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ScorecardRob Keogh made his maiden first-class century•PA Photos

For Northamptonshire, and more specifically Rob Keogh, this was quite a day. Invited to bat by Hampshire, a side who trail by them by as many as 71 points in the County Championship, they collapsed to 32 for 4 before Keogh, their 21-year-old middle order batsman, eked out a maiden century. It is hard to envisage any other individual feat matching that in their quest for promotion.Hampshire, lacking Danny Briggs but well stocked with medium pacers, put Northamptonshire in on the basis that there would be more movement in the first hour on the first day than at any other time in the match. To have rid themselves of four top order batsmen in that period, all for single figure scores, could hardly have been improved upon. The difficulty that David Balcombe, James Tomlinson, Matt Coles, Ruel Brathwaite and Sean Ervine had to contend with after lunch was less assistance with a softer ball and, after weeks of sunshine on the south coast, a quick outfield.Stephen Peters edged Tomlinson to the slips, James Middlebrook had his off stump knocked out by Balcombe, and Alex Wakely and David Sales were caught behind by Michael Bates, who was given a rare appearance owing to Adam Wheater playing as a specialist batsman in Michael Carberry’s absence with England. Later, Bates took the pick of his three catches, this to remove Steven Crook off Brathwaite. He has one year remaining on his contract and is simply too good to be playing second XI cricket.Sales had gone in Coles’s first over. There is some interaction between Hampshire and Kent: Coles has joined Hampshire from Kent on loan and in turn, although unconnected, David Griffiths, the seamer from the Isle of Wight who is out of contract at the end of the season, is going to Canterbury. But Sam Northeast is staying put. Hampshire were keen to sign him, as indeed was Chris Adams in his last few days of running Surrey, but improved terms and the pull of his home county has prevailed.Coles may or may not remain with Hampshire. Derbyshire and Northamptonshire are understood to be interested in him as well. One wicket was his lot on this first day because Keogh’s concentration was absolute. He had the ideal partner in the initial stages of his innings in Andrew Hall, whose experience and keenness to punch the ball away was to the fore in their stand of 120 in 34 overs. Hall had made 48 when he swung Brathwaite, who is on trial, to deep square leg.The new faces in Hampshire’s side, incidentally, have increased the number of cricketers making their debuts for the club this season to nine, which is more than in any season since 1946.Keogh, partnered now in no less obdurate fashion by Matt Spriegel, who finished unbeaten with 61, reached 150 in the closing overs and had made158 off 280 balls with 23 fours by the close. He looks technically correct, is accomplished off his legs, drives nicely off the front foot and was untroubled when the new ball was taken.It was a sure sign that he, and his side, were in the ascendancy when Neil McKenzie was given a bowl. There will be more arduous days ahead, assuming Keogh plays in Division One in due course, but he will look back on this with immense pride.

