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A collective bowling performance, followed by Thirush Kamini unbeaten 62, led India Women to a nine-wicket win to complete a 3-2 series victory in the final ODI against New Zealand Women in Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:05

‘We need to build partnerships’ – Satterthwaite

A collective bowling performance, followed by Thirush Kamini’s unbeaten 62, led India women to a nine-wicket win to complete a 3-2 series victory in the final ODI against New Zealand women in Bangalore.Having opted to bat, New Zealand were reduced to 12 for 2 in five overs. Rachel Priest was run out for a duck without facing a ball before Jhulan Goswami had Amy Satterthwaite nicking behind for 5 off 14 balls. Suzie Bates (42) and Sophie Devine (18) mounted a brief fight with a 49-run partnership but New Zealand lost their last eight wickets for 57 runs, folding for 118 in 41 overs.Anna Peterson (22), coming in at No. 8, was the only other batsman to have moved into double figures. Goswami, left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad and seamer Deepti Sharma took two wickets each while Ekta Bisht and Harmanpreet Kaur pitched in with a wicket apiece to jolt the visitors.Even though opener Smriti Mandhana fell by the third over, Kamini underpinned a steady chase with 62 off 78 balls, including 13 fours. Sharma also sparkled with the bat, making 44 off 78 balls in an unbroken 103-run stand, as India sealed the match and the series in 27.2 overs.Despite taking the series, India were still at the bottom of the ICC Women’s Championship points table with only two wins in nine matches.

The 17-year-old defender has already played in the Premier League and Champions League, and looks to have a big future at the Etihad Stadium.

When a team as well-run as Manchester City allow a player with the qualities of Oleksandr Zinchenko to leave the club, you just know that it's all part of the wider plan. Replacements will be, or have already been, found.

The obvious alternative is to recruit a replacement, but that comes with risks. How will they settle in? Do they fit the system? Or, as was the case in the summer of 2022, will the deal get over the line at all?

That was the case with Marc Cucurella, who many presumed would be a City player by the start of the 2022-23 campaign, only for the Premier League champions to baulk at Brighton's demands as Cucurella instead joined Chelsea.

There was no panic at City, though. They knew that gap in the squad could be filled by pursuing other avenues, including their uber-talented academy system.

That has led to Rico Lewis, their 17-year-old England youth international, making his way into Pep Guardiola's plans, and the early signs are good that he will remain there for a good while longer.

But who is City's latest teenage prodigy? NXGN takes a closer look…

Getty ImagesWhere it all began

Lewis hails from the Greater Manchester suburb of Bury, a town that has produced more England players for international tournaments than any other.

But unlike fellow Bury-born full-backs Gary and Phil Neville, he headed straight to Man City, and has followed the path from the academy all the way to the first team.

"It started with my friend getting me a trial when I was about seven," he told reporters. "Then they signed me at the start of Under-8s, and since then I've just been at City.

"I've obviously been a City fan since I was about five or six and my journey through the academy has been nothing but good. To come all the way through and get to this point, it's the dream."

Lewis has cited his family as a driving influence behind his career, ever since kicking a ball around his father's gym as a youngster.

“[My dad] was the main point that pushed me, he didn’t force me towards things but pushed me in directions to get myself out there," he told City's official website.

"My family saw me make my debut. They were in a box and I could see them, and being able to meet them after was like, 'I’ve worked hard for this and they’ve also worked hard for it', so they are proud of me and I am proud of that."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe big break

While he was captaining City to the Premier League's U18s title last season, Lewis also spent some time training with the first-team squad.

But it was on their pre-season tour to the United States in the summer of 2022 that he began to gain some recognition as he earned his first minutes in Guardiola's side.

He impressed with lively cameos against Club America and Bayern Munich, hitting the post after a driving run against the German champions.

And after allowing Zinchenko to leave for Arsenal in the summer and missing out on their preferred replacement in Cucurella, the field was open for back-ups to Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo to state their case.

City did sign Spanish full-back Sergio Gomez from Anderlecht, and also have fellow academy star Josh Wilson-Esbrand pushing for opportunities, but Lewis has still managed to make his presence felt.

