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Quicks Sippel and Hancock combined to take five wickets on bouncy WACA pitch to defend 169 against Thunder

Tristan Lavalette28-Nov-2023 125 for 9 (Athapaththu 41, Sippel 3-9, Hancock 2-16) by 44 runsQuicks Courtney Sippel and Nicola Hancock effectively utilised a bouncy WACA surface as Brisbane Heat comfortably beat Sydney Thunder in the elimination final.Heat kept their season alive after allrounder Amelia Kerr top-scored with 48 before Sippel and Hancock combined for five wickets under lights to crash Thunder’s chase of 170.Heat will play in the Challenger against Perth Scorchers on Wednesday at the WACA. The winner of that match will face Adelaide Strikers in Saturday’s final at Adelaide Oval.”Perth are a quality side and they have got world class players, we’re going to have to play well to beat them,” Kerr said after getting the player of the match award. “It’s about recovering tonight and then getting ready to go again tomorrow.”In good batting conditions, Thunder never seriously challenged in a disappointing ending to a bounce back season after last season’s wooden spoon.”It [surface] definitely bounced a lot…we didn’t quite make use of the conditions,” Thunder captain Heather Knight said.Both teams had to endure a cross-country journey after tailing off in the regular season to miss finishing in the top two. Thunder won the toss and elected to field in cool and overcast conditions in a notable change to oppressive recent weather in Perth.Heat’s fortunes of a revival seemingly rested on opener Grace Harris, who had gone off the boil recently mirroring her team’s spiral. After a watchful start, Harris took a liking to the wayward bowling from Thunder’s quicks. She particularly capitalised on seamer Sammy-Jo Johnson, who repeatedly bowled back of a length and was subsequently punished for three boundaries in the sixth over.Harris’ timing was exquisite, but she also showcased her trademark power by smashing offspinner Lauren Smith into the gigantic sightscreen near the rubble where the Prindiville Stand once stood.Courtney Sippel took three wickets for nine runs in her four overs•Getty Images

With her half-century in sight, Harris on the next ball attempted another lusty blow but she mistimed to deep midwicket. Harris had dominated the opening stand with Georgia Redmayne, whose struggles this season with being tied down at the crease continued. She made a sluggish 18 off 24 before being caught behind off seamer Hannah Darlington.Kerr took over with sweet shots around the wicket as Heat eyed a total around 200. She effectively went aerially in the power surge, while Laura Harris was keen to make up for lost time in her second match back after being sidelined for two months with a calf injury.Harris smashed Smith over deep midwicket for six off her first ball then whacked Darlington on her next delivery with a crunching blow through the off-side.But she soon fell lbw to a superb full slower delivery from Johnson, who found her length and ignited a late comeback from Thunder. Left-arm spinner Samantha Bates bowled accurately at the death to restrict Heat to a total that only felt par.Thunder’s batting all season had relied on Chamari Athapaththu, the newly-minted player of the tournament. But she struggled to find rhythm on a hard surface and was left rattled after a disastrous mix-up saw opener Tahlia Wilson run out in the eighth over.But the dismissal seemed to ignite Athapaththu, who went after left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen with decisive footwork. She was less assured against pace and it proved her downfall on 41 when Athapaththu succumbed to a well-targeted delivery from Sippel.When Kerr had Phoebe Litchfield caught and bowled, Thunder slumped to 61 for 3 at the halfway point and they never recovered as Heat lived to fight another day.

Hridoy, Shamim step up in chase of 155; Nabi’s fighting fifty in vain for Afghanistan

