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The Tigers add tall WA quick Alex Bevilaqua to their contract list for 2019-20

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2019Tasmania have signed young Western Australian quick Alex Bevilaqua for next season as part of a squad littered with fast bowlers.Bevilaqua, 22, played two Sheffield Shield matches for Western Australia in early 2018 but only managed a handful of Futures League games last season. The 207cm quick was a long-term project for the Warriors and had worked closely with Tasmania coach Adam Griffith when he was WA’s bowling coach prior to taking the head coaching role with the Tigers.Bevilaqua joins a squad already featuring Jackson Bird, Riley Meredith, Gabe Bell, Sam Rainbird, Gurinder Sandhu, Tom Rogers and James Faulkner as the Tigers look to exploit the seamer friendly conditions at Bellerive Oval in both formats next season.Tasmania have rewarded local talents Alex Pyecroft and Sean Willis after both men debuted in the Sheffield Shield last season following excellent performances in Tasmania Premier cricket. Pyecroft took 5 for 28 in his second match against Queensland.Veteran George Bailey returns for his 19th season with Tasmania. He began last season as the Tigers’ skipper in both formats but handed the captaincy to Matthew Wade halfway through the season to concentrate on his batting. He suffered a nasty shoulder injury in the BBL semi-final playing for the Hobart Hurricanes but is expected be fit for the start of next season.Tasmania batting coach Jeff Vaughan will oversee the start of the Tigers pre-season with Griffith away on secondment with Australia’s World Cup squad.Tasmania Men’s 2019-20 squad George Bailey, Gabe Bell, Alex Bevilaqua, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Jake Doran, James Faulkner, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Simon Milenko, Tim Paine, Alex Pyecroft, Sam Rainbird, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Jordan Silk, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Beau Webster, Sean Willis Rookies Iain Carlisle, Jarrod Freeman, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Keegan Oates, Jack White, Macallister Wright

Canada needed to restrict USA to 211 if they were to regain ODI status, but USA’s last-wicket pair denied them with a boundary in the final over

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Windhoek26-Apr-2019A record Namibian total propelled by twin centuries from Stephan Baard and JP Kotze took them to a historic win over Hong Kong at Affies Park to clinch ODI status for the tournament hosts, the first time they will be playing one-day internationals since the 2003 World Cup.After sending Namibia in, Hong Kong’s bowling unit did well to restrict Namibia early as Jean Bredenkamp focused on seeing off the new ball before falling in the 15th over for 19. Even after 20 overs, Namibia had only reached 78 for 1, but added 318 off the final 30 overs – and 128 in the last 10 – in an intelligent display of power hitting as Baard, Kotze, JJ Smit and Zane Green utilized the wind at their backs hitting towards the Pavilion End.Baard had brought up his 50 off 78 balls in the 25th over, at which point Kotze was only on 36 after entering at No. 3. But Kotze commenced his onslaught in the 27th off Kinchit Shah’s offspin, smashing him for a four and two sixes. More carnage came against teenage legspinner Jhatavedh Subramanyan in the 32nd as Kotze slammed a brace of fours and sixes off the first four balls to move into the 90s before bringing up a 62-ball ton in the 35th over.Baard took nearly twice the time, bringing up his century off 121 balls in the 41st over, by which stage Kotze was on 148, putting fellow Namibian Gerrie Snyman’s WCL record of 196 made in 2007 at neighboring Wanderers in the crosshairs. But Kotze and Baard fell in the space of four balls across the next two overs, ending a 243-run stand. However, the carnage was far from over as Smit and Green continued to slog away adding an unbroken 103-run stand over the last 46 balls as Namibia finished 16 runs short of the all-time WCL record made by UAE when they scored 412 against Argentina next door at Wanderers in 2007.Hong Kong were actually in far better position than Namibia had been at the 20-over mark as Anshuman Rath made yet another half-century leading Hong Kong in reply with a 132-run second wicket stand with Kinchit Shah. But both fell in the space of 10 balls in the 23rd and 25th over and from there Hong Kong’s chase fizzled.An hour into the day, PNG’s dreams of ODI status appeared to be going up in smoke at 32 for 5. But a miraculous recovery effort from Sese Bau and Kiplin Doriga revived their innings to post a competitive total before a stunning new-ball spell from left-arm seamer Nosaina Pokana rocked Oman as PNG reclaimed the ODI status that they lost at the 2018 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe with a shock win over Oman.Doriga was named Man of the Match for his 65 made from No. 6 before completing five dismissals behind the stumps and a runout in a stunning collapse from Oman to break their 10-match WCL winning streak. PNG benefitted greatly from the injury-enforced absence of Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood while fast bowler Kaleemullah was also rested after Oman had secured a place in the final prior to entering the last day of round-robin play. Doriga and Bau constructed a 129-run sixth-wicket stand that brought the match back to life and set the stage for an incredible turnaround.Set 222 to win, Pokana was on a hat-trick after dismissing Jatinder Singh and Aqib Ilyas on the first two deliveries of the chase. By the end of the ninth over, he had claimed his maiden five-for as Oman fell to 23 for 6, reminiscent of their 24 all out performance against Scotland without Maqsood in February.Stand-in captain Khawar Ali was one of just two batsmen to reach double-figures, having watched helplessly at the non-striker’s end from the start of the chase. Chad Soper followed Pokana’s new-ball spell to wipe out the Oman tail for just 76 to move PNG above Canada on net run rate.Wicketkeeper Srimantha Wijeyeratne looks down in agony as tailender Nosthush Kenjige’s final-over boundary dropped Canada below PNG on net run rate tiebreaker•Peter Della Penna

