In Vadodara, Subhranshu Senapati’s century sparked Odisha’s resistance against Baroda

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2017Centuries from N Jagadeesan (101 off 150) and Yo Mahesh, who produced his second rearguard performance of the season, helped Tamil Nadu finish on 326 and secure the first-innings lead against Madhya Pradesh in Indore. Madhya Pradesh, however, replied strongly in their second lead to end the day on 142 for 1 with Rajat Patidar (81*) and Shubham Sharma (41*) at the crease. Earlier, Tamil Nadu resumed on 191 for 6 and lost their overnight batsman Jagadeesan early on the day, who was bowled by Avesh Khan shortly after his second century. Yo Mahesh and M Mohammed, who scored 43 off 69 balls, then stitched together 92 runs for the eighth wicket. After Mohammed’s dismissal, Yo Mahesh had a handy partnership with R Sai Kishore and eventually finished unbeaten on 103, laced with seven fours and five sixes. Seamers Ishwar Pandey and Puneet Datey claimed three scalps each.Seamer Shardul Thakur’s five-wicket haul shot out Andhra for 215 and helped Mumbai secure a sizeable first-innings lead in Ongole. Mumbai’s batsmen, led by Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 95-ball 75, responded strongly in the second innings to finish the day on 190 for 4 and stretch the lead to 307. Resuming on 74 for 2, Andhra’s cause was helped by captain Hanuma Vihari (70) and Ricky Bhui (69) who put on 134 runs. But, their dismissals in the space of 4.2 overs helped Mumbai get back into the game. Eventually, Andhra slumped from 156 for 2 to 215 all out. Dhawal Kulkarni provided Thakur able support with three wickets.Subhranshu Senapati’s unbeaten second century was the centrepiece of Odisha‘s resistance against Baroda as they went to stumps on 316 for 5 in their first innings in Vadodara. Odisha still have to wipe out a deficit of 187 runs, but with Senapati still at the crease, they might have reasons to remain optimistic. Resuming on 64 for 2, Odisha didn’t have the best of starts, though, as they lost Natraj Behera who was caught behind off Vishnu Solanki in the first over of the morning. Senapati, however, raised partnerships of 103 and 105 with Shantanu Mishra (46) and Biplab Samantray (55) before adding 44 runs in an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership with Rajesh Dhupar.

The West Indian smashed almost 75% of his team’s runs as Rangpur Riders secured their spot in the second qualifier in BPL 2017

Mohammad Isam08-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes

The wait for a Chris Gayle special in this BPL season is finally over. The West Indian smashed 126 – the highest score in the BPL – to eliminate Khulna Titans and power Rangpur Riders into the second qualifier. This was the first hundred of the season, Gayle’s fourth in the BPL, and 19th overall in T20 cricket. Khulna, whose young guns have been quite impressive, wilted in face of the six-laden onslaught.Gayle packed his 51-ball innings with 14 sixes and six fours, helping Rangpur hunt down 168 with 28 balls to spare. His 14 sixes is a new BPL record; Gayle bettered his own record of 12 sixes he had hit for Dhaka Gladiators in 2013.Too many shots spoil Khulna’s start
Opener Nazmul Hossain Shanto kickstarted the innings with three fours in eight balls before falling to an unnecessary hoick against Sohag Gazi in the fourth over. Afif Hossain drove his first ball over cover for four and slapped a six four balls later,but was bowled by Malinga in the following over.The trend continued: Mahmudullah struck two sixes and two fours in his 6-ball 20 before holing out to long-on. Khulna were 56 for 3 at that stage.Rangpur apply the brakes
The bowlers built on the early wickets and did not concede a single boundary from Mahmudullah’s dismissal in the seventh over to the 11th over. Klinger broke the shackles when he cut Bopara between point and third man in the next over. Two balls later, however, Bopara’s superb yorker castled Klinger for 21 off 26 balls.Khulna’s late charge
Nicholas Pooran and Ariful Haque then added 40 for the fifth wicket at a run rate of eight to perk up the side. The stand ended when Ariful fell in the 17th over for 29. Ariful had a life in the 14th over when both Mashrafe and the bowler Bopara let a skier fall between them at mid-off, but he failed to cash in.Carlos Brathwaite then continued his excellent form, taking 17 runs off Malinga in the 18th over, including a muscular six over extra cover. Malinga, though, flummoxed Pooran with a slower full-toss with the first ball of the last over. He gave away just one boundary of the last over to restrict Khulna to 167 for 6.Archer deal early blows
Gayle teed off with a brace of sixes but Jofra Archer removed Gazi and Brendon McCullum in the third over to leave Rangpur at 25 for 2. From thereon, it was the Gayle show.Gayle storm hits Mirpur
Gayle was severe on Archer, taking him for 20 runs in the fifth over, including a straight six. Abu Jayed was also hit down the ground in the next over before Mohammad Irfan’s legbreaks were deposited for two sixes in the seventh over – the first of which brought up a fifty off 23 balls. Gayle did not spare his West Indies team-mate Brathwaite too as Rangpur surged towards the target.He went onto bring up a 45-ball hundred when he worked Mahmudullah to deep midwicket for a single in the 14th over. He finished the chase when he slammed Shanto for back-to-back sixes in the 16th over.What they said
“I think it is called the Gayle storm. To be honest, he batted outstandingly. We didn’t bowl well up front, because we know about his power and capability.”

