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UAE and Ireland also tasted victories to kick off their campaigns, defeating Canada and Uganda, respectively

Sreshth Shah16-Jan-2022
India’s captain Yash Dhull impressed with his batting and catching to help his side seal a 45-run win over South Africa. However, the game was closer than what the scorecard would suggest, with South Africa capitulating in the final third of the chase. And making most of their collapse was left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal, who took three lower-order wickets to finish with 5 for 28.In pursuit of 233, South Africa needed 100 to win in the last 15 overs with seven wickets in hand. At that stage, both Dewald Brevis, who top-scored with 65, and captain George Van Heerden were set at the crease. But South Africa went on to lose their next five wickets for only 20 runs, a collapse triggered by Brevis’ dismissal.Nicknamed ‘Baby AB’, No. 3 Brevis showed off his range of shots with six fours and two sixes, but was caught by Dhull while diving forward at mid-off off right-arm seamer Raj Bawa. Bawa, who had conceded 17 runs in his first over, was bowling his second spell when he prised out Brevis’ wicket in the 36th over, and followed it up with Van Heerden’s dismissal, eventually finishing with 4 for 47.However, Bawa was not the standout bowler. India’s bowling effort was controlled by their two left-arm spinners Nishant Sindhu and Ostwal. Although Sindhu went wicketless, he conceded only 22 runs in his quota of ten overs, while Ostwal’s five-wicket haul came at an economy of 2.80.South Africa’s chase had started off with opener Ethan-John Cunningham out lbw to a beautiful length delivery from seamer Rajvardhan Hangargekar. It nipped in and trapped Cunningham while he shouldered arms. Ostwal then removed the dangerous-looking Valentine Kitime for 25 with a ball spinning away that took the right-hander’s outside edge to wicketkeeper Dinesh Bana, and took his second when Gerhardus Maree edged another one behind.Brevis and Van Heerden then began South Africa’s recovery from a score of 83 for 3, but consumed too many dots, scoring just 55 runs in a partnership that lasted 91 deliveries. Most of those overs were bowled by the two left-arm spinners who put in the choke. Yet, with seven wickets standing and the required run rate a manageable 6.67 in the last 15 overs, it was still doable for South Africa.Dewald Brevis’ 65 went in vain for South Africa Under-19•ICC via Getty Images

That is when Bawa got in their way to remove Brevis. Ostwal too returned, rattlling Michael Copeland’s stumps, and going on to dismiss Kadence Sullivan and Matthew Boast as well. Dhull, earlier India’s hero with the bat, took the final catch in the 46th over to complete India’s 45-run victory.But during India’s innings, South Africa’s left-arm seamer Aphiwe Mnyanda had given his side a promising start. He got both openers Harnoor Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi lbw early on, taking advantage of the moisture that was around following some pre-match rain.At 11 for 2, Dhull joined his vice-captain Shaik Rasheed, who scored 31, and despite the early jolts, batted positively to keep the scoreboard ticking with a 71-run third-wicket stand.Dhull played exquisite cuts off the back foot, and crunched cover drives through the gaps to balls that had width. And when the No. 5 Sindhu began with a flurry of boundaries, Dhull briefly took the back seat, but the partnership broke when Sindhu was stumped off Copeland for a 25-ball 27.At that stage, India were 126 for 4 in the 27th over, but Dhull was growing in confidence after going past fifty. He struck 11 fours in all and looked set for a century, offering no real chance to the South Africa bowlers. But that changed in the 39th over when he looked for a single that wasn’t there, and while trying to turn back, was out via a direct hit from point.Kaushal Tambe then took over, contributing 35 after a slow start to his innings. However, he was out while trying to cut to point off Boast. Next ball, Boast took his third when Hangargekar fell for a duck with India in danger of not batting the entire 50 overs. And that is what ultimately happened when Ostwal chipped a half-tracker back to legspinner Brevis with India’s score at 232.In the end, though, the 19 deliveries that India did not face did not end up hurting them. Their superior run rate on a two-paced and spinning surface proved too much for South Africa.Ali Naseer hit 73 in just 50 deliveries•ICC via Getty Images

