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The Tridents’ batting woes continued as they slumped to 89 for 9 followed by curious tactics in the field

Peter Della Penna04-Sep-2020A year ago when their season was on the line in danger of missing the playoffs, the Barbados Tridents rallied with a string of stirring performances spearheaded by a canny bowling attack to propel them not only into the playoffs but to the tournament title. But in 2020, the Tridents arsenal of big name bowlers could not cover up a patchwork batting order in another must-win situation at Brian Lara Academy as they completed a hat-trick of sub-100 batting totals, including back-to-back displays against the Guyana Amazon Warriors who knocked out the defending champions by six wickets with 34 balls to spare.The Amazon Warriors were playing their third match in three days, two of them against the Tridents. But the defending champions could not find a solution to improve upon their 92 all out performance from 48 hours earlier, somehow faring worse off by three runs. The lack of spirit with the bat spread to the field as an absence of slip fielders meant two possible catches went unclaimed.After an expensive first over in the third, marquee spinner Rashid Khan was not brought back until the target was down to 23. Fellow legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr, the 2019 CPL Player of the Tournament, grazed the boundary for the entirety of the chase despite having figures of 4 for 28 in six overs bowled across the Tridents’ previous two matches.Shepherding the wickets columnTraditionally held back until the death by captain Chris Green, Romario Shepherd was given a chance in the Powerplay and the move paid off almost immediately to spark another top-order slide. Shepherd conceded a first-ball boundary cracked through point, but when Johnson Charles tried to repeat the shot next ball, the delivery didn’t come onto the bat as cleanly and wound up fluttering to Ross Taylor at point. Khan was promoted to No. 3 as a pinch-hitter in an effort to shake up a slumbering line-up, but it had no impact. A top-edged pull first ball found the hands of Brandon King diving spectacularly on the square-leg rope to put Shepherd on a hat trick.Green and Imran Tahir continued to chip away at the middle order before Shepherd came back and struck two balls after the drinks break for his third wicket as Jason Holder’s ill-advised heave down the ground found Green at long-on to make it 39 for 6. Though not as dire as their position of 27 for 8 from two nights earlier, it was still too steep to climb out of.Just like Tuesday night, it was left to Mitchell Santner to perform CPR on the innings, teaming with Nyeem Young for a 30-run stand as both men jointly top-scored with 18. But after Santner fell the Tridents tail could manage just 20 runs off the last 25 deliveries in the innings as Shepherd and Naveen-ul-Haq kept them off balance with regular changes of pace.Where’s the desperation?Based on some of the field settings and bowling choices, a viewer would have a hard time believing that the Tridents were fighting to keep their season alive. After a first ball wide, Santner claimed Brandon King for a golden duck by slipping an arm ball through the gate. Three balls later, Santner appeared to have Chandrapaul Hemraj trapped for another duck with one that straightened to beat the bat, but his lbw shout was denied.Luck deserted Santner and the Tridents again when Hemraj was dropped on 14 at deep midwicket by Walsh Jr on a difficult lunging chance along the rope after having covered 25 yards running left. Hemraj finally fell for 29 in the fifth, as another heave for midwicket off Holder’s medium pace resulted in an edge that flew to Young at deep third man. Holder then induced an edge behind to start the seventh to claim Sherfane Rutherford.But with the Tridents needing to push as hard as possible for wickets, Holder curiously opted to not give Raymon Reifer a slip when bowling to Shimron Hetmyer at the start of the eighth over and an edge flew past wicketkeeper Charles’ diving effort for four. After Reifer dismissed Pooran with a skied chance in the ring, Young similarly induced an edge off Hetmyer in the ninth which would have carried comfortably to slip, had there been one in place.Their most expensive overseas player and the No. 1 bowler on the T20I rankings, Khan was kept out of the attack after some early punishment from Hemraj and wasn’t given a chance to attack any incoming batsmen until the match was nearly finished. Walsh Jr had it even worse. After dropping the early chance on the rope, he was never brought into the attack. It was a stark reversal of fortunes for the leading wicket-taker from the 2019 tournament and symbolised the wayward 2020 campaign for the Tridents as a whole.

Walsh was concerned about the injuries picked up by Bangladesh’s players, including Rubel Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin and Abu Jayed

Mohammad Isam22-Apr-2019Bangladesh bowling coach Courtney Walsh wants fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman to be given enough time to recover from his ankle injury, and not be used too much during the tri-series in Ireland next month. Walsh suggested that given Mustafizur’s habit of picking up small injuries, he should be geared towards his work for the World Cup, which begins two weeks after the Ireland tour.Speaking after the side’s first training session in Dhaka before leaving for Ireland, Walsh was concerned about the injury worries to some of his pace bowlers. Apart from Mustafizur, Rubel Hossain has a side strain while Mohammad Saifuddin is suffering from a tennis elbow. Even Abu Jayed is said to have picked up a niggle.But it is Mustafizur who has had such an impact in the Bangladesh bowling line-up after the 2015 World Cup and is the biggest concern ahead of the next big event in England.”[Mustafizur] has got a big role to play in the World Cup, once he is fit,” Walsh said. “But I don’t think we rely on any one player. Shakib [Al Hasan], Mash [Mashrafe Mortaza] and Rubel have been consistent. Fizz hasn’t been as sharp since his injury, and he keeps picking up slight niggles. A fully fit Mustafizur can win games for you but we have to have him as fit as possible. We have a bit of time on our side. My concern is that I hope we don’t over-rush him, and probably use him too much in Ireland, and he is not fresh for the World Cup.”Out of the five we have three injured – Fizz, Rubel and Saifuddin, who has the tennis elbow. We need to get them back into bowling, within the right frame of mind, and be sharp enough to do a bit of bowling in Ireland and be ready for the World Cup. We have Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed and Shafiul Islam as well [for back-up]. You can probably say that we have them just in case we need them.”Walsh said that playing the tournament in England, where the pitches are mostly expected to help the batsmen, will require the pace bowlers to not just have skills, but also know when and where to use them. “It will be a big challenge. The World Cup is going to be long tournament,” Walsh said. “There are going to be some good cricket wickets, which are batting-friendly. We have to be intelligent, and try to execute well.”We have to read the conditions and the surfaces we play. Some places the ball might swing more than others. We have to assess when we get there. Most of the wickets will be docile and flat. We have to work on our variations and execution.”Everybody studies one another these days, so they know our strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, we also know theirs. So it is about execution on the day, and try to be smart.”Walsh said that the progress shown by someone like Saifuddin, whose bowling has evidently improved in recent months, had excited him.”He has come along tremendously. He has bowled very well,” Walsh said. “He is a very excitable allrounder. His form in the domestic tournament has been very good. His confidence is quite good. He is keen to do what he is doing. If we can get him fully fit with the tennis elbow being solved, it will be a big plus for us as well.”

The only new addition is Gauteng’s 21-year old offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe. Marcia Letsoalo, who last played over a year ago at the World Cup Qualifiers, is the only exclusion from the 2017-18 list

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2018In what could be seen as a sign of continuity looking ahead to the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship and the Women’s World T20 to be played in West Indies later this year, Cricket South Africa have offered contracts to 13 of the 14 players from the 2017-18 season.The only new addition is Gauteng’s 21-year old offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe. Marcia Letsoalo, the 33-year-old fast bowler who last played over a year ago at the World Cup Qualifiers, is the only exclusion from the list. The new contracts will come into effect on May 1 and run up to April 30, 2019.South Africa, who hosted India for a limited-overs series in February, have a busy 14 months coming up. They next host Bangladesh in May before touring England and West Indies for the second and third round of championship matches. The World T20 and a home series against Sri Lanka will follow that.”The esteem in which our women’s team is held following their successful campaign when they reached the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup last year is reflected in their invitation to have a major tour of England including a T20 triangular series against England and New Zealand,” said Corrie van Zyl, CSA’s general manager. “It is important that we build on our recent successes as we prepare for this year’s Women’s World T20.CSA contracts list for 2018-19: Dane van Niekerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Trisha Chetty, Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Masabata Klaas, Andrie Steyn, Mosaline Daniels, Raisibe Ntozakhe

England captain Eoin Morgan says his bowlers were badly let down by their batsmen after a collapse of 8 for 8 sealed a 75-run defeat to India in the third T20I at Bangalore

Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore01-Feb-20171:30

‘We fell away terribly towards the end’ – Morgan

England lost 10 for 83 in the last innings in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. They lost 5 for 70 in the first innings in the third Test in Mohali. They lost 7 for 54 in their second innings in the fourth Test in Mumbai. The visitors then suffered a more cataclysmic fall in their second innings in the fifth Test in Chennai, losing 10 for 104 after piling on 477 in their first dig.The limited-overs players then roused the side from its gloom after Christmas, pushing India in 50-over cricket and proceeded to go 1-0 up in the subsequent T20 series. England were then at the receiving end of two incorrect umpiring decisions and lost the second T20. In the series decider in Bangalore, they unravelled dramatically against legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left to head home empty-handed.England experienced a fair share of collapses on this gruelling tour, but losing 8 for 8 on Wednesday night was as chaotic as it could get. Their breezy start to the chase – they were 119 for 2 in the 14th over in pursuit of 203 – starkly contrasted with what was to follow. The two set batsmen – Joe Root and captain Eoin Morgan – were dismissed by Chahal in successive balls and England eventually suffered the second-worst eight-wicket collapse in international cricket to be rolled over for 127 with 21 balls to spare in their innings.England captain Eoin Morgan cut a sorry figure at the post-match press conference, but did not mince any words about his team’s batting performance.”It does hurt. Very disappointing,” Morgan said. “Maybe 60% of the game we were competitive and right in amongst it but fell away terribly in the end. Committed a cardinal sin of losing two in-players in one over and allowed India to build a little bit of pressure and we weren’t up to it at all.”So what really went wrong in the middle?”I can’t put a finger on it. We haven’t produced a batting performance as bad as that in two or two-and-a-half years,” Morgan said. “We pride ourselves on our batting, it has been a strong suit for a long time but this series our bowlers have outperformed our batsmen I think.”Morgan, who had played for Royal Challengers Bangalore for a season in the IPL in 2010, believed that England were on track to exploit the flat surface and the short boundaries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at the halfway mark of the chase. Root bedded himself in, and Morgan himself hinted at hitting full tilt with three sixes from Suresh Raina’s part-time offbreaks in three balls during the 12th over.”I thought we were going quite well,” Morgan said. “A majority of the runs at this ground are always scored in the last 10 overs. Bangalore have done it extremely well for a long period of time and India did well today. So, I think we needed 110 [sic 117] off the last 10 maybe with eight wickets in the shed.”Morgan said that England could have chased the target down had he or Root kicked on with contributions from the lower-middle order.”If a better performance from either me or Joe – a 70 or 80 from me or him and if the two of us seeing off – and a couple of guys batting around us could have made a huge difference,” Morgan said.England’s sharp nosedive began with Morgan galloping down the track, fetching a slog-sweep from outside off and skying a wrong’un to deep midwicket. He backed his intent but blamed the execution for the dismissal.”It wasn’t necessarily a big shot,” Morgan said. “It wasn’t executed that well, I didn’t mean to hit it in the air. The ball – it was a googly – held up a little bit. I wanted to hit down the ground, but hit it squarer.”Morgan also conceded that losing a close ODI series “hurt” more than losing the T20 series, but was confident of recovering from the setbacks.”We had performances in the one-day series that were potentially worthy of winning,” he said. “In this series probably the last game [in Nagpur] hurt us more. The game got away from us, we should have won. Today we underperformed and we weren’t good enough.”I don’t think [there will be a lingering feeling]. If there was a consistent run of performances like that it would hurt to fail again. But like I said, our batting has been outstanding for a long time and tonight it wasn’t anywhere near as it should be.”

Joel Paris has been fast-tracked into the Australian ODI squad while Scott Boland and Kane Richardson are also included as pace bowling coverage in the 13-man group to face India in five matches

Daniel Brettig and Brydon Coverdale03-Jan-2016Joel Paris has been fast-tracked into the Australian ODI squad while Scott Boland and Kane Richardson are also included as pace bowling coverage in the 13-man group to face India in five matches.A left-arm fast bowler and former standout Australia Under-19s prospect, Paris has performed strongly for Western Australia this season, having overcome a series of injuries that stalled his progress. He is highly rated by the assistant coach Craig McDermott, and the selector Trevor Hohns said Paris’ ability to swing the ball made him attractive to the panel in all formats.

Ins and Outs in the squad

In: Joel Paris, Scott Boland, Kane Richardson, Shaun Marsh,James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood
Out: Joe Burns, Ashton Agar, John Hastings, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins,Peter Handscomb, James Pattinson, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Shane Watson

“He is coming along nicely,” Hohns said at the SCG. “We find him exciting, particularly being a left-armer. Possible not quite as quick as Starc and Johnson but he swings the ball and he is tall and gets good bounce. We would like to encourage him as much as we can. We need to balance our attack for Test match cricket. He may need some more long form cricket but he is high on our agenda.”Paris, now 23, was a key member of Western Australia’s Matador Cup-winning squad last summer, with 13 wickets at 12.92, and he was again productive this season with 10 one-day wickets at 22.40. The inclusion of Paris comes with Mitchell Starc still recovering from an ankle injury, and Pat Cummins (back), Nathan Coulter-Nile (shoulder) and James Pattinson (omitted) also missing from the squad that played in England last year.Hohns also said Boland’s call up was deserved after strong domestic displays in Sheffield Shield and 50-over matches, in which Victoria preferred him to the more experienced Peter Siddle. Boland has been part of Australia’s squad for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests against West Indies but was not included in the final XI for either game.”I was lucky to be present when he bowled WA out [in Perth],” Hohns said. “He was very impressive. His pace was good and his bounce was good. It was very high. He has come on and we know and knew that his short form cricket was very good for the past couple of years. He gets the opportunity and it is up to him to make the most of it.”There was no room in the squad for Shane Watson or Nathan Lyon, the World Cup-winning allrounder jettisoned in favour of Mitchell Marsh, and Glenn Maxwell considered sufficient as the only spin bowler. These selections allow Watson and Lyon to play out the remainder of the Big Bash League, and they are both thought still to be in the selectors’ plans for the World Twenty20 in India.”With the all-rounders that we have in our squad right now, with Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner and you can put Glenn Maxwell in that category, we think we’re adequately covered for all-rounders,” Hohns said of Watson. “Watto by no means is out of the picture either. It’s a matter of him showing us what he can do.”It was a bit of an issue, there’s no doubt about that. We obviously would like to see him in better form. He’s very well-performed, so he’ll certainly come into consideration for that [the World T20].”Hohns indicated that Josh Hazlewood is in line for a rest following the first two matches of the series in Brisbane and Perth, and also stated that the selectors were presently acceding to the captain Steven Smith’s desire to play as many matches as possible despite ongoing knee soreness that requires periodic rest.”There’s no doubt we want to give Josh a rest, he’s very important to us, as we all know,” Hohns said. “We will certainly manage him, as per what the medicos’ advice is. But with the first couple of games in Brisbane and Perth we thought it was essential to have him in the squad initially, because he normally bowls very well at both of those cities.”Steven has made it very clear that he doesn’t want a break. He’s Australian captain and he wants to play just about all the time if he can, unless we’re advised by the medical staff that he absolutely needs a rest. But he has made it very clear that he wants to play.”Ashton Agar, Joe Burns and Marcus Stoinis were all left out of the squad that played in England, with Aaron Finch returning after missing that series with a fractured foot and Shaun Marsh also included for the first time since he played against England in Hobart last January. The first ODI against India is on January 12.Australia ODI squad David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), James Faulkner, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Joel Paris.

Somerset were left facing a major headache after another batting collapse left them staring a third defeat of the season after just the first day at Horsham.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2013
ScorecardSomerset had no answer for Steve Magoffin•Getty Images

