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After Bangladesh’s tight win over Afghanistan in the first ODI, Shakib Al Hasan said that the team now have the belief that they can win ODIs even when circumstances are not always in their favour

Mohammad Isam26-Sep-2016After Bangladesh’s tight win over Afghanistan in the first ODI, Shakib Al Hasan said that the team now have the belief that they can win ODIs even when circumstances are not always in their favour. At the same time, he added that the side must improve its body language and fielding for a better performance in the rest of the three-match series.”I think the turning points were when I conceded one run [in the 47th over] and, before that, the breakthrough I made [in the 41st over] when they were getting a big stand,” Shakib said. “Actually our job is not to think; our job is to do it. We have to keep believing that we can win this game, and that belief was there. Because we were playing after almost a year, it was difficult for a while. It was in the body language. Our fielding wasn’t that good. This will get better soon.”The most important practice is to stay in the game and to play the game. No matter how much you run or practice, match fitness is something else altogether. When you keep playing matches, things become a lot easier. No matter what situation you try to create at practice, it won’t reach that level.”Mahmudullah, who scored 62 and added a brisk 40 with Shakib for the fourth wicket, said that Bangladesh ought to have beaten lower-ranked Afghanistan far more convincingly than they did. However, he noted that the side is gradually starting to win more close games.”I think that in such a situation, we should definitely win the game. With all due respect to Afghanistan, we should have won the game a lot earlier considering the difference in our rankings. We have lost a lot of close matches due to small errors. I think that is slowly starting to change.”Mahmudullah also rued his own untimely dismissal, perishing to a miscued slog sweep off Mohammad Nabi; he had wanted to bat till the last three overs before cutting loose.”I wasn’t thinking about the century. I was just trying to take advantage of the wicket, as the ball was coming on to the bat nicely in the last Powerplay. I wanted to stay till the 48th over and then go for the big shots but I picked out the one extra fielder they had outside the circle. I should have carried on a little while longer.”Bangladesh’s defence of 265 was made trickier by the rusty form of their returning quicks, Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain. Taskin was returning to international cricket for the first time since his suspension for an illegal action in March. Rubel was playing his first ODI since July 2015. Both bowlers were expensive in their initial spells, before improving thereafter. Shakib said that it was a struggle for them to play after a long break, but praised the way they pulled it back towards the end.”Rubel returned from injury and Taskin returned from suspension, so it was difficult for both,” he said. “At the start they didn’t do well but in the last three overs, they were solid.”

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has been given a break from training for one week after he was diagnosed with jaundice

Mohammad Isam26-Aug-2015Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has been given a break from training for one week after he was diagnosed with jaundice. Medical reports confirmed the ailment on Monday after he complained of weakness during the ongoing conditioning camp in Mirpur.”We have asked him to stay back in his hometown Natore during this break,” Bangladesh physio Bayjedul Islam Khan told ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday. “He will do another bilirubin level test there and let us know and if it is higher than the accepted level (0.3 -1 mg/dl), we will tell him what to do next. Right now he needs to rest properly.”Taijul was hopeful that the level would remain normal and he could return to training soon.”I was told that the level is not severe and hopefully proper rest will cure the disease soon. I will be spending few days with family in Natore,” Taijul told .

James Harris, the Middlesex seamer, will fly to New Zealand early after being added to England’s Twenty20 squad as cover for Stuart Meaker who has picked up a neck strain

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2013James Harris, the Middlesex seamer, will fly to New Zealand early after being added to England’s Twenty20 squad as cover for Stuart Meaker who has picked up a neck strain.Harris, 22, who moved from Glamorgan during the off-season, was due to be part of the one-day squad for the three-match series which follows the Twenty20s.Before Christmas Harris was added to England’s Twenty20 squad in India when he replaced the injured Stuart Broad but he did not play in either of the two matches.Meaker was part of England’s one-day squad in India but did not appear in the five games during the recently completed series. He has so far made two Twenty20 and two ODI appearances.

