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Eoin Morgan, the England captain, admits that his satisfaction at an otherwise emphatic victory over Bangladesh in the opening match of the Champions Trophy has been tempered by a side strain sustained by Chris Woakes, which threatens to rule him out for the rest of the tournament.Woakes had come into the match nursing a tight quad that led to his omission from the final two matches of England’s recent ODI series against South Africa, but he looked in fine fettle as he opened the campaign with a maiden to Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal.However, he bowled just one more over in his spell before leaving the field for treatment. He will undergo a scan on his left side this evening, but Morgan is already braced for bad news from England’s medical team.”He’s obviously been very impressive for us over the last couple of years, and a mainstay, a very reliable guy,” Morgan said. “And it is a worry when he goes off the field and can’t come back on and bowl.”Though it is too early to say how the injury will impact on Woakes’ involvement either in the remainder of this match, or England’s subsequent group games against New Zealand on June 6 and Australia on June 10, side strains are notoriously difficult injuries for fast bowlers to shake off.A typical recovery can take between four and six weeks, especially if the injury involves damage to the intercostal muscles, because even when fully recovered, fast bowlers in particular find it hard to hit the crease with their usual aggression, for fear of suffering a relapse.Were that the case, it would rule Woakes out of the entire tournament, and leave him in some doubt for the start of England’s Test series against South Africa as well, which gets underway at Lord’s on July 6.”Side strains are a big confidence thing, aren’t they?” said Morgan. “Yeah, he would definitely be a loss if he couldn’t play.”Morgan denied, however, that Woakes had suffered for being rushed back into action before he was fully recovered from his quad niggle. “He was chomping at the bit to play,” he said. “If we rushed him, he might have played the last game of the one-day series but we didn’t want to rush him.”Woakes’ injury isn’t the only issue undermining England’s previously settled Champions Trophy squad. Ben Stokes came into the match nursing a knee injury that limited his ability to bowl in the South Africa series – although he showed no signs of discomfort in his seven overs today – while Joe Root also picked up a calf injury in the course of his match-winning 133 not out.”Joe is all right,” Morgan said. “He wasn’t in extreme pain. It was manageable, so given that we have four days between now and the next game, hopefully he’ll rest up well and be fully fit.”The size of England’s victory masked a few concerns beyond the fitness issues. Jason Roy endured another day to forget, making just 1 from 7 balls to extend his fallow run at the top of the order, while Jake Ball, surprisingly included in place of the legspinner Adil Rashid, struggled for consistency as his ten overs were dispatched for 82 runs.However, Morgan reiterated his unequivocal support for Roy, adding that he had been unlucky to fall to an impressive catch at short backward square leg from Mustafizur Rahman.”It was quite smart, bowling a slower bowl from the opening bowler, and brave,” Morgan said. “It was a big gamble. But that sort of stuff can happen. You can get out in that sort of fashion when you’re short on runs. But yeah, certainly we believe in him.”On the subject of Rashid’s omission – which seemed to go against the team ethos of selection continuity – Morgan insisted there were two separate issues to consider.”We felt Bangladesh probably would have preferred to play against a lot more spin, as opposed to four quicks, and obviously Ben [Stokes]. So that contributed to how we wanted to balance the side and how we saw them playing. Their top three batters are lefties, and the possibility of getting Joe [Root] or Mo [Ali] on early was an option.”With the batting, obviously you can’t ask guys to go out and play positive cricket and whack it everywhere – there’s an element, a high-risk element – and then drop them as soon as they are lacking runs. On previous teams, that has happened and we don’t want it to happen.”We want to reinforce confidence so the guys can go out and we can make 300 an easy score to get, by playing real positive cricket. And contributing to that, both as a captain and coach, and selectors, by backing your own players up.”

