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The Bangladesh captain applauded the duo after the first ODI against West Indies but wants his side to show more consistency

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2018The way Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan batted in the first ODI against West Indies was how the team wanted them to, according to captain Mashrafe Mortaza. There has been some criticism for how slowly they changed gears from the 40th to 45th overs, particularly as the period coincided with both batting in their 90s, but Bangladesh eventually won by 48 runs, a huge relief for a side that recently lasted only six days in a two-Test series.On Sunday, after Bangladesh had lost a wicket in the second over at the Providence Stadium, Tamim and Shakib added 207 runs for the second wicket. They looked in command after the 25th over once they tackled a dry pitch that offered turn to Devendra Bishoo, Ashley Nurse and Jason Mohammad. But the duo didn’t hit a boundary in the last 9.3 overs of their partnership, with Shakib eventually falling on 97 while trying to slog Bishoo in the 45th over.Tamim went on to score his tenth ODI hundred but it was Bangladesh’s slowest in the format. Mushfiqur Rahim, who arrived at the crease in the 47th over, gave the innings a much-needed boost, adding 54 with Tamim in just 20 balls. Mushfiqur blasted 30 off 11 balls with three fours and two sixes.Mashrafe said Tamim and Shakib believed a 250-plus score was enough on the Providence Stadium pitch with Bangladesh having two specialists and two part-time spinners in their line-up.”If they [Tamim and Shakib] didn’t bat that way on that turning wicket, we would have ended up on around 220 runs,” Mashrafe said. “We wanted to ensure that we reached 250. They felt chasing at least 250 would be tough on this wicket. They didn’t take up unnecessary time; they batted like the team had wanted them to bat.”If their spinners took one or two wickets, we would have been in trouble. I think Shakib and Tamim batted really well.”Mashrafe said he went into the game confident that a good innings from one of Bangladesh’s batsmen would change the mood around the team. But he stressed that the freshly-gained confidence must translate into consistency.”I was confident, but if we kept thinking about what happened so far on the tour, this win wouldn’t have been possible. We should have shown this consistency much earlier. We now have to keep at it,” he said. “I had confidence that a good innings or two would change the picture. We have a good enough bowling attack in ODIs to defend 280 runs.”Bangladesh and West Indies play the second ODI, a day-night game, at the same venue on July 25.

Hunt joined the Lord’s groundstaff in December 1969 and became head groundsman in 1985

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2018Lord’s groundsman Mick Hunt will retire at the end of the current season after 49 years in the role.Hunt joined the Lord’s groundstaff in December 1969 and became head groundsman in 1985 following the retirement of Jim Fairbrother.The MCC will now begin a recruitment process for Hunt’s successor and the new man will begin with a very high-profile 2019 season which will include Lord’s hosting the World Cup final and an Ashes Test against Australia.Hunt’s last international pitch will be for the second Test against India next month.”Mick has given outstanding service to MCC and to Lord’s, and he will be a very tough act to follow,” said John Stephenson, MCC assistant secretary. “World Cup Finals, Tests and one-day internationals featuring some of the biggest names in cricket have all been played here on pitches that he has prepared.”There is something special about playing on the hallowed turf at Lord’s that inspires cricketers at every level to deliver great performances, with some earning a place on the Dressing Room Honours Boards. Mick retires one year short of a half-century, but his place in the history of Lord’s is assured.”

The seamer became the third South Africa women’s bowler to claim 100 wickets in ODIs. She finished with figures of 9-2-14-3 as West Indies were bowled out for 161 while chasing 202

