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South African Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour may not know who he is but SriLanka’s batsmen need no introduction after the world’s leading all-rounder,Jacques Kallis, ripped through their middle order on the opening day of theCastle Lager/MTN Test series at Wanderers on Friday.Kallis would have had every right to feel aggrieved by the comments ofBalfour, who has been quoted in the South Africa media of saying: “I don’tgo to Newlands to watch Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis, I go to watch PaulAdams and Makahaya Ntini…who is Jacques Kallis anyway?”But the comments, although they clearly disappointed captain Shaun Pollock,had no adverse effect upon Kallis, who claimed three wickets in six ballsshortly before the tea interval, snatching the initiative away from the SriLankans who were just starting to prosper.Sanath Jayasuriya’s side were eventually bowled out for 192, a total thatseverely dents their hopes of overcoming a disastrous record outside of thesub-continent and winning their first ever series against South Africa.Sri Lanka’s day did not improve in the field either, as South Africa finishedwith a solid opening partnership between Gary Kirsten, who passed6000 Test runs, and Graeme Smith that has so far yielded 51 runs.Mahela Jaywardene (39) and Sanath Jayasuriya (32) had added 51 runs afterthe loss of three top order wickets for 86, threatening to lay thefoundations for the kind of score that the tourists would have been lookingfor having decided to bat first after winning the toss.But Kallis, who had only just recovered from a hamstring injury that hadthreatened his participation in this game, broke through with an outswingerthat caught the outside edge of Jayawardene’s defensive bat.In his next over he surprised Jayasuriya with a well-directed short deliverythat the Sri Lankan captain, batting in his new position of number five,fended off into the safe hands of Graeme Smith at third slip.Three balls later debutante Hasantha Fernando (0) betrayed his experience,unwisely attempting an ambitious hook. Gary Kirsten clung onto a good catchrunning back from short leg.When Chaminda Vaas guided another catch into the slips in the last overbefore tea, Sri Lanka had lost four wickets in the space of 17 deliveries,collapsing from the relative comfort of 137 for three to 141 for seven.After the break Hashan Tillakaratne and the tail eked out 51 valuable runs,ten of which were scored by a smiling Muttiah Muralitharan who swung hisfirst delivery from Pollock for six and then drilled Easterns all-rounderAndrew Hall straight down the ground before holing out at long leg.For the Sri Lankans it was a thoroughly disappointing day. All the batsmenhad come into the Test having spent time at the crease during the warm-upgames and were desperate to show that they could perform on the fast-bowlerfriendly surfaces expected in South Africa.In the event, Jayasuriya may have rued his decision to bat first. Pollockclaimed that he would have bowled first, understandable given the fact thathis selectors had opted for a five-pronged pace attack in the morning afterseeing the green-tinged wicket.Indeed, his seamers did extract considerable seam movement during themorning, regularly beating the bat. But of the first three Sri Lankanwickets to fall, all the batsmen contributed to their downfall.Russel Arnold (0) pushed hard at a short delivery from Makhaya Ntini that hewould with hindsight have preferred to leave alone. Kumar Sangakkara (26)was guilty of hanging on the back foot when he should have come forward andMarvan Atapattu (34) wasted a lot of hard work when he drove loosely againstthe probing Pollock.Earlier in the day, Hershcelle Gibbs was forced out of the final XI minutesbefore the toss after sustaining a back injury during the team warm-up. Theteam management were forced to send an emergency SOS to Martin vanJaarsveld, who was practicing with his domestic club in Pretoria at thetime.The South African selectors had gambled with their original selection,leaving out left-arm spinner Claude Henderson, their only slow bowlingoption. They made the surprise decision to include the inform Hall ahead ofMornantau Hayward.Sri Lanka included left-arm seamer Perera for the first time since he wasreported for having a suspect action during the Lord’s Test earlier thisyear. They also gave a first cap to all-rounder Hasantha Fernando.

