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Alex Carey and Mark Steketee have been included for the South Africa tour which is still awaiting final approval from the two boards

Andrew McGlashan27-Jan-2021Matthew Wade has been dropped from Australia’s Test squad for the series against South Africa, and will instead tour New Zealand with the T20I side when the concurrent trips are due to take place in February and March, while Travis Head has been given a “a vote of confidence” by the selectors to earn back his spot.The South Africa tour, which is set to include three Tests, is still awaiting final sign-off between the two boards with the series currently expected to begin in early March. The squad to New Zealand is due to depart on February 7.Alex Carey has been included in the Test squad while Queensland quick Mark Steketee has also been called up with Jhye Richardson, who had been tipped for the South Africa trip, heading to New Zealand instead.The T20I squad includes a host of names who have impressed during the BBL including 19-year-old legspinner Tanveer Sangha who has starred for Sydney Thunder. Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith are the other uncapped players.Related

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Wade had a disappointing series against India where he made 173 runs at 21.26 and his shot selection came under particularly scrutiny in the final two Tests when he moved back down to the middle order having helped fill the opening void in the absence of David Warner and Will Pucovski. Head, who was dropped midway through the India series, is now likely to return to the No. 5 position.”Matthew in our view hasn’t done enough…over probably quite a few Test matches now,” national selector Trevor Hohns said. “I’m not being unfair to him, he would recognise that fact as well. He’s holding down a batting position at No. 5, sure he put his hand up to have a crack up the top, but holding down a specialist batting position he hasn’t quite done enough. As a senior player we expect a little bit more.”In Travis’ case he, to us, has a little bit more up side and we have given him a bit of a vote of confidence to try and win his spot back. We know Travis works very hard on his game and we consider he can probably improve so much to the extent that he can fight his way back.”Pucovski ended the series on the sidelines again due to a shoulder injury following an impressive debut at the SCG, but he and Warner are likely to form the opening partnership going forward although Hohns did not rule out Pucovski being considered for the middle order.It has been determined that Pucovski does not need surgery on his shoulder and is on track to be fit for the tour. James Pattinson, who suffered a rib injury while at home over Christmas and was withdrawn from the Test squad, has returned to grade cricket. If the Sheffield Shield resumes as planned next month it is expected he will have one match for Victoria before the tour departs.The majority of the 19-man test squad were involved in the India series but Carey now has the chance to firmly establish himself as the eventual successor to Paine.”When presented with the challenging task of selecting two concurrent Australian men’s squads for overseas tours, we picked our first-choice Test squad given the importance of the proposed series against South Africa,” Hohns said. “It is testament to the depth of Australian cricket that the NSP has been able to select two Australian men’s international squads of such quality.”Ben Oliver, the head of national teams, said: “We do not envisage replicating concurrent Australian men’s tours in the future, but we appreciate the need to do so now to assist our friends around the world during this challenging period for international sport and given the additional time requirements of mandatory quarantine periods.”T20I squad Aaron Finch (capt), Matthew Wade (vc), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam ZampaTest squad Tim Paine (capt), Pat Cummins (vc), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

Mike Hesson has backed his IPL team’s million-dollar recruit after the quick proved expensive in the T20Is against Australia

Sreshth Shah05-Mar-2021Mike Hesson, the director of cricket operations at the Royal Challengers Bangalore, has backed the team’s INR 15 crore recruit Kyle Jamieson despite the fast-bowling allrounder having a forgettable T20I series against Australia.In the first four T20Is of the series, Jamieson has conceded 175 runs in 15 overs – economy rate of 11.66 – for just one wicket. But Hesson, talking to after the third match – said that Jamieson shouldn’t be judged on his recent outings.”He’s struggled, probably for the first time in international cricket really, which I don’t think is a bad thing,” Hesson said in a conversation with Ian Smith. “He’s battled to find his lengths, which when you’re put under pressure, that can happen. And pressure not only from the opposition but also the weight of expectations. For Kyle, I don’t think it’s a bad thing.Related

