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Saqlain Mushtaq has confirmed his return to Bangladesh as the team’s spin bowling consultant later this month

Mohammad Isam01-Sep-2013Saqlain Mushtaq has confirmed his return to Bangladesh as the team’s spin bowling consultant later this month. The former Pakistan offspinner will continue the 100-day contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board for 2013, which saw him accompany the side to Zimbabwe earlier this year.”I look forward to joining the Bangladesh camp by the end of September. If not, (by) October 1 is a must,” Saqlain told .It is a busy time for Saqlain. He will conduct a three-week spin-bowling clinic for a group of current and emerging West Indies spinners from September 3. After that, he will be in Bangladesh for the series against New Zealand, which starts in early October with two Tests followed by three ODIs and a Twenty20 international.Saqlain first joined Bangladesh in 2012 when Richard Pybus was the head coach, and was part of the coaching staff in Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20 and the West Indies home series later in the year.During his time with the side, Saqlain has worked extensively with Sohag Gazi, and played a significant role in the young offspinner’s success against West Indies in his maiden series. Gazi bounced back from an early assault from Chris Gayle to dismiss the batsman on his way to 4 for 29 in his debut ODI. Saqlain has also worked with the senior spinners in the side such as Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan.According to these players, Saqlain has added more than just the odd word of advice. In the case of Gazi, he set specific fields for the newcomer, down to each batsman. Gazi, however, missed Saqlain’s input when he struggled in Sri Lanka in March this year, but as soon as the consultant returned to the Bangladesh dressing room, for the Zimbabwe tour, Gazi found a way to strike. He has since credited Saqlain for much of his success.It is unlikely that Saqlain will be working with emerging spinners in the country. However, Bangladesh’s next international series after New Zealand is only in January, so there is an opportunity for the BCB to utilize his knowledge to find the next crop of slow bowlers in domestic cricket after the New Zealand series is over in early November.

Farhad Reza, a pace-bowling allrounder, is the only new inclusion in an otherwise settled 15-member Bangladesh squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam16-Aug-2012Farhad Reza, a pace-bowling allrounder, is the only change in an otherwise settled 15-member Bangladesh squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Farhad replaced Nazmul Hossain in the team that will also be touring Trinidad and Tobago in early September for a four-nation tournament, though it will play under the name of Bangladesh Cricket Board XI.Chief selector Akram Khan said Farhad’s all-round abilities led him to be picked. “We said ahead of the Zimbabwe tour [in June] that 90% of the team would be the same,” Akram told ESPNcricinfo. “We made one change to the squad that toured Europe by bringing in Farhad [Reza] in place of Nazmul [Hossain]. Farhad gives us a batting option down the order apart along with his role as a seamer.”Nazmul went wicketless in the two games he played during Bangladesh’s tour of Europe last month. Abul Hasan, who also didn’t pick a wicket in Ireland and the Netherlands, was preferred due to his extra pace. Farhad could have been chosen as a backup for Ziaur Rahman as it is unlikely for the team management to pick more than two seamers in Sri Lanka.Bangladesh toured Zimbabwe in June and Europe in July and played ten matches against Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands, giving the selectors ample opportunity to assess the T20 side. They picked new faces like Ziaur, Hasan and Anamul Haque while the team management also experimented with the batting order.Ziaur, who bowls fast-medium, was promising with his ability to play as a big-hitting floater in the middle order, as he showed during a quickfire 40 against Ireland. Mohammad Ashraful’s strike-rate – 91.20 in four matches in Europe – remains a worry but he did score enough runs to convince the selectors to retain him as an opener alongside Tamim Iqbal.

Bangladesh squad for World Twenty20

Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Jahurul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Ziaur Rahman, Elias Sunny, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam, Farhad Reza, Abul Hasan.

