She’s now the No. 1 allrounder, the No. 2 batter and No. 3 bowler in the ICC rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2025

Two explosive hundreds at the World Cup have propelled Ashleigh Gardner six slots up the ODI batting rankings•Getty Images

Ashleigh Gardner’s storming Women’s World Cup 2025 has put her at a level seldom, if ever, attained by any allrounder, of any gender, in any format, in the history of the sport. She sits, following the latest update to the ICC rankings, among the top three batters, bowlers and allrounders in Women’s ODIs.Full rankings tables

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Gardner has been one of the most important drivers of Australia’s unbeaten run in the tournament so far, scoring 265 runs at an average of 88.33 and a strike rate of 128.01, and taking seven wickets with her offspin at 30.00. Four visits to the crease have brought her two hundreds, both coming in tense situations.When she walked in against New Zealand, Australia were 113 for 4, which soon became 128 for 5. She smashed 115 off 83 balls to lead them to a total of 326.Then, in a chase of 245 against England, Gardner entered with Australia 86 for 4. She scored an unbeaten 104, off just 73 balls, and put on an unbroken 180 with Annabel Sutherland to clinch victory with a whopping 57 balls to spare.Those knocks have propelled Gardner up six slots, from No. 8 to No. 2, in the latest update of the ICC’s ODI rankings, with only India’s Smriti Mandhana above her. Gardner has, meanwhile, kept hold of her top spot among allrounders and the No. 3 spot among bowlers.England’s Sophie Ecclestone sits on top of the bowlers’ chart with Australia legspinner Alana King, who took a World-Cup-record 7 for 18 against South Africa, in a career-best second place, having shot up five spots.

Callum McGregor’s stunning winner for Celtic against St Mirren on Saturday night in the Scottish Premiership looks even more important with the benefit of hindsight.

Hearts went on to lose to Aberdeen on Sunday in their match, which means that the Hoops are only four points adrift of the Jam Tarts and have a game in hand over them.

Martin O’Neill has done a terrific job in interim charge, winning all of his Premiership matches so far, but some of the players who struggled under Brendan Rodgers have also struggled under him, including Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

Why Balikwisha looks like a misjudged signing by Celtic

The Hoops signed the Belgian forward from Royal Antwerp in a deal worth up to £5m during the summer transfer window, but it was an odd piece of business because Sebastian Tounekti, who plays in the same position, was also brought in from Hammarby.

Tounekti has since started all 12 of his appearances in the Premiership and the Europa League, per Sofascore, whilst Balikwisha has started twice in the Premiership and is yet to start in Europe.

In fact, the former Antwerp star has been an unused substitute for O’Neill in the last two league games against Kilmarnock and St Mirren, which suggests that he has failed to impress the Northern Irishman in training.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Balikwisha has, therefore, been a bad signing for the Hoops because he has failed to earn a place in the team on a regular basis, and it was an odd move by the club given the deal they then clinched for Tounekti in the same area of the pitch.

The 24-year-old flop was not the worst attacking signing made by the Scottish giants in the summer, though, as that award may go to centre-forward Shin Yamada.

Why Shin Yamada was a worse signing for Celtic than Michel-Ange Balikwisha

He was a curious signing by Celtic in the summer transfer window because the Japanese forward only scored two goals in 21 J1 League matches in the 2025 campaign for his previous club, after a return of 19 goals in 38 matches in 2024, per Sofascore.

This suggests that the Hoops were signing a player who was on the decline, given his poor goalscoring record this year, and that made it a slightly puzzling move.

His time at Parkhead so far this season has done little to answer any questions around why the club decided to sign him on a permanent deal, as he has rarely featured or made an impact when given the opportunity.

Appearances

4

7

Minutes played

137

236

Goals

0

0

Big chances missed

2

0

Big chances created

0

1

Assists

0

1

As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha has played more matches and more minutes in the league, delivering one assist, than the former J1 League marksman.

