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Uncertainty reigns after Paarl cancellation with possibility England party could face 10 days in quarantine

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2020What is the current state of the tour?
Having completed the three-match T20I series with relatively little drama, issues surfaced ahead of the first ODI, scheduled for Friday in Cape Town. The game was initially postponed, after a positive Covid-19 test in the South Africa squad, and the Newlands fixture pushed back. However, two more positive tests among staff at the Vineyard Hotel, where both teams are staying, led to Sunday’s ODI in Paarl being delayed and then cancelled.Have there been any further positive tests?
The England camp subsequently revealed that they had returned two “unconfirmed” positives after a round of retesting on Saturday evening. These are awaiting independent ratification, after which the ECB will consult with CSA about the fate of the tour – although no decisions are expected until Monday.Could the remaining ODIs still be played?
In theory, yes. The rearranged fixture at Newlands has already been moved again, and won’t now be played on Monday. But should England’s two unconfirmed positives come back negative, then it is possible the ODIs could be played as back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday.What happens if England’s two positive cases are confirmed?
The England players and staff are currently self-isolating in accordance with South African guidelines. Should the presence of Covid-19 be confirmed, those who tested positive would be required to remain quarantined at the hotel for a 10-day period, along with anyone deemed to have come into close contact with them. That would in turn mean missing the chartered flight that is due to take England home on Thursday.Would that have any knock-on effects?
Aside from unwanted stress and missing out on family time in the run-up to Christmas, some players might find deals to play in the Big Bash League at risk. Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy are due to fly to Australia at the end of the series, but already face serving a 14-day quarantine period on arrival. With the BBL starting on Thursday and running through until early February, delays to their departure from South Africa could curtail availability for the tournament.For those players who are also likely to be in the England Test squad, there is also the looming prospect of a tour to Sri Lanka at the start of next year, scheduled to depart on January 2. If their return to the UK was put back until December 17, they would have little more than two weeks at home before being asked to travel to another bio-bubble for the two-Test series.How did individuals contract Covid-19 in a bio-secure environment?
This remains unclear. Although South Africa produced two positive tests ahead of the T20I series, those infections likely occurred before the squad came together. Thursday’s positive was “a more recent case that occurred within the bio-secure environment,” according to CSA medical officer, Dr Shuaib Manjra. CSA said subsequently it had investigated and discounted the possibility of a breach of protocol by the players. However, it is understood that not all of the hotel staff have been staying on site.What might be the implications for South Africa’s summer?
The whole tour was worth around US$4.2m in broadcasting money to CSA, and the loss of half of the fixtures would mean a significant financial hit. Equally damaging, confirmation of a bio-security breach could cast doubt on whether upcoming tours by Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia will go ahead as planned.Will there be any impact on the World Cup Super League?
If the series is cancelled due to the coronavirus, there is the potential for the three fixtures – worth 10 points each – to be rearranged (although few windows in which to squeeze another tour). In the case that the games go down as abandonments, then points would be shared, with South Africa and England taking 15 each.

Ireland performance director expresses “great regret” over postponement

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2020Scotland women’s series against Ireland in Spain has been postponed at late notice amid continued concerns about the prevalence of Covid-19.The teams had been due to play their first international cricket in 14 months at the La Manga resort, with two 50-over matches and three T20Is scheduled in what was believed to be the first-ever international cricket to be staged in Europe in November.But Cricket Scotland informed Cricket Ireland on Tuesday that following “specialist advice received in the last 24 hours on the risks to the player” and with “concerns at the continuing and evolving high levels of the virus in Scotland”, they had pulled out of the tour.Gus Mackay, Cricket Scotland’s CEO, said that the board’s priority was the safety of its players and that they had a responsibility to react to a change in circumstances.”Organising this series was always going to be a challenge within the current environment,” Mackay said. “We would like to thank Cricket Ireland and La Manga for their co-operation and understanding and we look forward to playing the series when it is safe to do so. We very much appreciate the hard work put into planning the trip and are very sorry it has ultimately not been practical at our end to go ahead.”Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s performance director, said: “It was with great regret that we had to inform our players and support staff that Scotland has withdrawn from the tour on the eve of departure. Despite significant work and planning by all parties to mitigate risks in regard to Covid-19, it is regrettable that we are where we are. We are all disappointed for our squad as we know how hard they have been preparing for this series.”The tour was important to start building the players’ loads as preparation for next year’s World Cup Qualifier, particularly given the lack of international playing time for the squad this year. We shall take stock of the situation, and look to re-engineer our plans as soon as possible.”

