‘I played in my usual mindset. A positive intent ensures that things fall into place,’ he said

Mohammad Isam05-Mar-2020Tamim Iqbal’s record-breaking 158 against Zimbabwe eased some of the pressure that had been on him since his return to international cricket from a self-imposed hiatus last year. During the course of the innings, Iqbal also became the first Bangladesh batsman to reach 7000 ODI runs, apart from breaking his own record for the team’s highest individual score in ODIs.Iqbal said that the support he received from his team-mates and the team management stopped him from becoming frustrated with his lack of big runs despite hitting the ball well.”I was under a little bit of pressure but I felt good with my batting [in the second ODI],” he said. “I wasn’t getting the big runs but I felt I was batting really well in the Pakistan and Zimbabwe Tests, and even in the nets. I knew that it was a matter of time but it was taking time to get the big knock. The team management and my team-mates kept on believing in me. They also didn’t let me get frustrated.”It is hard to find a lot of people around you in these times, but my team-mates and team management were most important for me. The board president even said some really nice things to me couple of days ago.”Iqbal said that during the course of the innings, he didn’t find himself batting any differently, but grew in confidence as more shots fell into the gaps. The day before the match, Bangladesh’s batting coach Neil McKenzie had said that Iqbal needed to hit two extra boundaries in the powerplay to keep his scoring rate intact.”To be honest, I didn’t do anything differently yesterday. I got a few early boundaries, because they went into gaps. Sometimes it doesn’t fall into the gaps.”Because my ball v runs was close, it looked like I changed everything. It is not correct, I played in my usual mindset. A positive intent ensures that things fall into place.”Iqbal said that he was mindful of the uneven nature of the pitch, as well as Bangladesh’s batting line-up, as he stretched his innings deep. He got out in the 46th over, with the score on 292, and the team went on to score 322.”I actually thought that the pitch gets better in the second half, as it was uneven in the first half. We were also playing with one less batsman, so I didn’t want to get out with a lot of overs left.”I was batting with calculative risks, but I got out to a good shot, which needed a bit more height.”When asked which of his two 150-plus knocks in ODIs was dearer to him, Iqbal said that the one in 2009, when his 154 helped Bangladesh chase their first 300-plus score against the same opposition, would remain special for him.”Obviously I would keep the 2009 innings ahead, because it was the first time that we had successfully chased a 300-plus total.”It was quite rare in those days. It was like chasing 400-plus these days, so back then we didn’t quite believe that we could chase down such a big total.”

One side is keen on a fresh start, the other is looking to extend dominance

The Retropreview by Shashank Kishore04-May-2020 #retrolive

Big picture

It has been a tumultuous year for Indian cricket, with the match-fixing scandal boiling over in full public view. Bans, investigations into the player-bookie nexus, sting operations, TV interviews, courtroom drama and much else has gripped the nation. For many, the players are demi-gods no more and it will need something special from a young group, led by new captain Sourav Ganguly, to restore faith.Ganguly is into his fifth year as an international cricketer (ignoring for a moment his solitary ODI in 1992) and a county stint in the summer with Lancashire, even if the runs didn’t quite flow, could give him new perspective into his own game. He has the experience of Sachin Tendulkar, his predecessor, and Anil Kumble to fall back on, while Rahul Dravid has been around as long as Ganguly has.The start to Ganguly’s captaincy has been challenging. India failed to make the tri-series final in Sharjah and managed to beat just Bangladesh in a forgettable Asia Cup campaign in Dhaka in June. This has necessitated the infusion of youth, with as many as three players – Vijay Dahiya, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan – debuting in the tournament opener against Kenya.They will face a stiff challenge against Australia, the reigning world champions. From November to early February, Australia have beaten India seven times across formats. The Steve Waugh-led side is in the midst of a golden run, having racked up 10 consecutive Test wins. Their one-day record is just as good, with only six losses in their 29 ODIs since lifting the World Cup last year. The core of this squad could still make it to their title defence in South Africa in 2003, an intimidating thought indeed.So, it’s one side hoping to start afresh against another looking to extend their dominance.

Form guide

India WLLWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Australia LTWLW

In the spotlight

Only two pacers picked up 30-plus wickets in the 1999-00 Ranji Trophy season. One of them was left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who will turn 20 tomorrow. He finished the season with 35 wickets in eight games for Baroda. His ability to bring the ball back in to the right-handers at over 140kph married with immaculate control makes him a terrific prospect. A mean bouncer and his ability to nail yorkers, like he did on debut against Kenya, lends a new dimension to the Indian attack. Can he build on his impressive domestic season and make a successful transition to international cricket?Brett Lee is considered the nearest competitor to Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar as far as bragging rights for being the fastest bowler in the world go. Within a year of his international debut, also against India, he has graduated to become the third wheel in a superb fast-bowling combine with Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie. So far, Lee has played much of his cricket on surfaces with pace and bounce. Nairobi’s short boundaries and a belter of a surface should be a good test for the 21-year old.

Team news

India may have been tempted to pick Hemang Badani against Kenya, but given they went with comeback man Vinod Kambli, who made a polished unbeaten 39, it’s hard to see them make a change to their XI. India (probable XI): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Vinod Kambli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Robin Singh, 7 Vijay Dahiya (wk), 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Anil Kumble, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Venkatesh PrasadThe arrival of a burly Queenslander Andrew Symonds, who had a terrific initiation into international cricket earlier in the year, during the tri-series in Australia, is cause of much optimism. His six-hitting lower down the order and skillful seam-ups or offspin, depending on conditions, make him a handy option. And he’s a great fielder even when compared to his supremely fit Australian team-mates. Could he pip Ian Harvey for a place in the XI? Australia (probable XI): 1 Mark Waugh, 2 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Michael Bevan, 7 Andrew Symonds, 8 Shane Lee, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath

Pitch and conditions

Hot and dry afternoons could give way for some rain later in the evening, which could bring the DL method into the picture. Traditionally, the surface at Nairobi Gymkhana has been batting friendly. Short boundaries could make it that much more difficult for the spinners here.

Stats and trivia

• India had three debutants – Yuvraj Singh, Vijay Dahiya and Zaheer – in their previous outing against Kenya. The last time India handed as many ODI caps in a single game was back in 1989-90, when a 16-year old Tendulkar debuted alongside Vivek Razdan and Salil Ankola.
• The last time both sides met in the same competition was in Dhaka in 1998, where Sachin Tendulkar scored 141 and picked up four wickets in a convincing Indian victory.

RetroLive

Mark Wood says players would be willing to accept bio-security conditions in order to get games on

Alan Gardner07-May-2020England’s Test players are preparing themselves for the potential of a “long stint” away from their families as part of plans to try and salvage planned series against West Indies and Pakistan this summer.Reports have suggested that the ECB is hoping to stage six Tests in bio-secure environments during July and August, with those picked for an expanded squad of 25-30 players likely to spend up to nine weeks away from home. Precautions to deal with the threat of coronavirus could include daily temperature checks and regular testing for Covid-19.Mark Wood, the England fast bowler, likened the prospect to going away on tour and confirmed that there was a desire among the group to get back on the field as long as the safety of those involved had been prioritised.ALSO READ: Women’s cricket could be sidelined by need for bio-secure venues“I’d be willing to do it,” he said. “With being away on tour for long periods of time, you sort of get used to it. It would be very hard but as long as the environment’s safe and my family are safe, and everybody else is safe I think I’d be willing to do it. I think everybody, as long as the conditions are right, is ready to go back and play some cricket. We’re desperate to get going. I know it would be a long stint and it would be hard but we want to get back out there.”England had been due to take on West Indies in June, before the ECB moved back the start of the season to July 1 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. With the assumption that lockdown conditions may soon be relaxed – and other sports working on plans to resume in the coming weeks – there is a possibility that the first Test against West Indies could be rescheduled for July 8.According to a report in the , players selected could be asked to report to the Ageas Bowl for a training camp from June 23, where they would initially train in small groups before taking part in an inter-squad warm-up match. The West Indies series would be followed by three more Tests against Pakistan; there is also the possibility that the ECB could simultaneously host ODIs against Ireland in July, brought forward from September.All six Tests are expected to be held at two venues – the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester – due to the presence of hotels on site.All such plans are likely to be subject to government approval, and Wood indicated that discussions were still in the early stages. Squeezing the Test summer into such a compressed timeframe could raise fears about workloads, with Wood having not played since February after suffering a recurrence of his side strain, but he said the players expected rotation would feature heavily.”I think having the big squad helps,” he said. “It’ll be challenging, but I imagine what they’ll do is have a pool of players. We’ve talked about different fast bowlers, swing bowlers, number of batters – all the players we’ll dip into if the Test matches come thick and fast.”I think that’s the plan. Certainly looking at my circumstances it was going to be that I wouldn’t play every game, I would be in and out of the side to manage my workload and manage my body. So I think that will be the same for all the fast bowlers – we’ve got a good group so coming in and out of the side doesn’t seem a problem.”We’ve never been in these circumstances before, where we don’t know what’s going to happen on the down days, you can’t just go home or you maybe have to train in small groups. I don’t know how it’s going to work.”

