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Tendulkar, Kumble and Ganguly hail Rahul Dravid’s contribution in the limited-overs format for India

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2011Sachin Tendulkar has hailed team-mate Rahul Dravid’s contribution to the Indian team in the limited-overs format, describing him as “a role model” and “the unsung hero of the Indian team.”Dravid, who announced his retirement from the limited-overs format during the ongoing tour of England will be appearing in his last ODI in the fifth and final game in Cardiff on Friday. Tendulkar, who was ruled out of the ODI series due to injury, praised Dravid’s work ethic and his ability to “stay a step ahead of the game”.”When he started playing ODI cricket, he faced some initial difficulties, but he was never one to give up,” Tendulkar told the . “He worked very hard on his flaws, and he made sure to fight it out.”With a career strike-rate of just over 71, Dravid has often been labelled as being unsuited for shorter formats of the game, something that Tendulkar disagreed with. “He may not give you a quick start, but he will surely make his innings count in terms of time spent at the crease. You need such players in the team, and he was the best man for the job. Others in the team played around him, while Rahul batted as the situation demanded. It wasn’t that he couldn’t bat quickly; he just made sure that he batted according to the situation.”Rahul also had that ability to finish a game, and I remember he played the same role at No. 5, or for that matter at any other spot in the batting order. And that was one of the main reasons he sustained his role as an important member in the side.”Former India captain Anil Kumble who was also Dravid’s Karnataka state-mate echoed Tendulkar’s view.”He [Dravid] is not someone who will go out and tonk sixes at will but he gets the job done,” Kumble wrote in his column in the . “Rahul’s approach has changed in the way he uses the pace of the bowler, looks to take the early singles and keep the board ticking over.”Of the 343 ODIs that Dravid played in, he has kept wickets in 73 of them. He started keeping wickets when Sourav Ganguly was captain, a move that Ganguly said “Indian cricket should be thankful to Rahul for”.”Rahul has had a chequered one-day career and it took a new turn once he decided to keep wicket in 2002,” Ganguly wrote in his column in the . “His decision was absolutely for the team as it helped reorganise the middle-order and add more depth to it.”Both Tendulkar and Kumble said that one of the turning points in Dravid’s ODI career was when he started keeping wickets. “He is the perfect team man; when he was asked to keep wickets we all knew that he will do well because he was initially a wicketkeeper. It later helped him, and came as a big help to all of us in the Indian team during the 2003 World Cup. He got better by the day during that campaign, and also managed to score quick runs with the bat,” Tendulkar said.”The best phase of his ODI career was in the four or so years when he was the wicketkeeper, and batted at No. 5,” Kumble said. “He established himself as a great finisher, and it was while batting alongside him that the likes of Yuvraj and Kaif truly matured in the lead-up to the 2003 World Cup.”

Bumrah was seen clutching his abdomen repeatedly on the third day of the Sydney Test

Shashank Kishore12-Jan-2021India’s tryst with injuries continues as they look to put together a fit XI for the series decider at The Gabba. A day after Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the tour on Monday, and it emerged that Hanuma Vihari (right hamstring injury) and R Ashwin (back tweak) batted through pain to save the Sydney Test, there is an injury cloud over Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the fourth and final Test starting January 15.Bumrah was seen clutching his abdomen repeatedly during Australia’s second innings on the third day’s play in Sydney. He even left the field once for medical attention. However, he bowled 25 overs in all, in a total of 87 overs that India sent down before Australia declared.Bumrah has had the most workload among fast bowlers among both sides, bowling 117.4 overs across the six innings so far in the Tests. Bumrah, who was rested for the T20I leg of the tour to play India’s warm-up fixture in Sydney, has so far featured in each of the three ODIs and the three Tests.Related

• India confirm they will travel to Brisbane

• Rahane: Draw at SCG 'as good as winning'

• Jadeja ruled out of Brisbane Test

While the physio may have to work overtime to get him ready, India’s already inexperienced attack will further be depleted if he is ruled out. If that happens, Mohammed Siraj – all of two Tests old – will be the spearhead, alongside Navdeep Saini and one of the uncapped T Natarajan or Shardul Thakur. India have one other reserve fast bowler in the squad – rookie Kartik Tyagi – who has been used as a net bowler. Tyagi, however, featured in the first warm-up fixture.Meanwhile, if Ashwin too is deemed unfit, India may have to turn to Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist-spinner, or allrounder Washington Sundar, who stayed back to assist the side after being part of India’s T20I series win in December. Kuldeep, who was one of India’s finds of their tour in 2018-19, was left out of the five of the six white-ball matches and went wicketless in his only first-class game on tour in Sydney.

Marnus Labuschagne bagged a duck while Matt Renshaw approached a hundred

Andrew McGlashan08-Nov-2020A batsman who looks increasingly under pressure for his Test place made a low score, one who is among the most prolific players in the world bagged a duck and two former Test batsmen filled their boots on the opening day at Glenelg.Usman Khawaja probably won’t come into consideration for Australia’s Test squad, and Matt Renshaw certainly won’t, but the former made his first century since February 2019 and the latter closed within touching distance of his first for two-and-a-half years.Joe Burns’ hold on the Test opening berth appears more tenuous by the day – across town Will Pucovski piled up another big hundred – as he fell for 10 in the sixth over, given caught behind via an inside edge although he did not seem thrilled by the decision.Marnus Labuschagne then bagged his second consecutive duck, walking into a wide delivery and edging to slip, to leave Queensland 2 for 11. Khawaja and Bryce Street added 128 for the third wicket followed by a 103-run partnership between Khawaja and Renshaw, before the day was capped by a boundary-studded half-century from Jimmy Peirson.Khawaja was the aggressor in Queensland’s early recovery as Street took 107 balls to reach double figures. Street had started to make progress when he fell to a stunning short leg catch by Henry Hunt who parried the ball up then held the rebound.That gave Lloyd Pope his lone success of the day but it was another tough outing for the legspinner who conceded a run-a-ball. Khawaja, especially, enjoyed his regular loose offerings while Renshaw did not miss out on many.Khawaja’s previous century had been his Test hundred against Sri Lanka in Canberra and he reached three figures off 149 balls against the first delivery of the evening session. He eventually fell to the deserving Wes Agar, edging to Callum Ferguson at first slip in his last first-class match, but Queensland rattled along in the final session which brought 159 runs in 38 overs.Peirson was largely responsible for that, hitting 48 off his 60 runs in boundaries, and the stand with Renshaw was unbroken on 89 on another tough day for the South Australia attack.

He is confident he, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Waqar Younis will work well together on the England tour

Umar Farooq11-Jun-2020Mushtaq Ahmed said it would require clear communication and tactful management to ensure Pakistan’s high-profile coaching team worked smoothly with the players on the team’s upcoming tour of England. The former Pakistan legspinner has been brought in as spin bowling coach, one of two big-name appointments for the England tour, the other being Younis Khan as batting coach.This is the first time since Bob Woolmer’s appointment as head coach in 2004 that Pakistan is travelling with a fully Pakistani backroom staff. The reasons why the PCB had wanted to avoid an all-local environment in that time included internal politics, trust deficits, and infighting that plagued the side in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Besides, the lack of professionally qualified coaches in Pakistan meant the local options were limited.”We all are on the same page with a clear-cut predefined role,” Mushtaq said. “Misbah is our head coach. Younis is going to deal with batsmen as consultant, Waqar [Younis] will be working with the bowlers, and I am doing mentoring and working with spinners. So all of us from the same generation who played modern-day cricket are coming together to work for Pakistan. The problem will arise when there is a communication gap, [so] we have to look out to gel the team. If there is any conflict, it needs to be resolved there and then and move on. We have to play smart.”We all are sensible people and this [combination] is going to work well. I have worked with big coaches and the biggest example is dealing with Andy [Flower] and KP (Kevin Pietersen). Both didn’t have the mutual understanding but England still won big games. I had a role there, I used to mentor KP and at the same time worked with Andy as well to manage the communication gap. So we (the Pakistan dressing room) shouldn’t allow that communication gap to create misunderstandings. We are very optimistic that we will all come together and graciously share our experiences and stay united on tour.”Mushtaq also downplayed the perception that Younis does not get on with the PCB. “Younis Khan is a straightforward guy and people learn with the passage of time,” he said. “With age you learn a lot. Younis is a wonderful guy. Whenever you talk to him sensibly, he always responds positively. His work ethics are great and we give his example to youngsters to follow his lifestyle and how he manages his routines. He is a professional and has a tough mindset and we need people like him. He has the experience playing everywhere in the world in tough situations and coming out fighting against odds.Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq enjoyed a good relationship as players•AFP

