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Mehidy pulls up Bangladesh’s top order after home Test defeat to South Africa

admin — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 12:47:19 +0000

Bangladesh’s batters were under the scanner after South Africa completed a seven-wicket win on the fourth morning of the Dhaka Test. The top four contributed 105 runs in the match, their worst showing this year. Bangladesh’s collapse on the first day of the match haunted them for the rest of it, with only the lower order, led by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, ensuring that there wasn’t an innings defeat.

Mehidy, whose 97 in the second innings forced South Africa to bat again, said that the pitch and the conditions were to their liking and even the toss went their way but the top-order’s failure on the first day took them out of the contest too early and there was no coming back.

“Everything was in our favour as we won the toss and decided to bat first,” Mehidy said. “It is hard to bat on the fourth day on this wicket so we prepared ourselves in that way. We couldn’t score runs, unfortunately. If we could have scored our second innings runs in the first… We were in the back foot in the first innings. We were bowled out before the second session on the first day. 106 all out. First innings runs are very important in Test cricket.”

Mehidy said that Bangladesh’s batters must improve their decision-making out in the middle. Mahmudul Hasan Joy was the only member from the top four to make any kind of contribution (30 and 40). Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto failed in both innings. However, each of those three players still have at least one recent innings of note under their belt. Shadman scored a crucial 93 in the first Test against Pakistan, while Mominul scored a century in Bangladesh’s previous Test in Kanpur. Shanto made 82 in the Chennai Test.

“I think decision-making is an important aspect [of batting],” Mehidy said. “We would do better as a team if the top order starts contributing again. We did it in Pakistan where the top four were contributing to the total. When the openers start well, it makes life easier for the rest of the batters. When the No. 5 and 6 batters are playing against the new ball, life becomes hard. We are working on how to improve the top order. I am hopeful that we will figure out where to improve in the coming matches.

“Batters have to take more responsibility. Lack of runs on the board makes life difficult for the bowlers. We bowled well despite all the pressure. Taijul [Islam] bhai bowled really well. We discussed that not all the batters will score every day. But at least three or four batters should turn their starts into big ones.”

“I always try to enjoy pressure situations,” he said while trying to explain his success. “I see it as an opportunity to become a hero. I am happy to be making use of opportunities. I bat in a difficult position. I know that if I bat well from my position, the team may do well. If I don’t do well, the team won’t get a result. I am mentally trying to prepare myself to score runs. I am always trying to get better. I started with a 1.5 batting average. I have improved quite a bit now.

“I have worked at batting against the new ball because sometimes I have to bat against the second new ball. I have worked on surviving as a batter, how to score runs and then how to dominate the bowlers. I have shared my thoughts with those who are less experienced in the dressing room, just like my seniors shared ideas with me.”

Mehidy, however, isn’t keen on the comparison with Shakib Al Hasan, who was supposed to play his farewell Test in Dhaka. He said that he is trying to get a few years of consistency going before accepting such lofty accolades.

“Everyone says I will take Shakib bhai‘s place. He is a legend who has achieved a lot over 17 years. He batted higher up the order. He has been scoring runs since early in his career. I have started scoring runs consistently in the last one or two years. I bat at No. 7 or 8. Shakib is in his place, I am in my place. I think it’s best not to compare us,” Mehidy said.

Bangladesh have four days’ time to do some soul searching ahead of the Chattogram Test. The batters haven’t contributed much this year, but they have one last opportunity to get a score in familiar conditions before they hit the road for assignments in the UAE and the West Indies in the next couple of months.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

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Rabada sets up South Africa’s first Test win in Asia since 2014

admin — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 06:21:42 +0000

South Africa 308 (Verreynne 114, Mulder 54, Taijul 5-122) and 106 for 3 (De Zorzi 41, Stubbs 30*, Taijul 3-43) beat Bangladesh 106 (Mulder 3-22, Rabada 3-26, Maharaj 3-34) and 307 (Mehidy 97, Jaker 58, Rabada 6-46) by 7 wickets

South Africa have moved up to fourth place on the World Test Championship table after a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Mirpur. They chased a target of 106 in 22 overs to seal victory before lunch on the fourth day after Kagiso Rabada finished the match with nine wickets.

This was their first Test win in the subcontinent in 15 matches, dating back a decade to when they beat Sri Lanka in Galle in 2014.

