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Bangladesh allrounder Mahmudullah admitted that he doesn’t really like functioning as the protagonist, and that he was satisfied so long as he could keep contributing to the team

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur28-Nov-2014It’s not every day that Bangladesh lead an ODI series 4-0, particularly in what has mostly been a dismal 2014 for them in the format. So after beating Zimbabwe by 21 runs on Friday, Mahmudullah was an elated man, especially as he was coming off a two-year struggle with the bat, the second of which sometimes mirrored the entire team’s plight. This was a day to rejoice.Mahmudulla’s unbeaten 82 was an important contribution for Bangladesh as he stood firm in the face of two batting collapses. He hauled the team out of the first quagmire with Mushfiqur Rahim, and later engineered another recovery in the company of Mashrafe Mortaza. Those two partnerships eventually paved the way for Bangladesh’s seventh straight victory across all formats. Mahmudullah himself, however, remained grounded.”I am not the hero and I don’t wish to be a hero,” he said with a smile. “I try to contribute to the team, and it feels great if I can contribute to a win. I really wanted us to win today, and take the 4-0 lead. I hope we can finish it 5-0.”Mahmudullah let Mushfiqur and Mortaza go on the attack, while he slowly accumulated runs at the other end. In between, he played his best shots – the drives with the extended follow-through, the well-placed cut shots and the wrist work, both off the front and back foot.This was the ninth time out of ten innings that he had an asterisk next to his half-century. His average when scoring a fifty is remarkable, but only three of those fifties have come in Bangladesh wins.The score was also his highest in ODIs, and his first fifty since his unbeaten 75 against Zimbabwe in March last year. That is 18 months without a fifty in one-day cricket, a period in which he has averaged 16.21 in 17 matches. There was constant debate about his continued position in the playing XI during this period, but even on the eve of the game, BCB president Nazmul Hassan named him and another player among those who would not be removed to make room for newer, younger players.Mahmudullah did not comment on the matter, but said that he was never the type to eye the protagonist’s role, rather he was someone who simply wished to contribute to the team in any way possible. Still, there was some regret that he did not get to three figures.”To be honest, I wanted to score the hundred. When we started the fifth-wicket partnership, Mushfiqur was the aggressor and I was playing the anchor role. I didn’t take many risks. Then Sabbir [Rahman] and [Abul Hasan] Raju got out so I wanted to be there till the end. I was planning to hit in the last two-three overs. I hope to do it next time.”Mahmudullah said that the match was an important lesson in coming back on top after two shocks to the system. Bangladesh slipped to 32 for 4 by the 13th over, and later lost three wickets in the space of 18 deliveries at another crucial stage, although they did recover well from both setbacks.”I am happy that we have won this game,” Mahmudullah said. “They had a good partnership but we got two quick wickets and returned to the game. We bowled very well in the second Powerplay. Mashrafe gave away just five runs in three overs and Shakib bowled well too.”We are learning. We started well in the second and third matches but we lost early wickets today. The wicket was a bit tricky. But then we had a big partnership, so I am hoping that against bigger teams, we can cope with these situations in a similar way.”

Ottis Gibson is looking forward to returning to Wales with his West Indies team during the Champions Trophy with fond memories of his time there for Glamorgan

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2013Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, is looking forward to returning to Wales with his West Indies team during the Champions Trophy, for what could be a group decider against South Africa, holding fond memories of his time there for Glamorgan.Gibson played for the county from 1994 to 1996 and remembers the support he received from crowds that have “passion and love” for the sport and hopes that can be replicated on June 14.West Indies play their opening two matches at The Oval in London, against Pakistan and India, where they will like to think they can latch onto the Caribbean community which used to support the team in force during their heydays of the 1980s but the fans have been a far smaller presence in recent years with the side struggling.However, the Welsh public have had few chances to see West Indies in their backyard – they have only played a single ODI, against New Zealand, in 2004 – and Gibson has asked them for a strong display of support.”I played for Glamorgan in the early stages of my cricket career and people welcomed me into the county. It was a really good time and the people of Wales were nice and good to me,” he said. “The people there are very passionate about their team. I believe if we can get there early and get the support of the locals that would be great for us”I had many highlights from my time there; I got over 60 wickets and made 700 runs in my debut season, so that was a very good start to my county cricket career in the UK. I had a very good time and great experience.”When I was at Glamorgan, we also had amazing support when we played around the county circuit and at Cardiff Wales Stadium and I know that support has continued over the years. It’s a wonderful place for sports and you always feel the passion and love for sports over there.”However, Gibson’s first priority will be to ensure his team still have a chance of progressing to the semi-finals when they reach Cardiff. October’s Twenty20 success gave the long-suffering fans in the Caribbean a moment to savour, but Gibson knows it is vital the team build on that especially with a World Cup to follow in 2015.”This is a good opportunity for us as a one-day team to see where we are compared to the other guys. This tournament format is similar to how the World Cup is going to be – you have to get out of the group stage to advance to the second phase.”We hope the success and the experience we had in Sri Lanka will help everybody to stay calm when the pressure is on. We believe we can win these big tournaments. So, this is something that we are really looking forward to.”

