Australia's narrow win over Afghanistan on Friday sent New Zealand through to the T20 World Cup semi-finals and set England a straightforward target to join them.

England need only a victory against Sri Lanka in Saturday's final Group 1 match to be sure of a place in the last four.

Hosts and defending champions Australia had been facing an uphill battle to improve their run rate ever since an 89-run thrashing at the hands of the Black Caps in their opener.

With their meeting with England rained off, the margin of victory in other matches was going to prove pivotal.

Although Australia survived a scare in beating Afghanistan by four runs, that tight affair left their net run rate at -0.173, below England's mark of +0.547, which will improve further with victory over Sri Lanka.

The home nation therefore need Sri Lanka to defeat England and keep them in the top two on seven points.

Stand-in Australia captain Matthew Wade said: "We'll stay the extra night here and watch that game. We'll be hoping for a little bit of an upset there, obviously.

"That's tournament play – we put ourselves in this situation straight from the get-go this time. Although we've been trying to chase a little bit of run rate, it just hasn't really gone our way.

"We've been a little bit slow getting out of the blocks in this tournament. Hopefully it doesn't cost us."

Glenn Maxwell struck a similar tone, saying: "We'll certainly be following it. We've obviously put ourselves in this situation, but hopefully Sri Lanka can do the job for us."

Although Maxwell scored an unbeaten 54 off 32 against Afghanistan, he added: "It was quite hard to press the issue.

"We probably got to about the 12-over mark, where we just had to put a total on the board to make sure we gave ourselves a chance of winning the game.

"Even though we were trying to go hard at the back end, they bowled extremely well."

If Sri Lanka can do Australia a huge favour, Wade is "very hopeful" skipper Aaron Finch and all-rounder Tim David will return for the semi-finals.

David was "really, really close" but failed a late fitness test on Friday, Wade added.

Wanindu Hasaranga dazzled with the ball and Dhananjaya de Silva shone with the bat as Sri Lanka crushed Afghanistan by six wickets at the T20 World Cup to bolster their semi-final hopes.

After defeats to Australia and New Zealand, Sri Lanka could not afford another slip-up and produced a commanding performance at the Gabba.

Afghanistan were limited to 144-8, in which six batters reached double figures, but nobody went further than Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 28 at the top of the order.

That was in a large part down to man of the match Hasaranga's wily leg spin that brought him brilliant figures of 3-13, including the wickets of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the final over.

Sri Lanka were 46-2 after 7.5 overs of their reply, but Dhananjaya was in no mood to let this one slip away, and his sublime unbeaten 66 from 42 balls saw the team home.

He cracked two sixes and six fours, including the boundary through cover that saw Sri Lanka over the winning line with nine balls to spare, reaching 148-4, nicely teeing up their final Group 1 game against England at the SCG on Saturday.

Hail Hasaranga

Already the leading performer with the ball in this year's tournament, Hasaranga's haul improved his tally to 13 wickets, and trimmed his average to 13.53.

This time around he delivered 12 dot balls and avoided being struck for a boundary as Afghanistan struggled to read him, defeat ending their hopes of going any further.

Mujeeb edges nearer landmark

Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 2-24 for Afghanistan, removing Pathum Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, to reach 48 wickets in T20Is. After washouts against Ireland and New Zealand, he and his team-mates would have been glad to play some part in a contest on Tuesday.

Now off-spinner Mujeeb has one more chance while at this tournament to become the third Afghanistan bowler to reach 50 T20I wickets, with Afghanistan rounding off their campaign against hosts Australia on Friday in Adelaide.

Glenn Phillips made a scintillating century and Trent Boult ripped through Sri Lanka as New Zealand took a big stride towards the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a 65-run win.

The Black Caps were in big trouble on 15-3 after losing Finn Allen, Devon Conway and Kane Williamson in the first four overs, but Phillips (104 off 64 balls) came to the rescue with his second T20I hundred.

Phillips took advantage of being dropped on 12 and 45, putting on a show at the SCG on Saturday to get the Group 1 leaders up to 167-7, the fit-again Daryl Mitchell (22) providing support in a fourth-wicket stand of 84. 

