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The series will be in the UAE, with Bangladesh keen to get more ODIs under their belt ahead of the Champions Trophy

Mohammad Isam29-Sep-2024Afghanistan will host Bangladesh for three ODIs in the UAE in November. While the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) did not announce which cities would host the games exactly, it was confirmed that these ODIs are in lieu of the all-format tour that was supposed to happen earlier this year between the two sides as per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP).The BCB had declined to tour the UAE or India in late June this year, to play Afghanistan, due to the summer temperatures. That forced the postponement of the tour, which has now been redesigned to include just the three ODIs, on November 6, 9 and 11.”Following extensive discussions, both boards have agreed to proceed with just the ODI leg, which will be crucial in both teams’ preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy, which is set to take place in Pakistan in February next year,” the ACB’s press release said.BCB president Faruque Ahmed had said last week that he met with ACB officials on the sidelines of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Malaysia. The BCB was keen on pursuing the idea of three ODIs, as Bangladesh have played only three ODIs so far in 2024. They have three more against West Indies at the end of the year, but the BCB felt that alone would not be adequate preparation for the Champions Trophy.”I spoke to the officials of Afghanistan Cricket Board in Kuala Lumpur recently,” Ahmed said. “We [were] trying to schedule three one-day matches against Afghanistan on our way to the West Indies.”After the Afghanistan ODIs, Bangladesh will go to the Caribbean to play two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is from mid-November.Afghanistan have played eight ODIs this year, including a 2-1 maiden ODI series win against South Africa earlier this month. After the Bangladesh series in November, Afghanistan will tour Zimbabwe to play all three formats.

“He will continue to fight this disease in a similar vein to that which his opponents faced during his revered days on the cricket field,” his family says

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2023Heath Streak, Zimbabwe’s most celebrated allrounder and a former captain, is undergoing treatment for cancer.”Heath has cancer and is undergoing treatment under one of the most respected oncologists in South Africa,” his family said in a statement. “He remains in good spirits and will continue to fight this disease in a similar vein to that which his opponents faced during his revered days on the cricket field.”The family hopes that you understand and respect their wish for this to remain a private family matter, and thank you for your prayers and good wishes. There will be no further official statements regarding his health at this time. Any news that becomes public should be regarded as rumour.”Related

• Archive: The many silences of Heath Streak

Streak, now 49, was a major figure in Zimbabwe cricket through the best part of the 1990s and early 2000s, when they enjoyed their most successful run in international cricket. He represented Zimbabwe in 65 Tests and 189 ODIs between 1993 and 2005, finishing with 1990 runs and 216 wickets in Tests, and 2943 runs and 239 wickets in ODIs.He resigned as Zimbabwe’s captain in 2004 after a clash with the board and retired from international cricket at the age of 31 in 2005.Streak is still the only Zimbabwe bowler with more than 100 Test wickets and over 200 ODI wickets. He captained Zimbabwe in the 2000s, during a difficult period when a number of players withdrew from the national side as relations between the board and team hit rock bottom.In 2021, he was banned for eight years after being charged with – and admitting to – five breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code, including accepting payment, in Bitcoin, from a potential corruptor. However, he later said he was not involved in any attempts to fix matches, but he admitted to disclosing inside information pertaining to international games.After his career as a player ended, Streak took up coaching roles with various teams. He served as bowling coach of Bangladesh, Kolkata Knight Riders and Somerset, in addition to having multiple stints in Zimbabwe cricket.

