Afghanistan have the habit of fluffing lines at important moments, and with the batting something of a weakness, Scotland will hope to strike early and put them under pressure

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur07-Mar-2016

Match facts

March 8, 2016
Start time 1500 local (0930 GMT)With bowlers like Dawlat Zadran, Afghanistan have the edge in terms of genuine pace•Chris Whiteoak

Big Picture

Since the start of 2015, Afghanistan have played 16 Twenty20 Internationals. They have won 13 of them and have the best win-loss ratio of team in the world since then.There is, of course, an asterisk next to those numbers. Afghanistan’s opponents in those 16 matches were Netherlands, United Arab Emirates (twice), Scotland, Hong Kong (three times), Papua New Guinea, Oman (four times) and Zimbabwe (four times). None of those teams features in the top ten of the ICC T20I rankings.That Afghanistan haven’t had a chance to play any of the top sides is mostly down to the way the cricket calendar is structured, and partly down to their own habit of fluffing their lines at important moments. Having begun the qualifying stage of the Asia Cup as overwhelming favourites, they promptly lost to UAE, and lost the opportunity to test themselves against India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It was reminiscent of the first round of the 2014 World T20, where defeat to Nepal ended their chances of clashing against the big boys.There should, therefore, be no complacency when Afghanistan prepare to meet Scotland, despite holding an 11-3 edge against them in their ODI and T20I meetings.It took an epic escape act, engineered by Samiullah Shenwari, for Afghanistan to sneak a win when the two sides last met in a tournament of this stature, in Dunedin during the 2015 World Cup.Scotland will start as underdogs for two reasons – the head-to-head record and the conditions. They have only won six of their 25 matches in Asia, and their seam-heavy bowling attack is unlikely to get too much help from the Nagpur pitch, which is likely to be a typically flat, subcontinental limited-overs surface rather than the minefield that hosted the India-South Africa Test in November.Afghanistan have the edge, both in terms of genuine pace, with an attack comprising Dawlat Zadran, and the recently recalled new-ball duo of Shapoor Zadran and Hamid Hassan, as well as spin, with options in Amir Hamza’s left-arm darts and Rashid Khan’s low-slung legbreaks.Afghanistan’s batting, however, remains something of a weakness, with their line-up often unable to recover from early setbacks. Scotland’s best chance, therefore, is to strike with the new ball and put the middle order under pressure.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan WWLWW
Scotland WLWLW

In the spotlight

Majid Haq is not a part of Scotland’s squad and hasn’t been since being sent back from the 2015 World Cup for disciplinary reasons. In the absence of their leading wicket-taker in international cricket, and in conditions where spin is likely to play a crucial role, 19-year-old Mark Watt will need to make an impact with his left-arm orthodox spin.Gulbadin Naib is that rare T20 batsman who hits with immense power but hits down the ground. His talent often goes underutilised, with Afghanistan tending to send him in at No. 6 or 7. However, of late, they have toyed with batting him up the order. He made a blistering half-century the last time he batted at No. 3, only to be demoted to the lower middle order again. There is a chance, though, that Afghanistan will have a rethink come World T20: Naib batted at No. 3 in their warm-up match against Netherlands, and struck 23 off 14 balls before he was run out.

Team news

Hamid Hassan is back in Afghanistan’s squad for the first time since July 2015, and bowled his full quota of four overs against Netherlands. Whether they play both Hamid and Shapoor Zadran, who has also returned after a long spell out of the side, could depend on the pitch, with left-arm spinner Amir Hamza likely to take one of their places if turn is expected.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Noor Ali Zadran, 3 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 4 Karim Sadiq, 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Dawlat Zadran, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Hamid Hassan, 11 Shapoor Zadran/Amir HamzaScotland have a fairly settled line-up, and the composition of their bowling attack could depend on conditions, with the No. 7 slot looking like a toss-up between Rob Taylor’s left-arm seam and Michael Leask’s offspin.Scotland (probable): 1 Kyle Coetzer, 2 Calum MacLeod, 3 Matthew Cross (wk), 4 Matt Machan, 5 Richie Berrington, 6 Preston Mommsen (capt), 7 Michael Leask/Rob Taylor, 8 Josh Davey, 9 Safyaan Sharif, 10 Mark Watt, 11 Alasdair Evans.

