If Sanath Jayasuriya proved that age is just a number, the Indian team will take comfort from the thought that the International Cricket Council’s rankings are also just a number.

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While it’s a good talking point to see which team is at the top of the charts, and a badge of honour to be called the No. 1 team in the world, what this group is really after is being considered the best team in the world by their peers.

For a while now it was considered difficult to be consistent in ODIs. But the introduction of Twenty20 cricket has made the 50-over game feel like a long-drawn out affair and made people realise that 300 balls is actually a long time for an innings.

On the day before the final at the R Premadasa Stadium, three teams who will play each other in the Champions Trophy shortly were in completely different spaces in world cricket.

Sri Lanka have grown in stature, boast a varied bowling attack, and even the up and down nature of their batting has been papered over in home conditions.

India, after two days of hard practice and two days of back-to-back matches, were in fine tuning mode.

New Zealand, well, they were in coffee shops and swimming pools, shopping malls and restaurants, having failed abjectly to lift their game enough to challenge either of the other teams in this tri-series.

Of India’s players who took part in the matches on Friday and Saturday, only Yuvraj Singh joined the reserves at a net session.

Having fallen to Daniel Vettori’s spin in the first game and failing to come to terms with Lasith Malinga’s pace and swing in the second game, Yuvraj worked on his batting basics. Gary Kirsten, himself a left-handed batsman, fired in hard tennis balls with a tennis racquet, imparting spin and swerve on the ball, getting it to kick awkwardly at times.

As much as Yuvraj worked on blunting dangerous deliveries, he concentrated on leaving alone anything that didn’t threaten his stumps.

Virat Kohli, who batted and bowled in the nets, was the subject of much discussion as it became known that he had been named replacement for Gautam Gambhir despite having been advised eight weeks’ rest by fitness experts at the National Cricket Academy.

Since then Kohli has played for ONGC in the Corporate Trophy, and is demonstrably able to play, even if he is still bothered by a niggle.

It’s not something Mahendra Singh Dhoni will worry about at all, as India looked likely to make no changes to the team that has played the first two matches of the series. If anything they might consider bringing Praveen Kumar into the mix, but neither RP Singh nor Ashish Nehra have bowled themselves out of contention for the final.

Like Anil Kumble before him, Dhoni is one captain who does not care much for talk about rankings or the toss or the weather. Even he was forced to sound a warning: “Once you win the toss you have the game 60 % in your favour. If you score around 270 then you are 80 % sure of winning the game.”

The most crucial aspect of Monday’s final could take place half an hour before a ball is bowled.

Squad

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Rudra Pratap Singh, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Malinga Bandara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Dammika Prasad, Thilan Samaraweera, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Thushara

Their brief honeymoon with the number one tag over and their batting frailties exposed, India will have a score to settle when they take on Sri Lanka in the cricket tri-series final in Colombo on Monday.

The six-wicket win over New Zealand was the perfect start for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men as it not only booked them a place in the final but also made them the number one ODI side in the world.

Barely 24 hours at the top and the joy had just started to sink in when Sri Lanka inflicted on them a moral-shattering 139-run defeat in their league encounter.

What would worry the Indian think-tank is that on all counts Sri Lanka proved much superior.

After drab low-score matches, the hosts piled up a massive 307 for six wickets, suggesting the Indian attack was far from intimidating.

And then the canny Angello Mathews, with his six-wicket haul, proved that there are enough chinks in the Indian batting armour as the visitors folded for 168 inside 38 overs.

It has been more than evident that despite best of efforts from both Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik, India is missing its regular opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

The rollicking start that the team is used to has not been witnessed so far even though Tendulkar looked in good nick in both the matches.

The top order clearly has a brittle look about it and the return of someone as experienced as Rahul Dravid has not been able to gloss over the harsh reality.

Yuvraj Singh came here as a possible candidate to snatch the number one batsman’s tag from his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni but the left-hander has looked more impressive with the ball than with the bat.

