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Tymal Mills and Dawid Malan have been named in England’s T20 squad to face Sri Lanka next month while Jonny Bairstow has been included for both the ODIs and T20 but there is no place for Stuart Broad

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2016Tymal Mills, the Sussex left-arm fast bowler, and Middlesex batsman Dawid Malan have been named in England’s T20 squad to face Sri Lanka next month. Jonny Bairstow has been included for both the ODIs and T20 but there was no place for Stuart Broad.Alex Hales, Joe Root and Moeen Ali were rested for the T20, which takes place at the Ageas Bowl on July 5. There was no place in either squad for Jake Ball, who was part of the Test squad through the series against Sri Lanka.Mills, who was forced to retire from first-class cricket last year after being diagnosed with a congenital back condition, is limited to the four-over workloads of T20 cricket but has the ability to bowl above 90mph. Prior to his diagnosis he was already on England’s radar because of his extreme pace – he was used as a net bowler during the 2013-14 Ashes tour – and continued to be involved in the fast bowling programme during last winter.”The guy can bowl quickly. It’s a shame his back has robbed him of first-class cricket, but he seems to have thrown all his efforts into becoming a really skilful one-day bowler,” Alastair Cook, England’s Test captain, said. “He’s obviously worked on his skills: he can change-up from a 93mph thunderbolt to a slower ball. There’s no substitute for pace. I’ll be very excited to watch him bowl.”In a recent televised T20 Blast match against Somerset, Mills was clocked at 93mph when he gave Chris Gayle a working over before shattering his stumps, and also showed his variety of slower balls he often uses at the death. On Friday he claimed 3 for 15 from his four overs against Kent.Earlier this month he told ESPNcricinfo about his ambitions to be a T20 specialist for England. “In a perfect world I could make a career doing this for a long time. I’ve just got to stay fit,” he said. “Everything I do is aimed at being a top T20 player. I want to play for England even if it’s just in T20 cricket.”Malan was rewarded for impressive form against Pakistan A in the UAE, where he scored 253 runs at 50.60 and a strike rate of 131.77 in the five T20s, alongside 211 runs in four one-day games. He will likely open the innings alongside Jason Roy, with Hales given a brief break after the five-match ODI series. Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder who was part of the World T20 squad but did not make his debut, retained his place.”Tymal Mills has been one of the standout performers with the ball in the NatWest T20 Blast competition this season and deserves his chance,” James Whitaker, the national selector, said. “Dawid Malan has made great strides as an attacking batsman, both with Middlesex and the England Lions. We were particularly impressed with his three fifties during the winter tour of the UAE against Pakistan A.”The 14-man one-day squad had a familiar look except for the enforced absences of Ben Stokes (knee injury), Reece Topley (back injury) and James Taylor. Liam Plunkett, the Yorkshire fast bowler, retained his place with the other pace bowlers being David Willey, Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes and Steven Finn. Moeen and Adil Rashid again offer the option of a twin-spin attack.”We have made good progress over the past 12 months in all white ball cricket, which has been very encouraging,” Whitaker said. “The six matches coming up against Sri Lanka will give the players a good test of their credentials. It is important for this group of players to make a mark this summer as we continue to improve ahead of hosting the ICC Champions Trophy tournament this time next year.”ODI squad Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey, Chris WoakesT20 squad Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey

Tom Banton’s unbeaten half-century saw Team Vince home in chase of 109

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2020Tom Banton showed his class in the field and with the bat after Lewis Gregory and Liam Dawson shone with the ball in England’s second intra-squad match ahead of the start of their one-day series against Ireland.Gregory snared Jonny Bairstow – following a sublime catch by Banton – en route to 3 for 29 while Dawson subdued the lower order in his 4 for 21 as a side led by Moeen Ali succumbed to a meagre 108 all out in 28.4 overs.England captain Eoin Morgan was rested so James Vince led the other team, who slipped to 4 for 3 after eight balls of their chase, but Banton ushered them home with six wickets to spare in 17.4 overs with a stylish 57 not out from 56 deliveries at the Ageas Bowl, the venue of the ODI series which gets under way next Thursday.Jason Roy was also absent from an encounter that was once again supposed to be 40 overs a side as he was nursing a sore back, but he and Morgan are set to feature for England Lions in Sunday’s game against Ireland.While Tuesday’s first warm-up was a boundary-laden affair in which Bairstow and Moeen teed off with abandon, a more sluggish surface here was exploited by some clever bowling allied with some injudicious strokeplay.With Phil Salt and Sam Hain failing to get out of single figures, attention fell on to Bairstow again. A centurion a few days ago, the Yorkshireman could not get into his groove and departed for 13 off 21 balls following a supreme catch from Banton diving full length to his right at backward point.That handed Gregory a wicket in his first over and he would have two in two when Liam Livingstone shaped to run down to third man only to chop on. While Moeen nudged and nurdled his way to 17, his attempt to inject more urgency into proceedings fell flat as he charged down the wicket to Gregory and top-edged to long leg.Salt was given another opportunity at the crease and clubbed Dawson for the first six of the innings over midwicket, but when going for another big mow he merely edged to slip for 25 off 37 balls.From there, spin duo Dawson, on his home ground, and Adil Rashid squeezed the life out of the lower order, the former bowling Brydon Carse and Tom Curran, both attempting to cut, before trapping Saqib Mahmood in front to end the innings with 11.2 overs unused.If there was any thought of a comfortable chase, it was snuffed out when David Willey gained a fraction of inward movement to bowl Ben Duckett and Sam Billings with the first two balls of the reply, before Vince departed in the next over after being adjudged lbw to Tom Curran.But Banton and Laurie Evans rebuilt, slowly at first, the former taking the whip hand with crunching fours through the covers off Willey. Evans was happy to play the auxiliary role but still managed around a run a ball.Willey could not cling on to a chance at deep midwicket that would have rivalled Banton’s earlier grab as the batsman was spared on 32, and thereafter he put his foot down, emphasised when he swivel pulled Mahmood for six.Evans chopped Henry Brookes on to his stumps for 25 to end a 67-run stand but it was of little consequence as Banton passed his 50 before Dawson sealed the win with two fours in three balls in the late evening sunshine.