Sri Lanka captain Upul Tharanga said that fearlessness helped his team tighten up their fielding, after their athletic defence of 280 in the third ODI.Sri Lanka have been routinely woeful in the field over the past two years. The standards hit new lows in 2017, in series against South Africa and Australia, as well as Bangladesh’s ongoing tour. The performance in the third ODI was a sharp departure from what had been a worrying trend. A high-energy effort in the infield was backed up by clinical work at the boundaries. Sri Lanka did miss one chance – letting a catch pass between keeper and slip in the first over – but did not commit any major mistakes after that.”The way we fielded today was really good – everyone was chasing the ball and diving and that’s the way we should be fielding,” Tharanga said. “We were sloppy in the first game. We gave away too many runs. Not only the first game, I don’t think we fielded well in the last two series. The thing that we discussed was to not to be afraid to do mistakes. Sometimes, when we field, we are bit reluctant and worried whether we will miss catches and we position ourselves too deep.”Before the match, cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha had said the team trialled a new training method for fielding, through which they hoped to better replicate match conditions. Early indications are that the new methods have had some impact.”If you practice those things only it works out in matches,” Tharanga said. “There were some good training sessions after the loss. We have attracted lot of criticism that we are not good a fielding side. But we wanted to prove that wrong. We’ve got to keep doing what we did today and consistently field this well.”Alongside the fielding, Tharanga also credited Thisara Perera’s batting for the win. Sri Lanka were in danger of limping through the final overs when Thisara arrived at the crease with the score at 194 for 5. But he played himself in – venturing no boundaries off his first 19 deliveries – before accelerating in the 45th over. He eventually wound up with 52 runs off 40 balls, and was named the player of the match. He had also hit a rapid half-century in the first match.”I thought Thisara Perera was exceptional today,” Tharanga said. “He showed lot of maturity during his knock. He took his time and finished the innings well. He understood his role, and he did this throughout this series. He realised that he needed to come up with big efforts. Today, we were in a tough position. He was the only recognised batter, and his approach was good – he showed a lot of responsibility.”One weakness that has persisted through the series, however, is Sri Lanka’s running between the wickets. Sri Lanka lost two batsmen to run outs at the SSC, and of those Dinesh Chandimal’s dismissal was especially unusual. Though he grounded the bat after completing a second run, he lifted it as his body crossed the crease, at which point the bails were dislodged. Tharanga was himself run out in strange fashion during the second ODI in Dambulla. He took off for an easy single after the wicketkeeper had misfielded the ball, but was caught by surprise when Mahmudullah threw down the stumps to find him short of his ground.”My run out in the second game and Chandi’s run out today – you can’t let those things happen,” Tharanga said. “It looked as if we were too casual in our approach. If you take ODIs, you can excuse the run outs towards the end of an innings when you are trying to score quickly. But silly mistakes like these are not good enough.”

Dillon du Preez returned figures of 4 for 31 as the Knights beat Dolphins by one wicket in the final over to seal a qualifier spot in the Momentum One-Day Cup. After Dolphins chose to bat in a virtual eliminator, they were put under pressure from the start, slipping to 54 for 4. The early damage meant even a 50-run fifth-wicket partnership between Sarel Erwee and Andile Phehlukwayo, and useful contributions lower down the order, could only take the Dolphins to 204.In response, Knights got off to a steady start, openers Rudi Second and Tumelo Bodibe putting on 61 in 13 overs. However, in the collapse that ensued five wickets fell inside 12 runs. Imran Tahir inflicted most of the damage, removing David Miller for a first-ball duck. Pite van Biljon (44) and Aubrey Swanepoel (42) steadied Knights with a 56-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but after Phehlukwayo bowled du Preez with Knights requiring 25 to win, it needed Marchant de Lange and Sammy Mofokeng to take their side through. They combined for an unbeaten 27 runs for the tenth wicket to lead Knights to a four-ball win.Table toppers Titans sealed a home final with a demolition of Cape Cobras at SuperSport Park. Opening bowlers Chris Morris and Lungi Ngidi put the Cobras on the back foot right away as the pair shared three wickets for 41 runs in their combined 16 overs. The 184 Cobras were bowled out for, after languishing at 30 for 4, was courtesy a half-century from Aviwe Mgijima (52).The Titans chase was led by a 75-run stand between openers Jonathan Vandiar (72) and Aiden Markram in 11 overs. Even two wickets in three balls with the score on 100 – the second being AB de Villiers for a duck – didn’t bother Titans as they won by six wickets.In Port Elizabeth, Lions’ campaign ended with a whimper, as they lost by 36 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method to Warriors, who will play the qualifier against Knights. Warriors’ top wicket-taker this tournament JJ Smuts was the star performer again, taking 4 for 25 in ten overs to skittle the Lions – who lost their last eight wickets for 59 runs – for 154. No batsman outside the Lions top five managed to make double-digit scores.The Warriors were well on course to victory with a 93-run opening partnership between Smuts (51) and Gihahn Cloete (41), and were on top of the D/L equation – despite a flurry of four wickets – to complete a 36-run win when the rain arrived.

