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England could hand T20I debuts to George Garton, David Payne and Phil Salt against West Indies in January but have stuck with the core of the squad that was knocked out in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.The five-match series is due to start in Barbados four days after the final day of England’s fifth Test against Australia, and members of the Ashes squad were not considered for selection. Several seamers including Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Sam and Tom Curran, Lewis Gregory, Olly Stone and David Willey were also unavailable due to injuries, putting England’s fast-bowling depth to the test.Eleven of the 16-man squad – including Eoin Morgan, who continues as captain as expected despite a poor year with the bat – were in the UAE for the World Cup in October and November, either as squad members or travelling reserves. This series signals the start of England’s preparations for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, with six T20Is following in July (three each against India and South Africa) before seven in Pakistan in September-October and three more in Australia in the immediate build-up to the tournament.The five additions to the World Cup touring party – Garton, Payne, Salt, Tom Banton and Saqib Mahmood – have all featured in England squads over the last two years. Mahmood, Payne and Salt were part of the hastily assembled ODI squad that beat Pakistan 3-0 after a Covid outbreak in July, with Banton and Garton among those forced into self-isolation.In the absence of Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow due to their involvement in the Ashes, England will field a new-look top order. Salt has earned his call-up after an impressive winter on the franchise circuit – he was the second-highest run-scorer at the Abu Dhabi T10 and led the Lanka Premier League’s run charts heading into the final – and is likely to win opportunities to impress on the island where he lived for six years while growing up.Banton’s recall comes as a surprise after a lean period for him. He has struggled for form over the last 18 months, averaging 17.02 with a strike rate of 136.32 since the start of the Pakistan Super League in 2020, but England have stuck to their belief that he is a batter with a high ceiling. He was preferred to other promising young batters like Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.There are four left-arm seamers in the squad despite injuries to Sam Curran and Willey, with Garton, Tymal Mills, Payne and Reece Topley all included. Garton has been on England’s radar for a number of years and has earned contracts with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Adelaide Strikers in recent months, while Payne has impressed with his pace and bounce and has taken regular new-ball wickets for Gloucestershire in the Blast.Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire legspinner, is the surprise omission, with Liam Dawson – who is seen by England as a more versatile bowler and offers more with the bat and in the field – again preferred as the back-up spin option. Parkinson is understood to have been placed on standby as a reserve.Related

• Garton set for another wild ride with RCB in rollercoaster career

• Salt, Banton show off their credentials at Abu Dhabi T10

• Mahmood not thinking of Ashes as BBL debut looms

• Collingwood to stand in as England head coach during WI T20Is

Six players in the squad – Sam Billings, Garton, Mahmood, Mills, Topley and James Vince – have full-season deals in the ongoing Big Bash League. Their inclusion in this squad means that they will miss the knockout stages of the competition, should their respective teams qualify. Seven more – Jordan, Livingstone, Mahmood, Jason Roy, Salt, Topley and Vince – will miss the opening rounds of the PSL.As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, Paul Collingwood will stand in as head coach, with Marcus Trescothick acting as his assistant coach. The ECB has also advertised for three roles as “support coaches” for the tour – one fast-bowling, one fielding/wicketkeeping, one batting.”We have selected a strong squad with some serious batting power and a balanced attack as we begin preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia,” Collingwood said. “The World Cup is less than a year away and there will be increased opportunities for the squad in the absence of those players who are with the Ashes squad.”I have good memories winning a World Cup in Barbados and I’m really looking forward to going back there with this squad to face a very good West Indies who will test all aspects of our skills.”England T20I squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tymal Mills, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince

Despite his disappointment at being left out of the first Ashes Test, Stuart Broad says it wouldn’t be right to “kick up a stink” over the decision.England’s omission of vastly experienced seamers Broad and James Anderson raised eyebrows even before the match ended in a nine-wicket drubbing at the hands of Australia inside four days at the Gabba. And while he felt he could have influenced the course of the game, Broad wrote in his Mail On Sunday column that he felt it wasn’t appropriate to question the decision, as he had done publicly during the 2020 English summer.Broad famously reacted to his omission from the first Test against West Indies in Southampton during an emotional interview with Sky Sports in which he said he was “frustrated” and “angry” at having been left out.”Over the past 12 months, Jimmy Anderson and I tried to ensure we were as fit as could be in the current Covid climate, ready to go and available for all five Tests in Australia,” Broad wrote. “I think we ticked that box.”But England selection is not in the hands of players. It is in those of people who have to make choices based on conditions and the balance of the team and our job now with four matches to go is to be ready for the next of the series in Adelaide on Thursday.”Related

