Category Uncategorized

Saeed Ajmal, playing only his second T20 since November 2015, struck with his first ball and then produced a double-strike in his last over to help Islamabad United defend 132 against Karachi Kings in a last-ball thriller

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSharjeel Khan got Islamabad off to a good start with a 27-ball 28•PCB

Saeed Ajmal, playing only his second competitive match since November 2015, struck with his first ball and then produced a double-strike in his last over to help Islamabad United defend 132 against Karachi Kings in a last-ball thriller. With Karachi needing 16 off the last over, bowled by Shane Watson, Usama Mir was run-out off the first ball, which was called a wide. The next ball was sliced away for four by Mohammad Amir before Watson rebounded with a dot. The fourth ball of the over was bizarre: wicketkeeper Sam Billings hit the stumps, after Amir had backed away and failed to connect, but the bails refused to budge. Ravi Bopara then launched a six off the penultimate ball, but Watson held his nerve as Islamabad edged out Karachi.This meant that Islamabad secured their first points in the Pakistan Super League, after two straight losses. Chasing 133, Karachi lost their openers within four overs. Imad Wasim, who had batted at No.7 in his previous match, was promoted to No.3, and put Karachi back on track with six fours. Wasim’s dismissal, however, sparked a collapse as Karachi fell from 35 for 2 to 87 for 7.It was Ajmal who hastened the collapse with two wickets in three balls in the 15th over. He had Shakib Al Hasan holing out to deep square leg for 20 and then forced a leading edge off Saifullah Bangash. This left Karachi needing 46 off 30 balls with only three wickets in hand. Bopara, who had taken two wickets with his slow rollers and cutters, forced the pace with the bat, hitting an unbeaten 32 off 19 balls, but couldn’t get his side over the line.Earlier in the day, Islamabad had endured a collapse of their own. They gave away five wickets for only 19 runs. But impetus at the top, courtesy a 45-run partnership between Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, and late blows from Mohammad Sami pushed Islamabad to 132, which eventually proved just enough.

Josh Hazlewood and Doug Bracewell have won the final places in their respective attacks for the first Test in Brisbane, preferred over Peter Siddle and Matt Henry

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane04-Nov-2015Josh Hazlewood and Doug Bracewell have won the final places in their respective attacks for the first Test in Brisbane, preferred over Peter Siddle and Matt Henry. Siddle had replaced Hazlewood for the last Test of the Ashes this year and was impressive in collecting 6 for 67 in the match, but Australia’s selectors were swayed by the bounce and pace that a refreshed Hazlewood should offer at the Gabba.It was at this venue that Hazlewood made his Test debut last summer, and although he suffered whole-body cramps in the heat on day one, he finished with five wickets in the first innings. Hazlewood has had an excellent first year in Test cricket, with 40 wickets at 21.75 so far, and the Australians were keen to have him back in the side after a decent post-Ashes break.”I think we saw it last year against India, the way he could hit high on the bat and bring those keeper and slips into play I think this and the WACA will certainly suit him,” captain Steven Smith said. “He has come a long way. He has learnt a lot out of England and he bowled really well last week in the Shield game. He’s in a good place and hopefully he can have similar results to what he had out here last year.”The move means that Siddle again finds himself on the fringes of Australia’s Test team, having played only one of the home Tests against India last summer and one on this year’s Ashes tour. Siddle may be released from the squad to take part in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales, starting at the SCG on Friday.”Disappointing for him, he bowled extremely well in the last Test match at The Oval against England, but that’s the team we’ve gone with,” Smith said. “Josh Hazlewood had a lot of success out here last year against India. I think he’ll complement both the left-armers really well. There’s going to be a bit of extra pace and bounce on this wicket, like we’d normally expect.”New Zealand similarly had only one real decision to make at the selection table ahead of this Test: Henry or Bracewell. Henry picked up eight wickets at 42.50 during this year’s Test series in England; Bracewell took five in his last Test, against Sri Lanka in Wellington in January, and was the decisive player with nine wickets in the win over Australia last time the teams met, in Hobart in 2011.”They’re both very similar bowlers,” New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said. “Matt Henry got an opportunity in England and did a pretty good job. The Test before we went to England, Doug Bracewell played and did a pretty good job for us as well. It’s a bit of a coin toss with them but we were comfortable either way. In the end we had to make a decision and we thought Doug was bowling just a touch better at this point in time.”