Dhoni and Suresh Raina played sensibly against New Zealand to guide the side home but they could not repeat it when the chips were down against Sri Lanka.

Yusuf Pathan got just one chance so far in the series and could not make the most of it.

The bowling department that looked so impressive against New Zealand lost all its sting and fire overnight and looked pedestrian against the hosts.

Apart from Harbhajan Singh, other bowlers simply bled run and Ishant Sharma has looked a pale shadow of himself in the series so far.

In contrast, Sri Lanka have hauled themselves up after losing both the Twenty20 matches against New Zealand before coming into the tri-series.

They beat New Zealand in the first match and then outplayed India to swagger into the final at the R Premadasa Stadium where they have lost little.

Much to India’s horror, Sanath Jayasuriya seems to have found his form just in time and his 79-ball 98 was an age-defying act by the 40-year-old ‘Matara Marauder’.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has not converted the starts yet but the right-hander made every ball he faced count by scoring at a brisk rate.

Thilina Kandamby and Chamara Kapugedera proved they have matured head over their shoulder and if Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene join the party, India may have to return empty-handed again.

Squads:

India: MS Dhoni (c), Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (c), Muttiah Muralitharan, Malinga Bandara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Dammika Prasad, Thilan Samaraweera, Upul Tharanga and Thilan Thushara.

The last statement Daniel Vettori made after New Zealand snapped their winless streak on tour with a tense victory on Wednesday was that there was still a game to go to clinch the short series. Vettori knows how much confidence his side can take from anything they win on tour.

It was refreshing to see his face light up as he ran towards hat-trick hero Jacob Oram when New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by three runs. It has been a difficult tour for a side inexperienced in subcontinental conditions but the change in personnel for the Twenty20s seems to have infused life.

There is no ignoring the key role Vettori himself played, slowing his pace and teasing with his loop to take 2 for 11 in four overs in a Man-of-the-Match effort, but this was a victory fashioned by more than one or two individuals and that gave Vettori the most pleasure. The batting was shaky but the fielding exceptional, proving decisive in the outcome. A series win beckons, if New Zealand can keep their cool again.

For Sri Lanka, this was their third straight loss in this format, starting from the ICC World Twenty20 final. In all three defeats the batting has been a worry, especially the lack of contributions from the middle and lower-middle order. Kumar Sangakkara was left to rue another batting collapse after Tillakaratne Dilshan’s amazing attack on New Zealand’s bowlers set them on the way to victory. Dilshan aside, Sri Lanka had enough batting firepower but fell to a flurry of loose shots and were not able to forge partnerships. Sangakkara has put the pressure on his batsmen and demanded they evaluate themselves before the final game.

After a Test series in which they were run ragged by Sri Lanka, two Twenty20 internationals will probably be a welcome release for some of the New Zealand players. There is little riding on the outcome of two Twenty20 internationals except perhaps the chance to take an edge into the ensuing 50-over tri-series and New Zealand have been talking serious business in the build-up.

On paper, a promising bat-versus-ball extravaganza is promised in either innings; Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan against Shane Bond – set for an international return – and Daniel Vettori, and, as the teams change over, Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor against Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga. New Zealand will take some confidence from the fact that Muttiah Muralitharan won’t be playing due to injury. Bond’s return adds depth with the ball, so although Sri Lanka have been comfortably superior in recent weeks New Zealand may hope that changes in the coming days.

Failing to win the World Twenty20 in England this summer, having done so well to reach the final, frustrated Sri Lanka and being soundly beaten in the one-off against Pakistan at home was no balm. The last time these two met, during the World Twenty20, Sri Lanka came out with a 48-run win in a pressure situation at Trent Bridge. On that occasion New Zealand were bamboozled by a magical spell of 3 for 9 from Mendis and ousted from a tournament where their batting failed to fire. The way the batsmen have faced spin so far on tour, Vettori will hope history doesn’t repeat itself.

New Zealand will field a full-strength team in Wednesday’s second cricket Test against Sri Lanka after the tourists were plagued by a stomach bug in the first match.

