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Clear and sunny weather awaits the teams in Dublin after the first T20I was cut short by rain

Srinidhi Ramanujam19-Aug-20232:01

Takeaways: Is Bumrah World Cup ready?

Big picture – India batters will want a proper hit

Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback was the main talking point in the rain-hit opening T20I in Malahide, but now the focus quickly shifts to the batters from the two sides.India batted 41 balls with openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal consuming 39 of those before rain stopped play. The likes of Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson will be keen to make noteworthy performances, if they get a chance, with an eye on the next T20 World Cup that is less than a year away. Among them, Samson – who is also in contention for the Asia Cup – will want to impress the selectors with the squad to be announced on Monday.Related

• Bumrah and Prasidh's promising comebacks good news for India's World Cup plans

• Jasprit Bumrah strikes twice in first over on his comeback

• India finish just ahead of Ireland in rain-hit contest

For Ireland, it was the lower order that helped them to a modest 139 in the first T20I. The top six, which scored just 64 runs between them with Curtis Campher scoring 39 of them, will have to step up against the quality Indian bowling on Sunday if they want to level the series. Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker were all among runs in the T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier in July and will be expected to put up a fight here.

Form guide

Ireland LLWWW
India WLWWL

In the spotlight – Gaikwad and McCarthy

Ruturaj Gaikwad survived a mix-up with Jaiswal in the second over of the chase to remain unbeaten on 19 before rain stopped play. He had a successful IPL season where he scored 590 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 147. With the team management making him the captain for the Asian Games, scheduled for September end, Gaikwad will be hoping to get some big scores before heading to the tournament.1:16

Bishnoi: Can’t take Ireland lightly in T20s

Barry McCarthy provided a reminder of his batting prowess in the opener, scoring an unbeaten 51 off 33 from No. 8 to lift Ireland from 59 for 6. The allrounder had also finished as the joint-second-highest wicket-taker for Ireland with nine wickets from five matches in the recent T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier.

Team news – will India continue with Arshdeep?

Ireland are unlikely to make changes to their playing XI despite the loss in the first game.Ireland (possible XI): 1 Paul Stirling (capt), 2 Andrew Balbirnie, 3 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 4 Harry Tector, 5 Curtis Campher, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Mark Adair, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Craig Young, 10 Josh Little, 11 Ben WhiteArshdeep Singh hasn’t been as effective of late as he had been in the first bit of his international career, though there was the 3 for 38 in the win over West Indies in the fourth T20I. But he returned 1 for 35 in the first T20I against Ireland – and gave away 22 in the final over as McCarthy smashed two sixes and a four – and India do have Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar in their line up.India (possible XI): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Rinku Singh, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Arshdeep Singh/Avesh Khan, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Jasprit Bumrah (capt), 11 Prasidh Krishna.

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings score in T20Is in Malahide is 161. Teams batting first have lost 10 out of 17 T20Is here. It is expected to be sunny and pleasant throughout the day.

Stats and trivia

• Balbirnie has scored 286 runs in 13 T20Is at a strike rate of 138.8 in Dublin, the most for a batter at this venue.
• Only six times have India won a men’s T20I by a margin of fewer than five runs. Two of those have come against Ireland in their previous two meetings.

Quotes

“Ireland have been playing well, you can’t say that any team is big or small in T20 cricket. In this format, in one over everything can change, just like the last over in this game. If those two wickets didn’t fall, there would be a difference of 10-12 runs. It was because of Sanju and Ruturaj we finished the match. So Ireland have been doing well in this format.”

