Intro:

England will start its World Twenty20 title defence against Afghanistan in Colombo on Friday (21st September) and captain Stuart Broad says he believes his side have plenty of players capable of hitting big boundaries.

Script:

Reigning champions England begin the defence of the their World Twenty20 crown in Colombo on Friday, when they face cricket minnows Afghanistan.

Much of England's preparation has been dogged by the ongoing feud between Kevin Pietersen and the ECB, but captain Stuart Broad says England have players capable of filling KP's slogging shoes.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Stuart Broad, England Captain
"Yes, we've not got just to do a job, we've got world class match winners in the side. Yes, we've got guys who maybe haven't played a lot of international cricket, but we've got eight of us who won the world cup three years ago and we've got players who can clear the ropes (score boundaries) without any doubt and we've seen that in the last few games. I mean Eoin Morgan's experience at number 4 is going to be good for us and we've got guys down to number 9 who can clear the ropes and I think you need that in Twenty20 cricket."

A spirited Afghanistan lost to India by 23 runs in Group A's opening fixture, and but for a host of dropped catches could have shocked the 2007 Champions.

England will have to be as sharp as they look if they're to begin their title defence with a win.