Mohammad Isam14-Jul-2023Bangladesh overcame a scare to beat Afghanistan by two wickets in the first T20I in Sylhet. Down to 64 for 4 in a chase of 155, Bangladesh owed their turnaround to Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain, whose 73-run stand put them in a comfortable position. But with two needed off the last five balls, pacer Karim Janat took a hat-trick to keep Afghanistan in the game with Hridoy stuck at the non-striker’s end. Shoriful Islam, at No.10, then took Bangladesh home with a cracking cut shot for four.Six runs were needed from the final over when Mehidy Hasan Miraz crunched a cover drive off the first delivery, before throwing his wicket away with a pull to midwicket. Taskin Ahmed was caught behind the following ball, and Nasum Ahmed top-edged a catch to deep third as Janat completed the hat-trick. Hridoy was unbeaten on 47 off 32 balls with three fours and two sixes and did not face a ball in that final over.Earlier, Mohammad Nabi’s fifth half-century in T20Is lifted Afghanistan to a modest total from 52 for 4. He made 54 off 40 with six fours and a six. Azmatullah Omarzai struck a 18-ball 33 with four sixes as the pair added 56 for the sixth wicket in 5.1 overs.

Shamim, Hridoy lift Bangladesh

At the start of the 13th over, Bangladesh’s required run rate was 9.5 per over and they had six wickets in hand. Hridoy began the assault by slamming Omarzai’s first ball for four over mid-off. He followed it up with a brutal pull shot for another four. Shamim then struck an awkward-looking pull for another boundary. Three more runs in the last two balls fetched Bangladesh 21 runs in the over, which brought the asking rate down to 7.85.With Shamim on 23, Najibullah Zadran dropped a sitter at deep square leg, which proved to be a game-changing moment. Hridoy and Shamim then scored 16 runs in the next over, bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi. While Shamim got into an awkward position to play a scoop over fine-leg for four while losing balance, Hridoy pulled away a six in that over to ease tension. Shamim eventually fell for a 25-ball 33 in the 18th over, bowled by Rashid Khan.Fazalhaq Farooqi celebrates a dismissal in his first over•AFP/Getty Images

Afghanistan strike early

Defending 154, Farooqi got the ball going through Rony Talukdar’s bat and pad to rattle his stumps early. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was lucky when his delivery struck Najmul Hossain Shanto’s hip before hitting the stumps. Bangladesh were sluggish in the powerplay, reaching 37 for two. Omarzai had Litton Das caught at mid-off in the seventh over for 18 off 19.Shakib Al Hasan tried to accelerate with some unusual shots – a scoop, a ramp and a lofted straight one off the back foot – but his stay was short-lived. He slapped a ball straight to Janat at deep point to leave Bangladesh at 64 for 4.

Bangladesh start well with the ball, too

After choosing to bowl, Bangladesh’s bowlers responded to their captain’s words on the match eve, about the need to start well. Taskin Ahmed led the charge with ten dot balls in his first three overs in the powerplay.Nasum had Hazratullah Zazai miscuing a whip to Hridoy at square leg in the third over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz swung Taskin to fine leg where Mehidy took a good tumbling catch. Shoriful removed Ibrahim Zadran for the fifth time on this tour, when the young batter was caught behind. When Shakib had Janat caught at mid-off, Afghanistan had lost four of their batters for 52.

Nabi ensures Afghanistan’s great finish

Nabi put on 35 runs for the fifth wicket with Najibullah Zadran, who was sharply caught by Litton in the 14th over. He then shared a crucial stand with Omarzai to give Afghanistan something to defend. Omarzai upper-cut Taskin for his first six, before smashing three fours.Afghanistan took 53 runs in the last four overs with overs 17-19 going for 14 runs each. Shakib removed Omarzai in the 19th over after he struck him for two sixes.Nabi reached his fifty in the last over. His only six came in the 17th over when he deposited Takin over midwicket. His innings ensured Afghanistan got to a competitive total.

Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah held on to the No. 2 spot, marginally behind Trent Boult

