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Tamim Iqbal hammered his second consecutive century as Bangladesh clinched their first series win over Pakistan with a commanding performance in the second ODI

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy19-Apr-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:36

Isam: Tamim was in imperious form

Tamim Iqbal hammered his second consecutive century as Bangladesh clinched their first-ever series win over Pakistan with a commanding performance in the second ODI. Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim – who both scored centuries in the first ODI – once again tormented Pakistan’s below-par bowling attack, but the biggest factor in Bangladesh’s win were their bowlers. Even though Pakistan recovered from 77 for 5 thanks to half-centuries from Saad Nasim and Wahab Riaz, a target of 240 didn’t prove anywhere near testing. Bangladesh reached their target with nearly 12 overs to spare.Tamim’s first scoring shot was a blast from the past: a saunter down the pitch to Junaid Khan and a flat-batted wallop through the covers. In the sixth over, he had already cracked Rahat Ali for two fours when he got a full ball angling into his pads; deep square leg didn’t have to run too far to his right to cut off Tamim’s flick, but the timing was so good he didn’t get anywhere near it even after putting in a desperate slide.By the end of that over Bangladesh had already shaved 51 off their target. Tamim then took three fours off the last three balls of the ninth over, bowled by Saeed Ajmal, and did the same thing in the tenth over, bowled by Wahab Riaz, to bring up his half-century off 31 balls. The second four he hit off Wahab, a horizontal-bat swat past the bowler from halfway down the pitch, showed the kind of mood he was in.By that point, Bangladesh’s asking rate was under four an over, and Tamim eased into a less frenetic mood. Ajmal picked up his first wicket since his international return, bowling Mahmudullah in the 15th over to have Bangladesh two down, but that only brought Mushfiqur to the crease. Ajmal and Wahab kept him quiet initially, keeping him to only three runs from his first 15 balls, but he was only biding his time, waiting for a ball in his favourite slot: Ajmal delivered it, and he sank to his knees and slog-swept it for six. Two overs later, he hit Rahat for three successive fours, pulling him mercilessly when he dropped short, and he was batting on 25 off 25. Bangladesh now needed less than 100.Pakistan’s only respite came when a floodlight tower failed in the 30th over, causing a 15-minute break in play. It’s unlikely they would have welcomed it, though. By that point, they must have been hoping for a quick finish and an early ice bath.Pakistan batted first, hoping for conditions similar to the first ODI, but the ball didn’t come on to the bat nearly as well, and the openers struggled against up-and-down bounce while putting on 36 in 7.1 overs. Azhar Ali, coming off a half-century in the first ODI, played and missed on a couple of occasions, but also played some sparkling shots through the off side including two fours in one Taskin Ahmed over.Sarfraz Ahmed looked edgy right through his 11-ball stay, and played away from his body to nick Rubel Hossain’s first ball of the match to first slip. The spinners took over from that point.The odd ball gripped and turned sharply, and Shakib Al Hasan dismissed Azhar with one of these, causing him to connect poorly with a reverse-sweep and fall prey to a brilliant bit of anticipation from Mushfiqur Rahim behind the stumps. Another viciously spinning Shakib delivery, tossed up enticingly, beat Mohammad Rizwan’s front-foot prod, caused him to overbalance, and led to prolonged deliberation from the third umpire over a stumping appeal. He gave it not out, but the batsmen were always aware of the threat of turn – this made the straighter one doubly dangerous, and the spinners made excellent use of it.Arafat Sunny struck in the ninth over, skidding one through from his left-arm around angle to bowl Mohammad Hafeez as looked to force him off the back foot through the off side. In a mirror image of that dismissal, Nasir Hossain went around the wicket and slid one through Fawad Alam’s attempted cut. Then Rizwan, with the near-stumping fresh in his mind, was lbw pressing forward and across to Shakib’s slider. Replays showed the ball striking his front pad marginally outside the line of off stump, but Rizwan had failed to ask for a review.The moment seemed to encapsulate a dazed and confused Pakistan, but Nasim and Haris showed they still had some smart, sensible batting left in their tank. Neither of them went out of their way to counterattack, even though Pakistan’s run rate when they came together was well below four an over. They took 75 balls over the first 34 runs of their partnership, and Nasim was the slowpoke of the pair. At the start of the 34th over, he was on 17 off 51 balls and Haris on 33 off 49.Mashrafe Mortaza brought himself back into the attack, and provided Nasim with width twice in a row. Both balls went for four. In his next over Nasim drove him crisply to the cover boundary. In between he jumped down the pitch and launched Sunny cleanly over long-off. Pakistan took 13 off Shakib in the 38th over, with Haris clouting him for a six over long-on, and the revival was firmly underway.Wahab ensured it would continue apace, after a clever slower ball from Mashrafe ended Haris’ stay in the next over. His recent innings have displayed both brawn and craft, and his first two boundaries showed both facets: a glide past short third man and a wallop through the covers, both in the same Rubel over.Strike rotation was Pakistan’s main focus from there till the 45th over, before Nasim signalled the shift of gears by crashing Taskin through extra cover. Wahab picked up four boundaries in the next three overs, including a slog-swept four and a whistling straight six off successive Shakib deliveries. He hit another six in the final over, keeping a steady base and a still head to clout Taskin over the leg side and bring up his fifty. Wahab had failed to cross the mark in his first 37 ODI innings. Now he had made two in six.

