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In the thrilling relegation play-off match which had all the emotion of a contest for survival, Brothers Union hit a six off the final ball to beat Agrani Bank in Savar

The Report by Mohammad Isam04-Apr-2018Nazmus Sadat’s scooped four off Rishi Dhawan’s final ball of the match earned his team a spot in the Dhaka Premier League for next season. In the thrilling relegation play-off match in BKSP which had all the emotion of a contest for survival, Brothers Union defeated Agrani Bank by four wickets.Needing nine runs off the final over, Sadat took a single off the first ball before Debabrata Das fell next ball. He had made 73 off 62 balls with six fours and three sixes, one of four fifties that propelled Brothers Union to 335 for 6.After Das’ dismissal, Sadat took a two and a single off the next two balls, before getting the strike back for the last ball with four runs needed to keep his club afloat. His audacious shot sunk Agrani Bank who had only earned promotion to the DPL this year. They now join Kalabagan Krira Chakra as the two clubs demoted to the Dhaka First Division Cricket League in the 2018-19 season.Brothers Union’s win also put to shade Soumya Sarkar’s blazing 154 off 127 balls that contained 11 sixes and nine fours, his first century in any competitive match in nearly three years. Soumya and Dhawan added 171 runs for the fifth wicket, which took Agrani Bank to 307-5 from a precarious 136 for four.Dhawan made an unbeaten 65-ball 80 that had nine fours and a six, but he saw helplessly as Agrani Bank’s last five wickets fell in the last 18 balls, adding just eight runs. In all the big-hitting carnage, Sohrawordi Shuvo and Shakhawat Hossain took three wickets each.The Brothers Union openers Mizanur Rahman and Junaid Siddique added 121 runs in just 13.4 overs before Mizanur fell for 62. He struck nine fours and two sixes in his 45-ball knock. Junaid, who top scored with 83, then added 77 runs for the second wicket with Myshukur Rahman. Junaid hit eight fours and two sixes but even after he fell in the 29th over, Myshukur and Das continued the onslaught. They added 88 runs for the third wicket with Myshukur making 82 off 95 balls with five fours and a six.The three partnerships took Brothers Union to within 49 runs of Agrani Bank’s 334, which they toppled thanks to Sadat’s cool thinking in the last over.The thrilling encounter sets up the DPL’s finale nicely, as Abahani Limited and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club have all to play for in the final day of matches in Mirpur and BKSP.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has emphasised the need for his batsmen to give his bowlers a chance on the tour of South Africa by getting runs in tough conditions

Sa'adi Thawfeeq10-Dec-2016Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has emphasised the need for his batsmen to give his bowlers a chance on the tour of South Africa by getting runs in tough conditions. Mathews said the team had been batting on granite to try and get used to extra bounce ahead of the three-Test series beginning on December 26.”With Dushmantha Chameera coming back into the team and young Vikum Sanjaya earning his spot, we have got a fairly decent pace attack which can put them under pressure, but we need to score runs as a batting unit,” Mathews said ahead of the team’s departure for South Africa. “It’s going to be our main challenge; the boys have worked extremely hard in the past few weeks.”Part of that hard work was facing deliveries coming off granite surfaces to try and mimic the conditions in South Africa. “The pace the boys are used to, it’s just the the bounce and the conditions that we need to get used to,” Mathews said. “We used a lot of granite stuff, especially the batters. When you use a piece of granite, the ball is coming on to you quicker. The granite is laid down on the pitch and you can throw the ball on it so that it comes on quicker.”We’ve done everything possible to try and counterattack the South African fast bowlers and get used to their conditions. We have about 12 days before we play our first Test on Boxing Day. We’ll try and use those days to the maximum so that we get things right.”Mathews was aiming to break the predominant trend in modern-day cricket, where teams struggle to win away from home. Sri Lanka won a Test series 2-0 in Zimbabwe in October and November but South Africa, who won 2-1 in Australia recently, are significantly tougher opponents. When Sri Lanka last toured South Africa, in 2011-12, they lost the three-Test series 1-2.”Most of the teams do well and win at home but struggle overseas. It happens to any team but we want to try and achieve some wins overseas and turn the tables,” Mathews said. “I am confident that my team can do it. We got a good combination where we have five fast bowlers, two experienced spinners and a solid batting order.”Sri Lanka’s batting was boosted by the return of Mathews, who recovered from a leg injury, and Dinesh Chandimal, whose broken hand had healed. They will slot into the middle order along with Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva. Mathews hoped that his side would have stability, which he said was a reason for South Africa’s success.”Except for one or two changes, they are pretty much a settled team for the past four-five years,” Mathews said of South Africa. “They have been going with the same sort of players, maximum 20. They have managed a set combination and now the results are showing. The settled combination is the one that has led to their success today.”We are now doing the same, we talked about it a lot. The solution is not to chop and change but be patient with the players.”Sri Lanka have a three-day warm-up game in Potchefstroom before the first Test in Port Elizabeth from December 26. The second Test is in Cape Town from January 2 and the third in Johannesburg from January 12, after which the teams play three T20Is and five ODIs.

Bangladesh will host the Asia Cup in February 2016 and it will include T20 contests for the first time

Mohammad Isam28-Oct-2015At a meeting in Singapore on Tuesday, it was decided the Asia Cup will be held in Bangladesh for the third consecutive time. The five-nation regional tournament featuring the hosts, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and an Associate, will begin on February 24 and the final will be held on March 6. With the World T20 scheduled to begin five days later, the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup will be the first that includes Twenty20 contests as well.”Pakistan raised the point that Bangladesh should host next year’s Asia Cup and everyone agreed,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan told reporters in Dhaka on Wednesday. “Four Test nations will get direct entry while one Associate nation will come through the qualifying tournament. We also discussed whether there can be more cricket at the Under-19 level between the Asian countries.”Afghanistan, Oman, Hong Kong and UAE, who will play host, will compete in the qualifying tournament to be held at the end of November. The previous two editions of the Asia Cup were held in Dhaka in 2012 and 2014. This will be the fifth time the tournament is being held in Bangladesh, having previously hosted in 1988 and 2000 too.

Nick Compton praised the role of Alastair Cook in helping nurse him towards a maiden Test hundred

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin09-Mar-2013Nick Compton praised the role of Alastair Cook in helping nurse him towards a maiden Test hundred on the fourth day in Dunedin. The pair combined for their third century opening stand in 10 innings, with Cook scoring his 24th Test hundred, and Compton was grateful for the experience of his captain as he edged towards three figures.Cook, who fell with Compton on 99, did not have to wait for more than a few days for his first Test century, which came in just his second innings against India in Nagpur. While Compton’s wait has not been too long the final moments were surrounded by tension. Compton’s innings had started to flow more freely after a sticky start against the new ball, but once the 90s arrived scoring seized up again and, for a short while, it appeared he could be stranded overnight short of the milestone.”He’s fantastic, a real solid grounding sort of guy. He’s a special guy,” Compton said. “Both of us weren’t moving our feet too well early on and probably got away with it a little bit. It grew from there. It was great to have that over-by-over focus. He’s a tough character and he kept me going when at times I wanted to get on with it a little bit.”The Cook-Compton partnership replaced one of the most settled of England’s history. Cook walked out with Andrew Strauss in 117 innings and they are comfortably England’s most prolific first-wicket pair whose 4711 runs together included 12 century stands. The new era, however, has started productively with three hundred partnerships in 10 innings.They are now only one behind three pairs who had lengthy associations – Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch (four in 49 innings), Michael Atherton and Marcus Trescothick (four in 30), Atherton and Mark Butcher (four in 32). Currently, too, for partnerships that have lasted at least 10 innings they sit second behind Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe in terms of average. A skewed statistic, yes, but one nonetheless that shows their early success.Before the Test, Cook spoke about the differences in their characters – the intensity of Compton – and how life has changed since he is no longer opening with Strauss. He said he felt a duty, as the senior man, to help Compton along.”I think you get a bit more intense when the pressure is on and you are searching for runs, trying to get yourself together,” Compton said. “I’ve always been someone who analyses myself quite a lot, probably to the detriment but I also think it’s got me to where I have – the hunger and the drive. Alastair is a very balanced guy, very level-headed guy.”When Cook finally fell, shortly before the close, edging behind off Trent Boult with the second new ball, the stand of 231 was England’s highest for the first wicket since Strauss and Trescothick added 273 against South Africa at Durban in 2004, which was the beginning of another rearguard after a poor first innings, and also their eighth-highest ever upfront.It has given England a good chance of salvaging a draw after two horrid days in another slow start to an overseas series. “We put ourselves in this position, we’re well aware of that,” Compton said. “We weren’t good enough in the first innings and New Zealand were right on it. They batted brilliantly, they bowled well. So it was a bit of a kick up the proverbial, if you know what I mean. It was a case of really trying to get back into it.”

Lalit Modi and Sanjay Dixit, one-time bitter rivals in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), have announced a truce and decided to stand united against the current state administration, headed by CP Joshi

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Feb-2012Lalit Modi and Sanjay Dixit, one-time bitter rivals in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), have announced a truce and decided to stand united against the current state administration, headed by CP Joshi. Ousted IPL chairman Modi, who was defeated by Joshi – a minister in the federal government – in the 2009 RCA elections, announced his patch-up with Dixit via his Twitter account.
“RCA should only have people who will serve the game and [work for the] betterment of the game. There can be no compromise [on] that,” Modi wrote. “@Sanjay_Dixit has done that too. Others are there [in power now] because of our differences in the past. Not because they have done anything for the game.””When two persons with [a] passion for cricket combine, [the] sky is the limit,” Dixit wrote in reply to Modi’s positive tweet.Facing a common rival in Joshi has probably played its part in both Modi and Dixit joining forces. It was Joshi who suspended Dixit from his post of secretary, following a rift over the appointment of RCA officials last July. At the time, Modi had supported the move. “Dixit was ruining cricket in Rajasthan. Irregularities have become common in the RCA’s functioning,” Modi was quoted as saying by the . In response to that quote Dixit had tweeted: “Fugitives are not allowed in the RCA, whether through front door or back door”.But the bitterness of the past has seemingly now been replaced by a more accommodating attitude. Dixit told ESPNcricinfo, cryptically, that his past differences with Modi were “more of form than that of substance” and was reluctant to elaborate.The next RCA election is about fifteen months away and Dixit said that the patch-up was made keeping in mind the “long term” benefits. “He [Modi] was in power at the RCA, and I had two-and-a-half years [in charge]. We are the only two people who have done something for Rajasthan cricket,” he said. “Shri CP Joshi has no idea of cricket. So we have decided to bury our differences in the interest of Rajasthan cricket.”Dixit said that the current RCA setup, chaired by Joshi, had been keeping him from actively participating in the administration of cricket in the state. “I still am the honorary secretary [of the RCA] but because of some disputes, I am not getting [to play an] active part. [It’s] because of Dr CP Joshi’s style of functioning.”

Robin Singh, the former India allrounder, has been appointed coach of the USA’s Under-19 team

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2011Robin Singh, the former India allrounder, has been appointed coach of the USA’s Under-19 team and is in talks with United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) about taking over the national team as well. He will help the Under-19 team prepare for the ICC Americas Region Division 1 tournament, which begins in February, and replace Sew Sewnarine as coach.He previously coached the IPL franchise Deccan Chargers and is presently involved with the Mumbai Indians. He had also been fielding coach of the Indian team and has played 136 ODIs.

Andrew Strauss is eager to resume his day job after missing the tour of Bangladesh for a two-month break that he hopes will help England defend the Ashes in Australia next winter

