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ESPNcricinfo previews the second ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in Mirpur

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo02-Dec-2010

Match Facts

Friday, December 3
Start time 09:00 (03:00 GMT)Shakib Al Hasan scored a half-century in the first ODI against Zimbabwe but later said he was not happy with his role as Bangladesh captain•Associated Press

The Big Picture

Bangladesh will be under intense pressure to recover from Wednesday’s double-whammy – a surprise loss to Zimbabwe followed by their captain Shakib Al Hasan’s outburst that he was not satisfied with his role as captain nor with the team he has been given. A single loss should not really take all the wind out of Bangladesh’s sails, as the memory of their 4-0 drubbing of New Zealand in October is still fresh, but a wavering captain makes them especially vulnerable.Zimbabwe have the opportunity to prove they could be a threat to the other sides in their group during the World Cup next year. They are notorious giant-killers in World Cups, and the spin duo of Ray Price and Prosper Utseya will relish the conditions in the subcontinent, as they showed in the first ODI.Both sides will hope to better their batting performances from the first match. Even during Bangladesh’s series win over New Zealand, they never once crossed 250 and had to rely on their left-arm spinners to deliver victories. Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura will have to start with himself if he wants his batsmen to improve, having only scored one half-century this year.

Form Guide

(most recent first)
Bangladesh: LWWWWZimbabwe: WLLLLL

Watch out for …

Tatenda Taibu has averaged 37.38 in ODIs over the last 12 months and with Chigumbura struggling for runs and the inexperienced Regis Chakabva and Craig Ervine making up the rest of Zimbabwe’s middle-order, the onus will be on Taibu to score runs in the middle overs. Taibu has had plenty of experience playing on subcontinent tracks and will need to take the lead in showing the rest of the batsmen how to deal with Bangladesh’s spinners.Bangladesh let Zimbabwe get away to a quick start in the first ODI before the spinners pulled the game back. They will be looking to Mashrafe Mortaza to prevent that from happening on Friday. Mortaza’s position in the side is an interesting one because he was originally named captain for the New Zealand series but injured himself in the first game. The selectors decided to stick with Shakib despite Mortaza’s return and he will now have to prove that he can be a match-winner with the ball if he is to be handed back the captaincy.

Pitch Conditions

The teams will stay in Dhaka for the second and third ODIs so conditions can be expected to be the same as the first match. The trend at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium has been batsmen struggling with the slow and low conditions and the spinners able to maintain a lid on run-scoring. As the first ODI proved, a total of anything more than 200 will prove challenging for the side batting second as the wicket gets slower and offers some turn.

Teams

Shakib said Bangladesh missed the fielding skills of Naeem Islam and Raqibul Hassan, so they could come in to the side. Mohammad Ashraful’s return to the team saw him make just seven runs, so there might be pressure to drop him again. Junaid Siddique will also be under pressure having failed to get past 20 in each of his last four innings.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique/ Naeem Islam, 4 Raqibul Hasan / Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 8 Mahmudullah, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Shafiul IslamHamilton Masakadza was dropped for the first ODI and with his replacement Chakabva top-scoring for Zimbabwe, could continue to be left out. Zimbabwe also have hard-hitting allrounder Ryan Butterworth in their squad.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brendan Taylor, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Regis Chakabva, 4. Tatenda Taibu (wk), 5 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 6 Craig Ervine, 7 Keegan Meth, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Keith Dabengwa, 10 Raymond Price, 11 Chris Mpofu

Stats and Trivia

• There has never been a score of over 300 during a day game at the Shere Bangla Stadium
• Zimbabwe have only two batsmen in their line-up with a strike-rate of over 70 in ODIs. Elton Chigumbura strike-rate of 88.33 is the highest for any Zimbabwe batsman who has scored more than 1000 runs in ODIs.
• In 26 Innings, Zimbabwe No.11 Chris Mpofu has hit a solitary four and averages 2.38.

Quotes

“I am not satisfied with my role as a captain. The reasons are numerous, and I cannot detail all of them right at the moment.”
“We need to do more as a team and our total today fell short of what we had wanted as a target.”

