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The allrounder, who is set to play his first Test against Australia, is looking forward to complete a set of five-wicket hauls against all nine other Test countries

Mohammad Isam24-Aug-2017

Bangladesh’s spin attack is better than Australia’s at home, according to Shakib Al Hasan. He has backed left-arm spinner Taijul Islam and offspinning allrounder Mehidy Hasan, with whom he combined for 38 wickets in the two-Test series against England last year, to deliver against Australia as well.”I think our spin attack is better than theirs,” Shakib said. “Not in all conditions but in Bangladesh, we are better than them. Taijul and Miraz [Mehidy] have been bowling well for some time now. I believe they will do something fantastic in this series.”Shakib is the most experienced spinner in the Bangladesh side with 176 wickets at an average of 33.04. Taijul is two short of 50 wickets while Mehidy has 35 wickets in seven Tests.The tourists also have an experienced spinner in Nathan Lyon, who will be supported by two rookies – left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, who has played only two Tests so far, and legspinner Mitchell Swepson, who is uncapped in international cricket. Agar, set to play his first Test in more than four years, is likely to partner Lyon in the first Test ahead of Swepson.With the pitches in Bangladesh becoming more responsive to spin now, and more quality spinners coming through the ranks, Shakib feels his workload has lessened. He may not have to bowl as many overs as he used to get wickets.”Taijul and Miraz are bowling well. Spinners like Raj [Abdur Razzak] and [Mohammad] Rafique were around in my early days,” Shakib said. “But there weren’t pitches that helped wicket-taking, because we didn’t really think about winning Test matches. Since now we are focused on winning, the pitches have also become more helpful for spinners.”Shakib, who is set to play his first Test against Australia, is looking forward to complete a set of five-wicket hauls against all nine other Test countries. He would become the fourth player after Muttiah Muralitharan, Dale Steyn, and Rangana Herath to achieve the feat.”I have that in mind. I have four innings to do it so let’s see, Shakib said. “It is more important to contribute, so if someone else takes a five-wicket haul it is good for the team. Taking wickets isn’t really up to me.”There are times when I don’t get a single wicket despite bowling very well. And then there are times when I got wickets by not bowling well. Bowling [in] partnerships is also essential, so we have to keep that in mind too.”

Coach Russell Domingo also said that ODI captain AB de Villiers’ decision to opt out of Tests for South Africa has not affected the team adversely

Firdose Moonda13-Jun-2017AB de Villiers’ behind-the-scenes leadership skills are good enough to merit him continuing as ODI captain despite mounting calls for him to step aside. That was national head coach Russell Domingo’s endorsement of de Villiers, which added to a growing chorus from inside the team camp in support of the ODI captain following South Africa’s first-round exit from the Champions Trophy.”He has done a fantastic job as captain during this campaign. He leads from the front. I know there has been a lot of criticism about his leadership but a lot of it takes place behind closed doors, so what people see on the field, they will create their impressions from that. But the team and management all think he has done a wonderful job behind closed doors, in the preparation and lead-up to games,” Domingo said. “There’s a lot more that goes on than just making a bowling change. People can question his tactics, but there is more than one way to skin a cat. There is no right and wrong way in cricket. He has got to go with what he feels are the best decisions on the field and he has got to commit to that and that’s what he does.”De Villiers was appointed captain of the ODI and T20I sides in 2011, when Domingo began his work with the South African side. At the time, Domingo was Gary Kirsten’s assistant and two years later, he took over the main job only for de Villiers to hand the T20 reins to Faf du Plessis and set his sights on Test captaincy. Throughout that time, de Villiers was still said to be learning the leadership and slow over-rates, coupled with occasionally odd tactics, were proof of that. Domingo was among those who were patient with de Villiers’ schooling.When Graeme Smith stood down in March 2014, Hashim Amla was preferred over de Villiers but less than two years in, Amla did not want to do the job anymore. De Villiers captained two matches as interim skipper before being confirmed the permanent Test captain but never fulfilled the role after injury and then a Test hiatus kept him out of the whites.De Villiers’ absence from the longest format has now stretched to 18 months and could extend to as much as two years. He has opted out of Tests until the home series against India – dates have yet to be confirmed but it could start as late as January 2018 – to manage his workload ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England.Domingo on de Villiers’ choice to opt out of Tests: ‘By no means can we force players to play every single format’•Getty Images

