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It was no surprise when Harry Kane was named the Young Player of the Year, after being hailed as one of the most exciting players of the Premier League this season.

He earned his first England call up and scored just seconds after coming on against Lithuania. It has been a dream season for Harry Kane, but is he losing his touch?

This season’s wonderkind deserves acclaim. Yet in his last six appearances, he has scored just once. He found the back of the net at St James’ Park, when his side won 3-1. Considering how much Newcastle are struggling right now, they could very easily end up in the relegation scrap in these last few weeks – is this really an achievement?

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In Tottenham Hostpur’s last game, they played Manchester City. Spurs could not get anything from the game, as City took all three points. Surely, for the bright spark of this season, Harry Kane should have gotten a result for his side then? Instead, he picked up a yellow card. He also watched Sergio Aguero push himself further towards lifting the golden boot.

Picking up yellow cards against the big six sides this season has evidently been a problem for the 21-year-old. He has collected yellow cards against Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. It is evident that Kane struggles against the big sides as well. He spent ninety minutes at Old Trafford in Chris Smalling’s back pocket, and his performance was sub par in the Capital One Cup final.

Kane does play well against the smaller sides, but does that really make a great player? He scored his first Premier League hat-trick against Leicester as they were written off at the bottom of the league. He has also registered goals against the likes of Queen’s Park Rangers, West Brom and Crystal Palace.

The youngster was on course to lift the golden boot at the end of the season, but Sergio Aguero has stopped him in his tracks. Can he catch Aguero and snatch the title back? In their remaining fixtures, Spurs will face Stoke, Hull and Everton. With that in mind, it could go down to the wire for the golden boot.

He has had a good season, but Harry Kane is not a Premier League great – yet. He is not a prolific goalscorer, but he is not too far off it. The striker needs to be at his best in the big games against the big sides – this is how he can prove he is a true great.

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Only in England could winning a trophy be seen as failure if it means sacrificing the Champions League. Premier League title and the European Cup itself aside, we’re in this near-nonsensical age of football where qualifying for Europe is seen as something more than it actually is; something maybe along the lines of a good enough substitute for an actual piece of silverware.

The buck doesn’t stop with Arsene Wenger, though. I’m sure he’s trying to placate the fervour created by another company, who do not need to be named. The flashing lights, the Hollywood anthem and the biggest and very best of the world’s sponsors. Let’s be honest, no one with a clear head on their shoulders would want to trade a trophy for something that brings more excitement than substance.

I maintain that Andre Villas-Boas is doing an excellent job with what he has. So there’s talk that Spurs have become a one-man team behind Gareth Bale and that the wheels will come off once he leaves for good. Well I’m sure Villas-Boas and Daniel Levy are smart enough to address that issue when it arises, but for now winning is winning, and they’re not exactly doing it ugly either.

Why do fans care about Champions League football? Teams like Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid go into it for the long haul and with the expectation of emerging victorious come the end of the campaign. Most others are just in it for the money.

And here’ the thing: football fans are placing far too much worth into the financial background of clubs, citing the need for UEFA’s top competition to help them move forward. I’m not going to take anything away from how important that Champions League revenue is for many clubs, but the end product of sports is winning, and no one really looks back or cares who qualified for a bucket load of cash. After all, shouldn’t the Champions League be a little more true to its name? A whole continent’s worth of clubs who believe they should be playing in a competition in which they really have no right.

Spurs are in the best position at the moment from the perspective of English football – more so than Chelsea and even Newcastle. Sure, the effects may be similar if Newcastle win the Europa League, but having Chelsea pick up that trophy won’t do a whole lot for its image in this country. Chelsea are a Champions League regular, where winning a trophy like the Europa League will only be seen as something forgettable for them.

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Tottenham’s potential winning of the Europa League will offer it the reputation as something of a boost for those making the permanent switch from edge of mid-table to top of the ranks. You only need to look at the rising reputation of clubs like Atletico Madrid and Shakhtar on the continent. Tottenham have plenty of people talking about how they can challenge for the title in two years; well it’s steps like this that allow for something significant in moving forward. And for whatever Tottenham might think of themselves now, they’re not an established top Premier League team.

