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Alviro Petersen, the former South Africa opener, has been banned for two years by CSA after admitting to 13 breaches of the anti-corruption code in relation to the 2015-16 domestic T20 match-fixing scandal

Firdose Moonda21-Dec-2016Alviro Petersen, the former South Africa opener, has been banned for two years by CSA after admitting to 13 breaches of the anti-corruption code in relation to the 2015-16 domestic T20 match-fixing scandal.

‘Unusual and pressured circumstances’ – Petersen

Alviro Petersen said on Thursday that the events which gave rise to the charges to which he pleaded guilty took place under “pressured and unusual circumstances”.
In a statement through his lawyer Robin Twaddle, Petersen said that he had “reported his knowledge of the corruption before the events that led to the charges against him took place and that he assisted the anti-corruption officer during the investigation, to the point that he gave him information and details of a possible fix that was going to happen hours before a game”.
He also said that he had approached a player who had received money from the fixers to try and convince him to report his involvement, under instructions from the CSA’s anti-corruption officer.
The statement said that, “Whilst he took part in discussions that were initiated by Gulam Bodi and certain fixers, these discussions took place at a time when Alviro knew that the fixing scandal was under investigation and he (Alviro) was convinced that the fixing operation would be shut down imminently. Knowing that match fixing is controlled by criminal gangs, Alviro feared for his and his family’s safety at the time, to the point where he engaged a bodyguard while playing for the Lions last season.”

Among Petersen’s transgressions are four counts of failing to disclose details of an approach to engage in corrupt conduct; four of failing to disclose evidence of another participant breaching the code; four of failing to cooperate with the investigators by not providing accurate and complete information; and one of concealing and destroying information relevant to the investigation. CSA has withdrawn charges relating to fixing or contriving to fix any matches and accepting or offering any bribes.Petersen apologised for his actions and vowed he had no intention of fixing matches. “I would like to apologise to my family, friends, the public who are fans of the game of cricket, my team mates, Gauteng cricket, Lions cricket and especially to Cricket South Africa for my actions. At the time that the meetings with Bodi and the fixers happened, I never had any intention of fixing matches or taking money,” he said.”I now deeply regret having participated in these meetings and not to have immediately reported them to the authorities as I am obliged to do. I understand that I need to take personal responsibility for my actions and I accept the punishment that CSA has imposed on me. I hope that other players will learn from my experience and be better prepared if they find themselves in the situation that I was in, and that my punishment will serve as a deterrent. I also want to thank my family, friends and my legal team for their unwavering support and guidance during the last few months.”Petersen is the sixth player and third international to be sanctioned after Gulam Bodi, Thami Tsolekile, Ethy Mbhalati, Pumi Matshikwe and Jean Symes were banned for between seven and 20 years for their roles in the saga. The investigation remains ongoing.Petersen’s ban prevents him from being involved in any capacity for any international or domestic match, or having any other kind of function in cricket organised by CSA, the ICC or any other national federation. Most recently, Petersen has played for South African franchise Lions, for Lancashire in county cricket, was employed as a commentator for the public broadcaster, SABC, and ran a charitable foundation. He will be unable to do any of the first three of those until November 12, 2018, two years from the date he was charged.Petersen was formally charged after rejecting a plea bargain from CSA and gearing up to play for Lions in the domestic T20. He issued a statement through his lawyer, Robin Twaddle, in which he admitted to “playing along” with those involved in the scandal but denied any wrongdoing. Petersen claimed the ACSU was aware of his discussions and meeting with the players.Although Petersen’s exact involvement has not been disclosed, CSA indicated his most serious breach was not reporting approaches in full.”He is obliged under the code to have disclosed various approaches that were made to him to engage in corrupt activities,” Haroon Lorgat, CSA CEO, said in a statement. “While having provided certain information to the investigators he had also withheld and concealed certain material information, such as the meetings with Bodi and certain fixers.”CSA has confirmed that Bodi acted as the intermediary for international betting syndicates and approached certain players “with a view engaging in fixing activities”, according to the statement. CSA has maintained no actual fixing was carried out in the 2015-16 Ram Slam.However, it has not been able to declare its inquiry complete. Petersen, in his statement after the charges were made public, said he knew of at least one other player who had not been charged. The independent chairperson of CSA’s ACU, Bernard Ngoepe, a former judge, said the body will continue working to conclude the matter. “We are still finalising certain aspects of the investigation and we will not stop until we are fully satisfied that we have exhausted every lead and scrutinised every aspect relating to this matter. As we have stated previously, any form of corruption in the game will be dealt with severely. We will leave no stone unturned in this investigation.”

