KitSports » Mustafizur Rahman

Sharma ton sees India into Champions Trophy final with Pakistan

kit-sports editor — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 08:36:19 +0000

India’s Rohit Sharma (L) talks with his batting partner India’s captain Virat Kohli (R) after Sharma reached his century during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final cricket match between India and Bangladesh at Edgbaston in Birmingham on June 15. AFP

Birmingham: Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten century sealed India’s place in a Champions Trophy final against arch-rivals Pakistan after the title-holders thrashed Bangladesh by nine wickets at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Bangladesh’s total of 264 for seven never looked like being enough and was duly made to look inadequate by India’s powerful top-order.

Sharma and fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan (46) put on 87 before Sharma (123 not out) and India captain Virat Kohli (96 not out) completed the job with nearly 10 overs to spare.

Their unbroken partnership of 178 delighted the huge India contingent in a crowd of 24,340 — a record for a one-day international at Edgbaston.

Yet the real India hero of this match was part-time spinner Kedar Jadhav, who dismissed both of Bangladesh’s top-scorers in Tamim Iqbal (70) and Mushfiqur Rahim (61) in a spell of two for 22 in six overs.

The third-wicket duo shared a stand of 123, but Bangladesh’s innings faltered after their exits.

India hammered Pakistan by 124 runs in the teams’ Champions Trophy opener at Edgbaston 11 days ago.

But Pakistan themselves trounced much-fancied tournament hosts England by eight wickets in another lopsided semi-final in Cardiff on Wednesday.

Sunday’s match at the Oval in London will be just the second time the Asian giants have met in the final of a major International Cricket Council tournament.

India beat Pakistan by a mere five runs in the 2007 World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg, a victory that led to the creation of the lucrative Indian Premier League.

India had a wicket as early as the first over Thursday after Kohli won the toss and fielded under grey skies.

Soumya Sarkar fall for a second-ball duck when he played on attempting a booming drive off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

At one for one, there were fears that Bangladesh, who collapsed to 84 all out in a 240-run warm-up thrashing by India last month, were poised for another top-order slump.

But new batsman Sabbir Rahman cover-drove his first ball, from Jasprit Bumrah, for four.

Sabbir hit four boundaries in his 19 but just as he was getting into top gear he cut Kumar straight to Ravindra Jadeja at point.

But from 46 for two, the experienced pair of Tamim and Mushfiqur rebuilt the innings.

Tamim, bowled off a Hardik Pandya no-ball on 17, was in fine touch.

The left-handed opener whipped Pandya over mid-wicket for six and his reverse-sweep four off left-arm spinner Jadeja saw him to a 62-ball fifty.

It appeared a minor success for Bangladesh when Jadhav came on in a match where frontline off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s first seven overs cost 42 runs.

Tamim struck three fours in as many balls off Ashwin — a cut, a sweep and a nudge past fine leg.

This was Tamim’s fourth fifty in his last five innings, but he gave his wicket away when bowled trying to sweep Jadhav.

Mushfiqur made a stylish 61-ball fifty but when, to his evident dismay, he hit a Jadhav full toss to Kohli at mid-wicket, Bangladesh were 179 for five in the 36th over.

By this stage they had also lost Shakib Al Hasan (15), whose 114 and Bangladesh record stand of 224 with Mahmudullah (102 not out) had seen the Tigers recover from a top-order collapse to beat New Zealand last time out.

India’s reply began with a welter of boundaries, Sharma square-driving Mustafizur Rahman for an elegant four.

Left-hander Dhawan was in fine touch too, hoisting Taskin Ahmed over square leg for six.

The only question now was India’s margin of victory, with Bangladesh — in their first major semi-final — avoiding a 10-wicket defeat when Dhawan sliced skipper Mashrafe Mortaza to backward point.

Sharma completed his 11th ODI hundred in style when he hooked Mustafizur for his first six in 111 balls also including 12 fours.

Kohli then finished the match in emphatic fashion, cover-driving Sabbir for four. AFP

Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, 1st Test, Galle – Preview..

kit-sports editor — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 01:10:32 +0000

With an eye on improving its less than impressive away record, Bangladesh will look to catch an under-strength Sri Lanka off guard when the two-Test series gets underway in Galle on Tuesday (March 7).

Bangladesh has won just three of its 45 away matches — two against West Indies in 2009 and one against Zimbabwe in 2013 — but has shown considerable improvement since its last victory overseas.

In its own backyard, Bangladesh has won four Tests, drawn five and conceded only three defeats since 2014. It showed impressive recent form against New Zealand and then India in away matches despite losing in both countries.

Sri Lanka has a solid record at home and blanked Australia 3-0 in the last series it hosted, in August 2016. But Bangladesh will be buoyed by the return of Mustafizur Rahman, the left-arm paceman who has not played a Test since his debut series against South Africa in 2015.