It’s the need to do away with “Champions League or nothing.” Again, only in this country is a reputable cup competition seen as something of a nuisance, especially to those who are good enough to win it. UEFA need to play their hand in this too. For whatever they may what to say about it, Thursdays just do not feel like a football night. They’ve got time; change it to a Tuesday and Wednesday in weeks where the Champions League isn’t played. And on top of that, the winner should go into the following year’s Champions League group stage.

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Tottenham want bragging rights and something clear cut to give them a footing in the argument against Arsenal. All of that is fine; it’s sports. But it has to be said that even sections of Arsenal support and the club are kidding themselves to a degree if they believe qualifying for Europe for how many years is an achievement worth parading around. As mentioned, no one cares if you qualified for Europe in the 2010/11 season. Almost everyone will look back to that year as the final where Barcelona once again put on a clinic against England’s best.

Tottenham would be doing a lot for themselves to go ahead and win the Europa League, as well as enhancing its brand in this country. One thing’s for sure in the battle for supremacy with Arsenal; I’m sure many at the Emirates would love to see a trophy added to the inner walls of the stadium. There is no glamour to be lost from a cup that has been lifted by some of Europe’s grandest clubs.

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Dismissing the tail has been a worry for Australia over the past year and a last-wicket partnership again forced a change to the team’s plans

Brydon Coverdale at Bellerive Oval16-Jan-2010Dismissing the tail has been a worry for Australia over the past year and a last-wicket partnership again forced a change to the team’s plans. Ricky Ponting spoke on the second day about his desire to enforce the follow-on but a 53-run stand between Pakistan’s final pair, Umar Gul and Mohammad Asif, altered all that and Ponting decided to bat again with a 218-run advantage.Australia must now juggle the weather – showers are forecast on the fourth afternoon – with their lead, which stands at 277, and calculate how long they will need to dismiss Pakistan a second time. On a good pitch, with an attack that took 105.4 overs to do the job in the first innings, Ponting will need a touch of clairvoyance to make the call.”It’s still a very good wicket, so that’s going to be the biggest challenge, leaving ourselves enough time to bowl them out again,” Simon Katich, who was unbeaten on 33, said at stumps. “We felt that there might be a bit of weather in the next couple of days but from all reports [Sunday] is supposed to be okay. You just have to wait and see.”Traditionally down here, sometimes the wicket does get better and better, so it’s still very good to bat on. There’s a little bit of spin and a few balls are keeping a bit lower now, but on the whole it’s still a very good batting wicket. I think it’s probably going to be based more on time. It might be a case that Pakistan might feel they’re a chance to get the runs. If both teams think they can win the game I guess it helps to draw a result out.”One of the key men in Pakistan’s efforts to save the match will be Salman Butt, who batted for 333 minutes and scored his third Test century to help Pakistan reach 301. Butt was confident the visitors would be able to work hard for a positive outcome on a surface that didn’t display too many demons on the third day.”I think this particular pitch looks to behave better than most other pitches we’ve played on, on the third day,” Butt said. “Hopefully it’s a bit better. Definitely on the fifth day and by the end of the fourth day the bounce will vary a bit more – it also happened today in the morning – and that’s what you expect on a five-day pitch so you have to play much straighter.”Butt and Shoaib Malik put on 129 for the fifth wicket but it wasn’t until the final partnership that Ponting decided not to make Pakistan follow-on. Gul and Asif came in 17 minutes before the scheduled tea break and survived not only for that time, but also beyond the extra half hour that Australia took as they aimed to finish off the innings before the interval.”If we’d knocked them over pretty quickly there and had a lead of say 270, 280, there would have been a good chance we might have been back out there bowling,” Katich said. “But the way it’s panning out I still think there’s plenty of time left in the game with two days left. Hopefully the weather will hold.”The forecast is for showers developing during the fourth afternoon and further showers on the fifth day, easing later in the day. Rain was also predicted on Saturday but didn’t arrive, although nearly two hours after stumps dark clouds were hovering ominously over the city.

Wicketkeeper says he had originally planned to retire before the start of this season

Shashank Kishore06-Nov-2024Wriddhiman Saha had already made up his mind to retire from cricket when he casually went to the Eden Gardens this June. But after he returned from a meeting meant to amicably resolve differences with certain factions within the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), which had led to his departure to Tripura for two seasons, Saha had a change of mind.The reason: Sourav Ganguly. The former India captain had convinced Saha to stay on so that he could end his career with Bengal. And so, Saha, who has had plenty of taping around his fingers and strapping around his hamstring and pain-relief patches on his back, decided to continue with the team’s physio on speed dial to be able to help him fight through another season.”You can say it was because of emotional attachment,” he says as he sits down for a chat on the opening day of Bengal’s fourth-round Ranji fixture against Karnataka in Bengaluru. “I wasn’t going to play this year but Sourav Ganguly and my wife pushed me to play and finish with Bengal after two seasons with Tripura.”When he gave his nod to play, Saha made it clear he won’t be available for the white-ball leg of the domestic season. He knew he wouldn’t last the rigours of another full season. It was also partly influenced by his desire to have his spot taken by someone else, because he’d already informed his previous IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans, he wasn’t going to play in the tournament anymore.As it turns out, one of the direct beneficiaries of Saha’s exit (from when he moved to Tripura) has been Abishek Porel, who has flourished so much over the past year across formats that Delhi Capitals considered him worthy of being retained. For Saha, a mentor to the young group of wicketkeepers across the country, there couldn’t have been a better validation.”I’ve been pushing myself for the last year. But because of my body condition and injuries, I won’t be able to play for the full season,” he says. “That’s why I chose the most vital format – Ranji Trophy. It will be tough [to carry on] but I will play and hopefully we qualify. If we do, I will play till the end of the season, else I’ll finish off at Eden Gardens.”Related

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Saha laughs when asked if the decision to contemplate retirement was tough. “It was very easy,” he replies spontaneously. “I was already prepared that I won’t play this year. But when my wife and Sourav Ganguly pushed me, I couldn’t refuse.”Still considered among the best wicketkeepers in India, perhaps even around the world, Saha seems at peace with his decision. He’s fully happy with the way his career has panned out, even though his career coincided at different times with two mavericks: MS Dhoni in the early years and Rishabh Pant in the later. Has he ever considered himself unlucky?”No, I don’t think so,” he says. “There are so many of them who didn’t play despite toiling so hard. Amol Muzumdar, Padmakar Shivalkar sir. I feel fortunate and proud to have played 40 Tests for India.”Wriddhiman Saha behind the stumps: acrobatic and safe•BCCI

As he looks ahead, Saha is open to opportunities in coaching and mentoring. He’s clear the first rights will be with Bengal. “Not yet [thought of the immediate future], but if I get an offer from another state or Bengal, I will think about it,” he laughs. “If not, family life (laughs). I have been playing cricket since childhood. I haven’t done anything else. I want to share as much knowledge as I have in cricket. I’ve already started doing that at a couple of academies back home.”Saha ended his Test career with 1353 runs in 56 innings at an average of 29.41, with three centuries and six half-centuries. Arguably, his finest moment on home turf when he hit unbeaten half-centuries in both innings to help India beat New Zealand in 2016. Saha admits “maybe I could’ve done more” with the bat, but insists his career graph was largely a reflection of his emphasis on being a wicketkeeper first and a batter next.”When I started, I was a wicketkeeper. I knew I could never be as good as Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli,” he says. “I wanted to earn a name in what I did from childhood – that’s why I put more emphasis on wicketkeeping.”He grew up working with Kiran More, Saba Karim and Deep Dasgupta. Chats with Dhoni over the years, and occasional interactions with Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy fueled his pursuits of being his best version. As a seasoned professional, Saha says he’s happy to chat with young keepers and help them.”I’ve spoken to keepers from the women’s team, we keep talking to each other,” he says. “Last IPL, Dhruv Jurel spoke to me. Rishabh [Pant] has done it all along when we played together. The understanding was good, he used to share his experiences, I used to give him as much input as possible.”As Saha reflects on his career, he’s happy he continued to play for three more years despite being told in late 2021 by then coach Rahul Dravid that the Indian team were moving on from him.”That door got closed, but I knew domestic, and IPL was still there,” he says. “It wasn’t like I got demoralised because of that. I’ve played now for three-four years since that. Why did I start playing? Because I like it. Last year, I’d stopped liking the game and planned to leave. After this season, I’m moving on.”Hopefully we can make the final. If not, I’ll finish off at Eden Gardens.”

