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After Sri Lanka demolition, Afghanistan start as favourites against misfiring Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam29-Aug-2022

Big picture

Afghanistan vs Bangladesh is the low-key rivalry of the Asia Cup, and it seems even more so coming on the heels of a smashing India-Pakistan contest over the weekend.There are clear favourites – and underdogs – for this one, too. Bangladesh have seen their T20I fortunes dip significantly in recent times. Afghanistan, after losing a T20I series earlier this month, in Ireland, got their act together against Sri Lanka in their first match of the Asia Cup. It was also their second-largest win in terms of balls remaining – 59.Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq made full use of the new ball after Mohammad Nabi put Sri Lanka in to bat. They were reduced to 5 for 3 in the second over itself. Afghanistan allowed only a brief resistance before Sri Lanka collapsed once again. Then it was the turn of Afghanistan’s destructive opening pair of Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to complete the job. They struck 13 boundaries between them, including four sixes from Gurbaz in his 18-ball 40. A couple of wickets fell, but Afghanistan gave a good glimpse of their attacking flair. And familiarity with the conditions help – they have played plenty of short-format matches in the UAE.Related

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Attacking flair, and an aggressive attitude – Bangladesh’s T20I game is missing both.They come into the Asia Cup on a low, having lost both white-ball series in Zimbabwe earlier this month. They gave away strong positions in both the T20I losses as they went down 2-1.But Bangladesh were without Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim in Zimbabwe, so their return, coupled with that of Mohammad Saifuddin, could boost them.Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Naim are also back in the side, but that’s mainly due to injuries to Litton Das and Nurul Hasan, two batters who have shown a bit of T20I form of late. Sabbir’s return came after he trained with the Bangladesh Tigers squad, while Naim struck a century in the one-day series against West Indies A earlier this month.Perhaps being underdogs will help Bangladesh against high-flying Afghanistan.

Form guide

Afghanistan WLWWL
Bangladesh LWLLL

In the spotlight

Fazalhaq Farooqi was one of Afghanistan’s heroes in the match against Sri Lanka. His opening burst blew away the top order, and he finished with 3 for 11, the sort of spell Bangladesh are familiar with from earlier this year – Farooqi was fast, accurate and effective in the ODI and T20I series in Chattogram and Dhaka. His confidence must be soaring after the Sri Lanka demolition job.Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh’s best bet against Afghanistan, or anyone else, for that matter. Returning as the T20I captain after nearly three years, Shakib has a lot on his plate but he is known as someone who invariably manages to bring the best out of himself when under pressure. His four overs will bring back an attacking option for Bangladesh, while his free stroke play will help the misfiring top order.4:45

Shahriar Nafees: Confident that Bangladesh’s new guys will support the middle order

Team news

Afghanistan have little reason to change the playing XI, and, bar injuries, should be unchanged.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Karim Janat, 6 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiBangladesh have a few more options than when they went to Zimbabwe with a limited squad. Shakib, Mushfiqur and Saifuddin should all get in, and will add balance to their line-up.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 4 Afif Hossain, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Nasum Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

Despite the small dimensions, Sharjah has a surprisingly low batting average – 143 – for sides batting first in T20Is in the last 12 months. The weather will be quite hot even though it’s a 6pm [local time] start.

Stats and trivia

• Shakib will become the third Bangladesh cricketer to play 100 T20Is, after Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur.
• Spinners have a better average, economy rate and strike rate than quick bowlers at the Sharjah ground in the last 12 months.
• Afghanistan have a 5-3 edge over Bangladesh in T20Is, although their last bilateral series ended 1-1.