Aggression and intent was the tone of final exchanges South Africa hit 15 fours and two sixes, and ticked along at a shave under five runs an over. They lost three of their top four in pursuit but the batters were largely comfortable on unfamiliar surfaces and new No. 3, Tristan Stubbs, who was unbeaten on 30, impressed with his ability to adapt.

With a small total to defend, Bangladesh opened the bowling with their sole seamer Hasan Mahmud and their most successful bowler of the first innings, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. His first ball was a full toss, which Aiden Markram slashed through extra cover and the take down of Taijul had begun. Three balls later, Markram drove Taijul through the covers and in his next over, Tony de Zorzi took two boundaries off him.

Hasan was more threatening upfront and drew an edge from de Zorzi, which fell short of second slip and Taijul thought he had a breakthrough when he had Markram given out lbw in the eighth over, on 13. Markram missed a sweep and was hit on the pad but reviewed straight away and replays showed he had under edged the ball.

South Africa were undeterred by the incident and de Zorzi finished the over by sweeping Taijul past square leg for four more. The opening pair put on 42 inside 10 overs before Taijul finally had some success. He bowled Markram through the gate, with South Africa still 65 runs away.

De Zorzi and Stubbs shared a stand of 29 in 32 balls and had settled well but de Zorzi became a little too ambitious. He advanced on Taijul to try and hit him out of the ground but dragged the ball to Hasan at long-on. Again, there was no slow-down. Stubbs took 10 runs off the rest of the over.

David Bedingham was done by a good delivery from Taijul that turned away and took the edge and was dismissed with victory nine runs away. Taijul finished with match figures of 8 for 165, after a first-innings five-for.

Earlier, South Africa needed just 4.5 overs to bowl Bangladesh out and keep their target to just over 100 after the hosts’ lower-middle order forced the match into a fourth day. Bangladesh’s lead grew to 81 on the third evening when they faced the second new ball for five overs as South Africa were forced to use spinners in fading light. That changed on the fourth morning. The second new ball was available and taken and it had an almost immediate impact.

Rabada opened proceedings and his third ball seamed in to Nayeem Hasan and struck him on the front pad. Nayeem’s wicket gave Rabada a 15th Test five-for to cap off a memorable game in which he also took his 300th wicket.

Mehidy moved into the 90s with a boundary off Wiaan Mulder but was tested by Rabada, who teased the outside edge and induced an aerial flick that was dropped by Tony de Zorzi. Bangladesh’s 300 came up when Taijul Islam hit Mulder through gully but his fun didn’t last long. Two balls later, he feathered one to second slip to leave Mehidy with the last batter.

He was in a rush to get to his hundred and was on 97 when tried to ramp Rabada, but the length was not quite right and he steered the ball to slip instead. Rabada finished with 6 for 46. Bangladesh had added 24 runs to their overnight score and even if they felt they had something to bowl at, South Africa soon showed that was not enough.

South Africa have played Tests in Bangladesh just twice in the last 16 years and both matches of their 2015 series were washed out. The last time they won a Test in the country was in 2008, when they won both matches by an innings. The second match in this series starts next Tuesday in Chattogram. Thereafter, South Africa have four home Tests, two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. If they win at least four of their remaining five matches, they will be in with a good chance of getting to the WTC final.

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Mehidy, Jaker fifties give Bangladesh hope before rain forces early tea

admin — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 08:30:38 +0000

Bangladesh 106 and 267 for 7 (Mehidy 77*, Jaker 58, Rabada 4-35) lead South Africa 308 by 65 runs

Rain stopped play an hour after the lunch interval on the third day, as Bangladesh fought hard to get a 65-run lead against South Africa in the Dhaka Test. Tea was taken at 2.10pm, half an hour after play was halted by rain. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nayeem Hasan were the unbeaten batters – on 77 and 12, respectively.

The visitors were on the hunt for the last four Bangladesh wickets after they went to lunch at 201 for 6. The hosts took the lead in the second over after the break, before Jaker Ali reached his half-century in the tenth over of the session. He reached the milestone after turning offspinner Dane Piedt for a boundary through fine leg.

Jaker, however, fell for 58 when Keshav Maharaj trapped him lbw. Jaker was beaten trying to turn the ball to the leg side, and while the South Africans didn’t appeal that hard, the umpire gave it out. The review, however, still went the visitors’ way as the ball was seemingly going to hit leg stump. Jaker struck seven fours in his 111-ball stay.

