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Victoria Sporting Club, Prime Bank Cricket Club and Gazi Tank Cricketers all recorded big wins in the Dhaka Premier League

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2013Prime Doleshwar came crashing down after four big wins, when Victoria Sporting Club handed them a nine-wicket defeat in the Dhaka Premier League.After deciding to bat first at the BKSP-3 ground, Doleshwar were bowled out for just 85 runs in 26 overs. Victoria’s Sri Lankan pace bowler Shalika Karunanayake and seamer Soumya Sarkar took three wickets each, while Sajedul Islam and captain Nasir Hossain picked up one each.Doleshwar were always going to be in trouble when Tillakaratne Sampath, Mominul Haque and Roshen Silva all failed in this game.Anamul Haque and Karunanayake then added 81 runs for the second wicket to take Victoria to an easy win, completed in 14.3 overs. Victoria join Doleshwar in the top of the table with four wins from six matches.Abahani however remain in tenth position, after suffering their fifth defeat. This time, Prime Bank Cricket Club crushed them by 120 runs at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Prime Bank batted first after winning the toss, and despite losing an early wicket, they began brightly. Saikat Ali (59) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (69) added 82 for the second wicket, before Lahiru Thirimanne struck a breezy half-century.Abahani lost wickets regularly in their chase, never quite finding a rhythm. They missed the in-form Mosaddek Hossain in the middle-order. He has left for West Indies with the Bangladesh Under-19s squad, having been the joint highest-scorer in the league with 320 runs.Prime Bank captain Enamul Haque jnr picked up four wickets while offspinner Fariduddin Masud took three.There was a heavy defeat for Mohammedan Sporting Club too, who went down by 103 runs to Gazi Tank Cricketers. It was their third loss in a row, after having won the first three games.They inserted Gazi Tank at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra, and had the early momentum. But Mahmudullah and Raqibul Hasan struck fifties to lift Gazi Tank from 95 for four. The pair added 94 runs for the fifth wicket, with Mahmudullah warming up nicely for the upcoming Test series with 68 off 78 balls. Raqibul was the top-scorer, making 75 off 65 balls with six fours and a couple of sixes.Ejaz Ahmed and Upul Tharanga kept Mohammedan in the hunt for a while. Opener Ejaz smashed three sixes in his 43-ball 42, but Tharanga saw wickets tumble at the other end. He made 56 off 72 balls, but by the time he was dismissed, Gazi Tank had the ascendancy.Ashar Zaidi, the 32-year-old left-arm spinner, took three wickets in seven overs while Mahmudullah picked up two.

Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, will not be playing in the second Test against Pakistan due to a side strain. Abul Hasan will be his like-for-like replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2015Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, will not be playing in the second Test against Pakistan due to a side strain. Abul Hasan will be his like-for-like replacement.Rubel looked to be in some discomfort while bowling during the fourth day of the Khulna Test. A scan confirmed he has a Grade 1 left-side strain.”It takes about three to four weeks to recover from such injuries. Rubel will begin his rehab in the next couple of days,” said Bangladesh physio Bayjedul Islam.Abul has not played a Test in more than two years though he had played the first ODI against Pakistan in place of the suspended Mashrafe Mortaza. In the interim, he took a four-wicket haul in a first-class match for East Zone.

Andre Fletcher, the West Indies and Windward Islands wicketkeeper-batsman, who was fined EC$ 2000 (approx. US$ 740) by a Dominica court for possession of ammunition, has labelled the incident as a “genuine misunderstanding” on his part

