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Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, will have to vacate his position in the Baroda Cricket Association, his home body, following a managing committee decision to bar him on technical grounds

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2014Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, will have to vacate his position in the Baroda Cricket Association, his home body, following a managing committee decision to bar him on technical grounds. Though Patel’s position in the BCCI remains tenable, the development is a huge setback for the man who is considered as a N Srinivasan confidante.Patel has been serving as one of the two joint-secretaries of BCA and is into his second two-year term. Even though he resumed office after a controversial election last year, the opposition faction led by former cricketers Anshuman Gaekwad and Kiran More have the majority in the present managing committee.As a result, a resolution was moved during the last month’s managing committee meeting against Patel’s unlawful co-option into the managing committee for the first time way back in 2002. After seeking legal opinion on the matter, president Samarjitsinh Gaekwad upheld the decision to cancel Patel’s status as an office-bearer along with three other co-opted managing committee members. Patel will be formally asked to resign from the post on Monday.Patel became a BCA member in 2000 and a technicality was recently pointed out that the BCA regulations doesn’t allow a member to be co-opted into the managing committee before three years since his membership has been approved. Patel is expected to contest the managing committee decision in the court.The BCA decision, however, will not have any impact on Patel completing his one-year tenure as the BCCI secretary. The BCCI rules don’t require an office bearer to hold a post in his home unit. According to the BCCI rules, eligibility to contest for an office-bearer’s post is “(a) Past or present office bearers or vice presidents of the board. or (b) Any person who has represented a full member in at least two annual general meetings of the board as a representative of such member.”Since 2014-15, the tenure of the BCCI office-bearers will be increased to three years.

Zimbabwe’s newly appointed captain Elton Chigumbura has cooled fears he may find himself on the sidelines with a quad injury shortly after taking over

Firdose Moonda17-Aug-2014Zimbabwe’s newly appointed captain Elton Chigumbura has cooled fears he may find himself on the sidelines with a quad injury shortly after taking over. Chigumbura hurt his quad in the first match of his second stint as captain, and battled through most of his 89 minutes at the crease.”I injured my quad but I think I will be fine,” Chigumbura said. “I just pulled it. I think I will be fine for the next game.” Chigumbura showed discomfort after facing 17 balls and asked for on-field treatment. He limped significantly on his left leg thereafter but confirmed the niggle had nothing to do with him not bowling in the match.Although Zimbabwe’s three seamers included two rookies in Neville Madziva and Luke Jongwe and an off-colour Shingi Masakadza, Chigumbura chose to concentrate on the nuances of captaincy instead of putting more burden on himself.”I thought the guys bowled well so there was no need for me to bowl,” he said. “In my first game as a captain there will be a lot of things on my mind so I tried to concentrate on managing the bowlers and the field settings.”Chigumbura conceded that his attack gave away “20 runs too many,” but was happy with their overall fielding effort. Zimbabwe dropped Hashim Amla on 62 but did not let any other chances go begging. What will worry Chigumbura more is that Zimbabwe did not create many chances on an unhelpful surface.With just a day’s rest between matches, Zimbabwe will look for an immediate solution in terms of being “more strict on the bowlers,” and could even bring some changes to the batting line-up.Chigumbura was unhappy with the top-order’s failing and asked his men to show more staying power at the crease. “Wickets in hand is going to be key if we want to win these games so on the batting side, we need to improve on that,” he said.Zimbabwe only need to look to South Africa for evidence of how that can work. After finding themselves only two wickets down after 80% of their innings was complete, the visitors could assert themselves with freedom in the final 10 overs.”We showed we are quite dangerous in the last 10 overs with wickets in hand,” South Africa captain AB de Villiers said. “We didn’t have Morne, Dale or Vernon – the old stalwarts so it was nice to see we can win games without them here. It was nice to see Kyle Abbott and Aaron Phangiso bowling well today. So it’s nice to see we have some depth.”Those players have likely earned themselves another match after which South Africa may try new combinations again. “The most important thing for me is to win games for South Africa. We will try and get the best XI on the field in the next match,” de Villiers said. “If we win the series, there is room to try out a few new positions but we will look at that only after the next game.”

Many players try to play like Lionel Messi but few come anywhere close – That doesn't stop pundits from comparing their stars to the icon, though!

