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Jonty Rhodes, the former South African player, has said home advantage will mean little in next month’s Champions Trophy in South Africa since teams travel a lot more and are used to different conditions these days.”The support of the crowd does make a difference if things go a bit flat and they can lift you, but South Africa won’t be relying on that,” Rhodes told the Supercricket website. “They’ll be relying on planning and getting in place all the processes involved in winning.”Rhodes, a fielding coach for IPL team Mumbai Indians, said South Africa were favourites for the trophy along with Australia and India. “They [South Africa] are a really well-balanced unit and they are setting standards for the other teams to chase. But Australia are written off far too easily, they will obviously be strong contenders, they have a good record in the competition and they know how to win. India are also very good, they’ve learnt how to travel and win and they have destructive bowlers and hitters in their line-up.”South Africa’s strength, Rhodes said, was their consistency, which is important in a 50-over tournament. The top eight teams have been divided into two groups of four each and the top two from each group will qualify for the semi-finals of the two-week long tournament. “They’ve been playing great cricket, the team is settled and everyone knows their roles, they’ve got special players in batting, bowling and fielding. Their preparation and organisation will be excellent and they’ve learnt how to hit the ground running. They’ve learnt how to switch on very quickly and the management team of Graeme Smith and Mickey Arthur have been very good at that.”But you can’t afford to have a bad day. We saw that in the Twenty20 World Cup, where we played great cricket but, to take nothing away from the opposition, someone like Shahid Afridi produced something special.”South Africa will open the tournament, from September 22 to October 5, with a game against Sri Lanka in Centurion.

Scorecard
Mahela Udawatte scored 47 at the top of the order to help the hosts force a draw•AFP

Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI held on for a draw as the New Zealanders failed to break through a determined batting performance from the hosts on the third and final day of the tour game in Colombo.Resuming on 437 for 7, the New Zealanders were bowled out for 493 with captain Daniel Vettori reaching his hundred in the company of Jeetan Patel. Patel hit two fours and two sixes during his 46-ball 39 to extend the first innings lead to 334.With no chance of victory, SLC Development XI were content in blocking out the New Zealand bowlers. Openers Tharanga Paranavitana and Mahela Udawatte began with a resolute partnership of 74, before Udawatte was dismissed by Jacob Oram for 47. Dinesh Chandimal, who scored a fifty in the first innings, failed in the second to leave the hosts on 85 for 2. Three more wickets fell to reduce the hosts to 157 for 5, but Nadeera Nawela scored an unbeaten 64 off 131 balls to deny the tourists the win.Nawela was well supported by lower order batsmen Sachith Pathirana and Sachithra Senanayake, and an unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 57 between Senanayake and Nawela ensured the home team batted through 75 overs to come away with a well earned draw.New Zealand play another warm up game on August 12 before the first Test beginning on August 18 in Galle.

The coach Andy Flower believes England still have a chance of taking a 2-0 Ashes lead despite the third day being washed out at Edgbaston. Play was abandoned following an inspection at 2.30pm with England stuck on 116 for 2 in the third Test, still 147 behind Australia’s first-innings total.Puddles continued to sit on the outfield more than two hours after the cancellation and Flower expected another curtailed day on Sunday. “I think Steve Rouse [the groundsman] has said we might get 70 overs in and that would be a godsend if we do,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do about this so I would hope it doesn’t damage [our momentum] at all.”However, Flower remained confident of his side’s ability to force a win that would ensure their worst-case scenario is a drawn series. “Absolutely, you can see how quickly things can happen in a game, so a result is definitely possible,” he said. “Whether or not that happens, we’ll have to see how well both sides play. But if we can get 70 overs in [on Sunday], we still have to bat well to get a lead. It’s up to us to bat well and see how far ahead we can get.” The forecast is for sunny intervals for day four and light rain on Monday.Shane Watson, Australia’s stand-in opener, also held out hope for a quick turnaround. “There is a possibility but I am not exactly sure how things are going to pan out,” he said. “We are going to have to bowl extremely well once we get out there to give ourselves a chance. We are 1-0 down and we can’t afford to have too many draws otherwise the series is lost.”The pitch has been under cover since Friday afternoon, when bad light ended the second day, and Flower expected the surface to be livelier whenever England resume. Another concern for the hosts is what the heavy outfield, which was also drenched in the lead-up to the game, does to Andrew Flintoff’s legs. Flintoff will carry a nagging knee problem into retirement at the end of the series and remains a match-to-match proposition.”It will be quite a lot of wear and tear on him actually, on that heavy outfield if we do bowl on it for any period of time, but he’ll be doing everything he can to win this game for England,” Flower said. Flintoff had no lingering problems from his 15 overs in the first innings and Flower hoped he would also be able to appear in Friday’s fourth Test in Leeds.”I think he can,” he said. “Whether he does or not I don’t know, we don’t know what’s going to happen over the next two days, but he’s a strong bloke so it’s possible.”

