Substantial crowd trouble marred both Dambulla ODIs, as several thousand ticket-holders were either unable to take their seats, or – in some cases – even enter the ground

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Sep-2016

Substantial crowd trouble marred both Dambulla ODIs, as several thousand ticket-holders were either unable to take their seats, or – in some cases – even enter the ground. SLC has issued an apology, and condemned the actions of spectators who forced their way into the venue.This is the first series in which SLC has sold its tickets through BookMyShow – a ticket distributor of Indian origin. Tickets were sold at outlets in many of the main towns in the region, as well as online. However, the perception that a move towards online ticket sales marginalised a large portion of cricket fans is what is understood to have angered some of those who swarmed the gates of the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium last week. Wednesday’s ODI had even seen a large protest at the entrance, which led to severe congestion on the Colombo-Dambulla main road.”SLC has clearly advertised the selling points of tickets, and has sold their tickets prior to the match at 18 outlets island-wide, including in Dambulla, Matale and Anuradhapura,” an SLC release said. “Ninety per cent of the tickets were reported sold through the above network and only 10% via internet.”Public who did not purchase their respective tickets prior to the match behaved in an unruly manner, causing a situation outside the main gate. As a result, even the people who purchased the tickets could not come into the ground, due to the heavy traffic congestion caused by the unruly crowd who were blocking the main road in protest. Sri Lanka Police made several requests to the protestors to move out of the road to enable the genuine ticket holders to enter the ground. More than 2000 spectators who had purchased tickets complained that they could not get into the grounds within the first two hours of the play.”The standoff between the police and the “unruly crowd” had only been resolved after the gates were opened even to those who had not bought tickets, in order to clear the road.In the previous match, on Sunday, thousands were seen entering the ground illegally, which led to the 18,000-capacity stadium having to accommodate up to 45,000 people. The protesting crowd had pelted the police with stones on Wednesday, but there have been no reports of major injury as a result of either incident.”SLC would like to state that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and would like to denounce the violent behaviour of the protestors who pelted stones at the police and damaged property of the stadium. As a result, Sri Lanka Police had no choice but to use minimal force to curb the situation.”The new ticketing protocols have been in place right through the tour, but Dambulla is the only venue at which substantial crowd-control issues have emerged. Dambulla also has the lowest capacity of the three limited-overs venues.

Jason Roy is little more than a year into ODI career but he will be the senior opener as England take on Bangladesh this month

Mohammad Isam03-Oct-2016Jason Roy is little more than a year into his ODI career but he will be the senior opener as England take on Bangladesh this month. In the absence of Alex Hales, who pulled out of the tour over fears about security, Roy will take to the field alongside a new partner, beginning with England’s first warm-up match in Fatullah on Tuesday.Roy has opened with Hales in 27 of his 29 innings, building an impressive record together since the 2015 World Cup. The hugely impressive but uncapped Ben Duckett has been tipped to take Hales’ place, although England appear to be considering a return to the top of the order for Moeen Ali.”Whoever comes in deserves a go,” Roy said. “They are going to get a huge opportunity to state their mark on international cricket. Whether it’s Duckett or Moeen, I’ve been batting with a few of the guys, I don’t know yet – I just get on with it. We get on that well we don’t need to worry.”Joining up with the boys now, been away for a couple of weeks, it’s straight back in. We have great team cohesion. I won’t think of myself as the senior partner – we are all equal, just crack on and maybe try help whoever it is out. If it is the new man Duckett, he might be nervous, but he deserves to be here.”Moeen has only opened once in ODIs since the World Cup, when Hales hurt his back in the field against Sri Lanka at The Oval earlier this year. If he is asked to open, that could leave Duckett competing with James Vince for a spot at No. 3.Roy is among a handful of batsmen to have scored 1000-plus ODI runs at a 100-plus strike rate and he said that he will try to bat the way he has so far in his short career, in which he has found early success. He said he considers himself far from being the finished product as an international batsman and is focused on developing himself as a consistent match-winner.”I still have lots of work to do, loads more runs, a few more hundreds,” Roy said. “I don’t really settle for mediocrity. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I want to improve and win more games for England but I’m pretty happy with where my game is. I’ve matured playing in big games.”I probably won’t change my approach mentally, but maybe a couple of things technically. Really it’s all very similar, trying to get the team off to a good start – the first 15-20 balls are going to be huge, getting myself in. Like I said, we have just had one real net session today so we will assess how the game goes tomorrow and go from there.”Roy said that the hot and humid conditions in Bangladesh – the temperature was around 33C in Mirpur on Monday, with 75% humidity – will need some time to get acclimatised, but he hopes to be prepared for the first ODI on Friday. Roy suffered a dizzy spell in a game against Pakistan in August and will know the importance of taking on fluids.”You don’t really think about it too much,” he said. “You’ve just got to get on with your job. It can be draining but that’s what training days and practice matches are for, so that when we come to Friday we are ready.”You don’t realise how much you are sweating and the next minute you can feel a bit weird. Concentration will be key, just keeping yourself ticking over and batting for as long as possible.”