India coach Anil Kumble has hinted that Karun Nair’s triple-hundred in India’s last Test might not earn him an automatic spot in the XI for the one-off Test against Bangladesh on Thursday. Kumble said while the performance was a huge boost to the overall make-up of the side, they have not forgotten what Ajinkya Rahane – whom Nair had replaced – has done for the team. As things stand, if India stick to their combination of five bowlers, only one of them will play.A finger injury had ruled out Rahane from the last two Tests against England, paving the way for Nair to get an extended run in the middle-order. His 303 not out in Chennai showed India’s batting riches went very deep, but if he makes way for Rahane, he will perhaps become one of a very few men who miss their next Test after scoring a triple-ton. In April 1930, England’s Andy Sandham made 325 in the timeless Test against West Indies and did not play again, although that may have been because he was 39 years old then.”We still haven’t thought about the combination but it is nice that Karun took his opportunity and did what he did in Chennai,” Kumble said. “It is fantastic for a young cricketer to come in and score a triple-hundred. But we know what Ajinkya has done for this team. Ajinkya’s performances have been phenomenal across conditions. It is nice that somebody who came in to replace Ajinkya because of the injury in Mumbai, took three or four innings and was able to score a three-hundred. It’s nice to have to have that kind of contribution and that kind of ability from the youngsters.”Kumble lent his support to M Vijay and KL Rahul to keep opening the batting, and said Abhinav Mukund has been selected as back-up. Vijay and Rahul have been the most used pair at the top of the order for India in the last 12 months, but they have only put together a single 50-plus stand during this period.”I don’t think the opening slot is a concern at all. Vijay and Rahul have played wonderfully well in the last series. It’s just that you need a back-up. As far as we are concerned, openers have had [injury] issues, in the West Indies and in the home series as well. It’s just a concern.”Abhinav brings in not just the experience of playing at the international level but also lots of runs in the domestic season gone by. So he is in good form. And it’s a reward for what he has been able to achieve in the domestic circuit,” he said.Kumble said he was also keen on keeping Hardik Pandya in consideration given his combination of bowling at a fair clip and his aggressive batting in the middle-order. Pandya returned from injury against England in last month’s ODI series and Kumble said his skills will be handy when they play abroad.”We certainly want to keep Hardik in the mix,” Kumble said. “He is someone who has the ability to become a good allrounder even in the longer format. It’s rare that you have someone who can run in and bowl at close to 140 kph and bat in the middle order.”He hasn’t been tested in the longer format. But we believe that if he is part of this mix. Whenever the opportunity comes, we will try him out. In the future, whenever we travel outside India, he will be someone we will probably look at.”

Allrounder Kieron Pollard has challenged the West Indies selectors’ rationale for dropping him for the tri-series in Zimbabwe in November. Pollard said he was told that he had not been “committed to batting” during the recent limited-overs games against Pakistan in UAE.Calling the decision “funny”, Pollard said he would not “campaign or do anything to convince them” to select him and instead focus on looking after himself in the future.What confused Pollard about his axing for the Zimbabwe tri-series was that, according to him, the West Indies chairman of selectors Courtney Browne had agreed during a conversation in the UAE that his experience would be good in a young squad.”When chairman of selectors Courtney Browne notified me via email of my axing, I reminded him of why my exclusion was funny because during the Twenty20 and one-day series, the two of us had a long conversation, speaking about wanting to have guys such as myself around going forward in West Indies cricket,” Pollard told ESPNcricinfo.Pollard said he sought clarification from Browne on why he had been dropped. “He said I wasn’t ‘committed to batting’ during the tour, which I pressed him to clarify further because it was a broad statement. I asked specifically if this commitment he interpreted I wasn’t giving also related to my bowling, fielding and advice to captain Jason Holder. And he said no, and stressed it was just batting and, in his view, I was not trying.”Pollard was angry his commitment had been questioned. “A lot people tend to say Pollard and many of us are mercenaries and have given nothing to West Indies cricket. While it’s clear I don’t have the stats or the figures of a Brian Lara, nobody, as some were trying to suggest, can ever question my commitment or integrity while playing. Why would I wake up one morning and just decide I wouldn’t want to try? Scoring runs is how I survive.”Browne said he stood by the decision to drop Pollard. “Kieron’s performance in the ODI series was far below what one expects from a player of his experience and his effort level was not what is expected from West Indies cricketers,” Browne told ESPNcricinfo. “Kieron is therefore urged to compete in our domestic competitions, where he will have an additional opportunity to demonstrate his ability and can be considered again for selection.”Before the tour of the UAE, Pollard had made 22 and 13 in the Florida T20Is against India in August, and prior to that he made 205 runs with two half-centuries in the home tri-series against Australia and South Africa in June. Pollard had been on the sidelines in ODIs for a year and a half from October 2014, before he returned for the tri-series in which West Indies finished runners-up.Kieron Pollard made 43 runs in three T20Is and 42 runs in three ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE•Getty Images

