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Naseem likely to miss entire ODI World Cup with injured shoulder

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Initial scans in Dubai appear to show the injury could rule him out for the rest of year and even the Australia tour

Danyal Rasool16-Sep-2023Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah is likely to miss the entire World Cup after scans revealed an injury to his right shoulder that is worse than was initially suspected. The PCB is understood to be seeking a second opinion, but scans from tests in Dubai appear to show the injury could rule him out for the rest of year. A note from the board on Saturday evening said, “the PCB medical panel will decide on the fast bowler’s return to cricket based on further assessments.”Should secondary results back up the initial ones, Naseem could be looking at a long layoff. His participation in the Test series in Australia at the turn of the year is in doubt, and he could also miss the next Pakistan Super League in 2024.Naseem walked off in the middle of the 46th over during Pakistan’s second game against India at the Asia Cup last week on the reserve day organised for that game, and was ruled out of the tournament soon after. The PCB had, ironically, pushed for that reserve day for the game against India, as a hard-won concession after the games weren’t moved to Hambantota, which was expected to be drier. It was on that reserve day that Naseem sustained the injury to a muscle just below his bowling shoulder, one that ESPNcricinfo understands is not a recurrence of any previous shoulder injuries.Related

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  • Naseem Shah out of Asia Cup with shoulder injury

Naseem’s absence from the World Cup, as well as the subsequent series in Australia, will come as a huge blow for Pakistan. Over the past year, Naseem has gone from a red-ball specialist to an all-format bowler for Pakistan, and on current form is the best of Pakistan’s much-vaunted triumvirate of Naseem, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.The PCB is expected to make an official decision once it has results from his secondary scans in a few days. He was replaced at the Asia Cup by Zaman Khan, while Mohammad Hasnain, another possible replacement, is currently also injured.Naseem has had injury issues in these early stages of his career. A back injury he sustained one year into his international career, when he was 17, kept him out of cricket for 14 months. Six weeks after his return, he was sidelined for a month with a shoulder injury he suffered on his debut in the County Championship with Gloucestershire.In the 18 months since, his workload has increased significantly. While he was only a red-ball player at the time, Naseem has become a crucial bowler for Pakistan across all formats. He is their most potent bowler since making his ODI debut, with 32 wickets in 14 matches while averaging just under 17.But that workload, especially with someone as young as Naseem, has built up quite steeply. Since July 2022, only eight fast bowlers have bowled more international deliveries than Naseem’s 2246, none of them nearly as young as Naseem. Afridi and Haris Rauf combined have only bowled 2732 balls. In addition, Naseem has also been in demand on the T20 circuit, recently coming off the LPL. On Friday he was included in the SA20 auction shortlist, a tournament he is now almost certain to miss.

CA, CSA oppose WICB's release-fee concept

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CA and CSA have voiced opposition to the WICB’s decision to levy a 20% release fee for NOCs to West Indian cricketers seeking to play in overseas T20 leagues

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Nov-2016Cricket South Africa (CSA) and Cricket Australia (CA) have strongly objected to the WICB’s decision to charge a release fee in order to provide a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to Caribbean players participating in overseas Twenty20 tournaments. The WICB had decided to impose a levy of 20% of a player’s contract fee, which it says should be paid by the host board in order for West Indies players to participate in their T20 tournaments.The news came to light earlier this week when it was leaked that WICB informed Kieron Pollard, on November 3, that he would not be given the NOC to travel to South Africa for their domestic T20 tournament, where he plays for the Cape Cobras.In a subsequent media release on Tuesday, the WICB issued an explanation of its decision, which it said was a policy move made by its board of directors. But later in the day, WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead said Pollard had been granted the NOC without any condition. Muirhead added that the WICB would carry on the dialogue with the other boards.”While we do not wish to act in restraint of trade, we must seek a balance to ensure that there is fair and adequate compensation for the investment made in the players,” the WICB release said. “What WICB seeks is some compensation to recognise the investment made into players, an investment from which another Full Member is benefitting.”However, other boards disagreed. Both CSA and CA said they did not support the proposal and pointed out that it was recently tabled for the first time by the WICB, but not agreed upon, at the Cape Town round of ICC meetings held in October.”It was a WICB proposal, but not supported by any other member at the time,” CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said. “It was the first time the topic was raised and it was concluded by all that we should reflect on it as a part of all of the other reforms or regulations that we are presently working on to support the primacy of international cricket.”Lorgat said the WICB decision to go solo without proper consideration and agreement with other stakeholders was inappropriate. “I was quite surprised by the approach of the WICB because we had discussed this concept in a very preliminary way at the last chief executives committee (CEC) meeting in Cape Town. As an isolated measure, we cannot support it at this stage.”Muirhead told ESPNcricinfo that WICB president Dave Cameron had said the concept was first discussed by the ICC board of directors at a meeting earlier this year. “I understand from my President that it was approved at the ICC board level, which is above the CEC. The Board agreed to the concept that [the] fee would be charged. I have not seen the minutes itself, but this is what he told me.”Haroon Lorgat said such a fee is more appropriate for a league like the IPL, which is played over two months•Getty Images

