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Qais Ahmad will fill in for Rashid Khan; Naveed Zadran also gets a call-up after impressive Test debut

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2024Rashid Khan has not recovered in time for Afghanistan’s three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which begins on February 9 in Pallekele.Afghanistan’s ace spinner underwent back surgery late last year and has not played competitive cricket since the 2023 ODI World Cup in November. Qais Ahmad, who has played just one ODI for Afghanistan so far, will fill in for Rashid in Sri Lanka.Noor Ahmad, who is playing for Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20, will rejoin the national team and miss the final stages of the league.Najibullah Zadran, who was part of Afghanistan’s World Cup squad, was left out for the Sri Lanka ODIs, while Abdul Rahman was included only as a reserve. Fast bowler Mohammad Saleem was sidelined by a hamstring strain, according to an ACB media release.Related

• Rashid Khan withdraws from PSL as he continues rehab

• Afghanistan name uncapped Noor, Zia, Ishaq and Naveed for one-off Test against Sri Lanka

Allrounder Gulbadin Naib, who impressed with his big-hitting in the recent T20I series against India, earned a recall to the ODI side. Fareed Ahmad also made it to the 15-member squad. Both were reserve players during the 2023 ODI World Cup.Seamer Naveed Zadran, who impressed on Test debut against Sri Lanka, broke into the ODI side as well. He is uncapped in ODI cricket and has played only six List A games so far, picking up eight wickets.”We have consistently striven to secure more bilateral cricket matches and create a busy schedule for our national teams,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said. “This marks our third visit to Sri Lanka in the past 16 months, which is a promising sign moving forward. The selectors have selected a strong line-up and we eagerly anticipate an exciting series ahead.”All three ODIs will be played in Pallekele before the teams move to Dambulla for the three-match T20I series. This will be Afghanistan’s first ODI assignment since the World Cup.

Afghanistan squad for ODI series against SL

Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Qais Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad

“There’s no point in saying let’s sweep it under the carpet and move on. I think we’ve got to reflect”

Alex Malcolm26-Oct-20222:12

Buttler: ‘We should let the loss hurt, to be honest’

Let it hurt. That was the message from England captain Jos Buttler to his team after their shock loss to Ireland at the MCG on Wednesday.The loss means England now face a cut-throat game against Australia on Friday at the MCG that has the potential to end the tournament for the loser.There were no excuses offered by the England captain for Wednesday’s loss to Ireland. They did not lament the rain, the ground conditions, or the decision to come off with England just five runs behind on DLS with 5.3 overs remaining.Related

• Jos Buttler's eyes have it as England captain puts seal on his team, and his legacy

• Adam Zampa's return could be the silver lining Australia need in wet Melbourne

• Ireland's new 'golden generation' comes of age at the biggest stage of all

• Ireland show better rain-smarts than England to stay ahead for just long enough

• Ireland stun England in rainy Melbourne

Buttler instead said that England needed to cop the loss square on the chin and made no attempt to sweep it aside as just an unlucky break.”I think you should let it hurt to be honest,” Buttler said. “I think days like today are really, really disappointing and you’ve got to feel that. There’s no point in saying let’s sweep it under the carpet and move on. I think we’ve got to reflect. We’ve got to do it quickly obviously with a game very soon after. But today should hurt.”Buttler even made the frank admission that the loss hurt more because it was to Ireland. Despite the fact Ireland have now beaten England three times in internationals, including twice at World Cups, the England captain said they expected to win the game.”There’s certainly the expectation on us to win the game today,” Buttler said. “I think we should be expecting to beat an Ireland team. We expected a tough challenge, but we should be expected to win that game. So of course, that adds extra disappointment. Whether you’d say we’re favourites or not going into an Australia game is more of a different conversation. So, I think that adds extra hurt especially.”Buttler admitted England had everything in their favour after winning the toss with rain almost guaranteed to impact the game.Jos Buttler – “We should be expecting to beat an Ireland team. We expected a tough challenge, but we should be expected to win that game”•Getty Images