Maharaj seemed to have trapped Nayeem later in the over, but the new batter survived thanks to DRS. He missed the sweep, but the ball was missing the stumps too. Rain came soon after, around 1.40pm, a welcome relief for the hosts.

Bangladesh had earlier began the day on the wrong note. Kagiso Rabada had removed overnight batters Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mushfiqur Rahim in the fourth over of the morning, before Litton Das fell to Maharaj.

Joy edged a wide delivery from Rabada, with David Bedingham taking a comfortable catch at first slip. He made 40 off 92 balls with five fours. Mushfiqur got out exactly how he fell in the first innings: bowled by Rabada. The delivery again burst through his bat and pad, though this time it disturbed only the middle stump, after Rabada had uprooted Mushfiqur’s off and middle stumps on the first day.

Maharaj then had Litton caught behind, the delivery taking the shoulder of his bat, to reduce Bangladesh to 112 for 6. Bangladesh were 90 runs behind at the time, and in danger of losing by an innings.

Mehidy and Jaker, however, checked the visitors at that point, hitting the odd boundary as they slowly took Bangladesh towards safety. Mehidy reached his fifty before the lunch break, as they went to the day’s first break trailing by one run.

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Verreynne 114 gives South Africa a lead of 202

admin — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 08:25:42 +0000

South Africa 308 (Verreynne 114, Mulder 54, Taijul 5-122) lead Bangladesh 106 by 202 runs

Kyle Verreynne swept almost every ball that came his way, but when he finally missed one, he was stumped by Litton Das. That ended South Africa’s innings at 308. But by then, Verreynne had raced his way to his second Test century to put his side 202 ahead of Bangladesh’s first-innings score on the second afternoon.

Verreynne took just 144 balls to score 114, becoming the only third wicketkeeper-batter from his country to get a hundred in Asia. Fittingly, the landmark came off a paddle sweep off Taijul Islam in the 86th over. Both his sixes were pumped once he was past the three-figure mark, one a slog sweep off Nayeem Hasan and the other a pull off Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Just before that, Mehidy had broken a frustrating ninth-wicket stand of 66 for Bangladesh. Dane Piedt, who batted firmly from No. 10, nudged and pushed his way to 32, and was trapped in front on his 87th delivery. It turned in and was given out on field. Piedt reviewed, and it returned an umpire’s call. And the ball immediately after Verreynne’s second six, Mehidy slowed it down to beat the same batter and have him stumped.

Earlier, Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder added 119 for the seventh wicket after South Africa were 108 for 6 on the first evening. The pitch seemed to have settled nicely for batting on the second morning, with no apparent turn available for left-arm spinner Taijul.

Verreynne particularly looked assured against Hasan Mahmud – who started the day alongside Taijul – nudging him past mid-on for three in the second over of the day, before clipping and driving him for boundaries two overs later.

Next over, in the 46th, Taijul had Mulder poking, only for the outside edge to fall short of slip. That had as much to do with Mulder playing with soft hands, as with the slowness of the surface. Mulder and Verreynne adjusted to the pitch, and calmly did the job against Taijul and Nayeem.

Both batters used the sweeps and the reverse sweep to great effect despite Nayeem turning the ball in appreciably on occasion. That was down to them taking a good stride forward to get to the pitch of the deliveries, and once set, confidently putting the ball away. The pair played the sweep or the reverse sweep off 38 deliveries against Taijul, Nayeem and Mehidy on the second morning, and hit 59 runs off them, including seven boundaries and a six.

Bangladesh posted a man close in at square leg to prevent the batters from earning comfortable singles from the sweep, and yet Verreynne got to fifty when he drilled one to the man there. Mulder got to his maiden Test half-century at the start of the 64th over, when he cut Nayeem for four behind point.

It was only in the over before that that Najmul Hossain Shanto brought Mahmud back into the attack, and in the over just after that Mahmud struck back to back. First, he pitched on a back of a length outside off, as the ball held its line. Mulder went for the punch, but edged to wide slip on 54. Next ball, Mahmud went much fuller, reversing the ball into Keshav Maharaj and beating his defense to uproot off stump.

But No. 10 Piedt first denied Mahmud a hat-trick and then annoyed Bangladesh with his firm blocks, ensuring that Verreynne could trust him while on his way to the hundred.

