Cricket Binodon

Tigers face easy challenges ahead to qualify for the Champions Trophy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 09:26:00 +0000

The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 will be played from 1 to 19 June in England and Wales, and the host country (England), plus the next seven highest-ranked ODI sides will participate in the event.

Bangladesh, with 88 points, rose to eighth place lasf month after a 3-0 drubbing of Pakistan, who are a point behind them at ninth. West Indies are at the moment ranked seventh.

As a result, Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies are now locked in a tight struggle for the remaining two slots in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 whose cut-off date is 30 September 2015.

ICC ODI Team Rankings.

The latest Future Tours Program lists the following ODI series for these teams:

West Indies (88 points): No ODIs scheduled
Bangladesh (88 points): Versus India (home, 3 ODIs, June) and versus South Africa (home, 3 ODIs, July)
Pakistan (87 points): Versus Zimbabwe (home, 3 ODIs,May) and versus Sri Lanka (away, 5 ODIs, July).

Bangladesh will make it to the ICC Champions Trophy if they can win at least one match in both the series against India and South Africa. There will be chances for them to qualify even if they don’t win any of their next matches by 30 September. But in that case, they will have to depend on Pakistan’s performance. Pakistan’s a lose against Zimbabwe will be enough for them to secure their entrance in the tournament formerly known as ICC Mini World Cup.

For Pakistan, the equation is a bit more difficult than the Tigers. To secure their place in the event, they must whitewash Zimbabwe and seal the Sri Lanka series by a clinical margin of 4-1. Losing a match against Zimbabwe will eliminate them from the race to grab a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy.

West Indies, who are ranked seventh, currently have no ODIs scheduled between now and September 30, leaving them potentially vulnerable to Pakistan, who have eight matches to come – three at home to Zimbabwe and five in Sri Lanka each at home, and Bangladesh have three against India and South Africa.

To get a chance to play in the tournament – which is second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup – they will have to be praying so that Bangladesh can’t win any of their next 6 matches against the mighty India and South Africa. However, this won’t be enough for them. They will also have to look forward if Pakistan lose at least two of their next 8 matches.

courtesy: tigercricket.com

CSA announces T20, ODI and Test squads for the tour to Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 May 2015 10:11:00 +0000

Cricket South Africa has announced the T20, ODI and Test squads of the Proteas for its tour to Bangladesh throughout July and August on 27 May 2015.

The 15-man ODI squad is a reflection of the one that attended the World Cup 2015, with only Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander being rested.

The 16-man Test squad has 4 uncapped players, two of whom are top order batsmen and the other two being bowlers. AB de Villiers will be on paternity leave, and will miss the Test Series. It will be the first time since his Test debut that he will miss a Test match.

The T20 squad of 14 has one uncapped name, with the rest having represented the Proteas in T20 internationals previously. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir have been rested for the T20 matches.

South Africa’s tour to Bangladesh will begin with the 2 T20s, followed by 3 ODIs and will finish with the 2 Test matches.

SA T20 squad:

Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock, Rilee Rossouw, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, David Miller, David Wiese, Chris Morris, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Aaron Phangiso, Eddie Leie (uncapped), Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks

SA ODI squad:

AB de Villiers (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Rilee Roussouw, JP Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardein, Chris Morris, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Abbott, Aaron Phangiso, Wayne Parnell, Ryan McLaren

SA Test squad:

Hashim Amla (c), Dean Elgar, Reeza Hendricks (uncapped), Faf du Plessis, Stiaan van Zyl, JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Aaron Phangiso (uncapped), Simon Harmer, Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada (uncapped), Dane Vilas (uncapped)

from tigercricket.com

"We need to make pacer-friendly pitches to bring out new fast bowlers"- BCB President

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 May 2015 10:34:00 +0000

The President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board Mr. Nazmul Hasan MP stressed on the fact of focussing on bringing out new fast bowling talents to enrich the pipeline for the national team. He spoke to the media at his Gulshan residence on 16 May, almost a week after the concluded Pakistan's tour to Bangladesh.

The BCB President said, "We have it in our minds about changing the pitches for our domestic tournaments. Most of the domestic teams strengthen their line-ups with spinners. They do not take fast bowlers. We have planned that from now on, there will be atleast two or three seaming wickets where every team will have mandatory fixtures. Even bigger clubs like Abahani and Mohammedan will have to play in these wickets. This will encourage the teams to focus on taking and grooming fast bowlers. Our plans are for all domestic competitions: first division, second division and even the Premier Leagues".

