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At 38, Anderson claims his 29th five-wicket haul in Tests – only one seamer, Sir Richard Hadlee, has more

George Dobell23-Aug-2020If you ever wondered how much James Anderson puts into his bowling, it’s worth thinking back to how his South Africa tour ended.Anderson broke his rib in the Cape Town Test. Not because he sustained a blow. But through the repeated effort of pushing his body through the rigours of fast bowling. The England medical team said they had never seen such an injury.By the time he left the pitch – pain etched all over his face having tried to bowl his side to victory – he had delivered 37 overs in the match. Not bad for a 37-year-old. And nor was his analysis: 7-63. In the first innings, he had become the oldest England seamer to take a five-for since Freddie Brown in 1951.Now 38, he took another five-wicket haul here. Ridiculously, really, it was his 29th in Test cricket. Only one seamer, Sir Richard Hadlee, has claimed more.Perhaps of more interest, the return, 5-56, put Anderson on the brink of 600 Test wickets. He requires only two more now. And while he has yet to take a second-innings wicket this summer, the way in which he is bowling suggests Pakistan may need some help from the weather to deny him.He could – should, maybe – have reached the landmark already. At one stage, late in the day, he saw three catches put down off his bowling in the space of 10 balls. All of them should have been taken, though to be fair, the light was murky.ALSO READ: Light was ‘seriously dangerous’ for tailenders – BessA few years ago, Anderson’s reaction might have got the better of him. Oh, he looked furious all right. But who wouldn’t? And he didn’t say a word. Instead, he walked back to his mark and concentrated on creating another chance. The fourth of them in 22 balls was taken to finish off the innings and seal his haul. You suspect relief was the overwhelming emotion in the England dressing room.But Anderson’s ability to control his emotions has been one of the many areas in which he has improved in recent years. Until 2014, he was famously grumpy on the pitch. And while he felt he needed that edge to spur him on, there were times it seemed to spill over and become a distraction. Remember the Ravi Jadeja incident at Trent Bridge? Whatever really went on in that corridor, the repercussions rumbled on for a long time and persuaded Anderson he needed to change.He learned he didn’t need such a side. Just as few of those West Indies bowlers needed to say much to convince their opposition they were in hostile territory, so Anderson realised he was best served by concentrating on his craft and allowing the results to sort themselves out. That’s how to claim four chances in 22 balls despite the disappointment and distractions of missed chances.But nothing has ever come easy to Anderson. Yes, he was drafted into England’s international teams as little more than a kid: 20 years old and blessed with an ability to swing the ball late at sharp pace.But within a couple of years, attempts to refine his action saw him lose his pace, his swing and, eventually, his fitness. The stress fracture he suffered left him a spectator during the 2005 Ashes and threatened, for a while, to derail his career.All the time he was sidelined he was watching, though. Watching and talking and learning. Friends talk of him as a “cricket geek”. It’s meant fondly. But while others may want to turn off between games, Anderson watches all the cricket he can: Test cricket; T20 cricket; even videos of county footage to ensure he is informed not just about his opponents but so he can pick up any new skills. Have two fast bowlers even reinvented themselves in their mid-30s the way Anderson and Stuart Broad have? That spirit of self-improvement may define them both.Later, as a member of the four-man attack that took England to No. 1 in the Test rankings, he was obliged to operate as both strike and stock bowler. Yes, he took some wickets on days when the ball jagged around in England. But oh, he earned them from all those days he answered the call from captain after captain, not knowing where else to turn, for yet another spell on a heartbreakingly flat pitch. Really, anyone who thinks Anderson has had it easy hasn’t been paying attention.All those overs took their toll. That right shoulder has bowled more deliveries than any seamer in the history of Test cricket. At this stage it’s held together by habit and hope. At one stage, in late 2016, those closest to him recall him not being able to pull on his t-shirt or tie his shoe laces without significant pain. The England management told him not to worry about the tour to India. Relax, they said. Take your time. Come back to the team for the next English summer.But he was having none of it. Instead he persuaded his then manager, the former county player Luke Sutton, to pad up and face him in the indoor nets at Old Trafford. Anderson would then video the sessions and send them to the England management with a message that basically said ‘Look! I’m fine! Get me to India.’ He arrived in time to play in the second Test and claimed four wickets.Let’s put that in perspective. Anderson was, by this time, a fast-medium swing bowler in his mid-30s. He had proved, as MS Dhoni put it, to be the “difference between the sides” on the previous tour, in 2012. He had nothing to prove to anyone. He could easily have skipped the tour, protected his figures and waited for the green pitches and Dukes ball of the next summer. What sort of madman would insist on the heartbreak of India?Well, the sort that becomes a champion. The sort that doesn’t know when they’re beaten. The sort that loves not just the plaudits on the good days, but the graft that goes with the tough ones. The sort that breaks a rib through the effort of trying to win a game for their country. The sort that, you suspect, won’t ever have had their fill of this great game of ours.Again, it’s worth thinking back to that South Africa tour at the turn of this year. Anderson talked eloquently of this enduring love for the craft then. Not for taking wickets or winnings matches, so much. More about the craft and effort. The love – yes, that was the word he used – of claiming a second new ball on a flat wicket with the opposition set. Of the satisfaction he felt when “you struggle to get out of bed to walk to the toilet”.The outcome of all this is that Anderson has taken 330 Test wickets (at a cost of 23.91) since he was 30. And, for all the talk of struggling overseas, he’s claimed two five-wicket hauls in his most recent five Tests overseas. And three in his last 13. Yes, he’s not as quick as he was. But if pace was everything, Tino Best would have more Test wickets than Vernon Philander and Jofra Archer would have been the man leading the team off the pitch on Sunday.Logic tells us it will end soon. He’s 38, for goodness sake, and England’s next Test tours are to Sri Lanka and India. By the time the Ashes come back round, he’ll be 39 and Australia, surely, is no country for old men. Really, any day could be the last. Enjoy it while you can.So, yes, time will get him eventually. It has a broader bat than Sachin and more patience than Boycott. But Anderson’s been defying convention and logic and expectation for a while now. Who is to say he won’t keep doing it for a while yet? And he only needs 102 more wickets to reach the 700 mark.