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“He’s a smart enough cricketer, surrounded by good people, and he’ll come out of the other side. When you look at a player, you don’t look at a player just over a very short period of time. You look at the characteristics that he’s got. He’s got some good fighting qualities. He struggled, he didn’t find his lengths, he looked like he lost his run-up. We know he’s a very good player and although we would like him to be performing better, we’re not too worried just yet.”The tall right-arm quick had received the second-highest bid at last month’s IPL auction, going at over US$ 2.5 million following a three-way bidding war between the Royal Challengers, the Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals.Hesson, the former New Zealand coach, placed the first bid on Jamieson for INR 75 lakh, but alternating bids between the Royal Challengers and the Capitals pushed his price to INR 9 crore. After that, the Kings – who had the biggest purse at the latest auctions – showed interest in Jamieson, which lifted his price to INR 15 crore. He was snapped up by the Royal Challengers in the end. Later, in a video shared by the Royal Challengers on their social media feed, where the think tank was seen discussing their choices before auction day, Hesson was clear in his interest in Jamieson.Hesson has spent large portions of 2021 in India. Having arrived in the country before the IPL auction in Chennai, he has stayed back, shifting base to Bengaluru thereafter, where the franchise is beginning a camp soon. He has also been following the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, India’s premier domestic 50-over competition, some matches of which have been staged in the city.”I’ve been watching domestic cricket for the last week, one-day cricket in Bangalore,” Hesson said. “A lot of our players have been playing there, and we start a camp in two days’ time with six or seven guys who aren’t involved with India or international cricket. We’d like to get the squad together in the early twenties of March when the final IPL dates get settled. There’ll likely be a five-seven-day quarantine period that people will have to go through, and then the tournament is set to start early to mid-April.”

India’s premier spinner on how a ‘blank’ state of mind has brought success

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2021In this chat conducted by immediately after India’s series-levelling victory in the second Test against England in Chennai, Virat Kohli tells R Ashwin that he has seen a kind of metamorphosis in his lead spinner.According to Kohli Ashwin, who is closing in fast on 400 Test wickets, has naturally been strike bowler, not just at home but also during India’s triumph in Australia recently. Ashwin explains to Kohli what has helped him reach a “balance” state of mind where he is not desperate.Virat Kohli: I know you’ve done very well in Test cricket and you take a lot of pride in doing well for the team. This collective performance, which you’ve been working very hard for, coming in front of your home fans and your family as well, how does it feel?R Ashwin: For the first time in my career, I feel blank. When I went out to bat [on Tuesday] as well [in the second innings of the second Test], I was blank when I came and asked you “can I start sweeping?”, “can I reverse sweep?”. So that’s exactly how I feel: zero feelings or emotions inside. Very rarely I find myself in such situations.You know me very well, my mind is always ticking, but for a change it’s really, really blank. And out there, especially being 1-0 down, what I did was something incredible. Yes, I had things go my way, but that partnership (96 runs for the seventh wicket) between us set the tone and I’m really pleased for that.Kohli: Before you came to Australia, I saw a different body language, different mindset. What did you change about your approach towards the game which changed the way you approached situations on the field, and which is making a massive difference, not just in India but in Australia as well. Guys [Australians] were really very nervous to take you on. To be very honest, that body language I’ve seen away from home from you after a very long time. So I wanted to know at this stage of your career, what did you do and how did you manage to do it?Ashwin: The whole pandemic, where we shut off and locked ourselves down, it made me think “what is going to happen?”. For me, if you take the game away, I’m literally lost. Even if I’m not playing some formats of the game for the country, I’m putting the TV on, watching some preview, what’s happening, what’s not happening….I’m that sort of a person. Suddenly, the game’s not happening and we’re all sitting at home, so I was reflecting upon myself and trying to understand how I can learn from people, what people were perceiving of me.That perception really made sure that I was playing a game that is completely different to who I was. In the past when I toured [overseas], there was more of a desperation trying to prove others wrong. But this time when I went out there, it was more about proving to myself what I’m capable of. One thing I’ve noticed from a distance, and when I see people who do well through the year is how balanced they are in terms of not wanting to be desperate. Jinks, yourself when you came back to England the second time and wanted to do well, but really within yourself, within your crease, within your space, which is something I wanted to embrace.Kohli: We had a special partnership. The game was tentatively poised. Ash came out and changed the whole momentum of the game. That partnerships was special I want you to touch upon our partnership?Ashwin: This didn’t happen today. It happened at Blacktown (Sydney, during the first practice match). We were practising, and I was looking on how to take the short ball. I was a trying to set a base, trying to pull, trying to give myself options when you came up to me and said, “Ash, your big strength is to watch the ball and hit it, and play your natural game.”After that, when I went into the Adelaide day-night game, I sort of hit a few balls off the middle and something started to click. I said [to myself], ‘I’ve been too worried about technically getting things right. I’m just going to watch the ball and give myself space and also time, that extra bit of time to react to what’s in front of me.For me that had been missing in the whole puzzle of wanting to be excellent. Even this game, I’m sure you’ve been noticing, about how we wanted to sweep, try and be a little proactive. So (when) I walked out there (second innings) the first question I asked you was: “I want to try and sweep, what do you think?” And you just said “just go ahead”. For instance, if you had told me ” (take some time),” then things might have been different, because for me the right trigger has always helped. That’s what I have noticed in the last year or so.

