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Wasim has been released from the squad, and is expected to be out of action for around three weeks

Umar Farooq26-Aug-2022Mohammad Wasim will miss the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 after picking a side strain. He is being released from the squad, that’s currently in the UAE, and will be out for at least three weeks. Hasan Ali, who was one of the notable omissions when the squad was announced, has been brought in as Wasim’s replacement.Wasim had complained of back pain while bowling in a net session at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Thursday, and was taken for an MRI scan shortly afterwards. In the PCB’s update on Friday, it has emerged that he had suffered a side strain. He has also been reviewed by a specialist. The team’s main physiotherapist, Cliffe Deacon, is working with Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has been ruled out of the Asia Cup because of a knee injury but is travelling with the team.Hasan was dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the ODI series in the Netherlands as well as for the Asia Cup following a poor run of form with the ball. Hasan’s form across formats in the last year has been middling at best. He has picked up eight wickets in eight T20Is in this period. In the three ODIs he has played in the last 12 months – all at home between March and June this year – he averaged 76.50 with the ball, picking up two wickets. Earlier this year, in the PSL, he had a bowling average of 40.55 and had an economy rate of 10.84 as he got nine wickets in nine games for Islamabad United.PCB confirmed that the team management had asked for Hasan as a replacement and chief selector Mohammad Wasim accepted the request. When the 16-man squad had been announced earlier this month, Naseem Shah had been called up to replace Hasan. Now, with Afridi and Wasim out, Pakistan’s pace-bowling unit has Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shah and Hasan. Their campaign at the Asia Cup starts on August 28 against India.In a bid to regain his form, Hasan had been preparing for the National T20, starting on August 30. He was named Southern Punjab captain, having moved away from his regular team, Central Punjab. He had been at the PCB’s high-performance centre in Lahore training after being dropped.

Sibley injures finger, Vihari struggles on first day as Notts make inroads via Broad and Chappell

George Dobell15-Apr-2021Dom Sibley and Hanuma Vihari were reminded of the humbling powers of sport on the first day of the Championship match between Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire.A day that started with Sibley named as a Wisden cricketer of the year and Vihari retain his India central contract finished with the former nursing an injured finger and the latter contemplating a duck on debut for his new team.Sibley, the England opener, sustained the injury when failing to cling on to a regulation chance at slip offered by Steven Mullaney, on 26, off the bowling of Tim Bresnan. He left the field for treatment shortly afterwards and subsequently went for an X-ray.With seven weeks to go before the first Test of the summer, Sibley should have time to recover even if the results of the scan show a break. But having endured a tough series in India – he averaged 16.75 across the four Tests – he could have done with time at the crease ahead of the series against New Zealand. He is the second member of England’s first-choice Test XI to sustain a finger injury within the week after Ben Stokes’ IPL was ended by a broken finger.Sibley’s absence obliged Warwickshire to reorganise their batting line-up. That meant Rob Yates was promoted to open and Vihari moved up to No. 3. In normal circumstances, that would be fine. But Yates, making a fearsome hash of an attempted cut, fell first ball and Vihari only emerged from quarantine on Wednesday. That meant he had time for one net session before embarking on his first innings since the Sydney Test in January. It was hardly ideal preparation for facing Stuart Broad in his own back yard.While Vihari resisted stoutly for 40 minutes, he was eventually forced to play at one on off stump which may have bounced a little more than he expected and took the edge. Haseeb Hameed held on to a low catch at slip.For all the familiar names on show in this game – and there are eight Test players involved – it was the relatively unknown Liam Patterson-White who produced the key performance.Nottinghamshire don’t have the best reputation for the development of young players. While that’s not entirely fair – they have the same number of home-grown players (three) in this match as Warwickshire – it is true they have leaned pretty heavily on the surrounding counties over the years. In this game, for example, they have included five players who developed at either Leicestershire (Stuart Broad and Zak Chappell), Worcestershire (Joe Clarke), Northants (Ben Duckett) and Derbyshire (Ben Slater). Jake Libby, meanwhile, has flourished at New Road having left Trent Bridge.But they are determined to provide more opportunities for their current crop of youngsters. And, having declined the opportunity to sign a second overseas player, they preferred Patterson-White to Samit Patel, among others, as their spin-bowling allrounder.He went a long way to justifying the choice, too. Nottinghamshire were 119 for 6 when he came to the wicket but, in partnership with Tom Moores, Broad and Chappell, he helped his side to two batting bonus points and a competitive first-innings score. In withstanding a decent examination of pace from Olly Stone, who got through 20 overs and at times looked hostile, he showed decent temperament and technique and was eventually left stranded on an unbeaten 73. Nobody else managed more than 31.Patterson-White’s success is not a complete surprise. He scored heavily at second XI and academy level and played for England U-19s as an allrounder. Having broken into the Nottinghamshire team in 2019 – he took a five-for on debut and soon followed it with a maiden half-century – and been sent to winter under the tutelage of Jeetan Patel in New Zealand, it was some surprise when he missed out in the shortened season of 2020.While he has yet to play a first team limited-overs game – his opportunities have been limited by the presence of Patel, Imad Wasim and Matt Carter at various times – Nottinghamshire expect him to feature regularly in the first-class side and hope a Lions tour could be a possibility next winter.His ninth-wicket stand with Chappell was worth 63. While Chappell was happy to play a supporting role, he got in line, played straight and demonstrated the patience and hunger that some of his top-order colleagues would do well to emulate. Earlier Ben Slater had been drawn into pushing at a wide one, Hameed drove a full toss to cover and Clarke edged an attempted cut. Duckett and Moores were both dismissed by fine deliveries which nipped back, while Lyndon James over committed himself when backing up and was run out by an outstanding direct hit from cover by Will Rhodes.Poor Vihari’s bowling was little better than his batting. He was only entrusted with one over after his second ball, the longest of long-hops, was pulled for six by Moores. The boundary on one side of the pitch is unusually small but that was a stroke that would have carried beyond the boundary of any ground. A similar delivery was thumped for four later in the over. He did, at least, redeem himself a little in the field by clinging on to a brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss Mullaney at midwicket.Hanuma Vihari celebrates after catching Steven Mullaney•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire were grateful for Broad’s enthusiasm to play. They were without Jake Ball and Brett Hutton due to injury and Luke Fletcher due to illness so to hear that Broad was keen to play a week earlier than originally envisaged by the England management was something of a bonus.Their new overseas player, Dane Paterson, didn’t enjoy the most impressive of starts, either. Having succumbed to a second-ball duck, his first delivery was a no-ball that was hit for four. Having conceded six before bowling a ball he could probably empathise with Vihari. The only way is up for both of them.

