The occasion – a home Test against Australia – was great. But the game itself fell flat

Danyal Rasool08-Mar-2022Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique got together in the middle, and had a little chat and a fist-bump. It ended as it had begun with Pakistan’s openers at the crease and Australia’s bowlers toiling away. If something happened in the middle, you’d be forgiven for forgetting it; history certainly will.Five days, 1187 runs, 14 wickets, and lots of existential dread after this history-making Test started, the umpires put the players out of their misery. If Pakistan believed the reticence of the so-called Big Three (Australia, England and India) to visit this part of the world was detrimental to Test cricket, the last five days were an odd way to make the point.It was wholesome enough watching Australia touch down on Pakistani soil for the first time in overs 23 years, have the touring party gush over the hospitality and food, and listen to the CA and ACA chief executives talk about how safe everyone felt here. But the real proof of a corner being turned – and Pakistan Cricket’s end-goal – isn’t the wall-to-wall coverage of a box office side playing Test cricket in Pakistan. It’s for tours like this become so routine they no longer make newspaper headlines.The PCB might be relieved we’re not at that stage yet or the scrutiny on this surface would have been significantly more forensic, the criticism much more pointed. That the cricket is still secondary to the event has been the saving grace of the past week. Because, while Australia’s visit has been handled almost to perfection, the preparations for the cricket – you know, the reason they were here in the first place – have been rather more ham-fisted.Related

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There are myriad factors contributing to the orgy of ennui that consumed the ether around the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but what’s most unforgivable is how utterly unnecessary this was. Pakistan cricket may have a million issues, but the Pindi pitch isn’t one. There have only been two other Test matches where a side had a worse strike rate than Australia’s 478 balls per wicket and they happened 64 and 50 years ago respectively. It’s little short of travesty that Rawalpindi will now rank so high up in a list it has no business belonging to.Recall that the most recent Test on this surface was one of the matches of 2021. South Africa’s stockpile of quality seam bowling is more intimidating than perhaps any other nation’s and so there was substantial angst about whether there was any home advantage to speak of. But despite Pakistan’s efforts to tame the natural predispositions of the strip, the need to ensure a quality contest was always at the forefront. In a game where the momentum ebbed and flowed, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi took nine of the ten South Africa wickets in the fourth innings, a time when the home side might have wanted the surface to start breaking up.Injuries to Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf may have played a part in Pakistan sedating their most lively pitch•PCBThe memories of that game had left a particularly tantalising aftertaste, and the brouhaha of the context of Australia’s visit aside, it was the prospect of similarly engrossing cricket that made the first Test feel like such a grand occasion. Australia’s well-rounded pace attack was equipped to adjust to the varying conditions Pindi throws up, and since Faheem Ashraf’s return to the Test fold, Pakistan’s inveterate problems with balancing their side appeared to have melted away. If you enjoyed the buzz around an Australian visit, there was plenty in it for you. And if you wanted to nerd out over Test cricket, you were still nicely sorted.However, as Pakistan’s injury list piled up, the furtiveness around the pitch grew. Haris Rauf contracted Covid-19 and was ruled out. Hasan Ali, Test player of 2021 for Pakistan, was also injured. And, it appears, once Ashraf’s absence became official, so too did any realistic hopes of a positive result for Pakistan in Rawalpindi. When the covers were removed on the morning of the first Test, they revealed a flat, dried out husk of a deck, not a blade of grass in sight.After becoming PCB chairman, Ramiz Raja had singled out the state of domestic pitches as one of the key reasons holding Pakistan cricket back. “Until the pitches are fixed in Pakistan, our cricket won’t rise. Pitches must be competitive, and there must be a balance between bat and ball. My mission statement is that I want Pakistan to defeat Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.” With a reputation for micromanagement, Ramiz went on to say he thought of himself as a curator and had a brochure he read every day called “How to Prepare a Pitch”. Turns out it might take more than a brochure to become a curator.Sports fans have fickle memories, and if Pakistan find themselves in the World Test Championship final, the decision to sedate the liveliest pitch in Pakistan might look like a masterclass rather than a miscalculation. But where Pakistan have yelled themselves hoarse reminding other nations of their wider obligations to cricket, they would do well to remember they are not exempt from those very obligations.Ultimately, the expense, the hassle, the stress, the inconvenience to residents, commuters and spectators, the security risks are all considered a fair trade in Pakistan so people can throng stadiums and huddle around TV screens enjoying what most countries take for granted: international cricket in their nation. Tour dates are announced with breathless excitement; every update is a headline, every press conference a moment. Ticket websites crash as they are overwhelmed; fans line up hours ahead of the start and brave excessive security measures.It’s hard to argue those crowds – it was one of the best-attended Test matches in Pakistan in ages – weren’t heavily short-changed. Even a captain as diplomatic as Pat Cummins couldn’t stop himself saying “it was probably clear” there was an “effort to nullify the pace bowling”, and that it wasn’t a fair contest between bat and ball.There has been reputational damage to Test cricket in general and the Pindi pitch in particular. This is the surface Pakistan supporters have used as evidence that the country offers a diversity of conditions not seen elsewhere on the subcontinent to this degree. They might find it’s suddenly become much harder to make that case after what the cricket world was subjected to over the last five days.It seems like a fair bit to lose for four World Test Championship points.