Match Facts

Tuesday, June 16
Start time 13.30 local (12.30 GMT)Tillakaratne Dilshan has scooped his team-mates to lead the side’s run list in England•Associated Press

Big Picture

It’s quite simple – the winner goes into the semi-finals and the loser heads home. A second-round exit would be slightly unfair on the undefeated Sri Lanka, but they can avoid the trapdoor with another committed performance when they face New Zealand, who have a much healthier net run-rate despite a win and a loss in the Super Eights.Sri Lanka’s first-up success against Australia was followed by wins over West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland, showing their all-round capabilities in a range of situations. Their closest call came against Ireland on Sunday, when Mahela Jayawardene’s 78 dragged them to 144 and their bowlers held on for a nine-run triumph. It still didn’t guarantee them a spot in the final four.While Kumar Sangakkara’s men are blot free in England, New Zealand were bewildered after being dismissed for 99 by Pakistan, chiefly because of the head-scratching reverse-swing provided by Umar Gul. Lasith Malinga can manage similar shape at times, but Daniel Vettori’s line-up will have the most concern over Sri Lanka’s spinners. If they conquer the slow men, a place in the semis should be theirs.

Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

New Zealand LWLWW
Sri Lanka WWWWL

Watch out for

Tillakaratne Dilshan sits second on the competition’s run list with 173 in four games, having achieved the tally averaging almost a run and a half per ball. His starts have given Sri Lanka essential surges and are one of the major reasons behind their unbeaten run.It’s been a low-key tournament so far for Jacob Oram and now is the time for New Zealand’s most versatile player to stand up to his full height. In four matches he has 52 runs in the middle order – a blast of 15 from seven balls was the most powerful – and no wickets. His team needs him to fire at the next opportunity.

Team news

Two of New Zealand’s most important players, Daniel Vettori and Ross Taylor, are carrying injuries that could derail the campaign. Vettori has played through the pain of a shoulder problem recently while Taylor is carrying a hamstring complaint and has missed the past two games. Brendon McCullum is the latest to join the injured list, but is most likely to be available for the crunch tie.New Zealand: (possible) 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Aaron Redmond, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Peter McGlashan (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Daniel Vettori (capt), 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Ian Butler.The way things are going for Sri Lanka, they have no reason to change anything. Expect the same side that beat Ireland unless there are any slips at training.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Muttiah Muralitharan, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Ajantha Mendis.

Stats and trivia

• Three of Sri Lanka’s batsmen – Dilshan, Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya – are in the top 15 on the run list. West Indies also have three representatives but South Africa lead with four
• Brendon McCullum is New Zealand’s best, sitting in 17th with 97 runs in four games
• Lasith Malinga shares the spot at the top of the wicket list with 10 breakthroughs, the same number as Umar Gul
• In three games between the sides, Sri Lanka have two wins and New Zealand one

Quotes

“Twenty20 is fast becoming a bowlers’ game rather than a batsmen’s game. Bowlers have an opportunity to take wickets with almost every ball they bowl and I think the most successful bowlers in England in the Twenty20 format have been the spinners.”
“As a New Zealand team we’ve got a history of having good sides but never really earning the respect of other nations because we’re always so inconsistent. The guys think we have a side good enough to win the tournament.”

