Category Uncategorized

A late collapse from Namibia and a quick half-century from Paul Stirling left Ireland with just 38 more to get, with six wickets in hand, to win the Intercontinental Cup match

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChristi Viljoen top-scored with 87 before he was bowled by John Mooney as Ireland established firm control of the match•ICC

A late collapse from Namibia and a quick half-century from Paul Stirling left Ireland with just 38 more to get, with six wickets in hand, to win the Intercontinental Cup match. A couple of strikes from Louis van der Westhuizen just before stumps gave Namibia a window of hope going in to the fourth day but it is a small one, as Ireland’s centurion from the first innings Andrew White is still at the wicket along with his captain Kevin O’Brien.Namibia were 124 for 2 at one stage in their innings, but ended up being bowled out for 226, leaving Ireland 173 to win. It was not a straightforward chase given the highest total of the game had been 298, but Stirling attacked Namibia and Ireland were cruising at 75 for 1. He was trapped lbw by Stephan Baard but Alex Cusack guided the chase with a steady 42, before van der Westhuizen gave Namibia the slightest of openings.Stirling made his intentions clear early, hitting the fourth ball he faced for a six over fine leg.
Louis Klazinga was the recipient of most of the punishment, and Stirling took him for three boundaries in the ninth over, two through point and one to midwicket. Stirling looked like he wanted to finish the game on the third day itself, and smashed Baard for two boundaries to long-on in the 15th over before he missed one and was caught in front. The scoring did not slow too much once he was gone though, and Ireland finished the day on 135 for 4 from just 32 overs.Namibia’s day started badly with Stephanus Ackermann falling in the first over, caught at extra-cover off John Mooney. Christi Viljoen, who had started aggressively on the second day, looked to play the anchor role while Namibia captain Craig Williams went for his shots, hitting eight fours in his 40 off 43 balls. George Dockrell, who took five wickets in the first innings, had Williams caught behind down the leg side and Viljoen went soon after the lunch break bowled by an inswinger from Mooney.After that Namibia struggled to put together partnerships, and Dockrell helped himself to two more wickets to take his match-tally to eight.

The Pakistan board has expressed its disappointment at not having a domestic team invited to participate in the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa

Osman Samiuddin28-May-2010The Pakistan board has expressed its disappointment at not having a domestic team invited to participate in the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa. This appears to be a u-turn on an earlier stance it had taken, when in the aftermath of the IPL snub to Pakistan players, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, had ruled out the participation of any Pakistan team in the Champions League. That, says the chairman however, was not what he had said at the time.”Those comments of mine were about the IPL and our participation in that event and not at all about the Champions League,” Butt told Cricinfo. “I had said our players would not be in the IPL because of what had happened at the auction. I did not say that our domestic teams would not go to the Champions League. Why would I deprive them of that opportunity? My comments were misinterpreted.”Nevertheless, the confusion means that Sialkot Stallions, Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions five years running now, will again miss out on the most lucrative global club tournament in cricket. Sialkot, which won the RBS Twenty20 in March this year, could potentially include Pakistan players such as Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Asif, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdur Rehman and Abdul Razzaq. They were invited to take part in what would have been the inaugural Champions League at the end of 2008 but the terror attacks on Mumbai in November that year forced a postponement to 2009. By that time, relations between India and Pakistan having deteriorated, no team was invited from Pakistan.”Nobody has invited us this year and that is disappointing,” Butt said. “We asked them about it and we received no reply at all. We will take up this issue with the ICC. After all, why are we being discriminated against like this? Clubs from so many other countries are invited and our Sialkot side has done so well over the last few years.”A Champions League official, however, told Cricinfo that no Pakistan team had been considered for the 2010 tournament after Butt’s statements in February. “Mr Butt had formally announced and communicated in February that no Pakistani team would be permitted to compete in the 2010 CLT20, and as Mr Butt is the Chairman of the PCB, the Governing Council of CLT20 could not and did not consider any invitations to Pakistani teams,” the official told Cricinfo. “Unfortunately, due to the announcement by Mr Butt, it is now clearly too late to even consider the addition of Pakistani teams to the 2010 CLT20.”Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa, one if the founding members of the Champions League, also said it was too late to include a Pakistan team. “I don’t think the PCB approached us,” he told Cricinfo. “If that was the case we would’ve known earlier. Unfortunately it too late now, things have been finalised so there can be no question of sending an invite.”However, whether or not the league was ever considering inviting a team from Pakistan is open to question. Another tournament official told Cricinfo that “the plan was always to invite the same make-up of teams as 2009, with the understanding that if English teams were unavailable, the field would be reduced to 10 teams.”To my knowledge PCB made no approaches to be included in this year’s CLT20,” he said. “There won’t be any late invitations issued. The match schedule is being drafted at the moment and venues being finalised, so we’re advanced in our planning.”That means Shahid Afridi, who helped South Australia qualify, could be Pakistan’s only representative in the tournament this time round, although his national responsibilities until September 22 makes his participation uncertain as well. The number of teams taking part was reduced to ten this year (from 12) after the ECB said its sides could not take part because of a clash of dates with the end of the English domestic season. Other than Bangladesh and England this year, teams from all Test-playing countries participate in the tournament. The tournament is run jointly by the cricket boards of Australia, India and South Africa.

