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Australia’s Test-match losing streak may be making headlines, but their neighbours across the Tasman have not fared much better this year. Of nine Tests played in 2016, New Zealand has lost six, winning only the two matches against Zimbabwe. Their four most-recent results have all been losses.Unlike for Australia, however, the losing streak has come overseas, against formidable opposition: the first loss came against South Africa, and the next three in India, where many teams have suffered in the last three years.Now back at home, with a grassy pitch before them and a long summer ahead, coach Mike Hesson has said his team will not dwell on the overseas failures. They will instead aim to fall back on memories of their unbeaten stretch at home between 2013 and 2015.”I think we’ve won seven out of our 11 Tests at home in the last three years, with a couple of draws and a couple of losses,” Hesson said. “You do that because conditions are familiar to you, and you adapt quicker than other sides.”We’ve been stressing the fact that we need to prepare for conditions that we’re more familiar with. We’ve got some experience to draw on over the last three or four years. It’s a matter of going through that rather than reliving India. Conditions over there were significantly different to what we’re going to face over here.”New Zealand’s batsmen had had a particularly torrid tour of India, where no one managed a century across three Tests. Their main destroyers on that tour had been spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared 41 scalps between them. Hesson said his batsmen had rebounded mentally since that series, which ended a month ago.”The conditions are here very different, so the skillset required is different. We acknowledge that we didn’t adapt as well as we needed to in India. Hence, we underachieved, especially with the bat. Here, I’m very confident the guys know the conditions.’We’ve got some experience to draw on over the last three or four years. It’s a matter of going through that rather than reliving India’ – Mike Hesson•Associated Press

“There was a period of having to deal with dented confidence, but that was some time ago. At the time we needed to dwell on some of the areas we hadn’t performed well in, and we’ve done that. Then we need to move on – that’s the nature of international cricket. When you perform and you win easily, you don’t dwell on that either. You move on.”The top order will have to contend with the likes of Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah, as they battle for Test form. Pakistan’s attack had delivered two Test victories in England this year, and Hesson believes they are a particularly dynamic outfit.”We’ll be challenged by this Pakistan attack, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “They’ve got an attack that suits all conditions around the world. They swing the new ball, they reverse it, and they’ve got a very good spinner. They’ve also got experience in their batting line up. They’re tough in every condition, so they’re bowling attack is going to pose some challenges for us.”The Hagley Oval surface has generally been seam-friendly over the first two days of the Test. Although it had a significant covering of grass two days from the Test, Hesson expected the pitch to settle quickly.”The pitch has good pace and bounce, which stays throughout. And I think it turns into a pretty flat surface. It’s one of those surfaces where you are going to need to have resources to bowl a lot of overs, rather than think you’re going to bowl them out in a session and a half. I don’t think it’s going to be like that.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Player of the Match Kumar Sangakkara scored a 33-ball 36 to lift Dhaka to 159 in the finals•Daily Star