The Hyderabad captain was involved in an argument with the umpires following his side’s match against Karnataka in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this month, after their target had been revised mid-innings

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2018Hyderabad captain Ambati Rayudu has been suspended for the two games in the Vijay Hazare 50-overs tournament after he was found to be guilty of breaching the BCCI code of conduct during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Rayudu was involved in an argument with the umpires during the Hyderabad-Karnataka match earlier this month after two runs were added to Karnataka’s total at the end of their innings due to a revised boundary call. With Hyderabad eventually falling two runs short in their chase, the team, under Rayudu, stayed back in the middle and urged the umpires to commence the Super Over. Their contention was that they were batting with the target of 204 in mind, before two more runs were added to revise it to 206. The ensuing agreement about the Super Over delayed the start of the next game between Kerala and Andhra. That match was eventually shortened to 13-overs-a side due to the delay.Since Rayudu admitted to the charge levelled by the on-field umpires Abhijit Deshmukh, Ulhas Vithalrao Gandhe and third umpire Anil Dandekar, and accepted the sanction, there was no need for a formal hearing. He had said at the time that his intention wasn’t to delay the start of the next game. “There was some confusion in the middle at the start of our innings,” Rayudu had told reporters after the match. “What I went and told the umpire was ‘sir you cannot change the score, we are batting for 204 as our target’. That is exactly what I told him and he told me ‘we’ll see it at the end, let the match start’. [Karnataka captain] Vinay Kumar had stopped for nine minutes before the second innings. They had no business to stop the match once the target was declared. Then what we said was we were playing for 204, and that was my exact words.”At the end, we went and asked to start the Super Over. That is exactly our point of contention. We never even thought of stopping the second match. That has got nothing to do with us. We were saying that our match was not complete, we still have to play the Super Over. That is exactly why we went to the middle, we were actually going to warm-up then.”The BCCI is also looking into the role of the Hyderabad team manager in the incident.Rayudu has faced code-of-conduct issues previously. In the 2012 edition of the IPL, he was fined 100% of his match fee for using abusive, obscene language towards Harshal Patel of Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was also involved in a tiff with Mumbai Indians team-mate Harbhajan Singh in 2016.

Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, called Kane Williamson’s century in Wellington his best in 12 months but lamented some poor batsmanship around him

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington04-Mar-2018New Zealand are pinning their hopes of being able to come from behind to take the one-day series against England on the recovery of Ross Taylor and reuniting him with Kane Williamson after his magnificent century in Wellington came just short of securing victory.Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, called Williamson’s innings his best in 12 months but lamented some poor batsmanship around him – echoing the views of the captain who said his side didn’t bat smartly – as the middle order subsided against Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. A stand of 96 between Williamson and Mitchell Santner put New Zealand in a position from where they could have won, but 15 off the last over proved a little too many.”Once the spinners came on, it was always going to be a challenge starting on that surface – Kane was the only player to get past 50 in the match, so, clearly, starting was difficult – but we lacked the batsmanship required yesterday,” Hesson said. “[The dismissals] were a bit different, some were very poor decision-making; others were a bit of a lack of execution.”There are positive vibes coming from the New Zealand camp over Taylor, who missed the Wellington match with a quad injury sustained being run out in Mount Maunganui, and having their two finest batsmen back together – and both in form – is much-needed for the Dunedin match on Wednesday. Since returning to the one-day side last year after eye surgery Taylor has averaged 57.27 in ODIs, with three centuries, the most recent in the first match of the series.”We have some very talented players, such as Mark Chapman, but at the moment they aren’t Ross Taylor,” Hesson said. “It’s looking promising for Ross.”Unsurprisingly, having returned from a hamstring injury, Williamson reported as feeling “stiff and sore” after being on the field for all but 2.1 overs in Wellington, but there are currently no concerns around him for Dunedin with the extra day between matches working in his and Taylor’s favour.”That’s probably the best Kane has played in 12 months in terms of the way he stuck to his game plan form ball one,” Hesson said. “As the only player to pass fifty suggests it was an outstanding innings. To get us to a point where we had a chance to win was testament to his quality.”The one aspect of Williamson’s performance that raised a few eyebrows was his use of Santner for only two overs with his left-arm spin. Instead, Colin Munro bowled eight overs; Williamson’s decision perhaps swayed by Colin de Grandhomme’s miserly spell of 10 overs for 24 runs and the presence of left-handers in the middle for the majority of the innings, who would have been hitting with Santner’s turn to the shorter boundaries at the Westpac.”It was a tactical decision made out there…you rely on guys to make decisions out there, the left-handers were out there for a long time,” Hesson said. “Colin Munro and de Grandhomme did the job of hitting the length at the time; I certainly support that.”

In light of their failure in the home T20s against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh pace bowlers were ordered to participate in a special training camp under bowling coach Courtney Walsh ahead of the Nidahas Trophy

Mohammad Isam23-Feb-2018Bangladesh’s bowling coach Courtney Walsh will brief pace bowlers in a week-long camp on how to prepare for certain match situations. Becoming more consistent and mentally strong are other areas in focus as they prepare for the Nidahas Trophy T20s in March, which involves India and hosts Sri Lanka. The camp started on Friday and will go on until March 2.Bangladesh’s pace bowlers have come under increased scrutiny after their failure to stop Sri Lanka batsmen in the two T20s that rounded up a miserable home season for Bangladesh. Sri Lanka won the T20 series by putting up scores of 194 and 210, and losing eight wickets across the two matches. As a result, BCB president Nazmul Hassan ordered a special training camp for the pace bowlers, under Walsh, which includes Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain among the 14.”We are working on the mental side of bowling in the camp,” Walsh said. “They have to back themselves and keep it simple. In my assessment, that’s what has happened in the last series. The guys went a little bit over the top in terms of trying a bit too hard. They have to know what best to do in a situation and how to execute it. If they get the consistency, eight out of ten times it will work in your favour. We are trying to get them to be consistent and remain relaxed with the execution.”Walsh said that the camp will also take the bowlers back to basics, to give them a better understanding of pace bowling, and at the same time work on their consistency. “We haven’t bowled as consistently as we would have liked so this camp is to focus on that. They have to understand their roles in the upcoming tour.”The camp is also to make them know what fast bowling is all about, and the hard work that is required. It is a combination of both. We are trying to keep it simple. We are focused on the consistency, working on the skill-set and get a better understanding of it.”The camp includes six uncapped pace bowlers, some of whom appeared in the BPL in November last year. After initially seeing what they bring to the table, Walsh said these young pace bowlers, whom he is seeing for the first time, will be taken through the rigours.”It is the first time I am seeing some of these guys properly,” he stated. “To look at them today was to assess them and see what they have. Over the next few days, we will be doing specific work on individuals. They have to improve their departments.”If they are weak in any department, we will work on it. If they are strong, we will get them to be stronger. It is to develop the overall skill of the player. At the end of the day, I am here to make Bangladesh cricket as best as it can be, and for the bowlers to be a lot more consistent.”

