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Former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas was confirmed as ICC president on the third day of the ICC annual conference in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2015Former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas was confirmed as ICC president on the third day of the ICC annual conference in Barbados. Abbas, who had been chosen for the post by the PCB, thanked the ICC for accepting his nomination.”I am thankful to all of you for the support and confidence placed in me by confirming my nomination,” Abbas said. “I am also grateful to the PCB for proposing my candidacy as the ICC president. I assure you all that I will stand shoulder to shoulder with all the ICC Members as we continue to strive to inspire more and more people to fall in love with the game we cherish.”N Srinivasan, the ICC chairman, described Abbas as a “worthy ambassador” of the game.”Zaheer’s outstanding career as a stylish right-handed batsman is reflected in his remarkable record with 108 first-class hundreds and more than 7,500 international runs,” Srinivasan said. “Zaheer is clearly an iconic cricketer who always played the game with skill, flair and in the true spirit. He is a worthy ambassador of our great game.”The ICC council also approved the admission of the Serbia Cricket Federation as the 58th Affiliate Member. The Affiliate Memberships of Morocco and Turkey were suspended, while Brunei was removed as an Affiliate.

Yuvraj Singh unleashed trademark pick-up sixes and lofted drives to hit an unbeaten 77 off 35 and haul in the target of 202 with two deliveries to spare

The Report by Abhishek Purohit10-Oct-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYuvraj Singh hunted down the target of 202 with the calm of old•BCCI

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Aakash Chopra: ‘Yuvraj, the perennial comeback man’

In his second comeback after recovering from cancer, a leaner and fitter Yuvraj Singh was called upon to do a job he has done numerous times for India in ODIs – revive a floundering chase, with MS Dhoni for company, and only the lower order to follow. Only, this was a T20 and Yuvraj did not have the luxury of building his innings before accelerating. He duly cut out the building part, and unleashed trademark pick-up sixes and lofted drives to haul in the target of 202 with two deliveries remaining. India were facing an asking-rate of nearly 12 at 100 for 4 in the 12th over, but Yuvraj’s response was so forceful, that all Dhoni needed to do was give him the strike. By the end, the partnership was 102 at exactly two runs a ball, Yuvraj’s 77 off 35 showing his dominance.Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli had all failed to kick on from starts and India’s innings was in danger of going Australia’s way, who had lost too many wickets in maintaining a frenetic pace of scoring, and had run out of steam at the death. Aaron Finch seemed set to carry Australia way over 200 but his exit in the 17th over for 89 off 52 helped India keep the visitors to 201, as only 29 came off the final four. India themselves needed 49 off the final four, but Yuvraj was in such flow that the big shot was always at hand.Yuvraj first took 18 off Clint McKay in the 14th over, and then, when the pressure escalated again, carted James Faulkner for successive sixes in the 17th. The timing on the boundaries was vintage Yuvraj, as was the effortlessness and grace. George Bailey’s preferred field of three men in the ring around point worked to Yuvraj’s advantage, as did the fact that Australia bowled too full to him.Dhoni did his bit, constantly scampering twos and ones as he does in ODI chases, and coming up with the crucial boundary, a typical stretch-and-club to cover, when it came down to six needed off four.Yuvraj’s cool assault meant Finch’s innings, and Australia’s electric start, were in vain. After being put in, Finch and debutant Nic Maddinson had kickstarted the innings with a 56-run partnership inside five overs. It was the manner in which the openers attacked the offspin of R Ashwin that stood out. The highly-rated Maddinson, 21, calmly stepped out to Ashwin’s first delivery and lofted it cleanly over extra cover for four. Finch set about cutting and lofting with intent, and Ashwin’s first over cost India 17.Maddinson made 34 before missing a slog to be bowled. Vinay Kumar got both Shane Watson and George Bailey in the eighth over. Finch, meanwhile, kept battering boundaries, generating immense power and finding gaps consistently. He was swift and brutal on the cut, played the lofted drive repeatedly and when he went to cow corner, it was more timing and placement than slogging.Glenn Maxwell showed Australia were in no mood to relent even momentarily, swinging Ashwin for three sixes in the tenth over as the score zoomed to 114 for 3 at the halfway stage of the innings. Ashwin’s figures read 2-0-41-0, and Dhoni was forced to turn to Virat Kohli’s mediums for a couple of costly overs.Australia stalled after Finch clubbed a high full toss straight to Vinay. The blow split the webbing on the bowler’s left hand, but did not deter him from sending down a couple of tight overs. A last-ball six from Faulkner took the score past 200, but Yuvraj hunted it down with the calm of old.

