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Ill-judged shots, inconsistent bowling, dropped catches, batting collapses – these aren’t unexpected anymore when Sri Lanka or Bangladesh play Test cricket. At the same time, when they start the first of two Tests in Pallekele on Wednesday, do expect the odd heroic performance. Those aren’t unusual with these teams either.Bangladesh come into the series having lost their last eight international matches across formats. The wheels came off during the white-ball tour of New Zealand, but the confidence had already been shattered during their 2-0 Test series defeat against West Indies. Bangladesh were favourites at home, but they looked a team without a Plan B when the West Indian rookies fought back in Chattogram and Dhaka.What will particularly hurt Bangladesh is the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, who is currently playing in the IPL. Without him, the visitors will rely heavily on Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque, and Mushfiqur Rahim .Related

• Shoriful Islam included in Bangladesh squad for first Sri Lanka Test

• Hasaranga, Nissanka, Oshada and Embuldeniya – Arthur's picks

• Three questions for Sri Lanka, three questions for Bangladesh

• Haque: 'We haven't been batting up to expectations'

In the batting department, Iqbal will be expected to provide stability at the top, although he hasn’t had a set opening partner for a long time, and the No. 3 position also remains uncertain. Haque’s home-and-away record carries a Jekyll-Hyde look, which would leave Rahim, one of Bangladesh’s best batters on foreign soil, with some heavy lifting to do. There are concerns in the bowling department, too. Mehidy Hasan and Abu Jayed are the only bowlers who are confirmed inclusions in the XI, leaving at least three spots up for grabs.Bangladesh’s situation opens up an opportunity for Sri Lanka, who recently lost to England at home, and drew 0-0 in the West Indies. A few fightbacks notwithstanding, Sri Lanka have mostly struggled to get going in the recent past. At home, South Africa were the last visitors they truly dominated, in February 2019. After a 2-0 win in that series, they drew against New Zealand and lost to Pakistan, too.The emergence of Oshada Fernando and Pathum Nissanka has helped the team strike a balance, with Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal bringing in the experience. Mathews returns after missing the West Indies series. Lahiru Thirimanne’s three fifties against West Indies were also encouraging, but for Sri Lanka to do better, these batters have to score big.Much of the hosts’ bowling would depend on Suranga Lakmal in the absence of the injured Lasith Embuldeniya, who has been their highest wicket-taker this year so far. Vishwa Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga and Lahiru Kumara will also have to lend support to Lakmal’s new-ball efforts.Mominul Haque will look to improve both his captaincy record and away numbers as a batter•Raton Gomes/BCB

Form guide

Sri Lanka DDLLLBangladesh LLWLL

In the spotlight

Suranga Lakmal was adjudged Player of the Series for his 11 wickets against West Indies. He will be expected to do a similar job against Bangladesh in conditions that might assist pace bowlers. Lakmal would also be keen to bring down his bowling average of 50.87 in 23 Tests at home.Mominul Haque has two things to work on: reviving his captaincy fortunes after losing five out of the last six Tests, and fixing his dismal away record as a batter. There will be considerable pressure on both fronts but, as he has proven in the past, he has the character to turn things around.

Team news

Sri Lanka may go in with three specialist quicks, though this would be a highly unusual strategy at home. Lakmal would be the first-choice pacer, while Vishwa and Kumara might also feature in the XI. On the batting front, they will try to squeeze Nissanka into the side. Chandimal, who had a decent tour of West Indies, might just make way for Nissanka.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Oshada Fernando, 4 Dinesh Chandimal/Pathum Nissanka, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lahiru Kumara, 11 Vishwa FernandoSoumya Sarkar’s axing once again opens up the debate on the opening combination. Pallekele’s green pitch may tempt Bangladesh to play three pace bowlers.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Shadman Islam, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Mohammad Mithun, 7 Liton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Ebadot Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Abu Jayed

Pitch and conditions

The photograph of Karunaratne inspecting a greenish Pallekele pitch two days before the first Test left many wondering if seam, swing and bounce could play a part on the first morning. Though it has rained around the Pallekele area, the weather is likely to be clear over the next five days.