But they bowled poorly in the first 10 overs to allow Ireland to get away to a flying start. Player of the match Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker piled up 92 for 1 after 10 overs despite Balbirnie starting sluggishly.Chris Woakes erred badly with the new ball on a surface that offered plenty of swing and seam, missing both his lengths and lines consistently to concede 41 from three overs.”Especially in the first 10 overs with the ball, I thought we were a long way short of the standards we set ourselves in the game before,” Buttler said. “We let Ireland get away from us. I thought we dragged it back well in the second half, but that put a lot of pressure on us right from the start.”Ireland’s seamers then showed their England counterparts up on the same surface prizing out Buttler, Alex Hales and Ben Stokes cheaply in the powerplay to leave England well behind the DLS target as dark clouds loomed over the Ponsford stand.”I take full responsibility myself,” Buttler said. “To lose wickets like that puts the pressure on. I thought Ireland showed us how to bowl on that wicket. They found movement and created problems. That’s just a really disappointing day.”England nearly hauled it in thanks to some excellent late hitting from Moeen Ali as the rain began to fall. They were just five runs shy on DLS when the game was called off. Buttler had no issue with the umpires’ decision to take the players off and stated that with the benefit of hindsight they could have used Ali and Liam Livingstone earlier to get ahead of the rate.England have just 48 hours to turn it around. There is little margin for error now for Australia or England on Friday night at the MCG. But England have experienced this position before in the 2019 50-over World Cup.”That’s what World Cup cricket is about,” Buttler said. “Of course, we wanted to be going into that game having won two games from two. But at some point in this tournament, the way it’s set up, you’re in must-win games the majority of the time.”Friday’s already a big occasion playing Australia at the MCG and it takes on that extra bit now with both teams having lost one game.”

Fast bowler credits PSL experience as he takes on leadership role in 3-0 series win

Andrew Miller14-Jul-2021Saqib Mahmood has credited England’s management for enabling the team’s new faces to play the same “fearless” brand of cricket that won the World Cup two years ago today, after earning a recall to the T20I set-up off the back of his 50-over performances.Saqib was named Player of the Series for his haul of nine wickets at 13.66 during England’s remarkable 3-0 series win – a result achieved with a reserve squad following a Covid outbreak that led to the self-isolation of the original 16-man party.And of Mahmood’s wickets, six came in the Powerplay overs as Pakistan struggled to muster a response to his skill and aggression with the new ball.His dominance of Babar Azam in the first two games was a particularly significant factor in England’s success, as Pakistan were limited to totals of 141 and 195 before Pakistan’s captain bounced back with a career-best 158 to post an imposing 331 for 9 in the third match at Edgbaston.By then, however, England’s confidence was coursing through the team, and with James Vince’s maiden international hundred underpinning the run-chase, they sealed a clean sweep with two overs to spare in a three-wicket win.”It’s been a special week,” Mahmood said. “Spoons [Chris Silverwood] pulled me to the side yesterday and said ‘you’ve been bowling really well and this call-up is justification for how well you’ve been doing’. It was nice to hear that.”Silverwood had been due to be on holiday until he got the call to rejoin the squad, while Ben Stokes had been expecting to continue his return to fitness with Durham after breaking a finger at the IPL, until he was asked to step in as captain. But between them, Mahmood said, they managed to instil in their rookie team the levels of belief that have characterised England’s white-ball success in recent seasons.”The message we got from Spoons, and from Stokesy this last week, is we are looking to play smart and aggressive cricket, and the personnel they bring in fulfils that role,” Mahmood said. “You get that backing to play fearless cricket and I feel like the boys showed that this week.””I guess the fearless side is always taking the positive option, with ball or bat,” he added. “If you feel like you can take someone down, you go for it.Saqib Mahmood’s dominance of Babar Azam was a key factor in England’s series win•Getty Images

“The way the batters are playing now in county cricket, they’re going all out, as you see Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow doing at the top of the order here,” he added. “So I think those guys have been role models for these younger players, and that’s the nature in which they’re playing. Look at Phil Salt yesterday, taking 16 off the first over after they got off to a very slow start. That’s the way he plays, and he got us off to a great start.”And for the bowlers, having been involved in the environment for the last two years, you’re always taking the positive option. At times in this series we had three, four slips consistently and that comes from not worrying about runs and always trying to take wickets.”You’ve got to have the thought in the back of your mind – how am I going to get this guy out, rather than trying to dry up the runs here. So always having that attacking option, whichever way you do it, is key.”Mahmood’s performances, however, showcased more than just a positive mindset. His experience at this year’s PSL – where he claimed 12 wickets in five games prior to the tournament’s suspension in March – offered not only a step-up in responsibility as an overseas bowler, but also an insight in the methods of his Pakistan opponents that, he said, enabled him to feel more in command of his game than had been the case during his last series against them, the T20I series at Old Trafford last summer.”The PSL helped in terms of playing against these guys,” Mahmood said. “You can show them a bit of respect when you don’t know what you’re up against. When I was in the T20 squad, I was the only one short of experience, everyone else had over 100 T20 caps. But this time I knew their games, having played against them, so it meant for me more of a leadership role, telling other bowlers how these guys play and what good plans are.”Related