“His personality of being a tough guy is very useful for players going to England in the ongoing situation. Sometime mental toughness takes more weight than talking technique. With him (Younis) around in the dressing room, players will have a good role model in front of them.”Mushtaq has been in the coaching business for over 10 years, starting in 2008 when he worked with the then England coach Peter Moores. He has since then established himself as a reputed spin-bowling consultant, and his time with the England side coincided with the best years of Graeme Swann, who ended up becoming one of England’s greatest spinners. He worked with spinners in Pakistan for several years following on from that, but it is believed his coaching style made players more dependent on the coach. Pakistan’s high-performance coach Nadeem Khan doesn’t want this to happen.”In the 90s we didn’t have a lot of coaches and I always believed you were your best coach,” Nadeem said. “When you analyse yourself on your own, you have a better prospect of becoming a good player quickly. These days, [the amount of] cricket has increased drastically and players don’t have time to keep a balance between playing matches, fitness [work] and updating themselves with information.”They are playing all formats and are fully engaged series after series. We had more time in the nets on our own, and with less cricket, we had ample recovery time. But in today’s cricket players need coaches, expert coaches to manage [their workload]. Teams these days take a bigger pool of coaches and consultants, and sometimes the support staff easily outnumbers the playing side in the dressing room.”It’s very important to have a relationship with players and you have to take ownership. It’s about communication and a player needs help and information. I used to think that players needed to develop on their own, but they don’t have time to work on their own. They are not even properly enjoying the victories or learning from the failures because they are playing back-to-back cricket. This is exactly where the role of a coach comes in.”

A look at the key points that are likely to be discussed when the tournament’s governing council meets on Saturday

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Mar-2020Despite having deferred the IPL until April 15, the tournament’s governing council will meet on Saturday in Mumbai to review the precautionary steps needed to be put in place for the marquee event to start in April. The IPL top brass will also be meeting the owners/top executives of all franchises to explain the situation and address the various questions they will have. ESPNcricinfo looks at the key points that are likely to come up for discussion.More double-headers?It is understood that to mitigate the late start to the IPL, the organisers are likely to stretch the tournament with the final on June 5. With the tournament now possibly starting two weeks later, the BCCI would be under pressure to fit in all the 60 matches in a tight window. Originally, the final was scheduled for May 24 in Mumbai, but it is understood that the organisers are thinking of extending the schedule till June to reduce the prospect of several double-headers.In the original IPL schedule, there were only six double-headers, all to be played on Sundays. However, with the window likely to be shrunk now, the tournament may feature more double-headers.Both the broadcaster, Star Sports, as well as the teams were not in favour of too many double-headers for different reasons. Star didn’t prefer the afternoon matches that start at 4pm as they did not attract good ratings. The players didn’t want the afternoon matches as the IPL is played during the peak summer when the mercury hovers close to the 40-degree Celsius.However, during Saturday’s meeting, the franchises are likely to raise the red flag at extending the tournament beyond late May due to the unavailability of some of the overseas players, especially those from England, who are scheduled to play a three-match Test series against West Indies starting on June 4. The ECB had already informed the IPL governing council that all England players would be available until May 26.Visas for overseas playersFocusing on containing the spread of the coronavirus that has claimed close to 5000 lives and infected over 135,000 people across 120 countries so far, the Indian government, with the approval from its prime minister Narendra Modi, had decided on March 11 to impose severe restrictions on tourists into the country, including non-resident Indians and overseas citizens of India. “All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organizations, employment, project visas stand suspended till April 15, 2020,” the Indian government had said, stating the restrictions would come into play from Friday.The franchises have been concerned about that ever since and would want clarification from the IPL governing council on Saturday. Overseas players and support staff participate in the IPL by getting a business visa on which they get employment. The franchises would want to know whether the overseas contingent would be exempt by the government or not.As per the visa rules listed by the Indian government, foreign coaches and players are to be given employment visas. The following categories of foreign nationals are eligible for an employment visa: “Foreign nationals who are coming to India to take up employment as coaches of national/state level teams or reputed sports clubs, and foreign sportsmen who are given contract for a specified period by the Indian clubs/organizations (This will not include foreign nationals who are engaged in commercial sports events in India on contract (including coaches), for whom appropriate visa would be B-Sports visa).”Playing in limited venuesInternally, the governing council and franchises have also been considering whether to limit the number of venues and cluster the eight teams together at one or two places to limit the movement. But officials from more than one team said there were many cons to this idea as far as the franchises are concerned. The biggest downside being the teams stand to lose the home advantage, something crucial in a multi-team tournament.Then there is the commercial aspect. The franchises have already locked in ground sponsors and flights across the season, and have spent a lot of money. Of course, the franchises do understand this is an extraordinary situation, but they would look for good compensation form the BCCI, which recently hiked the staging fee and revoked the standing money earned by the four teams that make the playoffs.Another measure the governing council might consider, in case the conditions are not deemed fit to start the tournament from April 16, and the window is further shrunk, is to change the format for this season. This could probably be done by reducing the number of home and away matches, or by coming up with a revised format that could be a level-playing field for all eight teams.

