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Round-up of the third day of the fifth round of Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2010Water and Power Development Authority have gone clear of Habib Bank Limited at the top of the table after an innings and 82-run victory over Karachi Blues at the National Stadium in Karachi. WAPDA had won their prior two matches in just two days, and needed just 38.1 overs on day three, this time, to bowl Karachi out for 189 in their second innings. WAPDA captain Naved-ul-Hasan took 4 for 54 to take his match-haul to eight wickets, while seamer Umaid Asif finished with figures of 3 for 62 in the second innings. WAPDA had shown their intentions of winning the match early after declaring on Tuesday, 271 runs ahead. Karachi started the day on 19 for 1, and lost wickets consistently, their tail finally capitulating as the final four wickets fell for nine runs. Karachi opener Rameez Raja managed to hold up one end for a while, scoring 58, but the next highest scorer was extras with 25, as Karachi did little to improve their first innings batting performance, which saw them get 128. Karachi are just three points off the foot of the table.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited suffered a dramatic collapse as they fell to 57 all out, giving Islamabad a 73-run victory at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Islamabad seamer Nasrullah Khan took 7 for 31 to finish with ten wickets for the match, and Rauf Akbar chipped in with the other three wickets for Islamabad. SNGPL started the day on top and got Islamabad’s last wicket without too much damage, leaving themselves a target of 130. The match had been a low-scoring affair till the third morning, with neither team having gone past the 200-mark in their first innings. SNGPL lost three early wickets, but a 20-run sixth-wicket stand put them in with a chance at 53 for 5. Nasrullah, though, ripped through the tail as SNGPL’s last five wickets fell for four runs. The win gave Islamabad six points, which takes them up to sixth in the table, just one place behind SNGPL.Multan’s dismal season continued, as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited consigned them to their fifth consecutive defeat, at the Multan Cricket Stadium. ZTBL neded just 28 overs on the third day to complete the nine-wicket win, after having reduced Multan to 149 for 7 on Tuesday. Multan at least forced ZTBL to bat again as debutant Mazhar Bashir scored 71 off 77 balls, to set target of 40. ZTBL seamer Iftikhar Anjum, who has played 62 ODIs for Pakistam, took Multan’s last two wickets to finish with four for the innings and six for the match. ZTBL are now level on points with Habib Bank Limited in second position.The run-fest at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha continued as Faisalabad moved to within 35 runs of National Bank of Pakistan’s first-innings total of 467, with five wickets still in hand. Faisalabad look set to pick up their first points of the season as Asif Hussain’s unbeaten 149 took them within touching distance of a first-innings lead. Faisalabad had responded well to NBP’s big score, reaching 151 for 0 on Tuesday. And, after a couple of wickets fell early on the third day, Hussain held fort, batting through the rest of the day, and adding 90 runs for the fourth wicket with Faisalabad captain Naved Latif. The hosts’ strong reply means that Kamran Akmal’s double-century for NBP in their first innings may go rewardless.Rawalpindi seamers Rizwan Akbar and Nasir Malik set up what should be an upset against Habib Bank Ltd at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Akbar and Malik had shared seven wickets to bowl out HBL for 164 on Tuesday, and repeated the dose on the third day of the match, taking three scalps apiece to reduce HBL to 265 for 8 after the hosts had enforced the follow on. HBL are now just 39 runs ahead, and barring a miraculous recovery by their tail, Rawalpindi should have a fairly easy chase tomorrow. Malik and Akbar followed a similar formula to HBL’s first innings, with Akbar getting the early wickets, and then Malik coming in to dismantle the middle-order. Aftab Alam and Khaqan Raja got half-centuries for HBL, but there was little back-up from the rest.Sialkot got their foot in the door against Pakistan International Airlines, taking four wickets in the last session, after PIA had done well to dismiss the hosts for 274 in their first innings. Sialkot’s opening bowlers, debutant Waqas Ahmed and Prince Abbas, struck early in PIA’s second innings, reducing them to 3 for 2 at one stage. Ahmed struck again, as did fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, to leave PIA at 55 for 4 at stumps. PIA’s first innings total of 388 means they have a 169-run lead, and Faisalabad will need to strike early tomorrow to make sure they don’t have to chase too much. Sialkot had started the third day at the Jinnah Stadium at 142 for 3, and PIA seamer Ali Imran and Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain, took four wicket each to get them out for 274.

