All posts by n8rngtd.top

Luke Hollman, Tom Helm resist with the bat at Merchant Taylors School

ECB Reporters Network11-Jul-2022Worcestershire 100 for 5 (Murtagh 2-22) trail Middlesex 188 (Hollman 62, Helm 50*, Leach 3-58) by 88 runsBowlers held sway as wickets tumbled on day one of the LV = Insurance County Championship Division Two clash between Middlesex and Worcestershire at Merchant Taylors School.Joe Leach (three for 58) and Dillon Pennington two for 41 routed Middlesex’s top order as they were hustled out for 188, Luke Hollman 62 and Tom Helm 50 not out providing belated resistance.However the hosts too prospered ball in hand, Tim Murtagh returning two for 22 as Worcestershire plummeted to 49 for 5 in reply before Ed Barnard’s unbeaten 33 left honours even.Leach and Pennington wasted little time giving Middlesex cause to question their decision to bat on winning the toss.Sam Robson, a man with three first-class centuries at Merchant Taylors made only three before Leach uprooted his middle stump with a peach of an in-swinger.Pennington then stepped forward with a well-directed bouncer which Mark Stoneman injudiciously chose to hook and skied the easiest of catches to Leach at mid-wicket.His demise sparked a collapse as Jack Davies nicked Pennington through to Gareth Roderick and the recalled Robbie White lost his off-stump to almost no shot at all.The home side then compounded their woes with a runout which wouldn’t have been out of place in a Keystone Cops silent movie. Max Holden played a ball to fine-leg, turned for a second, but neither he or non-striker John Simpson made eye contact and crashed into each other meaning the former was run out.Leach trapped Simpson lbw soon afterwards and when Toby Roland-Jones drove loosely at Charlie Morris after lunch the hosts were 93 for 7.It could have been worse with Helm dropped first ball, but that scare survived he and young all-rounder Hollman provided the first resistance of the day.Hollman, still only 21, underlined his growing maturity, driving crisply square of the wicket and taking on the short ball. Eight boundaries helped him to a third half-century of the season in 82 balls, while Helm recovered from his sketchy start to hit Josh Baker over mid-wicket for the only six of the day.Baker struck back to bowl Hollman for 62, ending a stand of 83, but Helm got to his second first-class 50 in 74 balls before Worcestershire mopped up the tail.With so few runs to defend Middlesex needed early wickets and skipper Murtagh was the man to oblige, having Ed Pollock caught behind before pinning Jake Libby lbw in his next over.Inspired by his batting Helm then found the edge of Jack Haynes’ bat to give Robson a simple catch, but the opener shelled another from the bowling of debutant Umesh Yadav to reprieve Brett D’ Oliveira on nought.Yadav quickly banished that memory castling Taylor Cornwall for his first wicket in Middlesex colours, and D’ Oliveira failed to make the most of his reprieve, gloving a viciously lifting ball from Roland-Jones to Hollman in the gully to leave the visitors reeling.But Barnard and Roderick raised a 50-stand in the day’s dying embers to leave things delicately poised.

Gudakesh Motie found a place in the 13-man squad for the ODIs against Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2022West Indies’ search for the ideal squad to take to the T20 World Cup in October continues at pace with an almost entirely new set of personnel set to take on Bangladesh in a three-match series that starts on July 2. Five of the 16 that played in their last short-form assignment have been left out.It had already been announced that Jason Holder would be rested from these matches, and Kieron Pollard has retired from international cricket altogether but Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell and Shai Hope, who had all made the trip to India in February, have been sidelined. Dominic Drakes only finds place as a reserve player.Meanwhile, Rovman Powell, who had an impressive season with Delhi Capitals at the IPL, was named T20I vice-captain.

West Indies vs Bangladesh 2022

T20I squad: Nicholas Pooran (capt), Rovman Powell (vice-capt), Shamarh Brooks, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Devon Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr, Dominic Drakes (reserve player)

Out: Kieron Pollard, Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Shai Hope

In: Obed McCoy, Shamarh Brooks, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, Devon Thomas

ODI squad: Nicholas Pooran (capt), Shai Hope (vice-capt), Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Anderson Phillip, Rovman Powell, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd (reserve player)

