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Quetta Gladiators, who will be fielding their full-strength squad, have won all three of their meetings with Peshawar Zalmi so far this season

Umar Farooq in Karachi16-Mar-20192:40

Our biggest strength has taking wickets in the middle overs – Sarfaraz

Peshawar Zalmi might have finished at the top of the points table after the group stage but they are yet to taste victory against Quetta Gladiators in three meetings this season. Zalmi’s captain Darren Sammy has said there is no better time for the team to to set the record straight than in the final of PSL 2019.”I would like to be an underdog but to be fair Quetta has played some good cricket,” Sammy said on the eve of the match. “Quetta has had the better of us throughout the season and I always tell my boys that everything in life happens for a reason. If it is one time we chose to beat them why not in the final when it really matters. Hopefully, it’s a cracker of a game and we find ways and means to execute our plans against them and we will need that.”The two teams are meeting in the final for the second time. The last time, in 2017, Quetta were forced to field a depleted side with their overseas players refusing to travel to Pakistan. Zalmi, who were at full strength with all their overseas players making it to the Pakistan leg, bowled them out for 90 in a chase of 149.

We’ll try to remove the chokers tag – Sarfaraz Ahmed

Quetta Gladiators have lost both their PSL finals so far, and their captain Sarfaraz Ahmed wants to rid the team of the chokers tag.
“This time we are at our full strength, so we will do our best to play like we have done [so far] and win the tournament. We have not won so far, so we will give it the best shot.
“Karachi crowd has supported every team, the home support was there for the home team but for the two finalists it will be equal support and we will try to remove the tag of chokers, which I am hearing now.
“[Shane] Watson has played well throughout the tournament. It’s good that a top player like him is with us and we are at full strength. Umar [Akmal] is also in good form. The performance of the top four players is always important. If our top players give us the platform, then we can put up a good total against the opposition.”

But this time around, Quetta have their ideal combination, centered around Shane Watson, Darren Bravo and Rilee Rossouw.”At the end of the day whatever they [Quetta] bring at us we have to be able to conquer,” Sammy said. “If we want to win, I don’t think my guys are going into the final thinking that they can’t play any bowler. As you could see yesterday, the key was to go out an express yourself. They cope with pressure well… the pressure is not on us. This is our third final, they [Quetta] will be playing their third as well but never won a final and we know what it takes to be in the final.”I have guys in my dressing room who have won many finals. Wahab [Riaz] won T10, BPL. [Kieron] Pollard has won so many, [Chris] Jordan and myself [have won titles too]. We have guys who are accustomed to winning in final matches. Tomorrow there will no negative thought about any guy bowling spin. It’s all about going down and express yourself. That’s the message I have for my boys, no fear, no back down. Go and take the bull by the horns.”In the seven games in Karachi so far, the teams have breached the 185-run mark on seven occasions, with teams batting first winning five of them. Sammy had an interesting take on that.”In a do-or-die game, runs on the board has proven to add pressure on the opposition. So that’s something we may look at but ideally, when the wicket is so good, you would want to bowl first.”Sammy also said he was fortunate to have other experienced players around him to share the responsibilities of leadership.”Yes, I am the captain but we have so many leaders in the team. As captain, I encourage the guys to be leaders in the dressing room. You see Chris Jordan, Wahab Riaz, Misbah-ul-Haq – when he plays he is always talking to the bowler. Plus we have good players, not the superstars but the guys who are effective in the dressing room, and it makes my job easier to lead the side. Making to the finals constantly is an achievement.”

Comilla took 19.3 overs to chase down 98, with quick wickets in the middle overs leaving their pursuit shaky

The Report by Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2017
Raton Gomes/BCB

Comilla Victorians made heavy weather of a target of 98, taking 19.3 overs to complete a four-wicket win over Rangpur Riders that put them in the playoffs. The win gave them a three-point lead over second-placed Khulna Titans in the points table.Rangpur had earlier lasted only 17.1 overs and were bowled out for 97, the lowest total of this season. Mahedi Hasan took a career-best 4 for 22 while Mohammad Saifuddin took three wickets.Comilla thrive on twin-spin act
Mujeed Zadran, the 16-year-old Afghanistan offspinner who is the youngest player in BPL, had Ziaur Rahman plumb in front of the stumps off the first ball of the match, but umpire Ranmore Martinesz turned down the appeal despite the ball hitting the batsman’s boot with the off stump visible. The decision didn’t cost Comilla too much as
Mahedi, the slightly more experienced offspinner in their revamped spin attack, removed both Chris Gayle and Ziaur in the next over.Both batsmen were bowled trying to blast Mahedi down the ground, with Gayle getting a first-ball duck. Mahedi later went on to remove Brendon McCullum in the 11th over, after a torturous 24 off 31 balls. Nahidul Islam was his fourth wicket, with the delivery sliding through the angle.Bopara’s run out drags Rangpur back
Once three wickets had fallen by the seventh over, Ravi Bopara and McCullum tried to lead Rangpur’s recovery, but Bopara didn’t have much of an impact. As he tried to complete a single, he stopped sliding his bat just short of the crease. Imrul Kayes scored with the direct hit as Bopara’s feet, too, were in the air as the ball hit the stumps.Rangpur succumb to pace too
Rangpur also struggled against the pace of Mohammad Saifuddin, who produced bouncers and yorkers. He finished with three wickets, getting Mohammad Mithun caught at cover and bowling pinpoint yorkers to bowl Mashrafe Mortaza and Sohag Gazi. Hasan Ali also bowled good yorkers but finished with one wicket, getting Chamara Kapugedera caught behind.Comilla’s chasing woes
Tamim Iqbal started the Comilla chase with a six over cover in the first over, and in the next over, he survived a stumping chance off Mashrafe Mortaza, who then went on to dismiss Liton Das in the fourth over.In the seventh over, Tamim fell to a superb catch at the long-on boundary. Nahidul, perilously close to the line, kept his balance and, after stepping over the rope, recovered well to leap back and finish the catch. Two overs later, Buttler was stumped off Nazmul Islam, and suddenly Comilla were in some trouble at 47 for 3.Nazmul sneaks one through Malik
Imrul Kayes and Shoaib Malik helped Comilla regain some footing, but Rangpur came back to dismiss the pair in the space of eight deliveries. Imrul played a pull off Mashrafe straight to Gayle at short midwicket before Nazmul got the ball to sneak between Malik’s legs as he tried to pad it away on the charge.Samuels drags it to the end
While the asking rate did not threaten Comilla, the slow pitch did not allow their batsmen to go after the bowling. This meant that they went into the last five overs needing 25 and that equation tightened to 10 off 12 balls. Bowling the penultimate over, Mashrafe had Saifuddin caught in the deep-midwicket boundary, before Hasan Ali’s big six brought the target down to two from the last over.Samuels could not score off the first two balls of the last over, which made the Comilla dressing room very nervous, but the feeling did not last too long.

The concussion substiute rule will be activated in this season’s domestic limited-overs competitions in New Zealand – the McDonald’s Super Smash T20 and the 50-over Ford Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2016New Zealand Cricket is set to introduce the concussion substitute rule in this season’s domestic limited-overs competitions – the McDonald’s Super Smash T20, which begins on December 4, and the 50-over Ford Trophy, which begins on January 15, 2017.The move came after two players – Canterbury opener Chad Bowes and Otago wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Duffy – were forced out of games after being struck on the head.Bowes, who was hit by a Scott Kuggeleijn bouncer in Canterbury’s second innings against Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield game in Christchurch, was forced to retire hurt on 9 and missed the following two rounds.A bouncer from Lockie Ferguson resulted in Duffy falling onto his stumps after being struck in the second-round Plunket Shield match between Otago and Auckland. Duffy has not played since.New Zealand Cricket, however, will not have the concussion substitute rule in the Plunket Shield as the ICC had earlier rejected the idea for first-class cricket.The rule was used for the first time in the Matador Cup Elimination final in Sydney in October. New South Wales batsman Daniel Hughes was struck by a bouncer from Peter Siddle and was forced to retired hurt, before eventually being ruled out of the match.Under the new rule introduced by Cricket Australia this summer, the Blues were then entitled to pick a concussion substitute. The replacement player, Nick Larkin, then officially became part of the playing XI, and came in to bat at No. 8.In Australia, only a like-for-like player can be activated as a concussion substitute. In New Zealand however, the 12th man will be the replacement player to create a level playing field for away teams who travel with only 12 players, as opposed to Australia where sides carry more reserve players.

A round-up of the Group A games of the Ranji Trophy 2015-16 season on October 16, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile Photo – Arup Das and Krishna Das shared all 10 wickets from the Odisha innings•PTI

Seamer Krishna Das took 7 for 21 to bowl Odisha out for 88 and give Assam, who had made only 92 yesterday, an almost inconceivable first-innings lead. Assam then managed to cobble a total in triple-figures, finishing on 137 for 8 at stumps. The Cuttack pitch afforded 15 wickets on Thursday and 13 today, so any advantage seems vital and the visitors are 141 runs ahead.Krishna and Arup Das, who took 3 for 45, took care of all the Odisha batsmen. Only Natraj Behera and Anurag Sarangi managed to get double-figure scores and Odisha’s best partnership – 22 runs – was put on by the ninth wicket.But the help that was available to the fast bowlers meant the hosts were able to reel in some of the ground they lost. Suryakant Pradhan struck twice in the second over of Assam’s second innings to dismiss Kunal Saikia and Gokul Sharma for ducks. At the other end, Basant Mohanty removed Amit Verma, also for a duck, to leave the visitors on 13 for 3.By the 45th over Assam were 86 for 6. But coming in at No. 7 Syed Mohammad struck 42 off 158 balls with four fours to record the highest score of the match so far and perhaps tempt his team into contemplating an away victory.
ScorecardOvernight rain followed by intermittent showers on the second day resulted in only 16.2 overs being bowled in the Group A game between Bengal and Rajasthan at the Eden Gardens.The start of the match was delayed by an over hour. Resuming from 104 for 3, Rajasthan lost two wickets while putting on 38 runs. Pragyan Ojha got the first when he went through the defences of Ashok Menaria in the 43rd over while Ashok Dinda had Puneet Yadav caught for 14 in the 50th.Ojha came back to dismiss Arjit Gupta for 5 in the 59th over but then the weather intervened. Only 59.4 overs have been possible after two days. Karnatka v Vidarbha in Bangalore – Satish 81* leads VidarbhaDelhi v Haryana in Delhi – Sehwag threat looms

Strengthening Royal Challengers Bangalore’s pace attack at the IPL auction, new captain Virat Kohli has said, was something he “insisted on”

Nikita Bastian in Bangalore03-Apr-2013At the IPL auction in February, Royal Challengers Bangalore picked up three of the five Indian seam bowlers on offer in RP Singh, Jaydev Unadkat and Pankaj Singh, apart from West Indies pacer Ravi Rampaul. Strengthening the pace attack, new captain Virat Kohli has said, was something he “insisted on”.”In Bangalore, if the wicket’s nice and fresh, the ball does seam around. Last year we were not to our 100% because of injuries to bowlers – we had to persist with a set of bowlers that did not probably work for us. So, this year, I insisted that we pick a lot of bowling options,” Kohli said on the eve of Royal Challengers’ game against Mumbai Indians.”With Indian bowlers, if you don’t have the regular guys doing well, then you always have six or seven fresh options who can come into the side and are confident.”Kohli, who will be the full-time captain of a senior side for the first time on Thursday night, said that decision demonstrated his faith in his team’s batsmen: “Our batting has been doing well for the last three years consistently. I was showing confidence in the batsmen.”Royal Challengers had a disappointing IPL 5, failing to make it to the playoffs. Over the last couple of years, Kohli had lead the team when regular captain Daniel Vettori had fitness issues. He admitted he had made a few mistakes, but said he hoped to learn from all that: “I’ve always enjoyed captaincy, last year and the year before that too. There were a few off moments, like in 2011 we played Kings XI Punjab in Dharamsala and I got the bowling combination wrong, and we ended up giving 220 runs on a green wicket. I was not too good with the field placements either but, yes, all that was a good learning curve.”Apart from missing out on the experience of the injured Zaheer Khan in the Mumbai game – recovering from a side strain, Zaheer is “70-80%” fit – Royal Challengers will also not have Anil Kumble to lean on. Kumble, for the first time, will be part of the opposition camp at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, having joined Mumbai Indians as chief mentor after stepping down from a similar role with the Bangalore franchise. Kohli said he learnt a lot by observing Kumble’s working style: “He was always someone who would help the players in any way we wanted. Whether it was any sort of issues or about cricket.”One thing he liked was always giving his 100% on the field, and he expected the other players to be the same. He kept pushing the players to perform but if he thought the players were down, he would then pull the load off the team all by himself. So that was something that was very striking in his captaincy and it’s something I would like to implement in our team as well.”Mumbai, too, will take the field with a new captain and minus their pace spearhead – Lasith Malinga is recovering from a sore back and will only join the team on April 5. Ricky Ponting takes charge for them, and he said he was looking forward to the challenge after a “refreshing” Australian domestic season. “I knew my time was up as far as captaincy in Australian cricket is concerned, so finishing the season with Tasmania and being just a regular player in the side was quite refreshing for me.”But I’ve known about the captaincy of Mumbai Indians for a couple of months now and I’ve been excited about that. With the squad of players we’ve got to work with, why won’t you be excited?”Unlike Royal Challengers, Mumbai’s main concern is the batting. Last season they fielded 24 players in all, and tried several opening combinations without much success. This is something he is looking to address, Ponting said: “Over the last couple of seasons we’ve swapped and changed and had different combinations opening. Guys have gone in and out of the side quite regularly. That tends to happen when you’re not winning games.”What we want to do this year is get off to a good start, and try and keep a pretty settled group of players together through the tournament. Barring injuries, hopefully we’ll be able to do that.”Much talk in the lead-up to the tournament has centred around Ponting having to share a dressing room with Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar, both of whom played central roles in the 2008 Sydney Test’s controversy. Ponting said the trio was getting along fine. “I’ve really enjoyed their company over the last couple of days. Just having those experienced minds around will hold the team in good stead through the tournament.”

Shahid Afridi has expressed relief after playing a key role with both bat and ball in Pakistan’s win against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2012Shahid Afridi has expressed relief after playing a key role with both bat and ball in Pakistan’s win against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup final. Afridi scored a critical 32 runs when Pakistan were in trouble and then bowled his 10 overs for just 28 runs to stifle Bangladesh’s batsmen.”It lifted a lot of pressure off my shoulders but more importantly it helped Pakistan win the title,” Afridi told Pakistani daily the .Before the final, Afridi had only managed two wickets in the Asia Cup, against Bangladesh, having failed to make an impression against India and Sri Lanka. He had similar problems against England in the UAE where he took three wickets in four ODIs. His poor batting form has not helped either, with only one score above 50 in his previous 11 innings. Consequently, he has attracted criticism. Prior to the present slump, Afridi had picked up 23 scalps in nine games against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.”To my critics, I will say just one thing: haven’t you heard of players going through a lean patch?” Afridi said. “It happens to even the greatest sportsmen then why is that I cannot be spared during my bad patch?”Questions have been asked about his fitness in the media. However, Afridi refuted such doubts by saying that he has been fortunate to be injury-free for most of his playing career. “I’m fully fit at the moment and plan to continue working hard to make sure that I give my 100% for Pakistan each time I represent the country.”He said he would quit one-day internationals the day he was not able to give his best to the national side and concentrate on Twenty20 cricket. This season, Afridi has played Twenty20 matches for local franchises in Australia and in Bangladesh. However, he has opted out of the ongoing Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cup in which he represented Karachi Dolphins for the past six seasons.Edited by Devashish Fuloria

Michael Hussey has said that his fortuitous call-up to the World Cup squad was a “dream come true” and is confident that his hamstring will withstand the rigours of one-day cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2011Michael Hussey has said that his fortuitous call-up to the World Cup squad was a “dream come true” and is confident that his hamstring will withstand the rigours of one-day cricket as Australia pursue their fourth consecutive title. Dirk Nannes, on the other hand, who is travelling to the subcontinent as a standby player, is unsure of his role but wants to make the most of his opportunity.”Just going is a bit of a dream come true, but to actually be there as part of a winning Australian team would be out of this world, so let’s hope,” Hussey told reporters in Perth. “I’ve had lots of messages from the boys already so I’m just excited to get over there really.”Hussey was informed of his selection during the tea break of the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Queensland at the WACA on Sunday. He had been part of the initial World Cup squad, but was replaced by Callum Ferguson before the tournament began after sustaining a hamstring injury that needed surgery. Hussey’s opportunity arose when Doug Bollinger was injured in India.Hussey scored only 19 and 11 against Queensland but he said the time spent on the field had given him confidence. “The first innings I fielded in the slips for the whole innings so I didn’t really have to test it [hamstring] too much but in the second innings the selectors actually did want me to have a bit of a run around in the field,” Hussey said. “So I spoke to Northy [Marcus North] and said ‘do you mind if I have a run in the outfield? And the more I was out and on it the better it felt and the more confidence I got with it.”It would have been nice to score more runs, but just to be out there playing the game you love again is what it’s all about. Just knowing I can get through the game and know I can go full of confidence with the leg, that gives me a lot of confidence as well.”Australia have made a strong start to the World Cup, winning their first two matches before their game against Sri Lanka was washed out in Colombo. “We’ve got to be a great chance,” Hussey said. “A confident Australian team is always very hard to beat so hopefully we can keep building that confidence and be right there at the business end of the tournament.”While Hussey is likely to slot in the middle order straightaway, Nannes will not be available for selection unless another player in Australia’s squad gets injured. Nannes said he was surprised to get the call from the selectors. “It’s certainly unexpected, I was just having fun on the farm on the weekend and got the phone call,” Nannes said in Melbourne. “I’m rapt to be going over, I’m not really sure what sort of role I’m going to play.”Relying on any injuries is not the best situation to be in, I guess, but at least I’ve been given some sort of opportunity. I’m excited about what may be, I will prepare myself to carry bags well and make good drinks, that’s about all I can do.”I was a bit miffed earlier in the year when I wasn’t in the Twenty20 squad and I was a bit miffed, I guess, not being in the original [World Cup] 30,” he said. “I guess that’s the lot of a cricketer, you have selection problems and then the highs that come with it, that’s just part of being a sportsman. I’ve never been part of the one-day setup and the way that operates, I’ve never been under Ricky Ponting, so it will be massively beneficial to my cricket.”

Seamer Andre Adams helped Nottinghamshire get their Championship
challenge off to a perfect start as they completed a comprehensive victory over
Kent with more than a day to spare

17-Apr-2010
ScorecardAndre Adams finished with seven wickets in the game as Nottinghamshire completed a crushing victory over Kent•PA Photos

Seamer Andre Adams helped Nottinghamshire get their Championship
challenge off to a perfect start as they completed a comprehensive victory over
Kent with more than a day to spare.The Kiwi followed his four-wicket haul from Kent’s first innings with 3 for
78 as the visitors were bowled out for 224, handing Nottinghamshire a win by an innings
and 32 runs.Adams was ably assisted by Luke Fletcher (3 for 43), who took the key
wickets of Geraint Jones and Martin van Jaarsveld early on as Kent collapsed to
72 for 5. England one-day opener Joe Denly made 37 before he was lbw to Adams with the
first ball after lunch, and Samit Patel wrapped up the win before tea with the
wicket of Amjad Khan.Kent began the day requiring another 205 runs to make Nottinghamshire bat again, an
unlikely prospect given the way their line-up had collapsed during their first
innings. It proved to be a similar story the second time around as Fletcher combined
with Ryan Sidebottom in a tight opening hour, before Fletcher struck twice in
consecutive overs.First Jones drove at a ball that bounced on him to edge to Adams at third slip
for a sharp catch, and then key Kent batsman van Jaarsveld was lbw to a ball
that kept a fraction low.Sidebottom followed up by removing nightwatchman Philip Edwards in the next
over as the batsman, set up with a succession of short deliveries, pulled
another straight to Mark Wagh at mid-on. Denly and Sam Northeast held out for an hour before wicketkeeper Chris Read brilliantly stumped Northeast off the bowling of Patel from the last ball of the morning session.Once Adams saw off Denly at the start of the second session, the writing was on
the wall for the visitors, and while tail-enders Azhar Mahmood, Matthew Coles
and Khan swung merrily with the bat to hit a few boundaries, the result was
never in doubt. Khan was last to go, bowled by Patel, with Stevens left unbeaten on 42 not
out.

Glamorgan’s promotion bid encounters further resistance despite Crane taking five wickets

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025Saif Zaib continued his prolific summer, becoming the first Northamptonshire batter to score six Championship tons in a season since Lance Klusener in 2006 as he posted 145 (186 balls) on day three of this Rothesay County Championship against Glamorgan at Wantage Road.Zaib, the second leading run-scorer in Division Two, extended his overnight score of 76, smashing a total of 22 fours and two sixes as he shared a ninth-wicket partnership of 56 in 15 overs with debutant Ben Whitehouse (6 not out).Despite Mason Crane taking 5 for 126, his second five-wicket haul this season, Zaib’s innings further held up Glamorgan’s promotion hunt as Northamptonshire moved to 413 for nine, 54 runs behind, when rain ended play early after just 95 minutes. With Ben Kellaway off the field injured, part-time spinner Kiran Carlson finished with 2 for 43.Earlier heavy morning rain prevented play getting underway until 1.50pm, Northamptonshire resuming on 309 for five. New batter Aadi Sharma (25) came out determined to make up for lost time, saving the follow-on when he pulled a dragdown from Carlson for six before flicking Crane through midwicket and slog sweeping him for another maximum. Sharma’s aggression ultimately proved his downfall though as he pulled Carlson straight to the deep midwicket fielder on the side with the longer boundary.Zaib moved through the 80s as he reverse swept Carlson for four, while Lewis McManus ran a single to take Northamptonshire to 350 and secure a third batting bonus point.But McManus soon became Crane’s fifth victim when he went to cut and edged behind, Northamptonshire quickly losing an eighth wicket when Liam Guthrie was adjudged lbw to Carlson.Zaib though was undeterred, advancing closer to his century when he reverse swept Crane for four to move to 99. He turned down a single to protect Whitehouse, before crunching one straight down the pitch to reach three figures off 136 balls.Whitehouse proved an admirable foil as Zaib continued to attack the Glamorgan spinners, sweeping a full toss from Crane for four and depositing Carlson over deep midwicket for six.With the skies starting to darken, Timm van der Gugten and James Harris took the new ball under the floodlights, Zaib responding by playing a remarkable pull shot over fine leg for six.Despite Whitehouse’s stoic defence, Glamorgan’s seamers will regret not targeting his stumps more, the debutant bringing up Northamptonshire’s fourth batting bonus point when he edged Harris low through the slip cordon for four. Zaib then emphatically pulled the Glamorgan quick through midwicket to bring up the 50 partnership off 74 balls.It took a dazzling bit of fielding from sub fielder Zain ul Hassan at deep cover who initially fumbled the ball, before turning in a direct hit to run out Zaib coming back for a second run without putting in a dive to ground his bat.With the rain returning shortly afterwards, the players took an early tea, but hopes of a resumption at 5.30pm were dashed by further downpours.

“Didn’t you say before [the BPL] that Barishal is the ‘team of the old’?” Mushfiqur hits back after they make the final

Mohammad Isam29-Feb-2024Mushfiqur Rahim has hit back at the criticism of Bangladesh’s senior cricketers, saying great team performances in T20 cricket require experienced hands as much they do the fearlessness of youth.Mushfiqur, 36, pointed towards the success of Fortune Barishal, who beat Rangpur Riders in the second Qualifier on Wednesday to make it to the final of BPL 2024. Apart from Mushfiqur (36), Barishal have two more players older than 35: Mahmudullah (37) and Shoaib Malik (41). All three have chipped in with important contributions during the season.”Didn’t you say before the tournament that Barishal is the ‘team of the old’?” Mushfiqur said. “Didn’t you say that T20s can’t be won with experience? I think this is a wrong concept. You need experience in every format. New players will come, the older ones will go, but they will combine well to build the team. We want to leave a legacy, and we want the likes of [Towhid] Hridoy and Tamim [Tanzid Hasan] to leave a legacy when they become senior players [for Bangladesh]. It is supposed to be smooth sailing.”Related

• Fuller, Saifuddin and Mushfiqur put Barishal in final

Mushfiqur made a call for fitness and performance to be given preference over age when considering players.”It [the criticism] doesn’t motivate me,” he said. “It hurts me. I can guarantee you that I am better than most players in terms of fitness. I can write it down. More than age, I think the criteria should be fitness and performance. Age is just a number.”All three matches between Barishal and Rangpur this season were billed as Shakib Al Hasan vs Tamim Iqbal battles, with crowds booing both players on several occasions. The pair’s differences first came to light last year when BCB president Nazmul Hassan said Shakib and Tamim were not on speaking terms. When Tamim retired, unretired and then resigned from ODI captaincy, Shakib slammed Tamim in a TV interview.They both deserved better, Mushfiqur said. “To be honest, if the limelight is on the two players, then the rest of us can relax. They will have their ‘war’, and we will watch. They are both legends. They have given a lot to Bangladesh cricket. This [a form of booing in Bengali] chant, if they have to hear it, the rest of us should be buried in the ground.”Mushfiqur also added that he was pleased with Bangladeshi players dominating the BPL batting and bowling charts.”It is a positive sign. The top five run-getters and [four of the top five] wicket-takers are all from Bangladesh. Such consistency doesn’t happen by chance. If we can deliver in crunch moments, it means we have cool nerves. Such a thing is helpful for the cricketer and his team.”