Clarke retained as Australia's Twenty20 captain

Melbourne, May 24 (ANI): Michael Clarke has been retained as Australia's Twenty20 captain after his tenure was under review over his poor batting in the shortest version of the game, Clarke was named skipper when the two limited-overs squads were announced today for matches against Pakistan and England in Britain.

Clarke will need to show a marked improvement in his batting at the T20 level if he is to retain the post beyond the two T20 matches against Pakistan, The Herald Sun reports.

The one-day squad named today is the one, which won the ODI series in New Zealand earlier this year, except that Shaun Marsh has recovered from injury and returns to the side in place of Adam Voges.

Twenty20 Squad: Michael Clarke (Captain), Cameron White (Vice-captain), Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, David Warner and Shane Watson.

Marsh back for ODIs, Clarke captain of Twenty20

Opener Shaun Marsh has been selected in the Australia one-day international squad after recovering from injury while Michael Clarke will continue as captain of the Twenty20 side in matches against England and Pakistan over the next two months.
Marsh replaced fellow Western Australian Adam Voges while Clarke is in a 14-man squad which is the same, minus second wicketkeeper Tim Paine, as the one which lost the world Twenty20 title to England in the West Indies this month.
Australia is playing two tests and two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan in England due to security concerns in Pakistan. That series will be preceded by five one-day matches against England.
"Australia has made great progress in Twenty20 cricket in the last 12 months, winning an extremely high percentage of our games and of course being the only undefeated side in the tournament until the final," Australia selectors' chairman Andrew Hilditch said Monday.
Australia opens its tour on June 17 with a limited-overs match against Ireland at Clontarf. It then plays English county side Middlesex at Lord's on June 19 in a one-day tour match, followed by five one-day matches against England _ June 22 at the Rose Bowl, June 24 at Cardiff, June 27 at Old Trafford, June 30 at The Oval and July 3 at Lord's.
The Pakistan series begins with Twenty20 matches on July 5 and 6 at Edgbaston, followed by a two-day tour match July 8-9 against Derbyshire. Australia plays tests against Pakistan beginning July 13 at Lord's and July 21 at Headingley.
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One-day squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice captain), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, James Hopes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
Twenty20 squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Cameron White (vice captain), Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, David Warner, Shane Watson.

'New look' England squad has potential to defend Ashes Down Under: Pietersen

London, May 22(ANI): England batsman Kevin Pietersen has said that the new look Three Lions squad has the potential to defend the Ashes in Australia under coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss.

England's last series Down Under had resulted in an embarrassing 5-0 whitewash, but Pietersen claims that the current team has the potential to give a tough fight to the Aussies in their own back yard.

"Words can't describe how I feel right now after the fortnight I've had. It's always good to beat Australia [Twenty20 World Cup final]. To do it away from England and on a flat wicket is something the boys can take a lot of positives from. I can't say we will do this or do that, win the Ashes and all, but I can say this team will keep improving all the time," The Sun quoted Pietersen, as saying.

"The team spirit in 2005 was special. We had an incredible side and the way the guys enjoyed each other's success was the key. And I can see that in this team. Everyone in this side is now dovetailing much like that great Australian side of a few years ago," he added.

The 29-year-old also dismissed reports emerging in the Australian press that branded the Twenty20 World Cup winning England squad as a team of 'imports'.

"People are entitled to their opinions of course, but I think it's time to move on from all that. It's the kind of heckling we're going to get at the end of the year in Australia though I guess. We get it here too, but to see England winning is the best thing," Pietersen said.

"I don't think there should be any negatives about what we've achieved over the last few weeks - it's all down to the year we've had under Flower and Strauss," he added.

Proteas aim high again against embattled hosts

NORTH SOUND: South Africa will hope the one-way traffic continues when they face a beleaguered West Indies on Saturday at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in the first of their five One-day Internationals.
The Proteas' confidence had taken a beating during the recent ICC World Twenty20 staged in the Caribbean, where they exited with a whimper at the Super Eight stage, but this has been restored thanks to a pair of T20 victories over West Indies on Wednesday and Thursday.
Graeme Smith's side swept the two T20s with a 13-run victory in the first match, and a tense one-run win in the second, and they are anxious for more success.
"This ODI series is very important for us, and as we showed during the two T20s, we wanted to win, and play with our usual intensity," said Smith.
"We want to get back on the road to success again, and we have a lot of work to do, following a poor campaign in the T20 World Cup, so this is an important tour for us.
"We have a long break following this tour, and so we want to leave everything out on the field here in the Caribbean."
For West Indies, the problems have reached terminal decline, and their captain Chris Gayle felt powerless in trying to halt the slide. He has taken aim at his fellow batsmen, and questioned their mindset.
"I do not know if they are too worried about the position of the match, or their place in the team too much, or something else, but they have to free-up," he said.
"They have to go out there with a free mind, and play some good cricket."
He dismissed experience as a problem, and indicated that his teammates had to start taking responsibility for their performances.
"It's up to the individual," he said. "They have to look into themselves, and try to redeem themselves as much as possible. I cannot do it for them. I have a lot to think about as well, so it's up to them."
South Africa will be a little hamstrung with injuries to Jacques Kallis and Charl Langeveldt, but the two T20s have shown they have more than capable reserves.
Left-hander David Miller made his international debut in the second T20I, and his top score of 33 from 26 balls helped them to reach a respectable total.
"It was great for us to see a guy come into the side, and play so well under pressure," said Smith about the 20-year-old Dolphins batsman.
"It was a breath of fresh air to see him walk to the crease, and hit his sixth ball for six, and play his natural game. It's a credit to him, and he's still got a long way to go."
It's unlikely West Indies will change their squad for the first ODI because of time constraints, but the selection panel of chairman Clyde Butts, Robert Haynes and Raphick Jumadeen now face a difficult task to find a winning combination.
"It's something the selectors will have to discuss seriously, and all I can do is to wait and see what happens," said Gayle.
"These are the best guys we have in the West Indies, so if they cannot do it, we will have to take the alternative route, but we will have to wait and see what the selectors come up with and what happens later."
South Africa have won the last six ODIs between the two sides, including a 67-run triumph at the Queen's Park Stadium in Grenada during the 2007 World Cup, which was staged in the Caribbean.
West Indies' previous ODI victory over the Proteas was their six-wicket win in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy four years ago at Jaipur in India.
Scattered showers are again forecast, but this time the pitch at the VRCG will hold the centre of attraction.
During the two T20Is, it played unevenly, and so the two sides will hope that head curator Tony Merrick, the former Leeward Islands, Kent, and Warwickshire fast bowler, can roll out a far more accommodating surface.
Squads: West Indies (Still to be officially confirmed): Chris Gayle (capt), Dwayne Bravo (vice capt), Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor
South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis (vice capt), Hashim Amla, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, Abraham de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Alviro Pietersen, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe.