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With a remit to restructure Loughborough and appoint a new coaching team to the senior England side by October 2019, the successor to Andrew Strauss as managing director – England cricket, will have plenty on their plate. George Dobell assesses the likely candidates.

Ashley Giles

Age: 45
Hugely experienced – and successful – as a player, coach and now director of cricket, Giles is all but certain to be short-listed for the job. An Ashes winner (in 2005), he became an England selector in 2008 and made his name as a coach in turning a shambolic Warwickshire into county champions in 2012. As head coach of the limited-overs team, he then took England to within an ace of their first global ODI trophy (the Champions Trophy of 2013) before falling victim to the clear-out at the end of the 2013-14 Ashes debacle. Moving on to Lancashire, he oversaw their Championship promotion and T20 Blast success in his first season before returning to Warwickshire at the end of 2016. With a masters degree in sporting directorship and experience as a board member of England Netball, he is probably the favourite for the role.

Wasim Khan

Age: 47
Believed to be the first British-born Muslim of Pakistan heritage to play county cricket, Wasim was a member of the Warwickshire side that won the double in 1995. Made CEO of the Cricket Foundation in 2009, he played a huge role in the growth and expansion of Chance to Shine. Taking on a fiendishly tough task at Leicestershire in 2015, he rapidly improved fortunes off the pitch and, eventually, saw something of a resurgence in their on-field results. Well connected and respected, he sits (or has sat) on the Equality & Human Rights Commission Sports Group, The Prince’s Trust Cricket Group, the board of Sport England and was recently named in the Parliamentary Review Muslim 100 Power List. Understood to be in demand for several roles, it seems unlikely Leicestershire will be able to retain him.

Alec Stewart

Age: 55
An outsider for this role simply on the grounds that it seems unlikely he can be lured away from what he has always described as “the best job in the world” at Surrey. That seems a shame as, in turning Surrey into County Champions with a largely home-grown squad of England-qualified talent, Stewart has done an excellent job. Vastly experienced as a player, his calm but no nonsense approach may prove just what’s required in rationalising the money-pit that Loughborough has become. Unlikely to apply.

Clare Connor

Age: 42
If she applied, she would be another very strong candidate. Having enjoyed a hugely successful career as a player – including leading England to the women’s Ashes for the first time in 42 years – Connor has overseen the rapid development in the women’s game as an administrator at both the ECB and ICC, and her role as director of women’s cricket pretty much mirrors the job Strauss has fulfilled over the last few years. But, having spent half her life championing women’s cricket, she may well be reluctant to move away from it just as it starts to flourish. After all, in the long term, there is no reason the men’s job should be seen as bigger or more prestigious than the women’s job. As a result, she seems unlikely to apply.

Andy Flower

Age: 50
If Flower applies – he says he has not yet decided whether to do so – he would be a strong candidate. Effectively the man in possession, given that he took temporary charge when Strauss first went absent and will remain in the role until a permanent candidate is appointed, he has held many of the senior off-field coaching roles in English cricket and knows the system’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. A hugely successful head coach – it ended badly but Flower played a huge role in taking England to No. 1 in the world and a World T20 title – he also knows what is required. It may be telling that Flower unsuccessfully interviewed for the role of National Selector, however, and the vague sense remains that the ECB may want to go in another direction. If Giles’ Warwickshire job becomes available, however, Flower may well come into contention for it.

Mick Newell

Age: 53
He may be lower-profile than others on this list but Newell’s CV would render him another strong candidate if – as expected – he decides to apply. Nottinghamshire twice won the County Championship title with Newell as coach and won the limited-overs double in his first season as director of cricket at the club in 2017. He also served as an England selector for four years. While there have been hiccups – such as relegation – along the way, the manner in which his sides have bounced back may give him an edge over the likes of Angus Fraser, whose Middlesex side will play a second successive season in Division Two in 2019. The perception that Nottinghamshire have picked up players from other counties rather than developing their own – there’s a grain of truth in there, but it is often overplayed – may count against him.