PTI06-Aug-2020India captain Virat Kohli (871 points) and his deputy Rohit Sharma (855) continued to retain the top two positions in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen, with Pakistan’s Babar Azam currently placed third. Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah (719) held on to the No. 2 spot, marginally behind New Zealand’s Trent Boult (722).There were movements for three Irishmen, who played a key role during their impressive chase of 329 against England on Tuesday. Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie, who struck 113, jumped four places to 42nd, while his deputy Paul Stirling climbed one spot to 26th after a 128-ball 142.Rookie Curtis Campher’s impressive first series, which saw him score half-centuries both times he batted – 59 not out and 68 in the first and second matches – helped him make an entry into the batsmen’s list at the 191st position.In the bowling chart, Ireland fast bowler Craig Young’s six wickets in the series lifted him 40 places to a career-best 89th position, while Mark Adair (up six places to 138th) and Josh Little (up 38 places to 146th) also made significant moves after Ireland’s stunning seven-wicket win that helped pull one back after conceding the three-match series to England.England’s ODI captain Eoin Morgan, who also scored a century in the final match, gained one place to be ranked 22nd, while Jonny Bairstow moved up a slot to 13th position, thanks to his bruising 41-ball 82 in the second ODI.Among the England bowlers, legspinner Adil Rashid advanced from 29th to 25th with five wickets in the series, while left-arm pacer David Willey’s eight wickets, including a haul of 5 for 30 in the opening match, not only won him the Player-of-the-Series award but also lifted him six places to the 51st position.England’s series win got them 20 points in the World Cup Super League, which will see 13 teams vie for direct qualifying places in the next World Cup in India in 2023. Ireland are on ten points.India and seven other top teams from the league will make it directly to the ten-team World Cup with the remaining two sides to be determined through a Qualifier.

Pooran, who has asserted his position as an exciting limited-overs batsman, has been given the chance to stake his claim for future involvement in West Indies’ Test squads

Matt Roller28-Nov-2020Nicholas Pooran has been given the opportunity to stake his claim for future involvement in West Indies’ Test squads, after his inclusion in a 14-man ‘A’ squad to play a pair of first-class matches in New Zealand next month.Pooran, 25, has asserted his position as one of the most exciting young limited-overs batsmen in the world in the last two years, making a flying start to his ODI career and continuing to impress on the global T20 circuit.

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That form has led several prominent voices within West Indies cricket – most notably Michael Holding, the commentator and former fast bowler – to suggest he should be considered for Test selection, despite his first-class experience extending to three games for Trinidad and Tobago back in 2014.But Pooran will have the chance to face the red ball for the first time since then in December, after being named in the West Indies A squad to play two fixtures against New Zealand A. The squad comprises eight members of the team currently playing a T20I series in the country, and six reserves from the Test party. There are two four-day matches scheduled, due to start on December 3 in Mount Maunganui and December 11 in Nelson.”This series will give our players an opportunity to play first-class cricket against foreign opposition as well as experience different conditions here in New Zealand,” Roger Harper, Cricket West Indies’ lead selector, said. “It will also help to keep them in the frame should the need for replacements for the Test team arise, as we will have players who have been playing red-ball cricket and in form to consider.”While it is highly unlikely that Pooran will play any part in the Test series against New Zealand even if he scores heavily – the A-team fixtures run in parallel to the Tests – he could feasibly be considered for the planned series in Bangladesh in January, where his ability against spin could come to the fore.Pooran is due to link up with the Melbourne Stars for six matches in the BBL season following those fixtures, with the New Zealand-Australia travel corridor meaning that he will not have to quarantine on arrival in Australia.West Indies A squad vs New Zealand A: Fabian Allen, Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Raymon Reifer, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden WalshFixtures: December 3-6, Mount Maunganui, December 11-14, Nelson

The former India captain and Baroda legend died of age-related illnesses

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2024Dattajirao Gaekwad, the former India Test captain and the country’s oldest living Test cricketer at the time of his passing, has died at 95. According to PTI, Gaekwad died at a Baroda Hospital on Tuesday morning of age-related ailments.Gaekwad, whose son Aunshuman also represented India, played 11 Tests between 1952 and 1961 and was captain during the 1959 tour of England. A right-hand batter, he finished with 350 Test runs at an average of 18.42, and his highest score of 52 came against West Indies in New Delhi in 1959.Gaekwad was known for his sound defence and his drives but also made a mark as a versatile fielder. He made his debut under Vijay Hazare’s captaincy at Leeds in 1952 during India’s first tour of England after independence. He started his India career as an opener but settled into the middle-order, with limited appearances in his ten-year international career. Gaekwad’s final appearance was against Pakistan at home in 1961.In the Ranji Trophy, however, Gaekwad was a pillar of strength to Baroda, representing them from 1947 to 1961. In all first-class cricket, he scored 5788 runs (36.40) and 17 centuries with a high score of 249 not out against Maharashtra in 1959-60, one of three double-centuries in his first-class career. Under his captaincy, Baroda also won the Ranji Trophy in the 1957-58 season, beating Services in the final.In 2016, Gaekwad had become India’s oldest living Test cricketer after the death of former batter Deepak Shodhan at the age of 87. The oldest living Test cricketer from India is now Chingleput Gopinath, the cricketer from Madras, who is 93 years and 349 days old.