Dhaka Dynamites clinched the Bangladesh Premier League in style, as they dismantled Rajshahi Kings to win by 56 runs in front of a full house in Mirpur. This is the third triumph for a Dhaka franchise in four BPLs, with the Gladiators having won in the 2012 and 2013 editions.It was also sweet revenge for Dhaka who were beaten by Rajshahi in both their league games earlier in the tournament. Rajshahi, one of two new franchises this season, were left dejected after having made a late dash into the final by beating Chittagong Vikings and Khulna Titans in the playoffs.While they would be proud of their overall campaign, their top order left the middle and lower order too much to do in the final, as they collapsed from 62-1 to 98-8, losing seven wickets for 36 runs as they tried to chase down 160. They were eventually bowled out for 103 in 17.4 overs.Nurul Hasan, like he has in most of this BPL, holed out to mid-off after hitting a boundary in the third over. Mominul Haque and Sabbir Rahman added 47 runs for the second wicket which led the recovery but they were dismissed within four deliveries of each other. Mehedi Maruf’s direct hit from short fine-leg found Sabbir a few inches short while Mominul, who made 27 off 30, was given out leg-before although the Shakib Al Hasan delivery appeared to have been missing off-stump.Rajshahi’s chase was hence dependent on Samit Patel, James Franklin and Darren Sammy, but the big-hitting trio fell in three consecutive overs when it mattered the most.In the 13th over, Franklin chipped left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam to deep midwicket before Shakib’s arm-ball bowled Sammy after he had struck a six off the previous ball. Dhaka removed Patel in the 15th over, brilliantly caught by Andre Russell who ran forward at least 15 yards from long-off and dived full length. They also didn’t forget to mimick Rajshahi’s selfie celebration at this point.The final ended on a sour note after Kesrick Williams was struck on his right elbow by a full-blooded and needless return throw from Bravo. Williams was floored for several minutes, before walking back to the pavilion retired hurt. The trophy was clinched when Nazmul Islam’s top-edge off Russell was easily caught by Kumar Sangakkara who had earlier played an important hand to see Dhaka through to 159.Dhaka had stuttered through most of their 20 overs. Maruf was dropped twice, on 1 and 6, before giving a catch to point off his namesake Mehedi in the fourth over. Nasir Hossain, who also survived a chance on 4, was stumped off Afif Hossain’s well angled delivery later in the same over before Darren Sammy trapped Mosaddek Hossain leg-before for 5.But Evin Lewis bided his time at the other end, before getting into the groove. He’d hit eight boundaries to reach 45 when Rajshahi removed him with a poor Farhad Reza delivery down the leg-side that had Lewis fall over while flicking it to short fine-leg. Dhaka’s big-hitting trio of Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Shakib Al Hasan didn’t come good either, leaving much of the hitting to Sangakkara.Left to bat with the tail-enders, Sangakkara scooped Kesrick Williams for a six – only the second of the innings – in the 19th over, before he and Sunzamul managed to take 15 runs from the last over, which ultimately gave Dhaka an above-average score which proved too formidable for Rajshahi.

India Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who has been out of action since straining his left thigh during the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, is set to make a first-class return in the Irani Cup. Saha has been named in the Rest of India side that will take on Ranji Trophy champions Gujarat at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai from January 20 to 24.Cheteshwar Pujara will lead the Rest of India squad, which also includes Saha and Karun Nair among players who featured in India’s most recent Test series. There is plenty of first-class experience in the squad, which includes the likes of Abhinav Mukund, Manoj Tiwary, Shardul Thakur, Pankaj Singh and Shahbaz Nadeem, as well as a sprinkling of young players such as the left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, the wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan and the seamer K Vignesh, who enjoyed a breakthrough season with Tamil Nadu.The Rest of India squad was the first one picked by the three-man selection committee comprising MSK Prasad, Devang Gandhi and Sarandeep Singh, after Gagan Khoda and Jatin Paranjpe were removed in keeping with the Lodha Commitee’s recommendations.Rest of India squad: Abhinav Mukund (Tamil Nadu), Akhil Herwadkar (Mumbai), Cheteshwar Pujara (Saurashtra, captain), Karun Nair (Karnataka), Manoj Tiwary (Bengal), Wriddhiman Saha (Bengal, wk), Kuldeep Yadav (Uttar Pradesh), Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand), Pankaj Singh (Rajasthan), K Vignesh (Tamil Nadu), Siddarth Kaul (Punjab), Shardul Thakur (Mumbai), Akshay Wakhare (Vidarbha), Ishan Kishan (Jharkhand, wk), Prashant Chopra (Himachal Pradesh).