De Villiers’ selective availability for South Africa – while still playing in tournaments such as the IPL – has not sat well with everyone, including former national batsman and current Cobras’ coach Ashwell Prince, who, in the aftermath of the Champions Trophy exit, tweeted: “Perhaps it’s time that @OfficialCSA dictates to players when they may have the honor of representing this country instead of other way round.”Asked whether de Villiers’ decision has affected the team, Domingo denied that it did. He said: “A lot of players have given up a certain format to focus on another one and that’s their choice. By no means can we force players to play every single format. You’ve obviously got to play them according to what they’re contributing in the particular formats and that’s what has happened. If he wants to just play one-dayers and T20s then that’s a decision he has got to live with and a decision he has got to make. You can’t force players to play every format if they are not committed.”Domingo went even further in his defence of de Villiers, pointing out that although de Villiers is not available for Tests, he has not missed any fifty-over cricket since recovering from elbow surgery early this year. After being unable to play against Australia at home last October, de Villiers returned against Sri Lanka, went to New Zealand and has now played in England, where he is also set to feature in three T20s ahead of the Tests. He is expected to play all of South Africa’s one-day series ahead of the World Cup.”He hasn’t sat out any one-day series where he hasn’t been injured. Whenever he has been fit, he has played one-day series. He’s sitting out Test cricket at the moment. His [lack of] Test cricket, in my opinion, would not be affecting his one-day cricket that much,” Domingo said. “So I can’t see the last time he missed a one-day series out of chance – it’s either been having a baby, or getting injured, and those are the main reasons. I wouldn’t say he has been picking and choosing one-day series.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore might have to start IPL 2017 without their captain Virat Kohli, as he battles against time to recover from a shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-20171:00

Quick Facts – Virat Kohli in the IPL

Royal Challengers Bangalore might have to start IPL 2017 without their captain Virat Kohli, as he battles against time to recover from the shoulder injury he picked up during the Australia Tests. The IPL starts on April 5, with Royal Challengers playing defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener.”It’s still a few weeks to go before I can be 100% on the field,” Kohli said at the end of the Dharamsala Test, when asked about his fitness. “But these things happen in your career. Got to take it in my strike and move forward.”Kohli had hurt his right shoulder during the third Test in Ranchi, when he dived in an attempt to stop a boundary. He sat out the final Test as a result.Royal Challengers were yet to offer an official comment on Kohli’s availability. Kohli has missed only one game for the franchise so far, in the inaugural season in 2008. In 2016, he scored 973 runs for RCB and could have become the first player to score 1000 runs in an IPL season.

Reeza Hendricks did the job with bat and ball for Lions, in their opening Momentum Cup game against Warriors, setting up a 44-run win at the Wanderers.Hendricks first scored 101 off 104 in a 178-run opening stand with Stephan Cook to lay the platform for Lions’ 329-run total, before striking twice in an over with his part-time medium pace to rock the chase.Lions were put in to bat and Hendricks and Cook’s partnership ticked over at more than a run a ball before JJ Smuts – the most effective and economical of the Warriors bowlers with 2 for 51 – broke through. A cluster of rapid cameos followed from the middle order to carry Lions well past the 300-run mark.After losing Smuts early, Warriors seemed to have got back on track through a 122-run second-wicket stand between Gihahn Cloete and Colin Ingram. Then Hendricks took the pair out in the space of five balls, and Warriors’ challenge was quickly flagging. No one else could get to fifty for Warriors, though several in the middle order got starts, and eventually they fell well short, bowled out in exactly 50 overs for 285. Lions’ other Hendricks, new-ball bowler Beuran, also did his bit effectively, claiming 3 for 55 in his ten.

Liverpool will be searching for the best talent on the globe to enrich the club's underbelly, and Turkish Fenerbahce sensation Arda Guler could be the answer.

That's according to Turkish outlet Aksam (via Sport Witness), who claim that Jurgen Klopp's Reds – alongside Barcelona – 'want' the 18-year-old prospect after his stunning start to life in the Turkish Super Lig and that they have 'accelerated attempts' as the 22/23 campaign concludes.