Stats that matter

• This will be Bangladesh’s first overseas Test since the pandemic began. They lost the home series against West Indies 2-0 in February.
• Lakmal’s recent Player of the Series award was the first for a Sri Lankan fast bowler in a Test series since Nuwan Kulasekara won one in 2014.
• No Bangladesh bowler has taken a five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka since 2014.

Quotes

“Technically, he’s outstanding. Physically, he’s very good and his fielding standards are exactly where they need to be. He’s slotted in nicely. Yes we’ve had to chip away and polish a little bit, but whatever Nissanka did with his coaches through the ranks has been pretty good. They’ve prepared him very well for international cricket.”
“I have come to Sri Lanka to play cricket. We will play according to our plan. I am only concerned about these things, and not much else. I don’t need to think about other things as a professional cricketer.”

Shakib Al Hasan has said that he was misrepresented by the BCB about his decision to skip the Test series against Sri Lanka.Shakib said that the two matches, which are part of the World Test Championship, aren’t of much value as Bangladesh are at the bottom of the competition’s points table. He said that playing in the IPL would rather help him prepare better for the T20 World Cup, to be held in India in October.”These two Tests are our last matches in the World Test Championship so it is not as if we are going to play the final,” Shakib told . “We are at the very bottom of the points table. I don’t think it makes much of a difference. The other major reason is that the World Cup T20 is in India later this year. It is a very important tournament where we have much to achieve. There isn’t much to achieve in these two Tests. I think it is a better option that I prepare myself for something bigger.”Related

• Shakib, Mustafizur picked in Bangladesh's preliminary ODI squad

• Shakib Al Hasan really, really wants to play Test cricket

• BCB allows Shakib Al Hasan to miss Sri Lanka Tests for IPL

• BCB to add clauses in central contracts after Shakib's IPL request

Shakib said that his letter to the BCB was focused on his plan to prepare for the T20 World Cup, but Akram Khan, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said that Shakib doesn’t want to play the two Tests against Sri Lanka, to be held from April 21 to May 3.”Those who keep saying that I don’t want to play Tests, I am sure they didn’t read my letter. I didn’t mention anywhere in my letter to the BCB that I don’t want to play Tests. I wrote that I want to play the IPL to prepare myself for the World Cup,” Shakib said.”Akram especially has repeatedly said that I don’t want to play Tests. I think he said it again in an interview yesterday. I guess he never read the letter. People should have a clear idea that I wanted to play the IPL even if ODIs were scheduled during this time.”I want to take advantage of playing in the same grounds and against the same players who I will face in the World Cup T20 four months later. I can share the same experience with my Bangladesh team-mates.”He said that the BCB president Nazmul Hassan’s decision to allow him to play in the IPL is laudable. “I want to thank (Nazmul Hassan) Papon bhai for taking the right decision. A player must have the freedom, and his confidence goes up when the board president backs him in this manner. The player becomes more responsible when playing for the national team,” he said.’I will let you in on a brutal truth. When overseas players come to Bangladesh, we call most of them ‘sir’ or ‘hujur’, but we do not see our experienced cricketers the same way’ – Shakib Al Hasan•Raton Gomes/BCB

Shakib criticised the BCB’s decision to hold the Test series during the IPL. They will also be playing an ODI series against Sri Lanka, possibly from May 20, which will also clash with Shakib’s IPL commitment. Shakib said that by doing so, BCB had again given less value to its own cricketers.”No other cricket board holds international matches during the IPL,” he said. “Only we are playing against Sri Lanka. Do you ever see any Afghanistan cricketer playing for their country during the IPL? Their board makes sure the players are free to play in the IPL. If we don’t value our own players, how can you expect us to perform well when playing for Bangladesh?”I will let you in on a brutal truth. When overseas players come to Bangladesh, we call most of them ‘sir’ or ”, but we do not see our experienced cricketers the same way. If the people, board and players do not respect you, you can’t expect them to respect you.”Shakib also criticised the BCB’s long-term planning, questioning the role of the High Performance unit, and suggested that some of the BCB directors who have played for Bangladesh in the past haven’t done much to progress the game.”Not having back-up players is really disappointing. I don’t know how many players have come from the High Performance squad. We have a number of people in the cricket board who have played for Bangladesh, but apart from (Khaled Mahmud) Sujon bhai, they are not too involved. Sujon and Papon must be credited for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup win.”But I can’t find any more people from the board to give credit. I don’t think they think much about cricket (laughs). We hardly talk about these things. Even our journalists are focused on small things. They don’t look at the big picture, like how many players we produced in the last five years.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:48