ScorecardKaushal Silva’s fruitful year continued•WICB Media

Heavy skies interfered again in Pallekele, but there was enough time for Kaushal Silva to complete another first-class hundred in a fine year for the right-hand batsman where he also scored 1073 runs in 10 innings for Sinhalese Sports Club, and for New Zealand A to dismiss the remainder of Sri Lanka’s mediocre batting order. Just under 55 overs were bowled on the second day of the four-day match, and at its end, the visitors had hit 31 for no loss in response to Sri Lanka A’s 252.Silva had been the most successful batsman in Sri Lanka’s first-class season earlier in the year – the final of which he helped win thrillingly – and at 27, he is mounting a case for a Test recall. Three men who have played Tests for Sri Lanka this year gave him scant support, as he held out against a good pace attack, and formed the backbone of Sri Lanka’s modest first-innings score with 103. He had begun the day on 49.Doug Bracewell made the first breakthrough for New Zealand A, removing Ashan Priyanjan for 40 in the fifth over of the morning to end his 81-run stand with Silva, whom Bracewell would also dismiss. Ish Sodhi took three middle-order scalps to ensure no more lengthy partnerships would take root, and Corey Anderson added a wicket to the one he had taken on Tuesday. Tearaway Adam Milne dismissed the last man.Carl Cachopa and Anton Devcich began cautiously as the day wound down, finishing on 14 and 11 not out respectively.The weather is forecast to improve on Thursday and Friday, but the rain may not disappear entirely. Only 40 overs were bowled on day one.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNepal have provided the fairytale story at this World Twenty20 Qualifier but they were no match for Afghanistan, who set the template for Affiliate and Associate Members on the rise. Afghanistan qualified for the final, as they did last year, with a seven-wicket victory secured with 34 balls remaining. Nawroz Mangal made a brisk 48 before falling with 11 needed but Gulbadin Naib came in to strike a couple of boundaries, winning the match with a six. Last month, Afghanistan secured passage to their first World Cup and their bowlers proved too experienced for Nepal on this occasion. The biggest partnership of the innings was 21, for the third wicket, after Izatullah Dawlatzai had removed both openers. Paras Khadka, Nepal’s captain, became the first of three victims for Samiullah Shenwari, having made 13, and only two other players reached double figures. Sharad Vesawkar’s unbeaten 27 helped them bat out 20 overs but the target was not enough to trouble Afghanistan, who will get a chance to regain the title they lost to Ireland in 2012.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIreland’s seamers tied a noose around United Arab Emirates batsmen to set up a convincing 62-run victory to secure their third consecutive final appearance in the World T20 Qualifier. Max Sorensen and Tim Murtagh picked up eight wickets between them as UAE were bowled out for 85.Ireland’s decision to bat first received a jolt as they were three down in the sixth over, but cameos from Kevin O’Brien and John Mooney sparked the revival. Their 41-run stand was followed by a blitz from Trent Johnston. His 18-ball 35 included five fours and a six and was instrumental in Ireland recording a competitive total. Manjula Guruge was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 21.UAE’s batsmen began briskly, but since the first strike in the third over, their momentum was hampered. Sorensen picked up the first four wickets with the home side still looking for their 50. Murtagh’s 4 for 24 helped clean up the tail, with No. 6 Rohan Mustafa being the last batsman to register double figures.
ScorecardRichie Berrington scored his second half-century in three innings to marshal Scotland’s chase in a thrilling last-ball win against Papua New Guinea to finish seventh in the ICC World T20 Qualifier. With thirteen needed in the last over, Scotland lost a wicket and could only manage five runs in the first four balls. However, Matthew Cross hit the next two balls for a six and a four to push Scotland over the line. Berrington stayed unbeaten on 70 off 55 balls and was responsible for managing the chase along with Kyle Coetzer after Scotland were 31 for 3 at one stage. Matt Machan, the leading run-scorer in the tournament, could only score 1. PNG chose to bat and the top order made useful contributions to lift the team to 143, with Jack Vare scoring an unbeaten 35 off 24 towards the end of the innings. Majid Haq was the most successful bowler with three wickets for 25.
ScorecardFresh from his strong innings in the qualification decider against Scotland, Ben Cooper produced another good display with the bat to see Netherlands past fellow Bangladesh-bound Hong Kong. Cooper is coming into form late in the tournament and made 42 in just 30 balls to breese his side past a modest target. He struck five fours and three sixes to help take a big chunk from the chase for the first wicket. Cooper and Stephan Myburgh put on 67 in 47 balls before they fell in quick succession to Nizakat Khan. His third wicket gave Hong Kong a sniff of defending a target largely set up through Babar Hayat’s 46 in 36 balls, but Tim Gruijters and Daan van Bunge both played controlled innings to steer Netherlands to victory with eight balls to spare.

