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A century-stand between Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel, both of whom scored effortless half-centuries, helped Sunrisers Hyderabad cruise to an eight-wicket win over Kandurata Maroons

The Report by Devashish Fuloria17-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Shikhar Dhawan was named Man of the Match for yet another dominating innings•BCCI

A century-stand between Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel, both of whom scored effortless half-centuries, and a late cameo by Thisara Perera helped Sunrisers Hyderabad cruise to an eight-wicket win over Kandurata Maroons. Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne also scored aggressive half-centuries to set up a strong target, but Kandurata’s bowling and fielding crumbled against persistent attack from Sunrisers’ batsmen to be left in a position from where they need to win both their remaining matches.Chasing 169, Dhawan and Parthiv never let the pressure of the chase build as they kept finding the boundaries from the start of the innings. It was Parthiv who got the chase going with a flurry of boundaries through the off side, but Dhawan soon caught up with his partner with well-timed shots on either side of the ground and in the form that he has displayed this year, there was not much the bowlers could do to stem the flow of runs.Kandurata, in a bid to curtail the burgeoning opening stand, threw the ball to Ajantha Mendis in the sixth over but he was greeted by three consecutive boundaries from Dhawan. Parthiv was hitting the ball twice as hard as Dhawan while getting only half the speed behind it, but on a true pitch and a fast outfield, he too derived full value for his shots. The two batsmen took the score past 100 in the 11th over.Kandurata sensed a comeback when 33 were required off the last 23 deliveries after Dhawan’s dismissal, but Perera smashed four boundaries and two sixes to finish off the challenge.In a game in which eight of the nine batsmen to bat were left-handers, Sangakkara and Thirimanne had played risk-free knocks to power Kandurata to a strong total. The two batsmen rotated the strike for a few overs, maintaining a run-rate of more than six, and started accelerating in the second half of the innings.Thirimanne was the more aggressive of the two, bringing up his half-century off 37 deliveries, but after hitting Ishant Sharma for two boundaries in the 15th over, missed a yorker. Sangakkara took over the scoring from that point onwards, finding boundaries at will with clever flicks and deft touches as he brought up his half-century off 36 balls. But he was not left with the pressure of scoring all the runs – Dilhara Lokuhettige played a brisk innings of 21 off 10 deliveries – as Kandurata ransacked 56 from the last five overs.Dale Steyn, coming off a three-month injury lay-off, struggled with his rhythm; he bowled a leg-stump line in the first over and was taken for 15 runs. While Steyn was off colour, the presence of left-handers in Kandurata’s line-up meant Dhawan hesitated from using the two legspinners in the side. Amit Mishra was introduced in the 15th over and bowled just one over while Karan Sharma didn’t get to bowl.

Morne Morkel, who limped out of the Champions Trophy with a quad strain, has been named in the South Africa squad to tour Sri Lanka for a five-match ODI series

Firdose Moonda04-Jul-2013Morne Morkel, who limped out of the Champions Trophy with a quad strain, has been named in South Africa’s squad to tour Sri Lanka later this month. The group will be under the control of newly-appointed head coach Russell Domingo and will play five ODIs and three T20s but no Tests because of a request by the SLC to postpone the longer format.While Domingo has one pace ace back, he will be without another. Dale Steyn, has been left out of the squad as he still needs about three weeks of recovery after a side-strain and groin injury dented his participation in the Champions Trophy. Steyn played only one of South Africa’s four games and will be rested to ensure he is fully fit for the upcoming summer which includes a trip to the UAE and incoming tours by India and Australia.The rest of the fifty-over squad had a familiar look about it with only one change to the 15 who were at the Champions Trophy. Wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock has been recalled and could slot in at the top to partner Hashim Amla, although he will have to compete with Alviro Petersen for a place.”Consistency in selection” has been one of convenor Andrew Hudson’s catchphrases during his time in the job and it continues to be the mantra for the national team. As a result, the Domingo days begin in much the same way as the Gary Kirsten era ended although the demands on the new coach appear greater.While Kirsten was tasked with securing the Test mace above all else, Domingo has been asked to maintain that stature and return South Africa’s ODI squad to their form of years gone by – when losing a series was uncommon – and to have an eye on winning the 2015 World Cup. His building for that event starts in Sri Lanka.”I want to try and get consistency in one-day cricket and stick to selecting a group of about 18 players over the next few years,” Domingo said at his press conference in Johannesburg. “I don’t think South Africa have won in Sri Lanka, so if you’re looking for a tough assignment, this is one of the toughest. I would love to have hosted a team in South Africa and played in our conditions but that’s not the cards that were dealt. This is a challenge but if we can get through with a positive result, it will be a good start.”An obvious speedbump on that road is the lack of seniority in the ranks. Graeme Smith could not be considered for the tour because he is still recovering from ankle surgery. Team management remains hopeful he will be ready for the Tests against Pakistan in October but will only have clarity by early September.Jacques Kallis is the other notable absentee. He has not played an ODI in 17 months and speculation has grown over his future in the shorter formats. Kallis made himself unavailable for the Champions Trophy for personal reasons although Kirsten said he would be on standby for major tournaments.Now, even that has become unclear and Domingo indicated there will be decision made on his further involvement in fifty-over cricket soon. “We’re going to have to have a discussion with Jacques about his future in the shorter version,” Domingo said. “We’re trying to put a squad together that will take us to World Cups. There needs to be a discussion in terms of where he is at and whether we see him adding value in those tournaments.”

