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Alyssa Healy is looking towards Rohit Sharma for a formula to find cross-format success opening the batting as she prepares for the multi-format series against India that will include a pink-ball Test.Healy, who has played four previous Tests, admitted it will be a challenge to prepare for the format amid the condensed series with the additional elements of the game being day-night plus a venue they haven’t played at before in Metricon Stadium adding to the uncertainty. There has already been an emphasis on the Test with Australia’s first post-quarantine training session being against the pink ball.Australia were part of the previous day-night Test, against England during the 2017-18 Ashes, where Ellyse Perry made a double century at North Sydney Oval during which Healy was part of a 102-run stand.For her first three Tests, including that game against England, Healy batted in the middle-order but the last time Australia took the field in the format, during the 2019 Ashes, Healy was promoted to open which brought her a maiden Test half-century and it appears likely she will continue in the role.In that game Healy opened with Nicole Bolton who is no longer part of the set-up so a new opener will need to be found with either Rachael Haynes or Beth Mooney the likely options.Related

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• Perry: 'You've always got to push to get better or else someone comes along who is going to jump you'

“It’s a tricky one because I’ve only played four Tests so I wouldn’t say I’m overly comfortable with how to play or how to approach a Test,” Healy said at a Fox Cricket launch event for the series. “From my point of view, I don’t think it’s going to change too much from my one-day international batting. I think the ability to give yourself more time is such a blessing.”I look at the modern Test game and see how it’s changed quite a lot. I watch a lot of the men’s cricket and I look at someone like Rohit Sharma who is one of the most devastating white-ball batters in the world and yet he’s a really successful opener in Test cricket. So for me, I said look at somebody like him and think about how he translates those skills across all the formats, could I potentially replicate that somehow?”Healy, who has faced some spicy pre-season nets against her New South Wales team-mates Stella Campbell and Maitlan Brown, is prepared for the need to adapt quickly during the multi-format series, both in terms of the conditions on offer at Mackay (ODIs) and Metricon (Tests and T20Is) and in terms of what India will throw at them.Alyssa Healy made her maiden Test fifty opening the innings against England in 2019•Getty Images

The teams have had some see-sawing battles in recent years, most notably at the 2017 ODI World Cup where India dumped Australia out in the semi-final and then last year’s T20 World Cup where India took the opening match, on the back of Poonam Yadav’s spell, to throw the group stage wide open before Australia claimed the historic final with a huge victory.Yadav did not play the Test against England earlier this year and was not at her best in the limited-overs matches although found more rhythm as the series went on.”Sometimes a bit of the unknown and the unpredictable nature of India makes them incredibly dangerous. They’ve picked a few new players that we haven’t seen before on this tour,” Healy said. “So they always love throwing something new at us, even if it is Poonam Yadav, she always has something new to throw at us, just to kick us off track again.”The Test match will be just the second between the teams in 30 years – the previous one came back in 2006 – and with an Ashes Test to follow in January, Healy hoped the format could find a regular place in the Australia calendar.”The boys have their designated Test match spots every summer,” Healy said. “Look at the Boxing Day Test, we know it’s going to be on December 26 and everyone goes to the Test. I would love to see the same thing happen for us every summer. Imagine, November 1, Australia are playing a pink-ball Test at North Sydney Oval against whatever the opposition might be.”Obviously it’s a pipe dream and I’ll do whatever I can to keep pushing that point forward, but at least for the minute it’s great that the conversations are being had and that there’s three international sides that are willing to play the Test game because I think it’s a great thing for us.”Australia will play an intra-squad game on Thursday – “one of the most competitive games of cricket that you’ll ever find,” Healy said – before facing India in a warm-up match on Saturday ahead of traveling to Mackay.

Kusal Perera makes his return to the Sri Lanka limited-overs squad for South Africa’s tour of the island, following a bout with Covid-19. According to medical staff, it seems unlikely that he will be available for the ODI leg of the tour, as he builds up his fitness after recovering from the disease. But as cardiac and pulmonary screenings have cleared him to play, it is hoped that he will be available for the T20I series.Meanwhile, veteran seamer Nuwan Pradeep, and experienced batter Dinesh Chandimal return as well, on the back of good performances in the recently-concluded domestic T20 tournament.Younger players also found places in the squad thanks to their form in SLC’s Invitational T20 League. Legspinner Pulina Tharanga, who was joint-highest wicket taker, and Kamindu Mendis, who was the second-highest scorer in the league, with 193 runs from three innings at a strike rate of 168, are in. Offspinner Maheesh Theekshana, and seam bowler Lahiru Madushanka did not quite impress to the same extent, but have found places nonetheless.Getty Images

