Runs could be doubled in a designated “super-over” and spectators may be allowed to take home balls hit into the crowd as part of Australia’s new Big Bash League next summer.

Brydon Coverdale26-May-2011Runs would be doubled in a designated “super-over” and spectators allowed to take home balls hit into the crowd under proposed rules for Australia’s new Big Bash League next summer.Cricket fans have been asked to comment on a range of possible tweaks to the rules governing Twenty20, many of which are designed to boost scoring rates in the eight-team competition, which is expected to kick off in December.Mike McKenna, Cricket Australia’s head of marketing and the BBL project owner, has made no secret of his desire to spice up the T20 tournament, which will feature city-based sides such as the Brisbane Heat, and two each in Melbourne and Sydney. One of the most unusual suggestions is for each team to be given one super-over, which would likely be nominated by the batting side before the start of the over.Cricket Australia’s survey states the idea, in which the runs from that over alone would be doubled, was intended “to provide both teams an opportunity to get back into the game”. The cricket statistician Ric Finlay, who runs the Tastats website, said introducing such a rule would cause some distortion in the record-books, but it was likely the games could still be designated official Twenty20 matches.”It is true to say that other interventions have distorted outcomes, including fielding restrictions and powerplays and penalties for no balls,” Finlay told , “but this innovation seems on the face of it to be departing more radically from what we know as traditional cricket than anything else that has gone on before. The factor that may allow these matches to be included in records of all T20 matches is the generally-accepted status of all T20 cricket to be a gimmicky form of the game where almost anything goes.”The advantages for the batsmen might not end there. “Based on increasing scoring and making the game more exciting”, as the survey says, the 12th man could be allowed to enter the batting order as a kind of pinch hitter, in a similar setup to the super-sub rule that was used in one-day internationals several years ago.There is also a proposal to allow only one fielder outside the circle in the first five overs of an innings, leaving bowlers little room for error. Two men could be used outside the circle from overs 6 to 10, three fielders from overs 11 to 15, and four men during the final five overs of an innings.And if those ideas don’t create enough of a challenge for bowlers, they may also need to get used to several changed balls throughout an innings. A baseball-style rule is being considered whereby fans would be able to keep a ball that clears the fence, meaning that with many sixes – and the Big Bash record is 14 in an innings – a new ball would be given to the bowler.However, it’s not all bad news for bowlers – allowing two bouncers per over is also a possibility, to allow bowlers a little extra room to attack. The Big Bash League is slowly taking shape, but several key steps remain to be resolved, including the recruitment of players to the eight sides and the part private ownership of two of the Melbourne and Sydney teams.To take the survey and comment on the proposed rules, click here.

James Anderson is set to lead England’s attack in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl on Thursday, after being named in a 12-man squad at the expense of Surrey’s Jade Dernbach