Out: Nkrumah Bonner, Shermon Lewis, Hayden Walsh Jr

In: Gudakesh Motie

A T20I squad of 13 featured recalls for left-arm seamer Obed McCoy, who played the IPL final for Rajasthan Royals, allrounder Keemo Paul and wicketkeeper Devon Thomas.Gudakesh Motie, the left-arm spinner who has played a Test and a T20I each, was called up to a 13-man ODI squad to face Bangladesh from July 10. Nicholas Pooran will continue to captain West Indies in both formats.”We know Rovman’s history,” chief selector Desmond Haynes said. “He has captained the West Indies before and is also the captain of his CPL franchise [Jamaica Tallawahs]. Our role is to look at future leaders as well and we have identified a few, including himself, who we will be putting programmes around to ensure we keep them involved in that aspect of the cricket.”Generally, we have to start looking at the bigger picture of getting these players playing together as often as possible in preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup later down in the year. We need to ensure we are fielding a very strong side for that tournament.”West Indies’ last white-ball cricket was in Pakistan, a three-match ODI series they lost 3-0. Brandon King, who struggled in that series, kept his place in the side. The 32-year old Thomas, who broke an eight-year spell between T20I appearances this past December, stayed in the team as well. Over a 101-game T20 career, he averages 18.79 and strikes at 112.90.”Thomas is a very versatile cricketer, who has been knocking on the door in all formats,” Haynes said. “He has been doing well in franchise cricket and with that level of talent, we must ensure we keep him interested. He brings a lot to the table and is basically a four-dimensional player, he can bat, bowl, he is brilliant in the field, and he can keep wicket as well.”The white-ball games will kick off with three T20Is on July 2, July 3 and July 7, before the ODIs on July 10, July 13 and July 16. The first two games will be played in Dominica, the first games that country will host since Hurricane Maria heavily damaged the island in 2017. The final four games will take place in Guyana. West Indies concluded a two-match Test series against Bangladesh on Wednesday, winning both games.

The allrounder was “shattered” to miss out on selection in Sri Lanka but is hoping to be part of the India tour next year

Alex Malcolm and Vithushan Ehantharajah04-Aug-2022Glenn Maxwell has revealed he was “shattered” to miss out on selection for Australia’s most recent Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, but it has only reignited his desire to play Test cricket again with a tour of India on the horizon early next year.Maxwell was a surprise call-up to Australia’s Test squad in Sri Lanka as cover for the injured Travis Head, after not being selected in the side initially. He had not played Test cricket since September 2017 and last played a first-class game in October 2019.Maxwell was close to playing in the first Test in Galle, but Head passed a fitness test and retained his place. He was even closer to playing in the second Test when it was revealed by skipper Pat Cummins that Maxwell was in line to play at No.8 in place of Mitchell Starc if the Galle pitch was going to be a duplicate of the surface used in the first Test.Related

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• Progress made, but subcontinent cracks still present for Australia

But conditions changed significantly with a much more placid batting surface presented, and Maxwell missed out.”I was shattered when I got told,” Maxwell said about his exclusion from the second Test. “It wasn’t that I thought they made the wrong call, I was just genuinely disappointed.”I really wanted to play. I loved being a part of it [Test cricket], and I loved the thought of playing again.”Even not thinking about Test cricket for a couple of years, I felt like I was ready again. I loved working with the coaches and coming up with new tactics to deal with difficult spin bowling and balls exploding.”I’m glad Heady got through his fitness test because I’d have hated to be in because of an injury to one of your players. Unfortunately, they changed the conditions. If it was the same conditions for both Tests, I probably would have played. But they made a slightly better wicket, and the selectors made the right call.”I tried not to get too excited or get my hopes up too much because I know, having been in that situation so many times and been on the wrong side of it, the ups and downs of selection and the 50-50 calls … but yeah, I allowed myself to get a little bit too excited.”Glenn Maxwell hasn’t played Test cricket since 2017•AFP