• James Anderson sits out first Test with an eye on Adelaide pink-ball contest

• Root: 'We are not scared of a challenge'

• Australia to monitor Hazlewood fitness after 'minor' side strain

• England docked five WTC points for slow over rates in Gabba Test

• England's abysmal decade Down Under makes latest loss all too familiar

Broad has not played since tearing his calf ahead of the Lord’s Test against India in August. He said he had a sense that the final selection decision in Brisbane was between him and Jack Leach but he wasn’t told until the XI was named. Leach came in for some chastening treatment by the Australia batsmen with figures of 1 for 102 in 13 overs.”My feeling was that I would only play in a five-man seam attack,” Broad said. “I’ve been left out on numerous occasions and sometimes it comes as a real surprise. This was less of a surprise, maybe because I wasn’t in the team for the previous series against India due to a calf injury.”It was not my shirt for the most recent three Tests against India at the end of last summer. So, this was a very different feeling to the one I experienced in Southampton at the start of 2020 when I got left out. Then, I’d bowled brilliantly in the 2019 Ashes, brilliantly in South Africa and felt the shirt belonged to me. When it was taken away, I felt put out. Angry. Upset.”It would be wrong in this scenario to kick up a stink. On the flip side, I love Ashes cricket, love bowling at the Gabba and feel like I could’ve had a positive influence on a pitch like that. Of course, I was disappointed not to play but I also realise this series is a marathon and not a sprint. Never have five Test matches been as bunched up as this and it will be exhausting, so realistically I don’t think any seamer will play all five.”The ECB explained Anderson’s absence from the Brisbane Test as part of a plan to have him ready for the day-night Test starting in Adelaide on Thursday. Broad said as soon as they learned they weren’t playing at the Gabba, he and Anderson began practising with the pink ball in the nets along with Craig Overton.”Do I want to be on the field at Hobart in the fifth with the opportunity to do something special? Of course. And if I am not needed before then, we will have done bloody well,” Broad said.”For the players that took the field for us in Brisbane, I am sure there are many moments they would want back but you don’t get that in top-flight sport, you only get the chance to recognise how it felt, think about how to improve and then put that improvement into action at a new venue.”There is no time to feel sorry for ourselves, dwell on not batting, bowling, or catching very well. We know that’s the case. More importantly, what specifically can we channel positively into Adelaide? What we mustn’t do is carry negatives with us for the next month. We’ve done that on Ashes tours past and consistently lost.”The England squad will fly to Adelaide on Monday and train on Tuesday.

Match abandoned With uncertainty over whether Netherlands will play their remaining two ODIs in South Africa, even the result of the first could not be decided. Heavy rain washed out the afternoon’s play with only two overs possible in Netherlands’ chase of 278. That means points have been shared five apiece from this fixture, which puts Netherlands on an equal footing with Zimbabwe in joint-last place on the Super League table and keeps South Africa in ninth position, just outside the automatic qualification zone for the 2023 World Cup.A decision on whether the rest of the series will go ahead as planned will be taken in the next 24 to 48 hours. It is understood that the tour was on the verge of being called off but the Dutch had difficulty securing a flight home and are likely to remain in South Africa for a few days yet. It is now up to the board and players to decide if they are in the right frame of mind for competitive cricket.With knowledge of the new variant and potential restrictions known since Thursday evening, both sides appeared in the mood to play. Netherlands had South Africa in a strangle for all but the last three overs of the innings and though they have never beaten a top-eight team when they have chased, they were denied the opportunity to change that by the weather. South Africa’s batting was sluggish for the most part but they might have felt they had enough on the board after their strong finish.Kyle Verreynne fell five runs short of a maiden ODI century but his innings formed the spine of South Africa’s 277 for 7. The hosts’ run-rate hovered below five until the 47th over when Andile Phehlukwayo served up a reminder of his finishing skills with a 22-ball 48. Netherlands bowled well as a collective and put on a display of sharp fielding and limited South Africa to only two partnerships of substance.Phehlukwayo and Keshav Maharaj put on 68 off 37 balls for the eighth wicket after Verreynne and debutant Zubayr Hamza shared a 119-run third wicket stand to lead the recovery from losing the openers early. Fred Klaassen had Reeza Hendricks caught at short cover, playing too early at a full delivery, and Janneman Malan edged to first slip after walking down the track and attempting to drive a waist-high delivery. South Africa were 24 for 2 after seven overs.They could have been 66 for 3 in the 15th over when Verreynne threw his bat at a Brandon Glover ball and sent it to Stephan Myburgh at point. The former Titans’ player could not hold on to the chance and Verreynne was let off, on 19. He went on to play chancelessly through the rest of his innings, acting as the aggressor to Hamza’s anchor. Verreynne brought up fifty first, off 54 balls before Hamza reached his milestone, off 71. They took South Africa to the halfway stage on 124 for 2 and seemed well set to continue but were separated four overs later.Hamza became Glover’s second victim when he skied a short ball to wicketkeeper Scott Edwards bringing South Africa’s most experienced batter, David Miller to the crease. He watched while Verreynne was hit on the chest by Timm van der Gugten and then hit Pieter Seelar in the nether regions an over later – the latter required some on-field attention amid many laughs. Netherlands kept Miller fairly quiet and though he threatened with one six, his attempt at a second was well caught by Max O’Dowd in the deep.Khaya Zondo was unable to make an impact on his return to the national side, playing back to a Roelof van der Merwe delivery only to be bowled. Wayne Parnell could have been out on the next ball, when Netherlands reviewed for an lbw but ball tracking showed umpire’s call on leg stump. Parnell did not last too much longer and was dismissed in the same over as Verreynne, giving Vivian Kingma late success.Having lost four wickets for 30 runs, South Africa did not score a boundary from the end of the 37th over all the way up to the 47th when Maharaj chipped Glover over midwicket. Phehlulwayo was responsible for all but one run of South Africa’s most profitable over – the 48th – hitting back-to-back sixes and a four off Kingma. He went on to smash four more sixes and ensured South Africa put on 52 runs off the last three overs to post a competitive total. Still, it is the first time in five meetings against Netherlands that South Africa have not scored over 300.

