Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United can beat any team as he claimed they could have won at Arsenal and Liverpool.
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Australia will have to make do without Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins as they seek to level the series against a confident England at the Gabba
The Preview by Alan Gardner18-Jan-2018Big PictureWith the ease of a Jason Roy whip to midwicket, England cast off their indifferent Ashes form to demolish Australia in the first ODI in Melbourne. Roy’s record-breaking performance, and England’s first win over the hosts since arriving at the start of November, has instantly given a harder edge to what was otherwise shaping as another context-free bilateral bunfight.Steven Smith’s subsequent admission that England currently lead the way in a format they have traditionally accorded second-class status was noteworthy largely for its candour. Australia are the World Cup holders but, on recent form, not among the leading pack when it comes to contesting the trophy in England next year. The ease with which their total of 304 for 8 was reeled in on Sunday was indicative of both their shortcomings with the bat and the efficacy of England’s ultra-aggressive approach.The obvious imperative for Australia to raise their tempo, conceded by David Warner, was then met with a stony response from Jonny Bairstow: “They can go out and copy what we do but it might not work for them … So just saying ‘oh we’re going to try and do that’, that’s something that we’ve been working on for the last 18 months.”To further complicate matter for Smith, a sickness bug has affected the Australia camp, with Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the Gabba ODI and wicketkeeper Tim Paine also struggling; the uncapped Alex Carey has been called up as cover. With Pat Cummins also being rested for this match, Jhye Richardson could be handed a debut.While the vexed matter of Ben Stokes’ winter itinerary continues to preoccupy England, the one-day team is confident enough to strut their stuff without him. Australia were among the nations they were seeking to emulate when they began their 50-over overhaul in 2015; now they are hoping to show there is a distance between the sides.Joe Root and Jason Roy put on a double-century stand•Associated PressForm guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LLWLL
England WWWWWIn the spotlightAn innocuous debut against England in 2015, in which he scored 4 batting at No. 8 and bowled fourth change, little hinted at what Marcus Stoinis is capable of. In eight ODI innings since then, he has only once been dismissed for less than 42, although his display of controlled aggression in the latter overs at the MCG was not enough to lift Australia up to a par score against a turbo-charged opponent. Still, in a one-day middle order that looks to be in flux, Stoinis perhaps offers a glimpse of Australia’s future.Eoin Morgan is set to captain England in ODIs for a record 70th time and has long since got used to the extra scrutiny that comes his way. He has become a feast-or-famine batsman and, after a productive first half of 2017 in which he scored three hundreds and three fifties in 15 innings up to the semi-final of the Champions Trophy, appears to be flirting with another dip: a lean series against West Indies followed by dismissal for 1 as England looked to finish off their chase in Melbourne. In his favour is the fact no England batsman has scored more ODI runs against Australia.Teams newsHazlewood’s illness and the absence of Cummins means Australia only have 13 fit players, including Carey, to select from. Richardson has played just eight List A games but is capable of pushing the speed gun above 145kph and has international experience, having made his T20 debut last year after impressing in the Big Bash.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Travis Head, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Tim Paine/Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Jhye Richardson, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 AJ TyeEngland have little reason to change the XI from Melbourne, although David Willey or Tom Curran could come into contention if they wanted to add to their bowling options.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Mark WoodPitch and conditionsWarner indicated that Australia were hoping for a surface more suited to their skills in Brisbane, after the “uneven”, grassy offering served up at the MCG. Pace and true bounce are only likely to aid England’s ball-strikers, although over the last five years, the Gabba has actually been the slowest-scoring of Australia’s main grounds. The forecast for Friday is hot and humid, without interruption.Stats and trivia Morgan is set to surpass Alastair Cook as the man to have captained England the most times in ODIs. He also needs 35 runs to overtake Paul Collingwood – currently a member of the coaching staff – as England’s second-highest run-scorer. Australia have only lost once to England in seven ODIs at the Gabba – chasing a revised target in 1999. Four years ago, they won thanks to a last-wicket partnership of 57 between James Faulkner and Clint McKay, of which McKay scored 2. Travis Head is 61 runs short of 1000 in one-day internationals. Liam Plunkett needs one more wicket for 100 in ODIs; Chris Woakes is four shy of the same landmark.Quotes”We’ve seen it all through the summer from both sides, there’s been quite a lot of illness, which is strange … but the guys that are there to come in and potentially take their spot if they need are in great form as well.”
