‘Should be careful against Afghans’

When Islami Bank East Zone resumed on 110 for no loss on the third day of their Bangladesh Cricket League game against leaders North Zone at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday, it gave little indication of what actually unfolded.

They were bowled out twice and suffered a humiliating innings-and-28 run defeat. East, chasing North's imposing first-innings score of 415, were bowled out for 217 in their first essay and that too after Liton Das (69) and Tasamul Haque put on 122 runs for the opening stand.

Forced to follow-on, East turned from bad to worse as they were shot out for 170 in their second essay, where the innings lasted only 38.1 overs. It could have been more humiliating had Shohag Gazi (50) and Saifuddin Ahmed (32) not offered some resistance lower down the order after they were reduced to 91 for seven.

On a green pitch, North Zone's 16-year-old left-arm quick Shoriful Islam took seven wickets across two innings to speed East Zone's demise to an innings defeat in their BCL match. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

The wreckers-in-chief for North were their two young pacers -- a gangling right-arm medium fast Yeasin Arafat and left-arm quick Shoriful Islam, who has a peculiar stop-start run up. They evenly shared 14 wickets between them on a green top where East lacked the necessary application after the departure of opener Tasamul in the sixth over of the day.

Tasamul's departure sparked a stunning collapse that saw East losing 10 wickets for 95 runs. Yeasin, who was smashed for 21 runs in his first two overs on the second day, took four wickets for 39 runs from eight overs. His partner in the demolition, Shoriful also claimed four wickets for 33 runs.

The pair was also in the thick of things when East came out to bat again in the post-lunch session. Yeasin took three for 16 to finish with a match haul of seven for 55 while Shoriful took three for 21 for match figures of seven for 54.

The win offered a windfall of points for North, who have profited with as many as 17 to raise their tally to 58 points, 18 more than the vanquished East's 40.

North Zone's 19-year-old right-arm pacer Yeasin Arafat ensured that the hapless East Zone batsmen enjoyed no respite by picking up seven of his own at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Photo: Star

At Rajshahi, Prime Bank South thrived on a fine century from wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun to more than compensate their disappointing first-innings effort against Walton Central Zone. Riding on Mithun's blistering 118 and Tushar Imran's 88, South finished the third day on 348 for six -- a lead of 237 runs.

Resuming the day on 50 for one two hours after the scheduled start due to a wet outfield caused by overnight rain, South slipped to 84 for three, losing both overnight batsmen Anamul Haque (45) and Imrul Kayes (30) in quick succession.

But Mithun and Tushar bailed them out with a brilliant 193-run stand for the fourth wicket. Mithun's 11th first-class century contained 16 boundaries and a six. Tushar, the lone Bangladesh batsman to have scored 10,000 first-class runs, struck 10 fours and a six in his compact 141-ball innings.

However, the game is heading for a draw unless something extraordinary, which was on display in Dhaka yesterday, happens in the northern headquarters of the country on the fourth and final day today.

Much has been said about Bangladesh cricketers' ability to handle the external issues, especially concerning those who either go through an extended lean patch or become out-of-favour from the national side.

Many believe those external issues, mainly the criticism on the social media, create a huge psychological impact on the players. 

Bangladesh A team captain Mohammad Mithun, however, said today that he had enough time to handle those things.

"There is always a lot of buzz surrounding Bangladesh cricket. If I can't handle that, I won't be able to play cricket. You have to have the mental fortitude to handle it," said Mithun during a press conference today.

"I had enough time to deal with this. I returned after getting time, and have been playing. Now I've been given a duty. My full focus is on how to give my best here. What happens anywhere else is not my concern, and I don't care about it," he said when asked about social media trolling.  

The right-hander will lead the second-string Bangladesh side in the West Indies tour, where they will play two four-dayers and three one-day matches.

The first four-day game will be played on August 4, followed by the second four-day game on August 10. The three-match one-day series will be played on August 16, 18 and 20, respectively.

All the games are scheduled to be played at the St. Lucia's Darren Sammy Cricket Ground with Bangladesh A set to depart for West Indies tomorrow.

