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After being on the fortunate end of a washout in their first group game, Australia were denied victory at The Oval, where it began to rain after 16 overs of the chase

The Report by Mohammad Isam05-Jun-2017Match abandoned

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:34

Fleming: Frustrating for everyone but Bangladesh

After being on the fortunate end of a washout in their first group game, Australia were denied victory against Bangladesh at The Oval, where they were firmly in control of a small chase when it began to rain after 16 overs. They needed to play four more overs to ensure a result but the London weather did not allow it.The last action on the field, before the players went off at 6.43 pm, involved Steven Smith simply blocking five deliveries from Mashrafe Mortaza without attempting to score, in the hope of speeding up proceedings to get to 20 overs. Australia would have been well ahead of the par score. The match was eventually called off at 9.18 pm.With two points from two washouts, Australia now have to beat England in their final group game to have a chance of making the semi-finals. Bangladesh, who have only one point after two games, are not yet out of contention either.It had drizzled towards the end of Bangladesh’s innings and there was a small delay in the start of the chase. Australia began it confidently. Aaron Finch and David Warner clubbed a couple of boundaries each and the pace did not flag even after Finch fell lbw to Rubel Hossain. Warner became the fastest Australia to 4000 ODI runs.Bangladesh bowled only one over of spin, not hurrying the over-rate along by using their quicks for 15 overs. As Smith and Warner began a fluent partnership, their race was not against the bowling but the weather, and ultimately it was futile.The weather was fair for much of the first innings but Bangladesh’s batting was not, with the exception of Tamim Iqbal, who waged a lone battle against Australia’s pace battery.His 95 came off 114 balls, and included six fours and three sixes, but Tamim had little support from his team-mates and had to readjust his tempo every time a wicket fell. The first three went in the space of 11 overs – Mushfiqur Rahim did not review his lbw through he had got an inside edge – and Tamim began to rebuild the innings with Shakib. Their partnership had grown to 69 before Shakib was given out lbw to Travis Head; Nigel Llong’s decision appeared spot on despite the batsmen being well down the track.Legspinner Adam Zampa debunked any doubt about his inclusion by taking two wickets in consecutive overs, though Smith brought him into the attack in the 35th over.Mitchell Starc then ripped out the last four Bangladesh wickets in the space of nine balls, including three in one over – Tamim was caught pulling to fine-leg, before Mashrafe Mortaza and Rubel Hossain were bowled by full and fast deliveries. Mustafizur Rahman narrowly survived Starc’s hat-trick ball but Mehedi was clean bowled in the next over.The weather had begun to worsen, though, and the players spent the best part of the evening indoors.

Rookie batsmen Dasun Shanaka and Dhananjaya de Silva have been named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad to tour England, in which Lahiru Thirimanne has also found a place

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Apr-2016Rookie batsmen Dasun Shanaka and Dhananjaya de Silva have been named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad to tour England, in which Lahiru Thirimanne has also found a place. Also included are wicketkeeper-batsmen Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella. The 17-man squad features 10 batsmen, five pacemen and two spin bowlers.Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal and Shaminda Eranga make up the pace battery, while Rangana Herath and offspinner Dilruwan Perera make up the spin complement. Batsman Kaushal Silva, who was recently hospitalised after being struck on the head while fielding, earns a recall to the squad after being dropped for the New Zealand tour.De Silva, 24, earned his place via an excellent first-class season for Tamil Union, hitting 868 runs at an average of 54.25 in a victorious Premier League campaign. There is no place, however, for Premier League top-scorer Tharanga Paranavitana, who hit 953 runs at 79.41 in the season.

Sri Lanka Test squad

Angelo Matthews (capt), Dhananjaya Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dhammika Prasad, Dilruwan Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Dushmantha Chameera, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Milinda Siriwardana, Niroshan Dickwella, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal

The inclusion of Shanaka, 24, is more surprising, given he had not played in most of SSC’s Premier League matches in the recent season. However, he did hit a 108 in one of his five completed innings, and also claimed eight wickets with his part-time seam bowling in the same match.Shanaka had largely impressed in domestic T20s, where he struck two breakneck tons inside a week. He also played in the World T20, making 15 and 20 not out in his two innings. Shanaka has a first-class average of 38.12 across 38 innings, with his other two hundreds having come in the previous first-class season.Thirimanne had not been named in the 20-man preliminary squad for this tour, as he was undergoing rehabilitation for the hamstring injury he had sustained during the World T20. He will continue to work on his fitness in the coming weeks, but is doubtful for the first Test starting May 19, according to team management. Thirimanne has had a modest Test record of late, averaging 19.26 across his last 25 innings.Mendis, 21, keeps his place following a middling start in Test cricket in the last quarter of 2015. He hit 183 runs at an average of 30.5 in three Tests, two of which were in New Zealand. Dickwella, who last played a Test in December 2014, batted well in the Premier League, averaging 55.42.Also coming back from a 16-month Test hiatus is seamer Eranga, who was laid low through 2015 by a string of substantial injuries. Both he and Lakmal played roles in Tamil Union’s Premier League victory, and team management also reported that Eranga was particularly good during the Sri Lanka squad’s recent training matches in Pallekele. His presence also means that Sri Lanka are taking the same pace battery that had helped win the 2014 series in England, only with the addition of Chameera, who provides a little extra pace.Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay did not find a place in the squad, with the more-experienced Dilruwan named instead.The squad departs for England on May 4, and they will play two practice games before the first Test begins at Headingley. The other two matches in the series are scheduled for Chester-le-Street and Lord’s.

Chris Rogers made 65 but with him went Middlesex’s improbable hopes of chasing 277 and Yorkshire were confirmed as Division One runners-up

David Hopps at Headingley20-Sep-2013
ScorecardJack Brooks took four wickets as Yorkshire confirmed second place with victory•Getty Images

The last Australia Test player to leave these shores departed in high dudgeon. Chris Rogers left the field with a look of consternation and hands outstretched as he was adjudged to be caught at the wicket. With Rogers went Middlesex’s improbable hopes of chasing 277 and Yorkshire were confirmed, as everybody had presumed they would be, as Division One runners-up.The crowd seemed content enough with a near miss: when Yorkshire’s players went on a thank-you lap, they received a standing ovation.Leaving with exasperation and a sense of wrongdoing is the way the last Australian cricketer in the building should always turn off the lights. But Rogers’ commitment to Middlesex has been unquestioned, either side of his first Ashes series, and if his innings had a little end-of-term skittishness to it, his 65 from 85 balls represented Middlesex’s only lasting threat. Ryan Sidebottom bowled him on 28, but was called for a no-ball, whereupon he stared fiercely at the white line like a gardener suspecting caterpillar trails on his cabbages.This pitch never lost its liking for seam bowlers. All the quick bowlers on show had their moments and while that should ensure praise of Middlesex’s debutant, Tom Helm, is tempered, his match figures of 5 for 78, without a tailender in sight, revealed him to be a bowler of promise. An England Under-19, he is strikingly tall and rangy with a good, high action – just the sort of description for England’s bowling coach, David Saker, to make a mental note to monitor his progress.Rogers and Sam Robson, his opening partner, have bolstered Middlesex’s season. But Rogers won an Ashes call-up and Robson’s form slumped the moment that Australia changed their regulations and encouraged a debate over whether his loyalties might lie with them or England. He failed twice here, outdone by Steve Patterson on both occasions and passed 50 only once in 15 goes after the Ashes series got underway in mid-July – albeit an eye-catching 166 against Sussex at Hove.With Middlesex’s season now over, both Sussex and Warwickshire can still overhaul them in third place if they win their final match next week. Not for the first time, Middlesex’s middle order went walkabout – literally in the case of Eoin Morgan, who was tweeting about the beauty of the west coast of Ireland around the time that their collapse began. Morgan is expected to lose his England central contract next week, leaving Middlesex with a potentially expensive player who is rightly treasured by England and in the IPL but whose county worth is not immediately apparent.

Rogers: Middlesex lacked runs

“I think they probably outclassed us. We haven’t had the answers in the two games we’ve played against Yorkshire. I think they are a very good side and unlucky not to win the Championship in many respects.
“We need more batting points next season: that’s where we’ve let ourselves down. We wouldn’t be in third position if it wasn’t for our bowlers, and they have done a fantastic job, but as a batting group we have been disappointing. That’s particularly when your openers get 1000 runs; you would hope your middle order jumps on the back of that. We are making the same mistakes as when I first came over here three years ago. Talent does not mean a lot at times. It comes down to being tough enough.”