Somerset were left nursing a major headache after another batting collapse saw them staring at a third defeat of the season after just the first day at Horsham. Having dominated champions Warwickshire at Taunton at the end of April, they now resemble relegation candidates rather than title challengers.Director of cricket Dave Nosworthy admitted Somerset have an issue after his side were routed for just 76 by Steve Magoffin’s career-best 8 for 20. They lasted only 23.4 overs as Magoffin ran through them, including a blast of five wickets in 13 balls.”There are no excuses we didn’t get it right,” Nosworthy told “We won the toss and chose to bat but it didn’t work for us.”I think the lads are all very disappointed, you train as hard as you do and try your best but at the end of the day you have got to be responsible for your own innings and get out there and perform, which nobody has managed to do for us today.”Nor have many managed to perform at all this season. A poor show with the bat in the opening match at Durham seemed to be an aberration for Somerset as they found form at The Oval and then racked up over 400 against a much-vaunted Warwickshire attack. But a slip at Headingley, where a draw was declared with Somerset 61 for 6 in their second innings, became a harsh reality after a thumping defeat at home to Middlesex.Their batting order is ageing, inexperienced or out of form. They have been reliant on 37-year-old Marcus Trescothick and overseas player Alviro Petersen. Here, Petersen failed and Trescothick’s 20 was one of only three double-figure scores.Somerset can also not turn to their bowling attack for much comfort. The first three into the attack here, Peter Trego, Steve Kirby and Alfonso Thomas, have a combined age of 102. Together with Jamie Overton and Jack Leach – two youngsters whose development is essential for the club – they shipped 298 runs at over four an over to close day one 222 behind.They had envisaged progress at a similar rate themselves with the bat but had no answer for Magoffin who bowled 11 overs unchanged to produce the best performance by a Sussex bowler since Mushtaq Ahmed took 9 for 48 when the county clinched the Championship title against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2006.He started by bowling Arul Suppiah through the gate – Suppiah’s sixth single figure score in eight innings this season – then a touch of inswing proved too much for Petersen. But the real damage was done after James Hildreth was caught low down at slip in the 12th over.From 42 for 3, Somerset subsided to 43 for 7, with Magoffin taking three wickets in four balls in the 14th over. Trescothick was caught behind playing away from his body before Trego and Thomas fell in successive deliveries.Somerset’s last three wickets put on 33 to avoid total ignominy but there was no stopping Magoffin. After Jack Leach was caught behind, Magoffin bowled top scorer Jos Buttler for 22 to pick up his eighth wicket and record the best bowling performance at Horsham since Northamptonshire’s Vince Broderick took 9 for 35 in 1948.Chris Jordan took the other two wickets and Sussex openers Chris Nash and Luke Wells were soon putting conditions into perspective with a stand of 83.Thomas dragged Somerset back into contention when Nash, captaining Sussex on his home ground in the absence of Ed Joyce, played on before Joe Gatting edged his second ball to second slip.A typically fiery burst from Kirby was rewarded with the wicket of Wells while Mike Yardy, who hit three successive balls from Kirby to the boundary, squandered a good start when he was bowled by Peter Trego at the start of a new spell.But Sussex regained control in a fifth wicket stand of 85 between Rory Hamilton-Brown and Matt Machan before the latter was run out by Leach’s direct hit from midwicket.Somerset fought back after tea by taking five wickets, including Hamilton-Brown – whose 77 included 11 fours and two sixes and was his highest score since returning to the county before he became one of four victims for Thomas.Despite the clatter of wickets, ECB pitch inspector David Capel said he was perfectly happy with the surface.

Samit Patel top-scored for Nottinghamshire but controversy attached itself to Stuart Broad’s first-ball dismissal on his return from injury

Jon Culley at Old Trafford02-May-2012
ScorecardStuart Broad was unhappy about the manner of his dismissal by Simon Kerrigan•Getty Images