As Pakistan look ahead to the third Test in Hobart, contradictory noises are being made over the future of under-fire wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal

Cricinfo staff10-Jan-2010In the aftermath of Sydney, confusion. As Pakistan look ahead to the third Test in Hobart, contradictory noises are being made over the future of under-fire wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.After the loss at the SCG, in which Akmal dropped four catches, an incensed PCB sent Sarfraz Ahmed as a replacement from Pakistan, insisting in a strongly-worded statement that he “will participate” in the Hobart Test.Akmal, however, has said that he is expecting to keep his place, as reports emerge that he has the backing of a number of players within the side, including possibly the captain, Mohammad Yousuf. “I was very successful with my batting and wicketkeeping on the New Zealand tour and
before the New Zealand tour. So I was very happy,” Akmal was quoted as saying in Hobart by AAP.”But I think the third day of the Sydney Test match was not good for me – this happens. I’m very keen. My confidence is very high. Management is very confident for me and coaches, Intikhab Alam, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed, and my team-mates also. I will play the third Test match and more matches for my country.”During and after the loss in Sydney Yousuf resisted talk of dropping Akmal, maintaining that a player of his record cannot so easily be dropped from the side. Akmal is vice-captain of the side and a popular member within the team. If there is even talk of retaining him – let alone if he
is eventually retained – it seems to place the touring team management on a direct crash course with the board back home.The situation between the two sides has anyway been poor on this tour; persistent calls by Yousuf for Younis Khan to be sent to strengthen the batting almost from the moment the tour started fell on deaf ears, the selection committee in Pakistan first delaying and finally turning down the request.But at least two members of the on-tour selection committee say that Akmal will not play in Hobart. “They have sent Sarfraz all the way here for what if not to play?” one told Cricinfo. “Akmal will not play the third Test.” As ever with Pakistan and its many power centres that is unlikely to be the last word on the matter.Akmal’s younger brother Umar, who has impressed and infuriated in equal doses so far on the tour, pulled up at training with a stiff back. Management remain confident that he will be fine for the Test, due to begin on January 14. Mohammad Aamer, who missed the second Test with a
groin complaint, has also been training and is said to be progressing well, making it likelier still that Pakistan may finally be able to field their first-choice attack in Hobart at the third time of asking.

South Africa feasted on a largely toothless Zimbabwe attack, putting on 222 runs in just the final session

Shashank Kishore06-Jul-2025
Wiaan Mulder marked his captaincy debut with a marathon unbeaten 264 as South Africa ran Zimbabwe ragged on a hot opening day of the second Test in Bulawayo.South Africa went into stumps on a mammoth 465 for 4, the final session alone bringing them 222. Runs hemorrhaged from both ends against a toothless attack that was further depleted by a niggle to debutant seamer Kundai Matigimu, who largely bowled within himself for much of the evening.As dominant as South Africa were, Zimbabwe’s misfired tactics – of bowling to spread out fields as early as after the first hour with the fast bowler adopting a short-ball ploy to Mulder and David Bedingham – came under sharp focus. There were also a few missed opportunities in between that contributed to the day’s scoreline.The first one came when Mulder top-edged a pull on 91, with the ball landing between deep square and fine leg off Blessing Muzarabani. Then there was a grassed opportunity at backward square leg by Wesley Madhevere off teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius on 31 when he skied an attempted slog sweep off left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza.There was more frustration late in the day when Tanaka Chivanga clean bowled Mulder on 247, only for the joy to be short-lived as replays confirmed the bowler had overstepped to compound Zimbabwe’s frustration.On 133 at the tea interval, Mulder added 131 more in the final session, as he climbed into Zimbabwe’s tired spinners initially, and then against the fast bowlers who once again dished out bizarre short-ball plans with the second new ball.And while Mulder made merry, Pretorius was equally enterprising in his bristling 87-ball 78, before falling in the final session when a century was there for the taking. Looking to heave a length delivery over deep midwicket, he top-edged debutant Matigimu to Masakadza at mid-on just as the second new ball was taken, bringing an end to a 217-run fourth-wicket partnership.The prelude to the Mulder-Pretorius partnership was another solid double-century stand between Mulder and David Bedingham, who rode the early wobble in the first session with the pair lifting South Africa from 24 for 2. Bedingham was compact in defence, and steely in his resolve to not play loose drives in the first hour.David Bedingham and Wiaan Mulder added 184 for the third wicket•Zimbabwe Cricket