In cricket’s oldest rivalry, Canada won the battle but lost the war as a 40-run win over USA was soured by a final-over boundary struck by USA No. 11 Nosthush Kenjige that moved Canada below PNG on net run rate.USA’s chase of Canada’s 255 lost its way after the runout of Steven Taylor in the 29th over when he wound up at the same end as Jaskaran Malhotra after Malhotra changed his mind for a possible run pushed into the covers. Malhotra could not carry USA across the line to atone for the runout, driving Nikhil Dutta to extra cover for 50 to make it 159 for 4 in the 38th.After both set batsmen were gone, left-arm seamer Romesh Eranga capitalized to take three quick wickets to make it 191 for 7. By this stage, the calculation was known at Wanderers following the PNG result that Canada needed to hold USA to 211 or less in order to claim the final ODI status slot.Saad bin Zafar returned for a second spell of left-arm spin and had tailenders Saurabh Netravalkar and Ali Khan caught in back-to-back overs to make it 198 for 9. But just as it was against Nepal 14 months earlier on the same ground, Canada could not take the final wicket. Entering the last over, they had two runs left to protect. After Karima Gore took a single off the third ball, Zafar tried to slip in a quicker ball to Kenjige but landed it too short, allowing Kenjige to cut behind point for a boundary. After Kenjige blocked out the last two balls, Zafar kicked the last delivery away in disgust knowing they had missed ODI status in spite of the win.The result took the shine off Navneet Dhaliwal’s century as the opener carried his bat all 50 overs to make 121. But Canada only scored one boundary during a crucial phase from the 41st through the 47th over as Dhaliwal pushed 10 singles off 12 balls in that stretch to go from 90 to 100 despite Canada having seven wickets in hand. Canada added 29 off the last three overs, but the lack of intent in the prior sequence cost them dearly in the end.