A round-up of the latest round of matches of the SuperSport Series 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2012Albie Morkel’s all-round performance helped Titans leapfrog Cape Cobras to the top of the table with a tense two-wicket win in Paarl.On a usually benign pitch, Cobras chose to bat but were in early trouble. Morkel removed Andrew Puttick and Stiaan van Zyl in the first over and Cobras struggled to recover from there. Zero for 2 became 71 for 5 as the line up succumbed to the left-arm seam of Rowan Richards. Richard Levi’s 64 helped hold the innings together and Robin Peterson batted well with the tail to end on an undefeated 58, and take Cobras to 199. Richards finished with 5 for 49, while Morkel took 3 for 42.Titans’ top-five batsmen responded better. The captain Martin van Jaarsveld’s 71 took his team to the brink of overtaking Cobras and they should have gone on to score many more. However, their last five wickets fell for just 19 runs as Peterson celebrated his Test call-up by ripping through the lower order. He finished with 5 for 60 and Titans were bowled out for 207, only eight runs ahead.Cobras batted poorly once again in the second innings and were bundled out for 165. van Zyl’s 67 was the top score on a card that had eight batsmen out in single figures. Peterson’s 30 at No. 8 gave Cobras something to bowl at as they attempted to defend 158. Henry Davids was the wrecker this time, taking 5 for 22.Johann Louw sent early shockwaves through the Titans line-up when he removed both their openers, including Jacques Rudolph who moved back to the top of the order, in consecutive overs. In the 26th over, the Titans were 68 for 6 and victory seemed too far away to think about. Tumelo Bodibe and Morkel combined for a seventh-wicket stand of 53. Morkel’s unbeaten 54 ended up being a match-winning knock as he defied the Cobras attack and took Titans ahead by the slenderest of margins – 1.4 points.Weather intervened in the mid-table tussle between Knights and Lions at the Wanderers. Lions will be more thankful for the rain as they were facing defeat on the final afternoon.After choosing to bat Knights, at 192 for 7 on the first day, were in danger of posting only a little over 200. Former Lions allrounder Werner Coetsee resisted his old team with a patient 78. Lower-order partnerships of 68 for the eighth wicket and 78 for the ninth also frustrated Lions, who eventually bowled the Knights out for 338.Johann van der Wath claimed three wickets to leave Lions stumbling on 52 for 4 in their first innings. But a pair of old hands rode to their rescue. Neil McKenzie, who scored 73, and Zander de Bruyn, who ended on 92, shared a 162-run partnership for the fifth-wicket to ensure Lions came within 58 runs of their opposition total. With no tail wag, Lions were bowled out for 280.Knights attempted to up the scoring-rate as they looked to bat Lions out of the match in their second innings. Reeza Hendricks’ 75, Boeta Dippenaar’s 41 and Ryan McLaren’s 49-ball 41 allowed them to declare on 264 for 8, setting the Lions 323 to win.Quinton Friend’s double-strike in the first eight overs left Lions on 18 for 2 in reply. Medium-pacer Malusi Siboto also inflicted twin punctures on Lions, and Friend claimed one more to leave them at 83 for 5, when no further play was possible.In Durban, Lance Klusener earned his first win as a franchise coach as Dolphins beat Warriors by 227 runs.Vaughn van Jaarsveld’s 106 and Imran Khan’s 92 were the major contributors to the Dolphins’ first-innings total of 321. Simon Harmer claimed 6 for 94 in that innings while Wayne Parnell went wicketless. Imran Tahir’s 5 for 67 helped bowl out Warriors for 211 in reply, 110 runs behind.David Miller finally found form in Dolphins’ second innings, making an undefeated 71. Parnell could say the same, having taken 3 for 43. Dolphins declared on 275 for 8 and set Warriors 386 to win.Warriors were bowled out for 158, their only significant partnership being 85 between Arno Jacobs and Craig Thyssen for the sixth wicket. Left-armer Mthokozisi Shezi took 5 for 26, Kyle Abbot claimed 3 for 20 and Tahir took his match haul to seven with 2 for 91. Dolphins, however, remain at the bottom of the table.

The BCCI has categorically ruled out the possibility of India using the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) for the foreseeable future

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2011The Indian board has categorically ruled out the possibility of India using the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) for the foreseeable future, saying they just don’t trust the technology. The board also turned down an offer to travel to Australia to watch how the system is being used during the Ashes series.”We don’t accept this technology. We are not going to use it in any bilateral series,” the BCCI’s secretary and president-elect, N Srinivasan, told . “They were supposed to take us to see its use in the Ashes series but I did not go. We have made our presentation to the ICC, saying we are just not convinced about the technology.”When asked if the cost of the technology was an impediment, Srinivasan said, “That’s another issue but we have got serious doubts about its accuracy.”India’s insistence on avoiding the UDRS is at odds with the trend elsewhere in the cricket world; the technology will also be used in the upcoming World Cup on the subcontinent. “Well, the World Cup is an ICC event and if the ICC decide to use it, they obviously can,” Srinivasan said.India has refused to use the UDRS in any of their bilateral series since becoming the first team to use the technology in 2008. They struggled with their referrals on that tour, getting only one review right, while Sri Lanka successfully challenged 11 decisions. The country’s stand has frustrated some of the other teams, who have called on the ICC to step in and ensure that the system is used uniformly throughout the game.”The ICC needs to take responsibility and lead the way when it comes to the review system,” Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain said after losing the Durban test against India during which a couple of decisions went against his team. Cricket South Africa had pushed hard for the system prior to the three-Test series between the two sides, but the BCCI did not budge.Michael Clarke, who is captaining Australia in the fifth and final Ashes Test in Ricky Ponting’s absence, echoed Smith’s comments, saying, ” I think it should be 100% used or not used at all.”