Test regulars Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Ashwin and Saha are part of the four-day squad for the shadow tour

Shashank Kishore23-Dec-2019Hardik Pandya and Prithvi Shaw are part of strong India A squads for the shadow tour of New Zealand in January 2020.While Hardik is part of just the one-day leg of the tour, Shaw has been named in both the 50-overs and four-day squads, and will be in the race to be India’s back-up Test opener with former India Under-19 team-mate Shubman Gill. While Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma opened in all five Tests of India’s home season, against South Africa and Bangladesh, Gill was part of the reserves as the third opener.ALSO READ: Bumrah, Dhawan return for home series against Sri Lanka and AustraliaGill will captain India A’s one-day squad, while middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari will lead a strong four-day contingent. Test regulars Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha are all expected to feature in the second four-dayer, ahead of the two-Test series starting on February 21 in Wellington.Hardik hasn’t played international cricket since September, and underwent back surgery in London in October when he decided that “managing the injury” – he recently said he had done this for five years – was no longer an option.Prithvi Shaw lets a bouncer go•AFP

On Monday, chief selector MSK Prasad confirmed to journalists after the selection meeting that “Hardik would be looked at in the third week of January”, which is around the time the one-day leg of India A’s tour is scheduled. The three-match ODI series against New Zealand is slated to begin on February 5.Meanwhile, Shaw returned to competitive cricket in November after the completion of a backdated eight-month suspension for a doping violation. He struck form immediately, scoring 240 runs in five innings, including three half-centuries, for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He followed that up with scores of 66 and 202, his maiden first-class double century, in Mumbai’s 309-run win over Baroda in their Ranji Trophy opener earlier this month.KL Rahul is a notable absentee from the four-day India A squad, with the selectors seemingly happy to look at the next generation of talent. Rahul lost his Test berth to Rohit after the tour of West Indies in July-August, but has been in prolific white-ball form for Karnataka and India since.Two other prolific domestic openers, Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran, will be part of the squad for the first four-dayer, which will also feature the promising fast bowlers Sandeep Warrier, Ishan Porel, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan.India A squad for two tour matches and three one-day games: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill (capt), Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Axar Patel, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Warrier, Ishan Porel, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed SirajIndia A squad for 1st four-day game: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari (capt), KS Bharat (wk), Shivam Dube, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Warrier, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Ishan Porel, Ishan KishanIndia A squad for 2nd four-day game: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Hanuma Vihari (capt), KS Bharat (wk), Shivam Dube, R Ashwin, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Warrier, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Ishan Porel