In recent weeks there has been a huge clamour from Leeds United fans for Javi Gracia to unleash teenage winger Wilfried Gnonto to aid their fight against relegation.

There were audible groans during the week as Crysencio Summerville came off the bench to replace the injured Luis Sinisterra, with the Italy international left on the bench to continue his recent lack of game time under the Spanish manager.

Given the gravity of the game and the impressive performances that Gnonto has produced in his first season in England, it is a huge source of frustration for Leeds fans that he has barely featured since the international break.

However, the main issue for Leeds is not with their attack, but with their toiling midfield and defence, with Marc Roca and Weston McKennie providing little protection for the back four, so Gracia must consider instead unleashing the rarely-seen Adam Forshaw.

Should Leeds start Adam Forshaw?

Forshaw has mustered just seven appearances in the Premier League so far this term and looks destined to depart Elland Road in the summer when his contract expires, but his experience could still be crucial for Gracia in the remaining games.

Since joining from Middlesbrough in January 2018, the midfielder has gone on to make just 86 appearances for the Yorkshire outfit, with injuries plaguing his time at Elland Road, but he has still caught the eye when enjoying a rare run in the first team, with Jermaine Beckford singing his praises on Sky Sports in 2021.

He said (via Leeds Live): “He’s been like a brand new player. So much energy, so much hunger. But I like that when Adam came in it was like there was nothing to worry about, nothing was missing.

“His passing ability, his movement, he breaks up play really well, he links up the game really well. Brilliant, brilliant football player.”

This desire and ability to break up the play could be the key to ending a rotten defensive record that has seen the Whites ship a league-high 63 times.

In the absence of the influential Tyler Adams, Leeds have leaked goals in recent weeks, suffering heavy defeats against Crystal Palace and Liverpool which have dropped them back into serious relegation trouble.

Gracia is seemingly unwilling to utilise Archie Gray or Darko Gyabi but needs to make a change to his midfield if he wants to keep the Peacocks in the Premier League, as Phil Hay emphasised in his build-up to the Leicester game in his Q and A for The Athletic.

He wrote: “Forshaw is also an option. Has to be something different to Roca-McKennie, I feel. That partnership is too easy to bully."

Some experience in the middle of the park could be exactly what Gracia needs to steady the ship, especially with some extremely tricky games coming up before the end of the season.

Therefore, while fans will continue to call for Gnonto on the wing, defensive security should be the priority, and Forshaw should be the man to come into the midfield for upcoming fixtures.

As Real Madrid and Manchester City meet in the Champions League semi-finals, where do their coaches rank among the best since the year 2000?

Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola are very different personalities, but one thing they share is a knack for winning football matches, and the biggest ones at that. Between them, the Catalan and the Italian have won four Champions Leagues, 15 league titles and 13 domestic cups.

