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Sri Lanka have been one of the in-form teams in this tournament, quellingwith ease challenges from Kenya and New Zealand, but Pakistan, who beatthem in a warm-upmatch, could offer a tougher challenge. Of late, Pakistan have had themeasure of the Sri Lankans, losing just two of the last ten ODIs betweenthem, and while Sri Lanka will still start off as favourites, there could bean upset on the cards.Bat play: Sri Lanka’s top order has been in rip-roaring form so farin the tournament, scoring 260 against Kenya and then chasing down 164with plenty to spare against New Zealand. Both those games were inJohannesburg, which means they are accustomed to the conditions. SanathJayasuriya has been pick of the lot so far, scoring 149 runs from 88balls. His recent ODI form against Pakistan hasn’t been so flash, though:in his lastten games against them, he only averages 20.50, and the challenge forSri Lanka – and the chance for Pakistan – will be if he falls early.Pakistan’s batting has been iffy so far, struggling a bit against Scotlandand then making a mess of what should have been a comfortable chaseagainst India. The openers, Imran Nazir and Salman Butt, have failed inboth innings, and Mohammad Hafeez might get a look-in at the top of theorder on Monday. Misbah-ul-Haq has been the man in form, and deserves tobat higher than his No. 6 slot.Wrecking ball: Mohammad Asif destroyed India’s top order and stillfinished on the losing side in Durban, but in the excellent battingconditions that have been a constant here, even Asif might struggle. Withslow bowlers doing so well here, Hafeez is a near-certainty to play, andhis canny offspin will bolster Pakistan’s bowling strength.Sri Lanka’s weak link in their game against New Zealand was GayanWijekoon, the left-arm medium pacer who has neither the pace nor theconsistency to cut it in this format. Expect him to be replaced, possiblyby Kaushal Lokuarachchi, who was the 12th man against New Zealand.Keep your eye on: Mahela Jayawardene. He played a little gemagainst New Zealand, scoring 35 from 18 balls, and is in good enough formto play a match-winning hand.Shop talk: Jayawardene has singled out two men from either side to play a key role in the match. “I think much will depend how Jayasuriya handles Asif and if he overcomes him [Asif] then we can make a big difference against Pakistan. The clash between the two best players of both the teams will be a rare exhibition of skills and they [both] can be vital for giving their teams the advantage.”Pitching it right: It doesn’t matter which strip in the square isused, it’ll still be superb for batting. Under light, the ball should comeon to the bat even better.TeamsPakistan (likely): Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Nazir,Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, KamranAkmal (wk), Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad AsifSri Lanka (likely): Upul Tharanga, Sanath Jayasuriya, KumarSangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Chamara Silva, Jehan Mubarak,Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga,Dilhara Fernando

Brett Lee says missing the World Cup with an ankle injury was a blessing as it allowed him to enter a hectic campaign at full fitness. Lee, who had surgery before the Caribbean tournament, has added some extra bulk in the off-season and believes he’s the fittest he’s been as he prepares for the first Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.”The ankle problems I’ve been playing with for six or seven years are also gone,” Lee said in the Daily Telegraph. “Getting that surgery done, even though it meant missing the World Cup success, has turned out to be an absolute blessing.”Lee will have some competition from his team-mates in the battle of the fastest this summer after Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait were named in the 13-man Test squad. However, setting the radar alight is not his priority.”I’ve reached 160kph a few times now so it’s not at the top of my Christmas wish list,” he said. “But with everything that’s happened there’s no reason why as a fast bowler I can’t bowl with great pace, great speed.”Damien Fleming, who played 20 Tests, believes both Lee and Tait can pass 160kph. “Brett’s been bowling 150kph for a while now but who knows how much those ankle problems he had were holding him back. We might be about to see the very best of Brett Lee.”