South Africa squads

• South Africa ODI squad: AB de Villiers (capt.), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan Mclaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

• South Africa T20 squad: Faf du Plessis (capt.), Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, David Wiese

• South Africa A squad for four-day matches: Justin Ontong (capt.), Kyle Abbott, Temba Bavuma, Marchant de Lange, Dean Elgar, Ayabulela Gqamane, Simon Harmer, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Rilee Rossouw, Thami Tsolekile, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Stiaan van Zyl, Hardus Viljoen

• South Africa A squad for one-day matches: Justin Ontong (capt.), Kyle Abbott, Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar, Ayabulela Gqamane, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Richard Levi, Rilee Rossouw, Yaseen Vallie, Roelof van der Merwe, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Dane Vilas, Hardus Viljoen

Although the World Cup is foremost in South African administrators minds’, they also have an eye on next year’s World Twenty20. Domingo has been in charge of the T20 squad since December. In what has been a largely experimental phase, South Africa beat New Zealand in a three-match series but lost to Pakistan.Domingo now seems to have settled on an outfit, which will be captained by Faf du Plessis. Robin Peterson has been left out, with Imran Tahir the second spinner. The Pakistan-born legspinner has not played for South Africa since being smacked for 260 runs in a Test match against Australia in Adelaide, but has enjoyed a strong return in domestic cricket. Tahir took 12 wickets in the domestic T20 competition last season at an average of 23.58 and was the second-highest wicket-taking spinner behind Aaron Phangiso. Domingo hopes the two will combine well at international level too and that Tahir’s wicket-taking abilities will come to the fore.”To have him to bowl in the middle of innings is massive. With the conditions we will be playing in and the World T20 in Bangladesh next year, he has got to come into the picture,” Domingo said. “His performances have shown he has overcome whatever perceived mental frailties he had after the Australia series. He is a tough guy.”Allrounder David Wiese is the only new face in the T20 squad. He has earned his place through strong performances with the A side and boasts a strike rate of 172.46 in the format. He was chosen over the likes of Marchant de Lange, who the selectors feel is still working his way back into form after stress fractures robbed him of a summer of his career.De Lange has been included in the A squad to play Australia A in two four-day matches later this month as part of a plan to bring him back into contention for the senior squad. South Africa A play two unofficial Tests against their Australian counterparts and a fifty-over tri-series which also includes India A.As is often the case, nobody will be able to accuse them of being underprepared when the big challenges arrive later in the year. But that has seldom been the main issue for South Africa’s coaches to deal with. Instead, theirs has always been a case of resolving the mental conundrum that continues to hold South Africa back in major tournaments.Domingo admitted healing the wounds from the Champions Trophy exit will be his foremost in his mind when the team tours Sri Lanka. “If anybody says it’s not hurting, then their heart is not in the right place,” he said.”Whether we choked or not is another case but if you look at it, England are ranked higher than us, which says they have been playing more consistent cricket. For us to have the expectation that we could beat them was maybe getting ahead of ourselves. It hurts the players when we don’t win and when we disappoint people. It will need some mending to get over.” He hopes Colombo on July 20 will be the first band-aid.

