Gul and Ajmal deny England at the death

 Pakistan 144 for 6 (Malik 39, Swann 3-13) beat England 136 for 6 (Bopara 39, Gul 3-18) by 8 runs

For the first time since Pakistan and England locked horns in the United Arab Emirates, the atmosphere came alive. The advent of Twenty20 attracted a raucous crowd under Dubai Cricket Stadium's ring of fire and such was the delight at the outcome that Pakistan might almost have imagined they were at home.

As the clock ticked around towards 11.30pm local time, Pakistan squeezed to an eight-run victory, recovering their self-belief after a 4-0 caning in the ODI series with an excellent bowling display in defence of a competitive but far from daunting total. Umar Gul, who began the night with a maiden, was back to his best, Mohammad Hafeez burst with competitive edge and Saeed Ajmal's penultimate over was masterful. England needed 18 off the last over, from Junaid Khan, who had been the weak link in Pakistan's attack, but they never came close. 

Pakistan's captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, had termed this series a "decider" after his side had pulled off a clean sweep in the Tests and England had responded in kind in the ODIs. There was plenty to play for and one of the most passionate cricket crowds Dubai has ever witnessed galvanised Pakistan.

Kevin Pietersen excelled with the bat for England, a batsman convinced that he is heading for the IPL with his superstar status reconfirmed, his 33 from 21 balls beginning with a calculated assault on Junaid and ending unluckily when he pulled Shahid Afridi and picked out the only fielder within many a mile, Asad Shafiq, at deep forward square. For the rest of England's batsmen it was a struggle, a succession of scrambled ones and twos.

Craig Kieswetter backed away so far to the leg side that he could not reach a delivery from Hafeez even though it bowled him leg stump. Ravi Bopara's 39 from 32 balls kept England in contention, but it was a gruelling affair, his sweep shot malfunctioning so often that he will be able to count the bruises.

Jos Buttler was out to his signature shot, shovelling Gul over his left shoulder but picking out Ajmal at short fine leg. When Samit Patel fell lbw to Gul first ball, at 121 for 6, England needed 24 from 16 balls, but they failed to hit a single boundary in the last six overs.

Stuart Broad, England's third captain in 17 days, inserted Pakistan, perhaps sensing their batsmen were low on confidence, but Awais Zia's debut had been eagerly awaited and he did not disappoint, playing with wanton aggression before he was undone by a slower ball from Steven Finn.

Zia has already been called "Young Boom Boom", and such is the reputation in Pakistan of the original "Boom Boom", Shahid Afridi, that accolades of that kind are not given lightly. The name might stick. He is a slim, lightly moustached 25-year-old and displayed a sharp eye and an appetite for swinging from the hip.

Pakistan need an injection of youthful ambition into their Twenty20 team, especially at a time when they need to proclaim they can renew despite being precluded from playing internationals at home because of fears of terrorist attacks.

Finn had looked all but unplayable in the ODI series, but Zia deposited the second ball he faced over midwicket and, in Finn's next over, top-edged a murderous pull for six. He will be loved for his freewheeling style. Finn, though, gave him a send-off - a tyro himself, transformed into a bit of a grump. Finn had a bad night, his four overs costing 39.

It was a late start in Dubai - 8pm, not too far short of the time when Graeme Swann begins to wonder where his cat is. He responded with his best T20I figures, 3 for 13 as his off-spin removed Hafeez, Afridi and Umar Akmal in the space of eight balls - and he began with the run out of Asad Shafiq for good measure.

It was left to the two old salts of a Pakistan side with only two players under 30 to organise a recovery from 73 for five. Misbah and Shoaib Malik staged a sixth-wicket partnership of 71 in 9.2 overs, only halted on the final ball of the innings when Shoaib fell to a brilliant diving catch in the deep by Jonathan Bairstow.

Swann, not one of the most natural athletes in the England side, has had a modest time in the field throughout England's stay in the UAE. Another blemish came when a slower ball from Dernbach should have accounted for Shafiq, but was dropped by Swann over his shoulder at mid-off.

Swann then ran out Shafiq , breaking the wicket with his elbows after the wicketkeeper, Craig Kieswetter, had gathered a loose ball sharply at short square leg. His mood lifted, he dismantled the Pakistan top order. Hafeez slog-swept to deep midwicket, then "Boom Boom Senior" fell for seven when he clipped Swann tamely to short midwicket. The most headstrong dismissal of all was that of Umar who was out before scoring as he planted his third ball into the hands of the diving Dernbach at long off.