All the stats highlights from the drawn women’s Ashes Test

Sampath Bandarupalli30-Jan-202212 – Runs England fell short by to win the women’s Ashes Test in Canberra. These are the fewest runs the chasing team fell short of the target in a draw in women’s Tests. The previous lowest was 25 runs by New Zealand against England in Auckland, 1957 and England against India in Wetherby, 1986.2 – Previous instances of a team losing nine wickets in the fourth innings during a draw in women’s Tests. New Zealand finished on 203 for 9 in a 228-run chase against England in 1957, while England made 182 for 9 during a 303-run chase in 1986.Related

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245 for 9 – England’s second-innings total in Canberra. It is now the highest fourth-innings total in women’s Tests, surpassing their previous record of 229 for 5 against India in Wetherby, 1986.5.1 – England’s run rate during their second innings, the highest in a women’s Test innings of 120-plus balls. The previous highest was 4.96 by Australia against India in 1984, when they scored 139 for 6 in 28 overs. England’s run rate of 5.1 is also the fourth-highest in any women’s Test innings.216 – Runs scored by Heather Knight in this Test, the most match-aggregate for an England player in women’s Tests. Janette Brittin’s 205 runs (146 and 59*) against Australia in Guildford in 1998 was the previous record for England Women.2 – Knight’s 216 runs in Canberra are also the second-highest in a women’s Ashes Test, behind only Karen Rolton’s 218 (209* and 9*) in Leeds, 2001. Knight’s tally is also the fifth-highest in a women’s Test.1 – Knight also became the first captain to aggregate 200-plus runs in a women’s Test match. Rachael Heyhoe-Flint’s 191 runs against Australia (12 and 179) in 1976 were the previous most.48 – Balls Natalie Sciver needed for her fifty to register the second-fastest known half-century in women’s Tests. The fastest was by Sangita Dabir for India (50* off 42 balls) against England in 1995. Dabir’s fifty came in only 40 balls as per the official scoresheet of that game.140.62 – Sophia Dunkley’s batting strike rate during her 32-ball 45, the second-highest in a women’s Test innings of 30-plus runs (where data is available). The highest is 142.42 by Anya Shrubsole, who scored 47 off 33 against India last year. Dunkley is also only the fourth batter to hit multiple sixes in a women’s Test innings (where data is available).

Fast bowler strikes twice in the powerplay and then removes Pooran at the death to tip a thriller Super Giants’ way

Sidharth Monga04-Apr-20220:50

Avesh Khan – ‘My plan was to focus on my yorkers’

Avesh Khan played the last season of the IPL in an attack that had Anrich Nortje breaking speed record, Kagiso Rabada threatening the purple cap, and the spinners R Ashwin and Axar Patel displaying their guile. Yet it was Avesh who bowled the most balls for Delhi Capitals at the death. In fact only Harshal Patel bowled more in that phase in the last IPL. That’s more than not just his team-mates but stellar death bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Dwayne Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar among others.That intense bidding war, which ended up at INR 10 crore, was well-earned, with Avesh having delivered those 23 overs for under nine an over. It’s just a sweet coincidence that the team that Lucknow Super Giants eventually pipped was Sunrisers Hyderabad, who suffered at the hands of Avesh on Monday.Before this match, though, there was his debut for Super Giants when he failed to defend 10 in the last over, which he said left him sad. Then, though, comes the realisation that as a bowler bowling at the death in the IPL – often with a ball that resembles a bar of soap – you can’t win them all. “I knew there are 14 matches in the IPL, and there would be opportunities again, so I have to be ready for them,” Avesh said.ESPNcricinfo LtdAs luck would have it, the opportunity arrived in Super Giants’ third match. Avesh had already put Super Giants ahead in the game with the wickets of openers Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma. Williamson fell trying to ramp a slower ball, a delivery Avesh knew was going to work because he had seen some grip when his side was batting.During the strategic timeout in the second half of the match, Super Giants’ mentor Gautam Gambhir told Avesh he had to win the match for the team. “Just bowl your best ball,” Gambhir told him, according to Avesh. “Just pick your best ball, back yourself and execute it. Gautam , Andy Bichel, Andy Flower, KL [Rahul] – they always tell me you are our main bowler. You will win us matches.”When Avesh began the 18th over, a win looked distant. Sunrisers needed 33 with Nicholas Pooran looking dangerous and six wickets in hand at the ground that has seen the most sixes this IPL.Avesh tried to repeat what he had learned earlier and bowled into the pitch only for the ball to sit up nicely for Pooran to hit a six. That took Sunrisers’ win probability well beyond 60%. And if you have been at the receiving end not long ago, you can start doubting yourself.”I still had five balls to bowl,” Avesh said. “I thought I have to focus on executing them. I thought I will bowl just the yorkers now. It worked.”These weren’t the perfect yorkers. The one that got Pooran was a thigh-high full toss. The one that accounted for Abdul Samad was just short of being a yorker. But that’s how cricket goes sometimes: there will be days when he will nail the yorkers but they will run away for four off the inside edge. That he had been trusted to do just this by his last franchise, that four franchises fought over him at the auction, that he got this over despite the defeat two matches ago tells you this is no fluke.On the ESPNcricinfo smart stats metric to measure a player’s impact on the result, Avesh ended up with a score of 121.57, which was 40 more than the next-best. He is consistently being chosen to do the most difficult job more often than established superstars. His teams certainly seem to know his worth.

