All posts by csb10.top

Mitchell Johnson has mellowed and is unmoustachioed these days, but the menace remains. That much was clear at the Waca as he blasted Perth Scorchers into their fifth BBL final in the competition’s six seasons. After claiming an astonishing 3 for 3 in his four-over new-ball spell, there was no way back for Melbourne Stars.Johnson is no Samson; he awoke on Tuesday morning with facial hair, but lopped it off. “I had a beard thing on this morning but decided it was too gross, it was really bad and so I trimmed it down. Maybe I got through the breeze a bit quicker.”Johnson cited the absent moustache as a reason he is friendlier these days; of Kevin Pietersen, who arrived at the crease for the second ball of the match, he said: “I was probably too friendly to him.”He also believes, contrary to what his bowling figures might claim, that a lot of his aura has vanished since the end of his international career. “I get in the moment and enjoy it, but I don’t feel I’m as devastating as I was.” And he simply does not feel as quick either. “It didn’t feel like 146 [kph],” he scoffed, when told what he had clocked on the speed-gun.”I have moments where I get really excited but I don’t think it will ever be the same as what it was a few years ago,” he said. “I said that at the start of the tournament – I won’t be the same Mitchell Johnson that I was three years ago or 10 years ago. It’s today and this is how I am. I felt a little slower than normal in this game, but that suited the wicket perhaps. I celebrate like I was 20, so that’s a good thing. I cherish the game and love it.”Today’s performance must have been one of those “moments” that Johnson refers to. Rob Quiney and Luke Wright were dismissed in the first over, a maiden, while KP went in his third. He did not concede a run off the bat until his 18th ball. He had looked menacing against Hobart Hurricanes on Saturday too, hurrying out key men Tim Paine and Ben McDermott. Perhaps it is because he is relaxed these days, and a bit more philosophical too.”I still want to win and have that hunger, but I’m probably stressing about the game a little less than I was,” he said. “Coming into this I was laid back, excited but normally I’d be stressing out and thinking about what I need to go, going through all the batters. I haven’t looked at all the batters before this game and the last game. The hunger is still there.”It doesn’t matter how you get them in this game,” he said of the Quiney wicket, caught at fine leg off the opening delivery of the match. “As bowlers, you go for big sixes and get little inside-edges, so it was nice to have luck go my way first ball of the over. And it really just set the tone. That’s what I have enjoyed about getting the new ball – there is that little extra pressure, I guess, as an opening bowler, you want to get quick wickets up front, but to do it like that was very enjoyable.”I feel in good rhythm. My cues and everything I used to think about feel good, and that has taken a couple of games to get there. Hopefully I can stay at that pace. If I do, it’s tough to get away, but I’d rather bowl fast than 125 [kph]. I might as well give up if I’m down there. Not many teams would sign me up bowling 125.”One team he will not be playing for again is Australia. Many wise old heads have been touted for a run against Sri Lanka next month, including Quiney and Michael Klinger, Johnson’s Scorchers team-mate. Johnson, however, will not be joining them. “It would be nice but I don’t think I want to play,” he said. “I don’t think it would be as enjoyable for me. I had my moment in the sun, and these young guys are playing better cricket than I am, I just don’t think it would work. There’s too much stress at the top level.”He did, however, come close to signing for the Pakistan Super League and is looking at IPL deals now. “The fresher I stay the better. There are a few little tournaments later in the year, not so serious, that are around.”Could England’s NatWest T20 Blast be counted about those ‘not-so-serious’? Tim Bresnan and Ian Bell, team-mates at Scorchers, have certainly been in his ear to play next season. “It’s been mentioned and it could be an option,” he said.And, after that, he will be back with the Scorchers, although not at the Waca, which is making way for a new purpose-built stadium next season. “I will miss playing here,” he reflected. It is a ground indelibly linked to Johnson at his most fearsome; how nice it would be to see him fire there once more time.

