All posts by n8rngtd.top

The West Indies bowling unit had a productive day out, keeping Bangladesh under pressure across all three sessions

Mohammad Isam24-Nov-2024Bangladesh 269 for 9 (Jaker 53, Mominul 50, Alzarri 3-69) trail West Indies 450 for 9 dec (Greaves 115*, Louis 97, Athanaze 90, Mahmud 3-87) by 181 runsWest Indies maintained their control of the Antigua Test with Bangladesh ending the day on 269 for 9 at stumps on the third day. The hosts hold a lead of 181 runs after Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales and allrounder Justin Greaves nearly did enough to enforce a follow-on on Bangladesh. A late resistance helped the visitors avoid it, but they remain well on the back foot after three days of play.Bangladesh looked to bat steadily on a slow surface, but despite starts, couldn’t find one batter to go big like West Indies achieved in their first innings. Jaker Ali and Mominul Haque got out soon after reaching their fifties, while Litton Das fell for 40. Jaker and Taijul Islam added 68 runs for the seventh wicket to get Bangladesh closer to the follow-on mark of 251, which they crossed in the day’s last hour.Bangladesh started the third morning quietly, with Mominul getting a pair of boundaries off Shamar Joseph. Shortly afterwards, Kemar Roach removed Shahadat Hossain for 18, for which he played 71 balls. It was an innings going nowhere before he edged to first slip where Kavem Hodge took a low catch.Mominul and Litton saw to the end of the first session, continuing to bat obdurately. The usually free-flowing Litton started off with an easy square-cut boundary off Alzarri, but then mostly played within himself. Only in the over before the lunch break, Litton freed his arms to get another four, this time cutting Shamar.West Indies however got the breakthrough shortly after the lunch break when Seales trapped Mominul lbw after the left-hander reached his 21st fifty.Stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz then endured a test of bouncers from the West Indies attack, with Alzarri even hitting him on his shoulder. Seales chipped in with his share of bouncers and verbals.Litton also got bogged down, resulting in getting bowled by a slightly short delivery from Shamar that he dragged onto his stumps. Litton made 40 off 76 balls with three fours, but it was a disappointing exit for one of three experienced Bangladesh batters.Mehidy struck a couple of boundaries off Greaves and Shamar later in the second session, but the short ball kept bothering him. After surviving 66 balls, Mehidy finally popped an Alzarri bouncer to short-leg where Mikyle Louis took a comfortable catch.Then came the unlikely revival act by Taijul and Jaker. The pair did take advantage of a tiring West Indies attack while also being disciplined with their choice of shots. They had to scavenge for scoring opportunities but were always looking for the odd boundary. They survived a dropped chance apiece too.Taijul kept using the pace of the West Indians, guiding the ball behind square on the off-side, while Jaker tried to force the issue. Jaker got his four boundaries with the pull shot and the hoick, one of which helped him bring up his fifty. Alzarri separated the pair after they had batted along for 19 overs when he bowled Taijul. Jaker fell to a Seales catch in the deep midwicket boundary, as he tried to clip Greaves for a big one.There was a bit of by-play between Alzarri and Taskin Ahmed towards the end, particularly after the fast bowler hit the Bangladeshi tail-ender on the head. The two exchanged words, but Alzarri couldn’t knock off the tenth Bangladesh wicket against the fading light.West Indies came into the third day on the back of a fine batting performance on the first two days. They continue to have control of proceedings at North Sound going into the penultimate day and will want rain to stay away in pursuit of a result.

