Pakistan have recalled wicketkeeper batsman Umar Akmal to their T20 squad to face West Indies in three matches in the UAE from September 23

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-20160:41

Quick Facts – Umar Akmal

Pakistan have recalled Umar Akmal to their T20 squad to face world champions West Indies in three matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 23.Akmal last played international cricket at the World T20 in March and was left out of the training camp in May, ahead of the tour of England, on disciplinary grounds. He was one of two players that former coach Waqar Younis felt should go back to domestic cricket and re-earn his place in the Pakistan side. In this season’s National T20 Cup, Akmal hit a career-best unbeaten 115 that also included him hitting experienced medium-pacer Yasir Arafat for 34 runs in one over.

Changes in the squad

In: Umar Akmal, Rumman Raees, Saad Nasim
Out: Amad Butt

It is learnt that Akmal was cleared for Pakistan duty after he had told Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, at a one-on-one meeting last month that there would not be any further issues with regard to his conduct.”We always thought that Umar deserved a place in the T20 squad and he indeed is in very good form,” Tauseef Ahmed, a member of Pakistan’s selection committee, told ESPNcricinfo. “We really don’t need to go back into past [and think about] why he was dropped. We got the required clearance from PCB before picking him. He is a good batsman and there is always a place for him in the squad.”Fast bowler Mohammad Irfan had picked up hamstring and calf injuries on the tour of England in the only match he played and has been left out. Mohammad Hafeez was also out of consideration due to injury. Amad Butt, the 21-year old uncapped seamer, was the only player dropped from the squad that played England.Left-arm seamer Rumman Raees, who was named to play the World T20 but was later injured, and batting allrounder Saad Nasim, who has not played for Pakistan in over a year, have found a place in the 15-member squad.Nasim was picked for tactical reasons. “We want to take a chance with a legspinner against West Indies,” Ahmed said. “And observing him in the national circuit, I think he can give us some variety as he is also a solid batsman.”Raees has been earmarked as a future prospect. “Rumman on other hand is booming fast bowler and we want to keep him on line with the national squad,” Ahmed said. “He had been outstanding at the domestic level and we want him to be in contention.”Pakistan’s new T20 captain Sarfraz Ahmed had led them to one of their most emphatic victories in the format, against England on Wednesday, to round off the tour.Pakistan squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Sohail Tanvir, Rumman Raees, Umar Akmal, Saad Nasim

A century stand between M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara gave India the ideal start to their 500th Test, before New Zealand’s five-pronged attack struck back to reduce them to 291 for 9 by stumps

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy22-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:31