Key moments from the fith day of the 1st Investec Test between England and South Africa at The Oval

Firdose Moonda and George Dobell23-Jul-2012 Interest of the day

Test cricket has flirted with extinction but it is likely that it will not get there for a long, long time. If you needed any proof of its vitality you need only have disembarked at the Oval underground station at around 10.30 on Monday morning. The train was packed and the touts were doing a roaring trade. Fifth-day tickets were a fifth of the price of the other days and school holidays had started but it was a working day and England up against it, which might have lessened the support base. Nothing of the sort happened. When play started, two-thirds of the seats were filled and after four sold-out days, more than 100,000 people had seen some play at The Oval.Drop of the day

AB de Villiers did a handy job in the first innings, when he held on to every catch that came his way but the same cannot be said of the second. With South Africa five wickets away from a series lead, Imran Tahir sent down a venomous legbreak, with enough turn and bounce to take the edge off Ian Bell’s block. Bell was half forward, the catch was fairly simple and de Villiers had two attempts to complete it but could not hold on to register his first fluff behind the stumps. Bell was on 20 at the time and went on to make a stubborn half-century so vital to England’s cause that he received a standing ovation.Celeb-spot of the day

With Olympic fever raging in the air, there was every chance the five rings themselves would make an appearance. They did not quite make it to The Oval but an Olympian did: South Africa’s 4 x 100 metre gold medallist Ryk Neethling, who will compete at the London Games was in attendance when South Africa wrapped up a famous win. The timing of the Games has meant the national cricket team has received support from people who do not usually get to watch them. Two days earlier, the country’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula, who is in the United Kingdom to set up the South African athletes village, was also at the ground to congratulate Graeme Smith on his century in his 100th Test.Contrast of the day:

The dismissal of Matt Prior, top-edging a sweep to slip, produced wildly-contrasting emotions in the batsman and bowler. Matt Prior, aghast at the sheer awfulness of his stroke, was rooted to his crease, head in his hands, coming to terms with the injury he had inflicted upon his team. Imran Tahir, meanwhile, celebrated with the unbridled enthusiasm that has made him such an endearing player. By the time Prior dragged himself from the crease, Tahir was at deep fine leg running in circles and bellowing with joy.Over rule of the day:

England’s last hope died when Stuart Broad, a man with a Test century to his name, was caught down the leg side. It was an interesting decision by the TV Umpire, Kumar Dharmasena. While the on-field umpire – Asad Rauf – had given a ‘not out’ decision and there were no obvious signs of contact from Hot Spot, Dharmasena made his decision partially on the evidence of the stump microphones, which did suggest contact with the glove, and partially on replay evidence which, while not conclusive, was certainly suggestive. He was probably right, but whether there was enough evidence to overrule the on-field umpire was a moot point.Concern of the day:

Amid all the South African celebrations, there was just one area of concern for South Africa: the performance of AB de Villiers as a stand-in wicketkeeper was increasingly unconvincing. He dropped Ian Bell, on 20, standing up to Imran Tahir and his failure to reach the stumps in time to collect JP Duminy’s throw – not the first time in the match that de Villiers failed to do this – also cost South Africa the chance of running Bell out on 28. England were unable to make South Africa pay for the error but, when the tourists select their team for the second Test, they may reflect that their top six is perfectly adequate and they could so with the specialist keeping skills of Thami Tsolekile. If that is the case, it may prove bad news for Duminy. Perhaps if Duminy’s throw had hit, de Villiers error may have gone unnoticed?

Scotland moved into second place in the Intercontinental Cup table with a seven-wicket victory although it wasn’t without a few nervous moments

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2012
ScorecardRichie Berrington and Majid Haq celebrate their match-winning stand•ICC

Scotland moved into second place in the Intercontinental Cup table with a seven-wicket victory against UAE in Sharjah although it wasn’t without a few nervous moments. Chasing 114 they slipped to 40 for 3 before an unbroken fourth-wicket stand between Majid Haq and Richie Berrington ensured no further problems.UAE had made Scotland work hard on the third day but late strikes boosted the visitors and the last three wickets could only add another 32 runs on the final morning. Safyaan Sharif claimed two of the scalps while Haq took the other to finish with 3 for 72 from 49.2 overs of hard work.The home side, though, didn’t give up as Scotland’s top three were removed with 40 on the board. However, the in-form Berrington, who hit 110 in the first innings, steadied the chase alongside the experienced Haq as the pair played positively.The result leaves Scotland 18 points behind Ireland while UAE are clumped in a tight mid-table where six points separate Netherlands in six and UAE in third.