Sixes in the hands of Zia smack of youthful confidence; when Misbah and Shoaib cleared the ropes it felt like needs-must, a calculated show of aggression once a full risk assessment had been carried out. Shoaib slugged Samit Patel over long-on, Misbah put him over long-off. Thanks to some magical bowling later in the night, they judged their requirements perfectly.

Pietersen century wraps up series for England

England 226 for 1 (Pietersen 111*, Cook 80) beat Pakistan 222 all out (Afridi 51, Finn 3-24) by nine wickets
Scorecard

	Kevin Pietersen made 111 not out, his first ODI century in 37 innings © Getty Images Enlarge

Kevin Pietersen was captain of England when he struck his last hundred in a one-day international. It sounds so long ago that it might have belonged to a different world. In some ways it did.

As the England coach left Cuttack that night he could hardly have imagined what lay in wait. A major terrorist attack on Mumbai was already underway and was about to force the postponement of England's tour of India. After England returned for a Test series played under heavy security, his relationship with the coach Peter Moores broke down irrevocably and both men lost their jobs.

It is a history that has played heavily upon him. Pietersen toyed for a while, nobody quite knows how seriously, with abandoning one-day cricket as his star began to wane. It has taken three years, three months and 37 ODIs to draw a line and when he walked down the pitch in his audacious style of old, and flicked Aizaz Cheema through the leg side, the intervening years seemed more aptly summed up not by his routine kneel and punch of the air as a slightly rueful raise of the eyebrows.

It is no longer Pietersen's one-day side now but Alastair Cook's, and it was perhaps appropriate that his batting renaissance contributed to Cook's achievement in leading England to a rare one-day series victory in Asia. England now hold an unassailable 3-0 lead with one match to play and a nine-wicket victory with 12.4 overs remaining, fashioned by an opening stand between Cook and Pietersen of 170, could hardly have been more emphatic. Whitewashed in the Test series against Pakistan, they will now be bent upon returning the favour in the final match in the same stadium on Tuesday.

Cook's only regret will be that he narrowly failed to become the first England batsman to make hundreds in three consecutive ODIs. He had reached 80 when he pushed gently forward at the off-spin of Saeed Ajmal and gave Adnan Akmal a faint catch. Cook had again been in unruffled form, his cut shot more to the fore than it had been in Abu Dhabi on a quicker batting surface, but his exit cleared the way for Pietersen to claim the limelight.

This has been an opening partnership assembled partly through adversity as Pietersen looked forward to a few sighters against the fast bowlers after a traumatic Test series against Pakistan's spinners. It now looks bedded in and that coud spell trouble for Craig Kieswetter, whose keeping has been patchy - he dropped Umar on 28 off Broad - and whose range is too limited to convince as a No. 6 in Asia.

Pietersen's habitual pre-match claim that he was in "fantastic" form was backed up by adventurous footwork and flowing strokeplay. He passed 4,000 runs in ODIs in spectacular fashion as he danced down the pitch to strike the offspin of Mohammad Hafeez over the sightscreen for six.

He was dropped on 45 when a fierce, flat pull against Aizaz Cheema smacked into the body of the onrushing Azhar Ali at deep square. That apart, his most awkward moments came against the Akmal brothers. Adnan, who had replaced his brother Umar behind the stumps, ill-advisedly tried to run Pietersen out after he had tapped the ball back to him, and apologised. Umar tried to run him out more legimately only for the ball to ricochet off the stumps and career away for five overthrows. 

A sandstorm had disrupted the practice day and when the Kaus - meaning "bow" in Arabic - a vigorous south-westerly off the desert, cleared in the nick of time it revealed the same flaky Pakistan top order. They lost three wickets in 15 balls to slump to 50 for 4 before Umar, his lips daubed in luminous green sun cream, and the ageing swinger Shahid Afridi, who needs no war paint to convey his belligerence, summoned half-centuries to keep Pakistan in the match.

Umar's last two dismissals have taken Samit Patel's fielding reputation to new heights. In Abu Dhabi and Dubai, on off side and leg side, he has flung himself to the ground to hold an excellent catch. He knows that his fitness remains borderline - if you enquire innocently about the weather there is every chance he will reply "chicken and salad", and guiltily wipe the trace of an imaginary beef burger from his lips - but he is a decent cricketer and should be seriously considered to bat No. 6 for England in the Sri Lanka Test series.