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2011James Anderson is set to lead England’s attack in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl on Thursday, after being named in a 12-man squad at the expense of Surrey’s Jade Dernbach.Anderson missed the second Test at Lord’s after suffering a side strain during the first innings of the Cardiff Test, but he was optimistic of a quick return and will be officially passed fit provided he successfully negotiates Lancashire’s Friends Life Twenty20 match against Worcestershire on Sunday.Anderson comes into the squad for Dernbach, who came close to making his Test debut at Lord’s before the selectors decided to go with the extra height of Steven Finn. As it turns out, the lack of variety in England’s attack was exposed at Lord’s, with Tillakaratne Dilshan leading the way for Sri Lanka with an excellent 193.England National Selector, Geoff Miller, said: “Jimmy Anderson is the leader of our bowling attack so clearly he will be a significant inclusion should he get through Lancashire’s Friends Life Twenty20 match against Worcestershire unscathed.”Side strains can be particularly troublesome for bowlers but given Jimmy’s injury was a grade one strain and therefore a low grade injury, he is expected to be fit for selection. A period of rest and recovery has certainly been beneficial and we obviously wouldn’t include Jimmy in the squad if the medical staff weren’t confident of his fitness.”Anderson looked in prime form in Cardiff as he took 3 for 66 before picking up his injury on the second afternoon, although it didn’t stop him being the nightwatchman. Then, in his absence, England’s three-man attack completed a stunning victory on the final afternoon as Sri Lanka were skittled for 82.”It’s been a tough week because I can honestly say I haven’t felt a moment of discomfort since the diagnosis was made so I do believe I probably could have bowled in their second innings,” Anderson told last week’s The Mail on Sunday. “I fully understand the position of the medical staff; this is going to be a long summer and there was no point in taking a risk. But it may have been something that felt worse than it was because of the cold and windy weather.””I had mixed emotions as events unfolded on the last day in Cardiff,” he added. “It was fantastic to see us doing so well, taking the wickets and winning but, at the same time, it was tough to watch them all celebrating and not be involved on the pitch.”Assuming Anderson comes through his match against Worcestershire, England may face a tough decision as to which of their seamers to omit for the Rose Bowl.Stuart Broad’s recent appointment as England Twenty20 captain is an acknowledgement of his senior status within the England squad. Nevertheless, his record in red-ball cricket is becoming something of a concern, with his two wickets at Lord’s costing 154 and coming at 3.75 an over. After 36 Tests, he still averages an unworthy 35.97.”I don’t think he’s quite getting the rub of the green at the moment,” said Andrew Strauss after the Lord’s Test. “He’s bowled some very good balls that are passing the edge, and has probably bowled better than the statistics say. But all of us have to keep trying to improve, and make sure our performances get better.”The likelier man to miss out is Steven Finn, who became the youngest England bowler to reach 50 Test wickets during the Lord’s Test, but who leaked his runs at close to 4 an over and appeared to be lacking in rhythm in the early part of Sri Lanka’s innings.”I think Steven Finn got a lot better as the game went on,” said Strauss. “He’d been out of the side a little bit, so I suppose he had every right to feel a bit anxious at the start. But all our bowlers bring something different, and certainly Jimmy does with his consistent lines and swinging it a bit more than the others. We are very hopeful he’ll be fit.”England squad Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn.

Spin twins Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq bowled Yorkshire to a breathtaking victory by 11 runs with five balls remaining in a tight Roses clash

17-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Spin twins Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq bowled Yorkshire to a breathtaking victory by 11 runs with five balls remaining in a tight Roses clash in the Friends Life t20 North Group at Headingley Carnegie.Chasing a 179 target, Lancashire lost two wickets in Rafiq’s first over before they were further hit by Rashid who claimed three wickets in five balls. Even then they were not quite down and out because Jordan Clark lashed Richard Pyrah for two sixes and a four off successive balls in the penultimate over which cost 24 runs.These blows hurried Lancashire on to 167 for 9 but with 12 wanted off the final over, Gary Keedy attempted to run a bye off Ryan Sidebottom’s first ball and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow threw into the stumps to run out Clark who had struck 38 from 18 deliveries with three fours and two sixes.Yorkshire joyously celebrated a Roses double which leapfrogged them above their opponents in the table and at the same time boosted their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals. It was Lancashire’s third defeat in 10 days.The heavy rain which had been forecast managed to hold off – much to the delight of the majority in the 13,000 crowd. Rashid finished with 4 for 26 – his third haul of three wickets or more in five matches – and Rafiq had 2 for 29 from his four overs but the Man-of-the-Match award went to Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale who held his side together with a well-judged 60 after they had been put in to bat.He received excellent support from Bairstow in an opening stand of 69 inside eight overs, Yorkshire’s best start of the season. Gale bludgeoned two fours in the opening over from Luke Procter and Bairstow made Tom Smith suffer by smashing him for two fours and a big six over backward square leg.Sajid Mahmood helped to stem the flow of runs but it was Keedy who came on to make the initial breakthrough by having Bairstow lbw for 32 from 19 balls with five fours and a six as the batsman failed to make contact with an intended reverse sweep.Adam Lyth maintained the momentum in a 65 stand in 7.3 overs with Gale who had smacked six fours and a six off 46 deliveries before he hit a full toss from Smith to mid-off. Lyth gave a return catch to Mahmood off a slower ball after making 45 from 33 balls and Gary Ballance’s unbeaten 25 included successive sixes on either side of the wicket at Smith’s expense.Stephen Moore and Smith began brightly in poor light for Lancashire but at 26 in the third over Moore was run out by Joe Root’s direct hit from the boundary edge. Smith was caught and bowled by Rashid in the next over to make it 27 for 2.Then Rafiq entered the attack to bowl Steven Croft middle stump with his first ball and trap Mahmood lbw with his fifth. Karl Brown and Gareth Cross staged something of a recovery with a 51 stand in seven overs before Rashid’s dramatic intervention in the 15th over.He had Cross lbw for 30 aiming to leg, enticed Brown into giving Rafiq a catch above his head at long-off and gained another lbw verdict against Procter. Kyle Hogg and Steven Parry lost their stumps to Ajmal Shahzad and Sidebottom respectively but Clark’s lusty blows kept Lancashire interested right to the end.

