Category Uncategorized

Devcich is reportedly trying to finalise a deal to play in the BBL, which clashes with New Zealand’s own domestic T20 competition

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2018New Zealand’s Anton Devcich has opted out of a domestic contract in favour of playing around the world as a T20 freelancer. The 32-year old batsman is currently part of the Toronto Nationals in Canada and struck an unbeaten 92 off only 44 balls to lead them to a sensational win on Thursday.According to reports, Devcich is also trying to finalise a deal with a Big Bash League team, which may have contributed to his declining a first-round contract handed out by Northern Districts earlier this month. The BBL, which runs from December to February, clashes with New Zealand’s own T20 competition, the Super Smash.”My goal is to represent the Black Caps and to do that I need to improve and gain more experience in pressure situations,” Devcich said in a statement, but added that he will still play for Northern Districts on a match-by-match basis depending on his availability.”Although I will not be contracted I am still extremely dedicated to the association, they have been very supportive of my decision and have always led the way in all aspects of cricket in NZ.”Devcich has experience playing on the worldwide T20 circuit, having previously represented Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League and Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League. He also top-scored in the Super Smash last year with 343 runs in 10 innings as Northern Districts won the title. His left-arm spin had been quite useful as well, helping him pick up 15 wickets.Meanwhile, an already established T20 freelancer, Mitchell McClenaghan was offered a second-round contract by his current team Auckland. The 32-year old fast bowler had opted out of a deal with New Zealand Cricket in 2017 so that he could play in the various T20 leagues and has been part of a title-winning Mumbai Indians side in the IPL, the Sydney Thunder in the BBL, St Lucia Stars in the CPL and Lancashire in England’s T20 Blast. He was most recently part of a World XI that took on West Indies in a charity T20I at Lord’s.Auckland: Finn Allen, Michael Barry, Graeme Beghin, Jamie Brown, Craig Cachopa, Mark Chapman, Danru Ferns, Michael Guptill-Bunce, Ben Horne, Ben Lister, Mitchell McClenaghan, Matt McEwan, Robbie O’Donnell, Glenn Phillips, Sean Solia, Will SomervilleCanterbury: Chad Bowes, Jack Boyle, Blake Coburn, Leo Carter, Andrew Ellis, Cameron Fletcher, Andrew Hazeldine, Kyle Jamieson, Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Stephen Murdoch, Ed Nuttall, Fraser Sheat, Henry Shipley, Will Williams, Theo van WoerkomCentral Districts: Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Greg Hay, Christian Leopard, Willem Ludick, Ryan McCone, Ajaz Patel, Navin Patel, Seth Rance, Bevan Small, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Wheeler, Will YoungNorthern Districts: James Baker, Peter Bocock, Dean Brownlie, Henry Cooper, Sean Davey, Matthew Fisher, Daniel Flynn, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Nick Kelly, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Bharat Popli, Brett Randell, Tim Seifert, Joe WalkerOtago: Matt Bacon, Warren Barnes, Neil Broom, Mark Craig, Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Shawn Hicks, Josh Tasman-Jones, Anaru Kitchen, Michael Rae, Mitch Renwick, Michael Rippon, Hamish Rutherford, Nathan Smith, Christi Viljoen, Brad WilsonWellington: Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Andrew Fletcher, Lauchie Johns, Iain McPeake, Jimmy Neesham, Ollie Newton, Malcolm Nofal, Jeetan Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Logan van Beek, Luke Woodcock, Peter Younghusband

Pakistan chief selector Haroon Rasheed has said that Mohammad Amir became ‘eligible’ for Pakistan selection within four months of completing an ICC ban because he was still ‘better’ than most of his competition

Umar Farooq31-Dec-20154:11

Amir needs to be tested for another season before recall – Bazid

Mohammad Amir may have spent five years in the wilderness, but Pakistan chief selector Haroon Rasheed has said he is ‘still better’ than most of the competition.Amir became eligible for national selection within four months of completing an ICC ban for spot-fixing. Rasheed told ESPNcricinfo he was assessed solely on his cricketing skill. “As a selector what we see is the overall ability, skills, form, fitness and performance so this is all we have taken into account before considering him for the New Zealand tour. He is still better than most of those who played in last five years. We have seen him performing at domestic level and he has stood out. But now we want to assess him at the international level and see how well he can deliver.”Fourteen fast bowlers (including bowling all-rounders) have made debuts across formats for Pakistan since Amir’s five-year suspension in 2010. In that time, only Wahab Riaz has made a case for a permanent place in the XI across formats. Fellow left-arm seamer Junaid Khan had a promising start to his career, but his threat has diminished greatly and has not been part of a Pakistan team since June. Umar Gul has had a tough time with injuries; he is still pushing for a comeback. Rahat Ali has been a workhorse at times, but is not an automatic selection. Imran Khan and Mohammad Irfan have fitness concerns.Pakistan chief selector Haroon Rasheed on Mohammad Amir: “We are not undermining other players and forcing him [back] but there is always a difference between normal and extraordinary players.”•AFP

Amir, 23, resumed his career in March playing grade two cricket in Pakistan, after the ICC allowed an early return to cricket. He moved onto grade one and caught further attention in the Bangladesh Premier League where he picked up 14 wickets in nine matches at an average of 12.64.”We are not undermining other players and forcing him [back] but there is always a difference between normal and extraordinary players,” Rasheed said of Amir. “We are not axing anyone to bring him in. They are all part of the circuit and part and parcel of our planning.”But about Amir, it’s not just his bowling but his all-round ability. He is good fielder and can bat with surety. Had he kept on playing in last five years he could have been developed into an established allrounder. We have good bowlers but they are not known for their batting. I don’t want to point to anyone, but we need our players to cover all the three dimensions of the game.”Amir has a top score of 73 against New Zealand in ODIs, and has a couple of fifties in first-class cricket as well.”Pakistan hasn’t been really a bad ODI team,” Rasheed said, “What has been hampering them is the fielding and fitness. Skill was never really a problem. So we want to pick a boy who has everything and as a selector we have seen something in him.”Pakistan’s one-day team is in transition, and the inconsistency in selection has not helped their cause. They have had four selection committees in three years. And following the retirements of Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi after the World Cup 2015, there was a widespread revamp with Azhar Ali appointed as ODI captain.”One thing is certain, we didn’t have readymade back-up sitting behind. We know we have tons of players performing in the domestic circuit, scoring heavily and taking wickets and after the World Cup, we wanted to give all of them a chance and test their potential.”Now the experimentation is over and we came to understand that most of them lacked the temperament, confidence and the fitness. We have told them [that] and sent them back to domestic cricket to work on their limitations. At the same time we have stuck with some of them and given them a longer run in the national team.”Rasheed also stressed on the need to give players a longer stint in the team, to help them gain experience and settle into the team set-up.”We definitely have to digest failure and we are throwing our full confidence behind the players we have selected after extensive experimentation for almost an entire year. Realistically, we may be behind the rest of the cricketing world in ODIs but we have to stick with the boys and let them gain experience.”The team for Pakistan’s limited-overs tour of New Zealand will likely be announced by Saturday, since they fly out on January 10.

Ross Taylor could yet cap an eventful season by being part of a New Zealand side that beats England in a Test series at home for only the second time in their history

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland20-Mar-2013Ross Taylor has been through his fair share of ups and downs in recent months but he could yet cap an eventful season by being part of a New Zealand side that beats England in a Test series at home for only the second time in their history.Taylor was not born on the previous occasion in 1983-84 – a series decided when England were shot out twice for double figures in Christchurch – but at 29, he is now one of the most experienced players in a developing New Zealand team. There appeared little chance of them competing with England only a few months ago, when they were being dismantled by South Africa in the wake of Taylor’s sacking from the captaincy, but while there remains an uneasy truce between Taylor and the coach Mike Hesson, they have proved far more competitive at home.There were a few warning signs in Wellington, where New Zealand’s bowling lacked penetration on the first day and the batsmen could only manage 254 on a docile surface before being asked to follow on, but it was by no means certain that they would have lost if the weather had not turned. Taylor, in partnership with Kane Williamson, was leading a stubborn second innings and they have brought the series down to a one-game playoff.”It’s a position we haven’t been in for a while and we’ve played some good cricket,” Taylor said. “We know we’ll have to be at our best to compete with this English side and we have five more days of tough cricket. If we can play to our potential we are a chance.”You don’t need much motivation, it’s nil-nil in a series against England, playing on our home turf and it’s the first time we’ve played at Eden Park for a few years, so there’s a lot to play for.”Ross Taylor was unbeaten in New Zealand’s second innings in the Wellington draw•Getty Images

Much of the debate has centred around why England have not won rather than why New Zealand have not lost, but neither team can really claim any ascendancy going into the final match. “It’s a probably a fair reflection on the way the series has gone,” Taylor said. “Another day either way could have allowed both teams to win.”More bounce is expected on the drop-in pitch at Eden Park, which is hosting its first Test since 2006, although similar sentiments were made in the build-up to the second Test and the bounce was steady rather than steep. The back-foot techniques of the New Zealand batsmen have yet to be really tested in this series, but they do not lie awake at night worrying about what may happen.”I’m sure our bowlers will look forward to bowling on a bouncier wicket,” Taylor said. “I think it was bouncy in Wellington and I can’t see it being too much more so here.”Dean Brownlie, who learnt his cricket in Western Australia, would actually enjoy the prospect of a quicker pitch. “It definitely suits my game,” he said. “We have to be good all around the world and this is another opportunity to learn in bouncier conditions.”In the past I’ve played a few T20s here and it’s been flat with good carry and bounce. I’m not sure how it will go for a five-dayer, but playing four-day games on Eden Oval No. 2, there has been great bounce and carry.”In another boost to New Zealand, Doug Bracewell returned to action on Wednesday in a Ford Trophy match against Canterbury as he aimed to prove his fitness ahead of the third Test. He took 1 for 55 from his 10 overs and, if he comes through the outing without any reaction to his foot injury, he will join the New Zealand squad in Auckland on Thursday.

Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed, who missed the tour of Sri Lanka because of a fractured finger, has said he is now fit and ready to play again

Umar Farooq29-Jun-2012Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed, who missed the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka because of a fractured finger, has said he is now fit and ready to play international cricket again. Jamshed will start practising next week.”I was unlucky most of the time,” Jamshed told ESPNcricinfo. “[I was not] serious with my cricket and never maintained my fitness as I should have. I realised the importance of fitness only after being dropped due to fitness grounds. But now I am more serious and focussed.”Jamshed has played only 16 ODIs despite making his Pakistan debut in January 2008. He made a comeback to the team after more than two and a half years in this year’s Asia Cup, and scored a century against India in Dhaka. He could not make the trip to Sri Lanka because of his finger injury.”It’s disappointing when [you create] a strong impact with your performance but things change and you are out of the scene,” he said. “But now I am fit and presently giving a precautionary rest to my finger before coming out in the nets to bat. While I was injured I was allowed to jog so that I kept myself fit.”Jamshed said he wanted to play Test cricket and had the aptitude for it because he was capable of long innings in one-dayers. “Playing a bigger format demands high fitness [and] skill,” he said. “I have the temperament [for Test cricket but] it requires [high] fitness levels. It’s because of the weight I had gained that I was out of the scene until this year. I have already reduced five kilograms, from 87kg, to keep my body more flexible and quicker.”He said he was aware of Pakistan’s need to find a steady opening pair, and that he was ready to take up that responsibility. “It’s about scoring runs. I am learning from [the other openers]. Everyone wants to play but only who scores can stay.”Jamshed averaged 65 for the first wicket with former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and said their success was because of their association in domestic cricket, where they opened for National Bank of Pakistan. Jamshed, however, has a better record with the present opener Mohammad Hafeez, with whom he has scored 404 runs in four innings.”Opening is a very specialist slot and probably the hardest one in the batting order to play at. The opening combination is very important and more time you give to the combination, the more you get success and runs at the top.”

Robert Chance, the Texas lawyer hired to oversee the compliance review for all of the USA Cricket Association’s member leagues, has requested that the date of the regional elections be extended by one more week

Peter Della Penna18-Nov-2011Robert Chance, the Texas lawyer hired to oversee the compliance review for all of the USA Cricket Association’s member leagues, has requested that the date of the regional elections be extended by one more week. In a memo to the USACA board, Chance says he has not been able to properly finish his assessment of which leagues are authentic and eligible due to the leagues’ “systemic failure to provide all of the requested information”.USACA announced last month that regional elections were due to be concluded by November 19. That deadline was then extended by USACA to November 22 after USACA issued a notice last week stating that leagues in the North East area were “affected by the recent weather conditions”. A rare October snowstorm came through New York and New Jersey at the end of the month and caused considerable damage.According to Chance’s memo, six leagues did not submit any information whatsoever. He also wrote that “very few have provided tax returns or documentation of non-profit status”. The failure of many leagues to provide the kind of documentation that Chance is seeking could put an end to the practice of bogus leagues popping up across the USACA landscape, something which many observers feel has been a major problem in the past. Since each league gets a vote in the USACA elections, eliminating such leagues may drastically affect how the next election will play out.Nominations for the national election were supposed to begin after the completion of the regional election process. The national election is supposed to be completed one month after the conclusion of regional elections with the national election results announced on December 21. It is unclear if the national election will now be pushed back to accommodate for a delay in the regional election process.The USACA national elections were due to be held in March according to the USACA constitution, but in that same month it was announced that national elections would be held on October 15. That date passed, after which USACA announced the new December deadline.

Chennai Super Kings can expect a tougher encounter against Wayamba

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya14-Sep-2010

Match facts

Wednesday, September 14
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)
Mahela Jayawardene will want to make up for his duck in Wayamba’s opening game against Warriors•Manoj Ridimahaliyadda

Big Picture

There were a couple of surprises in the first phase of the Champions League Twenty20, but Chennai Super Kings emerged with their reputation unblemished after a clinical victory over Central Districts in Durban. Chennai’s opponents for Wednesday’s clash in Centurion, Wayamba, have been quite understated in the build-up to the tournament but promise to present a stronger challenge to the IPL champions. They were beaten by Warriors in their opening game but not before overcoming a horrid start with the bat and creating several chances in the field. Some of their experienced crew, including Mahela Jayawardene and Farveez Maharoof, however, failed to perform, and they’ll be the focus in their attempt to stay in the hunt in this competition.Chennai’s ruthlessness with the ball, on show against Central Districts, will be hard to replicate. Muttiah Muralitharan and R Ashwin shared four wickets in miserly spells. But how they cope in this tournament against a side more accustomed to handling such variations remains to be seen. For Wayamba, the worry remains their pace attack comprising Maharoof, Chanaka Welegedera and Thisara Perera; they conceded 82 in 8.2 overs between them, a performance that does not augur well for a contest against a power-packed batting line-up.

Team news

Wayamba have pace allrounders Isuru Udana and Shalika Karunanayake in their squad and they could feature in the team’s calculations should they choose to replace any of their seamers. Legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi had an off day against the Warriors, conceding 25 in two overs, and could prompt the team to revisit its pre-match plans.Wayamba (possible): 1 Mahela Jayawardene, 2 Jeevantha Kulatunga, 3 Mahela Udawatte, 4 Jehan Mubarak (capt), 5 Kushal Perera (wk), 6 Thisara Perera, 7 Farveez Maharoof,, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Shalika Karunanayake, 10 Isuru Udana, 11 Ajantha Mendis.Given their comprehensive win against Central Districts, Chennai could go in with the same XI.Chennai (possible): 1 M Vijay, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 6 S Anirudha, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Doug Bollinger, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 L Balaji.

Watch out for…

The success of Doug Bollinger has been one to savour for Chennai.
He was one of their star performers during their IPL triumph with 17 wickets in eight games at 17.25 and is a huge asset with his persistence and combativeness with the new ball. He picked up 2 for 10 in his team’s tournament opener and will target the Wayamba top order with some of its bigger names searching for form after the first game.Mahela Jayawardene fell for a second-ball duck against the Warriors, a rarity in his stint for Wayamba as well as Sri Lanka in the opening slot. He remains best-equipped to handle Chennai’s pace arsenal up front as well as their spin threat. Watch out for his face-off, if we come to that, against the other half of one of the most successful bowler-fielder combinations in cricket.

Key contests

Bat v Spin: Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath conceded just 43 in eight overs against the Warriors while Murali and Ashwin tasted success in Chennai’s opening game. Wayamba will be relying heavily on their slow bowlers given the lackluster show their seamers put forward against the Warriors. But against a bunch of batsmen with a penchant for finding the ropes, the ability of Mendis and Herath to contain the scoring faces a stern test.

Stats and trivia

Jeevantha Kulatunga is Wayamba’s highest run-getter in Twenty20 cricket with
686 in 23 games at 40.35. His average is the best in the team followed by Mahela Jayawardene with 31.28. Thisara Perera is the highest wicket-taker with 28 in 23 games at 17.84. Isuru Udana averages 14.12 for his 25 wickets in 15 games.Albie Morkel will be playing his 129th Twenty20 game on Wednesday, keeping him tied with Victoria captain David Hussey for the most Twenty20 matches played.

Quotes

“Most of our boys know how to handle him”
Jeevantha Kulatunga backs the Wayamba batsmen against Murali.

Head coach Gary Stead says the players were “very disappointed” to have been denied a chance to play Afghanistan

Ekanth13-Sep-20245:26

Stead: This Test would have been useful for SL series

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has said that being denied the opportunity to get some game-time after a six-month gap in Test cricket is the “most disappointing part” after their one-off Test against Afghanistan was called off without a ball bowled.New Zealand had this match to familiarise themselves with the subcontinent conditions, with the series against Sri Lanka and India coming up. But persistent rain and outfield issues in Greater Noida reduced the first-ever Test between the two teams to a no-show.”The most disappointing part for us is that we lost the opportunity to be match-hardened and match-ready when we go into our Test match [against Sri Lanka] next week,” Stead said at the post-match press conference. “The guys are really disappointed. It was an opportunity to play Afghanistan. It doesn’t come around that often.Related

• Afghanistan coach Trott: Sometimes we take things like drainage 'for granted'

• A gloomy debut for Test cricket's newest venue

• WTC final scenarios: NZ in contention

• How many Tests have been abandoned without a ball bowled?

• Amid persistent rain, one-off Test between Afghanistan and NZ called off without a ball bowled

“They have some unique bowlers – it’s always good to get your head around how you face them. The way they play is a little bit different to other countries. It’s always learning what you can do when you get in those match situations.”The one-off Test was not part of the World Test Championship. However, Stead said the team was left “frustrated”, as the format is “very, very dear to the team’s hearts”.”Even though it was fine for those two days, there were thunderstorms the nights before and the ground was just too soft and the umpires deemed that unfit to play on,” he said. “So that is sort of out of the players’ hands in a way as well.”But we were frustrated. We have come here to play cricket and play a Test match and as Jonathan [Trott, Afghanistan head coach] said, Test cricket, certainly to our group of players that is here, that’s very, very dear to their hearts and every Test you get to play in is a big one.”So regardless of whether it has World Test Championship points or not, that opportunity to get out there for five days, it looked a great surface. The whole block looked fantastic, so it would have been a great match of Test cricket.”New Zealand are not slated to play another Test against Afghanistan in the current Future Tours Programme cycle. Stead welcomed the prospect of playing more Tests against Afghanistan, heaping praise on their recent achievements in white-ball cricket, including a win against New Zealand in the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup.Persistent rain and outfield issues in Greater Noida led to the one-off Test being called off•AFP/Getty Images

“I don’t make the decisions around the Future Tours Programme and big tours,” Stead said. “But I said it right from the start of coming here, Afghanistan have knocked just about every top team in the world over now. So they’re certainly a force and becoming more and more of a force in world cricket. That’s something for the Afghanistan and New Zealand boards to get their heads around.”It was our first Test match against Afghanistan and we were really excited about that. They’ve been great competitors of ours over the last few World Cups. We’ve had some great games of cricket.”Stead said New Zealand were “desperate” to make the World Test Championship final. Five of their remaining eight Tests in the cycle will be in Asia, but he is confident of the side adapting to the conditions.”The World Test Championship is alive and well, and we’re currently in third place, and we want to make the finals again,” he said. “We’ve been there once in the past, and we are desperate to get there again. So every test match we play will be an important one.”The conditions that we face in Galle will be, I’m sure, different to Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai when we come back here again. So it’s still about adapting to the different surfaces where I’m learning from those. But also banking the knowledge you have created in the past even though it’s been a couple of [sessions of] trainings out there, we’d still bank on what we’ve learnt on those sort of pitches.”

Each side topped their regional qualifiers with six wins from six. The top of Group B is now at stake

Andrew Miller05-Jun-20244:18

Finch: Scotland will be confident after impressing against England

Match details

Namibia vs Scotland
Bridgetown, 8pm local

Big picture: Opportunity knocks after washout

The magic number would appear to be 109, to judge by the two very contrasting clashes that have so far taken place in Group B of the T20 World Cup 2024.In Barbados on Sunday evening, Namibia grunted and ground their way to two precious points thanks to David Wiese’s heroics in the Super Over, having only just managed to match Oman’s all-out total of 109 off the very last ball of their original 20 overs.And then two days later, on the same surface at Bridgetown (albeit a less slow and sticky version to judge by the fluency of Scotland’s openers) George Munsey and Michael Jones dispatched England’s bowlers for 90 runs in ten overs either side of a two-hour rain delay … which, by the time DLS had worked its magic, meant England would have needed a target of, yes, 109 had the weather not closed back in to ruin the afternoon’s entertainment.And so it’s back to Bridgetown we go for two teams that have been on a significant roll since the end of their respective campaigns at the last T20 World Cup in 2022. Last year, both Namibia and Scotland topped their regional qualifiers, in Africa and Europe respectively, with six wins out of six, against such less-vaunted opponents as Italy and Tanzania. Now, however, they go head-to-head with rather more than trans-continental bragging rights to play for.England’s habitual discomfort against European opponents has seen to that. Irrespective of whether Tuesday’s washout was an opportunity won or lost for Scotland, the fact that Group B’s top seeds fell short of their anticipated two points means the door is ajar for a notable upset, particularly if Australia can inflict further damage on England’s standing in Saturday’s heavyweight clash.David Wiese and Ruben Trumpelmann are key performers for Namibia•ICC/Getty Images

In the meantime, all that matters is victory here and now. If Scotland can grab the extra point that eluded them last time out, then maintain their 100% record in T20Is against Oman when they meet in Antigua in Sunday, then they will go into their final group game against Australia next week with qualification in their own hands. It’s a lot of “ifs” at this stage, of course. But one fewer than they needed at the start of their campaign.As for Namibia, a three-point gap at the top of Group B beckons if they can make it two wins from two – and if they need any extra incentive, they need only rewind to their last T20 World Cup campaign two years ago, when qualification for the main event beckoned after their impressive victory over Sri Lanka in their opening fixture, only for the Netherlands and UAE to rip their dream away. They’ll be doubly keen to ensure this latest strong start doesn’t go to waste.

Form guide

Namibia TWWLL
Scotland LWLWW

In the spotlight: Munsey and Trumpelmann

In an innings of two halves on Tuesday, Jones made the running for Scotland prior to the rain-break, including with what looked set to be the moment of the day – a violent pick-up off Chris Jordan that smashed a solar panel on the roof at midwicket. But then, in the 22-ball resumption, it was all about George Munsey, who clobbered 23 from his remaining 12 balls, including a stunning switch-hit six that a left-handed KP could scarcely have timed any better. Namibia, however, know from recent experience that that shot is a Munsey trademark – at Kirtipur in February 2023, he unfurled a similar stroke for four to bring up his maiden ODI hundred, and seal a stunning ten-wicket win with a massive 167 balls to spare. In 2017, he scored his only first-class hundred against the same opponents, in the Intercontinental Cup in Ayr.Left-hander George Munsey hit Adil Rashid for a right-handed six earlier in the tournament•Getty Images

Munsey, however, will remember all too well what happened the last time he encountered the left-arm swing of Ruben Trumpelmannat a T20 World Cup. Facing up to the first ball of the match, in Abu Dhabi in 2021, Munsey climbed into a cut but misjudged the width, and hacked the ball onto his own stumps. Three balls later, Scotland were 2 for 3, as Calum McLeod and Richie Berrington were blasted from the crease with an aplomb to rival Mitchell Starc. And auspiciously for Namibia, Trumpelmann has started this latest tournament with similar devastation. Two balls versus Oman, two wickets in the bag, as both Kashyap Prajapati and Aqib Ilyas fell to savage, stump-seeking lbws.

Pitch and conditions:

The good news is that the weather in Barbados seems significantly better than it has been for the first week of the tournament. Only a small chance of rain is anticipated for each day until Sunday.

Team news

Namibia endured a scare in their opener against Oman but came through in the end. An unchanged team could be in the offing.Namibia (probable): 1 Michael van Lingen, 2 Nikolaas Davin, 3 Jan Frylinck, 4 Gerhard Erasmus (capt), 5 JJ Smit, 6 David Wiese, 7 Zane Green (wk), 8 Malan Kruger, 9 Ruben Trumpelmann, 10 Bernard Scholtz, 11 Tangeni LungameniPrecisely two Scotland players got to sample the atmosphere of a Caribbean World Cup on Tuesday, but the confidence that Munsey and Jones will have telegraphed through their unbroken stand should not be underestimated. There’s no reason to think there’ll be any tweaks to the line-up that was trusted for their opening outing.Scotland (probable): 1 George Munsey, 2 Michael Jones, 3 Brandon McMullen, 4 Richie Berrington (capt), 5 Matt Cross (wk), 6 Michael Leask, 7 Chris Greaves, 8 Mark Watt, 9 Brad Wheal, 10 Chris Sole, 11 Brad Currie

Stats that matter

• Namibia are playing in their third consecutive T20 World Cup, after qualifying for the 2021 and 2022 events. They have won five of their 12 matches to date, including the recent Super Over victory against Oman.
• Namibia have beaten Scotland in each of their three previous T20Is, including their only previous clash at a World Cup – a four-wicket win at Abu Dhabi in 2021.
• Since then, however, Scotland have won five of the six ODIs that the two teams have ever contested – including the aforementioned Munsey masterclass in February 2023.

Quotes

“Every game at a World Cup is a big game regardless of who the opposition is, so nothing changes in terms of process and preparation. We might not have as big a crowd watching us, but we still know it’s just as big a game and we need to win to really compete here.”
Brad Wheal, Scotland’s seamer, is braced for an important showdown.“The associates are ready. They want to play. They’re raring to go.”

Three wickets apiece for seamers as visitors are bowled out for 162

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2022Durham made the most of bowling friendly conditions at Seat Unique Riverside on Day 1 of the LV Insurance County Championship as they bowled Sussex out for just 162..After winning the toss and asking the visitors to bat, Matthew Potts and Ben Raine bowled a lengthy opening spell interspersed with a rain delay to leave Sussex 47 for 3 at the lunch interval.Wickets continued to fall after the break, Paul Coughlin chipping in as Sussex’s young batting line-up struggled to deal with the moving ball under the floodlights, Ali Orr and Faheem Ashraf the only batters to score more than 30.Lower-order resistance from Sussex saw the score tick past 150, before Oliver Gibson bowled Sean Hunt to end the innings on 162, Potts and Coughlin leading the way with three wickets each.Hunt then got his revenge by pinning Sean Dickson lbw for 14, as the light constantly threatened to take the players off, and eventually succeeded at 5.25pm with Durham 54 for 1.It was the perfect toss to win for Scott Borthwick, with the floodlights being on from start of play to close and it was a no brainer to send Sussex into bat. The home side made the perfect start as Potts had Sussex skipper Tom Haines caught behind in his second over. Raine then dismissed Tom Alsop and Tom Clark before lunch.Wickets fell at regular intervals for Sussex, Dan Ibrahim edging behind to emergency loan signing Chris Benjamin, before Orr’s luck ran out as Potts cleaned up his stumps. Coughlin then gave the same treatment to James Coles, debutant Charlie Tear survived a while before eventually falling to Gibson. Faheem Ashraf and Jack Carson provided some light resistance, before Durham cleaned it up to leave Sussex 162 all outDurham made a steady start to their 1st innings, before Dickson was pinned to a Hunt delivery which kept low. Skipper Borthwick and Michael Jones then saw them through to the early close.

