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Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Perera said that a renewed determination to bat through the innings enabled him return to form with a match-winning 77 from 53 balls in his side’s six-wicket win over Bangladesh on Tuesday at Khettarama.Having suffered a lean run of scores on the tour of Zimbabwe last year, and then having failed somewhat spectacularly in the Boxing Day Test in Port Elizabeth, Kusal was dropped from all of Sri Lanka’s squads. Kusal had also managed only 30 runs from six first-class innings upon his return to Sri Lanka.He found his feet again in the Sri Lanka A team, playing unofficial one-dayers against the touring England Lions. In that series he hit 59 and an unbeaten 70, scoring at well below a run-a-ball in both instances. His 77 at Khettarama was also as notable for his restraint as it was for his hitting. He took four overs to work himself into the innings, and at first, attacked only the deliveries in his strongest hitting zones.”I failed in the four-day matches after I came back, and I wasn’t prepared for them also,” Kusal said. “Sometimes you have to be prepared to fail. I realised I got a lot of starts but wasn’t finishing things off. Getting those 20s and 30s are of no use either to me, or the team. So I strove to bat till the end. When the loose ball comes I am anyway waiting to hit it, but recently I tried to bat long, and that’s what’s helped me.”An injury to Niroshan Dickwella, and Dinesh Chandimal’s continued absence in the T20 squads had meant that Kusal was virtually guaranteed to play this match. However, he did have to beat out competition for the opening position – there are four career openers in this squad. As it turned out, Kusal opened the batting with Upul Tharanga, but said a stable place in the XI was not among his motivations during this innings.”I don’t want to think about holding on to my place while I play,” Kusal said. “Any player can be dropped at any time, and that’s part of the game. If you’re constantly thinking about that possibility, you won’t be able to get far. What’s important is making the most of the opportunity you get, to do something for the team.”

New Zealand’s bruised top order will welcome back Martin Guptill for their must-win fourth ODI in Hamilton and are set to hand Luke Ronchi the wicketkeeping duties ahead of Tom Latham.The coach Mike Hesson did not confirm whether Latham would retain a spot as a batsman, but the hints were that he could be dropped after a run of six single-figure scores in a row including three ducks. Dean Brownlie, who was Guptill’s replacement, has retained his place in the squad which is just for the Hamilton match.”We talked at the start of the series about giving both keepers an opportunity. Tom has had the first three, so Luke is likely to have an opportunity there,” Hesson said. “We are delighted to have Martin back and that allows us to do that a lot easier.”Hesson indicated that a decision over Latham would not purely be taken with the thought of giving him a short break before the Test series even though he is a key plank of that top order.

New Zealand squad for fourth ODI

Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Neil Broom, Dean Brownlie, Lockie Ferguson , Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Jeetan Patel, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

“I don’t think anything is more important than anything else, the ODI series is huge for us,” he said in reference to whether the Tests were a priority. “Tom has struggled the last little while, he came off a great series in India, and has come home and hasn’t quite reached those heights yet.”Guptill has recovered from his dual hamstring injuries and his is a timely return after New Zealand were skittled for 112 in Wellington. Hesson called the performance “out of the box” and said the team had to readjust quickly to stay in the series.Guptill averages 42.52 from 141 ODIs and though he hasn’t batted in the middle for almost a month, he has been able to net regularly during his recovery.”He’s been batting all the way through, it was more about strength in the hamstring when running at top speed,” Hesson said. “Sure, you haven’t played in the middle so it will be challenging but he’s a world-class player and pleased to have him back.”A return for Ronchi will mean juggling elsewhere with him needing to fit into the middle order which could make Neil Broom vulnerable unless New Zealand ditch one of their allrounders.The offspinner Jeetan Patel has also been added to the squad after the considerable assistance that was on offer in the opening game of the series. Kane Williamson expects a different surface this time, with better weather in the build-up but Patel, who played his first ODI in seven years against Bangladesh in Nelson on New Years Eve, provides a specialist bowler who can spin the ball away from the left handers.However, it could be that Williamson is entrusted with a greater bowler role in the fourth ODI. “With Kane bowling, depending on conditions, he’s very much a sixth option and Hamilton is probably those conditions,” Hesson said. “Whether we go with the two allrounders, or slot Luke in a little higher we have options.”Hesson termed the challenge of winning back-to-back games against the world’s No. 1 team “exciting, really exciting” as they look to maintain an unbeaten home record in ODI series which dates back eight bilateral contests to January 2015. The last side to beat them on their own patch was South Africa in late 2014.

