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ScorecardDarren Stevens claimed his first five-wicket haul of the season (file photo)•Getty Images

Darren Stevens and Doug Bollinger combined today to put Kent in apparent control of a curious match that started a day-and-a-half late but then provided intriguing and engrossing cricket, and held out the prospect of a positive result which at lunchtime seemed very unlikely.Their combined figures were 10 for 53 from 32.3 overs, and they were all over Derbyshire from the first ball. Only Alex Hughes was able to offer extended resistance for the home side as they were dismissed for 118, and they will need someone to emulate the Kent seamers’ efforts on Tuesday if they are to stay in contention.Last September, Stevens swept the board at the Kent awards: best bowler, best batsman, best fielder, best player. These were on the back of 1304 first-class runs, 32 first-class wickets, and 25 catches in all competitions. He’s become Kent’s “Mr Reliable”, and he led the way when play finally got underway at a soggy County Ground at 2.35pm.There’s nothing apparently threatening about Stevens’ approach to the crease. In fact he decelerates almost to the point of standstill before entering his delivery stride. But he is unrelentingly accurate and rarely gives the batsman scope for extravagance.He came on to bowl the tenth over of the innings from the Racecourse End and had a wicket with his first ball, Paul Borrington edging high to second slip where Adam Riley clung on above his head. He took the most prized Derbyshire wicket, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, lbw to the last ball before tea – one that kept a little low – then Scott Elstone in a similar manner.Later in the day he took a slip catch to dispose of Gareth Cross, then castled Mark Footitt to polish off the innings shortly after he had Tim Groenewald caught brilliantly, diving to his right at short midwicket, by the least athletic-looking Kent player, Rob Key.Bollinger is Kent’s Australian overseas player, a beast of a fast bowler. He runs off 18 paces, bristling with intent, and brings his left arm over fluidly and strong. Apart from Hughes, who finished unbeaten on 36, nobody in the Derbyshire side appeared comfortable against him.Well over 24 hours after Key won the toss and did the inevitable by putting Derbyshire in, Bollinger bowled the first ball of the match and the batsmen were soon struggling. Bollinger bowled with hostility, making liberal use of a rapid short ball, and took the first wicket with the 13th ball of the innings, trapping Stephen Moore on the back foot.Not long later he had Derbyshire’s captain, Wayne Madsen, prodding to Brendan Nash at point. Then later he brought an end to Cross’ first innings since being signed up. Elstone had the misfortune to face his very first ball in first-class cricket from Bollinger and was fortunate that his nick fell just short of wicketkeeper Sam Billings. His eventual 23 was the second-highest score of the innings.Cross and Hughes added 46 for the sixth wicket but the last four fell for 15 runs, and once Key and Sam Northeast had negotiated the remaining three overs unscathed it was good-looking day for Kent.

Tom Latham, New Zealand’s opening batsman, said consistent lines from the West Indies’ bowlers, led by Jerome Taylor, made batting difficult for the visitors on the opening day of the second Test in Port-of-Spain.Latham scored his third successive half-century and added 104 runs for the second wicket with Kane Williamson, but once both batsmen were dismissed, New Zealand lost their last seven wickets for 62 runs in the final session. Taylor and Sulieman Benn were the best bowlers for West Indies, taking 4 for 34 and 3 for 73 respectively and three of Taylor’s wickets came in the final session, as he dismissed Jimmy Neesham, BJ Watling and Ish Sodhi within four overs to hasten New Zealand’s slide.”Jerome Taylor was exceptional today, specially that spell after lunch,” Latham said. “They certainly put the ball in the right areas for a good amount of time and made it a lot more difficult.”Tom Latham struck his third successive fifty of the series•WICB

The pitch at the Queens Park Oval sported a green tinge, promising some support to the bowlers compared to the slow and low track in Kingston. Latham, who survived a testing opening spell from the West Indies pacers, said the pitch had uneven bounce but the swing – which accounted for Chris Gayle at the end of the day – would be crucial for New Zealand’s bowlers, too.”[It’s] a funny sort of wicket, a little bit tennis-bally,” he said. “The bounce is a little bit uneven. But the ball is still swinging so that’s a positive sign for our bowlers leading in to tomorrow morning.”On his own innings of 82, Latham said he was disappointed to lose his wicket at a time that was “not ideal” for the team but expressed confidence about settling into a role at the top of the order. Latham, who made his Test debut against India earlier this year, has scores of 83, 73 and 82 in the series so far.”It helps when you’ve got a few runs under your belt,” he said. “You have to keep taking each innings at a time and you don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself. Hopefully, in the second innings, if I do get an opportunity I can put the team in a good situation.”