In the UAE, Pollard scored 43 runs and bowled only two overs in the three T20Is against Pakistan in September. In the three ODIs that followed, Pollard made 42 runs and took one wicket in 12 overs. West Indies lost both series 0-3 to Pakistan. During the tour, former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis, who was working as a commentator, had also said Pollard should be dropped for lack of effort.Defending his performances, Pollard said that had he batted aggressively and failed, he may have been labelled as irresponsible. “I referred to him [Browne] in detail the match scenarios of each of my innings on tour and stated that if I had played a typical Pollard aggressive innings, in situations where the team was always in trouble – they would have claimed ‘irresponsible batting from a senior player.'”Pollard said the West Indies team was not in the right mind-set during the UAE tour because the coach Phil Simmons had been sacked by the WICB the day the squad left the Caribbean. Poor communication between players and coaching staff, lack of clear inputs in team meetings from the coaches, and “very ridiculous” training schedules, were problems Pollard highlighted.”One minute the team’s media manager, or even oddly the physio, was answering various questions,” he said. “And when pressed they said their instructions came from the ‘top’, which is a line I’ve never heard when Simmons or any other West Indies coach I played [under] used.”Pollard said he had been “prepared mentally” to be “targeted” by the WICB after West Indies pulled out of the India tour in October 2014 because of an issue with player contracts. “It’s an attack on senior players. Look at the team right now. Only Marlon Samuels is a senior guy around in most formats, other are ineligible outside of T20s because of their selection policy which inadvertently targets us. You could say our axing is the final puzzle of removing the seniors and they have come up with any reason that suits them to get certain individuals out of the set-up.” Samuels had not been in favour of West Indies not completing the tour of India.What now then for Pollard? Will he play domestic cricket in West Indies , like Browne had recommended? “I’m 29 years old, but the way people talk of me being a senior player or veteran you would swear my age is 39. Realistically now I just have to look after Kieron Pollard. So I’m not going to campaign or do anything to try and convince them to pick me again.”