Maxwell also revealed that he felt a lot more love and positivity around his possible Test recall than he had done in the past, even if he did lament that his batting style wasn’t more accepted when he was around the Test team between 2014 and 2017.”It’s certainly nice to have support, where I feel like I probably didn’t have that in the early days of my Test career,” Maxwell said. “It was probably the other way around, where it was just like, no, can’t have this guy in the team. So it’s sort of nice to see it change. When I came back into the side in 2017, it felt like there was a real shift of positivity coming my way, which was rare.”For so long, whenever I played a reverse sweep, it was frowned upon and it’s become a staple of Test cricket wherever you play in the world. Everyone plays it.”So it’s like, where was this six years ago? It would have been nice when I was playing, if people would have looked at me and gone, oh, visionary [laughs]. Uzzie [Usman Khawaja] plays 300 of them, and he’s a superstar, [he] gets 150 and like, [we] bow down to him.”Maxwell is now firmly in line to play in the four-Test tour of India next year, particularly after Head’s lean tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka where his highest score was 26 in five Tests. Head now averages just 21.30 in Asia from seven Tests and has passed 50 only once. Maxwell has played all seven of his Tests in Asia and averages just 26.07 there. He has also passed 50 just once, but he made a superb century in Ranchi on Australia’s last Test tour of India in 2017.The balance of right and left-handers in Australia’s top seven will be important against the left-arm orthodox of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, and the right-arm offspin of R Ashwin.Maxwell’s experience facing all three in India, across red and white-ball cricket, will no doubt give him an advantage from a selection standpoint. He revealed the Australia selectors have spoken to him about what specific preparation would be best for him ahead of the India tour and he stressed, as he has previously, that playing Sheffield Shield cricket on Australian pitches will not help.”They sort of just asked what do you need to get ready and would Shield cricket make a difference? I said no, it won’t,” Maxwell said. “Because the conditions are just so different over there. It’s certainly hard to prepare for spinning tracks in Australia during our first-class games.”I think we’re able to still get nets up in Melbourne that can spin and do some different things. Last year I had a pre-season at Junction Oval, where we would use the same pitches, maybe four or five net sessions in a row and by the fifth net session they were basically India. And it was awesome. They were the best net sessions I had. Because I was going away, I think at that stage, the next subcontinent tour, it might have been the IPL and it was awesome. It was the perfect prep, and I had no excuses, I suppose, going into the next series.”

In all 16 teams will contest the tournament, including Indonesia and Rwanda, who will feature in a show-piece event in cricket for the first time

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2022The JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom will host the final of the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup on 29 January, 2023. The tournament, originally scheduled for 2021 before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, will kick off on January 14, and will feature 41 matches across two weeks across Benoni and Potchefstroom. January 30 is a reserve day for the final.In all 16 teams will contest the tournament, including Indonesia and Rwanda, who will feature in a show-piece event in cricket for the first time.Related

• Cape Town, Paarl and Gqeberha to host Women's T20 World Cup

The teams are split into four groups, with the top three from each group going through to a Super 6 round. The semi-finals will both be held on January 27, with a reserve day slotted for 28th.Group A includes Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and USA, Group B is England, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Rwanda, Group C is Ireland, Indonesia, New Zealand and West Indies, while Group D comprises India, South Africa, UAE and Scotland.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Four games will played each day during round one, spread across the JB Marks Oval and NW University Oval in Potchefstroom, and Willowmoore Park and Willowmoore Park B in Benoni. Australia and Bangladesh play the tournament opener at Willowmoore Park on January 14, while India open their account against South Africa later that evening.In the Super 6s, teams from groups A and D will face each other, and teams from Groups B take on those from Group C for a place in the semis.The main event will be preceded by 16 warm-up matches between January 9 and 11 in Johannesburg and Tshwane.

Weather permitting, the paciest attack in the T20I world will come up against some of the best players of fast bowling

Karthik Krishnaswamy22-Oct-20227:07

Kumble: ‘India need to adapt to conditions but can’t be conservative’

Big picture

India-Pakistan matches are rare and usually only found in global tournaments, and this combination of scarcity and high stakes often brings out the worst in both sets of fans. And, over recent years, the pre-match hysteria has often given way to one-sided anticlimaxes on the field. Lukewarm blowouts giving way to jingoistic gloating and poisonous finger-pointing – do we really need India-Pakistan cricket if is what it is defined by?Related

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• Rohit: 'We need to do a lot of things right to win tthe WC'

• Weather improves, but India ready for shortened game too

• 'They have won us enough matches' – Babar on middle order

Over a pair of meetings at the Asia Cup just over a month ago, however, the two teams reminded everyone of the electricity their cricketing collisions can generate. Both games were seesawing tactical battles that went down to the wire, with India winning the first with two balls remaining and Pakistan the second with one ball to spare.It was clear then that these were two excellent T20 sides with contrasting strengths that aligned broadly with national stereotypes which had not always been accurate previously. On one side was a formidable batting unit with holes all over its bowling thanks to the absence of one key superstar; on the other a conservative top order that set its sights on par totals, confident in the ability of its high-quality, high-pace attack to defend them.A clash of cricketing giants, and a clash of cricketing philosophies. What more could you ask for? Well, a World Cup setting, perhaps. And maybe a neutral venue that puts these philosophies to their stiffest test.2:37

Rohit Sharma: ‘We are in a better position than the last T20 World Cup’

We have lucked out then, because Sunday will contain all these ingredients. Where better than Australia for the paciest attack in the T20I world to come up against some of the best players of fast bowling? Where better than the MCG and its 100,000-plus capacity for this to happen?Where better, indeed, but for one little hitch; let’s just hope the rain stays away.

