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Australia’s batsmen had the workout they wanted, with Cameron Bancroft and Kurtis Patterson spending time in the middle and playing substantial innings to achieve the first 200-plus total of the Under-19 World Cup at the Tony Ireland Stadium. The target of 295 was always out of Nepal’s reach but their chances of batting 50 overs were shattered by fast bowler Harry Conway, whose early hat-trick precipitated a collapse in 23.5 overs.Though Nepal had a torrid first game, they were constantly cheered by a surprisingly large number of their fans. They came early, wearing purple shirts and carrying flags, sitting on the grass banks and in the grandstand. They were approximately about 75 of them, outnumbering and out-cheering the Aussies.Nepal’s captain Prithu Baskota won the toss and, given how poorly England and India had fared after getting sent in, asked Australia to bat. They celebrated an early wicket, when an aggressive Jimmy Peirson drove Krishna Karki to mid-off. The next breakthrough, however, was a long time coming.Bancroft, who made 2 in the first game against England, did not try to over attack and just knocked the unthreatening bowling into gaps. He could have been dismissed on 15, though, had the fielder hit the stumps direct. Bancroft received four overthrows instead.Patterson, who was contracted by New South Wales in July, did attack more than Bancroft. Their run-rate was around four an over at the 25-over mark and with plenty of wickets in hand, Australia were poised for a surge in the second half of their innings. Patterson was lucky to survive a stumping opportunity on 42, when he came out of his crease and was beaten down the leg side, but wicketkeeper Subash Khakurel did not collect cleanly.Patterson went on to reach his half-century before Bancroft did: off 62 balls to Bancroft’s 93. Australia took the batting Powerplay in the 34th over and scored 44 runs off its first 3.2 overs. Patterson cleared the big boundaries at long-on and square leg and looked set for a century in quick time. On 86, however, he tried to slog-sweep but was bowled by one that kept extremely low from the left-arm spinner Bhuvan Karki.Bancroft had also picked up speed, and reached his hundred off 129 balls, his fourth century in Under-19 internationals. He hit medium-pacer Avinash Karn over the midwicket and straight boundary, and was aiming to clear midwicket again but his pull was intercepted by Sagar Pun, who, moving to his right, caught a ball that was travelling quickly, and held on to it as he hit the turf hard.Australia lost a few more wickets as they tried to get as many as they could and finished on 294 for 7.Nepal had made 11 for 0 before Conway, who did not play against England, began to batter the right-handers’ off stump. Three times in a row he pitched full and straight and all three times he was on target, while the batsmen played down the long line.Nepal lost wickets quickly after that and slumped to 82 all out. The offspinner Ashton Turner, who had taken 3 for 30 against England, had another good day, picking up 4 for 28 to take an early lead in the race for most wickets.

