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India’s traditional strength has always been spin, and this holds goodeven for Test matches abroad. Take any overseas victory from the 60sto the 90s, and it will be noticed that spin has played a decisiverole. In the 60s and 70s, all Indian wins overseas came about as aresult of some splendid work by the famed spin quartet. They wereresponsible for shaping the victories in New Zealand in 1967-68, inthe West Indies and England in 1971, in New Zealand in 1976, in WestIndies later that year, and in Australia in 1977-78.

The advent of Kapil Dev changed the script considerably. But even whenhe was at the forefront of India’s wins, most notably at Melbourne in1981 and at Lord’s and Leeds in 1986, the contribution of the spinnerscould not be overlooked. In England, when conditions heavily favouredKapil, Roger Binny and Chetan Sharma, the Test averages were stillheaded by Maninder Singh, who struck telling blows in the two matches.And if Kapil played a courageous role in bowling India to victory atMelbourne, the role of Dilip Doshi cannot be forgotten. The left-armspinner, like Kapil, battled injury even as he picked up the vitalwickets of Graeme Wood and Kim Hughes on his way to a match haul offive to the Indian spearhead’s six.But there was no denying the fact that, overall, the Indian bowlingneeded to revolve around spin if it was to make a greater impactoverseas, and this was proved even as recently as 1993, when AnilKumble, albeit all too rarely, scripted a victory in Sri Lanka. Sevenyears later, Sunil Joshi played the leading role in the win overBangladesh at Dhaka.However, in the past year, there has been a significant change in thescenario. The last three victories abroad have been shaped by seamrather than spin. The trio of medium-pacers – Zaheer Khan, AshishNehra and Javagal Srinath – took 13 wickets, while the lone spinner,Harbhajan Singh, managed just three in the victory over Zimbabwe atBulawayo.The seamers’ dominance was almost complete a couple of months later inthe win over Sri Lanka at Kandy. Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan,Harvinder Singh and Sourav Ganguly shared 18 wickets between them,while only one wicket fell to Harbhajan. In the most recent triumph atPort of Spain, Srinath, Zaheer and Nehra had 15 wickets to show fortheir efforts, while again Harbhajan, the lone spinner, had just threescalps.The Indian spinner’s role in the past had never been so minimal. Evenwhen the side had three seam bowlers and one spinner, the latteralways made his presence felt, as can be seen by the examples ofManinder and Doshi. Admittedly, the spinners in the post-1980 period,when the quartet broke up, cannot be compared to their predecessors,especially in overseas conditions. This has become more pronounced inthe last decade or so, as illustrated by the figures of NarendraHirwani, Venkatapathy Raju and Rajesh Chauhan, besides Kumble andHarbhajan.The palpable shift to seam cannot be missed, what with the team’sthink-tank in the West Indies fielding three seam bowlers and only onespinner in four straight Tests, starting from the victory at Port ofSpain. Conventional wisdom, on the other hand, had it, as the teamleft for the Caribbean, that Kumble and Harbhajan would be an integralpart of the bowling line-up.This shift in attack may also be seen in England, where conditions arebound to help the seamers. If any further evidence were required, onehas only to look back at the bowling averages of the last Test seriesthere between the two countries in 1996, when Srinath and Prasadformed a splendid pair of opening bowlers.However, I have a lurking feeling that it will not be long before themesmeric magic and infinite variety of Indian spin again wins matchesabroad. In the long run, because of its strong traditional strength,spin is more likely to succeed abroad rather than pace. An analogy canbe drawn with the West Indian pacemen, who have always done well evenon Indian pitches, regarded as graveyards for fast bowlers. Ifanything, past history by way of the cases I have pointed out is proofof this. Spin to win is the Indian mantra, and this holds good evenfor Test matches abroad, despite the good work done by the seamers oflate.