Angela Reakes was handed a suspended two-year ban from the game after she was found to have placed bets on the outcome of the Man of the Match award during the World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand in March

Daniel Brettig22-Dec-2015Angela Reakes, a 24-year-old legspinner with the ACT and the Sydney Sixers, was handed a suspended two-year ban from the game after she was found to have placed bets on the outcome of the Man-of-the-Match award during the World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand in March. Reakes, the first Australian cricketer caught betting on matches since Cricket Australia unveiled its anti-corruption code, will now become part of information sessions designed to prevent others from making similar or worse indiscretions.She placed five bets, totalling a sum of AUD $9, in contravention of Article 2.2.1 of the Code, which outlaws “placing, accepting, laying or otherwise entering into any bet with any other party (whether individual, company or otherwise) in relation to the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any Match or Event”.CA has 16 official betting partners, all of which have signed up to “assist CA in its ongoing management of the integrity of CA competitions, by agreeing to the information sharing and other integrity requirements specified by CA”. A CA spokesman declined to comment on whether Reakes’ offence had been uncovered via these arrangements.Other sanctions included an official reprimand from CA, and also the requirement to become part of CA’s anti-corruption compliance education to other cricketers in coming seasons – she will thus become part of the education process designed to prevent similar missteps. While she accepted the sanctions voluntarily, the suspended sentence will hang over Reakes for the remainder of her career, meaning an instant ban should she ever transgress again.”All elite cricketers are reminded regularly that betting on any form of cricket is strictly prohibited,” said Iain Roy, head of CA’s integrity unit. “It is outlined in the Anti-Corruption training that we deliver on an annual basis and is written into our Code of Behaviour.”Angela understands that in placing these bets she made a bad mistake and has acknowledged the seriousness of her error. She has been cooperative during the investigation and we believe the penalty in these circumstances is appropriate.”Reakes moved from the New South Wales Breakers to the ACT Meteors in the off-season, and enjoyed a productive domestic 50-over tournament where she was her team’s leading wicket-taker. She has taken one wicket in seven matches while bowling economically for the Sixers.

