Category Uncategorized

Karun Nair makes comeback following impressive run of scores in Duleep Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2019Wriddhiman Saha, Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav will slot back in with the India A squad following their tour of the Caribbean with the senior national side, with Saha named captain for the second four-day fixture against South Africa A in Mysuru.Shubman Gill will lead in the first four-dayer, starting on September 10 in Wayanad. The game will also feature the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ammolpreet Singh, K Gowtham, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mohammed Siraj, all of whom were part of the India A squad that toured the West Indies last month.Vijay Shankar, who was ruled out of the ongoing one-day series because of a thumb injury, has also been included subject to clearance from the medical team. Gaikwad, who will feature in the first four-dayer, was part of only the limited-overs squad in the West Indies and is currently part of the India A one-day team playing South Africa A in Thiruvananthapuram.The selection committee picked two different squads as a number of India A regulars like Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran are expected to be involved in the Duleep Trophy final in Bengaluru starting on September 4.Ishan Kishan, who is currently part of the India A one-day team, will rejoin India Red for that Duleep Trophy final, while Rahul Chahar will be replaced by Mayank Markande in the India Green side. Kishan’s inclusion in this game is perhaps a sign of the selectors being satisfied with his white-ball credentials and looking to give him more exposure in the red-ball format.Meanwhile, Karun Nair was rewarded for his Duleep Trophy form with a return to the India A fold for the first time since November last year. Nair made scores of 99, 166 not out and 90 in his first two first-class outings this season. Nair is on a comeback trail of sorts after being left out of the India Test squad midway through the England tour last year.With South Africa due to travel to India for a full tour later in the year, the four-dayers are seen as a shadow tour for a number of their Test aspirants like Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy and Anrich Nortje.India A squad for 1st four-dayer: Shubman Gill (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Anmolpreet Singh, Ricky Bhui, Ankeet Bawne, KS Bharat (wk), K Gowtham, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Vijay ShankarIndia A squad for 2nd four-dayer: Priyank Panchal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Anmolpreet Singh, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha (Capt, wk), K Gowtham, Kuldeep Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan

Under-fire NCA states team management and general manager of operations were aware of all developments

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2018India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is set to undergo surgery on his right shoulder in Manchester in the last week of July or early August. There is no timeline for his return to action after that, but it is likely that he won’t be able to even lift a bat for two months after such a surgery. This bulletin was made public on the BCCI website on Saturday, three days after Saha was left out of the England tour with no reason given.Even the head of the national selection panel MSK Prasad seemed to have been unaware of the shoulder injury. A day after the selection meeting in England, Prasad was quoted by the Kolkata-based as saying that Saha’s thumb fracture had not healed in time. However, it emerged later that Saha had been struggling with a shoulder injury for close to six months.According to the bulletin, Saha complained of pain in his shoulder after returning from South Africa in January with a left hamstring injury. An MRI scan revealed a labral tear, for which he was given an “ultrasound-guided injection”. The BCCI bulletin however doesn’t say what the injection was.Saha was discharged from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru after being declared fully fit on March 19, but he injured the shoulder again on May 7 during an IPL game. Another ultrasound-guided injection was administered, this time under the supervision of the Sunrisers Hyderabad physiotherapist. Saha was forced to miss give IPL games and visited the NCA for rehab again.The NCA physio Ashish Kaushik found the shoulder to be in the same condition as it had been before treatment in early February. When Saha recovered and finally played for Sunrisers again, on May 25, he fractured his thumb. When the BCCI announced, on June 2, that Saha was going to miss the one-off Test against Afghanistan, it made no mention of the shoulder injury. The thumb fully healed by July 2. Saha reported to NCA the next day, and it emerged that his shoulder condition had worsened.On July 6 another steroid injection was administered, but it failed to heal the shoulder. On July 13, according to the bulletin, Saha was declared unfit and recommended surgery. Five days later, the selectors met to pick the team, but the BCCI didn’t make a mention of the injury to Saha in its release.”The entire course of treatment and consultation that was carried out at the NCA was performed in co-ordination with the India team management and the GM of operations,” the bulletin from the under-fire NCA said. The team management includes captain, vice-captain and coach. The GM of operations is Saba Karim, the former India wicketkeeper.