Giles Clarke asserted that rebel leagues must be thwarted at all costs to protect the community of cricket in a speech to mark his stepping down as chairman of the ECB

David Hopps19-May-2015Giles Clarke has marked the end of his reign as chairman of the ECB with an uncompromising attack on secret plans to set up a rebel T20 league that he insisted, if it came to pass, could severely damage the fabric of world cricket.Clarke, who as ICC’s finance and commercial chairman will now be at the forefront of attempts to thwart any plans by Essel Group, told in a farewell speech at Lord’s that has now been made public of how the simple invitation to a formal opening of a new pavilion on a village ground in Somerset had further strengthened his conviction that cricket could not be “traded as a purely commercial activity” and that revenue must benefit the widespread health of the game.The Essel Group was also the organisation that began the rebel ICL in 2007, a T20 league that preceded the IPL but ended in less than two years after its players were banned from mainstream cricket by the cricket boards of various countries under instruction from the BCCI and ICC.To add fuel to the fire, the Essel group owns Ten Sports, which holds TV rights from several ICC Full Members – rights that are now increasingly contentious.Clarke openly questioned their validity. “I cannot see, as ICC finance and commercial chairman, why anyone should benefit financially from TV rights ownership on one hand, and then expect to be allowed to attack the game financially on another,” he said.The ICC has responded to the perceived threat to the fabric of the game by setting up a committee comprising its three top officials – chairman N Srinivasan, Wally Edwards from Cricket Australia and Clarke – to present an urgent report.”I had the privilege of opening the new pavilion at Easton-in-Gordano cricket club last week, whose roof had been blown away by a storm and the interior destroyed,” Clarke told the ECB’s annual meeting last week.”This small village ground lies behind the local pub. The community, supported by other local clubs, had gathered together and successfully raised funds to rebuild it, which they had originally thought not possible. The ECB had contributed funds to help from our weather disaster fund. As a friendly match was being played in this timeless surrounding, I felt the following strongly.

“Without volunteers, there is no cricket developed anywhere. It is not something to be traded as a purely commercial activity”

