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The tourists are yet to win on tour but the shortest format could bridge the gap between the sides

Mohammad Isam08-Mar-2020

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Bangladesh’s good batting form could be their way out of the rut in T20Is. Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das blew away Zimbabwe with two centuries each in the ODIs, also registering a record opening stand for Bangladesh – 292 in the third ODI.In the same match, Liton broke Tamim’s record for the highest individual score by a Bangladesh batsman slamming 176.But Bangladesh will have plenty of support for the in-form openers in the T20Is. Captain Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim will take care of the middle-order, their experience an ideal foil for the young Mohammad Naim and Afif Hossain. Allrounder Mohammad Saifuddin’s inclusion automatically adds balance to the line-up. They also have the option of continuing with legspinner Aminul Islam, as he can contribute with the bat.All of this will worry Zimbabwe, who were thrashed by an innings in the one-off Test before suffering a three-nil sweep in the ODIs. Their collective failure apart, there have been very few individual performances to celebrate, except Sikandar Raza’s two fifties, and the odd contribution from Wesley Madhevere and Donald Tiripano. They will count on the experience of Sean Williams, Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor with the bat, and hope that newcomers like Charlton Tshuma and Carl Mumba fire with the ball. The nature of the shortest version should also help bridge the gap between the sides.

Form guide

Bangladesh LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe WWLWW

In the spotlight

Tamim Iqbal blasted consecutive centuries in the last two ODIs so he will be confident to take on Zimbabwe again. Bangladesh will expect a rollicking start from him, ironically not too long after his strike-rate was called into question against Pakistan.Sikandar Raza was among the runs in the ODIs, scoring two fifties. He remains a key figure in the middle-order, although there could be a case for Zimbabwe to promote him up the order to give him the best chance to win them matches.

Team news

Mushfiqur Rahim will bolster the middle-order after missing Bangladesh’s last T20I series against Pakistan in January. Among the three spinners in the side, it could be a toss-up between legspinner Aminul Islam and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, with Mehidy Hasan a near certainty.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das (wk), 3 Mohammad Naim 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Mohammad Saifuddin, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Aminul Islam/Nasum Ahmed, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanZimbabwe will have a completely different look from the last time they played a T20I, but they are unlikely to make many changes from the side that played the third ODI against Bangladesh. Doubt over captain Chamu Chibhabha’s fitness remains but Craig Ervine has recovered.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 2 Regis Chakabva, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Brendan Taylor (wk), 5 Sean Williams, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Wesley Madhevere 7 Richmond Mutumbami, 8 Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 9 Donald Tiripano, 10 Charlton Tshuma, 11 Carl Mumba

Pitch and conditions

The Shere Bangla National Stadium offers a decent T20 pitch these days. Clear weather is expected.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh have a 7-4 win/loss record against Zimbabwe in T20Is.
• Al-Amin Hossain needs two wickets to become Bangladesh’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is among pace bowlers.
• In Zimbabwe’s current squad, Sean Williams’ 821 runs is the highest in T20Is

Quotes

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Colin de Grandhomme, who was rested for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, also returns for the first three ODIs against India

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2019Left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Mitchell Santner is set to play his first ODI in 10 months. He has recovered from knee surgery and has proved his fitness in the one-off T20I against Sri Lanka and in the Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament. Wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham and seam-bowling allrounder Colin de Grandhomme, who were both rested for the ODIs against Sri Lanka, also return to the side for the first three ODIs against India.James Neesham, who was sidelined from the T20I against Sri Lanka with a hamstring strain, and legspinner Todd Astle, who is recovering from a knee injury, were not included in the squad. However, they could be considered for the last two ODIs on January 31 and February 3, after proving their fitness in the ongoing Super Smash.Santner has shown fine form in the T20 tournament, taking seven wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 6.77 in addition to providing Northern Districts the finishing kick with the bat. He has tested out his knee by securing hard-run twos and diving catches in the outfield.Doug Bracewell, who did not play a single ODI against Sri Lanka, was retained in the squad. New Zealand coach Gary Stead said he was impressed with the performances of Bracewell and Santner in the T20I in Auckland. While Bracewell struck 44 off 26 balls and took the wicket of Niroshan Dickwella in a Man-of-the-Match performance, Santner came away with 1 for 27 from three overs.”Our two main priorities have been to select and prepare a squad capable of winning what is shaping as a massive series against India, and gathering as much information as possible ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales,” Stead said. “Tom and Colin are experienced players in this format and will offer quality in their respective roles, and Mitch and Doug showed us what they are capable of during the T20 on Friday night.”Tim Seifert, who kept wicket against Sri Lanka, was left out. Latham will take over the gloves from him. The seam attack has a familiar look with the promise of Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry complementing the experience of Trent Boult and Tim Southee. Santner’s Northern Districts team-mate Ish Sodhi is the other spinner in the side.The five-match series begins with the first ODI in Napier on January 23.Squad for first three ODIs: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