“Legally and constitutionally it’s our right to participate in the tournament and nobody can remove us from it”

Umar Farooq21-Feb-2021Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, has said that Pakistan will demand the T20 World Cup to be shifted out of India if Pakistan do not get written assurances from the host country on the safety and visas of every stakeholder. Mani said that the ICC in its contingency plan made UAE a back-up option, if India failed to host the tournament for any reason later this year in.The upcoming T20 World Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Australia but due to the pandemic, the cycle had been revised giving India rights to host the 2021 event while Australia have been asked to host the 2022 edition. Given the strained relationship between India and Pakistan, the ICC has been working together with the boards to obtain assurances for Pakistan’s participation.”Our government has never told us that we can’t play (in India),” Mani told reporters in Lahore. “We have agreed with the ICC that we are going to participate and we can’t contravene that. At the ICC level, I have clearly said we need a written assurance from the India government that not only our team and squad’s visas, we also need visas for fans, journalists and the board officials, but that’s also all written in the ICC host agreement and according to that we have put our demand.”ICC has also been a bit loose on it as they told us that it will be done by Dec 31, 2020, but it didn’t happen. I again raised it in January and in February directly with the ICC chairman, then I talked to ICC management and I told them that I need a clear decision by March. They are saying that by end of March. If it doesn’t come, I will demand the shifting of the event from India to UAE.”Cricketing ties between India and Pakistan have had their ups and downs since the two countries first met in the Delhi Test of 1952. The relationship over the last seven decades has been impaired with neither side touring the other country for a full series since 2007 when Pakistan last visited India. Bilateral ties between the two countries were snapped after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 until a limited-overs series was played in 2012-13, though India and Pakistan have faced each other in international tournaments. The sides last met at the 2019 World Cup in England.Mani also brought up how the International Olympic Committee had suspended India in 2019 after Pakistani shooters were not issued visas for the World Cup held in New Delhi in February 2019. That sanction, however, was lifted after the union government promised that all participating athletes would be given a visa, and that it wouldn’t be judged politically. Mani called for this issue to be sorted too, and for cricket to stay out of politics.On a separate outstanding issue, the ICC has told the BCCI that it reserves the right to take away the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup from India after the board failed to secure a tax exemption for the tournament from the government.”It’s already been decided that if India can’t hold the event it will be shifted to UAE,” Mani said. “Legally and constitutionally it’s our right to participate in the tournament and nobody can remove us from the tournament and the ICC chairman does realise this.”Unfortunately, it’s unhealthy that especially cricket in India is being linked with politics. On a personal level, I have no problems with Sourav Ganguly and he is quite open about it, he wants to organise the tournament in India and I have no problems with it too if he can convince every stakeholder. But ICC has backup plans and if they (India) can’t do it, it will be held at an alternative venue.”The 2020 edition of the Asia Cup, which was postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, is also slotted for June this year. The tournament was originally meant to be played in Pakistan but PCB swapped the hosting rights with Sri Lanka’s 2022 edition as the PCB cannot feasibly host a tournament involving India around the growing tension between two countries. It was to feature the four subcontinent sides along with Afghanistan and an Asian qualifier. “The fate of the tournament hinges upon the qualification of India in the ICC Test championship. If they do (qualify) then its impossible this year and then we have to take it to 2023.”

