Bangladesh left to rue follow-up failure after early bravado

When Mashrafe Mortaza unleashed his big surprise, giving  Liton Dashis fourth opening partner of the Asia Cup in Mehidy Hasan, the most intriguing nugget doing the rounds on the internet and otherwise, was - Mehidy has never opened the batting in international or first-class cricket across formats before.

Mortaza's top-order concerns were legitimate. In the five matches leading up to the final, Bangladesh's best opening stand was 16 runs, and begged for a change. The move also came as a cushion for the top-order that was cut short by a batsman to accommodate left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam.

Jadhav reappearance sets up Asia Cup classic

It was less than 15 minutes for calendars to flip over to Saturday in Dubai, when Bangladesh's leadership group was in a fix. Soumya Sarkar - of the final over in Nidahas Trophy heartburn fame - was considered to defend six runs, before Mashrafe Mortaza summoned off-break bowler Mahmadullah instead, who came with glowing last-over reputation from the Bangladesh Premier League. A hamstrung Kedar Jadhav was in the middle of a complete deja vu from a few months ago when he was in the yellows of CSK, trying to get his team over the line in their IPL opener.

The bowl-shaped colosseum in Dubai had hit fever pitch, and was buzzing from the stands. There were moments for both sets of fans to leave midway and enjoy a better Friday night elsewhere, but most stayed back just in case.

In anticipation of an early glory hit, and the fact that Kuldeep Yadav was on strike, Mortaza sent his men to hug the boundary like at deep backward square leg, deep square leg, short fine leg, long on and long off. Two tossed up full balls outside off was offered on a platter as bait, but neither batsmen bit into it. Kuldeep drove straight, and Jadhav clipped it behind square to knock off two runs from the target. 'Six singles to win it' was too logical a victory route with a No. 9 batsman in the middle. All the pressure was inevitably going to prick the caution bubble.

India beat Bangladesh to clinch Asia Cup in last-ball finish

Although it wasn't a third India-Pakistan Asia Cup meeting within a 10-day period, Bangladesh's spirited entry into the  summit clash promised a gun fight of a final. Mortaza's side brought out the right weapons to the battle, not the metaphorical knife, and struck telling blows. But they ran out of ammunition in the end with the bat, and despite a superb show with the ball, suffered their third loss in the final of a multi-national tournament against India in as many attempts.

Led by Liton Das's 117-ball 121 in his 120-run opening partnership with Mehidy Hasan, Bangladesh appeared to race away to an imposing total. However, India did well to pull things back after the first 20 overs, conceding only 106 runs in the next 28.3 overs while picking up all ten wickets as Bangladesh, who had emptied their clips even before the half-way stage of their innings, brought a collapse upon themselves. Bangladesh did a terrific job in their bid to defend 222, taking it until the final delivery before India prevailed in the battle of nerves to secure the title for the seventh time in 14 editions.

Cold shoulder to warm-ups?

In the aftermath of India's Test series defeat in England, head coach Ravi Shastri revealed that the team had already requested for a couple of warm-up games ahead of the arduous tour of Australia later this year. There's little argument that the change in stance is a direct result of India's back-to-back series defeats overseas (South Africa earlier this year).

On both those tours, India hit the straps fully only by their third Test, when they recorded their only wins. While India had called off the only two-day practice game entirely in South Africa, they trimmed their originally planned four-day game against Essex into a three-day affair. There have been mixed reports as well, some claiming that the management wasn't happy with the conditions on offer, while others clarifying that the management thought it'd be wise to go through high-intensity simulated sessions instead of playing in conditions that wouldn't help prepare better.

How important are these practice games really? And how importantly are they treated in reality? These are not questions that are asked only of India but a lot of other teams have been caught napping on these grounds too. Largely, because the volume of cricket isn't the same anymore. Gone are those days when an overseas tour bordered on being a three-month affair, starting with as many as two three-day games and another similar game spaced out between the third and the fourth Test. That not only helped teams arrive and get a hang of the alien conditions better, but also allowed its benched players to gain some important match-time when the second round of practice games returned in the middle of the series.

