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The England pacer, who should continue to take on new-ball duties in New Zealand, has particular issues with the ball used in day-night Tests

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Feb-2023The drive to Mount Maunganui from Hamilton takes barely a session, through the lush greens and postcard backdrops you’d associate with New Zealand. But on Sunday the vistas were blurred by the first winds and driving rains ahead of Cyclone Gabrielle’s visit to the North Island at the start of next week.Preparations ahead of the opening Test on Thursday at Bay Oval are set to be severely hampered, with domestic flights to nearby Tauranga Airport cancelled, and with no indoor facilities beyond an admittedly impressive marquee that will probably end up as a glorified kite. England are not worried, believing their two-day match against New Zealand XI in Hamilton supplemented by seven intense practice sessions since arriving in the country at the end of February should hold them in good stead.They were certainly in no rush to get down on Sunday evening, stopping along the way for a barbecue at casa del McCullum, which sits at a neat halfway point just outside the town of Matamata. And by all accounts, they aren’t in a rush for the series opener, their seventh pink-ball Test.Related

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“It’s a bit gimmicky,” said seamer Ollie Robinson on day-night matches in general. Perhaps an unsurprising viewpoint from an Englishman given they have lost five out of the six they’ve played, each by considerable margins. The last one over here came just up the road in Auckland back in 2018 – a humiliating innings and 49-run defeat after getting bowled out in their first innings for 58.”They’re trying to get crowds and and change the game a little bit. But the way England are playing Test cricket at the moment, I don’t think that needs to happen. We could stick to how we’re going and we’re entertaining people as we are so I’m not sure if it’s necessary really.”Just traditional Test cricket – there’s nothing wrong with it to start with. I don’t think we need to play these pink-ball games.”The ball is the main gripe, something not limited to this group of players. Especially the Kookaburra version which has been used most in the 23 day-night matches so far. Criticisms range from a loss of colour to varying degrees of hardness dependent on the batch. And, of course, little assistance off the seam or through the air. Even the greater threat to the twilight period seems to be due to batters struggling to adjust their eyes.”I think they’re all different. Every time I play with it, they’ve been different. Some have swung, some have seamed and some are harder. Some are softer. The warmup game the other day, I got hit with a 65-over-old ball and it hurt more than a brand new ball. It’s just like a rock.”I’m not a massive fan of that, no. We’ve been trying to get them to swing this last week and they’re very inconsistent and the seams a bit grippier in the surface. They’re just not a traditional cricket ball.”Robinson has a pretty good record with the pink Kookaburra. Across the three times he’s used it, all in Australia – two Tests during the recent Ashes series (Adelaide and Hobart) and against Australia A at the MCG for the Lions in February 2020 – he has taken 12 wickets at 24.41. Throw in a match with the Dukes equivalent for Sussex against Glamorgan in 2018, and his overall pink average drops to 21.06, close to an overall first-class average of 20.71.Clearly, whether he likes it or not, he has found a way to make it work for him. Therefore you would expect him to continue this week in his newly acquired opening role. It was as much something he took from Stuart Broad as the veteran quick gave to him upon Robinson’s return to the side for the second Test against South Africa last summer. Ahead of the match at Old Trafford, Broad suggested to Ben Stokes the 29-year-old’s skills warranted first dibs after overcoming general fitness concerns.The captain agreed and Robinson went on to 12 wickets at 15 in the remaining two matches of the summer, as England overturned a 1-0 deficit against South Africa.”To get that opportunity to bowl with Jimmy [James Anderson] at the other end was really special for me and my career. And Broady was really good about it as well. Every morning he’d tap me on the back, good luck, go well. Talk to me at mid-off every other ball. So the three of us have got a really good relationship about it. And it’s been going really well for the last 18 months.”A more wide-ranging part came in Pakistan as the only quick bowler to play all three back-to-back matches. Wedding the usual control with relentless spells of bumpers and even reverse swing, he finished with nine dismissals at 21.22.Starting 2023 with 60 at a ridiculous 20.01 from 14 caps so far, and more equipped for the rigours of multiple spells across multiple days, he has offered more than a glimpse of a future beyond Broad and Anderson. England’s dexterity with their bowling this tour centres around the opposition’s batting which is left-hand heavy at the top of the order with Tom Latham and Devon Conway, with Olly Stone the outlier given his extra pace.The improved durability, more of a lifestyle change than a short-term fix, is something that is on the way to becoming a standout trait for Robinson, even given the outright skill he possesses. His aim, in essence, is to prove him worth of being a constant, much like Anderson, to allow others to come in and out and do their work around him.”That’s obviously what I’m going for. Try and be economical, let the boys around me with pace sometimes go hard and I’ll try and hold the game like we did in Pakistan when Woody [Mark Wood] played. That’s probably my role and if I can play as many games as possible to help the team that’s what I’ll do.”It proved crucial in Pakistan and will be especially so this summer with six Tests across seven weeks, with the one-off match with Ireland and a condensed Ashes series. The prospect of the latter meant a number of England players have been following the start of Australia’s tour of India, which culminated in a collapse for 91 on Saturday evening in New Zealand to confirm defeat inside three days.”It’s always good to see the Aussies lose,” Robinson said with a wry smile. Even then, he appreciated the nature of the wicket and the way the game fell, believing India’s batters had the better conditions to bat: “Sometimes you win the toss, bat first but then it almost plays better second day”.Nevertheless, he was taking what cues he could on how Pat Cummins’ charges might approach the summer. All the more important as he enters his third year at this level – one he regards as the most important so far.”I think it’s probably the biggest year of my career now. It’s an exciting year and I think with the group and the environment we’ve got it’s going to be amazing. The memories that we’re going to create and hopefully the Test match wins we’re going to do. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Allrounder could miss entire series after failing to recover from hamstring injury