Steven Smith insisted there were no excuses for his side’s unsuccessful campaign

Melinda Farrell at Edgbaston10-Jun-2017It was a disappointing finish to a frustrating tournament for Australia but, after a 40-run loss to England in yet another rain-interrupted match, Steven Smith insisted there were no excuses for his side’s unsuccessful campaign.After washouts against New Zealand and Bangladesh, Australia’s destiny was in their own hands in their final group match with a win ensuring they would progress to the semi-finals and, while late rain curtailed the match, by then England had comprehensively outplayed an Australian side which collapsed in the final overs with the bat and then wilted in the glare of a Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan onslaught.Australia failed to capitalise on a decent start in which they added 136 runs for the loss of just one wicket but Smith and Aaron Finch were unable to convert half-centuries into big scores and Travis Head, who made a doughty 71, was left stranded as the middle- and lower-order crumbled around him.”I thought we let ourselves down a little bit today,” said Smith. “We got ourselves in a pretty good position early with the bat, probably 2 for 150, or wherever we were there.”We kept losing wickets through the middle, and someone in the top four probably needed to go on and make a hundred. We weren’t able to do that.”We lost 5 for 15 at one point as well, which you can’t afford to do against an opposition like England.””I thought we started reasonably well with the ball. To get three early wickets was quite crucial, and then it seemed like there was a bit of a momentum shift after that rain delay.”You know, Stokesy and Morgy came out and played very positively. We were off a bit with the way we were bowling. We gave them a lot of freebies, but they did play exceptionally well.”Australia’s bowlers weren’t helped by lapses in the field, most notably when Morgan, on 12, was dropped by Matthew Wade after miscuing a pull off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood. It was a pivotal point in the innings – Morgan went on to make 73 and his 159-run partnership with Stokes broke the back of England’s successful chase.”It certainly hurt,” said Smith. “After that, Morgy got going and played particularly well. So could have had them 4 for 30-odd or wherever we were there, and Jos [Buttler] in with a reasonably new ball, which he’s probably not used to that much. So, yeah, it probably hurt a little bit.”Australia’s batsmen, in particular, were deprived of match time thanks to the previous two washouts but Smith insisted their preparation should have been sufficient.”You say that we only had one hit, but that should be good enough for the players that we’ve got on our team,” Smith said. “You know, we’ve got some good players in our line-up. We just weren’t able to get those partnerships together today and get ourselves a score up over 300.”Australia’s campaign has been carried out under a cloud of off-field uncertainty, with the Australian Cricketers’ Association and Cricket Australia at loggerheads over a new Memorandum of Understanding. The current MoU runs out at the end of June and there is a danger that, if a new deal isn’t struck, the players will, effectively, be unemployed. But Smith remains confident that Australia’s tour of Bangladesh will go ahead as scheduled in September and refused to use the ongoing dispute as an excuse for Australia’s early exit from the tournament.”When you’re playing in a big tournament for your country, you need to step up and get the job done,” said Smith. “We weren’t able to do that on this occasion, unfortunately.”We had some frustrating games throughout and just haven’t been able to find any momentum, I guess. And today, yeah, it was disappointing.”

Franklyn Rose, the former West Indies pacer, was deported to Jamaica from New Zealand on Tuesday after spending five weeks in prison for overstaying on a work visa which expired in 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2016Franklyn Rose, the former West Indies pacer, was deported to Jamaica from New Zealand on Tuesday after spending five weeks in prison for overstaying on a work visa which expired in 2012.Rose, 44, played for University Cricket Club’s premier team apart from serving as a volunteer cricket coach for school kids in Auckland since moving to New Zealand in 2011. He spent the last five weeks imprisoned at Auckland’s Mt Eden Prison. reported that Rose was first served a deportation notice in 2014. His special application to stay back in New Zealand on “humanitarian circumstances” was dismissed by Craig Foss, the Associate Minister of Immigration.Rose, who made his international debut in 1997, played 19 Tests and 27 ODIs in all. Rose toured New Zealand in the summer of 1999-2000, and played his final Test against England in August 2000. He finished with 82 international wickets.

