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India’s attempts to host a day-night Test has gained further ground with Eden Gardens set to host the country’s first pink-ball multi-day cricket match in June

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2016India’s attempts to host a day-night Test has gained further ground with Eden Gardens set to host the country’s first pink-ball multi-day cricket match.The final of the Super League, a local tournament in Bengal to help identify players for the state’s Ranji Trophy team, is expected to be played under lights from June 18 to 21. Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, hoped the “experiment” would help India host a day-night Test “in the near future”.”Pink-ball cricket indeed is the way forward,” he told the . “Test cricket’s popularity has been steadily declining and we must do something to arrest the slide. The pink-ball Test in Australia last year received an overwhelmingly positive response and we must embrace the change. The Super League final under lights is an experiment with an eye to hosting day-night Tests in the near future. I think it would be a very good experience.”Ganguly is also the head of the BCCI technical committee that recommended the Duleep Trophy, an inter-zonal first-class tournament, be played with pink balls soon after then board secretary and current board president, Anurag Thakur, had announced plans to play a floodlit Test against New Zealand later this year. NZC, however, said a number of factors needed to be finalised before going through with the match.Though cricket in India is usually played with the SG ball, the Super League final will be played with a pink Kookaburra, which requires a specific set of conditions to last.There had been complaints that it deteriorated quickly and became difficult to pick up, from both batsmen and fielders, when it was trialled in the Sheffield Shield, Australia’s first-class tournament, before it was approved for the day-night Test in Adelaide in November 2015. The pitch for that game had to have a more-than-normal coating of grass to help delay the wear and tear of the ball, and it resulted in exaggerated lateral movement. Another concern with hosting a floodlit match, especially in India, is dew.”Certain conditions are required for the pink ball to hold up for a substantial period,” CAB secretary Abhishek Dalmiya said. “We have spoken to Kookaburra’s subcontinent head and will follow the advice.”

The hosts are in good position to topple their 0-8 record, stretching back 14 years, against Pakistan

Mohammad Isam in Khulna27-Apr-2015

Match facts

Tuesday, April 28 to May 2, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0400 GMT)1:19

Isam: Team that wins toss likely to bat first

Big picture

An 8-0 streak, stretching back 14 years, for Pakistan over Bangladesh in Test cricket is now under legitimate threat after the hosts won the ODI series 3-0 and the lone T20 in Mirpur.However, with the change to whites comes the addition of captain Misbah-ul-Haq and the veteran Younis Khan to a batting line-up that will also have the in-form Azhar Ali at No 3. The onus will be on Misbah to change the mood within the team. His exit from the ODI side has coincided with immediate losses for Pakistan, so a lot will be expected of him. Younis had a forgettable World Cup campaign, but it is not quite so easy to forget his five Test centuries in 2014.Pakistan have a few other players whose experience worked last year but lately have run into poor form. Mohammad Hafeez, who has made 34 runs in four innings on tour, will be important at the top. Asad Shafiq, who has been limited to the nets and the bench so far, and Sarfraz Ahmed, who was “rested” in an ODI, are likely to shore up the middle-order batting at Nos. 6 and 7.The seam attack will be led by Wahab Riaz, with only Junaid Khan for company, and both have been off colour in Bangladesh. Saeed Ajmal too hasn’t had a good return to international cricket. So Pakistan could prefer a second spinner who can contain like Zulfiqar Babar rather than Yasir Shah, who missed the ODIs with injury but has since been bowling in the nets. The Khulna pitch turns from any point after the third day, so Ajmal will be more influential as the match progresses.Similarly, Bangladesh will expect Shakib Al Hasan to find his rhythm in the longer format, with Jubair Hossain and Taijul Islam for assistance. Their major concern will be the pace attack, which looks thin on threat and experience. Rubel Hossain and Shahadat Hossain have been around for a number of years, but have never come of age in Test cricket.Bangladesh’s batting resources are a bit more exciting. Most of the top and middle-order are in form and greater solidity can be found if Soumya Sarkar is used well. Much, however, will depend on Tamim Iqbal at the top and Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib in the middle.

Form guide

(Last five matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WWWLL

Pakistan LDWWW

In the spotlight

Mominul Haque has a 60-plus batting average after 12 Tests but he will face a fresh challenge after losing his place in the ODI side. His role at No. 3 will be vital, so will be the way he handles the Pakistan attack in early and late spells.Sami Aslam made an impressive ODI debut and is likely to get his first Test cap in Khulna. A compact left-hander, Aslam has a first-class average of 37.65 with five centuries.

Team news

Bangladesh are set to hand Soumya Sarkar a Test debut at No. 7. Imrul Kayes will open with Tamim Iqbal. And among the seamers, Shahadat Hossain might be picked ahead of Mohammad Shahid.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Soumya Sarkar 8 Taijul Islam, 9 Jubair Hossain, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Shahadat Hossain/ Mohammad ShahidSami Aslam is likely to pip Babar Azam for the opening position, while Haris Sohail would have to wait his chance now that Younis Khan and captain Misbah-ul-Haq are back. Pakistan are also expected to pick two pace bowlers, which leaves no place for Imran Khan. Zulfiqar Babar could play ahead of Yasir Shah.Pakistan (probable): 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfaraz Ahmed, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Zulfiqar Babar

Pitch and conditions

Spin has been king at the Sheikh Abu Nasir Stadium, unless someone with high pace creates enough chances. Batting will get progressively harder. There are chances of rain in the forecast for the first four days as well.

Stats and trivia

• In the last Test held in Khulna, Shakib Al Hasan became the first spinner to take to score a hundred and taken 10 wickets in the same Test.
• Among the current players, Younis Khan and Mohammad Hafeez (418 in five matches) have the most runs in the Bangladesh-Pakistan contest while Saeed Ajmal has taken the most wickets (9 in two matches)

Quotes

“Our expectation is to win every series. We don’t take opposition for granted or overconfident. We try to do our best and if we do that, I think we have the ability to beat any team.”

Mahela Jayawardene has led Sri Lanka into the fourth major limited-overs final of his career – now all he has to do is win one

David Hopps in Colombo04-Oct-2012Mahela Jayawardene has led Sri Lanka into the fourth major limited-overs final of his career – now all he has to do is win one. He calls himself “blessed,” and he is, but he knows that only victory in Colombo on Sunday will silence complaints that Sri Lanka always fail at the final hurdle.Sri Lanka had to battle for their 16-run win against Pakistan after setting them a target of 140, which was distinctly vulnerable even on a slow, turning pitch at the Premadasa Stadium. The manner in which they did it deepened Jayawardene’s faith that this time their experience in the final will be different.Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lasith Malinga have all joined their captain in suffering defeat in three previous finals, the worst of them coming last year when Sri Lanka were routed by India in the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai, following defeats against Australia in Barbados in the 2007 World Cup, and a World Twenty20 loss against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2009.There was no time for Jayawardene to savour victory against Pakistan before he had to make light of talk of rising tension. “We are all really happy to be part of a very successful group over a period of time,” he said. “We have been blessed with four now – although I know we haven’t won anything. But four finals, it’s amazing. In one’s career you are lucky enough to play in one final.”They have all had to be approached in different ways. One final was in Barbados, one in England, one was in Mumbai. Now we are playing in Premadasa, so we will approach it differently.”I think experience-wise we are much better: Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis were all pretty new when we lost against Pakistan and we have played a lot of Twenty20 since then. We play with a very positive mindset. We spoke at the start of the tournament that we would have to play on three different surfaces in Hambantota, Pallakele and now Colombo. We had to adapt. It is about handling tough situations better.”Jayawardene tonight was a captain who actually captained. There were none of the high jinks that entailed in the final Super Eights game against England in Pallakele he officially handed the captaincy to Sangakkara, so as to protect himself from a potential suspension for a second transgression for slow overrates, but then ran the show unofficially much as he always would.The likelihood is that the authorities – Sri Lanka Cricket, the ICC or most probably a bit of both – let it be known that further mischief would be frowned upon. That is the thing about a good trick – it is best not repeated.Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s captain, felt around 150 was par on this pitch and repeatedly blamed his team’s defeat on a middle-order collapse. Jayawardene, by contrast, felt 140 was around par – “a score where we could challenge.” “The way we started, we probably fell short by about 15 or 20 runs, but Umar Gul bowled well and pulled us back.”Pakistan brought in an extra bowler so we had to adjust ourselves up front. Sohail Tanvir usually picks up wickets for them so we changed our game plan and tried to hold out for six overs and then we knew we could attack their spinners. Today it worked for us. Sometimes you may lose calls and it doesn’t work, but I think our situation has been pretty good in this tournament.”Chasing down runs is always going to be a tough call in a semi-final. Hafeez batted really well and guided them through the first 10 or so overs, but we knew they were a batter short today and we kept pressure on them.”