England need to savour the experience of Stuart Broad and James Anderson for as long as they can, says captain

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2018Joe Root insists that England need to savour the experience and expertise of Stuart Broad and James Anderson for as long as they can, despite both of his senior seam bowlers enduring frustrating series in an otherwise triumphant tour of Sri Lanka.Broad is set to make his first appearance of the series in the third Test at Colombo, having missed out in Galle and Pallekele to make room for the extra spinner in Jack Leach.He will replace Anderson, who struck with his second ball at Galle to remove Dimuth Karunaratne for a duck, but subsequently admitted to feeling like a “spare part” as he failed to add to that tally in 40 subsequent overs across four innings.However, with a combined tally of 998 Test wickets in careers that stretch back to 2003 and 2007 respectively, Root was grateful for the wisdom they had been able to impart behind the scenes, and was adamant that both men still had a huge role to play when the conditions return to their favour.”It’s a great luxury to have isn’t it?” Root said. “For that amount of experience to be around the squad and offering so much to the group has been excellent.”We’ve played in conditions where we’ve not needed that much seam bowling in the middle but [Broad’s] been raring to go and doing everything he can. He’s got the opportunity to play this week and I’m sure he’ll be desperate to put in a really strong performance and show he’s very skilful in these conditions.”Of the two veterans, Broad is the one whose long-term future has come under the greater scrutiny in recent months. He endured a lean Ashes series after encountering some issues with his wrist position, and though he rediscovered his form for the English season, his haul of 16 wickets at 29.68 still paled compared to Anderson’s 24 at 18.12.But Root is adamant that Broad remains integral to their Test plans in the coming months, which include a tour of the Caribbean in the new year and a home Ashes campaign in the English summer, in which England hope to keep pressing towards their stated aim of becoming the No.1 Test team in the world.Stuart Broad and James Anderson chat with coach Trevor Bayliss•AFP

“You look at the experience he can bring to the team and his record in English conditions, and what he’s capable of there, and he’s invaluable,” said Root. “He’s still one of England’s best bowlers – I genuinely believe that – but we’ve had to be quite cute and smart about exploiting these conditions here and we’ll have to do the same later on in the winter in the West Indies.”I’m very aware how talented the group is and how talented our two senior guys are. We generally get very excited about wishing people into retirement and I think with those two in particular, we have to make the most of them while we can, be smart about managing and see how long they can go for.”They both look on top of their game at the moment, if you ask me. They’re both bowling fantastically well and keep looking to improve and get better. As far as I’m concerned I want to get the most out of them for as long as we can.”In spite of the lack of impact for England’s seamers in this series – a record 38 wickets fell to spin in the Pallekele Test – Root praised their efforts regardless, particularly the manner in which they had held Sri Lanka’s run rates in check to allow their trio of spinners to turn the screw.”Our seamers have done a fantastic job when they’ve had the opportunity to play,” he said. “Look at Jimmy and the spells that he’s bowled: he’s built and created a lot of pressure. And that sometimes has got rewards at the other end.”It can be overlooked on occasions. Stuart is more than capable of doing that and we know if we can take two or three early wickets on unresponsive wickets for seam bowling, it’ll be a massive bonus, which, again, you’d like to think he’ll be able to do. It’s a great opportunity for him to play this game. And hopefully he can do some damage.”Root added that there was a further reason for England to be grateful for the endurance of their veteran quicks. With the twin demands of the Ashes and World Cup next summer, two huge events that are sure to stretch their multi-format players to the limit, having two senior Test specialists waiting in the wings to hit the ground running for the Ashes in August could be invaluable.”I think it’s going to be the case for us and Australia going through that World Cup, making sure the guys are fresh and prepared,” Root said. “It’ll be interesting to see which sides are selected for that World Cup, especially in Australia’s case leading into it. It’s a long time away.”We’ve a lot of cricket to play before then. But look where we’re at in the Test team: there are still some Test specialists in there who will make sure they get some good first-class cricket in and game time under their belts ahead of that series. I feel like we’ve a good handle on things at the moment. And hopefully everyone is in a really good position going into the start of the year.”

