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Kawya Kavindi and Rashmika Sewwandi have also been named, while several senior players have been left out

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Dec-2025Sri Lanka has named a young squad for the forthcoming T20Is against India, bringing in the likes of 17-year-old ambidextrous spinner Shashini Gimhani, 23-year-old seamer Kawya Kavindi, while 19-year-old Rashmika Sewwandi has also been named.Captain Chamari Athapaththu also has some experienced hands in her ranks for the series, with spinner Inoka Ranaweera, 39, also in the squad, alongside a top order that has now had significant exposure at the top level. But as the team builds towards next year’s T20 World Cup in England, there is now a drive within the squad to blood younger players.There is no room in the squad for wicketkeeper-batter Anushka Sanjeewani (35), who has played 86 T20Is. Also omitted are Udeshika Prabodhani (39), Sugandika Kumari (33), or Achini Kulasuriya (34), who had all been part of the squad for the team’s most recent T20I assignment, the tour of New Zealand in March this year.Gimhani, one of Sri Lanka’s most exciting young talents, delivers wristspin with either arm, though left-arm wristpin is her primary suit. She earns her place in this squad through solid showings against Australia Under-19 in September. She had already made a promising start to her senior international T20I career, however, having taken six wickets at the top level from five matches, with an economy rate of 5.53.Seamer Kavindi also has some top-flight experience under her belt, with 10 T20Is to her name. Sewwandi, also a seamer, has one T20I against her name, but did not bowl in that match. Nimasha Madushani, the 26-year-old left-arm spinner, is uncapped in internationals.While Sri Lanka seek fresh talents in the bowling department, the batting is more familiar. Hasini Perera, Vishmi Giunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika de Silva, and Kavisha Dilhari – all of whom played significant roles in the recent ODI World Cup – are in this squad. Kaushini Nuthyangana is likely to take the gloves in Sanjeewani’s stead.Seamer Malki Madara, 24, has impressed with the ball this year in ODIs, is also there. Malsha Shehani, who bowls both seam and spin, finds a place as well.The five-match T20I series begins in Visakhapatnam on December 21, before moving to Thiruvananthapuram for the last two games.Sri Lanka squad: Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika De Silva, Kavisha Dilhari. Imesha Dulani, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Malsha Shehani, Inoka Ranaweera, Shashini Gimhani, Nimesha Madushani, Kawya Kavindi, Rashmika Sewwandi, Malki Madara

While one of the favourites to replace Justin Langer long term, he believes international coaching could be heading into a new era

Andrew McGlashan12-Feb-2022Andrew McDonald insists he has yet to consider the prospect of becoming Australia’s new permanent head coach following the resignation of Justin Langer and believes the game is heading into a fascinating period with how international teams shape their coaching structures.McDonald, who had already been due to take charge of the Sri Lanka T20 series and will now lead the tour to Pakistan next month in an interim capacity, is considered a frontrunner for the long-term position and his calmness was endorsed by limited-overs captain Aaron Finch.While Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley has previously said they will be looking to appoint a single replacement for Langer, who resigned last week having only been offered a six-month contract extension, McDonald sees the game could be heading into a new phase with the increasingly crammed nature of international cricket.Related

• McDonald backs Finch to regain form heading towards T20 World Cup

• 'I'll be doing a lot of listening' – new CA chair Lachlan Henderson outlines fresh strategy