Pakistan’s surrender to short bowling in opening game means they can expect more of the same from hosts

The Preview by Danyal Rasool02-Jun-2019

Big Picture

Given what’s transpired in this World Cup over the first four days, it might not be a stretch to call this one of the tournament’s great mismatches, insomuch as the ICC would admit to ten-team World Cups also producing mismatches. England, surely, have bigger challenges ahead, with this game a routine stepping stone to their inexorable march to Lord’s six weeks from now. The way Pakistan folded in that first game of their World Cup campaign at the same venue in Nottingham, Lahore seems a lot closer than London for them, if only in terms of likely destination rather than actual proximity.England’s progress continues to be so eerily serene the natural pessimists who followed their cricket in the 1990s feel sure something will come unstuck along the line. And yet if fate has that cruel twist in store for them, it’s hiding it exceptionally well. The first game was as emblematic of England’s evolution in ODI cricket as any contest has been in the four years since this Eoin Morgan-led team became a world force, the pressure of the big occasion barely registering as they brushed aside South Africa. When Jonny Bairstow was removed for a golden duck, there was no alarm; four batsmen scored half-centuries to cover for the failure. Of course, the bowlers and fielders backed them up, almost erasing that little blip from memory.For Pakistan, the time for chaos, panic, recriminations and reckoning that follows most World Cup campaign feels it’s drawing ever-nearer. The first game of the tournament for them was Pakistan at their worst: weak, seemingly ill-prepared, timid and gormless. It was one of the bleakest days in the history of Pakistan at the World Cup – and make no mistake, Pakistan have had plenty of those. Their surrender in the face of a short bowling barrage from West Indies means they can expect much the same against England, whose bowlers will keep them on the back foot so long they might bruise their Achilles heels.These two sides played each other in a five-match series just last month, and while England won 4-0, there was no sign of the Pakistan that showed up against West Indies. Indeed, it was the sort of series defeat that allowed Pakistan plenty of positives. They scored above 340 three times out of four against that England attack, and most top-order batsmen got runs. So if the West Indies game was Pakistan at their worst, they can only improve. Pakistan believe they are much closer to the team that almost beat England in two of the four completed games. That was only a fortnight ago, but given what’s happened since, it doesn’t feel as recent.For both England and Pakistan, the ghost of the 1992 World Cup hovers above this fixture. For England, that was their last successful – some might say last respectable – World Cup campaign, but it was ended then by a Pakistan side in the final that began the tournament just as poorly as this one. Now, in a light blue strip seen as a respectful nod to the achievements of that Australian summer, England look to go one step further at home 27 years on. Pakistan, meanwhile, cannot stop thinking or talking about that World Cup, both for inspiration and hope, though if they are to put up the same showing tomorrow as they did on Friday, those comparisons will begin to ring more and more hollow.

Form guide

England WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLL

In the spotlight

If only for Pakistan’s travails against the short ball, Jofra Archer will take centre stage in an even bigger way than he has done for all sorts of reasons over the past month. With none other than Waqar Younis saying Archer would be “licking his lips” at the thought of bowling to Pakistan’s batsmen, the England seamer has the opportunity to play to his natural strengths, using his raw pace to push Pakistan’s batsmen back. He began the tournament in ominous fashion with 3 for 27 against South Africa to rip out their middle order, and against Pakistan in the washed-out first ODI at The Oval, his four-over burst was so fiercely effective it was arguably the day Archer’s ticket to the World Cup was punched. Pakistan are there for the taking again, and England have just the man for the job.Jofra Archer bowled with venom, picking up three key wickets•Getty Images

In times like these, the onus falls on players of established, undisputed quality. Among their batting ranks, Pakistan can only name one player to fit that bill. Babar Azam has effortlessly become the leader of the batting line-up, and with numbers like his in a team that has long cried out for a successor to Inzamam, Mohammad Yousaf and Younis Khan, it’s hardly a surprise. Two fifties and a hundred in the recent series against England means he has form – Babar always has form. And when an entire side, as Pakistan do now, look to have been technically exposed by one simple plan, it is Babar who must step up and establish that the West Indies game was an aberration. He must also do it at a strike rate that has a chance of challenging England; his 112-ball 115 at this venue a fortnight ago copped criticism for being too slow against a team like England. No pressure, then.

