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He replaces Malinga, who is understood to be out of contention for selection, having not trained with the squad in the past few months

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Feb-2021Dasun Shanaka has been appointed the Sri Lanka men’s team’s new T20I captain, replacing Lasith Malinga, who is understood to be out of contention for selection, having not trained with the squad in the past few months. Shanaka has previously led the T20 side – on the 2019 tour to Pakistan, where Sri Lanka won 3-0. More recently, he has also captained the Dambulla Viiking franchise at the Lanka Premier League. He has been handed the captaincy over Thisara Perera, who has also led Sri Lanka in the format before and had also been the captain of the winning LPL franchise.Shanaka’s first assignment will be the three-match T20 series in the West Indies beginning on March 3, and on this tour, Sri Lanka have two uncapped batsmen to choose from. Opener Pathum Nissanka and middle-order batsman Ashen Bandara have both been chosen in the 20-strong squad – Nissanka’s selection in particular having resulted from strong domestic performances.Dilshan Madushanka, a 20-year-old fast bowler with only four senior matches on his record, is the other uncapped player in the squad, while allrounder Dhananjaya Lakshan, who was among the finds of the LPL, has been overlooked.Making a return, meanwhile, is spinner Akila Dananjaya, who last played for Sri Lanka in September 2019, before serving a one-year suspension over an illegal bowling action. Dananjaya has since remodeled his action, but was not especially successful in the three LPL matches he played in since his return. He is one of three frontline spinners in the squad, alongside legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan. Two allrounders also add spin-bowling options – the offspin of Ramesh Mendis is available, as is the ambidextrous finger spin of Kamindu Mendis.On the fast bowling front, Sri Lanka will miss Lahiru Kumara, who tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the team’s departure to the Caribbean. In his place, the selectors have chosen Suranga Lakmal. Nuwan Pradeep, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera and Madushanka are the other quicks in the squad.After Shanaka leads the team in the T20s that begin the tour, Dimuth Karunaratne will take over for the ODI and Test legs that follow. These teams last faced each other early in 2020, in Sri Lanka. On that tour, West Indies had won the T20s 2-0, and Sri Lanka swept the three-match ODI sereis.Sri Lanka squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (ODI captain), Dasun Shanaka (T20 captain), Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Ashen Bandara, Oshada Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Thisara Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Nuwan Pradeep, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananajaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilshan Madushanka, Suranga Lakmal

His unbeaten 80 enabled Australia to overcome the loss of David Warner and Aaron Finch to win by seven wickets

The Report by Danyal Rasool05-Nov-2019It didn’t take long for Steven Smith to clamp down on any whispers he might be surplus to the requirements of the Australian T20I side. A commanding half-century that combined pugnacity and poise in exactly the right doses steered Australia to what ended up being a stroll of a chase against Pakistan with victory by seven wickets. It needn’t have been as easy as that, though, and didn’t look nearly as comfortable when they lost David Warner and Aaron Finch inside the powerplay, more than a hundred runs still to get without the comfort blanket of an explosive Glenn Maxwell in the middle order.It was an innings every bit as modern as T20 cricket requires of its players, but the 51-ball 80 Smith struck contained shots that wouldn’t have been out of place at this year’s Ashes. Eleven fours and a six, exactly a half-century of them, came in boundaries, and by the final two overs, Smith was properly peaking. You almost wished Pakistan, who had done quite well at the end of the first innings to post 150, had put up something more challenging than that, if only to watch a little bit more of the game’s hottest player operating at his best.Steven Smith goes after a short ball•Getty Images

He was helped by the belligerence of Australia’s openers, making their intentions plain as early as the second over. Warner took apart Imad Wasim, normally so reliably economical in the powerplay, finding four fours in what seemed like all four corners of the ground to get Australia off to a flyer, before his run of unbeaten scores was ended by Mohammad Amir. Their dismissals within three overs of each other was, in truth, the only time in the whole contest where it felt Pakistan were within a punter’s chance of making a game of it in Canberra’s first T20I, but having added 48 in the powerplay, Smith knew he could take his time to settle in without the asking rate spiralling out of control.Pakistan’s bowling in the phase right after left something to be desired, though, and Smith was given regular opportunities to relieve the pressure, finding four boundaries in the next three overs. That was in stark contrast to the exceptionally frugal efforts of their Australian counterparts, who executed what looked like well thought out plans to each of Pakistan’s batsman.Babar Azam was denied the fuller lengths that allow him to step into those gorgeous cover drives, some of which he unfurled in the early stages before Australia pushed their lengths back, to immaculate success. Haris Sohail was cramped for room with length deliveries that ended with him skying one in the air in a near-replica to the way he was dismissed in Sydney, while an improved Adam Zampa meant Pakistan didn’t have the release in the middle overs so vital to pushing their score up to 170, close to which appeared par on a cracker of a batting surface.Iftikhar Ahmed gave Pakistan a strong finish•Getty Images