Bangladesh’s fortunes will depend heavily on Shakib Al Hasan, who will continue to bat at No. 3 as he had done during the Europe tour. Shakib is currently recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him from the SLPL. He has started bowling in the nets and will be working closely with Saqlain Mushtaq, who has joined the Bangladesh coaching staff for four months as the spin-bowling consultant.Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny will be facing his first major Twenty20 challenge, having made a record-breaking debut against Ireland last month while Mashrafe Mortaza will have a key role to play as the most experienced seamer in the bowling attack.Bangladesh will take on New Zealand on September 21 before meeting Pakistan on September 25. Both matches will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Yorkshire have been dealt a blow after their captain, Andrew Gale, was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken wrist

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2011Yorkshire’s hopes of avoiding relegation in the County Championship have been dealt a blow after their captain, Andrew Gale, was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken wrist.Gale was hit in the nets by Oliver Hannon-Dalby and x-rays confirmed the severity of the injury which means he’ll be sidelined as Yorkshire try to retain their Division One status. They are currently eighth, four points behind Worcestershire who have a game in hand, and play Sussex this week in a vital game.”It hurt badly at the time but not for one minute did I think it was a break. I was happy to keep on batting,” Gale told the . “But Sunday morning I woke up and it had stiffened and I knew then something was seriously wrong.”Before this injury I’ve only ever missed one game through my career. When you look at it like that, I’ve been lucky to have got to the age of 27 without any serious injury. Given the situation we are in, though, this is awful timing.”Gale is Yorkshire’s second-highest Championship run-scorer with 769 at 40.47 in a season where their top-order has struggled. The loss of the captain has also been compounded by the absence of Jacques Rudolph who has been called away to a South Africa training camp.

Ryan Harris, the injured fast bowler, is desperate to prove his fitness for the India one-day series in October so he can enhance his Ashes credentials

Peter English18-Aug-2010Ryan Harris, the injured fast bowler, is desperate to prove his fitness for the India one-day series in October so he can enhance his Ashes credentials. There were fears for Harris when he left England in July for knee surgery less than a year after a previous operation, but he has already started running and plans to be bowling in the next fortnight.”I’m definitely aiming for India,” Harris told Cricinfo. “I was hoping to be up for selection for the Test series but I’ve been told that’s a bit soon. I won’t have had the volume of bowling I’d need to go into a Test match, so I’m aiming for the one-day series.”Harris transformed into a dependable international bowler during a highly successful six-month run and is one of a core of fast bowlers on the comeback trail. Ben Hilfenhaus returned from knee tendonitis against Pakistan in England last month and Peter Siddle has been picked in Victoria’s Champions League squad for the upcoming event in South Africa.If Siddle goes well in that tournament he could also be a contender for a spot in the one-day squad for the three ODIs in India, which begin after the two Tests in the first half of October. Harris won his initial promotion due to Siddle’s injury but quickly became a valuable member of the limited-overs side, as well as appearing in his first two Tests against New Zealand.The knee injury was poorly timed, coming just before the Pakistan Tests, and he knows where he now stands in the pecking order. “At the moment, [Doug] Bollinger, Hilfenhaus, [Mitchell] Johnson, Siddle, I’m definitely behind those four and me and Clint McKay are vying for that next spot,” he said. “I always said I was in there as a replacement for those guys who were injured and those guys were doing pretty well before they were injured.”After the unscheduled lay-off Harris is “refreshed and ready to go”. He is pleased he got a longer break following a busy campaign, while being disappointed that the cartilage in his right knee forced him to give up his Test spot. “I really wanted to try and push through those Tests [against Pakistan] because I saw those as leading into this series against India and into our summer,” he said. “I guess when I look back now it has been good, but I look back to Christmas last year and I hadn’t played any cricket. So I was fresh and keen to play as much as I could.”Harris entered with consecutive five-wicket hauls against Pakistan in January and remained in form until the injury intervened following 10 wickets in the England series. In between those ODI engagements he collected nine victims in Tests at Wellington and Hamilton, an initiation which included bowling into a 100kph wind at the Basin Reserve.”That was probably the hardest spell of bowling in my career,” he said. “I wouldn’t take it back though. If it means bowling in a Test, I’ll do it.” The gutsy contribution earned him more respect than the batch of wickets.Over the past couple of years Harris has gained a couple of kilograms and a few kilometres of pace, putting him in the mid-140s. Add in some late swing and seam and he is an extremely tricky prospect. He will definitely be considered for the Ashes, although the selectors seem to be leaning towards an initial pace trio of Siddle, Johnson and Hilfenhaus.”The best thing for me is to hope I’m fit for India, and if I get picked for the one-day series to try my best over there and hopefully get back to where I was bowling,” Harris said. “If not, the season for Queensland looks exciting anyway. I’ll try to bowl my heart out there and be ready to go if someone isn’t performing or gets injured.” Just like he did last season.

