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The Sri Lankan celebrations were short-lived last night with the cricketers aware that they only had 36 hours of recovery time before the final of the ICC Champions Trophy, a match that will require a new strategy against theirAsian neighbours India.Australia’s relative weakness against spin was brutally exposed by Sri Lanka’s five slow bowlers on Friday night, but India’s batsmen cannot be expected to capitulate so lamely. Their top seven is not only outrageously talentedbut also very experienced when it comes to playing on the slow, low, turning pitch that can be expected on Sunday night.Thus Sri Lanka are considering further changes, primarily the re-introduction of pace bowler Dilhara Fernando, who has a good record against the Indians having taken 12 wickets in seven matches at 21.91. His extra pace and well-disguised slower ball will provide Sanath Jayasuriya with extra attacking options.Fellow fast bowler Pulasthi Gunaratne appeared nervous in the semi-final but the management will hope that he learns from the experience of playing two matches in front of sell-out crowds. Although under-used on Friday, he cantake the new ball and offers options later in the innings. He is thus likely to be retained.The choice then comes down to whom to drop: leg-spinner Upul Chandana or off-spinner Kumar Dharmasena. Chandana offers extra variety considering that Aravinda de Silva and Russel Arnold can both bowl off-breaks, whilstDharmasena can bowl with a newish ball – potentially important when you are looking to control the likes of Virender Sehwag and company.Indeed, coach Dav Whatmore is concerned about the early overs: “India don’t have the firepower in the bowling department that Australia possess but they certainly have a similarly aggressive opening combination when they bat ­- we are going to have to pay a lot of attention to that.””They have Sehwag, Ganguly, Laxman, Tendulkar, Dravid… the list just goes on and on. We are going to have to be at the top of our game if we’re going to be successful. It’s going to be 100 overs of really hard work.”But Whatmore is confident that his side will rise to the occasion, like they have done during both the Pakistan and Australian games. He’s quick to point to India’s poor record in one-day finals.”They have a powerful batting line-up but as we saw the other night against Zimbabwe they can also lose early wickets,” he said.”In my experience the semi-finals are the hardest games,” he added. “In the finals anything can happen and it is all about holding your nerve. And, remember, India don’t have a particularly good record in finals in recent times.”Sri Lanka have won all three of their matches in the tournament easily, the disadvantage of which is that their lower middle order has yet to be tested. Indeed, number six Russel Arnold has only batted once and that was a gentle unbeaten 22 against the Netherlands.But Whatmore claimed to be unconcerned: “We are not worried about that. The wicket will be good and we know these conditions. The guys are in good form… it’s just that they have not had a chance to prove it.”Sri Lanka (From):Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Aravinda de Silva, Russel Arnold, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Kumar Dharmasena, Chaminda Vaas, Hasantha Fernando, DilharaFernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Pulasthi Gunaratne.

