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Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, has suffered a right shoulder injury while fielding on the third day of the Chittagong Test against Pakistan and will miss the rest of the game

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2011Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, has suffered a right shoulder injury while fielding on the third day of the Chittagong Test against Pakistan and will miss the rest of the game. The team management has sent him to Dhaka for an MRI. Rubel will not be available to bat in the second innings in which Bangladesh are tottering at 134 for 3. Bangladesh need another 325 runs to make Pakistan bat again.The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s physician Debashish Chowdhury said the injury did not appear to be serious. “It looks like the injury is not serious but we have to wait for the MRI report to know exactly what has happened to his shoulder,” Chowdhury said. “We can only talk about his treatment after the report.”Initially there was no swelling but after two hours there was some swelling in his right [bowling] shoulder which is not a good sign. The shoulder is not dislocated but what the bowler himself claimed was that it was dislocated first and then relocated. In that case it will take time but again we have to wait for the MRI report.”Rubel had to leave the field on the third day of the Test after he fell while trying to dive to save a boundary.

Round-up of the first day of the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy Plate League

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2010

Group A

Pankaj Singh took a career-best 8 for 32 as Tripura crumbled to 95 all out in Kota•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tripura’s season so far has been nothing short of a nightmare, and the rut continued as they were bowled out for 95 by Rajasthan, their third total of under a hundred in four matches, at the International Cricket Ground in Kota. Rajasthan were already ahead by the end of the day, reaching 99 for 3, with opener Aakash Chopra not out on 47. Only three batsmen reached double figures for the bottom-of-the-table Tripura as Rajasthan seamer Pankaj Singh helped himself to career-best figures of 8 for 32. Panjak’s haul meant he overtook his new-ball partner Deepak Chahar, who took two in the innings, to become the season’s leading wicket-taker. It was carnage from the first over as Tripura opener Rajib Saha was bowled first ball by Pankaj. Chahar got the next two, before Pankaj ran through the batting line-up. Rajasthan are joint top of the Group A table with Madhya Pradesh and Hyderabad and will be hoping to open up a lead with a victory.Goa batsman Reagan Pinto scored his second first-class century to help his side build towards a big first-innings total against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Pinto scored his maiden ton in Goa’s last match against Jharkhand and continued his form, reaching 106 not out, to help the visitors recover from 50 for 2 to reach 334 for 5 by the end of the first day. Goa captain Ajay Ratra, the leading run-getter in the Plate League this season, got 51 in the match between the third and fourth-placed sides in Group A.Madhya Pradesh‘s fast bowlers made short work of Jharkhand, and their batsmen ensured they had taken the lead by stumps on the first day in Indore. TP Sudhindra ran through the Jharkhand top order after they had chosen to bat, reducing them to 40 for 3. Ishank Jaggi and Keshav Kumar tried to stem the fall of wickets with a 47-run stand, but seamer Amit Sharma had Jaggi caught behind for 29 – which was to be the top score for Jharkhand – and also trapped wicketkeeper Shiv Gautam leg before. Medium-pacer Anand Rajan then cleaned up the lower order, finishing with 4 for 31, as Jharkhand were blown away for 131. Naman Ojha, the Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper, led MP’s response with a quick 44 as the hosts raced to an opening stand of 72 by the 13th over. Seamer Varun Aaron dismissed the openers, and Monish Mishra fell just before stumps, but captain Devendra Bundela was unbeaten on 34 as MP finished the day on 135 for 3.

Group B

Jammu & Kashmir’s batting continued to struggle as they folded for 253 against Andhra at the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. J & K have failed to pass the 300-run mark since their first game of the season and it has been the main reason for their bottom-of-the-table position. Wicketkeeper Arshad Bhatt made 66 at No.3 and got the hosts to 128 for 2 before he became the second J & K batsman to be run out. From then on, wickets fell at regular intervals, with only allrounder Hardeep Singh able to stand up to Andhra’s bowling with his unbeaten 60. Andhra seamer Syed Sahabuddin and part-time offspinner Venugopal Rao took three wickets each as the visitors look for their first win of the season after drawing their first three games.Vidarbha and Services finished the first day more or less on par at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, as the visitors reached 206 for 5 at stumps. Opener Pratik Desai and Soumyaranjan Swain got half-centuries for Services, but they were never able to build significant partnerships with the fifth-wicket stand of 56 between Swain and Soomik Chatarjee being the highest. Offspinner Akshay Wakhare got two wickets for Vidarbha as the side, who are second-last in the Group B table, look for their first win of the season. Services are in third position with eight points.Only 62 overs were bowled at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi and Maharashtra reached 150 for 3 against Kerala after being put in to bat. It was steady progress for the visitors as all of their top three got starts. Opener Nikhil Paradkar missed out on a half-century, out for 45 to left-arm spinner Sreekumar Nair. Sangram Atitkar was batting on 38 at the end of the first day’s play and Maharashtra have a solid base from where they can reach a strong total. Four points separate Maharashtra and Kerala at the top of the table, but the hosts are yet to win this season, having got three points for first-innings lead from each of their prior games.