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:41

Kishore: Poor shot selection and running from Mumbai

Mumbai’s batting woes that have troubled them all season extended into the grand finale too. A mix of poor shots, shocking running and an umpiring howler resulted in Gujarat using the toss advantage in their favour to take the opening day honours in Indore.Twenty-two-year-old medium-pacer Chintan Gaja, who was drafted in for his third first-class game on the biggest stage in Indian domestic cricket, cracked open the game with the wickets of Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav. RP Singh’s presence in the ears of the young pacer at mid-off proved why investing in him as a professional was a wise move. He picked up two wickets of his own to sustain pressure as Mumbai were bowled out for 228.Gujarat openers Samit Gohel, reprieved off the first ball by Prithvi Shaw at second slip, and Priyank Panchal were unscathed after a probing over from Shardul Thakur as Gujarat ended the day with the relief that their top two run-scorers of the season would need for the second day.It was their bowling performance without semi-final hero Jasprit Bumrah, away on national duty, on a surface with just about enough live grass to keep the bowlers interested, that edged them ahead. Rush Kalaria, deemed fit to play after injuring his shoulder in the semi-final, recovered after a wobbly first spell to maintain pressure in an intense second spell before tea, even though his figures of 20.5-5-66-1 didn’t present an accurate picture.But Gujarat’s bowling would not have been the day’s talking point had Shaw not been sold down the river by Suryakumar. Shaw, the 17-year old opener who played attractive back-foot punches and flicks in his 71, froze after a poor call for a single towards cover left him with no option but to try and scamper an impossible run towards the striker’s end.Until that point though, he was a picture of confidence, even if his choice of strokes were a little off at times. Yet, he showed enough glimpses of why he could be a long-term opener. When the ball was pitched up, he showed how strong he was off the pads; when pitched short, he was deep in the crease to punch. This put the onus back on Gujarat after RP Singh trapped comeback man Akhil Herwadkar in the seventh over.Iyer, a pale shadow of the batsman who topped the run charts in 2015-16, tried to live up to his reputation of being an aggressor. Where patience was the need of the hour, it was this very trait that resulted in his downfall as he charged down the pitch and nicked an away-going delivery off Gaja to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.1:28

‘RP has done terrific mentoring’ – Manprit Juneja

Shaw, let off first on 25 after a loose drive was fluffed by Samit Gohel at second slip, survived another chance at the bowler’s end while attempting a risky single to point. But two superbly-timed back-foot punches for four in three deliveries immediately after Iyer’s dismissal showed he was not playing the situation, but just reading the ball off the bowler’s hand; the fifty was brought up off just 56 deliveries.Suryakumar started slowly – he had just one scoring shot off 44 deliveries at one stage. After playing out 38 dot balls, he poked to get a thick edge for four through a vacant third slip. But he changed gears immediately after Shaw’s dismissal, the hurt of having to make up for his mistake bringing out the aggressor in him. What resulted was some clean hits down the ground, two of those immediately in the over that followed Shaw’s dismissal.Suryakumar was lucky to survive a close lbw appeal on 46 while shouldering arms to an indipper that hit him on the knee roll. But Gujarat didn’t have to wait long for a wicket as Hardik Patel struck. Aditya Tare played for the turn when there was none as an inside edge popped to first slip. When Suryakumar checked an attempted pull, only to be cramped for room as the ball flew to mid-off, Mumbai were in trouble at 169 for 5.When in trouble, Mumbai have often dialed Siddhesh Lad and Abhishek Nayar. At the best of times, both batsmen rely on wearing the bowlers down. Lad, who time and again has made vital contributions this season, played and left in equal measure until an attempted hook off the last ball before tea resulted in a strong appeal as it whizzed to Parthiv. Umpire Anil Chaudhary, perhaps drawn in by the nature of the appeal from RP Singh and company, took a couple of seconds before giving him out. However, replays suggested daylight between bat and ball.Nayar was unfazed and did what he usually does. He continued to soldier on in the hope of some support from the lower order. He found some support in Balwinder Sandhu for close to an hour, before Parthiv introduced part-time offspinner Rujul Bhatt, who struck off successive overs to send back Sandhu and Thakur. Nayar struck a few lusty blows after a mix-up with Vishal Dabholkar before being the last batsman to fall for 35 in an attempt to hit out and pocket useful runs off a tiring attack.