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2021Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of Bangladesh’s first Test against Pakistan in Chattogram, which begins on Friday. It was, however, an inevitable decision from the BCB’s medical team after Shakib apparently failed to recover from the hamstring injury he sustained during the T20 World Cup.Bangladesh’s chief selector Minhajul Abedin said that Shakib might take longer to recover, which could mean that he is entirely out of the Test series against Pakistan.Related

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“Shakib’s hamstring injury hasn’t improved,” Abedin said. “Shakib needs further rehabilitation. Our physiotherapist is constantly taking care of him. We understood that he wouldn’t be available for the first Test. We are also not sure of his availability for the second Test. The physio will let us know soon. We haven’t called up a replacement since we picked the 16-man squad knowing Shakib’s condition.”Shakib missed the last two matches of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup campaign, as well as the three T20Is in the series against Pakistan. Bangladesh have grown accustomed to playing Tests without Shakib even after his return from suspension this year. Shakib appeared in only one Test in the World Test Championship, against West Indies in February, a game in which he got injured midway. Shakib also played against Zimbabwe in the Harare Test in July.Bangladesh are already without Tamim Iqbal in this Test series due to a second thumb fracture after he had seemingly recovered from the first one. Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam are also out with injuries for the Chattogram Test. Taskin hurt his hand during the third T20I against Pakistan while Shoriful sustained a back injury during the second game.Bangladesh’s Test series against Pakistan is their first in the new WTC cycle. They are also scheduled to play against Sri Lanka and India at home next year, apart from tours to South Africa, West Indies and New Zealand to round off their WTC schedule.

