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James Pattinson’s astonishing debut has exposed the often vast differences between state and national coaching philosophies in Australia

Daniel Brettig06-Dec-2011James Pattinson’s astonishing debut has exposed the often vast disparity between state and national coaching philosophies in Australia, one of the central problems identified by the Argus review.As a young pace bowler with Victoria, Pattinson was taught to bowl short of a length, in line with the Bushrangers’ long successful methods for winning domestic matches, particularly on the MCG’s drop-in pitches.However the national team has recognised his natural swing and speed are better suited to fuller bowling and, under the guidance of the bowling coach Craig McDermott, Pattinson has been groomed to make the adjustment.”Billy’s taken over this year as the bowling coach and he’s just said to me the length that I bowl for Victoria, that back of a length, doesn’t work in Test cricket, it is hard to get wickets with that,” Pattinson told the television panel show .”You get more chance of getting wickets if you pitch the ball up there and get a chance to get some caught behind the wicket [dismissals]. He’s been pushing me to get a lot fuller with my lengths and all that work I’ve done over in Sri Lanka and South Africa has really proved pretty good for me.”Pattinson’s progression from state cricket to the international game was smoothed by his presence as a reserve paceman on numerous Australian overseas tours, where he worked assiduously with McDermott to change his methods, with startling results against New Zealand in Brisbane. As he settles further into the role of head coach, Mickey Arthur is charged with ensuring greater consistency in coaching standards and philosophies between the states and the national team.”Of course, absolutely,” Arthur said when asked about the need for greater alignment between state and national coaching. “There are a couple of things we’ll be looking at implementing, I think we need to be a little bit harder and a little more ruthless on the basics, but for James that was phenomenal and it was a spell that was right up there among the best I’ve seen.”I thought he was quick, he was aggressive and he hit the right areas. We had a chat before the start of play that morning on what we believed were the right areas and he executed that fantastically well. The key for us really is to increase our depth, if we can get our depth in all departments nice and strong, and we’ve spoken about giving quality opportunities, we’re going to place ourselves in a really good position down the line.”Another area highlighted by the Argus review was that fielding and fitness in state programs was not always up to a high enough standard. One passage of the report stated: “Some COE and National Coaching staff (as well as some Australian players) feel that several State programs are inadequate for preparing players for international cricket, for example, in relation to players’ physical conditioning and fielding.”The fielding coach Steve Rixon has returned to the team for the Hobart Test, and will speak with Arthur about how to prolong his role beyond the current short-term arrangement. Arthur said the team’s fielding in Brisbane was one area requiring considerable improvement.”We certainly dropped too many catches, there’s no two ways about that,” Arthur said. “I do put it down to nerves, it was the first Test match of the home summer, a lot of guys on debut, and there was a lot of excitement around the group, and I’ll put it down to that. But we’ve got to sharpen it up a huge amount because catches are crucial. We’ll work really hard on it and aim to put in a really quality fielding performance in Hobart.”One of the lest natural fielders in the Australian XI, Usman Khawaja, fielded at short leg for large swathes of the match, and Arthur said he was intent on becoming a specialist in the position.”We’ll be doing a lot of work with Usman in that position definitely,” Arthur said. “Technically he’s a little bit on his heels, he probably needs to get a bit more on the balls of his feet a little more, but he can catch and we’ll keep upping his work-rate in that position and challenging him there. That’s where he is going to field, so we need to be getting the best out of him. He’s very receptive to that as well.”

Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies all rounder, has been appointed the new head coach at Kent. The county have been without a head coach since Paul Farbrace left the county in September.

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2012Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies batsman, has been appointed the new head coach at Kent. The county have been without a head coach since Paul Farbrace left in September.Adams, 43, was West Indies’ Under-19 manager before being appointed technical director of Jamaica. He played for 10 years in international cricket, retiring in 2001 having scored 3,012 Test runs at 41.26 and took 27 wickets with his slow left-arm. He also captained his country in 14 Tests.”I am delighted to be given this opportunity,” said Adams. “Kent are a county with a proud history and tradition. I look forward to working towards further success in the year to come and can’t wait to get started.”Kent chairman Graham Johnson said “He has a strong desire to see young players develop. He also has a tremendous amount of experience from his time in international cricket – particularly as captain. We welcome Jimmy and wish him the very best of luck.”Kent have made changes to their squad, with Joe Denly departing for Middlesex and Martin van Jaarsveld retiring, having initially signed a deal with Leicestershire. Batsmen Michael Powell has joined from Glamorgan and Ben Harmison signed from Durham.They begin begin their 2012 season against Yorkshire at Headingley on April 5.