England pulled off a convincing win over Sri Lanka in the NatWest Series opener at Trent Bridge. After losing four wickets in the first 19 overs, a blitzed fifty from Andrew Flintoff and an innings of 83 from Alec Stewart took them to a total that was beyond Sri Lanka’s reach. England eventually won by 44 runs, with the assistance of some brilliant catching.Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight started the innings brightly enough after what is becoming a habit for Nasser Hussain – winning the toss. They took the scoring rate above six an over. They were not alone, however, in getting set and then getting out.Knight was first to go, falling lbw to Nuwan Zoysa after an enterprising innings of 20 from just 18 balls. It was a good ball that undid him, whereas Trescothick’s shot was one that should only be seen in this form of the game, and then only when there are 300 on the board. Trying to drive straight, he did not hit straight through the line and the leading edge sent the ball over the covers where Kumar Sangakkara ran backwards to take a superb catch coming down over his head as he ran towards the boundary.Hussain and Graham Thorpe shared and enterprising half-century partnership, Thorpe greeting Dilhara Fernando into the attack with some rasping off-side strokes. They appeared untroubled until Hussain was beaten by some movement away from the bat as he stretched forward for the ball to just clip the top of off stump and, three balls later, Thorpe dragged a very wide ball down onto his wicket.It was left to Stewart and Ronnie Irani to try to rebuild the innings against, at this stage, a keen attack that was backed by some exciting fielding. The batsmen set about their task with some sensible batting that involved a minimum of risks but keeping the score ticking along. It is the essence of one-day cricket after the fall of early wickets.Stewart reached his fifty from 67 balls with five fours, while Ronnie Irani, perhaps conscious of the criticism surrounding his selection, played with extreme caution in that he only reached the boundary once in his innings. He was a little unfortunate in that, having restrained his natural tendencies for so long, he eventually allowed himself to have a go at the bowling of Russel Arnold. He lifted a ball out towards deep mid-wicket where Mahela Jayawardene was able to take the catch and balance within the boundary. The batsman was visibly annoyed with himself for falling in that manner after such hard work.The arrival of Flintoff galvanised Stewart into playing more expansive strokes while Flintoff himself was at his bullying best. He simply savaged the bowling as he brought up his fifty from 28 balls with five fours and two enormous sixes. It was hitting of the highest calibre and exactly what was required in the circumstances.It was impossible not to feel sympathy for the bowlers whose job, it seemed, was merely to deliver up the balls for him to hit. Length and direction made no difference, apart from the sector of the ground – or crowd – into which the ball was clubbed.Stewart made room to be bowled in the final over after an innings of immense value to his side. Paul Collingwood came in to strike what looks like a football formation – four, two, four from the three balls he faced and England should have been very satisfied with the eventual total of 293 for six.The Sri Lankan reply was just beginning to take shape when the first wicket fell. Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana were sizing up the opening attack of Matthew Hoggard and James Kirtley when Hoggard bowled something recognisable as a half-volley to the Sri Lankan captain who rarely looks twice at such offerings before hammering them away. This time he hit it slightly uppishly but with great power through the covers for Hussain to take off and hold a quite stunning catch at full length.Kaluwitharana was joined by Marvan Atapattu and this pair were going along nicely, unperturbed by the asking rate that they knew was well within the range of this batting line-up. However, when the total was nine runs short of the hundred, Atapattu drove Flintoff towards mid-off where Irani went low to his left to hold a very good two-handed catch.England were ringing the changes with their attack in an effort to prevent the batsmen settling against a particular bowler. But Kaluwitharana went serenely to his fifty from 61 balls with a six and five fours, and found a willing partner in Jayawardene so that, by the halfway point in their innings, Sri Lanka had 134 for two whereas England’s total at the same stage was 129 for four.It was at this point that Collingwood came into the attack with immediate effect. Kaluwitharana flicked him towards mid-wicket where Thorpe dived to his right to hold yet another outstanding catch. In his next over, Collingwood uprooted Jayawardene’s middle stump to claim the remarkable figures of two for four from his two overs.Arnold was as sound as ever, providing stability for the stroke makers around him, until he was run out in the most unfortunate of circumstances. Sangakkara drove Hoggard sweetly back down the pitch. Hoggard deflected it onto the stumps with his finger tips and Arnold was unable to re-make his ground.Flintoff came back into the attack to have Upul Chandana caught at mid-off and Naveed Nawaz taken off a mis-pull at mid-wicket and, with the required rate reaching a thoroughly unlikely figure, it was a question of going through the motions to the finish.Kirtley took a closer interest than most by bowling Vaas and Zoysa in consecutive balls, and then saw Fernando drag the next ball from outside off stump past leg. Even in these times of ultra-professionalism, when it was still just mathematically possible for Sri Lanka to win, it should have been possible to spare a few close-catchers for the hat-trick ball.There had been some doubt earlier whether the lights could be raised to their full height in a gusting wind, but it fell below the safety limit of 25 mph and so the lights could illuminate Sri Lanka denying Flintoff another wicket in the final over. They could not deny him the man-of-the-match award.