Andrew Gale made his first century as Yorkshire captain to transform his side’s fortunes on the second day of the County Championship encounter with Somerset at Headingley

16-Apr-2010
ScorecardAndrew Gale made his first century as Yorkshire captain to transform his side’s fortunes on the second day of the County Championship encounter with Somerset at Headingley.Yorkshire were in a difficult situation when the fall of their fifth wicket at 142 left them still trailing by 130 on the first innings but the arrears were then cleared in a sparkling 149 stand between the left-handed Gale and all-rounder Tim Bresnan. The pair had moved the score on to 291 when Gale was out for 101 from 157 balls with 16 fours, Bresnan departing soon afterwards for 61 as Yorkshire closed on 320 for 7, a lead of 48.The weather was much brighter when Yorkshire resumed in the morning on 17 for 1 and Joe Sayers and Anthony McGrath could make only slow progress against a keen pace attack, although McGrath still managed to punish the occasional loose delivery.The former captain appeared to have settled in well but, having reached 21, he
was lbw to one from Charl Willoughby which kept a shade low. Sayers continued to bat patiently and Jacques Rudolph was also becalmed before he opened his account with a cut for four off Willoughby from the 21st delivery he had received.It continued to be a tough battle for supremacy and Sayers managed to go to his
50 off the final ball before lunch when Yorkshire were 106 for two, but he departed lbw to Damien Wright soon after the interval without addition to his score, his 51 coming off 119 balls with seven fours.Rudolph, having progressed smoothly to 33, then played too casually outside off
stump at Alfonso Thomas and was caught by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter. Gale’s first three scoring shots were all boundaries and Jonny Bairstow helped himself to two consecutive fours off Wright before playing round a ball from Peter Trego to become the fourth lbw dismissal of the innings – and the ninth out of 15 wickets to fall so far in the match.There was an escape for Gale on 23 when Willoughby saw him dropped at cover by Trego but it was a rare mistake by the captain and the sixth-wicket pair really began to flourish with the arrival of the second new ball, which came with the
score on 231 for 5 from 80 overs.Bresnan reached his 50 with his seventh boundary, a powerful off-drive at Thomas’ expense, but it was Gale who dominated the scoring with two fours in an over off Thomas and three off Willoughby to give his side the lead, 47 runs having gushed from the first seven overs with the new ball.A scampered single brought Gale the seventh first-class century of his career to loud acclaim from his team-mates but, just one run later, he flung back his head in despair as he smacked a long hop from Zander de Bruyn straight to Wright at cover.The 300-mark brought Yorkshire a third batting bonus point but at 304 Bresnan was lbw attempting to force Wright. He had used up 155 balls for his 61 with eight fours, leaving Adil Rashid and Ajmal Shahzad to bat out the remainder of the day.

Sri Lanka went into the game unchanged after Dunith Wellalage re-joined the team

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2025Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl, as the Asia Cup Super Fours stage kicked off in Dubai. Chasing sides have a 70% win record at this venue and that played a big part in Litton Das’ decision. He also added that he was a little “confused” by how the wicket would behave.Sri Lanka are a side that prefers to chase in general, and Charith Asalanka said as much though, with this being a used pitch, he’s not too bothered by batting first.Sri Lanka have gone with an unchanged XI with Dunith Wellalage rejoining the team after leaving for home following his father’s death. Bangladesh have made two changes with Mahedi Hasan and Shoriful Islam coming back into the side. Offspinner Mahedi’s return is presumably to combat Sri Lanka’s left-hander heavy batting line-up.Related

• Bereaved Dunith Wellalage rejoins SL squad in Dubai

• Tait confident Mustafizur Rahman will do better against Sri Lanka

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar during the pitch report noted that while the potential of dew means chasing might be easier, if it doesn’t come in and the pitch continues to get drier, that equation could change. In terms of ground dimensions, one square boundary is shorter than the other.Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dunith Wellalage, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan ThusharaBangladesh: 1 Saif Hassan, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.