Sussex surge into ascendancy after series of half-centuries secure slender first-innings lead

ECB Reporters Network21-Apr-2024Ollie Robinson took two wickets in three balls as Sussex put themselves in a strong position to claim their first win of the season in the Vitality County Championship.Having bowled 27 wicketless overs in the match, Robinson was finally rewarded when he pinned Cameron Bancroft and James Bracey leg before as Gloucestershire slumped to 27 for 4 in their second innings. They reached stumps on 81 for 6, leading by just 19 at Hove.Ben Charlesworth pulled his third ball over mid-wicket for six, but Robinson quickly settled into an impressive rhythm at good pace down the slope and was rewarded in his sixth over. Bancroft played across a ball which cut back that would have hit leg stump and Bracey, offering minimum footwork, was plumb in front of a straight one.Robinson’s workload is being managed by the ECB and his 9-3-21-2 spell was his longest – and best – spell of the season so far. He bowled four more testing overs and had 2 for 32 from 13 overs at stumps – with power to add tomorrow.Jayden Seales had taken two wickets in his first two overs after Gloucestershire had gone in again trailing by 62 on first innings having dismissed Sussex for 479.Charlesworth drove loosely to backward point in the West Indian’s first over and in his next Ollie Price made a fatal misjudgement when he left a length ball which uprooted his off stump.Skipper Graeme van Burren and Miles Hammond effected a brief recovery before off-spinner Jack Carson struck with his fifth ball when van Burren missed an attempted pull at one which kept a shade low.James Coles then got Sussex a sixth wicket in the penultimate over when Tom Price was leg before.Earlier, Cheteshwar Pujara, John Simpson and Danny Lamb had all passed 50 before Sussex were bowled out for 479 and it was surprising that none went on to make the first hundred of the match.Pujara eased effortlessly from his overnight 75 to 86 and looked odds on to complete his hundred before gifting his wicket. He drove the ball to deep extra cover and hesitated going for a third run. Sub fielder Jack Taylor’s throw was accurate enough to enable Bracey to run him out.When Fynn Hudson-Prentice was beaten in the flight by Zafar Gohar and smartly stumped Sussex still trailed by 103 runs but Simpson and Lamb tilted the balance in their favour with a measured stand of 143 in 34 overs, beating the previous eighth-wicket county record against Gloucestershire of 122 by George Brann and Walter Andrews which had stood since 1892.Lamb was the more aggressive, but Simpson, who made a maiden double-hundred against Leicestershire last week, reaching his fifty by lofting Gohar over long on and added eight fours before he misjudged a pull and Hammond ran in from the midwicket boundary to take a fine catch.Lamb, who scored a century at Leicester, continued his good form with 83 off 116 balls including nine fours and a six. Looking to force the pace, he was bowled by Don Goodman attempting to ramp him over the wicketkeeper.

