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The preview of the Asia Cup final between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Mirpur

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit21-Mar-2012Match factsMarch 22, 2012
Start time 1400 (0800 GMT)Shakib Al Hasan averages 54.50 with the bat and 22.29 with the ball in ODI wins•AFPBig PictureJust how momentous is Bangladesh’s passage to the Asia Cup final? Decide for yourself after reading these figures. In nine previous tournaments, Bangladesh had played 29 matches and won two, against Hong Kong and UAE. Out of three games this time, they have won two, against World Cup 2011 finalists India and Sri Lanka, and lost a close match to Pakistan.For Bangladesh’s tireless supporters, starved of success but never lacking in passion, this is like finding an oasis in a desert. A sea of the darker shade of green will be cheering every run that Bangladesh score tomorrow and every Pakistan wicket that falls. Victory won’t be demanded, though; an appearance in the final is already a windfall for the fan.How will the Bangladesh players approach this game, probably the biggest in their careers so far? Apart from blanking New Zealand some time ago at home, this is the first time they have put together consistently solid performances for three games running against world-class opposition. Will the fourth time prove to be too much? Will the pressure of a final, something they have hardly experienced, restrict the freedom with which they bat? Will their bowling and fielding be able to hold together?Whatever be the result, Bangladesh’s surge to the final holds the promise of another close match. They will fight; if they go down, they will still be heroes. If they win, they’ll become part of folklore in the years to come. Either way, a bit of history has already been created.While tomorrow’s contest pales before the fervour an India-Pakistan final would have generated, Pakistan won’t mind running into Bangladesh. They have relied on their bowling, as they often do, for getting them to the final. The one time their batting appeared to have almost won a game for them, they ran into Virat Kohli.Pakistan have underperformed in the Asia Cup, winning it only once compared to the four titles each won by India and Sri Lanka. A second title beckons tomorrow, unless Bangladesh can ride on the passion and momentum and play beyond themselves again.Form guideBangladesh: WWLLL (most recent first)
Pakistan: LWWLL
In the spotlightHad Shakib Al Hasan been playing for some of the bigger Test sides, he would have been given a lot more respect than he gets at present. He averages 54.50 with the bat and 22.29 with the ball in ODI wins. He carries the expectations of Bangladesh fans lightly and, more often than not, puts in a telling contribution. He was Man of the Match in the hosts’ wins over India and Sri Lanka and would have got the award against Pakistan had the Bangladesh lower order not collapsed around him. The hosts have found Nasir Hossain, but for the moment, as Shakib goes, so do Bangladesh.Umar Gul helped Pakistan avoid defeat against Bangladesh with a three-wicket burst that included the wickets of Nasir and Shakib. One new ball or two, Gul has found reverse swing. When asked how he was getting such movement with a lush green outfield in Mirpur, he pointed to the dry-looking square. Bangladesh were able to survive the threat of Lasith Malinga on Tuesday. Gul will come hard at them tomorrow, especially after going for runs against India.Team newsNazmul Hossain took three wickets against Sri Lanka on his comeback in place of the injured Shafiul Islam. Bangladesh could go in with the same side that beat Sri Lanka.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Nazimuddin, 3 Jahurul Islam, 4 Nasir Hossain, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Nazmul Hossain, 11 Shahadat HossainPakistan played five bowlers against India, but Wahab Riaz, included in place of the specialist wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, went for 50 in four overs. Sarfraz is expected to return for the final, freeing Umar Akmal of the additional responsibility of keeping wicket.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Aizaz CheemaStats and trivia Pakistan have made the Asia Cup final for only the third time. They won their previous final (in Dhaka in 2000) by 39 runs. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have made their first final of a multi-nation tournament since reaching the final of the tri-series at home in 2009 If Bangladesh go on to win the final, they will become only the second team after Australia (in the 2003 World Cup) to beat India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a single tournamentQuotes”I was out of the country and having a holiday when these things were happening. It gave me some rest and mental freshness. I wanted to prove myself in the game after I came back. I worked hard and it’s going alright.”