• Saqib Mahmood etches himself into Roses history as Lancashire finally break Yorkshire resolve

• Saqib Mahmood: 'You have to do pretty special things' to play in England's white-ball teams

• Saqib Mahmood channels the moods of his makers to confirm himself as a complete England package

• Saqib Mahmood, Lewis Gregory earn T20I call-ups as Eoin Morgan returns as captain

Mahmood certainly could not have hoped for a better start to his series. In the first ODI at Cardiff, he removed Imam-ul-Haq to a first-ball lbw, then had Azam caught at slip two balls later, also for 0, at which point his figures for the series read: “W0W”.”The new-ball wickets were crucial, especially in the first two games,” he said. “It really set the game up. We saw how well Babar Azam played yesterday and the class he has, so to get him out early in the first two games was crucial. That would probably be the highlight.”At the time, you don’t really think about the quality of player you’ve got out – obviously you’re happy to take two wickets in the first three balls and get everyone off to a good start, but if a batter’s got the better of you, sometimes in the back of your mind you can go slightly defensive.”I feel like throughout the whole series, even in the last game yesterday, I was trying to attack him early doors and I think he was slightly wary and didn’t really try and play any shots up front, and kicked on after I got taken off.”Mahmood’s command of length and seam movement in this series, as well as for Lancashire in the County Championship, has encouraged the belief that he can go on to become a multi-format bowler for England, and potentially even a rival for Stuart Broad as a new-ball option against India and in the Ashes. But for the time being, he is staying grounded about his progress.”I have read that but you try to put it to the back of your mind a little bit,” he said. “A week ago, no-one was talking about me, I wasn’t part of the squad. Obviously, everything has happened very quickly and I’m trying to take it in my stride, not focus too much on what people are saying and concentrate on what I’m doing.”But Test cricket has always been right at the top of what I’ve wanted to do,” he added. “I’ve managed to play a lot of first-class cricket this season for Lancashire on some pretty good Old Trafford wickets, which has helped my game massively. And it showed when bowling with the new white ball as well – pushing that length, having that consistency and moving the ball as well. So Test cricket is right up there. Whenever that chance comes – I don’t know – I’ll look to keep improving.”

The Hurricanes were hindered by rarely being able to have their first-choice XI on the park together