The opener was in sight of a century on a day reduced to 44 overs by rain and bad light

Andrew McGlashan01-Apr-2023Matt Renshaw made a bid for a place in Australia’s Ashes squad as he dominated a shortened opening day of the first four-day match against New Zealand A in Lincoln with an unbeaten 92.Renshaw, the most experienced batter in the Australia A squad, does not have a county deal like others vying for a tour spot so these two matches are valuable to him after a difficult tour of India where he missed out three times batting in the middle order, albeit in conditions a world away from what will be on offer in England.”Really strange times at the moment for me,” he said. “I feel like I haven’t had much of a bat since the end of the Shield season. I had BBL, which was quite successful at the end. It feels really strange saying four months was four bats, but that’s the way cricket can be. It was nice to be back in the middle and enjoying batting.”Though he batted in the middle order in India, where he was preferred to Travis Head in the first Test before being David Warner’s concussion sub in the second, he is viewed as an opening option when a vacancy arrives, which could be sooner rather than later depending on Warner’s form. The first phase of Renshaw’s Test career came as an opener and this season he returned to that role for Queensland after a period in the middle order.Renshaw, who survived a big appeal for a catch down the leg side on 17, became increasingly dominant as his innings developed. He hurried into the 80s as he took on a short-pitched attack from Scott Kuggeleijn, which brought 18 off an over including a top-edged six, then collected consecutive boundaries off left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel.Related

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The South Island of New Zealand in early autumn could also hardly be more removed from Nagpur and Delhi. With a further eye on conditions which are likely to prevail in the UK for the World Test Championship final against India then the Ashes these two matches are being played with the Dukes ball.The New Zealand A bowlers did not find much joy with it on an opening day truncated to 44 overs after the first session was washed out then lengthening shadows took the players off for bad light.”The pitch is really similar to what you would expect over in England, so it’s a really nice challenge for us over here,” Renshaw said. “Losing the toss and batting is a really good opportunity to test yourself on these wickets.”After being in India for six weeks facing an SG [ball] on wickets that don’t bounce, it was a nice change and challenge coming over here.”Should Renshaw reach three figures on the second day it will mean he has effectively made consecutive centuries for Australia A after the one he scored for the Prime Minister’s XI against West Indies in Canberra last November. He returned to the Test side at the SCG in January only to be positive for Covid-19 on the opening day then see his chances of a proper innings hit by the weather.The only wicket to fall was that of 18-year-old Teague Wyllie, the Western Australia batter, who opened for the first time in his first-class career. He did not entirely settle against the new ball before cutting Kuggeleijn into backward point.Tim Ward accompanied Renshaw in what became a second-wicket stand worth 113 during the rest of the day. He, too, was tested by the short delivery but more often than not opted to avoid rather than take the ball on.

Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson are the back-up quicks; Mitchell Marsh named in Australia A group

Andrew McGlashan16-Nov-2021Travis Head and Usman Khawaja are set to battle it out for the final middle-order spot in Australia’s Test side having been included in a 15-player squad for the first two matches of the men’s Ashes next month.Michael Neser, who is recovering from a mild hamstring strain, and Jhye Richardson have been included as the pace-bowling support to Australia’s main three quicks while Mitchell Swepson provides spin back-up to Nathan Lyon.Last week national selector George Bailey endorsed Marcus Harris to open alongside David Warner while Cameron Green is set to retain his spot at No. 6.Related

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• Paine to head into Ashes without a first-class match

• Ashes hopes dashed, Will Pucovski aims for a domestic return after BBL

• Content Khawaja ready to bat anywhere for Australia

• Chairman of selectors endorses Marcus Harris to open in the Ashes

“Marcus has been a consistent run scorer domestically and had a strong winter further developing his game with Leicestershire. He is a good player who will be looking to build a strong partnership with David Warner at the top of the order,” Bailey said on confirmation of the squad.”Travis finished last summer strongly, second only to Cameron Green for runs scored, and has again started the season well. He drives the game forward and can put the opposition under pressure with his ability to score quickly.”Similarly, Usman Khawaja has been in great touch. He brings a calm, consistent and experienced component to the batting line up and is a proven run scorer at Test level. He also has the ability to bat across a range of positions in the batting order.”Khawaja, who last played Test cricket during the 2019 Ashes, is currently the leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield. Head, meanwhile, had been in line for a recall on the postpended tour of South Africa earlier this year after previously losing his spot midway through the India series.The only player from Australia’s last Test side, against India in Brisbane, who definitely won’t be involved next month is Matthew Wade.An additional group of players have also been selected to make up the Australia A side that will face England at the same time as the opening Test in Brisbane while they will also be involved in the intrasquad warm-up from December 1 to 3.Mitchell Marsh, the star of the T20 World Cup final in Dubai, is among those players while the selectors will take the chance to look at some of the younger top-order batters in Henry Hunt, Bryce Street and the previously capped Matt Renshaw. Nic Maddinson has also been rewarded for his strong domestic form with Victoria alongside team-mate Scott Boland.”This group is well balanced to ensure we are prepared for the many challenges of an Ashes Series. It has a mix of experienced, proven performers and emerging, developing talent,” Bailey said. “We will take this 15-player squad into the opening Test in Brisbane and the pink-ball match in Adelaide, after which we can reassess for the remaining matches.”Australia Test squad Tim Paine (capt), Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David WarnerAustralia A players Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Henry Hunt, Josh Inglis, Nic Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh, Matt Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street