Fernando: Herath a fourth-innings force of nature

Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers imposed their familiar chokehold over another fourth innings of a home Test match, uprooting batsmen as early as the second ball of the day, before sending the Test hurtling to its conclusion by the middle of the afternoon session.Leading the final charge was Rangana Herath. He was unstoppable as ever in defence of a score, and picked up record for most career wickets for a left-arm spinner en route to figures of 6 for 59. This was his 29th five-wicket haul overall, and his 10th in the fourth innings – no one in the history of the game has got more than seven.Batting in the fourth innings in Galle is among the most daunting of Test cricket’s challenges, and although Bangladesh suggested they might approach the task with spunk on the fourth afternoon, fell away quickly on Saturday. This was their third day-five collapse in four matches, having also failed to draw matches in Wellington and Hyderabad. Save for a 19-over stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, there was little in the way of resistance. They were eventually all out for 197 – 259 runs short of Sri Lanka.Their woes had begun immediately on day five. Soumya Sarkar, who had sped to fifty the previous afternoon, almost sent a catch to short leg off Asela Gunaratne first ball, but was out next ball in any case, Gunaratne’s offbreak jiving away from his defence to shave the top of off stump.The top order then quickly succumbed. Dilruwan Perera came to the crease to bowl to Mominul Haque, and trapped the batsman with much the same delivery that had got him out in the first innings. Flighted in to pitch on around middle stump, Perera turned the ball, beat the shot, and rapped a leaden-footed Mominul dead in front of middle stump. So scrambled was the batsman’s mind, that he even ventured a heedless review of that lbw decision though he never really thought he had a chance of surviving it – walking most of the way to the boundary before the third-umpire could even run the simulations.Tamim Iqbal soon sent a catch to slip off Perera, before Herath made his presence known with a double-strike that drew him level with Daniel Vettori’s career wicket tally of 362. Shakib Al Hasan was caught at leg slip off one that turned a little more than the batsman expected, then two balls later, Mahmudullah was lbw to a delivery that spun past his defence as well. At that stage, Bangladesh had lost five wickets in 12.4 overs.Mushfiqur and Liton mounted a brief fight through the back end of the first session, lending hope that Bangladesh might be able to survive until the afternoon rains came. But by now Galle’s pitch – itself often a force of nature – had become unfriendly, and even the bad balls turned far enough to draw mistakes. Lakshan Sandakan turned a ball way down the legside in the over after lunch, and Mushfiqur got himself out chasing it and offering a thin edge to the keeper. Sandakan had dismissed Shakib in similar style in the first innings.Herath then soon had Liton caught off the leading edge at cover to take his 363rd Test wicket – which made him the game’s most successful left-arm spinner – and the tail exposed now, the result seemed inevitable. Taskin Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman all fell to Herath. All up, Bangladesh could only last 45.2 of the 98 overs they were due to bat on the day.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:31

Isam: Blow to Rubel adds to Bangladesh’s woes

Tim Southee and Trent Boult shared nine wickets as New Zealand bowled Bangladesh out for 289, pegging the visitors back after a 127-run third-wicket stand between Soumya Sarkar and Shakib Al Hasan had threatened to set up a big first-innings total on a flat Hagley Oval surface. The Sarkar-Shakib stand, rattling along at 4.98 per over, had moved Bangladesh to 165 for 2 in the 36th over before Boult and Southee turned the day around with three wickets in the space of 17 balls.The pace and texture of the day was transformed. The last five Bangladesh wickets stretched the innings out by a further 46 overs, during which time they scored 110 runs, with the lower order – particularly the debutants Nurul Hasan and Nazmul Hossain Shanto, who added 53 for the sixth wicket – batting resolutely and New Zealand helping them with some puzzling tactics. Kane Williamson, their captain, did not use their specialist spinner Mitchell Santner all day, and got his quicks to pepper the lower order with incessant short balls, not changing tack even after taking the second new ball.

