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Australia are determined not to be “caught out” at next year’s 50-over Women’s World Cup with memories of falling short in 2017 still often referred to by members of the current squad who took part.Four years ago, Australia were bundled out by Harmanpreet Kaur spectacular 171 at Derby. That became a watershed moment for the side who realised they had started to stagnate and it has been a key motivator behind their record since which has included two T20 World Cup titles and a record-equaling run of 22 ODI wins.They will use the upcoming tour of New Zealand, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs, as a chance to gather intel ahead of the tournament and also to keep challenging themselves to lift their own performance levels.”What we are trying achieve in T20 is also what we are trying achieve in one-day cricket which is try to take the game on, push the boundaries a little bit and see how far we can take it,” head coach Matthew Mott told ESPNcricinfo.Related

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“We learnt our lessons from the last World Cup, not evolving and probably thinking we could keep rolling along doing the same thing. We don’t want to be caught out this time, this is a perfect opportunity against good opposition – I know they’ve struggled against England but the Kiwis always give us a good run, in their home conditions we won’t be taking them lightly.”We are going over with a reasonably open mind, there’s a good mix of players, experience and some youth, so for us it’s about having a real dress rehearsal seeing what it will be like at that World Cup. We’ll play on a few of the same venues and getting some intel against New Zealand on those grounds will be great for us.”Australia are taking a 17-player squad across the Tasman – offspinner Molly Strano a late replacement for injured allrounder Annabel Sutherland – which includes the uncapped pace bowlers Darcie Brown and Hannah Darlington, but there won’t be caps handed out for sake of giving everyone a game.Australia beat New Zealand 3-0 at the start of the season•AFP via Getty Images

“Think our batting will stay the same, we’ve had a good run in our ODI cricket and style of cricket we’ve been playing we’ve been happy with,” Mott said. “In our one-day bowling attack there’s a lot of options. What we want to maintain is a bit of unpredictably so teams don’t know what to expect, so certainly different bowling combinations will happen. They’ll be subtle changes in there but our games are pretty similar and our best players are our best in both formats.”Players don’t generally want to give up their spot, either, so you have to manage that…but if there’s a close call to be made and there’s a player who has an opportunity and a senior player could do with a game off to refresh then those are the sorts of conversations we’ll have with the selectors.”Even just being the squad for a couple of people who haven’t been there is an enormous opportunity to understand our culture, how the team operates so there’s plenty of benefits even if they don’t get a game.”Mott has also been encouraged by the volume of runs being scored in the WNCL, highlighted by Elyse Villani’s prolific form which has brought 538 runs 134.50 including three hundreds. Of the squad heading to New Zealand, Rachael Haynes, Beth Mooney and Nicola Carey have scored centuries, Meg Lanning has a best of 96, Alyssa Healy 92 and Mott believes Ellyse Perry’s batting is heading back to its peak.”What’s been really exciting recently has been the number of players getting big hundreds,” he said. “That’s a trend that we like to see as a selection group – someone gets a hundred and the next day one of their team-mates is trying to get one as well. I’ve been inspired by players putting their hands up with those big hundreds.”The strength of Australia’s top order makes it a tough route back for Villani, who last played in March 2019, with the team generally only including three specialist batters in Haynes, Mooney and Lanning alongside wicketkeeper Healy and a plethora of allrounders.Elyse Villani has had an outstanding WNCL season•Getty Images

“It’s probably one of the best things you can see as a coach,” Mott said of Villani’s form. “I’ve been in regular contact with Elyse over the last couple of months to say keeping going, keep doing what you are doing, and she’s definitely playing with a lot of freedom at the moment. She looks self-assured, relaxed and if she can keep doing that then there’s obviously a future for her in Australian colours again.”She was in the team for a long time and by her own admission probably didn’t smash it out the park so all these runs and the way she’s doing about it is really exciting and shows how much depth we’ve got when we can leave a player of her class and caliber out.””It’s a bloody hard team to break into at the moment and all those other players in front of her have been scoring big runs as well. For Elyse she is competing in that team as a specialist batter. She’s doing all the right things it’s just unfortunate when you have good players in front of you.”The squad will depart for New Zealand on Saturday and then undergo two weeks managed isolation in Christchurch during which they will be able to train.