Himanshu Agrawal is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Mulder, Rabada, Maharaj skittle Bangladesh out for 106

admin — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 07:54:48 +0000

Innings break Bangladesh106 all out (Mahmudul 30, Mulder 3-22, Rabada 3-26, Maharaj 3-34) vs South Africa

Wiaan Mulder, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj ripped through the Bangladesh line-up with three wickets each to skittle them out for just 106 inside two sessions on the opening day of the first Test.

The majority of the damage was done by the two fast bowlers in the morning session when they left Bangladesh six down and hurt in hazy Dhaka after Najmul Hossain Shanto decided to bat first. Mulder set the platform early on and Rabada followed it up before Maharaj spun a web around lower middle order. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who remained unbeaten on 16 at lunch, was patient in his 97-ball 30 before offspinner Dane Piedt bowled him to end Bangladesh’s chances of redemption.

Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan put on 26 runs from 46 balls for the ninth wicket – also the highest stand of the innings – but Rabada came back in the second session to remove Nayeem. Bangladesh added 46 runs and lost four wickets post lunch.

Earlier in the day, Mulder and Rabada utilised the grass cover on the surface for extra movement off the surface while also finding early swing to leave Bangladesh reeling at 60 for 6. Mulder was exceptional in his opening spell, taking three wickets. Rabada picked up two in the morning to cross 300 wickets in Tests. Maharaj had Mehidy Hasan Miraz lbw at the stroke of lunch to hurt Bangladesh further.

Mulder gave the visitors the first breakthrough off his fourth delivery when Shadman Islam chased a full length outswinger wide of off stump to nick it behind. His next over, though, started dramatically, when South Africa reviewed the first ball for lbw against Mominul Haque. It was a full-length ball around leg stump that seamed in to rap the pads low after he played the wrong line. As UltraEdge showed a gap between bat and pad, and ball-tracking wasn’t available due to internet issues, he remained not out as per the on-field umpire’s decision. However, two balls later, Mominul nicked one to the wicketkeeper to depart for 6.

Mulder’s third wicket was set up nicely. After bowling the first four deliveries from over the wicket to the left-hand better Najmul Hossain Shanto, he came around the wicket for the fifth ball. The change immediately worked, with Shanto, trying to work it through midwicket against the angle, getting a tame leading edge to Maharaj.

Rabada, after bowling four overs in his first spell, came back and dismissed Mushfiqur Rahim straightaway when he got one to zip through the gap between his bat and pad to rattle the stumps. A few overs later, he hit the hard length and forced Litton Das to edge one to a flying Tristan Stubbs at gully.

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Pro-Shakib and anti-Shakib groups clash outside Mirpur stadium

admin — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 16:20:33 +0000

A clash broke out between pro-Shakib Al Hasan and anti-Shakib Al Hasan groups outside the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Sunday, the day before the first Test between Bangladesh and South Africa.

A group called “Shakibians” chanted slogans, demanding Shakib be reinstated in the Test squad, but was chased away by another group in the presence of security forces. All this while the South Africans were training inside the stadium. There were no injuries reported, but the Dhaka-based Prothom Alo said that security forces had detained one person.

Until this clash, the two sets of protesters – those who want Shakib to get a chance to play a farewell Test series and those who are politically opposed to Shakib, who was a member of the Awami League party whose government was overthrown in August – had carried out their protests separately.

Shakib had been picked in Bangladesh’s squad for the first Test against South Africa last Wednesday, but a day later, a group called Mirpur Chhatra Janata (a student body) sent the BCB a letter demanding his removal from the squad. Things moved quickly after that. Shakib told ESPNcricinfo on Thursday that he wouldn’t be traveling to Bangladesh for the game. The BCB withdrew him from the team the following day, with sports adviser Asif Bhuiyan confirming that he had told Shakib not to travel to Bangladesh because of security concerns.

Shakib’s fans gathered outside the Shere Bangla for the first time on Friday, demanding his reinstatement in the Test squad. They repeated the protests on Sunday, though this time they were barricaded by security forces.

Shakib, a globetrotting cricketer, lives primarily in New York City, and hasn’t been in Bangladesh since May this year. At the time of the anti-government protests, which led to the overthrow of the Sheikh Hasina (Awami League) government, Shakib – a member of parliament from the party at the time – was in Canada taking part in Global T20 Canada. Prior to that, he was in the USA for Major League Cricket and, since then, he has played Test cricket in Pakistan and India apart from playing one game for Somerset in the County Championship.