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2018ICC/Getty Images

Marizanne Kapp’s economy and potency with the ball led South Africa’s defence of 201 in the first ODI in Bridgetown, where West Indies slumped to a 40-run defeat. The seamer finished with figures of 9-2-14-3 as West Indies were bowled out with four overs still to play.The win was South Africa’s third in seven Women’s Championship matches; they are now second from bottom on the table, but have played two games fewer than Sri Lanka, India, England and table-toppers New Zealand.Kapp dealt an early blow to West Indies’ hopes when she had Hayley Matthews caught behind off the second ball of the chase. In doing so she became the third South Africa women’s bowler – after Dane van Niekerk and Shabnim Ismail – to claim 100 wickets in ODIs. By the end of the 15th over, West Indies were three down for 45 with the debutant medium-pacer Tumi Sekhukhune sending back Stafanie Taylor and Chedean Nation.West Indies had recovered somewhat to 84 for 4 when the legspinner Sune Luus ended a cameo from Deandra Dottin (19 off 21) in the 24th over. Kapp took two in three balls in the next over, effectively ending the contest, which was only prolonged by a 71-ball 46 from Shemaine Campbelle, who was last out to Zintle Mali, who finished with 2 for 11 from three overs.Sent in to bat, South Africa seemed set for a big score at 104 for 1, as Laura Wolvaardt and Luus added 99 for the second wicket. Both fell in quick succession, however – Luus for 58 off 86 balls, her seventh ODI fifty – and the innings never recovered. Wickets fell steadily at one end, Taylor picking up 3 for 37 with her offspin, but captain Dane van Niekerk scored an unbeaten 46 off 77 balls to ensure South Africa batted through their 50 overs, finishing nine down.

Zimbabwe are having trouble closing out games, according to their head coach, but he’s backing them to deliver in the second ODI against Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam23-Oct-2018Zimbabwe are pinning their hopes on the senior batsmen to get big scores in the second ODI against Bangladesh on Wednesday. The head coach Lalchand Rajput was hopeful that incremental gains made over his tenure, which began on a permanent basis in August 2018, will begin to show soon.Brendan Taylor is a year into his return from retirement. Sean Williams has scored two fifties in four games and even Hamilton Masakadza – who has played all of Zimbabwe’s nine ODIs under Rajput – has scored just one fifty and sports a batting average of 25.88. Elton Chigumbura, who was dropped in the first ODI in Dhaka, has made just 107 runs in six games. Nevertheless, Rajput backed them to come good so that Zimbabwe could close out games better.”It is a long list [of losses] but in the first eight games we didn’t have our players,” he said. “Now the senior players have returned and we are getting closer but not crossing the line. South Africa were 100 for 7 in one game but we couldn’t win. Even in the T20Is. We are getting it together but the day will come soon that we will cross the line.”The senior players have to take responsibility. Masakadza got a hundred in the practice game so hopefully he can convert into the ODIs. BT [Brendon Taylor] is getting starts so hopefully a big score will come. I am sure they also feel they have to get a big score. It is coming, I am sure it is coming very soon.”Zimbabwe had two big moments when they could have taken control of the series opener they played on Sunday. They had Bangladesh at 139 for 6 in the 30th over but couldn’t capitalise, and later, chasing a target of 272, they made little use of a strong start provided by opener Cephas Zhuwao.Another concern for Rajput was the lengths his bowlers hit in the last few overs of the Bangladesh innings. Imrul Kayes and Mohammad Safiuddin were fed a diet of full and good length balls that they could easily slog, helping them score 85 runs off the last 60 balls. And this was after Zimbabwe committed the same mistake against South Africa when they let Dale Steyn score his maiden ODI half-century earlier this month.”We bowled really well in the first 30-35 overs. So we have to look at the death overs,” Rajput said. “We have addressed it so hopefully we will do better in this game.”

The batsman’s unbeaten 62 steered Pakistan to 139 for 3 at stumps after Trent Boult dismissed the openers cheaply