Muirhead said the ICC might have discussed the issue further on its own and perhaps pointed out some “practical” issues, which led to the discussion once again by the CEC in Cape Town in October.”It came up for discussion at the CEC [meeting] and then they took that back to the Board. But there was an initial approval at the board level earlier.”According to Lorgat, the WICB decision was surprising because the ICC members had agreed that the concept of a release fee needed more discussion to understand the full implications.He confirmed that CSA had responded to the WICB saying it would not support the payment of release fees at this stage. “We have written back saying we are not in a position to agree to pay release fees when neither our board nor the ICC members have properly considered the concept.”That opinion was supported by CA, too. “We are aware of the issues pertaining to West Indies Cricket Board releasing players for other domestic leagues and are in discussion with them on this,” a CA spokesperson said. “Cricket Australia does not support the proposal suggesting that release fees be paid by home member boards to WICB in order for West Indies players to play in their domestic leagues. This matter was briefly discussed and rejected by member board CEOs at the recent ICC Chief Executives’ meeting in Cape Town.”Administrators – in the ICC and of the Full Members – have been concerned about the rising popularity of domestic T20 tournaments, which have eaten into the viewership of the other formats of the game. What has also bothered many boards is players opting to retire from international cricket to become free agents, in order to lengthen their T20 shelf life.As such, Lorgat said a release fee was appropriate in the case of the IPL, which is played over nearly two months every year when all international cricket effectively comes to a standstill, as players from most countries participate in the lucrative tournament in India. In addition, the BCCI does not release their players to the other leagues. For these reasons the BCCI pays member boards a certain fee by way of compensation.”It should clearly apply to the BCCI because all the other countries have effectively created a window for the IPL and thus lost the opportunity to commercialise their international rights during that period,” Lorgat said. “That is why the BCCI compensates the other member boards. It is clearly very different.”But Lorgat added that the same formula could not be mechanically applied to other member boards.”Without having worked on the details and the implications, I have a feeling that the smaller boards will be disadvantaged by the payment of release fees, or it would simply end up all square between the various boards with similar amounts being paid to each other.”

Broad to Cummins: 'All these boos are for you'

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Stuart Broad said he was amazed that no senior Australian player questioned the morality of Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2023Stuart Broad was “amazed that not one senior player” in the Australian team “questioned what they had done” during or after the hotly-debated dismissal of Jonny Bairstow in the Lord’s Test.Writing in his column for the two days after a heated fifth day at Lord’s, where England lost to go 2-0 down in the Ashes, Broad brought up the cultural review Australia had gone through in the aftermath of ball-tampering scandal involving sandpaper in Cape Town in 2018.”What amazed me, and what I told the Australians I could not believe as we left the field at lunch, was that not one senior player among them — and I very much understand in the emotion of the game that the bowler and wicketkeeper would have thought ‘that’s out’ — questioned what they had done.”Especially given what their team has been through over recent years, with all their cultural change. Not one of them said: ‘Hang on, lads. I’m not really sure about this.’ Not one of them thought: ‘He’s gaining no advantage. He’s not trying to get a run. It’s the end of the over. It’s a bit of a random dismissal. We should cancel that appeal.'”Ultimately, Pat Cummins is a really great guy and I would be amazed, once the emotion settles, if he does not sit back and think, ‘I got that one wrong’, even though his bottom line at the time was winning a Test match.”Related

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  • Usman Khawaja condemns 'disrespectful' behaviour from MCC members

