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Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said that his side’s progress can be measured by their performance in the forthcoming tour to Zimbabwe. This is the first time that Mushfiqur will lead the side against the lesser-ranked opposition and he stressed on the importance of the tour for the team.”How far we have improved as a team can be determined in Zimbabwe,” Mushfiqur said after Bangladesh arrived after their tour of Sri Lanka. “We are ready to take up the challenge. We don’t have a good record in Harare where we lost the Test match in 2011. It is our duty to change the record, by taking forward the consistency that we have found in Sri Lanka.”Bangladesh play two Tests, three ODIs and two Twenty20s in a month-long tour which starts on April 17. There will be a short camp ahead of the tour, although no practice matches have been scheduled so far. Bangladesh have never won a Test in Zimbabwe, losing four of the five matches played there. The defeat in Harare in 2011 cost Shakib Al Hasan his captaincy. Their ODI record is better with 12 wins in 27 matches played in Zimbabwe.The team was given a warm welcome on their return to Dhaka – a reaction to the drawn Test in Galle and the 1-1 draw in the ODI series – and the results look significant given the number of players who have suffered injuries since February. Mushfiqur said the absence of key players spurred on those who were fit to play.”We lost players at the start of the series and were told that we hardly have a chance of doing well, with a second-string side,” he said. “We were keen to do well as a result. So we were doubly motivated.”

Zimbabwe will embark on their first Test assignment in over a year without key coaching personnel. Batting coach Grant Flower, bowling coach Heath Streak and fitness trainer Lorraine Chivandire will not travel to the Caribbean later this month because of a technical structure change made by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC).”After consulting with the players and the head coach on the effectiveness of the current coaching structure which has a head coach, an assistant coach and two specialists a decision was made to streamline the structure to allow for better strategy formulation and communication in camp,” Shingai Rhuhwaya, general manager of media and public affairs told ESPNcricinfo.”While specialist can be engaged for preparations and specialist training throughout the season, the head coach is to have full and sole charge of the national team during tours. The same will apply for the fitness trainer whose primary objective is to ensure that players are fit before they go to tour. The physiotherapist and assistant coach will then play the role of maintenance while on tour.”ESPNcricinfo understands that financial concerns and accommodating more touring players are behind reasons for the decision.The tour, which includes three ODIs, two Twenty20s and two Tests, starts on February 20 and is head coach Alan Butcher’s last in charge before his contract expires. The build-up to the tour has been punctuated with controversy after ZC were unhappy with a selection directive issued by the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission which required the entire panel to be former international players. The order has since expanded to include non-ex players as well.Butcher is hopeful the sideshows will not hamper the team’s progress on the tour, although he admits they travel as underdogs. “We haven’t played an ODI in more than a year either and that doesn’t help. We know it will be tough but we have to stay positive and give a better account of ourselves from a last trip.”Zimbabwe’s last full tour was to New Zealand in early 2012. They lost all the matches across every format, including their heaviest Test defeat. It was a major comedown for them after they made a successful return to Test cricket in August 2011 by beating Bangladesh. They also enjoyed a promising run of form at home in series against Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand.Since then, Zimbabwe’s only success came in an unofficial T20 tri-series in June last year which they won after beating a South African XI in the final. It did not do them any good at the World T20, though. Zimbabwe lost both group matches by big margins and handed Ajantha Mendis his best figures of 6 for 8.Lack of funds and tour cancellations have robbed them of any more cricket. Bangladesh postponed their August trip because of the BPL and Zimbabwe could not host them any earlier then Pakistan also did not tour as scheduled in November. The Bangladesh tour is due to happen this August but there has been no confirmation of that series yet.By then, Zimbabwe will have a new head coach. Butcher has chosen not to renew his contract because “I have been away from my family for three years,” and denied that the administrative issues had anything to do with him not continuing. Interviews were held to choose his successor last week. Flower, current assistant coach Stephen Mangongo and former international batsman Andy Waller, who previously coached Namibia, have applied for the position. Streak has not put his name in the hat for the head job but has indicated he wants to continue as bowling coach.Although Butcher did not see as much success as he hoped he would, he regards his time with Zimbabwe as fulfilling despite the obstacles. “I’ve enjoyed it and the players have been great to work with. I cannot fault what they’ve put in,” he said. “I am happy that in my time in charge, we won our comeback Test and the ODI series against Bangladesh and the unofficial T20 tournament. The coaching staff have all worked very hard and I’d say 90% of my time was superb.” He has one tour left to raise that percentage.