On a hot and humid opening day, his knock puts Sri Lanka in a strong position

Mohammad Isam15-May-2022During the first Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Test in Chattogram, there were four players who had debuted in the 2000s. Among those, Angelo Mathews was the most capped one, and he had to squeeze out every bit of that experience to get Sri Lanka out of early trouble, consolidate in the middle, and then dominate by the end of the day.While Sri Lanka have many young players in their squad, a senior figure like Mathews finishing the day unbeaten on 114 is significant for the dressing room. Youngsters will soak up the lessons from his innings, which must have inspired those as well who are not-so-young but yet to hit their peak. Through his 213-ball stay, he added 92 in a third-wicket stand with Kusal Mendis and 75 in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand with Dinesh Chandimal, ensuring both Mendis and Chandimal could bat around him.In his early days, Mathews was a big six-hitter, a nifty seamer and an acrobatic fielder. But years in the international grind and several injuries meant that these days he is more of a quiet presence. His expression of experience and responsibility reflected in the way he batted on the opening day of the Test. He mostly played straight and didn’t fiddle with his wrists much. He tried to drive every full ball within his reach, covering whatever spin the Bangladesh spinners imparted on the ball, by showing the full bat face.Experienced players have their own way of showing their intention to opponents, and Mathews wasn’t any different. He struck Nayeem Hasan, who had just taken both Sri Lanka wickets in the first session, for a straight six to start the second session. He would hit four more boundaries down the ground, which forced Mominul Haque to send the mid-off and mid-on back. That itself deflates a spinner who would prefer the batter to miscue a drive to those fielders inside the circle.Mathews hit drives through covers, mid-on and midwicket quite regularly, while the rest of his fours came off filthy deliveries down the leg-side. There was not one boundary with the cut shot, which was hardly surprising since he was only reacting to what was being bowled to him: full and mostly straight.Mendis said that there was great value to Mathews’ innings, particularly in the situation they found themselves in at the fall of the second wicket. He also praised Mathews for his knock in this oppressive weather.”[Angelo Mathews] made a hundred, but [because of the heat and humidity] it can count as 150 or 170,” Mendis said. “There was so much heat. It is a little bit more than Sri Lanka. He played very well. He is the most senior guy in the Sri Lanka team. He played a dominating innings. I think it would be good if he goes on to make 150 or 200 tomorrow. The wicket was good, so we [told each other] that we can’t panic. A batter struggles for the first ten balls, but after that, he can play well.”There was praise from across the dressing room too. Mathews’ old team-mate Rangana Herath, who is now Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach, said the 34-year-old has a lot of drive to do well at the top level.”I know Angelo very well,” Herath said. “We have played a lot of games together. He always has the hunger to play for his country. Whether he is 34 or 36, he is always looking for a challenge. To be honest, as a Sri Lankan it was a fantastic hundred in the heat. I am sure he will continue to do a lot of things for Sri Lanka.”Herath said that the Bangladesh spinners did well for the first day of a Test in Chattogram, where the pitch was mostly unresponsive, on top of the heat.”Especially on the first day of a Test match, I am happy with how the bowlers did. Shakib and TJ [Taijul Islam] bowled well. Nayeem also took two wickets. He hasn’t played much cricket in the last 18 months but he has been practising a lot. In that case, I saw that he needed a bit of confidence, but when he got that wicket off the first ball, his confidence [was restored]”Bangladesh are hoping to shut Sri Lanka down within another 120 runs, but the visitors are targeting a 500-plus total on this pitch. If Mathews continues to play the way he did on Sunday, it will make things much easier for them. Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis and the tail have to give him company for as long as possible, but Mathews knows what he has to do. Experience matters. You can’t put a price tag on what Mathews brings to the table.

The country has for long had the potential; with the IPL, it has been translated into performance

Ian Chappell07-May-2022Apart from the massive financial boost and enormous increase in fan interest, India’s biggest gain from a highly productive IPL competition has been the huge improvement in playing depth.About 20 years ago, India’s overseas reputation was an improving one, especially under the captaincy reign of a competitive Sourav Ganguly but the pace of that ascent gradually increased when the IPL began 15 seasons back, in 2008. The quietly thoughtful MS Dhoni – who is still exerting an influence – built on Ganguly’s reputation, which was then improved upon by the highly competitive leadership of Virat Kohli.The firmly established IPL is now seen as the most important part of India’s enviable depth in international cricket.Related

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To thoughtful players, as far back as the 1970s, Indian cricket had the potential to be a major power. It was felt even then that if India ever capitalised on its enormous population advantage and decided to select its best teams, eventually size would prevail. That notion crystallised when the IPL gathered worldwide popularity. India’s overseas results initially were creditable, and then – especially in Australia – by the 2020s, they were the most feared team in the Test competition. Not only did India under Kohli, ably assisted by Ajinkya Rahane, win internationally, but in 2021 they also achieved an incredible series victory over Australia that confirmed their player depth. This was an Indian team not only ably led but also displaying ample resolve and being competitively better than the previously almost impregnable Australia in home conditions.India have always had individual stars. In the past there were outstanding batters like Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Azharuddin. The allrounders were headed by the extremely athletic and successful Kapil Dev, and earlier, Vinoo Mankad, who too held a special place among his peers.Spinners there were plenty but the big three – Erapalli Prasanna, Bishan Bedi and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar – headed the list of past greats.However, India, who had produced the odd faster bowler, lacked a pace conglomerate. Then the IPL began to bare its teeth, and now we have the current generation of fast bowlers to round out a versatile attack, which accompanies a strong batting line-up and a decent catching combination.Nowadays India’s enormous depth in pace bowling is the envy of most countries. The development of star quick bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj has been instrumental in India’s improved overseas reputation. There is also a depth below that group, in the successful Ishant Sharma, the underrated Umesh Yadav, and handy back-up in Shardul Thakur.India have evolved from a team that had a reputation where some players treasured the blazer, sweater and cap more than actual selection in the Test side, to one that was extremely difficult to beat under any conditions.In addition to the enormous increase in pace-bowling power, the improved fielding culture – boosted by the international flavour of the IPL – has helped advance India’s reputation. Years ago in a documentary on Indian Test cricket, former captain “Tiger” Pataudi spoke of how “the batsmen used to go into the slips and drop all the catches”. This comment elicited a guffaw from the audience but it was a valid point the influential Pataudi, who was a brilliant cover fielder himself, was making.India’s pace-bowling revolution shows no sign of abating, and the name on IPL watchers’ lips is currently that of the pacy Umran Malik. In the past India has displayed patience in developing its fast-bowling group but the genuine pace of Malik will be hard to ignore.In a world where fast bowling is a valuable commodity, India are now a shining light. However, as England have displayed recently, thoughtful captaincy isn’t easy to uncover, but India seem to be doing a good job in this regard too, thanks again to the extremely competitive IPL.India are currently a dominant international side and if they continue to show the required resolve, will continue to be a leading team. That is an envious position and India can thank the highly successful IPL for much of their lofty reputation.