A pitch almost as green as the outfield made Kent captain Sam Northeast’s decision to bowl first a simple one, and he would have been satisfied after his side bowled Leicestershire out for just 159

ECB/PA05-Jul-2015
ScorecardMatt Coles picked up a six-wicket haul as Leicestershire crumbled for 159•Getty Images

A pitch almost as green as the outfield made Kent captain Sam Northeast’s decision to bowl first a simple one, and he would have been satisfied after his side bowled Leicestershire out for just 159 on day one of their Championship Division Two encounter at Grace Road.Leicestershire’s total could have been even fewer had the visitors held all their chances, particularly during a morning session throughout which the ball seamed and swung, but which ended with the home side on 109 for 4.Ned Eckersley was the only Leicestershire batsman to offer any defiance as he made 41 from 52 balls and, after the rest were skittled inside 52 overs thanks largely to Matt Coles’ six-wicket haul, Kent reached 44 for 2 in reply by the close.Three of the morning-session wickets fell to Coles, and first to be dismissed was Matt Boyce, who pushed hard at a rising delivery and was well held by Adam Ball at second slip, the ball flying quickly and at chest-height.However Angus Robson and Eckersley then added 58 for the second wicket, taking advantage of a series of wide or over-pitched deliveries, before Robson drove loosely at Coles and thin-edged a catch to wicketkeeper Sam Billings. Only one more run had been added when Greg Smith, returning to his former county on a month’s loan from Nottinghamshire, pushed forward at his first delivery and edged a comfortable catch off Calum Haggett to Coles at second slip.Darren Stevens dropped Eckersley off Haggett but Coles, having switched ends, bowled Eckersley with a pitched-up delivery as Leicestershire lost three wickets for just seven runs.They were seen through to lunch by Andrea Agathangelou and Aadil Ali, the latter a 20-year-old academy graduate making his first-class debut for the county. But Kent bowled with a lot more accuracy after the break, and picked up the last six wickets for 65 runs. Coles took three of them, ending with figures of 6 for 55 to take his season tally to 48.Agathangelou led the procession, edging an attempted cut at Stevens to Ball at first slip. Ali had applied himself with determination, going to 13 before edging a Stevens outswinger to Coles at second slip.Lewis Hill and Clint McKay miscued attacking shots off Coles’ bowling, which resulted in their giving off-side catches to Sam Northeast and Joe Denly respectively. Ben Raine was bowled by Coles and Ollie Freckingham top-edged an attempted hook off Haggett to leave Leicestershire all out for 159.To add to their woes, a heavy shower forced the umpires to call an early tea before their bowlers could look to put the Kent batsmen under immediate pressure in reply.When play did restart, only 14 overs were possible before the rain returned to end play. Kent lost the wickets of Denly, caught at bat and pad off Raine, and Daniel Bell-Drummond, leg-before on the back foot to a delivery from McKay that kept low.

AB de Villiers, slinking menacingly around a flat Wankhede pitch, set about the most vicious sustained attack of this IPL, reaping 133 runs at a strike rate of 225.42 to effectively bat Mumbai Indians out of the match

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando10-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:11

