Sunday, February 7, 2021
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Two uncapped players in Bangladesh squad for West Indies Tests
Hasan Mahmud’s impressive performances in the ODIs against West Indies have seemingly led to his maiden call-up to the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series.
Bangladesh named an 18-member squad for the two Tests against West Indies. They swept the three-match ODI series 3-0, with Mahmud making his international debut. He played two of the three matches, returning 3/28 and 1/54.
Mahmud has so far played 14 first-class matches for Chittagong Division, claiming 37 wickets at 33.91. His Chittagong teammate Yasir Ali Chowdhury, a middle-order batsman, was the only other uncapped player in the squad. The 24-year-old has played 51 first-class matches, scoring 3542 runs at 51.33.
In a boost for Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan, their ace all-rounder, recovered from a groin injury sustained in the final ODI to make the Test squad.
This will be Bangladesh's first Test since February 2020, when they hosted Zimbabwe in Dhaka. The first game will be played in Chattogram from 3 February, before the teams move to Dhaka for the final Test, beginning on 11 February.
Squad: Mominul Haque (c), Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Saif Hassan, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hassan, Taijul Islam, Shadman Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadat Hossain, Hasan Mahmud
South Africa cruise to impressive win over Pakistan in first T20I SA v Pak, 1st T20I, report
Tazmin Brits starred with the bat and Shabnim Ismail took her 100th T20I wicket as South Africa chased down 124 with an over to spare to take a 1-0 series lead over Pakistan at Kingsmead.
A classy unbeaten half-century from South Africa opener Brits helped the Proteas make it four wins from four against Pakistan in all formats on the tour, following the 3-0 One Day International series whitewash earlier this month.
The home side had batted first in all three ODI wins, but showed that they are just as comfortable chasing a target as Brits – ably supported by Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt – made relatively easy work of Pakistan’s first innings target of 124/8.
The South Africa attack carried their impressive form into the T20 format, keeping the Pakistan innings in check as the tourists struggled to build significant partnerships, with Kapp taking 4/24 and Ismail picking up her 100th wicket in T20I cricket. Five of the Pakistan top seven reached double-figures, but a top score of just 31 from 16-year-old Ayesha Naseem illustrated how the South African bowlers were able to take wickets at regular intervals.
In reply, the Proteas' top three got off to a flier, putting their side well ahead of the required rate before Lee fell for 22. And despite an encouraging bowling performance from Aiman Anwer with 2/29, the win rarely looked in doubt as the home side cruised to victory with six balls remaining.
Omaima Sohail’s brief flurry at the start of the match came to an abrupt end as Kapp clean-bowled the Pakistan opener with the very first ball of her spell. And Ismail soon removed the other opener, Ayesha Zafar, with a variation slower delivery that fooled the 26-year-old and cleaned out her middle stump.
That dismissal took Ismail past 100 wickets in T20I cricket, making her the fourth woman to reach the historic landmark, following in the footsteps of Anisa Mohammed (West Indies), Ellyse Perry (Australia) and Anya Shrubsole (England).
Nahida Khan, who had opened the batting in the ODI series, came in at four but lofted the third ball she faced straight to mid-wicket to leave Pakistan on 32/3 as the innings threatened to unravel. And after a counter-attack from Muneeba Ali and Kainat Imtiaz – with the latter striking consecutive boundaries back over the bowler’s head to get her off to a flier – Ali pulled a powerful shot straight to mid-on before Imtiaz miscued a front-of-the-hand slower ball into the safe hands of Ayabonga Khaka.
Pakistan’s young talent Naseem was almost run out the very next ball as she took a hesitant single, but alongside the big-hitting Nida Dar, she lifted Pakistan to a respectable total before lofting a catch to Ismail in the deep midway through the penultimate over.
A total of 124/8 always felt at least 10 runs short of par from Pakistan and the home side took control of the chase with a run-a-ball opening stand of 38 before Lee fell for 22.
Kapp, who had been South Africa’s second-highest scorer during the ODI series (115 runs at a strike rate of 110.57) helped Brits break the back of the target with 28 from 27 balls when she was stumped by Muneeba Ali off the bowling of Anwer.
But Wolvaardt’s 15 off 10 deliveries ensured there was no nervous finish for South Africa, and fittingly it was Brits who scored the winning run as she knocked a single into the off side to end with an unbeaten 52.
The teams will return to the Durban ground on Sunday for their second match, with the T20I series to conclude at the same venue on Wednesday 3 February.
Dominant Pakistan see off South Africa, swap places in WTC table Pak v SA, 1st Test, day four, report
Pakistan were relentless on the fourth day in Karachi as they won the first of two Tests, snuffing out South Africa and chasing down the small target with an intent to dominate.
South Africa were left to rue the slide that rocked them late on the third day, when they lost their set batsmen. Their struggles with the bat continued in the fourth morning, as they managed to add just 58 runs in the morning for the loss of six wickets. They were bowled out for 245, with Nauman Ali (5/35) and Yasir Shah (4/79) doing most of the damage.
It meant Pakistan needed just 88 runs to seal victory, which they promptly managed to within two sessions of the day, despite losing their openers. The victory meant they swapped positions with South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship table, moving to No.5.
The omens weren’t encouraging for South Africa – Keshav Maharaj, the nightwatchman, was cleaned up by Hasan Ali on the very first ball of the day. That brought together Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, and the impression was, if South Africa had to set a daunting target for the home side, this pair had to flourish.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Yasir had sniffed blood. Within the fourth over of the morning, South Africa lost their captain, an inside-edge off the pads ending up at short leg. Thereafter, it was down to the last established pair of batsmen for South Africa – George Linde and Bavuma.
The duo resisted for nearly 14 overs, during the course of which they managed to take the lead past the 50-run mark. However, the impression was always that Pakistan merely needed a breakthrough to expose South Africa. And so they did.
An inside-edge from Linde, after a 29-ball 11, was sharply taken by Imran Butt at leg slip, and South Africa didn’t last long thereafter. Four wickets fell for just 11 runs, with the final blow being struck when Bavuma was trapped in front by Nauman Ali. It proved a memorable occasion for Nauman, who ended with a five-wicket haul and became the oldest player since 1949 to take a five-for on Test debut.
There was no stopping Pakistan thereafter. Anrich Nortje had both Imran Butt and Abid Ali dismissed in the eighth over – he had Abid bowled before inducing an edge off Butt in the final ball of the over. Despite that, Pakistan seemed in a hurry to finish the chase.
Azhar Ali and Babar Azam put on 63 for the third wicket, off just 85 deliveries, and while Azam fell right at the end, trapped in front by Maharaj, the Fawad Alam, the first-innings hero, came on to fittingly score the winning runs.
Umpire Oxenford to retire from international cricket
- Photographs and a video interview of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel umpire available on our Online Media Zone for free editorial use giving credit to the ICC; an earlier interview of Bruce Oxenford is available on icc-cricket.com
A regular member of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires since 2012, Oxenford has officiated in 62 Test matches, the last of which was the final match of the Australia-India series in Brisbane.
Oxenford, who officially stands down in April, made his international debut at the Gabba in a T20I between Australia and South Africa in January 2006. He officiated at the last three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups and the last three ICC Men’s T20 World Cups. He was also part of the officiating team at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2014.
Before becoming an umpire, Oxenford represented Queensland in eight first-class matches as a leg-spin bowler and lower-order batsman.
The 60-year-old from Queensland will continue to oversee domestic fixtures despite his retirement from the international game.
Bruce Oxenford: “I look back with pride at my international career as an umpire. It is still hard to believe that I officiated in close to 200 international matches. Such a long career was not really something that I had hoped for before commencing on this journey.
“I would like to thank the International Cricket Council, Cricket Australia and all my colleagues in the ICC Elite and International panels for their support and encouragement over the years. I had a wonderful time as a match official and will miss the camaraderie that comes with being a part of such a professional group.
“I shall particularly miss seeing and interacting with the magnificent people who are part of the support structure of our game around the world.
“Most importantly, I want to thank my wife Jo, son James and daughter Kristen for all their love and support over the years. It would not have been possible for me to have such a long career without their sacrifices and for this I am eternally grateful.
“Whilst I will no longer stand in International matches, I look forward to continuing to serve the game that I love - officiating within Australia.”
Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees: “Bruce is an excellent umpire, and it has been a pleasure working with him over the years. He is a great team man and well respected by all his colleagues.”
“I congratulate Bruce on behalf of everyone at the ICC for a fine international career and wish him all the success in his future pursuits. It is pleasing to hear he will continue to umpire domestically and share his tremendous experience with the next generation of Elite umpires.”
Stirling, Mehidy gain big in ODI Rankings
- Mustafizur, Usman and Joseph among others to advance in latest update
Stirling has gained eight slots to reach 20th place after scoring 285 runs against Afghanistan which included centuries in the second and third matches. The valiant effort in the series in Abu Dhabi, that his team lost 3-0, has taken him to the top of the run aggregate in the championship with 441 runs in six matches.
Stirling also scored 135 runs in his side’s preceding series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which was not part of the Super League and which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Off-spinner Mehidy was the most successful bowler in the series against the West Indies which his side swept 3-0 and his effort reflects in the latest update to the ODI rankings. Mehidy has progressed nine spots to take fourth position after grabbing seven wickets including a haul of four for 25 in the second ODI that won him the player of the match award.
Left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman’s six wickets in the series have lifted him from 19th to eighth position while other Bangladesh players to gain in the latest rankings update include Shakib Al Hasan (up 15 places to 13th among bowlers) and Mushfiqur Rahim (up one place to 15th among batsmen) after their player of the match performances in the first and third matches, respectively.
Captain Tamim Iqbal (up one place to 22nd) and Mahmudullah (up five places to 49th) among batsmen and Mohammad Saifuddin (up three places to 43rd) among bowlers have also advanced for Bangladesh while West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has gained 11 slots to reach 34th position.
In other gains for Ireland players, Curtis Campher has advanced 81 places and is 100th among batsmen. Andy McBrine has gained two slots to reach 33rd position and Simi Singh has progressed 30 places to reach 64th among bowlers.
Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi (70th to 66th), Rashid Khan (96th to 89th) and Javed Ahmadi (103rd to 99th) have gained in the rankings for batsmen.
The UAE also saw some gains for its players with Muhammad Usman advancing five places to reach 78th position after slamming a century in the first match of the series and Rohan Mustafa gain six slots to reach 55th .
MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings (as of 27 January 2021)
Batsmen (top 10)
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Pts | Avge | Highest Rating |
| 1 | ( - ) | Virat Kohli | India | 870 | 59.31 | 909 v Eng at Headingley 2018 |
| 2 | ( - ) | Rohit Sharma | India | 842 | 49.27 | 882 v SL at Headingley 2019 |
| 3 | ( - ) | Babar Azam | Pak | 837 | 55.93 | 844 v NZ at Wellington 2018 |
| 4 | ( - ) | Ross Taylor | NZ | 818 | 48.44 | 836 v India at Auckland 2020 |
| 5 | ( - ) | Aaron Finch | Aus | 791! | 41.85 | 791 v India at Canberra 2020 |
| 6 | ( - ) | Faf du Plessis | SA | 790 | 47.47 | 814 v Aus at Old Trafford 2019 |
| 7 | ( - ) | David Warner | Aus | 773 | 45.45 | 868 v Pak at Adelaide 2017 |
| 8 | ( - ) | K Williamson | NZ | 765 | 47.48 | 792 v SA at Centurion 2015 |