The concern regarding finding and grooming new fast bowlers was an age-old issue, which re-surfaced after the recently concluded Test Series against Pakistan, where Bangladesh had to play with virtually one fast bowler in Shohid after Shahadat Hossain injured himself right at the beginning of the second Test. Rubel Hossain had been ruled out even before the second Test due to injury, and Bangladesh suffered from the lack of fast bowling options to pick from in a wicket which was helping the quicks.

On a different note, Nazmul Hasan mentioned that there is no possibility of changing Mushfiqur as Test captain, at least within this year. He said, "We do not have a suitable replacement for him at the moment. And one must also remember that whatever recent success that Bangladesh tasted in Tests came under his leadership."

"Mushfiqur got injured while keeping, and that must have effected his batting as well in the Test matches. We obviously expect more from him, but we also have to consider the context", said the BCB President.

From tiger cricket.com

Anticipation of a blockbuster series

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 May 2015 10:28:00 +0000

The countdown had begun long ago, ever since India's tour to Bangladesh had been put in pen and paper on the ICC calender. And then there was the World Cup quarter final match between the Tigers and the men in blue which kept on fueling the hype to the tour. The wait for a blockbuster bilateral between the South Asian neighbors reached a new height after India announced its squad full of superstars to face the roaring Tigers at their den.

Team Bangladesh has already begun preparing for the series, which unfolds on 10th of next month, leaving the fans with 20 more days to wait in anticipation before Mushfiqur and Virat stand toe to toe for the toss of the one-off Test match at Fatullah.

Masrafe will then lead the Tigers against MS Dhoni's men for the 3 match ODI series beginning on 18th of June.

Amid the possibility of rainfall, some fireworks await the much talked about series between the South Asian Giants and the roaring challengers.

Let the countdown begin!

Bangladesh name unchanged squad for second Test

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 May 2015 10:39:00 +0000

DHAKA, Sunday, 03 May 2015

Media Release

DAN CAKE TEST SERIES: Bangladesh name unchanged squad for second Test

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) today announced an unchanged squad for the second and final Test against Pakistan which gets underway at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on 06 May:

BANGLADESH SQUAD FOR SECOND TEST

1 Tamim Iqbal (Vice Captain)

2 Imrul Kayes

3 Liton Kumar Das

4 Mominul Hoque

5 Shakib Al Hasan

6 Mushfiqur Rahim (Captain)

7 Mahmud Ullah

8 Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury

9 Soumya Sarker

10 Taijul Islam

11 Zubaer Hossain

12 Rubel Hossain

13 Shahadat Hossain

14 Mohammad Shahid

3-0: Bangladesh inflict historic whitewash on helpless Pakistan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 03:44:00 +0000

DHAKA: Opening batsman Soumya Sarkar hit a maiden one-day century as Bangladesh thrashed woeful Pakistan by eight wickets in Dhaka on Wednesday to sweep the one-day series 3-0.

The 22-year-old left-hander smashed an unbeaten 127 as the fired-up hosts surpassed Pakistan's modest 250 all out in the 40th over at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali's 100 made no difference to his team's fortunes after Bangladesh had won the first match by 79 runs and the second by seven wickets.

It was the first series whitewash by the Tigers against an Asian Test-playing nation, and followed their appearance in the quarter-finals of the recent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said he was delighted at the way the team had shaped up in the past few months and hoped to continue the good work in future.

"This is a good team we have and I am really happy the way we are playing," he said. "Soumya (Sarkar) was brilliant today but our work is not done yet. We will now focus on the remaining matches."

The two teams will play a Twenty20 international on Friday before starting a two-Test series from April 28.

Dramatic collapse

The win was never in doubt after Sarkar, who hit 13 boundaries and six sixes in his 110-ball innings, put on 145 for the first wicket with Tamim Iqbal.

Tamim, who had slammed centuries in the first two matches, missed a third consecutive hundred when he was leg-before to Junaid Khan for 64.

The left-arm seamer also bowled Mohammad Mahmudullah in his next over, but Mushfiqur Rahim (49 not out) ensured victory with an unbroken stand of 97 for the third wicket with Sarkar.

