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Former India player Karsan Ghavri has written to the Committee of Administrators [CoA] to block what can be seen as Niranjan Shah’s attempt to keep controlling Saurashtra Cricket Association [SCA]. Shah stands disqualified as an office bearer both on account of his age, 73, and his tenure of over four decades. He has given up his position as the SCA secretary, but in a May 27 meeting the SCA offered him a position as CEO, which he says he has not yet accepted.Shah hasn’t ruled out accepting the offer, though. “If you see the FAQs in the Lodha Committee recommendations, they don’t bar anybody from being employed at the association,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I haven’t yet decided on the offer, but it is not something I rule out. If the association needs my guidance, I will consider it.”Ghavri sees this as a “brazen violation of the Supreme Court order”. In his letter to the CoA, which ESPNcricinfo has seen, Ghavri wrote: “This is not just a case of SCA finding a loophole in the new change order but it is an act that makes a mockery of the Supreme Court order.”Shah stands barred from attending any BCCI meetings even as a representative of the SCA. The Supreme Court made that clear on July 24 after the CoA had pointed out the disqualified office bearers’ resistance to implementing the Lodha Committee’s reforms.The other issue that Ghavri has sought to bring to the CoA’s notice is the recognition of a players’ association. In the May 27 meeting, the SCA ratified the union led by Mahendra Rajdev, who is a long-time member of the board’s governing body and a selector. Rajdev played 42 first-class matches.SCA maintains it is the prerogative of the association to recognise a players’ body, but Ghavri sees a conflict in a governing body member chairing the players’ body too. “If the SC order had intended to give the players a voice in administration, this SCA move has promptly managed to stifle it,” he wrote to the CoA.Ghavri has been a part of a players’ body registered with the Charity Commissioner but not recognised by the SCA. Other veterans, too, have been a part of this union.”I plead to the CoA to put in place a robust and fair process by which independent and proactive players’ bodies be formed around the country,” Ghavri wrote. “If it is left to the state unit to recognise the players’ body of their choice, the SC order’s purpose of giving cricketers a say in administration will be defeated.”Giving players a say in the administration was one of the key recommendations of the Lodha Committee. Accordingly it called for setting up an “independent” players’ association at the national level and replicate the structure at state level. The players’ association will have representation in governing bodies and the apex council.The players’ body that Ghavri belongs to is concerned by the SCA calling for an Annual General Meeting on September 2, where one of the agendas is to elect members of the governing body. The CoA’s response to Ghavri is not yet known, but in the past the CoA has looked to the court for instructions in such cases. It is usually done in the status reports filed just before a hearing.The next Supreme Court hearing is on September 19.

Matt Walker has withdrawn from England’s tri-series against Australia and New Zealand due to his commitments with Kent.While Walker, the Kent head coach, had previously indicated to the England team management that he was keen to take the opportunity to join the coaching unit during the T20 tournament, he contacted head coach, Trevor Bayliss, on Friday night to inform him of his unavailability. Kent are intending to spend February playing cricket overseas as part of their pre-season plans.”I have been asked. But I’m unable to do it because of my commitments with Kent. It coincides with hopefully going abroad,” Walker told Kent Online. “You can’t have your head coach not being around for the whole of that pre-season trip. It makes no sense to me, so yes, great to be asked, really honoured and hopefully another opportunity will arise in the future.”It’s very flattering absolutely. I’m chuffed to bits. It’s a shame I can’t do it, I would’ve loved to have been involved with England over that period but my priority is with Kent.”The original plan was for Walker to replace England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace, for the tri-series section of the tour allowing Farbrace a month off during a hectic winter. It is understood England will continue to search for a suitable stand-in.

