Bangladesh under Najmul Hossain Shanto registered a historic series win by whitewashing Pakistan in the two-match test series.
During the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan 2024, a total of two tests were scheduled to be played between August 21 and September 3 in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. Bangladesh who never won a test game against Pakistan registered a series victory by beating Pakistan in the two test games.
Bangladesh took the lead by winning the first test by 10 wickets and went on to win the second test by 6 wickets.
Notably, this is only the second instance of Pakistan losing all Tests in a home rubber since losing 0-3 to England in 2022/23. Pakistan has now lost a Test series at home to each of the ten oldest full-member teams – only the second side to suffer the ignominy after Bangladesh.
Speaking of the game, winning the toss, Bangladesh opted to bowl first while Shafique and Saim Ayub opened the batting attack for Pakistan. Taskin Ahmed who replaced injured Shoriful for the 2nd test made an impressive start in the first inning by dismissing Shafique for a duck in the very first over.
Following his dismissal, Masood and Saim Ayub made a 107-run stand and pushed Pakistan towards a better side. Hasan Miraz broke the 100-plus runs partnership by dismissing the Pakistan captain for 57 runs. Following his dismissal, Pakistan lost their wicket in regular intervals and failed to build a massive partnership.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz with his five wickets haul bundled Pakistan for 274 runs in the first inning. Bangladesh on the other hand made a dreadful start in their first inning by losing six wickets for 26 runs.
While Bangladesh was considered to be finished, Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz made a 165-run stand for the seventh wicket and pushed Bangladesh towards a better position. With Das’ 138, Bangladesh scored 262 runs for 10 wickets loss which is far better compared to their 26 for six.
Pakistan in their second inning failed to make an impressive start, and continued their failures throughout the inning and managed to score 172 runs. In the second inning, Hasan Mahmud bagged five wickets while Nahid Rana bagged four wickets and helped Bangladesh to contain Pakistan for a low score.
On the other hand, Bangladesh chased the target with six wickets remaining and registered a historic win. 185 by Bangladesh is their third-highest successful chase behind 215 vs West Indies in St George’s in 2009 and 191 vs Sri Lanka in Colombo PSS in 2017.
Pakistan have now gone ten Tests at home without a win (six defeats and four draws) – the longest such run for a team in home games except Zimbabwe & Bangladesh in the current century.
Highest successful targets chased down by visiting sides in Pakistan
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the dates for the WTC 2025 finals to be played at Lord’s. The one-off test will be played at the iconic venue from June 11 to 15 2025, with June 16 available as a reserve day if required.
It will be the first time that Lord’s has been used for the WTC finals with Southampton as the venue for the first edition in 2021 and The Oval as the venue for the second edition in 2023 which were won by New Zealand and Australia respectively.
The match will be played between the top two sides on the standings after the current cycle, with Rohit Sharma’s India currently sitting in top position ahead of reigning champions Australia in the WTC points table.
The top two teams are set to face each other in a five-match series in Australia later this year which could significantly impact the chances of reaching the finals.
There are still plenty of points available for the teams with New Zealand, England Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Bangladesh still considered the potential contender for a place in the one-off decider.
Fans will get the chance to register their interest for tickets for the World Test Championship final and ICC CEO Geoff Allardice expects demand to be high for the eagerly awaited contest.
“The ICC World Test Championship Final has quickly become one of the most anticipated events in the cricketing calendar and we are pleased to announce the dates for the 2025 edition.”
“It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of Test cricket, which continues to captivate fans around the world. Tickets will be in high demand so I would encourage fans to register their interest now to ensure they are in with a chance of attending the Ultimate Test next year,” concluded Geoff Allardice.
Former Cricketers Wasim Jaffer and Michael Vaughan have been involved in a social media banter for a few years now and have been back with an interesting suggestion of having two divisions in Test cricket.
Jaffer took a dig at Michael Vaughan’s suggestion that two divisions of six teams should be introduced in Test cricket. Reacting to the cricketer-turned-commentators views, Jaffer pointed out that Vaughan didn’t make such comments when England was at the bottom of the World Test Championship points table.
Jaffer wrote, “Timing is everything. And Michael is a wise man who understands that. That’s why he didn’t tweet this a month ago when the WTC table looked like this.”
