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The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will ensure earlier starts to matches in the second half of the tri-series to minimise the effect of dew on the pitches, an issue that has been severely criticised by all three captains. The matches are currently scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m., but board officials said the remaining matches, beginning with Bangladesh’s clash against Sri Lanka on January 8, will start 30 minutes earlier.The 2:00 pm local start was decided after the BCB tried to ensure the matches started 90 minutes earlier. However, Nimbus, the broadcaster, could only push it forward by 30 minutes.”It won’t happen for tomorrow’s [Bangladesh versus India] game, but we are hoping that we can start the next game early, or do it for the other matches,” Jalal Younis, the BCB’s chairman of media communications, told Cricinfo on Wednesday. The dew factor has been threatening to strip the tournament of its competitiveness, with all the captains believing that the toss could be a huge factor in deciding the outcome of the game.Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, showed his displeasure at the end of the defeat against Sri Lanka on Monday and said it could adversely affect the future games. “It was almost unplayable out there,” he said. MS Dhoni too has advocated an early 11.00 am start and Kumar Sangakkara has said early starts, if possible, would make for good cricket.The organisers seem to have been caught unawares about the extent of the damage that the dew has caused to the fielding side. “We really didn’t expect this much dew,” Jalal said. “We didn’t realise that there would have been so much fog and it would be so chilly.”Television is one of the main reasons why the game couldn’t be advanced to take the dew out of the picture. “Nimbus, the official broadcasters, have already sold the product to their partners assuming certain time,” Jalal said. “It involves lots of marketing decisions and thought; it’s not an easy decision to just advance the start. They have even sold the product to Europe. We have been in constant touch with their CEO.”

Match facts

Saturday, December 12
Start time 17.30 (12:00 GMT)

Big Picture

Dinesh Karthik should easily slot in for an injured Rohit Sharma•AFP

The ICC World Twenty20 win, and the subsequent celebrations that riled Andrew Symonds so, seems like it belonged to another age. Though it set in motion the events that led to the creation of the IPL, India’s form in the international arena has been dire. Wednesday’s thrashing at Nagpur was their fourth loss in succession, and you have to go back nearly a year to their last victory against a major side. The Pathan brothers, Irfan and Yusuf, denied Sri Lanka then, and it will need similar strength of will from the middle and lower order to ensure that the team’s alarming slide in the game’s most abbreviated format is arrested.Sri Lanka snapped a four-game losing streak of their own in the opening game, and would have been delighted with the manner in which they coped despite another Sehwag-Gambhir blitz at the top of the order. Once again, it was an old man, Sanath Jayasuriya, who showed the young ‘uns how it’s done with a miserly spell that choked all life out of India’s charge for victory. Once again, Lasith Malinga and friends will focus on a callow middle order that was embarrassed at the World Twenty20 in England last June. India have shuffled the pack often enough, without finding any real answers.As worrying was the fielding, or lack of it. We can only speculate as to what Mike Young made of it, with catches spilled, run-out opportunities squandered and a generally lackadaisical approach. Sri Lanka were much sharper in the field, and that made the difference in a game where more than 400 runs were scored.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India – LLLLW
Sri Lanka – WLLLL

Watch out for…

Tillakaratne Dilshan: He contributed significantly in Nagpur, without being as destructive as he can be. On a bouncier pitch, he could well showcase the electrifying shot-making ability that thrilled those at The Oval during the World Twenty20 semi-final. His offspin could also have a part to play.Yuvraj Singh: He will celebrate his birthday in front of his home crowd. With rumours rife that he may not lead the Kings XI Punjab side in the next IPL season, it’s the perfectly chance for one of the game’s biggest hitters to illustrate just why he’s so feared by the opposition, and so loved by the fans.