Shin was also left out of the squad for the league phase of the Europa League, as Johnny Kenny, Kelechi Iheanacho, Daizen Maeda, and Callum Osmand were picked ahead of him in his position, whilst Balikwisha has made three appearances in that competition.

Brendan Rodgers said that Shin was a “strong player who can score goals and create for others” in his unveiling, but a return of two goals and one assist in 27 games for Kawasaki Frontale and Celtic combined, per Sofascore, in 2025 does not back that up.

The 25-year-old striker is yet to deliver a goal or an assist for the Hoops in six appearances in his first three months at the club, and appears to be well down the pecking order after being left as an unused substitute against St Mirren last time out.

O'Neill could drop Tounekti by playing "tenacious" Celtic star in new role

Martin O’Neill could finally drop Sebastian Tounekti from the starting line-up by playing this star in a new role.

ByDan Emery Nov 24, 2025

Therefore, as it stands, Shin is looking like an even worse signing for the Scottish giants than Balikwisha, who has at least provided an assist in the league and been included in the European squad list.

The five franchises in the WPL are set for a revamp, with the BCCI deciding to hold a mega auction ahead of the 2026 season. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the franchises have been told informally about the mega auction, which is likely to be held by end of November.The franchises are awaiting confirmation from the WPL on the number of retentions, the auction purse, the retention slabs and how many right-to-match (RTM) card options would be available. Those decisions will be finalised by the WPL committee, but there is no confirmation on when they are likely to meet. The dates for the 2026 edition are yet to be announced, although the BCCI had indicated earlier that the tournament would be held in the January-February window.The five-team WPL, the most lucrative event in women’s cricket, was launched in 2023 with Mumbai Indians emerging as the inaugural champions. Mumbai are the defending champions, while Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the title in 2024.It is understood that both Mumbai and RCB, along with Delhi Capitals, losing finalists in all three seasons of the WPL so far, are three teams who were not in favour of the mega auctions. All three franchises, it is learned, reasoned that they have worked hard to build their squads over the past three seasons and asking them to dismantle just when the WPL brand is getting established, could prove to be counter-productive.It is understood, however, that the two other franchises – Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz – support a mega auction. Both these teams have never made the final and are keen to overhaul their squads and rebuild. One WPL official said that while they understood the reservations of the three franchises against the mega auction, it was important to ensure the tournament had five strong teams, otherwise the imbalance could only harm the brand. The official also pointed out that franchises like RCB have shown in the IPL that they can build their brand identity independent of the players retained, though they agreed the presence of Indian star Virat Kohli was well leveraged by the franchise.Mumbai Indians celebrate with the 2025 WPL trophy•Getty Images

This official pointed out that at the same time, the WPL would ensure that teams would still have the opportunity to retain their core. It is understood while some teams were in favour of being allowed to retain at least six or seven players, the WPL could lean closer to five. What also needs to be worked out as part of the retention formula is how many RTMs each team could exercise at the auction along with the combination of capped and uncapped players.For the IPL mega auction in 2025, each of the 10 franchises were allowed a maximum of six retentions via a combination of retention and RTM. The six would comprise a maximum five capped players (Indian/overseas) and maximum of two uncapped Indian players. The RTM option gives a franchise the chance to buy back a player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise once the bidding is over. The RTM rule has never been used in WPL auctions.The WPL has been viewed as a gamechanger in women’s cricket, especially because of the monetary benefits for players. In 2023, Viacom 18 bought the WPL broadcast rights for INR 951 crore (USD 116.7 million approx.) for the period 2023 to 2027. The per-match value was worth INR 7.09 core (USD 866,000 approx.). India’s star batter Smrit Mandhana, the first player to be bought at the inaugural WPL auction (2023), remains the most expensive buy at INR 3.2 cr ($415,000 approx.).

Any millennial looking for work has likely heard one piece of sage advice from their elder generations that strikes them as wholly unrealistic.

You know the one: Just walk into the office of the company you want to work for, find the boss, give them a firm handshake and say, “I’d like to work for you.”

It’s annoying advice to get both in its over-simplicity and its accuracy. You can’t get a job you don’t put yourself out there for, and one Mets fan took that to heart on Wednesday.