There on, there were hardly any drivable deliveries on offer thanks to the short-ball ploy. Bedingham was equally severe against the spinners, using his feet well to get fully forward or rock back to cut and pull. Mulder and Pretorius brought up the half-century partnership off just 35 balls, and then set themselves for the long haul.Bedingham was out against the run of play for 82 when a nip-backer from Chivanga trapped him lbw, but any joy from the wicket quickly dissipated as Pretorius took charge. Fresh off a barnstorming century in the first Test, he looked unshackled as he took the attack to the spinner and fast bowlers alike, hitting seven fours and three sixes in his innings.Zimbabwe’s only semblance of effectiveness came in the first half hour in an engaging passage, where the new ball did something. Tony de Zorzi was put down in the slips by Craig Ervine, but Zimbabwe didn’t need to wait long for a wicket as he was out slashing to gully, where Nick Welch took a leaping catch. Then it was the turn of debutant Lesego Senokwane to fall for 3 when he was out lbw attempting to paddle Masakadza.Those moments of fleeting joy quickly dissipated as Zimbabwe were sent on a leather hunt for the rest of the day.

India’s bowling coach says the fast bowlers have broadened their skillsets and developed a feel for when to use their variations

S Sudarshanan19-Dec-2023Renuka Singh has 38 wickets in women’s T20Is, at an average of 21.13. Since her debut in October 2021, only Ireland’s Arlene Kelly has taken more among fast bowlers from Full-Member teams. Also among the top ten is Pooja Vastrakar, who has picked up 21 wickets in this period, at 24.80.Renuka and Vastrakar were India’s fast bowlers in the one-off Test against England last week and picked up a combined six wickets in the match. Bowling coach Troy Cooley has praised their work ethic and lauded them for broadening their skillsets.Related

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“[Renuka] is definitely improving every time I see her,” Cooley said after India’s training session at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. “She is coming from a couple of injuries and she has worked extremely hard to not only develop fitness but also to develop her skills. You are starting to see rewards now of all that hard work. Not only does she swing the ball back in naturally. She has now got the ball that straightens and leaves the right-handers.”Renuka had been sidelined with a stress injury since the end of WPL 2023. The T20Is against England earlier this month were her first international outings on her return, and she impressed with her new-ball spells. She dismissed England opener Sophia Dunkley all three times in the T20Is and also in the first innings of the Test, and used the bowling crease well to create angles that tested the batters.”It is great to see her using the angles,” Cooley said. “I really like the way she is putting together the sequence of deliveries and the number of deliveries she has got in option. Her toolbox is quite big now and [she] is definitely using those tools in a strategic and tactical way.”Vastrakar, who made her international debut in 2018, was riddled with injuries at the start of her career. But for the last couple of years, she has been a vital cog in India’s white-ball squads. She was named as a non-travelling reserve for the Asian Games this year, but made it to the squad after Anjali Sarvani pulled up on the eve of departure, and starred in the final with a four-for to help India to a gold medal.In the Test match, Vastrakar used the wobble seam and hard lengths to dismantle England’s top order, including bowling Nat Sciver-Brunt through the gate for a first-ball duck in the second dig. Cooley attributed her success to a balanced run-up and attacking lines.”She had a little bit of a sore knee and she came back through that nicely,” Cooley said. “Through rehab she dedicated herself to improve her run-up and get the most out of it. She has done a marvellous job there. Now she is more balanced at the crease.”You can see the natural tendency now to get into the stumps and challenge those batters. She has got her run-up sorted which is great from a bowling coach [persepective] here. She has got enough pace and variations to be a good red-ball bowler.”In their return to Test cricket after two years – and at home after nine years – India bowled out England for 136 and 131 at the DY Patil Stadium with offspinner Deepti Sharma picking up nine wickets in the match. The fast bowlers held their own even when they didn’t make inroads, adding to the pressure on England’s batters. Cooley said the bowlers have not only added more variations to their armoury but also know when to use them.Along with the inswinger she naturally bowls, Renuka Singh has now developed a ball that straightens and leaves the right-hand batter•BCCI