Michael Clarke believes Australia’s best Twenty20 players should be included in Cricket Australia’s contract list

Cricinfo staff28-Apr-2010Michael Clarke believes Australia’s best Twenty20 players should be included in Cricket Australia’s contract list. On the eve of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, Australia’s Twenty20 captain said it seemed unjust that formal deals were not in place for short-format specialists like David Warner, David Hussey and Dirk Nannes.”I’ve told Cricket Australia that they should have contracts,” Clarke told reporters in St Lucia. “I think there should be a Twenty20 contract introduced to our system. Players like David Warner and David Hussey … they’re here playing in a Twenty20 World Cup. They should be paid for that.”We’ve got a lot of guys in this squad now who aren’t on CA contracts but they’re playing this form of the game for Australia in a World Cup. I think there needs to be some kind of recognition for those guys. I don’t know how that could work but I believe there should probably be something like Twenty20 contracts.”The Cricket Australia contract system rewards Test and one-day players while Twenty20 is not considered a major factor. Over the past few years Australia have generally used the same players in one-day and Twenty20 cricket but the trend towards more 20-over specialists could lead to a greater disparity between the sides.The tournament in the West Indies, which starts on Friday, will be the third Twenty20 world championship in four years as the format continues to gain impetus. Australia have not perfected their game in 20-over cricket and are keen to make up for last year’s surprise first-round exit.”For me, it’s as serious as a one-day match or a Test match,” Clarke said. “There are blokes in this squad who haven’t played Test cricket. They haven’t played one-day cricket. It’s the ultimate for them.”It’s become exactly the same as one-day and Test cricket. It’s a form of the game that we want to be the best in the world at. We’re not there yet, we’re improving, but this [tournament] is a way for us to start.”

Labuschagne and Khawaja hit half-centuries on a truncated day before Nortje helped SA claw back

Tristan Lavalette03-Jan-2023Stumps Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja hit half-centuries for Australia on a truncated day one before Anrich Nortje helped South Africa claw back into the third Test at a gloomy SCG.After captain Pat Cummins won a crucial toss and elected to bat on a dry surface, Australia reached stumps at 147 for 2 with Khawaja unbeaten on 54 and Steven Smith yet to face a delivery.Labuschagne fell for 79 on what turned out to be the final delivery of the day’s play. Only 47 overs were bowled due to bad light and rain much to the disappointment of the 31,000 crowd in another Sydney Test match affected by inclement conditions.Labuschagne and Khawaja had built a strong platform with a 135-run partnership after the early loss of opener David Warner for 10. There was a delay of more than two hours due to bad light before five overs were squeezed in late in the day and Nortje capitalised with a cracking delivery to remove Labuschagne.Exerting plenty of energy, Nortje conjured sharp bounce and pace on the slow surface to produce an unplayable delivery that had Labuschagne caught behind.After a lionhearted effort in Melbourne, Nortje was again the standout with 2 for 26 from 11 overs having earlier taken the wicket of Warner. He has kept a struggling South Africa buoyant after Australia threatened to grab an early stranglehold of the contest.Labuschagne had been irrepressible until on 70 he appeared to be dismissed out of nowhere when he edged seamer Marco Jansen to first slip where Simon Harmer claimed a low catch.It was given out on the soft signal but Labuschagne stood his ground and it seemed difficult to prove from replays whether Harmer had his hands under the ball close to the turf.Third umpire Richard Kettleborough overturned the decision much to the frustration of South Africa. It only furthered Labuschagne’s reputation as a rather charmed batter but he had played imperiously before that contentious incident with five boundaries in 12 balls to go from 40 to 61.After bowling well before lunch, Harmer trapped Khawaja lbw with the second delivery of the second session only for the decision to be reversed when replays showed the ball hit the glove first.Having revived his career a year ago with twin centuries against England on this ground, Khawaja passed 4000 career Test runs en route to a half-century.Usman Khawaja drives through the covers•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Under-pressure South Africa captain Dean Elgar once again made questionable decisions, including under-utilising Harmer who bowled just five overs even though his off-spin particularly threatened left-handed Khawaja.Elgar, however, backed underperforming left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who bowled nine overs for 35 runs with Labuschagne and Khawaja sweeping effectively against him.Maharaj has now bowled 52.5 overs without reward in this series.While Nortje toiled, spearhead Kagiso Rabada continued his underwhelming series to finish with 0 for 45 off 12 overs. He unsuccessfully reverted to bowling short against Labuschagne, who counterattacked with ease.Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood and Matt Renshaw were named in an Australia team attempting a clean sweep of the series and a spot in the World Test Championship final in June.There was drama when Renshaw, playing his first Test since 2018, tested positive for Covid-19 on a rapid antigen test after feeling unwell before the day’s play, but he will continue to play in the match.With the SCG surface set to play more traditionally, Australia named two frontline spinners at home for the first time in six years with left-arm spinner Agar making his return having not played Tests since 2017.Regular quick Hazlewood returned from a side strain having edged out Scott Boland and uncapped tearaway Lance Morris.Along with Harmer, who replaced Lungi Ngidi, South Africa named batter Heinrich Klaasen in place of Theunis de Bruyn who returned home for the birth of his first child.South Africa still have a slim chance at qualifying for the WTC final with a consolation victory as their spirit lifted after Njorte’s late heroics.