South Africa have made three changes to the squad for the remainder of the ODI series against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2012Hashim Amla will miss the remainder of the ODI series against Sri Lanka to be with his wife, who is expecting their first child. Jacques Kallis has been rested while Rory Kleinveldt has been ruled out due to injury.Alviro Petersen and Colin Ingram replace the two senior batsmen and Vernon Philander, who’s been impressive in Tests, has been picked in the ODI squad in place of Kleinveldt.Amla’s been in excellent form in the series; he scored a century in the first ODI in Paarl and followed up with a half-century to help South Africa take a 2-0 lead in East London.The decision to rest Kallis is part of Cricket South Africa’s rotational policy, though it is yet unclear about when Kleinveldt is likely to return after a “relatively long-term injury”.”Hashim Amla has been forced to stand down because of family responsibilities while Rory Kleinveldt has a relatively long-term injury,” Andrew Hudson, the CSA selection convenor, said in a release.Petersen has been in good form, with runs behind his back for the Lions in the Franchise 1-day Cup, the domestic List A tournament, where he was the top scorer, and a century against Sri Lanka in the third Test in Cape Town, where he was picked at the expense of Ashwell Prince.Ingram, too, has had a good run, with consecutive hundreds for Warriors in the SuperSport series and 521 runs at 57.88 in the Franchise 1-day Cup. Both are making a comeback to the ODI side after extended breaks. Ingram last played in the World Cup and Petersen hasn’t played an ODI for South Africa since May 2010.Philander finished the Sri Lanka Test series with 16 wickets in two matches and grabbed 14 in the series prior against Australia. He last played an ODI for South Africa in August 2008.”Both Petersen and Philander showed excellent form in the recent Test series against Sri Lanka and they have also represented the Proteas in the ODI format before so I don’t anticipate their having any problems adapting to 50 overs cricket,” Hudson said. “Ingram has also been in top form in domestic cricket and was a member of the squad that went to the World Cup last year after making a century on debut against Zimbabwe.”Although we are sad to lose players such as Amla and Kallis I see this as an opportunity to try out our options. There are still places up for grabs in our ODI squad and I must say I am excited to see the talent coming through our development pipeline.”South Africa squad: AB de Villiers (capt & wk), Johan Botha, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Australia’s selectors have turned to the former captain Ricky Ponting as the short-term leadership solution to Michael Clarke’s hamstring problem

Daniel Brettig14-Feb-2012Australia’s selectors have turned to the former captain Ricky Ponting as the short-term leadership solution to Michael Clarke’s hamstring problem.Less than a year after he passed the job to Clarke, Ponting will lead his country in Friday’s triangular series ODI against Sri Lanka in Sydney.In naming Ponting as the stand-in captain, the national selector John Inverarity said that David Warner’s leadership potential was being closely monitored, though it was thought best not to thrust him into the captaincy immediately. Warner still has only a modest record in ODI matches, and has made an indifferent start to this series.”After careful consideration the National Selection Panel has asked Ricky Ponting if he would captain the Australian ODI team in Michael Clarke’s absence,” Inverarity said. “David Warner is a young player making his way. He displays considerable leadership potential, but the NSP is of the view that he should not, at this moment, have the added responsibility of captaincy thrust on him.”David has been gaining valuable experience under Michael Clarke’s captaincy and now he will have the opportunity to grow his leadership skills further as vice-captain to Ricky Ponting. In making this decision the NSP reminded itself of the fact that Ricky Ponting led the winning Australian ICC Cricket World Cup teams in 2003 and 2007. The NSP appreciates the fact that Ricky is prepared to accept this responsibility in the wider interests of the team.”Australia ODI squad

Michael Clarke (capt), Ricky Ponting (capt for Friday’s ODI vs Sri Lanka), David Warner, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Mitchell Marsh, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade (wk)

