bowling - players.bio

Cricket-Shakib one of few bright spots for Bangladesh ahead of World Cup

(Reuters) - Bangladesh head to the T20 World Cup mired in a poor run of results after Thursday's defeat by Pakistan left them without a win from four tri-series matches in New Zealand, but their mood will be lifted by the form of captain Shakib Al Hasan.

Tri-series: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets

Pakistan edged Bangladesh by seven wickets with one ball remaining at the New Zealand Twenty20 cricket tri-series on Thursday. Babar made 55 and Rizwan went on to 68 to help guide Pakistan past Bangladesh's total of 173-6. Pakistan lost Babar's wicket and another in the 13th over and had to rely on Mohammad Nawaz, who struck an unbeaten 45 from 20 balls to close out the win. AS IT HAPPENEDThere was a flicker of concern when Rizwan holed out in the deep in the 19th over with Pakistan needing nine from seven balls. At the start of the last over it needed eight from six balls but with seven wickets in hand and Nawaz still at the crease, Pakistan was in command. Asif Ali took a streaky single from the first ball and Nawaz played an overhead tennis shot from the second ball for two. Nawaz continued to find gaps in the field for two runs until a four behind point by Nawaz from the fifth ball of the over clinched the win. "I think if you give a chance to the Bangladesh bowlers they don't make it easy because they bowl very well," Rizwan said.

T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe coach confident of reaching Super 12

Zimbabwe will open their campaign against Ireland on Monday before facing West Indies and Scotland in the first round in Hobart, needing to win two matches to guarantee a place in the Super 12 stage. "We should be winning all three games," said Houghton. "Anything less than that will be disappointing." Zimbabwe have played some impressive cricket since Houghton, Zimbabwe's first Test captain back in 1992, was appointed for his second stint as national coach in July, a week before the World Cup qualifying tournament in Bulawayo.

If an India player needs to be rested in IPL, so be it: Ravi Shastri

Deepak Chahar, which have ruled them out of the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, have triggered a debate: Should India's star cricketers be given the option of 'resting' in the IPL? Chahar had to miss the IPL due to a hamstring injury, while a back injury ruled Bumrah out of the World Cup. Former India allrounder, coach and commentator Ravi Shastri has said that resting a top India player for a few games in the IPL is an area his former 1983 World Cup winning teammate Roger Binny, who is set to be the new BCCI president, must look into when he resumes office. "With the volume of cricket that exists today, it's extremely important that you get the balance right of how much a player plays. When should he be rested? And there, a (BCCI) president can play a big role. Tomorrow, if a cricketer, for the sake of playing for India, needs to be rested in the IPL for a certain number of games, so be it. Where, a (BCCI) president has to sit with the franchise and explain that he's extremely important for India first, and then the franchise," Shastri stressed while talking to veteran journalist Ayaz Memon at a 'Meet-the-media programme' at the Mumbai Press Club on Wednesday.