Team news

Given how comfortable England were in their mauling of South Africa, an unchanged side wouldn’t be a surprise. But England’s strength in depth means changes wouldn’t necessarily expose weakness, so the substitutes are ready to go, should they be called upon.England: (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra Archer.Pakistan’s lack of power hitting, in sharp contrast to England, means Asif Ali should come back into the side, not least because of his performance in the ODI series against the home side. With the wicket expected to be flat and slow, Imad Wasim could find himself surplus to requirements, with Shoaib Malik – a batting allrounder – more likely to be favoured following Pakistan’s showing against West Indies.Pakistan: (possible) 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Mohammad Hafeez , 6 Sarfaraz Ahmed, (capt,wk), 7 Asif Ali, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Hasan Ali / Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Wahab Riaz

Pitch and conditions

It rained heavily the day before the game, but the clouds are expected to clear for match day. The pitch – the same one on which England have twice broken the record for highest ODI score, most recently reaching 481 for 6 against Australia last year – is expected to be especially flat, but Morgan insisted it was quite different to that wicket in how it was expected to behave.

Strategic punts

• Forget variation, forget unpredictability, let Jofra Archer bowl short to Pakistan. And consider playing Mark Wood instead of Liam Plunkett, allow his extra pace to trouble Pakistan that much more. For the bowlers, it should be a short strategy meeting.
• Give Shadab Khan the first over. Okay, this pitch might be different to the one where South Africa employed that strategy with Imran Tahir. But this isn’t about what the ground between the batsman and the bowler looks like, it’s about what’s going on between the ears of the man with bat in hand. Jason Roy was the man South Africa wanted to trouble with leg-spin; it ended up dismissing Jonny Bairstow instead.
• Let Babar Azam open the batting instead of Fakhar Zaman. England’s high-class bowlers need to be countered with Pakistan’s two technically tightest batsmen. Fakhar will struggle against the short ball, and England won’t give him the room he needs to play his shots. Leave him for when the opening bowlers are done, and ensure early wickets aren’t lost.

Stats and trivia

• Jason Roy is eight runs away from completing 3000 career ODI runs. It will make him the fourth player in the current England setup to reach the mark, behind Morgan, Joe Root and Jos Buttler.
• Pakistan and England have played each other nine times in ODI World Cups, with four wins apiece and one no-result in the group stages of the 1992 World Cup.

Quotes

“It’s well known we enjoy chasing. We don’t mind setting either but we do enjoy chasing. There is a small advantage to it, knowing what you’re trying to get.”

“They have to play 300 balls to get to that record, but we have to bowl 10 good balls to get 10 wickets.”

The New Zealand opener has been searching for runs, but after pulling off a miracle run-out to put his team in the final, he’s ready to put his poor form behind him

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2019Martin Guptill was at deep backward square leg. And at first he didn’t quite catch where the ball was. Then he realised it was dribbling over to him. And that MS Dhoni was looking for a very difficult second run.Guptill went full sprint at the ball, picked it up with his right hand, took aim while somehow retaining perfect balance and shot down the stumps at the keeper’s end to effectively seal New Zealand’s spot in the 2019 World Cup final. (It was also only the 16th time in 297 innings that Dhoni has been run out in a one-day international) Until that moment though the New Zealand opener was having a horrible tournament. After an unbeaten 73 against Sri Lanka in New Zealand’s opening game, he racked up five single-digit scores in the next eight innings, with a highest score of 35.”It’s bloody tough,” Guptill told . “You try not to read what people are writing and hear what people are saying, but it’s hard to tear away from it all.”I’ve felt a little bit late on the ball in quite a few games, which is hard to deal with. You don’t want to move too early because then you get stuck.”Martin Guptill plays a shot as New Zealand start cautiously•Getty Images

Guptill has one more chance to turn his form around, when New Zealand meet England in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.”The last couple of nets I’ve probably felt the best I have since I’ve been here,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of time in and for it not to be working out in the middle, it’s frustrating. People can say they’re frustrated with me, but no one is more frustrated than what I am.”I’m just trying to carry on with what I’ve been doing, work hard in the nets and hopefully in the next game it all comes together.”Ross Taylor, who spoke to the media at the end of the match against India, also backed Guptill to come good.”Hopefully that’s a bit of luck that he takes from his fielding to his batting and maybe he can have a bit of luck and make the most of it.”Cricket’s about small margins. When we came in to the huddle, the boys were joking that Gup always misses the stumps. When there’s a run out on, he always missed the stumps. All those misses over the years, he only hits when there’s nothing to worry about, but he did it now, and we celebrated accordingly and we’re very happy for him.”

