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Sri Lanka’s selectors recalled bowlers Rangana Herath and Thilan Thushara and batsman Malinda Warnapura, and included fast bowler Ishara Amerasinghe for the two-Test series in the Caribbean next month.Following the retirement of Sanath Jayasuriya from Tests last year, left-hand batsman Upul Tharanga was expected to fill in the vacant slot, but his poor form sees Warnapura being picked to open the batting with Michael Vandort.Warnapura, the nephew of Sri Lanka’s first Test captain Bandula Warnapura, played in two Tests against Bangladesh last year and has been a regular player in the Sri Lanka A team. Herath and Thushara get their recalls after excellent performances in the domestic circuit.Herath, the left-arm spinner, played the last of his 12 Tests against Bangladesh in 2005, has regularly been among the wickets in the domestic scene for Moors SC. His match-winning performances have helped Moors SC to third place in the Premier league tournament. In four matches, Herath has captured 19 wickets (avg 15.84).Similarly, 26-year-old left-arm medium-pacer Thilan Thushara has performed consistently to keep SSC on top of the Premier league table, capturing 18 wickets (avg 20.11) from four matches. He also played an important role in Kandurata ending as Inter-provincial limited-overs joint champs, finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 11 wickets (avg 8.00) from five matches.Thushara has a solitary Test appearance and that was in the Caribbean five years ago when he played in the second Test at Jamaica and went wicketless conceding 59 runs.Selection committee sources revealed that Thushara became the obvious choice as another left-arm bowler Chanaka Welegedara is struggling with his follow through in Australia and has so far been overlooked for selection for the VB Series games after being warned in one of the practice matches.Amerasinghe, 29, a right-arm fast bowler, gets the nod following some impressive bowling in the on-going CB Series in Australia where he has captured six wickets (avg. 24.16) from three matches.Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have been retained as captain and vice-captain for the tour which begins in mid-March. After the two Tests, Sri Lanka will play West Indies in two Tests at Guyana (March 22-26) and Trinidad (April 3-7). They will also figure in a series of three one-day internationals (from April 10-15) for which there will be changes made to the present squad.Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Silva, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Farveez Maharoof, Ishara Amarasinghe, Rangana Herath, Thilan Thushara

Innings of the Day
Scott Styris held New Zealand together with another mighty effort – his unbeaten 111 was his fourth sizeable contribution in six outings this World Cup, and he was one of the few non-Bond bowlers to keep a lid on the run-rate when his turn came to bowl. But today, as with so many days in this tournament, belonged to the oldest bat-swinger in town. Sanath Jayasuriya has scored higher and faster in his 386-match career, but this was an initiative-seizing innings par excellence. He was clobbered on the shoulder by Bond’s third delivery but responded with a whistling cut through point, and when Mark Gillespie entered for his first bowl of the tournament his first over was marmalised for 17, including a first-ball heave into the square-leg stands.Fielding of the Day
It was the sixth over of New Zealand’s innings, and just six tortuous runs had been gleaned for the loss of two wickets. Chaminda Vaas seemed to be bending the ball around corners and there was no respite for the batsman … until Vaas dropped short and Styris latched onto a fierce cut. Tillekaratne Dilshan at point, however, saw the ball all the way and pounced at full stretch to prevent a certain four runs. It was an unequivocal statement of intent from Sri Lanka. “Fielders need to raise their game above the expected levels,” said Kumar Sangakkara in the build-up to the match. This was a fine, initiative-seizing, example.Non-fielding of the Day