Steven Crook starred with bat and ball as Northamptonshire claimed their first home win in one-day cricket for two years with victory over the Warwickshire in the Yorkshire Bank 40.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013
ScorecardSteven Crook followed up his 40 with his best List A bowling figures•Getty Images

Steven Crook starred with bat and ball as Northamptonshire claimed their first home win in one-day cricket for two years with victory over the Warwickshire in the Yorkshire Bank 40.It was a result that may well have ended any hopes that Warwickshire, the trophy winners in 2011 and finalists in 2012, had of progressing in the competition but one that sustains Northants’ aspirations. The club are also currently top of the Division Two Championship table.Northants posted 229 for 9 from their 40 overs, Crook top-scoring with 40 off 29 balls with Chris Wright taking 3 for 47 for the visitors. The Bears then collapsed to 193 all out with Rikki Clarke’s 65 from 76 balls providing the most resistance as Crook took a career-best 5 for 36.This was Northants’ second consecutive win in the competition and their first with the white ball at Wantage Road since they beat Scotland in May 2011.Northants won the toss and chose to bat only for Rob Newton to blast Wright to Jeetan Patel at cover in the second over. David Sales perished on 26 when he played Boyd Rankin’s delivery on to his stumps before Kyle Coetzer edged Ateeq Javid to Warwickshire wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose on 35.Northants lost captain Alex Wakely after he too plundered 35 when Patel’s delivery clipped his off stump and Matthew Spriegel then went for the same score when he was run out by William Porterfield at long-off. Wright then bowled Andrew Hall before James Middlebrook was taken at point by Porterfield off the same bowler.Steffan Piolet claimed two wickets from the penultimate over when Crook was taken at cover by Bears captain Jim Troughton before he castled Trent Copeland.Chasing 230, Warwickshire lost two wickets in five balls in the second over when Crook trapped Varun Chopra lbw for 2 before Troughton, on 4, slashed the same man to substitute Rob Keogh at point. Ambrose was then run out by Wakely from mid-off after trying to run a quick single off Crook from the second ball he faced.Clarke was to reach 50 off 54 balls but Porterfield perished for a patient 47 when he was taken at point by Newton off Copeland to break a fourth-wicket stand of 101.Darren Maddy nudged Spriegel to Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy before the the hosts got the wicket they really wanted when Murphy stumped Clarke to give Hall his first wicket.Crook was brought back into the attack in the 32nd over and soon bowled Piolet for a four-ball duck before pinning Patel lbw for 1. He then completed his first-ever five-wicket haul in one-day cricket by taking out Wright’s off stump before Hall rounded off proceedings by bowling Javid for a bright 31.

On a surface aiding spin, the South African spinners were on point in the first game – can India’s pair match them this time around?

Saurabh Somani20-Jan-20221:50

Can Aiden Markram find some form? Will Venkatesh Iyer bowl?

Big picture

About three weeks ago, India were riding the crest of a wave. They had breached a South African fortress in Centurion, were 1-0 up in the Test series, and had every prospect of turning that into a series-winning lead. However, that belonged in 2021. In 2022, India haven’t won any game in South Africa. Defeats in the last two Tests have been followed up by a loss in the opening ODI, and now India find themselves within one game of returning home with defeats in both the series, a prospect that would have seemed somewhat far-fetched at any point before the tour began or even after the first Test.The second ODI follows close on the heels of the first one, and at the same venue too – Boland Park in Paarl. The heat and the dryness of the pitch meant spinners found purchase, and the South African duo of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi (combined figures of 20-1-94-3) comfortably out-performed India’s pair of R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal (20-0-106-1). And if you add Aiden Markram’s part-time spin to the mix, South Africa’s spin figures become an even more impressive 26-1-124-4.Apart from expecting more from their spinners, India will also have to deal with the familiar issue of the middle order lacking runs. It has been the flip side to having a top three of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli – who have piled on runs relentlessly – that the middle order remains slightly uncooked, and it is not a problem with easy solutions.Related

• van der Dussen, Bavuma feed off each other in fine partnership

• Dhawan's knock underlines his value in India's ODI side

For South Africa, the theme that ran through their success in the Test series held good in the first ODI too: they are a team without too many superstars but one that still gets the job done. Rassie van der Dussen has played 30 ODIs so far, and averages a whopping 73.62 in them. In the first ODI here, he showed what he could do with inventive and attacking batting. His innings swung the game decisively South Africa’s way, with the run rate floundering until he took charge.While it is unrealistic to expect him to sustain this level of run-scoring in ODIs, it is not as if these numbers are completely out of the blue for van der Dussen. In a List A career spanning 119 matches, his average is just shy of 50.

