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Team management’s decision to spread workload uniformly on the bowlers has helped, says India pacer

Alagappan Muthu in Nagpur30-Sep-2017In the last two years, it would seem that India have earmarked Umesh Yadav for long-form cricket. The 29-year old fast bowler has played 19 out of 24 Tests in this period, but only 21 of the 40 ODIs, and he might just prefer it that way.”The thing with ODIs is that there will always be games. I enjoy playing Tests more,” Umesh said at a press conference at his home ground in Nagpur. “You have time in a Test and there are situations and match simulations (in the preparations) to know how to respond to a situation. I like those challenges. I like that because it increases confidence and also makes a bowler more accurate. You know the line and length you need on a particular surface and you focus on that. I am more than happy to play as a Test bowler.”However, Umesh clarified that he was not quite ready to start picking and choosing formats. “Playing both Tests and ODIs is good and particularly for me, because I am at an age when the more cricket I play the better it is for me,” he said. “I don’t want to be at a stage where I am saying I don’t want to play this format or that, I want to keep going. I would love to play in all formats.”To a certain extent, India now have enough seamers of quality and variety that they can manage their workloads better without losing their potency as a team. At the start of the Bengaluru ODI, Australia captain Steven Smith rated Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the world’s best death bowlers in 50-overs cricket. And over the course of a long home season in 2016-17, Mohammed Shami and Umesh won praise from their own captain, who said they were among the top five quicks in Test cricket.Separating them to play the respective formats they are good at seems not only the logical choice, but also helps the players function at peak fitness. “I think it’s good for the fast bowlers,” Umesh said. “If you continuously play Test cricket, it’s lot of load for fast bowler. Playing in sub-continent conditions is very tough. Slow wicket, no pace and bounce for fast bowlers, you have to give your 100 per cent. It’s very hard for the fast bowlers to come to one-day cricket with the same intensity [immediately afterwards]. It is better you get some rest. It also helps you recover from small niggles. It’s a good concept as we get proper rest and look after ourselves properly.”Umesh also felt that fast bowlers could not afford to become full-fledged Test or one-day specialists because of their fitness needs. “If you are playing a lot of Test cricket, say 15-20 Tests in a year, then you have to decide what to do. Because you can’t otherwise say I only want to play Tests – there are fewer Tests in the year, so what will you do the rest of the time?”It is important for a player’s body to have match practice. We say it’s good to keep practicing and everything will be fine, but that’s not the case. Until you don’t play matches, your physical form is not ideal and you don’t have that match-situation awareness. When you’re bowling in a match, you have to use your whole body and you know what lines you have to bowl. In the nets you do practice but at that time, you don’t really understand where the ball is going and what a situation is. There’s a big difference between bowling to batsmen on your team and the opposition’s batsmen.”So if there is a situation where we are playing four Tests against a team and then there are ODIs, I prefer playing Tests first. The way my body responds and how fit I am, then I will say I am ready. But there is no such thing for me that I will play only Tests or only ODIs. If you don’t accept all the challenges in cricket, then what are you a fast bowler for?”

Somerset improved their chances of reaching the quarter finals of the Royal London Cup courtesy of a 33-run DLS victory over Glamorgan in Taunton

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2016
ScorecardPeter Trego top-scored with 80 for Somerset (file photo)•PA Photos