Whereas the Sri Lankans hustled and harried at every opportunity, New Zealand’s much-hyped outfit had a peculiarly poor day. Chances went begging, most notably to Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan, while Jacob Oram summed up the rustiness on display when he nutmugged himself on the fine-leg boundary and gifted Sanath Jayasuriya yet another boundary. Shane Bond held onto an impressive back-pedalling effort at third man, but in previous fixtures such excellence would have been the norm, not the exception.Celebrity of the Day
Given that his US$4million-dollar holiday home lies a mere Lear-Jet-ride away on the island of Mustique in the Grenadines, it was no great surprise to spot that most A-list of cricket afficionadoes, Mick Jagger, in the stands today. This was, after all, an A-list contest to savour, even if New Zealand put in a performance that was more Keith Richards than Viv Richards. Still, it could have been worse. Jagger might have been in Barbados to watch England’s dire showing yesterday. (Cue endless gags about gettin’ no satisfaction, and so on.)Absentee of the Day
So much had been made of Lasith Malinga’s pace, panache and unpredictability, but in the event he was barely given a second thought by the Sri Lankans. Their threat in this competition stems from the depth and variety of their bowling resources, and with the old firm of Murali and Vaas revelling in an opportunity to hog the limelight, the remainder of the attack trundled through their quota with scarcely a shot played in anger against them. When New Zealand’s turn came, however, it was like a throwback to the Hadlee era – Shane Bond was peerless once again, but once he’d gone wicketless, the remainder were powerless.Powerplay of the Day
Maybe it’s a Grenadan thing. Two days after Brian Lara set a new record in calling for his third and final Powerplay in the 45th over, Stephen Fleming went one better, and delayed his until the 46th. In theory it wasn’t such a bad move – Sri Lanka needed just one run to win so the entire field had to be crowded around the bat anyway. But Gillespie’s first delivery was misdirected and clipped for four, to end the both the latest and the shortest set of fielding restrictions possible.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Powered by a disciplined bowling performance, that enabled them to bowl out Bangladesh for a disappointing 124, Australia sealed a thumping win in the third one-dayer at Fatullah. Australia completed the whitewash without too much of a fuss, with Simon Katich and Mark Cosgrove steering the chase in splendid fashion.It was as convincing as the scoreline suggests and it marked the end of a grueling season – one that included ten body-breaking months on the road with 17 Tests and 35 ODIs. The real damage was done first up when Bangladesh surrendered without too much of a fight to their inexperienced bowling attack. Having lost the series already, Bangladesh had the ideal opportunity to just get out there and do their thing but instead, succumbed meekly. Habibul Bashar, who chose to bat, walked into a semi-crisis for the third time in a row but couldn’t stage a recovery this time around.There were no magic balls or unplayable deliveries, just good old line and length stuff but that proved adequate. The specialists stuck to the basics: Mitchell Johnson got some swing, the tall Brett Dorey found some seam movement, and James Hopes varied his pace cleverly to keep the chokehold on. Gilchrist, who took over the reins from a resting Ricky Ponting, used as many as eight bowlers and rotated them around cannily.One of the part-timers, Michael Hussey, did the job that Andrew Symonds usually does: hit the right areas, varied the pace, and strangled the batsmen. With the batsmen going into their shell, Mark Cosgrove, the rotund left-hand batsman from South Australia who made his debut today, also rolled his arm over.It was Johnson, with a little help from Ian Howell, the umpire, who drew first blood, gaining a verdict against Shahriar Nafees, despite the ball ricocheting off the inside edge before thudding into the pads. However, Aftab Ahmed had nobody but himself to blame for his exit, flashing lamely outside off and Bangladesh were bleeding at 8 for 2. Ashraful never looked in and left after eking out a scratchy 13. Bashar, in midst of a good run with the bat, refused to play the big strokes and along with Rajin Saleh, an adhesive crease-occupier, offered some resistance. A nudge here, a push there enabled the duo to crawl along but some poor running between the wickets cost them a few valuable runs.