England climbed to sixth place in the WTC points table following a dominant 3-0 victory over the West Indies at home.
Wasim Jaffer (image: x)
With their wins in the first two games of their ongoing three-match test series against Sri Lanka, England has moved to fourth place with 81 points from 15 matches and percentage points of 45.00.
The two-time runner-up India remains at the top of the WTC points table. The Men in Blues have 74 points from nine games and a PCT of 68.52.
England ace batter Joe Root picked up his 33rd Test century in the recently concluded second test between England and Sri Lanka. The right-handed batter holds the record of scoring the most test hundreds as an active player.
Michael Vaugh shared a post on X, comparing the English batter’s test numbers with Virat Kohli. The 49-year-old wrote, “Morning India”
Root smashed his 34th test century in the subsequent innings of the test match in his 265 innings. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has 29 test centuries to his name from 191 innings.
England team will gear up for the final game against Sri Lanka which is set to take place in The Oval, London which will begin on September 06 at The Oval. The hosts will be the favorites to take the win despite the star players like Ben Stokes, Zak Crawley, and Mark Wood missing the test series due to respective injuries.
The Indian opener Shubman Gill has started his preparations for the upcoming Duleep Trophy starting on September 05 where the youngster will be leading the India A squad.
Gill is gearing up for a major red-ball assignment as a captain, posted a video of him playing his trademark shots, drives, and sweeps that have made him one of the world’s most talked about young cricketers.
In between his nets session, he was also seen having a recovery bath and doing a bit of relaxation by lying down on the ground.
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it,” said the caption of Gill’s post. Gill is one of India’s white-ball cricketers shot to stardom with a stunning knock of 91 against Australia at the Gabba back in 2021, which helped India hand over a defeat for Australia on their home soil and secure the series.
His white-ball numbers stayed largely consistent since his days in the U19 World Cup-winning team in 2018. Gill battled through his poor form in the longer format of the game following this breakthrough series against Australia which he scored 259 runs in six innings at an average of 51.80 with two fifties.
Shubman Gill(Image: Twitter)
After poor performances during the England tour, the ICC World Test Champion final, and the tour of South Africa between 2022 and 2024, Gill’s place in the Test side was questioned.
In Six tests and 11 innings this year, Gill has scored 498 runs at an average of 49.80 with two centuries and two fifties. Duleep Trophy and India’s home schedule starts with Bangladesh on September 19 onwards and will conclude with the Australia tour for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, which will be key in deciding the future course of Gill’s Test career.
Some fine performances at home and a strong Australia tour could help him retain his spot as a number three batter and become a part of the test side.
In 25 tests, Gill scored 1492 runs at an average of 35.52 with four centuries and six fifties in 46 innings. The Punjab batter is a strong FC batter, with 4024 runs in 52 matches with an average of 49.80 with 12 centuries and 18 fifties coming from 90 innings.
The first round of the Duleep Trophy will begin with India A and India B in the first match on September 05 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
With many injuries and withdrawal concerns in the Duleep Trophy, check out the revised squads for the tournament in the first round.
India B: Abhimanyu Easwaran (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (wk)
India C: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (wk), B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (wk), Sandeep Warrier
Cricket is a sport that requires great teamwork and coordination to bring out success. Each player must bring out the best when working towards victory in a match a series or a tournament.
Leadership plays a very important role in cricket as it takes lots of energy and group coordination to get the job done to end up as winners. The captain should be a frontrunner who can bring out the best in his team.
A good captain must have strong leadership skills, strategic and spontaneous thinking, and excellent communication should also be able to inspire the team, make decisions under pressure, and adapt.
Best Cricket Captain of All Times
With various players from different countries evolving as the best captains of their time, we have derived the best cricket captain based on various categories like winning percentage, most ICC trophies, and most wins across formats.
Best Cricket Captain based on Winning Percentage
The best cricket captain based on winning percentage is Australian legend Ricky Ponting, who has the highest winning percentage, 67.9, after captaining the side for 324 matches. Under his captaincy, the side has won 220 matches, tied 2 matches, 13 draws, and 77 losses.
Comparatively, he outmatched the records of big captains like India’s MS Dhoni, New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming, and South Africa’s Graeme Smith.