Somerset improved their chances of reaching the quarter finals of the Royal London Cup courtesy of a 33-run DLS victory over Glamorgan in Taunton. Peter Trego led the way with the bat, hitting 80 off 76 balls, before Roelof van der Merwe, Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory each took three wickets to guide Somerset to a third 50-over victory of the summer.Having been invited to bat first, Somerset made a decent start thanks to Johann Myburgh and captain Jim Allenby. The pair added 63 for the first wicket before the former holed out to David Lloyd off the bowling of Graham Wagg for 39.Undeterred by the loss of Myburgh, Allenby and Trego put Somerset on course for a healty total with 86 for the second wicket. Allenby passed 50 off 56 balls, with four fours, before running himself out for 53 at 149 for 2 in the 25th over. Trego continued to lead the way, reaching his half century off just 54 balls with four fours and one six. The veteran allrounder looked well on course for three figures when he picked out Michael Hogan at extra cover at 215 for 3.It might have been a significant turning point in the game. Eight runs later, Mahela Jayawardene was bowled by Hogan for 37 and in the 43rd over, Gregory and James Hildreth both departed, off the bowling of Australian seamer Hogan. Overton and Ryan Davies put on an unbeaten 42 for the eighth wicket to bolster Somerset’s total to 322 for 7.Just as Somerset had during the morning session, Glamorgan made a brisk start in reply. Lloyd and Jacques Rudolph looked well set, adding 67 inside 14 overs before the captain attempted a reverse sweep off van der Merwe. The South African could barely believe his misfortune as the ball ended up in the hands of James Hildreth at backward square.Will Bragg followed, attempting a similar shot, for 10, before Lloyd picked out Overton at deep square two runs later at 98 for 3 in the 18th over.With a sharp shower reducing the target by 10 off three fewer overs, teenager Aneurin Donald and Colin Ingram kept Glamorgan in the hunt with 69 for the fourth wicket. However, when Ingram chanced his arm against Overton, Myburgh took a straightforward catch on the cover boundary.Donald departed in the 31st over, brilliantly caught by Gregory on the rope, at deep midwicket and from that juncture, Glamorgan were always behind the required rate. Gregory the catcher became Gregory the wicket-taker when he snapped up Mark Wallace for 17, at 197 for 6 in the 36th over, and former Somerset allrounder Craig Meschede managed only 3 before he was stumped by Davies off the bowling of van der Merwe.Overton picked up the wicket of Wagg and though Andrew Salter hit 42 off 26 balls, with one four and three sixes, Glamorgan finished 34 runs short of their target.

Canada offspinner Nikhil Dutta, who has chosen to remain in the CPL with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, has been replaced by Hiral Patel in the Canada squad for the ICC World T20 Qualifier

Peter Della Penna03-Jul-2015Canada offspinner Nikhil Dutta, who has chosen to remain in the Caribbean Premier League with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, has been replaced by Hiral Patel in the squad for the ICC World T20 Qualifier beginning next week in Ireland and Scotland. Dutta’s absence is a big blow for Canada – he was their leading wicket-taker at the ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament in May with 12 wickets at an average of 9.41 and an economy rate of 4.91.Dutta is the second Associate player to drop out of the qualifier after obtaining a CPL contract, joining USA’s Steven Taylor. But while Taylor has been on the bench for all five games played by the Barbados Tridents, Dutta has played in the three games so far for the Patriots, taking two wickets at an economy rate of 8.18.

Changes to other squads

• Netherlands: Roelof van der Merwe, who made himself available for Netherlands last week, has been picked in place of 20-year-old seamer Vivian Kingma

• Namibia: Wicketkeeper-batsman Michau du Preez has replaced Zhivago Groenewald

Even though Cricket Canada received clearance from the ICC to replace Dutta with the hard-hitting Patel, Dutta may face obstacles regarding his involvement with the Patriots for the duration of the CPL season. According to ESPNcricinfo sources, the board has attempted to revoke Dutta’s ‘No Objection Certificate’ to play in the CPL after he stated his desire to keep playing for the Patriots rather than join the 15-man squad in Scotland, for which he was originally selected.ESPNcricinfo contacted Dutta in St Kitts on Thursday and he confirmed that he was facing opposition from his home board and his NOC could be revoked. “They have sent a mail saying my NOC has been revoked Tuesday night, even though they told me before coming here that I will have a choice whether to play CPL or go (to the) Qualifier,” Dutta said.ESPNcricinfo also reached out to the Canada board for comment on Thursday. A board official deferred comment on the matter to Cricket Canada president Vimal Hardat. “It was an internal decision after carefully going over the intent and deliberation from the player of not wanting to represent Canada even though Cricket Canada sent the players to the CPL camp,” Hardat responded in an email. “The purpose to send players was to not only showcase our talent pool to the CPL but also prepare players for the qualifiers. It was a hard decision that has been taken and we have replaced Nikhil Dutta with Hiral Patel.”Patel, 23, announced himself at the 2011 ICC World Cup by hitting an audacious half-century against Australia. However, he has struggled for form since then. He has not played for Canada since the 2013 ICC World T20 Qualifier in the UAE, where he played in five of eight matches and scored 61 runs at an average of 12.20 with a best of 18 and also took four wickets at 21.00.