Agarkar: New Zealand went with their best XI

India seemed to have made the ideal start to their 500th Test. They had won the toss on a pitch full of cracks that were expected to widen and offer lots of help for the spinners from the third day onwards. Their top order had made a confident start, and halfway through the first day they were 154 for 1.New Zealand, though, had come to India with the belief that they had the tools they needed to compete hard. Over the second half of the day, their five-man attack showed what it was capable of, and left India 291 for 9 at stumps.By then, each of the New Zealand bowlers – two left-arm quicks of differing methods, an offspinner, a left-arm orthodox spinner, and a legspinner – had struck at least one vital blow. Mitchell Santner, attacking the stumps with his left-arm spin and varying his pace well, chipped out three wickets. Ish Sodhi took out the set M Vijay in the last over before tea. Mark Craig dismissed Ajinkya Rahane in a testing post-tea spell of flight and drift.Trent Boult went wicketless with the first new ball, but swung the second one devastatingly to rip through India’s lower order. The biggest wicket, though, went to Neil Wagner, who turned the mood of the match with the wicket of Virat Kohli.It was the definitive hinge moment. New Zealand had just broken a century stand between M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, and the opposition’s captain and best batsman had walked in to deafening noise. He had begun confidently, slapping Santner to the cover point boundary and then stepping across to hook a good short ball from Wagner to the backward square leg boundary, with a bit of help from a Sodhi fumble on the boundary.Two balls later, he tried the same shot, but this time Wagner had switched from left-arm around to left-arm over. Kohli had to work against the angle, and only managed a top-edge that settled nicely in Sodhi’s hands.Green Park went quiet.Unlike Kohli, Vijay hadn’t taken on Wagner’s short balls, and through both his spells – one with the new ball and another, spanning seven overs, in the afternoon session – he had swayed out of the way, dropped his wrists, and simply watched balls go through to the keeper. He had been similarly watchful against the other bowlers, permitting himself only one indulgence – the late cut. This shot, played off balls that were barely short or wide, had fetched him boundaries against Wagner, Santner, and Trent Boult, but in the last over before tea, batting on 65, he tried it against Ish Sodhi’s legspin and nicked to the keeper BJ Watling.Four down at tea, India were quickly five down as Rahane, reaching out to defend Craig’s offspin, failed to get near the pitch of the ball, and inside-edged to short leg.Rohit Sharma had looked edgy against Craig, outside-edging him past slip, inside-edging him wide of short leg, and surviving a close lbw appeal when he tried to sweep him off the stumps, but grew more comfortable as his sixth-wicket stand with R Ashwin neared and passed the half-century mark. But not for the first time in his Test career, the itch to hit over the top consumed him, against the run of play. Trying to hit Santner down the ground, he only managed to loop a simple catch to mid-on.The dismissal exposed India’s lower order to a ball that was only three overs old. Boult, fast and accurate, swerved one back in from over the wicket to sneak between Wriddhiman Saha’s bat and pad. Then he went around the wicket to Ashwin – who had just become India’s highest run-getter in 2016 – and snaked an offcutter away from him. Rooted to the crease, he nicked to gully. Then another full, swinging left-arm classic to bowl Mohammed Shami. India were 277 for 9.How different it had all been, not all that long ago. India had begun brightly, with KL Rahul going after Boult, who frequently overpitched while trying to find the right length with the new ball. Having rushed to 26 off 35 balls against the seamers, he greeted the introduction of spin with a slog-swept six off Santner’s second ball. But two balls later, he stayed back when he should have been forward, playing the trajectory of a flatter, quicker ball rather than its length, and feathered an edge to the keeper.Thereafter, Vijay and Pujara settled in and brought up their third century partnership – and 12th over 50 – looking at ease on a typically subcontinental first-day pitch, with the abundant cracks on its surface not yet wide enough to affect its behavior. Coming off scores of 166 and 256* in the Duleep Trophy, Pujara had batted with positive footwork against the spinners, stepping out to the pitch or rocking right back, and was looking set for another massive score. But against the run of play, he spooned a drive back into Santner’s hands, with the ball possibly holding up on the pitch.It was a small opening, but an opening nonetheless, and New Zealand showed they had the bowling to break right through it.

Fast bowlers Norman Vanua and Willie Gavera took three wickets each and played leading roles during a collapse in which Namibia lost six wickets for 57 runs in Port Moresby

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2016
ScorecardPapua New Guinea fast bowlers Norman Vanua and Willie Gavera took three wickets each and played leading roles during a collapse in which Namibia lost six wickets for 57 runs in Port Moresby. PNG successfully chased the target of 213 with two overs to spare, with opener Vani Morea and captain Assad Vala adding 100 for the third wicket to secure their sixth successive victory in the World Cricket League.Namibia got off to a bad start after winning the toss, with non-striker Zane Green being run-out while attempting a third run off the first ball of the match. His partner Stephan Baard went on to make a 54-ball 56 but was part of the slide that resulted in Namibia slipping from 76 for 2 to 133 for 8. Nicolaas Scholtz made an unbeaten 61 to take his team to 212 in 50 overs.Morea anchored PNG’s chase, top-scoring with 67 off 121 balls. His partner in the century partnership, Vala, made 55 off 70 deliveries. Both batsmen fell in the space of about six overs, but Sese Bau’s unbeaten 40 sealed the six-wicket victory.The result meant PNG led the table because of their superior net run rate, having drawn level with Netherlands on 12 points after eight games. Namibia have lost seven in a row since their win against Hong Kong in the tournament’s first match in May 2015.