Marvan Atapattu has resigned as Sri Lanka coach, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced. His resignation was accepted by the board

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-20150:42

Quick facts: Marvan Atapattu as Sri Lanka coach

Marvan Atapattu has resigned as Sri Lanka coach, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced. His resignation was accepted by the board. Neither the board, nor Atapattu has offered a reason for the decision.Atapattu had officially held the position since September last year, but had effectively been head coach since April 2014, after Paul Farbrace’s departure. Before that, he had worked as batting coach of the team since 2011. During his term as interim coach, he had overseen Sri Lanka’s first Test series win in England in 16 years. He was Sri Lanka’s first full-time local coach in 15 years.In the past 10 months, however, significant concerns over his coaching style have arisen. Atapattu is reputed to be an excellent technical coach, but is understood to have been less impressive as a man-manager – which was seen by the board as a particularly worrying trait, in Sri Lanka’s transition period.This perceived weakness, coupled with consistently poor results at the top level have likely paved the way for Atapattu’s exit. He has departed of his own volition, but did so after Sri Lanka failed to win a single series this year. The home ODI series victory against England late in 2014 remains the only trophy the team has won since Atapattu was formalised as head coach.The resignation comes two days after the completion after a particularly dispiriting home season. Sri Lanka were defeated in four Tests out of six since June, losing to Pakistan and India. The only other time Sri Lanka lost two home series in a calendar year was back in 1993.Sri Lanka’s next international begins against West Indies in mid-October, but the board is unlikely to appoint a permanent coach before then. Some members of SLC’s interim committee are understood to have a favoured candidate in mind, but the board is likely to field applications. In the meantime, a local coach may take over in a temporary capacity. SLC’s head of coaching Jerome Jayaratne would seem to be the obvious choice.Atapattu’s exit follows the resignation of Chaminda Vaas as fast-bowling coach following the World Cup this year. In his time as batting coach, Atapattu has overseen substantial improvement in Angelo Mathews’ batting, but has had mixed results with other young batsmen. In addition to the Test series win in England, Sri Lanka also won a World T20, and Asia Cup, and a Test match in South Africa during his time with the side.Atapattu led Sri Lanka in 18 Tests during his playing career. He has 90 Test matches and Test 5502 runs to his name.

Tasmania fast bowler Andrew Fekete is the surprise inclusion in Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh

Brydon Coverdale14-Sep-20152:46

Coverdale: Fekete’s inclusion a big surprise

Tasmania fast bowler Andrew Fekete is the surprise inclusion in Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Fekete and Western Australia opener Cameron Bancroft are the two uncapped members of the 15-man group, while Adam Voges has been named as vice-captain to Steven Smith for the two-Test tour next month.Australia’s selectors confirmed that Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood had been rested from the tour given their heavy workloads over the past few months, with Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle and Pat Cummins set to lead the pace attack. There were also recalls for Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell and spinner Steve O’Keefe, who made his Test debut in the UAE last year.The retirements of Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers, Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and Ryan Harris on or after the recent Ashes tour forced Australia’s selectors to look to the future with their squad for Bangladesh. A thumb injury suffered by David Warner during the ODIs in England also meant they had to find a new vice-captain, and Voges’ domestic experience tipped things in his favour.”It was a very tough decision to make, that,” national selector Rod Marsh said. “We’ve got a lot of people that have played very few Test matches. The fact that Voges has captained Western Australia, the fact that we’re playing in Bangladesh – it is quite possible to wake up in the morning and not be able to play if you’ve caught something … If Steven Smith did get crook, it would have been very tough to have anyone else captain the side but Voges.”He’s had a lot of experience at captaincy, he’s got a cool head, and I think he’ll be an excellent vice-captain for Steven on his first tour of duty away from home as captain of the Australian Test team. Having said that, we’re really going to miss David Warner. He was excited about his appointment as vice-captain and he’s bitterly disappointed he can’t make this tour.”At 35, Voges is comfortably the oldest man in a squad that is much shorter on experience than Australia is used to. The only other players aged in their thirties are Shaun Marsh, Siddle, O’Keefe and Fekete, 30.”The retirements of five players from the squad that went on the Ashes tour, as well as issues of injury, form and conditions have brought about a major change in the profile of the touring party from the one that toured the British Isles,” Rod Marsh said. “But with that change comes a fantastic opportunity for all the players going to Bangladesh.”They are going as a young group with seven of the players aged 26 or less, and all 15 have the opportunity to kick on and, in the case of Cameron Bancroft and Andrew Fekete, kick off their Test careers and establish themselves as the core of the side for years to come.”Although Bancroft’s inclusion was widely expected, as Australia sought top-order replacements for Rogers and Warner, Fekete was very much a left-field selection. He was the second-leading wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield last summer with 37 victims at 24.10, but his only prior first-class experience was six matches the previous season.The new man in Australia’s Test squad, Andrew Fekete has played only 18 first-class games•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Originally from Victoria, Fekete played a solitary one-day game for his home state before moving to Tasmania, where he made his first-class debut aged 28 in late 2013. Australia’s selectors were impressed with Fekete’s bowling on the recent Australia A tour of India, where he claimed five wickets in two first-class matches.”Andrew bowled really well last summer and followed that up on the A tour,” Marsh said. “He can generate reverse swing and that ability could be extremely useful in the conditions we expect to encounter in Bangladesh.”Bancroft, 22, is a patient opening batsman who last summer made a 13-hour 211 for Western Australia and his temperament should mean he is suited to the challenges of Test cricket. He was the third leading Sheffield Shield run scorer last season with 896 at 47.15 and he too played well on the A tour of India.”Cameron is a player who impressed everyone on the recent A tour of India,” Marsh said. “He can bat for long periods of time and scored an outstanding 150 against India A in Chennai. On that tour he played spin well, fielded brilliantly at bat-pad and his whole demeanour was that of a player who is determined to play Test cricket. He scored almost 900 first-class runs last season, he’s young, hungry and he could become a very good player for us over a long period of time.”Bancroft, Burns, Khawaja and Shaun Marsh loom as the candidates for the opening positions vacated by Rogers and Warner in Bangladesh. The make-up of the attack will depend on the pitches offered in Bangladesh, but there is every chance that a twin spin attack will be employed, with O’Keefe and Maxwell preferred to legspinner Fawad Ahmed as backup for Nathan Lyon.”Stephen did well on the A tour,” Marsh said. “We felt he bowled exceptionally well. It’s true that Fawad didn’t get many opportunities in either the West Indies or on the Ashes tour but when he did get them he didn’t bowl as well as I’m sure he would have wanted.”He will go back to Victoria and hopefully start taking wickets to give us the right type of problem to have as a National Selection Panel. With Stephen O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell we believe we have the right number and the right type of spinners for the conditions we expect to encounter.”The pace attack will be shorn of the speed of Johnson, who in challenging conditions in the UAE last year was the only Australian to average under 30 with the ball, and Bangladesh could be a tough place for Cummins to return to Test cricket for the first time in nearly four years. But Marsh said it was important that Johnson and Hazlewood were rested with six home Tests and a tour of New Zealand coming up.”Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood were not considered for the tour as, after heavy workloads over the past six months and with a significant amount of cricket to come, we wanted to make sure they are right to go at the start of our domestic summer,” he said.”We expect both players to start bowling again in the next week or so, hopefully play some Matador Cup and Sheffield Shield cricket for their states and be ready for selection for the first home Test of the season, against New Zealand.”The Australians will depart for Bangladesh on September 28 ahead of a three-day warm-up game in Fatullah from October 3 to 5. That is followed by two Tests in Chittagong and Dhaka, Australia’s first in Bangladesh since the 2006 tour on which Jason Gillespie famously made a double-century.Australia Test squad Steven Smith (capt), Adam Voges (vice-capt), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Patrick Cummins, Andrew Fekete, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