The home side have again been able to keep the opposition low on runs and under pressure

Andrew McGlashan30-Dec-2019It has been a tough season for visiting captains to Australia against a dominant bowling attack. Between them, Kane Williamson and Azhar Ali have scored 119 runs in eight innings. It is not the only reason the home side are on the verge of a summer clean sweep, but it’s a big part of it.Williamson has one Test left, at the SCG, to turn the numbers around in what has been a series to forget. Some of the problems have been out of his control (injuries to Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson and the shot selection of some of his top order) but his captaincy has been under the microscope and the runs, that so often come in a torrent, have turned into a trickle.ALSO READ: McCullum counsels Williamson amid New Zealand strugglesOn another day the lbw decision in the second innings in Melbourne – that was shown to just be clipping the top of leg stump – would have gone his way, but such is the game in tough times. After a promising start to the first innings in Perth he fell to a spectacular catch at second slip by Steven Smith then gloved the first ball from Nathan Lyon to short leg in the second. His dismissal in the first innings at the MCG, a skewed top-edge pull, was one of more un-Williamson-like shots you will see.Former captain Brendon McCullum was critical of Williamson during the second Test although made the point of having a one-on-one conversation with him.”It’s not just Kane. Many of our players have had a pretty tough time over here and that’s the pressure that gets put on,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “You saw his dismissal it was pretty unlucky, and on another day it can be given not out and he carries on and could have got a hundred.”Kane is fine. Like all players you go through ups and downs and some times are more challenging. This is obviously a challenging part of his career, as it is with all players.”Kane Williamson walks off after his dismissal•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

For Australia it has been a case of a plan very much coming together. “It’s one of the things we most talk about in our strategy, make sure we keep the opposition captain under pressure so we are doing that at the moment,” coach Justin Langer told Cricket 360. “He’s a very, very good player, one of the gentlemen of the game, so if we can do that for the rest of the series it gives us a big advantage.”There has been an acknowledgment in recent years that Williamson, who captains across all formats, needs his workload managing. After this tour, New Zealand have a full visit by India before returning to Australia for ODIs then hosting them for T20Is to complete the season. Williamson missed the T20I series against England in November due to a hip problem but has also sat out the occasional match, although with the T20 World Cup less than a year away that will be a tricky balancing act. “Everything is always up for discussion and it’s always healthy to debate,” Stead said.In terms of the immediate prospects for the Sydney Test, New Zealand’s batsmen were given a template of how they can succeed from the unlikely source of makeshift opener Tom Blundell whose second Test century – following his debut hundred against West Indies when he was the wicketkeeper – was a stirring display for the embattled team.”The way he went about crafting his innings was exceptional in only his third test match, and first as an opener, showed the way that we have to find more from our guys,” Stead said. “He’s sat on the sidelines the last couple of series but you can see the improvements that are being made. It’s fantastic for him and our team that he showed the capabilities are there for us to perform against a great Australian team.”As far as how the squad as a whole is managing after two crushing defeats in a series that started with such high expectations for a side that had reached No. 2 in the world, Stead said team spirit remained intact and paid tribute to the vast numbers of travelling supporters who cheered them to the end at the MCG.”We were obviously beaten up a wee bit by Australia again. I want to acknowledge how well they played; we’re up against a quality team at the very top of their game. We’re a tight knit bunch and it’s not the first time we’ve been beaten and won’t be the last. Our ethos is about trying to find small improvements, day in and day out.”In my time involved in cricket in New Zealand I’m not sure I’ve ever seen or experienced anything like that. Our players acknowledged the crowd at the end, and if we could replicate that at every test ground…it felt like the Barmy Army that lifts England. Hearty congratulations to those people who got out and kept supporting us. When times were tough they kept singing and chanting and it was pretty special.”

