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Runs from Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque and Liton Das in the two-day tour game will give Bangladesh some measure of confident before the first Test in Galle

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile Photo – Tamim Iqbal struck seven sixes and nine fours in his 136-run knock•Getty Images

Bangladesh batsmen made a roaring start to their tour of Sri Lanka, as Tamim Iqbal reeled off a rapid hundred, with Mominul Haque and Liton Das also contributing with unbeaten half-centuries.The Sri Lanka Board President’s XI does not feature a particularly strong attack, given that the country’s second-string bowlers are currently engaged in the Sri Lanka A team. However, a score of 391 for 7 will, nonetheless, have the visiting batsmen approach the Galle Test with a measure of confidence.Tamim’s 136 off 182 balls (retired out) came after a few modest performances on tours of New Zealand and India, during which he scored only one half-century in six Test innings. Perhaps, it is because of this brief stretch of indifferent form that he was not retired out earlier. In any case, Tamim struck seven sixes and nine fours in his innings, and forged a 143-run second-wicket stand with Mominul, following it up by a 75-run partnership for the third wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim.Mominul’s 73 (retired out) also came at a brisk pace – off 103 balls – and featured 10 fours. Towards the end of the day, Liton struck an unbeaten 64-ball 57 in what was an important knock for the wicketkeeper-batsman, as he would be taking the gloves from Mushfiqur and, as such, will feature in the XI for the first Test.Meanwhile, Mahmudullah, who finds himself in competition with Sabbir Rahman for a lower-order position, may not have done enough with his 73-ball 43 to definitively win over the selectors’ favour.Chamika Karunaratne, the 20-year-old Tamil Union seam bowler, returned the best figures for the hosts, taking 3 for 61. If the Board President’s XI bat tomorrow, Dinesh Chandimal’s innings will be of particular interest in light of him having failed to cross fifty on the recent tour of South Africa.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test of the Investec Ashes at Lord’s

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale15-Jul-2015

Match facts

July 16-20, 2015
Start time 11am local (1000GMT)3:06

Ponting: Muted Australia need to be more flamboyant

Big Picture

Australia must wish the first Test had been played in New South Wales instead of old south Wales. Already Cardiff held few fond memories for Australia cricketers, from their one-day loss to Bangladesh there in 2005 to their 2009 failure to finish the job against England in an Ashes Test. After their defeat in the first Investec Ashes Test this year, their win-loss record in Cardiff across all formats reads much like the name of a Welsh village: LWLDLLL.No wonder they didn’t feel like sharing a beer with Alastair Cook and his men after the game. Of course, the post-match snub was merely froth and bubble (or not, apparently) compared with what happened on the field. There, Cook earned praise for his captaincy and was backed by a strong all-round effort from his players. They were calm, confident and patient. And, despite doubts over Moeen Ali’s fitness, they enter the second Test at Lord’s with a largely settled side.The same cannot be said of the Australians. Significant changes are expected, including the withdrawal of Brad Haddin for personal reasons. That will mean a Test debut for Peter Nevill, albeit not in the kind of circumstances anyone would wish for. There is also a likelihood that Shane Watson will be axed for Mitchell Marsh, a move that has been described as potentially career-ending for Watson. However, given Marsh’s history of injuries, it is not out of the question that Watson could find himself back in the side later in the series.England have fitness concerns over Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid•PA Photos

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWLW
Australia LWWDD

In the spotlight

Things went pretty well for England on the third day in Cardiff, and not only because they skittled Australia’s lower-order and set up the victory. It was also the day on which Ian Bell emerged from a batting slump. England will hope he gained some confidence from the 60 – his first half-century in ten Test innings – and Australia know how dangerous it can be to allow him to find form. Last time the teams met at Lord’s, Bell scored 109 and 74.Peter Nevill will become the 443rd man to represent Australia in Tests and will be keen to show the selectors he can handle the step up. A fine domestic batsman who scored 764 runs at 76.40 in the most recent Sheffield Shield summer, Nevill has overtaken Matthew Wade as Haddin’s backup and, at 29, he could have many years of Test cricket ahead of him if he eventually becomes the full-time successor.

