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Abhishek Nayar has played one of the best innings of his first-class career but Karnataka have the chance of an outright victory

The Report by Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai19-Nov-2011
Scorecard
Abhishek Nayar has the chance to score a second double-century in as many games•Fotocorp

Regardless of the outcome of this match, Abhishek Nayar has played one of the best innings of his first-class career. It was an innings that was played in isolation, a completely contrasting knock to those of the rest of his team-mates, who erred in their shot-selections on a pitch which demanded one thing: patience. Nayar showed that in abundance for the second match in a row at the same venue and now has an opportunity to complete a second-consecutive double-hundred tomorrow.He could not reach the milestone on the third day because of dehydration and cramps, the same reasons that forced him to return to the dressing-room against Rajasthan last week. On that occasion he managed to return, score 245 and secure the three first-innings lead points for Mumbai. The chances of an encore tomorrow remain slim. Karnataka are tougher opponents, their bowlers are more disciplined and most importantly Mumbai have only two wickets remaining and need a further 132 runs to avoid the follow-on. The three points for a first-innings lead are all but gone for Mumbai, who finished the day 354 for 8 in response to Karnataka’s 635, and they will have to battle to avoid an outright loss.It could have been a different story for the hosts if the rest of their batsmen had not made mistakes. Ajinkya Rahane lunged forward to a delivery from R Vinay Kumar, which had pitched inches shorts of a good length on off stump. Rahane could easily have left it alone or played off the back foot. Instead he stretched forward into an ungainly position, trying to play too far away from his body. The resultant thick outside edge travelled straight to KB Pawan at short gully. Rahane, who is part of the India squad for the third Test against West Indies starting next week, had added just one run to his overnight score of 23.Vinay nearly trapped Rohit Sharma lbw with the incutter, which had accounted for Mumbai’s captain Wasim Jaffer the previous evening. Vinay has developed a delivery with the new ball that lands on the outside of the seam and nips in to the right-hander. The ball hit Rohit’s back pad slightly high and the appeal was turned down. Rohit continued having problems reading Vinay’s lengths and clever variations.He was lucky when Vinay, in his next over, failed to pouch an easy return catch. Though Rohit started to get into the groove with some nicely-timed drives, there remained a certain desperation about his batting. In the final over before lunch, Abhimanyu Mithun smartly delivered a short-pitched delivery well outside off. Rohit went for an unnecessary pull and played on to be dismissed for 64.Only yesterday, speaking to the media after his call-up to the Test squad, Rohit had said that the biggest thing he had learned from speaking to the likes of Duncan Fletcher, the India coach, was the importance of temperament. Yet for the second time in two weeks Rohit has played an irresponsible shot and failed to go on to play a really big innings.Suryakumar Yadav has turned heads with his belligerent half-centuries in the previous two matches of the season. But Karnataka set him up nicely, packing the off-side field and putting in two short covers. Yadav, playing just his fourth first-class match, worked hard to remain calm yet was visibly tempted to play his shots. He was unable to resist a full delivery from Stuart Binny and played a half-hearted off drive only to spoon an easy catch to the cover fielder. It was the first of Binny’s three wickets in the day.After those mistakes, the only reason Mumbai were afloat was Nayar, who Milind Rege, the Mumbai chief selector, calls the “most improved player in domestic cricket.” Nayar would happily accept such a distinction. And why shouldn’t he.The Rajasthan match was the first time he had batted at No. 3. He may have had concerns about batting higher than his usual middle-order position as the prospect of facing the new ball is not always pleasant. In any case he had no choice. The Mumbai selectors had decided Nayar was the perfect choice for the crucial one-down position.According to Rege, a No. 3 batsman needs to be a complete stroke-maker. He needs to have the temperament, the character and the shots. If you looked at Nayar’s wagon-wheels (strangely hidden from public view due to the BCCI’s rules) you’d see that he played his shots all around the wicket. Cuts, drives, flicks, pulls, sweeps, steers, glances, reverse-sweeps, paddle-sweeps – Nayar can play the whole gamut of strokes. And importantly he has developed the ability to refrain from playing those strokes if they are not needed.Today, he left several deliveries alone; the 145 dot balls in his 216-ball stay so far indicates he is ready to bide his time at the crease. Unlike Rohit, he rotated the strike frequently, taking 43 singles. Against Rajasthan, Nayar had not been afraid to play his strokes. Today he was more circumspect yet played fluently. He gave Karnataka just two chances. Both came before he had reached his fifty. First Robin Uthappa dropped him at short exta-cover off Mithun and then the bowler himself failed to intercept a straight drive that flew just over his head.Otherwise Nayar remained stoic. All his shots came along the ground. He never played any cross-batted strokes. Like the Karnataka pair of Manish Pandey and Amit Verma on the first two days, Nayar knew that to succeed on such a slow and harmless pitch you had to wait for the ball. He brought up his half-century by sweeping KP Appanna, the left-arm spinner, who continued to bowl on Nayar’s pads. He took advantage of the poor line and moved quickly towards his century.Nayar moved from 88 to 96 with consecutive boundaries off Vinay. Both strokes were fluent cover drives, played on the up with the full face of the bat. In the past, Nayar has struggled to play that shot convincingly but today he proved he could do anything. A fierce cut got him past another century. His grit was admirable and he battled through recurring wrist pain in his left hand before dehydration forced him to retire.