Opening batsman is the 11th player in the touring squad to go down sick

George Dobell in Centurion30-Dec-2019Spare a thought for holiday-makers catching a flight to Cape Town from Johannesburg on New Year’s Eve.For there is a fair chance some of them will be sharing a plane with an England squad so sickly that they should probably be led by a hooded figure ringing a mournful warning bell.News that Dom Sibley, the opening batsman, is the latest to succumb to the illness means that 17 members* of the touring party – including backroom staff – have been ill at some stage. The England management remain keen not to use the episode as an excuse for the lacklustre performance in Centurion – and, to be fair, it wasn’t as if it was the only lacklustre performance of the year – but there is no doubt it has hampered them.ALSO READ: Bess pushing for Cape Town selection amid Leach fitness struggleAlthough the news about Sibley is a setback, there is some optimism within the camp that they are, at last, coming to the end of the saga. But although most of those previously affected are now back in training, it will take some time to regain the fitness and stamina levels they had before. And in these temperatures – and at these altitudes – that is a real issue.There has been some encouraging news. Jack Leach, who spent time in hospital in New Zealand after sustaining gastroenteritis, is out of quarantine and will travel with the rest of the squad to Cape Town. It remains unlikely he will be considered fit for the second Test, however, as he has hardly bowled a ball for a month. Dom Bess and Matt Parkinson are vying for a spot in his place. At present, it seems Bess is ahead in that race.It may make sense to consider contingency plans. Although the team management are adamant they do not require further reinforcements – they do have 19 men here, after all – it may be worth asking Gareth Batty, the Surrey offspinner, to attend nets over the next few days.Batty is currently here in his role as part of the talkSPORT commentary team and was deemed good enough for a Test spot as recently as November 2016. He remains, aged 42, a first-class player with Surrey – he played eight Championship games in 2019, twice as many as Parkinson did – and could, perhaps, provide some assurance should Bess and Parkinson also fall ill in the coming days. Batty recorded his best first-class figures – 8 for 64 – in May. England could do much, much worse.Dom Sibley is the latest England player to suffer with illness•Getty Images

While it’s too early to rule Sibley out of contention for Cape Town, his illness could provide opportunity for Zak Crawley to come in as an opening batsman. Equally, it could provide a reprieve for Jonny Bairstow, who looks set otherwise to make way for the returning Ollie Pope. While inexperienced, Crawley does have an excellent reputation for his ability to play quick bowling. Chris Woakes is also out of quarantine and understood to be on the mend.If England do elect to play a spinner at Cape Town – that is not certain; South Africa did not pick one in their last Test on the ground and Pakistan’s spinner, Yasir Shah, finished wicketless – it will leave them with a tricky decision over which seamer to leave out.Sam Curran, who was probably the pick of bowlers in the first innings in Centurion and offers more than most with the bat, could consider himself unfortunate to be left out, while Jofra Archer, despite proving expensive, proved his value with a five-wicket haul in England’s second innings.That would leave England needing to decide between the two leading wicket-takers in their Test history: James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Both may feel they have come on for the run-out in the first Test; Broad was clearly suffering the after effects of illness and Anderson was playing his first game since the start of August. It’s the sort of decision that could leave the management feeling sick.*
Players: Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Non-players: Carl Hopkinson (fielding coach), Graham Thorpe (batting coach), Sam Dickason (security manager), Greg Stobart (digital manager) and two local liaison officers (one in Benoni and one in Centurion)ESPNcricinfo Ltd

ESPNcricinfo previews the second T20I between England and South Africa at Taunton

The Preview by Andrew Miller22-Jun-2017

Match Facts

June 23, 2017
Start time 5pm local (1600 GMT)Jonny Bairstow seized his chance to start another England match with 60 not out from 35 balls•Getty Images

Big Picture

What are we to make of South Africa’s efforts on their tour of England so far? They arrived in the country as the world’s No.1 ODI side, but having impressed only in spurts in their 2-1 series defeat against England, they were dumped out in the group stages of the Champions Trophy after a pair of scatter-brained defeats to India and Pakistan. And now it’s hard to know which direction they think they are pointing after a puzzling loss in the opening T20I at the Ageas Bowl.There were signs of obvious life while AB de Villiers and Farhaan Behardien were adding 110 runs for South Africa’s fourth wicket to revive their side from a perilous 32 for 3. The trouble is, they gnawed through 95 balls in doing so, all the while giving off the vibe of two men combatting untold demons in the wicket. It was an approach that caused a few pundits to hedge their bets at the halfway mark – mindful, perhaps, of England’s most recent batting effort against South Africa – but no-one was fooled for long.A target of 143 was never remotely in doubt as soon as Jason Roy signalled a return to his hard-hitting best, and had it not been for his aberration of a reverse-sweep with a match-sealing innings at his mercy, England would have backed themselves to wrap up a ten-wicket victory for the third time in their T20 history. The state of South Africa’s fielding – for so many years one of the proudest aspects of their game – merely added to that sense of inevitability. Berhardien’s drop of Alex Hales on the long-on boundary was the most cataclysmic moment in a ragged display.But, T20 being what it is, few international sides can be written off for long – not least a side that possesses a true great such as de Villiers in their ranks. Only a player of his calibre could make an unbeaten 65 from 58 balls seem dour, but having enjoyed his extended net in the Southampton sunshine, who’s to say he won’t find the short boundaries at Taunton much more to his liking? After all, his fellow RCB superstar, Chris Gayle, took to this surface with alacrity two seasons ago, smashing 151 from 62 balls in a NatWest T20 Blast contest against Kent, including one of his 15 (fifteen!) sixes being retrieved by a soggy fan from the nearby River Tone.The trouble for South Africa is that England aren’t exactly shy about giving it a tonk in permissive situations either – Jonny Bairstow’s ballistic innings a case in point. England’s perennial stand-in batted with the brazen hostility of a man who is fed up of being made to wait for his opening, and his unbeaten 60 from 35 balls made even Alex Hales, the possessor of England’s highest limited-overs score, look pedestrian alongside him. Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, Taunton’s second-favourite export after Scrumpy, weren’t even required to flex their muscles, let alone Sam Billings, who might at a pinch have touched the ball in the deep at some stage of the contest, but overall produced less activity than an office-based clock-watcher on a Friday afternoon.And on that note, if the events of the Ageas Bowl are anything to go by, the result matters little compared to the opportunity for a packed house to appreciate a rare international contest in their neck of the woods, while skiving from work early to soak up the English summer as it deigns to make an appearance. It promises to be fun while it lasts, even if there have been, and will continue to be, bigger prizes up for grabs this season.