Southee’s feast at home after famine

• 2 Five-wicket hauls for Tim Southee in his last three home Tests, including this. Prior to the Christchurch Test, he had not taken a five-wicket haul in 24 consecutive home Tests since picking up 5 for 55 on Test debut, against England in Napier in 2008.

• 2013 The last time New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers shared nine or more wickets between them, against England in Auckland – Trent Boult picked up six wickets and Southee three. In Christchurch on Friday, Southee claimed five wickets and Boult four. This was Boult’s first four-wicket haul in home Tests since 2014.

• 37 The previous-highest score for Soumya Sarkar in Tests, before scoring his maiden fifty in this innings. This was the first time he opened in Tests, having batted at Nos. 6 and 7 in his previous three matches

• 6 Scores of 50 or more for Shakib Al Hasan against New Zealand – the most by him against any opposition. He averages 68.63 against New Zealand, and it vaults to 84.83 in New Zealand.

The short ball dismissed Nazmul, Taskin Ahmed and Nurul, but by no means swiftly, and dealt the No. 11 Rubel Hossain a jarring blow to the elbow, but it was hard not to wonder if the fast bowlers wouldn’t have been better served bowling a good length and looking for some swing. It was via this method that Southee ended Bangladesh’s innings with his fifth wicket, pinging Kamrul Islam Rabbi’s back pad in front of middle and off stump with late away-swing from a good length. Kamrul faced 63 balls to score 2, and added 32 for the last two wickets – in 18 overs – with Nurul and Rubel.New Zealand could have wrapped up the innings far more swiftly had they held on to their catches. Nurul alone enjoyed three lives. On 4, he reached out to a wide one from Boult and nicked towards third slip, where the ball bounced off Southee’s hard hands. Then, on 21, he sparred at Colin de Grandhomme with an open bat-face, and bisected first and second slip, leaving Ross Taylor and Jeet Raval looking questioningly at each other. Finally, on 36, he jabbed at a short one from Neil Wagner angled across his body, and Taylor got his hands in a tangle while going for a straightforward chance coming at his chest.In all, it wasn’t the greatest day for New Zealand’s catchers; Raval, diving across from second slip, had dropped Sarkar off de Grandhomme on 52, denying Taylor what would have been a simple shoulder-high chance.Still, New Zealand will have been pleased to restrict Bangladesh to under 300 after the start they had made. The turnaround began in the ninth over after lunch, when Boult got a fullish ball to stop on Sarkar and leave him off the pitch as he strode forward to drive; checking his shot; he only managed to spoon a catch into the covers. Then came a perfectly delivered short ball angled across Sabbir Rahman to square him up and produce a nick to the slips. Four balls later, Shakib overbalanced a touch while trying to glance Southee and tickled a catch down the leg side.Tim Southee picked up his sixth five-wicket haul in Test cricket•AFP

Sarkar, making a comeback thanks to a spate of injuries to Bangladesh’s players, made his maiden Test fifty and eventually fell 14 short of a hundred. It was an odd innings, defined by his willingness to go after anything remotely close to his driving arc, often stroking the ball on the up, and while it looked pretty when it came off, it often didn’t, as his control percentage – 74 – suggested. His innings contained its share of plays-and-misses, airy drives that sneaked into gaps, and edges that streaked to the third-man boundary.At the other end, Shakib was equally keen to drive on the up, but looked more secure while doing so, his footwork and weight transfer indicating the form he was in, coming off a double-hundred in the first Test. Both batsmen also pulled with authority, the fast bowlers’ attempts at banging it in short causing little discomfort on a pitch with true bounce but not a lot of pace.Sent in to bat under largely blue skies, Bangladesh’s patched-up top order had to contend with a new-ball pair generating swing consistently. Southee struck in the fourth over, cramping Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s stand-in captain, with a short, rising ball that came back in towards the left-hand batsman’s right armpit. Looking to tuck it away into the leg side, Tamim only managed to glove it to the keeper.Mahmudullah and Sarkar then added 31 brisk but uneasy runs as Southee and Boult continued to swing the new ball and beat their edges. Twice in a row, Boult bent the ball back through the gap between bat and pad after angling it across Mahmudullah, and missed the off stump by inches. Two balls later, he had a confident caught-behind appeal turned down when a short ball climbed awkwardly at the batsman. New Zealand reviewed Paul Reiffel’s not-out decision, and technology confirmed the ball had gone past bat and brushed only right shoulder.Boult didn’t have to wait much longer, though. In only his next over – the 11th of Bangladesh’s innings – Mahmudullah drove away from his body and outside the line of another inwardly curling delivery, and BJ Watling dived to his left behind the wickets to pluck an excellent catch off the inside edge.