An unknown England line-up, and unknown Indian frame of mind and an unknown pitch quality make just a little difficult to predict the outcome of the third npower Test starting in Leeds tomorrow. However, Headingley has proved to be a happy hunting ground for England in recent years and with a win at Lord’s and the better of the draw at Trent Bridge, there is every indication that the home side might be able to force home their advantage to secure the series before going to The Oval for the final Test of a long summer.In the past, there has been little doubt about what to do about selection for a Headingley Test. Pack the side with seamers, pay close attention to the weather forecast and try to win the match while cloud cover makes the ball do extraordinary things on a pitch not noted for its good behaviour in such conditions. Those plans can sometimes go awry when the sun shines, the surface becomes totally benign and the ball races over a quick outfield to all parts. You do not often get boring cricket at Headingley.There is a suggestion that the square has been playing a bit differently this year and the old propensity for uneven bounce has been eliminated. Whether this new-found quality extends to the Test strip has yet to be discovered, as even chairman of selectors David Graveney admitted when announcing the 13-man squad.”Although we have talked to counties who have played at Headingley this summer, we don’t yet have an inkling as to what sort of surface has been prepared for this Test match. We will have to assess the wicket and think about what impact it will have on our selection.”There is growing speculation that left-arm spinner Ashley Giles might reverse the trend of recent history by being included in the final eleven. He was left out at Trent Bridge in favour of five seamers, leaving only the occasional off-spin of Michael Vaughan to exploit the turn that was evident in Nottingham. Giles can put a brake on scoring, especially on a ground where a little nudge against the quicker bowlers can and usually does result in four runs down the hill.Andrew Caddick will return to the side after injury and to the scene of his remarkable triumph against the West Indies two years ago when his four wickets in an over wrapped it all up in a couple of days. Matthew Hoggard will open the bowling, with Caddick, on his home ground but after that it all becomes a little problematical. Steve Harmison might be retained after a no more than promising debut at Trent Bridge. In the absence of the injured Craig White, Alex Tudor might be preferred for his extra batting potential as well as his bowling ability, while the hernia injury under which Andrew Flintoff is labouring could open the door for yet another chance for Dominic Cork.In the batting department, England are unlikely to make changes with another opportunity for Robert Key to open the batting with the in-form Vaughan, allowing Mark Butcher to bat at three on the ground where he played such a memorable match-winning innings against Australia last year. With Nasser Hussain at four, John Crawley at five, probably Flintoff at six and then Alec Stewart, there is a settled solidity. This all assumes that Flintoff is going to be fit enough to play, albeit as merely a batsman.Despite all the forecasts and fanfares for the Indian batting, it has not performed consistently as a cohesive unit in the series so far. Shiv Sunder Das did his chances of replacing Wasim Jaffer as an opener no harm with an innings of 250 against Essex in the last tour match at Chelmsford. Virender Sehwag got a substantial hundred in that match as well, but it will need the big guns of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman to all fire to give the captain a chance of manipulating his bowling resources to full effect.That is another area for interesting speculation. If Anil Kumble is fit, will he come into the side to partner Harbhajan Singh? Or to replace him? Will India give a chance to Tinu Yohannan? Might he replace Ashish Nehra or supplement him? Will Ajit Agarkar’s batting insulate him from the axe that his bowling might have attracted? And while we are asking questions that time alone will answer, did young Parthiv Patel do enough at Trent Bridge to retain the wicket-keeping spot in front of fit again Ajay Ratra?There is another question mark lurking around the Indian dressing room. That comes in the form of the distraction from the job in hand that might have resulted from the ongoing contracts row concerning the ICC Champions Trophy tournament and then the World Cup. The players have expressed the view that they are unable to agree to the terms of the contracts and therefore could drop out of the Indian squad for the tournament. Other sides, including England, are involved, but the focus of attention has centred on the Indians.They will, of course, vehemently deny that this sideshow has any bearing on their preparations for the Test. However, these are intelligent men who will have realised that what they are talking about here is the possibility of a serious breach in the unity of world cricket. It would be asking a lot of them to be able to put it all to the back of their minds and, one-nil down and a long way from home at the end of an arduous tour, simply concentrate on preparing for a crucial Test.