Coach says Pope, Hameed, Moeen all in contention ahead of second Test against India

George Dobell09-Aug-2021Chris Silverwood has called on England’s top-order to “step up” and support Joe Root ahead of the second LV= Insurance Test at Lord’s.Root’s 21st Test century – and the rain – helped England escape from Trent Bridge with a draw. But while Root looked in supreme touch, nobody else in the England side could score more than 32.That left Silverwood admitting the team required more from its top-order batters, and contemplating several changes to the side with Ollie Pope, Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali all under consideration ahead of the Test that starts on Thursday.Related

• 'I would want to make sure the players' families can get to Australia' – Strauss

• Root hopes Moeen can carry Hundred form and confidence into Tests

• Joe Root has shouldered his burden magnificently

• Virat Kohli: 'Certainly felt like we were on top in the game'

• Root: 'We could have created nine chances on that surface'

“Yes, I think we do need to step up,” Silverwood said. “Joe’s been phenomenal for the last six months, really. But what we need to do is make sure that the guys that are batting with him are coming to the party as well. We need the guys around Joe scoring some more runs to take the pressure off him.”It’s one thing which we’re talking about in the dressing room constantly. I’m encouraging conversations between the players and the coaches to try and find a solution for this to try and help them get better.”We have to address and accept we are not getting those runs so we have to look at why. It’s not through lack of effort. It’s not a lack of hard work. It’s just a case that we have to try and find a formula that works. That’s a work in progress at the moment.”We need to do something. Ideally, we get the guys scoring runs again and get the confidence back in them. But if that doesn’t happen obviously I have to have a look.”Does that mean there will be changes? It’s something we’ve got to consider constantly. We have to make sure we’ve got the right people on the park.”Ultimately, if it isn’t working I have to take a view on why and how do I change that. I have invested in these guys. I would rather be accused of giving somebody one too many chances than not enough. But at some point I will have to make a decision.”Pope would have played in the first Test had he been deemed fit. As things stand, he is considered highly likely to be fit for Lord’s and could well replace Dan Lawrence or Jonny Bairstow, though Silverwood’s praise of Bairstow’s first Test performance would suggest the former is more likely.”Jonny lined up very well,” Silverwood said. “It’s the happiest I’ve seen Jonny in a while. He was very content going about his business in training. He’s in a really good place at the moment and I was pleased with how he performed. Behind Joe, he looked [the most] reassured at the crease.”Ollie is making all the right noises with his fitness. He wasn’t quite ready for the first Test which is why I made that decision not to push him too hard. The next couple of days we’ll find out more. I want him to be 100 percent right when we chuck him into the arena again.”Zak Crawley would appear to be the batter in the top-three under most pressure. Since his double-century against Pakistan last year, Crawley has averaged just 11.14 in 14 Test innings and reached 30 only once. While Silverwood remains convinced Crawley is a “real talent,” he is also full of praise for Hameed, who scored a century against the tourists in a warm-up game in Durham a couple of weeks ago. Dom Sibley, meanwhile, was praised as he “helped out Joe massively” in a second-innings partnership that helped erase the first-innings deficit.Joe Root was England’s standout batter, but had little support•PA Images via Getty Images