Sri Lanka were sloppy in the field and never looked like being successful with a run chase that ended when they were bowled out for only 102 in the final over.

Left-arm seamer Boult claimed his best T20I figures of 4-13 after the excellent Tim Southee (1-12) trapped Pathum Nissanka leg before in the first over.

Sri Lanka were reduced to 8-4 and did not look like reaching three figures at 65-8 before Bhanuka Rajapaksa (34) and captain Dasun Shanaka (35) showed some resistance.

Spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi both claimed figures of 2-21 as New Zealand moved two points clear at the top of the group with two games to play, with Sri Lanka down in fifth place.

Phillips punishes sloppy Sri Lanka

Phillips struck four sixes and found the rope 10 times in a magnificent innings, but it could have been a very different story.

Nissanka spilled a simple chance to reduce the Black Caps to 29-4 when he put Phillips down early in his knock at long-off.

A diving Shanaka spurned a more tricky opportunity to remove Phillips before he reached his half-century and he made Sri Lanka pay, bringing up his stunning hundred off only 61 balls.

Lightning Boult strikes again

Boult has proven time and again he is one of the best bowlers in the world and he gave another demonstration in Sydney.

He had Kusal Mendis caught behind, then bowled Dhananjaya de Silva and got rid of Charith Asalanka in a devastating opening burst before returning to get Shanaka caught at deep square leg by Mitchell.

There were 18 dot balls from Boult and he conceded just the one boundary.

Aaron Finch was left with mixed emotions after Australia beat Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup but he "couldn't hit the ball" in a "poor" innings.

Australia started the defence of their title by suffering an 89-run defeat to New Zealand in a repeat of last year's final, but the hosts responded with a seven-wicket victory at Perth Stadium on Tuesday.

Marcus Stoinis was the star of the show, blasting a record-breaking unbeaten 59 from only 18 balls to get the holders home with 21 balls to spare and move them into fourth place in Group 1.

The powerful all-rounder cleared the rope six times and struck another four boundaries to register Australia's fastest T20I half-century and the joint-second quickest in a T20 World Cup, passing 50 from only 17 deliveries.

Finch finished on 31 not out from 42 balls after watching Stoinis cut loose at the other end, and the captain gave a frank assessment of his scratchy knock.

He said in the post-match presentation: "I'm very happy [with the win]. Obviously my innings was unusual. It was poor. I just couldn't hit the ball. But I thought the way that we approached it with the bat was fine.

"It would've been nice if I could've kicked on earlier and made the chase a bit easier but all in all, pretty clinical, I think with the ball as well.

"They bowled a hard length. It was tough. It's such a big ground that you feel as though it's hard to just stand and deliver. Especially with a bit of extra bounce and when the ball is seaming slightly, you feel it's just not quite as easy to hit the middle of the bat. That's no excuse for the way I played, but it's nice to get two points."

The opener praised Stoinis following his sensational exhibition of clean striking.

"It was a pretty special innings," skipper Finch said. "To come out with that intent is the main thing. When you walk out to bat and you have that presence at the crease, that's half the battle in T20 cricket. When you have the skill and the strength that he's got, that's a pretty good combo."

Australia's next assignment will a mouthwatering clash with England at the MCG on Friday.

Marcus Stoinis hit a half-century in record time to propel Australia to a seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Tuesday and get his side back on track in the T20 World Cup.

The tournament hosts were heavily beaten by New Zealand in their opener and were then set a competitive target by Sri Lanka, who reached 157-6 from their 20 overs.

Pathum Nissanka (40) top-scored for Sri Lanka, albeit using 45 balls, and Charith Asalanka (38) also contributed in an up-and-down innings that saw the Lions hit just two sixes.

Australia still had work to do with the pressure on, and they struggled early on, with David Warner (11) and Mitchell Marsh (17) falling to leave their side 60-2 in the ninth over.

However, Stoinis turned on the style by reaching his half-century in just 17 deliveries – the fastest fifty by an Australian in T20I history – en route to an unbeaten 59 from 18 balls.

Australia reached their target with 21 balls to spare in Perth for what turned out to be a run-rate-boosting win, despite Aaron Finch (31 from 42) failing to impress.