• Josh Inglis right at home on international stage

• Sri Lanka seek better display with bat to hurt high-flying Australia

• Andrew McDonald 'never seems to get flustered' – Aaron Finch

“It happened really really quickly with JL and the process there. No thoughts given to it at this stage,” he said. “I think the greater conversation around that at this stage is clearly Australia and England have jobs open but it’s what they’re looking for. Split roles have been mentioned [to manage] all three formats. There’s a lot to work through. I’ll wait to see how that process unfolds and see what happens there.”Firstly you’ve got to see what they’re looking for in the job and then whether it’s the right fit for you. It’s like any coaching role that you put your hat in the ring for. It’s not just as simple as saying ‘there’s a job there, would you like to do it, yes or no?’ I think it’s a great opportunity for a greater cricket conversation that two of the bigger cricket nations are embarking upon. I’m fascinated to see where that lands.”The FTP over the next 12-24 months is not getting any lighter, there’s a conversation to be had there. [Split coaching] has been tried before. We saw Andy Flower and Ashley Giles do a split role, whether that was the right time for it, the game’s changed a hell of a lot since then as well.”In the short term, McDonald does not see a need to reinvent the wheel in the Australia set up with the T20 World Cup and Ashes secured in recent months with Langer at the helm albeit having heeded warnings to take a less hands-on approach.Australia secured a 20-run victory against Sri Lanka on Friday with a particularly impressive performance in the field led by Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa who were both key figures in the World Cup success.”The last six months have been an incredible time,” McDonald said. “It’s been well documented the changing room was in a good space. The World Cup was a great experience, the Ashes was a great experience. I can’t see there being a hell of a lot of change on the back of that. I’ve got an opportunity to do my job for the next month or so to the end of the Pakistan tour then see what it looks like. There will be an element of continuing to run the team with similar fashion to what we have.”McDonald also praised the role Langer had on the team which he joined in late 2019.”The values he instilled in the team, the way he was able to manage things from South Africa forward was an incredible effort,” he said. “He had an incredibly high work rate, that attention to detail, care, empathy, all those types of things. Respect for what he’s done in terms of his playing and coaching career.”

Legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington has been called up as her replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2022Australia left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20I series against India due to a hamstring injury with legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington called up as replacement.Jonassen injured her right hamstring while fielding during Australia’s nine-wicket win over India in the first T20I in Mumbai on Friday night.Australia’s physio Kate Beerworth confirmed on Sunday that Jonassen would return home to Australia to continue her recovery.”Unfortunately Jess sustained a right hamstring strain while fielding during the match on Friday,” Beerworth said.”She’s since been assessed and it’s evident that the timeframes required for a return during this series are too short.”Jess will be unavailable for the remainder of the series and will return to Brisbane to continue her rehab.”Wellington missed out on selection for the India tour despite an excellent WBBL where she was a pivotal part of Adelaide Strikers’ maiden title. Wellington is expected to arrive in Mumbai on Tuesday. The second T20I takes place on Sunday night with the third match to be played on Wednesday, all in Mumbai.

Elsewhere, Surrey confirm Kemar Roach’s return for opening months of Championship season

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2024Australia batter Cameron Bancroft will return to Gloucestershire this year after signing a deal to represent the club across formats in the 2024 season.Bancroft was recently overlooked by Australia’s selectors for the Test opening spot vacated by David Warner, but has been prolific for Western Australia in the last two Sheffield Shield seasons. He was named men’s domestic player of the year at the Australian Cricket Awards earlier this week.He previously played for Gloucestershire in 2016 and 2017, and also played county cricket for Durham (2021) and Somerset (2023). “I’m absolutely delighted to sign with Gloucestershire and to have the chance to return to the club where I started my county career,” Bancroft said.He will link up with the club in April and be available for the majority of the summer. “I love playing county cricket and the opportunity to play all formats with the club is something I’m really excited about,” he said. “With a new coach and a really talented playing group, I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”Gloucestershire are in a transitional period after losing senior players Ryan Higgins (Middlesex) and Benny Howell (Hampshire) last season. They were winless in the County Championship last year, finishing bottom of Division Two, and failed to qualify for the T20 Blast knockout stages and were losing semi-finalists in the Metro Bank Cup.On Thursday, they unveiled Mark Alleyne as their new coach after Dale Benkenstein left for Lancashire. “I’m really excited to have someone of Cameron’s ability and experience on board for the season to come,” Alleyne said. “We already have an exciting group of players here so to add to that with a player of international calibre in Cameron, it’s fantastic for me as a coach to have such depth in the squad.”Meanwhile, Surrey have confirmed that Kemar Roach will re-join the club for the first seven matches of the Championship season. “Everyone knows that Surrey is a second home for me, and I love coming to London to play at one of the best grounds in the world,” he said.”The Club’s ambitions in the red-ball game are a big draw for me and I want to play my role in winning another County Championship trophy. I cannot wait to start my fourth season with Surrey.”

There is a 60% chance of rain around the match start time

Ashish Pant18-May-20244:26

How do RCB make best use of Maxwell?

