England lose Prior to fractured thumb
England go into their second Super Eights match needing to win this and the next one. New Zealand, however, come off a narrow victory over India
The Preview by Andrew McGlashan at Durban
17-Sep-2007
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A change of venue for England and they'll be hoping for a change of form as they target victory to keep themselves in the World Twenty20. But they were dealt a blow this evening when Matt Prior injured his right thumb in the nets. An x-ray revealed a fracture and Prior has been ruled out of the tournament. Vikram Solanki is likely to fill his spot though a replacement is still to be named.
England let South Africa off the hook at Newlands with a poor fielding display and another limp batting performance. New Zealand, though, are building after Daniel Vettori marshalled them to an impressive victory against India. They also have the advantage of already experiencing conditions in Durban after their opening match against Kenya.
Bat play: England's top order is causing plenty of headaches for Paul Collingwood. They reshuffled against South Africa by dropping Darren Maddy and moving everyone up one place, but Luke Wright bagged another duck. Solanki is the one remaining option to open the
innings though he will now be saddled with additional keeping duties. It is important to make use of the allrounders. Collingwood admitted he was about to move Dimitri Mascarenhas up the
order on Sunday but said: "The game moves so quickly, England need to
think on their feet."
New Zealand, too, would probably like a little more from their top
order but have the advantage of Jacob Oram and Craig McMillan lower
down the order to lead any rescue act as they did against India with a
stand of 73 in 5.2 overs. Brendon McCullum also looked in fine form
while exploiting the first six overs.
Wrecking ball: England's bowling was impressive against South Africa as Collingwood used his options mostly in one-over bursts, with
Andrew Flintoff working up a head of steam and conceding less than
six-an-over. But they appeared to have one bowler to many as Jeremy
Snape was given a solitary over and Collingwood's medium-pace will be
another option in seamer-friendly Durban.
After their lightening start against Kenya, Shane Bond and Mark
Gillespie have proved expensive in the last two matches. However, Bond
retains the ability to provide vital early wickets and there is no
shortage of bowling options. Vettori is showing how important good
quality spin bowling can be at offering control.
Keep an eye on: The weather. Rain has played its part so far in
Durban, but the forecast is promising for Tuesday so fingers crossed
there won't be any intervention.
Shop talk: Collingwood knows the task ahead of England. "We
know what we have to do from now on - we have to win our next two
games, it's as simple as that," he said. "We usually respond pretty
positively in these situations and I'm sure the boys will be wanting
to do that. We're not down and out as yet and I'm sure we'll get a
good response from all of them."
Although he is enjoying personal success, which has led his side into
a strong position, Vettori isn't convinced by Twenty20. "I hope
Twenty20 cricket will only be part of the landscape and not the future
of the game," he said. "But I suppose we guys have to take this game
seriously too."
Pitching it right: Bowlers have held sway so far and with the
match starting at 10am there will be more help on offer.
Teams
England (probable) Vikram Solanki (wk), Luke Wright, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood (capt), Owais Shah, Andrew Flintoff, Darren Maddy, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Chris Schofield, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
New Zealand (probable) Lou Vincent, Brendon McCullum (wk),
Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram,
Daniel Vettori (capt), Shane Bond, Mark Gillespie, Jeetan Patel
Andrew McGlashan is a staff writer on Cricinfo