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ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChittagong Kings registered first points in this season’s BPL after they pulled off an unlikely win over Barisal Burners by 21 runs. Defending a small total, the Chittagong bowlers, led by Enamul Haque jnr who took two crucial wickets in an economical spell, kept Barisal under pressure throughout .The left-arm spinner took the crucial wicket of Brad Hodge when the
Barisal captain appeared set to take his side home. But the
Australian was stumped for 34, and it triggered a collapse that saw them
restricted to 108 for 9 in 20 overs. The other left-arm spinner,
Arafat Sunny, and medium-pacer Kevon Cooper also took two wickets each.Chittagong’s total appeared not good enough on a wicket that offered little to the bowlers. Naeem Islam and Ravi Bopara added 52 for the first wicket but were separated in the eighth over. It opened the gate for other Chittagong big-hitters to come in but they too couldn’t do much to boost the run-rate. Ryan ten Doeschate made 23 while Jacob Oram managed 18.For Barisal, Kabir Ali, Azhar Mahmood and Shafiul Islam took two wickets each, and kept things tight as Chittagong didn’t manage a single hit for six during their 20 overs.

Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of the one-day tri-series to be played in Australia following the ongoing Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2012Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of the one-day tri-series to be played in Australia following the ongoing Test series. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that he is yet to fully recover from the non-malignant lung tumour that has kept him out of the team since the home ODIs against West Indies. He has been training at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, and while his condition is better since the time the tumour was discovered, he does not want to rush back into cricket until his recovery is complete.Yuvraj hasn’t played ODIs since his Player-of-the-Tournament performance in the World Cup. An injury kept him out of the tour of the West Indies, though, and his contribution to India’s tour of England was cut short by a finger injury sustained during the Nottingham Test. He returned for the home Tests against West Indies, and was left out of the side for the third Test, in November. He asked the BCCI to not consider him for selection for the home ODIs against West Indies because he wanted time to regain fitness. He was not considered for the Test series in Australia, which India currently trails 2-0.Yuvraj said he had been troubled by bouts of coughing and vomiting since the World Cup but had ignored the problem during the tournament, “assuming it was due to stress”. Subsequent tests revealed “a golf-ball sized” growth on his left lung. He went through several rounds of medical procedures in order to ascertain the exact nature of the tumour, which was eventually found to be non-malignant. Yuvraj had been targetting a comeback in the tri-series, also involving Sri Lanka, which kicks off on February 5, but is now unlikely to make a comeback until the Asia Cup in March.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has promised that all the details of the Pakistan spot-fixing investigation will be revealed once the verdict is announced on February 5

Andrew McGlashan in Melbourne15-Jan-2011Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has promised that all the details of the Pakistan spot-fixing investigation will be revealed once the verdict is announced on February 5. The six-day tribunal in Doha concluded without a final decision and it was revealed two Tests were now under scrutiny.The key development over those days, where information was scarce and carefully controlled, was the charges brought against Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt in relation to The Oval Test, the third of the series, which wasn’t part of the initial spot-fixing controversy that erupted after a News of the World sting during the Lord’s Test that concluded the contest.Amir and Asif were cleared regarding The Oval match before the conclusion of the hearing in Doha but Butt, the Pakistan captain for the series in England, remains under investigation. Despite that news becoming public, Lorgat wouldn’t elaborate on the details which led the ICC to extending their investigation towards the match Pakistan won by four wickets to level the series.”You’ll recall when we held a press conference when the spot fixing first broke in London, Sir Ronnie Flanagan [the head of the ACSU] and myself indicated that wherever the evidence leads us we will proceed to investigate in absolute detail,” Lorgat told reporters in Melbourne.”As we proceeded with the initial Lord’s Test that was the subject of the original investigation there were certain leads which led us to The Oval Test match. We weren’t prepared to leave any stone unturned so we presented certain charges for that match as well.”We don’t comment on investigations, we don’t report on ACSU matters and once all of this is said and done and the verdict is out a more full report will be provided.”Despite the delay in the final outcome of the hearings, which means the decision will be given even closer to the World Cup, Lorgat was satisfied with how the investigation had moved. “I am pleased with the progress we have made,” he said. “It is a short space of time, it is a complex matter and it is running alongside a criminal investigation. I believe we have done very well to get to this position with a six-day tribunal that has sat and now we await a judgement.”None of the three players central to the controversy will be involved in Pakistan’s World Cup campaign, but the new date for a ruling on the case is just two weeks before the tournament launches on February 19. As much as the ICC try to separate the two it is likely to provide a significant cloud of the major global one-day competition.