Ross Taylor has indicated that he could be available for New Zealand’s home series against England next month, his first comments on returning to the game since being stripped of the captaincy.”All the best to the @BLACKCAPS for the second Test [against South Africa in Port Elizabeth]. Looking forward to working my way back for the home series against England,” Taylor said on Twitter. “Back into training and it’s going well. Can’t wait to get out on the park with @CDStags on 24 January.”Central Districts, Taylor’s domestic side, play a Plunket Shield match against Canterbury on January 24, two weeks before the first T20 international between New Zealand and England.Taylor was removed from the New Zealand captaincy in all formats in December and replaced by Brendon McCullum, who had the backing of New Zealand coach, Mike Hesson. Taylor decided to take time off from the game because of the manner in which he was ousted, which led New Zealand Cricket to issue an apology for the breakdown in communication within the management.Taylor has not played any matches – international or domestic – since New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka, where they drew the Test series 1-1 in November. New Zealand are presently touring South Africa without Taylor. They lost the T20 series 2-1 and are trailing 1-0 in the Tests.

Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo took full advantage of a batting paradise and got the most out of their starts, which was exactly what the West Indies openers and Bangladesh’s top seven batsmen failed to do. Darren Sammy is now hoping to extend their unbeaten 198-run third-wicket stand deep into the third day to take control on a pitch that is unlikely to aid the bowlers.”We need to get [a lead of] 250-plus,” Sammy said. “The way we bat tomorrow will determine how the Test match goes. If we bat to our full potential, we will score over 500 or 600 runs. We want to give them a 200-plus lead and take ten wickets in their second innings.”I think the wicket is getting a little slower and turning a little slower. It looks a little drier after the day’s play. Three days are left in the Test match, so there’s no hurry. It’s Test cricket, you have got to exercise your patience,” he said.Patience was exactly what Samuels and Bravo applied when they came together to bat in the first session of play. They rode out the threat posed by Rubel Hossain and when Shakib Al Hasan and Sohag Gazi bowled, they only looked for runs off deliveries that were either really short or full. Samuels never went for the extraordinary in his 282-minutes stay. He batted out 107 balls to reach the half-century and took roughly the same – 110 – to score the next fifty runs. He took out his lucky yellow scarf, but probably there were only two occasions when he needed luck – on 15 and 19 – when he survived two big leg-before shouts by Shakib.Samuels has now completed three Test hundreds this year – five overall. The impact of his measured approach, Sammy believes, is crucial to the team’s position in the Test match.”Marlon [Samuels] has been [an integral part of the team] for the last year and a half,” Sammy said. “I think he has scored over 700 runs for this year, and in all formats he has been batting really well. We have asked guys to take responsibility, and I’m happy to see him do that.”He didn’t have a score in the last game. Before he came here, he was looking to score three international hundreds. The way he went about it, that’s what we are used to from him. Bravo had a good knock in the second innings in Dhaka. He looks really good.”Bravo, too, was impressive and undertook a cautious approach from the beginning. By the time he ended the day unbeaten on 85 off 197 balls, it was his eighth fifty-plus score in the subcontinent out of his twelve such innings in his career.The two stroke-players also saw off periods where the boundaries had dried up as Mushfiqur Rahim employed the in-and-out field. It worked for Bangladesh and it was just the staying power of the two batsmen that stopped them from creating more chances. They batted at a run rate of 2.95 in the first session, 2.80 in the second and just a tad over three in the final session of play.”We as a team normally score quickly. The wicket looks easy to bat out there, the two guys have played really well. They would know the pace of the wicket, and the tempo in which they could score.”The key is to bat once in this Test match. If the pair can give us a solid start, it would be good with the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the rest of the batsmen coming in next”.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPhillips Hughes led the Strikers chase with an attacking 74•Getty Images