Somerset coach Kevin Shine has some early season injury headaches with Rob Turner still suffering from a persistent foot injury, Joe Tucker who has a stress fracture and had his left ankle put in plaster, and now Steffan Jones who injured his ankle before the start of play at Millfield today.Regarding Steffan Jones the coach told me: "Steffan suffered an ankle injury, but he should be fit to play in the first championship match of the season at Hove next week against Sussex."Earlier this evening wicket-keeper batsman Rob Turner the 2002 beneficiary, who has missed out of the early season friendlies told me: "Hopefully I should be fit to play in the one day friendly against Hampshire at Taunton on Wednesday."

Any hopes that Lymington had of making a positive start to their Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 campaign was shattered by an 86-run defeat at Hungerford.Relegated from the ECB-accredited Division 1 last summer, Hungerford have recruited heavily, with Hampshire’s Jason Laney, former Sussex wicketkeeper Nick Wilson and Steve Wyatt all returning to play under new skipper Owen Dawkins.It was all too much for Lymington, who found themselves looking down the barrell of a 250-run mauling from Hungerford, before being dismissed for 164 themselves.Laney (67) and Danny Williams (29) laid the foundations towards a big total with an opening stand of 80, which the middle-order gradually enhanced.Wyatt, with a lively 48, Wilson (25) and Dawkins (25) all profited, with Western Australian youngster Aaron Heal (3-50) removing three of the top six.But Lymington’s resourceful batting failed after left-arm spinner Andy Ford (2-26) had made two important early breakthroughs. Martin Hunt (43), Daniel Peacock (35) and Neil Trestrail (25) guided Lymington to 164 all out, with Laney (3-6) removing the lower-order.Newly promoted Winchester KS also endured a miserable start, losing by a massive 145-run margin against United Services at Burnaby Road.There was little joy for the cathedral city club as US built a sizeable 257-7 around Gary Hounsome (44), John Robson (40), John Mann (29), Mark Toogood (28) and Matt McKeever (28).Martin Taylor (4-35) made inroads for WKS, whose batting fell away badly with only Jimmy Taylor (26) making a worthwhile contribution in a disappointing 112 all out (Damian Carson 3-25).Andy Birch found himself demoted to eighth spot in the order, but turned out to be Easton & Martyr Worthy’s trump card in the three-wicket win at Trojans.Easton, chasing Trojans’ 181-7, were in trouble at 71-5, but Shaun Green (45) and Birch, with an undefeated 43, got the tractor boys home with an over to spare.Mark Stone took 3-33 but Trojans, through James Donaldson (35), Mike Goodall (30), Mario Mohammed (32) and Nigel le Bas (29) got to 181-7.Max Smith, with 58 not out, and Nick Wood, who took 4-38, were match winners in Old Tauntonians & Romsey’s 18-run victory over newly promoted Rowledge. Smith, Ian Tulk (45) and Mike Trodd (25) took the batting credits as OTs reached 196-6 (Ricky Yates 4-35).The Rowledge reply centred around Queenslander Jeff Annings (76), who was eventually eighth man out at 157.Cardiff UCCE’s Chris Yates (34) played well earlier on, but it was Wood’s flight and guile, supported by a handy 2-50 return by Smith, that left Rowledge 18 runs short on 178 all out.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Thursday named virtually unknownDaryl Foster as the national team’s bowling coachcum consultant fortour to England another mind boggling decision which will be debatedfor days to come.An official of the PCB revealed that Foster would also work asconsultant of the team but his contract was only for the two Tests”which is extendable upto the tri-nation one-day series”.The first Test at Lord’s begins May 17 while the second Test at OldTrafford concludes June 4. The 18-day one-day series, also involvingAustralia and the hosts, will kick off at Edgbaston June 7.The PCB spokesman added that a full-time coach to replace sacked JavedMiandad would be named `soon’ but confirmed that Foster would join theteam in England where it is due to arrive May 2.Although no details about the financial package offered to the formerKent county coach were released, but was anybody’s guess that ifGeoffrey Boycott can claim 30,000 pounds for a 15-day coaching stint,Foster would be getting the same if not more.The free-spending PCB sustained the criticizm of wasting money onBoycott saying the Yorkshireman was sponsored by a food chain. But itwill have to come up with a sound explanation to justify theinvestment on Foster.It means all the current expenses to run the establishment are beingmet from previous earnings whether they be the 1996 World Cup profits$6 million from PILCOM or television rights of the recent home series.It may not be out of context to mention here that the PCB has notconducted any audit of expenses for the last 18 months. And ifanything has been done, the official document has not seen thedaylight.On the face of it, it appears that Foster has been hired specificallyfor controversial pacer Shoaib Akhtar, who underwent remodelling ofhis bowling action in the University of Western Australia in Perth.The PCB has been emphasising for the last two days that it has proofthat Shoaib’s action was clean a claim based on the report submittedby Foster’s university.The PCB admitted that Foster’s appointment did have an influence ofhim working with Shoaib. Which means that in Foster, the PCB has hireda “lawyer” for Shoaib to counter the hostile British media which iscertainly not going to make the pacer’s life easy.Foster’s job description as bowling coach is nothing but a belatedattempt to give a legal cover because it is anybody’s guess that inthe presence of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, if selected, who couldbe better persons to guide the young pacers.Wasim and Waqar together have around 20 years of experience of playingin England while the second Test is at Wasim’s home countryLancashire.Besides, if Wasim and Waqar are so deadly, it is not because they gotthe guidance of a bowling coach. They were nurtured by Imran Khan whotutored them and passed on valuable tips on the field rather than onthe drawing board.It is the second time that a specific person to handle and look afterShoaib has been appointed. Earlier Dr Tauseef Razzak toured NewZealand with the Pakistan cricket team specially to look after Shoaibwho has become a regular “tourist” than a playing member.Shoaib, on whom the PCB has already spent millions, has failed tosustain a series in his previous three tours. The same is likely tohappen again no matter whom the PCB appoints considering Shoaib’s pastrecord.

