Du Plessis, Steyn doubtful for S. Africa World T20 opener with Sri Lanka

Friday, 21 March 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS:South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and pace spearhead Dale Steyn are nursing hamstring injuries and are doubtful for their World Twenty20 opener against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Both players skipped Wednesday’s final warm-up game against Pakistan and a final decision on their availability would be taken on Saturday afternoon before the match, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on their website.

"Steyn has been assessed as having mildly aggravated his previous hamstring strain sustained during the Test match against Australia two weeks ago," the statement said.

"He will continue to receive treatment from the physiotherapist to give him the best chance of recovery for the opening match. "Du Plessis remains a 50-50 chance for the opening match following his hamstring strain. The medical team is cautious of rushing him too soon because of the explosive nature of T20 cricket and the back-to-back schedule of fixtures. "He will continue to receive extensive treatment and rehab to give him the best chance of regaining full fitness for the opening match."

If Du Plessis fails to regain fitness, AB de Villiers is likely to lead the team.

The Proteas travel to Chittagong on Thursday afternoon and will have a final net session on Friday. Even without Steyn, South Africa dismissed Pakistan in the warm-up match for 71 with Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Beuran Hendricks and Wayne Parnell claiming two wickets apiece to set up their eight-wicket victory at Fatullah with six overs to spare.

"Our bowlers have bowled intelligently and have mixed up the pace well," coach Russell Domingo said.

"That is always going to be important in these conditions. We have heard that the wicket in Chittagong is different to the one in Dhaka so we will need to assess the wicket once we get there."

Dhobi glad Indo-Pak tension has eased

Reuters:The Indo-Pak cricket rivalry traditionally lived up to the Orwellian concept of serious sport – war minus shooting – but India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is glad the tension has finally eased.

The bitter South Asian rivals have fought three wars in their brief independent histories and remain deeply mistrustful of each other.

Cricketers from both countries have performed under unnerving pressure from unforgiving fans who often did not care how the team performed as long as they won the battle against the arch-rivals.

The Super 10 stage of the fifth World Twenty20 starts on Friday with another India-Pakistan match and Dhoni was glad it would be without the hysteria of the past. "An India-Pakistan match always caught the imagination of people from either side," Dhoni told reporters at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

"But I feel it has mellowed to some extent whatever the reason may be. You don’t see many altercations on the field but you still see good competitive cricket which I feel is very important."

Dhoni said he once enjoyed on-field friction among players from both sides but felt it was important that cricket was played in the true spirit.

"It used to get quite tense with plenty of things happening apart from cricket on the field," he added.

"I used to enjoy it as a kid but I’m glad that it doesn’t happen anymore because when you talk about promoting cricket and promoting it the right way, I think more often than not it’s being played in the right spirit."

Dhoni’s Pakistan counterpart Mohammad Hafeez said a match against India was always special but there was life beyond it.

"An India-Pakistan game is always important but this is not the whole tournament," Hafeez said. "We want to put up a good show in the whole tournament."

Nepal beats Afghanistan

Nepal yesterday beat Afghanistan in the Group A match in the ICC World T20 tournament at Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Batting first Nepal scored 141 for 5 in its 20 overs. Afghanistan managed to score only 132 with eight wickets down. Nepal’s wicket-keeper opener S.P. Khakurel scored 58 off 53 balls. However Nepal’s J.K. Mukhiya who took 3 for 18 was named player of the match.

Golden oldies can still blaze trail in T20s, says Misbah

REUTERS: Teams have realised the importance of experience in Twenty20 cricket and aging players are no longer considered misfits in the rip-roaring format, according to Pakistan’s test and one-day international captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

The 39-year-old, who has been Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in tests and ODIs since the start of last year, was ditched by his board and selectors from cricket’s shortest format in 2012 with the younger Mohammad Hafeez taking over as captain.

Possibly feeling he still had plenty to offer, Misbah pointed out that many teams have included players in their mid-thirties or older at the ongoing World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

"Until recently the belief was that T20 cricket is for youth but you look at this event and you can see teams think differently now," he told reporters in Lahore.

"Teams realise that like in other formats of the game there is need to have a balance of youth and experience."

Misbah has continued to play T20 cricket at domestic level with considerable success and said his achievements proved older players had a big role to play in the shortest format of the game.

"Australia and West Indies are both strong contenders for the title and both have opted for plenty of experience when you look at their sides," he said.

Australia have certainly plumped for experience over youth in an attempt to win a maiden World T20 title by selecting veteran trio Brad Hogg, Brad Hodge and Brad Haddin in their 15-man squad. Spinner Hogg is 43 while batsman Hodge is 39 years old. Wicketkeeper-batsman Haddin, a regular across all formats for Australia, is aged 36.

"It is good to see older players in the T20 format as this means their careers will be prolonged with so many leagues now being held round the year," Misbah added.

Pakistan recently beat a Virat Kohli-led India, in the absence of regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in the 50-over format Asia Cup but there were no favorites for Misbah in Friday’s highly-anticipated clash between the sides in Mirpur.

"There is little to choose between the two sides but while we (Pakistan) have good all-round strength India has been boosted with the return of their captain Dhoni," he said.