Australia back on track

This victory was Australia's third in a row against Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup and sets up an intriguing contest against England at the MCG on Friday.

Sri Lanka had won eight of their past nine T20Is, including their Group 1 opener against Ireland, and must now dust themselves down ahead of facing New Zealand.

Stoinis stars as Finch falters

Finch scored no fours and only one six, though it did not matter thanks to the brilliant batting of Stoinis, who by comparison hit four fours and six sixes.

Stoinis overtook team-mate Warner's 18 off 50 against West Indies in 2010 as the fastest Australian to reach his half-century in the format, while only Yuvraj Singh (12 balls against England in 2007) has done so faster in the T20 World Cup.

Kusal Mendis carried his bat and Sri Lanka's bowlers all impressed in an emphatic nine-wicket victory over Ireland in the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

Opening batsman Mendis made an unbeaten 68 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart as Sri Lanka easily chased down a target of 129 despite the absence of the injured Pathum Nissanka.

Dhananjaya de Silva (31 off 25) and Charith Asalanka (31* off 22) also did their bit to open Sri Lanka's Group 1 campaign with a resounding win.

It had been Sri Lanka's bowlers who laid the foundations for Mendis. Maheesh Theekshana (2-19) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2-25) claimed a pair apiece, while each of their bowling unit took a wicket to limit Ireland to 128-8.

Paul Stirling opened with 34 off 25 and Harry Tector (45) ensured Ireland at least had something to defend, but the contest was decidedly one-sided.

COOL KUSAL LEADS THE WAY

Sri Lanka's route to this stage started with an embarrassing loss to Namibia but wins over the United Arab Emirates and Netherlands booked a spot in the Super 12.

Kusal ensured there would be no hiccup to begin this stage, whacking three sixes and five fours in his 43-ball knock, which he finished with a maximum off Simi Singh over deep-square leg, as Sri Lanka wrapped up the win with 30 balls remaining and nine wickets in hand.

BOWLING UNIT IN SYNC

One of the most pleasing aspects for Sri Lanka was the shared responsibility with the ball. Lahiru Kumara had already snared Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie in the second over by the time Theekshana encouraged Lorcan Tucker to glove onto the stumps.

Theekshana also took the bails off George Dockrell's wicket and Binura Fernando took out dangerman Tector prior to Hasaranga taking a couple of late wickets.

Sri Lanka beat the Netherlands by 16 runs to reach the T20 World Cup Super 12 stage and the Dutch also qualified after the United Arab Emirates broke Namibia's hearts.

Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka suffered a shock defeat to Namibia in their first game of the tournament, but avoided an early exit by responding with victories over the UAE and Netherlands.

A brilliant knock of 79 from 44 balls by man of the match Kusal Mendis enabled Sri Lanka to post 162-6 at Kardinia Park on Thursday, Charith Asalanka also chipping in with 31.

The Netherlands fell short on 146-9 in reply, spinners Wanindu Hasaranga (3-28) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-32) stepping up when Sri Lanka needed them, with opener Max O'Dowd's unbeaten 71 in vain.

That left the Dutch's fate out of their hands, but UAE came to their rescue by dramatically securing their first T20 World Cup win to knock Namibia out in Geelong.

Muhammad Waseem top scored with 50 and captain Chundangapoyil Rizwan made 43 not out in UAE's 148-3. A victory would have seen Namibia advance with Sri Lanka, but they were beaten by seven runs after being restricted to 141-8.

David Wiese's half-century in a stand of 70 with Ruben Trumpelmann looked to have put Namibia on course to qualify, but he was out 55 in an excellent final over from Waseem

Group A winners Sri Lanka face the runners-up in Group B in their Super 12 opener at Bellerive Oval on Sunday, while the Netherlands face Bangladesh at the same venue in Hobart a day later.

Karthik Meiyappan's historic hat-trick was in vain as Sri Lanka thrashed the United Arab Emirates by 79 runs after Netherlands moved to the brink of the T20 World Cup Super 12s.

Sri Lanka suffered a shock defeat to Namibia in the first game of the tournament on Sunday, but responded with an emphatic win over UAE at Kardinia Park.