Omitted from the squad are the likes of left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, seam bowler Kasun Rajitha, and middle order batter Ashen Bandara, each of whom had modest outings in the limited overs series against India, in July.Pradeep, meanwhile, had been left out for that India tour, but comes back in after having taken a tournament-topping seven wickets at an economy of 8.18 in the Invitational League. Chandimal had been captain of the SLC Reds team that made the final of that tournament, and had hit 183 runs in six innings, albeit at a strike rate of 120. He has played only three T20 internationals since 2019.Related

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• 'I trust our team's strength' – Dasun Shanaka backs Sri Lanka's spinners to come good against South Africa

• Perera tests positive for Covid-19, to isolate for at least ten days

• Shanaka's outstanding batting helps SLC Greys to SLC Invitational T20 League title

• Shamsi reaping the rewards of waiting for his time

Sri Lanka’s captain, Dasun Shanaka, comes into the series with excellent domestic form as well, having easily been the top-scorer in the Invitational League, thumping 258 runs at a strike rate of 184.The tour will comprise three ODIs and three T20Is, all to be played at Khettarama, in Colombo. The first ODI is set to be played on September 2.

The city where they were crowned IPL champions last year was the same city which wrecked their hopes this year. Sunrisers Hyderabad arrived in Bangalore late last month and saw a potential win against a struggling host slip away because of rain. Now, in the Eliminator, they were 20 minutes away from having a shot at Qualifier 2 and perhaps even defending their crown as it rained for a better part of three hours immediately after they posted 128, numbers-wise a sub-par score at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. But then it stopped, making way for a six-over chase in which Kolkata Knight Riders had to get 48.To not get there, Knight Riders needed a serious meltdown, and they almost had one when they lost three wickets in the first seven deliveries, but the advantage of a truncated game always favours the chasing team. Gautam Gambhir demonstrated as much with his unbeaten 19-ball 32, which helped Knight Riders home with four balls to spare. Muttiah Muralitharan, Sunrisers’ bowling coach, said it was his team’s “destiny” to not progress.Asked if prior playing experience on this surface, which they were denied because of rain during the league phase, might have helped approach their batting better this time around, Muralitharan said with a laugh: “Had we played and won [against RCB], we would have been in Mumbai [for Qualifier 1]. It’s destiny. Twenty more minutes and we would have gone through. It’s all about destiny. It’s part and parcel of the game.”Muralitharan isn’t a stranger at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, having spent two seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore. But he may have well been mistaken into believing it was his first time here, upon looking at the 22 yards for this game. The ground where Royal Challengers nearly chased down 209 to beat Sunrisers in the final last year was now throwing up vastly different conditions. The reasons attributed to the sudden change in the nature of the square are many.A change in composition of the soil and a reduction in thickness of clay to aid bounce hasn’t worked because of the dry heat, according to the ground’s curator. This has also caused the tracks to break down faster because of cracks opening up. Unlike last year, where five totals of 200 or more were scored, the average first-innings score here this season was 148, something Sunrisers were targeting upon being put in to bat.Muttiah Muralitharan: ‘The batsmen played well, the bowlers who we picked at the auction did well. Overall we are satisfied with the performance’•AFP

Knight Riders’ Nathan Coulter-Nile kept bowling cross-seam and got the ball to stop on the batsmen. Manufacturing strokes was hard as David Warner and Kane Williamson found out. It was only when the bowlers pitched short did they have any leeway. Despite having seven wickets in hand, Sunrisers could only manage 30 off their last five.”The wicket was not great to play shots, we would’ve been bowled out for 70-80 if we tried to play shots,” Muralitharan said. “We were thinking of 140 and finished 10 short because they bowled well. We had the bowling to defend it across 20 overs. Had we taken two or three wickets early, they would have struggled. We’ve seen how teams have defended 130-135 here. It’s unfortunate. They won the toss and so they deserved to win.”Muralitharan chose not to focus on the playing conditions. A regulation cut-off time for this match – the cut-off time for play to begin in the playoffs is one hour more than the cut-off time for the league-phase games – would have meant Sunrisers would have qualified. Asked whether a reserve day, instead, would have been the way to go, he laughed it off.”We all prefer 20 overs. We didn’t expect it to rain. Anyone can win or lose, but we had a great season,” he said. “The batsmen played well, the bowlers who we picked at the auction did well. Overall we are satisfied with the performance – eight wins and five losses before this. It doesn’t always go your way.”We are all disappointed not getting through, but we had some great performances. Unfortunately you can’t win every time. We made sure we gave our best and our best was not good enough. We have to take it on the chin. Let’s see, hopefully if we can get the same team next year – I don’t know what the rules are going to be – we can once again try and win.”

