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Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann will join the squad in New Zealand after being cleared to travel following his diagnosis with deep-vein thrombosis. On Saturday afternoon, Lehmann will arrive in Wellington, where the Australians will be playing the second ODI that day, and he will remain in the city until the first Test, which starts there on Friday next week.Michael di Venuto, who has been acting coach in Lehmann’s absence, will remain in that role for the third and final ODI in Hamilton on Monday. Lehmann was hospitalised in Sydney before the fifth ODI against India last month, and Australia have not won a match since then: they lost the Sydney ODI, the three T20s against India, and the first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on Wednesday.”We’d love to have our coach here,” captain Steven Smith said after the Auckland defeat. “There’s no doubt about that. He’s unwell at the moment obviously and he’ll be back soon enough. So we’ve got to move on, I don’t think today was him to blame. It was certainly the players. We didn’t adapt well enough and we were outplayed.”Although Australia were clearly outplayed in Auckland, they did not help themselves by neglecting to ask for a review for an lbw decision early in their chase, when David Warner was given out to a ball that was clearly sailing over the top of the stumps. Initially it appeared that Warner’s batting partner George Bailey advised him against asking for a review, but Bailey said on Thursday that was not the case.”I said, ‘What did it feel like?’ And he said, ‘High’. So I said, ‘Go for it’. And he turned around and walked off,” Bailey said on radio station . “So, I don’t really know what more he wants from my end.”Bailey said after his own dismissal he had discussed the incident in the rooms with Warner.”He said, ‘I wasn’t that confident in what you said’. I said ‘I’m not really sure what you’re after’,” Bailey said. “I can’t be any more explicit than saying ‘go for it’ … You know, I reckon, if you’re out or even if it’s close and it’s up to you to make that call.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Salman Butt sweeps during his 33 off 27 deliveries © AFP

A scintillating 81 off 50 deliveries by Nazimuddin briefly threatened an upset but lack of support from the other batsmen allowed Pakistan a comfortable victory over Bangladesh in the Quadrangular tournament. The early loss of fellow opener Tamim Iqbal did not deter Nazimuddin as he dispatched the much talked-about duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif to all parts of the Nairobi Gymkhana.Iftikhar Anjum replaced Asif as early as the sixth over but 20 came off his first over as Bangladesh went past 50. The introduction of spin, however, paid dividends for the second time in the match as Shahid Afridi dismissed Aftab Ahmed and Mohammad Ashraful was run out in the following over. While Nazimuddin kept blazing, Afridi picked up another wicket to dry up the scoring from one end.Nazimuddin was finally dismissed by Yasir Arafat after striking eight fours and five sixes, taking with him back to the pavilion Bangladesh’s hopes of victory. Shoaib returned to pick up another wicket in his final over but the Pakistan bowling attack, for the second match running, failed to dismiss their opposition after their batsmen had piled up a huge total.A 76-run opening partnership between Salman Butt and Imran Nazir and some firm hitting by Younis Khan and Afridi helped Pakistan to 191. Put in to bat by Ashraful, Pakistan’s openers adopted aggression from the first ball. The Bangladesh bowlers, especially Mashrafe Mortaza, were bent upon bowling short and were dealt with severely. Pakistan’s 50 came up in the fifth over which was blasted for 21 runs by Nazir, including a brace of fours and sixes. Nazir was eventually run out one short of his half-century but Younis, who dealt mainly in sixes, kept the run rate close to nine an over.The introduction of spin slowed Pakistan’s progress a tad and also brought the wicket of Butt who was cleaned up by Ashraful for 33. Shoaib Malik promoted himself up the order but only lasted six deliveries and scored 10. His dismissal, however, brought the crowd-favourite Afridi to the crease who had yesterday blasted a 50 off 18 deliveries in the previous match.Content with giving Younis the strike, Afridi broke the shackles after being dropped by Ferhad Reza when on 2. A few sixes after Younis’ dismissal (48 off 25 deliveries) gave not only the crowd more to cheer about but also gave Pakistan bowlers yet another solid platform to work with.