By May 2011, three major changes to the shape of the South African cricketing landscape will have taken place

Firdose Moonda21-Nov-2010By May 2011, three major changes to the shape of the South African cricketing landscape will have taken place. A new national coach will have started work as Corrie van Zyl steps down and a new one-day international captain will take over the reins from Graeme Smith. Off the field, one or more new sponsors will take over Standard Bank’s deal which includes sponsorship of the national one-day and Twenty20 teams, all Twenty20 international matches and the domestic 20-over competition.On Friday, the financial institution announced its decision to pull out of all sports sponsorships when its current contract expires in May next year. It had pumped over R100 million (US$ 14.3 million) a year into Cricket South Africa (CSA), which included funding the National Cricket Academy, High Performance Programme, Schools Pro20 Challenge, Schools Development Programme and Under-13 National Cricket Week.Standard Bank announced its decision on the same day as a CSA’s internal commission of inquiry into bonus payments made to chief executive Gerald Majola revealed its findings. Majola was cleared of all charges of financial impropriety but will have to pay back R28,169 (US$ 4,024) that was spent on travel for his children. The commission found that Majola had made an “error of judgement” by not declaring the bonuses through CSA’s remunerations committee but the CEO escaped with a formal caution.CSA President Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka said there was nothing sinister about Standard Bank making public its decision not to renew its sponsorships on the same day as the investigation into Majola’s bonuses concluded. “The reasons for Standard Bank not renewing its contract with CSA are clear, they are economic issues,” Nyoka said.Standard Bank is also cutting ties with South Africa’s two most popular football clubs, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, but insiders say there is more to the decision than pure mathematics. Rumours in cricketing circles are that Standard Bank felt it was not getting its worth from CSA, while the cricketing body was tired of coping with the Bank’s constant demands.CSA put on a brave face when the announcement was made and said that they have no doubts about lining up other sponsors. Vice president AK Khan said there has been “a tremendous amount of interest from other parties.” Early suggestions are that some of the existing sponsors may enter into Standard Bank’s territory. CSA are currently sponsored by Castle beer, cellular telephone operator MTN, and fast-food company KFC, but may look to engage another global sponsor.The hunt for a new national coach is also on. Van Zyl announced in October that he will be stepping down as national coach after next year’s World Cup and returning to his post as head of the High Performance Programme. He is part of a five-person committee that will seek a replacement.Also on the committee are Majola, Andy O’ Connor, chairperson of CSA’s Cricket Committee, and Andrew Hudson, the convenor of selectors and a representative of the SA Cricketers’ Association.

