Proposals to amend constitution will give Ganguly, secretary Shah longer terms and more powers, won’t need Supreme Court approval

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Nov-2019The BCCI’s newly elected administration has proposed several amendments to the board’s constitution which, if adopted, could undo some of the most significant reforms recommended by the RM Lodha Committee in restructuring the BCCI on the Supreme Court’s orders. They comprise: tweaking the cooling-off period of the board’s office bearers, modifying the disqualification criteria, giving unprecedented powers to the BCCI secretary, and stopping the court from having any say if the board wants to alter the constitution.The amendments to the constitution – approved by the Supreme Court last year – will be voted on by the BCCI’s general body, comprising elected representatives of the state associations, at the board’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on December 1. They need a three-fourth majority in the general body to be passed. However, even with the approval of the BCCI general body, the board will need the approval of the court to alter the constitution to accommodate the amendments.The amendments – seen by ESPNcricinfo – were finalised by the newly elected BCCI administration, led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly. The AGM notice and proposals were sent to the state associations on Saturday by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is the son of India’s home minister Amit Shah.The following are the proposed amendments:

Amending the constitution: taking the Supreme Court out of the equation

The constitution says: Any amendment to the rules of the BCCI constitution will need a three-fourth majority of the board’s general body comprising all state associations. In addition, final approval will need to come from the Supreme Court for the amendment to kick in.BCCI viewpoint: This requirement to amend the constitution was not part of the Lodha Committee recommendations and it was also not part of the “principal judgement” of the court, delivered on July 18, 2016. “By this provision the members’ autonomy and right to seek legitimate changes would every time have to be approved by the Supreme Court,” the BCCI said. “This is not practical.”Proposed: The rules in the constitution can be “repealed, added to, amended or altered” by the three-fourth majority of elected and eligible representatives of the general body, with the court having no role in the process.

Cooling-off period: six-year terms for the BCCI president and secretary

The constitution says: An office bearer who has held any post for two consecutive terms (six years) either at a state association or in the BCCI, or a combination of both, shall not be eligible to contest any further election without completing a cooling-off period of three years. During the cooling-off period, the person cannot serve in any capacity at both the BCCI or state level.BCCI viewpoint: The cooling-off period is a “restriction”, which is “proving to be a big blow to selecting talented and experienced hands”. The BCCI feels the cooling-off period must be applied only after the individual has finished six years at one place – the BCCI or the state association, separately. The BCCI has also said that the treasurer, joint-secretary and vice-president should be allowed to finish nine years as office bearer at the board at one go, instead of having to take the three-year break after two consecutive terms (six years) in the job.Proposed: The two most powerful office bearers of the board – the president and the secretary – should be allowed to serve two consecutive terms (six years) solely at the BCCI before the cooling-off period kicks in. The person cannot return in any capacity during the break and/or contest any elections.

Empowering the BCCI secretary

The constitution says: The secretary shall essentially record the minutes of key BCCI meetings, while delegating work to the joint-secretary.BCCI viewpoint: The secretary has been reduced to a “mere minor functionary”, with his powers “curbed”, compared to the “powers vested in the paid executives”. The BCCI wants the secretary’s position restored as under the old constitution, where the CEO reported to him.Proposed: The secretary will assume supreme powers in all matters including cricket. “The management personnel, the staff and the CEO shall work under the direct supervision, control and direction of the secretary,” the BCCI said.