Scorecard
Chris Rogers was 16 runs short of a double-hundred as Western Australia made a fine start to their Pura Cup match against Victoria, ending the day at 359 for the loss of two wickets. Opening the batting, Rogers put on 60 with Justin Langer, the captain who passed 8000 Pura Cup runs before he was caught for 25 off the fast bowling of Andrew McDonald.After lunch Shane Warne turned the pressure on Shaun Marsh and he joined Langer after contributing 37 to the 68-run partnership for the second wicket. However, it was Warne’s only breakthrough as Rogers and Marcus North destroyed the Victoria attack.Rogers, who survived a dropped catch from David Hussey on 72, shared a fine stand of 231 with North and the pair both raised centuries. North, the vice-captain, finished unbeaten on 103 as the Warriors controlled the opening day.

Shoaib Akhtar: Clearly loves staying away from the spotlight… © AFP

Shoaib Akhtar has threatened to sue international satellite broadcasters ESPN-Star India unless they apologise for “derogatory remarks” made on a sports show.Shoaib told AFP, “I am hurt over the derogatory remarks made on the Sportscentre programme on ESPN-Star India on Monday night and want a big-time apology or else I will sue them in an Indian court.”In a piece on Shoaib being two days late for a Pakistan team training camp in Lahore, the programme said “a dog’s tail will never straighten” in reference to the bowler’s questionable fitness record and commitment.ESPN-STAR Sports is a joint venture between two of the world’s leading cable and satellite broadcasters, ESPN and STAR. Until last year it was the official broadcaster of international cricket played in India.Shoaib said the channel, which is also seen in Pakistan, insulted Inzamam-ul Haq, the Pakistan captain, in another recent programme.”A few days back they said insulting remarks about our captain Inzamam-ul Haq and that’s unbearable.”What they said about me is tantamount to defamation and I’ve received numerous calls from Pakistan and India, and others thought it was disgusting too.”Shoaib, 30, faces a crucial fitness test in Pakistan’s ongoing tune-up camp ahead of next month’s home series against England.One of the fastest bowlers in the history of the game, Shoaib has a long injury record and missed Pakistan’s away series in India and the West Indies earlier this year due to fitness problems.Last week, he was lambasted by John Elliott, Worcestershire county chairman, who said he was difficult to handle during his stint at the county this year.

Glenn McGrath might have a fairly helpful pitch to bowl on in his 100th Test© AFP

Kishore Pradhan, the curator of the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, where the third Test between India and Australia begins on October 26, has said that he is preparing a sporting pitch for the encounter. Speaking to , Pradhan said that the surface would “offer bowlers and batsmen an even chance”.”There is some grass but we can’t remove that as the wicket surface may get spoilt,” he continued. “We have stopped watering it since Wednesday.” Meanwhile, Shashank Manohar, the president of the Vidarbha Cricket Association, which is hosting the match, affirmed that he would go out of his way to ensure that the nature of the pitch was not dictated by anyone.”I have got no instructions from either the BCCI or the Indian team management. Even if I do, I am not going to oblige them,” he said, speaking to . He said that he was acting according to a circular issued by the BCCI earlier in the year, which called for sporting wickets “that would have enough bounce so as to encourage quicker bowlers and also improve strokeplay of batsmen”.Manohar had not approved of the pitches prepared for the first two Tests. “Those were very poor wickets,” he said. “A little bit of grass here will help the pitch get some pace and it’ll prevent it from breaking up.” He emphasised that both teams would benefit from the conditions.”In addition to the short boundaries,” he said, “the wicket has even bounce, something that should suit quality batsmen. If the Indians think of themselves as a good batting unit, they should not worry … if you are a cricket lover, you want the best team to win, and not your home team at the cost of quality cricket.”

