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Heart and soul revisited

Football continues to take centre stage at the ARG, as England warm up for the re-arranged Test © Getty Images
 

England like to warm up before play with a game of football, but on Sunday they will go one stage further as they start a Test match on a football pitch. The centre circle runs through the Antigua Recreation Ground pitch that has been hurriedly prepared following the abandonment at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium but, as with the old stands, manual scoreboard and cramped facilities, everyone has worked overtime to ensure the show can go on.The grand old girl is coming back to life. The ARG last hosted a Test in 2006 before being mothballed by the pressures of World Cup development, but is now trying to complete a remarkable transformation from a ramshackle relic to a Test arena for the most belated of encore performances. It has been a mammoth task.Since yesterday’s decision to abandon the second Test there has been a round-the-clock operation to try and get Antigua’s former international venue back up to standard. Some people were up all night. The outfield, which in parts remained far from ideal, was watered by the fire brigade, the pitch tended by the groundsman.On Saturday morning the ground resembled a scene from one of those reality TV shows where they set a challenge to rebuild something in a day. Construction teams have worked overtime, the painters were whitewashing the stands (you had to be careful what you leant on) and the TV crews rigged their equipment. Empty beer bottles were cleared away, trees had to be chopped down to create access and an army of people cleaned the ground. Temporary sightscreens were built from scratch and the scoreboard operator painted the player names.But with less than 48 hours to turn what was, in certain sections, a crumbling stadium into something that can handle two international teams, 6,000 England fans, the local support and the media means that this remains one of the most patched-up Test venues in recent memory. Still, less than a day after the abandonment there was a positive vibe in Antigua.”This is going to be brilliant,” one WICB worker told Cricinfo. “The atmosphere is going to be like the old days. The infrastructure was already here, we are just adding the finishing touches.” Finishing touches was probably underplaying it slightly.The wicket that will be used is the one produced for the team’s practice sessions prior to the second Test. The England players said the pitch had been quite spicy in training, and the bowlers were rarely going at full pelt against their own batsmen. Suffice to say we won’t see any batting world records this time, but to even make it playable has been a handsome feat. And once again much attention will be on the outfield, which is uneven and patchy, especially on the edges of what has been the football pitch. It will be like a trip back to club days for all the players.Over the days leading up to this game it was possible to explore the ground in a way that won’t be allowed once the security personal have their say by the time play starts. Walking past the dressing rooms there is a flight of stairs that leads into the Sir Vivian Richards Pavilion. On the wall opposite is a poster listing the ARG’s long history; Brian Lara’s twin world records, Richards’ fastest Test century and West Indies’ world-record run chase of 418. Round the corner are honours boards of the centuries and five-wicket hauls taken on the ground – there is plenty of room on the bowling board.The names – from the Viv Richards pavilion, round to the Andy Roberts and Richie Richardson stands – conjure up many memories. What a contrast to the blandly tagged North and South stands at North Sound. For all that the ground will lack top-notch facilities over the next five days, and people won’t be as comfortable as they’re used to, there is one area where the ARG beats SVR hands down. It has heart and soul.Close your eyes and you can still see Lara pulling Chris Lewis for four to break Garry Sobers’ Test batting record; you can see Lara sweeping Gareth Batty to regain his world record a decade later, and then doing it again to become the first batsman to reach 400 in a Test. There’s Richards, too, clattering John Emburey into downtown St John’s during his record 56-ball century.The manual scoreboard that has recorded so many batting feats is stood in the corner, poised for action. For everyone getting used to the modern-style of stadium, these next five days will be a chance to revisit the past. It will even be like that for those watching on TV, as only a limited number of camera angles are available, no referrals and no stump microphones. But just getting any pictures broadcast at all is a huge feat of engineering. Four hundred boxes and 17 tons of equipment have had to be shifted to the capital and there has been a long night for many of the technicians.The players will be well looked after but they, too, may have to lower their expectations for the next few days. However, to their credit both squads have been keen to get this Test played after the 10-ball shambles on Friday. The facilities, and safety, of the spectators has also been a focal point. The double-decker party stand, where DJ Chicky entertains the masses, has passed a safety check even though FIFA restrict its use during football matches. Capacity is only 10,000, the majority of which will be used to accommodate England fans, but the hope is locals will show their support now the ARG is back in action.If only they could have redeveloped the ground in the first place, then this situation would never have occurred. However, the lure of Chinese funding, and the chance to build a gleaming new monument to West Indies cricket, proved too tempting. When Fidel Edwards defiantly blocked out a draw against India on June 6, 2006 everyone bade a fond farewell to a famous ground. Tomorrow it will be welcomed back into the fold, but sadly it has come through an act of desperation, not desire.