Despite the inclement weather the 2002 Corner Cricket competition eventually took place, and though not a full programme was possible at least some cricket was played.County Youth Development Officer Pete Sanderson told me: "As a result of the Corner Cricket competition a number of young cricketers have emerged, and we have been able to have a further look at them in a longer game situation. Some of them have certainly made their mark in the longer game and they will be followed up."The main competition was hampered severely by the weather with only 6 matches out of the 30 being played. There was a rearrangement of the various age groups to play shorten matches which were either 20 or 25 overs in length with hope for good weather! In all but the under 12s these were completed.The South West appeared to dominant proceedings winning four age groups but in 3 cases this was only on points difference, with wins being level. The North West went unbeaten in the under 15s to make sure the South West did not complete a monopoly.UNDER 11This was kindly hosted by Timsbury CC and saw a victory in a thrilling climax for the South West area. They required victory in their last match over the North East, this was achieved by only 5 runs after they set a target of 82 in 20 overs to win, thanks mainly to 45 not out by Chris Skidmore. Henry Thomas’s 49 was in vain as they fell 5 runs short. Other notable performances came from Ross Jenkins with a match winning 34 not out, helped by Luke Wilkinson 20, Josh Beal contributed 34 all for the South East. Chris Dent made the only telling performance for the North West with 38 in their only victory. Following this day Henry Thomas, Daniel Tompkins, Chris Skidmore, Luke Wilkinson and Jack Waller have been given the chance to represent the county. The final table read as:

TEAM P W L C PTSSOUTH WEST 3 2 1 0 6NORTH EAST 3 2 1 0 6SOUTH EAST 3 1 2 0 3NORTH WEST 3 1 2 0 3

** South West won by beating the North EastUNDER 12This age group was hit hardest by the weather with the rearranged 25 over matches being washed out, this meant they only played 1 match each. This saw victories for the North East and South West, the notable performances came from John Mould 23 not out when chasing 98. In the total of 174 the main contributions came from Chris Small, Daniel Lazaredis and James Brice to give them victory by 88 runs. This margin of victory gave the South West the title. Jason Strong, Chris Small, Matthew Green, Daniel Lazardries, Alex Field and Matthew Horsley have been given county opportunities. The table was:

TEAM P W L C PTSSOUTH WEST 1 1 0 2 15NORTH EAST 1 1 0 2 14NORTH WEST 1 0 1 2 5SOUTH EAST 1 0 1 2 3

UNDER 13The under 13 completed their competition in two forms, one original match each and then two 25 over matches each. Three teams managed to win 2 game apiece which meant that bonus points were essential. The South West were the eventual winners with the most notable contributions with coming from Jack Cooper 75 not out, Hugh Kelly 55 & 51, Tom Monaghan 44. In the bowling department Alex Watson and Mitch Windsor got 3 and 4 wicket hauls in the 50 over match. For the other areas Patrick Ost top scored for the North East with 69, as well as Alex Field making 49 not out. For the South East Bradley Middleton made 42 & 38, as well as Kevin Salt striking 47 and Harry Moores 36. The North West’s best effort came from Garth Tiley who took 3 for 48, other players taking 3 wickets were Sam Gotley (NE), Alistair Barrowman (SE), Tom Stokes (SE) and Iain Miles (NW). Following these games a corner select side visited Gwent to give 11 players another opportunity. The table was as follows:

TEAM P W L C PTSSOUTH WEST 3 2 1 0 36NORTH EAST 3 2 1 0 29SOUTH EAST 3 2 1 0 28NORTH WEST 3 0 3 0 16

UNDER 14The South West took the title with three wins, again this was a mixture of 45 and 25 over matches. They had many players make significant contributions, which added to the team effort, the main ones were Charles Ridout 55 & 44, Fraser Campbell-Wilson 47 and Tom Pantlin 39, bowling wise there were 3 wicket hauls for Patrick Thomas, John Osmond and Matthew Councell. For the other areas there were two hundreds Steve Depledge 114 and Tom Bryan 100 for the North East. Tom Main 50 (NW), Joel Tratt 60 (SE) and Ted Roe 45 (NE) made good contributions with the bat. From a bowling prospective Matthew Thomas got a 5 wickets (NE), Ben Main 4 (NW), Peter Auld 4 (NE) and Craig Mawford 3 (NW). The following players will be given an opportunity at county level; Fraser Campbell-Wilson, Ashley Doyle, Nat Pepperall, Tom Main, Stephen Depledge and Charles Ridout. The table was as follows:

TEAM P W L C PTSSOUTH WEST 3 3 0 0 45NORTH EAST 3 2 1 0 38SOUTH EAST 3 1 2 0 23NORTH WEST 3 0 3 0 19

UNDER 15The under 15s played a round robin contest of 20 over cricket. The North West came out on top with 3 wins. There were major contributions from Shamil Ahmed 79 & 66 both not out, as well as Daniel Hawkes 46. Other batting efforts came from Richard Catchpole 63 (SW), James Snell 49 (SW), Rob Dickens 52 & 46 (SW), Jon Auld 51 (NE), Tim Lamb 53 not out (SE), Jeremy Hare 47 (NE) and Matthew Grimstead 37 (SE). As they were 20 overs matches the wicket hauls were not significant. There will be county chances for Shamil Ahmed, Jason Lane, Harold Booth and Robert Dickens. The table is as follows:

TEAM P W L C PTSNORTH WEST 3 3 0 0 40SOUTH WEST 3 2 1 0 33NORTH EAST 3 1 2 0 25SOUTH EAST 3 0 3 0 16

Firstly I would like to thank Pete Sanderson for all his efforts, from setting up the initial trial process through to the arduous task of rearranging the competition.All the coaches in all the areas for the indoor coaching and being with the teams on match days and particularly the area coordinators, Dan Hodges, Brian Hoyle, Justin Burke and Gregg Brown.All the venues used which were; Kings College, Taunton, Wells Cathedral School, Kingswood School, Nailsea CC, King Edwards School, Weston Super Mare CC, Timsbury CC and Downes School.Ian Cowley for arranging all the umpires that attended matches.The support given by the Somerset Cricket Board, in particular Andrew Moulding.Colin Johnson from Active Sports, for providing the caps for each area at every age group.

Shane Warne is returning to relegated Hampshire on a two-year contract. He played for them with success in 2000 and now returns to take up the captaincy in succession to Robin Smith who is standing down from the position he has held for five years.Smith has a testimonial year coming up, and wants to concentrate on his batting as the county strive to regain their Division One status. Ironically enough, it was during another relegation year that Warne played for Hampshire, when he took 70 wickets at 23.14 each. He also averaged 21.55 with the bat and recorded three fifties. He also took 38 wickets in one-day cricket that season.Hampshire chairman, Rod Bransgrove, when asked how difficult it was to get the Australian leg-spinner to return to the county, replied: “It was more difficult trying to keep him away! Shane is a hugely dedicated and loyal man to all the clubs he has ever played for, from St. Kilda, his first ever club, through to us here at Hampshire and it is tremendous news for the county and demonstrates the depth of our ambition.”Warne, currently in Sri Lanka playing for Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy, said: “I am very happy to be returning to Hampshire, which is my second home. I enjoyed it so much last time and I will do everything to help re-establish Hampshire to the forefront of English cricket.”Bransgrove added: “We have been discussing the captain situation for a few weeks now and looking at all the options. But we really felt Shane Warne’s qualities put him to be the obvious candidate and we are delighted to have him. We will work around his international commitments, but he does not have that many during the next two summers.”Those international commitments will result in him missing the first three weeks of next season as he will be with Australia on their tour of the West Indies. The appointment of the vice-captain has yet to be finalised, but Will Kendall is the incumbent and has stood in several times for Smith during this season.

England cricket selectors will wait until Friday morning before naming their team to play Australia in the third Test at the WACA Ground in Perth.England coach Duncan Fletcher said batsman John Crawley was again out ofFriday’s match with a hip injury while fast bowler Andrew Caddick willbe given extra time to decide whether he can play with a back problem.Caddick bowled in the nets today but England officials want to see howhe feels after cooling down.Opening batsman Michael Vaughan has been cleared to play but told not tobowl his part-time off-spinners because of knee and shoulder niggles.Fletcher said the make-up of the team could not be discussed untilCaddick’s fitness was known, but he indicated young off-spinner RichardDawson was likely to play.England trails 2-0 in the five-match series.

Bashley (Rydal) will play Premier League rivals South Wilts in the Southern Electric Contracting Cup final at the Hampshire Rose Bowl on Friday week, August 2 (5.45pm).South Wilts scrambled a five-wicket, penultimate ball victory over Rowledge at Lower Bemerton last night, mon.The Salisbury club appeared to be cruising towards a comfortable win, needing seven runs off the final two overs to overhaul a Rowledge total of 104-7.But, after the impressive Jamie Glasson (26) had been run out, South Wilts suffered an attack of the nerves and in a tense finish clinched their cup final slot with just one ball to go.David Lloyd (23) and Chris Yates (22) had earlier begun well for Rowledge, but a five-wicket spell of left-arm bowling by Paul Draper (5-21) derailed their progress.Dave Booton (24) and Nick Morant (20) helped Rowledge, the National Village Championship quarter-finalists, to 104-7 off 20 overs.Jon Nash (19), Rob Wade (18) and Russell Rowe (16) all did their bit for South Wilts, who so nearly came unstuck after Glasson was needlessly run out.