Former England Test batsman Graeme Hick has been appointed as Australia’s batting coach for the next four seasons. Hick joins head coach Darren Lehmann, fielding coach Greg Blewett and new bowling coach David Saker in the Australia set-up, and will begin his contract at the start of the home Test series against South Africa in November.However, his first significant challenge will be to help Australia’s batsmen improve their output on the subcontinent, with a four-Test tour of India in February-March. Australia have lost their past nine Tests in Asia and were recently humiliated 3-0 by Sri Lanka in a series that was notable for Australia’s consistent batting failures against spin.When he was appointed Cricket Australia’s high performance coach based at the Centre of Excellence in 2013, Hick stressed the need for patience from Australia’s young batsmen, instead of expecting that they could score at limited-overs speed in first-class cricket. He believes a similar mental approach will be necessary for Australia’s batsmen to succeed in India.”At times maybe the Australian way is to really dominate,” Hick told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday. “In Test cricket the daily run-rate has increased a lot. Maybe India is a place where you need a little bit more patience. The teams that have been successful there recently have been guys who have got big runs up front.”If one of our top order get in, batting a couple of sessions maybe is not enough. You’ve got to look to post a big first-innings score and take that responsibility if you get in. That may require a little bit more patience than maybe some of the players would normally play at.”Hick would appear well qualified to discuss patience, as a man who scored 41,112 first-class runs, 15th on the all-time tally, and as one of only eight men in history to have scored a quadruple-century in first-class cricket. Hick also played 65 Tests for England from 1991 to 2001, and his lengthy contract appears partially designed to ensure he will be around for the 2019 Ashes in England.”I played there for 25 years, I think there was maybe a bit of that in the planning and the appointment,” Hick said. “If I feel like I can add to that and contribute to us doing well … there’s plenty to happen before that, but I’m sure there was a bit of that foresight to my appointment.”The swinging ball has been almost as much of a challenge for Australia’s batsmen as the turning ball in recent years, from 88 all-out against Pakistan at Headingley in 2010, to 47 all-out against South Africa in Cape Town, to last year’s Ashes humiliation of 60 all-out at Trent Bridge, where Stuart Broad proved to be almost unplayable in collecting 8 for 15.”At the end of the day, the players are out there themselves,” Hick said. “All the players will be able to reflect on that [Trent Bridge] experience and think they could have played it differently. That goes back to the mental side of it and the mental approach. I played in a game for England where we were bowled out for 46 in the Caribbean. It was just one of those occasions where before you can get prepared and everything, the innings is over.”People didn’t necessarily have time there to sit and plan and take stock of what was happening, it all happened so quickly. That’s all part of the challenge. Without doubt, you go to India and you’re going to get their subcontinent wickets, you go to England now, certainly Trent Bridge and Headingley will be seaming and swinging around, Edgbaston maybe as well. That’s the challenge.”Hick takes on the role as batting coach after it was vacated by Michael di Venuto in February, when he was named as Surrey’s new head coach. Blewett had filled in as batting coach since di Venuto’s departure but will now return to his original position as fielding coach.”Graeme worked with us during the recent ODI tour in the West Indies and we were really impressed with what he brought to the group,” Lehmann said. “He is a very experienced player in all conditions and will bring a wealth of knowledge with him. With an ICC Champions Trophy, an Ashes Series and an ICC World Cup all to be played in England in the near future, his knowledge of those conditions will also be invaluable.”

Match facts

August 13-17, 2016
Start time 10.00 local (04.30 GMT)The SSC pitch bore a dry look on the eve of the Test•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Big Picture

Like a villain in Peter Falk’s old detective show, Australia’s undoing could be completed by one more thing: Colombo. Crushed near Kandy, gutted in Galle, Steven Smith’s men now move on to the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground for the final Test of their tour. Their No.1 ranking is at stake although, having lost the series already, even a surprise win in the third Test might not be enough to save their position.Make no mistake: this is Sri Lanka’s chance to create history. That rarest of cricket achievements – a whitewash against Australia – is theirs for the taking. In nearly 140 years of Test cricket, Australia have played 177 series of three or more matches and only four times have they been whitewashed: 0-3 to England in 1886; 0-4 to South Africa in 1969-70; 0-3 to Pakistan in 1982-83; and 0-4 to India in 2012-13. Smith arrived on this tour never having lost a Test as captain. Now he is in danger of joining Tup Scott, Bill Lawry, Kim Hughes and Michael Clarke in sharing an unwanted page in the record books.The achievement is similarly rare for Sri Lanka who, prior to this campaign, have played 50 series of this length. Only three times have they swept teams 3-0, and two of those came against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. The other was against a declining West Indies in 2001. To complete such a rout against Australia, who were presented with the ICC mace before this series began, would count as one of the finest achievements in Sri Lankan cricket history. Angelo Mathews could be on the verge of joining Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene as the only Sri Lanka captains to lead such 3-0 sweeps.Of course, such talk is getting ahead of proceedings. Australia have one more chance to defend their honour. They would, though, need to show vast improvement in both playing and bowling spin in order to turn their results around, and none of the evidence from the first two Tests suggests that is probable. Having lost their past eight Tests in Asia, Australia have moved on to their ninth life. Chances are that when they head to India next February the cat will be dead, and unlikely even to bounce.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: WWDLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: LLWWD

In the spotlight

Nominally it is spin that has troubled Australia during this series, but often their problem has been the ones that don’t turn. Between them, Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera have served up more sliders than a hipster café. Perera has 11 wickets at 15.63 in this series and, remarkably, 10 of them came in Galle, where he became the first Sri Lankan to score a fifty and take 10 wickets in a Test. Also during that match he became the fastest Sri Lankan to reach the milestone of 50 Test wickets, getting there in his 11th Test. Between Perera, Herath and left-arm wrist-spinner Lakshan Sandakan, Australia’s batsmen can expect no let-up in Colombo.Australia have played two spinners in each of the Tests so far, yet it is Mitchell Starc who comfortably leads their wicket tally with 17 at 13.47. Starc’s speed, accuracy and ability to gain reverse swing have made him a weapon on these Sri Lankan pitches. Australia’s batting has been their major issue, but with a little more assistance from the spinners Starc might at least make a contest of it. His 11 for 94 in Galle were the best figures ever by an Australian in Sri Lanka, and the best by an Australian fast bowler in Asia since the 1970s.