Match facts

Saturday, January 28
Start time 16.15 local (08.15 GMT)2:41

Macpherson: Selection quandary for both teams

Big picture

In a repeat match-up of the BBL’s most memorable final yet, a classic in Canberra two years ago to the day, the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Sixers will meet for what is likely to be the last-ever BBL match at the WACA, with the Scorchers relocating to the new Perth Stadium across the Swan River for the expanded tournament in 2017-18.No team has dominated this season, but the Scorchers seem to have hit their straps at the right time, with emphatic wins over the Hobart Hurricanes and the Melbourne Stars in the last week, the latter securing their home final. They have a method that is tried, tested, and tried again – if a little defensive – and the depth to cover for absent stars. At the WACA, they are exceedingly hard to beat.The Sixers are the competition’s most intriguing team. They simply refuse to be dull: they have lost to poor teams, won against good ones, collapsed, Super-Overed and everything in between. When the two teams met just after Christmas at the SCG, the Sixers pulled off a dominant victory. The form of their captain Moises Henriques, a BBL finals specialist, will be vital to their hopes of a second title.

Form guide

Perth Scorchers WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sydney Sixers WWLWW

In the spotlight

Mitchell Johnson sent the Sixers – and other franchises around the world – a message with his gutting of the Stars’ top three on Tuesday. His return as a new-ball bowler in the absence of David Willey has been a revelation, and Adam Voges may be tempted to give him all four overs first-up once again. The final will also serve as a neat shop window for Johnson, with the IPL auction scheduled in February. He is a different beast these days, but remains a fearsome prospect.One of those who will have to fight Johnson’s fire is Nic Maddinson, who has endured a torrid time since being dropped from the Test side. In six games, he has managed just 74 runs, and was bowled by Joe Burns, of all people, in the first over of the Sixers’ semi-final chase. Maddinson is a class act and a genuine BBL star, so it would be a surprise if he failed to finally free the arms. He should return to No. 3 because of the absence of Colin Munro, giving the Sixers’ higgledy-piggledy order a more settled look.

Team news

Since their respective semi-finals, both teams have lost players to international call-ups. The Scorchers’ Shaun Marsh, who made dazzling half-centuries in each of his last two innings, and the Sixers’ Munro have headed across the Tasman Sea to battle for Australia and New Zealand respectively. Hilton Cartwright looks set to replace Marsh, while Jordan Silk would be a like-for-like replacement for Munro, although the Sixers may look to bring in an extra fast-bowling option, with Henry Thornton and Doug Bollinger in the squad.An intriguing pace option looms for the Scorchers, too. Jason Behrendorff, their all-time leading wicket-taker, was expected to miss the entire tournament while recovering from a fractured leg, but has been in the squad, and captain Voges insisted he was fit and firing in the nets. Jhye Richardson, who has had a good season, would likely make way if Behrendorff were to be risked.Scorchers (probable) 1 Michael Klinger, 2 Sam Whiteman (wk), 3 Ian Bell, 4 Adam Voges (capt), 5 Hilton Cartwright, 6 Ashton Turner, 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Andrew Tye, 11 Jhye RichardsonSixers (probable) 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Daniel Hughes, 3 Nic Maddinson, 4 Moises Henriques (capt), 5 Brad Haddin (wk), 6 Jordan Silk, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Ben Dwarshius, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson Bird

Pitch and conditions

This is Perth, so it will be sweltering. There has been a bit of chatter about the pitch, which is the same one on which the Scorchers thrashed the Stars on Tuesday. Kevin Pietersen, memorably – and perhaps slightly melodramatically – described it as “unbelievably slow” when miked up for . By the time Voges and Henriques toss the coin, the track will have had 40 more overs on it, with the Women’s BBL final preceding it.

Stats and trivia

• The Sixers have only lost to the bottom three teams on the ladder this year – the Hurricanes, the Adelaide Strikers and the Sydney Thunder
• These two teams have previously met twice in the final – in 2015 and 2012, with both games oddly played on January 28 – winning one each. The Sixers won the inaugural edition at the WACA, and the Scorchers took the title in the fourth edition at the Manuka Oval
• Henriques played significant innings in both those finals, with 70 off 41 in 2012 and 77 off 57 in 2015.

Quotes

“It’s nice to be at home, no doubt. Great for the fans at a packed house to be able to watch us and the girls. I think it’s a significant advantage – we have a good record here against the Sixers, and their game is based a lot around their two excellent spinners, so, hopefully, a fast WACA wicket will nullify them a bit.”
“We haven’t played him [Mitchell Johnson] yet this year. We got the win over them at the SCG, but he didn’t play that game. He bowled really well in the semi-final, only going for three runs in his four overs. At the end of the game, he bowls left-arm over, he bowls quick. We are pretty lucky at New South Wales and the Sixers to have a few guys who do something pretty similar to that with Mitch Starc and Doug Bollinger. A lot of guys have faced that sort of stuff before.”

