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Only five domestic matches have been played in Bangladesh since the national side’s successful Asia Cup campaign, due to a suspension of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League that has now run into its second week

Mohammad Isam13-Apr-2012Only five domestic matches have been played in Bangladesh since the national side’s successful Asia Cup campaign, due to a suspension of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League that has now run into its second week. A controversy surrounding the clearance letter of Mohammad Yousuf, the former Pakistan batsman, has spiralled into a three-way battle between Victoria Sporting Club, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the giants, the Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani Limited. The conflict has had a big impact on cricket in the country, as the first-class competition, the National Cricket League, also remains in limbo with one round and the final left to play.Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), the BCB committee that runs the league in the capital, has said they are not in a position to take a decision on the issue. “The board president [Mustafa Kamal] is not in the country and I haven’t received any letters from the clubs,” Aynul Islam Tiash, the committee’s coordinator, told reporters yesterday.During the Super League match on March 28, Abahani refused to play Victoria after being bowled out for 177 runs in 47.4 overs. Their grouse was the participation of Yousuf, whose clearance was said to be forged though the CCDM had initially endorsed the letter. Mohammedan, which had supposedly provided the clearance letter, denied submitting any letter to the CCDM and immediately made a complaint with regards to his participation. As they raised the red flag, Abahani asked for an explanation and when none was made available by noon, they didn’t take the field. Four hours later, match referee Obaydul Haque Azam ruled that Victoria be given two points for Abahani’s actions.The CCDM promptly suspended the league on the same evening and two days later asked the BCB president Mustafa Kamal to take a decision on the matter. During the April 1 board meeting, it was decided that a four-member committee, led by vice president Mahbubul Anam, resolve the issue. A week later, their recommendations were set out at an emergency meeting, and it was decided to restart the league from April 10, endorse the match referee’s decision and restrain Yousuf from taking further part in the competition.But the clubs didn’t comply and just a day after the date of resumption was announced, the CCDM resorted to using “inclement weather” as a reason to suspend the league once again. Abahani, on Thursday, demanded that two points be awarded to them as Yousuf has been barred from playing, and that the league restart on April 17. Mohammedan supported Abahani in this matter, while Victoria has asked for an increase the number of foreign players in the XI from three to five as their star players, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, are away at the Indian Premier League.There is growing discontent among the other three clubs – Old DOHS Sporting Club, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Gazi Tank Cricketers – while the media and public too have been left bewildered by the issue that has stopped Bangladeshi cricket in its tracks.

Jason Gillespie’s is no longer the sole memorable performance by an Australian cricketer in Bangladesh

Daniel Brettig in Mirpur11-Apr-2011For five years Jason Gillespie has strutted about as the sole claimant to the title of most memorable Australian innings in Bangladesh. Not anymore.Gillespie’s 201 not out in the second Test in Chittagong in 2006 remains a most remarkable effort, and even now the proud nightwatchman still signs his autograph as a cheeky ‘Dizzy 201’. The fact it arrived in a Test will also ensure it as revered – or jokingly reviled if you were one of Gillespie’s team-mates – for as long as Australians play cricket. But Shane Watson’s pulverising, unbeaten 185 to secure a series victory over Bangladesh in Mirpur was so compelling, even with the caveat of a compliant Bangladesh attack, that it should not sit a million miles from Gillespie’s double century.”It’s amazing that Jason Gillespie, for how amazing a bowler he was, he still signs his name ‘Dizzy 201’, so it’s nice I’ve been able to do this,” Watson said. “It’s my first tour of Bangladesh so it’s nice to be able to come and try to show your skills to different people, [and have] people appreciate what you do; so that’s a nice bonus to having a good day. It’s just one of those days where everything that you try comes out of the middle of the bat, a mis-hit goes into the gap or you get dropped.”The reason I kept going after [reaching] 100 is because I was tired, and I didn’t really want to run too much; I was either going to try to hit as many sixes as I could or get out because I was pretty tired, that was as simple as it was. It was hot and humid out there, so it was nice to be able to get a few out of the middle to save my running.”As an allrounder and now the team’s vice-captain, fatigue is an ever-present issue for Watson, and he revealed his preference for batting second in limited-overs contests.”It’s always actually easier batting second; although you do get pretty hot from bowling first, it means I can actually get through my batting innings knowing I don’t have to bowl next and don’t have to use my energy,” Watson said.”So my preferred way of playing one-day cricket personally, is actually batting second because you don’t need the energy. If it comes off like it did today, I don’t have to run too much. So it was definitely nice today.”Watson was playing in Hamilton in 2007 when Matthew Hayden smote the previous Australian record for an ODI innings, an effort that was ultimately overshadowed by a furious New Zealand run-chase. This time there was no doubt about the decisive nature of the innings.Australia’s pre-series planning had focused on the volume of left-arm spin to be bowled by the home side, and Watson used the angle into him to powerful effect by swinging all his 15 sixes into the arc between square leg and straight mid on.”Some of the balls [that] I did hit over the leg side weren’t that [leg side], it was more so the length that meant I could hit [so],” he said. “But then also I was targeting the short side as well, so I was batting on off stump to try to get it over to the leg side. When the ball’s not turning and bouncing like it can here, it makes that shot a lot easier to execute. If it’s turning and bouncing that shot’s a lot harder.”At the other end, Ricky Ponting watched with admiration, perhaps reminded of his two domineering innings in Johannesburg in 2003 and 2006. “[It] made my job easy,” Ponting said. “[I] just had to get a single to give him strike.”No one expected it to get over that fast. I have been lucky to play with some great players; Watto has played some great innings … this was an amazing innings. Some of those sixes would have cleared any boundary in the world. It probably won’t sink into us for a while now, how good that [innings] was.”As for Bangladesh, the local reaction was best summed up by a wry question lobbed Watson’s way as he discussed the innings with the media: “What did you have for lunch today?”