England, meanwhile, are hoping to recover quickly after losing their last two matches back-to-back

The Preview by Annesha Ghosh30-Mar-2018

Big Picture

If the Ashes-retaining campaign had been “a good starting point” for Australia to stage a turnaround after relinquishing their world titles in both limited-overs formats, captain Meg Lanning’s return to international cricket now awaits commemoration in the form of a double series triumph.A T20 series victory for the first time in nearly three years beckons Australia, soon after their 3-0 ODI series win against India. Barring the eight-wicket loss against England, in Lanning’s absence, Australia have looked menacing in their approach and application, with their batting and bowling units syncing perfectly.Heather Knight’s England, on the other hand, would be wary after suffering two successive defeats in as many days ahead of the final. Having razed down both their opponents in their first two games, fielding all their three debutants on tour, they found themselves restricted to 96 in their last encounter against Australia, and yielded to India for 107 on Thursday.England are likely, therefore, to return to a more tested combination, featuring old hand Jenny Gunn, who became the first cricketer to play 100 T20Is, on March 25.

Form guide

AustraliaWWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LLWWW

In the spotlight

Much of England’s fortunes on Saturday will rest on their most prolific run-getter in this tournament. That it was the same batsman, Danielle Wyatt, who also scripted the side’s come-from-behind, points-levelling Ashes campaign in November will not be lost on Australia. Apart from Wyatt’s maiden international ton, which trumped Beth Mooney’s 70-ball 117 at the Manuka Oval, Australia will do well to also bear in mind her demolition of India six days ago.To outdo their fiercest rivals a second time this series, Australia will require the sharp-shooting skills of their only bowler to claim a hat-trick, Megan Schutt, who jointly leads the tournament wickets chart with six scalps. With a little aid off the pitch, Schutt’s change-ups, especially her cutters, can fox anyone. She will hope to have the support of the left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen, who has been the stingiest bowler – among those who have bowled 14 overs or more – in this tournament.

Team news

Beth Mooney, who missed Australia’s last game with a mild abdominal strain, briefly trained in the nets on Friday and is likely to be available for selection. Rachael Haynes, however, missed training due to illness.Australia (possible): 1 Alyssa Healy (wk), 2 Beth Mooney, 3 Meg Lanning (capt), 4 Ellyse Perry, 5 Elyse Villani, 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Rachael Haynes/Nicola Carey, 8 Delissa Kimmince, 9 Jess Jonassen, 10 Megan Schutt 11 Amanda-Jade WellingtonEngland quick bowler Anya Shrubsole is out of contention as she continues to recover from a shoulder injury.England (possible): 1 Danielle Wyatt, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Tammy Beaumont, 4 Natalie Sciver, 5 Heather Knight (capt), 6 Fran Wilson, 7 Jenny Gunn, 8 Alice Davidson-Richards, 9 Natasha Farrant, 10 Danielle Hazell, 11 Sophie Ecclestone/Alex Hartley

Pitch and conditions

The tracks at Brabourne Stadium have been so flat that three of the 10 highest women’s T20I totals were amassed over the past week. However, if the same track as the one on which England played back-to-back matches against Australia and India is to be used, the sluggishness of the surface should keep the spinners interested. In that case, a low-scoring contest cannot be ruled out.

Stats and trivia

• England opener Danielle Wyatt needs 29 runs to surpass her Indian counterpart Smriti Mandhana as the leading run-scorer in the series.
• Australia’s last series victory in T20Is came in August 2015, when they consigned Ireland to a 3-0 clean sweep.

Quotes

“Been a while since we got a T20I series win. If we get over the line tomorrow, the girls will be really pleased about that.”
“Two defeats is not ideal but T20 is a very fickle game, it changes very quickly. Looking to turn it around and put in a good performance.”