Aaron Finch believes Australia have the strength in depth to cope with absences“I have been asked to open the batting in six games and I have scored two hundreds in those games. It is going to take a bit of time to completely know and understand [opening] but I have been really pleased with how I have started in the role.”
Tom Westley has been ruled out of action for 12 weeks after undergoing finger surgery in Leeds
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2017
Tom Westley focuses during training•Getty Images
Tom Westley has been ruled out of action for 12 weeks after undergoing finger surgery in Leeds.Westley, who made his England Test debut in the summer but was overlooked for the Ashes tour, sustained the injury while fielding for England Lions against a Queensland Select in Brisbane last week.He will now be out of action until at least March, ruling him out of the Lions’ tour of West Indies that gets underway in early 2018.The remainder of the Lions squad are currently in Perth, at the Western Australia Cricket Association’s facilities at Murdoch University, for the second part of their training camp, with the focus switching to white-ball cricket.They play a 50-over match against a WA selection on Wednesday, followed by a T20 game the following day.Then they play three T20 matches against Perth Scorchers, as part of the hosts’ preparations for the Big Bash on December 11, 13 and 15 – the first two of which will be the first cricket fixtures played at the new 55,000-capacity Perth Stadium, where the senior England team are due to play an ODI next January.
Group C round-up: Smit Patel and Yashpal Singh narrowly miss out on hundreds; Baroda fall, rise and fall again
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2017Naman Ojha was left to wait until Sunday to get his 21st first-class century, but his unbeaten 99 helped Madhya Pradesh recover from early hiccups and finish on 250 for 5 against Mumbai in Indore. Ojha, who walked in to bat with MP tottering on 15 for 2, strung together an unbeaten century stand with Ankit Sharma, who finished on 63 not out. Debutant pacer Akash Parkar picked up two wickets for Mumbai.Unlike Ojha, Tripura’s Smit Patel and Yashpal Singh won’t walk out on Sunday with a shot at a hundred as both narrowly missed the mark against Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Smit and Yashpal rescued Tripura from 41 for 3 by adding 162 for the fourth wicket that took them past 200. But they collapsed thereafter to lose four wickets for 41 runs and finish on 244 for 7.It began with Smit’s dismissal for 99 when he was caught off the offspinner Washington Sundar. Yashpal hung around for another 13 overs, but Tripura clawed, collecting just 29 runs in that time. Yashpal’s vigil ended when he was stumped off India offspinner R Ashwin for 96. Tamil Nadu bowled well collectively, with five of their six bowlers picking up at least a wicket.Kedar Devdhar and Vishnu Solanki’s third-wicket partnership of 134 lifted Baroda from 43 for 2, but they again slid after the partnership was broken to finish on 247 for 7 against Andhra in Vadodara. Devdhar struck 11 fours en route to 93 before his dismissal at the hands of medium pacer Karthik Raman ended the partnership. Solanki, despite grinding it out for 146 balls for his 61, struck four fours and three sixes. Andhra’s bowlers hunted in a pack, and B Ayyappa led them with 3 for 46. Andhra wicketkeeper KS Bharat had a productive day behind the stumps, netting four catches.