Luke Pomersbach kept Western Australia’s season alive with a maiden century that earned them a valuable bonus point against South Australia

Cricinfo staff06-Feb-2010Western Australia 5 for 234 (Pomersbach 104*) beat South Australia 9 for 233 (Klinger 51, Edmondson 3-45) by 5 wickets

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLuke Pomersbach’s century guided the Warriors home•Getty Images

Luke Pomersbach kept Western Australia’s season alive with a maiden century that earned them a valuable bonus point against South Australia. Pomersbach raised his highest one-day score with 104 off 102 balls as the Warriors passed the visitors’ 9 for 233 with five wickets and 11 overs remaining.The win lifted them to second on a crowded table, leaving them needing to win their last group game to stay in contention for the final. South Australia remain on 17 points along with Victoria and New South Wales, four behind the leaders Queensland.Pomersbach entered at No. 3 and after a watchful start found his groove by hitting Dan Christian for two fours and a six over midwicket in consecutive balls. South Australia had the hosts 3 for 87 but Pomersbach picked up the pace in partnership with Marcus North (22) and then watched Mitchell Marsh thrash 29 from 13 before securing the win. Pomersbach had a couple of reprieves during a sloppy day for fielding, but walked off with a collection of 13 boundaries and the six.South Australia were on target for a big total when Michael Klinger and Mark Cosgrove were together after combining at 2 for 66, but life became much tougher and the tourists were unable to find the expected late surge. Klinger was patient early before increasing his tempo, including hitting Aaron Heal for six in his 51, which ended when he was stumped off North.Cosgrove was the brightest of the visitors, although he did benefit from two drops off Heal mid-innings, and enjoyed planting the spinner for a couple of straight sixes. However, his luck ran out on 43 when he pushed North to long off, where Marsh leapt for an athletic catch to have the Redbacks 4 for 154.Cameron Borgas (31) and Christian (20) chipped in but Ben Edmondson (3 for 45) made things difficult during the second half of the innings. Nathan Coulter-Nile was also impressive with 3 for 46 while North picked up 2 for 28 in a strong all-round display from the Warriors.

Shubman Gill went past Sunil Gavaskar’s 221, a record which had stood for nearly 50 years

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2025

Shubman Gill climbed another peak on this England tour•Getty Images

Shubman Gill, 269, Edgbaston, 2025

After the first Test, at Headingley, Gill said his 147 was not enough and that he should have gone bigger. At Edgbaston, he did exactly. In friendly batting conditions, he batted with discipline, relying on minimum-risk caresses for most of his boundaries and offering no chances to bring up his maiden Test double-century. In the middle session of the second day, he recorded the highest score by an India batter in England, going past…

Sunil Gavaskar, 221, The Oval, 1979

In one of the great fourth-innings knocks of all time, Gavaskar almost got India to pull off the unthinkable and chase down 438 on a fourth- and fifth-day pitch. He batted for more than eight hours against an attack that included Ian Botham and Bob Willis. In a gripping finish, India were ten runs short of the target with two wickets in hand when they ran out of time.

Rahul Dravid, 217, The Oval, 2002

Dravid already had two hundreds in the series by the fourth Test of India’s 2002 tour. With the series tied 1-1, England scored 515 in the first innings. Dravid led the response with a typically patient innings over days three and four that took him past 600 runs for the series. The match petered out into a draw, leaving the series tied.

Sachin Tendulkar, 193, Headingley, 2002

In one of India’s famous wins in England, Dravid and Sanjay Bangar set the platform for Tendulkar to play a stroke-laden innings. On the second evening, with the light fading, he went on the charge, hitting three sixes. Though he fell short of a double, India got to 628 and ended up winning by an innings.Ravi Shastri, 187, The Oval, 1990With Krishnamachari Srikkanth dropped, Shastri was given the role of opener on India’s 1990 tour. He got a hundred at Lord’s, and at the Oval went bigger, batting 436 balls as India got 606 in the first innings. England had to follow-on but survived to take the series 1-0.