Bangladesh women crumbled under pressure with two run-outs and gave two more wickets to Marizanne Kapp in the last three overs to concede the third T20 from a comfortable position as South Africa whitewashed the series 3-0

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2013
ScorecardFile photo – Salma Khatun’s spell of 2 for 7 went in vain•ICC/ Mainoor Islam Manik

Bangladesh women crumbled under pressure with two run-outs and gave two more wickets to Marizanne Kapp in the last three overs to concede the third T20 from a comfortable position as South Africa whitewashed the series 3-0.Chasing 110, Bangladesh were cruising at 79 for no loss at the end of 14 overs after a solid start, from Rumana Ahmed and Ayasha Rahman, and needed another 31 at less than run-a-ball. But run-outs of Ahmed and No. 3 Lata Mondal triggered a top-order collapse and made them succumb under pressure. They needed 18 from 18 and Kapp conceded only two runs in the 18th over and got Salma Khatun stumped for 1 on the last ball of the over. Shabnim Ismail added to the pressure from the other end by giving four runs, leaving the visitors requiring 12 from the last over.Kapp came back and was hit for four on the first ball by Fargana Hoque. After a single and a dot ball, she got rid of the other opener, Rahman, for 42 and out of the remaining seven required, Bangladesh only managed three from the last two balls.Earlier, South Africa chose to bat but lost both openers for low scores – Trisha Chetty for a duck and Lizelle Lee for 11. Captain Mignon du Preez steered them to safety with her third T20 fifty. Kapp accompanied her with a 55-run stand before du Preez fell for 52. Alexis le Breton’s two fours and Kapp’s unbeaten 24 took them to 109. Khatun particularly troubled the South Africa batsmen at the beginning and end both as she took wickets in her first and last overs and conceded only seven runs in four overs.South Africa coach, Hilton Moreeng, was very pleased with the team’s performance. “If we knew that the result would be 3-0 at the start of the series we would have taken it,” he said. “We are building as a team and it was important for us to start this home series well, especially by playing good cricket and learning from every game that we play.”Even though Bangladesh kept the pressure on South Africa while bowling, they couldn’t handle it while batting in the end.”I must give credit to Bangladesh,” Moreeng said. “They put us under pressure very early; the first two overs were maidens and we were a wicket down. The partnership between Kapp and the captain put us back where we wanted to be and we had to settle for 109, which required us to go out there and bowl well.”The two sides will now play three ODIs starting September 20 in Benoni.

It speaks volumes about the state of transition in which the England team finds itself that there is so much uncertainty about the make-up of the Test squad to tour India.