Pitch and conditions

The strip laid out for the India-South Africa Test in November earned the VCA Stadium an official warning from the ICC. It’s unlikely that the surfaces hosting the World T20 games will provide the spinners remotely as much assistance. ODI totals at the ground are a more reliable indicator of what to expect – in 14 innings, teams have crossed 290 ten times.

Stats and trivia

• Mohammad Shahzad (1145 runs in T20Is) has scored more than twice as many runs as Afghanistan’s second-highest T20I run-getter, Asghar Stanikzai (552).
• Afghanistan have a 5-0 record against Scotland in T20Is.

Rising Pune Supergiants have lost two games since their win in the tournament opener, and require a victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore to get their campaign back on track

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro21-Apr-2016

Match facts

Friday, April 22, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Rising Pune Supergiants’ inaugural IPL season got off to the perfect start with a thumping win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener. Supergiants have lost two games since, and require a victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore to revive their campaign.Royal Challengers, who also won their first game before losing two consecutively, have depended on a strong top order to mask their bowling fragility. Chris Gayle, who did not feature against Mumbai Indians, having flown to Jamaica to be with his partner for the birth of their first child, will miss this game too. Till Gayle returns, Royal Challengers could persist with KL Rahul opening and Travis Head at No. 5.Royal Challengers have failed to find a settled bowling combination. Barring Harshal Patel, no other specialist bowler has played all three games. West Indies legspinner Samuel Badree has been ruled out of the tournament after failing to recover from an injured shoulder, and has been replaced by the South African chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi.Supergiants haven’t found their best combination either. It isn’t often that MS Dhoni makes wholesale changes after two matches – Supergiants made three against Kings XI Punjab, including drafting in Thisara Perera and Irfan Pathan for Mitchell Marsh and Rajat Bhatia as like-for-like replacements. The batting has been held together by Faf du Plessis’ consistency (170 runs in three matches), but a misfiring middle order has been shown up. Supergiants have the personnel, but need to perform consistently to bid for a playoffs spot.

Form guide

Rising Pune Supergiants: LLW (most recent matches first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: LLW

In the spotlight

Ajinkya Rahane is a vital cog in Supergiants’ batting order. He started the season with an unbeaten 66 against Mumbai, but has scored only 30 runs over his next two games. A solid start could help an unsettled middle order come into its own.Shane Watson was the most expensive purchase at the IPL auction (INR 9.5 crores), and his all-round abilities have made a telling difference to the Royal Challengers line-up. He has bowled four overs in all games, taken four wickets, and scored 57 runs at a strike rate of 154.05. With his experience, he will be asked to bowl at crunch times and provide Royal Challengers with impetus towards the end with the bat.

Team news

Supergiants brought in Perera and Pathan against Kings XI, but neither enjoyed a productive game. Dhoni may be forced to make changes again.Rising Pune Supergiants (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Steven Smith, 5 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 6 Mitchell Marsh/Albie Morkel/Thisara Perera, 7 Rajat Bhatia/Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ankit Sharma, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 M AshwinRoyal Challengers made six changes for the match against Mumbai. Head and Rahul’s cameos mean they are likely to retain their place. Iqbal Abdullah picked up three wickets, but conceded 40 off his four overs. Will Yuzvendra Chahal return?Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable) 1 Virat Kohli (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Travis Head, 6 Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Kane Richardson, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal/Iqbal Abdullah, 11 Varun Aaron/S Aravind

Pitch and conditions

In the last T20 that Pune hosted, India were bowled out for 101 on a seaming deck against Sri Lanka. The pitch may not be as green as that night, but could retain its seam-friendly nature. There is no rain forecast.

Stats and trivia

• In 15 innings since the start of 2016, MS Dhoni has scored 190 runs at an average of 47.30, with a highest score of 30. He has only been dismissed four times.
• In the same period, Virat Kohli has scored 812 runs in 15 innings with an average of 101.50.