He made his senior debut against Bournemouth in August and has had occasional minutes off the bench ever since, including in the Champions League win over Copenhagen.

He also looked comfortable as a starter in the recent prestigious friendly against Barcelona at Camp Nou.

Getty ImagesHow's it going

Guardiola believes that the best way for his young players to develop is to be working around the first team, and he has shown patience with Lewis' predecessors such as Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.

Rule changes allowing five substitutions have allowed the City boss to give his youngsters more opportunities, while also giving his more established players time to rest on the regular occasions that they find themselves comfortably ahead in games.

Lewis is certainly making the most of those chances: "Rico showed me again that we can rely on him perfectly,” Guardiola said after his performance against Copenhagen.

With Walker expected to be out until the World Cup, opportunities for Lewis are even greater, and it would not be a surprise to see him make his first competitive start before the six-week break for Qatar 2022.

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Getty ImagesBiggest strengths

High quality full-backs are expected to do so much more than simply run up and down the wing these days, and Lewis is no different.

England currently has a group of exciting, young, attacking full-backs such as Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold and Chelsea's Reece James, and Lewis is seen as being able to play a similar role.

He likes to get forward and supplement the attacking options, which is particularly important in a City team that so often spends the majority of matches with the ball in the opposition's half.

But under Guardiola, the full-back role is even more complex, with Cancelo and Walker having learned to step inside and act as an extra midfielder.

Lewis will have to show that he can learn that role too, though versatility is not something he is unaccustomed to. In his short career he has already played as both a right-back and left-back, as well as as a holding midfielder.

PSG forward Kylian Mbappe is seeking exclusive rights to his signature celebration and last name.

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Superstar hopes iconic celebration will be protected as intellectual propertyHas already protected two phrasesExpected to move to Real Madrid this summerWHAT HAPPENED?

The PSG winger is seeking intellectual property rights for his iconic arms-folded celebration, as well as his last name, according to . If he is awarded those privileges, any products or brands looking to use his name or celebration will need to pay Mbappe – or be granted permission by the player himself.

AdvertisementWHAT KYLIAN MBAPPE SAID

Mbappe's celebration originally came from his younger brother, Ethan, he revealed in his autobiography: "He scored a goal and celebrated by crossing his arms. Five minutes later, he stopped and said, 'Kylian, you could do that in a match.' So, I did it."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Mbappe isn't the first footballer to seek intellectual property rights. Vinicius Jr has three different registrations for protection in the EU. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have also trademarked their names and celebrations.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

The winger is set to join Madrid next summer, and has reportedly agreed on a massive contract to seal his move to the Spanish capital. Until then, he will continue to appear for the Parisians, who take on Rennes in Ligue 1 play on Sunday.

At 70 for 8, Australia Under-19s looked like wrapping up West Indies Under-19s for a sub-100 total, until they ran into Nicolas Pooran, who played the innings of the tournament to lift his team to 208