Match facts

March 15-19, 2017
Start time: 10am local (0430GMT)3:28

Fernando: P Sara Oval the most result-oriented venue in the world

Big picture

The bigshots of the Bangladesh Cricket Board are arriving to much fanfare, soaring rhetoric about South Asian “brotherhood” abounds. Mementos are being polished, showmen are practicing their lines for the presentation: the celebrations for Bangladesh’s 100th Test are all set to go, but after the politically-minded have lavishly slapped each other on the back, there is some cricket to be played as well.It is the plight of Mahmudullah that will have most Bangladesh fans aflutter. He has been dropped from the Test squad but will continue to stay in the country. So will he play in the limited-overs series? Has the board overridden a coaching decision? Has a senior batsman been dealt with too harshly here? Whatever unfolds over the next 48 hours, Mahmudullah will not play, which means Bangladesh will make changes to the batting order that misfired in Galle – bringing in Sabbir Rahman or uncapped 21-year-old Mosaddek Hossain. Imrul Kayes is likely to replace Mominul Haque as well.Bangladesh will need a stronger top order, because they are about to play on perhaps the most reliable result pitch in Test cricket. It has been 11 Tests and almost 14 years since a Test at P Sara Oval was drawn. The seamers generally gain good bounce early in the match, and the spinners run riot late in the game. Generally, there are precious few sessions where batsmen can claim to have had favourable conditions.If Sri Lanka field the same attack, they may pose varied questions to the opposition. Lakshan Sandakan was wayward, but turned the ball viciously at times, while Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera were agents of guile and control. In Lahiru Kumara, Sri Lanka also have a quick who will relish bowling on a track that has a bit of zip.Their own top order, however, is not quite as formidable as a flattering Galle surface made it seem. If Bangladesh are to level the series, here is the weakness they must exploit.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLW

In the spotlight

Having batted largely at no. 4 through the Australia series last year, Kusal Mendis is seemingly back for a long stint at first drop. In Galle he produced an innings that showcased why he is so highly rated by coaches, working his way through tough early spells, before opening his shoulders and setting the match up for Sri Lanka. He did, however, benefit from an early reprieve in that innings, and it is that looseness outside off stump that presently appears to be his greatest obstacle. On a Colombo track expected to be better for seam bowling than the previous pitch had been, Mendis may profit from a more discerning outlook at the start of his innings.His teammates keep throwing their wickets away, and there have been three last-day collapses in the last four Tests, but consistently providing the innings with a spine this year is Mushfiqur Rahim. So far he has two hundreds and a fifty in six innings in 2017. Among the times he didn’t reach a half-century was his defiance of New Zealand on day five in Wellington, where he was battered with bouncers, while he batted with an injured hand. If there is to be more substance from the Bangladesh top order in this Test, they could do worse than follow the example their captain has set.Bangladesh should look to exploit Sri Lanka’s batting weakness on a lively P Sara deck•AFP

Team news

Herath was tightlipped about Sri Lanka’s combination before this match, but there may be little reason to change the winning XI. There is a chance Dimuth Karunaratne’s is under pressure from Dhananjaya de Silva. It is also possible Sandakan is left out in favour of an extra batsman.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karuanaratne, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dilruwan Perera, 8 Rangana Herath (capt.), 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lahiru Kumara, 11 Lakshan SandakanImrul and Sabbir are the likeliest batsmen to enter the XI, but there could also be a bowling change in the offing. Subashis Roy claimed only 1 for 137 in Galle, so it is possible Taijul Islam replaces him. Liton Das has been ruled out after suffering a fractured rib while batting in the nets on the eve of the game. That means Mushfiqur Rahim will take the gloves again.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mosaddek Hossain, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Kamrul Islam Rabbi/Rubel Hossain

Pitch and conditions

This track may be a little more batting friendly than the usual P Sara surfaces, but expect regular breakthroughs nonetheless. Daily pre-monsoon thunderstorms in Colombo may also make an appearance – evening sessions are particularly vulnerable.