Sam Billings drafted into XI as like-for-like Covid replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2022England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has tested positive for Covid-19 and will play no further part in the third Test at Headingley. Sam Billings has been drafted in as a Covid replacement, subject to ICC approval.Foakes was unable to keep wicket on Saturday due to back stiffness, with Jonny Bairstow taking the gloves. Foakes subsequently tested positive after taking a lateral flow test in the evening.Related

• Ben Stokes hails 'unbelievable' mindset switch as England power to 3-0 series win

• Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root rampage to England's seven-wicket win, and series clean-sweep

• Ollie Pope, Joe Root break England's chase after Jack Leach stars with maiden ten-for

• 'It has changed the way I look at Test cricket. There is another side – entertainment'

• Potts leads spirited England attack as New Zealand falter in costly evening session

Billings has been in action for Kent in the Vitality Blast but will go straight into the playing XI and keep wicket, with England seeking five more New Zealand wickets before beginning their second innings.England said in a statement that there had been no further cases and “the rest of the England party follows health protocols of symptom reporting and subsequent testing if required”. Marcus Trescothick, the team’s batting coach, tested positive on Tuesday and has been self-isolating throughout the third Test.The news casts doubt on Foakes’ participation in the India Test starting on Friday, although England said that they hoped he would be fit to play. India have also been affected by Covid, with Rohit Sharma, the Test captain, currently isolating after a positive test. The rearranged Test will provide a conclusion to last year’s series, with India leading 2-1.Billings was in London on Saturday evening ahead of Kent’s County Championship match against Surrey at the Kia Oval and made a last-minute, late-night journey up to Leeds, arriving in the early hours of Sunday morning.He will win his second Test cap in similarly hectic circumstances to the first, when he drove nine hours along Australia’s east coast to Sydney and played in the final Ashes Test after injuries to Bairstow and Jos Buttler.

Cricket Australia informs CSA that it had been left with no choice but to reschedule the tour

Firdose Moonda and Andrew McGlashan02-Feb-2021Australia’s three-Test tour of South Africa, scheduled to start in March, has been postponed, with Cricket Australia informing Cricket South Africa that the Covid-19 situation in South Africa has left it with “no choice” but to reschedule the travel plans.”Due to the public-health situation in South Africa, which includes a second wave and new variant of the virus, and following extensive due diligence with medical experts, it has become clear that traveling from Australia to South Africa at this current time poses an unacceptable level of health and safety risk to our players, support staff and the community,” Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s interim CEO, said.Former chairman of CSA’s interim board, Judge Zak Yacoob, had said on January 21 that the tour was likely to be rubber-stamped in late January, even though he had warned that the ever-changing situation with the pandemic could result in a rethink. At the time, South Africa was experiencing over 10,000 positive cases every day, with a peak of 21,980 on January 8. Numbers have since dropped to an average of 5000 per day, but with Variant 501.Y.V2 now rampant, and possibly spreading more easily than Covid-19, even CSA’s best efforts were not enough to persuade Australia to tour.Related