Pakistan were left to rue a dramatic collapse when they lost eight wickets for 47 runs after Azhar's century had lifted them to a comfortable 203 for two in the 39th over.

Shakib Al Hasan, Mortaza, Arafat Sunny and Rubel Hossain claimed two wickets each as Bangladesh clawed their way back after wayward bowling earlier in the innings.

Azhar led from the front to become the first Pakistani captain in five years to score an one-day century following Shahid Afridi's 124 against Bangladesh in 2010.

He heaped praise on Bangladesh for outplaying his young team that included just four players from the World Cup.

"I would like to congratulate Bangladesh because they played very good cricket," he said. "We played well in patches but we could not put it together.

"As everybody knows, our senior players have left the one-day scene. The youngsters have to stand up and we have to pull our heads together.

"Hopefully we do well in the Twenty20 and the Test series."

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Azhar shared an opening stand of 91 with debutant Sami Aslam, who made 45.

Nasir Hossain provided the breakthrough when he had the left-handed Aslam caught by wicket-keeper Rahim.

Senior all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was bowled by Sunny for four to extend his batting misery in a series in which he compiled just eight runs in three matches.

Haris Sohail (52) added 98 with Azhar for the third wicket before the rot set in.

Azhar was bowled by Shakib and Mortaza dismissed Haris to launch Bangladesh's comeback.

from dawn

Upfront Have a Bangla Wash ?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 06:37:00 +0000

Bangladesh are well set to complete a banglawash of Pakistan when they meet in the third one-day international match at Mirpur on Wednesday.

The Tigers, who recorded their first ODI win after 16 years and also two in a row, do not want to miss the opportunity to seal a 3-0 series victory.

Bangladesh’s top order batsmen built the platform in the first two matches to make comfortable wins in the end – in the first one they posted a huge 329 runs and in the second match, they chased down Pakistan’s 239 runs without any fuss.

Opener Tamim Iqbal, too, is awaiting a landmark to score a third consecutive century in the series.

The home side have been more encouraged by Pakistan’s acknowledgement that their team are in a rebuilding stage at the moment.

Still, both the captains will be desperate in their respective missions – Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is set to improve on two wins while Azhar Ali is expected to play an all-out game to avoid what is called “Bangla-wash” for the first time.

Pakistan cricket is in trouble: Waqar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000

DHAKA: As Bangladesh clinched a historic series win over Pakistan on Sunday, head coach Waqar Younis had to give in to the criticism from all quarters.

He admitted that the team was in ‘trouble’.

“I accept what the critics’ say, Pakistan cricket is facing problems,” Waqar said in an interview to the local media.

“Pakistan need to change the way it plays cricket. Our cricketing style is very defensive and it will take us time to get free from this mindset,” he added.

The defensive playing style is not the only worry for Pakistan though. The national team is currently facing a 'fitness crisis' of sorts which has meant the coach has not been able to pick the best side.

Pacemen Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil, leg-spinner Yasir Shah and middle-order batsman Sohaib Maqsood were ruled out due to injuries for the series against Bangladesh.

Right before the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Pakistan’s camp had been affected by fitness issues, resulting in the nonavailability of seasoned players such as Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Hafeez.

“Our team’s biggest problem is fitness and we will not compromise in ensuring that each and every player is match fit,” he said.

Waqar rejected the idea of looking back at the ‘tried and tested’ lot following the historic series defeat against Bangladesh. “There is no need to look back,” he said, adding: “We have to move forward with younger players.”

Pakistan is scheduled to play the third and the final One-Day International against Bangladesh on Wednesday, April 22, at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka.

The one-day series will be followed by a Twenty20 International and two Tests.

"from the dawn"

Misbah defends Pakistan’s poor show against Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 03:55:00 +0000

KARACHI: Former skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has defended the poor performance of Pakistan cricketers in the opening two One-day Internationals against Bangladesh.

“This is a young team and needs more time to improve under a new captain Azhar Ali,” said Misbah on Monday.

Pakistan lost the first ODI by 79 runs and suffered seven-wicket loss in the second one-dayer as Bangladesh registered their first series win over their rivals in two decades.

Misbah, who retired from ODI cricket after leading Pakistan to the quarter-finals in the World Cup, believed the team needed some time to settle down.

He said Azhar just took the reins of captaincy and it was not easy to turn the things around overnight.

Misbah said the team was undergoing rebuilding process and it would take some months to develop.

