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Scorecard
How they were out

England’s hopes of securing a face-saving draw they scarcely deserve have been boosted after torrential rain washed out the final two sessions on the fourth day at Galle. The players left the field shortly before lunch and, despite occasional brighter spells, monsoonal rains soon enclosed the ground. During the morning England showed more fight after yesterday’s feeble effort as Alastair Cook’s half century guided them to 102 for 1 following an opening stand of 67 with Michael Vaughan.The forecast for the final day is not too encouraging so the series is threatening to fizzle towards a damp end. At least Cook’s unbeaten 53 has begun to restore England’s pride, but if the weather relents and a sustained period of play is possible on Saturday they still face an uphill battle with a mammoth 316 runs between the sides.There was slightly less venom from Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga with the new ball than their destructive burst on Thursday. Cook benefited from a couple of edges that fell short of the slips and his tendency to play away from his body kept the quick bowlers interested. Boundaries flowed as the openers soon managed to perform better than the first six wickets in the first innings.Welegedera has impressed on his debut with a languid action and good control of line. He troubled Vaughan with swing, nearly bringing a repeat of the first-innings dismissal when Vaughan left a ball which bounced over the top of middle stump. While that leave was too close for comfort, the drive which brought his downfall was far too wide to be chasing given England’s dire situation. The edge flew quickly to second slip, but Mahela Jayawardene swallowed it with ease moving to his left.Muttiah Muralitharan was made to wait while Tillakaratne Dilshan was thrown the ball first for a few exploratory of his offspin. One delivery spun square past Cook’s edge to bring startled looks from the batsman and grins from the fielders. Muralitharan eventually settled into his first major spell of the match and was played with relative comfort as Cook and Ian Bell took England past their shameful 81. Cook reached his third half century of the series off 103 balls and Bell eased into his innings with a classy punch off the back foot against Vaas.Dark clouds began to mass behind the pavilion and the two batsmen were clearly keeping an eye on the weather. Sri Lanka were not impressed by their time wasting, but steady drizzle forced the umpires to call for the covers. Briefly it looked as though the rain would pass, but then torrential downpours soaked the ground. Sri Lanka have played so dominantly that they deserve the chance to wrap up the series in style, but even another day of rain won’t kid anyone over who has ruled the roost during the past three weeks.

Match facts

November 27-December 1, 2015
Start time 1400 local (0330 GMT)4:32

Ponting: Don’t see a lot change in strategy

Big Picture

Back in 2009, the MCC World Cricket Committee discussed its concerns about the future of Test cricket. “Except for certain icon series, such as the Ashes, Test cricket throughout the world, and in particular the lower-ranked nations, is in very real danger of dying,” the committee said in a blunt statement. It went on to recommend that day-night Test cricket be trialled as a means of keeping the game alive. After six years and countless tweaks to the pink ball, that recommendation is about to come to fruition. One of the sport’s oldest venues, Adelaide Oval, will play host to the newest concept in Test cricket. For the first time in 138 years, a Test match will be played with a ball that is not red. For the first time in 138 years, a Test match will be played at night.It is a significant moment in the history of Test cricket but it also represents a continuation of the evolution of the game. The first Test match was timeless, with four-ball overs and a red ball; Test No.2188 will has a five-day limit, six-ball overs and a pink ball. One of the key mysteries is how the pink ball will perform. Will it swing, and for how long? Will it seam? Will it discolour too quickly? Will the players be able to see it properly in the evening? And will the spectators? Whatever the case, trials at Sheffield Shield level have satisfied Cricket Australia that the Kookaburra pink ball is sound enough to be used in a Test match. There have also been concerted efforts from administrators and groundstaff to ensure a non-abrasive Adelaide Oval pitch to preserve the ball as well as possible.The change has been made largely for fans, so they can watch on TV in prime time or head to the ground after work to catch the second half of the day’s action. But it is the players who must deal with the subtle differences in how the ball will move, and how visible it may be. And the players from Australia and New Zealand do so in this Test with a series on the line. Australia have already done enough to retain the Trans-Tasman Trophy by taking a 1-0 lead after two matches, but New Zealand could yet escape with a second consecutive drawn series in Australia if they win in Adelaide.And as well as being the start of a new era for Test cricket, it is also the dawning of Australia’s post-Johnson period, with Mitchell Johnson’s retirement after the Perth Test altering the look of their attack. His departure also completed a series of retirements during 2015 with Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Chris Rogers also having ended their Test careers. Now in the space of five months they have lost 523 Test wickets and 20,323 Test runs of experience. The times they are a changing.

