De Villiers leads charge as bowlers suffer

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Both the Derbyshire and the South African attacks conceded heavily as over 400 runs were scored and only five wickets taken in the day

Firdose Moonda at Derby10-Aug-2012
ScorecardAB de Villiers made a rapid 97 after the South Africans were asked to bat•Getty Images

It was a struggle for the bowlers at the County Ground in Derby, despite the green pitch, as both the Derbyshire and the South African attacks conceded heavily. Over 400 runs were scored and only five wickets taken on a day that belonged to batsmen.The South Africans declared after posting 365 runs and having given most of their middle order and some of the fringe players a bat. Unlike the tour match against Worcestershire, they did not give their bowlers time in the middle on this occasion.AB de Villiers was the standout performer for the South Africans and retired three runs short of a century. Hashim Amla laid the foundations with a sprightly 42 and JP Duminy contributed with 69, while Faf du Plessis came good in his first appearance in whites for the national side with an undefeated 68 and Albie Morkel weighed in with 49 not out.In response, Debyshire’s South Africa-born opener Wayne Madsen and Australia’s Usman Khawaja reached the close having seen off South Africa’s new-ball attack and tucked into some of the more wayward change bowlers. The only wicket to fall on the hosts’ side was that of Matt Lineker, who got a thin outside edge off Vernon Philander’s bowling and was caught by back-up gloveman Thami Tsolekile.Jacques Rudolph was the only South Africa batsman to miss out. After three confident boundaries and despite looking comfortable he fell to Alasdair Evans in the fourth over. Amla, who opened the batting in Alviro Petersen’s absence and in place of Graeme Smith, despite the captain being declared fit, faced 20 balls without scoring before lashing out.He took 16 runs off Evans’ fifth over, starting with a drive through the covers, then a pull behind square and ending with a straight drive. The sleeping giant had woken up.Amla also hit the first six of the South Africans’ innings, a pull over fine leg, and looked in imperious form. Against the run of play, however, he was bowled when he pushed forward to a straight delivery from Ross Whiteley and missed the ball, ending a stand of 54 to which Duminy had contributed nine runs.Duminy pushed on with de Villiers on the other end. He brought out the cut, to open his boundary account after 43 balls, while de Villiers had much of his range on display. With an array of spectacular driving, he took 13 runs off a Whiteley over and 11 off the following one from David Wainwright to overtake Duminy and bring up his half-century before lunch, off 46 balls.The interval did nothing to slow de Villiers, who began the second session with a six over fine leg. He played a chanceless innings and provided a perfect foil to Duminy, who found it tougher to adjust to the conditions. He was circumspect against the seamers, Mark Footitt and Matt Higginbottom, but found run-scoring easier against the left-arm spin of Wainwright.De Villiers marched towards a century but called time on his innings three runs before, allowing du Plessis to bat for the first time on tour. Shortly after, Duminy offered a tame return catch to Wainwright.Albie Morkel and du Plessis kept the run-rate above five an over and although both are unlikely to feature in the Test starting XI, made strong cases for themselves. The South Africans had accumulated over 300 runs before tea and batted for less than an hour after before deciding to give the bowlers a run.Dale Steyn did not bowl but all the other bowlers took part. Petersen is the only member of the South African squad who will not play in the match, as he still needs at least four days to recover from a grade one strain of the right hamstring. Both Smith and Jacques Kallis, who was suffering from lower-back spasms, were named in South Africa’s 15.The South African players wore black armbands to mourn the death of Titans CEO Elise Lombard, who died yesterday.

South Africa deserved to win – Flower

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England coach Andy Flower has admitted South Africa were the better side during the three-Test series, says England hadn’t “grasped the opportunities that came our way”