Hosts find top-order stability that has been a stranger over the past year, thanks to Pieter Malan

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town06-Jan-2020Until all is said and done on Tuesday, whatever it is that may be said and done, it’s difficult to say anything definitive about this South African batting performance. They might go on to score more than 300 for only the fifth time in 18 innings since January 2018, or they might not. They might have their first centurion of the new decade, or they might not. They might, and it is a very small might, bat out the day for a memorable draw, or they might collapse.Whatever happens, they have already given themselves plenty to think about, a little to be a pleased out and a problem they won’t mind having from their performance on the fourth afternoon.With 71, Pieter Malan and Dean Elgar gave South Africa their second-highest opening stand in the last two years after Elgar and Aiden Markram put on 85 against India in Centurion. Malan and Zubayr Hamza then gave the team a second-wicket partnership of 52, providing top-order stability that has been a stranger to the South African line-up over the past year.In India, five of South Africa’s six innings started badly: 63 for 4, 70 for 8, 53 for 5, 16 for 3 and 36 for 5. At SuperSport Park, they were 32 for 2 and 29 for 3, so 126 for 2 is a much better position than South Africa have become used to and they have Malan to thank for that.ALSO READ: ‘I wouldn’t waste a referral like this’ – ElgarFrom the first over, Malan made it clear that he knew exactly where his off-stump is. He left extravagantly, shuffling across, shouldering arms and jutting out a hip almost every time. But he also defended confidently, came down the wicket to dead-bat James Anderson and was not rattled when he was forced back to shorter balls from Stuart Broad. He used his feet well against the spin of Joe Denly and Dom Bess and weathered the late storm served up by Ben Stokes.Malan fronted up to a nasty end to the day, when Stokes bent his back, turned up the pace and aimed for the body. The result was Malan being hit on the chest. No matter. He reached his first Test fifty in the next over, off 144 balls, with only two boundaries. Temperament, more than anything else, was what stood out about Malan.”The fight that he has shown today – he knows his game pretty well. He played the situation perfectly this afternoon,” Jacques Kallis, South Africa’s batting consultant, said. “He knows how to switch on and switch off. He is very organised and I was very impressed with the mental capabilities that he has got.”Kallis’ endorsement will go a long way to ensuring Malan has a decent run in the XI, something that seemed a distant possibility a week ago. Malan would not have played if Markram hadn’t fractured a finger while fielding at Centurion, but there’s an argument to be made that that should not have been the case. Like most of the South African line-up, he had a tough tour of India, with 44 runs in four innings, including a pair in Pune. Unlike Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma, Markram did not pay the price for his poor form.The three half-centuries he scored in early 2019 (one against Sri Lanka and two against Pakistan) saved him, but if Markram had been benched too, he couldn’t really complain. His latest injury has forced him to spend some time thinking about his approach, which, as was apparent at SuperSport, is positive but sometimes too risky.It also provided an opportunity for a more experienced first-class opener to make the step up, and Malan, on his home ground, has shown the value of his years. He has already done an impressive enough job to merit a place for the rest of this series, and perhaps even the winter tour to West Indies. Markram may have to work his way back in, through the domestic structures, and that’s no bad thing. Bavuma and de Bruyn are currently doing that and if Malan is anything to go by, they will return better players.That’s something for South Africa to think about in the months to come. On Tuesday, their only concern is to get through each ball. Not the runs, not the series situation, not the record that could be within reach. Just the next ball. “We’re going to face as many balls as we can and have a look at tea,” Kallis said.If they get there. Though batting on days three and four in cool, cloudy conditions was significantly easier than on days one and two in bright sunshine, that could change. Usually overhead cover assists the seamers but here the clouds kept the full-strength summer sun from opening up the cracks, specifically the one outside the right-handers’ offstump at the Kelvin Grove End. With warmer weather forecast for the final day and a second new ball due just before lunch, the smart money will be on the contest ending in England’s favour at some point in the afternoon.Even Kallis seemed to agree as he called it a “tough ask,” to chase down the target of 438, from which South Africa are still 312 runs adrift. But he wouldn’t be a professional sportsman if he didn’t also think it could be done. It was Kallis who, after Australia hit 434 against South Africa in ODI at the Wanderers, joked that the opposition were 10 runs short and the bowlers had done their job. If he offered anything similar here, it hasn’t been made public yet but what he did say is, at the very least, there is a chance for someone to make a name for themselves and the rest to see how it’s done.”It’s an opportunity for guys to put their hands up and become heroes,” Kallis said. “It’s in situations like this where you see what guys are made of and how good they are and how far we can go. No matter what happens, the team will learn a lot from this game and that’s exciting, especially with this young batting line-up that we’ve got.”