The top order, once more, left Azam on his own to fend off the Australia attack. Fakhar Zaman’s tortured existence at the crease lasted seven balls before driving a catch straight to mid-off, while Mohammad Rizwan struggled with the exact problem his predecessor was criticised so heavily for. The dot balls mounted at his end, only increasing the pressure on Azam to keep the runs flowing. It wasn’t until Iftikhar Ahmed came in at No. 6 that Pakistan took Australia’s bowlers to task; until then, the run rate was barely over a run a ball.Exceptional work in the field saw Azam dismissed for exactly 50, underestimating the strength and accuracy of Warner’s throwing arm as he turned for a second, with the throw from deep midwicket smashing into the stumps with the Pakistan captain well short of his ground. It appeared the end for any sort of competitive score, but Ahmed put on a display of brilliant hitting the top order looked utterly incapable of to make his first half-century. Kane Richardson came in for especially heavy punishment in his final over, which leaked 22, as, against all odds, Pakistan posted 150 thanks to Ahmed’s 34-ball 62.Australia had done enough in the first ten to ensure they never required much explosive hitting to get to the target. The odd boundary was all they needed in the second half of their innings, with a player of Smith’s class comfortably capable of providing that. When he wasn’t playing unseemly, albeit mightily effective, ramp shots and tennis forehands, he was piercing gaps in the offside that barely seemed to exist.A tight 16th over from a much improved Shadab Khan – Pakistan’s best bowler by some distance – was the last time things got slightly hairy for the hosts, with 30 needed off four at that point. Half of those would come in the next over, though, with Smith taking Amir apart while displaying the full array of his capability for good measure. From thereon, Australia would ease home without really getting out of third gear. In truth, that could be said about the entire evening in a somewhat forgettable game, lit up only by the shimmering brilliance of a man fit to play international cricket no matter what the format.

‘Osama’ investigation closed, but doesn’t rule out possibility of facing unnamed abuser in next year’s Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2018Moeen Ali believes there is no need for sledging to involve personal insults, after it was confirmed that Cricket Australia would be taking no further action in the wake of his allegations that a member of Australia’s 2015 Ashes squad had called him “Osama” during the Cardiff Test match.Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Moeen insisted he was happy to move on from an incident which occurred three years ago, but which came to light in a serialised extract of his forthcoming autobiography. However, he didn’t rule out the possibility that he could come up against the same unnamed individual in next year’s Ashes.”That was probably the one [comment] that stands out,” Moeen told the programme. “You always get stuff from the crowd, but that was the one that really upset me, I can’t believe he actually said that. But you move on and try and get on with performing for England. It was investigated and it’s all done now, and it’s in the past.”In the wake of Moeen’s allegations, CA’s integrity unit interviewed numerous Australian players from the 2015 Cardiff Test and team management, while also communicating with the ECB’s own integrity unit. And though they reiterated their “zero-tolerance approach to remarks of this nature”, they concluded that no new evidence had come to light.Though Moeen conceded that sledging was an accepted tactic for putting an opponent off their game, he felt that the incident in question had crossed the line. “One hundred percent,” he said. “If that is trying to put your opponent off … there’s no room for that in life in general, not just in sports.”There are ways of putting your opponent off,” he added. “Sometimes you don’t need to say anything. Sometime you can intimidate your opponent just by standing there. There’s ways of doing it, but it’s not my sort of way, you just get on with it.”Sledging has never been personal, from the stories I hear, it’s been serious but in good humour. More of a mental thing, rather than going personal and taking it too far.”Personally I don’t do anything,” he added. “I don’t feel like I need to. You can have the passion, but for me it’s more about being a good person and trying to play cricket the right way.”Asked whether he was likely to face his abuser in the Ashes next summer, Moeen insisted he was not looking any further ahead than the tour of Sri Lanka next month. “I don’t know if I’ll be in the squad next year,” he said. “If I ever come up against him or someone in that mindset, so be it, but it doesn’t bother me.”