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Shakib absence ‘unfortunate’, but Shanto wants Bangladesh to focus on cricket

admin — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 09:50:35 +0000

While Shakib was selected in the squad, and expressed his desire to end his Test career in Dhaka, protests in the city against him meant he didn’t travel to Bangladesh after government advice said his arrival would pose a security risk

“It is unfortunate. It should have happened,” Shanto said. “But we can’t spend too much time talking about it on the day before the Test match. [Shakib’s arrival] is not in our control, so we are not spending too much time thinking about it. We have to focus on the two important Tests and that’s what the players are doing. We had plans to send off one of the world’s best players. All of us personally feel that it remains pending.”

Shakib’s future as a Bangladesh player was put in uncertainty following the upheaval of the Bangladesh government in August; Shakib was a member of the political party that was overthrown. Shanto said the players were focused on the cricket, which is why they hadn’t spoken on the matter.

“Our focus is on winning the Test that starts tomorrow. We would have been happy if it was his farewell Test. We all know why he is unable to come.”

Shanto said replacing Shakib was going to be tough. He said Mehidy Hasan Miraz has shown he can step up but it would take him some time.

“It is hard to match [Shakib], especially for the captain. He would usually allow us to play the extra batter or bowler. Now the No. 7 becomes a crucial spot. We don’t have anyone exactly like Shakib bhai but Miraz can be a very good option. He is bowling and batting superbly. There are more responsibilities, which Miraz is prepared for. He has improved his batting. He is taking the team to good positions, if you look at the last few Tests. I would hope that Miraz can take that place in the next couple of years.”

Uncapped left-arm spinner Hasan Murad replaced Shakib in the squad for the first Test. Shanto said Murad deserved the call-up, and expressed confidence in his spin attack.

“We have four quality spinners in the side. Hasan Murad has an outstanding first-class record. He bowls well in all types of wickets. It is a deserving selection. Nayeem couldn’t break into the side despite playing well recently. Whether we pick three or four spinners tomorrow, they are all capable. Regardless of our combination, we will give our best.”

Bangladesh go into the two-Test series against South Africa after winning their maiden series in Pakistan 2-0, before losing 2-0 in India earlier this month.

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Bangladesh look to begin post-Shakib era on winning note

admin — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 08:13:11 +0000

Big picture: A new era for Bangladesh

Instead of a legend’s goodbye, the Dhaka Test will now be Bangladesh’s first Test in the post-Shakib Al Hasan era, after the government advised Shakib not to come to the country, due to security reasons. Bangladesh are also dealing with a change of head coach, as the BCB has sacked Chandika Hathurusinghe and swiftly appointed Phil Simmons.

South Africa, meanwhile, are quietly preparing for their first Test in Bangladesh in nine years. To counter their lack of experience in Bangladesh, the visitors are reportedly spending long hours in the nets at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada are the only survivors from their last tour of Bangladesh, when rain forced both Tests to be drawn. Bavuma will miss the first Test due to an elbow injury, which means Aiden Markram leads the side. South Africa are likely to have at least one debutant in their top four to replace Bavuma. The T20 star Dewald Brevis could be the one stepping up.

South Africa’s batting will largely depend on Markram and his opening partner Tony de Zorzi, while David Briedingham and Tristan Stubbs have to handle the middle order. The experienced Keshav Maharaj leads the bowling attack, while Rabada could be required to do mostly holding jobs if the Dhaka pitch’s last rating is anything to go by.

New Zealand captain Tim Southee called it “probably the worst pitch” he had ever seen, after the spinners completely dominated proceedings last December.

Bangladesh already have three frontline spinners, before adding left-arm spinner Hasan Murad in place of Shakib. At least three are likely to feature in Dhaka, which could leave them with the dilemma whether to play four or five bowlers. There is no obvious replacement for Shakib of course, but Bangladesh will be hoping they can settle on a balanced XI soon.

Form guide

Bangladesh LLWWL (last five Tests, most recent first)

South Africa WDLLL

In the spotlight: Hasan Mahmud and David Bedingham

Hasan Mahmud has made a promising start to his Test career. The slim medium-pacer bowls a mean line and length on a dime outside offstump. Debuting earlier this year, Mahmud has already taken five-wicket hauls in Pakistan and India. His 20 wickets in five Tests is easily the best start by a Bangladesh fast bowler. A home Test is always a challenge, particularly at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, but Mahmud’s discipline will come in handy.