Cairns and Darwin are set to become Australia’s newest Test cricket venues as early as next year.The Australian Cricket Board is expected to announce winter Test matches for both cities later this week – the first against Bangladesh in July next year. Darwin’s Football Park and the Bundaberg Rum Stadium in Cairns will be the venues.The ACB has been trying to find new venues for Test matches against lower-ranked nations such as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.The International Cricket Council (ICC) requires all Test nations to play each other home and away every five years.But the already crowded international cricket schedule means winter Test matches are the only realistic option.That has led to the push to play in the warmer winter climes of northern Australia to allow proper wicket preparation and better weather.While refusing to confirm Cairns and Darwin as certain to host Test cricket, ACB spokesman Brendan McClements said today it was an option that had beenlooked at for some time.”We flagged some time ago venues in northern Australia as potential international cricket venues,” he said.”The season is getting more and more congested with more and more teams to play and especially with the majority of countries in the same hemisphere.”We’ve looked and continue to look at them.”Bangladesh’s visit to Cairns and Darwin would be followed by Tests and one-day internationals against Zimbabwe in 2004, a World A team in 2005, Sri Lanka in2006, and Zimbabwe again in 2007.Each tour would be a minimum of two Tests – one each in Cairns and Darwin – and three one-day matches.Darwin’s Football Park, which has a 15,000 capacity, and the 10,000 capacity Bundaberg Rum Stadium in Cairns would have to be upgraded to meet stringentICC specifications for Test matches.The ICC has visited Bundaberg Rum Stadium, while the Northern Territory Government has announced a $2.5 million redevelopment for Football Park.The upgrade involves improved drainage and lighting, a new scoreboard, and new change rooms and media facilities.

GOING – GOING – GONE FOR AN INDIAN WIN AT GUWAHATI

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Guwahati, situated in the north-eastern state of Assam, played host for the final one-day international match between India and Zimbabwe. With both teams tied at two-all, this was in effect the final.For the hosts, they would need to win the match to make a point that they are a superior side, and for the visitors, a win would do wonders for their overall confidence. Both teams went in with one change each. For India Murali Kartik made way for all-rounder Vijay Bharadwaj, and for Zimbabwe an injured Mbangwa made way for Gary Brent.A sizable crowd turned out at the Nehru Stadium, to watch what promised to be an exciting day of cricketing action. The visitors began well, as the openers were far from comfortable. Dinesh Mongia was lucky to survive two close leg-before appeals in a Heath Streak over, but after the initial hiccups, Mongia stepped onto the confidence pedal.Captain Ganguly was in form, but his stay at the crease was not as long as he would have liked, as he departed after adding 28 runs. With partners making entrances and exits at the other end, Dinesh Mongia went from strength to strength as he built on his innings, dismissing balls to the boundary fence with timely precision and with an air of disdain at times. His maiden one-day hundred came off 121 balls and had eleven hits to the fence.The new batting sensation in the shorter version of the game, Yuvraj Singh, made his way out to the middle when India were 157 for four. During his stay at the crease he blasted 75 runs off only 52 balls, and entertained the crowd with six fours and three huge sixes.The visitors were looking at a massive total to chase when Dinesh Mongia hit the final boundary, getting India to a score of 333 for six, and he remained unbeaten with 159 runs. Zimbabwe were docked two overs, as their over rate was very slow, so the task got even tougher with 334 runs to be scored in the revised 48 overs.Openers Campbell and Ebrahim got off to a steady start, adding 50 runs for the opening partnership, but Campbell departed soon after, leaving his side at 50 for one. This was not the ideal start, but one that could be built on. Zimbabwe’s young blood flowed as Ebrahim and Travis Friend seemed to get set, and they added 61 valuable runs for the second wicket. But the partnership ended with Friend being stumped for a rapidly made 31 runs.With the experienced Andy Flower making his way to the middle, one thought that he would steady the rumbles in the Zimbabwe foundation. But that was not to be as he went out early, leaving the base shakier than ever and victory still a far-away dream.Nothing seemed to be going right, as Dion Ebrahim tried to play a positive shot, but mistimed it and followed Andy Flower back to the pavilion after scoring 42 runs. Zimbabwe had two new batsmen at the crease, to make the most of what was left.Captain Carlisle was required to play a really solid knock along with the gutsy Grant Flower, and with the score on 114 for four they would have to play for pride. Carlisle and Grant added 29 runs for the fifth wicket, but Carlisle could not consolidate his score and Zimbabwe were now 143 for five.Winning was nowhere on the horizon, but in the shorter version of the game one can never say! Grant Flower and Heath Streak started to reconstruct the innings as they put on 84 runs for the sixth wicket. The sun was beginning to peep under the horizon but Grant Flower failed to get to the half-century mark yet again as he departed after adding 48 runs off only 47 balls.With the score 227/ for six the writing was now on the wall, and unless Zimbabwe could do a Marillier it was pack-up time for the visitors. Heath Streak stuck it out till the end, but 334 was not gettable, and with 232 on the board Zimbabwe sealed the match in India’s favour.India won the series three-two and the match handsomely with a 101-run victory. Dinesh Mongia walked away with both the Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards. And if a smile could speak a thousand words, Mongia was speaking in millions.Stuart Carlisle spoke with an air of maturity, congratulating Yuvraj Singh and Mongia for their batting performances. He went on to say that there were many lessons that his team had learnt in both the one-day series and the Test matches. There were some glowing individual performances, and overall in the fielding department they scored much higher than the hosts. The Indian Experience on the whole was a rewarding one.Sourav Ganguly was pleased that the young blood in the team was showing results. The upcoming Test series in the West Indies would be a totally different cup of tea, and they would begin on a clean slate.All in all one could say that the obviously weaker side, Zimbabwe, showed that they had it within them to give the Indian tigers a huge fright in the shorter version of the game. And in the real test of the game, the visitors showed a lot of character and promise. At a time when their country was in a political mess, the Zimbabwean cricketers played on and won many an admirer in the cricket-crazy country – India.