Going into the third and final National Bank Series Test, England fast-medium bowler Andy Caddick could hardly have dreamt that his four wickets to reach 200 Test wickets would come so quickly.But he went to lunch having just trapped New Zealand batsman Craig McMillan leg before wicket to secure his fourth and to become the ninth English bowler to take 200 Test wickets.He is in esteemed company. The list reads: Ian Botham (383), Bob Willis (325), Fred Trueman (307), Derek Underwood (297), Brian Statham (252), Alec Bedser (236), Darren Gough (228) and John Snow (202).Caddick thought he may have picked up one or two on the first morning.When he came back for the last over before lunch he felt it was because England captain Nasser Hussain felt he needed a change of variation. It worked and also got his 200th out of the way so he could get on with the business England were here for.Caddick said it had been a highlight in his career but not the most satisfying moment. There were games he had played in that had been more satisfying.He said there had been times when he felt he could have been playing, which would have allowed him to achieve the goal earlier, none moreso than when he was not selected for the last Ashes tour.Despite having been told by the selectors that all he had to do to be selected was keep taking wickets obviously the 105 he took during the English summer had not been enough to convince them.Injuries and different selectors did come along and all players went through bad patches but he had been fit for the last five years and felt there was more left to chase other milestones along the way.”The body is getting tired and weary but I will keep going as long as I enjoy it,” he said.Having Hussain as his captain was an advantage as he was a captain who backed his bowlers, and who understood what they were trying to do.”There are a few dos and don’ts as far as bowling is concerned but I have a good relationship with Nasser and with Duncan [Fletcher] as well,” he said.Caddick said the absence of Gough had placed him in a position he enjoyed of having to shoulder more responsibility.Achieving the feat against New Zealand had not made the occasion any more special as he treats every opponent in every Test as just another Test.The pitch was one where players didn’t hang around in going for their shots, he said, and they had to play their shots as there was no guarantee how long they would last if they pottered around.Chris Harris had shown that in his innings “for the second time today,” he said, a reference to a let-off Harris was given after being caught off his gloves from Matthew Hoggard’s bowling by short leg fieldsman Mark Ramprakash.But Harris and Adam Parore had established a good partnership and there was a lot of work to be done by England tomorrow, Caddick said.