Pathum Nissanka top scored with 74 from 60 balls as the Asia Cup champions posted 152-8, Meiyappan (3-19) becoming the first UAE player to take a T20I hat-trick.

Sri Lanka had been 117-2 in the 15th over, but a late collapse did not prove to be costly as UAE were skittled out for only 73 in 17.1 overs.

Wanindu Hasaranga claimed brilliant figures of 3-8 from four overs, while Dushmantha Chameera (3-15) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-15) also sparkled under the lights to leave Sri Lanka in third place in Group A, level on points with Namibia with an inferior net run-rate.

The Netherlands are two points clear at the top of the group after bringing Namibia back down to earth with a five-wicket victory.

Namibia posted 121-6 and the Dutch got home with three balls to spare, Bas de Leede named man of the match after making an unbeaten 30 and taking two wickets.

Jan Frylinck starred with bat and ball as Namibia stunned Sri Lanka with a 55-run victory in the first game of the T20 World Cup.

Sri Lanka were crowned Asia Cup champions last month, but they were brought back down to earth in the Group A opener at Kardinia Park on Sunday.

Frylinck top scored with 44 off 28 balls as Namibia recovered from 35-3 to post 163-7 in Geelong, JJ Smit also making a quickfire unbeaten 31 down the order.

Sri Lanka were all out for only 108 in reply after they were reduced to 21-3 inside four overs, captain Dusan Shanaka (29) one of only four players to make double figures.

All-rounder Frylinck claimed 2-26, with David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz and Ben Shikongo also took two wickets apiece in an excellent display in the field from Namibia in their quest to reach the Super 12 stage for the second successive World Cup.

Sri Lanka had been forced to make a last-minute change to their squad, replacing the injured Dilshan Madushanka (quad) with fellow paceman Binura Fernando.

It has been a long time coming but the T20 World Cup will finally get under way in Australia on Sunday.

Two years later than scheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament will start with Sri Lanka taking on Namibia at Kardinia Park followed by the United Arab Emirates versus the Netherlands at the same venue on Sunday.

There will be six days of qualifying matches to decide which four teams will go through to the Super 12, which starts with a repeat of last year's final between holders Australia and New Zealand on October 22.

You could make a case for several teams being strong contenders to lift the trophy at the MCG on November 13.

Stats Perform picks out some of the storylines to look out for in a tournament that will be well worth the wait.

 

Windies and Sri Lanka should avoid shock early exit

The only team to have won the T20 World Cup twice is West Indies, but they failed to secure direct qualification for the Super 12 on this occasion.

They lost four out of five matches as defending champions in the United Arab Emirates last year, a crushing six-wicket defeat to England setting the tone as they were skittled out for a pitiful 55.

Nicholas Pooran's side will face Scotland, Zimbabwe, Ireland at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart and will be expected to advance from Group B.

Sri Lanka were crowned Asia Cup champions last month and ought to have no trouble in advancing from a Group A that also includes the Netherlands, the UAE and Namibia.

On a high from lifting the trophy in Dubai, Dasun Shanaka's men could be dangerous if they made it through to the Super 12 as expected.

 

Hosts in quest to make history

Australia ended their wait for a first T20 World Cup title in Dubai last year at the expense of the Black Caps, Mitchell Marsh blasting an unbeaten 77 in the final to seal an eight-wicket win.

No team has won back-to-back T20 World Cup titles, so the hosts have an opportunity to make history on home soil.

Tim David has emerged as another potential match-winner that has bolted his way into the squad and he is capable of making a big impact, while big things will be expected from the likes of David Warner with the bat.

Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are a formidable pace trio and leg-spinner Adam Zampa brings an X-Factor. Australia have a great chance of achieving a feat no other side has accomplished.

Can India make amends?

India were strongly fancied to win the rearranged T20 World Cup last year, but their challenge was all-but over soon after it had started.

They were consigned to a 10-wicket thrashing by fierce rivals in Pakistan in their first match and still looked shellshocked when New Zealand hammered them by eight wickets.

Virat Kohli stepped down as captain after that failure, with Rohit Sharma the skipper of what is another star-studded squad.

The loss of paceman Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to injury were huge blows, but India will be expected to mount a strong challenge as the top-ranked side in the world and batter Suryakumar Yadav can make a big impact.