Up in what passes for the Yorkshire media box, Dickie Bird briefly held court while Middlesex wickets fell. Yorkshire’s change bowlers, Liam Plunkett and Jack Brooks, have traded runs for wickets all season, and the first two overs they shared spilled 17. But Plunkett had Dawid Malan lbw to the second of two yorkers and Brooks took the first of four wickets when Neil Dexter fell to a brilliant slip catch by Kane Williamson. Their trading terms were more than acceptable.”I tipped Durham to win the title and Yorkshire to finish second in April,” Bird revealed. He did, too, but it seems that Dickie did quite a lot of tipping. News of Dickie’s prophecy was somewhat undermined when a video was unearthed from the Scarborough Festival, where he confidently assured everybody that a Yorkshire Championship win was a formality. There again, he was interviewed outside the hospitality marquee, so he probably had good reason for his optimism.That confidence in Yorkshire collapsed, as we now know, when Durham beat them at Scarborough that very week. But there is probably also a video where the World’s Most Famous Test Umpire (retired) waxes lyrically about the batting prowess of Gary Ballance. Ballance’s pugnacious 90 was the top-score of the match, his hopes of a hundred ending when he hauled Helm to long leg.Dickie remained impressed and wandered off to find James Whitaker, the England selector, and tell him to put Ballance in England’s Ashes squad. Whitaker kept schtum. He will join the England selectors for what could be lengthy deliberations this weekend.

Three members of India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup squad – left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, allrounder Baba Aparajith and medium-pacer Sandeep Sharma – have been rewarded with Challenger Trophy spots

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2012Three members of India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup squad – left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, allrounder Baba Aparajith and medium-pacer Sandeep Sharma – have been rewarded with Challenger Trophy spots. Harmeet has also made it to the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup match.”It is a big break for me and it is important to stay calm, and focus on doing the right things in the match,” Harmeet told . “I am a bit surprised to get selected in both squads. I was expecting to get selected for Irani Cup.”Harmeet was one of the key performers for India in the U-19 World Cup and former Australia captain Ian Chappell wrote that Harmeet was ready to be considered for national selection. Harmeet, who picked up six wickets from four games, however, said that it was important for him not to lose focus. “I know there is a lot of talk around the U-19 cricketers. It feels good, but my main goal is to make the senior team. I am well aware of the fact that if I keep performing well, people will talk.”But once I stop performing, nobody will bother. My focus is completely on my game and training. I want to keep doing well,” he said.The Irani Cup, the opening fixture in India’s 2012-13 domestic season, has been shifted to Bangalore because of poor weather conditions at the original venue, Jaipur. Cheteshwar Pujara will lead the Rest of India squad against Rajasthan, the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy champions, in the five-day match beginning on September 21.The 50-over NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, to be played from September 29 to October 2 in Rajkot, will be contested between 2011-12 Vijay Hazare Trophy winners Bengal, India A and India B.With the selectors picking a young squad, which includes U-19 captain Unmukt Chand, for the upcoming India A tour of New Zealand, the Rest of India team features mostly known names. The 15-man squad has six players who were part of the India Test side against New Zealand recently.Yusuf Pathan, whose international comeback in March had lasted one Asia Cup game, has found a spot in the Irani Cup as well as the Challenger Trophy squads. M Vijay, who hasn’t played for India since the tour of West Indies in mid-2011, is also part of both the first-class and List A squads. Vijay made 558 runs at an average of 46.50 in the previous Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu.One player who has been rewarded for an outstanding domestic season last year is Karnataka allrounder Stuart Binny. Binny, 28, made 742 runs at 67.45 with three hundreds and picked up 20 wickets at 20.10 in the previous Ranji Trophy but was not part of the A squads for the tours of West Indies and New Zealand.Shikhar Dhawan, who had a poor time in West Indies with the A side, has been picked as well. Parvinder Awana will have more opportunities after getting just one game in West Indies. Abhimanyu Mithun, who went as Praveen Kumar’s replacement on India’s trip to Australia, is the fourth fast bowler in the Rest of India squad, which includes two wicketkeepers in Wriddhiman Saha and Dinesh Karthik.Praveen, who’s last appearance for India was during the Asia Cup in March, has been picked for the Challenger Trophy.Rest of India: Cheteshwar Pujara (capt), M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, S Badrinath, Dinesh Karthik, Wriddhiman Saha, Yusuf Pathan, Pragyan Ojha, Parvinder Awana, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan, Stuart Binny, Abhimanyu Mithun, Harmeet Singh.India A: S Badrinath (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Parvinder Awana, Abhimanyu Mithun, Pragyan Ojha, Iqbal Abdulla, Harshal Patel, Udit Birla.India B: Cheteshwar Pujara (capt), M Vijay, S Aniruddha, Kedar Jadhav, Robin Bist, Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Baba Aparajith, Praveen Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Munaf Patel, Harmeet Singh, Rohit Motwani, Sandeep Sharma.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Harare