The morning of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB’s) high-stakes IPL 2024 game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was bright and sunny, but as the day progressed, the sun was mostly out of view, hidden behind clouds. There remains a forecast of thundershowers and a 60% chance of rain around the time the match is scheduled to start, at 7.30pm local time.It’s a game that will decide the identity of the last team in the IPL 2024 playoffs, but the weather could have a big say in how things pan out at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.The Indian Meteorological Department has predicting a “generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers”.Related

• Gaikwad the captain faces his sternest test yet

• What RCB did right after it began so horribly wrong

• Patidar: 'I should know that I am the best, nothing else matters'

• IPL 2024 scenarios – RCB vs CSK for final playoff spot

Fans who are expected to fill the ground can, however, take heart from the way things went on match eve. Rain and thunderstorms had been forecast for the evening but, while it was cloudy for the most part, the rain never arrived in central Bengaluru. Both RCB and CSK trained for over an hour without any disruption.The city has received consistent rainfall over the last couple of weeks after a spell of uncharacteristically hot weather. However, it has remained relatively dry in most places in the last three days.Even if it does rain, the Chinnaswamy Stadium has an excellent drainage system and is one of the few grounds in India with a subsurface aeration system, which allows play to begin 30 minutes after the rain stops.RCB’s chances of making the playoffs will end in case of a washout. After losing seven of their first eight matches, they made a sterling comeback, winning their next five games. They are currently on 12 points with a net run rate of 0.387, while CSK are on 14 with an NRR of 0.538. To go past CSK’s NRR and make it to the playoffs, assuming a score of 200, RCB need to beat CSK by 18 runs or chase down the target with about 11 balls to spare. A truncated game will make that task tougher.”The good thing is that it is crystal clear what we need to do,” Malolan Rangarajan, RCB’s head of scouting, said on the eve of the game. “Doesn’t matter if it is a 20-over game or a five-, six-over game. For us, it might be 3.1 or 3.4 [the number of overs in which RCB may have to chase the target in case of a five-over game] because there are other intricacies within that. We are not going to be going inside thinking we need to restrict 18 runs or 11 balls. We are going to go there, try to stay consistent with what we have done.”For CSK, the equation is simple: a win, a washout, or even a narrow defeat is enough for them to make it to the final four.”The weather and these kind of things we don’t have control over,” Dwayne Bravo, the CSK bowling coach, said. “We don’t try to bring up things that we don’t have control over. It’s another game for us to push for a playoffs spot and we’re really looking ahead to the challenge against a very good team tomorrow.”

England big-hitter reminisces about his new IPL franchise: ‘When I was watching IPL years ago, if they were playing, I’d turn the TV on’

Matt Roller26-Nov-20246:59

Moody: ‘RCB’s top seven looks formidable with Tim David at No.7’

It is a situation that only the vagaries of the IPL auction can explain. Eleven months after attracting no interest from the 10 franchises, Phil Salt attracted a winning bid of INR 11.50 crore – around GBP 1.08 million or USD 1.37 million – from Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday night, and will spend next spring opening the batting with Virat Kohli at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Despite his snub at last year’s auction, Salt became an integral part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning side in IPL 2024. Having signed as a replacement player, he scored 435 runs – at a strike rate of 182 – and formed a dynamic opening partnership with Sunil Narine. KKR bid aggressively to get him back on Sunday, but ended up running out of funds.KKR had retention rights on Salt before the auction, but opted to keep hold of six other players instead. “There wasn’t a whole heap of chat around retention,” Salt told ESPNcricinfo. “I feel like, having just won the IPL, they probably had the hardest job of all the franchises, figuring out which direction they were trying to go in with their retentions, so I just sort of left them to it.”Related

• IPL 2025: How the ten teams stack up after the mega auction

• IPL auction: Chahal the most expensive spinner ever, Starc joins the 50-crore club

• Who is Bevon Jacobs, Mumbai Indians' latest under-the-radar recruit?

• Bethell to debut for England in first Test against New Zealand

They entered a bidding war with RCB, but after spending INR 23.75 crore to bring Venkatesh Iyer back, found themselves pulling out. “As you saw, they went hard to try and bring me back,” Salt said. “But with the way the auction went for the different teams up to that point, maybe there wasn’t enough money in the room.”The result is that Salt will form part of a characteristically formidable RCB batting line-up, with head coach Andy Flower confirming he will open with Kohli. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Virat,” Salt said. “I’ve always had a bit of chat with him – and a laugh and a joke – when I’ve played against him in the past, so I’m looking forward to playing alongside him.”He looks like a natural fit for a franchise associated with fearless batting, and recalls watching Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers playing for them as a teenager. “They’ve got a very clear way of playing the game which is to go out and attack,” Salt said. “They’ve always had the fiery personalities and their batting line-ups have been world-class.”They’re one of a few teams who, when I was watching IPL years ago, if they were playing, I’d turn the TV on. Obviously they’ve got Andy there and Mo Bobat [as director of cricket], and I’m really looking forward to playing under them. Having been around them a little bit, I know that we’re quite similar thinkers on the game in some ways – and their track record speaks for itself.”Phil Salt made quite a mark at KKR at IPL 2024•BCCI