Group A started off with United Arab Emirates riding on the back of seventies from Punya Mehra and Ali Naseer to defeat Canada by 49 runs in Basseterre.Batting first, they put on 70 for the fifth wicket after UAE were 104 for 4 at one stage, and once Mehra was out for 71, Naseer brought out the big shots, including four sixes and five fours, to score 73 in just 50 deliveries. He combined with Nilansh Keswani, who scored 39, in a 69-run sixth-wicket stand as UAE added 92 runs in the last nine-and-a-half overs before Naseer was the last man out in the final over with the total at 284.Canada had three significant batting contributions, with their captain Mihir Patel leading from the front with a 105-ball 96, while opener Anoop Chima made 46 and No. 8 Kairav Sharma scored 43. But with only one other batter crossing double digits, they fell well short, bowled out for 235 in the 47th over.Keswani contributed with the ball too, taking 2 for 32 with his left-arm spin. Legspinner Adithya Shetty grabbed two middle-order wickets, and seam-bowling allrounder Alishan Sharafu dismissed Mihir and Kairav.
In Port of Spain, a century from their captain Emmanuel Bawa and a collective effort from the bowlers helped Zimbabwe crush Papua New Guinea by 228 runs.Batting first, Bawa’s 95-ball 100 – that included ten fours and two sixes – set the tone for others around him to help Zimbabwe post 321. Opener Panashe Taruvinga scored a patient 36, but the rest of the batters went at a much quicker clip. David Bennett scored 58 in 53 balls, Brian Bennett struck a quick-fire 23, Connor Mitchell smacked a run-a-ball 35 and, in the death overs, No. 10 Victor Chirwa cracked a 16-ball 35. Albeit expensive, PNG’s Rasan Kevau took three wickets in ten overs.In response, however, PNG were all out for 93 in 35 overs, their highest partnership reading 23 and their highest individual score being 15. Ngenyasha Zvinoera, Brian Bennett and Chirwa took two wickets each, with one apiece from Tendekai Mataranyika and Mitchell.
In the other Group B match of the day, Ireland’s wicketkeeper-batter Joshua Cox struck an unbeaten 111 to set up a 39-run win over Uganda. Uganda rode on their captain Pascal Murungi’s innings of 63 to stay in contention of the 237-run target, but eventually fell short as a result of four wickets from Ireland’s left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys.Batting first, Ireland had lost four wickets before even crossing 100, but Cox’s 59-run fifth-wicket stand with Philippus le Roux, who got 32, started their recovery. Even though wickets fell around him, Cox at No. 4 stayed undefeated in an innings of eight fours and one six to take Ireland to 236 in the end.In the chase, Humphreys began Uganda’s downfall with two wickets in third over, dismissing both openers cheaply. In the 29th over, he got Pius Olaba to reduce Uganda to 97 for 6. And with Murungi being the lone man standing between Ireland and a win, Humphreys sent him back too in the 42nd over with an lbw. Even though Juna Miyaji hit a 21-ball 38 from No. 9 for Uganda, Ireland seamer Muzamil Sherzad returned in his last spell to clean up the last two wickets to give Ireland the two points.

Even for a team hot on big run chases, it shapes as a daunting prospect to avoid going 2-0 down in series

