West Indies and Bangladesh keep Test Cricket exciting

When the First Test was heading for a predictable massacre of the West Indies, I couldn’t bear to watch. Having been brought up on the exhilarating cricket of Lloyd, Richards, Holding and company, it was embarrassing to see their successors perform so lamely at Edgbaston. I didn’t have any higher expectations for the remaining contests. So I’d like to extend not only my congratulations to the Windies for winning at Headingley but also for restoring my faith in the Caribbean team’s ability to compete at the highest level and maybe even in Test cricket itself.

Despite Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach restricting England to 258 on day one, then Kraigg Brathwaite and Shay Hope each striking centuries to take a 169-run lead, my lack of faith in Jason Holder’s team was so ingrained that I felt they were merely delaying the inevitable defeat until the fifth day. England’s serene progress towards declaring on a second innings of almost 500 reinforced that prediction. Hardly anyone scores over 300 to win these days so how on earth could the Windies do it? And in England??

Blow me, they succeeded! Again relying heavily on Brathwaite and the younger Hope brother, they managed to withstand all that Anderson, Broad, Woakes, Stokes and Moeen Ali could throw at them. More catches were dropped but maybe these errors were creeping in not through bad luck but the pressures of impending home defeat to a side ranked five places below them.

When the opener fell on 95, the team were still 125 short. Would England’s ace seam and swing merchants wreak havoc and restore the natural order?

Credit to Shai Hope, he didn’t revert to West Indian type and take restless risks T20 style. However, they couldn’t shut up shop completely as they had to keep an eye on the clock. It would be disastrous to end on, say, 290-6! Hope dug in for his second century in the match but, on 246-4, Jermaine Blackwood reckoned he had enough wickets in hand to play an attacking role. He’d made 41 off 44 balls when, charging Ali for the match-winning boundary, he was stumped by Bairstow. Never mind, young Shai merely shrugged that off and finished the job.

What a fabulous finish! It wasn’t just the successful run chase, it was the way the Windies went about it. Remarkably, Shai Hope not only boosted his Test average from below 20 to nearly 30 but became the first person ever to slam two first-class centuries in the same game at Headingley. Not even Hutton, Boycott or Bradman ever achieved that, and here was an inexperienced 23 year-old doing something the world’s greatest never could – and in a winning cause. Brilliant!

Nobody should blame Joe Root for his declaration. Setting a weak team a target of 322 on the fifth day was a perfectly reasonable decision to make. It’s just that the opposition at last showed some commitment and courage to meet the challenge and ensure the Windies had their first Test victory in England since 2000.

And meanwhile, over in Dhaka, Bangladesh also turned the tables on one of the big boys, registering an historic maiden Test defeat of Australia. It was a close encounter in which the spinners were mainly on top. Neither side could manage more than 260 but in the end, despite David Warner’s defiant second-innings 112, Australia were undone by that man Shakib Al Hasan. He claimed five wickets for the second time in the game to go with his first innings 84. As the Aussies found to their cost, when the world’s best all-rounder is on form, anything is possible.

So what do this week’s results signify? Will the West Indies and Bangladesh repeat the feat next week? Despite their efforts in Leeds, I really can’t envisage Joe Root’s team succumbing again. It remains to be seen whether they persevere with the struggling Tom Westley but their second innings 50s probably extended the Test careers of Stoneman and Malan. On the other hand, it is by no means impossible for a resurgent Bangladesh to claim a second success over Steve Smith’s men. If saving the series isn’t enough, Australia have the added incentive of winning to avoid slipping to sixth in the ICC rankings for the first time.

I don’t believe this week’s results have any bearings on the Ashes but they have definitely demonstrated that Test cricket is thriving and deserves to keep its status as the number one format.  

Champions Trophy: Bangladesh Tigers roar and Baggy Greens whimper

The competition is certainly hitting its stride now, but England were in ominous form from the word go. It’s no surprise to me that the hosts have scorched their way to the top of Group A with a 100% record. My preview failed to predict the impact of the British weather, always the great leveller in cricket competitions, especially when all the games matter as in the Champions Trophy.

In particular, the rain interrupted all of Australia’s fixtures. Of course, you can’t say that they would have been victorious had the heavens not opened and the covers rolled on. Even Steve Smith admitted his side were in trouble against New Zealand at Edgbaston last week. On the other hand, they were looking good against Bangladesh, Mitchell Starc’s final 4-wicket burst setting up what had seemed a simple target under clear skies.

Today’s defeat to England on Duckworth/Lewis was no fluke, though. Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes had dragged the hosts out of a tricky situation and the Aussies were down and out when play was finally halted for good. That they did so was the result of another dramatic turnaround; one I was delighted to have witnessed at first hand.

As is common in Cardiff, there had been plenty of rain in the previous 24 hours, so it was unsurprising to arrive at the stadium to see the big screen announcing a pitch inspection at 10.45. Fortunately a few sunny spells were helping to dry out the square and outfield and so umpires Llong and Gould gave their go-ahead for an 11.30 start. Phew!

I’d gone for a ticket to see Bangladesh v New Zealand as I’d never before seen the former nation in live action. It was also many years since I’d seen the Black Caps play – in a 3-day game against Essex. I could not have anticipated experiencing the drama of a side’s reversal of fortunes in a 50-over international.

Kane Williamson had won the toss and elected to bat first. With a meagre crowd of neutrals like me, vociferous tiger-waving Bangladesh fans and some keen primary schoolchildren, much of the New Zealand innings was unremarkable. Martin Guptill’s early six was not an indication of things to come, as the wicket seemed to help the Tigers’ seamers. Williamson and Ross Taylor mixed delightful boundaries and play-and-misses but once they fell, a familiar collapse ensued. Broom, Neesham and Santner scampered a number of singles and twos but Mossadek’s spin yielded three quick victims and Rubel Hossain bought the Bangla fans to their feet. 265-8 isn’t a bad total for Cardiff but it should have been more.