Ireland’s women will face double world-champions England as well as New Zealand in a quadrangular tournament to be held in England in July

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2010Ireland’s women will face double world-champions England as well as New Zealand in a quadrangular tournament to be held in England in July. An MCC XI will be the fourth team.”These type of games are just what is required, and with the quality in the squad, the playing programme is warranted,” said Ireland Cricket operations director Mark Garaway. “We can only improve by playing top level opposition, and it will give the squad a terrific lift.””I’m absolutely delighted that Ireland has been given the chance to play two of the best sides in the world this summer,” said Irish captain Heather Whelan. “Playing England and New Zealand outside of a World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for us. It’s especially exciting for the new players on the squad who would never have played against opposition of this calibre before.””It’s a great way to start off our international season before heading to Scotland for the European Championships in August and then Dubai for the ranking tournament in October.”

Their bowling attacks are similarly matched but the difference could come in the spin department, where New Zealand look stronger

Firdose Moonda04-Mar-20251:39

Do South Africa have the best attack in the tournament?

Big picture: Run fest awaits SA, NZ

Here we are again. South Africa and New Zealand, the two best sides to have never won a World Cup, meet in a knockout match. Both have had their hands on trophy all the way back when it was called the ICC Knockout and possibly meant something else in terms of its significance in the global game. So make no mistake: winning this will not take away the desire for the big one but it will help to tide things over until 2027, when South Africa co-host the event with neighbours Zimbabwe and Namibia.Quietly, South Africa know they are actually building for that but the pressure to return home with something other than disappointment is ever-present. This is another chance to change that. New Zealand, after coming so close to the trophy at the 2019 World Cup, also carry scars but somehow seem less burdened by them. Perhaps a smaller population, with fewer socio-economic fractures that can be plastered over with sporting success helps them; maybe they’re just good at stoicism. Those are things to ponder later in the week when one of these two teams will play a final against a yet-to-be-decided opposition at a yet-to-be-decided venue. For now, they’ve both probably got the knockout they wanted.Facing each other, rather than India or Australia, appears to give them both a better chance of progressing to the final. And doing it in Pakistan, though both teams travelled from Dubai at different times on Monday, likely suits them more. Conditions are good for run-scoring and both have line-ups capable of posting big scores which suggests fans will be in for a run-fest. Their attacks are similarly matched to the point where both were hit by injury-enforced absences amongst the quicks. Some of the more interesting narratives could be around which of the tall men – Marco Jansen and Kyle Jamieson – can extract the most with their height or which of the attacking bowlers, Kagiso Rabada or Matt Henry, has the most success.Related

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A difference could come in the spin resources, where South Africa have chosen to operate with only one specialist in Keshav Maharaj but New Zealand have both captain Mitchell Santner and offspinner Michael Bracewell in their best XI. Maharaj had previously indicated he sees a spinners role as a more defensive one at this event so their economy rates are the numbers to watch here.Overall, this match promises an even contest without the hype that comes with playing a big three nation even though there is plenty of history. New Zealand dumped South Africa out of both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups and though the likes of us will talk about it, it’s worth remembering that the last of those was ten years ago and much cricket has been played since.Then, particularly for South Africa, the results seemed seismic. Now, ICC events happen annually and teams are dusting themselves off and starting again with much greater frequency. Does that mean it matters less if you lose at a crucial stage or even if you win? Ask one of these two, who have both spent the best part of the last three decades trying to win a major trophy and they’re likely to say no. Only one of them will have the chance to do it this time.

