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Cricinfo previews the only Twenty20 international of Sri Lanka’s tour of England

The Preview by Andrew Miller24-Jun-2011

Match facts

Saturday, June 25, Bristol

Start time 1430 (1330 GMT)

Big Picture

Stuart Broad: braced for leadership•Getty Images

With 15 months to go until Sri Lanka host the next World Twenty20 in September 2012, England’s preparations for the defence of their title get underway this weekend. Their victorious captain, Paul Collingwood, has been put out to pasture; their point-of-difference seamer, Ryan Sidebottom, has retired to see out his days with Yorkshire. Instead, it’s over to the untested leadership of Stuart Broad, whose first match in charge promises to be a stiff challenge against a hard-hitting Sri Lankan line-up with plenty to prove after an uninspiring performance in the Test series.Broad was not at his best in the Tests either, and despite a brighter finish to the series at the Rose Bowl, his effectiveness was limited in the latter stages by a bruised heel. However, it has been confirmed that he will play, albeit with heavy strapping, and will need to rediscover his A game as he takes charge of a seam attack with limited experience at this level. Chris Woakes impressed with his big-game mentality in Australia, while Jade Dernbach has been there or thereabouts since his shock call-up to the World Cup squad. But neither man has yet featured in a home international.For both sides, there are more questions coming up than can reasonably expect to be answered in a one-off contest. If Broad thinks he’s got it tough, then pity Thilina Kandamby, who will also be making his international captaincy bow in a batting line-up featuring three former skippers in Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya – the latter, of course, a highly contentious selection.Sri Lanka’s bowling will have some bite compared to their toothless showing in the Tests, thanks to Lasith Malinga’s return to the fray. England, meanwhile, suffered a scare in training when their new captain tripped over a medicine ball, of all things. He’s got a bruise to his dignity to go with the one on his heel. But he’s fine.

Form guide (most recent first)

England LWWWW

Sri Lanka WWLLW

The spotlight

Sanath Jayasuriya’s return to international cricket at the age of 41 has not been universally welcomed, least of all by certain members of his own team. However, against Worcestershire on Wednesday he did serve notice of his enduring qualities with a hard-hitting knock of 78 from 60 balls at the top of the order. The political implications of his presence are rife, and have the ability to over-shadow the contest itself. But so long as he can justify his involvement by scoring runs, the edge will be taken off the argument against his inclusion.No player outside the England team has excited more column inches in recent years than Samit Patel, Nottinghamshire’s talented and combative allrounder, whose undeniable abilities have been stymied by his stubborn refusal to keep an eye on his waistline. For season after season, his omission from England’s squads would be followed by an exasperated quote from Geoff Miller or Andy Flower, and there’s no doubt that England would have loved to have him in the subcontinent this winter for an arduous World Cup campaign. Now, at last, he has his chance again. As his Nottinghamshire coach, Mick Newell, told ESPNcricinfo last week: “Good luck … don’t cock it up.”

Team news

A new beginning for England, but the team will have a familiar look to it nonetheless. The forgotten men of England’s World Twenty20 triumph, Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb, are expected to be restored to the top of the order, with Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright and Graeme Swann joining Broad among the survivors of that triumph. The changes include Collingwood’s experience making way for Ian Bell’s expertise, while Samit Patel takes on the spinning allrounder role vacated by Michael Yardy.England (probable) 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Michael Lumb, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad (capt), 10 Chris Woakes, 11 Jade Dernbach.Still no Tillakaratne Dilshan for Sri Lanka. His squashed thumb, courtesy Chris Tremlett, is taking a long time to heal. Mahela Jayawardene moves up to the top of the order, from where he hopes to kickstart a tour in which he’s been troublingly short of runs. Angelo Mathews, another talent who was sorely missed in the Test series, will slot into the middle order if he comes through a fitness test tomorrow morning.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Thilina Kandamby (capt), 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Nuwan Kulasekera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Suraj Randiv, 11 Lasith Malinga,

Pitch and conditions

With a day to go until the match there’s a bit of grass on the surface to encourage the seamers, with the prospect of overnight rain to keep things fresh. The match itself is scheduled to be dry.

Stats and trivia

• England and Sri Lanka have faced one another in two previous Twenty20 internationals, most recently in St Lucia during the World Twenty20 semi-final last year.
• England’s seven-wicket victory in that game atoned for their two-wicket loss in their only other encounter, at the Rose Bowl in 2006. Kevin Pietersen is the only England player remaining from that game.
  

  Quotes

  “I always have a mindset when I walk out onto the pitch that I have to think like a captain, I’ve been very fortunate to play under the likes Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood – some brilliant captains – and I’ve learnt a lot. I feel 100% ready to lead the side.”
  