Michael Atherton / Michael Vaughan / Nasser Hussain

Any of these former England captains would make attractive candidates. There is no indication that any of them will apply, however, with the nature of the role – likely to involve quite a lot of arduous planning and admin work around issues such as age-group teams, the reimagining of the MCCU system and more cuts at Loughborough – may not appeal to men used to the cut and thrust of live broadcasting.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Trisha Chetty has been ruled out of South Africa’s World T20 campaign after the recurrence of a back injury. Faye Tunnicliffe, the 19-year-old Boland wicketkeeper, has been called up as replacement but she will not arrive in time to play the team’s opening game against Sri Lanka on Monday.”It has been very frustrating for us as a team,” South Africa coach Hilton Moreeng said. “You have to feel for a player like Trisha Chetty who has worked extremely hard and recovered well to get here. It’s really unfortunate, it’s something that’s reoccurred and we couldn’t control. We wish her a speedy recovery. After speaking to her, after we got all of the medical reports, you could tell it was very frustrating and disappointing for her as well.”Tunnicliffe made her international debut in September, during the three T20Is South Africa played against West Indies in Bridgetown and Tarouba.”Faye Tunnicliffe who is coming in to replace Trish is one of the promising young wicket-keepers that we have in the country,” Moreeng added. “She is also familiar with the conditions, she was with us on the last tour.”We know that we are in a tough group and we’re ready for that. At the end of the day we can only control what we can, we just need to stay focused.”It is possible that Lizelle Lee will take up a temporary place behind the stumps until Tunnicliffe links up with the South African squad, which is expected to be as soon as possible.

USA allrounder Jannisar Khan has been suspended for two matches and given four demerit points after being found guilty of breaching the ICC’s code of conduct. This is the first time a USA player has been suspended under the ICC’s current demerit points system and puts a cloud over his selection status for ICC WCL Division Two in Namibia next April.USA need a top-four finish in the six-team event to guarantee ODI status through 2021. The tournament consists of five round-robin matches which determine if USA finishes in the top four, before a final-day playoff match that has no bearing on ODI status. It means Jannisar would be guaranteed to miss 40% of the pivotal round-robin stage if USA decide to include him in their 14-man squad for the event.An ICC media release said Jannisar was charged with violating article 2.8 of the code of conduct, which relates to “showing dissent at a decision during an international match”. The release goes on to state that Jannisar “appeared to show dissent at the decision and directed abusive language towards the umpire and his decision.”The incident occurred during USA’s win over Singapore on the final day of WCL Division Three in Oman last week. Jannisar was given out caught behind for 24 with USA needing one run to achieve their target of 162.The match was live-streamed on USA Cricket’s YouTube page. Footage from the dismissal shows Jannisar throwing his hands up after being given out caught behind upon missing a cut shot to legspinner Anantha Krishna. Audio of the feed then clearly records Jannisar shouting, “Oh, come on, man! Oh, what the f***, man!” Jannisar then starts to walk off before the audio records him shouting, “S***, man!”Jannisar pleaded not guilty to the charge laid by on-field umpires Vinay Kumar Jha and Rahul Asher, and third umpire Akbar Ali Khan. The plea was apparently done under the premise that Jannisar’s language was expressed in general frustration at the decision rather than specifically directing abuse at the umpires.After a hearing, ICC match referee V Narayanan Kutty found Jannisar guilty and issued four demerit points, which equates to a two-match ban for USA’s next two T20Is or 50-over matches, whichever comes first. At the moment, USA have no matches scheduled prior to WCL Division Two in Namibia, due to be held from April 18 to 28.Jannisar, 37, is a former Pakistan Under-15 and Under-19 player belonging to the same batch that produced future Pakistan internationals such as Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq and Taufeeq Umar, and the future South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir. He migrated to Houston, Texas several years ago where he plays his club cricket and also works as a youth academy coach. He made his USA debut in September after qualifying to play for his adopted country under the ICC’s three-year residency rule.Jannisar was the third USA player found guilty of a code-of-conduct violation during WCL Division Three. Monank Patel was handed one demerit point for a level one violation after pleading guilty to giving batsman Irfan Karim a send-off during USA’s win over Kenya. Timil Patel was given one demerit point after pleading guilty to giving batsman Saif Ahmad a send-off during USA’s win over Denmark.