USA, Caymans on topThe United States and the Cayman Islands top the standings after two rounds of the Americas Cup with both their matches won.The US team beat defending champions Canada by three wickets in the closest match, while the Cayman Islands won against hosts Argentina by 7 wickets. In the other match, Bermuda beat the Bahamas by 68 runs.US Outplay North American rivalsAt Hurlingham, Canada, batting first, scored 165 for 9 in their 50 overs, with Samad top-scoring with 67 and skipper De Groot getting 37. Johnson notched 5 for 43 for the USA.The US team passed that score with 7 wickets down and five overs to spare, with opener Rohan Alexander keeping one end up with a slow 50 in 132 minutes. Donavan Blake was 28 not out, and former West Indian international Faoud Bacchus made 15. Dennis Pilgrim took 3 wickets for 14 runs.Caymans march onAt Belgrano, Argentina started disastrously and were 59 for 8, but Donny Forrester made their total look a bit more respectable scoring 55 runs against good bowling, and putting on 70 for the ninth wicket with Hernan Pereyra, who was 18 not out. Ryan Bovell bowled superbly to take 5 for 25 in 8 overs.Argentina were all out for 134 in 43 overs, and the Cayman Islanders had no problems in scoring the required 135 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 36 overs. Highlight of their innings was 46 by Chris Wight, including 4 fours and 2 sixes.Bermuda beat BahamasAt Longchamps, Bermuda scored 196 for 9 in their 50 overs, and then dismissed the Bahamas for 128 in 42 overs.For the winners, captain Charlie Marshall scored 66 and Chris Foggo 25, while Dennis Pilgrim took 3 for 14.For the Bahamas, Garcia Blair top-scored with 24.

There wouldn’t have been too many people betting on an outright result between Western Province and North West at the North West Stadium in Potchefstroom on Saturday morning, given that the second innings of the match was still in progress, but some time before 6pm, that was exactly what transpired.Not that the home faithful would have been pleased. They had just seen their team fold for 126 in their second knock to lose by an innings and seven runs, with left-arm paceman Charl Willoughby and left-arm spinner Claude Henderson each taking three wickets.What was so amazing about the outcome was that Province had started the third day still 62 runs behind North West’s first innings total of 330, with five wickets standing. The overnight tally of 268/5 was largely based on the 163 added by Lloyd Ferreira and Neil Johnson for the fifth wicket and on Saturday, it was another partnership involving Ferreira that swung the game Province’s way.He and wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile took their overnight stand of four to 171, a partnership fashioned in just 35.4 overs, before both were out with the total on 435. Tsolekile made 78 off 115 balls, including 12 fours, while Ferreira, who had made 120 off 190 balls on Friday, faced another 100 in moving to a superb 201, including 26 fours and a six.Of the home side’s bowlers, none suffered more than Mark Lavine. Having bowled 15 overs for 74 on Friday, he sent down another nine on Saturday at a cost of 70 runs. His 4/144 off just 24 overs included 20 no-balls, matching the tally sent down by Roger Telemachus in the first North West innings.Telemachus managed to gain the ascendancy in the no-ball count in the 43.4 overs that the home side’s second knock lasted, overstepping a further 14 times, but it was ultimately of no consequence as North West capitulated with time to spare on the third day, handing Province a healthy haul of 20 log points.First innings hero Morne Strydom stood unbowed at the close on 33, but there was to be no repeat of the 204-run first-innings stand with Alfonso Thomas. Incidentally, just to place that stand in perspective, 204 is what you get if you subtract 126 from 330.

At Lord’s, Waqar must have realized that England must have been in a generous mood otherwise the margin of defeat could have stung far more. Losing a Test by an innings and nine runs, inside three days is certainly humiliating.The team has problems. Perhaps the worst that has happened to it is a superfluous presence of living legends. How long they can they remain living as opposed to legends, is a matter of speculation. On the other hand, at Karachi, Wasim Bari, the chairman of selectors will have to get himself a louder alarm clock than the one that failed to wake him while he was selecting the team.