A dynamic ace, Guler's availability is complicated by Fenerbahce's desire to keep him at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium for one more year, with two seasons remaining on his existing contract.

Liverpool would be expected to pay around £20m for the teenage talent to pluck him from Turkish clutches, and while this might seem somewhat steep for a starlet so soon into their career at top level, his discernible aptitude as a first-rate prospect should warrant a swoop from one of Europe's biggest clubs, and Klopp would be wise to ensure that he is brought to Anfield.

How good is Arda Guler?

It's been an impressive season for this young gem. Having posted three goals and assists apiece from just two starting appearances in the league last term, Guler has carried on his feats into the present campaign and has scored six goals and supplied six assists from 34 appearances across all competitions.

It's the regularity of his brilliant performances at the maiden stage of his career that will have been so arresting to the likes of Klopp and co, with Sofascore recording Guler's average league rating this season at an impressive 7.48, with his seven direct contributions from just 11 starts complemented by an average of 1.7 shots and two key passes per game, an 85% pass completion rate and an illustration of his defensive work with 1.3 tackles per match.

Guler's strength across a variety of positions – namely the right-wing, attacking midfield and centre of the park – bears a certain resemblance to that of one Kevin De Bruyne, with the Manchester City phenomenon also playing as a winger in his early days before dropping centrally and deeper as he progressed into the prime of his career.

Indeed, preceding his £55m transfer to the Citizens, De Bruyne would frequent the flanks alongside his usual deployment as a central attacking midfielder, with the treble-winning Belgian now one of the most distinguished modern gems with an incredible seasonal haul of ten goals and 31 assists from 49 matches this season.

Guler, who already has an eye for goals and assists and a steady creative output – with his two key passes per game – is a "serious talent", according to Duncan Castles, and could be moulded into one of Europe's best under Klopp's wing.

The German manager has done it before – Gini Wijnaldum and Harvey Elliott were both moved from more attack-focussed roles, Alexis Mac Allister will likely be featured as a robust and industrious central option after signing this summer, veering away from his abilities further up-field.

And Guler, who has been riding the crest of a wave during his early years and hailed as a prospect with "no limit" by Andrea Pirlo, could be the latest addition, emulating someone of De Bruyne's ilk and flourishing as a devastating force for years to come on Merseyside.

Ben Stokes was elevated to vice-captain for the one-day series in Bangladesh and he took it upon himself to stir England into action when the first match was slipping away

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2016Ben Stokes can inspire with words and deeds. With the opening one-day international in Mirpur quickly running away from England, Stokes took advantage of a break in play to remind his team-mates that they had to fight to the end.That end was a Bangladesh collapse of 6 for 17 in 39 balls, started by Jake Ball’s two wickets in two deliveries, as England went from near defeat to a 21-run victory.Stokes, whose leadership qualities have been admired by Trevor Bayliss since he became coach, was named vice-captain for this series after Jos Buttler’s elevation to the captaincy in place of Eoin Morgan.He has been given the freedom to intervene on the field when he feels it is required, partly because of the workload on Buttler as a wicketkeeper-captain, and took it upon himself to rally the team when the Bangladesh batsmen needed treatment for cramp in brutal conditions.”It’s something I would always do. I felt like the situation needed it to happen,” Stokes said. “I said to Jos about two overs before, rather than hoping the result can go our way and waiting for our wicket before we can all get together, is it worth calling everyone in for a quick two-minute chat?Stokes tries to lift Durham’s mood

Ben Stokes’ rallying calls are not restricted to on the field in Bangladesh. He has been a key figure in lifting the mood back at Durham after their relegation and points deduction following an ECB financial bail-out.
He said the ECB’s intervention had saved Durham from going under and though it’s the players who will suffer most they can also lead the revival.
“The best thing is that we are still a first-class county and it’s looking very unlikely that we will get back into Division One next year, but as soon as the news broke, Colly and myself were trying to be the driving points for everyone. This is what’s happened, let’s deal with it.
“The senior guys have been really good. They said, we’ve been for this long, we’ve grown up together, and obviously it’s a clean slate for Durham, so let’s try to get us back to where we belong.”