Dom Bess has admitted to feeling like he “hated cricket” in the wake of a difficult winter tour of India, but believes that the lessons learned in the subcontinent will improve his chances of success with England in the long run.Despite taking 17 wickets at 26.58 in four Tests against Sri Lanka and India, offspinner Bess struggled for consistency and was dropped after helping England to victory in Chennai in February. He returned to the side for the final Test in Ahmedabad but went wicketless in an innings defeat, and began the county season looking to rediscover his form with Yorkshire.After limited success in the opening two rounds of the Championship, Bess produced his best performance for his new club with a maiden five-for on day three of their match against Sussex at Hove. Afterwards he said that his focus had been on helping Yorkshire to achieve success, rather than worrying about pushing his case for a Test recall.Related

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“After India I had a good break away from it, because I really did start hating cricket,” he said. “It got too much at times, certainly in that bubble in India, there’s a lot of pressures going on and it was really important for me to come back and get away from it.”In all honesty, I’m not thinking about [England] at all. Of course it’s there, but I’m not pushing that. It’s about banking what I do, making sure it’s a long-term process. I’m 23, so I’m looking at four-five years’ time, and what I do now – if the chance did come, I can go back into the international scene and know my game more. If it’s this summer, it’s this summer.”It’s more the trust and the process of that, trusting England that they’re not just going to throw me out, and it goes both ways. I had some really tough lessons in India. I had some great support from Jeetan [Patel] and Richard Dawson, who I’m in regular contact with. I’m in regular contact with Leachy [Jack Leach] as well. And I think it’s really important that you build that entourage, because it’s not about yourself, it’s about the team, whether it’s England or Yorkshire.”On returning from India, Bess had “two or three weeks off”, getting to know his new home in Leeds and spending time with his girlfriend and the puppy they have adopted.”It was nice to see them and get away from it, because in India, in the bubble, everything was about cricket. And it’s fine when you’re going well, but when things aren’t going well it is very tough. But I only see what I had in India as a great positive. It’s been a tough time really, but one hell of a learning curve for me. And it terms of where I see my game, I know what I’ve got to do. That’s so exciting, knowing that I’ve still got so much work to do, when I’m so close as well, at times.”Bess had to wait until the first innings at Hove for his first wicket of the 2021 season – having bowled more than 60 overs without success in games against Glamorgan and Kent. He also suffered a rib cartilage injury in the field at Sussex but was able to shrug off the problem to lead Yorkshire’s push for victory in the fourth innings.Championship cricket in April can prove challenging for spinners, but Bess said that fully embracing such experiences was the reason behind moving to Yorkshire from Somerset, where he had largely had to play second fiddle to Leach – also his main rival for a spot with England.”I’ve bowled on different wickets. I bowled up at Headingley first game and it started snowing. I bowled in probably the coldest conditions I’ve ever bowled, and then we came down to Canterbury and I bowled on an absolute road – not even a road, as it barely bounced. So I saw two contrasting things, and then we come down to here, I thought I did a pretty good job first innings.”I’ve also probably been a bit unlucky at times with decisions and things like that, but that’s the game. I’ve been really happy with how it’s come out, and how my process has been, because that was a big work-out. It’s about the long term. But all these experiences, this is why I moved to Yorkshire, to play first-team cricket for the whole year. It’s only going to help me and challenge me.”Bess said that he had spoken to Chris Silverwood, England’s head coach who was at Hove on the first day, and was enjoying playing alongside Joe Root – captain of the Test side but just another senior pro at Yorkshire. His immediate goal, however, is bowling Yorkshire to victory on Sunday.

Khaled Mahmud, the former Bangladesh captain and current BCB director, has tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently isolating at home.Mahmud, 49, was the Bangladesh team director on their recent Test tour of Sri Lanka and was supposed to have the same role for the home ODI series that starts on Sunday, against the same opponents. He is also a coach in the Dhaka Premier League, which is scheduled to begin on May 31.Mahmud had reportedly tested negative twice after returning from Sri Lanka but tested positive recently, according to a board official. The Bangladesh squad had started training on May 18, after the Eid break, but Mahmud did not join them.The BCB currently has a biosecure bubble in place for the ODI series that has hubs in the team hotel and the Shere Bangla National Stadium where all three matches will take place.The Sri Lanka players were in quarantine for three days upon their arrival on May 16, while the Bangladesh team that arrived from Sri Lanka also had a three-day home quarantine. Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman were in hotel isolation for 11 days after they returned from the IPL that was suspended earlier this month.There have been 1504 new Covid-19 cases and 26 deaths in Bangladesh in the last 24 hours. The graph has taken a downward trend since early April when the country had gone into lockdown due to the second Covid wave.Bangladesh’s third Test captain, Mahmud represented Bangladesh from 1998 to 2006 and played 12 Tests and 77 ODIs. His contributions with the ball – 13 wickets in Tests and 67 in ODIs – were more noteworthy than his runs with the bat, 266 in Tests and 991 in ODIs. He was the Player of the Match in the 1999 World Cup match when Bangladesh upset Pakistan in the group stage. He later took to coaching after retirement and has been the BCB director since 2013.