  • Ashes finds its flashpoint as Bairstow stumping ignites England

The incident occurred when England were five down and needed a further 178 runs to win: Bairstow ducked underneath a short ball from Cameron Green, scratched the crease with his boot and walked down the pitch towards his partner Ben Stokes at the non-striker’s end. Before Bairstow had begun to leave his ground, wicketkeeper Alex Carey had gathered the ball on the bounce and, in one motion, under-armed a throw at stumps at the striker’s end. The on-field umpires, Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney, referred the decision to TV umpire Marais Erasmus who gave the batter out – and the dismissal was recorded as stumped. Bairstow glared at the Australian huddle as he walked off and boos rang out around Lord’s. The crowd – who have been largely subdued throughout the first four days of this Test – then chanted repeatedly: “Same old Aussies, always cheating.”Broad said, for him, the crux of the matter was whether Bairstow was “looking to gain an advantage” and dismissed comparisons to previous incidents where England were the team trying to effect the dismissal.

“Yes, I have seen a clip from earlier in the match when in his guise as wicketkeeper, Jonny himself threw the ball at the stumps. But that was because Marnus Labuschagne was batting outside of his crease — in doing so, attempting to take the lbw out of the game. In other words, seeking an advantage,” Broad wrote. “Clips of Colin de Grandhomme being run out in the Lord’s Test last year have done the rounds, too, and that is just the most ludicrous comparison ever, because he got hit on the pad coming down the pitch, was searching for a run and Ollie Pope threw down the stumps from gully. Again, trying to gain an advantage.”With regards to the Jonny incident, zero advantage was being taken there: he let the ball go, scratched his mark within the crease, and acknowledging it as the end of the over, went to speak to Ben Stokes. And if you look at the footage of when the stumps were broken, one umpire has got the bowler’s cap in his hand, the other is head down, walking in from square leg — actions that suggest they too thought the over had finished.”So, within the laws of the game, is the ball still live because Alex Carey catches it and throws it? Probably. Is there any advantage being taken by England? No. Does a full stadium of people think that ball has been and gone? Yes. On BBC radio commentary, Jonathan Agnew has already moved on from the calling of the ball.”And while Broad did not condone the abuse the Australian players received from some MCC members as they walked through the long room at Lord’s at the lunch interval, he did not think it was unusual. He also elaborated on his prolonged exchange of words with the Australian players after he replaced Bairstow in the middle. “The Lord’s crowd are obviously huge cricket lovers and never before have I seen a reaction from them like that. They were so angry. I am not saying that the MCC members shouting at players was right but having toured Australia four times, I certainly do not think hostile behaviour towards away teams is unusual.Stuart Broad: ‘I am always better when I’m in a bit of a battle. I normally try and pick a fight with someone on the opposition but on this occasion I picked a fight with the whole team’•Getty Images

“The red mist came over me, too, when I arrived at the crease to replace Jonny, and some of what I said was picked up on the stump mics — which naively, given my experience, I didn’t really think about. I was angered by Australia’s decision, particularly having heard their lines about creating a new legacy as a team, and how they have changed since the tour of South Africa in 2018. I just said to Pat on repeat: ‘All these boos are for you, for your decision.’ And: ‘What a great opportunity you had to think clearly.'”Also, I needed to support Ben Stokes in any way, shape or form I could, and I am always better when I’m in a bit of a battle. I normally try and pick a fight with someone on the opposition but on this occasion I picked a fight with the whole team.”To Alex Carey, I said: ‘This is what you’ll be remembered for, and that’s such a shame.’ It may have been a bit silly, but I also shouted ‘in’ every time I crossed the line. It annoyed the Australians for maybe half-an-hour, although after two-and-a-half hours, they were probably a bit bored of it.The third Ashes Test begins on Thursday, and Broad was of the view shared by Stokes, Cummins and Brendon McCullum that it would be fiery. “Headingley is not the quietest place at the best of times but this week we will have to use the atmosphere to our advantage.”