The left-arm spinner remains hopeful of playing the first Test less than two weeks after suffering the injury in the BBL

AAP27-Jan-20251:01

Clarke: Kuhnemann should tell everyone he’s fully fit

Matt Kuhnemann admitted he briefly feared his thumb injury could have ended his hopes of touring Sri Lanka but both he and Steven Smith completed full training sessions on the squad’s arrival in Galle for the Test series.Australia’s premier left-arm spinner Kuhnemann is now pain-free after wearing a ball on his non-bowling hand playing for Brisbane Heat earlier this month. He reunited with the squad in Sri Lanka at the weekend and completed Sunday afternoon’s first full session since arriving on the island for the two-match series.Related

• The questions Australia will need to answer in Sri Lanka

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• Uncapped Dinusha and Udara included in Sri Lanka squad for Australia Test series

Stand-in captain Smith, who suffered a minor elbow injury in the BBL, spent as much time batting in the nets as anyone else and did not appear hampered.Every team member attended the optional session, with conditions so humid that top-order option Sam Konstas removed his helmet to finish batting in the nets.Apparently in preparation for the turning conditions, allrounder Beau Webster bowled the right-arm offspin of earlier in his career rather than the medium pace trotted out on Test debut at the SCG earlier this month.Kuhnemann is continuing to wear a brace on his right thumb and medical staff will monitor him. His injury appeared more serious than Smith’s, but Kuhnemann feels fit ahead of the first Test that begins on January 29.Matt Kuhnemann bowls at training with a protection on his injured thumb•Getty Images

“I had a couple of sessions back home and I was obviously cautious batting and fielding and everything but bowling, I haven’t had a problem whatsoever,” Kuhnemann said prior to the first training session. “I did this same thumb a couple of years ago and it was real painful but this one has been fine from the get-go.”As he awaited surgery, Kuhnemann said he was unsure whether he would have the chance to add to his three Test caps in Sri Lanka. The 28-year-old was a late call-up when Australia toured India in 2023, and the lack of subcontinent visits since had robbed him of further chances.”Definitely there were times when I was disappointed. It’s not great timing,” Kuhnemann said when asked whether he feared for his ability to tour. “There was a couple of hours. But I believe everything happens for a reason and you sort of move on. Obviously you do everything you can because these tours don’t come around very often as a spinner.”Kuhnemann could not attend the squad’s preparatory camp at the ICC Academy in Dubai but managed a hit-out with a Cricket Australia XI against England Lions at Allan Border Field last week.”The boys said I didn’t miss out on too much and what I was bowling on back in Brisbane was an eight-day old wicket so it worked out pretty good,” Kuhnemann said. “If it was the off-season then maybe it would be a blow to miss Dubai but we’re in the middle of summer and the workloads and confidence are high. Everything is all good.”

The fast bowler re-signed with the franchise earlier this year and replaces Matthew Wade in the skipper’s role

Tristan Lavalette16-Nov-2023Fast bowler Nathan Ellis has been appointed the new Hobart Hurricanes captain, replacing Matthew Wade in the role.Hurricanes, along with Melbourne Stars are the only two franchises that have failed to win a BBL title since the T20 competition began in 2011 despite being consistent performers. They’ve been runners-up twice and never finished last – Adelaide Strikers are the only other team to have avoided the wooden spoon.But new captain Ellis is hoping to lead Hurricanes to a drought-breaking title. Ellis, 29, re-signed with the Hurricanes earlier this year and for the past five seasons has been their trusted spearhead alongside speedster Riley Meredith.Related

• Harry Brook withdraws from the BBL

• Joe Clarke goes from Melbourne Stars to Renegades

• Tim Paine joins Adelaide Strikers as assistant coach in BBL

“The Hurricanes are a franchise that I hold very dear to my heart and have done a lot for me,” Ellis said. “So to have the opportunity to lead and hopefully bring some silverware home to Tasmania is really exciting.”He takes the reins from Wade, who in the off-season had been linked to a move to Melbourne Renegades before signing a contract extension until at least 2026.Wade will captain Australia during the five-match T20I series against India in the aftermath of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Ellis is also part of the squad, which features several players on the fringes of Australia’s white-ball teams.Since his spectacular international debut in August 2021, where he took a hat-trick against Bangladesh, Ellis has impressed in T20Is with 18 wickets at an average of 11.88 from eight games.His death bowling prowess, where Ellis deceives through canny slower deliveries, makes him an intriguing option as he eyes next year’s T20 World Cup. Ellis, who is not part of Australia’s ODI World Cup squad, has been unable to find the same success in 50-over cricket with ten wickets at 38.20 from eight matches.”He embodies everything the Hurricanes stand for; a great work ethic, resilience and a fantastic attitude towards the game and his team-mates,” Hurricanes head coach Jeff Vaughan said.Hurricanes start their season on December 11 against Sydney Sixers in Launceston.