“If we could have done the training camp for 15 more days, it would have been better”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2021Nasum Ahmed, the left-arm spinner who made his international debut in the recently-concluded T20Is against New Zealand, believes a longer preparation camp would have helped Bangladesh fare better in the series. Ahmed, 26, was part of the squad that lost 3-0 in the T20I series, and arrived in Dhaka from Auckland on Sunday.Related

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Ahmed admitted that Bangladesh struggled to adapt to New Zealand’s conditions. Their catching, in particular, was exposed throughout the tour as they dropped several straightforward chances in the circle and outfield. In the final T20I, Bangladesh dropped Finn Allen four times, allowing him to make a match-winning 71.”Our fielding would have improved if we stayed there for one-and-a-half to two months,” Ahmed said. “Their sky is very clear and their weather is nothing like ours. We needed more time. If we could have done the training camp for 15 more days, it would have been better.”After Bangladesh spent a week in room quarantine in Christchurch, they were allowed to train in small groups the following week. They then spent another week in training in Queenstown with the full team.In the lead up to the tour, Bangladesh’s white-ball captains Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah had both repeatedly said that this was the team’s best preparation to any New Zealand tour, but Ahmed felt they did not have enough time to adjust to the pitches, despite following the instructions of their spin-bowling coach Daniel Vettori.”I tried hard and tried to adjust to conditions like a professional cricketer. More than myself, I followed the coach’s tips more. He told me from the beginning how to bowl there. I applied what he said. We just couldn’t (win) do it. Not that we played badly, but we just couldn’t do it. Nothing more than that.”Condition was a problem. I think we are behind them in terms of wickets. Our wickets are very different than theirs. Those are pace-friendly wickets but our spinners still did well.”It will be the same for them (New Zealand) when they come to Bangladesh. They will face a similar situation.”

James Bazley, the allrounder who had impressed in last year’s BBL, earned a contract with Queensland

