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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.”

Maurice Chambers produced a career-best haul as Northamptonshire kept alive their hopes of a place in the quarter-finals of the Royal London Cup

Press Association14-Aug-2014
ScorecardRichard Levi struck a rapid half-century as Northants claimed victory on Duckworth-Lewis•Getty ImagesMaurice Chambers produced a career-best haul as Northamptonshire kept alive their hopes of a place in the quarter-finals of the Royal London Cup with a 19-run Duckworth-Lewis win over struggling Lancashire at Old Trafford.Chambers struck three times in the first six overs of the Lightning’s pursuit of 201 in a 40-over game, leaving the score at 25 for 3, after rain had delayed the start of this Group A clash by two hours. The rain returned with Lancashire, who now cannot qualify for the last eight, at 47 for 3 after 10.1 overs and a long way off the pace in terms of D/L. Play did not restart.This was only Northamptonshire’s second win in seven in the competition, but it meant victory over Essex at home in their final group game next Thursday – coupled with other results going their way – would be enough for a top-four finish and progression. Bottom-placed Lancashire have now lost five out of seven group matches and all three of their home matches.Northamptonshire were also thankful to South African overseas opener Richard Levi as his 68 off 43 balls, with 13 fours and a six, underpinned what looked only to be a fighting total at best. He reached 50 off 31, with 46 of those runs coming in boundaries as the Steelbacks notched 80 runs off the first 10 overs.Lancashire left-arm spinner Stephen Parry, who has struggled for form in limited-overs cricket since returning from the World Twenty20 with England in late March, was the pick of their bowlers with a season’s best 3 for 23 from eight.Parry helped fashion an impressive recovery in tandem with Steven Croft’s offspinners as Northamptonshire only scored 120 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the last 30 overs. Croft added 1 for 29 from his allocation of eight.The visitors lost 3 for 11 inside five overs – two to Parry and one to Croft – as they slipped from 125 for 2 in the 21st. Parry, on England Lions duty earlier this week, had Kyle Coetzer caught at long-off and Adam Rossington caught at midwicket off a leading edge before Croft had Ben Duckett caught at short third man on the reverse sweep.Parry had Rob Keogh caught and bowled as Northamptonshire struggled to up the rate again and lost three further wickets in the last 10 overs. Graeme White’s 21 off 31 at least helped get them to 200, which proved to be enough thanks to Chambers. He had List A debutant Luis Reece caught at first slip in the fourth over before getting Karl Brown caught at short cover and Paul Horton, who had earlier elected to bowl, bowled off an inside edge with successive balls in the sixth.

A side strain has forced Muktar Ali out of Bangladesh’s 15-member Asian Games men’s team

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2014A side strain has forced Muktar Ali out of Bangladesh’s 15-member Asian Games men’s team. He has been replaced by another allrounder Ziaur Rahman.Muktar, a bowling allrounder, was the only uncapped player in the originally announced squad, and his withdrawal means that all players in the Bangladesh team have international experience.The Bangladesh squad is already without Sohag Gazi and Al-Amin Hossain who were ruled out after being reported for their bowling actions. They were replaced by Shakib Al Hasan and Rubel Hossain.Bangladesh play their first match, the fourth quarterfinal against the Group B runners-up, on October 1. The semi-finals and final will be held on October 2 and 3.Bangladesh men’s squad for Asian Games: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Shamsur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Ziaur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed

Jason Roy’s second Championship hundred of the season, supported by swashbuckling fifties from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Gary Wilson put Surrey in command