While the star-studded imports stole the headlines in the early matches, the Australian trio of David Warner, Phillip Hughes and Steve Smith stole the show in Hobart

Alex Malcolm30-Dec-2009
ScorecardSteven Smith’s private master-class with Shane Warne in Melbourne definitely helped•Getty Images

Defending champions New South Wales have begun their title defence with a clinical 31-run victory over Tasmania at the Bellerive Oval. While the star-studded imports stole the headlines in the early matches, the Australian trio of David Warner, Phillip Hughes and Steve Smith took the honours in Hobart.After Moises Henriques chose to bat on a belter, Warner (67 off 24 balls) and Hughes (71 not out off 50 balls) set the win up with a brutal display of power-hitting to propel the Blues to 4 for 194 from their 20 overs.Their opening stand of 97 came from just 40 deliveries, with Warner producing the fastest fifty in the competition’s history – off 18 balls – eclipsing Tasmanian captain George Bailey’s old mark, with an enormous six over midwicket.Ironically, it was Bailey who ran Warner out, after a poorly judged single from Hughes, to stall the Blues’ progress. Hughes anchored the innings that stuttered after Warner’s loss, with James Faulkner and Xavier Doherty bowling good spells to tie him down.The target of 195 looked well within reach for the Tigers after the start provided by opener Tim Paine, who crunched 48 off 18 balls, which included 22 from one Henriques over. But an ill-fated scoop shot ended his night and the chase went downhill from there, with the Tigers bowled out with an over to spare.Steven Smith, fresh from a private master-class with Shane Warne in Melbourne, was the chief destroyer, bowling with remarkable confidence and control to claim four wickets and give the hosts a bad case of the Blues.

For Hurricanes, who were without usual captain Nathan Ellis, Nikhil Chaudhary was the top scorer, while Chris Jordan led a clinical bowling performance

AAP01-Jan-2025Hobart Hurricanes overcame the late withdrawal of captain Nathan Ellis to hand Sydney Sixers their first BBL loss of the season.Ellis pulled out from Wednesday afternoon’s game at Ninja Stadium with illness, but his bowling team-mates stood up against the table-topping Sixers.Hurricanes posted 161 for 6 and bowled out Sydney for 111 in 19.3 overs to jump to fourth on the ladder with a third win in a row. Chris Jordan picked up 3 for 22, including the big wickets of James Vince early and noted finisher Jordan Silk in the middle overs. He was assisted by fellow import Waqar Salamkheil, who took 2 for 22 with his left-arm wristspin and bowled Kurtis Patterson with one that turned the other way.Allrounder Nikhil Chaudhary was impressive, top-scoring with 42 from 31 deliveries and picking up 1 for 15 with the ball.Sixers, who stay in first place on the ladder, had won four from four prior to the match, while Hurricanes are on the rise after being flogged by Melbourne Renegades in their opening game.Earlier, evergreen Sixers quick Jackson Bird took career-best T20 figures of 4 for 16 on familiar turf in Hobart after his side won the toss and elected to bowl.Jackson Bird returned 4 for 16 but there wasn’t a lot of heroics from the other Sixers bowlers•Getty Images

Bird, the 38-year-old who played for Tasmania for more than a decade, removed big-hitters Matthew Wade, Shai Hope, Ben McDermott and Tim David.Opener Mitchell Owen got Hurricanes off to a brisk start with 33 from 17 balls but couldn’t go on.Returning from a calf injury, Wade was scratchy in a 16-ball 15 and became Bird’s first victim off a nifty caught and bowled. Bird then had West Indian Hope caught behind two balls later as Hurricanes lost three wickets within ten runs.McDermott (34 from 25) came to life in the power surge, hitting 20 off one Hayden Kerr over, but he was undone by Bird, who also returned late to get rid of David via a top edge.Sixers’ chase had a bright spark early when English opener Vince launched a Billy Stanlake delivery over the hill. But they wobbled to 28 for 3 inside the first five overs and couldn’t stem the flow of wickets.Hurricanes spinner Peter Hatzoglou, who replaced Ellis and played his first game of the season, finished with 1 for 15.