Andrew McGlashan30-Jun-2023A day which began with the second Test evenly balanced ended with Australia holding a firm grip on this contest, and perhaps with it the Ashes. England folded during the morning session to a myriad of wild shots, conceding a lead of 91, before Usman Khawaja led a determined effort from the visitors’ top order under grey skies which made batting tricky.By the close, which came 27 overs early due to drizzle, Australia’s lead stood at 221 and even for a team that began this Bazball era with a series of big run chases, it shaped as a daunting prospect to avoid going 2-0 down.England had resumed on 278 for 4 after yesterday’s dramatic final session which saw three wickets surrendered to hook shots and Nathan Lyon limp out of the match and most probably the series with a calf strain termed “significant”. But they completely missed the chance to stretch Australia’s bowling resources, losing their last six wickets for 47, and from 188 for 1 their last nine for 137. Harry Brook’s carve into the off side summed up a batting approach that has surely lurched too far, even for this team.They needed early inroads in response, but for the second time in the match Khawaja and David Warner battled through favourable bowling conditions, this time for an opening stand of 63. It was the first time Australia had put together two half-century first-wicket partnerships since 2018, when Khawaja was also part of them alongside Aaron Finch in Dubai.The day had started poorly for England and never got better. The frenetic tempo of the previous evening had been slowed somewhat by Ben Stokes but the captain fell to the second ball of the day when he was squared up by Mitchell Starc and got an outside edge to Cameron Green at gully who held another sharp chance.Brook, who had been dropped on 25, brought up an unconvincing half-century from 63 balls before becoming the latest England batter to fall to the short ball, backing away to the leg side and slicing into the covers. It is the type of stroke that has brought him thrilling runs, but given the state of the game it was another wicket donated especially as it meant Australia were into England’s lengthy tail.Starc, who won the final selection call ahead of Scott Boland having missed out at Edgbaston, was impressive with a spell of 5-0-13-2. Having claimed Joe Root the day before, he showed his wicket-taking value.Jonny Bairstow played within himself before bunting Josh Hazlewood to mid-on and there wasn’t much on offer from the bowlers. Ollie Robinson edged a charge against Travis Head, who will need to shoulder the spin bowling in Lyon’s absence, and Stuart Broad was lbw sweeping.Warner and Khawaja were tested by the new ball with the bat beaten on numerous occasions, especially Warner’s. England did not bowl poorly and could easily have made early inroads, but such is the way a game often goes when a side has not taken previous opportunities that have been presented.They reviewed for an lbw against Warner when he had 5 but replays showed a thin inside edge against James Anderson. On 19, Khawaja was given a life when he pulled to Anderson at midwicket but the chance burst through the hands. Again, dropped chances hurt England.For the second time in the game it was Josh Tongue who made the breakthrough when he trapped Warner lbw from round the wicket to continue his encouraging return to the side. He thought he had claimed Marnus Labuschagne, too, on 3 but the DRS showed he had been struck outside the line to add to umpire Ahsan Raza’s list of overturned decisions.Either side of tea there was another flurry of shouts involving Labuschagne, all of which Broad thought were out as he completed full-length celebrappeals. Stokes made the correct call not to review either of them off the last two balls of the afternoon session – for caught behind and then lbw – but he erred after the break when Labuschagne would have been lbw on 16 to a Broad inswinger. England coach Brendon McCullum relayed the bad news from the balcony and Broad did not hide his frustrations.Labuschagne, who has been skittish throughout the first part of this series, never settled and carved a short, wide delivery from James Anderson to backward point although Anderson could not conjure much of a celebration.By then Khawaja had moved to fifty with a delightful off drive and had visions of ticking off another career highlight with a place on the honours board. As he moved beyond 700 deliveries faced for the series in just four innings it was difficult to escape the feeling that you were watching one of the decisive differences between the teams.

Brisbane-based Queensland captain said the pull of home was too strong after leaving Sydney Thunder

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2022Australia Test opener Usman Khawaja has signed a four-year deal with Brisbane Heat and will captain his new club in the upcoming season when available after departing Sydney Thunder for family reasons.Khawaja lives in Brisbane with his family and is Queensland’s Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup captain but had remained with Thunder in the BBL up until now. The length of the contract means he will stay with Heat until he is at least 39.Khawaja’s move to Heat had long been touted after he announced he was departing Thunder in February. Khawaja noted at the time it was “the toughest call” he had made as a cricketer having been a foundation member of Sydney Thunder since the BBL started in 2011-12. He was a key figure in Thunder’s lone title in 2015-16 scoring 104 not out in the semi-final against Adelaide Strikers and 70 off 40 in the winning final against Melbourne Stars. He also captained Thunder last season.Related

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“I always thought I would finish off as a Thunder player, but it is funny how things change,” Khawaja said. “I’ve said it for a long time, that Brisbane is home, Queensland is home, and to be here, captain of Queensland, and now joining the Heat – it is really exciting.”I know I will be playing in front of my family, and a home crowd, when I am at the Gabba or Metricon Stadium with the Heat. I love the Thunder and the Thunder Nation, but at the same time, this is a change that comes at the right time.”It wasn’t an easy decision, it was a very tough one, but the timing just feels right. I like to say I used to be an honorary Queensland and now I am one.”I have been loosely tied with the Heat through my Queensland roles for several years, and so I am looking forward to the challenge of trying something new by joining them now. I do love playing in the BBL and now I am with the Heat for the coming years, I am very excited.”Khawaja’s move to Heat fills the void left by Chris Lynn after the clubelected not to re-sign the BBL’s all-time leading runscorer following 11 seasons at the club.Khawaja will be Heat’s captain when he is available but he is set to miss the first part of the upcoming BBL season while on Test duty for Australia. He is set to be available following the completion of the Sydney Test against South Africa on January 8 with the BBL season likely to run until the end of that month. Jimmy Peirson, who captained Heat last season, will lead Heat when Khawaja is unavailable.Khawaja is passionate about the BBL and was vocal about the future direction of the competition stating that Cricket Australia needs to consider private investment in the near term.

Both teams come into the clash with two wins in two games

S Sudarshanan08-Mar-20235:27

Matthews punches well above her base price

A Lanning vs Harmanpreet clash in March

After the epic final of the Women’s T20 World Cup in March 2020, Meg Lanning and Harmanpreet Kaur yet again lead opposite teams in a top-of-the-table clash in the WPL.Lanning-led Delhi Capitals are quite on a roll, with the Australian captain herself hitting back-to-back half-centuries at the top of the order. Capitals’ batting line-up is one of envy – power-hitters aplenty – and they have bowlers in Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp and Shikha Pandey who have delivered in one spell or the other.Mumbai Indians have strung together a side filled with allrounders and they are firing in unison. If Harmanpreet’s heroics following Hayley Matthews’ explosive start at the top helped them in the chase in the opener, their bowlers stymied Royal Challengers Bangalore and cruised in the second game, with Matthews starring in an all-round effort.The Mumbai versus Capitals game could well be one of the contenders of the ‘final before the final’ though the WPL has a fair distance to go.

Players to watch

Shortish boundaries combined with flat surfaces could mean that it could be a perfect time for Marizanne Kapp to show her experience mainly with the ball. In the opening contest, she was a tad expensive after her cameo with the bat and if she does play her third successive game, she could be one of the key players to Capitals’ success.Amelia Kerr contributed with bat and ball in the opening contest and was taken for runs against Royal Challengers, though she picked up a couple of wickets to hasten the end. Having had the better of Lanning for some time now in international cricket, that is a player battle to relish.Marizanne Kapp will have to bring all her experience to the fore•BCCI

Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals (possible): 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Marizanne Kapp, 4 Jemimah Rodrigues, 5 Alice Capsey/Laura Harris, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Arundhati Reddy/Titas Sadhu, 9 Shikha Pandey, 10 Radha Yadav, 11 Tara NorrisMumbai Indians (possible): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr/Chloe Tryon, 6 Pooja Vastrakar, 7 Issy Wong, 8 Humaira Kazi, 9, Amanjot Kaur, 10 Jintimani Kalita, 11 Saika Ishaque

Stats and trivia

• Both Capitals and Mumbai have two players each among the top five scorers in the WPL so far
• Mumbai have played three uncapped players while Capitals are yet to play one

Quotes

“Seeing the enjoyment and smile on her face out [from] her playing cricket again, that’s something I am pleased with, as her team-mate in a number of teams. It’s hard to believe Meg Lanning could get better. She was already incredible before her break, but has come [back] with a new lease of life.”
“Being a bit more responsible at the crease is something I had to pull on with the West Indies and that has helped me in my T20 game as a whole. Probably, [I] wasn’t getting the number of runs I would have wanted in the past due to giving away my hand quite a bit. Now that I am being forced with responsibility at the international level, it’s helped me realise how to plan my T20 innings.”

The development will allow players from England and Bangladesh to play in the IPL when it resumes in September

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2021The ECB and BCB have confirmed that England’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh has been rescheduled to March 2023. The tour, comprising both ODIs and T20Is, was originally slated to take place in September-October this year, ahead of the T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman.Both the ECB and BCB put out statements to the effect on Tuesday morning, saying it was “mutually decided” to reschedule the series. “The tour is planned to take place in the first two weeks of March 2023, with three ODIs and three T20Is due to take place in Dhaka and Chattogram,” the statements said.Related