England role tempts Buchanan

John Buchanan: ‘It is up to [the ECB] to decide whether they think I can be of value to them’ © AFP
 

John Buchanan has turned down an approach to take on the position of England head coach, but has held preliminary talks with senior ECB officials regarding the possibility of joining them in a consultancy capacity ahead of this year’s Ashes series.Buchanan until recently held a similar position with Cricket Australia, however his contract as the board’s coaching ambassador has lapsed. He has since worked with the England Lions on their tour of New Zealand, and advised Odgers Ray & Berndtson – the corporate recruiting firm contracted by the ECB to find its new head coach – about the qualities he believes would make a successful England coach.Odgers sought to short-list Buchanan for the coaching position, but the relationship has evolved since he turned down the initial approach. Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, is a known advocate of Buchanan’s coaching philosophies, and the pair have discussed the possibility of him joining the England set-up in a manner not dissimilar to Duncan Fletcher’s role at South Africa.”We have not agreed upon anything formal yet,” Buchanan said. “I’ve had discussions with [ECB national performance director] David Parsons and brief talks with Hugh Morris. Something may eventuate, something may not. It is up to them to decide whether they think I can be of value to them.”As I understand it, my [CA] contract has not been renewed by the general manager of development. Nothing has been formally told to me, but they have not sent me a new contract, so I assume I have been pushed to one side.”The cricket world needs a strong England game. I’ve got some views, thoughts, ideas and opinions that I think can assist them in improving their game. As I have done with cricket in Australia and in the IPL, I hope I can provide these in a way that would make a small contribution to what they hope to achieve.”Buchanan and fellow Australian Tom Moody are among those to have turned down Odgers’ attempts to short-list them for the England coaching position. But unlike Moody, who is content to continue with Western Australia and the Kings XI Punjab for the foreseeable future, Buchanan is amenable to the idea of working with the team he spent so much of his career deconstructing.”The initial approach was to take on the job, but I don’t feel that I could do it justice with my other commitments,” said Buchanan, who also coaches the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. “I would be happy to work with them in some sort of consultancy capacity.

 
 
I want to try and help world cricket as best I can. I have finished with Cricket Australia, but I still would like to work with them, just as I would like to help English cricket and the IPL
 

“We have held discussions on what that (coaching) role should be, and we will talk about other things on an ongoing basis. Morris is in the Windies at the moment, so communication has been a little difficult. I worked with England for a couple of days in New Zealand. Dene Hills was a former assistant coach of mine, and he asked whether I could spend a bit of time with the England Lions while they were on tour there. I was really impressed with the group of people they had. We had some good discussions.”I want to try and help world cricket as best I can. I have finished with Cricket Australia, but I still would like to work with them, just as I would like to help English cricket and the IPL. I want to grow the game and make it stronger than it is, better than it is.”Buchanan earned a reputation as a lateral thinker during his eight years at the helm of Australia – a trait that was not everyone’s taste – and his penchant for left-field ideas was again evident in his recent advice to the ECB. If resources allowed, Buchanan felt the role of England team director should be divided into two, allowing a traditional cricket coach to join forces with an overseer, who could be recruited from another sport.”It’s a massive job,” he said. “They would obviously be looking at a few people who have coached at international level before. I think a bit of a wildcard could be Ric Charlesworth. He obviously has a job with Australian hockey, but he would be just the kind of person to challenge things and bring new ideas to the job. Football coaches could bring something. We should always be open to new ideas. I have relayed some of my views, but I guess a lot of it will be determined by what sort of role they see the director of cricket filling.”