Dutch discovering that “good cricket in patches” not enough to upset the big teams

Firdose Moonda09-Oct-20231:07

McClenaghan on the mistakes Netherlands made with the ball

It is “only two games in” to the World Cup, as Colin Ackermann noted, but concerns that Netherlands may be overwhelmed by the quality of the opposition at this tournament are already emerging after big defeats.Make no mistake, the Dutch have not disgraced themselves in any way – far from it – and they’ve had their moments in both games. But their ability to keep the pressure on is under the spotlight.”We’ve played some good cricket in patches, we just haven’t put together enough phases where we dominate,” Ackermann, top-scorer against New Zealand, said after the 99-run defeat. “We need to put together all three phases of the game to win.”This is going to be the challenge for Netherlands throughout this tournament, and they know it. They’ve already come through a World Cup Super League, where they played series against five of the teams they will face at this World Cup, and lost them all. In the aftermath, they said the learnings from those defeats helped them at the qualifying tournament, where they beat a Full Member (West Indies) and qualified ahead of two others (Zimbabwe and Ireland). But now that they are at the big dance, they can see that it will take more than what they did in Harare three months ago to cause similar upsets.Related

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For a start, they seem to be setting up their game incorrectly in choosing to chase in both their matches. Fielding first, without the kind of potency of attack that some of the teams at this tournament have, means they are chasing the game – literally – all the time. If they are given the opportunity to decide what to do in future games, they may want to consider setting the target, even if the opposition attack is intimidating, in order to establish a different kind of control.In this match, though, Netherland were banking on putting New Zealand under pressure early on, as they did with Pakistan. “Against Pakistan we took three wickets in the powerplay and pegged them back pretty well,” Ackermann said. “It didn’t work out that way today for us. I think we probably were looking to follow the same blueprint.”And even in the Pakistan game, it only worked briefly. Netherlands had Pakistan 38 for 3 inside the first 10 overs before a 120-run partnership between Mohammed Rizwan and Saud Shakeel laid the platform for the lower order. Against New Zealand, it took 12.1 overs before the Dutch got the first wicket and they then allowed New Zealand to score at more than six runs an over throughout the middle period.Colin Ackermann made 69 off 73 balls•ICC/Getty Images

Netherlands missed Logan van Beek, especially because Ryan Klein does not have the same pace, and stuck to their tactic of opening with a spinner, something which only Afghanistan have also done at this tournament. Again, it seemed a tactic that was as premeditated as bowling first and Ackermann all but confirmed that. “Aryan Dutt poses a massive threat with a new ball on these wickets,” he said. “He poses a big threat for the left-handers up front. We saw today he got three maidens in the first three overs. It’s all about match-ups for us.””Match-ups” and “blueprint” are the kind of tactical buzzwords you hear on commentary and analysis shows and occasionally in team meetings but from the noises other teams are making, they also talk about being adaptable and flexible and that vocabulary was not present in Ackermann’s post-match press conference. Perhaps he just wasn’t asked about it. But for argument’s sake, if Netherlands are not thinking a little out of the box, now is a good time to start, because the big teams will keep coming and they will have to find ways to compete more evenly with them.It’s still far too early to come to too many conclusions about the way Netherlands will go in this tournament, and a common trope is that they are bound to upset someone, but to do that small improvements are needed quickly. In chasing big scores, they have yet to properly challenge and they understand that if they are in the same situation again, they can expect it to be just as difficult.”Sometimes you’ve got to try and take it as deep as possible, but then the rate keeps climbing. These bowlers do make it difficult for us,” Ackermann said. “They’re not just going to give us easy boundaries in the middle overs. We lost by 100 runs today but I think we just gave them too many runs. We shouldn’t have chased 320. Maybe 280 – 290 would have been a decent chase today. We needed to set a firm base.”And that suggests improvements with both bat and ball are needed before Netherlands next game, against South Africa in a week’s time.

