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The second ODI between Canada and Kenya was abandoned without a ball being bowled after storms on Thursday left large pools on the outfield. The match has now been shifted to Saturday. The third ODI is scheduled for Sunday.Canada thumped Kenya in the first ODI, chasing down the target of 114 in 16.2 overs. Khurram Chohan picked up 4 for 26 and Rizwan Cheema was scored an unbeaten 76. However Kenya won the preceding Intercontinental Cup match by an overwhelming 247 runs.

Daniel Flynn, the New Zealand batsman, has been working on playing spin ahead of the team’s tour of Sri Lanka later this month. Flynn, who has not played Sri Lanka in any format of the game, is preparing to face the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, by watching old videos of Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson batting in a 172-run stand in Colombo in 2003.”I’ve seen a bit of Fleming and Richardson but seeing it on TV compared to being out there facing it is a completely different story.” Flynn said he aimed to play the spinners off the back foot but also wanted to avoid being caught at the crease. “Obviously you’ve got to try to read these guys from the hand but as a back-up watch it off the wicket.”Flynn’s international experience in the subcontinent is limited to two Tests and three ODIs on the tour of Bangladesh last year. He scored 103 in three innings in the Tests, with no half-centuries, and 36 in the three ODIs.Flynn said it was important to rotate the strike when playing spinners. “You don’t want to be stuck down one end facing two overs of them because they’ve got so many variations that it gives them the opportunity to try them. Getting off strike is crucial.”

Match facts

Wednesday September 2
Start time 19.00 (13.30 GMT)Shane Bond will play for New Zealand after a two-year absence•AFP

Big Picture

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.

Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka LLWWW
New Zealand LLWLW

Watch out for…

The return of Shane Bond. A spate of persistent injuries had already forced Bond to retire from Tests but in a dramatic turnaround of events he quit the ICL and is now on the verge of an international return. Bond’s Twenty20 international record (12 wickets from nine games at 20.33) isn’t the best and he’ll be aiming to improve that rather than get overawed by the occasion. This is a crucial moment in New Zealand cricket.Sanath Jayasuriya has been overshadowed by Dilshan’s heroics in recent times but that doesn’t mean the swashbuckler has necessarily run out of gas. After three patchy one-day games and a Twenty20 against Pakistan Jayasuriya is under pressure to justify his place in Sri Lanka’s plans at the age of 40, so what better opportunity to remind everyone of his worth than against New Zealand? After all, he averages 56.00 with bat and 14.80 with ball against them, with two Man-of-the-Match awards.It’s been a low-key tour for Brendon McCullum and now is the time for New Zealand’s most explosive batsman to stand up. The owner of the most famous century in Twenty20 cricket has had his share of troubles in the Tests and will look at the arena where he has been so successful to revive his fortunes. McCullum has yet to cross 39 in four matches against Sri Lanka, a stat that may just be at the back of his mind. After a poor Test series, McCullum is back for this contest, and may just take out his ire at the criticism he’s attracted. Sufficed to say, this man is itching for another bout of big hitting.

Team news

Murali has been ruled out with a groin injury that flared up on day five at the SSC and the legspinner Malinga Bandara has been drafted in in his place. Opener Upul Tharanga has been rested and he has been replaced by the allrounder Farveez Maharoof. The other spinning allrounder, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, may also slot in. Angelo Mathews will return and there may be a debut for the rookie batsman Gihan Rupasinghe. Sri Lanka’s fast bowling attack is boosted by Lasith Malinga.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Kaushal Lokuarachichi/Malinga Bandara, 11 Lasith Malinga.New Zealand are likely to draft in a number of players with Bond’s return topping the bill. Bond and Kyle Mills will likely step into the role Chris Martin and Iain O’Brien filled during the Tests. Vettori didn’t confirm Mills’ selection but added that there will be a toss-up between Ian Butler and Nathan McCullum, who bowls offspin. Peter McGlashan will keep wickets to allow Brendon McCullum to clear his shoulders at the top. McCullum’s opening partner is slotted to be Ryder, meaning a likely promotion to No. 5 for Jacob Oram. The other allrounder’s spot will be contested between Neil Broom and Grant Elliott.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum (wk), 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jacob Oram, 6 Neil Broom/Grant Elliott, 7 Peter McGlashan (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Shane Bond, 11 Nathan McCullum/ Ian Butler