“The two guys were in and they were going to win it unless we got them out. A talk like that switches everyone back on rather than thinking ‘oh this game is going to go unless we get a wicket’. After that, everyone went away and thought, right, let’s get two and try to kill the game off.”Stokes is more than happy for the ‘big calls’ to stay with Buttler but believes he has the experience to help make a difference.”Jos is the one who makes the big calls, so you don’t want to be stepping too far out of your box, but if I feel the time is right and it’s needed then I will do it,” he said. “He’s the man in command, so I’m leaving the big calls down to him.””Farby [Paul Farbrace] mentioned to me how much Jos has on his plate as keeper and captain. He gave me the freedom, if I think of something, rather than going to Jos, if I think that it’s necessary then I’ll go and talk it through with the bowler, or if there are any field placings.”The first act of Stokes’ day was to inspire with the bat, compiling his maiden ODI century after striding to crease with England tottering on 63 for 3 in front of a crowd baying for more Bangladesh success. Alongside debutant Ben Duckett he added 153, moving to his century from 98 deliveries to tick off one of his major aims for the year.He has previously spoken about how he believed he had under-delivered with the bat in one-day cricket – although in his earlier days he was shunted around the order to his detriment – and his hundred meant it was twice in two ODIs he had improved his career-best and his last three ODI innings now read 69, 75 and 101.”It’s one of the things that I wanted to do when I got back from injury and was able to play the one-day series against Pakistan, was to put in some more consistent performances and it’s nice to back the words up by going out and doing it.”I said to myself I wanted to try to get this first ODI [century] before 2016 finished and I have managed to do it, but now I have done that I won’t just be happy with one, I want a couple more in the games we have coming up.”

Eoin Morgan, and any other players still uncertain over whether to tour Bangladesh, have until Saturday to make up their minds, according to Andrew Strauss

Andrew McGlashan07-Sep-20162:20

Will Morgan travel to Bangladesh?

Eoin Morgan, and any other players still uncertain over whether to tour Bangladesh, have until Saturday to make up their minds with Andrew Strauss, the team director, saying there can be no guarantees given to anyone who relinquishes their place.Morgan has been among the players with the most reservations about the trip but Strauss, who had called for a full-strength squad to commit to the tour as soon as it was given the green light last week, reiterated that he would “absolutely” want both England’s captains to undertake the Test and ODI legs of the trip.Alastair Cook has given private assurances that he will lead the Test side, but Morgan’s uncertainty seems set to linger into the weekend when England’s central- and incremental- contracted players gather for two days of end-of-season fitness assessments and appraisals.Over the course of those two days, Strauss will ask for a ‘yes or no’ over a player’s willingness to be available for the Bangladesh tour, with the squad now due to be named at the end of next week. The announcement has been pushed back to give players more time after the conclusion of the series against Pakistan.Though Strauss did not issue any ultimatums – the ECB’s stance continues to be that touring is an individual choice – he did acknowledge that being captain brings other responsibilities”Would I like both our captains to be on that tour? Absolutely, definitely,” Strauss said. “The captain has certain roles and responsibilities that are greater than just looking after themselves. He obviously has a duty to the team. But they’re still human beings – and I think that’s an important point to make. They have their own thoughts, concerns, issues and views on life – and we’ve got to understand that.”I can’t force anyone onto that plane. I cannot literally force people up the steps and say ‘you have to go to Bangladesh’. People have their own decisions to make.”Though Strauss insisted he was not delivering any ultimatums, Morgan may nevertheless wish to consider the subtext in his comments. Writing in the Daily Telegraph last week, Kevin Pietersen – who was faced with a similar situation during his time as England captain in India in 2008-09 – warned that Morgan would “have a red cross against his name” in ECB circles if he refused to make the trip.”When the going gets tough for him in the future, with the team losing, or a run of personal low scores, then he will find that the loyalty from his bosses will not be the same because he went against them,” Pietersen wrote. “That is just the way it is. In the end it will come back to haunt him.”Alex Hales, another player reported to be uncertain about the tour, has previously said how it is a difficult decision because you are forgoing your place in the side. This is especially true of someone such as Hales, who is struggling to cling to his Test berth, while there are an abundance of young players striving to get in the one-day side even if Hales has just become England’s individual record-holder in ODIs.”I think, at its most simple, the big consequence for not going is you are giving someone else an opportunity to step into your shoes and stake a claim for themselves,” Strauss said.”That’s just the same as if someone gets injured, you are out of possession of that spot in the team for a certain period of time, and if someone does really well then you can’t give any guarantees.”But that’s a choice people have to make themselves, and they have to weigh up all sorts of different things when they come to this decision. Everyone has a different attitude to risk, different thoughts about what their priorities in life are. That’s fine – that’s their decision.”Strauss stopped short of saying that a player’s decision on the Bangladesh tour would affect their position for the India leg, a situation more relevant to the Test team where the seven matches in Bangladesh and India are being seen in their entirety, but again encouraged them to take heed of the security assessment put together which got the tour approved.”I’m very assured by the report that Reg gave to me and translated to the players. But everyone will look at that and take their own observations,” Strauss said. “I’m still very hopeful that everyone gets on that plane because I believe the security plan we have in place mitigates the risk to an acceptable level.”I genuinely believe that and that is why I’m encouraging every player to use that incredibly detailed and experienced view point from Reg to make a judgement.”