Sri Lanka might have feared the only thing they could catch in Durham would be a cold, but instead they caught a collection of stunners to keep England just about in sight on the opening day of the second Test

The Report by Andrew McGlashan27-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSri Lanka might have feared the only thing they could catch in Durham would be a cold, but instead they caught a collection of stunners to keep England just about in sight on the opening day of the second Test. Four of the wickets would easily fit into a ‘classic catches’ compilation and though the final score of 310 for 6 was healthy enough for England – and given the fragility of Sri Lanka’s batting may already be enough – there was a wastefulness about the dismissals.Both England’s openers missed milestones; Alastair Cook left waiting a little longer still to reach the 10,000-run milestone which he has been on the cusp of since January and Alex Hales throwing away the chance of a maiden century for the second innings running. Joe Root’s iffy conversion rate did not improve when he fell for 80 and shortly before the close the in-form Jonny Bairstow, after adding 70 in 19 overs with Moeen Ali either side of the new ball, bottom edged Nuwan Pradeep who finished the day with a worthy 3 for 69.Sri Lanka struck each time partnerships started to form. Hales and Root added 96 for the third wicket, the highest stand so far after Nick Compton’s lean run had continued when he was spectacularly caught at long leg by Suranga Lakmal from a top-edged hook. Hales moved to his fifty off 102 balls, clumping Rangana Herath over mid-on, but fell the ball after lofting Milinda Siriwardana straight for six when he tried to cut the left-arm spinner and Angelo Mathews held a stinging catch to his right at slip.To have worked hard against some decent pace bowling in consecutive Tests and then fall attacking the spinner in May will have left Hales cursing. He had played confidently, boosted by his 86 at Headingley, with another astute display of attack and defence. In tricky conditions, he waited for a delivery he was sure he could take advantage of and the standout part of his batting was the off-side driving which brought five of his boundaries.Nothing had seemed more certain than a Root century as he breezed his way into the 80s. He was jaunty before lunch, when scoring had been hard work for the top three against some tight bowling, and progressed serenely during the afternoon, with a 70-ball half-century, barring a tight stumping appeal against Herath when he just managed to push his back foot over the line.A sluggish outfield kept the boundary count down, but Root’s deft placement and scampering between the wickets more than compensated to such an extent that England scored at four an over during the afternoon session. However, shortly after tea, Pradeep got a delivery to bounce awkwardly at Root and he spooned a catch into the covers – by far the simplest of the catches taken. Root had a face of thunder as he stomped off and thumped his bat as he strode up the pavilion steps: since the start of 2015 he has fallen between 70 and 98 on nine occasions.James Vince, having shown glimpses of his cover driving, completed the quartet to be acrobatically dismissed when he carelessly drove in the air to short cover. It gave Siriwardana his second of the day and was bonus for Sri Lanka from a player brought in to strength the batting, at the expense of Dasun Shanaka, but it may also have left Herath scratching his head a little about when his 300th wicket would arrive.There would have been a strong temptation for Cook to stick Sri Lanka in on overcast morning after they managed just 91 and 119 in similar conditions last week at Headingley. However, the occasional signs of uneven bounce and some turn for Herath suggested he made the correct call.Cook had looked compact as he set out collecting the 20 needed to tick off the 10,000 landmark and played a delightful whip-pull to open his boundary account before, on the stroke of the first hour, he was undone by the round-the-wicket line of Lakmal which the paceman had switched to just the previous ball. The delivery was short of a length and could have been ignored, but Cook jabbed at it and the catch was held by a tumbling Dimuth Karunaratne at second slip to begin Sri Lanka’s impressive catching theme.Both morning dismissals came from smart pieces of bowling with Pradeep out-thinking Compton with a rare bouncer. Lakmal put in a nine-over spell with the new ball although even that extended burst was unlikely to have worked up much of a sweat in conditions that saw the Sri Lankans retain multiple layers, but he certainly hadn’t cooled to a stand-still when Compton’s top edge flew in his direction. For a moment it appeared he had misjudged the chance, but managed to arch his body and take the ball diving backwards then, equally impressively, keep himself inside the boundary rope. It was reward for a hard-working spell from Pradeep, who had threatened the pads of the batsmen with some late movement.Compton had spoken before the match about playing for his Test future, and a 34-ball stay which included a close call for lbw against Herath, which replays showed would have taken a good chunk of leg stump although was umpire’s call, and a dicey single will not have furthered his cause. This series began with question marks over both Compton and Hales after their uncertain returns in South Africa and already, less than halfway into the series, fortunes are diverging.