“I think it’s clear we have got a real talent in Zak,” he said. “You don’t do what he did without having the talent. I think it’s a case of finding a way for him to get going. How does get himself in; how does he manage the ball around off stump? I think it’s an ongoing process but there’s no doubt in my mind there’s a heap of talent there capable of performing at this level.”Dom helped Joe get us out of a hole. He did his job, yes. He helped out Joe massively.”I’m confident Haseeb is as ready as he could be. He’s doing everything he possibly can to make sure he’s ready. He did put his best foot forward in Durham when he scored that hundred. What he did early season in the championship shows there’s a lot of class there as well, so I think he’s done everything he possibly can to be ready.”The one man from outside the current squad who is under consideration is Moeen. With England missing key allrounders in Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, Moeen’s presence would allow them to play a spinner without weakening the batting.”Moeen is certainly under consideration,” Silverwood said. “He’s always been part of our consideration. So that’s something that Joe and I are going to chat about at Lord’s. We know he is a fine cricketer and we know he is showing fine form in the Hundred at the moment, though I appreciate it’s a different format.”Allrounders such Ben Stokes or Chris Woakes usually give you options all-round. Unfortunately, we’ve found ourselves squeezed through circumstance recently and we haven’t been able to do that.”Could Mo play at Lord’s? All I’ll say is my mind’s not closed to anything. If it fits and works for the team then it’s something we have to consider.”

Hathurusingha has moved for compensation through the Court of Arbitration for Sport

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Jan-2020Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to terminate Chandika Hathurusingha’s contract as head coach, while Hathurusingha has moved for compensation through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), following months of deadlock.Although SLC had suspended Hathurusingha as far back as August last year, they had continued to pay him for several months, while lawyers traded letters and the board sent Hathurusingha a list of alleged failings as head coach. The charges levelled by SLC include failure to adequately prepare the Sri Lanka side for various assignments, and failure to maintain good relationships with players.The board has finally resolved to terminate Hathurusingha’s contract, but the possibility that they will have to pay Hathurusingha a substantial amount for early termination remains. His contract was due to run until December this year.”At the last executive committee meeting, on Friday, it was decided that the contract would be terminated,” board CEO Ashley de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “I can’t say by memory when we stopped the payments to [Hathurusingha], but I believe it was somewhere around October last year.”The board’s decision came after CAS, a global sporting body that aims to settle disputes related to sports via arbitration, sent them a letter listing Hathurusingha’s demands. De Silva confirmed that SLC is bound to the CAS process, and the board is now understood to be required to respond. This is likely because Hathurusingha’s contract with the board had stipulated that CAS could become involved if something like an early termination did eventuate. CAS will facilitate arbitration, and will effectively function as the intermediary between the parties for as long as this process lasts.Hathurusingha’s demands, conveyed to SLC by CAS, are understood to include not only loss of income from the early termination, but also compensation for damages to his reputation. He had remained in Sri Lanka through the early months of his legal tussle with SLC, but had returned home to Australia after the board’s payments ceased.Hathurusingha is the third head coach in the last five years whose tenure with Sri Lanka was ended before the contracted term was served. Marvan Atapattu and Graham Ford were both elbowed out of the position in 2015 and 2017 respectively.In 2013, SLC had also had to pay Geoff Marsh a substantial settlement after the board had terminated his contract early in 2012.

Sri Lanka’s interim coach commended India’s collective effort and work ethic, comparing them to arguably the most successful rugby team in the world