They will square up against each other again in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg between Real Madrid and Manchester City. Ancelotti is three matches away from becoming only the second manager to retain the trophy in the Champions League era, while Guardiola is desperate to get his hands on Europe's biggest prize for the first time in 12 years.

But where do these two titans of modern coaching rank among the best managers in the 21st century? GOAL decides…

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  10Antonio Conte

  Every time Conte takes charge of a team, success instantly follows. Admittedly, he often leaves scorched earth in his wake, as Tottenham fans can attest to, but not many managers can say they have won five league titles across two leagues, restoring huge clubs such as Juventus, Inter and Chelsea to glory after inheriting messes from his predecessors.

  The one black mark against Conte is his European record. His Inter were beaten in the 2020 Europa League final by Sevilla and then failed to get out of the group stage in the Champions League, a fate which also befell his Juve side in 2013-14. And he has never gone beyond the quarter-finals of Europe's biggest competition, which is a failure considering the teams he has managed.

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  9Luis Enrique

  An uncompromising, combative forward in his playing days, Luis Enrique followed the exact same footsteps of Guardiola by playing for Barcelona, taking charge of the club's reserve team, going on to manage the first team and then winning every trophy imaginable with them.

  An idol of the Camp Nou faithful, he had inherited a stale team from Gerardo Martino, but still had a fantastic squad to work with, including serial winners Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi, plus newer arrivals Neymar and Luis Suarez.

  He shook the team up, although perhaps his greatest decision was to back down from a conflict with Messi in January 2015 after the Argentine took issue with being benched. After a tense few days, the pair made their peace, and five months later Barca swept to a clean sweep of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, led by perhaps the greatest front three of all time in Messi, Suarez, and Neymar.

  Luis Enrique retained the title in his next season and won the Copa del Rey twice more before taking charge of Spain, reaching the Euro 2020 semi-finals and the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup.

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  8Vicente del Bosque

  The mustachioed Spaniard was Real Madrid manager for only three-and-a-half seasons but managed to win seven trophies, including two Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles. He was Spain manager for eight years and won the World Cup and the European Championship. In a remarkably short space of time, he completed football.

  But Del Bosque never got the respect he deserved. The day after winning his second title in 2003, he was sacked, learning the news as he was passing through a corridor inside Santiago Bernabeu.

  Madrid president Florentino Perez said at the time that Del Bosque's methods were too traditional and that the club were looking for someone more sophisticated, but it took Madrid another 11 years before they won another Champions League. Perhaps those traditional methods weren't so bad after all.

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  7Diego Simeone

  Spanish football clubs are not known for being patient with managers, yet Diego Simeone has managed to spend more than 11 years at Atletico Madrid, turning the Rojiblancos from a basket case at risk of being relegated into one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

  Atletico have finished in the top three in La Liga in all 11 seasons under Simeone and twice lifted the title. And they have reached two Champions League finals, won two Europa Leagues and one Copa del Rey.

  But it's not just about silverware. The fiery Argentine has utterly transformed the club, who now play in one of the best stadiums in the continent. In an everchanging football landscape, when it is not unusual for clubs to change managers three times in a season, the sound of worshipping Atletico fans chanting 'Ole Ole Ole, Cholo Simeone' is one constant. More than a football coach, he is the leader of a religion: Cholismo.

Glasgow Rangers have confirmed that several members of their first-team squad will be departing the club upon the expiry of their respective contracts this summer.

Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield, and Allan McGregor are just a few of the players who are going to be moving on from the Light Blues ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The summer transfer window will provide Michael Beale with an opportunity to replace them but the Gers head coach could save the club millions by looking to the B-Team to find new first-team stars next season.

Robbie Ure, Ross McCausland, Arron Lyall, and Alex Lowry were all brought off the bench in the 3-1 win over Hibernian last weekend in the Scottish Premiership.

Lyall, in particular, could earn himself a regular senior role for Rangers next season after reportedly agreeing a new contract with the club.