Tymal Mills is under consideration for England’s T20I side and could force his way into their World Cup plans as a death-bowling specialist through performances for Southern Brave in the Hundred, Eoin Morgan has said.Preliminary squads for October’s T20 World Cup are due to be named in mid-September and England are only scheduled to play three more T20Is – against Pakistan in July – before that date, meaning plans are at an advanced stage. They will then play bilateral series away in Bangladesh and Pakistan before the tournament.Mills, the Sussex fast bowler, played the most recent of his four T20Is for England in India in 2017. He has struggled with injuries since, but his high pace, left-arm angle and record at the death means he remains on England’s radar.Speaking after England’s 89-run thrashing of Sri Lanka at the Ageas Bowl to seal a 3-0 series win, Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, said that there were “probably half a dozen” places nailed down within the World Cup squad, but that the door was open to standout performers in domestic cricket and, in particular, the Hundred.”I always say that guys can present their best case if they’re playing good, competitive cricket,” he said. “Looking at the teams or the squads in the Hundred, they’re extremely strong, so you’d expect the standard and the pressure to be quite high throughout the tournament.”If everybody was fit, I don’t think there are many [spots] nailed down – there’s probably half a dozen. There’s a significant period of time [before the World Cup]. We’re dealing with experienced guys within, say, the 17 or 18 that have been involved [and] there are guys playing in the Hundred like Tymal Mills who could easily present a case.”He is an outstanding bowler and we’ve always been in communication with him, wanting him to get fit, play as much cricket as possible, and leave him alone until the World Cup comes. Playing for Sussex – given the journey that he’s been on – on a regular basis, is way better for him than trying to get fit for sporadic T20 series through the year. He’s a good example, along with a few other guys, that could present a really strong case throughout the Hundred.”Related

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Mills was unable to play franchise cricket over the winter after suffering a stress fracture of the back, but has had a solid start to the Blast, taking six wickets in four appearances and conceding exactly eight runs an over, and restricting the in-form Glenn Phillips at the death against Gloucestershire on Friday night. Since the 2016 World T20, he has the best economy rate in the final four overs (7.60) of any seamer to have bowled at least 50 death overs in all T20 cricket around the world.Mills told ESPNcricinfo in March that he had spoken to Morgan over a beer at dinner while they were taking part in the Ultimate Kricket Challenge in Dubai in October and was told he was “still on the radar” for selection. Morgan has maintained for a number of years that Mills is best served by playing regular domestic cricket, saying before a tri-series in Australia and New Zealand in early 2018: “Due to his fitness background, we probably wouldn’t consider him until a World Cup year.”In particular, Mills is seen as an option to help England with their death bowling, which Morgan has repeatedly highlighted as an area of concern this week. “When we go away from home, it’s an area that we can certainly improve on against the best sides in the world,” he told the BBC after Thursday’s second T20I.”The two most challenging parts of bowling are in the powerplay and at the death,” he added on Saturday. “The powerplay, we’re making inroads with; the death, in this series, we haven’t been tested, really. Throughout the season, we might see with the grounds that we shift to in some of the one-day games and maybe some of the T20 games, that certain grounds have certain wickets and therefore bowlers are under more pressure – which is a good thing.”Chris Jordan has been expensive at the death of late•Getty Images

