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South Africa hope their regular Test captain will return for the home series against Sri Lanka next month

Firdose Moonda25-Oct-2024Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the second Test against Bangladesh, which starts next Tuesday, as he has not sufficiently recovered from an elbow injury. Aiden Markram will lead the side in his absence, with a view to Bavuma being available for the home Tests against Sri Lanka next month.”We just feel medically he’s not going to be ready for the second Test,” South Africa’s Test coach Shukri Conrad said from Dhaka. “We will tone down the [rehabilitation] programme so that he can be ready for the Sri Lankan series.”It has not yet been decided if Bavuma will stay with the squad in Bangladesh or return home to continue his recovery and play domestic red-ball cricket. The first-class competition begins next week, and Bavuma’s team, Lions, will play three matches before the first Test against Sri Lanka begins.”I’d like him to stay [in Bangladesh], and I’ve communicated that with him,” Conrad said. “But I also know that he’s got a young family. But yes, I’d like him to stay. He still plays a valuable role. It’s still his team. We’ll see how it unfolds.”Bavuma sustained the injury earlier this month in an ODI against Ireland when he fell awkwardly as he made his ground to complete a run. He retired hurt on 35 in that game, and was unable to field. The injury is on the same elbow which Bavuma had hurt in 2022 on a T20I tour of India. It ruled him out of South Africa’s tour of England later that year.In Bavuma’s absence, Matthew Breetzke, who debuted in the first Test against Bangladesh, in Mirpur, could be retained at No. 6 unless South Africa opt for an extra allrounder or a bowler in their XI. Left-hander Senuran Muthusamy is a possible replacement, as he also bowls left-arm spin.South Africa won the Mirpur Test after dismissing Bangladesh for 106 in the first innings with a four-bowler attack comprising two seamers and two spinners. Conrad paid special tribute to the player he called “our superstar Rolls Royce fast bowler,” Kagiso Rabada, who took nine wickets in the match including his 300th and his first five-for in the subcontinent. “We are an inexperienced side but we still need our leaders,” Conrad said. “KB led from the front there with the ball. He carried this attack, as he has done for quite a while now. And then backed up by some really valuable contributions by others with the ball, and then guys with the bat as well.”Kagiso Rabada picked up his 300th Test wicket and took 9 for 72 in the Mirpur Test•AFP/Getty Images

Kyle Verreynne, playing his first Test in the subcontinent, scored his second century in the format and Tristan Stubbs, newly promoted to No.3, oversaw the end of the chase . “The most pleasing thing for me was just the calmness that we showed throughout. There was nothing frantic about it, even when things were going against us. I was really pleased with the manner in which we went about our business. We were very calm and clear in terms of what our game plans were as a team and as individuals. That, for me, was really the stand out.”South Africa’s win in Mirpur has kept them in the hunt for a place in the World Test Championship final. They have five Tests remaining in this cycle, starting with the Chattogram Test before two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home. On paper and historical form, South Africa will go into all of those matches as favourites but Conrad is being careful not to get too carried away.”We know that there’s some hard graft that’s going to have to be done along the way. That first Test match was the first one that we needed to put in the hard graft. We’re certainly not going to be looking to sit on our lead and we’re certainly not going to bask in the glory of that victory too much. Tomorrow, we go to Chattogram and we know that’s going to be really tough, and we’re going to have to play particularly good cricket. If we get a great result there, then great, and then we move on to Sri Lanka.”The World Test Championship is our World Cup but we are not going to be building any sandcastles, we’re certainly not going to have any pie in the sky but you’ve got to allow yourself to dream as well. And then give yourself the chance of realising that dream. But it’s going to take a lot of graft, and we’re a long way away from that still.”South Africa are currently fourth on the WTC points table and must win at least four of their remaining five Tests to have a chance of making the final.