Daniel Brettig13-May-2021South Australia have poached the dual Sheffield Shield-winning fast bowler Brendan Doggett from Queensland among a raft of interstate additions to their squad. According to head coach Jason Gillespie, the new-look side will have a “focus on results” after four consecutive seasons at the bottom of the first-class standings and no victories at all in any competitions last season.The recruitment of Doggett, alongside the additions of Nathan McSweeney (also from Queensland), Jake Carder (Western Australia), the Sydney Thunder’s Nathan McAndrew (New South Wales) and contract upgrades for Ryan Gibson (NSW), Samuel Kerber (Victoria) and rookie Jordan Buckingham (Victoria), marks a major departure from recent seasons in which the Redbacks tried unsuccessfully to build a home-grown team.The failing fortunes of South Australia have been a talking point across the national system and were last year the subject of an independent review by Michael Hussey that panned a culture of mediocrity and conflicts of interest within the state’s high-performance wing.Hussey’s review had included the following recommendations: “Identify and try to recruit the best young talent around the country (former Australia U-19 players not contracted) and engage them through Premier Cricket making them earn opportunities at the next level. Identify quality players from interstate with first-class experience to fill holes in the current list or holes that will develop in the near future. Target the best 10th to 15th players from other states.”South Australia had already parted ways with Will Bosisto, Tom Cooper, Brad Davis, Conor McInerney, Luke Robins and Cameron Valente – all delisted – while Callum Ferguson and Chadd Sayers retired during the season after long careers with the Redbacks.”We are extremely delighted with the additions we’ve been able to make to freshen up our squad, and we’re optimistic for an improved 2021-22 season,” Gillespie said.”We have added considerable depth and increased our pace stocks, namely with Brendan who is a two-time Sheffield Shield champion, and we welcome each new player and look forward to the beginning of pre-season. We’ve shaped this new-look team with a focus on results, and we are confident that this rejuvenated list can take this proud state forward.”Doggett and McSweeney moved to South Australia as Queensland faced a contract squeeze on account of having only one Cricket Australia-contracted player in Marnus Labuschagne. James Bazley, the allrounder who delivered some eye-catching displays for the Brisbane Heat in last year’s BBL, is the only addition to the full contract list for the Bulls.South Australia contract list: Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Jake Carder, Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, Ryan Gibson, David Grant, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Samuel Kerber, Jake Lehmann, Nathan McAndrew, Nathan McSweeney, Joe Mennie, Harry Nielsen, Tim Oakley, Lloyd Pope, Kane Richardson, Liam Scott, Jake Weatherald, Nick Winter, Daniel Worrall
Rookie contracts: Jordan Buckingham, Bailey Capel, Kyle Brazell, Corey Kelly, Thomas KellyQueensland contract list: Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Joe Burns, Max Bryant, Blake Edwards, Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Michael Neser, Lachlan Pfeffer, Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth, Jack Wood
Rookie contracts:: Jack Clayton, Matthew Willans, Connor Sully, Will Prestwidge

Will Young to bat at No. 3 after showing strong County Championship form for Durham

Matt Roller09-Jun-2021Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, has been ruled out of the second Test against England at Edgbaston because of a persistent elbow injury.Williamson had to miss an ODI series against Bangladesh earlier this year because of the same problem, which also caused him to miss the start of the 2021 IPL for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Tom Latham, the regular vice-captain, will lead the team in Williamson’s absence, as he did against Australia at the SCG in January 2020 and West Indies in Wellington in December.Related

