The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Six years after the first tour in 2001, Bangladesh national cricket team will leave here Wednesday for their 2nd tour to New Zealand, hoping to perform to their best.

During a month-long tour to the down under, Bangladesh will play three warm-up one-day matches, three ODIs, two tests and one twenty20 match.

Ahead of the tour, the national cricketers had final practice at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) today (Sunday) under the guidance of newly appointed Australian coach Jamie Siddons.

At a press briefing after the practice session, skipper Mohammad Ashraful said: "We are going to New Zealand for the second time after December of 2001. We've only four players-Javed (Omar Belim), Mashrafe (Bin Mortaza), Tushar (Imran) and me-who were in that tour. This will be the 1st tour for the other 11 players."

Replying to a query, he said: "We worked hard during the weeklong practice sessions to prepare for the tour. We will also have to adjust with the conditions in New Zealand… the sidewise movement (of ball) and the cold weather in New Zealand could create some problems for us."

Asked if there is any difference between the previous side and the present one, Ashraful said: "We didn't have much experience then. But, now we've already played 49 test matches. Although the conditions in New Zealand is tough, but we will try to perform to our best."

Replying to another query, he said: "I hope, we will see some improvement from this tour. If all our players do well in batting, bowling and fielding, there may be chance to win one or two ODIs as we have been playing well in this form (ODI) for the last two years." Asked about his expectations from vice-captain Mashrafe, the young skipper said: "Not only Mashrafe, I will expect all my players to give their best. If Mashrafe could continue his effort that he gave in the NCL, we hope to get good results from him."

Coach Siddons, who will be on his first assignment as an international coach, said: "We haven't had a lot of time to prepare. I have just got into Bangladesh and I won't be expecting massive improvement overnight. I think, the players had good preparations in the NCL and the (practice) camp."

The former assistant coach of Australia told a questioner that he had no recollection of the Bangladesh team's tour to New Zealand in 2001. "I am just looking for them to play good cricket and as well as they can play. If they can play in that way, I'll be very happy. Hopefully, we can improve throughout the tour."

Asked who were his special players, he said: "I think, there are a lot of special players. My job is to prepare all the players, not one or two only. What we look for in the players is to be consistent, to become a good player at international level."

Bangladesh Squad: Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Mashrafee Bin Mortaza (Vice Captain), Javed Omer Belim, Tushar Imran, Abdur Razzak Raj, Shakib Al Hasan, Syed Rasel, Aftab Ahmed Chowdhury, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain Rajib, Junaed Siddiqui, Farhad Reza, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Tamim Iqbal and Nazmul Hossain.

Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby and Jamie Siddons will accompany the team as manager and coach.

UNB, Dhaka

The Sri Lanka Under-19 team, led by skipper Ashan Priyanjan Subasinghe, arrives here today to play a five-match one-day series against Bangladesh U-19 team.

The two teams will play the first three one-day matches at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium (SCS) in Bogra - the first on Dec. 12, the 2nd on Dec. 14 and the 3rd on Dec 15.

Then they will travel back to the capital to play the 4th and 5th one-day matches on Dec 18 and 20 at the Narayanganj Osmani Stadium (NOS). After completing the 11-day tour, the Sri Lankans will leave here on Dec. 21.

Sri Lanka U-19 squad: Ashan Priyanjan Subasinghe (Captain), Sachith Shanaka Pathirana, Rumesh Lahiru Thirimanna, Imesh Udayanga Rajapaksha, Dinesh Chandimal Lokuge, Roshane Shiwanka Silva, Kusal Janith Perera, Dilshan Yasika Munaweera, Hasitha Nalinda Ekanayaka, Chatura Madusanka, Peiris Kashapa Wimanga Kodikara, Lahiru Shashendra Gunatilaka, Dasun Madumal Dinayadura, Navin Madushan Kavikara and Harsha Denuwan Fernando.

Team Management: Ashley Mathew De Silva (team manager), Roger Gerard Wijesuriya (Coach), Manoj Krishantha Abayawickrama (fielding coach), Priyantha Wickramasingha (physio), Prabath Nissanka Jayawardane (fitness trainer), Kapila Jayalath Ponnayaman (Sri Lanka school's representative), KA Asoka Chandrasekera (computer analysis) and Ranjith Madurusingha (national selector).

UNB, Dhaka

After completing a successful mission in Pakistan, Bangladesh U-19 team returned home from Karachi on Sunday.

During the hectic tour, the Bangladesh U-19 team drew the lone four-day match against the Pakistan U-19 team and staged spectacular come back from 0-2 down to beat their Pakistani counterparts 3-2 in the five-match one-day series.

Earlier, the hosts took 2-0 lead in the five-match series outplaying their Bangladesh counterparts by huge 144 runs in the first match and by 79 runs in the 2nd match.

Bangladesh U-19 team leveled the series 2-2 winning the 3rd one-day match by 24 runs and the 4th by 13 runs. They then beat the hosts by two wickets in the 5th one-dayer to clinch the series 3-2.

Pakistan Under 19 team won the last two editions (2004 & 2006) of the ICC U 19 Cricket World Cup.

Internet

Pakistan 86 for 1 (Butt 50*, Younis 7*) trail India 626 (Ganguly 239, Pathan 102, Arafat 5-161) by 540 runs

The last time Pakistan played here, Inzamam-ul-Haq's brilliance and Younis Khan's appetite for the long haul shut India out of a Test match. There was perfect symmetry here, only this time they were on the receiving end, with Yuvraj Singh reprising Inzamam's class and Sourav Ganguly batting on and on in the manner that Younis had back in 2005. By the time he was out for 239 on the stroke of tea, India had gone past 600, and thoughts of a series-levelling victory had long since ebbed away from the Pakistan camp. By stumps, they had whittled away 86 from the deficit, losing Yasir Hameed along the way.

Irfan Pathan added a scintillating maiden Test century just for good measure as an attack deprived of Shoaib Akhtar's pace struggled to make any impression. The three-man attack and part-timers toiled away without reward on a pitch where the slightest error was ruthlessly punished. A profusion of half-volleys and half-trackers was served up by bowlers ready for the knackers yard and Ganguly and Pathan cashed in happily during a 178-run partnership that really was the last straw.

With Bangalore's new metro system being built, most of the roads leading to Mahatma Gandhi Road, the city's main thoroughfare and adjacent to the stadium, are one-way. And it was a similar story out on the pitch as India piled on the runs and the punishment. Pathan, whose batting ability has never been in doubt, walked into a situation that was perfect for him. He cut and drove with immense power, taking time to loft the odd ball miles over the rope. At the other end, Ganguly eased to a first double-century in Tests, with the roof nearly coming off the Chinnaswamy Stadium as fervent cries of 'Dada, Dada' soared into the air.

He celebrated with a glorious straight drive off Arafat and both men then proceeded to treat Kaneria like a net bowler. When he dropped short, he was cut past the off-side field. When he gave it some air, the ball sailed out of sight, and when he pitched on the legs, he was swept away. After a point, Younis gave up and opted for Salman Butt and Hameed. To the batsmen, it made not the slightest difference, with the ball disappearing into the gaps and to the boundary as India exacted retribution for the events of March 2005.

The only man to miss out on the run-fest was Dinesh Karthik, caught behind off Arafat in the morning. He had been extremely fortunate not to be given out shouldering arms to Mohammad Sami, and Pakistan's sense of injustice had only grown when Ganguly square-drove and flicked Arafat for fours.

The end of that 66-run partnership may have given Pakistan a glimmer of hope, but Ganguly and Pathan extinguished it with batting as pitiless as seen in Sydney in 2004 and at The Oval earlier this year. Ganguly, whose effort surpassed Vinod Kambli's 227 as the highest by an Indian left-hander, fell going for the sweep and the only interest after tea was in whether Pathan would get the seven needed for his hundred.

Anil Kumble fell to a Kaneria googly and Harbhajan Singh was then cleaned up to give Yasir Arafat five for the innings. A nearly full stadium then held its collective breath as Ishant Sharma played out four balls to give Pathan the strike. He didn't need a second invitation. The first ball of Kaneria's over was cracked over wide long-on for six, and though he perished to a slog the next ball, resounding applause followed him all the way back to the pavilion.

Hameed and Butt survived some anxious moments against Pathan and Sharma with the new ball, as the pitch started to show signs of irregular bounce. Butt laced some beautiful drives on his way to another 50, but Hameed was once again outfoxed by Kumble. Younis was in the middle at the close, and it needed another monumental effort from him for Pakistan to salvage at least pride from a game that had been even more of a mismatch than the Mayweather-Hatton fight on Sunday morning.

AP, Colombo

England captain Michael Vaughan scored his 16th test half-century Sunday to give his side a confident start in the opening session of the second cricket test against Sri Lanka. Vaughan justified his decision to bat first after winning the toss at Sinhalese Sports Club and went to lunch unbeaten on 75 with the team total at 97.

He dominated the session, punching some exquisite drives and brought up his 50 with a pull shot off pace bowler Dilhara Fernando for a boundary. Alastair Cook assumed a more sedate role and gave his skipper good support with 21 runs off 68 balls. England must win this test to give itself a chance of winning the three-match series after an 88-run loss to Sri Lanka in the first test at Kandy last week.

None of the host's bowlers offered any threat to the English batsmen, except when Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene dropped Cook on eight at slip off a Fernando ball.

Sri Lanka replaced its retired opener Sanath Jayasuriya with Upul Tharanga for the second test, while England handed Stuart Broad his first test cap after dropping pace bowler James Anderson. The visitors also brought in Steve Harmison for injured Matthew Hoggard.