ENG vs SL | Jos Buttler hits first century of T20 World Cup 2021

Coach Russell Domingo urges Bangladesh to focus on 'process' and get rid of 'obsession' of winning

After making an on and off start to their T20 World Cup campaign, Bangladesh finally got on to a good run of form to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the tournament. However, their limitations were only masked by the brilliance of Shakib Al Hasan in the qualifying round which could not be hidden in the main stage against top sides. Bangladesh have lost all their Super 12 games and now are on the brink of elimination from the tournament, but their coach Russell Domingo is choosing to see the bright side of it and said that Bangladesh were ahead in most part of their games against Sri Lanka and West Indies before losing the plot. He said that the team needs to see positives out of the close games they played and only that will enable them to find out the mistakes they committed at what he called “crucial stages” of the games. "We have played against past champions Sri Lanka, England and West Indies. They are tough sides. In two of those games, we were on top for almost 80-90% of those games. We have to look at the positives. We had Sri Lanka and West Indies under pressure. We didn't finish well with the bat against West Indies. We didn't finish well with the ball against Sri Lanka. "We have to focus on the positive aspects, and then limit the mistakes. We made mistakes in crucial stages." Domingo also tried to change the outlook of the Bangladesh side and said that the players must not see every game and opportunity with the “obsession” of winning. He lamented that focusing more on results and obsessing about winning the games doesn’t allow players mental space to follow the right “process” needed to produce the results they are after. He said that players need to disconnect from the result and focus on what they need to execute on the field in order to make a difference. "We know there's an obsession with winning and disappointment when you don't win. Our focus is the process and how we are going to achieve that win," Domingo said on the eve of the South Africa game. "Everybody is trying to win every single game but when you are focused only on that, you lose track of the things you need to do to get that win. I think we have to focus on our skills and processes in tomorrow's game. If we do that, hopefully, the result goes our way,” Domingo added. Bangladesh are scheduled to play South Africa in their next game and another loss at the hands of Proteas will end their journey in the tournament. Bangladesh were never on the top of their game with the top order batsmen lacking form and not allowing bowlers cushioning of extra runs to put pressure on opposition batting lineups.

T20 World Cup | SA vs BAN: Underdog at start, Proteas desperate to sustain hard-earned consistency

The buildup There is no other team that have attracted more headlines for non-cricketing reasons than South Africa and similarly, there is no better side than them that have played like a team in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup. They haven’t had a batting performance such as of Jos Buttler or bowling performances as of Pakistan or England so far in the tournament, but they have had just enough of good performances, collectively, as a team to stand among one of the firm favourites to qualify for the semi-finals alongside England. Make no mistake, they were not the favourites to start the tournament as West Indies and England were the two sides expected to emerge of the Group 1 famously described as “group of death”. What they had come into the tournament though was good form, as a unit after a troika of series wins over the Windies, Ireland and Sri Lanka. If the performances of behemoths such as West Indies and India have highlighted the importance of form in the shortest format and the tournament with such quick turnaround time, South Africa’s rise and rise in the tournament also underlined the need for good form. They have seen one or two batsmen taking the onus of rising under pressure while the bowling attack has hunted in pairs and the Proteas are all but just one game away from the door of qualification, which will be nothing short of staggering achievement for them. Their next opponent on the path of qualification are Bangladesh and they have had a complete contrast of a tournament compared to the Proteas. They have been abominable in the field, timid with the bat and inconsistent with the ball to have any sort of impact on the Super 12 stage of the tournament. They had lost the first game of their tournament that kind of suggested the holes in their promises but the big stage of Super 12 has clearly ripped open all the faultlines in their side. Now, they are already without their biggest superstar and are pushed against the wall just to salvage some pride as the race for the qualification to semi-finals has already finished for them. Match details South Africa vs Bangladesh, Match no.: 30, Super 12 Group 1 Date and Time: November 02, 02:00 PM LOCAL, 03:30 IST, 10:00 GMT Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Pitch details The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi has not been as tricker to bat as the other two pitches in the UAE and stroke makes on both sides should relish the true nature of the surface. However, as this is a day game, the dew factor will be out of the equation and spinners will come in hand for the teams. Bangladesh spinners, in general, would have been considered a better exponents of bowling in spin-friendly conditions but the rise of Tabraiz Shamsi gives South Africa a sort of edge they rarely enjoy in spinning conditions. There have been too many games this tournament that has been decided virtually by the flip of the coin but batsmen can trust themselves to get the chasing job done here in Abu Dhabi. Team News South Africa There were injury concerns for South Africa as both the heroes of the last game—David Miller and Shamsi under the scanner, but there is no communication from the Proteas side which could imply they are fit to go. If they are fit and raring to go, South Africa should not be looking to alter the playing XI and instead will be hoping for the return of form for Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen that will make their batting unit look stronger, both on paper and on the field. Probable XI Quinton de Kock (WK), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Bangladesh Bangladesh have been jolted by the injury to Shakib Al Hasan and they will have to rely on the other two experienced batsmen—skipper Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim to do the heavy lifting. Their coach Russell Domingo has confirmed that Shamim Hossain will replace Shakib and is likely to bat lower down the order putting greater onus on the likes of Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and the experienced pros. There were signs of Liton Das coming back to some rhythm and the Bangla Tigers would be hoping he will get his mojo and timing back. Probable XI Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das (WK), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (C), Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman CE Fantasy XI Quinton de Kock (WK), Mushfiqur Rahim, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Mohammad Naim, Dwaine Pretorious, Shoriful Islam, Tabraiz Shamsi, Nasum Ahmed Captain: Aiden Markram Vice-captain: Anrich Nortje

Big setback for Australia Women as Georgia Wareham gets ruled out of World Cup, Ashes

Australia Women have suffered a big setback as Georgia Wareham has been ruled out of big events such as the World Cup, Ashes series and Commonwealth Games more than a week after injuring her left knee. The leg spinner had picked up the injury in the ongoing Women’s Big Bash League game against Adelaide Strikers on October 20 and has undergone surgery. However, she won’t be able to recover before next year as the injury occurred in the same knee she had gone through ligament reconstruction in her teen. "Due to her previous history, Georgia requires a two-stage process to reconstruct her left ACL. She had a knee arthroscopy in Adelaide last week to remove the previous graft and will now commence rehab in Melbourne while she awaits for the knee to be ready for the ACL reconstruction in early 2022," Pip Inge, the Australian team doctor said. "Due to the recovery time, Georgia will be unavailable for the Ashes, World Cup and Commonwealth Games with her return to play time-frame expected to become clearer after the reconstruction." Wareham is rated very highly among young Australian women cricketers and she will be certainly missed in the big-ticketing events where her leg-spin bowling could well have been a force multiplier for an already strong bowling attack.

Tamim Iqbal eyeing international return in Test series against Pakistan

Bangladesh star opener Tamim Iqbal is ruled out of the home T20 series against Pakistan scheduled right after the ongoing T20 World Cup and instead is gearing up to return in the longest format against the same opponent, Cricbuzz reported. Tamim had opted out of the global event after his long streak with injury leading up the tournament and chose to play the Everest Premier League to get his way back on the field. However, he suffered a fresh injury in the form of a left thumb fracture that ruled him out of the game for another significant period of time. "I met the doctor and they have advised me to start my batting from November 7 against spin and now I am eyeing to play in the fifth round of NCL. Haven't yet recovered from the thumb injury. I have completed three weeks of rehabilitation and there is one more week to go before I can start batting again,” Tamim said to Cricbuzz. Bangladesh are all set to host Pakistan for a three-match long T20 series starting November 19 and the entire series will be played in Dhaka. The teams will then move to Chattogram to play the first Test of the two-match Test series before travelling back to Dhaka for the second and final Test of the series and tour.