Galle Gladiators captain full of admiration for trio of Amir, Lakshan and Thushara – who have hunted as a pack

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Dec-2020Galle Gladiators found two effective local seamers late in the league stage, had Mohammad Amir hit serious form ahead of the knockouts, and now think they have the best seam attack at the Lanka Premier League. This is what their captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa said on the eve of the final against Jaffna Stallions.His words are not unsubstantiated. The two seamers with the most wickets in the league are both Gladiators bowlers – Amir and Dhananjaya Lakshan having claimed 10 wickets apiece. Lakshan’s tally is from three fewer bowling innings than Amir, but it is Amir, Rajapaksa said, who has inspired and guided the younger bowlers in the team.In their last four matches, Gladiators have taken their wickets at an average of 18.78 – easily the best in the league in that period.”When Amir was doing well in the early matches, he didn’t have a lot of new-ball support. He talked to me and said, ‘Bhanu, while I’m trying to get wickets I also have to bowl dot balls.’ But he’s been very good with everyone and he shared his experience. I hear what Amir talks about with the younger players, and he makes a lot of valid points. I think a lot of our recent success in the powerplay is down to that.”He’s told our young bowlers how to seam the ball – things they don’t know. He helps them in pressure situations as well. For a lot of us this is our first time playing in a tournament like this. What he does now is he gets us wickets with the new ball, and he can bowl for wickets because we now also have Dhananjaya Lakshan and Nuwan Thushara. Our seam attack is better than everyone else’s.”Thushara has been especially good at taking the pressure off Amir in the early overs, Rajapaksa said. A 26-year-old who delivers the ball round-arm, Malinga style, Thushara has taken two wickets in each of Gladiators’ last two matches. He hadn’t played in any of Gladiators’ five successive losses to start the tournament. Since he has come into the XI, Gladiators have won three out of four games.”Nuwan Thushara brought a lot of balance to the side,” Rajapaksa said. “Amir was bowling well with the new ball, but he didn’t have a lot of support. And when Lakshan Sandakan, Dhananjaya Lakshan and Amir also get wickets through the middle overs, it’s easy for a captain. Two of them anyway are senior bowlers (Amir and Sandakan). Them doing well allows us to play with one fewer bowler and cover the difference with part-timers.”Rajapaksa also had praise for Dhananjaya Lakshan in particular. The 22-year-old had largely been unheard of until the LPL. But during this tournament, he has generated substantial inswing to the right-hander, and also unveiled a variety of slower balls, most of which have been brilliantly directed. In addition to all this, he also hit a crucial 31 not out off 23 balls to help get Gladiators to their target in the semi-final.”Dhananjayaa Lakshan is one of the most valuable finds of the LPL,” Rajapalsa said. “He’s got a big future. If we guide him well through the system, he’s a bowler who can swing it like Nuwan Kulasekara. He can bat in the middle order and gives it 100% in the field as well. I have a lot of confidence in him as a captain because in tough situations he’ll come and say ‘Bhanu aiya, I’ll win the match for you.’ We’ve got a few good youngsters in the side, but he has stood out.”

The T20Is will be played as double-headers alongside the New Zealand-Australia women’s series

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2021Bangladesh’s ODIs and T20s in New Zealand, which were scheduled to kick off on March 13, will now begin on March 20. A New Zealand Cricket statement said the changes in the schedule was “caused by ongoing challenges in the current Covid-19 environment and the need to allow visiting sides adequate preparation for international commitments”.”To accommodate the necessary logistics, the Bangladesh tour will now begin seven days later than initially scheduled, following a five-day training camp at Queenstown, with matches to be played at the venues first planned, but on different dates,” the statement added.

New Zealand vs Bangladesh 2020-21

• March 20, 1st ODI, Dunedin

• March 23, 2nd ODI, Christchurch

• March 26, 3rd ODI, Wellington

• March 28, 1st T20I, Hamilton

• March 30, 2nd T20I, Napier

• April 1, 3rd T20I, Auckland

The three ODIs were supposed to be played on March 13, 17 and 20, and will now be on March 20, 23 and 26, in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington. The three T20Is – originally on March 23, 26 and 28 – follow on March 28, 30 and April 1 in Hamilton, Napier and Auckland.The three T20s will be played a double-headers with New Zealand’s women’s T20I series against Australia.”Patrons who have already purchased tickets for games on which dates or venues have been changed have been notified of the amendments and their options, including full refunds if desired,” NZC said.New Zealand has been one of the countries most successful in controlling Covid-19 numbers. The latest numbers on February 4 listed six new cases in the country as per official government figures. In Bangladesh, on February 3, the number of new cases reportedly stood at 438.This will be Bangladesh’s first visit to the country since the Christchurch terror attack in March 2019, when the team narrowly escaped the gunman who targeted two mosques in the city killing over 50 people.