Danyal Rasool04-Dec-2018Stumps Progress was so slow it was barely progress at times, but Pakistan showed New Zealand they could gut out a first-innings total, too. After a brisk start pursuing New Zealand’s 274, Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail, and then Azhar and Asad Shafiq, toiled for the last 49 overs of the day, adding just 78 runs to the tally during that period. However, with only three wickets lost and trailing by 135, Sarfraz Ahmed may feel his side is slightly ahead two days into this deciding Test match in Abu Dhabi.Following on his valiant, if ultimately heartbreaking, half-century at this venue in the first Test and an 81 in Dubai, Azhar looks to be recovering from the loss of form that had dogged him since the retirements of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan. With 38 runs away from three figures, he will hope he can register his first international hundred since that pair called it quits, not just for his own peace of mind, but also because it is pivotal to Pakistan eking out a first-innings lead.Shafiq, too, needs to look beyond the pretty 40s he is more accustomed to making, and consider partnering Azhar for the long haul. He has worked hard for the 26 he has put on, coming off 87 balls, but with him, the danger of a soft dismissal is never far. He should need no reminding it was the manner of his dismissal after a partnership with Azhar that set the wheels in motion for a painful defeat in the first Test.Pakistan were dented early on with the removal of both out-of-form openers, but as has been the case all series, the middle order was there to bail them out. Azhar and Haris hung tight to help Pakistan out of a particularly sticky situation at 17 for 2, putting on 68 runs for the third wicket. Trent Boult and Tim Southee had combined for both scalps, with the wickets nearly mirror images of each other, both left and right handers edging to the slips off Boult, allowing Southee to take sharp, low catches.Boult had removed Mohammad Hafeez off what turned out to be the last ball before lunch, drawing him into the push outside off stump that he has been so susceptible to throughout his career. Though Imam-ul-Haq fell in a curiously similar manner, the set-up to that wicket had a bit more to it. Imam, who hasn’t quite looked the same player since being rattled by a Neil Wagner bouncer in the second ODI, had his helmet shaken by a horrible bouncer that stuck in the pitch just enough to meet the batsman’s ducking head. The next ball, he hung back, pushing tamely at a fuller one, prodding to a diving Southee, completing a textbook one-two for any fast bowler.In the morning, BJ Watling continued where he had left off yesterday, earning himself another good night’s rest with a continuation of the pluck and fortitude that characterised his batting yesterday. Another 70 balls were faced by the wicketkeeper-batsman, while Somerville gave him dogged company, allowing Watling to add 35 further runs to his tally.New Zealand notched up 45 more to their overnight total before they were dismissed for 274, Bilal Asif taking his second five-for in five Tests, solely accounting for the bottom half of New Zealand’s line-up as Pakistan took the best part of the morning session getting rid of the remaining three wickets.A man whose position in the side was already beginning to be questioned – a mere three Tests after he took six wickets in his debut innings – Bilal earned himself some breathing room with his performance over the past four sessions. Even when he wasn’t among the wickets yesterday, he was as good as the irrepressible Yasir Shah, and today, he was the only bowler who looked like breaking through. Somerville, who had clung on for 99 balls to make his 12 runs, was the first to go as he misread the extent of the turn on a Bilal offbreak, allowing the ball to beat the slice of the blade and go on to hit the middle stump.Patel and Boult didn’t quite offer the same level of resistance, and with Watling never showing any interest in farming the strike, Bilal had full freedom to go after the pair. He got the outside edge of Ajaz for a simple catch at slip, and beat the inside edge of Boult, knocking back his stumps, with Watling stranded at the other end, looking like he could partner another ten batsmen and still carry his bat at the end of it.Yasir, for his part, wasn’t quite at his majestic best, and failed to add to his pre-lunch salvo yesterday, meaning that he will have to wait until the second innings for the two wickets he needs to break Clarrie Grimmett’s record as the fastest to 200 Test wickets. For now, however, that isn’t the priority, and the later Yasir gets his next crack at the record, the better it will be for Pakistan, who need to bat with the same patience and reserve as Williamson and his men did over the first four sessions of the Test. With Shafiq and Azhar still around to face the first ball tomorrow, Pakistan will be confident their budding 54-run partnership can blossom handsomely over the third day under the Abu Dhabi sunshine.