Jacques Kallis showed technical prowess, Yusuf Pathan great power, but the pugnacious Roelof van der Merwe mastered the slow and low track the best to help Somerset chase a daunting 162

The Report by Sidharth Monga25-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRoelof van der Merwe excelled with bat and ball to lead Somerset past Kolkata•AFP

Jacques Kallis showed technical prowess, Yusuf Pathan great power, but the pugnacious Roelof van der Merwe mastered the slow and low track the best to help Somerset chase a daunting 162. Kolkata Knight Riders’ late surge with both bat and ball made them work hard for the win, Kolkata looted 78 off the last six overs, and quick wickets meant Somerset had to struggle for 43 off their last seven.Even when Kallis and Yusuf went berserk, van der Merwe was the only man to hold his own. He went for just 14 from the 18th and 20 overs despite two dropped catches, one of which went for four. With the bat in hand he was an absolute jack in the box, reverse-sweeping sixes, managing to mishit over the infield, drop-kicking his favourite cricketer Kallis over midwicket, late-cutting the spinners delicately, and scoring the third-fastest Champions league fifty.It would have been easy for Somerset to feel disheartened after part-timer Arul Suppiah conceded 30 off the 15th over, or feel hard done by Brett Lee’s getting away with clear overhead bouncers and Alfonso Thomas’ being penalised for a border-line slower bouncer with Kallis down on his knees. Especially when Thomas followed that harsh call with a high full toss that Kallis duly deposited for a six.Somerset, though, got stuck in. And like with the ball van, der Merwe was the man with the bat. He came in to bat when Iqbal Abdulla struck with the first ball off the second over, but dominated so much that Peter Trego managed only 23 out of a 105-run second-wicket stand. He began with an edge through the vacant first slip region, but proceeded to counter Abdulla and Shakib Al Hasan with lovely late-cutting. It frustrated Kolkata so much that Manoj Tiwary – wired up for live-time interviews – berated his spinners on air for not turning the ball at all. The reverse-swept six off Shakib worked a treat.Kallis, who had worked hard in the first innings for his 74, was picked up for a six over midwicket and then upper-cut over the keeper’s head. That it was his devotee hitting him out of the attack made it more interesting to watch. At that time Somerset had reached 107 in 10 overs, and all they needed was milking. Kolkata, though, weren’t quite bovine, and Shakib brought them back. He dropped a caught-and-bowled from Trego but produced a direct-hit to run him out. The one from van der Merwe in the same over he gleefully accepted.With two new batsmen in, the pitch was back to being a mud-wrestling arena. The ball held up from the middle of the pitch, and stroke-making was difficult again. Nick Compton, Arul Suppiah and Steve Snell kept their cool for long enough to see them through with two balls to spare.It was similar sensible batting from Kallis that had kept Kolkata alive in the first quarter of the game. With Somerset bowlers using the slow track well and the fielders giving hardly anything away, Kallis had to use all his technique and judgement. It took him 39 deliveries to reach a strike-rate of 100. That was in the 14th over, when he hit his first six to take Kolkata to 82, off the 82nd legal delivery. In the next over, Thomas, the exemplary Somerset captain, gambled. He asked part-time spinner Suppiah to bowl. He was the seventh bowler used, and the run-rate of six an over then didn’t suggest Somerset needed overs to be made up. Perhaps Thomas was greedy with the slow track now.Yusuf seized the moment. He stood still, waited for the full flat deliveries and kept swinging to leg, hitting four consecutive sixes. Eighty-three had become 113 in one over, and clearly the fielding side, who had played smart cricket until then, was rattled. Catches were dropped, overthrows conceded, Kallis joined in in the fun too, but van der Merwe was still in their face. He would continue to be there with the bat too.

Mumbai have everything that it may take to become a top Twenty20 side, yet in three years they have no silverware to show for their efforts. The game against South Australia could be the first step towards correcting that

The Preview by Sidharth Monga13-Sep-2010

Match facts

Mumbai v South Australia, Tuesday, September 14
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)Solos from Sachin Tendulkar will not do for a side with Mumbai’s depth•AFP

Big Picture

Mumbai Indians seem to have everything a team might need to become the best club side in the world. They have Sachin Tendulkar at the top, who has taken Twenty20 batting to a new risk-free plane. They have talented Indian domestic batsmen in the middle. They have Lasith Malinga, perhaps the best bowler in the format, to go with Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan, who more than hold their own against international sides, leave alone club teams. Their owners are one of the richest families in India, and they have spent merrily in acquiring the services of Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and JP Duminy among others.
Still they are neither the IPL champions nor have they got off to a good start in the Champions League, losing to the Lions, a team whose collective fame and earnings pale in comparison to Pollard’s from one IPL season. From their last two matches, Mumbai will know they can do with better captaincy and pre-match strategy. In the IPL final, Pollard was given just three overs to win a match. They have been almost apologetic in using their rich resources. In the Champions League opener, neither Malinga nor Zaheer opened the bowling. Why not hit some helmets and break some toes straight up? Despite the presence of five specialist bowlers in the side, the part-timers bowled four overs for 49 runs.Now Mumbai are up against a side that has won a match based on a captain’s solo. Michael Klinger, a Victorian, moved to South Australia two seasons ago, didn’t play a single Twenty20 for them last season, but walked into the Champions League side as captain. Their first match showed why. While the rest of the top order struggled, Klinger got a golden bat emblazoned on his cap, a rather subtle recognition for the tournament’s highest scorer at the time, breaking away from the IPL’s honourable tradition of gaudy caps.Tendulkar nearly did a similar solo in the first game, but in a team of Mumbai’s quality he shouldn’t be required to do solos, only better strategy shall do.

Team news

A niggle to Saurabh Tiwary cost Mumbai some firepower in the middle order, and they will be hoping he is fit to play. They also need to realise that Dwayne Bravo is a better, classier, more valuable cricketer than Pollard, and they can’t afford to keep benching him. Not when their fourth overseas player, Ryan McLaren, is bowled for just one over and has hardly any role with the bat. Abhishek Nayar has been called up as cover for the injured Dhawal Kulkarni, but is unlikely to figure in the final XI even if he makes it in time.
Mumbai Indians 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 3 Ambati Rayudu (wk), 4 JP Duminy, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Saurabh Tiwary/R Sathish, 7 Dwayne Bravo/Ryan McLaren, 8 Ali Murtaza, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Lasith MalingaSouth Australia would like to retain their winning combination.South Australia Redbacks 1 Michael Klinger (capt.), 2 Daniel Harris, 3 Graham Manou (wk), 4 Tom Cooper, 5 Callum Ferguson, 6 Cameron Borgas, 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Aaron O’Brien, 9 Shaun Tait, 10 Gary Putland, 11 Cullen Bailey

Watch out for …

Kieron Pollard has played for so many teams it was inevitable he would come up against old mates one of these days. Good job that he plays a sport where who he is playing for is clearly defined. He is not at the risk of, say, instinctively passing the ball to the wrong team.
Callum Ferguson is back from his knee reconstruction, and his 27-ball 47 in South Australia’s first game suggested he had never been away. Watch out for more improvisation from the man whose Australia limited-overs career was on its way when he got injured.

Key contest

Shaun Tait v Lasith Malinga It will be a day to rejoice for the slingers of the world. Which of these round-arm hounds does better might just determine the course of the match.

Stats and trivia

• Sachin Tendulkar has hit just 20 sixes in his 1437 runs. Among those who have crossed 1000 runs in the format, only Gautam Gambhir (20 sixes out of 1844) and Murray Goodwin (21 sixes out of 1671) have higher runs-to-sixes ratios.
• Lasith Malinga has bowled 34 batsmen in his Twenty20 career. Only five men have found the stumps more often. Shaun Tait has 25 bowled victims.

“I fully went for the bluff,” England quick says of his hat-trick ball to Tim Southee, trapping him lbw

Vithushan Ehantharajah07-Dec-2024Gus Atkinson says he is “greedy” for more milestones after taking England’s 15th Test hat-trick to leave New Zealand reeling on day two of the second Test at the Basin Reserve.Atkinson became the 14th Englishman to take a Test hat-trick – Stuart Broad has two – and the first since Moeen Ali against South Africa in 2017. He is also the 50th man or woman to achieve the feat.Nathan Smith was bowled off the bat while trying to leave, Matt Henry was caught at gully fending a bouncer before Tim Southee was trapped plumb in front, which finished New Zealand’s innings on 125, 155 behind England’s 280. That lead is now a mammoth 533, with the tourists closing day two in Wellington on 378 for 5 in their first innings.Related

• Southee's extended farewell epitomises New Zealand's stasis

• Atkinson hat-trick, Bethell 96 highlight England's day of dominance

Saturday’s exploits, which has England in the driving seat for a series-clinching win, joins a growing list of remarkable achievements Atkinson has ticked off in his short Test career to date.Gus Atkinson spreads his arms after pinning Tim Southee for his hat-trick•Getty Images

