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Mohammad Hafeez made the most of his good batting form, and a benign pitch, to score a fluent half-century that helped Pakistan earn a comfortable draw in Abu Dhabi after being set a target of 302 from 67 overs

The Report by Devashish Fuloria04-Jan-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Hafeez broke his half-century drought•AFPMohammad Hafeez made the most of his good batting form, and a benign pitch, to score a fluent half-century that helped Pakistan earn a comfortable draw in Abu Dhabi after being set a target of 302 from 67 overs. His 101-run stand with Ahmed Shehzad, in 31 overs, effectively closed the door on Sri Lanka after Suranga Lakmal had provided an early breakthrough. Hafeez was unbeaten on 80 when the teams decided to shake hands, right at the start of the mandatory overs.Hafeez may have missed out in the first innings after making a confident start, but he was in no mood to cede advantage to the bowlers here. His first boundary was a neat straight drive through mid-off off Lakmal. His second was even better – as Rangana Herath tempted him with a flighted delivery, he responded by stepping out and caressing it through covers. No violence, just placement.That was also an early statement from the batsman against Sri Lanka’s best bowler. Herath, afterall, had been instrumental in sparking a Pakistan collapse while chasing 168 in Galle in 2009. The pitch in Abu Dhabi, though, neutralised the Herath threat, with the grass keeping the soil bound and ensuring it was still a good surface for batting on the fifth day.As the initial seam movement disappeared, Hafeez comfortably leaned into his drives, kept the strike rotating and ended his 12-innings long wait for a Test half-century with a couple of boundaries off Sachithra Senanayake. A century was there for the taking and that generated some academic interest with the possibilities of a result fading, but it was not to be.Hafeez’s positivity had an effect on Shehzad, the debutant, too. Shehzad had been circumspect in the first few overs, then dropped the anchor while Hafeez made all the moves, before opening up against Angelo Mathews with an on-the-up drive through the covers. He registered his first half-century off the last ball of the second session, but was trapped lbw by Herath early in the last session. There were no surprises thereafter as Younis Khan and Hafeez saw off the last few overs with ease.Herath bowled 21 of the 52 overs by Sri Lanka but returned with just one wicket, highlighting the plight of bowlers on a strange pitch that refused to respond. His ineffectiveness mirrored Saeed Ajmal’s, who had gone wicketless in 49 second-innings overs, as only three wickets went down in the last two days.With the batsmen appearing in no trouble whatsoever, Sri Lanka would have wondered about the timing of their declaration. The focus on the fifth morning was on what approach Sri Lanka would take. They were leading by 241 at the start of the day and with five wickets in hand, were expected to ramp up the rate to give their bowlers enough time to bowl Pakistan out. However, Angelo Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene didn’t show any urgency for runs and quietly nibbled away at time, scoring at a rate of less than three – only 60 came in 20.3 overs.Pakistan, who have only once chased down more than 300, weren’t in a rush either. The third new ball was available after 12 overs in the morning session but Misbah-ul-Haq chose to hold it back denying the batsmen a chance to go after the harder ball.Prasanna Jayawardene marked his return to Test cricket after a year-long gap with his fifth Test half-century. He pulled the first ball he faced from Bilawal Bhatti – a gentle bouncer – to the fine-leg boundary, also registering the century of the partnership. That was his only four of the morning as he scored just 15 runs in 62 balls until the declaration.Mathews’ first scoring shot was a pull as well, an unconvincing one off Junaid Khan, and he was lucky that the top-edge landed short of the deep square leg fielder. But he followed it up with two boundaries with the same shot off Bhatti, his lesser pace not quite posing the same challenge as Junaid’s. Mathews scored another brace of fours through fine leg in Junaid’s last over of his spell, but then laboured to his 150, only managing to find the boundary two more times. Mathews, despite his reluctance to set the pace, did ensure a remarkable turnaround for Sri Lanka after they had conceded a 179-run first-innings lead.

