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India’s assistant coach said that the team will have to assess the misfiring batting but praised the impact of Jeffrey Vandersay

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Aug-20241:43

Nayar on batting order change: ‘Perceived as left-right combination’

Dropping a match to this Sri Lanka was a surprise, sure. But the conditions also made for fickle cricket. Abhishek Nayar, India’s assistant coach, has, like the rest of us, not watched Sri Lanka take many games off India lately. But these were his takeaways from the second ODI, which India lost by 32 runs.He also pointed to opposition spinner Jeffrey Vandersay’s excellent lengths, and Sri Lanka’s tenacious lower order batting as reasons for the defeat. For the second match in a row, the pitch took substantial turn, enabling even less-proficient spin bowlers to become threats.Related

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“Was it a shock? I would say yes, there is a surprise,” Nayar said. “But you anticipate and understand that in these conditions the game can turn on its head because there is so much spin on offer.”Even if you look at the last game, it was relatively easy to score against the new ball. As the ball got older, the conditions when batting second got slightly tougher. Sometimes in tough conditions, especially in the 50-over format, this happens.”We want to go back and understand, and rectify, why it happened twice in a row. The day before yesterday, we were able to stitch partnerships. But today we lost quite a few wickets in a bundle.”That bundle of wickets came between overs 14 and 24, when India lost their six wickets – all against Vandersay – for 50 runs. Vandersay had the ball turning big from the outset, as many of India’s spinners also did. But he bowled tight lines too, and kept batters pinned in the crease with his lengths and flight.”They bowled well – I think Vandersay bowled the ideal length in these conditions,” Nayar said. “In such conditions, when the ball is turning – and the way Vandersay bowled today, used his finger, and bowled stump to stump – you get these phases when there is assistance from the pitch. I feel today we should give more credit to Sri Lanka.”India faded dramatically after a fast start to the chase•AFP/Getty Images

When batting, Sri Lanka had been 136 for 6, and potentially looking at a score under 200. But for the second match in a row, Dunith Wellalage produced arguably Sri Lanka’s best innings, hitting 39 off 35 balls from No. 7. Then Kamindu Mendis, a batting allrounder who frequently bats as high as No. 4, also struck 40 off 44 at No. 8. Sri Lanka clambered their way up to 240 for 9, which always seemed a serious score on this pitch.”When you are batting first, there is less pressure,” Nayar said. “When you are chasing, the pressure is more because you have to keep an eye on the run rate, wickets. Whenever you bat first, you often have partnerships. Wellalage batted really well, both in the last game and this game. They scored important runs in the lower order.”India’s own mixing up of their batting order – Shivam Dube pushed up to No. 4, Shreyas Iyer down to No. 6, and KL Rahul at No. 7 – Nayar did not believe was especially radical. Safeguarding a left-right combo at the crease was what they were trying.”My belief is that in any sport, position only matters if you’re playing in different areas of a game. We lost wickets in the middle phase, and that’s where the middle order batters batted. It’s not as if middle order batters batted towards the end.”If you look at numbers like four, five, or six, maybe sometimes it can play games in your head. It was more about keeping a left-and-right combination, keeping in mind that there were offspinners, and a legspinner in the Sri Lanka team.”The thought process was right. When it doesn’t work out, these questions are asked often. But I’ve always believed that if a middle order batter bats as a middle order batter, it is the right decision.”

Sam Hain’s 63 off 39 balls rescued Rockets from 54 for 5 against Southern Brave

ECB Reporters Network01-Aug-2023Defending champions Trent Rockets kicked off their Men’s Hundred campaign with a six-run victory over 2021 winners Southern Brave in a low-scoring contest at Trent Bridge, Daniel Sams and Lewis Gregory taking three wickets each.Sam Hain’s 63 off 39 balls rescued the Rockets from 54 for 5 with support from Imad Wasim – a last-minute substitute after Rashid Khan’s 11th hour withdrawal – but with Chris Jordan’s 3 for 18 the stand-out performance in a solid bowling display, 133 from 100 looked below par.Yet, on a slow pitch that was offering the bowlers some help, it was too much for Brave, who were 41 without loss from 37 balls but lost five wickets for 32 in the next 28, a position from which they never recovered, despite some late heroics with the bat from Jordan, bowled out for 127 from 99 balls.Related