A 15-over-per-day limit prevent Talha Jubair from trying for all ten wickets in an innings against Rangpur Division

Mohammad Isam01-Dec-2012Dhaka Metropolis medium-pacer Talha Jubair took the first eight wickets to fall in the National Cricket League match against Rangpur Division in Bogra, but he was prevented from trying for all ten because of a new rule implemented by the Bangladesh board to protect players from injury. From this season, a seamer is allowed to bowl a maximum of 15 overs per day in Bangladesh’s domestic first-class tournament.Jubair took eight wickets in an opening spell that lasted 13 overs and spanned the entire first session. His last wicket came in his 11th over, and he sought permission to bowl more overs but the match referee Hemayet Ahmed did not allow it after Rangpur turned down the request. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny took the remaining two wickets.”Pace bowlers this season have been asked to bowl no more than 15 overs per day,” said Hafiz Joarder, member secretary of BCB’s tournament committee. “The technical committee has made this recommendation before the NCL started, and our physician has also approved of it.”Many of our pace bowlers have had back and leg injuries in the past few seasons due to the hard grounds across the country. Not every outfield is like the one in Khulna or Mirpur.”Joarder said the BCB can enforce such a decree on the pace bowlers because it is a domestic tournament. “We can do it because it is being held domestically. We follow all the ICC rules and playing condition but we can include our own rules too.”Jubair’s 8 for 35 is the best bowling figures in an innings for a Bangladeshi seamer in first-class cricket, beating Al-Amin Hossain’s 7 for 37 from the 2011-12 season.

Ricky Ponting remains vital to the development of Australia’s Test side but cannot keep earning a place in the team based on his reputation, according to the coach Mickey Arthur

Brydon Coverdale20-Dec-2011Ricky Ponting remains vital to the development of Australia’s Test side but cannot keep earning a place in the team based on his reputation, according to the coach Mickey Arthur. As Australia’s batsmen began their batting camp in Melbourne on Tuesday ahead of the Boxing Day Test against India, the selectors were faced with some tough decisions over the make-up of the squad.The batting order was especially fluid, with questions over whether Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh would return from injury, whether Daniel Christian would be squeezed in as an allrounder, and whether the irresistible form of the opener Ed Cowan could be ignored. And while Ponting is expected to play at the MCG, Arthur said nobody was a certainty to take on the Indians.”I don’t think anybody is guaranteed a start,” Arthur said. “Ricky Ponting is really vital to where we want to take this team so we’re really hoping he finds his form and hopefully his form is just around the corner. We’ll discuss that again tonight and make sure we’ve got all our bases covered in terms of selection.”Following Australia’s loss in Hobart, their first defeat at the hands of New Zealand in 18 years, Arthur said he viewed Ponting and Michael Hussey, who are struggling for runs, as important men in the future of the side due to their middle-order experience. And while Arthur still believed they have roles to play, he said both men would need Test runs to continue justifying their selection.”I have backed Ricky Ponting like I’ve backed Mike Hussey for a period of time because I think they’re crucial for the development of the side,” Arthur said. “For our young guys to bat with guys like that is fantastic, but again they need to keep giving us ammunition.”They need to keep giving us performances. Nobody has got a privilege to play in the Australian cricket team. They are the type of characters that we want in our side, most definitely.”Ponting, who turned 37 on Monday, showed glimpses of his previous form when he made 62 in Johannesburg and 78 at the Gabba over the past month, but his dismissals in both innings at Bellerive Oval were clumsy. He walked across his stumps in the first innings and was lbw as he was caught in two minds, and in the second his attempted punch through the off side resulted in a loopy lob to cover.In his past 16 Tests, Ponting has averaged 27.48 and has not scored a century. Arthur said over the next two days at the batting camp in Melbourne, the plan for Ponting was to “free him up” ahead of a series against an Indian attack that could feature Ishant Sharma, the fast bowler who has dismissed Ponting six times from eight Tests.Arthur said while the batsmen would work against the moving ball at the batting camp – a weakness that was again exposed against New Zealand in Hobart – and would face bowling machines designed to replicate Ishant and Zaheer Khan, major technical overhauls were not on the agenda.”This is giving us the best opportunity for us to be in the best possible space for Boxing Day. That’s it,” he said. “We’re not reinventing the wheel in any way, we’re giving our batters the maximum opportunity to get themselves ready to play a Test match starting on Boxing Day. We feel there are one or two things we need to discuss.”We’re also going to have a look at India, we’re going to talk about their attack, talk about what we can expect from them and practice accordingly. It’s certainly no boot camp. It’s giving our batters an opportunity to get themselves into the best possible frame of mind for the 26th.”