For most people, a car accident on a treacherous stretch of road would teach them to slow down.But not Mumbai taxi drivers, it seems, nor Trevor Bayliss.For Bayliss has reacted to England’s defeat in the third Test by suggesting England’s batsmen should be more positive. The fault, he believes, is that they were too defensive in Mohali.

Go easy on player confrontations, says Bayliss

Trevor Bayliss has urged the ICC not to crack down too hard on players engaged in on-field exchanges with the opposition, after Ben Stokes was reprimanded for remonstrating to the India players following his dismissal in Mohali.
“I think at times the ICC are almost looking for things,” Bayliss said. “I agree that things have been out of hand in the past, and we don’t want it to go overboard.
“But sometimes a little bit of by-play between a couple of guys on either side – who are passionate about their cricket and their team – I think it’s good for the game.
“We’ve just got to be careful we don’t completely cut that out. I think having some personalities in the game is fantastic to watch.”

It didn’t seem Moeen Ali was too defensive when he was caught at deep backward square in the first innings, or mid-on in the second. And it didn’t seem Jos Buttler was too defensive when he was caught at extra cover in the first innings and deep midwicket in the second. The same might be said about Ben Stokes’ first-innings dismissal, when he charged down the pitch and was stumped, or Joe Root’s, when he missed an attempted pull against the first ball of spin he faced.But Bayliss is convinced that the secret of England’s success is to be found in them playing more positive – and, specifically, less defensive – cricket.”I thought we gifted them a number of our wickets,” Bayliss said, as he reflected on the Test. “We’ve got to make them work a little harder.”When we have been a little bit more defensive, we look like wickets waiting to happen. As soon as we’re a little bit more positive, rotating the strike and hitting a boundary when the opportunity comes, it puts pressure on the opposition.”Yes, it might get you out once or twice. But with the batting order we’ve got, there’s going to be a number of guys that do score runs, and that puts some pressure on the opposition.”We all know what Bayliss means, of course. He means that bowlers can be hit off a length or close fielders pushed back. He means that, if batsmen can make the bowlers’ lives uncomfortable, they are unable to go on the attack and batting becomes more straightforward.It might be relevant, though, that the greatest run-scorer in England’s Test history is the most defensive player in the side. And it might be relevant that, while England have tried several aggressive opening partners for Alastair Cook, it has been Haseeb Hameed, the man with the tightest defensive technique, who looks most likely to fill the spot on a permanent basis.Might the approach of Bayliss and Cook be at odds here? While Cook called upon his team to block their way to safety in Vizag, Bayliss always seems inclined to take the more aggressive option. Might we be coming to the time when this side – Cook’s for so long – is changing in nature and needs a different leader to ensure a clear message? It is too soon to say for sure, but they do seem to have a notably different ethos to batting and if there is one thing a dressing room desires, it is clarity.A man apart: Trevor Bayliss conducts England practice in Mumbai•Getty Images

Bayliss has been successful in a couple of important areas. He has created an environment in which his teams feel both relaxed and motivated – which is probably the key role of a coach at this level – and he has, in limited-overs cricket, established a clear ethos: all-out attack. And while the change in approach in limited-overs cricket may have begun just before Bayliss took charge – Paul Farbrace was stand-in coach for the watershed series against New Zealand – he has consolidated and improved it. He deserves credit for those things.But the longer he has been in office, the more the faults become apparent.For a start, he has little idea of the best players in county cricket. He is not really to blame for this – the England schedule is unrelenting and there is no way he can become steeped in the domestic game as an international coach should be – but it is a reason why his appointment was, in some ways, flawed. Maybe it is why England seem to pick their spinners by looking at the batting averages.His approach to support coaches is also questionable. While there are good motivations for reducing the number of support staff travelling with the squad – the aim was to make the dressing room a little quieter, the message to the players a bit more consistent and to encourage them to think for themselves more – it has also had less welcome consequences.The absence of a full-time fielding coach, for example (Bayliss and Farbrace now lead the fielding sessions), might well be one of the reasons that discipline has become so inconsistent, while the improvement of the spinners (especially Adil Rashid) since the short-term appointment of Saqlain Mushtaq begs the question: why do England not have access to such expertise more often?Most of all, Bayliss’s approach to Test cricket looks unsophisticated. In a format of the game where patience and discipline have always been important, he instead preaches the virtues of aggression and positivity. Instead of building the batsmen’s games from a defensive base – like Hameed – he seems more inclined to stuff the line-up with sufficient aggressive players and allrounders that the inevitable failures of some can be mitigated by others. At times, Bayliss sounds like the coach shouting: ‘Score at 10 an over, but don’t get out’. At times, he seems like the man driving home as fast as he can to get through the fog.Can that approach work? It’s entertaining, for sure, and it may bring the best out of some players. But as they have found in Australia of late, the best Test batsmen are not necessarily the ones with the greatest array of strokes or the ability to hit the ball furthest. They are ones who can see off the new ball and have the technique to play the spinning one. They are the ones who know which balls to play and have the patience and confidence to weather the tough periods. They are ones who have the defensive techniques that allow them still to be at the crease when the poor ball is delivered.But, not for the first time, it seems England have embraced an Australian approach – on this occasion, an overly aggressive attitude to batting – just as the rest of the world has realised its drawbacks.