Team news

Sreesanth missed the Nagpur with a stomach bug and has not recovered. He was admitted to a city hospital last night and is under the doctors’ observation following multiple ailments. Rohit Sharma, who hurt his shoulder while diving in the last match, has also been ruled out. Rohit took part in the practice session at the PCA stadium but MS Dhoni said the team did not want to take a chance since he was not “match fit”. Dinesh Karthik, a handy batsman to have in this format, should replace him. The management will decide on the final XI on the morning of the game. There is an outside shot that R Ashwin could replace Yusuf Pathan, though Pathan’s swing-or-bust style may be persisted with for the moment.India: (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 Ashok Dinda, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.”I am tempted to play the same eleven which did a brilliant job in the last game,” was Kumar Sangakkara’s reply when asked about Sri Lanka’s composition. There could, however, be a return to the fold for Ajantha Mendis, whose stock has plummeted since his heroics against India a little over a year ago.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dilhara Fernando.

Pitch and conditions

The dew could have a major role to play with a cold wave sweeping across northern India. Despite predictions of good bounce and carry, it looks like a bat-first-and-win match. If the skies are clear, the dew will be a factor by the time the first innings is over. Bowlers will find the ball hard to grip and batsmen could find the ball skidding through after pitching.

Quotes

“Hopefully before the next World Cup we would get it right. We will have the third edition of the IPL before that which I think will help. IPL will give us the right preparation.”
“We always have to come up with new ways to improve. Momentum is good as it gives us the confidence, self belief. It gives us the belief that we can repeat all the good things.”

Finally, at the third time of asking in this series, the conditions provided the perfect backdrop for an engrossing contest. The pitch in Ahmedabad was a sleeping beauty that even Don Juan couldn’t have roused, while the one at Green Park in Kanpur was slow and low. On the opening day at this famous old venue, there was something for everyone. Zaheer Khan got the odd delivery to leap at the batsmen, Sreesanth troubled them with conventional and reverse swing, while Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha found both turn and spitting-cobra bounce.But by the day’s end, Sri Lanka still had 366 on the board, with Tillakaratne Dilshan’s rapid century curtailed by a poor decision and Angelo Mathews holding the Indians at bay with an unbeaten 86. There was a fluent half-century for Tharanga Paranavitana, and a stroke-filled 43 from Prasanna Jayawardene. Had the disgruntled Dilshan – “I would still be batting out there,” he said pointedly when asked if he would have preferred the referral system to be in place – not been sent packing with 24 overs still to be bowled in the day, Sri Lanka could conceivably have reached 400.With the slower bowlers likely to grow ever more influential as the match progresses, the fate of the Test probably hinges on India’s first innings. Harbhajan, who finished the day with 4 for 107, was quietly confident that India had the batsmen to handle whatever Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath conjure up on this surface. “I have got tremendous faith in our batsmen that they will come out and take this challenge and score a lot of runs because the wicket is still very good,” Harbhajan said. “Very true bounce, and you can score a lot of runs because the surface is so hard on the sides that once the ball gets out of the square, it is very difficult to stop.”It’s a high-scoring ground, so I won’t be surprised when Viru [Sehwag] gets going. When Dilshan or Viru plays till tea, then the scoreboard will keep rattling along. It’s very important to get this kind of people early. They [Sri Lanka] deserve the credit, they batted really well today.”Both Harbhajan and Ojha bowled beautifully at times, looping the ball and inducing plenty of false or uncertain strokes. In Harbhajan’s eyes though, the perception that he bowled better was a false one. “I was just bowling the way I have been bowling,” he said. “There was a bit of moisture in the morning session, the ball was gripping a bit and taking spin. There was enough to beat the bat. I knew that red soil also helps bounce and spin if you put enough effort.”The kind of wickets we’ve played on, it gets really difficult to even beat the bat. The Kanpur wicket was a tough one to bowl on. Lots of edges weren’t carrying to slips, lots of edges were going towards third man. It’s difficult to set fields for that. Ahmedabad, you all know what the story was. But I’m very happy the way I bowled today. It would have been a little better if I had conceded 15-20 runs less.Having leaked runs in the first hour, India were much better in the next three before a 33-over final session, in which Sri Lanka piled on 153. “We could have bowled a little better,” Harbhajan said. “I felt we gave away a lot of runs in the third session; the energy levels were a little low. Also, we could have fielded a little better. We have to be up for these kinds of challenges. We know that when there are partnerships, if we get one or two wickets and create pressure by bowling and fielding well, we could save 35 to 40 runs.”India’s problems were in part due to having just four specialist bowlers, on a day when the afternoon sun shone bright. Harbhajan and Ojha bowled 52 overs between them, and the only respite came in the shape of four overs from Yuvraj Singh. “You have to have an allrounder who can bowl 15 overs in a day and get you 50-odd runs with the bat,” said Harbhajan. “But unfortunately, we don’t have that someone in the team at the moment. But it would have been nice to have a fifth bowler who can give you another 15 overs. That will put less pressure on your main bowlers.”Murali has been a non-factor in the series so far, but Harbhajan was clearly wary of the impact that he might have as the match goes forward. “Obviously, Murali is the biggest match-winner ever in world cricket,” he said. “Playing him will be challenging, it has always been a challenge. I am sure he will be looking forward to bowling on this wicket but we have the batsmen who can handle him. Even in Galle, when it was spinning big, Viru got 200. It’s very important to get a good start, and I am sure [Murali] Vijay and Viru will give us a good start.”