Australia’s bowlers almost turned the game around but New Zealand’s lower order came through

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2021Beth Mooney believed Australia’s bowlers could close out the second T20I in Napier, but conceded the visitors had been under par with the bat on a surface where they were not able to significantly accelerate.Despite only having 129 on the board, Australia had squeezed the chase after the fall of Frankie Mackay to the extent that New Zealand needed 21 off the last two overs which they were able to achieve through Maddy Green and Hannah Rowe, the last ball being edged to fine leg.”I’d back our bowlers to defend 21 off 12, but Hannah Rowe and Maddy Green were outstanding,” Mooney said. “When you need three of the last ball, it can go anywhere.”Australia’s innings included nine fours and a six, while the home side managed 13 fours and two sixes. Mooney batted through the first innings for 61* off 54 balls, but Rachael Haynes scored 11 off her first 16 deliveries before lifting herself above a run-a-ball.Related

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Throughout the third wicket stand of 49, Ash Gardner, who struck a superb 73 off 48 balls in the first T20I in Hamilton, was sat in the dugout and eventually walked in with a just ten balls remaining, but Mooney said the team had faith in all their batters to perform in any situation.”They were tricky conditions and it was really hard to start on,” she said. “Even someone like me, I was out there the whole game and never felt I could get the ball out of the middle. New Zealand bowled really well, had some great plans so credit has to go to the way they played. Thought they were an outstanding fielding outfit today, too.”Anyone in our batting line-up can bat anywhere. Rach Haynes has done really well in the middle order for our team and been going beautifully. [We] would never question the decisions the coaching staff make because at the time it’s the right one.”You look at the top six in our team we have some of the best batters in the world so we have batters who can play any role in any situation on any given day. Whilst it might seem from the outside that we don’t try too much or change too much within our group we are really confident and supportive of each other. We were probably 10 or 15 runs short. Whether Ash came in earlier or not, who knows, but it was definitely a really hard wicket to start on considering how tight they were bowling.”The victory was more notable for New Zealand as they achieved it without captain Sophie Devine, who was ill. It meant a reshuffling of the batting order with Mackay, who was due to be left out a few hours earlier, opening the innings and then she suffered a calf injury which left her largely restricted to trying to hit boundaries.Despite not being able to secure victory in Hamilton after reducing Australia to 14 for 3, stand-in captain Amy Satterthwaite said the performance had lifted the team’s confidence after the difficult time against England.”Really proud of the way everyone stood up,” she said. “The belief in what we were doing was getting bigger and bigger, the last game probably gave us more belief than people probably realised in the way we carried ourselves. It was a step forward of where we’d been against England. Today we talked about lifting that again. Thought the fielding had been setting the tone we were outstanding again. That lifted everyone and the bowlers were all brilliant.”

Bengaluru now the likeliest venue for the series of five ODIs and three T20Is in March-April

Annesha Ghosh15-Feb-2021India Women’s return to action has hit yet another hurdle, with the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) informing the BCCI late last week about its inability to host the eight-match series against South Africa in March in Thiruvananthapuram. The reason given by the KCA is that the ground has been “made available to the Indian military for a recruitment drive, without the KCA’s prior knowledge”, and it doesn’t have a venue with “appropriate broadcast facilities” apart from the Greenfield International Stadium to stage the matches. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) might now host the matches in Bengaluru.India, who haven’t played international cricket since the T20 World Cup final on March 8 last year, were scheduled to play five ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa, with the Indian squad and support staff set to assemble in Thiruvananthapuram and enter a bio-security bubble on February 17. Though the BCCI hasn’t released an official tour schedule yet, the first match was marked for March 7 or 8, and the series is expected to run for a month or so.Related

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The games are now likely to take place in Bengaluru, though ESPNcricinfo understands that the Indian team has not been informed of the change yet, and no official communication has come from the BCCI.Responding to the development, Cricket South Africa director of cricket Graeme Smith told a press conference, “The talks have been progressing so it is still my hope that is the case, that the tour will go ahead. We are very keen on providing as much content to our ladies as possible. We are working hard on building a busier FTP for them going forward. We are in the process of dealing with the BCCI on it.”The update came less than a fortnight after KCA office-bearers and BCCI joint secretary Jayesh George met Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to seek permission to host the series. The KCA on Monday confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the proposal was subsequently green-lighted by the state government, but the sudden allotment of the stadium to the army forced the state association to alter its plans.”The series was originally allotted to KCA. The BCCI had informed us in January, and we had begun our preparations accordingly. But the ground has been suddenly given to the army, without informing the KCA or the KCA’s prior knowledge,” Sreejith V, the KCA secretary, told ESPNcricinfo. “Unfortunately, the army’s recruitment drive is supposed to go on for 20 days or so, and we explored an alternative, smaller ground – the St Xavier’s College ground – for the first two games but appropriate broadcast facilities are not there and all these eight games are meant to be broadcast. So we don’t have an alternative choice.”We tried our level best to conduct the matches here and the chief minister and sports minister of Kerala were very interested to host the India women and South Africa women here, and they intervened directly, and fully supported us. There was a Covid facility in the premises [of the stadium], so with the CM’s help, we had even begun taking steps to have that moved, sanitised everything, and all safety protocols for all parties involved were being put in place. The hotel bookings were done, the travel agents, too, were booked.”So, it’s a big loss for us that we can’t host the series because to host eight international matches at one venue, because of the Covid-19 pandemic situation, was a good opportunity for us, too.”

All three will be available for the T20Is; Dwaine Pretorius returns after recovering from Covid-19

Firdose Moonda12-Aug-2021Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Lungi Ngidi will miss South Africa’s ODI series in Sri Lanka next month, but are expected to return for the T20Is that follow. Dwaine Pretorius returns to both squads after missing South Africa’s winter tours as he recovered from Covid-19.de Kock has been rested from the 50-over matches, Miller is nursing a hamstring injury, and Ngidi, who also recently withdrew from the Hundred, has been given time off for personal reasons. That means Temba Bavuma leads a slightly weakened ODI side as South Africa seek to make up for dropping points in Ireland in July. They shared the series 1-1 after a washout and a first-ever defeat against the opponents, and lie tenth on the World Cup Super League table with 24 points from six matches. The only new addition to the squad from the Ireland series is seamer Junior Dala, who last played an ODI for South in Sri Lanka, in August 2018.Related

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While Dala is not part of the T20I group, de Kock, Miller and Ngidi are set to return for those matches, which will be South Africa’s last in the format before the T20 World Cup. Despite beating West Indies 3-2 and Ireland 3-0 in recent matches, South Africa remain unsure about their best XI, with questions over the length of the batting line-up, whether to include a seam- or spin-bowling allrounder, or both, and who to task with their death bowling.The series may be an opportunity for Sisanda Magala, who left South Africa’s trip to the Caribbean and Ireland early with an ankle injury but has a reputation for being effective at the end of innings, to stake a claim for the T20 World Cup. Left-armer Beuran Hendricks, who replaced Magala in the white-ball squad for the Ireland matches, has kept his place in both squads, but Andile Phehlukwayo has dropped out of the T20I squad, suggesting his chances of playing in the T20 World Cup are slim. Instead, Pretorius and Wiaan Mulder will compete for the seam-bowling allrounder’s spot while the squad includes four spinners: Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi.South Africa have also stuck with their handful of opening batters across both white-ball formats. Bavuma, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks are all in the T20I squad, while Malan drops out for the T20Is and de Kock returns, giving them plenty of options at the top of the order.South Africa play three ODIs and three T20Is in Colombo between September 2 and 14.ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Junior Dala, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Janneman Malan, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad WilliamsT20I squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams

Justin Langer confident in Australia’s fast-bowling depth if reinforcements are needed

Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2021Cameron Green’s role with the ball shapes a crucial part of Australia’s Ashes plans both in terms of the workload of captain Pat Cummins and whether rotation of the other quicks will be needed during the series.It is, though, unlikely that Australia will field the same fast-bowling trio through all five Tests meaning that Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc could be in line for a break during the series.Last season, it was felt that the quicks had run out of steam by the final match against India although the first two games had been over in less than three and four days respectively.Cummins’ position, as a rare fast-bowling captain, will be in the spotlight but he has shown remarkable durability since returning to Test cricket in 2017 and has missed just two matches.Related

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Green was wicketless in his debut series against India last season while sending down 44 overs and his bowling numbers have blown out since having stress fractures of the back. However, even if he is not striking regularly, the ability to bowl 12-15 overs a day and not let the run rate get away will be vital – Green conceded 2.68 runs per over against India – while Marnus Labuschagne could also have a part to play.”[Cummins] will be fine strategically, it will just be maintaining the balance of everything else that goes with his bowling load and then captaining and all the other commitments that come with it. So we’ll keep an eye on that,” Justin Langer said. “Cameron Green is going to be important there with his extra bowling that he can give. Marnus bowling some as well.”Cameron Green is waiting for his first Test wicket•Getty Images

Cummins has acknowledged that knowing when not to bowl himself, or to end a spell, could be among his tougher decisions. “I think that’s going to be one of the main things that I have to be aware of,” he said. “There’s a lot of experience in the side. Sometimes I might need to listen to what they’ve got to say more than what I’ve got to say myself.”Langer, who said he knew the XI for the Gabba but would keep it under wraps, did not commit to the need to rotate the quick bowlers outside of injury problems but was confident in the depth in the squad. Jhye Richardson has been in impressive form this season for Western Australia with 23 wickets at 13.43 while Michael Neser is on track after a hamstring injury. Sean Abbott and Mark Steketee are also part of the Australia A squad.”Last year there was a lot of discussion at the end of the India series,” Langer said. “We had some criticism that we used the same bowlers, but you can turn that on its head and say it’s actually a real credit to the bowlers who are so fit and the support staff that guys can get through four Tests and not break down. We’ll work through it. What I do know is we have a lot of talent and we keep seeing that.”Jhye Richardson is in great nick, he’s bowled beautifully in Shield cricket. Michael Neser is coming back from his hamstring and he’s one of the heartbeats of the team.”Asked whether Labuschagne’s medium pace, which has become more frequent in domestic cricket, could make an appearance, Langer said: “I’m very happy to see him bowl legspin at the moment…you never know, Matthew Wade bowled a few overs of seam up, but I like to see his leggies.”

Jordan Silk and Jake Doran scored half-centuries but Tasmania were bowled out to leave Queensland needing 272 to win on the final day with 10 wickets in hand

Alex Malcolm19-Feb-2021A four-wicket haul to Xavier Bartlett has given Queensland the chance to pull off a come-from-behind victory on the final day against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.Bartlett claimed four wickets for just the second time in his short Sheffield Shield career to help Queensland bowl Tasmania out for 252 on the third day and give the Bulls a chase of 310 for victory in the fourth innings.The Tigers began the day with a lead of 64 and all 10 third innings wickets intact. They quickly pushed the lead past 150 thanks to a brilliant half-century from Jordan Silk. He struck 10 boundaries in his 51 from just 68 balls before Bartlett made the key breakthrough, finding his outside edge with a ball that nipped away off the seam. He struck again in his following over to remove Mac Wright in a very similar fashion.The Tigers went from 1 for 87 to 3 for 88 and then lost wickets at regular intervals thereafter. Bartlett removed the Test captain Tim Paine who was unimpressed with the lbw decision he received. Jake Doran held the Tasmanian innings together with a stubborn 55 but became Bartlett’s fourth victim and keeper Jimmy Peirson’s fourth catch of the innings. Jarrod Freeman played with freedom smacking eight boundaries in 38 to help move the lead beyond 300 late in the day. Nathan Ellis also added 23.The Bulls were left to negotiate 18 overs before close and did so without trouble. Bryce Street and Joe Burns faced all four of Tasmania’s seamers and progressed to 38 without loss, meaning the visitors require 272 on the final day with all 10 wickets in hand.