Jos Buttler looks set to return to England’s Test side as a specialist batsman. Buttler, who was dropped as wicketkeeper a year ago, has only played one first-class game since but such is the England management’s belief in his ability – and, just as importantly, the modest form of the alternative options – that he looks certain to be recalled for the third Test against India in Mohali.The man to make way will be Ben Duckett. While the England coach, Trevor Bayliss, remains a believer in Duckett’s natural talent, his struggles against spin appear to have convinced the team management that to subject him to further exposure could damage his long-term development. He has scored 18 runs in the three innings he has played in the series against India and seen a technical weakness against quality offspin from R Ashwin exposed in merciless fashion.There are only two spare batsmen in the squad: Gary Ballance, who was dropped after the Bangladesh portion of the tour, and Buttler.For all Buttler’s ability, he has an oddly modest record in red-ball cricket. He only once reached 30 in his last 12 Test innings (his highest score in that period was 42) and he has a first-class average of 32.07; notably lower than Chris Woakes’.But the team management have long believed that his problem was temperamental rather than technical. They hope that he will take the confidence he shows in limited-overs cricket into the longest format and will encourage him to play in that same positive manner.”The one thing with Jos,” Bayliss said, “is that if he plays the same way as he does in one-day cricket, I think that’s the way ahead for him; red ball or white ball. I think he’s starting to get his head around that fact.”He’s in the top echelon of destructive batters when it comes to white-ball cricket, and there’s no reason – if he can get his head around playing against a red ball – that he can’t do the same and put the pressure back on the opposition.”Buttler’s lack of match practice is far from ideal. He played in one red-ball warm-up match in Bangladesh a month ago (he scored 4 in his only innings and was dropped once as well), but it remains an irony that a nation that plays as much and appears to plan ahead as England should find itself in such a position.This predicament was created by an odd combination of events, though. First Buttler was encouraged to play in the IPL and then, just as he would have embarked upon a spell of County Championship cricket with Lancashire, he sustained a thumb injury in a T20 match against Worcestershire. But Bayliss hopes that his form in the nets can be transferred to a Test.”He’s certainly hitting the ball very well in the nets,” Bayliss said. “Yes, we would have liked him to have a hit-out at some stage, but it is what it is these days. We’ve no time to fit one in. If he does come in I think he’ll give it his best shot.”While Duckett looks certain to be dropped, Bayliss remains an admirer of his ability and his work-ethic and maintained that, aged 22, he has time to come again.”I think he’s got a special talent,” Bayliss said. “Whether he plays the next match or not, I think he’ll play a lot more for England. Every level you get to, you go up. It gets harder and harder, and the step is bigger. Ben’s working harder than anyone in the nets to try to fix things up, getting himself into a position that he is confident enough to score runs.”

