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Ashley Giles’s disclosure at a Lancashire members forum that Andrew Flintoff is unlikely to play any cricket for Lancashire this season should surprise no one

Paul Edwards28-Apr-2015Ashley Giles’s disclosure at a Lancashire members forum that Andrew Flintoff is unlikely to play any cricket for Lancashire this season should surprise no one.The demands made on current players, even T20 specialists, are not easy to balance with a host of media appearances and the player himself said at the end of the Big Bash that he was struggling to square his many other commitments with the regimen of a professional sportsman.Even at Lancashire, the county represented with such distinction by that mighty trencherman Jack Simmons, chip-van tours and cricket no longer mix.Old Trafford coach Giles was already finding it difficult to contact Flintoff and had opted to send him texts, facts which scarcely suggest a very close relationship between the pair.Moreover, the player himself had been forthright in his criticism of his county during a winter in which a number of loyal servants, including Academy Director John Stanworth, had been made redundant. That might also have made a return to the staff pretty difficult.This summer Flintoff has a stand-up tour arranged in addition to his TV commitments and whatever other bookings and his representatives accept.Lancashire supporters will therefore have to content themselves with their memories of his three appearances in the 2014 NatWest T20 Blast, the last of which took place in the final at Edgbaston when his eight-ball 20 not out just failed to secure the trophy for his team.From there, there was a Big Bash season where Flintoff was a popular figure at Brisbane Heat but he made more of an impact as a commentator than a player and he conceded when it was all over that the end of the road was nigh.It is surely pretty unlikely that any other county will offer Flintoff a T20 contract, although the temptation to ask Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie whether he has considered the possibility may be too delicious to resist.

Afghanistan’s World Cup debut was the story of the day in Canberra but Mashrafe Mortaza’s Bangladesh won by 105 runs to assuage worries of an early meltdown at the hands of the newcomers

The Report by Mohammad Isam18-Feb-2015
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAfghanistan’s World Cup debut was the story of the day in Canberra but Mashrafe Mortaza’s Bangladesh won by 105 runs to assuage worries of an early meltdown at the hands of the newcomers.Bangladesh stuttered to 267 all out and only reached that score through a 15-over blaze from Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Then it was turn of Mashrafe to sink Afghanistan to 3-3 in the third over. Recovery took Afghanistan a long time, long enough to push the asking rate well out of reach. Afghanistan were eventually bowled out for 162 but would have taken plenty of positives from their first outing.Those, though, would be restricted to their bowling effort. Their 268-run chase didn’t go to plan. Mashrafe removed Javed Ahmadi at the end of the first over, the batsman’s attempt to work the ball into the legside causing him to pop a simple return catch off the leading edge. The other opener, Afsar Zazai, fell next ball, trapped leg-before. It became 3 for 3 when Asghar Stanikzai edged Mashrafe to first slip where Mahmudullah grabbed it after a bit of a fumble.Samiullah Shenwari, who had been removed from the bowling attack after seven balls for transgressing into the danger area twice, led the recovery with the bat. He struck the team’s first boundary, a crash through the covers off Mortaza. Nawroz Mangal helped him pull the team out of trouble, adding 62 for the fourth wicket. The required rate, though, was on the rise and the pressure led to the wicket of Mangal, who holed out at deep square-leg. Rubel took the catch but hurt his leg in the tumble. Shenwari was then run out in the 26th over when Sabbir’s pick-up and throw from the leg-side boundary found him some way short of the crease.Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran added 58 runs for the sixth wicket before Najubullah fell leg-before to Shakib in the 37th over. Mashrafe then picked up his third wicket, dismissing Nabi for 44 off 43. From seven down, the Afghanistan tail struck a few blows before the innings came to an end in the 43rd over.It was apt that the first Afghanistan player known to the wider world, Hamid Hassan, bowled his country’s first delivery in the World Cup. Hassan, decked with warrior-like face-paint, and Shapoor Zadran kept the Bangladesh openers quiet for 14 overs, before Mirwais Ashraf picked up both Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque in the space of two overs. The opening pair batted circumspectly and did well to avoid giving away early wickets.Tamim, though, grew restless, and went hard at Ashraf, surviving a caught-behind appeal when he appeared to edge the ball and a close run-out after a mix-up with Anamul. The latter took his own time until Ashraf trapped him leg-before with a superb inducker.Ashraf bowled a superb first spell, and Bangladesh were under his spell until Soumya Sarkar hammered 15 off his ninth over to spoil his figures. He had given away only 17 from his first eight overs. Soumya and Mahmudullah added 50 patient runs for the third wicket before the pair fell in Shapoor’s second spell.The fourth wicket, at the start of the 30th over, brought together Mushfiqur and Shakib at a crucial stage, when more wickets could have left them vulnerable to the sort of collapse that haunted them in 2014. The team’s most successful batting partnership took control almost instantly, picking up singles and doubles regularly before plundering 48 runs in the batting Powerplay. The pair moved to their respective fifties and had begun launching into the Afghanistan attack when Shakib fell in the 45th over, having made 63 off 51 balls, with six fours and a pulled six over deep square-leg. The fifth-wicket pair had added 114 runs in 15.3 overs.Bangladesh immediately lost their way, as Sabbir Rahman struggled through his 2.1-over stay, keeping Mushfiqur at the non-striker’s end. Mushfiqur struck a four as soon as he got back on strike, but fell soon after for a 56-ball 71, slogging one down deep midwicket’s throat in the 48th over. Mashrafe struck three fours towards the end, but even then Bangladesh had only made 73 in their last ten overs while losing their last six wickets.Having bowled with discipline for the first 29.1 overs of the Bangladesh innings, Afghanistan gave away too many four balls during the Shakib-Mushfiqur partnership. They seemed to tire in the field as well, conceding overthrows and letting balls go through their legs. Afghanistan also failed to use a referral in the 41st over, when Aftab Alam had an lbw appeal turned down. Replays suggested the ball was going on to hit the stumps, and had hit Mushfiqur’s front pad before his bat.