Nathan Smith, the 25-year-old New Zealand allrounder, has joined Worcestershire as an overseas player for the entirety of the 2024 season.Smith has yet to make his international debut, but has featured domestically for Otago Volts and Wellington Firebirds, claiming 105 first-class wickets at 27.65 and 1620 runs at 26.55, with on first-class century. His T20 attributes include 52 wickets at 21.59, and a career strike-rate of 122.”I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Worcestershire for the 2024 season,” Smith said. “The club’s rich history and commitment to developing talent make it an ideal environment for me to grow as a cricketer.”I’ve heard a lot of good things about the club from other Kiwis who have played at New Road recently, and I can’t wait to join up with the rest of the squad and hit the ground running.”Worcestershire’s head coach, Alan Richardson, added: “Nathan is a great character, and is a fantastic addition to our squad.”We have been monitoring him for some time, and his pace and ability to swing the ball will provide us with a significant boost in our bowling department.”He’s a genuine wicket-taker, can also contribute valuable runs down the order, and is an outstanding fielder, making him a real all-round threat.”We believe he’ll be a key player in our pursuit of success this season.”

Doubts are growing over the viability of this season’s county competitions as clubs face increasing difficulty putting out sides.ESPNcricinfo understands that the combination of Covid-related withdrawals and Hundred call-ups has decimated county squads with Kent, for example, now without their first-choice 17 players.The ECB have already announced the cancellation of Derbyshire’s final two T20 Blast fixtures. The club have been hit by a spate of injuries and Covid withdrawals leading to a situation where 20 of their players are currently unavailable. The club and ECB subsequently concluded they were unable to put out a team that could “maintain the integrity… of the competition.”Several other first-class counties have cancelled their List A matches against the National County sides which were scheduled for next week leading to increasing doubts over whether the Royal London One-Day Cup will even be able to go ahead.Even before Covid hit, several county squads had been hit hard by Hundred call-ups, with Surrey losing a dozen players. With the ECB desperate to ensure their new competition goes ahead, there are concerns that any further calls upon county squads will undermine the credibility of the 50-over domestic competition to extent where it is abandoned for a second year in succession.There is also a three-day match next week between a county XI and the India touring squad which will be used as a warm-up to the Test series against England which starts on August 4.Clubs are also understood to be struggling with stewarding, with at least one of them considering playing games behind closed doors. In several cases, the numbers of trained staff – especially stewards – has been limited by the requirement to self-isolate.While the counties seem keen to play – not least to satisfy their membership which has witnessed very little cricket over the last 18-months – there is unease about the quality of the product which may be on display at time. There will also be searching questions of the ECB about the sustainability of four formats and the wisdom of pressing on with a new competition during a pandemic.”We’re determined to play the Royal London One-Day Cup,” Neil Snowball, the Managing Director of County Cricket, told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s an important competition to us.”There was always a process by which Hundred sides could take players from counties in the case of injury. It might be that is utilised for illness or to comply with Covid protocols, too.”If we do have another outbreak, we could reduce the number of games. But there’s no plan to change the groups.”It’s a very challenging time, there’s no doubt about it, and clubs do have some concerns. But everyone involved is adamant they