Railways lost six wickets for 30 runs on the fourth day, lurching from 176 for 4 to 206 all out, to hand Gujarat a 294-run victory in Lahli. Resuming from a score of 171 for 4 in a mammoth chase of 501, Railways lasted only 16.2 overs as seamers Ishwar Chaudhary and Rush Kalaria and debutant offspinner Karan Patel mopped up the lower order once overnight batsman Mahesh Rawat was dismissed for 54 in the fourth over of the day. Chaudhary, Kalaria and Patel finished with three wickets each.Unbeaten centuries from Siddhesh Lad and Abhishek Nayar helped Mumbai bag three points in a high-scoring draw against Madhya Pradesh in Raipur. The pair added 200 runs in an eighth-wicket partnership, taking Mumbai to 568 for 7 declared in response to MP’s total of 445. Mumbai’s prospects of a first-innings lead looked shaky early on the fourth day as both overnight batsmen, Tushar Deshpande (62) and Akhil Herwadkar (153), were dismissed by left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma within seven overs. Their wickets left the score at 368 for 7 before Nayar and Lad swung the match for Mumbai with their decisive partnership. Lad, who had scored 100* against the New Zealanders in a tour match in Delhi last month, finished on the same score in Raipur, taking 171 balls for his knock with eight fours. Nayar’s 103 not out, on the other hand, came off 184 balls with nine fours and a six.B Indrajith’s unbeaten 127 could not give Tamil Nadu a first-innings lead, as the team fell 44 runs short of Uttar Pradesh‘s total of 524 in a drawn match in Dharamsala. Tamil Nadu were on the back foot at the start of day four, with an overnight score of 398 for 6, and Indrajith, who was on 70 in the morning, did most of the heavy lifting, shepherding the tail and bringing up his third first-class century. He ran out of partners, however, as seamer Ankit Rajpoot struck twice to finish with a four-wicket haul. Tanmay Srivastava then struck 59 not out as Uttar Pradesh closed the day at 114 for 1 declared after batting for 49 overs.Pragyan Ojha and debutant seamer Amit Kuila picked up seven wickets between them to bowl Bengal to their first win of the season, against Punjab in Bilaspur. Chasing 360, Punjab were bowled out for 244 in the dying moments of play under fading light with debutant Ayan Bhattacharya breaking the last-wicket stand of 55 with the wicket of second-highest scorer Manpreet Gony.Bengal, who claimed a 133-run lead, were all out for 226 in the second innings, losing their last five wickets on Sunday morning for 34 runs. Captain Manoj Tiwary held fort with 92, even as Siddarth Kaul, the right-arm quick, finished with 6 for 57, his seventh first-class five-for in nine years. Punjab were driven by a 100-run opening stand between Manan Vohra (75) and Jiwanjot Singh (44). Ashok Dinda, Bengal’s pace spearhead, broke the stand to trigger a downfall before Ojha and Kuila took over. Ojha finished with 4 for 70, including the wicket of Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh for 26, after he went wicketless in the first innings.

The BCCI has to hold elections for the Apex Council, which is set to replace the board’s highest-decision making body, its working committee, and conduct its AGM by December 15.According to a second set of deadlines finalised by the Lodha committee at a meeting in Delhi last Sunday, the BCCI also has to form a fresh IPL governing council by December 30. Within the same time frame, and as advocated by the Lodha reforms upheld by the Supreme Court, the board has to select new committees and appoint a new management.The various state associations have to wrap up their own elections by November 15.

Deadlines, part 2

By November 15, 2016
Elections for State Associations
Elections to the Executive Committee of the Players’ Cricket Association
By December 15
Elections to the Apex Council of BCCI, BCCI AGM and Appointment of Ethics Officer and Ombudsman
By December 30
Creation of BCCI Committees, IPL Governing Council and Appointment of the Management under the new Rules

The BCCI had already decided to convene its AGM on September 21, but these deadlines were put up to make sure the board concentrated on the reforms before moving on to new business in 2017.”It was decided to direct the BCCI that the AGM to be called on 21.9.2016 be limited only to routine business concerning the past year (2015-16), and deal with any business or matters relating to the next year (2016-17) only after the adoption of the MoA and Rules as per the recommendations of the Committee in accordance with the same,” the Lodha committee said according to the minutes of its Sunday meeting.The committee released minutes of all its meetings in the last month from which it was learnt that on August 25, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke had submitted a “First Compliance Report”, detailing the extent to which the board and the state associations had implemented the Lodha reforms.It was also understood the Lodha committee was not updated on the tenders and contracts the BCCI had approved while conducting the two-match T20I series against West Indies in Florida and did not want a similar situation to happen when the board would invite bids for the next set of IPL broadcast and digital rights.Consequently it was decided that Gopal Sankaranarayanan, the Committee’s secretary, would liaise with BCCI CEO Rahul Johri to ascertain “transparency requirements” of bids, tenders and contracts involving the BCCI.During its meeting with Shirke, the Lodha Committee also rejected the report prepared by former Supreme court judge Markandey Katju, which had called the Supreme Court’s judgment to accept a majority of the Lodha reforms as “illegal and unconstitutional.” The Committee also noted that although the BCCI called it the Katju Report, it was an “opinion”.Upon Katju’s advice, the BCCI had filed a review petition against the Lodha reforms before a larger bench of the Supreme Court. But the committee, on August 9, had “impressed” upon Shirke that the “time schedule had to be maintained in accordance with the Supreme Court Order.”