Ravi Bopara’s return to England’s Test team will be confirmed on Sunday when he is slotted in for the No. 6 role against South Africa. He will be the one significant change from the team which took on West Indies earlier this season by replacing Jonny Bairstow in the middle order.Bopara’s form in the ODI series against Australia, where he scored 182 runs and claimed four useful wickets, confirmed he is primed for a return to the Test side after a frustrating period where injuries have curtailed his opportunities. He was set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka after Eoin Morgan was dropped but picked up a side strain which prevented him from bowling and so Samit Patel was preferred over him. Then, at the start of this season, he injured his thigh which ruled him out of the series against West Indies.That opened the door for Yorkshire’s Bairstow, but he struggled in the three Tests and made just 38 runs and has not had a huge amount of batting since. He returned to Championship action this week and collected a first-ball duck against Hampshire.The other area of debate for the selectors will be who takes the role of third fast bowler behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad. England’s new-ball pair missed the last Test against West Indies when they were both rested but will return to spearhead the attack for the main event of the season.In the first two Tests against West Indies they were accompanied by Tim Bresnan who was Man of the Match at Trent Bridge after a destructive spell of reverse swing on the third evening sealed the series for England. He currently has a Test bowling average of 26.09 (alongside his batting figure of 40.22) and will be tough to dislodge, but Steven Finn’s performances in the recent one-day matches have made a very strong case.In the four completed matches against Australia, Finn took eight wickets at 19.37 including 4 for 37 at Chester-le-Street. He played the final Test against West Indies when Broad and Anderson were rested but was out-bowled on that occasion by Graham Onions who is the other fast bowler in contention. However, it may be that Onions does not even find a place in this squad such are England’s resources.There are a couple of lingering injury concerns with Bresnan and Graeme Swann having both recently been rested due to elbow problems. Swann missed the last two ODIs against Australia, and did not play for Nottinghamshire against Middlesex, while Bresnan has not played since the fourth ODI at Chester-le-Street.Earlier this week Andy Flower said: “Swann and Bresnan have ongoing elbow problems. Our medical staff believe they will be fit and available for selection for the first Test but it’s a strenuous exercise being a bowler playing international cricket.”They play all three forms of the game so that’s why Swann missed a big part of the one-day series and why we rested Bresnan for the last match at Old Trafford.”The impact of an injury to Swann is one area where this England side have yet to be tested. His absence would leave a vast hole to fill as he provides both attacking and defensive skills, which have been key to England being able to employ a four-man attack with such success.Should cover – or even a replacement – be needed at any stage it would probably come from either Monty Panesar or James Tredwell instead of any of the young spinners in county cricket such as Danny Briggs, Scott Borthwick or Simon Kerrigan who are still some way short of Test quality.Panesar made a successful return against Pakistan in the UAE earlier this year, but did himself no favours with a poor fielding display at Galle and Tredwell, who took 2 for 23 in the last ODI against Australia, may well be the preferred option. This, though, is not the series where England want to test that theory.Probable squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn

Match facts

Monday, June 18
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Sri Lanka’s bowling looks in good shape•AFP

Big Picture

Pakistan’s batsmen deprived their team of a chance of winning the series, collapsing to lose seven wickets for 13 runs after reaching a position of advantage in the chase in the fourth ODI. An implosion of that nature can be dispiriting, the painstaking yet determined progress by their captain and an emerging top-order talent decimated by the ineptness of those followed. Not too long ago, in 2009 in Sri Lanka, such collapses cost Pakistan the Test series; they have another game to get their batting in order before the Tests.That’s if the weather permits them, though there’s the insurance of a reserve day. The balance of power has shifted from spin to pace in the Sri Lankan bowling line-up, and the hosts’ seamers have shown there’s sufficient ammunition to defend a competitive score. Their batting has improved significantly, led by their experienced trio, after a forgettable performance in the rain-affected first ODI. Sri Lanka are a team on a high; Pakistan, with some sloppy fielding and misfiring batting, not so.This Premadasa track is not the one that made the venue a fortress of sorts for the home team in the previous couple of decades. They face a good bowling unit but Pakistan’s batsmen have a bigger challenge – that they don’t end up becoming their own biggest threat.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWLLL (Completed games, most recent first)
Pakistan LLWWL

Watch out for…

When he first began making a mark as an opener, Mohammad Hafeez‘s problem was that he squandered good starts, playing a false shot after settling in well. On this tour so far, he’s struggled to get even the starts, with three ducks, two of them consecutive. His offspinners have been economical, but he isn’t doing justice to the sound technique and solidity he usually offers with the bat.Upul Tharanga has had a quiet series so far, with scores of 10, 18 and 4. He’s just as much in need of a push; if picked tomorrow, he’ll play his 150th ODI.