Of the 15 named in the squad, only Athapaththu and Prabodhani have experience of playing T20Is in England

S Sudarshanan19-Jul-2022Uncapped legspinner Rashmi Silva has been named in Sri Lanka’s 15-member squad for the Commonwealth Games which is scheduled to start later this month. Silva made her ODI debut in the home series against India earlier this month and is uncapped in T20Is, which is the format for the competition to be held in Birmingham.Wicketkeeper-batter Kaushani Nuthyangana, Hansima Karunaratne, left-arm seamer Tharika Sewwandi and Sathya Sandeepani have been left out from the squad that played at home against India.Teenager Vishmi Gunaratne, who made her debut in the CWG Qualifier in January 2022, is also part of the squad. In the second T20I against India in Dambulla, she made her highest score of 45 in the format as she put up an 87-run opening stand with captain Chamari Athapaththu.Batter Harshitha Samarawickrama also finds a place in the squad despite having a quiet series against India, possibly on the back of her performances in the qualifiers where she was Sri Lanka’s second-highest run scorer. The Sri Lankan middle order also features the in-form Nilakshi de Silva, Hasini Perera and Kavisha Dilhari.The experienced duo of Udeshika Prabodhani and Ama Kanchana will lead the seam attack which also features Achini Kulasuriya. The spin department has the duo of Inoka Ranaweera and Oshadi Ranasinghe, both of whom combined to pick 11 wickets in the three T20Is versus India, apart from Silva, Dilhari and Athapaththu.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Only Athapaththu and Prabodhani in the squad have experience of playing T20Is in England while – apart from the duo – Ranasinghe, Samarawickrama, Kanchana and Ranaweera have played ODIs in the country.Sri Lanka are placed in Group B and will take on England (July 30), New Zealand (August 2) and South Africa (August 4) in the tournament that will feature women’s cricket for the first time ever.Squad: Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Malsha Shehani, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Ama Kanchana, Achini Kulasuriya, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Rashmi de Silva, Oshadi Ranasinghe Anushka Sanjeewani

“The vaccine doses will be administered on Thursday and will be offered to all those inside the bio-secure bubble”

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2021The PCB has offered doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to all participants of PSL 2021. The decision comes as a boost after the recent cases in the PSL which saw three overseas players and a support staff member test positive, which has even made the PCB think about hosting the entire tournament in Karachi. Originally, Karachi and Lahore were scheduled to host this season of the PSL. The decision to offer the vaccine was made in line with the PCB’s duty of care policy and to “ensure all participants of the league remain safe and healthy during the event.”The PCB is the first cricket board to offer vaccine to its players.”The vaccine doses will be administered on Thursday and will be offered to all those inside the bio-secure bubble,” a PCB release said. “However, it will solely be the players and officials’ decision if they want to get the vaccine shots.”The release further said the PCB has been in discussions with the federal and provincial government officials, “highlighting the national cricket teams’ international engagements and commitments as well as the significance, reputation, integrity and credibility” of the PSL.Related

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“The PCB takes health, safety and well-being of its players and officials very seriously,” board chief executive Wasim Khan said. “In line with our duty of care policy, we have acquired a small allocation of SARS-Coronavirus Vaccine, which will be offered to all those inside the bio-secure environment created for the HBL Pakistan Super League 6.”The players and officials will be under no obligation to have the vaccine. The vaccinations will be administered on Thursday morning by qualified health workers, strictly in line with government protocols.”While we live in these challenging times, the vaccine has been sourced to provide an added level of protection and comfort for players and all personnel inside the bubble. We will continue to operate responsibly in our duty to those involved in the tournament.”Legspinner Fawad Ahmed was the first player to test positive for Covid-19 in the ongoing PSL, followed by Tom Banton and another Islamabad United player, and a support staff member of the Karachi Kings, Kamran Khan. This has forced the PCB to look at back-up plans if more positive cases come up, as the board has decided to carry out PCR tests once in four days instead of the original plan of weekly tests. The next round of tests is set for Thursday, which is considered the most crucial one after the recent outbreak.