Form guide

South Africa: WWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand: LWWWW

In the spotlight: David Miller and Kane Williamson

No one has quite said it yet but could this be the last time 35-year-old David Miller plays in an ODI tournament for South Africa? And if so, what kind of say will he have on it? He has limited opportunity in the tournament so far. He came to bat in the 43rd over against Afghanistan only to smash the winning runs against England, but has had almost-decisive knocks in both South Africa’s previous white-ball knockout games. At the 2023 ODI World Cup, Miller’s century gave South Africa something to defend in the semi-final after they were reduced to 24 for 4; at the 2024 T20 World Cup, he was looking good on 21 off 17 balls before being spectacularly caught on the boundary which could have taken South Africa within touching distance of the trophy. Miller has shown he enjoys the big occasion and has also indicated he is taking things year by year, so chances to play in knockouts are likely becoming fewer. After all his efforts, he will want to play a role in South Africa winning one.2:46

Latham: Scheduling is out of our control

Kane Williamson has back-to-back ODI centuries against South Africa, albeit they were scored six years apart. He made 106* against them in Birmingham in June 2019 and 133* against them at this venue in the tri-series that preceded this tournament, though that was not against a full-strength South African side. Overall, Williamson averages 57.35 against South Africa, his best against any opposition other than Zimbabwe. Though New Zealand have a line-up of creative and crafty hitters, Williamson’s role in New Zealand’s side continues to be of utmost importance as evidenced by his 81 against India in Dubai, where he kept New Zealand in the fight in what was ultimately a losing cause.Like many of the more experienced players at this event, at 34, Williamson may not get another opportunity to win an ODI trophy and will want to make the most of this one.

Team news

Openers Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi have both recovered from the illness that kept them out of the England game and are expected to be available for selection, but de Zorzi is expected to make way for Aiden Markram, who passed his fitness test on Tuesday. George Linde has been called up as a travelling reserve. The bowling make-up – two allrounders, one specialist spinner and two quicks – is expected to be unchanged.South Africa (possible): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi NgidiMitchell Santner and Temba Bavuma shake hands•AFP/Getty Images

New Zealand’s only question will be which one of Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway or Daryl Mitchell they will leave out. Conway sat out the India match for Mitchell, who played against Pakistan but not Bangladesh. Young and Ravindra both have centuries to their names at this competition which suggests the decision is between Mitchell and Conway, who has scores of 30 and 10 from his outings in the tournament.New Zealand: 1 Will Young, 2 Rachin Ravindra/Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Matt Henry, 10 Kyle Jamieson, 11 Will O’Rourke

Pitch and conditions

In five ODIs this year, the average first innings score is 316.5 and results have been shared between the team batting first and the chasing team. It’s expected to be another belter for the batters and tough outing for bowlers. While Heinrich Klaasen mentioned some drizzle on South Africa’s arrival in the city on Monday, the forecast is mild and clear for the semi-final.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa and New Zealand have played no bilateral white-ball cricket against each other since 2017 but played each other at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups and won a game a piece and the Pakistan tri-nation series, in a match which New Zealand won. In ICC tournaments, they have met 11 times, and New Zealand have won seven of those games.
• South Africa are the only country to have qualified for the knockouts of all of the last seven ICC events – across men’s, women’s and Under-19 tournaments. That includes the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup semi-final, the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup final, the 2025 World Test Championship final, the 2024 men’s Under-19 World Cup semi-final, the 2024 women’s T20 World Cup final and the 2025 women’s Under-19 final.

Quotes“Scheduling is an issue all around but when you do have time to rest and recover, you should. One day cricket can be quite exhausting on the body, and for us, it might be about making sure bowlers are ready for tomorrow. I don’t think they’re going to be doing much today in training.”
New Zealand travelled back to Pakistan from Dubai early on Monday morning and will use Tuesday to recuperate rather than train heavily according to captain Mitchell Santner. “We’ll approach it as we normally would. We obviously want to play our best cricket. We understand New Zealand will obviously come with a certain challenge and we’ll have to prepare accordingly but I think Marco [Jansen] said it, it’s just another game for us. Yes, it’s important but we definitely won’t be blowing it out of proportion. It’s the semi-final, we want to play our best cricket.”