Brad Hodge could play his first match for Australia in nearly six years after being called into the squad for the second Twenty20 in Melbourne on Friday

Brydon Coverdale29-Jan-2014Brad Hodge could play his first match for Australia in nearly six years after being called into the squad for the second Twenty20 in Melbourne on Friday.At 39, Hodge is Twenty20 cricket’s leading run scorer of all time, with 5844 at an average of 36.98 from his 209 matches in the format, and could be a valuable player at the upcoming World T20 in Bangladesh if the selectors chose to utilise his experience.However, while the Melbourne match could be viewed as an audition for the World T20, Hodge’s chances of playing in that tournament appear slim with Shane Watson and David Warner to return to the top of the order in addition to the men who beat England in Hobart on Wednesday.The allrounder Moises Henriques played in that victory but will now fly to South Africa for the Test tour and Cricket Australia confirmed that Hodge would be added to the squad for the Melbourne game as a replacement for Henriques.Whether Hodge will stay with the group for the third T20 in Sydney on Sunday remains to be seen but whatever the case, the call-up should give him a chance to play international cricket for the first time since the Test tour of West Indies in May 2008.The last of his eight T20 internationals came almost six years ago to the day, at the MCG on February 1, 2008, when Adam Gilchrist was still part of a side that accounted for India.Hodge’s recall is comparable to the call-up of a 40-year-old Brad Hogg in January 2012, when he was picked on BBL form and with a World T20 in spinning conditions in Sri Lanka on the horizon.”I never thought this day would happen again and it’s a pleasing day to wake up, the sun was shining this morning and I got the call from John Inverarity and it was a nice pleasant surprise,” Hodge said in Melbourne on Thursday. “I’ve probably had the game for a long time and I don’t need to call on anything else other than experience to know exactly what I can do.”I probably gave up the hope I suppose. I never gave up the thought of trying to achieve what I wanted to, and that was to play for Australia, but you felt that if things didn’t happen before they certainly weren’t going to happen now. But new regime, new sights and it’s come my way, which is very pleasing.”

Graeme Smith had one word to describe his international career after his final day as a Test cricketer: privileged

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town05-Mar-2014After 10 years, 11 months and 16 days, 117 Tests, 60 wins, 9265 runs, 27 hundreds and more press conferences, training sessions and autographs than you can count, Graeme Smith had one word to describe his international career: privileged.”When I look at my Test cap, it’s worn down and it’s been through a lot but it’s been a privilege,” Smith said after his last day as a Test cricketer. “Today is a day I would like to celebrate. The challenges of captaining are well documented but I only see it as a highlight. I’ve been extremely proud of captaining South Africa.”Smith is Test cricket’s longest-serving captain and under his leadership, South Africa grew from a team that threatened to achieve into one that achieved. They won series in tough places, members of their squad became world leaders in their disciplines and they became a unified unit.Smith began thinking about retirement in June, when Gary Kirsten’s tenure as coach ended. Smith wasn’t sure if it was just Kirsten going, Mark Boucher gone and Jacques Kallis about to go that sparked the idea, or whether he really wanted to call it quits. “It’s been a period of time of trying to understand that because everyone kept telling me you’re only 33,” he said.If any cricketer has proved that age is really nothing but a number, that person is Smith. He took over the captaincy at 22 and played at the highest level for 11 years. Smith had said he did not want to play until the same age as Jacques Kallis (38) or Sachin Tendulkar (40) and perhaps that is how old he feels already. Once he accepted that, it was just about doing what he considered the right thing.’Even if you don’t have enough talent, there’s still a lot you can achieve’

With a heavy bottom-hand, a tendency to ignore the entire off side and a whole lot of heart, Graeme Smith muscled his way to 17,236 international runs across three formats. He said determination rather than technique had helped him get there.
“When I started my professional career, all I used to hear about was my grip and my stance and that I needed to change my stance,” he said. “To be sitting here 17,000 runs later is hopefully an example to other people that even if you don’t have enough talent, there’s still a lot you can achieve, not only in sport but also in life.
“I have always been a determined player. I have always been able to find a way and leave it all out on the field. From a personal perspective my most meaningful knocks are probably the 154 to win the series in England and the hundred in Perth to set up the chase of 414. Those moments stand out.”
Smith’s only unfinished business is winning a World Cup for South Africa and he is willing to leave that to the next generation.
“To have won a World Cup would have been ticking all the boxes. I’d love to see a South African team win a World Cup and once they do, I think they will go on to win many. I will be on my couch, or somewhere, supporting them for the rest of my life.”