A furious 57-ball 82 from David Warner helped Australia A to a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe XI on the final afternoon of the first four-day game at the Country Club in Harare

The Bulletin by Liam Brickhill18-Jul-2011
ScorecardElton Chigumbura’s battling hundred helped take Zimbabwe XI’s match against Australia A into the final session•Zimbabwe Cricket

A furious 57-ball 82 from David Warner helped Australia A to a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe XI on the final afternoon of the first four-day game at the Country Club in Harare. Zimbabwe battled hard to push the match into the final session, however, with Elton Chigumbura’s run-a-ball 108 and Hamilton Masakadza’s 91 setting up a second-innings total of 346 before Australia chased down the 138 required to win in just under 27 overs.Zimbabwe had started the day 75 runs adrift of making the Australians bat again, and when Keegan Meth and Craig Ervine departed cheaply in consecutive overs from Mitchell Marsh, it was not assured that they would do so. Masakadza and Chigumbura fought back gamely, the former raising a patient fifty from 123 balls and the latter regaining his spark with the bat during an adventurous knock.They added 102 for the sixth wicket at better than five an over before Masakadza, who had picked up his tempo after passing fifty, presented a catch to Peter Siddle off the bowling of Trent Copeland. Zimbabwe were 249 for 6 with his dismissal – a lead of just 40 – and neither Malcolm Waller nor Brian Vitori lasted long.Chigumbura kept up the fight, attacking the bowlers with disdain to raise a 96-ball hundred with a flurry of boundaries. He hit 16 fours and four sixes in total, but eventually paid the price for his aggression when he charged out at Michael Beer only to be neatly stumped by Tim Paine. Nos. 10 and 11 Tendai Chatara and Njabulo Ncube clung on for a few more overs, but when Ncube was trapped in front of his stumps by Beer, Australia were presented with a relatively modest target of 138 runs, and 36 overs in which to get them.As he has done all tour, Warner showed no sign of hesitancy against the new ball and sprinted to a 41-ball half-century before losing his partner Phil Hughes with the score at 86. Warner continued to attack but fell in touching distance of the win, stumped by Regis Chakabva off Malcolm Waller. Australia then lost Usman Khawaja, bowled by Vitori, but captain Paine strode to the crease and hit his second ball for four to end the match.The teams meet in the second and final four-day game at Harare Sports Club in three days time.

In stark contrast to the silence that accompanied the listless defence against Kings XI Punjab, the Eden Gardens faithful responded passionately to a charged performance from Kolkata Knight Riders

The Bulletin by George Binoy07-Apr-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirender Sehwag’s half-century was his slowest in the IPL•Indian Premier League