Carey isn’t focusing on red-ball cricket alone, but opportunities in the Australia white-ball teams might not be too frequent

Andrew McGlashan23-Dec-2023It’s been quite the year for Alex Carey. He began 2023 fresh from the high of a maiden Test century at the MCG, then a short while later was confronted with challenges in front of and behind the stumps in India, where his glovework went to a new level.Then there was a telling contribution to the World Test Championship final victory, followed by the drama of the Ashes where his fortunes pivoted around the stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s. He then lost what had appeared a pretty secure ODI position when a form slump coincided with the start of the World Cup.Now it’s the MCG again, holding memories of that hundred against South Africa, with Australia flexing their muscles on home soil as they do so often and Carey himself hoping to cap a year of fluctuating fortunes with a strong performance to lift a 2023 average of 23.76.Related

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He had shaped up well in Perth, forming a sixth-wicket stand of 90 with Mitchell Marsh on the second morning, which took the game away from Pakistan, before receiving a virtually unplayable ball from around the wicket by Aamer Jamal.”The situation I came out in [last year against South Africa], the top order did a great job. I feel like that is batting, some ups and downs,” Carey said. “That’s going to happen at certain times but I felt like the last few weeks [I’ve been] training, preparing well, [and had] some time out in the middle and a Shield game as well.”He also kept tidily with seven dismissals – although the crucial edge off Babar Azam in the first innings nearly squeezed out – and in the process brought up a century behind the stumps in Test cricket.”My job is to do the best I can behind the stumps to try to support our amazing bowlers,” he said. “Hopefully a few more out here against Pakistan on Boxing Day. It’s been a lot of fun. Lots of different conditions from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, England. It’s been pretty cool.”For Australia, the Melbourne Test brings to a close a year that presented them with a series of major prizes on offer in the format. They came away with two – the World Test Championship title and the retention of the Ashes – while falling to a 2-1 defeat in India and missing out on winning outright in England for the first time since 2001.”India unfortunately we didn’t win that series but to win a Test match over there is hard and we were able to do that [in Indore],” Carey reflected. “Retaining the Ashes, [we] would have liked to have won them, but to retain them again on their home soil was a great achievement. A World Cup victory and now a pretty successful start to the summer. Some players getting pretty big IPL contracts as well, so good on them. It’s been a successful year. For this group, it’s not over yet. There is no sort of end goal for this group. It’s a journey at the moment. It’s a lot of fun.”For Carey, the major personal disappointment was the World Cup omission after the opening match against India, when he was replaced by Josh Inglis. It would now seem tough for him to retain his spot in that format, at least in the short term, but he has clarity from the selectors on their decision and the reasons behind it.”With our selection panel, they’ve been really honest with every decision that they make,” Carey said. “Basically you can ask any question you want. Don’t leave any stone unturned – it’s your career, ask the questions, they’re really open to it. They’ve been honest with it the whole time.”It never makes it easier though to hear you’re going to be left out. You get time to reflect and then sit down and speak to each and every one of them to find out the reasons. And then all you can do is go to work and try to improve in certain areas.A form slump coincided with the start of the ODI World Cup and Alex Carey lost his place in the side to Josh Inglis•Associated Press

“I think you want to be able to have a panel that can have those honest conversations. You don’t want to be going to bed at night wondering why – and I didn’t. Although you still don’t like to hear it you’re able to talk through it, move on and try to help the team win the World Cup.”Carey has no intention on focusing purely on red-ball cricket and is keen to try and get more T20 experience during the off season. Australia do not play Test cricket from mid-March to late November, while Carey would seem unlikely to feature in the T20 World Cup squad.”I still feel like I’ve had some pretty solid performances the last 12 months in one-day cricket,” he said. “The timings of the leaner trot led to that decision from the selection panel. But absolutely I feel like I’ve got a lot of one-day cricket and T20 cricket still left in me.”I haven’t been able to play a lot of T20 cricket – which has been good, of course, you’re playing Test cricket – but would love to get the opportunity to play some more T20 cricket during the winter wherever that may be.”

Gilchrist four-for keeps hosts below target, despite fighting fifties from Weatherley, Vince and Fuller