Alex Malcolm31-Jan-2020Season in nutshellThe Hurricanes had an up and down season with the team affected heavily by absences through injury and international duty. They traded wins and losses in the first six games before two key bowlers in Riley Meredith and James Faulkner suffered significant injuries. Meredith was ruled out for the season with a side strain while Faulkner would only return from a calf injury late in the tournament. The team went on a four-game winless stretch in the middle of the tournament to put finals in jeopardy. The dynamic opening pair of Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short that had dominated the last two seasons was broken up by international duty. The pair only batted together in the last three games of the season and combined for a stunning 203-run stand in the final home and away game against the Adelaide Strikers to sneak into the finals. But they lost the Eliminator against Sydney Thunder at home to be bundled out of the tournament.What went right? Individually, a number of their batsman had excellent seasons on numbers alone. Wade and Short both scored centuries and passed 50 four times each. Wade was exceptional in his eight innings scoring 351 runs, averaging 50.14 and striking at an incredible 171.21. Short was not as prolific as previous editions but still scored 357 runs in nine innings. Unfortunately, the pair didn’t get to play together enough and both men missed six games each.What went wrong? Their bowling really struggled without Faulkner and Meredith for large parts of the season. They also weren’t able to cover the loss of Jofra Archer who was so important in the last two seasons. Faulkner, Meredith, and Nathan Ellis were the only bowlers to concede less than eight runs per over across the tournament. While spin was such a key component to the success of teams like the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers, the Hurricanes spinners were extremely expensive. Qais Ahmad went at 8.14 runs per over bowling predominantly in the middle overs, while Clive Rose and Short both conceded more than nine runs per over.Performance of the seasonThe win over the Strikers was their best of the year. They had to win to play in the finals and Wade and Short put on 203 at Adelaide Oval, the second-highest partnership in BBL history, and the Hurricanes made 1 for 217, the highest score ever at Adelaide Oval in the BBL. Wade made a career-best 130 not out from just 61 balls. He faced just five dot balls and struck 11 fours and seven sixes. The Hurricanes then held their nerve with the ball with a very even performance to defend the total on a superb batting surface.Player of the seasonEllis was outstanding in his first BBL season becoming their go-to bowler, consistently bowling the four toughest overs of the innings, overs 4, 6, 18, and 20. He was able to take 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.94, which is outstanding in what are traditionally the highest-scoring overs of any T20 innings. His mix of yorkers at close to 140kph and slower balls made him exceptionally hard to hit and his execution got better and better through the tournament. He closed out the game against the Melbourne Renegades defending 11 off the last over against Beau Webster and Dan Christian. He then bowled one of the spells of the tournament in the Eliminator against Sydney Thunder taking 1 for 18 from four overs when the rest of the Hurricanes bowlers went at more than 9.75 per over.Key stat (Gaurav Sundararaman)The Hurricanes were heavily dependent on Wade and Short. Both of them were not available through the tournament and that showed in their performances. Last year Wade and Short carried them to the semis while this year they did not have that luxury. The Hurricanes averaged 17.87 for positions 3 to 11 – the lowest in the tournament .

Pakistan board issues apology after confidential details meant to be sent to the government in bid for tax exemption are mailed to all franchises too

Umar Farooq14-Dec-2018An already at-times tense relationship between the PCB and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises has grown a little worse, with the Pakistan board erroneously revealing franchises’ financial details to each other. It was an embarrassing enough slip-up for the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani to issue an apology to the franchises on behalf of the board.The issue stemmed from efforts already underway to change the PSL’s financial model – brought about because franchises are concerned at having not yet broken even on their investments. The PCB had asked for the financial details of each of the franchises, with a view to sending them to the Pakistan government in a bid to gain tax exemptions for the franchises.A document with the consolidated details was sent to the franchises themselves, causing the furore.Now each franchise has the details of the others’ incomes, expenses and losses, a serious breach of trust. “We are competitors to each other on the business front, how can the PCB reveal this financial data, this is totally unfair,” a team owner said. “We cannot do anything at this stage, but we will be careful next time when it comes to trusting the PCB.”One major aspect of the remodel is the PCB’s request to the federal government for a 10% exemption on holding tax, and the Punjab government for 16% exemption on sales tax. For this, the PCB required each team to submit their accounts, which it would then send to the government to build up their case. The PCB did make an official request for exemption in writing to the government.However, after that, the PCB’s chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed shared the document with the franchises too. The document included all the amounts spent on running the team and marketing, among other things. In a meeting in Lahore on December 5, the franchises questioned the move.Over the last couple of seasons, the franchises have raised concerns over the amount of tax they have had to pay on top of their franchise fees and other operational expenses. The first set of commercial and sponsorship rights deals the PSL signed when it launched have now ended, and with enhanced deals now being inked in – as well as the scare caused by Multan Sultans’ financial meltdown – the remaining five franchises have sensed this is time to push for better deals for themselves.*All the franchises and the PCB have agreed on taking the legal route to gain tax exemptions. Salman Iqbal, the Karachi Kings owner, took the lead and filed an affadavit to launch a petition in court, aiming for the grant of a stay order against the government taxes.Tax exemptions from the government, though, are unlikely to be okayed this season. The Najam Sethi-led PCB had also tried to get tax benefits for the PSL but failed.The five franchises have also asked the PCB for an increase in their shares in the central revenue pool, to cover their losses. For the first three years, the PCB put 85% of the PSL’s media rights revenue, 50% of the title sponsorship rights money, and 50-60% of the gate money into a central pool, which was then shared out equally among the franchises. The sale of TV rights this year, which is estimated to be in the region of USD 40 million, could be a leg-up for the franchises, given they will each be entitled to an equal share of 85% of that amount.December 15, GMT 0745 *The story was updated to include this paragraph.