“The game will give a simple message to those who seek to establish rebel leagues. Without volunteers, there is no cricket developed anywhere. It is not something to be traded as a purely commercial activity.”It is ingrained in the hearts, minds and cultures of men and women across the globe and in our multicultural societies. Volunteers in cricket do not want to work for profit-seeking enterprises, and nor will we allow greed to take away from the game its values, and the funds which support its grass roots and its future.”Clarke’s “farewell” address – he has now moved sideways to become ECB president – was, as would be expected, an unapologetic assertion of the progress made during his decade as the most dominant figure in English cricket.He has attracted heavy criticism for his part in the shake-up of world cricket which saw the “Big Three” – India, Australia and England – take more control as well as a larger share of revenue but he used his speech to emphasise his commitment to nurturing the wider community of English cricket.The ECB was more financially stable and had stronger relationships at all levels of the game, he contended, including ethnic minority leagues, women’s cricket and the recreational game.”I especially remember the Pakistan v Australia neutral series in 2010, and some 23,000 fans, mainly Brummies of Pakistani ethnic origin, some of whom I met walking round the ground. They were revelling in watching their heroes, and all firmly told me ‘I am supporting Pakistan, but I want my son to play for England’.”For Moeen Ali’s father, that magical moment has come true. There will be many more to follow him. The ECB has established good relations with many ethnic minority leagues. It is, however, an issue for our own society. Ethnic minorities do not all want to belong to or participate in all our traditional competitions, and are sometimes happier in their own.”The ECB has begun to embrace these bodies, not in terms of telling them what to do, but rather saying we are here, this is what we can do for you. Is that of interest? Would you benefit? And, in many ways, that is what our society has to do. The Indian supporters who booed Moeen Ali need to feel they are wanted and part of our society. Cricket has recognised this. We have started a long innings, but one we need to play well for the growth of our game.”

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurushingha has said that he is unfazed by his team’s poor record against South Africa, and instead wants to focus on how good his own players are

Mohammad Isam03-Jul-2015As South Africa took the southern route from their team hotel towards the Fatullah Cricket Stadium for their practice match, the bowling machine was perched a few feet higher at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.The hosts are about to face a completely different challenge against South Africa, which includes preparing themselves to face six fast bowlers, most of who are fairly tall. So the likes of Sabbir Rahman and Mushfiqur Rahim looked higher while facing the bowling machine, as the other nets had mostly even-sized pace bowlers and spinners.Bangladesh wait on Mushfiqur injury

Bangladesh’s team management will make a call on the side’s wicketkeeper based on Mushfiqur Rahim’s recovery from a finger injury.
Mushfiqur picked up the injury in the first Test against Pakistan in April, but kept wickets in the next Test. However, Litton Das was given the gloves in the solitary Test and the second and third ODIs against India last month. Mushfiqur has once again started to keep wickets in training, which coach Chandika Hathurusingha said is a sign of his recovery.
“As soon as Mushfiqur is confident enough to keep, he will give us lot of options for our team combinations,” Hathurusingha said. “Whenever he is confident about his finger to keep wickets, we are looking forward to giving him the opportunity. He has started to keep in last few training sessions. We also have Litton in the squad.
“It is completely up to his finger. It is looking good at the moment. The physios are happy. It is healing quicker.”

The other challenge for Bangladesh is their poor playing record against South Africa, something that gave them very little confidence against Pakistan for 16 years. Between 2002 to 2011 when they last played against each other, Bangladesh only beat South Africa at the 2007 World Cup. Bangladesh’s record against South Africa, with just one win from 24 international matches, is the joint-worst, along with their record of a single win against Australia in 26 matches across formats.But South Africa have repeatedly said they know that Bangladesh are different now, especially after this year’s World Cup and ODI series wins over Pakistan and India. And so has Chandika Hathurusingha, Bangladesh’s coach, who does not want to focus on history, but on telling his players how good they are.”If I believe in history, I won’t be here today,” Hathurusingha said. “I don’t believe in history. History is there to change. It is how we go about doing it, is key. We are not part of history. We are part of present and what we do now.”I can’t do much about what the players read. I can only tell about it to players, what we can do now and what our strength is. I constantly tell them how good they are and what they can do.”Forget history or the fact that Bangladesh are about to start this home series against one of the most feared T20 teams. Hathurusingha’s main focus during these two T20s is linking the performance now to the World T20 next year. In the next eight months, Bangladesh are likely to play only five more T20s before the tournament in March 2016.”These two matches have a lot to do with the World T20 in mind. We are thinking about our combination and game plan, what’s going to be effective for us. This will be our focus for this series,” he said.Hathurusingha has also been credited in the past 12 months for recognising younger players’ capability for the highest level. He pushed for the selection of Soumya Sarkar and Jubair Hossain, and is also known to have backed Mashrafe Mortaza’s decision of picking Mustafizur Rahman against India last month.While Soumya, Mustafizur, Sabbir Rahman and Litton Das have impressed in various degrees, the concern surrounding young Bangladesh players has always been complacency. Hathurusingha said that the young players have been humble, although he feels that they have every right to enjoy the recent success.”I haven’t seen anything distracting coming in the camp. They are keeping their feet on the ground. They need to enjoy their successes. Some of the guys have done things that people have never done before so these are unprecedented successes. They have the right to enjoy what they are doing and be confident about it.”Bangladesh has been relatively more aggressive since Mashrafe took over the captaincy in limited-overs cricket last November. They have more bowling options now, and are preferring mostly wicket-taking options. While Hathurusingha said that having more options helps the team choose either a spin-heavy or a pace-heavy bowling attack, he was more wary of his opponents’ strengths. Bangladesh’s focus, he said, should be on being consistent and being precise in decision-making.”Lately we have been balanced in spin and pace. Traditionally Bangladesh is known to have lot of good spinners and it is not too different now. We don’t have a lot of fast bowlers but they bring different quality to the team. Some are tall, some have variation, some can swing the ball. This is our advantage: we can go either way.”South Africa have good quick bowlers, a good batting side and lately they play spin well too. They are a very competent side. We can’t find any major weakness in their armory so we have to play consistent cricket and make good decisions in the middle,” said Hathurusingha.