England’s coach Andy Flower believes that the deathly slow surface that England encountered in their drawn three-day warm-up match against Victoria this week was the perfect reality check after the highs of the Adelaide Test, and has backed his pace bowle

Andrew Miller in Perth13-Dec-2010England’s coach Andy Flower believes that the deathly slow surface that England encountered in their drawn three-day warm-up match against Victoria this week was the perfect reality check after the highs of the Adelaide Test, and has backed his pace bowlers to take command of the livelier conditions that are anticipated at the WACA this week.England’s trip to Melbourne was billed as a three-way shoot-out between Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad, all of whom were in with a shout of replacing Stuart Broad in the Test attack following his stomach injury. However, on a tacky and docile pitch that offered little to any types of bowling, the trio returned combined figures of 1 for 216 in 78 overs to leave the selection debate somewhat cloudy.Flower, however, insisted that the identity of Broad’s replacement was still clear in his mind, although he would – as ever – wait until the morning of the match to unveil his final XI. “We’ve just had a three-day game on a pitch nothing like the Perth pitch,” he said. “It was quite hard work for fast bowlers and spinners alike, but quite a good exercise in getting back to reality for our team. After the highs of Adelaide, it was a really good workout, and now we’ve got to come and prepare for different conditions in Perth.””It was a good thing for us,” he added. “The hard work they had to put in, the number of overs they had to put in against a good Victorian side, was the perfect workout prior to this game. They have three days between the end of that match and this Test match, and it was ideal for the team as a whole. Adelaide was an important moment in the series and it was very important for us to keep our feet firmly on the floor thereafter, and the Victoria game helped us do that.”While Flower believed that the MCG wicket would be an entirely different beast come the Boxing Day Test match, he was pretty confident that this week’s WACA surface would offer significantly more life, if not quite the devastating pace and carry with which it forged its reputation from the 1970s onwards.”We don’t want to pre-judge what it will be like,” said Flower. “It hasn’t got the pace of yesteryear, but we do know this season it’s got a little quicker than past few years, which is great. We talked about it here [with the curator] during the three-day game, and he was a little disappointed with that pitch – not quite as quick as he thought it might be – and he indicated he wanted it as quick and bouncy as possible for the Test match, which I think is really exciting for everyone. It gives everyone a good chance and certainly makes for exciting cricket and that’s why we’re here. We’re here to compete and it should be an interesting spectacle for everyone.If the onus is on Australia to prepare sporting pitches in order to force the two wins in three matches that they need to regain the Ashes, then the likelihood of result-orientated surfaces could also play into the hands of the English, who would back themselves to claim 20 more wickets in conditions that play to the strengths of their spin and seam attack.”It gives everyone a chance, but in Test cricket generally those are the types of wickets we want to play on,” said Flower. “We want something that makes it interesting to watch and also interesting to play in. Some of the bland pitches that we see these huge scores and deadly boring draws on are not good for Test cricket, so we do want pitches where it’s a fair contest between bat and ball and good action for the spectators to watch.”In the short term, the focus of many of England’s players will be on the wives and children who have flown into Perth for the start of the festive season, having been forced to stay at home during the initial agenda-setting month of the trip. Some players, notably Kevin Pietersen, were less enamoured with the decision than others, but Flower maintained that the right work-play balance had been struck for the squad.”It’s quite a tricky decision to make,” he said. “Players and families are adults, and they want to be free to make their own decisions about which country they travel to or the timings of those trips. For other people, the management, to make those decisions for them is a little galling, but those are tricky decisions to make. Someone has to make them and we try to get it as right and as fair as possible.”We planned this a long time ago and the players were fully informed so we had full discussions and communication about it,” he added. “You can’t get everyone agreeing to whatever dates you put in, but the players in the end did react very well to it. We’re here to win the Test series, we aren’t here for a family holiday, and I think everyone’s handled it just fine so far.”James Anderson, who flew home after the Adelaide Test to attend the birth of his daughter, has arrived back with the squad after spending 48 hours of the past week on a plane, which Flower reiterated wasn’t an ideal situation for such a key player. But, he added: “In competition, you can’t always get perfect preparation. There are all sorts of things that can go wrong. Illness, injury, sometimes travel disruptions, family issues. This is just one of those things you’ve got to deal with, a little bit of reality that he has to deal with. He’ll have the same amount of practice as the rest of the guys.”