England confident weary bowlers will be ready for Lord's

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

“If he’s available, he will be selected,” McCullum says amid concerns around Moeen’s spinning finger

Matt Roller21-Jun-2023England hope that a week’s gap between the first and second Ashes Tests will enable their bowling attack time to recover ahead of back-to-back fixtures at Lord’s and Headingley, following a heavy workload at Edgbaston this week.The second men’s Test starts on June 28 at Lord’s and England are only expected to train twice before then, giving their bowlers time to recharge after spending 208.4 overs in the field during their two-wicket defeat to Australia in Birmingham.”Seven days is actually quite a long time to give everyone a good rest,” Ben Stokes, England’s captain, said. “We’ll meet up again in three or four days’ time I think, and we’ll assess how everyone’s going and we’ll have to make a decision from there.”There is particular concern around Moeen Ali’s spinning finger, which he cut open on the second day of the first Test on his return to red-ball cricket following a 21-month absence. Moeen was clearly struggling to grip the ball and only bowled seven overs on the final day – precisely the moment when Stokes would have hoped to lean heavily on his primary spinner.”I told Mo to tell me if his finger was sore, and I’d sensed that it was even before that,” Stokes said. “For him to come back into his first Test match and operate in the way that he did and really put himself through the pain barrier for the team [was great].”You could see what it meant to him going out to play for England again with a huge smile on his face. I selected him for his match-winning moments. He had a few of them with the ball and nearly got us over the line… [The break] gives Mo a good chance for his finger to heal up.”Related

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England are yet to decide if they will call up another spinner as cover for Moeen, but were expected to discuss the possibility on Wednesday. Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks are among the front-runners if they decide to do so. They may also consider fielding a four-man seam attack at Lord’s, not least after Joe Root’s tidy returns with his offbreaks across the first Test – though Brendon McCullum said that Moeen would play if available.”I thought Mo did a great job,” McCullum said. “He bowled a couple of absolute jaffas in the game and that was what his role was, to try and make breakthroughs when he had the opportunity with the ball, and with the bat, to try to disrupt it a little bit. I thought he did that pretty well too.”We’ll monitor Mo’s finger over the next few days and hopefully he’ll come right for the next one. You have planning for everyone… but I’m pretty confident that over the next few days, we can get on top of Mo’s finger and that’ll give us an opportunity to select him in the next game. If he’s available, he will be selected.”Stokes marked Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson out for putting in “incredible” shifts on the last evening but James Anderson, for so long the leader of England’s attack, had an off-game. He returned match figures of 1 for 109 and was overlooked when England took the second new ball in the final stages of the Test.Speaking before play started on Tuesday, Anderson admitted to Sky Sports that he was “still searching for a bit of rhythm” on his return from a groin niggle that kept him out for over a month, including England’s 10-wicket win over Ireland.James Anderson chats with Ben Stokes•PA Photos/Getty Images

“It’s been difficult,” Anderson added. “I feel like I do need a bit of game time to get back into it and it has been five-six weeks since I last played. I feel like I’ve bowled OK but I definitely feel like there’s more there.”Mark Wood, overlooked for the first Test, will come into contention at Lord’s.Stokes himself bowled seven overs in each innings and took two vital wickets, trapping Steven Smith lbw in the first innings and inducing a chop-on from Usman Khawaja in the second with a leg cutter. He hardly celebrated Khawaja’s dismissal – “I was absolutely flying on caffeine,” he explained – but said he saw his bowling workload as “a massive boost”.”I’ve put my body through more than it’s actually been through over the last year, which is obviously great signs for myself and another confidence boost for me,” Stokes said. “Getting through that, knowing we’ve still got four games coming up has given me a massive boost.”I can’t remember the last time I’ve sort of been able to continually bowl. I was just really happy that I was able to get a good long spell in, and I just love being in that situation. I love bowling long spells, especially when the game’s on the line.”

Leus du Plooy replaces Billy Godleman as Derbyshire captain

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Godleman steps down after seven seasons in charge of club’s fortunes

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2022Derbyshire have appointed Leus du Plooy as club captain after Billy Godleman stepped down from the role.Godleman, 33, had led Derbyshire since taking over from Wayne Madsen ahead of the 2016 season, although he was not involved in the Blast side last season, Shan Masood taking over the captaincy with du Plooy as his deputy.Godleman endured a tough summer with the bat in the Championship, failing to pass 50 until the final innings of the campaign – his 158 against Leicestershire represented more than a third of his season’s runs – and agreed to the change after chatting to Derbyshire’s coach, Mickey Arthur.”I sat down with Mickey and we had a good catch-up about the season and my thoughts about captaincy, future leadership and my seven seasons as captain,” he said.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as captain but reflecting on this season I think that with Mickey coming in and giving the club new impetus, the time is now right for me to hand over the reins to a new leadership group as Wayne Madsen did to me in 2016.”Seven seasons as a captain is a long time and the highlights for me will always be the strong personal relationships I’ve built with players past and present both on and off the field, while I am particularly proud to have led the club to their first T20 Finals Day in 2019.”I very much hope that I can continue to be successful with Derbyshire, scoring lots of runs in all formats, and look forward to providing any support and insight I can to Leus.”Du Plooy, 27, joined Derbyshire in 2019 and is a regular in the side across formats, although involvement in the Hundred might limit his availability for the one-day cup. He was born in South Africa but qualifies as a local through a Hungarian passport.Arthur said: “Billy has led the team with great purpose and will continue to be a senior figure within our squad, but we both feel the time is right to make this change and restructure the leadership team ahead of the 2023 season.”For more than half-a-decade, Billy has been a dedicated Derbyshire captain, however now we have the opportunity for a new voice, in Leus, to lead the team and bring a fresh approach.”Billy can now focus on what he does best, scoring runs for Derbyshire, without having the pressure of captaincy. His record is one that most sides would love to have in their ranks, and I hope we can see more of his quality next season.”