Team news

Sajeewa Weerakoon will think he’s done enough to retain his place in the XI, picking up 1 for 49 with his left-arm spin. Sri Lanka could remain unchanged.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Sajeewa Weerakoon.Umar Gul received treatment on the ring finger of his right hand during the fourth ODI. He was impressive at the start, but faltered in the batting Powerplay. For reasons of injury, or otherwise, Pakistan have Mohammad Sami to fall back on; he’s recovering from a thumb injury himself.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Umar Gul/Mohammad Sami, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Stats and trivia

• This year has been an expensive one for Umar Gul in ODIs. He’s taken 15 wickets at 35.06 – his worst in a year – and has gone for 5.71 an over. His worst year, in terms of economy-rate, was 2010, when he went for 6.25 an over.
• Among players who’ve scored more than 2500 runs in ODI cricket and not scored a single century, Misbah-ul-Haq has the highest average – 42.30.

Quotes

“We needed six an over, and everything was under control. I don’t know what happened after that.”
“Lasith gave us that momentum. A couple of overs of aggressive bowling put them on the back foot and created a bit of doubt in their minds.”

ScorecardEngland allrounder Luke Wright struck a half-century as the Sussex defeated the Northamptonshire by 12 runs in a low-scoring encounter in the Clydesdale Bank 40.Sussex were bowled out for 180 inside 36 overs with Lee Daggett taking 4 for 31 and Wright, who was playing his first match of the season after IPL duties and illness, top-scoring by blasting 59 off 57 balls. Despite David Sales’ 51 off 70 deliveries, Northamptonshire fell short of their meagre target as they were limited to 168 for 7, Will Beer claiming 2 for 21.Sussex won the toss and chose to bat and lost Ireland batsman Ed Joyce for 23 when he missed his attempted sweep off James Middlebrook and the ball went on to hit his leg stump. This broke an opening stand of 73 with Wright and Matt Machan then faced five balls without scoring before he edged Daggett to Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy.Three deliveries later, former Zimbabwe international Murray Goodwin followed him back to the pavilion when he edged Daggett to Sales at slip. Wright went on to complete an explosive half-century off just 44 balls but Joe Gatting made only four before being bowled by Con de Lange.Wright then perished when he launched Middlebrook to David Willey at long on before Sharks wicketkeeper Ben Brown was trapped lbw by de Lange after plundering 20. Beer was the next to fall when he was caught and bowled by de Lange before Lee Daggett’s delivery careered into Sussex captain Michael Yardy’s off stump after he had reached 39.Daggett then pinned Amjad Khan lbw before Northants skipper Andrew Hall brought the innings to an end when England spinner Monty Panesar chipped him to Daggett at mid-off.Chasing 181, the the home side lost Willey in the third over when he was bowled by Yardy and Kyle Coetzer followed for the same score when his off stump was taken out by Wright.Opener Stephens Peters looked well set on 39 but he threw his wicket away when he smashed ex-Northants man Panesar to Machan at long off. Sales hung around to reach 50 off 67 balls but he soon fell when he was caught leg before by Beer after missing his sweep shot and Middlebrook departed with the very next ball by chipping Beer to Joyce at midwicket.Rob White was dismissed for 29 in the penultimate over when he launched Chris Liddle high into the air and was taken by Brown before Hall hammered the same bowler to Beer at deep midwicket.