Spotted in the late innings at Citi Field with the Mets well on their way to losing to the White Sox, one fan posted up a series of signs hoping to get the attention of SNY, the network broadcasting the game.

“I lost my job yesterday,” the first sign read. “@SNY hiring?” read the second, before capping off with a joke that he was ready to make a coffee run for whoever needed it.

SNY posted video of the sequence after showing it on the broadcast, encouraging the fan to DM his résumé.

I’m not the hiring manager at SNY, but this guy screams “go-getter” to me. Maybe this bit of eccentric job application will be the start of a beautiful chapter of this fan’s career.

Companies are always looking for someone willing to go above and beyond—and this potential employee clearly has the goods.

The Atlanta Braves have designated franchise legend Craig Kimbrel for assignment, according to Jon Heyman of the

The decision to cut ties with Kimbrel comes just one day after he made his first appearance with the Braves in over a decade. Kimbrel was called up from Triple A Gwinnett and pitched a scoreless inning in Friday's loss to the San Francisco Giants, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one.

The Braves are calling up reliever Austin Cox to take Kimbrel's roster spot.

Kimbrel had been pitching in Triple A after signing a minor league contract with Atlanta in the offseason.

There were a few interesting names on the teammates when Glasgow Rangers announced their U19 side to take on St Mirren on Monday night, as several first-team players were involved.

Dujon Sterling made his long-awaited return from an Achilles injury to start at centre-back alongside fellow first-team defender Clinton Nsiala, although the young Gers then found themselves 3-0 down at half-time, and went on to lose 4-2.

Along with those two central defenders, attacking midfielder Kieran Dowell played his first match since August, having been out through injury, after Russell Martin opted to keep hold of him in the summer.

Why Rangers should have sold Kieran Dowell

Since moving to Ibrox from Norwich on a free transfer in 2023, the English playmaker has failed to prove his worth to the Scottish giants on the pitch, which is why he should have been moved on before this season.

In almost two-and-a-half years at Rangers, Dowell has produced more goals and assists out on loan (ten for Birmingham) than he has for the Gers (five), per Transfermarkt.

The left-footed dud has scored two goals and provided three assists in 38 games for the club, including no goals and one assist in six matches under Martin this season.

His contract is due to expire at the end of the season, per Transfermarkt, and it remains to be seen if he is a part of Danny Rohl’s plans, with the likes of Djeidi Gassama, Mikey Moore, Oliver Antman, Nedim Bajrami, Findlay Curtis, and Thelo Aasgaard ahead of him in the pecking order.

Should his deal expire next year without him working his way back into the team to make a big impact at Ibrox, Dowell may well be looked back on as a pointless signing due to his lack of contributions on the pitch.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Meanwhile, one of Kevin Thelwell’s summer recruits currently looks like he is on course to be the biggest waste of time for the Light Blues since Dowell, Joe Rothwell.

Why Joe Rothwell has been a poor signing for Rangers

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course, because the idea of the signing of Rothwell on paper seemed solid. A technically sound central midfielder who could control the game in midfield, with experience in the Premier League and the Championship.

However, the midfield technician, signed on a permanent deal from Bournemouth, has not been able to deliver quality performances for the Light Blues on a consistent basis, as he has seemingly struggled with the intensity and speed of the football in Scotland.

It is always difficult to predict how a player will adapt to the intensity of the league, which is why so many players, like Dowell, flop after good spells elsewhere, and Rothwell has followed in Dowell’s footsteps as another player who has fallen short of the physical requirements.

25/26 Premiership	Joe Rothwell	Percentile rank vs CMs
Successful dribbles	4	Bottom 42%
Touches in the opposition’s box	4	Bottom 26%
Tackles	7	Bottom 26%
Duels won	16	Bottom 25%
Duel success rate	47.1%	Bottom 39%
Ball recoveries	22	Bottom 36%
Possession won in the final third	1	Bottom 19%
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the English central midfielder ranks poorly among his positional peers in a host of metrics based around physicality and mobility.