Clarke is expected to be fit in time to return to the team for Sunday’s match against India in Brisbane, the second of the two fixtures for which the 14-man squad was named. Another notable change was the resting of the fast bowler Ryan Harris, after he put in an uncharacteristically loose display with the ball and in the field against India in Adelaide.Inverarity said that Harris was carrying a few “minor niggles” while also appearing to show signs of fatigue after playing in the third and fourth Tests against India then the first three ODIs of the triangular series. In his place are Brett Lee, who has made a swift recovery from a broken bone in his foot, and Ben Hilfenhaus.”Some players are showing signs of fatigue after a demanding summer in which the Australian team has played with great intensity and purpose and performed with distinction,” Inverarity said. ” The NSP has omitted Ryan Harris for this reason and for the fact that he is carrying some minor niggles. The NSP has refreshed the squad with the inclusion of Brett Lee and Ben Hilfenhaus. Brett is making a good recovery from his toe injury and will be given rigorous fitness tests before Friday’s ODI fixture. As expected Michael Hussey returns to the squad.”Shane Watson, meanwhile, has been deemed ready to return to first-class cricket after a grade appearance in Sydney over the weekend. He will turn out alongside the Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for New South Wales against Western Australia in Perth, in a Sheffield Shield match starting on Friday.”Shane played a Grade cricket game in Sydney on Saturday,” the team physio Alex Kountouris said. “He batted and bowled in that game without any issue and will be available for consideration for selection for a Bupa Shield game in Perth later this week as he continues his return from injury.”

A fine unbeaten 78 by Ed Joyce guided Ireland towards the knockout phase of the ICC World Twenty20 qualifier with a comfortable win over Scotland

The Report by Ger Siggins18-Mar-2012
ScorecardEd Joyce was named the Player of the match for his 78•Getty ImagesA fine unbeaten 78 by Ed Joyce guided Ireland towards the knockout phase of the ICC World Twenty20 qualifier with a comfortable win over Scotland. With one defeat each before the game, the Celtic nations were vying for second spot in Group B behind Namibia, and although Ireland came good, they now have some serious injury concerns.John Mooney is out of the rest of the tournament after suffering a torn hamstring while fellow allrounder Alex Cusack is a doubt for the next game. Mooney chased thirty yards and dived to try to catch Preston Mommsen, but fell awkwardly on the rope and instantly signalled for assistance. He remained prone for ten minutes before the Irish coach, Phill Simmons, and physio shouldered him slowly to the dressing room. An announcement on a replacement will be made on Monday.Porterfield had to juggle his options further when Cusack limped off with a niggle in his groin after bowling two overs. Ireland are well stocked with allrounders though, and Kevin O’Brien was able to step up for his first bowl of the tournament and responded with 3 for 35 off four overs.Ireland had a dismal start, with Paul Stirling edging tentatively to slip off the first ball he faced from Matthew Parker. The brisk Safayeen Sharif bowled a loosening widish first ball to William Porterfield, only for the Ireland captain to drag it back on to his stumps. It was a dismissal identical to how he fell to James Anderson during the last World Cup.From 8 for 2 Ireland regrouped around Joyce, with Cusack cutting loose in an over from Parker with four consecutive boundaries. “Alex played a really good innings – it wasn’t that big but hitting 18 off one over at that stage took the pressure off,” Joyce said. Cusack was stumped off Majid Haq, but Ireland’s middle order came good once again. Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson upped the run-rate with some clean hitting, Wilson crashing Berrington onto the third deck of the VIP area.Scotland got their field right in the closing overs and boundaries dried up. There had been just one four in more than six overs when Joyce took guard for the last two balls of the innings. He hit Safayaan Sharif’s slower ball over square leg for six, and followed up straight and into the wind for another.”I don’t often hit sixes so i think those last two balls were crucial”, Joyce said. “Instead of facing seven and a half an over they needed eight, so those hits were useful.”Strangely, for a player who has been one of the most prolific in 50-over cricket in recent English seasons, this was his first fifty in Twenty20, in his 66th game.”I always found Twenty20 a hard game to play, as you never know whether to stick or twist”, he said.Scotland’s job was all the harder after three balls when Trent Johnston found his way through Richie Berrington’s defence. Berrington has batted consistently in the tournament, and had scored a match-winning century when the teams last met over fifty overs. Two balls after Mooney’s injury Mommsen tried to pull Johnston and was trapped in front.The sideshow of the tournament’s leading bowler, Boyd Rankin, and leading batsman, Calum McLeod — teammates at Warwickshire — promised much. Rankin was the decisive winner here, troubling McLeod twice before the batsman made a mess of his footwork trying to pull and was given out.Kyle Coetzer – captaining in place of the injured Gordon Drummond – came together with Fraser Watts but after eight overs the asking rate was above 10. Coetzer put Max Sorensen’s first two balls over the rope on the straight and made his day even worse when Sorenson dropped him badly at long off.The pair had put on 78 off 11 overs when Trent Johnston caught Watts off O’Brien, and next ball Jan Stander was sent back, fatally, by Coetzer. The captain completed a 46-ball fifty with a six off Stirling but the run-rate continued to mount and when O’Brien held a sharp return catch in the 19th over it was over as a contest.Porterfield was resolute in his assessment: “If we win every game from today we’ll qualify. That’s what we’re planning to do.”