Norman Gordon, the lone survivor from the final timeless Test, has become the first Test cricketer to have lived 100 years

Sidharth Monga06-Aug-2011Norman Gordon, the lone survivor from the final timeless Test, has become the first Test cricketer to have lived 100 years. Gordon, a South Africa pace bowler, was renowned for his fitness and athleticism during his playing days. He bowled 92.2 eight-ball overs during that timeless Test. He could play only five Tests because his career coincided with World War II. He lives in Johannesburg.The reception around his 100th birthday has been emotional, according to his son Brian. Exhausted, Gordon was not available to talk. “The reception they had for him at his school was overwhelming,” Brian said. “That brought him to tears.”Jeppe High School for Boys, the school that Gordon went to, felicitated him a day before his 100th birthday. “He has been pretty pleased, and a bit nervous,” Brian said. “The reception they gave him at the school today was unbelievable. Marching bands were there, and three of the previous headmasters were there. Ali [Bacher] was there. And the choir, and the whole assembly, all the boys at the school assembly. And they named a board at the school after him.”The final few months of the 100th year have not been easy. “[His health is] not bad, but he had a fall in April,” Brian said. “He broke his arm and he really battled, and he has aged about three years in the last four months. Otherwise he is okay. He has just slowed down a lot. Yeah. Just very, very tired.”That hasn’t stopped Gordon from going to his favourite Hutton Golf Course “almost every day”. “I bring him here almost every afternoon. If he has nothing else to do, we come and sit at the golf course.” Norman stopped playing golf three years ago, but he loves to spend his time there. Before the fall in April, he used to go there everyday.The birthday itself is hectic too. “He is coming to the golf course because we are having a benefit golf day for him,” Brian said. “Then in the evening we are going to the Wanderers. Ali Bacher and South Africa Breweries have organised a party for him at the Long Room in the evening.”

Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, is set to add to his tally of Twenty20 teams after agreeing terms with Zimbabwean domestic franchise Mid West Rhinos

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2011Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, is set to add to his tally of Twenty20 teams after agreeing terms with Zimbabwean domestic franchise Mid West Rhinos. Tait will play for Rhinos during Zimbabwe’s domestic Twenty20 competition in late November this year.Tait, who signed up to play for the Melbourne Renegades in Australia’s Big Bash League six weeks ago and will also represent Dolphins, the Durban-based South African franchise, for the Pro20 competition early next year, said he hoped his Zimbabwe stint would help boost his match fitness ahead of his Big Bash outing.”That’s the thing with Twenty20 tournaments, you’ve got to pick which ones are at the right time to keep your match fitness up, and rest in between,” he said. ”It’s just [before] the Big Bash, so it’s perfect timing.”The dates for Zimbabwe’s fortnight-long Twenty20 tournament have not been finalised but it is expected that the competition will be completed by December 3, which will allow Tait to travel back to Melbourne well in time to prepare for the Big Bash.Tait retired from Tests in 2008 and quit ODIs too following Australia’s exit in the quarter-final stage of the 2011 World Cup. He then represented Rajasthan Royals in the IPL this year, grabbing six wickets in four games. He was forced to turn down a deal with Surrey earlier this year due to an elbow injury sustained during the IPL. His Zimbabwe deal was set up by his former teammate Jason Gillespie, who has also re-signed as coach of Rhinos.”The way it’s going I’m just going to play [Twenty20] tournaments,” Tait, who is still available to play Twenty20 cricket for Australia, said. “If clubs are keen to sign me, that’s great. I’ve become sort of a freelance Twenty20 player.”