Close England 374 for 7 (Vaughan 156, Pretorius 4-107) trail South Africa 594 for 5 dec (Smith 277, Gibbs 179) by 220 runs
Scorecard

Michael Vaughan: carrying the fight to South Africa

Michael Vaughan stroked his way to a sublime 156, his ninth Test century and his eighth in 15 matches, to lead England’s fightback on a fascinating fourth day’s play at Edgbaston. By the close, England had reached 374 for 7, needing just 21 to avoid the follow-on – and all but save the match.Despite his heroics Down Under during last winter’s Ashes series, this was a performance that Vaughan later rated as his best Test innings, and given the uncompromising circumstances in which it began, it would be hard to disagree. Glenn McGrath may have been left behind for now, but in Shaun Pollock, Vaughan had an adversary every bit as tenacious.Seaming and swinging the ball both ways at will, Pollock opened the day with a tireless spell of wicket-to-wicket thriftiness that Vaughan could barely lay a bat on. He did manage a brace of cover-driven boundaries in one over – a sign of things to come – but Pollock responded by ripping through his defences with a booming inswinger that all but clipped the off stump. Somehow Vaughan survived to reach 49 not out at the break – and with the foundations of his innings firmly in place, there was no looking back.He went to his fifty with his first ball of the afternoon, an effortless pull off Makhaya Ntini, whom he launched over midwicket for six in the same over, before guiding Pollock through third man for his sixth boundary in 13 balls. But not everything was swinging England’s way. Ntini, who had already accounted for the injured Marcus Trescothick, then trapped Mark Butcher lbw for 13, as he offered no stroke to one that curved back on him. When Nasser Hussain (1) made a similar mistake in Pollock’s very next over, England were 133 for 3 and wobbling.But Anthony McGrath, who got off the mark with a welcome clip to fine leg, was just the ballast the situation required, and while he was at the crease Vaughan was once again free to play his strokes. In particular, he took full toll of Dewald Pretorius and Charl Willoughby, who are effectively competing for a solitary place when Jacques Kallis returns later in the series. As each strived to outdo the other, Vaughan whistled into the nineties with series of cut shots and clips through the leg side.Vaughan was briefly halted on 99 by the spin of Robin Peterson, whom he had slapped for 14 in his solitary over before lunch, but eventually he pushed for two through the covers and took the plaudits of an extremely grateful Edgbaston crowd. But McGrath soon departed, after getting himself into a hopeless tangle to a short ball from Pretorius, and spooning a simple catch to Jacques Rudolph in the gully (222 for 4).After reaching tea on 131 not out, Vaughan was in a more watchful mood in the evening session, as Pollock and Ntini returned with the new ball. This caution didn’t quite extend to his running between the wickets, however, and he suffered a huge scare straight after the break, when he sauntered out of his crease after a tight lbw shout, and was all but run out by the fielder’s shy from gully.All the same, Vaughan was as eager to latch onto the loose delivery as ever, and when Ntini served up a pair of half-volleys with the new ball, he was rifled through the covers for a pair of fours, the second of which brought up his fifth score of 150-plus in six attempts.One day, Vaughan is sure to convert one of these innings in a double-century. Not today however, as Pretorius found an extra gear in the final overs to keep South Africa sniffing the follow-on. Vaughan’s magnificent innings finally ended at 156, when he failed to get his feet fully to the pitch of a full-length inswinger, and nibbled a catch to Mark Boucher behind the stumps. Despite his effort, he was livid with himself, knowing that, with England still 88 runs from saving the follow-on, his job was far from done.Alec Stewart, batting with the mobility of your average 40-year-old after ricocheting an attempted pull into the side of his knee, soon justified Vaughan’s concerns, when he had his stumps – and his feet – ripped off the turf by a devastating yorker from Pretorius. And, on the stroke of stumps, Pretorius produced a shooter to end a determined innings from Andrew Flintoff, to ensure that England would face one or two flutters in the first hour tomorrow.But, thanks to another masterclass from Vaughan, England ought to reconvene at Lord’s later this week with honours more or less even.Click here for today’s Wisden Verdict