Vernon Philander has been passed fit for South Africa’s opening Test against England at Lord’s

Firdose Moonda02-Jul-2017Vernon Philander has been passed fit for South Africa’s opening Test against England at Lord’s. Philander sat out the warm-up match in Worcester last week as he recovered from an ankle injury, sustained while on a county stint with Sussex, but has made a full recovery.That means South Africa will have a full-strength attack including Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel, while back-up allrounders Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo will likely have to wait their turns.South Africa are still waiting to confirm Faf du Plessis’ availability for the match after he returned home of the birth of his first child. A difficult birth may keep the captain from joining the camp immediately. A decision is expected to be taken on Monday.Should du Plessis miss the match, Dean Elgar will stand in as captain with one of Theunis de Bruyn or Aiden Markram coming in in du Plessis’ place.

A four-wicket haul from Marcus Stoinis set Kings XI up for a comfortable seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians on a slow, grippy Visakhapatnam pitch with occasional low bounce

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy13-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMarcus Stoinis’ figures of 4 for 15 were his best in T20s•BCCI

Marcus Stoinis grabbed four wickets as Kings XI Punjab’s bowling attack made use of a slow, grippy Visakhapatnam pitch with occasional low bounce to restrict Mumbai Indians to 124. Left with a target they could get to by sticking to cricketing shots, Kings XI coasted to a seven-wicket win with three overs remaining, courtesy half-centuries from M Vijay and Wriddhiman Saha.The slowness and lowness of the pitch, allied to the discipline of Kings XI’s bowlers, made it hard for Mumbai’s batsmen to time the ball through gaps. Having to rely on muscle rather than pace onto the bat, they struck eight sixes and only five fours. Kings XI hit five fours in the Powerplay. Conditions may have eased out a touch for the side batting second, but the bigger difference was the bowling – Mumbai’s quicks, particularly Mitchell McClenaghan, gave away a number of freebies. McClenaghan was often too short to M Vijay, and offered him ample width as well, while Tim Southee overpitched to Wriddhiman Saha, who drove sweetly between extra cover and mid-off.Where Mumbai had ended their Powerplay on 21 for 2 – the lowest six-over score of the season – Kings XI ended theirs on 32 for 1. Not a massive difference, but significant given they knew they were chasing 125.Mumbai needed wickets, and a half-chance – perhaps only a quarter-chance – evaporated in the seventh over when Harbhajan Singh found turn and bounce to leave Vijay yards out of his crease. But the ball beat Jos Buttler as well, spinning a long way to the wicketkeeper’s left, and sped away for four byes.Harbhajan tested the batsmen with turn and clever changes of pace, but that was never going to translate into a collapse given the batsmen weren’t going to take undue risks against him. That approach also exposed Krunal Pandya’s limitations as a spin bowler, and Saha and Vijay milked him easily, working him around and punishing the loose balls ruthlessly.Saha fell soon after both batsmen had reached their half-centuries, dragging a slower bouncer from McClenaghan onto his stumps, and Glenn Maxwell chipped one to mid-on in the same over, but by then Kings XI only needed seven to win.The team batting first had won both the previous matches at this venue and Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai captain, chose to bat, expecting the pitch to get “slower and slower”. Rohit clipped the first ball of the match for four, as Sandeep Sharma drifted an inswinger too close to his pads, but there would be precious few hit-me balls from Kings XI’s new-ball bowlers thereafter.The two Sharmas – Mohit and Sandeep – and Stoinis bowled stump to stump, taking the pace off the ball, while the spinners bowled just short of a good length, denying the batsmen hits down the ground. KC Cariappa bowled legbreaks to the right-handers, offbreaks to the left-handers, and spun both varieties sharply.The ball kept sticking in the pitch, and Mumbai struggled to put the ball away, with a couple of wickets tempering the amount of risk they could take in the early overs. Unmukt Chand chipped Mohit Sharma to mid-on in the second over, and Sandeep swung one through Ambati Rayudu’s gate in the third.Given the inconsistent bounce, sweeping Axar Patel’s stump-to-stump line wasn’t a high-percentage option, and Rohit was bowled when he got one to keep low in the ninth over. Nitish Rana showed why he is rated highly in this format, with three cleanly struck sixes, but only scored seven runs off the other 25 balls he faced. He was Stoinis’ first victim, nicking a wide, full offcutter.Mumbai’s run rate was less than five an over when the 15th over began, and they had lost Jos Buttler as well, holing out when he was through a lofted drive too soon off Stoinis. Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya hit the spinners for four sixes in two overs to hint at a revival, but Stoinis dismissed both in the 17th, with Pollard another casualty of hitting across one that bounced less than expected.Mohit and Sandeep have bowled splendidly at the death through the tournament, and they were under far less pressure now than usual, with Mumbai already seven down. Only 20 came off the last three overs, with Mumbai losing two more, and Kings XI knew they only needed to bat sensibly to keep their season alive, just about.