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Asked to bat first, Rockets lost their top three batters for 25 inside the powerplay. Alex Hales miscued Craig Overton to mid-wicket and Dawid Malan sent up a steepler off the same bowler that James Vince had plenty of time to get under. In between, George Garton produced a beauty to bowl Tom Kohler-Cadmore.Neither Colin Munro nor Gregory fared any better at imposing themselves, the former skying one from Tymal Mills that was comfortably caught at mid-off, with skipper Gregory hit squarely in front by Jordan to perish for two as Rockets reached the 50-ball mark at a miserable 54 for 5. Scoring chances were generally scarce as the Brave attack kept their discipline, backed up for the most part by some excellent fielding.Hain at last gave a subdued home crowd some excitement when Overton returned for his final set to be hit for three boundaries in a row, the middle one a falling-over scoop that carried over the rope and he and Imad were able to put together something of a recovery.They added 78 in 49 balls – 48 of them in the last 25 – before both fell in a dramatic finale to the innings that saw Jordan run out Hain then bowl Imad and Matt Carter with his next two deliveries before Luke Wood survived the hat-trick ball.The priority for Brave in the chase would have been to lose no early wickets and though they were merely level with Rockets for runs after their opening 25, the difference was that the wickets fallen space on the scoreboard still showed zero.Things looked much less comfortable at halfway. Devon Conway’s top edge off Gregory pinged off his helmet to point, then Imad entered the attack with two wickets in eight balls. His first delivery did for Vince, stumped going down the pitch to one that spun away, before Finn Allen, who had looked the man most likely to carry Brave home, holed out to long-on, leaving Brave 51 for 3 from 48 balls.As panic set in, Garton skewed Matt Carter to short fine leg and Tim David, looking to ease the pressure, picked out Hales at long-on, before another slightly freakish delivery saw James Fuller caught behind off glove and pad to leave Brave six down for 89, needing 45 from 22 balls.Leus du Plooy was caught behind in a scoop attempt, Jordan pulled Wood for six, was dropped at short third on 16 – a gallant one-handed effort by sub fielder John Turner – but was yorked by Sams for 22 off 11 with nine needed from three before Overton was run out and Mills leg before.

He led KKR to the title last year and Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this season

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jan-2025India and Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer, the second-most expensive player in the player auction, has been appointed captain by Punjab Kings for IPL 2025. The announcement was made on Sunday night on reality TV show Big Boss, where Iyer appeared as a guest alongside PBKS team-mates Yuzvendra Chahal and Shashank Singh.Related

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• Ponting on Iyer: 'He'll be a great leader for our team'

“I am honoured that the team has reposed its faith in me. I am looking forward to working again with coach [Ricky] Ponting,” Iyer was quoted as saying in a release. “The team looks strong, with a great mix of potential and proven performers. I hope to repay the faith shown by the management to deliver our maiden title.””Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven capabilities as captain will enable the team to deliver,” PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting said. “Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven capabilities as captain will enable the team to deliver. I have enjoyed my time with Iyer in the past in IPL, and I look forward to working with him again. With his leadership and the talent in the squad, I am excited about the seasons ahead.”Iyer, 30, is among only eight captains to have won the IPL, a feat he accomplished by leading Kolkata Knight Riders, whom he led from 2022 to 2024, to the title last year. PBKS, who had the strongest purse at the mega auction for IPL 2025, outbid Delhi Capitals, another franchise on the lookout for a captain, to bag Iyer for INR 26.75 crore (USD 3.18 million approx). For a few minutes, Iyer was the most expensive player in IPL history. But Lucknow Super Giants picked Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crore (USD 3.21 mn approx) to make him the most expensive buy at an IPL auction.PBKS will be Iyer’s third franchise in the IPL after DC, with whom he made his debut in 2015, and KKR. Midway through IPL 2018, DC appointed Iyer as their captain and made the playoffs in each of the next three seasons including a runners-up finish in 2020. He also led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season, and finished fourth among the tournament’s leading run-getters with 345 runs, including a century, in nine innings at a strike rate of 188.52 and an average of over 49.

Iyer will reunite with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who was appointed PBKS head coach for four years. The pair had a successful partnership as coach-captain for DC, which Ponting said was a key factor behind PBKS bidding so fiercely for Iyer at the auction.Ponting also dropped strong hints about appointing Iyer as captain after the mega auction. “I wanted to work with Shreyas,” Ponting told after the auction. “I’ve worked with him before and he is a great guy and a great player. He’ll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I’m pretty sure we probably will. And obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year. So there are lots of great things about bringing him to Punjab.”

USA and Canada will also face off in five games in April

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2024Bangladesh will tour the USA for a three-match T20I series in May, ahead of the T20 World Cup. The two sides have never played a T20I against each other before and will use the series to prepare for the flagship tournament co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.USA will also play Canada in a five-match T20I series in April. All the games will be hosted by Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston, Texas.Bangladesh have played two T20Is in the USA across their history, both against West Indies, in 2018, and with the first two games of the campaign – against Sri Lanka and South Africa – scheduled in Dallas and New York respectively – a series going into the tournament will help them get used to the conditions.”For the Bangladesh Team, this tour serves as an ideal platform to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, CEO, Bangladesh Cricket Board, said. “We recognise the significance of this preparatory phase and are committed to making the most of this invaluable experience.”

USA vs Bangladesh T20I fixtures

• 1st T20I 21st May

• 2nd T20I 23rd May

• 3rd T20I 25th May

Bangladesh were knocked out in the group stages of the previous T20 World Cup and will hope to put on an improved show after an indifferent ODI World Cup.USA and Canada, who are set to feature in the tournament for the first time – will kick off proceedings in Dallas on June 1. The fives T20Is USA have played in the last two years all came in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in July 2022. The only T20Is Canada played in the last year were in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Region Final, which they won to qualify for the World Cup.

USA vs Canada T20I fixtures

• 1st T20I 7th April

• 2nd T20I 9th April

• 3rd T20I 10th April

• 4th T20I 12th April

• 5th T20I 13th April

“Ahead of the important Men’s T20 World Cup, these games will be vital for our team to get their working combinations, build team cohesion, and fine-tune strategies,” said Mr. Venu Pisike, Chairman of USA Cricket.Canada and USA are part of Group A – along with India, Ireland, and Pakistan – in the T20 World Cup. Bangladesh are part of group D, and will play against Nepal and Netherlands in Kingstown in the West Indies.

Essex collapse after 103-run powerplay before Masood, Wharton guide Yorkshire home

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2023Dom Bess and Matthew Revis produced career-best List A bowling figures to spark an Essex batting collapse and set up Yorkshire Vikings’ first Metro Bank One-Day Cup win of the season.Bess claimed 5 for 37 as Essex subsided from 103 for 0 – underpinned by Michael Pepper’s swashbuckling personal-best 63 from 34 balls – to 221 all out in 36 overs. Revis had earlier sliced through the Essex upper order with 4 for 54.The Vikings reached their target with 25 balls remaining, barely breaking sweat and only five wickets down. Shan Masood, their Pakistani white-ball captain, led the way with a patient 54 from 66 balls, with James Wharton seeing them over the line with an unbeaten 54 from 49 balls.Yorkshire had seen two of their previous three games in the competition abandoned without a ball bowled, and the other lost to Kent by just two runs under DLS. But they bounced back on the same wicket that Essex had won a thriller under the Chelmsford floodlights against Middlesex on Friday.Pepper’s whirlwind innings encompassed the entire powerplay before he fell to the last ball of the 10th over, skying Bess to cover. The wicket had come at a cost to Yorkshire, though, as Pepper had just gone through his repertoire off the previous three balls, sweeping, lofting over midwicket and reverse-sweeping for boundaries.In all, Pepper scored 58 of his 63 runs in boundaries, three of them clearing the ropes without bouncing, two of them in an over from Ben Coad that went for 22 as Essex rattled up three figures inside 10 overs. Das contributed 32 in the opening stand of 103 and tucked into Bess with three fours in a row during a run-a-ball 36.Michael Pepper was released by London Spirit for Essex duty•Getty Images

Tom Westley maintained the tempo in a brisk 17 before he chased a wide delivery from Revis and was caught behind. Three balls later Das drove straight back to the bowler. Luc Benkenstein put on 50 in six overs with Beau Webster, both of them hammering two sixes each as Essex continued to score at around eight an over.But that charge was stifled, starting when Revis claimed his third and fourth wickets in just six balls with Benkenstein clubbing to mid-on and Simon Harmer chipping to short midwicket.Jack Shutt had Charlie Allison lbw sweeping before Bess took centre stage with the final four wickets, three of them falling in six balls as Essex left 14 overs unused, He had Webster caught behind attempting to cut, Jamal Richards patting back a return catch, Will Buttleman beaten by one that kept low and Aron Nijjar playing on.In comparison, Yorkshire’s openers were more circumspect and had just 46 on the board at the end of the powerplay, less than half of Essex’s 10-over total. The pair were together for exactly an hour, having knocked off 80 from the target, before Bean was caught in two minds against Webster’s offspin and the ball was past him before he jerked his bat down.Fellow opener Duke reverse-swept Harmer for the first of four fours in his patient 42 before he was bowled attempting to scoop Nijjar. The spinner then had George Hill snaffled at short midwicket before Harmer dived full-length to his left to take a return catch and dismiss Will Fraine.The Vikings had become becalmed in mid-innings without a boundary for almost 10 overs before Masood added to his earlier six over long leg with successive fours off Nijjar. He put on 68 in 11 overs with Wharton to take Yorkshire within 42 of victory, but was strangled down the leg-side by Westley with Buttleman taking the catch.Wharton took Yorkshire within sight of the target with two sixes in an over from Webster, the second over midwicket to reach his first white-ball fifty from 47 balls.

Hosts ended Day 2 with a 185-run first-innings lead, with Jayasuriya bagging 5 for 102 for visitors

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2024In their only tour match ahead of their three-match Test series in England, Sri Lanka face a fight to save the game after conceding a heavy first-innings deficit to an inexperienced Lions team in Worcester.Sri Lanka were bowled out for 139 in just 43.5 overs on Wednesday, with no batter reaching 30 and Gloucestershire’s Zaman Akhter taking 5 for 32, the second five-wicket haul of his first-class career. Lions took a six-run lead heading into the second day after losing four wickets on the first evening, three of them to Prabath Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin.But by the time rain brought the second day to an early finish, Lions had secured a first-innings lead of 185. Hamza Shaikh, the 18-year-old Warwickshire batter on first-class debut, made 91 from No. 4, sharing a 104-run stand for the seventh wicket with Kasey Aldridge, the Somerset allrounder, who himself made 78.Related

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Jayasuriya finished with 5 for 102 from his 31.2 overs, with Kasun Rajitha taking 2 for 51 from 19. But Lahiru Kumara, who has not played a competitive match since June, was expensive, leaking 92 runs from his 18 overs and dismissing only tailender Ajeet Singh Dale.Lions are fielding an under-strength side, with two first-class debutants in Shaikh and Farhan Ahmed, whose elder brother Rehan has played in all three formats for England. The ECB have only pulled one player – Josh Hull, who has made two appearances for Manchester Originals – out of the Hundred, which features most of the country’s best young players.Sri Lanka have not played a Test since their tour to Bangladesh earlier this year, which ended at the start of April, and most of their squad have not played any first-class cricket since the domestic four-day tournament finished in early May. Vishwa Fernando, who is not playing against Lions, took 12 wickets in two appearances for Yorkshire in June.Sri Lanka’s 18-man squad will travel from Worcester to Manchester after the tour game ahead of the first of three Tests against England, which starts on Wednesday at Emirates Old Trafford. They will be joined in Manchester by former England batter Ian Bell, who has been recruited as a batting coach for the series to provide local knowledge.

Mahedi bagged 4 for 11 in the third T20I, as Bangladesh won their first T20I series against Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam17-Jul-2025Bangladesh captain Litton Das had earmarked offspinner Mahedi Hasan for the third T20I at the R Premadasa Stadium when he first saw their tour schedule for Sri Lanka. Mahedi repaid the faith by picking up career-best figures of 4 for 11 in Bangladesh’s eight-wicket win, which also gave them their first series win – by 2-1 – against Sri Lanka.Two of Mahedi’s wickets came in the powerplay, taking his tally to 30 in that phase since January 2021, the most for any spinner on that list. Litton said that Mahedi’s skillset suited the pitch, where spinners have generally done well. Mahedi got into the act straightaway on Wednesday night, removing Kusal Perera in his first over before having Dinesh Chandimal mistime a slog in the fifth.”We felt that Mahedi’s skills would be a perfect fit for the Colombo wicket,” Litton said after Bangladesh’s victory. “It doesn’t mean he doesn’t bowl well on other wickets. I had planned it as soon as I saw the schedule that Mahedi will be my first name in the line-up at this venue. It also doesn’t mean that Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] is not a good bowler or batter. As a team leader, I will think deeply about the surface before choosing a team. A bowling-friendly surface will always make me pick Mahedi. If it is batting-friendly, Miraz will come back into the team.”Related