Shahid Afridi has said that he is planning a Twenty20 match to raise money for the almost half a million people displaced by a military operation in Pakistan’s northwest region.”I am in talks with the authorities and will soon announce a Twenty20 match in Lahore to raise funds,” he told reporters at the launch of his charity foundation. “I want to return to my country what it has given me, with an aim to serve my people.”Afridi said the foundation had set up a 16-bed maternity hospital in the remote Tangi Banda village, which is located in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The hospital, named after Afridi’s father Fazlur Rehman, was paid for by Afridi who said he had been inspired by former Pakistan captain Imran Khan who runs a cancer hospital in Lahore through charity.Afridi added that his foundation would also work on education and sports to turn youngsters away from the path of extremism. “The youth in remote areas have no education,” he said. “If we educate them then they can be more helpful for the country.”Afridi said he would spare more time for his foundation after the 2015 World Cup.

Alastair Cook hailed “the perfect game” as England clinched their first victory in 11 Tests in Southampton. Cook, in particular, had come under increasing pressure for his place as captain following a grim run of form but he admitted a “weight has been lifted” after he scored half-centuries in both innings and saw several other players contribute valuable performances to help the side to victory by 266 runs over India.”We had as good a game as you could have,” Cook said. “We performed really well, to a man. We set the game up with the bat and then kept pressure on with the ball. Scoreboard pressure told and we had as good a game as you could have.”Cook admitted that concerns over results and his own form – he was averaging 14.33 in 2014 before this game – had started to threaten his position. But though he expressed relief at the result, he also conceded that he had to contribute more consistently if his critics were to be silenced.”It was getting to a crux situation,” Cook said. “If it had carried on like that who knows what would have happened? The weight is lifted. Certainly if I’d scored nought and five and we’d lost the game… Under that pressure, the first innings meant a lot.”One game does not change everything and we know how important my runs are from the top of the order. I don’t know if my captaincy got dragged into it but when you are losing there will be focus on it.”This summer we’ve played good cricket for one or two sessions out of three. But this time we sustained it. We were relentless. We never let India off the hook. We kept them under pressure and it takes a lot of skill and determination to do that. We did not let up.”The guys who were questioned really delivered. Ian Bell scored a big hundred; Stuart Broad bowled incredibly well – when he bowls at that pace no one wants to face him. Chris Woakes bowled with fantastic control and good pace and I’ve never seen a bowler improve as much as Moeen Ali in a short space of time. Gary Ballance is doing well at No. 3 and Joe Root is doing well at No. 5. We’ve won a game and I’ve scored runs. It’s been a better week.”The experience of winning would, Cook reasoned, prove vital for a young side. “For some guys, that was their first experience of winning a Test,” he said. “Gary Ballance ran to collect a stump at the end and I realised he did not know what it was like. Now he knows. He knows what it takes. The challenge is to repeat it at Old Trafford and try and win the series.”

Anderson pleased with return to form

James Anderson rated his bowling at the Ageas Bowl as close to his best after winning the Man-of the-Match award for the second time in the series. Anderson claimed his first five-wicket haul in a year in the first innings and then took two important wickets at the start of the final day to end India’s chances of fighting for a draw.
“I was somewhere near my best in this game,” Anderson said. “The ball swung, which helps as that is my strength. But at the same time it swung at Lord’s and we didn’t get it right as a group.
“But I felt we were absolutely relentless here as a group of four seamers. Everyone bowled brilliantly. Chris Woakes is walking out of the Test without a wicket but he bowled fantastically well. If he bowls like that again he’ll get wickets.
“That’s our benchmark as a team and an attack. That’s how good we can be. Our job now is to maintain that throughout the series.”