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran in Dubai23-Feb-2014
ScorecardNicolas Pooran hit 20 of the 23 boundaries in West Indies’ innings•ICCAt 70 for 8, Australia Under-19s looked like wrapping up West Indies Under-19s for a sub-100 total, until they ran into Nicolas Pooran, who played the innings of the tournament to lift his team to 208. The fightback went in vain as Australia coasted to victory by five wickets and set up a semi-final clash with South Africa on Wednesday.The alarming trend of top-order collapses continued at the Dubai International Stadium and on Monday it was West Indies’ turn to suffer. Pooran, however, showed it was possible to bat 50 overs even after losing eight for nothing. The unsung hero was his partner Jerome Jones, who pitched a tent at the other end and ensured Pooran got as much strike as possible.Pooran’s 143 constituted a staggering 69% of West Indies’ runs. His stand of 136 with Jones was a record for the ninth-wicket partnership in U-19 ODIs, and Jones contributed just 20.Of the 23 boundaries in West Indies’ innings, Pooran hit 20, evidence of the control he had. He began by flicking Greg Walker to fine leg before clearing the infield on both sides of the wicket against the seamers. Pooran started farming the strike once Jones joined him at 70 for 8 but he showed enough trust in his partner’s batting ability. Pooran turned down several singles and was successful in taking a single off the fourth ball on many occasions, letting Jones play the last two.The 50 stand took only 47 balls and Pooran faced 39 of those. His driving and placement through the off side was crisp and the shot that stood out was his straight six off Walker, not just for the distance covered but also for the follow-through. Thomas Andrews was treated harshly, Pooran slogged him over deep midwicket and hit three sixes in the penultimate over.Pooran deftly flicked Ben Ashkenazi to fine leg to move to 95 and two runs later their stand swelled to 83, breaking the record for the ninth wicket in U-19 one-dayers. He brought up his century with a flicked boundary to fine leg and had all but ensured that West Indies batted out 50 overs.Australia’s fielding standards subsided as the partnership grew, with several fumbles and a run-out opportunity missed. Pooran had dug out a yorker and Jones charged out for the single but was sent back. The throw was too high. Pooran lost his middle stump in the final over and he walked back to warm gestures of appreciation from the Australians who each shook his hand.West Indies may not have managed a par score, but it was a fighting one, which also looked unlikely given how they had begun. Australia bowled five seamers in the first 25 overs and induced several mistakes. They stuck to fuller lengths but it was the extra pace and hint of movement that the batsmen found tough to negotiate.Billy Stanlake bowled one of the best deliveries of the tournament – a fast, inswinging yorker – to uproot Shimron Hetmeyer’s middle stump. The left-hand opener barely had time to get his bat down to dig it out and the quality of the delivery was enough to dent the psyche of the rest. Tagenarine Chanderpaul, West Indies’ in-form batsman, pushed at a delivery from Walker that moved away and edged to slip. Walker was on a hat-trick after he trapped Jonathan Drakes lbw padding up to one that came back in.Jeremy Solozano attempted an expansive drive off James Bazley and edged to slip, where Alex Gregory took a sharp, high catch. West Indies lost half their side for 52 when Brandon King edged Ashkenazi to the wicketkeeper. Ashkenazi then flattened Ramaal Lewis’ middle stump before the left-arm spinner Andrews dismissed Gudakesh Motie and Bryan Charles in similar manner. Australia had to wait 23 overs for their next breakthrough.Australia were carried by a solid opening stand of 107 between Jaron Morgan and Matthew Short. Morgan began with back-to-back boundaries off Jones, pulled wide of midwicket and the second over the bowler’s head. Morgan had a close call earlier in his innings when he went down the track to Lewis, only for the wicketkeeper to fumble the stumping.Morgan then took on the left-arm spinner Motie, pulling and driving two boundaries in an over. Australia had moved to 60 for 0 after ten overs, in contrast to the way West Indies began. The shot that really signaled Australia’s dominance was Morgan charging Lewis and launching it at least eight rows over long-on. Morgan brought up his fifty off 61 balls but couldn’t carry on, giving Bryan Charles the charge and holing out to Solozano running forward. The ball before he charged down and scored a boundary down the ground.West Indies didn’t have to wait long for their second breakthrough, as Ray Jordan sent back Short thanks to his brilliant reflexes. Jordan threw himself to his right on his follow-through and took it one-handed. Australia were at a comfortable 112 for 2 at that stage, needing only 97 from 28 overs. West Indies needed to keep pegging away and they got two more wickets in quick succession. Pooran made up for his stumping lapse earlier when he sent back Damien Mortimer and Jordan produced a brute of a yorker to send back Alex Gregory.West Indies needed more such brilliance to pull things in their favour but Jake Doran and Ben McDermott ensured Australia’s safe passage.