  Stuart Broad is braced for the challenge that awaits him on Saturday”It is good that I am starting my career captaining at this level with that experience behind me – Mahela, Sanath, Kumar all there. It will be good.”
  Thilina Kandamby is happy to see some familiar faces

Former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq, widely regarded as the inventer of the doosra, hailed the retiring Muttiah Muralitharan as the “best spinner of his generation”

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2010Former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq, widely regarded as the inventor of the doosra, hailed the retiring Muttiah Muralitharan as the “best spinner of his generation”.”I have no doubt in my mind he was the best spinner of his generation,” Saqlain told PTI. “A champion bowler no matter what some people say. I am sure many batsmen would have heaved a sigh of relief knowing he is going to retire now.”Saqlain confounded batsmen from the late 90s onwards with the doosra that spins from leg stump to off, the offspinner’s equivalent of the googly. He was particularly effective in ODI cricket, where he was one of the rare spinners operating in the slog overs. Over the years, his surprise element waned as he tended to over-use the variation, and he played his last match for Pakistan in 2004. Saqlain was generous in heaping praise on Murali, who is credited with having perfected the mystery ball, now a regular fixture in an offspinner’s repertoire.”You can learn a lot from just watching him bowl and his videos are a must see for young spinners. To be honest I don’t think in the next 100 years, cricket is going to see a spinner of his calibre,” Saqlain said.”The best thing about him is that he had no pretensions or airs about him and I am sure even after retirement he will be around to help and guide the youngsters aspiring to be successful slow bowlers.”Saqlain also said there was no room for debate on Murali’s bowling action since the ICC had cleared it. “In all fairness I don’t think his action is suspect. The fact is that when the ICC cleared his action why should anyone have even raised questions about his action.”

Nadine de Klerk, who is recovering from an Achilles’ injury, is also part of the Laura Wolvaardt-led side

Firdose Moonda03-Sep-2024South Africa have named 18-year-old uncapped legspinner Seshnie Naidu and 20-year-old seamer Ayanda Hlubi in an otherwise experienced 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup in the UAE. Both players were part of the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup held in South Africa last year.The rest of the squad members, apart from wicketkeeper batter Mieke de Ridder, were part of the playing group that reached the final of the 2023 T20 World Cup. From those, Lara Goodall, Masabata Klaas and Delmi Tucker miss out, and Shabnim Ismail has since retired.Dillon du Preez will continue to coach the side in an interim capacity, after taking over Hilton Moreeng in June. South Africa have yet to appoint a permanent head coach.The squad will be captained by Laura Wolvaardt, and includes the experience of allrounder Marizanne Kapp, opener Tazmin Brits and seamer Ayabonga Khaka. Nadine de Klerk, who is currently recovering from an Achilles’ injury, is expected to be fully fit for the tournament. Having last played against India in July, South Africa will play three matches in Pakistan en route to the UAE.The inclusion of Naidu and Hlubi comes amid talk of a comeback by Ismail and former captain Dane van Niekerk, suggesting South Africa are looking forward. While Ismail retired after the 2023 T20 World Cup final, van Niekerk quit amid controversy after she failed to make the T20 World Cup squad over fitness concerns. Ismail continues to play in T20 leagues. Convener of selectors Clinton du Preez said there was “no conversation” around a comeback but van Niekerk has signed with Western Province for the upcoming season. She told ESPNcricinfo she has “no timeline” on a possible return to the national side, and du Preez reiterated that she would have to re-earn her place.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“The message is very clear,” du Preez said. “She has opted to come back and play provincial cricket and she has got to try and knock down the door, do whatever she does best, and then we will consider and see how it goes forward.”Du Preez called the current status of the squad as being in “transition”, and Naidu and Hlubi are among the first to benefit from that. Both play their cricket at the Durban-based Dolphins team, where Hlubi was among the top ten wicket-takers in 50-over cricket in Division One last summer. She also toured to Australia with the national team.”She’s got good attributes as a quick bowler,” du Preez said. “We followed her in the provincial competition, and definitely look at her excitement as a bowler, and going into a World Cup as a player that is not known to quite a few countries. We are looking at what she can bring towards and complement her bowling attack.”Naidu’s career is in its infancy but she has already played in a major continental tournament as well. She was part of the South African Emerging Women’s squad that competed at the Africa Games in Ghana earlier this year and has been identified as a future star.”Seshnie Naidu has shown significant growth as a bowler within our camps, and we see her as an X factor for the World Cup,” du Preez said. “She brings a unique element to our bowling attack, offering something different that could be pivotal.”Ayanda Hlubi made her South Africa debut last year•Getty Images

