A full crowd is expected this afternoon at the Brit Oval for the first of two NatWest International Twenty20 matches.

Both matches will begin at 5.30pm with gates opening at 3.30pm.

Demand for this form of the game has been huge with tickets selling out for both matches before Christmas.

After England’s dominance of a hapless West Indies team in the npower Test series, it is expected that the winning run will continue this evening in this shortened version of the game.

The England team will use these two matches as a build up to the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup played later this year in South Africa. As a result, the batting line up is still unclear. There are many options at the top of the order with one of the likely ones being a Matt Prior Alastair Cook opening pair. This may hinge on the fitness of Ian Bell who again fielding drills yesterday with a minor groin injury. Owais Shah and Jonathan Trott, who both have plenty of experience in Twenty20 cricket, could also be considered for the early over period.

This afternoon’s game will be Paul Collingwood’s first match in charge of the England team and at yesterday’s press conference he urged fans to be patient.

He said, “We want to win this series, not just blood new players, but at the same time people should not expect things to happen overnight.” He also added, “our attitude has been fantastic this week so I’m hoping for a good showing tomorrow night.”

Both teams practiced yesterday and appeared to be right in Twenty20 mode with many white balls disappearing over the fence from the on field net areas.

Both games will be televised live on Sky Sports 1 from 5pm. There will be no tickets available to purchase on the day.

All those attending either match are encouraged to come as early as possible to avoid the rush. As these matches are Category A, spectators are forbidden to bring any alcohol into the ground. Plastic bottles of soft drink or water, however, are permitted.

Each person entering the ground will also be subjected to bag searches and security checks.

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