The series would serve as an appetiser for the hosts to the bonanza of the upcoming PSL

Danyal Rasool10-Feb-2021

Big Picture

After an entertaining Test series where the 2-0 scoreline belied the competitiveness of the cricket, Pakistan and South Africa move on to the shortest format. This is a series both sides will cherish for very different reasons. For Pakistan, it serves as an appetiser to a five-week-long bonanza of T20 cricket in the shape of the PSL which starts later this month, and will mark, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the presence of crowds for a cricket match. The visitors, on the other hand, can put their heart and soul into these three matches, not knowing when they play next, following Cricket Australia’s controversial decision to call off their tour to South Africa citing Covid-19 concerns.Pakistan have to be the clear favourites simply because of the youthful, inexperienced side South Africa line up with. Initially selected because they wanted to keep their senior players rested for the now-cancelled Australia tour, South Africa opted to stick with that fresh-faced side, a far cry from the team that ended Pakistan’s record-breaking 11 T20I series-winning streak two years ago.Related

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Pakistan will look to put an indifferent performance in the T20I series against New Zealand behind them, while hoping to replicate the spirit of the Napier T20I, where they pulled off a victory from a deeply unfavourable position. At home, meanwhile, they have been solid in T20I cricket since a disastrous 3-0 reverse against a severely depleted Sri Lanka side 18 months ago. However, the wins since then have only come against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and South Africa represent the biggest threat to that recent uptick in T20I form, no matter the absences.South Africa’s most experienced player David Miller admitted they would come under heavy pressure, and recent form indicates that. The visitors have not won any of their last five T20I series, last triumphing against Sri Lanka nearly two years ago. Heinrich Klaasen captains them on this tour, but with little obvious firepower either with bat or ball, his side will have to produce a level they have struggled to attain of late to seriously test a well-drilled Pakistan side that knows the Lahore conditions inside out.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WLLWW
South Africa LLLLW

In the spotlight

Haider Ali misfiring in New Zealand meant Pakistan were left a bit short on firepower in the powerplay, and a return to form would give the home side an invaluable boost. With Fakhar Zaman’s form declining and Mohammad Rizwan, despite his Napier heroics, not quite explosive enough to hold down a permanent opening spot, Haider’s emergence has been perfectly timed. Alongside Babar Azam, who is set to return after his absence in New Zealand, Pakistan have the perfect mix of quality and power at the top. Haider demonstrated the sort of impact he could have on a game on debut against England and at home versus Zimbabwe, and with the PSL – where he shot to prominence – right around the corner, he likes this time of year.Janneman Malan will be high on confidence following scores of 67, 95 and 69* in his last four List A matches•Associated Press

In a fairly inexperienced touring party, Janneman Malan stands out for his pedigree and quality. Arguably one of the players who might have earned a call-up in a full-strength side, Malan’s recent form makes him one of South Africa’s trump cards this series. It might have come in the 50-over format, but 67, 95 and 69* in his last List A matches – coupled with a match-winning 129 not out against Australia last year – means confidence isn’t something the 24-year old will be short of. A strike rate in excess of 135 in T20 cricket is indicative of Malan’s potential in the shortest format, and there’s little reason this couldn’t be his breakout series.