Nonkululeko Mlaba, another Dolphins player, who was once ranked second in the world in T20Is, will lead the spin attack. South Africa have several seam-bowling options, including Kapp, Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune and de Klerk. If there is a concern, it may be around batting depth with the squad overly reliant on Wolvaardt, Kapp and Brits especially as Sune Luus has struggled for form. Luus has not scored more than 19 in any of her six innings in T20Is this year and has been dismissed in single figures four times.Luus’ dip came after she led South Africa in their stunning run to last year’s T20 World Cup final and as a team, their performances have followed suit. Since that tournament, South Africa have only won five out of 18 T20Is and have lost series to Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka.At the upcoming World Cup, they will not play any of those teams in the group stage. They are in Group B and will open their campaign against West Indies in Dubai before playing England in Sharjah. They will then return to Dubai to play Scotland and Bangladesh.Like all the other teams at the tournament, South Africa have never played a T20I in Dubai but Luus and Khaka have some experience of Sharjah. They were in the squad that played against Pakistan in a T20I series in 2015.”The management group has consulted in depth in the past week around all the conditions and all the potential factors that could impact things,” du Preez said. “It’s going to be difficult to adapt. However, we feel that the squad that we have got will be able to complement us on the field of play.”

South Africa squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon
Travelling Reserve: Miane Smit

Seamer approaching his ninth Ashes with a relaxed mindset about how many Tests he plays

Andrew Miller06-Jun-2023Like a fine wine, has Stuart Broad mellowed with age? That would appear to be the impression on the eve of his ninth Ashes campaign, with his admission that he doesn’t mind when or how he is deployed in the coming five Tests against Australia, just so long as he plays his part in an Ashes-winning squad performance.At the age of 36, Broad demonstrated his enduring qualities as a strike bowler with five first-innings wickets in England’s ten-wicket win over Ireland at Lord’s last week. However, with James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood all in the running for recalls at Edgbaston, he knows there is no guarantee that he’s done enough to be in the starting line-up for the series opener next week.Such a prospect would have left Broad furious in recent years. Against West Indies in 2020, he declared himself “frustrated, angry and gutted” after being omitted for the series opener at the Ageas Bowl, despite having been England’s leading wicket-taker over the previous two years, an achievement that had led him to believe he was in possession of “the shirt”.Related

• Is Broad brewing something spectacular ahead of the Ashes?

• Australia add three-time Ashes-winning coach Andy Flower to backroom staff

• Pat Cummins 'aiming to play all six' Tests over English summer

• Moeen considering Test comeback after England Ashes call

And similarly, for the first Test of the last Ashes in Brisbane, neither Broad nor his veteran partner Anderson was selected for a series-defining nine-wicket loss, with England instead going in with a seam attack comprising Robinson, Wood and Chris Woakes, who had never previously played in the same XI.This time, however, with England boasting a record of 11 wins from 13 Tests under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, Broad says he has absolute faith in their methods and management, and will have no complaints if they decide to hold him back for a later date in the campaign.”I’m just flowing around at the moment,” Broad said, aptly enough, during a sponsor’s event for Laithwaites wine at Lord’s. “I feel really happy with how my cricket is, how life is. I feel fit, I feel fresh. Whether I play at Edgbaston, whether I play at Lord’s, Headingley … I don’t mind, I play really well at all of them.”I love playing against Australia, and whether that’s the first Test, the fifth Test, the third … I’m happy to try and strike whenever I get the chance. I think ultimately as a team we’re going to need every bowler, and we’re going to need to take 100 wickets to win the Ashes. But my ultimate aim is to be fit and fresh and playing at The Oval, because that’s the fifth, and that means I’ve done my job for the group.”It’s a far cry from his non-conformist attitude under the previous Test regime, typified by his anger at the Ageas Bowl and Brisbane, but best expressed in a memorable press conference midway through the fourth Test of that last Ashes. Facing up to another dire match situation at Sydney, he urged England to stop hedging their selection with future events in mind, adding that “if you don’t win the battle in front of you, it’s all irrelevant”.”At Brisbane I was raging. So yeah, I’ve definitely changed. And in a good way. I see my role as striking when I get the chance but also, we won’t be having interviews like the Ageas Bowl. I quite enjoy doing that but …”Broad was talking at a Laithwaites event•PR