Team news

Dimuth Karunaratne’s poor run of form – he has scores of 5, 0, 0 and 7 this series – could leave his place in jeopardy, although as the SSC is his home ground and the series is already won, the selectors might give him one more chance. If Karunaratne is dropped, a possible scenario is that Dhananjaya de Silva could move up to open and Roshen Silva slot into the middle order. Suranga Lakmal is set to play his first Test of the series, in place of Vishwa Fernando, who was required for only two overs on debut due to Sri Lanka’s spin strength.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Kusal Perera, 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Lakshan Sandakan, 11 Suranga Lakmal.Shaun Marsh appears a likely inclusion for Australia, though whom he replaces is up for debate. Adam Voges has carried hamstring tightness but trained fully on Thursday, although a decision on whether Voges would play in Colombo was not going to be made until after training on Friday. If Voges is passed fit, it is not out of the question that Usman Khawaja could make way for Marsh. An unchanged attack is probable, given the likely need for two spinners again.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Usman Khawaja/Shaun Marsh, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Nathan Lyon, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Jon Holland.

Pitch and conditions

The SSC pitch might have a reputation as a draw wicket, but that is based on old evidence. In 2014, the top layer was re-laid and the surface has had a little more character. Since then three Tests have been played there for two results and a rain-affected draw. The pitch this year will be dry and is expected to provide plenty of turn.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka’s pace bowlers have sent down only 30 overs in this series, compared to 221.2 overs from their spinners
• In the past decade, Australia have played 17 Tests in Asia for just a single win: against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2011
• So far in this series, Australia’s batsmen have collectively averaged 16.32. By comparison, in the UAE against Pakistan in 2014, Australia averaged 25.65 and in India in 2013 it was 25.89

Quotes

“We’ve got to prove to ourselves that we can play in these conditions. To win the last Test match, that will give us a little bit of confidence. We’re going to hopefully play with a little bit more freedom and courage, and be willing to take the game on.”

Devendra Bishoo, the West Indies legspinner who took three wickets on day one of the Antigua Test, feels West Indies are still in a competitive position despite India going to stumps on 302 for 4.”No, I don’t think we are under any pressure at all,” Bishoo said at the end of the day’s play. “The game could change just like that. It was a tough day for us, but you never know. Tomorrow morning we’re going to come and put the work in.”West Indies went into the match with a long batting line-up, with allrounders Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder slotting in at No. 8 and No. 9, but that meant they only had one genuine fast bowler, Shannon Gabriel, in their attack. Bishoo did not agree with the idea that West Indies may have missed having an extra frontline bowler.”No, no, no. At the end of day, whatever team we have to play with as a team, we have to play,” he said. “We support each other and give our 100%. I’m not going to put anything on anybody. To play good cricket, bowlers have to do their job and batsmen have to do theirs.”The bowlers, he felt, could have done a better job overall, on a good pitch to bat on. West Indies kept India to 72 for 1 in the first session, but could not maintain their stifling lines and lengths as the day wore on.”Yeah, we could have been in a better position probably.” Bishoo said. “At the end of the day, it’s a good pitch and the Indian batsmen kept relishing it. We just didn’t put the ball in the areas as much, but we bowled good in patches.”I think Shannon bowled really good upfront today and he started off very, very well. He bowled with great pace. The rest of the bowlers, as I said, bowled well in patches. We need to be a bit more patient because the wicket is good.”Making his debut for West Indies, allrounder Roston Chase sent down 17 overs on the first day, the joint-most for West Indies behind Bishoo’s 27. Bishoo said he wasn’t surprised that Chase got the ball ahead of him.”Chase and me are different bowlers and the ball was newer. It was ideal to go with him first. I have got no problem with that,” Bishoo said. “He’s more of a part-time offspinner. But he’s going to be bowling a lot of overs. He’s more like a batting allrounder, but he’s a very good bowler.”