Bangladesh’s head coach also wants the batters to put together substantial partnerships

Mohammad Isam05-Mar-2022Bangladesh’s trend of dropping catches continued as they missed three straightforward chances in the second T20I against Afghanistan. Both Hazaratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani were reprieved on their way to a 99-run second-wicket partnership in Afghanistan’s chase of 116. Nasum Ahmed dropped Zazai off his own bowling in the first over when the opener was on 0. Mohammad Naim and Afif Hossain then dropped Usman Ghani at the leg-side boundary when he was on 39 and 41.Bangladesh’s head coach Russell Domingo noted that Bangladesh have been dropping catches for the last 12 months.”Dropping nine catches in five games is unheard of,” Domingo said. “It is unbelievable when you think about it. If we knew what [the problem] was, we probably wouldn’t be doing it. Whether it is concentration, confidence or dealing with pressure, I am not 100% sure. We just have to make sure we try to improve. We make too many mistakes in the field that have cost us. It cost us in the World Cup, here, Test matches. Just too many dropped catches. You can do all the drills in practice but the players have to catch the balls in the games. That is the bottom line.”Domingo bemoaned another tricky pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium where he said openers from both sides struggled to hit the spinners in the early exchanges.”I don’t think the pitches were easy to bat on today,” he said. “It wasn’t a 115 pitch, but it wasn’t also a 160 pitch. If we got 135 we were in the game. At 99 for 4 with four overs to go, we were looking at 135. There’s obviously some areas of concern in batting, but it wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on today. Both their openers could have been out in the first two overs. The ball spins, grips, one bounces and one stays low. We know that it is tough to bat in Mirpur.”Bangladesh also struggled to put partnerships together, which Domingo said was another area where they needed improvement.”Even in the first game, every time we get a partnership going, we just lose a wicket,” Domingo said. Partnerships of 20-30 won’t win you games. You need 70-run partnerships. The boys made some poor decisions at crucial times in the games. Riyad (Mahmudullah) gets out after getting a good partnership with Mushfiq (Mushfiqur Rahim). Those are mistakes you can’t make against big teams.Domingo defended their selection of Mohammad Naim, after they dropped Yasir Ali, who had made his debut in the previous game, to make way for Mushfiqur Rahim who was returning from a finger injury. Naim managed only 13 off 19 balls on Saturday, but Domingo said that they still rate him highly.Five games ago everyone was saying Litton should be dropped,” he said. “Now everyone is saying Litton is the best player in the world. Sometimes players go through slumps in form. Coaches and selectors have to support those players. It is an important part of coaching and building a team. Naim was the right guy to play today. He is our highest-rated T20I batsman, if the media don’t know that. He deserves his spot.”

Rana also expects Pat Cummins’ experience to help the franchise’s uncapped Indian fast bowlers

Sreshth Shah17-Sep-2020Among left-hand batsmen who have scored more than 1000 T20 runs from the start of 2018, England captain Eoin Morgan (158.62) is one of the only two players – along with Rishabh Pant (159.11) – to boast a strike rate upwards of 155. As Morgan flies to the UAE to link up with the Kolkata Knight Riders following Wednesday’s ODI cliffhanger against Australia, Nitish Rana, another left-hand batsman in the franchise’s middle order, has his sights set on picking Morgan’s brains this year at the IPL.”I am very excited because he is a World Cup winner,” Rana said of Morgan, who led England to ODI World Cup triumph at home last year. “And the second thing is that he is a rare left-handed batsman who is dominating white-ball cricket. [I am] looking forward to learning plenty from him because he is a World Cup winning captain. I really want to imbibe his leadership qualities – not just for my exploits in domestic cricket, but in the IPL as well.”Another passenger on the specially chartered flight from the UK is Australia quick Pat Cummins, who was bought for INR 15.5 crore (approx. $2.2 million in December) at the auction and is expected to lead the Knight Riders bowling attack this season. Rana believes Cummins could especially help the young uncapped Indian pacers in the squad get better at their craft.”Our bowling attack is actually quite strong,” Rana said. “With Cummins joining us, we get a boost in experience in our squad. Our young bowlers have been excellent in domestic competitions and for Knight Riders for the past two years, and my earnest wish is that they learn as much as they can from Cummins, so they can evolve into better players for the team.”Rana, who has been a vital cog in the Knight Riders middle order wheel since the 2018 season following his stint with the Mumbai Indians, was also hopeful that the seething pace of 2018 Under-19 World Cup winners Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi could be a potent weapon for the franchise.ALSO READ: Back in ‘full rhythm’, Shivam Mavi hopes to make up for lost timeWhile Mavi gears up to play his second season for the Knight Riders, after a lukewarm debut in 2018 and a long injury layoff that began in December last year, Nagarkoti, who was picked up by the franchise for the 2018 IPL, is set to make his T20 debut.Shivam Mavi chases after a ball•BCCI

“Nagarkoti – the poor guy has been injured for the last two seasons, but I’ve noticed in the intra-squad matches that he has become very strong physically and has taken care of the past injuries that have hurt him,” Rana said. “He and Shivam Mavi have both been bowling at over 140kph and as a batsman, I can tell you that it’s no joke facing bowlers who can get those speeds every delivery. It’s challenging for any batsman.”Rana, who grew up playing cricket in the blazing heat of Delhi, said he is well attuned to playing under oppressive conditions the UAE typically offers. Clubbing that with his naturally aggressive style of play, one especially called for by head coach Brendon McCullum, who has come to the UAE on the back of leading the Trinbago Knight Riders to 12 wins in a row en route to the Caribbean Premier League title, Rana said the coach’s ideas could sync well with his own.”It’s not that hot [in Abu Dhabi], considering I’m from North India, Delhi,” Rana said. “Yes, it was taking a bit of time to adjust to the conditions, practising four hours, but we are used to it. We are all professional cricketers, so these things don’t affect us much.”Being from Delhi, I have always approached cricket in an aggressive manner. As a kid, growing up, I was a big fan of McCullum, so I was very excited when I first heard he was appointed our coach. The way he aggressively played as a batsman – I sincerely hope he coaches us the same way.”Rana is also looking forward to reprising his role as a part-time spinner for the Knight Riders, a task he first performed in his debut match for the side, dismissing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the same over. With the UAE surfaces expected to assist slow bowlers, Rana said he has prepared to make good use of his right-arm offspin this season too.”In domestic cricket, I’ve been always bowling, so that skill has never been a new thing for me,” he said. “I’ve been bowling for the last two years and that the tournament is happening in the UAE, is the best scenario for me, considering I’m likely to get decent grip off the surface. Besides, I am a much-improved bowler; I am actually hoping to bowl more overs this time around.”The Knight Riders play their first match, against defending champions Mumbai, on September 23, and will be the last franchise to kick off their IPL 2020 campaign.

Only 22 overs possible as Warwickshire look to stretch their lead over the champions

Jon Culley at Edgbaston29-May-2019Struggling Warwickshire’s hopes of putting themselves in an impregnable position against champions Surrey were badly hampered by persistent drizzly rain at Edgbaston, which limited play to just the first 22 of 104 scheduled overs.In that 90-minute passage, having been 26 without loss overnight, Warwickshire moved on to 44 before Gareth Batty, one of the two veteran offspinners having an influence on this game, struck with his first delivery of the morning.The Yorkshireman, who will be 42 in October, trapped Dominic Sibley in the crease and claimed a second victim three overs later, when Rob Yates was also adjudged to be out leg before, although he seemed a little unfortunate, having put in a decent stride down the pitch.Will Rhodes, who survived a difficult caught-and-bowled chance to Matt Dunn on 17, doubled his tally while adding a further 26 with Sam Hain.The forecast is much better for day four, yet unless Surrey can bowl the home side out and earn themselves a run chase it is difficult to see any result other than a draw.Warwickshire, having been beaten in all three matches so far and with only 15 bonus points accrued, will not want to risk another defeat after outplaying the visitors to this point.Surrey, on the other hand, having drawn all their matches, need a win to give their title defence some impetus, with already much ground to make up on leaders Hampshire.Warwickshire captain Jeetan Patel has been pleased with a collective improvement in his team’s performance in this match so far, although it is likely that Michael Burgess, the wicketkeeper-batsman signed from Sussex, initially on a loan that starts on June 1, will be included at someone’s expense against Nottinghamshire next week, starting on Monday.Given that Nottinghamshire are winless in four matches, it is a fixture that might yet determine who occupies the one relegation place at the end of September.Former captain Ian Bell, however, is still several weeks away from a return after surgery on the toe injury he suffered playing in the Pakistan Super League.

It will be his first time playing the IPL, stepping in for Mitchell Starc, who has been ruled out with injured shin

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2018Surrey and England fast bowler Tom Curran has signed up for Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2018. It will be his first time in the tournament after he was announced the replacement for Mitchell Starc, who was recently ruled out with injured right shin. Curran is expected to join the Knight Riders squad before their first match on April 8 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.Curran went unsold at the auction in January with a base price of INR 1 crore (USD 1,56,000 approx) and was picked by Knight Riders for INR 1.62 crore (USD 2,53,000 approx).*

England players in the IPL

Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)
Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)
Moeen Ali (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Jason Roy (Delhi Daredevils)
Alex Hales (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Chris Woakes (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Mark Wood (Chennai Super Kings)
Sam Billings (Chennai Super Kings)
Chris Jordan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Tom Curran (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals, qualifies in 2022)

“I’m thrilled and excited to be joining Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL,” Curran was quoted by the Surrey website. “I know from chatting to other players I can learn a lot from being in that environment, skills that I hope will benefit Surrey and my chances of representing England again this year and if selected, for next year’s World Cup.”Although he does not bowl express pace, or left-arm, Curran’s skills include a deceptive, back-of-the-hand slower ball, and a superb yorker. He used both of them to good effect to pick up a maiden five-wicket haul in a thrilling ODI against Australia at the new Perth Stadium in January.Curran was a hit in his first T20I as well, taking a wicket with his second ball, against South Africa last June. He is also a handy lower-order batsman, with a strike-rate of 128, accumulated over 51 T20s, and a highest score of 51 not out. Curran is the 11th player from England to take part in the league after Alex Hales was recruited by Sunrisers Hyderabad two days ago. He joins a promising brigade of young fast bowlers in the Knight Riders squad alongside Under-19 World Cup winners Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti.The new-look squad is, however, expected to regain some of its old flavour with KKR chief executive Venky Mysore claiming opening batsman Chris Lynn and allrounder Andre Russell should recover in time for their opening game which they will play at home.*1415 GMT – The figure was added after a release was issued by the BCCI

A round-up of the Ford Trophy matches played on January 18, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2017Medium pacer Anurag Verma’s career-best 5 for 44 helped Wellington beat Central Districts by four wickets in Napier and remain unbeaten after two rounds of the Ford Trophy, the domestic 50-over competition.Central Districts elected to bat, and made 212 for 9, thanks largely to Josh Clarkson’s 68. They began with a half-century stand between George Worker and Jesse Ryder, before Verma and Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, sliced through the top order. Clarkson then put together 67 for the fifth wicket with Dane Clever to help stablise the innings, before another collapse resulted in them slipping to 167 or 8. Navin Patel’s unbeaten 37-ball 19 helped haul the total past 200.Michael Papps led Wellington’s chase, giving them a solid start with a 55-ball 50. Worker prised out three top-order wickets to leave them in a hint of trouble at 107 for 4 in the 25th over, and Blair Tickner’s double-strike left them 157 for 6 in the 39th over. But Luke Woodcock took over, making 63 not out and sharing an unbroken 57-run seventh-wicket stand with Verma, who contributed 16, to steer Wellington home with eight balls to spare.Northern Districts ran through Canterbury‘s batting line-up before their openers made quick work of a target of 136 to complete a nine-wicket win at Hamilton’s Seddon Park. Brett Randell’s medium-pace earned him figures of 4 for 34 while a 131-run first-wicket stand between Dean Brownlie – who remained not out on 55 – and Joe Carter (64) all but took Northern Districts home to a stutter-free win.Choosing to bat, Canterbury lost their first two wickets for 45 runs inside 10 overs. A 35-run stand for the third wicket – the side’s biggest partnership – followed between Jack Boyle (41) and Peter Fulton (26), but the fall of Fulton began Canterbury’s spiral out of control. Brett Hampton took three middle-order wickets, while Randell ran through the tail. Canterbury’s innings only lasted 32 overs.Openers Brownlie and Carter struck half-centuries in Northern Districts’ response, their partnership ending when Logan van Beek dismissed Carter five runs shy of the target. Eventually, they got home with 30.3 overs to spare.Sean Solia’s 73-ball 84 laid the platform for Auckland to beat Otago by 19 runs at the Eden Park Outer Oval. Having chosen to bat, Auckland were 24 for 2 and then 68 for 3 before Solia and Robert O’Donnell (42) added 92 for the fourth wicket. Five wickets then fell for the addition of only 27 runs, leaving Auckland 187 for 8 in the 41st over, before Donovan Grobbelaar (45 off 41 balls) and Lockie Ferguson (24 off 23) revived them with a 57-run ninth-wicket stand. It wasn’t enough for Auckland to last their full quota – they were bowled out in 48.4 overs – but it ensured they finished with a competitive 257. Anaru Kitchen and James Neesham took four wickets each.Otago made a strong start to their chase, with Brad Wilson scoring 40 and adding 54 in 9.3 overs for the first wicket with GW Croudis, before a third-wicket stand of 47 between Ryan Duffy and Neesham left them a solid 121 for 2 in the 23rd over. Both fell soon after, though, and when the legspinner Tarun Nethula struck in successive overs to dismiss Michael Bracewell and Sam Wells, Otago were sinking at 196 for 7. Wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder struck 36 off 32 balls, but it wasn’t enough with wickets falling around him, and Otago eventually folded for 238, with 4.3 overs still remaining.

Given the bowling strength of both Comilla Victorians and Barisal Bulls, the better batting side will have a chance to dominate the BPL 2015-16 final

The Preview by Mohammad Isam14-Dec-2015

Match facts

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Start time 1830 local (1130 GMT)2:53

Key battles of the BPL 2015-16 final

Big picture

Given the bowling strength of both Comilla Victorians and Barisal Bulls, the better batting side will have a chance to dominate the BPL 2015-16 final. More importantly, given the way these two teams have fought through the league stage and the qualifiers, the final has the promise of a far better contest than the one-sided matches in 2012 and 2013.Comilla have been dogged by injuries throughout their BPL 2015-16 campaign, but still eked out wins in the league stage and reached the final with a convincing win over Rangpur Riders in the first qualifier. Mashrafe Mortaza’s inspirational leadership has certainly helped, along with Abu Hider’s 21 wickets, Ashar Zaidi’s all-round show, and match-winning efforts from Imrul Kayes, Shoaib Malik and Nuwan Kulasekara.Mashrafe has struggled with his hamstring injury but bowled well off a short run-up in the first qualifier. His batting, too, could come in handy. Their catching, particularly that of Shuvagata Hom, has also been a key factor in reaching this far in the competition.Barisal have momentum on their side, having won their last four games. They have been led well by Mahmudullah, whose batting has always been the anchor of the line-up. Rony Talukdar’s form may be worrying but Sabbir Rahman’s return to form is encouraging. Kevon Cooper, Mohammad Sami and Al-Amin Hossain have combined perfectly as a pace-bowling unit while Mahmudullah has been shrewd in his use of spinners Seekkuge Prasanna and Taijul Islam, whenever necessary. Their fielding will have to be electric if they are to stop Comilla.The final could also decide the highest wicket-taker of this season with only one wicket separating Hider and Cooper (20).

Form guide

Comilla Victorians: WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Barisal Bulls: WWWWL

In the spotlight

Sabbir Rahman finally came to the party for Barisal in the last two matches, with scores of 41 and 79 respectively. He is an attractive stroke-player at the best of times and a BPL final should rouse him on to another big innings.Comilla will once again rely heavily on Ashar Zaidi, who has delivered almost regularly as a middle and late-order big-hitter, and an accurate left-arm spinner. Barisal will be quite wary of his contribution.

Team news

Comilla have a number of injury worries but it is more than likely that Mashrafe, Malik and Kulasekara will feature in their playing XI. They will, however, miss the all-round skills of Andre Russell, who has left for his Big Bash League commitments in Australia.Comilla Victorians (probable): 1 Imrul Kayes, 2 Liton Das (wk), 3 Ahmed Shehzad, 4 Shuvagata Hom, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Ashar Zaidi, 7 Alok Kapali, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Mahmudul Hasan, 11 Abu HiderBarisal have shown they can function without Chris Gayle, and they will have to do the same in the final. Rayad Emrit could be picked over Evin Lewis as one of the four foreigners in the playing XI.Barisal Bulls (probable): 1 Rony Talukdar, 2 Mehedi Maruf, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Shahriar Nafees, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Seekkuge Prasanna, 7 Rayad Emrit, 8 Kevon Cooper, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Al-Amin Hossain, 11 Taijul Islam

Pitch and conditions

The pitches in Mirpur have been the main talking point throughout this BPL season and it’s not different ahead of the final. During the qualifiers and eliminator on Saturday and Sunday, players said that the pitch was soft and difficult for stroke-play, despite decent efforts by teams batting first. The weather remains foggy, though not cold, and it will aid bowlers as the pitch is likely to remain on the softer side.

Stats and trivia

• Comilla have defeated Barisal in both their league-stage matches.
• Comilla’s Imrul Kayes (259 runs) is best placed among the tournament’s active batsmen to vie for the top run-getter’s position. Currently, Kumar Sangakkara tops the run charts with 349, while Kayes in fourth on the list.

Quotes

“It is now very clear that we have reached the stage by playing in our way. We are hopeful and positive about the final. We will get something good in the end if we play the way we have done in matches that we have won.”
“We have done well in the league phase and the qualifiers to come to the final. We want to play similarly. We don’t want to think of it as a final, but play like we have done previously. I think that will help us.”

Michael Clarke has admitted the off-field drama surrounding the Australia team has affected preparation for his side’s must-win group match against Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Jun-2013Michael Clarke has admitted the off-field drama surrounding the Australia team has affected preparation for his side’s must-win group match against Sri Lanka, but said Australia remained focused on achieving their first win of the tournament, and progressing to the semi-finals. 


Australia must defeat Sri Lanka to earn a semi-finals place, and if England win their final group match against New Zealand, they must win well enough to outdo New Zealand’s net run rate. They lost their opening match to England by 48 runs, and had the second match rained out.”The feeling in the camp has obviously been a little bit different over the past few days because there’s been a little bit of disappointment in one of our players,” Clarke said. “But I can guarantee you we left it there – after I did the press conference a couple of days ago now – and now we’re looking forward. Our focus has been preparation for this game against Sri Lanka and staying focused on what’s important.”The rain played a part in interrupting training yesterday, but a lot of the guys came and trained indoors. The day before, we trained really well as a team, and I know all the guys are looking forward to playing against Sri Lanka tomorrow.”Clarke was uncertain if he would be available to play on Monday, but expressed confidence in George Bailey, who led the side in the first two matches. Bailey hit a fifty in each of those games, and has been a consistent middle order presence since breaking into the ODI side, having maintained an average of 46 – which improves slightly when he is leading. Clarke was ruled out of the early part of the tournament due to a flare-up of a long-standing back injury.”I think George [Bailey] has done a great job. I think his performances over the past four months have been outstanding for us in one‑day cricket. He continues to lead from the front, and I think he’s captained the team really well in my absence and will do again tomorrow if I’m unavailable to play.””My back is feeling ok. I’ll have to train today with the boys and see how I pull up tomorrow. But I’m hopeful, there’s no doubt about that.”Clarke also had praise for Adam Voges, who he hoped would help add leadership and stability to what has at times been a brittle batting order. Voges hit 71 in the last match against New Zealand and averages 51.50 in 19 ODIs.”Vogey brings a lot of experience. He’s a class player and has been in first‑class cricket for a long time. His one‑day record for Australia is outstanding. So I guess he’s coming in trying to fill that Michael Hussey role batting at five and six for us, but also with the experience and leadership that he brings. He’s a great guy, I love having him around and it’s really nice to see him batting as well as he is at the moment.”

Vusi Sibanda has not been selected for the tour to New Zealand earlier this year because he chose to play grade cricket in Australia and declined a Zimbabwe Cricket contract

Firdose Moonda02-May-2012Vusi Sibanda has made a return to Zimbabwe’s national squad and was included in the 24-man training group to play South Africa in five Twenty20 matches in June. Sibanda was not considered for Zimbabwe’s January tour of New Zealand after he chose to play grade cricket in Australia instead of fulfilling domestic commitments in Zimbabwe.Although Sibanda returned home after a five-week stint for Eastern Suburbs in Sydney before the New Zealand tour, Zimbabwe Cricket’s (ZC) cricket committee decided not to select him on principle. At the time, Sibanda was told that if he renewed his commitment to ZC, he would be considered again.Sibanda finished the 2011-12 season with his local franchise, the Mid West Rhinos, for whom he played four first-class and five limited-overs matches, including a 162 against Mountaineers. Zimbabwe do not have any international assignment through the winter, but Sibanda’s path back to the national team appears to be clear as he was included in the preliminary squad for the practice matches against South Africa.”I am very pleased that the issues are done and dusted,” Alan Butcher, Zimbabwe coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “Now, Vusi can move forward and put it out of his mind.”The training squad is a strong group, including many of the faces who steered Zimbabwe to a successful Test comeback in August last year. Brendan Taylor will lead the team propped up by the experience of Hamilton Masakadza, Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Elton Chigumbura and Tatenda Taibu. Experienced seamer Chris Mpofu also makes a comeback after missing the New Zealand series with a lower back injury.Some of the newer faces include under-19 wicketkeeper batsman Kevin Kasuza and medium-pacer Richard Muzhange. Zimbabwe have packed the training squad with bowlers as seamers Tendai Chatara and Njabula Ncube as well as legspinner Natsai Mushangwe been given the opportunity to work with the national team.”I am very happy with the group we’ve got,” Butcher said. “We’ve decided that in T20s, we should try and look more at allrounders for the side.” Chigumbura, Waller, Meth and Shingi Masakadza are the four premier allrounders in the squad.The five matches, which will take place in Harare from June 20-24, have not been given international status because they will take place outside of the FTP. They will also not be broadcast on television, given ZC’s financial crunch. South Africa are hoping to use the matches as preparation for the World T20 in September and Butcher said Zimbabwe will do the same. “It gives us a chance to work on a few things and see the make up of the side,” he said. “I was quite happy with the way we played T20 cricket in New Zealand and hopefully we can build on that.”Zimbabwe lost all the matches they played on the New Zealand trip, but gave the best account of themselves in the Twenty20s. “It will be good for us to play against another top side and that’s exactly what South Africa are,” Butcher said. “We’ve got a great bunch of guys who have been working hard so we’re excited about what’s to come.”Zimbabwe squad: Brendan Taylor (capt), Tatenda Taibu, Elton Chigumbura, Malcolm Waller, Charles Coventry, Forster Mutizwa, Graeme Cremer, Raymond Price, Tendai Chatara, Prosper Utseya, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu, Brian Vitori, Keegan Meth, Njabulo Ncube, Kevin Kasuza, Chamu Chibhabha, , Hamilton Masakadza, Shingi Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Richard Muzhange, Vusi Sibanda, Craig Ervine