The ICC has agreed to support Sri Lanka Cricket and Kusal Perera’s claim for costs and damages from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Jul-2016The ICC has agreed to support Sri Lanka Cricket and Kusal Perera’s claim for costs and damages from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said.Perera had been suspended after a Qatar-based lab found a banned substance in his urine sample, but the doping charges were dropped in May when an independent analyst found that the WADA-accredited lab’s findings were not sustainable.Though the ICC had previously said it “does not accept that it is responsible” for the consequences the lab’s findings, SLC believes it has got the ICC’s support in its attempt to obtain both costs and compensation from WADA itself.Sumathipala said the board’s request for compensation for Perera received widespread support at the recent ICC meeting in Edinburgh.”We appealed to the ICC about the injustice that had happened to Kusal, and we were given an audience at the CEOs’ meeting. I must say the committee comprising of the CEOs unanimously supported our claim,” he said. “Then it came to the board meeting, and at the board meeting we made the appeal that there should be compensation – not just the cost. It was decided that the costs and the compensation should be paid to him, because the ICC took the position that the claim made by Kusal is fair and justifiable. ICC decided to stand by Sri Lanka Cricket and support the claim.”SLC said it spent about 13 million Sri Lankan rupees (US $92,000 approx) on fighting the case. The player himself is expected to pay this figure back to the board, according to Perera’s management. The board, however, has been adamant that those responsible for the imposition of the five-month suspension on Perera should ultimately bear the costs. Sumathipala suggested that no less than 35 million rupees (US $246,000) was appropriate, given Perera’s loss of earnings during the suspension, and the “damage to his reputation”.”This kind of compensation has never ever been paid to anybody in the history of cricket,” Sumathipala said. “The ICC and SLC are together in this – the money is ultimately coming from WADA, through the ICC, to Kusal. It is a new experience for WADA as well.”Sumathipala said the board was optimistic WADA would provide compensation, as it has already accepted there was a flaw in its processes. “I don’t think we will have to go to court over it,” he said. According to Sumathipala, the ICC and WADA have also blacklisted the Qatar-based lab.Discussions with WADA are believed to be in their very early stages, though, and Perera himself is yet to be brought up to speed on the situation. SLC officials are expected to meet with Perera and his management after the player returns from the England tour on Thursday.Perera missed a full tour of New Zealand, bilateral T20s against India, the Asia Cup and the World T20 as a result of the suspension. He was also ineligible for this year’s IPL auction, as well as the initial Test squad for England as he had only recently returned to training.

Craig Ervine’s maiden Test ton and 148-run sixth-wicket stand with debutant Peter Moor took Zimbabwe to within 77 runs of avoiding the follow-on

The Report by Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo08-Aug-2016Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:58

