Broad confident in T20 chances

Captain Stuart Broad insists England can thrive without Kevin Pietersen in Sri Lanka, saying he has a great squad at his disposal.

Pietersen, who has 1,176 Twenty20 runs and was named player of the tournament when England won the World T20 in 2010, was not included in the original 30-man party after quitting limited-overs internationals in May. Since then the explosive batsman has been at the centre of controversy after sending 'provocative texts' to South African players during the Headingley Test. He had also threatened to quit Test cricket in the wake of that match. The 32-year-old did a U-turn and made himself available to play for England in all formats, but it came too late for him to be selected for England's title defence. England have coped well without Pietersen in one-day cricket, with Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales displaying his potential in the T20 format with 99 from 68 balls against the West Indies in June. "The planning had already been set in place, Alex Hales came in and did very well and that's what we've been focusing on," Broad told Sky Sports News. "We've got a great squad here and we're really excited about the next month. We've got guys who are hungry and keen to develop their skills, and going to Sri Lanka we're very excited to do that." The World T20 tournament begins on September 18 and runs until October 7.