Heroes who batted with debilitating injuries

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan slammed the country's current cricket board chief Mohsin Naqvi and blamed him for taking Pakistan cricket 'to a new low' after the Test side lost the first of the two-match series against Bangladesh by 10 wickets in Rawalpindi on Sunday. 

Khan, who has been settled at the Adiala Jail since last year, spoke to reporters there and expressed his disgruntlement over Pakistan cricket's downfall before going on a rant on his X handle blasting Naqvi.  

"Cricket is the only sport the entire nation watches with great interest on TV, but even that has been destroyed by powerful quarters who brought in an unqualified, favoured official to maintain their control," Khan wrote on his X account.

"For the first time, we (Pakistan) didn't make it to the top four in the World Cup or the top eight in T20. And yesterday, we faced an embarrassing defeat against Bangladesh, setting a new low. Just two-and-a-half years ago, this team had defeated India by 10 wickets. What has happened in these two-and-a-half years that we lost to Bangladesh by 10 wickets? The blame for all of this collapse falls on one institution," he added.

The 1992 World Cup-winning captain brought forth an investigation on Naqvi carried out in 2008 centring corruption as he questioned his credentials to lead the Pakistan Cricket Board. 

"Mohsin Naqvi owns property worth five million dollars in Dubai under his wife's name. He is involved in the wheat procurement scandal and was behind the most fraudulent election in our country. What are his qualifications?" Khan said. 

"Under him, the law-and-order situation across the country is deteriorating. Every day, people are being martyred in KP and Balochistan. The Punjab Police has been tasked with targeting PTI, which has allowed thieves and bandits to grow so strong that they have started abducting and murdering police officers. Mohsin Naqvi himself was investigated by NAB for corruption in 2008."

Bangladesh batter Mominul Haque said his 55-ball half-century involved 'calculative risks' rather than an aggressive mentality after the left-handed batter got dismissed while trying to hit a boundary in the last over before Tea on Day 4 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram on Tuesday.  

Mominul was the only batter to reach fifty in the innings till stumps on the fourth day as the hosts were left reeling at seven down for 268 in pursuit of Sri Lanka's daunting 511-run target.  

"Aggressive, I don't think it [Mominul's approach] was aggressive. The wicket was better in the second innings. I wanted to play normal cricket. If I keep blocking, the bowler manages to create a channel and find that space to exploit," Mominul said after the day's play. 

"If you see my batting against fast bowling, you'd see that I did not play any rushed shot. Against spin, I took calculative risks while playing shots against deliveries that were in my [strong] zone," he added. 

In his favoured venue, the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Mominul looked at ease but was seen forcing several shots to the boundary in a 56-ball 50-run knock that featured eight fours and a six. Right after reaching his fifty, the former skipper was caught in the deep as he tried to sweep one aerially to the boundary against left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya. 

In the final over before Tea, Mominul, playing in his 61st Test, and considered a specialist in the format for Bangladesh, did the exact opposite of what someone of his pedigree and reputation would do as he decided to play a reckless shot and paid the price, leaving his side four down for 132. 

Bangladesh, staring at a very likely big-margin defeat on the fifth day, would have to pull off nothing short of a miracle to escape defeat but considering how the wicket behaved throughout Bangladesh's second innings, Mominul would feel hard done by how he got out as runs were easier to score due to the minimal influence of the pitch and the Tigers, to even have an opportunity to claw out an unlikely draw, needed to bat with time.

Despite not agreeing entirely with his out-of-character approach, Mominul, however, did admit to the reckless manner of his dismissal.  

"It [Mominul's dismissal] was definitely my fault. If you say that I am to blame for getting out in the last over before Drinks, then yes, it is definitely my fault. I should not have played that shot at that time," he said. 

Bangladesh are not accustomed to seeing what leg-spinner Rishad Hossain is dishing out in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

One cannot only be spellbound by the 21-year-old's game-changing wizardry but must also be charmed by his congruity with orthodoxy in his craft, especially at a time when being orthodox is deemed as the doom for most spinners, particularly in the 20-over format.

In that quest to further put sheen on his limited skillset and solidify his stature as a leg-break bowler, Rishad seemed to have found the missing link in his arsenal – the ability to get his leg-breaks to turn.

With this addition, at least in the first three matches of the T20 World Cup, he has become a real trump card for the Tigers and ardent fans of the country's cricket have tasted a proper serving of what a leg-spinner brings to the table.

Rishad stamped his importance in the side as a difference-maker with his latest exploits against the Netherlands -- a crucial tie in Bangladesh's path to the Super Eights.

The task at hand for the Netherlands in the game after the 14th over was to get 56 runs off 36 deliveries in pursuit of Bangladesh's 159-run total, with the score at three down for 104.