want to play.”The ECB on Wednesday confirmed that Derbyshire Falcons’ final two Vitality Blast group-stage matches have been cancelled.”ECB has determined that Derbyshire CCC is unable to field a team of a strength appropriate to maintain the integrity of the two matches and of the competition as a whole,” it said in a statement.”Derbyshire are adhering to Covid-19 protocols and managing a number of injuries. In addition to six injured players, 14 members of Derbyshire’s squad are self-isolating after they were deemed as close contacts of an unnamed team-mate, who tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week.”Derbyshire were due to play Northamptonshire Steelbacks on Friday and Yorkshire Vikings on Sunday.”Those matches will be deemed as having been cancelled,” the ECB statement continued. “Under Playing Condition 16.11.4.5 the North Group will, therefore, be decided on an ‘average points per completed match’ basis.”Northamptonshire announced that Friday night’s fixture at The County Ground would be replaced by an exhibition T20 match featuring two Steelbacks sides led by Josh Cobb and Graeme White.”All existing eTickets claimed by Season Ticket Holders and Life Members remain valid and will carry over to the new event,” a Northamptonshire club statement said.”In the case of Derbyshire, the Competition Management Group met and went through the process of hearing whether they could put out a team,” Snowball continued. “They really couldn’t, so the decision was taken to cancel the games.”The ECB also confirmed that the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Derbyshire and Essex, abandoned earlier this week, would be treated as a draw. Both teams have been awarded eight points plus the bonus points they had accrued before the match was abandoned, giving Essex a total of 11 points and Derbyshire nine.

Kagiso Rabada claimed his first five-wicket haul in 33 innings, since March 2018, as South Africa wrapped up the St Lucia Test before lunch on the third day to take an unassailable lead in the two-match series. West Indies lost six for 65 in an extended first session on Saturday to stumble to a sixth innings defeat in 253 matches at home. They have plenty to address in terms of shot selection and temperament before the second Test, which starts next Friday.While conditions remained challenging for batting throughout the match, with swing through the air, the surface did not hold any demons. Roston Chase proved as much with a top score of 62 but had barely any support. West Indies’ highest partnership was a 46-run stand between Chase and Jermaine Blackwood, who only added three runs to his overnight score and was worked over by Lungi Ngidi on the third morning.Ngidi thought he had an early breakthrough in the fourth over of the day when umpire Gregory Brathwaite gave Blackwood out caught down the leg side but Blackwood reviewed. Replays showed the ball had hit the thigh pad as Blackwood missed the flick. Two balls later, Blackwood was hit on the front pad and Ngidi appealed for lbw but the ball was clearly going over the top of the stumps. And two balls after that, Blackwood was given out again after Ngidi beat him with a full delivery on middle stump and the batter reviewed again. Ball-tracking showed the delivery was too high and Blackwood survived again.South Africa’s frustration did not last much longer. Blackwood faced just eight more balls and then drove Rabada uppishly to short extra cover, where Rassie van der Dussen took a low catch. West Indies’ score was on 97 at that point, the same as their first-innings total.Anrich Nortje was brought on after that wicket and immediately bared his teeth. He beat Chase with a delivery that squared him up from outside off. Nortje continued to test Chase outside off but Wiaan Mulder allowed some reprieve at the other end. He overpitched and Chase took back-to-back boundaries to bring up his half-century off 122 balls. Chase’s achievement stood in stark contrast to his team-mates. No other West Indian batter made an individual score of more than 20 in the match.