| 9 | ( - ) | Q de Kock | SA | 755 | 44.65 | 809 v SL at Durban 2019 |
| 10 | ( - ) | J Bairstow | Eng | 754 | 47.16 | 769 v Aus at Durham 2018 |
Other selected rankings
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Pts | Avge | Highest Rating |
| 15 | (+1) | M Rahim | Bangladesh | 710 | 36.64 | 714 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2019 |
| 20= | (+8) | Paul Stirling | Ireland | 684 | 39.47 | 689 v Pak at Dublin 2013 |
| 22 | (+1) | Tamim Iqbal | Bangladesh | 683 | 36.98 | 728 v WI at St Kitts 2018 |
| 49 | (+5) | Mahmudullah | Bangladesh | 552 | 34.23 | 575 v Afg at Abu Dhabi 2018 |
| 66 | (+4) | H Shahidi | Afghanistan | 498 | 32.97 | 514 v India at Southampton 2019 |
| 78 | (+5) | M Usman | UAE | 471* | 31.82 | 478 v Ire at Abu Dhabi 2021 |
| 89= | (+7) | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 432 | 20.57 | 473 v Ire at Dehradun 2019 |
| (RE) | R Powell | West Indies | 432* | 25.35 | 453 v India at Visakhapatnam 2018 | |
| 99 | (+4) | Javed Ahmadi | Afghanistan | 392 | 23.84 | 467 v HK at Bulawayo 2018 |
| 100= | (+81) | Curtis Campher | Ireland | 391 | 50.83 | 399 v Afg at Abu Dhabi 2021 |
Bowlers (top 10)
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Pts | Avge | Eco | Highest Rating |
| 1 | ( - ) | Trent Boult | NZ | 722 | 25.29 | 5.03 | 768 v WI at Old Trafford 2019 |
| 2 | ( - ) | M Ur Rahman | Afg | 708 | 22.04 | 3.96 | 712 v Ire at Abu Dhabi 2021 |
| 3 | ( - ) | J Bumrah | India | 700 | 25.33 | 4.65 | 838 v WI at Thiruvanthapuram 2018 |
| 4 | (+9) | Mehidy Hasan | Ban | 694! | 36.1 | 4.51 | 694 v WI at Chittagong 2021 |
| 5 | (-1) | Chris Woakes | Eng | 675! | 30.34 | 5.54 | 675 v Aus at Old Trafford 2020 |
| 6 | (-1) | Kagiso Rabada | SA | 665 | 27.34 | 4.99 | 718 v Eng at Lord's 2017 |
| 7 | (-1) | J Hazlewood | Aus | 660 | 26.18 | 4.79 | 726 v Eng at Adelaide 2018 |
| 8 | (+11) | M Rahman | Ban | 658 | 22.35 | 5.13 | 693 v WI at Sylhet 2018 |
| 9 | (-2) | M Amir | Pak | 647 | 29.62 | 4.85 | 657 v SL at Karachi 2019 |
| 10 | (-2) | Pat Cummins | Aus | 646 | 28.78 | 5.25 | 725 v SL at The Oval 2019 |
Other selected rankings
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Pts | Avge | Eco | Highest Rating |
| 13 | (+15) | S Al Hasan | Ban | 629 | 29.72 | 4.45 | 715 v Zim at Chittagong 2009 |
| 33 | (+2) | Andy McBrine | Ire | 536 | 34.98 | 4.44 | 568 v Zim at Bready 2019 |
| 34 | (+11) | Alzarri Joseph | WI | 534*! | 29.58 | 5.68 | 534 v Ban at Chittagong 2021 |
| 43= | (+3) | M Saifuddin | Ban | 496*! | 30.08 | 5.86 | 496 v WI at Chittagong 2021 |
| 55 | (+6) | Rohan Mustafa | UAE | 477*! | 33.44 | 4.67 | 477 v Ire at Abu Dhabi 2021 |
| 64 | (+30) | Simi Singh | Ire | 448*! | 23.6 | 3.9 | 448 v Afg at Abu Dhabi 2021 |
All-rounders (top five)
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Pts | Highest Rating |
| 1 | ( - ) | S Al Hasan | Ban | 420 | 447 v Zim at Chittagong 2009 |
| 2 | ( - ) | M Nabi | Afg | 294 | 346 v Ire at Greater Noida 2017 |
| 3 | ( - ) | Chris Woakes | Eng | 281 | 307 v NZ at Christchurch 2018 |
| 4 | ( - ) | Ben Stokes | Eng | 276 | 303 v NZ at Lord's 2019 |
| 5 | ( - ) | Imad Wasim | Pak | 271 | 282 v Zim at Rawalpindi 2020 |
-
After the dust settled from Wednesday's shocking UEFA Champions League group results, the final 16 teams have emerged to make it to...
-
Tazmin Brits starred with the bat and Shabnim Ismail took her 100th T20I wicket as South Africa chased down 124 with an over to spare to t... -
Hasan Mahmud’s impressive performances in the ODIs against West Indies have seemingly led to his maiden call-up to the Test squad for the ...