Match facts

December 26-30, 2016
Start time 1030 local (2330 GMT)3:50

Samiuddin: The Misbah cure to overconfidence

Big Picture

For those who had gotten used to the shock of the new provided by consecutive day-night Tests, the arrival of Boxing Day would hark back to something far more traditional: a morning start, a red ball, a heaving crowd at the MCG and the festive atmosphere of one of cricket’s great set-piece occasions. Which of the teams would best rise to it, though?Australia’s players got the fright of their lives when a Gabba Test they had dominated seemed to be slipping away from them, momentarily, via the cultured hands of Asad Shafiq and the Pakistan tail. Mitchell Starc struck in the nick of time to secure the victory, but the physical toll it took on him, Josh Hazlewood and others was clear. In deciding to ignore the allrounder Hilton Cartwright, Australia’s selectors have presented the hosts with the chance to seal the series with an unchanged team. Doing so would finish a year of some tribulation with greater optimism than had seemed likely when South Africa were humiliating a rather different-looking team in Hobart. But, the four-bowler combination that Pakistan seemed to get used to by the end of the Gabba Test faced plenty of hard graft before that scenario could unfold.Pakistan, of course, were widely regarded as the moral victors of a match they seemed certain to lose by a vast margin. Clearly, they finished it far better than they started and enter into the second Test with a lot more confidence than they did the first. One thing that has to change, however, was the balance of the bowling attack and the way in which it was utilised. Australia lost only 15 wickets in Brisbane, and much of the time Misbah-ul-Haq seemed preoccupied with containment rather than wicket-taking. At the MCG, a ground that has been known to favour reverse-swing in the past, there has to be more accent on the positive if Pakistan were to fight their way back into the series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

 Australia: WWLLL
Pakistan: LLLLW

In the spotlight

Though he felt the roar of a mighty MCG crowd on World Cup Final day in 2015, Mitchell Starc would experience Boxing Day from the middle for the very first time. Last summer he was injured, the summer before dropped, injured again the season before that and controversially rested in 2012 in order to preserve him for later assignments. Starc wasn’t happy about it at the time and said so; the irony this time around was that he would be entering the Test under a physical cloud – via the huge volume of overs he ploughed through at the Gabba.Proud as he was about how Pakistan fought in Brisbane after a grim start, Misbah-ul-Haq was a harried figure at the batting crease, struggling for rhythm and to cope with the extra bounce in the Gabba surface. If Pakistan were to square the series they need a more even contribution down their batting order, and as captain Misbah must take up a large chunk of that responsibility. Well as Shafiq played with the tail in Brisbane, Test matches are generally run through top-order runs made in the first innings.

Teams news

Australia resisted the temptation to include the young allrounder Cartwright as additional bowling cover for the pace trio who bowled so many overs in Brisbane, naming an unchanged side.Australia 1 Matt Renshaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Nic Maddinson, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson BirdImran Khan was under serious consideration to be included for the visitors as a right-arm bowling option, in place of Rahat Ali.Pakistan (probable) 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Rahat Ali/Imran Khan

Pitch and conditions

David Sandurski, the MCG curator, expected the pitch to offer more to the bowlers than the 2015 surface, which was prepared with less moisture in it out of concern about the weather forecast. This year’s was far more favourable.”I think there might be a little bit more in it this year than last year, that’s for sure,” he said. “Last year we had 30mm of rain forecast day one, which made us probably err a little bit on the batsmen’s side. This year we haven’t got that rain forecast, it’s just the chance of a shower. It enables us to leave a little bit more in it.”