Tom Rogers’ first BBL half-century ensure Stars win with 33 balls to spare, keeping their slim final hopes alive

AAP12-Jan-2023Melbourne Stars made light work of their 109-run chase in a nine-wicket thumping of Adelaide Strikers that keeps their slim BBL finals hopes alive.Strikers’ high-powered batting line-up crumbled at the MCG on Thursday night as they were bowled out for just 108, following successive scores of 200-plus. It was the lowest total of any side batting first this season and the third-lowest in Strikers’ history.In reply, Tom Rogers hit the first half-century of his BBL career as Stars cruised to victory with 33 balls in hand. Fellow opener Joe Clarke was the only player dismissed when he was run out by a direct hit from Ryan Gibson.The win lifted Stars off the bottom of the ladder and improved their net run-rate, giving them a finals lifeline ahead of Saturday’s derby against Melbourne Renegades. Strikers host the last-placed Brisbane Heat on the same day and are also firmly in the mix.Strikers’ low total came despite Matt Short hitting two of the first three deliveries of their innings for six as he took 20 off Luke Wood’s opening over. They were the only two sixes of Strikers’ innings.Experienced duo Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa shone for Stars, who clamped down on their opponents and bowled almost 60 dot balls.Liam Hatcher removed the competition’s top two run scorers – Short and Chris Lynn – while Beau Webster took a superb diving catch at extra cover to remove Adam Hose. Wood was the only Stars bowler with an economy rate above five an over.Harry Nielsen top-scored for Strikers, who are winless from six attempts against Stars at the MCG.

Neser followed a five-wicket haul with a century while Agar backed up a hundred with a five-wicket bag

Andrew McGlashan12-Oct-2020Within the space of about an hour on adjacent grounds in Adelaide, Michael Neser and Ashton Agar completed a feat that had not been achieved in the Sheffield Shield for 10 years by scoring a century and taking five-wickets in an innings during the same match.Neser, the Queensland seam-bowling allrounder, was the first to the landmark at Gladys Elphick Park when he brought up his maiden first-class century with consecutive boundaries thrashed through the leg side off Riley Meredith. It followed his opening-day figures of 5 for 32 to help bowl out Tasmania for 250.On the next-door ground at Karen Rolton Oval, Agar was working his way through the Western Australia lower-order and completed his five-wicket haul when he claimed a return catch offered by his brother, Wes. That haul followed Agar’s century which he completed yesterday as part of a 266-run stand with Josh Inglis.Before today, the last player to complete this double in the Sheffield Shield was Mitchell Johnson when he scored 121 not out and claimed 5 for 35 against Victoria at the MCG in November 2010. Before that, Steven Smith bagged the doubled when he made 100 against South Australia then took 7 for 64.Overall, they were the 33rd and 34th occasions of the double happening in Sheffield Shield cricket. Garry Sobers did it four times during the 1960s.Neser is still waiting to earn a Test debut having been a regular part of Australia’s Test squad over the last 18 months while Agar, an established part of the limited-overs squad, played the most recent of his four Tests – which included the famous 98 on debut against England – in 2017.