On an evening when it really mattered, the 19-year old soaked in the pressure and won it for his team – this time, with the bat

Danyal Rasool08-Sep-20223:21

Is Naseem Shah now second to only Shaheen Afridi for Pakistan?

It’s the 18th over of Pakistan’s first game at the Asia Cup, and Naseem Shah already looks done. He’s bowling to Ravindra Jadeja as India close in on a scrappy win. He’s been thrown the ball because Pakistan need wickets, but his 19-year old legs can barely support his body weight. He slumps to the floor almost every delivery, that expressive face contorting in agony. Oppressively muggy Dubai evenings and bowling at 145kph, evidently, do not go together.He’s helped to his feet, is basically hopping on one leg as he starts his run-up and then, like the flick of a mental switch, he canters in, gathering pace as he approaches the bowling crease once more. There’s no let-up in pace, and yet, the moment the ball leaves his hand, his body remembers what it’s being put through, and the pain overcomes him once more. He goes down again. Then gets up and again. And he does it over and over, showcasing a level of mental resolve that belies his teenage years.

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The occasion is finally here – Pakistan against Afghanistan. A city so full of migrants from both countries each of them has learned to call it their second home of sorts. Significant Indian interest in the game too, lending it an extra edge – a Pakistan win would put the giants of this continent out of the tournament.Related

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Like it or not – and very few do – India, Pakistan and Afghanistan have seen their fates inextricably linked together in the world of geopolitics. That, for one surreal evening in Sharjah, it also holds true as far as cricket goes is an unusual case of sport imitating life. The narrative is delicious enough to be used as a cliché; of sport bringing people together, or, less pleasantly, chest-thumping jingoism depending on how the game goes. Thankfully, at this Asia Cup, there has been almost none of the latter.The hype around the game, though, seems misplaced at half-time. Pakistan keep Afghanistan’s batters in check, the 129 they manage the third-lowest first-innings score all tournament. Naseem allows just 19 runs in his four overs, the most economical bowler among his team-mates.

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If there’s such a thing as the opposite of a city, that’s what Lower Dir – where Naseem hails from – must be to Dubai or Sharjah. It’s chilly, mountainous, small-time and tribal as opposed to the desert metropolis that is the UAE. It was perhaps understandable the father tried to talk his son out of pursuing a professional cricket career in his early teen years, but telling Naseem not to do something is perhaps the fastest shortcut to making him do it. Even when it comes to a long shot. The boy was willing to take that chance, and the pain of almost certain failure was just the price he might have to pay.The route to the Pakistan national set-up sometimes feels less a pathway and more a maze, but the generational nature of Naseem’s raw pace and brimming potential was blindingly obvious. You didn’t need a pathway to discover him, only a set of eyes. And so, from the day he made his first-class debut, the national side had eyes for him. He picked up a five-for in just his second first-class match. He had not yet turned 16.But the road from there to here in the UAE wasn’t a straight line. There were doubts, setbacks, moments of exaltation, and, of course, a lot of tribulation. There was the loss of his mother on the eve of his debut, when the 16-year old Naseem was on the other side of the world in Australia. Things like this shouldn’t happen, a child far from home playing professional sport in the hour of his greatest grief, but Naseem does it anyway. It isn’t just physical pain barriers he plays through.Naseem Shah is joined by his team-mates in celebrating an epic win•AFP/Getty ImagesNot that there aren’t physical pain barriers to contend with, mind. There was a multiple stress fracture of his back that saw him in the hospital more frequently than on the field. Talk of wrist positions and run-ups quietly – ominously – gave way to chatter about PET scans and period of recuperation. There were issues with his shoulder as recently as this year, so any sense of his presence at the Asia Cup being an inevitability would be misguided.But as twilight gives way to the night, Sharjah, no stranger to cricketing drama, is adamant not to let this occasion become a footnote in history. This game might still be viewed by some as a proxy between India and Pakistan (and haven’t Afghanistan tired of hearing that before?), but Afghanistan have fought for their place in cricket’s biggest continental cup, and they will not let anyone else tell their story. Fazalhaq Farooqi (3-31), Mujeeb Ur Rehman (4-0-12-0), Fareed Ahmed (3-31), Rashid Khan (2-25) and Mohammad Nabi (3-0-22-0) take the attack on, landing blow after blow until a punch-drunk Pakistan just about sink to their knees. Asif Ali, ostensibly their last hope and the second-last wicket, is dispatched – first with a short ball, and then a bit of a sledge and a shove. He doesn’t like it – Pakistan don’t like it, but Afghanistan don’t feel they owe Pakistan any pleasantries.Finally, the boy from Lower Dir comes in. The last obstacle to a famous Afghan win. They’ve come agonisingly close each of the last two times against Pakistan, but this feels different. For Naseem might be a boy wizard with ball in hand, but wielding the blade, he’s a regular old Muggle.Farooqi steams in. An hour earlier, he had dismissed Babar Azam, probably the best batter in the world, for a golden duck. Mohammad Nawaz, Pakistan’s hero against India, and Khushdil Shah, slayer of Hong Kong, had proved no match either. So why would Naseem, with zero career T20I runs and just 63 in all T20 cricket, prove any match?Eleven needed off the last over. Farooqi strides in and misses the yorker. Naseem has a swing, and it connects, heading straight for a pocket of Afghan fans behind the sight screen who find their celebration give way to nervous anxiety. But one is no judge of success, and Naseem must do it all over again.It’s another full toss, and Naseem has another swing. This one isn’t as clean, and for the briefest fraction in time, the ball hovers in the air within reach of long-off, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan’s fates hanging on the path it takes on its descent. But Naseem’s thrown his arms at it, and if those arms can support a 19-year old bowling at 145kph, then there’s strength enough. The ball still teases long-off, but by the time the man puts in a despairing dive, Afghanistan’s fate is sealed.Naseem drops his bat, and, by the look on his face, his guard. Incredulous, he sprints towards the onrushing Pakistan players and staff. With the ball, there might be no end to what he backs himself to do, but with bat in hand, he is subconsciously giving himself the ultimate compliment: even he’s surprised by what he’s done.As the mood in the crowd turns sour and ugly, Afghanistan sink to their knees, their eyes shimmering as they take in the bitterest of defeats. This wasn’t meant to happen, but Naseem has done it anyway.