Pakistan picks ICL players for World Twenty20

The PCB has included Abdul Razzaq, Naved-ul-Hasan and Imran Nazir, all three of whom participated in the ICL, in the list of 30 probables for the World Twenty20 to be held in England in June. ICC approval will be required to field the three players in the tournament. The PCB had earlier gone along with the decision of the Sind High Court in February to temporarily lift the ban on 17 ICL-contracted players and permitted them to participate in domestic cricket. Razzaq, Naved and Nazir have been absent from the international scene for more than a year after opting to join the unauthorised league.”We have Razzaq, Hasan and Nazir in the preliminary squad but their inclusion in the final team will depend on clearance from the ICC,” Abdul Qadir, the PCB’s chief selector, said.The ICL has maintained that it is willing to release some of its foreign players from their contracts if they have been called up for national duty, but hopes they would return for the October-November edition of the tournament later in the year.Also included in the squad is Shoaib Akhtar, who had earlier been named in a 15-man squad for the ODI series against Australia in the UAE. Shoaib returns to international cricket after being ruled out of the scheduled tour of Bangladesh, which was suspended due to security concerns, as a result of a knee injury.Apart from the known faces in the Pakistan team, the squad for the World Twenty20 also includes Wahab Riaz, who impressed in the recently concluded RBS Cup domestic tournament, and Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad, who also feature in the squad for the series against Australia.Pakistan Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Shahzaib Hasan, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Amin, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat, Kamran Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Aizaz Cheema, Mohammad Aamer, Wahab Riaz, Imran Ali, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Rehman, Yasir Shah, Kamran Akmal (wk), Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq*, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan*, Imran Nazir** – Inclusion in final team subject to ICC approval

Broken thumb rules Douglas out of Qualifiers

Bermuda’s Chris Douglas has broken his left thumb during a warm-up match in South Africa and has been ruled out of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers which start next week. He will be replaced by allrounder Jacobi Robinson.Douglas underwent surgery for the injury which he sustained taking a low catch during Bermuda’s 71-run win over Northerns in Pretoria.Gus Logie, the coach, said he had been banking on Douglas being a key player as Bermuda bid to qualify for the 2011 World Cup. “Sometimes you make plans and then things go awry,” Logie told the Royal Gazette. “But that’s the way life goes and you just have to make other plans.”Chris is very disappointed because he really wanted to do well on this tour. But we can’t dwell on the past because this is now another opportunity for someone else to step up.”

Zimbabwe tri-series looks doubtful as India stall

The ODI tri-series planned to take place in Zimbabwe in July appears to be in serious doubt after the Indian board put its participation on hold until a third side was identified by Zimbabwe Cricket.”The visit to Zimbabwe was planned but has been dropped now as it was to involve three teams,” BCCI secretary N Srinvasan said. “They will have to find the third team for the series to be held.”South Africa had been named by the BCCI earlier in the month, only for Cricket South Africa to issue a statement saying it had never planned to participate.India’s cricketers are currently involved in the IPL, and will then take part in the ICC World Twenty20 in England, running from June 5 to 21. “We will have a ODI series afterwards in the West Indies, comprising four or five matches, and then will take part in the ICC Champions Trophy,” Srinivasan said. He also announced India’s rather packed playing schedule following the team’s return from South Africa.India will host the Champions Twenty20 League – cancelled last year in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks – and play a seven-match ODI series against Australia at home. Sri Lanka are scheduled to visit India for a full Test and ODI series, after which India would tour Bangladesh in January. “On our return we will host South Africa,” Srinivasan added.

Pietersen spares England's blushes

England 141 for 4 (Pietersen 53*) beat Scotland 136 for 5 (Smith 45) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen proved his fitness to save England from embarrassment•Associated Press