Afridi was at his most restrained: that is he gambolled along at only a run a ball. He began in haywire fashion but then played responsibly, a straight six off Graeme Swann's offspin his most emphatic moment. Like Umar, he fell soon after reaching his half-century, bowled by James Anderson as he whipped to leg.

For the third successive match, Finn pronounced himself as fine a young fast bowler as anyone in the world. He took two wickets with the new ball, bowling straight and finding steep bounce at close to 90mph. He finished with 3 for 24, taking his series' tally to 11 wickets at 8.36 runs each.

Pakistan had won 13 ODIs out of 14 going into this series and had also whitewashed England 3-0 in the Test series, but such statistics seemed from another age. The loss of Imran Farhat, caught at the wicket as he struggled to cope with Finn's hostility, seemed a blip. But Stuart Broad caused Azhar Ali to flirt with one outside off stump, Mohammad Hafeez was lbw to an inducker from Finn and Misbah-ul-Haq dangled his bat at Broad to edge to first slip.

Broad conceded 16 from his first over, his mood not enhanced by a no-ball that prevented him from dismissing Azhar to a catch by Eoin Morgan at gully. His interrogation of the umpire Aleem Dar was borne out of frustration, but it looked disrespectful. Broad does not need sand stinging his face to become a bit irascible; a ball in his hands normally does the trick.

Shafiq's first run would have brought his downfall if Pietersen's flat throw had hit the target and he did not learn his lesson. He was unsettled by Swann's lbw appeal as the ball ran into the legside and had to dive back into the crease as Cook threw the ball to the wicketkeeper, Kieswetter, but the third umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, ruled that his bat was not grounded behind the line. It summed up Pakistan's day.

PCB issues showcause to Miandad

Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has been issued a showcause notice by the PCB for criticising the board's policies in a newspaper interview.

Miandad, who is currently the director-general of the PCB, apart from being a member of the governing board, had said he was "disappointed" with the functioning of the board as well as the lack of authority vested in him.

"While closely watching the functioning of the PCB, I am disappointed and feel that 90% decisions [taken by the board] are wrong, and are spoiling the sport in the country," Miandad told Dawn on Wednesday. "I am not part of the PCB planning only because I require power and freedom to work, since I have given 35 years to Pakistan cricket and earned a good name.

"People around the world regard my services as a cricketer but the PCB doesn't want to give me authority to improve [Pakistan] cricket.

"I have already brought this matter to the notice of PCB patron, President Asif Ali Zardari. Soon I will meet him again to apprise him of the poor condition of cricket in Pakistan. I will request him to either take necessary steps [to improve cricketing matters] or allow me to leave the DG post."

This is not the first time Miandad has been critical of the Pakistan board. In February last year he wrote a letter to president Zardari, criticising the appointment of Ijaz Butt as the board chairman. In January 2009 Miandad had resigned as director-general of the PCB over differences concerning the exact scope of his work. 

A month later, Butt and Miandad had traded allegations over Miandad's resignation at a senate hearing on the decline of Pakistan cricket. The chairman had alleged that Miandad had demanded more money, interfered with matters concerning selection, and was an incapable administrator. Miandad had said at the time that the scope of his role in the contract letter was significantly reduced from what he had initially discussed with the chairman. Though Miandad was reinstated as the director general in March that year, his relationship with Butt has been frosty since.

Miandad, who has been the coach of the national team on three occasions in the past, was not included in the recently formed committee to appoint a new coach for the national team, after Waqar Younis' decision to quit as national head coach after the ongoing Zimbabwe tour. In April, Miandad turned down the role of Pakistan's batting coach due to personal reasons.

Miandad has been asked to submit his reply within seven days. 

Exclusive article by

Saad Mahmood Ali

Contact- rated_billy@live.com

India need to sweat the small stuff

India needs an enquiry into the defeat, not an inquisition, and it is not a difficult enquiry to conduct. Many journalists and former cricketers have done it already, and while some are admittedly more thoughtful than others, certain truths have emerged.

However, the basis of a successful enquiry is intent and subsequent action; and Indian cricket has traditionally been good at neither. Action assumes accountability, and that is a dreadful word for many.

I have often said that you become what you choose to become. Should there be a BCCI enquiry, it must begin with a fundamental question: what do we seek to be? If the idea is to be a profitable entity, the BCCI already is. If, however, the idea is to be the best cricket team in the world, then you must have the people and the structure that can take you there. Otherwise India will flirt with No. 1 but never own that position.