Pitch and conditions

Scattered thunderstorms are forecast for game day. Only two Twenty20s have been played here and one both occasions the reputation of the Premadasa forced the team winning the toss to bat. Chasing under lights has always been difficult at the venue but India’s Pathan brothers proved it could be done.

Stats and Trivia

• McCullum is the leading run-scorer in Twenty20 internationals, with 689 in 26 games at an average of 31.31 and a strike rate of 123.69. The leader for Sri Lanka, and second in the world, is Jayasuriya, with 541 runs at 30.05 and a strike rate of 138.36.
• Sri Lanka and New Zealand have met each other four times in Twenty20s, with Sri Lanka leading the head-to-head 3-1. New Zealand’s only victory came in Auckland in December 2006 to share the series.
• Sri Lanka have yet to win a Twenty20 at the Premadasa in two attempts.

Quotes

“He’s over 40 but doesn’t need any motivation. You look at him at practice, running around like a kid, full of enthusiasm and you realise just what a special player he is.”
“Well, it just gets better! That makes it easier because he’s a quality bowler so those are the differences between the last game.”
Vettori, when told during a press conference that Murali is not playing, points out a key difference from Trent Bridge.

ScorecardA blazing unbeaten 72 by Rameez Aziz guided Pakistan to a three-wicket win in the first Twenty20 at St Johns College Ground. His knock overshadowed a hat-trick by the legspinner Tinotenda Mutombodzi, who had the visitors in a spot of bother in the middle overs chasing 147.After opting to bat, Zimbabwe were lifted by a fourth-wicket stand of 63 between the captain Dylan Higgins and Mazvita Zambuko. Zambuko hit three sixes in his 27-ball 34 before falling victim to the legspinner Shahzaib Ahmed. Higgins continued to anchor the innings after the pair were separated in the 14th over. Higgins remained unbeaten on 55 and his knock featured three fours and two sixes.Pakistan, in their reply, were comfortably placed at 68 for 2 in the 11th over before Mutombodzi’s strikes jolted their progress. He bowled Babar Azam for 27 and then sent back Nasir Malik and Muzammil Nizam off consecutive deliveries in the same over. At 68 for 5, the home team had the opportunity to go for the kill but Aziz stood firm and took his team home with support from the lower order. His half-century included four fours and six sixes.The teams will face off again for the second one-dayer in Harare on Sunday.

