All posts by csb10.top

Match facts

Thursday, May 8 2008
Start time 11.00 (local), 10.00 (GMT)

The Big Picture

This is the final chance for New Zealand to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the first Test and also a last opportunity for England’s fringe players to give the selectors a headache ahead of the squad announcement on Sunday. It should prove a tough assignment for the visitors with a strong Lions team including eight players with international experience. New Zealand managed a win against Essex, but they were rescued by their bowlers after two batting displays – James Marshall apart – that didn’t bode well ahead of Lord’s. Kyle Mills, at No. 8 in the second innings, was the only other player to pass fifty and they are also without Daniel Vettori, who has a finger injury. The Lions are led by Robert Key, who already has an unbeaten 178 against New Zealand in the tour, while Matthew Hoggard is hoping to push for a Test recall with more wickets after a promising start to the season for Yorkshire.

Team news

England Lions: The decision could come down to whether both spinners, Adil Rashid and Graeme Swann, make the final XI. If the spell of warmer weather pushes the selectors that way then one of the four frontline quicks will probably miss out.Squad: Robert Key (Kent, capt), Ravinder Bopara (Essex), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Steven Kirby (Gloucestershire), Matt Prior (Sussex, wk), Graham Onions (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)Player to watch: Ravi Bopara has been one of the form batsmen early season and added 66 to his impressive tally against New Zealand and Chelmsford last week. He said he was frustrated to miss out on three figures, so this is another chance for him to put pressure on England’s current batting line-up.New Zealanders: The visitors have already named their XI, which shows how they will probably line-up at Lord’s except for Vettori, who misses this match after splitting his finger at Chelmsford and the rested Mills. Vettori is hopeful of being fit for the Test, although a lack of bowling will be an issue, and Jeetan Patel is the back-up spinner. Daniel Flynn, the left hander, seems set for a Test debut after being given another chance in the middle order as does Aaron Redmond in the opening position.Team: 1 Jamie How, 2 Aaron Redmond, 3 James Marshall, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt, wk), 6 Daniel Flynn, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Jeetan Patel, 10 Iain O’Brien, 11 Chris MartinPlayer to watch: Tim Southee made an impressive start to his Test career with a five-wicket haul on debut in Napier. He has suffered some back problems in the early stages of this tour, but has now been given the all clear to resume. Barring any later reaction he is set to be part of the pace attack at Lord’s and a good performance against the Lions will be a timely confidence boost.

Quotes

“I’m having the stitches taken out on Saturday or Sunday and I’ll know a little bit more then. I’m confident, but I’ve never dealt with this before and it’s in the worst possible spot.”
“It’s always good to play a touring side in this part of the year, especially going into the first Test because you’ve got a great stage to stake your own claims personally and you can also do a little bit for England.”
Robert Key looks forward to the chance of making a few points over the next four days

On the start his bowlers gave him
I think we stuck in well throughout and kept the pressure on them all the time. They had to play some big shots in the last part of the innings, which as you saw some wickets fell. I thought 258 was gettable and the guys talked before the match about actually chasing. They thought the pitch looked very good and it would stay that way for the entire 100 overs. So first of all, it was a good toss to lose. It’s a situation where we have to just move on from here, with the same sort of a game plan. Everyone’s trying to make a contribution.On the resurgence in West Indian cricket
I just think that we had a tournament in Malaysia recently, and even before that we played India and won the series 4-1. Our one-day game has always been pretty good. It just [needs] a little bit of fine tuning. We did that in Malaysia. We were forced to play the qualifying round here, and that in itself gave us a little bit of competitive cricket. So I think it’s the fact that we are building up momentum, and the guys are believing in themselves, believing in the plans and executing it well. It’s great to see the guys go out there and stick to the plans, work hard and get the results. We just have to keep the momentum going now, analyse each game even if you have to lose. Win or lose, just go back and think about it. I think it is going to be exciting times ahead for us, in the one-dayers especially.Australia and West Indies have won two matches each in the last four encounters between the two teams. Did Lara think there was unfinished business with the Australians?
I wouldn’t say it is unfinished business. I just feel it’s nice to be playing the world champions inthe final. It says a lot for our effort – getting past South Africa in the semis and beating the likes of India and even Australia in the first part of the tournament. So we are looking forward to the challenge. Australia, of course, have gained some momentum since they lost to us in the first match. I am sure they are very, very buoyed and confident of their chances on Sunday. I think we have to go back to the drawing board again, work on a few things and realise that we are going to play a completely different opposition to the one we played against. In that first game in Mumbai, Australia were playing their first match on that pitch and so we had a sort of an advantage. It’s not unfinished business. It’s a game of cricket, we are looking forward to the challenge and we will back ourselves.