Toby Rolland-Jones 12 for 105 send Middlesex top of the Championship with an innings victory over Northamptonshire. This was their first win away from Lord’s and they were without Steven Finn too

Jon Culley at Northampton21-May-2014
ScorecardToby Roland-Jones bounced back to form with a career-best 12 for 105•Getty ImagesMiddlesex are playing down the likelihood that they will be able to sustain a title challenge over a full season but for the moment they are in front, with a lead of 19 points over Yorkshire, having won four matches out of six. All the other Division One teams have played a match fewer but it is a decent advantage.What’s more they have won away from Lord’s for the first time, which may be significant, and without Steven Finn, whose 29 wickets have been a large part of their early season success. Here they were driven to a thumping victory by the outstanding performance of his career from Toby Roland-Jones, a seam bowler who could not get in the side when the fixture programme began last month.Thanks largely to his six wickets, Northamptonshire succumbed by 2.30pm, having been four down overnight. There was a show of resistance from Ben Duckett, the 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman (although not Northants’ regular keeper), who made a career-best 56, in conjunction with Ian Butler, the New Zealand allrounder, who preserved his wicket for almost two hours, facing 119 balls for his 14 runs – a commendable effort from a player whose more customary approach would have taken him to a century in that sort of time. But once they were parted the end came swiftly.Without much at all in the way of warning, Roland-Jones took a career-best 6 for 55 in Northamptonshire’s first innings and bettered it again with 6 for 50 in their second. His match figures of 12 for 105 are new territory for him as well. And there was that 60 off 30 balls with the bat, another career-best. For him it was quite an occasion.Chris Rogers, the Middlesex captain, sung his praises, but as ever in the context of an honest appraisal. “We know what Toby is capable of,” he said. “He’s probably gone missing a bit for a little while and he will admit that. But when he is at his best he is an exceptional bowler and this was as well as I have seen him bowl since a couple of years ago at Worcester, when he took ten wickets in the game and was outstanding.”He is still in the developmental stage and still has ups and downs but if he can put in performances like that, who knows?”It is all about rhythm for bowlers. He was getting it in the right place and looked like taking a wicket every ball and not many bowlers can say they could do that on a wicket like the one we have had here.”On day one when it was really flat he took responsibility and between him and Ravi Patel they made it happen. We did not have Finny to bowl this game but it was a great performance from that attack. To take 20 wickets on that surface was not easy.”Rogers was frank enough, too, to ask the questions that others might about Middlesex’s claim to be title contenders.”It is hard to tell where we stand, really,” he said. “We are going to come up against teams stronger on paper than Northants and we have not played great cricket consistently. Tests will be coming thick and fast – we have Sussex in the next game and they have turned us over already this season. We will have a bit more of an idea after that one.”From their overnight 88 for 4, Northamptonshire lost three more wickets in the first half-hour. Tim Murtagh took a wicket with his first ball when he came on for Joe Denly at the Lynn Wilson Centre end, dismissing Rob Newton caught behind, then Roland-Jones increased his tally to 10 in the match when Andrew Hall drove loosely and edged to the wicketkeeper and David Murphy lost his off stump to one that may have nipped back a touch.Middlesex broke the Duckett-Butler alliance when the latter edged a good delivery from Roland-Jones to John Simpson behind the wicket, ending a stand of 62 that spanned 38 overs. Butler, who took 112 balls to get into double figures, contributed 14.Nine balls later, Duckett gave Roland-Jones his 12th wicket in the match when he was out hooking for the second time, after which Azharullah was run out by Dawid Malan’s throw from fine leg.It completed a fourth defeat in five for Northamptonshire, three of them by an innings. At least they began the defence of their Twenty20 crown with a win over a strong Yorkshire side. They need to breed some confidence in the short form and transfer it to their four-day game; but it needs to happen quite soon.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said his team had shown signs of consistency and stability in their 3-0 series win over Zimbabwe