Joe Root, with a career-high 923 rating points, is now at No. 19 on the list of the highest-rated batters in Test history

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2022Jonny Bairstow and Rishabh Pant, the standout batting stars of the Edgbaston Test, have burst into the top ten of the ICC men’s Test player rankings – Bairstow at tenth place and Pant at a career-best No. 5. The unbeaten century in the second innings didn’t hurt Joe Root’s cause either, as he consolidated his position at the top of the table, that too with 923 rating points, his best.Bairstow was the Player of the Match following innings of 106 and 114 not out in England’s seven-wicket win, which helped them square the five-match Test series 2-2. That made it four centuries in his last three Tests for him, and he moved up 11 places to No. 10. He has 1218 runs at an average of 55.36 with six centuries in the current World Test Championship cycle.With Bairstow moving up, Virat Kohli, who only managed scores of 11 and 20 at Edgbaston, fell four spots to No. 13. This is the first time since 2016 that Kohli has not featured in the top ten in Test cricket. As for Bairstow, it was a continuation of his stunning rise in recent weeks. Prior to the New Zealand Test series in June, he was ranked 47th. Now, he is back in the top ten for the first time since 2018.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Root, who collaborated with Bairstow in an unbroken 269-run stand that took England over the line against India and scored an unbeaten 142 himself – to go with 31 in the first innings – stretched his lead at the top of the table to 44 ratings points over second-placed Marnus Labuschagne. Root is now also among the top 20 highest-rated batters in Test history, at No. 19.Steven Smith and Babar Azam were at three and four respectively, with Pant at five. Pant was the main performer with the bat for India in the Test, hitting 146 in the first innings and 57 in the second. That took him up six places from No. 11.Two bowlers who gained in the latest rankings update were James Anderson and Nathan Lyon. Anderson picked up six wickets at Edgbaston, including 5 for 60 in the first innings, to move up one spot to sixth among Test bowlers. And Lyon, who picked up nine wickets in the first Test in Sri Lanka, has risen five spots to 13th.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

There was also a new top-tenner in the men’s T20I bowling rankings: Akeal Hosein. Hosein has returned 1 for 22 and 1 for 27 in the two T20Is at home against Bangladesh so far – the first ended in a no-result because of the weather and West Indies won the second by 35 runs. That has given him a jump of ten spots, and a joint-eighth position with Maheesh Theekshana.Papua New Guinea’s Norman Vanua’s impressive all-round showing in the T20I series in Singapore, meanwhile, has put him in the top ten among allrounders in the format. He hit 20 and picked up 2 for 30 in the first game, and scored 71 and returned 1 for 33 in the second, moving ten places to No. 9 as a result.

The middle-order specialist hopes to play his first T20I since November 2019 on the tour of New Zealand