The Preview by Firdose Moonda15-Aug-2011Match facts
August 16, Harare
Start time 0930 (0730 GMT)Vusi Sibanda has been solid at the top of the order for Zimbabwe•Associated Press

The Big Picture

Zimbabwe are within sniffing distance of ending their drought of five years without an ODI series win over a Test-playing nation. They have beaten Ireland and Kenya in recent times, but their previous series win against a Test playing-country was in August 2006 when they beat Bangladesh 3-2 at home. Much has changed since then, and should Zimbabwe pull off this victory it would underline their notion that this is indeed a new era for their cricket.So far they have outplayed their opposition convincingly, bowling with aggression and batting with composure. They have all the ingredients to cook up a successful summer – a new-ball bowler, Brian Vitori, who looks better and better with every match, back-up seamers like Elton Chigumbura, who play a supporting role but can also take wickets, a top order that can play seam and spin with equal conviction, and, as they showed in the last match, a middle order that can finish the job.It all looks a little too easy for Zimbabwe at the moment and they may want to challenge themselves by trying to defend a total rather than chase one down, especially since their middle order has not spent enough time at the crease. Perhaps those ideas will be left to Bulawayo, if the series has been won by then, and there is room for experimentation before welcoming Pakistan and New Zealand.For Bangladesh, disaster looms, according to Shakib Al Hasan, who called his team situation a crisis. Their mistakes have become more glaring as the series has progressed and are now in urgent need of attention.The top order appears to need superglue stuck to their spikes so that they will stay at the crease and avoid forcing the middle and lower orders to fix their mistakes. The top four have failed – their execution has been poor and their application non-existent. Although they are fronting up against a good attack, they are also been given a pitch and conditions conducive to batting, and if Bangladesh are to come back into this series, they are going to have to learn patience very quickly.The Bangladesh bowlers have not been given much to work with but they have also not shown much perseverance and have tended to give up after getting an early breakthrough. The left-arm spinners have not threatened and it will be up to the offspinners and seamers, who showed that they can extract some reverse swing, to take wickets. A more determined effort is required from Bangladesh if they are to go to Bulawayo with any thoughts of restoring respectability.

Form guide (most recent first)

Zimbabwe WWWLL
Bangladesh LLLLL

In the spotlight

He has been out cheaply in both matches so far and even though he leads a winning team, Brendan Taylor will want to produce with the bat as well. Taylor’s perennial problem has been a lack of footwork and after being bowled by his opposite number in the first match and edging while playing away from his body in the second, it may be an issue he wants to address as the summer continues.Nasir Hossain rescued a tattered Bangladesh innings on debut in the previous game and immediately impressed with his handling of the short ball. On first glance, there is something distinctly different about Nasir when compared to other Bangladesh batsmen. Rather than mistiming his pull shot or being hurried into it, he plays it with skill and grace and his maturity at the crease was evident in his well-paced 63. He was only given two overs with the ball, but it will be interesting to see how he performs in that department as well.

Team news

With a series win just a match away, Zimbabwe are unlikely to tinker with a successful XI. Kyle Jarvis is still waiting for his opportunity, but may have to hang on until Bulawayo to get it, even though Chris Mpofu struggled a little in the second match. Regis Chakabva will also have to bide his time before getting a look in.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brendan Taylor (capt), 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 5 Craig Ervine, 6 Forster Mutizwa, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Ray Price, 10 Brian Vitori, 11 Chris MpofuA continually failing top order should call for some change and Bangladesh may have no choice but to finally bring Junaid Siddique in. One of Tamim Iqbal or Imrul Kayes should pay the price for their poor showings so far. However, the selectors have been hesitant to drop either and Siddique may slot into the middle order ahead of Shahriar Nafees or Mohammad Ashraful. Abdur Razzak is likely to keep his place, more for his batting than his left-arm spin, meaning that Suhrawadi Shuvo will have to sit out again.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes / Junaid Siddique, 3 Shahriar Nafees, 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain Pitch and conditions
The surface should remain good for batting, as it has done through the one-off Test and previous two ODIs, with all the strips on the square known for being flat. The first hour has had something for the bowlers though, with just a little bit of extra bounce and movement on offer. Later in the day, the pitch has slowed down, but there is not a lot of turn. Batting should be a reasonably easy task and the bowlers will have to stick to good lines and lengths and bowl wicket-to-wicket to get results.