Bangladesh’s innings got off to a dreadful start. Tim Southee trapped the previously prolific Tamim Iqbal first ball and the same bowler did for Soumya and Sabbir in his next two overs. Trent Boult also caused huge problems, and the diminutive Mushfiqur Rahim in particular was struggling against pace and short-pitched deliveries and it was probably a merciful release when Milne produced a perfect nip-backer to flatten middle stump. That brought Mahmudullah to accompany Shakib al Hasan. A young supporter beside me asked what I thought the pair should do. Er, be patient, build a partnership and not get out?!

So far, so obvious, but that is exactly what they did. There was no resort to T20-style histrionics; just finding gaps for singles and the occasional four, maintaining the run-a-ball target rate. As time went on, the experienced pair played themselves in, improving their timing against the seam of Neesham, Milne and Anderson. When Boult and Southee were brought back early, Mahmudullah and Shakib were no longer vulnerable; they were on a roll. Mitchell Santner’s spin looked more effective at first but any poor deliveries were punished. The hundred partnership came and went, and each player advanced into the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. The children in the crowd had gone but the few Bangladesh fans were compensating for their absence as they sensed an unlikely victory.

When Shakib reached three figures with his first six, it was game over. Skipper Williamson was powerless, the number of wides increased as bowlers tried a bit too hard and Shakib cracked further beautiful drives and pulls before he risked a swipe too many against Boult and lost his off stump. The partnership had swelled to 222, an ODI record for Bangladesh. It seemed appropriate that Mahmudullah also reached his third one-day century shortly after but it was Mossadek’s boundary which clinched a five-wicket victory with almost three overs remaining.

NZ were definitely out and Bangladesh knew they had to wait another 24 hours to see whether England would do them a favour by beating the Aussies. Which we now know is exactly what Morgan’s men did.

Congratulations to Bangladesh for proving me and many others wrong. I now await to see who I will be seeing meet England at Sophia Gardens next Wednesday. It’s anybody’s guess…

Smith, Shakib, Jadeja and Pujara at the top of their game

With apologies to South Africa, who took an unassailable series lead against New Zealand, this has been a week when cricket’s focus has been on events at Colombo and Ranchi.

First of all, congratulations to Bangladesh for recording only their fourth away Test victory in their 100th match. Beating Sri Lanka by four wickets was arguably their best performance on foreign soil, and coming fewer than 6 months after giving Alastair Cook’s England a momentous hiding. To some extent the result in Colombo this week is an indication of Sri Lanka’s regression as much as Bangladesh’s progression, but let’s not take anything away from Mushfiqur Rahim’s side.

Whilst not being one of the three centurions in the game, Tamim Iqbal was named Player of the Match. Whilst never really fulfilling his early potential on the global stage, Tamim remains an important part of the Bangladeshi line-up. And yet the world’s undisputed number one all-rounder Shakib al Hasan still had a major role to play in this latest triumph. He has participated in almost half of his nation’s Tests, accumulating almost 3,500 runs at over 40 and 176 wickets at barely 34 apiece. That’s pretty good going, especially as most of his performances have come in a losing cause.

India’s spin kings Ravi Jadeja and R Ashwin are hot on his heels, and both stand on top of the ICC bowling rankings. The former has emerged from the shadow of his team-mate over the winter, and added a further nine wickets and a rapid half-century in the latest contest with Australia. After the surprise thumping in the series opener, Kohli’s men seem to have regained the upper hand. It’s been an impressive period for Cheteshwar Pujara, too. Amidst all the headline-catching six-hitters and tight slowies, the 29 year-old right-hander has grown in my estimation. It’s brilliant to see a five-day specialist adding a third double-century to his tally, boosting his average to almost 52.

The opposition skipper Steve Smith may be heading for a series defeat but his personal stock as ace batsman continues to rise. His imperious first innings 178 not out did, in hindsight, probably saved his side in the 3rd Test although it was the resilience of Shaun Marsh and Handscomb which kept the Indian attack at bay on the final day.

In 98 Test innings, Smith has already amassed 19 hundreds and 20 fifties, boasting an incredible average of a shade below 61. His ICC ranking score of 941 is also up here with the best batsmen not only of his generation but any era. Not bad for a much maligned converted leg-spinner! Not bad, either, for someone burdened with captaincy of the green baggies, forever in the media spotlight. Few can outshine Virat Kohli but, at least in the five-day format, Smith is doing just that.

The Smith-Kohli battle in the remaining two fixtures will be almost as fascinating as that of the two teams, and I’d love the overall result to rest on the final match. Five-Test series outside the Ashes are rare but this one thoroughly deserves it.

Bangladesh Make History!

After last week’s gloriously close contest, I really wasn’t expecting another. Let alone Bangladesh actually winning it!

So many, many congratulations to Mushfiqur Rahim’s men for breaking their hoodoo and for the first time beating not only England but any top six Test-playing nation since their debut in 2000. I’m being kind to England; the margin was 108 runs, so ultimately not particularly close at all!

It was quite a weird match of ebb and flow, the tidal range of cricketing fortunes abnormally large. Tamim Iqbal and Mominul Haque pushed the home team’s first innings score to a very respectable 171-1 before Moeen Ali sparked a 9-41 collapse before day one was complete. In reply, England never really got going. Not even 50-merchant Jonny Bairstow or Ben Stokes could work some magic. Indeed, the best partnership by far was the 99 produced for the ninth, featuring Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes.

Facing a modest deficit, Tamim Iqbal set off at his usual rapid rate before falling first with the score on 65. Fortunately most of the top five also contributed to the cause, advancing the score to 200-3. Meanwhile, the catches were going down with alarming regularity. Could they ride their luck and set a target of 300+? Er, no. Stokes and Rashid got stuck in on the third morning and it was game on.

With spin again looking to be the most lethal weapon, the target of 273 would undoubtedly be challenging. In came Alastair Cook and Ben Duckett. With half the allotted five days still to come, it would be about patience, skill and application, not the usual England strategy of bash-it-and-hope.

In the event, new-boy Duckett played his usual attacking game while his captain was more averse to finding the boundary. It seemed to be working as the first century came up without loss in the 24th over. Finally, the teenage twirler Mehedi Hasan broke through, and the English resistance crumbled into dust. Hallowe’en humiliation for the tourists but hyperbolic hysteria for Bangladesh.

Cook blamed the inexperience of England’s spinners. Erm, and just how much experience does he think 18 year-old Hasan possesses? In fact, it was the seam of Woakes and Stokes which shone on the first day, while the decision to recall Steven Finn looked rather odd. He bowled 11 overs in the match, conceding 48 runs and taking no wickets. I understand why Zafar Ansari was granted his debut, but not why he was picked for the tour in the first place. Why don’t the selectors take the players in form, not those who play for the London counties and did quite well a few years ago?!

Moeen Ali is a useful spinner but we must remember he is basically a stylish batsmen who was forced to develop his bowling skills as a means of filling a gaping hole in England’s armoury. I’m sure work is being done to coach young spinners into potential Test stars of the future. The value of slow bowling to Twenty20 has probably attracted boys and girls to try their hands at off-breaks and googlies. Unfortunately, the skills required to keep sloggers down to eight runs an over aren’t necessarily the same as those needed to strangle Test batsmen and take ten wickets. It’s the same gulf as that which exits between batting in Tests and one-dayers.

The reality is that England are not going to produce a world-class spinner in the next year. So what they need to do against the likes of Bangladesh and India is to coach batsmen into playing the likes of Mehedi Hasan and Ravi Ashwin. Cook and Root can’t do it all themselves. Number one test nation India might just be licking their lips….

As for Bangladesh, they deserve their celebrations after beating England fair and square over two matches. I wouldn’t be surprised if, given a deciding fixture, the home nation would have wrapped up a series victory. I just hope they are allowed to play more Test matches against the top sides and show this wasn’t a fluke. Of course, that is precisely why England, Australia and India will NOT give them such an opportunity. That is a shame. I’d welcome many more chances to see Shakib and Mehedi in action against the world’s greatest batsmen.

Bangladesh Go So Close

After a 15-month Test match hiatus, and a two-year wait for any Test victory, Bangladesh must feel desperately unfortunate not to make history at Chittagong this week.

With English media focussing on Alastair Cook’s record-equalling appearance and captaincy total, not to mention Ben Duckett’s debut, a defeat to the home side wasn’t really on the radar. And yet Mushfiqur Rahim’s side were a mere 23 runs away from their first victory against one of the top Test sides in 16 years of trying.

Conditions proved England correct in going for a triple spin attack. I’m not sure whether Gareth Batty fully deserved his recall after an 11-year absence. After all, I and my Somerset colleagues will never forget his disgraceful on-field antics against us a few years back. Nevertheless, the 39 year-old played his part.

I can’t remember a Test where spinners opened the attack from at least one end in every innings. The English trio of Batty, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid collectively picked up twelve wickets, while Bangladesh’s four slowies shared sixteen between them. 18 year-old debutant Mehedi Hasan took the early plaudits with 6-80, yet the Man of the Match award deservedly went to Ben Stokes.

He had the knack of rescuing England whenever the match seemed to ebbing away. When Bangladesh threatened to take a first innings lead, he mopped up with 4-26. When 63-5, he and Bairstow put on 127, the Durham all-rounder top-scoring with 85. Finally, on that final morning flurry, it was inevitably Stokes who captured the last two tailenders in three balls to break Bangla hearts. It was particularly hard on Sabbir Rahman. His careful half-century had given Bangladesh every chance of snatching that elusive success but it wasn’t to be; he was left stranded on 64 not out

For all Bangladesh’s dismal record at the highest level, this was their narrowest defeat yet and the first time they had ever taken all 20 wickets against anyone other than Zimbabwe or a second-string West Indies. It all added up to an excellent Test match. No innings of 300+, yet the game continued into a fifth day (just) and produced a thrilling finale for the few who bothered to attend. There was great spin bowling yet decisive contributions from the quick reverse swing merchants. OK, so the endless referrals were a pain for everyone except Moeen Ali, but in most other aspects it was an entertaining and exciting contest.

Roll on, Dhaka!

Bangladesh crash England's World Cup party

So despite all the ICC's attempts to guarantee the aristocracy's progress to the quarter-finals, England prove to be so bad that one of the nouveau riche has crashed the party. After sacking Cook and shaking up the management and coaching staff, England may not have realistically expected lifting the World Cup but to garner fewer points than Ireland is definitely nothing to crow about. In fact it's a sporting disaster.

George Dobell's article on ESPNCricinfo perfectly picks over the bones of the defeat to Bangladesh and the implications for England's ODI future but I'll have my own say, too. All the talk pre-tournament was of the wrong batsmen and wrong run-making strategy. Maybe there are still lessons to be learnt there. Yet again I feel Ian Bell has been unfairly singled out for criticism. He did at least score more than 200 runs, double the aggregate made by skipper Eoin Morgan, who seems to collect more ducks than Tory politicians.

The fastest scorers Jos Buttler and James Taylor have languished at seven and six and they, rather than Alex Hales or - God help us! - Kevin Pietersen who need to be promoted up the order. I haven't changed my mind about Joe Root; the next ODI captain without doubt. Probably in Tests, too. Moeen Ali has the talent to hold his international place for years to come, too. Forget the batsmen for a moment; England's real problem lies with its bowling.

You have to go a long way down the wickets table for the competition so far to find one of our bowlers. Steve Finn is at twenty with eight wickets but his economy rate of almost 7 is worse than anyone else in the top 50 other than Kevin O'Brien! Chris Woakes has performed adequately but the 'star' seamers Anderson and Broad have been extremely disappointing. I agree with most commentators that the persistent refusal to countenance James Tredwell as a frontline spinner does seem peculiar and not only in retrospect.

As the Cricinfo feature elucidates, the truth is staring us in the face: we simply don't have bowlers to win World Cups. Those who catch the eye in county cricket are whisked away to have their pace and personality removed so that the very reasons for their recognition in the first place has been destroyed. Then people perversely blame the county system, and that's a fallacy.

Anyway, enough of England. Congratulations to Bangladesh! They deserved to win and have a small chance of reaching the semis for the first time. India and New Zealand remain unbeaten and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara is accumulating centuries like schoolboys collect stamps. Associate nation players like Scotland's Josh Davey and Kyle Coetzee, Shapoor Zadran (Afghanistan), Shaiman Anwar (UAE) and Zimbabwe's Sean Williams have enjoyed their time in the spotlight. Time which the ICC are determined to deprive them of in future years.

If only Ireland could join the leading eight. However, they will almost certainly have to defeat Pakistan to do so and I reckon Misbah's men, particularly the bowlers, will be too strong when it really matters.

Coetzer and Bangladesh join the World Cup record breakers

The 2015 World Cup has served up so many batting records I'm losing count. With Gayle's 200, AB De Villiers' fastest 150, all the 400+ totals and record partnerships, the statistics are mounting up to suggest in some people's minds that this competition is the best ever. No, it's just the tournament with the worst balance of bat and ball.

All the records seem to be made by batsmen. I'm not denying that crowds enjoy watching the likes of world superstars Brendan McCullum, David Warner and Kumar Sangakkara strike fours and sixes around the park but it seems like innings of 300 of becoming the norm and 400 is no longer the rarity it was even four years ago. Personally I'd rather see a 250-250 thriller than one side set a target of 400 which even the top teams would struggle to approach. That means bowlers taking wickets and it's not only Broad and Anderson failing to do so with disappointing regularity.

Economy rates are also affected by the constant tinkering of rules, bat and ball technology and the apparent shrinking of playing areas towards the square itself. Watching highlights of previous World Cups reminded me that the boundary used to be the advertising boards immediately in front of Row A. Now the 'rope' is routinely placed about 5 metres beyond spectators and don't tell me it's for the fielders' safety.

So far there have been only seven five-fors, which makes Tim Southee's 7-33 against England and Mitch Starc's 6-28 against the Black Caps even more outstanding. Even Steve Finn's five wickets against the Aussies came at the expense of 71 runs, hardly something to celebrate.

Anyway, some batting performances are to be applauded. Yesterday's magnificent 156 was not only a personal List A career best for Kyle Coetzer but also out-did any previous innings by an Associate nation player. Such a shame that Scotland could not capitalise on their best total and register that elusive first World Cup victory. That they failed was on account of a wonderful run chase by Bangladesh.

I was surprised that Tamim Iqbal's 95 was Bangladesh's highest in a World Cup but further swift fifties by Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib al Hasan took them across the 319 target line with eleven balls to spare at Nelson. Suddenly it's not impossible that Bangladesh could reach the quarter-finals. If they do, it will almost certainly be at the expense of England, who must beat them on Monday to remain in the hunt.

And then there's Australia. The hosts and pre-tournament favourites will want to beat Sri Lanka because if Bangladesh triumph at Adelaide next week they will have to beat the Scots to progress. Defeat is unthinkable but the ultimate shock would thrill millions. Ireland were brought down to earth this week and if they lose to Zimbabwe at the weekend, the prospects of another Associate side reaching the knock-outs will recede further. They will need to overcome Pakistan to give themselves a chance, unless the West Indies fail to beat UAE. Even if they win, it could be down to net run rate.

The Windies' plunge down the rankings saddens me but for the good of global cricket I'd love it if one of the non-Test nations makes the last eight. In reality that means Ireland. Ah, a man can dream...!

The magical minnows get the T20s off to a great start

Months ago, when the T20 World Cup qualifiers were in full flow I surprised myself by how involved I became. I didn't see anything on TV but the results somehow seemed more significant than those of the Tests being played at the same time. Not because I was suddenly a keen student of Papua New Guinean or Canadian cricket but because the outcome would have a potential huge impact on the global game.

The ICC and its major members had little interest in seeing representatives of cricket's outposts mixing it with the big boys but last week's qualifying groups at the tournament proper produced some fabulous entertainment and some genuine surprises. In the final two fixtures of Group A, tiny Nepal shocked Afghanistan and came close to knocking out Bangladesh when Hong Kong's dramatic two-wicket victory over the hosts left Shakib's side with the same nuber of points but a marginally superior net run rate.

In Group B, seeded Zimbabwe were knocked out at the first hurdle but only after an enthralling group climax. On Friday at the Sylhet Stadium, Ireland went into their match against the Netherlands needing a win to qualify. The Dutch required a victory by a substantial margin whereas a relatively narrow triumph would leave Zimbabwe the qualifiers. When Andrew Poynter and Kevin O'Brien advanced their total to 189-4, it meant that Peter Borren's team's target was 190 in a paltry 86 balls. That they achieved it with a few balls to spare, against bowlers of the quality of Tim Murtagh and George Dockrell, was even more remarkable. Stephan Myburgh thrashed a world record equalling half-century then Tom Cooper almost eclipsed that before being dismissed on 45 in a mere 15 balls. The match contained an amazing 30 sixes.

And so the Super Tens (why not just call it the Second Round?!) began with the likes of Gayle, Dhoni, Finch, McCullum et al having to live up to the standards provided by so-called lesser players for lesser cricketing countries. So far, Umar Akmal, Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli and others have indeed produced some batting performances up there with the very best. With the ball, Umar Gul, Imran Tahir, Ravi Jadeja and Amit Mishra have looked very useful in stemming the flow of boundaries.

As for who will win, of course it's a complete lottery. I never expected the Associates of throwing up an eventual World Cup winner. However, in T20s, they are perfectly capable of producing an upset which in turn could destroy the hopes of a fancied outfit. Similarly, any of the leading nine are potential winners, and I don't consider poor pre-tournament records tob an enormous hindrance. For example, Stuart Broad's whinges or the occasional thunderstorm, will do more damage to England's chances than poor spin bowling or putting Jos Buttler at five instead of four. India's promising start bodes well, with world-class batsmen supported by a trio of economical spinners. I fancy Australia to maintain their fine form in all three formats but New Zealand or Sri Lanka could well upset the current rankings. South Africa and England probably don't have the depth of slowies, and the West Indies' reliance on Gayle and Narine may be too optimistic, and their medium pacers too profligate.

It's not proper cricket but if the competition continues to serve up more close encounters and Dutch delights even I may be converted, if only for a few weeks!

Sohag Gazi's Sixth and First!

It may not be the achievement that cricket-loving boys and girls dream of but credit to Sohag Gazi for becoming the first player to score a century and take a hat-trick in the same Test match. It's quite surprising that, after 140-odd years and 2,097 games, nobody has done it before, really. Not Rhodes, not Sobers, not Benaud, Miller, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram or indeed someone who made little other impression on international cricket but for an obscure record in Wisden.

The Bangladesh v New Zealand 1st Test was heading for a probable draw after two high-scoring first innings when the 22 year-old off-spinner from Barisal induced an edge from Bracewell which caught the 'keeper's pads before Shakib Al Hasan dived forward to take the catch and seal a hat-trick. This prompted an immediate declaration but there was time neither for Bangladesh to reach the 256 target nor the Black Caps to capture the requisite ten wickets in 50-odd overs.

Sohag Gazi was presumably delighted with his 6-77 to accompany his first innings unbeaten 101. However, I suspect it was much later when he was informed his hat-trick had created a Test first in only his seventh appearance for Bangladesh in five-dayers. It's less than a year since his debut against the West Indies at Dhaka. He picked up a six-for in that one, too. For four days, it was a similar game to this week's; both sides topped 500 first time out (Chanderpaul scored 203 not out), then the debutant gave Bangladesh a chance of victory. However, their batting wasn't up to the task and Tino Best's 5-24 secured a 77-run win for the visitors.

The following week, his colleague Abul Hasan also launched his Test career with a record, as he smashed 113 at number ten. Sohag had a tough first innings, opening the attack and ploughing through 57.3 overs while Darren Bravo, Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels (260) racked up the runs. Four months forward to Sri Lanka and nobody took more than his three wickets at Galle - eight centuries suggests it was a track as flat as a pancake. In the succeeding tied series 1-1 in Zimbabwe, Sohag collected a few more wickets and contributed some late-order runs but nothing prepared us for the hundred/hat-trick double of this week.

Time will tell whether he can prove to be more than a fifteen-minute wonder. A satisfactory start to his Test and ODI career bodes well but how will he fare against some of the top sides lie India, South Africa and England? Bowling with Shakib could be an awkward proposition on an Asian turner but given that Bangladesh are awarded precious few series against the ICC big boys, we may never know. At least Sohag Gazi's name will remain in the record books forever.

Batting records dominate the week

After all the trashy Twenty20 tourneys and meaningless ODIs, we fans of proper cricket have been spoilt these past few weeks with some intriguing Test clashes. Mind you, the past few days have witnessed some memorable batting performances, mostly I suspect the product of one-day cricket.

First we had Bangladesh debutant Abul Hasan crashing a superb 113 and sharing in the second highest ninth wicket partnership in history. A shame that his day job - opening the bowling - was such a disaster as the West Indies went on the rampage, racing to another 500+ total. Marlon Samuels struck a career-best 260 while Darren Bravo and veteran Shiv Chanderpaul also reached three figures. So far Hasan has conceded as many runs as he scored without taking a single wicket. For all the joyful celebrations after the first day, the home team are facing another disappointing defeat.

Over in Adelaide, Australia raced to their highest single-day score, bolstered by a rapid century from David Warner, another hundred by Mike Hussey and a world record fourth 'double' in a calendar year by Michael Clarke. Not even the Don managed that statistic. Before recovering to grab a five-for today, Saffer paceman Morne Morkel was made to look amateurish and Imran Tahir was left open to ridicule, sending down 23 overs, being thumped for almost eight an over and even conceding several no-balls. For a spinner in Tests that really isn't good enough. Hopefully he hasn't been scarred for life! At least Graeme Smith is demonstrating the toughness required to build a spirited response to the Aussie onslaught, but with Kallis injured, can they bat long enough to save the game?

The first day in India saw no such runfests but with spinners peppering both line-ups, it was the star of the First Test, Cheteshwar Pujara, who again caught the eye. With Sehwag, Tendulkar, Kohli and Dhoni falling tamely to Monty Panesar, the 24 year-old demonstrated the virtues needed to succeed in Test cricket, ending unbeaten on 114. England won't win a match if they can't get him out, reminiscent of Steve Waugh in 1989.

I wonder what Sri Lanka and New Zealand will serve up next week. This week's fixtures have set the bar very high indeed!

Tino bests Bangla best

In many ways it would have been nice to have been commemorating Bangladesh's record innings score with a memorable win against the West Indies. However, the home team showed again why they can't quite make that transition to the elite of the elite.

That they came remotely close to a first Test victory since beating a weakened Windies three years ago is itself remarkable given the visitors' dominance of the first two days. Chris Gayle gave debutant Sohag Gazi a dreadful drubbing in his first over, including a first ball six, before the 21 year-old snared the big man a few overs later. Kieran Powell reached his third Test hundred, then Shiv Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin shared an unbeaten 296-run stand, with the former equalling his best score in Test cricket (203 not out) before his cpatain declared on 527-4 declared.

No massive scores in reply but Bangladesh batted almost all the way down the order to achieve a record total of 556 all out. Naeem Islam was the only centurion but Nasir Hossain came mighty close, thumping four sixes in his 96. West Indies also fielded a debutant, spinner Veerasammy Permaul, whose only wicket in this innings was that of the Bangladesh skipper.

A 29-run lead in three days set the scene for an interesting finale, although a draw looked the more likely result. Gayle departed early again but his fellow opener Powell again compensated, striking a second hundred with support from Darren Bravo. With Chanderpaul injured, Sohag Gazi claimed an excellent 6-74 leaving his side an eminently reachable target of 245 in about 70 overs. Unfortunately, the skill and inspiration of the first innings deserted them. Yes, they were consistent - but only in that plenty reached double figures but none managed to make thirty. New boy Permaul took 3-32 but the matchwinner proved not to be a spinner but paceman Tino Best.

Often derided for his wayward bowling, Best lived up to his reputation in the early exchanges but maybe his failings contributed to his success because the batsmen struggled to cope with the variety of short balls, wide stuff and the occasional full and straight delivery. Averaging a feeble forty-odd in Tests, Tino's 5-24 was easily his - er - best in a 17-match career which stretches back almost ten years. He made his debut in 2003 at Bridgetown, he bowled twenty wicketless overs for 99 against the all-conquering Aussies.

Bangladesh are not in the same league, of course, but his performance this week ensured the Windies avoided an embarrassing defeat which would have dampened their new-found confidence. Bangladesh fans would have been desperate for a big scalp and so must be bitterly disappointed to see their side capitulate so easily. Some criticised them for being too negative early on but on day five of a Test, going out guns blazing would probably have been a suicidal strategy. In truth they simply weren't good enough to win, but it may give them heart as they prepare for the second Test at Khulna. Eleven months without a Test may also have contributed to their failure this weekend so the practice may yet yield dividends.

Tight finishes in Mirpur and Colombo

It was a great day for cricket in Asia. In their final warm-up game, England weren't satisfied with a gentle workout, producing a Somerset-esque blitz to turn a probable draw into an exhilarating four-wicket victory over the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI. Meanwhile, further north, Bangladesh pushed Pakistan all the way in the Asia Cup final but failed to win their first trophy by just two runs.

In Colombo, it was always going to be tough forging a result on a placid pitch in only three days but to both teams' credit, that's precisely what happened, with some competitive declarations and 515 runs scored on the final day! That's more than Pakistan and Bangladesh served up in even fewer overs in their Asia Cup clash, although both served up thrilling finales.

After Strauss and Trott both retired out in the first innings, they remained in the pavilion to give others some batting practice, albeit more suited to preparation for an ODI series instead of two Tests. Only Ian Bell flopped twice, while Pietersen, Bopara, Patel and Prior each passed fifty, the latter smashing 84 in 60 balls. Graeme Swann clinched matters by striking six boundaries in twelve balls. Great for the England batsmen but what about the bowlers?

Stuart Broad was the pick of the attack, but Swann, Patel and Finn took some treatment. However, they shouldn't be too downhearted because a Test match is a different kettle of fish. On the Sri Lankan side, Chamara Silva and Angelo Perera nudged the selectors with their runs, and Tharanga Lakshitha bowled tidily first time out. The coming Tests could produce a couple of close contests.

If they are as close as the competition climax created by Bangladesh and Pakistan, I won't be complaining. India and Sri Lanka looked tired at times over the past week or so, and it's hardly surprising. However, Pakistan continued their recent rise in fortunes and, on home territory, Bangladesh finally showed they can mix it with the big boys. Spinners Abdur Razzak and Shakib al Hasan were the pick of the bowlers, restricting Pakistan to just 236, with no batsmen reaching 50. Tamim Iqbal made it four consecutive half-centuries, knocking Umar Gul about early on. However, the man from Peshawar gained revenge in he 24th over, by which time Bangladesh were already slipping behind the required strike rate because Iqbal's colleagues were suffering.

Shakib did his best, firing 68, but Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal turned the screw. Nevertheless, it was a low target and Mahmudullah and Abdur Razzak needed nine from the last over from Cheema. Sadly for Bangladesh, with four needed from the last two balls, Razzak played onto his stumps and Hossain could only dig out a yorker for a single, and Pakistan had won the trophy. Last week I questioned whether the Asia Cup was worthy or a waste of time. It was certainly the latter for India and Sri Lanka, but a great confidence booster for today's finalists. Bangladesh may have lost the game but hopefully gained the appetite to push on and challenge for future one-day titles.

Shakib - No.1 All rounder

It's nice to see a representative of an emerging cricketing nation claim top spot in the official rankings. We have known for a while that Bangladesh's Shakib al Hasan is a very capable cricketer who can bat a bit and bowl a bit, but I wasn't expecting him to become number one in the ICC Test all-rounder league table at the age of only 24. Perhaps it is because we have become so used to Jacques Kallis at the top that it is such a surprise. However, his career-best 144 and 6-82 against Pakistan this week elevated him to the pinnacle, displacing the veteran South African after a decade's supremacy.

Maybe Shakib's success should not be so astonishing. After all, he was already the number one all-rounder in ODIs and, if his country played more T20 internationals he would undoubtedly be in the top 10 there, too. However, I'm not sure whether he would really walk into any Test side in the world. Is he a better spinner than Daniel Vettori or Graeme Swann? He is just about a better batsman than those two but it would need to be a spinner's wicket to get him a place alongside, not instead of those two should Shakib suddenly turn English or become a Kiwi. Nevertheless it is rare these days for a genuine all-rounder to boast a batting average higher than his bowling average (35 against 31), something neither Vettori or Swann can claim.

Considering the rise of slow bowling in one-day formats, it is intriguing that the aforementioned trio are the only spinners (all orthodox left- or right-armers) in the Reliance rankings.
Apart from the legendary Kallis, only Shane Watson and maybe Dwayne Bravo appear genuine all-rounders in the five-day game, but world-class?? The others in the top ten are Broad, Bresnan, Steyn and Mitch Johnson, all fine pace bowlers but none particularly fine with the willow, save the occasional flashy innings late in the order. OK, so Broad compiled that incredible 169 at Lord's in 2010 but that's the only occasion when he got even close to three figures. Perhaps his time will come, although Shakib is even younger.

Many may suggest that he is merely the best of a bad bunch. Not like it was in the old days, eh? Well, back in the 1980s the world was indeed blessed with some excellent all-rounders, with Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and then Wasim Akram strutting their stuff. However, it was a bit of a stretch to consider Richard Hadlee and Malcolm Marshall as more than just fantastic fast bowlers who could bat a bit. The Waugh brothers were primarily brilliant batsmen who could deliver competent medium-pacers while resting the big guns. The great West Indian teams? Nary a true all-rounder in twenty years but it did them no harm!

Can Shakib sustain his position as top Test all-rounder? Well, Kallis can reclaim his old number one status with some useful performances against Sri Lanka in the coming weeks, and both Watson and Broad are hard on his heels. I think it will help him not to have the burden of captaincy on top of his undoubted status as best player. However, if some of his teammates started to maintain some consistency with bat and ball, then he could thrive even more. His performance last week, as so many of his others, came in an ultimately lost cause, and that must drain the confidence a bit. For now, let's celebrate his achievement and see what a fascinating winter's international cricket can bring.

Zimbabwe Back with a Win

In their first Test match since September 2005, Zimbabwe rounded off a great win against Bangladesh today. After all the political troubles, player boycotts and retirements, it was good for cricket to see the African nation return to the five-day international scene almost six days after India gave them a drubbing in Harare, when Irfan Pathan took twelve wickets.

OK, so Bangladesh didn't exactly provide them with strong opposition, but the mainly young and inexperienced team acquitted themselves well on home territory. Four Zimbabweans made their Test debuts and the remaining seven commanded only about eighty caps between them. Wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu is a 'veteran' of 28 Tests, while spinner Ray Price, who impressed during the World Cup is, at 35, by far the oldest member of the side.

Put in to bat by Shakib, Zimbabwe made an excellent start. The top four batsmen all made runs, led by centurion Hamilton Masakadza and at one stage were 304-2. To Bangladesh's credit, they fought back to dismiss the home side for 370, but their batting was too inconsistent and debutant Brian Vitori took 4-66, He's so new he doesn't even have a photo on Cricinfo, but hopefully the 21 year-old's face will become better known soon! Zimbabwe added salt into the wounds by declaring and setting Bangladesh 375 to win, waiting until captain Brendan Taylor reached three figures for the first time. Seven years after his Test debut at 18, he's had to be patient, although he has notched more than a hundred ODIs and aggregated over 3000 runs. Another bowler making his first Test appearance, Kyle Jarvis also claimed four wickets as Bangladesh capitulated again, with the exception of a spirited T20-style onslaught from Abdur Razzak.

The winning margin was a healthy 130 runs. Healthy for Zimbabwe, that is. Things aren't looking too promising for Bangladesh, whose improvement over the past decade seems to have stalled and possibly even reversed. The African nation may have nobody of the calibre of Andy Flower, Heath Streak or Andy Blignaut but by forging multicultural team spirit, free of political control, they can start to build slowly in one- and five-day cricket. Masakadze, Taylor and Elton Chigumbura are useful players. The latter has demonstrated some talent at T20 and is a former Player of the week when at Northants last season. However, the all-rounder has disappointed in the longer formats and needs a few big innings and/or wicket hauls to make a mark at international level.

Next up for Zimbabwe are five ODIs against the same opposition, then a brief visit by Pakistan next month. They get to tour New Zealand for another one-off Test and a few ODIs and T20Is early next year to see how they get on away from home territory. If they can manage the occasional victory over these more established, if not world-leading teams, the confidence will do them a world of good. So they may be a million miles from challenging India, England and South Africa but a good showing in the next T20 World Cup or the proper 50-over tournament can only benefit world cricket.

World Cup Week Three - It's Wide Open!

As Week 3 comes to an end, the tournament is becoming intriguing. Not only have Ireland and Bangladesh stirred things up, but also none of the favourites are stamping any consistent authority on the others. It's not just England who are up and down faster than a demented yo-yo, but India, South Africa and Sri Lanka are also struggling to impose themselves in their respective groups. The latter were unfortunate in that their big clash with Australia was abandoned because of the weather, and the battle between the former two yesterday could have gone either way.

While all the drama has been played out this week, Australia could only watch and wait. The schedule meant they had no fixtures between the 5th and 13th and with the Sri Lanka no-result, it's been more than a fortnight since we last had the chance to assess their form. With victory over Kenya pretty much assured, the reigning champions could well come from behind and win Group A, although Pakistan still stand in their way. If New Zealand complete their win over Canada today, a win over Sri Lanka would place them either first or second.

One thing's pretty certain: the top four ranked teams in Group A will all qualify for he quarter-finals. However, the situation in Group B is less clear-cut thanks to Bangladesh's brilliant battling against England a few days ago. Suddenly Andrew Strauss's side looks vulnerable. Provided Shakib's men overcome the Dutch, England would then have to beat the West Indies just to avoid an early plane home. Mind you, the way the English have been whingeing about being away too long, perhaps that's what they secretly crave. If England do win, then the run-in throws up a few alarming (or exciting, whichever way you want to look at it!) possibilities. If South Africa and Netherlands both succumb to Bangladesh, then the very last group stage fixture, between India and the West Indies could see the loser of the game being eliminated from the whole competition. And India's demise would be a disaster for the organisers, especially since the whole format was designed to prevent that very scenario. However, there are plenty of ifs and buts and, to be honest, I can't see Bangladesh repeating their heroics against the likes of Steyn and Morkel, nor their bowlers getting the better of Amla, De Villiers, Duminy et al so they may well bow out by a single point.

So who is my Player of the Week? Yuvraj Singh caught the eye with two chasing half-centuries and seven wickets, albeit against fairly easy opposition. Dale Steyn and Robin Petersen have provided some wrecking-ball performances for South Africa, and Stuart Broad's final tournament contribution meant that those performances didn't produce four points in the week. Ross Taylor The World Cup first wicket record partnership of 282 against Zimbabwe was pretty awesome, and Tillekeratne Dilshan's 144 was followed by an equally devastating bowling analysis of 4-4. However, my vote this week goes to New Zealand's Ross Taylor. He celebrated his 27th birthday with an unbeaten 131 in the crucial Pakistan game, and his remarkable six blitz at the death against Shoaib Akhtar and Abdul Razzaq wins him the best present of all, my Player of the Week award!

Bangladesh Keep the Dream Alive

Well, I don't want to say 'I told you so' but ..... I will! First the dramatic defeat of South Africa and now the limp loss to Bangladesh, England have had a rollercoaster week. Just like the previous week, in fact! All five of their matches have seen tense finales, but they have emerged with an even set of results: two wins, two ,losses and a tie. OK, so not bad really. But the ridiculous scenario of beating South Africa and (just) the Netherlands, tieing with India and losing to Ireland and Bangladesh could hardly have been predicted. For the neutral, England's matches have provided marvellous entertainment and today's game kept the World Cup dream alive not just for Shakib's team but also the millions of cricket fans around the country and Chittagong in particular. It also means that qualification for the quarter-finals may not be settled until the very last Group B game on Sunday week, although after their disappointing start, Bangladesh really need to win both their final fixtures against the Dutch (highly probable) and South Africa (unlikely) to have a hope of getting through. Nevertheless, the England v West Indies match in Chennai next Thursday could prove crucial and should be the must-have ticket for any cricket fan in India.

As for today, well it must have been a real nerve-jangler for anyone watching, either at the ground, on TV or just following online, as I was. England's total of 225 all out didn't look particularly challenging, but that's what we thought about their much lower score against South Africa and we know what happened then. Only the returning Eoin Morgan and the ever-dependable Jonathan Trott made more than 18 runs and both topped 60. Their normal roles were reversed, with Morgan hitting the boundaries and Trott working the ball through and around the outfield for ones and twos. Abdur Razzaq was the pick of the bowlers, with 2-32, including two maidens delivered to Trott and an out-of-sorts Ian Bell.

Tamim Iqbal got his side's innings off to a great start, and the 21 year-old looked back to his brilliant best, especially against Jimmy Anderson. He's scored 38 out of 52 when he played across one from Tim Bresnan and was bowled. The home crowd were silenced soon after as the score reached 73-3. The run rate was still good and skipper Shakib and Imrul Kayes demonstrated admirable patience, keeping the scoreboard ticking over without resorting to risky slogs. While they were at the crease, a Bangladesh victory looked possible. I remarked to a colleague at work that once the partnership was broken, the side would collapse. And that's exactly what happened - up to a point.

After putting on 82, the opener ran himself out going for a daft second against Shahzad's throw from deep square leg, and then the predictable panic set in. Bresnan, Collingwood and Swann imposed a mid-innings stranglehold on the batsmen and the wickets began to tumble. 155-3 swiftly became 179-8 and another promising upset looked set to fizzle out like a cheap firework on a damp November evening. It happened to Ireland against the West Indies a few hours earlier and history looked set to repeat itself.

Mahmadullah didn't look like a man seeking to pepper the boundary but with the seamers keeping it tight they decided to target Swann in his last over, and it proved decisive. Many local fans had already departed, but they must be cursing themselves. Shafiul Islam heaved the spinner's fourth and sixth balls towards long on, one for four then for the game's only six. Three miserly overs followed but when a leg-side ball from Anderson evaded batsman and Matt Prior for five - count 'em, five! - wides, the Bangladesh players must have felt luck was on their side again. The over lasted nine deliveries and then Shafiul tonked two wayward efforts from Bresnan to the boundary. Just twelve now needed from three overs yet surely Anderson could produce the two swinging yorkers needed to end the run chase and give England the win. But no! The tailenders held firm and it was the patient Mahmadullah who struck the winning cover drive. They'd done it at last!

England and the West Indies will surely qualify from Group B with India and South Africa but at least Bangladesh can hold their heads up high after this spectacular triumph.

World Cup - Focus on Bangladesh

Today, Dhaka hosts the World Cup opening ceremony but a lot of eyes will also be on the Bangladesh team. Could they provide a real upset in 2011? Fifteen years ago, Sri Lanka upset the status quo by winning the World Cup. Until 1996 they had been the World Cup whipping boys, able to win the occasional game but nowhere near the standard required to reach a semi or a final. However, all changed in India/Pakistan. Benefiting from a few walkovers when Australia and West Indies refused to play in Colombo because of the civil war, Sri Lanka nonetheless proceeded to beat Kenya, India (twice) and England on their way to meet the hot favourites Australia. Mark Taylor's side boasted the likes of Warne, McGrath, both Waughs, Ponting, Stuart Law and the arch-finisher Michael Bevan, yet they were undone by the brilliance of Aravinda de Silva ,who scored a brilliant century and took 3-42. Now Sri Lanka are one of the best one-day teams in the world and runners-up four years ago.

In 1996, Sri Lanka fielded three or four players of genuine world class - Jayasuriya, Da Silva, Vaas and Muralitharan - although it would take that World Cup to demonstrate it. In Shakib al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh possess two great stars of the modern game. Shakib has developed into a true all-rounder, combining economical spin bowling with middle-order hard-hitting and under his captaincy they have given England a few frights and thrashed New Zealand 4-0. Tamim Iqbal is the new Jayasuriya or, dare I say it, Sehwag. He has no fear of any bowler and goes for his shots in all forms of the game, and could be a real match-winner in the coming weeks. Even at 17, he had the nerve to hit Zaheer Khan for an enormous six!

Another asset of the Bangladesh squad is its youth. Abdur Razzaq, at 28, is the oldest member so what they lack in experience they gain in hunger for success and proving themselves at the highest level. With some home advantage, they must really fancy their chances of reaching the quarter-finals. They should defeat the Dutch and Irish, and also have the talent to worry the West Indies and England. India and South Africa could prove harder nuts to crack but the former have been known to crack under pressure and so Shakib et al may capitalise on first-game nerves this weekend.

Could they repeat Sri Lanka's momentous feat of 1996? Well, for Jayasuriya and Da Silva, read Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan. However, Bangladesh don't really possess a Murali or Vaas and so it's hard to envisage them bowling top teams out cheaply. I think they are no longer unknown quantities but I wouldn't bet against them beating, say, South Africa or the West Indies and thus qualifying from the group stage. To go all the way? No, not this year but if the current young squad maintains their recent improvement, they could all be very dangerous opponents in four years' time!