Disqualification criteria ‘too wide’

The constitution says: A person can be disqualified as an office bearer or as a member of the IPL governing council or any other board committee or from being sent to the ICC as the board’s representative if he/she is: over 70 years old, is insolvent or of unsound mind, has finished a cumulative period of nine years as office bearer at the BCCI or state association separately, is a government minister or government servant or holds public office, is part of any other sport’s governing body, or has been charged of criminal offence by a court of law.BCCI viewpoint: The disqualification criteria are “too wide”. If people with “sufficient experience” are not sent to ICC meetings, it fears, India’s position at global cricket’s governing body will recede. “In order to protect the interests of BCCI, which are being steadily eroded at ICC, people with experience of negotiation and personal interaction with other member nations should be made the representatives,” the BCCI said.The BCCI also said some of the criteria needs to be relaxed for members of the IPL governing council because otherwise it would be “increasingly difficult to find able hands to guide and nurture the interests of IPL”, which it called the “most valuable property” of the board. It also disagreed with rule disqualifying persons having a criminal charge against them as being “more stringent” than that found in “the Representation of the People Act 1950”.Proposed: The BCCI has proposed a different set of disqualification rules, one for the office bearers and members of the board’s apex council, and another for members of the IPL governing council and other board committees.With regards to the office bearers and apex council members, the BCCI has retained some of the original rules, but has removed certain key disqualification criteria. This include: holding public office, which the BCCI said was too wide a definition. It has also proposed that if an office bearer has finished nine years cumulatively at the state association, he can still continue to serve at the BCCI. Also being a member of another sport’s administration should not be a deterrent, it said. And, if a person is carrying a criminal charge, he/she needs to be “convicted… and sentenced to imprisonment for a period not less than three (three) years” to be disqualified.The same rules have been proposed for members of the IPL governing council and other board committees, with one addition: the age cap of 70 years will not apply to them.

Secretary to become point man for apex council

The constitution says: The nine-member apex council, which has replaced the working committee, will supervise the functioning of the CEO, the cricket committees and all other committees in the board, barring the IPL governing council. The apex council will also have the powers to take action against, or defend for or against, an office bearer or official of the board.BCCI viewpoint: The secretary should be the point man for the apex council and not the CEO as listed in the constitution.Proposed: The apex council will oversee the functioning of the CEO as well all the committees through the secretary. Also, instead of the apex council, the secretary will have the powers to take action against, or defend for or against, an office bearer or an employee.

Daily management of the BCCI

The constitution says: This will be handled by the CEO and his team.BCCI viewpoint: While the CEO will continue to carry out the daily administration, the powers should rest with the office bearers.Proposed: The BCCI has said daily management will be conducted by the management team in both cricketing and non‐cricketing matters “under the direct supervision, direction and control of the respective office bearers”.

Kevin O’Brien smashes 17-ball 32 as Ireland canter to 67-run target in just 6.1 overs

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi26-Oct-2019Craig Young’s 4 for 13, his T20I career-best returns, and Mark Adair’s 2 for 10 locked up Ireland’s place in the playoffs of the men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers as Nigeria were restricted to 66 for 9 before the target was knocked off with 13.5 overs to spare for an eight-wicket win in Abu Dhabi.Ireland, who pulled off their quickest T20 chase on the day, might even top Group B, but need Jersey to upset Oman on Sunday to produce a tie at 4-2 at the top of the table, with the automatic berth for the group winner at the T20 World Cup decided on net run-rate.Gareth Delany and Adair made the early inroads for Ireland after Nigeria decided to bat first at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. A googly from Delany bowled Daniel Akejun in the second over before a run out off Delany’s bowling got Ireland their second, Sulaimon Runsewe sent packing by George Dockrell. Adair claimed Daniel Gim in the fifth prodding away from his body for an edge behind to make it 13 for 3.Nigeria crawled to 33 for 4 by the halfway stage before Young made his first strike, bowling Chimezie Onwuzulike after he was late into a drive. His second came in the 17th when Isaac Okpe was fooled by a slower ball to be the bowled. Two more fell in the 19th when Sylvester Okpe became the third batsman to have his stumps knocked back by Young and Vincent Adewoye skied a slog to cover where Dockrell took a catch.With Ireland keen to lift their net run-rate above Oman to keep the door open to finish atop the group, Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien attacked throughout the Powerplay.Stirling made 11 before he edged behind driving hard at Okpe in the third over but O’Brien kept clearing the infield for six boundaries in his 32 off 17 balls before he fell in the sixth, bowled by Akejun backing away to drive over cover. Delany and Adair teamed to knock off the final 13 runs with the winning runs coming via three leg-byes.Nigeria have a final chance at a consolation win over Hong Kong on Sunday.