• Australia looking at 2023 window for postponed South Africa Test series

• Relations between CSA and CA 'strained', admits Graeme Smith

• Australia set to tour Bangladesh later this year for T20Is, not Tests

• Cricket South Africa rejected formal Australia offer to host Test series

• Cricket South Africa 'disappointed' at Cricket Australia's tour cancellation

“We acknowledge the significant amount of work by CSA in planning for the tour, during which we made it clear that CA was prepared to take on additional cost and effort to make the series happen,” Hockley said. “This decision has not been made lightly and we are extremely disappointed, especially given the importance of continuing international cricket at this time, our valued relationship with CSA, and our aspirations to compete in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (final).”However, we have been consistent since the start of the pandemic that the health and safety of our people is always our number one priority and unfortunately despite best efforts to agree a bio-security plan, the risks are simply too great at this time. As difficult and disappointing a decision as this is, especially for Justin [Langer, the Australia head coach], Tim [Paine, their captain] and the team, we have a duty of care to our people and their health and safety can’t be compromised.”Australia had toured England in August-September last year for a set of ODIs and T20Is, when the Covid-19 numbers in England were low, before some of their players went to the UAE to take part in the IPL.Restrictions in South Africa had eased as of Tuesday morning. While the country remained at Level 3 of its lockdown (with Level 5 being the strictest), public parks and beaches were open, and the curfew had been eased – from 11pm to 4am as opposed to 9pm to 5am as was the case through January. Social gatherings, including spectators at sports stadiums, continue to be prohibited and the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, warned that the level of transmission remained relatively high.It was through these rising infections that South Africa hosted Sri Lanka over the festive season, when the lockdown tightened during the Boxing Day Test. The two teams were housed at the Irene Country Club in Centurion and the tour took place without incident. CSA were planning on using the same venue for the Australia series.Matches were slated to be played at SuperSport Park and the Wanderers, with the Test series due to start on March 3 and finish on March 25. The country club is considered a “lifestyle” hotel, with access to a dam, driving range and various outdoor activities. ESPNcricinfo understands that Cricket Australia was also in talks to build an additional makeshift gymnasium on the property and both CSA and the country club were doing all they could to accommodate the touring party’s requests.The rescheduling of this series is a major financial blow to CSA, which has already lost money after England pulled out of their white-ball tour in November, with the ODI series yet to be played. Concerns over the integrity of the bio-secure environment in Cape Town, where the England series took place, arose after three South African players and two hotel staff tested positive for Covid-19. Two members of the England camp also returned positive tests that were later clarified as false positives, by which time England had opted to return home. CSA had to forego US$ 1.5 million in television rights as a result. The Australia series will result in losses to the tune of Rand 30 million (US$ 2 million) to Rand 40 million (US$ 2.6 million), further adding to CSA’s woes. Their forecast losses for the current four-year cycle hover between Rand 654 million and Rand 1 billion (US$ 43.7 million and US$ 66.9 million).The Tests were also an opportunity for both Australia and South Africa to make gains on the World Test Championship table, with Australia aiming to finish in the top three and challenge for a place in the final and South Africa hoping to settle on a new Test captain and move into the top half. “While disappointing for both playing groups and cricket lovers all over the world, this is a prudent decision considering the prevalence and virulence of the Covid-19 strain in South Africa,” Joe Connellan, Australian Cricketers’ Association interim CEO, said.Connellan said the player body would work with CA and CSA in “exploring new options for this series to be rescheduled”.

England will play a Test at Colombo’s R Premadasa stadium for the first time when they tour in March

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2019England will play a Test at Colombo’s R Premadasa stadium for the first time when they tour in March. Galle and Colombo will be the host cities for the two-Test series, with points going towards the World Test Championship.Although there had been some concerns about the security situation in the country, following a series of bombings over Easter earlier this year, New Zealand toured Sri Lanka in August and former Test captain Kumar Sangakkara told ESPNcricinfo that the situation had “improved dramatically”.”It’s safe, it’s secure, Sri Lanka is completely back to normal and we’re looking forward to welcoming more and more visitors from around the world,” he said. “England is touring next March and from a UK perspective that is very significant, because we get a huge amount of followers that come and enjoy the country while watching great cricket.”The tour will begin with a three-day warm-up match in Katunayake, followed by a four-day fixture at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, before the teams move on to Galle for the first Test, starting on March 19. The second Test will be held a week later at Khettarama, which most recently hosted a Test against Zimbabwe in 2017.On their last visit, in 2018, England secured an unexpected 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka, the first time they had managed such a feat in Asia. Sri Lanka currently sit higher in the WTC table, however, with 60 points to England’s 56.England itinerary
March 7-9 – Tour match v SLC Board President’s XI, Katunayake, CMCG
March 12-15 – Tour match v SLC Board President’s XI, Colombo, P Sara Oval
March 19-23 – 1st Test v Sri Lanka – Galle, Galle International Stadium
March 27-31 – 2nd Test v Sri Lanka – Colombo, R. Premadasa Stadium

Sussex go to Finals Day in the Vitality Blast with their Championship promotion hopes hanging by a thread after a thumping at Chester-le-Street