Who is Arron Lyall?

He is a 19-year-old winger who has caught the eye with his performances for the B-Team this term and the youngster could be a dream replacement for Kent.

The current first-team attacker has played 29 matches in the Premiership in 22/23 and chipped in with three goals and eight assists from out wide. This comes after he produced two goals and eight assists in 26 outings in the competition in 21/22.

Kent has, therefore, contributed with 21 direct goal involvements in 55 appearances in the Scottish top-flight since the start of last season, which is one every 2.62 games.

Meanwhile, Lyall has scored 13 goals and provided two assists in 34 Lowland League clashes for the B-Team in the current campaign. He has also scored two goals and assisted one in five outings in the Challenge Cup and UEFA Youth League combined this term.

This means that the teenager has been directly involved in 18 goals in 39 games at youth level for the Gers – a contribution every 2.16 appearances.

These statistics indicate that the youngster has the potential to make a similar, and possibly greater, impact to the one that Kent has made in the Premiership this season if he can translate his form over to the first-team.

Lyall, who ex-boss Neil McCann dubbed "exciting", has also been rewarded for his efforts by being named the club's Academy Player of the Year and the B-Team's Players' Player of the Year.

This shows that the club and his teammates have recognised his exceptional performances and Beale has clearly taken notice of his progress as the manager handed him a debut in the win against Hibs.

He is clearly, based on the overwhelming evidence of his form for the academy and his individual honours, a promising young talent and the manager could unearth the magician as the dream heir to Kent's position on the wing in 23/24.

There is no harm in using pre-season as an opportunity for the 19-year-old to showcase his quality in a first-team environment, and it could be the perfect chance for Lyall to prove that he can make the step up to fill the void left by the Englishman.

The outfields at Kingsmead and Queen’s Park Oval have been rated poor by the ICC match referees who oversaw the washed out Tests between South Africa and New Zealand in Durban, and West Indies and India in Trinidad.The ICC said the officials – Andy Pycroft in Durban and Ranjan Madugalle in Trinidad – had expressed concerns in accordance with clause three of the Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. The match referees’ reports have been forwarded to the concerned home boards, the WICB and Cricket South Africa, which now have 14 days to respond. CSA’s response, the ICC said, will be reviewed by ICC general manager, cricket, Geoff Allardice, while match referee David Boon will assess the WICB’s reply.Then, as per the rules, the grounds will either receive a warning or a fine not exceeding USD 15,000, along with “a directive for appropriate corrective action”. A repeat offence over the next five years would draw a fine not exceeding USD 30,000.In all, 11 sessions out of 15 were lost to a wet and soft outfield at Kingsmead, while in Port of Spain West Indies and India were able to play only one session across five days.It was the first Test played in Trinidad in August, which is the wet season there, and rain had hampered preparations in the days leading up to the match but during the game itself there was largely sunshine. However, with there not being enough covers at the ground to protect the bowlers’ run-ups or the outfield, and no super sopper available either, the outfield did not recover enough to allow play. The draw meant that India, who needed to win the Test to retain their No. 1 Test ranking, lost the top spot to Pakistan. The Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board had already said it would investigate the reasons behind the washout.The Durban Test was also scheduled in what is traditionally the off season in South Africa, during the winter. Rain forced the players off the field around lunch on day two, and the big damage was done to the outfield that night, when the ground took 65mm of water. Here, too, the covers did not protect large parts of the field, and the super sopper was made to stop operating for fear it would do further damage to the soft patches that persisted into day five despite no more rain falling.There were concerns over the Kingsmead outfield being underprepared even before the match began, as it had been relaid in June following complaints from South Africa and New Zealand that the surface was too hard during the limited-overs games played there last year. Similar comments were levelled at Centurion, the venue of the upcoming second Test, but the SuperSport Park outfield was relaid in April once the season ended; work could not get underway at Kingsmead till the Comrades Marathon – for which it is the ending point – was completed on May 29.