O’Brien: AB de Villiers just doesn’t miss

AB de Villiers, slinking menacingly around a flat Wankhede pitch, set about the most vicious sustained attack of this IPL, reaping 133 runs at a strike rate of 225.42 to effectively bat Mumbai Indians out of the match.Virat Kohli was in sublime form himself, but his 82 from 50 balls from the other end was little more than a sidelight, as a rapturous Mumbai crowd suspended regional loyalty to chant de Villiers’ name. The pair remained unbeaten at the close of the innings, having hit a T20-record 215 in each others’ company. Royal Challengers’ 235 for 1 was also the highest score of the season, beating their own previous record, while de Villiers’ was the highest individual score of the season. The visitors’ score would be 39 too many for Mumbai Indians.De Villiers barely mishit a ball throughout his stay, but Mumbai will rue their own shambolic fielding in the third over of the innings, when a straightforward chance off Kohli was spilled off Mitchell McClenaghan at slip. Kohli would hit 76 more runs from his own blade, but it was the support he provided to de Villiers that made this spill truly costly.Mumbai delivered too many knee-high full tosses and overpitched deliveries to such high-quality batsmen, but when de Villiers began to flit around the crease to launch the ball to almost any region of his choosing, the hosts were understandably battered to breaking point. Lasith Malinga, for example, had figures of 1 for 13 from his first three overs. He came back when de Villiers was in full flow and had a near-yorker scooped over fine leg for four, then was cracked almost casually over cover for four soon after. His final over cost 14.De Villiers began with five dot balls to Malinga, to complete a wicket-maiden, before his expansive game clicked into place with successive square fours – one either side of the pitch – off J Suchith’s left-arm spin in the sixth over. When Mumbai’s spinners failed to generate significant turn from the surface, de Villiers began to hot out with more intent. In Harbhajan Singh’s first over, de Villiers creamed him through the covers, then came down the pitch to clobber him over the long on fence. Suchith came in for more punishment, conceding three more fours – de Villiers once pretending to move toward the off side, only to return to his original position to sweep the confused to the square leg fence – but soon even the quicks were being mauled. De Villiers ran at McClenaghan to drill him to the straight fence, reaching 50 from 29 deliveries, then dropped deep into his crease to crack him past point next ball.Kohli spent much of the early and mid-innings turning strike over to de Villiers, scoring smartly enough himself, but rarely hitting out against balls that did not deserve punishment. De Villiers, meanwhile, made very good deliveries seem woeful. He made room to drive Hardik Pandya for three consecutive fours in the 15th over, then when McClenaghan sent a ball at his chest, hit it behind square leg for four. It was only after Kohli reached his own fifty, off 39 balls, that he moved to match de Villiers’ aggression. Royal Challengers were 160 for 1 after 15 overs. The pair plundered Jasprit Bumrah’s 17th for 25. The second of de Villiers’ sixes in that over took him into triple figures, off 47 balls, before Kohli sent the last ball of the over beyond long on to collect a six for himself.That over was the most expensive in the innings, but there was plenty of mayhem to follow. Pandya’s next two overs were carted for 19 and 17. That he was even given the final over of the innings reflects the chaos that the pair had unleashed on Mumbai’s strategy. When the hosts’ torment finally came to an end at the innings break, Kohli and de Villiers had hit 25 fours and eight sixes between them.Kieron Pollard and Llendl Simmons clobbered 70 runs in 37 balls for the third wicket, to restore a little hope for Mumbai Indians, but even their most productive overs were barely staying in touch with the required run rate. When Pollard holed out on 49 to leave the hosts needing 103 from 40 balls, the match was effectively secure for Royal Challengers. Simmons remained unbeaten on 68 from 58 balls when the innings fizzled out at 196 for 7 from 20 overs.

Channel Nine has retained the rights to broadcast Australia’s home international matches after agreeing to a deal worth $500 million over five years

Brydon Coverdale03-Jun-2013Channel Nine has retained the rights to broadcast Australia’s home international matches after agreeing to a deal worth $500 million over five years.Nine saw off a bold bid from Channel Ten to claim the rights to Test, ODI and Twenty20 international cricket but Ten is believed to have secured a deal worth approximately $20 million a year to broadcast the Big Bash League, which will appear on free-to-air television for the first time.Ten had made a significant play for the full cricket schedule but Nine had the right to match the bid, although that was complicated by its reluctance to sign up for the BBL.However, in order to keep international cricket on Nine, where it has been broadcast for more than 30 years, Nine was forced to more than double the amount it paid per year over the previous seven-year deal.The expiring deal had cost Nine $45 million per year; the new five-year agreement will cost $100 million a year for Test, ODI and Twenty20 international cricket, as well as approximately $10 million a year in free advertising.The two deals will provide a major windfall for Cricket Australia, which will earn about $120 million a season in broadcast rights, nearly three times what it received under the previous arrangement.