Just before the 25 over mark, Saleh stirred to unleash a couple of boundaries but fell trying to up the tempo. The next man in Alok Kapali, spontaneously combusted at the crease, holing out to deep midwicket and Bashar – who showed his frustration by carting a Clarke floater to cover – fell almost immediately, stumped off Brad Hogg. The tail folded up without a fight leaving Australia a small total to contend with.There were to be no hiccups as Australia rattled away towards the target. The scorching morning sun had hid itself behind the clouds and the Australian opening batsmen prospered under the cloudy skies. Cosgrove, nicknamed ‘Baby Boof ‘for his size and batting resemblance to former Australian batsman Darren Lehmann, used his wrists and slashed his way to a impressive fifty. A flicked two to square leg got him off the mark and soon he began to flow. He walked across to the spinners and with a bottom-handed twirl of the bat, reminiscent of Lehmann, found the gaps on the field. Ever eager to come down the track to the spinners, he unfurled a few lofted shots. One such stroke – a six straight down the ground – off Rajin Saleh brought up his fifty and he celebrated by repeating the stroke. The spinners bled 49 runs in 40 balls as Cosgrove drove them to distraction before falling at the end.Simon Katich was his usual self: nudging and pushing his way around, and when the opportunity for a boundary presented itself, he indulged. Australia, on the road for ten body-breaking months, will now enjoy a well-deserved break.How they were out Shariar Nafees lbw b Johnson 0 (0 for 1)
Aftab Ahmed c Gilchrist b Dorey 1 (8 for 2)
Mohammad Ashraful c Cullen b Hopes 13 (41 for 3)
Rajin Saleh b Clarke 37 (80 for 4)
Alok Kapali c Katich b Hogg 5 (92 for 5)
Habibul Bashar st Gilchrist b Hogg 33 (107 for 6)
Mohammad Rafique b Johnson 0 (117 for 7)
Khaled Mashud st Gilchrist b Cullen 11
Abdur Razzak c Symonds b Hogg 1 (122 for 9)
AustraliaMark Cosgrove b Abdur Razzak 74 (123 for 1)

South Africa will play West Indies next week in a hastily arranged series of three one-dayers after both teams were knocked out of the World Cup in the group phase. The matches will take place at Tshwane University on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Both West Indies and South Africa will field the same squads that contested the World Cup."These matches are just what we need right now," said South Africa’s coach, Stephen Jones. "The World Cup has been a really good learning experience for our young squad and the three matches against the West Indies will give us the chance to work on areas of our game that were found wanting in the World Cup. What is clear is that we need to play a lot more competitive cricket, and the West Indies series is a step in the right direction."

It’s been a career beyond compare, and with the finishing line in sight, Stephen Waugh insisted that he wouldn’t be doing anything different in preparation for the Sydney Test. “It’s been a pretty relaxed time,” he said, “and it’s mostly been about fine-tuning mentally and getting away from it all. I’ve been doing all the normal stuff I’ve been doing for ten years, don’t want to change that now.”With vocal support expected inside a stadium he reckoned had the best atmosphere of any ground in the world, Waugh said he and his team needed to draw on the goodwill and enjoy the occasion. Twelve months ago, he made a magnificent hundred on the second day, even though Australia eventually lost a dead rubber to England. “I played well, and the team lost,” he said pithily. “We’ll be hoping to change that.” He added that he didn’t feel much different in the build-up, saying, “It will hit home only when I walk away for the last time, I guess. For now, I feel very much a part of the team.”Waugh welcomed the pressure that goes with this Test being the series decider, saying, “It’s a good thing. The guys are on the edge for this game. With dead rubbers, it’s not quite the same, with nothing hinging on the outcome. The guys are ready for this.”He rated the nine-wicket victory at Melbourne as one of his team’s best ever, and suggested that India had the potential to be Australia’s biggest rivals over the coming years. “The platform’s there for that,” he said. “The last two series between the teams have been phenomenal. India will be a force for a long time to come. I’m hoping the tradition will grow. In time, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will hopefully be as famous as the Ashes.”Australia wouldn’t decide on their playing eleven till the morning of the game, though it was fairly certain that both Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie would be first picks in the race for fast-bowling places. “If I was Indian, they would be the two bowlers I didn’t want to face,” said Waugh, despite both men having struggled with injuries in the recent past.Waugh reckoned that his legacy would be leaving behind a formidable side, one that had the potential to go on to greater glory under Ricky Ponting. “I’d like to think I’ve helped every player in the side in some way. I’m sure Ricky will do a great job, he’s a natural leader, and a player at the peak of his powers.” He added, though, that captaincy did take its toll. “As a captain, I think five years is about the maximum. It’s a huge effort. If you look around international cricket now, Stephen Fleming’s probably the only exception.”He suggested that Ponting would go on to be one of Australia’s greatest players – “he’ll be Australia’s greatest run-scorer and century maker” – and that Matthew Hayden too had the potential to do the same provided he carried on a few more years.As