Ben Stokes’ Man of the Match contribution at Lord’s means he will likely be the centre of attention once again when the second Test begins

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2015With the two-Test series between England and New Zealand taking place over back-to-back weekends, the momentum from Lord’s could prove decisive. One player in particular was the catalyst for England’s dramatic come-from-behind victory and his name was again the focus as the teams moved to Headingley and began preparations for Friday.Ben Stokes scored 92 and 101, in the process recording the fastest Test hundred at Lord’s, before taking three wickets on Monday afternoon to help seal a 124-run win. His Man-of-the-Match contribution was the most eye-catching among several impressive individual performances on either side and he will likely be the centre of attention once again when the second Test begins.England had been reduced to 30 for 4 on the first morning at Lord’s, before a 161-run stand between Stokes and Joe Root helped them to a competitive first-innings total. Root, only a few months older than Stokes but already Alastair Cook’s vice-captain, said Stokes’ full-blooded commitment set the tone for the fightback that put England 1-0 up in the series and ignited their start to the international summer.”When he is bowling, he will run in until he can barely move any more – if he is given that choice,” Root said. “When he is batting, he is a free spirit, he goes and plays his shots and puts sides under pressure. In the field, he is dynamic, he can field anywhere.”He is one of those blokes you want in the side because he rubs off on you and gives everything.”Over the course of his two innings, Stokes cracked 30 fours and four sixes, clearly showing the benefits of moving up the batting order to No. 6. A year ago, Stokes made a pair at Lord’s against India, to make it three Test ducks in a row, and he then missed out on a place at the World Cup after a disappointing tour of Sri Lanka. His confidence seems to have returned, particularly with the bat; now the challenge is to deliver consistent match-turning performances.Ben Stokes’ performance at Lord’s helped give Alastair Cook and England a victory to savour•Getty Images

“It is great. If he is going, you know the board is always going to be ticking over – you don’t have to worry about that,” Root said of Stokes’ aggressive approach. “You know the bowlers will be under pressure, because he is always looking to score. That is the art of batting – to try and make sure you are on top.'”Even in times of struggle, when we are 30 for 4, he came out and put them on the back foot. It will not work every time and could have looked slightly reckless if it didn’t come off.”But it is the way he plays and what he brings to the side, and why he was picked to bat at No. 6, to put them under pressure. He did that perfectly. The key for him and the rest of us now is to make sure it is not a one-off and go on and do it again this week.”He makes mistakes now and again – but that is why he is the player he is. He is aggressive; he is always in your face… that’s his personality. For him, it is about making sure he can control it in a way which makes him more consistent.”Root also shone at Lord’s, with scores of 98 and 84 as well as a crucial wicket on the final day, while Mark Wood, one of two debutants, bowled above 90mph and picked up four wickets, and Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali made important contributions. Root said it was further proof that England have a depth of talent for new coach, Trevor Bayliss, to work with.”We have a lot of young and exciting players trying to establish themselves in the side,” he said. “The more they do that, the more those little errors will creep out of our game.”That confidence doesn’t just give them a boost, it gives everyone a boost, it rubs off. Fingers crossed, Lord’s was not just a one-off – and it is the start of us moving forward as a side.”Martin Guptill, who made 70 in his first Test innings since Headingley 2013, conceded that New Zealand would need to come up with a plan to try and deal with Stokes. They may have to make changes to their personnel, too, with Corey Anderson and BJ Watling unable to train on Wednesday due to injuries. Watling’s absence could mean a Test debut at 34 for Luke Ronchi, while Anderson missing out would deprive the crowds of a big-hitting battle with Stokes.”He’s turned himself into one of England’s better allrounders, that they’ve had for a while,” Guptill said. “He’s a very aggressive player, likes to come out and play his shots and hits it cleanly. We’ll come up with some plans to be able to counter that this week.”We’re pretty confident we can come out and square the series, and come away pretty happy. On the last day at Lord’s, we just didn’t quite get the batting right. We’re going to come out this week firing, and hope to rectify that. It was very disappointing. Obviously, we came over here wanting to win the series. But you’ve got to be able to bounce back pretty quickly.”