Hardus Viljoen took the first eight wickets to give Derbyshire a rare victory and leave Sussex’s outside hopes of promotion in tatters

ECB Reporters Network15-Sep-2017A magnificent display of fast bowling by burly South African Hardus Viljoen inspired Derbyshire to only their second championship victory of the season against Sussex at Hove.Viloen took the first eight wickets to have a chance of all-10 before Harry Podmore nipped in for the last two to complete Derbyshire’s win and end Sussex’s promotion hopes in the processViljoen, 28, followed up his first innings return of seven for 80 to take 8 for 90 to finish with career best match figures of 15 for 170 as Sussex, bowled out for 344, were beaten by 45 runs. It was the fifth best match return by a Derbyshire bowler.This was the fifth time Viljoen had taken ten or more wickets in an match – but it’s the first time he has achieved it for Derbyshire, who must regret that he has been injured for most of the season.At the start of the day it looked as though Derbyshire had been stingy with their declaration. By declaring their innings closed at their overnight score of 322 for 8 they set Sussex a formidable 390 for victory.But Sussex had to go for the win to keep their promotion hopes alive. And Derbyshire knew that that would give them their best chance of victory.Viljoen, who is a genuine fast bowler, started his demolition job in his second over of the day, when he had Angus Robson caught at third slip. The fielder, Matt Critchley, took the ball with his hands high above his head.But by lunchtime Sussex had put themselves in with a chance of pulling off a stunning victory. They were 110 for 1, and needed another 280.Luke Wells and Stiaan van Zyl had set the platform for an unlikely win by the home side, van Zyl bringing up the 100 partnership just before lunch when he straight drove Luis Reece for four.After the break, Wells hit Viljoen for three successive fours but was then lbw looking for a fourth. And when Chris Nash was caught in the slips for just nine in Viljoen’s next over Sussex were 147 for 3 and Derbyshire were back in the match.But the match turned towards Sussex once again as even Viljoen struggled against van Zyl and the more pugnacious Luke Wright as the pair put on 120 for the fourth wicket. At tea, when Sussex were 236 for 3, needing another 154 from 36 overs, they were clear favourites to win the match.But then Viljoen turned the game towards Derbyshire once again. He had van Zyl caught at third man for 85 and then dismissed the Sussex captain Ben Brown, caught at slip. Then, when he plucked out Wright’s middle stump for 80 with a yorker Sussex were struggling at 276 for 6.Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer continued to encourage the Sussex supporters with a seventh wicket stand of 31. But then Viljoen took out Robinson’s off stump for 15 before having Archer caught at slip for 25.Podmore finished the job for Derbyshire with the final two wickets, thanks to fine catches by Hamidullah Qadri and Ben Slater. But Viljoen was the great hero of the day.

Given Sri Lanka’s growing injury concerns, the national selectors will pick a squad ahead of each Test for their upcoming three-match series against Australia, which begins on July 26