Alastair Cook, the batsman at the centre of England’s successful run chase against West Indies at Lord’s, has expressed support for the authorities’ growing willingness to use floodlights in Test cricket.The ECB has traditionally been ultra-cautious in advocating the use of floodlights outside the one-day game but that suspicion has been markedly reduced this summer with England and West Indies both committed to using artificial light throughout the three-Test series whenever the occasion demands. The ruling came from the ICC’s match referee, Roshan Mahanama, during a pre-series briefing and neither board took up their right to appeal against floodlights being used at any of the three grounds hosting a Test in the series – Lord’s, Trent Bridge or Edgbaston.There has been no change in the ICC regulations governing use of floodlights, but there has been a shift in interpretation. Mahanama stressed that players would only leave the field if conditions were regarded as unsafe and expressed a stronger commitment to the regulation which states: “If in the opinion of the umpires, natural light is deteriorating to an unfit level, they shall authorize the ground authorities to use the available artificial lighting so that the match can continue in acceptable conditions.”Cook, whose opinion as England’s Test vice-captain and captain in 50-over cricket is significant, has no complaints and he indicated that the rest of the side were comfortable about a shift in policy that puts the entertainment of the public first. He experienced first-hand the difficulties of batting under lights when England collapsed to 10 for 2 in four hostile overs at the end of the fourth day but he survived to make 79 in England’s five-wicket win.”I think that fourth day was a prime example of why lights should be used in Test cricket,” he said. “There are occasions when it works to your disadvantage like when it’s pretty dark, such as the last 15 to 20 minutes on that day when we had to go and face it.”But we were talking about it in the dressing-room and if those lights weren’t on we probably wouldn’t have played much that day and I think for the crowd and the entertainment we’ve got to try and get as much play as we can. It will work in your favour one day and others you’ll have to go and face four overs in not ideal conditions but hopefully we’ll benefit from that situation at some stage as well.”The MCC has been as a champion of floodlit Tests at night and, in common with the ICC, it has conducted research into pink and orange balls that might be more suited to night Tests. But when it comes to poor light in the day time, the common-or-garden red ball does not seem to have outlived its usefulness.”It feels quite strange,” said Cook, who was one of four England captains gathered in Nottingham in support of the latest scheme to bring cricket to the inner cities. “It’s just different because we are exploring new ground but I think it worked really well. Because Test cricket is over five days, if one side are bowling under lights and then the other has to bat in those conditions all the time you might be able to change the game too much but at Lord’s because of the nature of the wicket, it was fine. There’s a good case for using them now.”We were saying we don’t think we’d have got much play, certainly not the 80 or 90-odd overs we got, and it probably would’ve been hard to get a result. We wouldn’t have got more than 30 or 40 overs. We wouldn’t have won that game without those lights.”We need a bit more experience of playing with them but at lord’s when the wicket was good it didn’t seem to affect what the ball did.”Without the willingness of England and West Indies to resort to floodlights, the scourge of bad light would have severely disrupted the Lord’s Test, frustrating spectators and potentially costing the ECB revenue when many counties are under severe financial pressure. Test cricket has benefited significantly from the investment in faster-draining outfields and it is logical to hope that floodlights, better quality on most English Test grounds these days, can bring similar dividends.It remains to be seen whether England and South Africa will remain so committed to floodlights later this summer in a series that could decide the No. 1 Test ranking. Nothing in ICC regulations is ever entirely clear: the use of floodlights is subject to the interpretation of clause 16 on playing which allows for additional playing time at the end of regulation hours to recover time lost to the weather.Cook, though, spoke for many who tire of interminable late finishes because of weather-interrupted days, a common feature of Test cricket in England, when he stated: “Of course common sense always has to be used at certain stages. But in an ideal world eleven ’til six is best.”Denesh Ramdin, West Indies’ vice-captain, did not sound quite as enthusiastic. He not only had to bat under floodlights, but keep wicket as well and he took several painful blows on the hands during the Test. “It was a bit difficult with the pavilion in the background,” he said. “It was difficult and it was challenging.”Shivnarine Chanderpaul had also expressed surprise at use of floodlights at the end of two prolonged innings in which he batted nearly ten-and-a-half hours in the match. “He didn’t seem to have any problems, he batted long enough I think,” Cook joked. “Like always in cricket, and any sport, sometimes when you go into the unknown it’s different.”