Matt Prior has provided a boost for the England team by coming through a long training session unscathed a few days ahead of the first Ashes Test.Prior has been an injury doubt for the game, starting at the Gabba on Thursday, after sustaining a tear to the left calf muscle during the tour match against Australia A in Hobart. But by batting for about an hour against a variety of bowlers in the nets and then taking some catching practice, Prior provided a strong hint that he will be available for selection.Prior was one of only four members of the England squad – Jonny Bairstow, Graeme Swann and Alastair Cook were the others – to attend a voluntary net session at the Gabba on Monday. Despite strapping to his left calf, injured while batting and later diagnosed as a grade 1 tear, he played with confidence in the nets and, perhaps keen to make a point to the watching Andy Flower, darted the first few yards of imaginary quick singles on several occasions without any sign of discomfort. Prior ended the session by giving photographers a thumbs up and saying “I’m fine” before having some catching practice on the outfield.While it was a hugely encouraging session for Prior, it may still prove a little premature to conclude that he will definitely play in Brisbane. It has yet to be seen how he responds to the session and, with it having been only 10 days since he sustained the injury, the selectors may be uneasy to risk him at the start of such an important series for fear of aggravating the problem. Bairstow, batting fluently in an adjacent net, stands by.Some might argue that Bairstow has a strong case for inclusion anyway. He averaged 29 with the bat in the Ashes in England compared to Prior’s 19 and kept nicely in the second innings of England’s victory in the warm-up game in Sydney.But in such a pivotal game, England want their most experienced players. Prior, the team vice-captain and a veteran of 72 Tests including the series here in 2010-11, remains, despite his relative dip in form, a key figure with the bat and in the field. His astute use of the DRS might prove a factor, too. If England are satisfied that Prior is 100% fit, there will be no selection dilemma: he will play.The wicketkeeping selection is one of two issues the selectors have yet to resolve ahead of the first Test. While Michael Carberry, leaving the ball with the precision required to prosper in Australia, has secured the opening berth and forced Joe Root back to the No. 6 position for a while, there is still doubt as to the identity of the third seamer.While there are, on the face of it, three candidates – Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Boyd Rankin – it seems most unlikely that Finn will be included. While his wicket-taking record remains admirable, his propensity to leak runs is incompatible with England’s strategy and renders him needing to improve his control if he is to break back into the side.Matt Prior took the chance for an optional net to try and prove his fitness for the first Test•Getty Images

Tremlett, by contrast, may have lacked potency – he endured a modest county season and has taken just the one wicket in two games on this trip so far – but remains a reliable man to perform the holding required to balance England’s attack. With his height, his skill and his control, he can be relied upon to maintain the pressure built up by James Anderson and Stuart Broad and should enjoy the extra bounce in the Australian wickets.Those whose memories of Tremlett are limited to Test cricket will wonder what the fuss is about: he has invariably looked a fine quality performer at this level and, on the tour of 2010-11, was arguably England’s most impressive bowler.The intervening months have not all been kind, though. Tremlett has suffered a couple of serious injuries and, though he has worked hard to recover his strength and match fitness, there is little evidence to suggest he has recovered the nip that made him such a dangerous bowler.Boyd Rankin may yet warrant selection as a compromise selection. While his form on the tour so far has been patchy, he has more pace than Tremlett and more control than Finn. He has never bowled in Australia prior to this trip and is taking a while to find the correct length, but Ed Cowan, the Australian left-hander, reckoned one of his spells in the latest tour game “screamed ‘Test bowler” and he might prove a more aggressive choice. But, in a side who tend to play ‘safety first’ cricket, Tremlett remains the most likely selection.Whatever happens, England’s struggle to settle on a third seamer underlines the value of Tim Bresnan. While the unglamorous holding role performed so often by Bresnan rarely wins many headlines, the difficulty England have had finding a replacement for him has provided a reminder of his value. He is now bowling at full pace in the nets and, all being well, will make his return in the two-day game at Alice Springs that comes before the second Test in Adelaide. Tremlett or Rankin will have to bowl impressively in Brisbane if they are to deny him a quick return to the side.While the rest of the squad took the time to enjoy the local attractions or a round of golf, Cook could have been forgiven for wishing he had joined them. He enjoyed a tough net session, being beaten several times by the net bowlers and losing his off stump to a beauty from Swann that lured him down the pitch and turned past his outside edge.Generally, however, England are in good shape, and the promising performance of Prior will have provided further reassurance that, days before the serious business begins, they remain on track.