Martin Snedden, the former New Zealand Cricket chief executive, believes John Wright must be installed as the team’s coach following the removal of Andy Moles. Wright, the country’s high-performance manager, has been mentioned whenever the side has had a vacancy at the top, but has never done the job.”I’m going to put my hand up and say John Wright’s time is now, he would be great,” Snedden told the Dominion Post. “Right at the heart of this is John Wright has the know-how. So much of what he brings is required. The skill of batting, the passion, he was so nationalistic as a player, we need that right now.”The options for New Zealand have been reduced after the Australians Tom Moody and Greg Shipperd said they were not available. Stephen Fleming, the former captain, has also ruled himself out. However, Steve Rixon, who has held the post before, is interested in a reunion.”The timing is quite good,” he said. “I think that the job that needs to be done is very similar to the job that had to be done in 1997 and the challenge is appealing. They need to get back to simple basics, be more disciplined and possibly look at the make-up of the side.”Wright spent four years with India and has been the high-performance manager for two years without showing the necessary interest in another full-time international role. “There is talk of perceived shortcomings – if that’s the case you cope with that,” Snedden said. “It is far better to have a coach with John Wright’s skills and know-how than someone else who might have that [an ability to organise] and very little else.”Currently our batting is a problem. We have the raw talent with guys like Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Tim McIntosh, but they are still to learn the skills how to survive. John has all of that knowledge and the desperation.”

Three days is hardly the ideal pre-season build-up for the defending Sheffield Shield champions. But that’s how long Victoria have been given to adjust from Twenty20 to four-day cricket after their off-season was dominated by preparations for the multi-million dollar Champions League Twenty20 in India.The Twenty20 squad members flew out from India last Friday, weighed down by healthy prize-money for reaching the semi-finals but also the disappointment of being comprehensively knocked out by New South Wales. Then came a couple of precious days at home, the start of four-day training on Tuesday, and a flight to Adelaide for this Friday’s Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia.”It’s a super challenge for our players to switch mindsets and the physical challenges are enormously different as well,” the coach Greg Shipperd said. “Instead of bowling four overs in a day they’ll have to bowl 20, 25 overs.”There’s no doubt we’re not as fresh as we have been in the past and across the season now our whole season has been concertinaed into a shorter space of time. So, less rest between games and our management and rotation of our players is going to be extremely important.”Eight of the players in Victoria’s 12-man squad for their Shield opener were in the Twenty20 unit in India, as was Dirk Nannes, who was representing Delhi Daredevils. Only Chris Rogers, Nick Jewell and Lloyd Mash have been at home throughout October, playing grade cricket and itching for their domestic season to kick off.The players need look only as far as their team-mate Aaron Finch for proof that quick adjustment is possible. Finch was part of the Champions League squad and arrived home on Friday, then a few hours later was in Geelong playing grade cricket and posted a healthy 138 from 143 balls.There are others who, like Finch, had little to do in India but run drinks and train in the nets. Among them was Bryce McGain, who seven months ago was making his Test debut in Cape Town and now finds himself fighting with Jon Holland for the role of Victoria’s No. 1 spinner.