Alex Hales is set to make his return to cricket later this month, after it was confirmed that he is no longer a suspect in relation to the incident in Bristol in September

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2017Alex Hales is set to make his return to cricket later this month, in the inaugural T10 Cricket League in Dubai, after it was confirmed that he is no longer a suspect in relation to the incident in Bristol in September that led to the arrest of his team-mate, Ben Stokes.Hales had been present in Mbargo nightclub on the morning of September 25, in the aftermath of England’s ODI victory over West Indies, when Stokes was arrested following an altercation in which he appeared to swing punches at two men.The pair were made unavailable for selection for the remaining two games of that series, with Hales returning to Bristol voluntarily to help Avon and Somerset Police with their enquiries.Stokes, who had initially been named as England’s vice-captain for the Ashes before being withdrawn from the squad, recently made his comeback to cricket, after flying to New Zealand to play for Canterbury in the 50-over Ford Trophy.Hales has yet to play since the incident. However, the ECB has approved a formal request for a No Objection Certificate to allow him to play in the inaugural T10 Cricket League in Dubai from December 21-24. He could yet be offered a BBL opportunity, too, which could potentially see him play in Australia during England’s Ashes tour.The ECB board convened via conference call to make the decision after being informed that Hales is deemed a witness and will face no charges.It remains possible that Hales, and Stokes, could be named in England’s ODI and T20 squads to face New Zealand and Australia in the New Year. However, the independent Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) has stayed the internal disciplinary process for both Hales and Stokes until the conclusion of any potential criminal proceedings relating to the incident.That means that Hales could still face sanction from the ECB – for being out so later during an ODI series, for example – though it remains possible it could be backdated to include the period he has already missed.It may be relevant, however, that while Hales was out of the side for two ODIs at the end of the English summer, Jonny Bairstow appeared to cement his position as an opening batsman. He scored an unbeaten 141 in Southampton and an unbeaten 100 in Manchester. While Jason Roy came back into the side and scored 84 at The Oval and 96 at Southampton as Bairstow’s opening partner. As a result, the way back for Hales may not be straightforward.

Ken Higgs, the former England, Lancashire and Leicestershire seam bowler, has died aged 79

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2016Ken Higgs, the former England, Lancashire and Leicestershire seam bowler, has died aged 79.Remembered for his stamina and angular run-up, Higgs played only 15 Tests for England but claimed 71 wickets at 20.74. For Lancashire, he took more than 1000 first-class wickets and, after retiring in 1969, he was persuaded to return to playing by Leicestershire, for whom his last appearance came at the age of 49.He was renowned for getting out top-order batsmen and his most successful series for England saw him take 24 wickets against West Indies in 1966. Overall, he took 1536 first-class wickets and a further 355 in List A cricket.”We are deeply saddened by the news that Ken has passed away,” Leicestershire chairman, Paul Hayward, said. “I had the great pleasure of playing alongside Ken and he was a truly great bowler who had a wonderful career record. Ken was well-respected by everyone at Leicestershire County Cricket Club and we would like to offer our condolences and best wishes to his family.”Originally from Staffordshire, Higgs made his name at Lancashire, opening the bowling alongside Brian Statham. He took 7 for 36 on his Championship debut and claimed more than 100 wickets in a season on five occasions. He was named one of ‘s Five Cricketers of the Year in 1968.He won his first England cap in 1965, in Statham’s last Test, and took eight wickets against South Africa. Alongside a knack for wicket-taking and a parsimonious economy rate, he produced a memorable contribution with the bat to help England win the final Test at The Oval against West Indies in 1966, putting on 128 – two runs shy of the world record – for the last wicket with John Snow.The flags at Old Trafford were flying at half-mast on Wednesday, ahead of England’s T20 match against Pakistan. A club statement said: “We are very sad to hear of the passing of former Lancashire bowler Ken Higgs. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”Having left Lancashire in 1969, to be the cricket professional at Rishton and run a boarding house in Blackpool, Higgs was talked out of retirement by Mike Turner and moved to play for Leicestershire from 1972. He took 4 for 10, including a hat-trick, in the 1974 Benson & Hedges Cup final – although Leicestershire lost – and a few years later scored 98 batting a No. 11, during what remains a club record partnership of 228 with Ray Illingworth.Higgs went on to captain and coach the county, as well as making sporadic appearances until he was almost 50. In 1986, his final season, he managed a 50th five-wicket haul.A promising footballer, he was an England Youth international and signed for Port Vale – although he never represented them at senior level. He is survived by two sons, Paul and Terry.