GettyBarcelona's new Messi: Bojan KrkicBest known to English football fans thanks to his goals for Stoke City, Bojan Krkic broke Lionel Messi's record for Barcelona's youngest debutant in 2007, earning him instant comparisons to the Argentine forward. He played over 100 La Liga games for Barca before moving on to Roma, AC Milan, Ajax and Stoke. In 2018, he revealed that the "new Messi" nickname held him back and that he rejected a chance to go to Euro 2008 with Spain because of anxiety issues.AdvertisementGettyCatalan Messi: Gerard DeulofeuAny player who comes up through the Barcelona academy is always going to be in the shadow of Messi. Gerard Deulofeu was given the nickname the "Catalan Messi" as he broke through during his teenage years. Now at Watford, the Spain international was sold by Barca to Everton in 2015 but actually returned to his hometown club in 2017 when they exercised a buy-back option in his contract. He teamed up with Messi, playing 23 times before being loaned out and then sold back to England.Getty ImagesCroatian Messi: Alen HalilovicNot all the new Messis get to follow in the original Messi's footsteps, but the 'Croatian Messi' arrived at Camp Nou in 2014 to sign for Barcelona from Dinamo Zagreb, where he had rose to fame. The youngest ever player to play for Zagreb at 16 years and 101 days, he also became the youngest player to play for Croatia in 2013. Unfortunately, his only first team involvement at Barcelona was less than half an hour in a cup game and he was sold to Hamburg in 2016. Now on the books at AC Milan, the 22-year-old joined Standard Liege on loan in January with the Belgian club having an option to buy him this summer.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesEgyptian Messi: Mohamed SalahMohamed Salah was named the 'Egyptian Messi' due to his amazing left foot, but by now he has moved on from the nickname to be regarded as one of the best players in the world. He finished sixth in the 2018 Ballon d'Or voting, just one place below Messi, having helped Liverpool reach the Champions League final and bringing Egypt to the World Cup. Still just 26, he followed up an exellent 2017-18 season with Liverpool by scoring over 20 league goals again in 2018-19 with the Reds again reaching the last four in Europe.

A round-up of the Ford Trophy matches that took place on March 23, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2014Northern Districts defended 241 against Canterbury to move to the top of the points table. The two teams had begun the match tied on 18 points, and Canterbury looked set to move ahead when they were 208 for 4 with about eight overs to go in the chase. However, the run-out of Henry Nicholls for 45 sparked a collapse, with medium pacers Scott Kuggeleijn and Graeme Aldridge proceeding to bowl them out for 226 in the 49th, ensuring Dean Brownlie’s competent 84 went in vain.Canterbury had suffered a blow when Rob Nicol had left the field earlier, hurt, without opening his account. It was Nicol who had dented Northern Districts in their innings with his part-timers, picking up three middle-order wickets in quick succession to stem the flow of runs at the death and keep Canterbury’s target to a manageable 242. But it proved to be out of their reach in the end.Auckland coined together an efficient bowling performance after Donovan Grobbelaar’s half-century afforded them enough cushion to beat Otago by 73 runs. A profitable opening partnership helped allay nerves after Auckland were asked to bat, but after the 62 runs added by Tim McKintosh and Anaru Kitchen, the stutter began. Three wickets for 12 runs, two of which were via run-outs, stole the momentum. Grobbelaar (51) was struggling for partners until No.8 Michael Bates (30) showed fortitude during a partnership of 76 runs in 87 balls. Neil Wagner accounted for both of them in the 47th over as Auckland finished at 238.The chase shouldn’t have bothered a batting line-up with Hamish Rutherford, Jesse Ryder and Ryan ten Doeschate, but none of them could convert their starts. Seamer Tipene Friday took 3 for 49, his best List A figures, and instigated a wobble as Otago lost three wickets in four overs. Ryder was sixth man out and the equation turned into a difficult 135 off 148. Bates also took three wickets and Grobbelaar chipped in with two as well, as the tail could not muster even half the necessary runs.Wellington’s top order was enough to overhaul Central Districts’ modest total as half-centuries from Michael Papps and Tom Blundell set up a seven-wicket victory with 10 overs to spare. Kruger van Wyk (70) and captain Kieran Noema-Barnett (52) were the only, and much needed, sources of stability for Central Districts recovered from 91 for 5. Both batsmen fell in quick succession though and Wellington were given a simple target of 201. Seamer Brent Arnel was the most successful bowler on the day, with 4 for 26. There was hardly any trouble in the chase with the second- and third-wicket partnerships yielding 87 and 93 runs respectively. James Franklin sealed it by smashing 18 off five balls, including two sixes.

A round-up of the Asian Cricket Council Premier League matches that took place on May 1 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2014Nepal got off to a bright start in the Asian Cricket Council Premier League, by beating UAE by four wickets with more than ten overs to spare in Kuala Lumpur. Put in to bat, UAE lost early wickets, but the innings was resurrected with a 72-run fifth-wicket stand. Swapnil Patil anchored UAE with 76, but they were bowled out in the penultimate over of the innings for 191. Sompal Kami and Mahaboob Alam shared six wickets between them. Chasing a modest total, Nepal lost Naresh Budaiyar in the third over, but the second-wicket pair of Subash Khakurel (71) and Gyanendra Malla (47) responded with a 66-run stand. Paras Khadka, the captain, chipped in with a 40-ball 30. Fayyaz Ahmed was UAE’s most successful bowler with 2 for 49.Afghanistan completed a clinical six-wicket win over Hong Kong in their first match of the competition. Hong Kong were asked to bat and the openers got the team off to a solid start with a 60-run partnership. Subsequently, they lost regular wickets which stemmed the flow of runs. Hong Kong’s top-order all got off to starts but none of them went on to make a big score. Babar Hayat struck six fours and two sixes in his half-century, which helped get Hong Kong to a respectable total of 216. Amir Hamza was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 10-1-30-3.In reply, Afghanistan chased down the total with 41 balls to spare. All the batsmen contributed, with the most significant one coming from Usman Ghani, who made a quick 70. Ghani fell in the 26th over with the score on 128 for 3, but a 64-run stand between Hashmatullah Shaidi and Samiullah Shenwari took them closer.Oman convincingly defeated Malaysia by 74 runs, in a low-key affair. Oman were ahead of the game from the get-go, getting off to a fine start, after choosing to bat. Zeeshan Maqsood top-scored with 77 and along with handy contributions from Arif Hussain (44) and Aamir Kaleem (42), got Oman to a score of 269 for 6. Hassan Ghulam picked up four wickets but conceded 72 runs in his 10 overs.Malaysia’s captain, Ahmed Faiz made a good fist of the chase with 70 but none of the other batsmen did anything of note. At one stage, Malaysia required 164 off 180 balls with seven wickets in hand, but collapsed to 195 as they were eventually bowled out in the 41st over. Kaleem and Zeeshan Siddiqui picked up three wickets each.

Kaushal Silva and Mahela Jayawardene did not put on a show but their exercise in restraint, self-preservation and gradual accumulation was exactly what Sri Lanka needed

The Report by George Binoy09-Jan-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahela Jayawardene and Kaushal Silva did not put on a show – there weren’t many people at the stadium to entertain anyway – but their exercise in restraint, self-preservation and gradual accumulation was exactly what Sri Lanka needed to consolidate the advantage earned by their fast bowlers on the first day. Silva fell five short of a maiden century and Jayawardene left his sublime shots on the shelf until the final session, when he was his usual hard-to-contain self and reached his first hundred in ten Tests to give Sri Lanka a strong chance of a series lead.Pakistan’s fast bowlers did not err too much in their line and length, but the sizeable seam movement that had played a prominent role in undoing their batsmen was nowhere to be seen on the second day. Saeed Ajmal operated with parsimony, but Pakistan needed incisiveness to defend their total of 165, and his spell of 27-9-45-0 extended his wicket drought to 76 overs. Sri Lanka had lost two batsmen to injudicious shots early in the first session to slip to 88 for 3, but Silva and Mahela applied themselves to produce a 139-run stand that spanned 51.2 overs and ended only after tea.Mahela’s pace was Sri Lanka’s pace today. He scored 19 off 49 balls in the first session; Sri Lanka made 75. Between lunch and tea, Mahela added 31 off 85; Sri Lanka’s total grew by 83. And in the final session, against the second new ball, Mahela took 56 off 96 to help Sri Lanka score 103. The split webbing he had suffered while fielding at slip did not seem to hinder him and Mahela got to his century late in the day by square cutting Bilawal Bhatti, the debutant who had dismissed him twice in the Abu Dhabi Test, to the boundary.The gains Sri Lanka made after tea were a result wearing Pakistan down over the first two sessions. The unbroken 91-run stand for the fifth wicket between Mahela and Angelo Mathews would not have happened had Sarfaraz Ahmed not dropped the Sri Lanka captain on 5, diving to his right with one hand when he could have got to the ball with both. Mathews scored briskly after that, finishing the day on 42 at a strike rate of 50.Their position at stumps – 318 for 4 and ahead by 153 – was as good as Sri Lanka could have expected when they began the day on 57 for 1. But they so nearly tripped. After three early boundaries, Kumar Sangakkara leaned across to flick a delivery that angled into him from Rahat Ali and fell over to be lbw. Dinesh Chandimal came in ahead of Mahela but did not bat with the composure that had helped Sri Lanka save the first Test. Junaid Khan sent down a bouncer that was above eye level, Chandimal hooked instinctively and was caught by Rahat at long leg. He had been dismissed in exactly the same fashion in the second innings in Abu Dhabi.Unlike Pakistan, however, Sri Lanka’s stumble ended there. Silva and Mahela defended competently and left well outside off, while also putting away loose balls. Mahela played the shot of the morning when he got down on one knee and slog-swept Ajmal to the midwicket boundary. Those were the only runs Ajmal conceded in his first five overs and his day got steadily worse.Mahela Jayawardene batted carefully for two sessions before stepping up a gear as he raised his first century in ten Tests•AFPEarly in the second session, Silva pulled Ajmal to the boundary to bring up his fifty off 133 balls. The afternoon, however, contained a few moments of uncertainty for Sri Lanka. An uppish flick from Silva fell just short of Khurram Manzoor at square leg, Mahela was beaten by the odd doosra from Ajmal and then successfully overturned an lbw decision against Rahat because the ball had pitched marginally outside leg stump.Those deliveries were memorable because there were so few of them and soon Silva cut and drove Rahat for two boundaries in three deliveries to move into the 70s. Shortly before the tea break though, Misbah-ul-Haq gave Mohammad Hafeez a bowl for the first time and Mahela took a risk. He charged and tried to loft down the ground and Pakistan watched as the mis-hit fell agonisingly out of reach of the fielder running back from long-on.It was Hafeez who denied Silva his hundred soon after tea, when the opener swept and was hit on the pad and given lbw. He chose to review, perhaps because he was so close to a major landmark, but replays confirmed the umpire’s decision. Hafeez had struck in his fourth over, while Ajmal had been wicketless all day.Sri Lanka’s lead was only 65 when Silva fell, and given the long tail, Pakistan had the chance to limit damage if they took a couple of quick wickets. Rahat drew the edge from Mathews, but Sarfaraz grassed the ball. There were no more opportunities for Misbah’s men.

Debate has continued to swirl around the sudden termination of Kevin Pietersen’s international career, with Andrew Strauss citing a “total absence of trust” as the reason behind the ECB’s decision

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2014Debate has continued to swirl around the sudden termination of Kevin Pietersen’s international career, with former England captain Andrew Strauss citing a “total absence of trust” as the reason behind the ECB’s decision.The move to leave Pietersen out of England’s future plans has sharply divided opinion, amid a sense of public disgruntlement about the lack of transparency from the ECB. Little information has been forthcoming, beyond the ECB’s stated desire to rebuild “team ethic and philosophy”.It was suggested that the ECB would release a statement further clarifying the situation on Sunday, though confidentiality clauses pertaining to the end Pietersen’s central contract and underlying legal issues would doubtless have limited its scope.Strauss, writing in the , said that a lack of trust was the deciding factor in the ECB ending the career of England’s leading international run-scorer. Describing the nine-year arrangement between Pietersen and England as being like an “illicit affair”, Strauss said that the disastrous tour of Australia, which ended in an Ashes whitewash, had reopened old wounds.Strauss was at the centre of one of the most controversial Pietersen episodes, when the batsman admitted to sending “provocative” texts to South Africa’s players during the 2012 series; his reintegration only came about after Strauss’ retirement at the end of that summer. Strauss at the time referred to “underlying issues on trust and respect” when explaining why Pietersen had been dropped and he returned to those themes in his newspaper column.”Without trust, the team environment is stillborn,” Strauss wrote. “It is for this reason that Kevin Pietersen’s international career had to be brought to an end. The media have been searching for a ‘smoking gun’. Everyone is looking for disciplinary problems, bust-ups and character clashes, but they are looking for the wrong thing. The smoking gun is the total absence of trust.”What happened in Australia from November onwards, when the heat of the furnace was fixed on the embattled side, was that old grievances came back to the surface. Past history weighed too heavily. Trust still did not exist. His relationship with English cricket has been like an illicit affair. Full of thrills and excitement, but destined to end in tears.”There was support for Pietersen to be found among former colleagues, however. Steve Harmison, who was in the team alongside Pietersen as England memorably reclaimed the Ashes in 2005, called the ECB “arrogant” over its handling of the situation, while the Sunday Mirror went so far as to claim that Stuart Broad, the T20 captain, wanted Pietersen in the squad for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.Broad was among those consulted by Paul Downton, England’s managing director, in his review of the Australia tour and it is believed that he felt the T20 team would be stronger for Pietersen’s involvement. However, after meeting with Alastair Cook, the Test and ODI captain, and Ashley Giles, the limited-overs coach, Downton decided to draw a line under Pietersen’s England career.

The PCB governing board has provisionally approved a budget of approximately rupees 3 billion with a deficit of rupees 500 million for the year 2013-14

Umar Farooq25-Aug-2013The PCB governing board has provisionally approved a budget of approximately rupees 3 billion ($29 million approximately) with a deficit of rupees 500 million for the year 2013-14. The much-awaited budget announcement, which came after a delay of almost two months, is a relief for the contracted players who, after not being paid their retainerships since January this year, have now been promised a 15 percent hike in their monthly retainerships. The budget hasn’t offered a hike for the PCB employees.Najam Sethi, the interim PCB chairman, presided over the governing board meeting to approve the provisional budget with three regional and three departmental/services heads, two technocrats and one of two former cricketers. Former wicket-keeper batsman Imtiaz Ahmad was not present due to personal commitments. The meeting went on for six hours at the National Cricket Academy and budget was the major agenda that dominated the meeting.Compared to the previous budget, the PCB had a flat year as it failed to find any revenue, but it was also a less expensive year as Pakistan hosted only one limited-overs series against Australia in the UAE in August 2012. Pakistan also saved further expense as it did not host any international junior team tournament in the previous fiscal year.The PCB had hoped the limited-overs series in India and the Pakistan Super League would help it overcome a shortfall of 70 crore rupees ($6.7 million approx) in last year’s budget, but it didn’t go as per plan. India refused to share its revenue from the ODIs and the T20s, while the PSL was postponed over logistical issues. ESPNcricinfo, however, understands the reduction in deficit was the result of the abandoned home series with Bangladesh and various under-19 team tours to Pakistan within the fiscal year.The budget was delayed over the Islamabad High Court’s judgement which barred the interim PCB chairman to take major decisions. However, the PCB, after consultation with Pakistan Attorney General and the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, has decided to approve the budget with a provision that the new full-time chairman can review it further.IHC in its order, while disposing off a writ petition of removing Zaka Ashraf as the PCB chairman, had given a detailed decision on July 4 under which it has ordered the interim chairman Sethi to work as caretaker and hold election in 90 days to bring in a full-time elected chairman.The chances of the generation of revenue in the upcoming year appear bleak but the PCB is hoping to further reduce the deficit by agreeing to cuts in administrative expenses. The PCB is set to sell its broadcasting rights for the South Africa and Sri Lanka series on August 31 but the value is unlikely to hike up the budget.The PCB has been facing a financial crunch mainly because of teams refusing to tour Pakistan due to security concerns following the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. Since then, Pakistan has been forced to host teams at neutral venues. The 2010-2011 budget was also in the red, before it was boosted by the hefty compensation that the ICC paid the board, following Pakistan’s removal as co-host of the 2011 World Cup.

Bayern Munich will not sack Thomas Tuchel in the wake of their 3-2 loss to Bochum, but CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen refused to offer the board's support.

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Bayern beaten for third time in a rowTuchel under fire after another lossCEO says he will be in charge next weekWHAT HAPPENED?

Bayern found themselves 3-1 down at Bochum in a match that was interrupted on two occasions because of fan protests. Kane managed to pull a goal back late on for the German giants, but he could not prevent his team from losing a third consecutive match. Coach Tuchel has come under pressure amid the reigning Bundesliga champions' miserable run, and reports he is not considering resigning and has been assured that he will not be fired.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DREESEN SAID

Asked by if Tuchel will be sacked, Dreesen said: "It was clear that this question was coming, it had been looming for some time. I don't believe in these monstrous statements of support for coaches. I've already said something about this, but it's not a question that arises for us today. We have to concentrate on the next games.

"I know how you want to hear it. I can say it that way too. But these vows of loyalty are usually over after a week, so I say it in my own way. I've said before – and I'll even repeat myself – that's not an issue we're currently dealing with."

When he was asked if Tuchel will still be in charge next week, Dreesen said: "Of course!"

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Bayern's misery began when the Bavarian side were outclassed in a 3-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen – in which they failed to have a shot on target – last week. They followed that up with another disappointing performance in the Champions League, losing 1-0 to Lazio in the first leg of their last-16 tie. The loss at Bochum now leaves Bayern eight points behind Leverkusen in the Bundesliga table.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

Bayern have another difficult test coming up as they take on RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on February 24. Leipzig put up a good fight when they came up against Real Madrid in the Champions League during the week, though they ended up losing 1-0, and followed that up with a 2-0 win against Borussia Monchengladbach to keep them fifth in the league.

Zimbabwe have a lot to work on, but their goal is simpler. They would want to equalise instead of conceding a 2-0 lead before moving to Dhaka for the last three games

The Preview by Mohammad Isam in Chittagong22-Nov-20140:42

Zimbabwe look to turn a corner

Match factsNovember 23, 2014
Start time 1230 local (0630 GMT)Big PictureBangladesh are finally up and running in ODIs this year. In their 14th attempt, they have broken the duck which had caused them so much grief in 2014. Taking the 1-0 lead in the five-match series against Zimbabwe, therefore, has double significance.Of course, much of the attention would go to Shakib Al Hasan for the way he enforced himself on the visitors. After Bangladesh slipped to 70 for 4, it was Shakib who rescued them with a timely century, his first in four years. He added 148 for the fifth wicket, a Bangladesh record, with Mushfiqur Rahim.Later it was still Shakib who provided the early breakthroughs and finished with four wickets. Mahmudullah, new captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Arafat Sunny all bowled well to take two wickets each.Zimbabwe on the other hand had a nightmare on the field. Captain Elton Chigumbura dropped Mushfiqur on 16 and later overstepped when the same batsman was caught at the boundary, on 56. Brendan Taylor made up for his dropped catch with his first fifty on tour. But more would be expected from Sikandar Raza and Hamilton Masakadza. The pair once again provided Zimbabwe a quick start but could not capitalise.Zimbabwe would want at least one of their openers to score a big innings•AFPTheir bowling, too, started well with Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara restricting the Bangladesh openers, but once Shakib and Mushfiqur opened up, they lost shape. The spinners too did not do justice to the slowness of the pitch.Bangladesh would now look to Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque to give them a better start, while also expecting Mominul Haque to cut away the cute shots and focus on scoring runs. Mashrafe would also hope that the pace attack doesn’t give away too many runs at the start.Zimbabwe have a lot to work on, but their goal is simpler. They would want to equalise instead of conceding a 2-0 lead before moving to Dhaka for the last three games.Form guide(last five completed games, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLLL
Zimbabwe LLWLLIn the spotlightMushfiqur Rahim was said to be under-par in the Test series but through a rickety 65 in the first ODI, he has regained his touch. His wicketkeeping has not been great but he did take a leaping catch at a crucial stage of the match.Solomon Mire made his debut in the first game and though he did not contribute much with the ball or bat, he looks like one for the future. He has a promising bowling action and is a big hitter, exemplified by the one big six he struck during his short stay.Team newsBangladesh have opted to retain the same combination as the first ODI.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Arafat Sunny, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Al-Amin HossainVusi Sibanda’s form may be worrying the team management, in which case they could go for Timycen Maruma.Zimbabwe (possible) 1 Sikandar Raza, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Vusi Sibanda, 4 Brendan Taylor, 5 Regis Chakabva, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 7 Solomon Mire, 8 Tinashe Panyangara, 9 Tendai Chatara, 10 Tafadzwa Kamungozi, 11 John NyumbuPitch and conditionsThe start has been advanced by an hour, to 12.30pm, which would mean a little less effect of the overpowering dew, benefiting both sides. Weather remains cool in Chittagong, so the team batting first will get the best of conditions on a flat, slow deck.Stats and trivia Shakib Al Hasan became the 12th player to score a hundred and take four wickets in the same ODI. He is also the fourth after Steve Waugh, Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis to score 2000-plus runs and take 100 wickets at home. Brendan Taylor became the fourth Zimbabwe batsman to score 30 or more ODI fifties.Quotes”We lost too many wickets in the first 15 overs. We need to correct that and make sure to put up a better performance in the second game.”
“The year we have had, I don’t think one win will make us relaxed. We will be up and running in the second ODI.”