Those insisting the USA Cricket Association is once again close to being dysfunctional under the control of its president, Gladstone Dainty, were left frustrated after a board meeting called for September 24 by the board secretary was cancelled at short n

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2011Those insisting the USA Cricket Association is once again close to being dysfunctional under the control of its president, Gladstone Dainty, were left frustrated after a meeting called for September 24 by the board secretary was cancelled at short notice.Dainty, who is under fire from a number of directions over what is claimed is his complete lack of accountability, scrapped the meeting even though John Aaron, the secretary, had confirmed attendances from more than enough members to constitute a quorum.No face-to-face meeting of the executive has been held since November 2010, even though the position of chief executive has been vacant since Dainty removed Don Lockerbie from office ten months ago and elections scheduled for March have been delayed.”The problem is those attending were not from Dainty’s camp, so he changed the date to October 1″ one board member told ESPNcricinfo. “He appears to be particularly manipulative of some members of the board considered his long-time allies.”Another board member said Dainty was avoiding a meeting unless he knew he could guarantee enough of his supporters were present as he feared the executive could overturn some of his recent decisions.

Jersey stumbled to a three-wicket victory over Nigeria at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur in a replay of the round three game that the sides had been forced to abandon on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Jersey stumbled to a three-wicket victory over Nigeria at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur in a replay of the round three game that the sides had been forced to abandon on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions.The toss for the game took place on schedule, with Jersey choosing to field, but as soon as captain Peter Gough had made his decision the weather took a turn for the worse and the rain clouds blew in, leading to a delayed start and the match being reduced to 40 overs.Nigeria’s batting has struggled throughout this tournament, and they had another off day as 20-year-old left-arm spinner James Faudemer picked up 4 for 25, including the wickets of key top order batsmen Varun Behani, Oluwaseun Odeku and player-coach Sean Philips. Behani was Nigeria’s top scorer with 25 as they were bowled out for 110 in 32 overs.Nigeria fought back early with the ball, as after a quick turnaround they claimed three wickets before lunch. Jersey captain Gough was promoted to opening the batting alongside Ed Farley, the latter departing for a duck after facing just three balls. Gough managed just six runs before he was dismissed by Joshua Ogunlola, the medium-pacer finding the edge of his bat.Saheed Akolade then dismissed Ben Stevens, clean bowling the 19-year-old and four overs later Akolade sent Ben Silva packing after the 33-year-old was caught by some nifty fielding from Ramit Gill. Jersey slipped to 88 for 7 but they were seen home by Dean Morrison’s unbeaten 59.”I normally open the batting but today Peter Gough opened instead as I came in at No. 6 today,” said Morrison. “We lost early wickets, including two before the break which wasn’t great and it was up to me and Corey Bisson to steady the ship and we put on a 52 run partnership before he departed. It was then about batting through to make sure we reached the target, even if it was with only an over or so to spare.”Like I said, I normally open, but back when I played in Australia I used to come in down the order so when I came in today at six I knew what I had to do which was that to help the tail bat through. We had to keep trying for the win and I kept saying to the guys that came in to join me it was all about keeping going and getting victory.”It’s definitely taken the heat off us to have another win, although we can’t be complacent we have to win tomorrow to keep ourselves in with a chance in this tournament.”

England’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch

The Report by Abhishek Purohit23-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirat Kohli and Suresh Raina all but sealed the match with a 131-run stand for the fourth wicket•AFP