Robin Bist remained unbeaten on 82 to help Rajasthan to 530, and leaving Mumbai with plenty to do to salvage points from the game

The Reoprt by Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai11-Nov-2011
Scorecard
Rohit Sharma needs to score big if Mumbai are to match Rajasthan’s big first-innings score•ESPNcricinfo LtdMumbai’s script for this match was bat first, bat once, pile a massive total and dominate the opposition to try and register an outright victory. Except, in a role reversal, defending champions Rajasthan did exactly what heavyweights Mumbai had in mind. If Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the Rajasthan captain, had laid the platform with a serene century on the first day, young Robin Bist played an equally stoic innings, to remain unbeaten on 82 and help the visitors to 530.In reply a shaky Mumbai lost both openers including Wasim Jaffer, their captain and the most senior batsman. Still 426 runs in deficit, Mumbai’s survival is now dependent on the unbeaten pair of Rohit Sharma and Abhishek Nayar, the only two experienced specialist batsmen left in the line-up.In contrast to their difficult state at the end, Mumbai had started the day on a positive note, when both Kanitkar and Bist were watchful. The Brabourne pitch did not betray its flat nature. Neither did the Mumbai fast men: Dhawal Kulkarni and Kshemal Waingankar refrained from bowling fuller lengths, only allowing the batsmen to settle down quickly. Yet only 23 runs came in the first hour off 11 overs.Surprisingly Kanitkar’s shots lacked the conviction of the previous day. He added only 12 runs to his overnight 129 before wafting at a wide delivery outside the off stump from Murtaza Hussain, giving an easy edge to wicketkeeper Onkar Gurav. Mumbai felt they could now snatch the momentum, but Bist put them on the slow drip for more than three hours. His batting might have lacked aggression but it didn’t contain any desperation.He started his innings clipping Kulkarni past midwicket for his first four. When Waingankar, who looked listless through the morning, pitched short, Bist pulled for an easy four. Thereafter he slowed down and focused on rotating strike as far as possible.Rohit Jhalani, the Rajasthan wicketkeeper, though was more keen on hitting hard and eventually threw away his wicket. Jhalani had lofted Iqbal Abdulla, the left-arm spinner, over long-on for a six and four off consecutive deliveries 15 minutes before lunch. But Abdulla bounced back in his next over: giving the perfect loop to a delivery that spun across Jhalani’s bat to knock over the off stump. And when Kulkarni trapped Vivek Yadav in the first over after lunch, the onus was on Bist to carry forward the momentum with the tail to come in.Bist did not relent as he maintained his steady tempo while allowing the trio of Deepak Chahar, Gajendra Singh and Pankaj Singh to play their shots with freedom. He got to his half-century with a square cut that zipped past the point fielder who could only sit on his haunches and watch Bist celebrate his fifty. Valuable partnerships of 49 and 45 for the ninth and the tenth wickets pushed Rajasthan past 500.Pankaj carried the confidence of his 34 into his bowling, removing Mumbai opener Kaustubh Pawar early. Pawar, playing only his second Ranji match, attempted to cut a short delivery which was wide outside off only to offer a simple catch to Jhalani behind the stumps. The Mumbai dressing room was probably calm thinking it was not Jaffer who played that erroneous stroke. Little did they know.Having clipped two on-driven fours off fuller-length deliveries on his legs from Pankaj, Jaffer went for a pull against a short ball off the last delivery of the over. The ball climbed on him fast, and Jaffer could not time it as well as he would have wished and ended up giving an easy catch to mid-on. Pankaj’s roar of delight reverberated through the empty stadium.Mumbai’s troubles were far from over. Rohit Sharma, on 2 (Mumbai were 29 for 2), played an uppish drive straight into the hands of substitute Vaibhav Deshpande at short extra cover but was fortunate as the fielder spilled the chance. The bowler deprived was Chahar. Rohit had only played six deliveries. He brushed aside the early nerves with two brilliant fours in the next three balls.But more drama was in store off the last delivery of the over. Rohit softly tapped towards Ashok Menaria and took off for a single. Nayar responded positively but suddenly stopped and both players were stranded mid-pitch staring at each other embarrassingly. Fortunately for them, Menaria failed to pick up the ball cleanly. Frustration doubled for Rajasthan when Jhalani, who had come in front of the stumps to collect the delayed throw, fumbled, giving Nayar enough time to scamper home safely. Rohit was disgusted and waved his bat in the air to express his dissatisfaction at the confusion.However Rohit moved on swiftly from the incident and even collected four boundaries in Chahar’s eighth over. Those 16 runs took him to within eight runs of the half-century. He reached the mini-landmark by pulling legspinner Yadav over midwicket for an easy four. The job has only started for him and Mumbai.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Newlands in Cape Town