Rene Farrell gets a hug from Tammy Beaumont after sealing victory•Getty Images

Australian seamer Rene Farrell claimed only the second five-wicket haul in one-and-a-half seasons of Kia Super League cricket as Surrey Stars beat Lancashire to maintain their winning start to the competition.The Thunder lost four wickets in 13 balls at a crucial stage of their pursuit of 134 as Surrey hit back strongly to win by 33 runs, with Farrell finishing with 5 for 26 from four overs.On an Emirates Old Trafford surface which gripped, the hosts were on course to hit back from Friday’s opening day defeat to Yorkshire at 86 for 3 with debutant Sarah Taylor leading the way. England star Taylor had made 34 but she was the first of the dismissals as the score fell to 91 for 7 in the 16th.Farrell struck twice in two balls in the 14th, getting Taylor caught at short fine-leg as she tried to ramp and Ellie Threlkeld smartly stumped by Tammy Beaumont off a leg-side wide. From then, the innings subsided to 100 all out in 18 overs.Pace off the ball was most effective in both innings. Five of Surrey’s six wickets fell to spin in their 133 for 6, including two apiece for home captain Danielle Hazell and Aussie Jess Jonassen.Surrey slipped from 52 for 1 in the seventh over to 79 for 5 in the 15th before sixth-wicket pair Nat Sciver and Sophia Dunkley-Brown reinvigorated the innings. They shared a crucial 54 in the last 5.5 overs, with Sciver finishing 40 not out off 36 balls and Dunkley-Brown added a breezy 24. Earlier, Beaumont gave the Stars a fine start with 36 off 25.Lancashire lost Emma Lamb early in their chase before Taylor, batting at No. 3, shared partnerships of 33 and 28 for the second and third wickets with Eve Jones and Amy Satterthwaite. Taylor reverse-swept her first boundary and later hit left-arm spinner Alex Hartley for six over long-on.Farrell’s first wicket was that of Satterthwaite, bowled off her pad in the 12th over as the score fell to 75 for 3. She later bowled Kate Cross and had Lea Tahuhu caught and bowled one-handed diving to her right to complete a loss of the last seven wickets in 27 balls.Surrey, who beat Yorkshire on Sunday, face Southern Vipers at Southampton on Sunday, while Lancashire host Loughborough at Blackpool in a must win game.

The three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman meets in Mumbai on Monday to scrutinise candidates for the high-profile job of India’s coach. Former team director Ravi Shastri has emerged as the frontrunner.The BCCI received 10 applications – from Shastri, Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput, Lance Klusener, Rakesh Sharma (Oman national team coach), Phil Simmons and Upendranath Bramhachari (engineer with no cricketing background). It is learnt that the CAC will interview six of these 10 candidates. As per sources, the six likely candidates are Shastri, Sehwag, Moody, Simmons, Pybus and Rajput.The position for the coach had fallen vacant after Anil Kumble resigned from the post before the West Indies tour due to what seemed like differences in the dressing room.Shastri had initially not applied for the post but when the BCCI extended the deadline to accept applications till July 9, the former India captain jumped into the fray and suddenly became the hot favourite. Given his cordial equation with captain Virat Kohli, Shastri, who had a successful tenure as team director with India reaching the 2015 World Cup semi-final, is the favourite.