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner is adamant the new No. 1 Test team will not divert from the hard-edged playing style intrinsic to the game down under

Daniel Brettig25-Feb-20165:28

Five talking points from the Christchurch Test

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner is adamant the new No. 1 Test team will not divert from the hard-edged playing style intrinsic to the game down under, though he concedes that with better understanding of the DRS the ugly scenes glimpsed in Christchurch may not have happened at all.The captain Steven Smith and the fast bowler Josh Hazlewood were both fined for an incident where they aggressively questioned a third umpire decision in favour of Kane Williamson on the penultimate day of the series. While Warner did not wish to see Australia’s players retreat into their shells, he admitted the anger could be tracked back to the fact they did not realise how the DRS worked in that moment.Warner also added his opinion that the stump microphones, not meant to be turned on when the ball is dead, had exacerbated the situation. He said an explanation had been sought from the local broadcasters, with “human error” described as the reason for Hazlewood’s words being picked up.”In Steve’s case where they used the [HotSpot] but didn’t use the Snicko that’s where he was arguing the point why they didn’t use it,” Warner said on his return home to Sydney. “But with conclusive evidence for the third umpire saying he hit it, he didn’t need to use it.”When you’re on the field that’s not communicated to you, so that’s why he might have stepped across the line a little bit, and he didn’t know that until he came off the field. If he had his time again and he knew that he wouldn’t have debated that with the umpire.”There has been a bit of talk about the team and the aggressive brand of cricket that we play. Steve spoke about not trying to cross that line. Stump mics were turned up and they said it was so-called ‘human error’ which was convenient at the time.”Criticism of Australia’s aggression has seemed to arrive as if on cue with every major achievement by the team in recent times. There was the “broken f***ing arm” incident at the Gabba during the 2013-14 Ashes series, various hot-tempered scenes in South Africa the following year, and some much decried behaviour during and after the 2015 World Cup final.However the pattern of success means that there is little desire within the Australian side to retreat entirely from a style of play that attempts to make life uncomfortable for opponents with words and body language as well as bat and ball. Warner noted how the likes of Mitchell Johnson had felt increasingly inhibited by match officials about expressing themselves on the field.”We’re about playing the game in the right spirit, but we’ve got a passionate brand where if you look back at the history of Australian cricket we play an aggressive style,” Warner said. “A couple of the fast bowlers who’ve recently retired have stated that you are taking the aggression out for the bowlers a bit.”Back in the day you used to see these battles with the fast bowlers, the batter would play and miss and the bowler would say something. These days it’s taken the spark out of it a little bit – I love getting into a contest with the bowler, if he gets you out he gets the last laugh, but if you get on top of him then you can. But in the end it’s what the ICC has put in place and we need to respect that.”Ironically given New Zealand’s adoption of a higher road under the captaincy of Brendon McCullum, crowds across the Tasman subjected many of Australia’s players to repeated personal abuse. Warner said several times spectators were asked to leave for expressing sentiments he described as “vulgar”.”Doesn’t matter whether you’re home or away, you’re going to cop some form of abuse, but we don’t expect to wake up and be hounded for six or seven hours,” he said. “Some of the stuff was pretty derogatory and vulgar … the upsetting thing was the fact that if my two daughters were in the crowd I wouldn’t want them listening to that kind of stuff.”It’s irrelevant what they said, but just disappointing that was happening every game. A couple of bowlers were down on the boundary, you get your odd banter here and there but when they’re talking about people’s families and stuff it takes it a bit too far. Some of the boys raised the issue, not to express it to anyone, more just to say ‘can you get rid of this bloke’ because it’s just not necessary.”Warner himself played only a peripheral role in the series, making few runs with the bat and keeping himself out of trouble in the field. Asked why he has changed his behaviour, the response may be one for the ICC to keep in mind. “For me it was a 12-month probation,” he said. “That made me keep my mouth shut a little bit.”