By the numbers – Ervine’s ton and Moor’s record on debut

Zimbabwe celebrate their heroes on August 8, and in Craig Ervine they certainly found one. His maiden Test ton and 148-run sixth-wicket stand with debutant PJ Moor took Zimbabwe to within 78 runs of avoiding the follow-on. Perhaps more crucially, he frustrated a New Zealand attack that now has a maximum of two days – could be lesser if the visitors have to bat – to take 14 wickets and on a flat Queens Sports Club surface.In their favour is the fact that New Zealand have discovered the best way to break through – reverse swing. With the second new ball that is more than 30 overs old, they may start looking for it again early on fourth morning. When they found it with their first ball, they made life uncomfortable for the Zimbabwean line-up, who were suffocated with close fields to the spinners.With just eight Tests under his belt, Ervine, the most experienced of Zimbabwe’s line-up going into this match, played the way a senior should. His approach combined caution with clever stroke-play and ensured the scoreboard kept ticking over. Zimbabwe scored 250 runs on the day, 120 in the final session alone. The dismissal of Moor for 71 in the last half hour lifted the morale of the visitors, who were run ragged after a spirited start.Ervine was needed after Zimbabwe’s openers – Chamu Chibhabha and Tino Mawoyo – gave the team their best start in 13 Tests, over five years, with a 65-run stand. Chibhabha was lucky to survive a confident shout off a Trent Boult delivery that tailed back in late. There was a bat-pad noise which may have put umpire Paul Reiffel off.His opening partner Mawoyo appeared to be better equipped to play defensively and bullishly. He fronted up to Neil Wagner’s short-ball strategy before inside-edging a drive onto the stumps.After they were separated, Sikandar Raza, batting at No. 3 in place of the injured Hamilton Masakadza, squandered an opportunity to present his case further. By then, a spell of uncertainty had been woven into the Zimbabwean mindset. For 9.3 overs, Raza looked to have put away his aggressive streak but then drove lazily at a wide Wagner delivery with no foot movement to give Kane Williamson at gully a present on his 26th birthday.Chibhabha, for all his fidgeting, had shown ability to occupy the crease. He fought his way to fifty and looked like he would see out the opening session. But Williamson’s decision to introduce spin in the form of Mitchell Santner paid off as Chibhabha drove with hard hands to find short cover.New Zealand could have had one more in the opening session when Southee tempted Ervine to drive, only to see Ross Taylor grass an opportunity in the slips. Instead, they had to wait until after the break when Prince Masvaure brought about his own dismissal as the ball bounced back off a half-hearted defense to hit leg stump.That brought Zimbabwe’s most assured pair of Ervine and Sean Williams together. While they were watchful, they also cashed in when the bad balls came their way. Williams, fresh off a century in the previous Test, was in sparkling form till he was adjudged lbw off a premeditated reverse-sweep against Ish Sodhi.After a period of settling in, Moor scored freely, especially off the second new ball, which became available with 25 minutes left in the session. But Williamson, who waited until there were only 10 overs left before taking it, may need to wait a little longer before it brings rewards.

Officials from the BCCI are due to meet with members of the WICB in Florida on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the possibility of staging a series of T20 internationals at the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida next month

Peter Della Penna27-Jul-2016Officials from the BCCI are due to meet with members of the WICB in Florida on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the possibility of staging a series of T20 internationals at the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida next month.According to Duncan Finch, Broward Parks & Recreation Manager, WICB officials contacted him to discuss the availability for potentially hosting two-three T20Is in Florida at the conclusion of the ongoing four-Test series between West Indies and India, which is scheduled to end in Trinidad on August 22.”We had an email inquiring about late-August availability of the stadium by representatives of the WICB last week,” Finch told ESPNcricinfo. “We have August 24 to 27, and they were asking about Sunday, August 28, as well. We would have to cancel a small event to give them the Sunday.”Sources have also confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the WICB has reached out to the ICC for sanctioning permission to host the games in the USA. In 2012, the West Indies board had to go through the USA Cricket Association as the home governing body in America to receive approval to play two T20Is against New Zealand. That power, however, was stripped from USACA as part of the ICC’s decision to suspend the American board in June 2015. If an agreement can be reached, these would be the first Full Member matches in the USA since that 2012 series.The Florida facility will host six Caribbean Premier League games between July 28 and 31. The USA national team is also due to hold selection trial matches from August 1 to 3 to help finalise a 14-man squad for WCL Division Four in October. The square itself only contains four pitches, two of which are being used as center practice wickets for the CPL and the other two reserved for the six CPL matches, which could pose a challenge in terms of making sure there is a wicket prepared to a suitable standard at the stadium should an agreement be reached between the BCCI and WICB. However, the Lauderhill facility is the only ICC-certified ODI stadium in the USA, making it the only possible venue in the country to stage a potential T20I series.While no other cricket is scheduled to be held there until November, the facility is regularly rented out to FC Barcelona, who conducted a series of camps at the facility immediately prior to the CPL. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers, a second division US soccer franchise, also recently signed a contract to make the Central Broward Regional Park their new home stadium and training facility.The Strikers’ first game at the CBRP is August 20 with the next fixture after that scheduled for August 31. Though the cricket square was dug up three years ago and moved 20 yards north to protect it from being damaged by soccer use, the Strikers games could pose problems for maintaining the outfield, which was in poor condition following the FC Barcelona camps in late June and early July. CBRP ground staff have worked around the clock over the past week to improve the state of the outfield leading into the CPL games beginning on Thursday.