“The hard part is to have the courage to make the decision,” Smith said. “It felt like the time is right. I realised this is the place where I wanted to finish. I didn’t want to hang on too long and finish it in a place where it didn’t feel right. It just took courage to hang on to that last 5% and make the decision.”I haven’t had my best series. I felt really good in the two past series but knowing that the end was near made it difficult for me to find the space to keep performing.”Before the second innings against Australia at Newlands, Smith needed to call time. His first duty was to tell his charges. It was also his most difficult task. No player in that change-room knew a Test captain other than Smith. His concern was that they would feel abandoned. “When I told the team, it was a really tough night. I didn’t get too many words out,” he said. “The hardest part was saying goodbye to the team. For so long the Proteas have been my family. I’ve grown close to players and I will cherish those relationships for the rest of my life.”Knitting close bonds is what Smith’s leadership was really about. As his captaincy matured, his focus shifted away from results and towards team building, which he realised would ultimately bring results. “To create the culture and to see it grow has been really special,” Smith said. “And there’s been so many wonderful victories around the world. Our record away from home is something I am proud of as a leader as well.”Smith also places value on things that cannot be measured. As his captaincy reached its later stages, he spent time emphasising team culture and the importance of representing the country the best way possible. He stressed that political challenges had nothing to do with his decision to step down. “I am hugely proud of the diversity and the quality of players that have come through and stand their ground against anyone in the world. The diversity of this team is our strength,” he said.He thinks it will continue to be that way but South Africa’s most important challenge will be filling the gap left by the retirements of three stalwarts: Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and himself. “There’s some important things that need to be tightened and an environment needs to be created that can create success. The leadership group and how they galvanise the players and get them in the right direction will be important,” Smith said. “Yes, the team has lost a lot of experience but there are guys who have played well around the world.”He will be around to offer advice when needed. “There are certain challenges on the exterior that need to be met. I’d love to play a role in helping. I have gained a lot of experience over the years and I’d love to share that.”For now, though, he has something he needs to do: let go. While South Africa’s lower-order batted out the final hours of Smith’s international career and attempted to increase his unbeaten series run to 15, the former national captain found out how difficult it bowing out really was. “We’ve become good at never letting go,” Smith said.Smith’s days as a South African cricketer are over but he left the way he arrived -fighting. “We found a way to take it as deep as possible. It would have been a wonderful fairytale if we hung in there but I saw enough qualities to know South Africa will be strong for a long period of time.”In that knowledge, Smith can walk away a satisfied and proud man. He is choosing to walk away feeling privileged instead.

Mohammad Shahzad, Afghanistan’s most prolific Twenty20 batsman, came back to form when it mattered to power his team to a seven-wicket win over Hong Kong