After a difficult time at Sussex, Ollie Rayner claimed a maiden five-wicket haul for his new county, Middlesex, to put them on course for victory at Lord’s

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's07-Jun-2013
ScorecardOllie Rayner took his maiden Championship five-wicket haul•PA PhotosThere is a faint, faint possibility that Middlesex might not win this game and for that they have only themselves to blame. Some lax bowling and Tim Murtagh’s drop of Luke Wright from a skied sweep shot, will have Sussex returning on the final day, of a match they have yet to have any control of, just 48 runs behind with six wickets remaining.From here, Sussex’s only real hope is to set a difficult chase, but Middlesex need only to look at the scorecard at their domination over the last three days to dissipate any doubt.Victory looked like it could even come on day three as the visitors made a pig’s ear of their follow on – a suicidal run out and tame hook shot doing for Chris Nash and Michael Yardy. It all seemed rather wasteful, especially after Luke Wright and Will Beer did their best to garner as many runs as possible this morning, despite the inevitability of the follow-on.The Sussex first innings was eventually finished off thanks to a wicket for Neil Dexter and two for Ollie Rayner, who took his maiden five-wicket haul for Middlesex in the Championship – a first since August 2008 when he helped his opponents to a 10-wicket win over Hampshire at Arundel.Dropped to the second XI for two games for, essentially, not spinning the ball, Rayner came back into the first team after what he described as “time off” to rediscover his game. As a child, he was a big turner of the ball before the development of his batting saw him lose his attacking instincts and morph into a lower middle-order batsman-cum-support bowler.A move to Middlesex, made permanent in October 2011 after an extended loan spell from Sussex, saw a continuation of this in a seam-heavy attack, leading him to, as he put it, “bowl in his sleep”. From his words last night and his actions this morning, there is every indication he wants to move his cricket on to the next level. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would not wish Rayner well; an affable character who takes it upon himself to act the fool in the dressing room in the name of team spirit.Matt Prior and Sam Robson were unavailable for comment on Prior’s controversial dismissal on the second day, but Rayner obliged. “It’s not often people want to speak to me,” he gleamed. “I’ll take it!” He went as far as to hope Prior was not annoyed at him for appealing. Even modesty and self-consciousness can be six-foot five and blonde.It’s unclear whether he offered an apology of sorts when Prior came to the crease after the tea interval, but the pair locked horns once again as Prior and Ed Joyce set about drastically eating into Middlesex’s lead with some dashing shots. Three balls into their reunion and Prior had already taken Rayner for 10 runs – a slapped sweep shot for four, a paddle around the corner for two, before he came down the pitch and hit Rayner over midwicket’s head for another boundary.Prior’s cameo didn’t last much longer, as he sat back and cross-batted a good length ball from James Harris to a diving Murtagh at mid-on. As he walked off, the congregation in the Mound Stand asked England’s Test wicketkeeper if he was happy with that decision. Prior, to his credit, acknowledged the home fans with good grace and his bat, as the cat calls turned to polite applause.But Wright joined the fray and kept the scoring rate going all the way through to stumps, as Joyce passed fifty to little fanfare. While Toby Roland-Jones and Murtagh persisted for too long with some short-pitched bowling, Sussex will be more than satisfied with how they made hay in the evening, going at over four-an-over.If Sussex finish the game with anything other than defeat after three days of toil, they will do so with great satisfaction and an even greater feeling of justice.