A lengthened tournament will allow for more matches to be played in the evenings

Daniel Brettig15-Jul-2020Cricket’s oldest format is to be used as a launchpad for its newer offspring, after Big Bash League chief Alistair Dobson candidly admitted the decision to start the 10th edition of the tournament as early as December 3 had much to do with giving it the helpful lead-in of Australia’s first Test against India at the Gabba that same week.After a period of more than 40 years in which cricket’s shorter formats – ODIs and then domestic T20 – have come to be seen as bankrollers for the traditional game played overs five days in whites, the recently ailing fortunes of the BBL have turned this notion on its head, with CA hoping to kickstart the T20 competition by running its launch off the back of the Brisbane Test.CA and the BBL clubs are increasingly desperate to find a way to get the tournament trending back up again in terms of broadcast viewers and crowds, with 2020-21 marking the halfway point of a six-year, A$1.18 billion deal with Seven and Fox Sports for which around half the value was drawn from an optimistic picture of how the BBL might grow.ALSO READ: WBBL to feature three-week Sydney hub amid Covid-19 contingenciesThis scheduling decision more or less answers the question of why the Gabba won out over Perth Stadium for the first match of the series against India, despite inferior facilities and seemingly a less helpful time slot for the vast subcontinental broadcast audience. A Perth Test would have finished too late for an ideal broadcast slot for BBL openers on the eastern side of the country, beginning with the Adelaide Strikers facing the Melbourne Renegades at Adelaide Oval on the Friday night after Tim Paine tosses the coin opposite Virat Kohli at the Gabba.Rashid Khan races off after claiming his hat-trick•Getty Images

“That fast start off the back of that first Test at the Gabba is going to be huge,” Dobson said. “All our numbers from a TV point of view suggest that BBL games off the back of Test matches are really strong. Our clubs have really bought into the idea of a really creative and innovative week of matches where we’ve got a home game for every club in those first eight, it presents some really interesting opportunities for us to work with our players and clubs around a theme and events.”That said, it also allows us to create a powerful core part of the BBL season in that central school holiday period with a run of prime-time matches and a spread of home games. BBL09 was full of highlights, there were a number of things that impacted our season that were out of our control. Innovation and entertainment are really important things for us to work towards for this season and if we can deliver on those things we’re on track to have a great BBL, inevitably with some bumps in the road to come.”All seven of Adelaide Oval’s Big Bash League fixtures will play out in prime-time evening slots in one of the standout features of a fixture list that has lengthened the 10th edition of the tournament to 65 days to appease broadcasters while also creating more room to move amid the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the chief complaints about last summer’s BBL was a proliferation of afternoon matches to squeeze the tournament’s 56 regular season games into a tighter window, with the Strikers suffering one of the biggest drop offs in terms of attendances due to getting far more early starts compared to Melbourne and Sydney in particular.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