for his own career, he said that he was proudest of the fact that he had hobbled his way to a century at the Oval in 2001, after 19 days of physiotherapy had paved the way for an astonishing farewell to Test cricket in England. “It’s the things you do to get on the park that stick in your mind the most,” he said. As for team highlights, he pointed out Bridgetown last year, when Australia thrashed the West Indies on an unhelpful track, and also the Johannesburg Test of 2001-2002 – “The best I’ve ever seen a side play”.He also pleaded for patience when it came to players new to the side. “When I started, I didn’t think I’d last a second week. The early days were a real struggle. I didn’t score a hundred till my 27th Test. Even Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne took their time to settle. Few come in and do well straight away. Most take 10-15 Tests to settle in.”Waugh insisted that there was no real sadness associated with leaving. “I’ve been lucky. You look at guys like Jamie Siddons and Darren Berry who never played a Test match. I’ve had 168 of them. I’ve been able to travel, meet some great people, experience other cultures. It’s nothing to be sad about.”While he might say that, 40,000-odd spectators who throng to the Sydney Cricket Ground tomorrow will most likely feel differently. If you’re faint of heart, or not one for the emotional occasion – sniffling into the hanky/red rag – it would be best to stay away. But for thousands of people across the world, no matter which team they support, there will be a weird feeling in the pit of the stomach when Stephen Rodger Waugh leads his team out for the last time. And for some, there’ll be a lump the size of a cricket ball in the throat.

Wellington and Canterbury traded probing jabs and shivering upper cuts on the second day of their State Championship match at the Basin Reserve today and both quit the ring, to return for another round tomorrow, bloodied but defiant.No quarter was given as this prize-match, crucial to both teams, lurched towards a knockout decision.Canterbury had gained an ascendancy at times today, led on all scorecards, but Wellington had then picked itself up to score points of its own and to dispute the outcome. Before the bell rang finally at 6.07pm last night, Canterbury had landed another flurry of telling blows and Wellington was buckling.Canterbury replied with 193 to Wellington’s first innings of 182 to post an 11-run first innings lead but their superiority at that pivotal point should have been much greater. They had been 151/3 as Gary Stead and Michael Papps joined in a partnership of 107 for the fourth wicket and they were poised to take complete control of the match.But Wellington fought back as they have so often this season and particularly in recent games through their strong and varied bowling attack. Stead was out for 52 at 151, Papps for 68 at 178 and Canterbury’s last seven wickets toppled in 25.3 overs for only 42 runs.The partnership of Stead and Papps had been potentially match-winning. They came together when Canterbury was 44/3, when the bowlers held the moral upper hand, and carried Canterbury, at first gingerly then with growing authority, to 151.Stead’s stay at the crease measured the duration of the partnership. He scored his 52 in 125 minutes, from 96 balls and with five fours. Papps batted almost four hours for his 68 runs and lifted on his ample shoulders a Canterbury innings which had begun to sag under Wellington’s accurate bombardment.The separation of the pair, when Stead was out for 52 in the 64th over, was crucial to Wellington and hugely damaging to Canterbury. Peter Fulton followed without scoring, then Papps was out to the last ball of the 80th over and Canterbury was 178/6. Gareth Hopkins fell to the first ball of the 81st over and Canterbury, then 178/7, was staggering.Matthew Walker battered the Canterbury middle order and started the slide, taking four for 15 from 20 overs including the wickets of Papps, lbw, and Stead, caught by wicket-keeper Glynn Howell. Andrew Penn chimed in with the second new ball and took four late wickets to finish with four for 24 from 18.3 overs.Wellington had rescued itself again and the match was almost perfectly balanced.But Canterbury rejoined before stumps and claimed three Wellington wickets in 24 overs before the eventual conclusion.They delivered a crucial and potentially staggering blow to Wellington when they removed its captain Matthew Bell for six, taking the wickets of both openers for 17 runs.Luke Woodcok was out when the total was five and Bell, superbly caught and bowled by Stephen Cunis, for six when Wellington was 17.The attrition of the day was not yet at an end and Canterbury delivered another finally judged punch when they had Selwyn Blackmore’s wicket for 21 when Wellington was 47. Wellington couldn’t easily afford the loss of a third wicket before stumps.Wellington was 49/3 when stumps were drawn and led by only 38 runs overall with seven wickets in hand.But they are not yet out of this match. They have shown the ability in their most recent games to take outright wins from improbable positions in low scoring matches. If they set Canterbury even a moderate total their bowlers might yet rise to the occasion.Canterbury, on a difficult wicket, can also win this match if they continue to rifle Wellington’s second innings as they have today. The pitch is a wearing one, slow and offering both seam and spin.Batting, particularly stroke-making is not easy. The judgment of pace and bounce is as difficult as the judgement of line. The match is likely to continue as brutal and unyielding as it has been today.