Sa'adi Thawfeeq17-Jul-2016Given Sri Lanka’s growing injury concerns, the national selectors will pick a squad ahead of each Test for their upcoming three-match series against Australia, which begins on July 26.Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya and co-selectors Romesh Kaluwitharana, Eric Upashantha and Ranjith Madurusinghe face a dearth of fast-bowling options after injuries to several first XI players. Dhammika Prasad’s shoulder injury is likely to keep him out of the Test series, while Dushmantha Chameera and Suranga Lakmal, who will undergo a fitness test on Monday for a hamstring strain, will be assessed later. Shaming Eranga’s suspect action leaves Nuwan Pradeep as the only seamer available for selection from the recent tour of England.”It is very difficult times as a selector to pick a balanced squad with so many injuries,” Jayasuriya, who is in his second stint as chief selector, said. “It’s a bit tough but we will try and pick the best possible team. I hope the players picked also know what is expected of them and that they will do their best.”Whoever is fit and whoever is doing well in the Sri Lanka A team, we’ll have to give them the opportunity. It is the feeding place for the senior side. If we feel there is somebody who is very good in the Sri Lanka A, emerging or Under-19 squads, we will not hesitate to pick them.”I am really happy the way some of the Sri Lanka A players have been performing in England. Fast bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando, batsmen Dhananjaya de Silva and Roshen Silva are quite a few players.”When we play in Sri Lanka we have a better chance of performing than when you are overseas. I am confident they can do well. But it’s a lot of hard work to come out and show their character.”Jayasuriya said despite the bowling concerns, Sri Lanka’s young batting core is headed in the right direction.”Our main concern is the bowling but this is also a good time for a youngster to put his hand up and perform and show his character,” he said. “The batting line-up is a fairly good one and stable. If you see the way they progressed in the Tests the batting was really good. It’s the one key department we can think that we are on the right direction.”With players like Kusal Mendis, Kaushal Silva, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, the batting line-up did really well. Some of the innings of 20s and 30s, I would like to see them go and get a big 100 or 200.”The unfortunate thing about the Test series in England was that we had a very good bowling line-up but we started getting injuries from the first Test onwards and before long our main three fast bowlers – Prasad, Chameera and Eranga – were out of the scene. We were basically left with only another two fast bowlers Pradeep and Lakmal to run through the rest of the games. If not for those injures we would have done really well. But injuries are part and parcel of cricket and you have to face them.”Jayasuriya also felt the increased workload of international cricket was responsible for Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling injury crisis.”At the moment, they are playing a lot of cricket – Tests, ODIs and T20Is. In our days, our cricketing life span would have been about 15 years but now it has come down to about eight years.”In the present context if you play for 10 years you will have played more than 150 Tests and almost 300-400 ODIs on top of T20Is. A human body cannot take such a workload. The main thing is how the player manages and rehabs himself. It is easy to come and say ‘I am injured’. To play with the pain is the key. No fast bowler can play without any pain. They have to play with niggles here and there. We are currently working on the players with one of the best trainers, Michael Mann, who has been trying to get them into shape.”Jayasuriya said Chandimal will continue to be Sri Lanka’s designated wicketkeeper during the Test series with Kusal Perera as a middle-order batsman.”At the moment Chandimal is the better keeper, Kusal is a bit out of touch. Chandimal normally bats at No. 4 but because of the conditions in England, we pushed him to No. 6 and it was successful. We will discuss with him what position he is comfortable batting, he is flexible.”Although many Australian players have not played a Test in Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya warned against complacency.”They (Australia) have come early and started practice to get to know our conditions and they have hired (Muttiah) Muralitharan to get information about Sri Lankan conditions and pitches. They are very smartly doing their homework. At the end of the day they are also professionals, their coach has played here. We can’t take things lightly.”

Unmukt Chand will lead India A in the upcoming tri-series against Australia A and South Africa A while Ambati Rayudu has been named as captain for the unofficial Test series against South Africa A

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2015Unmukt Chand, the former Under-19 captain, will lead India A in the upcoming tri-series against Australia A and South Africa A, while Ambati Rayudu has been named as captain for the two-match unofficial Test series that follows against South Africa A.Legspinner Karn Sharma, who missed the recent Zimbabwe tour due to a fractured finger, was picked in both squads and Karnataka batsman Karun Nair was chosen as the vice-captain for both the tri-series as well as the unofficial Tests against South Africa.Himachal Pradesh batsman Ankush Bains, 19, was selected on the back of a strong domestic performance – 568 runs in 11 first-class matches at an average of 47.33, with a highest score of 156. Saurashtra batsman Sheldon Jackson was picked after a stellar 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season, during which he made 819 runs in eight matches.Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra and KL Rahul, who were part of the India A squad for the unofficial Tests against Australia, were not available because of the Test series in Sri Lanka beginning on August 12.Robin Uthappa and Manoj Tiwary, who played in all the ODIs against Zimbabwe, were not picked for the tri-series.All the matches of the tri-series will be played in Chennai between August 5 and August 14. The two-match series against South Africa A begins three days later on August 18 in Wayanad, Kerala.India A squad for tri-series: Unmukt Chand (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Sandeep Sharma, Rush Kalaria, Mandeep Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Rishi Dhawan.India A squad for unofficial Tests: Ambati Rayudu (capt), Karun Nair, Abhinav Mukund, Ankush Bains, Shreyas Iyer, Baba Aparajith, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Axar Patel, Karn Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Shardul Thakur, Ishwar Pandey, Sheldon Jackson, Jiwanjot Singh.