Table-toppers still lead by 268 overnight as stragglers make good fist of first innings

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jul-2025Kent 203 for 3 (Compton 101*) trail Leicestershire 471 (Rehan 119, Patel 85) by 268 runsBen Compton was leading Kent’s resistance as they reached 203 for three on day two of their Rothesay County Championship match with Leicestershire at Canterbury, a deficit of 268.The Division Two leaders posted 471 after a final-wicket stand of 108 between Tom Scriven, who slapped Kent’s bowlers around to make a career-high 99, and Josh Hull, whose 35 was also his highest first-class score.Compton, however, replied with a mixture of doggedness and adventure to make his 18th first-class century and he was 101 not out when bad light stopped play.Leicestershire were 386 for nine overnight and quickly secured a fourth batting bonus point when Scriven swept Matt Parkinson for four.Scriven was on 70 when he was dropped by Ekansh Singh at cow corner after mowing a Joey Evison full toss and the number 11 Hull took them past 450 when he drove Parkinson for four.Parkinson was then denied what would have been a career-best eighth wicket when Compton somehow dropped Hull at midwicket.If that suggested Scriven’s luck was in, he missed out on his century in agonising fashion. The four that took him to 98 fell just short of the rope; he was on 99 when the batters ran two and the crowd were already applauding, only for the umpires to signal leg byes; two balls later he was plumb lbw to Joey Evison.(The only previous number 10 to get out one short of a first-class century was Athar Laeeq for Karachi Blues v Islamabad at Karachi, March 1996).Kent survived five dicey overs to reach lunch on 18 without loss but Jaydn Denly was then lbw for 20 to Louis Kimber.Ekansh got a life when he was on 22. He tried to pull Hull, who nearly had him caught and bowled, only to drop a head high chance.Compton reached 1000 runs for the summer when he passed 23, eased to 50 with two off Rehan Ahmed and Kent were 117 for one at tea.Ekansh went for 33 in the first over after the resumption, driving Ian Holland straight to Scriven at mid on, and with so many young players in Kent’s side the third-wicket partnership between senior players Compton and Tawanda Muyeye always looked like being crucial.The former’s battle with Rehan Ahmed was gripping, especially in the 90s, as he missed out on a rank long hop and then might have been run out but for a misfield. He was stuck on 99 at the other end when Rehan produced a sharply turning delivery that found Muyeye’s edge and was caught by Peter Handscomb for 46.George Garrett was sent in as the night watcher and he blocked the rest of the over before Compton stole a single off Green at the start of the 68th to reach three figures and that was the last meaningful action before the light deteriorated and the players went off with two overs remaining.

The pitch in Colombo isn’t expected to allow free-flowing batting

Madushka Balasuriya07-Oct-20252:07

Preview – Should Australia play Megan Schutt?