Zimbabwe made their victory charge just a little too late, losing by 13 runs to India, their second successive defeat in the Champions Trophy in Sharjah. On an evening when there was much less dew in the outfield, the Indian attack spearheaded by Zaheer Khan were able to hold off Zimbabwe, but not without a measure of discomfort. A gallant 118 run third wicket stand between Andy Flower and Stuart Carlisle laid a sound platform for the final surge. Flower was the more adventurous of the two, always ready to take a risk or two in order to disrupt the rhythm of the bowlers.He fell for 63 (68 balls), sweeping at Tendulkar but failing to clear Joshi at midwicket. Carlisle had been an able lieutenant, opening out after a slow start to play some rasping pulls through the midwicket region. When Joshi bowled him for 60 (99 balls) as he made room to cut, it left Zimbabwe at 165/4 in the 37th over. The loss of both these protagonists in quick succession as they sought to raise the ante did not quite leave Zimbabwe out of the picture.Grant Flower and Guy Whittall then added 49 at a run a ball and entering the final six overs, Zimbabwe were actually ahead of India at the corresponding stage. But they were unable to match the Indian tailenders in making optimum use of the final few overs. Flower was caught at the edge of the circle by an Agarkar slower ball and then although Heath Streak struck the same bowler for a massive straight six in the penultimate over, the target was just out of their reach as they settled at 252/6.Zaheer Khan was declared man of the match for his brilliant spell of 3/37. His fifth ball had seen Alistair Campbell, back after a onematch suspension, offer a stinging catch to the left of Rahul Dravid at second slip which was put down. Zaheer was not to be denied as Doug Marillier found out in the fifth over, having his offstump knocked back to leave Zimbabwe at 21/1. Prasad had a good leg before shout against Campbell turned down by Daryl Harper but the in-form opener failed to make the most of his chances. Zaheer got one to cut back sharply and cannon into off stump as the batsman tried to steer it square of the wicket.Earlier the Indian tail wagged with abandon to provide a breezy climax to an innings built around a rocksolid 85 by Rahul Dravid, promoted to open the batting. None of Dravid’s colleagues at the top of the order were able to show similar application, throwing their wickets away after getting set. Yuvraj Singh played a delightful cameo of 34 which gave some momentum in the middle overs but it was really the efforts of Vijay Dahiya and his cohorts at the fag end which bolstered India to a once unthinkable 265. Ironically it was Dravid’s fall that provided the impetus as the 5.4 overs post Dravid produced a mammoth 59 runs.Inserted to bat, India began quietly with Dravid and Tendulkar playing out a maiden apiece. Having survived a dropped chance by Guy Whittall at short midwicket, Tendulkar was enticed into a full blooded drive off a lovely outswinger that was pitched up from Streak, the faint edge being snapped up by Andy Flower.Vinod Kambli, he of the wretched luck, arrived at No.3 and promptly took charge of the situation. The Zimbabwe bowlers erred in line, pitching on Kambli’s legs, and the lefthander, fluently but chancily, kept whipping the ball off his legs through midwicket and squareleg. Travis Friend replaced Streak and Kambli pulled him to the midwicket fence to bring up the fifty.Friend surprised Kambli with a lifter that struck him on the forearm and the physio came on for some treatment. After the break, another short delivery was fired in at shoulder length, and Kambli pulled it to the man at square leg on the edge of the circle. The batsman looked beseechingly at both umpires for any sign of a no-ball call. No response was forthcoming and Kambli departed for 18.Ganguly had suggested in his pre-match comments that he was shunting himself down the order to handle Zimbabwe’s two spinners. Well, Friend scotched any such pretensions by getting rid of the Indian captain in the 23rd over. Friend had been unafraid to bounce Ganguly, even if it meant giving away a stray no-ball or two. Following one such delivery which ruffled Ganguly just a bit, he slipped in an innocuous ball down leg which the batsman glanced loosely to Andy Flower who gathered the catch well.Left arm spinner Dirk Viljoen was brought on by Streak and he immediately copped some punishment from Dravid who, with no sweeper stationed, rocked on the backfoot to get him away to the cover boundary. That brought up the hundred in the 24th over and Dravid posted his half century in the same over off 74 balls. Yuvraj took a little while to adjust himself to the pace off the wicket but it was a treat when he finally cut loose. He picked out Grant Flower for some choice treatment, lofting him into the first tier of stands over long on and then flatbatting the bowler in his second over for another six over midwicket.But it was that man Friend who struck again. Coming back for his second spell, he hustled one round Yuvraj’s legs that just nicked the leg bail on its way through to Flower. A blissfully ignorant Daryl Harper had actually signalled wide before his eyes homed in on the fallen bail and Yuvraj was on his way for a swift 34 off 39 balls.The fifth bowler’s duties had been apportioned between the three slow bowlers – Viljoen, Flower and Campbell – who went for 65 in their ten overs. Robin Singh was unfortunately run out and Dravid who was nearing the end of his tether now holed out to Grant Flower on the square leg boundary for 85 (121 balls).Sunil Joshi, who’d stepped in for the injured Anil Kumble, (19 off 13) belted a nice juicy full toss from Friend over the bowler’s head for six before his stumps were rearranged by Streak. Dahiya mauled Friend’s figures further in the penultimate over of the innings, slicing a full toss to deep backward point for four and following it up by lifting a half volley for a straight six. He fell for 32 in 23 balls, but Ajit Agarkar provided the icing by blasting Streak into the first tier of the stands over long on in the last over. Friend who was taken for plenty in his last spell finished with the best figures of 4/55.