Player
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
Draw
W/L
%W
%L
RT Ponting (AUS/ICC)
324
220
77
2
13
2.85
67.9
23.76
MS Dhoni (IND)
332
178
120
6
15
1.48
53.61
36.14
SP Fleming (NZ)
303
128
135
2
25
0.94
42.24
44.55
GC Smith (Afr/ICC/SA)
286
163
89
1
27
1.83
56.99
31.11
AR Border (AUS)
271
139
89
2
38
1.56
51.29
32.84
A Ranatunga (SL)
249
101
114
1
25
0.88
40.56
45.78
M Azharuddin (IND)
221
104
90
2
19
1.15
47.05
40.72
V Kohli (IND)
213
135
60
3
11
2.25
63.38
28.16
KS Williamson (NZ)
206
107
84
2
8
1.27
51.94
40.77
EJG Morgan (ENG)
198
118
67
4
0
1.76
59.59
33.83
*Listed based on the matches captained
Best Cricket Captain based on ICC Trophies
The Best Cricket Captain based on ICC Trophies is the former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is leading the chart with four ICC titles under his leadership. Ponting won two ICC events consecutively during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.
The side remained as unbeaten in those World Cups. He also won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 and 2009 as captain.
Player
Nationality
ICC Trophy Count
Tournament
Ricky Ponting
Australia
4
Men’s ODI World Cup 2003
Men’s Champions Trophy 2006
Men’s ODI World Cup 2007
Men’s Champions Trophy 2006
MS Dhoni
India
3
Men’s T20 World Cup 2007
Men’s ODI World Cup 2011
Men’s Champions Trophy 2013
Clive Lloyd
England
2
Men’s ODI World Cup 1975
Men’s ODI World Cup 1979
Daren Sammy
West Indies
2
Men’s T20 World Cup 2012
Men’s T20 World Cup 2016
Pat Cummins
Australia
2
ICC World Test Championship 2021-23
Men’s ODI World Cup 2023
*Listed based on the number of ICC trophies
Best Cricket Captain based on People’s Favorites
The former Indian skipper MS Dhoniis considered to be one of the best captains in history. Known for his calmness and leadership skills, MSD had an uninhibited style, managing pressure and leading the side to success on various occasions in ICC tournaments through his instinct.
Under his captaincy, India reached the new heights as never before. MS Dhoni led the Indian Cricket team to emerge victorious in three ICC events – the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy also remains the only captain to win all three ICC Trophies.
List of Smart Captains in Cricket History
Cricket sport has seen various smart captains throughout its varied history, but certain names come to mind who were known for their smartness and captaincy skills. The smartest of them have gone on to have a long run as leaders. The game can change within a couple of overs and it’s about seizing the moment for a smart leader.
MS Dhoni
While speaking about the captaincy skills, MS Dhoni comes to the talk that most of the current captains look up to him. During India’s inaugural T20 World Cup with a team filled with youngsters, he led the side to win the tournament where his legacy started.
He remained to be captain until January 2017 and handed his reign to Virat Kohli.
MS Dhoni (Image: X)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni called GOAT (Greatest of All Time) has a success rate of 85.71% in IPL and has 65% as international captain while taking DRS which shows his accuracy as captain.
He also has the record for the fastest stumping in history at 0.08 seconds when he dismissed West Indies player Keemo Paul in an ODI match.
Graeme Smith
Despite not winning a World Cup as captain even once, his captaincy stint has done a lot of good. He started his captaincy at the age of 22 a very young age to lead a side, but proved to be a very good captain.
Graeme Smith went on to become the most successful Test captain of all time with 53 wins. He has a pretty solid record in ODIs with 163 wins. His calm head has proved his legacy as one of the smartest captains ever.
Graeme Smith(Image: Cricket South Africa)
He is known for boarding in the struggling side and steadying them. Taking over the captaincy at the young age of 22, he leads the side across formats and notably an unbeaten streak in away tests between 2007 and 2013.
Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is also considered as one of the smartest captains in the Indian history. He was the mastermind behind India’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies. India remained the only unbeaten team in the T20 World Cup campaign.
Rohit Sharma (Image: X)
Under his captaincy, India was one step ahead of winning the WTC 2021-23 cycle and ODI World Cup 2023, but suffered defeat at the hands of Australia in both tournaments’ finals.
Ricky Ponting
While talking about success as captain, Ricky Ponting sits on the top comfortably when he led Australia in an era when the side was dominating his team titled as the best team in the world.
Being an aggressive captain, Ponting always looked for a dominating win on his team’s part and hated losing. Rickiy pointing stood leading the team if it meant he would have to take all the blame for Australia’s losses.
Ricky Ponting (Image: X)
Ricky Ponting is a great tactical captain and can analyze the game, giving great field suggestions which made him one of the smartest captains of cricket. He was aggressive as a captain and always led from the front.
He would always look for a dominant win and hated losing. He was confident even during the tough times he suffered in late 2000 due to being out of form.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli gave his all to the side as leader when he captained the side. He knows perseverance and hard effort. His unshakable ethics and aggression have positioned him as one of the best cricketers in the world.
Virat Kohli (Image: X)
High standards characterize his leadership style, as he pushes himself and the team to their limits.
Kohli’s average is the best among the six captains with 5,000 plus runs. His batting average as captain (54.80) is way higher than his average as a batter (41.13).
Kohli has led India on 213 matches where the side secured 135 wins and has a winning percentage of 63.38. He has also captained the side in the Border Gavaskar Trophy between 2016-17 and 2020 where India won the trophy three times.
Stephen Fleming
The New Zealand cricketer Stephen Fleming is known for his greatest legacies as a captain as well as a player. Stephen Fleming is the first Kiwi cricketer to go past 7k runs in Test cricket. having played 111 matches to reach the mark.
He was considered a strategist who could turn around the conditions. Despite not having many match-winners, his captaincy period created some huge players who shined in their time.
Stephen Fleming (Image: X)
He took over the captaincy at a young age with lots of grace and tactical moves, which impressed everyone, and became the regular captain. The New Zealand cricket team’s journey begins with one of the smartest leaders and captains that this game has ever seen.
Sourav Ganguly
Before MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly led the Indian team taking over the reigns from Sachin Tendulkar in 2000, at a time when Indian cricket struggled during the transition. Early on, he helped the side to reach the finals of the Champions Trophy where concluded the tournament as the highest run-getter in the entire tournament.
He elevated some youngsters like Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan, and Zaheer Khan who became crucial players during the time of MS Dhoni’s era. But his era as captain ended in 2005 due to a controversial axing. He was again controversially axed in early 2008 even though he had a fantastic run in both formats in 2007.
Saurav Ganguly (Image: Instagram)
Whenever he faced a hurdle or challenge, he became a better version of himself. After being dropped twice in the Indian team and domestic cricket, his comeback was stunning.
He has captained two sets of players and also has managed a balance between two groups. He never hesitates to take the calculated risk and has the winner’s mindset.
Best Cricket Captains Across Formats
Some countries opt for a different captain in different formats to manage workload. Coming to the best cricket captains across formats, MS Dhoni has the longer captaincy stint as he led the side in 332 matches across all formats.
But Australia’s Ricky Ponting has the highest winning percentage despite having captained less when compared to MS Dhoni.
Stephen Fleming, Graeme Smith, and Allan Border are the other players who have captained their respective sides in most matches when combined across all three formats.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh recalled the time when Virat Kohli doubted his abilities while starting his test career. Harbhajan told Kohli he would let himself down if he did not score 10,000 runs in Test Cricket.
He said that he knew Virat Kohli was destined for greatness and would not settle for down. Virat Kohli stands at the very top when it comes to the current generation of batters.
Breaking the records of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli has become the face of Indian cricket. He has surpassed the list of most ODI hundreds and is closest to breaking the record of 100 international centuries.
On this occasion, Harbhajan recalled an incident from Kohli’s debut series that left him impressed.
Kohli made his debut during a 2008 tour of Sri Lanka and gave a glimpse of his potential with scores of 12, 37, and 25 before smashing a half-century in the fifth ODI on a challenging surface.
Virat Kohli (image: X)
“I remember when he first came into the team. I think Viru (Sehwag) was injured, and the batters were all dismissed by (Ajantha) Mendis. Virat Kohli came in, a young guy full of free energy came into bat, played Mendis, and scored 54 in a One-Day game,” Harbhajan Singh shared.
“He came in and asked how he played, I said he was decent. But he felt that he should have smacked him more. I loved that attitude,” he added.
He also recalled another incident where he made his expectations of young Virat Kohli. The youngster was not in his best form at the time and seemed to struggle with his confidence.
But the veteran was so confident in Kohli that he said it would be a disappointment for the player not to score over 10,000 runs in the longest format.
India’s third-highest wicket of all time shared, “When he was starting in Test cricket, we were in the West Indies and the fast-bowler, Fidel Edwards used to get him out on the pad or the shorter delivery. He was disappointed in Barbados and the self-doubt crept in if I was good enough”.
“I told him then that if he didn’t score 10,000 runs, then you would be ashamed of yourself. You have so many capabilities that you can score 10,000 Test runs and if you didn’t do it then it would be on you.”
“After that Virat Kohli, the amount of effort he has put in, three times the amount of effort when it comes to his body, mind, and how he approaches the game,” said Bhajji.
Virat Kohli continued to perform when his team needed it the most. He has been the iconic player of the side and even captained the side before Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy.
Virat Kohli has retired from the T20I Cricket after India’s triumph in T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies but will continue to play in the test and ODI format.
ABF vs SLK Dream11 Prediction: Chris Green-led Antigua and Barbuda Falcons will lock horns with Faf du Plessis-led Saint Lucia Kings to play the 6th match of the CPL 2024 on September 3 in Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua.
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons vs Saint Lucia Kings, 6th Match
Venue
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
Date
Tuesday, September 03, 2024
Time
4:30 AM (Sep 04) IST / 11:00 PM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Live Telecasting
Star Sports Network, Fan Code
ABF vs SLK Squad
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons
Sam Billings (wk), Chris Green (c), Kofi James, Fakhar Zaman, Jewel Andrew, Imad Wasim, Shamar Springer, Fabian Allen, Roshon Primus, Hayden Walsh, Mohammad Amir, Justin Greaves, Jahmar Hamilton, Brandon King, Joshua James, Teddy Bishop, Kelvin Pitman
Saint Lucia Kings
Faf du Plessis (c), Tim Seifert (wk), Johnson Charles, Ackeem Auguste, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Roston Chase, David Wiese, Mikkel Govia, Alzarri Joseph, Matthew Forde, Noor Ahmad, McKenny Clarke, Sadrack Descarte, Johann Jeremiah, Khari Campbell, Aaron Jones, Khary Pierre
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Unavailable Players
Injury: NIL
Others: NIL
Saint Lucia Kings Unavailable Players
Injury: NIL
Others: NIL
ABF vs SLK Probable Playing 11
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons
Fakhar Zaman, Kofi James, Sam Billings (wk), Jewel Andrew, Imad Wasim, Fabian Allen, Roshon Primus, Shamar Springer, Chris Green (c), Mohammad Amir, Hayden Walsh
Saint Lucia Kings
Johnson Charles, Faf du Plessis (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Ackeem Auguste, Tim Seifert (wk), Roston Chase, David Wiese, Mikkel Govia, Alzarri Joseph, Matthew Forde, Noor Ahmad
ABF vs SLK Pitch Report
In the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024, the pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium looked a decent one. The playing surface seems to be offering ideal assistance to batters, with something on offer for the fast bowlers as well. The captain winning the toss will likely opt to field first.
ABF vs SLK Dream11 Prediction – Mega Contest
Batters: Faf du Plessis, B Rajapaksa, F Zaman
All-rounders: D Wiese, C Green, I Wasim, R Chase
Bowlers: A Joseph
Wicket-Keeper: J Charles, T Seifert, J Andrew
Captain: I Wasim
Vice-captain: Faf du Plessis
ABF vs SLK Dream11 Prediction – H2H Contest
Batters: Faf du Plessis, F Zaman
All-rounders: D Wiese, C Green, I Wasim, S Springer, R Chase
Bowlers: M Amir, A Joseph, M Forde
Wicket-Keeper: T Seifert
Captain: I Wasim
Vice-captain: D Wiese
ABF vs SLK Dream11 Prediction – Small Contest
Batters: Faf du Plessis, F Zaman
All-rounders: D Wiese, C Green, I Wasim, S Springer, R Chase
The 27-year-old Clarkson has played three ODIs and T20Is while 26-year-old Smith is yet to make his international debut.
Smith was the leading wicket-taker in Plunket Shield last season with 33 at 17.18 for Champions Wellington. He also played for Worcestershire this season and picked 27 wickets in seven county championship matches.
He also smashed three half-centuries and took eight wickets in nine T20 Blast games before he withdrew from the tournament due to a hamstring injury.
“Nathan’s been on our radar for a while having been a significant performer in domestic cricket for some time,” said head coach Gary Stead.
The Black Caps have added an additional two players to their central contract list for the new season 👀
“He’s been particularly impressive in red-ball cricket and we think he has the skills to be successful in international cricket when he gets a chance.
While speaking about Clarkson, Stead said, “Josh has been involved in both white ball squads over the past twelve months which shows the strides he’s made in his game,” he said of Clarkson.
“He’s a hard-hitting player with plenty of skills and has shown in his chances so far that he can offer a lot with bat and ball on the international stage.
“Josh will provide depth and add value given the volume of white-ball cricket on the horizon.”
They will be filling in the vacancy left by Conway and Allen. Conway who plays for Joburg Super Kings in SA20 has been offered a casual playing contract while Allen has signed a two-year deal with Perth Scorchers in the BBL and will remain eligible for the selection.
New Zealand’s home schedule starts next week with a one-off test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida before the three-match test series against India.
New Zealand 2024-25 central contract list: Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
Hasan Mahmud opened on his maiden Five wicket haul in Pakistan’s second innings of the second test at Rawalpindi.
Being the star of the day, Hasan spoke about his record by the end of day 04 of the second test. His five-for was instrumental in helping Bangladesh bowl out Pakistan for just 172 runs in their second innings.
Bangladesh pace trio of Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, and Tasking Ahmed picked all 10 wickets in Pakistan’s second innings.
Bangladesh scored 46 runs on the fourth day of the second test and needed 143 runs to win the match.
While speaking in the post-match conference, “Whenever a fast bowler is asked to bowl, his only plan is to bowl wicket-taking deliveries. The more he gets to bowl, the more success he will get,” said Hasan.
“Nahid Rana came and bowled superbly. After that, the momentum probably shifted towards us. When I was asked to bowl, I stuck to my process. That’s why I got those wickets.
“I should give the credit to all my teammates (for the fifer) who work hard behind the scenes every time. The plan was very simple: whenever you get the new ball, bowl according to the line your captain says the team wants. So we tried to bowl according to our plans and we got wickets every time.
“Whenever you get a fifer, it brings joy. It’s a matter of pride to play for your country and your team. We were very happy to win a Test, and now have a chance to win another one.”
Hasan smashed a 55-run partnership between Rizwan and Salman Agha bothered them, but he was happy to end the alliance. “We just tried to bowl in one area without thinking too much. Our plan was to save runs and boundaries from both sides and to continue bowling well,” added Hasan.
Bangladesh came out to bat in the second session of Day 04. Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam scored aggressively in the first six overs of the final innings. With rain expected to affect the final day of the match, the hosts plan for a quick win to secure victory in the series.
The three lions scored a victory with a win in the first test of the series, their first victory ever on Pakistan soil. Najmul Shanto team will look to win the second match well to clinch their first-ever test series against Pakistan.
The hosts have been heavily criticized by fans and experts for their poor show in the series. Pakistan was shocked when spinner Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran through the team in the final innings of the game.
By the end of day 04, the visitors scored 46 runs for no wicket loss and needed 143 runs to win at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan bowling coach Jason Gillespie has called for the side to believe on the final day of the second test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. After a defeat in the opening test, the first-ever defeat in the format against Bangladesh, the hosts are at risk of losing the series 2-0.
Bangladesh is looking for a series win with a set to chase the target of 185 on the final day of the second test. While speaking at the end of day 04, Gillespie admits the visitors were the favorites were ahead but called on his side to fight back.
“Admittedly, the odds are probably in favor of Bangladesh. We don’t shy away from that, but we’ve already lost if we walk out there expecting to lose. We took 6 for 26 in the first innings so we know that we can have an impact with the ball if we bowl really well.”
“We’ve spoken to our bowlers about being ruthless, being disciplined, and bowling with intent,” said Gillespie.
“And we just went away from our game plan and I’ve challenged the bowlers pretty strongly on that. We need to make sure that we’re on each and every time because Test cricket can get away from you.”
Pakistan Test team (image: PCB)
“The opposition is very good and I’m not going to shy away from saying Bangladesh played well. No question. But I know that our bowlers can do better in that situation than what they showed and we just need to make sure that execution is absolutely bang on every time.”
Pakistan had Bangladesh in check in the first innings but the visitors managed to score 262 runs with only 12 runs behind in total. Hasan Mahmud and Nahid picked up a total of 9 wickets to restrict Pakistan to 172 runs in the second innings. Hasan picked up a five-wicket haul conceding only 43 runs.
Gillespie was adamant about his side wanting to get on the field and force a win despite the odds against the side.
After Day 01 was entirely washed out due to bad weather, days 02 and 03 remained uninterrupted before the fourth day saw an early ending due to bad light.
“I hope we get on tomorrow so we can try and win a Test match. We’ve got to have that mindset. Sometimes, you need those 50-50 things to go your way but we’ve got to have that attitude and mindset that we’re going to go there to win the Test match for Pakistan.”
“This game can create all sorts of drama. So I’m hoping that we can create some theatre and put a smile on a few people’s faces here in Pakistan tomorrow,” said Gillespie.
A Bangladesh win or a draw will serve as the first test series for them against Pakistan. Bangladesh scored 42 runs by the end of day 04 and needed 143 runs to win.
The England white ball series captain Jos Buttler had a setback in recovery from his calf injury which made him be ruled out for Lancashire’s T20 Blast quarter-final and races against time for the T20I series in Australia Tour of England 2024.
England hopes for Buttler to be fit for their first T20I match played on September 11 and remains hopeful about his availability for Australia’s white-ball tour. England’s squad is due to report at Utilita Bowl on Sunday ahead of two training days when their medical staff will get a report on Buttler’s recovery.
England white-ball teams do not have an official VC, with Sam Curran and Phil Salt to deputy the side when Jos Buttler is unavailable. He will be not keeping wicket in the T20I series which will increase his chance to feature despite suffering a setback.
Jos Buttler(Image: ECB)
Buttler has not played any cricket for the national side since their defeat against India in the semi-finals of the T20I World Cup 2024. He sustained a calf injury in July while playing for Nothern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024 competition.
He has been targeting for a comeback in the quarter-finals of T20 blast after his rehabilitation. Now, confirmed to be ruled out, his coach Dale Benkenstein confirmed the news on Radio.
“We’ve had some bad news on his recovery,” Benkenstein said. “He had an injury he was recovering from, and he’s sort of tweaked it again. He’s not only just out of our T20s, but I think he’s even struggling to make the international ones. He was very keen to play for us.”
Lancashire will be gearing up for the Wednesday clash at Hove, with Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Saqib Mohamood. With the Tymal Mills set to captain Sussex, Jofra Archer is expected to make his return.
Hove hasn’t hosted a T20 quarter-final since 2019 and hence the anticipation has increased with all the tickets sold out for the past two weeks.
The India star batter Suryakumar Yadav has been ruled out for the first round of the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy to nurse his hand injury he sustained during last week’s pre-season fixture for Mumbai at the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Coimbatore.
He will be rested and is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for an assessment. Suryakumar did not in the second innings of the fixture against TNCA Xl last week after injuring his hand while fielding on the third day.
The Mumbai team management confirmed the decision was precautionary keeping in mind his participation in the season of opening Duleep Trophy.
India’s T20I captain expressed to pitch for a Test comeback. Having not played any FC cricket in a year, Suryakumar made himself available for the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament eyeing a return to red-ball cricket with India having a busy home schedule for the 2024-25 season with 10 tests in five months.
Suryakumar Yadav(Image: X)
The two-match test series against Bangladesh will start on September 19 in Chennai. Suryakumar who played only one test last year against Australia was named in India C squad, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, taking on Shreyas Iyer-led India D in Anantpur.
Meanwhile, India A and India B will simultaneously play the other opening-round fixture at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Recently, Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik have been ruled out of the first round of the Duleep Trophy because of illness. Ravindra Jadeja has withdrawn from the tournament while Navdeep and Gaurav Yadav will replace Siraj and Malik in the squads respectively.
India B: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (wk)
India C: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (wk), B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (wk), Sandeep Warrier