Holland is in India with Australia’s one-day team but will be back in Melbourne in time for Victoria’s second Sheffield Shield game. It means that McGain, 37, is under pressure to deliver this weekend in Adelaide to show that he deserves to retain his state position throughout the summer.”Bryce is champing at the bit to play. This is a huge game for him to again give himself some confidence that those skills are still there,” Shipperd said. “We are really confident that they’re still there and we believe that if he is not the best spinner in the country, then he is a close second to whoever the other person may be.”Bryce is very keen to make the most of these first three or four [Shield and FR Cup] games while Jon is away and then we have got some selection headaches. That will help to put the pressure on the Victorian selectors to think long and hard about who’s the best for which situation, which form of the game we’re playing. We’ll need to delicately balance that as the season unfolds.”While Cameron White is with the ODI team, Victoria will be captained by David Hussey, who will be charged with giving the side a positive start after they reached all three finals in 2008-09. They did the same in 2007-08 but have only that year’s Twenty20 title and last season’s Sheffield Shield to show for the six final appearances.Unlike several other states Victoria have retained a settled squad this summer, losing only the limited-overs wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite during the off-season. But with men like Brad Hodge, Shane Harwood, McGain and Damien Wright in their mid to late 30s, the window for winning more silverware with this group will begin to close.Harwood, 35, is already having his workload managed and has been rested from Friday’s Sheffield Shield opener and will join the squad for the FR Cup game that follows. The next couple of months will be hectic for the Bushrangers, who must squeeze in five Sheffield Shield games and seven one-dayers before Christmas.Victoria squad Chris Rogers, Nick Jewell, Lloyd Mash, Brad Hodge, David Hussey (capt), Andrew McDonald, Rob Quiney, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Clint McKay, Bryce McGain, Dirk Nannes.

A day before the final, the ICC Champions Trophy has received a resounding vote of confidence from the captains involved, both Ricky Ponting and Daniel Vettori calling it the best Champions Trophy tournament they have been involved in.The approvals will be music to the ICC’s ears for they have struggled long and hard to find the right format and shape for a much-derided tournament that first surfaced in 1998. Over the years it changed formats and size, but the ICC decided to streamline the event this time, in a bid to increase its popularity in the new age of Twenty20. Only the world’s top eight teams played, only two venues in close proximity were used, the format was simplified making each game relevant, and the whole tournament lasted 15 days: short and sharp was the ICC’s medicine.”I think it’s been an excellent tournament,” Ponting said. “It’s been very rushed for us and England, coming in as late as we did. But this has certainly been the best and most enjoyable Champions Trophy that I’ve played in. To have the best eight teams, over a shorter period of time, people in this country and all over the world have enjoyed the one-day cricket played over the last couple of weeks. These events are about showcasing the game, and I think the ICC and the players have done a terrific job of making this tournament a spectacle for the 50-over game.”And Ponting believed the format’s health depended largely on how the teams play the game. “The key issues with the 50-over game come down to the way teams want to play it,” he said. “The middle overs have been what the administrators have been worried about. Bringing Powerplays into the game has added a different dimension to it. If you want to play the game as best you can, as a batting side, you have to maximise those middle overs. If you do that, you’ll make good scores. The more attractive the players can make the game, the more the fans will enjoy it as well.”Vettori also praised the tournament through its duration and as he contemplated the prospect of a first major international triumph in over nine years, he repeated his call for cutting down the number of ODIs in the international calendar. “Absolutely this is the best Champions Trophy we’ve had. I’ve said all along that every game has mattered and that is the most important thing. The reason people were getting tired of it was that there were a lot of irrelevant games and that hasn’t happened here.”The feasibility of the 50-over format came into sharp focus with the rise of Twenty20 cricket. The ECB scrapped its domestic 50-over competition and a number of leading voices in the game called for radical alterations to the format to ensure its survival or to scrap it altogether. The ICC has maintained that the format is relevant and can thrive. It has called on members, however, to strike a balance between the three formats as they work to draw up the next FTP, ensuring perhaps a reduction in the number of what Vettori referred to as the glut of “irrelevant” matches.

