Roston Chase sweeps West Indies awards night

List of award winners

Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Roston Chase ♦ Women’s Cricketer: Stafanie Taylor ♦ Test Cricketer: Roston Chase ♦ ODI Cricketer: Jason Holder ♦ T20 International Cricketer: Andre Russell ♦ Women’s ODI Cricketer: Stafanie Taylor ♦ Women’s T20 International Cricketer: Stafanie Taylor ♦ First-Class Team: Guyana ♦ Regional Four-Day Cricketer: Roston Chase ♦ Regional Limited-Overs Cricketer: Ashley Nurse ♦ Regional T20 Cricketer: Dwayne Bravo ♦ Emerging Cricketer: Roston Chase ♦ U-19 Team of the Year: Guyana ♦ U-19 Cricketer: Joshua Bishop ♦ WIPA in the Community Award: Kameah Cooper ♦ Windies Foundation Award: The Chris Gayle Foundation ♦ CWI Lifetime Award: Walter Eden St John ♦ WIPA Lifetime Award: Cleveland Davidson

Roston Chase walked away from the West Indies Players’ Association/Cricket West Indies’ annual awards ceremony with two of the biggest prizes: the Cricketer of the Year Award, and the Test Cricketer of the Year Award. In addition, the offspin-bowling allrounder from Barbados was also named Emerging Cricketer of the Year and Regional Four-Day Cricketer of the Year. Stafanie Taylor, who is currently leading West Indies’ women’s team at the World Cup in England, was the Women’s Cricketer of the Year.Men’s Test and ODI captain Jason Holder took home the ODI prize, while big-hitting allrounder Andre Russell – who is currently serving a one-year ban for breaking anti-doping whereabouts regulations three times in a 12-month period – won T20I Cricketer of the Year at the ceremony in Jamaica on Friday night.That Chase was in the spotlight all night was no surprise, given the fighting innings he produced on several occasions in Test cricket over the past year when West Indies were in a hole. Chase made his Test debut in July 2016, and has three hundreds and three fifties in ten Tests at 48.53. Four of these six fifty-plus scores came after his team were four down for less than 70, and one half-century came despite having to go off the field after taking a blow to the elbow off a bouncer from Pakistan quick Mohammad Amir. His hundred in the second innings of that same Test, in Dominica, brought a struggling West Indies to within six balls of saving the match – he was batting on 101 not out off 239 balls when No. 11 Shannon Gabriel was dismissed. Another of the hundreds, 137 against India in Jamaica last August, got the job done, helping West Indies bat out 104 overs and draw despite being 48 for 4.

Simpson knows Middlesex need to stir

ScorecardJohn Simpson admitted Lancashire held a slight advantage•Getty Images

There was no possibility of playing cricket on the second day of this match at Southport. The overnight rain relented quite early in the morning but it was replaced a couple of hours later by another front which drenched the outfield that the Lancashire and Southport groundstaff had worked so hard to dry. At three o’clock Peter Hartley and Steve O’Shaughnessy called things off for the day and the only surprise was that they had not taken that decision an hour earlier.Food tended to dominate proceedings thereafter. The rain may have prevented cricket being played but it softened the ground at Trafalgar Road and made it all the easier for the young crows to forage for worms; in the tents and marquees the corporate hospitality guests tucked in as heartily as they had every right to do, especially given that they had been denied their cricket. The players drifted back to their hotels in town with plans to watch the football or go out to eat in one of Southport’s many restaurants. Another day in another season.The good news from the point of view of those attending on Sunday and Monday, when the weather forecast is considerably better, is that this looks like a three-day pitch. A par score is reckoned to be about 240 and much will therefore rest on whether Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dane Vilas can be parted on the third morning. It would be difficult to fancy Middlesex’s chances on a pitch showing variable bounce at the Grosvenor Road End if they conceded a lead of anything over 70 or so, and the need for points is not lost on the champions’ wicketkeeper-batsman, John Simpson, whose unbeaten 53 held his side together on the first afternoon.”I’d say Lancs probably edged the first day,” he said. “It nipped around early and it was a strange day, as much as anything because there were four guys caught down the leg side, which I’ve never seen before. It was a case of applying myself when I got the opportunity to bat.”When you’re coming at four down with about 70 on the board you have to get your head down but capitalise on any loose deliveries and try to put the bowler under pressure. It was a good old fashioned grafting knock. We got a couple of quick wickets and then the pitch settled down a bit. Then it started swinging a little and I’m not sure whether that’s got anything to do with the tide coming in or going out. But it was an intriguing day.”Simpson is in his ninth season at Lord’s and is one of the best uncapped cricketers in England. Time and again people reading their morning papers at county matches see that he has scored runs and wonder what his prospects might be without Bairstow, Buttler and Billings in the England set-up. Across the river the same is said of Ben Foakes, whose time should surely come. Simpson, himself, is more concerned with helping Middlesex defend the title they won so gloriously at Lord’s last September. Four successive draws hardly help but there is a long way to go yet.”Apart from the Hampshire game where we had to dig in and fight really hard to come away from with a draw, I think we’ve played some really good cricket,” said Simpson “We dominated all four days against Essex without getting over the line but the weather curtailed that game. Against Surrey we had to cope with Sangakkara but he’s a world-class player and churning out runs and hundreds is what world class players do.”It’s now a case of getting it all together and putting in a total team performance, which we haven’t done so far. But Lord’s has been a tough place to get results – I think we only won two games there last season – so I think it’s going to be a case of trying to force wins at home and win games on the road. You have to remember that we’re a couple of games behind some teams and a couple of good wins will put us back in the mix.”

Yasir six-for edges Pakistan ahead on testing day


Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYasir Shah claimed five wickets in the final session to turn the second Test in Pakistan’s favour•AFP

It was a memorable day of Test cricket at the Kensington Oval, but for West Indies, it was a cruel finish. After all, West Indies – led by a resolute 90 from Shai Hope that lasted over five hours – made Pakistan’s bowlers graft and toil for the majority of the day, but the defining period will be five minutes of chaos that saw his side lose three wickets in eight balls for one run. It might yet lose them a game they have grated their way back into on more than one occasion, but with the lead already 183 with one wicket in hand, the Test is still alive. Yasir Shah claimed another six-wicket haul to lead Pakistan’s fightback in the final hour.With West Indies leading by 154 runs with six wickets still in hand, thoughts may already have been turning to an early declaration on the final day. But all of a sudden, Hope sought to cover drive a flighted Yasir delivery through the air, perfectly picking out Azhar Ali at cover. The next ball saw Vishaul Singh, the other set batsman, drag an inswinging delivery from Mohammad Abbas onto his stumps. Six deliveries on, Jason Holder poked at one from Yasir, and even as the light eroded, Younis Khan was never going to drop that.There was still enough time for West Indies’ last recognised batsman – Shane Dowrich – to edge one that ballooned up for an easy catch to second slip. Yasir dismissed Alzarri Joseph soon after to take his innings tally to six, and West Indies’ hard work crumbled.They had begun the final session with the resoluteness that characterised their batting all day. The runs, which had begun to flow a little too freely, dried up after tea as Misbah operated spin from both ends, waiting for the new ball. The likelihood of a wicket seemed to recede with both Vishaul and Hope looking increasingly comfortable, and West Indies began to take hold of the game. Shadab came closest to a breakthrough with an lbw shout against Vishaul that Pakistan decided to review, only to be thwarted by the on-field umpire’s call. As a result, the breakthrough Yasir provided through Hope’s moment of ill-judgment will seem even more fateful, coming as it did at a time when the hosts were looking to bat Pakistan out of the game.Momentum in the first session had fluctuated, a half-century partnership between Kraigg Brathwaite and Hope steering West Indies into the lead. West Indies got off to a terrible start, having added only one run to their overnight score when Shimron Hetmyer, who had looked convincing on the third evening, was dismissed by Mohammad Amir. The manner of the wicket was identical to his dismissal in Jamaica, the ball seaming back in sharply to crash into the stumps.Hope and Brathwaite batted more positively after coming together, but just as it looked like West Indies might creep into the ascendancy once more, Brathwaite was undone by a combination of vicious spin from Yasir and staggering reflexes from Younis. Yasir pitched one well outside leg stump from around the wicket, which spun sharply across and clipped the shoulder of his bat. Younis dived to his right with agility and reflexes that belied his age, holding on to a splendid one-handed catch that could end up being as crucial as any runs he scores this game.The afternoon session was a cagey affair as Yasir resumed the session by bowling around the wicket again to exploit the rough, while Roston Chase and Hope kept him at bay. Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Amir kept chipping away laboriously from the other end, as Misbah appeared reluctant to trust a misfiring Shadab with runs at a premium. But it was Yasir’s persistence from around the wicket that finally paid off for Pakistan when he drew Chase into driving him on the up. Chase hadn’t been able to get to the pitch of the ball, and the drive came straight back to Yasir for an easy catch, giving Pakistan a breakthrough they needed badly.

SL, Bangladesh hunt for bragging rights

Match Facts

Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)Bangladesh have lost their last seven T20Is•Associated Press

Big Picture

Bilateral T20Is can become meaningless when fitted towards the end of tours. Teams use these games to prepare for future endeavours and to give the players who had been confined to the bench some game time. As a result, not many of these matches are memorable. But the series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh has gained importance after stalemates in both the Tests and ODIs.The hosts would consider themselves favourites. They beat both South Africa and Australia away from home and have been bolstered by the return of Lasith Malinga. Additionally, the competition at the top of the order also bodes well for them. They have four openers to choose from: Kusal Perera, who has recovered from a hamstring strain, captain Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka and Dilshan Munaweera.Bangladesh would regard the tour as a lost opportunity if they end up not winning any trophies. They struggled in New Zealand and their count of successive T20I losses reached seven, but in subcontinent conditions, they pose a stronger threat.There is very little difference between their ODI and T20I batting line-ups, and this continuity has helped the players feel more secure. On the bowling front, captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Taskin Ahmed have been among the wickets recently, while Mehedi Hasan has taken to limited-overs cricket as well as he did to Tests.Lasith Malinga made a triumphant return to international cricket in Australia last month•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Form guide

Sri Lanka LWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLL

In the spotlight

Asela Gunaratnewas the most talked-about batsman during Sri Lanka’s last T20I series, and was so with good reason. Having struck back-to-back fifties to help beat Australia in their own backyard, the focus will be on him to repeat the feat at home.Twenty20 is Sabbir Rahman‘s favourite format. So far on tour, he has hit two decent forties in the Colombo Test and a fifty in the Dambulla ODI. His fans will be expecting a big one from him now.

Team news

Kusal has passed his fitness test, and as such, is available for this match. But Sri Lanka were reluctant to say where he would bat, or if he would slot back into the XI. They might have to choose between fast bowlers Vikum Sanjaya and Nuwan Kulasekara. Apart from that, most of the line-up will be similar to the one that played against Australia in February. Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, who missed the latter part of the ODI series against Bangladesh, is expected to regain his T20 place.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Dilshan Munaweera, 3 Upul Tharanga (capt), 4 Chamara Kapugedera, 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Kusal Perera/ Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Vikum Sanjaya/ Nuwan Kulasekara 11 Lasith MalingaBangladesh are unlikely to tinker with their batting line-up, but they might perhaps mull over Mohammad Saifuddin. The uncapped fast-bowling allrounder could be used to give one of the frontline quicks a break. Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam is another option available to the visitors.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt.), 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

An unusually hard surface might afford some help to the fast bowlers early on. The average score batting first in the last five T20Is at the R Premadasa Stadium is 150. Overall, teams that have batted first have won 14 out of 23 completed matches at this venue. There is a slight chance of rain in the evening.

Stats and trivia

  • The only two batsmen, out of both squads, to have more than 1,000 T20I runs are Tamim Iqbal (1202) and Shakib Al Hasan (1159).
  • Sri Lanka have won just one T20I at the Premadasa in 11 outings. They have better records in Pallekelle – seven wins out of 11 games – and Hambantota – three wins out of six games.
  • Sri Lanka is one of five countries where Bangladesh have never won a T20I.
  • Sabbir has the most Player-of-the-Match awards (3) for Bangladesh in T20Is.

Quotes

“We’ve got to be consistent in getting those runs as well, and that has to carry over to the T20 format. In Australia we’ve chased 170-odd as well. Even here, if we can get and chase 180 – scores like that – that would be the best thing.”
“When we played the decider against England in Chittagong [last October], we lost despite having a good record there. So these things don’t really matter much.”

Ferguson and Cooper keep South Australia alive


ScorecardFile photo – Callum Ferguson top scored with 90•Getty Images

Callum Ferguson and Tom Cooper were instrumental in setting Tasmania a target of 300 for victory in Hobart, where South Australia must win to have any chance of making the Sheffield Shield final. The Redbacks began the third day at 0 for 69 and were dismissed in the final over the day for 406, an innings that was based around a 173-run fifth-wicket stand between Ferguson and Cooper.Opener Jake Weatherald fell early for 28 to the bowling of Sam Rainbird, before debutant John Dalton was caught behind for 71 off fellow first-gamer Gabe Bell, the Tasmania fast bowler who finished with 4 for 97 and seven wickets for the match. South Australia’s hopes faded when Bell snared both Travis Head and Jake Lehmann for single-figure scores to leave the total at 4 for 120.But Ferguson and Cooper then settled in for a long stay before Cooper was eventually caught behind for 83. Ferguson had the opportunity to push for his second century in consecutive matches but instead was caught behind off Rainbird for 90. However, there were still plenty of runs to come, with Adam Zampa striking 63 to lift the total to 406.

Nagarkoti's hat-trick fires Rajasthan to narrow win

At Chepauk, 17-year old medium pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti took the first-ever List A hat-trick for Rajasthan that helped them defend 183 for a 14-run win against Gujarat. Gujarat were 152 for 5 – just 32 short of the target – when Nagarkoti made his first strike. They were eventually bowled out for 169, with Nagarkoti having taken 3 for 30 in seven overs. Bhargav Merai (51) and Rujul Bhatt (49) made contributions for Gujarat and shared a fourth-wicket partnership on 90. Apart from Nagarkoti, captain Pankaj Singh took three wickets, while Nathu Singh finished with two scalps.Nagarkoti also came good with the bat as his unbeaten half-century lifted Rajasthan from 54 for 6. Along with Arijit Gupta (69), he helped add 86 for the seventh wicket and finished not out on 56.Manoj Tiwary’s unbeaten century steered Bengal to an eight-wicket win in a chase of 214 against Goa. Tiwary slammed 116 off 94 balls with 13 fours and three sixes as Bengal win with 85 balls to spare. Tiwary’s knock rescued Bengal from early losses, after they were reduced to 45 for 2. Tiwary dominated an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 169 with opening batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran to see his team through. Abhimanyu finished not out on 68.Bengal could have been chasing more had Goa’s batsmen converted their starts. Amogh Desai top-scored with 49, but his dismissal triggered a slide as Goa went from 150 for 2 to finish on 213 for 9. Kanshik Seth, the debutant medium pacer, took 3 for 50 in 10 overs.Seamer Chandrakant Sakure’s maiden List A five-for helped Madhya Pradesh dismiss Mumbai for 134 and canter to an 80-run win. Sakure took 5 for 25 in eight overs and was supported by Saransh Jain, who took 3 for 30 in nine overs. Ishwar Pandey and Ankit Sharma took one wicket each.MP’s innings was driven by Ankit Dane in the first half. Dane struck 46 off 76 balls and held up his end even as wickets fell around him. He was dismissed in the 28th over, after which Sohraab Dhaliwal propelled the score past 200 with his 41-ball 51. Dhaliwal was the last man dismissed as MP were bowled out for 214 in 45.1 overs. Mumbai’s bowlers shared the wickets around, with Shardul Thakur’s 3 for 27 the best figures.

CCC beat ICC Americas to stay unbeaten, Jamaica upend Guyana

Jamaica bounced back from an opening loss to defeat Guyana by 41 runs at Kensington Oval on Thursday. Chadwick Walton propelled Jamaica’s top order with 82 before Devon Thomas chipped in towards the end of the innings with a half-century to get Jamaica to a total of 249 for 8.Shivnarine Chanderpaul underpinned Guyana’s battling effort in reply with his 13th List A century, but received little support – the next best score for Guyana was Anthony Bramble’s 29. Chanderpaul eventually became the ninth wicket, falling for 101 in the 43rd over. In the next over, Jerome Taylor had Ronsford Beaton caught behind to complete a five-wicket haul as Guyana were bowled out for 208.Combined Campuses & Colleges defeated ICC Americas by seven wickets at Windward Park to stay atop Group B. Sent in to bat, ICC Americas ended on 181 for 9 thanks in large part to a 60-run eighth-wicket stand by Timroy Allen (43) and Saad Bin Zafar (25) before both men fell in the last seven balls. Ryan Hinds bowled a stifling left-arm spin to finish with 1 for 19, but fast bowler Keon Harding was named Man of the Match for his 2 for 27, including the wicket of Zafar in the 50th over.Amir Jangoo struck his second straight fifty and formed an 81-run opening stand with captain Jamal Smith to get the chase going. Kyle Corbin (47*) and Cassius Burton (38*) then coasted to the target, adding an unbroken 73 for the fourth wicket to clinch victory with 4.2 overs to spare.

Quiney, Maxwell bash subdues Hurricanes

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe Melbourne Stars delivered a statement in their opening match of the tournament with a clinical seven-wicket win over the Hobart Hurricanes in Hobart.The Stars made the Hurricanes impressive total of 4 for 188 look thoroughly inadequate thanks to a brilliant 43 ball 75 from experienced opener Rob Quiney. England import Luke Wright allowed Quiney to settle with a quick-fire 48 at the top. Glenn Maxwell then finished the job with ease, producing some pure ball-striking after Quiney was dismissed.Earlier the Hurricanes had dug themselves out of a major hole. Ben Hilfenhaus hit off stump twice with his first two balls of the match to reduce the Hurricanes to 2 for 6. They slipped to 3 for 32 when Kumar Sangakkara holed out to long off. Tim Paine and George Bailey then combined for a Hurricanes franchise-record stand of 145 to set a competitive total on a superb batting surface. But it wasn’t enough.A Quiney reminder
Quiney was forced to bat in the lower-middle order for the Stars throughout last year’s BBL campaign. The Stars finished as runners-up using Wright and Marcus Stoinis as openers for a majority of the tournament. Quiney, left out of Victoria’s Sheffield Shield squad this season, has been playing club cricket and second XI cricket. He found some form in the Stars’ practice matches and struck the ball powerfully against the Hurricanes. He was savage over the leg side off both pacers and the spinners. With Kevin Pietersen set to return after missing this game due to family commitments, Quiney reminded the Stars’ selectors of his value at the top of the order.Bucking the bat-first trend
The Hurricanes elected to bat, hoping to continue the momentum they found while setting a total in their tournament opener against Sydney Sixers. Teams batting first had won four straight games in the tournament after the Sixers won chasing in game one against the Sydmey Thunder. It seemed an anomaly given the team chasing won 20 of 35 matches in last year’s Big Bash, including all three finals matches. The Stars went some way to squaring the ledger in BBL06 with a flawless chase.Piling on the Paine
Paine’s 91 from 61 balls was his highest T20 score and his second consecutive half-century of the tournament, following his 63 in against the Sixers. He took his time early but stepped up through the middle over and scored fluently all around the ground. He and Bailey mixed superb stroke-play with excellent running in their record stand.At 32, Paine is a forgotten man in Australian cricket. He has played four tests, 26 One-Day Internationals and five T20 internationals for as a wicketkeeper batsman. But he has not played a single Sheffield Shield game this season because Tasmania have preferred Jake Doran. Paine has had to ply his trade in second XI cricket despite a superior test average to both current test keeper Matthew Wade, and Peter Nevill, who Wade replaced. He also has a superior T20 average and strike-rate compared to both Wade and Nevill, who have alternated in the role for Australia at T20 level as well.Hilfenhaus’ horror hat-trick ball
Hilfenhaus made the perfect start with the ball clattering the off stumps of both D’Arcy Short and Dom Michael with his first two balls of the match. Michael has now faced 10 balls in BBL cricket and has been dismissed four times without scoring a single run. Sangakkara walked out to face the hat-trick ball and could not have got friendlier delivery if he had pre-ordered it. Hilfenhaus delivered a full toss above waist-high wide outside off stump and Sangakkara caressed it through point for four. He also got a free hit next ball as it was a no-ball for height.

Shamsi emerges as potential day-night trump card

Just like Kyle Abbott is not exactly sure when he is going to be able to make the move ball move, Tabraiz Shamsi does not really know whether the Australian batsmen can pick him, but as long as the wickets come, he does not mind the uncertainty.”That’s the theory going around and with theories, you can’t say it’s a given thing because it’s not a proven thing,” Shamsi said at the MCG where his 4 for 72 against a Victoria XI put him in line for a Test debut. “I am really happy with the way I have gone personally against them.”Shamsi was picked for the Test squad on the back of a stellar 2015-16 first-class season – he was joint-second on the wicket-charts with 41 scalps at 19.97 – and performances in shorter formats which suggested he could be a handful. Shamsi took 3 for 36 in his third ODI against Australia in Port Elizabeth last month and was South Africa A’s third-highest wicket-taker in a 50-over quadrangular series in Australia this winter.The talk in South Africa is that Shamsi’s variations render batsmen illiterate and that he was brought on this tour specifically to play in Adelaide. He was seen practising with the pink ball on his own during the Hobart Test and even though it may be harsh on Keshav Maharaj, who also debuted on this tour, South Africa may want to use Shamsi as a trump card in the day-night fixture.Shamsi confirmed the pink ball wears “a lot more than the red ball”, and is therefore more likely to bring spinners into the game. Wristpin with a pink ball has emerged as particularly tricky for batsmen and even though Shamsi is not sure of exactly how difficult it is, he hopes he can prove a handful anyway.”There’s a theory about legspinners and batsmen not picking it,” Shamsi said. “The guys say it’s harder to pick the seam off the legspinners so maybe there is a difference but at the end of the day you have to put the ball in the right areas.”Conceding more than six an over, as Shamsi did in the warm-up match, may not speak much for his disciplines which may be why Shamsi continues to be coy about his chances of playing. It’s almost as if he knows that he travelled as a reserve, or a surprise package, and is focusing more on being part of the Test squad than the starting XI. “That’s not up to me [if I debut],” he said. “I’ve just got to go and do my bit. If it comes I’ll be happy. If it doesn’t, the team is doing well so either way it’s a win-win situation.”Like his team-mates, Shamsi repeated the mantra that South Africa are not merely satisfied with a series win. They want a whitewash too. “We came here to win the series. We’ve done that. Our mission is not over yet. We are going to try and win the series 3-nil.”

ECB extends Saqlain coaching spell

Saqlain Mushtaq will remain with the England team until the end of the third Test in Mohali after agreeing an extension to his deal with the ECB.Saqlain, the former Pakistan offspinner, is currently in the middle of a second spell as spin-bowling consultant with the England side but had originally been contracted to spend just a couple of weeks with the team. He was scheduled to leave the tour after the first Test.But with all three spinners in the England side enjoying an improved performance in Rajkot, it has now been decided to retain his services for a little longer. While there had been some concerns over whether they would be able to extend his visa due to the strained relationship between India and Pakistan, the ECB has confirmed that the issue has been resolved.The ECB has been criticised in recent times – not least by Graeme Swann – for not providing the same level of support to spin bowlers as other disciplines within the side. While batting and bowling coaches travel with the team nearly all the time, the likes of Saqlain and, before him, Mushtaq Ahmed, have been contracted for just a few days a few times a year. Sometimes this has been arranged only a couple of days before games, providing little time for meaningful coaching or improvement.Adil Rashid’s improved showing in Rajkot has, in part, been credited to Saqlain, though. Encouraged to bowl at his natural pace, rather than bowl quicker which has been a feature of recent performances, Rashid gained impressive turn and noted Saqlain’s input on field placement and game plans.