A round-up of the fourth round of Ranji Trophy’s Group A matches on November 27, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2012
ScorecardA Bengal collapse on the final day, propelled by seamer Ishwar Pandey who claimed five wickets, took Madhya Pradesh to a 138-run victory in Indore. The win didn’t look probable until the final innings, in which Bengal needed to bat out 58 overs to save the game; considering their respectable first-innings performance, that didn’t look beyond them.Their openers started positively, scoring 43 runs in seven overs before Pandey struck. Another seamer Anand Rajan, soon dismissed the other opener, Parthasarathi Bhattacharjee, and effected two run outs to leave them struggling at 76 for 4 in the 21st over. A third fast bowler, Amarjeet Singh, combined with Pandey to run through the rest of the line-up that was without Manoj Tiwary due to a finger injury. Only wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha tried to hold one end up, but after scoring 29, he was bowled by Pandey. At 119 for 8, the contest was effectively over, and the last two wickets were taken by Pandey as Bengal were bowled out for 138 in the 46th over, with more than 11 overs remaining in the day.Bengal’s fast bowler Shami Ahmed was the highest wicket-taker of the match with 11 wickets, and Pandey finished with ten wickets. This was their best bowling figures in first-class cricket.With this defeat, Bengal are the only team in Group A to have lost two matches so far.
ScorecardHyderabad, after witnessing Mumbai score 443 in the first innings, set about consolidating on their strong overnight score of 423 for 3, in what turned out to be a one-innings-a-side draw. By the time they were bowled out on the final day, they had scored a mammoth 669, their fourth-highest score in first-class history. Besides Akshath Reddy and Hanuma Vihari, who were dismissed for 196 and 191 respectively on the third day, Bavanaka Sandeep was the other centurion, with a ton on the final day.
ScorecardFighting centuries by Manprit Juneja and Rush Kalaria took Gujarat to a position of dominance against Railways before the match was drawn on the final day. After having being bowled out for 117 in the first innings, Gujarat were always scrapping to avoid defeat. But Railways’ opportunities were snuffed out by Gujarat’s commanding batting performance that helped them amass 551 for 8. Due to the first-innings deficit, though, they gained only one point out of the match.Resuming at 288 for 6, Juneja and Dhurv added 95 runs, before the most productive stand of 156 between Juneja and Kalaria, who has played for India at the Under-19 World Cup. Juneja was unbeaten on 153, and Kalaria scored 100, his highest in his short first-class career.Both the teams have drawn all their matches so far.

A round-up of the action from the third match day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2011Karnataka registered an impressive eight-wicket win against Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on day two of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2011-12, to go to the top of the South Zone points table. Tamil Nadu’s Dinesh Karthik scored a quick 52 with four fours and three sixes, and K Vasudevadas provided the innings some late momentum with 30 off 18. However, none of the other batsmen could go past 14 as the hosts managed only 131 for 9 on the relaid Chepauk pitch. Stuart Binny was Karnataka’s best bowler, claiming three wickets and conceding only 14 runs. Robin Uthappa then celebrated his return to the national Twenty20 team with 59 off 29 balls, ensuring Karnataka cruised in the chase. Bharat Chipli and Ganesh Satish built on the fine start with a half-century stand, and finished the match in the 17th over.The Andra Pradesh–Kerala match at the TI Cycles Ground was washed-out after only 3.1 overs. The teams get two points apiece.DB Ravi Teja continued his impressive form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and his 68 off 49 balls led Hyderabad to a nine-wicket win against Goa in Chennai. Chasing 131, Ravi Teja and T Suman, who made 45 off 38 balls, added 103 in 13 overs before Suman was dismissed. Ravi Teja, however, remained unbeaten when the winning runs were scored in 17.2 overs. A combined effort from Hyderabad’s bowlers – all six took at least a wicket – had dismissed Goa for 130 to help set up the victory. Abhishek Raut top scored with 31 and was one of only two batsmen to make more than 20. Syed Quadri took 3 for 25 for Hyderabad.