Netherlands are no strangers to global events and continue to compete strongly at Associate level despite the difficulties of trying to promote the game. They haven’t needed to travel far for this tournament and are hoping that they can bring some colourful support with them.If everything runs as expected they won’t survive beyond the early days of the tournament, but they have the honour of playing the opening match against the hosts and they are quietly confident of making their presence felt. An England-Netherlands match has brought back memories of 1989 when an England XI were beaten by three runs at Amstelveen, a game where current captain Jeroen Smits was 12th man with Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart lining up for England.All eyes will be on their two leading players, Dirk Nannes and Ryan ten Doeschate, and in Twenty20 cricket they have the ability to cause real problems. Nannes was outstanding during the IPL, while ten Doeschate is a consistent performer for Essex. If Netherlands can return home having caused one of the two big sides to sweat a little it will have been a successful tournament.StrengthsThey can go out with a no-fear, nothing-to-lose approach and play with a spirit of enjoyment and excitement. If they get hammered by England and Pakistan it’s what is expected, but both those teams will have to remember to show some respect otherwise Netherlands could make life uncomfortable.WeaknessesTheir lack of depth could easily be exposed if the big two don’t fire and they also lack quality spin which can be so vital in Twenty20. The one genuine slow-bowler they have is Daan van Bunge, the legspinner, who was taken for 36 in an over by Herschelle Gibbs during the 2007 World Cup in West Indies. If the first couple of balls in an over clear the boundary, he might start getting twitchy.X-factorWhile everyone is talking about Nannes and ten Doeschate that can play into Netherlands’ hands. Cricket history is littered with relatively unknown players making a name for themselves and the fact England and Pakistan won’t have much information on some of the Dutch players could be their secret weapon.Key playersVirender Sehwag said that Nannes was the fastest bowler he has faced and he was good enough to keep Glenn McGrath on the sidelines during the IPL. The success or otherwise of his four overs will be vital for Netherlands, but also keep an eye on the batting pair of Bas Zuiderent, a survivor from the 1996 World Cup, and Alexei Kervezee who both have county experience.Form guideThey were heavily beaten by Bangladesh in a warm-up game at Canterbury and only managed to squeeze past a PCA Masters XI by four runs. At the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers they ensured their progress into the 2011 World Cup.Squad: Jeroen Smits (capt & wk), Peter Borren, Mudassar Buhkari, Tom De Grooth, Maurits Jonkman, Alexei Kervezee, Dirk Nannes, Ruud Nijman, Darron Reekers, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski, Ryan ten Doeschate, Dan van Bunge, Bas Zuiderent

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outMS Dhoni announced his return to form with an unbeaten 58•AFP

Chennai Super Kings soared to the top of the points table in dramatic fashion, recording their third consecutive win in a comprehensive defeat of Deccan Chargers at Buffalo Park. The game had everything: excellent swing that had Deccan reeling at 1 for 3, left-arm spin from Shadab Jakati that gave him his second consecutive four-wicket haul and ripped the heart out of Deccan’s batting, and two whirlwind innings, one by Dwayne Smith that could only stave off the inevitable and another by MS Dhoni, at the start of the match, to set up the win. Much of that, and a dropped catch and a missed run-out, took place in a frenetic opening ten overs of Deccan’s chase that had more twists, turns and frenetic passages of play than an entire Twenty20 match.Deccan’s win against their opponents in the previous encounter Durban was based on a powerful start from Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs but the change in venue brought about a shocking change in fortunes as both departed for ducks. Gilchrist was trapped first ball bang in front of the stumps off a loopy delivery by Albie Morkel and Gibbs played all over a full delivery by Sudeep Tyagi and lost his legstump to a ricochet.VVS Laxman, desperately seeking runs to keep his place in the side, soon fell to a tame chip to midwicket off Morkel. With three ducks at the top of the order, Deccan’s line-up was already resembling a poultry farm – a procession of headless chickens was, one felt, another wicket away.That it didn’t come to that owed itself to some luck and then lots of bravado. A huge mis-hit from Smith when he was on 2 fell towards three waiting fielders but, inexplicably, landed safely; the following ball produced a thick leading edge that was fluffed by Tyagi at third man. What followed in the next couple of overs stung Chennai more than those missed chances.Choosing attack as the best form of defence, Smith bludgeoned boundaries over the on side with tremendous bat speed. One over from Albie Morkel yielded 19 runs, including two sixes; one, off a high full toss, was hit over midwicket and the next ball was flicked squarer on the on side. The next over from L Balaji was hit for 18 with Rohit Sharma joining the party.