Henry Hunt also scored a century as the pair dominated the opening day in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2021
In his first red-ball innings since being dropped from Australia’s Test side, Travis Head scored an unbeaten 189 as South Australia dominated the opening day at the WACA.Opener Henry Hunt also hit a century, adding 186 in 38 overs for the second-wicket with Head, as the Redbacks closed on an imposing 4 for 368 although Western Australia were lifted a little by being able to remove Alex Carey with the second new ball.Head lost his place in the Test line-up after the second match against India at the MCG when the availability of David Warner and Will Pucovski to open required a reshuffle with Matthew Wade retaining his place and moving back to the middle order.However, Head was given a boost earlier this month when he was included in the squad for the now-postponed tour of South Africa – at Wade’s expense – with national selector Trevor Hohns saying they saw more growth potential in 27-year-old Head who averages 39.75 from 19 Tests.This was a superb innings from him after he arrived in the 24th over at 2 for 66 following the dismissal of new No. 3 Liam Scott to an outside edge. Head feasted on the Western Australia attack with 25 fours and a six scoring at around a run-a-ball throughout: his fifty came from 54 balls, the hundred 107, the 150 from 162 and for a while a double hundred in the day was on the cards before he settled for being just shy of his career-best 192 at stumps.Hunt brought up his second first-class century from 156 balls the over before Head reached his hundred. He fell shortly after tea, flashing an edge to slip off Cameron Green to end his wicketless run that lasted throughout the India series.Carey, playing his first Shield match in 14 months after also being named in the Test squad, added 82 with Head before getting an edge into his pads which looped to gully off Cameron Gannon who had caused the left handers a few problems from round the wicket.

Soumya Sarkar’s 26-ball half-century goes in vain as Bangladesh remain winless on tour

Shashank Kishore30-Mar-20211:59

Domingo: ‘Nobody had an idea how many we needed after five overs’

In a rain-interrupted fixture on a drizzly Tuesday evening in Napier, New Zealand, bowling with a wet ball that was becoming increasingly hard to grip, had to work hard to eke out a 28-run win over Bangladesh via the DLS method. This gave them an unprecedented ninth straight home series victory, with Glenn Phillips playing a key role with both bat and ball, even though most of the wickets were picked up by their pace bowlers.The DLS drama
Sheets of rain, which interrupted play twice during the New Zealand innings, brought about a bizarre passage of play soon after Bangladesh began their reply to New Zealand’s 173 for 5, scored in 17.5 overs. For nine deliveries of their chase, Bangladesh were in the dark about their target. Or, well, thought incorrectly that their target was 148. Play was stopped for over five minutes even as match referee Jeff Crowe worked through frenetically to sign-off on a revised DLS target of 171 – first broadcast as 170 – off 16 overs.Soumya on a mission
When play resumed, Soumya Sarkar batted like a man on a mission, shellacking four fours and three sixes in his first 15 deliveries to entertain hopes of Bangladesh’s first win on tour. At the end of seven overs, Bangladesh were well placed at 76 for 1, needing a further 95 off 54 balls with nine wickets in hand. Ish Sodhi, taken for 19 off his first over, struggled to grip the ball. Adam Milne, returning to New Zealand’s XI for the first time since 2018, struggled to hit the right lengths. The game was afoot.Sodhi, Phillips amp up pressure
Then Sarkar started to try and manufacture strokes – attempting reverse sweeps and paddles, and looking to make room to muscle the ball on the face of some disciplined spin from part-timer Phillips. His two overs went for just 13 runs, while Sodhi bounced back to concede just five off his second over. The asking rate crept up and Sarkar soon holed out to long-on off Tim Southee for a 27-ball 51.Taking a cue from the spinners, Southee used his slower variations, the cutters and the knuckle ball, to tighten the screws. Bangladesh had reached a point of no return and had to go for broke. Mohammad Naim fell to give Phillips his first international wicket, leaving Mahmudullah to do the bulk of the hitting. At that stage, they needed 60 off 23 balls. It was a task too steep, with Milne, Hamish Bennett and Southee taking two apiece to close out the game.Bangladesh had a shot as long as Soumya Sarkar was at the crease•Getty Images