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Chittagong18-Mar-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Shahzad struck six fours and three sixes in his 53-ball 68•AFPMohammad Shahzad is Afghanistan’s most prolific Twenty20 batsman by a long way. His recent form had been quite poor, as scores of 7, 22, 0, 22 and 0 in his last five innings would indicate. He broke this peculiar streak by hammering 68 off 53 balls as Afghanistan rushed to a seven-wicket win over Hong Kong.The garnish on the win was provided by Shafiqullah, touted the T20 specialist by captain Mohammad Nabi. He blasted 24 runs off the 17th over, bowled by Aizaz Khan, and later helped himself to 11 off Haseeb Amjad in the following over to ensure Afghanistan won with two overs to spare.A 150-plus chase looked tricky but Shahzad timed his innings perfectly. He made sure Afghanistan didn’t stutter from the early loss of Najeeb Tarakai, who couldn’t clear the midwicket boundary in the third over. Shahzad added 55 runs for the second wicket with Asghar Stanikzai, who scored slowly, but kept one end tight.Shahzad survived two dropped catches in the sixth over, though, and three in total. Captain Jamie Atkinson and Aizaz missed him with differing degrees of difficulty. Aizaz’s chance was a sitter at mid-on. The other drop was in the 15th over when Tanwir Afzal misjudged a chance at third man.Shahzad continued in his merry way, having already struck a boundary past the wicketkeeper’s right with a ball that struck the back of his bat. Stanikzai fell in the eleventh over, after which Shahzad reached his fifth T20 international fifty. Two balls later, he struck the shot of the day, a helicopter shot, over the midwicket boundary, and didn’t he love it.Irfan Ahmed made up for his second first-ball duck in the tournament with a stunning catch at deep extra-cover to get rid of Shahzad, but Afghanistan were on top of the situation. Though Nabi walked to the crease at that point, it was Shafiqullah who finished it in some style – making an unbeaten 51 off 24 balls.Hong Kong finished on 153 for 8 in 20 overs, a marked improvement from their meltdown against Nepal. But their start must have made them worry about a repeat of Sunday night. Irfan missed Shapoor Zadran’s inswinger off the first ball of the innings, the same point at which he had been out to Paras Khadka in the previous game.But Waqas Barkat and Atkinson hit back soon after, taking 16 off the fourth over, bowled by Gulbadin Naib. Atkinson blasted boundaries through the off-side field and one straight down the ground. He also pulled a four and a six, over midwicket, his best shot in a very short innings. He was trapped leg-before by Hamza Hotak a ball after he had struck his fifth boundary, in the fifth over.Barkat kept his shape well at the other end, despite the two losses. He built a 60-run stand with the fidgety Mark Chapman, Barkat scoring at a run-a-ball and letting Chapman have more of the strike.Chapman started off very well but just after he had cracked one through the covers, Dawlat Zadran floored him with a quick bouncer. Chapman had looked to charge him, and although he dusted himself and got up quickly, Chapman needed the physio’s attention immediately.He ended up with the top score, 38 off 43 balls with three fours and a six, coming off legspinner Samiullah Shenwari. Two of his boundaries came through the off-side, and one could easily imagine the sort of talent possessed by this 19-year old.Barkat got out to Mohammad Nabi, trying to scoop the offspinner. Babar Hayat also fell to Nabi in the 16th over. Chapman gave away his stumps for Zadran to aim at, and he stung his leg pole in the 17th over.Nizakat Khan and Tanwir Afzal then took over the last three overs, hitting one six each. Nizakat hammered Hotak over extra-cover, the best-looking shot of the innings, while Tanwir top-edged a hoick over third-man in the penultimate over.The result is effectively the end of the tournament for Hong Kong, while Afghanistan survive for one more potentially pivotal day, March 20.

Australia beat West Indies in the semi-finals of the 2012 Women’s World T20 and the final of the 2013 Women’s World Cup. Will another big match bring with it a change in fortunes?