Venkatesh Iyer has been named vice-captain after being bought back by KKR for INR 23.75 crore

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2025Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have appointed Ajinkya Rahane as their captain for IPL 2025. Venkatesh Iyer has been named vice-captain.”It’s an honour to be asked to lead KKR, which has been one of the most successful franchises in the IPL,” Rahane said in a team statement. “I think we have an excellent and balanced squad. I look forward to working with everyone and taking up the challenge of defending our title.”Based on KKR’s strategy at the IPL mega auction last November, Rahane may not have been part of their initial plans, going by how the bidding unfolded. He was unsold when his name came up the first time on day one of the auction, and was only bought by KKR at his base price of INR 1.5 crore when his name came up again as part of the accelerated round on the second day, just before the auction ended.Related

• 'Nothing can beat experience' – Rahane keen to learn from T20 heavyweight Bravo at KKR

• Why KKR made Ajinkya Rahane, and not Venkatesh Iyer, their captain

• Rajat Patidar appointed new RCB captain for IPL 2025

• Eden Gardens to host IPL 2025 final on May 25

• Venkatesh Iyer 'definitely ready' to captain KKR at IPL 2025

“We are delighted to have someone like Ajinkya Rahane, who brings his experience and maturity as a leader,” KKR chief executive Venky Mysore said. “Also, Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for KKR and brings a lot of leadership qualities. We are confident that they will combine well as we start the defense of our title.”This will be Rahane’s second stint at KKR, having played for them in 2022, when he scored only 133 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 103.90. After that year, Rahane had a rejuvenation at Chennai Super Kings (CSK), for whom he scored 326 runs at a strike rate of 172.48 in 2023. IPL 2024 wasn’t as productive for Rahane and he was released by CSK after making 242 runs at a strike rate of 123.46 last year.Rahane’s leadership has been highly rated in the past – he was captain when India won a Test series in Australia in 2020-21 – and he is respected on the domestic circuit where he has led Mumbai to several titles, most recently the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Rahane was the highest run-scorer in that tournament – 469 runs at a strike rate of 164.56 and an average of over 58.His previous captaincy experience in the IPL spans 25 matches: one for Rising Pune Super Giant in 2017, and 24 for Rajasthan Royals across 2018 and 2019. He was replaced by Steven Smith midway through the 2019 season.KKR are the defending IPL champions•AFP/Getty Images

Iyer, after not being one of KKR’s six retained players ahead of November’s mega auction, was bought back by the franchise for INR 23.75 crore. He was the fourth-most expensive purchase in IPL auction history.KKR is Iyer’s only franchise in the IPL so far. He has been with them since 2021. He was a key player in their title-winning campaign last year, scoring 370 runs at a strike rate of 158.79. In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, he said he was “definitely ready” to lead KKR if offered the captaincy.KKR are hosting the season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens on March 22 by virtue of having won the title in 2024. They beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in last year’s final – their third title – under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, who was not retained and is now captain of Punjab Kings (PBKS).With KKR announcing Rahane, the only team yet to name a captain is Delhi Capitals (DC). Rishabh Pant had led DC last year but was not retained and will lead his new team Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2025.

Pakistan team director was particularly unhappy with Rizwan’s dismissal, saying “there was no conclusive kind of evidence” for the umpire’s initial not-out decision to be changed

Alex Malcolm29-Dec-2023Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez believes “inconsistent umpiring” and the “curse” of the decision review technology cost Pakistan a famous Test victory over Australia at the MCG.Chasing 317 for victory in the fourth innings, Pakistan needed 98 runs with five wickets in hand when Mohammad Rizwan was adjudged caught behind off the wristband of his glove via a DRS review from Pat Cummins having initially been given not out on field by umpire Michael Gough.Third umpire Richard Illingworth decided there was conclusive evidence via both Hotspot and Real-Time Snicko that the ball had come off the wristband of the right glove and not off his forearm as Rizwan had protested to the on-field umpires.Related