Big picture

Neither side has a great record in the T20 World Cup and a first-up loss could have huge ramifications in what has become a stacked Group 1.Based on recent form and the ICC T20I rankings, South Africa, not Australia, should start favourites. South Africa have won nine of their last 10 matches coming into the tournament and looked impressive in their two warm-up matches against Afghanistan and Pakistan. Australia on the other hand have lost eight of their last 10 T20Is and their last four series. They barely scraped past New Zealand in their first warm-up game and were hammered by India in the second.But Australia have a good recent record against South Africa, winning their last series in South Africa in 2020, largely built off the dominance of their opening duo in Aaron Finch and David Warner and their powerful bowling unit. But both Finch and Warner enter the tournament underdone and struggling for runs.Tabraiz Shamsi, the current No.1 T20I bowler, will give Australia a trial by spin while Australia’s quicks will be set to challenge South Africa’s top order.Related

• Tabraiz Shamsi to play South Africa's T20 World Cup opener after passing fitness test

• Finch admits pandemic threw Australia's T20 World Cup plans 'out the window'

• Could Australia leave out Pat Cummins during the World Cup?

• Amla's wisdom gives Miller the belief to change South Africa's World Cup record

• Glenn Maxwell heads into T20 World Cup on the crest of a wave

Form guide

Australia LWLLL
South Africa WWWWW

In the spotlight

There is pressure on David Warner following a lean year with the bat. He has had a horrible run of outs since arriving in the UAE with scores of 0, 2, 0, and 1. His team-mates have been consistent in saying that they expect him to come good in the tournament proper but he hasn’t got a great record in the T20 World Cup compared to his T20I career, striking at just 129 with only three half-centuries in 23 innings. But he does love playing against South Africa, having scored more T20I runs against them than any other nation.Tabraiz Shamsi is just four wickets away from taking the most T20I wickets in a single calendar year having claimed 28 so far in 2021. His performances against the much-vaunted West Indies earlier in the year, where he was player of the series with seven wickets at a staggering economy rate of 4.0, ensured opposition sides will treat him with the utmost respect in this World Cup. He could cause Australia a lot of trouble in the middle overs.David Warner has struggled for runs in recent weeks•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

Abu Dhabi during the day poses a different challenge than under lights. The temperatures will be oppressive with the forecast for 33 degrees Celsius. Teams have been successful chasing so far in the World Cup at the venue, with three out of four being won by the team batting second, but across all T20s in 2021 in Abu Dhabi more sides have won batting first. The surface has also been friendlier for pace bowlers than spinners this year.

