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Shoriful Islam has made a comeback, while Afif Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Rejaur Rahman Raja have been dropped

Mohammad Isam22-Mar-2023The uncapped pair of Rishad Hossain and Jaker Ali have earned national call-ups for the first time, for Bangladesh’s T20I series against Ireland – the three-match series starts on March 27. Shoriful Islam has come back, making it three changes from the side that beat England 3-0 earlier this month. Afif Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Rejaur Rahman Raja have been left out.Getty Images

The inclusion of legspinner Rishad is the most interesting call. He has been around the senior setup for the last few years but has hardly had any opportunities – even in the domestic circuit, like many legspinners in the country. The last time he played regularly in a domestic tournament was nearly two years ago in the Dhaka Premier League T20s. This season, Rishad has only bowled 5.1 overs in the first-class competition.It’s likely that Chandika Hathurusingha, the head coach, wanted to have a look at him in competitive cricket. During his first stint as Bangladesh coach, too, Hathurusingha had drafted in legspinner Jubair Hossain after seeing him bowl in the Bangladesh nets in 2014.

Bangladesh T20I squad changes

IN: Rishad Hossain, Jaker Ali, Shoriful Islam
OUT: Afif Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Rejaur Rahman Raja

Jaker is an in-form batter, who scored three consecutive centuries in the Bangladesh Cricket League – he was the top-scorer in the tournament with 492 runs from six innings. He was also part of Comilla Victorians’ BPL triumph this season.Shoriful came back in place of Rejaur, who hasn’t played an international match despite being in several Bangladesh squads since late 2021.Afif’s exclusion counts as a major setback for the young left-hand batter. His unbroken string of 61 T20I appearances ended when he was dropped for the third T20I against England, and till recently a shoo-in for both white-ball formats, Afif now finds himself on the sidelines.The three T20Is will be played in Chattogram on March 27, 29 and 31.Bangladesh T20I squad for Ireland series: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Jaker Ali

“Where’s the planning? We talk about planning but I can’t see where that planning has got to”

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2021Alastair Cook has questioned England’s planning and criticised the “simple, avoidable mistakes” they have made in the first two Ashes Tests after their 275-run defeat in Adelaide saw Australia take a 2-0 lead.Cook, England’s captain during their 5-0 defeat in Australia eight years ago and their leading run-scorer on their victorious 2010-11 tour, said that England’s decision-making “hasn’t been good enough”, and said that there was little evidence of the planning that Chris Silverwood – England’s head coach and Cook’s former Essex coach – had regularly referred to throughout his two years in charge.”Ultimately, England are ruing the fact they’ve made too many mistakes in these two games,” Cook said in BT Sport’s coverage. “Their fielding isn’t as good as Australia’s, the decision-making off the field to get to this point hasn’t been good enough, and you can’t afford – on a tour like this – to make mistakes. It’s such a tough tour anyway.”Hindsight is the easiest place to come from but we’ve gone into this tour with all the stuff from Chris Silverwood, saying ‘we’re going to be the best-prepared England team’, ‘we’ve prepared for this’, ‘we want to arrive with this, this and this.’ Yes, there have been some circumstances they can’t have avoided like the Covid situation, the weather they’ve had, the T20 World Cup rescheduled.Related

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“But they turned up to play the biggest Ashes game which is the first one, where you set the tone, where you start to get in the series, and played a bowling attack that had never played before together. Where’s the planning? We talk about planning but I can’t see where that planning has got to.”Cook was also critical of the decision to omit Stuart Broad from the first Test at the Gabba, suggesting picking him should have been “a no-brainer”.”I don’t think James [Anderson] was fit to play that game, so that’s fine,” he said. “So then you go for a guy who’s got a good record at the Gabba, Stuart Broad, who you know can handle big situations, has delivered for England in the past… and you don’t play him. I’m sitting there going ‘really? Like, really? How’s that decision been made’. To me, that’s a no-brainer.”Matt Prior, England’s wicketkeeper on the 2010-11 tour and Cook’s vice-captain during the 2013-14 whitewash, highlighted England’s “unforced errors” as well as their decision-making, describing their profligacy in the field as “a huge negative”.”Before you even look at batting vs batting and bowling vs bowling on the two sides, it’s England’s unforced errors,” he said on BT Sport. “Dropping seven catches in two Test matches, that’s a huge negative and it’s one that can be trained and practised and shouldn’t happen at this level, quite frankly.”Taking wickets with no-balls and the amount of no-balls being bowled by this England team – it’s those elements that will be as frustrating as not leaving as well as the Australians, or bowling a bit fuller, or everything else.”People talk about one-percenters, but taking catches? That’s a 20-percenter. England aren’t at a place where they’ve focusing on one percent here, one percent there – get your 20 percent right first and then you can go from there.”But I agree with Alastair that some of the decisions that have been made so far in these two Test matches… I mean, talk about putting yourself behind the eight-ball before you’ve even got on the pitch. It’s been a real tough one.”