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2015Andre Fletcher, the West Indies and Windward Islands wicketkeeper-batsman, who was fined EC$ 2000 (approx. US$ 740) by a Dominica court for possession of ammunition, has labelled the incident as a “genuine misunderstanding” on his part.Fletcher, 27, was in Dominica practising with the Windward Islands team and was about to leave the country when he was arrested last month. However, Fletcher said in a statement that while he accepted full responsibility for the incident, he had “no idea” that the package in his possession was actually .22 ammunition instead of .22 pellets for the registered hunting air rifle he owns.”When I obtained the package it was sealed. Having been told that the package contained air rifle pellets, without closely inspecting it further I assumed that the contents were indeed what I was told,” Fletcher said. “Until it was brought to my attention at the airport, I had no inkling that the package contained live ammunition.””I carried the package openly in my hand to and through the airport and subsequently loosely placed it in my carry-on bag as I sought to clear security at the Douglas Charles Airport in Dominica.”During the normal inspection of my luggage, the customs officer in Dominica informed me that the items appeared to be .22 calibre live rounds and not .22 pellets. Upon further investigation of the package, it was indeed found that the contents were live .22 calibre rounds and not .22 pellets for air rifles.”Fletcher has played 15 ODIs and 22 T20Is for West Indies, and last represented the team in January. He said that he would not let “the unfortunate incident” compromise his career.”The unfortunate incident which led to my detention in Dominica on May 28 will not deter me from continuing to represent the region or my country once given the opportunity to do so,” he said. “I will never intentionally do anything to cause hurt or embarrassment to my nation, my fans or especially my family.”

Once the first session of the final day was washed out, the draw was inevitable, but India gave a glimpse into the possibilities had this match not lost 248 overs to rain by bowling Bangladesh out for 256 and enforcing a follow-on

The Report by Sidharth Monga14-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
2:54

Muthu: Good first impression under Kohli

Once the first session of the final day was washed out, the draw was inevitable, but India gave a glimpse into the possibilities had this match not lost 248 overs to rain by bowling Bangladesh out for 256 and enforcing a follow-on. Though he couldn’t help India avoid slipping to fourth in the ICC rankings thanks to this draw, the most impressive player of the match, R Ashwin, registered his first five-wicket haul outside India. Bangladesh will be disappointed their first innings lasted only 65.5 overs on a pitch that India batted comfortably and lost wickets only when their batsmen went out of their way to score quick runs.The final day’s play began with Bangladesh needing 152 to avoid the follow-on with seven wickets in hand. A maximum of 67 overs could have been bowled on the day. Had Bangladesh batted sensibly they would have avoided the drama of having to bat again and hanging in grimly. Confronted with some excellent bowling from Ashwin but little else, Bangladesh failed to do so although theirs was a general air of just having a good time without having to worry about the result because it had been ruled out. In a live Test they might well have shown more application.Shakib Al Hasan fell manufacturing a cut, Imrul Kayes and Mohammad Shahid jumped out of the crease to Harbhajan Singh – all three of the returning offspinners’ victims were batsmen outside their crease – and Soumya Sarkar and others kept swinging away even when not quite in control of the shots. Ashwin, though, was in a different league, relying on his offbreak, getting it to drift and dip, drawing sharp turn and bounce, and brought some excitement into a match dulled by poor scheduling: the first in monsoon June in Bangladesh.Even after Shakib fell early on in the day, the shots kept coming. Some of them came off – Sarkar managed an ungainly 37 – but they brought about wickets. The bright spot for Bangladesh was debutant Litton Das’ 44 off 45, but he too struggled as Ashwin drifted the ball away from him. After having found himself away from the pitch of the ball, Das eventually gloved one bouncing offbreak to backward short leg. Das’ wicket made it 232 for 8, and it was followed by a poor shot from Mohammad Shahid and poor running from Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain.Intent to give it every possible shot, Virat Kohli asked Bangladesh to bat again, but there was never going to be enough time to force a result. Hands were shaken the moment Bangladesh had batted out 15 overs in the second innings and the mandatory overs became due.