Former BCCI president AC Muthiah has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the board’s rules that permit BCCI and IPL administrators to own league teams

Cricinfo staff23-Apr-2010Former BCCI president AC Muthiah has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the board’s rules that permit BCCI and IPL administrators to be part of the IPL and own league teams. The petition follows the Madras High Court’s decision last month to dismiss a similar plea filed by Muthiah and is significant in light of the fact that the board secretary, N Srinivasan, is also the owner of an IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings.Prior to the amendment, clause 6.2.4 of the Regulations for Players, Team officials, Umpires and Administrators, said: “No administrator shall have, directly or indirectly any commercial interest in the matches and events conducted by the Board.” After the amendment, though, the clause said “no administrator shall have directly or indirectly any commercial interest in any of the events of the BCCI excluding IPL, Champions League and Twenty20.”Muthiah’s petition echoes his recent statements that Srinivasan’s convening of Monday’s crucial IPL governing council meeting is invalid given the conflict of interest.The meeting is set to decide Lalit Modi’s future with the IPL. Modi, who is under fire over allegations of corruption, has questioned Srinivasan’s authority in convening the meeting for the same reason as Muthiah.”All he [Srinivasan] is actually is an ex-officio member of the council, as an office-bearer of BCCI, and he is a conflicted party who owns an IPL team. He has never and can never call a governing council meeting,” Modi wrote in a mail to BCCI president Shashank Manohar.Last month, however, the Madras High Court dismissed Muthiah’s application that sought to remove Srinivasan of his role as a BCCI office-bearer given his involvement in the IPL. Under its original rules, the BCCI prohibited its office-bearers from having commercial interests in the league, but this rule was retrospectively amended in September 2008, eight months after the inaugural round of bidding for IPL franchises.The Chennai franchise was won by the company India Cements, of which Srinivasan is the managing director, and BCCI’s ruling validated his involvement in the IPL.In December that year, Muthiah filed a civil suit in Madras High Court, questioning the BCCI’s amendment that effectively said the IPL was out of the board’s purview. Muthiah also filed an application seeking an interim stay on Srinivasan functioning as BCCI secretary, for the period until the suit was heard.That application was turned down in March this year, while the suit is yet to be heard by the court. The court’s stand was that the clause was a code of conduct and not a rule, and as such could not be challenged by an individual from outside the BCCI. The court however ruled that the merits and demerits of various clauses could be examined during the hearing of the civil suit.The governing council is set to meet on April 26, and at the latest on May 1, if Modi’s attempt to defer it is successful. The suit is unlikely to be tried between now and the meeting, which makes Modi’s line of defence against Srinivasan untenable.Meanwhile, Muthiah expressed his support to Modi’s claim, reiterating his original argument. “I quite agree with Lalit Modi. Srinivasan is an interested party and I filed a case against him for conflict of interest. He is a secretary and he is a holder of franchise. It is clear he has no right to call for a meeting,” Muthiah told PTI.