However, the schedule for the 2020-21 tournament, subject to changes forced by Covid-19, has created room for the vast majority of matches to be played at night, with only eight earlier starts on double header days this time around – of those, only two matches start any earlier than 5pm eastern daylight time. As part of the carve up between broadcast rights holders Fox Sports and Seven, the pay TV network will get exclusive access to 10 evening matches.Among other changes, the regional component of last season’s fixture has been stripped back considerably after complaints from broadcasters about costs, while the problematic nature of the pre-Christmas period has been underlined by the use of the boutique-sized Junction Oval for a match between the Melbourne Stars and Adelaide Strikers on December 20. Dobson confirmed that CA would not be shifting from a 61-game tournament during the current broadcast deal with Fox Sports and Seven, lest it open up a negotiation that could only lead to a rights fee discount.”I know the length or the number of games is a topic people like to talk about, but we think the way we’ve set it up this year is really strong and people will be really engaged with the competition,” Dobson said. “Absolutely our commitment is to get all 61 games away and we’ve got a schedule that we think gives us the best chance to do that, but there is a whole range of scenario planning around making sure all the different options are considered.”We’ve got nothing but admiration for the way the footy codes have been able to adapt [to Covid], and we’re learning a lot from them and learning a lot from our broadcast partners, who are in the thick of it at the moment as well.”Issues around overseas players remain to be resolved, while a raft of other in-game tweaks will be formally announced by CA in coming weeks. “The prospect of bringing overseas players into both the WBBL and BBL is really important to those leagues,” Dobson said. “So we’re working really closely with internal experts to make sure the protocols and relevant exemptions and processes are in place. We’re optimistic of having overseas players part of both competitions again and there are a number of things we’ve got in place to give ourselves the best shot to do that.”Flexibility is going to be the key word. The ability for clubs to bring replacement overseas players in is obviously going to be more challenging on a short-term basis than it has in the past, the key is that we have to be really planned and organised. The list management strategies for clubs need to be in place ahead of time and we’re confident we’ll get the players in that we think are important to the league.”

Final hour lost after rain shower with home side needing 84 from 16.1 overs

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2020Set 292 to win off 82 overs after a declaration and two forfeitures, Leicestershire appeared to be cruising to victory when a heavy rain shower at the start of the final hour ended play with the Foxes needing just 84 to win from 16.1 overs in their Bob Willis Trophy match against Durham at the Fischer County Ground.Hard though the groundstaff, assisted by Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon and his staff, worked to clear the covers, umpires Nick Cook and Neil Mallender felt the ground needed too long to dry to the point where it was safe for play to resume.The loss of 186.4 overs to the weather over the first three days meant the fourth day began with Durham still in their first innings on 250 for 7, but negotiations between Ackerman and opposite number Ned Eckersley had clearly been fruitful, as Ackermann threw the ball to opening batsmen Sam Evans and Hassan Azad, neither of whom had previously bowled in first-class cricket.Remarkably, and to a mixture of amusement and embarrassment, legspinner Azad picked up a wicket with just his second delivery, a wrong ‘un that spun back sharply and stayed low to bowl batsman Bryden Carse off his pads. Eckersley and Ben Raine, both former Leicestershire players, then swatted away a few full tosses until Eckersley declared the innings closed, with two forfeited innings following.Azad and Evans, in rather more familiar roles, added 34 for the Foxes’ opening partnership before Carse extracted a measure of revenge, coming on and immediately bowling Azad with a full inswinging delivery that took the inside edge and knocked out leg stump.Evans was joined by Harry Dearden, and the young left-hander looked in good touch in going to 23 until Raine pinned him leg before with an inswinger delivered from around the wicket. Evans dug in, and with Ackermann playing relatively fluently on a wicket of no great pace, passed 50 for the first time for the Foxes, off 134 balls, hitting four boundaries.The 22-year-old Evans was finally dismissed for 85, clubbing a full toss from occasional legspinner Cameron Steel straight to mid-on, but Ackermann reached his 50, off 93 balls, and looked to be steering his side to victory when the weather cruelly intervened for a final time.