Team news

Aaron Finch confirmed Australia would play with seven batters and four specialist bowlers with Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis to bowl the extra overs. That means space for only one of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, or Kane Richardson.Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Glenn Maxwell 5 Steven Smith 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodSouth Africa should load up with spin – and Shamsi is fit (as is Temba Bavuma) – against Australia. Despite Rassie van der Dussen making a century at No. 3 against Pakistan they could well slide him back to No. 4 against Australia with his best value in the middle overs.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Anrich Nortje/Lungi Ngidi, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Stats and trivia

• These two teams have great history in the men’s 50-over World Cup but have only met once in the T20 version back in 2012 with Australia winning comfortably.
• Since the start of 2020, Tabraiz Shamsi has taken the most wickets of all spinners in T20I cricket with 37. The next best spinner has 26. Ashton Agar has taken 25 and Adam Zampa 24.
• Glenn Maxwell is the hot hand for Australia coming into the World Cup. Kagiso Rabada is the perfect match-up for Maxwell. He has dismissed him three times in 27 balls in all T20s. He also bounced out Maxwell at the 2019 50-over World Cup.

Ottis Gibson is expected to be named South Africa’s new coach within days.While Gibson is currently employed as the England bowling coach and is expected to report to Birmingham on Monday for training ahead of the first Investec Test against West Indies, it is understood the ECB now sees his departure as inevitable and expects a deal to be finalised imminently.Although England will hope Gibson is able to remain with them until the end of the Test series against West Indies – which could lastuntil September 11 – they are aware that South Africa’s next Test series (against Bangladesh) starts on September 28. South Africa will want him present at a training camp that precedes that series.Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s captain, confirmed earlier in the week that Gibson was the first choice of the panel charged with picking a new coach. That decision now has to be ratified by Cricket South Africa.That only leaves CSA and the ECB to agree a compensation figure. While Gibson has a year of his England contract remaining, it is understood he has confirmed to the ECB that he wants to take the position with South Africa. It is not anticipated that the compensation discussion will delay his appointment.That means that the Edgbaston Test could well be his last with England.Richard Johnson, the former England seamer who currently performs the role of bowling coach with Middlesex, is a leading candidate to replace Gibson, though James Anderson could help out as a player-coach in the interim.Another intriguing possibility is the addition of Darren Gough to the coaching staff in some capacity. While Gough is not thought to be interested in a full-time role, he has emerged as a possible candidate as a bowling coach or consultant of the white-ball sides. He is Level 3 qualified and recently made a good impression working with the England U-19s. He is understood to be open to an approach.It is also understood that discussions continue with Saqlain Mushtaq. While he is currently contracted to spend 100 days a year with England, there is a good chance that role will be extended.

Match facts

May 27, 2017
Start time 11am local (1000 GMT)2:32

Morgan’s innings was the game-changer – Amla

Big picture

With due respect to their recent triumphs over West Indies and Ireland, Wednesday’s emphatic win over South Africa, the No.1-ranked team in ODI cricket, was the result that Eoin Morgan’s men needed to rubber-stamp their credentials as favourites for next week’s Champions Trophy.For months on end, almost since the moment of England’s white-ball awakening after the 2015 World Cup, this is a team that has scotched all pre-conceptions – so much so that even the captain of one of the few teams to have got the better of them in recent times, India’s Virat Kohli, was yesterday forced to concede that England have “no weaknesses” going into a tournament that surely counts as their most outstanding opportunity to lift that elusive 50-over global trophy.Well, they have perhaps one weakness. Despite being passed fit to play at the Ageas Bowl following a scan on his knee, the sight of Ben Stokes, the team’s talismanic allrounder, limping from the pitch during the Headingley contest was enough to make both the management’s and marketing men’s blood run cold.Stokes, the newly-crowned MVP in his maiden IPL season, is utterly fundamental to the balance of England’s first-choice XI. With his tub-thumping presence in England’s top six, England have the luxury of including two spinners and four genuine quicks in what is surely the most versatile (if not necessarily the most incisive) attack in the competition. Without him, the choices become more stark – sacrifice a spinner to shore up the batting firepower (and Jonny Bairstow, to be fair, is just gagging to get involved), or trust the occasionally mercurial Moeen Ali to front up with bat as well as ball, as he did to fine effect with a match-turning 77 from 51 balls in the opening ODI.Mind you, these are not the sorts of worries that England are used to addressing on the eve of a global tournament. To cast one’s mind back to the horrors of the 2015 World Cup, for instance, is to be reminded of an era when Stokes’ temperament wasn’t trusted, when Gary Ballance’s ballast at No.3 was preferred to the long-levered walloping of Alex Hales, and when Jos Buttler was treated as an orthodox wicketkeeping No.7, rather than a order-roving deliverer of batting hellfire.None of this is to say that England are either shoo-ins for the Champions Trophy, or even out of sight in this still-to-be-settled three-match series against South Africa. But the underlying truth of their 72-run win in Wednesday’s opening match is that England didn’t actually play to their absolute potential, but still rolled out handsome winners – thanks as much to South Africa’s exhaustion in the closing overs of the run-chase, as much as anything else. As Kohli succinctly put it, “for them it’s all about attack, throughout the 50 overs, which is exciting for the fans and challenging for the opposition.”As for South Africa, there were plenty of reasons for optimism in the midst of their opening defeat. Hashim Amla showed enduring form at the top of the order, Faf du Plessis played a strong hand as well, while AB de Villiers showed glimpses of his true self before his 45 from 38 balls was undermined by wickets tumbling at the other end.But they’ll need their bowlers to regroup quickly if they are to restore their challenge in this series – not least the legspinner Imran Tahir, whose nine wicketless overs were milked for 68 runs at Headingley, a rare toothless day for one of his side’s most enduring one-day weapons.Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada are two other players to factor into South Africa’s challenge. Both are too good to fail for long, as de Kock in particular showed during England’s last ODI campaign against South Africa in February 2016, when his twin centuries helped turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win.It’s all food for thought as two of the best ODI teams in the world fine-tune their preparations. But, both sides know, there’s a far bigger prize than the Royal London trophy up for grabs in the coming weeks.Ben Stokes had to leave the field at Headingley after feeling pain in his knee•Getty Images