If ever there was an example of the fluctuating nature of T20 cricket, Stuart Broad has experienced it over the first two matches of the series

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2013If ever there was an example of the fluctuating nature of T20 cricket, Stuart Broad has experienced it over the first two matches of the series between England and New Zealand.England captain Broad, who claimed his best Twenty20 figures of 4 for 24 as his side won the first match on Saturday, suffered the second worst figures (none for 53) of his international T20 career in the second game in Hamilton. New Zealand claimed a 55-run win to leave the series levelled 1-1 with one game to play. The only time Broad has conceded more runs in a T20 came in 2007, when Yuvraj Singh thrashed him for six sixes in an over in Durban.While Brendon McCullum’s excellent innings of 74 from 38 balls was the key ingredient in New Zealand’s victory, Broad admitted afterwards that his own performance – both as bowler and captain – were partly to blame. Not only was Broad’s bowling expensive – culminating in his last over costing 22 runs – but he also expressed his regret at inserting New Zealand after he had won the toss. Batting appeared to become more difficult as the game progressed, with the evening dew rendering it more difficult to time the ball.”I made the wrong decision at the toss to bowl,” Broad said. “The dew did change the wicket quite a bit and the ball swung.”The guys said it came off the wicket a bit two-paced as well. New Zealand just bowled length, and that’s all they had to do. We didn’t adapt to the conditions as well as we could have done. We bowled pretty similar lengths to Eden Park, but New Zealand probably were expecting that a bit more. They had a little bit of luck as well, with top-edges for six, but that can happen.”On such a small ground, we thought it would be hard to defend virtually anything. But New Zealand took early wickets and as soon as you do that, you have a hold of the game.”We got certain parts of the game wrong tonight and in such a short format you can’t afford to do that. This was pretty much a role reversal from Saturday, but that can happen in the shorter game.”McCullum played fantastically well. Anyone who can get 70 odd off 30 balls has played a fantastic knock. After 15 or 16 overs, I thought we were really in the game. But I got it slightly wrong at the end and it was always going to be a tough ask.”Broad’s guilt will have been assuaged a little by McCullum’s admission that he, too, would have inserted the opposition had he won the toss.”We were going to bowl as well,” he said. “It’s one of those pitches that does get better, and we saw towards the end as well that if you do manage to have wickets in hand you can access those boundaries quite easily.”We knew that, whatever score we had, we were going to have to get early wickets in that second innings.”They certainly did that. New Zealand claimed two wickets in the second over, bowled by Mitchell McClenaghan and, by the time England were reduced to 47 for 5 in the 11th over, they needed a miracle to win. “We needed to keep wickets intact,” Broad said. “But we didn’t do that and, as soon as we lost three in the first six overs, we were struggling.”The only areas of consolation for England were the bowling of Luke Wright – who sent down four tight overs – and the batting of Jos Buttler. Buttler scored 54 from 30 balls and, though his task was always hopeless he again underlined his potential.”Jos proved that if we had kept wickets in the hand he could have been dangerous at the end,” Broad said. “He’s a wonderful striker of the ball.”He’s had a really good tour so far, and the way he can hit the ball 360 degrees is pretty frightening. He’s going to be a very exciting player for us.”The deciding game of the series takes place in Wellington on Friday.

Adam Wheater has said he received no assurances of a first-team place as wicketkeeper at West End despite claims made by Paul Grayson