Leeward Islands took a big first-innings lead and walked away with 10.8 points, compared to Windward’s 5.8

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2017
ScorecardWICB Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks LaTouche Photo

Leeward Islands walked away with the majority of points in their drawn game against Windward Islands after taking a big first-innings lead. Set a fourth-innings target of 222, Leeward then played out the draw, but not before they had lost six wickets for 112.Electing to bat first, Windward found themselves in a good position in the first innings, with Roland Cato (90) and Kavem Hodge (41) guiding the team to 213 for 3. However, they went on to lose seven wickets for 20 runs to be dismissed for 233. Seamers Jeremiah Louis and Mervin Matthew took seven wickets between them.Leeward openers Chesney Hughes (89) and Keacy Carty (74) then set about putting together a strong platform for the side with a 149-run opening partnership. Despite a slump, Nkrumah Bonner’s 69 helped Leeward past 300 and they ended with a 110-run first-innings lead.Windward’s response in the second innings was much stronger. Devon Smith scored a quick 185 and Hodge struck a rapid fifty as the side looked to push for a result with a declaration of 331 for 3 that left Leeward with a target of 222. Liam Sebastien, Audley Alexander and Shane Shillingford then all picked up two wickets each as Leeward reached 112 for 6 by stumps.

Australia are hopeful that key fast bowler Mitchell Starc will be fit for the start of the home summer despite suffering a deep laceration to his left shin during a training mishap on Thursday

Brydon Coverdale15-Sep-2016Australia are hopeful that key fast bowler Mitchell Starc will be fit for the start of the home summer despite suffering a deep laceration to his left shin during a training mishap on Thursday. Starc collided with some training equipment during Australia’s practice session at Hurstville Oval in Sydney on Thursday and was taken by ambulance to St George Hospital, where he underwent surgery and received approximately 30 stitches.He will remain in hospital for the next few days and will use an extension brace in the coming weeks until his stitches are removed. However, Cricket Australia’s chief medical officer, Dr John Orchard, who was at the ground and accompanied Starc to hospital, said that unless Starc suffered any complications he would hopefully remain on track to play Australia’s first Test of the summer.Australia’s selectors had already announced that Starc would be rested from the ODI tour of South Africa, which starts later this month, in an effort to ensure he was fresh for the home Tests against South Africa and Pakistan. The first Test, against South Africa at the WACA, is still seven weeks away.”Mitchell was taken to St George hospital in an ambulance this afternoon suffering a deep laceration to his left shin after colliding with some training equipment,” Dr Orchard said. “Fortunately there were no bone fractures or tendon damage to his leg and he underwent surgery this afternoon to clean the wound and received approximately 30 stitches.”He will remain in hospital for the next few days to minimise movement to his leg and will use an extension brace for the next two to three weeks until his stitches are removed. At this stage, barring any complications, we are hopeful he is on track to play at the start of the Australian summer.”

Kane Williamson’s sixth straight 50-plus score in ODIs lifted New Zealand to 273 for 6, but legspinner Graeme Cremer and offspinner John Nyumbu took 5 for 96 between them to prevent the visitors from making so much more

The Report by Arun Venugopal07-Aug-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
1:38

