He has been much derided, has had his share of luck and tested the faith shown in him. Now he has paid it back, and with this win, so has Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam09-Mar-2015If you like an underdog character in an underdog story, Mahmudullah is your man. He rode through a lot of criticism, tested the establishment’s faith, survived a bit of fortune, worked hard to lose some weight in the last two years and it culminated in him becoming Bangladesh’s first World Cup centurion. It was apt that the record went to a batsman who needed a big score on a big occasion.Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque had publicly stated they wanted the honour. Tamim missed out against Scotland by five runs while Anamul had to be withdrawn due to a shoulder injury. Mushfiqur Rahim is now the batting leader. Shakib Al Hasan the best allrounder in the world. In his 114th ODI, Mahmudullah needed this century more than any of Bangladesh’s top order players.From 8 for 2 in the third over, Mahmudullah held off James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who looked to be recovering from a lacklustre campaign. He rode his luck, provided stability at one end and looked after Soumya Sarkar when he played a couple of bad shots. They put on 86 runs for the third wicket and to a player like Soumya, only five ODIs old and in the middle of a high-pressure match, those mid-pitch talks are likely to stick for a long time.It is said when Shakib falls early, Bangladesh lose half the battle. Mahmudullah debunked that, adding 141 runs for the fifth wicket with Mushfiqur. He reached fifty off 69 balls, with three fours and a slapped six over midwicket. He maintained that pace and reached his maiden ODI hundred from the next 62 balls, with four more boundaries and another six. Mahmudullah ended up on 103 off 138 balls, substance on a big occasion he has treasured for long.He slowed down after getting his century, but this was the tenacious Mahmudullah England know all too well. He was there to turn around a hopeless chase in the 2011 World Cup and ensure Bangladesh won by two wickets in Chittagong. The difference was he was a late-order spare batsman then, only necessary when the top and middle order failed.The last time we saw as big a smile in Mahmudullah’s face was when he led the team in a Gangnam jig, following Bangladesh’s 3-2 series win over West Indies in 2012. It was against West Indies again that he turned a corner in 2014. Later, he struck two smooth fifties against Zimbabwe and at the start of the World Cup, made sure an early wicket against Scotland didn’t bother Bangladesh’s chase.But things hadn’t gone quite so well in between. Mahmudullah averaged 34 and 26 in 2013 and 2014 (6.40 and 38.18 in Tests) during this time.At his best, Mahmudullah is a stylist. When out of form, he gropes and flounders. Within 12 months, he was stripped of his vice-captaincy, dropped once and was suspected of favoritism due to his relation with then captain Mushfiqur. There was no end to the vitriol and even the BCB president was getting impatient. He was dropped ahead of the Asia Cup, which drew the ire of Mushfiqur, who never openly backed Mahmudullah without cricketing reasons.An injury in the team brought Mahmudullah back, but he still wasn’t convincing in the regional 50-over tournament and the ODI series against India and West Indies.Mahmudullah was lucky to have lots of faith from Bangladesh set-up more luck, in tangible form, came in St Vincent in September last year. On the fourth day of the first Test against West Indies, when Bangladesh were trying to avoid a disaster, Mahmudullah scored his first Test fifty after 21 months. But within minutes, he pulled across the line and skied the ball and began to walk off, his head bowed. Kirk Edwards dropped the catch, he batted a little longer to repay the faith.He came back home, worked hard with trainer Mario Villavarayan to shed some pounds and continued his good run leading up to the World Cup. His celebration was evidence that Mahmudullah is not one without emotion. The last time he scored a century before this game was in a domestic first-class match in May last year. After reaching the three-figure mark he threw a hissy fit at his own team management and was banned for three matches.Shakib is perhaps the first superstar of Bangladesh cricket. But Mahmudullah, in essence, is Bangladesh. Much derided, riding on a bit of luck but operating on faith. He has paid it back, and with this win, so has Bangladesh.