New Zealand had 13 of their 15 players laid low by upset stomachs and viral fever during the first Test in Galle last week, which Sri Lanka won by 202 runs to take the lead in the two-match series.

Skipper Daniel Vettori said the entire squad had trained over the past two days and his players were gearing up for a better show in the final Test at the Sinhalese sports club.

“We need players with the ability to stand throughout the game,” Vettori told reporters before Tuesday’s practice session.

“We will decide on the line-up before the toss. It is important to get big scores. We need to get beyond the 30s and 40s we are scoring now and get those 100s.

“We have been selling ourselves a bit short. Hopefully we will do a much better job.”

New Zealand will probably make one change from the team that lost in Galle, with fast bowler Daryl Tuffey expected to replace seamer Iain O’Brien.

Vettori himself needs just two more wickets to become only the ninth player in history to achieve the all-rounder’s double of 3,000 runs and 300 wickets.

The 93-Test veteran was New Zealand’s star performer in Galle, with five wickets and knocks of 42 and 67 and is again expected to lead from the front.

“Records definitely motivate me,” said the 30-year-old, who has scored 3,329 Test runs and taken 298 wickets since his debut in 1997.

“If you look back five years ago, my Test batting record was pretty embarrassing. I have been working hard on it. It’s a nice feeling now that I can contribute a lot better and stay at the crease a lot longer.”

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said he was wary of a New Zealand backlash, saying he had a lot of respect for their fighting qualities.

“We are expecting a very tough response from New Zealand,” he said. “I think they are going to come back very strongly and try to win this Test, so that they have something to take back home.

“For us, we are going all out to win this game and win the series.”

Sri Lanka, who are now joint second with India in the official Test rankings, will hold the number two position on their own behind South Africa if they win the series 2-0.

But Sangakkara appeared less excited at the rankings, saying it was more important to perform consistently.

“The number two position probably reflects how well we are playing, but we are not number one, and that means we have a lot more to achieve to get there,” he said.

All-rounder Angelo Mathews was ruled out of the match with a hamstring strain picked up in Galle and he will be replaced by batsman Chamara Kapugedera, Sangakkara said.

“A few of the bowlers have niggles so we will just have to see who is fit at the toss,” he said. “We would love to play three spinners on this track, but we have all options open.”

TEAMS (likely):

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Daniel Flynn, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Prasanna Jayawardene, Rangana Herath.

Umpires: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Nigel Llong (ENG)

TV umpire: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

Sri Lanka lead New Zealand 1-0 as the sides head to the SSC, Colombo for the 2nd and final test match which gets under way on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka’s comprehensive 202 run in Galle has given them control of this short test series. Dilshan has been in superb touch at the top of the order as he amassed a combined total of 215 runs at Galle. Samaraweera and Mahela Jayawardene were other centurions in the 1st test. With the ball, Murali (7) and Thushara (6) have 13 wickets between them. For the Black Caps, captain Vettori with 5 wickets and 109 runs offer most resistance.

The weather threatened to disrupt the 1st test and at one stage the draw was trading deep in the red but the skies cleared to allow Sri Lanka to finish off the Black Caps with plenty of time remaining. The forecast for Colombo is available here and once again showers are forecast so it may be worth punters waiting for television pictures and a reliable weather report from the ground before play.

Sri Lanka have won 3 of the 4 test matches on home soil in the last couple of months and they are a pretty formidable unit. New Zealand were always going to be up against it and their task was made even harder with several key players falling foul of a stomach bug during the 1st test.

The Sinhalese Sorts Club (SSC) in Colombo is a Sri Lankan stronghold. Since losing to England in 2001, 11 of the last 15 test matches have resulted in a Sri Lanka win, Australia won in 2004 and there have been 3 draws. Murali loves it here and after taking 7 wickets in the 1st test, he will once again be dangerous.