Individually they have shown the side has talent, but Zimbabwe have not been able to put an all-round performance. They have one last change against an Indian side that might be looking to experiment

The Preview Liam Brickhill in Harare13-Jul-2015 Match facts Tuesday 14 July
Start time 0900 local time (0700 GMT)1:33

Agarkar: India must give Sandeep Sharma and Manish Pandey a chance

Big picture India have achieved their main goal – sealing the series – so the third and final ODI provides scope for blooding a couple of uncapped players. Zimbabwe, who are in the midst of an eight-match ODI losing streak, have little but pride to play for.Individually, Zimbabwe’s players have shown that this team definitely contains talent. But they haven’t been able to pull all three facets of the game together. In both matches so far, India were offered a glimpse of Zimbabwe’s weaknesses, and despite the fine margin of their victory on Friday, they have generally looked the better side.Yet one feels Zimbabwe aren’t all that far behind this Indian team. Given a fully fit squad, in home conditions, at least one win is a distinct possibility. Unfortunately, the Zimbabweans have been hobbled by injury and have probably already blown their best chance of breaking their losing streak. Sean Williams is nursing a knee problem and is unlikely to play tomorrow.While the bowling has fired, India’s middle order still appears vulnerable. Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa and Kedar Jadhav have managed a combined 58 runs in a total of six innings. If Zimbabwe are able to exploit this, especially given the absence of the series’ leading run-scorer Ambati Rayudu, they may yet be able to pull off a win. Form guide (Last five completed matches, most recent first) Zimbabwe: LLLLL India: WWWLL In the spotlight In the absence of Solomon Mire, and with Elton Chigumbura playing primarily as a batsman, Zimbabwe needed an allrounder to balance their side. They appear to have found one in Chamu Chibhabha, who has contributed with both bat and ball in this series. Batting is his stronger suit – he’s averaged 44.42 in ODIs in 2015 – but the pitch at Harare Sports Club also suits his medium-pace bowling.The pressure is building on India’s middle-order batsmen. With this series billed as something of an audition for a slot in the first XI, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa and Kedar Jadhav have averaged 12.00, 6.50 and 10.00 respectively. India have still managed to win both games, but they’ll want more from this trio in the final match. Team news Zimbabwe’s hand has been forced by injuries to key members of their squad. Opening bowler Tinashe Panyangara sustained a side strain in the first match, and batsman Sean Williams injured his right knee in the second. With the help of painkillers and heavy strapping, Williams batted during Zimbabwe’s chase, but team physio Anesu Mupotaringa suspects patella tendonitis. Williams went for scans on Monday morning and it’s unlikely the team management will risk aggravating his injury.So Zimbabwe may want to give players such as Chris Mpofu, Prosper Utseya and Roy Kaia a run. Craig Ervine may also be back to full fitness, as he underwent a test, including sprints, with no apparent discomfort on Monday afternoon.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Hamilton Masakada, 4 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 5 Roy Kaia/Craig Ervine, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Neville Madziva, 11 Chris Mpofu.A right quadriceps injury to Ambati Rayudu will also necessitate changes to India’s XI. Twenty-year-old wicketkeeper Sanju Samson has been called into the squad and it suggests pressure on Robin Uthappa’s place. With the series sealed, India might think about offering debuts to Manish Pandey and Sandeep Sharma, and perhaps give Mohit Sharma some match practice ahead of the T20s. India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Ajinkya Rahane (captain), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Sanju Samson/ Robin Uthappa (wk), 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Sandeep Sharma. Pitch and conditions A third, fresh pitch will be used for this match, and in appearance it is very similar to the first two: dry, with a modest grass covering. It should be reasonably good for batting, with the side batting first looking to score at least 250. The pitch is on the far right of the square, and so the short boundary to the west may affect team tactics. Another bright, sunny day is expected. Stats and trivia Zimbabwe’s win-loss record is 6-22 when chasing scores of between 240 and 275 in ODIs since 2005. The very first ODI played at Harare Sports Club was between Zimbabwe and India in October 1992. India have played 17 ODIs here, and have won 12 times. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the leading wicket-taker in this series, with five wickets at an average of 13.60 and an economy rate of 3.40. Quotes “We’re just going to go out there and play for pride, and for our supporters as well.”
“I asked him why I was being congratulated and he told me I had been selected to the Indian team.”