New Zealand captain wants to apologise to Archer on behalf of his countrymen

George Dobell in Mount Maunganui26-Nov-2019Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, plans to apologise to Jofra Archer after he was the victim of “horrific” racial abuse on the final day of the first Test in Mount Maunganui.Williamson, who grew up and still lives near the Bay Oval in Tauranga, said he was shocked to hear about the incident and that neither he nor his teammates were aware of it until Archer tweeted about it on Monday night.New Zealand prides itself on its multi-cultural society and has, as ever, provided a warm welcome to the England team. But Williamson wants to apologise on behalf of all New Zealanders when the sides meet again in Hamilton in the coming days and try to ensure “nothing like that ever happens again.””It’s certainly against everything that we as Kiwis are about, and I certainly hope that nothing like that ever happens again,” Williamson told . “I can only apologise on behalf of Kiwis to Jofra, not only from our team and how we look to conduct ourselves, but what we expect of Kiwis in general.”It’s a horrific thing. In a country, and a setting where it is very much multi-cultural, it’s something we need to put to bed quickly and hope nothing like that ever happens again. It certainly won’t if there’s any influence we can have on it.”Was I shocked? Absolutely, 100 percent. I will try see him over the next few days if I can, definitely.”New Zealand Cricket also released a statement confirming they would be making an official apology to Archer and reiterating the zero tolerance attitude to such incident.”NZC has zero tolerance towards abusive or offensive language at any of its venues and will refer any developments in the case to police,” they said.While CCTV footage has so far been unable to identify the perpetrator, Archer believes he was contacted by the same individual on social media on Monday night. He has, since, provided details to the relevant authorities.

He has, however, kept his place in the ODI squad for the upcoming tour of Nepal

Peter Della Penna21-Jan-2020USA allrounder Steven Taylor has been stripped of the team’s vice-captaincy ahead of their tour of Nepal, which includes four ODIs against Nepal and Oman. An internal investigation by USA Cricket has pulled Taylor up for “failing to display the high standards of behavior and professionalism that are expected of all USA National Team cricketers on last month’s tour of the UAE.”A statement from a USA Cricket spokesperson after Monday’s squad announcement for the Nepal tour claimed that Taylor “was not the only player to have acted in a manner which was inconsistent with the team’s values and, after a review, was found to have broken team rules. All players involved have acknowledged their error of judgment and apologised to their team-mates and support staff and have committed to responding positively.”According to multiple USA Cricket sources, four other players were deemed to have breached team protocol in what was described as an “off-the-field incident” between matches during last month’s ODI tri-series in the UAE. However, the sources would not reveal who else was involved. It is also understood that the incident in question was not communicated to USA Cricket officials until early January, more than two weeks after the team returned from the tour.This is not the first disciplinary incident in Taylor’s career that has cost him a leadership position. In 2013, Taylor was stripped of the USA captaincy, after he was deemed to have broken team rules while serving as USA U-19 captain on a tour of Canada earlier in the summer. He was also suspended for one match for the incident, in which administrators stated Taylor had broken team curfew to go out drinking while posting a running timeline of his night out on social media.On this occasion, though, Taylor has managed to escape without a suspension. The rest of the USA squad is also unchanged from the ODI tour of the UAE in which they won three of their four matches. USA’s squad will depart later this week for a warm-up tour in India during which they will play three 50-over matches in Mumbai before continuing on to Nepal. USA’s first ODI of the tri-series is against Oman on February 6. It is USA’s second ever tour of Nepal and their first since World Cricket League Division Five in 2010, when Nepal and USA claimed the top two spots to gain promotion to Division Four.USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (capt), Karima Gore, Ian Holland, Akshay Homraj (wk), Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Nisarg Patel, Timil Patel, Cameron Stevenson, Steven Taylor, Rusty Theron.