Shakib is in charge of a team that isn’t performing well, and the scrutiny – and interference – from the BCB bigwigs won’t help

Mohammad Isam24-Aug-2022On Monday, speaking about Bangladesh at the upcoming Asia Cup, BCB president Nazmul Hassan said, “There’s not going to be a head coach. We have a batting coach, a spin coach, fast bowling coach and fielding coach. We have the captain. We also have a technical consultant for T20s. He will give the game plan. We will have the team director, Jalal [Yunus, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman] and myself. Who else do we need?”Related

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It might have sounded odd, but Hassan was just being honest. The BCB has called Sridharan Sriram the “technical consultant for T20s”, but he is the de facto T20 head coach, with Russell Domingo out of the picture in the format for the moment. Their back room does have Jamie Siddons, Rangana Herath, Allan Donald and Shane McDermott, as well as team director Khaled Mahmud. And, well, the Bangladesh team management, in reality, extends right up to the BCB president. If Hassan feels that line-up means having a designated head coach is unnecessary, it’s only the truth about how the Bangladesh team operates.But decisions being made by a group of Very Important People with Very Important Designations weigh heaviest on the captain. Right now, that’s Shakib Al Hasan. He will take the on-field decisions, and match result notwithstanding, will be answerable to not just the coach/es or the selectors, but the board chief and the directors. As if having an underperforming team to shepherd wasn’t tough enough.

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The situation isn’t new to Shakib, but that won’t make it any easier.The fact is that everything goes back to – and has for a while – Hassan in Bangladesh cricket.The players know it. The coaches are aware. The selectors have had to get Hassan’s sign-off on squads since 2016. Hassan has, in the past, openly criticised the team management for not consulting him on playing XIs. Hassan has exercised his power to make “drastic changes” to the coaching staff less than two weeks before a major tournament. Hassan can instruct players to appear in certain series and he really doesn’t like it when they retire when he doesn’t want them to.He slams performances during and after series. It goes without saying that Hassan sits in on team meetings. He regularly calls players and coaches to his residence for discussions. And, of course, he likes to speak to the media about it all.If Shakib Al Hasan can lead the team well in these times of chaos, he might be rewarded with a bit of peace and quiet.•AFP/Getty ImagesThe BCB has had this reputation of being meddlesome when it comes to team matters for more than a decade, ever since AHM Mustafa Kamal became the board chief in 2009, actually. He liked to be in control of all matters to do with the national team. Unwittingly or otherwise, Hassan picked up the trait a couple of years into his reign. Over nine years as the board chief, he has established that whoever the coach or captain are, Hassan and the board directors will call all the shots.

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So where does that leave Shakib, or Bangladesh cricket captains in general?On August 19, Hassan was asked about Shakib’s roles and responsibilities.”Remember one thing, there’s never an issue about who the coach is when Shakib is captain,” Hassan said. “He decides the best XI. You should know this. He decides it on his own. Of course he takes the advice of the coach. But the coach also prioritises the captain in regards to the best XI. He probably explains the game plan that he can do. Even if we don’t have a head coach, we will have Khaled Mahmud and Jalal Yunus.”When asked on Monday how difficult it is to captain a side in such unique circumstances, Shakib was diplomatic. “Challenges exist everywhere, whether it is our team, franchise cricket or another cricket board,” he said. “There are different degrees of this challenge, regardless of the size of the cricket board or the franchise.”Playing it safe? Of course. The way BCB has treated some captains in the recent past is enough of a warning, even for someone of the stature of Shakib.Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh’s most successful captain, was pushed out of the T20I team in 2017, and the ODI team in 2020. Mahmudullah, handed the T20I captaincy when the ICC banned Shakib, was sacked last month. When the controversy over Shakib endorsing a betting company erupted, Hassan named Mahmudullah as one of the captaincy candidates. Shakib backtracked. Now he is the captain.A pep talk for the players? Nazmul Hassan does a bit of that too•BCBMominul Haque couldn’t handle the Test captaincy on and off the field. On the field, his form suffered. Off the field, he appeared a nervous wreck. Eventually, he resigned from the role just days before the team left for the West Indies in June.Among the current lot of captains, Tamim Iqbal is in the strongest position. He has led Bangladesh well in ODIs, keeping them in second position in the World Cup Super League table, winning five of their six series in the league. He has also been a prolific scorer during this run, but Tamim will be aware that things can go pear-shaped any moment. He has done well to continue the work of Mortaza with a side that loves to play ODIs. The 2-1 series loss against Zimbabwe recently was a blip, but since it didn’t involve Super League points, it has escaped scrutiny.