Traditionally Indian cricket has placed skill on a pedestal and attitude by the wayside. That seems to me to be the subcontinental way of doing things - even Bangladesh exhibit it. And so our part of the world tends to throw up people who can do some brilliant things but don't care too much about doing the smaller, more routine things. We are a batting country, then maybe a bowling country, and hardly, if ever, a fielding or fitness-driven one. You see, the newspapers and television channels don't report on fielding and fitness, and in any case those two aren't switches that can be flicked on for results. Attitude then becomes an individual pursuit not an institutional trait. A Dravid or a Tendulkar or a Kumble are products of individual values, and so they are willing to do the small things that allow them to become great.

In England, the team who did the small things better won. When you spend time on the small things, you are actually practising excellence. At key moments in the series India were a bowler or a batsman short, not because a truck had knocked them over but because they weren't fit. And it didn't matter to those selecting them that the players weren't fit. Both at Lord's and in Nottingham, India had the opportunity to win but didn't have a bowler when it mattered. Zaheer Khan shouldn't have been on the tour; his shape was a testament to that. Neither should Virender Sehwag or RP Singh have been on it.

The new England make some things non-negotiable, as the old Australia and the old West Indies did. Fitness is one of those. As an Indian player told me, fitness isn't about being able to get onto the park but about coming back after tea to bowl a solid six-over spell. To do that you must be strong and in rhythm, and to be strong and in rhythm you have to have trained and played.

In days gone by, English cricket sent players burdened by county workload to play Test matches. Predictably they didn't last, they weren't strong enough. But when Stuart Broad was bowling poorly against Sri Lanka he was sent off to play a four-day game for Nottinghamshire and told he had to bowl a lot and bowl a certain way. Instead of bowling short, as he was doing, he had to pitch it up and swing it. Knowledge alone wasn't enough, he had to bowl enough balls, which he did for his county. By the time he came to Lord's he was ready with a change in style. England could do that because they manage his workload. When Chris Tremlett had a niggle, he was left out, because England didn't want to be down to three bowlers. Somebody was taking tough decisions.

Indeed, England's renaissance is built around identifying a problem and doing what it takes to rectify it. They had fitness issues; now they have a state-of-the-art academy at Loughborough that monitors cricketers and requires them to submit themselves to tests at regular intervals. They have a fast-bowling coach with the power to summon bowlers from the pavilion if they aren't warming up before the start of play. And they chose not to pick their best spin-bowling allrounder, Samit Patel, because he disregarded instructions and wasn't fit enough. These messages travel.

India can do it too but not in the cozy democracy that exists today. If India's cricket establishment asks itself hard questions, and accepts the answers, India's climb back to the top could be quicker and their stay there more permanent. 

Exclusive Article By Saad Mahmood (Cricket Laffandar)

Contact: rated_billy@live.com

England hunt whitewash, India need pride

Match Facts

August 18-22, The Oval
Start time 11.00 (1000GMT)

The Big Picture

England celebrated reaching No. 1 in the world with a good night in Birmingham on Sunday but it was soon back to the day job and, four days later, they already face the first test of their new status. The 'dead rubber syndrome' is always a risk when a team has scaled such heights to secure a major goal and Andrew Strauss will be desperate that nothing takes the gloss off the achievements of the last month.

In truth it will take a lot to remove the after-glow of three commanding performances, but this England team are never satisfied. They'll see this final Test at The Oval as a chance to lay down another marker with a show of hunger and desire. Even the great Australian sides under Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh had issues with keeping intensity high when a series was decided. England benefited with a number of one-off Test victories and won't want to offer India a similar opportunity.

It's difficult to see India bouncing back to save face over the next five days. They have been so far off the pace that this is a series they'll want to consign to history as quickly as possible. That, though, will be easier said than done with the fall-out well under way back at home and serious questions being asked of the team. Some of those questions are more sensible than others, but a number of players will be heading back with damaged reputations.

The much-vaunted batting line-up have one more chance to live up to their billing having not reached 300 in the series. The wait goes on for Sachin Tendulkar's 100th hundred, while Gautam Gambhir has disappointed and VVS Laxman hasn't made the most of some decent form. Then there's the challenge of taking 20 wickets. The pace bowlers have all had their moments but, collectively, have not been able to sustain pressure on England.

Praveen Kumar has been a tireless workhorse and Ishant Sharma has kept running in, but they have suffered from not having an economical spinner to tie up an end. If Oval history is anything to go by they could be in for more hard toil.