Surrey fall short after being asked to score 52 from 25 balls following a rain delay

ECB Reporters Network09-Aug-2019Surrey were beaten by nine runs by Gloucestershire on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculations, suffering their sixth defeat in eight Vitality Blast outings this season, when a rain delay left them needing to score 52 from another 4.1 overs at the Kia Oval.They managed 42 of them, taking their total of 52 for 2 from 7.5 overs when the rain came, in reply to Gloucestershire’s 165 for 8, to an eventual 94 for 2. When they were left needing 25 from the last over, however, the game was already all but over.Sam Curran swung Benny Howell for six and Andrew Tye for two more maximums in the final over to reach a defiant 51 not out from 35 balls, while Ollie Pope finished on an unbeaten 13.But Howell, fellow medium-pacer Ryan Higgins and fast bowler Tye – who between them sent down the 25 balls after the restart – kept their cool despite understandably greasy conditions to earn Gloucestershire a third win of the T20 campaign and keep them in contention for quarter-final qualification from the South Group.Gloucestershire’s 20-over total was built on a 15-ball 30 up front from Miles Hammond, James Bracey’s 25-ball 33 and 40 from 28 balls from Ian Cockbain in the middle overs, and then a useful 22 not out at the end by Jack Taylor, from 12 balls and with four well-struck fours.Surrey suffered two early blows when Aaron Finch, their big-hitting Australian opener, edged a rising ball from Chris Liddle to keeper Bracey to depart for 12 to the last ball of the fourth over, and Will Jacks was caught at extra cover off a leading edge for 15 in slow left-armer Tom Smith’s first over.From 42 for 2 much depended for Surrey on the youthful third wicket pair of Curran and Pope, but they had only added ten runs when rain arrived at 8.35pm to drive the players off, with one ball of the eighth over remaining. When play was able to resume, at 9.30pm, the pair faced an almost impossible task.Gloucestershire, who won the toss, reached 48 for 1 in their initial six-over Powerplay with most of those runs coming from opener Hammond who struck Imran Tahir for two fours in the opening over, took two leg-side fours off Sam Curran in the third over and then lofted brother Tom over long-on for six in the next over.When Hammond’s violent cameo ended with a carve to deep cover off Jade Dernbach, it was left to Bracey to join Michael Klinger and add 24 for the second wicket before the Gloucestershire captain top-edged a pull at Sam Curran to deep square leg to go for 12.Bracey played some fine shots as Gloucestershire made it to 82 for 2 at the halfway point, but he was caught at long-on off Sam Curran in the 12th over and the visitors needed a busy 17 from Higgins for forward momentum until Cockbain took two straight fours and three twos off the 16th over, bowled by Dernbach and costing 15.Cockbain then swung South Africa legspinner Tahir for a massive six over midwicket but, later in the same over, perished to a catch at long-on and Howell, Tye and Smith all fell in the frenetic final overs as only Taylor’s judicious late hitting – when he could get the strike – enabled Gloucestershire to post a competitive total.

Starc fiery but expensive, while Hazlewood gives nothing away, after Travis Head warms up for Lord’s with ton