England finish ninth overall after 152-run victory built on Mousley’s century and Goldsworthy’s five-wicket haul

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2020A maiden youth ODI century from Dan Mousley and a five-wicket haul by Lewis Goldsworthy led England to a dominant victory over Sri Lanka in the ICC U-19 World Cup Plate final, sealing a ninth-place finish overall in the tournament in South Africa.Warwickshire-born batsman Mousley opened for England and brought up his ton during a 142-run stand for the third wicket with Jack Haynes, helping their side to 279 for 7.England lost Sam Young in the first over, with Mousley adding 58 with Jordan Cox, who was out for 17. Mousley and Haynes scored at five runs per over to take their side past 200 before Haynes was caught at mid-off for 68 trying to up the pace in the final 15 overs.With George Hill falling for a duck, Joey Evison joined Mousley with 12 overs remaining. Mousley eventually fell in the 44th over, stumped off the bowling of Kavindu Nadeeshan having reached 111 off 135 balls, including nine fours and a six.”I’ve really enjoyed opening the innings,” Mousley said. “I’ve been up and down the order recently, but opening is one of my favourite positions.”Jack and I have played together since we were 13 or 14 years old, so we know our games really well. The way that Joey came in at the end and struck the ball cleanly moved us to a really competitive score.”Evison’s power hitting alongside captain George Balderson propelled England to 279, with Evison bringing up his 50 off 38 balls before he was bowled on the final ball of the innings for 59.With the third ball of Sri Lanka’s innings, Balderson dismissed Navod Paranavithana for a duck.Kamil Mishara and Ravindu Rasantha added a quick 46 for the second wicket before left-arm spinner Goldsworthy made the breakthrough, bowling Mishara and picking up the first of his five wickets for the match.Sri Lanka lost nine wickets for 81 runs with Rasantha providing the lone bright spot of his side’s innings, his 66 off 81 balls taking him to the top of the tournament’s run-scorers’ list. He was trapped lbw by Goldsworthy, who cleaned up the final two wickets.Goldsworthy finished with 12 wickets for the tournament at an average of 9.58, with a miserly economy rate of 2.34. His five-wicket haul was England’s first at the U-19 World Cup since Paul McMahon’s five-for 25 against Nepal in 2002.Fellow spinner Hamidullah Qadri also finished with 12 wickets and Mousley led the team with 241 runs at an average of 80 thanks to his century and two fifties.After losing their rain-affected opening match to West Indies by 71 runs under the DLS system and falling to Australia by two wickets on the last ball of their thrilling encounter, England failed to reach the eight-team Super League stage. They defeated Nigeria in their final Group game before beating Japan and Zimbabwe in the Plate competition to reach the Plate final.

New tournament’s inaugural season set to be pushed back with its long-term future unclear

George Dobell22-Apr-2020

The Hundred

The Hundred’s future is uncertain•Getty Images

It now looks almost certain that the Hundred’s launch will be pushed back 12 months. With budgets tight, the availability of overseas players likely to be limited and the opportunity for ticket sales reduced, the ECB have decided now is not the time to attempt to launch a new competition that would place further demands on their finances.Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the ECB’s own forecasts predicted the competition would make a loss in its first five seasons. Costs in the first year – including the £1.3m paid to each county – were expected to amount to £58m against an income of £51m.ALSO READ: Hundred ticket sale delayed due to coronavirus concernIt is possible the competition will never see the light of day. By the time the 2021 season starts, the ECB are likely to be short of money and have a new chairman at the helm. A review into the competition’s sustainability and necessity is likely. Not playing it could save around £35m a year (the costs of running the competition before the annual payment of £1.3m to each of the counties): it could be seen as a luxury the game can no longer afford.Supporters of the Hundred would point out that the competition is projected to bring in £51m, which includes £36.5m from the home broadcast deal, £4m from the overseas broadcast deal, £6.5m from ticket sales and £4m from sponsorship, against those overall costs of £58m in the first year. Without those revenue streams, the overall saving might be more like £7m a year.But there is a possibility other options could be looked at. The original broadcast deal was not for the Hundred, after all, but for a new-look T20 competition. If the ECB were to revert to such a competition, they could, perhaps, satisfy broadcasters and sponsors and put on a much lower-cost tournament.Next year’s schedule – and the Hundred, in particular – is absolutely not the issue occupying those running the game right now. But it is increasingly obvious that, by the time the 2021 season starts, the game will still be reeling from the economic blows taken in 2020. As a result, it looks as likely a fresh pair of eyes will take a look at the Hundred. The costs – always eye-watering – now look tough to justify.