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• Pakistan played better than Australia, says Mohammad Hafeez

That decision sparked a massive collapse as Pakistan lost 5 for 18 to lose the game inside four days and lose the series 2-0 with one Test remaining. Hafeez blamed the umpiring and the use of the DRS technology for the result.”We made some mistakes as a team, we will take that, we will address those things, but at the same time I believe inconsistent umpiring and technology curse [has] really given us the result which should have been different,” Hafeez said in the post-match press conference.”I feel like these are the areas that need to be addressed. I spoke to [Rizwan] and he’s a very honest person. He said he did not even feel that it touched anywhere near the gloves. And what we saw, there should be conclusive evidence to reverse the decision of the umpire. That’s what I know. The umpire gave it not out and there was no conclusive kind of evidence where the decision has to be turned over.”Former ICC umpire Simon Taufel spoke on Channel Seven’s broadcast in Australia in the aftermath of the Rizwan decision and believed that the third umpire had made the right call.”For me, conclusive evidence was the ball on top of that wristband attached to the glove, with the spike [on Snicko],” Taufel said. “Very comfortable from where I’m sitting that Richard Illingworth the third umpire had conclusive evidence to overturn that decision.”Cummins, who claimed the wicket of Rizwan and finished with five wickets in the innings and 10 for the match, also felt the evidence was conclusive.”I thought it was worth review and then [it was] clearly off the gloves strap,” Cummins said.Hafeez was also aggrieved about the umpire’s call aspect of the DRS in reference to the lbws in the game. He did not specifically mention which decisions he was unhappy about but Pakistan were left frustrated on day three when both Mitchell Marsh and Steven Smith had survived tight lbw calls via umpire’s call during their match-winning 154-run stand.Marsh shouldered arms to a ball that nipped back from Hasan Ali on 26 and was given not out by Gough who deemed it wasn’t hitting off stump. Pakistan reviewed with ball-tracking showing it was clipping off stump but not enough to overturn the decision. He went on to make 96. Smith was later hit on the pad by Aamer Jamal on 45 and was also given not out by Gough, who deemed it was missing leg. Ball-tracking showed it was clipping leg but it was umpire’s call and the decision remained. Smith only made five more runs.In the fourth innings, Imam-ul-Haq was given out lbw to Cummins by Gough on field. Ball-tracking said it was umpire’s call on hitting the middle and leg bail and Imam remained out.Earlier in the second innings of the match, Shaheen Shah Afridi was given out lbw to Nathan Lyon by Gough and it remained out on umpire’s call.Hafeez felt that the technology was inconsistent and unacceptable.”Technology, I’m in favor of that, but [only] if it’s giving you benefit,” Hafeez said. “But if it’s bringing some doubts and bringing some curse into the game, it should not be accepted by anyone.”Sometimes the technology brings some decisions which obviously, as a human we don’t understand.”The ball hitting the stump is always out. Why is it umpire’s call? I never understand that. So I think there are a lot of areas that need to be addressed for the betterment of cricket in general. I think technology is something that is taking away from the instinct of the game.”Cummins was the victim of a DRS decision himself while batting in the third innings. He was given out caught behind off Jamal by Gough. He reviewed it convinced he had not hit it. There was no evidence on Hotspot of the ball making contact with the bat, but there was a tiny murmur on Snicko as the ball passed the bat and that was enough for the third umpire to uphold Gough’s decision.”I didn’t think I hit it,” Cummins said.”I thought I missed it by a bit. So obviously something showed up on Snicko. Again, one of those ones that can go either way. Kind of got to accept this decision.Cummins believed the technology is as good as it can be and tends to even itself out across the course of a game or a series.”I don’t know what the alternative is,” Cummins said. “I think it’s pretty good. Umpire’s call is obviously 50-50. But I think it does even itself out. I think it’s as good as it can be. So I think it’s good for the game. There’s always going to be moments that you kind of rue or you wish were looked at a little bit differently or maybe technology picked up a little bit differently, but I think it’s pretty good.”The two sides had one umpire’s call each go against them in the first Test in Perth. Hafeez said he would not raise the issue with the umpires or the match referee as he didn’t think it would make a difference despite maintaining his view that it had affected the result.”Personally it won’t bring any difference because at the end of the day we all watch the game and we will notice some of the areas obviously as a cricketer we don’t understand,” Hafeez said. “And we play this game for the fans and the fans will never understand why this technology is inconsistent. And the result of the game basically comes up differently.”