Mohammed, McLean double Windies' lead

Yet another South African batting collapse meant West Indies  doubled their lead in the five-match T20I series, winning the second game by a whopping nine-wicket margin at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad on Friday (September 28). Hayley Matthews and Anisa Mohammed were the destroyers in chief for the hosts, restricting South Africa to a 101/8 before a 72-run partnership between Natasha McLean and skipper Stafanie Taylor helped Windies overhaul the target with more than four overs to spare.

Put in to bat, South Africa lost both their destructive batters at top - Lizelle Lee and Sune Luss - for nought as Matthews struck twice in the fourth over. It was through little partnerships Dane van Niekerk formed with her deputy, Chloe Tryon and former captain Mignon du Preez that South Africa started to resurrect their innings but runs weren't flowing easily. South Africa had only managed 95 off 19 overs but had their skipper well-set for a final-over flourish. Mohammed, however, had different plans. She dismissed van Niekerk off the second ball of the over, and a boundary later, became the only West Indies' women cricketer, and ninth overall, to register a T20I hat-trick. Her victims included Marizanne Kapp, Saarah Smith and Masabata Klaas, as South Africa could only just manage to post a triple-figure total.

Matthews also chipped in with a 21-ball 17, laced with three boundaries, in a 30-run opening stand in Windies' reply. However, it was McLean who held the chase together with career-best 42 not out, that included two sixes and as many fours. She forged a 72-run partnership with her skipper Taylor, who played the aggressor, making a quick 35 in 30 deliveries. En route, Taylor also became the second-highest run-scorer in Women's T20I cricket when she reached 15.

Saqib Mahmood replaces injured Tongue in Lions squad

Saqib Mahmood, the 21-year-old Lancashire pacer, has replaced Josh Tongue in the England Lions squad to play Pakistan 'A' in UAE after the Worcestershire fast bowler was ruled out of the four-day game due to a stress fracture of the left foot.

Tongue, who was picked only for the one-off four-day fixture against Pakistan 'A', sustained the injury during Day 2 of Worcestershire's County game against Yorkshire in Worcester last week. As a result of the injury, he didn't bowl in the second essay and subsequently, underwent an MRI scan to asses the extent of the damage.

Tongue has been troubled by foot injuries in the recent past. In June this year, he was diagnosed with a "stress response in a metatarsal in his left foot". However, he recovered from the injury and ended the County season with 40 scalps at an average of just over 25.

Mahmood, his replacement, is an exciting prospect and has touched speeds in the range of 92mph. In 2015, he was named England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year.

With World Cup in sight, Steyn admits "fighting for a spot"

"It's so bloody long ago I can't even remember it." That's  Dale Steyn talking about the last ODI he played. "What I do remember is that we won five-nil. And it's a team game. And that's all that matters," he adds.

Injuries have sidelined Steyn, now 35, ever since South Africa beat Australia five-nil at home in October 2016. Now back to fitness, he returns to a side that's learnt to live without him. Kagiso Rabada and Lungisani Ngidi - both young, fiery and at the helm of South Africa's pace regeneration - are the new incumbents. But with the team management looking for the right mix of bowlers before the 2019 World Cup, the competition for spots has sure lit up.

"It's good to have challenges," Steyn says in the build-up to the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe on Thursday (September 27). "I think Lungi and KG would also appreciate the fact that I'm coming back into the side because they would also know that their positions are under threat. We all are. You can only take a handful of these fast bowlers to the World Cup and we're all fighting for a spot."

Review concludes ECB did not breach policy with Glamorgan payment

An independent panel has concluded that the ECB did not contravene its Articles of Association when paying Glamorgan 2.5million euros earlier this year and found no evidence of breaches of procedure which require action against any individuals. However, the panel concluded that there was overuse of informal processes and an absence of trust between ECB Board members and has put forward eleven recommendations for consideration.