Form guide

South Africa WLWLW (last five completed matches; most recent first)

India LLWWW
Runs haven’t been coming for Aiden Markram, and South Africa have other options in the squad•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

KL Rahul will face the heat as captain and opening batter. On the eve of the first ODI, he had lauded Venkatesh Iyer’s all-round utility to the ODI side, but then opted not to call him up for a single over with the ball even when the others were being dealt with easily by Temba Bavuma and van der Dussen. It left the question as to why Iyer was preferred to Suryakumar Yadav or Ishan Kishan, who arguably offer more as batters alone. And while batting, Rahul opted for some caution even though South Africa opened the bowling with Markram’s part-time offspin.A favourable match-up against a non-regular bowler with the field up during the powerplay and a steep target to chase should have unlocked Rahul’s free-stroking persona. Instead, he brought out the IPL image of recent vintage: the captain intent on caution. Tactically too, it wasn’t the best move as it allowed South Africa to get six overs out of the fifth bowler’s quota first up, and gave them much greater freedom to use their main bowlers at key moments. How Rahul responds to these as captain and batter will be interesting to see.While Aiden Markram’s bowling offered an unexpected bonus, and his fielding at point remains top notch, his main suit has been in trouble lately. He isn’t short of class but the runs haven’t been coming for Markram, and that is something that could trouble South Africa on another day. Hence, they could well consider a swap with a bowler. In the likes of George Linde and Dwaine Pretorius, they have bowlers who can bat.If they want to go for a pure bowler, there is Sisanda Magala. In effect, if Markram is not contributing via runs, there is an argument to be made that his part-time bowling can be replaced by someone with greater pedigree.

Team news

South Africa are unlikely to make changes to a winning combination from the first ODI. They followed the same philosophy in the Test matches, where Maharaj played the second and third Tests despite having little to do.South Africa (likely): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlulwayo, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Tabraiz ShamsiRahul had said before the series began that while India would look to be flexible tactically, they would ensure those selected got a good run. On that basis, it is not likely that they will make any changes to the side from the first ODI either.India (likely): 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Venkatesh Iyer, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

It is set to be another hot day in Paarl. The surface is slow and aiding spin already, and the heat will dry it out further. The slowness of the pitch is balanced by the shorter boundaries. And so, like in the first ODI, the team winning the toss will look to bat in all probability.

Stats and trivia

• Among the top ten pace bowlers in terms of ODI wickets since Jasprit Bumrah’s debut in January 2016, only he has an economy rate below five. Bumrah has the second-most wickets in this period, but his average and economy rate are both better than Trent Boult, who has the most.
• Keshav Maharaj has played six of his 16 ODIs at home – all in the last two years – and in four out of those six, he has paired with Tabraiz Shamsi. This is a pointer to the South African pitches not always being spin-unfriendly, as well as to South Africa having two quality spinners to call on.

Quotes

“Our thought process is that we are building a team for the 2023 World Cup. So there are going to be a few hiccups here and there. But we all have good clarity that we have got this bunch of players and how we have to refine them. It doesn’t matter if we lose an odd game while trying to do that because we are looking at the bigger picture.”
“Definitely a lot more in favour of the Indian players, more like a subcontinent pitch rather than a South African pitch. So that’s what makes the victory even sweeter, basically in foreign conditions, we outplayed them.”

Titans climb to the top of the table after Hardik Pandya becomes first captain to bat first after winning the toss

Sreshth Shah23-Apr-20224:38

Is Hardik good enough to bat at No. 3 for India?