Form guide

Australia: DWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand: DLWLW

In the spotlight

Mitchell Starc has in the past spoken of his dislike of the pink ball, but his record with it suggests he ought to change his tune. In his only two pink-ball day-night Sheffield Shield games, Starc has collected 15 wickets at 13.80, and notably both of those matches were at Adelaide Oval. The retirement of Mitchell Johnson has left Starc as the clear spearhead of the attack and if his record is any indication, he may begin the post-Johnson era by strengthening that claim even further.With scores of 23, 23, 1 and 17 so far in the Test series, Martin Guptill needs to provide New Zealand with something more. And maybe this is his opportunity. His only two fifty-plus scores of the tour have come in the practice matches in which the pink ball was used. Against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra last month he scored 94 and against the Western Australia XI in Perth he managed 103 before retiring to allow others a chance. Guptill is renowned as a dangerous one-day striker and perhaps the pink ball, which some observers say is more similar to the white ball than it is to the red, might suit him.

Team news

Australia must make at least two changes due to the retirement of Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja’s hamstring injury. Shaun Marsh comes in for Khawaja, with Steven Smith likely to move up to No.3, and Peter Siddle is the probable replacement for Johnson, having been 12th man in the first two Tests. James Pattinson would likely only get a look-in if the selectors were worried about Josh Hazlewood’s workload. Steve O’Keefe has been released from the squad to play in the Sheffield Shield despite his remarkable record with the pink ball – 18 wickets at 18.22 from three day-night Shield games.Australia (possible) 1 Joe Burns, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Adam Voges, 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan LyonAn unchanged New Zealand XI had appeared likely until captain Brendon McCullum hinted at the pre-match press conference that there could be changes. Neil Wagner took five wickets and Mitchell Santner four in the practice match in Perth – where admittedly 13 wickets were taken due to the playing conditions – and might be a chance of playing. Trent Boult bowled without apparent discomfort at training on Wednesday and is expected to play, having struggled with back soreness following the Perth Test.New Zealand (possible) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner/Mark Craig, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Matt Henry/Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

More grass than usual has been left on the Adelaide Oval pitch in an effort to help prevent rapid deterioration of the pink ball, and that may also mean the ball seams and spins. The lack of abrasiveness will also likely make it hard to extract reverse swing. The forecast for the match is for warm weather and possible rain towards the end of the game.

Stats and trivia

• Starc’s record with the pink ball is outstanding but so is that of Josh Hazlewood, who in two day-night Shield games has taken nine wickets at 15.44
• The pink-ball records of Australia’s batsmen vary greatly: the extremes are Steven Smith with an average of 219 from two innings and Joe Burns, who has an average of 9.00 from six innings
• The second Test in Perth was the fourth-highest scoring Test match of the 400 that have been played in Australia

Quotes

Steven Smith on the idea of day-night Test cricket
Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain

The Crusaders showed the Austrian Cricket Association little mercy as they punished the ACA attack with a glorious exhibition of strokeplay. Matthew Harrison and Tim Welsford shared an opening stand of 132, before Welsford departed for 72, and Harrison went on to reach his century in 104 minutes off 83 balls, eventually retiring on 113, sharing in a rapid partnership worth 87 for the fourth wicket with Ian Hewitt. Hewitt went on to eclipse him, plundering his 102* off 63 balls in a mere 70 minutes, as the Crusaders scored 332-4 in 37 overs. Earlier in the innings there had been a slight wobble as Wasif Mohammed picked up three wickets in five balls, removing Welsford, McDonald and David Hussey, the last of whom was stumped off a wide, thanks to some fast glovework by Amir Naeem.The batting performance was possibly surpassed by the bowling performance, with Hewitt bowling impressively and returning with 4-19 off 8 overs, the first blow being struck in the first over, with Tim Simpson departing for a duck. Erwin Grasinger batted patiently for 17 – occupying the crease for an hour in the process as wickets fell at the other end. Babar Nadeem, playing for the ACA side for the first time struck eight fours in a knock of 37, the highest score in the ACA innings, and after brief resistence from Thomas Grabetz and Paul Hudson, the ACA side were finally all out for 103.The Crusaders left Austria undefeated, with two wins to start their tour with, and moved onto Amsterdam, where their next opponents are due to be a VRA Invitation XI and SGS, both matches being played side by side on the same day (24th June) in Amstelveen, before games against the Netherlands and Netherlands Under 23 on the following days. The ACA would once again like to express their thanks to the Crusaders for the spirit in which they played the games and for their help in trying to encourage cricket in Austria.

March:
Buckinghamshire 263 & 147-7 (RP Lane 51) Cambridgeshire 170 (Ajaz Akhtar 73)Exmouth:
Devon 368 & 151-4 (RI Dawson 96), Dorset 250 (S Rintoul 121)Bishop’s Stortford:
Hertfordshire 74 & 219 (S White 78, T Smith 5-46), Suffolk 263 & 31-1
Suffolk won by nine wickets
Suffolk 22 points, Hertfordshire 4 pointsManor Park:
Staffordshire 451-4d & 78-3 v Norfok 306-6d (SC Goldsmith 118, CJ Rogers 61)Abergavenny:
Cheshire 357 & 63-4, Wales 283.Westbury:
Berkshire 325-5d & 93-1 (P J Pritchard 51*), v Wiltshire 222 (RJ Rowe 71, J C Morris 5-30)Jesmond:
Northumberland 233 & 213 (AT Heather 56, B Parker 53) v Cumberland 294 (A Metcalfe 172)

Gloucestershire have made an offer to buy back the county ground at Nevil Road. They sold the freehold in 1975, and it is understood that Royal & Sun Alliance, the present owners, are willing to sell the property."This is a great opportunity for us to secure the long-term future of the club," Tom Richardson, the Gloucestershire chief executive, told the Times.The exact amount needed to acquire the land is not known, and there has to be some doubt how it would be financed given Gloucestershire’s well publicised shortage of funds.

ScorecardAustralia ensured their place in the Plate Championship semi-final with a six-wicket victory against Nepal at Chittagong. After restricting Nepal to 154 for 9, Adam Crosthwaite and Ahilen Beadle guided Australia home with a steady partnership of 96. They will now play the loser of Bangladesh v Ireland, to be played tomorrow.Nepal won the toss and elected to bat, and they fared much better against the Australia pace attack compared to the other teams in their group. They managed to bat out the 50 overs with survival, rather than scoring, their objective. Paras Khadka top-scored with 33 as Nepal crawled to 154 for 9.Australia set about their reply in their usual positive manner, but then had a slight scare after Manjeet Shrestha removed both openers with 30 on the board. And by the 14th over, Australia were wobbling at 62 for 4, and Nepal’s army of fans were sensing a final twist in their enthralling tale. But it was not to be, as Crosthwaite and Beadle regrouped and led Australia to what was in the end a comfortable win.The result brings to an end Nepal’s World Cup adventure. They missed out on a place in the Super League by the narrowest of margins after causing the shock of the tournament in beating South Africa. They also won three of their six matches at Chittagong in front of considerable support from local-based Nepalese students. But defeat to Scotland in their previous match meant that they needed to win against Australia to progress any further.Shakti Gauchan, Nepal’s captain, scored over 170 runs in the tournament and he said he would take home fond memories of his time in Bangladesh. “It has been an enjoyable tournament,” he said. “I’ve learnt a lot on the pitch and everyone has been really nice to us.”Roy Dias, Nepal’s coach, blamed his side’s elimination on the defeat to Scotland. “It was disappointing not to get through, but the Scotland game really cost us,” said Dias. “We’ve done well in this tournament and the boys should be proud of the way that they have played.”