West Indies Women made a winning start to the five-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka Women, winning by 23 runs in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2012
ScorecardPlayer of the series from the ODIs, Shanel Daley, extended her top form•WICBWest Indies Women made a winning start to the five-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka Women, winning by 23 runs in Barbados. Shanel Daley, who was adjudged player of the series during the ODIs, continued her fine form, top scoring, picking up a wicket and effecting a run out in the game.Useful partnerships from the West Indies top order – 30, 21 and 39 – ensured they set a competitive target for the visitors. Daley narrowly missed her half-century; she scored 48 off 28 balls to push the scoring-rate in the second half. She was out on the penultimate ball of the innings to Shashikala Siriwardene, who also accounted for Anisa Mohammed off the next ball.Sri Lanka chase began steadily as well, as they go to 48 for two after eleven overs. But a few tight overs and two wickets off consecutive balls followed, accounting for Deepika Rasangika and Sripali Weerakkody and derailing the chase. Stafanie Taylor and Anisa shared four wickets between them, stalling any chances of recovery by the visitors.

Four companies have shown interest to PCB’s initiative to launch an international Twenty20 league in Pakistan. A proposal to launch Pakistan Premier League (PPL) will be presented by the companies to the PCB next week

Umar Farooq04-Apr-2012Four companies have shown interest in the PCB’s initiative to launch an international Twenty20 league in Pakistan. A proposal to launch Pakistan Premier League (PPL) will be presented by the companies to the board next week.”We have invited the companies to present us the plans,” PCB chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed told ESPNcricinfo. “We are thrilled to see the initial response but we have to sit and look into the modalities and feasibility of having such an event in Pakistan involving foreign players.”Ahmed said that international player participation was necessary for the success of such a competition. However, Pakistan has been unable to host international cricket since March 2009, when Sri Lanka’s team bus was attacked by terrorists.”I can’t say that we are sure whether to play in Pakistan or abroad. But PCB has serious intention to hold the PPL. The situation definitely has improved and that is why the British [Universities] team is here in Pakistan.”Former PCB president, Nasim Ashraf, floated the original idea in 2007. While, the idea was scrapped later scrapped in Pakistan, similar leagues have cropped up in Bangladesh, Australia and South Africa after the success of the IPL.”PPL was held back for several reason in the past, but this time we are very keen and serious on launching our league as an attempt to bring the international cricket back in the country.”

Faf du Plessis, the middle order batsman, has been has been named in South Africa’s 15-man squad for the unofficial Twenty20 tri-series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, in Zimbabwe in June