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While the BCB has said that the proposal to reschedule the games had come from the ECB, sources within the England board told ESPNcricinfo on Monday that it was being postponed on the BCB’s request, with Covid-19 protocols possibly playing a part in the decision. It may be relevant, however, that the decision will allow many of those involved to return to the IPL when it resumes in the UAE on September 19 . The IPL was postponed after 29 matches earlier this year following a spike in Covid-19 cases within many teams’ bio-bubbles.The ECB is set to allow their players to take part in the remainder of the tournament, having said that it will provide ideal preparation for the T20 World Cup, which will be staged in the same part of the world a few weeks later.The players not involved in the IPL, meanwhile, will get a chance to rest before England embark on a packed winter touring schedule that includes the T20 World Cup, which begins on October 17, and the Ashes in Australia. England are also scheduled to tour Pakistan for two T20Is on October 14 and 15 as part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup. The PCB and ECB are currently confident this tour will go ahead.Ashley Giles had earlier said that England were not planning on making changes to their plans to accommodate the IPL•PA Images/Getty

The ECB has also indicated that it will complete England’s aborted limited-overs tour of South Africa at some stage.In May this year, Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, had stressed that England were not planning on making any changes to their plans to accommodate the IPL.The discussion then had been around rejigging the schedule of the upcoming home Test series against India, which is set to begin on Wednesday. The question was whether the dates for the Test series could change to enable a larger window for the IPL. The fifth day of the final Test of the series is September 14, with England originally having been scheduled to leave for Bangladesh less than a week after that. The IPL, meanwhile, will resume on September 19 and run until October 15.The England cricketers expected to link up with their IPL squads are Moeen Ali and Sam Curran (Chennai Super Kings), Sam Billings, Tom Curran, and Chris Woakes (Delhi Capitals), Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders), Chris Jordan and Dawid Malan (Punjab Kings), Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals), and Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy (Sunrisers Hyderabad). The Royals also had Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, and Liam Livingstone in their ranks to start with, but all of them were withdrawn for one reason or another during the first leg in April-May. Shakib Al Hasan (Knight Riders) and Mustafizur Rahman (Royals) are the only Bangladeshis in the IPL.As for Bangladesh, they will begin a five-match T20I series at home against Australia – the first bilateral T20I series between the two sides – today and are also expected to host New Zealand before the T20 World Cup.

Both teams have not been in great form in the format in recent times

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Jul-2025

Big picture: Two teams in choppy T20I form

So far on tour [two Tests and three ODIs], Bangladesh have one win from five matches. This, they will feel, is not an apt reflection of how competitive they have been in Sri Lanka. They were running the back end of the first Test in Galle, were more competitive than Sri Lanka’s margins of victory suggested in the ODIs, and have had some promising players make significant contributions.The problem for Bangladesh is that T20I is the format they have been in the worst form. They have lost 11 of their last 15 T20Is. Even against Sri Lanka, who have not been especially good themselves in T20Is recently, they have lost four matches to the two won since 2020.Related

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There is added incentive here. Next year, part of the T20 World Cup will be played in Sri Lanka. The schedule for that tournament is yet to be released, but this could potentially be an important opportunity for Bangladesh’s younger players to become accustomed to these surfaces and grounds.Sri Lanka are in the midst of their most serious attempt at regeneration since their great T20 team of the early 2010s waned. It is difficult to know what to expect. They have both Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka in form. But as a team, they are yet to string together consistent T20 performances, losing eight of their last 13 matches. In the T20 World Cup last year, their defeat to Bangladesh effectively put them out of the tournament.They have momentum on this tour, though, and with there only being one free day between the end of the ODI series and the start of the T20Is, Sri Lanka will hope their momentum carries them through.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: WLLLW
Bangladesh: LLLLLLitton Das needs to find form with the bat•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Litton Das and Sri Lanka allrounders

There is currently a captaincy spot up for grabs for Bangladesh, with Najmul Hossain Shanto having stepped down as captain after the second Test. Litton Das could potentially be their next leader in the longest format, though he is not the frontrunner right now (you’d think that would be Mehidy Hasan Miraz). But for that to become a serious possibility, he would have to lead Bangladesh well in the format he currently captain of – T20Is. And he would probably need to contribute runs to their victories as well. Although he was dropped from the one-day team after making a duck in the first match, he had hit 90 in the Galle Test.While in ODIs, Sri Lanka are trying to develop a seam-bowling allrounder with an eye on the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, in T20Is, it seems like Sri Lanka are more intent on trialling Chamika Karunaratne and Dasun Shanaka for that role. On tracks that take big spin, Dunith Wellalage can turn the ball at speed, and also has outstanding control. But Sri Lanka want some big-hitting capability in their XI, and Wellalage doesn’t quite have the power game at present.Taskin Ahmed is expected to start for Bangladesh•AFP/Getty Images