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.

While both teams struggled on the slow Bangabandhu pitch, New Zealand did less so, and won the final match of the series by 83 runs

The Bulletin by Rahul Bhatia22-Apr-2019
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

While both teams had difficulties on the slow pitch at the Bangabandhu ground, New Zealand struggled less, and won the final match of the three-match series by 83 runs. It had been a difficult strip to play on: only Scott Styris, Craig McMillan and Chris Cairns handled it well. They snatched back the initiative after Bangladesh had prised out their top order. In the end, their contribution during the late overs – 99 runs in the last ten – took the game out of Bangladesh’s reach.Styris scored 51, a responsible innings that gave his side stability after they were reduced to 105 for 4. He and McMillan put on 86 runs for the fifth wicket, and made the runway ready for a take off. That Cairns took off the way he did where others struggled to score was as astonishing as the distance of his hefty blows. In 16 balls, he smacked 34 runs. It was the third-top score of innings, and runs came far more easily than with him at the crease than when either Styris or Mathew Sinclair were. In Cairns, New Zealand had an x-factor that Bangladesh just didn’t.Though New Zealand started the day well, with a 72-run opening partnership, they looked uneasy, as if unsure of how to deal with the slow track. Sinclair and Nathan Astle tried to blast their way out when patience was required instead. They did have some success, however, against Tapash Baisya, who went for 22 in four overs before being taken out of the attack. Against the other bowlers, runs did not come quite so easily. The slow scoring rate led to Chris Harris’s promotion to No.3 in the order after Astle’ run out, but when he arrived at the crease, his innings was cut short by umpire Akhtaruddin who adjudged him leg-before to a delivery that pitched well outside the line of leg stump.Not long afterwards, Hamish Marshall followed, chipping a catch off Mohammad Rafique to Rajin Saleh (102 for 3). Sinclair, at the other end, had contributed to Astle’s run out, taking a non-existent single, but shrugged it off and continued to keep the scoreboard ticking. He managed to pierce through the wall of fielders, but had his moments of indecision, when balls just about missed the edge of his bat, and an attempted hoick over long-on flew over the man at square leg. He finally fell, chipping one back to Rafique (105 for 4).Rafique (4 for 63) had conceded only 26 runs in his first seven overs, but Styris and Cairns dented those figures. Rafique was repeatedly swatted for boundaries, and nothing he tried could stop the run-flow. Even though he removed Styris, who scored 51, as well as McMillan, who hammered back a catch, he came up against a murderous Cairns.Rafique had his moment in the sun, though, when he opened the batting for only the fifth time in 68 games. Before he was dismissed for 21, he played off-side strokes of quality. But his side were always in the doghouse after being reduced to 48 for 3, and the innings thereafter was a struggle less for success, more for survival. Nafis Iqbal scored a slow 40, and Khaled Mashud remained unbeaten on 36.The victory meant that New Zealand had won every international of the tour. But Bangladesh’s brief periods of resistance were heartening. They were beaten badly in most encounters, but were not giving up without a fight.

The two-time champions sealed a berth in the 2019 World Cup when rain arrived with Scotland five runs short of the DLS par score

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Harare21-Mar-2018It usually rains on around 191 days a year in Edinburgh, where Scotland play much of their international cricket. Harare Sports Club sees, by comparison, around 73 rainy days a year, and one of those days brought a soggy end to what was shaping up to be a thrilling match between West Indies and Scotland. Chasing 199, Scotland were 125 for 5, five runs behind the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score, when the rain came down. The result means West Indies have booked their place in Sunday’s final, and thus the World Cup in England next year.Storm clouds could be seen in the distance even as Scotland started their chase, and drizzle started to drift across the ground around the 30th over. Shortly afterwards, Scotland, who were already behind the par score, lost Richie Berrington to a controversial umpiring decision, lbw to an Ashley Nurse delivery that appeared to be heading down the leg side. Clearly aware of the need to get a move on, Michael Leask cracked two fours in his 14, but when the rain arrived in force, Scotland were still behind.While their day ended in heartbreak, Scotland could scarcely have asked for a better start to the match. Opening the bowling from the City End, Safyaan Sharif pitched his first ball on middle and swung it away to find the outside edge of Gayle’s bat. A colossus had fallen, and Scotland were boosted by the belief that, with the Gayle threat safely taken care of, this really could be their day.Things got even better for them when, with the first ball of his next over, Sharif had Shai Hope caught behind for a duck. West Indies were 2 for 2, and Scotland well and truly had their tails up. On a pitch offering bounce, carry and early swing Marlon Samuels shut up shop while Evin Lewis attempted to play something approaching his natural game. Lewis collected his first boundary with a crunching drive through the covers and, once the shine had been seen off the ball, reasserted himself with a pair of sixes off Alasdair Evans.Timing wasn’t a problem for Samuels, but he couldn’t hit the gaps nearly as often as he would have liked. One of his straight drives floored Lewis at the non-striker’s end, and Scotland’s cover fielders were kept busy, but Samuels struggled to rotate the strike with any fluency. At the other end, Lewis found his groove and moved through the 40s with a series of sweeps at the spinners. A flowing drive to the cover boundary took him to a 65-ball fifty in the 23rd over, and a dab to third man brought up the 100 partnership soon afterwards. Despite their shaky start, West Indies had laid a platform and all was set for a charge at the death.Getty Images