Group A

Pakistan Customs stitched up a comfortable win, their first of the season, over Lahore Shalimar at Muridke. They began the third day with a lead of 181 and could only add a single run to that this morning, but by keeping Lahore Shalimar to 244 they allowed themselves an easy chase. Mohammad Iftikhar, the right-arm medium-pacer, struck twice early and then down the order to apply the pressure and the only batsman to reply was Sohail Idrees. Idrees batted 158 deliveries for an unbeaten 104, which contributed 59% of the total. However, it could ultimately only help set a target of 63, which was knocked off in 7.3 overs despite the loss of the openers.Zarai Tarqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) dominated the first half of the day, thanks to Kashif Daud’s six wickets, but a batting collapse handed the momentum right back to Habib Bank Limited(HBL) at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. From an overnight lead of 122, ZTBL added a further 117 to their score as Daud ran down the order for a career-best 6 for 72. The captain Hasan Raza’s 33 and an unbeaten 36 from Mohammad Aslam at No. 9 could yet prove to be crucial given the situation at stumps. Set a target of 240, ZTBL slipped to 91 for 5 with Sarmad Anwar taking three wickets.In Rawalpindi, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) finished a fine day’s work needing another 70 runs to win with eight wickets in hand. That this was the result was down to their work in the field, when they dismissed Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) for 180 after their own innings came down for 293. No major partnerships were allowed to flourish as four of the five bowlers used restricted KRL. There was just one half-century, from Ali Khan, and despite losing two before stumps, including the opener Naeemuddin for a first-ball duck, SNGPL are in prime position to achieve their fourth win in a row.Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) didn’t buckle under a weight of runs – not yet, at least – and held out for another day against National Bank of Pakistan in Faisalabad. From an overnight 274 for 2, NBP declared at 441 for 5 with Rashid Riaz (63*), Mansoor Amjad (45) and Qaiser Abbas (38) piling on the misery for SSGC. Trailing by 259, SSGC replied with a steady second innings to ensure NBP will have to work a little harder on the final day. There were no substantial contributions but SSGC reached 143 for 6, leaving NBP four wickets to take for their third win of the season.An interesting tussle between Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at the Gaddafi Stadium ended with the latter chasing 262 with ten wickets. PIA began the third day with a lead of 55 and extended it to 279 thanks to key roles at the top and down the order. Rafatullah Mohmand (48) and Adil Nisar (61) added 106 for the opening wicket but suffered a wobble after they and Jahangir Mirza (52) fell. However, the last five wickets rallied to add 129 and that set PIA a tough target. In the 2.3 overs left in the day they knocked off 17 of those.

Group B

Young fast bowler Mohammad Rameez capped an outstanding match by adding a career-best 8 for 27 to five in the first innings, helping table-toppers Rawalpindi beat Peshawar by 75 runs at the National Ground. Rameez was unstoppable with the new ball and utterly flummoxed Peshawar for a paltry 77. It was a stunning turnaround from Rawalpindi who, after being forced to follow on after making just 81, were carried to 334 thanks to Usman Saeed (79) and Zahid Mansoor (81). The pair rallied the top order confidently and a couple key hands down the order helped set Peshawar a target of 153. They didn’t even get near, with Rameez slicing them apart amazingly. Rawalpindi have won four from four.A tidy outing in the field set up a nine-wicket win for Sialkot over Quetta at the Jinnah Stadium. Kamran Younis carried from an overnight 147 to 182 and the wicketkeeper Ahmed Butt made 94 to help the score to 354 even as Arun Lal took four more to finish with 7 for 87 against a lack of support. Then Quetta folded for 156 in 39 overs to Sialkot’s seam attack, and a target of 16 was easily achieved.Faisalabad, despite making 309, were forced to follow on by Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground. The pressure of trying to get near Islamabad’s first innings of 485 told as no big stands were formed; the 84 for the second wicket was the best Faisalabad managed. Imran Ali battled with 73 from the top but received little support and Faisalabad needed 52 from Mohammad Salman and an unbeaten 39 from Zulqarnain at No.10 prop up the scorecard. Shehzad Azam (4 for 121) and Nasrullah Khan (3 for 96) shared seven wickets. Following-on, Faisalabad were 0 for no loss at the close.Chasing 316, Multan finished day three on 99 for 3 against Karachi Blues at the National Stadium. Multan only added nine to their first-innings total in the morning, after which Rizwan Haider and Zulfiqar Babar ran through Karachi Blues to dismiss them for 167. The duo struck all down the order and didn’t allow the opposition to dominate; there were no half-centuries while Shahzaib Hasan (42), Asad Shafiq (32) and Tanvir Ahmed (33) were cut off after they got starts. Shahzaid finished with 5 for 74 and Babar 4 for 43. Multan lost a couple wickets early on but were steadied by the No. 3 Rameez Alam’s unbeaten 58.Lahore Ravi replied well to Hyderabad’s 377, thanks to the opener and captain Kashif Siddiq’s 121 at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Siddiq, who resumed on 70, saw his side slipped from 114 for 2 to 149 for 6 but found assistance from the lower order. Waqas Ahmed (33), Mohammad Irshad (65)and Adbul Ghaffar (27*) were superb in getting the score up to 348. In their second innings Hyderabad finished the day on 61 for 3, a lead of 90.