A dramatic West Indies batting collapse inspired by spin wizard MuttiahMuralitharan pulled Sri Lanka back into the first Test in Galle onWednesday, to leave the match evenly poised after the second day.West Indies, who started the day well placed on 316-3, extended their scoreto 409-4 at lunch, before collapsing in a heap during a frenetic hour afterlunch, in which six wickets fell for 69.Sri Lanka, replying to 448 and thus first needing 248 to avoid the followon, started like they wanted a first innings lead by lunch the next day,racing to 37 off the first five overs.They slowed after the fall of Jayasuriya (25 off 19 balls), who was caughtat backward point trying to hit his fifth boundary, but lost no furtherwickets before bad light stopped play, finishing on 103-1.Opener Marvan Atapattu unbeaten on 46 from 107 balls and wicket-keeperbatsman Kumar Sangakkara on 27 from 85 balls.Muralitharan had toiled away for 40 overs on the first day without his usualsuccess, taking just one wicket. On the second morning, he was not useduntil the second hour, but in his third over of the day he deceived CarlHooper (69 from 120 balls) in air to end a stylish innings from the captain.It also brought to a close a West Indies record 153 run fourth wicketpartnership against Sri Lanka that had threatened to overwhelm the hometeam.Still, with Lara at the wicket at lunch, Sri Lanka looked in deep trouble.Muralitharan then swapped ends and soon captured the prize scalp of Lara(178 from 293 balls), who gloved a sweep and was smartly caught by an alertSangakkara diving forward, to leave the West Indies 423-5.The tourists then capitulated. Chaminda Vaas, probing away diligently fromthe Fort End, joined in the action with Muralitharan, and the pair pluckedout the remaining five wickets for 14 runs.Marlon Samuels foolishly tried to drive a flighted off-break against thespin and was bowled through the gate for 16. Ridley Jacobs nibbled anoutswinger from Vaas and Mervyn Dillion flashed a snick to first slip.Three balls later Muralitharan finished off the innings as DinanathRamnarine was picked up at silly point and Colin Stuart was bowled firstball.Muralitharan had finished with 6-125, the 29th time he had taken fivewickets in an innings (only Richard Hadlee has taken more). Moreimpressively, he had taken 5-21 in the day from 13.3 overs.Speaking afterwards, with a Cheshire cat-like grin, he said: “During thefirst day my rhythm was not quite there, but today it was coming out reallynicely.”We always thought that if we could get Lara out we get all the otherwickets quickly, as they had some inexperienced batsmen to come and it iseasy for me to take the wickets of tailenders,” he said.Sri Lanka, instead of facing a total in excess of 500, that had seemedprobable, they were left with a manageable total on the best batting pitchseen at Galle in its seven Test history.All three results remain possible. In 1998 England scored 445 at the Ovalagainst Sri Lanka and believed they had safeguarded the game only to see theopposition rattle up 591, before Muralitharan grabbed nine wickets in theEnglish second innings to win the game.Muralitharan was upbeat about the team’s chances: “Unfortunately, Lara got abig one, but this is a batting wicket and still we can get a result if wescore around 500. By the fourth and fifth day it is going to spin a longway.”The West Indies will believe that any lead will be useful on a turningpitch, which this is sure to be by the fourth and fifth day. Sri Lanka arestill a not inconsiderable 345 runs adrift.Both Atapattu and Sangakkara played well. Atapattu drove fluently straightdown the ground for two boundaries and square cut McGarrell for another,whilst Sangakkara played himself in carefully, before hitting four fours inthe final hour.The tourists look like they will depend heavily upon Mervyn Dillion, whobowled a testing ten over spell with the new ball, and leg-spinner DinanathRamanarine, who came on in the 23rd over of the innings.Dillion’s new partner, Colin Stuart, who looked impressive in Matara beforehe retired with leg cramps, lacked rhythm and was wayward, conceding 22 runsin his first three overs.Neil McGarrell, playing his first game of the two-week long tour, lookedrusty and failed to trouble the Sri Lankan batsmen unduly with his flattrajectory.