Team news

Khaled Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud are out of the T20I squad, so Bangladesh have to make two changes in the bowling department. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman are likely to play ahead of Shoriful Islam and Mohammad Saifuddin. They also have choices in the spin department, though that would depend on how they perceive the Pallekele pitch.Bangladesh (probable XI): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanSri Lanka’s main question will be the make-up of their attack. They’ll likely want two frontline quicks – Matheesha Pathirana the likeliest to play, but Binura Fernando and Nuwan Thushara also in with a good chance. On the spin-bowling front, Jeffrey Vandersay will likely replace the injured Wanindu Hasaranga.The other question is allrounders. Wellalage, Dasun Shanaka, and Karunaratne are all in a fight for a spot.Sri Lanka (probable XI): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Dunith Wellalage/Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Jeffrey Vandersay, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Nuwan Thushara, 11 Matheesha Pathirana

Pitch and conditions

Pallekele can often be a high-scoring ground, particularly if there is a little rain around and the ball becomes difficult for the bowlers to grip. There are showers floating around the hills surrounding Pallekele frequently, but this is generally not one of the wetter parts of the year.

Stats and trivia

• In four T20Is so far, Wellalage has taken six wickets and maintained an economy of less than six. But his batting is less impressive in this format – he has a strike rate of 106 in T20s.
  
• Litton Das is yet to hit a fifty as captain. After ten innings at the helm, he has hit 158 runs at a strike rate of 120.
  
• Sri Lanka last played Bangladesh at this venue in this format in March 2013. Sri Lanka won that game.

  Quotes

  “Sri Lanka were better, and that’s why they won the ODIs. In T20s, if you play good cricket on the day, you will win. They have a lot of experience playing here, and overall, their bowling is strong with several mystery bowlers.”
  “The important thing is managing players. We have to give the players who come into the scene a decent run and keep them in good form for the World Cup. We hope the LPL will take place before the World Cup and that’s a big thing for us.”

Fortune Barishal batter Munim Shahriar earns maiden call-up; Najmul Hossain Shanto, Nurul Hasan left out

Mohammad Isam21-Feb-2022Shakib Al Hasan is back in Bangladesh’s T20I squad after having skipped the three-match series at home against Pakistan in November last year. Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das, who were both dropped for the Pakistan T20Is, also returned to the squad for the upcoming two-match series against Afghanistan.Munim Shahriar, who was among the breakout stars of BPL 2022, was also included in the squad.The comebacks of Mushfiqur and Litton were always on the cards, given their experience. Mumnim’s presence, meanwhile, brings freshness to the group. The 23-year-old showed the willingness to take risks in the powerplay and gave Fortune Barishal good starts in at least four of his six appearances this BPL.Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Nurul Hasan, Shamim Hossain, Aminul Islam and  Akbar Ali were left out of the squad.Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector, said that Shamim and Nurul could still be part of Bangladesh’s plans.”We need a bit of stability in our T20 side,” Minhajul Abedin said. “Shamim and (Nurul Hasan) Sohan aren’t out of the system. We will keep an eye on them. We have picked Munim Shahriar after following him for a year since he was included in the High Performance squad.”Legspinner Aminul was also dropped, which isn’t a big surprise given the Bangladesh selectors and management’s reluctance towards that variety of spin. Akbar too lost his place, mainly because of the return of Mushfiqur and Litton.The selectors, however, retained Mohammad Naim, hoping he finds form despite a poor BPL campaign.The T20I series will begin on March 3 in Dhaka, three days after the end of the ODI series in Chattogram. Dhaka will also host the second – and final – T20I on March 5.Bangladesh T20I squad: Mahmudullah (capt.), Litton Das, Munim Shahriar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Yasir Ali, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Shohidul Islam, Mohammad NaimIn: Litton Das, Munim Shahriar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur RahimOut: Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Nurul Hasan, Shamim Hossain, Aminul Islam, Akbar Ali

Wood has already picked eight wickets and Mayers has displayed two stunning shows of power-hitting