ScorecardDarren Stevens counterattacked to good effect•Getty Images

A remarkable day’s play, which finally ended 90 minutes after the scheduled close, saw 484 runs scored and 13 wickets fall as Kent, with Darren Stevens inevitably leading the way, countered after being reduced to 144-5 replying to Leicestershire’s first innings score of 420.Stevens, picking up where he left off in hitting 147 off just 67 balls in the Royal London Cup against Glamorgan in his previous innings, smashed an unbeaten half-century off just 30 balls in the hour before play finally ended at 7.30pm at the Fischer County Ground.Leicestershire’s left-arm quick bowler Dieter Klein had picked up four wickets as the home team did their best to make up for the time lost to the weather over the first two days of the game, when only 47.3 overs had been possible.The afternoon had seen the Foxes’ tail wag to impressive effect to ensure a maximum bonus points return.Play resumed with Leicestershire on 129 for 2, and Colin Ackermann was fortunate to survive when he edged the second ball of the day, from Matt Hunn, just short of Matt Coles at first slip. Thereafter, however, the South African played with an unhurried assurance, going to his 50 with a cut to the boundary off Coles.He and Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove had added 76 runs for the third wicket when Cosgrove, on 39, was trapped leg-before by a Stevens inswinger. Ackermann lofted James Tredwell for a straight six, but the off-spinner did enjoy success shortly before lunch when Ned Eckersley tried to pull a short ball, missed, and was bowled for 33.Having bowled without much luck in the morning session, the Kent seamers enjoyed better fortunes immediately after the break. Ackermann was caught behind by Daniel Bell-Drummond, who had taken over the gloves after Adam Rouse dislocated his thumb earlier in the day, Mark Pettini went leg before to James Harris and Callum Parkinson, pushing forward, was comfortably held by substitute fielder Alex Blake at fourth slip off Hunn.At 278-7 Leicestershire were in danger of subsiding, but Tom Wells, Klein and then Clint McKay all put bat to ball. Wells, on his first championship appearance, was disappointed to sky an attempted leg-side clip high to mid-off on 46, but Klein thumped 23 off just ten balls, and McKay, having gone to his 50 with a straight six off James Harris, went to a first-class career best 66 with a similar blow.When Kent began their reply, Klein, swinging the ball back in to the right-handers, quickly pinned Sean Dickson leg before and bowled Joe Denly with a full delivery before a partnership of 57 between Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Northeast went some way towards repairing the visitors’ fortunes.Wells dismissed Bell-Drummond with his first ball, and Klein returned to have both Northeast and Will Gidman caught edging loose drives. Kent were in serious trouble, but Stevens played as though the score was 400 rather than 150, hitting through the line of the ball with supreme confidence and timing.He was particularly severe on the unfortunate Callum Parkinson, hitting the young left-arm spinner for 30 off just three overs on his first-class debut for Leicestershire, and his half-century included nine fours and a six.

That Pakistan cricket has faced a unique set of challenges over the past decade or so is not in dispute, and Mickey Arthur believes its effects on the international team were obvious when he walked into the role one year ago. Speaking nearly 12 months on from his appointment as head coach of the Pakistan national side, Arthur said that Pakistan had been playing cricket “that belonged in the 20th century”.”This isn’t just dressing room speak,” Arthur said. “I’ve told the players that we were playing cricket that belonged in the 20th century. We hadn’t embraced the new modern game yet, and that was for a number of reasons, like not playing at home, or [not] having the exposure to the IPL that the rest of the world has had. So there were a lot of mitigating factors, but the fact is, if we’ve got to compete with them, we have to start embracing the modern trend.”One aspect of the modern game that remains absent in Pakistan cricket is the presence of power hitters. Their scarcity has been noticeable in the Pakistan side, both at the top and tail of the innings, with Pakistan’s ODI run rate in the first and last Powerplay the lowest of all Full Members, save Zimbabwe. Arthur acknowledged it was not something that could be coached into players overnight, and such players needed to be developed and groomed over time.”It [lack of power hitters] is a worry. When we get on good wickets, we can’t match the other countries. In Australia, I felt we always started 20-30 runs behind them because they could maximise the last ten overs. Teams are getting 100 runs in the last ten overs now. We’re getting 70, at best. We didn’t get a run-a-ball in the last five overs the other day in a T20 [against West Indies]. That’s not good enough; that’s not going to win us games. We don’t have the ability to take on the power players, which is so disappointing, because we did with Sharjeel [Khan], so to lose him is a massive blow.”But along those lines, those are things we have to get better at, and it’s not going to happen overnight. You’re not going to wake up one morning and become a power hitter. We’re training it; we’ve got drills and techniques that we’re putting into play. Hopefully, all that comes to fruition, because we’ve got two years till the World Cup, and in the World Cup, we’ve got to be as good as we can possibly be.”Mickey Arthur said losing a power hitting like Sharjeel Khan was a ‘massive blow’•Associated Press