George Dobell in Barbados27-Jan-2019Richard Pybus has urged his West Indies team to “keep their feet on the floor” after a thumping victory over England in Barbados.West Indies defied the Test rankings to inflict a 381-run win over England. But while Pybus, the interim head coach, was full of praise for the performance, he has warned his team that England will attempt to hit back in Antigua, location of the second Test starting on Thursday.”One swallow does not make a summer,” Pybus said. “Is it my job to keep their feet on the floor? Absolutely. We have our goals for the series and we have ticked off the first Test. But England will be hurting. They are a quality side and I have huge respect for them. They will come back at us in Antigua. Our game has to be at the highest level for them.”Pybus was particularly full of praise for Roston Chase, who claimed eight wickets in England’s second-innings, and Jason Holder, the captain, but pointed out that the overall bowling performance built pressure upon the England side.ALSO READ: Holder-Dowrich behind only Dhoni-Laxman“Chase was wonderful,” he said. “Roston bowled exceptionally well. His control was good, he set good fields and exerted a huge amount of pressure throughout the game with his consistency.”But I think the pressure created by the bowing unit was great, which is what happens when you have four good quick bowlers. As a unit they complemented each other. Roston bowled well but when you have pressure at both ends it is pretty tough for the batters.Pybus added that West Indies’ complete performance was down to the leadership of Holder, whom he described as “incredible”. Holder produced with bat, ball and in the field, lifting him to No. 1 in the ICC’s allrounder rankings.”We delivered on a gameplan with precision,” Pybus said. “The team kept their cool and did what we have looked to do strategically. That is all credit to Jason. He is a calm and composed guy. It is one thing to lead strategically, it is another to lead with performance. There were many special performances but his was exceptional. It was just an incredible performance.”Meanwhile Johnny Grave, the CWI chief executive, has branded criticism of the West Indies team from former England players such as Geoff Boycott and Andrew Flintoff as “borderline disrespectful”.”I saw Andrew Flintoff say he can’t believe Jason Holder got a double-hundred,” Grave told the BBC. “Yet I think Jason Holder is a fantastic cricketer and has been performing so over the last 18 months. He’s a brilliant captain.”

Hales replaces Ian Bell at champions Islamabad United, Jordan rejoins Peshawar Zalmi

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2019Alex Hales will return to champions Islamabad United for the Pakistan Super League play-off stage, while England team-mate Chris Jordan resumes with Peshawar Zalmi following his Player-of-the-Series performance in the T20Is against West Indies.Hales appears to have put behind him any security fears about playing on the subcontinent which caused him to pull out of England’s 2016 one-day series in Bangladesh, along with Eoin Morgan, following a terrorist attack earlier that year.The PSL has arranged for eight fixtures to be played in Pakistan this year – more than any of its previous three seasons – with Hales available to play in the first of what could potentially be three fixtures, when Islamabad face Karachi Kings in the Qualifier on Thursday.Hales played for Rangpur Riders in the BPL earlier this year, making 304 runs in eight games at a strike-rate of 167.03 with a century and two fifties before returning to England with a shoulder injury that placed him in doubt for the tour of the Caribbean. Hales played in the last two ODIs against West Indies, scoring 82 and 23, and all three T20 games in England’s 3-0 series sweep, scoring 11, 8 and 20.Ranked 10th in the ICC’s T20I batting rankings, he also played four matches last season for Islamabad United, where he is replacing Ian Bell this time around after Bell’s stint was cut short by a leg injury late last month.”I am delighted to be back with Islamabad United for this year’s HBL Pakistan Super League and I can’t wait to play in front of our passionate fans,” Hales said. “We have seen exciting cricket at the HBL PSL this year and Islamabad United has put in some excellent performances. I look forward to joining the squad and I hope that I can help the team lift the trophy once again.”Jordan, who played in Pakistan in last year’s final, rejoins Peshawar Zalmi after leaving midway through the season on national duty, having claimed 2 for 16, 4 for 6 and 0 for 14 as well as starring in the field during the three T20s against West Indies.Peshawar Zalmi face Quetta Gladiators in the qualifier on March 13, while Islamabad United play the first eliminator against Karachi Kings on March 14.

Abbott and Edwards shared 15 wickets in the match as Essex were comfortably beaten by an innings