Royal Challengers Bangalore put up significantly better performances compared to last year, but still have areas of concern to address come next season

Arun Venugopal23-May-20151:34

Royal Challengers Bangalore couldn’t reach the final but had a much-improved season

Tournament overview

After three underachieving seasons, Royal Challengers Bangalore finally had reasons to be happy.Their quick course-corrections after a few defeats revealed a team that was tactically agile. Their bowling continued to be top-notch with Mitchell Starc continuing his fantastic form and the Indian complement of Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel and S Aravind punching above its weight. There was vital all-round intervention from David Wiese as well.The batting department, on the other hand, was largely a three-man assault system in AB de Villiers (513 runs), Chris Gayle (491) and Virat Kohli (505). While the first two were more about pounding opponents to dust, Kohli was the more composed counterpoint, fortifying one end and finishing games.Their Indian batsmen didn’t do as much consistently enough, but Daniel Vettori, the team’s head coach, thought otherwise. “There’s limited opportunities when those three guys step up. You can’t expect the same amount of runs from the middle order,” he said after the loss to Chennai Super Kings in the second Qualifier. “Mandeep (Singh) won us two games. Everytime he’s asked to perform, he did. Sarfaraz (Khan) similarly. He only had two opportunities to score runs, once against Rajasthan Royals and once today (against Chennai Super Kings), and he did that.”Vettori admitted his team had “battled for balance” last year. “I was really content with the make-up of the side this year. This year we got it right and we are really happy with the improvement.”

High Point

Royal Challengers’ 71-run victory against Royals in the Eliminator was a tour de force of everything that had carried them up to that point. One of the Big Three – de Villiers – stepped up with the bat; Mandeep provided a support-act that outshone de Villiers’ effort; and some purposeful fielding and bowling: save for Wiese, none of the bowlers went for more than 5.5 runs an over. More importantly, the performance revealed a willingness to embrace the pressure of the big stage.

Low Point

They would be grateful that their lowest point came at the start of the tournament. After winning their opening game, against Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers lost three games on the trot. This period coincided with injuries to Starc and Adam Milne and the constant shuffling of players to fill up the fourth foreign player’s slot. Milne was eventually replaced by Aravind, who turned out to be an excellent value addition.

Top of the class

It would only be fair to say that Starc was the catalysing force behind Royal Challengers’ turnaround. He carried his form from the World Cup to pick up 20 wickets at an average of 14.55 with an economy rate of 6.76 runs an over. His was an intimidating presence both at the start and end of an innings.

Under-par performer

With 141 runs from 11 innings at an average of 12.81, Dinesh Karthik was barely the middle-order marshall that Royal Challengers would have wanted when they picked him up for Rs 10.5 crore at the auction. The team resisted the temptation to replace him with another wicketkeeper, Manvinder Bisla, and hoped for that one telling contribution which never came. But Vettori called him “amazing from a wicket-keeping perspective and a leadership perspective”.

Tip for 2016

If there would be one criticism of Royal Challengers, it would be their tendency to not go all the way after faltering at crucial junctures. The dropped catches against Super Kings in the second Qualifier potentially dashed their chances of making the final. Also, if the uncapped Indian batsmen could shoulder greater load, it would make them a more rounded unit should the likes of de Villiers, Kohli and Gayle have a bad run.

Plays of the day from Chester-le-Street where England won the series in dramatic style

Alan Gardner20-Jun-20152:44

McCullum pleased with Santner, Wheeler finds

The hang time
With England’s target reduced to 192 from 26 overs, Mitchell Santner was asked to open the bowling. His second ball was slightly short and Alex Hales rocked back to plaster it through square leg; though the shot was in the air, it looked set to clear the man. That man was Kane Williamson, not the tallest, but he produced a leap reminiscent of Durham favourite Paul Collingwood to grab the ball one-handed above his head.The chin music
Batsmen getting peppered is one thing but the wicketkeeper taking a blow off a spinner quite another. When Santner lured Joe Root out of his crease, the ball turned and bounced so much that it hit Luke Ronchi on the chin. Extra credit, then, for snatching the ball on the way down and breaking the stumps before Root could regain his ground. Only afterwards did Ronchi stop to wipe away the blood that was beginning to ooze out.Joe Root was stumped after Luke Ronchi gathered a rebound off his chin•Getty ImagesThe introduction
Andrew Mathieson was expecting to play for Sidmouth in the Devon Premier League this weekend. Instead, he made his international debut for New Zealand. As if that wasn’t enough, he then took a wicket with his first ball – a short wide delivery that Jason Roy top-edged straight up in the air – making Mathieson the second New Zealand bowler, after Shane Thomson, to do so in ODIs. Incidentally, Sidmouth’s fixture was against North Devon, who were missing Craig Overton due to his call up by England.The costly drop
Santner’s three wickets had put New Zealand on course for victory but he lacked composure at a pivotal moment in the chase. Jonny Bairstow was battling to keep England alive, having made his maiden ODI fifty, but it all looked to be over when he ramped Matt Henry towards third man. Santner had plenty of time to steady himself under the catch but made a mess of the take, desperately trying once, twice, three times to gather as he slumped to the ground and the ball rolled away.The valiant effort
Adil Rashid has caused Ross Taylor a few problems this series, despite the New Zealander’s prolific form. With Root stationed at short extra cover, in Taylor’s eyeline, the batsman tried to do what he does best: hit his way out of difficulty. An uppish drive went quickly to Root’s right but although he anticipated it well he could only palm a tough chance away one-handed.The uppercut and thrust
A slightly more forgiving surface for the bowlers put a check on the rampant scoring, with New Zealand becoming the first side not to pass 300 batting first. Martin Guptill adapted well during his half-century, the highlight of which was an insouciant uppercut straight over the wicketkeeper off Mark Wood, to which the Durham bowler could only say “shot!” Wood responded by searing one past Guptill’s outside edge at 90mph; “bowled” may well have been the comment in return.The back of the bat
Grant Elliott struggled against Steven Finn in the Powerplay at Trent Bridge, despite going on to make 55 off 52, and he found himself in a similar position here. One unsuccessful attempt to get Finn away nearly resulted in an unusual dismissal – a bouncer was on Elliott quickly and he missed with a pull, the ball thudding into his shoulder and then hitting the back of his bat as it swung round. The rebound sent the ball in the direction of Jonny Bairstow but it landed a few yards short.

Former USA assistant coach, Asif Mujtaba, says that the lack of organisation and team chemistry has held the national side back from progressing in world cricket, despite an abundance of talent

Peter Della Penna09-Jul-2015Asif Mujtaba had a 22-year, first-class career in Pakistan and played 25 Tests and 66 ODIs for the national team between 1986 and 1997. After retiring from professional cricket, Mujtaba moved with his family to Texas. He was USA’s assistant coach at the 2012 World T20 Qualifier and for the last two years has been the head coach of the Central West Region team at the USACA T20 National Championships in Florida. Mujtaba sat down with ESPNcricinfo in Florida to talk about how he came to settle in the USA, what he thinks about the country’s talent base and how USA cricket can improve.What brought you to the USA?
Just life. I had the option (to decide) where to settle. I came with all my family especially for my kids’ education. That’s the main reason why I moved here in December 2006. I’ve been in Plano, Texas the whole time. I had been coming here since 2002, visiting relatives and friends every year, in Plano, Houston and San Francisco. I got my US citizenship in 2010. I had a residence permit since 1996 actually, but I never stayed here permanently.
If I had stayed back at home, I’d be more into cricket, more into professional aspects like coaching, media, commentary. I had a lot of opportunities there. But because of my family I thought it was better to move here. I don’t regret it.What has it been like switching from a career where you are performing in front of thousands of people to leading a fairly anonymous life in a different country?
It’s not hard. The person I am, I can adjust myself in any condition. I’ve never felt or thought, ‘Who was I? Who am I?’ I do not carry things with me. Whatever the situation is, I go with it. I do cricket coaching for fun. I’m not getting paid anything for it. I want to pass on whatever I have for the betterment of USA cricket. That is the only purpose. It is my passion to keep in touch with cricket. Now I am also doing youth coaching on Saturday and Sunday in Dallas. I still play the T20 league in Dallas because the game starts at 9 am and finishes at 1 pm but I get out in time to coach youth in the afternoon.What is the standard of cricket like in the areas you’ve coached and played in Texas?
We have very good talent all around the USA. The thing is we have to get them together to have better execution, placing things together in the right direction. There are good bowlers, good spinners, good batsmen. Everything is there but the guys are all working 9-5 Monday through Friday. It’s difficult for them to work five days and you ask them to train and be fit. They hear a USA team is being picked and then they start a bit of training. They aren’t used to regular training because they don’t have time.Something has to be put together: a pool of players and give them an incentive to be fit, a bonus or something. There needs to be a plan and structure. With all the talent there is in USA, they should not be playing in Division Three or Four. I have seen the teams in Division Three. USA has more talent but the other teams are very organised. In one year USA will pick one group of players and then the next tournament the team is totally changed. How can you build a team? There’s no team chemistry.You were with the USA team in 2012 as an assistant coach at the World T20 Qualifier in the UAE. You saw the teams USA went up against: Ireland, Scotland, Namibia. What things did you notice in terms of a team like Ireland, where their squad is consistent with paid professionals, vs USA’s squad?
USA beat Scotland. That’s what I’m talking about in talent. Ireland and Scotland success did not come in one year. I played professional cricket in Scotland from 1989 to 1993. They hired professional cricketers, overseas players in their clubs, and they played against each other and learned from them.… They are playing better cricket because of the structures. Any small kind of sponsorship they get helps and they work within their resources to work for the cricket. Unfortunately that is not happening here and that is a problem.In that Scotland game, for example, that was the last game of the group stage so they had six games to gel and build chemistry whereas USA lost to a weaker Uganda team in their opening match. How much preparation does the team need before a tournament begins?
You need it to see who does what. Suppose you go for a tournament and you know six months ahead. You need at least three or four weekends bringing the team together, have proper practice, not like a boot camp, but have good practice games and socialize. That will help. Now, they show up to a first game in a tournament and they don’t know what will happen if someone gets out. Can the guy behind me perform? The captain might not know and the coach might not even know who can perform. You need to see them in game situations to see how they react and what their mental approach is. You can’t select a team based on how they look in the nets. You need to see them under pressure. Those who can sustain pressure in game situations can perform and you can build a team around those players.

Dale Steyn sported a headband in the Test series against Bangladesh. Who’s your favourite bowler with a headband?

31-Jul-2015

Statistical highlights from day two of the second Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies at the P Sara Oval

Shiva Jayaraman23-Oct-20152006 The last time before today when Sri Lanka took the first-innings lead after making 200 or fewer while batting first in Tests. They had bowled out Pakistan for 176 in the first innings at the SSC, after they themselves were dismissed for 185. Overall this is only the fourth such instance for Sri Lanka in Tests. This is also the seventh time that West Indies have conceded a first-innings lead after bowling out their opposition for 200 or less. The previous such instance for West Indies had also come in 2006, against India in Jamaica, when they had bowled out the visitors to 200 and then got bowled out for just 103.4/34 Dhammika Prasad’s returns in West Indies’ first innings – his second-best bowling figures in an innings in Tests. This is the third four-wicket haul he has taken in his last three Tests at the P Sara Oval. He had taken 4 for 43 against India and 4 for 92 against Pakistan in the previous two Tests. Prasad has 23 wickets at the P Sara – the most he has at any venue – at an average of 21.78.55 Partnership runs between Kaushal Silva and Kusal Mendis for Sri Lanka’s second wicket, the highest of the match and only the first fifty-plus stand. As many as five partnerships of between 30 and 39 runs have come in this Test of which 16 have gone into double-digits, but the second-wicket stand in Sri Lanka’s second innings was the first to reach 50 runs.2001 The last time before this Test when two openers of a team got at least one golden duck in each innings. Kaushal Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne were dismissed for a duck off the first ball they faced in the first and second innings of this Test. Incidentally, the previous instance too had happened in a match between the same teams, but on that occasion it had been the two West Indies openers – Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle – who had got out off the first ball. This was only the sixth such instance and the second for Sri Lanka: both their openers had got out without scoring on the first ball they had faced in the first innings of the Kandy Test against South Africa in 2000.8 Total runs added by the opening stands in three innings in this Test. Only seven other Tests have had eight or fewer runs scored for the opening stands from three or more innings. The previous such instance came in the Cape Town Test between South Africa and New Zealand in 2012. However, there is one more innings left to be played in the ongoing Test.13 Runs Marlon Samuels scored in West Indies’ first innings. Samuels has now failed to score more than 15 runs in his last 12 Test innings against Sri Lanka. His 16 innings against them have produced just 151 runs at an average of 10.06. Only two other batsmen have averaged lower against an opposition from 15 or more innings batting in the top-order (No. 1 to No. 7). Ken Rutherford averaged 6.78 from 15 innings against West Indies and Charlie Turner averaged 9.85 against England from 15 innings.222 Runs scored from 90 overs that were bowled in the second day of this Test, the fifth-lowest on any day at P Sara Oval in Tests since 2000. This is also the second-lowest total on the second day of any Test since 2000 at this venue. Only 191 runs were scored in the second day of the Test between the hosts and England in 2012.0 Boundaries by Kaushal Silva in his 90-ball unbeaten innings of 31. He has batted out 66 dots and has taken 17 singles and seven twos. This is only the second time in his last 11 innings that he has managed more than 30 runs.

Also: highest first-class scores in each position, and the lowest and highest chronological shirt numbers in the same Test team

Steven Lynch15-Dec-2015What was the greatest difference between the lowest and highest chronological shirt numbers in the same Test team? My hunch is that it would involve Brian Close… asked Phil Ribbons from England
You’re not too far out, as Brian Close comes in third and fourth on this particular list. He was England’s 344th Test player, and played in 1976 when Mike Selvey (No. 466) made his Test debut at Old Trafford, a difference of 122; Mike Brearley (465) had made his debut in the first Test, at Trent Bridge. However, Close is beaten by another long-lasting Yorkshireman. Wilfred Rhodes was England’s 121st Test player when he made his debut in 1899. And there was a difference of 133 between him and Les Townsend (No. 254) in the third Test of the 1929-30 series in Georgetown. Bill Voce (253) had made his debut in the first Test, in Bridgetown. Rhodes was 52 at the time – the oldest Test player of all – but still played in all four matches of that series, England’s first in the Caribbean. The biggest difference for a side other than England – 98 – happened earlier this year, when Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies Test player No. 204) played alongside the debutant Shai Hope (302) against England in Bridgetown.No one scored a hundred in the India-South Africa series until Ajinkya Rahane made two in the fourth Test. Has there ever been a series with no centuries at all? asked Bilal Ahluwalia from India
There has never been a series of four or more Tests which did not feature at least one century: indeed the recent series between India and South Africa provided only the fourth instance of as few as two hundreds in a four-Test rubber. The fewest in a five-Test series is three centuries, which has happened nine times; there were also only three in the six-match India-Pakistan battle in 1979-80. There have been six three-Test series without an individual hundred, most recently when New Zealand visited India in 1995-96. It also happened in the Ashes of 1882-83 and 1888 – when Bobby Abel’s 70 was the highest score of the three Tests – and in the series between India and New Zealand in 1969-70, Pakistan and West Indies in 1986-87, and Pakistan and Zimbabwe in 1993-94.Was R Ashwin’s 31 wickets against South Africa the most by an Indian bowler in a four-Test series? asked Dr Bhatia from India
Yes, Ashwin’s 31 wickets in the recent series against South Africa was a new record for India in a four-Test series, breaking the record held by… Ashwin himself, with 29 against Australia in 2012-13. Anil Kumble took 27 in the four-match series against Australia in 2004-05. India’s record for any series is 35, by legspinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar in five Tests at home to England in 1972-73. Vinoo Mankad (against England in 1951-52) and Subhash Gupte (against New Zealand in 1955-56) both took 34 wickets in a series, while Kapil Dev claimed 32 in six Tests against Pakistan in 1979-80. But arguably the most meritorious performance of all came from Harbhajan Singh, with 32 wickets in just three Tests against Australia in 2000-01. Bishan Bedi also took 31 wickets in the five Tests in Australia in 1977-78, the Indian record for an away series.Victor Trumper once smashed 293 batting unusually low, at No. 9 in a first-class match•PA PhotosWho has hit the most sixes in Tests and ODIs? asked Brian Hall from England
The Test record could well be about to change hands: during New Zealand’s Test against Sri Lanka that finished yesterday in Dunedin, Brendon McCullum hit his 100th six, to equal Adam Gilchrist’s record. Chris Gayle might yet become the third batsman to hit a century of sixes – he currently has 98. Jacques Kallis finished his career with 97, while Virender Sehwag clouted 91. The next current player is Misbah-ul-Haq, with 67. For the full list, click here. The leading six-hitter in one-day internationals is Shahid Afridi with 351, comfortably ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya (270), Gayle (238), Sachin Tendulkar (195), and McCullum and Sourav Ganguly (both 190). The leaders in T20 internationals are McCullum (91) and Gayle (87), well clear of Shane Watson (69) and David Warner (66). If you combine all three forms of international cricket, then Afridi leads the way with a grand total of 465 sixes, ahead of Gayle (423) and McCullum (378), with Jayasuriya fourth on 352.How many batsmen have scored two centuries in the same match for India? asked Venkat Raghav from India
Ajinkya Rahane’s double of 127 and 100 not out in the recent fourth Test against South Africa in Delhi made him only the fifth Indian to have scored twin centuries in a Test. The first to do it was Vijay Hazare, with 116 and 145 against Australia in Adelaide in 1947-48, in a match India still lost by an innings (Don Bradman scored 201, and Lindsay Hassett 198 not out). Sunil Gavaskar achieved the feat three times – 124 and 220 against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in his debut series of 1970-71, 111 and 137 against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1978, then 107 and 182 not out six weeks later against West Indies in Calcutta. Rahul Dravid did it twice, with 190 and 103 not out against New Zealand in Hamilton in 1998-99, and 110 and 135 against Pakistan in Kolkata in 2004-05. And finally Virat Kohli, in his first match as captain, scored 115 and 141 against Australia in Adelaide in December 2014.Following on from the recent question about triple-centuries from Nos. 6 and 7, what are the highest first-class scores from the other batting positions? asked Jeremy Hall from New Zealand
The highest by an opener is Hanif Mohammad’s 499 for Karachi against Bahawalpur in Karachi in 1958-59, while the best by someone down at No. 2 on the scorecard is Bill Ponsford’s 437 for Victoria against Queensland in Melbourne in 1927-28. Brian Lara’s 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994 – the overall first-class record – is the best from No. 3. The unsung Aftab Baloch, who made just two Test appearances for Pakistan, has the highest from No. 4 – 428 for Sind against Baluchistan in Karachi in 1973-74. Bill Ponsford pops up again at No. 5, with 429 for Victoria against Tasmania in Melbourne in 1927-28. Nos 6 and 7 were covered in the earlier answer, but the best from No. 8 is 268, by Cecil Maxwell – his only century of an otherwise unremarkable career – for Sir Julien Cahn’s XI against Leicestershire at West Bridgford in 1935. The highest from No. 9 is 293 by the great Victor Trumper, going in artificially low for an Australian XI against Canterbury in Christchurch on a private tour of New Zealand in 1913-14. The last two are more authentic: John Chapman made 165 from No. 10 for Derbyshire against Warwickshire at Blackwell in 1910, while last man Peter Smith, an occasional England legspinner, hammered 163 from No. 11 for Essex against Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 1947.Send in your questions using our feedback form.

A detailed lowdown on the squad strengths, weaknesses, surprise picks and players to watch out for in the Pakistan Super League

Umar Farooq22-Dec-20150:59

Inaugural PSL draft complete

Islamabad United

Technically a sound selection with a good collection of specialists in most slots. The side will centre around the experienced hands of captain Misbah-ul-Haq, allrounders Shane Watson and Andre Russell, and pace spearhead Mohammad Irfan, with players like Umar Amin, Babar Azam and Ruman Raees for support.The selection of Mohammad Sami and Khalid Latif, however, will invite debate. Latif has scored 8180 runs at 37.38 in 50-overs cricket, but a modest average of 23.17 across 84 T20 innings does not inspire too much confidence. Sami, 34, has spent more than 15 years in the international circuit, but hasn’t lived up to potential. While pace is still his defining feature, his fragile temperament and inconsistency have let him down time and again.Weakness
Andre Russell’s presence in the middle order could be reassuring, but if he fails, there isn’t much experience in Babar Azam, Sam Billings or Umar Amin. Brad Haddin is currently playing in the Big Bash League after his international retirement, but at 38, he isn’t the force he once was.Surprise pick
Most teams might have ignored him, but Islamabad created an opening for Kamran Ghulam, a rookie allrounder who bowls left-arm spin. He is expected to partner Samuel Badree, the West Indies legspinner.First choice XI: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Amin, 6 Sam Billings, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Kamran Ghulam, 9 Samuel Badree, 10 Mohammad Irfan, 11 Ruman RaeesBench strength: Ammad Butt, Mohammad Sami, Khalid Latif, Brad Haddin, Imran KhalidSupplementary picks: Ashar Zaidi, Saeed Ajmal, Hussain Talat, Umar SiddiqUmar Akmal is part of a Lahore batting line-up that threatens to be among the PSL’s most explosive•AFP

Karachi Kings

The platinum category was brimming with international stars, but Karachi surprisingly went for Sohail Tanvir at that stage. City loyalty was clearly not on their minds when they formulated a strategy for the drafts. That perhaps explains why only two player from the city – Sohail Khan and Mir Hamza – found a place in the squad.While they tried to have all bases covered, the 16-man squad looks a little off-balance with a plethora of allrounders. Shoaib Malik has been named captain, and the side’s bowling attack will be centred around Mohammad Amir, clearly the most celebrated pick.Weakness
It seems, from the outside, that they have all their eggs in one basket. The plethora of allrounders may upset their team composition as they will have to mix and match their playing XI.Surprise pick
Sohail Tanvir was a baffling selection. He hasn’t been in the best of form and was even left out of a conditioning camp with the national team ahead of the T20 season. He managed to pick just one wicket at a bowling average of 110.0 for Sylhet Super Stars and scored 57 at 14.25 in the BPL. Therefore it isn’t clear what inspired his selection.First choice XI: 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Nauman Anwar, 3 Shoaib Malik (capt), 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim 7 Sohail Tanvir, 8 Mohammad Amir, 9 Sohail Khan, 10 Mir Hamza, 11 Usama MirBench strength: Imad Wasim, Bilawal Bhatti, Nauman Anwar, Iftikhar Ahmed, Safiullah BangashSupplementary picks: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shahzaib Hasan, Fawad Alam

Lahore Qalandars

Potentially the most explosive batting side in the competition, Lahore have an array of flamboyant batsmen in Chris Gayle, Umar Akmal and Cameron Delport, who can win them matches single-handedly on a given day. There is depth too, in case of a top-order wobble, with Mohammad Rizwan and Dwayne Bravo to follow.Weakness
Lahore possess the most inexperienced bowling line up in the tournament, with Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman looking like their most important signing in that department. Hammad Azam and Yasir Shah – who is yet to fully translate his successes in the longer format into limited-overs cricket – will offer support with the ball.Surprise pick
Pakistan’s ODI captain Azhar Ali might not seem an attractive T20 proposition, but he has not only made the Lahore line-up but is also likely to captain it. Azhar was originally in the Diamond category but remained unpicked, and was relegated twice, to the Gold and Silver categories, before Lahore eventually picked him.First choice XI: 1 Chris Gayle 2 Cameron Delport 3 Azhar Ali 4 Umar Akmal 5 Dwayne Bravo 6 Mohammad Rizwan 7 Hammad Azam 8 Yasir Shah 9 Mustafizur Rahman 10 Zafar Gohar 11 Zia ul HaqBench strength: Adnan Rasool, Naved Yasin, Zohaib Khan, Kevon Cooper, Sohaib MaqsoodSupplementary picks: Imran Butt, Ehsan Adil, Mukhtar Ahmed, Abdul RazzaqPeshawar will welcome Afridi’s charisma and inspirational leadership, but might have reason to worry about his form•AFP

Peshawar Zalmi

The most charismatic side with Shahid Afridi, the hottest pick in the draft. Peshawar paid Islamabad the hefty amount of £50,294.85 for the right to the first turn in the auction, and with it a chance to pic£7.38k Afridi. The squad is a decent one, with a good mix of players from the region as well as Pakistan stars such as Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez, and international stars like Darren Sammy.Weakness
Afridi’s form is a bit of a worry. Peshawar’s likely captain is in a bit of a slump at the moment, and the World T20 will be his last international tournament.Surprise pick
A 35-year old Abdur Rehman was the forgotten man of Pakistan cricket. He last played for Pakistan in August 2014, and his last game for them in the T20 format came as far back as November 2013. His selection may have raised eyebrows but his utility as a left-arm spinner and his enormous experience could prove valuable to Peshawar’s spin department, perhaps their weakest link.First Choice XI: 1 Kamran Akmal, 2 Tamim Iqbal, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Darren Sammy, 5 Musadiq Ahmed, 6 Shahid Yousuf, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10, Abdur Rehman, 11 Junaid KhanBench strength: Jim Allenby, Aamer Yamin, Dawid Malan, Imran Khan Jr, Hasan AliSupplementary picks: Mohammad Asghar, Brad Hodge, Israrullah, Taj Wali

Quetta Gladiators

Quetta was one of the more economical franchises, having been picked up for million. One of their first big recruits was Kevin Pietersen, an icon player. They then snapped up Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad to bolster the batting. The bowling unit packs a punch with the presence of Umar Gul and Zulfiqar Babar. Interestingly, only one local player – Bismillah Khan – was picked, but it is highly unlikely that he will get too many games.Weakness
The absence of an out-and-out fast bowler could be one area where they could feel short-changed, although Gul will pose a threat if fully fit. But given his injury-prone ways, the side will bank on their batsmen more.Surprise pick
Akbar-ur-Rehman is smart pick from the domestic circuit. He has a decent record with three one-day hundred and a first-class double century. His ability to bowl useful seam-ups makes him a full package.First choice XI: 1. Ahmed Shahzad 2. Luke Wright 3. Kevin Pietersen 4. Elton Chigumbura, 5. Sarfraz Ahmed (capt) 6. Saad Nasim 7. Akbar-ur-Rehman 8. Jason Holder 9. Anwar Ali 10. Zulfiqar Babar 11. Umar GulBench strength: Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Nabi, Bilal Asif, Asad Shafiq, Bismillah KhanSupplementary picks: Kumar Sangakkara, Aizaz Cheema, Rameez Raja Jnr

Stats highlights from the first day’s play between India and South Africa in Bangalore where AB de Villiers fell 15 short of a century in his 100th Test

Shiva Jayaraman14-Nov-20158 Number of times R Ashwin has picked up at least four wickets in an innings in Tests in 2015 including his 4 for 70 in this match. This is the most such hauls by any bowler in 2015. Yasir Shah is next on this list with seven such hauls this year. Ashwin has taken at least one such haul in each of the seven Tests he has played in 2015.592 Runs by AB de Villiers in international matches on South Africa’s current tour – the most any batsman from either side has made from the ten games played. His 85 in South Africa’s first innings was his sixth score of fifty or more runs. De Villiers has made three hundreds and three fifties and has averaged 65.77. The next highest is by Rohit Sharma, who has made 383 runs at 54.71.51 Wickets by Ravindra Jadeja in just 13 first-class innings this season including his four in South Africa’s innings in this Test. This equals the most he has taken in any season in first-class cricket. He had taken exactly 51 wickets in 2012-13. However, Jadeja’s bowling average of 11.54 of 2015-16 is his best in any season.1029 Runs made by de Villiers against India in Tests. He passed 1000 runs during his innings of 85 in this innings. De Villiers is the third South Africa batsman after Jacques Kallis and Amla to score 1000-plus runs against India. De Villiers has made three hundreds and four fifties against India in Tests and averages 42.87.1974 The last time a captain winning the toss in Bangalore chose to field before Virat Kohli in this Test. In each of the 19 Tests after that and before the current one, teams winning the toss had batted first. In fact, this was only the 20th time in 246 Tests in India that a team had opted to field. This is also only the second time in 39 Tests in India since 2007 that a captain has opted to field. MS Dhoni had chosen to field against West Indies in the last Test of the series in 2013-14.55.50 De Villiers’ average against spinners on this tour; he has scored at a strike rate of 93.27 against them and has been dismissed six times in 357 balls. In contrast, the other South Africa batsmen have averaged 19.90 against the India spinners and have conceded 43 wickets off 1290 balls. De Villiers had made 44 runs off 62 deliveries in this innings before being dismissed by Jadeja.2009 The last time South Africa played a Test without Dale Steyn in the team, which was against England in Centurion. Since then Steyn had played in each of the 48 Tests South Africa had played before this match.2000 The last time a team batting first in a Test in Bangalore posted a total lower than the 214 by South Africa in their innings. On that occasion, India had been on the receiving end against the same opposition, and had been bowled out for 158. Since then, this is the first time in eight Tests that a team has failed to post at least 300 runs in the first innings.2 Wickets by Ashwin in the eighth over of South Africa’s innings; he got Stian Van Zyl and Faf du Plessis out in what was his first over in the match. This was the earliest a spinner had dismissed two or more batsmen in an over in the first innings of any Test since 2002. The earliest before this was the 15th over in the first innings of the Guyana Test in 2003 when Brad Hogg got the wickets of Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels in the same over.490.00 Hashim Amla’s batting average in his previous Test series in India; in three innings in this series he has managed just 50 runs. In international matches in India before this tour, he had made 1192 runs at 79.46 including five hundreds and four fifties from 17 innings. However, ten innings on this tour have produced just 177 runs at 17.70 and a highest of 43.0 Number of fifty-plus opening stands for India in eight Test innings before the unbeaten 80-run stand between Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay in this Test. The last time their openers had added 50-plus runs in an innings was against Bangladesh in Fatullah earlier this year where the same pair had added 283 runs. Since then India had managed only 44 runs in eight innings with a highest partnership of 14.

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2015Ravindra Jadeja joined in, scalping AB de Villiers for a duck the over after Ashwin got Amla. South Africa were reduced to 12 for 5•Associated PressJP Duminy was the most comfortable of all South Africa batsmen, compiling 35 that included two sixes•Associated PressThe Indian spinners, however, bowled out the visitors for 79 – South Africa’s lowest total since readmission to international cricket. Ashwin completed his 14th five-wicket haul.•Associated PressMorne Morkel got M Vijay early in India’s second innings – caught at slip for 5•Associated PressCheteshwar Pujara looked good with a solid 31, before falling to a straighter one from Duminy•Associated PressShikhar Dhawan was the next one to go, failing to build on his 39•Associated PressImran Tahir then caved into the Indian middle-order, picking up Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha in quick succession•BCCISaha fell in a unique manner, gloving the ball onto wicketkeeper Dane Vilas’ boot in an attempt to play a sweep. The ball lobbed off the boot to present a simple catch to Hashim Amla at slip.•BCCIRohit Sharma then fought on alongside the tail, taking India past 150•BCCIAmit Mishra was the last man to fall, as India folded for 173, with a lead of 309•BCCIAshwin accounted for Stiaan van Zyl for the fifth time in the series, providing India with yet another early wicket•BCCIFor the second time in two days, Tahir was sent in as nightwatchman. The ploy did not work as he was dismissed by Amit Mishra for 8. South Africa ended the day at 32 for 2 with Elgar and Amla at the crease.•BCCI