The matches in February will be his last internationals on home soil

Alex Malcolm10-Jan-2024Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey expects David Warner will be available to play in three T20Is against West Indies in February despite the series clashing with the ILT20 tournament where he is contracted to captain Dubai Capitals.Warner has retired from Test and ODI cricket for Australia but is committed to playing in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and US during June.Warner is planning to play in the ILT20 which begins on January 19, just after the home and away portion of the BBL has concluded with his side Sydney Thunder set to miss finals which avoids a schedule clash. The tournament runs until February 17 but the three T20Is against West Indies start on February 9 and finish on February 13.It was thought that Warner would miss those matches in order to play in the entire ILT20 despite still holding a Cricket Australia contract and that he would return for the following series against New Zealand in New Zealand that starts on February 21.Related

• Marsh to captain T20Is against West Indies with Warner named

• Stoinis to play SA20 after BBL, says ODI omission makes 'complete sense'

• Warner has landed: Helicopter touches down at SCG ahead of BBL clash

• Hetmyer left out of West Indies white-ball squads for Australia tour

• Warner to fulfil BBL commitments with Thunder before heading to ILT20

But Bailey said Warner is set to be selected for the West Indies series and will be expected to play.”He’ll be part of those T20 matches at the back end of the summer and in New Zealand as well,” he said.Bailey confirmed that CA contracted players, which Warner will be until the end of June, are expected to play for Australia when selected and won’t be granted NOCs to play in other leagues at the same time.”I think that’s the same with all our Australian contracted players. If they’re going to be selected in a squad then they’re available,” Bailey said. “If they’re not then it depends on what sort of domestic cricket responsibilities they have. So I think [Warner] had flagged that as potentially one of the reasons why he has made the decision to retire from one-day cricket but we’re still really excited about what he can provide for that T20 team and hoping he can add one more major trophy to his cabinet.”Bailey and CA’s head of national teams Ben Oliver are charged with making decisions on which players are granted NOCs and have been consistent in their policy of treating each individual case differently.Australian T20I-only players who are not centrally contracted, like Matthew Wade and Tim David have been allowed to miss international series in recent times to fulfill franchise contracts that they would potentially lose if they played international cricket. The exceptions were made because they would not receive the same remuneration except for match fees from CA.David has previously skipped an opportunity to play T20Is for Australia in 2022 in order to play in the PSL while Wade was initially rested from Australia’s T20I series in South Africa last year so he could play a full season in the Hundred, although he was flown in at the last minute as cover after Glenn Maxwell was injured.Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis were both cleared to go to the ILT20 last year despite being CA-contracted players, but they were only set to miss a small number of domestic List A games for their state sides while they were awayAustralia coach Andrew McDonald said last month that Australia’s selectors had to be more flexible with their players given the schedule was so cramped.”Every application is different in terms of the circumstances with what cricket they’ve got coming up,” McDonald said. “It’s getting more cramped. It’s tough. It’s difficult. I think it comes down to each individual case. Where the player is at within their career. I think every every case should be considered individually and we go from there.”

Stoneman scores his first fifty of the season as survival tilt looms for hosts

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Apr-2023Play only began at 2:15pm as the rain threatened to wash away any momentum in this fixture. Yet somehow, not only did 60.4 overs get sent down, mostly in bright sunshine, but the game has moved along at pace. And perhaps most notable of all, Middlesex walked off for the first time this season with a degree of satisfaction.They are still 253 behind Nottinghamshire’s first-innings score, the loss of Pieter Malan at the start of what was to be Friday’s last over something of a kicker. But this was comfortably the newly promoted side’s best day of the season so far.If that sounds a bit hollow, it’s because it is, even if it’s true. Middlesex came into this match propping up Division One after losing lost both their opening matches. However, the manner in which they took Nottinghamshire’s five remaining wickets, for just 112, then followed up with their highest first- and second-wicket stands of the season – 50 and 61 – felt like a necessary response to those travails. Factor in season-high scores for all of the top three, and it is clear this was an important step towards feeling like they belong at this level.Mark Stoneman remains unbeaten on 60, driving imperiously, with scope for the middle-order core of stalwarts young and old to join him on a surface showing no demons yet.The county is by no means in disarray, with squad harmony reinforced by a few life-long bonds and the manner of last year’s promotion from Division Two. But sniff hard enough and you could convince yourself there was a whiff of a group of players feeling the pressure of being back in the top flight for the first time in six years.Ben Duckett sensed as much when he entered the evening session on day one. He did not hide his feelings that the early finish played into the hands of the home attack. The 28-year-old had gotten himself – and them into a position – where he was looking to “smack it” in the evening. “My idea was to potentially get 80 or 90 runs to finish the day on 200 or something,” he said, dripping with the confidence of a batter at the height of his red-ball powers.Related