Form guide

England WLLWL (completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LWLLW

In the spotlight

Jos Buttler has toured the world in his short but sharp stint as a limited-overs powerhouse – racking up international appearances at 52 venues to date, from Mirpur to Malahide, from Headingley to Hamilton. But on Friday, he’ll make his first England appearance in the town of his birth, and his kith and kin will be expecting a masterclass. Buttler upped sticks from Taunton back in 2013, a move prompted in part by the need to tone his wicketkeeping skills, with Craig Kieswetter then still a fixture behind the stumps, prior to the terrible facial injury that forced his early retirement. Buttler has played on the ground just once since his departure, for Lancashire against Somerset in the County Championship in June 2014. It wasn’t the most comfortable experience of his career, as he made 18 and 4 in a hard-fought draw. Friday ought to be a much more pleasurable homecoming.There were few positives for South Africa to take from their shellacking, but for JJ Smuts. At least, things can only get better. His nervy poke outside off to David Willey’s first delivery at the Ageas Bowl resulted in an inside-edge and a golden duck, which leaves his international tally at a precarious 36 runs from four matches to date. Still, Smuts does at least have a second string to his bow, and his perfectly serviceable left-arm spin was one of the few restrictive weapons that de Villiers was able to call upon in England’s run-chase. He took the new ball and kept things tight, and maybe the confidence gained from his three overs for 20 will rub off on his batting.

Team news

It’s hard to know what to expect from this match, and the series finale in Cardiff as well, on account of England’s stated commitment to pack-shuffling. Each of their five debutants has been guaranteed an outing at some stage, which means that, even though Mason Crane’s hugely composed debut should have earned him the right to give his legspin another rip, those short boundaries at the County Ground may prompt a change of tactic – and where better to blood Somerset’s Craig Overton than on his very own ground? One enforced change will be the omission of Mark Wood, who was only ever going to play the first match, as England wrap his race-horse-delicate body up in cotton wool before the Test series. Liam Plunkett is the obvious deck-hitting alternative. Among the batters, Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone, Lancashire’s star in the making, are both itching to get a hit, though they are hardly alone after the Ageas Bowl mismatch. Surely they won’t dare rest Bairstow just as he becomes an automatic pick? The less volcanic option would be to blood Dawid Malan as an opener and give Hales a day off to top up his tan.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales/Dawid Malan, 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Sam Billings/Liam Livingstone, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Liam Dawson, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 David Willey 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Craig OvertonFor South Africa, it’s hard to see how they can justify the exclusion of Chris Morris and his heavy artillery, but with quota issues to consider, there are always extra factors at play in their selection. Wayne Parnell was heavily criticised for another leaky day at the office – his 23-run over to Roy was effectively game over – but his ability to clear the ropes cannot be discounted for a team who clearly need more oomph in their batting.South Africa (possible): 1 JJ Smuts, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 AB de Villiers (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Farhaan Berhardien, 6 Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Imran Tahir, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch and conditions

The weather has retreated from the white heat of the past few days, but a pleasantly cloudy afternoon is in prospect. Given Taunton’s reputation for limited-overs batting tracks, if England bat first, it’s hard to see them doing anything other than planting the front foot, and aiming for the Quantocks. The first-class pitches do tend to sit up for the spinners, however…

Stats and trivia

• England’s victory in the first T20I featured fewer wickets (four) than had ever before been taken in a completed T20I of 30 overs or more.
• If anyone doubted the potential for a run-feast on this surface, the recent Royal London show-down between Somerset and Nottinghamshire ought to set them straight. Nottinghamshire batted first and racked up 429 for 9; Somerset stayed in the hunt to the bitter end, making 405 all out with two overs left unused.
• As if Buttler needs any greater incentive to angle for a promotion up the order, he needs another 57 runs to complete 1000 runs in T20I cricket.