Form guide

(Most recent first)

England WWWDD
India LLLDD

Watch out for...

It's been a mark of how dominant England's quick bowlers have been that Graeme Swann has been able to get away with his least productive Test series. He bowled nicely at Lord's but conditions haven't been in his favour and he struggled after being hit on the left hand at Trent Bridge, and it would complete the series perfectly if he could play a key role here. It would also quieten talk that he has a weakness against batsmen who attack him - like Mike Hussey did during the Ashes - and with a winter of cricket in the Middle East and subcontinent England will want their premier spinner at the top of his game again.

Sachin Tendulkar has been given a standing ovation every time he has walked to the crease and on most occasions when he's walked back. The problem has been that on none of those occasions as he had a hundred to his name. Even taking into account Tendulkar's lack of match practice before this series - not so much preparation time as he spent hours training at Lord's - and the strength of England's attack a top-score of 56 is still a major surprise. Credit for that goes mainly to the bowlers, especially James Anderson and Stuart Broad, but as India crumbled in the second innings at Edgbaston Tendulkar eased to 40 before being run-out backing up. The series needs a Tendulkar special.

Team news

With Jonathan Trott and Chris Tremlett again ruled out the only question mark surrounds James Anderson's fitness. He came through a net session on Wednesday and the talk was positive from the England camp. Steven Finn and Graham Onions remain on standby should he be ruled out. Ravi Bopara, meanwhile, keeps his spot at No. 6 but pressure is growing on him to secure a place on the winter tour.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson

Praveen Kumar took a nasty blow on the thumb at Edgbaston and India were unsure about his fitness during training on Wednesday although he bowled a lengthy spell. RP Singh, who impressed on the 2007 tour, could come into the line-up, and he might play even if Praveen is fit with Sreesanth under pressure. A twin-spin attack including Pragyan Ojha is an outside chance, but Ojha could also pressure Amit Mishra. Meanwhile, Suresh Raina has been sorted out by the England bowlers but may retain his place ahead of Virat Kohli.

India (possible) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (c) (wk), 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Praveen Kumar/RP Singh, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Sreesanth

Pitch and conditions

A typical Oval pitch is expected (not the crumbling-type surface produced for the 2009 Ashes) which should mean a chance for the batsmen to dominate, something only England's have done so far in this series. There is a chance of some rain on Thursday but the weather is due to clear up after that until a chance of showers later in the weekend.

Stats and trivia

• Sachin Tendulkar is in danger of enduring one of the worst series in his career. Currently, his average of 26.50 is his fourth lowest in series of three or more Tests.
• Even if England win this Test and take the series 4-0 they will lose their No. 1 ranking if South Africa win all their five Tests against Australia and Sri Lanka before Christmas
• Tim Bresnan is aiming to make it 10 Test victories from 10 matches played

For a full stats preview click here

Quotes

"We're desperate to finish the summer on a high. The work ethic over the last couple of days has been good and encouraging and I'd be very disappointed if we took our foot off the gas."
Andrew Strauss knows that it's hard work that has brought England this far, and will push his team to end the Test series on a triumphant note

"We will stick to our game plan and hopefully it'll reflect in our performance. This is a sport, we go through tough times. It's challenges that make life interesting."
MS Dhoni remains typically philosophical ahead of the final match of what has been a very challenging tour for India
 
Exclusive  Match Stats by Saad Mahmood Ali (Cricket Laffandar)

Malik, Kaneria meet PCB integrity committee again

Shoaib Malik's and Danish Kaneria's long drawn-out battle to gain clearance from the PCB continued on Monday when they appeared before its integrity committee again. A spokesman for the PCB said the decision on whether the two players - who last played for Pakistan during the England tour last year - can play for the national team is still pending.

"Both Malik and Kaneria appeared before the committee but the committee has taken no decision," Nadeem Sawrar, a PCB spokesman, told AFP.

Malik, Kaneria and Kamran Akmal appeared before the integrity committee in January before the selection of Pakistan's World Cup squad, and while Kamran was included Kaneria and Malik were not cleared for selection.

Kaneria was questioned by police in England last year, in relation to an investigation believed to centre around a Pro40 Essex win against Durham and spot-betting on wides and no-balls during the match, but was not charged. He has since produced a letter from his former county Essex clearing him of wrongdoing, but the PCB was not satisfied with it, and Kaneria has taken the PCB to court over his non-clearance.