• Somerset batters seal deserved draw led by Kasey Aldridge fifty

• Keaton Jennings' untimely tear hands Somerset a lifeline after run-spree

• Zak Crawley finds his zone for Kent to enliven impending stalemate

• Ben Duckett uses Middlesex to Test-drive his Lord's readiness

• James Anderson defies flat Taunton pitch to set Lancashire up

Though Duckett moved seamlessly to an 11th score of 150 or more, his frustration at yesterday’s early finish played out. That same attack with a night’s sleep restricted him to just 58 more from his overnight score of 119, from 81 deliveries before he attempted to deposit Ryan Higgins into the top of the Grandstand. A top edge was brilliantly taken by Martin Andersson, running and diving forward at fine leg. Considering Duckett has seven scores higher than this 177, four of them double-centuries, he and Notts could argue Middlesex got away with one there. Higgins finished the innings with his very next delivery, bowling Dane Patterson.The key interjection took over an hour to come and required the second new ball. Notts skipper Steven Mullaney was getting into his work, building on the 14 runs he made yesterday with a bit more vigour. He had done what Duckett failed to do in hitting the upper reaches of the stand away to the short side, when leg spinner Luke Hollman dropped one in short. On 46, Mullaney was undone by his opposite number Toby Roland-Jones, who nipped one into the right-hander – off the seam and down the slope – to trap him lbw.Two overs later, Duckett carved through extra cover for his 15th four to take him to 153 from 222 deliveries. Middlesex had decided to focus primarily on getting the England opener off strike even before the tail came into view. Now with it on display, there came a degree of urgency from the man himself to absorb as much as he could. Particularly after Ethan Bamber had found Liam Patterson-White’s edge through to John Simpson, then bowled Brett Hutton in his next over.That brought Stuart Broad to the crease, greeted by cheers – as much recognition of his 161 Test caps and 576 wickets as the entertaining nonsense he brings with the bat in this kind of situation. However, at 344 for 8, his role as Bonus Points Hawk required him to keep the nonsense to a minimum while Duckett hunted for extra runs.Thankfully, he didn’t – appealing for and getting a no-ball call on height after Bamber bumped him first ball, a mow over backward point that brought him a couple and the odd swish and miss. At the other end, Duckett entered into ramp mode. That Broad wasn’t able to play the lead role because of the loss of the final two wickets in successive deliveries was a shame.Nevertheless, the day ended with a textbook celebrappeal, with Broad trapping Malan in front with the final ball of the day to dampen the hosts’ mood ever so slightly. By then, Malan had at least made it to double figures after opening scores of 0, 4, 2 and 0.He had arrived following Sam Robson’s 17, before he was lbw to Lyndon James. There was a momentary fear Robson may bag his second duck in three weeks, before he calmly opened the face to guide his 22nd ball beyond point for a couple.Stoneman looked a class apart, particularly against Broad. One of his 10 boundaries so far even elicited a “shot!” from the 36-year-old seamer, who had seemingly closed off the midwicket region with two fielders cutting off that angle. The left-hander managed to split both, all along the floor, with a nicely timed clip.The eighth boundary – a pull in front of square from his 70th delivery – brought Stoneman a first half-century of the season. Given the way he has negotiated a wily seam attack of Broad, Hutton, Paterson and James so far, and moreover timed every attacking shot well, it’s not hard to envisage a 30th first-class hundred – and sixth for Middlesex – sometime on Saturday.The weather is not expected to play as big a part on day three, and with only 130 overs into this surface so far, this may be the best it is for batting. Whatever torment the last couple of weeks have seen, tomorrow could kickstart the survival tilt.