David Miller says “right groin a little tight”, while Marcus Stoinis also limps off for DSG

Firdose Moonda27-Jan-2025South Africa’s injury watch ahead of the Champions Trophy has grown after Paarl Royals’ captain David Miller left the field in the team’s final home game, against Durban’s Super Giants.Miller was fielding in the covers in the 14th over, when Marcus Stoinis threaded a ball between two fielders and he was unable to stop it. Two balls later, Miller left the field accompanied by Royals support staff. He walked unassisted, but gingerly, and managed to get up the stairs and into the changeroom.Miller did not bat during the Royals innings and was seen sitting in the changeroom as his side secured a six-wicket win. “My right groin is a little tight,” he told SuperSport afterwards. “It’s just a little tweak. Tried to get off before it could get any worse.”Related

• Back injury rules Nortje out of Champions Trophy

• South Africa's rash of injured quicks hints at systemic issues for CSA

• Paarl Royals in playoffs courtesy dominant spin unit, consistent home show

Australia’s Champions Trophy prep also took a potential hit when Stoinis, playing in his second match of the SA20, left the field halfway through his third over. Stoinis had earlier hit an unbeaten 55 off 40 balls to give DSG a competitive total and bowled a two-over spell with a return of 1 for 15. He returned for the 18th over, with Paarl needing 24 runs off the last three overs, and bowled three balls before calling on the physio for what appeared to be a hamstring problem. He left the field after a short conversation and Wiaan Mulder had to complete the over.”He just felt something in his hamstring,” Keshav Maharaj, DSG captain, said. “I don’t think it was too serious but obviously the logical thing to do as a fast bowler is to go off the field. So I’m sure the medical staff will assess and then communicate with Cricket Australia.”But I think he’ll be okay. He’s a soldier, he’s a fighter and he’s a big unit so I’m sure he’ll be okay.”Royals were also without Lungi Ngidi for a fourth match in succession, and he has missed five of their eight games. Ngidi has only just returned to action after sitting out the entire international summer with a groin injury and indications from the Royals’ camp are that he is being eased back into a regular playing schedule. On Saturday, their coach Trevor Penney, indicated Ngidi would return for Royals’ match against JSK this Thursday, and the playoffs.”With Lungi, we know big fast bowlers like him, they sometimes needed a couple of weeks to get back into that full flow and the rhythm. It’s a tough thing for fast bowlers. He was out [with a groin injury] for like eight weeks. So he’s on a programme where he’s almost back now. So we played him in the first few games so he could get some game time. And I’m sure when we go to the Highveld, he’s going to be straight back in,” Penney said.South Africa’s white-ball coach Rob Walter will be particularly concerned about Ngidi because of the number of fast bowling injuries in the country, one of which has already affected the Champions Trophy squad. Anrich Nortje was ruled out of the tournament with a back injury while the bowler most likely to replace him, Gerald Coetzee, is out of the SA20 with a hamstring injury. South Africa are yet to name a player in Nortje’s place but will have to do so before the ICC’s squad deadline on February 11.

“There might be a short tour in July, which we have mostly confirmed. We will inform you when we finalise it”

Mohammad Isam08-Mar-2025Pakistan are likely to tour Bangladesh for a series of white-ball matches in mid-2025, according to BCB president Faruque Ahmed.Bangladesh are already scheduled to tour Pakistan in May for three ODIs and three T20Is as per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP). Following recent talks between BCB chief Faruque and his PCB counterpart Mohsin Naqvi on the sidelines of the Champions Trophy, a reciprocal white-ball tour has been agreed for a window in July and August, Faruque said.”The PCB told us that they would tour Bangladesh outside of the FTP,” Faruque said on Saturday. “There might be a short tour in July, which we have mostly confirmed. We will inform you when we finalise it.”I have also spoken about Bangladesh being part of a [Pakistan] tri-series in the future, wherever it is, if it is held at a suitable time for us.”Following on from Bangladesh’s Champions Trophy group-stage exit, Faruque said the BCB will begin to look at Bangladesh’s build-up for the next 50-over World Cup, to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027. “The board will give its policy [for 2027]. I think someone like Najmul Abedin Faheem [head of the BCB’s men’s cricket operations committee] is an experienced individual to take care of the operations committee. We will discuss how to take cricket forward.”Bangladesh also have some decisions to take on their T20I side, after Najmul Hossain Shanto stepped down as captain in January. Faruque said that a new captain will be chosen from among those who have captained the side recently; many speculate this will be Litton Das.”We will try to appoint a captain from among those who have captained the team recently. We will get to a decision soon, and you will know about it,” he said.The BCB are also planning a farewell for Mushfiqur, who announced his retirement from ODIs last week. “We will plan on how to give Mushfiqur Rahim a proper farewell. He is probably one of the legends of our team,” Faruque said. “He is one of the architects of Bangladesh cricket over the last 19 years.”I can remember how he started in 2005, and then played a vital role in the 2007 World Cup. The path that he has shown is ideal for the younger generation.”