Half-centuries from Haris Sohail and Imam-ul-Haq, along with a three-wicket burst from Mohammad Amir, helped Pakistanis complete a win on the final day of their three-day warm-up fixture against Cricket South Africa Invitation XI in Benoni on Friday. Yasir Shah, who arrived in South Africa yesterday following the birth of his child, also got some overs under his belt, while Fakhar Zaman edged closer to fitness with another short innings.The tourists won by six wickets late on day three, completing their preparations for the three-match Test series starting in Centurion on Boxing Day. Amir first bagged 3 for 35 in 12 overs, including the wickets of Joshua Richards and Matthew Breetzke for single digits, as the the hosts declared at 182 for 7.Neil Brand top-scored for the home side with 71, having raised his fifty by dancing down at Yasir to clobber him over midwicket for six, before falling to Amir, edging a back of a length delivery to Asad Shafiq in the slips. There were useful 30s from captain Marques Ackerman and Onke Nyaku, and the young South Africans set a target of 195 in around 50 overs.The Pakistanis were rarely troubled in their chase thanks to the anchoring innings played by Imam. The opener made 66 and he shared in a first-wicket stand of 42 with Shan Masood, who made 24 before he edged a lifter from Thandolwethu Mnyaka into the slips. Fakhar Zaman managed 18 before he was dismissed by Kyle Simmonds.Imam then added 96 with top-scorer Sohail for the third wicket, raising his fifty from 79 deliveries in just under two hours before he was stumped by Rivaldo Moonsamy off Simmonds’ left-arm spin. Sohail picked up where he left off with a brisk, unbeaten 73 that included two sixes and helped the touring side reach their target in 40.2 overs.

It took 29 runs off a frenetic final over from David Miller as Pakistan lost the plot just after the rain break, and Pakistan spent 20 overs trying to undo the damage. Despite the best efforts of a scintillating Babar Azam, who stroked a superlative 90 in a mammoth partnership with Hussain Talat, the 188 South Africa had put up thanks to a 29-ball 65 from their stand-in captain was seven runs too many for Pakistan. For the second time in as many matches, Pakistan fell short in the final over, allowing South Africa to seal the series with a game to spare. It means Pakistan suffer their first series defeat in this format after a record 11 consecutive wins, their maiden reverse since the World T20 in 2016.It might have been just a T20, but it was an epic, one for the ages. Spanning nearly four and a half hours thanks to a rain break, the full house at one of the most iconic sporting venues was rewarded for braving the elements. It was just after the rain break at the Wanderers that South Africa struck the blows that would, in hindsight, allow them to lift the trophy, with 56 runs scored off the final three overs; until then, Pakistan had bowled well enough to restrict South Africa to a total that appeared well below-par at a ground that has made its name for high-profile chases.Shoaib Malik’s choice to allow Usman Shinwari the final over on a day he had already conceded 34 off three backfired spectacularly, with Miller in the sort of irrepressible form that earns him his fearsome reputation. For most of the innings prior, South Africa had held on to wickets while preparing a platform for lift-off, without quite being able to achieve it. For the second time in as many games, Pakistan had Imad Wasim to thank for that, impeccable tightness ensuring he conceded an astonishing nine runs off his allotted quota. That, in an innings which, his overs removed, saw the hosts score 179 runs in 16.Pakistan’s chase looked on track for the best part of 15 overs, and they had their own golden boy Babar to thank for it. He started off by caressing Beuran Hendricks for three fours off the first three balls. It was a pattern he repeated no less than three times across an innings that would have been appreciated by connoisseurs of all formats, so classical were his shots and assured the execution. Even with the relatively early loss of Fakhar Zaman, Babar found in Talat a partner both willing and capable to continue the onslaught, and when 70 had been scored off just six overs, Pakistan may have begun to think they had compensated for profligacy at the back-end with pugnacity at the start.But in a chase of 188, scoreboard pressure is relentless, and it always seemed like it might begin to tell on Pakistan at some point.Lutho Sipamla, making his debut, showed why discerning followers of South African cricket speak of him with such gushing excitement, varying his pace with the intelligence and composure his senior teammates had failed to muster across the innings. He conceded only one boundary across a four over spell where Babar was kept quiet, and went at under a run a ball when every other South African quick had conceded at least nine per over.Babar Azam flays one through the off side•AFP

With the rate raising in the last five overs thanks to a couple of tight ones, Talat’s touch began to desert him. That put more pressure on 24-year old Babar, who somehow had to find a way to remain unbeaten till the end and keep the asking rate down all by himself. It took its toll off the first ball of the 17th over, with Beuran Hendricks forcing him to attempt clearing the longer cow corner boundary, where the fielder completed a simple catch.From that point on, power shifted hands effectively, and it was Pakistan who found themselves struggling to keep up while South Africa simply had to manage the game. Coming back for their second spells, Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo were far better than they had been earlier, compounding the problems for Malik, who in the final over again found himself running out of partners. As he holed out and Imad Wasim had his middle stump knocked back, Pakistan, having surged so promisingly, ran out of partners, their unblemished record since the World T20 finally tainted.South Africa had been put in to bat early on with Malik fearing the weather would play a big role, while Miller in sharp contrast said he would only focus on his own performance, given they couldn’t control the weather. Rassie van der Dussen’s 40 off 27 allowed Miller to come in at a time when he could play his free-flowing game. While the weather was out of Miller’s control, he struck a six just before the rain break, following up with another four after. The weather might have had its say, but ultimately, it was the South African captain who truly had full control.

