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The 26-year-old Afghanistan spinner went past Dwayne Bravo’s tally of 631

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2025Rashid Khan, for long one of the most compelling sights in T20 cricket, has now climbed to a pinnacle becoming the format’s highest wicket-taker ever. The 26-year-old Afghanistan wristspinner went past Dwayne Bravo’s tally of 631 wickets when he bowled Dunith Wellalage in the SA20 qualifier 1 against Paarl Royals on Tuesday.”It’s a great achievement,” Rashid told the host broadcaster after his team secured victory. “I never thought about it, if you asked 10 years before this if I would get there. It’s a proud feeling to be from Afghanistan and to be at that level where you top the table. DJ [Bravo] is one of the best T20 bowlers. It’s a great honour and I’m looking forward to continuing.”Related

• How a break from cricket helped Rashid Khan rediscover his best

• Rashid Khan: 'It's going to be massive to get 1000 wickets'

• Rashid Khan: 'If someone is going after me, I'm going to make it super hard for him'

• Rashid Khan: 'You can get form back, but once you lose respect, it's hard to get that back'

• The greatest IPL performances, No. 4: Rashid Khan's 3 for 19 and 34 not out vs the Kolkata Knight Riders

Rashid made his T20 debut when he was still a teenager in October 2015. He is now fast approaching 500 matches having been a hugely sought after player in leagues all over the world. He has won an IPL title and a PSL title and was virtually a household name in Adelaide where he played 69 matches for the Strikers, including picking up career-best figures of 6 for 17.The ability to bowl quickly through the air and keep the stumps in play made Rashid an extremely difficult bowler to face, especially since it was hard to pick which way the ball was going to turn. He gave batters no time to adjust and very little clues what was going to happen. Eventually, teams simply started playing him out without taking too much risk. Rashid could run through a side – he has 20 hauls of four wickets or more – but his defining quality was that he could always keep opposition batters under control.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rashid spoke about how wickets weren’t necessarily his priority in an interview with The Cricket Monthly last year. “If someone is going after me, I’m going to make it super hard for him. If he still hits it, it’s a good shot. But I won’t ease down [on creating the pressure]. It’s more about making things harder and harder for the batter.”As he gained experience – Rashid has played in the Hundred, CPL and the BPL – his batting also improved. He is known for his ability to come in and hit sixes straight away and has a shot all his own, called the snake shot, where he gets underneath a yorker length ball and whirls his wrists to such an extent the bat makes contact and surges back, like whiplash. Rashid’s all-round prowess was on show in the playoffs of IPL 2018 when he made 34 off just 10 balls to lift Sunrisers Hyderabad to a total of 170 and then helped defend it by taking 3 for 19 and taking two catches as well.In a sign of how influential Rashid can be, his current IPL team, Gujarat Titans, retained his services for INR 15 crore (USD 1.8 million approx).

Allrounder keen to focus on personal form and pushing case for T20 selection

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2023Warwickshire have announced that Will Rhodes has stepped down as club captain after five seasons in the role.Rhodes, 28, helped the club to claim a County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy double in 2021. Warwickshire were briefly in contention once again last season but only won one in six between May and September before finishing fourth.The allrounder, who remarkably has never missed a first-class game since joining the club from Yorkshire ahead of the 2018 season, made 618 runs at 30.90 in 2023 and told the club that he wanted to focus on his form, as well as regaining a place in the T20 side.”Coming to the club as 22-year-old I never thought I’d get such an opportunity to captain a great club like Warwickshire,” Rhodes said.”It’s been an unbelievable honour. I was hugely grateful for the opportunity when Jim Troughton and Paul Farbrace asked me to do it. And with the support of Robbo [Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s head coach] and most recently Gavin Larsen I’d like to think I’ve made a positive contribution and helped take the club forward.”I’m looking forward to next season, helping whoever will be the new captain, and hopefully giving them a bit of advice from the experience I’ve gained over the years. And most importantly, collectively pulling together to win as many games as possible for the club.”Warwickshire have yet to make a decision on Rhodes’ successor but Robinson offered his personal thanks after the pair worked together as captain and coach for the past three seasons.”He’ll always be remembered as one of few players who’ve captained a side at Edgbaston to the County Championship,” Robinson said. “I’ve planned and plotted tactics with Rhodesy for several year now and I would personally like to thank him for all the support he’s given me as well as the wider club.”Rhodesy obviously isn’t retiring and will hopefully transition seamlessly into the ranks and continue helping us in our quest for success. But for now we thank him for all he has achieved with us as a leader.”