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2022Hampshire’s dream of winning the LV= Insurance County Championship title for the first time in 49 years was ended by a 77-run defeat to Kent.Joe Weatherley, James Vince and James Fuller – 56, 73 and 78 not out respectively – had given the south coast county a sniff of successfully chasing an unlikely 378 runs.But Hampshire’s hopes of replicating the 1961 and 1973 champions were dashed to give Surrey the pennant for the second time in five seasons – with Nathan Gilchrist taking 4 for 60, including the winning wicket as Hampshire only reached 300.It was Hampshire’s third defeat of the season, and Kent’s third victory.For Kent, their battle for survival in Division One was given a huge boost. To go with the 19 points they took from this win, closest rivals Warwickshire suffered a shock defeat to rock-bottom Gloucestershire, giving Kent a 14-point buffer ahead of the final round – where they face Somerset at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.Hampshire’s hopes of winning the game had been trounced after they had been bowled out for 57 – in doing so giving up a 108-run first-innings deficit – and were further diminished when they had lost four wickets in their pursuit of 378 on the second evening.Weatherley had been the shining light of that period with his first score above 25 since April. He had ended the day on 54, having left and defended well, while also finding ways to score.The morning only brought two runs in a six-over stay before a full Gilchrist delivery thudded into his shin. Gilchrist’s following over saw the end of the unbalanced Ben Brown, who clipped a similarly full ball to square leg.Conor McKerr had been sent on loan from Surrey for this fixture, but hadn’t personally helped his parent county with one and a duck with the bat, and no chance to bowl in the first innings. His celebration was perhaps the loudest of the day when he pinned Aneurin Donald in front.Vince wasn’t allowing Kent to ease to victory though, as he demonstrated his trademark mix of dogged determinism to win the game for his team and beautiful shot-making. His first three scoring shots were variations on a cover drive, including the first ball of the day.He moved to his sixth half-century of the season off 81 balls with a dabbed three down to third, to take the required runs down to 169 runs at lunch.But only 27 more runs were knocked off before a turning half-tracker from Jack Leaning lit up Vince’s eyes, and his pull shot fell straight into Tawanda Muyeye’s grasp on the deep midwicket boundary. It ended a 90-run stand with Fuller which had almost made Hampshire surprise favourites.Kyle Abbott was undone by bounce out of the footholds by Leaning to loop to first slip. And despite Fuller racing past a 74-ball fifty and biffing some late runs, Mohammad Abbas had his off stump knocked over by Gilchrist.The defeat is Hampshire’s first at home in the Championship since losing to Somerset last May – a run of 10 victories – and just their second since the start of the 2019 season.

England pair add unbroken 160-run stand after visitors limited to 375

Matt Roller16-Apr-2021It is cherry blossom season in South London. The pubs in Vauxhall have started to open their doors again, and 30-somethings sat outside cafés as the sun burst through the clouds on Friday morning. A stroll through Kennington Park confirmed that this was the first day of the county season in this part of the world on which a thick coat was not required, and there was a sense of wistful optimism for the summer ahead among the handful of staff inside The Oval before the start of play.Jamie Overton finished an over to Leicestershire’s homegrown centurion Sam Evans that was interrupted by bad light on Thursday evening, and Amar Virdi twirled in from the Vauxhall End for two balls. And then, a deafening noise: . That sound, from the building site neighbouring the pavilion, was the incongruous soundtrack of a low-key day which saw Surrey edge their way into a position of dominance, thanks primarily to an unbroken 160-run stand between Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes.The new development that caused such a racket, One Oval Square, will provide an extra 2000 seats, additional events and hospitality spaces, and new facilities for members including a restaurant and bar. Surrey hope that it will be completed by the end of May, in time for their T20 Blast campaign and England’s ODI against Sri Lanka, by which point fans will be back in the ground and the summer will be in full flow. It is a tantalising prospect which has loomed over the Championship, where the absence of a gentle murmur from the members has been keenly felt in the opening two rounds of the season.The loud backdrop added to the sense often present during County Championship fixtures at The Oval: that while the game itself has a certain importance, it is a prelude or a postscript to something altogether more significant. The Surrey side this week features six internationals and three other players – Overton, Virdi and Jamie Smith – who expect to graduate to that level at some stage in their careers; the contrast with a Leicestershire side with 13 international caps between them (for Germany and the Netherlands) is stark.It has been epitomised by those who have played the lead roles in the first two days of this fixture. Evans, an academy graduate whose determined hundred was his first in a Leicestershire shirt, was the protagonist on the first day, but it was Pope and Foakes who dominated Friday’s play. After Surrey fought back to bowl Leicestershire out for 375 – a useful first-innings total, but not the one they had eyed at 298 for 3 – they needed a significant partnership after slipping to 93 for 3 on the stroke of tea, but a wicketless final session means they can press on towards a lead in the morning.But again, the game at hand is only one part of the equation, especially for the pair whose runs were particularly important. Pope has averaged 23.00 for England since the start of last summer, and came into this match after scores of 22 and 0 against Gloucestershire last week. While Leicestershire’s bowlers were generous, straying on to his hip too regularly, a pair of straight drives back past Ben Mike’s right hand betrayed portrayed a man in form; England’s selectors will be hopeful, on this evidence, that his lean run in Tests has been nothing more than a blip.For Foakes, too, these were useful runs, backing up his 133 in the opening round of games. Foakes’ brilliance behind the stumps means that he is unlikely to play international cricket as a specialist batter, but the prospect of Jos Buttler – and even Jonny Bairstow – being away on IPL duty during the first Test against New Zealand in June opens the door for him to play a fourth consecutive Test as England’s keeper. He rode his luck, dropped twice on 33 – by Hassan Azad, at short leg, and by Harry Swindells behind the stumps – but grew in fluency, cracking a pull through midwicket to reach fifty as the floodlights took over from the haze.When the sun was still high, Leicestershire had been well-placed to press towards 500, which would have been their first such total in the Championship since May 2017. Instead, Lewis Hill and Evans fell in quick succession, and it took some bottom-handed clubbing over midwicket from Mike to ensure that they secured a fourth batting point, which was achieved with two balls to spare. Kemar Roach took his first Surrey wickets in a fiery burst, knocking Swindells’ middle stump out of the ground and having Callum Parkinson caught at slip while fending at a short ball, and Virdi cleaned up the tail.As was the case against Hampshire in their opening fixture, Leicestershire leaked runs too freely, straying onto the pads and dropping short and wide all too often. Gavin Griffiths was the pick of their attack, strangling Mark Stoneman down the leg side and pinning Hashim Amla lbw with a quick yorker, and Parkinson won a tight lbw shout against Rory Burns on the stroke of tea. They will reflect tonight that the game has started to slip away from them, but on a flat pitch, they still have every chance of forcing a draw.