Glamorgan bowled out for 265, with promotion already secured

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Sep-2025Lancashire 55 for 0 trail Glamorgan 265 (van der Gugten 53, Crane 42, Bailey 5-51) by 210 runsLancashire took control over Glamorgan with early wickets on day one of the final Rothesay County Championship match.Tom Bailey took a five-wicket haul, including a wicket with the first ball of the game to reduce Glamorgan to 114 for 6 at lunch. An 82-run seventh-wicket partnership kept the visitors at bay until they finally wrapped up the innings on 265 with 20 overs remaining in the day.Personal milestones included a half-century in Timm van der Gugten’s 100th match, Kiran Carlson’s 1000th run for the season, and Mason Crane’s highest score of the summer, 42. But they were not enough to prevent Lancashire from dominating the day.Both clubs’ fates had been decided already. Glamorgan’s second-placed promotion was confirmed after a rain-affected round of fixtures last week. Meanwhile Lancashire, currently in sixth, can rise to third if results go their way.Tom Bailey bowled Zain-ul-Hassan around his legs with the first ball of the match, and with James Anderson absent due to a side strain sustained last time out, Jake Blatherwick shared the new-ball duties and quickly helped reduce Glamorgan to 20 for 2. Asa Tribe, even in his remarkable purple patch, was unable to do much to one nipping away.Blatherwick’s success ended there, and though Tom Aspinwall went unrewarded, Bailey and George Balderson had Glamorgan six wickets down inside the first session.Carlson scored typically quickly to reach 22, and his 1000th run, and though he fell soon afterwards, Chris Cooke put up a fight either side of lunch in what was a session dictated mostly by poor shots to explain the scoreline than anything else.Van der Gugten and Crane’s resisted for a while but Bailey fittingly finished the innings off, having claimed a wicket in each of his opening overs of his first three spells. It fell to Keaton Jennings and Luke Wells to ensure an unscathed final 20 overs of the day. The left-handed duo stood strongly against early movement from Van der Gugten, before a flourish of boundaries from Jennings to close the day on 55 for 0.

Superb spin exhibition by Sophie Ecclestone had threatened to derail Storm innings

ECB Reporters Network27-Apr-2024Western Storm clinched their first win in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy after defeating Thunder by 66 runs at Emirates Old Trafford.An unbeaten 76 by Sophie Luff capped an excellent fightback by Western Storm who made 252 for 6 from their 50 overs after a superb exhibition of spin bowling by Sophie Ecclestone had threatened to derail their innings.England spinner Ecclestone took 3 wickets for 16 runs off her 10 overs, but three good partnerships rescued the Storm who added 162 runs from their final 30 overs to post a challenging score.That proved to be enough as Thunder subsided to 186 all out off 42.4 overs with Sophia Smale and Chloe Skelton taking three wickets apiece.Related

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Western Storm struck an early blow as the Thunder set off in pursuit of 253 when Seren Smale cut a short delivery from Lauren Filer to Dani Gibson at cover for 9.Emma Lamb and Katie Mack rebuilt with a positive 62-run partnership off 69 balls with Mack launching Amanda-Jade Wellington for consecutive sixes at the start of the leg spinner’s second over.Wellington hit back with two big wickets, bowling Mack for 28 and Lamb for 38 to have Thunder 85 for 3 at the start of the 19th over. That quickly became 104 for 6 after 25 overs as three wickets fell for six runs in a disastrous spell for Thunder.Off-spinner Skelton had Fi Morris caught behind for 16, then bowled Naomi Dattani first ball followed by Alex Griffiths finding an edge from Ecclestone that was well taken by wicketkeeper Nat Wraith standing up.Skipper Ellie Threlkeld and Kate Cross rallied Thunder with a partnership of 69 off 83 balls. Cross hit a six off Skelton in making a patient 36 until bowled by left-arm spinner Smale. Threlkeld departed for 32 when lbw sweeping at Skelton two balls later to leave the hosts 173 for 8 in the 40th over.Smale wrapped things up with the wickets of Mahika Gaur and Phoebe Graham for 10 to seal a convincing victory.Storm made an excellent start after being put in to bat with Griffiths and Smale posting a second consecutive fifty opening partnership in the face of some disciplined bowling by England duo Cross and Gaur.Griffiths had accelerated the scoring but was bowled for 24 after aiming a wild slog at Ecclestone. That was the first of three wickets to fall for nine runs in 17 balls with Smale, who had been fortunate to survive a run out chance when on 4, bowled for 23 by Ecclestone after playing back and beaten by a turning delivery, while Fran Wilson chipped Graham to Dattani at mid-on for 7.Gibson hit three boundaries off her first seven deliveries but had no answer to a quicker, turning delivery from Ecclestone to be bowled for 16 with the fourth wicket falling on 80 at the end of the 19th over.Storm fought back splendidly from that point, with captain Luff and Wraith mounting a determined alliance of 70 across 17 overs to counter the control exerted by the Thunder spinners with Ecclestone to the fore.Wraith hit the first six of the match off Hannah Jones before falling to a great catch by Ecclestone at mid-on off Graham for 38.But Luff found great support from Niamh Holland, who contributed a useful 22 off 24 balls in a 46-run partnership, and Wellington who made a rapid unbeaten 31 off 19 balls over the closing overs.Luff, who reached her fifty from 82 balls, became the glue that held the innings together, initially consolidating after coming to the crease in the 15th over before providing the late acceleration as Storm added 83 from the last ten overs to set a target that proved to be more than enough.

India wicketkeeper undergoes plastic surgery as well, to manage injuries suffered during Friday’s car crash

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2022The results of India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s MRI of the brain and spine are normal. He has also undergone plastic surgery to manage his facial injuries, lacerated wounds and abrasions suffered in a serious car accident near Roorkee, Uttarakhand, on Friday morning.Related

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MRI scans of his ankle and knee have been postponed till tomorrow because of pain and swelling.The doctors at Max Hospital in Dehradun have also given him “above knee splintage … for suspected right knee ligament injury, and suspected right ankle ligament injury”. The medical bulletin released by the hospital on Friday evening also said Pant is “stable, conscious and oriented”.The bulletin noted that “prima facie, he had sustained multiple abrasions on right-hand forearm and leg, and lacerated wounds over forehead and near eyebrow, and multiple graze abrasions on the back”.The accident took place in the early hours on Friday, when Pant was driving to Roorkee. His car, which was severely damaged in the accident, is reported to have hit the divider on the road and subsequently caught fire. Pant was initially taken to a local hospital – Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre – where he was treated for impact injuries before being moved to Max Hospital in Dehradun. He had reached the hospital at 6am.Pant, 25, was not part of the India squads for the T20I and ODI home series against Sri Lanka beginning on January 3. He was due to head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning before the Test series against Australia in February.He most recently played a match-winning innings of 93 in the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur, which helped India clinch the series 2-0.

The franchise has got a new logo as well

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2021Saint Lucia Zouks are now Saint Lucia Kings, the CPL franchise said in a media release on Monday. The team has got a new logo as well.In 2020, the franchise was sold to KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited, the consortium that owns the Punjab Kings in the IPL. The Punjab Kings had also changed their name from the Kings XI Punjab before IPL 2021.”The new name and logo are consistent with the KPH Dream Cricket brand while still capturing the essence of Saint Lucia through the name and national colours of Saint Lucian Flag,” the release said.”The brand name and monogram, lion in the team’s logo stand for exuberance. While the blue epitomises the sky and the sea, specifically the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea which encircle the country, the roaring lion monogram infuses vigour and vibrancy.”Related

• St Lucia Zouks sold to Kings XI Punjab owners

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The team, coached by Andy Flower and captained by Faf du Plessis, will also feature Daren Sammy as the team’s assistant coach and mentor in CPL 2021. Sammy was the captain till the last year when the team finished as the runners-up.”I love the logo and I love the new name, and I truly hope that the name can inspire our players to play like the true Kings that we are,” Sammy said in the release.Satish Menon, the CEO of Saint Lucia Kings said, “Saint Lucia Kings is more in line with the positioning that the KPH Dream Cricket brand has, and we believe that the time was right for us to merge the sister brand and its inherent values with the mother brand.”Recently, the owners of the Rajasthan Royals bought a majority stake in the Barbados Tridents, which will now be known as the Barbados Royals, making them the third team after the St Lucia Kings and the Trinbago Knight Riders to be run by the IPL franchise owners.CPL 2021 will be held between August 26 and September 15, with all 33 games to be played at Warner Park in St Kitts & Nevis.

In another significant development, women’s ODI World Cup deferred by a year, to 2022

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Aug-2020India has retained the rights to host the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup while Australia have been asked to host the 2022 edition. In another significant decision, the ICC also postponed the 2021 women’s ODI World Cup which was scheduled in New Zealand between February and March, to 2022. All these decisions were taken by the ICC Business Corporation, the business development wing of the ICC, which met virtually on Friday.The 2021 event will be hosted in India between October-November next year, with the final scheduled on November 14. Australia, which was originally meant to host the 2020 edition, will now host the tournament in 2022 between October-November with the final scheduled for November 13.This women’s World Cup is the second global event the ICC has been forced to postpone in the last two months due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In July, the ICC Board had deferred the 2020 men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled in October-November in Australia this year to next year.The board had given the nod to the ICC management to create fresh windows for the three marquee global events: the T20 World Cups in October-November 2021 and October-November 2022, and the ODI World Cup in October-November 2023, pushed back from its original March-April window.How did India retain the rights?Although it confirmed the development, the ICC did not give any precise reason as to why India had retained the right to host the event “as planned”. However, ESPNcricinfo understands the decision for the IBC, which comprises all the members of the ICC Board, became easier once Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings said his board would not be able to commit the support of the Australian government to host the tournament in 2021.It is understood that Eddings said that although CA would prefer hosting the event next year, it could not guarantee the government’s support at this point. Government backing is key to hosting global events, and the ICC needed a guaranteed undertaking from the host board.It is understood that Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, said his board was confident it would get the Indian government’s support, which helped the IBC make its decision to retain India as the hosts as per the original schedule of global events.Another thing that went in India’s favour is that ICC would not need to change its contractual agreements with its commercial partners for the 2021 edition, since it was staying in India. As for the contractual agreements for the 2020 event which was postponed, the ICC will need to rework them for 2022 – but the ICC felt that was more helpful commercially.This means there will be no global event for nearly 18 months since the ICC hosted the women’s T20 World Cup in February-March this year, which was played in Australia. What it also means is that in 2022, which was meant to be a gap year without any global event, there will now be four ICC events.The year will start with the Under-19 World Cup in January in the Caribbean, followed by the women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand in February-March, then the men’s T20 World Cup in October-November in Australia, and be bookended by the women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.On its part, the BCCI had always favoured hosting the 2021 edition instead of in 2022 as that would mean, potentially, India could host three marquee tournaments within a year: the T20 World Cup in 2022, the IPL in 2023 and the 50-over World Cup in 2023. The BCCI feared such a scenario could hurt its content commercially.Another unresolved issue, a thorny one, was the ICC insisting the BCCI find a solution to the longstanding tax exemption issue concerning global events in India. Recently the ICC wrote the BCCI saying it reserved the right to take away the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup from India, after the BCCI failed to secure a tax exemption for the tournament from the Indian government. The ICC has given the BCCI until the end of the year to resolve that issue.Setback for Cricket AustraliaThe IBC decision today will hurt CA in various ways. With the pandemic causing havoc across the world, CA had accepted that it would be impossible to host a global event comprising 16 countries this year.As early as May, Eddings had sent an e-mail to the Finance & Commercial Committee, a powerful wing in the ICC on which he sits, to say it would be “detrimental to cricket” in case the “cancellation” of the T20 World Cup in Australia this year was “replaced by award of” the tournament in October-November 2022. Contents of Eddings’ correspondence with the ICC were reported by the originally.In that email, Eddings also said that it was important for the ICC to have certainty about who would host the marquee tournament to ensure member countries benefited financially from the revenue distribution model which is dependent on the broadcasting rights income.At the time, Eddings suggested that since Australia had “thankfully managed to flatten the (Covid-19) curve” it meant “there is greater certainty of being able to play in Australia in 2021 (which is key to maintaining member distribution).”Currently Australia has reported over 20,000 Covid-19 cases with less than 300 deaths. India, meanwhile, has the third highest count globally behind the USA and Brazil, with over 2 million cases and over 40,000 deaths. Eddings had said allowing India to host the tournament in 2022 would allow the country to “resolve any Covid-related problems.”The IBC decision means CA will need to dismantle the local organising committee it had originally created for the event and create a fresh structure to host the tournament in 2022. That would also include signing fresh venue hosting agreements with state associations in Australia.In a media release on Friday, the ICC said that all 16 teams that qualified to participate in the 2020 edition would feature in India next year. For the 2022 tournament, the ICC will conduct a new qualification process which will determine which teams compete in Australia.While Imran Khwaja, the ICC’s interim chairman, said today’s decisions “are in the best interests of the sport”, Manu Sawhney, chief executive of the global cricket body, said the developments would provide “absolute clarity on the future of ICC events enabling all of our Members to focus on the rescheduling of lost international and domestic cricket.”

Barring the possibility of a draw, one of these teams will become the joint-quickest to their first Test win besides Australia back in 1877

The Preview by Danyal Rasool14-Mar-2019

Big Picture

This is the first time these two sides play each other in Tests, but in many ways, this could become the most likely fixture going forward in the format. When, in an act of surprising munificence for a governing body that famously prefers its club as exclusive as possible, the ICC-accorded Full Member – and as a result Test – status, to Afghanistan and Ireland in June 2017, the only worry was whether the two would actually get to play five-day cricket.Thus far, that concern remains naggingly pertinent. Both Afghanistan and Ireland are due to play just their second Test match in the 21 months since that approval. Ireland were the first to open their account when Pakistan played a one-off Test in May last year, before India hosted Afghanistan for their first game the following month.This may become the new Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh. In an ever more condensed FTP (Future Tours Programme), not to mention the explosion of T20 leagues across the globe, it is unlikely too many of the traditional Full Members will be allocating much time in their calendars to take on one of these two in the longest format. It simply isn’t lucrative enough, or – some of the bigger boys may believe – challenging enough to make it worth their while.But let there be no doubt about it, this is a huge fixture in the context of Test cricket. Barring the possibility of a draw, one of these teams will become the first new Test match winners since 2005, and the joint-quickest to their first Test win besides Australia in the first ever Test in 1877.Playing at “home” in Dehradun, India, Afghanistan will feel it must surely be their time. The squad comprises a young team – six players in the squad are under 21 – but some of the stalwarts of the first global generation of Afghan cricket are still around. Asghar Afghan is captain, while Mohammad Shahzad and Mohammad Nabi are also part of the side.Ireland ran Pakistan uncomfortably close in their first Test, and but for a few moments on the final day, they may already have come into this fixture with a Test win under their belt. This tour, however, didn’t begin nearly as auspiciously as to suggest it would end with a Test win, but following on from a record-breaking demolition in the T20I series, they have begun to get into this tour just as the all-important final fixture of the tour rolls around. They came from behind twice to level the ODI series 2-2, and will feel they have enough momentum and confidence to not simply be the stepping stone for an Afghan celebration.

Form guide

Afghanistan L
Ireland L

In the spotlight

There is a particular moment when a Test nation must finally undo its safety harness and move on. For Afghanistan, that moment may arrive after Mohammad Nabi decides to hang up his gloves. The 34-year old has been ever-present in Afghanistan’s side since the 2010 World T20 that first allowed the country an international cricketing forum, and the two-day Test match against India was hardly any introduction a cricketer of his commitment deserved. With a more realistic shot at salvation approaching, Nabi’s form is timed especially well. No Afghan player will have envisioned this game in their mind more often than him, or put in the work to help ensure it even happens. If there is any justice in world cricket (and you’d be brave to argue for the motion), then expect Nabi to play a starring role in the Test starting Friday.Rashid Khan celebrates Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket•BCCI

The lush green fields of Malahide and the dark grey skies above in the place where Pakistan were given such an almighty scare is a world removed from the challenges they will need to neuter in Dehradun. Fast bowlers Tim Murtagh Boyd Rankin, and Stuart Thompson took every Pakistan wicket that fell to a bowler in Malahide, but here, the spinners will have a far more important role to play.But where Afghanistan have arguably the world’s hottest young spinner among their ranks in Rashid Khan, there simply isn’t enough evidence Ireland have the spin threat to provide appropriate competition in that department. It may mean the quicker bowlers have a daunting few days of work ahead of them, and whether they have the fitness and the heart to put their bodies on the line may go a long way to deciding the ultimate outcome of the Test.