Derbyshire make off with points for draw after century stand between sixth-wicket pair

George Dobell11-Apr-2021A century stand from Matt Critchley and Harvey Hosein led Derbyshire to safety on the final day of their Championship match at Edgbaston. Resuming on the fourth morning with a lead of 39 and five wickets in hand, Critchley and Hosein added 113 in 36 overs to steer their side from danger.While Derbyshire had dug something of a hole for themselves with their aggressive batting on the third evening, Critchley and Hosein adopted a more sophisticated approach on the final day. Prepared to wait for scoring opportunities, they played admirably straight, shrugged off the times they were beaten – inevitable on these early-season surfaces – and put away the loose ball without fuss.Perhaps understandably in these horribly uncomfortable conditions – play started in sub-zero temperatures – Warwickshire’s seamers lacked the required consistency to build pressure. For although ball continued to beat bat fairly regularly, there were also a number of release deliveries that helped Derbyshire stretch their lead towards safety.Critchley was, perhaps, the more eye-catching of the pair. While every other batter in the match has struggled for fluency, he timed the ball sweetly in both innings and looked a high-class player. He was particularly efficient off his legs and punished anything overpitched. He brought up his half-century (73 balls, eight fours) with a rasping cut for four off Hannon-Dalby and finished as Derbyshire’s top-scorer in both innings.Related

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Hosein offered steadfast support. Although generally patient – his half-century occupied 103 deliveries – he produced a gorgeous on-drive when Craig Miles overpitched and put away anything on his legs efficiently.Maybe the batters were helped by a change in atmospheric conditions, too. Although the temperature remained uncomfortably cold – indeed, this may well have been the coldest day of the match – the heavy cloud cover of the previous day dispersed for a few hours to produce slightly more benign conditions. They were the only pair to bat through a completed session in the match.While Warwickshire’s seamers beat the bat enough to justify their usage, it might have been worth a look at the spin of Danny Briggs a bit earlier. He wasn’t called upon until the 67th over of the innings by which time Derbyshire were almost 200 ahead.It was something of a surprise when Liam Norwell made the breakthrough. He had generally struggled to rediscover the menace he showed in the first innings but, angling one in, he trapped Critchley leg-before 17 short of a well-deserved century.”It was a great partnership for us,” Billy Godleman, the Derbyshire captain, said. “Critchley played beautifully in the first innings and backed it up today under immense pressure with the game situation. I was really proud of our players today.”The value of the stand was demonstrated as Derbyshire lost their final four wickets for 25 runs. Although Fynn Hudson-Prentice helped Hosein add a further 35 for the seventh wicket, after he was well held by Michael Burgess, standing up to the seam of Will Rhodes, the final three went cheaply. Hosein was left unbeaten on 78, his fourth half-century – two of which have been unbeaten – in his nine most recent first-class innings.That left Warwickshire requiring 213 in a minimum of 41 overs for victory. Maybe, had poor weather not intervened, we might have seen an exciting finish. But five overs into the Warwickshire “chase”, snow started to fall and play was suspended.There was little indication Warwickshire had been tempted to go for their target, anyway. Two of the first four overs were maidens and Dom Sibley was scoreless after 10 deliveries. They head to Trent Bridge later in the week with Olly Stone and, perhaps, Hanuma Vihari expected to come into their side. A decision on Vihari, who is only due out of quarantine on Wednesday, will be made nearer the time, but it could be he replaces Briggs in the XI. Suffice to say, he faces quite a culture shock in terms of weather and pitches.Afterwards, Mark Robinson, the new Warwickshire head coach, admitted to a touch of frustration.”Maybe our seamers could have been a tad more consistent on the final morning,” he said. “And maybe we could have been a bit more ruthless both on the last morning and when we got level with them in the first innings.”It’s a new start for us and I’m still learning about the team. We’re not perfect. But we’ll get better game by game. It’ll be a hell of a team.”But, while this was ultimately a frustrating day, there was a first glimpse – in the first team environment, anyway – of Jacob Bethell. Warwickshire are confident they have uncovered something of a gem in the 17-year-old Barbadian. You suspect his appearance here, albeit as a substitute fielder, will be the first of many.