Sadio Mane, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Emre Can and Andrew Robertson make the cut after the Reds rolled to a 4-1 victory over the Hammers

Nick Pope | BurnleyPope made four saves against Southampton as Burnley were held to a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.AdvertisementGetty ImagesAntonio Valencia | Manchester UnitedValencia produced two key passes and made six clearances against Chelsea — both joint-highs among Manchester United players.GettyShane Duffy | Brighton and Hove AlbionDuffy made more clearances (nine) and blocks (three) than any other player in Brighton's 4-1 win over Swansea.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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GettyDavinson Sanchez | TottenhamThe Colombian defender completed 94% of his passes and made eight clearances in Spurs' 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

The reigning European champions face an improbable set of permutations on Tuesday night in Glasgow, but there are reasons for them to believe

When the full-time whistle went on Friday at Wembley, the England players looked devastated. They collapsed to the turf and pondered where they had come up short against the Netherlands with some, most notably Mary Earps, in tears. But the Lionesses hadn’t lost the game – they’d actually completed an incredible second-half turnaround to come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

The paradox of the result and the scenes on the pitch summed up the convoluted set of permutations England face as their Women’s Nations League group-stage campaign comes to an end in Scotland on Tuesday night. A victory by a two-goal margin at Wembley would’ve made things a lot less complicated and put matters more firmly in the Lionesses’ hands – and the players knew that, as they were knocking on the door to make it 4-2 when the referee called time on the match.

A simple way to look at it, though, is that if Sarina Wiegman’s side beat Scotland by a heavy scoreline, thus overtaking the Netherlands in the standings on goal difference, they can progress to the next stage. That doesn’t just mean they have a chance of winning a trophy, but also of booking Great Britain a spot in next summer’s Olympic women’s football tournament.