For 34 games, no captain dared. But on Saturday afternoon, Hardik Pandya opted to bat first under sunny skies against Kolkata Knight Riders, and though it was rocky for large parts in a seesaw affair, Gujarat Titans got the two points they needed and got back their spot at the summit of the IPL 2022 points table.After putting up 156, which seemed around 20 too few at the halfway stage, Titans needed early Knight Riders wickets. Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal and Lockie Ferguson picked off four in 6.1 overs, and that ensured Titans got home to an eight-run win despite a late 25-ball 48 from Andre Russell.Russell’s six sixes had dragged Knight Riders to a scenario where they needed 18 off the final over with the allrounder on strike to Alzarri Joseph. When he hit a six off the first ball, a Knight Riders win was a realistic possibility. But a stunning Ferguson catch at the deep square-leg boundary off a Joseph bouncer Russell couldn’t connect well with sent him back and completely deflated the Knight Riders challenge.Southee, Hardik impress under the sun
Among Knight Riders’ three changes for the game was Tim Southee in place of the expensive Pat Cummins. He struck with his first ball when a loosener down the leg side was edged behind by Shubman Gill in the second over. Wriddhiman Saha struggled to find fluency, and Hardik walked in at No. 3, the highest position he has ever batted at for Titans.Hardik led the charge from one end in half-century stands with Saha and No. 4 David Miller, and reached his half-century in 36 balls – completing a hat-trick of fifties in the process – and looked set to change gears for a big flourish at the death. But he fell in the 18th over.It was Southee in his return spell who dismissed Hardik, bowling an offcutter that Hardik pulled to the boundary rider Rinku Singh. Not long after, Rashid Khan was caught trying to pull Southee too, and the quick finished with 3 for 24.2:09

Lynn: There are some deep scars there for KKR

Russell’s four-wicket over
Even though Varun Chakravarthy returned better figures (none for 26 in three overs) than he had in previous games, Shreyas Iyer did not go to him for his fourth over. Instead, with the 20th to be bowled and Titans at 151 for 5, Shreyas turned to Russell.And Russell proceeded to take the wickets of Abhinav Manohar, Ferguson and Rahul Tewatia – all caught by Rinku on the longer square boundary to the right-handers’ leg side – and ended the innings with a diving caught-and-bowled dismissal off Dayal to finish with a four-for in just six balls. His over not only ensured a tame finish for Titans, but the momentum, too, was with Knight Riders.Titans pacers in complete control
It was the fourth opening pair for Knight Riders in IPL 2022, with Sam Billings – who replaced Aaron Finch [out with a niggle] – opening with Sunil Narine. But both openers were dismissed by Shami in his new-ball burst.Billings lasted just four balls, as Shami’s bouncer had him slicing a catch to Saha in the first over of the chase. Narine was then discomfited by a barrage of short-pitched deliveries, and when Shami offered him a length ball, Narine could only whip the ball to the fielder at short fine-leg.The score of 10 for 2 would soon become 16 for 3 when Ferguson’s around-the-wicket angle had Nitish Rana caught behind, and Knight Riders were looking at a massive defeat when Shreyas Iyer was the fourth man gone – caught behind again, this time off Dayal’s left-arm angle – with the scoreboard reading 34 four 4.Mohammed Shami gave Titans a great start with the ball by removing the Knight Riders openers•BCCI

Rinku and Russell push back
Venkatesh Iyer walked in at No. 6 and in Rinku’s company, they started to build a partnership. Rashid’s first spell was seen off carefully, and Rinku found the occasional boundary to move to 35 with four fours and a six.With eight overs to go, Knight Riders needed 77, but Dayal had Rinku caught behind in his return spell, quite against the run of play. That brought Russell in at No. 7, and he started off by ending Dayal’s over with back-to-back sixes.At the end of the over, the Knight Riders dugout was spotted instructing Venkatesh to hang around with Russell, but he failed to do the job, slogging out to deep midwicket trying to play Rashid against the turn. Next over, Rashid picked off Shivam Mavi, and finished with 2 for 22.With 45 needed off four overs, Titans had four seamers with one over each in hand. Hardik went for experience first, giving the 16th to Shami and the 17th to Ferguson, which went for a combined 16 runs. The 19th from Dayal went for 11, and the first ball of the 20th from Joseph did go for a six, but Russell’s dismissal next ball ensured that Hardik’s decision at the toss gave them the result they wanted.

New Zealand’s contract list has undergone a significant shake-up for 2013-14, with eight changes from last year’s group. Tom Latham, Corey Anderson, Bruce Martin, Mitchell McClenaghan, Colin Munro and Hamish Rutherford have all been contracted for the fir