Salt followed the auction from the United Arab Emirates, where he is playing for – and captaining – Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10. “It was pretty cool,” he said. “Obviously it feels like a long way away at the minute, but I’m very, very excited for it.”He will have two England team-mates for company in Bengaluru: Liam Livingstone, who has spent the last three seasons at Punjab Kings, and IPL newcomer Jacob Bethell. “He’s very committed, and there’s not many people out there that have the skill that he’s got,” Salt said of Bethell. “Hopefully, he does well in his Test debut coming up.”Salt revealed his own ambitions to play Test cricket earlier this year, but his chance to press his case for selection in the County Championship was thwarted by his IPL deal and he has not played a first-class game in over a year. He was mentioned as a contender when Jordan Cox went down injured in New Zealand this week, but Ollie Robinson is the preferred replacement.Salt recently signed his first central contract with England, but has not yet sought talks with either Rob Key or Brendon McCullum to discuss a potential route into the Test side. In any case, there is unlikely to be a vacancy after the New Zealand tour when Jamie Smith returns from paternity leave.”It’s been said before that you don’t have to play a load of red-ball cricket to make a case,” Salt said. “But I’m pretty content with where I’m at, at the minute… It is tricky. I’d have liked to play more. I’d like to play all formats, but the way that the schedule is at the minute for me, that’s not the easiest thing to do.”

The visitors have key players, including Pat Cummins and Steven Smith, back from injury as they take on the Asia Cup champions

Andrew McGlashan21-Sep-20231:19

Are India World Cup-ready now?

Big Picture: Will Australia test out Short?

The World Cup is nearly here, but not quite. These two teams will meet to open their campaigns on October 8 in Chennai, but first there are three games in six days that, while useful for fine-tuning plans, and for a number of key Australia players returning to action, will also provide a challenge in ensuring against any further last-minute injury alarms.Australia have suffered a big one in recent days with Travis Head’s fractured hand likely to rule him out of the World Cup. India, meanwhile, have some concerns over Axar Patel who is not available for the first two matches of this series.India are coming off their Asia Cup success where they skittled Sri Lanka for 50 in the final and Australia arrive having seen a 2-0 series lead overturned by South Africa into a 3-2 defeat. In terms of performances, form of players and confidence, there is probably more riding on these three games for them rather than India.Related

• Rohit on resting Kuldeep: 'We don't want to expose him a lot'

• Audition time for Ashwin and Washington, much to prove for Iyer and Suryakumar

• Cummins: Australia can't afford to 'already be cooked' before starting World Cup

In the lead-up to the World Cup, Australia have not yet been able to have what could be considered a first-choice XI on the park. That combination has now been changed due to Head’s injury, but captain Pat Cummins, Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc are all back and Glenn Maxwell arrives on Friday. Smith will likely play all three matches and Cummins is also keen to. As far as Maxwell goes, there remains some uncertainty over how much condensed 50-over cricket he can get through.One intriguing name will be Matt Short, who has been called in for this series as Head’s replacement. As a destructive opener who can also bowl good offspin he is very much a like-for-like. It would be a meteoric rise should he make the final 15, but it can’t be ruled out.For India, the Asia Cup ticked a lot of boxes and they’ve taken the opportunity to give some of their big names a rest with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya sitting out the first two games of this series. The main interest is around R Ashwin and Washington Sundar, who will be vying to replace Axar should he be unavailable for more than two games.This will also be an opportunity for Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav to have some time in the middle. Iyer suffered a back spasm during the Asia Cup while Suryakumar played just once, making 26 off 34 balls in the defeat against Bangladesh.

Form guide

India WLWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LLLWWMatthew Short will hope he gets an ODI debut soon•Associated Press

In the spotlight: Ashwin’s chance and Cummins’ return

R Ashwin has not played an ODI since January 2022 and when a replacement was needed a few days ago for the Asia Cup final it was Washington who made the dash over. Still, should Axar not make the World Cup squad, Ashwin’s experience could yet tilt the scales his way. He and Ravindra Jadeja have certainly given Australia some sleepless nights in Test cricket.Pat Cummins was appointed Australia’s ODI captain last November, but has so far captained them in just two matches. He is entering this series off the back of a wrist injury sustained in the final Ashes Test and will strengthen a pace attack that was put under pressure in South Africa. However, there is also an interesting selection debate that could occur around Cummins if – or when – Australia only want to field two frontline quicks.