Commenting on Saeed Ajmal, he said the off-spinner was staging a comeback after eight months when he was suspended by the International Cricket Council for illegal action.

Ajmal has been included in the side after remodeling his action and getting cleared by the ICC.

“It’s not easy for Saeed Ajmal to be the same again within a short time,” Misbah remarked.

He complimented Bangladesh for their first series win over Pakistan.

“Bangladesh is a tough team in their own conditions and they have improved a lot,” he pointed out.

from the dawn

DAN CAKE ODI CRICKET SERIES History or a turnaround?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 07:39:00 +0000

It's amazing what good rhythm can do for the Tigers. It tends to give them a new identity, a new realisation. Take the World Cup for instance. They went into it having lost 12 out of their first 13 ODIs in 2014 and their prospects of making it through to the quarterfinals seemed more than just dim.

However, an exemplary performance against Scotland changed all that. What followed next was a heroic turnaround against England and a close contest against hosts New Zealand. 2013 was no different either; with a series win against the West Indies at home leading the Tigers to a rare ODI win against Sri Lanka in their own den.

On Friday, Bangladesh beat Pakistan for the first time in 16 years and talks regarding a series win have already begun dominating different forums. It doesn't matter that this was the same side that the Tigers failed to beat despite having come agonisingly close on so many occasions. It doesn't matter that this is the side that once included players whom some of the Tigers referred to as their inspiration.

All that seems to be a thing of the past now, as the Tigers look to hunt their first series win against Pakistan at Mirpur today. While the Tigers did have a good day on the field, there are still certain grey areas which they will be looking to improve upon. One of those would be the way they played in between overs number 10 and 20 on Friday; they scored just 23 runs and lost two wickets.

One of the main reasons behind that was the lack of singles taken by Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah Riyad. That scenario however changed as soon as Mushfiqur Rahim entered the crease. Pacer Abul Hasan, who leaked 42 runs in five overs, is likely to be replaced by skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza today.

The visitors may be down, but they are far from being dusted. Pakistan have a habit of striking in the most unexpected scenarios and if the Tigers think that they are an easy match away from a historic series win, that would be a mistake.

This young side has a bunch of players who can change the game around anytime. Captain Azhar Ali led from the front on Friday with a half-century. Young Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 67 off 58 in the game, seems a nifty player and could do better with a bit more experience.

However, for a comeback they will need their fielders to support their bowlers. They were torn apart by Tamim and Mushfiqur in the first match, but things could have been different had the visitors grasped the opportunities presented to them early on.

Can Pakistan's new-look side make a contest out of this series? Or will Bangladesh create history tonight? Either way, an exciting day of cricket is in store.

from dailystar

DAN CAKE ODI CRICKET SERIES No Pahela Baishakh for Tigers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 03:14:00 +0000

The Tigers, except for Shakib Al Hasan and Rubel Hossain, attended their first official practice session for the Pakistan series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

It was a long day for the players. They first hit the gym for a number of hours in the morning and then attended various skill sessions in the evening.

As all three ODIs are day-night affairs at Mirpur, the Tigers had a batting session under lights at the centre wicket where Tamim Iqbal and his most likely opening partner Rony Talukdar went first to have some knock.

Shakib, who will be captaining the Tigers in the first ODI in place of the suspended Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, skipped practice as he wasn't feeling well and decided to take a day-off. Rubel, on the other hand, had a few issues to settle in court.

In a bid to battle Pakistan's strong left-arm seam attack, the Bangladesh batsmen faced left-arm pacers in the nets for a long time yesterday. They will be training today on Pahela Baishakh as well.

DAN CAKE ODI CRICKET SERIES BAN v PAK: Squad for first and second ODIs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 04:13:00 +0000

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announces the squad for the first two ODIs (on 17 and 19 April at SBNCS, Dhaka) of the three-match series against Pakistan:

1	Tamim Iqbal
2	Rony Talakdar
3	Soumya Sarker
4	Mominul Hoque
5	Shakib Al Hasan - Vice-Captain
6	Mushfiqur Rahim
7	Mahmud Ullah
8	Nasir Hossain
9	Shabbir Rahaman
10	Masrafe Bin Mortaza - Captain
11	Taskin Ahmed
12	Abul Hasan Raju
13	Rubel Hossain
14	Arafat Sunny