Injury concerns aside, CSK have begun well, squeezing out maximum points so far. Now they run into a revamped Kings XI Punjab, captained by an old friend

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu14-Apr-20185:03

Agarkar: Out of form Yuvraj on shaky ground

Big Picture

Two matches, two last-gasp wins and two injuries. Having squeezed out maximum points so far, Chennai Super Kings now run into a revamped Kings XI Punjab side captained by an old friend in R Ashwin. Kings XI have had a seesawing start to the season: they mowed down Delhi Daredevils but came up short against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday. They have a little less than 48 hours to address their weaknesses, particularly their batting.Despite losing wickets in a cluster, Kings XI’s batsmen kept going after the bowlers and were ultimately bowled out with four balls unused in their innings. Such an approach works only if you have a fail-safe option in the batting line-up. Yuvraj Singh is past his prime while Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, and Marcus Stoinis are largely hit-or-miss batsmen. Ashwin, however, has indicated that the side will not curb its aggression after just one loss.Super Kings’ middle order is rickety as well, and the injuries to Suresh Raina and Kedar Jadhav have forced them to dig deep into their reserves. Ambati Rayudu has given the team bright starts in both games, so, perhaps, there is a case for him to stay at the top. Super Kings will have to choose between a fit-again M Vijay and Delhi’s Dhruv Shorey, who is uncapped in the IPL, for the middle-order slot thrown open by the absence of Raina.

In the news

• Raina will miss a Super Kings match for the first time in his career.
• Jadhav’s replacement David Willey joined the squad on the eve of the match.
• Lungi Ngidi will not be available for Sunday’s clash, having flown back home to South Africa following the death of his father.
• Ngidi’s captain at South Africa Faf du Plessis, who is recovering from a finger injury and a side strain, is “close” to full fitness, according to coach Stephen Fleming.

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The likely XIs

Kings XI Punjab 1 KL Rahul (wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Aaron Finch/David Miller, 4 Yuvraj Singh/Manoj Tiwary, 5 Karun Nair, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin (capt), 9 Andrew Tye, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mujeeb ZadranChennai Super Kings 1 Shane Watson, 2 Ambati Rayudu, 3 M Vijay/Dhruv Shorey, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Sam Billings, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Imran Tahir

Stats that matter

• Axar Patel has a perfect record against Shane Watson, having dismissed the Australian allrounder five times in five IPL matches
• MS Dhoni has struggled against spin, managing only 367 runs off 349 balls with a dot percentage of 45.6 since IPL 2015. Ravindra Jadeja has fared worse against spin, scoring only 157 off 161 balls in the same period.
• Mohit Sharma has bagged 25 wickets between overs 16 and 20 in 43 IPL games since 2015. He also tends to leak runs in the same phase, though, as his economy-rate of 9.4 suggests.

Strategy punt

If Rayudu continues to open for CSK, Ashwin could do well to bring himself on right away. The spinner has dismissed Rayudu four times in 48 balls while giving away only 53 runs.

Fantasy pick

That he can bowl legspin with accuracy too has amplified the threat posed by Ashwin. He struck with a loopy legbreak in the 12th over on Friday, removing Sarfraz Khan, and bowled a total of four legbreaks in the match for just one run. In Kings XI’s tournament opener against Delhi Daredevils, Ashwin had ventured four legbreaks and conceded three runs.

Quote

“There is obviously a lot going on. The positive is we have two wins out of two. There haven’t been great performances but scrapping and fighting wins, which at the start of a tournament is more valuable.”