On whether Lara thought West Indies would win so easily
Of course not. It’s a semi-final and you are going to think that South Africa will come and throw everything at us, if not for the first 15 then for the entire 50 overs. I think it’s the way Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul started, they transferred the pressure on South Africa. They came out ready to apply pressure on with the likes of Pollock, Ntini and Nel. The fact that in 15 overs or so we were almost close to our 100 put them on the back foot. They just had to play catch-up cricket after that. So it was a good effort and everybody must be commended.On captaining a batsman like Chris Gayle
He is excellent. Chris Gayle has always been a top player – with the bat, with the ball and in thefield. He is very chirpy as well, and he has a great influence on the guys, which is tremendous. He might seem a bit comical on occasions, but he takes his cricket very seriously. In the practice sessions, his preparation is great and he is reaping the rewards right now.On what advice he gave to his batsmen
South Africa’s two win in the tournament was actually bowling second. The fact that in the first 15 or 20 overs, the game is almost over for the opposition – they got five, six wickets against Sri Lanka and also Pakistan. Our first decision was to try and stay out there, see the pitch. But maybe in the first over, the guys realized that there wasn’t much in the pitch, nothing like Mohali or Ahmedabad for South Africa, and we played accordingly.On Gayle firing in the final
It’s a brand new game and the fact that we have certain requirements of the opening batsmen – if it is Chanderpaul or Gayle, they have to fulfill those requirements. Chris has done that on a few occasions in this tournament and I am almost sure that he does not want to leave the centre-stage to anyone come the final. He will be eager to go out there and replicate what he did today.On starting the World Cup as favourites if they win here
Favorites or not, we have to play the World Cup. We are the hosts and we will be in Jamaica for the first, hoping to come out of with maximum points and move on. A lot of teams have said we are very unpredictable and maybe that is a fact. But the fact is then they are not going to take us easy. We have played very good cricket, we have beaten Australia on a couple of occasions recently and I don’t think anything is going to be different in the Caribbean. I am almost sure the likes of South Africa, India and Pakistan – whoever we play against – know what we are capable of. I don’t mind whatever tag they place on us. We still got to go out there and execute, we still got to play better than the other team on the day.

Glenn McGrath is expecting a pay cut after taking time off to support his wife during her battle with cancer in Cricket Australia’s list of its 25 contracted players for the 2006-07 international season.The season is an important one, in which Australia will attempt first to regain the Ashes at home and then retain the World Cup in the West Indies soon after. reported that McGrath’s management team was certain the 36-year-old would slide down the rankings list, having missed Australia’s recent tours of South Africa and Bangladesh due to his wife’s illness.Despite another consistent international year – 43 wickets in 10 Tests, and 16 wickets in 16 ODIs – by the time McGrath is back his absence from the national side will have stretched to ten months. That absence, believes McGrath, is likely to result in a drop down Australia’s rankings and a pay cut.Warren Craig, McGrath’s manager, while confirming the player intends to return to international duties for Australia’s next fixture, a triangular one-day series in Pakistan leading into the Champions Trophy, acknowledged that Stuart Clark’s emergence during the South Africa tour and Brett Lee’s good form may leave his client with a reduced role over the coming year.”Glenn isn’t expecting to hold his existing place on the list,” Craig told . “He was fairly high last year and he is realistic about things this time around. We will meet with Cricket Australia and find out officially where he is in the next couple of weeks. But he is expecting to slip a bit, just hopefully not too much.”The biggest beneficiaries, the paper reported, are likely to be Michael Hussey and Brett Lee, on the back of exceptional performances over the last season. Hussey, in particular, has had a phenomenal season; since making his Test debut he has scored 1139 runs at 75.93 in 11 matches and also played 35 of his 40 one-day internationals over the past year. Lee’s return to the Test arena after an 18-month absence, has seen him transformed into Australia’s spearhead. In 17 Tests, he has taken 72 wickets and his ODI performances have been impressive as usual, claiming 51 wickets at 25.29 from 31 appearances.Mick Lewis, Cameron White and James Hopes have not been so lucky and have been taken off the contracts list entirely, while Clark, Phil Jaques and Mitchell Johnson have been offered full contracts for the first time. Mark Cosgrove and Brett Dorey also miss out on a contract. Jaques, soon to be married, was pleased to learn of his contract though he was realistic about his immediate chances. “I am behind Australia’s best opening partnership of all time, so I have to bide my time for opportunities to come up. It would be a dream come true to play a revenge Ashes series this summer.”Cricket Australia will inform all players of their ranking and earnings over the next fortnight. Michael Brown, operations manager, did reveal that the base contract would increase from $145,000 to $150,000, while match payments of $12,250 for Tests and $4900 for one-day internationals would not change. The top contract, for the likes of Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, and the entire payment pool would remain confidential.

Male spectators, except those attending with family, will be banned when Pakistan hosts the eight-team Women’s World Cup qualifiers in November, officials said.But officials hailed the decision to stage the matches in this conservative Islamic republic as a sign that the country is becoming more moderate and making efforts to allow women to play sport.The qualifiers will be played in Lahore between November 19 and 25, the ICC said in a statement from its headquarters in Dubai. Besides the hosts, teams from Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, Bermuda, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland and the Netherlands will all vie for the two available slots in the 2009 ICC Women’s World Cup.Defending champions and hosts Australia, India, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies have all earned automatic qualification following their top-six finish in 2005 when the World Cup was held in South Africa.”The decision proves that women’s cricket is progressing in our country and through this event we would promote a softer and moderate image of Pakistan,” said Shamsa Hashmi, secretary of the Pakistan Cricket Board women’s wing.Players will wear the standard international dress code, unlike earlier matches in Pakistan that have been played in the traditional uniform of baggy trousers and long shirts, she said.But she added: “Males can come to watch only as part of families of those that are playing.” Male officials may also be allowed. Pakistan held its first national women’s championship two years ago and the national team toured South Africa last month, losing the five-match series 4-0. The fifth match was rained off.Hashmi said the Pakistani team would put on its best show against some experienced opponents. Zimbabwe, making their debut, qualified from Africa, Papua New Guinea from East Asia-Pacific, Bermuda from the Americas, Scotland and the Netherlands from Europe.The top teams have launched their preparations for the 2009 World Cup, Australia, India, England and New Zealand competing in a quadrangular series currently underway in Chennai.Betty Timmer, chairwoman of the ICC Women’s Committee, said she was delighted with the interest shown by Pakistan in hosting the qualifiers. “We are very pleased with Pakistan’s involvement in the organization of the event. We are looking forward to this tournament in Lahore,” said Timmer.The 2009 World Cup will be the first to be played under the auspices of the ICC since its merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council in 2005.

Nottinghamshire 180 for 4 (Taylor 77, Franklin 3-26) trail Middlesex 374 (Malan 182*, Harris 73) by 194 runs
ScorecardBrendan Taylor led a steady Notts reply•Getty Images