Quotes

“Ever since Taunton was awarded the game it was one I have been desperate to try and be involved in.”
“It’s not done and dusted. We go to Taunton and like all South Africans we always fight our way back so I’m expecting a really good performance in the next one.”
AB de Villiers backs his side to force their way back into the series

This is now a four-match series after the abandonment at the Wanderers left everyone kicking their heels

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan21-Nov-2009

Match facts

Sunday, November 22, 2009
Start time 10.00 (08.00GMT)James Tredwell could leapfrog Adil Rashid for a place in the England side•Getty Images

Big picture

This is now a four-match series after the abandonment at the Wanderers left everyone kicking their heels. The significant development in the last couple of days has been the news of Jacques Kallis’ absence from the series due to a rib fracture, so his partnership with Graeme Smith will be a non-starter.England’s injury situation remains unchanged with Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graeme Swann (side) already ruled out of the match, but the delayed start to the series will have helped Paul Collingwood and James Anderson recover from their niggles. With the forecast more promising for Sunday’s game, Collingwood should finally have the chance to become England’s most capped ODI player with his 171st appearance, overtaking Alec Stewart’s record.Really, though, it’s as you were in the build-up to the opening match although the rain has taken some of the sting out of the hype. Andrew Strauss won’t mind that, having refused to be drawn into any mind games with the South Africans but, when the action does finally start, the attention will still be on Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott.With one match already gone from the schedule, there is less room for error and therefore even more important to hit the ground running. At least on Saturday the teams were able to train outdoors, and whichever side clicks into gear the quickest after a frustrating few days will be in prime position to take control of the series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa – WWLWL
England – LLWWW

Team news

With Kallis out of the series, Hashim Amla is set to be given another chance to open alongside Smith, a position he has filled with decent results. South Africa will also have to decide whether to go with a full hand of seamers or play one of their spinners. Without the services of Kallis’ fast bowling and the recent wet weather, the former could be the preferred route.South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Alviro Petersen, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Charl Langeveldt, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Dale SteynEngland may hand an international debut to James Tredwell, who has been called up as cover for Graeme Swann. Quite what Adil Rashid, the second spinner in the original squad, will make of that remains to be seen but Tredwell has the advantage of spinning the ball away from South Africa’s clutch of left handers. However, they too may decide on a full hand of quicks, especially with Collingwood’s troublesome back. The other question is how many batsman to play, and if one misses out it is likely to be Joe Denly.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Jonathan Trott, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Graham Onions, 11 James Anderson

Watch out for

Kevin Pietersen was called back into action a couple of days early when England were hit by injuries ahead of the second Twenty20, but looked in decent fettle for his 29. The 50-over warm-up against South Africa was more of a struggle as he scratched 4 from 17 balls, but he looks eager to make up for lost time. His three ODI tons in South Africa four years ago are still talked about and England would dearly like to see a return of that free-flowing, care-free Pietersen rather than the mentally strained and restrained figure that has been on show for much of 2009.JP Duminy‘s international numbers are already impressive and an ODI average of 37.57 indicates his talent. However, against England, he has struggled to make a mark with 88 runs in six matches with a best of 24. The South African management are giving him the chance to build an innings by promoting him to No 4, and with the absence of Kallis now is the time for Duminy to repay that faith.James Anderson…but not for his bowling. If he gets his turn to bat, Anderson will use the Mongoose bat which made much fanfare last season. It has a shorter blade and longer handle – meaning, in theory, better striking power – and Jimmy has got his hands on one. Without being too harsh, it might be a little wasted.

Stats and trivia

• Collingwood, as well as being one away from an England cap record, also needs three wickets to reach 100 in ODIs

Quotes

“I was actually organising a trip to India for the start of December, so they had to tell me pretty sharpish so that I didn’t put my passport in for a visa.”

The offspinner on debut played a starring role as New Zealand came from behind to win a Test series away from home against Pakistan for the first time in 49 years

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-20182:11

Williamson, Nicholls, Somerville react to ‘special’ series win

The New Zealand offspinner William Somerville struggled to contain his emotions after playing a series-winning hand on Test debut following a “long road” to international cricket that has taken him to Australia and back before the call-up came.Somerville was a late addition to the Test squad when legspinner Todd Astle was ruled out with injury and had to wait for the deciding match for his chance with Ish Sodhi having been preferred for the first two Tests. He went on to claim the fourth-best figures by a New Zealand bowler on debut – 7 for 127 – slotting in just behind team-mate Ajaz Patel who claimed 7 for 123 in the opening match of the series which New Zealand won by four runs.ALSO READ: McCullum leads tributes about NZ’s remarkable victorySomerville, who was released from his New South Wales contract earlier this year when offered the encouragement that international honours could come his way across the Tasman, also contributed a 99-ball 12 in the first innings to help BJ Watling stretch New Zealand’s total.With the ball he claimed 4 for 75 in the first innings, helping spark Pakistan’s collapse from 286 for 3 to 348 all out, then added three wickets in the second innings including two in two balls to remove Haris Sohail and Asad Shafiq.William Somerville celebrates a wicket•AFP