BCB XI for one-day practice match v Pakistan (15 April 2015 at KSOAS, Fatullah)

1	Imrul kayes
2	Rony Talakdar
3	Liton Kumar Das
4	Mominul Hoque
5	Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury
6	Shohag Gazi
7	Al-Amin Hossain
8	Nasir Hossain - Captain
9	Shabbir Rahaman
10	Zubaer Hossain
11	Taijul Islam
12	Abul Hasan Raju
13	Muktar Ali
14	Mohammad Shahid

Cricket spat shouldn’t hold India-Bangladesh ties to ransom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 10:59:00 +0000

A huge spat between two cricket officials is threatening to adversely impact India-Bangladesh bilateral relations at a time when these are at their best. Bangladesh Planning Minister A.H.M. Mustafa Kamal has resigned as the International Cricket Council (ICC) president to protest against the country’s “humiliation” when he was denied the opportunity to present the World Cup 2015 to winners Australia at Melbourne.

Presenting the trophy to the winners is something ICC presidents have done since 1999 – until ICC chairman N. Srinivasan usurped the privilege in a hastily convened ICC executive on the day before the March 29 World Cup final. He got the ICC to seek a formal apology from Kamal for his outburst against “poor umpiring” during the India-Bangladesh quarterfinal. When Kamal refused, Srinivasan got the ICC executive to bar him from presenting the trophy and bestowed it upon himself to do the honours. Kamal has since returned to Bangladesh, resigned as ICC president, called Srinivasan a “mentally deranged man” and someone “impossible to work with” and even called the ICC the “Indian Cricket Council.”

It appears that Srinivasan, who had coldly dared Kamal to do anything he wants, is planning to hit back. His supporters are trying to force an emerg

ency meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), where they intend to get it to cancel the tour of Bangladesh in June 2015, during which Team India is expected to play two Tests and three ODIs.

Srinivasan supporters will argue that Kamal’s tirades can no longer be treated as a “personal issue” – Kamal says he is upset with Srinivasan and has nothing against the Indian board – as Srinivasan is the Indian board’s representative in the ICC.

But Srinivasan has large number of opponents in the BCCI who will stoutly oppose such plans, arguing that it is a personal issue and the BCCI cannot afford to create a diplomatic row. If they can’t stop Srinivasan from having his way, they will wish the cancellation of the Bangladesh tour will boil over into a major crisis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will be forced to intervene. If the BCCI cancels the tour, Kamal will surely get Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who too has lashed out at the “poor umpiring” and the “uncivilised behaviour” towards Kamal, to intervene.

India is beholden to Hasina for her crackdown against Islamist rebels and those from India’s northeast who were long sheltered in Bangladesh before she assumed power in January 2009. With her government allowing heavy equipment for power projects and grain consignments to go through Chittagong port to the northeastern state of Tripura, New Delhi feels it is payback time. Modi, who is keen to push for improved relations with all neighbours, plans to visit Bangladesh this summer after the Indian parliament clears the long-pending Land Boundary Agreement. He plans to land in Dhaka with the LBA done and at a time when he can possibly promise a Teesta water-sharing agreement soon enough. Indian diplomats in Dhaka have made it clear Modi should not come empty-handed.

So, the last thing that Modi and his foreign policy team can accept is the BCCI calling off the tour, especially when Pakistan is also sending its cricket team on a tour of Bangladesh this summer. It may be a much better idea for Modi’s foreign policy managers to step in before the crisis explodes in the open. And, Indian interests cannot be held hostage by someone like Srinivasan, who has been barred from contesting BCCI elections by the Supreme Court but has managed to get the board to nominate him as India’s representative at the ICC and then become its all-powerful chairman.

Kamal’s outburst on umpiring may be an immature act. It may well be that Kamal is trying to shore up public support for his beleaguered Awami League back home by playing on nationalist sentiments at a time when it is desperately trying to counter the BNP-led transport blockade and strikes. But, Rohit Sharma was out by all means and Rubel Hossain’s ball was surely not above the waist! It’s anybody’s guess as to what would have happened if he had walked back at 90 and not when he had made that wonderful century – or if the in-form Mahmudullah Riyad had not been given out to the controversial Shikhar Dhawan catch in the deep. But at the end of the day, cricket is just a sport, and should we say much-tainted sport, with all its match-fixing and IPL scams. And there is no good reason to hold India’s relations with a friendly neighbour hostage for a controversial cricket administrator who has not exactly covered the nation with glory over the years.

bdnews24.com

Kolkata's ‘Telegraph’ appreciates Mustafa Kamal for challenging Srinivasan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 08:33:00 +0000

Eastern India's leading English newspaper 'Telegraph' has lauded ICC president and Bangladesh minister AHM Mustafa Kamal for taking on ICC Chairman N Srinivasan.