The Netherlands will take on a tricky Belgium side at the same time on Tuesday, one that has already beaten both the Dutch and England, so there is certainly a chance that they drop points. But the Lionesses will be fully focused on their own task, on beating Scotland and rubbing salt in the wounds of their neighbours, who were relegated from League A of the Nations League after a draw with Belgium on Friday night.

After that remarkable turnaround at Wembley, England will have a lot of confidence that they can defy the odds once more to keep their Nations League and Olympic dreams alive. There are plenty of reasons to believe, in fact, as GOAL picks out five of them…

Getty ImagesOne of the best coaches on the planet

At half-time on Friday, with the Netherlands 2-0 up, England looked down and out. They’d lacked rhythm to their play in the first 45 minutes, there were too many errors and the Dutch had been incredibly ruthless. But the team never gave up hope, which is a testament to the culture in the dressing room, and Wiegman stepped up to show why she’s regarded as one of the best coaches in the sport.

A couple of tactical tweaks, which included addressing the overload the Netherlands had created in midfield, and the introduction of Beth Mead – which raised an eyebrow or two simply because it took a relatively lively Chloe Kelly off the pitch – helped to make England look like an entirely different team in the second half, sparking a truly incredible comeback. “I’m a human being, of course I have doubts in my mind,” Wiegman admitted after the game. “But we have to make decisions and I think we did that pretty well.”

The Dutchwoman hasn’t been without fault in her England tenure and there are issues that have built up during her time with the team that have contributed to this precarious situation, one which leaves the Lionesses’ chances of making the Nations League finals in serious jeopardy.

But she has also reached four major finals – winning two of them – since 2017. This is one of the best coaches on the planet, and she showed just what she is capable of on Friday. Knowing that she could well do so again on Tuesday doesn’t just give England a greater chance of topping their group, it will also give the players a lot of confidence.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesBeth Mead’s return

It was no coincidence that England’s comeback on Friday came after Wiegman had introduced Mead at half-time. It was the Arsenal star’s first appearance for her country in over a year, after a cruel ACL injury left her sidelined for a lengthy spell that included the Women’s World Cup, and she made it a return to remember. Mead added conviction to the attack, most notably playing a great pass into Georgia Stanway in the build-up to the Lionesses’ equaliser, allowing the Bayern Munich midfielder to tee up Lauren Hemp to level the scores.

“She had a very good impact,” Wiegman said afterwards. “It’s really impressive, coming back from injury, building with Arsenal, and then playing an international game of this level, this environment, 70,000 people, I’m very proud of her.”

"The days when I've struggled in the gym, long, hard training days of not being able to play football and do the thing that I love, it makes it worthwhile to run out there in front of such a big crowd, getting a great reception and a ruthless second half of football,” Mead added.

Whether or not she is ready for a bigger role in Tuesday’s game against Scotland, the return of her world-class talent is a huge boost for this England team, especially with them likely to need to rack up the goals in Glasgow.

Getty ImagesLauren James’ form

Another forward of incredible quality who made a serious impact on Friday was Lauren James – and it wasn’t even one of her best performances. There was plenty of intent from the Chelsea star, who picked the ball up in dangerous areas and drove at the Dutch defence to try and make things happen. Often, she found her aim was just off, with a few shots flying off target, but she stepped up in the second half to help orchestrate the comeback.

Given the time and space to look up and pick out a team-mate just before the hour, James whipped in a gorgeous cross in her typically nonchalant manner, one that landed perfectly on the head of Stanway as the Bayern Munich star directed the ball beyond Daphne van Domselaar and into the far corner.

In stoppage-time, from a near identical position, she repeated the trick, this time sending the ball towards the back post where Ella Toone was making an untracked run. It fell perfectly for James’ former Manchester United team-mate, who finished brilliantly through the legs of the goalkeeper to win the game for England.

This is a player in incredible form, someone who is currently tied at the top of the goalscoring charts in the Women’s Super League after a remarkable start to the season. Despite never really hitting top gear at Wembley, she showed real glimpses of that rhythm she’s in, with no player creating more chances on Friday than James.