Shami impressed upon return, as did the other seamers and Kuldeep

The Report by Sidharth Monga11-Dec-2019Three years ago, India were asked to bat first in a World T20 semi-final by the same team at the same ground in similar conditions. They lost just two wickets in their 20 overs, but were possibly not aware that their 192 was “only” 192 in those conditions in T20 cricket. Three years later, in the series decider at Wankhede Stadium, India came with doubts still persisting if they had shed their conservatism.The answer was an emphatic yes with their three main batsmen taking two, two and five balls to hit their first boundary. And the big hits just kept coming as Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli hit 35 boundaries between them in just 119 balls. India’s attitude was clear: if it is tough to defend totals in this format, they were going to give their bowlers a well above-par total, or get dismissed trying. Under the mountain of runs, West Indies, hit by an injury to Evin Lewis, crumbled spectacularly.What will especially please India is that this is the second successive series decider they have won batting first.Start as you mean to go onIt is arguable India lost that 2016 semi-final in the first powerplay when Ajinkya Rahane went at a strike rate of around 100. Here both Sharma and Rahul went for it. Sharma even made a technical change, opening his front leg to face Sheldon Cottrell. He threw his bat at the second ball he faced, crashing it over cover. Rahul did the same the second ball he faced, getting a thick outside edge past slip. It was remarkable because Sharma is known to take his time before he starts hitting, but here he had taken the lead over Rahul, who caught up soon enough. Both struck at 200 in the powerplay, giving India their second-best powerplay batting first, a good 17 more than what they had scored in 2016.Post powerplay, Sharma took over the mantle of chief aggressor, launching Khary Pierre for six, six and four in the eighth over. India 102 for 0 in eight overs.Walsh, Williams slow India downAmid the carnage, Hayden Walsh bowled the ninth over without a boundary. India made up for it with a six and two fours in the 11th over, but in the 12th Kesrick Williams managed to get the better of Sharma with a slower legcutter. That brought about a promotion for Rishabh Pant, who tried to hit boundaries off the two balls he faced. He missed one, and drilled the second straight to long-off. The idea was right, but his dismissal had buoyed West Indies with a spell of play that read 17 balls, 13 runs, two wickets. India 145 for 3 in 13.5 overs.Kohli goesThe last ball of the 14th over, with his score reading two off four, Kohli went for his second slog and sent it over midwicket for a six. This was the start of an onslaught that was the need of the moment with Rahul having slowed down out of a combination of fatigue and the need for stability at one end. Once again, as in the first T20I of this series, it was a Jason Holder over in which Kohli cut loose. That 22-run 15th over seemed like it had put India back on track at 173 for 2.Williams comes backWilliams then came back to bowl a superb 16th over where Kohli and Rahul struggled to pick his pace, managing only three runs. Cottrell followed it up with a decent one for 11. India 187 for 2 after 17.Decision timePollard now had an over each from his gun bowlers, Williams and Cottrell, but three overs to bowl. He had to decide when to bowl the best bowler of the night, Williams, and whom to use for the third over. Both calls went awfully wrong for West Indies. Williams was asked to bowl two in a row, and it turned out both Rahul and Kohli had the measure of him. They both waited for the slower ball, hitting a six each, giving Kohli the final word in what has been an entertaining contest between the two.Well, it turned out Kohli was not done with Williams yet. Pollard took it upon himself to bowl the 19th, and Kohli got stuck into it, hitting three sixes, India taking 27 runs off the over. The second off those sixes brought up India’s fifth-fastest T20I fifty, and Kohli pointed the bat to Williams at short fine leg. , ladies and gentlemen, was the final word.India seal it off quicklyApart from Walsh and Williams, Lewis was the only man having a good day in the field. In the first few exchanges, he pulled off a ridiculous save overhead at the boundary, threw the ball back in play, jumped over the boundary hoardings, came back, and nearly ran Sharma out when taking the second run. In the 12th over, as he made a regulation save at the fence, he jammed his knee into the ground, causing himself soft tissue damage that ruled him out of the rest of the match.In Lewis’ absence, and facing a tall task, West Indies felt the pressure pretty early and started to play lower-percentage shots. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar got a wicket each, but the biggest positive was Mohammed Shami’s return. A specialist bowler playing ahead of an allrounder, Shami looked the most difficult bowler to hit, and also took out the dangerous Lendl Simmons. West Indies 19 for 3 after four overs.Full toss extinguishes flickering lightPollard and Shimron Hetmyer gave India a brief scare with effortless hitting for 60 runs in the next five overs. In the sixth, Hetmyer had it in for Kuldeep Yadav, who had replaced Yuzvendra Chahal, who had been taken apart by left-hand batsmen. The first two balls were effortless sixes again, and the third from around the wicket was a full toss. Six sixes seemed squarely on, but Hetmyer shanked this one to be caught at long-on.This wicket-induced slowdown put the matter beyond West Indies, but Pollard’s flame kept flickering at his IPL home ground. It was in the 15th over that Kumar got rid of Pollard for a career-high 68, but 100 off 31 required at that point was anyway improbable.