The total prize money has also gone up by 75% to $3.5 million

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2022The ICC has doubled the prize money for the winners of the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup to $1.32 million. They have also increased the overall prize money pot by 75%, with eight teams getting a share of $3.5 million, a figure $1.5 million more than the 2017 edition which England had won.The runners-up will take home $600,000, which is $270,000 more than what second-placed India received in 2017. The two losing semi-finalists will receive $300,000 each, while the four teams who will fly back home after the group stage will be awarded a sum of $70,000 – up from the $30,000 prize from the previous edition.Related

• ICC CEO Allardice says discussions on 'to bridge the gap between women and men's prize money'

• Hosts NZ to kick off 2022 Women's ODI World Cup on March 4

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• Why the women's World Cup was postponed by 12 months

Every group stage win will also earn the teams a reward of $25,000 per victory from a total pot of $700,000.That makes it a rise in the prize money for consecutive editions of the Women’s ODI World Cup. The total prize money between the 2013 and the 2017 edition had seen a ten-fold increase when it went up from $200,000 to $2 million. England, the 2017 winners, got a reward of $660,000 after beating India by nine runs at Lord’s to claim their fourth title.Eight teams are participating at the World Cup this year – to run from March 4 to April 3 in New Zealand – with a total of 28 league games to be played in a round-robin format. Four sides will then move to the semi-finals to be played in Wellington and Christchurch, followed by the final in Christchurch.

Allrounder set to open the batting for the Melbourne Stars again this season

Alex Malcolm16-Dec-2019Allrounder Marcus Stoinis is committed to opening the batting for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League again this season, despite the fact that the middle order appears his best avenue back into the Australian T20 side.Stoinis was left out of Australia’s T20 squad in the two series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in October and November. The selectors opted not to pick a seam-bowling allrounder in the squad, using Ashton Agar at No.7 as a spin-bowling allrounder.The return of David Warner also changed the dynamic in the top order. Stoinis had opened the batting in Australia’s previous two T20 internationals in India in February after an outstanding BBL last season, when he opened for the Stars and made 533 runs at 53.30 with a strike rate of 130.63, including four half-centuries.The combination of Warner and Aaron Finch looks a lock for Australia at the 2020 T20 World Cup.But Stoinis is set to open again for the Stars alongside Nic Maddinson after the pair faced the new ball in the Stars’ first practice match against the Melbourne Renegades at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Monday.He said doing what’s best for the Stars is his first priority.”I can’t see myself changing too much from there just because you want to do right by your franchise,” Stoinis said. “We want to win games and I want to do what’s best for the team and then you just go from there I guess.”Stoinis said the reasons why he was omitted from the T20 squad had been communicated to him clearly by chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns. He hasn’t had a discussion with either Hohns or coach Justin Langer about his place in the pecking order for the T20 World Cup next year but is confident he can play any role required.”No, I haven’t spoken to them about it,” Stoinis said. “I’m sure I’ll get a call from JL [Langer] or someone to speak about that side of things maybe. But for me, look, I’ve batted (Nos.) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, I’ve bowled in the powerplay, I’ve bowled at the death, I’ve bowled in the middle, I’ve fielded in the slips, I’ve fielded on the boundary, I’ve fielded at cover. Something I pride myself on is being adaptable. I’ve played a lot of cricket in multiple positions so I should be okay.”It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Stoinis could get a call about the Test side given the injury to Josh Hazlewood in Perth against New Zealand. Australia played an allrounder in the last Ashes Test at The Oval and Langer floated the idea of playing five bowlers on Boxing Day if the surface was flat.Stoinis was called up to the Test squad during his stunning run of form in the BBL last year but was eventually named 12th man for the Canberra Test against Sri Lanka.His Sheffield Shield form has been very consistent this season but is missing some big scores. He’s made four half-centuries in nine innings completed innings (the 10th was abandoned at the MCG due to a dangerous pitch) with a highest score of 79 when he was run out against South Australia. He also has 12 wickets at 27.25 having taken wickets in all five games that he bowled in.”Test cricket is still my goal,” Stoinis said. “That’s where I want to play. I’ve played a lot of Shield cricket this year, the most I’ve played for 3-4 seasons and it’s good to remember how to block the ball and spend some time in the middle.”For now, he’s fully focussed on the Stars. The disappointment of last year’s final is a distant memory with a new coach and some new signings. Stoinis said the transition of former Stars captain David Hussey into the head coaching job has been seamless.”I think the key thing for Huss is he hasn’t brought too much new stuff,” Stoinis said. “He was around the group for so long as a player, he was captain, he knows Glenn [Maxwell] so well, he knows what makes the boys tick. He hasn’t tried to rattle the cage or anything like that, he’s just tried to create a stable environment, super relaxed, take any pressure off the players and let us perform.”ALSO READ: How the Melbourne Stars stack up for BBL 2019-20The Stars lost their opening practice match after an assault from Renegades pair Sam Harper and Shaun Marsh on a flat pitch at the Junction. But Dale Steyn’s arrival on Tuesday night from South Africa, along with the addition of Nathan Coulter-Nile brings a fresh new dynamic to the attack that already features two high-class legspinners in Adam Zampa and Sandeep Lamichhane.”It’s a big change for us I reckon,” Stoinis said. “We’ve got some real ball speed, [Daniel] Worrall is fresh as well so he bowls nice and quick. And that will complement our spinners as well. I think with the big square boundaries at the MCG and our good spinners and good quicks, we’re going to be hard to beat.”

