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Australia captain says coming away with a draw in sub-continent conditions “not a bad result”

Alex Malcolm08-Mar-2022Australia’s captain Pat Cummins believes Rawalpindi’s lifeless pitch was specifically designed to nullify the visitors’ pace attack and that a draw was a good result despite his team only managing to take four wickets throughout the Test.Just 14 wickets fell in five days, with Pakistan piling up 476 for 4 declared and 252 for 0 across two innings before the game was called off with an hour to go on day five. Australia created some unwanted records with the bowlers claiming just three scalps across 239 overs, with Marnus’ Labuschagne’s direct hit run-out accounting for the fourth. Australia’s combined bowling average of 238.33 and strike-rate of 478 were the second-worst in 145 years of Test cricket, sitting only behind Pakistan’s efforts in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1958 when Sir Garfield Sobers made 365 not out.But Cummins was “not at all” concerned about his side’s lack of penetration across almost three full days of bowling on a surface he rated as one of the flattest he has ever played on.Related

• PCB appeals against ICC's decision to award Rawalpindi pitch demerit point

• PCB summons ex-MCG curator ahead of Lahore Test

• Rawalpindi pitch gets 'below average' rating from ICC match referee

• Imam: 'When we go to Australia, they don't make pitches consulting us'

• Why did Pakistan sedate Rawalpindi, their liveliest Test pitch?

“Turning up to a pitch that’s probably not a traditional pitch you would get here in Rawalpindi, and it’s probably clear they’ve made an effort to try and nullify the pace bowling,” Cummins said post-match.”I think that’s a positive. And, sub-continent conditions, coming away with a draw it’s not a bad result.”Cummins was pleased with the efforts of his bowlers across the Test match and explained that once a result became impossible early on day five, he made a concerted effort to keep his key bowlers fresh for the next Test in Karachi by not over-bowling them.”I think we all tried different things,” Cummins said. “I think all the quick bowlers, although we’ve spent the best part of three days out in the field, I think we’ve all bowled around about 25, maximum 30 overs each, which in comparison to a lot of Australian Test matches is actually a pretty light workload.”Didn’t get a huge look at reverse swing this Test, but that might come into it later on. But I was really happy with how everyone went and everyone’s come through unscathed.”Imam-ul-Haq became just the 10th Pakistani batter to score twin centuries in a Test match. Incidentally the previous three players to do so, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq had all achieved the feat against Australia in the UAE 2014. Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc were also part of Australia’s attack in that series.Imam and Abdullah Shafique also set a new record for the most runs scored by an opener pair in partnership against Australia.Cummins admitted the Australians need to review their plans for them ahead of Karachi despite the batting-friendly conditions in Rawalpindi.”I thought the Pakistani batters batted really well the whole game,” Cummins said. “Got themselves in and then once they got themselves in they were able to just tick over the score.”We’ll spend the next couple days reviewing it having a look at maybe different plans ahead of Karachi, expecting probably different conditions as well.Cummins was pleased with the batting performance of his own side with the entire top four passing fifty for the first time since 2015 and Usman Khawaja and David Warner sharing a 156-run opening stand. Given the nature of the surface, there is a case to be made that Australia’s batters could have perhaps prospered even more than they did with none of the top four kicking onto big hundreds, and all four fell to mistakes mainly of their own doing.But given it was their first hit of the series and just the second instance of an Australian team making more than 450 in a Test in Asia since 2011, the skipper was satisfied with the performance.Aside from the pitch turning the game into a turgid high-scoring affair, Cummins was full of praise for the Rawalpindi people who had made Australia’s first Test in Pakistan in 24 years a touch more bearable.”They were fantastic the crowd,” he said.”Really passionate crowd for obviously Pakistan but really respectful and great for our players as well. I loved that. Every time we walked onto the field they’re chanting and trying to get waves from our players, which is awesome.”

Lauren Down unavailable due to family reasons; Hayley Jensen recovering from knee surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2023Isabella Gaze and Rosemary Mair return to the New Zealand women’s team as they embark on their first bilateral series in Sri Lanka. The tour begins on June 27 with the first of three ODIs in Galle, and then moves to Colombo for three T20Is.Gaze, the 19-year-old wicketkeeper, and Mair, the 24-year-old fast bowler, were not part of New Zealand’s most recent assignment, the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa four months ago. They won two out of four matches in that tournament but missed out on a place in the semi-final due to net run rate.The selectors have kept faith with the same squad and have high hopes for a young spin group comprising Amelia Kerr, who is coming off 15 wickets in the inaugural WPL where she helped Mumbai Indians win the title, and also Fran Jonas and Eden Carson, even though all of them will be playing in Sri Lanka for the very first time. In fact, only the captain Sophie Devine and senior batter Suzie Bates have ever played any cricket there.”This is the first time almost all of the squad will have experienced playing in Sri Lanka, so it’s a good opportunity for our players to develop their game in testing sub-continent conditions,” head coach Ben Sawyer said in an NZC press release. “Sri Lanka will pose challenges with the unfamiliar conditions out in the middle, but also with the heat and humidity, so we will need to be able to adapt quickly both on and off the field.”The group has been really fortunate to have experienced some unique conditions with the recent trips to Antigua [where they beat West Indies 2-1 in ODIs and 4-1 in T20Is] and South Africa. We adapted to similar heat and conditions in the West Indies, so that experience should bode well in Sri Lanka. We also have a handful of players who have played in similar subcontinent conditions in India, so that experience will be valuable for us to adapt.”Lauren Down and Hayley Jensen, who were with New Zealand at the T20 World Cup, are unavailable. Down is absent due to family reasons, while Jensen is recovering from knee surgery. Kate Anderson, who has been involved in winter training plans, is sidelined with a finger injury.New Zealand haven’t played an ODI since December last year when they beat Bangladesh at home 1-0 after two of the three matches were washed out.

NZ ODI and T20I squad to SL

Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze (wk), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

Tour schedule

June 27 – 1st ODI, Galle International Stadium
June 30 – 2nd ODI, Galle International Stadium
July 3 – 3rd ODI, Galle International Stadium
July 6 – Warm-up T20 v Sri Lanka President’s XI, Colombo
July 8 – 1st T20I, Colombo
July 10- 2nd T20I, Colombo
July 12 – 3rd T20I, Colombo

Surrey stumble despite resistance from Kalea Moore and Alexa Stonehouse

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay07-Sep-2025Lancashire Women stayed on course for the Metro Bank Cup semi-finals with a four-wicket win over Surrey at Beckenham.Grace Potts took 3 for 31 as Surrey were bowled out for 225, while Hannah Jones took 2 for 33 and was unlucky not to get two more. Kalea Moore was dropped twice off her bowling and she cashed in to make a career-best List A score of 67, while Alexa Stonehouse was the next highest scorer with 48.Seren Smale anchored the visitor’s reply with 67 not out, as they closed on 227 for 6, victory secured with 24 balls remaining. Stonehouse was the pick of Surrey’s bowlers with 3 for 34.Lancashire chose to bowl and quickly made inroads, reducing them to 60 for 5. Ailsa Lister dropped Bryony Smith off Potts when she was on 14 but two balls later Potts dismissed Smith with an outstanding one-handed return catch.Kira Chathli then went for 17, driving Kate Cross straight to Smale. Alice Capsey was run out by Fi Morris for 5 and Paige Scholfield was bowled by Hannah Jones for just a single.Jones then had Alice Davidson-Richards caught for 20 by Cross at mid-off, after she’d initially dropped her drive, but Phoebe Franklin and Moore responded with the biggest partnership of the innings to that point, putting on 61 before the former cut Phoebe Graham to Emma Lamb and was out for 25. Morris then had Alice Monaghan caught behind for 4.Moore cut Jones for a single to reach 50 and she was on 53 when she heaved Jones to the midwicket boundary and was dropped over the rope by Lister.In Jones’ final over Moore was put down again, this time on 67 and this time when Gaby Lewis missed a far more difficult chance at square leg. This time she couldn’t profit as Moore was lbw to Lamb in the next over, the 42nd.Stonehouse, who’d put on 55 with Moore, blasted a huge six off Cross but fell to Potts in the final over, holing out to Graham at mid-off and Potts then ended the innings one ball early when she had Danni Gregory caught, also by Graham, for 18.Lancashire’s openers put on 74 for the opening wicket before Lewis tried to pull out of a hook shot and edged Monaghan behind for 39.The visitors seemed to be coasting at 117 for 1, when two quick wickets opened a window for Surrey. Lamb tried to reach for a Stonehouse delivery and was brilliantly caught by a diving Franklin at backward point and Morris lofted Stonehouse to Scholfield for 6.Ellie Threlkeld went to an even better catch by Smith, who almost pirouetted to take a one-handed grab off Moore, but she made a useful 21 and by then Lancashire only needed 47.Smale eased past 50 by clipping Moore for four through midwicket.The target was down to three when two wickets gave the scoreline some respectability: Lister skied Stonehouse to Scholfield and although she was dropped, she hit the next delivery straight to Smith for 23. Collins ramped Franklin to Tilly Corteen-Coleman for a duck, but this merely allowed Cross to hit Franklin back over her head for the winning boundary.

The hosts pinned down Pakistan to a below-par 130 for 7 to coast home with plenty to spare

Deivarayan Muthu11-Oct-2022
On a subcontinental-style pitch in Christchurch, New Zealand’s spin quartet, led by offspinner Michael Bracewell, pinned down Pakistan to a below-par 130 for 7 and set up the hosts’ second successive victory in the tri-series.That Pakistan couldn’t score a single six in their innings summed up the dominance of New Zealand’s spinners. It was the first completed T20I innings in New Zealand a single six in 77 games. Finn Allen, who was picked ahead of Martin Guptill once again, alone hit six sixes during his 42-ball 62 as New Zealand coasted home with plenty to spare.Bracewell, who is more of a batting allrounder for Wellington Firebirds, followed up his 2 for 14 against Bangladesh with an even miserly 2 for 11 on Tuesday. Left-arm fingerspinner Mitchell Santner marked his return from paternity break with 2 for 27 while legspinner Ish Sodhi took 1 for 23. Glenn Phillips also pitched in with an over of part-time offspin as Kane Williamson rifled through his spin options. Thirteen overs were bowled by spinners – the most by New Zealand in a T20I innings – on a day when Trent Boult was rested and Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne were nursing abdominal injuries.Pakistan start well
Mohammad Rizwan gave Pakistan a jumpstart, picking off three fours in the first two overs. Santner took the new ball upon return but uncharacteristically missed his lengths and lines in his first over which cost New Zealand 11 runs. Then when Blair Tickner, who got a game in place of Boult, darted one on the pads, Babar Azam whipped it firmly over midwicket. Pakistan moved to 24 for 0 in three overs.Spin to win

After having bowled six dots to Rizwan, Bracewell dared him to go over the top by bringing Jimmy Neesham into the circle from long-on. Rizwan swung hard but could not find elevation to clear Neesham at mid-on, falling for 16 off 17 balls. Bracewell then found sharp drift to scratch Babar’s outside edge, which was well held by Devon Conway.Bracewell isn’t a big turner of the ball – there wasn’t big turn on offer either – but with drift and bounce, he ensured Pakistan never got away. He was the only bowler to have not conceded a boundary on the day.Finn Allen brought up a 31-ball half-century•Getty Images

Outside of the powerplay, Santner cut his pace down and drew mis-hits from both Shadab Khan and Shan Masood. Shadab was promoted to No.4 once again – he has excelled as a pinch-hitter for Islamabad United in the PSL – but he holed out to long-on on Tuesday.Pakistan’s middle-order batters then sleepwalked through their innings, going 34 balls without a boundary. Asif Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed ended the drought and hit three fours each, but it was not enough to drag Pakistan to a competitive total. Tim Southee did his bit at the death by dismissing Iftikhar and Mohammad Nawaz off successive balls in the last over.Allen makes his case for the T20 World Cup
With Allen showing explosive power at the top, New Zealand are giving him a decent run, in place of Guptill, in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. After managing scores of only 13 and 16 earlier in the tri-series, Allen made his case for the T20 World Cup in Australia with a 31-ball half-century on a pitch where most other batters struggled.Allen manufactured scoring opportunities by dashing out of the crease or backing away. He hit full tilt when he launched a six onto the roof of the Hagley Oval. Conway, meanwhile, sat back and complemented Allen by knocking the ball into the gaps.Pakistan, perhaps, missed a trick and made New Zealand’s job easier by holding spin back until the seventh over. And when Shadab finally came into the attack, Allen hoicked him over the leg side for a massive six.By the time Shadab struck to have Allen stumped in the 14th over, New Zealand were just 14 runs away from victory. Conway and Williamson sealed the deal, a result that keeps Bangladesh alive in the tri-series.

Tom Price bags five-for as Gloucestershire gloveman James Bracey takes seven catches

ECB Reporters Network09-Sep-2024Jack Davies posted his best first-class score of 91 as Middlesex built a strong platform after being put in by Gloucestershire in their Vitality County Championship clash at Lord’s.The Middlesex left-hander missed out on the chance of a maiden hundred after sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of 120 with Josh De Caires, who struck 64 as the home side were bowled out for 377.Max Holden’s battling knock of 77 had provided an initial foundation for the promotion contenders before he became one of seven dismissals for Gloucestershire gloveman James Bracey.The bowling honours were dominated by Tom Price, who finished with a season’s best of 5 for 81, and Ajeet Singh Dale, with figures of 4 for 70.Gloucestershire – who included 19-year-old debutant Archie Bailey among their seam quartet – were immediately rewarded for opting to bowl as Singh Dale’s opening effort seared back down the slope and crashed into Sam Robson’s middle stump.The lively Bailey, who entered the attack as early as the sixth over, might also have struck with his first delivery which found the edge of Holden’s bat, but dropped fractionally short of slip.However, Middlesex gradually settled down and Mark Stoneman raised the tempo with a flurry of cover boundaries, advancing to 42 before he attempted to hook Tom Price and top-edged it to provide Bracey with a routine catch.That ended Stoneman’s partnership of 71 with Holden, who reached lunch one short of a half-century as he and Leus du Plooy kept the scoreboard ticking along at more than four an over.Holden added that single off Tom Price to reach 50 soon after the interval, but the very next delivery accounted for Du Plooy, slanting across the left-hander to take the edge.Price and Bracey combined again to remove their former team-mate Ryan Higgins, caught swishing outside leg stump and the Gloucestershire keeper claimed his fourth dismissal of the innings when Singh Dale returned at the Nursery End to prise out Holden.But Davies looked in good touch, pulling and cutting against the seamers as well as driving spinner Zafar Gohar for the first six of the contest as he and De Caires shared Middlesex’s fourth partnership in excess of 50.The shot that took Davies to his own 50 was a streaky one, though, slashing across the line at Tom Price and edging over Bracey’s head for a boundary that also earned the home side their first batting bonus point.De Caires was given a life just after tea, with Cameron Bancroft spilling an edge to slip off Bailey, but he played the spinners with confidence and pulled Zafar off the back foot for a boundary to post his second half-century of the season.Singh Dale returned to take the new ball and, although Davies got away with a leading edge that flew through the slips, he was undone in the seamer’s next over as he nudged one that moved away into Bracey’s gloves.De Caires soon followed, trapped in front by a ball that followed a similar trajectory to Singh Dale’s first of the day before Tom Price wrapped up the innings by capturing the wickets of Luke Hollman and Henry Brookes.

Tamim Iqbal, Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar heap praises on the Bangladesh team following their historic win against New Zealand

Mohammad Isam06-Jan-2022Bangladesh ODI captain and senior player Tamim Iqbal praised the team for crossing “all barriers” to beat New Zealand in their own backyard in the first Test in Mount Maunganui.On Wednesday morning, there were celebrations led by Tamim and other players following the historic win, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, where the BCL final was taking place.Tamim praised the scale of the victory, particularly keeping in mind Bangladesh’s previous record in New Zealand.Related

• Test failures a worry, but Tamim expects 'very, very good' Bangladesh ODI team if things go to plan

• Shakib: 'I am happy Bangladesh beat New Zealand without me'

• Ross Taylor: 'All good things have to come to an end'

• Ebadot Hossain: 'If you are fit enough as a fast bowler, you can do anything'

• Stats – Bangladesh end jinx as NZ's unbeaten home run stops at 17

“We returned empty-handed from New Zealand for many years, many tours,” Tamim wrote on his official Facebook profile. “The situation was tougher this time. But the team crossed all the barriers to bring a wonderful win. Beating New Zealand in New Zealand is one of the toughest jobs in world cricket. We showed that we can.”What really touched me was that it was a total team effort. It is a team with great spirit. No praise is enough for Ebadot [Hossain]. [Mahmudul Hasan] Joy, [Najmul Hossain] Shanto, Liton [Das], [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz and Yasir [Ali] everyone contributed in the win. Even Taijul Islam took a brilliant catch as a substitute.”Tamim said that captain Mominul Haque deserved special mention for continuing to motivate the team during a “difficult time”.”I will mention someone separately. At a very difficult time, when no one believed in the team, when there was doubt within the team too, only one man didn’t lose his belief. He always tried to motivate the team by saying ‘we can, we definitely can’, despite bad days, bad performances. He has tremendous love for Test cricket. He gives the most priority to Test cricket. I doff my cap to the captain, Mominul Haque.”Chief selector Minhajul Abedin wants the team to use this blueprint to continue their success in Tests.”This is a memorable win. It is a huge milestone for our cricket.” Abedin said. “I think if we hold on to this process for the next three to five years, we can become a good Test-playing team.”People say a lot of things about the cricketers’ ability, but playing while being in a bio-bubble is tough. They have adjusted themselves and given the nation a great gift. Definitely, they deserve a salute.”Habibul Bashar, another senior selector and a former national captain, called the win Bangladesh’s greatest accomplishment in Tests.”I am lost for words. I am extremely happy. We have won a few Tests, done a few good things, but I think this is our greatest achievement as a Test-playing nation.”We played great cricket throughout this Test match. In every department. Top-order batting, fast bowlers, spinners. Even the captain got us breakthroughs. It will be tough to find something negative from this Test win.”

Australia need to rejig their middle order if Head isn’t available for the Galle Test

Andrew McGlashan23-Jun-2022Glenn Maxwell has been added to Australia’s Test squad ahead of the opening match against Sri Lanka in Galle after Travis Head joined a lengthy injury list with a hamstring strain which has ruled him out of the final ODI.It means the prospect of Maxwell playing his first Test since 2017, against Bangladesh in Chattogram, and his first first-class match since 2019 if he is included for the game next Wednesday. All seven of his Tests have come on the subcontinent with a top score of 104 against India in Ranchi.Before the tour, national George Bailey kept the door open for Maxwell’s return. He has been in good touch during the ODIs with a match-winning unbeaten 80 in the opening game followed by 30 and 33.”We know Glenn has had some red-ball success in these types of conditions and we’re looking forward to him getting back and playing a good block of cricket through the T20s and one-day cricket,” Bailey said. “If he shoots the lights out or anyone else does particularly well, there’s always going to be opportunities.”Earlier in the trip, Maxwell said he understood why he was not part of the Test squad but had not given up hope of getting another chance”A guy that hasn’t played any first-class cricket would be a random pick,” he told . “I know it’s specific to my skillset and the way I play slow bowling, especially in these conditions, that might have been something to sway them.”But I think the way they’ve shown faith in their current squad is brilliant. It’s nice that the door’s not closed but I also thought it was nice that they showed faith in that squad.”Head sustained his injury late in the fourth match and has just six days to recover before the first Test in Galle. GPS data showed that Head had run 26km in the field across the third and fourth matches of the series. The strain is said to be on the minor side, but if he is not available for the opening game next Wednesday, it would require Australia to rejig their middle order.Related

• Australia could play Maxwell at No. 8 in second Test

• Glenn Maxwell's Test return: 'So nice to get the tap on the shoulder and have the faith I can do a job'

• Starc won't risk Test chances by making quick return in Sri Lanka

• Warning signs for Australia ahead of litmus test against spin in Galle

Maxwell has been called up ahead of any of the Australia A batters who have been taking part in the four-day matches against Sri Lanka which includes Marcus Harris, Matt Renshaw and Nic Maddinson.However, three spinners from the A squad – Jon Holland, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy – will remain in Sri Lanka with the Test squad to assist with preparations and to further their development. Kuhnemann has already been part of the ODI squad following Ashton Agar’s side injury and if Australia opt for three spinners during the Tests there could be further chance for promotion.Holland, 35, who has played four Tests, was a late addition to the Australia A squad after Kuhuemann was brought across to the one-day set-up.Travis Head has just six days to recover before the first Test in Galle•Getty Images

Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc also continues to be unavailable due to the stitching in his finger which he cut on the spike of his boot in the first T20I while Steven Smith, who has been nursing a quad strain, is unlikely to be risked ahead of the Tests.”[It’s a] bit more of a precaution,” Aaron Finch said of Head. “Especially, where he fields in the outfield, he does quite a lot of kilometres and the ground is quite heavy. Not sure what he’s looking like for the Test matches. Just one more to add to the list at the moment. Starcy is still not right with his finger. Where it is, the stitching is still not quite 100% healed. Without being able to bowl without tape on, he’ll be out as well.”Australia have endured a lengthy casualty list during the white-ball leg of the tour. Sean Abbott (broken finger) was ruled out before the matches began to be followed by Marsh who has since recovered from a calf strain, Kane Richardson (hamstring), Marcus Stoinis (side), and Agar (side) along with Starc and Smith.Reflecting on the ODI series, which Sri Lanka secured with their four-run victory two days ago, Finch picked out the fact Australia had not been able to build a big partnership to take them deep into the innings with plenty of wickets in hand as a deciding factor. They have fielded a long batting order in the last two matches with Cameron Green at No. 8.”Anytime we’ve started to get any momentum in the game, we lose a wicket and in these conditions, once you lose one, they go back-to-back pretty quick,” he said. “Think, just maximising that main partnership where you can get to the 40th over maybe three down, has hindered us a bit.”After Friday’s final ODI, Australia’s next 50-over cricket will be the series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand starting at home in late August. Unlike these matches against Sri Lanka, those contests will carry World Cup Super League points. There remains uncertainty whether their other home series, against South Africa in January, will go ahead after CSA requested for it to be moved, so they can launch their new T20 league.

The West Indies captain will join Harmanpreet Kaur at the top of the order

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2022West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has signed with Melbourne Renegades for the upcoming WBBL season.In five of the past seven years, Matthews has played for Hobart Hurricanes where she scored 865 runs at 18.02 and took 41 wickets.Her signing means she will team up with Harmanpreet Kaur in Renegades’ top order.”Any team that I’m part of, I try to bring a bit of West Indian flair to it,” Matthews said. “I really like to go out there and have fun every time I’m out on the field.”As a West Indian, our culture is big hitting and excitement in the field – that’s exactly what I’m looking to bring to the Melbourne Renegades.”James Rosengarten, Melbourne Renegades general manager, said: “Alongside Harmanpreet Kaur, we see Hayley playing an important role in our top four. She brings a wealth of experience at international level and in the WBBL.”Hayley’s ability to impact the game with the bat, ball and in the field – combined with her leadership attributes – makes her an exciting addition to our team.”Although Australia fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck is part of Renegades’ squad having moved from Hurricanes she won’t be available this season as she continues her recovery from the stress fracture of her foot sustained earlier this year.Current squad Sophie Molineux (capt), Sarah Coyte, Josie Dooley, Ellie Falconer, Ella Hayward, Harmanpreet Kaur, Carly Leeson, Hayley Matthews, Rhiann O’Donnell, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb

England’s threadbare squad set to be tested again on another Mirpur turner

Andrew Miller13-Mar-2023

Big picture – History beckons for Bangladesh

Bangladesh might be forgiven for going into this third and final T20I with a sense of Mission Accomplished. A series win against England has been a long, long time coming – 20 years, in fact, spanning three different formats and a range of deep and lasting indignities, from their unready Test efforts in 2003, to their near-miss at Mirpur on England’s 2010 tour.Since then, they’ve been closing the gap, with at least one victory in each of their last five bilateral series – either side of their greatest triumph to date, the thrilling win in Adelaide in 2015, with which they vaulted into the World Cup knockouts at England’s expense. But at last, in holding their nerve in Sunday’s low-scoring thriller, they’ve secured a slice of silverware that will count among their proudest achievements.Now, however, the challenge is to go again – to dig that little bit deeper in a situation that England themselves might recognise from their home series against Australia in 2018. Back then at Old Trafford, England’s series was long in the bag at 4-0 with one to play, but the jeopardy of the whitewash raised the stakes for both sides. Cue the feistiest contest of the lot, a gripping two-wicket win, delivered by a Jos Buttler century. The professional pride of England’s double-World Champions demands a redoubling of their focus as they seek to avoid such an indignity; and therefore, the same will be required of their hosts.There’s been mitigation aplenty for England’s off-colour displays in the first two matches – as Buttler pointed out after the second match, the 50-over World Cup is looming in October, and therefore the chance to promote the likes of Moeen Ali and Sam Curran, and offer them more time in the middle than they might ordinarily get at the end of a 20-over game, makes sense in the long term. But equally, England’s ill-balanced line-up has been all too easily exposed in two contests, and as Nasser Hussain pointed out on Sky Sports, there’s a point at which such big-picture selection comes across as a lack of respect.Still, there’s been plenty reason to believe that Bangladesh would have got the better of England, even if Sam Hain or Jordan Cox had been flown in to bulk out that middle order, at the expense of, say, Chris Jordan, whose 2.5-over workload epitomises the overload of bowling options at Buttler’s disposal in this series.It took, after all, a pair of outstanding centuries from Dawid Malan and Jason Roy to topple Bangladesh in the ODI series, and so hand Bangladesh a first bilateral home defeat in the format for seven years. Having now transferred that same focus into the 20-over format, the hosts have shown a range of skills that augur well for a similar era of home dominance.In Najmul Hossain Shanto, they’ve hit upon a batter with a supreme faith in his methods, either to romp to a 27-ball fifty when the going is good, as it proved to be in Chattogram, or to knuckle down and endure in Dhaka, to a degree that none of England’s own top-order could replicate. Shanto’s 46 not out from 47 balls projected a perfect air of permanence that freed up his colleagues to take the game on, and both Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed arrived in the middle flushed with confidence from their own bowling exploits. It all proved to be an irresistibly moreish formula.None of this changes the fact that England are the team of the era in white-ball cricket. Buttler is the outstanding T20 batter of his generation, and Jofra Archer’s sublime display at Dhaka reaffirmed a matchless range of skills – raw pace, game smarts and canny variation – that, thrillingly, all still seem to be in working order after his 18-month injury lay-off.Buttler’s men are capable of much better than they have produced in the past two matches, but in an era of fixture overload – with one World Cup just secured and another soon to be defended – and with the small matters of the IPL and the Ashes dominating the immediate thoughts of their senior players, can they find enough desperation to avoid a notable loss? Either way, Bangladesh in this mood might not give them much leeway.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LLWWW

In the spotlight – Rony Talukdar and Ben Duckett

Rony Talukdar’s return to international cricket, eight years after his one-off appearance in 2015, was one of the more intriguing selections in recent times. Aside from it clearly being on merit, the call-up was tangible evidence of Bangladesh’s determination to promote its BPL stars, and that new policy has paid off handsomely in the past two games. Talukdar’s contribution to those wins arguably transcends his actual returns, however – particularly at Chattogram, where he drilled his first ball back in the big-time clean through the covers for four, en route to an agenda-setting 21 from 14. He has helped to set the tone, but something more substantial would help to ensure this recall is more than just a temporary reward.Of all the specialist batters in England’s ill-balanced line-up, Ben Duckett arguably has the most to gain from his heightened exposure. With credit in the bank across formats – most particularly from his sparky displays in Pakistan in last year’s T20Is, and his enthusiastic Bazballing at the top of the Test batting order – he’s setting himself up as a World Cup bolter, particularly given his sweep-dominant technique in spinning conditions. To that end, his displays in this series so far have been a qualified success – 20 from 13 balls in Chattogram where “it went all right and then I missed one”, then a run-a-ball 28 in Mirpur, which was a more competitive contribution than it perhaps appeared at the time. If he can finish this campaign on a personal high, he might yet force his way into the conversation come October.

Team news – Few changes in offing

Mehidy’s thrilling introduction in Dhaka gave a winning line-up an extra cutting edge with the ball and, as it turned out, the bat too. Assuming the pitch offers similar assistance to the spinners, there’s no reason to change this winning XI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Rony Talukdar, 2 Litton Das (wk), 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Nasum Ahmed, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Mustafizur RahmanNot a lot of wriggle-room in England’s threadbare squad. Archer might well be stood down, having shown once again that he’s firmly on track for full fitness. Mark Wood is the obvious man to return on a pitch that offered more for the quicks than Chattogram had. Reece Topley is the other option, assuming he’s recovered from the niggle that has kept him on the sidelines. Buttler slipped down the order in game two. It remains to be seen if that experiment is repeated.England (possible): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood.