Sustained aggression wins the day
Earlier, in the 17.3 overs that were possible in their innings, New Zealand displayed their formidable batting depth and sustained aggression most reminiscent of England’s white-ball template. This helped them post a big total despite none of the top four managing more than Martin Guptill’s 21, after Bangladesh elected to make first use of some moisture on the surface.The start of the innings was hectic, with Finn Allen, bowled for a first-ball duck on debut, looking to give impetus. Backing away to use brute force, he clubbed the returning Taskin Ahmed down the ground and over midwicket to set the tone, but ran out of luck at 17 as he mistimed a hoick to square leg off the last delivery off the first over.Then, Ahmed, off whom four catches were dropped in the ODIs, showed his athleticism in pulling off a one-handed stunner, throwing himself to his left at short fine-leg to dismiss Guptill. When Devon Conway was out top-edging to deep square next delivery, New Zealand had slipped to 61 for 3.Phillips rises to the occasion
Phillips moves around in the crease, tries to throw spinners off their lengths by using his feet or backing away to cut and pull – methods that have made him quite a plucky T20 batsman. By the time he walked out to bat, Bangladesh’s left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed still had two overs left. Phillips took his time, finding the gaps and seeing Nasum off, before launching into the bowling at the death.Using the depth of the crease to good effect, he muscled two sixes towards deep midwicket, to go with his five fours, one off which was a lofted hit over cover off the back foot off Mahedi Hasan. He finished with 58 off 31 balls, and was helped in no small measure by Daryl Mitchell, who clubbed Mohammad Saifuddin for three successive boundaries in the 17th over, followed by three fours in the following over off Ahmed. Mitchell raced to 34 off 16 and Bangladesh were on their way staring at a 200-plus target when the rain arrived.

WA could still make the final if they can win their final match against Tasmania next week

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2021Joel Paris completed a memorable all-round match with a five-wicket haul to go alongside his maiden first-class century as Western Australia kept their Sheffield Shield title hopes alive with a 247-run victory over Victoria.Paris took five of the nine wickets Western Australia needed on the final day – the job completed with more than a session to spare – including Victoria’s three premier top-order batsmen in the space of three overs while the other breakthroughs were shared around.Victoria had resumed on 1 for 43 and in the seventh over of the day Paris found Marcus Harris’ outside edge and in his next he removed Peter Handscomb, who fell hooking for the second time in the match, although it owed as much to Matt Kelly’s alertness of the boundary.

A season for the double

Before this season, the last time a player had scored a hundred and taken a five-wicket haul in the Sheffield Shield was 2010 – but it has happened three times this summer:

Michael Neser v Tasmania

Ashton Agar v South Australia

Joel Paris v Victoria

Kelly took the catch at long leg, knew he was losing his balance over the rope, tossed the ball back and managed to regather it despite being on his knees.Paris’ fine morning continued when he pinned Nic Maddinson lbw to leave Victoria 4 for 63 and from there it never looked like the home side would be denied.Josh Inglis took an excellent catch down the leg side to remove Matt Short and soon after lunch Seb Gotch played a loose stroke to be caught behind.Paris had Will Sutherland and James Pattinson caught at first slip to complete his five-wicket haul before Jake Carder’s part-time spin nipped out Scott Boland and Cameron Gannon claimed the final wicket – captain Shaun Marsh taking his third catch at slip.Western Australia still need a victory in their final match against Tasmania to have a chance of making the final in a three-horse race with Queensland and New South Wales who face each other in Sydney.