Tamim Iqbal returns from injury with match-winning ton against West Indians

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In a rain-hit contest, BCB XI scored at over 7.5 runs an over to down the visitors in their only warm-up game

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2018Tamim Iqbal marked his return from injury with a blazing century for the BCB XI. The touring West Indians – under brand-new captain Rovman Powell – lost their only warm-up game before the three-match ODI series that begins on Saturday in a high-scoring rain-hit contest.Tamim, who fractured his left wrist during the Asia Cup in September, scored at a strike-rate close to 150, as he pummelled the West Indian bowlers for 13 fours and four sixes, making a 73-ball 107 while chasing 332.ALSO READ: Tamim, Shakib return to Bangladesh’s ODI squadIn a game where the BCB XI bowlers were themselves clattered for 331 in the first innings, Tamim joined forces with No. 3 Soumya Sarkar early in the chase to add 114 runs for the second wicket in just 83 balls. Sarkar smacked a quickfire unbeaten ton of his own, finishing on an 83-ball 103, as BCB XI won by 51 runs (via DLS method) with rain stopping play in the afternoon.Even without the downpour, BCB XI were cruising towards their target of 332 on the back of the Tamim-Sarkar stand. When the game stopped with the BCB XI 314 for 6 after 41 overs, the hosts were only 18 runs from their initial target.ALSO READ: Rovman Powell to lead West Indies’ 15-man ODI squadEarlier in the day, the West Indians, too, had a field day with the bat after winning the toss. A century stand between openers Kieran Powell (43) and Shai Hope (81) gave them a rapid start, but five wickets in the middle overs derailed their progress. Mehedi Hasan Rana and Nazmul Islam picked up two wickets each as the visitors went from 101 for no loss to 176 for 5. But a late surge by the unbeaten Roston Chase and No. 8 Fabian Allen took them past the 330-run mark. Chase finished on 65 off 51 balls, while Allen hit a 32-ball 48. Rubel Hossain and the captain Mashrafe Mortaza were the only two bowlers to concede less than six per over.As for the West Indian bowlers, the spinners found the most reward, with Chase and Devendra Bishoo taking four wickets between them. Chase’s offspin dismissed both Bangladesh openers while Bishoo’s legspin earned him the wickets of Mohammad Mithun and Ariful Haque. Allen, the left-arm spinner, chipped in with Towrid Hridoy’s wicket. The West Indian pacers, though, found it harder on a batting-friendly surface. Keemo Paul and Kemar Roach went wicketless at over 9 per over while Oshane Thomas leaked 57 runs in his seven-over spell.

Uphill challenge for hosts as world champions England look to conquer Bangladesh

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How England deal with spin challenge will dictate how the ODI series pans out

Mohammad Isam28-Feb-2023

Big picture: A ‘proper contest’ awaits

Long gone is the “little brother vs big brother” equation in Bangladesh-England matches. The 2015 World Cup game brought a bit of edge into the contests, and then came the pushing and shoving between players in the end-of-game beeline during the last bilateral series back in 2016. Since then, this fixture has become a ‘proper contest’ although the two sides are playing a bilateral series after a seven-year gap.This is now a battle between the world champions and the team that aspires to be new world champions. Bangladesh have won seven home ODI series in a row after beating India in December. Mehidy Hasan Miraz single-handedly won them two games but it is the nature of the Bangladesh team these days that they have matchwinners all through the XI.Related