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Jason Holder would have been disappointed that he was unable to acquit himself better, after a solid looking 20 in the first innings. He scored just 4 in the second before he was dismissed off the first ball he faced from Keshav Maharaj. Holder offered no shot as he anticipated turn from the left-arm spinner but none came and he lost his off stump.Maharaj had only bowled only four in the first innings but played a bigger role in the second. He also got rid of Chase, who under-edged an attempted cut onto his stumps, and all but ended West Indies’ resistance.Rahkeem Cornwall wafted at a Rabada delivery to give van der Dussen a simple catch at mid-off and extend the morning session. Rabada cranked up the aggression after that and hit Joshua Da Silva flush on the left elbow, where he had no forearm guard for protection. He received treatment on the field and continued batting, albeit nervously as he edged Radaba wide of the slips. He then survived a review for lbw in the next over after replays showed the ball was going over the top of the stumps but had his off stump taken out as he shouldered arms to a ball that bent back into him to give Rabada his five-for.Nortje claimed the last wicket when Jayden Seales flashed at a wide ball and edged to Mulder at third slip to end South Africa’s streak of nine consecutive defeats on the road, since Nottingham 2017. It was also Dean Elgar’s first win as Test captain, a pleasing result for the new leader. He joined a small list of skippers who led their side to victory despite scoring no runs, taking no wickets and holding no catches in the Test.

Allrounder Solomon Mire, who has played 10 ODIs for Zimbabwe, most recently at the 2015 World Cup, has made himself available for international duty. Zimbabwe Cricket have included him in the squad to play Afghanistan in a five-match ODI series that starts next Thursday. Mire, who has been playing grade cricket in Australia since the end of the World Cup, will bolster a Zimbabwe squad that is desperate for fixtures ahead of next year’s qualification for the 2019 World Cup.Mire is accompanied by another allrounder Elton Chigumbura, who has kept his place despite a poor tri-series in which he scored only nine runs in three matches and did not bowl. Whether Chigumbura’s allround ability will be needed in an XI that welcomes back a key strike bowler is yet to be seen.Tendai Chatara, who last played an international in June 2016, has returned to full fitness after recovering from a leg injury and will likely form one half of the new-ball pair with Chris Mpofu.Zimbabwe have left out seven players from the squad that reached the final of the tri-series. Chamu Chibhabha, Tendai Chisoro, Hamilton Masakadza, Brian Chari, Carl Mumba, Tinashe Panyangara and Sean Williams all miss out with Mire, Chatara, Wellington Masakadza and two uncapped players, Ryan Burl and Nathan Waller, included. Burl is a left-hand batsman fresh off a a century and two fifties against Afghanistan A, while Waller is an allrounder and cousin of Malcolm.Two more players will be added to the group after this weekend’s round of Pro50 matches.Zimbabwe do not have anything on their calendar until a tour to Sri Lanka in mid-2017 and have not played international cricket since a triangular series featuring Sri Lanka and West Indies in November. ESPNcricinfo understands they are in talks to host Scotland and West Indies in June and October respectively in a bid to fill up their calendar, which has also seen a dearth of domestic fixtures.Zimbabwe were due to have a bumper home season with 12 rounds of Logan Cup first-class fixtures, List A matches and a club competition but the Logan Cup has been delayed several times. It will be pushed back further with this weekend’s fixtures moved to later in the month, but with good reason. The Pro50 Championship will be played instead, in preparation for the Afghanistan series.Zimbabwe squad: Graeme Cremer (capt), Peter Moor (wk), Ryan Burl, Tarisai Musakanda, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Wellington Masakadza, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara, Christopher Mpofu, Nathan Waller, Craig Ervine, Solomon Mire.