“It’s pretty incredible really, I was extremely emotional coming off the field, realising that we’ve won the fixture,” he said. “Obviously nice to be contributing with the bat and ball slightly, it’s just amazing. It still feels like a dream, I’m still pinching myself. Incredibly proud, and proud to have won for the Blackcaps.”That’s why I was so emotional after the game I think, it’s been a long road. I’ve got my family back home and pretty excited to see them, give my kids a hug and see my wife. The sacrifices they’ve made for me have been amazing, and I’m extremely grateful for that.”It’s something we’ll never forget. Incredible feeling to win over here in UAE, not many teams have done it. The Black Caps haven’t won away against Pakistan since 1969 and that’s something we talked about before this game, and we got it done. Amazing.”ALSO READ: Samiuddin: New Zealand greater than the sum of their parts, againNew Zealand were facing defeat when they were four down in their second innings and still 14 runs behind, but a magnificent stand of 212 between Kane Williamson, who scored 228 runs across both innings, and Henry Nicholls allowed them to dictate the pace of the game on the final morning as they set Pakistan 280 in 79 overs.
“Especially as a batter, you always want to have meaningful contributions in a team win. But for it to be in a series decider and in a series-winning game, it’s pretty awesome,” Nicholls, who made his first Test century away from home, said. “It’s great to bat with Kane, the way he played and led from the front for us was pretty awesome.”To give up a deficit of 74 in the first innings, the way the bowlers worked to make it only 74 was huge for us in the context of the game. We took a lot of confidence from the way we won that first Test being behind as well in that first innings.”Someone like Will Somerville to come in, and in his first Test match he bowled the way he did, Ajaz Patel in his third Test – it’s testament to them as bowlers and players, but also the group and the environment we’ve created here. It’s something that we’re going to really enjoy, be humble but also really proud of.”New Zealand now head home to take on Sri Lanka in a two-Test series before Christmas followed by a return to white-ball cricket then a three-Test series against Bangladesh in March. The series win over Pakistan follows their 1-0 victory at home against England earlier this year and the next 12 months gives the side a chance to create a legacy for themselves with series against England, Australia and India to follow.

England are without a couple of first-choice pace bowlers but bring a formidable batting line-up against a struggling home team

The Preview by Alan Gardner09-Oct-2018

Big picture

The contrast in fortunes between England and Sri Lanka in ODI cricket is so stark – and so unusual – that it could well form the subject of a body-swap comedy. Four years ago, on England’s last visit to the island, the wheels fell off their World Cup campaign before it had even begun: Alastair Cook was sacked at the end of the tour and they slid aimlessly through the subsequent tournament, axles throwing up sparks, to go straight out at the group stage (in which, let’s not forget, they were thrashed by nine wickets by Sri Lanka).However, then the fun began. England are now ranked the No. 1 ODI side in the world, while Sri Lanka, the original punk-rock aggressors in the format, have sunk to depths unimagined since their watershed victory at the 1996 World Cup. Of their most recent 40 ODIs, they have lost 30, with five different captains taking charge. The latest change took place a matter of weeks ago, with Dinesh Chandimal reinstated at the expense of Angelo Mathews – who was discarded from the squad entirely after the Asia Cup, amid concerns over his fitness and running between the wickets. For Sri Lankans, it’s a case of laughing else you’ll cry.While England have only triumphed once previously on the ODI leg of a Sri Lanka tour, bilateral series have become meat and drink for Eoin Morgan’s mean machine – they have won eight in a row, leaving aside a one-off defeat to Scotland in June. The World Cup, with the attendant pressures of knockout cricket, is a different proposition, but England are currently a rocket-propulsion unit with a locked-on target. Even a lack of practice, thanks to Sri Lanka’s monsoon season, is unlikely to have anyone thinking they aren’t favourites.For Chandimal and coach Chandika Hathurusingha, a short-term fix is probably more important than what might happen in seven months’ time. High-quality spin always has a chance of upsetting England (see Kuldeep Yadav’s turn during the early part of India’s recent tour) and Lasith Malinga has stalked back from the shadows, a ghost from Sri Lanka’s formidable past. The weather, too, could help level the playing field if it disrupts the visitors’ rhythm. But Mathews’ absence leaves a big hole in the batting (no jokes about his size), and it remains to be seen whether a struggling side can escape the heavy gravity of recent failures. How things have changed.Jason Roy shapes for the slog sweep•Getty Images

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWLWW

In the spotlight

Dinesh Chandimal has filled in as one-day captain before, but this series marks the start of his first official tenure. That he missed the Asia Cup debacle (through injury) was probably a good thing, but having also been suspended for the visit of South Africa in August, it is now nine months since he last played an ODI. His most recent fifty in the format came in March 2017 and he hasn’t reached three figures in more than two years. Hathurusingha has spoken of Chandimal regaining the aggression of his early career but it will be quite a job to turn around his own record as well as the form of a badly listing team.Plenty is different for England since their last visit, but Chris Woakes remains the focal point of the pace attack. His performances in 2014-15, when he took 14 wickets at 25.28, were a rare bright spot and he has developed into Morgan’s most trustworthy ODI seamer – although he missed the white-ball summer through injury. England have spoken in the build-up to the series about the importance of managing workloads for the quicks, and their ability to adapt quickly to conditions could be key. With Liam Plunkett and David Willey absent, Woakes’ experience will be all the more valuable.