When she is on the pitch, with that magic in her boots, England always have a greater chance of doing something special.

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GettyScotland’s sorrows

There’s something to be said about the position Scotland find themselves going into this game, too. Pedro Martinez Losa’s side were relegated from League A in the Nations League on Friday after a draw with Belgium. It’s been a difficult group-stage campaign for the team, with them putting in a couple of relatively decent performances – particularly the one against England in Sunderland – but also some really underwhelming ones.

Scotland’s cause hasn’t been helped by the loss of Caroline Weir, the talismanic Real Madrid star, to an ACL injury and, on Friday, there was further reason for concern when Erin Cuthbert, the talented Chelsea midfielder, came off looking a little worse for wear with a head injury. To lose her for Tuesday’s game would be another huge blow for a team that, despite putting in an admirable performance on Friday, will no doubt be feeling a little demoralised and low on confidence after relegation.

The rivalry between England and Scotland runs deep and the Lionesses’ neighbours certainly will not roll over despite having nothing to play for in Glasgow. But they will be vulnerable, and if Wiegman’s side can get a couple of early goals, their heads could well drop and England’s chances of recording the convincing win that is likely to be needed will improve.

Retired goalkeeper Ben Foster says Rob McElhenney is the 'brains' behind Wrexham, with co-owner Ryan Reynolds taking a more "relaxed" approach.

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Foster talks up McElhenney's role at WrexhamAlso reveals how Reynolds got involvedEx-keeper reveals truth of Hollywood pair's relationshipGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Appearing on Foster discussed a bit of the detail behind Wrexham's ownership, explaining that McElhenney is the true driver, even though Reynolds is the more well known of the duo. The former Manchester United and England goalkeeper, who hung up his gloves last summer after a second spell at Wrexham, also reiterated that the Hollywood duo weren't actually friends before their investment in the Welsh club.

AdvertisementWHAT FOSTER SAID

Foster said: "Rob is the brains behind it, Rob is fully in. Don't get me wrong they're both fully in but Rob, you can tell this is his baby, genuinely it's his baby, Wrexham is. Ryan, I think at first he joined along for the ride and was like, 'Yeah I'll help you out.' And then he's fallen head over heels in for it as well. He's a bit more relaxed, whereas Rob is, 'No, we want to do something here.'"

When asked if McElhenney and Reynolds are "best friends" away from the club, Foster added: "No, they're not. They didn't even know each other. Before they started the Wrexham thing, [Rob] had never even spoken to [Ryan]. He just sort of reached out and said, 'I'm going to do this crazy thing, do you want to be part of it?'"

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Although, as Foster says, it would be unfair to suggest that Reynolds isn't as emotionally invested, fans have seen just how passionate McElhenney is about Wrexham thanks to insight given in each series so far of . On the occasions when he hasn't made the trip over, McElhenney gets up at the crack of dawn at home in Los Angeles to watch games via a live stream.

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DID YOU KNOW?

McElhenney was inspired to invest in Wrexham, based in a working class town, thanks to his own upbringing in Philadelphia, one of America's traditionally working class cities. The project is more to him than just the club itself, as he hopes to help regenerate and bring new life to an area that had fallen into decline.

Five uncapped players have been picked in the squad for the Bangladesh T20 in Pallekele which will round of the Bangladesh tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Mar-2013Five uncapped players have been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the one-off Twenty20 that will complete the Bangladesh tour in Pallekele. Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Nuwan Kulasekara have been rested for the match. Mahela Jayawardene has recovered sufficiently from a finger fracture to be available for selection, but was not picked either.*Allrounders Shehan Jayasuriya, Chaturanga de Silva, Ramith Rambukwella, and fast bowler Ishan Jayaratne were the new additions to the squad, while batsman Angelo Perera, already in the ODI squad, also found a place.The selectors’ focus on youth development is writ large in their latest team, as all five uncapped players are yet to turn 24, with Jeevan Mendis the only player named in the squad above the age of 30.Kithuruwan Vithanage, who debuted in the Test series and is in the ODI squad, retained his place for the final assignment of the tour. Sachithra Senanayake was the only specialist spinner, with no room for either Ajantha Mendis, Akila Dananjaya or Tharindu Kaushal.The match will be Dinesh Chandimal’s first as Twenty20 captain, with Malinga set to be vice-captain for the first time. The squad for the third ODI was unchanged from the side named for the first two matches, after the second game was washed out in Hambantota.Twenty20 squad: Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dilshan Munaweera, Dinesh Chandimal (capt & wk), Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kithruwan Withanage, Angelo Perera, Lasith Malinga (vc), Sachithra Senanayaka, Shaminda Eranga, Chathuranga de Silva, Shehan Jayasuriya, Ramith Rambukwella, Ishan Jayaratne, Thisara Perera