Form guide

India LWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)

Pakistan WWLWW

In the spotlight

He’s returning from a long injury layoff, but if you’ve watched a clip of the Rahmanullah Gurbaz ball, you’ll know Shaheen Shah Afridi is well and truly back. Afridi’s new-ball burst was the most influential performance in Pakistan’s victory over India at last year’s T20 World Cup, and how India perform could well hinge on how little damage they allow him to inflict during the powerplay.18:37

Shaheen Shah Afridi: the rise of the falcon

Suryakumar Yadav is arguably the best T20 batter in the world at the moment, but he has not had much of a chance yet to show what he’s capable of in a World Cup game, having only batted three times – twice in the closing stages of small chases – at last year’s tournament. Getting him out early could be key to Pakistan doing well. He is comfortable against pace and spin, and he hits boundaries all around the ground, as capable of punching short-of-a-length balls with a vertical bat as he is of sweeping and slicing full-length balls along and behind square.

Team news

India will have to make two big calls regarding the composition of their bowling attack. One is picking three out of their four specialist pace options. Then there is the issue of spin. Five out of Pakistan’s notional top-six are likely to be right-hand batters, but they often use Mohammad Nawaz as a floater to break that pattern. Should India pick their offspinner R Ashwin, then, or go with their preferred spin pair against right-hand-heavy teams?India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Harshal Patel/Mohammed Shami, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal/R Ashwin, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Arshdeep SinghPakistan have five terrific fast-bowling options, but they can probably pick only three of them. Afridi and Haris Rauf are certainties, with Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim most likely contesting for the one other slot. Shan Masood, meanwhile, has been declared fit to play, a day after suffering a blow to his head during a training session. Fakhar Zaman, however, is unavailable, with Pakistan keeping a close eye on his recovery from a knee injury.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Shan Masood, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Haris Rauf1:13

India sweat it out ahead of T20 World Cup opener

Pitch and conditions

First, the bad news. It may rain on Sunday, though there’s a bit of encouraging news on that front.Now for the good news. The last three India-Pakistan T20Is have all been played in Dubai, a venue where the toss influences results disproportionately, and have all been won by the chasing side. Chasing teams have won each of the last five completed T20Is at the MCG as well, but that could simply be a quirk of probability, because, as our superlative guide to the venues at this World Cup tells us, chasing teams have a 50% win record in at this ground since the start of 2020.This suggests the toss may not be quite so crucial, though you would probably still expect the team winning it to chase. Also expect a lot of hard-length bowling, with bowlers encouraging batters to hit towards the long square boundaries and keeping them away from the relatively short straight boundaries.1:20

What do Rohit and Babar talk about when they meet?

Stats and trivia

• There’s one argument for India picking Ashwin despite the right-hand-heavy nature of Pakistan’s top six. In T20Is this year, Babar Azam (strike rate 114.28) and Mohammad Rizwan (112.32) haven’t scored particularly quickly against offspin, and the two openers often bat through a significant chunk of Pakistan’s innings. Babar has also been dismissed four times by offspinners in 35 balls.
• Among bowlers to have sent down at least ten overs at the death (17-20) in Full-Member-vs-Full-Member T20Is this year, Arshdeep (8.30) and Haris (8.35) have the joint-second-best and fourth-best economy rates. Only Kane Richardson (8.00) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (8.30) sit above them.
• Dinesh Karthik is set to feature in a T20 World Cup match for the first time in more than 12 years. His last appearance was against Sri Lanka in St Lucia during the 2010 tournament.
• Karthik and Rohit Sharma were part of India’s squad at the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, in which no member of Pakistan’s current squad had featured.

1:02

India, Pakistan fans in Melbourne get ready for big game

Quotes

“Speaking of the game against Australia, the warm-up game, that was always the plan. We know he’s very good with the new ball, so we just wanted to give him a bit of a challenge to come and bowl at the death, and see what he can do. And most importantly his body was something we had to look at, because he’s just recovered from Covid, and we wanted to give him enough time. We wanted to play him in the next warm-up game, full 20 overs, but unfortunately it got washed off, and we didn’t get a chance to play him there, but in terms of preparation, I think he’s very well prepared. He’s been training with the team for a while now. He came to Brisbane quite early, and had a few sessions with the entire team. In terms of his readiness I think he’s very much ready. It’s just about going out and executing what Shami is known for.”
“Off the field whenever we meet, we meet each other respectfully. That is sportsman spirit. Not just with India, but we bond well with all other teams. Whatever the situation on the field, everyone gives 100% for their country, we do the same. But off the field, we meet each other respectfully.”