The tall offspinner has a strong chance of playing in the third Test, at the ground where it all began for him

Andrew McGlashan01-Jan-2020Will Somerville has recalled being in tears in the SCG car park when he was awarded a New South Wales contract in 2014 as he prepares for the chance of making a Test appearance on the ground six years later.

Williamson, Nicholls unwell

Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls sat out New Zealand’s training on New Year’s Day after reporting flu-like symptoms but it is not thought that they will be in doubt for the Sydney Test.
Both players came to the ground in the morning before it was decided they would return to the team hotel to rest.
“They’re fine, just not feeling really good today,” Shane Jurgensen said. “They had some flu symptoms and I’m sure they’ll be back training tomorrow. They’re pretty tough so just take a rest today. It’s been a big last two Tests and a good opportunity for them to have a day off and they’ll be here tomorrow.”

Somerville, the tall offspinner with three Test caps, who was a chartered accountant before a crack at professional cricket the age of 30, was a late addition to the New Zealand squad following the injury to Trent Boult. He admitted he had long had his eye on the fixture list following his return across the Tasman – lured by the prospect of more first-class cricket with Auckland – after a five-year stint with New South Wales.”It was a dream to get there [a cricket career] at 30 and I’ll never forget when Nathan Lyon had his second daughter that was my third Shield game which upgraded me to a full-time contract in 2014. I was just in tears in the car park, realising I was going to be a cricketer.”I did look at the schedule 12 months ago after I made my Test debut and I was pretty excited at the prospect. I was hoping to go on the tour and two days ago I got the call when I was playing T20 cricket for Auckland. I’m pinching myself that I’m here in front of the Members [Stand] talking to you guys.”It’s pretty special to be back where my kids were born. My mother and father in law live down the road in Coogee and the kids are staying there for the week. Very special, for sure.”He has helped bowl New Zealand to two victories (in Abu Dhabi and Colombo) in his three Tests, and in five first-class matches at the SCG took 23 wickets at 20.69. He is now a strong chance of coming into the New Zealand side for the final Test as they aim to try and avoid a whitewash, either as the lone spinner in place of the struggling Mitchell Santner, or as part of a twin-spin attack with Santner or legspinner Todd Astle, on a surface that is expected to turn.”I’ll see how things unfold in 48 hours, assessing the wicket and what the balance is going to look like. I’m hopeful for sure,” he said. “I’ll just draw on the group around me, the Black Caps and their experience more than anything. I’ve played here before so it’s familiar surroundings, [but] it’s Test cricket, a different kettle of fish and it’s going to be tough.”His nickname in the squad is ‘Dad’ on account of being one of the older members and his jovial spirit will be a boost to a team that has been heavily beaten twice in a series where it was hoped they would compete strongly.”He’s a great guy to have in the camp, he’s so positive,” Shane Jurgensen, the New Zealand bowling coach, said. “I’ll never forget when he got his first cap in Abu Dhabi to see the look on his face and the emotion. He just brings so much to the team, experience and he’s very calm and a lovely person, and a pretty good bowler.”During his time at New South Wales, Somerville bowled extensively with Steve O’Keefe and tried to learn all he could from Lyon when he wasn’t on international duty.”I spent a lot of time training as I didn’t play that many games in four years,” he said. “I bowled a lot with Steve, Beau Casson was our bowling coach and I always chatted to Nathan when he was around and tried to feed off the GOAT of offspin bowling. He’s got a very pure action and it’s nice to watch. I learned from those guys. I also spent a bit of time with Greg Matthews who gives a different perspective on things. A few really good words stick in my mind.”However, despite his time in Australian first-class cricket – and a 2016-17 season where he was New South Wales’ leading wicket-taker – there was only ever one team he wanted to play for internationally. “I always wanted to play for New Zealand, in the back of my mind growing up in Wellington, and I’ve always been an All Blacks fan.”

The Bangladesh captain said his side had had a lot to prove after their 2-0 defeat in the West Indies in July

Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2018Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan called his side’s victory over West Indies in the second Test in Mirpur – capped by enforcing the follow-on and winning by an innings for the first time – a special achievement. The win helped the hosts seal a 2-0 series victory.What made it special was how Bangladesh turned their fortunes around after suffering a series defeat by the same margin back in the West Indies only four months ago.Shakib said he had demanded the best from his players, having delivered them a message to not forget how poorly they played against the same team in July. He said he was happy to see them respond strongly.”This is the first time we enforced the follow-on in more than 100 Tests in 18 years, which is definitely something special,” Shakib, who has been involved in ten of Bangladesh’s 38 innings defeats, said. “We haven’t done this against smaller teams, so to do it against a higher-ranked side is an achievement. We obviously had a lot to prove after losing to them in that manner [in July]. I think we have done that at least at home.”I would thank my team-mates and the coaching staff, for believing that it was possible. I was quite demanding of my players in this series. I wanted a lot from them. I think everyone contributed in their own way, but I saw everyone really wanting to contribute to the win.”The series defeat in the West Indies was particularly scathing for Bangladesh as they were bowled out for 43 in the first Test, the lowest Test total since 1974. Bangladesh’s combined batting average of 12.60 was also the lowest in 63 years by any side, and even though they did wage a comeback by winning the ODI and T20I series, Shakib said a stronger riposte was always going to come through a Test series win over the same opponents.”We never expected such a performance in the West Indies,” he said. “We held discussions after the Test series defeat there, and then came back strongly in the ODIs and T20Is.”Since we didn’t do well in the Tests [there], we had this opportunity to do well at home. We wanted people to at least understand that it was a performance in their home conditions, and see that we could do the same in our home conditions.”Shakib also praised his batsmen for making the most of good batting conditions in the first two days of this Test. Mahmudullah struck his third Test hundred, a bloody-minded 136 that spanned over six hours, while debutant Shadman Islam, Liton Das and Shakib himself struck half-centuries.”Our batsmen have done well on good wickets,” Shakib said. “Both sides [Bangladesh and Sri Lanka] made plenty of runs in the Chittagong Test in January. Afterwards, we have played mostly on tough wickets, at home and in the West Indies. Even the opposing side didn’t reach 500. It is not right to blame the batsmen all the time.”In this game, they believed in the plan put in front of them. We no longer prepare flat wickets on which we are expected to score 500 and draw the game. We try to win every game, and this changed mindset has taken us to a better place as cricketers.”