The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Pankaj Dharmani has been appointed captain of Punjab, displacing Ankur Kakkar after three matches. Kakkar was dropped from the squad after Punjab’sinnings defeat to Tamil on Friday.Dharmani, 35, was the one bright spot in that defeat in Amritsar, scoring the only two half-centuries for the home side. During the second round of Super League matches, Dharmani crossed the 7000-run mark in the Ranji Trophy. He is currently the team’s leading run-scorer this season with 267 at an average of 44.50, with three half-centuries.”Taking stock of the performance of the Punjab team, selectors have made two changes in the squad. Gagandeep Singh and Manish Bhatia have come in place of Bharat Loomba and Ankur Kakkar,” said a PCA spokesperson.Punjab have yet to win a game this Ranji Trophy season after three attempts.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outDaniel Vettori became the most prolific No. 8 in the world•Getty Images

Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum punished Pakistan on a day on which only 36 overs of play were possible due to rain and bad light in Dunedin. When Vettori bunted Saeed Ajmal for a single minutes into the second session, he beat Shane Warne as the highest run-getter at No. 8. While Warne’s 2005 runs came at an average of 19.09 in 91 Tests, Vettori got there in less than half the number of matches with an average of 43.86. Vettori, however, missed becoming the first No. 8 to score back-to-back Tests hundreds by one run.The pitch seemed to have eased out on the second day, Pakistan went on the defensive too early, and Vettori and McCullum applied themselves remarkably during their 164-run seventh-wicket partnership. The seam bowlers did create a couple of chances, both against McCullum. The first was in the second over of the day when Mohammad Asif induced an outside edge that flew through third slip, a fielding position that was left vacant in order to have a deep point. McCullum had added one to his overnight 25 by then. In the 12th over, Umar Gul got a leading edge that flew over midwicket. Mohammad Aamer and Asif hit the bodies of McCullum and Vettori once each with bouncers. And that’s all Pakistan had to cheer about.All the cheer was in the New Zealand camp with their captain, statistically their best batsman in recent years, leading from the front. Vettori had trouble against the bouncer but anything loose was punished with certainty. Both versions of the cut were on view; the full-blooded one to the left of point, the late one to the right. And when Vettori received one bouncer too many, he upper-cut Aamer over slips.While Vettori was doing what came naturally to him – good eyes, smart batting, big heart – McCullum had to continue curbing his natural attacking game. He did that just fine in the last hour on the first evening, and improved on the second morning. After that edge early in the day, he tightened his game further. He negated Asif effectively, covering all stumps, taking the lbw and bowled out of the equation by getting outside the line, and using soft hands when playing outside off. The odd over-pitched delivery was driven down the ground mercilessly.Once Aamer and Asif were played out, with 41 runs added in 10 overs and both batsmen through to their fifties, it became more about accumulation against Saeed Ajmal and Gul. Vettori was involved in a seventh-wicket 100-run partnership for the sixth time but, just when it seemed the duo was close to inflicting irreversible damage, Gul produced – out of nowhere – a yorker in the last over before lunch to send McCullum back.After the break, though, persistent rain sent the players in and they returned with hands in pockets deep into the final session. In the 4.5 overs possible before bad light ended play for good, Vettori drove nicely through covers, was again dropped at first slip, before missing out on a century. On 99, Vettori looked to cut a full delivery from Gul, and an edge finally went to hand, making sure Gul remained the only centurion in the match. The catcher in this case, Kamran Akmal, was the record-holder along with Vettori for most centuries for a No. 8, three.