Daniel Brettig at New Road07-Aug-2019Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood made contrasting entries to the Ashes tour under the gaze of Worcester Cathedral at New Road, the former’s ability to take wickets but also go for runs neatly encapsulated in a spell reading 4-1-27-1 after the tourists had declared at 266 for 5 on the opening day.Taking the new ball, Starc got his line right in the opening over to pin Tom Fell lbw for a duck and with 1 for 0 after a single over would have been happy with his start. However, with the captain Tim Paine looking on from mid off – Matthew Wade taking the gloves in this game – Starc’s next three overs went for 27, most of them finding the middle of the talented teenager Jack Haynes’ bat, to the delight of a largely sedate crowd.Hazlewood, meanwhile, gave virtually nothing away while returning 2 for 2 from four overs, bowling Josh Dell off his glove with some prancing bounce and then getting Haynes lbw in his final over before the close. The combination of wickets and economy would have been of interest to Paine and the watching selection chairman Trevor Hohns, as all assess their options ahead of the second Test at Lord’s next week.Sent in to bat by Worcestershire on a fine if cloudy morning, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft had opened for the Australians but neither would have been entirely happy with their stays. Harris was only able to survive for 58 minutes before he was bowled trying to leave one from the otherwise-expensive Adam Finch, and Bancroft made a determined start before also losing his stumps in trying to drive at Josh Tongue.More comfortable were Usman Khawaja, gliding to an attractive 57 before touching a good one from Tongue behind the stumps, and Travis Head, who made the most of his return to a ground where he played county cricket last year by carving out a third hundred in six matches on this tour, having also contributed a useful 35 and 51 at Edgbaston.There was time too for Wade to punch 20 from 16 balls before Paine declared, giving Starc and Hazlewood 45 minutes of bowling before the 6pm close. Wade kept wicket in order to prepare himself for the event of Paine being sidelined from one of the remaining four Tests and forcing a change in gloveman, while also granting the captain a mental break from the task of keeping wicket.

Lancashire lead by 211 runs with two wickets in hand going into final day

ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-2019
Middlesex claimed five wickets in a rather dramatic evening session at Emirates Old Trafford as they sought to inflict a first Championship defeat on the soon-to-be crowned Division Two champions Lancashire.Having spent the first two days of this match recovering from 34 for 6 to make 337 in reply to the home side’s 259, Dawid Malan’s bowlers had restricted the home side to 289 for 8 when bad light ended play 11 overs early. That gives Lancashire a lead of only 211 and it all but completed a second fine fightback by Middlesex after a day the first two sessions of which had been dominated by the batsmen.Miguel Cummins ended the day with figures of 4 for 50 but Ethan Bamber took two vital wickets with the new ball while Lancashire’s best contribution was made by Keaton Jennings, who was dismissed for 97 for the second time this season when he chopped a ball from Nathan Sowter onto his leg stump. Jennings’ dismissal ended his 127-run stand with Liam Livingstone and was the first of five Lancashire wickets to fall in 13 overs as the home side declined from 253 for three to 282 for 8.In the morning session a career-best 34 by Saqib Mahmood had enabled Lancashire’s batsmen to wipe out their 78-run first-innings deficit during a relatively quiet two hours’ cricket. Mahmood hit five fours before he was caught behind when playing forward to Cummins but his was the only wicket lost on a pitch which seemed to be flattening out after a first day in which 16 wickets fell.Lancashire’s domination continued during the second session when the only batsman dismissed was Josh Bohannon, who was lbw to Toby Roland-Jones for 28, having helped Jennings put on 51 for the third wicket .When he was three short of what would have been his first Championship century of the season, Jennings fell to Sowter, a dismissal which changed the course of what is proving to be the best game of Championship cricket seen at Old Trafford this season.Bamber had Livingstone caught behind by Simpson two overs after taking the new ball and then trapped Lancashire skipper Dane Vilas leg before for only two in his next over. Rob Jones fell to Cummins for 16, caught in the gully by Sowter, and when Tom Bailey was pouched by Malan at second slip for only four, Lancashire were faced with the prospect of defending a fairly modest target on the final day if they wished to defend their unbeaten record in Championship cricket.