In Sri Lanka’s fickle cricketing landscape, Pakistan have lately been viewed as one of the team’s friendliest foes. Sri Lanka fans’ admiration for Pakistan’s cricket has been founded on shared ground. Most obviously, there is resemblance in cricketing philosophy; Lasith Malinga and Sohail Tanvir are products of their unique milieu, but it is not difficult to imagine a round-arm slinger from Rawalpindi, or a wrong-footed left armer from Rathgama. No other nation, perhaps, could have easily produced either.There is also the rich recent history of spin, shrouded in mystery. Between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, they have owned the progenitor of the in Saqlain Mushtaq, the man who made the ball famous in Muttiah Muralitharan, its best current practitioner in Saeed Ajmal, and a rising bowler with an improving version of the ball, in Sachithra Senanayake.Then there are the shambolic administrations, which more often appear to hinder the national sides than support them, while Sri Lanka’s newly-formed one-sided rivalry with India has bred another thread of fraternal goodwill. Coincidentally too, the tour will be both Dav Whatmore and Graham Ford’s final weeks in charge of their sides. The former was effectively let go, the latter chose to walk.Both sides also have produced alluring players of spin, many of whom have retired or are just about to, and young men are now charged with filling shoes and scoreboards. In that regeneration, though, there are mutual hints of decline.Ten months of selection policy focused on grooming the next generation has not future-proofed Sri Lanka’s batting unit yet. Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne have had encouraging returns in Tests, but their limited-overs statistics don’t yet suggest they are the next Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara – whom they will inevitably be compared with. Jayawardene’s absence from the limited-overs leg of this series may allow both batsmen to bat higher up in the order, which should suit their abilities better than the finishing roles they had been saddled with.In Tests, both teams will also be fielding young, inexperienced opening pairs. Shan Masood and Khurram Manzoor are at almost identical places in their career as Sri Lanka’s likely openers, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva. All four have a shot at embedding themselves in the international arena, on tracks that should not be far from those on which they excel at home.Though they are at disparate ends of their careers, there are similarities for the teams’ main captains too. Misbah-ul-Haq is an unpopular captain for some, and while Angelo Mathews has had moderate success at the helm, he is still treading lightly as a leader and his personal form has been inconsistent. A poor tour for either man might have loosened their grip on the reins, only, there are few viable alternatives.The teams are well-matched on most counts. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 1-0 in their last Test series in the UAE, but Sri Lanka reversed that scoreline at home, when they dominated the three-match series last year. Sri Lanka’s batting perhaps gives them the edge in ODIs and Twenty20s, while Pakistan have just returned from a successful trip to South Africa, where the highly-rated India side is presently being humiliated.And, perhaps, that is Pakistan’s greatest advantage in the approach to the tour. While Sri Lanka have been reduced to playing matches against themselves and watching rain ruin their first meaningful cricket since July, Pakistan are fighting-fit from five months on the international treadmill. Their Test loss to Zimbabwe in September now seems a distant memory, after more encouraging results against South Africa.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have not played overseas since July, and in Tests, the New Year’s Eve match will be their first against a top-eight opposition since this year’s New Year Test in Sydney. One of the foremost reasons Sri Lanka Cricket refused Pakistan’s request to play one Test under lights is because its players would already be adjusting to playing Tests again; an orange ball and floodlights may have complicated preparation further – particularly as there are no practice matches before the Tests.There is already buzz in Sri Lanka for this tour, primarily because the public has had so long to look forward to it. It is a stage for young men of both teams to make defining plays, and with two major limited-overs trophies now on the horizon, raising stakes further, the subplots unfolding over a six-week battle may prove just as engrossing as the major narrative.