The odds against Yorkshire retaining the title may be shortening every day but Middlesex ought not to be discounted as contenders just yet, even though Andrew Gale’s team clearly have some momentum. A win for Middlesex here would take them above Durham into second place, albeit having played a game more than the leaders.Yorkshire, moreover, would have a comfortable lead (assuming they go on to beat Warwickshire at Edgbaston). Yet if Middlesex can stay in touch there is the possibility that Yorkshire’s visit to Lord’s in the penultimate round in September could be a title decider. Yorkshire won by four wickets at Headingley in June but it was a close contest in which the champions needed another outstanding performance from Jonny Bairstow to give them the edge.Middlesex strengthened their first-day position by adding 62 runs before Nottinghamshire could claim the final three wickets. The eighth-wicket partnership that turned Sunday in Middlesex’s favour was broken in the eighth over of the morning by a Brett Hutton inswinger. Toby Roland-Jones fell to another swinging ball from Hutton to which he offered no shot but his runs and those of Tim Murtagh were valuable in helping Dawid Malan extended his career-best to 182 not out as Middlesex claimed a fourth batting point for only the second time this season.Nottinghamshire announced the highest membership numbers in the county’s 174-year history, revealing a 15 per cent increase to 8342 for 2015, during the afternoon. Those members need to show some forbearance at the moment, as their team struggles to recover from a poor couple of months in Championship cricket and Twenty20, which has clearly been a key driver in their popularity boom. The win over Worcestershire last week was a step in the right direction in their bid to avoid relegation in the Championship, which would clearly have negative consequences for membership next year. Yet the shortcomings that have undermined them in the last couple of months remain.Alex Hales, whose compelling start to the season brought him 639 runs from his first eight first-class innings, has only 90 from his last seven, the latest ending on 18 when he went to cut a ball from Harris but succeeded only in chopping it down on to his stumps. Michael Lumb, still feeling his way back after missing the first two months of the season following an arm operation, pushed tentatively at a ball from James Franklin and was caught behind.Franklin, the veteran former New Zealand left-armer, was the only Middlesex bowler who managed to make the ball swing to any noteworthy degree. It was the first over of his second spell, from the Pavilion End, that undermined Nottinghamshire’s progress towards a more substantial reply after Brendan Taylor and Steven Mullaney had added 71 for the third wicket. He bowled Taylor with an inswinger that the former Zimbabwean captain played all round and, two balls later, took a return catch in his follow-through as Riki Wessels tried to flick the ball away on the leg side.Taylor made 77, his second half-century in as many matches and his fifth all told in the Championship, three of which he has converted to hundreds. He has 742 runs for the season so far, which is a fair return given that his signing brought Nottinghamshire more criticism for importing another batsman at the expense of home grown talent, although with Jake Libby injured after his impressive introduction last season there were extenuating circumstances. Only Jonny Bairstow and James Hildreth have scored more Division One runs than Taylor.Speaking afterwards, Taylor said he felt he owed his team-mates some runs after putting down two chances in the slips on the first day. “I’ve been fairly consistent in the slips over the years but I’ve dropped a few too many this season,” he said. “It’s been a little different catching Duke balls to Kookaburra ones but they’ve been very catchable chances I’ve put down. There’s no excuses.”Samit Patel cannot cite unfamiliarity with the make of ball as an explanation for his two misses at point on Sunday, which between them cost 162 runs, nine to Harris and 153 to Malan. He had carefully cleared 12 of his personal deficit by the close, with Mullaney, who batted impressively under some pressure, unbeaten on 57, his second half-century of the season, although with 45 more needed to reach Nottinghamshire’s first target, of avoiding the follow-on, the two will need to work with equal diligence on the third morning.

The shock at Ramnaresh Sarwan’s omission from the eleven for the second Test yesterday was surpassed only by Brian Lara’s frank explanation for the decision.”It’s a time for Sarwan to reflect and come back strong,” Lara told the world at the toss. “He is one of our main players. We know that. There’s no doubt about it. It’s an opportunity for him to spend some time off the field and see what it’s like and come out back into the middle maybe more energetic and more purposeful.”It marked an unmistakable change in a policy that readily accommodated deceptively talented underachievers in the West Indies team in recent times. The names Carl Hooper and Marlon Samuels spring readily to mind. Lara’s message was loud, clear and long overdue. It would have registered large, not only with Sarwan but with everyone vying for selection.It was that, from now on, no one is guaranteed a place, not even the vice-captain, not even a quality batsman with 64 Tests and over 4,000 runs to his name recently ranked No 2 at ODI level. Sarwan’s character will be sternly tested by this development.Only a few days before the Test, he was acknowledging his slump in form and saying that he was “more determined than at any other time…to put together a score in this Test match”. Now he must wait, perhaps even until next summer’s tour of England, for his next Test.He has come through adversity of different kinds before – the death of a cherished girlfriend midway through his first overseas tour, several blows to the helmet from unsympathetic fast bowlers, the initial loss of the vice-captaincy – and ought to come through this as well. But it is a unique experience for him, watching a Test match from the pavilion. It is the first time he has been dropped since his difficult period in Australia in 2001.A Test average of 38 – and falling – after six years in international cricket is unworthy of a batsman blessed with the special touch. Most irritating, after all this time, is his failure to eliminate the errors that have repeatedly brought his downfall. He has been caught 13 times in Tests off the hook or pull. His square-on position early in his innings has exposed him to slip catches and lbws. Repeatedly, rank carelessness has cost his wicket at crucial times, most recently in the second innings of the first Test and the first innings of the last against India last season.All of this would have been noted on coach Bennett King’s laptop and in Lara’s consciousness. There is a lesson to be learned from the player who took Sarwan’s place in Multan. Runako Morton is short on genuine class, big on heart and determination. There is no certain selection for him. He has had to depend on the shortcomings of a batsman with twice his ability and his own hard work to squeeze in.