Team news

England named an unchanged 13-man squad for the Lord’s Test and hope to keep the same XI from Cardiff but Moeen Ali is carrying a side strain that has limited his ability to practise. Adil Rashid has suffered a minor injury to his spinning finger, too, so England look set to bank on Moeen.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali/Adil Rashid, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Mark Wood, 11 James AndersonMarsh and Nevill appear set to replace Watson and Haddin, but a third change looks unlikely. Mitchell Starc battled an ankle injury during the Cardiff Test but has bowled well in the nets in the lead-up to the Lord’s Test and should retain his spot ahead of Peter Siddle.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

The Lord’s pitch should have more pace and carry than what was offered at Cardiff, where even on day one some deliveries were staying low. Rain has hampered preparations slightly but the forecast for the match is for fine weather and temperatures in the low 20C range.

Stats and trivia

• Nevill will become the first Australian to debut in a Lord’s Ashes Test since 1977, when Richie Robinson, Craig Serjeant and Len Pascoe all debuted together
• Mitchell Johnson needs 16 runs and seven wickets to join Shane Warne as the only Australians with the double of 2000 Test runs and 300 Test wickets
• The last Lord’s Ashes Test was just two years ago but only three Australians and five England players from that game appear likely to take part this time

Quotes

“When we win, the captain gets the plaudits; when we lose, the captain picks up the negative bits as well. That is part and parcel of the job.”
Alastair Cook is not getting complacent after a week of good reviews“Generally here at Lord’s the first session of the first day is a bit tough, it seams around a bit, but once you get in as a batter it can be beautiful to bat on.”

Bangladesh bowling coach Heath Streak said it was unlikely that his team would opt for three seamers for the first Test against India

Mohammad Isam in Fatullah07-Jun-2015The return of Rubel Hossain from injury, and the consistency of Mohammad Shahid have been welcomed by Bangladesh’s bowling coach Heath Streak ahead of the upcoming Test against India in Fatullah. However, Streak said it was unlikely that Bangladesh would opt for three seamers at a venue where pace-bowling has largely been ineffective.”We are unlikely to go with a three-seam attack in this wicket,” Streak told ESPNcricinfo. “We are probably looking at two but it is up to the coach and selectors, once they have a better look at the wicket as we get closer to the game.”Obviously it is nice to have Rubel back in the equation. Normally wickets here are quite tough for the fast bowlers so it requires a lot of patience. I thought Shahid bowled really well in the Pakistan series and showed what he can do. Rubel has been in good form prior to his injury.”Shahid for us is that dependability. He is the guy you rely on to bowl lots of overs like we saw in the Pakistan Test. He comes in, the captain sets a field and he bowls well to it. He asks the questions. He is not an easy guy for batsmen to get on top of. Hopefully he can be that anchor role for us, with the volume of overs with one or two of the spinners and let the other seamer have an attacking option.”Currently, Rubel has a Test bowling average of 75.90 – the worst among bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 3000 deliveries – and takes a wicket roughly every 116 balls. But his form in ODIs, since his four-wicket haul against England in the World Cup, has helped him keep his place in the Test side.Shahid showed that he can be relied on to take the workload in Tests. He bowled 60 overs in his first two Tests, which included 41 in the second Test in Dhaka after Shahadat Hossain got injured in the first over of the match.While Rubel has never played a first-class match in Fatullah, Shahid has taken six wickets in two matches. Bangladesh’s other seam option, Abul Hasan, has played one match at this venue taking three wickets.Whether Bangladesh’s pace bowling is in the shape of a Shahid-Rubel alliance or a single-man unit, they would have to defy conditions, history and current form to be effective against India.

Melbourne Renegades will replace Marlon Samuels with England player Alex Hales after the West Indian was ruled out of the remainder of the Big Bash League due to an eye injury