England’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch in Mumbai. Their fast bowlers struck three early blows but Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina motored to a 131-run stand at close to seven an over, showcasing the difference between the sides and sparking another needless bout of words in the middle as England’s frustration overflowed.It was England’s own batsmen who had let down their ragged bowlers down when they caved in against spin in the afternoon. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took 5 for 79 in 20 overs between them after Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen had built on England’s quickest start of the series.Vinay Kumar broke the 73-run stand between Trott and an uncharacteristically subdued Pietersen, then Jadeja and Ashwin worked their way through a clueless England middle order, striking three times in six overs. Tim Bresnan took the score past 200 with a run-a-ball 45, but England were dismissed with 23 deliveries remaining when fast bowler Varun Aaron bowled Bresnan to finish with three wickets on debut.Disciplined pace bowling led by the impressive Steven Finn kept England in with an outside chance at the start of the chase. Kohli and Raina kept the runs coming, though, not allowing the score of 46 for 3 to tie them down in a partnership that steadily at first, and then emphatically, pushed England out of the match, making a 5-0 whitewash ever more likely.Finn and Bresnan had started with testing spells that kept the India openers quiet. The first five overs produced only 17 runs, leading Parthiv Patel to whip across the line and lose his stumps to Finn. Finn struck again in his next over when Gautam Gambhir inside-edged onto his stumps. His opening spell of 5-0-10-2 was followed by a sharp burst from debutant Stuart Meaker that induced Ajinkya Rahane into a poke outside off stump only for wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter to take a leaping one-handed blinder.Scott Borthwick, the young legspinner surprisingly chosen ahead of Grame Swann, bowled with heart, but it was unfair to expect him to have the same effect that the experienced Swann could have managed. Kohli and Raina continued almost unbothered, picking off the singles easily and finding the boundaries with crisp shots. The duo’s approach was in sharp contrast to England’s tottering line-up.Despite India being three down at the start of the bowling Powerplay, Raina took the chance and chipped Meaker just over mid-off for a boundary. His innings grew into a blur of scythes through extra cover and swings down the ground before Finn bowled him after a missed slog during a heated over. Raina had surged to 80 by then and with Kohli easing into elegant drives and cuts, India were runaway winners with almost ten overs remaining.England’s fate had virtually been sealed when their middle order tried to sweep and slog-sweep their way out of trouble. Pietersen was one of three batsmen to fall on the shots, though the substitute fielder Manoj Tiwary was responsible for sending him back with a diving catch after running across from deep midwicket.Ravi Bopara missed one from Jadeja to be caught in front and Jonny Bairstow’s disappointing series continued when he was bowled by a ripper that pitched on leg and turned to hit off stump. Samit Patel and Bresnan tried to salvage something from 145 for 6 but Patel slog-swept Ashwin straight to deep midwicket in another disappointing batting Powerplay for England.Aaron, who had consistently hovered above 140kph on debut, came back to run through the lower order, hitting the stumps three times, the last of which straightened past Bresnan’s outside edge to clip the top of off, with England well short of a challenging total on a turning pitch without Swann.Things hadn’t looked as gloomy for England when Pietersen and Trott accumulated solidly in a steady partnership that helped them recover after Alastair Cook and Kieswetter departed off successive deliveries. Though Pietersen went hard at deliveries and mistimed his strokes at times, Trott kept the runs flowing, cutting Jadeja three times to the deep point boundary. Trott welcomed Vinay’s second spell with a cracking drive that beat the cover sweeper easily but was dismissed two deliveries later. Pietersen continued to find the field and the India spinners soon got on top decisively, yet again.

Pragyan Ojha has said the experience he got playing county cricket in England has helped him adjust to his new status as the senior spinner in India’s Test line-up

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2011Pragyan Ojha, the India left-arm spinner, has said the experience he got playing county cricket in England has helped him adjust to his new status as the senior spinner in India’s Test line-up. Ojha has played 11 Tests in total but has not played one since November last year. With both Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra dropped for the first Test against West Indies, he finds himself playing alongside debutant R Ashwin.”I took it in a positive way,” Ojha said of suddenly being given the responsibility of leading India’s spin attack. “I spoke to seniors like Anil [Kumble], Harbhajan, Rahul [Dravid] and [VVS] Laxman when I was out of the team and they all advised me to go and play county cricket. When you play there, you are given a lot of responsibility and they expect you to win games for them. That helps you grow as a cricketer. I also played the Irani Trophy where I tried some variations.”Ojha took 24 wickets at an average of 12.95 for Surrey in the County Championship in England over the summer, and marked his return to the India team with figures of 3 for 58 on the first day on a flat Feroz Shah Kotla pitch. He said the wicket was slow and unhelpful for bowlers, and the only way to find success was to stick to your lines.”The wicket wasn’t doing much and it was about sticking to one line, getting the basics right and just testing the patience of the batsmen.” He said he had particularly enjoyed his dismissal of Kraigg Brathwaite because he had beaten him in the flight and had him stumped.Though Ojha kept West Indies in check with his strikes, Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s unbeaten century gave West Indies a base from which they can look to push on to a big total on the second day. Ojha said it was a challenge bowling to Chanderpaul but he did think he had him in trouble a couple of times on the sweep shot.”Chanderpaul is one of the legends of the game and he has played very well here. The amount of experience he has is amazing. I really enjoyed bowling against him and, while he was batting, there were a couple of half-chances while he was sweeping when the ball fell short of square leg. It is a great battle bowling to a legend and hopefully I will get him out.”