Team news: Ashwin vs Washington and Smith’s return

All three spin-bowling allrounders could play in the absence of the rested Pandya. The selectors may also consider giving Mohammed Siraj a game off after his Asia Cup heroics. Ishan Kishan will have the chance to open alongside the in-form Shubman Gill.India (possible): 1 Ishan Kishan, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Mohammed Siraj/Shardul Thakur, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.This game could give the first indication of how Australia plan to fit together Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, although they may look to squeeze in Short. Without Head, Maxwell or Ashton Agar, Tanveer Sangha could come into the mix. Starc isn’t available for this game, which could open the door for Spencer Johnson to make his ODI debut after he picked up a hamstring injury in South Africa. Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis both left Johannesburg with injuries.Australia (possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Alex Carey (wk), 6 Cameron Green, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Spencer Johnson/Tanveer Sangha, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood.

Pitch and conditions

It’s early in the Indian season, but Cummins said he didn’t expect that to affect the surfaces much. Mohali hasn’t staged an ODI for four years, but has produced some high scores in the IPL. The forecast is for a hot, dry day.

Stats and trivia

• The last ODI played in Mohali featured these two teams back in 2019 when Australia chased down a record 359 thanks to Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja and Ashton Turner.
• Steven Smith needs 61 runs to reach 5000 in ODIs.
• The last time India faced Australia in ODIs, Suryakumar Yadav bagged three consecutive golden ducks.

Quotes

“We’ll try and strike the balance between getting plenty of game time into everyone but also [have] an eye to the World Cup in a couple of weeks.”

Leicestershire stroll to target for only their second win of the season

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2023A maiden T20 century by Rishi Patel powered Leicestershire Foxes to an impressive six-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Durham at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road.The 24-year-old right-hand bat – dropped on 38 – struck 103 from 49 balls with 12 fours and four sixes as the Foxes cruised home with 14 balls to spare with comfortably their most emphatic performances of an otherwise dismal season to date, Lewis Hill hitting the winning runs to finish on an unbeaten 54 from 41 balls.It was Durham’s second defeat by Leicestershire in six days although the Foxes remain bottom of the North Group table, having lost their other six games.Aussie Ashton Turner’s unbeaten 60 from 38 balls lifted Durham’s total to a challenging 172 for 4 against a makeshift Foxes bowling attack from which key man Naveen ul-Haq was missing though injury. Ollie Robinson made 30 from 31 balls and Graham Clark 27 from just 14 in the powerplay but spinner Callum Parkinson (2 for 21) and teenage pace bowler Josh Hull (1 for 26) made sure that the visitors were never able to dominate.Asked to bat first, Durham posted 59 for 2 from the opening block of six, 35 of those runs coming in two overs after the visitors went hard against the two new faces in the Foxes attack, with Matt Salisbury and Tom Scriven drafted in for their county Blast debuts after injuries to Mikey Finan and Will Davis as well as Afghan international Naveen.Salisbury, who did not play in the Blast during his four years at Durham but made eight appearances for Essex in 2014, took a wicket with his fifth ball against his ex-team-mates when Alex Lees swung optimistically and was bowled, but took some punishment in his second over as Clark and Michael Jones plundered 17 runs, the pair having taken 18 off Scriven in the previous over, although Clark survived a difficult chance to point on four.Hull finished the powerplay well for the Foxes as Jones miscued to mid-on and when left-arm spinner Parkinson produced a fine, full delivery to trap Clark in the crease in the next over, Durham were 61 for 3. At halfway, with Colin Ackermann and Rehan Ahmed applying the squeeze, they were 80 for 3, advancing to 112 for 4 from 15 overs after Parkinson made another big breakthrough, bowling Robinson to register his 100th Blast wicket for the county.The Foxes would have been disappointed not to claim more wickets in the last five, which saw Turner and Bas de Leede swell the total by 62 runs, both clearing the ropes of Rehan’s legspin, but Hull, the 18-year-old left-arm quick of whom they have high hopes, produced an impressive final over costing just eight runs to finish with 1 for 26.Needing to score at 8.65 runs per over, the home side suffered an immediate setback, losing Nick Welch to the fifth ball of their reply as he missed an attempted sweep against left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis, but recovered well, with Hill pulling and scooping profitably and Patel hitting powerfully down the ground, to be 69 for 1 from six, although the latter had an escape when Ben Raine dropped what should have been a straightforward chance at wide long-on.Back-to-back boundaries off Turner took Patel to a 21-ball half-century and two more off legspinner Nathan Sowter’s next over brought the target down to 70 with 70 balls remaining.And there was no holding the Foxes back on this occasion with Patel in destructive mood, needing just 24 more balls to reach his hundred, getting there his second six in three balls over wide long-on off Sowter, and although it all ended anticlimactically in the next over as an ill-advised decision to go for a second run to de Leede at midwicket off Wayne Parnell saw him run out.Nonetheless, the home side went into the final five overs needing just 21 to win and though Parnell dismissed Colin Ackermann, who chopped on, and Louis Kimber, caught behind, with consecutive balls, to induce a little anxiety in the home crowd, only 14 more were needed, Hill finishing the job by pulling Sowter for his third six before driving the same bowler through extra cover for four next ball.