Mustafizur, 21, had undergone a shoulder surgery in August last year, after picking up an injury while playing for Sussex. He was selected for the New Zealand tour in December-January, and played four limited-overs matches before being ruled out of the two Tests that followed due to a hamstring injury.

Sri Lanka has won each of its last five Tests on home soil and will be captained by Rangana Herath, its experienced left-arm spinner who replaced Angelo Mathews.

The Sri Lankan cricket board did not say why Mathews was dropped, but he returned home last month midway through the South African tour after twisting his ankle.

The second Test in Colombo from March 15 will be Bangladesh’s 100th since it gained full status nearly 17 years ago.

The teams are also scheduled to play three One-Day Internationals before facing off in two Twenty20 Internationals to wind down the tour on April 6.

Teams (from):

Sri Lanka: Rangana Herath (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Asela Gunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Pradeep, Vikum Sanjaya Bandara, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Malinda Pushpakumara.

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt, wk), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad, Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mosaddek Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Subashis Roy, Rubel H

Expectant new look SL Test composition under Herath vs. Bangladesh

kit-sports editor — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 01:08:41 +0000

Sri Lanka’s two-match Test series against sub continent neighbours Bangladesh does take on a different air given the composition of the 15-member squad with spin veteran Rangana Herath once again handed the captaincy in the absence of injury sidelined regular captain Angelo Mathews. While Mathews’ recuperation will reportedly see the all-rounder out of action for three weeks, Herath once again taking over the reins as he did on the tour is interesting. With Dinesh Chandimal, who lost his place midway during the ODI series against South Africa due to poor form, interestingly named in the 15, the onus falls on Herath to carry the chips in a predictably challenging home tour against a highly resurgent Bangladesh.
Certainly the absence of Mathews is a handicap Herath and the rest will have to compensate for knowing the value input the former has brought to Sri Lanka cricket.

Accordingly, the current scenario is of tremendous expectancy in a changed outlook of several colts that have come on the blocks who will strive to make their cricketing dream come true. Of significance to the Sri Lankan crusade is the presence of veteran campaigner Upul Tharanga back with a bang from an ODI century against South Africa and his consistency with the bat in leading the T20 team to the preceding series triumph. His T20 captaincy performance has been an apparent plus factor to the recall of the 32-year old veteran of 25 Test outings in ousting regular opener Kaushal di Silva for the opening berth. He has a moderate aggregate of 1400 runs from 46 innings with a highest of 165. He is epected to beef up the batting upfront pairing with Dimuth Karunaratne back from an on trial reprieve that he came through with a double ton against England A in the unofficial second test match. Also buoying is the apparent cementing of Test places by wicket-keeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella and Asela Gunaratne as specialist batsmen, and as much the naming of the 29-year old spin cum utility player Malinda Pushpakumara. While Dickwella and Gunaratne literally nudged the selectors by some fine performances in the instant cricket in South Africa after being omitted for the Test series, Pushpakumara, the former Lumbini MV, Colombo and Chilaw Marians player has been in top form with the ball heading the domestic averages. His 13-wicket haul and match sealing boundary in Sri Lanka A’s win against England A in the second unofficial Test was high stuff at that level that has thrust him on the threshold of winning his national cap against Bangladesh for the first Test starting on March 7 at the Galle Esplanade.

All in all, the squad does carry a lineup of some promising youngsters along with a string of campaigners who have been around long enough to test Bangladesh to the extreme in favourable home conditions. An added dimension to the Sri Lankan official ranks is of course that former top campaigner, Asanka Gurusinha as manager Cricket for the National Team. It is a highly laudable choice by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in getting the perfect blend at managerial level given Gurusinha’s tremendous services to Sri Lanka cricket.

Neighbours Bangladesh will be led by experienced batsman Mushfiqur Rahim in a composition that sees fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman recalled after a 2-year hiatus. The exchanges, that will also see three ODIs and two T20s, has already assumed fiery proportions with the visiting skipper Rahim having thrown the gauntlet in stating on his arrival that Bangladesh was confident of upsetting Sri Lanka in the absence of regular Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews. Test minnows, who top their 100th Test match against Sri Lanka on March 15, have indeed come a long way chalking up a string of Test wins mainly against Zimbabwe, and also defeating the West Indies, in their thrust to tasting the test series euphoria.

Sri Lanka Test squad:Rangana Herath (Captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Asela Gunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Pradeep, Vikum Sanjaya Bandara, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Malinda Pushpakumara.

Bangladesh Test squad Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mosaddek Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Subashis Roy, Rubel Hossain.

Tour Manager – Ranjith Fernando, Heapd coach – Graham Ford, Physiotherapist – Ajantha Wattegama, Trainer – Nicholas Lee, Masseur – Lal Thamel, Performance analyst- Sriram Somayajula, Liaison officers – Chandra Rodrigo (Sri Lankan Team), Wasantha Ariyawickrama (B