Arthur also talked about the cultural challenges of managing an Asian team for the first time, saying he was fully prepared to embrace the culture around Pakistan’s cricket. He clarified, however, that accepting the culture was not tantamount to tolerating mediocrity, and that he didn’t believe his role as coach could be boiled down to a win-loss ratio, stressing that his main priority was setting up a professional structure in Pakistan’s cricket, with fitness at the core of their preparation.”Comfort zones are not tolerated within our environment anymore. We’ve tried to push the players, we tried to challenge the players, take them to limits they haven’t been before in terms of fitness and preparation.”I like to think that when people look at what happened for the last one year, they look at structure. You are always going to be judged as coach on win-loss ratio but for me it’s a lot more than that. It’s about the environment, it’s about the standards and it’s about challenging players. It’s about not tolerating mediocrity and that’s the stuff I would love to leave behind so the next coach that came in would come into a structure that functions. Players know what standards are and live up to those standards. Otherwise I’m wasting my time. Hopefully that’s going to be my legacy – a thoroughly professional structure.”With Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan having announced that the Test series in the West Indies will be their last, Pakistan look set for a period of transition without two of their stalwarts. While that might be intimidating for some, Arthur said he was excited by the opportunity of managing a new team, pointing to his time with the South African national side, where he oversaw a young team emerge as a unit that is presently ranked No. 2 and No. 1 in Tests and ODIs.”That’s what you live for as a coach. I’ve been lucky in my team with South Africa, where we inherited a team with a couple of senior players, and we put in players like [AB] de Villiers, [Morne] Morkel, [JP] Duminy, [Dale] Steyn. To see them grow and get better is the most fulfilling thing that can happen for you as a coach. I’m hoping the same happens with this Pakistan team, and I’m incredibly excited about the future.”

Mashrafe Mortaza suggested the lack of an early breakthrough made his bowling unit impatient and defensive in their 70-run loss to Sri Lanka in Colombo. Bangladesh conceded 76 runs in the first ten overs before Mehedi Hasan broke the opening partnership in the first over of the second Powerplay.There were, however, a few more twists and turns in the third ODI, which Mashrafe later acknowledged as pivotal to his side only drawing the series from a position of being 1-0 ahead.Danushka Gunathilaka and Upul Tharanga gave Sri Lanka their fast start before Kusal Mendis worked hard to keep the run rate above five an over during his 76-ball 54. But when he fell in the 37th over and then Sri Lanka lost Asela Gunaratne and Seekugge Prasanna, their scoring rate slowed down and Bangladesh edged back into the game – only for it to slip out of their hands again in the last six overs, as Thisara Perera and Dilruwan Perera helped add another 59 runs.

Selectors stick by XI

Mashrafe Mortaza approved of the consistent selection during the ODI series after the same XI was picked in all three games. This was the first time in Bangladesh’s history that the same XI played in all three games of a three-match series against a higher-ranked side.
“In the New Zealand series we made changes in every game. Confidence of players went down, and [they] started to feel insecure. It is a good thing that we were consistent in Sri Lanka. Everyone understood their role. I hope the team will remain on their toes in Ireland.”

Mashrafe said that early breakthroughs in the first two ODIs meant the Bangladesh attack could bowl according to their plans but as soon as Tharanga and Gunathilaka started charging at the bowlers, the switch from an attacking mindset began and was evident even in those last six overs.”I don’t think it was nervousness [in the first ten overs] but we did use up five bowlers during that period,” Mashrafe said. “We weren’t as disciplined as we were in the first two games. I think we tried a few more things because we weren’t getting what we wanted early on. We didn’t judge the wicket properly in regards to our areas.”We went into defensive mode as soon as we had one or two bad overs. It created more problems. We should have stuck to our attacking mode like we did in the last two games. I think we moved away from that plan.”But he also felt that a poor start with the bat, chasing 281 runs, and their inability to sustain the recovery also didn’t help. Bangladesh slumped to 11 for 3 in the fourth over after which Shakib Al Hasan and Soumya Sarkar added 77 runs for the fourth wicket. But what compounded their difficulties was the 16 runs between Mosaddek Hossain and Mahmudullah, who looked in fine touch in the first ODI.”When we played the practice match, we understood that the Colombo wicket becomes flatter in the second half,” Mashrafe said. “They perhaps made 20 runs more, but if you follow Miraz’s batting [Mehedi made 51 at No. 8] you could see clearly that the wicket didn’t have anything.”Perhaps the new balls swung from both ends but Soumya and Shakib could have dragged on their partnership a bit further and if the next two batsmen could have made a big contribution, we could have won the game. We needed 70-odd off the last 36 balls, so I think if we had wickets in hand, things would have been different for us.”But he said that they would take lessons from such games where they had to fight back from a difficult position. “We made a comeback as a bowling group in this game, having done poorly in the first ten overs,” he said. “I think we bowled well in the first ten overs in the second ODI in Dambulla, but still went on to concede 300-plus total. It is a lesson for us, how to turn around from a bad start.”