Regional Retainers designed to bridge financial gap in season disrupted by Covid-19

Valkerie Baynes19-May-2020Up to 24 domestic women’s cricketers will receive retainer payments from June 1 as the ECB tries to ease some of the financial hardship of their season being disrupted by the Covid-19 lockdown.The ECB was due to award full-time contracts to 40 domestic players this year under a plan to transform women’s and girls’ cricket, with those players involved in a 50-over competition between eight new regional teams in September. Clare Connor, the ECB’s managing director of women’s cricket, said it was still the intention to award those contracts in 2020, but that the regional retainers were designed to support players financially in the meantime.”The momentum behind the women’s game has been staggering in the last few years and it is still firmly our ambition to build on that,” Connor said on Tuesday. “As we emerge from this pandemic, we believe even more strongly that cricket will be a sport that throws its arms around everyone – truly inclusive, diverse and a sport for modern Britain to be proud of.ALSO READ: Hundred delay a knock for women’s game – Katie Levick“This was due to be the most exciting year in the game’s history for our leading domestic players. A number of them would have been hoping to sign a full-time contract with one of our eight Regions this summer. While we still intend to award those full-time contracts in 2020, we want to try to support our players as much as we can until that point, hence the introduction of these Retainers to provide an interim solution.”As the effects of COVID-19 on the rest of the summer and beyond become more apparent, we will continue to support our players to the best of our ability, and we promise them that our drive for a more gender-balanced sport remains vitally important.”ECB Women’s Cricket Regions•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Earlier this month, Connor said that while the domestic competition had not been removed from this year’s schedule, “we have to plan for it not to happen as much as we have to plan for it to happen”. Meanwhile, the decision to postpone the inaugural Hundred competition until 2021 left a host of women’s players facing the prospect of not playing – or earning an income from the sport – this season.The eight regions will recruit players to the retainer scheme and, in turn, the players will take part in strength and conditioning programmes, online education on topics including anti-corruption and anti-doping, and devote time to activities and appearances aimed at supporting the game.

Their resignation came hours before the Mumbai Cricket Association ad-hoc committee meeting on Friday that was to decide their fate

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2019In a bizarre move on Friday, Mumbai’s entire five-man selection panel resigned hours before the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) ad-hoc committee meeting on Friday that was to decide their fate. Chairman Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues Nilesh Kulkarni, Sunil More and Ravi Thakkar emailed their resignations to the ad-hoc committee and the MCA CEO CS Naik on Friday afternoon. The resignations came after the conclusion of Mumbai’s domestic season even though there had been moves to end their stint mid-season.Creating further chaos, the former Mumbai pair of Amol Muzumdar and Sahil Kukreja, two of the four members on the Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) that picked the selection panel, are understood to have tendered their resignations on the same day. The MCA, however, has not made any public statement yet on whether it has accepted the resignations.It is understood that Agarkar told the MCA that he did not wish to continue next season as he wanted to focus on personal commitments. The CIC is scheduled to meet on March 19 to decide on the next step.Although the resignations appear to be a sudden development, the pressure on Agarkar’s selection panel had been simmering for months. It eventually boiled over at a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the MCA in February, where some of the members – the clubs – passed a resolution directing the CIC to remove the selectors. The members said that they had “lost confidence” in Agarkar’s panel, who they accused of not watching enough club games.The CIC, which is headed by former Mumbai and India fast bowler Raju Kulkarni, overruled the resolution “unanimously”, saying the selectors’ commitment was beyond question.This was an unprecedented situation. On one hand, the MCA members were now calling for the selectors to be removed; on the other, the CIC, set up by their own managing committee, was against questioning their commitment. In a bind, the four-member ad-hoc committee, comprising Naik, MCA secretary Unmesh Khanwilkar, Shah Alam, Naveen Shetty and Ganesh Iyer, is believed to have taken legal advice before Friday’s meeting. It is understood the ad-hoc committee conveyed to the selectors they couldn’t set aside the SGM resolution.It is understood the selection committee has not been popular with the MCA members. Parsee Gymkhana vice-president and secretary Khodadad S Yazdegardi sought the removal of selectors through an SGM back in July 2018, but didn’t succeed. The matter also died down as Mumbai began the season by winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The move against the selectors regained momentum when Mumbai failed to make the quarter-final of the Ranji Trophy this season, which led to the meeting in February where the resolution to sack them was passed. Mumbai, however, bowed out of the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a win against UP in the last Super League game on Tuesday, which wasn’t enough to ensure them a berth in the final.

Steven Smith also spoke about the importance of keeping Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins together when the Ashes were up for grabs

Daniel Brettig in Sydney08-Jan-20181:45

Lyon’s run-out at the Gabba changed series – Smith

Cameron Bancroft will be pitted against Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and perhaps Dale Steyn in South Africa during the looming Test series in March, if the Australia captain Steven Smith’s words are anything to go by.Despite struggling over the course of his first Ashes series, notably showing evidence of technical trouble in the region of his off stump, Bancroft is highly regarded by the Australian team set-up after spending six weeks in camp. This is partly for his high work ethic and eagerness to improve, and also for an off-beat personality summed up when he had Smith in stitches when describing his pre-series altercation with Jonny Bairstow in the aftermath of the Gabba Test.Given all these attributes, the 25-year-old Bancroft has won Smith’s support ahead of the selectors’ discussions about who should travel to South Africa. As if to remind them of the player discarded to make room for Bancroft, the Queensland opener Matt Renshaw is set to play in England’s 50-over warm-up match before the ODI series, but Smith gave no indication of wanting to change back to another opening partner for David Warner.”He’s worked hard and he probably hasn’t scored as many runs as he would have liked throughout this series,” Smith said. “But he’s a good young player, he’s a great character and he’s got a terrific work ethic. The more he plays, he’s going to continue to improve and get better. If the selectors keep the faith – I hope they do – it will only be good for him and good for the group.”Smith had plenty of praise for his team after wrapping up a 4-0 series victory over England to regain the Ashes, and pinpointed Nathan Lyon’s direct hit to run out James Vince on the first day of the series in Brisbane as pivotal to the overall outcome. “The moment that changed the whole series was Nathan Lyon and the run out [of James Vince] at the Gabba,” Smith said. “That was such a huge moment in the series. Those sort of plays can change the series. I certainly think that was a series-changing moment.”I think all the bowlers did an exceptional job. Lyon got a lot of rewards throughout the series and bowled exceptionally well. I was looking yesterday when we were out on the field it came up with all the wickets this series the bowlers had got, each one of them had over 20. It showed the guys have bowled together as a group, bowled in partnerships and for one another and helped us take the 80 wickets that we needed to win the four Test matches. Nathan’s been exceptional with that as well. His consistency has been outstanding.”Pat Cummins was hostile after lunch•Getty Images

As for the ability of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to remain fit for the matches that mattered at the front end of the series, Smith spoke warmly about how the team’s support and medical staff had mapped out plans to have the “big three” pacemen at their best. “They’ve done it so well throughout this series. It’s been nice to have those three guys playing together,” he said.”So much went in to ensure those guys were right for this series. A lot of credit has to be given to the support staff, medical staff and all of that for getting it all right and coming together the way it did. It’s nice to have those options available. All those guys bowl a little bit different to each other but all bowl really good pace. In Australia that works really well, it’s been great.”Having started the Ashes by laughing alongside Bancroft, Smith had also generated plenty of mirth by how he reacted to Shaun Marsh’s spontaneous decision to try to hug his brother Mitchell Marsh upon completing a hundred rather than finish a second run. The resulting near-run out made Smith briefly apoplectic, but he could laugh about it in the afterglow of the Sydney victory, while also acknowledging how much the Marsh brothers had contributed to the scoreline.”Looking back, it was quite funny,” Smith said. “When I’m watching or when I’m playing I’m sort of always in the moment. Watching the ball not going to the fence and seeing them start to hug in the middle just seemed a little bit bizarre. I just wanted them to get back in their ground and not get run out. Shaun came in the rooms after and I said ‘what happened there?’. He goes ‘I just wanted to hug him, I didn’t care about anything else, I just wanted to hug him’. It was a strange moment but a pretty special moment for the two brothers.””Everyone has had a role to play and had some impact on this series. You see the two Marsh boys…Shaun throughout the whole series and Mitch in the last three Test matches … have been magnificent. All the guys have had an impact in the series and that’s what has been so special about it. It hasn’t just been one or two guys stepping up and doing the job. You can’t really win an Ashes series when that’s the case, so it’s been good that so many different people have stood up at different times to help us win the series.”As for the future, Smith has previously stated his goal of winning the Ashes away from home, something no Australian team has done since 2001. He was unsure of whether or not the current team should be favoured to win next time around, but did indicate that he felt keeping a young team together over time would help all of its members to gain in strength and confidence.”A lot can change between now and then. That’s still a long time away. But this team has been magnificent this series, the cricket we’ve played has been great,” Smith said. “I think the more we play together the more we’re going to get better as a group. We’ve just got to keep getting better and improving as a team. England in 2019 is a long way away but it is a real challenge for us as well and a bucket list for mine to win an Ashes series in England.”I think it’s different obviously to playing with a Kookaburra here. It can move around consistently at times. I think everyone is vulnerable to a moving ball. It’s about just trying to find a way to have a solid defence and a game plan that can work in those conditions. Over the next couple of years guys are going to continue to develop and get that game plan in place.””It’s a tough tour, going to England, it’s a great place to play and a difficult place for any team travelling. England play incredibly well at home. I don’t know who would be favourites. But I now do look forward to going over there in 2019.”

Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 93 took Australia Women to a tense two-wicket win in the first ODI against South Africa in Canberra

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2016
ScorecardEllyse Perry struck a boundary to win the game for Australia with one ball remaining•Cricket Australia

Ellyse Perry anchored a tense chase of 227 with an unbeaten 93 to help Australia beat South Africa by two wickets in the first ODI in Canberra. Perry, who walked out to bat with Australia at 39 for 2 in the 10th over, held the key for the home team throughout the innings, and succeeded in taking them across the line off the penultimate ball.She struck six fours and two sixes in her 107-ball knock. That was after Australia’s bowlers had combined to keep South Africa down to 226 for 5 at the Manuka Oval.After Australia fell to 49 for 3, Perry began rebuilding with a 52-run, fourth-wicket stand with Alex Blackwell. South Africa hit back when legspinner Suné Luus had Blackwell caught for a 51-ball 25. Jess Jonassen got going in a hurry, slapping two fours and a six, before Luus struck again, ending her innings on 21 off 17 balls.Wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy and Perry then shifted momentum towards Australia with a 48-run partnership. South Africa, though, chipped away and left Perry to get 32 with the lower order. Perry added 28 with Megan Schutt in an eighth-wicket stand off 20 balls, reducing Australia’s target to just four off the last five balls. Schutt was stumped off the legspin of Dane van Niekerk, the South Africa captain, in the first ball of the final over, before Perry struck a boundary four balls later to seal the game. Luus finished with three wickets, but was expensive, leaking 52 runs in seven overs.South Africa’s innings was built on the back of a combined team effort. Openers Lizelle Lee and Luus got off to a start, putting on 52 at a run-a-ball. Lee was dismissed off legspinner Kristen Beams for a 29-ball 38. Luus added 67 more for the second wicket with Mignon du Preez, before she was caught behind off Perry, having top-scored with 52. Contributions from du Preez (37), Marizanne Kapp (29 not out) and Chloe Tryon (25 not out) helped South Africa add quick runs in the end overs.Perry shone with the ball too, finishing with 2 for 33 in eight overs. Beams and Grace Harris were both economical and took a wicket apiece.

Usman Khawaja has had two unsuccessful shots at Test cricket, and despite making the squad for the upcoming New Zealand matches, he knows he may not get a fourth chance