After Vlatko Andonokski confirmed his roster on Wednesday, GOAL breaks down the best possible starting XI he could select in New Zealand

The roster has finally been assembled, 23 players with one mission: return home with yet another World Cup. Those are always the expectations for the United States women's national team, no matter the scenario, but this tournament may just be the toughest yet for a team that is still somewhat in transition.

It's been a grueling cycle for the U.S., one which saw Vlatko Andonovski explore plenty of new players throughout his player pool. The past few years have been about finding new solutions and new faces. Some of those processes worked out, while others certainly didn't.

Because of that, this USWNT squad is a mix of old guard and new blood, with the likes of Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Alex Morgan being joined by young stars Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson. It is very much a stacked roster, to be fair, one loaded with players young and old that can contribute and shine at this level.

Still, it isn't the roster it could have been. Injuries to stars such as Becky Sauerbrunn, Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario leave the U.S. somewhat shorthanded and missing several players who could have been starters. Because of that, there are some weak spots in this team, notably center-back, where Andonovski has only selected two players that primarily play the position.

The coach will have some decisions to make throughout this tournament, no doubt, as he looks to balance a somewhat unbalanced squad but, at their best, this USWNT XI basically picks itself.

GOAL has you covered with a look at the USWNT's best XI that we should see deployed by Andonovski at the World Cup:

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  GK: Alyssa Naeher

  No real doubt about this one, as Naher has been the starting goalkeeper for quite some time. The 35-year-old veteran has 90 caps to her name and has been the No.1 since the 2019 World Cup cycle.

  This will be her third World Cup, her second as a starter, so the U.S. should feel plenty confident with Naher between the posts.

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• LB: Crystal Dunn

  She may not particularly like playing the position, but Dunn is likely the USWNT's starter at left-back. Dunn could move into the midfield, especially with the injury issues there and the wealth of depth at full-back, but it seems Andonovski is content to keep her as a dynamic attacking left-back.

  Emily Fox could start here if Andonovski does, in fact, move Dunn further upfield, but it would be a surprise to see him do so this late in the cycle.

• CB: Alana Cook

  Absolutely no debate here, simply because there are only two center-backs in the squad. The 26-year-old Cook has blossomed into a star over the last two years, earning 15 of her 24 career caps in 2022.

  She scored her first goal back in April in a friendly win over Ireland, having established herself as a starter well before that big moment.

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  CB: Naomi Girma

  The other half of the only center-back duo available to Andonovski, Girma is a young star ready to break out on the big stage. The 23-year-old central defender made her senior debut in April 2022 and immediately became a solid and reliable piece of the team's defense.

  The 2022 NWSL Defender and Rookie of the Year, Girma's adaptation to the international game has been totally smooth, even if this will obviously be her biggest test yet.

  In case of emergency, and Andonovski really won't want to do this, Julie Ertz or Emily Sonnett could fill in at center-back if one of the two starters is unable to play.