Three of the four teams who contested Finals Day in 2014 will meet again later this month to determine the winner of the NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2015Three of the four teams who contested Finals Day in 2014 will meet again later this month to determine the winner of the NatWest T20 Blast. Birmingham, the defending champions, will be joined by Lancashire, last year’s losing finalists, and two-time winners Hampshire.The fourth county are 2013 winners Northamptonshire. They have been drawn against Birmingham in the first semi-final, which will start at 11am on August 29. As in 2014, Lancashire will face Hampshire in the second semi-final at 2.30pm.”Hopefully it will be the same result in the semi, and we can go one better this year and win the final,” Steven Croft, Lancashire’s captain, said after his team squeezed past Kent on Saturday, by virtue of losing fewer wickets in their tie.Birmingham are favourites to become the first team to retain the trophy and they will be playing on their home ground, with Edgbaston hosting Finals Day for the third year running. They topped the North Group, ahead of Northamptonshire and Lancashire – third and fourth respectively – while Hampshire finished third in the South Group.Hampshire will be making a sixth consecutive Finals Day appearance, extending their own record, and looking to win for the first time since 2012. Lancashire have won more T20 games than any other county since the format’s introduction but are still searching for a first title.The only other time the same three teams have reached consecutive Finals Days was in 2005, when Leicestershire, Lancashire and Surrey all made it back, only for Somerset to lift what was then the Twenty20 Cup.

Wayne White has left Leicestershire after deciding he no longer wanted to play for the club. He has joined Lancashire on a three-year deal.

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2013Wayne White has left Leicestershire after deciding he no longer wanted to play for the club. He has joined Lancashire on a three-year deal.White, 27, won the Friends Life t20 with Leicestershire in 2011 and played in all but six of their matches last season, including a full County Championship campaign for the first time, scoring 616 runs at 29.33, but informed the club at the end of the season that he wished to move on.”Having entered into discussions with Wayne at the end of the season he advised us that he no longer wished to play for the club,” Leicestershire chief executive Mike Siddall, said. “The Board agreed that it would be in the best interest of club and player that he leaves.”Head Coach Phil Whitticase added: “While we are disappointed to lose Wayne we only want players at Grace Road who have a real desire to play for the club. We have sufficient quality in the squad to make up for Wayne’s departure, with an excellent group of committed players.”Leicestershire have been suffering from talent-drain for several years. Ben Smith, Darren Maddy, Luke Wright, Stuart Broad, James Taylor and Harry Gurney are among the players to have been reared at Grace Road before leaving to flourish elsewhere.White began his career at his home-county, Derbyshire, but it was after moving to Grace Road in 2008 that his career got going. He made his maiden first-class century, his only to date, against his old club in 2010 and enjoyed the best season of his career in 2012, taking a career-best first-class haul of 5 for 54 in April on the way to 43 wickets at 29.90.But with a year to run on his two-year contract, he has decided to leave Grace Road for Old Trafford where Lancashire cricket director Mike Watkinson sees potential in White.”He is still an emerging cricketer which fits well with our strategy and is adept in all formats of the game,” Watkinson said. “He has had an impressive record over the past couple of seasons which suggests there are better things to come. Wayne will bring additional quality in our seam bowling department and will also contribute with the bat in the middle order.”White will be still be playing Division Two cricket next season at least after Lancashire were relegated in 2012. Nevertheless, he said he was excited about challenging for trophies with Lancashire.”Playing at Old Trafford is something I am really looking forward to,” White said. “The club has put a lot of work into redeveloping the ground and securing the Ashes Test for this year. Hopefully, as a playing group, we can make it a memorable one on the field for Lancashire, too. Working with Peter Moores and his staff is a great opportunity for me and I am excited by his plans for the playing squad.”I have enjoyed my time with Leicestershire and it will be a wrench to leave, but I am looking forward to a new, exciting chapter in my career with Lancashire and to be part of a successful playing squad.”