Scheduled pay meetings between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association have broken down, with the board claiming it is withdrawing from talks in order to prevent the players from being further embroiled.The two parties have been increasingly at odds over the past week, culminating in a bitter exchange over work conditions for female players that has led to CA being investigated by the FairWork Ombudsman.On Sunday emails between the ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson and CA were leaked, with the strong suggestion that some clauses in women’s contracts were not altered because the ACA did not respond to CA. However the players association countered on Monday with claims to the contrary.”Cricket Australia is attempting to blame others for their own contracts,” Nicholson said. “Cricket Australia should stop blame-shifting and focus on resolving the issues in a constructive way. The suggestion that pregnancy guidelines were not issued because the ACA allegedly failed to communicate with CA is wrong on two counts. Firstly, we did communicate with CA and secondly the ACA does not currently have a right to veto female CA contracts or guidelines. To suggest so is just plain wrong.”As we have already stated publicly, the ACA was consulted regarding the pregnancy guidelines 18 months ago and expressed our concerns, as the published emails also show. The real reason the matter was not progressed to a satisfactory conclusion is because CA walked away from negotiations for a collective agreement with female cricketers. This meant the issue had to again be raised in our submission for a new MOU provided to CA five weeks ago.”Our submission highlights many of the great advances for female cricketers, for which we commend CA. It also rightly raises outstanding issues which must be addressed and we will continue to advocate for their satisfactory resolution in the current MOU negotiation.”Soon after, CA released a statement declaring it would not be attending meetings scheduled for this week. “Cricket Australia has determined that further discussions on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) should not be held this week, as intended,” the statement said.Cricket Australia is committed to a negotiation that is conducted in good faith between the two parties, but will not take part in a process which seeks to draw its players into a public dispute. Players deserve the opportunity to focus on the game, rather than being distracted by a negotiation that should be conducted in a professional and confidential manner.”Nicholson said the ACA was “extremely disappointed” at the breakdown of talks. “We are extremely disappointed Cricket Australia have walked away from the table, particularly so early in proceedings,” he said. “There are a number of very important issues for discussion, and these are best resolved at the bargaining table.”In our submission we highlight both the successes of Cricket Australia and also the need to have important and difficult conversations which involve critical issues for our members. We reject the implication of bad faith. We urge CA to return to the negotiating table for the benefit of the game.”In an earlier submission sent to all contracted players, CA’s team performance chief Pat Howard had warned against the players speaking publicly on MOU issues.”We will not debate this through the media — I do not want players becoming the meat in the sandwich as we saw at the ODI press conference last week,” Howard said. “This is a discussion about professional contracts that will not be helped by the media’s involvement. They want us to be divided, to turn this into a ‘bitter dispute’. That will only damage cricket and none of us wants that.”Howard was referring to a question asked of the captain Steven Smith and his deputy David Warner following the ODI series between Australia and New Zealand. That week the CA board had invited Smith, Warner and the coach Darren Lehmann to dinner with directors and management, at which CA’s views were expressed.”For us it was a good opportunity to meet the board and have a nice dinner with them and a good chat,” Smith had said of the dinner. “They took our points of view, we listened to them and it was nice to see everyone on the same page going forward and trying to get the best for our game moving forward.”CA’s submission to the players stated that the board no longer thinks all players should be eligible for a fixed percentage of Australian cricket revenue, preferring only to extend that right to the top 20 CA contracted players. It stated that the sustainability of domestic player wages was a problem.”International men are amongst the highest-paid sportsmen in Australia and CA believes this should remain the case in the future,” CA argued in its submission. “CA believes the players who contribute to financial returns should continue to share in those financial returns. CA believes retainers for international men should increase significantly compared to the retainers that were agreed on in the current MOU.”CA believes that international men continue to share in financial returns. International men contribute significantly to generating financial returns that are used to grow the game and should be rewarded accordingly.”State men’s payments are projected to be over 2.5 times the revenue generated by state men’s cricket in 2016/17. While state men’s cricket does not have the objective of generating financial returns, ongoing growth in player payments relative to the revenue generated by state men’s cricket is an issue of sustainability.”More broadly, CA alleged that maintaining the revenue sharing model would compromise efforts to better resource grass roots competitions and facilities. The board recently conducted an audit of all facilities around the country, and the chief executive James Sutherland has stated that finding adequate grounds was a problem for the expansion of the women’s game in particular. The CA chairman David Peever, a noted opponent of union involvement in the workplace during his time as managing director of the mining giant Rio Tinto’s Australian operations, has also pointed to further grass roots investment as key to his tenure.It is clear that CA would prefer to deal with the players directly, and the submission went as far as stating that the board no longer wished to provide an annual grant to the ACA, as has been the case since basics of the current pay model were thrashed out in 1997-98. “Given that Cricket Australia is an employer of the players and the Australian Cricketers Association is the collective bargaining agent for the players,” the submission stated, “we question the appropriateness of CA directly funding the ACA.”