Neil Wagner credited fellow left-armer Trent Boult for New Zealand’s progress on the first day of the Durban Test

Firdose Moonda in Durban19-Aug-2016Trent Boult bristled when he was reminded of the back niggle that kept him out for a part of last year’s international action.”What injury?” was his response, when asked if he considered himself to be back at his best. Then, he brushed it off as something confined to ancient history, not a mere 12 months ago, and insisted it had no impact on the speeds he was bowling.In Zimbabwe, Boult averaged in the late 120s. Perhaps what he could not say was that the surfaces and the opposition – unresponsive and inexperienced – did not require him to bend his back. Perhaps he knew he needed to save that for South Africa. And he has.Be it the natural progression that comes with recovery, or a conscious effort to be more clinical, Boult was just as difficult to get away and more dangerous in Durban. His first two spells cost just 18 runs and yielded two wickets, both off good deliveries and not poor shots, and it was only in the third spell, when he searched for reverse swing that things became a little untidy.More notable was the fact that he was quicker than he was in Bulawayo – with an average speed of 134 kph and hitting 141.5 kph for the day’s fastest ball – and he continued to find late movement, forcing the batsmen to pay full attention to every ball. “Trent bowled really well to start, and that set the day up for us. He looked like he was in great rhythm,” Neil Wagner said.Boult got rid of two of South Africa’s most assured batsmen – opener Stephen Cook and Hashim Amla – and bored their way into a still-fragile middle-order, which could not ride out pressure for long enough to post substantial scores. Fortunately for New Zealand’s other bowlers, they did not need to emulate Boult to get reward. “Quite a few of us got out to deliveries in ways that could have been avoided,” Amla said.Dean Elgar, JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock were the guiltiest parties. All three squandered starts with careless strokes, which seemed to be in line with South Africa’s policy of starting more strongly than they have in the past. Instead of criticising it, Amla examined the merits of the more aggressive approach, while adding that South Africa would need it to pay off before they can completely embrace it.”I tried to bat normally. It wasn’t a conscious effort to score quickly. If I look at anybody else, they were hitting the half-volleys and cut shots. That’s what you need to do to score runs,” Amla said. “Someone like Quinny [Quinton de Kock] has been around for three or four years and he is aggressive by nature. He plays that way. He got a quick 30 and had he not got out, we would have been in a good position. As he becomes more experienced, he will work it out. He played exceptionally well to get us some momentum, but, unfortunately, he didn’t bat through.”Now South Africa find themselves in what Amla has admitted is “not a great position,” as they look to “scrape some runs tomorrow morning,” against a New Zealand attack that can see the finish line and understands that it needs to approach it as Boult did on day one. “With the wicket having a little bit more bounce here, your margin of error was a little smaller in Bulawayo,” Wagner said. “As a bowler, you can get a little bit carried away here, but I thought everybody bowled exceptionally well in partnerships today. We are pretty happy with where we are, but we know we still need to get two crucial wickets tomorrow and then go in with the bat and apply ourselves.”

Ben Stokes was elevated to vice-captain for the one-day series in Bangladesh and he took it upon himself to stir England into action when the first match was slipping away

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2016Ben Stokes can inspire with words and deeds. With the opening one-day international in Mirpur quickly running away from England, Stokes took advantage of a break in play to remind his team-mates that they had to fight to the end.That end was a Bangladesh collapse of 6 for 17 in 39 balls, started by Jake Ball’s two wickets in two deliveries, as England went from near defeat to a 21-run victory.Stokes, whose leadership qualities have been admired by Trevor Bayliss since he became coach, was named vice-captain for this series after Jos Buttler’s elevation to the captaincy in place of Eoin Morgan.He has been given the freedom to intervene on the field when he feels it is required, partly because of the workload on Buttler as a wicketkeeper-captain, and took it upon himself to rally the team when the Bangladesh batsmen needed treatment for cramp in brutal conditions.”It’s something I would always do. I felt like the situation needed it to happen,” Stokes said. “I said to Jos about two overs before, rather than hoping the result can go our way and waiting for our wicket before we can all get together, is it worth calling everyone in for a quick two-minute chat?