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran02-Jan-2012Match factsJanuary 3-7, Cape Town
Start time 10:30 (08:30 GMT)Can Jacques Kallis return to his best in his 150th Test?•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureSouth Africa haven’t won their previous four home Test series, but a failure to close out this one will cause the most criticism. While the other contests were against teams near the top of the rankings, this one is against a side that was struggling to find its feet in Test cricket after the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan. A series that was expected to be all one-way traffic is now level at one-all, with Sri Lanka having already achieved their pre-tour ambition of winning a Test in South Africa.After basking in one of their greatest Test victories, Sri Lanka have now scaled up their goal to a series win in South Africa. The Durban success came about through significant contributions from many of their players – Thilan Samaraweera and Kumar Sangakkara making hundreds, Chanaka Welegedera and Rangana Herath taking five-fors, and Dinesh Chandimal scoring vital half-centuries in each innings. That’s something they need to repeat in Cape Town if they are to pose a challenge to South Africa, who remain favourites despite the Durban debacle.The return of Vernon Philander, whose accurate swing bowling has brought him four five-wicket hauls in three Tests, is a cause of cheer for the home side. Sri Lanka, though, have several injury worries – Chandimal is struggling with an elbow problem and a final call on his availability will be taken on Tuesday, while their quickest bowler Dilhara Fernando is also doubtful after suffering knee pain.It has been more than a decade since Sri Lanka played a Test in Cape Town, but their previous match at the venue remains their biggest defeat in Tests. However, as they did memorably in Durban, Sri Lanka need to forget the past and set about taking a shot at history.Form guide (Most recent first)
South Africa LWLWD
Sri Lanka WLDLDWatch out for…Only once in the past nine seasons has Jacques Kallis gone through an entire home season without making a Test century. The Cape Town Test is the last one of the South African summer and Kallis is yet to score a hundred, and what is more – he has picked up three ducks in his past four Tests. Luckily for him, the next match is at Newlands, his home ground and one where he has an outstanding record – 1874 runs at 72.07 with eight centuries. No better place then for him to regain form, that too in his 150th Test.
Tillakaratne Dilshan is another batsman struggling for form – he has only two half-centuries in his previous 15 Test innings. After a miserable first seven months as leader, Dilshan had little to show in terms of results, but the Durban victory should give his captaincy a fresh lease. Now that the team is showing signs of a turnaround, he’ll hope his own form too will improve.Team newsThe Durban debacle has prompted immediate action from South Africa. Ashwell Prince has been axed, and the in-form Alviro Petersen returns. He slots in as an opener, pushing the out-of-sorts Jacques Rudolph down the order. The other change to the XI is that Vernon Philander returns to take the place of Marchant de Lange.South Africa: 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Jacques Rudolph, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirThe only changes to the Sri Lankan side are likely to be due to injuries. Decisions on Chandimal and Fernando will be taken on Tuesday morning, and in case they aren’t fit, Kaushal Silva and Dhammika Prasad are the likely replacements.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dinesh Chandimal / Kaushal Silva (wk), 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dilhara Fernando / Dhammika Prasad, 11 Chanaka WelegedaraPitch and conditionsIt rained in Cape Town on Monday but the forecast is better for the rest of the week. Smith believes the pitch is dry though there is a tinge of green on it. The Newlands track is usually a good Test wicket, so we can expect a bit for the bowlers early on, and a decent batting strip.Stats and trivia Since South Africa’s post-apartheid return to cricket, Australia are the only visiting team to have won Tests at Newlands. South Africa’s record at the ground in that period is a formidable 15 wins and three losses in 23 matchesDaryl Cullinan is the only South African batsman to have made more than one Test century against Sri Lanka. Surprisingly, the only batsman in the current squad to make have made a Test hundred against Sri Lanka is Jacques RudolphThilan Samaraweera is 22 short of becoming Sri Lanka’s highest run-getter in a Test series in South Africa.
Click here for the detailed stats preview to the Test.Quotes”We have the capabilities to be at the top and we won’t get there with the way we played in Durban. We need to step it up a little bit and we understand that.”

“If we can win the series, it will be a great achievement as a team. We believe we can perform in any conditions and it would be a big achievement for Sri Lanka if we win.”