Malik, meanwhile, received a boost when he was named as a reserve player in Pakistan's squad for their upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, but Mohsin Khan, the chief selector, said it was subject to his clearance from the board. Malik has reportedly not been able to satisfy the integrity committee about the legitimacy of a sum of money in his bank account. He, however, said he has given the committee all the information needed.

"I have given to the committee whatever I was asked to submit and it's up to them to clear me," Malik said. "If I am included in the team, then I am sure I will give a good performance as I believe I have a lot to offer to Pakistan cricket." 

Shoaib Malik says he has given the integrity committee all it asked for © AFP

Series on the line for struggling Sri Lanka

Match facts

August 16, Hambantota
Start time 14:30 (9:00 GMT, 19:00 EST)

Big Picture

The series is less than a week old, but it will be decided by Tuesday night if Australia continue their winning form after comfortably taking the first two matches. The eight-wicket victory in Hambantota on Sunday was almost a carbon copy of the opening win in Pallekele: Sri Lanka won the toss and batted poorly, failing to see out their overs, and then couldn't build any pressure on Australia in the chase. They must find their batting mojo if they are to keep the series alive heading in to the Colombo, where the final two matches will be played.

Sri Lanka's problem has been finding the right tempo. In the opening game, they went too hard and in the second match they were too cautious. Perhaps it will be third time lucky. Kumar Sangakkara looked solid in making a half-century on Sunday but he needs support from the three other key members of the top order: the openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, and the No. 4 Mahela Jayawardene. Maybe when Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga and company have a decent target to defend they can impart some pressure on Australia's batsmen.

For the visitors, all has gone swimmingly, apart from Brad Haddin's struggle for form at the top of the order. Wickets have come from Doug Bollinger, Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee, and the spinners have done their job of keeping things tight. Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have all been in the runs, and overall the side has been much more switched on than Sri Lanka. The question is, how will they fare if Sri Lanka find their spark?

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLWLL
Australia WWWWW

In the spotlight

A couple of former captains, Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara, have already posted half-centuries in this series, but Sri Lanka need some runs from another ex-skipper. Mahela Jayawardene hasn't looked at his best in the first two games, flashing at a wide ball from Mitchell Johnson and edging behind in the first, and top-edged a sweep in the second. But he is a class act, and it was only a few months ago that he scored a century in a World Cup final. A strong innings from Jayawardene would go a long way to getting Sri Lanka back into the series.

Everything has gone right for Michael Clarke so far in this series. In fact, ever since he took over the captaincy full time. He's led Australia to five wins from five games and his leadership in the field has been confident and well thought-out. The initial signs are positive for the post-Ponting era. Most importantly, he has been scoring runs and now has a pair of half-centuries in Sri Lanka to add to his 101 in Bangladesh in his first match in charge. As a steady presence in the middle order, he'll be an important player throughout the rest of the tour.

Team news

Suraj Randiv made way for Rangana Herath in the second match, but Herath had no impact with the ball and could be back on the sidelines for the third game. The batting is Sri Lanka's major concern, so they need to decide whether to stick with the existing line-up or bring in Chamara Silva, perhaps at the expense of Dinesh Chandimal or Jeevan Mendis.

Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dinesh Chandimal / Chamara Silva, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Australia's line-up has worked well in the first two matches, and there is no reason to make any changes while the series remains alive. Steven Smith hasn't batted and has barely been required to bowl, but the Australians like his versatility and the energy he brings in the field, so he is expected retain his position.

Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6 David Hussey, 7 Steven Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pitch and conditions

The Hambantota pitch was slow and low, and didn't have much grass on it, and was described by Clarke as a good wicket for batting. The players will be hoping the wind has died down by Tuesday, after Sunday's match was played in extremely breezy conditions.

Stats and trivia

• Mahela Jayawardene will become the seventh man to play 350 one-day internationals
• Australia have now won 23 of the 29 ODIs they have played under Michael Clarke's captaincy
• So far in the series, Sri Lanka have lost 20 wickets, while Australia have lost five

Quotes

"We have to work on the batting ... work hard, come back strong."
Tillakaratne Dilshan knows exactly where Sri Lanka's problem lies.

"There's still a long way to go but these first two games have been very impressive both with the ball and with the bat."
Michael Clarke has been pleased with how Australia have started the series.

Australia's one-day record under Michael Clarke is very strong © Associated Press

 Exclusive Match facts by Saad Mahmood