The identity of the new rights holder has not yet been disclosed, with the ICC board set to make that call on Saturday

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Aug-2022There will be no second-round e-auction for the ICC media rights after a clear winner – or winners – emerged when the sealed bids were opened on Friday. The identity of the winner/s for the right to broadcast ICC events in India has not been disclosed yet – the ICC board makes that call on Saturday after a recommendation is sent to it by the media-rights advisory group appointed to adjudicate on the bidding process.There has been no official communication from the ICC on whether a solitary winner won both the TV and digital rights or whether there were separate winners in the two categories. What is also not yet confirmed is whether the rights have been sold for four years or eight, as the ICC had kept the tenure of the rights flexible, in order to exploit the best number commercially.Related

• ICC eyes $4 billion-plus media rights money for Indian market

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Though the value of the winning bid is unlikely to be made public, the ICC is believed to have set a base price of USD 1.44 billion (for a four-year deal) and USD 4 billion for an eight-year one. Its last rights deal, for eight years, was worth approximately USD 2.1 billion. Because of the changing nature of the market and especially the digital streaming landscape, as well as the increased number of ICC events in this cycle, the expectation was that any new deal would be considerably bigger than the last one.A total of six packages were on sale with the sealed bids opened on Friday at the ICC headquarters in Dubai in the presence of the bidders. It is learned that four bidders participated, including Disney Star*, Sony, Viacom and Zee.After facing mounting pressure from the bidders over the past month over concerns about the transparency of the process, the ICC had said that an e-auction would take place as a second round of bidding should the value of the two best bids in the first round be within 10% of each other.By Saturday, it is expected that the ICC Board comprising 17 directors will discuss the recommendations of the rights advisory group and announce the identities of the winner/s. The five-person advisory group includes ICC chair Greg Barclay, Ross McCollum (the chair of the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee), Anurag Dahiya (the ICC’s chief commercial officer), Richard Freudenstein (finance & commercial affairs director) and BCCI acting CEO Hemang Amin.

This is the first time in Pakistan history three bowlers have taken five wickets in a single Test

Danyal Rasool10-May-2021It took exactly five overs on the fourth day for Pakistan to take the solitary wicket they needed to complete a 2-0 clean sweep over Zimbabwe, bowling them out for 231 and winning by an innings and 147 runs. Shaheen Afridi was the man to make the breakthrough, coaxing Luke Jongwe into a drive the batsman could only edge through to the wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.

Taylor gets one demerit point for showing dissent

Brendan Taylor got one demerit point and an official reprimand for showing dissent at the umpire’s decision after he was adjudged caught behind in Zimbabwe’s second innings. The incident took place in the 37th over, when Taylor pointed to his thigh pad and held his head after being given out.