In stark contrast to the silence that accompanied the listless defence against Kings XI Punjab, the Eden Gardens faithful responded passionately to a charged performance from Kolkata Knight Riders, which derailed Delhi Daredevils’ chase to secure an invaluable 14-run victory. At the heart of the turnaround was Sourav Ganguly, who scored a half-century to build a challenging total, after which he fielded like few believed he could: the direct hit that ran out Gautam Gambhir ended a threatening 99-run partnership and turned the game Kolkata’s way.The result took them level on 10 points with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the fourth-placed team.It nearly didn’t happen for Kolkata though. Virender Sehwag, who was reprieved on 7 when the umpire failed to hear or see an edge, threatened to deliver Delhi their seventh win. His partnership with Gambhir put Delhi on course and he completed a 34-ball half-century, his slowest in the IPL. It was greeted with silence by Eden Gardens. Delhi needed 48 off 32 balls with seven wickets in hand when Ajit Agarkar’s inswinger crashed into Sehwag’s stumps, and the slide had begun.Ajantha Mendis, chosen ahead of Shane Bond because of a dry pitch, had Kedar Jadhav caught at cover – Ganguly jumping to intercept a hard drive – in the 17th over. The next, from left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, was pivotal. He bowled Farveez Maharoof with one that pitched middle and hit off, before reacting athletically to run out Rajat Bhatia three balls later.The decisive blow was struck by Ashok Dinda in the penultimate over when Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata’s last threat, pulled to Brendon McCullum at midwicket. His exit left Delhi needing 30 off 10 balls, a task too hard for Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra. It was fitting that Dinda landed the last blow, for he had struck the first during an astonishing opening over. He hurried David Warner with four skiddy deliveries, cramping him for room, before beating him with the fifth – a quick one that uprooted offstump before Warner had brought his bat down. Delhi knew then that they were in for a scrap.Unlike Ganguly, who used the pace of Dinda, Agarkar and Angelo Mathews, Gambhir instructed his bowlers – from Maharoof to Rajat Bhatia – to take the pace of the ball. It didn’t work immediately for Kolkata made their best score at the end of ten overs this season – 88 – and had all wickets intact.Chris Gayle, who had scored 40 off 21, fell soon after though, missing a swipe against Bhatia, and Ganguly followed in similar fashion against Vettori. Brendon McCullum was run out cheaply too and Kolkata scored only 30 runs between overs 12 and 16 to reach 130 for 3.The innings needed acceleration and it was provided by Mathews and Tiwary. Mathews had been dropped Bhatia on 10 – a caught and bowled opportunity – and he made Delhi pay with two well-aimed blows over long-on. Tiwary joined in the hitting right at the end, and they boosted the innings by taking 18 runs off Mishra’s last over. Their partnership was worth 70 in 6.5 overs, and it helped set Delhi a testing target in a match vital to Kolkata’s semi-final chances.

Mark Robinson, the outgoing England Under-19 coach, is confident his young side can develop their game in first-class cricket this summer, following their inconsistent World Cup campaign

Cricinfo staff30-Jan-2010Mark Robinson, the outgoing England Under-19 coach, is confident his young side can develop their game in first-class cricket this summer, following their inconsistent World Cup campaign.Robinson will return to his normal position as coach of Sussex and expects to come up against the players he worked with as the season progresses. England topped their group after beating defending champions India but were knocked out in the quarter-finals by West Indies. Things got worse when they were defeated by India in a fifth-place play-off semi final and New Zealand in the seventh-place play-off.Despite the results, Robinson identified batsman James Vince, who played nine first-class games and averaged 51.40 from six 50-over games for Hampshire in 2009, along with captain Azeem Rafiq, who has made a handful of appearances for Yorkshire, left-arm seamer David Payne and Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes as the players particularly ready for the rigours of the first-class game.”Obviously Vince is quite experienced,” Robinson told ecb.co.uk. “But he’s somebody who would look to get more opportunities on the back of what happened to him last summer and the experience of being abroad.”Rafiq is an outstanding captain and led the team really, really well and is a fierce competitor. He needs more exposure in an ideal world to first-team cricket now. Payne was the most consistent bowler throughout the tournament on the English team and again I’d expect him to get exposure in the first team. Stokes’ batting was exciting as an all-rounder.”Robinson insisted his side would hope to beat West Indies “nine times out of 10″, but felt hosts New Zealand were physically stronger than his side. It was an aspect Robinson noted about a few of the Southern Hemisphere sides.”The South African team to look at – we didn’t play against them – and the New Zealand team we did play against were physically stronger than us, physically more developed, and looked a more powerful team. It was the same with all the teams, they’ve got a group of 18-19-year-olds, you have players of different maturity both experience-wise and also physically.”We probably looked a little bit inferior physically to the Southern Hemisphere. I think that’s because the rugby side of the game, which they play as their winter sport.”