Khulna’s spinners bowled out Rangpur for 85, before needing just 10.1 overs to knock off the target

Mohammad Isam03-Feb-2025Khulna Tigers roared to a nine-wicket win against the star-studded Rangpur Riders in the BPL’s eliminator match. The victory puts them in the second qualifier to face the losing side from the first qualifier later on Monday. Khulna’s spinners helped bowl out Rangpur for 85, before needing just 10.1 overs to knock off the target.Rangpur, who decided to bat first, couldn’t get going despite a stronger batting line-up than their previous outings. Khulna’s captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nasum Ahmed took three wickets each, opening the bowling quite successfully. Rangpur were in danger of posting an even lower total after being 52 for 9 at one stage.

Rangpur’s big guns misfire

The image of Andre Russell, James Vince and Tim David walking through the Dhaka airport on Monday morning was a sight for sore eyes in the Rangpur camp. They had lost their way in the latter part of the BPL, falling to four defeats after winning eight in a row. Rangpur needed this boost from their big guns coming in after their stints in the ILT20. But it didn’t quite pan out the way they would have hoped.Vince got into a mix-up with his opening partner Soumya Sarkar off the second ball of the match, resulting in the latter being run out for a duck. Vince himself got caught and bowled in the second over. David was the next one to go, falling to a catch in the deep for 7 off 9 balls. Mohammad Nawaz clean bowled a slogging Russell in the 12th over, the last nail in the coffin for Rangpur.

Khulna spinners shut down the locals too

Having handled the recently arrived big-hitters very well, Khulna were also relentless against the Rangpur locals. After Soumya and Vince departed, Nasum removed Mahedi Hasan before Saif Hassan slogged Mehidy to no avail. When Mehidy removed his opposite number Nurul Hasan for 23, Rangpur were reduced to 52 for 9. It was only thanks to Aakif Javed’s intervention from No. 10 that they scored a few more runs.

Khulna glide in smooth chase

Mehidy’s wicket in the first over was the only blip in Khulna’s reply. Mohammad Naim continued his great form of the last two months, striking three fours and four sixes in his 33-ball 48 not out. It took him top of the BPL run-getters’ chart. Alex Ross added 29 runs off 27 balls, hitting four boundaries.Khulna have returned to form in the right time in the tournament, having won three matches in a row. They finished fourth in the league stage, equal on points with Durbar Rajshahi, qualifying only through a better net run-rate. Now, they have a chance to reach the BPL final. It is however the end of the road for Rangpur this season, having come into the BPL with the Global Super League title under their belt.

Left-arm spinner Dinusha, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando got two wickets each on opening day