Katrina Keenan, the New Zealand women’s coach, has resigned from her post to spend more time with her family. Keenan, a former New Zealand fast bowler, was in charge of the side for little more than a year, including the 2013 World Cup where her team finished fourth.”Katrina was a top operator,” New Zealand Cricket Head of Cricket Operations Lindsay Crocker said. “She knew the demands of high level sport as a former World Cup winner and was incredibly driven in her plans to lift the White Ferns in the rankings.”New Zealand are looking to find a replacement for Keenan before hosting West Indies next month, a series which precedes the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, has strongly defended India’s claim for a higher percentage of the ICC’s global revenues and has asserted that India would have never signed the Members Participating Agreement (MPA) in its existing form. He also rejected the suggestion that the restructure plan for the ICC amounted to a takeover of the global game by its three most powerful constituents.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo days before the ICC board reassembles in Singapore to decide on proposals which have undergone minor changes since being tabled at the ICC board meeting in Dubai on January 29, Srinivasan said the proposed restructure is aimed at providing financial stability to all cricket-playing nations and making the ICC a more inclusive organisation.”The BCCI is quite happy to be involved with the leadership of cricket,” he said. “We will embrace this ICC in the new structure, which will be good for cricket as a whole.”The BCCI will emerge the biggest beneficiary under the proposed revenue distribution plan, its earning increasing in the range between US$ 63 million and US$ 766 million. Srinivasan said that none of the other boards had objections to India taking a higher share of the revenue because there was universal recognition of India’s contribution to cricket’s global revenues.”A strong India with a vibrant commercial structure is good for world cricket,” he said.When asked if the BCCI, as has been widely reported, had made the signing of the MPA conditional to the restructure, Srinivasan said the BCCI had a few genuine issues with the MPA as it stood.”I don’t know how it got signed. I would not have signed the last MPA. There are a lot of disadvantages. We had made it clear that we could not sign the MPA in the current form.” When asked, more than once, to explain what the “disadvantages” were, he refused to provide further details but said the issues were “substantial”.”The other members in the committee realised that India’s concerns were legitimate and therefore it led to a discussion, out of which all these proposals came”.When asked about the absence of a consultative process while drafting such wide-ranging and sweeping changes, Srinivasan said the proposal that was presented to the ICC board members had always been a draft which was put up for discussion, not for approval.”When we met in Dubai on January 9, I made the presentation and we said this is what we are suggesting. If there are improvements or suggestions or some other model, please feel free to put them forward. Somebody has to prepare a draft for discussion. So three out of ten sat together and prepared a draft, others can go through it and suggest changes. In fact a lot of changes have already taken place. There has been lot of consultation and a lot of points have been dropped also and some changes have been made.”Would the abolition of the FTP in its current form not leave a lot of members at the mercy of the bigger boards? Srinivasan said the new system of bilateral agreements will be far stronger. “The current system is merely an indicative structure without any guarantees. It is not a legal document, it was never binding.”The FTP bilateral agreement will be stronger. And we have already sat down during the Dubai meeting and discussed it with a number of countries, and the proposed FTP for going forward will work on the right cycle.”On the other contentious issue of the permanent membership in the proposed executive committee for India, England and Australia, Srinivasan strongly denied that it amounted the return of the veto-era, which the BCCI fought to overturn. “There is no veto,” he said, “There will be two other members at all times and anyone can become the chairman after the term of the first chairman gets over.”And more importantly, this will be another committee of the ICC. It will report to the ICC board on which all the members sit. And the ICC board will be remain supreme, with the all the decision-making authority.”Srinivasan also maintained the ICC’s stance that Associate members stand to gain, financially and on the field, from the proposals. “I’ll explain it to you. In the last rights cycle, a total of US$ 314 million was allocated to the Associates. But actually the Associates, in terms of money, got US$ 125 million directly from the ICC. And then the balance went by way of subscriptions collected from them, ICC administration costs, event costs, tournament costs, and costs of running some programmes – umpires’ programmes or high performance programmes etc. So basically it is 125 plus cost.”Now, in this proposal … they are likely to get 200 plus costs. The top performing Associates will get almost a 100 million, which is what was [previously] given to all of them.”What has been their concern at all times? They say we are playing only amongst each other, we never get to play you. So there is an opportunity now, in time. You can’t look at things overnight, you take a 10-year cycle, 20 years. A top Associate can become a top Test nation, that possibility is there.”Read the full interview here