While they won’t have to contend with Shakib this time, Zimbabwe still face an uphill task as a confident Bangladesh pursue their first Test victory this year

The Preview by Liam Brickhill02-Nov-2018

Big Picture

Context is a vital ingredient in any Test match, but the circumstances of the Test series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe present a set-up where the focus of both teams is on cricket’s other formats.Bangladesh’s preoccupation with the World Cup has been compounded by an indifferent year in cricket’s longest format. They began the year with a 1-0 loss to Sri Lanka, and in July lost both Tests against West Indies – the first by an innings and 219 runs after being bowled out for 43 in the horror show at North Sound, and the second by 166 runs after Jason Holder picked up an 11-wicket match haul in a capitulation at Sabina Park.A change in format brought a change of fortunes and Bangladesh won both their ODI and T20I series against West Indies before reaching the final of the Asia Cup, and then thrashing Zimbabwe 3-0 in the ODIs leading up to this game. As they hunt for their first Test win of 2018, it’s hard to imagine an easier target than Zimbabwe, for whom Test cricket has long been something of an afterthought. The visitors have played just eight Tests since their last tour to Bangladesh four years ago, and the Sylhet Test will be their first of the year.While it’s impossible to decipher form from such a frugal sample, the two teams do at least have a rich shared cricketing history to draw from, and they have engaged in some fascinating battles over the years – though usually in Zimbabwe, as the visitors have fallen well short more often than not in recent contests hosted in Bangladesh. The last time Zimbabwe won a Test in Bangladesh, Naimur Rahman was captain and the hosts were playing their seventh game ever in the format. That remains Zimbabwe’s only Test win here.The home spin attack ran riot in tailor-made conditions during the last Test series between these teams in 2014, with Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain sharing 46 wickets as Bangladesh stormed to a 3-0 win. While they won’t have to content with Shakib this time, Zimbabwe face a daunting challenge heading into the first game, and after Bangladesh’s authoritative victories in the ODIs the hosts will be confident in their pursuit of a first Test victory this year.

Form guide

Bangladesh: LLLDL (Last five matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe: LDLLL

In the spotlight

Mominul Haque must bat like a batsman who has a 40-plus Test average if he is to disregard his worst Test series in the West Indies, when he collected two ducks and managed just 16 runs across four innings, and two iffy Asia Cup outings. Mominul has the confidence of a hundred in his most recent first-class innings in the National Cricket League, and will be looking to re-discover the form that brought him 176 against Sri Lanka in his first Test of 2018.While batting frailties have dogged Zimbabwe’s last two tours, Sean Williams‘ personal form has bucked this trend. Buoyed by his century in the third ODI, Williams is also one of the better players of spin in Zimbabwe’s line-up and he will have a vital counter-attacking role to play in the middle order against Bangladesh’s slow bowlers.

Team news

Bangladesh have to make at least four changes as Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan and Kamrul Islam Rabbi are not in the squad. Current form will put Imrul Kayes and Mohammad Mithun in the XI in place of Tamim and Shakib while Mustafizur Rahman should replace Rabbi. The No. 7 slot therefore could be a toss-up between Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Ariful Haque.Taijul Islam should remain first-choice left-arm spinner ahead of Nazmul Islam while pace bowler Abu Jayed is likely to be chosen ahead of Shafiul Islam and newcomer Khaled Ahmed.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Imrul Kayes, 2 Liton Das, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mohammad Mithun, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Nazmul Hossain Shanto/Ariful Haque, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Abu JayedPredicting the make-up of a side that plays Tests so rarely is a difficult task, and no doubt Zimbabwe have some questions of their own over exactly what their best side looks like in this format. They have included Regis Chakabva in their squad, and may look to relieve Brendan Taylor of his wicketkeeping role, while Brian Chari and Hamilton Masakadza are the likely opening pair. Conditions will dictate whether they include an extra spinner or a third seamer in their attack.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza (capt), 2 Brian Chari, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Brendan Taylor, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Regis Chakabva (wk), 8 Brandon Mavuta, 9 Donald Tiripano/Wellington Masakadza, 10 Kyle Jarvis, 11 Chris Mpofu