Match facts

August 4-8, 2016
Start time 10.00 local (04.30 GMT)

Big Picture

Galled by their own performance in Pallekele, here Australia might be just be Galled full stop. Rod Marsh, the national selector, spoke after the loss in the first Test of Australia’s excellent preparation. “What else can we do, really?” he wondered out loud. He sounded like an exasperated parent whose wayward kids can only be guided so far. But Australia will need to do something different when the second Test starts in Galle. They enter the match 1-0 down in the three-Test series and a losing campaign would likely result in them slipping from No.1 on the rankings. They could even fall as far as third.It was Sri Lanka’s spinners – as well of course as Kusal Mendis with his outstanding century – who troubled Australia most in Pallekele. And that was the one venue on this tour that might actually have suited Australia somewhat. On a dry pitch in Galle, spinners are expected to gain significant turn right from the outset. Overall at Galle, 61.79% of Test wickets have been taken by spinners. Of all Test venues to have hosted at least 10 matches, only Chittagong has a higher proportion of wickets for the slow bowlers. You half expect Michael J. Fox to be Galle’s deputy mayor, such a spin city it is.It is also the only home venue at which Sri Lanka have a winning record of better than 50%. They are hard to beat on the turning pitch, and will be brimming with confidence after their win in the first Test. Steven Smith, by comparison, will be desperate to turn Australia’s fortunes around after his first loss as Test captain.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: WDLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Australia: LWWDW

In the spotlight

There is a reason left-arm wrist-spin is also known as left-arm unorthodox: it is extremely rare. Why? Hard to say. But right-armers are more common than left-armers, and finger-spinners more common than wrist-spinners, so it is natural that it should be the least prevalent variety of spin. So much so, in fact, that Lakshan Sandakan is the first left-arm wrist-spinner from Asia to play Test cricket. It’s an extraordinary fact, considering how turning pitches are mostly the norm in the in the subcontinent. But Sandakan’s rarity makes him all the more of a threat, and Australia’s batsmen struggled with the unknown in Pallekele. On debut, Sandakan finished with match figures of 7 for 107; he extracted big turn and bowled very few bad deliveries. He could just be the perfect spin partner for Rangana Herath.Back in May, the national selectors picked five spinners to represent Australia during winter tours. Jon Holland didn’t figure in the shortlist. In the Test squad to tour Sri Lanka were Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe, and in the Australia A squad were Ashton Agar, Cameron Boyce and Mitch Swepson. And yet here is Holland in Galle, set to become Australia’s 444th Test cricketer. Holland was called up for Australia A because of an injury to Agar. Now, an injury to O’Keefe and Holland was flown to Sri Lanka before he even had a chance to play for Australia A. An attacking left-armer who has been highly rated since his early days, Holland has had limited opportunities with Victoria in recent years due to the presence of Fawad Ahmed. But when he plays, he takes wickets.

Team news

Nuwan Pradeep is in doubt with a hamstring strain, which could force Sri Lanka to field a debutant fast bowler – either Vishwa Fernando or Asitha Fernando. Three frontline spinners are again expected on a pitch that should turn plenty. There is the chance that Sri Lanka might drop the opener Dimuth Karunaratne, but the lack of experience elsewhere in the side could save him.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Kusal Perera, 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Lakshan Sandakan, 11 Vishwa Fernando/Asitha Fernando.Holland will come in for O’Keefe, Australia’s only change to the XI.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Nathan Lyon, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Jon Holland.

Pitch and conditions

The Galle pitch was already very dry a couple of days out from the Test and should take turn from the beginning.

Stats and trivia

• The past 11 Tests in Sri Lanka have all brought results: seven wins for Sri Lanka and four losses. Not since they played South Africa in Colombo in July 2014 has there been a draw
• This will be Sri Lanka’s 250th Test match since their debut 34 years ago. By comparison, it took Australia 83 years to get to 250 Tests
• Steven Smith needs 63 runs to reach 4000 in Tests. If he does it in this match he will be the third-fastest Australian to the milestone, behind only Don Bradman and Matthew Hayden

Quotes

“As a chinaman bowler, Sandakan has impressed everyone with his control. When you have such control, you can be devastating. He can also bowl the googly. Then more than anything, he gets turn. That’s the complete package you expect from a spin bowler.”
“I wasn’t yelling at the players. It was obviously disappointing, the loss in Kandy, my first loss as captain. It was a different experience and hopefully it doesn’t happen too often. We know what we have to do to turn it around, it’s just about making sure we go out there and do it.”