Mahmudullah was celebrating his side’s four-run win over Chittagong Vikings, but the tension that was palpable when he was asked to defend six off the final over didn’t wear off even after the post-match presentation. The Khulna Titans captain said that his primary target was to keep Mohammad Nabi off strike but ended up taking his wicket off the last ball.This was the second time Mahmudullah sealed a tense win off the last over. In their first game against Rajshahi Kings, Mahmudullah took three wickets. Here too, he had three scalps and conceded just one run to take his side to No. 2 in the points table.”I don’t know, it just happened,” Mahmudullah said when asked about he managed to defend six runs all over again. “My hands are still sweating. I just tried to keep [Mohammad] Nabi off strike, but the Chaturanga [de Silva] wicket was also important. I got a lot of confidence after giving away a single off the first ball and then getting that wicket with the next ball.”I don’t want to bowl in the death overs but had to do so because my main bowlers had their spells finished. I have been successful on two occasions now, but it can be different in the next game. But I am ready to take the chance again.”But the emotion was contrasting in the Chittagong camp where captain Tamim Iqbal was livid. He didn’t single out anyone but he questioned the batsmen’s mindset after they wilted in the final over.”We will keep losing if we play this sort of cricket,” he said. “Maybe the batsmen doesn’t have problem with skill but there’s definitely something wrong in his head if he doesn’t understand something after sending 20 messages. We don’t deserve to play here if we have to do spoon feeding at this level. I don’t want to say the name, but I am talking about the batsmen.”He praised Mahmudullah’s nerve for bowling a tight final over of a chase, but said that it was for Chittagong’s to lose, and they did. “The match Riyad bhai won them, can only happen once every ten games. But he must be doing something right, now that he has done it twice,” he said. “Credit goes to him because he bowled well but I think we are more to blame for losing this game. We had two set batsmen in the middle with just six runs to win.”