George Dobell12-Sep-2012It speaks volumes about the state of transition in which the England team finds itself that there is so much uncertainty about the make-up of the Test squad to tour India.After several years of continuity of selection and predictability, England find themselves at the start of a partial rebuilding operation. Tellingly, the England selectors put aside two days to pick the side and have delayed the announcement of the tour party until September 18.It is unlikely that Kevin Pietersen will be included. Unlikely, but not impossible. Alastair Cook, England’s new Test captain, is understandably ambitious and knows full well that his side’s hopes of success in India are vastly reduced by omitting Pietersen from his side. For that reason, several meetings have been held with Pietersen over recent days as both sides seek a resolution to a problem that, with a bit of common sense and humility, should never have been allowed to reach this stage.Had Pietersen apologised without caveat, he might have been selected. But as soon as he expressed his lingering resentment over the parody Twitter account, the spectre of more unrest within the dressing room was raised. England will not risk that. If Pietersen is to come back into the England fold, he must do so on the management’s terms, not his.Pietersen’s future is now uncertain. Currently without a central contract, he knows he can, as a free agent, commit to the whole 2013 season of the IPL. But he also knows that by doing so he risks increasing the divide between him and England. If he plays the whole season, he will not be available for all the Tests against New Zealand at the start of next summer. Or, just as importantly, been seen to be fighting to win back his place in county cricket. In the meantime, he should be available for the Champions League Twenty20 and the Big Bash League.He will also be without a county from the end of this month. While Surrey have expressed a desire to retain his services, they will be waiting to see whether he is given another central contract before committing. With Chris Tremlett, who was omitted from the central contract list, already now added to their wage bill, the addition of Pietersen would take Surrey perilously close to the salary cap.There is a possibility – no more than that – that Pietersen will never make it back into the England team. Should Jonny Bairstow or Eoin Morgan, whose award of a central contact virtually assures him a place, seize their chance, or even look as if they are worthy of longer-term investment, there will be no room for Pietersen’s return. The lines of communication remain open and the sense is of a thawing of relationships, but Pietersen has risked ending his international career with this episode. For a man who moved continents to pursue his dream, who worked hard at his game for more than 20 years, who made endless sacrifices and who should, right now, be at his peak, it seems an awful waste.England have a difficult enough job selecting a team to win in India even without the Pietersen issue. Not since 1984-85 have they won a Test series there and to do so with a side in transition and against a foe anxious to avenge the whitewash in England in the summer of 2011, will prove desperately demanding.For a start, none of England’s back-up spin options are ideal. Monty Panesar remains a poor batsman and worse fielder; Samit Patel is not quite strong enough with bat and nowhere near potent enough with ball to be considered an allrounder and James Tredwell, for all his admirable qualities with bat, ball and in the field, has the misfortune to be an offspinner much like Graeme Swann. Doubts about Swann’s elbow might convince the selectors to include Tredwell, but Panesar, for the potency of his bowling and the variation he offers, remains the likely candidate. Patel, with his ability to bat at No. 7, may also win inclusion as he did for Sri Lanka earlier this year.There are no ideal options for the opening batsman position, either. While Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell, among others, could move up the order, such a tactic would be moving a problem rather than solving one. Few of the new options are perfect – Joe Root and Varun Chopra are a little green; Michael Carberry has, perhaps unfairly, a dubious reputation against spin and Nick Compton has scored his mountain of runs this season at No. 3.Chopra might be considered to have an advantage thanks to his reliable slip catching and he scored heavily in Sri Lanka last winter but, on the basis that he has been opening for the Lions, Root is seen as the next in line. He is highly rated by Graham Thorpe, the lead batting coach for the ECB, and is said to have improved markedly against spin over the last 12 months. His offspin should not be relevant – he has claimed only eight first-class wickets in his career – but he has the talent and the time (he is only 21) to develop into the man who opens with Cook in the Ashes.That would mean no place for Compton, Carberry, Chopra or James Taylor. It may well mean no place for Ravi Bopara, too, despite the fact that his bowling would provide a valuable option. But the likelihood that Bell will miss one Test on paternity leave and the need for some back-up for a green opening batsman might persuade the selectors to include a 17th man. If so, the prolific Compton will be hard to overlook. Craig Kieswetter, despite one poor ODI performance recently, may also have moved in front of Steve Davies as reserve wicketkeeper and is an improving batsman against spin, even if his keeping standing up remains a work in progress.More replacements will be available as required from the England Lions squad. The Lions also tour India this winter, though the first two Tests of the main series will probably have been played before their arrival.All that still leaves England with one substantial problem. Their slip catching has been poor over the last six months – it may well have cost them the series against South Africa and, as a consequence their No.1 Test ranking – and it is far from obvious who might be pressed into service in the cordon on this tour.One solution might be to recall Rikki Clarke, who now offers pace and control with the ball, reliability with the bat and the best pair of hands in county cricket, in place of Tim Bresnan who, since his elbow operation, has struggled to recover his nip with the ball. Sadly Clarke, like Pietersen and Panesar, is not seen as quite the sort of fellow that would fit into the increasingly homogenized England dressing room. At some stage, though, if England keep losing, that narrow thinking may be challenged.Possible squad Alastair Cook (capt), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Craig Kieswetter (wkt), Matt Prior (wkt), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Steven Finn, Graham Onions

Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, admits he does not know whether Greg Chappell will remain on tour as the selector on duty ahead of the three Tests against Sri Lanka