Firdose Moonda30-May-2012Faf du Plessis, the middle order batsman, has been named in South Africa’s 15-man squad for the unofficial Twenty20 tri-series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, in Zimbabwe in June, while Chris Morris, the Highveld Lions allrounder, has received a maiden call-up.The squad will be led by Johan Botha. AB de Villiers, allrounder Jacques Kallis and the fast-bowling pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have been rested because all four played extensively during the recent IPL and will likely be needed in all three formats for the upcoming series against England.Du Plessis has played 21 ODIs for South Africa but has never been part of the Twenty20 squad. He staked a claim for a place in the shortest format after a successful stint with Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2012. Du Plessis, who opened the batting and scored three half-centuries, held the orange cap for being the leading scorer in the tournament at one stage, although he finished 13th on the batting charts.In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, du Plessis said, “If I could pick where to bat in 20-over cricket, I would say I’d like to open. It suits my style of batting because I am someone who can hit the ball over the top and along the ground, and I’ve learned when to hold back and when to go for it.”Du Plessis has been tipped to open the batting with world-record holder Richard Levi, although that would probably come at the expense of limited-overs vice-captain Hashim Amla. While du Plessis’ inclusion in the national squad was expected, Morris’ came as a complete surprise to everyone, including himself.”One of my former provincial coaches, Lawrence Mahatlane called me up to say congratulations and I wasn’t sure what he was talking about,” Morris, who has also been picked in the South Africa A side to play Sri Lanka A, told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t know what to do yet. I’m not sure if I should jump and down or what. I was just happy to be playing franchise cricket and I didn’t even think about the national side at all. I’ve come such a long way in such a short time, that definitely wasn’t in my thoughts.”Morris has just completed his first full season as a franchise cricketer, having been spotted by former Highveld Lions coach Gordon Parsons in Centurion in 2009.South Africa’s 15-man squad

Johan Botha (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Richard Levi, Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Dane Vilas (wk)

“Gordon saw me there and asked me if I wanted to go to trials at the Lions and I did,” he said. “Before that I was playing club cricket in Pretoria and to be honest, I didn’t really set the scene alight. But then I got offered to go to the Lions academy and the rest is history. The Lions have taught me everything I know about my game.”After playing in the amateur competition for a season, Morris was contracted to the Lions for the 2011-12 season. He scored two half-centuries and took 23 wickets at an average of 26.00 in the first-class competition and was the leading bowler overall in the MiWay T20 competition, with 21 wickets.It was his performances in the shortest format that earned him his national call-up.”He was also very effective as a lower order hitter and played a very significant role in getting the Lions to the final,” Cricket South Africa’s selection convenor, Andrew Hudson, said.Morris opened the bowling and stepped up to bowl at the death as well, two roles he has enjoyed. “I wanted that kind of responsibility because when I have that, then I focus more,” Morris said.While Morris has played club cricket in England before, he has never travelled as part of a tour, except at school, and has also never been to Zimbabwe. Most of the national squad are relative strangers to him as he has only met them as opponents occasionally in the past.”I’m really excited and really looking forward to it,” he said. “The more I can talk to people, the more I am going to learn.”The rest of the squad includes players who have been given opportunity in the past. Both Farhaan Behardien and Dane Vilas featured in South Africa’s XI for a one-off Twenty20 against India in March. Behardien has been a consistent performer for the Titans in the last few seasons and will bat in the middle-order, while Dane Vilas will don the wicketkeeping gloves.Botha continues as captain, after he also led the team in the match against India, an indication that he remains part of South Africa’s World Twenty20 plans. He will be released from his national contract after the ICC event in September to captain South Australia and will not participate in the South African domestic season.

The preview of the first ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Pallekele