His team had impressed on seaming tracks in the Asia Cup, but Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said his side needed to adjust better to flat surfaces, following the 55-run loss to Pakistan in a World T20 match in Kolkata

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Kolkata16-Mar-2016His team had impressed on seaming tracks in the Asia Cup, but Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said his side needed to adjust better to flat surfaces, following the 55-run loss to Pakistan in a World T20 match in Kolkata.Bangladesh had conceded 201 for 5 against a Pakistan side they had restricted to 129 only two weeks prior. The difference, Mashrafe felt, was in the surface, which bore a covering of thin grass in patches, but offered little for the bowlers all evening.”When we first saw the wicket it, was a bit grassy and we thought it would the help the bowlers, but our judgement was totally wrong,” Mashrafe said. “In the Asia Cup, those surfaces were different. We saw there that Pakistan’s bowling was confident, but there were doubts about the batting. This Eden surface – we thought that it would be to Pakistan’s advantage because their bowling is already strong and this surface would favour their batsmen. The ball would come onto the bat.”Mashrafe laid the blame for the defeat largely at the feet of his bowlers, who were expensive from the outset. Pakistan had been 55 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay, and continued to score at around nine an over, until Shahid Afridi’s innings put them on course for 200. Only part-timer Sabbir Rahman went at less than eight an over, delivering two overs for 11 runs.”Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez took a lot of risks in those six overs and took the game away from our hands,” Mashrafe said. “But we could have done a lot better. We couldn’t deal with that pressure. Even if we had kept them to 160 or 170, on that wicket, we could have tried something. We couldn’t stick to our plans. We couldn’t play the way we needed to.”This loss now having left Bangladesh with a net run rate of -2.75, Mashrafe’s team face a tough challenge in qualifying for the semi-finals. They play Australia in Bangalore next, on a track Mashrafe expects to be even better for batting than Eden Gardens was.”We lost this match by 55 runs, it was a huge margin. We didn’t want this heavy defeat. At least we managed to reduce the margin towards the end, with our batting,” he said. “We will have to do better in the next match because I think the wickets will be even flatter than this, and Australia’s batting will be much stronger. So there are obviously sterner challenges lying ahead for us.”I think we have to get our mindset right. We need to regroup before that match. It’s tough to predict how the group will play out but every match will be tough for sure.”Mashrafe said his team had missed its “best bowler” Mustafizur Rahman, but also said Mustafizur had been “close to playing”.”He would have made a difference today. It’s tough to give you details of his fitness but I hope he’ll be fit for the next match.”

Australia and Kings XI Punjab batsman Shaun Marsh has recovered from a bout of food poisoning and will travel with the team to Delhi for their upcoming match against Delhi Daredevils on April 15

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2016Australia and Kings XI Punjab batsman Shaun Marsh has recovered from a bout of food poisoning and will travel with the team to Delhi for their upcoming match against Delhi Daredevils on April 15. Marsh was hospitalised early Monday morning, as a precautionary measure after he came down with the illness.He had trained with his team in Mohali on Sunday, on the eve of their first IPL 2016 match against Gujarat Lions, but missed the game.According to Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis and South Africa fast bowler Kyle Abbott had suffered food poisoning last week and recovered. Stoinis played Monday’s game, scoring 33 and bowling two overs with returns of 2 for 27.Marsh has played for Kings XI in eight seasons of the tournament since 2008, missing the 2009 edition due to a hamstring injury. He is the highest run-scorer for the side in the IPL with 2054 runs in 56 matches at an average of 41.91, including one century and 17 fifties.