"Even if it is Bangladesh, somebody has shown the guts to try and take on Srinivasan. He could not seek a second term as BCCI president in India, yet continues to chair the ICC," reads a 'Telegraph' report.

It said: "Many find it extremely odd, and one is putting it mildly, that someone who cannot be the president of his national board remains the top gun in the ICC."

AHM Mustafa Kamal

The 'Telegraph' report said that Kamal will personally brief Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina about how he was denied the opportunity to present the World Cup to the winners by Srinivasan.

It said he will be accompanied by Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan, when he briefs the PM.

"The issue has gone beyond that of an individual, thanks to the authoritarian attitude of ICC Chairman Narayanswamy Srinivasan, and is now all about humiliation of Bangladesh," the 'Telegraph' report said.

Since 1999, ICC presidents, rather than the chairpersons, have presented the World Cup to the winners at the presentation ceremony.

N Srinivasan

But Srinivasan outwitted Kamal in a meeting on the day before the World Cup finals and used Kamal's outbursts against umpiring during the India-Bangladesh quarter-finals as an excuse to deny the Bangladesh minister the honours.

That has caused much furore even in India as Srinivasan is not very popular in the country outside his home state Tamil Nadu.

Those who oppose Srinivasan in Indian cricket politics —and the number is not small and includes West Bengal cricket heavyweight Jagmohan Dalmiya—may now look to attack the ICC chairman on grounds that his senseless action is jeopardising India-Bangladesh relations.

Dalmiya, a former ICC top gun, is friendly with cricket administrators in Bangladesh.

From bdnew24.com

Indian board to meet on Bangladesh tour

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 08:30:00 +0000

A top official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said AHM Mustafa Kamal's tirade against Narayanaswami Srinivasan is perhaps forcing the Indian board to meet and discuss the situation.

On condition of anonymity, he said Srinivasan's supporters in the BCCI are trying to force the emergency meeting.

"They may try to push BCCI to cancel the June tour of Bangladesh because Srinivasan is BCCI's representative in ICC and Kamal's tirade against him, they may argue, is now a national issue," he said.

"But Srinivasan has large number of opponents in the BCCI who will stoutly oppose such plans, arguing that Kamal's tirade against Srinivasan is a personal issue and BCCI cannot afford to create a diplomatic row," the BCCI official said.

He said that if BCCI cancelled the tour of Bangladesh, Kamal will surely get his government to take up the issue with Delhi.

The Modi government surely will not like to cancel the cricket tour for fear of adverse impact on bilateral relations at a time when they are at their best.

"Some of Srinivasan's opponents may actually like the BCCI to do something silly so that the issue boils over and the Modi government comes down hard on the BCCI and forces it to oust Srinivasan," said another BCCI official, again on condition of anonymity.

Some ministers of Modi government are connected to BCCI and none of them belong to the Srinivasan camp. His opponents are trying to rope in these ministers and get him out of BCCI.

Kamal has made it clear in a Dhaka press conference that his fight is against Srinivasan and not against the Indian board.

After all, India played a major role in getting Bangladesh its Test playing status, so it would be indeed ironic if it were to cancel its June 2015 tour of Bangladesh, when two Tests and three ODI matches are likely to be played.

Kamal has described Srinivasan as "mentally deranged" and upset pro-Srinivasan supporters want to cancel the Bangladesh trip to seek revenge.

But anti-Srinivasan supporters in BCCI say that India can ill afford to cancel its tour of Bangladesh when Pakistan have finalised its summer tour of Bangladesh.

Foreign policy analysts here say this will become a huge diplomatic issue if that happens.

They say the Modi government will be very upset with the BCCI if they cancelled their tour at a time when Modi himself is planning to visit Dhaka this summer after the parliament clears the land boundary agreement and his government inches closer to a possible deal on Teesta water sharing.

Srinivasan's opponents in BCCI say it is time the board got rid of a man, barred by India's Supreme Court from contesting BCCI polls again, from representing India in ICC.