Tier-one teams

Khulna Division, defending champions

Big Picture
Khulna won their fourth NCL title last season and will once again look to retain their place among the top first-class teams in the country. Like in seasons past, they will bank on their experienced cricketers like Abdur Razzak, Tushar Imran, Anamul Haque and Ziaur Rahman.Young allrounders in Mehedi Hasan and Mahedi Hasan will give them more options in the middle-order and in the spin department, while Robiul Islam will have to lead the pace attack with Al-Amin Hossain and young Abdul Halim. Khulna will be without Imrul Kayes in the first two matches, but would hope to get hold of him after the England series.Key player
Nurul Hasan is a wicketkeeper-batsman who is touted for big things in Bangladesh cricket. However, he has so far flattered to deceive at the highest level. He was Khulna’s second highest run-scorer in last year’s competition.Below the radar
Spin bowling allrounder Nahidul Islam had a splendid run with Legends of Rupganj in the Dhaka Premier League earlier this year, but he will have to battle it out with the other young allrounders. He is a natural hitter who is also wily with his offbreaks and fields very well.

Dhaka Metropolis, second place

Big Picture
The return of Mohammad Ashraful is the big news from the Dhaka Metro camp. Though banned from international cricket until 2018, the former Bangladesh captain has been eligible for domestic cricket since August this year.Ashraful will join Marshall Ayub, Shamsur Rahman and Mehrab Hossain jnr, while the aggressive opener Mehedi Maruf will give them a boost up front.Their bowling will be led by Arafat Sunny, who was cleared by the ICC to bowl in international cricket, on Friday. Sunny now has a hugely modified action, and Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha said that his new action will be monitored closely in the coming weeks.Dhaka Metro is one of the top teams to have never won the NCL title, but an all-round team that has plenty of experience should give them a chance this year.Key player
Marshall Ayub has had an underwhelming international career so far, but he is slowly turning into a domestic run-machine. Crisp strokes, a phlegmatic attitude and firm footwork make him an important member of the Dhaka Metro batting line-up.Below the radar
Though he has played for Bangladesh, Jubair Hossain has, off late, started to fade away. The legspinner now has a chance to revive his career, and the experienced Dhaka Metro side is a good place to start that process.

Dhaka Division, third place

Big Picture
Mohammad Sharif will once again lead a strong Dhaka Division side, which is made up of players from every district in the division, except the capital city, which is represented by Dhaka Metropolis. Abdul Majid, Rony Talukdar and Shuvagata Hom will be relied upon heavily in batting, while Mosharraf Hossain and Nazmul Islam, the left-arm spinners, will be expected to take many wickets.The pace attack will have Shahadat Hossain, while seamers Mohammad Azim and Mahbubul Alam are likely to be rotated in the usually spin-friendly wickets. Dhaka Division’s last championship-winning season was 2013-14.Key player
Sharif, the captain, has been a strong performer for a number of years, and he has been in form lately too. He did well for Gazi Group Cricketers in the Dhaka Premier League and only just finished his stint in the English league circuit.Below the radar
Saif Hassan has played first-class cricket, but after the Under-19 World Cup and an insipid Dhaka Premier League campaign, this is a chance for the young opener to get runs under his belt. He can be a heavy scorer but needs to adopt a steady approach.