Half-centuries from captain Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana helped India Women complete a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand Women with 34 balls to spare in the fourth ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHalf-centuries from captain Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana helped India Women complete a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand Women with 34 balls to spare in the fourth ODI in Bangalore. The teams will go into the fifth ODI on July 8 with the the series tied 2-2.Needing 221 to win, India ensured there were no early jitters, with Thirush Kamini and Mandhana raising 49 runs for the first wicket. After Amy Satterthwaite sent back Kamini, Mandhana joined hands with Raj to add 124 runs in 22.5 overs. Raj, during the course of her unbeaten 81 off 88 balls, her 37th half-century, became the second player after Charlotte Edwards to score 5000 runs in Women’s ODIs.After Mandhana was dismissed by Anna Peterson in the 38th over, Harmanpreet Kaur smashed an unbeaten 25-ball 32, including four fours and two sixes, to bring an early finish to the game.New Zealand, after electing to bat, didn’t enjoy a good start, losing Rachel Priest in the third over. Sattherthwaite and captain Suzie Bates, however, rebuilt the innings with a 65-run stand before Bates perished to Poonam Yadav. Three overs later, the visitors’ momentum was dented further when Satterthwaite, who scored 43 off 55 balls, was bowled by Kaur.But, New Zealand fought back again through Sophie Devine, who scored 89 off 102 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes. She put on 58 runs for the fourth wicket with Maddie Green, and proceeded to rally the middle and lower order around her. Devine was the last batsman out off the penultimate ball of the last over.For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Niranjana Nagarajan picked up three wickets each.

In eight previous Tests between these two sides, South Africa have beaten Bangladesh seven times by an innings and once by five wickets inside four days

The Preview by Mohammad Isam in Chittagong20-Jul-2015

Match facts

Tuesday, July 21-25
Start time 0930 local (0330 GMT)1:50

Wet build-up to Chittagong Test

Big picture

In eight previous Tests between these two sides, South Africa have beaten Bangladesh seven times by an innings and once by five wickets inside four days. That record does not inspire confidence in a contest during the upcoming two-Test series, but Bangladesh’s recent limited-overs successes have created a sense of anticipation.After losing the two T20Is and the first ODI, Bangladesh bounced back to win the one-day series against South Africa with commanding victories in the last two games. Though their leadership is different in Tests – the ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza does not play Tests – Mushfiqur Rahim’s side will include several of their short-form successes.Batsman Soumya Sarkar played Bangladesh’s last three Tests – against Pakistan and India – on the back of his limited-overs exploits, and now seamer Mustafizur Rahman is set to have a first taste of Test cricket after an exception start to his ODI career. Mustafizur will be expected to provide a much-needed edge to a lackluster bowling line-up. Rubel Hossain and Mohammad Shahid are the other pace bowlers in contention but Bangladesh are likely to play two at most. Spin will also be key, with Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain forming the attack.South Africa do not have AB de Villiers so they are increasingly dependent on the captain Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy. These three will be expected to hold the batting line-up together, with Dean Elger and Reeza Hendricks at the top. The spinner could either be Simon Harmer or Aaron Phangiso while the pace attack will comprise Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander. Except for Philander, the rest have been in good Test form.Bangladesh will rely on the experience of Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and Shakib and hope they combine effectively with the youth of Mominul Haque and Soumya to counter a dangerous bowling attack.

Form guide

Bangladesh DLDWW
South Africa WDWWD

Players to watch

Mominul Haque made two half-centuries in the two Tests against Pakistan and 30 against India. At no. 3, he adds stability to the Test team, but not having played the limited-overs games, he will need to adapt quickly to the South African side to build on his performances.South Africa coach Russell Domingo said he was looking forward to Dean Elgar making an impact in South Africa’s top order. Elgar is a compact player who could be key to how the visitors start against Bangladesh’s spinners. He is coming into this series having made scores of 208*, 122 and 79 among his last seven first-class innings for Titans in March, and 44, 20 and 98 in three innings for Surrey in June.

