SA, Australia prepare for World T20

South Africa and Australia will be aiming to hone their Twenty20 international skills when they start a three-match series at St George’s Park on Sunday. Coming after a high-intensity Test series, a succession of 20-overs games would not normally have much more than entertainment value, but for both teams it provides an opportunity to prepare for the World Twenty20, which starts in Bangladesh a week after the last match of the series. Both squads show considerable changes from the Test teams, with new captains and new players in key roles. With fast bowling spearhead Mitchell Johnson withdrawn to enable him to rest ahead of the world event, Australia’s squad includes only three players who appeared in the Test series. The South African squad includes short-game specialists such as hard-hitting left-handed batsman David Miller and all-rounder Albie Morkel. Australia will be captained by batsman George Bailey. The tourists have a strong line-up of quick-scoring batsmen.