Loughborough University, who last week won the inaugural ECB Universities Championship under the guidance of Former England Test star Graham Dilley, tomorrow host the ‘village’ side Lashings for a one-day match.”Given the publicity Lashings has received recently, we are naturally pleased they accepted our challenge and are bringing a team to Loughborough tomorrow.” commented Guy Jackson, Director of Cricket at Loughborough which houses one of the six ECB Centres of Excellence.He added “University cricket is changing shape rapidly and Loughborough has emerged as one of the top sides. We know Lashings have played Oxford and other University sides but we beat Oxford on Monday by ten wickets in the semi-finals of the British Universities Championships.The Lashings side may not feature recent addition Shoaib Akhtar who is due to play his first match for Lashings on Friday, but West Indians Richie Richardson, Jimmy Adams, Stuart Williams, Junior Murray and Franklyn Rose are available to play.Coach Graham Dilley, himself a veteran of West Indian head to heads added “There is a powerful wind of change blowing through University cricket and I am delighted to be part of it. It’s great Loughborough’s results have been so good this year, including victories over Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, going some way to show that Oxbridge are no longer the dominant forces in University cricket.” he added.For further information or to attend the game, please contact Vision Sports PR on 020 8875 1001 / 07957 355 317The Cricket Centres of Excellence:ECB funded University Centres of Cricket Excellence (UCCE) plan to ensure that more aspiring county professionals have an opportunity to gain academic qualifications, and simultaneously to inject more competitiveness into University Cricket.The scheme boasts some of nation’s best coaches, including Graeme Fowler (Durham Univ) and Graham Dilley (Loughborough Univ), and some of finest young playing talents in the game.While Loughborough have taken the inaugural UCCE Championship, Loughborough and Durham will also contest a ‘final’ for the Championship’s two top sides at Lord’s on June 27th.

ScorecardBilly Godleman scored his second hundred in as many matches•Getty Images

Matt Hunn led a spirited Kent fightback after opener Billy Godleman’s second century in successive matches threatened to put Derbyshire in control on an eventful opening day of the LV= County Championship Division Two game at Derby.Kent lost wicketkeeper and England batsman Sam Billings with a dislocated finger in the third over and the decision to bowl first looked questionable when Godleman’s 108 put the home side in a strong position shortly before tea.But Hunn, with 3 for 45 from 21 overs, started a collapse that saw Derbyshire lose their last seven wickets for 75 and in reply, Kent were 27 without loss at stumps.The day started on a worrying note for Kent and England when Billings hurt his left hand taking the 13th ball from the excellent Hunn and was taken to hospital where x-rays confirmed there was no break.Daniel Bell-Drummond deputised until England Under-19 wicketkeeper Ryan Davies arrived mid-afternoon to take over but, by then, a Kent attack minus the rested Matt Coles and Darren Stevens had allowed Derbyshire to prosper against bowling that offered too much width.Godleman was particularly severe on Ivan Thomas, taking five fours from 13 balls, on his way to a half-century as he dominated the opening stand with Ben Slater who was bowled by a ball from Hunn which seemed to swing late just before lunch.Kent at least struck early after the interval when Chesney Hughes’ unconvincing innings ended. He edged Calum Haggett to second slip where James Tredwell held on diving to his left but Godleman and Wayne Madsen reasserted Derbyshire’s dominance with a stand of 62 in 21 overs.Tighter bowling had slowed Godleman’s progress and he needed 85 balls to complete his second fifty but when he edged Haggett to second slip, Derbyshire should have capitalised on his efforts but instead the innings fell away.Hunn found more late swing to bowl Madsen after tea which sparked a collapse in which five wickets fell for 23, three of them in ten balls without a run scored.With Shiv Thakor unable to resume his innings after he was struck second ball on the helmet by Hunn, it needed some uncomplicated blows from Ben Cotton to secure Derbyshire a second batting point which was a poor return after they had been 178 for 2.But it left Kent with a tricky 11 overs to negotiate and there was an absorbing duel between Bell-Drummond and Mark Footitt before the visitors closed 226 behind.

The one-day series between England and New Zealand is one of the most eagerly awaited in years by local fans who are still unsure how good Daniel Vettori’s team is. Recent performances have given little away and the side to play England has a new look.Since the last time the teams met, when New Zealand won convincingly at the World Cup, the home side is missing five players and the regenerating team lost the Twenty20 series 2-0. The two most notable absentees are Stephen Fleming and Shane Bond. Fleming, who retired after 280 matches and 8037 runs, left a big gap when he departed, but the loss of Bond is bigger.Bond, who has terminated his New Zealand contract and joined the Indian Cricket League, has been the spearhead whenever he has been fit to play. In 67 ODIs he has taken 125 wickets at the phenomenal average of 19.32 and his departure is as significant as when Richard Hadlee stepped down in 1990. Justin Vaughan, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, felt the departure of Bond was by far New Zealand’s biggest loss to the ICL and was a concerning development for the international game. The upshot is they now lack a genuine fast man.The others not included since the previous encounter are Lou Vincent, who has been dropped, Craig McMillan has retired and James Franklin is injured. In another major blow, Vettori may not be fit for the beginning of the series. He rested from the two Twenty20 matches with an ankle injury and is in doubt for the first ODI.Brendon McCullum, the stand-in captain, said Vettori would be sorely missed. “Dan’s injury is quite a big blow to the make-up of our bowling stocks,” he told NZPA, “and also just the general team.”With the loss of experience, the remaining senior players must step up if New Zealand are going to retain third place in the ODI rankings. Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum and Peter Fulton will need to score their share of runs, while Chris Martin and Kyle Mills will lead the bowling attack.Although Styris has just announced his retirement from Tests, he must now lead the ODI batting line-up. He has an impressive recent record in ODIs and this will need to continue if New Zealand are to compete with England. “The rigours of international cricket have become increasingly demanding,” he said, “and I would like to extend my career by focusing on the shorter versions of the game.”The niggles and injuries he has suffered by playing first-class cricket over recent years have made it difficult for him to get on to the park. “I am really enjoying both one-day and Twenty20 cricket,” he said, “and am looking forward to being heavily involved with New Zealand on our journey to the World Cup in 2011.”While his fitness to stay involved in the first-class arena was a concern, there are no worries about his productivity in limited-overs affairs. Styris excelled at the World Cup, making 499 runs at 83.16, and followed that up in South Africa where he averaged 62.Among the bowlers, Mills has a good ODI record and much will depend on him as they try to cover for Bond. He has already shown his ability to take wickets without having Bond at the other end. In the three match ODI series in South Africa late last year he took nine at 11.33, while he captured another nine against Bangladesh at 12.55. England will offer a greater challenge to his improvements.Martin, on the other hand, has a less than impressive record, but has come of age in Tests over the last few years. In the shorter version of the game, he has played just 15 matches and faces a steep learning curve against an England team of young and experienced batsmen. His omissions over recent seasons have been due to his high economy rate of 4.95 runs per over and it must be brought down closer to four for him to be useful over the next five matches.