Form guide

England WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LWLWL

In the spotlight

There’s surely no pressure being exerted from the England management, who know full well what Jason Roy is capable of, but there’s little doubt either that he is stuck in a bit of a fallow patch of form at present. His maiden IPL stint with Gujarat Lions was a disappointment – just three appearances and a top score of 31 – and following scores of 0 and 20 against Ireland, he chose to return to Royal London Cup duty with Surrey, rather than head back out to the nets in India. His game remains in good working order – one scorching straight drive off Tim Murtagh at Lord’s was a reminder of how effortlessly powerful his game can be. But he could do with a score going into the Champions Trophy.Roy, however, wasn’t the only stroke-playing international batsman to suffer a rough time at this year’s IPL. AB de Villiers fell a long way short of the standards that he expects of himself, and that his adoring fans at Bangalore Royal Challengers expect of him too. He produced flashes of his most brilliant self – not least in making 89 not out from 46 balls against Kings’ XI Punjab – but more often than not he appeared weighed down by the collective malfunction of RCB’s storied batting line-up. He looked a touch jaded in the Headingley ODI, if truth be told. And, shock horror, he even produced a fumble in the outfield. South Africa desperately need him to build on the relative success of his cameo in the first ODI.

Team news

Stokes was declared fit to play in the second ODI after taking a full part in England’s training on Friday. But nevertheless, having bowled just two overs in Wednesday’s opening rubber, and with a heavy IPL workload behind him, there must have been a temptation to protect such a talismanic figure with less than a week to go until the Champions Trophy opener. Jonny Bairstow is in the form to deputise supremely with the bat, even Stokes’ absence would have left England’s bowling options a touch stretched. David Willey was the obvious addition to the fast-bowling ranks.England: (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Mark WoodFew reasons for wholesale changes in South Africa’s line-up, despite the eventual size of their defeat at Headingley. It’s a case of improving what they’ve got, rather than reinforcing what they lacked. However, there may be a temptation to find room for Morne Morkel and his aggressive line of attack in light of the relative success that the short ball had against England’s top-order – Joe Root, for one, fell victim to a top-edged bouncer from Andile Phehlukwayo.South Africa: (probable) 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Andile Phehlukwayo/Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

The weather is gleaming and runs are all but guaranteed on a surface that rarely fails to offer plenty for the bat. Only once in the last seven ODIs at the Ageas Bowl, dating back to 2012, has the side batting first made less than 287, while New Zealand racked up a hefty 359 for 3 back in June 2013, thanks to Martin Guptill’s 189 not out.

Stats and trivia

• On the last 10 occasions that they have batted first in ODIs, England have racked up a formidable run of totals: 324 for 7, 444 for 3, 302 for 9, 309 for 8, 350 for 7, 321 for 8, 296 for 6, 328, 328 for 6 and 339 for 6. An average figure of 334 for 7.
• Amla needs another 47 runs to reach 7000 in ODIs. He has 12 innings in which to get there ahead of Virat Kohli and continue his record of being fastest to 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 and 6000.
• Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali both need four more wickets to reach 50 in ODIs.