His unbeaten 141 in the BPL final against Dhaka Dynamites became an out-of-body experience for Tamim Iqbal. He said that he needed a little more time to fully grasp the enormity of his knock, one that contained a Bangladesh record 11 sixes and ten fours, and which turned out to be 70.85% of Comilla Victorians’ total in the final.It was such a one-man show that Tamim not only gave the Victorians a good start, he also built partnerships, held it together in the middle overs and then had to slog all the way through to the last over. The rest of their batsmen contributed only 47 runs off 59 balls.Parts of Tamim’s innings were truly unique to his style of batting. He has 20 international hundreds, and has figured out how to go about run-scoring in Tests and ODIs, in different circumstances. But this involved pacing an innings and never dropping off in his strike rate, which ended up being 231.14 after facing 61 balls.Tamim said that the plan to treat one bowler – Sunil Narine – with respect paid dividends. He batted at a 246-plus strike rate against Rubel Hossain and Andre Russell, and then despite having a more defensive mindset against Shakib Al Hasan, went after him for 30 runs off 10 balls.”To be honest, I feel I am still dreaming,” Tamim said. “I still don’t know how I batted. I think I can explain better after I see the highlights. At one stage I got very pissed when [Anamul Haque] Bijoy got out. I had to calm myself down and start again. I am sure that when I see the highlights, I can say it better.”I honestly never thought I’d play such a knock but I think I planned it really nicely. I didn’t want to give a wicket to Shakib [Al Hasan] and [Sunil] Narine, who were Dhaka’s most successful bowlers. I hardly took any risk against Narine apart from one six. It was an unbelievably good wicket so I backed myself against the pacers.”To remain in a positive state of mind for the duration of the tournament, Tamim said that he adopted Mashrafe Mortaza’s mantra of continuously telling himself that he will win. “I get tensed before a game, especially when the responsibility is with me,” he said. “So I decided to be positive all the way. You know owners can be emotional but not for a minute did I tell them that we will lose. The credit goes to Mr Mortaza.”Tamim said that his innings would also be a lesson for the rest of the Bangladeshi cricketers that on a big occasion, someone among the locals can do the job. “A Bangladeshi did the job in a big occasion in the BPL. I think this is the best achievement from today’s innings. Normally an overseas player does the job on the big day in previous occasions.”I hope my innings inspires the others from Bangladesh. They don’t need to wait for others to do it. We can also do it.”Tamim’s wait for the BPL trophy is now over, having gone through several disappointments and some controversies in the past editions. “It was very personal,” he said. “I always wanted to win a cup. The monkey is off my back.”

Legspinner Georgia Wareham has been awarded her first full Cricket Australia contract for 2019-2020, which includes the Ashes and T20 World Cup, after playing a key role in the team’s success over the past season.Wareham took 2 for 11 in the T20 World Cup final against England having made her T20I debut against New Zealand in Sydney last September and over that period claimed 12 wickets in 11 T20Is.She made her ODI debut against Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur and claimed six wickets in six matches over the season including consistent returns in the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand.Wareham replaces fellow legspinner Amanda Jade-Wellington as the one change from 2018-19 contract list.”Overall there has been minimal change in the CA Contract list, which we believe is a good sign,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “Georgia Wareham was upgraded onto the list during the season and has been rewarded with her first full contract”Amanda-Jade Wellington misses out on a contract after losing her spot in the side earlier in the season. Amanda-Jade is aware of what she needs to improve to put herself back in contention for selection and her first opportunity is through the NPS Program.”Wellington is joined in the National Performance Squad by Tayla Vlaeminck and Lauren Cheatle who played for Australia over the last season. Rachel Trenaman and Annabel Sutherland, who are both 17, will be part-time with the NPS while they continue at school.Players not included in the full contract list are able to earn upgrades during the season if they make international appearances as was the case with Wareham over the 2018-19 campaign.The 2019-2020 season will see Australia head to England for the Ashes series before defending their T20 World Cup title on home soil in the tournament which takes place next February and March. 2018-19 contract list Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jessica Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Meg Lanning, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Georgia Wareham2018-19 NPS squad Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Josie Dooley, Nicole Faltum, Heather Graham, Alana King, Maitlan Brown, Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, Rachel Trenaman, Belinda Vakarewa, Tayla Vlaeminck, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tahlia Wilson