Stokes tries to lift Durham’s mood

Ben Stokes’ rallying calls are not restricted to on the field in Bangladesh. He has been a key figure in lifting the mood back at Durham after their relegation and points deduction following an ECB financial bail-out.
He said the ECB’s intervention had saved Durham from going under and though it’s the players who will suffer most they can also lead the revival.
“The best thing is that we are still a first-class county and it’s looking very unlikely that we will get back into Division One next year, but as soon as the news broke, Colly and myself were trying to be the driving points for everyone. This is what’s happened, let’s deal with it.
“The senior guys have been really good. They said, we’ve been for this long, we’ve grown up together, and obviously it’s a clean slate for Durham, so let’s try to get us back to where we belong.”

“The two guys were in and they were going to win it unless we got them out. A talk like that switches everyone back on rather than thinking ‘oh this game is going to go unless we get a wicket’. After that, everyone went away and thought, right, let’s get two and try to kill the game off.”Stokes is more than happy for the ‘big calls’ to stay with Buttler but believes he has the experience to help make a difference.”Jos is the one who makes the big calls, so you don’t want to be stepping too far out of your box, but if I feel the time is right and it’s needed then I will do it,” he said. “He’s the man in command, so I’m leaving the big calls down to him.””Farby [Paul Farbrace] mentioned to me how much Jos has on his plate as keeper and captain. He gave me the freedom, if I think of something, rather than going to Jos, if I think that it’s necessary then I’ll go and talk it through with the bowler, or if there are any field placings.”The first act of Stokes’ day was to inspire with the bat, compiling his maiden ODI century after striding to crease with England tottering on 63 for 3 in front of a crowd baying for more Bangladesh success. Alongside debutant Ben Duckett he added 153, moving to his century from 98 deliveries to tick off one of his major aims for the year.He has previously spoken about how he believed he had under-delivered with the bat in one-day cricket – although in his earlier days he was shunted around the order to his detriment – and his hundred meant it was twice in two ODIs he had improved his career-best and his last three ODI innings now read 69, 75 and 101.”It’s one of the things that I wanted to do when I got back from injury and was able to play the one-day series against Pakistan, was to put in some more consistent performances and it’s nice to back the words up by going out and doing it.”I said to myself I wanted to try to get this first ODI [century] before 2016 finished and I have managed to do it, but now I have done that I won’t just be happy with one, I want a couple more in the games we have coming up.”

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.”

Chris Gayle made his first appearance in this season’s BPL and made it felt straightaway

The Report by Mohammad Isam27-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Gayle struck two consecutive sixes twice•BCB

Chris Gayle, on his first day at this year’s BPL, provided the only entertainment of the day as Chittagong Vikings waltzed past Rangpur Riders’ 124 with nine wickets in hand, their fourth win in a row. The two teams are now on ten points each, though Chittagong are ahead on net run rate.Gayle played cautiously for 17 deliveries for 11 runs before opening his shoulders for two consecutive sixes off Sohag Gazi in the seventh over. He struck Shahid Afridi for two consecutive sixes in the ninth over but fell trying a third, caught by Anwar Ali at mid-on.Mirpur’s well-populated eastern gallery started to empty as soon as Gayle walked back to the pavilion after making 40 off 26 balls with two fours and the four sixes.Tamim Iqbal was not a quiet bystander at the other end, striking nine fours and a six in his third fifty in this season’s BPL. He was unbeaten 62 off 48 balls after he struck two consecutive fours to finish the match with four overs to spare.But it was the Chittagong bowlers’ continued disciplinary vein that rattled Rangpur’s powerful batting line-up. Mohammad Nabi and Taskin Ahmed finished with two wickets while Saqlain Sajib and Subashis Roy conceded 17 runs from their four overs each.Soumya Sarkar was once again cut short after getting a start, falling for a 21-ball 26 with two fours and a six. What mostly hurt Rangpur’s effort was the relative failure of Mohammad Shahzad and Mohammad Mithun, who contributed 21 and 12 respectively.Liam Dawson, who was brilliantly caught by Zakir Hasan running in from deep midwicket, and Afridi also fell cheaply while captain Naeem Islam retired hurt with a leg injury. Anwar struck a four and a six towards the end to lend some more meat to Rangpur’s modest total but it was not enough.