Victoria and New South Wales played out a sedate final day at the MCG before the teams shook hands on a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2019Victoria and New South Wales played out a sedate final day at the MCG before the teams shook hands on a draw.Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin put on an unbroken opening stand of 129 with no chance of a result being forced. New South Wales started marginally behind, but once they avoided losing any early wickets the action fizzled out.The draw consolidates New South Wales’ position at the top of the table after they started the season with four consecutive wins although the gap to second has been narrowed after Queensland’s two-day victory over Tasmania.There is one more round of Sheffield Shield matches before the BBL break.

The axed India opener said the selectors had not spoken to him after he was dropped from the Test squad, but MSK Prasad refutes the claim

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2018Batsman M Vijay is the latest India player to speak about a lack of communication between the selectors and players who have been dropped from the squad.Vijay had made 20, 6, 0 and 0 in the first two Tests of India’s five-match series in England. He was not picked in the XI for the third Test and was dropped from the squad for the last two matches.”Neither the chief selector nor any other person spoke to me in England after I was dropped from the third Test,” Vijay told . “None of them have spoken to me since. I did have a conversation with the members of the team management in England and that’s it.”Vijay was also not picked for the ongoing two-Test series against West Indies at home. His comments came in the wake of Karun Nair saying in the past week that he had “no conversations” with the team management or selectors after he was dropped from the squad without playing a Test in England. Former India offspinner Harbhajan Singh had slammed the MSK Prasad-led selection committee and questioned their methods.”I tend to agree with what Harbhajan Singh has said about parameters of selection,” Vijay said. “I think it is important that a player is told about the reasons for keeping him out so that he knows where exactly he stands in the team managements’ and selectors’ scheme of things.”As a player it is very important that you are going to get more than just one or two games, so that you can plan better. Stability keeps doubts away. Ultimately, one has to perform and contribute to the team’s cause.”Prasad, however, rubbished Vijay’s claims, saying that Devang Gandhi, his fellow selector, had spoken to the opener after he was dropped from the squad. “All these are baseless reports,” Prasad told PTI. “With regard to the non-communication with Murali Vijay after dropping him, I am equally surprised why he has said this while my colleague and selector on call Devang Gandhi had clearly informed him about the reasons why he was dropped.”Prasad also said he had spoken to Nair after leaving him out of the 15-man squad for the West Indies Tests, and told him to keep scoring heavily in the Ranji Trophy and for India A. India captain Virat Kohli , meanwhile, distanced himself from the issue when he was asked about it on the eve of the first Test against West Indies.After being axed from the Test squad, Vijay signed up with Essex to play in the County Championship, and made scores of 56, 100, 85, 80 and 2.India’s next Test series after the one against West Indies is in Australia, and Vijay hoped to make a comeback. “I will be preparing for the Australia series too in my own manner,” he said. “I know the conditions there well, having scored close to 500 runs during the 2014-15 series. I wish to be ready if the chance comes. Ultimately it’s the runs that matter when you are trying to make a comeback.”

Adil Rashid returned a career-best 4 for 19 at Headingley to send Yorkshire top of North Group and condemn Durham to their sixth straight defeat

ECB Reporters Network26-Jul-2017Yorkshire maintained their strong pursuit of a quarter-final berth in the NatWest T20 Blast with another home win, this time against beleaguered Durham as they routinely defended a 153 target.While Yorkshire claimed their fourth win in seven games this season to sit top of the North Group on 10 points, Durham fell to a sixth straight defeat – their worst run in a T20 season.The Vikings have won their last three matches at Headingley in six days, beating Birmingham and Worcestershire before this 24-run win.They smashed 233 for 6 to beat the Rapids on Sunday, with visiting batsman Ross Whiteley smashing six sixes in an over.But this game was different. Played on a sluggish pitch, the bowlers dominated in both innings, with Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid taking a career-best 4 for 19 from his four overs.The Vikings could only post 152 for 8, a total which looked way beyond the Jets despite having taken 10 off the first over of the chase.They reached 25 for 2 after six overs and 51 for 3 at halfway before slipping to 128 for 7.The Vikings have now won their last eight Blast home games dating back to early last year.Adil Rashid returned career-best figures•Getty Images