International cricket

International cricket is the priority. Desperate to satisfy the demands of broadcasters, the ECB will do everything they can to fulfil their international fixtures.That may well mean playing behind closed doors. Steve Elworthy, who has an excellent record at running high-profile events, has been charged with exploring the possibilities of delivering cricket in “bio-secure” environments. That could see games scheduled in two or three grounds – Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl both have on-site hotels with sufficient capacity to be considered – to limit travel. Only essential personnel – match officials and broadcasters etc. – would be allowed inside. It is thought numbers could be limited to around 300.It is also possible two England teams – a Test and limited-overs team – could be in action almost concurrently. While there is little benefit in playing at the same time – that would only dilute the broadcaster’s product – they could, perhaps, play on successive days to ensure an almost constant flow of live sport on TV. This would require two separate squads and coaching teams.Old Trafford could be turned into a ‘bio-secure environment’ to host behind-closed-doors internationals•AFP

Even then, however, the ECB will require permission from the government to push ahead. At present it is far from certain such permission will be forthcoming.England’s international season is, at present, still scheduled to start on June 4 with a Test against West Indies at The Oval. There are two more Tests against the same opposition (at Edgbaston and then Lord’s) later in the month before Australia arrive for some limited-overs games in July. Pakistan are the opponents in another three Test series starting in late July and continuing until August 24. There are then three ODIs scheduled against Ireland in September.ALSO READ: Morgan open to fielding two England teams at onceThere is every chance the ECB will announce this week that they expect to play no cricket until the end of June at the earliest. And while West Indies are willing to push their series back into July – meaning the postponement of their series against New Zealand and South Africa – even that may prove too early. Pakistan, meanwhile, are reluctant to move their series into September as that would clash with the schedule for the Asia Cup. And while there is talk of playing the Australia games in September, there is no guarantee there will be authorised travel between the countries by then.There is just a little slack in the schedule. England have, at present, little cricket scheduled for December. It remains possible the series against West Indies will be rescheduled until then and played in the Caribbean.The T20 World Cup, meanwhile, is scheduled for October and November. While there might be scope to postpone it, the complications of doing so are significant. Realistically, it is the date around which all other series must gravitate.

County Championship

Ryan ten Doeschate lifts the County Championship trophy as his Essex team-mates celebrate•Getty Images

As things stand, the ECB have confirmed there will be no cricket – recreational or professional – before May 28. With the Championship season scheduled to start on April 12 and include seven rounds before the end of May, it looks set to be hit hard even in the best case scenario. And most would agree that even a start in mid-July is an optimistic aspiration.While there could be the scope to reclaim some missing games by pushing the season into October, there is also an acceptance that the forms of the game that generate cash – international cricket and The Blast – will be prioritised ahead of the Championship. As a result, there is a chance the Championship season will be wiped out entirely for the first time since WW2.ALSO READ: Red-ball specialists face up to prospect of reduced Championship seasonBut there is a desire, even at the top level of the ECB, to play first-class cricket this season. And with counties attempting to justify their membership fees, England players requiring cricket ahead of any potential Test series and the game clambering to regain a semblance of normality, it would be no surprise at all if a handful of first-class games were played at both the start and in the dying weeks of the season. In all but one of the ECB’s many mapped out scenarios, first-class county cricket does feature.Whether that is enough to constitute a Championship campaign remains to be seen. The competition has generally been seen as a marathon: the reward for consistent cricket across six months. To award it to a side that may have played four, five or six games – perhaps in a regional group – with a knock-out section might be too much of a departure.It’s an argument most would love to have at the moment, though. Any form of first-class county cricket might be considered a bonus at this stage.