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan02-Apr-2014Match FactsApril 3, 2014, Dhaka
Start time 2.30pm (0830GMT)Elyse Vilani made an immediate impact upon replacing Delissa Kimmince, scoring 90 against Pakistan•ICCThe Big PictureThis is a repeat of the semi-final in Sri Lanka, which Australia won by 28 runs on their way to securing the trophy, and of the final of the 2013 World Cup, where they once again came out on top.Here, Australia made a losing start to their title defence against New Zealand before notching three wins on the bounce to finish top of their group – but only on net run-rate ahead of the rapidly improving South Africa, who had Australia 56 for 4 when they met.West Indies went the other way, winning their first three matches to ensure themselves of progress to the knockout stage before falling to a defeat against India, which meant they conceded top spot in the group, but a wake-up call is not always a bad thing before the business end of a tournament.A final piece in Australia’s jigsaw may well have been replacing Delissa Kimmince with Elyse Villani who made an unbeaten 90 – her first international half-century – to set up victory against Pakistan.It is no surprise to see Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin at the top of West Indies’ run-scoring: they have 236 runs between them while the rest of the batting has 194. Dottin also has four wickets in seven overs to her name and her performance can so often set the tone for West Indies. “She is always very dangerous,” said a wary Meg Lanning.Form guide(Completed matches, most recent first)
AustraliaWWWLW
West IndiesLWWWLWatch out forOnce again, Ellyse Perry is facing the challenge of being outstanding in two sports. She has recently been omitted from the Matildas squad (Australia’s women’s football team) with the suggestion that her days as a double international may be drawing to an end although Cricket Australia believe it remains possible. For now, she is enjoying a profitable tournament with six wickets and a strike rate of 139 with the bat.While all eyes will be on Taylor and Dottin – and West Indies’ fate does rest hugely in their hands – Tremayne Smartt currently sits as their leading wicket-taker with six scalps. The medium-pacer has an overall T20 economy rate of 5.28 but she will face a huge challenge against a strong Australia top order.Team newsWith the successful recall for Villani at the top of the order there does not appear the need for any further alterations by Australia.Australia (probable) 1 Alyssa Healy (wk), 2 Elyse Villani, 3 Meg Lanning (capt), 4 Ellyse Perry, 5 Jess Cameron, 6 Alex Blackwell, 7 Jess Jonassen, 8 Erin Osborne, 9 Sarah Coyte, 10 Rene Farrell, 11 Holly FerlingMerissa Aguilleria, the captain, missed the final group match against India with a hamstring strain but will be fit to take her place for the semi-finalWest Indies (probable) 1 Kycia Knight, 2 Stafanie Taylor, 3 Deandra Dottin, 4 Shemaine Campbelle, 5 Stacy-Ann King, 6 Shaquana Quintyne, 7 Anisa Mohammad, 8 Shanel Daley, 9 Tremayne Smartt, 10 Shakera Selman, 11 Merissa Aguilleria (capt & wk)Pitch and conditionsThis will be the first match of the women’s tournament in Dhaka – the group stages have been held entirely in Sylhet – and the pitches have aided the spinners throughout the men’s matches which have been held here. Dew, however, has been less of a factor.Stats and trivia Meg Lanning’s 65-ball 126 against Ireland is the highest score in the tournament, and the highest ever score in Women’s T20West Indies have yet to beat Australia in three T20 meetingsQuotes”I’m not sure how much you can read into that, we are in different conditions. Neither side has played on the Dhaka pitch before.”
“As a side, we can’t rush into things as we are still a developing side. We have been around for a while, but the success we’ve enjoyed has been tremendous.”

There is confusion over the venue for the second qualifier of the IPL playoffs, with a likelihood that the match could be shifted to the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai from the Wankhede Stadium

Nagraj Gollapudi07-May-2014There is confusion over the venue for the second qualifier of the IPL playoffs, with a likelihood that the match could be shifted to the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai from the Wankhede Stadium. Qualifier 2 will be played between the winner of the Eliminator against the loser of the first qualifier on May 30.”Yes, the second qualifier has been moved [to CCI],” Ranjib Biswal, the IPL chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. Biswal did not give any specific reason for the switch and was also non-committal when asked if the final, which is slotted to be played at the Wankhede, was in danger of being moved. He said: “no decision had been taken yet”.Biswal’s confirmation was news to Ravi Savant, the Mumbai Cricket Association [MCA] vice-president, who said he was unaware about the development. “The IPL has not told MCA anything like that,” Savant said.According to Savant, Sundar Raman, the IPL chief operating officer, was also unaware of the change in venue. “I spoke with the IPL chief operating officer who told me it was news to his ears also,” Savant, who is also a BCCI vice-president, said.Savant indicated that a situation over security on May 3 could be the possible reason for the shift. On that day, a few BCCI members who were attending the IPL governing council meeting at the board’s office in Wankhede Stadium were denied parking space by the Mumbai police, who were handling security for the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.”The issue was about car pass. Being a match day the security is taken over by the Mumbai Police,” Savant said. “And it was not MCA’s fault because we cannot issue passes to everybody.”Savant, who was not in Mumbai on May 3, said that the association had written to Sunil Gavaskar, the interim BCCI president for the IPL. “We have officially written to Sunil Gavaskar, president-IPL, about the said difficulty. They said the issue was closed,” Savant said.Savant also pointed out that even if CCI would host the match Mumbai Indians would need to inform the MCA: “Mumbai Indians have signed a contract with MCA and if there is a shift of venue, thenn there can be a problem.”