These statistics show that Rothwell, who has no goals and two assists in 19 appearances for Rangers, does not have the speed or mobility to consistently compete against other midfielders in the Scottish Premiership.

The 30-year-old dud, whom Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described as “rotten”, has been an unused substitute in all three of the league matches that he has been available for during Rohl’s tenure.

This suggests that the German head coach has not been too impressed by the English dud, which means that his future could be thrown into doubt in January should his game time not improve.

Thelwell signing is a bigger waste of time than Chermiti & Miovski at Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers flop is a bigger waste of time this season than both Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 24, 2025

Therefore, this Thelwell signing looks like the biggest waste of time at Rangers since Dowell because he is an experienced player who has not made an immediate impact on the pitch, and now looks to be surplus to requirements already.

Sometimes a game is just that for a club; other times, it feels far more consequential, and for Chelsea, their draw against Arsenal on Sunday evening falls into the latter category.

Enzo Maresca’s side went into the top-of-the-table clash with a point to prove, and while they didn’t win, they certainly proved it.

The Blues were all over the Premier League leaders from minute one, and even with a man down, continued to go toe to toe with the Gunners.

However, while most of the team put in stellar performances and more than secured their places in the starting lineup for the next game, there was one Chelsea star who had a middling day at the office.

The Chelsea stars who cemented their places in the team

As if there was ever really any doubt anyway, Reece James once again demonstrated that he has to start every game he is fit for, be that at right-back or in midfield.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

On top of providing the assist for the Blues’ goal, the unplayable captain also won 11 of 12 duels, played two key passes, won four fouls and completed three of four crosses.

In all, as presenter Olivia Buzaglo put it, it was a “gargantuan” performance from the Cobham graduate.

Speaking of academy graduates, another player who now has to be one of the first names on Maresca’s team sheets is Trevoh Chalobah.

The 26-year-old once-capped international was monstrous at the back against the Gunners, won 100% of his tackles, made six clearances, recovered the ball four times, won five of seven duels and didn’t get dribbled past once.

As if that wasn’t enough, he also rose to meet James’ corner and head it home early in the second half.

Staying at the back, Robert Sanchez again proved that he’s transformed from a liability between the sticks into one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Finally, while he didn’t get a goal or assist, Pedro Neto was undoubtedly the West Londoners’ best attacker on the night.

On top of doing his best to help out in defence, he was a constant threat on the counter and provided his side with a vital outball to relieve pressure towards the end of the game.

However, while most of the team should be starting the next game based on their performances, there was one Chelsea star who probably played himself out of the side.

The Chelsea player Maresca must axe

It seems harsh given the teams’ performance and the fact they held on with ten men, but there was one Chelsea player who underwhelmed on Sunday evening: Joao Pedro.

Now, there is absolutely no denying the Brazilian’s immense talent, nor the fact that, come the end of the season, fans will probably be more than happy with his efforts.

However, what is equally true is that, against Arsenal, the former Brighton & Hove Albion gem was really quite disappointing.

Even before the hosts went a man down, he offered little in attack, and when he was presented with a golden opportunity in the first half, he couldn’t sort his feet out in time. Joao Pedro

Then in the second 45, it quickly became clear that he was not holding the ball well enough for his faster teammates to counterattack, and he was therefore replaced by Liam Delap, who was far better at that.

Unsurprisingly, the watching press were not all that impressed with what they saw. For example, football.london’s Bobby Vincent gave him a 4/10 match rating and wrote that it ‘just wasn’t his day.’

That may sound a little harsh, but the 24-year-old’s match statistics prove it’s not.

Minutes

55′

Expected Goals

0.24

Goals

0

Total Shots

1

Big Chances Missed

1

Touches

21

Lost Possession

8

Total Passes

6/8

Ground Duels (Won)

5 (2)

Aerial Duels (Won)

3 (2)

Fouls

1

In his 55 minutes, the Brazilian took just a single shot, missed a big chance, took 21 touches – 43 fewer than Sanchez -, lost the ball eight times, failed in two of three dribbles and completed just six passes.