Now chairman of selectors for Delhi senior and Under-23 teams, Bhandari has been assaulted by a group of men wielding hockey sticks and iron rods at a practice match in Delhi

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2019Amit Bhandari, the former India bowler and now chairman of selectors for Delhi senior and Under-23 teams, is in hospital after being attacked by men wielding hockey sticks and iron rods, during a practice match in Delhi on Monday. Bhandari, who suffered head and ear injuries, was watching a selection trials match with two other selectors at the St Stephen’s Cricket Ground for practice matches among senior Twenty20 probables. Bhandari was later taken to Sant Parmanand Hospital in Civil Lines in Delhi.The accused and his brother have been arrested, according to a report. “At around 1.15 pm (Monday) at St Stephens ground where trials were going on, one person Anuj Dheda, who was not selected, came and asked about his rejection and slapped Bhandari. Some 10-15 more boys came and hit him,” Nupur Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) told PTI. “Based on the complaint, a case has been registered and the accused and his brother Naresh were arrested,” the DCP said.The attack took place when the first match of the day was about to end. There was a second match scheduled. Eyewitnesses said when the players and other DDCA officials tried to intervene they were threatened they would be shot. A player present at the game said Bhandari was lucky he was able to run away and maintain distance with the attackers otherwise the injuries could have been much worse.Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Bishan Singh Bedi, three of Delhi’s foremost cricketers, condemned the incident and called for swift action. Gambhir went as far as to declare he would “personally ensure” the issue was dealt with, while Sehwag said it marked a “new low”.

Rajat Sharma, the president of DDCA, said they were trying to ascertain if this was a selection-related attack. “We are trying to procure all details of the incident,” Sharma told PTI. “As far as I have come to know, it is regarding one disgruntled player, who didn’t make it to the probables list for the National Under-23 tournament. The SHO [Station House Officer] from the local police station has reached the ground, and I have personally spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. The guilty will not go unpunished. I promise exemplary action against whoever is found involved in this misdeed. We will register an FIR.”

A CA investigation has found no evidence for further pursuit of the claim that an Australian player used a racial taunt against the England allrounder during the 2015 Ashes series