Daniel Brettig in Colombo22-Aug-2011Greg Chappell will remain on tour as Australia’s selector on duty ahead of the three Tests against Sri Lanka after discussions with James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive.Sutherland and Chappell cleared whatever shades of grey remained between them in Colombo on Tuesday to confirm that CA’s national talent manager would remain as the selector on tour in a caretaker capacity, despite being stripped of the role for the future as part of the restructures brought on by the Argus review.”Greg’s staying, Greg’s selector on duty and he’ll stay until whatever time we see appropriate,” Sutherland said before departing Colombo after the briefest of visits. “The approach we normally take with selector on duty is once we get into the Test series then we just see how things go and what’s needed on the ground here. Greg will be selector on duty through the Test series.”We just talked through the circumstances and he’s completely understanding of that and he’s an employee of CA and he fully understands, he’s absolutely committed to CA and he understands that’s in the best interests as well, and he’ll be fine.”Having spoken to the assembled Australian team on tour, including all coaches and support staff, Sutherland said none of his discussions indicated that Chappell would seek to leave the national talent manager’s role now it had been re-defined.”Absolutely no discussion about that, Greg is national talent manager and I’m on public record saying I can’t think of anyone in the world who is better credentialled than Greg Chappell to do the job,” Sutherland said.”I came over here just to have a chat to everyone, and what I see is a group of absolutely dead-set professionals, who are very focused on what they need to do in the immediate term to help the Australian cricket team win the current Test series. I don’t see there’s any distraction that we need to have any concerns about.”Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, had said after the final ODI against Sri Lanka that he was happy to take responsibility for selection, alongside the coach Tim Nielsen – himself unlikely to keep his job much longer – if Chappell chose to fly home.”I’m not bothered either way,” Clarke said. “If Greg stays fantastic, if Greg has to go back then obviously the coach and the captain are now selectors, we’ll have the communication with the selectors back home like there normally is, so either way I’m not really fussed to be honest.”The head of cricket operations, Michael Brown, himself moved to one side as one of the recommendations of the review, was in Colombo to manage the announcement of the findings and has been seen in animated conversation with Ricky Ponting and the former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody, among others.Jamie Cox, the only remaining member of the selection panel who has not been given an immediate verdict on his future, had indicated that Chappell would stay on in Sri Lanka, as neither Cox nor the departing chairman, Andrew Hilditch, were intent on joining the tour in a caretaker capacity.Hilditch released a statement on the day of the review’s publication, indicating that his time as a member of the selection panel was effectively at an end.The elevation of the captain to an official selection position is only the subtlest of changes from the accepted norms of Australian cricket. Mark Taylor once described the dynamic between himself and the selectors to the then England captain Mike Atherton: “I don’t officially sit in on selection, but by and large they’ll let me take who I want.”Similarly, Clarke did not feel any great qualms about holding the role and talking to players about their inclusion or otherwise.”I understand what comes with it, but I think in regards to the players, they know the captain has some sort of input in the XI that take the field anyway,” he said. “Not in all decisions but he gets to at least voice his opinion. Being a selector will be quite similar, I don’t make or break the decision, I have my vote, and if I get outvoted, it doesn’t go that way.”The players understand the captain has always had somewhat of a say, obviously now being an official selector you’ll have a bit more of a say, but for me it’s about getting the best XI players we possibly can onto that field and we play our best cricket, it’s as simple as that. None of the decisions I make will ever be personal, it’ll be all about what’s best for the team and I’ve tried to do that from day one.”That process, in Test cricket at least, begins when Clarke speaks to Nielsen and Chappell about how to approach the warm-up match, balancing his prospective Test XI against those younger players, like the spin bowler Nathan Lyon, who he must get a decent sight of.”It’s a tough one, you can go one of two ways, either you can pick your Test team, or close to your Test team, and play that to try to get a bit of momentum as a team,” Clarke said, “but then you’ve also got to monitor where guys are at, the guys who’ve played all five one-dayers, and work out if you know your Test XI.”It is pretty important that we make that decision, I’d like to give the guys as much notice as possible and I believe we’ve got to do whatever’s right to get us 100% ready, day one of that Test match.”