Cricket is a game that depends a lot on the conditions, and sometimes pitches end up being discussed more than the actual play. The first day’s play in Pune was an example that cricket can outdo itself. A toilet break, and misplaced macho reactions from former Australian cricketers, dominated the discussion on a day that the pitch actually deserved a lot more talk. India opened the bowling with spin, and the ball began to turn square well before the first hour was out. Sometimes it did so to the detriment of India spinners, who kept missing the edge because of the huge turn.Sanjay Bangar, India’s batting coach, said playing on such pitches was an important part of the variety of Test cricket. “When you go to England, you have to negotiate the seaming ball,” Bangar said. “In Australia you negotiate the bouncing ball, and when you come to India you negotiate the turning ball. If you see, at the end of the day the score is still 256 for 9. A lot of runs have been scored. The batsmen who have applied themselves have shown that runs can be scored on this track. It’s not that there were unplayable balls. We [Indian team] never complain of anything when we go abroad, and it’s just day one of a Test match. We are hopeful about what stands to come out of the next four days of cricket.”Bangar did concede that the Pune pitch generally favours batsmen more than bowlers, but reserved his judgement on the pitch until both sides had batted on it. Australia’s application on a demanding pitch, though, impressed Bangar. They prioritised defence, and made sure they didn’t get beaten on the inside edge by the straighter balls.”You could see that they were working hard, they were trusting their defence, used their feet quite a bit,” Bangar said. “So all facets of good batsmanship against spin bowling. We could see that they really applied themselves against our spinners today.”Being good at facing spin bowling requires a lot of skill. It tests you quite a bit. Playing fast bowling is all about courage, but when playing spin, you have to make sure that your feet are to the pitch of the ball. If it’s a turning ball, you have to be right on top of it to negotiate it. If there’s bounce on offer, shot selection becomes crucial. So all facets of batsmanship are tested playing against a quality spin attack like India. They showed a lot of application, and because of that they are able to be in the position that they are in.”Australia’s position could have been weaker. They had negotiated the good balls for long periods, but their concentration did break. Shaun Marsh played an ordinary shot, and Australia managed to lose three quick wickets to Umesh Yadav after frustrating the spinners. However, from 205 for 9, Mitchell Starc carried them to a position of hope with an innings full of clever attack and solid defence even as the rest of the team changed into their whites and prepared to take the field. As it turned out, they didn’t need to field. Australia finished the day on 256 for 9, and Bangar reckoned it was 25 too many.”Obviously we would have been very happy had we batted in the evening,” Bangar said. “But we have done it to a lot of opponents in the past wherein our lower order has contributed quite a bit. All credit to Starc. He came out and backed himself and played some good shots. Because of that partnership they were able to end the day in a good position. I think we were expecting them to be bowled out for around 230 or less than that. But they applied themselves well. It came off for them.”

ScorecardFile photo – Peter Nevill fell just short of delivering New South Wales a place in the Sheffield Shield final•Getty Images

Victoria will play South Australia in the Sheffield Shield final for the second consecutive summer after New South Wales fell seven runs short of victory in a tense finish to the last regular match of the competition in Perth. Chasing 403 to win and gain a place in the decider, the Blues were denied when Peter Nevill reverse-swept and was caught off Ashton Turner for 63.The six-run win was a fine way for Western Australia to farewell their retiring captain Adam Voges, although South Australia’s victory over Tasmania earlier in the day had ended any hopes the Warriors had of jumping from fifth on the table into the final. Instead, Western Australia had to settled for third on the table, with Victoria to host South Australia in the final in Alice Springs.The final morning began with New South Wales in a vulnerable position at 1 for 6, needing a further 396 in a day to secure a place in the final. But a 161-run second-wicket stand between Ed Cowan and Daniel Hughes was the perfect platform. Cowan fell for 80 when he was bowled by Cameron Green, but he finished on top of the Shield run tally for the regular portion of this season with 959 at 73.76.Hughes brought up his first century of the Shield season but was caught by Voges off Turner for 110, although further contributions were to come from the New South Wales middle order. Kurtis Patterson made 39 and captain Moises Henriques posted 66, but both men fell to the offspin of Turner and left Nevill marshalling the lower order for the remainder of the chase.The final partnership began when No.11 Harry Conway joined Nevill with 24 runs still required, although time was also a factor with the number of overs in the day starting to dwindle. Nevill and Conway put on 17 but the drama ended when Nevill reverse-swept on 63 and was caught off the bowling of Turner, who finished with a career-best 6 for 111.

The Pakistan Cricket Board will set up an inquiry committee to investigate a controversy arising out of Umar Akmal’s comments on Junaid Khan’s availability during a Pakistan Cup match on Thursday. Umar, who is captaining Punjab in the tournament, was asked about the team changes at the toss for the side’s match against Sindh on Thursday and stated that Nasir Nawaz had replaced Junaid Khan in the XI.When pressed for reasons, Umar said, “I just found out when I walked into the ground that he [Junaid] is absent. I’m very surprised. The manager and coach told me he’s not going to be playing today. It’s shocking news for me, as captain.”This prompted Junaid to issue a rebuttal shortly, in the form of a video message filmed from his hotel room.”I am saddened to hear the remarks Umar Akmal made on television, saying ‘I ran away from the team’. I have not run away,” Junaid said. “I am dealing with a case of food poisoning and the team management is aware of that. In fact, I was advised by the team doctor not to play today. Umar Akmal knew of this, and it was a shock for me to hear him say what he did, and I don’t know why he said it.”Shafiq Ahmed, the PCB’s general manager (domestic), will head the committee, and announce its findings “as early as possible”.Umar and Junaid are both part of Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in June, which the PCB announced earlier this week.