South Africa Test squad

Aiden Markram (capt), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton and Kyle Verreynne

Isaac Mohammed, the 17-year-old nephew of Moeen Ali, scores maiden half-century

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Aug-2025Isaac Mohammed evoked the spirit of his uncle, the England allrounder Moeen Ali, with a maiden half-century to get Worcestershire’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign off the ground with victory at Chelmsford.The 17-year-old opener, who only made his first-team debut in the Vitality Blast less than two months ago, played enterprisingly in laying the foundations for Worcestershire’s 60-run win against Essex with 28 balls to spare.Worcestershire’s 340 for 9 was built around four big-hitting half-centuries from top-order batters, who shared 11 of 12 sixes in the innings with Mohammed landing four of them. His 63 from 75 balls was the appetiser before Kashif Ali (80 from 73) and Jake Libby (70 from 63) put on 110 in 17 overs. That preceded Ethan Brookes exploding on to the scene to take the game away from the still winless hosts.Brookes was at the crease for 27 minutes while hammering four sixes and six fours in a 25-ball 56. His stand of 80 with Libby encompassed just six overs.In response, Essex opener Robin Das took his tally to 147 runs in three innings with back-to-back fifties. But while others got in, they just as quickly got out and the target was never seriously threatened. Brookes made sure of that with 3 for 52.It was not all rosy for Worcestershire, though. Rob Jones had declared himself unfit to play earlier in the morning but was named in the XI at the toss in what was later described as an ‘administrative error’. He came out at the fall of the ninth wicket, faced two balls, scored five not out and was not seen again.The visitors recovered from an underwhelming 33 without loss in the 10-over powerplay, to add 117 in 15 overs between the halfway mark and the 40th over before six wickets went down in the last half-dozen overs as they chased late runs.Worcestershire’s openers put on 60 before Nick Browne snaffled a leading-edge skier in the covers to dismiss Brett D’Oliveira.Mohammed, meanwhile, had looked in trouble early on as Shane Snater benefited from the extra grass left on the wicket to gain lift and carry that had the youngster groping outside off-stump. It did not last long as the left-hander took control and reached his maiden half-century in 67 balls. His four sixes were equally distributed between long-off and square leg.He departed when he misjudged a ball of fuller length from Tom Westley that beat his tentative forward prod and rapped him on the pad.Kashif and Libby’s second successive century stand was less thrilling than Mohammed’s innings, but with lots of nudging and nurdling they kept the scoreboard ticking along.Kashif reached his fifty by punching Luc Benkenstein through the covers. However, he had earlier been hit on his right hip, and when he reached 58, called for the aid of a runner. Re-enter Mohammed. Despite his mobility being severely restricted, Kashif still managed to launch his next ball over midwicket for six. His evident discomfort was ended, though, when he lofted Benkenstein to long leg.Brookes was a whirlwind of hyper-activity with four sixes in his 23-minute fifty, reached with a delicate leg glance for his fifth four. He departed at 297 for 4 when caught at short third. The late wickets were largely self-inflicted.Ben Allison ended his former team-mates’ opening stand of 71 when Matt Critchley stepped aside to give himself room and was bowled. Das reached fifty from 49 balls but next ball was caught just inside the midwicket boundary.Charlie Allison dug in for a 46-run stand with Westley before he was bowled off his pads by Fateh Singh and Benkenstein’s belligerent 23 from 17 balls was ended when he drove D’Oliveira to extra cover.Westley also fell stepping away from his wicket against Singh for 43; Simon Fernandes chipped to short midwicket and Noah Thain was caught-and-bowled by Brookes as Essex’s reply spluttered and died.

Vaas, Moin Khan and Owais Shah are among the coaches roped in by the franchises

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2024David Warner, James Neesham, Asif Ali and Carlos Brathwaite are among the direct signings for the second season of the six-team Zim Afro T10 league.The franchises picked their icon and global superstars as direct signings ahead of the draft, which is set to take place on September 8. The 15-member squad will have an additional 16th player as their global icon. The squad will feature as many as six local Zimbabwe players; the icon and global star can also be from Zimbabwe. The tournament will run from September 21 to 29 in Harare.Warner and Brathwaite were picked by Bulawayo Braves Jaguars while Cape Town Samp Army signed up David Willey, Dawid Malan, Gulbadin Naib and Qais Ahmed. Colin Munro and Mark Chapman were also among the direct signings along with Yasir Shah, who all went to Durban Wolves. Zimbabwe’s beanpole fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani was signed by New York Strikers Lagos while Bangladesh legspinner Rishad Hossain will team up with the likes of Neesham and Dasun Shanaka at Harare Bolts.Rishad, 22, earned a deal with Hobart Hurricanes, who have Ricky Ponting as part of their strategy team, at the BBL draft earlier this week. Rishad had emerged as Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker at this year’s T20 World Cup, with 14 strikes in seven matches at an economy rate of 7.76.