Alex Malcolm08-Jan-2013The Big Bash League (BBL) Technical Committee has allowed the Melbourne Renegades to replace Marlon Samuels with England batsman Alex Hales, after the West Indian was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to the injury sustained during Sunday night’s fiery clash against the Melbourne Stars.Samuels suffered a suspected fracture of the eye-socket when struck in the face, via a top-edge, while facing Lasith Malinga.The injury brought to an end a turbulent tournament for Samuels. Brisbane Heat coach Darren Lehmann and Adelaide Strikers coach Darren Berry had been charged for breaches of the Code of Behaviour when they publicly questioned the legitimacy of Samuels’ bowling action. Berry got into a heated discussion with Samuels prior to his side’s match with the Renegades, before Samuels became the pantomime villain again against the Stars on Sunday when he embroiled himself in arguments with both David Hussey and Shane Warne, who was later fined and suspended for the incident.Samuels’ absence won’t create a void as his replacement Hales will be available for the Renegades’ remaining games – their last preliminary match against the Sydney Sixers, and the semi-finals.Hales has played 14 Twenty20 internationals for England over the past 18 months. He made 99 from just 68 balls against West Indies in June on his home ground at Trent Bridge. It is one of four international half-centuries he has scored, the latest coming against India during a two-match tour in December.The final round of preliminary matches begins when Melbourne Stars host Sydney Thunder at the MCG. Malinga has also been withdrawn from the Stars’ team as he joins the Sri Lankan squad in preparation for the ODI series, starting on Friday. The Australian ODI squad members David Hussey, Clint McKay and Glenn Maxwell have been allowed to play for the Stars, as well as Usman Khawaja, who will represent the winless Thunder. But should the Stars make the finals, they will lose Hussey, McKay, and Maxwell, and reports suggest an assessment on Malinga’s availability for the semi-final will be made closer to the time should the Stars qualify for the final four.The Stars called up former England allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas as cover for Malinga. Mascarenhas took two wickets in both the semi-final and final of the England domestic T20 tournament last year to help Hampshire win the title. He also represented Hampshire at the Champions League, and played two Twenty20s for Wellington in New Zealand on December 28 and January 1. Mascarenhas must play the Sydney Thunder to be available for selection in the semi-final should the Stars qualify.Meanwhile, Hobart Hurricanes batsman Travis Birt was fined $1000 by Cricket Australia for a Code of Behaviour breach. Birt was initially cited for striking the advertising foam on the rope after he was given out against the Sydney Thunder but was not fined over the incident. Birt was, however, fined for breaching Rule 9: Detrimental Public Comment when he criticised umpires for “ruining games,” on Twitter on December 23.

The Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise has been issued a suspension notice by the BCCI for non-payment of a bank guarantee, PTI has reported

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2011The Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise has been terminated by the BCCI for breaching its terms of agreement, the new board president N Srinivasan has said after the annual general meeting in Mumbai. The trigger for the decision was the franchise’s inability to furnish a new bank guarantee for 2011. It is understood that the deadline for Kochi to submit the bank guarantee was March 26, 2011. So the BCCI felt it had every right to terminate the contract once the franchise had failed to produce it.”Because of the irremediable breach committed by the Kochi franchise, the BCCI has decided to encash the bank guarantee [for 2010] in its possession and also terminate the franchise,” Srinivasan said. When asked if Kochi had any chance of returning, Srinivasan responded: “No, we have terminated the franchise because the breach is not capable of being remedied.”Under the terms of the franchise agreement, each franchise has to submit a bank guarantee every year that covers the fee payable to the BCCI. “We waited for six months for the fresh bank guarantee to come,” a top BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. “They kept saying they will, they will, they will. That had no meaning.”According to the official Shashank Manohar, who stepped down as BCCI president at the AGM, had told Kochi’s owners that in case they needed an extension, they should send a letter signed by all the owners stating they would fulfill their commitments under the franchise agreement or the BCCI could encash the bank guarantee. The franchise had assured Manohar they would send the letter the same evening.”The last president [Manohar] said that that if you want an extension of two to three days or more, you give us a letter signed by all the owners saying that we undertake to pay the guarantee money by such and such a date,” the official said. “And if we fail to do that we have no objection to the bank guarantee to be encashed by the BCCI.”The official said the Kochi owners sent a “simple letter” that did not include all the details Manohar had asked for and so the board took the decision to terminate the franchise. “[These] things do not work. It is even unfair to the other franchises.”According to the official, the BCCI was not worried about Kochi going to court because it was the franchise that had defaulted. As for the players, they are likely to go back into the auction. “And in case the players’ dues are not paid, we would ensure that it is paid from the bank guarantee money we encash.”The chairman of Kochi, Mukesh Patel, however, denied that the franchise owed the board any money. “The BCCI notice is wrong, prima facie,” he told . “We will take legal action against them after our legal team reviews the case in a day or two. Maybe we have to move court. We have never defaulted. The BCCI will be paying us Rs 12 to 15 crore ($2.5 million to $3.13 million) next month as a part of our central revenue.”The franchise’s dispute centres on the BCCI’s decision to reduce the number of IPL games from 94 to 74. “The number of games in Tender Document was 94; they then reduced it to 74 but did not reduce the franchise fees.”The BCCI also appointed Rajiv Shukla as the new IPL chairman, succeeding Chirayu Amin, and said that the league’s governing council would take a decision on whether to have another auction for a new franchise. With Kochi’s termination, the ten-team competition will be reduced to nine.The consortium that owns Kochi is reported to have defaulted on an annual payment of Rs 156 crores as a bank guarantee. In April 2010, the BCCI’s working committee had rejected demands from Kochi and Pune Warriors for a reduction in their franchisee fees. The two new franchises, which made their debuts in 2011, had sought a 25% waiver on the grounds that the BCCI had stated in the bidding document that each team would play 18 league matches in a season. The schedule was later reduced to 14 matches per team.The two teams already paid 75% of this year’s installment and wanted the balance waived. They argued the reduction in matches was a breach of the terms of the Invitation to Tender the BCCI had issued before the two new teams were bought. Since they had based their bid on the number of matches to be played, a reduction should therefore be accompanied by a reduction in the franchise fee. However, the BCCI voted to turn down the request at its meeting in Mumbai in April.In March 2010, the Sahara group had bid $370 million to became owners of the Pune franchise while a consortium of five companies called Rendezvous Sports World offered $333.33 million for Kochi.