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The occasion was further special for Mahedi, as he was returning to the side after missing Bangladesh’s last five T20Is. He wasn’t picked in the first two matches of this series after he went for plenty of runs in three games against UAE and Pakistan in May. It may have been harsh for Mahedi, who was adjudged Player of the Series in the West Indies in December, having powered Bangladesh to a 3-0 series win.Litton said he never had a shortage of belief, which helped them clinch the series, making it only the second time Bangladesh won a T20I series after going down 1-0 in a three-match affair.”It is a proud moment for me as a captain. I am happy that the fans are also happy seeing us win a T20I series in Sri Lanka,” he said. “We always try to give our 100% in the middle. We train in the way that we can give 100% in the middle. I always had the belief. I never had a shortage of belief in my ten years at this level.”Litton further said that other than the batting collapses – 94 all out in the second T20I, 186 all out in the third ODI and 167 all out in the first ODI – Bangladesh had a decent tour of Sri Lanka. He felt that the batting unit must take more responsibility across formats.Litton Das scored 76 in the second T20I, while his 32 in the third helped Bangladesh out of an early setback•Associated Press

“We didn’t play bad cricket in all the formats. It looks different as we had some batting collapses,” he said. “All the batters fell for 30-35 runs in the second Test, which had a good batting track. Someone had to play a big knock. It was the same in the first ODI: we lost plenty of wickets in a collapse. We need to be more focused as a batting unit, and take responsibility with our choices of shots, [and] we will do better.”Litton himself showed a bit of form, with his 76 off 50 in Bangladesh’s 83-run win in the second T20I. It was a pivotal knock as Litton added half-century stands with Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain in critical phases. It was also a break from his long white-ball slump. Litton also scored 32 in the third T20I, helping Bangladesh out of an early setback. He said he was getting hungry to score runs and looking for an opportunity.”I think hunger was a factor, I wasn’t scoring runs for a long time,” he said. “I was looking for an opportunity to grab. It was a plus point in the second T20I. I think winning changes the face of the team. We also won the second game by 83 runs, which is a huge achievement. The whole team had the confidence of winning if we played our best cricket.”All I can do is try hard. I don’t sit in the hotel room. I don’t miss training sessions. You have to keep trying as a player. You also need blessing from God. I think luck smiled at me in the second T20I. But I keep trying hard on and off the field. I worked on my own mostly. There are some people who helped me. It can be motivating too.”

Commanding day’s batting as Foxes build on confidence from first-round victory

ECB Reporters Network13-Apr-2023Leicestershire 243 for 2 (Ackermann 79*, Hill 75*, Budinger 72) vs Derbyshire Half-centuries from Sol Budinger, Lewis Hill and Colin Ackermann saw Leicestershire lay the foundations for a big first innings score after being put in on a shortened first day of their LV Insurance county championship fixture against Derbyshire.Bowling first was an understandable decision on the part of Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy after play could not start until early afternoon due to a wet outfield at Grace Road.But although Leicestershire lost Rishi Patel for just 8, caught at second slip by Wayne Madsen after edging a Ben Aitchison delivery that may have bounced slightly more than the batter expected, Budinger had already shown there were no demons in the pitch.The former Notts batter hit three fours in the first over he faced and continued to go for his shots, thumping eleven fours and a six in going to a first-class best 72 before top-edging an attempted pull to mid-on.Hill, playing rather more circumspectly, was then joined by Ackermann in putting together an unbroken partnership of 141 for the third wicket, offering no chances as the visitors toiled in a bitterly cold wind.Both sides could be said to have come into this match with something to prove. Leicestershire that their remarkable win against Yorkshire last week – the county’s first first-class victory at Headingley since 1910 – was a genuine indication of progress, as opposed to the flash in the pan cynics suggested: Derbyshire that their unexpected defeat at Worcestershire was a consequence of over-confidence as much as under-performance, and therefore correctable.A wet – in some places close to muddy – outfield meant that although the morning was dry and sunny, no play was possible throughout the morning session. Umpires Tom Lungley and Neil Pratt eventually decided play could commence at 2.15, and though rain clouds skirted the ground throughout the rest of the day, 63 overs proved possible.Budinger, playing only his ninth first-class innings, hit the ball wonderfully cleanly from the off, and with Hill playing an anchor role at three, Ackermann also unfurled a series of fine drives and cuts, passing 50 for the third time in as many innings this season.With Peter Handscomb, Wiaan Mulder and Rehan Ahmed – who before play received his full Leicestershire cap, the first Foxes player do so after being capped for England – among those to come, the home side will already be hoping to build a big enough score to bat only once in the match.