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran06-Jun-2012Match FactsThursday, June 7
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Misbah-ul-Haq and Mahela Jayawardene with the trophy their teams are playing for•AFPThe Big PictureThe drawn Twenty20 series in Hambantota, in which there was little to separate the teams, has set up the five-ODI contest nicely. The pattern of both T20s was the same: the batsmen made just enough runs and the bowlers used the swing and seam available in the evenings to defend modest targets.Sri Lanka will hope to improve the recent head-to-head record, having lost five of their last six ODIs to Pakistan. Four of those defeats were in the UAE in 2011, a tour in which Pakistan were superior across formats. Sri Lanka’s batting had depended heavily on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara and the rest were unable to build on their sound foundations. Sri Lanka found stability late into their tour of South Africa, where they won two dead rubbers, and made the finals of the CB Series in Australia, at India’s expense.A big reason for Sri Lanka’s revival was contributions from players like Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne, who took the burden off the senior batsmen. The support cast grew in confidence and the allrounders provided good balance in foreign conditions. However, Sri Lanka ran out of steam during the third final of the CB series and arrived in Bangladesh for the Asia Cup looking jaded and lost all three games. Despite the heartening performance in Australia, Sri Lanka have a lot of catching up to do, having won only eight of their last 24 games. Their key players, who were part of the IPL, will also have to make the adjustment from Twenty20 cricket to the 50-over format.Pakistan’s recent form has been more impressive. After suffering a 4-0 loss against England in the UAE, they won the Asia Cup in a close final against Bangladesh. The ODI squad led by Misbah-ul-Haq is stronger than their experimental Twenty20 team as well, and it has been strengthened by Sohail Tanvir’s retention. Tanvir impressed during his Twenty20 comeback and was chosen as a replacement once opening batsman Nasir Jamshed was injured. Pakistan are a batsman short, though, and could be stretched if Misbah and younis Khan fail. It will be up to the unpredictable Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi to step up.Form guide (Most recent first)
Pakistan WLWWL
Sri Lanka LLLLWWatch out for…Umar Gul had a poor opening Twenty20 in Hambantota, conceding 43 in four overs. He allowed Sri Lanka the crucial 30-odd runs at the end, when they were struggling to post a decent score. Gul was dropped for the second Twenty20 but Pakistan are unlikely to bench him for too long.Thisara Perera kickstarted Sri Lanka’s turnaround in South Africa with an unbeaten 69 off 44 balls in Kimberley to help chase 300. Perera has since formed a healthy partnership with fellow allrounder Angelo Mathews, giving Sri Lanka a balanced team. Jayawardene rates him highly for his ability to clear the boundary, and Perera showcased his skills in the first match Hambantota, striking 32 off 16 ballsTeam newsWith Jamshed not in the squad, Pakistan have Imran Farhat to partner Mohammad Hafeez at the top. Azhar Ali is another option for opener; he scored 58, against England, in his only innings in that position. Pakistan will have to decide if they want to pack their team with specialist bowlers, or go with an extra batsman in the middle order.Pakistan (likely) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat/Azhar Ali, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Sohail Tanvir/Mohammad Sami, 11 Aizaz CheemaFor Sri Lanka, Rangana Herath returns to the squad after a long rest but they may use him sparingly in the ODIs, given his heavy workload in the Tests. Jayawardene didn’t rule out opening the innings with Dilshan.Sri Lanka (likely) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Rangana Herath/Sachitra Senanayake, 11 Lasith MalingaStats and trivia Pakistan are the only team to have an even ODI record against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. They have played 28 matches, won 13 and lost 13.Pakistan have played two ODIs at Pallekele, losing their first and winning the next. Among current batsmen, Mahela Jayawardene has the most runs (1563) against Pakistan.Quotes”That kind of record builds your confidence a little bit but it’s a new series and different conditions. You have to perform again from the start.”
“Pakistan’s record against us speaks for itself; they have played much better cricket than us during the Asia Cup and even in the UAE. It’s up to us to lift our game individually as well as a group.”

Jacques Kallis has made a return to South Africa’s Twenty20 plans after being included in the list of 30-man preliminary squad for the World Twent20 in September

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2012Jacques Kallis has made a return to South Africa’s T20 plans after being included in the list of 30-man preliminary squad for the World T20 in Sri Lanka this September. Kallis last played as a regular member of the team in May 2010 during South Africa’s tour of the West Indies. However, he took part in the only T20 game against India in March 2012 – a match played in his honour. Graeme Smith, who was dropped for the three-match T20 series against New Zealand in February, has also been included in the squad.Kallis has missed several of South Africa’s T20 internationals, but he was a key player for his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, scoring 409 runs and taking 15 wickets this season. Overall, Kallis has played 17 T20 internationals for his 573 runs and five wickets.Also included is left-arm slow bowler Roelof van der Merwe whose last series for South Africa was the one in West Indies two years ago. Van der Merwe has played 12 T20 internationals and has a haul of 14 wickets while his economy is 6.93.Three wicketkeepers have been named in the squad, including captain AB de Villiers, the other two being Morne van Wyk and Dane Vilas. De Villiers will continue as the captain of the side after leading the team to a 2-1 series win in New Zealand.Squad: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Johan Botha, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard Levi, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe, Morne van Wyk, Dane Vilas