If England had intended to lay down a marker in their penultimate fixture before the start of the ICC World Twenty20, this was not it. They duly beat the part-timers of Scotland by six wickets with an over to spare, with Kevin Pietersen allaying any lingering concerns about his fitness with a sparky performance in the field and a matchwinning 53 from 39 balls. But either side of his efforts, England were as flat as the atmosphere on a balmy evening in Nottingham. They lacked penetration with the ball, and at times were numbingly naïve with the bat. But at least they avoided humiliation, and that for the moment will have to do.England did manage to finish with something of a flourish – Pietersen flogged the final ball of the match for six to bring up his half-century, having added 49 in 5.4 overs with Eoin Morgan, whose former team-mates, Ireland, have not had this much trouble in seeing off the Scots in recent months. At first, Morgan wasn’t required to do much more than hand the strike back to his partner, although as the winning post drew nearer, he unfurled a few of his trademark hurling strokes to finish on 23 not out from 17.Up until that partnership, however, England struggled to make headway against a side that had been beset by off-field problems in the build-up to this tournament. Luke Wright epitomised England’s strange lack of clarity, as he fretted his way to 19 from 18 balls in his first England appearance since September 2008. Opening the innings with little domestic form to fall back on, he was horrendously dropped on 9 by his namesake, Craig, at mid-on, before picking out the diminutive Majid Haq with a similar stroke two overs later.It was with the ball, however, that Haq really laid into England. Ravi Bopara had begun to bat with his customary sparkle in reaching 32 from 29 balls, but he gave his start away with a slog to long-off, whereupon Owais Shah drilled a wristy drive straight into Callum McLeod’s midriff at short cover for a first-ball duck.Scotland turned to spin at both ends, with Ryan Watson so nearly compounding the collapse when, first, Pietersen survived an agonisingly tight appeal for lbw, then two balls later, Collingwood poked tentatively at a length ball, and chipped a leading edge into no-man’s land at silly point. On 7, Collingwood survived a stumping opportunity when Haq speared one down the leg-side, and his dire innings ended two balls (and another half-chance) later, when Fraser Watts made good ground at long-off to give Gordon Drummond a wicket with his second delivery.But Pietersen endured, and so long as he was at the crease, the situation was never quite critical. He started tentatively with 7 from 13 balls, but a vast blow off Watson landed in the top tier of the stands at long-on to transform his momentum. A well-placed four past point followed in the same over, before Haq was subjected to a superlative pummel through extra cover. Pietersen then stepped across his stumps to clip Drummond through midwicket to haul the asking rate below seven an over. Only at that point was the result a foregone conclusion.England’s lacklustre day had started in the field, where, with James Anderson and Graeme Swann both resting minor niggles, they lacked a killer instinct. Scotland, however, lacked the firepower to make them pay for their reticence, even though Colin Smith did his best with a handy 45 from 32 balls.Paul Collingwood claimed two wickets including Scotland’s top-scorer, Colin Smith•Getty Images

Scotland’s fortunes have been in freefall ever since they failed to reach the 2011 World Cup in the qualifying tournament in South Africa earlier this year. Though they saved their one-day status by the skin of their teeth, the ramifications were clear for all to see when their veteran seamer, John Blain, stormed out of the camp on the eve of the competition following a bust-up with his captain, Gavin Hamilton.Hamilton memorably scored more runs for Scotland at the 1999 World Cup (217) than any player in England’s ill-starred campaign, and a decade on from that performance, he showed glimpses of his past glories in a run-a-ball 20, including a clean slap for six back over Dimitri Mascarenhas’s head. By that stage, however, Mascarenhas – armed with the new ball – had already struck the first blow for England, when Watts tried to slog a length delivery over long-off, but instead had his off and middle stumps demolished.At the end of the Powerplays, England turned to their surprise selection, Adil Rashid, who had been called into the squad late as a replacement for Andrew Flintoff, despite having played a minimal role in Yorkshire’s Twenty20 Cup campaign. In Swann’s absence, it was a handy opportunity to assess Rashid’s temperament, and though he started nervily with a series of full-tosses, he nevertheless struck with his fifth delivery, when Hamilton got underneath a slog-sweep and picked out Wright at deep midwicket.At the other end, Pietersen’s offspin was brought into the attack, which in front of a disappointingly sparse crowd, lent the atmosphere something of an exhibition feel. Smith and Kyle Coetzer soon gave England something to think about, however, with a flurry of boundaries including three sixes in five balls, as they put together an enterprising stand of 62 in 6.4 overs.Their performance was punctuated by a lucky let-off for Coetzer on 22, when James Foster gathered brilliantly way outside off stump to create what should have been Rashid’s second wicket of the innings. Foster was one of the few unqualified successes for England, but with no TV replays in this match, he was again denied a mention in the scorebook when he threw down the stumps with Ryan Watson short of his crease. He did, however, earn an assist from the penultimate ball of the innings, as Stuart Broad prevented Neil McCallum from stealing a bye in a final over that went for only two runs.For much of the innings, England persisted with their medium-pacers, and Collingwood cut down the scoring options with a series of accurate offcutters. He eventually ended Coetzer’s enterprising stand when Pietersen plucked a simple chance on the long-on boundary, and three overs later he added the scalp of Smith as well. Becalmed by the departure of Coetzer, Smith added only seven singles to his own score before climbing into Collingwood and sending a steepling top-edge straight back to the bowler.The lack of penetration in England’s bowling was a concern, although Ryan Sidebottom – in his latest comeback from injury – gave a reminder of the reasons why the England management rate him so highly, bowling full and swinging late to concede only 19 runs in his four overs. With Swann and Anderson waiting in the wings, the team surely has more wicket-taking options for later contests. It’s fair to say, they will need them.