The combination of India’s ruthless attack and South Africa’s ordinary batting meant India cruised to a crushing win by an innings and 137 runs

The Report by Sidharth Monga13-Oct-20193:49

Agarkar: Glad Saha, Umesh getting applause for their hard work

The hallmark of Virat Kohli’s captaincy on the field in Test cricket has been the clinical execution. His field placements, his declarations, and his bowling changes have tended to err on the side of conservatism. On Sunday morning in Pune, he took a trip to the wild side by enforcing a follow-on on South Africa, and thus asking his bowlers to bowl a second day in a row.It turned out it wasn’t that wild a ride. The combination of India’s ruthless attack and South Africa’s ordinary batting meant India cruised to a crushing win by an innings and 137 runs, India’s biggest against this opposition. It also sealed their 11th consecutive series win at home. By agreeing to bowl for two days in a row, and doing it so well, the bowlers earned an extra day off between this and their third straight Test.ALSO READ: Stats – India break Australia’s record with 11th consecutive series win at homeModern cricket has shown that you enforce the follow-on only in extreme circumstances, unless you are certain the opposition is so far gone it is not capable of fighting back. There was no rain forecast so that took out one extreme circumstance. India probably felt the pitch was dying down, as was evident with the South Africa lower order’s ease with the old ball, so they needed to make use of it when it was still lively. What the follow-on had going for it was that India had five bowlers, and even if South Africa batted five sessions to save the Test, India couldn’t lose the Test.

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Despite all those circumstances, it is highly likely it all came down to the huge difference in class between the two sides. It has taken some miraculous batting in both the first innings of this series for South Africa to bat over 100 overs. India just didn’t expect South Africa to bat over 100 overs here. They lasted 67.2 overs.Damage began with Aiden Markram falling for a silver pair. So short is his confidence that he didn’t go for the review even though it seemed he wanted to. As was seen in the replays, this inswinger from Ishant Sharma was swinging too much. Theunis de Bruyn, whose series has been only marginally better than Markram’s, soon became a victim of some Wriddhiman Saha magic with a flying catch down the leg side off Umesh Yadav.India’s players celebrate their innings victory•BCCI

Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis, promoting himself to No. 4 this time, provided some resistance but R Ashwin broke through that in the second hour of the day to go past Dennis Lillee’s tally of 355 Test wickets. It wasn’t without some help. Saha gladdened the hearts of those who facilitated his comeback after he sat out for 22 months, a hiatus that was not his own making. Ashwin drew an inside edge from du Plessis, on to his thigh pad, thus changing direction and heading towards Saha’s ribs. Saha’s gloves followed the ball, but didn’t quite keep up with it. He did get enough to keep the ball in the air, then in desperation he threw his left glove at the ball, lobbing it down the wicket. Now he was about to lunge for the ball, the lunge had started, and he realised there is time. So he took a mini step before lunging, getting enough distance on the dive to finish the catch where silly point would be.Just before lunch, Elgar made an argument for a long-off despite a big lead because batsmen these days can’t help hitting in the air. Because there was a long-off in place, Elgar tried to clear mid-on, and the ball turned to fly off the outside half of his bat for a catch to Yadav.Post lunch, it was the turn of Ravindra Jadeja to get among the wickets, beating a Quinton de Kock slog sweep and drawing an outside edge from Temba Bavuma. The latter was pretty significant because of the pressure Bavuma was under. He got a start, looked like their best player of spin in this innings, but after getting in and with the ball getting softer, he played a loose drive at Jadeja.Mohammed Shami produced an over from hell to almost blast the bat out of Vernon Philander’s hands and then get Senuran Muthusamy fending at a short ball. On day four on an Indian pitch. As has been the norm, there was resistance in the lower order against the softer ball with first-innings fighters Philander and Keshav Maharaj adding a half-century stand. However, once Philander tickled Yadav down the leg side, the end came swiftly.