Team news

Azam’s availability means Rizwan will likely drop lower down the order despite his heroics in New Zealand. Asif Ali and Hasan Ali are likely starters, while Shaheen Afridi may get a rest.Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Haider Ali, 3 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 4 Khushdil Shah, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Hussain Talat, 7 Faheem Ashraf/Iftikhar Ahmed, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Usman QadirGlenton Stuurman and Pite van Biljon may start for South Africa, while a spin-heavy strategy could see George Linde, Jon-Jon Smuts and Tabraiz Shamsi all feature.South Africa: 1 Janneman Malan, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Jon-Jon Smuts, 4 David Miller, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (capt &wk), 6 Pite van Biljon, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 George Linde, 9 Lutho Sipamla 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Glenton Stuurman

Pitch and conditions

Dry, sunny weather of late in Lahore means that true to form, the Gaddafi surface should be a belter for run-scoring. There’s no inclement weather about either, and a full game should play out.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have never lost a T20I series to Pakistan.
• Statistically, there isn’t an obvious answer as to what the side winning the toss should do at the Gaddafi Stadium. Batting first has resulted in six wins in T20Is, while chasing has produced five.
• Miller needs 99 runs this series to leapfrog his teammate Faf du Plessis as the third-highest T20I run-scorer for South Africa.

Quotes

“We are here to win. We are here to represent the Proteas in the best possible light, regardless if you’ve played your first game or your 100th game.”

While England are riding a wave of momentum after a thumping win, Sri Lanka’s woes are compounded as they are left sweating over the fitness of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan25-Jun-2016

Match facts

June 26, 2016
Start time 1030 local (0930 GMT)

Big Picture

Eoin Morgan demanded improvement from his England side after they escaped with a last-ball tie in the opening ODI of the series. He got it in no uncertain terms at Edgbaston. Accurate bowling, and a lively fielding display, was followed by a dominant, free-wheeling opening stand as Alex Hales and Jason Roy plundered the record books in a 10-wicket victory.The turnaround is now swift to the third match; a chance for England to carry their surge forward in Bristol, and an opportunity for Sri Lanka to quickly dust themselves off. But things are threatening to unravel for Angelo Mathews’ side after seeing a victory slip away and then his team dominated in all three departments.Too much in Sri Lanka’s batting is currently resting on the shoulders of Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal – to add to the problems that pair are also under an injury cloud having both suffered hamstring problems. Upul Tharanga’s breezy fifty at No. 7 at Edgbaston suggested he may be wasted down in the middle order.England, having shaken off the rust from the opening match, will be aiming to ram home their advantage and take an unbeatable lead in the series, although, let it not be forgotten, that the Super Series has already been secured.At the beginning of the series, the question of balance, in the absence of Ben Stokes, was a significant talking point, and at Trent Bridge, there were times when the lack of another main bowling option looked a problem. However, at Edgbaston, Joe Root’s three overs escaped with little punishment, while Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid conceded just 75 in 19 overs between them.

Form guide

England WTLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LTWWL

In the spotlight

20-0-70-2: those are handy figures for Adil Rashid over the first two matches of the series. The legspinner has shown outstanding control when thrown the ball, bowling both his spells straight through to ensure Sri Lanka struggled to build much of a tempo to their innings. In both games, he has been helped by the early wickets nicked out by the pacemen, but the impressive factor in Rashid’s performances has been the lack of the really loose deliveries. There will still be days when it does not go so well for him, but he is a bowler increasingly capable of responding to the pressure.Upul Tharanga has played 156 of his 176 ODI innings as an opening batsman. He has 13 hundreds to his name – putting him fifth on Sri Lanka’s all-time list – albeit just one of them has come since a stellar 2011 in which he scored four. Sri Lanka have lost early wickets in both matches so far, and it would surely be worthwhile considering using Tharanga in the position he has forged for the majority of his career.