Eddie Byrom’s first century against county opposition led Somerset to 301 all out at Lord’s

Paul Edwards24-Sep-2020Somerset 301 (Byrom 117, Overton 66, S Cook 5-76) v EssexAs has been the practice of several Somerset cricketers down the decades – think Sammy Woods or Peter Wight – Eddie Byrom arrived in the county by way of somewhere else. Born in Harare, he pitched up in the West Country a few years ago to complete his education, cricketing and otherwise, at King’s College, Taunton. Yet like many such offcomers, Byrom found the place got into his blood. So we may only imagine his deep feelings a few minutes after lunch this second afternoon when his on-drive to the Nursery End boundary off Sam Cook brought him a maiden first-class century against county opposition. And all this on his first appearance at Lord’s and in the final of the Bob Willis Trophy, too.Byrom’s outward emotions were plain enough. There was the usual bat-brandishing, arm-raising and fist-pumping. So far as one could judge the pleasure was reciprocated, with many of the 23-year-old’s colleagues and coaches congregating – at a distance from each other – on the dressing-room balcony or near the pavilion seating to offer their applause. Tom Banton tweeted his happiness from Dubai and one imagines John Cleese was chuffed, too.All that was missing was the deep-throated acclamation of “Tractor”, one of Somerset’s most voluble supporters, or the delight of the denizens of Gimblett’s Hill, some of whom would surely have made the trip to London for this match. One’s mind went back to Tom Abell’s maiden century at Taunton in 2015 when the County Ground erupted in joy and Marcus Trescothick declared himself no more than a warm-up act for the West Country’s young champion.But there were no paying supporters at Lord’s this chilly autumnal Thursday and since Byrom is playing his sixth first-class match without crowds he is probably adjusting to their absence. Still it would have been pleasant to hear the rumbling approval of folk who followed Somerset in the tough summers as they watched Byrom and a noticeably responsible Craig Overton construct their fine partnership of 127 for the sixth wicket. That stand was ended by Jamie Porter with the new ball shortly after a three-hour rain break when he had Overton leg before wicket for 66, and the excellent Cook completed his own five-wicket return in successive overs immediately after that breakthrough. First Byrom was lbw for 119 when he moved too far across his stumps and Russell Warren then sent Lewis Gregory on his way when the batsman missed a hoick.These three decisions refreshed Essex – Simon Harmer took the final wickets with successive balls – but the bowlers may also look back to occasions in the morning and early afternoon when things had gone nothing like so well. For example, Overton might well have been leg before wicket to Aaron Beard when he had made 22; perhaps the discourtesy of the celeb appeal spiced Rob Bailey’s pleasure at rejecting it. Thus reprieved, one of Instow’s finest reached his fifty off 85 balls and helped Byrom build a strong position, particularly powerful, indeed, when one remembers that this trophy will be settled on first-innings lead should both teams complete one innings and the match be drawn.That, of course, is a satisfactory way of deciding the winners of a competition which has been a marvellous stop-gap in dark times. But to think that a similar method should resolve a County Championship final or that such a match is even necessary is to confuse an effective painkiller with a permanent cure for an illness whose existence is still disputed. No one has doubted the value of the Bob Willis Trophy this season but if a five-day game at Lord’s is to end the season it should be a well-financed and well-rewarded celebration rather than a means of deciding the winners of what is still the most important competition in English domestic cricket.The county champions should receive their pennant after five months rather than five days. To be gulled by the attractions of a showpiece occasion is to sacrifice the satisfactions of an absorbing struggle in varying conditions against different opponents for the glitz of an X Factor shindig. Should the Hundred go ahead next year we will have three finals over 16.4, 20 and 50 overs. Why do we need another?It is almost always a bad idea to regard football as a model for cricket but no one suggested that last year’s Premiership title should have been decided by a play-off between Liverpool and Manchester City. (That said, it would have been entertaining to hear the reactions on Merseyside had they done so.)Absolutely none of which will affect Byrom’s sense of pleasure this Thursday evening. His patience laid the foundations of his side’s total and his boundaries were its coping stones. There were 16 fours in his 312-minute innings, three in an over off Beard in the game’s very first session, a perfect straight drive off Cook to reach his half-century and then a pull and a sweep in Harmer’s first over on Thursday morning. Yet Byrom never batted beyond himself; he used the depth of the crease but was not chary of getting on the front foot. Above all he never allowed the giddiness of the moment to trump his judgement. County chief-executives, please take note.

ESPNcricinfo’s updates from the 32nd match of IPL 2020, in Abu Dhabi

Debayan Sen16-Oct-2020