A round-up of the second day’s play of the third-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2009

Group B

Scorecard
The contest between Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala in Jammu has proved a closely-fought one. A four-wicket burst from Abid Nabi helped the hosts bowl out Kerala for 133, and gain a lead of 31. Raiphi Gomez (39) and Sachin Baby (32) provided some resistance but Kerala couldn’t capitalise after having bowled out the opposition for 164 on the first day. Though they fought back well in J&K’s second innings, the hosts still held the edge at stumps. An unbeaten 57 from Hiken Shah steered J&K to 157 for 6 at stumps – Sony Cheruvathur took three wickets an increased his match tally to nine – and took the lead to 188.
Scorecard
There was no play possible as rain played spoilsport on the second day of the game between Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha in Vijaywada.

Group A

Scorecard
Assam reached a position of advantage against Jharkhand in Guwahati. First, their bowlers, led by Sairaj Bahutule’s 5 for 53, bowled out Jharkhand for 261; then their batsmen responded by notching up 149 at stumps with the loss of just one wicket. Jharkhand will rue the fact that their middle-order batsmen failed to consolidate on starts. Five reached double-figures, while three – Saurabh Tiwary, Rajeev Gupta and Shahbaz Nadeem – reached 30-plus scores but didn’t press on. Assam, in response, were boosted by opener Parvez Aziz’s 85 and an opening stand of 128. Dheeraj Jadhav is still there, unbeaten on 49, and will look to take his team to a substantial lead tomorrow.
Scorecard
Goa, buoyed by Swapnil Asnodkar’s century, reached a dominant position against Rajasthan in Margao. They began the day on even terms, on 149 for 4, but a 128-run stand between the two overnight batsmen, Asnodkar and Rahul Keni, tilted the balance in Goa’s favour. Fast bowler Pankaj Singh bagged 4 for 92, but Goa had posted a competitive 338. In reply, two quick wickets from Saurabh Bandekar dented Rajasthan in their innings and left the visitors in a precarious situation at stumps.
Scorecard
The first day of the game in Nagpur was washed out, but the hosts were pegged back on the second as Tripura limited them to 217 for 9. The Vidarbha score could have been much worse had it not been for a 59-run sixth-wicket stand between Ravi Jangid (45) and Himanshu Joshi (38). The lower order stepped up with some important contributions but Wilkin Mota, who grabbed 3 for 39, ensured Tripura stayed ahead of the eight-ball. Tripura used nine bowlers in the innings, and Mota was supported well by the rest in keeping the opposition in check.

Immediate on-field issues aside, both teams will have Champions Trophy qualification and Delhi’s air quality on their minds

Madushka Balasuriya05-Nov-20233:48

Finch wants to see Shakib at No. 3

Big Picture: Problems to address for both teams

This may not be the must-win scenario either side would have envisioned towards the tail-end of this tournament, but the ICC’s confirmation that the top seven finishers (and hosts Pakistan) will gain qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy has given what would have been a largely inconsequential game some much needed purpose.Both sides’ troubles are well documented. Since their opening game win against Afghanistan, Bangladesh have lost six on the trot. Only England have a worse record, and Bangladesh have lost to them too. For a side that had won 24 of 39 ODIs since the start of 2021, this has been the most underwhelming of tournaments, especially in conditions that on the face of it looked like it might have suited them.The unsettling of a settled batting order could be pinpointed as one of the key reasons for this downturn in fortunes. They will be hoping to regain enough lost ground to overcome a Sri Lankan side that has its own set of issues.Related