In England, the fragile and often trembling Pakistan batsmen must have thanked their lucky stars for not having to face Mathew Hoggard from one of the ends otherwise, it could have been worse. Saeed and Saleem may well have thought instead of injuring skipper Nasser Hussain, Shoaib would have done them a service had he disposed off Andrew Caddick instead.The Pakistan cricketers, replete with a foreign physio, a foreign coach, a foreign bowling coach, a Cambridge trained Manager, training programmes and tonics, arrived in England and right away looked noticeably out of place. If they’d been well prepared for the series as the manager commented, then God knows what yardstick he uses to gauge performance.After having lost at Lord’s, Pakistan have a lot of catching up to do. Self-serving though this may sound, coming from me, its interesting to note that Yawar, himself a former Somerset all-rounder, stated that the team didn’t require a cricket analyst and that he’ll perform the duty himself. So one can ask the fair question, why didn’t he firmly instruct the coach to tell his batsmen to not go chasing balls outside off, especially after the follow-on?One can only surmise, by now he must be quite happy for having done the dual job effectively? One must give him credit for supporting his team’s cause by ensuring they took the fifth day off and completed the last minute rites minutes before the last session of the fourth day came to an end.Anyway, this happens in cricket. Winning or losing is part of the game but the fact remains, Pakistan’s performance was shocking. Perhaps we were expecting rather more than we should have. Pakistanis want their team to win every match and possible thrilled by the previous achievements in England in 1987, 1992 & 1996 we illogically thought that 2001 series will also fetch the same results. And in Waqar, it seemed Pakistan had a captain who would ensure that there would never be a losing moment in a match.Don’t we all fail to realize that most of our top cricketers have played out their bit and now merely depend on the great deeds done in the past? Are they just hanging around, just to be there, going through the motions and trying to last a bit longer?

Wasim Akram’s skills are universally acclaimed and no question about the past but his current value is now being questioned. This may be Wasim’s own doing; in the field he does give an impression of being no more than casually interested in the proceedings. Yet, though less frequently, he pops up with some useful bowling. He is brim full of natural ability but has certainly lost what made him the greatest of all.The time has come to accept that Wasim and Waqar will not bowl Pakistan to victory should they be given this assignment in future teams. We must admit that Waqar’s bowling too has lost its sustained pace and aggression and now presents few difficulties to the leading batsmen. Nor is Wasim quite the accurate bowler he once was. Two great bowlers these but their glorious days are done and this, sadly, will have to be accepted.Neither Inzamam nor Yousuf are having a good series. Inzamam always carries the burden of team’s high expectations but when he fails to get a hundred he tends to be written off as failure. No doubt these two possess undying talent though they have contributed far less than expectations so far. Similarly Saeed has been plagued by his knee injury and is finding age wrapping up his reflexes. He always had the tendency of flirting with balls pitched outside the line of off-stump but we need to accept the truth; his foot movement is now much slower than it used to be. Under English conditions he’ll always find himself vulnerable but still there are hundreds of runs that can still surge from his blade, one he wields more attractively than any, provided he applies himself and plays with utmost conviction.Honest analysis would reveal, Pakistan’s performance at Lord’s was far below comprehensible standards:

1. Our team forfeited the advantage of having won the toss by bowling lazily, short of length and without any visible game plan.
2. As it transpired, some awful fielding added more to the misery.
3. The choice of the playing XI was absolutely mind-boggling. Waqar should have played with one spinner instead of going in with five pacers.
4. Field placing was often wanting.
5. Waqar seemingly lost control of the situation and a total of 391 is always threatening.
6. One must admit that the batsmen played recklessly, without purpose and at times quite illogically. Isn’t it unfortunate that even the top players were seen hurling their bats at balls bowled teasingly outside the off stump and that too in England? A technique learnt on the sub-continent pitches where the ball comes through slowly and swings less.

In a logical review and keeping likes and dislikes away, one can conclude with something that every Pakistan cricket fan needs to know and understand deep down:

• Unfortunately, the big names of Pakistan Cricket have played out their parts, and what a glorious innings they were, magical cricket thorough and professional, all for the game’s cause.
• In all honesty, we don’t yet have the ideal replacements but yet cricket needs to move ahead and make way for the superstars of tomorrow.
• Accept losing some matches or series because this is not a problem if we are sure that we have something in store for the future. Accept Pakistan losing for a while, stop blaming failure on individuals, umpires, administrators or in conspiracies. Before we know it our cricket will get to the heights where it really belongs.
• We must stop thinking we cannot live without the legends. They will be there forever in our hearts, in the record books and to look up to. We must prepare to bid them adieu.
• Let’s keep in view, Pakistan cricket’s future and hope suitable replacements are earmarked quickly. Let’s not call a new bat with couple of ducks a failure or discard a wicketless newbie.