"He is a national disaster," said one Bengal cricket official who has represented the state board in BCCI for years.

But BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya has refused any comment, saying he first needs to discuss the whole situation and all issues involved with his board members.

From bdnews24.com

Our best chance to beat Pakistan in ODIs - Shakib

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 08:17:00 +0000

Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan believes his side should start as favourites in the ODI series against Pakistan later this month, and said it was their best chance to beat the side on home soil.

Shakib, who left for Kolkata on Thursday, will be playing the first two games of IPL 2015 for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders before returning home to play against Pakistan. Pakistan are likely to arrive in mid-April with a new-look side, without the retired Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi.

"I will start training from tomorrow," Shakib said. "I will only play two matches in the IPL so the Pakistan series will be on my mind. If I do well in the two matches, that confidence will work in my favour.

"I think we should be starting as favourites to win the ODI series against Pakistan. I think this is our best chance to win against Pakistan. Everyone in the team believes so, too. We have proved that we can beat any team at home. If we play our best cricket, we can do well against any side. We beat New Zealand seven times, and they are the World Cup runners-up."

Bangladesh have won only one in 32 games against Pakistan, with the sole victory coming in the 1999 World Cup. The teams have played two bilateral ODI series in Bangladesh previously, apart from a single game in 1999, with Pakistan winning all the matches. The forthcoming tour, involving two Tests, three ODIs and a T20, has had its share of controversies with an impasse between the concerned boards over revenue-sharing.

According to Shakib, 2015 will be a critical year for Bangladesh's ODI prospects, especially with a 10-team World Cup looming on the horizon. Bangladesh are currently ranked ninth with 76 points, after gaining only one point following the World Cup. They are scheduled to take on Pakistan, India, South Africa and Australia this year.

"It is a very important year for us since it will be a 10-team World Cup next time. We need to go up the rankings," he said. "If we can win against higher-ranked sides, we will get more points.

"Ultimately we have to stay within the top eight to play in the World Cup. We have been around No 9 and 10 for a long time. We got up to No 8 for a brief period, but now we have to get to that level and stay there."

Shakib also felt his performance in the World Cup could have been better as the tournament wore on, after he made two fifties in the first three games but only totaled 35 runs in his last three innings. He also took eight wickets at an average of 37.25, giving away runs at 5.16 per over (compared to an overall rate of 4.30).

He was impressed with the Bangladesh newcomers and urged them to keep performing rather than learning at the highest level.

"There is no end to performing better. I think I did well in the World Cup. If I could have ended the tournament like I had started, it obviously would have been better," Shakib said. "Still, I don't think I should be disappointed about the numbers next to my name in this World Cup.

"I thought the new players did well. The team performed, which is the most important thing. Soumya, Sabbir and Taskin played well. The senior players were also up to the mark. The team is in good shape. The young players have to perform, not to be taught."

Mustafa Kamal resigns as ICC president after World Cup final ceremony snub

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 04:24:00 +0000

Kamal said his decision to resign as ICC president was 'final' and 'not negotiable' in a press conference in Dhaka organised just after he returned from Australia on Wednesday.

Kamal said he was stepping down in protest against the 'flagrant violation' of the ICC constitution. His term was to end this June.

He also said according to clause 3.3 of the ICC constitution, only the president has the right to hand the trophy to the winners of a match like the World Cup final.

“I was supposed to present the trophy to the winners after the Melbourne final on Mar 29. But I couldn’t do that.”

Kamal claimed he was not allowed to present the trophy to the captain of winning team in the final as an issue was made of some of his comments after the Bangladesh-India quarterfinal match.

“From here on, I will speak as the former president of the ICC,” he said after announcing his resignation.

“It is not possible to work with those who will violate the constitution. I want to let the people of the world know this,” he added.

Kamal was critical of the ‘controversial’ umpiring decisions in the Bangladesh-India match at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

He had called the ICC as ‘Indian Cricket Council’ and said he would step down as president, if needed, after the match.

In response, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson, in a statement issued the following day, hit back at Kamal for his comments and said the remarks were ‘very unfortunate’.

Then a massive spat erupted between Kamal and ICC Chairman N Srinivasan, who violated ICC practice and presented the World Cup to winners Australia at Melbourne last Sunday.

