Pakistan coach to be named after Bangladesh tour

The PCB coach hunt committee has decided on its choice for head coach and specialised coaches, but will make a formal announcement after the Bangladesh tour, with the incumbent in place for next January's series against England. Dav Whatmore is seen as the front-runner for the top job with Mohsin Khan, Aaqib Javed and Julien Fountain tipped to get the batting, bowling and fielding roles.

Col Naushad Ali, a member of the committee and currently assistant manager of the national team, said the committee had made its decision. "The person we have picked as head coach is very well suited to Pakistan," Ali said. "He is the one who suits the temperament of Pakistan cricket and [that] of its team."

Whatmore, currently coach of the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, was linked with the post on an earlier occasion, when the PCB eventually picked Geoff Lawson. This time, his name is believed to be favoured by the committee members - Ali, Intikhab Alam, Zaheer Abbas and Ramiz Raja (though the last-named has been out of loop while on tour as a commentator).

When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, Whatmore refused to shed any light on the issue. "I can't say anything," he said. "I am in no position to say anything."

The committee - which is believed to favour home-grown batting and bowling coaches, given Pakistan's traditional strengths in those disciplines - is yet to conduct a formal interview with any of the candidates, but is understood to have been in touch through mail and phone. It is believed the PCB had set up a meeting between Alam and Whatmore under the Ijaz Butt regime but it was cancelled following the change in administration.

The appointment of a coach will fill a slot that's been lying vacant for the past five months, since Waqar Younis stepped down on health grounds. Mohsin Khan was named interim coach and it's understood he wants to continue in some coaching capacity rather than return to a selectorial role.

"I think I have done fairly a good job," Khan told ESPNcricinfo last month. "I haven't applied for the coaching job but if they [the PCB] ask me to carry on, I'd love to do so."

Raza Shaukat is Asia Cricket Pakistan correspondent

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© Asia Cricket Ltd.

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Pakistan spinners seal clean sweep

Pakistan 177 (Umar 57, Misbah 47, Razzak 3-21, Mahmudullah 3-4) beat Bangladesh 119 (Mahmudullah 35, Hafeez 3-27, Malik 3-6) by 58 runs

	Mohammad Hafeez overpowered Bangladesh with 3 for
Bangladesh had an opportunity to end a losing streak against Pakistan that has lasted 12 years, but the visiting spinners were good enough to put the target of 178 far out of their reach. The track was tailored to suit Bangladesh's strength - spin - but it backfired since they didn't have the batsmen capable of sticking it out long enough to entertain thoughts of earning a consolation win.

Pakistan took the series 3-0, but not without some sweat. Their batsmen too were found wanting against spin, losing nine wickets to the slower men and failing to bat out 50 overs. In the context of the struggles faced by the batsmen from both sides, the stand of 94 between Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal proved the difference. Bangladesh had a similar foundation going between Shahriar Nafees and Mahmudullah, but a floodlight failure disturbed the concentration of the well-set pair and brought about a power-shift towards Pakistan's spinners. Bangladesh crumbled quickly from then, losing their last nine wickets for 50 runs.

Having lost Tamim Iqbal first ball, the pressure was on Bangladesh, with a slip and short leg and the new balls turning and bouncing. The pair of Nafees and Mahmudullah were watchful but importantly, ensured they didn't go scoreless for lengthy periods - a factor in Bangladesh's previous defeats this series. Mahmudullah slogged Mohammad Hafeez in the third over to get the first boundary bogey off the team's back.

The pair gave Bangladesh the edge with a stand of 69, essayed with sweeps off Abdur Rehman and cuts off Shahid Afridi, who in his urgency to break an unusual wicketless-streak - which has lasted two matches - fired the ball too flat.

The interruption after the 15th over, caused a downturn in Bangladesh's fortunes. Saeed Ajmal trapped Nafees lbw playing down the wrong line, before Rehman caught Mushfiqur Rahim in front while trying to sweep. Bangladesh lost their third wicket in as many overs when Hafeez got one to turn sharply and trap Mahmudullah on the backfoot. Both Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain were out cheaply , spooning catches as the chase fell off the rails.

The lower order had no respite. The parsimonious Saeed Ajmal, bowling round the wicket, was scoreless off the bat for 28 successive deliveries. He was lucky, though, to get Farhad Reza lbw, off a thick inside edge. Bangladesh had a semblance of a recovery with a stand of 34 between Reza and Alok Kapali, but the howler cut short their hopes.

The pitch wasn't exactly a minefield, as Misbah and Umar showed. The ball gripped, turned, bounced and forced the visitors to concentrate more than they've had to so far in the series. They had their anxious moments with the ball keeping low, some sliding past the outside edge and the stumps. It wasn't easy for the wicketkeeper Mushfiqur, who by the 15th over had already conceded 12 byes, a Bangladesh record.

Coming in at 39 for 3, Misbah and Umar steadied the innings with a watchful approach against spin. Misbah opened up against Elias Sunny, hammering boundaries to midwicket and down the ground. He also tried disturbing the bowler's rhythm by moving across his stumps to paddle, at times bringing out the reverse sweep. Umar used his feet well, though it was one of his more patient knocks as he regularly came forward to smother the spin and defend. Umar fetched two sixes off Nasir, using his feet for both.

The tide turned when Misbah departed, making room and spooning a catch to short extra cover off Razzak. The wickets started to tumble, leaving Umar with greater responsibility than he would have expected. However, he too trooped off to the pavilion, beaten for turn and bounce by Sunny. Mahmudullah triggered an early end to the innings, assisted by Mushfiqur, who by then was seeing the ball like a football in fading light.

Bangladesh walked off after wrapping up Pakistan a more confident unit. Unfortunately, they couldn't counter the most penetrative spin attack in the world.

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Pakistan coach to be named after Bangladesh tour

The PCB coach hunt committee has decided on its choice for head coach and specialised coaches, but will make a formal announcement after the Bangladesh tour, with the incumbent in place for next January's series against England. Dav Whatmore is seen as the front-runner for the top job with Mohsin Khan, Aaqib Javed and Julien Fountain tipped to get the batting, bowling and fielding roles.

Col Naushad Ali, a member of the committee and currently assistant manager of the national team, said the committee had made its decision. "The person we have picked as head coach is very well suited to Pakistan," Ali said. "He is the one who suits the temperament of Pakistan cricket and [that] of its team."

Whatmore, currently coach of the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, was linked with the post on an earlier occasion, when the PCB eventually picked Geoff Lawson. This time, his name is believed to be favoured by the committee members - Ali, Intikhab Alam, Zaheer Abbas and Ramiz Raja (though the last-named has been out of loop while on tour as a commentator).

When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, Whatmore refused to shed any light on the issue. "I can't say anything," he said. "I am in no position to say anything."

The committee - which is believed to favour home-grown batting and bowling coaches, given Pakistan's traditional strengths in those disciplines - is yet to conduct a formal interview with any of the candidates, but is understood to have been in touch through mail and phone. It is believed the PCB had set up a meeting between Alam and Whatmore under the Ijaz Butt regime but it was cancelled following the change in administration.

The appointment of a coach will fill a slot that's been lying vacant for the past five months, since Waqar Younis stepped down on health grounds. Mohsin Khan was named interim coach and it's understood he wants to continue in some coaching capacity rather than return to a selectorial role.

"I think I have done fairly a good job," Khan told ESPNcricinfo last month. "I haven't applied for the coaching job but if they [the PCB] ask me to carry on, I'd love to do so."

Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent

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Only T20I: Pakistan defeated Bangladesh convincingly

Dhaka: Pakistan cruised to a 50-run victory over Bangladesh in their one-off Twenty20. Mohammad Hafeez was named man of the match after scoring a quick-fire 25 and picking up figures of 2-11 from four overs with the ball.

Pakistan Cricket Team is posing with the trophy

Hafeez and Imran Farhat put on 30 for the first wicket after the Pakistanis elected to bat first in Dhaka, before the latter was caught behind off Bangladeshi orthodox spinner Shakib Al Hasan (2-24).

Asad Shafiq (19) came in and added another 31 for the second wicket, before Hafeez was bowled by Al Hasan.

Pakistan’s middle-order chipped in to boost their total, with Umar Akmal (20) and Misbah-ul-Haq (21) providing handy contributions to help the visitors finish on 7-135.

Bangladesh’s chase barely gathered steam, as they slumped to 5-23 in the ninth over.

Their top four batsmen – Naeem Islam, Imrul Kayes, Alok Kapali and Al Hasan – combined for just 12 runs as Pakistan took a stranglehold on the match.

Hafeez claimed the scalps of Kapali and Al Hasan, while also having a hand in running out Kayes.

Nasir Hossain, the number seven bat, salvaged some respectability for his side by striking 35 from 38 deliveries, helping Bangladesh reach 85-9 through 20 overs.

Mushfiqur Rahim (10) was the only other batsman in double figures, with the extras (11) the second-highest total on their scorecard.

Bangladesh and Pakistan will begin their three-match ODI series at Dhaka on Thursday, before contesting a two-Test series.

Result: Pakistan won by 50 runs.

Man Of The Match: Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan).

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1st ODI: India pecked victory in a thriller

Cuttack: Rohit Sharma’s fighting 72 has guided India to a thrilling one-wicket win over West Indies in the first ODI.

Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja run a single © AFP

Chasing 212, the Indian top-order succumbed to Kemar Roach (3-46) and Andre Russell (2-29) before Sharma shepherded the lower order and putting on a crucial 83-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (38) and R Vinay Kumar making 18.

But with 11 needed, Sharma and Vinay Kumar both fell and it was left to Varun Aaron (6) and Umesh Yadav (6) to take India home.

Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard and Anthony Martin were the other wicket-takers for the visitors.

India’s reply started aggressively before Parthiv Patel (12) fell in the fifth over with the score on 37 as he cut a wide Roach delivery straight to Martin at point.

Gautam Gambhir (4) fell in the same over as he slashed at an away-going bouncer and edged it straight to Denesh Ramdin behind the stumps.

Six runs later, India were 47 for 3 as Roach cleaned up Virat Kohli (3) and Russell uprooted Virender Sehwag’s (20) stumps with the score at 51.

Suresh Raina (5) also did not lost long as he was early into the drive off Russell and spooned a simple catch to Darren Bravo at mid-on to give West Indies control of the match.

But Sharma and Jadeja batted sensibly, looking for singles to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking over until they were well-set to look for boundaries.

Jadeja fell with 70 needed and R Ashwin (6) was run out to give West Indies the upper hand again with India 159 for 7, still 52 runs adrift.

Sharma and Vinay Kumar looked set to take India home before West Indies struck.

Sharma missed a flick off Martin and the ball crashed into the stumps after a deflection from the pads with India needing 11 of 29 balls.

Pressure got to Vinay Kumar in the next over as he found Roach at mid-off while trying to hit Darren Sammy over the in-field.

Aaron and Yadav played several dot balls as the target came down to nine off 12 but both struck a crucial boundary each off Sammy to seal the win.

Earlier, India elected to field and were in control of the proceeding as the visitors kept losing wickets regularly.

Darren Bravo top scored with 60 and eight other batsmen made double figures but Danza Hyatt’s 31 remained the second-highest score.

Six Indian bowlers shared the wickets with Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron claiming two and Vinay Kumar, Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina taking one each.

The second game of the five-match series will be played at Vishakhapatnam on Friday.

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1st ODI: Afridi polished Pakistan’s victory

Dhaka: Shahid Afridi starred with bat and ball in Pakistan’s five-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first one-dayer in Mirpur on Thursday.

Shahid Afridi works one to the leg side © AFP

In the first game of a three-match series, Pakistan caused the hosts all sorts of trouble with the ball as they skittled Bangladesh for just 91 with Afridi (5-23) the chief destroyer.

But Pakistan did not find it easy in response and they needed a crucial 24 not out from Afridi in the middle to help them over the line with five wickets to spare.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and elected to bat but it looked like a bad decision as early as the first over when Tamim Iqbal departed for a duck.

Naeem Islam (five) was dismissed shortly after before Bangladesh lost three wickets in six balls as Rahim (11), Shahriar Nafees (seven) and Mahmudullah (one) all fell to leave the hosts reeling at 5-31.

Nasir Hossain (21) and Shakib Al Hasan (15) looked to rebuild things and they managed to add 36 in 10 overs before their partnership was broken by Aizaz Cheema (1-12).

Afridi continued to torment the hosts with the wickets of Shakib, Farhad Reza (one) and Shafiul Islam (zero), but a plucky 15 not out from No.11 Rubel Hossain propelled Bangladesh to 91 before they were bowled out in the 31st over.

In response, Mohammad Hafeez (22) and Imran Farhat (12) got Pakistan off to a bright start as they negated the impact of Bangladesh’s new-ball bowlers.

But they were both dismissed in successive overs and when Younis Khan (two) and Sarfraz Ahmed (twp) both came and went, Pakistan had lost 4-8 and were 4-44.

Umar Akmal (seven) became the second victim of Shakib (2-42) but Afridi and Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq steadied the ship and led the tourists to victory, with the former hitting four boundaries in his 23-ball stay at the crease.

There were no surprises in store when the man-of-the-match award was announced with Afridi’s efforts recognised as Pakistan claimed a 1-0 lead in the series.

Result: Pakistan won by 5 wickets.

Man Of The Match: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan).

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2nd ODI: Kohli’s ton took India home

Visakhapatnam: Virat Kohli compiled his eighth hundred in One-Day Internationals as India won the second match on Friday night to take a 2-0 series lead over West Indies.

Virat Kohli celebrates his century

Chasing 270 for victory, Kohli (117) and Rohit Sharma (90 not out) batted with a lot of maturity and added 163 for the fourth wicket to give India victory by five wickets at the Dr YS Rajashekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium.

This came after left-hander Ravi Rampaul blasted his way to an unbeaten 86 from the Number 10 position to deny India’s hopes of restricting West Indies to a far lower total.

The powerful Rampaul hit six fours and six sixes in his 66-ball innings to lift West Indies to 269-9. It was the highest score by a Number 10 in the history of ODIs.

Rampaul, whose highest score in ODIs before this match was an unbeaten 26, added 99 in 14 overs for the unbroken final wicket with Kemar Roach (24 not out).

They came together with the Windies tottering at 170-9 and batted out the last 18 overs to post a challenging target.

Pace duo Umesh Yadav (3-38) and R. Vinay Kumar (2-43) picked up the first five wickets to fall, reducing the visitors to 63-5, before opener Lendl Simmons (78) and Kieron Pollard (35) stemmed the rot with a 56-run stand for the sixth wicket.

Simmons anchored the innings with his patient 102-ball knock but was run out with West Indies on 170 and with just the last pair left to bat.

In the second half of the match, Man-of-the-Match Kohli hit 14 boundaries before edging a catch behind with India still 23 away from the win.

But Sharma, who brought up his second consecutive half-century in the series, kept his calm to take India home with 11 balls to spare.

India lost Parthiv Patel and Gautam Gambhir early but Kohli and captain Virender Sehwag (26) added 55 for the third wicket to steady the ship.

The visitors were still in the hunt after Sehwag departed trying to clear off-spinner Marlon Samuels over the long-off boundary and India were reduced to 84-3.

But the stand between Kohli and Sharma put paid to their hopes of levelling the series.

The third One-Day International will be played in Ahmedabad on Monday.

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2nd ODI: Pakistan secured series despite Nasir’s ton

Dhaka: Pakistan continued its winning run as it defeated Bangladesh by 76 runs. Nasir Hossain was the only Bangladeshi batsman who showed some guts and will to fight, he was awarded with the ‘Man Of The Match’ award for his brilliant ton.

Umar Gul and Pakistan celebrate Mushfiqur Rahim's wicket © Associated Press

Umar Akmal scored 59 and Shahid Afridi hit 42 off 27 balls as Pakistan piled up 262-7 after they won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

The total proved beyond Bangladesh’s reach after they were reduced to 19-4 in the 10th over, and managed only 186-7 despite a maiden international century from Nasir Hossain.

Nasir cracked 100 and Shakib Al Hasan made 34, the pair sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 106 runs, but Bangladesh were never in the hunt against the tight Pakistani bowling.

The 20-year-old Nasir, playing only his ninth one-dayer, plundered 11 boundaries and a six before he was dismissed in the final over.

Seamer Umar Gul finished with four for 36, while off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez conceded just 15 runs in his 10 overs with two wickets.

Pakistan’s 27th win over the Tigers in 28 one-dayers has left only academic interest in the third and final match to be played in the port city of Chittagong on Tuesday.

The one-dayers will be followed by two Test matches.

Nasir Hossain celebrates his maiden ODI century © Associated Press

Pakistan had won the Twenty20 international by 50 runs and the first one-dayer by five wickets at the same venue.

Hafeez, who opened Pakistan’s attack, removed Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees in successive overs after Gul had dismissed the aggressive Tamim Iqbal in his second over.

Gul also had Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim caught at gully, before Nasir and Shakib delayed the inevitable with their century partnership.

Pakistan’s innings revolved around a fourth-wicket stand of 83 between Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq (37), before Afridi smashed two sixes and three boundaries towards the end to boost the total.

Hafeez (32) and Younis Khan (37) put on 57 for the second wicket after opener Imran Farhat had fallen in the third over.

Akmal lifted the tempo by reaching his 11th one-day half-century off 49 balls, steering seamer Rubel Hossain to the third-man fence.

The 21-year-old fell in the next over, the 39th of the innings, when he holed out in the deep off Shakib to make Pakistan 176-4.

It soon became 193-5 as one-day debutant Elias Sunny picked up his first wicket when he had Misbah caught in the deep in the 42nd over.

Pakistan is now leading the three-match ODI series by 2-0. This is 6th consecutive series win for Pakistan.

Result: Pakistan won by 76 runs.

Man Of The Match: Nasir Hossain (Bangladesh).

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1st Test: Pattinson set victory for Australia

Brisbane: Australia have taken the first Test at the Gabba by a whopping nine wickets after bowling New Zealand out for 150 in their second innings and chasing down the 19 needed for Victory inside of three overs.

James Pattinson took a five-for on debut © AFP

Short Scores:

New Zealand 1st Innings: 295/10 in 82.5 overs.
Australia 1st Innings: 427/10 in 129.2 overs.
New Zealand 2nd Innings: 150/10 in 49.4 overs.
Australia 2nd Innings: 19/1 in 2.2 overs.

The Kiwis had been a step behind the pace from the start and when James Pattinson had a triple-wicket maiden in the second over on day four to send the visitors to 5-28, the match was as good as over.

New Zealand had been 7-121 at lunch and managed to nick and slog another 29 to avoid an innings defeat. Chris Martin was the last wicket to fall, holing out to Starc for his 31st career duck.

Australian opener Phil Hughes (seven) was the only wicket to fall in the miniscule chase, caught by Martin Guptill at gully off the bowling of Martin after he’d been dropped by Brendon McCullum from the previous delivery.

David Warner (12 not out) creamed his first delivery between gully and point for four and then finished things up with well-struck boundaries from the first two balls of the third over.

Pattinson, who at one point had 4-1, finished the second bowling innings with tremendous debut figures of 5-27, eclipsing his previous best first-class haul of 4-52, which had come in Sheffield Shield match for Victoria.

Nathan Lyon chipped in with 3-19 to help roll the Black Caps tail, taking his match figures to 7-85.

While Pattinson landed the killer blow, it was an accumulation of punches that brought the baggy greens an unassailable 1-0 lead heading to Hobart for the final leg of the two-game series.

Australia’s first innings 427 was the product of exceptional batting from the experienced middle order, with skipper Michael Clarke notching a team-best 139 and under-pressure veterans Ricky Ponting (78) and Brad Haddin (80) chipping in handily.

Lyon had 4-66 in the first bowling innings for the hosts, giving him the best innings figures by an Australian finger-spinner at the Gabba in 80 years and helping Australia restrict the first-innings chase to a surmountable target.

For the Kiwis, only Daniel Vettori and Dean Brownlie will head to Hobart with their heads held high, having put on a record 158-run sixth-wicket stand to lead New Zealand to 295 in the first dig. Their 52 runs for the eighth wicket in the second innings was another team-high.

Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor had a nightmare match, twice falling with sponge-soft effort to finish with 14 runs for the match -including a golden duck in the second dig – and a dropped catch.

Result: Australia won by 9 wickets.

Man Of The Match: James Pattinson (Australia).

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