Hardus Viljoen took the first eight wickets to give Derbyshire a rare victory and leave Sussex’s outside hopes of promotion in tatters
ECB Reporters Network15-Sep-2017A magnificent display of fast bowling by burly South African Hardus Viljoen inspired Derbyshire to only their second championship victory of the season against Sussex at Hove.Viloen took the first eight wickets to have a chance of all-10 before Harry Podmore nipped in for the last two to complete Derbyshire’s win and end Sussex’s promotion hopes in the processViljoen, 28, followed up his first innings return of seven for 80 to take 8 for 90 to finish with career best match figures of 15 for 170 as Sussex, bowled out for 344, were beaten by 45 runs. It was the fifth best match return by a Derbyshire bowler.This was the fifth time Viljoen had taken ten or more wickets in an match – but it’s the first time he has achieved it for Derbyshire, who must regret that he has been injured for most of the season.At the start of the day it looked as though Derbyshire had been stingy with their declaration. By declaring their innings closed at their overnight score of 322 for 8 they set Sussex a formidable 390 for victory.But Sussex had to go for the win to keep their promotion hopes alive. And Derbyshire knew that that would give them their best chance of victory.Viljoen, who is a genuine fast bowler, started his demolition job in his second over of the day, when he had Angus Robson caught at third slip. The fielder, Matt Critchley, took the ball with his hands high above his head.But by lunchtime Sussex had put themselves in with a chance of pulling off a stunning victory. They were 110 for 1, and needed another 280.Luke Wells and Stiaan van Zyl had set the platform for an unlikely win by the home side, van Zyl bringing up the 100 partnership just before lunch when he straight drove Luis Reece for four.After the break, Wells hit Viljoen for three successive fours but was then lbw looking for a fourth. And when Chris Nash was caught in the slips for just nine in Viljoen’s next over Sussex were 147 for 3 and Derbyshire were back in the match.But the match turned towards Sussex once again as even Viljoen struggled against van Zyl and the more pugnacious Luke Wright as the pair put on 120 for the fourth wicket. At tea, when Sussex were 236 for 3, needing another 154 from 36 overs, they were clear favourites to win the match.But then Viljoen turned the game towards Derbyshire once again. He had van Zyl caught at third man for 85 and then dismissed the Sussex captain Ben Brown, caught at slip. Then, when he plucked out Wright’s middle stump for 80 with a yorker Sussex were struggling at 276 for 6.Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer continued to encourage the Sussex supporters with a seventh wicket stand of 31. But then Viljoen took out Robinson’s off stump for 15 before having Archer caught at slip for 25.Podmore finished the job for Derbyshire with the final two wickets, thanks to fine catches by Hamidullah Qadri and Ben Slater. But Viljoen was the great hero of the day.
Luis Reece left his mark on his former county with a T20 best unbeaten 97 from 55 balls as Derbyshire beat Lancashire by 35 runs in the NatWest Blast game at Derby
ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Luis Reece made his best score in T20 of 97 not out•Getty Images
Luis Reece left his mark on his former county with a T20 best unbeaten 97 from 55 balls as Derbyshire beat Lancashire by 35 runs in the NatWest Blast game at Derby.Reece hit 10 fours and four sixes and with Daryn Smit who made 42 from 20 balls added 77 in seven overs to take Derbyshire to an imposing 211 for 5. Liam Livingstone threatened to chase that down by smashing five sixes in an 18-ball 44 and Karl Brown made 41 but the Derbyshire bowlers hit back to end a run of two defeats in the North Group as Lancashire finished well short on 176 for 9.The visitors had elected to bowl first but Reece struck the ball cleanly from the start, driving Ryan McLaren straight for six and pulling him for four as 59 came from the first five overs.Reece dispatched Jordan Clark over the midwicket boundary and drove Matt Parkinson for a third six before Stephen Parry removed the dangerous Wayne Madsen who missed a reverse sweep in the ninth over.Derbyshire were well placed at 103 for 3 at the halfway point of the innings and although Gary Wilson was stumped charging at Parry, Reece drove Parkinson for his fourth six after reaching 50 from 26 balls. Arron Lilley also had Alex Hughes stumped in the 14th over but Lancashire’s bowlers could not exert any sustained pressure and Smit joined Reece to take Derbyshire past 200.Both batsmen improvised well with Smit plundering three consecutive fours from Junaid Khan as 62 came from the last six overs to leave Lancashire facing a tough chase under the lights.Livingstone moved into overdrive from the off, pulling and cutting Matt Henry for three sixes and two fours in the second over which cost 26 and he clubbed Hardus Viljoen over the ropes at midwicket from the last ball of the third.Imran Tahir was driven for a fifth six but Madsen’s offspin ended the onslaught when Livingstone skied a drive to long on where Hughes took a well judged catch. Brown picked up the baton by pulling Madsen and Tahir for sixes before he played on to Matt Critchley and the legspinner Derbyshire hopes soaring in his next over when Jos Butler failed to clear long off.Dane Vilas was run out when he was stranded at the same end as Lilley who kept Lancashire believing by driving Tahir for six but after Steven Croft drilled the South African high over the long-off boundary, Henry returned to york him.When Lilley drove Ben Cotton to cover in the next over, Lancashire were fading fast and Derbyshire comfortably closed out the game.