Madushka Balasuriya25-Jun-2025Sri Lanka dropped five catches, had a couple of edges fall short, and missed a run-out chance. But such was their dominance with the ball on day one of the second Test against Bangladesh that they still managed to pick up eight wickets.It meant that at stumps, on a rain-affected day, Bangladesh, who had won the toss in the hope of setting an imposing first-innings total on what was supposed to be a generally batter-friendly SSC track in Colombo, were left picking up the pieces on 220 for 8. Taijul Islam and Ebadot Hossain were at the crease for the visitors.Sri Lanka’s spinners and seamers proved impactful in equal measure, with wickets spread among five out of the six bowlers. Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando picked up two apiece, as did debutant left-arm spinner Sonal Dinusha. The offspin of Dhananjaya de Silva and Tharindu Rathnayake shared a wicket each. Only Prabath Jayasuriya, who plays his club cricket at SSC, went wicketless, as his lean spell in Tests continued.Jayasuriya’s woes were brought into sharper contrast by Dinusha, the other left-arm spinner in Sri Lanka’s arsenal, who made a dream Test debut by picking up the wickets of Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim in his opening spell. Dinusha’s first three overs, meanwhile, were maidens and included a wicket, this becoming just the fourth player to achieve the unique feat on debut since ESPNcricinfo began collecting ball-by-ball data.Bangladesh, meanwhile, had several middling partnerships, but none which they were able to utilise to truly impose themselves on the Sri Lanka attack. It was only during a brief period in the prolonged post-lunch session, which included a one-and-a-half hour rain interval, that Sri Lanka may have been concerned. Mushfiqur and Litton put on a stand of 67 off 113 balls – though, at times, they were going at comfortably above four runs an over.Vishwa Fernando was rewarded for his patience by having Najmul Hossain Shanto edging behind•Associated Press

Sri Lanka’s frustrations would, no doubt, have been exacerbated by the fact that both batters ought to have been back in the pavilion far earlier. Litton had been dropped at deep midwicket after Jayasuriya went with just his left hand instead of both hands, while Lahiru Udara spilled an even simpler chance – also at deep midwicket – by misjudging a fairly regulation overhead catch.But either side of tea, Dinusha changed Sri Lanka’s fortunes definitively. First, he removed Litton in just his second over, with the Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter attempting to cut one that was a little too close to his body. It was edged to through to Kusal Mendis, who juggled the ball a couple of times before eventually holding on.Then, in his fifth over, Dinusha got the prized wicket, as Mushfiqur holed out to deep midwicket while attempting a slog sweep – the same shot that had seen him reprieved earlier in the day. That those catches stuck would have brought Sri Lanka a modicum of relief, having dropped so many prior.Overall, there were five missed catching opportunities in the innings total, though the first – of Anamul Haque – didn’t prove costly, as he was dismissed a short while later without getting off the mark. Sri Lanka also had a couple of edges go safely through the slip cordon, most notably off Mushfiqur, while they also missed a run-out chance of Shadman Islam.Shadman had eventually fallen in the 40 minutes of play between lunch and the rain break, four runs short of his second straight half-century. More than the delivery itself from Rathnayake, which was tossed up full and wide, it was the catch – travelling quickly at head height above the right shoulder – from Dhananjaya that made the wicket.Six Bangladesh batters reached at least 20, but then threw their wickets away•Getty Images

It was Rathnayake’s first wicket of the innings to cap an improved showing after lunch following a fairly inconsistent period in the morning session. He may have had a couple more, with both Mushfiqur and Litton dropped off his bowling.An over prior to that, Vishwa was rewarded for his patient lines outside off, getting Najmul Hossain Shanto to push out at one around a fifth-stump line. Shanto got an outside edge, and Kusal behind the stumps did the rest.The final dropped chance came towards the close of play, as Kusal failed to hold on to a gloved chance down leg off Asitha. But Asitha’s wounds would be salved two balls later, when he dismissed Nayeem Hasan with one that straightened just enough to beat the outside edge and clip off stump.Nayeem’s 25 off 51 deliveries had been a fighting knock, but like so many batters before him, he was unable to carry on. Sri Lanka, to their credit, rarely made it easy for the Bangladesh batters, keeping their lines and lengths consistent throughout the day. It meant that Bangladesh proceeded cautiously, though the visitors were content to wait for the bad deliveries.The problem for Bangladesh was that the bad deliveries were few and far between, and the surfeit of dot balls owing to poor strike rotation allowed Sri Lanka to build pressure effectively. And on the occasions that a batter might have persevered through such a period – no less than six batters reached at least 20 – they tended to throw their wicket away.Mominul Haque chipped a nothing delivery to cover, Shadman went chasing a wide one, and Mushfiqur took a needless risk with a player set on the boundary for just such a stroke. With the pitch expected to ease up over the next day or two, Bangladesh may well rue not having applied themselves better.

