Mehidy Hasan reveals bowling plans for opening ODI after match-winning impact

New Zealand bowling coach warns his team against Rishabh Pant ahead of WTC final

New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen has rung the warning bells to his team ahead of the ICC World Test Championship final against India slated to be played at Southampton between 18 and 22 June. The coach stated that the Kiwis need to be on the top of their game when they counter Rishabh Pant in the biggest match of their Test history. "Well, Pant is an extremely dangerous player who can change the game on its head. We saw how well he did it against Australia and England. He’s extremely positive-minded, but with that comes potentially the opportunity to take his wicket," Jurgensen, in his second stint as the Black Caps bowling coach, told The Telegraph. "Our bowlers need to execute well, stay calm and make it as difficult as possible for Pant to score runs. He’s certainly a free-flowing batsman and a tough one to stop, which we should keep in mind,” he further added. The hard-hitting left-handed batsman has been in sublime form in the longest format. He has been going through a purple patch which saw him conquer Australia during their historic series victory in January. Pant smashed a sensational 97 in the 3rd Test in Sydney and got India close to an unlikely win. He went a notch further in the deciding Test at the Gabba remaining unbeaten on 87 and taking India to a once in a lifetime victory. He carried on his rich vein of form in the home Test series against India amassing 270 runs in 4 matches which included a century and a couple of half-centuries. He will be key to India’s chances if the No 1 Test team hopes of winning the inaugural World Test Championship. Jurgensen feels that Kyle Jamieson will be a crucial cog in New Zealand’s defence when they meet India in the all-important final. Jamieson who recently plied his trade in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to pass on some crucial information surrounding Virat Kohli. The New Zealand pace attack looks in good space with the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner looking to get some much-needed game time in the two-match Test series against England. "Well, Kyle has played with Virat at RCB and no doubt they would have exchanged some comments potentially leading into this final. So interesting times ahead," Jurgensen said. "I’m sure it’s going to be great to watch Kyle. His Test career too has been outstanding so far. He has got a great opportunity to prepare really well in the lead-up to the final, beginning with the two Tests versus England,” he further added. India have a star-studded bowling line-up. In all likelihood, the pace attack will be spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah followed by Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami. The likes of Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj has also done well in the past and will look to seize the opportunity if they are presented with a chance. "It’s a challenging bowling attack that India have. A lot of options are available for them. It’ll be a very, very stiff challenge we could face from (Jasprit) Bumrah to Shardul (Thakur), who’s an all-rounder and has done well in Australia too,” Jurgensen stated. "There’s Mohammed Siraj and even their spinners, who can spin it both ways. It’s a group of formidable, outstanding Test bowlers,” he concluded. The Kiwis will play a practice game and two Tests against England ahead of the WTC final. It should serve as a much-needed preparation for New Zealand who should consider themselves favourites if the conditions are seam friendly. New Zealand are scheduled to play two Tests against England before the WTC final. The first match will be played at Lord's from June 2, while the second Test will take place at Edgbaston from June 10.

West Indies’ Marquino Mindley tests Covid-19 positive in red ball training camp

Jamaican cricketer Marquino Mindley testing positive for the deadly Covid-19 while being in the red ball training camp of the West Indies team meant that the practice session was halted for the weekend by the Cricket West Indies as a precautionary measure. However, the 26-year-old was the only positive case among all the players and support staff being tested as per the daily schedule. "Following PCR Tests administered on Friday 21 May for all members of the West Indies men's red ball training camp being held in St Lucia, Jamaican fast bowler, Marquino Mindley, tested positive on his second COVID-19 test," a Cricket West Indies release said on Sunday. The right-arm fast bowler was asymptomatic a had been isolated in a separate facility, being monitored by the CWI medical staff. "In accordance with the medical protocols established with the St. Lucian Ministry of Health, Mindley, who is currently asymptomatic, will now self-isolate in his hotel room under the supervision of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Medical Team until he returns two back-to-back negative results," the statement further read. "All other members of the training squad and coaching team were re-tested and isolated in their rooms, with training cancelled for the weekend,” it added before mentioning that the squad will train in small groups starting on Monday 24 May, at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. Mindley, who is in the Windies camp for the upcoming South Africa Test series has so far played 35 First-Class games, picking 85 wickets with three five-fors to his count. The Test series against South Africa begins with the first Test starting June 10 at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia.

WTC Final: Commentators averse to travelling to England

As the World Test Championship Final is approaching, the International Cricket Council has its task cut out to find commentators for the showpiece event. However, the two teams involved in the match, New Zealand and India might not be able to get commentators from their own nation for the prestigious occasion, as they are not willing to undergo 10 days of quarantine for five days of commentating. “Quite a few commentators from India and New Zealand have said no to ICC and Sunset+Vine, the company that produces global cricket events, as on-ground commentary duties in the World Test Championship final would mean a 10-day quarantine for a five-day stint at best,” Cricbuzz reported. Two Indian and one New Zealander though have confirmed their presence even as ICC awaits confirmation from the most dramatic voice from the 2019 World Cup Final. “Sunil Gavaskar and Dinesh Karthik are understood to be the only two Indians on the panel that will also feature New Zealand's Simon Doull. There is no confirmation if Ian Smith, whose commentary was one of the highlights of the 2019 World Cup, will join too,” the report said. To overcome the lack of commentators, the ICC is expected to rope in England’s Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain as neutral voices for the game. The WTC final would begin on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

BAN vs SL 1st ODI- Exceptional all-round showing help hosts take 1-0 lead

Hosts Bangladesh took a 1-0 lead in the 3 match ODI series against Sri Lanka after winning the series opener by 33 runs. The match went on despite a covid scare early on and in the end it was a brilliant all-round performance from the hosts. The target of 258 proved to be way too much in the end for the visitors as they were bowled out for 224 in the 49th over. The visitors started off briskly courtesy some exceptional shots from the blade of Danushka Gunathilaka. A good start was neutralised by Mehidy Hasan when he prized out Gunathilaka. The visitors kept losing wickets at regular intervals which never really allowed them to press on the accelerator. With Sri Lanka down and out sliding down the barrel, it was Wanindu Hasaranga who gave the visitors an array of hope with a brilliant knock. The all-rounder looked in superb touch and shared some important stands down the batting order. Hasaranga smashed his way to a 60 balls 74 which was studded with 3 fours and 5 sixes. However, he never got ample support from the other end which meant that Sri Lanka was always playing catch. Eventually, they were skittled out for 224 in the penultimate over to hand Bangladesh a convincing 33 runs victory in the end. Off-spinner Mehidy had a ball with the ball returning with figures of 4/30 in his allotted 10 overs. Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman carried on the good work in the IPL and ended with three crucial wickets. Earlier in the day, it was Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal who won the toss and opted to bat. Bangladesh were pegged early as Liton Das in the 2nd over of the match by a good delivery from Dushmantha Chameera. Shakib Al Hasan who was batting at No 3 for the first time since a dream run in the 2019 World Cup struggled his way to a 34 balls 15 which included a couple of fours. It was the partnership between Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim which got Bangladesh back into the game. Tamim Iqbal looked in sublime touch and despite the sluggish track, both the batsmen looked in complete command of proceedings. Tamim was dismissed soon after completing a well-deserved half-century. It was Dhananjaya de Silva who helped the Lanks storm their way back into the game with wickets of Tamim and Mohammad Mithun in consecutive deliveries. Rahim who looked a class apart continued the good work and help Bangladesh steady the ship with a sensible partnership with Mahmudullah. Rahim executed the big shots to perfection and went onto register yet another half-century. A partnership of 109 runs laid the foundation for a grandstand finish. Rahim was eventually dismissed on 84 of 87 deliveries by Lakshan Sandakan. Mahmudullah also looked in great touch completing a well-deserved half-century. Eventually, it was Afif Hussain who provided a much-needed impetus towards the last few overs. The southpaw breezed his way to 27 of just 22 deliveries which eventually propelled Bangladesh to a score of 257 in their allotted 50 overs. The score proved to be enough in the end as the hosts took a 1-0 lead. Brief Scores Bangladesh 257/6 in 50 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 84, Mahmudullah 54, Tamim Iqbal 52, Dhananjaya de Silva 3/45) Sri Lanka 224 all-out in 48.1 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 74, Mehidy Hasan 4/30, Mustafizur Rahman 3/34) Bangladesh won by 33 runs