Pitch and conditions – Another turner in prospect

There’s going to be a lot of spin and uneven bounce, if the Dhaka pitch for the second T20I is anything to go by. And if that favours the hosts, then Buttler says England are happy to take the learnings from such conditions, particularly with the 50-over World Cup in mind. The weather in Dhaka will go from warm to mild in the course of the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

While spotlight remains on Matheesha Pathirana, CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons credits “unsung heroes” Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande for victory

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-20241:35

Gavaskar on Hardik: ‘Ordinary bowling, ordinary captaincy’

Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, felt Matheesha Pathirana was the difference between the two sides on Sunday night as the heavyweight clash billed as the IPL’s “” ended in victory for Chennai Super Kings.Pathirana, who missed CSK’s last two games with a hamstring niggle, was a late inclusion. And he finished with figures of 4 for 28; this included the wickets of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in his very first over, the eighth of the innings, to put the skids on Mumbai after a 70-run opening stand.”Definitely it was gettable,” Hardik said of Mumbai’s 207-run target. “But I think they bowled pretty well, Pathirana was the difference. He came and got the wickets, at the same time they were also quite smart with their approach. They used the longer boundary well.Related

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“It was about batting well and keeping our intent, which we did till Pathirana came in. We were on course to get the total, those couple of wickets [in his first over] we lost set us back. From there we were chasing the game.”CSK had a number of bowlers who used their slower variations well and bowled into the pitch to extract something off the deck in the face of some dew. Shardul Thakur was taken for 33 off his first three overs, but came back superbly in his final over to concede just two to deny a set Rohit Sharma and Hardik with Mumbai needing 77 off 36.Then Tushar Deshpande got into the act, dismissing Hardik by having him hole out to the longer boundary at deep midwicket. Soon, the equation turned into a daunting 72 off 24. Pathirana then came back for his final over to send back the big-hitting Romario Shepherd with a fuller ball that splayed his stumps.While it was natural for Pathirana to get the spotlight after his four-for, CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons felt Thakur and Deshpande turned the game. “The unsung heroes tonight were Tushar and Shardul,” Simons said at the post-match press conference. “Shardul bowled one of the best overs I have ever seen. At that stage they were looking at 12s-13s an over, the game’s very much in the balance. He bowls the over and it goes up at 14. The game turned there.”Matheesha will get a lot of accolades and he deserves it because of the way he bowled and the breakthroughs he gave us. But those two gentlemen did extremely well for us to push the rate out of reach out of MI.”Tushar is a very intelligent bowler. Our conversations are around his tactics, his understanding of conditions and oppositions. One of the things we try and do is make sure bowlers have clarity when they arrive at game and they know exactly what they have to do and also understand the tactics. So not just what the tactic is but also why it is like that. And he has a very clear understanding of the tactic and also why it is like that.”Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians came out second best in the IPL’s “El Classico”•AFP via Getty Images

That CSK’s bowlers found themselves with 206 to defend was down to Shivam Dube’s 38-ball 66 and Dhoni’s cameo – including three sixes in the final over. For much of Dube’s innings, Hardik held his spinners back and preferred to go with pace into the wicket. Offspinner Mohammad Nabi bowled three overs for 19, while Shreyas Gopal, their legspinner, bowled just one over.”It was about what was best at that point,” Hardik said of his tactic to hold back his spinners. “In hindsight we can see how we could’ve used our spinners and done something different, but in the longer term I like to play with what I can work with, that’s percentage cricket. On that wicket, for seamers, it was much more difficult for him [Dube] to do what he did [to pacers] than to the spinners.”The defeat was Mumbai’s fourth in six games. It broke a sequence of two straight wins. Currently eighth on the table, they now get on the road for four away fixtures and are in need of a big second half to remain in contention for the playoffs.In looking for this, Hardik wants the team to keep it simple. “We just need to keep our intensity high, be smart about our plans,” he said. “If we can do that, we can get the goal we want.”