New Zealand had made 321 for 6 on the back of half-centuries from Devon Conway and Tom Latham

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2023Rain denied a persistent Quinton de Kock from taking South Africa over the line against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram.Batting first, New Zealand had made 321 for 6 on the back of half-centuries from Devon Conway and Tom Latham. In reply, South Africa made their way to 211 for 4, with de Kock and David Miller both looking in good touch, before the rain put a premature end to the game, with South Africa seven runs short according to DLS.Apart from the win, New Zealand will be happy with Kane Williamson, who continued his road back to full sharpness, taking the field after scoring a 51-ball 37. However, he will not play in the tournament opener against England.Both teams tried out 17 bowlers in total. Even keeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen got a chance to roll his arm but it was the strike bowlers who made breakthroughs for both teams.Trent Boult blew Reeza Hendricks’ pads in the first over and had him lbw. Matt Henry joined Boult to trouble de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, his new partner, but the batters saw off the spell and took on the bowlers who followed.Seven of the eight boundaries between the seventh and the 14th overs were scored by van der Dussen, en route to a half-century. His aggression allowed de Kock to settle in despite a slow start. But the 72-run stand was cut off when van der Dussen had a swipe across the line, off Mitchell Santner’s bowling, and was caught at cover.De Kock smacked five fours and a six off Santner and Ish Sodhi in successive overs to get going. Aidan Markram then smacked Glenn Phillips for two fours but Sodhi had Markram miscue an inside-out shot to deep cover to end the 37-run stand.Klaasen and de Kock regularly hit boundaries off Sodhi and Rachin Ravindra, and also kept taking singles to move along at a brisk pace. De Kock soon brought up his fifty as well, but Boult returned and immediately struck, going around the wicket to dismiss Klaasen.Miller and de Kock kept South Africa afloat. De Kock was drained by the heat and suffered some body blows; a bouncer from Mitchell hit him on the head but he carried on. He and Miller both looked comfortable against the spinners, regularly clearing the boundaries. The game seemed to be heading towards a tight finish before the rain interruption.Earlier in the day, Conway stood tall after New Zealand chose to bat. He settled in with Williamson and Glenn Phillips offering support as the duo added 218 runs. New Zealand did not lose a wicket between the fifth and 40th over, when Phillips chopped on a yorker outside off from Marco Jansen.Conway drove, pulled and cut his way through to a fifty. Williamson was also fluent with his boundary-scoring shots during his stay. Williamson retired hurt at the end of the 20th over and Conway after the 26th.As Latham and Phillips rebuilt, rain came in with New Zealand on 171 off 29 overs. The pair settled back after the break with Phillips taking on anything too short or too full. Latham reached his fifty in the 37th over.The acceleration was cut off by Jansen, who removed both batters in the 40th over. In total, 10 of New Zealand’s batters managed to get a hit. Mitchell’s 16-ball 25, with support from Santner, earned New Zealand 78 runs in the last 10 and took them to 321.