A lack of consistency cost England the right to push for victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka, according their captain Andrew Strauss

Andrew Miller at Lord's07-Jun-2011A lack of consistency cost England the right to push for victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka, according their captain Andrew Strauss, after five hard-fought days petered out into a draw on a docile wicket at Lord’s.Given England’s recent run of form in Test cricket – which includes four innings victories in their last six matches, including a remarkable last-session triumph in Cardiff last week – Strauss admitted to a certain amount of frustration that they were unable to close out the Sri Lanka series with a game to spare. However, he conceded that at critical moments, his team lacked the spark and penetration of previous contests, adding that by the final afternoon of the match, they had “run their race”.”We didn’t expect them to fold quite as they did at Cardiff, and they didn’t on a flat wicket,” said Strauss. “Over the last 18 months we’ve prided ourselves on just how consistent we have been as a bowling line-up. But the guys are not machines, and sometimes the rhythm’s not there – and it’s hard work.”England’s realistic hopes of a result were thwarted on the second afternoon, when Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana responded to their team’s 82 all out capitulation in Cardiff with an opening stand of 207. In that period, and again on the third morning, England’s seamers were as off-colour as at any stage in the past 18 months, with the bowling coach, David Saker, describing the number of balls down the leg-side as “inexcusable”.”We’re not going to play the perfect Test match every time – we’ve got to be realistic about that – but the most important thing is we don’t make the same mistake twice,” said Strauss. “I was very happy with the way the guys came back and improved as the game went on, although it is always frustrating when a Test match ends in a draw, because you’ve put in a lot of hard work for five days.”The pick of England’s attack, in terms of wickets, was the 22-year-old Steven Finn, who fought back from a wayward start to claim 4 for 108, and in the process became the youngest England bowler to 50 Test wickets. Despite that acclaim, however, his career economy-rate is close to 4 an over, and with James Anderson on the mend following a side strain in Cardiff, he could find himself back on the sidelines at the Rose Bowl.”I think Steven Finn got a lot better as the game went on,” said Strauss. “He’d been out of the side a little bit, so I suppose he had every right to feel a bit anxious at the start. But all our bowlers bring something different, and certainly Jimmy does with his consistent lines and swinging it a bit more than the others. We are very hopeful he’ll be fit.”It would certainly be a surprise if the man to make way was Stuart Broad, whose recent appointment as England Twenty20 captain was an acknowledgement of his senior status within the England squad. Nevertheless, his record in red-ball cricket is becoming something of a concern, with his two wickets at Lord’s costing 154 and coming at 3.75 an over. After 36 Tests, he still averages an unworthy 35.97.Though Strauss defended his team-mate, he didn’t deny there were concerns. “I don’t think he’s quite getting the rub of the green at the moment,” he said. “He’s bowled some very good balls that are passing the edge, and has probably bowled better than the statistics say. But all of us have to keep trying to improve, and make sure our performances get better.”That goes for the batsmen as well, not least Strauss himself, who made scores of 4 and 0 in his two innings and was nailed on both occasions by the left-arm seam of Chanaka Welegedara. He has now fallen to that style of bowling 22 times in his career, and nine in the past 12 months. With the excellent Zaheer Khan set to lead the attack for India later in the summer, Strauss knows he can’t afford to let the problem spread.”I was obviously frustrated to miss out twice on a good batting surface,” he said. “But I think to some extent that’s the nature of the beast as an opening batsman … sometimes you get a couple of good ones early. But I obviously need to keep working and make sure it doesn’t happen again at the Rose Bowl.”The final-day positives for England included the form of Ian Bell, whose 40-ball half-century on the final afternoon was the most fluent innings of the match, and an impressive display from Kevin Pietersen, who fell once again to a left-arm spinner, but not before he’d racked up a dominant 72. Given that he had started his innings in a no-win situation late on the fourth day, it was a satisfactory upshot in his quest for his former glories.”It wasn’t an easy situation when he went in yesterday, with dark cloud cover and the lights on,” said Strauss. “Lord’s does a lot more in those conditions, so he did have to graft pretty hard then. But he did that outstandingly well and then obviously came out the other side and played some lovely shots today. We always knew he was going to score runs at some stage, and we hope this is the catalyst to go and have a purple patch like Alastair Cook’s having.”There was some criticism of England’s intent as they built towards their eventual declaration total of 335 for 7, and by the end of the innings, the on-field events had been overshadowed by Matt Prior’s run-in with the dressing-room window. Nevertheless, Strauss felt they could not have done much more to force the game.”It was a bit tricky prior to lunch when the left-armer was bowling over the wicket into the rough – it was a bit hard to keep the momentum going, and we lost a little bit there,” he said. “But we still scored at more than four an over, but I think it was always going to be a little bit hard to force a result on the final day here – because we know the Lord’s wicket doesn’t deteriorate.”I just told them what I wanted us to get, and how many overs we had to get it – and we needed to bat pretty quickly. But there are always things in a Test match we could have done better. We hope we do that at the Rose Bowl.”