In the 33rd over of Pakistan’s chase, immediately after Saifullah Khan became England’s sixth victim, the contest was spiced up by a verbal showdown between the England players and the two batsmen. England’s Matthew Fisher got in the act and the target was Zafar Gohar, who had just walked in. England’s players were at the receiving end of the invective against India a match ago but this time, chose not to play victim. The umpire then had a long chat with England captain Will Rhodes to defuse the situation.Gohar, whose day job is a left-arm spinner, showed he could bat too. With Amad Butt, Gohar gave Pakistan the belief that they could pull it off after 142 for 7. Their eighth-wicket stand of 63 guided Pakistan to the final, with a little help from England, according to Gohar. He politely referred to the showdown as “banter”, but the pictures suggested something more intense. Gohar, in the post-match press conference, said the incident had spurred them on to never give up on the target.”The banter gave me more energy and helped me focus better,” Gohar said. “Seeing them so aggressive, I did not want to lose the match, and wanted to give them the answer by winning the game.”Moments after Pakistan pulled off a tense chase in the final over, the players from both sides put the incident behind them as they embraced. Gohar said the same set of players were no strangers to each other, with the teams playing each other in tournaments leading to the World Cup. “We are good friends, so nothing serious about it,” Gohar assured.Gohar and Butt showed maturity in rotating the strike because the asking rate didn’t demand a boundary off each over. Between them, they hit five fours and a six but they also kept England on their toes by pushing singles. Gohar said the talk in the middle was to bat out 50 overs if needed.”Our coaching staff had told us to play out all the overs, and we had the ability to help the team win,” he said. “I was telling him to bat till the end and build a partnership. Once we started that the pressure was on them, and runs started coming automatically. We did that and we were successful.”That Pakistan made heavy weather of a modest target of 205 was due to the pressure inflicted on themselves due to poor shot selection that reduced them to 57 for 4. The captain Sami Aslam himself put his hand up for not setting a good example, falling lbw trying to sweep the offspinner Rob Sayer, after he had just scored two boundaries.Pakistan were rescued thanks to the stand between Saud Shakeel and Ameer Hamza and then the Gohar-Butt partnership.”I played a bad shot under the circumstances. Two to three players played poor shots, but Saud Shakeel covered up for us very well,” Aslam said. “Then Zafar Gohar and Amad Butt batted excellently. We were confident till the end and the plan was if we could bat long till the last over then we would win.”I got out at an important point, and hopefully I will not repeat the same mistake in the final, and help the team to win.”Aslam and Imam-ul-Haq have been Pakistan’s in-form pair in this World Cup and the batting has depended largely on the two openers. When asked if the middle order was a concern, Aslam said there was evidence to show that they were capable of filling in when needed. Gohar agreed, saying the team’s batting depth could not be underestimated.”The total of 205 was not big. The run-rate was only four and we knew we could achieve it,” Aslam said. “We had a plan in our mind to bat long and keep wickets in hand.”The conditions in the UAE were expected to be similar to that of the subcontinent where the spinners rule, but Aslam felt that on this occasion, teams with good fast-bowling stocks were most likely to succeed.”The way the wicket has behaved so far, it is supporting the seamers as well,” he said. “That is why, apart from us England, South Africa and Australia are playing in the semi-final.”

Match facts

March 1, 2014
Start time 1400 local (0800 GMT)

Big picture

Does Afghanistan make Bangladesh nervous? Like higher-ranked teams are wary of the banana peel when they play Bangladesh, the hosts will also be cautious of an opponent that has little to lose. That said, it is also Bangladesh’s best chance to win their first game in 2014.Mushfiqur Rahim’s team has had a horrible start to the year. They lost seven games across formats to Sri Lanka and then the Asia Cup opener to India. They will face Afghanistan without Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe Mortaza, who are injured, and the banned Shakib Al Hasan. There are concerns over Mushfiqur too; the Bangladesh captain was taken to hospital for scans on his shoulder after the game against India.Anamul Haque’s form against India, though, was encouraging for Bangladesh but they will hope he can forge a strong opening stand with Shamsur Rahman after poor starts in the last four games. And whoever is in charge of the batting line-up must use Nasir Hossain and Naeem Islam properly.Nasir has scored 69 runs in his last four innings – his first poor patch in international cricket – and Shakib’s replacement Naeem batted at the wrong time – the batting Powerplay – for his sort of game.Mashrafe Mortaza is the latest high-profile player unavailable for Bangladesh•AFP

In Mashrafe’s absence, Abdur Razzak will need to play a central role the bowling attack, while the rest focus on economical ten-over spells. The fielding has also been shoddy of late and needs improvement.Afghanistan have their own concerns after the game against Pakistan, though they performed creditably. Their batting fell away after the second-wicket partnership between Noor Ali Zadran and Asghar Stanikzai. That stand was a bit slow and pushed up the asking rate but such struggles are par for the course when an Associate takes on a Full Member. The captain Mohammad Nabi will be a threat, and Bangladesh’s bowlers have seen him attack during the Dhaka Premier League.