Mel Cairns, the wife of former New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns, has denied that an alleged discussion about match-fixing in a Manchester bar ever took place.The jury in Chris Cairns’ perjury trial had previously been told about a night out in Manchester in 2008, when Eleanor Riley, the former wife of Lou Vincent, one of the main prosecution witnesses, gave evidence that Cairns had said he was confident he would get away with fixing because “everyone was doing it in India”.Mel Cairns, who was appearing via video link, was present on the night, which involved several hours of drinking. Asked by Cairns’ barrister Orlando Pownall, QC, whether there had been any discussion of fixing, she replied: “Absolutely not.”Vincent was playing for Lancashire at the time, having previously been involved with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) alongside Cairns, where he said he was under “direct orders” to fix matches.Chris Cairns is accused of perjury and perverting the course of justice during his 2012 libel case against Lalit Modi. He denies all charges.Mel and Chris Cairns met in 2008, when he was still married to his previous wife. They subsequently lived together in Dubai, where Cairns has said he was looking to get involved in the diamond trade. The couple were married in 2010 and have two children.It was put to Mel Cairns by the crown prosecutor, Sasha Wass, QC, that she was lying to protect her husband. Wass had previously alleged that the money Cairns was paid by an Indian diamond company was “a reward for fixing cricket matches”.Mel Cairns said: “I would never lie to help my husband in court.”An Australian who played college basketball in the US, Mel Cairns works with professional athletes in sports marketing and management. She said she “absolutely would not have a relationship” with Chris Cairns if match-fixing had been discussed after they had first met.Mel Cairns was giving evidence over video from the couple’s home in Canberra because she said they could not afford for her to travel, although she had wanted to be with Cairns during the trial, which began more than four weeks ago.”It broke my heart to watch Chris walk every day, alone to and from court, and knowing he was going home alone by himself,” she said.The trial continues.

Everton moved to within one point of the relegation zone on Saturday as they lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the Premier League.

The Toffees are now one point ahead of Burnley in the table after the Clarets picked up a point against Crystal Palace, along with Frank Lampard’s side’s loss to the champions.

Phil Foden scored the only goal of the game as Michael Keane’s misstep allowed him to sneak in and tuck the ball into the bottom corner after sturdy Everton defending for the majority of the game leading up to that moment.

The Blues thought they were going to be given the perfect opportunity to level the scores when Rodri appeared to bring the ball down with his hand inside the box, but were left fuming as VAR decided that it was not worth having referee Paul Tierney take a look at the monitor.

Forget VAR

Whilst Lampard may be frustrated by VAR’s decision, he will also be disappointed with a few individual performances as some were unable to impress as much as others.

One player who let the manager down on Saturday was full-back Jonjoe Kenny as he failed to grasp his opportunity to show what he can do in the side.

Celtic pundit Mark Wilson previously dubbed him as “scared” during his loan spell with the Hoops last term and that is how he looked at times throughout this clash with Pep Guardiola’s outfit.

The full-back had the unenvied task of dealing with Phil Foden out on the flank for the majority of the game and he struggled badly on and off the ball.

In possession, he did very little. As per SofaScore, the dud completed 71% of his passes and failed with both of his attempted crosses. He was unable to show off any quality on the ball to hurt Manchester City on the counter-attack, with some of his passes leaving a lot to be desired – almost setting the away side away on the break with a poor pass in the first half.

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Defensively, he was run ragged too. Via SofaScore, he lost 80% (4/5) of his duels throughout the 90 minutes and only completed one tackle, whilst making zero interceptions or blocks. He was also dribbled past twice and this shows that the opposition were able to get the better of him more times than he managed to with them.

Therefore, he let Lampard down badly, as much as VAR potentially did, as he failed to rise to the occasion. He was a liability at both ends of the pitch and appeared overawed by the size of the task at hand.