“I know behind the scenes what work they are putting in and the growth has been in line with the work they have done,” he said. “The biggest improvement is they have added some skills and variations. Not only that, but the control and when to use them, that’s come into it quite nicely.”The strategy behind what ball they are going to use – whether to attack or defend – we talk about talking to the ball now and they are getting some good answers back. They are improving very well, there is still more room to go but they are up for it, and they have got the work ethic to be able to do that.”They have got the support of the captain [Harmanpreet Kaur] and the new head coach [Amol Muzumdar] – he is hell bent that everybody who comes into training or in games is about improving themselves. There are a couple of World Cups coming up and he wants to see improvements all the way and we have got a good environment for that under his leadership.”The fast bowlers put in hard yards behind the scenes even during the domestic T20s, Cooley said, and he felt this would hold them in good stead during India’s upcoming home series against Australia.”These girls have been doing extra work in the last two-three months,” he said. “Their work ethic is through the roof. They may be playing the domestic T20s but in the back they’ll be topping up their work to make sure their resilience and capacity to go into Test-match cricket and to survive international cricket is building up all the way. Full credit to the medical team, the coaching staff and S&C [strength and conditioning] staff who got together and made these plans and worked towards them.”

Punia called up as back-up for Shubha

Priya Punia was seen batting for a long time in India’s first training session ahead of the one-off Test against Australia. She batted against a healthy dose of fast bowling and spin after starting with throwdowns for about 20 minutes. Shubha Satheesh, who top-scored with 69 on debut against England, was not to be seen.Shubha was ruled out of the rest of the game after taking a blow to her left ring finger while training before the start of the second day’s play. She was seen with a splint on her left hand and Harmanpreet confirmed after the match that she had suffered a broken finger and a dislocation.Cooley confirmed that Punia had been called up in case a replacement was needed.”No update on Shubha, the medical team would have got hold of that,” he said. “It is very sad for us to see after she batted so well to get a knock on that finger. We are hoping it will heal quickly. The replacement player is coming in just in case. [Punia is a] very good player, the squad balance and strength is still there. We’ll miss [Shubha] if she is not available.”

Marco Jansen has been called up to the ODI side and an update on the T20 World Cup squad is expected soon

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2022South Africa allrounder Dwaine Pretorius has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series in India as well as the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup – that begins later this month in Australia – after fracturing his left thumb. He picked up the injury during the third T20I against India on Tuesday in Indore, the only game South Africa won in the three-match contest.”The nature of the injury requires surgical intervention and Dwaine will consult the Cricket South Africa designated hand surgeon on arrival in South Africa,” CSA chief medical officer Dr Shuaib Manjra said. “Normal rehabilitation procedures will follow to ensure he speedily returns to playing cricket.”Marco Jansen has been added to South Africa’s ODI squad. Jansen is also part of the three-man reserves’ list for the T20 World Cup, along with Andile Phehlukwayo and Bjorn Fortuin, and could be the frontrunner to replace Pretorius in that squad as well.This is South Africa’s second injury blow ahead of the T20 World Cup after Rassie van der Dussen was ruled out with a broken finger. Van der Dussen sustained the injury during the second Test against England in Manchester and is expected to return to fitness for the Tests against Australia in December.Temba Bavuma will lead South Africa at the World Cup. At the time of announcing the squad – which has one more fast-bowling allrounder in Wayne Parnell – on September 6, CSA had confirmed that Bavuma would play as an opener, though his horror run at the T20I series in India could force a change of plans.