Quotes

“”You get guys batting at 4 and 5 coming late in the game and getting a hundred, that’s why Morgan’s innings was a game-changer.”
“Batting at No. 7 is one of the hardest jobs going because you don’t know whether to shoot or not. [Moeen] was very calm and composed in what he did, gave himself some time at the crease and was able to take the game to South Africa at the end.”
England captain Morgan praises Moeen Ali’s game-turning innings at Headingley

A shock return for N Srinivasan to the boardrooms of the ICC has been ruled out by India’s Supreme Court.In a ruling delivered on Monday in Delhi by a three-judge bench, the court ruled that Srinivasan, a former BCCI president and ICC chairman, cannot attend crucial ICC meetings next week as the Indian board’s representative. Instead, the court directed the BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and CEO Rahul Johri to attend the ICC’s second round of quarterly meetings in Dubai between April 23-27.Vikram Limaye, the Committee of Administrators member who attended the previous ICC meeting as BCCI representative, will not be attending this time.The court had been asked by the CoA to clarify whether office bearers disqualified by the Lodha Committee’s recommendations could return as representatives of state associations or the BCCI. The judges said, however, that they would not deliberate the broader eligibility issue for now, concentrating instead on the one-point agenda to determine who from the BCCI will be negotiating in Dubai.”Mr Srinivasan cannot go,” the court observed during the hearing. The three Justices – Dipak Misra, AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud – were clear that there was a “cloud” hanging over Srinivasan’s integrity, which precluded him from being the right person to represent the BCCI.The ruling should temporarily end a recent push by BCCI officials to bring Srinivasan back into the fold for the ICC meetings. It is an important week for world cricket as members are expected to move closer not only to deciding how to govern the game, but, significantly, how to divide its financial pie. The BCCI left the last board meeting in February unhappy with the new financial model that was presented, in which its share of ICC revenues was considerably reduced from the previous model created by the Big Three.That Srinivasan was plotting a comeback was evident after he attended a special general body meeting (SGM) called by the BCCI, in which picking a representative for the ICC meetings was a main point on the agenda. That meeting, on April 9, was adjourned and will be held on April 18.By attending Srinivasan was ignoring court and COA warnings that office-bearers disqualified under the Lodha Committee recommendations could not attend the BCCI meetings.Srinivasan was ineligible on three counts: he is over 70 years of age, has completed nine years as an office-bearer both at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and the BCCI, and is also yet to resign as TNCA president, thereby flouting the court judgement of July 2016, which had approved the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.According to acting BCCI president CK Khanna, the SGM was still scheduled for April 18, but he would consult the other two office bearers – Choudhury and the treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry – before taking a final decision.

Match Facts

March 16-20 2017
Start time 11.00am local (2200GMT)1:09

Moonda: Matt Henry might get into the XI

Big Picture

As you were, then. Sort of. Four days of cut-and-thrust set things up for a fascinating fifth day in Dunedin. Then it rained. It’s done that quite a lot in New Zealand this summer. The good news, however, is after a wet and windy build-up the forecast for the five days in Wellington (and you always need to say this with fingers crossed) is shaping up nicely.If the first Test had gone the distance, South Africa had their noses in front going into the final day with New Zealand a batsman and a bowler down. But they were never allowed to dominate, even when their batsmen were building partnerships, due to a combination of a sluggish pitch and accurate bowling.However tight the opening skirmishes on paper South Africa now have a significant advantage with New Zealand having lost both Ross Taylor and Trent Boult. While Tim Southee can help sustain the bowling department, this match will be a test of New Zealand’s batting depth. A No. 4-5 axis of Neil Broom and Henry Nicholls looks flimsy and leaves even more on the shoulders of Kane Williamson who is now ranked No. 2 after his superb 130 in Dunedin.Half of South Africa’s attack also bring with them good memories – and valuable knowledge of the Basin’s characteristics – from the 2012 Test. Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel claimed six-wicket hauls – Morkel’s 6 for 23 remain his career-best – and both will have their sights set on that inexperienced New Zealand top order. That Test five years ago was a draw, though, with Williamson standing in South Africa’s way. It is likely he will need to do the same again.