A knee injury has ruled West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul out of the Caribbean Twenty20 starting this weekend

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2013A knee injury has ruled West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul out of the Caribbean Twenty20 starting this weekend. Rampaul is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks, and his place in the Trinidad & Tobago squad has been taken by quick bowler Rayad Emrit.”After a medical assessment and an MRI scan, it was decided that he would not be fully fit for the tournament,” T&T manager Omar Khan said, “and the recommendation is to rest him rather than taking a risk and playing him and he breaks down during the tournament which could put him out for a longer period of time.”T&T are defending champions of the Caribbean T20, and have a squad full of renowned players, including Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine. Still, Khan said the absence of Rampaul will be a big loss. “It is a disappointment because Ravi is a West Indies bowler and he is one of our main bowlers in terms of opening the bowling and bowling at the death. We obviously have to make some adjustments and the technical staff will be looking at different strategies having lost Ravi as an option.”T&T open their campaign on Sunday against Jamaica, another of the frontrunners for the tournament.

Bangladesh had an opportunity to end a losing streak against Pakistan that has lasted 12 years, but the visiting spinners were good enough to put the target of 178 far out of their reach

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran06-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Hafeez overpowered Bangladesh with 3 for 27•AFP

Smart stats

• Pakistan’s win is their 28th in 29 matches against Bangladesh. Their only loss came in the 1999 World Cup game in Northampton.

• This is the 17th time that Pakistan have won all the matches in a bilateral series of three or more matches. This is the fourth such series win against Bangladesh.

• Saeed Ajmal’s economy rate of 0.85 is the third-lowest on the list of lowest economy rates for Pakistani bowlers in an innings where they have bowled a minimum of five overs. Wasim Akram is on top with an economy rate of 0.54 against India in Sharjah.

• The 439 balls bowled by spinners in the game is second on the list of matches where spinners have bowled the most deliveries. The Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe game at the SSC in 1998 is on top with 456 balls bowled by spinners.

• Mohammad Hafeez became only the third player to achieve the double of 1000 runs and 30 wickets in a calendar year. While Sanath Jayasuriya was the first to do so in 1997, Jacques Kallis achieved the feat twice in 2000 and 2002.

• Bangladesh lost their last eight wickets for 50 runs. The aggregate of 50 runs for the last eight wickets is the third-lowest for Bangladesh in ODIs.

• Mushfiqur Rahim became the second Bangladesh wicketkeeper after Khaled Mashud and the 24th overall to aggregate 100 dismissals in ODIs.

• The target of 178 is the lowest ever successfully-defended by Pakistan against Bangladesh. The previous lowest was 203 in Chittagong in 2002.