He believes this West Indies unit includes a number of match-winners who can bring home another world title

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Jun-2024After two disappointing T20 World Cups, where they failed to qualify for the semi-finals in 2021 and progress past the first round in 2022, Nicholas Pooran believes that West Indies are now ready to “redeem” themselves. With this year’s edition being co-hosted by the West Indies, Pooran said that the squad is hungry to rekindle that “special feeling” Daren Sammy’s men had experienced when they won the title in 2012 and 2016.”Coming back in here after two years, everybody wants to get that special feeling we had when we won those two T20 World Cups,” Pooran told ESPNcricinfo from his home in Trinidad. “I feel like everybody wants that moment again. They want to be a part of that winning feeling. Doing it in front of our fans is even more special.”Pooran replaced Kieron Pollard as West Indies’ white-ball captain in May 2022, but by November he had stepped down, a decision Cricket West Indies took as part of a review immediately after the 2022 World Cup failure. Rovman Powell leads them now. At the 2022 T20 World Cup, which was played in Australia, West Indies won just one of their three matches in the first round, crashing out as Zimbabwe and Ireland progressed ahead of them.Related

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Pooran, 28, said both him and several members of the current squad have moved on since. “We all have grown as players, as team-mates as well,” he said. “When we played in Australia where we didn’t qualify, everyone was hurt. I resigned [from] captaincy after that as well. Everyone was hurt. But we are no longer that group of guys.”We all know what’s at stake here. We all know that we have an opportunity to obviously redeem ourselves, make our cricket fans in the Caribbean and our cricket fans all over the world proud of us [and] happy. This time around we are much better players as well. Most of our guys that play franchise cricket, they understand what is needed to be a professional as well.”Pooran was among half-a-dozen players from West Indies’ World Cup squad of 15 that didn’t feature in the recent three-match T20I series at home against South Africa, which they won 3-0 under the captaincy of Brandon King. The other five players who had missed that series were Andre Russell, Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph and Sherfane Rutherford.Pooran was impressed with how West Indies, despite the absence of the senior players, were “fighting” to perform and win.”If you just look at the series we played against South Africa, a few guys were missing, but we were able to win that series 3-nil,” Pooran said. “You saw the performances, you saw that guys are fighting and that’s really important. We may win, we may not win, but what’s more important for me, as a senior player as well, is that we need to give it 100% on and off the field.”It’s not about us, it’s about our team, 100%. It’s important for me to continue to share that message: that it’s not about me or ourselves. It’s not about us at all. It’s all about what we can do for this team to be successful in the end.”Rovman Powell and Andre Russell lend depth to West Indies’ line-up•Getty Images

‘West Indies have numerous match-winners’

While announcing West Indies’ T20 World Cup squad in early May, batting great Desmond Haynes, who is presently the chief selector, pointed out that they were capable of winning the title. Sitting next to Haynes, the head coach Sammy said West Indies had 15 X-factor players. Along with Sammy, this current West Indies unit has two players – Russell and Johnson Charles – who were part of the T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016. West Indies are now looking to become the first team to win a T20 World Cup at home.While Pooran will clearly be one of the key batters in the middle order, West Indies have more firepower with the likes of Powell, Russell, Hetmyer, Rutherford and Shepherd making them one of the most destructive batting line-ups in the tournament. Russell, in particular, comes into this in top form – both with bat and ball – having helped Kolkata Knight Riders win their third IPL title.Pooran said the presence of Russell, who had returned to the West Indies T20I fold last December after a long hiatus, would no doubt sprinkle positivity across the dressing room. “He’s a winner. He wins T20 games,” Pooran said. “He wins tournaments and whenever you have that experience in the dressing room, it helps a lot, especially in a World Cup. Experience is key.”West Indies, however, are not just about Russell. Pooran stressed that West Indies had a number of other match-winners.”We have Rovy [Powell], we have Hetmyer, we have Rutherford, we have Sheppy [Shepherd],” Pooran said. “These guys have been doing brilliantly for themselves and for their franchises and for West Indies in the last 12 months. And I even think that takes a lot of pressure off Russell as well. It definitely takes a lot of pressure off me.”Pooran cited the example of the third and final T20I against Australia in Perth this February which West Indies won by 37 runs, despite losing wickets in a heap in the early exchanges.”I remember that last game in Perth. We were struggling, we were probably 70 for 4 [79 for 5],” Pooran recalled, “and we scored 215 [220 for 6]. Russell and Rutherford scored 70 apiece [71 and 67 respectively]. They just tore Australia’s bowling apart. Just to have these guys … makes you not worry that much.”In saying that, every single individual still has to do their jobs. But the beauty about our team is that we have players that, on their day, they can win a game for you in T20 cricket. That’s what you want. We have numerous match-winners on our team.”