Ivo Tennant05-Mar-2013Adam Wheater, who last week bought out his contract with Essex in order to join Hampshire with immediate effect, has said he received no guarantees of a first-team place as wicketkeeper at West End, despite the claim by his former coach, Paul Grayson, that this was the reason behind his decision to move counties.”I think Paul was trying to cover his own back in saying that,” Wheater said during a press conference before flying to Barbados with his new team-mates for a pre-season tour. “I am on a two-year contract and have been given no assurances.” He will compete with Michael Bates for the gloves at Hampshire.In Essex’s press release, Grayson was quoted as saying Wheater was their “third-choice keeper”, behind James Foster and Ben Foakes, and that “Hampshire have given him assurances that he will be their first-choice at the club.” Nigel Hilliard, the Essex chairman, supported Grayson, however. “I have no reason to believe Paul was lying,” he said.Although Hampshire allegedly did not make a formal approach to Essex and had previously attempted to tempt James Foster to join them, Hilliard did not want to take issue with them. “All sorts of approaches are made for players and we would not want to stand in the way of a player who was keen to leave,” he said.Wheater, 23, saw little prospect of keeping wicket regularly for Essex given that he expects Foster, the club captain, to play on for several more years. “The attraction for me in joining Hampshire is that they have a young side who are going in the right direction and are not too far from my family in Epping,” he said. “I have been looking at places to buy round Southampton but haven’t found anywhere yet.”He said “three or four” other counties had been interested in signing him, but he had not had any serious discussions with any of them. He has joined Hampshire, he emphasised, to become a wicketkeeper-batsman. “I would have become more frustrated at Essex if James Foster had not been such an unbelievably good wicketkeeper. I talked to him before leaving – we were born in the same hospital and went to the same school – but he could not be seen to be advising me to go.” Wheater would not divulge the payment he had to make to Essex to buy out his remaining year’s contract.There is no doubting Wheater’s ability with the bat – he made 2,463 runs for Essex at 39.09, a significantly higher average than Bates has mustered – and his wicketkeeping can only improve under the tutelage of Bobby Parks, but his signing is nonetheless a controversial one. Hampshire pride themselves on the young cricketers they have brought on over the past few years, one of whom is Bates, who has kept wicket to Danny Briggs’ left arm spin since they were ten years old.Bates, 22, signed a two-year contract with Hampshire in the autumn and is arguably the most talented young wicketkeeper in the country. His batting is improving if not yet consistent – he made his maiden first-class century last season – and the acquisition of Wheater will do little for his self-belief or the confidence of academy cricketers who will feel a natural progression to the first team is constantly under threat. Nor will it please the members, who doubtless would prefer to see the club develop and promote their own players rather than sign up outsiders, as in football.Tellingly – and modestly – Wheater said that Bates remains the better wicketkeeper. “We know each other from playing against each other at regional level,” he said. “I have benefited from playing for Essex as a batsman, and I would be happy to play for Hampshire as a specialist batter, but my trade is a wicketkeeper-batsman,” he said.It could yet be the case that Hampshire will alternate between the two for first-class and limited-overs cricket. One particular match which would have heightened their interest in acquiring Wheater occurred at Chelmsford last year when Essex, needing 360 to win, slumped to 222 for 7 before his innings of 98 brought them to within two runs of victory.Hilliard, who believes that Foster is the best wicketkeeper in the world, let alone the country, feels the specialist stumper will return to prominence in due course, regardless of whether or not he can bat. Keith Fletcher, the great sage of Essex cricket, is not so sure. “Neil Smith, who played in our first championship-winning side, would not play now,” he said. “David East might struggle to get in, even thought he played some important innings.”And, he added – alarmingly for the likes of Bates – “even the days of Bob Taylor have gone.”

The National Cricket League will enter a new era from the 2015-16 season when promotion and relegation will be introduced in Bangladesh’s biggest domestic first-class competition, the BCB has announced

Mohammad Isam29-Dec-2014The National Cricket League will enter a new era from the 2015-16 season when promotion and relegation will be introduced in Bangladesh’s biggest domestic first-class competition, the BCB has announced.The top four divisional sides from this year’s competition will play in the first tier while the bottom four will take part in the second tier from next season. One team from each tier will gain promotion and relegation. Since its inception in 1999, there was no promotion or relegation in the NCL.”The reason behind the change of format is to make the league more competitive and attractive,” AJM Nasir Uddin, the BCB vice-president, said. “The prize money will be higher from next year too. First-tier champions will get Tk 20 lakh (approx. $25,600) while second-tier champions will get Tk 5 lakh. It will be played under home-and-away method, though this year it will be single league.”The decisions were made at the BCB’s tournament committee meeting on Monday, also attended by the general secretaries of all the divisional sides. It was also decided that this season’s matches will be held in Mirpur, Fatullah, Chittagong, Bogra, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Rangpur.Nasir also informed that the 30-member preliminary squads of each divisional side will be picked based on previous season’s performance. “The national selectors will cut the squads to 18 players after discussions with the divisional sports associations. The players who will be cut from one preliminary squad can be picked by another division.”

Sydney’s 100th Test pitch should offer plenty to the fast bowlers on the first day, as the curator Tom Parker said he wanted to emulate the surfaces prepared for the previous two New Year’s matches

Daniel Brettig30-Dec-2011Sydney’s 100th Test pitch should offer plenty to the fast bowlers on the first day, as the curator Tom Parker said he wanted to emulate the surfaces prepared for the previous two New Year’s matches, against England and Pakistan.Each surface was full of life on the first day before settling down and turning later, and Parker said those characteristics epitomised what he has wanted to do with the SCG surface since taking over from Peter Leroy in 1997. Twelve months ago Australia battled to 4 for 134 on a rain-interrupted first day on the way to an innings defeat, while in the first week of 2010 the hosts were bundled out for 127 before recovering to record a dramatic victory over a dysfunctional Pakistan side.”I was happy with that [pitch for the game against England] and I was happy with the previous year’s as well [against Pakistan],” Parker told ESPNcricinfo. “The last two years we’ve really got it together and it has really come up well. I’m hoping to have a pitch somewhat similar to that.”That’s the ideal scenario and that’s what we’re aiming for. I don’t see why that won’t happen. The weather’s been kind to me and the forecast is for hot sunny days in the lead-up to the Test and the first couple of days of the Test, so I don’t see why it shouldn’t be perfect for us.”Parker’s expectations will add intrigue to the questions of selection, as Australia mull over the possible inclusion of fast bowler Ryan Harris. Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, has not ruled out the use of four fast bowlers after the quicks did the lion’s share of the damage in Melbourne.As it did last year, Sydney has spent much of spring and summer cloaked in heavy cloud and frequent rain, only occasionally enjoying the sort of sunshine Parker would prefer. But in the lead-up to the New Year’s Test the forecast has improved, allowing groundstaff to get some sun onto the wicket and outfield.”There’s been a lot of rain around but we have the covers on as well; we’ve had a lot of matches up to date and it hasn’t affected our preparation too much on the centre,” Parker said. “The thing that’s been a bit of a downfall for us is the overcast conditions more than the rain.”The hours of direct sunlight have been fairly minimal on several days, and that’s been a bit of a pain as far as grass growth goes. In saying that, the outfield’s in tip-top condition, as is the centre square.”The arrival of the centenary Test has coincided with the return of Sydney’s more traditional type of pitch, offering help to batsmen, fast bowlers and spinners in equal measure. The often lively surfaces of the 1950s and 60s gave way to slow turners in the 1980s and parts of the 90s, before Parker took on the long-term project of returning the track to its classical attributes.”That’s what I’ve always aimed for. It has always been my goal to produce pitches with an even coverage of grass and pitches that were going to play consistently over the period of the match. We’ve got that mix pretty well right now.”As long as you’re going into the match with great preparation and good grass coverage, nice even moisture throughout the pitch, it usually pays off and the pitch will play consistently. I like to pride myself on the pitches playing consistently without the balls being one up and one down. Over the course of the five days the pitch changes and the pitch should change, but as long as it is consistent I’m pretty happy with that.”As for the centenary, Parker is delighted to be preparing pitch No. 100 at the grand old ground. “It is a tremendous honour. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel privileged to work here. When you look at the history of the SCG, it is fantastic, and to be a major part of that is a great honour. I’m really looking forward to preparing the 100th Test pitch at the SCG I can assure you.”

Young cricketers from England and Australia will take important steps towards their career development when the two sides meet on the opening day of the ninth Under-19 World Cup