Fresh off a strong county season for Durham, David Bedingham has a new challenge in front of him: playing in the sub-continent for the first time. That means the stylish middle-order batter will be up against skillful spinners. It could be an important tour for the 30-year-old who has only six Tests under his belt.

Team news: Brevis could debut; Bangladesh mull five bowlers

Playing five specialist bowlers would mean Bangladesh promoting Mehidy Hasan Miraz to No 5. The other option would be to leave out one of the pacers, and bringing in Jaker Ali to debut in the middle-order.

Bangladesh XI (probable): 1 Zakir Hasan, 2 Shadman Islam, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Nayeem Hasan, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Hasan Mahmud

Temba Bavuma’s injury could mean that Dewald Brevis debuts at No 4. South Africa have pace options, but the left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy could replace the injured Nandre Burger.

South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram (capt), 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 David Bedingham, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Senuran Muthusamy, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Dane Piedt

Pitch and conditions: Has the Dhaka pitch improved?

The ICC rated the Dhaka pitch unsatisfactory in its previous Test in December last year, and it remains to be seen if the curator Gamini Silva has put in the work in the last ten months. There’s some rain in the forecast from the third day.

Stats and trivia

Bangladesh are yet to beat South Africa and India in Tests.

South Africa have lost 10 of their last 13 Tests in the sub-continent, drawing the other three.

Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada are the only survivors from South Africa’s last tour of Bangladesh.

Quotes

“We are not thinking of the outside noise. We are focused on the match. We haven’t won against South Africa before so this is a great opportunity given our team and that the fact that we playing at home.”

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto on the distractions facing the team ahead of the Dhaka Test.

“We have been here now for a few days and, nice and hot and sweaty for us. That’s been nice to get used to that again. conditions-wise, it’s pretty much what we’ve expected and the facilities have been really good. the hotel’s been great. People have been really accommodating towards us. So, we enjoyed our, first few days here and from the cricket side of things.”

South Africa captain Aiden Markram on their preparation period in Bangladesh ahead of the Dhaka Test.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

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Amid the drama, new coach Simmons wants Bangladesh to ‘focus on the cricket’

admin — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 10:49:58 +0000

A lot is happening in Bangladesh cricket at the moment, but new head coach Phil Simmons wants the focus to be firmly on the upcoming Test series against South Africa.

Things are messy. Simmons took over as Bangladesh’s head coach on Tuesday, replacing Chandika Hathurusinghe, who was sacked earlier this week and has since hit back at the BCB. Shakib Al Hasan, who hasn’t returned to Dhaka because of protests against him (for political reasons), has withdrawn from the Test side.

When Simmons attended Bangladesh’s training session at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, protests for and against Shakib were on. All this, two days out from the first Test.

“[Keeping distractions away from the players] is a big part of our job over the next few days, to make sure the focus is on the cricket, and not on the outside of cricket,” Simmons said. “We can control how we prepare for Monday, that’s how we are trying to get the team to focus.

“The good thing is we have a very important Test match to prepare for. We win the next few Tests, and we are in contention for the [WTC] final. My first port of call is cricket and about getting the squad ready for Monday. The last two days [of training] have been brilliant. We have tried to leave out the confusion that’s around the cricket, and concentrate on preparing for Monday.”

Simmons comes in with vast coaching experience, having worked with Zimbabwe, Ireland, West Indies, Afghanistan and PNG as well as several T20 franchises in the last 20 years. He was one of the candidates interviewed for the Bangladesh job in 2017 – to fill the role left vacant by Hathurusinghe – but was not selected.

“All these experiences [with other teams] will help me in the next few days to get me ready for Monday,” Simmons said. “Afghanistan helped me with the language barrier sometimes. Ireland helped me with developing young players. It all comes in [handy] at the end of the day. I have to use all those experiences in this assignment.

“Conversation with the captain [Najmul Hossain Shanto] has been about his thoughts on players and direction he wants to take the team. It was also about what we do before Monday. It is generally about how we go into the first Test match. As we get to know each other, there will be more discussions about ODIs etc. Now it is about Test cricket, and what we are going to do in these two matches.”

Simmons said he took more interest in the role after Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan and was particularly impressed by the youngsters in the side.