Cricket Australia’s security officials will sit in on a security briefing for ICC officials in Dhaka, on December 28 and 29, in view of the Under-19 World Cup that is scheduled to begin in Bangladesh on January 27. CA have not raised any specific concerns in public yet concerning its junior team’s participation in the tournament; the Australian security officials’ visit could be seen as a precautionary step, given the senior team’s tour to Bangladesh was cancelled in October due to security seasons.CA’s head of security Sean Carroll, who had visited Dhaka in September after the Australian government had issued security alerts for their citizens in Bangladesh, will arrive in Dhaka on Monday. Following that visit, CA had eventually cancelled their tour to Bangladesh due to the increased security risk. In November, Cricket South Africa had also cancelled their women’s team’s tour to Bangladesh.The ICC held meetings in Dhaka in November and December regarding security measures being taken for the U-19 World Cup, which is to be held in eight venues in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar.An ICC spokesman said the briefings on December 28 and 29 would be a follow up to those previous meetings. “The ICC and the BCB are working together to ensure complete safety and security of the event. In relation to this, and as follow up to the meetings held in November and December, the CA and ICC security officials are visiting Dhaka and receive security briefings on Monday and Tuesday,” the spokesman said.BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that a visit similar to CA’s was recently made by the security representative of two other boards, so he sees this as a routine visit. He also said that CA will be directing all its communication towards the ICC, who is the tournament organiser. “Reg [Dickason] came during the last ICC visit, possibly for England and New Zealand,” Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo. “One part of a board’s inspection team is security. So CA can send anyone as a routine matter.”We don’t directly communicate with the participating boards. They have to communicate with the host [the ICC]. If it was a bilateral series, only then the communication is between the two boards.”Chowdhury reaffirmed that the BCB has made plans to provide the highest security levels for the participants. “As the host nation, our concentration is on making the event successful. The level of security offered for this particular U-19 event is unprecedented. There hasn’t been such measures taken for an U-19 tournament in the past and I doubt if it will be done in the future.”

India somewhat made amends for the botched Canberra chase on Saturday at the SCG by becoming the first team to chase down a 300-plus target against Australia in Australia. Along the way, they also halted Australia’s record 18-match winning streak at home.The man who played a monumental role in handing Australia a six-wicket loss was Manish Pandey, who struck an enterprising unbeaten 104 after the stiff chase of 330 was set up courtesy a 123-run opening stand in just 18.2 overs between Shikhar Dhawan (78) and Rohit Sharma (99).”I got the chance to bat at No.4 because Ajju (Rahane) was injured. Seeing the way the wickets have been behaving, with 300 being scored each game, it’s tough to get a chance at No. 6, so I thought I should make use of my chance at four,” Pandey said. “It was good to bat with the captain. His encouraging words helped.”MS Dhoni, far from his destructive best in his 42-ball 34, attributed the win to consistency of the top order. “Last time, we spoke about our batsmen being young and how they will be successful over time across all conditions if persisted with,” he said. “This is a result of sustaining with the same set of players.”The top order has been together for a long time now. They are all experienced. Especially in this series, considering all the matches have produced 300-plus totals, you needed that, and so the experience counts. Where we have been hurt is our lower-order batting, that’s where Manish did really well today.”As happy as he was with the batting, Dhoni hinted at a strong show with the ball towards the death that helped India save precious runs. India conceded just 28 off the last four overs to round off a mixed show, where Jasprit Bumrah, the debutant, was the pick of the lot with figures of 2 for 40 off his ten overs.”The first four games were quite close but we didn’t close it out well, which is important in the ODI format,” he said. “Every over matters in a high-scoring game. If you bowl two or three overs that go for 15-20 runs it really puts a lot of pressure when you’re chasing. It makes it easy for the opposition.”Dhoni felt the absence of a settled bowling group also played its part in the overall series score of 4-1 in Australia’s favour. “We wanted to pick bowlers who hit the deck hard, we decided even if they go for runs, you still have guys who bowl fast,” he explained. “This is perhaps the only time where our set of bowlers was faster than Australia’s. That’s the positive. But at the same time, you can’t only rely on pace. You need to close down overs well. You can’t keep giving away 15 or 20-run overs.”Looking ahead to the T20s, Dhoni said his biggest challenge was in managing some of the older players, albeit in a cryptic manner. “We have to improve our fielding slightly,” he said. “A few of the experienced players will be joining us. The grounds here are big, and if you don’t have a good shoulder, there will be a lot of pressure. That’s what is crucial in conditions like these. If we manage that well, we will have an exciting T20 series.”