He has also called for more regular fixtures between the sides, who are meeting in a Test match for the first time since January 2016

Tristan Lavalette29-Nov-2022Twelve millimetres of grass have been left on the Optus Stadium pitch for the first Test between Australia and West Indies starting on Wednesday, with head curator Isaac McDonald tipping “good pace and bounce” from the surface.Fireworks are expected as both teams are blessed with explosive pace attacks. There is also the notion of the visitors’ batting crumbling against Australia’s star-studded trio of quicks, who dominated the two previous Tests at this ground: against India in 2018, and New Zealand in 2019. But West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite believes they can still defy those expectations.”We want to bat [for] 100 overs, the main focus is to have discipline,” he told reporters on the eve of the Test. “We have batsmen that can get on with it, so it’s not to stop them. It’s for them to do the processes throughout the entire innings. It’s not to change anyone’s game.Related

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“I think [batting] time is always great to have in Test cricket… to believe they can do it. We know Australia is a superior team. We have to play ten days of hard cricket, that’s our main focus.”While planning to muster the effort, Brathwaite confirmed that Tagenarine Chanderpaul, the son of legendary batter Shivnarine, would make his Test debut after impressing last week with 119 and 56 in the practice match against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.”He will do extremely well at this higher level,” Brathwaite said, having played 18 Tests in the company of Shivnarine during the early part of his career. “He has a lot of patience, and a good defence. He was an example for us in the first game, and we take a leaf out of his book for the series. I think Tag will do a fantastic job, and let’s hope he can do even greater things than his father.”Brathwaite on Tagenarine Chanderpaul – ‘He was an example for us in the [tour] game, and we take a leaf out of his book for the series•Getty Images

Brathwaite also said middle-order batter Jermaine Blackwood would be available for the Perth Test after suffering a nasty blow to the head during training on Monday, and that fast bowler Jayden Seales had overcome a knee issue. But West Indies will be without allrounder Raymon Reifer due to a groin injury for at least the first Test, with their final line-up still undetermined.Having “started the process” towards a red-ball cricket renaissance with home series victories over England and Bangladesh earlier in the year, West Indies are eyeing a drought-breaking triumph in Australia, where they haven’t won a Test match since February 1997.And as classic battles between the teams from the 1990s enjoy reruns on Australian pay television ahead of the series, nostalgia is swelling for the Frank Worrell Trophy’s heyday when it was a marquee series, and was fiercely contested.”We know Test cricket is real cricket,” Brathwaite said. “As a team, we want to do well for the Caribbean, and want youngsters to play Test cricket for West Indies. Obviously we were great in the past, and we use it as motivation to get to that level. If we stick together as a group, we can improve and get to those great levels.”Brathwaite also hoped that a competitive series would lead to more regular fixtures between Australia and West Indies after just five Tests between them in the previous seven-plus years. The last of them came in Sydney, on West Indies’ tour to Australia in 2015-16; they have played England in as many as 12 Tests since.”We play England quite often… once we play more [against Australia] often, I think it would be much better,” Brathwaite said. “Playing Australia quite often would be good for us to challenge ourselves against one of the best teams in the world. We are aiming to get back to that standard, but this trophy still means a lot to us.”

Northern were bowled out for 593 on the third day, but had run up a first-innings lead of 309 runs by then

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2022
A 308-run third-wicket stand between Mohammad Huraira and Umar Amin, followed by a 155-run partnership between Umar Waheed and Rohail Nazir, powered Northern to a lead of 309 over Sindh at close of play on the third day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final in Lahore.Northern started the third day on 296 for 2, already 12 runs in front, and batted through the day before being bowled out for 593. Hurraira top-scored for them with 221, while there were centuries for Amin (114) and Waheed (109) too. Rohail fell short of the landmark by six runs when he became the ninth batter to fall.Sindh had a tough day with the ball, particularly Shahnawaz Dahani, who conceded 137 in his 30 wicketless overs. Mohammad Umar, the quick, and Aaliyan Mahmood, the offspinner, however, had better rewards for their toil, both returning four-wicket hauls. A fair bit of their success came in the last session of the day, when Northern lost five wickets for 49 runs.There was time – and ten overs – left, but poor light prevented the umpires from getting the Sindh second innings started.Hurraira, the highest run-getter in his debut season last year as well as in the ongoing one so far, was supreme, scoring 221 off just 236 balls, with 35 fours and two sixes. This was his first double-century of the season, to go with three centuries, and he currently has 1024 runs, well ahead of the other players still in action – Amin, the Northern captain, is next on that list, but 250 runs behind.Northern, who resumed with Hurraira on 193 and Amin on 79, didn’t lose any wickets in the opening session but Danish Aziz broke through with Hurraira’s wicket after lunch, and Aaliyan then sent back Amin not long after to raise Sindh’s hopes. But Waheed, playing only his fourth game of the season, and Rohail ensured Northern didn’t concede the advantage. For Waheed, it was his first century of the season, after he had fallen for 96 in the previous game, against Central Punjab.