Hockley stepped into the job last June following the sacking of Kevin Roberts

Andrew McGlashan31-May-2021Nick Hockley has been named the new permanent chief executive of Cricket Australia, having held the role in an interim capacity for almost a year.Hockley stepped into the job last June following the sacking of Kevin Roberts during the fallout to CA’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.”As Australia’s national sport, cricket is at the heart of our national and cultural identity. I am under no illusion about the importance of cricket to the lives of so many Australians, nor the magnitude and responsibility of this role,” Hockley said. “Leading Cricket Australia is the greatest privilege of my working life and I am committed to doing all I can to making a positive contribution to the game and the community.”It has been extremely rewarding to be part of CA, State and Territory Associations and the Australian Cricketers’ Association working together like never before over the past 12 months, to overcome the challenges presented by Covid-19 and deliver a summer for the ages. I look forward to building on this momentum and playing my role in deepening those relationships further, as well as playing a leading role in growing the game internationally alongside fellow ICC members.”Amid the pressure of funding cuts to states – which were eventually much lower than originally forecast – other than a battle with host broadcaster Channel Seven and the ongoing challenges of border closures, Hockley was able to steer the game through a turbulent 2020-21 season which enabled them to deliver a full professional programme. That included a tour by India, which involved tense negotiations almost until the final day, alongside two Big Bash tournaments and a full state professional summer.Related

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Despite having done an impressive job dealing with the impact of the pandemic, there have been questions raised as to whether Hockley has the broader vision to carry CA forward. But he now has the chance to make changes and decisions that were difficult while he still held the interim tag.”Nick’s contribution to Australian Cricket has been immense and on behalf of the board, I am most pleased to confirm his appointment as CEO, which was unanimously endorsed by the board,” Earl Eddings, the CA chairman, said. “From delivering the historic T20 Women’s World Cup to ensuring a safe and successful 2020-21 season, Nick has already proven himself to be in the very top echelon of sports administrators both in Australia and around the world.”Nick was named interim CEO at an incredibly challenging period for Australian sport, and society in general, and there were many instances where the once-in-a-generation obstacles in his path must have seemed overwhelming. But through his leadership, resolve, worth ethic and vision for the game, Australian Cricket emerged stronger than ever. For that, Nick deserves enormous credit.”Prior to his hasty elevation into the top CA role, Hockley had been chief executive of the 2020 T20 World Cup committee that had staged the record-breaking women’s tournament in Australia last year, and which concluded just days before the pandemic shut down global sport. Before that, he had worked on the 2015 men’s World Cup as well, having also previously been involved in the London Olympics.Confirmation of Hockley’s full-time job removes one of the leadership uncertainties around Australian cricket. Eddings is set to seek a second term as chairman at October’s elections, although there are significant divisions in the game over what would be a highly unusual move.On the playing front, the subject of who succeeds Tim Paine as Test captain potentially after next summer’s Ashes has not made much movement, while Justin Langer, the men’s head coach, is out of contract after the 2021-22 season amid rumblings of discontent in the dressing room.

Spending 179 and 159.2 overs on the field has led to them getting to a “breaking point”

Mohammad Isam01-May-2021The Bangladesh team reached a physical and mental “breaking point” on the third afternoon of the second Test in Pallekele, according to coach Russell Domingo. He was referring to the 179 and 159.2 overs they have been in the field over the two Tests against Sri Lanka with three rest days thrown in. Domingo however said that there were some soft dismissals as the visitors were bowled out for 251 – losing 7 for 37 – and ending the day behind by 259 runs.”The guys have spent so much time on the field in the last 4-5 days (over the two Tests),” Domingo said. “They are probably a little bit mentally fatigued after being in the field for 338 overs. It wears you down physically and mentally as a cricketer. It could be one of the reasons. Obviously, there were one or two soft dismissals.”All teams reach a breaking point. Our breaking point came this afternoon when we were batting. It has been a tough day for us. We have to try to be positive. There’s still a lot of cricket to be played. We have to make sure the guys are in a good frame of mind when we bowl tomorrow (Sunday).”Domingo also expects the less-experienced players in the line-up to make bigger contributions. And as part of that process, he wants to identify young players and back them. In return, he expects them to repay the faith to lessen the burden on the likes of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim.”It is a batting unit that we need to support and identify roles for, and make sure get better,” he said. “There are six or seven batters who all need to contribute, and build partnerships. While Tamim has played really well, the focus shouldn’t be just on one particular player. We have some younger players who need to step up and put in big performances. We have to give them opportunities so that they can get to the levels of Tamim and Mushfiq in time to come.”The coach was also of the opinion that Iqbal should continue to bat aggressively upfront. The senior batter has scored four fifties in a row now, having shredded a slightly-conservative template.”In our particular line-up at the moment, we have four or five players who haven’t played ten Tests yet,” he observed. “There’s a lot of inexperience, so we need to encourage someone like Tamim to play positively, and take pressure off the younger players. Some of the younger players are not at east to express themselves, and play with that sort of intent.”Domingo also pointed towards Bangladesh’s previous Test series for inspiration, underlining how West Indies scaled their 395-run target in the fourth innings to win the Chattogram Test by three wickets.”We were part of an unbelievable Test match a few months ago, when West Indies chased down 387,” he said. “We know that we are way behind the game at the moment. We are under a lot of pressure. Sri Lanka are dominating at the moment. But if we can pick up early wickets, cause a little bit of jitters in the change room, you never know. Somebody comes out and plays a great innings. So we have to remain positive going into day four.”Did Bangladesh pick the best XI? Domingo certainly thinks so, despite the bowlers toiling away. “It is easy to say after three days of cricket that we picked the wrong team,” he said. “I don’t think we have (picked the wrong team). We have a balanced bowling attack, who we think can take 20 wickets. When we bowled on day one, there wasn’t much spin on offer. Obviously the wicket started to spin now, towards the end of day three. It was tricky for the batsmen.”