After being obliterated during the two-Test series, Daniel Vettori is taking comfort from New Zealand’s limited-overs pedigree as they prepare for the Twenty20 international and three one-dayers against South Africa.An injury-hit New Zealand were routed by an innings and 59 runs inside three days at Centurion following a record-breaking 359-run defeat in the opening Test at the Wanderers. But the shorter formats will allow New Zealand to compete on more level terms with the home side. New Zealand are ranked third in one-day internationals, one place behind South Africa.”Our one-day form is markedly better than our Test form,” said Vettori.”We do have some confidence in our game. We’re obviously missing a few guys from our last set of one-dayers in the World Cup but because guys play so much cricket there’s a chance to turn things around.”Of the team that reached the World Cup semi-finals in April, Shane Bond and James Franklin are injured, while Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan have retired. However, Vettori should have the services of key allrounder Jacob Oram who missed the second Test with a hamstring injury.Following Friday’s Twenty20 at the Wanderers, the three ODIs will be played at Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town where conditions are not expected to be as bowler-friendly as the Tests. South Africa’s recent one-day form, however, is strong after their impressive 3-2 series win in Pakistan.

There isn’t much that Shane Warne hasn’t achieved during his illustrious career, but one of the few missing accolades is a medal from a domestic Lord’s final. In 2005 he was with the touring Australians when Hampshire beat Warwickshire in the C&G Trophy – keeping in touch by constant text messages – but this year he has the chance to play a leading role himself.”Last time I had some very important duties to do at Essex as 12th man,” he said. “I was a little disappointed they didn’t allow me to play but I understood the reasoning that there was one Ashes Test to go and I may have got injured. It’s not just another game, we’ve worked hard to be here.”He has a history with Lord’s finals. His previous appearance with a trophy at stake was the 1999 World Cup final when his 4 for 33 paved the way for Australia’s crushing victory over Pakistan. Now, with his international career over, Warne’s focus is purely on steering Hampshire to more silverware over Durham – who like Warne, are making their first appearance in a domestic final.It is rare for any team including Warne not to be favourites and with Kevin Pietersen and Chris Tremlett back in county colours, plus Daren Powell’s strong form, Hampshire start with their noses in front. However, Durham have made a habit of proving people wrong. Last year they almost made the final and this season overcame Essex in an extraordinary semi-final at Chester-le-Street to take another major stride in their cricketing development.They have come a long way since Ian Botham, Wayne Larkins and David Graveney lined up for them during their debut season in 1992. The county now provides regular players to the England side and has an impressive turnover of youngsters. But they aren’t afraid to tap into the overseas market, either, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul has strengthened the batting for the latter third of the campaign – his run-scoring feats for West Indies in the first half of the season are still one of highlights of the summer.Steve Harmison’s withdrawal with a back problem is a major blow, not necessarily because he has strong recent form with the white ball but because it will deny the crowd a contest with Pietersen. However, there are other match-ups to whet the appetite.Warne has enjoyed enthralling duels with Chanderpaul and Paul Collingwood. During the winter Warne was always quick to have a few words to Collingwood, often involving MBEs, even after he hit a double-century at Adelaide. “The Friends Provident Trophy would look better on my mantelpiece, and my knighthood is on the way,” joked Warne. “Whatever Paul wants to say is fine, if he thinks the trophy would look good next to his MBE, good luck to him.””I’m just going to get on with my business, he came out and said stuff, if that made him feel better and helps him prepare – good old tough Paul – then good luck to him. We’re just going to go out and play.”Collingwood continues to be a vital part of the England side and now leads them in one-day cricket, but he remains immensely proud of his North-East roots and encapsulates Durham’s spirit. Collingwood, like Durham, has made the most of every ounce of talent.Nowhere is that more true than with Ottis Gibson, who is having a golden twilight of his career. Earlier this season he claimed all 10 wickets in an innings against Hampshire and is the second-leading bowler behind Mushtaq Ahmed. Not bad for a 38-year-old. At the other end of the age spectrum is Phil Mustard, 24, who is making a strong claim to be considered as England’s wicketkeeper, and he won’t hold back from attacking Powell and Tremlett with the new ball.Hampshire, too, have plenty of experience to fall back on. John Crawley has played in six previous Lord’s finals (five for Lancashire and one for Hampshire) winning them all, while Shaun Udal captained the team to their 2005 triumph.With 16 players who are either current or former internationals it has the makings of an outstanding final, and is another chance for county cricket to shine. The romantics will want Durham to claim their first silverware, but Warne doesn’t like losing.