Australia and New Zealand’s Rose Bowl Series recommences on Sunday, four months after it was dramatically halted when the sides were caught up in the fatal Christchurch earthquake

Jenny Roesler10-Jun-2011Australia and New Zealand’s Rose Bowl Series recommences on Sunday, four months after it was dramatically halted when the sides were caught up in the fatal Christchurch earthquake.On February 22 the quake, which killed nearly 200 people, rocked the Christchurch Novotel where the New Zealand team were gathered ready to head to training. “They were right in the heart of it and saw some pretty scary stuff,” said Australia’s Shelley Nitschke.The hotel remained standing but next door the famous Christchurch Cathedral was ruined. New Zealand managed to head 20km away to Lincoln University, linking up with Australia who had been training there and felt the whole indoor centre shake.The sides then experienced a powerful aftershock when in a supermarket stocking up. “All of the shelves started shaking, tins were falling off,” said Nitschke. “It was pretty scary.” The two teams stayed in makeshift accommodation on site – some on couches and mattresses – for several nights until it was safe to fly out.Now, the series will finally reconvene with three ODIs at the Allan Border Fields in Queensland, Australia, after the Twenty20s – which began back in December last year – were levelled at 2-2.The teams will simply try to focus on the cricket, with New Zealand seeking out their first win this century. “It’s a fierce rivalry actually because the Kiwis haven’t won it for years, they’ve come so close so many times,” said Nitschke. “We’ve been two all and we’ll win, or there’ll be a wash-out so it’s getting to be a pretty good rivalry. Whether or not it will be a bit more important [given the earthquake], I don’t really know, we’ll find out.”Australia will welcome back Jodie Fields to the captaincy after a horror 18 months in which she twice badly injured her hamstring in freak accidents. Alex Blackwell, having led Australia to their first World Twenty20 and recaptured the Ashes after six years, will resume the vice-captaincy and has handled well stepping back to the ranks.”I’ve enjoyed captaining and I feel that it’s actually been a good thing for my own cricket,” Blackwell told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m pleased with the way I’ve handled it. It was an opportunity that came about because of Jodie’s injury, it’s just fantastic news that she’s fit. She’s gone through a terrible time with rehabbing and I know how much work she’s put in.”The pair will work together to help a relatively new team adjust smoothly. Australia have a new-look pace attack after Ellyse Perry was announced in the Matildas’ World Cup soccer squad, while Rene Farrell, the Ashes hat-trick hero, has announced an indefinite break from cricket.The younger players recently headed out to India for a training camp, while Sharon Millanta debuted at the age of 30 after consistent performances for New South Wales.New Zealand will be desperate to recapture a Rose Bowl at long last and will welcome the opportunity for some matchplay before heading to England for the quadrangular also involving India. Having reached the last four World finals but failed on each occasion, there is the prospect of two finals – with Twenty20 and ODI formats on offer – and they will be keen to go one better.For now, though, the Rose Bowl is there for the taking and New Zealand will not want to be bridesmaids again. Australia will feel no guilt, however, should they dash such hopes once more.

A burst of three wickets in nine balls from Chris Tremlett saw Surrey wrap up
victory by an innings and 175 runs against Northamptonshire at The Oval

22-Jul-2010
ScorecardChris Tremlett finished with three top-order wickets as Surrey completed a resounding victory•PA Photos

A burst of three wickets in nine balls from Chris Tremlett saw Surrey wrap up
victory by an innings and 175 runs against Northamptonshire at The Oval.Northamptonshire had been 96 without loss following on but they dramatically
collapsed to 205 all out.The visitors, dismissed before lunch for 240 and forced to follow-on still
trailing by 380, were making a better fist of things second time around until
Andre Nel, limping with a suspected thigh strain, provided the inspiration for
Surrey.Openers Stephen Peters (50) and Ben Howgego (45) had posted 96 in 35 overs
before Surrey’s three-pronged pace attack of Tremlett, Nel and Stuart Meaker
took a grip on the game by bagging four wickets in 16 balls without addition to
the total.Nel got one to lift off a length to have Peters caught in the gully then, from
the very next ball, Tremlett went around the wicket to see Howgego, pushing
hesitantly, edge onto his own off stump.Three balls later David Sales fenced at a Tremlett lifter to edge low to Nel at
slip and, in his next over, the 6ft 7in strike bowler saw Rob White chop onto
the base of off stump.The collapse continued after tea when Meaker got in on the act with 4 for 59
during a fiery stint from the Vauxhall End.David Wakely (seven) was superbly caught one-handed by Nel at slip, Andrew Hall
(two) sliced a leg-cutter to point, Elton Chigumbura (25) snicked a drive to
third slip and David Murphy (eight) was comprehensively castled.Surrey’s excellent fielding continued when Usman Afzaal took another athletic
catch on the run at wide mid-off to account for David Lucas (14) off Gareth
Batty’s bowling. Afzaal then helped himself to a wicket as James Middlebrook’s
(36) slog sweep was caught at mid-on and completed Surrey’s maximum points win
with 13 overs of the day remaining.After a 15-minute delay for rain at the start of the day, Northamptonshire
resumed their first innings on 174 for 8 and reached their only batting
bonus point in style thanks to a lusty 36 from last-man Jack Brooks.Lucas (13) fell with the visitors two short of their initial 200-run target
when he was late on a quicker ball from Batty to go leg before and make it 198
for 9.Number 11 Brooks went for his shots from ball one, sweeping Batty for two sixes
into the Peter May Stand and then backing away to cut another six over the
ropes at backward point off Meaker.Batty had his revenge however, having Brooks caught at backward square-leg to
end the Northamptonshire innings just after mid-day allowing his skipper Rory
Hamilton-Brown to enforce the follow-on with more than five sessions of the
match remaining.Batty, the pick of Surrey’s attack, finished with 5 for 76 – his first
five-wicket return since re-joining the county from Worcestershire – while Nel
and Tremlett bagged two apiece.

Plays of the day from the third day between Australia and West Indies in Adelaide

Alex Brown at Adelaide Oval06-Dec-2009Oh no, Watto

Even the most hardened of West Indies fans would have felt a pang of sympathy for Shane Watson. Resuming play just four runs short of his maiden Test century, Watson attempted to swipe the second ball of the day through midwicket, only for Sulieman Benn to breach his defences and hit the top of off stump. A disconsolate Watson kicked at the air and trudged from the field, aware that he had missed a prime opportunity join the Test centurion ranks. No word yet on whether Watson offered to assist the South Australian Cricket Association by bringing forward the planned demolition date of the Adelaide Oval dressing rooms.No Siddle in the middle

Australia need to knock West Indies over cheaply in their second innings, so it was a concern for the home fans when Peter Siddle didn’t take the field when Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath walked out to bat. Siddle had a tight hamstring and is no certainty to bowl on the fourth day, but Michael Hussey was confident he would take his place at some point. “I certainly hope so,” Hussey said. “I think it was more precautionary tonight, just leave him out of tonight so his leg has got another 12 hours or so to try and give him a good go tomorrow. I’m pretty confident that he’ll be out there tomorrow for us.”Conversion tables

Ricky Ponting has long emphasised the importance of batsmen converting 50s to 100s, but his calls have failed to inspire his troops of late. Of the last 12 Australian batsmen to pass the half-century mark, only one, Hussey at The Oval, has reached triple figures. Simon Katich is most culpable, having scored 80, 92 and 50 in his last three Tests, while Ponting himself has twice fallen short of a century after passing 50 in that time.Wise Sulieman prediction

Prior to the Brisbane Test, the West Indies interim coach David Williams touted Benn a likely trump card for the three-Test tour. Benn may have possessed a Test average nudging 50, but Williams felt the bounce of Australian wickets would suit the 200cm Bajan against a batting line-up that has seldom looked comfortable facing quality finger spin. Having performed solidly in a losing cause at the Gabba, Benn arrived at Adelaide Oval with much to prove. And so it transpired. Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Marcus North and Siddle formed the hit-list for Benn’s maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, handing West Indies a 12-run first-innings lead. The last time West Indies held a first-innings advantage on Australia was the Perth Test of 1996-97. They went on to win the match by ten wickets.What are the odds?

Punters have taken a dim view of West Indies since their arrival on Australian shores. With the Australians two wickets down in pursuit of the tourists’ first-innings total of 451, betting agencies were offering A$21 on West Indies breaking their nine-Test losing streak on Australian soil. That reduced to $17 at the fall of Ricky Ponting’s wicket, and $7.50 by the time the tourists headed to stumps with an overall lead of 35 and all second-innings wickets intact.

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill fell as England nudged marginally ahead in the Test

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2025

Ben Stokes was pumped up after trapping Shubman Gill lbw•Getty Images

Tea Liam Dawson marked his comeback to Test cricket by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal with his seventh ball to help prise the opening day back open in Manchester.India’s openers batted through the morning session after being inserted but England struck three blows and kept the scoring rate below three an over in the afternoon to leave the fourth Test in the balance.KL Rahul became the fifth Indian player to reach 1,000 runs in England during the first session and played late throughout his innings. But he edged Chris Woakes to third slip for 46 while looking to punch down the ground, bringing an opening partnership of 94 in exactly 30 overs to an end.Jaiswal continued to frustrate England and reached his eighth 50-plus score in 16 innings against them after lunch, but fell soon before drinks. He battled his instincts for much of the morning session to soak up pressure in gloomy conditions, but then became the returning Dawson’s first victim since July 2017, edging to Harry Brook at slip for 58.It was the highlight of a superb spell from Dawson, who had 1 for 21 in seven overs at the tea interval and exerted the sort of control that the injured Shoaib Bashir, whom he replaced in England’s only change, struggled to in the first three Tests. He kept the recalled B Sai Sudharsan quiet, who was then dropped on 20 down the leg side by Jamie Smith off Ben Stokes.Stokes himself struck soon before the interval, pleading with Rod Tucker for an lbw decision – which eventually came – after striking Shubman Gill on the pad as he shouldered arms. Gill’s unsuccessful appeal meant that he has scored 16, 6 and 12 since his epic Edgbaston Test, and left England slightly ahead on day one.

On paper, Afghanistan look far stronger, but Uganda have reached here the hard way and will want to make a big impression

Mohammad Isam03-Jun-20243:08

Spinners in focus in Afghanistan vs Uganda encounter

Match details

Afghanistan vs Uganda
Providence, 7.30pm local

Big picture – Can Uganda make it a debut to remember?

It has been a long road for Uganda to the T20 World Cup 2024 but they are here by right, and now have a chance to make a big mark.Their first opponents, however, are not the sort you want to face when trying to ease into the top flight. Afghanistan are a team bristling with talent and ambition after finishing sixth in the 2023 ODI World Cup. They beat England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Netherlands in an impressive run, and might just have finished stronger had it not been for a once-in-a-lifetime innings from Glenn Maxwell.At this World Cup, Afghanistan would want to finish things off quickly against Uganda in the first game and later Papua New Guinea, the Associates in their group, because co-hosts West Indies and New Zealand are also in the same group, so Super Eight qualification could get tricky. And that’s not counting for upsets, as PNG threatened to pull off against West Indies.Related