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Sep-20173:14

‘India very like the All Blacks’ – Pothas

India were so clinical in the cross-format trouncing of Sri Lanka, that Virat Kohli’s side has drawn comparisons with perhaps the most successful rugby team in the world: the All Blacks.Kohli and his team have largely been confident in public but have veered away from effusive self-praise, nor have they dwelt much on the paucity of Sri Lanka’s performance. Sri Lanka’s own interim head coach Nic Pothas, however, has showered compliments upon the opposition, after his team succumbed to their ninth consecutive defeat of the tour – this one in the sole T20.”You look at their team and they are very All Black-like,” Pothas said. “There’s a lot of respect for the facilities and there’s a lot of respect for the opposition. They are very ruthless in the way they go about their work. Their work ethic is immense. They are what a lot of teams aspire to be. The most important thing for us is learning from our mistakes, but most importantly: learning from them.”Chief among Sri Lanka’s tormentors, as ever, was Kohli, who has lavishly walloped Sri Lanka in almost every series he has played against them. Where once there was some animosity towards him on the island, that has now been replaced by substantial respect. Kohli himself had also spoken well of the Sri Lankan public on this tour – even though at one point, an angry crowd disrupted an ODI for over half-an-hour.He was again in stirring form in the tour-ending T20, initially defusing the tenseness of the early overs of the chase before going on to make 82 off 54 balls, all of which sent India pelting towards their seven-wicket victory. It was his fourth half-century in as many T20 innings against Sri Lanka. The performance was worth a few glowing words from Pothas.”You see how Virat runs between the wickets, and you see the respect he commands on the field as a leader – he’s a role model to people and he pulls people with him,” he said. “When you look at the way they go about their work and the culture that Virat has created within that team, it’s very, very impressive.”Though once a player who could was considered to be in Kohli’s league – at least in the longest format – Angelo Mathews has experienced a striking dip in results over the past 18 months, in which his batting average has retreated across formats. He could make only seven from five balls on Wednesday before being undone by a sharp MS Dhoni stumping. Mathews had hit two successive fifties in the last two ODIs, but this still only brought his tour tally up to three fifties out of 12 innings.”It’s a funny one because you need to look at the dynamic,” Pothas said of Mathews. “It’s very tough on Angie as well. When you’re a senior player, obviously the opposition targets you. Then you have that pressure of being a senior player to perform. It’s very, very tough. Angie is a world-class cricketer and I don’t think you can ever judge any person over a short spate of games. We’re all clichéd about it, but form is temporary and Angie is a class cricketer. Outside of being a class cricketer he’s a very, very intelligent man. So he’ll go back, work on it, we’ll have discussions – I have no issues with Angie.”On the T20 itself, Pothas said he felt Sri Lanka should have scored more than the 170 for 7 they mustered. Having been 99 for 3 in the 12th over, at one stage Sri Lanka seemed to be headed for a score in the range of 190, but, as has often been the case through the tour, a collapse broke their batting momentum. They lost four wickets for 35 runs through the middle overs – all to the spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.”If you looked at how we played, we were probably 15 short of what we could have got on that wicket,” Pothas said. “We probably had a few too many little cameos that we could have dragged on a little bit longer. What we got was probably competitive but when you play a team of such quality, you’re going to have to be very good in the field and with the ball to try and stop 170 being scored.”

Rohit Sharma spoke highly of incoming India head coach Anil Kumble, describing the former India captain as an “inspiring” figure from whom he had learnt a lot

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2016India batsman Rohit Sharma has spoken highly of the side’s new head coach Anil Kumble, describing the former India captain as an “inspiring” figure from whom he had learnt a lot.Rohit played alongside Kumble towards the end of the legspinner’s India career. The two renewed their professional relationship when Kumble served as Mumbai Indians’ team mentor from 2013 to 2015, a period during which the team won two IPL titles and a Champions League T20 title. Kumble’s first assignment as India coach is the four-Test series in the West Indies in July and August.”I have two [three] years of experience [with him] at Mumbai Indians and I know the kind of things we spoke about. I was the captain and he was the coach and mentor of the team. I got to learn a lot from him,” Rohit said at an event in Mumbai. “I was fortunate enough to play with him during the last months before he retired. I remember in 2008, I was part of the Test squad to Sri Lanka and he was the captain. And he always had this attitude of never giving up, which as a young player is so inspiring.”You have to keep fighting no matter what. If the game is slipping away from your hands, don’t give up till the last ball is bowled. That’s how he played his cricket. You get the feeling that he was someone who wouldn’t let go too easily. That’s the kind of message that he wanted to send across. That’s the kind of message we also want as young players. He’s very inspiring.”Rohit was also full of praise for Ravi Shastri, whose 18-month tenure as India team director came to an end after the World T20 earlier this year. Shastri had been appointed to the role in August 2014, after India’s dismal loss in the Test series in England. During Shastri’s tenure, India made it to the semi-finals of successive global events – the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20 – and briefly occupied the No. 1 Test ranking earlier this year. Shastri had applied for the position of head coach in June, but his application was ultimately unsuccessful as Kumble was chosen.”[Shastri] took up the responsibility when we were in a shambles,” Rohit said. “As soon as he came, he created a positive atmosphere around us.”Rohit added that Shastri had been “a big influence on Indian cricket for the past 18 months.”