Match-winner says Mustafizur’s approach “allowed me to shape my game plan. Who to attack, when to attack”

Mohammad Isam04-Dec-20222:11

Jaffer suggests Shakib deserves more recognition

Mehidy Hasan Miraz stood in the middle of the Shere Bangla National Stadium, surrounded by India fielders just waiting for the final wicket to fall. At the other end, he had No. 11 Mustafizur Rahman, batting average of 6.30. Bangladesh needed 51 runs. They had a lot of overs in hand but they had just lost their last five wickets for eight runs. A portion of the full-house crowd had left. An India win was writ large in Dhaka.But this is 2022, a year in which Mehidy has been involved in a few miracles. He was part of the team that beat New Zealand in the Mount Maunganui Test. Mehidy and Afif Hossain rescued Bangladesh from 45 for 6 against Afghanistan. Mehidy took four wickets in an ODI in South Africa when Bangladesh got into a tough spot. These events have shaped his mind in a way that even in such a desperate situation against India on Sunday, he felt he could do it.Related

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When the last recognised batter Afif fell with 53 runs remaining, Mehidy had plotted his partnerships with the long tail. And when Ebadot Hossain and Hasan Mahmud fell for ducks, he didn’t stop believing.”Maybe people will call me (mad) but I had the honest belief that we could win,” Mehidy said. “I only focused on winning the game. I kept telling myself that I can do this. I thought I’d score 15 runs with Ebadot, 20 runs with Hasan Mahmud and the remaining 15-20 runs with Mustafiz. But two quick wickets meant that it was a do-or-die situation with the last wicket remaining. I had to take calculated risks. Mustafiz’s words really stayed with me. It gave me more belief.”It all kicked off when he swatted debutant Kuldeep Sen for two sixes in the 41st over. He swung a few wildly, even getting dropped by KL Rahul, but then when he saw Mustafizur handle the bowling properly, Mehidy went after Deepak Chahar for three fours in the 44th over. It reduced the runs remaining to 14, and that’s when it got serious.”If I thought that we would lose or we won’t be able to get the remaining runs, it wouldn’t have worked out like this,” Mehidy said. “It was definitely a do-or-die situation. There was no problem to get out trying to hit out. When we needed 50 runs, I took the chances. It came off.”But when we needed 14 or 10 runs, then I got really excited. We have lost a lot of close matches, but Mustafiz kept giving me encouragement. He told me, ‘don’t hurry, don’t try to hit a six. You bat along the ground, we will get the runs’. I was very clear with my game plan. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I think that helped out also.”What really helped Mehidy was how Mustafizur stood confidently at the other end, even starting off a four through the covers, Bangladesh’s first boundary since the 23rd over.”Mustafiz is my good friend,” Mehidy said. “He supported me a lot. One thing that stood out was his confidence. He kept telling me, ‘You don’t worry about me. I will stop the ball at my end. I will take balls on the body, but I won’t get out’. His confidence rubbed off on me.”He kept telling me not to worry about him. A batter would always worry about the tailender. If he gets out, it’s all over. But his approach allowed me to shape my game plan. Who to attack, when to attack. I didn’t go after every ball. I did sky a couple, but they couldn’t take the chances. You are bound to get out if you are trying to hit every ball. Calculative risk helped out.”The crucial moment was when the scores were tied. Mehidy was on strike. He turned the ball through the covers and took off in celebration. It was reminiscient of last February when Afif and Mehidy walked off with wide smiles after their heist against Afghanistan. Mehidy, though, feels this one against India was more important. “Both were important knocks but this is more special. This was the last wicket, we needed 51 runs. This was definitely more special.”