Stats and trivia

• Each of the last 14 Tests in Sri Lanka have yielded a result
• Rangana Herath is three wickets shy of a first-class tally of 1000
• Bangladesh’s three previous Tests at this venue have ended in innings defeats – their lowest Test total of 62 coming here in 2007
• Mushfiqur has scored 441 runs at an average of 88.20 in 2017. He needs only 51 further runs to make this his most successful batting year.

Kagiso Rabada has said he will always be honest about his fitness amid concerns over the workload the fast bowler is facing in the coming months.So far on the South Africa tour, he has played two matches and missed two, skipping the T20 and second ODI in Christchurch, but is expected to line up in Hamilton as South Africa aim to wrap up the series. Doing so would allow them to rest Rabada for the final match in Auckland ahead of the three-Test series, which begins on March 8 in Dunedin. That is followed by the IPL, the Champions Trophy and a full tour of England.A left knee niggle led to him sitting out the Christchurch match and he has bowled with it strapped during the tour. On his return in Wellington, he set the tone for South Africa with an immaculate new-ball spell and he insisted he is able to judge how his body is feeling.”I feel like I’m the main person when it comes to judging how I feel, and truthfully as well,” he said. “Sometimes you play with niggles, sometimes you feel fresh, sometimes niggles come and then they go away, sometimes they stay for a bit longer.”The longer that I’ve played the more I’ve learnt to manage myself, with the help of the medical team who give me advice, and I take it accordingly.”He added that he understood the reasoning behind rotating quick bowlers. “Sometimes you have to put your ego aside,” he said.After the match in Wellington, South Africa coach Russell Domingo admitted it was an ongoing challenge juggling the workload of all bowlers, not just Rabada.”A lot of our bowlers need to be managed because of the number of games that get played,” he said. “It’s a fine line between resting players and trying to win series. Particularly for a young player like KG. He’s only 21, Andile is only 20 so those are two young bowlers who need a lot of management.”But it’s hard to leave KG out of the next match, he’s a seriously good bowler and it’s no coincidence that when he’s back in the mix we look a different side. I’ll need to speak to the sport scientists, but we need to manage him carefully.”In words that will be pleasing for Domingo to hear Paddy Upton, the former performance director for South Africa who is now coach at Rabada’s IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils, has said he has no intention of running the paceman into the ground.”We try and help them not only to have a good IPL but to enhance and further their career,” he told South Africa’s . “The IPL is part of the 11-month season. We understand that.”There are teams who try and get every cent and every moment of every day out of the players. If players aren’t managed well and cognisance isn’t taken of the whole year you end up with a burnt out player at the end of an IPL. So it doesn’t serve anyone.”

Max Holden, who will skipper England Under-19s on their impending tour of India, has been loaned by Middlesex to Northants for the first half of the 2017 season.Holden, a correct opening batsman who has yet to make a first XI debut for Middlesex, will take part in Northants’ pre-season tour of the Caribbean and remain with the Division Two club until the end of June when his loan spell expires.He already has good memories of Wantage Road, having struck a century on the ground for England U-19s against Sri Lanka last summer.”Ultimately I want to play as much cricket as I can,” he said. “Seeing Haseeb Hameed progress the way he has and break into the England team has really given me a push. Obviously the ambition is to play for the England Test eleven – that’s the dream.”Holden first caught the eye of Northamptonshire’s head coach, David Ripley, aged just 13: “I have followed his progress since I first tried to get him to join our Junior Academy back in 2011. I’m delighted to add him to the squad and add competition for places.”He will be available in both the Specsavers Championship and the Royal London One-Day Cup, although it is the four-day game where he can be most confident of playing time.Cambridgeshire born and raised, Holden began a four-year contract with Middlesex in 2016 after graduating from their Academy. He has established himself in the 2nd XI with Middlesex for the last two years despite continuing his education.Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director of cricket, said: “At Middlesex CCC we are fortunate to have a number of exciting young cricketers, of which Max is one. These young players are desperate to play first XI cricket and at this moment in time at Middlesex there are batsmen ahead of Max.”We believe he is ready to get a taste of first XI cricket and are happy to loan him to a county that will, in the short term, provide him with a better chance of achieving this goal.”Holden will lead England Under-19s in two four-day matches next month. The one-day section of the tour begins at the Wankhede Stadium next Monday with England captained by Yorkshire’s Matthew Fisher.