Cricket Australia has moved to revamp its strength and conditioning structure by appointing Andrew Weller to the newly created position of physical performance manager

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2012Cricket Australia has moved to revamp its strength and conditioning structure by appointing Andrew Weller to the newly created position of physical performance manager. Weller, 48, has spent the past decade working with AFL clubs and has been the high performance manager at the Gold Coast Suns for the past four years.In his new role he will oversee the strength and conditioning programmes across all Australian teams, which will mean working closely with the state associations as well as the national squads. A physical performance coach, who will be responsible for the Australia team when on tour and during their home summer, will be appointed in the coming weeks and will report to Weller.”Andrew has been at the Gold Coast Suns from the beginning and was instrumental in creating their strength and conditioning programme,” Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s general manager, team performance, said. “Previous to this he was the rehabilitation manager at the St Kilda Football Club.”Andrew will be responsible for all strength and conditioning programs across all of the Australian teams, both male and female. He will be a key liaison person between these national programs and their home state programs. Andrew will implement a consistent long term delivery across all of Australian cricket working with the states, the youngest elite players all the way to the national teams.”Weller said: “I’m really looking forward to the challenge of working with Cricket Australia, its high performance squads and the sports science teams within the states. Over the last decade I’ve worked in AFL and I’m sure I can bring innovations from that sport to cricket as we continue to develop the high performance culture around the Australian cricket teams.”Keeping Australia’s young players – especially the fast bowlers – fit and firing will be one of the key challenges of the new physical performance manager and coach.

On a gloomy day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Punjab became the first team to take the first-innings lead against Karnataka this season

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium15-Dec-2011
Scorecard
On a gloomy day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Punjab became the first team to take the first-innings lead against Karnataka this season. Mayank Sidhana’s second half-century of the match, and bad light that ended play more than an hour early made a draw the likeliest result as Punjab ended the day nearly 200 ahead with only three wickets down.The odds on the draw were even shorter than the scoreline suggested, as Karnataka lost two of their frontline bowlers to injury – S Aravind struggling with a knee problem, and Stuart Binny having hamstring trouble after completing his second century of the season. Robin Uthappa came into the match as a batsman, but had a surreal day in which he first shared the new ball and then took over as wicketkeeper after the specialist gloveman CM Gautam went off with a bruised foot.Karnataka began the day with only a slim chance of overhauling Punjab’s first innings total, but with overnight pair of Binny and Gautam starting with a bunch of boundaries, the chase was on. Gautam reached his fifty with a cut behind point and Binny moved into the 90s with a six over long-on. Left-arm spinner Rajwinder Singh snapped the stand with Karnataka still 139 behind, getting Gautam lbw with a delivery that stayed low.Binny reached his hundred with a sharp run to point – raising both hands in celebration even as he began the single – but Punjab hit back with the second new ball. Fast bowler Harmeet Singh struck three times, including the wicket of Binny for 119, as Karnataka lost their final four wickets for nine runs, to give Punjab a crucial 76-run lead. If this game ends in a draw, as seems probable, Punjab will get three points which will be vital in a tight race for the third and final qualifying spot – four teams are currently separated by one point.Like Karnataka, Punjab’s top order made a wobbly start. Karnataka’s only fit quick bowler, NC Aiyappa – playing his first match in three years – bowled Ravi Inder Singh for 2, before Sarul Kanwar was run out and Karan Goel chipped a catch to mid-off leaving Punjab at 32 for 3.If Karnataka briefly had hopes of a glorious turnaround, they were crushed by Sidhana’s attacking innings. A flurry of driven fours from Sidhana took him to 50 off 73 deliveries, as he dominated in an 87-run stand with Uday Kaul. Kaul was more subdued, surviving several loud appeals for lbw.Barring some major drama on the final day, Karnataka will end up being second best in a Ranji match for the first time this season. But with qualification more or less guaranteed, it won’t affect them as much as the news that they will be without their main fast bowler, Aravind, for four weeks.