Dhoni shuffled his bowlers and brought on Jakati when the 50 partnership came up in just 21 balls to try and make things happen. Things did happen, though not quite as Dhoni intended. First, Smith clubbed Jakati for a huge six into the grass embankment. In his next over Jakati got rid of Rohit before an amazing sequence that saw four – four run-out chances being fluffed off one ball. Smith hit it to deep point, Jakati couldn’t collect the return, Badrinath backing up, threw it back to Jakati who again didn’t collect the throw but broke the stumps with Smith and non-striker T Suman almost at the same end; Jakati then picked up the ball and tried to hand it to Badrinath, who had moved to the stumps but flicked it wide of him.The bowler had his revenge the same over, though, when he trapped Smith in front for 49. That effectively ended Deccan’s chase, the rest of the wickets a blur as the innings folded by the 15th over.Chennai’s win was built on their batting, though, as they won the toss and piled on a target which, by this tournament’s standards, was way above par. Dhoni, having said before this match that his form was “pathetic”, addressed the issue by promoting himself to No. 3 and the quality time spent in the middle helped recover his form.The start provided by Matthew Hayden and M Vijay gave Chennai and Dhoni the impetus. Hayden feasted on some wayward bowling by biffing deliveries over the off side and walking down the pitch to set the bowlers off their rhythm. Suresh Raina matched Hayden in terms of power and intimidation. After Suman helped Deccan hit back with the wicket of Vijay, his figures were torn apart by Raina, who clubbed him for three consecutive boundaries over midwicket.Dhoni was already well set at the crease and a six off Pragyan Ojha that landed on the roof at long-on was a sign of things to come. The tentativeness which affected his form in the earlier games was refreshingly absent as he kept busy at the cease, pushing the singles and bludgeoning the bowlers down the ground with his unconventional, yet powerful checked drives. He hammered Harris down the ground like a cannon and took on the same bowler for a reverse sweep that found the boundary. He reached his half-century with a savage pull off RP in the final over and led his team to a score that later exposed the shortcomings of the side heading the table when the match started. It ended, of course, with another team shooting to the top.