Daniel Brettig24-Sep-2018A Cricket Australia (CA) investigation of Moeen Ali’s allegation of a racial slur from an Australian player during the 2015 Ashes series has found no evidence for further pursuit of the claim.In an extract from his new book, Moeen stated that an Australian player had called him “Osama” during the first Test of the series, in Cardiff, and that he had told the England coach Trevor Bayliss, who then raised the matter with Australia’s then coach Darren Lehmann. However, the unnamed player involved denied the allegation, claiming he had called Moeen a “part-timer”.When Moeen’s account of events came to light, CA indicated that the governing body was in touch with the ECB, and that a further investigation would take place. The CA integrity unit, until recently headed by Iain Roy but now helmed by Sean Carroll, subsequently interviewed numerous Australian players from the 2015 Cardiff Test and team management, while also communicating with the ECB’s own integrity unit.The investigation concluded on the weekend, and it is understood that no other player said they heard the alleged remark. “We have followed up with the ECB and our team management and confirmed that the incident was investigated at the time, with a response provided to Moeen,” A CA spokesman said.”Moeen elected not to progress the matter any further and we have not been able to ascertain any new additional evidence through our enquiries. As such, the matter is considered closed. We take a zero-tolerance approach to remarks of this nature; they have no place in our sport, or in society and any allegations raised with us are treated seriously and respectfully.”Representatives of our country are expected to uphold a high standard of behaviours and values, and they are fully aware of the consequences should they fail to do this.”Bayliss has said that Moeen did not want the matter to be taken further, a process that would have involved the ICC and the racial vilification clauses of its code of conduct. “He didn’t want it to go any further. He was happy for it [to be dealt with between the two teams],” Bayliss told News Corporation. “He’s a very softly-spoken sort of a bloke. He doesn’t want to create too many problems for anyone.”I’m not going to make too much of it, it was bloody three years ago, let’s move on. [Cricket Australia] can do what they like I suppose, everyone has sort of forgotten about it and moved on since then. I don’t see it as any real big deal. It was a hard-fought series. But no, I thought [relations after that point] were OK. You’re not party to what goes on out on the field and certainly nothing else was reported or anything through that series so we just left it at that.”Under the CA code of conduct, the governing body would have had the option of re-opening the matter and laying a charge if new evidence had been found by the integrity unit.Meanwhile, CA’s own cultural reviews are believed to be in their closing stages, with the report on the organisation’s wider operations submitted by Simon Longstaff, the director of the Ethics Centre and has been viewed by the directors of the governing body’s Board. This review of the organisation is expected to be made public. According to the reviews’ terms of reference:”The first, overarching independent review will investigate whether any wider cultural, organisational and/or governance issues within CA, and more broadly within Australian cricket, should be addressed to ensure these events never occur again, either on tour or whilst playing in Australia. This review will investigate links between player behaviour (particularly on this tour of South Africa) and the organisational, governance and culture within CA and Australian cricket.”The separate player review will, in consultation with a small panel of current and past players, consider a behavioural Charter for the Australian men’s cricket teams that balances the performance demands of elite cricket with expectations of all Australians in regard to on- and off-field role modelling.”It is expected that at various stages the findings from this Wider Cultural, Organisational &/or Governance review will cross-check with the work of the panel that is exploring a Charter for the Australian men’s team – and, where appropriate, incorporate any findings or relevant information into its work.”The review of the Australian men’s team, conducted by the former Test opener Rick McCosker, is set to be submitted shortly, with a concurrent drafting of a charter for player behaviour also near to completion, as indicated by the national team captain Tim Paine before his departure for the tour of the UAE to play Pakistan last week.”Cricket Australia has committed to sharing the findings from the concurrent reviews before the season begins,” a CA spokesman said. “There are still a number of steps to be taken before the process is complete. At such time, we will engage key stakeholders, among them the media. It would be inappropriate to comment on speculation or provide a running commentary while the process is ongoing.”

After being benched from Bermuda’s first two matches for disciplinary reasons, Kamau Leverock blasted 66 off 43 balls to set up a 58-run win over Jersey

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Kuala Lumpur02-May-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsICC/Ian Jacobs

After being benched for Bermuda’s first two matches at the WCL Division Four for disciplinary reasons, star allrounder Kamau Leverock reminded Jersey of his talent with a devastating 66 off 43 balls to set up a 58-run win over Jersey at Kinrara Oval.Returning to the scene of Saturday’s training-session tirade that earned him a two-match ban, Leverock punished Jersey’s bowling attack after they had sent Bermuda in at the toss. Leverock, and his opening partner Okera Bascome, each hit a four and two sixes off Cornelis Bodenstein and Anthony Hawkins-Kay to take Bermuda to 32 for 0 in two overs. Leverock brought up a 28-ball fifty in the 10th over, off Charles Perchard.Leverock’s onslaught against Jersey’s bowlers was reminiscent of a similar shellacking two years ago, at the last Division Four in Los Angeles, when he smashed 137 off 111 balls.Elliot Miles eventually ended the opening stand at 52, but Leverock and captain Terryn Fray put on another 58 for the second wicket to take Bermuda to a commanding 110 for 1 in 15 overs.Bermuda’s scoring rate fell dramatically after Leverock’s dismissal, going at under four an over the rest of the way, until they were bowled out for 242 in the final over. The left-arm spin trio of Miles, Ben Stevens and Nat Watkins combined to take eight of the ten wickets.On what has been a good batting surface at the Kinrara Oval through the tournament, Jersey stuttered in reply, falling to 32 for 3 inside the Powerplay. Stevens once again provided a major contribution with the bat to give Jersey hope, top-scoring with 42 off 52 balls at No. 3. But Jersey were hurt by a number of batsmen failing to convert their starts in the middle and lower order.Offspinning allrounder Dion Stovell, who took the new ball and dismissed Peter Gough in the fourth over, came back to spin out the tail, finishing with 4 for 33 as Jersey were bowled out in the 43rd over for 184.