Match facts

October 28-November 1, Dhaka
Start time 10.00am (0400GMT)3:40

Isam: Bangladesh have self-belief

Big picture

The fluctuating fortunes of the Chittagong Test will be a hard act to follow but, if Bangladesh continue to chase a win, the Dhaka Test could be another interesting affair. Having been beaten in an ODI series at home for the first time in two years, salvaging a drawn Test series with England would be the suitable finish for the home side.For that to happen, though, they need to do a few things properly. Bangladesh’s top seven is the strongest they have had in their history, which puts a lot of the onus on putting together a 400-plus total in the first innings to set up the game. It is an effort that is well within their grasp, particularly with their openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes showing good form.Both will be expected to put up at least one big partnership in this game, with Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim asked to make big on their starts, while Shakib Al Hasan must find a way to curb his recklessness. Sabbir Rahman, meanwhile, has recovered from stomach pain and can be expected to take on the second new ball while batting at No 7.England have also stuck with the top six that played in Chittagong. Ben Duckett is yet to show his wide-ranging skills while the more experienced Alastair Cook and Joe Root will expect to make runs in Dhaka. Gary Ballance could be a tense presence, fighting to extend his run in the side, but there won’t be the same issues with Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, who had a brilliant game in Chittagong.Stokes’ ability to reverse the ball could sway the game towards England, though he will need support from Chris Woakes and Steven Finn, who has been confirmed as a replacement for the rested Stuart Broad. England’s spinners will ultimately have to do the bulk of the bowling, especially Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. Zafar Ansari has been confirmed for a Test debut, replacing Gareth Batty.The Bangladesh bowling attack will bear a similar look in Dhaka too, with Shakib leading the pack. He will be glad to have the support of Mehedi Hasan and Taijul Islam, though the pace bowling department looks bare. Shuvagata Hom, for once, seems like a better choice as a spinner.The batting skills to tackle spin and reverse swing, and DRS, could be the theme of this Test match too, though rain, thanks to Cyclone Kryant over the Bay of Bengal, could cause interruptions. If there’s a full game, the hope is that it pans out to be another good contest.Mushfiqur Rahim discusses the pitch with Mirpur curator Gamini Silva•AFP

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh LDDDL
England WLWWL

In the spotlight

Mehedi Hasan left a mark on his Test debut by finishing the game with seven wickets. His first-innings performance was immense as he showed his ability to turn the ball at great lengths, as well as bowl the one that goes straight with the arm. Mehedi, however, would like to contribute more with the bat.The Chittagong Test ultimately belonged to Ben Stokes, who came of age with a superb all-round performance. His use of reverse swing and his footwork and patience when batting against spin were particularly encouraging. England are certainly a more powerful line-up with Stokes.

Team news

Bangladesh will be looking at three different options to replace Shafiul Islam. They could still go with a two-man seam attack by picking Subashis Roy, who would be making his Test debut. But the place is also open for Soumya Sarkar to play as a second seamer though his variety would be of less quality, or they could go for Shuvagata, who hasn’t had a great Test record.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt/wk), 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Soumya Sarkar/Shuvagata Hom, 9 Mehedi Hasan, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Kamrul Islam RabbiEngland are set to hand a Test debut to Ansari, while Finn will take Broad’s place – meaning he has to wait to make his 100th Test appearance. Ansari is replacing Batty as England look to give Rashid another chance despite his indifferent performance in Chittagong.England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Gary Ballance, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Zafar Ansari, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

After the Chittagong pitch was hailed for challenging the batsmen and bowlers, there is much interest in the darker surface in Dhaka, which has traditionally favoured the batsmen. Even if it helps the spinners, there won’t be the dramatic turn and bounce of Chittagong. There is some rain in the forecast on the second and third day.

Stats and trivia

• Mushfiqur Rahim will become the third Bangladeshi after Habibul Bashar and Mohammad Ashraful to play 50 Tests.
• Mushfiqur will also become Bangladesh’s most experienced wicketkeeper, beating Khaled Mashud who kept wickets in 44 Tests. Mushfiqur will be keeping in his 45th game in Dhaka.
• Jonny Bairstow now has the most runs for a Test wicketkeeper in a calendar year, beating Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower who made 1045 runs in 2000.
• A 2-0 series win for England would lift them above Australia to No. 3 in the ICC rankings.

Quotes

“The Dhaka Test will be played on a different soil altogether. We don’t know how it will behave but I just want our spinners to take advantage from the wicket and for the batsmen to be more responsible.”
“It was always the plan to play Ansari in one Test here. He has the ability to take the ball away from the right-handers and I’ve seen in the nets is he can bowl at good pace with good control. He can also bat as well, which is good.”