Barisal Division, promoted from tier two

Big Picture
Barisal Division had performed poorly over the years, but gained promotion from Tier-2 in the previous season, after the NCL introduced a promotion-relegation system for the first time. They have never won the NCL title, but will be taken seriously this time because of their performance in the previous season.Shahriar Nafees, Fazle Mahmud, Salman Hossain and Mohammad Al-Amin are their batting mainstays, while Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Sohag Gazi and Monir Hossain Khan will take care of the bowling duties.Key player
Shahriar Nafees was the highest run-getter in the tournament last year with 715 runs at 79.44 in six matches. It earned him a call-up to the Bangladesh preliminary squad. Leaner and fitter now, he will be expected to churn out the runs once again.Below the radar
Al-Amin was a revelation in this year’s Dhaka Premier League, playing for Victoria Sporting Club. Stocky and a good timer of the ball, Al-Amin also bowls offspin, although Barisal would mostly want him to score the runs.

ScorecardMark Wood picked up his best T20 haul to put Durham in the final•Getty Images

Mark Wood’s menace got Durham into a NatWest Blast semi-final – and there was no let-up once Finals Day dawned as he bowled Durham to a stunning seven-run victory against Yorkshire in a high-quality match at Edgbaston.Two ankle operations and nagging fears that his season might be over were pushed aside as Wood, once again looking as hostile as any fast bowler in the country, ended Yorkshire’s hopes of a treble with figures of 4 for 25, his best in T20, in three excellent spells delivered to order for Durham’s captain Paul Collingwood.So the Blast final became a contest between two of the most financially stricken countries in the country – Northants and Durham – both of whom have had to rise above their issues and who proved far from bankrupt on the field on a Birmingham day of tormenting heavy showers.Yorkshire’s defeat also came with an injury to David Willey which will concern England ahead of the one-day series against Pakistan. A ferocious return drive from Mark Stoneman in his second over struck him on his left wrist, a technical chance that would have ended the involvement of lesser men. A break must be feared.Unlike in their quarter-final victory against Glamorgan in Cardiff, Yorkshire could easily cover the absence of an overseas player – Travis Head having been summoned by Australia for the one-day series in Sri Lanka – by the influx of three England batsmen: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance.Indeed, by fielding them all their balance was batting heavy, relying on three pace bowlers plus the spin of Azeem Rafiq and Adil Rashid with no seam-bowling cover. With Rashid scheduled to bat at No 10, there was an argument for omitting Ballance, England player or not, for an extra seamer, especially with the weather so grouchy.Such batting insurance, though, looked invaluable the moment that Wood took the new ball for Durham. Fit and fresh, recovered from an injury-disrupted season, the England fast bowler was a hostile proposition.There were nerves around in Yorkshire’s early forays: 30 for 2 with five overs spent. Willey could summon no heroics with the bat, removing his bottom hand as a leg-side swing at Chris Rushworth skied to extra cover. Root’s charge-pull at Rushworth became a comfortable catch in the leg side. “It looked as if I had my hands and feet on backwards – I couldn’t get settled,” Root said. Rushworth had shrewdly nipped in beneath the new-ball stormLeaky first overs from Usman Arshad and Scott Borthwick settled Yorkshire and even though Alex Lees dragged a googly from Borthwick to a pumped-up Ben Stokes at deep midwicket, Yorkshire’s 77 for 3 at halfway gave them a slight edge.But Collingwood, summoned Wood for a third over to devastating effect. He immediately cleaned up Bairstow with an 89mph yorker and then Ballance followed for a second-ball duck as the Durham skipper, 40 years old and carrying several injuries, pulled off a brilliant diving catch to his left at leg gully.With 39 needed off four, Collingwood again hunted wickets. The admirable Rushworth returned to defeat Adam Lyth with a slower ball, caught at backward point for 64 from 42 balls. Jack Leaning, signalling in his stance his long-on intent against Arshad, failed to clear the boundary.The final assault never happened and, with 23 needed from two, Wood struck the stumps of Liam Plunkett and Tim Bresnan in turn to settle the tie.Durham were indebted to Stokes for setting Yorkshire 157. Stokes pulverised the leg side in his muscular 56 from 36 balls, batting at No. 3, until one of his few forays into the off side saw him make room against the offspin of Rafiq and, to his obvious irritation, crack a long hop to Bresnan at cover.Stokes had not played a competitive match since injuring a calf during the second Test against Pakistan almost a month ago and he only had permission to bat with England taking a conservative view ahead of their Royal London one-day series against Pakistan.Yorkshire’s lack of bowling options might have been exposed by Willey’s injury. He does not easily grimace, and continued his spell after painkillers and a defiant slug of water. After leaving the field briefly, he returned to finish his overs – one of the better 0 for 25s of the season – much to the relief of Yorkshire’s captain, Lees, no doubt.By then the persistent squally showers had intensified, giving Willey time to strap an injured wrist which, if worst fears are realised, could rule him out of England’s limited-overs matches against Pakistan, a potential Royal London Cup final (England’s call had already excluded him from next Sunday’s semi-final against Surrey at Headingley) and Yorkshire’s Championship run-in.Durham were 60 for 2 in nine overs at the rain break, the tie evenly poised. Yorkshire could also thank Rafiq for that. Relishing his second coming at Yorkshire, his ambition to bowl his offspin in the Powerplay gives Yorkshire welcome flexibility and he dismissed Keaton Jennings in his first over, well stumped down the leg side by Bairstow, who adjusted superbly to a big flick off the pad. On the resumption, however, he a bungled stumping when Rashid drew Michael Richardson, on 3, down the pitch.Yorkshire were left with an uncomfortable period of spin with a wet ball which skidded on invitingly before the seamers could return for the closing overs. Stokes had no compunction in peppering the leg side, while Richardson hunted the off side until Rashid ended a stand of 72 in 42 balls with an lbw.