John Buchanan has described the pressure and intensity of coaching in the IPL as greater than anything he experienced in a Test or one-day series. With his Kolkata Knight Riders mired in seventh place and reports of team disharmony surfacing on an almost daily basis in the Indian press, Buchanan now finds himself in the kind of defensive position rarely encountered during his nine years at the helm of the all-conquering Australian team.Critics have claimed Buchanan’s theoretical approach and large coaching entourage have had a detrimental effect on the Knight Riders players. But scheduling and travel issues, not personal criticism, are the factors Buchanan says make an IPL assignment among the toughest coaching posts in cricket.”The intensity of it is higher than any one-day or Test series I have been involved in,” Buchanan told Cricinfo. “From the time the tournament starts to the time is ends, you never stop with the constant travelling and the busy schedule. The thing with Test and one-day series is that you usually play a few of them a year, but for pure intensity, the IPL is far higher than anything I encountered. There is a durability required in international cricket – sometimes you are playing nine months or more a year – but for intensity it doesn’t come close.”Buchanan labelled reports of rebellion amongst his players as “unfounded and untrue”, and the impact of the so-called fake IPL player blog as insignificant. But tension of a less mutinous kind has contributed to Kolkata’s underwhelming performances – they have just one win from four completed matches, and possess the worst net run-rate in the competition – and the team’s leadership group sought to address the problem after Monday’s heavy defeat to Mumbai.Rather than head directly back to the team hotel after their humbling 92-run loss in Port Elizabeth, the Knight Riders, at the behest of captain Brendon McCullum, remained in the St George’s Park dressing rooms long after play for an impromptu bonding session. Music, beers and even a push-up competition were employed to lighten the mood among the camp, and Buchanan hopes it will go some way to releasing tension for the days and weeks to come.”It isn’t skill, ability or character that’s held us back, but for whatever reason – some out of our control, some not – it has been pretty evident that some of the players have been tense,” Buchanan said. “We obviously have a high expectation of ourselves, and when things don’t go your way players can start to play with less freedom. Last night we copped a hammering, so we thought rather than dwell on it we would look to lighten things up a bit.”Matthew Mott, the Kolkata coach, was similarly optimistic of a turnaround in fortunes after the team’s bonding session in the Port Elizabeth changerooms. “I think to have that kind of spirit after a defeat shows there is plenty of character in this team,” Mott said. “Winning obviously can disguise many things about a team, but the real test is how you respond when things aren’t going your way.”There was some music, and a push-up competition. [Ashok] Dinda won the push-ups, but [Mashrafe] Mortaza impressed everyone by doing a few one-armed ones. Then Shah Rukh came down and had a really good chat with the boys. He said that he could see that we were all hurting, and that he was still behind us 100%. He also said that he wanted to see us enjoying the game more. I think the boys took a lot of heart out of that. It was good for everyone to sit down with each other for a good hour and a half and get to know each other a little better. There was a fair bit of Coldplay, which I don’t think Chris (Gayle) was all that into. He’s a pretty committed R&B guy, I think.”

The New Zealand players involved in the ICL have received an e-mail from the tournament’s organisers stating that they will be released from their contracts if they request for a termination, New Zealand’s has reported.Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), told the paper that if these players end their association with the unofficial league, they will be immediately available for selection to the New Zealand national side. Besides fast bowlers Shane Bond and Daryll Tuffey, the other active New Zealand players who are part of the ICL are allrounder Andre Adams and batsman Lou Vincent.”We wouldn’t stand in the way of any players returning to the Black Caps if they aren’t tied to the ICL,” Vaughan said. “We’ve made it pretty clear from the start that while we can’t select players for New Zealand who are contracted to the ICL, if they end their ties with the league they would be immediately reconsidered for the national side.”Senior ICL officials were not available for comment when contacted by Cricinfo.The ICL had cancelled its March-April international programme due to the deepening economic recession and non-availability of Pakistan players. The unauthorised league has also placed on hold its payments to several players pending a performance appraisal. Besides, recent reports have suggested that several Pakistan cricketers who are a part of the Lahore Badshahs, the biggest drawcard of the ICL, want to sever their links with the league and return to international cricket.