The Australian selectors talk of PONIs – Players of National Interest. Phillip Hughes has been a PONI for some time but is widely regarded as a Test specialist. But he proved, once again, his limited-overs potential with a match-winning 74 from 48 deliveries to guide the Strikers home in a nail-biting chase.Set 163, the Strikers had recent history against them, as only two of the last 12 matches at the WACA had been won by the chasing team, and neither had run down more than 157.Hughes started slowly before back-to-back boundaries in the fifth over, one a streaky edge, the other a cracking trademark cut, got his strike-rate above 100. He and Michael Klinger put on 39 before Klinger fell to Joe Mennie.The introduction of Brad Hogg in the eighth over saw Hughes accelerate further. He raced to 50 off 35 balls and continued to confound Scorchers captain, Simon Katich, and keep the chase on track.Hughes abstained from last year’s BBL to concentrate on rebuilding his technique after being dropped from Australia’s Test XI. But his T20 record makes for impressive reading. He now has 1003 runs from 26 matches, with an average of 52.79 and a strike-rate near 120. He led the run tally during the domestic T20 tournament in England earlier this year and is also averaging 80 in the Ryobi Cup this season.Hogg eventually got Hughes in the 15th over, with a mistimed heave that carried to long-off, but the damage was done.Nathan Reardon then picked up where Hughes left off by crushing 42 from 26 balls, including three enormous blows into the crowd. Reardon’s striking talent has never been fully appreciated and hence he’s playing for his third T20 side in Australia. But he came up with the goods here to leave the Strikers needing just 9 off 11 balls.Theo Doropoulos and Johan Botha had some nervy moments, but they guided Adelaide through with four balls to spare.Earlier, Katich won the toss and had no hesitation in batting. Shaun Marsh showed hesitation and apprehension on his Scorchers return after his off-field dramas at the Champions League but he battled to 28 off 30 before his class shone through. Marsh made 57 from 45 balls and was involved in a partnership worth 82 with Adam Voges. The latter made a composed 58 to guide the Scorchers to a competitive but underwhelming total of 6 for 162.The craft and guile of two world-renowned T20 spinners in Johan Botha and Saeed Ajmal meant the Scorchers fell short of a winning total. Their combined eight overs cost just 45 runs and also yielded the all-important wicket of Marsh.

By finishing second in Group A, England have been drawn against South Africa, winners of Group D, in the quarter-finals of the Under-19 World Cup in Townsville. It is a clash between two professional and well-drilled outfits that contains what could potentially be one of the contests of the tournament: England’s new-ball attack against South Africa’s openers.The majority of England’s players had the day off on Friday, after beating Nepal by 127 runs the day before, and spent it recuperating at their service apartments on Palmer Street: playing FIFA, watching bits of the Lord’s Test, staying out of the harsh sun and keeping off their feet as much as possible. Today, they’re back to practicing with sharpened focus. Tim Boon, their coach, said: “We’re as best prepared as we can be.”England have played South Africa before, in a seven-match home series they lost 2-4 in July last year. Only eight of those South Africans, however, are part of the World Cup squad so half of their outfit is not familiar to Adam Ball’s team. Someone they do know well is the opening batsman Quinton de Kock, who top scored with 341 runs in that series. “We felt if