Buttler to deliver in first tournament as skipper?

England looked unstoppable in the World Cup last year until they were knocked out by New Zealand at the semi-final stage.

Jos Buttler has since taken over as captain after Eoin Morgan retired from international cricket, and Matthew Mott was appointed as head coach.

Buttler has recovered from injury for what will be his first tournament as skipper and will look to produce the sort of form he did in the 2021 World Cup, in which he averaged a staggering 89.66.

England have huge firepower with the bat, while Reece Topley, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid are among the bowlers Buttler will be counting on to step up as they strive to lift the trophy for a second time.

 

Proteas a force to be reckoned with

South Africa have never been beyond the semi-final of a T20 World Cup, but there is every chance this could be their year.

Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje are a hostile trio of pace bowlers and they also have the wizardry of spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.

The absence of Rassie van der Dussen is a big loss, but the Proteas are not short of explosive batting with the likes of Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Rillee Rossouw and Tristan Stubbs to call upon.

A fine batting effort from Bhanuka Rajapaksa and crucial contributions with bat and ball from Wanindu Hasaranga saw Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup as they beat Pakistan by 23 runs in Sunday's final in Dubai.

Sri Lanka had beaten Pakistan by five wickets in the Super Four on Friday to top the table, but nerves might have been jangling after Pakistan won the toss ahead of the title decider.

Prior to this meeting between two first-time 20-over finalists, 17 of the previous 20 T20I winners in Dubai had been the sides batting second.

And things did not start well for Sri Lanka either, with Kusal Mendis out to his first ball in one of five wickets inside nine overs.

However, after Dhananjaya de Silva had set the table with 28 from 21 balls, Rajapaksa led the recovery with the bat as he hit 71 from 45.

Hasaranga also ably supported with 36 from 21 as Sri Lanka posted a target of 171 that would prove beyond Pakistan.

Sri Lanka's start with the ball was similarly sloppy, with Dilshan Madushanka conceding nine runs before he had bowled a legal ball, but Pramod Madushan turned the tide by taking the wickets of Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman from consecutive balls.

Pakistan, having scored just 37 runs in the powerplay, improved courtesy of a partnership of 71 between Mohammad Rizwan (55) and Iftikhar Ahmed (32) before Madushan (4-34) struck again.

Then it was Hasaranga's turn in a dominant 17th over that had three wickets – including Rizwan's – to set up a straightforward finish that saw Pakistan all out for 147.

India's Asia Cup defence is in ruins after a thrilling six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka on Tuesday left the reigning champions needing a miracle to reach the final.

Defeat to Pakistan last time out left India essentially requiring a victory here, and they fell short as Sri Lanka ultimately held their nerve.

While Rohit Sharma top-scored with 72, India rarely looked in control, with Suryakumar Yadav (34) the only other to go over 17 runs.

With the impressive Dilshan Madushanka (3-24) helping to reduce India to 173-8, Sri Lanka will have been confident going into bat and an opening stand of 97 from Pathum Nissanka (52) and Kusal Mendis (57) had victory looking almost certain.

But Yuzvendra Chahal (3-34) sowed the seed of doubt as he took both openers and Charith Asalanka (0), while Ravichandran Ashwin (1-32) claimed the scalp of Danushka Gunathilaka (1).

Sri Lanka's momentum had dissipated, but Dasun Shanaka (33 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25 not out) got them back on track, their two boundaries in each of the 18th and 19th overs proving crucial as they reached 174-4 with a single ball remaining.

Shanaka turns up the heat

Sri Lanka's chase appeared to be petering out – there was a moment when they required a rate of more than 12 runs per over but were averaging just over eight.

Shanaka's haul of 33 may have been outscored by four other players on the day, but his knock came from just 18 balls at a strike rate of 183.3, the highest of anyone to record more than 15 runs, and it was crucial to Sri Lanka claiming victory.

Deadly Dilshan

This was a tremendous bowling display by the 21-year-old, with his dismissal of Virat Kohli for a duck particularly satisfying.

From his four overs with the ball, India hit just one boundary – every other Sri Lankan bowler had at least two against them.

There will be an increase in the number of men's international cricket for the 12 full ICC members in the next Future Tours Program (FTP) cycle.

Australia and India will play two five-match series in the 2023-2027 FTP cycle, with the last time they have contested that many matches in a series being back in 1992.

There will be 777 internationals during the next cycle - 173 Tests, 281 ODIs and 323 T20Is - compared to 694 in the current one.

England, Australia and India will play the greatest number of Tests, featuring in 22, 21 and 20 respectively.

The next cycle will include five major ICC events, starting with the Cricket World Cup in India next year.

ICC general manager of cricket Wasim Khan said: "I'd like to thank our members for the effort that has gone into creating this FTP for the next four years.

"We are incredibly lucky to have three vibrant formats of the game, with an outstanding programme of ICC global events and strong bilateral and domestic cricket and this FTP is designed to allow all cricket to flourish."

Pakistan made history as they completed an impressive victory over Sri Lanka in Galle, hunting down a venue record total of 342 to notch a four-wicket win.

The tourists went into the final day needing a further 120 runs with seven wickets remaining to claim one of their highest-ever pursuits in Test cricket.

Steered by Abdullah Shafique's unbeaten 160, the tourists managed to knock off the remaining tally with relative ease, posting an eventual score of 344-6.

The chase did not quite match Pakistan's best of 377 - also against Sri Lanka in Pallakele in 2015 - but exceeded the record pursuit in Galle, set by the hosts against New Zealand in 2019 when they notched 268.

The result also marks a major shift for both in the World Test Championship rankings, moving Pakistan up to third and giving them a shot of making next year's final.

They now only trail South Africa and Australia, while defeat drops Sri Lanka from third to sixth, moving India up to fourth and the West Indies into fifth.

The hosts will have a chance to strike back on Sunday when the second Test starts in Galle once more.

An unbeaten double century from Dinesh Chandimal and a six-wicket haul for Prabath Jayasuriya guided Sri Lanka to an emphatic win over Australia to level the two-Test series.

Sri Lanka completed their win by an innings and 39 runs on day four.

Chandimal had earlier watched on as Kamindu Mendis (61) was bowled by Mitchell Swepson without adding to his overnight score, with Niroshan Dickwella (5) following to Nathan Lyon (2-194).

But Ramesh Mendis (29) provided ample support to Chandimal by surviving for 98 balls, as the latter brought up his double hundred with consecutive sixes against Mitchell Starc.

Chandimal was the last man standing on 206 – the highest score by a Sri Lankan against Australia in men's Tests – as Starc (4-89) and Swepson (3-103) cleaned up the tail with the hosts 190 runs ahead.

Sri Lanka continued in the ascendancy as Ramesh Mendis removed David Warner for 24, with the score on 49-1, after Dickwella earlier missed a stumping chance to remove Usman Khawaja when on just two.

Khawaja did not capitalise on that chance, falling for 29 to Jayasuriya (6-59), who removed Steve Smith without scoring four balls later, before Travis Head (5) failed in his defence against Ramesh Mendis (2-47).

Marnus Labuschagne (32) and Cameron Green (23) offered brief resistance but both were dismissed by Jayasuriya, who completed his second five-for of the Test when Starc departed for a two-ball duck.

Maheesh Theekshana (2-48) then trapped Pat Cummins (16) and Lyon (5) in front, before Jayasuriya dismissed Swepson (0) for his 12th wicket of the match to bowl the tourists out for 151 and seal Sri Lanka's first Test victory over Australia since 2016.

Dreamy Dinesh joined by Jayasuriya

Chandimal posted his maiden Test double century as he surpassed his previous high score of 164 against India in 2017 to press home Sri Lanka's advantage and help his side to a memorable win.

Kumar Sangakkara previously held the highest Sri Lanka Test score against Australia (192 in November 2007), but Chandimal eased past that benchmark with a remarkable 16 fours and five sixes in 326 balls.

Where's your Head at?

Head has struggled in the series against Sri Lanka, posting double figures in just one of three innings – though a high score of 12 leaves a lot to be desired.

More concerningly, Head has been bowled on two of his three dismissals, leading to questions over his defensive technique on spin-friendly, challenging pitches in the subcontinent.

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