Pitch and conditions

In first-class matches at this venue this year, sides have either been bowled out for 160 or 180-odd batting first, or they have racked up 400-plus totals. It is known to have something for pace bowlers too, but Bangladesh usually prefer slow, turning surfaces in home Tests. It is likely to be mostly clear with the odd shower in the forecast on the third and fourth days.

Stats and trivia

• Sylhet will become the sixth city, and will provide the eighth venue, to host a Test match in Bangladesh. The others are Dhaka (two stadiums), Chittagong (two stadiums), Bogra, Fatullah and Khulna
• Hamilton Masakadza averages close to 50 with the bat in Tests in Bangladesh, and his 158 in the second Test at Khulna in 2014 remains his highest score in this format
• Bangladesh have lost six of the 14 Tests they’ve played against Zimbabwe, but are increasingly dominant in recent years, and have won four of the last five Tests between the two

Quotes

“Preparation wasn’t ideal. Most of the game was washed out. But we did manage to get on the field for 50 overs on the last day. Just one practice session going into the Test match so the boys are trying to get the most out of it today.”
“I don’t think we will experiment in the first Test. The best XI is likely to be picked. First matches are always important, in every format. We always feel that starting well takes us a long way in contests.”

Fifties for Rob Newton, Richard Levi and Ben Duckett helped Northamptonshire enjoy the better of the opening day against Gloucestershire at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2017Ben Duckett took his T20 form into the four-day game•Getty Images

Fifties for Rob Newton, Richard Levi and Ben Duckett helped Northamptonshire enjoy the better of the opening day against Gloucestershire at Wantage Road as they were bowled out for 343 but they should have been in a more dominant position.It was a solid day for the hosts but the top six all got set only to fall in series of poor dismissals with several catches in front of the bat. Having been 153 for 1 and later 269 for 4 four overs before the second new ball, they slid to 315 for 9 before debutant Simon Kerrigan made an unbeaten 26.Gloucestershire picked themselves up after a very poor morning session and could have faced a far more punishing day in the field. But their three seamers, David Payne, Liam Norwell and Craig Miles, made a smart comeback sharing seven wickets.Duckett was the first of the half-centurions. Making the quick transition from Saturday’s T20 where he made a career-best unbeaten 92, he made a 46-ball fifty here. He flicked two boundaries through square leg off David Payne before imperiously driving him through extra-cover.Another leg-side flick, this off Craig Miles, brought his side’s 50 up in just the ninth over of the morning. Duckett helped himself to 10 boundaries before lifting a drive from Miles to extra-cover to fall for 52. But his bright start saw Northants rattle to lunch 153 for 1.Duckett’s opening partner Newton was badly dropped at point on 30 off Jack Taylor shelled an easy chance but went on to drive the offspin of 18-year-old debutant George Drissell through the covers for his eighth boundary to raise fifty in 80 balls. Newton went to lunch 70 not out but was caught at short-midwicket second over into the afternoon.Alex Wakely, also badly dropped – by Iain Cockbain at mid-off on 45 – added four more before pushing at a ball from left-armer Payne that slid across him and he got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick. Wakely fell just after the first hour after lunch where 16 runs came in 16 overs.A stand of 68 between Levi and Rob Keogh put Northants into a good position after tea at 269 for 4 in fairly benign conditions against the older ball. Keogh played a perfectly-timed flick through midwicket to bring up the second batting bonus but when he lazily chipped the part-time offspin of Taylor to short midwicket, the innings fell away.Levi was the third player to pass fifty, playing very smartly for his 59-ball half-century including a cover drive that was perhaps the shot of the day. But he was well caught at slip trying to run Payne to third man, Adam Rossington pulled Liam Norwell straight to midwicket for just 5 and Rory Kleinveldt and Richard Gleeson were both caught at the wicket driving loosely outside off stump.Just when Northants were about to be rolled over Kerrigan slapped Kieran Noema-Barnett down the ground and over midwicket for boundaries and smashed Payne over long-on to almost deliver a fourth batting bonus point.