Ultimately, while Pedo is an excellent player, he was really quite disappointing against Arsenal and with Delap ready to step in, he should be dropped for Wednesday’s game.

Chelsea star who saved Caicedo is their "most underappreciated player"

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 30, 2025

Arsenal have now joined the race to sign Marseille striker Robinio Vaz, who they could be a perfect fit for their attack, but there is set to be competition from a Premier League rival.

Despite bringing in Viktor Gyokeres in the summer transfer window, the Gunners have still been left a little light on options at centre-forward this season, with the Sweden international missing the last two Premier League games, alongside long-term absentee Kai Havertz.

However, Mikel Arteta’s side didn’t look like they were missing their star strikers one jot on Sunday afternoon, making a real statement with a 4-1 victory against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby, with Eberechi Eze bagging a hat-trick.

Despite not scoring, Mikel Merino managed to impress in the absence of Gyokeres and Havertz, setting up Leandro Trossard’s opening goal, which suggests the north Londoners now have a deep enough squad to cope with any injury setbacks.

However, that hasn’t stopped Arteta & co identifying a new striker as a target…

Arsenal join race to sign Marseille striker Robinio Vaz

According to a report from Caught Offside, Arsenal have now joined the race to sign Marseille striker Vaz, with scouts of the belief he would be a perfect fit in their forward line, but there could be competition for the 18-year-old’s signature.

Chelsea have now taken the lead in the race for the striker, having already made contact with his representatives, while the Gunners are being more patient, given that the youngster is regarded as a long-term addition to the squad, rather than someone capable of making an instant impact.

The Ligue 1 side are reluctant to cash-in, but a deal could be relatively affordable for the two London giants if they choose to step up their interest, given that the Frenchman’s asking price is around the €20m – €30m (£18m – £26m) mark.

The teenager, who has made two Champions League appearances this season, has been described as “pure quality” by scout Jacek Kulig, and there have been signs he could be a difference-maker in Marseille’s push to win the Ligue 1 title.

The centre-forward has managed to impress when coming off the bench this season, and he already has four goals to his name in the league, while also registering two assists.

That said, while Vaz may have the potential to become a top-level striker, it would not be the end of the world if Arsenal miss out, considering Arteta already has Gyokeres and Havertz at his disposal, while Gabriel Jesus has now returned to first-team training.

Viktor Gyokeres has been named as one of the best strikers in the world The Best 15 Strikers in World Football Ranked (2025)

Who is the best number nine right now?

ByCharlie Smith Nov 20, 2025

Dwarshuis is back in Australia’s squad for the final two T20Is while Reddy may be ready to return to action for India

Andrew McGlashan05-Nov-2025

Mitchell Marsh and Suryakumar Yadav exchange smiles•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Big Picture: Who will strike gold on the coast?It’s not often an India series is overshadowed but, in many Australian cricket circles at least, this T20I series is not the major talking point, although it is far from insignificant for those involved. The day before the fourth match, with the series locked at 1-1, the Ashes squad dropped and it will likely continue to be picked over in the days ahead.There are even fewer links in Australia’s squad for this series to the upcoming Ashes with Travis Head and Sean Abbott having been released. Josh Inglis, who will have a quick turnaround into Sheffield Shield cricket after the series is done, is the only one who remains who is among those to be involved in Perth.Related