Allrounder Mona Meshram lost her spot in India’s 14-member squad for the upcoming Women’s World Cup Qualifier matches, which will be played in Colombo from February 3. She was the only player who missed out from the 15-member squad that played West Indies in November 2016, India’s previous ODI assignment. Sukanya Parida and Devika Vaidya, who made their debut in India’s last ODI, retained their place in the squad.

India squad for WC qualifiers

Mithali Raj (capt), Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Thirush Kamini, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smriti Mandhana, Shikha Pandey, Sukanya Parida, Poonam Yadav, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Sushma Verma (wk)
Out: Mona Meshram

Meshram, who was out on 2 and didn’t bowl in the first ODI against West Indies, was overlooked for the next two matches. After making her debut in June 2012, she managed to score 47 runs in the eight ODIs she played in, with a top score of 22 and a solitary wicket to her name.India, who blanked West Indies 3-0, are in the middle of a seven-match unbeaten streak that started from the last ODI against Australia in Hobart. Since then, they beat Sri Lanka 3-0 at home before completing a whitewashing of the touring West Indies team.India start their qualification campaign with a practice match against South Africa on February 5 before their first game of the tournament against Sri Lanka on February 7. The tournament also includes Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Scotland, Thailand and Papua New Guinea. The top four teams qualify for the Women’s World Cup, joining Australia, England, New Zealand and West Indies who automatically qualified through the ICC Women’s Championship. World Cup 2017 will be held from 26 June to 23 July in England.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahmudullah’s 44 off 26 balls set up a respectable total for Khulna Titans•Raton Gomes/BCB

Khulna Titans climbed to the top of the BPL points table after a 22-run win over Barisal Bulls. As was the case in their four previous wins, it was their bowlers who made their moderate total look very competitive.Shafiul Islam led the five-man bowling attack to defend their 151 runs comfortably. The paceman took four wickets while Junaid Khan and Mosharraf Hossain took two each as Barisal capitulated for 129 in 19.3 overs.Barisal’s chase was always going to be interesting as they had a batting line-up to compete with Khulna’s discipline. Jeevan Mendis, promoted to open the innings, struck four fours on his way to 21 before falling to Shafiul in the fourth over. His opening partner Fazle Mahmud was earlier trapped lbw for a duck in the second over.After Shamsur Rahman was caught at long-on cheaply, Barisal’s main batsmen Shahriar Nafees and Mushfiqur Rahim added 43 runs for the fourth wicket. Nafees batted at a slower pace, hitting two fours in his 28 off 35 balls. Mushfiqur held the chase together till the 16th over before he top-edged a pull after making 35 off 23 balls with four fours. Thisara Perera’s failure with the bat made it harder for Barisal who folded in the last four overs of their chase.After they had decided to bowl, Barisal were given early breakthroughs by Taijul Islam who struck twice in the fifth over to remove the Khulna openers Hasanuzzaman and Andre Fletcher. Both batsmen holed out to Abu Hider at long-on.Mahmudullah ensured that they recovered from an ordinary Powerplay, adding 53 for the third wicket with Riki Wessels. He slammed three sixes through long-on and two fours in his 26-ball 44, before becoming Taijul’s third victim, caught at point. Next ball, Shuvagata Hom was run-out after a mix-up with Wessels with both batsmen ending at the non-striker’s end.Wessels, who had contributed just five runs to the third-wicket stand, found a higher gear as he struck four fours and a six over long-on in his 29-ball 40. Like Mahmudullah, Wessels’ wicket also hurt Khulna, who added 39 runs in the last five overs.

ScorecardA career-best match haul from Ashton Agar was not enough to save Western Australia from defeat at the SCG, where New South Wales wobbled but reached their target of 96 with seven wickets down. The Blues started the morning at 0 for 3, but on a dry pitch offering plenty for the spinners, they lost enough wickets throughout the day to send some jitters through the camp before the task was completed.They did not lose their first wicket until the total had reached 36, when opener-nightwatchman William Somerville was run out for 23, but his opening partner Daniel Hughes fell to Agar for 13 just three balls later. Ed Cowan made 25 and Kurtis Patterson scored 13, but no other batsman reached double figures as Agar and his bowling colleagues gave the Warriors a sniff.However, in the end New South Wales did enough to secure their second win of the season, despite Agar’s 4 for 31. He finished with match figures of 10 for 141, the second ten-wicket haul of his first-class career, and it completed a match that was dominated by the spinners, with Somerville having taken nine for New South Wales and Steve O’Keefe eight.