Vaas, Moin, Owais Shah among the coaches

The franchises also announced their head coaches on Saturday and the roster includes Moin Khan, Chaminda Vaas, Owais Shah, among others.Moin, who has coached the Pakistan national team and Quetta Gladiators in the PSL, was roped in by Durban Wolves. NYS Lagos brought in Vaas, who has also had coaching experience at the international level, with New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland.Bulawayo Braves Jaguars appointed Shah, who has coached the UAE national team and Dambulla Viiking in the Lanka Premier League. Cape Town Samp Army will get the services of James Foster, who has worked in the IPL, the T20 Blast in England and the Bangladesh Premier League, whereas Jo’Burg Bangla Tigers brought in Julian Wood, who has worked with some of the big hitters in the game. Harare Bolts handed over the coaching responsibilities to Sri Lankan Pubudu Dassanayake, who has worked with USA, Canada and Nepal as their head coach.The Zim Afro T10 will be followed by the second season of the US Masters League, Abu Dhabi T10 and the inaugural Lanka T10 will conclude the season in December.

Direct signings in Zim Afro T10

Harare Bolts: Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka: Global Superstar), James Neesham (New Zealand: Icon), George Munsey (Scotland), Rishad Hossain (Bangladesh), Shehan Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Kennar Lewis (West Indies)Bulawayo Braves Jaguars: David Warner (Australia: Icon), Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Nick Hobson (Australia), Kobe Herft (Australia)Durban Wolves: Colin Munro (New Zealand: Global Superstar), Mark Chapman (New Zealand: Icon), Will Smeed (England), Sharjeel Khan (Pakistan), Muhammad Irfan (Pakistan), Yasir Shah (Pakistan)Cape Town Samp Army: Haider Ali (Pakistan: Global Superstar), David Willey (England: Icon), Dawid Malan (England), Gulbadin Naib (Afghanistan), Qais Ahmed (Afghanistan), Adam Rossington (England), Shahnawaz Dahani (Pakistan)NYS Lagos: Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe: Global Superstar), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka: Icon), Asif Ali (Pakistan), Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan), Binura Fernando (Sri Lanka), Akhilesh Bogudum (USA), Oshane Thomas (West Indies)Jo’Burg Bangla Tigers: Chris Lynn (Australia: Global Superstar), Kusal Perera (Sri Lanka: Icon), Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka), Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan), Adam Milne (New Zealand), Luke Wood (England), Karim Janat (Afghanistan)

Australia have a successor lined up in Jake Fraser-McGurk but Warner will leave “really big shoes” to fill

Andrew McGlashan and Nagraj Gollapudi05-Jun-20240:32

Ponting: Australia play their best cricket at World Cups

Ricky Ponting believes David Warner will be missed for more than just the runs he scores when he brings the curtain down on his international career at the end of the T20 World Cup 2024.Warner’s stage-by-stage retirement from Australia duty will be complete when the team’s campaign ends in the West Indies – barring an unlikely comeback in next year’s Champions Trophy – following his final Test against Pakistan at the SCG earlier this year.Related

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He is coming into the World Cup on the back of a lean and injury-hit IPL for Delhi Capitals, where Ponting was the head coach, which coupled with Jake Fraser-McGurk’s blistering form was enough to have his spot talked about even though he was never going to be left out. Warner made a brisk half-century in the warm-up match against Namibia and has been backed to find form with another global trophy on the line.If Australia do end up holding trophies in all three formats at the same time, Warner could be one of just four players – alongside Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Travis Head – to have played in all three finals.”He’s the sort of character you want to have around your team, especially in big tournaments like World Cups,” Ponting told ESPNcricinfo from New York. “And he’s just one of those natural winners. Everything he does, he wants to win. You can see that with his attitude in the field and the way he goes about his cricket.”So there’s more than just the runs that we’ll be missing when Warner finally is gone. But hopefully the depth of Australian cricket is good enough to find someone to come in and fill that void.”In terms of replacing Warner, Ponting was confident that the “extreme talent” of Fraser-McGurk, who will be a traveling reserve during the World Cup, will soon slot in at the top of the order.”It’s going to be really big set of shoes to fill, there’s no doubt about that. They have got a lot of depth there. I’d be very surprised if he [Fraser-McGurk] doesn’t go straight into the T20 team when David’s finally done. And for that matter, we saw Jake debut for Australia in the one-day stuff in the last Australian summer. I was lucky enough to coach him at the Delhi Capitals this year as well. He’s got extreme talent.”In terms of the 15 players on duty for the T20 World Cup, where Australia’s campaign begins against Oman on Wednesday night, Ponting said they could achieve something “very special” by uniting three trophies across formats.”It’s a really good group of players and it’s starting to get spoken about a little bit more,” he said. “Certainly, even internally, you hear a lot of the players in these current teams [are] actually recognising and talking about how lucky they are and what a special team that they know that they are playing in.”When you are involved in a group like that, it’s really important that you make every post winner. So they have got an opportunity here in a T20 World Cup to do something really special. And I know they will leave no stone unturned to give themselves the best chance to do that. They have got some very experienced players on their side.”They have got a few leaders in the side as well. Mitchell Marsh being the captain of this team and Pat Cummins obviously being the one-day and Test captain, and Pat’s just come off a pretty successful captaincy campaign with Sunrisers [Hyderabad] as well in the IPL. So they have got a lot of bases covered and they won’t want to let this opportunity slip knowing that it could be the last World Cup that a few of these guys play as well.”