Stats and trivia

• The team chasing has won 50% of the time at Harare Sports Club in its 19-year history as an international ground. However, in the last two years, the team fielding first has won 64.2% of the time and in the last year, that increases to 80%.
• Imrul Kayes’ batting average in day matches, 27.41, is almost 10 runs fewer than it is in day-night matches, 37.09.

Quotes

“We have to do what we have done so far and be hungry on the day.”
“We should put on 260 every time we bat but our top order is not scoring runs, I would love to see those top order guys scoring some runs for the team.”

Essex leapfrogged Gloucestershire into second place in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B with a six-wicket win at Bristol

Cricinfo staff24-Aug-2010
Scorecard
Essex leapfrogged Gloucestershire into second place in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B with a six-wicket win at Bristol. The home side could muster only 184 for 8 on a slow pitch, despite an unbeaten 70 from James Franklin, as Chris Wright (3 for 43), Ryan ten Doeschate (2 for 30) and David Masters (2 for 26) maintained a tight line and length. Essex were given a good start in reply by Ravi Bopara (45) and Mark Pettini (37), before Grant Flower (45) and Matthew Walker (32) did their bit to clinch victory with an over to spare.It was dour fare for the crowd, but a precious result for the Eagles, who now stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals as at least the best second-placed team in the three groups. The Gladiators were unable to gain much momentum, having been put in to bat, after an opening stand of 46 in eight overs between Alex Gidman (20) and Will Porterfield (27).The only other partnership of note was between Franklin and Steve Snell (32) for the fifth wicket after a collapse to 65 for 4. Franklin came in at the fall of the first wicket when Gidman was dismissed in the eighth over and had to battle hard throughout, reaching his half-century in the 37th over, having faced 77 balls and hit only two fours. Gloucestershire could hit only eight fours and one six, lofted straight by Franklin in the final over of the innings off Tony Palladino.Essex timed their run chase well on a night of few batting thrills. Bopara coped with the conditions better than most and was clearly aggrieved to be given out caught behind off David Payne having faced 42 balls and hit seven fours. Pettini was content to push ones and twos for the majority of his 69-ball innings, which ended when he was yorked by Gidman’s first delivery of the match with the total on 92.That was in the 23rd over and Gloucestershire still had a glimmer of hope. But Flower had sensibly taken time to gauge the pace of the wicket and Walker added some vibrancy to the innings at just the right time. The Gladiators bowlers did not enjoy much luck, particularly Steve Kirby, whose first six overs cost only 14 runs.But the partnership of 74 between Flower and Walker proved all-important. Flower was caught behind attempting to pull Jon Lewis and Walker then fell to a slip catch, but by the fall of the fourth wicket only 15 runs were needed and Essex eased home.

The alleged incident happened during the 2023 ODI World Cup, for which he has been suspended for two days and will be “terminated immediately” after; Phil Simmons takes over his role