A battle between the two teams used to be uneven before 2015, but Bangladesh have realised it is not an impossible task to beat South Africa at home

Mohammad Isam27-Sep-20171:27

Moonda: Batting selection dilemma for SA

Big Picture

Aiden Markram’s Test debut, Ottis Gibson’s first match as South Africa coach, Bangladesh’s first Test in South Africa in nine years and the first at Senwes Park since 2002. All of these milestones will fade quickly on Thursday when arguably the best team in home conditions take on talented yet unpredictable visitors.Markram and Gibson are at the start of a busy home season. Gibson, of course, will look to renew his understanding of South Africa cricket, having played for Border, Gauteng and Griqualand West when he used to be a more-than-capable medium-pacer. He has the reliable Faf du Plessis at his side, who has his hands full as captain and one of the batting mainstays.Du Plessis will have to handle a bowling attack that has two high-class performers – Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada – but also a number of youngsters and newcomers who have to be given confidence. He also has a chance to define his captaincy and set the tone for the home season, either by bolstering the batting with the selection of Theunis de Bruyn or selecting pace-bowling allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo.Some may feel that Bangladesh are the ideal visitors to try new strategies against, but they are far from pushovers. Mentally, this team is different from the ones that traveled to South Africa in 2002 and 2008. Where previous Bangladesh teams wanted to avoid heavy defeats, the current set of players are thinking of ways to beat their opponents. Bangladesh know how different that mental switch can be.The task at hand for seniors Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and coach Chandika Hathurusingha is immense. Bangladesh are without their lynchpin Shakib Al Hasan who was granted rest by the Bangladesh board earlier this month, which means two players have to replace him.Luckily for Bangladesh, their younger players, like Sabbir Rahman and Mustafizur Rahman, are hungry performers. There is also competition for the second opener’s slot: Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes will be aware that Liton Das is breathing down their neck, so a slip-up in South Africa could be critical for their future.A battle between the two teams used to be uneven until the 2015 ODI series but since then, Bangladesh have realised that beating South Africa, even in their home conditions, is not an impossible task.

Form guide

Bangladesh LWWLL (completed matches, most recent first)South Africa LLWLD

In the spotlight

Of the five pace bowlers in the Bangladesh squad, Mustafizur Rahman is the only automatic choice in the XI. The mystery around him has worn off but even on home pitches, that serve the spinners heavily, his short bursts have become crucial. He will enjoy conditions in South Africa if he can be accurate.Dean Elgar needs another 85 runs to topple Cheteshwar Pujara as the leading run-getter in Tests in 2017. A good start from the experienced opener would immediately put Bangladesh’s young pace attack on the back foot.