we could get him out early and expose that middle order as early as we could, we were right in there,” said Ball, England’s captain. “That will probably one of our main goals this time around and we will see how it goes.”De Kock is a threat once again. He enters the quarter-final as the World Cup’s leading run-scorer, 226 in three innings in Brisbane. His opening partner Chad Bowes is third on the list with 179 and they have been responsible for South Africa’s substantial batting success so far. In Reece Topley and Jamie Overton, however, England have two of the tallest and quickest bowlers in the World Cup, and they’ll be gunning for those South African scalps as early as possible.”Quinton de Kock had a good series against us but we know how he plays, so there won’t be any surprises there,” said Topley. “We’ve got good plans and we’ll attack him. We’ll attack most of the order to be honest.”Since that defeat to South Africa, England’s Under-19 cricketers have had a rigorous training programme at home, and toured Bangladesh and Australia. “I’d like to think so,” said Boon, when asked whether his players were significantly improved now. “Over the last two years quite a number of our guys have been getting international experience, which is what it is all about.”A “bombshell,” was how Boon described what his players were hit with when they entered theEngland Development Programme. “It’s a really tough regime. Just the work rates and the key learnings at 16-17, it’s a very intensive program at that age.”Ball said the focus of the system he’d been through was to produce “mentally tough players”. He said they’d learned the discipline required of a professional cricketer, the sacrifices that were necessary, and how they couldn’t “just go away and do what every other person does in their daily life.””We have had some very stressful times preparing for this,” Ball said. “We have been preparing for about two years now. That involves long periods up to 10 days at Loughborough, our centre of excellence. Very long days – waking up at 6am and leaving thecentre at about 8pm in the evening. So we have been put through the hard yards and now it’s come to the business time.”The business time didn’t begin well. After winning both warm-up games comfortably, England were sent in by Australia on a difficult batting wicket at Tony Ireland Stadium and dismissed for 143 in their first group match. “We learnt a lot of lessons in the game that we lost against Australia. There were some fundamental things that we didn’t do and that was just to occupy the crease and see the tough times out,” said Boon. “The toss made it tricky early doors, and I think we could have coped with that a little better. It provided us with another learning experience. Most of our players now have played and either got runs or had a decent bowl so everyone’s in a pretty good frame of mind.”In their next two games, England did occupy the crease, chasing 113 in 36.3 overs againstIreland with seven wickets in hand, and making 274 against Nepal. Ball saw room for more improvement. “I think making sure that we post big scores on the board for our bowlers to defend and then again, to chase down big scores,” he said. “We have shown signs that we can do it but we just need to keep developing that on a consistent basis.”One of their problems has been at the top of the order. Coming into the World Cup, Daniel Bell-Drummond had been tipped to be one of the batsmen to watch, but he’s managed only 31 runs in three innings. He began with a duck against Australia and finished the group stage with a hard-earned 23 against Nepal. Boon said it was a “question of time” before Bell-Drummond came right.”DBD [Bell-Drummond] is an exceptional player, an exceptional character,” said Boon. “He’s been in a rich vein of form, he’s scored runs [for Kent] against the senior South African team and to me it’s just a question of time before he comes right.”The quarter-final against South Africa could be Bell-Drummond’s last opportunity to show the world what he can do. Topley, however, is confident that it won’t be. He believes this class of England Under-19 has been groomed to successfully deal “with pressure situations such as Sunday”.