Kenya, playing without Steve Tikolo, proved too strong for UAE in the fourth and final one-dayer in Mombasa, beating them by 24 runs to sweep the series 4-0

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2010
Scorecard
Tanmay Mishra hit one of three half-centuries for Kenya as they beat UAE by 24 runs to sweep the series 4-0•AFP

Kenya, playing without Steve Tikolo, proved too strong for UAE in the fourth and final one-dayer in Mombasa, beating them by 24 runs to sweep the series 4-0. Half-centuries from Tanmay Mishra, Alex Obanda and captain Jimmy Kamande ensured Kenya had enough runs. This, despite a late collapse in which five wickets fell for 18 runs, all of them to medium-pacer Amjad Javed, who took a career-best 6 for 50.UAE began promisingly, but sedately, and later slumped to 134 for 6, before the other Amjad, Ali, led a fightback with an aggressive fifty. But Kenya kept up the pressure, and UAE folded up for 214.The game had begun well for UAE when fast bowler Shoaib Sarwar had struck twice to leave Kenya in trouble at 25 for 2. But Mishra and Obanda steadied the innings with an 84-run partnership before Obanda was bowled by offspinner Mohammad Tauqir for 64 off 70 deliveries. Mishra then found an able ally in Kamande and the duo took the score past 150 until Mishra was stumped for 68 off 71. At 220 for 5, Kenya were eyeing a substantial score but Javed struck repeatedly as the lower order collapsed. Kamande made 56 off 62 but also fell to Javed as Kenya were dismissed for 238 with 14 balls left.UAE began solidly until Arfan Haider fell to Nelson Odhiambo for 20 off 43. Kenya were miserly and as the asking rate mounted, the pressure told on the UAE batsmen. Wicketkeeper Swapnil Patil was run out for 20 off 48 and offspinner James Ngoche trapped opener Arshad Ali leg before for 40. Amjad Ali resisted with a quick half-century but when he fell to Aga, it was all but over for UAE. Elijah Otieno snuffed out the last two wickets as UAE were bowled out with two overs to spare.

South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that Duncan Fletcher’s insight into the England dressing-room could be a vital factor for the forthcoming Test and ODI series

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2009South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that Duncan Fletcher’s insight into the England dressing-room could be a vital factor for the forthcoming Test and ODI series, after he linked up with the South Africa squad in Potchefstroom on Tuesday to resume his role as a batting and tactical consultant.Fletcher coached England for seven years up until 2007, and guided the team to unprecedented success in that time, including six series wins in a row leading into the 2005 Ashes. He led England on two tours to South Africa, starting with his maiden series in charge in 1999-2000 and culminating in a memorable 2-1 triumph five years’ later.During England’s warm-up match against South Africa A at Potchefstroom, however, Fletcher could be seen sitting in the stands alongside the South Africa chairman of selectors, and afterwards Arthur was delighted to speculate about the nuggets of information that will be divulged in the coming weeks.”I think Duncan’s voice in the dressing room just before a series against England is going to be brilliant,” Arthur told reporters after the match. “He’s with us until the second ODI and then he comes in five days before the first Test match, and he works with our Test squad until the end of the first Test.”Fletcher performed a similar role for South Africa on their historic tour of Australia in December and January last year, when they won their first series in the country since the end of Apartheid. “It’s a no-brainer really,” said Arthur. “When we signed Duncan last year we signed him for the Australian series, especially the one in Australia, and obviously thinking of the England series.”He flew in today and worked with us in a training session this morning. I brought him to Potch because we wanted to discuss a couple of things. It’s great having his knowledge around. I always think you need to keep refreshing, you need to keep stimulating the environment and the players. And we’ve done that by bringing in different voices at crucial times.”Although England’s squad is significantly different from last time Fletcher was in charge, during the 2007 World Cup, many of the key personnel were among his stalwarts, not least the captain, Andrew Strauss, and Paul Collingwood, whom Fletcher first selected in the summer of 2001.”The simple fact is he knows a few of us pretty well,” Collingwood told Cricinfo. “He knows our characters pretty well, but his main asset is his technical brilliance. He knows our techniques pretty well and I’m sure he will give some tips to the South Africans. But our technique and mentality towards the game probably changes all the time, so that’s a way to combat them when we come out and play our cricket in the middle.””I don’t know how he’s going to feel,” said Arthur, when asked if Fletcher would feel awkward about revealing inside information, “but Duncan brings a lot to us.”