The MI franchise in the CSA T20 league is the first to announce its list of signings before the auction

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2022MI Cape Town – Mumbai Indians’ franchise in the upcoming CSA T20 league – have announced Rashid Khan, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada and Dewald Brevis as their five signings ahead of the player auction.As per the league’s rules, each of the six franchises will get to pre-sign five players – three overseas, one South Africa international player and one uncapped South African player – prior to the auction, and MI Cape Town are the first team to announce their list of players.”I’m excited as we begin our journey in building MI Cape Town,” Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio, the owners of MI Cape Town, said. “With our direct player signings, we have taken the first step towards building the MI philosophy – having a strong core around which the team will be planned. I am glad to welcome Rashid, Kagiso, Liam, Sam, to the #OneFamily and happy to have Dewald continue with us on this new journey.”On Wednesday, the CSA league had announced that it had signed over 30 marquee players and that each squad could have 17 players on their roster.While no other team has announced signings yet, it has been confirmed that Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Eoin Morgan, Jason Holder, Jason Roy and many others will participate in the league. While Livingstone and Buttler will earn $US500,000 each, Moeen will take home $400,000, du Plessis 350,000 and the likes of Rabada, de Kock, Miller, Morgan and Curran will get $300,000 each.So far 11 England names have signed up for the league – the largest overseas representation – followed by 10 from Sri Lanka. As expected, there are no Pakistani names in the list.The CSA release on Wednesday also said the auction would take place “in the next few weeks” before the league begins in January 2023. All six franchises of the league have been bought by groups that own teams in the IPL and the league is likely to allow four overseas players in the playing XI with no requirements for transformation as of now.

She is self isolating at home after experiencing mild symptoms

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2021Harmanpreet Kaur has tested positive for Covid-19, the update coming after she had experienced mild symptoms and was tested. ESPNcricinfo understands that the India T20I captain experienced a fever for four days before testing positive on Monday. She is currently self-isolating at home.Kaur did not play any part in the recent T20Is at home against South Africa as a result of a hip-flexor injury, which she picked up during the fifth ODI in the longer-format series preceding the T20Is. In Kaur’s absence, Smriti Mandhana led India to a 2-1 series defeat. Earlier, Mithali Raj had led India to a 4-1 loss in the ODIs, in which Kaur hit 160 runs in four innings at an average of 53.33, including a 54 in the fourth ODI.Kaur is the second high-profile India Women cricketer to have tested positive for Covid-19 after pace bowler Mansi Joshi tested positive last October. As a result of that, Joshi had to miss the Women’s T20 Challenge in the UAE, where she was to represent the Velocity side, led by Raj.Separately, a number of former Indian cricketers, who were part of the Road Safety Series in Raipur, have tested positive for Covid-19: Sachin Tendulkar, Yusuf Pathan, S Badrinath and Irfan Pathan have returned positive tests.

Victoria captain Peter Handscomb admitted his comments about the MCG may have influenced the groundsman