Legspinner Erin Bermingham and offspinner Leigh Kasperek have returned to the New Zealand women’s limited-overs squads for the upcoming home and away series against Australia women, after recovering from their injuries. Maddy Green, who missed the home series against Pakistan women in November, has also been included for the ODIs and T20 internationals.Bermingham had missed the series against Pakistan due to a fractured thumb, while a fracture of the right index finger in October had sidelined Kasperek for eight weeks.Offspinner Morna Nielsen, pacer Hannah Rowe and batsman Samantha Curtis, who were in the squad for the Pakistan series, have been left out, although coach Haidee Tiffen stated that all three players will remain in contention for spots in the Women’s World Cup squad. New Zealand have already confirmed their place in the competition, which will be held in June-July in England.Tiffen said hard choices had to be made while selecting the squads, highlighting the depth and competition for spots in the side. She said the selections were based on the performance of the players in New Zealand’s own domestic tournaments and the Women’s Big Bash League, which featured players like Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu and Rachel Priest.”Good players have missed out because the competition for spots in our world-class side is now more intense than ever,” Tiffen said. “We have improved depth, so we have hard choices to make – and that is exactly the situation we want to be in building up to the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.”We have seen some very special performances – from Amy Satterthwaite’s hat-trick to Sophie Devine’s fastest century, and it’s been an added bonus for us having two White Ferns in Suzie Bates and Rachel Priest captaining WBBL teams in high-intensity T20 cricket.”I’ve watched every single delivery of the WBBL and it’s been a timely insight. It has provided a litmus test for a number of our players against Australia’s top cricketers whom we will be facing very soon in both the T20 and one-day international formats.”New Zealand will travel to Australia for three T20Is, which will be played between February 17 and 22 in Melbourne, South Geelong and Adelaide. Australia will then visit New Zealand for three ODIs, which will be played in Mount Maunganui between February 26 and March 5.New Zealand women’s ODI squad: Suzie Bates (capt), Erin Bermingham, Sophie Devine, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Thamsyn Newton, Katie Perkins, Liz Perry, Rachel Priest, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea TahuhuNew Zealand women’s T20I squad: Suzie Bates (capt), Erin Bermingham, Sophie Devine, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Leigh Kasperek, Katey Martin, Thamsyn Newton, Katie Perkins, Liz Perry, Rachel Priest, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu

A washed out first day in Christchurch is unlikely to prompt wholesale changes in strategy, because there is still “plenty of time left in the game”, New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan said. Not even the toss was possible on Thursday, which means neither team has yet named their XI.Play is now set to begin half an hour early, for the following four days, as long as weather permits. A minimum of 98 overs is scheduled for each of these days, when usually, only 90 are expected to be bowled.”There’s not a lot of overs lost even though we lost the whole day today,” McMillan said. “We haven’t named our XI, and there are probably discussions on that tonight, but I don’t think too much has changed.”Though a day of rain may make an already green Hagley Oval surface even more conducive to seam movement, McMillan hoped the recent proliferation of greentops in New Zealand will have equipped his batsmen with the means to cope.”I think it’s fair to say looking at that surface that the toss will be important,” he said. “I think with the pitch being under cover today with the rain about, that first session tomorrow (Friday) is certainly going to be challenging. Hopefully, though, there’s enough movement for a couple of days, so that the team that wins the toss doesn’t have so big an advantage. I think there’s going to be enough for both teams in the first innings.”These are conditions that we’ve been in quite a lot over the last few years. We’ve batted first on a number of pitches that looked very similar to the one out there, and we’ve done it well. It’s nothing new to us but we still know that we have to get things right against a very good Pakistan attack.”McMillan had been charged with helping New Zealand’s batsmen – who were battered in India – regain some confidence ahead of the long home season. He said the top order had prepared specifically for the Pakistan attack, with special attention given to combating the left-arm angle that Mohammad Amir, and perhaps Rahat Ali, will provide.”I want to see the batsmen commit to their own personal game plan,” McMillan said. “We’ve done some good work over the last two days in the nets. Both sets of fast bowlers are licking their lips and are pretty excited I think by what’s on offer. I think they have to commit to the style and game plan that they want to follow through with and they have to make good decisions. They have to be nice and precise the way they go about it. If they do that, there’s a reasonable chance they can come out with some success.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGetty Images