After a year which included the disastrous Ashes campaign and a hernia operation which kept him out of the series against India, Steve Harmison says he understands his bowling better and is “desperate” to play for England again.”It has been a nightmare year,” he told the . “But what I believe I’ve learned is that I need to stop worrying and start enjoying my cricket again, playing with a smile not a frown.”While he was sidelined due to hernia, Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad and James Anderson all turned in strong performances to stake their claim for fast-bowling slots in the Test side.”Maybe I’ve got to accept that with my action and the way I bowl I’m going to have wayward spells, and instead of beating myself up about sending one way down leg side, I should concentrate on where the next one is going.”Harmison, who has been playing for the Highveldt Lions in a bid to get match fit for the Test series against Sri Lanka, gave the example of last week’s match against the Cape Cobras to explain his new approach to bowling.”In the past I would probably have agonised too much over the rubbish, but now I was thinking ‘Give me the ball because I’m also bowling some top stuff’. By sticking at it I bowled better as the match went on and ended up with nine wickets and a great deal of confidence.”Harmison said the advice of Allan Donald, who was a bowling consultant with England in the summer, was also extremely helpful.Harmison, 29, also reiterated his desire to play for England but added, “if I’m supposed to be in the side for line and length consistency I shouldn’t be. Let’s be honest, I’m not the best 83mph bowler available to England or the best at 85mph. But when things are going right, with my height and bounce, I can be the best 90mph-plus bowler.”He will join his England team-mates in Sri Lanka on Tuesday and the first Test starts in Kandy on December 1.

The Indian squad will undergo a two-day camp in Kolkata from November 2 in preparation for the home series against Pakistan, which includes five ODIs and three Tests.A spokesman for the Cricket Association of Bengal told that the camp would be held at the Calcutta Cricket and Football Cricket (CCFC) as Eden Gardens, Kolkata’s main venue, will be hosting the Ranji Trophy Super League match between Bengal and Hyderabad from November 3.However, unlike the Eden Gardens, the CCFC doesn’t have floodlights. Three of the five ODIs against Pakistan are day-night affairs, and perhaps a camp in daylight might not be the ideal way to prepare.The CCFC hosted the Indian team prior to the 1996 World Cup, and more recently, the England squad, which held a week-long camp in 2002.The Indian squad will leave for Guwahati on November 4, a day ahead ahead of the first ODI.

The beleaguered Kenyan Cricket Association might have won a 21-day suspension of the government’s decision to replace its existing board with an interim committee, but opponents are confident it is unlikely to prevent wholesale changes in the long run.Sharad Ghai, the KCA’s chairman, and his executive were ousted last Friday on the orders of Ochillo Ayacko, Kenya’s sports minister, but the KCA went to court on Tuesday and obtained a stay of the suspension pending a judicial process appeal. That angered many who have been trying to get the board ousted, and some even took to the streets of Nairobi yesterday to protest.Cricinfo has learned that Ghai is growing more isolated by the day and that it appears that only a few hardcore board members remain loyal. Others have resigned or are working with the government as it investigates allegations that millions of dollars have gone missing from within the KCA.It is believed that investigations centre on the LG Trophy in 1999, where more than two million dollars is unaccounted for, and the ICC Champions Trophy the following year. Both events were hosted by Kenya, and audited accounts have not been produced nor have satisfactory explanations been given for large holes in the accounts relating to television rights, ticket sales and perimeter advertising. In addition, the ICC is thought to be increasingly concerned as to how money it has paid to the KCA has been distributed.Ghai only became chairman this year, having filled the role of fixtures secretary since 1997, the last time the KCA held elections, but is generally acknowledged to be the driving force behind the board. If allegations of mismanagement are shown to be true then it could prove embarrassing for Jimmy Rayani – he was chairman of the KCA for most of this period and is now a member of the ICC’s executive board.The court’s ruling yesterday has briefly halted the operations of the interim committee, but it is thought that when Ayacko returns to Kenya later today the situation will move forward.The KCA continued to mount a counter-offensive, and yesterday it sacked Sammy Obingo, its general manager, who was only appointed in May. Anil Sarkar, the KCA secretary, told reporters that Obingo could not work for the board and be a member of the interim committee. Cricinfo also learned that Obingo had been accused by the board of passing confidential information to the government and the ICC.The interim committee did obtain access to the KCA offices at the Ruaraka Sports Club on Monday, although it has since vacated the premises as a result of the court order.The KCA’s sudden burst of activity is in direct contrast to its behaviour in recent months, when it has been almost anonymous. Its league and cup competitions never took place, the board’s website has not been updated since July, and media requests have almost all gone unanswered.In 2002 the KCA executive used the courts to ward off similar action by the government, but this time the pressure on the authorities to act is far greater, while the support for the board is ebbing rapidly.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Thisara Perera picked up his maiden T20 five-for•AFP