At the innings break, Durham were well in this fixture having bowled impressively.They reduced Yorkshire to 1 for 2 in the second over as openers Adam Lyth and Tom Kohler-Cadmore both fell. Paul Collingwood finished with 3 for 32 from his four overs, while captain Paul Coughlin returned 2 for 27.David Willey top-scored with 44, including four sixes, but Shaun Marsh’s 36 was next best by some distance as wickets fell all too regularly.Collingwood had Peter Handscomb stumped for seven in the 12th over before bowling Marsh and getting Rashid caught at deep mid-wicket in the space of four balls.Durham’s chase started well with 10 off the first over from Willey, but both openers then fell in the space of two balls. Graham Clark was caught at deep square off Willey and Cameron Steel caught at slip off Tim Bresnan, whose first two overs were maidens.Rashid then really put the game beyond Durham. He had Collingwood well caught at deep square-leg in the 10th over before bowling Michael Richardson with a googly in the 12th.When he had Paul Coughlin caught at wide long-on and Jack Burnham stumped in the space of four balls in the 14th, his last over, the visitors were 73 for 6.Yorkshire, meanwhile, have confirmed the overseas signing of Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed for the final five group games of the Blast plus the knockout stages if they get there. Sarfraz replaces Handscomb, who played his final home game tonight. Handscomb faces Birmingham and Notts this weekend before returning to Australia ahead of a potential Test tour of Bangladesh next month.

Jack Leach was the bowling hero on the first day of Somerset’s Specsavers’ County Championship game against Surrey at Taunton. He picked up four wickets in his 18 overs as Surrey finished the day on 236 for 8

ECB Reporters Network28-May-2016
ScorecardJack Leach put Surrey in a spin•Getty Images

Jack Leach was the bowling hero on the first day of Somerset’s Specsavers’ County Championship game against Surrey at Taunton. He picked up four wickets in his 18 overs as Surrey finished the day on 236 for 8.Having chosen to bat first, Surrey made a quickfire start before losing their first wicket, at 26, when Rory Burns was caught at second slip by Marcus Trescothick off the bowling of Craig Overton.Arun Harinath followed with the score on 70, once again caught by Trescothick at slip, this time off the bowling of Jim Allenby.It was turning out to be a morning of mixed fortunes for Allenby who had earlier dropped Kumar Sangakkara at slip off Jamie Overton. Still, the former Glamorgan allrounder did strike shortly before lunch when trapping Gary Wilson lbw for 12 at 90 for 3.Sangakkara looked in decent touch until the first over after lunch when he offered a return catch that bowler Tim Groenewald gratefully accepted.Left-handers Steven Davies and Zafar Ansari played well, thereafter, adding 85 for the fourth wicket in even time. However, having been dropped at short leg by Trescothick earlier in his innings, Davies eventually played around a Leach delivery, from the River End, and was given out lbw, for 49, off 119 balls.Then, off the final ball before tea, Ansari, who struck four boundary fours and a six over long-on, off Leach, offered a catch to Trescothick at short leg to leave Surrey on 201 for 6.Leach picked up a third wicket, that of Tom Curran, caught at slip by Allenby for 0 and shortly after sent back captain Gareth Batty, lbw for 0. At that stage, Surrey had lost four wickets for no runs in 28 minutes.Ben Foakes and Mathew Pillans dug in after tea and together rescued what was a rather desperate situation, for Surrey. They added an unbeaten 35 for the ninth wicket when the players were forced off the field due to rain, thunder and lightning.