Bangladesh were “nowhere near their best,” said Shakib Al Hasan, as they succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of India in the Champions Trophy semi-final at Edgbaston.They were progressing well at 154 for 2 with Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal well set with more than 20 overs left. But the introduction of Kedar Jadhav’s part-time offspin created “panic” in the batsmen who, in Shakib’s words, “played some silly shots” to be knocked over for 264.Shakib dismissed the idea that inexperience was to blame, pointing out that the players Jadhav dismissed were among the most seasoned in the Bangladesh side.”The way we performed today was very disappointing,” Shakib said. “We were in a good position to get 320 or 330. The batsmen were looking good to make individual hundreds and get us to 320.”But India bowled a few dot balls. And because it was a part-time bowler, the batsmen tried to score more runs and in doing that, they lost wickets. Losing two wickets to an occasional bowler obviously didn’t help. And from there on they kept on bowling in good areas and that put us under a lot of pressure.”We have played enough games to know these things happen. We are all experienced people. Bowlers bowl good balls and sometimes you can’t score runs. It doesn’t mean you panic and play big shots and get out. We played some silly shots. And on this wicket, a score of 260 or 270 is not even par.”In that situation, it was important for them to bat another five or 10 overs, like the way I did with Mahmudullah against New Zealand. If they could have batted until the 40th over, both would have scored their hundreds and we might have made 330 or 340.”That was the game-changing period. It is disappointing. Playing in a semi-final is a big thing for us but we were nowhere near our best.”Shakib wasn’t overly impressed with Bangladesh’s performance in the field, either. While he accepted the batsman had made life “very hard” for the bowlers with an inadequate total, he was disappointed by their response.”We have a solid bowling line-up,” he said. “But there isn’t much help for the bowlers on these wickets unless you are a super quality bowler. Most of our bowlers need a little bit of help from the wicket, but we haven’t been getting any. I haven’t taken any wickets in the tournament.”With our total and that wicket, we knew it was very hard for our bowlers. But still I think we were nowhere near our best in our bowling and fielding.”Shakib insisted there were no divisions in the squad, though, and suggested that the team would learn from the experience.”It’s a group,” he said. “It’s nothing individual. We play as a team, we win as a team and we lose as a team.”Now we have time to regroup and come back strongly. We’ve come a long way and from here we can only go forward. We will have a good break and think how we can move forward.”
While clarifying a previous statement which left open the possibility that he could extend his career if the team needs him, Younis said he would retire even if he “scores a hundred in every innings of every match against West Indies”
Umar Farooq23-Apr-2017
Younis Khan urged fans not to doubt his credibility•AFP
Pakistan batsman Younis Khan remains firm about his intent to retire from international cricket at the end of the ongoing three-Test series against West Indies. In a clarification of a previous statement which left open the possibility that he could extend his career if his team needs him, Younis said that he will retire even if he scores “a hundred in every innings of every match against West Indies”.Younis’ statement around the possibility of reconsidering his retirement raised a number of eyebrows in Pakistan, a country familiar with difficult and prolonged retirements; only two weeks ago he had announced his decision to end his career.”A lot has been said about my retirement from cricket that maybe Younis wants to keep on playing Test cricket which is absolutely not true,” Younis said in a video message released on the second day of the first Test in Kingston. “I had announced my retirement with a plan, with honour after thinking and according to my wish.”The question that was asked to me, what my answer was and what version went out, I don’t want to go in detail. Younis Khan will retire even if he scores a hundred in every innings of every match against West Indies. Please don’t doubt Younis Khan’s credibility and support Pakistan. Pray for Younis Khan and for Pakistan that we can win a Test series for the very first time in West Indies.”
Younis sets the record straight on retirement
Posted by ESPNcricinfo on Saturday, April 22, 2017
Younis, 39, had announced his decision to retire from international cricket on April 8. At the time, when asked if he would reconsider his decision if asked to return by the PCB or fans, he said: “This will be a u-turn and then people will call me u-turn. But the country is always first and we can do anything for Pakistan. I am not saying that I want to captain but I don’t want to make a u-turn. I am for Pakistan and Pakistan is everything for me.”His retirements from T20 internationals and ODIs have not been without some drama. In 2009, he announced his intent to retire from T20 internationals moments after leading the side to the World T20 title. But a year later, he played three T20I matches in New Zealand, after which he was never selected for the format.He announced his retirement from ODIs on the morning of the start of a four-ODI series against England in the UAE in November 2015 and walked away after playing the first match. He had been recalled to the side after losing his place following a disappointing performance in the 2015 World Cup, and had been vocal in his criticism of the selectors in the wake of his axing.With Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq set to retire at the end of the series, Pakistan’s selection committee is looking to induct youngsters in the side with the intention of building a new team after the exits of the senior batsmen. The team’s next assignment is a series against Bangladesh and Pakistan’s chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq was known to be keen to move on beyond Misbah and Younis after the Caribbean tour
ESPNcricinfo’s wrap of the first day of the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and New South Wales in Perth
ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2017ScorecardFile photo – Cameron Bancroft scored 104 for Western Australia•Getty Images
Cameron Bancroft scored his second century of the Sheffield Shield season as Western Australia piled on the runs on the first day of their match against New South Wales at the WACA. The Warriors began this round fifth on the Shield table but could still reach the final if they win outright and other results fall their way, while the Blues entered the game sitting second.Western Australia’s top order made plenty of runs between them. Hilton Cartwright at No.3 scored 70 before he was caught behind off Doug Bollinger, which then left Bancroft and Ashton Turner to put on 139 for the third wicket.Turner missed out on the chance to bring up his third hundred of the Shield summer when he fell to the spin of William Somerville for 84, but by that stage Bancroft had already brought up his and fallen for 104. The retiring Adam Voges finished unbeaten on 48 with wicketkeeper Josh Inglis on 35 as the Warriors moved to 5 for 360.
Rain brought day two to an early end after three wickets in two overs from Shakib Al Hasan had left the second Test delicately poised
The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy21-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:33
Isam: New Zealand are under fire
Rain brought day two to an early end after three wickets in two overs from Shakib Al Hasan had left the second Test delicately poised. Replying to Bangladesh’s 289, New Zealand had slid from 252 for 4 to 260 for 7 when bad weather arrived some 20 minutes from scheduled close of play, ending a seesawing day in which New Zealand had routinely held the upper hand only for quick losses of wickets to stall their progress.Taylor climbs up the table
3 New Zealand batsmen with 6000 or more Test runs. Ross Taylor got there in this match and only Stephen Fleming (7172) and Brendon McCullum (6453) sit above him on the list.
6 Fifty-plus scores for Tom Latham in his last seven Tests. No other New Zealand player has made more than four such scores in the same number of successive matches.
3/32 Shakib Al Hasan’s figures, his best across four Tests in New Zealand. This was his maiden three-wicket haul in the country, having picked up only five wickets in previous matches. All three wickets came in the space of nine balls after he was used for only four overs in the first 66 of the innings.
2 Fifties for Henry Nicholls in this series; equaling the number of fifties he had made in nine Tests and 14 innings previously.
First, New Zealand had capitalised on two dropped catches and moved to 46 for 0 before Kamrul Islam Rabbi pegged them back with two wickets in three balls. Then a 106-run third-wicket partnership between Tom Latham and Ross Taylor, which rattled along at 4.41 per over, put Bangladesh on the back foot only for both to fall, against the run of play, in the space of 8.5 overs. Shakib’s triple-strike came after another meaty partnership – 75 for the fifth wicket between Henry Nicholls and Mitchell Santner. Nicholls was batting on 56 at stumps, with New Zealand seven down and trailing by 29 runs.Shakib, Bangladesh’s most experienced bowler, had only been used for four overs when he came back into the attack to start the 67th of New Zealand’s innings. His under-utilisation may have had something to do with the fact that left-handers comprised four of New Zealand’s top six, but if that was the case, it reflected one-track thinking from their captain Tamim Iqbal, for within four balls of his new spell, Shakib dismissed a stodgy left-hander.Playing for turn, Santner went on the back foot to work Shakib, bowling from left-arm over, into the leg side. The lack of turn, however, left him in a fully open position and he ended up playing across the line and missing by a long way. The ball hit his back pad in front of middle stump. Reviewing Paul Reiffel’s out decision, Santner had to walk back without technology either upholding or rejecting it, as ball-tracking failed to materialise. Umpire’s call seemed the likely outcome, with the ball looking like it may have gone on to clip leg stump. New Zealand got their review back, but not their No. 6.Bowling with a low arm from around the wicket and getting the ball to skid on towards the stumps, Shakib gobbled up BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme in his next over. Both played for the turn, and both were bowled playing unneccessarily aggressive shots. Watling chopped on an attempted cut, de Grandhomme played a loose drive, leaving a massive gap for the ball to sneak through.If the scorecard at stumps was an indictment of New Zealand’s batsmen for frittering away their starts, it also flattered Bangladesh’s bowlers, who were frustratingly inconsistent for most of the day. They began excellently in the first session, lost their discipline in the second, and seemed to be letting the game drift in the third before Shakib intervened.Shakib Al Hasan removed Colin de Grandhomme for a three-ball duck•Getty ImagesTaskin Ahmed, though, was excellent with the new ball, beating the outside edge four times in his first three overs, and finding Jeet Raval’s edge in his sixth, only for Sabbir Rahman, moving to his right from second slip, to grass a knee-high catch. Taskin troubled the two left-handed openers so frequently because of his line, which didn’t allow the comfortable leave despite his angle across them, his length, which was usually on the fuller side of good, and every now and again a bit of seam movement towards the slips. He did overpitch on a few occasions – Latham in particular capitalised with three splendid, full-faced drives to the straight boundary – but that did not cause him to pull his length back at any point.Mehedi Hasan opened the bowling with Taskin, extracted bounce, and created a chance in his first over, provoking a drive away from the body from Raval that resulted in a low chance that Mahmudullah, rising too quickly at second slip, shelled. Raval didn’t do much with his two lives. The opening partnership had stretched to 46 before Kamrul, coming on as second change, broke through in the 15th over, his first. Trying to pull one that was perhaps not short enough, Raval was cramped for room and only managed a bottom-edge onto the stumps.Two balls later, New Zealand were two down. Kane Williamson may be among the hardest players in the world to dismiss, but even he could do little when confronted with the perfect late outswinger – full enough to draw him forward but not so full that he could get close to the pitch of it, its initial line close enough to off stump to force him to play, and its movement late enough to prevent him from adjusting and withdrawing his bat. Wicketkeeper Nurul Islam tumbled to his right to take his first catch in Test cricket.Latham batted serenely through the first session, never following the ball with his hands even when he was beaten, and had only one real moment of discomfort, when the slingy Rubel Hossain bowled a bouncer that didn’t rise as much as expected. Latham was unable to sway away in time, and the ball crunched into his helmet grille and sent the protective attachment at the back of his neck flying.By lunch, Latham and Taylor had added 23, and had seen out some tight bowling from Bangladesh’s quicks. Their discipline suffered after the break, though, and boundary balls grew frequent. Taylor, who has looked in excellent touch since the series against Pakistan – thanks in part to adopting a consciously side-on approach, with front shoulder pointing down the pitch rather than opening out to mid-on – drove fluently through the covers in addition to showing off his usual strengths of cutting and working the ball off his legs.The first 13 overs of the post-lunch session brought 83 runs at 6.38, including nine fours and two sixes, and New Zealand seemed to be running away with the game, when Bangladesh profited from a loss of concentration from Latham on 68. Looking to cut one that wasn’t quite wide enough for the shot, he top-edged Taskin in the first over after drinks.Taylor could have followed him seven overs later, when he misread the flight of an offbreak from Mehedi and whipped it in the air to deep square leg, only for Kamrul, diving forward, to drop the low chance. He was on 75 at that point, had already brought up one landmark – becoming the third New Zealander to pass 6000 Test runs – and seemed set to bring up another and equal the late Martin Crowe, his mentor, on 17 Test hundreds. But that wasn’t to be; he had added only two runs to his score when he drove too early at Mehedi in his next over and spooned a catch to short midwicket.