"We are going to represent Bangladesh. It is the second-best team in Bangladesh. Hopefully we can do well there," said a confident Mithun.

All the games are scheduled to be played at St. Lucia's Darren Sammy Cricket Ground with Bangladesh A set to depart for West Indies tomorrow.
 

England batter Joe Root is banking on his team using the lessons they learnt in 2019 when they try to defend their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup title in India later this year.

Root was part of the victorious England side that lifted their inaugural World Cup trophy at home four years ago and they get the chance to become just the third team to claim back-to-back titles when they travel to the sub-continent for this year's 50-over showcase.

The memories of a thrilling Super Over clash in the World Cup Final at Lord's in 2019 are still fresh in Root's mind, and the star right-hander is hoping he will be able to emulate that victory in India in November.

"Having the experience of 2019 and how good that was and how much that meant to the group and for them to go out and get the opportunity to defend it is something we are relishing and really looking forward to," Root said.

"We are going to have to play some really good cricket, we are going to have to adapt to different conditions and have that consistency that you need so we will see how we go."

England are one of the teams that have already named a preliminary squad for the six-week tournament and the defending champions revealed a few surprises in their initial group by leaving out young batter Harry Brook and including uncapped pacer Gus Atkinson.

Root has confidence in the squad chosen to get the job done for England during the World Cup and knows his team must play their best cricket at the pointy end of the tournament.

"It is very exciting to play in a World Cup event is something that you always look forward to as a player," Root said.

"Big tournaments and big moments is where you want to go out and perform and impress and deliver for your country.

"You have to get to those last two games - the semi-final and the final - and it is about turning up and putting in the performance when it really counts."

And unsurprisingly Root nominated a pair of his teammates as the most likely players to be the leading run scorer and wicket-taker at the eagerly-awaited event that commences on October 5.

"I am going to go for Jonny Bairstow (to be the leading run scorer)," Root suggested.

"He is someone that always has a point to prove, he is a wonderful white-ball player and he has been so consistent for us at the top of the order."

Root expects conditions teams will face in India will suit the slower bowlers and believes Adil Rashid can thrive by being the leading wicket-taker.

"He (Rashid) has so many different skills and variations to call upon," Root added.

"We know how important it is to take wickets in the middle overs...he has done a wonderful job for us for a long time and I anticipate him being very difficult on these wickets."

The first semi-final of the World Cup will have to wait one more day as play was suspended due to excessive rain.

The covers have gone on and off a few times but the match was eventually called off. New Zealand were 211-5 off 46.1 overs when persistent rain worsened sufficiently for the umpires to halt play with 23 balls left in the innings. Ross Taylor was 67 not out and Tom Latham three not out. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had earlier made 67 after winning the toss, with Jasprit Bumrah (1-25 off eight overs) leading a disciplined India bowling attack. After more than four hours without play, the covers started to be removed but no sooner had an inspection been announced then fresh rain fell on the Manchester ground. 

The play will continue tomorrow from where it left off today. 

The covers at Old Trafford in Manchester are coming on. Drizzle starts and although it does not seem heavy, the umpires halted the proceedings. 

Click here to see what happens if the first semifinal is not concluded today.

 

New Zealand lose wickets in quick successions

New Zealand lost Jimmy Neesham and Coolin De Grandhomme in quick successions as the Kiwis reach the 200-run mark.

Neesham never looked comfortable on the field as he was sent back by Hardik Pandya after he scored 12 off 18 balls. However, De Grandhomme on the other hand scored a quickfire 16 off ten balls before being caught behind the stumps by Dhoni as Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a slower. Ross Taylor still on the crease having scored 60 runs off 81 balls after 45 overs.

Williamson departs trying to up the tempo

After a 64-run third wicket stand between New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, the former fell prey to Chahal in the 36th over. A tossed up delivery from Chahal that got the outside edge of Williamson's bat who was already into the shot. A simple catch to Ravindra Jadeja who was standing at point. This could be a massive moment in the game where the Kiwis have been struggling with their scoring rate.