Raj’s manager had harsh words for Harmanpreet Kaur in unprecedented outburst, calling Raj’s treatment “completely uncalled for”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2018The Indian women team’s decision to drop their senior-most player Mithali Raj for their semi-final against England on Thursday – a match they lost – has sparked a controversy with Raj’s manager publicly criticising captain Harmanpreet Kaur on various fronts on Twitter. Raj’s manager, Annisha Gupta, called Harmanpreet a “manipulative, lying, immature, undeserving captain” and also said the women’s team believed in “politics not sport”.”Unfortunately @BCCIWomen believes in politics not sport. After witnessing what @M_Raj03 ‘s experience could do in IndvIre it’s shocking that they went with what pleases @ImHarmanpreet -a manipulative, lying, immature, undeserving captain,” Gupta’s tweet read, soon after India were knocked out of the Women’s World T20.In another tweet, she called Harmanpreet a “manipulative, lying, cheat”.On Friday evening, Gupta confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the unverified Twitter account belonged to her and defended her statements, saying that the harsh criticism came “from the right place”. However, her account was deleted a couple of hours after she confirmed that the tweets were by her.*”I’d like to say that I don’t know what is going on on the inside but, now that the matches are being telecast, we can see who is performing and who is not,” Gupta told ESPNcricinfo. “And we can see the kind of treatment that Mithali has received despite her brilliant performance and despite showing stability and consistency. The kind of treatment she has received is completely uncalled for and there is something deeper than we need to look at than just the statements that have been coming out.”There are statements coming out that they wanted to give younger cricketers a chance but you don’t drop your senior-most, most experienced players in a semi-final against a country like England. It goes beyond giving the youngsters a chance.”When asked if she regretted what she wrote earlier on Twitter, Gupta said: “Maybe I was a little angry but I think it comes from the right place because I don’t stand for unfair treatment. The kind of favouritism that has been shown is very apparent. I think everybody can see the kind of favouritism that is being shown to certain members of the team.”India decided to not include Raj in the semi-final of the World T20 even though she had recovered after missing their last league game against Australia because of a knee injury. Before that, Raj had scored back-to-back half-centuries against Ireland and Pakistan in India’s then unbeaten run in the tournament. But against England, India collapsed from 89 for 2 to 112 all out, without their leading T20I scorer and most experienced player.”We were going with a winning combination,” Harmanpreet said after the loss. “We did really well against Australia. And that is the reason we just wanted to go with the same combination.”Raj has been an integral part of the Indian set-up for several years and even scored an unbeaten century – 105 off 61 balls – in a T20 against Australia A at home just before departing for the World T20. Overall, she also has the best average among Indians in women’s T20Is, and has scored 17 half-centuries in 80 innings. The next best is Harmanpreet with six half-centuries and a century in 82 innings. However, Raj is often criticised for her slow batting in the T20 format. Having played 22 of India’s 25 T20Is this year, Raj’s strike rate stands at 105.89, behind seven of her team-mates.Harmanpreet had been appointed captain of the India T20 team two years ago and there have been reports of a tiff between her and Raj, the oldest player in the team, in the Indian dressing room. During a T20I tri-series in Mumbai earlier this year involving England and Australia, Harmanpreet had even urged the team management to find more players who could run around the field the whole day and not just stand in the 30-yard circle.*1645GMT: The story was updated after her account was deleted

They were outplayed in Durban, the form of the senior batsmen coming under question, but all of that was put to rest by a very professional display from South Africa

Firdose Moonda12-Mar-2018Among the hearings and sanctions and violations of the ICC’s code of conduct over the last four days, South Africa also won a Test match and levelled a series. But the yin came with the yang. Their best performer was also their chief offender and while much has been made about Kagiso Rabada’s suspension from the next two Tests, not as much has been said of his performance, which is worthy of great praise.Rabada took 11 for 141, with five-fors in both innings to become the South African with the second-best figures against Australia after Hugh Tayfield’s 13 for 165 in the pre-isolation era. It was also his fourth ten-for in his 28-Test career. Only Dale Steyn has more ten-wicket hauls; one more.”We have to single out KG,” South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said. “A lot has been said about how amazing KG’s rise is, best strike-rate in world cricket at the moment or ever, so I don’t think you have to say too much more. To have him in your side as a captain is a huge pleasure. The skill he has to make the ball talk in both directions. Both teams have very high-class reverse swing bowlers, but what makes KG so special is he does it both ways at pace, and he doesn’t give a lot of bad balls away. And I honestly think he will get better, so I’m really excited to see what happens in his future.”Rabada’s strike-rate currently sits at 38.9 . In the last 100 years, only New Zealand’s Shane Bond has a better figure – 38.7 – and Rabada already has 54 more wickets than Bond managed in his entire career. His five wickets in 18 balls in the first innings put South Africa in a position of strength but it took the batsmen to hammer the point home.After South Africa’s seniors were shown-up in the first Test, there were concerns. But with Aiden Markram’s 143 and Quinton de Kock’s 83 at Kingsmead, there came hope that things would get better. “In the second innings in Durban, which was a peg in the ground for us as a batting unit, to have two young guys put up their hand and with Quinny put some nice batting and show some character to get runs on the board,” du Plessis said.In Port Elizabeth, Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla planted roots with patient half centuries that frustrated the Australian attack. “As you saw in the first innings, it was important for us to absorb a little bit. Australia are going to have times when they put you under pressure and we absorbed brilliantly with Dean and Hashim, making sure the bowlers stay out there and bowl third and fourth spells,” du Plessis said.Steven Smith and Faf du Plessis share a moment•Getty Images