The Pakistan left-armer has signed for eight games in this year’s English T20 competition.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2019Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan left-arm seamer, will return to Essex for part of the 2019 Vitality Blast. Amir, who was involved in Essex’s 2017 Championship success, has signed for eight games in the T20 competition.Amir is due to arrive in time for Essex’s first fixture in this year’s Blast, against Middlesex at Lord’s on July 18, before missing two games due to family commitments. He will then be available until mid-August before heading to the Caribbean Premier League.”I’m very excited to return to Chelmsford and re-join my Essex team mates,” Amir said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time here in 2017 and I’m looking forward to playing my role in the club’s success this season.”Essex have already re-signed Australia legspinner, Adam Zampa, one of the few successes of last season, as well as bringing in T20 veteran Cameron Delport for 2019. Last year, they finished third from bottom in the South Group, winning just two of their 14 games.The club also failed to reach the Blast quarter-finals in 2017, but Amir was a success, taking 14 wickets in 13 games and with an economy of 6.77.”Mo is one of the most exciting bowling talents in the world and I’m ecstatic he’s going to be back with us,” Essex’s head coach, Anthony McGrath, said. “He has the ability to bowl at a fast pace whilst swinging the ball both ways and showed a real desire to come back to Chelmsford and be an Eagle again.”Everyone has seen how devastating he can be with the ball and the talent he has, so I think alongside our other overseas player, Adam Zampa, we’re going to have one of the most dangerous bowling attacks in the Vitality Blast this year.”

For West Indies, meanwhile, Keemo Paul is likely to replace the suspended Shannon Gabriel

The Preview by Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2018

Big Picture

‘Spin it to win it’ seems to be the watchword in the Bangladesh-West Indies Test series. The Dhaka pitch for the second game is likely to be as helpful to the spinners as the Chattogram surface was, although the home side will tell you that curator Gamini Silva’s work is often unpredictable.Bangladesh’s spin attack, led by captain Shakib Al Hasan, wouldn’t mind another spin-friendly pitch after they handed Bangladesh a maiden win at home against West Indies.Taijul Islam, Shakib, Nayeem Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz formed a useful quartet in the first Test, taking all 20 West Indies wickets. Taijul was the pick of the bowlers in both innings, but it was his 6 for 33 in the decisive fourth innings that made the big difference. Shakib was at his accurate best, teasing and dragging batsmen out of their crease or getting them to go back to full balls with his variations in flight.Nayeem and Mehidy, both offspinners, were crucial too. Nayeem became the youngest ever bowler to take a five-wicket haul on debut. Delivering offspin from a height is his advantage, and he is also quite accurate. Mehidy, meanwhile, snared Shimron Hetmyer, West Indies’ most aggressive batsman in Chittagong, twice.Bangladesh’s batting, however, remains a worry. Mominul Haque struck 120 in the first innings but Mushfiqur Rahim didn’t have a good Test with the bat while Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes struggled for their runs. Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Mithun failed to apply themselves deftly on a spin-friendly wicket.The same can be said about the West Indies batsmen, in particular Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope and Roston Chase, who had double failures in Chittagong. Going back to sharply turning deliveries was their fault, a trap Hetmyer and Shane Dowrich, who made fifties in the first innings, didn’t fall into too often.Sunil Ambris showed a bit of resistance in the second innings, but unless the top order contributes, winning a Test match will be difficult. West Indies, however, will be happy with how Jomel Warrican and Devendra Bishoo bowled while Kemar Roach is likely to get Keemo Paul as his new-ball partner after Shannon Gabriel was suspended for barging into Imrul.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWLLL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLLWWShane Dowrich acknowledges the applause•AFP

In the spotlight

Shane Dowrich was mostly safe behind the stumps in the first Test, while also contributing with the bat. His unbeaten 63 in the first innings was the type of resistance mixed with proactive batting that West Indies badly need in Dhaka.The spotlight is always on Shakib Al Hasan, who claimed his first Test win at home under his captaincy in the last game. He also bowled and batted well enough to be confident of a proper recovery from his finger injury.