Form guide

New Zealand DWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa DWWWLTim Southee will help cover for Trent Boult’s absence, but Ross Taylor’s presence will be harder to replace•Getty Images

In the spotlight

At least to replace Boult, New Zealand have Southee. For the batting it’s a little different. Neil Broom has some big boots to fill, boots that have scored 6030 Test runs. New Zealand have backed his domestic experience – 136 matches of it spread across 14 years – and Broom’s debut will cap a remarkable summer which included quitting his deal with Derbyshire after a surprise recall. His scores in the one-day series of 2,2 and 0 were noted by Faf du Plessis – “we were quite successful in getting rid of him so hopefully that will continue,” he said in Dunedin – but at least Broom has seen enough ups and downs to keep his emotions level. He’ll need that composure this week.Quinton de Kock can expect to face Jeetan Patel as soon as he walks in (presuming New Zealand now don’t leave him out having brought him back) probably regardless of the state of the innings or age of the ball. Four times in four innings Patel has nabbed him and this presents a little challenge for de Kock who has been South Africa’s trump card at No. 7 in recent times, either staging a counter-attacking recovery or hurting tired attacks. This duel has become an enjoyable little subplot of the tour, and perhaps an unexpected one.

Team news

New Zealand did not confirm their final XI with a decision to be made over the balance of the attack. It would be a surprise if they did not return to a single frontline spinner and that leaves Mitchell Santner vulnerable. Colin de Grandhomme’s batting could mean he edges out Matt Henry.New Zealand (probable) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Jeet Raval, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Neil Broom, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 James Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Colin de Grandhomme, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Jeetan PatelSouth Africa are likely to remain unchanged, although du Plessis did leave the door ajar for an extra pace bowler at the expense of a batsman. That would mean dropping JP Duminy, probably for Wayne Parnell.South Africa (probable) 1 Stephen Cook, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Kagiso Rabada

Pitch and conditions

Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, has admitted he doesn’t want green seamers in this series. The strip was pretty green on Wednesday, but that can often be misleading at this ground. However, what the 22 yards does end up like is a little uncertain. Hagen Faith, the groundsman, has had a fraught build-up with 70mm of rain falling in Wellington the days before Test. The forecast for the five days is promising with currently just a chance of showers on Saturday.

Stats and trivia

• Kane Williamson needs 63 runs for 5000 and also one century to equal Martin Crowe’s record of 17
• South Africa have won four of their six Tests at the Basin Reserve – two coming since readmission although 2012 was a draw
• The previous Test on this ground, against Bangladesh, saw New Zealand overhaul the biggest first-innings score to secure victory – 595 for 8 dec.

Quotes

“With the weather they have had over the last week, it hasn’t been ideal. There might be a little bit to offer with the surface early on but it tends to be a good cricket wicket.”
“It sounds good. If you have that confidence where you’ve come to a ground in a different country and you’ve done well it sounds very good, but we know it doesn’t mean anything. We’ve got to see what the wicket produces because it has been a bit different this time around.”

The BCCI has sent a list of observations, of objections as well as suggestions, to the ICC regarding the new constitution that will be up for vote at the next round of meetings in April.While the major focus of the BCCI’s response was the ICC’s proposed new financial model, the board also sent its thoughts on a number of governance issues, including membership, the role of the ICC chairman and the composition of the ICC Board.The new constitution was passed in principle at the board meetings in February but each proposal is likely to be put to vote separately in April.Here is a summary of the main points the BCCI makes:Membership Committee
– The ICC Board must have final say on membership issues with power to re-examine all aspects of any recommendation of the Membership Committee.- The Membership Committee should be an independent external agency that is not part of the ICC. If not, then members that sit on the committee should not be ICC directors.- One member from each continent should be part of the committee. “This is because admission of a new member and/or re-classification of an existing member will impact all members and views of at least one member from each continent needs to be taken into account before assessing the comprehensive impact of the same,” the BCCI said.- If any member was to fall foul of any terms and conditions, then it should get at least 90 days to carry out remedial action before the committee examines the respective board.- If a member country is in serious breach of its obligations then unless there is “prima facie view” or “sufficient evidence” the ICC Board should not suspend or terminate its membership.- The Dispute Resolution Committee, which deals with appeals on membership issues, must be independent of the ICC. No member of this committee should be an ICC director or part of any other committee.- To avoid any impact on the FTP, any new admission or re-classification of an existing Full Member should only be done at the end of every revenue cycle.- To retain Full Member status, a country should have played a minimum number of Test matches.ICC Chairman
.- The chairman should not be elected through a secret ballot. A transparent procedure must be laid out in the ICC’s Articles of Association.- If a chairman fails to finish his tenure, the new entrant should be appointed only for the remainder of the term and not for a fresh two-year period.- The chairman, acting or full-time, cannot have a vote at ICC Board meetings because the post is an independent authority and the ICC is a members’ organisation.- The CEO should report to the ICC Board and not the Chairman. The CEO and ICC management should be appraised by an independent external agency considering the senior staff is paid “substantial bonuses” based on their performance.- The chairman cannot have binding powers. Only the CEO, under the ICC Board’s instructions, should hold such a power.- The chairman cannot call a special meeting or choose a venue for the same. Only the ICC Board has the authority.ICC Board of Directors
– There should be only one director, not three, representing the Associates on the ICC Board.- The Independent director should be a non-voting member.- A current or former player should have a seat on the ICC Board, but also with no vote.- A secret ballot cannot be triggered by two or more voting members on the ICC Board, which the present ICC constitution permits.- The rule about having a two-third vote to pass a resolution can only apply if all the voting members are present- ICC committees should be independent and not comprise any of the Board directors. “This will obviate potential situations where the same person is part of the MC which makes a recommendation, sits on the Board of Directors which reviews the recommendation to take a final decision, and is also part of the Dispute Resolution Committee which will decide any appeal on membership issues against a decision of the MC or Board of Directors.”