Imrul Kayes scored 202*, Jahurul batted for more than 10 hours against Dhaka Division and Taijul Islam took nine wickets

Mohammad Isam13-Oct-2019Defending champions Rajshahi Division drew with Dhaka Division – both sides finishing with 3.5 points each – in the opening round of the 2019-20 National Cricket League. All four matches in Fatullah, Khulna, Rajshahi and Dhaka were interrupted by rain, although it didn’t deter Barisal Division, who crushed Sylhet Division by an innings and 13 runs, from earning their first win in four years.Best batsmenImrul Kayes struck his second double-century during Khulna Division’s drawn game against Rangpur Division at home. Imrul was unbeaten on 202 off 319 balls, having spent more than six-and-a-half hours at the crease. He struck 19 fours and six sixes, as he ensured a 450-plus total for his side.Dhaka Division’s Taibur Rahman made two scores of 88, once not out, against Rajshahi. Taibur found little support in the first innings, but in the second innings, he added 95 runs for the fourth wicket with Raqibul Hasan who scored 65.Captain Jahurul Islam starred with the bat for Rajshahi, scoring 64 in the first innings, but it was his unbeaten 40 in more than four-and-a half hours at the crease that proved more valuable for his side. It ensured they didn’t suffer a collapse on the final day as they settled for a draw against Dhaka. Jahurul also lasted more than five hours for his 64 in the first innings.Elsewhere, there were fifties for Barisal’s Shahriar Nafees and captain Fazle Mahmud, as well as Tasamul Haque who made twin fifties for Chittagong Division. Pinak Ghosh and Masum Khan also reached half-centuries, and so did Dhaka Metropolis’ Shamsur Rahman, Mahmudullah, Zabid Hossain and No. 10 Shahidul Islam.Best bowlersKamrul Islam’s 6 for 24 decimated Sylhet as they were bowled out for just 86 in the first innings. This was Kamrul’s second five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, and the first in seven years. Another pace bowler, Sumon Khan, took 5 for 50 for Dhaka against Rajshahi. Taijul Islam finished with figures of 9 for 196 in the match, including a five-for in the second innings.Dhaka Metro’s Arafat Sunny took 6 for 87 against Chittagong, while debutant legspinner Minhajul Abedin Afridi finished with 3 for 103 in 30 overs for Chittagong.Meanwhile, experienced left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak moved to 585 first-class wickets aftar taking 4 for 81 against Rangpur.Best matchThe roaring start from Barisal – after they crushed Sylhet inside two-and-a-half days – will offer real encouragement for supporters of first-class cricket in Bangladesh. The match was shortened to three days after rain washed out the entire first day in Rajshahi, but Kamrul’s six-wicket haul skittled Sylhet in 43.1 overs, before left-arm spinners Tanvir Islam and Monir Hossain shared seven wickets in the second innings to bowl them out for 132 runs.Barisal also batted smartly, as they declared on 231 for 8 in 58.3 overs, in a bid to push for the result on the fourth day.Points to noteKhulna have taken an early lead with 4.01 points in Tier 1 but it is Barisal’s 9.5 points against Sylhet that puts them in pole position in Tier 2.Players to watchWith the India tour coming up next month and a Bangladesh Test side devoid of a confidence, the selectors will be relieved to see Jahurul’s game clicking. The batsman remained at the crease for more than 10 hours in the season’s first game. Afridi’s first-class debut should also be encouraging.

R Ashwin, however, said it was ‘brave’ and ‘commendable’ that Bangladesh batted first on a pitch with a ‘bit of life’