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But the next few months are different. Bangladesh have at least two matches – and a maximum of six – to play before the T20 World Cup, and a poor lead-up wouldn’t just disappoint fans, it will put pressure on Shakib. With Hassan expected to travel to the UAE, the Bangladesh media contingent will expect a generous flow of news. He likes to host press conferences after every other game. If the team loses, like at the World Cup last year, there could well be hell to pay, especially for the captain. And the players learnt straightaway that they are not permitted to question, forget criticise, Hassan.Shakib will play it cool. He will hope to engage constructively with the board chief and the directors, and get the team to focus on matters on-field, rather than on Facebook Watch. Mashrafe turned around a tough campaign in the 2015 ODI World Cup. It can be chaotic, but Shakib will hope for a similar turn of fortunes, and prove to the team and the board that he can lead through this chaos. If he can, he might be rewarded with a bit of peace and quiet.

Pakistanis dominate overseas slots while Taskin is the only one picked from the bottom three teams

Mohammad Isam16-Feb-2023Najmul Hossain Shanto (Sylhet Strikers)
After five seasons of mediocrity, Shanto has finally broken through with a solid showing. He became the first from Bangladesh to cross 500 runs in a BPL season, through which he ended as the tournament’s top run-getter. His unbeaten 89 against Fortune Barishal was his highest score this time, although his fifty in the final, his fourth of the season, was a crucial effort. The highlight though was his consistency, something that he would like to transfer to the international stage.Rony Talukdar (Rangpur Riders)
This was Talukdar’s best BPL season, beating his 317 runs at 140.26 strike rate from 2018-19. He was all about fast starts for Rangpur Riders. He averaged 61.50 in the Powerplay, having been dismissed four times during the first six overs. His position among the top run-getters in the competition puts him in direct competition with the likes of Mohammad Naim, Munim Shahriar and Anamul Haque who are among those knocking on the T20I team’s door. Could it be Talukdar’s time when Bangladesh pick their squad for the England series next month?Towhid Hridoy (Sylhet Strikers)
If he hadn’t picked himself up for this season, Hridoy would have been a BPL footnote: the one who lost the 2022 final because he couldn’t hit the last ball for a boundary. But he restructured his T20 game and produced his first big performance at any level. He has added a number of shots to his armoury this season, including the pick-up over square-leg and the carves over point and extra cover. He even recovered from a hand injury to continue batting in the same way. The duck in the final would be a disappointment but it doesn’t diminish his effort.Related

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Shakib Al Hasan (Fortune Barishal)
He has made it to ESPNcricinfo’s BPL XI for the seventh time, the most by any cricketer in this competition. Shakib led Fortune Barishal very well, especially in the first half of the competition when they could do no wrong. But he made a bit of a misstep in their last match – the Eliminator – when he kept going down the order and didn’t even get to bat. With the ball, he remained the ace in the pack, regularly picking up wickets, and giving away very little.Iftikhar Ahmed (Fortune Barishal)
If all the rage about Iftikhar this month was about his six sixes in a Wahab Riaz over in an exhibition match, one must also look at how he fared in the BPL. He played arguably the most entertaining innings, the 45-ball unbeaten 100 against Chattogram Challengers, including a 25-run over against Shamim Hossain. He struck two other unbeaten fifties as he grew into a middle-order giant for Barishal. They surely missed him after February 7, as they bowed out from the competition in the Eliminator match.Khushdil Shah (Comilla Victorians)
Another big-hitting middle-order presence in the BPL, Khushdil not only entertained with his sixes, he also bailed Comilla Victorians out from their early struggles. It took him a little while to get used to the Dhaka pitches, but when he did, Khushdil finished his time in the BPL with a 161.48 strike-rate. He also bowled handy left-arm spin, and was more than a safe fielder.Imad Wasim (Sylhet Strikers)
Only the Strikers will know just how valuable Imad was bowling with the new ball. He has always done well in the BPL, but this time it has counted towards the Strikers’ push to the final. Imad has the lowest economy rate (5.11) among bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 150 balls in the competition. In fact, his 5.11 economy rate is also the second-lowest in a season (minimum 240 balls) among all bowlers behind Sunil Narine’s 4.57 in 2017.Azmatullah Omarzai (Rangpur Riders)
Riders dropping the fast bowler Omarzai for the Eliminator match provoked shocked reactions around the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Of course the legendary Dwayne Bravo replaced him but Omarzai was a vital cog in the Riders’ league stage. He was the most effective with the new ball, taking 13 of his 15 wickets in the Powerplay. Those numbers get better with his 11.07 average and 5.53 economy rate in the first six overs. Omarzai’s 13 wickets is also the third-best in the Powerplay in a BPL season. Something worth looking at for T20 scouts from other leagues.Taskin Ahmed (Dhaka Dominators)
Taskin is the second player after Shakib to be a repeat occupant in ESPNcricinfo’s BPL XI. He remains Bangladesh’s best all-format fast bowler, after doing well in Tests and ODIs in the last two years. He played for the struggling Dhaka Dominators, and in that backdrop, his 4 for 9 against Khulna Tigers, defending 108 runs, equalling the second-lowest total defended successfully in this competition’s history, really stood out.Tanvir Islam (Comilla Victorians)
It is hard to stand out as a left-arm spinner in Bangladesh but that’s exactly what Tanvir’ did in this season’s BPL. His accuracy and effectiveness in all phases helped the Victorians greatly. Tanvir even has an action, with which he gets a lot of dip into fastish deliveries. He has a fine celebration too, unique within the BPL. If a smart scout is looking out for a good bowler in all phases of a T20, Tanvir can be that bowler.Hasan Mahmud (Rangpur Riders)
He may have a high average and economy rate compared to the other bowlers, but fast bowler Mahmud got the Riders what they really wanted: wickets. Captain Nurul Hasan and coach Shohel Islam ensured he bowled mostly in the right moments for them. For example, Mahmud is the best death bowler in the BPL this season. It is one of his strengths, particularly the yorker. But he has showed other deliveries too, and continues to grow into a strong performer with the white ball.