Fast bowlers Riaz Afridi and Waqar Ahmed took four wickets apiece to keep Peshawar in control

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2011
ScorecardUmar Akmal made 93 but Peshawar were still in control•AFP

Fast bowlers Riaz Afridi and Waqar Ahmed, who troubled Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in the first innings, took four wickets apiece in the second as Peshawar remained in control of the Division Two final at Arbab Niaz Stadium.SNGPL lost their openers cheaply, but their captain Umar Akmal and No. 3 Ali Waqas put on a 155-run third-wicket stand that raised their hopes of posting a tall target for Peshawar. Akmal made 93 off 155 deliveries, while Waqas reached 74 before being bowled by Waqar Ahmed, who also removed Khurram Shehzad later in the over.SNGPL’s hopes faded further as Riaz Afridi then managed to do one better than Waqar Ahmed – he struck three times in one over, dismissing Umar Akmal, Mohammad Awais and Bilawal Bhatti. An unbeaten 30 from Yasir Shah then pushed SNGPL on to 277 for 8, only 128 ahead by stumps.

Wellington joined Northern Districts at the top of the points table in the HRV Cup after they beat Central Districts by 8 wickets in at the Saxton Oval in Nelson

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2010Wellington joined Northern Districts at the top of the points table in the HRV Cup after they beat Central Districts by eight wickets at the Saxton Oval in Nelson.Central Districts chose to bat and looked well-placed for a big total after Peter Ingram (46) and George Worker (31) put on 77 for the first wicket in the first 10 overs. However, once offspinner Jeetan Patel struck to dismiss Worker and Ingram, within the space of 12 balls, the Central Districts batting fell away. Luke Woodcock picked up the crucial wickets of Ian Blackwell, Michael Yardy and Mathew Sinclair in quick succession. This was followed by two run-outs and Central Districts crumbled from a healthy 93 for 2 to a below-par 128 for 8, losing six wickets for 35 runs.A required-rate of just above six runs per over was never going to test the Wellington batting line-up. Though they lost Michael Pollard in the second over, Stewart Rhodes, with an unbeaten 75 off 60 balls, anchored the Wellington chase. They reached the target in 19.2 overs for the loss of only two wickets.

Should Laxman also be ruled out, Rohit Sharma too will join Badrinath in making a debut, presenting an experience chink South Africa will be keen to exploit