Form guide

(Completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLW
Afghanistan LWWWW

Watch out for

Anamul Haque showed against India that he can bat with maturity. He attacked Varun Aaron, having found the fast bowler to his liking, and while he was quieter against the rest of the attack, he didn’t look out of his depth. Bangladesh will hope for a follow-up performance, something Anamul hasn’t been able to do for a while.Noor Ali Zadran was Afghanistan’s top-scorer against Pakistan, and played some good back-foot shots through the off side against the fast bowlers during his 44. He needs to play better against spin though.

Match facts

Bangladesh will wait on Mushfiqur’s shoulder to improve and take a last minute call on him. If he fails to recover in time, Imrul Kayes is the only available choice. Mashrafe’s injury means a game for his replacement Shafiul Islam.Bangladesh (likely): 1 Anamul Haque (wk), 2 Shamsur Rahman, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Imrul Kayes/Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), 5 Naeem Islam, 6 Nasir Hossain, 7 Ziaur Rahman, 8 Sohag Gazi, 9 Shafiul Islam/Al-Amin Hossain, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Rubel HossainAfghanistan coach Kabir Khan said Hamid Hassan will play, possibly in place of Mirwais Ashraf, their most accurate bowler in the Pakistan game.Afghanistan (likely): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Noor Ali Zadran, 3 Asghar Stanikzai, 4 Nawroz Mangal, 5 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 6 Samiullah Shenwari, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Hamid Hassan/Mirwais Ashraf, 9 Hamza Hotak, 10 Daulat Zadran, 11 Shapoor Zadran.

Pitch and conditions

Batting hasn’t been easy in the afternoon and evening on a slow surface. There has been dew on some days in Fatullah, depending on overhead conditions during the day.

Stats and trivia

• Mushfiqur Rahim is the second Bangladesh captain to score an ODI century at home, after Shakib Al Hasan.
• Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shenwari have played all 28 of Aghanistan’s ODIs so far.

Quotes

“We gave Hamid Hassan a break so that he is ready for the Bangladesh game.”

There is already some history between the Australians and Chris Gayle from last year, and James Faulkner’s comments ahead of his side’s World T20 clash with West Indies has only revived those feelings. Faulkner has said he does not “particularly like” the West Indies players, to which Darren Sammy has replied that the Australia allrounder is probably the only cricketer who does not like the men from the Caribbean.In his debut series early last year, Faulkner was fined a part of his match fee for shouting in Gayle’s direction after dismissing the batsman in Canberra. Faulkner suggested he would not hesitate to do something similar if it helped Australia in what is almost a must-win game for both sides.”I don’t particularly like them,” Faulkner said. “Good players are good players. You have to do things to get under their skin and try and irritate them to try and get them off their game. Players do that to me and I do it to other players. It’s a fact of the game. A lot of it is played in your mind. If you can do something to upset somebody and upset their team, it goes a long way towards doing well as a group.”Even Brad Haddin and Gayle had had a run-in last year during the Big Bash. When Haddin was dismissed by Gayle, Haddin said that at least then the fans of Gayle’s franchise had seen him do something for his money. Gayle had been having a poor tournament with the bat for Sydney Thunder. Gayle had responded with a tweet saying that he was better than Haddin even if he batted right-handed.When asked whether this background would be added motivation for his team, Sammy pointed to West Indies’ big win over Australia in the 2012 World T20 semi-final, and said that if anyone had bragging rights, it was his team.”The Australians normally have a lot to say. We are here to play cricket. I think probably James is the only cricketer that does not love West Indians. I could safely say West Indies are the second favourite team for the fans. It does not bother us. Talk is talk. We have got to walk the talk out there on the cricket field. He can say all he wants. We are not bothered by it.”I think the last time we played them in a World Cup we all know what happened. If anybody should be talking probably we should, but I do not want to say that. Once we back ourselves and play like we know how to play T20… they will come with their pace attack. Last time they did that we scored 200 I think.”We are not threatened by them. It is another game of cricket. Once we play to our full potential… so far in this tournament we have not played to our full potential. Once we do that, we will be very destructive. We were destructive in that semi-final last World Cup.”