ECB Reporters Network and ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2018
ScorecardDurham secured their fourth victory of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two season, hammering Sussex by 186 runs at Emirates Riverside thanks to a fine performance with the ball by Chris Rushworth.They appeared to be in trouble after their first innings after being bowled out for 103. However, Rushworth dug his team out of trouble with an outstanding spell of 8 for 51 before a brilliant hundred from Cameron Steel put Durham in command on day two.They never looked back. Sussex, set a daunting chase of 322, never raised a threat as Rushworth dominated with the ball, claiming another four wickets to take his tally to 12 for the match. India left-arm spinner Axar Patel wrapped up the tail on his final match for Durham, allowing the home side to ease to the victory.Sussex now head for the Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston with their Championship promotion hopes looking much tattier than they did a few days ago. They now trail second-placed Kent by 21 points and must now beat Warwickshire, the leaders, at Hove next week to stay in the hunt. Jason Gillespie, their coach, faces a tough task to regain the momentum at Hove next week.It was a far cry from their triumph on the same ground last month when they beat Durham in the Blast quarter-finals.Gillespie responded: “Sussex coach Jason Gillespie: “It was a couple of days to forget overall, if we’re perfectly honest. I think Durham outbatted and outbowled us. It’s something that we have to learn from.”I’ve just spoken to the boys, it’s about individual self-reflection what they can take away from this game and what they’ve learned. I thought Cameron Steel played very well, and Chris Rushworth bowled wonderfully well. It’s up to us to learn as much as we can from this game. It hurts to lose a cricket game in that manner. We must take something away from it and hopefully be better for the experience.”Jason Gillespie must lift his side for a vital week•Getty Images

“The Vitality Blast is a completely different format. We’re really excited about that. The overall feel around the squad is excellent. The whole club is buzzing about Finals Day, we’re really looking forward to that. We’ll put this game to bed quickly. As I said to the lads in the dressing room as soon as we walk out of here, we’ll hold our heads held high and move forward.”Durham began the day 201 runs ahead of the visitors, although they lost Patel almost immediately as he played a loose shot against Danny Briggs that landed in the grasp of David Wiese. Steel maintained his form, notching his highest score at Emirates Riverside on his way to 150.He produced a stand with Paul Collingwood to edge Durham’s lead towards the 300-run mark, although Steel was to fall to Tom Haines for 160, becoming the 19-year-old’s maiden first-class wicket. The home side collapsed after lunch losing their final four wickets for four runs to be bowled out for 340, despite a season-best knock from Collingwood of 47.Sussex lost Phil Salt in the first over of their reply, chasing down 322 for the win. Rushworth burst through his defences to clean bowl the opener for a duck, while Matt Salisbury notched the scalp of Luke Wells in his first over. Harry Finch came and went leaving a straight delivery from Rushworth (two disastrous leaves in the match), which reduced the visitors to 11 for 3 and allowed the seamer to claim his 10th wicket of the match.Haines and Michael Burgess battled for a while. However, Rushworth’s persistence paid off as he bowled Burgess for 22 before trapping Haines lbw for 40. The home side seized the initiative to close in on the victory as Patel removed Ben Brown, while Salisbury claimed his second wicket of the innings tearing one through the gate of David Wiese.Jofra Archer endured a miserable time at the crease at Chester-le-Street. He was bowled for a golden duck in the first innings, while his second attempt proved to be just as unsuccessful – a pair as he was run out before he got off the mark by Michael Richardson after surviving an lbw shout. Patel pinned Chris Jordan lbw before Ollie Robinson clipped the left-arm spinner straight to Steel to allow the home side to secure the win by a comfortable margin.

David Warner has admitted the top order batsmen were similarly out of rhythm in the early overs of a curtailed chase against New Zealand