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong16-Nov-2014Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said his team had shown signs of consistency and stability in their 3-0 series win over Zimbabwe, the first time they have swept a three-match Test series.The results came despite the fact that several players had been in poor form for most of the year. In the first Test in Mirpur, Taijul Islam took eight wickets during Zimbabwe’s second innings but Bangladesh had to sweat a bit before reaching the 101-run target. Khulna and Chittagong were relatively easier victories. Mushfiqur gave credit to the senior players like Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, who shone brightly with individual performances.”I can’t take too much credit,” Mushfiqur said. “The way our players performed throughout the series, any captain would have been in my position. It is a good sign. We won two Tests on the final day, which shows our character and the fact that we can play good cricket consistently.”We knew that if we executed properly, a 3-0 result was possible. It is nothing unbelievable as it was always going to be difficult to play spin in Bangladesh. All credit goes to the bowlers but the batsmen ensured they had the scoreboard pressure on their side. We knew that if everyone performed, the series would be ours. Ahead of the series we wanted the senior players to lead from the front. Riyad bhai [Mahmudullah], Shakib and Tamim have done well and the juniors were asked to enjoy the game.”Bangladesh had a nervy start on the fifth day, needing nine wickets on a pitch that offered very little to the bowlers. On the fourth evening too, Zimbabwe started off well, despite the early wicket. Mushfiqur bowled Taijul Islam and Shuvagata Hom, alongside his attacking options like Shakib and Jubair Hossain. The tactic worked on the fifth morning when Shuvagata took the first two wickets.”The first session was very important and their best batsmen [Hamilton Masakadza and Sikandar Raza] were at the crease. I knew that if we could take a wicket or two in the first half-hour, we could put them under pressure,” Mushfiqur said. “[Brendan] Taylor is a very good player but he hasn’t had a great time in the series, so we wanted him at the crease at the earliest. That’s how it happened and I am very happy about winning the last two Tests easily.”The way they were batting, we knew it was a matter of time. They were taking a lot of risks so I knew that they would get out any time. So we just waited to grab that opportunity. I had a lot of bowling options, so I used someone to attack. Whenever I needed a wicket, I tried to mix everyone and not just hold up one end.”Maybe right-handers have an easier time facing offspinners but on this wicket, they have to play every ball. It is slightly harder to play offspinners on such a wicket, we noticed last evening. We wanted to give him [Shuvagata] the bowling at the start, so that they can make a mistake while defending or attacking. Credit goes to Shuvagata Hom for creating pressure and taking two vital wickets. The pace bowlers also deserve a big thanks. Shafiul took two vital wickets in the first innings, and then Rubel took early wickets in both innings.”Shakib backed up his captain by saying that he didn’t feel bad not getting enough bowling, which also deprived him from taking 20 wickets in the series, in addition to his 251 runs.”There is nothing to feel bad. What if I didn’t get 17 wickets in the first two Tests? You need luck, which wasn’t there in this Test so it didn’t happen,” Shakib said. “If it did happen I would have felt good but I don’t think about it now.”It feels good obviously that I managed to contribute for the team. I was satisfied with my performance. I could have perhaps batted better, but, on the whole, I was very satisfied with this series.”Bangladesh have leap-frogged Zimbabwe into ninth position in the ICC Test rankings, but have never won a series in Zimbabwe. Mushfiqur was finally asked if the 3-0 result at home was a fair reflection of the two teams’ position and distance from each other.”In our conditions, definitely [it is a fair reflection],” the Bangladesh captain said. “Except for that one hour in the first Test, I never thought they had the upper hand over us. Maybe sessions ended evenly but they were never dominating. This is how we should play at home, and play consistently for five days against every opponent.”

An inspired spell post-tea by Jaydev Unadkat lifted Saurashtra’s sagging spirits, but Baroda continued to hold the edge on the penultimate day in Rajkot, armed with a lead of close to 300 on a deteriorating pitch

