Bangladesh becomes third nation in history to win its 100th match in all formats

Having worked on "mental" fitness, Soumya Sarkar decides to compete with none but himself

Bangladesh batsman and also an accurate slow medium pacer, Somya Sarkar does not see himself in competition with anyone esle as he said that the process of comparing himself with others put him under a lot of pressure. He outlined the role of working on “certain areas” of his game and becoming “mentally fit” to turn things around in the T20 series against Zimbabawe. "When I was out of the team, I practiced with purpose, particularly during the DPL T20s. I will continue to focus on certain areas of my game. I have to be more mentally fit to be more consistent. My biggest competition is with myself. If I think of competing with others, it puts pressure on me. I want to do well myself, and get back my place in the team," Sarkar said. Sarkar was awarded Man of the Match award in the first T20 against Zimbabwe for a 45-ball 50 and one-wicket spell, but he had to go through an indiffrent start. He conceded his nervousness returning to international cricket after a period of four months, but said that the first six helped him unshackle the rustiness. "I was playing my first international match after four months so I felt a bit shaky at the start. When some of my first shots were going to hand, I told myself to take a bit of time. A four or a six would open things up for me, I thought. When I got a preferred ball and struck the six, I got my confidence back,” Sarkar said. Sarkar said that he was unaware of his batting position until the innings break when the coach told him of the opening opportunity with Mohammad Naim. He also commended his opening partner for taking the initiiave and providing impetus to the Bangladesh’ batting in the chase of 153 runs. "I was supposed to bat at No 3, but the coach told me at the innings break that I would be opening in Liton's place. I had to prepare myself mentally, and speak to the new partner and bat according to the conditions. When we were going slow at the start, I told Naim that one big over will bring the flow in our favour. When he struck those three fours in the fourth over, things changed quickly," he said. The second T20 of the series between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh is underway at the Harare Sports Club and the hosts are in advantageous position to square the series with one more match to go.

Confused Sri Lankans celebrate way too early as Suryakumar Yadav earns comic reprieve

Confusion among the fielding Sri Lankans and the batsman Suryakumar Yadav created chaos in the 23rd over of the third ODI between the sides. Suryakumar was beaten by a delivery from Praveen Jayawickrama while attempting to sweep and the umpire Kumar Dharmsena adjudged him lbw out. After having a brief discussion with his batting partner Manish Pandey, Suryakumar opted to challenge the on-field decision. The third umpire Raveendra Wimalasiri found the impact of the ball outside of the line of the off-stump and also more than 2.4 metres from the batting crease. The Sri Lankan side failed to see through the impact call on the ball tracker and started celebrating the dismissal of the batsman as Suryakumae too started to walk off the ground. However, just in nick of time, umpire Wimalasiri informed umpire Dharmsena of his conclusion and recommended him to reverse the decision. A befuddled Dharmsena could not make a sense of the situation and stopped the batsman from going to the pavilion. Just after the end of that action-packed over from Jayawickrama, the clouds opened up and it started pouring in Colombo. Earlier, India won the toss and batted first after making as many as six changes in the playing XI that included five debutants. Navdeep Saini returned to the ODI squad while Chetan Sakariya, Nitish Rana, Rahul Chahar, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Sanju Samson, who had injured his knee to miss out of the first two ODIs, made their ODI debut at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Cricket Ireland postpones series against Zimbabwe due to covid restrictions in Northern Ireland

Cricket Ireland announced that the tour of Zimbabwe to Ireland, scheduled to begin next month has been postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions in Northern Ireland, which comes under the administrations of the United Kingdom. "Following the latest advice for the conditions around which scheduled matches may proceed in Northern Ireland - most notably the stipulations of health authorities around quarantining requirements of the incoming Zimbabwean squad - Cricket Ireland has today confirmed that the Zimbabwe Men's tour to Ireland will need to be rescheduled," Cricket Ireland Chief Executive Warren Deutrom said in a press release issued by the board on their official Twitter handle. All the matches of the series were scheduled to be played in Northern Ireland at the Civil Service Cricket Club Ground, Stormont in Belfast and Brady Cricket Club Ground in Magheramason. It is worth noting the fact that although two different countries in terms of political administration, Northern Ireland and Ireland are represented by the same cricket team. So even after Zimbabwe being in category two of Covid-19 nations travelling list, it is on the red list in the UK and thus the series could not be approved on health measures. Saying that the co-operation from Zimbabwe Cricket is appreciated, Duetron added, "It is now anticipated that the series will be held in August-September 2021, but that some venue changes may be required to accommodate the latest advice received.” "We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of Zimbabwe Cricket Board and all involved as we work through these latest challenges, and will provide updates as soon as possible."

Shane Warne backs Matt Parkinson to make it to England's Ashes squad

The most successful leg spinner to have ever played the game of cricket, Shane Warne has thrown his weight behind England prodigy Matt Parkinson and said that the leg spinner should be included in the Test squad for the Ashes series. Speaking on the eve of The Hundred, where he will be in the lead role along with Eoin Morgan for the London Spirits, Warner said that he loves to watch Parkinson bowl and that he can become a “huge” part of the England Test team if “pencilled” into the playing XI for the first Test at Gabba. Counting on the factors that can help him succeed in Australia, Warner said that Parkinson has all the armoury up his sleeve such as perfect pace, the amount of spin and bounce he extracts off the pitch. He suggested that the England team management should also consider bringing him to the squad for the Test series against India, especially at the Old Trafford and the Oval. "He is pretty exciting, isn't he? I love watching him. I've been watching him from afar and been very impressed so far. I really like the look of the way he bowls. He is a great addition to white-ball cricket, but also I see him playing a huge part in Test cricket, especially in Australia. I wouldn't be surprised in that first Test match at the Gabba if he is “pencilled” into the playing XI." "I think of the Australian conditions, the pace he bowls, the amount of bounce and spin he gets, I think he is perfectly suited to Australian conditions," Warne said. "So I think he has a big role to play and he might even play a Test match through the summer. "Jack Leach will be the spinner, probably to start with for England, but Matty Parkinson might get a gig at The Oval or Manchester, somewhere like that. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a look at him during the India series thinking about the Ashes down the track." Parkinson has attracted criticism for not bowling with pace, but Warner said that it’s good that the leg spinner is sticking to his own methods and not responding on the basis of people’s comments. He said that spinners should be judged on the basis of their ability to turn the ball and not the pace at which they operate as medium pacers are there for that role in the side. “The good thing is a lot of people would have told him to bowl fast, but he has stuck to being true to himself and what he is good at," Warne said. "It is like anything. If you are doing well, no one will question anything about your pace. If it starts to go wrong, that's when people start to question it, but he has stayed true to himself and that is what I really like. I have been pretty impressed watching him and I am looking forward to seeing his career develop.” "Mate, if I wanted a spinner to bowl fast, they would be called medium-pacers. Spin bowlers are spin bowlers because they spin the ball and he does that. If you can swing, seam or spin the ball, you will be successful, no matter what form. He definitely does that and I think he bowls a beautiful pace.” Parkinson travelled with England Test squads for the tour of Sri Lanka and India earlier this year without making it through to the playing XI. He would not have made it into the ODI squad against Pakistan as well, where he had achieved to turn the ball the maximum by any spinner in England since the ball tracking data is made available if there would not have been a covid-19 crisis in England camp. Parkison had produced a jaffa of leg spinner in the initial phase of the County Championship 2021 that had ignited the debate about his credentials as England’s spinner for the longest format. England have announced their Test team for the first two Tests of the series against India starting August 04 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.