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has sought the Supreme Court’s immediate interference to ensure both the fourth Test between India and Australia and the IPL are not disrupted by disgruntled state associations.In its second status report, submitted in the court last week, the CoA singled out the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), which will host the fourth Test in Dharamsala later this week, for “intransigence”. The CoA also had stern words for the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), which wanted more funds to host IPL matches despite having “substantial” reserves.”The Committee of Administrators believes that there is an urgent need to issue appropriate directions to ensure the smooth conduct of the fourth Test match between India and Australia by the HPCA as well as the smooth conduct of IPL matches by the state/member associations,” the CoA said in the status report, which was prepared on March 17.The court is likely to hear the matter on Friday, a day before the Test match starts in Dharamsala, where the two teams arrived on Monday.The HPCA, the CoA said, had asked the BCCI to release funds to host the Tests despite not having adhered to the twin orders delivered by the court last October. Through two separate orders in October, the court had made it clear to the BCCI “cease and desist” from disbursing funds to the states associations until they had submitted a written resolution saying they would adopt the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.”One of the intransigent state/member association is the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, which has not demonstrated compliance with the orders, but has sought funds for smooth conduct of the fourth Test match between India and Australia,” the status report said.The HPCA, the CoA said, had enough in its reserves to conduct the Test without any issue. According to the CoA, the HPCA had about INR 6.27 crore as savings on March 31, 2016. An amount of approximately INR 59.44 crore was transferred by the BCCI to the HPCA account between April and October last year. This was not including the INR 16 crore that each state association received from the BCCI towards the cancellation of the Champions League T20.The CoA was also wary of the threat posed by some the 10 state associations set to host the IPL, which starts in two weeks’ time. The tournament opener between defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore – the 2016 finalists – is scheduled in Hyderabad on April 5. Incidentally the Hyderabad Cricket Association is under duress after its groundstaff went on an indefinite strike last week for the non-payment of their salaries.The CoA told the court that the SCA had written to the BCCI “more than once” asking for funds to be released to address various payments including the “conduct” of the IPL. Rajkot, where the SCA is based, is the home base for Gujarat Lions, who will play five matches there. In its letter, the SCA had asked the BCCI to release INR 30 lakh per match, an amount which every venue that hosts IPL receives from the BCCI. This sum is separate to a similar amount the venue gets from the host franchise a day before each of the matches.Again, as in the case of HPCA, the SCA, too, had a substantial amount in its reserves as per its audited accounts from last March. According to the CoA, the SCA had about INR 213.47 crore as bank savings in addition to the sum of INR 42.66 crore it received from the BCCI between April and October last year.Even as it waits for the court to issue further directives, the CoA authorised BCCI CEO Rahul Johri to address the SCA and the other IPL host associations, telling them that the fee payable to the states associations will be transferred as per the contract: 14 days after the tournament ends. Johri also reminded all 10 state associations that payment will be made pending their compliance with the court orders.Ever since its institution on January 30 this year, the CoA has been locked in a tussle with the state associations, which have been reluctant to implement the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. On February 22, the CoA sent an email to all the state associations asking for a status update relating to their compliance with the court orders issued on implementing the recommendations.The state associations wrote back to the CoA citing reasons as to why they would not be adopting the recommendations prescribed by the Lodha Committee. The CoA was also told that the states had approached the court requesting further clarity.In its status report, the CoA said it had “noted with regret” the replies of the state associations. “Instead of upfront compliance with what was primarily a request for information/status update on the implementation of the reforms, they have unfortunately used the pendency of various applications as an excuse to avoid necessary compliance,” it said.The CoA told the court that the state associations had themselves to blame for not receiving the BCCI funds. “The Committee of Administrators understands that adequate funds are necessary in order to ensure that cricketing activity continues smoothly. However, it is the intransigence of state/member association to comply with this Hon’ble Court’s order dated October 7, 2016 and October 21, 2016 that has resulted in the consequential inability of BCCI to release funds to them.”It appears that the stand taken by these state/member association is part of a well thought out strategy of refusing to comply with the orders even at the cost of letting players, employees, etc. suffer, and cricketing activity be adversely affected, which is unfortunate.”In its first status report, submitted on March 5, the CoA had told the court that the state associations had not complied with even one of the steps that had to be implemented to meet the timelines set by the Lodha Committee.