• 'Asthmatic' Bangladesh players skip training on eve of Sri Lanka match due to air pollution in Delhi

Sri Lanka, for their part, have done what they’ve always done – at least in the recent past – mixing in brilliance with despair, jubilation with fatalism. Whichever way you splice it, this was an undercooked Sri Lanka side at least in terms of ODIs – one geared towards a T20-style and rediscovering its ODI bearings. It was also one seemingly caught up in muddled thinking.”I want them to be aggressive to be honest,’ stated head coach Chris Silverwood prior to their defeat to India, and after an oddly timid display against Afghanistan. “I want them to play their game and obviously do things their way but have a positive mindset.”All sound in theory, but words that were betrayed by the fact that their sole aggressive opening option – Kusal Perera – was dropped for both losses to Afghanistan and India, in favour of the conservative Dimuth Karunaratne. Whether they stick with that will almost certainly speak towards the approach they’re likely to take.And this is all without getting into the crux of the off-field issues, where the fallout from their campaign has seen a public back-and-forth between the country’s sports minister and Sri Lanka Cricket, while there have been questions posed of the impact of the coaching staff and whispers of a selection committee shake-up. Hardly ideal when trying to play fearless, aggressive cricket.Both teams will also have the Delhi air to deal with.

Recent form

Bangladesh – LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka – LLWWL

In the spotlight: Mushfiqur Rahim and Dilshan Madushanka

Mushfiqur Rahim started this tournament at No. 6, a position he had played in for the previous seven months, though not one he had occupied for the five years prior to that. But with just 171 runs at 28.50 across this tournament, he is now back at his favoured No. 4 slot. Of his 7577 ODI runs, 4372 have come at four, while his average in that role of 42.03 is a significant uptick from his career average of 36.78 and the 37.35 he was producing at six. This may have been largely a World Cup to forget for Mushfiqur but now back in a familiar role against familiar opposition, Bangladesh will be banking on him to help end their tournament on a high.Sri Lanka’s tournament might have been one largely to forget, but you don’t have to strain hard for the silver linings. Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama are a couple of positives, but it’s Dilshan Madushanka that has firmly left his mark. In seven games, he’s picked up 18 wickets – the second best in the tournament so far – and gone wicketless just once, taking at least two in every other game including a maiden five-for against India – a game in which his impact trumped that of an attack that ransacked their opponents for just 55. His list of victims is already a veritable list of modern-day greats, and he’s still only 23.AFP/Getty Images

Team news: Kusal Perera back?

Bangladesh rejigged their batting order against Pakistan and it’s likely to stay the same.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Towhid Hridoy , 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Shoriful Islam.Sri Lanka might opt to bring Perera back into the fold after Karunaratne failed to impress in his stead. Dushan Hemantha could also make way for Dunith Wellalage if Sri Lanka opt for more batting strength.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera/Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk) 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Angelo Mathews 7 Dushan Hemantha 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Kasun Rajitha, 10 Dushmantha Chameera 11 Dilshan Madushanka

Pitch and conditions

The top two highest scores at Kotla have come during this World Cup, and Sri Lanka will be keenly aware of the nature of this surface having leaked 428 runs against South Africa last month.The overall weather conditions in Delhi though have worsened since then, with both sides cancelling scheduled practice sessions over the past few days owing to poor air quality. Any call on the match perhaps not taking place will only be taken on the day of the game.

Stats and trivia

• Dilshan Madushanka is five wickets away from equalling Chaminda Vaas and Muthiah Muralidaran – 23 – for the most wickets by a Sri Lankan in a World Cup. He currently is level with Lasith Malinga on 18.
• Of active players, Shakib Al Hasan has the fourth most runs in ODI World Cups with 1250, and the most of any Bangladesh player.
• Shakib’s 41 World Cup wickets is the second-most taken by a spinner. Muralidaran has the most with 68.

Quotes

“Our doctor has kept a close eye on players. Some of the players didn’t turn up for practice because they are asthmatic so they stayed in indoors. And even for practice, we’re very conscious. We train what we have to train, and they go back into the dressing room. They don’t spend time unless they’re bowling or batting.”