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan beat Australia at the MCG in 1979 and 1981, but have three losses and a draw in the four Tests they’ve played at the ground since then, most recently in 2009
• Younis Khan sat 14th on the list of the most runs made in Tests between the two countries, but a century (or more) would place him comfortably inside the top 10, moving past Mark and Steve Waugh, Michael Slater and Kim Hughes

Quotes

“We won the game. If they can take confidence out of losing … I don’t know.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Kraigg Brathwaite became the first opener to be unbeaten in both innings of a Test, as he led West Indies to an absorbing five-wicket win over Pakistan in Sharjah – their first Test win outside the West Indies and Bangladesh since 2007. It was also West Indies’ first win in 14 Tests and their first under the captaincy of Jason Holder.Yet, resuming on 114 for 5, with 39 runs to win, overnight batsmen Brathwaite and Shane Dowrich showed no sign of letting the occasion get to them. Brathwaite opened proceedings with a crisp drive to the cover boundary off Wahab Riaz on the first ball of the day. Dowrich smacked a half-tracker from Yasir Shah to the midwicket boundary in the next over. That set the tone as the pair took just 7.5 overs to knock down the target in clinical fashion on the fifth morning.While neither batsman looked to force the pace, they were not afraid to put away bad balls either. Late cuts and drives through the off side featured prominently as the pair glided past the finish line with minimum fuss. Dowrich sealed the win, slashing a short ball from Mohammad Amir towards the third-man boundary for the sixth four of the morning.Pakistan’s bowlers were unable to create any pressure on a pitch that was still rather placid. Neither Wahab nor Amir got much swing or movement off the surface, and Yasir was ineffective and inconsistent in the two overs he bowled. The batsmen seemed to have little trouble in keeping the straight ones out and punishing anything that was too short or too wide.It was all a far cry from West Indies’ wobble the previous evening, as they slid to 67 for 5 after a rather shaky 29-run opening partnership. But Brathwaite and Dowrich scored unbeaten half-centuries, combining for a nerveless 87-run stand to steer their side to a memorable victory and finish a tough tour of the UAE on a high.

Short-bowling tactics and allegations of sledging were placed under the microscope on day one of the New South Wales Coroner’s inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes.Witnesses including Brad Haddin, the NSW captain on the day, and pace bowler Doug Bollinger were examined on issues surrounding the events of November 25, 2014, when Hughes, playing for South Australia, was struck on the side of the neck by a short ball delivered by Sean Abbott in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.The blow caused a severe arterial injury that rendered him unconscious within seconds and ultimately ended his life in St Vincent’s Hospital two days later.Members of the Hughes family, who were present for the inquest at Sydney’s Downing Centre court complex, had raised concerns about the bowling Hughes was subjected to on the day, and also about some of the comments allegedly directed to him prior to the blow.It was alleged, in the examination of detective senior constable Jay Tonkin of NSW Police by the Hughes’ family’s legal representative Greg Melick SC, that Bollinger had uttered the words “I’m going to kill you”, something the bowler strongly denied with the words, “I know in my heart I didn’t say that.” Hughes’ parents, Greg and Virginia, were seen to shake their heads when Bollinger offered his denial.Haddin was queried on tactical discussions about how to dismiss Hughes, given that he had established himself at the crease by lunch. Haddin stated he had discussions with the then NSW coach Trevor Bayliss about how to change the flow of the game, but denied any specific plans to bowl short.The field placings used by Haddin after lunch – interpreted by some as to cater for short bowling – were, he said, devised to reduce the scoring rate. Haddin also stated that if he had wished to deliver a short-pitched attack on Hughes, he would have used other bowlers, pointing out that the spinner Nathan Lyon was operating opposite Abbott at the time.However David Warner, in an earlier statement offered to the inquest, stated that the NSW team had previously formulated a plan for Hughes. “The team had developed a plan of how to get Phil out,” he said. “Basically it was to bowl at or over leg stump and get Phil moving backwards instead of forwards.”Asked initially to recall events, Haddin spoke vividly of the moment Hughes was struck. “It was like something I’ve never witnessed before in my life,” he said. “It was the noise. The groan. The way he fell straight down, motionless without trying to break the fall.” As part of the first day’s proceedings, the inquest viewed footage of the over in which Hughes was hit. Members of the Hughes family left the room at this time.Proceedings had opened with addresses from the NSW Coroner, Michael Barnes QC, and the Counsel assisting the Coroner, Kristina Stern, SC. Barnes spoke about the toll the week’s events were likely to take on the Hughes family in particular. “It is important to note that Phillip Hughes was, before anything else, a son and a brother,” he said.”To his family, who have been devastated, he was much more than a fabulous cricketer. I offer them my sincere condolences. I can appreciate these proceedings may be harrowing for them. It may exacerbate their raw pain. I deeply regret that, and only hope the improved safety that may result justifies that pain.”Cricket is not generally seen as dangerous or violent. But that does not mean cricket can’t be made safer.”Stern’s address laid out numerous avenues of inquiry, and also outlined the timeline of events from the moment Hughes was struck to the time he made it into surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital about an hour later. However she made clear that the type of injury sustained by Hughes meant, “None of the chronologies set out above had any impact on the death of Phillip Hughes, which appears to have been inevitable from the point of impact.”That left much focus to be placed on events leading up to the ball that struck Hughes. “Concerns have been raised in relation to the number of short balls that were delivered by the pace bowlers to Phillip Hughes,” Sterns said. “And as to tactics during the afternoon session that day.”In particular, concern has been expressed that the NSW team may have been bowling short at Phillip Hughes for a good majority of the time after lunch, in order to restrict the run rate and get him out. And as to whether the umpires should have taken steps to prevent this.”There has also been some concern expressed as to any sledging that may have taken place that day. [Phillip’s brother] Jason Hughes has, with the benefit of the video footage available, prepared a ball by ball analysis of the short-pitched deliveries that will assist your honour in understanding these issues.”Before the inquest began, Hughes’ manager James Henderson delivered a statement on behalf of the family. “This is going to be a very, very, very difficult week for Greg, Virginia, Jason and Megan,” Henderson told reporters outside the court. “They haven’t been looking forward to this week, and they’re hoping that perhaps there will be a positive that comes out of Phillip’s death as we go through the next five days in the Coroner’s court.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, also spoke before the inquest began. Sutherland had delayed his departure for the next round of ICC meetings in Cape Town, South Africa, in order to be present for the start of the inquest.”We never want to see a tragedy like this happen on the cricket field, and to that end we have the utmost respect for the coronial inquest process that we will need to go through this week,” he said. “We won’t be providing a running commentary dealing with specific issues through the week, but we do hope something good comes from this process.”The inquest continues on Tuesday with further witness examinations.

USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has said that captain Steven Taylor will move back to opening the innings in the ICC World Cricket League Division Four beginning on October 29 in Los Angeles.Taylor has had a number of trials in the middle order recently, with varied results.The plan to shift him down the order came after Dassanayake witnessed the left-hander’s unbeaten 81 off 53 balls while batting at No. 6 in Florida XI’s one-wicket win over a touring Marylebone Cricket Club XI last month. He then got scores of 5, 1, and 1 in three games at No. 4, before moving back to the opening slot where he scored 27 in USA’s two-wicket win over Canada in the Auty Cup.Dassanayake said that after experimenting with Taylor in the middle, he felt both Taylor and the team had the best chance for success in Division Four with him batting as an opener.”We tried a few things and now we’ve settled down back into the opening [slot],” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo. “This is our batting order. What we had [in the win], we’re going to stick to it throughout the tournament.”We were discussing it and he’s comfortable coming down [the order] to bat when the team needs it during the tough periods. But after looking at these conditions, and these wickets where the ball comes onto the bat pretty well, we had a small discussion about it. With his calibre, I think he is better at the top of the order.”The news bodes well for Ravi Timbawala, who was drafted into the USA squad for Division Four on Thursday as a replacement for Srini Santhanam, who was ruled out due to an injury to the right shoulder. Timbawala scored an unbeaten 73, batting at No. 3 in the two-wicket win over Canada, and appears set to keep that role when USA take the field for their first match against Bermuda on October 29.Timbawala’s presence in the middle order also provides more stability for USA as cover for Taylor’s inconsistency. Ever since making a career-best 162 off 102 balls against Nepal – who Dassanayake was coaching at the time – in 2013, Taylor has scored 277 runs in 14 innings at 19.79 in 50-over cricket for USA.In that stretch he has two fifties, but also three ducks to go along with the pair of ones against Canada last week. Dassanayake says that it is important for Taylor to stay aggressive in spite of the low scores, because his approach can devastate opponents the way it did to Dassanayake’s Nepal side in 2013.”His type of batting is not going to be consistent,” Dassanayake said. “I’m happy if he can get [big runs in] three games for us. If he scores in three games and we’re going to win those games, that’s what I’m looking for. He’s hungry. As a leader, first time captaining USA [in an ICC tournament], he wants to win this tournament. He wants to contribute.”A part of those contributions are now coming with the ball. In 21 career 50-over matches for USA, prior to last weekend’s Auty Cup, Taylor had bowled a total of 7.2 overs, taking one wicket. But in his first match after being named captain, he brought himself on and took 5 for 47 with his part-time offspin. That spurred him to bowl out his maximum quota of overs in all three games against Canada, the only USA bowler to do so in the series.It may be a sign of things to come in Division Four as he takes on an increased role with the ball, now that he has given up wicketkeeping. However, Dassanayake says Taylor’s batting is still what will win USA matches at the end of the day and he is backing Taylor to come through.”I can see his feelings. When he gets out, he’s disappointed, but I know that with his calibre and the way that he’s moving, he will get there. I think he understands pretty well how to adjust to conditions. I have confidence that he’ll get us through in the five games coming up.”