Elton Chigumbura has urged his top order to start delivering as his side look ahead to the daunting task of taking on co-hosts Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Thursday

Osman Samiuddin in Pallekele09-Mar-2011Elton Chigumbura has urged his top order to start delivering as his side look ahead to the daunting task of taking on co-hosts Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Thursday. Zimbabwe have a solitary win from three games – against Canada – to show for their efforts in the tournament so far, and they have been outplayed by both Australia and New Zealand.But captain Chigumbura believes if they can get through the first 15 overs unscathed, his side stands a chance. Zimbabwe stuttered to 57 for 4 in 15 against Australia, 46 for 5 against New Zealand and 73 for 2 against Canada.”We’ve been working on keeping our wickets in the first 15 overs, which we haven’t done,” Chigumbura said. “Our top order has been working on keeping their wickets in hand and to build their innings. Hopefully we do that tomorrow and if we do I am sure we can have a good game.”Zimbabwe have struggled against the pace of Australia and New Zealand, but Sri Lanka bring an entirely different examination with bowlers such as Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan. “It is a big challenge,” Chigumbura said. “Most of their bowlers are matchwinners.”We’ve been watching them play against other teams. If we keep our wickets in hand, I’m sure we can handle them a bit better. But if we lose wickets first up then it’s going to be hard for us to come back in the game.”Elton Chigumbura said Zimbabwe’s top order needed to keep wickets in hand if they had a chance of competing against Sri Lanka in Pallekele•AFPZimbabwe’s own strength has been spin and the reliance on it has been heavy. Of the 125.4 overs bowled by the side in three games, a staggering 101.1 – or over 80% – have been bowled by a variety of spinners. Thirteen of the 15 wickets taken by bowlers have been by spinners, Ray Price, who has opened the bowling during the tournament, and Grame Cremer leading the way with four each.But the surface at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on which New Zealand and Pakistan played on Tuesday helped faster bowlers and wasn’t as responsive to spin as might have been expected.That might, said Chigumbura, force a tinkering of their strategy, but only a tinkering. “I saw the game yesterday and it was assisting seamers and not spinning a lot. I think it will remain the same.”My spinners are more consistent. They are not big turners of the ball so it’s not going to really affect them. It’s just a matter of bowling a good line and length and they have been doing it for a long time. There might be one or two seamers, and we might try to make use of them. But after that we will mainly use our spinners.”Ireland’s win over England over in Group B has pumped hope into the heart of all weaker teams and Chigumbura said the chance of an upset comes down to a question of belief. “Ireland always believed and so do we, obviously, but there might be room to improve. It is down to how much you want it. If you believe you can beat a bigger team, it’s up to every individual to have that same belief.”It gives me motivation when you see other teams who don’t give up and end up winning. That teaches you it isn’t over until it’s over. If we correct our batting I always back my bowlers to defend any score of more than 260, and we’re working on our batting.”