Batter withdrew from India Test tour and IPL but is focussed on World Cup comeback

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2024Harry Brook says his performances this summer are dedicated to his late grandmother Pauline, who passed away in March.Pauline Brook was visible throughout her grandson’s career and became a cult hero within English cricket. She often collected awards on Harry’s behalf, of which there have already been many in the player’s short career. She was the figurehead of the Brook family and lived next to Burley-in-Wharfedale Cricket Club, where Harry learned the game.Pauline fell ill in January, while Brook was preparing for England’s Test tour of India in the UAE. The 25-year-old subsequently pulled out of the five-match series, before missing the Indian Premier League with Delhi Capitals after she passed away.Brook has since returned to action with Yorkshire and marked his first match for the county since July 2022 with an emotional 69-ball century against Leicestershire, looking to the sky upon reaching three figures. It was his first competitive appearance since England’s fifth T20I against West Indies in December. A second century – 126 not out – came on Saturday against Derbyshire at Headingley, as Yorkshire posted 450 for 5 declared in their first innings.Speaking publicly for the first time since Pauline’s death, Brook dedicated both his centuries to his grandmother and reflected on a tough time for the family. He was also grateful for the time he had with her at the start of the year before her condition deteriorated.”Both of those hundreds [for Yorkshire this season] and all of the runs I’ve scored so far this year are all dedicated to her,” Brook told the ECB Reporters Network.”When I came home from Abu Dhabi, it was a very tough time, and I’m glad I did come home. Obviously, it was a big decision to make. I hadn’t played hundreds of games for England, so to just turn down a big Test tour like that [India] was a big decision to make.”But she comes before all of that. She would have come out there a couple of years ago, so I had to come back and support her as much as I could. I managed to take her out for a coffee and whatnot in that first week I was back.”I was still training with a mindset of trying to get back out for the last couple of Tests, all being well. It all disintegrated fairly quickly, so that didn’t happen. I just tried to support her as best as I could and everyone around us.”Following the conclusion of Yorkshire’s match with Derbyshire, in which rain washed out the entirety of the scheduled third day’s play on Sunday, Brook will play his final County Championship match of this portion of the season, against Glamorgan next week. He will then join England for their T20I series against Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.Brook was an ever-present in England’s 2022 T20 World Cup triumph and will be integral to their title defence. Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott announce their provisional squad on Tuesday (April 30) with Brook set to be a pivotal figure in a relatively young group. He will then return to the Test side this summer for series against West Indies and Sri Lanka from July.”I’m looking forward to it, if selected,” Brook said of the World Cup. “We join up at the end of next month. I’m looking forward to being back with the lads and hopefully producing the goods for England again.”