Except, it never came. Having extended the partnership to 121, Lewis attempted a huge heave to leg, but missed the ball entirely to be trapped lbw by Brad Wheal for 66. Samuels eventually reached a fifty of his own, but consumed 98 balls for his eventual 51, with 62 of those being dot balls that allowed Scotland’s bowlers to settle into a rhythm. Attempting to make amends for his go-slow, Samuels charged out and carved Leask over the off side, only for Tom Sole to take sharp, sliding catch sprinting around the long-off boundary. With his very next ball, Leask had Shimron Hetmyer caught behind, and the match turned once more.After that dismissal in the 34th over, West Indies hit just two more boundaries and lost a further five wickets to be all out for 198 in the 49th over. Sharif capped his important early wickets with the dismissal of Rovman Powell before he could do any damage, while Brad Wheal’s double-strike ended the innings. Scotland had bowled out every side they had played in this competition, bar Ireland, who managed to get through their fifty overs nine down. After this performance, it was easy to see why.Scotland needed to score at a shade under four in their chase, but more importantly they needed a steady start and cool heads. For the first 10 overs, however, neither was forthcoming. In the third over, Kyle Coetzer threw his hands into a fierce cut, but found Lewis at point. In the fourth, a hopping Matthew Cross deflected a brutal lifter from Jason Holder onto his own stumps, and in the seventh Michael Jones fell into a leg trap, hooking Kemar Roach straight to Powell at long leg. In quick time, Scotland were 25 for 3 and suddenly 199 seemed a long way off.Calum MacLeod and Berrington dug them out of the hole with a steady 42-run stand, foregoing any exuberance for risk-free accumulation. But both men were removed by Nurse, with Berrington’s dismissal proving particularly crucial as Scotland were just beginning to up the tempo as the rain approached. Michael Leask and George Munsey set themselves for a counterpunch, but it was not to be, and the rain arrived to spoil Scotland’s fairytale ending. For West Indies, though, it brought sweet relief.

The left-arm spinner dismissed Ishan Porel off the last ball of the match to ensure that the fifth ODI between England Under-19s and India Under-19s ended in a thrilling tie

The Report by Nikhil Kalro in Mumbai08-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Delray Rawlins fell for a sluggish 17•PTI

A see-saw contest, in which ball dominated bat, came down to the final ball. India Under-19s required one run with one wicket in hand. With the field in, left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White tossed the last ball up and No. 10 Ishan Porel chipped a catch to short cover, resulting in a thrilling tie at the Wankhede Stadium to end the five-match series.With six required off the last over, No. 11 Heramb Parab played out two dot balls, then scythed a boundary in front of point. A dot ball and a single to deep midwicket off the next two deliveries meant India couldn’t lose.In a game of fine margins, the difference may have been the one run that Porel didn’t complete when turning for a second leg-bye in the penultimate over. Henry Brookes produced figures of 3 for 30 in a disciplined spell of fast bowling.Defending 226, England’s seamers learnt from their mistakes in the previous game. On a green surface, they resisted bowling short, choosing a good length or a fuller length instead. With some lateral movement and bounce on offer, they extracted enough to trouble India’s top order, repeatedly beating batsmen on the outside edge.Priyam Garg popped a catch to short midwicket in the first over, closing his bat face too early. Abhishek Sharma was caught at slip, driving loosely away from his body. In the 12th over, Manjot Kalra slapped a drive to cover, off Arthur Godsal, where Tom Banton took a sharp reverse-cupped catch. In his next over, Godsal had Mayank Rawat caught down the leg side, gloving a pull. India were reduced to 54 for 4 at this stage.S Radhakrishnan, one of nine inclusions for India, was loose outside the off stump early. He gradually gained fluency as his innings progressed, though. He struck a few well-timed drives and was strong on the pull. When on 65, Radhakrishnan chipped a catch to deep midwicket off Delray Rawlins. India slumped to 137 for 7, and it seemed like the game was out of reach. “I felt like the game had gone,” India U-19 coach Rahul Dravid said after the match.Ayush Jamwal and Yash Thakur then combined to add 65 for the eighth wicket to accentuate England’s frustration, taking India close enough to the target. After Jamwal was caught at fine leg, India still needed 25 off 20 balls. Delray Rawlins, Arthur Godsal and Jack Blatherwick picked up two wickets each.After being inserted, England’s top order failed to capitalise on starts, much like the rest of the series. Harry Brook (14), Tom Banton (16) and Rawlins (17) were all dismissed by India’s seamers as England crawled to 64 for 3 in the 17th over.Again, the rebuilding work was left to George Bartlett and Ollie Pope. While Pope was more circumspect against a decent attack, Bartlett repeatedly found the boundary off the seamers.All five wickets taken by India’s spinners were a result of England’s batsmen playing for turn that wasn’t there. Bartlett hit two sixes during his 47 before he missed a straight one from left-arm spinner Shiva Singh. Stand-in captain Max Holden was caught at slip, playing inside the line of a delivery from Jamwal.Will Jacks, who struck 28 off 34 balls with two fours and a huge six over midwicket, missed a non-turning offbreak from Mayank Rawat, and was stumped. Pope was bowled attempting to cut a slider and Liam Patterson-White was pinned in front after missing a sweep. At that stage, England had been reduced to 187 for 8 after 43 overs.However, some handy lower-order cameos propped up England towards the end. Godsal, who hit an unbeaten 19, should have been run-out at the striker’s end, attempting to complete a second run but a fielder had blocked the umpire’s view trying to back up the throw.