The last test match on this ground was only 5 weeks ago. It was the final test match in Pakistan’s tour and ended in a draw with Sri Lanka 101 short of their victory target with 6 wickets remaining. Note, Sri Lanka had already clinched the series.

The last series between these sides came in 06/07 in New Zealand and ended all square 1-1. New Zealand’s last visit to Sri Lanka was back in 2003 and both matches were drawn.

Verdict:

If the weather behaves a Sri Lankan victory once again looks the most likely outcome though as stated earlier, it would be advisable to wait for the weather report from the ground.

Remember to join us for previews of the all the major cricket matches on CricketPulse.

India’s cricket chiefs have forced a change in next month’s tri-series in Sri Lanka that will leave Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men playing two gruelling back-to-back matches.

The Indians were originally scheduled to play New Zealand on September 10 and hosts Sri Lanka two days later on September 12 in the preliminary stage of the series in Colombo.

But the Indian board had the New Zealand game pushed back by a day to September 11 so that top stars are available for the entire duration of a domestic one-day tournament ending in Bangalore on September 8.

“The change has been made at the request of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),” Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said.

The Indian team will fly into Colombo on September 9, a day after the tri-series opens at the Premadasa stadium with a match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

India’s matches against the Black Caps on September 11 and Sri Lanka the next day will be followed by the final on September 14.

Dhoni’s team, currently enjoying a rare month-long break, will use the tri-series to warm up for the Champions Trophy in South Africa from September 22-October 5.

Sri Lanka have wrapped up the series in impressive fashion and Pakistan are left with nothing but pride to play for when the sides meet in the 4th ODI in Colombo on Friday.

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Pakistan have yet to win a match on this tour and despite a smiling Younis Khan explanantion after each match, the alarm bells in Pakistan cricket ought to be ringing.

Latest defeat came in Dambulla on Monday when Pakistan posted a competitive 288/8 only to be blown away by Sri Lankan openers Thuranga and Jayawardene, who put on 202 for the first wicket. Sri Lanka cruised home for a 6 wicket win and series clinching 3-0 lead.

You have to wonder just where to draw the line with Pakistan, most of the criticism thus far has been levelled at the batsmen but of the bowlers, only youngster Mohammad Aamer managed an economy rate of less than 5 runs per over in match number 3. Sri Lanka showed a ruthless streak that bodes well for the forthcoming Champions Trophy in South Africa.

On to Colombo for the 4th (and 5th) ODI’s

The R. Premadasa Stadium is the venue for the remainder of the tour including the 4th and 5th ODI’s followed by a T20.  The ground has not been a happy one for Sri Lanka in recent times, India visited here in 2008 and earlier in 2009 and Sri Lanka lost 5 of the matches, winning just 2 and there was one no result. It is usually a pretty high scoring ground

As for the stats, here is a good one for you. On each occasion the captain winning the toss in the 7 matches which produced a result between Sri Lanka and India elected to bat. On each occasion that proved to be the correct decision, the side batting first won the match!

An amazing test match series reaches a conclusion when Sri Lanka and Pakistan face off again in the 3rd and final test match at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo on Monday. Sri Lanka have already clinched the series but that doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story.

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There is a rarely a dull moment in a Pakistan test match series and this tour of Sri Lanka has been one of the most extraordinary I can recall. Whilst Sri Lanka may have clinched their first home series win, I am still shaking my head in disbelief at 3 of the most spectacular Pakistan batting collapses that I have seen. In case you have not been following this series here is a quick re-cap of how the Pakistan team have thrown away winning positions in each of the first 2 test matches.

1st Test: Sri Lanka won by 50 runs

After a fairly even 1st innings Pakistan assumed control and find themselves needing just 97 to win with 8 wickets remaining going into Day 4. Collapse number 1 saw them come up 50 runs short as they added just 46 runs.

2nd Test: Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat, a good toss to have won by all accounts but they manage to bat for just 36 overs scoring 90 runs in the process of collapse number 2. Game over? Certainly not, back come Pakistan and they restrict Sri Lanka to 240, a useful though not match-winning lead of 150.