Capitals never got going with the bat after Sana’s four-wicket haul set up a chase of 139

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2025Imran Tahir’s four-wicket haul outshone Kaleem Sana’s efforts as Guyana Amazon Warriors clinched a comprehensive 57-run win against Dubai Capitals, moving to the top of the table in the Global Super League, in Guyana.After being sent in to bat, Amazon Warriors posted 138 for 7, before their bowlers delivered a clinical performance to bowl out Capitals for just 81 in 15.4 overs.Amazon Warriors’ innings was held together by Moeen Ali, who played a composed knock of 40 off 38 balls. Sherfane Rutherford provided valuable support with a handy 33 off 23 deliveries, striking crucial boundaries during the middle overs. The duo added momentum at a critical phase after Amazon Warriors were reduced to 27 for 3 inside the powerplay. Romario Shepherd chipped in with a late cameo, adding 15 off just nine balls, pushing the total beyond 130. For Capitals, left-arm seamer Sana was the standout bowler, claiming an impressive 4 for 31 in his four overs, with three of those coming in the death overs.In their reply, Capitals never got going. Both openers fell cheaply, and the middle order crumbled under pressure. Dwaine Pretorius and Shepherd tightened the screws early, with the latter striking twice in the fifth over. Tahir then took over with a masterful spell, returning figures of 4 for 12 from his 3.4 overs.None of the Capitals batters, apart from Sediqullah Atal and Niroshan Dickwella, managed to cross 20. A brief glimmer of hope came through a 27-run stand off just 12 balls between the two, but once they fell in quick succession, the innings unraveled rapidly. From 36 for 1, Capitals collapsed to 66 for 8 and were eventually bowled out for 81.

Patriots stuttered a little bit in their small chase against Falcons, but Alick Athanaze and Jason Holder finished the job with five overs to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2025CPL 2025 got off to a low-scoring start in Basseterre, where St Kitts and Nevis Patriots rode on a stellar bowling performance led by Waqar Salamkheil to run out six-wicket victors over Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.After Jason Holder opted to bowl, Kyle Mayers, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naseem Shah left Falcons at 39 for 3 inside the fifth over. Salamkheil, the Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner, came on in the eighth over and was on target off his fourth ball, pitching just outside off stump and turning it back in to hit Fabian Allen’s stumps. He went on to spin out Shakib Al Hasan, Imad Wasim and Odean Smith to end with 4 for 22 from his four overs.Fortunately for Falcons, USA batter Karima Gore was in good nick, but with no other batter making a significant contribution, he had to pretty much go it alone. Gore’s 34-ball 61 included eight fours and two sixes, and Falcons would have wanted him to bat longer than he did after having walked out in the first over itself. As it happened, Farooqi returned to get rid of Gore in the 12th over, a slower delivery sliced high for Andre Fletcher, the wicketkeeper, to take a sharp running catch.All Patriots, the CPL 2021 winners, needed to score was 122, and though they got there quite comfortably, and never really looked in danger of not being able to, there was a little stutter in between thanks to Rahkeem Cornwall.Evin Lewis took off in a flash, scoring 25 in 13, before falling to Obed McCoy in the fourth over. Patriots made it out of the powerplay with just the loss of Lewis and 55 runs on the board, but in the seventh over, Cornwall sent back both Kyle Mayers and Rilee Rossouw. And suddenly, at 56 for 3, Patriots were looking just that little bit out of sorts.But Fletcher was playing a sedate knock, and in Alick Athanaze, Patriots found just the man for the job. Fletcher fell after scoring a 26-ball 19, to Salamkheil’s compatriot AM Ghazanfar at the end of the tenth over, but Patriots had reached 76 already by then. Athanaze, with an unbeaten 28-ball 37, and Holder, with 18 in 14 balls, finished the job from there with five overs in the bank.