Langer likens Hughes to Waugh

Justin Langer has likened the unflappable temperament of Phillip Hughes to that of Matthew Hayden and Steve Waugh, and predicted his opening successor is poised for a prolific Ashes series. As Hughes arrived in England for his first Ashes campaign on Tuesday, Langer lauded the 20-year-old for his determined, uncomplicated attitude towards batting.”I have spent 20 years working on my batting and I still stress over it,” Langer told Cricinfo. “Just the other day I was thinking about whether my stance was right, and my grip. I am always thinking about these things. He doesn’t. I have encountered that kind of thinking before, but never in someone so young.”Matty Hayden was someone who mightn’t pick his bat up in the period immediately before a Test, preferring to just go out in the middle and sit cross legged on the pitch. I used to come up to him all the time asking him about this and that, and he would just turn round and say, ‘Just watch the ball.’ I would be thinking, ‘It can’t just be that easy.’ Tugga (Steve Waugh) was the same. It’s something you encounter from time to time in the great players after they’ve been around for a while. Hughes has got it now, and that’s incredible.”Langer received an intriguing insight into the challenge that awaits Andrew Strauss this summer, when he captained Somerset in a recent Friends Provident Trophy match against Hughes’ Middlesex. Somerset sought to deny Hughes any width to unleash his thunderous cuts and drives, but the rookie Australian opener would not be denied, blasting 119 from 112 deliveries to round out a sublime county stint.”I had no idea how to set a field to him,” Langer said. “He scored a hundred, and it was impossible to know what to do with him. You pitch the ball in one place, and he makes room for himself. So you pitch it in another, and he starts driving you as if he were facing a bowling machine. He doesn’t get all caught up thinking about batting. He just does it. It is so uncomplicated. He hits the ball so hard. Technically, he doesn’t get all that far forward, but Allan Border didn’t get that far forward either.”Langer’s relationship with Hughes was forged long before the former entrenched himself in the Australian top-order. As an emerging batsman with New South Wales, Hughes emailed Langer for batting tips. The maturity of the questions impressed Langer, and the pair have been in regular contact ever since.”You get requests quite often from young kids, and most of the time their questions are about the technical aspects of the game,” Langer said. “But I remember (Hughes’) email, and it was all about the psychology of batting. There was a maturity to his questions that blew my mind. To me, the psychological aspects of batting are much more interesting to talk about, and are often overlooked. He already had his own ideas, and wanted to learn more.”There is a brilliant youthful exuberance about him. You watch him batting, and more often than not there’s a little grin on his face. There are no airs or graces about him. It’s pretty simple. He wants to learn and get better. For an older bloke like me to be chatting with a young bloke who is all about the cricket, and not the fancy house and cars, is brilliant. You don’t get that all the time these days, what with all the money around the game. He is switched onto what is important. He wants to score lots and lots of runs, and if he does that, then the fancy cars will take care of themselves anyway.”

Wilson and Porterfield power Ireland to series triumph

ScorecardGary Wilson and William Porterfield celebrate their hundred partnership•Barry Chambers

Ireland wrapped up a comfortable series win, beating Kenya by 52 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method, after dismissing the tourists for a below-par 175 in the second ODI in Dublin.Boyd Rankin took 3 for 40 at the top, helping to reduce Kenya to a shaky 66 for 4, but Kenya’s Alex Obanda fought back for the visitors with a powerful 59 from 78. He put on 34 with Collins Obuya before he became Rankin’s third victim, caught by Regan West who himself went on to take 2 for 36 in a tidy spell of bowling.Kyle McCallan also impressed, picking up 2 for 30, as Kenya – in spite of an entertaining 48-ball 40 from Nehemia Odhiambo – were rolled for an unsatisfactory 175.William Porterfield, the Ireland captain, ensured his side got off to a flier with three bullet fours off one Thomas Odoya over, sharing in a superb opening stand of 102 with Gary Wilson, who excelled with 51 from 61. Wilson, strong on the drive, took Odoya for four through extra cover and, in the next over, lofted him over the top for four more. And when Porterfield took Odhiambo for four fours in one particularly wayward over, Ireland were well on course for a thumping victory.After smashing Steve Tikolo for six over his head, Porterfield fell the very next ball one short of a deserved fifty, and the rain then came tumbling down at the end of the over to halt proceedings. By now, however, Ireland were miles ahead in the eyes of Duckworth-Lewis, and after one hour and twenty minutes, the match and series were duly awarded to Porterfield’s side.The two sides meet again tomorrow for the third and final match.