Taylor was found to have breached Level 1 of Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. It was his second offence in a 24-month period, taking his cumulative demerit points to two.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

It saw him complete a five-wicket haul, becoming the third Pakistan bowler in the Test to do so after Hasan Ali and Nauman Ali. This is the first time in Pakistan history three bowlers have taken five wickets in a single Test, and just the sixth time overall. Despite the bowling heroics, it was Abid Ali who scooped up the Player of the Match award for his first double-century.The day began with Jongwe looking to farm the strike, ensuring he faced Afridi while Muzarabani was left to negotiate the less menacing Tabish Khan. The pair looked largely comfortable with this arrangement, but with Zimbabwe having little hope in the wider context of the game, it was only a matter of time before the breakthrough would arrive. Pakistan will fly home content with the way they came back in the Test series after the indifferent T20I leg.Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will rue their performances in two rare Tests against high-quality opposition, and gear up again for a series against Bangladesh later this year.

Combatants decry move towards four-day cricket after thrilling finish at Newlands

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2020If, as the curious saying goes, Test cricket has a habit of biting you on the backside if you disrespect it, then the timing of the Newlands cliffhanger could hardly have been more apposite. A mere days after it emerged that the ICC is considering the introduction of mandatory four-day Test cricket, England and South Africa served up a fifth-day finish to savour, to leave their series all square at 1-1 with two to play.And speaking in the aftermath of an emotional finish – in which England sealed victory with just 8.4 overs left in the final day’s play – both captains Joe Root and Faf du Plessis, as well as the Player of the Match, Ben Stokes, praised the format for its ability to produce such soaring contests, in spite of the numerous threats posed by player workloads, crowded scheduling and finances.”When you have series in which the first few games are results, it makes things very interesting,” said Stokes during the post-match presentations. “And that’s why five-day cricket should always be around.”It’s the best format of the game. And with games like these, it makes cricket just unforgettable. And we will remember this for a long time and I’m sure South Africa will remember it for a long time as well. It will go down as one of the greats.”On the final morning of the match, Cricket South Africa issued a strongly worded rebuttal to a report, in the Daily Mail, stating that the board was not in favour of the move to four-day cricket, and pointed out that they had, in fact, hosted the first official four-day Test match against Zimbabwe in 2017.However, du Plessis made it clear that he was not keen on any reduction in the status of the sport’s oldest format.”I am a fan of Test cricket going five days,” he said. “The great draws of the game go five days. I understand there is a lot of money being burnt on day-five cricket because a lot of Test matches are not going five days. But I am still a purist of the game because I have been part of some great draws and today is no different.ALSO READ: Stokes is a ‘golden nugget’ – Root“There would definitely not have been a result in four days on this pitch,” he added, after England had declared on the fourth afternoon on 391 for 8. “That’s what makes it special, to have Stokes, shattered and still running in and we are trying to survive. That’s what makes the extra day so special.Joe Root oversaw England’s first win in Cape Town since 1957•Getty Images

“Obviously I’m sad that we are on the losing side, but all I’m asking for from a team-mate today is that we fought and fought really hard. And we did that, and over five days. Unfortunately, there has to be a winner and a loser, and credit for England for having just a little bit more in the tank than we had. It was a great Test match, and in big series like these, you want two teams to bash it out for five days, and the next Test will be very exciting.”Root, whose young side showed immense character to bounce back from a dispiriting loss in the series opener at Centurion, added his own support to the five-day formula.”Some people might think there’s a place for [four-day cricket] but you don’t want to miss out on days like today,” he said. “You don’t want to miss out on games like this. This is what makes Test cricket what it is. To go right down to the wire, nearly a full house at Newlands, half of it English support, and what a great finish to a brilliant game of cricket.”

The spin duo shared four wickets to restrict Bangladesh to 88 before Nahida Khan and Javeria Khan steered the visitors home

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2018ACC

Nashra Sandhu and Nida Dar led Pakistan to a series-clinching seven-wicket win in Cox’s Bazar. The spin duo proved too much for Bangladesh, sharing four wickets while giving away just 32 runs in their combined eight overs.Nashra removed Fargana Hoque and Nigar Sultana before Nida took the wickets of Sanjida Islam and Fahima Khatun as Bangladesh stumbled to 81 for 8 in their 20 overs. There were two run-outs as well, and a wicket each for Aiman Anwer and Anam Amin. For the home side, Nigar top-scored with 19 off 29 balls.Pakistan banked on two of their top three batsmen to reach their target in 18.1 overs. Nahida Khan made 33 off 40 balls with three fours while captain Javeria Khan finished unbeaten on 31 off 37 balls. Legspinners Rumana Ahmed and Fahima took a wicket each for Bangladesh.The fourth T20I will be held at the same venue on October 6, before the solitary ODI on October 8.