England were expensive at the death during their T20I series over the winter, conceding 12.16 runs per over in the last four overs in South Africa, and 11.55 runs an over in India. Having previously been a regular in the format, Tom Curran has played only one of their last eight T20Is after his performances dipped, while the ever-present Chris Jordan has conceded 12.00 runs an over at the death across their last 11 T20Is.With the new ball, by contrast, England suddenly have a number of options after impressive returns to the T20I side for David Willey and Chris Woakes, who played their first games in the format for two and six years respectively: Willey took 3 for 44 across his eight overs in the series, while Woakes returned 1 for 23 in his seven. “They’ve presented extremely strong cases,” Morgan said. “There is a level of pressure that comes with coming into a very strong side [but] I think both have taken their opportunity.”Morgan also revealed that he does not necessarily expect to have Jos Buttler available for the ODI and T20I series against Pakistan following his calf injury. “Certainly at the moment, it’s not a priority that Jos is 100% fit for the white-ball stuff that we’re coming through,” he said. “Given the cricket he has coming up with Tests, the T20 World Cup and a possible Ashes down the line, I think there are other priorities that he needs to be fit for.”Throughout this period of where we’re at, the more curveballs that we can be thrown the better. You have a real strong backbone if you have replacements for guys who are either injured or being rotated or rested.”

No Tamim Iqbal, no Liton Das and no Mushfiqur Rahim. Bangladesh’s plans of putting it past a depleted Australia side in what is the first bilateral T20I series between the two teams have been impacted by the absence of three key batters, but they are particularly unhappy about Rahim missing out, because it’s been caused by Australia’s “stringent” demands when it comes to the biosecure bubble for the series. A day after Russell Domingo, the coach, expressed his displeasure on the matter, captain Mahmudullah, too, said he was “very disappointed” but his focus was on the series and what he and the other players could control.Related

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“Mushfiq is definitely one of our most crucial players, and I am personally very disappointed at not having him in the side for this series,” Mahmudullah said at a press conference on the eve of the first of five T20Is. “But, look, being a player, it’s not in our hands. The aim is to play good cricket and do well in terms of the results.”We are not worrying about it too much, because it’s not an issue we can do anything about. What has happened has happened. The only objective is to start and end the series well.”What has happened is that Cricket Australia and the Bangladesh Cricket Board had agreed to include their respective biosecure bubbles in Zimbabwe and the West Indies – where they were on tour – as part of the mandatory pre-series ten-day quarantine in Dhaka. But Rahim had to leave Harare for home after both his parents contracted Covid-19. As a result, he can’t be in the Dhaka biosecure bubble now.Some team insiders were especially irked because while Rahim wasn’t allowed to join the team, the players who have returned from Zimbabwe have had to do so after going through four airports – Harare, Johannesburg, Doha and Dhaka – with potentially greater exposure to the virus.Speaking on Sunday, Domingo had said, “I can’t understand the stringent rules Australia have placed on Mushfiq’s bubble. Ten days [on re-entering the bubble after visiting family] surely would have been enough, so [it’s] very disappointing the way they went about it.”Stressing that the absence of the three regulars would not make them bring down their expectations against a team they have never beaten in the format, Mahmudullah said the while living in biosecure bubbles was not ideal, there were some positives too.”The bio-bubble system is such that you have to accept it, there is no question of stepping out of it if you want to play cricket,” he said. So yes, it is difficult, not just for me but for everyone, who have parents, partners, children… you miss them. But, having said that, we have to accept it and move forward till we don’t win the fight against Covid.”The bubble is tiring at times. But there is a positive to it too – you can spend more time with your team-mates, you can discuss plans and strategies and your games with each other a lot more. We are together all the time, so we can bring up subjects with each other that can have a positive impact on our games, and that helps the team too.”

Chinelle Henry has been rested for the first two ODIs against Pakistan Women as the West Indies Women selection panel recalled uncapped seamer Caneisha Isaac as part of the 13-member squad for the first two of the five ODIs starting July 7. The other members of the T20I squad, which swept Pakistan 3-0 in the recent series, were retained and will be led by Stafanie Taylor, with Anisa Mohammed as her deputy.Henry and Chedean Nation were taken to a hospital during the second T20I against Pakistan after both collapsed on the field in separate incidents. Both players didn’t have to face any hospitalisations or restrictions and rejoined the squad ahead of the third T20I. Nation has been named in the squad for the first two ODIs.As for Issac, she was part of the West Indies A side that had played the last two T20s against Pakistan A before being drafted into the senior squad for the upcoming ODI series.The selectors also named a 14-member A squad to play against Pakistan Women’s A team in the first of the three one-day games starting July 10 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Wicketkeeper Reniece Boyce will lead the A team with allrounder Shabika Gajnabi as her deputy, as was the case in the recent T20s, which the visitors won 3-0.”The ODI series will be a perfect opportunity for the players to continue to prepare for the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers,” Ann Browne-John, CWI’s lead selector of the women’s panel, said. “The teams had reasonably good performances during the T20 series, and it is important that they now transition into the longer version. The panel was satisfied with the T20 efforts and has opted for the same squads for the first two ODIs and the first A team match. This 50-overs series also gives the A team players a chance to play longer innings and extend themselves for longer bowling spells as they continue their development.”ODI squad: Stafanie Taylor (capt), Anisa Mohammed (vice-capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Caneisha Isaac, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera SelmanA squad: Reniece Boyce (capt), Shabika Gajnabi (vice-capt), Shanika Bruce, Cherry Ann Fraser, Jannillea Glasgow, Shenata Grimmond, Zaida James, Japhina Joseph, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Kycia Schultz, Steffie Soogrim, Rachel Vincent, Rashada Williams