Even though, at the moment, there is a dearth of flair and genius in the country and it will be really hard for Pakistan cricket administrators, managers, coaches and selectors to come out with players who can adjust to the rigors of international cricket instantly but still, we desperately need to invest in our youth. That’s where the future lies.

Match facts

September 29, 2012
Start time 3.30pm local (1000 GMT/1100 BST)England’s bowlers will have to tame the tournament’s leading run-scorer, Brendon McCullum•ICC/Getty

Big Picture

Group 1 of the Super Eights may be a collection of runners-up but second-best is an accurate summary of England and New Zealand’s performances so far. After this match, one team is going to be propping up the group and, depending on the result of Sri Lanka versus West Indies, potentially checking the departures timetable from Bandaranaike International.Of the two, New Zealand should enter the match in better fettle, having scrapped like cornered kiwis in their exhilarating Super Over defeat against the tournament hosts. They also pushed Pakistan – fast turning into one of the favourites – all the way in the group stage and in Brendon McCullum they have the World T20’s leading run-scorer. By contrast, England made their lowest T20I score against India in Colombo and then followed that up by ushering Johnson Charles to his best showing in all senior cricket, and West Indies to a first win.Unsurprisingly, England’s green (not to mention KP-free) batting order has been the problem. Stuart Broad was explicit in blaming the batsmen after the failure to chase 180 against West Indies and first-over performances of 0 for 1, 2 for 1 and 0 for 2 in their three games have given England more of a stop than a start. If they can get through the first six balls, one crumb of comfort may be the fact that New Zealand’s slow bowlers are of the orthodox finger-spin variety.For New Zealand, the challenge is to convert the disappointment of two close defeats into match-winning momentum. The Black Caps are often dark horses but they have still tended to fall before the final fence. Their only T20I win against England came during the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, when they progressed to the semi-finals; the teams also met in the 2010 Super Eights, when England went on to lift the trophy. Of those two precedents, a repeat of the former looks more likely than the latter.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first) England LLWWL
New Zealand LLWWL

Watch out for

The sceptics have increasingly begun to circle Craig Kieswetter‘s name at the top of the order with red ink. Having not made a duck his first 21 T20I innings, Kieswetter has picked up two in three matches at this tournament. His anxiety to play the six-hitting blunderbuss, with Alex Hales a more subtle opening partner, appears to have clouded Kieswetter’s mind – he has made four of his six single-figure scores this year – while there is also concern about the number of dot balls he faces. Needs a big innings.Daniel Vettori has had a quiet World T20 so far, with one wicket at a cost of 83 runs and a 16-ball 18 when promoted to No. 4 as a pinch hitter against Pakistan. His experience and economy (Vettori’s rate of 5.63 is among the most miserly in T20 internationals) mean he remains a valuable member of the side and one who can remember what it is like to beat England, having played in Durban five years ago. England’s much-discussed uncertainty about how to tackle spin bowling adds further spice.

Team news

England set a lot of store by continuity and, even if they didn’t, their options are limited. Ravi Bopara’s batting form is unlikely to have improved while carrying the drinks and replacing Kieswetter with Michael Lumb at opener would be a gamble that would also require either Jonny Bairstow or Jos Buttler to take over the wicketkeeping duties.England (possible) 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Luke Wright, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Stuart Broad (capt), 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade Dernbach.New Zealand might be tempted to give Ronnie Hira a run-out, in light of the knockout matches being played in spin-friendly Colombo. His left-arm spin may not be exotic, and would replicate Vettori’s angle of attack, but after the gentle welcome England gave West Indies’ Samuel Badree it could be a tempting option.New Zealand (possible) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Rob Nicol, 3 Brendon McCullum (wk), 4 Ross Taylor (capt), 5 James Franklin, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Kyle Mills.

Pitch and conditions

Broad described the Pallekele pitch as a “batter’s paradise” after the first round of Super Eight games there, with minimal spin or seam movement and plenty of pace. Saturday is expected to be clear, which should help the runs flow again.

Stats and trivia

• England have won four out of five T20 internationals against New Zealand, their only defeat coming at the 2007 World T20
• Graeme Swann needs two wickets to become the fourth man – and first non-Pakistani – to reach 50 in T20Is

Quotes

“We back the guys up there [at the top of the order], we know they’re all dangerous players. But losing wickets in the first over, especially, is not acceptable.”
“Personally, I don’t keep an eye on the strike rate or balls faced. If you can get your boundaries and your ones and twos, the strike rate is going to take care of itself.”
US readers can watch the match live here, coverage starts 30 minutes before the game begins.