Sri Lanka face off against South Africa in five ODIs and three T20Is, between July 20 and August 6

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Jul-2013As Sri Lanka’s next ODI assignment in a year of Test avoidance rolls around, against South Africa, fans may be beginning to feel more than a touch of limited-overs fatigue. Neither team has played a Test since March and there have been no major triumphs for either team in ODIs either.The fact that this tour could have been so much better, had the Tests not been postponed to make way for a now kaput Twenty20 tournament, will make the bilateral series all the more tough to swallow. Moreover, with the battle royale unfolding in the UK, viewers are left with a very tempting alternative.However, this match-up does have a little about it that may help distinguish it from the glut of the modern-day limited-overs sludge.It’s not often that South Africa play Sri Lanka, particularly away from home. Their last ODI series here goes back as far as 2004, when a team featuring Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock and Nicky Boje, lost 5 -0. A three-ODI series between the two sides was planned in 2006, but was cancelled due to bad weather. The touring captain AB de Villiers has not played a single ODI in Sri Lanka, in an international career spanning eight years.The sides are well matched on paper. Neither team is a world beater in the limited-overs format, but can be formidable when their moods and conditions align. In the Champions Trophy in June, both teams were beaten comprehensively in the semi-finals, which once again prompted everyone to believe that while the teams have the skill and determination to consistently find themselves at the sharp end of tournaments, they lack the mental steel to close out results in high-pressure encounters. In fact, had there been more riding on this series, it might have even been billed as a “choke-off.”There is also a mutual onus on developing young talent. South Africa have arrived without Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Graeme Smith, in an effort to find the right combination and rhythm ahead of the 2015 World Cup. Men like Chris Morris and Aaron Phangiso have the chance to prove they should be part of South Africa’s long-term plans, and others like Rory Kleinveldt and David Miller must now add consistency to the qualities that has seen them emerge at the top level.For Sri Lanka, the series will provide another opportunity for the younger players to reassure their fans that the side will not slide into doldrums once Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan retire. All three seniors privately hope to play the next World Cup, but they cannot hope to end their careers with a major title unless the remaining batsmen become better than just adequate support players. The Champions Trophy might have been a disaster for Sri Lanka without the trio’s efforts in England, as none of the remaining batsmen could manage more than 74 runs during the tournament.Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne, who have been made captain and vice-captain respectively for the first two games, will have the most to prove in this series. Their talent, particularly in Tests, is beyond doubt but neither is yet to repay the faith that has been afforded to them in the shorter formats. South Africa boast one of the world’s finest attacks but their inexperience in Sri Lankan conditions, and the absence of Steyn, will make them a slightly less intimidating prospect, and Sri Lanka’s middle order cannot complain that they are out of their depth.Sri Lanka and South Africa thrive in conditions that are almost diametrically opposite to the other’s favoured stomping grounds. South Africa may probably be slightly at ease, given the pace and bounce in the Sri Lankan pitches, but they must also be wary of the dustbowls at the Premadasa and in Pallekele.There has been some rain at both venues in the build-up to the series but in the past Sri Lanka’s groundsmen have always managed to maintain a turning track despite the weather. If they have done so again, South Africa will find it that much more difficult to turn around an abysmal ODI record on the island.There should be no pretensions that this series is anything other than yet another forgettable bilateral tie, robbed of much of its context because of the removal of the Tests. But for both sides, it will be another crucial step taken on their journey to Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

Doug Bracewell has recovered from a foot injury that kept him out of the recent England tour of New Zealand, and is fit and ready for the English challenge that awaits

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2013Doug Bracewell, the New Zealand seamer, has fully recovered from the foot injury that kept him out of the recent home series against England. He is expected to travel with the rest of the squad on Monday to England, where they will play in two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is beginning May 16. The Champions Trophy, which begins June 6, coincides with the duration of the tour.Bracewell, however, realises the path back into the team will not be an easy one, as a few fresh faces have staked their claim on bowling spots within the team. “It’s changed a little bit,” he told the . “Obviously it’s hard when you get an injury. You’re out of the team, someone comes in and replaces you and they do quite well.”It’s a little bit frustrating to be left out. They [the selectors] will have their reasons and I’m sure we’ll talk about that in the future. I am sure the guys who are there ahead of me deserve it, so all I can do is train hard and work on my bowling and get back there. It’s been a good little break but I can’t wait to get over there.”Bracewell’s first major assignment will be the tour games against Derbyshire from May 4-6, and England Lions from May 9-12.