Virat Kohli will become the first player to receive the Polly Umrigar Award – given to the International Cricketer of the Year – for the third time, at the BCCI Annual Awards in Bangalore on March 8. Kohli first received the award in 2011-12 and in 2014-15.R Ashwin, the No. 1 ranked bowler and allrounder by the ICC in Tests, will become the first player to receive the Dilip Sardesai Award twice. Ashwin first won the award, instituted to honour the best performance in the bilateral series between India and West Indies, after he was named the Man of the Series in the three-Test series in 2011. Last year, Ashwin was again named the Man of the Series in the four-Test series in West Indies after he struck two centuries and finished with 17 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls.The Mumbai Cricket Association was chosen as the State Association of the 2015-16 season for winning the Ranji Trophy, the CK Nayudu Trophy and the Women’s Plate League Group. They were runners-up in the Cooch Behar Trophy, the Vijay Merchant Trophy and the Women’s One-Day Elite Group.The BCCI Annual Awards Committee, consisting of N Ram, Ramachandra Guha and Diana Edulji, had nominated former left-arm spinners Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar for the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award and also instituted the Lifetime Achievement Award for Women starting this season, which will be given to India’s first Test captain Shanta Rangaswamy.Awards list:
CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award – Rajinder Goel, Padmakar Shivalkar
BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award For Women – Shanta Rangaswamy
BCCI Special Award – VV Kumar and Ramakant Desai
Polly Umrigar Award – Virat Kohli
Dilip Sardesai Award – R Ashwin
Lala Amarnath Award for best allrounder in Ranji Trophy 2015-16 – Jalaj Saxena (Madhya Pradesh)
Lala Amarnath Award for best allrounder in domestic limited-overs competitions – Axar Patel (Gujarat)
Madhavrao Scindia Award for highest scorer in Ranji Trophy 2015-16 – Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai)
Madhavrao Scindia Award for highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy 2015-16 – Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand)
MA Chidambaram Trophy for highest scorer in Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16 – Jay Bista (Mumbai)
MA Chidambaram Trophy for highest wicket-taker in Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16 – Satyajeet Bachhav (Maharashtra)
NKP Salve Award for highest scorer in Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy 2015-16 – Armaan Jaffer (Mumbai)
NKP Salve Award for highest wicket-taker in Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy 2015-16 – Ninad Rathva (Baroda)
Raj Singh Dungarpur Award for highest scorer in Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy 2015-16 – Abhishek Sharma (Punjab)
Raj Singh Dungarpur Award for highest wicket-taker in Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy 2015-16 – Abhishek Sharma (Punjab)
Jagmohan Dalmiya Award for best woman cricketer (senior) of 2015-16 – Mithali Raj
Jagmohan Dalmiya Award for best woman cricketer (junior) of 2015-16 – Deepti Sharma (Uttar Pradesh)
Best Umpire in domestic cricket in 2015-16 – Nitin Menon
Best Performance in BCCI domestic tournaments in 2015-16 – Mumbai Cricket Association

Match facts

January 22, 2017
Start time 1430 local (1230 GMT)Theunis de Bruyn was one of five debutants for South Africa in the rain-hit first T20I match in Centurion•Gallo Images