41-year-old makes switch from hockey to cricket following departure of Mo Bobat

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2023The ECB has appointed its successor to long-term Performance Director Mo Bobat, following the recruitment of Ed Barney from the same role with England and Great Britain Hockey.Barney, 41, had previously worked with the ECB as a Talent Identification Scientist from 2010 to 2013, and moved to his hockey role in 2016 where he oversaw a period of sustained success, including Olympic gold for GB women in Tokyo in 2021 and a maiden Commonwealth Games gold for the England women’s team in Birmingham 2022.The men’s hockey team also reached third in the world rankings, their highest ranking in 20 years, before they won silver at the European Championships – their first medal at that level in 14 years.Barney’s original stint with the ECB overlapped with that of his predecessor Bobat, who was with the board for 12 years from 2011, before accepting a new role as director of cricket at Royal Challengers Bangalore, which is due to commence in February.”The opportunity to return to the ECB and take on the role of Performance Director was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Barney said. “I’m looking forward to building on much of the exceptional work that is in place, whilst ensuring that the quality of our provision supports the most talented players to realise their potential, excel on the world stage and inspire the nation about everything that cricket has to offer.”It’s been a real honour to lead the performance team at England and Great Britain Hockey over the past seven years. It has been very special to see many of the junior teams break through, whilst the senior programmes have excelled on the world stage with European, Commonwealth Games and Olympic medals.”As Performance Director it has been a real privilege to work with so many exceptional players and colleagues who day-to-day inspire one another to strive to be better. I want to thank everyone at England and Great Britain Hockey and look forward to following their success in the future.”Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, said: “Ed has an outstanding record in a number of high-performance sports. The men’s Performance Director is a vital role as we look to continually increase the depth of talent and prepare players for the rigours of international cricket.”What is clear with Ed is that he has been able to do that at England and Great Britain Hockey, building world-class programmes that has left them in a better place than when he started, while his experience with the ECB makes him ready-made to build on the significant work we have already been doing.”

Afghanistan are on the rise, despite playing so little international cricket, but Bangladesh T20 coach Sriram expects his team to “go out there” and “do the job”

Mohammad Isam29-Aug-2022

Rashid Khan: We have more youngsters now than before. Most of the guys enjoy this short format•ICC via Getty

Rashid Khan believes that Afghanistan’s relatively younger side enjoying T20s is making a big difference. Their eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup opener sent out a warning to the rest of the participants that when they combine well as a team, they can be quite dangerous.Rashid, regarded among T20’s elite, said that their contest against Bangladesh on Tuesday will tilt towards the side that handles the pressure better, but stressed on how well Afghanistan have prepared ahead of this tournament.Related

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“We have more youngsters now than before,” Rashid said. “Most of the guys enjoy this short format. We are playing in Sharjah after a long time, but at the same time, our cricket remains the same. We know our roles. We are playing Bangladesh away for the first time since Dehradun, so it has been four years. At the same time, whoever plays better cricket and controls their nerve in the big game, they will do the best. As a team, we will prepare well and go with a fresh mind and enjoy the cricket.”Afghanistan are benefiting from playing a lot of franchise T20 over the last few years. Indeed, many of the capped and uncapped Afghan players are in high demand in most of the leagues. Rashid believes that they are making up for the lack of international cricket with franchise exposure.”We don’t play a lot of longer format cricket,” he said. “It is about the FTP, and not in the players’ hands. We want to play a lot of international cricket, so that our youngsters can understand the environment to improve their skills. Since we play a lot of international leagues, it gives us the opportunity to learn from the best players. We bring that experience to the international team. We share that with the rest of the team.”Specially in the batting department it helps if we play more international leagues. If there’s international duty, you have to be present. It is always first priority. But we are hopeful of playing more international games in the coming years.”Afghanistan rolled Sri Lanka over to kick off the Asia Cup•AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Bangladesh have much to prove after going down to ODI and T20I series defeats in Zimbabwe recently. Even so, Rashid knows not to take them lightly, like his Sri Lankan counterpart Dasun Shanaka who termed Bangladesh as a “weaker opponent” to Afghanistan.”It will be different condition in Sharjah tomorrow,” he said. “Shakib [Al Hasan] is the skipper, the most experienced player in the side. It makes a huge difference. But we think about our process. It is in the players’ mind. We know our roles and jobs tomorrow. We don’t think about the result, whether we beat them or not.”We don’t think opposition is weak or strong. You can’t say that in cricket. It is something that you never handle the result of the game. For us, every opposition is tough. We have to take the opposition seriously, and be well prepared. If we are playing Hong Kong or India tomorrow, we will have the same preparation.”Bangladesh have appointed Sridharan Sriram as a technical consultant, essentially their T20 head coach for the next three months, while Shakib, despite a sponsorship controversy, was made the new captain.Sriram, who only joined the team a few days before their departure from Dhaka, said that proper communication and role clarity are some of the first things he has tried to establish with the team.”I think it is about role clarity,” he said. “One thing we have made an effort to do is, be as clear in communication as possible to what to expect from everyone. Players are aware of their roles. Once we get there, we will assess conditions and probably take the right call.”We are clear about our game style. What we want to play. I have played in Sharjah so many times. It is good that we didn’t practice there. Practice facilities are not great in Sharjah. We have had very good facilities here, so we are happy with what we got.”Bangladesh go into the Asia Cup having lost series to West Indies and Zimbabwe, and looking confused in many aspects of the game. But Sriram is hopeful that with the right encouragement, things can change.”We have to give them the freedom to play,” he said. “Ability-wise there’s no doubt that Bangladesh has the ability to do it. But it is about going out there, and getting the confidence. Keep expressing themselves, keep doing the job.”