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2023Lucknow Super Giants may have lost to Chennai Super Kings on Monday night after leaking 217 runs, but their bowling coach Morne Morkel sees the rise of their two international players as “a bonus” in the IPL. Mark Wood has already picked up eight wickets after hauls of 5 for 14 and 3 for 49, and Kyle Mayers is only behind Ruturaj Gaikwad on the run-scorers’ list following scores of 73 off 38 and 53 off 22 balls.”There’s a lot to like about Mark Wood. He’s running in, he’s bowling at 150, that aggressive length,” Morkel said after the match. “He’s a strike bowler for us. It’s only his third game in the IPL. He’s still finding his feet in the subcontinent, especially in the IPL, where the margins are quite tough and it’s a lot of quality players. So, for me, it’s just talking through different periods where he’s possibly going to bowl and ensure he’s clear with his plans.”But one thing about Woody is that he’s won a World Cup, he’s got a lot of experience, he’s played for years in the England team that knows the recipe for success. So, yeah, my advice for him is not to over-think it now that he’s playing in the IPL. He’s been picked for a reason – he’s bowling pace; make use of that as best as possible and, yeah, target certain batters to really go and express himself.”Related

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Wood has certainly done that in the two matches this season. Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan and Axar Patel were among his five against Delhi Capitals, and against Super Kings, he had Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni.It’s not been a bad start for Mayers either. He is currently top on ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats for Total Impact, with 235.52 impact points, with Gaikwad (212.51) at No. 2 and Wood (156.75) at No. 3. (Click here to read about ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats)”Very happy to see Kyle [perform]. I have played with him a little bit at St Lucia Zouks back in the day [in the CPL]. It’s amazing to see him sort of move on, he’s progressed into a quality white-ball player,” Morkel said. “Saw him in Durban [in the SA20 league] and he played these sorts of innings where upfront he really puts the bowlers under a lot of pressure. And to see him now in top form is also great.”It’s no secret that Mayers’ form has caused a happy headache in the Super Giants camp. After all, he was only the back-up for Quinton de Kock, who should be arriving soon for them after finishing the Netherlands ODIs at home. What happens then?2:50

Did Super Giants get their batting order wrong?

“How we’re going to work that out, luckily that’s not for me to think about,” Morkel said. ” But yeah, it’s fantastic to see him (Mayers) upfront, firing, and playing well and in form.”However, Super Giants fell short in their massive chase despite powering to 79 for 0 in 5.2 overs before Mayers got out. Even though they got close in the end, their Nos. 3 and 4 – Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya – fell for just 2 and 9 in the next two overs. On ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out show, Tom Moody, said the fall of the first wicket was the ideal time to send out Nicholas Pooran. Super Giants instead batted Pooran at No. 6, when they were 105 for 4 and needed 113 off the last 10.”They had a good start with Mayers and KL Rahul… got them off to a flier, really more courtesy of Mayers’ beautiful striking. At that point, when the left-hander got dismissed [in the sixth over], Nicholas Pooran had to come in at that point,” Moody said. “Because that was the last over of the powerplay and at that point, MS Dhoni had no choice really but to play a left-arm spinner at some point, whether a Santner or Jadeja. And Pooran has got a phenomenal record against left-arm spin.”I know that he’s selected to be that middle-order finisher but this is a different situation, this is where you’re chasing a huge total, you need your trump card.”

The Australia captain replaces South Africa’s Aiden Markram in the role

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2024Pat Cummins has been appointed captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2024, replacing Aiden Markram who had led the team in the 2023 season.Cummins has not led a side in the IPL before – in fact, he has not led a team in top-flight T20 cricket before – but his appointment comes after a successful period as captain of Australia, during which he led them to victory in the World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup, with both wins in the finals coming against India.The move means that SRH will have the flexibility of playing their new signings – Australian batter Travis Head and Sri Lankan legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga – in addition to finisher Heinrich Klaasen instead of Markram if they want to do so, while Cummins slots in as the overseas fast bowler. Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi and South Africa’s Marco Jansen are the other overseas quicks in the squad, while New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips rounds off their roster of eight overseas players.Related

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Cummins had withdrawn from IPL 2023 to focus on international cricket but entered the auction for the 2024 season, where he became the first player in IPL history to get a bid of INR 20 crore (USD 2.4 million approximately). SRH’s record bid of INR 20.50 crore (USD 2.47 million approximately) for Cummins was shortly broken by Kolkata Knight Riders, who bid INR 24.75 crores (USD 2.98 million approximately) for Mitchell Starc. Cummins, coincidentally, had been part of the KKR squad from 2020 to 2022.