Chris Gayle and David Warner will form a dream opening partnership for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League after Gayle knocked back a $250,000 offer from the Perth Scorchers

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2011Chris Gayle and David Warner will form a dream opening partnership for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League after Gayle knocked back a $250,000 offer from the Perth Scorchers. The Thunder, based at ANZ Stadium, were the fastest out of the blocks after the contract window opened at 9am on Thursday, confirming both major signings within the opening hour.”There is no doubt that signing Chris Gayle is a massive boost for the Thunder,” the team’s general manager, John Dyson, said. “Having worked with him when I was coach of the West Indies, I know that he brings a stack of experience and the sort of match-winning ability that only a few players have. To have an opening partnership of Chris Gayle and David Warner is something that all cricket fans should be excited about.””[Warner] is a match-winner. David has a great track record at ANZ Stadium and we think he represents what the Thunder is all about: passion and excitement. We look forward to him thrilling Thunder fans with his hitting this summer.”Gayle has spent the past two summers with Western Australia in the Big Bash, but turned down the chance to return to Perth with the Scorchers. He said he was thrilled be heading for Sydney to resume his working relationship with Dyson.”Having worked well with John Dyson in the West Indies, I was impressed with his plans for the Thunder and I think the team will have a great chance to win this competition,” Gayle said. “I have good memories of playing at ANZ Stadium and I look forward to walking out to open the batting with David Warner when the season starts.”Each of the eight city-based sides has a $1 million salary cap and must sign 18 players, the first 14 of whom must be confirmed over the next three weeks. The brutal combination of Gayle and Warner will make an enormous dent in the Thunder’s budget, given the hefty price-tag that Gayle rejected from the Scorchers.”There is no doubt that Chris is one of the most dangerous Twenty20 players in world cricket and it would have been great to have him on board with the Scorchers,” Mickey Arthur, the Scorchers coach, said. “But there are limitations within the salary cap and securing one player but running the risk of losing talented young players in the process is simply not an option when you are trying to build a team from scratch.”We have made the decision to invest in our local stars, whilst also entering the market for two outstanding international recruits. We are very confident we have the mix right and look forward to making several exciting announcements in the coming days.”Each team can sign up to two overseas stars, although there is room to replace a player who has to leave due to international commitments, so more than two could be rotated during the tournament. The other early signing on Thursday came from the Brisbane Heat, who confirmed the fast bowler Ryan Harris would be part of their squad.

Runs could be doubled in a designated “super-over” and spectators may be allowed to take home balls hit into the crowd as part of Australia’s new Big Bash League next summer.

Brydon Coverdale26-May-2011Runs would be doubled in a designated “super-over” and spectators allowed to take home balls hit into the crowd under proposed rules for Australia’s new Big Bash League next summer.Cricket fans have been asked to comment on a range of possible tweaks to the rules governing Twenty20, many of which are designed to boost scoring rates in the eight-team competition, which is expected to kick off in December.Mike McKenna, Cricket Australia’s head of marketing and the BBL project owner, has made no secret of his desire to spice up the T20 tournament, which will feature city-based sides such as the Brisbane Heat, and two each in Melbourne and Sydney. One of the most unusual suggestions is for each team to be given one super-over, which would likely be nominated by the batting side before the start of the over.Cricket Australia’s survey states the idea, in which the runs from that over alone would be doubled, was intended “to provide both teams an opportunity to get back into the game”. The cricket statistician Ric Finlay, who runs the Tastats website, said introducing such a rule would cause some distortion in the record-books, but it was likely the games could still be designated official Twenty20 matches.”It is true to say that other interventions have distorted outcomes, including fielding restrictions and powerplays and penalties for no balls,” Finlay told , “but this innovation seems on the face of it to be departing more radically from what we know as traditional cricket than anything else that has gone on before. The factor that may allow these matches to be included in records of all T20 matches is the generally-accepted status of all T20 cricket to be a gimmicky form of the game where almost anything goes.”The advantages for the batsmen might not end there. “Based on increasing scoring and making the game more exciting”, as the survey says, the 12th man could be allowed to enter the batting order as a kind of pinch hitter, in a similar setup to the super-sub rule that was used in one-day internationals several years ago.There is also a proposal to allow only one fielder outside the circle in the first five overs of an innings, leaving bowlers little room for error. Two men could be used outside the circle from overs 6 to 10, three fielders from overs 11 to 15, and four men during the final five overs of an innings.And if those ideas don’t create enough of a challenge for bowlers, they may also need to get used to several changed balls throughout an innings. A baseball-style rule is being considered whereby fans would be able to keep a ball that clears the fence, meaning that with many sixes – and the Big Bash record is 14 in an innings – a new ball would be given to the bowler.However, it’s not all bad news for bowlers – allowing two bouncers per over is also a possibility, to allow bowlers a little extra room to attack. The Big Bash League is slowly taking shape, but several key steps remain to be resolved, including the recruitment of players to the eight sides and the part private ownership of two of the Melbourne and Sydney teams.To take the survey and comment on the proposed rules, click here.