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane04-Nov-20151:56

‘Disappointed I wasn’t picked for the World Cup’ – Khawaja

In his first incarnation as a Test cricketer, Usman Khawaja played six Tests, scored just one half-century, and was dropped. In his second coming, Khawaja played three Tests, made one half-century, and was dropped. In his third crack at Test cricket … who knows? The rest of that story is yet to be written. But Khawaja is 28, and knows there may not be a fourth chance.He is philosophical about his cricket – “Just because I’ve been picked a third time doesn’t mean I am somehow going to be Don Bradman” – but determined to give himself the best chance of succeeding at Test level. His desire for self-improvement led him to move from New South Wales to Queensland in 2012, a change that he believes has benefited his game greatly.Part of the reason for his move was a desire to work under the coach Darren Lehmann, who was then in charge of the Bulls and is now the national coach. Khawaja has certainly thrived at the Gabba, where he scored his maiden first-class century for New South Wales and where he now averages 67.46 in first-class cricket.”I have improved a lot since I’ve moved up to Queensland,” Khawaja said. “Boof was up here, I wanted a fresh start and I have loved every bit of Queensland. I have trained my backside off every time I have come here trying to improve as a cricketer. But every game is a new game. There is nothing set in stone, there is nothing to say that I will come here and blast 400, I have to do a lot of hard work.”My game always suited the Gabba. It’s a ground where you get a lot of rewards as a batsman. It’s tough work, it swings around, but at the same time it comes onto the bat really nicely. It’s like the WACA, if you get yourself in, you can really go on with it and make a big one. You have to do the hard work early on to get the rewards later on.”Khawaja is one of those fringe Test players for whom big things were expected due to the class of his strokeplay, but in nine Tests he has not managed a score greater than 65. He is realistic about the fact that his future now lies in his own hands, and his team-mates also hope that he can show at Test level the kind of skill that he has displayed for Queensland and New South Wales.”It’s time for him to step up and show what he really can do and what he’s capable of because we know what he’s capable of,” David Warner said. “But it’s about him now on this stage, the different class of Test cricket to show what he is capable of and I think he’s definitely got the game to do it. He’s got the patience. He leaves very well outside off and when he gets in he does cash in.”Khawaja’s first foray into Test cricket ended as the result of a lean home series against New Zealand, the last time the two teams met in 2011. Then in 2013, he missed out on a recall during the tour of India when he was one of the players suspended over the homework incident – which he plainly states he believes was unfair – and had a short stint in the side during the Ashes only to be cut again.With Steven Smith moving down to No.4, Khawaja will be Australia’s No.3 during this series, a position he has occupied in the Test side before. And while the squad has so far been chosen for at least the first two Tests against New Zealand in Brisbane and Perth, Khawaja has no idea how long he will be given to prove himself.”It’s hard to say, you don’t know what the selectors are thinking, that’s why you don’t want to leave it in the selectors hands, you want to go out and perform straight away,” Khawaja said. “No one had a magic eight ball on how I will go. Whether I’m playing club cricket, first-class cricket or Test cricket, there’s always pressure to perform. It’s sport and that’s what you love about it.”

A century from Tom Cooper was unable to win Netherlands their Intercontinental Cup game against Namibia in Windhoek, as the hosts won by 82 runs on the fourth day

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A century from Tom Cooper was unable to win Netherlands their Intercontinental Cup game against Namibia in Windhoek, as the hosts won by 82 runs on the fourth day. Netherlands were set 320 for victory and began well with a 52-run opening stand in 46 balls. Stephan Myburgh struck 41 off just 29, but the team was in trouble soon after, slipping to 54 for 3. Seamer Louis Klazinga picked up two of those wickets.Cooper then took charge of the chase with a century that included 12 fours and a six, but there simply wasn’t much support from the other end. He added 59 with Daan van Bunge, but lost his partner and captain Peter Borren in quick time. He put together 56 with Tim Gruijters and 53 more with Mudassar Bukhari before he fell himself, the seventh wicket with the score on 232. The star for Namibia was 23-year-old left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz, who took 5 for 58, his fifth haul of five wickets or more in first-class cricket. Cooper was among his victims, and Netherlands were bowled out for 237.Namibia have now won three out of five games, while Netherlands are yet to open their account in the competition.