Daniel Brettig04-Jun-2017As much as Australia’s bowlers were panned by Steven Smith for their looseness in the opening match against New Zealand that was ultimately wrecked by rain, the vice-captain David Warner admits the top order batsmen were similarly out of rhythm in the early overs of a curtailed chase.The early English summer will not always suit an Australian side heavy on pace and power but not always so adept at nuance, something demonstrated by how Warner, Aaron Finch and Moises Henriques made early exits in the face of diligent New Zealand bowling before showers enveloped Edgbaston.Ahead of a match against Bangladesh that Steven Smith’s men must now win to avoid early elimination, Warner said the batsmen needed to strike a better balance than the one seen in his wild swish at a wide ball. Finch and Henriques then mistimed catches in front of the wicket.”There were, I think, a few rushed overs there especially in the first 10 [overs]. We probably didn’t allow ourselves to actually pick off the ones and twos and play normal cricket shots,” Warner said. “We tried to heave it a bit too much and wait for the bad ball too much I think. And as we know with New Zealand how they are, they are very disciplined in their line and length. They made us play a different kind of way to how we usually play. And from my stance, me and Finchy, I think we were a little bit disappointing.”Warner said he and Finch had walked out to bat with a very aggressive mind-set, something that was then exploited by the discipline of New Zaland’s attack. The bowlers of other nations, most particularly Bangladesh and England, will have taken note.”Initially that was what me and Finchy were talking about, making the most of that seven overs [in a rain-shortened chase],” Warner said. “After the first two overs we knew it was going to be a little bit difficult.”We just knew that if you hit the right length on that wicket, the wicket would do its course. It would hold up a fraction. They bowled with a wobbly seam, we tried to swing the ball, when it didn’t swing we went straight to cross seam. On the flip side of that, when you are facing a wobbly seam it can do something.”But they just hit their right lengths and made us play the shots. So, credit to them. And we tried to hit the ball too hard. I tried to move around the crease a little bit but found myself in some situations probably trying to muscle the ball a little bit too much, and Finchy said that as well.”The early wickets brought Henriques to the crease at No. 4, ostensibly in place of the injured Mitchell Marsh, but ahead of not only Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head but also the unselected Chris Lynn and Marcus Stoinis. Warner pointed to Henriques’ strong recent IPL displays as evidence he deserved the chance.”Obviously Steve had the thought process that Mo has been batting well enough to bat in that role. I look at his IPL, and I played with him, he was hitting the ball unbelievably,” Warner said. “To give him credit, the last 12 to 18 months his technique has gotten very good and he’s had the capability and strong performances on the board for New South Wales to warrant that selection.”His one-day numbers have been fantastic in the Matador. He’s used to playing on wickets coming in when it is swinging. And credit to him, he’s been able to do that and lock that down for New South Wales, and he’s been given that opportunity by the selectors here and Steve to play at number four for us.”I think you saw a couple of those pull shots he played, he’s been working on that for a while as well. And his all-round game is fantastic at the moment so hopefully, he can keep continuing his success and hopefully not too many inside edges onto the pad.”

Varun Chopra returned to the team in the most spectacular style with a brilliant unbeaten 97 to power Birmingham Bears to a nine-wicket NatWest T20 Blast win over Durham

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2016
ScorecardVarun Chopra scored an unbeaten 97 to lead Birmingham home (file photo)•Getty Images

Varun Chopra returned to the team in the most spectacular style with a brilliant unbeaten 97 to power Birmingham Bears to a nine-wicket NatWest T20 Blast win over Durham at Edgbaston. Selected for his first Blast game of the season after Sam Hain was laid low by food-poisoning, Chopra blasted 97 from 58 balls, with eight fours and five sixes, to thunder his team past a modest target with 14 balls to spare.His explosive work meant Durham failed to build on their 66-run win over Nottinghamshire two days earlier. They managed only a below-par 154 for 9 on a good batting pitch, having found it hard going against an attack strengthened by the return of Chris Woakes and Rikki Clarke, who finished with a combined 8-1-50-5.At 118 for 8 with three overs left, the visitors were in disarray before some late hitting from Paul Collingwood at least lifted them to respectability.That’s all it was. An opening stand of 94 in ten overs by Chopra and Ian Bell settled the game and Chopra saw the job through, narrowly failing to become only the second Birmingham player to score a NatWest T20 Blast ton.After Durham were put in, Clarke soon made his presence felt with a wicket-maiden in his second over, Graham Clark falling to a brilliant catch by Josh Poysden at mid-on. Oliver Hannon-Dalby had already removed Mark Stoneman, who edged behind, and then held a sharp catch at short fine-leg off Clarke to oust Michael Richardson.Phil Mustard’s typically busy 22 off 20 balls ended when he lifted Woakes to Poysden at fine leg. Ryan Pringle cleared the ropes twice but was bowled by spinner Ateeq Javid’s second ball and when Woakes returned to remove Paul Coughlin and Scott Borthwick in three balls, Durham badly needed some late impetus. Collingwood provided it with two sixes in the last over from Hannon-Dalby.Chopra cancelled those out in no time, lifting Usman Arshad over the extra-cover fence twice in the bowler’s first eight balls. Chopra and Bell had 50 on the board in 34 balls and the former continued to give spectators excitement and alarm in equal measure as he sent two more big hits into the crowd on his way to a scintillating 30-ball half-century.Bell was bowled by Borthwick and thereafter it was just a question of whether the target was tall enough for Chopra to reach his ton. It wasn’t, quite, but the former Essex opener had still given the crowd an innings to savour.