Mohammad Naim, Shamim Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Hasan Mahmud are the others to be recalled as Bangladesh rebuild following disappointing Champions Trophy campaign

Mohammad Isam23-Jun-2025Bangladesh have brought Litton Das back in the ODI side as one of five changes for next month’s three-match series against Sri Lanka – two of the changes were forced as Mahmudullah has retired from international cricket and Mushfiqur Rahim has retired from ODIs. The two made the announcements a week apart following Bangladesh’s early exit from the Champions Trophy, which was also their last ODI assignment.Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said that Litton was given the opportunity in part because he was recently named the Bangladesh T20I captain. Litton made only 35 runs in eight ODIs between the tour of New Zealand in December 2023 and the tour of the West Indies in December 2024 before being dropped, including for the Champions Trophy.”Litton Das was in a bad patch but time is the best healer. He is the T20 captain, so we can consider him till the next T20 World Cup,” Ashraf said. “If someone has to return to form, it is best to spend a long time in the middle. We feel that Litton can take his form from ODIs to T20Is.”

Bangladesh squad changes

IN – Mohammad Naim, Litton Das, Shamim Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Hasan Mahmud
OUT – Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed

The selectors have also recalled Mohammad Naim, Shamim Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Hasan Mahmud.”Naim has shown that he can bat with the same intensity as our [recent] white-ball openers,” Ashraf said. “He has done well in the Dhaka Premier League. We also have someone like Soumya Sarkar, who has ten years of international experience. [He has been dropped because] we want to help him recover fully, so that he can come back properly.”Related

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Top-order batter Naim played the last of his ODIs way back in September 2023, while this is the first ODI call-up for left-arm spinner Tanvir, whose international experience is restricted to six T20Is.Ashraf added that five fast bowlers have been picked to manage the workload of Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana. “We have included five fast bowlers in the ODI side as we have Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed are returning from injuries. We are also mindful of Nahid Rana’s workload management, so we have kept enough options to choose from.”Elaborating on the axing of Sarkar, one of the two active players to be left out from the side along with Nasum Ahmed, Ashraf said, “Soumya Sarkar has had three injuries in the last 12-15 months. He had an ACL injury against Sri Lanka last year. He had a finger injury in West Indies. Recently, he suffered a back spasm when we were considering him for the UAE series. He didn’t recover in time, so he couldn’t play any matches. We couldn’t keep him in the side against Pakistan. We want him to recover fully, and return to consideration.”The three ODIs will be played on July 2, 5 and 8. The first two ODIs will be held at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo while the third match will be held in Pallekele.

Bangladesh squad for ODI series vs Sri Lanka

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud

Bond reckons that there is a lot to with the Bangladesh bowling attack but the batting is the problem

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-20251:58

‘Disappointing to see Bangladesh’s big players go missing in a must-win game’

Bangladesh endured another dismal campaign in a global event which has placed a harsh spotlight on their batting unit. They were knocked out of the Champions Trophy after two sub-par totals – 228 all out and 236 for 9 – which, in former India batter Wasim Jaffer’s view, continued the trend of their experienced players not turning up in ICC events.Jaffer was particularly critical of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim’s performances in the five-wicket loss to New Zealand on Tuesday. Both men were dismissed playing rash shots which left Bangladesh five down in just the 27th over. New Zealand hardly broke a sweat in chasing the eventual target down.”We’ve only seen probably Shakib [Al Hasan] with that 2019 [ODI] World Cup where he was a standout player,” Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day. “But I don’t know if it’s the pressure that gets to them or they put too much pressure on themselves, they just don’t turn up.”Related

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Mahmudullah has history in performing well at ICC events, he made back-to-back hundreds in the 2015 ODI World Cup and a hundred when Bangladesh beat New Zealand in the 2017 Champions Trophy. But here, he missed their first match with injury and self-destructed in the second.”Even the shot selection we’ve seen today was very disappointing,” Jaffer said. “Mushfiq [Mushfiqur] playing that shot, Mahmudullah playing that wild shot. And this is a must-win game. You want them to step up in these kinds of games and make themselves count. So that’s been the story in the ICC events, unfortunately.”Jaffer also felt that Bangladesh were at least “50 to 60 runs short” on a Rawalpindi surface which wasn’t offering much help for the bowlers.”They could have easily put 300-plus on that pitch,” he said. “They have got themselves to blame. It is too much to ask from the bowling unit to get a team New Zealand all out for below 240.”Shane Bond, the former New Zealand fast bowler, suggested that while “there is a lot to work with” Bangladesh’s bowling attack, their batting seems to be a problem. He also said the chances Bangladesh missed in the field also played a role in their five-wicket loss. Rachin Ravindra survived a run-out chance when he was on 26 and was dropped on 93 by Mehidy Hasan Miraz and then by Mahmudullah on 106.1:07