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India were excellent in leveling the series in Hobart. The chase was an example of their immense batting depth in T20 cricket. Only Tilak Varma had a strike-rate below 125, Washington Sundar, playing his first game of the series, hurried the game to a conclusion with some powerful strokeplay and Jitesh Sharma played with confidence having also come into the team.Tim David batted brilliantly for Australia, a continuation of his evolving role higher up the order which has the makings of a critical change to the team’s T20 plans heading into the World Cup. His 74 off 38 included one of the biggest sixes seen. However, the home side couldn’t quite recover from losing Mitch Marsh (who had only faced 14 balls by the eighth over) and Mitch Owen in consecutive deliveries against Varun Chakravarthy, although Marcus Stoinis’ well-constructed 64 was another positive for them.For Australia the last two matches of this T20 series played across Thursday and Saturday bring an end to an intensive run in the format. They are the last before the selectors will need to name a T20 World Cup squad although BBL form may yet play a part.Form guideAustralia LWWWW
India WLWWWBen Dwarshuis brings left-arm variety to Australia’s attack•Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Ben Dwarshuis and Abhishek SharmaLeft-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis put together an impressive run of games against West Indies and South Africa earlier this year, but has had some niggly injuries the past month which has limited him to one T20I out of the last six. But he is back in the squad for the final two games against India, replacing Abbott, and will bring valuable variation to the attack. With Mitchell Starc having retired from T20Is and Spencer Johnson working through a long-term injury, Dwarshuis is the leading candidate to fill the left-arm pace role at the World Cup.If Abhishek Sharma hasn’t tried to hit every ball for four and six, then he’s come close. On a more serious note, he did show the layers to his game with the superb 68 at the MCG in tough conditions. He is the only India batter with over 100 runs in the series and they have come at a strike-rate of 167.16. However, in Hobart he was out-thought by Nathan Ellis’ bouncer. He needs 39 runs for 1000 in T20Is. If Abhishek reaches the mark in this match he would equal Virat Kohli’s record of 27 innings as the fastest for India and he would become the fastest globally balls faced. Suryakumar Yadav is currently the quickest from 573 balls; Abhishek has currently faced 500.Team news: Eyes on Maxwell, Reddy may be readyHead’s departure from the series creates a vacancy for Matt Short to return to his favoured opening position. Glenn Maxwell wasn’t quite ready to return from his wrist injury in Hobart but it’s understood he is expected to be available. Dwarshuis would appear a logical addition to the pace attack unless Mahli Beardman is handed a debut.Australia (possible): 1 Matt Short, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Tim David, 5 Mitch Owen, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Ben Dwarshuis, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Matt KuhnemannIndia may consider the role Shivam Dube is currently playing after an expensive three overs in Hobart although they have all bases covered with their plethora of allrounders. Nitish Kumar Reddy may be available again after injury. “He did all his work that was needed or expected of him in fielding, batting, and bowling,” bowling coach Morne Morkel said. “He ticked all of that, so we will find out now after assessment where he is at.”India (possible): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Axar Patel, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Jitesh Sharma, 8 Shivam Dube, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsThere have only been two previous men’s internationals at Carrara – and one became a 10-over game – so previous evidence is limited. In the BBL the ground has the sixth-highest batting strike of venues to have hosted at least 10 matches.Stats and trivia Glenn Maxwell needs one wicket for 50 in T20Is, Marcus Stoinis needs two. They could each be the first Australia men’s player to complete the 1000 runs/50 wickets double in T20Is. Nathan Ellis needs three wickets for 50 in T20Is. Tilak Varma needs nine runs for 1000 in T20Is.Quotes”You need to have options available. Every team across the world are playing around with options. In this game, you need to be adaptable and where certain players can give you options in different roles.”

Both teams have two points each and are looking to add to it in their push to make the knockouts