Shoaib Malik has said he is ready to take on the role of an opener in the upcoming Champions Trophy, but insisted he didn’t want the position to be a makeshift one. Pakistan have included one specialist opener in the squad, Imran Nazir, and are likely to employ Malik or wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal as the other opener. “I have no problems opening the innings,” Malik told reporters in Karachi. “I have done it before. But I don’t want to be tried in this position for just two or three matches. I want to be given a proper chance for 10 to 12 matches.”Malik, who’s played 181 ODIs, has opened the innings in 15 games, averaging 37.35 with two centuries and a fifty. He’s opened just once this year. However, he added that to be considered a specialist opener, he had to be given an extended run to prove himself. “If I get to open in 10 to 12 matches then I can prove myself,” he said. “I will feel comfortable in the role and I can carry on opening the innings in the future also.”Malik has had a poor time in ODIs in 2009, managing just one half-century in 11 games with an average of 21.44. He had a miserable tour of Sri Lanka, averaging seven in three matches. However, he dismissed any doubts over his place in the Pakistan side. “I struggled a bit in Sri Lanka but I am not out of form and I am confident of doing well in the Champions Trophy,” he said. “I am well accustomed to the conditions in South Africa.”South African conditions are conducive to pace bowling, but Malik singled out batting as the key if Pakistan are to win the tournament. He has a fairly good record in South Africa, averaging 77.50 in five games with one half-century. “I know pace bowlers will have an important role to play in the tournament because of the conditions,” he said. “But I know from experience that the batting is the most important thing while playing in South Africa. If our batting clicks we can win the competition.”The team whose batsmen adjust well to the conditions in South Africa will fare well. I don’t think they are any starting favourites in the tournament which is wide open as all teams are equally balanced.”Pakistan’s only success this year came in the ICC World Twenty20, but their performance in ODIs has been disappointing: they’ve lost all three ODI series they’ve played. However, when asked if the lack of international cricket and the unfavourable results would be a factor for Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, Malik said: “I don’t think so, because we are professionals and we have been training hard. The Sri Lanka tour was a long and hard one and we are prepared for the Champions Trophy challenge.”Pakistan end their training camp in Karachi on Wednesday, and leave for Johannesburg on Thursday.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJoe Denly impressed on his international debut as the rest of England’s top-order struggled•Getty Images

Eoin Morgan saved the blushes of his new England team-mates, and in the process broke the hearts of his former Ireland colleagues, as he pulled off an incredible piece of fielding on the long-on boundary to intercept a six from the penultimate ball of a compelling but flawed run-chase, and ultimately secure his adopted country a hard-fought two-run victory on the Duckworth-Lewis method.Chasing a revised target of 116 in 20 overs after a three-hour delay for rain, Morgan – who had come onto the field as a substitute for Graeme Swann – timed his leap to perfection with nine runs needed for victory and only two balls and one wicket in hand. The momentum of Trent Johnston’s blow seemed sure to carry him over the ropes for a maximum, but Morgan threw the ball back into play as he toppled backwards, and the match was won there and then. The umpire signalled one short in the confusion, leaving eight runs required from Owais Shah’s final ball. Johnston blazed a final drive through the covers, but it was clearly not enough.It proved to be the decisive moment in a remarkable game, but Ireland’s players will know that they ought to have claimed their biggest scalp of an eventful year, only for the chance – unlike Morgan’s fielding effort – to slip straight through their fingers. Needing less than a run a ball with ten wickets and eight Powerplay overs at their disposal, all the ingredients were in place for an upset, but England – to their credit – refused to succumb to embarrassment so soon after their Ashes triumph at The Oval.The star of England’s show was the debutant, Joe Denly, who opened the batting on a ground that holds many happy memories for him. He scored his maiden limited-overs hundred for Kent against Ireland in the Friends Provident Trophy in 2007, and he replicated that same composure to top-score with 67 from 111 balls. The Man of the Match award, however, went to Johnston, who was playing in his 100th match for Ireland and seeking a measure of revenge for his mother country, Australia. He removed both Ravi Bopara and Jonathan Trott for ducks before Denly was even off the mark, and eventually finished with the impressive figures of 4 for 26.However, it was the six that got away that Johnston will remember for longest from this match. He eventually finished on 20 not out from 15 balls, but of the remainder of their line-up, only the youngster Paul Stirling managed to get a decent start. He reached 30 from 26 balls before chipping a return catch to the legspinner Adil Rashid, and from a comfortable 66 for 3 at the halfway mark of the chase, Ireland capitulated. Collingwood, sensing that the extra pace of his seamers was inviting trouble, used his own medium-pace to good effect, before Shah doubled his career wickets tally with a decisive three-over spell of offspin.”Not ideal” was how Collingwood had described the timing of this fixture, and his assessment was a pretty apt summation of the entire performance. Moments before the start of the match, the ECB announced they were purging 50-over cricket from their domestic plans for 2010 onwards, and the timing of their release might have been intended as an alibi for a distracted performance.The swift change of mindset from Test to limited-overs clearly did not help England to settle, and though Denly impressed on debut, only one other batsman, Luke Wright, was really able to make an impression. He rallied the tail with a hard-hitting 36 from 26 balls, before succumbing to John Mooney’s catch of the match, a full-stretch diving effort at deep cover from Johnston’s final ball of the match.It was, however, a performance of steely nerve and impressive will-to-win from England, who are painfully aware of what they allowed to happen after their Ashes victory in 2005, and have resolved not to make the same mistakes again. This was, as Collingwood admitted, a very dangerous fixture to have to deal with so soon after the glory of The Oval, and to their credit they dealt with it and moved on.The Duckworth-Lewis Method, incidentally, was very much the theme of the day on numerous different levels. First came the band of that name – the Irish cricket-themed chart-toppers fronted by Neil Hannon of Divine Comedy fame, who huddled under the scoreboard in the pouring rain and regaled the Belfast crowd with hits such as “Jiggery Pokery” and “The Age of Revolution”. And then came the algorithm, to produce an even more divine comedy, as a match that had appeared destined for a cold and soggy abandonment sprung back into life at 5.36pm.