As it happens, Broad bounced back after that Ageas Bowl snub with 16 wickets in the remaining two Tests against West Indies, including a ten-for in the series decider at Old Trafford. “Maybe that’ll be the tactic,” he joked. “Leave me out at Edgbaston so I fire up at Lord’s! But I’m very comfortable. I’m just really enjoying the environment.”The communication’s really clear, that we’re going to need everyone. It doesn’t feel like a closed shop. It’s a really addictive environment to be around, and we’re just happy for everyone’s success. So ultimately, if I only play one game and we lift the urn at The Oval, that’s a massive tick in England cricket’s box. It’s not about me, it’s about the collective. But I think I’ll play more than one …”Broad has already played ten more Tests than he might have envisaged 13 months ago, when he and Anderson were axed in the wake of England’s 4-0 Ashes loss. But the fact that England have turned their fortunes around with more or less the same set of core players is proof not only of the wizardry of the so-called Bazball mindset, but that Broad himself was right in his insistence about living in the now.”We had to change that habit of, every four years, going to the Ashes and if we lose it, tear it up and new people come in and start the process again,” he said. “It was just a cycle repeating too often.”You can’t take the emphasis off the Ashes because it’s our biggest series. You only have to be driving through service stations in the last year and it’s ‘come on guys, beat Australia’ – our country has a love affair with Ashes cricket, but as an organisation we had to get our mindset away from personnel losing their jobs if results didn’t go the way you want them to.”I think we have lived in a really healthy way in the last 12 months,” he added. “The Ashes was only mentioned for the first time in the post-match debrief against Ireland, and it was ‘it doesn’t matter what the results as long as we stick to how we play’. As long as we have kids watching and saying ‘wow that’s incredible’, then we have done our jobs.”Stuart Broad was speaking at the launch of wine merchant Laithwaites’ partnership with England cricket. For exclusive offers on great wines this summer, visit laithwaites.co.uk

Titans beat Knights by an innings and 153 runs and North West lost to Boland by an innings and 20 runs in Division One fixtures

Firdose Moonda31-Jan-2022Some of South Africa’s Test-squad members had the opportunity to fine-tune their skills in the most recent round of four-day matches. Duanne Olivier, Lutho Sipamla, Wiaan Mulder, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne, Glenton Stuurman, Sarel Erwee and Simon Harmer all featured, while the other nine players, all regulars, were given the week off. South Africa will depart for a two-Test series in New Zealand, which was preceded by a ten-day quarantine, on Wednesday.The fixture with the largest number of internationals took place in Cape Town, where the table-topping Lions held on to their lead, and for a draw against Western Province. Olivier went wicketless in the first innings and Sipamla took 1 for 47, but Malusi Siboto’s 4 for 31 helped dismiss Western Province for 315. Rickelton held the Lions together after they had stumbled at 27 for 2, with 90, but the Lions conceded a deficit of 28 after being bowled out for 287. Left-arm spinner Kyle Simmonds took 6 for 109.Western Province went on to set the Lions a challenging target of 366 thanks largely to Jonathan Bird’s 152*. At one stage, their bowlers looked set to secure the Cape Town-based team their first win of the season, and Simmonds finished the match with ten wickets, but Rickelton’s unbeaten 102 kept Western Province at bay.With Aiden Markram given the week off, Rickelton, who is second on the overall run-scorers’ chart, may think he has done enough to at least make the national selectors reconsider their Test opening pair, but he faces competition from Erwee, who scored 93 for the Dolphins in their draw with the Warriors where Stuurman took 5 for 97. The Warriors are second on the log, less than half a point (0.48) behind the Lions, with one round of fixtures to be played in the first week of March.Then, the Warriors take on the Knights, who lost by an innings and 153 runs to the Titans.Heinrich Klaasen’s 84 and Sibonelo Makhanya’s 111 as well as four half-centuries in the Titans’ line-up saw them post 515 for 9 declared in Bloemfontein. The Knights were shot out for 197, with Harmer claiming 4 for 70, and then asked to follow-on, where they were bowled for 165. Harmer took eight wickets in the match and is now the leading bowler in the competition, with 35 wickets, seven ahead of Olivier.The final Division One clash was played between the two newcomers to the top tier, Boland and North West, and Boland won their first match of the competition to move to fifth place. Stiaan van Zyl’s 127 was sandwiched between the Malan brothers’ half-centuries and helped Boland declare on 485 for 7.North West were no match and were dismissed for 170 with left-arm spinner Siyabonga Mahima taking 6 for 54. They followed on and were bowled out for 295 in the second dig while Mahima finished with nine wickets. Pieter Malan and Janneman Malan have identical figures for the competition, having each scored 382 runs, with one century and two fifties. They average 76.40 but neither is in the Test squad.Division Two results

• Northern Cape lead the pack after an innings-and-271-run victory over Boland, who were dismissed for 86 and 168 respectively. Hundreds from Ernest Kemm and Aubrey Swanepoel allowed Northern Cape to declare on 525 for 5.
• South Western Districts are in the top half of the table after beating Limpopo by eight wickets. The match was finely poised when Limpopo scored 227 and South Western Districts responded with 245, to lead by 18 runs. But Limpopo fell away and were dismissed for 69 in their second innings, leaving South Western Districts 52 to win.
• Easterns dominated Mpumalanga and won by ten wickets in White River. Mpumalanga posted 224 before Grant Thomson’s 145 helped Easterns to 393. They bowled Mpumalanga out for 198 and needed just 30 for victory.