Cites her ability to demoralise opponents as key quality

Vishal Dikshit20-May-2021India Women’s outgoing head coach WV Raman believes 17-year-old opener Shafali Verma’s game-changer of a batting approach could “demoralise” opposition bowlers in Test cricket too. Verma, who has so far represented India only in T20Is, is part of the ODI and Test squads as well for the all-format England tour next month. India are also set to tour Australia, where they will play a pink-ball Test in September.”If a batter goes on to psychologically demoralise the opposition bowlers in the first 45 minutes to one hour, I would take that any day in any format,” Raman told . “Let’s say in a four-day game or a Test match you are as it is looking to play out, if at all you happen to bat first.”Sometimes there could be a bit of reluctance to bat first if you win the toss for various reasons, but if you have someone in your side who can go out…some players are like that, they don’t care what the conditions are, who they are up against, they would back themselves and they’ll go after the bowlers and demoralise them.”Verma, currently the top-ranked T20I batter in the ICC women’s rankings, is known for her hard-hitting approach at the top and boasts of a T20I strike rate of 148.31. Raman cited Prithvi Shaw’s example from the Under-19 level to underline Verma’s ability to play a similar role across formats.”Like I saw Prithvi Shaw doing in the Under-19 side in 2017,” Raman said. “He would go there and get a 70-80 in no time. And by the time he got out and by the time you had a drinks break, you suddenly see the score close to 90 or 100. The issue is settled straightaway and imagine it provides you advantages in every respect. Not only does it make it very disconcerting for the bowlers in the opposition camp, it provides great confidence to the batters going next in your own side. What more do you need? It’s priceless.”Raman was also asked if the Indian team lacked an explosive finisher in ODIs and if the team management should consider moving Verma down the order in the format to collect more runs towards the end. “If they can find somebody who can do that from 35-50 overs, have them in the side, and have Shafali also in the side, why restrict yourself to either Shafali Verma or somebody at the bottom? Just have as many bazookas as you can and launch them mercilessly.”Verma made her international debut less than two years ago and has 22 T20Is to her name with 617 runs at an average of nearly 30. In T20Is since her debut in September 2019, Verma has been the second-highest run-scorer only behind Beth Mooney, she has the second-best strike rate after Alyssa Healy’s 155.95 (minimum 10 innings) and she has struck the most sixes (29) in the period.With her explosive batting style, she has already signed deals for The Hundred in England this summer, the WBBL in Australia later this year, and she got her maiden ODI and Test call-ups for the upcoming England tour. On Wednesday, the BCCI also handed her a Category B annual contract worth INR 30 lakh, a promotion from her Category C contract last year.

The visitors are currently 12th on the ODI Super League table with no wins in four games

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-May-2021

Big Picture

Senior players. Who needs ’em? Bangladesh would argue they do. Although Sri Lanka had their batting line-up stuttering at 99 for 4 in the first ODI on Sunday, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah called upon their combined 418 ODIs worth of experience, and plotted Bangladesh’s way out of trouble and eventually to a position of comfort. Earlier, Tamim Iqbal also struck a fifty.Sri Lanka, however, have jettisoned several of their senior players, leaving out Angelo Mathews, and prompting Thisara Perera to retire. Clearly, Sri Lanka’s think-tank – coach Mickey Arthur, the selectors, director of cricket Tom Moody and the technical committee headed by Aravinda de Silva – have their eyes firmly set on the future, in naming this young squad, and issuing contracts that reward future potential.Related

• 'We know that the job is not done' – Iqbal after Bangladesh snap ten-match winless streak

• BCB president Hassan slams Bangladesh's mentality after 'very ugly' dismissals

• Mushfiqur, Miraz give Bangladesh 1-0 lead despite Hasaranga heroics

• Perera: Contract concerns on our minds but priority is to win the series

• Domingo wants Bangladesh 'to stick to basics and not try anything fancy'

But they also need to win ODIs in the short term. Right now, Sri Lanka are 12th out of 12 in the ODI Super League, having lost all four matches so far. To be fair, it is not as if seniors were certain to give them a greater chance of victory – Sri Lanka’s ODI form was poor even when more experienced players were in the mix. But now that Sri Lanka have committed to this new strategy, they need wins quickly to stop the pressure piling up, not just on players but decision-makers as well.Bangladesh, meanwhile, go into the second ODI in Dhaka on Tuesday with the afterglow of a comprehensive victory – one in which an old formula worked for them. Not only did the big-name stars make runs, their lead spinner ruined the opposition’s chase, and Mustafizur Rahman was also outstanding, even if those cutters have lost their fizz. Short turnarounds also tend to assist the team that won the previous match.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLLLW (completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WLLLWKusal Mendis needs runs to justify his return to national colours after being dropped from all formats earlier this year•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

Of the three half-centuries that built Bangladesh’s total on Sunday, Mushfiqur Rahim‘s 84 was easily the most fluent. He scored at nearly a run a ball, but rarely appeared rushed, hitting just four fours and a six in the 87 balls he faced. He was a master of manipulation, waltzing across the crease to find space on the leg side, or backing away to hit to the off side, while occasionally coming down the pitch to change the spinners’ lengths. Although there are questions still over his keeping (particularly as Liton Das is also in the XI), Rahim also had a good game with the gloves.Earlier this year, Kusal Mendis was dropped from all formats on account of his woeful Test returns. In ODIs, his form actually hadn’t been that bad – he’d averaged 55.33 in his six most recent innings before this series (though those innings came a while back, before the pandemic). Still, he needs runs, and he needs them fast, if he is to justify not just his return to national colours, but also his elevation to the vice-captaincy.