He took 12 wickets on debut at Lord’s against West Indies in July, in James Anderson’s final Test, with 7 for 45 and 5 for 61. He then returned to the Home of Cricket to take another 5 for 62 and score a maiden Test century against Sri Lanka.Atkinson, whose only other hat-trick came at school in 2016 while playing for Bradfield College against Radley College, was buoyed by the achievement but says he is hungry for more memorable moments in an England shirt.”You always want to get more and be greedy,” said Atkinson at the close of play. “You want to take as many as you can and that’s something I want to try and do in the future.”It was great. It’s not something as a bowler you think about. you think about five-fors and ten-fors, those sort of things.”Obviously it’s been a great year for me personally and hopefully I can get a few more milestone and help the team.”Atkinson had a chance for a hat-trick on debut when he removed Alick Athanaze and Jason Holder in successive deliveries in the first innings. Joshua Da Silva kept out the hat-trick ball, before the West Indies’ keeper-batter was snared the very next delivery via an inside edge.This time, Atkinson’s third delivery in the set was carefully planned. With Southee on strike, England set a field for the short-ball, a nod to the his penchant for a big shot, regardless of the occasion. Atkinson, however, went full, striking the pad and wheeling away celebrating as the umpire raised his finger.”I fully went for the bluff,” said Atkinson. “He [Southee] is someone who, even on a hat-trick ball, he might take it on. That was the feeling: even though it’s a hat-trick ball he might take this on.”I was thinking about bowling a yorker, getting it full and straight. I missed a bit but thankfully it still ended up straight and relatively full when it hit him on the pad.”Atkinson currently boasts 47 wickets at an average of 21.31 in the format, with an innings remaining in his 10th Test. Though he had played 12 while-ball internationals ahead of his Test bow, he credits Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum for giving him room to thrive, and for taking a punt on him in the first place. At the time of his selection, he had played just 19 first-class matches for Surrey, taking 59 wickets at 27.38.Both Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett missed their hundreds•Getty Images

The 26-year-old is one of a number of such punts selectors have made in the last nine months, the latest being Jacob Bethell, who fell four runs short of what would have been his first century in professional cricket. Bethell’s 96 – a new first-class best – follows his maiden 50 from 37 deliveries that took England over the line against New Zealand last week at Hagley Oval. Atkinson credits the environment curated that has allowed the Warwickshire batter to thrive at the age of 21.”It was great viewing,” said Atkinson of Bethell’s innings, which came in a 187-run stand with Ben Duckett, who also fell short of a century with 92.”Both played exceptionally well and it’s a shame neither of them got to a hundred but I’m sure Beth will take a lot of confidence from that. He’ll have more chances in the future.”There’s no pressure on any of us. It’s just to go out and play our natural game. I probably didn’t have the stats for Test cricket before I played. I know Beth hasn’t scored a first-class hundred or anything, but the way he bats and the way he’s played in the ODI and T20 series as well just shows how much of a quality player he is. The way he plays fast bowling and spin also, he’s just a class player all-round.”I just think the environment of no pressure and go and play your own game, and don’t worry too much about the outcome, has helped myself and I’m sure it’s helped the others as well.”

Worries stem from hosting back-to-back matches on October 9 and 10 and their ability to provide adequate security

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Aug-2023Days before the 2023 World Cup tickets go on sale, the BCCI has been put in a spot by the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) which has raised a concern about hosting back-to-back ODIs on October 9 and 10.ESPNcricinfo has learned that, on Saturday, the HCA alerted the BCCI that the Hyderabad Police was concerned about providing adequate security for two matches – New Zealand vs Netherlands on October 9 and Pakistan vs Sri Lanka on October 10. It is understood that the BCCI has told the HCA that it will examine the issue and respond.Related

• ODI World Cup: Hyderabad to go ahead with hosting back-to-back games

• Why aren't the World Cup organisers prioritising fans?

• ODI World Cup tickets to go on sale on August 25, 41 days before the first match

• Date changes for India-Pakistan and eight other World Cup games

The HCA concern comes five days before the first batch of World Cup tickets go on sale, on August 25. The ICC announced the dates for a staggered sale of tickets after it was forced to revise the original World Cup schedule which comprised changing the dates for nine matches, including the one between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad – the marquee contest was shifted from October 15 to October 14. But that resulted in Pakistan’s match against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad being pushed from October 12 to October 10 to give Babar Azam’s team an adequate gap leading into their India match. It could not be confirmed whether the BCCI had spoken to HCA when the revised schedule was finalised.