The Bangladesh selectors have brought in left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain to replace pacer Rubel Hossain for the third ODI against Afghanistan.The decision came in a Wednesday-night selection meeting, soon after the loss to Afghanistan in the second ODI. Rubel had bowled only three overs in that two-wicket defeat, conceding 24 runs. He had fared only slightly better in the first game, particularly in the last few overs when Bangladesh pulled the game back, but still went for 62 runs in nine overs.In a rocky career so far, Mosharraf, 34, has played three ODIs, all in March 2008, before joining the now-defunct, rebel Indian Cricket League. He was regularly among the top wicket-takers in domestic cricket since the BCB reinstated the ICL players in 2010. He was last picked in the national squad more than three years ago, for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, but did not get a game. He was then provisionally banned in connection with the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League fixing controversy, but cleared of any wrongdoing by the investigation tribunal. He has performed with bat and ball for Legends of Rupganj this season, but, in June, was suspended for one match in the Dhaka Premier League for misconduct. In August, he was added to Bangladesh’s 30-man preliminary squad ahead of the international season.The ODIs between Bangladesh and Afghanistan currently stand at 1-1, with one match to play in Mirpur on October 1.

Liam Plunkett has said he will speak to his family before making a decision over whether to tour Bangladesh following the ECB’s approval for the trip to go ahead.Plunkett, who is a regular part of England’s one-day side and can be expected to be included in the squad for that leg of the tour, added he has “a few more questions to ask” before making up his mind but that he has full faith in the ECB’s head of security Reg Dickason.There has been a sense of uncertainty among the England players since the tour was given the green light last week. Jos Buttler said there was a lot of information to digest and Alex Hales, speaking to the admitted being torn with the risk of giving up his place in the side. Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said no one would be forced to tour, but hoped that the full squad selected would travel.The players are keen not to have to think about the situation while the current series with Pakistan is going on but the squads are due to named just a couple of days after the T20 at Old Trafford and the team flies out on September 30.”People are just digesting what went on in the meeting and I will have a bit more of a think once the series is done,” Plunkett said. “Maybe I will speak to a few more people but I trust Reg and what he says and I will have another look after the series.”You pick up a paper and there’s trouble everywhere in the world so I don’t know but I’ll speak to my family once the series is done, have a good think, look into it a bit more and come up with a decision.”Plunkett was part of England’s previous tour to Bangladesh in 2010 but he will not be rushing into his decision.”I know the environment in Bangladesh and I know what it’s like,” he said. “I’ve travelled in the sub-continent quite a lot so I’ve got a few more questions to ask and I’ll finalise my judgment and come up with a decision then.”England have been promised huge levels of security for the tour which includes three ODIs and two Tests. Doubts over the trip came after the July terror attacks in Dhaka during which 20 people were killed. Australia had pulled out of their tour last year having received specific government advice and also withdrew their Under-19 side from the World Cup staged in the country this year, but England did send a team to that tournament.