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2019Both captains agreed that there was a genuine risk that a player could have been seriously injured on the MCG pitch that forced the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Western Australia to be abandoned, while Peter Handscomb admitted comments he made last week about needing more life in the surfaces may have influenced the groundsman.The game was suspended on the first afternoon and then called off on Sunday morning after Western Australia’s batsmen were hit repeatedly around the head and chest with deliveries rearing off a length. The pitch had started soft and divots were created, which led to the alarmingly uneven bounce.It is less than three weeks until the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand, which will be played on an adjacent surface.”The game’s been abandoned so it was a pretty genuine risk,” Handscomb said. “The players want to play cricket, that’s why we are here, but player safety is key and that’s where this decision has come from.”Shaun Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, who sustained painful blows to the ribs, underwent concussion tests after the opening day.”It was quite dangerous and as the game went on it got worse,” Marsh said. “As the pitch dried out it became unplayable. My players’ safety is at the forefront of my mind. The right decision has been made and lessons will be learnt.”Following the previous Sheffield Shield match at the ground, against New South Wales, which fizzled out into a draw due to rain over the last two days, Handscomb spoke about the need to bring more life back to the pitches.”[The] MCG pitch hasn’t deteriorated for ten years,” he said. “So I think we need to start making the game accelerate at the start of it, maybe make it a bit greener like it is in Hobart, where the game accelerates at the start and then becomes a good batting wicket. But that’s up to the groundsman and see how they go.”Asked whether those comments played a part in influencing what head groundsman Matt Page produced this weekend, he said: “I think it may have helped him. We’ve had a lot draws at the MCG and it’s about finding a wicket that can get a result. Unfortunately, he’s gone a touch too far and I’m sure come Boxing Day he’ll prepare a beautiful cricket wicket.”Hindsight is a great thing. Unfortunately you can’t change anything that you do. I said stuff, that happens, so be it.”Both Handscomb and Marsh offered their support to Page, who moved to the MCG after being head groundsman at the WACA. “I know Pagey very well. He’s done some really good things since coming here. He was a great groundsman at the WACA,” Handscomb said. “He has a lot of experience behind him and has a lot of time to prepare a wicket that, I think, will produce a good Boxing Day Test.”It’s tough and he’s under the microscope at the moment through the media. He’s a great groundsman, has been for a lot of years, has worked in some different conditions and has done some great things out here.”Marsh added: “He’ll learn from this mistake and I’m sure the wicket for Boxing Day will be good.”While there will be attempts to reschedule the match, with such a packed season – and this being the last round of matches before the BBL – that is likely to prove difficult. If the game isn’t replayed then, under Cricket Australia rules, each side will get three points. Marsh said Western Australia would “let the dust settle” before assessing their options in that scenario.

While Oman held on in a nervy finish against Denmark, Kenya bounced back from a lopsided loss to USA with a six-wicket win over Uganda

Peter Della Penna in Muscat13-Nov-20181:26

Our batsmen shouldn’t be repeating mistakes – Duleep Mendis

Oman held on in a nervy finish behind Jatinder Singh’s 73 to maintain their unbeaten run with a three-wicket win over Denmark.In a game which had sloppy fielding from both sides, Denmark paid dearest for dropping Jatinder twice – on 5 and 19 – as he went on to anchor Oman’s chase of Denmark’s 154.It arguably should have been a much smaller target and a less taxing chase but the hosts were guilty of a number of drops that allowed Denmark off the hook after being under pressure following their decision to bat first. An edge by Zameer Khan to second slip off Kaleemullah was followed by a full inswinger by Bilal that trapped Hamid Shah to leave Denmark 9 for 2 in the third over.Freddie Klokker’s decision to take on Mehran Khan for a third run after chasing down a drive from mid-on resulted in a direct hit run-out leaving Denmark 36 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay. It could have been 36 for 4, but Saif Ahmad was spilled by Khawar Ali at slip off the very next ball by Jay Odedra. Khawar had injured his right shoulder a short time earlier diving to stop a boundary and left the field immediately after the drop, eventually leaving the ground with his arm in a sling for further evaluation.Oman had reduced Denmark to 59 for 5 and maintained pressure that resulted in another chance when Bilal returned for a second spell and bounced Anique Uddin on 17, resulting in an uncontrolled hook to deep fine leg that was spilled by Sufyan Mehmood. The two misses resulted in 55 extra runs as the pair built up a 64-run partnership that came to an end in dubious circumstances when Uddin was given out lbw for 31 to Odedra on a ball which video showed was sliding down leg.Denmark wound up losing their last five wickets for 31 runs after Bilal returned to hasten a finish with two more wickets as they were bowled out in 41.4 overs. It meant Oman had to bat 25 minutes before lunch and they reached 20 for 1 in eight overs by the interval.Khawar had been due to come in at three but with his shoulder wrapped in ice, Oman’s middle order struggled without him. Denmark opened with spin from both ends and did not bowl an over of medium pace until the 25th before reverting to spin the rest of the way. It almost worked as Nicolaj Laegsgaard, Bashir Shah and Saif worked their way through Oman’s order.Jatinder was on 59 at 128 for 5 when he called for a suicidal run to midwicket that Fayyaz Butt turned down. Both batsmen wound up at the non-striker’s end but Fayyaz alertly left his crease before Hamid’s throw reached Abdul Hashmi behind the stumps, allowing Jatinder to continue. Khawar entered at No. 8 and contributed an unbeaten 9, helping Oman get across the line after Jatinder fell with 10 needed to win.1:36

‘It was Important to get a victory over Uganda’ – Karim

Kenya bounced back from a lopsided loss to USA with a six-wicket win over Uganda. Uganda were committed to playing Irfan Afridi but received news less than an hour before the toss during warm-ups that he had been suspended with immediate effect from bowling in international cricket. It forced Uganda to make him the third change to the XI from their last game as Frank Nsubuga, Brian Masaba and Kenneth Waiswa all saw their first action of the tournament.After choosing to bat first, Uganda struggled to make 177 for 9. Captain Roger Mukasa’s lean run at the tournament continued as he chopped on to Lucas Oluoch for 11. Fellow opener Arnold Otwani, who had crossed 50 in Uganda’s first two matches in Oman, edged Emmanuel Bundi behind for six runs. Ronak Patel was then smartly stumped by Irfan Karim off a leg side wide standing up to Sachin Bhudia’s medium pace to make it 33 for 3 in the 13th over.Dinesh Nakrani and Masaba built a 66-run stand to hold Kenya’s bowling unit at bay but pressure from Shem Ngoche finally resulted in a wicket for Narendra Patel, who dismissed Masaba for 21. Nakrani fell to Bhudia immediately after reaching his 50 while Ngoche’s stifling spell of 2 for 13 ensured Uganda would not get past 200.Kenya were likewise under pressure early in their reply when Nsubuga struck twice with the new ball bowling offspin to leave Kenya 33 for 3 at the end of their Powerplay. Riazat Ali Shah trapped Rakep Patel in the first over after drinks to make it 71 for 4 and Uganda had a golden chance to put Kenya under more pressure in Riazat’s next over when Nelson Odhiambo edged him to slip but Ronak spilled the chance.Karim and Odhiambo never looked back in a 107-run partnership, as they both scored half-centuries, clinching victory with 25 balls to spare.

Moeen Ali played down his record-breaking 53-ball hundred, but said that the confidence he has gleaned in the course of a phenomenal summer in international cricket allowed him to trust his instincts

Andrew Miller at Bristol24-Sep-2017Moeen Ali played down his record-breaking 53-ball hundred as a “bit of a slog”, but said that the confidence he has gleaned in the course of a phenomenal summer in international cricket allowed him to trust his instincts and put West Indies’ bowlers to the sword in a run-laden third ODI at Bristol.After easing into his day’s work with a run-a-ball 39, Moeen let rip in the final six overs of England’s innings, crashing eight sixes and two fours in 14 deliveries, to rampage to his third ODI hundred and the fastest ever made on English soil.The performance capped a summer of rare all-round brilliance from Moeen in all formats, not least during the 3-1 Test series win over South Africa in July and August, when he became the first player in history to score 250 runs and take 25 wickets in a four-Test series.”It’s been good for my confidence,” Moeen said. “I know there will be tough times ahead, and I try not to get too over-confident, but I’ve played quite a bit for England now and the experience has allowed me stay focussed on what’s to come.”Playing in the side regularly, training with international players and playing against international players, has helped my game so much, I feel my batting and bowling is improving all the time.”As to the secrets of his phenomenal success at Bristol, Moeen said that a focus on laying the groundwork in his innings had set him up for the fireworks to come, plus a commitment to “keep his shape” in his strokes, irrespective of the adrenalin that was beginning to pump ever harder with every new blow.After a 132-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Joe Root and Ben Stokes, England had been in some strife at 217 for 6 in the 35th over when Moeen began his innings-turning stand of 117 with Chris Woakes.”I felt Rooty and Stokesy did a fantastic job for us,” he said. “I thought we were in a bit of trouble, then we lost those three wickets and we both had to rebuild a bit. But I felt like we got to a situation around 42 overs when we were in a decent position and it was time to press the button, but in the end [Woakes] was giving me one every ball because I felt like I was in the zone and everything was coming off.”While Moeen has long had a reputation as one of the most eye-catching ball-strikers in England’s team, even he had never really considered himself a six-hitter in the mould of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler.”As a kid [sixes] were a regular thing, but only playing first-class and international cricket, I never saw myself as that sort of player,” he said. “But the ground wasn’t the biggest and I felt like they bowled a little bit in the slot. I just had a slog really, everything seemed to come off, I tried to watch the ball, keep my shape and really go for it.”Jason Holder, West Indies’ captain, was left to rue another performance in which a game had got away from them despite an often spirited display, not least from Miguel Cummins, who might not feel like celebrating his career-best figures of 3 for 82 after bearing the brunt of Moeen’s attack.”I felt we got off to a decent start,” he said. “We got wickets with the new ball, which we pride ourselves on. Things started to leak a little bit then we pulled it back with a couple of wickets. I thought Miguel was outstanding in the middle overs coming back and getting those two prize wickets. We just didn’t finish off well.”They bat deep. [Moeen] has played a special innings today. I think we didn’t execute our plans towards him and he was able to capitalise on the dimensions of the ground.”It’s a small ground and he backed himself to clear it. We didn’t field well, we were a just bit sloppy, a couple of misfields and dropped chances.”

As Zimbabwe seek to level the two-match series, they will have to overcome persistent failings with bat and ball

The Preview by Firdose Moonda05-Aug-2016

Match facts

August 6-11, Bulawayo
Start time 0930 local (0730 GMT)

Big Picture

A week ago, Zimbabwe were wondering how to stay alive in the first Test against New Zealand. Now, they will be thinking about saving the two-match series and denying New Zealand a chance to claim a cup from the first leg of their self-termed African safari.Victory for Zimbabwe and a share of the spoils seems improbable unless they are able to correct perennial problems that creep into their approach, almost all of which stem from a lack of game time. Their struggle to build partnerships and bat for long periods of time will be crippled further by the absence of Hamilton Masakadza, who will miss the Test with a back injury. Their attack’s battle to sustain pressure over extended periods also result in them falling behind early on. They have showed the ability to fight back, but that will probably not be enough against a more complete New Zealand unit.For New Zealand, a second victory and a clean sweep would be the perfect start in their search for more consistency after they lost ground to Australia. It will also give Kane Williamson a solid foundation on which to build his captaincy and sound a warning to South Africa that they could prove a challenge. Coach Mike Hesson could not find too many “work-ons” after the first Test but Trent Boult’s pace – which averaged in the late 120s – and the spinners’ returns will be areas to zone in on.The other area of interest will be the venue itself. Queens Sports Club will host back-to-back fixtures in a test of the ground staff’s ability to turn around quickly. The outfield, which was sluggish for the first Test, would have been trimmed and may be a little quicker while the pitch itself is expected to be slow, low and flat. With school holidays and a long weekend, crowd numbers could be higher, especially as Bulawayo does not know when it will see Test cricket again.

Form guide

Zimbabwe LLLLL (last five matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WLLWW

In the spotlight

After crashing to 36 for 4 and 17 for 4 in the first Test Zimbabwe’s top order will want to give their team a better start. Their ability to cope with a swinging new ball and a hostile short ball will be under particular scrutiny after Tim Southee and Neil Wagner used those tactics to run through them. In the absence of Masakadza, the responsibility will fall on Tino Mawoyo and Chamu Chibhabha.Apart from Trent Boult bowling below pace, the only aspect of New Zealand’s game that they may want to work on from the first Test is their spinners. While Mitchell Santner was economical, Ish Sodhi was expensive and with long spells likely to be needed on a flat track, he will need to tighten up and try to stifle Zimbabwe’s batsmen a little more.

Team news

The biggest blow to Zimbabwe is Hamilton Masakadza’s injury. Opener Tino Mawoyo has recovered from a hand injury to take his place at the top of the order alongside Chamu Chibhabha. Peter Moor is in line for a Test debut in place of Regis Chakabva who battled tonsillitis during the first Test. Although Chris Mpofu looks fit and firing, Donald Tiripano and Mike Chinouya are likely to keep their places with John Nyumbu coming in as a second specialist spinner.Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Tino Mawoyo, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Sikandar Raza, 4 Craig Ervine, 5 Prince Masvaure, 6 Sean Williams, 7 Peter Moore (wk), 8 Graeme Cremer, (capt) 9 Donald Tiripano, 10 John Nyumbu, 11 Mike ChinouyaNew Zealand confirmed the same XI for the second Test which means no experiments to play Jeet Raval, Doug Bracewell or Matt Henry before they head to South Africa.New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Neil Wagner

Pitch and conditions

While Neil Wagner extracted a surprising amount of bounce from the surface for the first match, this one is expected to offer nothing of the sort. The teams are likely to face a hard, flat strip, which will keep run-scoring slow and make wicket-taking difficult. The fielders will not be able to enjoy any respite from the weather either. Temperatures will remain in the mid-to-high 20s and the skies will be cloudless.

Stats and trivia

• Kane Williamson and Tim Southee will be playing their 50th Tests individually
• Five years ago this week, Zimbabwe returned to Test cricket after a six-year self-imposed exile and won their comeback Test against Bangladesh. Craig Ervine and Tino Mawoyo are the only players who took part in that match who may be involved in this one

Quotes

“We spent a day at Heath Steak’s farm. We managed to get out of the hotel which is good. It was awesome to get out and see a bit of Zimbabwe. We saw a pretty cool sunset and got some relaxing time before a pretty big five days ahead.”
.”The good thing is that we have had one game already. The guys have had a good look at how they got out. The guys have done some work. There’s a little bit more grit needed, a little bit more application and time to suss out conditions.”
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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.

The India squad seemingly had a fairly satisfactory five hours of practice on day two of their three-day preparatory camp in Mumbai ahead of the England Test series

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai10-Nov-2012Zaheer Khan exuded purpose and found his rhythm, Sachin Tendulkar’s back-foot punch made regular appearances and the India squad seemingly had a fairly satisfactory five hours of practice on day two of their three-day preparatory camp in Mumbai ahead of the England Test series. While the players had practised for a little more than an hour on Friday, today was their first proper workout as a Test side in the nine weeks since the New Zealand series.Again, like on day one of the camp, all eyes were on Zaheer. Whatever he does on the field is closely scrutinised, such has been his tendency to break down, combined with his importance to India’s Test side. Over the years, Zaheer has missed or pulled out during several big series due to injury. He had pulled up sore during Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Railways last week. On Friday, Zaheer had spent the majority of his time on the massage table. He eventually did bowl for a while but was clearly not extending himself.These days, it takes him an eternity to warm up. There is a pronounced cautiousness to his stretches and squats as if he is worried when something might snap somewhere in his body. Today, though, with the ball in hand he looked a different man. He started with a few gentle ones before increasing the speed of both his run-up and his deliveries. His focus seemed to be on targeting the angle across the right-hand batsmen. Though he was not unplayable, he tested the batsmen. What was good to see was that he remained intense throughout his spell – and it wasn’t a short one. Zaheer bowled for about forty minutes in the first session, and again for a similar period of time after the lunch interval.Another key player who had been tentative on Friday, Tendulkar, also looked a different man today. He faced the three India fast bowlers – Zaheer, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav – with control, and without too many problems. The leaves were confident, the straight pushes were firm and, soon, the trademark back-foot punches appeared. He stood on his toes to send a rising Ishant delivery through extra cover. He pressed far forward to drive him down the ground. When Ishant moved one in close to off stump, Tendulkar left it safely and nodded towards the bowler in appreciation.Unlike yesterday when they had batted in the nets, the batsmen played today against proper fields. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir started off, followed by Cheteshwar Pujara and Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh, and Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni. M Vijay, the reserve opener, batted along with the bowlers, who were out in full strength today with Harbhajan Singh joining the squad. Harbhajan came out in the second session, and after a lengthy fielding drill that included slip catching, and bowled to his fellow bowlers.