While Imrul Kayes has been told to prepare to bat at one-down against Australia and is happy to perform the role the team wants him to, he admits it’s not the easiest switch to make

Mohammad Isam22-Aug-2017Imrul Kayes has been told to prepare to play at No. 3 in next week’s first Test against Australia, but hasn’t been given any guarantees by the team management. He will continue at one-drop, the position he played in against Sri Lanka in Bangladesh’s last Test in March, though he said the relatively new role will take time to adjust to.”Coach has told me that I will be batting in this position,” Kayes said. “I am preparing for it although it is difficult to adjust to No. 3 after being an opener. I feel lucky to be playing for Bangladesh and while there can be a personal choice in terms of batting position, I also have to understand the team’s needs. I am okay batting in any position really, opening or No. 3.”Kayes will be playing a stop-gap role, replacing regular No. 3 Mominul Haque after he had a poor outing in the first Test in Sri Lanka. Kayes has one century at No. 3, but after that ton in 2014 he has averaged 18.60 in his next five innings at that position. As an opener Kayes has featured in 25 off his 28 Tests, and has formed Bangladesh’s most-prolific opening pair with Tamim Iqbal – their association includes a 312-run stand against Pakistan in 2015.Despite Mominul’s late addition into the 14-man squad after much drama, he is most likely to be spending time on the bench as Kayes pads up. Kayes explained that transferring from the opener to No. 3 is a big deal since openers are used to getting out in the middle and not waiting for their turn to bat.”I become rather excited when I am sitting padded up in the dressing room,” Kayes said. “Tamim won’t be able to do it and even I have trouble doing it. Still, I had to do it [switch batting roles] for the team.”Tackling the new ball can be tricky but there is an advantage. Sometimes the opening batsmen and bowler don’t know much about each other’s strength, but when the No. 3 comes to bat, the bowler [has already settled into a rhythm]. But there are great batsmen who do a fine job at No. 3.”

Zafar Ansari’s six wickets gave Surrey a thumping win against Notts and will encourage hopes that the hand injury that cost him an England tour is behind him

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval22-Jun-2016>ScorecardZafar Ansari’s six wickets put his hand injury behind him•Getty Images