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“It’s not an easy decision for Kane to have to miss a Test, but we think it’s the right one,” Gary Stead, New Zealand’s head coach, said. “He’s had an injection in his elbow to relieve the irritation he’s been experiencing when he bats and a period of rest and rehabilitation will help maximise his recovery.”The injury is not expected to rule him out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India, which starts on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl. “The decision has been made very much with the ICC World Test Championship final at Southampton in mind and we are confident he will be ready for that match,” Stead added.”I’m sure he’ll be back [for the final],” Latham said. “From our point of view, it’s a precautionary thing. We’d love him to be available for this game but obviously we’ve got the eye on the final in a week’s time, so for Kane, it’s about giving himself the best opportunity to be fully fit and available for that game. The decision was made for him to rest and get that right for what we have coming up.”He’s fantastic as a captain. It’s well-documented how his personality and his calm nature out in the middle has been vital to this group. He’s very relaxed – doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low which I think has been great for this side in recent years. He’s obviously a wonderful leader and we’ve seen that throughout his captaincy career.”Williamson will be replaced in the New Zealand side by Will Young, the top-order batter who won both of his Test caps to date in the home series against West Indies in December.Young prepared for the series by playing four County Championship matches for Durham, scoring hundreds in two of his three most recent innings. He will bat at No. 3, with Latham and Devon Conway continuing to open the batting.”He’s been here a few weeks earlier [than the rest of the squad] and was playing cricket,” Latham said. “He had an opportunity back in our home summer and is coming off runs for Durham which is always nice when you get selected, especially in these conditions, so it’s another exciting opportunity for Will to put his hand up and try to put that performance on the board.”Trent Boult is set to play in the second Test•Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Latham also confirmed that Trent Boult will return to the side, with Mitchell Santner missing through injury, though he was yet to reach a final decision on the side before training on Wednesday afternoon. Ajaz Patel and the uncapped allrounder Rachin Ravindra are the two candidates to replace Santner, while Matt Henry, Doug Bracewell and Jacob Duffy will also be considered as New Zealand look to manage their seamers’ workloads ahead of the WTC final.”It’s a case-by-case situation,” he said. “There is an eye to what we have coming up in a week’s time but on the other hand this is obviously such an important game for us. We’ve got training now and then we’ll have a look at the wicket and have those conversations around what best suits the playing XI tomorrow. We’ve got a big squad to pick from.”While New Zealand’s thinking has clearly been influenced by the proximity of the WTC final, Latham said that the squad were not taking the opportunity to win a series in England for the first time since 1999 for granted.”Beating England is higher on our priority list [than the WTC final],” he said. “We’ve got such a great opportunity to come here and try to play our brand of cricket and put on a performance that we’re proud of. Yes, there is an eye to the final in a week’s time, but our focus is solely on this game and the next five days.”To win away from home is not an easy thing around the world nowadays, and if we can put the performance on the board that we know we’re capable off, fingers crossed that will give us a good chance to be successful after the five days.”Joe Root, England’s captain, acknowledged that Williamson’s absence was a big loss for New Zealand, but insisted that his team would be “respectful” of a side that has demonstrated its depth by qualifying for the WTC final.”He’s a big gun, No.1 in the world,” Root said. “He’s one of those players you spend a lot of time thinking about how you’re going to keep him quiet and get rid of him early. It will be a huge loss for them but we’re also very respectful that New Zealand have a strong squad and are involved in the WTC final because they have strength in depth.”We saw last week a debutant coming in and getting a double hundred. We’ve got to make sure we’re clear on our plans, clued up on whoever replaces him so we can find ways of keeping him quiet and dismissing him.”

Batter says continuity of white-ball roles is crucial if England are to win T20 World Cup

Andrew Miller21-Jun-2021Jos Buttler insists that his ambition is still to be “the best player I can, no matter what colour the ball is”, but says he has no qualms about missing England’s last five Test matches as part of the ECB’s rest-and-rotation policy, warning that if you treat the global schedule as “an endless piece of string, then at some point you are going to burn out”.Buttler has been named in England’s T20I squad for the series against Sri Lanka, beginning in Cardiff on Wednesday, and he expects once again to open the batting alongside Jason Roy, despite having batted at No. 4 for Lancashire during his recent return to action in the T20 Blast.But it was his absence from the Test series against New Zealand earlier this month that raised eyebrows, particularly in the wake of the postponement of this year’s IPL, the original reason why he had been expected to miss the two matches at Lord’s and Edgbaston.Although New Zealand’s IPL players all made themselves available for the series – including Trent Boult, who had to miss the Lord’s Test while undergoing quarantine – Buttler remained sidelined even after Ben Foakes, his understudy, was ruled out with a hamstring tear. In the absence of their established wicketkeepers, James Bracey made an uncomfortable debut behind the stumps, as England slumped to a 1-0 series loss, their first on home soil since 2014.Buttler, however, played down any suggestion that the Test team is in crisis after four losses in five in his absence, included three on the bounce in India following a memorable victory at Chennai in his most recent appearance.”Generally, things are never as good as you think they are and never as bad as you think they are,” Buttler said. “We played three fantastic games in the subcontinent and then hit some extremely tough conditions. India are a formidable force at home and went on to win that series. Any time you lose at home is disappointing – we’re a proud nation with a proud record at home and it was Rooty’s first series loss at home.”It’s disappointing whenever you don’t play cricket you know what you’re capable of as a side. But in the past 18 months, two years, there have been some strides and I think the side is going in the right direction. Things are still in a good place. Any time you lose, there are question marks but I think some great things have been put in place and I’d still back everyone in that side to have a great summer against India.”He also reiterated the importance of the ECB managing players’ workloads, even in an England home season – which is now very much an extension of the touring lifestyle, given the need for Covid-secure environments and the consequent long periods away from friends and family.Jos Buttler’s return for Lancashire this month was his first game since September 2018•Barry Mitchell/Lancashire Cricket