Alex Malcolm11-Feb-2021Ashton Turner is learning not to judge his performances as harshly while playing the most difficult of T20 roles, as he tries to reclaim a permanent spot in the middle order of Australia’s T20I side.Turner appeared to be the answer to the national side’s long-standing middle-order woes in limited-overs cricket when he played one of the best innings by an Australian at No. 6 in ODIs, against India in Mohali in 2019.That was just his second ODI, having played only five T20Is prior. The era of Australia shoe-horning dominant domestic openers into middle-order roles looked over as Turner was a specialist showing why specialists are needed.But he has played just four ODIs and six T20Is since for his country and has batted only six times in those ten games. Shoulder surgery following a bizarre IPL, a horror run with other injuries and illnesses, a severe dip in domestic form and a lack of opportunity have all conspired to leave him in the international wilderness for over 12 months.Turner’s inclusion in the squad for the T20I tour of New Zealand may have surprised a few given his raw numbers this BBL. But such is the nature of the role he plays at No. 6, that 228 runs at 22.80 with no half-centuries aren’t numbers he can be judged by.Only Jordan Silk made more runs batting at Nos. 5-6 in the BBL and of the four players who scored 200 runs or more, only Daniel Christian had a better strike rate than Turner’s 155.47.Turner, 28, himself is starting to judge his own performances differently as he prepares for a return to international colours.”I think that when I first started playing Big Bash cricket and domestic cricket I probably didn’t know how to judge my performance,” Turner said. “When I first came into the team I was batting at No. 6 in a really strong team for the Perth Scorchers. I was probably a bit harsh on myself. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t scoring as many runs as guys who were opening the batting.”As I’ve got older and a bit wiser and a bit more experienced, I probably have different KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for myself. I hold myself to different standards. Opening batters want to go out and be the leading run-scorers in the tournament. I think for me it’s about doing what the team needs and it’s about trying to have an impact in the game whether it be two balls at the end of the innings or I get to face 20 balls, that can determine how much of an impact I can have.”I don’t train for as long in T20 cricket but it’s at a real intensity”•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

“Guys who are batting in the middle order – 5, 6, 7 – you probably won’t see too many of those guys at the top of the run-scoring charts. But quite often you will see those guys batting in real high-pressure situations with four runs to win off the last ball or situations like that. I probably judge myself more on how I perform in those situations than I do on averages or anything like that.”In Turner’s six international innings since Mohali, he has only been dismissed three times. In his last six T20Is, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he only batted thrice making scores of 1, 22 and 8 without being dismissed, with the last two coming in successful chases as Australia went undefeated in the two series.”I take a lot of confidence out of the times I have played really well for Australia,” Turner said. “I know my best is good enough. The challenge for me is being more consistent with that and being able to replicate my best days again and again. That’s something that I’ve been working really hard at over the last 12 months and hopefully, you can see that on show in this series.”Turner has more experience batting at No.5-6 in all T20 cricket than any of the candidates that Australia are looking to use in the upcoming series. He also has a better strike rate than all bar Josh Philippe, who has only batted in the position 10 times in all T20 cricket compared to Turner’s 61 innings in those spots.That vast array of experience and specialisation in the role has also helped Turner learn to tailor his preparation for it.”Quite often the role of a middle-order batter is to walk out and you might have to try and find a boundary in your first or second ball and that’s something that you don’t prepare for in red-ball cricket and I like to think my training reflects that,” Turner said.”I don’t train for as long in T20 cricket but it’s at a real intensity. It’s certainly a skill to be able to walk out to bat and to be able to not face dot balls, be able to score really quickly, and potentially find the boundary early. But sometimes it’s a skill to be able to get off strike and get your mate who is going really well at the other end on strike and being really adaptable. Sometimes you might be chasing a low target, sometimes you’re chasing a big score and that dictates how you need to play. I like to think that my training reflects all situations but I certainly do prepare really differently for white-ball cricket compared to how I prepare for red-ball cricket.”His bowling will also be significant for his selection chances. Despite bowling just 5.3 overs in the recent BBL, he has fully recovered from his shoulder issues and with Australia having two specialist spinners in Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa, who both predominantly turn the ball away from right-handers, having Turner and Glenn Maxwell’s right-arm offspin in the playing XI provides captain Aaron Finch with a full board of options if specific match-ups demand it.”I’m confident in my bowling,” Turner said. “I’ve had some issues with my body in the past and that has meant that I’ve had a couple of years where I haven’t been able to bowl at all or as much as I would have liked. But that being said, I was probably just a victim of us having a quality bowling line-up in the Big Bash this year.”I’ve been bowling a lot at training and I still feel really confident in my skills.”