Sunil Gavaskar, the interim BCCI president for the IPL, admitted on Thursday that two cricketers were approached by bookies and the matter has been reported to ACSU officials

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2014Sunil Gavaskar, the interim BCCI president for the IPL, has admitted that two cricketers reported approaches this season, and that the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officials had been alerted to it.Asked if players had been approached during this year’s IPL, Gavaskar replied: “There have been a couple and it has been reported to ACSU. They are looking into it.”He also said that issue regarding Brendon McCullum being approached by bookies is something to be concerned about. “I can assure you that the leak did not come from the IPL. I don’t know where it came from. It’s an issue to be concerned [about]. I have to say we have got an integrity officer attached with every team this time. It has made it a lot easier for players to communicate.”Sometimes players didn’t know what to do. Okay, there was a number to contact. But a lot of people [players] were thinking if you contact it, does your number come under their list. The anonymity and confidentiality aspect was something the players were not sure about.”Now with the integrity officer attached to every team, it has become a lot easier. If there has been an approach, people go and tell the officer so that he takes it forward.”Gavaskar said he has also been seeking suggestions from the legends of Indian cricket to help youngsters deal with various pressures of being a part of the IPL. “I called up four legends of the game… Sachin [Tendulkar], Anil [Kumble], VVS [Laxman] and Rahul [Dravid]. They are contemporary cricketers. They know the current pressures, tensions and situations our cricketers deal with,” Gavaskar said. “The IPL is a hugely covered event. It is way bigger than the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy or the Vijay Hazare Trophy, so sometimes it is easy for youngsters to get carried away.”Indian cricket could end up losing these talented youngsters. Or they could end up losing valuable years till they realise that sport is a great leveller and can bring you down to earth very, very quickly. We have to take care of that situation.”Based on the suggestions from the famous quartet, Gavaskar along with his colleagues in the IPL governing council intend to formulate a plan to groom youngsters. “This is something that the IPL GC was thinking of. From here, it will go to the BCCI working committee and hopefully from there it will take wing.”The programme, once ratified by the working committee, is likely to be implemented during the off-season, when barring the touring Indian team, the other cricketers will be in India. “After the IPL, it will be an off-season for most of the cricketers apart from those who are selected to tour England and the few other players who play league cricket in England. Majority of the players will be in India and during the time we could have an ongoing programme. The BCCI will very soon have the programme under way.”Gavaskar also announced that the BCCI is in discussion with Tendulkar and Dravid to pitch in for improving the standards of cricket by interacting frequently with cricketers from smaller centres.”Sachin and Rahul are wonderful role models to help the youngsters. I think we can have them talk to youngsters and raise the standards of the sport. This matter will also be discussed in BCCI,” Gavaskar said. “Most of our cricketers come from small places. Somebody like Mahi (MS Dhoni), he’s an inspiration to budding cricketers from lesser known towns. The thing to do is to spread the net wide. That is something the BCCI must capitalise on but I’m here only for a short term… mine is really a T20 innings.”

BCCI’s president-in-exile N Srinivasan was unanimously elected as the chief of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association for the 14th consecutive year

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2014BCCI’s president-in-exile N Srinivasan was unanimously elected as the chief of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) for the 14th consecutive year.As has been the case for over 10 years, all the sitting office bearers and executive committee members were elected unopposed during the 84th annual general body meeting of the TNCA.This is for the 14th year that Srinivasan has been elected as the president of TNCA without any break.Following are other office bearers elected unopposed:Vice Presidents: U Prabhakar Rao, Kalpathi S Aghoram, S Raghavan, P S Raman, R Kanakarajan and V Ramesh.Secretary: Kasi Viswanathan, Jt Secretary: R I Palani, Assistant Secretary: R S Ramaswamy, Treasurer: V P Narasimhan.Executive Committee: K Sriram, K S Shankar, G C Dangi, P Anand, C G Anandaram, K Murali, Adam Sait, K Mohan and Keshav Sriraman.