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2013New Zealand’s contract list has undergone a significant shake-up for 2013-14, with eight changes from last year’s group. Tom Latham, Corey Anderson, Bruce Martin, Mitchell McClenaghan, Colin Munro and Hamish Rutherford have all been contracted for the first time, while Peter Fulton and Grant Elliott have returned to the list after missing out for the past couple of seasons.James Franklin, Daniel Flynn, Andrew Ellis, Tarun Nathula, Rob Nicol and Kruger van Wyk have all missed out from last year’s group of contracted players, along with Jacob Oram, who was replaced during the year by Neil Wagner. Also gone from the list are the newly-retired Chris Martin and the veteran Daniel Vettori, who turned down a contract due to uncertainty over his recovery from surgery on his Achilles tendon.There was no room for Andrew Ellis, Luke Ronchi, Adam Milne, Ian Butler or Jeetan Patel. Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said the 20 players who received deals were those most likely to feature for the team over the next 12 months, which includes tours of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies, along with home series against India and West Indies.”There’s still a strong core of experienced players who have been a part of the team’s progression over recent months,” Hesson said. “Some of the younger players such as Corey Anderson and Hamish Rutherford have also demanded a spot, after making strong starts to their international careers.”As always, some difficult decisions had to be made and a number of last year’s contracted players will be disappointed to have missed out. However, there’s nothing to say that they can’t force their way back into the team in the future through strong domestic performances.”Contracted players Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Grant Elliott, Peter Fulton, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Bruce Martin, Mitchell McClenaghan, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Colin Munro, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

Kevin Pietersen’s knee injury is not as serious as his earlier prognosis had predicted, as he won’t require knee surgery

Andrew McGlashan27-Mar-2013
Kevin Pietersen will not require surgery for the knee injury that forced him to leave the tour of New Zealand early, plus withdraw from the IPL, and is on course to be available for the start of England’s home international season.Pietersen, who underwent scans in London on Tuesday, was diagnosed with bruising on the bone around his right knee, rather than cartilage damage that may have required an operation and a longer recovery time.He will now wear a brace for two weeks, followed by another fortnight of rest, before undergoing further evaluation. The initial prognosis, when Pietersen flew home, was up to eight weeks before he would return to action.England’s opening Test against New Zealand is on May 16 and Pietersen will require some first-class matches before then to prove his fitness, but Andy Flower, the team director, was confident of him being ready.”He is being put in a brace for two weeks. He will be off exercise, or any impact exercise, after that for another couple of weeks. Then he’ll start his rehab. We anticipate him playing a full part in the summer. He’s been in some pain, but we hope he’ll be ready to go by the start of the summer.”Pietersen was discomforted throughout his time in New Zealand, but made 73 in the second Test in Wellington before the problem worsened to a degree where he was unable to play in the decider at Eden Park.He will be one of three England players whose recovery from injury will be closely monitored in the early weeks of the season. Graeme Swann, who underwent elbow surgery three weeks ago, is also trying to be fit for the New Zealand series, although the selectors may give him more time depending on his progress.Tim Bresnan, another who had an operation to try and solve an elbow problem, is due to return to action for Yorkshire in their second County Championship match of the season against Durham at Chester-le-Street.

Shadman’s maiden Test century in Bangladesh’s second innings helped them get into a winning position against Zimbabwe in Harare

Mohammad Isam13-Jul-2021According to Bangladesh batter Shadman Islam, the team was so moved by Mahmudullah’s retirement announcement during the Harare Test against Zimbabwe, that the players felt motivated to win the match and dedicate it to the 35-year old. The young opener who made his maiden century in the second innings, said that they were all taken aback by Mahmudullah’s decision.”When we heard from (Mahmudullah) Riyad bhai that this was to be his last Test, we got very motivated to do well in the Test. We were all upset. He has done a lot for this team. We wanted to win the match for him. We all decided to dedicate the win for Riyad , and thankfully that’s what happened,” said Shadman, shortly after arriving in Dhaka with the rest of the Test specialists.Shadman’s response on Mahmudullah’s retirement has, so far, been the most direct from any Bangladesh player. Other Bangladesh players have been glowing in their tribute of Mahmudullah in social media posts after the match. But they have not directly mentioned his retirement, conceivably not to draw the ire of BCB president Nazmul Hassan who criticised Mahmudullah for announcing it midway through a match.Captain Mominul Haque mumbled a reply when the traveling media asked him repeatedly about the retirement in the post-match post conference in Harare. But he did credit Mahmudullah for his unbeaten 150 that put Bangladesh on top after a difficult start to their batting innings.Shadman and Najmul Hossain Shanto took full advantage of the 192-run lead, reaching centuries during their 196-run second wicket stand in the second innings. Shanto made 117 while Shadman reached his first ton.”What makes me happy is that my century helped the team to a Test win. We always believed that we were the better team, even in their conditions. Riyad , Taskin and Mominul made things easier for us with their batting.”The wicket was slightly different in the second innings, so we believed that we could give Zimbabwe a tough total in the fourth innings,” he said.Shadman is one of eight cricketers who returned home after the one-off Test. Captain Haque, Shanto, Saif Hassan, Yasir Ali, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed and Ebadot Hossain were the others. They will most likely sit out for the next three months when Bangladesh play plenty of white-ball cricket. The BCB hasn’t announced any red-ball competition.”One has to come to terms with how things are at the moment. The pandemic is not in anyone’s control,” Shadman said. “There’s no point getting disappointed [with lack of matches]. I will just keep training, and try to play well.”

The duo added 115 in an unbroken second-wicket stand to wrap up the chase in just 24.3 overs

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2021Murshida Khatun and Fargana Hoque struck unbeaten half-centuries as Bangladesh Women trounced Zimbabwe Women by nine wickets in the second ODI and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Set a target of 122, Murshida and Hoque added 115 for the second wicket – the second-highest stand for Bangladesh in ODIs – and wrapped up the chase in 24.3 overs.Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe opted to bat after winning the toss but didn’t have a great start as Jahanara Alam dismissed debutant Sharne Mayers on the first ball of the match. In the next over, Salma Khatun bowled Ashley Ndiraya, also for a duck, to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 2 for 2. Captian Mary-Anne Musonda tried to stabilise the innings but she too couldn’t last long and fell to Salma for 10.Modester Mupachikwa and Christabel Chatonzwa dragged the side past 50 during their 34-run stand for the fourth wicket but both batters fell within two runs of each other, leaving Zimbabwe 58 for 5.When Nahida Akter removed Precious Marange to make it 71 for 7, it started looking like the hosts will be bowled out for a sub-100 total for the second time in two games. Nyasha Gwanzura, though, hung around with the lower order, scoring an unbeaten 35 to ensure Zimbabwe reached 121. Along with Esther Mbofana, Gwanzura added 38 for the eighth wicket but despite her efforts Zimbabwe could last only 46.4 overs as Akter cleaned up the tail to finish with 3 for 30.Bangladesh lost Sharmin Akhter early in the chase but Murshida and Hoque kept the Zimbabwe bowlers at bay and moved closer to their individual half-centuries. Murshida was the first to reach the milestone, her maiden ODI fifty coming from 63 balls. Hoque was on 49 off 67 balls when she hit Mbofana for four to bring up her seventh fifty as well as seal the game.

Angelo Mathews was omitted while Nuwan Pradeep earned a recall to bolster the seam attack

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jun-2021Left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, and allrounders Dhananjaya Lakshan, Charith Asalanka, and Ishan Jayaratne are the surprise entrants to Sri Lanka men’s 24-member squad for the limited-overs tour of England. Although Sri Lanka have again insisted on picking young players, omitting Angelo Mathews, they have recalled Nuwan Pradeep to beef up the seam-bowling stocks. Batter Avishka Fernando, who missed the last two tours due to substandard fitness, made it into this squad, having passed his tests. Batter Ashen Bandara, however, was not in the squad.Jayaratne, 31, is perhaps the most unheralded name in the squad. He made it on the back of an excellent List A domestic tournament, in which he claimed 18 wickets at 20.61, with an economy rate of 5.44. He has been handy, rather than consistent, with the bat, averaging 20.57 in List A cricket, with a high score of 105 not out.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Lakshan, 22, had been one of the breakout players of the Lanka Premier League last year. Asalanka, 23, is a former Sri Lanka under-19 captain, and has been on the radar of the senior team for years. Left-arm spinner Jayawickrama, meanwhile, had impressed on Test debut against Bangladesh earlier this year, earning the Player-of-the Match award for his 11 wickets.Avishka Fernando’s return will create competition at the top of the order. Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis had formed the top three in the recent ODIs in Bangladesh. But if Avishka makes it into the XI, it is likely that either Kusal Mendis or Perera may move down the order.Related

• Perera presses on Sri Lanka's 'fearless' brand of cricket again, before England T20Is

• SL players to tour England without contracts

With Pradeep back, Sri Lanka have no fewer than six specialist seam-bowling options on this tour, with Dushmantha Chameera, Isuru Udana, Asitha Fernando, Binura Fernando, and Shiran Fernando all picked. Allrounders Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne also bowl seam, in addition to Jayaratne and Lakshan.There were four frontline spinners in the group – Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakana, Akila Dananjaya and Jayawickrama.Sri Lanka leave for England on Tuesday. Following quarantine, they are expected to play two tour matches, before the internationals start with the first of three T20Is on June 23. Three ODIs will follow.