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran in Rajkot24-Dec-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Jaydev Unadkat picked up four wickets in a spell of eight overs•Getty ImagesAn inspired spell post-tea by Jaydev Unadkat lifted Saurashtra’s sagging spirits, but Baroda continued to hold the edge on the penultimate day in Rajkot, armed with a lead of close to 300 on a deteriorating pitch. With a day left and three innings yet to be completed, a draw looked the most likely outcome with Baroda poised to go home with more points.Spinners were expected to bag most of the wickets on a pitch tailor-made for them, but Unadkat’s spell of eight overs in which he picked four wickets proved that he could battle the conditions. Saurashtra had lost half the battle when they conceded a first-innings lead of 89 and their best hope of taking more than just a point was to push for an outright win. It required a collapse from Baroda and for a while, the visitors looked like losing their foothold when they slid to 130 for 5. However, Pinal Shah and Utkarsh Patel showed good resistance to stretch the lead to a point where it would place unrealistic expectations on any team batting last on this surface.Saurabh Wakaskar and Aditya Waghmode built Baroda’s lead with a stand of 74 for the third wicket. Wakaskar, who scored a century in the first innings, was aggressive against the spinners, driving down the ground and smashing a straight six that struck the sightscreen. He was let off on 60 when he miscued an attempted six to long-on, only for Unadkat to spill the catch over his head. Saurashtra couldn’t let go of those chances, given their situation, but Unadkat made amends with the skill he’s known better for.Fortunes oscillated when he began his spell after tea and removed Waghmode leg-before. He was on a hat-trick when he sent Irfan Pathan’s off stump spinning back a few yards. It was a blow for Irfan, playing purely as a batsman and missing a length ball. Wakaskar added only nine more runs after being dropped, trapped in front by Unadkat. The left-arm seamer, not picked for India’s tour of South Africa, ran in with vigour, extracting good pace from an unhelpful wicket. He bent his back to try and bounce the batsmen out and it was a testing period for Baroda, who couldn’t take their position for granted.Unadkat was lucky to get a fourth wicket, though, when Yusuf Pathan, on 17, was adjudged caught behind trying to cut. It bounced more than he expected and the umpire was convinced he had nicked it. A stunned Yusuf stood his ground and trudged off, staring at the Saurashtra players huddled together. It was untimely for Yusuf, just when he was looking dangerous. One of his two sixes landed several rows behind long-on and the ball couldn’t be traced. The lead looked like swelling quickly so long as he was around. However, Shah and Utkarsh batted positively, buoyed by uninhibited cheers from the Baroda dressing room and ensured no further losses.Utkarsh, the offspinner, was effective with the ball as well in the morning. Baroda had the hosts under pressure coming into the third morning, having removed six wickets on day two. But Saurashtra appeared comfortable against pace. The introduction of spin, though, was the turning point for Baroda as Utkarsh took two in two. Arpit Vasavada, the last recognised batsman, failed to make them pay for being dropped at slip as he was stumped in the following over. Utkarsh had Vishal Joshi caught behind the following ball to finish with 5 for 70. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Unadkat frustrated Baroda with a last-wicket stand of 53 but the visitors still gained a healthy lead when Yusuf dismissed Jadeja leg-before for 44.

According to the Tottenham Hotspur website, Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko is in contention to play in the League Cup semi-final against Chelsea tomorrow. 

Spurs carry a slender 1-0 lead into their second leg at Stamford Bridge, but have had a raft of injuries since their first meeting. Both Harry Kane and Dele Alli have sustained serious injuries, while Son Heung-min is with South Korea at the Asian Games.

Kane’s ankle injury stole the headlines after Tottenham’s loss to Man United at Wembley two weeks ago, but Sissoko also sustained a groin injury in that match as well, as he hobbled off just before half time. The club feared that he would miss up to a month of football, so this is a timely return that will ease a huge amount of pressure on manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentinian would have been struggling to work out how he would shape his team ahead of the trip across London to Chelsea tomorrow. The Frenchman relieves a huge amount of that pressure, particularly due to his versatility.

Sissoko has primarily been deployed as a defensive midfielder so far this season, but with Harry Winks in the team, and Eric Dier potentially making a return, Sissoko could play in a more attacking role, coming straight in for Alli.

Sissoko offers something different to Alli, and his direct dribbling and attitude may actually be an advantage against a Chelsea team that will surely dominate possession. The 29-year-old offers a counter-attacking option further up the field which Spurs lacked in the first leg when they were under pressure. This return could be pivotal to success tomorrow.