Andrew McGlashan26-Mar-2010Andrew Strauss is eager to resume his day job after missing the tour of Bangladesh for a two-month break that he hopes will help England defend the Ashes in Australia next winter. Strauss controversially opted to miss the trip to the subcontinent and handed the reigns to Alastair Cook with a view to ensuring he won’t be burnt out by the time the squad head down under in November and then onto the World Cup.However, he’ll have to wait a little longer to get his hands back on the tiller because, on the merry-go-round that is the England captaincy, Paul Collingwood will take charge for the World Twenty20 in West Indies before Strauss returns for the first Test, against Bangladesh, on May 27. Strauss’s decision to rest was criticised in many quarters, but when the move was announced at the end of the South Africa tour he was adamant it was the best thing for the team and has not changed his mind.”I can understand because their argument that a captain should there all the time,” he said, “but as I said I think we have to look at ways of making the most out of the players we’ve got – both myself and others – and how to get the best out of our players when we need them. The Ashes is a huge series for us and the World Cup a huge one-day tournament for us and we need to be peaking there.”This wasn’t a unilateral decision that I said I didn’t want to go to Bangladesh, it was something we have talked about for a couple of months. When you do something different there will always be criticism for it and I hope in time we’ll see the benefits. It was about winning two series which we did and me missing it was about prioritising the cricket we have ahead of us.”England returned from the tour having secured a 3-0 one-day whitewash and 2-0 result in the Test series despite some tough resistance from Bangladesh. But there were times during the tour when Cook’s lack of captaincy experience was exposed, none more so than the second morning in Dhaka when the hosts’ tail added valuable runs.However, although Strauss admitted he “wasn’t up at three every morning” to watch the Tests, he saw enough to be impressed by Cook’s leadership and believes he will benefit in the long-term. He also resisted any temptation to captain from afar and his communication with Cook was limited to a few text messages of congratulations.”I think Alastair has done an excellent job, he has done things his own way, to an extent, which is fine, and he’s carried things on,” he said during a NatWest Cricket Force event in Middlesex. “You can’t argue with the fact they’ve won three one-dayers and two Tests which builds useful momentum for the season. I think it’s been a pretty steep learning curve for him but one from he’ll have benefited from immensely.”Before he went I said you’ve got to do it your way to get benefit out of it and I think he’s done that. I had the odd text message when he’d done well, but it was his show and Andy Flower’s show and he can take credit for what he achieved.”Everything for the England team this year is geared towards the Ashes defence and Strauss didn’t rule out resting other players during the season. Andy Flower has hinted that Stuart Broad would be the next in line for a break, while Collingwood’s workload may also be managed as he plays all three formats.”I don’t know about that,” Strauss said. “We are going to have to see how the players are doing and what their state of mind is, but if there is an opportunity to rest one or two then we’ll be looking at that because we want the team in as good a frame of mind come the Ashes. But what games they miss and if indeed anyone does miss any cricket can only be decided when we get to those situations and sometimes it will depend on our position in a series.”For Strauss, though, the focus for the next few weeks is Middlesex and he will pick up a bat for the first time in pre-season on Monday having been fortunate enough to miss the county’s boot-camp trip to an army training facility. Middlesex could benefit from Strauss’s presence for up to seven Championship matches and five 40-over games.”It’s been nice to spend time with the family, but also in the gym and get some real improvement fitness-wise,” he said. “I’m chomping at the bit now to get out there and play.”

Forty players listed at the maximum base price of INR 2 crore; Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi the only Indians among them

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-20258:03

Will KKR go all-out to get Cameron Green in?

A total of 359 players are set to feature in the IPL 2026 mini-auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Of these, 40 players have listed themselves for the maximum base price of INR 2 crore, with Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi the only Indians among them.Cameron Green, who is tipped to become the most expensive buy, has listed himself as a batter and will appear in the first set. Devon Conway, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller and Prithvi Shaw are the others in that set.Quinton de Kock, Dunith Wellalage, and George Linde, who were not part of the longlist, have been included in the final list.Related

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• IPL auction: Green could be biggest buy, but can't cross INR 18 crore mark

Of the 359 players shortlisted, 244 are Indian and 115 from overseas. The auction will commence with a full round of capped players. The order will be batters, allrounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers and spinners, followed by a full round of uncapped players. The accelerated process will begin after player No. 70 and will cover the rest of the players. The franchises will then be asked to submit the names of the unsold players from the overall list for further accelerated rounds.A total of 77 slots are available to be filled at the auction, including 31 for overseas players. Kolkata Knight Riders have the biggest purse of INR 64.30 crore and also have 13 slots left to fill, including six overseas slots. Chennai Super Kings are the next with INR 43.4 crores. They have nine slots vacant.