Valkerie Baynes at the Ageas Bowl08-Apr-2019Kyle Abbott is confident he and Fidel Edwards can form a formidable strike-bowling partnership for Hampshire this season and, on the strength of their innings-and-87-run win against Essex in the opening round of the Championship, his faith is not misplaced.Abbott claimed a five-wicket haul in Essex’s second innings after they were forced to follow on when Edwards tore through them with his own bag of five.Between them, Abbott and Edwards took 15 wickets out of 18 (the injured Adam Wheater did not bat in either innings) as Essex were bowled out for 164 and 274 – meagre returns after the home side declared on 525 for 8, an innings which featured a host of strong batting performances, highlighted by Sam Northeasts’ anchoring 169.”I don’t think we could have scripted that any better. A pretty perfect start to say the least,” Abbot said of the victory, which puts Hampshire on top of the fledgling Division One table with a maximum haul of 24 points.”Bowling with Fiddy at the other end I think I’m going to get a few wickets because of him. I can see the guys aren’t fancying him. It’s nice to hit a rhythm and bowl well in tandem with Fid and hopefully we can carry on and this is just the start of good things.”Our plans are pretty much bowling straight and I think we’re going carry on through this whole season, just making the batsmen play as much as possible.”Edwards’ 5 for 51 in Essex’s first innings was devastating, his sheer pace belying his 37 years and scattering stumps on four occasions. Only Alastair Cook, Dan Lawrence and Ravi Bopara managed to pass 30.Bopara made a gallant 107 in the second innings as he and Simon Harmer (62) put on a 111-run stand for the sixth wicket. But, after Edwards had trapped Ryan ten Doeschate lbw with his second ball of the final day, Abbott struck with the second new ball to have Bopara caught behind off a loose shot by stand-in wicketkeeper Lewis McManus.While Bopara and Harmer had frustrated the Hampshire bowlers throughout the morning session, the home side bided their time, using James Vince and Liam Dawson to chew through the overs with the old ball, which had become damp with dew, until the new ball was taken and Abbott and Edwards could do their thing.Once Harmer, who had escaped unscathed after being rapped on the helmet by Edwards, was dismissed lbw, Abbott ran through the tail, with Essex wicketkeeper Wheater unable to bat after injuring the tendons in his right hand on day one and taking no further part in the match.”He’s looking good and it’s nice to see him firing,” Abbott said of Edwards. “He brings something totally different, especially to the tail. It’s as good as having a mystery spinner to the tail when he’s going upstairs and then fast at the stumps, so he’s a good asset to have in our side.”He loves his cricket and I think he enjoys this environment and if we can strike up a half-decent partnership – we’re totally different bowlers but trying to do the same job at the end of the day – and if we can keep that going through the season I think we’ll be in good stead.”The home side belted out their song, “Glory, glory we are Hampshire”, with great gusto at the close of play, exuding the confidence Abbott said new first team manager Adrian Birrell had brought to the team. The pair worked together for four years when Birrell was assistant South Africa coach and Abbott was full of praise for Birrell and the team as a whole.”It’s easy to say now but I must admit, I felt coming into this game it’s the calmest I’ve felt the team,” Abbott said. “I’ve felt in the past we’ve had a lot of energy but I think it’s been nervous energy because we’ve been scrapping in seasons past to stay up.”With Aidy Birrell coming in, he’s brought a great sense of calm to the change-room and just some pretty clear plans that he keeps drilling into us. It proved today that the simple plans work. Yes, it is the first game but from the feeling in the change-room I think it feels totally different and I feel a lot of the guys are playing with a lot more confidence knowing that, one, Aidy’s backing us and, two, the plans he’s given us are pretty simple and hopefully we can just carry on playing them out.”We’ve just had a bit more of a clear path and a clear vision. That’s all he’s really brought in and just pumping up our tyres, I guess. He has a lot of belief in us and that’s where it starts. After a performance like this we can only start backing ourselves even more.”Abbott claimed the wicket of retired England opener Cook twice, caught behind in the second innings and taken at short midwicket in the first, thanks to a leg-side trap devised by Dawson.”Credit to Liam Dawson,” Abbott said. “He came to me in my first spell from the hotel end and one had popped up, I hadn’t really noticed it and he said, ‘no, put one up’. He said he’s seen him do it a few times. So we put Gareth Berg in there and one fell short and the second spell, coming around the wicket again from this end when we had two guys in we just thought we’d try something.”Vince even had to keep wicket during this match in which six glovemen were used because of injuries to Wheater and Hampshire regular Tom Alsop, who hurt his hand on day three. Vince filled for a handful of overs on the third day in until McManus, who was halfway through a round of golf, could get to the ground, while Dan Lawrence filled in for Essex back-up Will Buttleman.