• 'We carry a whole country's hopes on our backs,' says Uganda captain Brian Masaba

• Rashid: We have the batting line-up to chase down 200

• Embracing the unorthodox – South Asian teams are now fast-bowling powerhouses

• Meet Uganda, the newest African kid on the block

• 'If we play our own style of the game, we can beat any side'

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran will be expected to give them a quick start. Their spin trio of captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman make up one of the most formidable T20I spin attack. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq are reputed T20 quicks, while allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai is a rising star. It’s a team with a lot of T20 class.But Afghanistan’s batters will have to be watchful against Uganda, who have as many as three left-arm fingerspinners in their ranks. Apart from Najibullah Zadran, none of the likely starters among the batters are left-hand batters. Uganda, on the other hand, have some variety in their bowling, which opponents have to watch out for.They got to the World Cup through the Africa qualifiers, where they beat Zimbabwe by five wickets. It was their first win against a Full Member side, and one that has raised their hopes. They will bank on batter Roger Mukasa, allrounders Riazat Ali Shah and Alpesh Ramjani, and left-arm spinner Henry Ssenyondo, all regular performers.It could become an interesting battle, despite the gulf between the two sides. And if Uganda want some inspiration from history, they could look back at this game from 2009.

Form guide

Afghanistan WWLWL
Uganda WLWWWGetting past Zimbabwe to make the T20 World Cup was a stirring story for Uganda•International Cricket Council

In the spotlight – Azmatullah Omarzai and Alpesh Ramjani

Azmatullah Omarzai was among the top-performing allrounders at the ODI World Cup last year. His 353 runs and seven wickets were comparable to the numbers of Rachin Ravindra and Maxwell among those who scored at least 300 runs and took five wickets. Omarzai doesn’t have great numbers in T20s yet, but Afghanistan see the 24-year-old as one for the future, as did Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024. He will bat in the middle order, and his swing bowling might come in handy in the powerplay too.Allrounders are Uganda’s strength, and Alpesh Ramjani is the leader of that pack with his 469 runs and 65 wickets since 2023. Ramjani bats in the middle order and bowls left-arm spin. A product of Mumbai’s famed cricket structure, he played with the likes of Shivam Dube, and considers Suryakumar Yadav as a mentor. Ramjani moved to Uganda in 2021 at the advice of current team-mate Dinesh Nakrani, and made his international debut in 2022.

Team news

Afghanistan are likely to play Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat, all seam-bowling allrounders, alongside Naveen and Farooqi. It will give them batting cushion down to No. 8.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Gulbadin Naib, 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Rashid Khan (capt), 8 Karim Janat, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiMukasa and Simon Ssesazi are a solid opening pair for Uganda, while Riazat, Nakrani and Ramjani form the all-round core of the side. They can field three left-arm spinners, including captain Brian Masaba, depending on the conditions.Uganda (probable): 1 Roger Mukasa, 2 Simon Ssesazi, 3 Robinson Obuya, 4 Riazat Ali Shah, 5 Dinesh Nakrani, 6 Alpesh Ramjani, 7 Kenneth Waiswa, 8 Fred Achelam (wk), 9 Bilal Hassun, 10 Brian Masaba (capt), 11 Henry Ssenyondo0:50

Which team is the likeliest to be upset?

Pitch and conditions

In the last 12 months, teams have had to score 190-plus on average to win games at the Guyana National Stadium. The surface is slow traditionally. There’s a bit of rain forecast for the evening.

Stats that matter

• Among Full Members, Ibrahim and Gurbaz are T20Is’ second-most prolific pair since the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup for any pair to have batted at least ten times. They have scored 503 runs at an average of 41.91 in this period, with a hundred and three fifty stands.
• Ramjani (55) and Ssenyondo (49) were the top-two wicket-takers in T20Is in 2023.
• Mukasa was the second-highest T20I run-scorer in 2023 with 738 runs, five ahead of Suryakumar, who had 733 runs.
• Nabi is Afghanistan’s only surviving member from the 2010 edition of the T20 World Cup.
• Frank Nsubuga, at 43, is the oldest player in the tournament.

Quotes

“I think it’s a good sign for us as a team. We have those players who played recently here in the CPL, and they got that experience. And we share that experience with the boys. But I think in ICC [events], you always expect something different.”