Team news

The returns of Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella are likely to be the major changes for Sri Lanka after their early exit from the Asia Cup, with Mathews and Kusal Mendis dropped. Amila Aponso could provide a third spin option, if required, while Nuwan Pradeep and Kasun Rajitha are the spare pace bowlers in the squad.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt), 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Akila Dananjaya, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Lasith MalingaEngland’s main selection issue revolves around their third seamer: Tom and Sam Curran offer different angles of attack, while uncapped Olly Stone brings extra pace. Tom Curran’s greater experience perhaps puts him at the head of the queue. Jason Roy missed England’s most-recent ODI with a finger injury but is likely to open alongside Jonny Bairstow in preference to Alex Hales.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Tom Curran, 11 Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

The ground was looking lush on match eve, though the grass is likely to be trimmed further before the game begins. Rainfall interrupted Sri Lanka’s practice and the fact the covers have been on may mean there is some initial assistance for seamers, with spin also likely to play a part – but the pitch should still be decent for batting.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have lost their last seven completed ODIs in Dambulla. Their most-recent victory at the ground came against Pakistan in 2014.
• England’s last loss in a multi-match bilateral series came in India in 2016-17.
• Jonny Bairstow is 30 runs away from scoring 1000 in the calendar year. Only five England batsmen have previously managed the feat in ODIs, the most recent being Jonathan Trott in 2011.

Quotes

“Moeen [Ali] and [Adil] Rashid bowled really well in the practice game, we have a really good challenge from both of them. England have got more experience but we have got more mystery.””Obviously the World Cup is in the back of everyone’s mind, but there are very important series all along the way. It’s about trending in the right way and building a core group of players – a squad of 15/16/17 guys who we can hopefully call upon.”

Training with focus and purpose has helped the allrounder achieve consistency of late, says the Australia coach

Daniel Brettig31-Mar-2019Glenn Maxwell can be as good as Virat Kohli if he continues to ally newfound discipline and purpose to the talent he has demonstrated for a long time, Australia’s coach Justin Langer has declared.Ahead of the final ODI between Australia and Pakistan in Dubai, Langer delivered the bold call when queried about how Maxwell had improved over the course of the season, from a time when he seemed uncertain of his place in any team to now winning the coach’s respect for how he had contributed to both the T20I and ODI teams.For Langer, the next step for 30-year-old Maxwell is to maintain the sort of consistency he has shown in the UAE series, as epitomised by Kohli’s near universal presence at the top of global batting aggregates year in and year out.”The challenge for him is, and I’ve said this to him – we’ve just seen Virat Kohli, who is an extraordinarily talented player, he averages 60 [59.57] in ODI cricket; he is a great player – at the moment, in 99 games, Maxi averages 32 or 33 [32.87]. He can be Virat Kohli. He has got the talent to do that,” Langer said. “The way he played that T20 hundred in India, the way he played both T20s – we know he’s a great T20 player. His next challenge is to become a great ODI player and then potentially a Test player.”So there’s huge upside for him and while he keeps practicing with the purpose he’s got and winning games of cricket like he is, it’s great to have him. It’s obviously a massive challenge, isn’t it? He is now 30 years old and he’s played 99 games, but we all see it – and everyone talks about it – he’s got a huge amount of talent and his challenge has always been to deliver on that talent. And he’s done it in patches.”Glenn Maxwell flicks through midwicket•AFP

One of the critical messages Langer delivered to Maxwell last year surrounded training with purpose, after the allrounder had previously been seen as a somewhat wayward talent. “I think he’s put a lot of emphasis into his practice as well. He’s practising with real purpose and he’s getting the rewards for that. It’s great to see,” Langer said. “He’s such an important part of our team. He brings energy to everything that he does – whether it’s fielding, running between wickets, his strike rate.”We saw it last night, he can come in when we were four down (for 101, before he hit 98) and under the pump. He can come in at the end – because his strike rate is 120 in ODIs, that’s the highest by anyone in the world [only behind Andre Russell]. If he can play those more responsible innings and do what he does, it’s very important for us.”He’s such a valuable player for us because of everything he brings. It’s not just his batting, it’s his fielding, his bowling is really important. He’s getting better with his bowling all the time. I think he bowled seven overs in the last World Cup final, so he keeps delivering on that. His fielding is world class. He’s a good package, isn’t he?”Langer also offered strong words of praise for the captain Aaron Finch, who has shrugged off an earlier run of failures by returning to form in India and then following up to telling effect in the UAE. He now has the chance to lead the Australians to a 5-0 sweep of the ODI series against Pakistan, something the team have not achieved away from home since doing the trick against West Indies in the Caribbean in 2008.”Finchy is doing a great job. He’s getting better all the time,” Langer said. “He would have taken confidence out of the Big Bash final as well. As a captain you’ve got to live it, you’ve got to have those really positive experiences. He’s just growing. He’s doing a really good job. He’s obviously batting well and he’s doing a really good job.”He’s had a long, hard summer and he’s getting better towards the end of it. Great resilience, great durability and it also shows great leadership. Because often what happens at the end of a summer, guys can start going south. He’s actually getting better and better.”