Monday, August 13, 2012

Sports World

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Smith Misses out on World Cup Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:39 AM PDT South Africa seem to be confident that they can succeed at the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka without their experienced Test skipper, Graeme Smith.   The Proteas are in the midst of a Test series with England, and look set to go top of the world rankings, if they can avoid defeat in the third and final encounter at Lords'. Smith has been at the helm of the Test outfit and has really led from the front with some impressive batting performances from the experienced opener. There is no questioning the skipper's quality, and, if he wants, he can really push the run rate with some trademark big hits against the best strike bowlers in the world. However, the South African selectors have decided not to select the 31-year-old, who has not featured for the side in the shortest form of the game since October, last year. Selection convener, Andrew Hudson, said: "We are confident that our squad will be very competitive and make South Africa proud. "We have had basically the same squad together for the past year, and many of them also produced stand-out performances at the Indian Premier League. "The Proteas will also have excellent preparation for the World Twenty20, by finishing the England tour with three matches." South Africa have decided that they will take experienced batsman, Jacques Kallis, on the trip to Sri Lanka for the tournament, which all gets underway on September 18 in the subcontinent. The Proteas clearly believe that they have the personnel in their squad to challenge for the trophy next month, and they will be hoping that it wasn't a mistake to leave a player of Smith's quality back home. Visit the cricket tips and England betting pages on Betfair for the best odds, picks, and news for world Test cricket.

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