Mohammad Isam15-Oct-2024Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has been sacked by the BCB for the alleged “assault” of a player during the 2023 ODI World Cup. He has been suspended for 48 hours in lieu of a notice period, and he is to be “terminated immediately” after that period. He was also served a show-cause notice by the board.The BCB also announced the appointment of Phil Simmons, the former Zimbabwe, Ireland, West Indies and Afghanistan head coach, as Bangladesh’s interim head coach until the Champions Trophy in February 2025.”Hathurusinghe has two counts of misconduct,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed said at a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday. “First is about an assault on a player. Secondly, he took too many leaves, more than what was in his contract.”The suspension-cum-sacking is because of an incident at the 2023 World Cup when, during a match against New Zealand in Chennai, Hathurusinghe allegedly hit a player during one of the drinks breaks. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the player had had a slightly delayed reaction to the drinks break – he had been tasked with taking drinks out to his batters in the middle – prompting Hathurusinghe’s reaction. Apparent eyewitnesses reported the incident to the BCB’s higher-ups in Kolkata two weeks later, but it went unaddressed.Ahmed also said that Hathurusinghe was guilty of misconduct as a BCB employee because of all the extra leave he took. ESPNcricinfo understands that Hathurusinghe’s contract with the BCB capped his leave at 45 days per year, but he took 112 days in 2023 and 59 days till date in 2024.The BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury handed over a letter to Hathurusinghe, informing him of the decision, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, hours before Ahmed’s media announcement.”There were couple of incidents about the current coach which, for me as a former player, were quite painful,” Ahmed told the media. “As it doesn’t set a good example for the Bangladesh team, we have served him with a show-cause notice and suspension from duty as head coach today. His suspension is for a 48-hour notice period, which we are not bound to give him. But we did it out of courtesy as he is an international figure. We have suspended him, and with immediate effect afterwards he will be terminated.”There was a misconduct with a player, and misconduct as an employee. He also spent more than three months [on leave], that is also a large part of his misconduct. He informed us in a scattered way, in one or two emails, that he has to go home. It can’t be for more than three months. Even as a board president, I cannot do what I want. I am guided by some rules. It is the norm. So there was a serious breach in that regard.”BCB not naming player involved in incident: ‘The victim is not very comfortable about it’Ahmed would not name the player involved in the alleged assault incident. “It was a sad incident for the particular player. I am not defending anyone, anything might happen in the heat of the moment, but you cannot hit a player. It is not on. This is the right punishment. It should have happened some time ago,” he said.”The victim is not very comfortable about it. I will not mention his name. We will only talk about the misconduct. This incident shouldn’t have happened.”Ahmed said he had read about the incident before he became the BCB chief, and he started an investigation after being elected to the post in August.”I investigated myself. I spoke to the victim. I spoke to the eyewitnesses,” Ahmed said. “Both of their versions are already in the report. [The incident] was mentioned in a previous report.”I remember feeling really disappointed when I read about the incident last year. I felt something should have be been done about it at the time. The ICC is quite strong about racism and abuse. They would be more serious about assault.”Hathurusinghe returned for his second stint as Bangladesh coach in February 2023. In August this year, shortly after Ahmed was appointed as board president, he had said that Hathurusinghe should no longer continue as Bangladesh’s head coach. Ahmed said Hathurusinghe’s sacking had nothing to do with “personal reasons” though.”When I spoke about Hathurusinghe previously [before being elected BCB president], I spoke as a former player who was assessing a coach. I said at the time that he doesn’t have much more to give to Bangladesh. My decision today isn’t influenced by personal reasons.Under Hathurusinghe, Bangladesh produced underwhelming performances during last year’s ODI World Cup and this year’s T20 World Cup. His biggest achievement in this stint was Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan in August. It was their maiden win in Pakistan, and first overseas Test series win in 15 years. However, following that, in India, they lost 2-0 in the Tests and 3-0 in the T20Is which included a 133-run thrashing in the third match.Simmons appointed after BCB speaks to ‘a number of coaches’Ahmed expressed satisfaction at Simmons being appointed interim head coach. He said that they got a coach with a good track record, who has worked in several countries and with several franchises. He said that Simmons will be the head coach from the home Test series that starts against South Africa starting next week, running up till the Champions Trophy in February 2025. In this period, Bangladesh will also play an ODI series against Afghanistan and tour the West Indies for an all-format gig.”We have appointed Phil Simmons for the interim period. His initial contract is up to the Champions Trophy. He was head coach in different countries. He has a very good track record. He has worked with many franchises, including tournaments like the Pakistan Super League and Major League Cricket.”He has had a healthy career as a coach. We spoke to a number of coaches, and we got a really hard-working guy.”