Match facts

July 20-24, 2009
Start time 10.00 (04.30 GMT)

The Big Picture

Chaminda Vaas has been recalled to the squad, but who will be dropped if he plays?•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

What could have been a tight series has already been won by Sri Lanka, thanks to three-and-a-half sessions of madness from Pakistan, during which they lost 27 wickets for 172 runs. Consequently they now stand one defeat short of what would be their first whitewash against Sri Lanka.To their credit Sri Lanka, who are missing their best spinner and who had dropped their most successful fast bowler, have capitalised on the chances Pakistan provided. Sri Lanka have been a well-led side, comprising youngsters who have shown hunger to replace the incumbents for good. It will be a dream start for Kumar Sangakkara, in his first series as captain, if they can complete a clean sweep.Sri Lanka have chosen to give their greatest fast bowler, Chaminda Vaas, a farewell Test now that the series has been decided.Pakistan’s problem has been that they able not been able to sustain their good work for long enough. Over the two Tests they have been a exaggerated version of West Indies in decline: in that they have taken only minutes in going from looking like a proper Test side to collapsing spectacularly like a school team. That middle ground, where teams arrest slides and resist momentum shifts, has been elusive.Younis Khan, who refused before the series to make an excuse about being undercooked, has had a rethink, and has asked for some time before this team can become regular, consistent performers. Time in international cricket, though, comes dear. With every Test, their barren run grows, now at 10 win-less matches. They last won in January 2007, against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. In no time they will have an ODI series to salvage some pride, and they wouldn’t want to go into that series 0-3 or 0-2.

Test form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka – WWDDW
Pakistan – LLDDD

Watch out for …

Nuwan Kulasekara: Quietly Kulasekara has made this a defining series of his career. In Murali’s absence, Vaas’ dropping, and Mendis’ ineffectiveness, Kulasekara has been a true leader of the attack, taking three four-fors already.Mahela Jayawardene: It’s been a quiet series for Jayawardene, but at SSC he comes home. He has scored more runs at the SSC than Don Bradman did at the SCG. Twenty Tests, 2198 runs, average of 81.40, and 832 of them in his last four innings there, Pakistan will need to make sure Jayawardene doesn’t feel at home again.Younis Khan: After his moment of madness, the reverse-sweep that kicked off a match-losing collapse at the P Sara Oval, Younis needs to set an example for a team he says is in rebuilding.