England’s stock of potential batting candidates for a summer that includes the World Cup and an Ashes series has been further hit by the news that Surrey’s Ollie Pope is likely to miss most of the season after dislocating his shoulder.News that Pope will require surgery on his left shoulder follows confirmation of Sam Billings, England’s likely back-up for the World Cup, being sidelined for three-five months with a similar injury.Surrey said that the club hoped Pope would be back in action “towards the back end of the current 2019 domestic season”. Pope has not been capped in limited-overs cricket but could have been in contention for England’s Test team to face Australia.A Surrey statement said: “After suffering an injury while fielding during Tuesday’s Royal London Cup victory over Essex at the Kia Oval, the 21-year-old was confirmed to have dislocated his shoulder. Having since visited a specialist, he has been advised that surgery would be the best course of action.”It is hoped he will return to first-team cricket towards the back end of the current 2019 domestic season.”Pope made his Test debut last summer, playing twice against India, and was part of the squad that toured Sri Lanka. He was subsequently released to join up with the Lions, but began the season with a career-best 251 in Surrey’s Champion County fixture against MCC.

Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Alyssa Healy has said she understands the reasons for the gender pay gap in cricket but believes the women’s game will continue to push for equal pay.Healy has become one of the stars of the sport after a memorable run of form, that saw her named Player of the Tournament when Australia won the T20 World Cup last year and continued into a prolific home season which included her winning the Belinda Clark medal.The women’s team were a shining light for Australian cricket last season, following their T20 success with home series victories against New Zealand in T20s and ODIs, and Healy rose to being one of the best players in the world.”I’m realistic in saying that it’s the men’s team who are bringing in most of the money,” Healy told in an interview alongside husband Mitchell Starc. “And they deserve the amount of money that they’re getting, while we keep building our game.”I’ve got no doubt that one day the women’s game will do exactly the same. There’s more opportunities for young girls and older girls like me to go out and play for their country and actually get paid for what we’re doing. So I think that’s pretty special.”Under the 2017 Cricket Australia pay deal, the women were brought onto the same base pay as the men, although overall they remain a long way off being on a level footing.When Starc was asked about the pay difference, he took a diplomatic line. “It’s not for me to determine what I get paid and what she gets paid. That’s up to Cricket Australia,” he said.The women’s game in Australia is, along with England, the most advanced in the world with the Women’s Big Bash League having helped attract a large audience of women and young children. Next season the WBBL will be played in its own window – during October and November – for the first time rather than running concurrently with the men’s Big Bash.Next year Australia will defend their T20 title on home soil. The final will be staged at the MCG on March 8 – International Women’s Day – and there is the ambition to play it in front of a record crowd for a women’s sporting event. That figure is currently the 90,185 who attended the FIFA Women’s World Cup final between USA and China in 1999.

New Zealand 248 for 8 (Taylor 82, Williamson 40) beat Bangladesh 244 (Shakib 64, Henry 4-47) by two wickets
As it happenedKane Williamson is not a man who telegraphs his emotions too readily. But the look of self-recrimination and fury in the eyes of New Zealand’s captain was unmistakable after the most fleeting moment of arrogance in a supremely humble career managed to turn a calm and collected victory cruise into an agonising scramble across the line.His side made it… just, by two wickets and with 17 balls to spare, as the bespectacled Mitchell Santner did his best Daniel Vettori impression to ride out a wave of Bangladeshi emotion – on the pitch and in the stands – piercing the covers one last time to end the agonies of the more senior batsmen in the pavilion and seal New Zealand’s status as the first team in this competition to win back-to-back matches.But the drama that preceded that moment of Kiwi catharsis had to be lived to be believed. The upshot may not have been the encore that the tiger-striped denizens of South London had been rooting for – once again they turned The Oval into a home-from-home to rival the West Indian support here in the 1970s and ’80s – but there was plenty in their team’s performance from which to take heart… not least the heart itself.Broadly speaking, the rivalry between Bangladesh and New Zealand is characterised by mutual respect. They play one another more often than many sides, drawn together – as they are – by their relative lack of status compared to the big boys of their respective hemispheres. And for the best part of 80 overs of another slow-boiling epic at The Oval, New Zealand appeared to have successfully killed their opponents with kindness.They had played a canny game in the field after winning the toss and bowling, going hard with the new ball as befits one of the most potent attacks in the game, before easing back through the middle overs and allowing Bangladesh the leeway to make their own mistakes. A steady drip of wickets stymied their initial hopes of another 300-plus total, and left them grateful to reach 244.And then, in reply, New Zealand produced a similarly quick-slow approach with the bat – a pair of tub-thumping cameos from Martin Guptill and Colin Munro gave way to a poised and dignified 105-stand between Williamson and Ross Taylor, the side’s elder statesmen whose eye for a gap in the covers just about managed to offset their ropey running – Williamson, on 7, ought to have been run out to leave New Zealand wobbling at 60 for 3, only for Mushfiqur Rahim to break the stumps in his eagerness to gather a shy that was set to do the job for him.Mosaddek Hossain gets rid of James Neesham•Getty Images