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  • 'Absolutely normal' – Tamim Iqbal on his on-field relationship with Shakib Al Hasan

Tamim Iqbal, who missed the India series through a groin injury, returns to a strong line-up that includes Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. But these days, Litton Das, Mehidy and Taskin Ahmed are dangerous opponents too.England will have their hands full, but there’s also a lot of respect for this side in Bangladesh. The English players are BPL regulars, and even played plenty of Dhaka Premier League in the past decade. Just like everywhere else in the world, England now have better understanding of conditions, attitudes and cultures, and Bangladesh expects nothing different this time.They will be without Harry Brook and Ben Duckett – who are in New Zealand with the Test side – but they have Will Jacks, James Vince and Mark Wood among their recalls into the ODI side. Rehan Ahmed is another intriguing inclusion, given how the Dhaka pitches tend to assist spinners.It promises to be a great contest between the England and the side, like many others around the world, that wants to be the next England.

Form guide

Bangladesh LWWWL
England WLLLL

In the spotlight: Tamim-Shakib and Moeen

Much of the focus will be on how Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan carry themselves in the wake of the BCB president’s revelations that they don’t see eye-to-eye. Tamim has stressed that their on-field relationship is sound, and that’s all that matters. They have been the most successful cricketers for Bangladesh, and both are current captains. But would the opposition let them forget this topic when they are batting together in the middle?There will be a lot riding on how Moeen Ali comes into the game in the middle-order and middle overs. Moeen’s role as vice-captain was essential to England’s T20 World Cup success in Australia and he has the skills to make a difference in the subcontinent, ahead of the ODI World Cup in India in October-November. Moeen’s local knowledge – he was with the Comilla Victorians that lifted their fourth BPL title two weeks ago – will come handy, especially to know when the press the accelerator.

Team news: Taijul, Rehan in focus

Tamim will slot into Anamul Haque’s place. Taijul Islam could play in Ebadot Hossain’s slot as the third specialist spinner.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Litton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Towhid Hridoy, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.England are expected to lean towards picking an extra spin-bowling allrounder in Will Jacks, rather than an extra seamer. They are likely to rotate the quicks over the course of the tour. Rehan Ahmed is likely to get a game at some stage in the series, but missed two days of training this week due to illness.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 James Vince, 5 Jos Buttler (capt/wk), 6 Will Jacks, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes/Mark Wood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra Archer/Saqib Mahmood.Will Jacks made the trip to Bangladesh during England’s defeat in Wellington•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

The Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch is expected to assist spinners as usual, but the BPL’s knockout phase, couple of weeks ago, saw plenty of runs scored here. The 12pm start time is to avoid heavy dew after sunset.

Stats and trivia

  • Shakib is six wickets away from becoming the first Bangladesh bowler to take 300 ODI wickets.
  • Shakib has another milestone on his radar. He and Mushfiqur are 165 and 189 runs away, respectively, from reaching 7,000 ODI runs.
  • Moeen needs four wickets to complete 100 ODI wickets.
  • The series will be broadcast live by Sky Sports and on the ECB website after a last-minute deal with the BCB.

Quotes

“They are the world champions. They have one team playing somewhere else, they have another team here. They have mind-blowing depth of talent. We want to see where we are at, and find out the gap that we have to bridge. If we do well in these conditions, it will give us confidence.”
“We have lost 8 in the last 10 but we are also the champions of the world and have done well before that. And actually, we haven’t really had our best team for a lot of the time recently.”

Aaron Finch's career-best 153 not out keeps Australia rolling

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Mohammad Rizwan struck his maiden ODI hundred but a double-century opening stand for Australia made it a one-sided chase