Series “strengthens Pakistan’s reputation as a safe and secure country but also a healthy one,” says PCB

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2020Multan will host international cricket after a gap of over 12 years when Pakistan’s three-ODI series against Zimbabwe is held there from October 30 to November 3. This will be followed by a series of three T20Is, all in Rawalpindi, before the visitors return home after a three-week stay in Pakistan, a tour that Zakir Khan, the PCB’s director of international cricket, said “strengthens Pakistan’s reputation as a safe and secure country but also a healthy one after having successfully overcome the Covid-19 pandemic”. All the matches will be played behind closed doors.Apart from signalling cricket’s resumption in Pakistan after the Covid-19-enforced hiatus, the series will mark the beginning of the World Cup Super League campaign – the pathway for direct qualification to the 2023 50-over World Cup – for both teams.

Series schedule

Oct 30 – 1st ODI, Multan
Nov 1 – 2nd ODI, Multan
Nov 3 – 3rd ODI, Multan
Nov 7 – 1st T20I, Rawalpindi
Nov 8 – 2nd T20I, Rawalpindi
Nov 10 – 3rd T20I, Rawalpindi

“The confirmation of the series schedule against Zimbabwe after having successfully hosted Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as well as Marylebone Cricket Club and HBL Pakistan Super League V, in the 2019-20 season not only strengthens Pakistan’s reputation as a safe and secure country but also a healthy one after having successfully overcome the Covid-19 pandemic,” Khan said in a PCB statement. “This series is critical to Pakistan as it aspires to qualify directly for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and, as such, every point in the Super League will count.”Our last ODI series was against Sri Lanka, 12 months ago, so the boys will have to hit the ground running and try to pocket maximum points.”The choice of Multan, which has hosted five Tests and seven ODIs over the years but none since an ODI against Bangladesh in April 2008, is an interesting one.”We have strategically scheduled Zimbabwe’s matches in Multan and Rawalpindi, the venues which will be hosting the National T20 Cup from 30 September to 18 October,” Khan said. “By the time Zimbabwe arrives, we would have gained enough experience on bio-securing hotels, player transportation, the venues and the players’ dressing rooms as delivery of this series will be under strict Covid-19 protocols to ensure the health and safety of all participants.”According to the PCB statement, Zimbabwe will have a 32-member playing squad travelling to Pakistan, to take part in both the series as well as some intra-squad warm-up matches. They will reach on October 20.”The squad will undergo two Covid-19 tests within a space of 48 hours prior to their departure in Harare, while the second tests will be conducted as soon as they arrive in Islamabad,” the statement added. “Players and Player Support Personnel testing negative in Islamabad will be eligible to resume training at a venue, which the PCB will confirm in due course.”Players and player support personnel testing positive during the tour will have to observe a five-day self-isolation and will only be allowed to re-integrate with the side after two negative tests.”In 2015 Zimbabwe were the first team to visit Pakistan after the terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in 2009, paving the way over the next five years for a number of teams to return. Last year Pakistan hosted ints first Tests in the country since 2009 and earlier this year hosted the entire Pakistan Super League for the first time.