Ben Stokes, the 18-year old allrounder, has signed a two-year professional contract with Durham, having recently been named in England’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup.Stokes joined the Durham Academy in 2007 and made his Second XI debut in the same year, where he took a career-best 4-19 against Leicestershire. In 2009 he made his first appearance for the senior squad in the Friends Provident Trophy against Surrey at The Oval and went on to feature in the 40-over competition later in the season. He also played an Under-19 Test for England against Bangladesh at Derby in July, making 72 in the first innings and an unbeaten 17 in the second.Stokes said he is looking forward to learning from the senior players in a very successful club. “It’s been an exciting few weeks for me and I’m really happy to have signed my first professional contract. It’s great to be involved with such a successful club and it’s been a real benefit to have a varied group of players around me who I can go to for advice. I can’t wait for the 2010 season to start.”Geoff Cook, the Durham coach, said the Stokes had been rewarded for the hard work he put in this season. “We set Ben a number of challenging targets for the 2009 season and he worked incredibly hard to meet them. The transition from Academy to second XI and on to the first team can be a tough one but I have been impressed by the way he has performed. He’s a great young talent and I’m pleased that he’s going to be part of the squad for the foreseeable future.”

Fairlie Dalpathado, a successful allrounder for St Joseph’s College and Ceylon, as it was then known, has died at the age of 85 at his residence in Kirillapone. He was buried according to his wishes within 24 hours by his family.As a player, Dalpathado excelled for his alma mater and later for Sinhalese Sports Club and then All-Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then known as). He dominated in a post-war era where cricketers of his caliber were hard to come by. Dalpathado is best remembered for leading the unbeaten St Joseph’s side against a Combined Schools team led by Vernon Prins of St Thomas’, which included eight captains and nine centurions, in 1943. In this historic encounter Dalpathado contributed 59 with the bat and then bundled out the strong Combined Schools side for a mere 35, capturing 6 for 17 with his right-arm fast-medium deliveries. However, the organizers refused permission for St Joseph’s to enforce the follow-on fearing an early finish to the match before the chief guest Governor of Ceylon Sir Jeffery Layton arrived.Dalpathado moved to SSC to display his all-round skills and in 1949 made his debut for Ceylon under the captaincy of Derrick de Saram against a West Indian side led by John Goddard. He also represented his country under the leadership of Malcolm Spittel against Freddie Brown’s Englishmen and toured Pakistan with the Ceylon team led by Sargo Jayawickrama in the 1950s. He was at the time regarded as the leading allrounder in Sri Lanka.Even at the age of 60 he showed that he had not lost any of his touch as a bowler when he took eight wickets for Chilaw Marians (he was born in Chilaw) against Wattala Antonians in a division III cricket match. Dalpathado turned to coaching to pass on his valuable experience to future St Joseph’s players. He coached his school on three different occasions – in 1949 for a year, from 1965-73 and from 1975-88. During his 20-year tenure as coach, Dalapathado produced four champion sides and five outstanding captains in Rohan Weerakkody, Ashley de Silva, Nirmalal Perera, Jeevaka Candappa and Jonathan Alles.Dalpathado also excelled at tennis taught him by his father. He worked at the Tea Control Department and retired at Tea Small Holdings as assistant manager. He is survived by his Indian-born wife Therese Abraham whom he met during one of his tennis tournaments to India and son and two daughters.

Ollie Rayner, the Sussex offspinner, has joined the Zimbabwe domestic side Mid West Rhinos for their Twenty20 competition.Rayner didn’t feature in the Sussex side as they won the 2009 English Twenty20 Cup which secured them a place in the Champions League, but with Rory Hamilton-Brown’s departure to Surrey there will be an opening for a spin-bowling allrounder in the line-up for this coming season.”It’s a great opportunity for me and this is a part of my game that I really want to develop,” Rayner said. “Branching out into all forms of cricket is where I want to go and I think that I have the potential to make a name for myself in Twenty20 cricket. It’s a chance that I want to take up and hopefully I’ll come back and hit the season running.”Mark Robinson, the Sussex cricket manager, added: “We are eager to encourage this opportunity for Ollie, as we’ve asked him to work on all aspects of his game. He’s now got an early opportunity to put the work that he has done into match situations. I’m sure this will benefit him.”