The panel has termed the 2024 T20 World Cup – which WI will co-host – a “golden opportunity to hit the reset button”

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jan-20233:42

‘Players, to a man, were extremely disappointed but they are committed’

West Indies cricket will “cease to exist as an entity” if the best players in the region represent it only on an “optional” basis while featuring in all T20 leagues. This was one of the conclusions drawn by the review group that Cricket West Indies recently appointed to probe West Indies’ failure to get past the first round of the 2022 men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.The two-time T20 World Cup winners, led by Nicholas Pooran, started with a loss to Scotland and beat Zimbabwe before a defeat to Ireland led them to crash out of the tournament. Pooran subsequently stepped down as white-ball captain, just after CWI instituted the review committee comprising Patrick Thompson Jr (chair), former West Indies captain Brian Lara, and Mickey Arthur, who has been head coach with South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and is currently at Derbyshire.Related

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The terms of reference for the review group was to “identify, investigate, and analyse the factors contributing to the poor performance” before reporting the findings to CWI, which made them public on Thursday. “The untimely exit of the West Indies Men’s Team (“the WI Team”) from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (“the World Cup”) bears certain similarities to a disaster, albeit one without fatal consequences,” the review said.Pooran’s team, the review said, was “underprepared” for the World Cup, with most of the squad having negligible experience of playing “topflight” cricket in Australia. The fact that West Indies’ players landed in Australia immediately after the Caribbean Premier League was not lost on the review group. “The World Cup matches were played in wet and cold Hobart, Tasmania, which had more in common with the north of England than West Indian conditions. In the absence of a camp in Australia, the CPL had little meaningful impact on the Team’s preparation.”Brian Lara is one of the three members of the CWI-appointed review panel•BCCI

This was a second successive poor performance from West Indies at a T20 World Cup after their failure in the 2021 edition, which was played in the UAE. In that tournament, West Indies were led by Kieron Pollard, who retired last April. Recently Pollard called West Indies’ exit from the 2022 World Cup a “sad day” but said he would not blame the players.“NoCs cannot be weaponized against the player”
The review group, though, underlined the fact that West Indies were not fielding the best available team. Sunil Narine has been a consistent match-winner and impact player in tournaments like the IPL, but he has not made himself available for selection for West Indies for the past several years. Andre Russell, valued as one of the best allrounders in T20 cricket, was not available for the World Cup in Australia. The review group pointed out that Shimron Hetmyer’s absence in Australia “was a significant loss to the batting unit”. Hetmyer failed to board the World Cup flight, and was consequently dropped from the World Cup squad.Yet all these players have made themselves available for T20 franchise leagues around the world where they get paid big money. While the review said it was “entirely understandable” for players to “maximize their earnings”, it warned that this could not come at “the detriment of West Indies Cricket.”Andre Russell and Sunil Narine haven’t turned out for West Indies in recent years but are among the most sought-after players in T20 franchise leagues•BCCI

“It is not in the best interests of West Indies Cricket that our best players play in every global league and play for the WI Team on an optional basis,” the review said. “It is imperative that the Board and the players have a frank and honest discussion with each other in order to arrive at a solution to this impasse. In this Group’s view, there is significant distrust between the players and administration and this distrust is inimical to ensuring that the best 11 players turn out for the WI Team in every match.”No Objection Certificates cannot be weaponized against the players, but it is essential that some middle ground is arrived at. Otherwise, West Indies Cricket may cease to exist as an entity. This Group does not indulge in doomsday predictions but no entity, sporting or otherwise, has a viable future if its talent is not harnessed and effectively managed.”Three-day retreat to address “grouses”
The review pointed out that West Indies had a “golden opportunity to hit the reset button” ahead of the next T20 World Cup, which the West Indies and the USA will co-host in 2024. A key part of that process would be to roll out a strategic plan, and the review group has put in place short-term, medium-term and long-term goals to facilitate such a plan.One of the short-term recommendations is for the CWI’s director of cricket and the selectors to shortlist 30-35 players who will form the pool from which the “nucleus of 15” for the World Cup can be picked. But to ensure all the best players make themselves available for selection, the review group wants CWI to host a three-day “retreat”.”That meeting should be akin to a strategic retreat where players and administration can speak frankly and address any and all grouses (real or imagined) in a constructive manner. Mediator(s) should be secured for this meeting in order to assist and facilitate the discussions contemplated above. The Head Coach, CEO, Director of Cricket, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, WIPA representative, the President and two directors (nominated by the other directors) should be in attendance together with the players.”A performance consultant who can assist the players and management to define West Indies cricket culture, identity and values is essential to this process. It is important that this meeting is convened in a round table format as opposed to management on a raised platform and players on a lower level.”One of the review panel’s recommendations is for the top white-ball players to play Test cricket•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Select best 11-13 players in all formats
Finally, as part of the short-term strategic goal, the review group wants the shortlisted pool of players to feature in “as much red ball cricket for WI as possible”, as that would provide “vital opportunities for primarily white ball players to develop their overall cricketing skills” against better-quality Test teams, which in turn would automatically enhance their preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup.As per the ICC’s Future Tours Program, West Indies are scheduled to play Test series against Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, Australia and Pakistan between now and the next T20 World Cup. The review group has recommended that some of the white ball players including Pooran, Evin Lewis, Akeal Hosein, Odean Smith, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Brandon King and Rovman Powell should play Test cricket against Australia and Pakistan at least.”Following this Group’s consultations, we hold the strong view that red ball, and in particular Test cricket, against the Test Teams ranked above us provides vital opportunities for primarily white ball players to develop their overall cricketing skills.”As a necessary corollary of the strategic retreat, all parties must clearly determine what is meant by availability for selection. In this Group’s considered view, the selectors should be encouraged, if not mandated to always select the best 11-13 players for the WI Team in all formats. Once selected, the onus would then be on the players to determine whether they will make themselves available within an agreed upon timeframe.”