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.

England will return to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the first time since their Test against West Indies in 2009 was abandoned after 10 balls

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2013England will return to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the first time since their Test against West Indies in 2009 was abandoned after 10 balls due to a dangerous outfield consisting largely of sand.Alastair Cook, who opened the batting with Andrew Strauss in that match, will take his ODI team to West Indies for three ODIs beginning at the end of February all of which will be held at North Sound. Three Twenty20s then follow, which will be staged in Barbados, as preparation for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh which is due to start in mid-March.The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium returned to the international scene in May 2010, 14 months after the abandonment involving England, after the outfield was relayed for a second time and has since held matches in all formats.The brief tour of the Caribbean is part of a period full of ODI and Twenty20 cricket for England in the early part of 2014 following the conclusion of the Ashes in Sydney in early January.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in Jaipur

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit19-May-2012

Match facts

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Sachin Tendulkar has had a modest run this season by his standards•AFP

Big Picture

With Delhi Daredevils crushing Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians are into the playoffs, rendering the 72nd and final league game of IPL 2012 inconsequential. Rajasthan Royals are already knocked out, while Mumbai Indians’ focus will be on the eliminator and whether they will play Royal Challengers Bangalore or Chennai Super Kings.Mumbai Indians and Royals met in the closing stages of last season, with Shane Watson’s 3 for 19 and unbeaten 89 off 47 balls delivering a 10-wicket win. It was also Shane Warne’s final IPL game and his side gave him a rousing send-off with the victory. It may or may not be Rahul Dravid’s final IPL game tomorrow. After a tame loss to Deccan Chargers finished their playoff hopes, can Royals end their season with a win?Mumbai Indians are also coming off a big loss to Kolkata Knight Riders, and could do with a win going into the eliminator.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals: LWLWW (most recent first)
Mumbai Indians : LWWLW

Players to watch

After the defeat to Chargers, Rahul Dravid reflected on what he said had been an emotional two months for him in this IPL. This has been by far his most productive IPL season, with 457 runs. He might be back next year, he might not be. Tomorrow will his last innings, for quite some time at least.The other great, Sachin Tendulkar, has had a modest run this season by his standards, averaging 25.50 from 11 innings with just one half-century. Like all batsmen have this season, he struggled to pick Sunil Narine on Wednesday, eventually getting bowled trying to cut a big offbreak. Expect an even more determined Tendulkar tomorrow.

Stats and trivia

• Royals still have a strong home record with 19 wins from 28 games, second only to Chennai Super Kings
• This is Rohit Sharma’s best IPL in terms of runs – 419 so far – but in terms of strike-rate, 2008 was his best year. His 404 runs from that edition came at 147.98 against 129.72 this season
  

  Quotes

  “We accept that we haven’t played the way we wanted to play. People say we haven’t played to our potential, [but] still we are at No.3 [in the points table]. So, if we as a team can play to our potential, I am sure we are going to do well.”

Not a single ball was bowled in the match between Kent and Somerset due to a wet outfield

10-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Somerset’s Friends Life t20 game against Kent at Taunton was abandoned without a ball bowled.
Umpires Trevor Jesty and Richard Illingworth made the decision after a 6.45pm pitch inspection.
The heavy rain which had fallen during the afternoon had stopped, but the outfield was deemed too wet to play on.