And then it was time for South Africa’s superstar. “It set it up for an AB masterclass, which is the perfect situation for him to come in and transfer that pressure,” du Plessis said.De Villiers scored his first hundred since coming back from a near two year absence from the Test side. This could still be his last big Test rubber but for as long as he is scoring runs, du Plessis is only too happy to be able to call on him.”As I mentioned before the series, I could see in his eyes that he had a huge hunger and the stuff that we spoke about before this series as a team, he was extremely hungry to make a play. I said to him last night I’m just really pleased to see that he is walking the talk. All the stuff that he spoke about, he’s coming through with it,” du Plessis said. “I am really looking forward to see what he is going to do for the rest of the series. When he’s in that sort of form, I’m very happy to have him in my side.”Du Plessis reveled in an “incredible” Test match victory for South Africa which showed the “huge character and pride in our team,” best epitomised by Rabada, send-offs excluded. The 22-year old even did his bit with the bat when he walked in as the nightwatchman on the first evening, after being in the field for most of the day and survived through to the second morning.”I remember against India, I bowled the whole day, then Faf asked me to be nightwatchman. I was like ‘ya sure, I’ll do it’. Same thing happened in this Test match. We talked about it and said should we not maybe send Keshav in but it was no, no, no, we want you. I said, ‘ok fine, let’s do it,'” Rabada said. “I went out and even some of the Australians made some jokes. They said I’ve been bowling the whole day and now I’ve come to bat. They called me Braveheart, etc etc. It doesn’t stop.”Braveheart or not, Rabada is highly unlikely to feature in the rest of the series, which will deny South Africa use of the highest wicket-taker in the series so far and their own best performer. With Dale Steyn also out of contention for Newlands because he has not played the required franchise first-class game, Morne Morkel should slot back in to say farewell to Cape Town, in his final series.But first, there is a 10-day break between this game and the next, which is enough time for the dust to settle. Both teams will take most of the rest of this week off with South Africa reconvening in Cape Town next Monday. While the two Tests have provided enough talking points to fill the time, du Plessis is urging his team to think about other things before immersing themselves back into an intense contest. “It is important that you switch off.,” he said. “We’ve had two back-to-back highly contested Tests. It’s important to get bodies and minds ready.”

The Bangladesh captain was struck by a bouncer on the third morning of the Bloemfontein Test

Firdose Moonda08-Oct-2017Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has been taken to hospital after suffering a blow to his head on the third morning of the Bloemfontein Test. Although he looked shaken when the incident occurred, he batted on for another 40 minutes despite initial advice that he should be assessed. After the game, Mushfiqur confirmed that he had been tested by doctors and found to be okay.”After I got hit, there was a lot of pain,” Mushfiqur said. “I took medication and I tried to be there for my team. After I had a chat with our physio in the middle, I told him I will go off if I can’t bat after 10-15 minutes. I wasn’t 100% but I tried my level best to survive till lunch. I got out before lunch, and then I went to hospital. Doctors did few tests. I am okay at the moment. If I feel bad again, I can go back to the hospital.”Mushfiqur was on 11 when he ducked into a bouncer from Duanne Olivier in the 14th over of the innings and was hit on the left side of his helmet. He did not go to ground immediately but walked to the leg side, sat on his knees and then hunched over. He was surrounded by the South African team and attended to by the Bangladesh management.Bangladesh do not have a team doctor in their camp but a physiotherapist, Thihan Chandramohan, administered on-field treatment to Mushfiqur in the immediate aftermath. South Africa’s team manager, Mohammed Moosajee, who is also a medical doctor, arrived on the scene, inspected Mushfiqur and recommended he leave the field.Given Moosajee’s position as a member of the opposition camp, he could not do any more and soon left the field. Mushfiqur took several more minutes and got a change of helmet before deciding to bat on. He had taken a similar blow in the Wellington Test against New Zealand in January. Then he took the advice of the local doctors and was stretchered off to hospital.A comment was sought from the Bangladesh manager but he is yet to reply. If Olivier was feeling sympathetic, he didn’t show it. The next ball he bowled was also short, but angled down the leg side and Mushfiqur avoided it. He faced 10 more short balls from Olivier, edged him twice but both times the ball fell short of fielders, and hit left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj for two well-timed boundaries before he was given some reprieve.Wayne Parnell replaced Olivier at the Loch Logan End and pitched his first three deliveries up and angled them across Mushfiqur. He shouldered arms to the fourth one, was struck on the pads and given out lbw three minutes before the scheduled lunch break. Mushfiqur reviewed the decision but remained out on umpire’s call.