George Binoy in Brisbane10-Aug-2012At the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, James Taylor was like every other kid. He’d be seen around the Sunway Hotel, watching the ice-skaters on the rink and spending time on his iTouch at Starbucks in his free time. Last week, Taylor was seen making his Test debut against South Africa at Headingley, and he held his own against the world’s fastest bowlers. He is the second from the England Under-19 batch of 2008, after Steven Finn, to make it to Test cricket, a timely reminder for his juniors of the possibilities ahead as they prepare to open the 2012 World Cup in Townsville.England’s first opponents are the hosts, Australia, who have blooded more young cricketers at international level in recent years than they did in the past. From the squad that went to the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh have had a morsel of senior limited-overs cricket.In both these teams, however, you’d have to be prodigiously gifted like Ricky Ponting, or have the tenacity to perform when talent meets opportunity like Alastair Cook did, to convert a young debut into a lasting career. Taylor and Finn got where they are now through the grind.”Our aspirations for our players are that they go into first-class cricket, quite a few of the boys have played first-class cricket, then to supply the Emerging Player Programme,” Tim Boon, the England coach, said. “They then go on to the Lions … so by the time they’re 24-25 they’re knocking on the England door. There’s no direct pathway through. All these players have got to go and earn their stripes. They’ve got to go and perform in county cricket. The great thing is there’s a big queue developing.”Stuart Law, who played the first youth World Cup in 1988 and would have had many more than the one Test cap had he been in most other Australian eras, is the coach of their Under-19 side. He too said his players would have to go through the club and state route, but also that there were more opportunities for bolters at this time in Australian cricket.”When the likes of Darren Lehmann and myself were playing, there were about 15 guys who could have played Test cricket who weren’t even in the Australian team,” Law said. “[Australia] haven’t quite got that now. It has changed. Young kids are getting an opportunity earlier, which may not be the greatest thing for Australian cricket, but some kids, you throw them in the deep end and if they start swimming, you’ve found a couple of winners.”If any of these guys have a real good tournament, obviously their home states will sit up and take notice and they’ll start being let through. But it’s not just about performing well here, they’ve got to go back to their club sides and start the season well.”The Under-19 World Cup is an opportunity for a head start. Performance here could catch the eye of Australia’s National Talent Manager, Greg Chappell, who’s travelling with the team, and that could mean quicker access to an elite training environment, which in turn could widen the gap between the selected player and those he’s outrun.While several countries want for adequate youth programmes, England’s Under-19 cricketers, Boon said, were fortunate to be part of a fully integrated body, with players at higher levels keen to help those below them. “In December last year we went to South Africa. We had six international England bowlers – [James] Anderson, [Stuart] Broad, [Chris] Tremlett etc – and six Lions bowlers wanting to bowl at our Under-19s. They were there on a training camp,” he said. “That stood the lads in good stead. Our bowlers partnered with Broad and those guys, and the batters were able to face high-class internationals and tap into their experience. It was daunting and very rewarding.”A common yet significant problem several teams face at the World Cup is adjusting quickly to the unknown: strange conditions and unfamiliar playing styles. To aid their development in this regard, England toured Bangladesh and also visited Townsville for a quadrangular series in April 2012. Their results weren’t too hot: losing 5-2 in Bangladesh, and losing the semi-final of the quadrangular after winning all three league matches. They had also lost a home series to South Africa (2-4) and an away series to Sri Lanka (1-3) in 2011.”Our aims are to challenge the players under pressure, to give them really intense periods of cricket. We look at skill learning and then and testing those skills. In doing that we go to places like Bangladesh. It was very tough, very different,” Boon says of the experience. “The lads played against spinners they’ve never seen before. [They were exposed to a] different lifestyle and culture, that was also really important. It’s about grooming their skills so that they can stand independently, without a coach overlooking them.”

At this age, you need to play, the more you play the better it is. They’ve got to live the game to understand what they can do and can’t do in games of cricket.Stuart Law, Australia Under-19 coach

If World Cup warm-up results are any indication, England have adjusted quickly after arriving in Australia a week ago. They beat Pakistan, a perennially strong Under-19 side, before brushing aside Zimbabwe.Australia, on the other hand, had mixed results in the warm-ups, losing to West Indies and then thumping Scotland. They had a tough workout in the weeks leading up to those matches, losing a series to Pakistan 2-1 in Gold Coast. And in the quadrangular in India in September 2011, they had won two out of seven matches, while in the quadrangular at home in April 2012, they won three out of five games.Law, who’s been with the team for only five weeks, said that all match practice at this level was immensely beneficial. “We haven’t played together a hell of a lot. We played Pakistan in a three-match series down the coast, and you can see they have been playing together for quite a while,” he said. “At this age, you need to play, the more you play the better it is. They’ve got to live the game to understand what they can do and can’t do in games of cricket.”On Saturday, both these teams will be living and learning in the most momentous match of their lives. Win, and the chances of topping a group that includes Ireland and Nepal are significantly higher.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Sharjah

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Dec-2013Match factsSunday, December 22
Start time 1500 (1100 GMT)Junaid Khan continues to impress for Pakistan•AFPBig PictureTwo matches into the series, there is little to pick between the sides. As clashes between these two often go, the cricket has been as entertaining as it has been tense. Both innings in the last match ebbed, flowed, stagnated and resurged. In the end, Angelo Mathews’ mettle was the difference.Two largely new trends have also emerged. Pakistan have been adept at constructing one-day innings. Since the new rules only allowing four men outside the 30-yard circle was introduced last year, teams have increasingly adopted circumspection early on, confident that boundaries would flow later on. Neither Pakistan nor Sri Lanka had been quick to embrace this strategy but, in this series so far, there have been extended periods when they have not pursued big shots.Given Pakistan have produced two centurions already and have put up commanding totals as a result, the shift in approach appears a fruitful one, for now.Sri Lanka have also discovered that they now bat deeper than they probably ever have in ODIs. Seekkuge Prasanna’s reintroduction has added dynamism to the lower-order batting and provided another potential pinch-hitter. Nuwan Kulasekara’s batting has also blossomed over the last 18 months, to the extent that he his nearing allrounder territory. And Sachithra Senanayake’s touch and temperament have been telling. Given even No. 11 Lasith Malinga has an ODI fifty, the seniors at the top of the order have had their burden eased.Again it was the bowling that let each captain down in the second match. Pakistan caught a huge break when they ran both Sri Lanka’s opening batsmen out but their spinners could not consolidate that position as well as Misbah-ul-Haq might have hoped. If it wasn’t for Junaid Khan’s intensity through the middle overs, Sri Lanka would have chased the biggest total ever at the stadium with ease.Sri Lanka were perhaps even more toothless with the ball. There was not much turn off the surface, but even their top spin bowler, Senanayake, bowled most of his overs around the wicket – which turned out to be a decent way to keep the boundaries down, but did not create chances. Given it is a discipline that both teams pride themselves on in ODIs, coaches and team management will search for quick solutions before their attacks deteriorate further.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan: LWLWW


Sri Lanka: WLWLW
In the spotlightGiven Nuwan Kulasekara’s contributions to Friday’s victory, the decision to drop him for the Sharjah ODI seems even more boneheaded. For the past year he has been more valuable to the team than Lasith Malinga. Not only is he more consistent, he is secure in the field (two World Cup finals drops aside), and one of the cleanest hitters in the team once he gets his eye in. He was far from his accurate best in the opening overs of the last match but the inswing he induced prompted caution from the opposition and he was decent towards the death as well. He will hope team management does not lapse into flawed logic again, as the action returns to Sharjah.Forget Pakistan, Junaid Khan is one of the finest fast-bowling talents anywhere. At a time when ODI totals are increasing and bowlers are having their figures drummed into the dirt, Junaid averages 22.93 after 39 matches – a far superior average to Dale Steyn, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, for instance. He bowled a series of cracking balls in an already terrific spell to waylay Sri Lanka’s middle order on Friday, but the men around him in the attack could not provide adequate support. If he can maintain his rhythm for the remainder of the series and into the Tests, he will improve his already burgeoning reputation.Pitch and conditionsSri Lanka have been fearful of bowling second so far in the series, because they have expected dew to form. While it did hamper them in the Twenty20s, it has not so far been a major issue in the ODIs.Team newsSohail Tanvir has been mediocre in the last two matches, and Pakistan may consider bringing in Anwar Ali as a replacement. They are almost certain to leave the firing top order untouched.Pakistan (probable): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Sohaib Maqsood, 5 Misbah ul Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Bilawal Bhatti, 9 Sohail Tanvir/Anwar Ali, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Junaid KhanLahiru Thirimanne’s sprained right ankle will definitely rule him out of Sunday’s match, but Thisara Perera and Mathews have recovered sufficiently from the niggles that ailed them. Dimuth Karunaratne could again take Thirimanne’s spot, but there are two other youngsters – Ashan Priyanjan and Kithuruwan Vithanage, who may also be in the reckoning.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Dimuth Karunaratne/Ashan Priyanjan/Kithuruwan Vithanage, 7 Thisara Perera 8 Seekkuge Prasanna, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Sachithra Senanayake, 11 Lasith MalingaStats and triviaKulasekara has eight more wickets than Malinga this year, at an average of 25.33 to Malinga’s 30.02. Kulasekara’s economy rate is also significantly better at 4.64 to Malinga’s 5.34. Junaid has taken three wickets in each of his last four limited-overs internationals – three ODIs and a Twenty20.Quotes”It was good to see our top order getting big scores – that has been much needed for our team. It’s normally the biggest problem for us, but I’m really happy with the way it’s been going.”