– that players and others will have to adhere to.What are the prerequisites for travelling to the UAE for IPL 2021?
Everyone making the trip must take a RT-PCR test 72 hours before their scheduled departure. If the test is negative, they may travel to the franchises’ cities of choice.Do the players who are already in biosecure bubbles qualify for bubble-to-bubble transfers?
Players, support staff, commentators and broadcast crew travelling directly from the biosecure bubbles created for the England vs India series, Sri Lanka vs South Africa series and the Caribbean Premier League can move directly from one bubble to another. They need not serve the mandatory quarantine period in the UAE provided they satisfy the following criteria.

• After the conclusion of their respective series, they continue to remain in their biosecure environments and are transported in the team buses straight to the airports, where they are exempted from immigration and other formalities.
• A chartered aircraft is booked exclusively for them to travel to Dubai.
• Upon arrival at the Dubai airport, the team buses pick them up from the tarmac and drop them at the team hotels, thereby preventing contact with people outside the bubble.

All such individuals will have to undergo one RT-PCR test on the day of arrival. If the test report is negative, they will be allowed to join their respective teams.What about the others?
Other participants will have to quarantine for six days upon arrival and undergo three RT-PCR tests, on days two, four and six, before being allowed to train or participate in IPL matches. Entry into the bubbles would only be permitted after confirmation that all three test results are negative.Related

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Do players need to be fully vaccinated before reaching the UAE?
It is not mandatory but advisable for all participants to be fully vaccinated before they travel to the UAE. But irrespective of the vaccination status, all participants will have to follow the protocols, including quarantine and testing during the tournament.All individuals within a bubble will be tested twice a week during the second week and thereafter every fifth day for the entire duration of the tournament.What happens if an individual tests positive for Covid-19?
Any participant – player or others – testing positive for Covid-19 will have to isolate for a minimum of 10 days. The individual will be tested on day nine and day ten. Two consecutive negative RT-PCR tests taken 24 hours apart, full resolution of symptoms, and no use of medication for more than 24 hours are mandatory for re-entry into a bubble.To account for any false positive tests resulting from historical infections, serology tests and repeat RT-PCR tests may be conducted.How can a player visit hospitals for scans and other treatment?
The BCCI will engage a medical services provider that will have hospitals equipped to handle all medical requirements of the players and others. For hospital visits, Green Corridors would be created to ensure minimal contact with outsiders, so that players and others are able to return safely to their biosecure bubbles.How many biosecure bubbles will there be?
In all, 14. Eight bubbles for the eight teams, three for match officials, and three more for commentators and broadcast crew.Does the saliva ban continue?
Yes, no change there.What if the ball goes into the stands?
If that happens, or the ball goes out of the stadium, the ball will be replaced. The original ball, when recovered, will be sanitised and placed in the ball library.What if there is a breach of the biosecure bubble protocols?
Breach of any such protocol by franchise members or their families would be subject to disciplinary action by the BCCI.