ECB bracing for further withdrawals amid clashes with international tours and restrictions on overseas travel

Matt Roller10-Jun-2021David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Sophie Devine have pulled out of the inaugural season of the Hundred, with the ECB bracing for further withdrawals amid clashes with international tours and restrictions on overseas travel.Warner and Stoinis were both contracted by the Southern Brave on deals worth £100,000 and £80,000 respectively, but have opted to withdraw from the competition. Both players have been named in Australia’s preliminary squad for white-ball tours to the Caribbean and Bangladesh, which overlap with the Hundred’s window from July 21-August 21, but are expected to withdraw in order to spend time with their families.Trevor Hohns, Australia’s national selector, added six players to the preliminary squad for those tours following discussions with those initially named. “During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families,” he said.”CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff and officials is a top priority, and never more so than during the Covid-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams.””It is obviously disappointing to lose players with the ability of David and Marcus, but the realities of Covid mean there are practicalities that are difficult for some overseas players to overcome,” the ECB said in a statement to ESPNcricinfo. “Replacement overseas players will be signed by Southern Brave, and we look forward to the Hundred showcasing world-class cricket this summer.”Related

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Their third men’s overseas player, Andre Russell, is likely to miss the first half of the tournament’s group stage on international duty, during West Indies’ home T20I series against Australia and Pakistan, but the Brave hope he will be available for their first three or four games plus the knockouts. They are lining up a temporary replacement for the start of the Hundred, likely to be an overseas player in the Vitality Blast.This is the second time that Warner has pulled out of the Hundred, after he initially did so in March 2020 citing “family and personal reasons”. Stoinis was lined up as his replacement before the tournament was postponed to 2021 and was then retained before February’s draft, in which Warner was re-signed as a first-round pick.Seven other Australian men’s players – Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Adam Zampa, Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short and Nathan Coulter-Nile – are contracted for the tournament. Lynn and Coulter-Nile are expected to fulfil their deals at Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets respectively after missing out on Australia’s enlarged squad, while Short is also likely to spend the full season with the Rockets following his stint with Hampshire in the T20 Blast, but the availability of the other four players is also in doubt.Shaheen Afridi is also set to withdraw from his Birmingham Phoenix deal after being named in Pakistan’s T20I and Test squad for their tour to the Caribbean, while Shadab Khan – named in the T20I squad – will miss at least the first half of the group stage for Manchester Originals.The nine New Zealand players involved in the T20 Blast are expected to attract interest as potential replacement players in the Hundred, with Lockie Ferguson understood to have agreed a deal. Finn Allen, who made his Lancashire debut on Wednesday, said earlier this week: “Hopefully I can slide in as a replacement player. I’ve heard a few players might potentially be pulling out from different countries, so hopefully an opportunity pops up.”The ECB confirmed on Friday that five India women’s players – Shafali Verma (Birmingham Phoenix), Deepti Sharma (London Spirit), Harmanpreet Kaur (Manchester Originals), Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave) and Jemimah Rodrigues (Northern Superchargers) – will stay on to play in the competition following their multi-format series against England, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo.Verma is a replacement for Devine, the New Zealand allrounder, who has pulled out “in order to be in the best position to prepare for international cricket, particularly with the ICC Women’s World Cup due to be held in her native New Zealand in February,” according an ECB release.Rachael Haynes and Jess Jonassen have already withdrawn, and further Australia players may pull out in order to rest and prepare for their home series against India, which starts on September 19.