SHORT CORNER
Will miss my team and the cricket field: Tamim
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal explained why he has pulled himself out of the upcoming India tour through a Facebook status on Wednesday.
Tamim, who took a break from the India tour on personal grounds, explained his reasons behind missing the tour.
“As you all know, I have pulled myself out of the India tour on personal grounds. Even I am very much disappointed to not be able to play this series.
“My wife and I are expecting our second child. Due to my wife’s physical condition, she has to be hospitalized for longer than we expected. I thought that I needed to stay by her side at this time. This is why I had to take a break.
“I will miss my team and I will miss the cricket field. But I wanted to ensure that my wife does not miss me during this critical time. I seek everyone’s prayers. In Shah Allah, you will be able to see me back in the field very soon.”
-- Star Sport Desk
‘BCCI has no role in Shakib investigation’
Bangladesh premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was handed a two-year ban, with one of them suspended, by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday after the 32-year old had accepted three charges of him breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
Shakib had failed to report corrupt approaches on three occasions and one of them was during an Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2018.
But the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) head Ajit Singh has said that the BCCI had no role to play in the investigations and that they were entirely conducted by the ICC.
-- Star Sport Desk
Saha ready to help Kohli & Co
One of only two Indian players to have played with the pink ball under lights at the Eden Gardens, India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha can’t wait to take the field against Bangladesh in the second Test of the series from November 22 to 26. It will be the first time that Virat Kohli and boys will be playing under lights in a day-night Test and Saha is ready to share his experience with the team.
Saha said on Wednesday that he relishes challenges and this will definitely be one tough test as the Indian boys play their first pink ball Test.
“This will be a new challenge in front of us. We have not played Tests with the pink ball. I have been part of a domestic pink ball multi-day game. Challenge is there in every sport. The more you are challenged as a team, you get better and I am sure we will do that,” Saha said. --Agencies
Curator on anti-dew measures for India-Bangladesh D/N Test
Former BCCI chief curator Daljit Singh on Wednesday proposed more grass on the 22-yard strip and lesser than usual on the outfield to counter the “unavoidable” dew factor for the first ever day-night Test to be played in India next month.
The BCCI and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday agreed to play the historic Test at the Eden Gardens from November 22, leaving little time for preparation.
What goes in favour of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is that it has some experience of hosting a multi-day game with pink ball.
“One of the main worries will be the dew. To counter that, you have to have thin grass cover on the outfield and taller than usual grass on pitch. The heavier the outfield, the more it will attract dew. They need to start doing that from today,” Daljit said.
“The pink ball gets dirty very quickly so they have to keep more grass on the pitch. The dew was an issue [in Duleep Trophy], the ball got really dirty. The match was played with 7mm grass on the pitch, normally the grass is 2.5 to 4 mm long. And taller grass means the ball will seam a lot,” he added.
--Agencies