The left-arm spinner lost her spot earlier this year and has been unable to find a way back in for the T20 World Cup

Andrew McGlashan26-Aug-2024Jess Jonassen has been given hope of forcing her way back into the Australia side after she was omitted from a World Cup squad for the first time where she has been available.Despite having 105 T20Is to her name, the writing was on the wall for Jonassen when she was left out of the squad to tour Bangladesh earlier this year and it was always going to be difficult to find her way back in amid a strong spin group that features Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux, Alana King and Ash Gardner.The only previous occasion that Jonassen has missed a World Cup was the 2013 ODI edition when she was ruled out through injury after originally being selected.Related

• Vlaeminck's career-best helps Australia complete 3-0 sweep

• Litchfield primed for new season after technical and mindset tweaks

• Brown fit for T20 WC as Australia prepare to 'unleash' pace duo

It is Molineux’s return to fitness after a couple of injury-hit seasons, alongside the selectors’ preference to have two legspinners in the squad, that played a big part in forcing Jonassen out. She lost her spot in the T20I team last summer after being given some heavy punishment by Hayley Matthews at North Sydney Oval and has not played an ODI since last July in Ireland.Jonassen took 11 wickets in seven matches for Delhi Capitals in the WPL earlier this year and is currently at the WCPL playing for Trinbago Knight Riders off the back of an impressive Hundred campaign which brought 12 wickets and 176 runs for Welsh Fire.”Hundred per cent, the path’s still there, the door is still wide open,” Australia captain Alyssa Healy said of Jonassen. “You look at her career and how it’s progressed, particularly over the past five or six years, she’s been in the squad, out of the squad, her and Sophie Molineux have sort of [gone] tit-for-tat along the way.”I’m disappointed for Jono myself. I have played a lot of cricket with her over the years and know exactly what she can contribute to the Australian team in big tournaments and how clutch she can be. I still see a big future for her in the Aussie side, there’s always a niggle or whatnot around [during] the summer, and she’ll still be around this summer no doubt.”Jonassen’s absence is another part of the subtle evolution of the Australia side over the last couple of years which has seen the retirement of Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning, although a senior core of Healy, Gardner, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry and Megan Schutt remains.The depth in Australian cricket is such that replacements have been close to hand and they are now starting to be given a greater role in the side. This upcoming World Cup will be a first for Phoebe Litchfield, who has a T20I strike rate of 161.86 after a breakout 2023-24 season in the middle order, while allrounder Annabel Sutherland is coming off a Player-of-the-Tournament performance in the Hundred.There is a chance that Tayla Vlaeminck could team up with fellow quick Darcie Brown•Getty Images

“We’ve seen a fair bit of change,” Healy said. “You even look at the last 12-18 months, the turnover we’ve had, we’ve lost over 700 games of experience. It’s got to come at some point in time, [but] fortunately there’s still a few of us old birds still floating around who can hopefully impart some wisdom on how to win tournaments. Think the youth in our group is really exciting and hopefully we can just help mentor or lead them in the right direction because think the youth in our squad is going to win this World Cup for us.”There is also a chance that Australia could field the pace duo of Darcie Brown and Tayla Vlaeminck in an XI together for the first time, either in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand in September, which provides preparation for the World Cup, or the tournament itself, although that will be dictated by conditions in the UAE.Even if it doesn’t happen over the next couple of months, it’s an enticing prospect for the Ashes, which will take place in January.”I’d love to see it,” Healy said of the two playing together. “We are so blessed with ample allrounders that I think we can play around a little bit with our fast-bowling attack. Think having those two in our side is huge point of difference, especially in [the] conditions potentially we are going to get, having real pace in your side is a real advantage.”We’ll have to wait and see what the make-ups of the side are but it’s really exciting for the future that those two are in the squad in together and hopefully we can get them firing at the same time.”

DC have just one win in five matches; LSG are coming into this contest having won their last three matches

Himanshu Agrawal11-Apr-20244:01

‘Nicholas Pooran can hit boundaries from wherever he bats’ – Deep Dasgupta

Big picture – Spin to win again?

Lucknow Super Giants started the season with a defeat, but have won three on the bounce since. Their most recent victory came against Gujarat Titans on a spin-friendly pitch at home. LSG’s spinners were central to that result – Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi and M Siddharth combined for figures of 10-0-48-4 to help defend 163 – and they could consider laying out a similar surface on Friday, especially against the visiting Delhi Capitals.Batting has been a struggle for the Capitals this season. Their collective average of 23.35 is the lowest among all teams, and they have had to deal with the absence of key players like Kuldeep Yadav and Mitchell Marsh due to injuries. So that doubles Capitals’ worries: a misfiring batting line-up on a potentially spin-friendly pitch, and Capitals have the second lowest batting average against spin (28.44) this season behind Kolkata Knight Riders.Unlike LSG, Capitals come into the contest having lost their previous two games and are at the bottom of the table with just one win in their first five matches. And they are still looking for their first win against LSG, having lost all three of their matches so far.