Matthew Elliott, after a wonderful season in 2004 with Glamorgan, has signed up with them again for the 2005 English season. Elliott, a 32-year-old from Victoria who would certainly have played many more than his 21 Tests had he belonged to a country with less depth of talent than Australia, was Glamorgan’s leading scorer last year in both the county championship and the totesport League.Michael Kasprowicz will be Elliott’s fellow overseas pro, having been signed up a few days ago. The next summer will be Elliott’s third season with Glamorgan – he first played for them in 2000.”It’s an exciting time to be involved and there was never going to be a problem for me in committing to returning next year,” said Elliott. “I’ve really enjoyed my cricket this summer and I’m delighted everything has been finalised. It’s been a fantastic year for Glamorgan. I think the club is really going places and there are a lot of young players coming through.”I look forward to returning in 2005 and making a contribution, not only in the first division of the Championship and totesport League but in the Twenty20 Cup and the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy as well.”Meanwhile Mike Fatkin, Glamorgan’s chief executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Matthew has agreed to return in 2005. He had an outstanding season with us and we look forward to his continued contribution next summer.”

Legspinner Shahzaib Ahmed took five wickets to help shoot out Australia Under-19 for 78 in the second one-dayer in Sheikhupura. Pakistan then cruised to a nine-wicket win as they chased down the target in 11.4 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Captain Sam Robson’s decision to bat backfired as the Australians slipped to 16 for 4. Kane Richardson and Jamie Smith helped stage a mini-recovery with a 43-run stand, but another collapse saw the last six wickets fall for 19 runs. Shahzaib was the star for Pakistan with 5 for 21 and was ably supported by the rest of the attack.The Pakistani opening batsmen, Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood, put on a rapid 76 to take their side to the brink of victory. They were helped in their cause by the indisciplined Australian bowlers who sent down 12 wides and overstepped on three occasions.The Australians had put on a better show in the first match on Thursday which they lost by seven wickets after setting a target of 199. Left-arm-spinner Imad Wasim was Pakistan’s wrecker-in-chief with five wickets while Shehzad and Masood laid the platform for the win with the bat.The remaining three one-dayers will be played at Mirpur, with the next game on Tuesday.

ScorecardUseful middle-order contributions from Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson boosted Queensland as they made 8 for 302 when bad light brought an early end to play on the opening day of their Pura Cup match against Western Australia at Brisbane. Symonds made 62 and Watson got 60, while James Hopes (41) and Wade Seccombe (35 not out) chipped in handily as well.For Western Australia, Brett Dorey was the most successful bowler, nailing Jimmy Maher and Clinton Perren, the openers, and Watson. He took 3 for 28 before breaking down with a side strain to become the second bowling casualty for the Warriors – Brad Williams had earlier left the field due to stomach cramps, but he returned late in the last session. Dorey, though, has been ruled out of taking further bowling duties in the match, and will only bat if required by the team.Maher, the Queensland captain, was fairly satisfied with the day’s play – his team only needs to secure first-innings points to get the opportunity to host the final, while Western Australia need an outright victory. “Hopefully we can bat for a fair bit longer tomorrow first, score a few more runs and bowl them out reasonably quickly,” Maher said, looking ahead to the action tomorrow. “It’s a pretty even ball game really.”He did, however, express his surprise at Western Australia’s line-up, and the exclusion of Brad Hogg. “I can’t believe that a bloke who plays one-day cricket for Australia can’t play for his state. That’s just amazing.”

The third league game of the Videocon Cup, between Pakistan and Australia, was abandoned because of rain. This meant that Pakistan and Australia were through to the final, and India would miss out. None of the Australian bowlers had managed to get a bowl in the tournament, but it was a moot point whether their lack of match practice would help Pakistan’s batsmen in the final – it had to stop raining first.