With Nasum and Litton in top form, the home team is eyeing a 2-0 sweep in Dhaka

Mohammad Isam04-Mar-2022

Big picture

Shere Bangla National Stadium, both literally and figuratively, lit up on Thursday evening as crowds returned in full capacity to Bangladesh’s home of cricket. As icing on the cake, the home team trounced Afghanistan by 61 runs in the first T20I, which sets up the second game, the last of the tour, quite nicely.Bangladesh would be glad that they finally broke their eight-match T20I losing streak. It had been a painful experience for the side, having lost all five of their Super 12 games at last year’s World Cup, followed by a 3-0 drubbing in the hands of Pakistan at home. Nothing seemed to be working, but wins in other formats perhaps helped them bring that energy into the T20Is.Bangladesh’s win over New Zealand in January had given them a different perspective as a cricket team. One-day cricket has always been the perfect tonic for this team, but even so there was a feeling of dread among the fans about these games against Afghanistan, largely stemming from the last bilateral series between the two teams in 2018.The demons of that 3-0 defeat have all been exorcised though. Central roles from Litton Das and Nasum Ahmed, and minor support roles from Afif Hossain, Shoriful Islam and Shakib Al Hasan got Bangladesh to a big win against a dangerous side in T20Is. Litton has turned full circle since the T20 World Cup, while Nasum is just continuing his good form from August last year. Newcomer Munim Shahriar looks the part in the format, although there’s some concern about Mohammad Naim in the top-order.Afghanistan, meanwhile, continued to give away positions of strength, just like they did during the ODI leg of the tour. They took three early wickets, but gave away loose runs during the Litton-Afif partnership and let the opposition off the hook. Perhaps they bank a little too much on their three leading spinners, and when they don’t come off, the team looks short of answers. In that context, even with the series lost, the emergence of Fazalhaq Farooqi cannot be understated. He has been a revelation, giving them an extra option at both ends of the innings.Mujeeb Ur Rahman could be the key with his variations•AFP/Getty Images

Afghanistan’s all-or-nothing batting approach also has to be tempered, at least within the top three. They could have picked and chosen their shots better, but instead they left left Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi with too much to do. Taking stock of this will probably serve them well as they look to square the series.

Form guide

Bangladesh WLLLL (Last five completed matches; most recent first)

Afghanistan LLLWL

In the spotlight

Nasum Ahmed broke Afghanistan’s top-order in the first game, picking up the important wickets of openers Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Both are known as dangerous big-hitters, but Nasum beat them beautifully in flight. The left-arm spinner has made a steady rise in T20Is since his debut last year and is now being asked to take the new ball in almost every game.After bowling very well in the BBL and BPL earlier this year, Mujeeb Ur Rahman‘s form has suddenly dipped on this trip. He has taken only one wicket in 31 overs across four white-ball matches. Litton has said that he is confident against Mujeeb, who has usually been cast as a mystery bowler since coming onto the scene.

Team news

Bangladesh may yet find reason to tinker with a winning combination given Mushfiqur Rahim has been passed fit.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das (wk), 2 Munim Shahriar, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Yasir Ali, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Nasum Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanAfghanistan are expected to play the same XI as the last game.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Darwish Rasooli, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 11 Qais Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

Gamini Silva, the curator, put out a grassy wicket at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, much to the frustration of the Afghanistan spinners. The weather will remain dry for the course of the game.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh have now bowled out Afghanistan below 100 runs twice. Before the 94 in the first T20I, Bangladesh bowled them out for 72 runs in the 2014 T20 World Cup.
• Afghanistan lost their first three wickets before reaching double-figures for the third time, when they slipped to 8 for 3 in the first T20I.