Sruthi Ravindranath19-Oct-20252:39

Preview – Sri Lanka can’t control their fate

Big picture: SL move from wet Colombo to dry Navi MumbaiBangladesh and Sri Lanka head into their clash with two points each, yet their campaigns couldn’t have been more different. For Sri Lanka, those two points came courtesy washed-out games in Colombo. They have now moved to hot and humid Navi Mumbai, where they will begin their final leg with an outside chance to make the top four.Bangladesh had started brightly with a win over Pakistan, but have struggled since. They have run top sides close, but have fallen short at crucial junctures. Though Bangladesh are yet to beat Sri Lanka in ODIs, they will fancy their chances, given their spin attack has troubled established batting line-ups. The loser of Monday’s fixture will be knocked out of contention for the semi-finals.The two sides have met each other four times in ODIs, with Sri Lanka winning two and the other two being washed out. It will be a long shot for Bangladesh to make the semi-finals, but they can get there if they win their next two games and hope other results go their way. Even a top-five finish will be significant for Bangladesh, their senior spinner Fahima Khatun said on the eve of the match, in what is only their second appearance at an ODI World Cup.While Bangladesh’s batting remains a concern, their bowling, led by spinners, has been their strength. But it was a different story against Australia, who razed down their target of 199 with ten wickets to spare.Sri Lanka have had similar issues. While their batters have often made promising starts, they’ve lost wickets in clusters. But the washed-out match against New Zealand, where they posted 258 before rain had the final say, showed a glimpse of what they can do. In this match, it will come down to how well they operate against Bangladesh’s spinners, while Bangladesh will want to show some of their batting capabilities in their quest for a first win against Sri Lanka in ODIs.Form guideBangladesh LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLLLLIn the spotlight: Harshitha Samarawickrama and Sobhana MostaryHarshitha Samarawickrama has quickly risen through the ranks for Sri Lanka to become one of their batting mainstays. Since her 53 against India in the tri-series earlier this year, she has not scored a half-century in six innings though she’s got starts. Against England, she looked well set in the chase of 254 with a 58-run stand with Hasini Perera but lost her wicket to Sophie Ecclestone, which triggered a Sri Lanka collapse. Sri Lanka will be expecting more runs from their No. 4 as they look to finish their campaign on a high.Sobhana Mostary has been the most impressive Bangladesh batter in the tournament so far. She has two fifties, both coming against top oppositions in Australia and England. In a tournament where most other Bangladesh batters have struggled, the 23-year-old has stood out at No.5. She is adept at rotating the strike and finding the gaps. Against Australia, she was circumspect against Alana King but took on Annabel Sutherland and Darcie Brown, her 66 not out taking Bangladesh to a respectable 198.1:24

Fahima Khatun: We’ve lost games, but gained a lot of positives

Team news: Marufa Akter set to returnFast bowler Marufa Akter, who was rested for Bangladesh’s previous match against Australia, is expected to return to the side. “Marufa is better now, she has been training hard the last couple of days and I think we will have her fully fit for the next match,” Khatun said at her press conference.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Rubya Haider, 2 Fargana Hoque, 3 Sharmin Akhter, 4 Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), 5 Sobhana Mostary, 6 Shorna Akter, 7 Fahima Khatun, 8 Rabeya Khan, 9 Ritu Moni, 10 Nishita Akter Nishi, 11 Marufa AkterVishmi Gunaratne was on 12 when she was stretchered off the field against South Africa, after being struck by the ball on her left knee while completing a run. She, however, returned to bat and finished with 34 off 33 balls. Sri Lanka head coach Rumesh Ratnayake said she was “okay for selection” against Bangladesh.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 2 Hasini Perera, 3 Vishmi Gunaratne, 4 Harshita Samarawickrama, 5 Kavisha Dilhari, 6 Nilakshika Silva, 7 Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), 8 Piumi Wathsala, 9 Sugandika Kumari, 10 Malki Madara, 11 Inoka RanaweeraChamari Athapaththu is one away from 4000 ODI runs•Getty Images

Pitch and conditions: DY Patil Stadium gears up to host its first ODIThis will be the first-ever ODI at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The stadium has hosted 14 Vijay Hazare (List A) games in the last three years. The average first-innings score has been 252 with teams chasing winning nine games. Dew is expected to play a role at the ground.The forecast is clear for the entire day, with temperatures set to hit a high of 36 degrees. On the eve of the match, Bangladesh’s Khatun said she expects it to be a “sporting wicket with batters and bowlers expected to benefit from it”. Sri Lanka coach Ratnayake echoed her views.Stats and triviaChamari Athapaththu is one run away from 4000 ODI runs and four wickets away from 50 ODI wicketsFargana Hoque is 79 runs away from 2000 ODI runsSri Lanka wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani will play her 50th ODI match on Monday.