolidated for a period before their expansive range of shots began to show. The England wicketkeeper took the lead racing to 46 off 30 balls, departing to a Priest stumping again off Freya Davies.Perry was then involved in a mix-up that saw Paige Scholfield run out, but by then had taken on the momentum, hitting her 44 off 37 balls before holing out in the deep to Lizelle Lee.Eve Jones smacked a quick-fire 25, launching Georgia Hennessey for a six and then the very next ball, hitting another boundary, before departing to Shrubsole as the innings reached its end.The Western Storm chase wobbled early, as an excellent Powerplay saw Loughborough get the prize wickets of overseas stars Priest and Stafanie Taylor before Knight and Fran Wilson started the rebuilding process.Knight was the aggressor in the partnership of 78 with her England colleague but when Wilson departed, the task got harder, though the composure shown by the Storm skipper, suggested otherwise.However, the match turned when Elwiss got the faintest of touches on a Hennessey straight drive, to leave Knight stranded out of her crease and with it the chances of Western Storm. Sonia Odedra’s impressive spell of 2 for 20 was the pick of the Lightning bowlers, whilst Perry’s final over secured the victory.

Sydney’s grip on the Matador Cup has been loosened, with Perth and Brisbane also named to host matches in Australia’s domestic one-day competition this summer. Cricket Australia has announced the domestic cricket schedule for 2016-17, with Wollongong and Townsville set to host Sheffield Shield matches for the first time.The season will begin on October 1 with Queensland hosting the Cricket Australia XI – the youth side retained for this summer’s Matador Cup – at Allan Border Field in Brisbane. The WACA and Allan Border Field will both host early matches in the tournament before the competition moves on to Sydney for the remainder and the final.Since it changed to a tournament-style competition in 2013-14, the Matador Cup has been played mostly in Sydney, although Brisbane hosted some games in 2014-15. The Nine Network will broadcast 13 of the 23 Matador Cup games live, including three day-night games and four Perth matches that will be shown in primetime in the eastern states.”The Nine Network are working very hard with us to elevate the profile of the Matador Cup, and we’re really grateful for this,” Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of team performance, said.”We want as many fans around Australia to be able to witness the established and emerging talent cricket has to offer, and with limited grounds available to host the tournament in October, this opportunity gives fans the chance to catch some great action, no matter where they are around the country.”After the Matador Cup final at North Sydney Oval on October 23, the summer moves on to the Sheffield Shield, which opens with a round of day-night games at the Gabba, WACA and MCG beginning on October 25. A second day-night round, the fifth of the competition starting on December 5, will involve pink-ball games at Adelaide Oval, Bellerive Oval and the WACA.Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville will host Sheffield Shield cricket for the first time, with a match between Queensland and Western Australia starting on November 26. Wollongong’s North Dalton Park will also make its Shield debut when New South Wales host Tasmania at the venue beginning on February 25.Victoria will host a match at Traeger Park in Alice Springs for the second consecutive season, this time against Western Australia from March 8 to 11, and have also nominated the venue for the Shield final if they win hosting rights due to the MCG’s unavailability. Last summer, the Bushrangers also nominated Alice Springs for the final but they did not win hosting rights, instead claiming the title away against South Australia in Glenelg.The Sheffield Shield will again be played in two blocks – October 25 to December 8 and then February 1 to March 29 – either side of the Big Bash League. The BBL fixtures were announced in June.

ScorecardSteve O’Keefe’s performance raised Australia’s likelihood of fielding a dual-spin attack for the first Test•AFP

Australia’s spinners will move into the Test series well-heeled and confident, after setting in motion a dramatic collapse that yielded seven wickets for 33 runs on the third and final day of their tour fixture, at the P Sara Oval. On a surface that had begun to take fast turn, Steve O’Keefe collected his second five-wicket haul of the match, in only 6.5 overs. At the other end, Nathan Lyon tuned up with 2 for 14 from five overs; Sri Lankan XI were dismissed for 83 as Australians completed an innings-and-162-run victory.”We’ll definitely take a lot of confidence out of the victory,” Lyon said after the match. “Steve Smith came in today and said: ‘Let’s really make a statement.’ Taking nine wickets in a session to close out a first-class win is a pretty big statement.”Having become Australia’s highest scorer as well, in a morning session in which he shared a 58-run stand for the tenth wicket with Jackson Bird, O’Keefe was especially effective against the right-handers in the Sri Lankan side. He pitched on middle and leg, then spun the ball past the defence of Asela Gunaratne to rattle off stump and claim his first wicket. Later in that over, Shehan Jayasuriya was out sweeping to Bird at deep square leg.Dasun Shanaka was caught behind off O’Keefe and the tailenders fell lbw or bowled to his straighter, quicker deliveries. In addition to the 78 not out with the bat, O’Keefe collected match figures of 10 for 64, raising Australia’s likelihood of fielding a dual-spin attack for the first Test.Lyon was more subdued in the match, and had actually been expensive on the first day, when he was reported to have fallen ill. Despite his figures, he said he was bowling well, and felt well-prepared for his second Test tour of Sri Lanka, which he begins now as a senior player.”I’m the only one to have played Test-match cricket over here out of the bowlers,” Lyon said. “It was good for all our bowlers to get out here and adapt to conditions. A lot of us are coming off white-ball cricket. It’s good to spend some time out there and get some long overs under our belt. I’ve felt I’ve grown a lot on and off the field since that 2011 tour to Sri Lanka. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”The Sri Lankan XI will be disappointed at the abject collapse, and Milinda Siriwardana will perhaps reflect most on the missed opportunity. He was caught for 2 off Lyon, but will have wanted at least a half-century to firm up a place in the Sri Lanka Test squad. Shanaka has not made a strong case for inclusion either, collecting middling returns with both bat and ball.Before the slow bowlers closed out the match, Mitchell Starc had taken two early wickets with full deliveries. He bowled wicketkeeper-batsman Manoj Sarathchandra, and had Oshada Fernando caught at slip.Madawa Warnapura did not bat for the Sri Lankan XI, having sustained an injury to his hand while fielding on the previous day.