The first County Championship match at Old Trafford since the square was rotated 90 degrees was hardly less eventful than the last one at its former angle, upon which Nottinghamshire clinched the 2010 title 17 months ago.The talking points all involved a different England player, and none of the storylines they generated was in any way contrived, which is not always the case. James Anderson suffered an injury scare, Stuart Broad landed himself in (another) potential disciplinary pickle and Samit Patel, who desperately needs some runs, managed to get some, shoring up an otherwise — all too familiar — dismal batting performance from Nottinghamshire.In the event, what was feared to be a broken right thumb for Anderson turned out not to be and, provided the X-rays did not lie, England’s principal fast bowler should be fine for the opening Test against West Indies, which begins on May 17. He had not played competitively since the second Test in Sri Lanka a month ago but bowled beautifully, sending down 17 exemplary overs that lacked only wickets.He left the field first at the end of his 10-over morning spell, having moments earlier winced in pain as he fielded a drive from James Taylor off his own bowling. After his trip to hospital, he bowled a further seven overs between lunch and tea before another bang, more or less on the same spot, precluded any further activity.”I felt I bowled really well and felt good so it’s good news there is no real damage,” he said afterwards. “It’s pretty sore but I’ll just have to man up and get on with it. If I carry on bowling like that the wickets will come.”Broad, whose enforced absence goes back six weeks to the calf strain that ended his Sri Lanka tour early, was also wicketless, but it was his one-ball innings with the bat that brought him unwelcome attention. Given out caught at short leg by Steven Croft as he attempted to sweep Simon Kerrigan, the left-arm spinner, he made it absolutely clear he disagreed with the verdict.Broad is not without form, of course, in matters of dissent. He has twice been fined half his match fee for transgressions in Test matches and has gone close to being punished on other occasions.This time he was convinced the ball had hit the ground before Croft scooped it up. Lancashire celebrated en masse but Broad waited for umpire Stephen Gale to consult Rob Bailey, his colleague at square leg, before reluctantly walking off, appearing to aim words at both Croft and Gale as he did.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, believed Broad would escape censure on this occasion. He said: “Stuart has been to the umpires to explain his behaviour. He told them he felt it was not unacceptable and they have not come back to us to say that it was, so hopefully the matter is closed.”We have looked at the replay and you can’t tell [if it was caught cleanly]. You would like to go back to the days when Stuart might ask if it was a catch, Croft would tell him it was and he would walk off. But sadly I think those days have passed.”Gale encountered more dissent only minutes later when Graeme Swann, another England player making his first domestic appearance of the season, lingered in his crease after being given out leg-before to Kerrigan.At least Patel made his news by doing what he set out to do. His was the batting performance of the day amid another Nottinghamshire innings characterised by batsmen underperforming, the only difference from their previous sub-par returns this season being that Chris Read won the toss and chose to bat.With Glenn Chapple bowling as impressively as Anderson — and getting wickets — Nottinghamshire slumped to 16 for 3 and 50 for 4 as the veteran worked his magic. Even Read, normally their doughtiest fighter, succumbed to a poor shot. In this context, Patel’s four hours-plus at the crease was a valuable vigil. He applied himself with the conviction he has to show to stand a chance of pipping Ravi Bopara – or Jonny Bairstow – to a place in the first Test team, although he was suckered a little at the end, hitting Luke Procter for one six but fatally going for another as Chapple dropped back the field.The immaculate Chapple took 4 for 44, the hugely promising Kerrigan 4 for 45, although it is not all good news for Lancashire on the bowling front. Their allrounder Tom Smith who is playing his first match of the season after hamstring problems, pulled up after three overs with another injury of the same nature and will not bowl again in this match.Lancashire are in a potentially strong position, nonetheless. Their openers put on 48 before Paul Horton was leg before to Andre Adams to the last ball of the day.

Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain, could be on his way out as Afghanistan coach as a result of differences that have arisen between him and certain board members and players

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2011Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain, could be on his way out as Afghanistan coach as a result of differences that have arisen between him and certain board members and players following the team’s recent tour of Pakistan. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Latif suspects some of the players deliberately underperformed in an attempt to have him removed as coach, and may not be willing to extend his contract when it expires on July 31.Afghanistan were whitewashed 3-0 by Pakistan A and Latif expressed disappointment with the attitude and effort put in by some of the players, who he believes did not give 100% because they would like to see their former coach, Kabir Khan, back in the post. He had previously said the team’s poor results were down to a lack of regular international cricket.However, team manager Shafiq Aswat told ESPNcricinfo that while Latif was indeed unhappy with the performance of the team, he hadn’t noticed any signs of disagreements or general unhappiness. “Atmosphere is very pleasant in the dressing room. The players respect Latif as the coach.”Aswat said Latif and the Afghanistan board are still negotiating the terms of a new contract but hopes “both sides agree and we will bring him back”. Otherwise, he said, they would have to get a new coach.This is not the first time Afghanistan board officials have been rumoured to be meddling in team affairs. The team’s biggest win under Latif came in last year’s Asian Games, when they upset Pakistan in the T20 competition.

Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, will not captain Kerala in the 2010-11 domestic season but has been included in a list of 24 probables for the same

Cricinfo staff29-May-2010Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, will not captain Kerala in the 2010-11 domestic season but has been included in a list of 24 probables for the same. Allrounder Raiphi Gomez replaces Sreesanth at the helm with batsman Robert Fernandez as his deputy. The reason for a change in leadership was the uncertainty over Sreesanth’s availability.”We need a captain who can lead the side for a few years at least to help develop our young team,” TC Mathew, the Kerala State Cricket Association secretary told Cricinfo. “The last time Sreesanth was appointed he had to leave after the first Ranji Trophy match because he had to join the Indian team last year. So we felt the need to appoint Gomez, who has been leading right from age-group cricket.”A significant exclusion from the list is medium-pacer and India’s first Test cricketer from Kerala, Tinu Yohannan. He played three Ranji Trophy Plate League games last season and went wicketless.Sreesanth was only marginally better, grabbing one wicket in three games while conceding 146 runs at over four-an-over.Kerala drew their first two games Ranji Trophy last season before losing the next two to Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana by substantial margins.Kerala probables list: Raiphi Gomez (capt), Robert Fernandez (vice-captain), Sreesanth, Rohan Prem, Abhishek Hegde, Karimuttathu Rakesh, VA Jagadeesh, Sony Cheruvathur, Sachin Baby, Arun Paulose, Sebastian Antony, Padmanabhan Prasanth, Sambasiva Sarma, CP Riswan, Arjun NK, Jineesh, Ramesh Kumar, Surjith, Kanakkatharaparambu Sreejith, Sunil Thomas, Chandra Tejas (wk), Prasanth Pramaeswaran, Manu Krishnan, Nizar Niyas.