Sussex made a healthy start to their second innings to ensure they go into the fourth day with high hopes of securing a draw against Lancashire at Liverpool

10-Apr-2011Stumps
Scorecard
Monty Panesar picked up four wickets in Lancashire’s innings•PA PhotosSussex made a healthy start to their second innings to ensure they go into the fourth day with high hopes of securing a draw against Lancashire at Liverpool.The south-coast county began with the bat second time around facing a deficit of 229 runs but useful contributions from Chris Nash (43), stand-in captain Murray Goodwin and Joe Gatting helped them finish day three on 151 for 3 from 47 overs. The latter two will resume tomorrow morning on 32 not out and 27 not out respectively. They still trail by 78.The visitors had been given a scare when they lost their first two wickets in consecutive overs before the tea break. Left-arm spinner Gary Keedy got Ed Joyce caught at midwicket by Sajid Mahmood and Oliver Newby trapped Nash lbw.As generally happens, the wicket at the Aigburth ground has become much easier to bat on as the game has progressed. That was demonstrated by Lancashire replying to Sussex’s first innings total of 243 with 472 all out, an innings which ended during today’s afternoon session.Steven Croft, Gareth Cross and Tom Smith all recorded half-centuries during the third day – 64, 63 and 60 respectively. It was Lancashire’s highest innings total in 22 matches since they amassed 568 for 8 declared against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl in August of 2009.Croft and Cross were the aggressors and Smith was happy to drop anchor, demonstrated by him scoring only 19 runs from 65 balls during the morning session and facing 150 balls in total for his 60.Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar was Sussex’s most successful bowler with figures of 4 for 105 from 47 overs. Three of those wickets came today and two of them in two balls. Having had Croft caught at first slip by Joyce during the morning session he bowled Cross and got Glen Chapple caught at first slip by the Irishman in consecutive balls to leave the score at 449 for 8 in the 151st.Pace bowler Amjad Khan also chipped in with 3 for 94 from 28.5 overs. The track has so far been similar to one on the sub-continent in that it has taken turn but not with much pace. Keedy bowled 18 overs in succession and finished the day with miserly figures of 2 for 28.His second wicket – the third Sussex one to fall – was that of Luke Wells, who was caught at midwicket by Stephen Moore after miscuing an on-drive. At that stage the visitors were 105 for 3 in the 28th over – but Goodwin and Gatting avoided any further dramas with their unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 46.

Daniel Vettori has been ruled out of New Zealand’s Test matches in South Africa which begins early next year

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2012Daniel Vettori has been ruled out of New Zealand’s Test matches in South Africa which begin early next year. He has not recovered from hernia and Achilles injuries, the latter picked up during the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.Vettori, 33, has missed New Zealand’s last five Tests against Sri Lanka, India and West Indies having initially suffered a groin injury in the Caribbean. He had hoped to prove his recovery from the latest setbacks in the Plunket Shield for Northern Districts but has not been able to make an appearance.With Vettori unavailable Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, will remain the No. 1 slow bowler while Todd Astle, who made his debut in Colombo last week when New Zealand levelled the series, could be included as a second option.New Zealand play two Tests in South Africa, the first in Cape Town starting on January 2 followed by one in Port Elizabeth from January 11.There are reports emerging that New Zealand may not be led by Ross Taylor for the tour – which also includes Twenty20s and ODIs – after his relationship with coach Mike Hesson reached breaking point despite the impressive series-leveling victory in Colombo. Taylor, however, tweeted* he had given no ultimatum to New Zealand Cricket or made any decisions about his captaincy. “A lot of speculation out there. I have heard from the CEO once,” he said on Twitter. “I haven’t made any decisions. At no time have I given NZC any… …ultimatums about Hesson or Me or South Africa.”

A lot of speculation out there. I have heard from the CEO once. I haven’t made any decisions. At no time have I given NZC any…

— Ross Taylor (@RossLTaylor) December 5, 2012

…ultimatums about Hesson or Me or South Africa.

— Ross Taylor (@RossLTaylor) December 5, 2012

Other than the win in Colombo it has been a difficult year for New Zealand with Test series defeats at home to South Africa then away in West Indies and India while they were knocked out in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20. They have also lost 10 of their last 13 ODIs and in the latest ICC rankings have slipped to ninth behind Bangladesh.Taylor was named captain in June last year following Vettori’s reign having previously done the job as a stand-in. The captaincy had a positive impact on Taylor’s Test average with it rising to 49.85 from 13 Tests compared to his overall figure of 43.57 and he struck three hundreds in those matches, including a crucial 142 in Colombo recently.* – 0500GMT, December 5, 2012 – The story was updated to include Ross Taylor’s tweets