Ricky Ponting has warned his side to be prepared for a Pakistan backlash in the second Test at the SCG following the one-sided result in the opening match

Peter English at the SCG02-Jan-2010Ricky Ponting has warned his side to be prepared for a Pakistan backlash in the second Test at the SCG following the one-sided result in the opening match. Ponting rated Australia’s bowling at the MCG during the 170-run win as the best of the past couple of years and has told his men to maintain the standard over the rest of the three-match series.”Teams are probably at their most dangerous when they’ve come off a heavy loss like last week,” Ponting said. “The challenge for us is to not get carried away with what we’ve done.”West Indies stood up to Australia in the final two games of the opening series of the local summer, but there were fewer concerns created by Pakistan at the MCG. However, Ponting is wary of their unpredictability as he plots a 2-0 series win before the final game in Hobart.”Pakistan, for as long as I can remember, can be as good as anybody going around and then an over, or a couple of overs, later, look as ordinary as anybody,” he aid. “That’s the nature of the way they play their cricket. That’s the unpredictability about them, we can’t afford to think that things will happen well for us again this week.”They’re already talking up the fact they think they can bounce back quickly. We know what to expect from them, we know they have some very talented players. Last week we had their measure, it’s up to us to make sure we start well again.”Ponting is still being hampered by an elbow problem suffered in the final Test against West Indies when he was hit by a Kemar Roach bouncer. When Chris Gayle said his side had unearthed a weakness against Ponting, the Australian captain basically challenged opposition bowlers to come after him.”I said that going into the last game and I got out playing a pull shot,” he said, having been caught at deep square leg in the second innings. “I’m more than happy for anybody to bowl there to me. I just need to play the shot a bit better than I did last week.”