Big picture

A week ago, Sri Lanka were humiliated in Johannesburg, where they lost 16 wickets and succumbed to their biggest defeat of the three-Test series. It may be too soon for them to return but they will be pleasantly surprised at the transformation in conditions for limited-overs cricket. The green mamba will be tamed and should be far more batting-friendly, presenting the visitors a chance to exorcise the ghosts of the Test match. They need to take it because unless they win at the Wanderers, they will concede another cup before the final fixture. Considering that they regard the T20I series as their best chance of upsetting the hosts, this is their most important game of the tour.With such pressure on them, Sri Lanka will need to be calmly led by an increasingly frustrated-looking Angelo Mathews, who needs support from his team as much as he needs to step up. Mathews has tasked himself with the new ball and the No.3 spot in the batting line-up, and needs to deliver.South Africa do not seem to have the same problems. Rookie captain Farhaan Behardien took to the role well and, although it is difficult to analyse a team after a ten-over match, the new-look group has potential. In what was a hit-and-giggle jamboree, the batsmen relied on the experience of David Miller to build their total but all of the top six showed an ability to hit the ball hard and the bowling attack had plenty of young, exciting options. South Africa could have AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel back for the third match but if they win in Johannesburg, they will not need them to seal the series.

Form guide

South Africa: WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LLLLL
Angelo Mathews tasked himself with the No. 3 and the new ball in the first T20I•Associated Press

In the spotlight

Of South Africa’s new batsmen Theunis de Bruyn was the most impressive at SuperSport Park. He is a clean hitter of the ball and showed off some innovative strokeplay. With Rilee Rossouw having signed a Kolpak deal, there is a spot open in South Africa’s limited-overs squads and de Bruyn can make a strong case to be considered depending on his performance in the next two matches. There is also the possibility of de Villiers’ return for the final fixture and this is de Bruyn’s chance to ensure he does not miss out if that happens.Asela Gunaratne gave Sri Lanka their best chance of keeping South Africa quiet and did not concede a boundary in his two overs in the first match. He also struck a six-ball 10 in the chase and was probably the biggest positive for a beleaguered Sri Lankan outfit. Their T20 side is laden with allrounders and Gunaratne has shown the advantage that he can give. If he has a big game, Sri Lanka could lean on him to level the series.

Teams news

Johannesburg is not usually a venue for two specialist spinners so South Africa may bench Aaron Phangiso to give Dane Paterson a debut. Reeza Hendricks, the squad’s reserve batsman, may have to wait his turn after the incumbents all impressed at SuperSport Park.South Africa (probable) 1 Jon-Jon Smuts, 2 Heino Kuhn, 3 Theunis de Bruyn, 4 David Miller, 5 Farhaan Behardien (capt), 6 Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Aaron Phangiso/Dane Paterson 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Imran TahirHaving played only one spinner in Centurion, Sri Lanka may look to go in with a similar make-up in their attack at the Wanderers. They have another fast-bowling option in left-armer Isuru Udana and could bring him into the mix on a surface that should suit him. They could also look at Danushka Gunathilaka to prop up a fragile batting order.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Niroshan Dickwella 2 Dhananjaya de Silva, 3 Angelo Mathews (capt), 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Thikshila de Silva, 6 Kusal Mendis 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Asela Gunaratne, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

The Wanderers’ deck can be a batting paradise in limited-overs cricket and a run-fest can be expected if batsmen manage to cope with the bounce and carry. Without tempting fate, there is no rain forecast for Sunday afternoon but, as was evident from the first match, things change quickly on the Highveld.

Stats and trivia

• Angelo Mathews is seven runs away from 1,000 T20 international runs. He will become the fourth Sri Lanka batsman, after Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, to reach the milestone.
• Imran Tahir needs five more wickets to reach 50 T20 international scalps.

Quotes

“It’s a bit overwhelming because I have never had that many people ask for my autograph or to take pictures. Usually its the odd one or two but now there’s even more. It’s a bit overwhelming but I am going to get there eventually.”