Form guide

LSG LWWW
DC LLWLL

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants
Fast bowler Mayank Yadav had walked off the field after bowling one over in their last game, against Titans. LSG said he will have his workload managed over the coming week as a “precaution”, and head coach Justin Langer all but ruled him out of the next two games. LSG also continue to wait on the fitness of Mohsin, who had a sore hamstring and missed his side’s last two games.If both Mayank and Mohsin miss out against DC, LSG could play left-arm pacer Arshad Khan or right-arm quick Yudhvir Singh. They have two other overseas fast-bowling options in Matt Henry and Shamar Joseph.Probable XII: 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Yash Thakur, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Arshad Khan, 12 M SiddharthDelhi CapitalsRicky Ponting, the Capitals coach, is hopeful that Kuldeep and Mukesh Kumar will be available to play in Lucknow. Marsh, however, is still side-lined by injury.Probable XII: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Abishek Porel, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Lalit Yadav, 8 Jhye Richardson, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Ishant Sharma, ,

In the spotlight – Nicholas Pooran and Tristan Stubbs

Nicholas Pooran is LSG’s top run-scorer so far this season – 178 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 169.52. He has been especially impactful in the death overs, where his six-hitting abilities takes his strike rate up to 180. Pooran has been dismissed only once so far this season, and holds the key to LSG getting a strong finish to their innings.Tristan Stubbs leads the run charts for Delhi•BCCI

Tristan Stubbs has been Capitals’ best batter this season. He is their top-scorer with 174 runs and has been particularly good against spin. His strike rate of 207 against the spinners is the highest for anyone who has faced at least 35 balls, so he will be key against LSG’s spinners on the day.

Stats that matter

• In the IPL, Quinton de Kock’s combined record against Ishant Sharma, Anrich Nortje, Axar Patel and Khaleel Ahmed stands at 193 runs at an average of 64.33. All four are expected to start for Capitals against LSG on Friday. Ishant, Nortje and Axar have got de Kock once each, with Khaleel yet to dismiss him.
• At 13.43, Nortje has the highest economy rate for any bowler to have bowled at least 90 balls this season. Umesh Yadav, second on the list, has conceded at 10.55 per over.
• Since 2022, LSG have won nine of their 18 home games, the third highest win-loss ratio among all teams. By contrast, DC have won only six out of 17 away games, the fewest by any team.
  

  Pitch and conditions

  It is expected to be hot and humid in Lucknow and Langer said they would play on a black-soil pitch against Capitals. That could mean another slow, spin-friendly surface, like the one on which LSG scored a convincing victory against Titans.

  Quotes

  “What I was most proud about the last game was that with Mayank coming out of the team after only one over, we had to find another way to win – and we were able to do that. So it shows we’ve got some depth in our squad.”
  “We are very aware that time is running out… We’ve got a lot of work to do. I absolutely have full trust in the players that we can win enough games from here.”

Strong showing in Tests gives visitors hopes of springing a surprise in opening fixture