Team news

It will be interesting to see whose place Vaas takes. Both Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara have done commendably so far, and Kumar Sangakkara said Ajantha Mendis was not beyond being dropped. “There is a good possibility that we may go in with four seamers and leave out a bowler who has not done well,” Sangakkara said. One of Thushara, Mendis and Angelo Mathews should make way.Murali and Prasanna Jayawardene are still out of the squad, which means Tillakaratne Dilshan will continue his wicketkeeping duties. Malinda Warnapura gets another go at the top.Sri Lanka (from) 1 Malinda Warnapura, 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan (wk), 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Chaminda Vaas, 11 Thilan Thushara, 12 Ajantha Mendis.Younis has spoken again and again about the need of not running the axe over this team. The middle order, though, has big questions to answer, and this could be a last chance for some of them.Pakistan (likely) 1 Khurram Manzoor, 2 Fawad Alam, 3 Younis Khan (capt.), 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rauf, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Pitch and conditions

The SSC pitch has taken some rain over the last few days, and if it reacts to moisture like the pitch at Galle did, we could be in for a short match.

Stats and trivia

• There has never been a clean-sweep of a three-match Pakistan-Sri Lanka series. In 1994 Pakistan won a two-match series 2-0 in the only clean-sweep in their contests.
• In his first three matches in Test cricket, Ajnatha Mendis took 26 wickets. In the next five he has taken 13.
• Sri Lanka have won five of their last seven Tests at the SSC, drawing the other two.

Quotes

“The guys will be more focused on partnerships. Maybe we should play some games when wickets are falling or chat amongst ourselves to handle the pressure better. This is a personal thing. In international cricket you need to have more focus and motivation.”
“It is always good to aim for a sweep, but you can’t achieve that without playing your best cricket. We have been patchy, and so has Pakistan.”

The England & Wales Cricket Board has asked Cricket South Africa to clarify the status of the Wanderers in Johannesburg, the original venue for this winter’s fourth Test, following reports that the venue had been stripped of its international status after a dispute between CSA and the Gauteng Cricket Board.The GCB had levelled allegations of mismanagement of the 2009 IPL at CSA chief executive Gerald Majola, the BCCI and the tournament organisers soon after the league ended. The GCB was told it would only have its hosting rights reinstated following an apology and that hasn’t been forthcoming.There are three matches affected; the first Twenty20 on November 13 which has been moved to Durban, the first ODI on November 20 now shifted to Bloemfontein and the fourth Test starting on January 14 which will be played in Port Elizabeth.Although the ECB originally stated that the scheduling was a matter for the home board, David Collier, the ECB chief executive, has now written to Majola to emphasise the need to cater for the many thousand of England supporters who have already made travel arrangements for the winter series.”The possible changes to the itinerary clearly present some logistical challenges for the team as well as the travelling England spectators,” said Collier. “We are expecting a large number of England supporters in South Africa this winter and it is vital that we establish the exact position as quickly as possible. If there are changes to the itinerary we have asked Cricket South Africa to enter into urgent discussions with SA Tourism so that any additional costs can be mitigated and covered for travelling supporters.”With its steeply tiered stands and “bullring” atmosphere, the Wanderers is one of the landmark venues in world cricket, and a favourite with England fans after a thrilling series-clinching victory in 2004-05, in which Matthew Hoggard claimed seven final-day wickets.”These changes have been made in terms of a resolution taken last week by CSA’s members forum to suspend all international matches at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg,” said CSA president, Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka.”The forum decided that the suspension will stand until the Gauteng Cricket Board apologises for its unwarranted criticism of the management of the 2009 IPL hosted in South Africa, and until it presents CSA with its conditions for hosting future international matches at the Wanderers Stadium which fall under the auspices of CSA.”These two conditions have not been met, and consequently CSA has informed the ECB that the venues for three international matches against England later this year, which were scheduled for the Wanderers Stadium, have been changed.”Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, said talks were on with the England board to reach a solution. “David Collier, my counterpart at the ECB, has asked for clarification following enquiries by British travel agents who have sold packages based on the previous venues,” Majola said. “The venue changes were made on the basis of a minimum impact in this regard, and we are in discussions with the ECB about this.”