Members of the Sri Lankan team have been approached more than once over the last year by people being described as “suspicious characters”

Sidharth Monga05-Sep-2010Members of the Sri Lankan team have been approached by people being described as “suspicious characters” more than once over the last year. Team sources, however, told ESPNcricinfo that contrary to newspaper reports, the Sri Lankan team did not report any specific player to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).During the 2009 World Twenty20 in England, several players first brought to the notice of the Sri Lankan management that there were suspicious people “hanging around and trying to talk and approach”. The matter was immediately reported to the ACSU, whereupon Alan Peacock, senior investigator of the unit, took statements from the players who had made the reports.Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, too, confirmed that “the report was handed over to ACSU by manager Brendon Kuruppu”. The team management also got Peacock to speak to the team on these issues, and players were encouraged to report any approach openly.That, though, was not the last time the team had to make such reports to the ACSU. There were other approaches since then, and the ICC and SLC had all the details. The source said the year had been a particularly difficult time “to hold the team together, and still manage to keep giving our best”.The source said: “We always wanted to make sure that whenever we played it was as clean as possible.” The players were asked to report immediately “if there was any doubt”.”We wanted to make sure that the cricket board and the ACSU are given every opportunity to ensure the players are protected from these influences. Every opportunity was given to see if any player was guilty of it, to make sure those things were dealt with in tandem with the cricket board.”The source said one of the other issues around the entire anti-corruption exercise was the confidentiality of reporting approaches to the ICC. “Most of the time you might think twice [before reporting],” the source said. “If you find it reported in a newspaper, another newspaper can carry it, and so on… It has to be confidential. Players must report but people have to make sure they feel safe to do so. At the same time, the ICC’s code itself makes it mandatory for players to report these things. You have to build the trust up. Players also want a clean game.”

Bangladesh are coming off the high of beating Pakistan 2-0 but the wicketkeeper is asking people not to bring it up

Mohammad Isam10-Sep-20243:46

Isam: Bangladesh’s win in Pakistan is ‘mind boggling’

Bangladesh are about to embark on another away tour on the back of their remarkable 2-0 victory over Pakistan earlier this month and are already deep in preparation for it. They will be visiting India for two Tests starting next week and one of their heroes from Rawalpindi, Litton Das, has revealed that the team has been trying to get used to the way SG balls behave.This is a break from the norm. Bangladesh usually play with a Kookaburra ball. That is the brand they use for home internationals and it was the brand used in the Tests against Pakistan as well. India, however, use SG balls for Test cricket and there is significant difference between the two.”The ball will be a different one in India,” Litton said. “It is a little harder to play against the SG ball. The Kookaburra ball is easier to play when it gets old. It is the opposite with the SG ball. It is harder to get away against the old ball when it’s the SG.”Related

• Litton and Mehidy orchestrate a comeback for the ages

• Litton toasts 'big achievement for Bangladesh cricket'

• WTC scenarios: Bangladesh still in contention

The white-ball players are reportedly training with Kookaburra balls as the T20Is that follow the Tests in India will be played with the Kookaburra.Litton also warned that Bangladesh can’t rest on the laurels from their first-ever series win over Pakistan. Although he played a big part in it, his century rescuing the side from 26 for 6 in the second Test, he asked the media not to remind them of it.”We played good cricket against Pakistan but it is already in the past,” Litton said. “It is important for us to look forward. We will need your (media’s) help. It would be helpful if you don’t talk about the Pakistan series. As a player, it is already in the past for me.”Litton Das will continue backing his aggressive style of play in Test cricket•Associated Press