Madushka Balasuriya23-Mar-2023

Big picture: Test thrills augur well

Despite the eventual 2-0 scoreline in favour of the hosts, it’s safe to say Sri Lanka might have surprised a fair few folks that tuned into the Tests in Christchurch and Wellington – okay, maybe not so much the latter, but certainly over the course of that epic first Test.In that game, the visitors, in pursuit of an unlikely World Test Championship berth, ran the defending WTC champions as close as pretty much anyone could have imagined. And in the process garnered some well-deserved respect from the wider cricketing world.That, though, was the Sri Lankan red-ball side, one propelled not through individual exceptionalism but an almost New Zealand-esque sense of collectivism. And while their white-ball outings have also seen a marked improvement in recent times, culminating in a memorable Asia Cup T20 victory last year, their ODI unit has largely underwhelmed.Since the start of the ODI World Cup Super League, Sri Lanka have lost away to West Indies, Bangladesh and England, while their home record has been marginally better, losing to India, beating South Africa and, most recently, drawing against Afghanistan.The ODI side’s nadir was arguably reached earlier this year during a 3-0 drubbing in India – a particularly tough pill to swallow in a World Cup year in the same country, especially as the T20I series that preceded had seen them take the hosts to series decider. While any silver linings in Sri Lanka’s recent one-day history might seem like wizard-level straw-clutching, the record will nevertheless also show a 3-2 series win at home to Australia last year – so, yeah, there is that.Which brings us to the present, where for Sri Lanka to have any hopes of automatic qualification for the World Cup later this year they need to complete a whitewash of New Zealand in the week or so ahead – and even then, they’re heavily dependent on South Africa fluffing their lines in a series against Netherlands.What they might have going for them is that the hosts won’t exactly be at full strength. With World Cup qualification secured, and conditions in India unlikely to be anything like what the likes of Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton have to offer, New Zealand have given clearance for no less than nine ODI regulars to play in the IPL.Sri Lanka meanwhile have a relatively settled unit and, save for the absence of Dushmantha Chameera, will likely be able to put out their strongest XI. On paper at least they look the stronger side.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand: WWWWW

Sri Lanka: LLLWL

In the spotlight: Matt Henry and Angelo Mathews

With 65 ODIs to his name, in terms of experience Matt Henry comfortably eclipses the combined match tally of Blair Tickner (9), Henry Shipley (3) and the uncapped Ben Lister – New Zealand’s other seam bowling options for this series – while even the addition of Daryll Mitchell (19) to the list doesn’t help all that much. Lockie Ferguson’s 53 caps certainly would have evened the scales, but even without his recently picked-up hamstring strain, he was due to play only the first ODI before jetting off to the IPL. Henry is coming in on the back of an excellent Test outing against Sri Lanka, and if this youthful New Zealand outfit are to maintain their excellent home record, Henry will have a key role to play in it.Angelo Mathews hasn’t turned out for a Sri Lankan white-ball side since March 2021, and for much of that time a recall could have been categorised under hopeful at best. But if T20 cricket is a young man’s game, well, ODI cricket might still have room for some greying heads, even if Mathews’s recall at 35 in a World Cup year certainly does scream ‘last dance’. An average of 41.67 and nearly 6,000 runs, of course, is nothing to be scoffed at – not to mention his most recent LPL stint where he played the role of finisher in impressive fashion. Sri Lanka will need him to call on all of that vast experience if they are to have any chance at securing automatic qualification.

Pitch and conditions: Bright conditions in prospect

Eden Park hasn’t had much ODI cricket of late, but the last two games have seen 300-plus chased down and 273 defended. The pitch has also been known to aid spin. Weather is expected to be nice and sunny.

Team news: Bowes and Ravindra to debut

On the eve of the match, New Zealand captain Tom Latham announced that Chad Bowes and Rachin Ravindra would make their ODI debuts. He said, however, that the team hadn’t yet finalised their full XI, and would make a decision on the bowling attack keeping workloads in mind.New Zealand (probable) XI: 1 Finn Allen, 2 Chad Bowes, 3 Will Young, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Rachin Ravindra, 8 Blair Tickner/Ben Lister, 9 Henry Shipley/Lockie Ferguson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ish SodhiMost of Sri Lanka’s XI picks itself but a few key areas remain up for grabs. At the top of the order Nuwanidu Fernando is the likely option alongside Pathum Nissanka. Then with five seamers in the squad, Sri Lanka certainly have options, with allrounder Chamika Karunaratne also able come in if Sri Lanka want an additional batter lower down.Sri Lanka (probable) XI: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Nuwanidu Fernando, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya De Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Lahiru Kumara, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Maheesh Theekshana/Matheesha Pathirana

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka last won an ODI series in New Zealand in 2001 (4-1). Since then they’ve won six of 23 completed ODIs in New Zealand.
• Angelo Mathews needs 165 runs to score 6,000 ODI runs. He will become the ninth Sri Lankan to do so.
• Since the 2019 World Cup New Zealand have won seven of 10 ODI series home and away.

March 24, GMT 0330 The preview was updated with the news that Bowes and Ravindra would debut for New Zealand.