Sciver-Brunt’s second consecutive fifty made sure Mumbai kept a perfect 5-0 record against Giants

Ashish Pant18-Feb-2025There was an air of inevitability right from the time a beaming Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bowl in Mumbai Indians’ second match of WPL 2025 against Gujarat Giants. Teams chasing had won every single game so far this season. Couple that with Mumbai’s 4-0 record against Giants coming into this match and odds were stacked heavily in Mumbai’s favour.And the game panned out accordingly.Hayley Matthews’ frugal three-wicket squeeze backed up by two-wicket hauls from Nat-Sciver Brunt and Amelia Kerr helped bowl out Giants for 120. Sciver-Brunt then continued her stellar run with the bat, scoring her second fifty on the bounce to shepherd Mumbai’s chase.She finished with 57 off 39 balls as Mumbai chased down the target by five wickets and 23 balls to spare. The win not only helped Mumbai open their account in WPL 2025, but also extended their lead over Giants to 5-0. Giants are now the only side in the tournament to not have a single win against a particular team.

Giants’ powerplay malfunction

Harmanpreet spoke at the toss about capitalising in the first few overs before the dew set in. She went pace from both ends up top and the move paid dividend with Sciver-Brunt accounting for Beth Mooney, who sliced a simple catch to Sanskriti Gupta at backward point in the second over.Shabnim Ismail then got rid of Laura Woolvardt, whose lofted drive could only go as far as S Sajana stationed perfectly at deep cover. That reduced Giants to 14 for 2, which four balls later became 16 for 3 when Matthews sent back D Hemalatha whose across-the-line heave was caught wonderfully by Kerr sprinting to her left from deep midwicket.Ashleigh Gardner, Giants’ wrecker-in-chief in the first two matches, started fluently again striking a four and six but was undone by a Sciver-Brunt slower delivery which she mistimed to Sajana at deep midwicket.At 28 for 4 after six overs, Giants couldn’t have asked for a worse start. This was their third-lowest powerplay score in the WPL and comfortably the lowest for any team this season. What also hurt Giants were the sheer number of dot balls at the start. Twenty-six of the 36 balls in the powerplay were dots, the joint-most in WPL history.Nat Sciver-Brunt used the scoop again•BCCI

Deol fights, no one else does

It might be a case of Giants worrying about the dew later on or just them not trusting their defence enough that despite the fall of wickets, the batters continued going for their shots. Deandra Dottin got going with a reverse sweep, but a wild mow across the line off Kerr brought about her downfall, with Yastika Bhatia executing a quick stumping.Kashvee Gautam, like many of her team-mates, started strong smashing debutant Parul Sisodia for two fours and then lifted Ismail for a six over long-on, but like the others, flattered to deceive edging Matthews behind.In all this, Harleen Deol stood tall. She played the waiting game, but did not let any scoring opportunities go. The sweep became her ally as she breached the gaps with consistency during her 31-ball 32.But the wickets continued to fall at the other end and when Deol departed with the score on 103 for 8 in the 17th over, the end was nigh. However, Sayali Satghare and Priya Mishra ensured that Giants played out their full quota of 20 overs.For Mumbai, Matthews was miserly in her four-over spell going for just 16. She bowled 16 dot balls in her spell, as did Sciver-Brunt while 19 of the 24 balls that Ismail bowled were dots.

Sciver-Brunt’s flawless fifty in MI’s first win

Coming into the tournament, there were questions raised on Sciver-Brunt’s form considering she had a relatively quiet Ashes. In a matter of two innings, she’s brushed aside the doubters.A 121-chase was never going to be daunting. Matthews started fluently, striking three fours but ended up smashing a rank long-hop from Tanuja Kanwar straight to Deol at square leg. If Giants were entertaining any thoughts of a collapse, Sciver-Brunt shut that down quickly.She got going with a fierce pull first ball and it was one-way traffic thereon. Dottin was crashed through point before Priya Mishra was pulled through square leg twice in three balls. While Bhatia fell mistiming Mishra to long-on and Harmanpreet was trapped in front by Kashvee, Sciver-Brunt stood like an immovable force.It was not just power but also precision and the ability to find gaps at will that kept Sciver-Brunt going. She added a 45-run stand with Kerr off 38 balls to take Mumbai closer. She took 34 balls to collect her fifty before falling just seven runs shy of the target. G Kamalini, on debut, struck her first ball for four while Sajana finished the game by depositing Dottin over mid-off to give Mumbai their first win of WPL 2025.The win has taken Mumbai to second place on the points table while Giants’ NRR has taken a hit, though they are in third place.