Cracks have emerged in the BCB’s investigation into two controversial lower-tier league matches held last month in the Dhaka Second Division League. Documents obtained by ESPNcricinfo suggest that one of the players and a coach, who were punished and accused of “tarnishing the image of Bangladesh cricket”, were not given a fair hearing by the three-member inquiry committee formed by the Bangladesh board.On May 2, the BCB had approved a report that concluded that Lalmatia Club and Fear Fighters Sporting Club should be scratched from the league, bowlers Sujon Mahmud and Tasnim Hasan be banned for 10 years each and the captains, managers and coaches of the two teams be handed five-year suspensions. The board also imposed a six-month ban on umpires Shamsur Rahman and Azizul Bari for their inability to handle the matches properly.While announcing the verdict, the committee’s convener Sheikh Sohel said that the clubs never complained against these two umpires or raised any issues on umpiring in general. However, letters obtained by ESPNcricinfo show that BCB directors were aware of umpiring complaints and had even exchanged memos on the issue during the 2015-16 season.In a letter dated April 22, 2016, the chairman of the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) – the BCB body that runs the four-tier Dhaka league – had written to the BCB’s committee of umpires, urging that in response to verbal complaints made by the participating clubs, nine umpires should be barred from officiating. Among them, were Shamsur and Azizul.Sohel said the clubs never expressed their displeasure to the committee about poor umpiring standards. “I want to ask a question to the club officials: why didn’t they give us a letter if this was happening for such a long time? Why didn’t they tell the umpires’ committee? Also, these two umpires did other matches too, why didn’t anything similar happen in those games?”Sailab Hossain Tutul, the member secretary of the umpires’ committee, said the clubs are required to address their grievances to the umpires’ committee but many of the clubs are aware of the protocol of making all their complaints to the CCDM, which has been followed for decades.He also claimed that Shamsur and Azizul were assigned 10 matches to preside over together this season, primarily because of their mutual understanding with each other. Tutul, however, admitted that no other umpiring pair was allocated as many games to officiate together in through this season.”If a club has any complaints about an umpire, they have to directly address to the umpires’ committee,” Tutul said in a May 5 interview to the Bengali daily . “Other [umpires] are also paired, but not to such an extent. Maybe the umpires’ allotment committee didn’t think too deeply about it. We try to appoint pairs who are comfortable with each other.”It is understood that Shamsur and Azizul were given lighter punishments in the May 2 verdict because neither of the two teams under scrutiny – Lalmatia and Fear Fighters – submitted written complaints. However, it has now emerged that Lalmatia bowler Sujon, captain Faisal Ahmed Bonik and coach Asadullah Khan had written statements submitted to the BCB’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit on April 18.Sujon wrote that the umpires didn’t allow their captain to see whether the coin fell in favour of Lalmatia’s call at the toss, and that when Sujon had got off the mark with a boundary, one of the umpires came up to him and asked him to get out on his own, failing which the umpire threatened to “take charge”. Sujon claimed that his dismissal – stumped – was unjust as he was well within the crease.Biplob, the Lalmatia coach, wrote that he had arrived at the ground after the match had already begun. In a separate interview to the Bengali daily , he said it was Lalmatia’s assistant coach who was in charge of the match against Fear Fighters as Biplob himself was occupied with umpiring in an indoor tournament nearby, organized by a company owned by Akram Khan, one of the members of the fact-finding committee. However, when Biplob finally reached the City Club Ground, he found his side struggling at 20 for 6 and was subsequently informed by his captain that he wasn’t allowed to see the coin at the toss.”Being utterly disappointed with the unethical proceedings, I left the field and later came to know the outcome,” wrote Biplob.He said even though he didn’t appear at his hearing in person, he was told to await a call from the fact-finding committee. Upon receiving the verdict, Biplob said he was surprised to have been handed a five-year ban despite neither being present at the ground nor having given a statement to the committee.That turn of events was similar for the Fear Fighters captain Tanumoy Ghosh, who was down with jaundice in his hometown Rajshahi during the hearing. Like Biplob, he, too, was told to wait for communication from the committee, but he never received any. It is understood that Ghosh was punished on the basis the statement by Tasnim, the bowler who had deliberately conceded 69 runs in 1.1 overs.