Junaid Khan came good for the Pakistanis, claiming four wickets, as the two-day tour game in Bulawayo ended in a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Junaid Khan came good for the Pakistanis, claiming four wickets, as the two-day tour game in Bulawayo ended in a draw. The Zimbabwe XI managed only a three-run first innings lead after a lower-order collapse, following which the Pakistanis put on 72 for 1 in 24 overs before the match ended.Resuming on 30 for no loss, the Zimbabwe XI were jolted early by left-armer Junaid who trapped both Tino Mawoyo and Regis Chakabva lbw, the latter for a duck. Greg Lamb managed to provide overnight batsman Chamu Chibhabha – who top scored with 70 – with a bit of support and the pair put on 71. But legspinner Yasir Shah dismissed both in quick succession, Zimbabwe XI faltering at 132 for 4. Another period of brief resistance was followed by a slide, as the hosts lost their last six wickets for 43 runs. Offspinner Saeed Ajmal also picked up two wickets for the Pakistanis in a tidy spell.Mohammad Hafeez was positive when his side came out to bat, stroking 39 off 48 balls before succumbing to the left-arm spin of Cephas Zhuwao. Taufeeq Umar and Misbah-ul-Haq then safely negotiated till the end of play.Pakistan take on Zimbabwe in a lone Test from September 1 in Bulawayo.

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, has said his side has gotten rid of the mentality of aiming for respectable losses, and now try to win every game

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2011Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, has said his side has got rid of the mentality of aiming for respectable losses, and now try to win every game. He said Pakistan were the favourites to win their Twenty20 match against Bangladesh in Mirpur but pointed out that West Indies were also tipped to beat Bangladesh in the Twenty20 opener of their tour, but lost.”I think Bangladesh cricket has crossed that barrier where we aim for a respectable loss against a big team,” Mushfiqur said. “That mentality is not there within this group of players. We play to win every game against whichever team.”They’re the favourites no doubt but if we play our best cricket, it won’t be easy to beat us in any of the formats. West Indies were favourites against us as we don’t usually play Twenty20s. At the end of the day, we bowled well and despite a hiccup in batting, we finished as winners. It will be more difficult tomorrow as Pakistan are experienced and in form, but they have to start from scratch to beat us.”The Twenty20 against West Indies was Mushfiqur’s first game in charge and he took Bangladesh home in their chase with an unbeaten 41 off 26 balls. Bangladesh then lost the one-day series against West Indies 1-2 and the Tests 0-1. Mushfiqur said his bowlers had not utilised the home advantage enough in the matches against West Indies and would have to now, considering how strong Pakistan’s attack is.”They [Pakistan] have one of the best bowling attacks in ODIs, so playing against them would be difficult. In our last series, we couldn’t utilise the wickets. It would be necessary for us to take responsibility in this series. The team that’ll take most out of the pitches, they’ll get the desired results.”Bangladesh upset Pakistan during the 1999 World Cup but have not beaten them since. Mushfiqur said past Bangladesh sides were not as strong as this one is. “Bangladesh were never at their best collectively against Pakistan in the past. They have five to six match-winners so it is hard to beat a side that strong even if you give your 100%. But they are human and they could make mistakes and let us into games.”