As Zafar Ansari led Surrey off, having bowled his side to a thumping final day win just as spinners are meant to, the moment was infused with catharsis for the man and his team.In a split-second, September 15 last year went from being one of the best days of Ansari’s cricketing life to amongst the most agonising. All it took was a rasping cut from the blade of Ashwell Prince: Ansari, fielding at cover point, shelled the chance, fell to the ground and immediately sensed he had damaged much more than just his pride.And so a day that begun with his maiden Test call-up would result in a broken thumb ruling him out for six months – not merely the Test tour to the UAE, but also Surrey’s first game of 2016.When he has made it onto the field, Ansari joined a team who have been frustrated by the ever-growing chasm between Division One and Two. Besides a couple of dispiriting trips to the Lancashire and Yorkshire, Surrey have seldom been embarrassed, even as they threatened to mark the season’s halfway point winless and marooned to the bottom.But the pain of a one-wicket defeat at Taunton, in their last game, has now given way to an emphatic 228-run victory from which they will draw great strength, and none more so than Ansari. In 6.2 overs of bedlam, Ansari took 6-16: vindication for all those hours of solitude readying himself for his return.This was high-class left-arm spin bowling, exploiting a pitch that was wearing, but far from turning square, with subtle variations in pace and flight. Still, that cannot obscure the distinctly self-inflicted element to Nottinghamshire’s demise.From the moment Jake Libby cut Ansari tamely to point, he was abetted by some rank shots; Samit Patel, who replaced Ansari in the UAE last winter, would not reflect gladly on chipping his eighth ball straight into the hands of cover.Of all Ansari’s wickets though, it was that of Brendan Taylor, who had batted with magnificent assurance for his 68, on which he could reflect with most pride: a slightly quicker delivery spun wide of Taylor’s attempted drive and, with his backfoot having strayed from his crease, Ben Foakes completed a smart stumping.It was enough to prompt the thought that, in time, caught Foakes bowled Ansari could be a mode of dismissal in a Test match – perhaps even on England’s looming tours of Bangladesh and India.”I feel as ready as I ever have done,” Ansari said. “Going into Test cricket is a step up obviously and it’s a challenge but I feel like my game’s in a pretty good place now. I’ve been back for a couple of months to get back into the swing of things, and today will give me a lot of confidence going forward.”I feel like I’m close to where I was at my best last year, which given that break is relatively surprising and nice. The expectation on my part is it would have taken a little bit longer.”If Ansari’s bowling lacks any great mystery, he is a bowler gaining in cunning and self-assurance with every game. “It’s just consistency of action – it’s about being able to repeat the same things over and over again, especially when players come hard at you, as some of the guys started to out there. It’s about being able to stay consistent in that approach and not start to unravel in that kind of pressured environment.”Not that Ansari even looks anything less than phlegmatic on the field. Perhaps his oft-remarked upon academic prowess enables him to view professional sport with a little more balance.Ansari’s bowling has also been aided by his shift down the batting order. While he performed admirably as an opener, albeit sometimes of the funereal variety – in a Championship game at Guildford last year, he went a full 50 overs without hitting a boundary, a feat that even the dark ages of English ODI cricket never approached – there has never been a Test cricketer in the history of the game who has combined regularly bowling 30 overs with opening the batting.His move to six, facilitated by the unexpected blooming of Arun Harinath since his career was reinvigorated by a pair of centuries against Glamorgan one year and one week ago, allows Ansari to devote more time to his spin bowling.”Six makes sense for me going forward,” he reflected. “Going from bowling 30 overs to opening the batting puts you under quite a lot of pressure. it’s not easy and facing the new ball is tough. It’s given me a bit more space to enjoy my batting and not be put under the pressure that you are when you’re opening.”Ansari has been aided, too, by his spin partnership with Gareth Batty: they are the premier spin bowling pair in the country, an accolade that speaks not only of the dearth of alternatives but also their skills as a duo. Surrey know plenty about spin bowling pairs – if they are not quite Laker and Lock, never mind Saqlain and Salisbury, Ansari and Batty will do just fine.”We’ve managed to do it for the last three years now,” said the junior by 14 years. “We know each other’s games well, and do talk a lot about pace and field placements. I’m really lucky to have Gareth around – not many young spinners have someone to work with who’s that good a bowler and has the cricket brain he does. I do owe a lot to him. We also enjoy having this partnership as a spin bowling pair – you don’t get that often in English cricket.”Were he not self-effacing almost to the point of caricature – one cannot ask Batty about a fine personal performance without him belittling himself, on this occasion as a “very average player and captain” and “old geezer who just turns up every now and again” – Batty might even be of a mind to dare to advance his own international credentials.Certainly he is a better and more accomplished bowler than when he played his seven Test matches, as a delivery that lifted to surprise Michael Lumb and induce an edge to slip was testament to.Instead, Batty prefers to advance the claims of his team-mate. “Zafar bowled quite magnificently today. He’s the best young spinner in the country, but we need to allow him to develop and go about his business,” he said. “Samit Patel is supposedly England’s third spinner, but I would be raising a glass to Zafar tonight.” He will not be the only one.