Will Young to bat at No. 3 after showing strong County Championship form for Durham

Matt Roller09-Jun-2021Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, has been ruled out of the second Test against England at Edgbaston because of a persistent elbow injury.Williamson had to miss an ODI series against Bangladesh earlier this year because of the same problem, which also caused him to miss the start of the 2021 IPL for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Tom Latham, the regular vice-captain, will lead the team in Williamson’s absence, as he did against Australia at the SCG in January 2020 and West Indies in Wellington in December.Related

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“It’s not an easy decision for Kane to have to miss a Test, but we think it’s the right one,” Gary Stead, New Zealand’s head coach, said. “He’s had an injection in his elbow to relieve the irritation he’s been experiencing when he bats and a period of rest and rehabilitation will help maximise his recovery.”The injury is not expected to rule him out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India, which starts on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl. “The decision has been made very much with the ICC World Test Championship final at Southampton in mind and we are confident he will be ready for that match,” Stead added.”I’m sure he’ll be back [for the final],” Latham said. “From our point of view, it’s a precautionary thing. We’d love him to be available for this game but obviously we’ve got the eye on the final in a week’s time, so for Kane, it’s about giving himself the best opportunity to be fully fit and available for that game. The decision was made for him to rest and get that right for what we have coming up.”He’s fantastic as a captain. It’s well-documented how his personality and his calm nature out in the middle has been vital to this group. He’s very relaxed – doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low which I think has been great for this side in recent years. He’s obviously a wonderful leader and we’ve seen that throughout his captaincy career.”Williamson will be replaced in the New Zealand side by Will Young, the top-order batter who won both of his Test caps to date in the home series against West Indies in December.Young prepared for the series by playing four County Championship matches for Durham, scoring hundreds in two of his three most recent innings. He will bat at No. 3, with Latham and Devon Conway continuing to open the batting.”He’s been here a few weeks earlier [than the rest of the squad] and was playing cricket,” Latham said. “He had an opportunity back in our home summer and is coming off runs for Durham which is always nice when you get selected, especially in these conditions, so it’s another exciting opportunity for Will to put his hand up and try to put that performance on the board.”Trent Boult is set to play in the second Test•Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Latham also confirmed that Trent Boult will return to the side, with Mitchell Santner missing through injury, though he was yet to reach a final decision on the side before training on Wednesday afternoon. Ajaz Patel and the uncapped allrounder Rachin Ravindra are the two candidates to replace Santner, while Matt Henry, Doug Bracewell and Jacob Duffy will also be considered as New Zealand look to manage their seamers’ workloads ahead of the WTC final.”It’s a case-by-case situation,” he said. “There is an eye to what we have coming up in a week’s time but on the other hand this is obviously such an important game for us. We’ve got training now and then we’ll have a look at the wicket and have those conversations around what best suits the playing XI tomorrow. We’ve got a big squad to pick from.”While New Zealand’s thinking has clearly been influenced by the proximity of the WTC final, Latham said that the squad were not taking the opportunity to win a series in England for the first time since 1999 for granted.”Beating England is higher on our priority list [than the WTC final],” he said. “We’ve got such a great opportunity to come here and try to play our brand of cricket and put on a performance that we’re proud of. Yes, there is an eye to the final in a week’s time, but our focus is solely on this game and the next five days.”To win away from home is not an easy thing around the world nowadays, and if we can put the performance on the board that we know we’re capable off, fingers crossed that will give us a good chance to be successful after the five days.”Joe Root, England’s captain, acknowledged that Williamson’s absence was a big loss for New Zealand, but insisted that his team would be “respectful” of a side that has demonstrated its depth by qualifying for the WTC final.”He’s a big gun, No.1 in the world,” Root said. “He’s one of those players you spend a lot of time thinking about how you’re going to keep him quiet and get rid of him early. It will be a huge loss for them but we’re also very respectful that New Zealand have a strong squad and are involved in the WTC final because they have strength in depth.”We saw last week a debutant coming in and getting a double hundred. We’ve got to make sure we’re clear on our plans, clued up on whoever replaces him so we can find ways of keeping him quiet and dismissing him.”