Williamson’s 90 leads NZ to series win

New Zealand’s total of 273 appeared to be inadequate on a few occasions, particularly when Hamilton Masakadza was raining powerful blows, but the visitors eventually whipped up sufficient bowling ammo to snuff out Zimbabwe’s challenge and win their first ODI series after the World Cup. Sean Williams, with 63 off 62, took the game deep but once he holed out to deep midwicket in the 46th over, Zimbabwe were effectively down for the count.After captain Kane Williamson had made 90 off 109 balls – his sixth consecutive fifty-plus score – to guide New Zealand’s innings, Zimbabwe’s fairly placid chase was scuppered by wickets at inopportune moments. It was Mitchell McClenaghan, who finished with three wickets, who triggered the first slide by dismissing Chamu Chibhabha after the batsman put on 97 runs for the opening wicket along with Masakadza.Masakadza’s dismissal in the next over set Zimbabwe back further. The nature of his exit would particularly rankle the opener: he deposited a long hop from Williamson straight into deep midwicket’s palms. Zimbabwe continued to lose their wickets softly, as captain Elton Chigumbura drove legspinner Ish Sodhi straight to covers.The home side’s hopes lifted again when Williams and Craig Ervine put on 45 runs for the fourth wicket. But, Ervine’s dismissal in the 33rd over when he backed up too far only for bowler Ben Wheeler to effect a direct hit sent Zimbabwe towards a freefall. Apart from some persistent hustling from McClenaghan and Wheeler, the spinners, Nathan McCullum and Sodhi, played a part in suffocating Zimbabwe.After being inserted in the morning, New Zealand betrayed caution in the beginning – the tempo not dissimilar to that in the first ODI which was played on the same surface – rather than any attempt at smash-mouth stuff. Their first fifty runs, in fact, came off 76 balls – their second slowest in ODIs against Zimbabwe since 2001.Guptill, who played out a maiden in the first over, ensured he accounted for Tinashe Panyangara’s difficult angles. Panyangara, like he has often done this series, bowled from wide of the crease, and was either getting the ball to stay the course or shape away. The breakthrough for Zimbabwe, however, came through offspinner John Nyumbu, playing his first game of the series, in the 10th over.Williamson, though, came in and weaved substantial partnerships with Martin Guptill and Grant Elliott. Williamson had spoken at the toss about the difficulty of identifying a “good total”, and he ensured nothing was left to chance. Between the 11th and 41st overs, Williamson’s presence was the only constant even as the way he batted kept changing over the course of the innings.During the early part of his 56-run association with Guptill, Williamson played a risk-averse game, not giving in to twitchy urges to score. But even then, he did not miss out on bashing loose deliveries, like in the 17th over when he carted Chibhabha over wide long on for six, and then, after three dot balls, slapped a back-foot punch uppishly between long off and sweeper cover.Williamson was equally efficient against the spinners, using his feet to drill Nyumbu on the on side whenever the ball was tossed up. On other occasions, he shuffled across off stump to get inside the line of Nyumbu’s deliveries, most of which turned appreciably from outside off to middle or leg. Williamson, on 53, also enjoyed a reprieve in the 26th over when Regis Chakabva missed a stumping off Sikandar Raza’s bowling. It was at this point that Williamson was cranking up his scoring rate.Legspinner Graeme Cremer, though, kept Williamson and Guptill guessing by melding slow flight with sharp turn. Guptill was excised by one such delivery that took his edge and was pouched at slip. Soon after, Colin Munro played across the line only for the leg-break to fizz through a big bat-pad gap.Williamson, along with Grant Elliott, then added 70 runs in 13.1 overs to set New Zealand up for a strong finish, but their dismissals in successive overs nearly derailed the visitors. While Elliott was out sweeping to Cremer, his leading edge going only as far as short fine leg, Williamson was subdued in the 90s for the fourth time in his last six innings at long on where Ervine showed incredible presence of mind. Cremer and Nyumbu finished with 5 for 96 between them and stunted the visitors’ progress in the middle stages.New Zealand’s scoring, however, received a leg-up through some late hitting from James Neesham, replacing an injured Ross Taylor in the XI, and Nathan McCullum, who raised 50 runs in 4.1 overs for an unbroken seventh-wicket stand. They pushed the visitors’ score beyond 260, as New Zealand muscled 54 runs in the last five overs. Those strikes proved decisive in the end.

Bangladesh batsmen Junaid Siddique and Nazimuddin have been dropped from the preliminary squad of 25 for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam18-Feb-2013Bangladesh batsmen Junaid Siddique and Nazimuddin, who opened in a Test each against West Indies and scored 31 runs together, have been dropped from the preliminary squad of 25 for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. A few recent performers like Marshall Ayub and Shamsur Rahman were named in the squad.Bangladesh chief selector Akram Khan doesn’t anticipate making too many changes to the Test side, but he admitted to the scarce choices for opening batsmen and pace bowlers.”We don’t have too many options [for the openers], and not many have done well in the recent past,” Akram said. “We are also on a blind spot with pace bowling, unfortunately. We cannot consider them by what we have seen of them so far. It is very difficult to ascertain a fast bowler’s performance by just seeing four overs in the BPL.”Tamim Iqbal hasn’t had a regular opening partner in Tests for the last two years. Nazimuddin and Imrul Kayes have played three Tests each while Junaid played just one against West Indies earlier this season. Anamul Haque could get a chance after playing all five ODIs against West Indies, in which he scored a century. The selectors have also kept Shamsur in the mix.