Buttler has a two-year-old daughter, Georgia, born on the eve of the 2019 World Cup, and he said that it was vital for England’s top cricketers to retain a work-life balance, especially given their packed itinerary for 2021 – which still has a home Test series against India to come, followed by the T20 World Cup and the Ashes in quick succession.”It’s always disappointing when you miss cricket,” Buttler said. “I was feeling in good touch and things were going well but I will retain that confidence if I get another chance. At the same time, what has been helpful as a player are the open discussions you have with the coaches and captains. Those rest periods are there because it probably allows you to throw yourself into everything when you are involved. If it’s an endless piece of string, then at some point you are going to burn out.”I don’t think there’s any perfect answers,” he added. “In England we’re playing a lot of cricket, more than most, so it’s important for everyone to be looked after really well, and I think the ECB do a good job of that. We understand it’s a short career and you want to be available and play as much as you can, but in the current climate, with all the complications of Covid etc, I do think we have to look after our people.”Simple things like playing in England, it used to be very easy to bring your family in, and get out and go home, and do those normal things. But the stresses and strains of the environments at the moment are different to what it used to be.”I know there’s been some criticism from outside, but I think it’s a day and age where we’ve got to look after people and applaud the fact that the guys are trying to be forward-thinking and look after people. Is it perfect? No, of course it’s not, but I’d rather we look after our guys.”Related

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There has been criticism too, that amid all the need for compromise, it is the England Test team that appears to have taken the hit on availability, with the white-ball squad at close to full strength, in spite of the injury absences of key players such as Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.And though Buttler is adamant he wants to be in the frame for both the India Tests and the Ashes, he also believes that in another World Cup year, the importance of getting the white-ball players used to their specific roles is paramount if England are to emulate their feat in 2019 and add the 20-over title to their list of global ICC trophies.”It’s really important to get the squad nailed down,” he said. “Role clarity for people and the familiarity of playing together, I think that’s a marker of successful teams – they are ones that know each other well and are playing good cricket going into the tournament.”That was something that helped us in the 50-over World Cup – going in confident, having played good cricket. So we need to focus hard on these next few T20s to make sure we put ourselves in as good a position as we can be when we get to the World T20.”Naturally I am a better white-ball player than I am a red-ball player but I want to be the best cricketer I can be in all formats,” he added. “In terms of my own ambitions, I want to be the best player I can, no matter what colour the ball is.”

Back-to-back Cardiff matches a stern test of leadership and a gauge of where SL are as a T20 side

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Jun-2021

Big picture

Since the start of 2019, England have won 16 T20 internationals to the eight they have lost. In the same period, Sri Lanka have lost 14, winning just five. England are the top-ranked T20I side, while Sri Lanka are eighth. And while England had been runners-up at the most-recent T20 world event, Sri Lanka are required to qualify for the main draw of the next major tournament. There would, in short, seem to be a gulf between these teams.Partly this is down to leadership. Eoin Morgan has been England’s most successful white-ball captain, and has done the job since 2015. Although Sri Lanka won the World T20 in 2014, they have rifled through leaders in the last five years, with Dinesh Chandimal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera (none of whom are even in this current squad), and Dasun Shanaka having led. Now they line up behind Kusal Perera, who is the only surviving member of that World T20 champion side.Although he has not been consistently impressive himself in the past few years, he has a daunting assignment ahead of him now. The back-to-back matches at Cardiff will not only be a stern test of his leadership, but an indication of where Sri Lanka are as a T20 side. A full-strength Sri Lanka side has not played since before the pandemic.Related