Big picture: Pakistan 0, Australia 16

Pakistan have never beaten Australia in any format of women’s international cricket. And if that trend continues on Wednesday, their path forward in the ODI World Cup will become very complicated given they have already lost their opening two matches to Bangladesh and India.What might be even more concerning for Pakistan is that in 16 ODIs against Australia, they’ve not even come close to victory, with the narrowest margins of defeat being 37 runs and four wickets, both way back in 2014.Pakistan’s most recent contest against Australia, a three-match rubber in 2023, had these results: eight-wicket defeat, 10-wicket defeat, 101-run defeat. And while they are also yet to beat India (12 tries) or England (15 tries) in women’s ODIs, their 16 defeats to Australia make them, statistically, the toughest opponent.Related

• Ellyse Perry and Sidra Amin highlight the contrasts in Australia and Pakistan

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All this is to say that Pakistan have a considerable mountain ahead of them. As for Australia, their opening game against New Zealand was an ultimately comfortable win, and their second against Sri Lanka was washed out. They are also a team in near-invincible form. In 32 matches since the last World Cup, they’ve won 27 and lost just four. Pakistan in that same period have played 34 ODIs, won 13 and lost 18.So what exactly are the straws Pakistan might look to clutch here? One, Australia haven’t played since October 1 as a result of their washout against Sri Lanka. They are also yet to play at the R Premadasa stadium, where conditions don’t necessarily seem conducive to free-flowing batting. With Pakistan already having experienced these conditions in their defeat to India, there could be an advantage to be exploited.Finally, Pakistan will be hoping the law of averages catches up and gives them the crucial win and points that they need.2:40

Australia exude an attitude of ‘we know how to win this’

Form guide

Australia WWLWW (last five ODIs most recent first)
Pakistan LLWLL

In the spotlight: Sandhu and Mooney

Since the 2022 World Cup, no Pakistani bowler has picked up more wickets than spinner Nashra Sandhu – her 42 strikes in this period coming from 28 matches. But more interestingly her 248.1 overs are the sixth-most bowled by any bowler in the last three and a half years. This serves to highlight just how much Pakistan lean on Sandhu. This year has also been her most impactful one – she’s picked up 17 wickets in 10 games, including a six-wicket haul against South Africa. The only thing is, in her past five matches, she’s gone wicketless three times. Pakistan will need her at her best if they are to upset Australia.You’d be hard pressed to find a team Beth Mooney doesn’t like batting against, but even so, her ODI record against Pakistan is better than most. Across eight innings she’s struck 279 runs at an average of 69.75, an average that has been boosted by the fact that she’s only been dismissed four times. Mooney’s recent form too has been ominous, with a century and two fifties across her last five innings.Megan Schutt has a good record against Pakistan: 10 wickets in nine ODIs•Getty Images

Team news: Will Schutt get a look in?

With a week’s break since their last game, Australia will be itching to get out on the field. Their biggest dilemma is down to healthy competition, as it remains to be seen if Darcie Brown continues to keep Megan Schutt out of the XI.Australia (probable): 1 Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Beth Mooney, 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath, 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Alana King, 10 Kim Garth, 11 Darcie BrownOmaima Sohail was replaced at the top of the order by Sadaf Shamas last time out, but with both openers struggling Sohail might find herself back in the side.Pakistan (probable): 1 Muneeba Ali, 2 Sadaf Shamas, 3 Sidra Amin, 4 Aliya Riaz, 5 Natalia Pervaiz, 6 Fatima Sana (capt), 7 Rameen Shamim, 8 Diana Baig, 9 Sidra Nawaz (wk), 10 Nashra Sandhu, 11 Sadia Iqbal

Pitch and conditions: Tricky batting conditions

Rain has been pestering Colombo and its surrounding suburbs over the past week, but Wednesday should arrive with clear, if cloudy, tidings. The pitch at the Khettarama has stayed true to form in the first two games its hosted at this World Cup, making life tricky for batters – expect that to stay the same.

Stats and trivia: Australia’s return to Colombo

• This will be Australia’s first women’s ODI in Colombo since 2016
• Only against Ireland (17-0) do Australia hold a more dominant ODI record than the one they have against Pakistan
• Australia have won their last 10 completed Women’s World Cup matches
• Annabel Sutherland is four away from 50 WODI wickets

Quotes

“We do have an edge but it all depends on what the team does with this advantage. We were unlucky to have our warmup game against Sri Lanka washed out but we’ve also played two games here and know the conditions very well.”