The ECB paid Glamorgan the sum between December 2017 and June 2018 as compensation for not bidding to host Test matches in the next block of home fixtures between 2020 - 2024. The club announced this when releasing its accounts in March, a figure amounting to 500,000 euros for each year they declined to bid. Other counties have also allegedly been promised similar sums.

Need to keep our emotions in check against India - Mortaza

Bangladesh skipper  Mashrafe Mortaza has hailed his team for coming this far despite being hit by injuries time and again in this Asia Cup, and believes one stellar performance can make their journey memorable.

Bangladesh will take on pre-tournament favourite India in the final on Friday (September 28) and will look forward to capitalize on the momentum that they have gathered in the tournament on the back of unified effort in the absence of key players Tamim Iqbal and Sakib al Hasan.

If losing Tamim Iqbal in the opening game was a bad start, ruling out of half-fit Shakib made it worse. The all-rounder returned home to tend to the finger injury he's been carrying for long.

The misery does not stop there as Bagladesh's leading run-scorer Mushfiqur Rahim has been under a bit of scanner after being hit in the rib cage during the practice session ahead of the opening game. Add to that the many niggles different members of the team are carrying, made all the worse by heat and humidity in the United Arab Emirates.

''We came through difficult situation like losing one player after another and doubt whether Mushfiq will play or not play and in that sense they really have learnt a lot,'' Mortaza said ahead of the final. ''It was a great lesson for the boys. I think young players will learn that we must continue our fight till the last ball.

Gibson exudes optimism about SA's player pool ahead of 2019 WC

The 2019 World Cup is less than a year away and South Africa have a few positions in their squad that are up for grabs, but their coach Ottis Gibson is totally unfazed by the challenges at hand. The Proteas have a limited game count of 16 matches before the showpiece event in England next year and the countdown starts with a relatively low-key

Mushfiqur Rahim at the heart of Bangladesh recovery

If you take a closer look at Pakistan's botched up run-chase of Bangladesh's 239, you could perhaps jot down myriad turning points. Like the start provided by Mehidy Hasan, for instance, piling on pressure on an already struggling Fakhar Zaman and bringing an end to his miserable Asia Cup 2018 on the sixth ball.

Like the fabulously controlled length delivery from Mustafizur Rahman, that pitched right on the seam and straightened to get Pakistan's best batsman, Babar Azam, for just 1. Or Sarfraz Ahmed's wild waft away from the body that gave Bangladesh an identical start with the ball to Pakistan's by the fourth over. There was even Mashrafe Mortaza's fantastic dive to his left at short midwicket to puncture a gaping hole through Pakistan's chase with the dismissal of Shoiab Malik.

And what about Asif Ali's soft dismissal against Mehidy in the 40th over after a measured 71-run stand with Imam Ul Haq that kept Pakistan alive?

Each of these moments from the second-half of the virtual semifinal in Abu Dhabi had the potential to be the game-changer, but the epicenter of Bangladesh's excellent comeback lay elsewhere. Precisely, bang in the middle of the first innings, thanks to Mushfiqur Rahim.

In the fifth over on the hot afternoon, the local broadcasters turned their cameras towards a reserves bib-wearing Mohammad Amir, sitting by himself beyond the fence. It's hard on him, after the sort of start his replacement - Junaid Khan - was having, but he maintains a straight face.

Mushfiqur, Mustafizur thrust Bangladesh into Asia Cup final

There won't be another India versus Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup after all. In an   implicit semifinl at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 37 runs on Wednesday (September 26) to set a finale date with India. Mushfiqur Rahim's 99 helped set Pakistan a 240-run target, which proved a bridge too far to cross in the face of a four-wicket haul by Mustafizur Rahman.