One-Day Cup

Somerset captain Tom Abell holds the Royal London Cup aloft•Getty Images

It looked, for a while, as if this was the most expendable competition of them all. Originally scheduled to run alongside the Hundred, it was set to be relegated to something of a “development competition”, as it was once described by an ECB executive, featuring only those players not required in the more high-profile competition.Now, however, there is a chance that if the season starts early enough, the One-Day Cup (or some form of 50-over competition, anyway) could take place at the start of whatever season we have. Not only could the games, perhaps behind closed doors, fill a relatively large amount of television hours, but they could feature the best England-qualified players. If time is limited, this competition could be played as a knock-out. But it does have to be stressed: there is still a strong possibility we see no cricket this seasonWhile there will not be any ECB ban on overseas players – there is some doubt as to the legality of such a move – it seems unlikely that many will be able to travel. Several have already had their contracts cancelled or deferred.

T20 Blast

Essex walk out at the start of the T20 Blast final•Getty Images

Every effort will be made to allow this competition to take place, even if that means it is pushed into the final weeks of an elongated season. And while there are worries over whether spectators will be allowed to attend – social distancing may be with us for many months – there is a hope that by scheduling for as late in the year as possible, the counties will have every chance of benefiting from ticket sales.Indeed, in time, we may come to see a new-found appreciation of the Blast as one of the lessons of this episode. A competition requiring relatively little marketing spend – certainly by comparison with the Hundred – by guaranteeing somewhere around a million ticket sales is not to be sniffed at by a game desperate for the life line offered by cash sales. If there’s any cricket with spectators in the 2020 season, it’s likely that will be Blast cricket.

The IPL

There’s little doubt that the BCCI will be keen to find a way to stage the IPL this year. With September one possibility, it raises the prospect of a clash of priorities for players between their IPL teams and their international commitments. If the IPL was to be played in September-October, it may also force the postponement of England’s limited-overs tour of India, which is due to played immediately ahead of the T20 World Cup. That series could, perhaps, be played early in the new year instead, ahead of England’s Test tour of India.Puzzles like that will be discussed provisionally in an ICC video-conference between boards on Thursday, but as with all these plans, they are at the mercy of events well beyond anyone’s control.

Batsman hits unbeaten 62 before bowlers come to fore as first T20I follows same script as ODI series