England allrounder enjoying the relaxed world of franchise cricket, after missing NZ tour

Barny Read20-Nov-2019Moeen Ali insists he has not put a timeframe on his return to international action with England, despite hints from Joe Root, the Test captain, that his comeback could happen as soon as the South Africa tour next month.Moeen opted out of travelling to New Zealand for the two-Test series which gets underway in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, and has instead been plying his trade on the white-ball franchise circuit – first with a two-match stopover with Cape Town Blitz in the Mzansi Super League, and now as captain of Team Abu Dhabi in the T10 League.Speaking on the eve of the first Test, Root had said that England were “very open” to Moeen’s return to action, but admitted that the player himself would need to be in the right frame of mind to resume a Test career that was put on indefinite hold after he was dropped midway through this summer’s Ashes.However, speaking to ESPNcricinfo in Abu Dhabi, Moeen himself said that, after a gruelling few months of high-pressure cricket with England, he was enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere on the franchise circuit, and indicated that his international comeback could even be delayed until next summer’s visits of Pakistan and West Indies.”I want to play at some stage but I haven’t decided when or anything,” Moeen said. “I’ll just take it as it comes. Obviously Leachy [Jack Leach] is in the side and bowling really well, so I’ve also got to get back in the side as well.”It could be South Africa, could be Sri Lanka [in March], it could be just the summer,” he said of his anticipated return. “There’s no sort of timeframe on it. I’ll be speaking to Rooty after the series in New Zealand, and to Chris Silverwood [England coach], and we’ll have a bit more clarity and more idea about it then. But at the moment I’m not thinking about it too much.”Though Moeen’s winter hasn’t exactly been restful, with long-haul flights to South Africa and the UAE and yet more nights away from home, he is adamant that the demands of franchise cricket are far removed from those at the very highest level of the game, and consequently, more players are going to have to decide how they want to prioritise their professional careers.”There is a lot of cricket played around the world, but in the franchise stuff the pressure is not quite the same as international, particularly Test cricket,” he said. “Players will have to pick and choose depending on what they really want to play, and the stages they are at in their careers because playing so much cricket is difficult, with all the travelling and flying.”Franchise cricket is a lot more relaxed,” he added. “Obviously you get the whole day to do what you want, then play in the evening, whereas in international cricket, Test cricket, everyone’s watching, the pressure is on you to go and do well for your country. It is mentally and physically harder than any sort of franchise cricket.”Asked if he would feel any pangs of regret when England take the field against New Zealand on Thursday, Moeen was adamant.”I actually don’t,” he said. “I’d obviously love to be there and playing Test cricket but at the stage I was at, I felt like I needed that time away from Test cricket, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Obviously I’m supporting them and I’ve been in contact with the players, but I’m just trying to enjoy my cricket and the franchise stuff.The stint in Abu Dhabi had helped to rejuvenate him, he added. “I really love it, I’m enjoying my batting and captaining here, I’m enjoying that too. It’s different, the pressure’s off almost. It’s a different type of pressure, and it’s nice to get away from that a little bit just to refresh myself.”On the lessons he had learnt from his time in the T10 competition, Moeen said there was plenty that he’d picked up that could help to enhance his T20 game, especially with consecutive T20 World Cups looming in 2020 and 2021.”When you don’t play or you look from the outside, it’s just a slog, but there’s a lot more to it,” he said. “You can’t play it like a T20, the tempo’s faster and the batter’s under the pump from the start. I really like it.”Every dot ball can bring a wicket, pressure builds massively on batters and bowlers, and as a bowler you’re just bowling for survival, really, and you can take that to T20 too.”It will help improve T20 cricket, even though it’s played really well already, but it’s more for the power guys, because there’s no time to knock the ball around. Particularly the Windies guys are bigger and stronger, and on a different level when it comes to hitting sixes.”