Teams news

There would appear to be little need for England to change anything after such a resounding victory, unless there is a desire to rotate anyone.England (probable) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Adil RashidChandimal followed Mathews in picking up a hamstring problem at Edgbaston and did not keep wicket in the second half of the match. Both players will undergo fitness tests on Sunday morning. Keeping options is one thing Sri Lanka are not short of, but they can ill-afford to lose Chandimal’s batting. Mathews did not move freely when batting and was unable to bowl.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Upul Tharanga, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 7 Suraj Randiv, 9 Farveez Maharoof, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

The most recent Royal London Cup match at this ground produced 694 runs in 100 overs. The forecast is not entirely promising, with rain due to move in during the afternoon after a bright start.

Stats and trivia

• England have played in Bristol nine times. The most recent match, against India in 2014, was abandoned without a ball bowled. Overall, they have won three and lost five.
• Since the second ODI against Pakistan, in Abu Dhabi in November, 2015, Alex Hales has scored 681 runs at 75.67 in 10 innings.
• Liam Plunkett needs one wicket to reach 50 in ODIs

Quotes

“A lot of hard work goes into batting, and a lot of emotions. So once those runs came to me, it all came out. It will be interesting to see my celebration – because I don’t really know what happened.”
“We have to try to flush it out of the system and forget about this game as quickly as possible – because we’ve got only one day to come back and play pretty well.”

For a split-second, Umesh Yadav’s heart was in his mouth. He’d had the key wicket of England’s innings clasped in his hands but appeared to have tossed it away in a celebratory gesture

Andrew Miller09-Nov-2016For a split-second, Umesh Yadav’s heart was in his mouth. He’d had the key wicket of England’s innings clasped in his hands but appeared to have tossed it away in a celebratory gesture reminiscent of Herschelle Gibbs’ infamous “dropping of the World Cup” at Headingley in 1999.This time, however, there was no reprieve for the opposition’s centurion. Whereas at Headingley 17 years ago, Steve Waugh went on to make a matchwinning 120 not out, in Rajkot Joe Root was sent on his way for 124, as Yadav ended a vital 179-run stand for England’s fourth wicket.The moment happened at blink-and-you-miss-it speed. Root, on the front foot, drove hard back towards Yadav’s knees, and in a single upwards motion, the bowler first wrapped his fingers round the ball then flung it skywards, but with less control than he might have desired.In a moment of panic, Yadav parried it over his head, peered back over his shoulder to locate the ball, then watched it flop to the turf near umpire Kumar Dharmasena. Root, understandably, stood his ground, but the batsman’s fate was effectively sealed from the moment that Dharmasena gave a soft signal to the third umpire, Rod Tucker, that he believed that Yadav had been in control of the ball for long enough, and therefore the catch was fair.The relevant part of the Law (19.4) states:”The act of making the catch, or of fielding the ball, shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with some part of a fielder’s person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control both over the ball and over his own movement.””I think the on-field umpire’s soft signal was the key,” Fraser Stewart, of the MCC, told ESPNcricinfo. “If he’d given a not-out soft signal, there was probably enough doubt to keep it as not out. However, as the soft signal was out, the on-field umpires must have been happy with it as their gut reaction and, had it been in a game with no reviews or referrals, they would have given it out.”Did he have complete control over the ball? In slow-motion you would probably say ‘yes’, but in real time it’s less clear. It could easily be argued either way.”The soft signal was introduced in response to concerns that TV replays, for all the benefits that they offer, don’t always show the full picture as experienced live out in the middle. Low catches, in particular, have often fallen victim to the phenomenon of “foreshortening”, as 3D events are replayed on 2D screens. In November 2014, the ICC introduced the concept of broadcasting the discussions between on-field and third umpires, to further demystify the process for viewers.”Decision-making is an important skill and one that should be applied at the highest level of the game,” umpire Simon Taufel told the Times of India recently. “So, the soft signal maintains the premise that the decision-making happens on field and not just left to technology to provide an outcome.”Root himself was phlegmatic about the incident. “I was so disgusted with the shot that – giving it the Arsene Wenger approach – I didn’t really see what was happening.”But having seen the slow-motion replay, it does look out. When it’s sped up it looks a bit strange, but I was very lucky to get an umpire’s call with an lbw earlier on and you have to take the rough with the smooth sometimes and just get on with it.”Additional reporting by George Dobell

While Yuvraj’s injury will be a major blow, the poor form of Warner and Dhawan, and lack of match practice for Boult have left the Hyderabad thinktank with several issues to ponder over

Vishal Dikshit08-Apr-20165:19

Jayawardene: Nehra can allow Sunrisers to play extra foreign batsman

2015 form

Sixth, or third from the bottom, after winning half of their 14 matches. At one stage, towards the end of the league, they were in third position.