Mushfiqur Rahim has strongly criticised the BCB for appointing him as a short-term captain, saying it would make it difficult for him to set goals and would affect future captains too

Mohammad Isam04-Jul-2013Mushfiqur Rahim has strongly criticised the BCB for appointing him as a short-term captain, saying it would make it difficult for him to set goals and would affect future captains too. Mushfiqur was retained till the end of this year, which effectively means he will be in charge for only the home series against New Zealand in October – the rest of the season’s international fixtures fall in 2014.”I think this is the only cricketing nation that appoints the captain on a series-by-series basis,” Mushfiqur said. “To be honest, it is very wrong for a cricketer. It is difficult to set a goal if you don’t know for sure how long you will be a captain for. So in that way, it is very difficult to be a captain on a series-by-series basis. And it is not just for me, but for every future captain.”The board isn’t thinking long-term, so it doesn’t matter if I think long-term or not. These five months actually amount to just one series. I will give my 100% as captain and player, and make sure the rest of the team does the same.”After he resigned from the post in May this year during the Zimbabwe tour, Mushfiqur was convinced to stay by BCB chief Nazmul Hassan. But there was apparently no discussion on the period he will remain captain.This is, however, not the first time the board has resorted to series-by-series captaincy. Shakib Al Hasan had a long-running dispute after he was repeatedly given just one series to lead at a time. It almost led to his resignation in 2010 when he refused to lead until he was named captain for another year.After Shakib was sacked in mid-2011, Mushfiqur was first given two series to lead in the same year. He was then named captain till the 2013 Zimbabwe tour. But the board has now returned to the one-series policy.It is expected that Mushfiqur will be asked to continue after the New Zealand series (as was the practice during Shakib’s reign). Unlike Shakib, however, the incumbent captain has declined to take the fight to the board. “I can never discuss it [being captain till the 2015 World Cup] with the board. If they recognise me as a good enough leader, they can tell me. Whether I would do it then is another matter.”For the benefit of Bangladesh cricket, the captain must be given a longer term. It will happen in the near future, I hope.”

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann believes the ability of his batsmen to hit the now retired Graeme Swann out of the attack over the first three Tests was a major contributor in Australia reclaiming the Ashes

Brydon Coverdale22-Dec-20130:00

‘One of England’s great spinners’ – Lehmann

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann believes the ability of his batsmen to hit the now retired Graeme Swann out of the attack over the first three Tests was a major contributor in Australia reclaiming the Ashes. However, Lehmann also said Swann had been a great bowler for England over his five years in the Test team and should serve as inspiration to Nathan Lyon, who like Swann is a regulation offspinner without doosras or mystery deliveries.In England earlier this year, Swann was the leading wicket taker from either side when he collected 26 victims at 29.03, but in the return series in Australia on less friendly pitches he managed only seven at an average of 80. Notably, Swann also leaked runs at the alarming rate of 3.94 an over, easily his worst economy rate in any Test series, and it was the result of a plan from the Australians to take after Swann.After Lehmann spoke to the press in Melbourne on Sunday, one journalist remarked to him that Swann’s final act as a Test bowler was being taken for 21 off an over as Australia chased quick runs in the second innings in Perth. “Twenty-two,” Lehmann corrected. He remembered clearly Shane Watson’s three sixes and a four that fitted perfectly Australia’s method against Swann.”He has been an exceptional bowler and bowled very well in England against us,” Darren Lehmann said of Graeme Swann•Getty Images”We had a plan for him in England but didn’t execute it as well. We changed things around a little bit,” Lehmann said in Melbourne on Sunday. “He’s a big player when they’ve only got four bowlers, or now they’ve got five with Stokes in their side, and you have to try and take one or two of them out of the equation and make their quicks bowl more. That was certainly a plan from us.”He’s been a great bowler for England and he’s obviously decided enough is enough and moved forward in his life … They’re obviously going to go down Monty’s path in the next two Test matches so it’s a challenge for our blokes to change the way we play against left-arm spin. He [Swann] has been an exceptional bowler and bowled very well in England against us.”Swann’s ability to take 255 Test wickets since debuting at the age of 29 in December 2008 – no bowlers has accumulated more Test victims in that period – has revitalised the art of offspin in Test cricket, particularly for those bowlers who lack unusual variations such as the doosra. One such bowler is Lyon, who has collected 95 wickets in 28 Test appearances and said he had looked up to Swann.”If Nathan Lyon takes 255 he’d be pretty proud of himself I would think,” Lehmann said. “Graeme has had a great career and contributed to England wins for a long period of time. Nathan can take heart from that. They’re obviously very traditional offspinners. From Nathan’s point of view he’s got a good career in front of him and it’s up to him to grab it with both hands.”