Team news

With Shakib rested, Bangladesh will have to pick four specialist bowlers. Taskin Ahmed’s extra pace and Subashis Roy’s relatively accurate seam-bowling could be preferred ahead of Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain. Soumya Sarkar’s shoulder niggle means he is not certain to play – a decision on his inclusion will be taken on the morning of the game.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Subashis Roy, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.South Africa’s choice is between an extra batsman in Theunis de Bruyn or a seam-bowling option in Andile Phehlukwayo. Aiden Markram will make his international debut, replacing Heino Kuhn. Despite being passed fit, Wayne Parnell is unlikely to play.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Theunis de Bruyn/ Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Duanne Olivier

Pitch and conditions

The pitch looks a bit dry but the home side are hoping for good carry off the track, something Bangladesh are also expecting. While there is a forecast for rain on the last two days of the Test, the weather should mostly be dry.

Stats and trivia

• This is only the second Test to be held at Senwes Park after it hosted the South Africa-Bangladesh game in 2002.
• Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Imrul Kayes are the only Bangladesh players in the current squad to have played a Test in South Africa, having toured in 2008.

Quotes

“The last two years, their cricket has really improved. They are as tough as any team to play in their own conditions so their standard is on the up. This will be a real opportunity for them to show they can perform outside of their own country.”
“We have brought five fast bowlers and three of them will play in the first Test. I think they know all too well that if they don’t perform, there are others to take their place so that should be motivation enough.”

Both captains stressed on one thing in the lead-up to a virtual knockout game – the importance of composure

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jun-2017One lesson India would have taken from the defeat against Sri Lanka is to not get overexcited. India captain Virat Kohli had stressed that the 321-run target set against Sri Lanka was good enough and Sri Lanka had done well to chase it down. That might have surprised Kohli.Faced with a do-or-die encounter against South Africa on Sunday, at the same ground, on the same pitch, Kohli said if India have to win they need to be “composed”.”You need to have a good balance of being competitive and being passionate about the game, but at the same time, not getting overexcited,” Kohli said on Saturday. “The team that treats the game as normal as possible is the team that’s in a better position to get the right result.”Kohli doesn’t believe this is the biggest match of his short career as captain. Such matches raise the tempo and the spirit of the team, he said, and it is something he “craves” for. Kohli’s message to his players was to make sure they did not overstress themselves.”A lot of times, teams come in and they want to do something special and end up messing up the game in important situations. The team that can have most composure, I would say, to sum it up, will have a better chance of winning the game tomorrow. That’s what I’ve experienced in the past. You tend to get overexcited, and then you commit errors that can cost the team important runs, or you fail to grab all the chances because you’re overexcited and that can cost the team as well. I think composure will be the biggest word for tomorrow.”One other man at The Oval agreed with Kohli – AB de Villiers, the South Africa captain. That both men think the same should not come across as strange, only because they cannot afford to let their teams get carried away.De Villiers, more than Kohli, understands what works and what doesn’t in knockout contests. No other team has experienced the full range of emotions in do-or-die matches like South Africa has.”It is really important to stay calm,” de Villiers said. “Not get overexcited. The tendency will be there, because we all live for these kinds of moments.”Retaining the focus and the energy at key moments can be the difference between winning and losing, de Villiers said.”I’m expecting the same kind of intensity and hunger out there tomorrow but with a relaxed kind of mindset. I think that’s really important to remember we are playing a game of cricket, something that we love doing, and to get that smile on our faces out there when we’re playing. It’s going to be really important and I’ll try and lead that from the front.”

Nathan Lyon who came in for criticism from Australia coach Darren Lehmann and captain Steven Smith has admitted that Australia have been outplayed in all areas by Sri Lanka in the ongoing Test series