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England narrowly lost their last T20I series, going down 3-2 to India, but it’s unlikely they begin this series with serious trepidation. This is despite the fact they do not have Jofra Archer (who was their top wicket-taker in India) or Ben Stokes, due to injury. On top of everything else, many of their cricketers have also been primed in the T20 Blast, while Sri Lanka have merely had a couple of low-key intra-squad games. Such is the volatility Sri Lanka bring, they cannot be ruled out altogether. But if they are to make a fist of this series, they will have to spring a series of surprises.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)England LLWLWSri Lanka LWLLL

In the spotlight

Not only was Jos Buttler England’s highest run-scorer in the series in India, he also has a spectacular record against Sri Lanka, striking at 158 and averaging 47 in six innings against them. Although his Blast form for Lancashire has been somewhat patchy, he had had an excellent finish to the (curtailed) IPL, where he had hit 124 off 64 in early May. Sri Lanka’s inexperienced attack will be especially wary.Kusal Perera, meanwhile, has a spectacularly poor T20 record against England, striking at 84 and averaging less than 10. He has also not played the format in over a year – his last T20 international having been in March 2020. Although there are several players vying for positions at the top of the order, Perera has said he will either open the batting, or come in at No. 3. This is a captaincy that is yet to really earn its stripes. Runs in this series will immeasurably assist his leadership.

Pitch and conditions

Cardiff is the second lowest-scoring ground in the T20 Blast this season, with an average of 7.59 runs an over, and is one of the few English grounds where spinners are more expensive than seamers in T20. The weather is expected to be good, though the temperatures are forecast to dip to the mid teens.

Team news

Morgan has said that both Bairstow (who is recovering from an ankle injury) and Dawid Malan (who’s coming back from an achilles complaint) are both available. Moeen Ali will likely be the allrounder in place of Stokes.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Sam Curran, 8 David Willey/Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark WoodAvishka Fernando’s return (he had been left out of the two previous series due to poor fitness) will strengthen the top three. There is some competition for middle-order spots, however, with Dhananjaya de Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and Oshada Fernando all vying for places.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Perera (capt/wk), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Oshada Fernando, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Stats and trivia

• England have won each of the six T20 internationals played at Sophia Gardens.
• Sri Lanka have lost their last three T20 internationals against England. Their last victory was back in 2014, at The Oval.
• Dawid Malan has 1003 T20 international runs. He was the fastest to 1000 runs, making the milestone in 24 innings to beat Babar Azam, who got their in 26 innings.

  Quotes

  “I think Moeen was unlucky not to play in India. The pitches that we played on didn’t turn at all in that series so actually a second spinner wasn’t the best option. We have to look at the balance of the side but you have to be a very, very good side to go in with only five bowlers and no allrounder.”
  England captain Eoin Morgan suggests Moeen will take Stokes’ place in the XI“It’s important to give our top-order batters consistent places in the team, so they know how to score runs in those positions.”
  Sri Lanka captain Kusal Perera suggests his team’s top order could do with some faith through the series.

Nick Selman eases home side past paltry target after bowlers make light work of Notts