Bangladesh are allowed to feel some Schadenfreude when hearing Pakistan ask for more time to develop as a team. It used to be Bangladesh’s go-to phrase for years

The Preview by Mohammad Isam21-Apr-2015

Match facts

Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Start time 1430 local (0830 GMT)1:40

Isam: Teams will take dead rubber seriously

Big picture

Bangladesh are allowed to feel some Schadenfreude when hearing Pakistan ask for more time to develop as a team. It used to be Bangladesh’s go-to phrase for years. Ahead of the third ODI, both teams are in uncharted waters: there have been plenty of dead rubbers between these sides but Pakistan were never on the wrong end of one.In the first two matches, Bangladesh had good starts with the bat and that translated into a smoother time for the middle order. Their lower order hasn’t needed to contribute yet. Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim had two century stands, with Tamim making a brace of hundreds. Mushfiqur also continued his rich form, collecting a hundred and a fifty. Soumya Sarkar is promising to build on his starts, but Mahmudullah will want a big innings in the third ODI.The home team’s spinners have also taken grip of the two contests. Shakib Al Hasan and Arafat Sunny did it by varying their pace, while Nasir Hossain was accurate. Mashrafe Mortaza will also rely on Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed to continue giving him breakthroughs. The young pair has outbowled their opposite numbers.Pakistan’s pace attack has disappointed, especially Junaid Khan. He has just one wicket in two games and looked listless. Rahat Ali’s hamstring niggle meant Umar Gul could be back after his last playing in December. Saeed Ajmal has also been disappointing but he is feeling his way back into international cricket with his remedied action, while Mohammad Hafeez will be relieved to be given the green-signal by the ICC just before Wednesday’s game.The batting has also failed. Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed have been poor as openers while Hafeez and Fawad Alam are senior batsmen without runs. Instead it has been Mohammad Rizwan and Saad Nasim, the two newcomers, who have shown glimpses of their talent.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWLLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLWW

In the spotlight

Tamim Iqbal will have restored most of his lost confidence after scoring two successive hundreds. His approach in this series has been like the Tamim of old, when he freely charged the bowlers. A third big score can be expected.There was hue and cry to include Sarfraz Ahmed in Pakistan’s XI during the World Cup. He repaid the faith back then, but he has been unsuccessful in this series. With the team desperate for runs at the top, there is pressure on him to get a big score.

Team news

If Bangladesh are going for a 3-0 victory, they will not want to change the line-up. However, if they rest one of their senior players, Mominul Haque or Rony Talukdar could get a game.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mahmudullah, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Arafat Sunny, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Rubel HossainPakistan are likely to bring in Umar Gul in place of Rahat Ali. Zulfiqar Babar could come in to add to the spin attack though with Hafeez now allowed to bowl, they could go with Ajmal as the only specialist spinner.Pakistan (probable): 1 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 2 Azhar Ali (capt), 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Mohammad Rizwan, 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Saad Nasim, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Umar Gul

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is expected to behave similarly as the ones used for the first two games, with the side batting first targeting a 300-plus score. Weather could worsen in the early evening with forecasts showing 88% chance of rain at around 5:00pm.