There is typically a lot of focus from the Bangladesh fans on matches that their team plays against India and Pakistan and these games are coming back-to-back as well. The only previous occasion when Bangladesh played back-to-back series against Pakistan and India was in 2015 but both were at home, unlike this time when both series are taking place overseas. Litton understood that fans will be watching with great expectations but he refused to see it as a burden.”It is inspiring that people will know you if you do well,” he said. “There’s nothing better than that. I don’t think it is pressure. We are improving in Tests, so we have to become more consistent in the format. That’s the main challenge.”Litton’s role in the team as a lower-middle-order batter suits his natural game, where sometimes he ends up with the tail and has no choice but to go for his shots. But he did show he had other gears as well, batting for nearly six hours to dig Bangladesh out of a hole in Rawalpindi.”I have to take responsibility now,” he said. “It is the right time. I have been playing for ten years, so there has been some experience. I try to score off deliveries that I believe are there to hit. Scoring runs is more important these days. I think I bat in the same way that most batters approach the game.Litton realises that the way he plays comes with a bit of risk but it is also how he’s found success. “If it gives me more chance to get out, it also gives me a lot of opportunities to score runs,” he said. “I usually get to bat with (Mehidy Hasan) Miraz. Sometimes I bat with Shakib (Shakib Al Hasan) or Mushfiq (Mushfiqur Rahim). If I don’t play my shots, the team score won’t go anywhere. I want to play like this. I try to play the way I bat in training.”Bangladesh are scheduled to depart for India on September 15 to play two Tests in Chennai (September 19 to 23) and Kanpur (September 27 to October 1), both part of the World Test Championship. The three T20Is that follow will be held in Gwalior (October 6), Delhi (October 9) and Hyderabad (October 12).

Bangladesh sped at nearly six runs an over after deciding against enforcing the follow-on

Mohammad Isam15-Jun-2023Bangladesh overcame an early morning hiccup to sit on a 370-run lead at the end of the second day of the Dhaka Test against Afghanistan. On a 16-wicket day, the home side sped to 134 for 1 in 23 overs at stumps, having bowled out the visitors for 146. Bangladesh had earlier been bowled out for 382, losing their last five wickets for nine runs.The day’s honours would go to two fast bowlers. Nijat Masood took 5-79 in Bangladesh’s first innings. He became the second Afghanistan bowler to take a five-for on Test debut. Ebadot Hossain’s 4-47 was his best figures at home, but he missed out on a five-for after the Bangladesh spinners took the last three Afghanistan wickets.Najmul Hossain Shanto and Zakir Hasan were the unbeaten batters at stumps, having both made 54 off 64 balls each. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who made a half-century in the first innings, fell for 17, after which Shanto and Zakir added 116 runs for the unbroken second-wicket stand. Both reached their fifties with boundaries off successive balls.Shanto took off in the second innings from where he left off in the first dig. Masood dropped him off his own bowling when the left-hander was on nine. Shanto shook it off to drive freely, while Zakir used the pull shot to good effect.Ebadot Hossain finished with a four-for•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh batters were able to play this freely mainly because of how their bowlers fared in the afternoon. Ebadot used the extra bounce on the Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch to pick up four wickets. He had the short delivery rearing at Abdul Malik’s gloves, who handed a catch to Zakir at third slip. Rahmat Shah was caught in two minds, switching between the pull and the flick, before miscuing the ball to Taskin Ahmed at mid-on.Ebadot used his bounce again to get rid of Afsar Zazai, who top-edged a pull and got caught at deep square leg for 36. It was the short ball again that served Ebadot well when he had Amir Hamza caught at short leg.Shoriful Islam had a good outing too, taking the wickets of Ibrahim Zadran and captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, either side of the lunch break. Zadran was caught behind, while Shahidi edged to Mehidy Hasan Miraz at fourth slip.Nijat Masood bagged a five-for on Test debut•BCB

Mehidy and Taijul Islam also took two wickets each, mopping up Afghanistan’s lower half. Mehidy broke the 65-run stand between Zazai and Nasir Jamal by trapping the latter lbw for 35. Mehidy completed his 150th wicket in Tests when he had Karim Janat stumped for 23. The innings ended with Bangladesh gaining a 236-run lead and they chose to bat again.Earlier in the morning, the home side were bowled out for 382 runs within 45 minutes of the start of play. They collapsed from 373 for 5 in just 4.5 overs and added 20 runs to their overnight total.Mehidy and Mushfiqur Rahim, who had added 83 runs for the sixth wicket, fell within six balls of each other. Yamin Ahmadzai had Mehidy caught at gully while Masood had Mushfiqur fending a short ball to third slip. Both got out in the forties. Masood removed Taijul who popped a catch to short leg before completing his five-for by uprooting Shoriful’s off-stump.