Three-wicket hauls from Tymal Mills and Mohammad Nabi were not enough for hosts Chittagong Kings to halt Dhaka Dynamites

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Shahid took three wickets in nine balls•BCB

Fast bowler Mohammad Shahid claimed 3 for 23 to help Dhaka Dynamites defend 148 against hosts Chittagong Vikings and secure their third consecutive victory in BPL 2016-17. The result meant Dhaka stayed on top of the table with eight points from five matches.Having been sent in, Dhaka got off to a blistering start thanks to Mehedi Maruf, who hit 33 off 20 balls, including six fours and one six. In the process, Maruf went past Shahriar Nafees as the top-scorer in this season’s BPL. His knock ended when he was pinned lbw by offspinning allrounder Mohammad Nabi in the fifth over.Tymal Mills, the fast bowler from England, then removed Nasir Hossain and Kumar Sangakkara in the tenth over to reduce Dhaka to 73 for 3. This came after a dramatic ninth over by left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib . Nasir survived a caught-behind chance off the second ball of the over, despite getting an inside edge, which ricocheted off the thigh pad to Anamul Haque, the wicketkeeper. Saqlain responded by stopping halfway in his bowling stride to disturb Nasir’s concentration, only for the batsman to return the favour the next time he looked to bowl.Mills then bowled Nasir for 20 in the next over. The wicket gave way to a collapse: Dhaka lost 4 for 28 in 3.1 overs. Mosaddek Hossain then gave the innings a boost with the lower order, taking his side to 148. He top-scored with 35 off 26 balls, including two fours and two sixes. Mills and Nabi finished with three wickets each for Chittagong.In reply, Chittagong lost opener Jahurul Islam for 6 in the third over. The other opener – Tamim Iqbal – hung on for 26 off 35 balls before falling to Dwayne Bravo. Anamul and Mahmudul Hasan also reached double-figures, but failed to press on. Shahid then went on to rip through the lower-middle order, collecting three wickets in a space of nine balls. Eventually, the hosts fell 19 runs short of the target.

New Zealand women captain Suzie Bates won the ICC Women’s ODI Player-of-the-Year award for the second time and the T20I award for the first time

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2016New Zealand women captain Suzie Bates became the first player to win both the ICC Women’s ODI and T20I Player-of-the-Year awards. Bates had won the women’s ODI Player-of-the-Year award in 2013 but has been named the T20I Player of the Year for the first time.The ICC took into consideration the 12 months between September 14, 2015 and September 20, 2016 which included the Women’s World T20 in India this year and the Women’s Championship that concluded recently. Bates scored 472 runs in seven ODI innings at an average of 94.40, second behind Trisha Chetty’s tally of 506 runs from 10 innings. Bates also took eight wickets at an economy rate of 3.75 during the period, the second-highest for a New Zealand player after Erin Berningham’s 14 wickets.In T20Is, Bates topped the run-scorers’ list with 429 runs, that included four half-centuries, at an average of 42.90. Currently in Australia for the Women’s Big Bash League, Bates said: “It was a bit of a surprise to find out that I had won both these awards. It is always nice to be recognised for performances and after a busy year of cricket, I am pleased to have managed some consistency over both formats.”The awards are always nice but the most important thing for me is to make sure I am performing consistently and helping put the team in a position to win more games.”For the past one-and-a-half years, our team has been performing very well and lots of different players have stood up and performed under pressure. It is heartening to see that the team is doing very well going into the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 which will be held in England and Wales.”New Zealand automatically qualified for next year’s World Cup by finishing third in the Women’s Championship under Bates’ captaincy. They won 13 of their 21 matches that counted towards the championship. New Zealand had also reached the semi-finals of the World T20 earlier this year.Bates was also named in the Women’s Team of the Year 2016, announced by the ICC for the first time, with West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor as the captain. The side was selected by a panel chaired by Clare Connor and took into account performances during the same 12-month period from September 2015 to September 2016.Women’s Team of the Year (in batting order): Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Rachel Priest (New Zealand) (wk), Smriti Mandhana (India), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies) (capt), Meg Lanning (Australia),
Ellyse Perry (Australia), Heather Knight (England), Deandra Dottin (West Indies), Sune Luus (South Africa), Anya Shrubsole (England), Leigh Kasperek (New Zealand), Kim Garth (12th) (Ireland)