The Report by Liam Brickhill09-Mar-2020Bangladesh 200 for 2 (Sarkar 62*, Das 59, Madhevere 1-15) beat Zimbabwe 152 all out (Kamunhukamwe 28, Rahman 3-32, Islam 3-34) by 48 runsBangladesh extended their dominance over Zimbabwe with a 48-run win in the first of two T20 internationals at the Shere Bangla Stadium. The match followed a similar script to that set down in the ODIs: Bangladesh scored heavily at the top, bruised Zimbabwe further at the death, and then shut the match down with the ball as the visitors’ top order collapsed in a heap.Zimbabwe’s problems started at the toss, when Sean Williams called the coin correctly but then decided that his team would once again bowl first, having conceded scores of 321, 322 and 322 (in just 43 overs) during the ODIs doing just that. That decision put a bowling group that is badly missing the skills and experience of Tendai Chatara and Kyle Jarvis under immediate pressure once again.Bangladesh, meanwhile, jumped at the chance to bat Zimbabwe out of the game with another imposing total. Mustafizur Rahman then led the way with the ball, striking in every spell, while Aminul Islam was also gifted three easy wickets even as he repeatedly missed his lengths in the middle overs. Bangladesh never lost control of the game, and the result was settled long before Carl Mumba’s tail-end swiping was brought to an end with an over unused.Another record brokenFresh from their record-breaking effort in Sylhet, where they batted Zimbabwe out of the match with a stand of 292 – Bangladesh’s highest for any wicket in ODIs – Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal were at it again in Dhaka. In fact, so quickly were they into their groove it was almost as if their partnership on Friday night had never ended and they progressed in a fashion that must now seem all too familiar to Zimbabwe’s beleaguered bowling attack.After a quick sighter first up, Das cracked the second and third balls he faced for 10 runs and though he bowled with good pace, Mumba’s lines were too erratic to keep either of the in-form batsmen quiet for long. Donald Tiripano started well to concede just three runs in his first over, but then his radar also went awry and Das cashed in on a couple of freebies. A fierce pick-up over deep square leg in Chris Mpofu’s first over brought a second six for Das, and Bangladesh cruised through the powerplay at close to 10 an over. Together the pair ticked smoothly past yet another record, this time for Bangladesh’s opening partnership in T20Is, and a century stand was within their grasp when Zimbabwe finally got some relief.Raza’s googly does the trickSikandar Raza is best known for his dynamic, hard-hitting batting in the middle order, but his offspin has come increasingly to the fore in recent years – so much so that he’s ranked in the top 10 in the ICC’s ODI allrounder rankings. Less heralded than his offbreaks are his occasional legbreaks, a variation he works hard at in the nets but has never really profited from in international competition. Even more rare is the sight of a Raza googly. Indeed, it may have been exhibited for the very first time during a game this evening, and it brought an immediate reward with the wicket of Das.Das misread the variation to be out lbw for 59 in the 13th over, and Zimbabwe’s spinners generally did a decent job of getting their team back into the match after the weighty opening stand. Wesley Madhevere’s first ball was spanked back over his head for six by Iqbal, but he bit back in his next over to have the opener caught in the covers off a sliced drive. With Sean Williams also weathering Bangladesh’s batting assault competently, the nine overs that Zimbabwe’s spinners bowled after the powerplay leaked just 66 runs and brought two wickets.Soumya’s honeymoon returnBefore tonight, Soumya Sarkar had scored just one T20I fifty in the space of 48 games spread out over five years and in his last ten innings had crossed into double figures just three times. He also had a bit of catching up to do, having missed the one-off Test and the ODIs which followed because of his recent wedding. His return to action was a successful one as he pressed home Bangladesh’s advantage to reach a career-best 62 not out.Soumya entered the fray with Zimbabwe’s spinners in the midst of a controlled spell, two wickets having fallen in the space of three overs for only 15 runs. His counterattack was swift. Williams was biffed over wide long on and Raza paddled very fine to put a dent in their figures, but it was the return of Zimbabwe’s seamers that really spurred Soumya on.Mpofu’s second over lasted for nine balls, costing 22 runs, though it did also bring the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim. But Soumya motored swiftly on at the other end, racing through the 30s with a four and a six off Tiripano. He saved his best for last, launching a stunning assault on Mpofu in the final over with three enormous sixes, two of them arriving back to back off the last two balls of the innings. Soumya had scored his second T20I fifty in the process, coming just over two years since his first, and Bangladesh had set yet another record: scoring 75 runs in the last five overs, their best ever returns for that period of the game in this format.Zimbabwe wobble at the topA brittle top order has hobbled Zimbabwe during the limited-overs leg of this tour, and once again their chase was as good as scuppered as they wilted inside the powerplay. Brendan Taylor has endured his worst-ever trip to Bangladesh with a high score of 17 across six innings in three different formats. He was out for just 1 tonight, tamely flapping a length ball to midwicket in an almost exact repeat of his dismissal on Friday.Craig Ervine’s return to the playing XI made no impact as he was pinned in front of his stumps for single figures by Mustafizur Rahman, and when Madhevere was quickly run out Zimbabwe were three down inside the powerplay with the required rate ballooning to almost 12. They never recovered. Some merry hitting from the lower order saved some of Zimbabwe’s blushes, but it was all academic after another failure by the senior batsmen: the top six contributed just 71 runs in total.