S Aga05-Feb-2010A month ago, India would have gone into this series as favourites. While they hammered Sri Lanka at home, South Africa were finding it hard to put away an English side that had stunned many by romping to victory in Durban. Then, South Africa squared the series at the Wanderers, and India lost Rahul Dravid to injury. With uncertainty prevailing over the availability of VVS Laxman – he was having his fitness assessed by the physio after a net session in the morning – India suddenly faced that prospect of going into a Test against the best pace attack in the world with a middle order shorn of two pivotal performers.As things stand, Murali Vijay and S Badrinath will certainly play, with three Test caps between them. Should Laxman also be ruled out, Rohit Sharma too will join Badrinath in making a debut. For Graeme Smith, still smarting after the squandered opportunities against England, it represents an experience-chink that South Africa will be more than happy to exploit. “Guys like Dravid and Laxman are quality players with a huge amount of experience,” he said. “They also bring a lot of calmness to the Indian team. It does put pressure on Gambhir and Sehwag up front to maybe take a little bit more responsibility. They no longer have a guy with 10,000 runs at No. 3, who’s really the rock of the line-up. The responsibility on Sehwag especially is crucial.”MS Dhoni was philosophical about the injury crisis, suggesting that one man’s absence was another’s chance to shine. “We’ll miss Rahul, but at the end of the day somebody needs to step up and do the work for the team,” he said. “International cricket is a challenge, but our openers have done well everywhere. No reason why we can’t do it over and over again. We’re a team that relies on a good start. After that, we go on to dominate.”The pitch was absolutely devoid of any grassy stubble, and both captains expected a typically Indian surface with the spinners becoming increasingly influential as the game wore on. In such batsmen-friendly conditions, reverse swing is perhaps the quick bowler’s most potent weapon, and despite a lush outfield, Dhoni expected both sets of bowlers to use it effectively on a dry and abrasive pitch.And though there was expected to be no dramatic bounce in the surface, Dhoni suggested that the bouncer would also have immense shock value. “In slow and low conditions, it’s difficult to leave the bouncer because you don’t know how high it will get,” he said. “It’s also not easy to play the pull.”India’s chances will hinge mainly on how well the two slow bowlers exploit the weaknesses that Graeme Swann found in the southern cape a couple of months ago. Harbhajan Singh is a certain starter, but there are two schools of thought on who will join him. Pragyan Ojha played the final two Tests against Sri Lanka, and the Dhaka game against Bangladesh, but when Sehwag led the side in Chittagong, it was Amit Mishra that got the nod.Either way, Smith is quietly confident that his batsmen can negotiate the threat. “You have to give credit to Graeme [Swann],” he said. “He bowled really well throughout the series. He’s a very different type of bowler to some of the Indian spinners. We were still able to post decent totals throughout that tour back home. I’m happy with the quality we’ve got. Each player has refined their game plans. Any time you come to India, you expect certain types of pitches, and you expect spin bowling.”The South Africans are certainly a more athletic outfit, though Dhoni insisted that India had a “safe” fielding team. “We’re a good catching side, that’s what really matters in Test cricket,” he said. “When it comes to saving singles, they’re definitely a better fielding side though.”Smith spoke of the difficulties involved in preparing for such an abbreviated tour, while Dhoni was just thankful to get some more five-day cricket. “We’re happy with what we’ve got,” he said, pointing out that the original schedule hadn’t involved any Tests.Neither man was unduly bothered by the Test rankings, and Dhoni laughed at the idea that this was a battle for supremacy between two young leaders who have done their reputations no harm since taking over the reins. “I’m a better keeper, and he’s a better opener,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s not about the captains. It’s a team sport.”India won easily enough in their only previous outing at this splendid new venue, squeezing the life out of Australia’s challenge in 2008, but the raw pace of the South African new-ball duo could pose some uncomfortable questions for a line-up that might experience more than a few debut butterflies. Smith doesn’t do mental disintegration the Steve Waugh way, but he couldn’t resist a neat little jab before heading to the nets and a final tune-up. “We’ve got everything to gain on this tour,” he said, “and India’s got everything to lose.”

According to Football Insider, Chris Hughton has told friends that he is set to take the hot-seat at Bristol City, meaning that Glasgow Rangers’ Steven Gerrard is all but out of the picture.

Gerrard, who has now been at Ibrox for two seasons, had been linked with a move to the English Championship side along with the former Brighton boss, with him emerging as a shock target for the club’s billionaire owner Steve Landsown. However, if Hughton’s reported latest words are anything to go by, the former Liverpool man will not be moving on from his current job any time soon.

There would have been plenty of reasons why a move to England would be appealing to Gerrard. After all, that is likely where he will want to end up in the long term, and the Championship is a very competitive league. Also, he would have more funds available to him – for example, last term the Ashton Gate outfit spent £29.39m, whilst the 54-time Scottish champions have not spent that much in the last two seasons combined.

Having said that, Gerrard still has unfinished business north of the border – he is still without a trophy at the Gers and, although there have been some positive signs, such as their progression to the Europa League round of 16, the only real success that will count, at the end of the day, is silverware.

As such, it is a big boost for the club that Gerrard looks as though he will be staying put – clearly, he is still hungry and believes that he may not be too far away from reaching his goals.

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