Leicestershire’s chairman, Neil Davidson, has accused the ECB of adopting a “jingoistic” attitude to the forthcoming Ashes series, and believes that the current row surrounding Stuart Clark’s impending move to Kent is taking attention away from the real issue in English cricket, the failings within England’s own management structure.Senior England officials have strongly criticised counties who have signed Australian national players on short-term contracts ahead of this summer’s Ashes, with Geoff Miller, the chairman of selectors, and Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, accusing Kent of self-interest in its pursuit of Clark, the Australian fast bowler who will join Phillip Hughes (Middlesex) in the county ranks this summer.However Davidson, an outspoken critic of the ECB, suggested to Cricinfo that the complaints about Clark were a smokescreen for wider failings. “Counties are entitled to employ overseas players, so I think it’s a bit jingoistic to suggest they shouldn’t be playing,” he said.”I think the current row might be as a result of the management chaos in the England team. We don’t have a permanent coach, and the team has performed badly ever since the Moores-Pietersen row. I think those are the issues the ECB should be concentrating on, rather than criticising counties who happen to employ Australians as overseas players.”Clark is understood to have reached a verbal agreement with Kent regarding a playing stint, however a contract has yet to be signed. The Australian fast bowler, 33, is returning from an elbow injury that sidelined him from the home-and-away Test series against South Africa, and is aiming to reclaim his place in the national side for the first Test in Cardiff. An extended hit-out with Kent would undoubtedly assist him in achieving that goal and, accordingly, has prompted howls of indignation from the ECB.Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, will reportedly contact Kent this week to express his displeasure, while Morris claimed the courting of Clark, revealed by Cricinfo last month, had prompted “dismay” within English cricket.”The decision of Kent to sign Stuart Clark so that he can continue his rehabilitation after injury to enable him to be fit for the Ashes series has been met with dismay throughout the game,” Morris told The Guardian. “Of course it is up to Kent which players they sign but it is an incredibly busy and important year for cricket in England and we wish to give the team every chance of regaining the Ashes. We all saw the impetus gained from the 2005 success, which led to greater financial rewards to the counties and increased participation generally. I would have hoped that all counties shared our goal of repeating the 2005 success this season and would allow us every opportunity to succeed.”Miller was equally critical of Kent’s recruitment strategies. “It’s disappointing,” Miller told the Times. “My role is not to tell the counties how to run their businesses, but, from an England point of view, it does not help our Ashes situation. We are giving two players the opportunity to use our conditions for the first time in one case and to re-use them and get match practice after injury in the other.”I cannot imagine Australia would do something reciprocal before we go over there next time or any time. I want England and the counties to work as closely as possible and this does not make the relationship closer. I understand why the counties concerned have done this, but it is disappointing.”Vinny Codrington, Middlesex’s chief executive, said that he was aware Clarke had been in contact regarding Hughes. “Taking [Hughes] on is not ideal, but then neither is losing Owais Shah to the IPL,” he told the paper. “Perhaps there should be a moratorium on both.”Last week Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, told Cricinfo that those who criticised him for signing Hughes should “grow up”. He continued: “What should the ECB do next summer? Abolish all comforts for the Australians ahead of the Ashes? Put them in dirty hotels and make them travel on a rickety, old school bus with springs coming out of the seats?”No, you want a situation like in 2005, where you had two teams at the top of their games battling each other, and hopefully England coming out on top. Surely you want the best playing the best, and I see no problem with England taking on a well-prepared Australian side.”However, some county officials agree with Miller and Clarke, including David Smith, Davidson’s colleague and chief executive at Leicestershire. “I wouldn’t sign an Australian before an Ashes series,” he told Cricinfo. “It’s certainly not something that would be reciprocated. We had a chance to sign an Australian allrounder but we chose not to do so. We have an obligation to English cricket.”

Lancashire have confirmed the appointment of Peter Moores as the county’s head coach for the next three years, effective from March 1, 2009. The appointment comes just a month after Moores was removed as coach of England, following a fallout with Kevin Pietersen, who also stepped down as captain as a result.As the head coach, Moores will oversee all day-to-day first team affairs as well as the development of the professional playing staff. Mike Watkinson, the Lancashire director of cricket, said, “I’m delighted Peter is joining our cricket management team in this important role. I have known him for many years, initially as a player, then in his various coaching roles, and he has the quality and experience to take the first team forward.”Moores said the chance to work with Lancashire was almost as prestigious as working with England. “I feel very excited and privileged to be given the opportunity to work for the county I grew up supporting, and look forward to meeting the players and working alongside Mike Watkinson to bring success to the club.”Coming from the North West and having attended matches at Old Trafford during my youth, I understand the proud history of the club and how passionate the supporters are. If I was to think about any other job to take after leaving England it would have been the Lancashire job, and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”The move marks a return back to county cricket for Moores, an arena where he had success with Sussex, coaching them to their first County Championship in 2003. In 2005, the ECB appointed him as director of the National Academy.