The visitors’ highest partnership in Test cricket – 359 – led them to the ascendancy in the Wellington Test against New Zealand

The Report by Alagappan Muthu13-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:30

Isam: Mushfiqur more than complemented Shakib

A maiden double-century from Shakib Al Hasan and 159 stately runs from Mushfiqur Rahim drove New Zealand into the ground on the second day in Wellington. Along the way, they recorded the highest partnership for Bangladesh in Test cricket – 359 – their second highest total away from home – 542 for 7 – and endless smiles on the faces of fans back home staying up through the night.The theme of play on Friday made it seem like Basin Reserve was a farmer’s market. It was bathed in sunshine but the Northerly was nowhere to be found, clearly it didn’t like what was being sold. “Time for runs,” said the sign posted over the pitch. “Fair enough,” said Bangladesh’s two most experienced players and batted 82.2 overs in each other’s company. Shakib’s 217, at a remarkable strike rate of 78, was the highest individual score by a Bangladesh batsman in Test cricket, while Mushfiqur only just missed out on batting through the entire day.”Patience for wickets? Lovely, darling patience for a pretty packet of wickets?” tempted the old gaffer who kept following Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme. The New Zealand bowlers bought into the deal initially. They targeted left-handers from around the wicket, placing the ball in the off-stump corridor and one of them snatched Mominul Haque’s edge in the third over of the day. It was the 44th instance that featured on a scorecard, going past . New Zealand didn’t quite keep their end of the bargain from the middle session onwards, leaking 273 in 61 overs at a run-rate of 4.47.Mushfiqur had to deal with a spate of bouncers early in his innings, copping blows to his fingers while awkwardly fending the ball away. But he wouldn’t give in. This pain was nothing compared to what he would have to endure if Bangladesh collapsed from a position of strength, again.Coming back from a hamstring injury, Mushfiqur relied on his guts to survive. It was clear he was fuelled by the desire to show that the team he leads can do well outside their borders. He waited for the full deliveries to come and when they did, put them away gracefully. Lashes through cover, a push past mid-off, a stunning on-drive for four and excellently controlled glides through point fed his fourth Test century, which he celebrated by drawing out what looked like a coin from his pocket and raising it aloft.Shakib, meanwhile, had far fewer moments of discomfort because he was able to pick the bouncer early. He was happy to leave an over that was packed with them from Wagner, who plays on batsmen’s egos to hustle them out. But the moment the short ball failed to rise high enough, he was onto it, pulling and cutting with no half-measures. With 128 of his runs coming behind the wicket, he moved to second place among Bangladesh’s top-run getters in Test cricket. He eventually fell with ten minutes to go for stumps, chopping on to Wagner’s bowling.New Zealand would rue the catches that they couldn’t hold on to. Mushfiqur, on 28, flailed at a wide delivery from de Grandhomme, a very thick outside edge flew too quickly for Jeet Raval leaping up at second slip. He could only get fingertips to it. While that was a very difficult chance, on the first day Mitchell Santner dropped a straightforward one off Shakib when he was on 4.The second new ball presented the chance for wickets and Boult was particularly effective in making it swing. He squared Shakib up with a full delivery from wide of the crease and the angle made the batsman opt for a flick. A little swing away took the leading edge but there was no third slip to capitalise on it. In the same over, Boult, going around the wicket, used seam movement to trouble Mushfiqur, to the extent that he inside-edged on to the leg stump but the bails, weighted in light of the winds usually prevalent in Wellington, did not move. Boult eventually got his man for 159, as a little bit of reverse swing away from the bat took the outside edge through to Watling behind the stumps.A wicket off the final ball of the day – Mehedi Hasan for 0 – rang a little hollow for New Zealand, but they should not lose hope yet. The pitch had flattened out, there were no signs of deterioration, and the outfield was lightning. There were more runs to be scored at Basin Reserve.