Match facts

June 08, 2017
Start time 1030 local (0930 GMT)

Big picture

Truth be told, Sri Lanka have often had the knack of winding up in the “easy group” in world tournaments. In years gone by, this has meant being clubbed with perhaps England and Bangladesh. They used to skip casually through the group stages, and would generally make a strong push in the back end of a tournament as well. Between 2009 and 2014, Sri Lanka made six ICC tournament semi-finals. Between 2007 and 2014, they played in five major finals.They find themselves in what appears to be the easier of the two groups again, but unusually, they are not sauntering past their opponents. This time, they seem to be among the weaker teams, laying down like stepping stones for other sides to trod on. South Africa have already been given their 96-run win. Now come the other heavyweights in the group, India, who in demolishing Pakistan, and eviscerating their two warm-up opponents, barely seemed to be breaking a sweat.Meanwhile, India have settled on an ODI formula that teams have struggled to upset for now. They are unambitious in the opening 10 overs, venturing no more than 49 during the first Powerplay on average, since the last World Cup. Then, typically with Virat Kohli at the crease, comes a sustained middle-overs surge which yields screeds of brisk but risk-free runs, which form the backbone of the innings. Then, with Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya or MS Dhoni marshalling the death overs, the team eclipses 300 and set themselves up in an imposing position.There is quality in India’s attack too, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar gleaning swing with the new ball, and Jasprit Bumrah closing innings out. And whatever the present situation between coach Anil Kumble and captain Kohli, on-field performance does not appear to have been affected yet.Sri Lanka will have to spring a major surprise at The Oval. They need an Angelo Mathews mauling, or a Lasith Malinga charge to derail India, and shake the match from the course most expect it to take.They also must do without Chamara Kapugedara, who injured his knee at training on match eve and was ruled out of the tournament. Sri Lanka will draft in Danushka Gunathilaka, who is in England as a standby player.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LWLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
India WLWWW

In the spotlight

As evidenced in the game against South Africa, Sri Lanka have had trouble rotating the strike during the middle overs, and it appears part of the reason is the scoring rate of Dinesh Chandimal. Though he had an outstanding 2016, hitting six half-centuries in seven innings at one stage, he has otherwise been modest in the format. Among the 20 players to have faced more than 4000 balls since the start of 2010, Chandimal’s strike rate of 74.85 is the second-lowest. More than 48% of the deliveries he faces are not scored from.Few world batsmen relish playing Sri Lanka more than MS Dhoni. Two of his most memorable innings – the World Cup final knock, and the final-over blitz in the 2013 tri-series in the Caribbean – have come against them. His average of 61.35 is also, by a distance, his highest against any opponent in the Champions Trophy. Over 22% of his 9275 runs have also come against Sri Lanka alone. Even if Sri Lanka’s bowlers can be penetrative early on, on Thursday, they cannot relax until they have dismissed perhaps their greatest tormentor of recent years.

Team news

Sri Lanka will likely open with Gunathilaka. There is a chance Thisara Perera may also enter the XI to beef up the batting, though the more aggressive choice – so long as the pitch is expected to take spin – would be to choose Lakshan Sandakan. The frontline pace trio of Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal may remain together.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Kusal Perera, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal,10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan PradeepIndia may consider bringing R Ashwin into the attack – in place of Umesh Yadav perhaps – but as the surface has a little grass on it on the eve of the match, they are more than likely to remain unchanged.India (possible) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Kedar Jadhav, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

Signs are that the surface might be a little seam-friendly early on, but there are likely to be plenty of runs nonetheless. The weather is forecast to be cloudy but dry, with the temperature hovering around the high teens.

Stats and trivia

• In the last 17 matches between these sides, going back to 2012, India have won 14
• Though Sri Lanka often get a good start in the first Powerplay, their run rate of 5.01 between overs 11 and 40 is the slowest for any team in the tournament
• Runs against Sri Lanka comprise a greater percentage of Kohli’s overall tally than even for Dhoni. Of Kohli’s 7836 career runs, almost 24% has come against Sri Lanka.