Surfaces have not been bad there historically. Ironically, they have been since he became chairman

Osman Samiuddin08-Dec-2022Good. Very good. Good. Below average.In order, oldest to latest, those are the ICC ratings for Rawalpindi pitches in the four Tests Pakistan have played there since Test cricket returned to the country in December 2019, excluding the last, against England.That first Test was ruined by rain but the two subsequent ones, against Bangladesh and South Africa, were played on pitches designed to reap results, which they did. They weren’t rank turners or green mambas, though there was enough grass on the surface against Bangladesh for Pakistan to talk publicly about moving on from the UAE spin era. In both games there was movement for the new ball off the surface, there was a period when batters could feel settled, there was bounce, there was purchase for spin, there were runs to be made, and there was reverse swing. In short, the contest between bat and ball was fair and compelling.Related

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The last rating was for the Test against Australia.Between that match and this England Test, Rawalpindi hosted seven Quaid-e-Azam trophy games in which wickets came at a cost of 32.4 and a strike rate of 60.38. Fast bowlers took 142 wickets at 32.6, spinners 66 wickets at 30. In the last of those games, a month ago, Mohammad Abbas took seven wickets for Southern Punjab and the mystery spin of Abrar Ahmed eight wickets for Sindh. In short, the contest between bat and ball in those games was fair and compelling. Then came this England Test, which, like that Australia Test, provided a grossly unfair and off-putting imbalance between bat and ball.That England secured a win on the final day should not mask what an abomination the surface was. It took one of their greatest performances ever to eke out a result, otherwise the pitch was made purely to secure a draw for Pakistan. The two Test surfaces, in other words, have been nothing like those from a couple of years ago or even, more recently, those of this domestic season. Nasser Hussain said the pitch didn’t deserve to have the players it had on it.Ramiz Raja, the PCB chairman, also condemned the surface, calling it “embarrassing”. In various media interactions, Ramiz also said that it would take anywhere from a season to several years to fix pitches; that Pakistan were in the dark ages as far as pitch preparation was concerned.Ordinarily such comments might get a pass. He is the chairman. Foreign media are in town. He is an easy content provider. He is bilingually perfect, because he speaks English but also the language of the media, made up of buzzwords and clichés. The pitch is so awful it needs accountability. This is the ceremonial dance of chairmanship.Except, in Ramiz’s case, those comments cannot pass so easily. As well as being alarmist, the idea that Pakistan cannot produce good pitches is more than a little disingenuous, because as those ICC ratings suggest, Test pitches have been this bad only since Ramiz became chairman. It’s surprising he doesn’t remember Rawalpindi producing good surfaces because he was commentating on those games before he became chairman. In the daily analysis he did for his YouTube channel, he praised the surface for the Test against South Africa, not least on day four when he said the curator had prepared a , or brilliant, surface with something in it for everyone.If such a surface could be produced as recently as February 2021, why should it take years to produce another surface like that – or at least a surface less like the one this England Test was played on? Why should it take so long and be seen as so difficult to produce better surfaces when the evidence of this first-class season in Rawalpindi says that there is not much work to be done?It shouldn’t, is the short answer. The only reason the last two Test surfaces in Rawalpindi have been so poor, so lifeless, is because Pakistan have wanted them that way, not because there is something inherently wrong with them. The problem is not the pitches but the conservative mindset among the leadership of Pakistan cricket.Earlier this year Ramiz all but admitted that the Rawalpindi pitch had been flattened to neutralise Australia’s attack. After the England loss Babar Azam said this was not the pitch Pakistan wanted, even though they had “a lot of input” into what they wanted. They wanted a turner, though the deed of picking just one spinner from a squad of three – and not a spinning allrounder who was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in their last Test series – rather belies those words.England get an eyeful of the Rawalpindi pitch ahead of the Test•Getty ImagesOrdinarily, most board chairmen would not be as fixated on pitches as Ramiz appears to be. He brought in a curator from Australia for a ten-day stint ahead of the third Test of that series. Nobody is sure what purpose that served. He brought in another Australian curator in July, this time for local curators to pick his brains about pitch preparations. (He has little faith in local curators clearly: in a previous stint as board CEO, he brought in Andy Atkinson to help prepare pitches for a series against India.) He’s been keen on bringing drop-in pitches to Pakistan, though that plan has had to be put on hold because of the expense involved in shipping them in. Now he wants to develop them in Pakistan.The solution is questionable because drop-in pitches are useful usually in multipurpose venues, where cricket shares space with other sports. All of Pakistan’s main cricket stadiums are under the control of the PCB and so will only be used for cricket. It is more questionable because, on the evidence of all Tests played in Pakistan since their return in 2019-20, it could be argued there wasn’t a problem in the first place – until Ramiz took over.Ramiz has already warned that similar surfaces will be seen for the rest of season, another two Tests against England and two when New Zealand visit. At which point, it is worth revisiting the three home series against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa and asking: why?Sure, Multan, where Pakistan and England now play, is a bit of an unknown in that this Test will be the first there since November 2006. Five of the seven first-class games there over the last two seasons have been drawn, though not in homogenous fashion. But Karachi, the venue for the last Test of the England series, has played out two Tests (before the one against Australia, under Ramiz’s tenure) of compelling cricket: it spun more than some could ever remember on the first day of one and had seam movement and invariable enough bounce to keep batters honest on the first day of the other.In one sense, it is understandable that Ramiz is so hung up on pitches. His USP when he became chairman after all was that he was a cricketer and what cricket needed more of was cricketers running it. Indeed, who else run it better? And so, going by that platform, of course he will get in the weeds with pitches.Except, if the state of Pakistan’s Test pitches is anything to go by, the evidence is growing that it’s not being run particularly well.