Mustafizur Rahman’s opinion was taken into consideration while deciding to omit him from the squad for the one-off Test against India, according to Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha

Mohammad Isam01-Feb-2017Mustafizur Rahman’s opinion was taken into consideration while deciding to omit him from the squad for the one-off Test against India, according to Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha. Captain Mushfiqur Rahim also agreed leaving the fast bowler out was a “wise decision” when he not 100% fit to return to five-day cricket.Mustafizur injured his shoulder while bowling for Sussex in the English T20 tournament last July, and underwent surgery for it in August. He returned against New Zealand in December, in the limited-overs series, taking four wickets in two ODIs and only a single wicket in two T20 matches. He also had hamstring trouble during the tour, and was said to be underprepared to throw from the outfield.Hathurusingha said his pace dropped dramatically in New Zealand, a sign that he still needed time to recover fully from his surgery. “You can’t do anything about it because he has had a major operation,” he said. “It will take time for him to come back. He is in the process of coming back. When he bowled in New Zealand, he was 120-128kph but he has usually bowls at 140kph. It will take time for him to get into full fitness. We are planning [to have him ready] for the Sri Lanka tour [that follows the India Test].”It’s a different thing when you are under pressure in the middle to bowl. We have to go by the player and how he feels because medically we can’t find anything. We have to go by his word. Most players, when they get injured, are a bit reluctant; even if you break a leg once, you feel it will take time. We have to give him more time.”Mushfiqur said making sure Mustafizur was fit in the long term was more important, and so they did not want to rush him. “We want a fit Mustafiz to play for us for a long time, not as though he will just play one Test and be done with. It’s difficult for any player to play a five-day match right after operation. I don’t remember when he last bowled 10 to 15 overs in the nets.”So no matter how good a player is, if he can’t bowl in full strength against the No. 1 team, then there is no point. So this is a wise decision. Our target is to get the best possible out of Mustafiz.”Bangladesh has a long season ahead with tours to Sri Lanka (all three formats), Ireland (ODI tri-nation), England (Champions Trophy) and South Africa (all three formats), as well as scheduled visits by Australia and Pakistan in July and August.Mushfiqur said it was important to let Mustafizur recover to the point where he was comfortable playing Test cricket again. “We all want Mustafizur to play all three formats always but at the same time, he returned from injury and although everyone says he is fit, but only a player can say what his problem is,” he said. “I always want him in the Test team, but we have to keep in mind that we have the Sri Lanka series, Champions Trophy and Pakistan series coming up.”

Leicestershire have signed Surrey all-rounder James Burke on a season-long loan

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2017Leicestershire have signed Surrey allrounder James Burke on a season-long loan deal.Burke’s arrival at Leicestershire should bolster their seam bowling resources which were a chief reason for the fading of a surprising promotion challenge last season.Burke is available to play in all three competitions but will not feature if Leicestershire play Surrey in any fixtures during the 2017 season. He is currently training in Cape Town and will join up with his new teammates on Leicestershire pre-season tour to South Africa next month.The allrounder, who celebrates his 26th birthday today, has played for both Somerset and Surrey in his county career and also represented England from Under-17 to Under-19 level.He caught the eye against Leicestershire in Surrey’s promotion year in 2015 by claiming four wickets haul in a Championship victory at Grace Road.Leicestershire’s head coach Pierre de Bruyn said: “It is important for us to have depth in our squad and James is a highly talented all-rounder. He will compete for a place in our side across all three competitions. He will add strength to our batting and bowling, and he is also a dynamic fielder. “Burke made little impact as Surrey returned to Division One of the Championship, playing only six matches across all three formats.Surrey’s director of cricket Alec Stewart said: “This is a great opportunity for James to play all forms of cricket on a regular basis, allowing his game to develop.”

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain, who had missed the India Test earlier this month, has also been recalled for the series which starts from March 7

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2017Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has returned to Bangladesh’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, along with pace bowler Rubel Hossain. Opener Imrul Kayes will miss the two-match series, which starts from March 7, due to a thigh injury.Bangladesh had omitted Mustafizur from the squad for the one-off Test against India earlier this month, as the team management felt the bowler was not yet 100% fit for a return to five-day cricket. Mustafizur had undergone shoulder surgery in August last year, after picking up an injury while playing for Sussex. He was selected for the New Zealand tour in December-January, and played four limited-overs matches before being ruled out of the two Tests due to a hamstring injury. The bowler has played only two Tests in his career so far – in the home series against South Africa in July-August 2015.Mustafizur went back to Bangladesh’s first-class competition, playing two rounds of the Bangladesh Cricket League, and his bowling spells in the matches convinced Bangladesh’s chief selector, Minhajul Abedin, that the bowler was ready for the full tour.”I am really impressed with the way he bowled in the second innings. I think he got back his rhythm,” Minhajul had noted last week.Mustafizur has replaced Shafiul Islam from the squad that traveled to India. Imrul had also been named in the team for the Hyderabad Test but withdrew after hurting his thigh in the tour match against India A, a recurrence of the injury that had kept him out of the Christchurch Test last month. Mosaddek Hossain, who flew to India as cover for Imrul, has been picked for the Sri Lanka Tests. Minhajul said on Tuesday that Imrul could be added to the squad for the second Test if he proves his fitness in the next round of the Bangladesh Cricket League, which starts from February 26. Imrul is playing the current round for South Zone and scored 31 on the opening day of their match against North Zone.Rubel had also missed the Hyderabad Test, losing his place to Shafiul after returns of 0 for 65 in Christchurch where Bangladesh lost by nine wickets. However, the bowler did well in the Bangladesh Cricket League, taking ten wickets in two matches for South Zone.The first Test will be played from March 7 in Galle, while the second match in Colombo, which starts from March 15, will be Bangladesh’s 100th in the format.Bangladesh Test squad Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mosaddek Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Subashis Roy, Rubel Hossain.

ESPNcricinfo’s wrap of the second day of the Sheffield Shield match between Tasmania and South Australia in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Joe Mennie picked up 5 for 67•Getty Images

Joe Mennie snared a five-wicket haul in his return to cricket following a serious head injury in December, to keep alive South Australia’s slim hopes of reaching the Sheffield Shield final. The Redbacks must not only win comfortably in their match against Tasmania in Hobart, but to make the decider they would also need to rely on results in other games.A maiden first-class century from Tasmania batsman Ben McDermott ensured a healthy first-innings lead for the Tigers, who also had valuable contributions from Beau Webster (50), George Bailey (49) and Tim Paine (44). McDermott eventually fell for 104, one of the victims of Mennie, who had not played at all since suffering a minor skull fracture and brain bleed shortly before Christmas.After Mennie finished off the innings to end up with 5 for 67, the Redbacks needed a strong batting display in their second innings to make up for their 107-run deficit. By stumps, South Australia had cut Tasmania’s lead to 38 runs by reaching 0 for 69, with Jake Weatherald on 22 and debutant opener John Dalton on 46.