Pakistan gave another demonstration of the batting solidity that has characterised their cricket in 2011, cutting the deficit to 46

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran19-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Taufeeq Umar was very good on the cut, scoring heavily around point•AFP

Sandwiched between the familiar Mirpur problems of morning fog and fading light in the evening, Pakistan gave another demonstration of the batting solidity that has characterised their cricket in 2011. Taufeeq Umar added another century to his already rich haul this year, and aided by several middle-order contributions and butter-fingers from Bangladesh, cut the deficit to 46 runs.The flamboyance of old may be missing – Pakistan rarely looked interested in pushing the tempo for much of the day – but the safety-first batting has served them well this year. Bangladesh’s attack was mostly pedestrian, and it was only with the second new ball that there was a sustained period of hostility.In the curtailed morning session, Taufeeq and Azhar Ali blunted the bowling as they stretched the partnership beyond 100. The only real chance of a wicket before lunch was when Taufeeq missed a delivery from Shakib Al Hasan that spun down the leg side in the 36th over. Mushfiqur Rahim collected the ball, and was so certain of the caught-behind that he vociferously appealed without bothering to try stumping Taufeeq who had advanced down the track.The day began with a 11-run over from Shahadat Hossain, but the scoring-rate returned to staid Test match levels after that. It was risk-free batting from both Taufeeq and Azhar, who were supremely patient at most times, but cashed in on the regular poor delivery. Taufeeq was very good on the cut, scoring heavily around point, while many of Azhar’s boundaries were off drives, including a classic past extra cover that took him to fifty.The track was providing little assistance to the quicks, and to make matters worse, in the first over after lunch, Nazimuddin shelled a sitter at gully to reprieve Taufeeq. Luckily for Bangladesh, Shakib got one to spin sharply away, taking Azhar’s outside edge on the way to the keeper. Azhar, at ease against pace, wasn’t at his most assured against spin, and his dismissal for 57 meant he has only one century despite 12 fifties.Taufeeq was unperturbed, continuing to grind the bowling even as Younis Khan took his time to settle in. The cut continued to bring in plenty of runs, there was a risky paddle for four off Shakib and an authoritative swat to midwicket off Mahmudullah. The century came up with a slap behind point for four, after which Taufeeq unleashed a bunch of off-side boundaries.Bangladesh’s spirits were sapped further when both Younis and Taufeeq were given lives in the first two overs after tea – Younis put down at deep midwicket by Shahadat Hossain, while Taufeeq offered a tough bat-pad chance that Shahriar Nafees couldn’t latch on at short leg.They didn’t have to wait too long for the second new ball, though, and that transformed the attack. Nazmul Hossain was outstanding as he got the ball to seam around, and thoroughly tested Younis’ technique outside off before getting Taufeeq to nick to slip.The batting hadn’t exactly been in top gear all innings, and more enterprise was necessary if Pakistan were to aim for a victory. Even as the light faded, Younis and Misbah didn’t go into a shell, picking off the boundaries as the quick bowlers overdosed on the short ball. Their partnership raised 47 at a decidedly brisk 3.76 before play was called off with Pakistan closing in on 300. They will need more quick runs on Tuesday if they are to set up a big total that could put the traditionally fragile Bangladesh batting under pressure for the remainder of the Test.