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2021Glamorgan cruised to their fourth win in seven matches in Group 1 in the Royal London Cup as they beat Notts Outlaws by eight wickets after easily chasing down a modest score of 73 in a weather-effected contest.It means they still lead their group and remain very much on course for a home semi-final in the knock-out stage. They host Yorkshire on Thursday while the Outlaws, now four points behind the leaders, welcome Northamptonshire.Umpires Ian Gould and Neil Mallender made three inspections of the Sophia Gardens pitch and outfield before finally declaring play could start at 3.00pm, with the game reduced from 50 to 23 overs. After winning the toss the Glamorgan skipper, Kiran Carlson, invited the visitors to bat first.Ben Slater took a boundary over the covers in the opening over before Michael Hogan, who had removed Surrey opener Mark Stoneman with his first ball five days earlier, struck with his second ball to take out Sol Budinger.Budinger skied a catch that wicketkeeper Tom Cullen comfortably dealt with and then fellow opener Ben Slater fell lbw to Lucas Carey in the next over. By the end of the first Powerplay, the Outlaws were 19 for 3 with Matt Montgomery also back in the hutch and the Glamorgan seamers very much on top.Lyndon James survived a sharp chance at point to Andrew Salter, but then took a nasty blow on the helmet from James Cooke. An over later, on the recommendation of the umpires, he retired hurt and was replaced by concussion sub Sam King.His departure brought Liam Patterson-White to the wicket, but he didn’t last long, sent back to the pavilion courtesy of a spectacular one-handed catch by Steve Reingold at short midwicket off Cooke. When Glamorgan turned to spin, Salter clean bowled Peter Trego for eight in the ninth over.Dan Schadendorf was caught in the deep trying to hook Cooke to leave the Outlaws reeling at 31 for 6 and when 17-year-old academy star Fateh Singh struck the returning Hogan to the boundary in the 14th over it was only the third four of the innings.Hogan’s response was to clean bowl Brett Hutton, but Singh brought up the 50 in the 16th over with the first of two successive boundaries before departing for a combative 21 in the 18th over. James Weighell then mopped up the tail to end with 3 for 7 as he removed King and Dane Paterson with successive balls in the 21st over.That left Glamorgan with a modest total to chase and they ended the first Powerplay on 26 for 0 before New Zealand’s Hamish Rutherford spooned back a catch to pace bowler Dane Paterson in the very next over.Nick Selman steered the home side through the 50 mark in the 12th over. Steve Reingold was trapped lbw to Patterson-White in the 16th over and that allowed Carlson to come in and hit the winning boundary two balls later. Aussie opener Selman remained unbeaten on 36.

“Naturally you bowl a little shorter here but you don’t want to be drawn into bowling too short”

Tristan Lavalette02-Dec-2021It’s a question that dogs England ahead of every Ashes tour: can their attack master the Kookaburra ball like their favoured Dukes back home?The Kookaburra, which swings considerably less than the Dukes used in the UK, has unstuck England’s bowlers over the years on batting-friendly Australian pitches, which are generally harder and bouncier.England have not won a Test in Australia since their famous 2010-11 Ashes triumph, and to break that drought, they will need to crack open Australia’s top order led by Steven Smith and David Warner, who have put pedestrian bowling from the tourists to the sword over the years, and the latest star in Marnus Labuschagne.Allrounder Chris Woakes was one such quick, who struggled in England’s 4-0 thrashing in 2017-18, finishing with ten wickets at 49.50 from four Tests. He and some of England’s less experienced exponents of the Kookaburra are likely to counsel James Anderson and Stuart Broad – veterans of Ashes tours though with mixed success overall with the ball – ahead of the first Test at the Gabba on December 8.Related

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“The Kookaburra is very different to the Dukes and what we’re used to back home,” Woakes said on Thursday in Brisbane as England were finally able to get some time in the middle with the rain staying away. “We have a good amount of experience from guys who have been here before. We touch base with those guys to see what’s worked in the past.”The vagaries of the Kookaburra have traditionally been tough for England’s bowlers to grasp, exacerbated on this tour thus far by the lack of match practice due to Brisbane’s poor weather.”It’s about trying to experiment. Getting the ball to move sideways is probably the biggest challenge,” Woakes said. “Trying to work different things, like how we hold it. Trying to get the ball to move off the straight is quite important.”Woakes, who bowled superbly on his return to Test cricket against India at The Oval after an absence of a year, added that England’s quicks, excellent exponents of swing, had to be prepared to adapt with ball in hand amid conditions more conducive to bounce – traditionally a main characteristic of the Gabba. But a key, according to Woakes, would be not going overboard with short-pitched bowling, which has perennially undone overeager bowlers in Australia.”You have to be willing to change your game… different ball, different conditions [to England],” he said. “You do get good bounce here. Trying to extract that as much as possible. Naturally you bowl a little shorter here but you don’t want to be drawn into bowling too short. [It’s about] trying to utilise that bounce.”