Stats and trivia

• After Mashrafe Mortaza in the previous game, it is now Shakib Al Hasan’s turn to play his 150th ODI.
• Bangladesh have won nine ODI series via a whitewash.

Quotes

“We had two near-perfect performances in the first two games. If we continue in this manner, we have a chance to make it 3-0.”

“We have a new team with plenty of youngsters. It is a matter of one good innings and one very good spell can turn everything. We will play hard and positive cricket.”

Susan Benade marshalled the chase with an unbeaten half-century that helped South Africa Women score a last-ball win over Bangladesh Women in the second Twenty20 in Mirpur

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2012
ScorecardSusan Benade marshalled the chase with an unbeaten half-century that helped South Africa score a last-ball win over Bangladesh in the second Twenty20 in Mirpur and square the three-match series 1-1. Benade came to the crease in the fifth over, after South Africa – chasing 106 – had lost both openers with the score on 15, and shared a 73-run stand with Alison Hodgkinson (37). South Africa required 18 off 14 balls when Hodgkinson fell to offspinner Khadija Tul Kubra and were in a spot of bother as their captain Mignon du Preez was out without scoring four balls later. But Benade prevented any further damage and saw the visiting team through to the finish. Jahanara Alam was the pick of Bangladesh bowlers, with an economical spell of 4-0-16-3.South Africa had put Bangladesh in to bat first in the crucial match and it was Benade with the ball who made the first breakthrough, getting opener Rumana Ahmed’s wicket in the first over. Other South Africa bowlers joined in as they picked regular wickets to deny Bangladesh any strong partnership. None of the Bangladesh batsman, apart from captain Salma Khatun (42), managed more than 10 runs. Legspinner Dane van Niekerk was the most successful bowler for South Africa with two wickets.The third and the final Twenty20 of the series will be played on September 14.

Nottinghamshire replaced Somerset at the top of Group C with a three-wicket victory under the Duckworth-Lewis system

15-Aug-2011
ScorecardNottinghamshire replaced Somerset at the top of Group C with a three-wicket victory under the Duckworth-Lewis system in the Clydesdale Bank 40 floodlit match at Taunton.The visitors reached a twice revised target of 143 in 19 overs with one ball to spare thanks largely to Steve Mullaney’s 50 off 30 balls, with five fours and three sixes, and 42 from Chris Read.Somerset had posted 156 for 6 off 19.2 overs when a shower ended their innings prematurely after the match had been initially reduced to 25 overs per side, Jos Buttler scoring 34 and Nick Compton 34 not out.A further 55 minutes were lost, resulting in the revised target for Notts of 163 from 19 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis system. But after just one over the rain returned and there was another break in play.With the visitors on three without loss, another revised target of 143 off 16 overs was announced. It meant Notts required a further 140 from 90 balls at more than nine an over. Although they lost wickets steadily, Mullaney’s big hitting, having been promoted to opener in the absence of Alex Hales kept them in sight of the required rate.And after he was brilliantly run out by Marcus Trescothick’s direct hit at the bowler’s end from backward point Read took over to see his side to the brink of victory, with a slice of luck in the penultimate over when he was dropped by George Dockrell at long-off off Steve Kirby.Former Somerset player Ben Phillips provided the killer blows with successive boundaries in the final over sent down by Alfonso Thomas.Phillips had earlier taken the key wicket of Trescothick after the Somerset captain had hit 30 off 19 balls. Craig Kieswetter’s bright 23 had helped the hosts to a brisk start, but they slipped to 94 for five before a stand of 62 in eight overs between Buttler and Compton.Both hit towering sixes over long-off when Samit Patel gave the ball some air. When Buttler was caught at long-on off Luke Fletcher the rain which had fallen steadily for much of the innings got harder, forcing the umpires to take the players off.Read was named Man of the Match, but it was Mullaney’s clean hitting that put Nottinghamshire in with a realistic chance. They now lead Group C with 15 points, while Somerset lie second on 13, having played two fewer games.