Spinners give Bangladesh control

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRyan Hinds was out for 2•Associated Press

Shakib Al Hasan led from the front as Bangladesh tightened the noose on West Indies to leave them struggling at 192 for 8 by tea before rains forced an early close of play on the third day in Grenada. David Bernard resisted with an unbeaten 61 but he didn’t find much support from his team-mates.In the second session, Bernard, who has been one of the better West Indies players of spin in this series, waged a fighting battle along with Sammy. Bernard played with soft hands while defending and didn’t waste any run-scoring opportunities. He had started with a sweetly timed four off Mahmudullah and a six over long-off against Shakib when rains came down to force an early lunch. Post the break, when Enamul Haque Jnr tempted him with flight, he hared down the track to unfurl straight drives for successive boundaries and he went right back to defend the arm-balls. The audacious shot of his stay was a slog-sweep against Enamul, bowling from round the stumps, to bring up his fifty.Sammy, who was dropped on 9 by Junaid Siddiqui at first slip off Shakib, kept the scorecard moving with his wristy dabs and cuts. West Indies were beginning to move forward with purpose when Bangladesh broke through with a triple strike. Sammy pulled a slightly short delivery from Enamul straight to midwicket, Chadwick Walton, who has had a poor series with the bat, failed yet again, and Ryan Austin fell cheaply. Walton couldn’t resist having a go at a flighted delivery from Shakib, edging a sharp catch to Mahmudullah at first slip, and Austin pulled a short delivery from Shahadat Hossain to mid-on to leave Bernard in danger of running out of partners.Bangladesh had set up the game with a sustained spell of quality spin bowling in the morning. You could sense a wicket was never far away with the spinners creating lots of problems and close-in fielders hovering around the bat. Only two batsmen – Travis Dowlin and Bernard – looked like offering resistance but when Dowlin fell to an umpiring mistake, Bangladesh held the advantage. Dowlin was batting positively, cutting at every opportunity and looking increasingly solid in defense, when he was given out lbw after shouldering arms to a delivery from Enamul that pitched around off stump and turned away.Shakib had got the early breakthroughs for Bangladesh, not through his conventional classy left-arm spin, but with the occasional delivery outside leg stump. Shakib teased Omar Phillips with ones that turned and went straight but now and then he drifted to the leg side. Phillips put a couple of them to the boundary but threw his wicket away off the next one down leg as he swung it to deep backward square leg. He had gifted his wicket in the first innings as well, swinging straight to deep midwicket. The next batsman to fall for the trap was Ryan Hinds, who gloved an attempted sweep down leg and the ball bounded off the keeper to leg slip.Mahmudullah, who opened with Shakib, struck next, ending Floyd Reifer’s misery with a full delivery on off stump. It was a marginal decision as it might have straightened to miss the off stump but the finger went up and West Indies had slid to 100 for 4. The hosts’ hopes for a competitive total rested on Bernard.

Razzak ruled out of Zimbabwe series

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has been ruled out of Bangladesh’s upcoming tour of Zimbabwe beginning next week. Razzak, who strained his hamstring while batting in the third ODI against West Indies at St Kitts on Friday, will be returning home to continue with his recovery.Enamul Haque jnr has been named as his replacement for the tour scheduled between August 9-18 and comprising a warm-up match and five ODIs.Razzak, 27, was reported for a suspect action in November 2008 and he was suspended from bowling in international cricket. The ICC cleared him the following year and soon after, he was picked for the World Twenty20 in England. He was also Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker during their recent 3-0 ODI whitewash of West Indies, picking up seven at 22.85.Enamul, who last played an ODI back in 2005, against the same opposition in Dhaka, will be joining the squad in Dubai on Wednesday and will fly to Zimbabwe thereafter.

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