Jaffer: Bangladesh at least 50-60 runs short

“I like the look of their bowling attack,” Bond said. “They have got the heat, they have got the left-armer [Mustafizur Rahman] which New Zealand and a team like England doesn’t have. The spinners are good.”Also the fine margins… they missed chances. If you miss those run-out chances or those dropped catches, they are the difference between winning or losing a game. If they had taken those chances, this game could have been completely different. There is a lot to work with with their bowling attack. I think their batting in the end was the problem.”Bond, who coaches extensively in the franchise T20 circuit, also felt that any coach would “feel a bit grumpy” after the kind of performance Bangladesh put in as their Champions Trophy 2025 journey came to an end.”I think it’s the natural inclination as a coach to feel that way,” Bond said. “If you start talking about what you shouldn’t do and let emotion pour out as a coach, it’s a dangerous place to go. So you’re still trying to create an environment where you want guys to come out and play positively, you want them to be really clear about how you’re going to play.”And at the end of the day, if they go out and try to execute their game plans and play the way that you want and they lose, then that’s okay. If they don’t, then it makes it very difficult. So that’s what you’re looking for as a player.”You want, ‘this is how the coach wants me to play my role in the team. If I go and do that to the best of my ability, then it’s okay.’ You know, some days it’s not going to work and we’re not a fly on the wall in the Bangladesh camp, so we don’t know what those conversations are and it’s difficult to make judgments on that stuff.”

MS Dhoni has said one of the reasons for the 29-run run defeat to Sri Lanka in Nagpur was because India tend to take Twenty20 internationals as a warm-up for the one-dayers to follow

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009MS Dhoni has said one of the reasons for the 29-run run defeat to Sri Lanka in Nagpur was because India tended to take Twenty20 internationals as a “warm-up for the one-dayers to follow”. India have now lost seven of their last ten Twenty20s and two of their three wins were against Bangladesh and Ireland.”I don’t think we were in the groove for a Twenty20 game and too often we treat it as a warm-up for the one-dayers to follow,” Dhoni said. “It’s probably the reason for our defeats in these games.”Another, and more significant, reason for Wednesday’s defeat was India’s terrible fielding. They dropped five chances – two off the Sri Lankan openers before they made a start – and frequently fumbled balls in the outfield. Yuvraj dropped Sanath Jayasuriya on 4, Ishant grassed Tillakaratne Dilshan on 13 and Kumar Sangakkara as well, Rohit Sharma let off Chamara Kapugedera on 14, and Pragyan Ojha failed to reach a tough chance given by Angelo Mathews in the final over after which the batsman hit two sixes.”The catching is a bit of concern,” Dhoni said. “We are not a brilliant fielding side, but we don’t drop too many catches. That also hurt us also to some extent.”Had India taken their chances, Sri Lanka would have struggled to reach 215. In the over after he was dropped, Jayasuriya hit Ashish Nehra for five consecutive boundaries and provided the acceleration after a slow start. The opening stand of 43 set the platform for Kumar Sangakkara to score 78 off just 37 deliveries. Kapugedera provided propulsion by scoring 47 off 20 while Mathews made 15 off four balls.”What really set us up was the two openers batting for six overs, even if they didn’t get a flying start,” Sangakkara said. “They really applied themselves and got those 40-odd runs and we could launch our innings from there. I’ve been in good form, but I’ve been getting out cheaply because I’ve never really applied myself. I thought it was about time I really did something to inspire the side.”Sangakkara also described Jayasuriya’s four-over spell during India’s chase as “magic”. Jayasuriya came on after India had raced to 88 in seven overs and brought down the scoring-rate dramatically. He conceded only 19 off his four overs and also took the wickets of MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan. Sri Lanka’s bowlers were also supported by far superior fielding effort and Sangakkara acknowledged as much.”I thought the fielding was outstanding, we were excellent in the first 16 overs and I thought we could have been a little more ruthless in the final four overs and finished the game off,” he said. “Overall, everyone played really hard and they showed a lot of hunger to win.”The second Twenty20 game is in Mohali on December 12.