Bright blue mornings at Worcester, June afternoons at Canterbury, mist-fringed evenings at Hove. There are days when cricket takes the advice of Barbra Streisand in and puts on its Sunday clothes

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford11-May-2016
ScorecardSimon Kerrigan continued his impressive start to the season•Getty ImagesBright blue mornings at Worcester, June afternoons at Canterbury, mist-fringed evenings at Hove. There are days when cricket takes the advice of Barbra Streisand in and puts on its Sunday clothes.Then there are mornings like that in Manchester on the final day of this match: the sky louring, the floodlights making pale silhouettes and the cricket watched by fundamentalist, well-fleeced fans, immovable as if on canvas, the steam from their coffee rising in the still air. It is at such times that professional cricketers must buckle down to their work, although Lancashire’s cricketers will have needed no incentive to do so, especially after the dismissal of James Vince in the day’s fifth over ended one of the early season’s longest pre-Test selection discussions.The sun finally put his hat on in mid-afternoon and he shone most of all on Simon Kerrigan, who knows what a few of cricket’s shadows are like, albeit that he is understandably quiet about such matters. Bowling with a smooth rhythm and therefore with greater control, Kerrigan took four of Hampshire’s last five wickets and ended the innings when Mason Crane’s attempted sweep only dollied a catch to Liam Livingstone at leg slip. That dismissal completed Lancashire’s innings and 94-run victory, their second win of a season which, so the doom-peddlers had predicted, would be filled with the plagues of Egypt for them.When Lancashire went down in 2014, they won just three games and two of those were against Northamptonshire. This victory against Hampshire in a match they totally dominated left Lancashire top of the Division One table for two hours until Yorkshire beat Surrey at Leeds, though no one was quicker than their coach, Ashley Giles, to point out that there are four months and more of the season left. All the same, as a group of Steven Croft’s players indulged in a post-match kickabout on the Old Trafford, outfield they did so with the air of men who had got a Miseryguts the monkey off their backs. Certainly Kerrigan had. His 2014 record did not include a single five-wicket haul. And he knew it. Most bowlers do.What only became clear a little later, however, was that this was Kerrigan’s first five-wicket return for Lancashire in top-flight domestic cricket since he took 9 for 51, also against Hampshire, in the title-winning summer of 2011. And on that September afternoon rain fell everywhere except Aigburth, miracles arrived with the Eccles cakes and the late Roy Tattersall, a Lancashire and England spinner of the 1950s, beamed with pleasure amid serious illness. Cricket can do that.Hampshire had begun the day 271 runs in arrears – they effectively needed to bat all three sessions for the draw – and that deficit had been reduced by only eight when Vince off drove James Anderson for four with impressive finality. But that boundary was the prelude to the end of Vince’s 165-ball innings of 47. The next ball looked similar but was a tad slower and maybe a smidgeon shorter. Vince looked to drive but got in something of a tangle and only gave a catch to Neil Wagner to short, straight cover. Lancastrian joy amid Mancunian gloom. And at last we could stop talking about whether Vince’s performances would get him in the Test team. Wars against Troy have been completed more quickly than that debate.But Lancashire were swiftly disabused of the notion that the departure of their captain would dissolve Hampshire’s resistance. This is the side that avoided relegation last September when no one gave a Betamax tape for their chances and they have already fought a tenacious rearguard at Headingley. The glares of Anderson and the chirps of wicketkeeper Alex Davies, that pint-pot of irritation, were no more oppressive than the opponents Hampshire have already stared down.For all that Wagner huffed, puffed and dug it in, Lancashire took only one more wicket in the morning’s play but it was clear that Kerrigan was looping it well and dropping most of his balls on the spot. One of these accounted for Liam Dawson, when the Hampshire man failed to get to the pitch of a slow left-armer’s stock delivery and Croft took the catch at slip. Hampshire lunched on 151 for 4 with the outcome of the match nothing like decided. Some of the visitors’ toughest warriors remained.Croft took the new ball four overs after the resumption and it brought an immediate reward when Will Smith was lbw for 47 to a ball from Kyle Jarvis which nipped back off the pitch to end his 258-minute innings. Still, though, Vince’s men were not done. When they defied the champions at Headingley, Adam Wheater, another scrapping keeper, batted for 176 minutes and Ryan McLaren, for just over two hours. This pair now saw off Croft’s seamers in an hour-long stand and it was left to Kerrigan and the legspin of Livingstone to break the back of the innings.Kerrigan, now operating from the Statham End, had Wheater lbw on the back foot to a ball that came on a little with the arm; two overs later, the ball looped up off the edge of McLaren’s bat and Anderson dived from second slip to gully for the catch. Lancashire’s cricketers could taste the lagers in the dressing room now. Just three more good nuts were needed.The first of these was bowled by Livingstone, who took his maiden first-class wicket when he bamboozled Tino Best on the back foot; the second was delivered by Kerrigan, who had Gareth Andrew pouched at short leg by Haseeb Hameed; the third was also bowled by Kerrigan, who pitched one on middle and leg and invited Crane to attempt that fatal sweep.Then there were hugs under blue skies, those lagers and, for the second time this season, a victory song that drowned out the dull metallic thrum of the Talbot Road.