Rahul Dravid, the former India batsman, has said that creating a window for the Indian Premier League would not only let the world’s best players participate in the lucrative domestic Twenty20 tournament but, importantly, also allow them to play Test cricket, thereby enlivening the longer format.”The reality is the IPL is an important tournament and people do want to play it,” Dravid said on BBC’s at Lord’s during the third Test between England and South Africa. “And we are probably coming to a stage where maybe a time will come [when] there will need to be give-and-take – whether it is finding a window, or, whether making the tournament a little shorter.”Dravid was asked by the TMS host Jonathan Agnew whether the IPL, a tournament that lasts for close to two months, had played a big role in Kevin Pietersen falling out with the ECB and losing support from his teammates, which led to him missing the Lord’s Test. Dravid, who is in London to attend the MCC cricket committee meetings, was not sure if the IPL was the reason for the Pietersen debacle. He said a solution was necessary considering the IPL would continue to clash with the start of the England cricketing summer and Test cricket could not afford losing big names such as Pietersen and Chris Gayle.Pietersen had stirred a controversy in April when he said England were jealous of the IPL. A month later, he retired from limited-overs cricket, saying he wanted to focus only on Tests. That decision came on the heels of exhaustive discussions with the ECB, where Pietersen said he wanted to play only Test and Twenty20 cricket. But the ECB central contracts state that any player who makes himself unavailable for either format of limited-overs cricket is automatically ruled out of selection for both ODIs and T20s.”There are some positives with the IPL and you have to understand that if the top players in the world want to play it and people want to watch then there is got to be some thing good about it is as well,” Dravid said. “It does effect the England season particularly, and, especially since traditionally the English season has been the same for many, many years. So it is challenging that a little bit.”In time we are getting to that stage where all of us want the best players playing [Test cricket]. We all want Chris Gayle playing for West Indies whenever West Indies play a Test match. None of us want to see a situation today where a great player like Kevin misses out today for whatever reasons and I don’t want to get into that. But it is disappointing. The game is a loser when the top players don’t play Test cricket.”Dravid, who led Rajasthan Royals in the previous IPL, felt that for Test cricket to continue attracting fans and remain marketable, it was important that the best players were always available for selection. Leaving out the likes of Gayle and Pietersen, Dravid felt, would only drive the fans away.”I am not sure what the solution to it is exactly but I would love to be in a situation where the best players can play the IPL as well as represent their country in Test cricket. People like Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen are fantastic for Test cricket as they are for IPL and T20 cricket. And they have a short window in which to show us their talent. At the end of the day this is the game for the fans. The best players should represent their country – it is not only about the people who come to the ground. It is also for the young boys and girls who passionately follow their country in Test cricket. It is hard and disappointing when the best players don’t turn up to play for their country.”

At 35 and having retired from Test cricket, Brett Lee stands on the verge of becoming Australia’s leading wicket taker in one-day Internationals.He insists, though, that he isn’t motivated by the prospect of breaking Glenn McGrath’s record of 381 wickets during the upcoming series against England – after closing the gap with two wickets against Ireland in Belfast – and in the latest edition of Alison’s Tea Break he explains how he is now acting as a mentor to the younger bowlers coming through.Speaking to host Alison Mitchell, Lee touches on the depth of fast bowling in Australia cricket at the moment, saying he is excited by what James Pattinson and Pat Cummins have to offer with a Test series against South Africa coming up later this year, followed by back-to-back Ashes.He warns, though, of the “blood, sweat and tears” that it takes to be a fast bowler, particularly with the amount of cricket that is played now, and says that bowlers in particular must be prepared “to do what’s best for the team” should management decide to rest and rotate players.As far as Lee’s own future is concerned, he has set no time frame as to when he might step away from the international scene. “As long as I’m doing my job and being an asset to the Australian cricket team and helping the young guys come through, and still enjoying my cricket, then I’ll keep playing for a few more games and we’ll see what happens after that. Whether that’s three months or twelve months or eighteen months, who knows.”Watch the interview here.

Kevin Pietersen has retired from all international limited-overs cricket with immediate effect. He will remain available for consideration as a specialist Test match player only. The news comes four months before England defend their World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka.”With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the World Cup in 2015,” Pietersen said. “I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game but still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket.He has no plans to retire from the IPL, which will further increase tensions between the IPL and international cricket and heighten the debate over whether a window is becoming increasingly necessary to seek accommodation between the tournament and the international circuit.Pietersen’s decision ends protracted discussions about his England future, which he persistently denied, in which he envisaged a future playing Tests and T20s only.This was prevented by the terms of ECB central contracts which state that any player who makes himself unavailable for either format of one-day cricket is automatically ruled out of selection for both ODIs and T20s.”For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming World Twenty20,” Pietersen said.The stipulation is seen as essential in protecting England’s extensive Test summer in which 50-over cricket still plays a central part. England have just begun one of their busiest summers on record, a programme involving a summer of six Tests, 14 ODIs and four T20s.An ECB statement said: “Pietersen, who discussed his position with the ECB during the recent Investec Test at Lord’s, accepts that his current contract will continue to run through to September 2012 but that the contract will be downgraded to reflect the fact that he will only be selected for Test cricket for the remainder of his current contract.”The terms of the central contract state that any player making himself unavailable for either of the one-day formats automatically rules himself out of consideration for both formats of the game as planning for both formats is closely linked.”This is designed to reflect the importance of one-day international cricket which is a strategic priority as England look for improved performances in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2015 ICC cricket World Cup.”Pietersen, 31, has played 127 ODIs and 36 T20s for England, making his international debut in 2004 against Zimbabwe in Harare. He has scored 4184 runs at an average of 41.84 in one-day internationals and averages 37.93 in international T20s.Hugh Morris, the managing director of England Cricket, said: “ECB is disappointed by the timing of Kevin’s decision less than four months before we defend our ICC World Twenty20 title.”Kevin is a world-class player and we would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his efforts and we look forward to his continued contributions towards the Test match side.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Shahbaz Nadeem triggered Mumbai Indians’ collapse with two wickets upfront•AFP

The battle of the heavyweights in this IPL degenerated into a one-sided contest at the Wankhede Stadium, as the Mumbai Indians’ top and middle orders imploded against some attacking bowling from Delhi Daredevils. The implosion was partly forced, partly self-inflicted, and left the visitors chasing the lowest target this IPL season, one they achieved with ease. The Daredevils are on top of the table now with three wins from four games, Mumbai Indians have slipped to fourth place.Shahbaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner, has proved effective this season with economical figures and he continued the good work against the Mumbai openers, bowling flat and sticking to a tight line. There was a good amount of bounce available on the track and the new ball helped him get some bite. Nadeem owed some of his success today to Irfan Pathan, who tied down Davy Jacobs at one end, bowling a maiden and it was a matter of time before the opener tried to break through. He swung hard but was bowled by Nadeem to be dismissed for a 10-ball duck, and Richard Levi followed in almost identical fashion against Nadeem eight balls later.The Daredevils shuffled their bowlers around, and each contributed in a collective effort. Morne Morkel bowled quick and got excellent carry, Ajit Agarkar too generated good pace and Umesh Yadav even more so while being accurate. As the bowlers kept the pressure on throughout, Mumbai didn’t help their own case either. Ambati Rayudu was run out thanks to complete confusion partly due to the noise around the stadium, Kieron Pollard holed out attempting a big shot when the need of the hour was some caution and Dinesh Karthik’s mistimed pull offered a simple catch to mid-on.Amid the mess was a counterattack from Rohit Sharma, but one that was lacking in conviction. Three of his four boundaries were top-edges while attempting the pull against the bouncing ball, twice against Morkel. As it turned out, his luck was short-lived, as another top-edge brought his downfall, with Ross Taylor completing one of two well-judged catches in the deep.Mumbai slipped to 44 for 6 but some meaty hitting from their captain gave them a brief respite. A couple of length balls doled out by Agarkar were dispatched for a six and a four by Harbhajan Singh, whose timing stood out in an otherwise forgettable Mumbai innings. He followed that up with a couple of delightful cuts, one off Agarkar and another against Nadeem, but the slide was to resume soon. Morkel and Pathan returned to knock off the tail, that included Harbhajan himself, as the Daredevils prepared themselves for a quick finish.Delhi’s chase was smooth, and Virender Sehwag’s trademark cut for six in the first over further dampened the spirits of the Mumbai crowd. With Lasith Malinga out injured, the Mumbai Indians attack was weakened significantly. Harbhajan, too, didn’t bowl an over. A steady opening from Naman Ojha and Sehwag set the tone; Sehwag guided much of the innings, falling shortly before the job was done, and Mahela Jayawardene together with Taylor sealed the win in the 15th over.