The Dutch had skipper Scott Edwards and Sybrand Engelbrecht well-set in the middle, having put together a 42-run stand and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto brought on Rishad to personify the role of a leggie. Rishad went for 26 runs in 2.3 overs before cracking the game open for his side with two wickets in his next three balls.

He tossed one that turned away sharply from Engelbrecht and the batter could not help himself which led to his dismissal. A ball later, he looped one in that drifted towards Bas de Leede and to his surprise, turned away sharply. The right-handed batter was lured into the shot and lost track of his back leg as Liton Das whipped off the bails in a flash.

He came back to the bowl the 18th and picked another wicket, finishing with three for 33, to cap off a memorable day for Bangladesh which will be remembered for Rishad's game-changing acumen. 

The 21-year-old had shown what he's made off earlier in the tournament as well, when he turned the match on its head against Sri Lanka by picking up two in an over in contrasting styles.

The first was the typical leg-spinner's wicket where Charith Asalanka fell by trying to take Rishad on and the way he took the next wicket was nothing less than a dream sight for fans of Bangladesh cricket as he bowled a ripper that turned away from leg-stump, took the outside edge of Wanindu Hasaranga's bat and found its way into the hands of first slip.

The key component that has stood out is Rishad's ability to get his leg-breaks to turn. Before coming into this World Cup, fans and experts alike had come to terms with his limitation in getting the ball to turn. 

Rishad's strength lies in his accuracy, the elevation from which he releases the ball, the ability to extract bounce and a natural drift. But right from the onset of this tournament, he has, almost magically, added the ability to turn the ball.

Against Sri Lanka, Rishad caught everyone's attention when he registered an average turn of 3.6 degrees, which at that point was the most by any spinner in the tournament.

Many, including his mentor Sohel Islam, have credited the type of wickets in the USA for the turn.

"The turn is not an issue. From what I've seen, it's his accuracy. Turn depends on the surface. If the surface is sticky then turn will be more and if it is flat, turn will be less. The main thing is whether he is being able to get bounce and drop the ball," Sohel told The Daily Star.

But getting this amount of turn cannot only be due to the surface. It might be small tweaks he made under the supervision of Mushtaq Ahmed who himself was a legendary leg-spinner.

Whatever the reason behind Rishad's new found turn, Bangladesh are reaping the benefits of it. The fans are witnessing something they had never seen before in the Bangladesh national team. They've had to be in awe of leg-spin legends of other nations but are beginning to see samples of leg-spin artistry from one of their own.

Bangladesh bowling coach Andre Adams was not impressed with his side letting opportunities slip through dropped catches on Day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram on Saturday.  

The Tigers missed three chances, including two dropped catches, and were made to pay the price as the Lankans ended the first day on top with 314 on the board for the loss of four wickets.

After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka amassed 96 runs for the first wicket, courtesy of a 57-run knock from the latter.

Both capitalised on reprieves, with Madushka adding 48 runs to his tally after being dropped on nine by Mahmudul Hasan Joy at second slip in the sixth over, while Karunaratne, who was given a life when he was on 22, ended by scoring 86. He would have to thank Shakib Al Hasan for his knock as he fumbled the opportunity over the boundary while fielding at deep fine leg in the 22nd over. Pacer Hasan Mahmud was the bowler on both occasions.

"You will struggle if you drop catches in any game of cricket. Our fielding has been impressive since I joined Bangladesh. Our ground fielding is excellent. There's been some excellent catches," Adams told reporters after the day's play. 

"However, when you drop a catch early, you can pay the price. We have dropped too many catches. We are working on it. Nobody means to drop it. They are doing the work, but they are dropping catches. We have to continue to work on taking catches."

Another chance went begging late in the day when an outside edge off the blade of Angelo Mathews slipped between the wicketkeeper and the fielder at first slip.

This time, it was off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz who was left ruing. 

The tigers also dropped several chances when they suffered a 328-run battering in the first Test against the Lankans in Sylhet.  

"Dropping catches will continue to cost us if we keep doing it. Like the Sylhet Test, there were periods of pressure but not for long enough. For us to compete and be excellent, we need to be excellent for longer," Adams said. 

Debutant Mahmud, who opened the bowling along with Khaled Ahmed, had to wait 55 overs to make his mark on the innings. He dismissed Karunaratne in the second session of the day to pick up his maiden Test scalp before dismissing Mathews nine overs to stumps.

"Hasan was excellent today. He bowled with pretty good control. He is a young bowler. Lots of talent," Adams said.

"I think he has bowled really well. He controlled his line pretty well. His pace was good. He is ready physically. He has to bowl the same throughout the day. The only way to do that is to play at this level. I think he is an exciting bowler. He has got seam movement. He has got swing and pace. Everything you want from a young pace bowler," he added.