The fact that Bangladesh fared so well in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, who was  Laid up by his recurrent finger injury is a testament to their ever improving temperament. Having lost their top three batsmen for only 12 runs, thanks to returning Junaid Khan and Shaheen Afridi wreaking havoc at the top, Bangladesh built their way back into the game courtesy a 144-run stand between Rahim and Mohammad Mithun. The duo paced up well with Pakistan spinners, who bowled quick on a well-grassed wicket. First-change Hasan Ali was equally complicit in the growing stand, failing to keep up the pressure built by the opening bowlers.

It was Hasan who eventually broke the stand, getting Mithun to top-edge a pull but the inflection point arrived with the wicket of Rahim, who fell one short of his hundred while trying to drive Afridi. Junaid, brought into the side at the cost of Mohammad Amir's second layoff of the tournament, added two more wickets to his tally, razing out Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan to finish with 4 for 19 and bundle Bangladesh out for 239 in 48.5 overs. The last five wickets fell for only 42 runs.

Pakistan also lost three early wickets while chasing. Mehidy Hasan opened the bowling to a circumspect Fakhar Zaman, getting the batsman on nought to open the gates. Mustafizur then struck in successive overs to account for Babar Azam with an LBW and Sarfraz Ahmed with an edge behind the wicket, leaving Pakistan reeling at 18 for 3 inside four overs.

Shoaib Malik, in association with Imam-ul-Haq, put 67 runs for the fourth wicket but his wicket by Rubel Hossain, thanks to a stunning take by Mashrafe Mortaza at short midwicket, meant that the onus was on Imam, who put up a lone fight from thereon. Shadab Khan was promoted above Asif Ali but failed to get going, consuming 24 balls for his 4 runs before becoming Soumya Sarkar's maiden ODI wicket.

Pakistan lost out on allowing the non-regular bowlers in Soumya and Mahmudullah to flourish, meaning Bangladesh didn't miss Shakib as much as they should have. Asif Ali, dropped on 22 by stand-in wicketkeeper Liton Das, did put up a 70-run stand for the sixth wicket with Imam, allowing Pakistan a shot at the target, but both fell in consecutive overs. Asif was stumped off an away-drifter by Mehidy while Imam, the top-scorer of the innings and Pakistan's only hope then, was stumped by Mahmudullah's one-finger slider; Liton Das completed both the stumpings to make for the dropped catch. It was a formality after that.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 239 in 48.5 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 99, Mohammad Mithun 60; Junaid Khan 4-19) beat Pakistan 202/9 in 50 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 83; Mustafizur Rahman 4-43) by 37 runs.

Roy picked in England Lions four-day squad

England's limited-overs specialist Jason Roy was the surprise red-ball pick in England Lions' squad for the upcoming tour of UAE that includes a solitary four-day unofficial Test, five One-day games and two T20s against Pakistan 'A'.

The 28-year-old Surrey star, who stroked an entertaining century earlier in the day against Essex, has made the England Lions red-ball squad for the first time on the back of a decent couple of weeks in the County season. There were call-ups for Durham's Mark Wood and Kent's Sam Billings, while Worcestershire's young pacer Josh Tongue was rewarded for a consistent showing in the ongoing County Championship. Jamie Overton, the tearaway, with 26 scalps for Somerset during the County season, has also been given an opportunity.

Amar Virdi, the off-spinner, who has snared 37 scalps at 30 apiece this season for Surrey, has been picked for the four-day game. Dom Bess, the off spinner, who made his Test debut versus Pakistan earlier in the year, has also been given a chance across all three formats of the game. Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire leg-spinner, is the other spinner in the set-up.

Shakib ruled out of Asia Cup, set to miss Zimbabwe series

Shakib Al Hasan the Bangladesh all-rounder, is set to miss the series against Zimbabwe after a flare up of his long-standing finger injury. The left-hander, who was ruled out of the Super Four Asia Cup match against Pakistan on Wednesday (September 26) after aggravating the fracture to his left little finger, boarded a Dhaka-bound flight on the same day. He's likely to undergo surgery which will keep him out of action for the home series against Zimbabwe, which will be played from September 30 to October 14.

"He will be out for four to six weeks," Akram Khan, BCB's cricket operations chairman, told reporters during the match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. "The pain had increased over the last few days and the physio [Thihan Chandramohan] tried his best to get him on the field, but the pain was too much. I would like to thank Shakib for playing [the first four matches] with the pain he had."

Team manager Khaled Mahmud told Cricbuzz that Shakib's injury had worsened before the Pakistan game, with scans confirming that he was not in a position to play even after taking painkillers. "A decision regarding his operation will be taken once he reaches Dhaka," Mahmud said. "The problem is that his finger is getting sore and that is extremely difficult for someone to carry on and play." Meanwhile, BCB insiders mentioned that Shakib is set to fly to USA to get his finger operated in the immediate future, although the date hasn't been finalised yet.

Bangladesh cramped to 239 after Rahim's 99

It could have been very different for Bangladesh. Coming  into the game without Shakib Al Hasan, who was laid up by his recurrent finger injury, and then losing their top three batsmen for only 12 runs, Bangladesh looked set for another meltdown until Mushfiqur Rahim's superb 99 proved otherwise. And just when they looked set for an above-par total, Mushfiqur's wicket triggered a collapse that saw Bangladesh lose their last five wickets for 42 runs.

In a redux of Bangladesh's rearguard against Sri Lanka, hence proving that it wasn't after all a fluke, Rahim put on 144 in partnership with Mohammad Mithun for the fourth wicket - Bangladesh's highest fourth-wicket stand against Pakistan - helping Bangladesh set Pakistan a 240-run target in the virtual semifinal at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (September 26).

Pakistan dropped Mohammed Amir for the second time in the 2018 Asia Cup, bringing in Junaid Khan this time - a decision that paid immediate dividends for a team that had hitherto picked only one wicket during powerplays this edition. Junaid razed through the openers, outwitting Soumya Sarkar with a short ball and then bowling Liton Das with an absolute peach from round the wicket. The two wickets sandwiched Mominul Haque's dismissal by Shaheen Afridi, off what was the delivery of the match so far - seaming in from over the wicket to breach through the left-hander's bat-pad gap.

Inconsistent Pakistan, Bangladesh in direct shootout

This is perhaps how the schedule makers of the Asia Cup intended it to be. The final group stage game with all to play for and the potential of the moolah-raking India-Pakistan finale. But there's nothing foregone about the virtual semifinal on Wednesday. Bangladesh after all, pulled off something similar just tow years ago - beating Pakistan to make the final of Asia Cup 2016, where they eventually lost to India.

Asia Cup campaigns of Pakistan and Bangladesh can best be described as severely [and similarly] inconsistent, with both winning and losing games by equally-massive margins, and are both still alive thanks to their final-over wins over Afghanistan. Both teams have had encouraging individual performances but have fallen flat in the face of pressure - particularly from India, who the winner of this game will meet in the final.

The scheduling of the tournament afforded Bangladesh four off days after their opening game on September 15, but have then had to play three games in four days while also shuttling between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. They have cooled their heels over the past couple of days though. On the other hand, Pakistan's itinerary has been slightly less taxing, but two outings against India have been morale-sapping.

Shahzad's impressive century steers Afghanistan to 252

Muhammad Shahzad  cracked a superlative 124 to lift Afghanistan to a sizeable 252 for 8 in their inconsequential Super Four game versus India in the Asia Cup 2018 in Dubai, on Tuesday (September 25).

The Nangarhar-born opener carried the batting unit on his shoulders as he accumulated 68.8% of the first 180 runs scored by Afghanistan. The significance of the right-hander's knock can be capsulised by the point that until the 26th over of the innings no other batsman had scored a boundary. Eventually, Gulbadin Naib collected a boundary via a top-edged pull off Siddarth Kaul.

During the course of the innings, Shahzad on occasions, was beaten, but each time it felt as if he had erased his memory of the previous delivery that had whistled past his bat. He took a heavy toll of especially Ravindra Jadeja and Deepak Chahar and crunched seven sixes in total. The highlight of his innings was perhaps the six he cracked off Jadeja into the downtown territories.

Shahzad also showed the required batting aptitude as he played with a degree of caution against Kuldeep Yadav. The only chance he provided was in the ninth over when he was dropped off Siddarth Kaul's bowling. He was also adjudged caught behind in the 21st over off Khaleel Ahmed. However, Shahzad took the review and replays suggested that it had come via the shoulder. Hence, the decision was overturned.

Virat Kohli awarded India's highest sporting honour; Mandhana wins Arjuna Award

The Government of India, on Tuesday (September 25), conferred India Men's captain  Virat Kohli with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award while honouring the India Women's T20 vice-captain Smriti Mandhana with the Arjuna Award. Kohli is only the third Indian cricketer to be awarded the highest sporting honour in the country while Mandhana is the tenth woman cricketer to win the Arjuna award.

Kohli has been in imperious touch for an elongated stretch of time with his most recent exploits as a batsman coming to the fore during the recently concluded England tour where he finished with 593 runs in five Tests, including two hundreds and three fifties. Kohli's overall tally of 58 international hundreds has already seen him break into the top five all-time centurions across all formats. The 29-year-old is currently ranked one on both ODI and Test list.

"The Khel Ratna award is yet another feather in Virat Kohli's cap. He was named the ICC Player of the Year in 2017, he swept the BCCI awards and has now been conferred with the highest sporting award, which is truly a remarkable feat. His hunger for runs is insatiable and I am sure under his leadership, the Indian team will be a top-ranked side in all three formats," BCCI acting honorary secretary, Amitabh Choudhary, said.

Gutsy Afghanistan achieve Simmons-endorsed equilibrium

Ravindra Jadeja has mistimed a pull shot and almost in synchronization, all Afghanistan players turn expectantly towards mid-wicket. For a split-second they're transfixed. All except Najibullah Zadran, who is sprinting in from the deep. He covers his ground, gets his palms right under the ball, and an eruption of emotions occurs. Afghanistan players run helter-skelter in celebration for a few seconds before deciding to move in the direction of Najubullah and converge mid-way. They've not won, but the feeling of triumph belongs to them on the night. A night that has helped them overcome, to an extent, two recent heartburns and given them their biggest result in ODIs, by their own admission.

It's been 11 eventful days for Afghanistan since their captain Asghar Afghan reckoned his team weren't in the Asia Cup to just make up numbers. Amidst a campaign of sleepwalking for India, an abysmal one for Sri Lanka, an encouraging one for Hong Kong and topsy-turvy one for the other two final aspirants - Pakistan and Bangladesh - Afghanistan have attained admirable consistency with both bat and ball.

The lack of experience in tense moments probably got the better of them twice - against Pakistan and Bangladesh - and cost them a place in the final, but an upgradation has already been attained through the exhilarating tie against India.

Shahzad, bowlers star in Afghanistan's thrilling tie

Twists and turns. Drama and action. The Super Four game between India and Afghanistan had it all as Ravindra Jadeja (25) fell off the penultimate ball of the match for the game to end in a pulsating tie. The game culminated in a fairy-tale finish, with Rashid Khan, Afghanistan's star spinner, giving away just six runs off the first four balls of the final over before tempting Jadeja to play the pull only to be caught by the fielder positioned at midwicket.

While chasing a target of 253, India seemed to be on course for a rather comfortable win. With the score reading 166 for 4, Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav joined forces in the middle to share an alliance of 38 for the fifth wicket.

Just when the game seemed to be slipping away from Afghanistan's grasp, they got the timely wicket of Jadhav in the form of a run out. Jadhav would count himself unlucky as Karthik drove one back at Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the bowler, who deflected it onto the stumps, with the non-striker finding himself short. While trying to get back to the crease, Jadhav's bat got stuck in the turf which didn't help his cause.

Marcus Trescothick extends Somerset contract until 2019

Former England batsman  Marcus Trescothick has extended his stay at Somerset by signing a new one-year contract, the club announced on Tuesday (September 25). The 2019 season will be the 27th year at the club for the 42-year-old opener who has scored more first-class centuries (52) and more List A runs (7374) than any player in Somerset's history.

"I'm delighted to have signed for at least another year. I still have the drive, passion and energy to want to get better and strive to perform for the team. I've always said that I want to continue to play for Somerset for as long as possible and that feeling has not changed." Trescothick said after signing the contract. "We've made good progress in the County Championship and other competitions this season and I'm excited for what is to come for the Club when you look at the combination of youth and experience within the squad," he added.

Puneet Bisht, Abhay Negi star in Meghalaya's record 256-run win

Sibsankar Roy (46), Wasiqur Rahman (43) and Romario Sharma (42) made handy contributions but Shahbaz Nadeem's three-wicket haul kept Assam to a modest 221 for 9. Reduced to 71 for 4, Assam did well to recover after Roy and Rahman lifted the side with a 71-run stand.

Ishan Kishan then smashed a 91-ball 139 to reduce the target to dust and help his team canter to an eight-wicket win with 19 overs to spare. The opening stand saw Kishan and Anand Singh (58) posting 200 in just 25.2 overs.

Afghanistan out to pip finalists India on their way out

It's been a rough few days for Afghanistan. Topping Group B with a Net Run Rate of +2.270 has eventually amounted to zilch as they've come second in two successive thrillers - against Pakistan and Bangladesh - to be the first team to bow out from the Super Four stage. The initial performances were laced with all-around effort and brought along serious promise of breaking away from their underdogs' image and being true contenders for glory.

But the lack of experience in crunch situations, perhaps, did them in twice - first while defending 39 runs off the last four overs against Pakistan, which was eventually down to 10 off six balls and chased with three to spare; and then faltered while needing to score eight off the last six balls against Bangladesh.

Wickets fall like ninepins on a bowling-friendly day

In a bid to top the points table, Warwickshire came out all guns blazing and shunted out Kent for 167. Even that looked daunting but a final wicket stand of 42 added some respectability to the scoreline as Matt Henry, batting at number 10, swung his willow to score 32. The trio of Keith Barker, Olly Stone and Chris Wright picked up three-fers to run riot.

Warwickshire in reply, were authoritative as well with their opener Will Rhodes bringing up his ton in no time at all. He ended the day on the score of 102 off 121 balls and had Dominic Sibley for company who was batting on 37. Warwickshire were 148 for no loss at the end of day 1 and were only 19 behind Kent.

It is notable that both Kent and Warwickshire have already qualified for division 1.

Porter, Cook combine to bundle champions Surrey for meek 67

James Porter and Samuel Cook shared four wickets apiece as Surrey were shot out for 67 in the very first session of the game at Kennington Oval, London, on Monday (September 24). The new Championship winners found life difficult in swing-conducive conditions with only Rory Burns and Ollie Pope crossing double figures. Boosted by the strong bowling performance, Essex's top order ensured that the day's honours were pocketed without much fuss.

Indian opener Murali Vijay continued his impressive county season with another fluent half century, as did Tom Westley who is closing on the three-figure mark. It was the former's fourth fifty-plus score in as many innings since his County debut. After the early loss of Nick Browne off the bowling of Morne Morkel, the duo's 146-run stand denied Surrey further inroads.

Stuart Law steps down as Windies' head coach

Stuart Law stepped down from the post of head coach of West Indies - a post that he took up in February 2017. His last assignment with the national side will be Windies' tour of India in October and Bangladesh in November, after which, he will take over the same role with Middlesex, across all formats, where he has signed for four years.

"I have had to make the difficult decision to leave my role of Head Coach with CWI," Law said in a press release on Monday (September 24). "It has been very enjoyable, and I believe we have made tremendous strides forward as a Team during the past 2 years.

Glamorgan to conduct external review after dismal season

In the wake of the disappointing season that Glamorgan have had, which has them sitting at the bottom of Division Two in the County Championship with just one win, they are set to conduct an independent review of the same. They also failed to progress even in the white-ball competitions this year. The Cardiff based club finished sixth in the T20 Blast, but only managed a solitary win in the Royal London One-Day Cup, and going into the final round of the County Championship, have lost seven games in a row.

"Every summer we have an internal review, where we look at the things we have done well and not so well and we will implement changes," Hugh Morris, the joint chief executive and director of cricket, of the club said on Monday (September 24). "Given the results we have had this summer we are seeking to have an independent external review of what we do. That will go to board in the middle of October and the changes will be implemented. The board is passionate about the club and will be doing the right things for the club."

Windies Women take early lead with comfortable win

After sharing honours in the three-match One-Day International series, Windies Women made a victorious start to the subsequent five-match T20 International with a 17-run win over South Africa Women. On Monday (September 24), chasing 125, South Africa could only manage 107 for 7 in their quota of overs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Opting to bat, Windies opener Natasha McLean anchored the innings with a resilient, yet quick, 41-ball 38, while wickets fell at the other end at regular intervals. Deandra Dottin chipped in with a handy 22 in the middle, before unbeaten 14s from both Merissa Aguilleira and Kycia Knight took Windies to 124 after being reduced to 98 for 6 at one stage. For South Africa, Zintle Mali and Saarah Smith finished with two wickets apiece.

Dhawal Kulkarni named stand-in Mumbai captain

Dhawal Kulkarni will skipper Mumbai for the next two games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with three first-regulars to leave the campaign for commitments with the Board President's XI and the national team.

Having won their first three games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy  - against Baroda, Karnataka and Railways - Mumbai are currently on a roll in the One-Day tournament. On Monday (September 24), Mumbai's Elite Group A clash against Vidarbha at Alur was abandoned due to rain, leading the teams to share points. However, when the domestic giants resume their campaign after a three-day break, on September 28 against Punjab, they will miss three of their inform batsmen - regular skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer.

For their next two games, against Punjab) and against Himachal(September 30), Kulkarni will be the stand-in captain. The experienced seamer has been given this responsibility for the first time. Like Kulkarni, Iyer too will get a chance to make his captaincy debut for Mumbai when he returns to the Mumbai team after missing two matches - he and Shaw are supposed to play for Board President's XI against the touring West Indies in Baroda, in a two-day game from September 28

Hong Kong's shining moment - lodestar or flash in the pan?

There was a time, back when such things were poorly understood, when the appearance of a light in the sky where there wasn't one before would create a fair stir amongst those accustomed to following the predictable motions of familiar astral bodies. Books might be penned, ad-hoc explanations proffered, and a good deal of portentous nonsense would ensue.

These days, though the science of Novas is far from a finished field, and their prediction still largely educated guesswork, astronomers have a fair idea of what lies behind them and the conditions under which they can occur. So it was, if you will pardon a rather laboured analogy, with Hong Kong's recent flash in the cricketing firmament. Heading to the UAE with two of the better-performing spinners in associates cricket, a workmanlike but canny pace attack, and a top three of proven quality, one might have guessed Hong Kong arrived at the Asia Cup pushing their metaphorical Chandrasekhar limit.

India vs Pakistan 23 September

India won easily by Pakistan. Pakistan bating first and make target 237 to won India. India achieve this target easily. Pakistan Opener once again not good perform also Babar Azam not well defined he was run out. But Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz good perform Shoaib Malik add 107 runs with Sarfraz and he was out 78 in 98.


In replay India opining partnership is strong. Pakistani bowling is completely fail India achieve