The Report by Danyal Rasool24-Mar-2019It wasn’t just the same venue; the manner in which the second ODI transpired was strikingly similar to the one that panned out on Friday. Deciding to bat first after winning the toss, Pakistan anchored their innings around a hundred from a top order player – this time it was Mohammad Rizwan – and posted 284, four more than the palpably inadequate 280 they had managed in the first ODI. Once more, Australia demonstrated this to be woefully short of what might have challenged them, an unbeaten career-best 153 from Aaron Finch and an opening stand of 209 with Usman Khawaja allowing them to canter to their second consecutive eight-wicket win.The only deviation from the first game was the chase contained even less drama than in the first ODI. Whereas Khawaja had fallen relatively cheaply then, the opening partnership this time was colossal in the face of another uninspired bowling effort from Pakistan. Finch and Khawaja amassed 209 and rarely did Pakistan threaten to break through; the ball spun very little for Yasir Shah and Imad Wasim and swung even less for the quicker bowlers.While Khawaja was the more prolific partner during the Powerplay, Finch came to life from the moment he lofted Yasir for six off the first ball of the sixteenth over. Till then, he had 28 off 43 balls but, as if the effect of a sedative had been neutralised by one stroke, he sprang to life. He completed his half-century just 14 balls later, and bludgeoned Yasir for two sixes and a four in the over that followed, and a further six and four off Imad right after. That put any qualms about the run rate to bed, and the chase was every bit a canter as the first match after that.Khawaja continued to cash in on his fine form, reaching his fifth half-century in seven innings off 60 deliveries. After a strong start he was content playing the steady hand and appeared to be cruising to a hundred until he holed out to deep midwicket 12 runs short. It gave Glenn Maxwell the opportunity to free his arms in an entertaining little cameo, two sixes off Imad quelling any fears of a Pakistan comeback, but he missed the chance to finish the game when he was run out.Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja added a double-century opening stand•AFP

One of the key points of fascination for Pakistan enthusiasts this game was the performance of teenage quick Mohammad Hasnain, drafted in for his first List A game following a stellar PSL. His introduction was one of the only times a sparse Sharjah crowd came to life, and the cheer after his first ball – a bouncer which forced Khawaja to hastily duck – was louder than perhaps at any point all day.That aside, however, it was a tough initiation for the 18-year old. His pace might have been up, but he lacked the control and consistency that will surely follow as he accumulates experience, and when Finch swatted him for six over cow corner in the 47th over, the game was for all intents and purposes done. For good measure, however, the Australian captain thwacked Faheem Ashraf for another one the following over, bringing up his 150 in 141 balls, and finishing off the game in the same over.Pakistan’s innings had been paced at the same leisurely rate as in the first game. Australia’s bright start put them on the back foot straightaway, thanks to a brilliant opening spell from Jhye Richardson who cleaned up Imam-ul-Haq for a duck in the first over. Maintaining a probing good line, he gave the batsmen little room for error as Pakistan started sluggishly. Even as the boundaries flowed from the other end, with Haris Sohail timing the ball exquisitely, Richardson gave away few runs, and also brought about Shan Masood’s downfall with one pitched slightly short of a length that was chipped to midwicket.His day turned sour, however, when he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the outfield. Diving to save a boundary at midwicket, he landed heavily on his elbow, and his reaction immediately indicated he was done for the game, and very possibly the series.The silver lining for Australia was Finch, who brought himself on to fill the gap Richardson’s overs left behind and was among the pick of Australia’s bowlers. He started off by removing last game’s centurion Haris Sohail for 34, a slight tickle to the keeper giving Finch just his third ODI wicket. So bothersome did he prove for Pakistan he ended up bowling his full quota, and, until his final over went for 12 to bring his overall tally to 41, Pakistan never looked to attack him.Pakistan found themselves in deeper trouble when Umar Akmal holed out when he lofted one slightly short by Nathan Lyon to the square-leg boundary fielder. He had gone for 16, his reaction of desperate disappointment fitting for a man given an unlikely opportunity with little room for error just ahead of a World Cup.But Rizwan and Shoaib Malik got together with Pakistan in strife and kept Australia at bay for nearly half the innings, putting on 127. Rizwan was excellent at working the gaps and using his feet to the spinners, while Malik has been in these situations with Pakistan often over a two-decade career, but his record against Australia isn’t the best. The half-century he brought up off 53 balls was just the second against Australia, and it was one of hard graft rather than cavalier flamboyance.Rizwan is in the side as Sarfaraz Ahmed rests, but looked determined to make the case for World Cup inclusion, even for his batting alone. Promoted to No. 4, he had performed the role many specialists in Pakistan had failed to perform in that position, and when he swept Adam Zampa to bring up a first ODI hundred, Pakistan were ready to launch once more.They never quite got around to doing that, with the pair falling in quick succession and they ended short of 300 again. That wasn’t just well short of 300, but also well short of anything that would have made Australia sweat. But then again, the way Finch batted, one wonders if anything would have proved out of the visitors’ grasp.