As international cricket, particularly the fifty-over format, seeks relevance in a changing sporting culture at least one current South Africa player still thinks ODIs have their place.”I know there are T20 leagues everywhere but one-day cricket is still there and it’s not easy. People still like to watch one-day cricket. Fifty overs is a long time. It’s a good challenge and you have enough time to show your skills,” legspinner Imran Tahir said. “In T20, there’s a time shortage because you’ve got four overs. In one-day cricket, you relax and the game goes long and you only win the game in the last 10 or 15 overs.”Tahir, who will be in action for South Africa in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, which starts from September 30, believes the format has become compelling again because bowlers can play a bigger role in what is seen as a batsman’s game. Last June, playing conditions were altered to allow teams five fielders outside the circle in the last 10 overs of an ODI innings, in an effort to limit what had become a glut of runs in that period. As a result, Tahir said that even spinners could operate in the slog overs and, in so doing, hone their consistency.”This 5-4 field makes our life really hard but it’s nice to see they now allow five fielders outside the circle in the last 10 overs,” he said.”I have been bowling at the death, sometimes. You need to focus. You know if you miss your target, you will go for a boundary but it’s also good because it makes you a really good bowler. You practise hard and you try to bowl in one area most of the time.”Despite that, Tahir maintains that his main role is not limiting run-scoring but taking wickets. “I never look to contain. I always try and take wickets,” he said. And the numbers prove it.Last year, Tahir was the second-highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket with 37 scalps from 22 matches, behind Mitchell Starc. This year he is already the third-highest with 21 wickets from 11 scalps. In the upcoming series, he will come up against the two players ahead of him on that list, John Hastings and Adam Zampa, and has nothing but praise for the Australia legspinner.”Zampa is a very good bowler. He proved that over the last year, in the IPL and playing all over the world. I reckon he is a very good talent,” Tahir said.Despite the presence of Zampa and Tahir in the squads, the South Africa legspinner warned fans to not look forward to too much in terms of spin-bowling this weekend, during the first two ODIs of the five-match series. Tahir said he was not expecting much turn at Centurion and the Wanderers but hoped for more spin at the coastal venues later in the series.There is also pressure on Tahir to maintain his position as first-choice spinner after South Africa’s selectors packed the squad with other spin options in Aaron Phangiso and Tabraiz Shamsi.”The selectors and coaches and captain have showed trust in us spinners which is a good sign and it’s also becoming challenging for us as spinners against each other,” Tahir said. “I like that because I can never be relaxed. Thanks to these guys, I want to keep improving. I am happy to play with these guys and I hope to see them do well for South Africa in future.”

Martin Guptill’s good form should work in the favour of the visitors as they face a must-win situation in Canberra

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale05-Dec-2016

Match facts

December 6, 2016
Start time 1420 local (0320 GMT)1:18

‘We need to take our innings deeper’ – Munro

Big Picture

New Zealand must have left the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday night thinking, “if only”. If only they had asked for a review when Steven Smith was given not-out by umpire Mick Martell after being trapped lbw on 14, the first ODI might have unfolded quite differently. Trent Boult’s fine delivery had swung in and trapped Smith in front, but New Zealand declined to refer Martell’s decision upstairs. “There was plenty of chat afterwards about that,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. “There were two sounds and the possibility of an inside edge. We’re all well aware there wasn’t. That was the thinking and you could understand it. It was a little bit frustrating.” The reason it was frustrating was that Smith went on to accumulate 164 and set up a big win for Australia.The teams now move on to Canberra with Australia 1-0 up in the three-match series, so New Zealand must win at the Manuka Oval on Tuesday to have any hope of retaining the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. The good news for New Zealand is that they had one batsman who looked every bit as dangerous as Smith at the SCG, but unfortunately for them, Martin Guptill couldn’t go quite as deep into the innings as Smith, and fell for 114 off 102 balls. The toss may be particularly important in Canberra, where big runs are generally available, and the team batting first has won the six most recent ODIs.

Form guide

Australia: WLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand: LLWLW

In the spotlight

A golden duck in Sydney was hardly the start Aaron Finch wanted in this series, but he will be pleased to arrive in Canberra for the second game. Take a look at Finch’s scores in his three ODIs at the Manuka Oval: 38, 109 and 107. His last two hundreds at the venue have come against South Africa and India, and Finch could use a big score again: in 18 ODIs since the end of the previous home summer, Finch has averaged just 26.25.After New Zealand lost Guptill, their hopes of chasing down the hefty target in Sydney faded. But, while Colin Munro was at the crease, there remained at least a tiny glimmer of hope. Munro struck four fours and one six in his innings of 49, and put on 50 for the eighth wicket with Matt Henry. While they were together, the required run rate hovered around nine an over, but at least it didn’t balloon too much further. But when they both holed out in one Pat Cummins over – the 44th of the innings – the dream was dashed. “It was a different sort of knock than what I’m used to playing,” Munro said. “Given that role to try and take things a bit deeper in the innings sort of suits my game. Hopefully, in the games to come, we can have a few extra batters around me at the end and have a bit of a hit.”Lockie Ferguson had a forgettable debut in Sydney and may make way for Tim Southee•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Team news

Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner were the two members of Australia’s 13-man squad left out in Sydney, and the selectors may wish to retain the winning XI in an attempt to secure the series.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3, Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Travis Head, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Pat Cummins, 11 Josh Hazlewood.Lockie Ferguson picked up a wicket in his first international over, but the rest of his debut was rather costly: he leaked 73 runs from nine overs, sent down four no-balls and therefore four free hits, and also cramped up. Tim Southee might come in for Ferguson in Canberra. New Zealand may also wonder if their batting order could be strengthened by the inclusion of Henry Nicholls.New Zealand (possible) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Jimmy Neesham, 5 Colin Munro, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Colin de Grandhomme, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult.

Pitch and conditions

Manuka Oval is the kind of venue where big totals are on offer batting first, and chasing can be a challenge. The forecast for Tuesday is for a shower or two and a top temperature of 28 degrees centigrade.

Stats and trivia

• In Sydney, Guptill became the tenth-fastest player to 5000 ODI runs, behind Hashim Amla, Viv Richards, Virat Kohli, Brian Lara, Gordon Greenidge, AB de Villiers, Sourav Ganguly, Dean Jones and Graeme Smith.
• This will be Kane Williamson’s 100th one-day international.
• Adam Zampa enters this game as the world’s leading ODI wicket-taker in 2016, with 30 scalps at 27.80. His feat is all the more impressive given he didn’t make his ODI debut until February in New Zealand.

Quotes

“We were a little bit frustrated with the fact we chased the game with the ball. We had some good plans in place and perhaps we need to back those a bit more. We weren’t far off.”

A round-up of the NCL games played from December 20

Mohammad Isam23-Dec-2016

Rajshahi Division fought back from a first innings deficit to beat Sylhet Division by 151 runs in Bogra.Abu Jayed’s six-wicket haul helped Sylhet bowl out Rajshahi for 204 in the first innings, after which they took a 15-run lead through Abul Hasan’s 59 at No 9. Farhad Reza took five wickets while Mamun Hossain took four for Rajshahi, who in reply batted much better in the second innings.Farhad Hossain struck his 12th first-class century to help Rajshahi to 344. Farhad, who struck nine fours and four sixes in his five-hour effort, added 90 runs for the fourth wicket with Junaid Siddique, who struck 78.Tasked with 330 to win, Sylhet were bowled out for 178 on the fourth afternoon. Only veteran Rajin Saleh remained steadfast, unbeaten on 75 as the rest collapsed around him.Left-arm spinners Sunzamul Islam and Saqlain Sajib took three wickets each for Rajshahi. Farhad was adjudged the Man of the match.Rangpur Division dismantled Chittagong Division by 10 wickets after Suhrawadi Shuvo’s all-round show put them ahead in Sylhet.Rangpur posted 450 batting first, with Shuvo’s 121 helping them recover from 190 for 6 on the first day. He added 102 for the seventh wicket with Ariful Haque, who chipped in with 52, and another 130 for the eighth wicket with Alauddin Babu, who made 64. Shuvo made 121 off 204 balls with 14 fours, lasting more than four hours at the crease.Shuvo then took three wickets to help Rangpur bowl out Chittagong for 182 in the first innings. Seamer Mohammad Saddam also picked up three wickets while offspinner Mahmudul Hasan took two wickets.Rangpur enforced the follow-on, after which Chittagong made 297 in the second innings, leaving Rangpur with just 30 to win. Seamer Ariful took four wickets while Babu and Shuvo took two each. For Chittagong, Yasir Ali scored their only fifty of the match, an 86-ball 58.Rangpur took just 5.2 overs to knock off the target.