The reason for cancellation is not yet clear, but it is the second time in as many games Pakistan have scrapped their customary pre-match media duties

Danyal Rasool20-Sep-2025Pakistan have cancelled another scheduled pre-match press conference, this one ahead of their Super Fours game against India on Sunday. According to the schedule the Asian Cricket Council released, a Pakistan player or member of the coaching staff was scheduled to do a press conference at 6pm local time on Saturday. The team was also slated to train from 6pm onwards for three hours at the ICC Academy in Dubai. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that training is set to go ahead as scheduled.The reason for cancelling the press conference is not yet clear. It is the second time in as many games Pakistan have scrapped their customary pre-match media duties. They had declined to hold a press conference ahead of their must-win game against UAE, while the handshake saga with match referee Andy Pycroft raged on.Meanwhile, Pycroft has been confirmed as the match referee for the India vs Pakistan game on Sunday too.Related

• India, Pakistan will look to put off-field issues aside in Super Fours clash

• Six wickets, no runs: The myth and math of Saim Ayub

• The Pakcroft drama: everything, everywhere, all at once

• Agha skips presentation after no handshake at the toss

• Pycroft to stand as match referee in Ind vs Pak Super Fours game

In the days since, that feud has largely been put to rest after the ICC organised a meeting between Pycroft and Pakistan’s coach, captain, media and team managers where Pycroft offered his regrets for the way events at the toss against India had unfolded. He had told Salman Ali Agha there would not be a handshake with the India captain Suryakumar Yadav, which Pakistan had interpreted as Pycroft’s failure to uphold the ICC’s code of conduct and demanded his “immediate removal” from the tournament.The meeting before the UAE game appeared to have placated the PCB somewhat; they put out a short video of it, with no audio, and said in a statement that Pycroft had apologised. That, in turn, appeared to have angered the ICC, who took exception to the recording of that video, writing a strongly-worded e-mail to the PCB, saying the board had breached protocol by filming without consent in the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA). There is no official confirmation that the PCB ever responded to that email.India will not hold a press conference on Saturday either. As is customary for sides who play their next game after only a day’s gap, they held an embargoed press conference looking ahead to the Pakistan clash, following the conclusion of their game against Oman on Friday night.Sunday will be both sides’ first game in the Super Fours stage.

[ad_pod ]

Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton made WhoScored’s Team of the Week for the recent round of Championship matches.

Indeed, Hutton was awarded a rating of 7.4 for his performance in the goalless draw with Reading on Saturday afternoon.

According to WhoScored, Hutton made three tackles and also won two aerials duels, whilst his pass success rate was 72%.

Statistics rarely paint a false picture in football and Hutton’s numbers are decent when taking everything into account.

However, it would be fair to say that the Villa supporters were surprised to see that the Scot had been named in the TOTW for the latest round of fixtures.

Indeed, Hutton did not provide too much going forward and he didn’t really stand out ahead of any of the other defenders in the team – or for that matter, any of the other defenders in the Championship.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the surprised Villa fans can be seen below:

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

[ad_pod ]

A late Jay Rodriguez penalty earned West Bromwich Albion a draw against Nottingham Forest at The Hawthorns on Tuesday. The entertaining match ended with a 2-2 scoreline, as goals from Stefan Johansen, who put through his own net, Jacob Murphy and Ryan Yates preceded the Baggies’ striker’s 89th-minute spot-kick.

Travelling Forest fans were understandably frustrated to see the late penalty awarded against their side after their battling performance, but the belief that opposition striker Dwight Gayle dived in order to win it for his side saw their frustration escalate into fury. 

Replays suggest that Gayle did in fact dive. However, the penalty was given and the result was Martin O’Neill’s side returning to the City Ground with just a single point in tow rather than all three.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

After the final whistle, loads of angry Reds fans took to Twitter to call Gayle out for his antics and accuse him of cheating…