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said they have a lot of hard work to do in the next two days of the second test after England built a first innings lead of 185 and put the pressure back on the home team.”Pressure’s pretty crucial in the game of cricket and England eased the pressure by the solid start they had. After that they ended up putting pressure on us,” Ford said. “The next two days we’ve got a lot of hard work to do. We have to get out and bat session for session.”Assessing the day’s play Ford said he was pleased the way Sri Lanka came back in the final session to capture six England wickets “It was a tough day but pleasing the way the lads fought back in the last session. I thought they stuck to it pretty well.”If you look at it realistically Kevin Pietersen’s knock was the difference, he was absolutely superb. We had one little half chance before lunch when he got an inside edge to one of Dilshan’s deliveries. Had it gone to hand we might not have been as far behind in the game as we are right now.”Ford said that he was pleased the way the two fast bowlers Dhammika Prasad and Suranga Lakmal bowled on the surface. “There wasn’t a lot in it for the pace bowlers and they stuck to their task and to their game plans and executed them fairly well. I am reasonably pleased with the work they did.”Yesterday afternoon the pitch was probably at its best to bat on. I thought it would be good to bat on right from the start but there was a bit on it on day one and yesterday it looked to have died a bit.”There are a few things going on, the bounce is a little bit uneven from time to time but it does look as if you take your time and get yourself in and get used to the pace of your wicket you can occupy the crease and bat for long periods. That’s something we are going to hold onto and try and get it right.”Ford expected England to come back hard at them after losing the first test at Galle. “I’ve got a huge respect for England, with them being the No. 1 Test nation. You know a side with that sort of record and reputation is going to put in a very much improved performance obviously being disappointed with the first Test match,” Ford said. “Anytime you walk on the field against the current England side you are up for a heck of a tough match. There’s no case of anybody thinking that it would be any different.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAfghanistan began their series against Scotland with a comfortable win in the first of two Twenty20 internationals in Sharjah. Mohammad Shahzad hit a fifty to lead Afghanistan to 132 and their bowlers tied Scotland down in the chase.Afghanistan were in trouble at 5 for 2 after new captain Mohammad Nabi chose to bat. The man he replaced, Nawroz Mangal, departed fourth ball of the game to one of the four debutants for Scotland, Iain Wardlaw, while Karim Sadiq was dismissed by another debutant Neil Carter in the second over.Afghanistan could have been bogged down just as Scotland were later, but Shahzad made sure that did not happen. He put on 79 with Asghar Stanikzai at over a run a ball. Shahzad hit seven boundaries during his 55 off 46 deliveries while Stanikzai provided valuable support with his 30 off 37. Yet another Scotland debutant, Matt Machan, restricted Afghanistan with a haul of 3 for 23, which included the wicket of Shahzad.Scotland began their chase poorly, with Calum MacLeod being caught short of his crease by Afghanistan’s lone debutant Hamza Hotak in the first over. Carter fell to Sadiq’s second delivery in the third and Scotland could never get going. Machan’s unbeaten 42 off 38 was the sole innings of note for his side. Kyle Coetzer and Preston Mommsen got slow starts, but that only served to increase the asking-rate, with Scotland falling short by 27 runs when the overs ran out.

The New Zealand coach, Mike Hesson, is under no illusions how brittle his Test side remains but has been buoyed by the one-day series victory against South Africa.New Zealand were humbled by an innings in both Tests on the tour, which included being bowled out for 45 in Cape Town, before turning their fortunes around with one-day success and they came within a whisker of a whitewash only to lose the final ODI off the last ball.”In Test cricket, we’ve still got a long way to go,” Hesson admitted on his return to New Zealand. “We’re a long way off the pace in Test cricket, we have to acknowledge that, and we know we have a lot of work to do.”Achieving one-day silverware went against recent form for New Zealand who had slipped to ninth in the rankings, but the form of experienced allrounders James Franklin and Grant Elliott, a fantastic hundred from Kane Williamson, and the emergence of Mitchell McClenaghan, the left-arm quick, were the catalysts for gritty performances.”We had a few new faces and a few older ones that came back and they were really keen to make an impact and they did,” Hesson said. “When they came back, they lifted the whole vibe. We were a bit down after the Test series, there was no doubt about that. We were clearly outplayed.”But the work we put in between then and the end of the tour, mentally as much as anything, was pleasing. We attacked that first game with real aggression and I think we stuck at that throughout the whole series.”Hesson’s focus now switches to the visit of England for a full tour which includes three matches in each format, starting with the Twenty20s, and the Tests in March will be another thorough examination of New Zealand’s credentials in the longer format although they should be boosted by the return of Ross Taylor.”The Twenty20 is first and that will be our focus for a start, but we”ll be trying to build on this series,” Hesson said. “We want to improve with every series. We’re not world beaters yet; we’ve played three pretty good games, but we’re looking to improve more in the T20s and leading into the one-dayers.”