No. 8 Jahanara Alam dived to the striker’s end and completed the second run to seal the three-wicket victory and clinch Bangladesh’s maiden Asia Cup by defeating India for the second time in the tournament

Annesha Ghosh10-Jun-2018Bangladesh’s post-match revelry•ACC

A maiden Asia Cup final. Nine runs required off the last over. Two wickets go down on the fourth and fifth balls and the match spills onto the final ball, with Bangladesh women needing two to win.A thriller. A heartbreak for six-time champions India. A perfect ending for Bangladesh, as No. 8 Jahanara Alam dived at the striker’s end to seal a three-wicket victory and give Bangladesh their maiden Asia Cup title.Deepti Sharma’s throw from midwicket to push the final into a Super Over proved as bereft of vigour as was India’s performance with the bat that saw them post 112 for 8; half of the tally courtesy captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s 42-ball 56. That they were still able to drag the game to the final over was down to legspinner Poonam Yadav’s career-best 4 for 9.
With Bangladesh requiring 23 off 18 and a set Rumana Ahmed batting on 13, Harmanpreet, who hadn’t bowled in India’s last two league matches, brought herself on to bowl the 18th and 20th overs. She drew a top-edge off her first delivery that flew over the wicketkeeper for four. The rest of the over continued to be eventful, featuring two singles and two twos, before ending with a missed run-out opportunity due to an erroneous throw from Smriti Mandhana.India missed a second run-out opportunity in the 19th over when Deepti, the bowler, decided against throwing the ball at the non-striker Sanjida Islam’s end after collecting a return drive. Islam survived and added 14 vital runs off 13 balls for the sixth wicket with Rumana. Deepti, however, gave away just four runs, leaving India with nine to defend in the final over.By then, however, all of India’s four frontline spinners had bowled out, their spearhead Jhulan Goswami had leaked 20 in two overs, and their only other fast bowler – Shikha Pandey – left the field with a knee injury – in the second over of the chase – having bowled only four balls.It was in that context that Harmanpreet, who had memorably bowled the final over in India’s 2016 Asia Cup victory, came on to bowl the 20th. But Rumana, who had single-handedly routed India in their seven-wicket league-stage win, struck an inside-out four off the second ball as Bangladesh shaved off six runs off the first three balls. Islam then slogged Veda Krishnamurthy to long-on as more drama ensued. Deepti and Harmanpreet then combined to have Rumana run out off the penultimate ball of the innings.With two required off the final ball, Harmanpreet pitched on a fullish-length, and it was met with a slog from Alam towards the deep. With that, India were denied a seventh straight title and Bangladesh had their fifth win in six matches to end a momentous Asia Cup campaign.But Bangladesh took their first steps towards history much earlier in the game, when they strangled India in the Powerplay, thanks to left-arm spinner Nahida Akter, whose three overs cost just six runs.Salma Khatun, the Bangladesh captain, complemented that effort with some disciplined offspin bowling that kept India’s openers on a leash. The pressure eventually got to the batsmen, when Mandhana’s bid to steal a third run in the fourth over was ended by a direct hit from Akter. An out-of-form Mithali Raj and Deepti then laboured to 9 off 15 balls 3 off nine balls respectively in the Powerplay.It was enough to inject nerves into India’s innings and led to a wicket in each of the next three overs. Medium-pacer Alam bowled Deepti, offspinner Khadija Tul Kubra removed Raj, while Anuja Patil became the second Indian female player – and the first in T20Is – to be out obstructing the field as she changed her course en route to making her ground at the non-striker’s end.By then, India had slumped to 32 for 4, before top-scorer Harmanpreet added 30 runs with Veda Krishnamurthy. An ill-judged sweep sent Krishnamurthy back for 11, before legspinner Rumana’s double-strike in the 15th took out wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia and Shikha Pandey for single-digit scores.Harmanpreet fought on to notch up her highest score in 20 innings across limited-overs formats since her unbeaten 171 in the World Cup semi-final last year. Her resistance ended in the last ball of the innings when she found Alam in a bid to clear deep square leg.