Team news

Mushfiqur said Litton Das would keep wicket, which means Nasir Hossain will not find a place in Bangladesh’s XI. The hosts will have to choose between a third spinner and a second seamer.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), 5 Shakib Al Hasan , 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Soumya Sarkar, 8 Litton Das (wk), 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Jubair Hossain/Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Rubel HossainSouth Africa are likely to open the batting with Reeza Hendricks, and will have to choose between Stiaan van Zyl and Temba Bavuma in the middle order. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is unlikely to feature in the XI, while offspinner Harmer and left-armer Phangiso are competing for one spot.South Africa (possible): 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Hashim Amla (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Stiaan van Zyl, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Simon Harmer/Aaron Phangiso, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel

Pitch and conditions

The straw-coloured surface at the Zahu Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is likely to be batting-friendly to start with before spin comes into play. The lead-up to the Test was wet and although the forecast is improving, rain could play a part.

Stats and trivia

• Among the present players, Hashim Amla has the most runs (292) and Dale Steyn has the most wickets (22) in Tests between Bangladesh and South Africa.
• There is an experience imbalance in Bangladesh’s attack. While Shakib is nearing 150 wickets, the next highest is Taijul Islam with 35.

Quotes

“We have to play to our potential. Imrul, Tamim and Mini are world class as well. Then we have Mushy and Shakib. The battle will be at the start of the game.”

West Indies embark on a 44-day tour of Sri Lanka, which includes two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is in October and November, an SLC press release said

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2015West Indies embark on a 44-day tour of Sri Lanka, which includes two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is in October and November, an SLC press release said.The first Test begins in Galle on October 14, where West Indies have played only two matches in 2001 and 2010. They will only have three days to acclimatise to the venue.The SLC interim committee had earlier said that the board was trying to reduce the costs it will incur by hosting games in Galle, as well as at other venues for the tour. That could be the reason West Indies will spend much of their time ahead of the first Test in Colombo – seven days of training at the Sinhalese Sports Club, followed by a three-day game at the venue.Following the Galle Test, West Indies return to Colombo for the second Test at P Sara Oval, where they have never played red-ball cricket before. Three days’ practice at the venue will lead them into the match starting on October 22.West Indies have never won a Test series in Sri Lanka. They drew with the hosts in 1993 and 2010, and lost in 2001 and 2005.The ODIs start in November and will be day-night affairs. The first two ODIs will be held at the R Premadasa stadium on November 1 and November 4. Pallekele will host the final ODI on November 7 and the teams will stay back for the first T20 two days later. The final T20 will take the teams back to Premadasa on November 12.These T20s are the only confirmed matches that West Indies play before the World T20 in India in March 2016. Sri Lanka have two more on their docket when they visit New Zealand in December 2015-January 2016.

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was hospitalised on Thursday evening in Kolkata after suffering a heart attack, is now stable

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Sep-2015BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was hospitalised on Thursday evening after suffering a heart attack, is now stable. According to the fresh medical bulletin issued by the BM Birla Hospital in Kolkata, Dalmiya was “clinically better”, but was still in the coronary critical care unit.”Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya was admitted last night with chest discomfort and underwent coronary angiography. Clot was aspirated out to establish good flow in coronary arteries,” the medical bulletin issued at 10.30 am on Friday stated. “Today, he is clinically better with improvement in ECG. He is being monitored at the hospital with medication as per protocol.”According to one of the senior officials at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), where Dalmiya was elected as president for an eighth consecutive term in July, doctors had indicated there were still some clots that needed to be cleared: “We have been told that although one of the clots has been removed, it is only partially removed. There are few more.”In the first bulletin, issued late Thursday evening, the doctors had said that “multiple lesions were observed with total occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery.”The CAB official said Dalmiya was talking, but was not allowed any visitors since he was under critical care. The official added that doctors had indicated if the recovery goes smooth Dalmiya will likely be out of the hospital “within 72 hours” from today.But according to the hospital spokesperson it was too early to determine as to when Dalmiya would be discharged.