Quotes

“They’re a force in world cricket no matter where they play, whether it’s at home or away. Especially in the last couple of years, they’ve been tremendous. It’s very hard to beat them unless we are on top of our game.”
“At the moment we are playing some good cricket, but that doesn’t mean that we play with arrogance as a team. We respect every opposition the same way, and we intend to play the same kind of cricket against everyone. That’s the only way to win a game of cricket. But there are no guarantees. In this sport, anyone can upset anyone on their given day.”

The last day of the league phase will determine the fourth semi-finalist of the tournament, with Australia, England and South Africa already through. Much of the focus will be in Derby, with a knockout between India and New Zealand. It’s a clash between a side fighting demons from within against one that is under pressure to live up to their pre-tournament billing of favourites.

What’s at stake in the other Saturday fixtures

• South Africa v Australia (Taunton): South Africa have nine points, and Australia ten. A win for either side could push them to the top of the table (depending on England’s result). The top-ranked team will play the fourth qualifier in the semi-final.

• England v West Indies (Bristol): A chance for England to finish at the top – they are already leading the table on account of a superior run rate over Australia. West Indies will look for their third win.

• Pakistan v Sri Lanka (Leicester): A race to avoid the wooden spoon. Both teams are yet to win a match in this edition.

India’s ride has been like that of an airplane that has shuddered at the first sign of turbulence. After four wins in four, a semi-final spot seemed a mere formality. But a spectacular batting collapse against fiery South Africa brought them crashing down. Australia ground them further by turning a potentially tricky chase into a canter on a turner after their bowlers managed to keep Mithali Raj, the highest run-getter in women’s ODIs, quiet.India’s problem has stemmed from the lack of more robust batting approach. Walking the thin line between being conventional and over-cautious has put immense pressure on a young line-up.Smriti Mandhana’s scores – 90 and 106 not out – in the first two games seemed to suggest a changing trend, but her failures in the remaining four matches left the other batsmen without a base to work from – a weakness Australia and South Africa ruthlessly exposed. Harmanpreet Kaur, who has had a quiet tournament, will be eager to make a mark when it matters. She’s carrying a bruised right shoulder, but there’s no imminent threat of her missing out.India’s spin attack has been their nerve-center, often holding up the bowling even in slightly unsuitable conditions. When it has paid off, like it did in their defence of 281 against England in the tournament opener or the defence of 169 against Pakistan, it has looked spectacular. But, more often than not, the pressure to make up for lack of penetration from the pacers has pushed the spinners to try too many things, giving an opposition like Australia an opening.If there’s one team that knows all too well the feeling of not living up to expectations, it’s New Zealand, and their performance in key matches at world events is something India would do well to take note of. At every ICC event since 2012, they’ve gone in as one of the favourites, but have somehow found ways to capitulate. At the 2013 World Cup, the captain, Suzie Bates, destroyed bowling attacks to finish with the Golden Bat, but was left inconsolable after a loss to West Indies upset their hopes of reaching the final. At the 2014 World T20, they were cruising after wins in their first three games but were edged out of the semi-final race after a loss in their final league match. At the 2016 World T20 too, they were firmly in command in the semi-final but faltered under pressure.New Zealand are also grappling with fitness concerns around Sophie Devine, who can muscle the ball a long way and help the side break the run-rate muddle, like she did in the 41-ball 93 against Pakistan. Her ability to replicate that quality consistently has added an aura around the New Zealand batting that also boasts of some equally fearsome batsmen in Bates, Rachel Priest and Amy Satterthwaite. Against England, Devine was visibly hampered with a side strain and it remains to be seen if New Zealand would risk playing her even if she isn’t fully fit.Like India, New Zealand’s spinners have enjoyed bowling in the tournament. Amelia Kerr, the 16-year old legspinner, and Leigh Kasperek, the offspinner, are two trump cards Bates has often turned to for wickets. For all the batting might of both sides, it could turn out to be a contest of which side’s spinners rise to the occasion.Intermittent showers are predicted in Derby on Saturday. New Zealand would want none of it for a washout would mean an early exit. India, on the other hand, will look for their fourth consecutive win at the ground in this competition, having previously beaten England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.