Thushara’s 4 for 18 made life difficult for Bangladesh, but Mahmudullah’s experience saw them through

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jun-20241:38

Tamim: Happy for Bangladesh, they have silenced the critics

Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match late in the contest. He first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get, and the game looked set to turn on its head.However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed his side across the line off the last ball of the 19th over to give his side victory in their opening encounter of T20 World Cup 2024.The late Sri Lanka surge aside, this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling in the first innings. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad’s three-for through the middle overs also pegged Sri Lanka back.Mustafizur was especially instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, Sri Lanka’s inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.

The tight finish

It should never have got so close. With five overs to go, Bangladesh had only 25 runs left to get, five wickets in hand, and their two most experienced batters – Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah – were at the crease.But then Shakib uppercut a Matheesha Pathirana short ball, and Maheesh Theekshana took an outstanding diving catch at deep third, surging in from the rope to intercept the ball inches from the ground.And then Sri Lanka’s other slinger, Thushara, took two wickets in two balls in the next over – the 18th of the innings, first bowling Rishad who had tried to hit him inside out over cover, and then nailing Taskin with a toe-crusher that would have hit leg stump.Thushara had three more balls left in the over, with Bangladesh still needing 12. Sri Lanka’s best chance of stealing victory was for him to get another wicket before his spell ended. But Tanzim Hasan Sakib survived, and Mahmudullah was on strike next over.Next over, bowled by Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka had used up all their frontliners hunting for wickets), Mahmudullah bludgeoned a thigh-high full toss into the deep square leg stands to ease Bangladesh’s nerves.But there was more drama to come. With two runs needed – but desperate to keep strike off the last ball of the 19th over – Mahmudullah ventured a risky single to mid-off, and would have been out had Wanindu Hasaranga connected with his shy at the stumps. But the Sri Lanka captain didn’t, and the overthrows helped Bangladesh limp over the line.1:32

Tamim: Hridoy’s 20-ball 40 changed the game

Bangladesh boss bowling death overs

The definitive period of play, though, were the last seven overs of Sri Lanka’s innings. They had arrived at the start of the 14th over in okay shape – 100 runs on the board and seven wickets in hand.But then they nosedived. Rishad first dismissed Charith Asalanka, having him caught slog sweeping at deep square leg, after his teammates had kept Asalanka quiet through much of the middle overs. Next ball, he had Hasaranga caught at slip with a ball that dipped and gripped.This double strike pushed Sri Lanka into a tailspin, losing their next six wickets for 25 runs. Only one boundary would be hit in the last six overs, as batters repeatedly tried cross-batted shots against bowlers varying their pace and got themselves out, almost in frustration. Rishad got his three wickets in this period, and Taskin, Mustafizur, and Tanzim Hasan got one each.

Nissanka’s bright start

That Sri Lanka even got to 125, rather than crashing out in double figures as they did against South Africa, was down to their best batter – opener Pathum Nissanka. He struck seven fours and a six, favouring the leg side, and maintained a strike rate of 168 across his 28-ball innings.The turning point for Sri Lanka’s innings, after which they struck only two intentional boundaries (seriously), was when Mustafizur dismissed Nissanka with a cutter towards the end of the ninth over. Until that point, Sri Lanka’s run rate was above 7.50. Afterwards, it was less than five.

Hridoy’s sixes

Given how close the match was in the end, Towhid Hridoy’s four sixes – all of them against Hasaranga – also had an impact. Three of them came back to back to back, at the start of the 12th over. The first two came off slog sweeps, and the third off a beautiful inside-out shot over cover.Hasaranga would trap him lbw next ball, but Hridoy had already landed the important blows. It was these sixes that gave Bangladesh the room to stutter towards the end and still win with two wickets in hand and one over to spare.