It looked at the time like a critical error, and for the next 100 runs, Bangladesh could only rue what might have been. At 160 for 2 after 31 overs, New Zealand needed 85 more in 19 overs, and the jeopardy of the contest appeared to have long since dissipated. But then, back into the attack came the flighted offspin of Mehidy Hasan, and something in Williamson’s icy demeanour melted.Perhaps he fleetingly allowed his thoughts to stray to that old chestnut, Net Run Rate – given the tightness of the table so far, some unlucky team is bound to find themselves ruing it at some stage. Or perhaps he simply under-estimated the whip of his own elastic wrists. But when Mehidy tossed one into his toes, Williamson succeeded only in a pinpoint flick to deep midwicket, and the ghost of a contest had been stirred.By the end of the same over, New Zealand were 162 for 4, with Tom Latham gone as well for a duck, stunningly caught by the diving Mohammad Saifuddin at deep midwicket as he got greedy on a long-hop but failed to pick his spot. And suddenly Taylor, so fluent in reaching his 40-ball half-century, was patting back half-volleys and guarding his wicket with his life.So long as he endured, New Zealand had the game more or less in their control. But on 82, having ground 13 runs from 24 balls since the start of the jitters, Taylor tickled a leg-stump turner from Mosaddek Hossain into the hands of Mushfiqur behind the stumps to deepen his team’s gloom, whereupon Saifuddin took his own cue to rattle the lower-middle order.Colin de Grandhomme had no answer to a brilliant slower-ball bouncer from Saifuddin, reflexively seeking to ramp it but toe-ending a vertical take-off for the vertically challenged Mushfiqur, and after Mosaddek had lured Jimmy Neesham into a death-or-glory slap to long-off without addition, Saifuddin stormed in once more, swinging a low full toss into Matt Henry’s middle stump with seven runs still needed for victory.Saifuddin’s hurricane blew out soon afterwards, however. Back-to-back wides, the latter a misdirected yorker, gave way to a slender edge through third man to bring the scores level, whereupon Santner, as cool as the atmosphere was fervent, rifled his drive to finish on a vital 17 not out from 12.There was disappointment, but little in the way of despondency, from Bangladesh’s players at the end. In previous World Cup campaigns, they would have rued their ill-luck and chastised themselves for crucial missed moments, but they left the field knowing that they had hounded New Zealand every step of the way, and proven beyond any remaining doubt that they are no makeweights in this ten-team draw.If there was any cause for regret in the post-mortem, it was that their batting had failed to ignite in the manner that it had done in their ODI-record total of 330 in the victory over South Africa. At 82 for 2 after 20 overs, they had laid an impressive platform and withstood the attentions of Trent Boult in particular, whose initial five-over spell was tight but wicketless.But thereafter, they were stymied by the relentless dot-to-dot discipline of Santner’s left-arm spin, whose ten overs for 41 were dented by a last-ball slap for six, before being pegged back by Matt Henry’s aggressive four-wicket haul. Shakib Al Hasan top-scored with 64 before loosely chopping a long-hop to the keeper, but none of his top eight team-mates managed to emerge beyond the 20s – including Mushfiqur, whose run-out for 19 ended a 50-run stand for the third wicket that briefly had Bangladesh eyeing up 300.But with a brilliant win and now a very near-miss against two of their apparent superiors, Bangladesh remain every bit as well placed for the semi-finals as any of the teams around them – including the one that has now broken out of the pack to record the first back-to-back wins of the tournament.