Big Picture

The series was decided by two defining bowling performances from the Bangladesh side as Nasum Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman powered the hosts to an unassailable 3-1 lead against New Zealand in the fourth T20I after Bangladesh went down by 52 runs in the third. Expect bowlers to have a say in the result of the fifth T20I, too.Though the fifth T20I on Friday in Dhaka is a dead rubber, Bangladesh have a chance to try out a few players from their 15-member T20 World Cup squad that was announced on Thursday. So far, they have played with an unchanged XI in all four matches but, for the final T20I, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur and Mohammad Saifuddin are likely to be rested. Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Saifuddin, meanwhile, are nursing finger injuries.Related

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Soumya Sarkar, one of the four players in the squad for this series who is yet to get a game, suffered a shoulder injury during training on Wednesday. Shamim Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam are the some of the players who might get an opportunity while batters like Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, and Mushfiqur Rahim continue trying to find form. Afif Hossain and Nurul Hasan may also be included in the XI.New Zealand, for their part, will be keen to carry some confidence into their next assignment, in Pakistan, where they will play three ODIs and five T20Is. Even though the visitors fought back in the third game after they lost the first two T20Is, Tom Latham’s men will need an improved performance from their top and middle orders to finish on a high. Finn Allen, Latham and Henry Nicholls were dismissed cheaply in the previous match, which helped Bangladesh clinch the series.Ajaz Patel was the lone warrior with the ball in the fourth T20I after Cole McConchie had a forgettable day in the must-win fixture. The New Zealand fast bowlers once again failed to come together with a good show.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)Bangladesh WLWWW
New Zealand LWLLW

In the spotlight

Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo called Mahedi Hasan a “free player,” indicating that he can be used in both batting and bowling at any time, in any position. Mahedi has so far responded moderately to the role of a floater, bowling well in most cases, but hasn’t stepped up to his potential when it comes to batting. His numbers in international cricket don’t quite match the promise of his domestic performances, but the coach seems to believe in him.Will Young will be the one to watch out for from the New Zealand camp, having scored almost half of the runs – 109 in four matches – for the visitors in this series. Young has improved with every game in Dhaka, where his drives and sweeps have been exceptional, giving glimpses of a potentially long career ahead.

Team news

Even if Shakib, Saifuddin, Mustafizur and Nasum do not play, Bangladesh still have the bench strength to test New Zealand.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Liton Das, 3 Soumya Sarkar, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Shamim Hossain, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Aminul Islam.If Tom Blundell’s strained left quadriceps prevent him from playing on Friday, New Zealand have to pick an extra fast bowler. Only Matt Henry is yet to play a match from their touring squad.New Zealand (probable): 1 Rachin Ravindra, 2 Finn Allen, 3 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 4 Will Young, 5 Colin de Grandhomme, 6 Henry Nicholls, 7 Tom Blundell, 8 Cole McConchie, 9 Ajaz Patel, 10 Hamish Bennett, 11 Blair Tickner.

Pitch and conditions

Teams batting first have averaged 105.5 during this T20I series, and one can expect the fifth and final match to be a low-scoring affair as well. Rain is forecast on Friday. Through this series, though, it has rained in Dhaka at all times except when the teams have been on the field.

Stats and trivia

• The combined batting average in this series is 14.96, just a shade higher than the 14.73 from the Bangladesh-Australia series last month. These are the two lowest batting averages in T20I series involving three or more matches between Full Member nations.
• The left-arm spinners from both sides have taken 24 wickets at an average of 10.37 in this series. Offspinners have taken 12 wickets at 16.75, while the lone left-arm quick, Mustafizur, has taken eight wickets at an average of 11.

Sri Lanka are in talks to tour Pakistan for a series of three ODIs which will be vital preparation for both teams ahead of the Women’s ODI World Cup global qualifier that starts on November 21 in Zimbabwe. If the tour goes ahead the matches will be Sri Lanka’s first in 18 months, since the T20 World Cup in February-March last year.Talks for the bilateral series have happened as an eleventh-hour arrangement after the ECB pulled their men and women’s teams from a tour of Pakistan in mid-October citing concerns over the players’ “mental and physical well-being” as well as security.ESPNcricinfo understands that Harshitha Madavi will likely lead Sri Lanka given Chamari Athapaththu, the regular captain, had taken the SLC’s permission months before this series was ever in the works to go and play the WBBL. She is currently in Adelaide, undergoing quarantine with the Perth Scorchers.If these three ODIs are confirmed – and the PCB said it is still a “work in progress” – Sri Lanka will fly out to Pakistan on October 15, following a seven-day self-isolation period. A practice game is also on the schedule.Related

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• SLC rolls out plan for women's T20 league in October