Surrey have signed Graeme Smith as their captain on a three-year deal and he will take over the leadership with immediate effect.ESPNcricinfo first reported the development in September and Smith had said at the time that he would not give up international cricket to fulfill this responsibility.That aim would appear to be achievable with South Africa scheduled for short tours in each of the next two English summers. In 2013 they will tour Sri Lanka but the Tests leg of the tour has been postponed until 2015. South Africa are due to tour Zimbabwe in 2014 and Bangladesh in 2015 with both tours only including two Tests, three ODIs and a T20.Smith, currently touring Australia with South Africa, has captained his country in a record 94 Test matches since taking over in 2003 and will now lead the revival of Surrey – a county who were rocked by the death of Tom Maynard this summer. Captain Rory Hamilton-Brown left the club in the wake of losing his friend and flatmate and Surrey have looked to sign senior players to provide leadership in a dressing room that also lost Mark Ramprakash to retirement.Vikram Solanki from Worcestershire and Gary Keedy from Lancashire were both brought in and the signing of Smith completes a core of senior figures to guide what is otherwise a young, inexperienced squad.Smith, 31, will also plug a large hole at the top of the order. Surrey tinkered with several opening combinations in narrowing avoiding relegation last season, beginning the year with Jacques Rudolph and Steve Davies and ending it with Rory Burns and Zafar Ansari – who have played 26 first-class matches between them. Smith’s 11,522 first-class runs at 50.75, encompassing 104 Tests and 8,413 runs, will provide great experience opening the innings.The move will also provide Smith with extra stability for his family. His wife is from Ireland and during the summer they had their first child.Smith will join up with Surrey close to the start of the 2013 campaign. South Africa’s home series against Pakistan concludes on March 24 with the English season set to begin on April 9.”I am excited to be joining such a professional and talented team,” Smith said, “during what will hopefully prove to be a rewarding and successful period for Surrey. When you consider the ambition shown it was an easy decision for myself and my family and I would like to thank Surrey and Cricket South Africa for giving me the opportunity to lead the side and make it possible.”I am excited about what we can achieve at Surrey going forward and would like to state very clearly that I will balance my new role alongside my continuing commitments to the Proteas and I look forward to continuing to represent my country for many years to come.”Surrey director of cricket Chris Adams added: “Signing Graeme is a massive coup for Surrey. As well as being one of the best captains in the modern game, he is a phenomenal opening batsman and will lead by example from the top of the innings.”By signing a three year deal, Graeme has demonstrated his commitment to Surrey on a long term basis and I look forward to working alongside him and the rest of our hugely talented squad to bring more silverware to this club in the near future.”The deal will see Smith return to county cricket for the first time since 2005 when he led Somerset to the Twenty20 Cup title, scoring 380 runs. He also scored 472 first-class runs at 67.42.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have given the green light for aninnovative partnership to begin between Japan, South Korea and the VictorianCricket Association (VCA).The partnership is an ICC Development Program initiative aimed at furtherdeveloping and promoting cricket to new regions. It will see the VCA delivercourses for coaches, umpires, players and administrators in Japan and SouthKorea.VCA Chief Executive Officer, Ken Jacobs said the announcement provided anopportunity for the Victorian Cricket Association to actively involve itselfin the game’s development in the East Asia-Pacific region. “We hope thatthis partnership will play a pivotal role in creating and shaping the futuredevelopment of cricket in Japan and South Korea, whilst presenting uniqueopportunities for Victorian cricket personnel”.ICC East Asia-Pacific Development Manager, Matthew Kennedy was similarlyexcited about the new agreement. “Cricket is at an exciting stage in thesenations with many current activities and initiatives. The involvement ofState Associations is vitally important to the ICC’s expansion of cricket inthe East Asia-Pacific region, therefore we are extremely pleased with thenew partnership between Japan, South Korea and the VCA”.The ICC Development Program contributes US$3.2 million globally on an annualbasis to develop the game of cricket in non-Test playing countries.