Pakistan take control as Fawad Alam (168 on debut) and Younus Kahn (82) pile on the runs before the captain throws his wicket away with the score on 285. A threatening lead and plenty of batting to come – advantage Pakistan? Think again. Pakistan went on to lose their last 9 wickets for just 35 runs in collapse number 3. It gave them a lead of just 170 and Sri Lanka knocked off the runs in no time.

The Venue: 

This venue has become a Sri Lanka cricket stronghold with only Pakistan (2000), England (2001) and Australia (2004) managing to win a test against the hosts. Sri Lanka have won 11 of the last 14 test matches they have played on this ground, they even put India away by an innings and 239 runs last year.

A new era for Sri Lanka

Sangakkara has captained the side splendidly, refusing to panic when on the back foot and pressing home the advantage when Pakistan lost their heads. Paranavitana and Sangakkara himself have made solid contributions with the bat. Despite missing Murali for the first 2 tests and Mendis not really firing, the bowlers has been top class.

After the 3rd test, the sides will play 5 ODI’s and a T20 and we will preview each match.

Sri Lanka clinched their first home series against Pakistan after the temperamental tourists suffered a spectacular collapse in the second Test on Tuesday.

Pakistan, sitting pretty at 285-1 just before lunch on the third day, crashed to 320 all out after the break to leave Sri Lanka a victory target of 171 for a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Sri Lanka cruised home by seven wickets with two days to spare, skipper Kumar Sangakkara leading the way with a fluent 46 after opener Malinda Warnapura made 54.

Of the previous five series between the two nations on Sri Lankan soil, Pakistan had won three and drawn two, but the tourists had only themselves to blame for allowing the hosts to re-write history.

Pakistan’s meek surrender against the second new ball came after debutant opener Fawad Alam hit a superb 168 and shared a record stand of 200 for the second wicket with skipper Younus Khan (82).

The partnership was Pakistan’s highest for the second wicket against Sri Lanka, surpassing the 151 by Mohsin Khan and Majid Khan at Lahore in 1982.

The 23-year-old Alam batted for more than six hours to amass the highest score by a Pakistani batsman on Sri Lankan soil, surpassing the 151 by Salim Malik at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo in 1997.

But Pakistan lost their last nine wickets for 35 runs, their third successive collapse in the series that highlighted their reputation as one of the most unpredictable sides in modern cricket.

Pakistan had seen eight wickets fall for 46 runs on the fourth morning of the Galle Test when just 97 more were needed to win the match.

The tourists then crumbled for a paltry 90 in 36 overs on the first day of this Test after electing to bat on a wicket that provided assistance to the seam bowlers.

Sri Lanka did not feel the absence of star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, out of action with a knee injury, as left-arm slow bowler Rangana Herath claimed 5-99 and seamer Nuwan Kulasekera took 4-37.

Skipper Younus himself triggered the collapse just before lunch when he gifted his wicket, top-edging an ambitious reverse sweep off part-time spinner Paranavitana to the wicket-keeper.

Sangakkara’s gamble to hand the new ball to spinner Herath, man of the match at Galle, paid off handsomely.

Herath trapped veteran Mohammad Yousuf leg-before with his second delivery as the batsman missed the line of a straight ball after making six.

Kulasekera had Misbah-ul Haq leg-before for three before Herath ended Alam’s long vigil at the crease by having him edging an easy catch to Warnapura at short-leg.

Kulasekera caught Kamran Akmal plumb in front of the wicket and Herath bowled Shoaib Malik after the former Pakistan captain had smashed the previous delivery for a six.

The last three batsmen were leg-before in quick succession.

The dramatic collapse undid Pakistan’s remarkable fightback in the match after they had fallen for 90 on the first day.

The bowlers, led by Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, had hit back to dismiss Sri Lanka for 240 before Alam and Younus made light of a first innings deficit of 150 runs.

The third and final Test starts at the Sinhalese sports club on July 20.