Teams to test Twenty20 options

AB de Villiers is calling on South Africa to focus fully on their one-day form

South Africa and Australia head into the first of two Twenty20 internationals in Johannesburg tomorrow knowing there is plenty at stake in the months ahead leading up to the World Twenty20 in England in June.

The two sides have endured an epic four-week spell in which the tourists claimed a 2-1 Test series win, but with the home side not scheduled to play the five-day game again until December, batsman AB de Villiers knows the focus should now be on improving their form in the 20-over format.

Since the inception of Twenty20 cricket, the Proteas have played 16 matches, winning nine, and the right-hander feels there is still room for improvement.

“I don't think our record is that bad and a lot of our inconsistency is down to the nature of the game, you can lose at any time,” De Villiers said.

“It's not like Test cricket where you play for five days and it's more about your skills.

“In Twenty20, if one player comes off it can kill you.”

South Africa failed to make the play-offs at the inaugural World Twenty20 when it was held on home soil in 2007 and de Villiers is now hoping the two matches against Australia will help their preparations even further as they build towards the second tournament in England.

He continued: “It is not just a hit-around any more, there's a World Cup around the corner and we are all taking it more seriously. There's a lot of pride and passion involved and the mood is pretty similar in the changing room if you lose a Test or a Twenty20 game.

“We're still working towards a brand of play in Twenty20 cricket, we're not yet there but we're going to press on with it.”

National coach Mickey Arthur agreed, adding that the games at the Wanderers and at Supersport Park in Pretoria on Sunday will provide a good opportunity for the fringe players to make an impression.

Johan Botha will captain a South Africa side looking to lay a solid foundation for June's World Twenty20

He said: “This is a very important weekend for players to show their worth on the international stage. All 15 members of the squad will play at least one match and we also want to assess how players contribute in the dressing room environment and at practice.”

Like de Villiers, Australia captain Ricky Ponting knows the two matches will be a good opportunity to take a look at some of their players ahead of a busy few months.

“It's a reasonably large squad that we've got,” he said. “Whether that means giving everyone a game in the next two games or not, that's probably unrealistic, I couldn't imagine that many changes from game to game.

“It's about time we started looking ahead to the Twenty20 World Cup as well and started to try to pencil in what we think is going to be our best time for that.”

Ponting's squad includes 16 players, 10 of whom will remain with the squad for the five-match one-day series starting next Friday.

South Africa (from): Johan Botha (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Roelof van der Merwe, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Johann Louw, Mark Boucher, Justin Ontong, Albie Morkel, Robbie Peterson, Wayne Parnell, Yusuf Abdulla, Dale Steyn.

Australia (from): Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken, Callum Ferguson, Brett Geeves, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Laughlin, Marcus North, Cameron White, David Warner, Shane Harwood.