In his first innings as a Test opener, Usman Khawaja scored Australia’s first hundred of the series, and their first in day-night Test cricket. In his first innings as a Test batsman, Peter Handscomb scored an impressive half-century. In his first innings as a Test batsman, Nic Maddinson was bowled for a duck. Such was the progression for Australia on the second day in Adelaide, where South Africa used the second new ball to fight back late in the evening.Most of this day belonged to Khawaja, who batted throughout it and by stumps had occupied the crease for 285 deliveries. But the last session was arguably South Africa’s as they claimed three wickets and reached into Australia’s tail, although a frustrating seventh-wicket stand between Khawaja and Mitchell Starc prevented them running through it. At stumps Starc had 16 and Khawaja was on 138, ready to take his innings into its third day.Khawaja was hoping the tail would help him build a big enough lead to worry South Africa – already the advantage was 48. Australia scored 95 runs in the first session, 100 in the second and 98 in the third and if runs did not come exactly briskly – Kyle Abbott was especially frugal and picked up 3 for 38 from 25 overs – a batsman could rotate the strike and pick off the bad balls once settled, as Khawaja did brilliantly.Khawaja was so patient that his first 80 deliveries brought only 18 runs. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise for Australia that David Warner was prevented from opening on the first evening because he had spent too long off the field having treatment on his shoulder. The tricky period before stumps on day one required watchfulness, and Khawaja carried that trait into the second day as Abbott especially asked questions of the top order.The debutant opener Matt Renshaw (10) and then Warner in the unfamiliar position of first drop both edged Abbott to third slip where Dean Elgar held both catches, the first so low to the ground it needed third-umpire confirmation and the second more at a more comfortable height. Australia were 2 for 37 and the innings could have gone either way. As it happened, Khawaja and Smith steadied perfectly by putting on 137 for the third wicket.Smith was dropped on 46 when he edged JP Duminy and Hashim Amla at slip juggled and dropped the chance, and the partnership only ended via a communication breakdown between Smith and Khawaja. On 59, Smith pushed Tabraiz Shamsi to point and called for a single. Khawaja set off before calling no and Smith seemingly did not hear and kept running. By the time he had stopped and tried to regain his own ground, it was too late.But if you’re going to sell the captain’s wicket cheaply you should at least put a high price on your own. Khawaja did that, and brought up his fifth Test century from his 197th delivery with a cut through point for four off Shamsi. He was prolific through the leg side, pulling well when the bowlers dropped short, and once he became used to Shamsi’s wrist-spin he used his feet and drove exquisitely through cover.He followed his century stand with Smith by compiling a 99-run partnership with Handscomb, and it continued Khawaja’s fine series – he has featured in seven of the 10 Australian stands of 50 or more in this series. But Handscomb was equally impressive during their time together at the crease. His first ball in Test cricket was a pearler from Vernon Philander that moved away just a fraction and beat the outside edge, but Handscomb survived and thrived.His method of batting deep inside his crease gave him time to cut effectively and he also used his feet to the spinners. He appeared unawed by the occasion and ensured the strike was rotated, in fact outscoring Khawaja by 14 runs during the stand. Handscomb struck six fours and three in succession off Philander brought up his fifty from his 70th delivery.In the end it was Abbott who breached Handscomb’s defences, seaming the new ball sharply in to bowl him for 54. As one debutant walked off another walked on, but where Handscomb had been calm and in control, Maddinson struggled to get his feet moving and finished with a 12-ball duck when Kagiso Rabada swung one in a searing yorker that rattled the stumps.In the next over, Philander had Matthew Wade caught behind and at 6 for 283, there was a risk Australia would collapse and their lead would be minimal. But by stumps, Starc had survived for 50 deliveries and frustrated South Africa’s hopes of a quick finish to the innings. And, as ever throughout the day, Khawaja was still there.