Kuldeep climbs four spots to occupy 10th place on the bowlers’ list

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2023India opener Shubman Gill has reached a career-high fifth place in the ICC men’s player rankings, following his exploits in the recently-concluded ODI series against West Indies. Gill, who scored 126 runs from three matches including a match-winning 85 in the series decider, rose to 743 rating points and is now within touching distance of the fourth-placed Imam-ul-Haq (745) and third-placed Fakhar Zaman (755). Pakistan’s Babar Azam, with 886 rating points, is still well ahead at No.1 on the ODI list.Also making significant gains in the ODI rankings was Gill’s opening partner Ishan Kishan, who jumped nine places to 36th. Kishan scored fifties in all three matches, to end with 184 runs and the Player-of-the-Series award.Among the bowlers, wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav and seamer Shardul Thakur made the biggest impressions. With seven wickets from three matches, including figures of 4 for 6 in the first ODI, Kuldeep climbed four places to occupy the 10th spot in the bowler rankings. Thakur, who was the leading wicket-taker in the series with eight scalps, rose to No. 30 on the list.While West Indies didn’t have a lot going for them in the ODIs, several of their players have made jumps in the T20I rankings. Nicholas Pooran (14th) and Rovman Powell (32nd) were the biggest movers on the batting list, while fast bowler Alzarri Joseph (13th) and spinner Akeal Hosein (14th) made strides among the bowlers.India’s Tilak Varma, who made his international debut in the ongoing T20I series, entered the batting rankings at No.46, following scores of 39, 51 and 49* from his first three matches.

Captain back after missing home summer, but form still a concern after fallow IPL

Andrew Miller01-Jun-2022Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s captain, insists that his troublesome left elbow will withstand the rigours of Test cricket as he prepares to lead his side for the first time in six months in the first Test against England at Lord’s on Thursday.Williamson has missed New Zealand’s last five Tests due to a tendon injury similar to that which afflicted Sachin Tendulkar in the middle years of his career, with Tom Latham deputising for the final Test of their tour of India in December as well as all four matches of their home summer series against Bangladesh and South Africa.During that period, the NZC medical team limited Williamson’s practice sessions to 20-minute blocks, leading him to acknowledge that the injury had been a “tough pill to swallow” and that his preferred remedy might have been to “cut it off”. However, speaking at Lord’s on the eve of Thursday’s first Test, he insisted that his time away from the game had helped him to manage the condition better.Related

• Southee: 'The Kiwi way is to muck in and get the best out of what we've got'

• Williamson duck, NZ skittled to open door for County Select XI

• Potts to make England debut at Lord's

• England's chance to walk the walk against transitioning NZ

• Stokes wants 'blank canvas' not 'reset' as England begin new era

“It’s significantly improved, which is the pleasing thing,” Williamson said. “Obviously having that time out of the game was beneficial to get it back on track somewhat. Although it was a very frustrating period of grappling with it, it is nice to be back into full training and back into cricket really, which is really exciting, and back with the team after watching them on the sidelines for a little bit. So that is nice to see that improvement.”Williamson’s form, however, hasn’t yet ignited since his return to action. He endured a difficult IPL campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad, scoring 216 runs at 19.63 and a strike-rate of 93.50 before returning to New Zealand for the birth of his child. His solitary red-ball innings since November was a nine-ball duck against a County Select XI at Chelmsford last week, as his side slumped to 19 for 6 in their second innings, en route to a seven-wicket loss.He’s not the only New Zealand player who is likely be a touch undercooked for Test cricket. Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell and Tim Southee were also late arrivals following IPL duty, and so too Trent Boult, whose participation in Sunday’s IPL final for Rajasthan Royals means he only arrived in England on Monday, and seems likely to be held back for the second two Tests at Trent Bridge and Headingley later this month.Trent Boult arrived in the UK on Monday night after the IPL final•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

“He needs to get through training today,” Williamson said. “Obviously he’s just arrived. He’s keen as, but there’s a number of things to consider.”Trent is obviously a world-class player and we’ve got a great variety in our bowling attack,” he added. “So, we’ll be having a look at the surface and working out what we want to go with, and that balance, and who’s all ready to go. Most are, but obviously Trent’s one to look at today.”It is almost 12 months since Williamson’s New Zealand lifted the ICC mace with victory over India in the World Test Championship final, having also dispatched England 1-0 in a two-match series that began at Lord’s. Their results since then haven’t been quite as stellar, with defeat in India followed by two drawn home series, but Williamson insisted that the fulfilment of their global ambitions hadn’t taken the edge off his team.”That was an amazing occasion and a proud achievement for New Zealand cricket,” he said of the WTC final. “When you’re involved in a side, your motivation is about trying to move the team forward and, whether that’s in different matches that have different context, the motivation is still there. Everybody wants to win. Whether you have a certain number next to your name or not, it’s always competitive.”You always have different transitions,” he added. “Since then, there’s been a number of players that have retired [notably Ross Taylor and BJ Watling], and that’s just part of that big picture. So although they’re fond memories, and it wasn’t all that long ago, you certainly don’t rest on matches that were played a year ago.”The current series will have an added sense of intrigue due to the identity of England’s new head coach. Brendon McCullum was Williamson’s predecessor as New Zealand captain, and the man credited with defining the philosophy that has carried the current team to its success across formats, but Williamson insisted it wouldn’t be “weird” seeing his friend and countrymen guiding the fortunes of his opponents.”It’s a great opportunity for Brendon, such a positive guy and an amazing leader as well,” he said. “He does tend to have a strong impact wherever he goes. And clearly the English set-up have seen some strong qualities in him that they want as a part of their set-up. So yeah, it’s exciting. I think Dan [Vettori] might be involved with Australia, so there’s a real Kiwi feel to the next Ashes series, which is pretty interesting.”We’re good mates. And he’s mates with a number of the guys and there’s a lot of history there. But you know, cricket’s cricket, so for us, it’s focusing on what we want to do. No doubt they’ll be working hard and Brendon will be certainly getting right in the mix of things to do what he does, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be an exciting contest and one that both sides are looking forward to.”