Match facts

September 28, 2012
Start time 1530 local (1000 GMT)Imran Nazir was ruthless in Pakistan’s previous game•AFP

Big Picture

What appears to be the tougher of the two Super Eight groups gets underway with a repeat of the 2009 World T20 semi-final, a match that is remembered as one the most thrilling, in a format where almost anything can be labelled so. Historically, these two make good opponents: the unpredictability of Pakistan against the sometimes uber-predictability of South Africa. But things have changed.Pakistan still implode at times but tend to bring some of their best games to major tournaments. They have also tempered their fiery side with reason and both have been on display in equal measure in the group stage and even before that, in series against Australia and Sri Lanka. Combined, those two contrasting styles could result in a Pakistan side that consistently performs as well as they have done of late.They defended a decent total against a determined New Zealand line-up and then turned on the heat when they hunted down Bangladesh’s score ruthlessly. Importantly, their top three all have runs to their name and each of the bowlers, particularly Saeed Ajmal, have seen success.South Africa also take confidence into this round. They have had one all-too-easy encounter (against Zimbabwe) and one severely reduced match (a seven-over-a-side shootout against Sri Lanka) and managed not to get carried away by the former or spooked by the latter. Their philosophy when playing major tournaments appears to have changed. AB de Villiers spoke about not needing to win every game but building to a crescendo but South Africa have so far won and built at the same time.Having been on tour since the beginning of July, Gary Kirsten has stressed the importance of being fresh to his men. They had two days off in Bentota before they resumed training, which was describe as “lengthy and intensive” by the coaching staff. Surprisingly, they do not have a certain starting line-up as they try to keep an aura of mystery about them in their bid for ICC silverware.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWLWW
Pakistan WWLTW

Watch out for

South Africa will not have fond memories of playing against Shahid Afridi after he was solely responsible for stopping their march at the 2009 event. Afridi was a one-man act as he destroyed a Graeme Smith-led side that had not lost a single match in the lead-up to the semi-finals with both bat and ball. He is a man for a big occasion and even though the contest is not a knockout, to make a statement of intent against one of the favourites may be just the stage for Afridi to perform as he did on that day.Power is the quality that most batsmen want to be able to use to score runs in the shortest format, but Hashim Amla has chosen a different route. Small adaptations to his game have allowed him to keep the class and still become the world’s top-ranked ODI batsman. Flanked by the strength of the Richard Levi and the experience of Jacques Kallis, Amla is the calm in the South African batting line-up, something they will need as the tournament goes on.

Team news

Pakistan played the same XI in both their group matches and with two good results should keep the same team.Pakistan : 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Nasir Jamshed, 4 Kamran Akmal (wk), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Yasir Arafat, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed AjmalSouth Africa also won both their matches, although they fielded different XIs, with the change being in the batting line-up. Faf du Plessis was given an opportunity to bat at No. 3 against Sri Lanka and scored 13 in a reduced game. He is the likeliest to be left out as South Africa opt for two spinners on a pitch that should take more turn than was on offer in Hambantota.South Africa (probable): 1 Richard Levi, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Albie Morkel 8 Johan Botha 9 Robin Peterson 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Dale Steyn

Pitch and conditions

Albie Morkel expects a more typically sub-continental surface in Colombo compared with what he called “home conditions,” in Hambantota. The pitch is said to be much slower, with little in it for the quicks. A 60% chance of rain should lessen as the afternoon grows longer but the chance of another shortened match remains.

Stats and trivia

• Three of the top four wicket-takers in World T20 are all from Pakistan. Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul are on 29, 27 and 27 wickets respectively.
• South Africa and Pakistan have played against each other in five T20s, twice in World T20s. South Africa have a better head-to-head record, winning three of the five played overall.

Quotes

“The beauty of our batting line-up is that we have a lot of variety and different sets of batting skills in our line-up. Guys can use their feet, guys can sweep, guys can reverse sweep; so we have some very good options in our line-up.”

“We are blessed with some of the greats in T20s, especially Ajmal and Afridi. This is our main strength even though we also rely on our fast bowlers.”