The Dominica government took the decision stating the country’s inability to complete work on venues before the tournament commences

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2023Dominica will not host any matches during the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. The government of Dominica took the decision stating the country’s inability to complete work on practice and match venues before the tournament commences.Dominica was one of seven countries in the Caribbean shortlisted to host the T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA from June 4 to 30 next year. This list was determined by the ICC in coordination with CWI based on the bids from local governments. It is understood that all major cricketing destinations across the West Indies submitted bids, barring three countries: Jamaica, Grenada and St Kitts & Nevis.Related

• Seven Caribbean countries announced as hosts for 2024 T20 World Cup

According to the Dominica government’s statement, Windsor Park had been shortlisted to host one group match and two Super 8 games, subject to the venue meeting obligations set out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).”Several tangible actions were taken both at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium and at the Benjamin’s Park including the commencement of upgrading and enhancement of the practice and match venues, various assessments and the creation of additional pitches where necessary,” the Dominica government’s statement read.”However, the implementation timelines submitted by the various contractors revealed that it would not be possible to complete these works within the stipulated timeframe before the commencement of the tournament. As a result, a decision was taken not to host any of the matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 as it would not be prudent for the Government of Dominica to commit to hosting these games.”In light of Dominica’s sterling reputation in hosting international cricket, this decision is considered to be in the best interest of all. The Government of Dominica thanks Cricket West Indies (CWI) for its partnership over the years and looks forward to continued collaboration in the future. The Government of Dominica extends best wishes to the organisers for a successful tournament in June 2024.”Johnny Grave, CWI chief executive, said that the board understood Dominica’s reasons for withdrawing from the process. In a press release, CWI added that it was working with the ICC to confirm the T20 World Cup schedule and that an announcement was “expected imminently”.”We acknowledge the dedication of the Government of Dominica in preparing to host matches as a part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” Grave said. While recognising their commitment, we note the reasons stated for the decision that has been made and understand the position. We look forward to continuing to work with the Government of Dominica and the Dominica Cricket Association to host international matches in the future.”Fawwaz Baksh, tournament director for the 2024 T20 World Cup added: “When hosting tournaments of this scale, it is inevitable that circumstances will arise which will require the organisers to adapt and alter plans. This is something that happens in any event of this nature, and why we have contingency plans for all functional areas for the hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.”

Mahmudullah, who was initially rested for the T20I series, has been brought into the squad as Nurul’s replacement

Mohammad Isam01-Aug-2022Allrounder Mosaddek Hossain will lead Bangladesh in the third T20I against Zimbabwe after Nurul Hasan was ruled out of the series with an injured index finger he sustained during the second game on Sunday. Mahmudullah, who is already in Zimbabwe for the ODI series, has been named Nurul’s replacement in the T20I squad.Mahmudullah, who was replaced as T20I captain for the series, was part of the senior group of players who were rested for this tour. Bangladesh are without a number of experienced players in the series including Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, while Tamim Iqbal retired from the format in July.Mosaddek, who took career-best figures of 5 for 20 in the second T20I against Zimbabwe, has captaincy experience in domestic cricket. He has led Abahani in white-ball formats 36 times since 2019 and has also captained the Sylhet Thunder franchise during the 2019-20 Bangladesh Premier League. Mosaddek has also led Bangladesh A in two matches and has been captain for six first-class matches for Barishal Division and Central Zone in domestic cricket.Nurul had fractured his left index finger while keeping against fast bowler Hasan Mahmud towards the end of the Zimbabwe innings in the second T20I.Bangladesh bounced back from a 17-run defeat in the first T20I to win the second game convincingly and level the series 1-1. They will play the third and the final T20I on Tuesday, which will be followed by three ODIs in Harare.