Team news

Following Mushfiqur Rahim’s finger injury two days before the match, Bangladesh have enlisted Liton Das on stand-by, should Mushfiqur not be deemed match-ready. There is a chance Mushfiqur could play as a specialist batsman with Liton slotting in as keeper and replacing Mohammad Mithun. Shadman Islam, meanwhile, is likely to make his Test debut in place of Imrul Kayes, who has a shoulder injury.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mohammad Mithun, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim/Liton Das (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Nayeem Hasan, 11 Mustafizur RahmanWest Indies’ first headache would be to replace the suspended Shannon Gabriel. Fast bowlers Keemo Paul and Shermon Lewis and pace-bowling allrounder Raymon Reifer are the candidates vying for the spot.West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Sunil Ambris, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jomel Warrican

Pitch and conditions

Dhaka served up a predominantly batting-friendly pitch in its previous Test but it is unlikely to go that way in the second Test. The weather remains mild.

Stats and trivia

• Mushfiqur Rahim needs eight runs to become the second Bangladesh batsman to reach 4000 Test runs. Tamim Iqbal has scored 4049 so far.
• Taijul Islam is six wickets short of becoming the third Bangladesh bowler to take 100 Test wickets. He would also be the fastest if he completes the feat in his next five matches.
• The Chattogram Test was the first time in the last 10 years that the West Indies lost all 20 wickets to spin bowling

The tour was originally scheduled to begin in early May, but was postponed following the Easter Sunday blasts in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2019The PCB has announced that Pakistan’s Under-19s will tour Sri Lanka from May 23 for a series of five 50-over matches. The tour was originally scheduled to begin in early May, with the team set to depart Pakistan on April 30, but was postponed following the Easter Sunday blasts that left over 250 dead in Colombo.The original schedule consisted of two four-day games and three one-dayers against Sri Lanka’s Under-19s, in Galle and Hambantota. Now the tour will consist only of one-day games, all in Hambantota, on May 26, May 28, May 31, June 2 and June 5. The team will depart for Karachi on June 6.The team will be captained by Rohail Nazir, the 17-year-old Islamabad wicketkeeper-batsman, and coached by Azam Khan.Zakir Khan, the PCB’s director – international cricket, said the decision to go ahead with the tour was made after reviewing the security arrangements made by SLC.”I am pleased to confirm the Pakistan U19 cricket team’s tour to Sri Lanka is now back on track following 21 April tragic events,” Zakir said via press release.”Pakistan have themselves been a victim of terrorism. In the past decade, we have suffered massively, both financially and in terms of growing and developing cricket in our country, following international teams’ refusals to visit Pakistan.”When the offer for a revised schedule came on the table, the PCB management team unanimously agreed they will not allow any cricket playing country to go through the same difficulties and challenges as Pakistan. In such difficult times, the cricket family needs to stand together and support their member.”The decision to visit Sri Lanka is not only to show solidarity with them but to also practice what we preach.”In reaching the decision, we have reviewed and are satisfied with the security plans Sri Lanka Cricket have to put place for the Pakistan U19 cricket team. We have complete faith and confidence that our team will be well looked after in Sri Lanka.”In making the final decision, the PCB also took consent of the relevant authorities who backed our view to support Sri Lanka in these difficult times.”Pakistan Under-19 squad: Rohail Nazir (capt & wk), Mohammad Taha, Abbas Afridi, Akhtar Shah, Basit Ali, Haider Ali, Khayyam Khan (wk), Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad Wasim, Niaz Khan, Saim Ayub, Shiraz Khan, Suleman Shafqat, Qasim Akram
Reserves: Amir Ali, Irfan Niazi, Mohammad Amir, Nadir Shah, Said Nazir
Coaching staff: Azam Khan (coach-cum-manager), Mohtashim Rasheed (assistant coach), Faheem Shah (physiotherapist), Saboor Ahmed (trainer), Usman Hashmi (analyst)