Unbeaten second-wicket partnership sees South Africa close to overhauling tourists

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Jan-2021Anrich Nortje gutted Sri Lanka’s middle order after Wiaan Mulder set a top-order collapse in motion, as South Africa skittled the visitors for 157 and moved into a commanding position at the Wanderers. Nortje frequently hit speeds of above 145kph on a pitch with steepling bounce at times, unsettling several Sri Lanka batsmen with his bouncer, and backing them into positions where they did not trust their defence against him. Many fell playing attacking shots, and Nortje claimed 6 for 56 – the best figures of his fledgling career.After Sri Lanka had been dismissed inside 41 overs, shortly before tea, Dean Elgar saw South Africa through to the close with an unbeaten 92 off 119 balls – his team on the cusp of moving into the lead with nine wickets still in hand. He and Russie van der Dussen had put on 114 together by stumps.Sri Lanka’s dispiriting day was buoyed only by the innings of Kusal Perera, whose 60 off 67 suggested Sri Lanka might go on to have a much bigger first innings than they eventually did. Beyond that, and the bowling of Asitha Fernando who claimed his maiden Test wicket, there was little for the visitors to celebrate. Already, their vastly depleted side may be out of this match. Both previous Tests they’ve played at the Wanderers have ended in innings defeats, and unless there is a substantially improved performance on Monday, this match could head in a similar direction.What will be especially disappointing for Sri Lanka was that they were actually in decent shape after the first 20 overs of the day. Nortje had dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne early by gaining sharp bounce from just short of a length, but Perera had moved into attack mode, thumping South Africa’s bowlers through the off side with particular relish. He was hit a few times on the body early in the innings, particularly by Nortje, and his innings contained 11 fours, all told.Anrich Nortje celebrates on his way to a six-wicket haul•AFP via Getty Images

But then it was his wicket that started Sri Lanka’s huge slide. Having played out a maiden against Mulder’s first over, Perera drove at a wide-ish away-seamer and sent a catch to gully. Kusal Mendis was then nicked off by Mulder later in the same over, and Lahiru Thirimanne’s edge was also found an over after that. When Nortje had debutant Minod Bhanuka caught behind off the last ball before lunch, Sri Lanka had lost four wickets for 13 runs in the space of four overs to be 84 for 5 at the end of the first session.Niroshan Dickwella and Dasun Shanaka did not last long against Nortje after lunch – both falling playing attacking shots – and the collapse had cost Sri Lanka six wickets for 39. Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera offered some semblance of resistance, putting on a stroke-filled 39 for the eighth wicket as both made scores in excess of 20, but Nortje eventually returned to clean up the tail.In response, Elgar had been solid from the outset, rarely troubled by the Sri Lanka quicks for more than an over or two. He was especially good with the flicks off his toes early in his innings, when Sri Lanka were guilty of bowling too straight at him, but eventually the cover drive and the cut also became productive strokes. He found frequent boundaries, and maintained a strike rate of over 70 almost right the way through his stay, slowing only in the period just after Aiden Markram was dismissed.van der Dussen meanwhile, struggled early in his innings, taking 25 balls to get off the mark, after having two lbw appeals raised against him. He settled towards the end of the day, and even hit Hasaranga’s legspin for consecutive fours in the last half hour, as South Africa closed within touching distance of Sri Lanka’s total.