Match facts

Friday, February 10
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)1:33

‘Winning 5-0 important to get to No. 1’ – Du Plessis

Big Picture

Sri Lanka trail 4-0, have not yet batted out 50 overs in the series, and continue to lack menace with the ball, but around Upul Tharanga’s sleek 119 at Newlands, a little hope has built. The hope is not necessarily that Sri Lanka can prevent a whitewash – although that is their immediate concern. The larger expectation is that perhaps there are the makings of a competitive top order in this present unit. Niroshan Dickwella’s fifties through the course of the limited-overs matches have suggested he can play a strong role in Sri Lanka’s future short-format sides. The quality of Tharanga’s 14th hundred – his first since 2013 – has also led some to believe he is on the verge of a renaissance in his own game.Despite this, South Africa have still been completely dominant, and have not really looked like losing at any point in the series. Faf du Plessis has been their batting lynchpin, with scores of 55 not out, 105 and a career-best 185. Imran Tahir has held the bowling together while the seamers rotate around him. Even after being cracked for 51 off his first five overs on Tuesday, Tahir took 2 for 25 in his second five, and helped clinch the match.Around these two have been a cast of outstanding players who have taken each game by the collar at various moments and kept South Africa spikes on Sri Lanka throats. The top four have all scored half-centuries in the series. The bowlers have not been quite as consistent, but almost always recovered well from their bad spells.AB de Villiers has said it publicly: South Africa will be disappointed with anything less than 5-0.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

 South Africa: WWWWW
Sri Lanka: LLLLW
Upul Tharanga’s century in the fourth ODI provided some encouragement for Sri Lanka•AFP

In the spotlight

At 24, Quinton de Kock is already one of the premier batsmen in the game, so his runs against Sri Lanka have come as no surprise. The quality of his wicketkeeping, however, has. In the Tests de Kock completed several athletic catches behind the wicket, but in ODIs he has shown off improvements in his keeping to spin as well. The stumping of Dhananjaya de Silva in Durban and the leaping, one-handed grab to dismiss Sachith Pathirana in Cape Town were dismissals any keeper would be happy to have on their resume.Kusal Mendis has been one of Sri Lanka’s best batsmen of the tour but, by his own high standards, Mendis will feel he should have scored more than two fifties in South Africa. It has been the line outside off stump that has troubled him this series, with bowlers having learned to target him there at the beginning of his innings. Though he has only recently turned 22, Sri Lanka’s selectors have insisted on playing him in all three formats. He doesn’t have the luxury of time away from top level cricket to fix weaknesses in his game, and must instead find solutions on his feet, on the move.

Teams news

South Africa are unlikely to play two spinners at Centurion. Andile Phehlukwayo is in line for a recall, and will likely replace Tabraiz Shamsi.South Africa: (possible) 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Dwayne Pretorius, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran TahirIt is possible Dhananjaya de Silva could be omitted for the final ODI, given his modest returns right through the tour. Lahiru Kumara may also exit the side after conceding 10.42 runs an over on TuesdaySri Lanka:(possible) 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Upul Tharanga (capt), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Sandun Weerakkody , 5 Dhananjaya de Silva/Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Sachith Pathirana, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lahiru Madushanka, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Lakshan Sandakan

Pitch and conditions

Centurion is typically a high-scoring venue, with 300 often on the cards in the first innings. There is a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have now won 10 successive ODIs, and their last 13 at home.
• Upul Tharanga’s 14 ODI hundreds put him fifth on Sri Lanka’s list of century-makers, behind Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene.
• Imran Tahir has only gone wicketless once in his 15 most recent ODIs. He has taken 34 wickets at an average of 18.55 in that time.

Quotes

“The problem I see here is not lack of talent but their inability to adjust quickly to situations and handle the pressure. You can’t play cricket if you can’t absorb pressure.”