Jonathan Trott’s good form continued as Middlesex completed a disappointing start to their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign after suffering an agonising four-run defeat to Warwickshire at Lord’s.

Press Association27-Jul-2014
ScorecardJonathan Trott is slowly regaining his form•Getty ImagesJonathan Trott’s good form continued as Middlesex completed a disappointing start to their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign after suffering an agonising four-run defeat to Warwickshire at Lord’s.After losing their opening game in the tournament to Glamorgan at Cardiff on Saturday, Eoin Morgan’s side badly needed to bounce back. But they failed to chase down Warwickshire’s 240 for 7 after falling short of the 11 runs they needed from the last over.Jonathan Trott underpinned the Bears’ innings with 78 from 108 balls with seven fours. His old Ashes foe Chris Rogers then bettered that knock with 96, from 127 balls with eight fours, but after the Australian fell with 59 still needed, Warwickshire’s injury-hit bowling attack tightened the noose of Middlesex’s lower order.After surprisingly deciding to bat first on a greenish wicket, the visitors had to work hard for runs against an attack impressively led by Steven Finn.After William Porterfield chipped Tim Murtagh to midwicket, Varun Chopra and Trott settled for steady accumulation in a stand of 89 in 22 overs which ended when the former – claiming 46 runs from 93 balls – skied Toby Roland-Jones to deep midwicket.The departure triggered a disjointed mid-innings spell in which Tim Ambrose and Trott were caught after failing to clear the infield and Rikki Clarke scuffed a return catch back to spinner Dawid Malan.Late impetus was needed and it arrived from Laurie Evans , who made 46 and added 45 in partnership with Ateeq Javid and 29 in a seventh-wicket stand with Jeetan Patel.With competition debutants Aaron Thomason and Josh Poysden in their attack, Warwickshire badly needed their senior bowlers to deliver and Clarke and Oliver Hannon-Dalby began well, each picking up a wicket in their opening spell. Malan edged the latter behind then Nick Gubbins drove hard at Clarke and was well-held by Chopra at slip.Rogers and Morgan, who made 32, added 94 in 25 overs before the latter missed a reverse-sweep and fell lbw to 22-year-old former Sussex leg-spinner Poysden.Poysden should also have had Ryan Higgins, on 6, but Hannon-Dalby dropped the chance at mid-on and Higgins survived to help Morgan add 59 in nine overs, a stand which put Middlesex in control.But Higgins leading-edged Patel to extra-cover for 26 and just as Rogers appeared to be guiding his side home, he chipped Javid to midwicket where Chopra took a superb catch.That had the home nerves jangling and Poysden added to those nerves when he produced a beauty from which Neil Dexter was stumped for 9. That left Middlesex needing 30 from four overs with four wickets in hand but their chase lost conviction with every passing over.11 were needed from the last over but, despite an edged four by Murtagh, Hannon-Dalby held his nerve to see his team to victory.

When Al-Amin Hossain, part of Bangladesh’s current seam attack, decided to take up cricket seriously five years ago, his mother reminded him that his education should not stop

Mohammad Isam14-Aug-2014After spending enough time hanging out at the Bangladesh nets, you are bound to get friendly with the pace bowlers. First of all, you can only get close to them. More accurately, they will come near the sightscreen to turn and take their run-ups, near where you will be standing. Soon you will exchange smiles, maybe joke a bit about the ducking batsmen and then discuss cricket more freely once they are done. On match days, you end up rooting for them. You have learned of their stories of struggle, being under-appreciated as cricketers and professionals in the general cricketing pattern of the country.Pace bowlers in Bangladesh barely enter the picture. They are under-used in the domestic circuit and even when they get a bowl, it is to 7-2 fields in the longer format and with sweepers back in one-day cricket. Pitches hardly support their cause and as a result, when time comes to trade them in the Dhaka league system, they end up getting less money than batsmen and spinners. Granted, they are of less use than the other lot, but pace bowling is heavily required in Bangladesh’s Test team, which makes many of the bowlers break down quickly as they are hardly used to the physical burden.So when Al-Amin Hossain, part of Bangladesh’s current seam attack, decided to take up cricket seriously five years ago, his mother reminded him that his education should not stop. Hailing from Jhenidah, a small town 200km southwest of Dhaka, meant that Al-Amin quickly understood the significance of a university degree on his life, and how a pace bowler’s career can often go downhill very quickly in this country.He got admitted to Rajshahi University, another 160km northwest to Jhenidah, where is now in the fourth year of studying public administration. His struggle is unique for pace bowlers in Bangladesh, and at the same time he is part of a minority of cricketers across the country who are keeping up with their studies.”Juggling cricket and studies has been really hard for quite a number of years,” Al-Amin said. “But my mother insisted that while I can do what I think is best for me, education should never stop. It was always ‘cricket vs studies’ but I have chosen to do both.”I am in the fourth year, and pulling through somehow. Last year I played an Abahani-Mohammedan match [the Dhaka derby], took the overnight bus, studied all night and then appeared for my third-year exam in the university in the morning just after I had arrived.”Al-Amin’s introduction to cricket was a curious one, and the narrative of his early days suggest why he is a realistic individual. “I was once walking past the Jhenidah Stadium when I saw that they were holding a trial for an Under-15 team. I made the team, and that was my first-ever cricket-ball match. I got 8-3-21-3. My first wicket was getting the batsman out bowled.”But for the next few years I missed the age-level teams. I always overshot the age-limit. I failed the “teeth test” at all levels and it was getting very boring, always getting rejected.”But he did break through. A chance meeting with Sarwar Imran, Bangladesh cricket’s byword for mentoring pace bowlers, led to a berth in the National Cricket Academy and a first-class debut followed. Thirty-nine wickets in the first season brought him to the notice of those that matter, and in the space of less than two years, he was an international cricketer. Though he doesn’t have a big bag of wickets just yet, he has bowled the most of all pace bowlers in the last 12 months.New coach Chandika Hathurusingha has been impressed by his work so far. His somewhat unconventional action offers more variations, recognised as an asset by the management. “Al-Amin has a natural action, though it is unconventional,” Hathurusingha said. “He gives variation of different release points and angles. He can be really good once he gets his body strong.”He makes the batters awkward. I am not so worried about his pace, because he is growing and getting stronger. When I saw him in the T20 World Cup to now, he has got stronger and bowled quicker for long period, sustained the pace. It is a process.”Al-Amin says that despite the lack of international wickets, he has become a more confident bowler. He has hardly looked nervous, except for a moment when he dropped a sitter at fine-leg against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.”I am growing in confidence, which is helping me bowl more overs,” he said. “I have always tried my hardest, and slowly I feel the captain is also finding more faith in me.”I am always trying to repeat what I do well. I am not too keen on the wickets but I have been unlucky at times. I have had about five or six catches dropped off me since I made my debut. I have started to read batsmen better. I now understand batsmen, their strengths and weaknesses. It is different for someone like Mashrafe who does it very well.”Al-Amin is likely to continue taking the new ball alongside Mashrafe Mortaza in the West Indies, with Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain coming in afterwards. While Hathurusingha doesn’t worry much about his pace, Rubel’s experience could come into consideration. But Al-Amin is hardened by rejection from his early days, so that might not be a worry for him or the team management.But his story is important to cricket here. He has taken up one of the tougher skills in Bangladesh cricket, and showed that he is more aware of the bigger picture than many, by sticking to studies. Often found with a beaming smile and constantly discussing something or the other with his team-mates or the support staff, it is also crucial to note that he does enjoy doing the harder things in life.