Cook paid particular tribute to the work rate of Moeen after his six second-innings wickets handed England a thumping win. Moeen was labelled a part-time spinner when handed a Test debut at the start of the summer but showed ability far beyond that tag with 6 for 67 to bowl England to victory. Cook praised the effort Moeen has put in to develop his promising offspin, which includes a fledgling doosra.”His bowling has come on leaps and bounds since the start of the summer,” Cook told Sky Sports afterwards. “Credit to Mo, he’s worked really hard, it’s difficult being a bit part-time, bowling behind Saeed Ajmal at Worcester, but he’s fronted up to the responsibility.”Moeen’s bowling proved a useful option in the first two Test of the series; he arrived at the Ageas Bowl with seven wickets but finished the match as the joint-second highest wicket-taker in the series with 15 scalps, one behind James Anderson.Cook identified Moeen’s adaptability as the key to his return in the third Test. “The guys in the nets have been telling him the lines are slightly different bowling in international cricket when you’ve got to hold an end and he’s responded really well. Then on a spinning wicket to get six wickets and win the game, you can’t ask for any more.”Moeen is one of several young players that have performed well since coming in as part of England’s “new era” at the start of the summer. Ballance made his third century in six Tests at the Ageas Bowl and is now the leading run-scorer in the series.”People will remember that for a long time,” Cook said of the moment of victory. “We’ve worked incredibly hard and had some tough moments. We said we want to see the senior guys stand up as well as the youngsters, and one to 11 we’ve been fantastic.”I don’t think I’m relieved, happy is probably a better word. It’s a great performance from day one, I don’t think we lost a session and that’s credit to the guys. Every one of the 11 has contributed.”That included Cook, whose batting featured more positive play on the front foot after a run of five Tests without a fifty. “I said at Lord’s I thought my game was heading back in the right direction,” Cook said. “With a 10 and a 20 there it was quite a hard thing to say, but backing it up here I’m incredibly pleased. Getting back into the ball is vital for my game, I’m pretty good on the short ball, but in the danger zone I’ve nicked off quite a lot, so I need to make sure I’m getting my feet and my head back into the ball.”

Dhaka Premier League’s defending champions Gazi Tank Cricketers have roped in Tamim Iqbal while Mushfiqur Rahim has signed for Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club during the special two-day transfer window for the pool of national players, which concluded on Monday. The open transfer system, which had been a tradition of the local leagues, was given a miss last year after the Dhaka clubs demanded a lottery for player transfers.This time however transfers were back. The pool was divided into two grades – A and B – the latter of which contained six pace bowlers, one of whom had to be compulsorily picked by a club if it was signing the maximum permitted number of players: three. So, if a club decided to take three out of the pool of 23 players, one of the three had to a be a pace bowler.In keeping with that regulation, Prime Doleshwar signed Shafiul Islam from Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, signed Mushfiqur and retained Mominul Haque. Kalabagan Krira Chakra signed Robiul Islam, Shamsur Rahman and Abdur Razzak, while Mohammedan retained Mashrafe Mortaza and signed Naeem Islam and Mithun Ali.Abahani, the record 17-times champions, retained Al-Amin Hossain while also confirming Nasir Hossain. Tamim moved from Brothers Union to Gazi Tank, who also retained the services of Rubel Hossain.Shakib Al Hasan was not part of the 23-man national pool, and if the board approves his participation in the Dhaka Premier League (reducing his suspension in effect), it is likely that he will join Gazi Tank on August 27-28, the regular window for Dhaka Premier League player transfers.This is the first time the league organiser, Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis, has organised two windows. It was done to accommodate the Bangladesh players who will fly to West Indies on August 13.Till the filing of this report at the close of the transfer window on Monday evening, Arafat Sunny and Sohag Gazi were without a club while it was also unclear whether Sabbir Rahman will play for Kalabagan Cricket Academy and where Ziaur Rahman would go.

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, has said that while the side will miss suspended allrounder Shakib Al Hasan on the West Indies tour, the ODI series will offer young players a chance to show their skills before the 2015 World Cup.Shakib was given a six-month suspension by the Bangladesh Cricket Board in July on grounds of “serious misbehavior” with the side’s new coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, and for his altercation with a spectator during a recent ODI against India. The allrounder had played a stellar role during Bangladesh’s last full tour of West Indies five years ago, after taking over as captain from the injured Mashrafe Mortaza. On that tour, Shakib led Bangladesh to an overseas Test series win, followed by a victory in the ODIs, and he also did well in the 2007 World Cup and 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean.”He has been our best player in the last eight to ten years,” Mushfiqur said. “Of course we will miss him. The series will be a difficult one without Shakib. But in our last series, against India, some new young players have stepped up. This is yet another opportunity to have a closer look at them before the World Cup.”Bangladesh’s only away wins against Test-playing countries have come on tours of Zimbabwe and West Indies. Mushfiqur said the team had discussed its lack of success away from home and conceded the team isn’t “strong on paper”. However, he said the challenge was in motivating his troops.”We have done well in ODIs back home but we have had problems with consistency overseas. We have addressed it, and we look forward to it.”It is going to be a big challenge for us but the boys are up for it, they are hungry and ready to do well. We are not a strong team on paper, but if we do well in the field and execute the plans, then hopefully it will be a great series for us.Bangladesh started the tour on the right foot, with a convincing win over Grenada in the warm-up game. They will also bank on the experience of players like Imrul Kayes and Sohag Gazi, who had toured the West Indies in May this year with the Bangladesh A squad.”We will try to take advantage of our Bangladesh A players in the side. At the same time, the practice game was great for us. Our batters and bowlers did well. The outfield wasn’t great but the players are in good shape,” he said.Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies captain, said he was happy to have the new fast-bowling combination of Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach in the side. Roach, who made a comeback to international cricket in the series against New Zealand, had battled injuries for almost a year and had also undergone shoulder surgery. Bravo also hoped Jason Holder would have an impact for West Indies in this series.”Roach has been out due to injury. Ravi has been our best bowler throughout the time he has been playing. There’s also Jerome Taylor, who is back into cricket, and you can’t forget Jason Holder who has done good things since he has come into international cricket,” Bravo said. “I’m happy all those players are fit and available for selection. It makes the competition within the team tougher but at the same time, it’s good to be able to put our best XI. We have good quality fast bowlers, good spinners, players who can bat deep as well.”

Andy Hurry, the director of high performance at Somerset, has been appointed to take charge of the England Development Programme (EDP) at Loughborough.Hurry, 49, a former Royal Marine fitness instructor, has been with Somerset for 13 years – during which time he was coach between 2006 and 2013 – and in 2012 worked with the England ODI and T20 side during the series against Pakistan in the UAE.His time as Somerset coach brought a period of hugely consistent performance from the team but they had no silverware to show for their efforts. In his new role, Hurry will work with the England Under-19 team as well as the county cricket academy and coaches.”I am departing with a very heavy heart having enjoyed the most incredible journey at Somerset since arriving in 2001,” Hurry said. “I am very proud of the small part I have played in building this magnificent club and it has been an immense privilege to lead and coach an amazing group of players over many years.””I am incredibly grateful for the help and support of the club, coaches and members and I wish Somerset the very best for the future. Whilst it is difficult to leave, I am hugely excited by this new appointment and the opportunity to help build the next generation of England players.”Paul Downton, the managing director of England cricket, said: “This is a new position which reflects the importance we place on developing talent and our desire to fully integrate the work of County academies with the existing programmes for age-group cricketers in place at the NCPC.”Hurry’s departure from Somerset continues a period of rebuilding on and off the field. An announcement is expected shortly over a new director of cricket to replace Dave Nosworthy with Ashley Giles, Matthew Maynard and Jamie Cox in the running.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSarfraz Ahmed clobbered an 80-ball 100•Getty Images

Australia haven’t been this confounded by a Sarfraz since the feisty Nawaz introduced them to reverse swing at the MCG in 1979. Sarfraz Ahmed’s 80-ball century hurtled Pakistan to a first innings of 454, chastening Australia’s bowlers and ensuring the first Test will have to be fought to the finish on a parched and dusty Dubai pitch.David Warner and Chris Rogers made the best of their time in the final session, adding a busy 113 with only the occasional hiccup, but there is still some way to go after Australia’s bowlers were left looking bereft for much of the day. The platform set by Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq allowed Sarfraz to launch into an innings every bit as joyful as the celebration he unleashed upon cresting three figures.If Australia’s bowlers had been forewarned by Sarfraz’s recent Test form – scores of 74, 5, 48, 55, 52*, 103 and 55 – before this match, they were disarmed by long hours in the field and a pitch utterly foreign to them. What followed was a display that allowed Pakistan to more than double their first day tally inside two sessions. Warner and Rogers lifted the day two total to 348, the most scored at the DSC in a single Test match day.Well as Mitchell Johnson bowled for standout figures of 3-39 from 31 overs with no fewer than 18 maidens, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe returned combined figures of 4 for 255 from 67 overs. An early chance dropped by Alex Doolan, following another by Rogers on day one, took on critical dimensions as Pakistan’s first innings grew.Pakistan had needed to search more readily for runs when play began, Australia more pointedly for wickets. Lyon’s first ball of the day should have reaped the desired breakthrough, as a sharp off break skewed off Shafiq’s bat and pad to short leg. But Doolan dropped it, and from there the batsmen took the initiative.Misbah sallied forth to loft Lyon for six over midwicket, while Shafiq used his feet where the previous night he had thrusted his pad. Their stand grew the total far more quickly than anything on the opening day, and Lyon’s opening spell of the morning leaked runs at five per over.The attack on Lyon was critical, for his off breaks seemed most likely to claim a wicket. Though Mitchell Johnson retained his pace and threat, none of Peter Siddle, Mitchell Marsh or Steve O’Keefe could attain the sort of deviation in the air or off the pitch to force a false stroke.Michael Clarke was moved to try Smith’s leg breaks, and his combination of sharp spin and looseners drew Misbah into a heave that sailed only as far as Johnson, posted halfway to the long on boundary. That wicket brought some momentary relief, but Sarfraz’s intentions to attack were clear in the same over the wicket had fallen, and by lunch he already had a sprightly 27.Shafiq had been the dominant Pakistani batsman for most of the morning, but as play resumed he reverted to a role in support of Sarfraz, who offered a starburst of strokes all round the ground as Clarke’s brow furrowed. All bowlers were scored off, the spinners most of all, and in what seemed no time at all the total had zoomed past 400.Both batsmen appeared destined for centuries, but Shafiq perished when he tried to slog sweep O’Keefe, the top edge landing in the hands of his fellow debutant Marsh behind square leg. Sarfraz was undeterred, and cuffed Marsh impudently over the slips for his second Test hundred and the second of the innings.If he had appeared limited against Pakistan’s batsmen, O’Keefe is accomplished at winkling out the tail, and soon he also drew a top edge from Yasir Shah. Johnson struck the left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar a nasty blow on the hand, drawing blood, and on the stroke of tea Sarfraz failed to regather his ground when missing a tired-looking sweep at Lyon.The innings lasted only two more balls after tea due to Zulfiqar’s retirement on account of his bandaged right fingers, leaving Warner and Rogers to face more than 30 overs in the evening. Mohammad Hafeez was handed the new ball as a nod to Rogers’ previous difficulties against Graeme Swann, and his first few balls were played with something less than assurance.But Warner has been on a Test match hot streak of his own to match that of Sarfraz, and he built up steadily in the shadows of late afternoon. There were some straight drives of rare brutality, and a reverse sweep from the debut leg spin of Yasir to pass 50 for the sixth Test innings in a row. Warner looked primed for a long stay on the morrow when stumps were drawn. After Sarfraz’s effort, he will need one.

Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez will be sent to Chennai to undergo remedial work and unofficial tests on his bowling action, the PCB said on Wednesday. Hafeez was suspended from bowling last week due to an illegal action and his elbow extension was found to be ‘well over 15 degrees’ according to an ICC report. Pakistan will withdraw Hafeez from the current ODI series against New Zealand and he is likely to leave from Sharjah after the second game on Friday.”We are sending Hafeez to a biomechanics lab in Chennai for unofficial testing and remodeling his action accordingly,” PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said. “He is being withdrawn from the ODI series and the replacement will be decided by the selectors.”Khan added that Hafeez and Pakistan’s other suspended offspinner, Saeed Ajmal, will “be sent for the ICC’s official testing by January 7”.Hafeez, 34, had been reported for a suspect action after the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi as the umpires were concerned about the legality of four of his deliveries. He had also run into trouble over his action during the Champions League T20, being reported by the umpires after Lahore Lions’ game against Dolphins in Bangalore.

Match facts

Wednesday, December 16, 2014
Start time 2.30 pm local (9.00am GMT)Can Mahela Jayawardene sign-off in style?•Getty Images

Big Picture

This series was always framed within the wider narrative of an impending World Cup, with player form and planning of more immediate significance than the series result. Sri Lanka have wrapped things up with a game to spare, meaning that they can revel in the last home ODI appearances of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in front of what is expected to be a bumper crowd at the Premadasa.The teams have returned to Colombo, where it all kicked off three weeks ago. The memory of Moeen Ali’s maiden hundred in the first match will provide kindling for England’s fire over the winter, as will the contributions of Joe Root, James Taylor and Chris Woakes. For some, the World Cup torch is flickering only faintly. Alastair Cook has both the 100% backing of the selectors and no guarantee of leading the side at the tournament. His search for a notable score goes on.Losing 4-3 in Sri Lanka would actually be quite a respectable result but for that to happen England have to break their Colombo duck. They have lost all three matches at the Premadasa so far and, from the look of the dry and dusty pitch, will again be out of their comfort zone.Both teams could experiment, with little on the line beyond pride and Cook’s personal quest. Sri Lanka have resisted the urge to uncork their latest genie, the chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan, but a dead rubber against England on a turning pitch will test that resolve. Peter Moores has suggested England will “give opportunities” to those in the squad, with this match representing a final chance to stake a claim ahead of World Cup selection.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka WLWLW
England LWLWL

In the spotlight

The long goodbye continues for Sri Lanka’s awesome twosome. This time it is all about Mahela Jayawardene, after Sangakkara got his farewell hundred in Pallekele. Colombo will rejoice one last time in the presence of the old showstopper and Jayawardene will have extra incentive to follow Sangakkara’s lead after the minor disappointment of his Test average dropping below fifty when he signed off in August. It could also be another chance to audition for that World Cup opener slot.Those who would see Cook removed as captain would almost certainly promote Eoin Morgan in his place. The problem is, Morgan has not been his old self, either. Since the Australia tour, he averages 17.12 with one half-century and he has actually made fewer runs than Cook in Sri Lanka. His boosters would point to that one fifty coming while leading the side, due to Cook’s suspension, but he needs to produce from the ranks as well.

Team news

Sri Lanka may want to look at Dimuth Karunaratne, having called him up as a potential solution to the opener conundrum. However, Dinesh Chandimal made a case for staying in the side in Pallekele, so that may mean Jayawardene continues as opener with Chandimal further down. Jeevan Mendis is most likely to make way for Sandakan.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne/Dinesh Chandimal, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Suranga Lakmal 11 Lakshan SandakanIt is possible England will throw in all four of the players who have sat out the last two games, although they are unlikely to learn much more about Ian Bell after 150 ODIs. Moeen, Root and Woakes are the players most deserving of a rest.England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Alex Hales, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Ben Stokes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Harry Gurney

Pitch and conditions

Apart from the opening match, the pitches in Colombo have been slow and spin-friendly, as you would expect. The new surface being used for this final game again looks to be dry and straw-coloured. Thunderstorms are forecast, although there is nothing unusual about that – but this match does not have a reserve day scheduled.

Stats and trivia

• Kumar Sangakkara needs 61 runs to break Ricky Ponting’s record for the most runs in a calendar year across all formats
• Moeen Ali is the fourth-leading run-scorer in the series and has also bowled the most overs on either side
• Eoin Morgan is 23 runs short of 3000 in ODIs for England

Quotes

“At the nets he looks a decent bowler. It all depends on whether he is good enough for this level. Bringing him in right now, it’s all about us making sure if we’re confident enough to take him to the World Cup.”
“I think I’ve steadily improved. I’ve been working quite hard in the nets on my accuracy and consistency and also to keep my pace up. I’m pretty happy with my performances so far.”