Mohammad Isam14-Nov-20193:35

‘Brave’ of Bangladesh to bat first on a pitch with ‘life’ – Ashwin

Mominul Haque’s press conference at the end of the first day’s play in Indore could be interpreted in many different ways.The new Bangladesh captain seemed to be riled at the suggestion that his team isn’t used to playing fast bowling. Mominul then tried to delicately broach the idea that journalists’ questions sometimes put the players under more pressure. To be fair, the question was whether the Bangladesh batsmen were scared of India’s fast bowlers, to which no cricketer would ever answer in the affirmative.”You guys might find it funny but ahead of every series, even against Afghanistan, you [media] have a major role to play,” Mominul said. “This thing can go against me, so don’t take it otherwise, please. When we are playing against Afghanistan, the way you ask questions, by saying they have Rashid Khan, etc. Even if you don’t want to think about them, it will creep into your mind. I just think how you present it makes it difficult.”Later, when he was asked why he was feeling under pressure at a press conference when he and other cricketers are trained to avoid much more difficult situations in the middle, Mominul didn’t back down.”I am the one who has to answer your questions, of course, but sometimes we don’t think about a certain thing, and then when you ask us about it, we start thinking about it,” Mominul said. “This is how the mind works. But you’re right. Myself and the rest of the side have to be mentally stronger.”Throughout the press conference, it was clear that Mominul was relishing the captaincy, so much so that he let go of his usual introverted self and became a lot more outspoken. This was only his second interaction with the media after becoming captain.Mominul Haque plays a copybook forward defence•BCCI

But perhaps his inexperience at handling a prickly press conference got the better of him, after a tough day in the field. He perhaps didn’t need to admit that he was at fault for choosing to bat first after winning the toss. Initially, when asked about the toss, he said he would have to live with the burden of the decision since Bangladesh made a low score.”When you take this decision at the toss and things don’t go your way, these questions will definitely come up,” Mominul said. “Because we were bowled out cheaply, it was probably a bad decision on my part. It was totally my fault. I think if I had batted for longer with Mushfiq [Mushfiqur Rahim] , we would have posted a bigger total.”Another way to look at Mominul’s decision was that it was a positive one, showing his – and his team’s – willingness to meet the Indian attack head-on. The trust he placed in his batting line-up was remarkable, and perhaps a positive sign from a new captain.R Ashwin came out with the exact thought in his press conference.”I personally thought it was a very brave decision to bat first having won the toss,” Ashwin said. “We didn’t expect that. We thought they’ll bowl but they batted first which is very commendable on their part. I also thought some of their batsmen batted beautifully in the morning, it’s never easy to come and play on a wicket that’s got a bit of life. It was damp. And I thought Mominul Haque and some of the other batters batted beautifully.”It is not as if Mominul isn’t used to harder challenges but handling questions at the end of a long day in the field can get the better of many top players. In only his first day as captain, Mominul can be given some leeway, but this Test series will not just be a test of Mominul the cricketer and new captain of Bangladesh, but also of Mominul the communicator.

Pakistan up to fourth on ICC Women’s Championship table after abandonment

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2019Legspinner Sarah Glenn claimed a four-wicket haul in only her third ODI but rain ruined the prospect of a result in the final match of the series between Pakistan and England. Having been put in to bat, Pakistan were 145 for 8 from 37.4 overs before the weather intervened, meaning England took the series 2-0.Looking for their first ODI win over England, Pakistan made an impressive start in reaching 96 without loss. Glenn then removed both openers in consecutive overs, dismissing Javeria Khan for 37 and Nahida Khan for a fluent half-century.The spin pairing of Glenn and Sophie Ecclestone wheeled their way through 16 overs in tandem, as England dragged the game back their way. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof was caught behind off Ecclestone and Glenn bowled Kaynat Hafeez and Nida Dar to give her figures of 8-1-18-4.”I was really happy to get four wickets today, but it’s a shame the rain came and the game had to be abandoned,” Glenn said. “We came back really well with the ball after Pakistan had started on top. We kept it tight and we got our rewards.”I’ve really enjoyed the three matches and it’s good to come out with a series win. The girls have been really welcoming and I’m looking forward to the T20s.”Anya Shrubsole returned from an expensive opening spell to pick up three wickets, with only Umaima Sohail’s unbeaten 27 offering much in the way of middle-order resistance for Pakistan. There was also an economical performance with the ball from Freya Davies, making her ODI debut, but England’s chances of claiming a third consecutive win were ended by the rain.The result means England finished their ICC Women’s Championship campaign with 14 wins from 21 games, placing them second on the table behind Australia. Pakistan moved up a spot to fourth, level on 16 points with South Africa, but having played three games more. The top four teams qualify automatically for the 2021 World Cup.