Junaid Khan, the Pakistan left-arm fast bowler, has credited Wasim Akram for helping him develop the incoming delivery for right-handed batsmen, which led to him picking up eight wickets in the three-match ODI series that concluded in Delhi on Sunday.Junaid was most potent in the first ODI in Chennai, taking out four of the top five to reduce India to 29 for 5. He also took two top-order wickets in the second ODI in Kolkata, finishing with 3 for 39. The Indian batsmen had struggled to counter Junaid’s swing and his contributions helped Pakistan take the series 2-1.”I have been a bowler who has relied on bowling outswingers consistently at a good pace. It was Wasim (Akram) who told me to develop the incoming delivery which would be my weapon against the Indian right-handers,” Junaid told .Junaid had dismissed Virender Sehwag with an incoming delivery in Chennai and Virat Kohli in all three matches.”It’s very natural for left-arm fast bowlers to slant it across the right-handers,” Junaid said. “Once a guy like Virender Sehwag gauges the length of the away-going deliveries, you can be murdered. When I did my homework, I found out that Sehwag has a problem with the ball that comes in. I then started working hard on that incoming delivery with our chief bowling coach Mohammed Akram.”This is not the first time Junaid has credited Wasim for his development as a fast bowler. Last June, after taking 5 for 73 on a flat SSC pitch in a Test against Sri Lanka, Junaid spoke of how he was inspired by Wasim’s spell in the 1992 World Cup final, where his two wickets in successive deliveries turned the game Pakistan’s way. Junaid said he had watched the Youtube video of it and Wasim himself had passed on tips on reverse swing. Junaid found appreciable reverse swing in that Test to put Sri Lanka under pressure.In his short career with Pakistan, Junaid has established a reputation for being one of the quickest bowlers in the country. However, he says swing is more important to him than pace.”I don’t want to compromise on pace but swing is the most important aspect of my bowling,” he said. “One might get adjusted to pace but if one has the ability to move the ball consistently at a decent pace, he can create trouble in batsmen’s mind.”He said it was a team effort that helped Pakistan win. “I was never under any kind of pressure to perform. I also got a lot of back-up from the other end as Mohammed Irfan and Umar Gul also bowled superbly. It was certainly a collective effort.”

Andy Flower, the England team director, could miss the ODI leg of England’s tour of India in January as the ECB looks to ease his workload.Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket who is currently in India as England’s selector on tour, is in contention to deputise for Flower along with his long-regarded natural heir, England assistant coach Richard Halsall.Flower’s relentless schedule has been a concern to the ECB for some time. Few players are required for all three formats of the game but Flower is intimately involved in the planning, selection and management of the ODI, Test and T20 teams. While individual players have enjoyed rest periods, Flower has been granted only an occasional, brief absence. It is understood there is a particular concern that the Kevin Pietersen saga left Flower drained.The ECB has, therefore, urged Flower to take a break. It believes that investing in a period of rest will help retain Flower’s services for several more years and ensure he remains enthused and motivated.Halsall has deputised for Flower in the past. He stood in for two days of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane in November 2010 when Flower required surgery to remove a melanoma from below his right eye and also when Flower was given a break for the ODI in Dublin in August 2011.But it is understood that Giles is seen as a more suitable long-term substitute. Giles, a former England player and current national selector, recently led Warwickshire to the County Championship title and is emerging as the obvious natural successor to Flower. There could be an element of succession planning in his temporary appointment.No final decision has been made and other options are being considered. Flower could also skip the ODI or the Test section of the New Zealand tour in February. But, with the next World Cup to be played in New Zealand and Australia in 2015, Flower will be reluctant to miss an opportunity to see players in those conditions.