Two days before a Dunedin Test match in December, news broke that a doping test had found a banned substance in Kusal Perera’s body. In the grueling months that followed, Perera put himself through more tests – including a polygraph – to have his name cleared.Two days out from another Test match and Perera’s batting was seen getting special attention in the nets on the Lord’s Nursery Ground. He admitted six months out of the game had taken an emotional and physical toll, but there is an eagerness to get back to playing cricket. What better place to make his return, he asked, than the most prestigious ground of them all?”I haven’t been told if I’m playing yet, but I was thrown into trouble and to come back from that at Lord’s would be a great opportunity,” Kusal said. “I was banned just before a Test, so to return in this format would be fitting. Even the time I was out of the team I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. But these things can happen in life.”Between December 7, when he was provisionally suspended, and May 11, when he was cleared, Perera was not allowed to so much as train with the SLC coaches. He might not have had the time anyway, having had to make repeated trips overseas, including to London, where the polygraph and a separate urine test were conducted. A hair analysis was done in a Paris lab.”I couldn’t really think about cricket much in those months, because my focus was on the problem I was facing. I didn’t have any time to think about whether I was in touch, or whether I could train, or even what was happening in cricket. I started training the day after I was cleared. Before then I didn’t do much batting – just some fitness work.”Perera was in the nets at Colombo’s Khettarama on May 13, and said he has trained as much as Sri Lanka’s heavy southwest monsoon has allowed him to. He was not expected to play a part in the Test series, but injuries to others in the squad have allowed him to be fast-tracked.”When you start training after six months your body needs to get used to it again,” he said. “Your muscles start to hurt – but that’s normal. But what I’ve found is that because I’m coming into it quite fresh, I’m hitting the ball well. I’m seeing it well. So there are positives to it as well. I feel like I’m in good touch.”Perera said he hadn’t specifically trained for Test cricket since resuming practice, but was hopeful the relative ease of conditions at Lord’s might ease him into international cricket – if he is in the final XI. Temperatures are expected to remain in the 20s Centigrade during the Test, and no team has been dismissed for less than 350 at Lord’s in three county matches so far this season.”I watched the attack and it’s mostly fast bowlers,” Kusal said. “In London the conditions seem easier, because it must have been very cold in Durham. When it’s cold you are a bit stiff and your feet don’t work as well. With this weather and given the pitch as well – which looks like it will be batting-friendly – I think there’s a chance for us to dominate them.”

Leeds United's 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday evening proved a miserable return to north London for former Gunners youth product, Luke Ayling, with the experienced defender having been something of a liability for Javi Gracia's side at right-back.

The 31-year-old – who failed to make an appearance for the Emirates outfit after rising up through the club's youth ranks – notably gave away what could be considered a soft penalty to allow Gabriel Jesus to fire the hosts ahead, before also being beaten by Gabriel Martinelli as Mikel Arteta's men powered home a second through Ben White just after the break.