Big picture

Only three seasons old in the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad have already witnessed the highs and lows of a T20 league. After making the playoffs in their maiden season, they ended the next two in the bottom half of the table.

Sunrisers Hyderabad squad

David Warner (captain), Ricky Bhui, Trent Boult, Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Siddarth Kaul, Abhimanyu Mithun, Mustafizur Rahman, Naman Ojha, Karn Sharma, Tirumalasetti Suman, Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Reddy, Bipul Sharma, Ben Cutting, Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Eoin Morgan, Ashish Nehra, Vijay Shankar, Barinder Sran, Aditya Tare, Kane Williamson

In IPL 2015, they looked set to make the playoffs, but lost their last two matches and were bunted down the table. Often, their middle and lower orders could not capitalise on the strong starts from David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan. To rectify that this season, they bought Yuvraj Singh, Aditya Tare and Deepak Hooda to add to their retained players’ list of Eoin Morgan, Naman Ojha and Moises Henriques. If Yuvraj’s poor form in the World T20 was not enough of a worry, an ankle injury has ruled him out for two weeks. The Sunrisers thinktank would also be bothered by the batting form of Warner, who was moved to the middle order by Australia in the World T20, and Shikhar Dhawan. Trent Boult’s lack of match practice – he didn’t play a single game in the World T20 – could also be an issue.They have added more teeth to their bowling by purchasing two in-form quicks, Ashish Nehra and Mustafizur Rahman. The two left-armers will join Bhuvneshwar Kumar, their best bowler last season, and Boult. Legspinner Karn Sharma will continue to lead their thin spin attack. In the allrounders category, Sunrisers have two Australian options – Henriques and Ben Cutting.Overall, the real push Sunrisers need for a berth in the playoffs will have to come in the second half of the season, something they lacked in the previous two editions. “With the balance we have, there won’t be any excuse this year,” captain Warner said before the start of the season.

Burning questions

Will Sunrisers tinker with their trusted opening pair of Dhawan and Warner to include Kane Williamson at the top? Or will they continue with Dhawan and Warner, and move Williamson down, or maybe leave him out of the XI? To strengthen the pace attack, will they pick Mustafizur or Boult to assist the Indian combination of Nehra and Bhuvneshwar?

The go-to men

David Warner hammered seven fifties in IPL 2015 with an overall strike rate of 156.54. Even though his bat barely spoke in the recent World T20, a seven-week tournament bodes well as he looks to find his touch again.Ashish Nehra could be their trump card to take down the opposition’s top order, with his wicket-taking abilities in the Powerplay. Twenty-two wickets last season – fourth overall – and an economy rate of 5.94 in the 2016 World T20 underline his importance.

Bargain buy

For the kind of promise he has shown so far in international cricket, and the form he exhibited in only three matches in the World T20 – his haul of nine wickets included a five-for – Mustafizur Rahman was not too expensive a purchase at INR 1.4 crore ($US 208,000). Having more subcontinent experience, he could even get the nod ahead of Trent Boult in the XI.

Availability

Yuvraj’s exclusion for two weeks is the only injury blow.

Coaches

Head coach – Tom Moody, spin-bowling coach – Muttiah Muralitharan, mentor – VVS Laxman

Quote

“The way he [Nehra] has come back, he looks stronger and he knows what he has to do to play at the highest level. I have been seeing that and I think if we go back to the Australian series where India beat us, the way he started and finished was a fantastic effort. I think he is a great bonus and plus point for Sunrisers Hyderabad going into the season.”