The batsman had said in a TV interview on Sunday that he had been approached to leave to balls alone during the 2015 World Cup match against India

Umar Farooq24-Jun-2018The PCB wants Umar Akmal to explain the comments he made to a TV channel on Sunday about being offered money during the 2015 World Cup to “leave two balls alone”. Hours after Akmal told about the alleged approach made to him during the World Cup, as well as other supposed offers to miss games against India, the PCB served him a notice, asking him to meet the board’s anti-corruption unit on June 27 in Lahore to explain his comments.”I had got an offer during the World Cup to leave two balls alone and they were willing to pay me $200,000 for that,” Akmal said in the TV interview. “It was our first match against India in the 2015 World Cup… in fact, every match I play against India, they offer me money to make some excuse and opt out of the game. But I have told those people that I am very sincere about playing for Pakistan and to not talk to me on this topic ever again.”It is unclear whether Akmal had previously reported these alleged approaches to the anti-corruption authorities, and therein could lie a problem for him. While there is no evidence to suggest Akmal has been involved in any corrupt activity, failure to report an approach is also a punishable offence under PCB and ICC rules. Akmal, ESPNcricinfo understands, had officially reported corrupt approaches in 2014 during the England series in the UAE.
The ICC, in an official statement, said it had launched an investigation and that it wished to speak to Akmal “urgently”.”The ICC is aware of a recent interview given by Umar Akmal. Whilst we note that there is no suggestion that any ‘fix’ actually took place, the ICC is reliant on players to report any corrupt approaches in a timely manner. This is critical to our efforts to gather information on potential ‘fixers’ and to disrupt and prevent their efforts to corrupt the game. As such we are taking Akmal’s comments very seriously.”We have launched an investigation and wish to speak to Mr Akmal as a matter of urgency. Our Anti-Corruption Unit is committed to working to uphold integrity in cricket and would urge anyone with any information to contact us via [email protected].”Akmal has been embroiled in a number of controversies of late. In May last year, in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, Akmal had to return home after failing two fitness tests in two days. In September, he picked up a three-match ban and a fine of Pakistani rupees 1 million for his public outburst against coach Mickey Arthur. Then, in March this year, his future with Pakistan Super League franchise Lahore Qalandars came into question after he was left out of the squad following a poor run of form; it was understood that he was not even travelling to the stadium with his team-mates at that point.June 25, GMT 0244 The story was updated to include the ICC’s comment.

Senior batsman wants team to draw inspiration from Nurul Hasan’s performance in first Test

Mohammad Isam09-Jul-2018The Bangladesh dressing room was “shocked” after their embarrassing defeat to West Indies in Antigua.First, they were bowled out for 43, their lowest-ever total and the lowest Test score in 44 years. Then they followed that with a marginal improvement to make 144 in the second innings, eventually losing by an innings and 219 runs. This was the least overs a side had bowled to take 20 wickets in a Test in 66 years.Tamim Iqbal, one of their senior-most players and batting mainstay who made 4 and 13 in that Test, doesn’t want to dwell on what has gone by. Instead, he insisted the team has drawn positives from Nurul Hasan’s counter-attacking 64 on the third morning, their only bright spot, looking ahead to the Jamaica Test starting July 12.”Like all of you, we are also in a shock about our last Test match,” Tamim said. “Our performance is by no means acceptable. We are a better side than this. We are not looking for excuses. We made mistakes which caused this performance. We hope to do well in the next Test.”We have to keep on believing as a team and as individual players that we can do well, we can win. The way Sohan (Nurul) and the lower-order batted, it proves that if you can stay in the wicket, you can score runs. I hope that Jamaica Test will be a much better performance.”Steve Rhodes who sat through the entire ordeal on his debut as Bangladesh head coach, felt the team should have reacted better during their first-innings deterioration. In the first innings, Kemar Roach took five wickets in just five overs – the shortest spell to win a Player of the Match award – to leave Bangladesh tottering at 18 for 5 even before the first drinks interval. The last five didn’t do much either, even as Liton Das tried to slog his way out of trouble.”We potentially did not adjust quick enough to the circumstances put in front of us in either innings. But you can take nothing away from the Windies bowlers and catchers. They bowled and fielded admirably on a pitch that suited their bowling,” he told ESPNcricinfo.Rhodes also assessed the need to have more firepower in the bowling. “As far as our bowling is concerned, I thought Rahi (Abu Jayed) bowled admirably in his first Test match. It is very clear that we could do with some real pace to throw at the West Indies batsmen but that is not an overnight option for us. But we would definitely look to have some pace when we tour in the future.”