Aaron Finch opened for Australia in the UAE, but McDonald said he would be a better fit in the middle order, where he bats for Victoria

Alex Malcolm21-Nov-2018Victoria coach Andrew McDonald has declared that opener Marcus Harris is ready to play Test cricket and believes Aaron Finch, who like Harris also plays for Victoria, is more suited to the middle order.Harris, 26, put himself in contention for the first Test against India in Adelaide with a sparkling start to the Sheffield Shield season: he made 250 not out against New South Wales and two other half-centuries in his last three games. Finch made his Test debut on Australia’s two-Test series against Pakistan in the UAE in October, and made 62, 49, 39 and 31 at the top of the order.McDonald said Harris was ready to go after watching his development over the last two-and-a-half seasons.”He’s [Harris] ready,” McDonald told . “He’s matured. He knows his game better than previous seasons. The way he batted down (in Hobart) albeit he only got a 20-odd (22) and 67 in that run chase, it would have been nice to see him go on and get a bigger score, but the way he played, his batting movements are really, really repeatable, and his decision-making has been a lot better this year.”He scores runs quickly, generally speaking. He played an innings of 250 earlier in the season, which was sizeable, where he showed a lot more patience. So that was the moment where some people out there may have said the penny may start to be dropping.”We’ve seen him play some patient innings. But one of his traits is that against quality fast bowling he can score and put them under extreme pressure.”Harris had spoken about his own development this season, particularly in his decision-making. He had a lengthy conversation about the mental side of elite performance with Cathy Freeman, the Australian Olympic gold medallist and two-time World Champion 400m runner, during the off-season.McDonald also said he would likely bat Finch in the middle order for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland starting next Tuesday – Finch’s only red-ball warm-up before the first Test against India.”We’ve picked him in the middle order in the last three seasons I’ve been coach, so that gives you some thought on where I believe he’s best suited,” McDonald said. “We’ve got a couple of really good openers that complement each other really nicely at the top of the order. But there’ll no doubt be some conversation around that depending on what the national selectors are going to do and the direction they’ll take.”McDonald said he had not spoken to either Australia coach Justin Langer or chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns regarding Finch’ batting position.”I don’t know their policy on that,” McDonald said. “Look, I think any sort of cricket or any batting in any position for both Finch and Glenn Maxwell to put their hand up for selection, if they get time in the middle from whatever position they bat, I think that’s probably fair preparation for the Test series. Albeit they may not be batting the specific position that they’re going to play in. But that’s not uncommon.”Finch had spoken about the challenge of having to switch between formats over the past month but McDonald said the change of position would be a greater challenge.”I think the preparation won’t be something that’s out of the ordinary for him because of the fact that he’s played county cricket, where they do shift between formats quite rapidly at times,” McDonald said. “He can go from red ball to white ball and white ball to red ball throughout that season quite comfortably. I don’t know where he’s going to bat in the Australian line-up. If he does open that’s probably going to be the big shift, marking centre, day one first up, as opposed to sitting down having a coffee and coming in in the middle order.”So that will be something they will be preparing him for if that’s where they’re going to bat him. If not then he’ll be pretty familiar with a middle order role if they go that direction as well.”

West Indies coach Stuart Law wants his players to focus on learning their roles in ODI cricket, ahead of next year’s qualifying tournament to reach the 2019 World Cup

Andrew McGlashan22-Sep-2017West Indies coach Stuart Law has challenged his one-day squad to use the remainder of the series against England to prove they should be part of the team who will now need to contest the qualifying tournament next year to reach the 2019 World Cup.Defeat at Old Trafford in the opening match of the series condemned West Indies to the long route to a World Cup spot, with the qualifying tournament set to take place in Zimbabwe early next year. That leaves Law with the rest of the England tour and then three matches in New Zealand at the end of the year as their only scheduled ODIs to firm up their best one-day squad.”Our plan is to go to Zimbabwe next year with a settled team, a team where everyone knows their roles and what they want to achieve,” Law said. “It’s a balancing act because what some players bring is extraordinary and you don’t want to nullify that effect. We’ve still got some selectorial conversations to have, to understand if we have the best players to take this team forward.”There’s plenty of A-team cricket in the Caribbean – Sri Lanka are there and England are coming next year so there are opportunities – but I’d like to go to New Zealand with a team which is pretty settled before the qualifiers.”Chris Gayle, who tweaked a hamstring at Trent Bridge, and Marlon Samuels have returned to the side for this series. Other players could come back into the mix with Law saying that Sunil Narine would be a certain pick if he made himself available. Narine was Man of the Match in the T20 against England at Chester-le-Street, but said he wanted to play some domestic one-day cricket before returning to the format he last played nearly a year ago.The dates for West Indies’ domestic one-day tournament, the Regional Super50, have yet to be confirmed, but last year it began in late January so may not leave Narine much time to stake a claim for the squad to go to the qualifiers. Another player who may come back on the radar is Andre Russell, whose one-year ban for missed drugs tests finishes on January 31, 2018.”Most people would be excited to have a guy like Andre Russell champing at the bit to play international cricket,” Law said. “Sunil Narine showed his class in the T20. He stated he wanted to get some 50-over cricket in, which is fair enough, but if he decides he wants to give ODIs a go he’d be one of the first picks with the spin he provides.”Kyle Hope was brought into the side at Trent Bridge after Gayle’s injury, while Miguel Cummins replaced Devendra Bishoo as West Indies went with a different balance of side. While Law is aware of the players currently outside the squad, he is keen to put his faith in those currently on duty.”This group I feel has a lot of good, that’s why they are here,” he added. “We are just making sure they understand how they want to play, they are caught between T20 and Test cricket a little at the moment and need to find a tempo for this format.”