He says the Dhaka Test against South Africa – which is still awaiting CSA’s security clearance – will be his last

Mohammad Isam26-Sep-2024Shakib Al Hasan has said that the Dhaka Test against South Africa in October will be his last. Speaking to the media ahead of the Kanpur Test against India, he also said the 2024 T20 World Cup, which was in June, was his final T20 assignment for Bangladesh, meaning his only international appearances going forward will be in ODIs.The series against South Africa is still tentative, with Cricket South Africa yet to give it security clearance after inspections of the venue earlier this week. That follows on from the unrest in Bangladesh in July and August in which several hundreds of people were killed. Shakib was a member of parliament of the Awami League-led government, against whom the protests were directed. Since the fall of the Awami League-led government on August 5, Shakib has faced complications and has not been in the country.”I am available for the South Africa series but since there’s a lot happening back home, naturally not everything depends on me,” Shakib said. “I have discussed my plans about Test cricket with the BCB. Especially this series and the home series. I was thinking that it could be my last Test series.”I have told [BCB president] Faruque [Ahmed] and the selectors. If there’s a chance and if I can play, my last Test will be in Mirpur. The board is trying to ensure that I can play and feel safe, at the same time that I can leave the country without a hitch.””I am a citizen of Bangladesh, so I shouldn’t have any problem going back to Bangladesh,” he said. “My concern is my safety and security in Bangladesh. My close friends and family members are concerned. I hope things are getting better. There should be a solution to it.”If the South Africa series does not go ahead, this Test in Kanpur, starting on Friday, will be his last – but the South Africa Tests are expected to go ahead.Shakib said that the recent weeks have been difficult for him, particularly when a murder case was filed against him. “It has been tough for me. Only Allah knows how I am focused on the game. Even I don’t know. There is a case against me. Everyone has the rights. You all know what type of case it is or where I was and what I was doing at that time. I don’t want to talk much about it.”Shakib however said that the decision to quit Tests and T20Is wasn’t an emotional one. He said that he discussed the matter with BCB president Faruque Ahmed and the Gazi Ashraf Hossain-led selection committee in recent days. He said that this, at age 37, is the right time for him to leave the two formats.”I am not hurt or disappointed. I think it is the right time to move on, and create a place for the new players. I have also informed the selectors and board president that I should move on from T20Is as well. I think I have played my last T20 in the World Cup [in June]. I won’t be playing the upcoming T20 series [against India and West Indies] where the new players have opportunities.”It is the best chance to take a look at new players. It will be a good move to build the team towards the 2026 T20 World Cup. We have taken this as a collective decision.”I am happy with the decision. I don’t have any regrets in my life. I have enjoyed my cricket career. I think it is the right time for me and Bangladesh cricket. The board president and selectors feel that it is the right time too.”Shakib leaves behind a rich legacy in both formats. He is the only cricketer in T20Is to score more than 2,500 runs and take 100-plus wickets. At the time of his retirement, he is the third-highest wicket-taker in the format.Shakib’s Test numbers have been invaluable to Bangladesh. He has 242 wickets and 4,600 runs in his 70 Tests leading into Kanpur. Currently he is among five cricketers – Jacques Kallis, Kapil Dev, Daniel Vettori and Ian Botham being the others – with 240 wickets and 4,500 runs.He was the No. 1 allrounder in both formats for many seasons too, and captained Bangladesh in both.Shakib will continue playing T20 franchise leagues.