An inspired Comilla Victorians crushed Rangpur Riders in a 72-run win to qualify to the BPL final. They not only withstood Thisara Perera’s five-wicket burst and a threatening start from the Rangpur openers, but also shrugged off their own injury-ravaged roster. Rangpur will now have a second shot in the second Qualifier on Sunday, facing the winner of the Eliminator.Comilla missed the services of Shoaib Malik due to a finger injury and used Nuwan Kulasekara, who bowled with a shoulder injury. The most heart-warming sight was to of the captain Mashrafe Mortaza, carrying a Grade-1 right hamstring tear, sending down four overs for only 13 runs, taking one wicket.Comilla batted well in two patches either side of Perera’s wickets. Imrul Kayes cracked 67 at the start and Ashar Zaidi slugged two sixes in a 15-ball 40 to power them to a total of 163.Rangpur began the chase in perfect manner. In the third over, Soumya Sarkar struck Shuvagata Hom for a reverse-swept four before Lendl Simmons added three more boundaries through the leg-side. Andre Russell then dropped Soumya, pedalling back from mid-off in the fifth over. But Rangpur’s fall began the very next ball.Running from deep midwicket, Shuvagata made up for his 17-run over with a superb catch at the square-leg boundary to get rid of Soumya, who made just nine. Abu Hider then made it two wickets off two balls when he removed Simmons with a stunning yorker, the batsman falling over and the ball ricocheting off his pads and into the stumps.Zaidi bowled a maiden in the sixth over, and Mortaza gave away just a single off the next over, his first in the tournament since December 8. The pressure told, as Zaidi had Mohammad Mithun stumped and Shakib Al Hasan caught at deep midwicket off the next ball. Mohammad Nabi struck a six and a four but fell to Mashrafe in the 11th over before Hider came into the picture again, this time with a running catch to get rid of Jahurul Islam. At 62 for 6, Rangpur were well past gone in the chase.Hider came back to bowl his second over and saw Ahmed Shehzad drop a simple chance at long-on off Perera’s bat before clean bowling him a ball later. Zaidi’s fourth wicket was of Darren Sammy in the 16th over, the arm ball capping a stunning all-round display. Hider then picked up another to bag his second four-for in the tournament and become its highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps.Put in to bat, Comilla waited till the end of the third over to find the boundary, Kayes swatting Arafat Sunny through square-leg. Liton Das struck one four in a labored 37-ball 28 but Kayes kept the run rate up with two fours each off Shakib and Mohammad Nabi in the fifth and sixth over. A Kayes blast over cover, off Al-Amin Hossain, then brought up Comilla’s highest opening stand in the tournament as well as the longest opening partnership from a team batting first this season.Liton fell to a beautiful delivery from Saqlain Sajib in the eleventh over before Kayes reached his first fifty of the season, and his second overall in the tournament.Mashrafe’s promotion of himself and Andre Russell to No 3 and No. 4 didn’t work, and the captain’s wicket began the Perera show. The Sri Lankan seamer then dismissed Russell and had Kayes caught and bowled, ending a 48-ball knock that included seven fours and two sixes. Both those sixes came off Shakib, who also had a stumping missed by Mithun when Kayes was on 58.When Shehzad was trapped leg-before for a golden duck at the end of the 16th over, Perera had picked up his first T20 four-for and although he didn’t complete the hat-trick in the next over, he finished with 5 for 26 from his four overs with the wicket of Alok Kapali. Courtesy of Zaidi’s 15-ball 40 in the last 4.3 overs, Comilla took their score to 163 for 7. He struck four fours and two sixes, one a straight blast off Sunny and the next a hit over midwicket off Nabi who gave away 18 runs in the last over.