From Manchester United to Chelsea to Middlesbrough, Goal takes a look at the teams who have been booked for diving the most

Goal takes a look at the teams who have received the most bookings for diving between 2013-14 to 2017-18.Getty26Newcastle United | OneAdvertisementGetty25Middlesbrough | OneGetty24Huddersfield Town | OneENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty23Fulham | One

Paris Saint-Germain are set to beat Chelsea to the Argentine's signature but there are plenty of other deals under consideration

Getty1Declan Rice | West Ham to Manchester City

Man City are acutely aware that should something happen to first-choice anchorman Fernandinho, the club's options in the middle of the park are severely limited.

Therefore, speculation is mounting that they could turn to a Premier League rival in order to strengthen that position, in the shape of West Ham wonderkid Declan Rice.

Bookmakers have slashed odds in recent days on him leaving east London, with Pep Guardiola's team said to be a keen admirer of a player who has twice represented Republic of Ireland in friendlies but is now being courted by England.

AdvertisementGetty Images2Callum Hudson-Odoi | Chelsea to Bayern Munich

It is proving to be a busy transfer window for the Blues. While Gonzalo Higuain has arrived, the Londoners are almost resigned to losing one of their most talented youngsters.

Callum Hudson-Odoi has had his head turned by the prospect of regular first-team football with Bayern Munich, who are willing to pay an estimated £35 million ($45.7m) for the teenager's services.

Chelsea have attempted to ward off the Bavarians' interest with a lucrative new contract, but the academy product looks set to follow in the footsteps of fellow winger Jadon Sancho by leaving England for Germany.

Getty/Goal3Denis Suarez | Barcelona to Arsenal

Previously touted as one of Barcelona's most promising talents, Denis Suarez has failed to win over coach Ernesto Valverde and, thus, finds himself way down the midfield pecking order at Camp Nou.

Wednesday's news that Frenkie de Jong will be arriving in Catalunya this summer only makes a move away even likelier for the 25-year-old with one Spain cap to his name.

A loan move to Arsenal remains a distinct possibility, although the Gunners' reluctance to accept a compulsory purchase clause for the end of the season has seen talks stall.

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Getty Images4Leandro Paredes | Zenit to PSG

Zenit's Leandro Paredes was seen by Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri as the perfect replacement for Cesc Fabregas, who departed for Monaco earlier this month.

The Blues, though, were frustrated by the Russians' dismissal of their €30m (£27m/$34m) valuation of the Argentina international.

As a result, the playmaker is now set to join Paris Saint-Germain, who have missed out on De Jong and are, therefore, willing to pay a whopping €40 million (£34.9m/$45.5m) for Paredes, with a further €5m (£4.1m/$5.7m) to be paid in commissions.