As Leeds Live's Beren Cross noted, the Brazilian winger had Ayling 'on toast all afternoon', with the latter man having undoubtedly "struggled" to shackle the dynamic and relentless youngster, as per journalist Joe Donnohue.

Those woes were also reflected by the fact that the Whites' stand-in skipper won just four of his 11 duels and lost possession on 11 occasions, while also being dribbled past five times as a marker of his defensive shortcomings.

Such a grim performance saw the Lamberth-born dud record a match rating of just 5.6, as per Sofascore, with that the joint-lowest of any player for either side, alongside teammate Illan Meslier.

With the Yorkshire outfit back in Premier League action against fellow relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest this evening, Gracia must surely be considering whether to ditch Ayling for the visit of Steve Cooper's men, particularly with the Englishman having also previously underwhelmed against the Garibaldi earlier this season.

Will Ayling start against Forest?

Ahead of what will be a potentially crucial clash with Forest at Elland Road later today, the Leeds boss may need to reflect on Ayling's dour display when the two sides met in the reverse fixture back in February.

That meeting at the City Ground saw the £20k-per-week man prove somewhat culpable for the game's only goal, as the long-serving asset arguably "fell asleep" after losing his man in the build-up to Brennan Johnson's winner, as per pundit Shaun Wright-Phillips.

That lapse in concentration epitomised what was a rather dour outing for the former Bristol City man, as he again proved rather lightweight in a defensive sense after winning just four of his 12 total duels, while being dribbled past on two occasions.

The 6-foot menace was not just a liability out of possession, however, having also failed to make his mark on the ball, regularly playing his side into trouble after losing the ball on 27 occasions and completing just five of his 12 attempted long balls.

While that might have been part of Ayling's desire to 'get forward and create' – as noted at the time by Yorkshire Evening Post's Graham Smyth – it remains rather worrying for a defender to be so erratic when attempting to play out from the back.

Gracia – who wasn't in charge at the time of the trip to Nottingham – can likely ill-afford another error-strewn performance from the struggling asset this time around, with it perhaps for the best that Ayling sits this one out.

Chelsea produced arguably their best performance under Graham Potter on Tuesday night as they swept aside an in-form Borussia Dortmund side to secure their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Blues had trailed 1-0 after their defeat in Germany last month but were deserved winners at Stamford Bridge, with Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz’s goals sealing a 2-0 win.

It was a story of resurgence for a number of Chelsea stars on the evening, with Sterling and Havertz both getting on the scoresheet after a difficult spell for them in front of goal.

There was also a welcome sight for Todd Boehly, as summer signing Marc Cucurella finally started to show why the Blues paid £60m to sign him from Brighton, in a performance that could kickstart his career at Stamford Bridge.

How did Marc Cucurella play against Borussia Dortmund?

The Spanish defender was drafted in at left centre-back in the absence of Benoit Badiashile, who wasn’t registered for the latter stages of the Champions League despite being a regular in defence since his arrival from Monaco.

Sofascore would award the 24-year-old a solid 7.0/10 rating for his performance at Stamford Bridge, as he contributed an impressive four interceptions, which is a dramatic improvement on the 0.6 he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

Chelsea fans will certainly have been impressed with the defender’s tenacity and work rate on the evening, as he and Ben Chilwell caused plenty of problems down the left, with both of Chelsea’s goals coming after good work down that side of the pitch.

The versatile defender was awarded the Man of the Match award by UEFA following the game, with journalist Fabrizio Romano writing:

“Marc Cucurella, UEFA Man of the Match for Chelsea tonight.Cucurella and Koulibaly at top level, one of the best news from Graham Potter.”

Cucurella hasn’t had the best time of things since signing a £175k-per-week deal at Stamford Bridge in August last year, with journalist Nick Emms notably stating post-match that “people doubted him”.

Indeed, his 6.66 WhoScored average rating in the Premier League sees him ranked as the 12th-best performer in Potter’s squad, although last night could be a “real turning point for him” in the words of Ben Jacobs.

However, with more performances like this one on Tuesday night, the £60m signing could soon become the “Cucurella Chelsea fans thought they were signing” – as noted by Bobby Vincent – transitioning from zero to hero in the eyes of the Stamford Bridge faithful.