His tenure as head coach the last time had led to a few clashes with some of the players

Mohammad Isam22-Feb-2023Bangladesh’s returning head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has clarified that there is “no tension” between him and the senior players in the side, and that it has never been a challenge for him even in the past.During his first stint with the Bangladesh side in 2014, Hathurusingha complained to BCB president Nazmul Hassan about Shakib Al Hasan’s “serious misbehaviour” which led to the allrounder being banned for six months. It is understood that Hathurusingha also wanted Mahmudullah dropped during their 2017 Sri Lanka tour, and that he also reportedly pushed Mashrafe Mortaza to retire from T20Is in 2017.”There’s no tension with any of the players with me,” Hathurusingha said. “I actually enjoy [rivalry]. It is one thing that I drilled into the players when I was coaching Bangladesh: to stand up to any opposition and play with a lot of passion. I was really proud inside the other dressing room how they played the Nidahas Trophy and the Asia Cup after that.Related

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“I don’t think it (working with senior players) is going to be a challenge. I have spoken to all the senior players. Everybody is focused on one thing: team is No 1. Everyone wants the team to do well. Even in my last time, I didn’t face challenges with any of the players.”Hathurusingha’s re-appointment as Bangladesh coach drew diverse reactions from the country’s cricket fraternity. The new two-year deal will be his second stint in this position after he spent three years, from 2014 to 2017, before leaving abruptly for the Sri Lanka role.In his first press conference since his re-appointment, he also defended Bangladesh’s strategy of producing raging turners for home Tests. They won Tests against England and Australia in 2016, but since his exit in 2017, the spin-heavy formula hasn’t really worked, with Bangladesh winning just four out of 16 Tests.Hathurusingha drew examples of home advantage from India’s ongoing home series against Australia where the matches have taken place on spin-friendly pithes, as he also spoke about how Bangladesh face tough conditions in England, Australia and New Zealand.”I am asking you, what is home advantage?” he said. “What sort of wicket we get when we go to New Zealand? What does Australia or England do when we go there? What is India doing at home? We will try to manage with what we have in overseas. If we don’t have missiles, how do you fight? We have to fight guerilla war, isn’t it? We can’t battle them with little guns at home. If we don’t have ammunition, we can’t do it.”We can develop those players, so eventually we have enough. They did well in South Africa and New Zealand. Ebadot [Hossain] and [Najmul Hossain] Shanto went to New Zealand when I was here, as development players. They are now doing well. It takes time. We need to take home advantage. Every country is doing it.”

Chandika Hathurusingha: ‘Transition period’ motivated me to come back

Hathurusingha also said that his biggest motivation to return was the challenge of coaching Bangladesh through their “transition period”, starting from the 50-over World Cup scheduled in India later this year.”I think we are in a transition period in the next two or three years,” he said. “A lot of the senior players have done really well for Bangladesh cricket. They are going to be remembered as a really good generation. Other side is the really good young players coming through. To be part of that kind of challenge has always motivated me to come back.”Back of my mind, I wanted to come back someday. But then, during the T20 World Cup, when I met president and some of the officials, we discussed a few things. I thought it was the right time to come with the 50-over World Cup coming up. I thought it would be too late if I came after the New South Wales (where he worked as assistant coach) season. So I thought this is the right time to come. As soon as the Big Bash ended, I decided to come.”Hathurusingha also said he wants to give back to Bangladesh cricket by developing local coaches.”When I was thinking of taking this job, I had the big picture in mind. Last time when I came here, I had to prove a lot of people and myself that I can do the international job. I didn’t know what I was coming into. This time I know a lot of things about how Bangladesh cricket works. I know about myself. I am much more experienced.”I see a lot of potential in developing the local coaches. I want to help set up the system. With (BCB head of programmes) David Moore coming before me, I want to suggest about development areas of the next generation. It is not only me trying to win games for Bangladesh. It is my main aim. I want to give something back, and leave something behind.”