De Kock relishes ton in successful Daredevils chase

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Quinton de Kock, who struck the first century of IPL 2016, looked a tired man at the post-match press conference, but did not shy away from toasting his innings which secured a seven-wicket win for Delhi

Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore17-Apr-20161:25

‘Really enjoyed chasing down the target’ – de Kock

Delhi Daredevils opener Quinton de Kock said his team of young batsmen were “very confident” about chasing 191 against Royal Challengers Bangalore because they had expected to chase 250 at one stage. De Kock led the pursuit with a 48-ball hundred, the first century in IPL 2016, and Daredevils achieved their second win of the season with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare.”I enjoyed the innings thoroughly,” de Kock, looking fatigued at the press conference, said. “I wouldn’t say it was my best, but it’s up there. I enjoyed that especially chasing down a total like that.”Royal Challengers had been on course for a 200-plus total with Virat Kohli in charge, but Daredevils’ bowlers – keyed up by Mohammed Shami’s third spell – pegged the hosts back and conceded just 27 runs in the last four overs. De Kock said RCB’s total was par on the easy-paced, hit-through-the-line Chinnaswamy pitch.”Chasing it, we were very confident,” de Kock said. “We thought he had to chase down 250 actually. We were very confident going in.”De Kock thrived on the off side, ten of his 15 fours coming in the arc between backward point and cover. His crisp cuts and punches were difficult to stop on a fast outfield.”I wasn’t thinking much, just stand in there and playing the ball as I saw it,” de Kock said. “I knew the wicket was good, especially upfront. You could stand tall and just hit through the line.”Royal Challengers captain Kohli called de Kock a “top-quality player” and lauded him for pacing the chase to perfection.”I think it was wonderful, especially the way he handled the spinners,” Kohli said. “He waited on the ball pretty nicely. It always helps as a wicketkeeper when you see the pace of the wicket. That shows game awareness. He is a top-quality player.”He has done really well for South Africa in the international circuit. On pitches which assist the batsmen, he is a very dangerous player. He likes to come forward and attack the bowlers and that is pretty evident with the way he plays as well. Credit to him. He really targeted his areas and targeted the bowlers.”

Tamil Union win first-class title after 65 years

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Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club have won Sri Lanka’s top first-class competition for the first time since the 1950-51 season

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Mar-2016Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club have won Sri Lanka’s top first-class competition for the first time since the 1950-51 season, after finishing the Super Eights with four outright wins. Their six-wicket victory against second-placed Galle Cricket Club, in the final round of four-day cricket, clinched the trophy.Captain Suranga Lakmal was instrumental in that win, claiming 4 for 20, as Galle CC collapsed to 126 all out in the second innings. That bowling performance allowed Tamil Union back into the match, having trailed Galle CC by 152 runs in the first dig.”We’re absolutely elated with the result,” Tamil Union vice president Suresh Murugaser said. “Suranga has been outstanding for us, and has really led from the front. In the last match he was bowling with a fractured finger.”Opening batsman Dhananjaya de Silva, who played two T20s for Sri Lanka last year, also played a significant hand to this victory, hitting 124 from 131 balls in the chase of 279. He has been in good form all season, scoring 868 runs at an average of 54.25, and has also been Tamil Union’s leading wicket-taker, claiming 34 scalps at 14.23 with his offspin.Other lead contributors to Tamil Union’s campaign include former Sri Lanka Test batsman Tharanga Paranavitana, who was the tournament’s top runscorer, with 953 runs at an average of 79.41. He had hit three centuries and five fifties in 17 innings. Legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis claimed 32 wickets and scored 574 runs as well.Elsewhere in the league table, Colombo Cricket Club’s left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan appears set to finish the competition’s top wicket-taker for the second time in three seasons. He claimed 52 wickets at 23.19, with two five-wicket hauls, and is two wickets clear of Galle CC offspinner Suraj Randiv. Ragama Cricket Club’s left-arm spinner Amila Aponso currently sits on 47 wickets, with his team’s final day of play this season still ongoing.Spinners’ domination of another year of first-class cricket in Sri Lanka will not ease concerns over the quality of pitches in the domestic competition, however. Each of the 15 highest wicket-takers this season is a spinner, and among those, eight are left-arm orthodox bowlers. Only Sandakan, Mendis and Tharindu Kaushal (who took 42 wickets at 28.11) bowl wrist-spin, from among the top 15.The Premier League tournament is the only first-class competition to be played this season, with the SLC now having scrapped plans for a provincial tournament.

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