Sri Lanka were quick to lose six in their second innings, but took their lead past 450

Mohammad Isam01-Apr-2024Asitha Fernando put Bangladesh on the backfoot with a four-wicket haul, as the hosts collapsed to 178 all out on the third day in Chattogram. Sri Lanka themselves slipped to 102 for 6 with debutant Hasan Mahmud picking up four of those wickets. But the visitors’ lead stands at a formidable 455 runs at stumps after they didn’t enforce the follow-on on Bangladesh.The Sri Lankan fast bowlers attacked in pairs and benefited greatly from captain Dhananjaya de Silva’s innovative field placings. Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Prabath Jayasuriya took two wickets each as Bangladesh slipped from 96 for 1 to be bowled out in the next 35.5 overs.It was also their fifth successive sub-200 score in Tests, as their batting crumbled on either side of the lunch break on the third day.Bangladesh started the day confidently. For the first time in the series, two home batters – Zakir Hasan and nightwatcher Taijul Islam – looked in some control. Zakir, unbeaten overnight on 28, struck two confident fours in the first two overs. He reached his fourth Test fifty with a streaky four but looked mostly in control.Sri Lanka had a few whiffs of a wicket but Zakir and Taijul kept them at bay for an hour and 19 minutes in the morning session. That changed spectacularly when Vishwa burst an inswinger through Zakir sending the leg-stump for a cartwheel. Soon after, Prabath got Najmul Hossain Shanto to chip one to short midwicket.Bangladesh lost a third wicket in three overs when the left-arm quick Vishwa got another of his fast in-duckers ripping through Taijul’s defences. The nightwatcher, sent in at No. 3 on the second evening, resisted for an impressive 61 balls.Sri Lanka continued the pressure after lunch when Asitha set up Shakib Al Hasan with a two-card trick. After bowling a series of short balls, he surprised the left-hander with a full ball that struck his front pad plumb. Shakib in his first Test innings in almost 12 months fell for 15.Three balls later, Asitha removed Litton Das. The wicketkeeper-batter, under fire for his careless shot in Sylhet last week, struck a nice cover drive before edging a straight, slightly wide delivery from Asitha. Kumara then got Shahadat Hossain to edge one to second slip.Sri Lanka dropped two catches around this time, while Mominul Haque became the fourth Bangladeshi batter to reach 4,000 Test runs. The experienced left-hander batted confidently on the ground where he has seven Test centuries. But Asitha’s yorker resulted in his lbw dismissal, for 33. Khaled Ahmed fell in Asitha’s next over, another yorker, giving the fast bowler his fourth wicket of the innings.Hasan Mahmud took four Sri Lanka wickets on the third day•AFP/Getty Images

The pacers’ domination continued in Chattogram when Mahmud and Khaled rocked Sri Lanka with six wickets.Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis were cleaned up by Mahmud and Khaled respectively. Mahmud then removed Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya in consecutive overs in his second spell.Madushka struck one to extra cover while Shahadat Hossain finally caught one in the slips, removing Chandimal for 9. De Silva was caught behind for 1, as Mahmud was rewarded for his off-stump channel consistency.Khaled rounded up the day with Kamindu Mendis’ wicket, edging one behind the wicket for 9. Captain Shanto took the timely review which showed the edge. Bangladesh’s fielders enjoyed the wickets; at one stage, five fielders from the slip cordon chased an edge to the boundary much to the tiny crowd’s glee. The players walked off slightly happier than earlier in the day although they have a mountain to climb in the fourth innings.

They gave the hosts a 93-run first-innings lead, which Pakistan grew to 202 courtesy Shan Masood’s fifty

Danyal Rasool18-Jan-2025Noman Ali and Sajid Khan put on a spin-bowling masterclass on a surface they found to their tastes, taking nine of the ten wickets to skittle West Indies out for 137 in less than a session. Either side of that, Pakistan fared better with the bat, putting up 230 in the first innings despite a collapse after Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan’s 141-run stand was broken.But they pulled away from the visitors in the final session with a commanding second-innings show with the bat. That was spearheaded by their captain Shan Masood, whose half-century drove Pakistan’s lead to 202 with seven wickets still in hand. The dominant story of a day when 19 wickets fell, though, came in the middle session, where West Indies had little answer to Noman and Sajid, who bowled all but 14 deliveries of their innings.Sajid started the dismantling in just his second over when he dismissed Mikyle Louis and Keacy Carty off successive balls, even as Carty fell thanks to a superb slip catch from Mohammad Hurraira. By the end of his third over, Sajid had four wickets as West Indies floundered, unable to either defend or attack against an unerringly accurate spin duo.Noman joined the fun, getting drift and turn to clip the edge of Justin Greaves’ off stump. It was the first of five wickets for the left-armer, who was beginning to get huge rip off the barely formed footmarks.As the innings proceeded, West Indies began to adopt a more bellicose outlook, trying to swindle some runs along the way. But there was limited success as multiple batters dragged it on to their stumps, before the final two partnerships flourished. Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican began to play belligerent shots, with Warrican utilising the back of the bat while playing the reverse sweeps a handful of times.Shan Masood was adept against spin bowling•AFP/Getty Images