A maiden T20I win over Afghanistan could boost morale for struggling side, while Afghanistan could look to test bench strength in dead rubber

The Preview by Mohammad Isam19-Sep-2019

Big picture

This game is the first of two dead rubbers in this tri-series, but try telling that to Hamilton Masakadza. This will be his last international match and, having contributed for so long to Zimbabwe cricket, a win over a side that has totally dominated them in T20Is will make for a sweet exit.Afghanistan, on the other hand, will once again rely on their heavy hitters and their spin attack to stop Zimbabwe, a formula that has worked on each of the eight occasions the teams have met in this format. In this series, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi have scored most of the runs but Afghanistan will also hope to see Hazratullah Zazai recover from a batting slump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who impressed on his debut earlier in the tri-series, would look to bounce back from the first-ball duck in the second game.Among their bowlers, Mujeeb Ur Rahman stopped Bangladesh in their tracks with his maiden four-wicket haul in the previous game, also his T20I best. Fareed Ahmad, the left-arm quick, also looked impressive, although medium-pacer Karim Janat hasn’t been among the wickets.Zimbabwe haven’t had as many impressive individual performances. Richmond Mutumbami did justice to his call-up against Bangladesh on Wednesday with a half-century but his efforts did not have an impact on the result. Ryan Burl, who made a quickfire fifty in the first game against Bangladesh, has struggled for consistency, as has Regis Chakabva. And the side’s senior batsmen, including Masakadza, haven’t scored enough to put pressure on the opposition.They have some variety in their bowling attack but apart from Kyle Jarvis, the others haven’t quite stepped up. Neville Madziva, Ainsley Ndlovu and Sean Williams will look to do a better job with the ball.

Form guide

Afghanistan WWWWW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LLLWL

In the spotlight

Like his team, Hamilton Masakadza, too, has had a rough time in the tournament, scoring only 62 in three innings so far. In his final match, a big knock from the Zimbabwe captain could well have a big impact on the morale of the side.Getty Images

With two matches to go before the final, this would be the right time for Hazratullah Zazai to get back among the runs. The opener hasn’t scored a fifty in his last 14 international innings, after his 67 against Ireland in March this year

Team news

Having played their first two matches in the series with an unchanged XI, Afghanistan now have the luxury of two matches to test out their bench strength. Fast bowlers Dawlat Zadran and Naveen-ul-Haq, seaming allrounder Fazal Niazai and wicketkeeper Shafiqullah and left-arm spinner Shahidullah and Sharafuddin Ashraf are their options should they rest a few key players.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 3 Najeeb Tarakai, 4 Asghar Afghan, 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Karim Janat, 10 Fareed Ahmad, 11 Mujeeb Ur RahmanRichmond Mutumbami’s fifty should keep him in the side but Zimbabwe might consider recalling quick bowler Tendai Chatara and allrounder Tony Munyonga to bolster the bowling.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brendan Taylor (wk), 2 Hamilton Masakadza (capt), 3 Sean Williams, 4 Regis Chakabva, 5 Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Richmond Mutumbami, 8 Neville Madziva, 9 Kyle Jarvis, 10 Ainsley Ndlovu, 11 Chris Mpofu

Pitch and conditions

In the match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury pitch offered runs to batsmen, who were ready to take time to assess the situation. There’s chance of a late shower on Friday evening.

Stats and trivia

• Masakadza will retire having played the most T20Is for Zimbabwe. He has missed only four of Zimbabwe’s 69 T20Is, all in 2015. He is also their highest run-getter in the format, with the most 50-plus scores and the most boundaries.
• Mohammad Nabi’s unbeaten 84 in Afghanistan’s previous game against Bangladesh is the third-highest score by a No. 6 batsman in all T20Is.

The apex court ruled that the domestic T20 tournament could proceed as scheduled with players registered under the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association alone

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2018The Tamil Nadu Premier League will progress as scheduled, but without any players from outside the state, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, the day the domestic T20 league will be starting.The has reported that a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Mishra said the tournament could proceed as per the schedule originally drawn up, but players registered to associations other than the TNCA could take part, as per the rules laid down the CoA. While Ranjit Kumar, the advocate for TNCA, argued that players had obtained NoCs from their respective state associations, Parag Tripathi, the CoA’s advocate, held that outstation players weren’t allowed as per the BCCI’s constitution.The TNPL organisers had mooted allowing each of the franchises to have up to two outstation players, which would have made for a total of 16 outstation players at most. The BCCI had held an SGM – which was later ruled invalid by the CoA – in which the members proposed allowing outstation players to take part in domestic T20 leagues with certain restrictions (capped players and those who had taken part in the previous edition of the IPL wouldn’t be allowed, and each player could only take part in two leagues).However, in an advisory sent to all state associations, the CoA nixed the idea. The TNCA then challenged that order, which is how the matter went before the Supreme Court.