Shakib to tour SL after treatment for injury

Shakib Al Hasan will only be touring Sri Lanka after he has received treatment on a shin injury in Australia, said chief selector Akram Khan.
Shakib has been a regular with the Dhaka Gladiators in the BPL, though he was last week diagnosed with exertional compartment syndrome on his shin bone, a condition that can be caused by frequent running, which leads to pain and swelling.
There was concern about his availability for the Test series in Sri Lanka, and as a result the board has decided to send him to Australia and consult a specialist. He is likely to leave just after the BPL final where he will be appearing for the Gladiators on Tuesday.
“Shakib is going to Australia and based on the report, we will decide whether he will go to Sri Lanka or not,” Akram said. “The sort of player he is, we have to take two players to replace him. We have picked the 25-man squad keeping his situation in mind.”

Among the pace bowlers, Rubel Hossain’s new-ball partner could be any one out of Shafiul Islam, Abul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Nazmul Hossain and Rabiul Islam. Shafiul got back to international cricket recently after a lengthy injury break, while Abul and Shahadat got only a wicket between themselves in the Tests against West Indies.The Bangladesh middle order has been a settled one for quite a long time with Naeem Islam likely to continue at No. 4 followed by Shakib Al Hasan (pending recovery from shin injury), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain.As a result, Akram has all but ruled out any new faces and either one or two of Marshall, Anamul and Mominul Haque are strong cases for inclusion. Marshall has averaged 81.38 in ten first-class matches this season, scoring 1058 runs with four centuries including his highest score of 289 for Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League.”We haven’t thought about new faces because Bangladesh have done well against West Indies recently. I don’t have too many options too, except for some competition among the left-arm spinners.”Marshall has been doing well and is in good form, so this is the right time to pick him. In case of [Anamul Haque] Bijoy and Mominul [Haque], we are keeping them in our mind but we have several players in a few positions,” Akram said.The Test squad is set to be named on either February 22 or 23 for the two-match series which will begin on March 8 in Galle.Bangladesh preliminary squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Elias Sunny, Ziaur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abul Hasan, Jahurul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Anamul Haque, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Mominul Haque, Shahriar Nafees, Shahadat Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Robiul Islam, Sohag Gazi, Naeem Islam, Enamul Haque jnr, Shamsur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman, Marshall Ayub.

The Zimbabwe batsmen gave a good account of themselves on the second day at Harry Barker Reserve, taking a 56-run lead

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2012
ScorecardFile photo: Malcolm Waller and Regis Chakabva got good batting practice with half-centuries•AFP

The Zimbabwe batsmen gave a good account of themselves on the second day at Harry Barker Reserve, taking a 56-run lead. The tourists were carried by half-centuries by Tatenda Taibu, Malcolm Waller and Regis Chakabva, who remained unbeaten on 87 with the No.11 Ray Price for company.Resuming on 38, the Zimbabweans lost the early wicket of Tino Mawoyo for 26. There was further trouble for them as they lost Foster Mutizwa and Hamilton Masakadza in quick succession. At 55 for 3, Taibu and Waller weathered the storm with a stand of 119 for the fourth wicket. Neil Wagner, the left-arm fast bowler, removed them both, as well as Elton Chigumbura first ball to leave the tourists in need of another recovery at 186 for 6.Both Taibu and Waller spent valuable time at the crease, hitting 11 and eight fours respectively. The tail rallied around Chakabva as he went on the attack, hitting 12 fours and two sixes. Shingirai Masakadza put on 46 for the ninth wicket with Chakabva, before Price helped add 72, off 83 balls, for the final wicket to frustrate the hosts. Chakabva was slow to begin with but later dictated terms with his aggression.Wagner picked up three wickets but was a tad expensive, going at 4.52 runs per over. Andy McKay and Chris Martin picked up two wickets each. Daniel Vettori, however, bowlerd just six overs.