AND in other news, 21 duels lost: Lampard will be fuming with “really bad” Everton star, he’s a liability…

Match facts

Saturday, January 2, 2016
Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)

Big Picture

It took four weeks, but Sri Lanka put together their most comprehensive day of cricket on this tour and suddenly their outlook seems transformed. They lost so badly in Christchurch that this trip to New Zealand was threatening to become the tour from hell. In that handsome Nelson win on Thursday, there were signs it may instead be remembered as a journey of discovery.Chief among the promising new talents is Dushmantha Chameera, who was the third-change bowler when the tour began, but is now taking the new ball. He is not as fast as Adam Milne, but so far seems to have a better knack for taking wickets. Maybe he bowls the bouncer too much and the yorker not enough, but the coaches say he is eager to learn. Angelo Mathews also helped by using him as a strike bowler in the middle overs of the third ODI, instead of saving him for the death.Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay troubled batsmen on a track that didn’t give him much turn, and Danushka Gunathilaka was poised and powerful at the top of the order. New Zealand will be wise to their weaknesses in their coming matches, however, and the young Sri Lanka players will want to prove they can’t be easily decoded.New Zealand have lost Tim Southee for the remainder of the series, but such is the depth in their bowling that the man replacing him is the bowler of the series so far. Matt Henry’s bustle ruined Sri Lanka’s innings in Christchurch. A slower, lower Nelson surface may draw some of his venom, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen would still probably have preferred it if he had remained outside the squad.Thursday’s match was also the first occasion in which the hosts seemed a little vulnerable. The middle order doesn’t look in great shape with Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi still searching for good scores. Mitchell Santner is promising, but perhaps he’s not quite ready to be the top spin option.With Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Martin Guptill and Henry all still playing well, New Zealand have more than enough quality to lock the series up. But they will now have to win on a used Saxton Oval surface that was beginning to resemble the slower, abrasive tracks Sri Lanka often find in their part of the world.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
New Zealand: LWWLW
Sri Lanka: WLLWW
Spot the missing ingredient: New Zealand’s batting has suddenly looked a little less threatening•AFP

In the spotlight

Doug Bracewell hasn’t been New Zealand’s most penetrative bowler, but he has made himself useful with the bat. He has contributed a good score every time he has come to the crease on this tour. Bracewell’s sober 30 from 34 balls on Thursday helped push New Zealand towards 275, after they had threatened to be all out for less than 250. He has been good in the field as well, though that hasn’t always been a strength for him.Aside from one very expensive over to Martin Guptill in the second game, Jeffrey Vandersay‘s introduction to international cricket has so far been smooth. His legbreaks aren’t the most controlled, or biggest-turning, but he appears to be the kind of bowler that likes to outthink batsmen, if he can’t out-skill them. Sri Lanka are facing a minor spin-bowling crisis, as Rangana Herath moves into the twilight of his career. Having picked Vandersay over two more experienced spinners on Thursday, the selectors may feel he is the man to step into Herath’s shoes.

Teams news

As the pitch is expected to take more turn in this game, there is a chance Sri Lanka may add a second frontline spinner to the attack. More likely they will keep the same XI and rely on Milinda Siriwardana’s left-arm spin, and Tillakaratne Dilshan’s part-time offbreaks.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka , 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Chamara Kapugedara, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan PradeepNew Zealand may be without their regular captain Brendon McCullum again, as he recovers from a back injury. If he does return, Tom Latham may be the man to make way. Legspinner Ish Sodhi is likely to play in place of one of the seamers.New Zealand (probable): 1 Brendon McCullum (capt.)/ Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ish Sodhi

Pitch and conditions

The strip had begun to take good turn towards the end of the third ODI, and will probably become lower, slower and more given to spin still. Sunny Nelson may belie its moniker however, as showers are forecast throughout the day.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand played Sri Lanka in 11 ODIs in 2015. Sri Lanka won only three of those games.
• With Martin Guptill (1489 runs), Kane Williamson (1376 runs), and Tillakaratne Dilshan (1207 runs), this series features each of the top three ODI run-scorers of 2015.

Quotes

“On the whole 2015 was probably a good year, but we’ve got a game the next day, so we won’t be doing too much reflecting.”