Normally, ICC presidents do the honours, but Srinivasan used Kamal's outburst against poor umpiring in the India-Bangladesh match and got others to support his decision to present the trophy at the presentation ceremony.

Kamal was not on the dais during the ceremony and Srinivasan was booed heavily by sections of the 93,000 strong crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

He had earlier threatened to reveal some of ICC's 'dark secrets' after the spat.
from bdnews24.com

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 06:52:00 +0000

NEWS

ICC determined to make 10-team World Cup in 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 03:55:00 +0000

Since the day ICC revealed their wish for curtailing the number of teams participating from 14 to 10 in World Cup, there has been loads of criticism over the issue. Some cricket legends even termed this as a ‘backward step’ on the way to globalizing the game and ‘unfair move’ for the associate nations.

The performance of the associate nations during the World Cup was also quite impressive which was supposed to affect on ICC’s stepping aside from this controversial decision. But the head of the International Cricket Council, Mr. Dave Richardson informed on Thursday that the world governing body is unlikely to change its plans to reduce the number of teams at the next World Cup despite being impressed by the performances of the associate nations during the current tournament.

“I still would like to keep that debate for another day,” said Richardson, a former South Africa test wicketkeeper. “I think the board will discuss that at their meetings in April. The decision has been made, as we stand it’s a 10-team tournament at the next World Cup.

“To me the debate should be more about what are we doing for Associate member cricket to enable them to qualify for a World Cup, whether it’s an eight-team, 10-team, 12-team 14 or 16-team. I think that’s where we’ve made the most progress,” Richardson told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the World Cup semi-final between Australia and India.”

Mr. Richardson said that they even had suggestions for applying the new strategy from this very World Cup which is currently being held in Australia and New Zealand and will sign off this weekend when the co-hosts will set horns between themselves in the grand finale of the tournament at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground

“There was even a suggestion we should have moved to a 10 team event for this tournament. The reason we didn’t is because at that stage we had a glass ceiling.

“You could be Ireland or Afghanistan and you could get to number 11 in the world, you couldn’t get to number ten and you could never really qualify.

“So now we’ve changed that, we’ve allowed Ireland and Afghanistan the opportunity to play in the ODI (one-day international) FTP (Future Tours Programme) — sure the challenge is going to be be finding them enough fixtures and that’s a real focus we are going to be worrying about over the next couple of years so it’s not just in name that they are part of that FTP, that they really have the fixtures,” the former South Africa wicket-keeper added.

“I don’t think it’s the end of the world (going to 10 teams), especially now we’ve broken that glass ceiling for the Associates.

“We want the World Cup to not just be a window-dressing but a shop window for cricket at the highest level. Maybe only 10 (teams) initially, but the idea is to grow it.”

Richardson said the ICC still had ambitions of spreading the game to new frontiers, such as the United States but the priority for now was consolidating their existing teams.

“Now we realise, let’s not spread ourselves our too thin, we’ve got full member countries, Zimbabwe being one, West Indies maybe, where we’ve got to be careful that they don’t fall off the ship,” he said.

“USA, as an example, is a country that has enormous potential. It has more players playing cricket in the USA than Zimbabwe and I.think very close to the number playing in New Zealand. If UAE can qualify for the World Cup then there’s no reason why USA shouldn’t. So that’s going to be a focus for us in the next few years.”

Mr. Richardson was also questioned introducing the fact that the current on field cricket rules are not seemingly helpful at all for the bowlers and are entirely in favour of the batsmen, so if ICC have any plan regarding this criteria to bring out something new which could do some favour for the poor bowlers as well. Then he shared some of their plans on considering new rules for bowlers in ODIs.

“In the old days you had one area you couldn’t defend, now there’s two and if a good batsmen is set as a bowler you’ve got very little.prize (for the bowlers),” Richardson said.

“One of the things we might look at is allowing an extra fielder out of the ring in the last 10 overs, remember we were worried about.that middle period of the game that became boring where someone would score a run a ball 50 but no one remembering one shot.

“We’ll try and keep that and make sure we don’t get back to that but maybe in the last 10 overs when people are not going to stop slogging or trying to hit boundaries just because one extra fielder is out. That might be a sensible change.”

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015 UPDATES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 07:42:00 +0000

Bangladesh chase fearless cricket at daunting MCG

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Riyad’s sequel ton takes Tigers to 288

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