ScorecardShikhar Dhawan was one of the three Indians to hit a fifty on the opening day of their tour•AFP

Rohit Sharma and openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul started the six-week long tour of the West Indies with fifties against West Indies Cricket Board President’s XI in Basseterre, as the Indians accumulated 258 runs in 93 overs. After captain Virat Kohli chose to bat, Dhawan and Rahul got the Indians off to a strong start with a 93-run stand in 27 overs.Dhawan retired out after his 51, an innings that featured seven fours. Like his opening partner, Rahul, too, retired out shortly after reaching his half-century, at the end of the 35th over.Kohli, however, could not build on his slow start and was caught behind for a 40-ball 14 off left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, after adding 26 runs for the third wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara. Warrican struck again a few overs later when he bowled Ajinkya Rahane for 5."I think I bowled very well knowing that St Kitts [pitch] suits batting and India was off to a good start as well so to come and pull back [the scoring] and bowl economically and get two wickets was very important for the team,” Warrican said after stumps. “[I was] being patient and consistent, knowing that you couldn’t blast out anyone on this wicket. So the key was to be patient and disciplined and just stick to the basics and that’s what I did. It was just like any other game against an international team, the batting is always strong so my aim was just to bowl wicket to wicket and be consistent, allow them to make the mistakes and that’s what I did."Pujara, the third Indian to retire out, made a patient 34 off 102 balls including five fours. Rohit, who came at No. 6, and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha then combined for a 47-run sixth-wicket stand off 97 balls that took the Indians past 200.After Saha was dismissed for 22, Rohit found able support from Amit Mishra, as they remained unbeaten on 54 and 18 respectively.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said that the job of selecting Bangladesh’s representative teams will henceforth be divided between a three-member selection panel and a selection committee. The panel will select a squad and take it to the committee for further discussion, before the final outcome is submitted for the president’s approval. This would now make selection of any representative team a three-step process.Hassan said that the coach, the manager and the chairman of the cricket operations committee would be included in the proposed selection committee.”The selection panel will continue to have three selectors,” Hassan said. “One of the three would be the chief selector. They will select the squad. There will also be a selection committee, which will consist of the three selectors – the coach, the team operations manager and the cricket operations committee chairman as the convenor of the selection committee.”The head coach would inform the selectors beforehand of his strategy and what type of players he would require for a particular series. The manager would be presenting the opinion of the captain and vice-captain. They will all sit in a meeting, in which they will sign off the team and send it to me. There won’t be any disagreements.”Hassan said that this ended all discussions about the expansion of the selection committee, and the proposal is now awaiting the board of directors’ approval. Having been initiated by the board’s working committee, the proposal to bifurcate selection responsibilities was further considered by the technical committee, before Hassan and some BCB directors met with Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha to discuss it further on Sunday.In an apparent softening of his earlier position, Hassan said that the coach isn’t bound to watch domestic matches.”The coach isn’t bound to watch the matches. But if he is in Dhaka, he will watch domestic matches. He wants to watch the [Dhaka Premier League] matches tomorrow,” he said.