England and Sunrisers Hyderabad allrounder Ravi Bopara has said his up-and-down career was largely a consequence of never having a definite role in any team

Arun Venugopal24-Apr-2015England and Sunrisers Hyderabad allrounder Ravi Bopara has said his up-and-down career was largely a consequence of never having a definite role in any team.”Yeah there have been a lot of stop-starts. I think a lot of that’s down to never having a consistent role in a side,” Bopara told ESPNcricinfo. “I am mainly a top-order batsman who bowls a little bit, and I may have been viewed as a middle-order batsman, finishing batsman, and someone who bowls a bit. So that maybe part of the reason.”Bopara’s international career has never found a rhythm. Even after 120 ODIs and 38 T20Is, apart from 13 Test matches, his place in the England team has not always been certain. “I wouldn’t say I am 100% satisfied so far,” he said. “I am still only 29 years old, so I have many years to play yet.”The IPL provided an opportunity for Bopara to upgrade his game, and he wants to make the most of it. “IPL is free-flowing cricket. It’s a lot of fun, great crowds, it’s a great experience as a cricketer. You don’t play in this sort of atmosphere anywhere in the world.”You can even learn from the young cricketers and you can learn from the best overseas as well. There’s guys like Murali, VVS Laxman, Tom Moody. It’s always good to speak those guys.”As for his role in the Sunrisers set-up, Bopara said his brief was to bat “any number from 3, 4, 5, 6 and bowl at least two overs every game.”I know I need to do my job as an allrounder. I have played under Tom Moody for a couple of seasons, and I think he knows what I am capable of and what my best role is.”The fastidious approach of some Indian cricketers to sharpening specific limited-overs skills impressed Bopara. “One of the things you learn as a T20 cricketer is being able to hit the ball anywhere in the park, whether it’s behind you or in front of you. It’s not a joke to be able to clear the boundaries. Even the fans watching know that you just got to be up to play 360 degrees.”From some of the Indian cricketers I have learnt about the way they bowl in these conditions. They are very adamant about changes of pace and being able to get your yorkers in, because if you miss your yorkers in India you generally go for six. And they are very specific on that so it’s nice to see that.”Bopara did not have a huge part to play in England’s failed 2015 World Cup campaign; he played one match, against Afghanistan, and didn’t bat but picked up two wickets. England’s outlook towards limited-overs cricket, Bopara said, was changing, and T20 was no longer deemed lowbrow.”When T20 first came around, it may have been viewed as a small competition and a just-to-have-fun competition,” Bopara said. “The crowds love it; it brings in money for the teams and for the boards, so we all know it’s very important.”I think England do view Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game. I think a lot of cricketers still do. But things are changing rapidly. We have seen how successful T20 has been, how successful IPL has been, and I think slowly, slowly things will go that way. We obviously don’t want to forget about Test cricket. A lot of cricketers around the world love Test cricket; I don’t think that would change, but there will be more importance on T20 cricket.”Bopara had recently criticised the “institutionalised’ culture of English cricket, speaking of the need to develop braver players. “We need to change the culture and be freer as players, stop worrying about the consequences. We need at times to stop being so English,” he had said.Bopara agreed that neglect of cricket in state-run schools, something many observers of English cricket have railed against for some time, was a problem that needed remedying.”Not enough cricket played around in some of the state schools,” Bopara, who studied in a state school himself, said. “The schools I came from, you know, we didn’t play cricket. You had to create your own cricket team. It would help if we can bring more cricket to those areas.”There is a lot of talent in those areas. There are a lot of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi cricketers who love the game, and I am pretty sure there could be some superb cricketers coming over from those areas if we focus in there.”
Cricket, Bopara said, was instrumental in him being appreciative of a multicultural environment, which in turn was critical to his development as a person.”Coming from an area where I came from, you can be very boxed and live in a certain way. When you get out and you meet other people who do different things, you learn, you eat different foods. Before playing cricket, I never used to eat things like sushi and fish. But I have learnt so much away from the culture that I have come up in. I have developed a sort of multicultural way of living, and again I owe that to cricket.”