Team news

Afghanistan’s 14-member squad has several members who played the Test against India. Mujeeb ur Rehman, however, is a notable absentee. Left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan and left-arm seam bowler Sayed Shirzad have been added to the squad. Their ace spinner Rashid Khan is nursing an injured right middle-finger, but will play despite it. On Thursday, he batted and then went to the physio and only had a short stint with the ball, all the while being cautious. Even when he went off, he walked off with the finger in ice.Afghanistan (squad): Asghar Afghan (capt), Mohammad Shahzad, Ihsanullah Janat, Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ikram Alikhail, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Wafadar Momand, Yamin Ahmadzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Waqar Salamkhail, Zahir Khan, Sayed Shirzad.The sense that the first rebuild of the squad is already here for Ireland after their first Test is palpable. Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien have retired, while Gary Wilson is still out of the side with a condition that affects his vision.Ireland (squad): William Porterfield (capt), Andy Balbirnie, James Cameron Dow, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James Mccollum, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Stuart Poynter (wk), Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Lorcan Tucker

Pitch and conditions

The conditions over the next five days seem ideal for Test cricket, with plenty of sunshine. Inclement weather should not interrupt this match.

Stats and trivia

• Once this Test gets underway, all 12 Test nations will have played at least one home and away Test. Afghanistan, however, will play this “home” Test in the same country as the one where they played their only away Test: India
• Londonderry-born Boyd Rankin has played as many Tests for England as he has for his native country – one. While with Ireland, he ran Pakistan close in the most recent one, his debut with England was more of a lopsided contest, with Australia bowling England away by 281 runs to complete a 5-0 Ashes clean sweep in 2014

Quotes

“It is a moment of pride that Afghanistan hosts its first Test match and it carries a lot of meaning for us. Although, we lost our inaugural Test match to India last year, we will aim to play in the upcoming Test match with full strength.”
“First and foremost, it will be completely different conditions [in the Test match] – our first Test match against Pakistan was a home game in Malahide in May whereas we are in Dehradun here in India in March. We will see how the pitch is in the next couple of days and expect it not to be very different.”

The Vidarbha fast bowler is cover for the injured Ishan Porel and is set to fly to New Zealand on Wednesday

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2018Aditya Thakare has been called up to India’s Under-19 World Cup squad as cover for the injured Ishan Porel. The Vidarbha fast bowler, one of five stand-bys for the squad, is set to fly to New Zealand on Wednesday.Porel injured his left ankle in India’s tournament opener against Australia, in which he could bowl just 4.1 overs. He spent the rest of the innings off the field and did not train ahead of India’s second game, against Papua New Guinea, either.”It’s hard to predict how long he’ll take to recover, but we’re looking at giving him every opportunity to be a part of the campaign again, because this is what he’s worked for,” a member of India’s support staff told ESPNcricinfo. “We’re looking to possibly having him fit in time for the quarter-finals. It could take five days, sometimes seven days. At the moment, he won’t play the game against Zimbabwe either.”Thakare made his first-class debut in the Ranji Trophy final in December 2017, when Vidarbha beat Delhi. While he managed to pick up just two wickets, he impressed with his late swing and accuracy with both the new and old ball. After the game, Vidarbha coach Chandrakant Pandit admitted to having been apprehensive of exposing Thakare in a pressure game, but expressed surprise at his ability after Vidarbha’s maiden title triumph.On Monday, the Vidarbha Cricket Association was asked to provide a report on Thakare’s fitness by the BCCI, following which he was asked not to be considered for any ongoing matches. The call-up means he will miss the Cooch Behar Trophy semi-finals against Karnataka in Nagpur starting Friday.With an Under-19 Trophy in sight, the Vidarbha Cricket Association chose to field him in the junior tournament instead of playing him in the zonal leg of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic T20 competition. He was part of India’s Under-19 squad for the Asia Cup in Malaysia last year, but didn’t feature in the playing XI.Thakare is only the second player from Vidarbha to be picked in India’s Under-19 World Cup squad. Faiz Fazal, the Vidarbha captain, was part of the 2004 edition, but had to return after fracturing his thumb in a warm-up game. Fazal was replaced by Shikhar Dhawan, who went on to become the tournament’s leading run-scorer.