Team news

Bangladesh are unlikely to mess with their winning XI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Liton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mohammad Mithun, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Mehidy Hasan, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanSri Lanka may think about swapping out one of the top-order batters for Niroshan Dickwella, who was good in the intra-squad practice game.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Kusal Perera (capt & wk), 3 Niroshan Dickwella, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Pathum Nissanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Lakshan Sandakan, 11 Dushmantha Chameera

Pitch and conditions

A cyclone in the Bay of Bengal on Monday evening may see Dhaka endure a rainy 24 hours, which could impact not just ground conditions, but also interrupt the match. Another slow surface is expected.

Stats and trivia

• Four Bangladesh players from Sunday’s XI have played 195 ODIs or more – Mahmudullah (195), Shakib (210), Iqbal (214) and Rahim (225). Sri Lanka’s most experienced player was Kusal Perera, with 102 matches.
• Bangladesh have never won a bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka.
• Although Sri Lanka’s overall ODI record in Mirpur is good (18 wins to eight losses), they have lost three of their last six matches at the venue.

The hosts lost 8 for 51 despite debutant Kaitano and captain Taylor giving them a strong start to their innings

Mohammad Isam09-Jul-2021
Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan scythed through a hot-and-cold Zimbabwe line-up on the third afternoon, to put Bangladesh on top of the one-off Test in Harare. Miraz claimed his eighth five-for while Shakib picked four wickets as well. This was only the third time that spinners took nine wickets in an innings in Zimbabwe.The home side lost their last eight wickets for 51 runs after they were comfortably placed at 225 for 2 at one stage. While all this was happening, Takudzwanashe Kaitano top-scored with 87 off 311 balls, batting quite impressively at the other end. It is the highest score by a Zimbabwean opener on debut, and the third-highest number of balls faced by a Zimbabwean debutant overall. Brendan Taylor made 81 but his dismissal ultimately changed the home side’s outlook.

Taskin, Muzarabani fined for face-off

The heated confrontation that took place between Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed and Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani on the second day of the Harare Test has resulted in both players being fined 15% of their match fees.

Match referee Andy Pycroft also slapped them with one demerit point each as further punishment for getting in each other’s faces and making physical contact as well, which goes against article 2.1.12 of the ICC code of conduct.

Both Taskin and Muzarabani accepted their sanctions.

The Bangladesh openers Shadman Islam and Saif were solid in the second innings, staying unbeaten on 22 and 20 respectively. They stretched Bangladesh’s lead to 237.Earlier, Zimbabwe’s innings was one of extremes. Their top three batters scored 209 runs, but there were also four ducks. The truly extreme aspect was in how they batted in the four sessions. On the second evening and third morning, they looked confident, particularly with captain Taylor in the middle. He made a quickfire 81 with 12 fours and a six, shepherding Kaitano in a 115-run second wicket stand.He smacked Shakib for a straight six to reach his fifty off 58 balls, and swung Ebadot Hossain away for a thrilling four through midwicket. But his aggression got the better of him against Miraz, who had him caught at square leg, playing a half-hearted sweep shot.Kaitano was understandably more cautious, scoring the bulk of his runs when the bowlers erred their line. He scored 59 runs on the leg side, hitting only three fours through the covers. He tried to keep things moving when batting with Dion Myers but the pair slowed down after the lunch break.It forced Myers to play a rash shot, the sweep once again, which got him caught at long leg. Timycen Maruma became the fourth batter out sweeping, lbw to Shakib for a 17-ball duck. Taskin Ahmed had Roy Kaia caught behind for a duck too, before Miraz took over the wicket-taking.He ended Kaitano’s long vigil with one that took his edge down the leg side, after which he cleaned up the tail in 19 balls. Donald Tiripano, Victor Nyauchi and Blessing Muzarabani fell in three successive overs, before Shakib took the last wicket, that of Richard Ngarava, caught at slip, also for a duck.