CSA has removed former South Africa batsman HD Ackerman as the host of its upcoming annual awards ceremony in a bid to to avoid “further potential negative comments” around his announcement that he was emigrating to Australia in September

Firdose Moonda15-Jul-2016CSA has removed former South Africa batsman HD Ackerman as the host of its upcoming annual awards ceremony in a bid to to avoid “further potential negative comments” around his announcement that he was emigrating to Australia in September. Ackerman is the fourth South African involved in the country’s cricket structures to move to Australia or New Zealand in the last two months.”In view of certain negative comments on social media following HD’s Facebook post that he was leaving South Africa for Australia, we have decided to avoid any further potential negative comments around HD hosting the live CSA Awards,” Altaaf Kazi, CSA spokesperson, told “We decided to replace him and have no further comments to make in this regard.”CSA has not revealed who it has appointed as Ackerman’s replacement.Ackerman had announced his decision to emigrate through a post on Facebook: “It is with a heavy heart that I have to let all my friends know that Kerryn Ackerman, James, Tannah and I will be moving to Perth, Australia in September. It has caused many sleepless nights and even more tears but it is a decision that we have reached as a family and feel it is the best one we can make for our little ones at this time.”South Africa has so much potential, however in my entire life I don’t think I have ever seen anything more common than something or someone fail to reach their potential. I fear this may be the case with my beautiful country. I truly hope that the decision we are making is the right one for us and I truly hope that South Africa does go on to reach its true potential and that crime decreases, corruption slows (as all countries have this problem) and an equal opportunity is there for all.”His employer, South African broadcaster , confirmed Ackerman’s departure to take up a role as director of coaching at Guildford Grammar School in Perth. The broadcaster said Ackerman had left open the possibility of freelancing.On Thursday, Ackerman revealed on Facebook that he had been removed from hosting the awards, which he has been part of for several years. “Wow, just been pulled off hosting the Cricket South Africa awards on the 26th because a few people on social media feel my move to Australia is because I’m racist. Forget the fact my wife’s sister had just moved to Brisbane and that my wife’s parents have just moved to Perth, or that I got a job offer in Perth that included a school bursary for my son, those reasons are not good enough. Wow, wow, wow.”Social media reaction to Ackerman’s move was largely encouraging, particularly from former players. Former South Africa fast bowler Brett Schultz said on Twitter: “And SA loses another incredible talent, as a player in his day and behind the microphone in the modern game.”The only post, at the time of writing this article, with a racial undertone came from one user who accused Ackerman of being “anti-transformation”. Ackerman responded by telling the user, “That’s where you are soooo wrong.”Ackerman played 220 first-class and 230 List A games in a 16-year career that included stints at two provincial and four franchise sides. After retiring, he turned to commentary and coaching. He was involved with South Africa A and recently accompanied some South African players on a spin camp to India.While Ackerman is relocating to Perth, three other South African cricket administrators – Dolphins chief executive Pete de Wet, national team logistics manager Riaan Muller, and Titans’ coach Rob Walter – have all accepted jobs in New Zealand.