A round-up of all the Haier Mobile T-20 Cup matches played on September 13, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2015

Group B

Imran Khan and Israrullah both shared the Man-of-the-Match award•PCB

A hat-trick from the left-arm seamer Imran Khan, followed by a 52-ball 82 from Israrullah powered Peshawar Region into the semi-finals, after the team beat Karachi Region Blues by seven wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Despite the defeat, Karachi Blues also made it to the next round, starting tomorrow.Batting first, Karachi Blues were never allowed to thrive in their innings, as the opener Khurram Manzoor was dismissed in the third over. Khalid Latif, the tournament’s second leading scorer, hit 40 off 34 balls to lay a platform, but none of the other batsmen could capitalise, as Imran clipped three important wickets – Fawad Alam (37 off 28), Sarfaraz Ahmed (23 off 18) and Anwar Ali (0) – to complete his hat-trick. Those late blows restricted Karachi Blues to 156 for 7.Rafatullah Mohmand departed early in the chase, but Israrullah and Mohammad Rizwan (40 off 35) made no mistakes. Israrullah launched 13 fours during his fifty, as Peshawar overhauled the target in 18 overs. Anwar Ali bagged one wicket while Rumman Raees, the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, could also only manage 1 for 35. With their fourth win of the tournament, Peshawar ended on top of Group B.A five-for from the fast bowler Mohammad Naeem set up a six-wicket win for Abbottabad Region against Islamabad Region at the Diamond Club Ground. The win, though, was in vain, as the Younis Khan-led side failed to qualify for the semi-finals after finishing third in the table, with three victories and two losses.Islamabad, having been inserted, began promisingly, as the opener Shan Masood scored 36 off 21 balls. However, Naeem ripped the batting order, picking up 5 for 31 from his four overs. Shahid Yousuf resisted with 34, but Islamabad were eventually bundled out for 149 in 19 overs.Abbottabad did not have much trouble in their chase, as Fakhar Zaman, who scored a century against Peshawar on Saturday, hammered 78 off 39 balls with 14 fours and a six. Abbottabad lost four wickets in the chase, but Younis made 31 off 18 balls, taking the side home with 29 balls to spare.A three-wicket haul from Mohammad Irfan set up a comprehensive six-wicket win for Lahore Region Whites against Faisalabad Region at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The result, however, did not help either team; Lahore Whites could only finish fourth in the table, while Faisalabad were relegated after ending rock bottom.Faisalabad, opting to bat, were steered by an unbeaten 55-ball 87 from their opener Raheel Ameer. However, Ameer received little by way of support from his team-mates, as no other batsman could muster more than 17. Irfan picked up 3 for 9 to run through Faisalabad’s lower middle order, while Sajid Watto collected 2 for 26, restricting the team to 140 for 7.Lahore Whites lost Ahmed Shehzad early in the chase, but crucial thirties from their captain Azhar Ali (35), Umar Siddiq (34) and Saad Nasim (37 not out) took the team home in 18.4 overs. Ehsan Adil was Faisalabad’s best bowler, taking 2 for 16 from three overs.