From 66 for 8 at one stage, West Indies added 71 for the last two wickets. After Motie and Warrican had a partnership of 25, it was only during the last-wicket stand between Warrican and Jayden Seales when West Indies dominated the spinners. Both batters connected cleanly as they hit the spinners over cow corner for multiple sixes.That forced Pakistan into bringing on Abrar Ahmed for the first time. Eventually, Abrar did end the partnership, but only after the pair had plundered 46 runs off 21 balls. Seales failed to pick up a googly and miscued it straight up, as Rizwan took the catch and ended the punchy counterattack.If West Indies thought that their collapse against spin meant they too would be among the wickets in the final session, Masood and Hurraira soon disabused them off that notion. Seales, whose pace and seam movement had made him the surprise pick of the bowlers on the first day, reprised his potent threat but without the wickets that would reflect this in the scorecard.Masood, meanwhile, was proactive in his use of the feet, and adept against spin bowling, eager to attack and expand the lead even further before the day was done. Some untidiness crept into the bowling; there were 12 byes as the spin became as tricky to handle for the bowlers as it was for the batters. But Warrican was dangerous with the one that carried on with the arm, and got both his wickets that way – Hurraira at first, before Babar Azam played for the spin and found himself rapped in front of middle.West Indies were unfortunate not to snare Kamran Ghulam too when a miscued sweep struck him on the arm as he got down low. The umpire raised the finger, although HawkEye, incongruously, projected the ball to be rising well above the stumps.Jomel Warrican took three wickets in the first innings, before hitting 31* with the bat•PCB

As if to compensate, West Indies were gifted the wicket of Masood. He called for a run and didn’t quite realise that Ghulam was well down the pitch in response, and found himself stranded in the middle of the pitch. Thus, Masood was left with little chance of getting to the non-striker’s end, before Warrican whipped the bails off.Earlier, during the morning session, West Indies took four wickets for 13 runs to trigger a Pakistan collapse. That started by breaking the stand between Shakeel and Rizwan, leaving West Indies two wickets away from wrapping the hosts up. Shakeel and Rizwan had begun with the same authority with which they had ended the first day. But once Kevin Sinclair snared Shakeel 16 short of what would have been his fifth Test hundred, Pakistan’s resistance melted away.Only a punchy rearguard partnership between Sajid and Khurram Shahzad prevented West Indies from running through the innings even sooner, but Pakistan were still bowled out for 230 on the stroke of lunch.West Indies had begun the day by sticking to disciplined and tight lines, at one point conceding six runs in seven overs as Seales and Warrican locked in. But neither batter offered up chances during this time, and when Pakistan negotiated the first hour without loss, West Indies were in danger of being shut out of the game.Saud Shakeel fell 16 short of what would have been his fifth Test hundred•AFP/Getty Images

But the first ball after drinks brought joy for West Indies. Sinclair lured Shakeel forward before getting the ball to grip, and then taking his edge. As if it had been forgotten, the pitch suddenly began to remind everyone how hostile it could be to batters against quality spin, as the ball hissed and spat off the surface.Salman Ali Agha was deceived in the flight from Warrican to drag on before Pakistan imploded. A bizarre mix-up between Rizwan and Noman saw the former turn his back on Noman to leave him unsuccessfully scrambling to return to the non-striker’s end. But an attempted reverse sweep off the next delivery ended Rizwan’s own innings, as a sharp review from West Indies finished Rizwan’s innings on 71.It was only an entertaining stand from Sajid and Shahzad that saw a few more runs flow for Pakistan, before the innings petered out. Sajid launched Sinclair over cow corner for six amid a little flurry as Pakistan added 25 quickfire runs. But Warrican returned to fold the innings, making short work of both, as West Indies took the last six wickets for 43 runs in a session of two halves. It was a harbinger for the rest of the day, when the wicket-taking continued unabated.