Queensland 6 for 245 (Watson 69*, Love 62) lead South Australia 237 by 8 runs
Scorecard

Shane Watson’s unbeaten 69 steered Queensland to an eight-run lead over South Australia as they finished a hard-working day at 6 for 245. The Bulls scrapped to the initial target of 237, a task which had became more difficult when Ryan Harris removed Chris Simpson (10) and Ashley Noffke (2) in quick succession.Martin Love’s 62 and a slow 32 from Jimmy Maher put Queensland on track for the small total, but once Maher departed things started to get a bit shaky and they were 6 for 190 when Watson was joined by Chris Hartley. Watson’s innings was also a calm one, taking 136 balls and including only six fours, but it was essential to Queensland achieving first-innings points late in the day.The visitors started the morning on 0 for 8 and lost Greg Moller to Harris for 3 before Jason Gillespie captured Ryan Broad, his first wicket in his final game for the state. Harris returned 3 for 68 while Mark Cleary captured the wickets of Maher and Love.

Five counties will enjoy more competitive pre-season warm-ups than usual when they travel to the UAE to take part in the Pro ARCH Trophy, a limited-overs series which starts on March 12.Essex, Lancashire, Somerset, Sussex and Yorkshire will play four matches each, three against other counties and one against the UAE national side, with eight matches in Abu Dhabi and four in Sharjah.The most high-profile game will be on March 21 when Lancashire and Yorkshire meet in a Roses match far away from home.One county spokesman told Cricinfo that the tournament offered the guarantee of meaningful cricket, adding that too often on overseas trips the standard if opponents and the quality of grounds can vary considerably.A four-team schools event will run alongside the main competition with teams from Eastbourne College, St Bede’s, Wellington College and Worth School featuring.Click here for the full fixtures

The United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) has been re-recognised as an Associate member of the ICC following their suspension in March 2007.The USACA held their elections at the weekend when Gladstone Dainty – despite facing strong criticism over the past few years – was re-elected president, beating off the favourite, Ram Varadarajan, who was widely tipped for the post. The elections were a last-gasp effort for American cricket; without a formal constitution in place, the ICC would have had no other choice than to continue their suspension. With that particular condition met, the ICC’s president, Ray Mali, was pleased to welcome the board back as an Associate member.”We congratulate all elected representatives to the USACA Executive, Board and Regional Administrations and hope that this newly elected group of people, with a new constitution to operate within, can now truly represent a fresh start for cricket in the United States,” Mali said. “We are grateful to the West Indies Cricket Board and its representatives, especially past and current presidents Ken Gordon and Dr Julian Hunte, for all their work on this matter, together with USA cricket’s stakeholders, over the past 12 months.”Following USACA’s suspension in March 2007 the WICB – headed by its president, Ken Gordon – was asked to intervene between the two fractious parties: Dainty’s association and the regional league presidents who opposed him. For now at least, the infighting has quietened down.”And we are also grateful for the work of Chris Dehring, who played a significant role in finding a solution to the process as an independent third party,” Mali added. “Everyone at the ICC now trusts that, following these processes, those now charged with the important responsibility to govern for the good of the game in the USA will be able to do so with distinction as a team.”The ICC now looks forward to the USA’s involvement in all our international cricket activities and also playing a role in supporting the further development of the game there alongside our ICC Development Program and its Americas Regional office.”This development, however encouraging on the surface, is only the start. Opposition to Dainty remains fierce, with US cricketers and leagues threatening to break away from the USACA and form their own tournaments.Nevertheless, it is welcome news for American cricket – regardless of the infighting which will doubtless persist – as it provides the USA with much-needed money from the ICC. And now that they are recognised, it paves the way for their national side to participate in Division 5 of the World Cricket League which begins in Jersey in May (they were relegated from Division 3 last year) and begin the long road to qualify for the 2011 World Cup.