The team’s success in levelling the two-Test series against England means Bangladesh may persist with surfaces that take spin quite early

Mohammad Isam03-Nov-2016Pitches that start turning quite early could become the norm in the Test matches Bangladesh play at home. The series against England was played on such surfaces, and Bangladesh competed admirably. They came within 23 runs of victory in Chittagong before taking all 10 wickets in single session to level the series in Dhaka.While it would certainly enhance their biggest strength – spin bowling – it may also pose a challenge to the batsmen. But Bangladesh’s top three have showed signs of being up for it.Tamim Iqbal avoided some shots, assessing their risk to be too much, on a turning pitch but still made a century at a strike-rate of 70.74 in the second Test. His opening partner Imrul Kayes was fully committed to being aggressive, his 78 off only 120 balls in the second innings helped set a target beyond England’s reach. Mominul Haque, at No. 3, was his usual composed self and contributed with his 10th half-century.With confidence that their batsman can handle it, Bangladesh are set to welcome touring sides – especially those with a reputation of struggling in the subcontinent – with tailor-made pitches for the spinners.”I think wickets at home will be made according to our opponents,” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. “If we are playing against teams from the subcontinent, then I don’t think playing on such wickets will help us, but it will be different when we play against teams like Australia, England and New Zealand.”Tamim added that standing up to tough conditions was quite pleasing. He was the only batsman from either side to score a hundred in the two Tests. “It feels really good to have made runs in these kinds of difficult tracks. The team took a decision, and we stuck by it. The planning meant that we had to work hard, so scoring around 230 runs is something good.”I think my 78 in Chittagong has its own value. The ball spun a lot with many things out of the batsman’s control. The 104 in the second Test is most valuable among my hundreds against England, considering the conditions and the fact that we won the game.”Mominul’s had an additional challenge. He isn’t a regular in ODIs and T20Is and was coming into the Tests having not batted in international cricket for over a year. He got a three-ball duck in his first innings of the series, the outside edge carrying off the wicketkeeper’s leg to gully, but adjusted better later on with help from batting consultant Thilan Samaraweera.”When I was playing and got four months [off], it was very hard [coming back],” Samaraweera said, “Especially in the first innings of the first Test. However you train and whatever you do, when you come to the game, you are under pressure. That’s a different pressure. Importantly, you have to stick to the routines to get your body right for the game.”In the first inning of the first Test, the way he [Mominul] got out, that’s hard. The first few balls, you don’t know. We talked a little bit, different things. They are willing to work, that’s the key thing. Whatever I say, if they don’t listen to, it won’t work. But these boys are absolute superstars. Straightaway they work [at it].”Bangladesh’s limited-overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza also praised how the team read the pitches in Dhaka and Chittagong and attacked England.”The thing I liked the most was the batting approach, it was very positive. Since it was hard to stay in these wickets, the batsmen had to score rapidly. Batsmen like Alistair Cook and Joe Root didn’t do well, so it showed that settling in these wickets wasn’t easy.”Bangladesh’s batting was criticised because there were some bad shots and some untimely dismissals. While it is hard to deny such mistakes, what thrilled me was how they were able to read the wicket. They knew they had to play the shots, so guys like Tamim and Imrul batted very well. And at least one batsman stood up whenever necessary.”