Tim Wigmore at The Oval29-Jun-2014
ScorecardJason Roy’s rich run of form continued•PA PhotosThe cricketing Twitterati – including Kevin Pietersen – have taken to trumpeting Jason Roy’s credentials for England in limited-overs cricket. Five half-centuries in seven T20 innings this season, the most recent Friday’s 25-ball 63 – including switch hits reminiscent of Pietersen – are providing a compelling case.But Roy is also finding first-class fulfilment in 2014. Mixing dexterity on his feet against spin, powerful hooking against pace and desire to hit straight, his century against the Division Two leaders oozed certainty.If the three sixes down the ground against spin stood out, most impressive was the judgement Roy displayed. Even as he reached a 102-ball hundred, there remained serenity to his game: a top edge off Kyle Abbott on 81 was the closest he came to offering a chance. It looked almost as if he was holding back. And that is not as fanciful as it sounds – Roy’s last Championship century came off 55 balls.The balance between formats has not always come so easily. Last year Roy was dropped from Surrey’s Championship side after averaging 8.16 in four games. Thankfully Surrey recognised that a 23-year-old of his talent did not merit premature pigeonholing as a white-ball specialist. With 586 runs at 53.27 so far this season, Roy is providing emphatic affirmation of the fact. Perhaps he is also benefitting from the new county schedule, taking the success of his T20 batting into the first-class game.Even an excruciating wait – owing to rain rather than any nerves – was not enough to deny Roy his century, brought up with a lashed drive through the covers. His confidence was such that, even in the day’s final over, a thumping hook bisected two men in the deep. It was hard to believe that, in his 44th first-class match, this was only Roy’s third century. There will be plenty more to come.So impressive was Roy’s batsmanship that he lost nothing by comparison to Tillakaratne Dilshan.Dilshan may have felt under pressure: in the last 12 months, Surrey fans have been treated to supreme innings by Ricky Ponting, Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith. But Dilshan showed he was a worthy successor as overseas signing. After beginning with a bull charge to score his first ever run in Championship cricket, he settled down to have the crowd purring. In a four-ball spell against Danny Briggs, Dilshan used his feet and bludgeoned the ball down the ground, caressed a late cut and then smote a third boundary through the covers.The upshot was that Hampshire’s spin twins – Briggs and 17-year-old Brad Taylor – were unable to maintain control. Both went for over four an over. Matt Coles, meanwhile, appeared devoid of confidence and his seven overs leaked 43 runs.In fact, things became even worse for Hampshire after Dilshan’s dismissal, nicking behind attempting another cut. In Gary Wilson, Roy found an ally almost equally inclined to attack; they have so far added 159 runs at 4.8 an over, including 46 runs in five overs of havoc, taking Surrey to the brink of earning a full house of batting points.Wilson is a resourceful cricketer and, like Roy, is unperturbed by switching between T20 and Championship cricket. He now has 254 runs without dismissal across formats, and the manner in which he used Abbott’s bounce to uppercut him over gully was particularly impressive.But he will have an important decision to make on Monday morning. The time lost to rain means that Surrey are the only side who have a viable chance of winning. It is to be hoped that they thwack the ball around for an hour, reach 450 or so and then declare. To most players the challenge would entail shifting to ‘T20 mode’. But not Roy.

England batsman Alex Hales will join his third BBL team after signing with the Hobart Hurricanes for the 2014-15 season

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2014England batsman Alex Hales will join his third BBL team after signing with the Hobart Hurricanes for the 2014-15 season.Hales played for the Melbourne Renegades in 2012-13 and the Adelaide Strikers last summer, when he scored 175 runs at 21.87 in eight matches.Hales is currently ranked third on the ICC’s rankings list for T20 international batsmen and has made 1022 runs at 37.85 for England.”Alex is a fantastic addition to our squad for this season and our members and supporters will no doubt be thrilled to see him put on the purple,” Hurricanes coach Damien Wright said.

Derbyshire have once again proved that the smaller counties can achieve a solid financial footing by recording a profit for the seventh time in eight seasons despite relegation from Division One of the County Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2014Derbyshire have once again proved that the smaller counties can achieve a solid financial footing by recording a profit for the seventh time in eight seasons despite relegation from Division One of the County Championship.The club only made £3,395 in 2013 but that came with the background of an additional playing budget of £200,000 in a failed attempt to retain their First Division status.That left the chief executive Simon Storey presenting the season as a financial success. “We took the decision ahead of the 2013 season to increase our cricket budget by upwards of £200k as a step towards our ultimate ambition for sustainable success on the field,” he said. “The challenge to service that increase with a combination of incremental income and cost control was significant.”Ticketing and membership income soared by 87.6 per cent in the first year of the Proud to be Derbyshire campaign which capitalised on the opportunities provided by promotion to Division One. There was given good news at Chesterfield, with the best-attended festival since Derbyshire returned to Queen’s Park eight years ago.

ESPNcricinfo previews Middlesex’s prospects in 2014

George Dobell28-Mar-2014Middlesex
Last year 5th, CC Div 1; 4th, South Group, FLt20; 3rd in Group C, YB40.2013 in a nutshell
A decent season, but one that promised rather more than it ultimately delivered. Having started well in the Championship – Middlesex won their first two games and were unbeaten after seven – they fell away sharply, losing five of their last nine, including defeat against Derbyshire.The problem was partially injuries to key bowlers and an over-reliance upon Chris Rogers, who was absent with Australia for a large part of the season, and Sam Robson, who started brightly but faded. The opening pair contributed six of the eight Championship centuries recorded by Middlesex players and not a single England-born player registered a century for them in the 2013 season. Dawid Malan – with a Championship average of 21.50 – and Joe Denly – 26.08 – struggled to deliver on their potential and left the batting appearing brittle.Before the season, there were high hopes for the impact of James Harris, signed amid great competition from Glamorgan, and Toby Roland-Jones, who was tipped as a potential England seamer. But as it transpired, both men struggled for fitness and rarely performed at their best, leaving Middlesex as reliant on Tim Murtagh as ever. Ollie Rayner, the spin-bowling all-rounder, enjoyed a strong end to the season – including a 15-wicket match at The Oval.After failing to win any of their first three Yorkshire Bank 40 games – two defeats and an abandonment – seven wins in nine showed they could be a force in 2014. They were in the hunt for a Friends Life t20 quarter-final with two games to play, too, but lost them both.Middlesex will be hopeful of a return to form for Steven Finn•Getty Images2014 prospects
England call-ups could have a huge impact at Middlesex. They should start the season with Eoin Morgan, having chosen the Championship over the IPL, Steven Finn and Sam Robson available and vying for England selection. But they are certain to lose Morgan for limited-overs duty at least and could well lose Robson to the Test team for much of the season.At full strength – and they almost never were in 2013 – Middlesex have the sort of seam attack – Finn, Murtagh, Harris and Roland-Jones – that could win a Championship. With the underrated Gareth Berg and Neil Dexter in support, it is an attack that should also prove effective in limited-overs cricket, with Dan Christian expected to be added as a T20 overseas player. But Middlesex’s batting order will have to contribute far more consistently if the team are to make the title challenge of which they are capable.Key player
It is Rayner’s all-round skill that balances the Middlesex team. But while he is a good slip catcher and decent batsman, it is his off-spin that will be required if Middlesex are to challenge for the Championship title. He finished last season well, albeit on helpful surfaces, and impressed enough to win a call-up to the England Lions squad. Even on unhelpful surfaces – and he came across a few – he managed to retain control with the best economy-rate of any of the frontline bowlers that have remained with the club. If he can continue his improvement in 2014, Middlesex will have an impressive attack that is perhaps only bettered by Warwickshire.Bright young thing
Robson has a fantastic chance to establish himself as an England Test opener over the coming months. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to Mike Atherton at the crease, 24-year-old Robson is old-fashioned in many ways: he leaves the ball well, converts his good starts and appears to have the concentration and appetite for batting that bodes well for an opener. Some opposition have suggested he lacks the power or range of stroke to damage opposition but, in a format where accumulation and crease occupation is key, Robson has every motivation to start the season well for Middlesex. But it might be noted that for all Middlesex’s improvement in recent years, very few senior members of their side can be considered locally developed.Captain/coach
Depending on availability, Rogers will captain the four-day side, with Morgan captaining the limited-overs sides. Neil Dexter will deputise as required. Angus Fraser remains as director of cricket, combining the role with his new position as one of the England selectors.ESPNcricinfo verdict
Contenders in all formats. But the suspicion that too many highly-talented players – the likes of Finn and Malan – are out of form or unfulfilled lingers and plants doubts about their ability to sustain a challenge. Anything less than a top-four finish in the Championship should be considered a disappointment and they should be pushing for the knock-out stages in the limited-overs competitions.

At 19 for 3, Pakistan seemed to be heading towards an inevitable defeat, but Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq both scored fifties to keep Sri Lanka at bay on the third day

Umar Farooq in Dubai10-Jan-2014At 19 for 3, Pakistan seemed to be heading towards an inevitable defeat, but Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq both scored fifties to keep Sri Lanka at bay on the third day. The hosts still trailed by 91 runs at the end of play, but Younis insisted that the team’s fightback would continue. Younis was unbeaten on 62, while Misbah hit 52 not out, as the pair put up an unbroken stand of 113 for the fourth wicket.”I tried to fight back,” Younis said. “In the end, it was good that I had a partnership with Misbah. The seniors always perform whenever the team needs them to, so that’s good.”What would have hurt Pakistan is the fact that their bowlers had actually done well to dismiss Sri Lanka within 28 overs on day three, conceding only 70 runs in the process to keep the visitors’ lead at 223. The hosts, however, immediately collapsed and lost Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez and Khurram Manzoor in quick succession. Given Pakistan’s recent batting performances, it would have been safe to assume that the rest of their batting would also fold, but Younis and Misbah stayed firm to launch a counterattack.”What was needed was to keep it simple on the pitch and play according to the situation. It’s always good whenever Misbah plays with me as we just take singles and we try to cash in on easy deliveries. It was the same when I was with Yousuf, with whom I had a big partnership.”When asked why the youngsters like Shehzad and Manzoor were not taking on the responsibility, Younis said: “Ahmed is new to Test cricket so I think we must give him some time. Khurram is doing well as he has had some experience in Tests. I hope they learn from their mistakes. I think if they play for 14 years, they will also play like us. It’s as simple as that.””Khurram has played 10 Tests while it’s just the start for Ahmed. I think that with time they will learn, especially after playing so many T20s and ODIs. When you play an ODI, you field for 50 overs and then bat.”But in Test cricket, you sometimes have to field for more than 150 overs and then go open. The first four batting positions are very crucial in Tests, so you can say it has something to do with their fitness, as much as their experience. If you look at them after five years, maybe you will say they are batting better than us.”Despite the recovery, Pakistan are still facing an uphill task, with Asad Shafiq the only reputed batsman left to come. Still, Younis is optimistic that Pakistan can take a commanding lead.”The first target is that we get a lead of around 220. Something like 200-300 runs on the board will be good for us. One thing that happened in Abu Dhabi was that the ball was seaming, but they [Sri Lanka] took the match away from us,” he said. “So I thought if we played correctly and according to the situation, we could be in a similar position. If we cashed in on one or two sessions and stayed there together, you never know. Anything can happen on the last day.”

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.”

Andy Waller, the Zimbabwe coach, admitted that recent run-ins with Zimbabwe Cricket had affected the morale of the players, but the situation was not a factor in their 108-run defeat to Pakistan in the third ODI in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Aug-2013Andy Waller, the Zimbabwe coach, admitted that recent run-ins with Zimbabwe Cricket had affected the morale of the players, but the situation was not a factor in their 108-run defeat, and subsequent series loss, to Pakistan in the third ODI in Harare.The Zimbabwe players aborted training on Friday morning over unpaid dues and have also set Zimbabwe Cricket a deadline, which could put a cloud over the two-match Test series.”We talked about it and we obviously went out there and gave a 100%,” Waller said after the match. “But unfortunately the situation, and the way it all went about yesterday, it doesn’t matter who you are, it’s all going to be in the back of your head. And without making excuses, because Pakistan played damn good cricket, it’s very hard to say to the guys, ‘Please, let’s just try and focus today, concentrate on cricket and forget about what’s happened’. Unfortunately, it’s always going to be there. You need to be incredibly mentally strong to push it aside, which I am not sure can be done.”Having beaten Pakistan in the first ODI, expectations were high for Zimbabwe to pull off a rare series win. However, a top-order collapse, which saw them lose four wickets for 21 runs, made it difficult to chase the target of 261 after their bowlers had done a good job.”When I spoke to the guys at the break, I said to them, we probably could have chased down 260,” Waller said. “So, we believed that we could do it. Unfortunately, we went there and some of our senior players in the top order didn’t play the shots that should have been played and that was the problem, I think.”Waller also commended the side for the self-belief they had shown, stating that the series against India and now Pakistan were important learning experiences.”I think, we lost today but we gained a huge amount since India have come. Against India, the first two games were okay, then we didn’t play well. And to then come back, for our guys to believe they could have beaten Pakistan tells me that our guys have suddenly got the belief and I think we showed during the series that we have got some quality cricketers,” he said. “I think it’s the mental side we need to improve on and it’s very difficult, with the little cricket we are playing, to learn to handle the pressure, because basically, pressure got to us today.”Pakistan have a world-class bowling attack and I think the way we played them in the T20 and in the first two ODIs, we showed that we could play their quality bowlers, we showed that we could play their quality spinners and we did that and that’s all added to huge belief for our guys. I think that we can do more on a slightly more regular basis.”With the current scenario of delayed player dues and issues with ZC, Waller admitted there was little he could do to help players, except get them to focus on cricket.”I am trying to do the best I can as far as the players’ side of it is concerned. Unfortunately, I have no control over the other issues that are going on. I have just got to try and get them to push those problems away as much as they can and focus on the cricket, which is really the only thing I can do and just hope they can try and be mentally strong to be able to handle that situation.”