George Dobell22-Aug-2012Just as few recall the somewhat controversial catch that sealed the 2005 Ashes Test at Edgbaston and turned the series England’s way, so history may not record the key moments that allowed South Africa to take control of the 2012 Test series against England.Few dispute that they deserved to win the series and few dispute that England, with six losses in 11 Test in 2012 and one series win in four, have no place on top of the Test rankings. As England coach, Andy Flower, put it: “We have been beaten by a slightly better side in this series. I think that’s fair to say.”The disappointment from an England perspective was that they failed to do themselves justice. They dropped nine catches, gave wickets away cheaply and failed to trouble South Africa’s batsmen with medium-paced fare.The failure of England’s bowling attack is most worrying. The bowlers have impressed in all conditions in Tests since the Ashes of 2009 – even in the UAE last winter, they performed well only to be let down by poor batting from their colleagues. The series against South Africa – and the drubbing at The Oval in particular – was an abrupt departure from the norm.While South Africa batted with impressive skill and dedication, England also failed to take chances that might have altered the series. Hashim Amla was dropped before he reached 50 on the way to his triple-hundred at The Oval and before he had reached 10 at Lord’s; Alviro Petersen was dropped before he had reached 30 in his 182 at Leeds. Had such chances been taken, England’s ugly bowling averages may be a good deal prettier.”We had our chances,” Flower said. “At Lord’s we dropped two crucial catches. They’ve caught well in the slip area but I think their bowling attack was a little bit more incisive than ours. I don’t think that’s unfair on our bowlers to say that.”Their batsmen cashed in and got the big, match-turning innings. Yes, with the assistance of a dropped catch here and there from us. But in the main they deserved to win. We haven’t grasped the opportunities that came our way. And, against a good, hardened, experienced side like South Africa, you’ll suffer the consequences of that.”England are taking steps to improve the bowling. Stuart Broad has been omitted from the ODI series against South Africa not just for rest but to undergo some strength and conditioning work, which England hope will enable him to recover his nip. “We don’t often get windows with the guys that play all three forms of the game to do conditioning work,” Flower said. “Broad, we believe, needs a rest; or a combination of rest and strength work.”Tim Bresnan, James Anderson and, at Leeds anyway, Steven Finn also appeared somewhat jaded. In the longer term, it may be that England need to accept that the burden they have placed on their players – an international schedule that offers little time for mental or physical recovery – is the biggest obstacle to consistently performing at their best.Flower also suggested a decision on Andrew Strauss’ future as England captain will be left to the man himself.”Andrew is a bit drained,” Flower said. “It’s been a hard series for him. Obviously he’s been a superb leader for us, but he would have wanted to score more runs and that has a wearing effect. And then these peripheral issues have taken a lot of his energy and his enjoyment out of the last few weeks.”I think he’s done the right thing to get away for a few days with his family so he can recuperate. He’s a strong bloke and he’ll come back feeling very strong.”England’s attempt to regain the No. 1 ranking will begin with a four-Test series in India, where their record is not promising. The team is set to be weakened not only by the absence of Kevin Pietersen but also by the departure of players at various parts of the tour on paternity leave. Flower hopes, however, that the lessons learned in the UAE and the emergence of several promising young players can help England recover lost ground.”We will definitely be plotting our challenge,” Flower said. “We want to get back there. We’ve got a tough outing first up in India, but that’ll be exciting. It’ll be exciting to see if we’ve actually embedded some of the lessons we’ve learned in the UAE, because no doubt we’ll be playing on spinning pitches.”Jonny Bairstow handled the situation well. The skill, timing and courage he showed was outstanding. James Taylor has handled himself calmly as well. We’ll make our decisions based on what is best for the England side and not be scared to do so.”

Durham breach salary cap

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Durham will start next season with point deductions in all three competitions after breaching the salary cap in English domestic cricket.

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2012Durham will start next season with point deductions in all three competitions after breaching the salary cap in English domestic cricket.Counties are not allowed to pay their staff more than £1.8million in total and Durham exceeded this level, although by less than 2%. The result, apart from a £2500 fine, is a 2.5 point deduction in the Championship and a quarter of a point in both the CB40 and Friends Life t20.Durham notified the ECB as soon as they were aware of the issue and their co-operation throughout was taken into account in the final judgement.”The tribunal concluded that the sanctions in accordance with the regulations should reflect the fact that it was Durham who notified the ECB of the breach and Durham had co-operated fully and openly,” an ECB statement said.”Durham had admitted a category one breach of the regulations which state that a county should not pay its players in total more than £1.8 million a year. A category one breach is the lowest of the five categories of breach under the team salary payment regulations which apply to all 18 first-class counties and were introduced by ECB in 2010.”In a separate statement, Durham said: “In its submission to the ECB Durham explained the difficulties faced by counties who wish to remain competitive in all competitions and produce players for England.”In particular the lack of certainty relating to players in the England system means that it is impossible to have absolute certainty around the final salary bill.”

Hartley hundred keeps Bulls on top

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A century from Chris Hartley put Queensland on the path towards victory on the third day against South Australia in Brisbane, where Phillip Hughes was again carrying the batting load for the Redbacks

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2012
ScorecardChris Hartley scored his seventh first-class hundred•Getty Images

A century from Chris Hartley put Queensland on the path towards victory on the third day against South Australia in Brisbane, where Phillip Hughes was again carrying the batting load for the Redbacks. At stumps, South Australia were 2 for 111 in their chase of 463, with Hughes unbeaten on 58 and Callum Ferguson on 31, and they needed something special to avoid opening their season with a defeat.The Bulls had removed Michael Klinger for 6 and Tom Cooper for 11 after Queensland declared at 8 for 248, a total made possible by Hartley’s seventh first-class hundred. His innings was especially impressive given that he came to the crease at 5 for 64, although by that stage Queensland already had a commanding lead, having declined the option of enforcing the follow-on.Hartley finished unbeaten on 103 from 107 balls, supported in the later stages by the first-innings centurion Ben Cutting, who made 33. Chadd Sayers and Joe Mennie picked up three wickets each but it was another day that the South Australians would prefer to forget, after they began the morning by losing their last three wickets for 20 runs.Hughes had started the day on 95 not out but didn’t add to his score and was caught at slip off the bowling of James Hopes from the first over of the day. Hopes finished with 5 for 27 from his 20 overs.

Dinda to cover for injured Yadav

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Ashok Dinda, the Bengal fast bowler, has been asked to join India’s squad in Mumbai as cover for fast bowler Umesh Yadav ahead of the second Test against England

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2012Ashok Dinda, the Bengal fast bowler, has been asked to join India’s squad in Mumbai as cover for the fast bowler Umesh Yadav ahead of the second Test against England, which starts at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.Yadav did not take the field during India’s practice session on Wednesday due to a lower back injury. Though the team management remained tight-lipped, a BCCI insider confirmed that Dinda is being flown in to Mumbai since there were “doubts over Yadav’s availability” for the second Test. Dinda was called as cover in the first Test as well, for Ishant Sharma.Yadav was the most successful fast bowler in the opening Test in Ahmedabad and had supported the spinners by picking up four wickets during India’s nine-wicket victory. MS Dhoni, the India captain, was particularly impressed with the pace and reverse-swing Yadav generated on a surface that the England pacemen struggled to draw any assistance from.Dinda is expected to join the squad ahead of Thursday morning’s session. The 28-year-old who made the last of his 15 international appearances – 10 ODIs and five Twenty20 internationals – against England during the World Twenty20 in September has been in the reckoning for a Test spot for a while now. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the last year’s Ranji Trophy, picking 37 wickets in six games at 20.64.

Mortaza out for three weeks

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Mashrafe Mortaza has been sidelined for the next three weeks, Mushfiqur Rahim has confirmed

Mohammad Isam09-Dec-2012Mashrafe Mortaza has been sidelined for the next three weeks, Mushfiqur Rahim has confirmed. Mortaza missed the fifth ODI with a thigh strain which has put him at risk for the one-off Twenty20 against West Indies on Monday.”Mashrafe bhai’s situation is very risky and we will lose him for a long time if we ask him to play again in this series,” Mushfiqur said. “We want to give him a break, but I am sure he will recover within the next 2-3 weeks. He will get better.”Mashrafe, apparently, played with this injury in the third and fourth ODIs as well, which aggravated the strain. It forced the team to make a last-minute switch by including Shafiul Islam as the only pace bowler in the Bangladesh attack.Mortaza has undergone ten surgeries on both knees in his 11-year international career. “I don’t think he’s a human being. He played the last two matches with pain and I don’t think anyone else could have done what he’s done. Hats off to him,” said Mushfiqur.He made his last major comeback in March to play the Asia Cup, after he broke down with a knee injury a month before the 2011 World Cup. At the time of return, Mashrafe had said he would only be available for limited-overs cricket.He was named in the Twenty20 side for the one-off game against West Indies.

Domingo appointed South Africa T20 coach

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Russell Domingo, South Africa’s assistant coach, has been promoted to the role of head coach for the national Twenty20 side

Firdose Moonda07-Dec-2012Russell Domingo, South Africa’s assistant coach, has been promoted to the role of head coach for the national Twenty20 side. In a managerial split similar to England’s, Gary Kirsten will retain overall accountability of all squads but Domingo will take some of the burden off him in the shortest format.His rein begins in little over two weeks when South Africa host New Zealand for three T20s, starting on December 21. The three-match series also includes the Boxing Day T20, which replaced the traditional Test this year. South Africa will also play two T20s against Pakistan in March 2013.”I believe this decision is a positive move to creating a more sustainable and balanced coaching approach,” Kirsten said. “It’s common best-practice around the world, and we feel it will give us the platform to spread our coaching resources efficiently.”Domingo was appointed at the same time as Kirsten and bowling coach Allan Donald in June last year. At the time, Kirsten had made his intention clear to delegate responsibility, especially because his wife was expecting their third child and he wanted to spend sufficient time with his young family.Before any drastic changes could take place though, Kirsten’s immediate priorities were to oversee South Africa’s rise to No.1 in the Test rankings and aim for ICC T20 glory. He only managed one of those goals as South Africa claimed and retained the mace in England and Australia but faltered at the World T20 in Sri Lanka, where they did not make it out of the second round.Now, there is a suggestion that South Africa will look to completely overhaul the T20 set-up, starting by putting Domingo in charge. “He fully understands the team culture and will be able to build that culture with the new crop of T20 players we will be blooding this season,” Kirsten said of Domingo.South Africa threw all the resources into capturing the ICC silverware, even recalling stalwart allrounder Jacques Kallis for the tournament in Sri Lanka. But having failed in that quest again, they are planning ahead for the 2014 edition of the tournament.A significant number of promising players could expect to be injected into the T20 side this summer as a new-look squad is created. These may include allrounder Chris Morris, left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso and Titans captain and opening batsman Henry Davids.Domingo, who managed the Warriors franchise before his national appointment, has intricate knowledge of players on the South African domestic circuit from that experience. Notably, he was also in charge when Warriors won their first trophies of the franchise system: T20 and one-day cups in the 2009-10 season.Warriors qualified for the Champions League T20 in 2010 and under Domingo reached the final at home. While Kirsten already knew of Domingo’s coaching calibre from back when Domingo employed Kirsten as a consultant, those results also influenced Domingo’s ascendance to the international stage.”Coaching at the highest level has always been a goal of mine and I’m looking forward to building on the foundation we have set for this format,” Domingo said.Kirsten will remain involved in selection and strategic planning of the T20 squad but Domingo will be involved in the day-to-day activities. This will also give Kirsten more time off to accommodate his family responsibilities. Kirsten remains in charge of the one-day squad though, with an eye on the 2015 World Cup.

Stars overcome Gayle blitz to reach semis

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It took eight rounds across 31 days for Chris Gayle to deliver and yet, incredibly, Sydney Thunder lost again to gift the Melbourne Stars a semi-final berth

The Report by Alex Malcolm08-Jan-2013
ScorecardChris Gayle hit the fastest fifty of the BBL, off 25 balls•Getty Images

It took eight rounds across 31 days for Chris Gayle to deliver and yet, incredibly, Sydney Thunder lost again to gift the Melbourne Stars a semi-final berth. The Stars’ tournament chances had seemingly slipped after setting what appeared an underwhelming target of 146 for Thunder to chase.When Gayle lit up the MCG with the fastest fifty of the BBL, off just 25 balls, Thunder’s 12-match losing streak looked to be dead and buried along with the Stars’ season. The Sydney franchise had not won since Gayle was last the Man of the Match, for a 54-ball century in December 2011 against Adelaide Strikers at the ANZ Stadium.Gayle hurtled towards three figures here as he displayed his brutal power. He thumped Jackson Bird over the sightscreen in the second over, showing utter disdain for Bird’s Test match form.
Gayle then clubbed 19 runs from John Hastings’ first over, including a flat-bat down the ground, a ramp over third man, a conventional cut to point, and a contemptuous slap that cleared the longest boundary on the ground at midwicket.He had some luck, with Cameron White failing to lay a hand on a towering sky ball, and it seemed then that the prize scalp of Gayle and a semi-final berth might have escaped the Stars’ grasp. Gayle scored 50 of the 59 runs that came in the Powerplay, with Simon Keen the only wicket to fall.Matt Prior played a slow hand by comparison to Gayle. His 16-ball 7 ended when he holed out to a superb running catch at long-on by Bird. But it brought the in-form Usman Khawaja to the crease and the chase seemed a fait accompli. Thunder needed 55 from 48 balls with Gayle and Khawaja in complete command before Gayle tried to clear the rope for a fifth time, only to be caught by Glenn Maxwell for 65.Khawaja inexplicably sliced Bird to Brad Hodge at deep point the following over and what seemed impossible at the start of the 13th over suddenly appeared inevitable.Thunder conspired to lose their last eight wickets for just 41 runs to be bowled out 13 short of their target and consign themselves to a winless season and a 13th straight loss as a franchise. All the Stars bowlers were gifted at least a wicket each. James Faulkner bagged three and Dimitri Mascarenhas picked up two in his first game for the Stars as a replacement for Lasith Malinga.Earlier, Stars looked to have blown a golden chance to make the semi-finals when they compiled only 8 for 145 having elected to bat.Luke Wright ran himself out early. Rob Quiney appeared to have found some much needed touch only for his promising innings of 22 to end when he hit Sean Abbott straight up in the air and was caught by Khawaja.Brad Hodge and David Hussey were left to mount a rescue mission, as they have done so often on this ground together. Hodge again showed his class making 39 from just 26 balls before he played around a full delivery from Dirk Nannes. Hussey did as a Hussey so often does, compiling a busy 32 that featured only one boundary.But the innings fell away badly from there. The Stars managed just 18 runs from the last 25 balls, and lost four wickets in the process. Fortunately for the Stars, Thunder’s finish was even more calamitous and Shane Warne will get another chance to captain his side having been forced to watch tonight from the confines of the change rooms due to his suspension.

South Africa expect 'grafting' pitch

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South Africa expect to have to put in more work with the bat than they have done in the home season so far in the second Test against Pakistan in Cape Town

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town12-Feb-2013South Africa expect to have to put in more work with the bat than they have done in the home season so far in the second Test against Pakistan in Cape Town. Hot weather in the build-up to the match has left the surface dry and set up what Allan Donald called a “grafting wicket,” for what could turn out to be the bowlers’ first challenge of the summer.None of the three Tests played so far have gone the distance largely because South Africa’s attack has cleaned up opposition cheaply. This time though, they may not have conditions to facilitate that.”It’s not quite a 49 all out pitch,” Alviro Petersen, South Africa’s opening batsman said after examining the Newlands strip. Although there was rain in the city over the weekend and some is expected on Wednesday, neither Donald nor Petersen thinks the nature of the pitch will change too much and both expect a “good Test wicket,” that will provide a more balanced contest.Pakistan will benefit from that. “If there is one ground where they can bounce back its Newlands,” Petersen said. Not only will it be gentler in terms of pace and bounce, it is the surface most likely to provide something for the spinners although South Africa are mindful to keep that to a minimum. “We don’t want to bring their spinners into it at all,” Donald said.What it means for South Africa is that more responsibility will fall on the batting line-up than at any other time in the home season. They showed they were ready to front up in the first Test when Graeme Smith chose to bat in tricky circumstances at the Wanderers with a lot of swing on offer.Their total of 253 appeared below-par and probably was until the bowlers inflated it by dismissing Pakistan 49. “Our bowlers deserve all the praise they are getting because they have often got us of tight situations,” Petersen said. “So often, we have a second innings lead and then we can approach batting differently.” More aggressively, in other words.South Africa’s recent Test victories have been achieved that way. Because their bowling gives them an advantage, they have been able to bat sides out of the match. At Newlands, Petersen believes they may have to rein that in and he is confident they will be able to. “We’ve learnt to defend at the right time and attack at the right times. But you have to be able to adjust game plans,” Petersen said.To prepare, Petersen played for Lions in their final first-class match of the summer against Warriors in Port Elizabeth. He had the dual purpose of helping the franchise contend for the title and getting match time against an attack similar to Pakistan’s.Like the tourists, Warriors have a left-armer in Wayne Parnell, and a wicket-taking offspinner. Simon Harmer is no Saeed Ajmal but he is the spinner who has claimed the most scalps this season. Andrew Birch, the Warriors medium-pacer, is also among the leading bowlers in the first-class competition so Petersen feels he got in valuable practice.Petersen was the only Test batsman to feature in the final round of first-class matches but said the rest had been preparing in their own ways. “We don’t want to get into a casual mode,” Petersen explained.While the batsmen prepare for a sterner examination of technique, the bowlers, with the knowledge that harder work awaits them, are being monitored by Donald to ensure they are at their peak. “It’s important to keep in check with their attitude every day and that’s what we do,” he said. “They’ve got their feet on the ground, they are humble and they know their games inside out.”Donald maintained that the current crop is “without a doubt the best I have seen,” but did not get carried away with that admission. He acknowledged their habit of taking wickets off no-balls – which happened twice in the first Test – is “unacceptable,” and stressed that they will aim to “stick to the high standards we set for ourselves,” at Newlands. With or without assistance, the quicks are guaranteeing they will not let up.

Bangladesh pick Mominul for Sri Lanka Tests

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Batsman Mominul Haque has been picked in Bangladesh’s Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam24-Feb-2013Left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr has returned to the Bangladesh Test squad after more than three years following his selection in the 15-man squad to tour Sri Lanka next month. Seamer Robiul Islam and batsman Jahurul Islam have also been recalled, while Mominul Haque has made it to the Test squad for the first time.The major name that is missing is Shakib Al Hasan, out injured and about to undergo surgery to correct a shin injury. Elias Sunny was not included while Junaid Siddique and Nazimuddin were not in the 25-man preliminary squad, which was announced on February 18.Enamul and Mominul have been taken to replace Shakib, according to chief selector Akram Khan who opted for prior international experience when replacing the allrounder.Enamul has taken 105 first-class wickets in the last two seasons, the highest in the National Cricket League this season. His last Test appearance was in a Bangladesh win, and where he took six wickets. But he made way for a three-man pace attack against India thereafter, though he was in the Test squad, and indifferent ODI form had him excluded for the next three years. This time he was picked ahead of Mosharraf Hossain and Saqlain Sajib, left-arm spinners who have also done well this season.In the case of Mominul, it was his recent ODI experience against West Indies which won him a place for a possible middle-order spot. He pushed aside Marshall Ayub, the season’s most prolific batsman in first-class cricket, Akram saying it was a “50-50 call”.”This was a tough selection, because we had to pick two players to replace Shakib,” Akram said. “Enamul won the left-arm spinner’s position ahead of Mosharraf Hossain and Saqlain Sajib. He is in form and has Test experience. Mominul was also a tough call but we need a left-hander in the middle order, so Marshall Ayub, despite his two double-hundreds, misses out.””I have spoken to Marshall on the phone, told him why he wasn’t taken this time. But the door is still open for him, he should continue to perform as he has been. It is unfortunate that we had to leave him out.”Jahurul returns to the squad after playing three Tests in 2010, but he has played ODI cricket recently. Both he and Robiul have been kept as additional options, although the former has a good chance for a place in the top order, said Akram. “He [Jahurul] could be one of the top three with Tamim [Iqbal] and [Shahriar] Nafees.”Robiul has trained in the National Cricket Academy during the BPL and he has played in the BCL. But we are not sure about Shafiul Islam, and in general we are facing a challenge to form a pace attack,” he said.The two-Test series in Sri Lanka will be Mushfiqur Rahim’s first away Tests as captain after he took over in October, 2011. He will lead the middle order, which will include Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain while it is now likely that Anamul and Jahurul will battle for the position of the other opener with Tamim Iqbal. Shahriar Nafees’ BPL performance saved him a place in the squad after an indifferent showing in the Tests against West Indies.Offspinner Sohag Gazi is also going to be a part of the first overseas Test series, and will be an automatic choice after an impressive start to his career late last year, but the pace attack will have to be assembled in Sri Lanka as only Rubel Hossain looks like a first-choice.Bangladesh will begin the series with a three-day match against Sri Lanka Development Emerging Team at Matara from March 3 to 5, before the Test series, which begins in Galle on March 8. The second Test will be played in Colombo from March 16.Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Mahmudullah (vice-capt), Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Anamul Haque, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Abul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Enamul Haque, Jahurul Islam, Mominul Haque, Shahadat Hossain, Robiul Islam.