Daniel Brettig07-Aug-2016Over the past few days, the only player singled out for criticism from Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann and captain Steven Smith has been Nathan Lyon, the touring side’s No. 1 spinner. If this seems harsh that’s because it probably is – Lyon’s nine wickets place him second behind Mitchell Starc among Australian bowlers; his 29 runs means he’s made only five fewer than Joe Burns and six fewer than Peter Nevill.But the reason for the criticism stems from the fact that Lyon’s returns are paltry next to those of Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan, the Sri Lankan spin trio who have made fools of a highly paid and seemingly well-prepared Australian batting line-up. The struggles of the batsmen have left Lyon and the rest of the bowlers with precious little scoreboard pressure on their side. Lyon, though, did not fall into excuses or the shifting of blame.”We’ve been outplayed in all areas,” Lyon said in Galle. “I’m not going to stand here and make excuses or blame anyone. We’ve been outplayed and you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. They’ve totally outplayed us. Yeah it’d be great to bowl with some runs on the board but that’s up to Nos. 1 down to 11 to get those runs.”Lyon spoke of four issues that have contributed to Australian struggles. First he admitted that he and his slow-bowling partner Jon Holland have failed to challenge Sri Lanka’s batsmen down the line of the stumps frequently enough. This angle of attack has been responsible for the majority of Australian dismissals, but precious few among the hosts.”As spinners, we need to keep hitting the stumps,” Lyon said. “If you look at their spinners, that’s what they do really well, they ask questions off the stumps. If I’m being honest enough, I don’t think Duck [Holland] and myself probably did that to the best of our ability in the last Test match. You’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. Sri Lanka plays spin really well.”They know the conditions really well over here and they played really well and put us under pressure. We’ve got to combat that, come the third Test. It’s just about Duck and I finding a way how to best go about it in these conditions. We’re both open to change I guess. It’s different bowling in different conditions over here. It’s a learning curve. If we can keep learning over here and improving, that’s a big tick for us.”Secondly, Lyon acknowledged that the subcontinent method of spin, cutting under the ball on a flatter trajectory, rather than working the fingers up over the top of it in search of over-spin and bounce, was something he and Holland were yet to fully master. Lyon has an outstanding record in Australia where many an Asian spin bowler has struggled, but the reverse is true here.”I daresay there’s an argument for that,” he said. “As a spinner, you need to have all different variations. I’m comfortable going over the top of the ball and also around it. A lot of their spinners go around it and you get that natural variation with the ball going straight on. We’ve put it into play but unfortunately it hasn’t come off for us Australian spinners. If we can keep improving, keep learning from our mistakes in the first two Test matches then we’re going the right way.”I have been bowling with a fair few variations where a lot of people aren’t going to pick up on that. That is a subtle variation in my wrist. So, I think I can probably go a little bit more and experiment a little bit more – I am going down to training today to experiment more of how far my wrist can go underneath it, just to see how the ball reacts. I do believe that we have been doing that but, as I said, they have been playing quite well over here.”Thirdly, Lyon spoke about the use of the sweep as a weapon against his off spin. Lyon is himself a prolific user of the sweep shot, something tried by precious few of the touring batsmen. That and the reverse sweep were both glimpsed more often in the second innings in Galle, amid a rash of experimentation that indicated players racking their brains for better solutions.”I only sweep because I don’t trust my defence, and that’s my only scoring shot,” Lyon said modestly. “But you see the good players of spin, not only here with Sri Lanka, but you look at Younis Khan, Virat Kohli and these guys, they sweep well and they do that to try and out you off your lengths.”As a spinner, you need to be patient enough and be willing to be swept – it means you are hitting the right areas, so that’s the way I am looking at it. If I can keep putting it there, then hopefully, if I can get a couple of defensive shots out of them, I am in the game with the bat-pads and the slips.”Lastly, the issue of economy was confronted, as perhaps the most pressing problem that Lehmann and Smith have laid at Lyon’s door. A strike rate of a wicket every 44.6 balls is excellent for any spin bowler, but the leaking of 4.14 runs per over has lessened Lyon’s threat in a low-scoring series to date. Greater pressure needs to be brought to bear, as he acknowledged.”It’s a challenge for all our bowlers. We don’t like going at four an over, one of our goals is to bowl in partnerships and I don’t think we’ve done that well enough,” Lyon said. “Mitchell Starc was outstanding last game, Josh Hazlewood was brilliant bowling out there as well, but if we can bowl well in partnerships, try to tie down one end, we know they’re going to play some shots.”It’s that type of cricket, they like to hit the boundaries, so if we can try to cut that down then we bring about more patience and more opportunities around the bat.”