New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls take a single during their semifinal against India at Old Trafford. Photo: Reuters

Williamson, Taylor hold firm against India in World Cup semi-final

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson again helped his side recover from the loss of an early wicket as the Black Caps reached 122-2 after 33 overs in the World Cup semi-final against India at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Williamson, who won the toss, remains 58 not out and Ross Taylor 22 not out, with hopes of a competitive Black Caps total once more resting on the shoulders of the two senior batsmen. The duo have strung together an ongoing 53-run stand for the third wicket.

New Zealand lost opener Martin Guptill with just one run on the board and crawled to 27-1 off the first 10 overs.

All five previous matches in the tournament at Old Trafford had been won by the side batting first, so Williamson's decision at the toss was understandable.

But, Williamson apart, the Black Caps' top order has struggled at the World Cup and the overcast conditions in Manchester on Tuesday allied to a fresh pitch offering some seam movement promised to assist India's impressive pace attack.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar appealed for lbw against Guptill off the first ball of the match and an India review of the original not out decision proved unsuccessful, with replays indicating the ball would have gone down the legside.

It took New Zealand 17 balls to score the first run of the match and India did not have long to wait for Guptill's wicket in any event.

The right-hander was the leading run-scorer of the tournament when New Zealand finished runners-up at the 2015 World Cup.

But he had made just one when he fended carelessly outside off-stump against a rising Jasprit Bumrah delivery and was well caught, head-high, by India captain Virat Kohli at second slip.

Guptill's fifth single-figure score of the tournament left New Zealand 1-1 in the fourth over.

His exit brought in Williamson, who prior to Tuesday's match had scored over 28 percent of New Zealand's runs this tournament -- a remarkably high percentage for one batsman.

Left-hander Henry Nicholls eventually struck the opening boundary of the match when he cover-drove Bumrah for four in the eighth over to reach his first double-figure score of the tournament.

Bumrah's opening spell still yielded fine figures of one wicket for 10 runs in four overs.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ended a second-wicket stand worth 68 when he turned one between bat and pad to bowl Nicholls for 28. (AFP, Manchester)

New Zealand batsmen Ross Taylor and skipper Kane Williamson were not allowed to score freely as Indian bowlers bowled excellently.

Indian spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja kept the Kiwis in check, leaving the batsmen scratching their heads on how to score runs. The fielding has been excellent such that the Kiwis were not able to reach the hundred mark after 25 overs. Henry Nicholls was sent back as a good length ball broke back in and bounced, as the batsman aimed to defend off the front foot, but, he did not expect it to spin so much. Ravindra Jadeja breached Nicholl's defence. The middle stump was knocked back just as New Zealand looked to build a partnership.

 

Skipper Kane Williamson and opener Henry Nicholls steadied the ship and consolidated after New Zealand lost Martin Guptill for 1 following a very nervy and slow start by the Kiwis. Williamson was unbeaten on 26 with Nicholls not out on 23 as the Kiwis reached 52 for the loss of one wicket after 14 overs.

3.3 overs Jusprit Bumrah removes an out-of-form Martin Guptill with a peach outside off-stump. The ball rose sharply as Guptill hesitantly poked at it, only finding the safe hands of Virat Kohli at second slip. 1 run for Guptill off 14 deliveries and 1 run on the board for Kiwis for one wicket.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat first in the first semifinal of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester today.

The kiwis made one change to their side. Fit-again speedster Lockie Ferguson comes in for Tim Southee. India, too, made one change, with Yuzvendra Chahal replacing Kuldeep Yadav.

Playing XIs:

India: Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni(w), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Trent Boult

"We would've batted first. Fresh wicket, nice and hard, and not moist. A bit of rain around as well, the ball will get wet as the game goes on. It could remain decent throughout the game," India captain Virat Kohli said after losing the toss.

The prolific batsman feels their experience of playing two matches on this ground would help them negate the impact of losing the toss. "It's going to remain similar throughout the course of the game - we have done well in Manchester. We have had two good games in Manchester, and it's about focussing on the basics. We need to remember why we are in the semis."

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said, "It looks like a good surface. We have played a number of games here. A toss-up with the overheads, but it'll be around all day, so we need to get the job done first up. We are used to the routine, but we have to start afresh after the round robin we have a great opportunity to put up a good performance against a side like India."