A round-up of matches from the National Cricket League

Mohammad Isam24-Apr-2012Rajshahi Division rallied on the final day to beat Sylhet Division by 119 runs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, and reached the National Cricket League final. They overtook Sylhet in the points table to finish second.A maiden five-wicket haul from part-timer Farhad Hossain in the post-tea session Sylhet ensured a Sylhet collapse in their pursuit of 330 for victory. Farhad, who bowls off-spin, removed Golam Mabud and Sylhet’s Indian recruit Rahul Dewan in the space of five overs before picking three more tail-end wickets. Abul Hasan, however, took advantage of the open swathes left by Rajshahi, who put as many as six fielders in catching positions during the last hour.Mizanur Rahman set the tone for Rajshahi with his 105 and shared a 186-run opening stand with Jahurul Islam on the first day. Mizanur scored his second first-class century. Sylhet fought back on the second day through Enamul Haque Jr’s six wickets, Rajshahi declaring their first innings on 387 for 9.Sylhet’s approach was predictable but their aim to grind out the bowlers backfired as skipper Farhad Reza and left-arm spinner Sanjamul Islam kept it tight and picked wickets regularly. Apart from Nadif Chowdhury’s 61, none of the Sylhet batsmen took advantage of their starts.Khulna Division, who will take on Rajshahi in the final, drew their final second phase game with Dhaka Metropolis at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium. Khulna, the table-toppers, took a more cautious approach as they had already qualified for the final.Anamul Haque, the opener, was the hero for Khulna, making 193 runs with the help of 27 boundaries and two sixes. He was trapped leg-before the next day, just short of a double-ton, by Tareq Aziz to end an innings that lasted more than five hours.Taposh Ghosh, the left-hand allrounder, also notched up an unbeaten 111 during Khulna’s 618 in the first innings and in Dhaka Metro’s reply, Tasamul Haque, too, struck a century. Both players recorded their second first-class centuries in first-class cricket.The match only had an academic interest when Khulna didn’t impose the follow-on despite leading by 330 runs. They batted again and Imrul Kayes struck 117 off 181 balls. There was one more century left to score and Shamsur Rahman duly picked up a ton off 88 balls in Dhaka Metro’s second innings.Both matches endured a day’s break due to a general strike across the country.

Graeme Swann has said slow bowlers who don’t attempt to give the ball a rip should be cast out of English cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2011Graeme Swann has said slow bowlers who don’t attempt to give the ball a rip should be cast out of English cricket. As a devotee of the hard spun off-break, Swann has grown to become perhaps the most accomplished finger spinner in the world, and had no time for ‘rollers’ who trotted up to the wicket and landed the ball with accuracy but no fizz.”They should be banished from the first-class game. It winds me up, if you are a spinner, spin the ball,” Swann told . “I have never, ever seen the point of bowling without trying to spin the ball. It’s been my bugbear that I have seen some young spinners come up who have got lovely control and land it nicely but don’t try to turn it. I really like watching the ball fizzing down. That’s why I always like watching Shane Warne bowl, [Muttiah] Muralitharan bowl, these guys who really try and spin it, these are the guys I really try to emulate.”Trying to spin the ball and actually turning it can be two quite different things, as hard pitches will often preclude a finger spinner from extracting much life. It is for this reason Swann rates his spell to Michael Clarke at the MCG during the fourth Ashes Test as the best of his career.”That’s the best I bowled for England, I hardly bowled a bad ball,” he said. “It wasn’t turning at all but I still managed to get a lot of drift and maintain pressure for the seamers at the other end. I regard that as my finest performance with the ball.”My role turned into very much a holding role, allowing the seamers to build up pressure at the other end. All I did was try and bowl dot balls. I thought aside from the Perth game [second Test] I was able to do that so I was very happy.”Ahead of Swann is a home series against India, the world’s No. 1 Test nation, and he had little hesitation picking out Sachin Tendulkar as an opponent of interest.”You make challenges within your own head. I always look at the team sheet beforehand and target the batsmen I want to get out and it’s always the best player, it gives me personal satisfaction getting the best players out,” he said.”Sachin Tendulkar is the best player the game has had in my lifetime so it’s always a pleasure to play against him. But hopefully I won’t get to bowl to him too much this year because that would mean Jimmy Anderson is doing his job at the top of the order.”