“The interest comes from seeing the quality of the young players. They handled themselves well against Pakistan,” he said. “They didn’t do well in the T20Is against India but they played against the best T20 team in the world, so you have things to take out of there. It all added up to an assignment, which I enjoyed. One, [there are] young players to develop. Two, there’s Tests and ODIs involved. It wasn’t a hard decision [to take the job].”

He believes Bangladesh have a good chance to beat South Africa, who haven’t won a Test series in the subcontinent in the last ten years, but was wary of taking them lightly.

“It is definitely a good opportunity. Bangladesh are usually very strong at home. So it is a very good opportunity for us to win the Test series,” Simmons said. “South Africa has that [record in the subcontinent] hanging over their head but they are a resilient team. They will work hard to change that.”

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Hathurusinghe questions BCB’s motives after sacking

admin — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 13:11:15 +0000

“These allegations appear to me to be premeditated,” Hathurusinghe said in a statement sent to ESPNcricinfo. “On the first day of the new president’s term, he made a public statement expressing his desire to remove the head coach, which he acknowledged might involve financial repercussions for the BCB.

“Additionally, I was shocked to receive a ‘show cause notice’ just four hours before the appointment of another head coach, despite the notice stating that I had 48 hours to prove my innocence. This sequence of events raises serious questions about the motives behind these actions.”

The BCB had suspended Hathurusinghe on October 15 for allegedly assaulting a player during the 2023 ODI World Cup and for taking more time off than was permitted in his contract. The board formally terminated his contract on October 17.

Hathurusinghe said the player in question had not reported the incident to the Bangladesh team manager at the time, and that the alleged incident came to light only when a YouTuber “orchestrated the narrative”.

“I cannot allow this presumption [to go] unchallenged without responding,” Hathurusinghe wrote. “I believe it is essential to clarify the facts as I see them surrounding these accusations and present my side of the story. Firstly, the alleged incident purportedly occurred in the players’ dugout or dressing room, a location that is under constant surveillance during World Cup matches…

“Furthermore, if the incident was as serious as claimed, it is perplexing that the player involved did not report the incident to the team manager or any authority immediately following the alleged event. If a complaint was made, I wonder why I was not questioned or approached for my side of the story at that time. It raises the question as to why the narrative was orchestrated months later by an individual on YouTube?”

“I am committed to defending my reputation and will cooperate fully with any investigation into these matters. In the end truth will prevail, and I can continue to contribute positively to the sport I love”

Chandika Hathurusinghe

The BCB’s second allegation against Hathurusinghe was taking excessive time off. ESPNcricinfo has learned that he reportedly took 112 days off in 2023 and 59 in 2024, when his contract allowed him only 45 days of leave in a year. Hathurusinghe said he had been granted leave by BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury and the cricket operations committee chairman Jalal Yunus.

“I have consistently sought and received approval from both the CEO and the chairman of cricket operations whenever I have taken personal leave,” he said. “At no time did the BCB tell me that they were unhappy with my leave situation, but conversely, every time I asked for leave, it was granted by BCB. At no time did I go on leave without their authorisation.

“When the new board members alleged that I had taken excessive leave, they did not account for public holidays, such as Eid, nor the Fridays which may have occurred during my leave. Nor did they give credit for when I did not take allowed time off during public holidays. As I understand it, according to Bangladesh labour law, I am entitled to ‘time in lieu’ for work done on Fridays. Additionally, as a BCB employee, I am entitled to leave on Fridays and a half-day off on Thursdays.”

Hathurusinghe: I was advised to leave Bangladesh on security grounds

Hathurusinghe said he had left Bangladesh for reasons of security, and questioned the BCB’s treatment of its employees and the motivation of the new board administration, which was put in place following the overthrow of the Bangladesh government in August.

“Given the circumstances, I was advised to leave Bangladesh on security grounds,” Hathurusinghe said. “The combination of these allegations, the swift appointment of a new head coach, and the apparent lack of due process raises significant concerns about the motivation of the new management and the treatment of employees within the BCB.

“I am committed to defending my reputation and will cooperate fully with any investigation into these matters. In the end truth will prevail, and I can continue to contribute positively to the sport I love.”

This was Hathurusinghe’s second stint as Bangladesh coach. He was appointed in 2014 and stayed for three years before resigning in October 2017. He returned in February 2023 and was sacked with five months left in his two-year term.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

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