Considering they may be coming out of an 18-month break from international cricket, newly-appointed women’s head coach Hashan Tillakaratne has been focused on doing what he can to get rid of the players’ ring rust.”From October onwards we’re trying to play at least nine games with the Under-17 side boys,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We also finished a three-week practice program in Dambulla, which went off very well. So what we’re trying to do is go through the process and give them more challenges in due course.”SLC say the lack of playing time for the women’s team has not been for want of effort. Ashley de Silva, the board CEO, said they had been trying to get a home series against Pakistan since the start of the year but could never figure out the timing.”There was a time that we wanted to get them [Pakistan] down to Sri Lanka, but due to the fact that we were playing so many tournaments, we couldn’t create so many bubbles at the same time,” he said. “We were also having problem with the resources; we couldn’t find the necessary amount of doctors to handle so many bubbles.”We were going to host them here, but then we had two tours (for the men’s side) with the South African team and then the Indian team. On top of that there were bubbles and training for some other teams as well, such as the A team. So we couldn’t find the resources to handle so many bubbles.”But we were on the lookout for a window. Now that the window has opened up, and they invited us, we jumped at the idea.”The SLC had announced a four-team 50-over women’s invitational tournament set for October, but that is unlikely to happen now, with the turnaround between the team’s return from Pakistan and their flying out again to Zimbabwe on November 15, a little over two weeks.

Australia’s most experienced Test player Nathan Lyon believes Pat Cummins and Steven Smith will make a good leadership duo as Cricket Australia appears set to announce the pair as Test captain and vice-captain ahead of the Ashes.Both Cummins and Smith have been interviewed this week by a CA panel that has been specially convened to select Australia’s next men’s Test captain following the resignation of Tim Paine.Lyon, who is the only member of Australia’s squad to have played 100 Tests, endorsed the duo and was particularly excited about the possibility of Cummins taking over as skipper.”I think you look at the two guys who have been interviewed by Australia for the two roles, I think they’re probably the two best candidates in my eyes,” Lyon said.”Playing under Pat at New South Wales cricket in the one-day set up last year, I think he did a really good job, to be honest with you. I know it’s going to be a different kettle of fish, but he’s got a lot of senior players around him to support Pat if he does get the nod. But then you look at Steve Smith, I think Smithy is up there with the best batters in the world. He’s got a great cricket mind and I’ve got no dramas with both of them putting their hand up for the captaincy, to be honest with you.”Related

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Lyon said he had no interest in the official leadership role despite being the most experienced player in the side and declaring that he has aspirations of playing for a least two more years with tours of India and England at the forefront of his long-term goals.”If I put my hand up for the captaincy it means I’d have to hand over the team song and to be honest, I’d rather lead the team song,” Lyon said. “So I’m more than happy for Pat and Steve and anyone else to put their hand up. I’ll keep my hand down.”Lyon believes the yin and yang of having a bowler and a batter in the two leadership roles within the Test team would be of major benefit to the side’s performance.Nathan Lyon believes Pat Cummins and Steven Smith will make a good leadership duo•Getty Images

“I think it will have a really positive effect, if you look at the guys who are going to be captain and vice-captain and whichever way that goes,” he said. “I think it’s going to be really beneficial that you’ve got a bowler’s mindset, and also a batter’s mindset, rather than having two batters’ mindset. You’ve actually got both mindsets that can come together and really come up with some really good guidance, I guess.”So I’m really excited by the fact that we’re potentially going to have a bowler as captain but in saying that we’ve also got the best one of the best batters and one of the best players to play the game in Smithy there as well.”I think there’s going to be some really good, open, and honest conversations throughout those two guys and there’s going to be some really good guidance. We’ve got some really senior guys throughout our squad with some younger players here as well so I think Cricket Australia’s going to be in some good hands.”While Paine has handed over the captaincy and doubts have been raised publicly about his place in the side as a wicketkeeper-batter alone, Lyon was in no doubt as to whether Paine should be in the side for the first Test.”I think the selectors said that we’re going to pick the best available XI and, in my eyes, Tim Paine is the best keeper in the world,” Lyon said. “I know I want him. This is very selfish from a bowler’s point of view. I want the best gloveman behind the stumps and in my eyes, that’s Tim Paine.”Paine has been named in Tasmania’s Marsh Cup 50-over team to play Western Australia on Friday at Bellerive Oval in Hobart meaning he will play five consecutive days of cricket after getting through a four-day second XI game for Tasmania unscathed on Thursday.Paine kept for 167 overs against South Australia’s 2nd XI and took nine catches behind the stumps. He missed out with the bat twice. In the first innings adjudged lbw for 1 off 2 deliveries, and in the second innings he was out hooking for just 7 from 16 deliveries.