Bangladesh had an opportunity to end a losing streak against Pakistan that has lasted 12 years, but the visiting spinners were good enough to put the target of 178 far out of their reach. The track was tailored to suit Bangladesh’s strength – spin – but it backfired since they didn’t have the batsmen capable of sticking it out long enough to entertain thoughts of earning a consolation win.Pakistan took the series 3-0, but not without some sweat. Their batsmen too were found wanting against spin, losing nine wickets to the slower men and failing to bat out 50 overs. In the context of the struggles faced by the batsmen from both sides, the stand of 94 between Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal proved the difference. Bangladesh had a similar foundation going between Shahriar Nafees and Mahmudullah, but a floodlight failure disturbed the concentration of the well-set pair and brought about a power-shift towards Pakistan’s spinners. Bangladesh crumbled quickly from then, losing their last nine wickets for 50 runs.Having lost Tamim Iqbal first ball, the pressure was on Bangladesh, with a slip and short leg and the new balls turning and bouncing. The pair of Nafees and Mahmudullah were watchful but importantly, ensured they didn’t go scoreless for lengthy periods – a factor in Bangladesh’s previous defeats this series. Mahmudullah slogged Mohammad Hafeez in the third over to get the first boundary bogey off the team’s back.The pair gave Bangladesh the edge with a stand of 69, essayed with sweeps off Abdur Rehman and cuts off Shahid Afridi, who in his urgency to break an unusual wicketless-streak – which has lasted two matches – fired the ball too flat.The interruption after the 15th over, caused a downturn in Bangladesh’s fortunes. Saeed Ajmal trapped Nafees lbw playing down the wrong line, before Rehman caught Mushfiqur Rahim in front while trying to sweep. Bangladesh lost their third wicket in as many overs when Hafeez got one to turn sharply and trap Mahmudullah on the backfoot. Both Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain were out cheaply , spooning catches as the chase fell off the rails.The lower order had no respite. The parsimonious Saeed Ajmal, bowling round the wicket, was scoreless off the bat for 28 successive deliveries. He was lucky, though, to get Farhad Reza lbw, off a thick inside edge. Bangladesh had a semblance of a recovery with a stand of 34 between Reza and Alok Kapali, but the howler cut short their hopes.The pitch wasn’t exactly a minefield, as Misbah and Umar showed. The ball gripped, turned, bounced and forced the visitors to concentrate more than they’ve had to so far in the series. They had their anxious moments with the ball keeping low, some sliding past the outside edge and the stumps. It wasn’t easy for the wicketkeeper Mushfiqur, who by the 15th over had already conceded 12 byes, a Bangladesh record.Coming in at 39 for 3, Misbah and Umar steadied the innings with a watchful approach against spin. Misbah opened up against Elias Sunny, hammering boundaries to midwicket and down the ground. He also tried disturbing the bowler’s rhythm by moving across his stumps to paddle, at times bringing out the reverse sweep. Umar used his feet well, though it was one of his more patient knocks as he regularly came forward to smother the spin and defend. Umar fetched two sixes off Nasir, using his feet for both.The tide turned when Misbah departed, making room and spooning a catch to short extra cover off Razzak. The wickets started to tumble, leaving Umar with greater responsibility than he would have expected. However, he too trooped off to the pavilion, beaten for turn and bounce by Sunny. Mahmudullah triggered an early end to the innings, assisted by Mushfiqur, who by then was seeing the ball like a football in fading light.Bangladesh walked off after wrapping up Pakistan a more confident unit. Unfortunately, they couldn’t counter the most penetrative spin attack in the world.

Mitchell Johnson is currently so obsessed by the Ashes that when he is bowling at Australians in the nets he is seeing English batsmen

Peter English in Brisbane23-Nov-2010Mitchell Johnson is currently so obsessed by the Ashes that when he is bowling at Australians in the nets he is seeing English batsmen. “So when Shane Watson came in I was thinking of a Kevin Pietersen-type,” he said. “But I didn’t bounce him!”Johnson is desperate to move on from his awful Ashes campaign in 2009 and is altering his vision to turn his dreams into reality at the Gabba from Thursday. He had a strong work-out in Brisbane on Tuesday using an unconventional approach.”I was trying to bowl the length I want to bowl, particularly to their top order,” he said. “Every batter who came in I was thinking of English batters.”I’m thinking about [the series] all the time. I’ve come off a pretty good couple of weeks and I’m raring to get out there and bowl fast.”In this series he will not worry if he doesn’t swing the ball and will instead focus on speed. He has already said he will target Andrew Strauss with short deliveries, but he has almost given up on being the all-round bowler who dominated South Africa two summers ago. On that tour he moved the ball into the right handers, angled it away and roughed up Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Co with his bouncers as well.”I went through a stage where I thought I could try to work on swinging the ball,” he said. “I can do it on a short run in the nets. It’s different to come in off the long run. I’m happy with where I am with my bowling – running in, bowling fast.”In the Ashes contest four years ago Johnson was 12th man for the entire series, but having experienced the build-up and the pressure of the 2009 campaign he is feeling more settled this time. “It’s about harnessing that energy until Thursday,” he said. “I came out of South Africa [in 2009] bowling really well and I thought it was just going to happen throughout the last Ashes. This time I’ve really worked hard.”Like most of the Australians, he has played down the side’s recent losing streak of seven games in a row in all forms, and he thought there were good signs in the 2-0 defeat in India. He also believes that while the home team has been under scrutiny, it is England who will face more heat.”We talk about the pressure on us, but there’s a lot of pressure on them,” Johnson said. “Last time they were beaten 5-0, now they’re holding the urn, so there’s a lot of pressure of them to perform and eyes on them.”