Group A

Sialkot Region overpowered Bahawalpur Region by 10 wickets at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad to go straight into the semi-final.In what turned out to be a one-sided contest, Bahawalpur, batting first, could only muster 96 for 7 from their 20 overs. Only Bahawalpur’s captain Kamran Hussain produced a substantial score, making 43 off 33 balls, while six of the batsmen failed to break into double digits. Hasan Ali was the main destroyer, picking up four wickets at the cost of 11 runs, while Usama Mir bowled a tight four overs to bag two wickets, giving away just seven runs.Sialkot responded to the small chase in style, as both the openers Mukhtar Ahmed (55 off 25) and Nauman Anwar (45 off 23) guided the team home inside eight overs. Sialkot will now take on Peshawar Region in Monday’s second semi-final.Hyderabad Region held their nerve to beat Rawalpindi Region by two wickets off the penultimate ball in an inconsequential match. Hyderabad needed five off the last two deliveries from Hammad Azam when Nauman Ali hit the third ball he faced for six to seal the win.Hyderabad began their chase of 159 strongly with a 37-run opening stand between Azeem Ghumman (41 off 36) and Sharjeel Khan. However, they lost momentum thereafter and slipped to 85 for 4 during the 13th over. Faisal Athar (31 off 24) and Shoaib Laghari (34 off 19) revived the chase with a fifty partnership.Yasir Arafat struck twice in the 18th over on way to 3 for 20 and Sohail Tanvir removed Laghari in the 19th but Hyderabad had enough left in the tank to reach their destination.Rawalpindi had posted 158 for 8 after choosing to bat. Umar Amin led with 52 off 40 and rebuilt the innings from 98 for 5 along with Zahid Mansoor, who contributed 31 off 20. Nauman Ali starred with the ball too, taking 3 for 31.

A move to No. 3 may help end Lahiru Thirimanne’s lean trot, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said ahead of the first Test against West Indies in Galle

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle13-Oct-2015A move to No. 3 may help end Lahiru Thirimanne’s lean trot, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said ahead of the first Test against West Indies in Galle. Thirimanne has been groomed for that role over the past two years and is now free to come in at first drop, following the axing of Upul Tharanga from the Test squad, as well as the retirements of high-profile batsmen.He has continued to be effective in the limited-overs formats despite his Test-match woes. Thirimanne averages 47.81 at No. 3 in ODIs, and Mathews said the team trusts his Test returns will begin to improve as well.”Because of Kumar Sangakkara batting at No. 3 we couldn’t really accommodate Lahiru in the top three,” Mathews said. “Your best batter always has to bat at No. 3. Now that Sangakkara has gone, Lahiru is pretty much the candidate to bat at No. 3.”Thirimanne’s poor Test form has been particularly apparent in Sri Lanka’s recent home Tests. He averaged 21.09 across the six Tests against Pakistan and India, hitting only one fifty in that period.”Lahiru’s form was a bit of a concern in the recent past, but we continue to have faith in him,” Mathews said. “We know he’s a very good player. He’s played the game for quite a long time, so we’re pretty much sure he’ll come good and deliver for us in this series.”Thirimanne’s form had been only one of the several top-order problems Sri Lanka faced, against India in August. The hosts failed to cross 210 in half of their innings that tour, and found themselves battling a first-innings deficit in each of the three games. Mathews suggested a more positive approach with the bat could see his side to bigger totals.”We need to adjust the mindset with our batting,” Mathews said. “It’s all about trying to score runs – and that’s been the talking point for our batters over the last two months. It’s just that any given day you get a good ball and you tend to get out, and that’s the fate of the batsman. But I think you need to just try and score runs all the time and grab opportunities that the bowlers give you – try and score off the loose balls. Hopefully we can get everything right this series.”Sri Lanka’s bowlers have largely done well in the home series this year, but they have also been occasionally guilty of letting the opposition tail score cheap runs. In the most recent Test at the SSC, Amit Mishra and R Ashwin both hit fifties from No. 9. In the previous series, Zulfiqar Babar had hit a fifty in Galle from No. 10.”We’ve talked about getting lower-order wickets a lot in our meetings,” Mathews said. “It’s just that we have to bowl at them thinking they are batters. The batters play a lot different than the bowlers – the bowlers throw their bats around and get a few runs, and a few nicks. When that happens, in the next minute the whole scenario changes. Hopefully we can rectify that this series.”Mathews also all but confirmed that Tharindu Kaushal will play in Galle, ahead of Dilruwan Perera, despite Kaushal’s doosra having been recently banned by the ICC. “We trust that PHT Kaushal will be someone who serves Sri Lanka for a long time, given the way he’s bowled in the past. As a team, and as a captain, I can give him that trust and play him. I have no issues with playing him in this match.”