“Against Pakistan, the game is never over – you have to fight till the last ball is bowled, and we did that. With the bowling attack that Pakistan have, we have to fight all the time and we have to stay positive. We can’t give the chance, because they will knock us down.”

Graham Onions removed Andrew Strauss for a duck but Neil Dexter led a Middlesex fightback at Lord’s

Jon Culley at Lord's20-Apr-2012
ScorecardGraham Onions made the most of helpful conditions•Getty ImagesNaturally, the focus of most attention here was Andrew Strauss, a captain in need of runs, even in his own analysis. Yet his failure overshadowed the success of the other captain who finds himself in the same rocky boat.Unlike Strauss, Neil Dexter was not out second ball. Indeed he was not out at all, even though he had some luck, and to be unbeaten on 65 at the end of a perilous, if abbreviated day for batting was as much a triumph of note as Strauss’s short innings was a headline-making misfortune.Given that the England captain appeared and disappeared while many in the ground were not settled in their vantage points, the details need not be lingered over for long. As Graham Onions steamed in with intent from the Pavilion End he shouldered arms to the first ball, wisely enough, but the second gave him no such option, swinging in the air and then nipping back off the pitch to beat the left-hander’s tentative push and connect with the top part of off stump.It doesn’t matter that much for Strauss. Weather permitting, he will have five more chances to score some Championship runs before the first Test against the West Indies. It would be a surprise if he did not make the most of one of them at least, but you suspect in any event that he would need to register six noughts for the possibility of dropping him even to be considered.It might matter more for Onions, who is anxious to make it as difficult as possible for the England selectors to ignore him, even though it would probably take an injury to one of the incumbents for him to win back his place. Under the watchful eye of David Saker, the England bowling coach, he took the wickets of Joe Denly and Dawid Malan as well as Strauss.He places himself at about sixth in the pecking order currently, having gone to the UAE as cover for the Pakistan series. “But fast bowlers get injured, they can struggle for fitness and form as well so I just have to make sure I’m ready and bowling as well as I can,” he said. “I ran in quite nicely today and it was fun, I enjoyed it.”Onions, who took five wickets here on his Test debut in 2009, against the West Indies, might still be in command of a place but for the career-threatening back injury he suffered the following year. He stresses, however, that there is no lasting weakness. “I’ve been bowling for the last 18 months and I don’t think about it,” he said.He admitted that it was a helpful pitch but the ball that did for Strauss would have been a peach on any conditions. “It was a decent ball,” he admitted. “It swung a little and nipped back. Andrew is a great player and it was good for me and the team to get him out so early.”Worse was to follow for the home side. Denly was lured to play at a ball that left him at the end of Onions’s third over, edging to first slip, and from the first ball of the next, from Callum Thorp, Sam Robson unwisely went after a widish delivery and nicked to second, at which point Middlesex were 2 for 3.Mitch Claydon dismissed Chris Rogers, the temporary captain, with his first ball at the Pavilion End as Onions took a breather, further reducing them to 28 for 4.Rogers has the reins for the moment because Dexter, with single figure scores in seven Championship innings before this one, wants to focus on his batting without the distractions of captaincy, for which reason he will sleep much more easily.Conditions never became much easier, even in the brief sunny interludes, but after a scratchy start, during which he probably should have been out for 4 when Thorp, in the gully, failed to cling on to a chance off Ben Stokes, he even began to play some shots and even look confident.There was another chance, on 20, when Stokes, at backward point, got a hand to a hard outside edge off Claydon, but it would have been a very good catch and the luck, on that occasion, was deserved.When he reached 50 it was for the first time in the Championship since May last year. He lost a partner when Onions produced another gem to find the edge of Malan’s bat, but their partnership added 55 for the fourth wicket and another 49 have gone on to the total since, with John Simpson steady at one end as Dexter raised his boundary count to 13.The weather may preclude a result in the end but any score above 200 for Middlesex will help team morale, even though it may leave Strauss alone with his thoughts.