The New Zealand opening combination will be another interesting focus of the series. If the young Auckland batsman Jesse Ryder opens with McCullum, there could be fireworks from the beginning. Ryder’s selection has met a mixed reaction. Adam Parore, the former New Zealand wicketkeeper, is a critic and told he had seen Ryder on the evening news and “there was no room for fat players in international cricket because the days of David Boon are gone”.But Hadlee, the chairman of selectors, believes Ryder can form an explosive opening partnership with McCullum. “He has certainly dominated New Zealand A tours,” Hadlee said, “and deserves an opportunity.”His performance is as highly anticipated as the series itself due to the debate over his selection and because he has been involved in a number of disciplinary problems off the field. One of these was when he signed to play for Ireland last year as an overseas professional and failed to turn up to the match against Surrey at the Oval.If the opening partnership can succeed and the bowling attack can get some quick wickets, New Zealand have a good chance of winning the series. But if not, their fans may decide they are no longer a team of the quality that drove them to a world cup semi-final.The 2-1 loss in South Africa was disappointing, but very few teams come away from there satisfied, and the victory was only the second New Zealand success in that country. On the way home Vettori’s men faced Australia in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and were comprehensively beaten, something most teams encounter.The next assignment was a home series against Bangladesh, who were annihilated as expected. This is why the jury is still out on Vettori’s regenerating team. With the arrival of England, there are no expectations either way, so the fans will finally have a chance to decide how good, or bad, their national side is.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – Ireland
How they were out – South Africa

Jacques Kallis helped himself to a steady half-century as South Africa boosted their Super Eights position with a handsome seven-wicket win against Ireland. An adjusted target of 160 offered few challenges after a competent performance from the bowlers in a match cut to 35 overs by a two-hour rain break early in Ireland’s innings.Ireland were on the backfoot from the start, asked to bat on an overcast day, and their innings was twice reduced. Having struggled against the new ball they had no momentum to build on. Shaun Pollock created the early pressure then Andrew Hall and Charl Langeveldt showed their experience in the closing overs.But South Africa, who were reduced to 91 for 8 by Ireland in a warm-up match, were kept on their toes. Boyd Rankin’s first-over removal of AB de Villiers hinted that the run chase could be a testing affair. There was movement for Rankin and David Langford-Smith, but unlike their South African counterparts they didn’t quite have the skill to build pressure.Kallis, in a situation where scoring rate wasn’t the major factor, played himself in before unfurling a range of stunning cover drives. Graeme Smith, too, took the innings by the scruff of the neck, using his typically agricultural strokeplay to make major inroads into the target. Paul Mooney was given a harsh introduction into World Cup action, his first two overs dispatched for 23 as he regularly dropped short and wide.Smith was approaching a record of five consecutive World Cup half-centuries, but somehow Trent Johnston reached down in his follow through to pluck out a well-struck drive. Herschelle Gibbs didn’t last long, picking out midwicket as Rankin returned and struck again, but Ireland’s last chance went with two dropped catches in three overs.Rankin couldn’t repeat his captain’s reflexes when he spilled a return catch offered by Kallis on 40, then Johnston himself did all the hard work in getting to a top-edged sweep off the same batsman but the ball went through his hands. Kallis’s second fifty of the tournament came of a comfortable 61 balls while Ashwell Prince added the finishes touches, showing rare aggression as skipped down the pitch to the spinners on his return to the team. However, despite winning with 21 balls to spare their overall net run-rate is still in the negative column, something they’ll need to watch as the Super Eights continues.

But efficiency was the watch word for South Africa throughout the day, from the moment Pollock trapped Jeremy Bray lbw for his second consecutive duck without a run on the board. When the major rain arrived Ireland were 23 for 1 off 11 overs and on resumption were in the position of having to decided whether to stick or twist; the Duckworth-Lewis method looks favorably on more wickets left at the end, but the batsmen couldn’t waste time prodding around.William Porterfield succumbed trying to go over cover, but Eoin Morgan, who hasn’t produced the scores expected of him during the tournament, showed some of his best timing until he was surprised by Hall’s express bouncer. When Niall O’Brien got a leading edge to Langeveldt, now comfortably South Africa’s top wicket-taker, Ireland threatened to fall apart at 77 for 4 in the 23rd over. However, Andrew White, who struck firmly against England again used the long handle, but after dispatching some of South Africa’s finest he clubbed a knee-high full toss from Smith to midwicket.This match brought together some old foes, the coaches are both good friends, while Andre Botha grew up in South Africa. Botha, though, fell to one of the numerous pieces of sharp field – this occasion AB de Villiers at cover – as the experience of Hall and Langeveldt shone through with four wickets falling for eight runs. Langford-Smith and Johnston enjoyed slightly more success, adding 28 off 22 balls, with that Irish spirit which has been their hallmark. But their giant-killing of the opening phase has turned into a harsh reality check about the demands of living at the top table.