And which bowler has sent down the most deliveries in a single day of a Test?

Steven Lynch14-Mar-2023Usman Khawaja has now scored Test hundreds in India, Pakistan and the UAE. How many have done this? asked Xavier Murray from Australia
Usman Khawaja’s 180 against India in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad meant he became the ninth member of a select band with Test centuries in India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Khawaja had scored 141 against Pakistan in Dubai in 2018-19, and last March made 160 in Karachi followed by 104 not out in Lahore. He’s also hit nine Test hundreds in Australia, and one in New Zealand.The only other Australian to score Test centuries in India, Pakistan and the UAE is Steve Waugh. This treble has also been achieved by Jacques Kallis of South Africa, Kane Williamson of New Zealand, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, plus three Pakistanis in Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan. The others all completed a nap hand in Asia with centuries in Sri Lanka, apart from Waugh and Shahid Afridi (and Khawaja so far).I know that Sonny Ramadhin holds the record for the most overs in a Test innings. But who bowled the most in a single day of a Test? asked Utsav Sengupta from India
The most balls sent down by a bowler on a single day of a Test is 360 – 45 eight-ball overs – by the South African offspinner Athol Rowan, on the third day against England in Port Elizabeth in 1948-49. The same day, slow left-armer Tufty Mann delivered 328 balls (41 overs) as South Africa got through 104 eight-ball overs in the day (the equivalent of 138.4 of six balls). “Rowan and Mann virtually carried the whole of the South African attack today, and both bowled remarkably well,” reported the Times.Eight years later in Cape Town, another South African spinner, Hugh Tayfield, sent down 328 deliveries (41 eight-ball overs) during an unchanged spell on the first day of the second Test against England. The most in the current century is Muthiah Muralidaran’s 282 balls (47 overs) on the third day of Sri Lanka’s Test against Zimbabwe in Galle in 2001-02.The West Indian spinner Sonny Ramadhin toiled through 98 overs in England’s second innings at Edgbaston in 1957, his marathon effort being spread over three days. For the list of the most deliveries in a Test innings, click here.Which player has been the last man out in a Test defeat the most times? And how about being the not-out batter in defeats? asked Arjun Gupta from the United States
Jimmy Anderson is top of both these lists – not surprisingly, perhaps, given that his current haul of 179 Test caps is exceeded only by Sachin Tendulkar’s 200. Anderson has been the last man out at the end of 20 different Test defeats, and the non-striker for 17 more.New Zealand’s tailender extraordinaire Chris Martin was the last man out to round off 13 Test defeats, as was Sri Lanka’s Muthiah Muralidaran; so far, Nathan Lyon has been the last man out 11 times, which puts him level with Courtney Walsh. Another West Indian, Shannon Gabriel, has been at the other end for ten Test defeats; Murali is next with nine, ahead of Walsh and Danish Kaneria with eight.Mujeeb Ur Rahman made his first-class debut in Afghanistan’s inaugural Test, against India•BCCIHas anyone bowled their four overs in a T20I and not conceded any runs? asked Michael Banks from England
There has been one instance of this in an official T20I, by Canada’s slow left-armer Saad Bin Zafar, who finished with figures of 4-4-0-2 against Panama (who were all out for 37) in a World Cup Americas Region qualifying match in Coolidge (Antigua) in November 2021.There’s one other instance in all senior T20 matches, and it happened just six days before Zafar’s spell: playing for Vidarbha against Manipur in Mangalagiri, in India’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Akshay Karnewar also had figures of 4-4-0-2.The most economical spell in a T20I for a Test-playing team is Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 4-1-4-5 for India against Afghanistan in Dubai in September 2022.The West Indian fast bowler Jayden Seales had played only one first-class match before his Test debut. Is this a record? asked Mark McDonald from Trinidad
When he made his Test debut against South Africa in St Lucia in June 2021, the 19-year-old Jayden Seales had played only one previous first-class match, for West Indies A in New Zealand late the previous year. He was the fifth West Indian whose second first-class match was a Test, following George Gladstone and Clarence Passailaigue (both in 1929-30), Charlie Griffith (1959-60) and Fidel Edwards (2003). Seven other West Indians played only two first-class games before their first Test, including Garry Sobers (1953-54).Seales shares the West Indian record, but overall 34 men have made their first-class debut in a Test match, 28 of them in the 19th century. The most recent addition to this list came in June 2018, when spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman made his first-class debut in Afghanistan’s inaugural Test, against India in Bengaluru. Mujeeb has now played over 250 senior white-ball games – but that remains his only first-class match.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions