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Michael Clarke has said he is excited to see young players getting central contracts. He also said he could understand Simon Katich’s disappointment at being cut from the 25-player list

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2011Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, has said he is excited to see young players getting central contracts. He also said he could understand Simon Katich’s disappointment at being cut from the 25-player list, a controversial development Clarke said he had no part in whatsoever.”He’s [Katich] been a great player for a long time, not just for NSW but for Australia,” Clarke told the . “He’s come back before and I have no doubt, if he continues to do what he’s been doing, you never know what can happen in this great game.”When you become captain you don’t become a selector so I had absolutely nothing to do with that [Katich’s axing]. That’s a selector’s job. I sent Simon a text once I found out. Obviously I feel his disappointment.”Clarke, however, was happy with the young talent in Australia’s centrally contracted players, especially the fast bowlers. “It’s great to see some young guys getting the opportunity,” he said. “Pat Cummins, I think it’s fantastic for him. I know he’s really excited, along with James Pattinson. I think it’s about a mixture of experience and youth.”Clarke’s first Test assignment as full-time captain is a tour to Sri Lanka, which will be followed by a trip to South Africa and a home series against India. He hopes to earn the respect of his charges through performance. “For me its about performing on the field and hopefully I’ll earn their respect,” he said. “I’ve shown throughout my career that I have always put representing my state and country first and foremost. I love what I do.”To earn that respect, though, Clarke will have to overcome a personal challenge. He averaged 56 at No. 5 and nearly 50 at No, 6, positions at where he’s batted for most of his 69-Test career. He’s moved to No. 4 though, with Michael Hussey dropping down the order, where he averages only 20 in 24 innings.”It’s a position I want to bat in. I love batting at four,” Clarke said. “I love being closer to the new ball because you get the chance to get in earlier and set yourself to bat for a long time. What those numbers say to me is that I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Twenty wickets tumbled at Aigburth but there was nothing wrong with the pitch as Dale Benkenstein proved

Jon Culley at Aigburth27-Jun-2011
ScorecardCallum Thorp took 6 for 20 to demolish Lancashire for 84•PA PhotosWhen wickets tumble in the way they did here as the top two in the County Championship locked horns, questions tend to be asked first about the pitch and then about the quality of the batting, the common assumption being that if one is blameless then the other surely cannot be.The possibility that the bowlers did their job rather well is generally the last consideration. Time, then, to give credit where it is due.Sure, there was a generous covering of grass on the pitch and perhaps a bit of residual dampness to help the seam bite. With the ball swinging, particularly during a warm and muggy morning, batting was therefore not without hazards and yes, some of the shots played probably lacked something in terms of judgment or execution.An unbeaten 83 from Dale Benkenstein later in the day illustrated what was possible with the right degree of application but to suggest that injudicious batting and helpful conditions were the only factors influencing the day’s events would be to do the likes of Callum Thorp and Saj Mahmood a considerable disservice.Indeed, pitch liaison officer Peter Walker wasted little time in declaring the wicket prepared to be an innocent party, stopping by the press tent at lunch and tea to report that, as far as he was concerned, its condition was more than satisfactory. “There’s not a mark on it,” he said, describing the clatter of wickets as “extraordinary.””The groundsman has produced a very good pitch, as good as I have seen. You wouldn’t think you were watching the two best sides in the Championship.”Thorp bowled splendidly, repeatedly finding just the right line and length to draw batsmen into playing at deliveries outside off stump, which then swung away. He had three of them caught behind, another two in the slips.The 36-year-old medium-pacer seems to have been perpetually an unsung figure in Durham’s attack, quietly doing his job while Stephen Harmison, Liam Plunkett or, lately, Graham Onions, have stolen the headlines. Steady dependability has been his stock in trade and it is to his credit that he has been picked here ahead of Plunkett, Mitch Claydon and the early-season sensation, Ruel Brathwaite.Yet he has had his moments, notably when taking 7 for 88 as Durham beat Kent in Canterbury to clinch their first Championship title in 2008. In a match that may have an important bearing on whether Durham win their third title this summer, this was another.Onions, who continues to build a case for an England recall, drew first blood, dismissing Paul Horton leg before with his third ball. Then Thorp struck twice in three overs, wicketkeeper Phil Mustard pouching catches as Karl Brown and Mark Chilton perished cheaply. Onions, 1 for 13 off seven overs at that stage, gave way to Harmison, who could not summon the same control, conceding five wides twice in his opening over.For a while, Stephen Moore, confidence boosted by his century in Lancashire’s fine win over Nottinghamshire, battled to hold things together. But wickets continued to fall at the other end, Steven Croft, with another tentative push, gave Thorp his third success before taking a breather with three for 12 from nine overs.Moore hooked a Harmison bouncer for six but Luke Procter was leg before only half-forward to Dale Benkenstein, who had come on as fourth seamer with Paul Collingwood unable to bowl and Ben Stokes still missing following his finger dislocation. Then Harmison, in another eventful over, accounted for Moore, who followed a widish delivery to give Mustard his fourth catch.From six down for 71 at lunch, Lancashire survived only five overs and two balls of the afternoon session. Thorp was helped by a couple of sharp slip catches from Paul Collingwood and Michael di Venuto as he claimed his fourth and fifth wickets, Onions took his second, getting under the ball as Mahmood’s attempted pull soared into the air, and then Thorp disturbed Kyle Hogg’s stumps to complete his best return since his seven against Kent.Lancashire had not been bowled out so cheaply since Glamorgan dismissed them for 51 on this ground in 1997 but Durham seemed likely to fare little better, losing their first six wickets for 61 as Hogg and Mahmood continued where they had left off at Trent Bridge last week, where they shared 18 wickets in Lancashire’s impressive win over Nottinghamshire.Hogg had both openers leg before with only eight runs on the board and Mahmood, after profiting from Collingwood’s miscued pull to mid-on, produced two fine, full-length balls to bowl Ian Blackwell and trap Mustard in front. In the midst of their successes, Junaid Khan, the Pakistan left-arm quick making his Lancashire debut, took his maiden wicket, ending Gordon Muchall’s progress via an edge to the keeper with a little late swing.After Luke Procter had accounted for Scott Borthwick via a catch squirted to first slip, Lancashire were into the tail but the strength of Durham’s case as Championship contenders lies in the range of batsmen capable of digging them out of a difficult spot.This time, it was Benkenstein who stepped up to the plate. The wily allrounder has both the technique and the temperament to cope with the challenge he faced as the ball continued to swing and, where others had either made an unwise choice of stroke or perhaps just been impatient under pressure, grafted his way to 83 in almost three hours of diligent application that ended only when he ran out of partners.

The Enforcement Directorate of India’s finance ministry has issued a showcause notice to the BCCI and Lalit Modi as part of its investigation of alleged financial irregularities in the Twenty20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2011The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India’s finance ministry has issued a showcause notice to the BCCI and Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL commissioner, as part of its investigation of alleged financial irregularities in the Twenty20 tournament. The case in question involves the alleged illegal transfer of Rs 90 crore ($20 million) to the UK.This is the first showcause notice by the agency in the case after it began investigations in 2010 of various contraventions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). On Thursday, news emerged that Ravi Shastri had been served a summons by the ED in his capacity as a member of the IPL’s Governing Council.The BCCI’s chief administrative officer, Ratnakar Shetty, said it was a routine enquiry by the ED. “These kinds of notices keep coming and we furnish all details,” he was quoted by as saying. “Agencies like the ED and the I-T department have been asking questions and we answer everything. This has been happening for over a year now.” reported that the ED had asked both BCCI and Modi to reply to questions the agency found unanswered during its probe into the alleged transfer of funds to domestic and offshore locations. The notice, it said, could be replied to either in person or by an authorised representative of the BCCI and Modi along with documentary proof.

Plays of the Day from the first day of the third Test between England and India at Edgbaston

Andrew Miller and Nagraj Gollapudi at Edgbaston10-Aug-2011Pay-off of the day
MS Dhoni has not enjoyed the finest series to date, but with his side facing a complete meltdown at 111 for 7, he reverted at last to the one-day mentality that has fuelled his best performances. With Praveen Kumar providing typically spirited company, he opened his shoulders and turned on the style, cracking Stuart Broad for two fours in three balls before pummelling James Anderson over long-on in a re-enactment of his World Cup-sealing six in Mumbai. One by one, England’s fielders retreated to the boundary’s edge in an attempt to cool his ardour, and by the time he’d passed fifty, there was just a solitary slip keeping Matt Prior company. All the more remarkable, then, that on 77, Dhoni climbed into a drive, but picked out that very man with a thick edge off Broad.Catch of the day
Fielding under the helmet is a perilous occupation, as Alastair Cook demonstrated while claiming the catch that ended India’s innings. In fact, he didn’t so much catch the ball as wear it, as Ishant Sharma went up onto his toes to drill a back-foot drive through the covers. The shot was struck well, but Cook’s reflexes at silly point were alive to the moment, as he half-dived, half-toppled, and rolled with the momentum to emerge with the ball embedded somewhere near his armpit.Ball of the day
Rahul Dravid has not seemed so integral to India’s fortunes since his heyday in the early 2000s, and today – as if to prove the point – he was back in the middle just seven deliveries into the Indian innings, and presented once again with challenging overcast conditions. For 67 deliveries it was business as usual, as Dravid presented the straightest bat in the game, first to subdue England’s early momentum, and then to hold his team together after the flimsy dismissals of Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar. But then, on the stroke of lunch, he received an absolute beauty from Tim Bresnan – a wicked zinger that straightened off a good length and splattered his off stump. Barnes Wallis himself couldn’t have devised a better bouncing bomb, and India’s dam had been comprehensively busted.Breakthrough of the day
He was expected to create an impact. He was expected to destroy the best bowling attack in the world. He was expected to lift India out of the dire straits they had forced themselves into in the last few weeks. In the end Virender Sehwag betrayed those expectations as, playing his first international match since the World Cup final, he barely managed to lift his bat at his first ball, a seaming lifter from Stuart Broad, that kissed the Indian opener’s glove en route to the hands of Matt Prior. Sehwag would have known immediately he had edged the ball, but he stood his ground. Andrew Strauss asked for a review, which exposed Sehwag’s guilty secret. This was the fifth time in his career Sehwag had been out first ball, but the first occasion since 2006.Error of the day
Ban VVS Laxman from playing the pull. To get out three times in three Tests so far in the series playing the pull against pretty similar deliveries should even frustrate this most phlegmatic of cricketers. At Lord’s, twice he played into the hands of deep square-leg. Today, he went to pull early at a Tim Bresnan delivery that slowed down off the pitch and the top edge flew straight to long leg.Start of the day
Compared to the riches that his top-order colleagues have been producing in recent months, Andrew Strauss has been in a distinctly fallow run of form. He endured a grim start to the international season, with 27 runs in four innings against Sri Lanka, and though he improved on that in the first two Tests against India, his twin top scores of 32 spoke of a peculiar failure to build on his starts. Today, he set about righting a few wrongs with his first half-century since Sydney in January, and his first on home soil since last year’s Edgbaston Test against Pakistan. He’ll want to do better than that, however. His Ashes hundred at Brisbane last November remains his only three-figure score in Tests since 2009.

India’s captain, MS Dhoni, has once again voiced his displeasure at the handling of the Decision Review System, after Rahul Dravid fell victim to his third controversial dismissal of the summer

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2011India’s captain, MS Dhoni, has once again voiced his displeasure at the handling of the Decision Review System, after Rahul Dravid fell victim to his third controversial dismissal of the summer.Dravid, who was playing in his first ODI for two years, made 2 from six balls but had initially been given not out by umpire Billy Doctrove, after Stuart Broad and Craig Kieswetter appealed in unison for a faint edge to the keeper.Broad was so sure of the edge he immediately signalled for a review before consulting his captain, Alastair Cook. However, the evidence reviewed by Marais Erasmus, the third umpire, appeared inconclusive. Neither of the two Hot Spot cameras picked up any edge, and there was no clear deviation on the slow-motion replay.However, after a brief consultation with Erasmus, Doctrove decided to reverse his decision, to the clear surprise of Dravid. A few minutes later, Snickometer suggested that there had been some noise as ball passed bat, although under the current provisions of the DRS, that evidence is not meant to be taken into account.Dhoni has expressed his reservations about the DRS in the past, not least during the last ODI between England and India at Bangalore in the World Cup, when Ian Bell was reprieved by Billy Bowden after advancing more than 2.5 metres down the wicket during a referred lbw appeal. On this occasion, however, he seemed genuinely baffled about the inner workings of the system.”I still exactly don’t know how he was given out,” said Dhoni. “Whether they used Snickometer, whether Snickometer is allowed to be used, whether the audio technician gave him out, whether the third umpire gave him out. So it is quite complex. There is a fair amount of questions when it comes to the DRS and if there is still some doubt, why shouldn’t go to the batsman.”As for Dravid, his latest extraction followed two eyebrow-raising dismissals in the final two Tests at Edgbaston, where he was caught behind off his shoe lace, and at The Oval, where he was given out caught at bat-pad off Graeme Swann despite a lack of clear evidence. On that occasion, he defused the subsequent row by admitting he had got a thin inside-edge, but this time, he was not so conciliatory.”He said he had not edged it,” Dhoni said. “There was no mark when it comes to Hot Spot. There was no visual deflection as such. And the umpire had given not out. I thought the benefit of doubt goes to the batsman. That is a big thing.”

Marlon Samuels slammed a century and then picked up two wickets to power the West Indians to a comprehensive victory over a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2011
Scorecard
Marlon Samuels raised his maiden Twenty20 century•Associated PressMarlon Samuels slammed a century and then picked up two wickets to power the West Indians to a comprehensive victory over a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI in a Twenty20 match in Fatullah. This was their last practice game before the series against Bangladesh kicks off on Tuesday.After choosing to bat, the visitors lost their openers early – Adrian Barath caught at gully for 4 and Lendl Simmons was dismissed for 12. There was little joy for BCB XI after that as Samuels and Andre Russell muscled 102 runs in little more than 10 overs. Samuels got his half-century off 33 deliveries with a drive to long-off while Russell reached his off 31 with a six over long-on. Samuels was explosive in the final four overs of the innings, blasting 41 runs including successive sixes in the penultimate over to take the West Indians to a challenging 195.BCB XI rarely looked likely to chase down the tall target, especially after Darren Sammy removed both openers cheaply. Their captain Shahriar Nafees and No. 4 Raqibul Hasan then made 20s but their scoring-rate wasn’t rapid enough. The home side reached 71 for 3 in ten overs, but were further robbed of momentum after that as the West Indian spinners struck – only 16 runs came in the next five overs and the match was effectively over.

Queensland grabbed a second domestic limited overs victory in as many matches by shutting out Tasmania’s batsmen in their chase for 263 at Harrup Park in Mackay

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2011
ScorecardRyan Broad’s 92 set Queensland on the path to a decent total•Warren Keir – SMP ImagesQueensland grabbed a second domestic limited overs victory in as many matches by holding Tasmania’s batsmen narrowly short in their chase for 263 at Harrup Park in Mackay.The Bulls restricted the Tigers to 8 for 257 and so won by 5 runs, a slim margin made possible by the strong batting of Ryan Broad and Nathan Reardon at either end of the innings.The young seamer Alister McDermott and the Test paceman Ryan Harris also deserved credit, bowling with variety and enough economy to take the early wickets that always had the Tigers’ batsmen chasing the game.Ed Cowan and Evan Gulbis did best among the visiting batsmen, while Jason Krejza made a desperate final charge towards the target.Tasmania’s chase began badly when Nick Kruger was lbw in the first over delivered by the Test paceman Ryan Harris, playing his first state match since recovering from a hamstring strain suffered on the tour of Sri Lanka.McDermott then struck twice to remove George Bailey and Mark Cosgrove, forcing Cowan and Gulbis into a careful partnership to regather the ground. Both would be dismissed in the 60s, and though James Faulkner, Matt Johnston and Krejza fought hard, they were always likely to fall a handful of runs short.Queensland had lost Steve Paulsen in the first over of the day after winning the toss and batting first, Ben hilfenhaus finding the opener’s outside edge. Broad then shepherded the first part of the Bulls’ innings, forming useful partnerships with Andrew Robinson, the stand-in captain Peter Forrest and Reardon.Broad’s departure at 4 for 167, lbw to a Faulkner yorker, was followed by a collapse as the hosts slid to 7 for 187. However Reardon, Brad Ipson – who retired hurt with a leg strain and could not bowl – and Harris helped Queensland to a decent total with a few lusty blows.

In his own words, James Pattinson has been “smashing” a full length at every opportunity for the past four months. Given the chance to make his debut, he duly used that length to smash New Zealand

Daniel Brettig at the Gabba04-Dec-2011In his own words, James Pattinson has been “smashing” a full length at every opportunity for the past four months. Given the chance to make his debut for Australia in Brisbane, he duly used that length to smash New Zealand.Pattinson’s second-innings heroics at the Gabba, which at one point reaped three wickets in four balls, and at another gave him the figures of 5-7, were a reward for speed, swing and perseverance.”We spoke about it before the game we wanted to try to bowl nice and full,” Pattinson said. “Pup [Clarke] supported me there and said it doesn’t matter if you get driven a couple of times, which I kept at the back of my head and tried to just keep doing the same thing and it paid off for me in the second innings.”More significantly, Pattinson’s performance confirmed that Australia are building a formidable bowling attack, mixing pace and spin under the agile captaincy of Michael Clarke. All this has developed under the watch of the bowling coach Craig McDermott, whose simple, “get it up there” mantra was in Pattinson’s mind every time he sent a rapid away swinger hurtling towards the New Zealand batsmen.Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and South Africa have all been part of Pattinson’s elongated preparation for the Gabba, and he has spent as much time bowling in the nets as any member of the Australian attack. McDermott was never far away, and the development of Pattinson’s bowling had him ideally tuned for Brisbane.”That’s been really valuable for me,” Pattinson said. “Having that sort of pre-season over there in tough conditions for me and getting my length right as well has paid dividends for the right length to bowl out there. I’ve been smashing that area over in Sri Lanka and South Africa every time I bowl and Billy’s (McDermott) been right on my case. So it is great to get the rewards for some hard work.”Michael Clarke, basking in victory at home, said he had known for some time that the likes of Pattinson were on course to take up the attack for Australia.”I’ve probably seen that for a while now that there’s some young players that have been around first-class cricket who are now involved in the Australian set-up that have had a lot of talent,” Clarke said. “It is just about giving them an opportunity to see how they go, and then trying to get better.”Patto’s been around the group for a while now in regard to one-day cricket, we’ve always known he’s had a lot of talent, it was just about getting him as fit and strong as we could, him biding his time, going back to first-class cricket and taking wickets and waiting for an opportunity.”I said before the start of this Test match I was confident we could take 20 wickets and we could win the game. That’s because I’ve seen Sidds (Peter Siddle) bowl for a while now, I’ve seen Patto bowl in one-day cricket and first-class cricket, I’ve known Starcy (Mitchell Starc) for a while. I know we’ve got the talent, it is just a matter now of continuing to improve the consistency, that is probably the most important thing for us, as a team, not just as a bowling unit.”As the younger brother of Darren Pattinson, who played one Test for England, James Pattinson has had a family background in the experience of Test cricket. But observers have always felt the younger brother would develop into a more piercing bowler, and in one Test he has already put his brother in the shade.”Um, how many Test five-fors have you taken?” Pattinson joked about asking his brother. “Nah, I might not say that. I probably won’t say anything because he might whack me across the ear. I’ll have a couple of beers with him and talk about things. He’s been a great supporter of mine.”

A round-up of the action from the eighth match-day of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2011West Indies Women completed a thumping 130-run win against Pakistan Women in the final of the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Mirpur. West Indies chose to bat and put on 250 for 5, driven by a hard-hitting career-best 95 from Deandra Dottin. The top order all contributed, with cameos, opener Juliana Nero also hitting a half-century. While Dottin’s knock included seven sixes and five fours, Nero steered the innings with a 98-ball 63. Pakistan’s opener Qanita Jalil put the side on course with a fluent 53, but once offspinner Anisa Mohammed came on, the innings collapsed. Anisa too put in a career-best performance, claiming 7 for 14 in 8.3 overs to bowl Pakistan out for 120.West Indies’ captain, Merissa Aguilleira said she was happy the side had moved up in the rankings. “It is truly fantastic to walk away with the tournament trophy and undefeated at that, and to also know we have improved on the global rankings,” she said. “It’s been a brilliant event, with some competitive cricket played – I’m extremely happy with the team effort, we have been consistent out there and it has paid off.”Player of the Match, Anisa said she had enjoyed playing in spin-friendly conditions. “It’s been great to play here in the subcontinent, where the wickets are good for spin. I had hoped to take five wickets in the final but to walk away with seven wickets, I’m thrilled.”Stafanie Taylor, who was the Player of the Series praised the team effort that went into the win. “I’m thrilled to have received the Player of the Tournament trophy, but it was very much a team effort throughout the event and I’m happy we’ve walked away with the trophy.”Sri Lanka Women chased down 193 in a close game against South Africa Women in Fatullah, to finish third in the tournament. After batting, South Africa were steered by a patient 68 from opener Shandre Fritz. The Sri Lanka bowlers shared the wickets around, but Sandamali Dolawatte was the pick, claiming three wickets with her legspin, as well as a run out. Sri Lanka’s chase was then set up by a century stand from their openers, Chamari Atapattu and Yasoda Mendis. The pair dismissed in quick succession, for 60 and 47 respectively, and South Africa picked up wickets at regular intervals thereafter, but it was not enough. Sri Lanka sneaked home with three wickets in hand and two balls to spare.Hosts Bangladesh Women eased to an 82-run win against Ireland Women in Savar, in the fifth-place play-off. Batting first, Bangladesh made 210 for 7, on the back of a 113-run stand from their openers, Suktara Rahaman and Sharmin Akhter Supta. While Rahaman and Supta got fifties, none of the other batsmen could build on the starts they got but the cameos they made was enough to push Bangladesh past 200. Medium-pacer Jill Whelan finished with the best figures for Ireland, 3 for 31, and also effected two run outs. The Ireland chase never really got going, and there was panic as four of their line-up were run out. None of the Ireland batsmen managed more than opener Cecelia Joyce’s 42.Netherlands Women secured seventh place by beating USA Women by 126 runs in Savar. Netherlands were put into bat and built their total around solid contributions from their top order. Captain Helmien Rambaldo and Kerry-Anne Tomlinson made half-centuries, with Tomlinson top scoring with 73, as Netherlands finished with 293 for 7. USA could manage only 167 for 8 in reply, Tomlinson again the star for Netherlands with four wickets. The result would have been much worse for USA if it hadn’t been for a 72-run stand for the eighth wicket between Triholder Marshall and Anahita Arora.

Stuart Law has demanded higher standards from his fielders after a series of dropped catches left the team struggling to save the second Test

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2011Stuart Law, Bangladesh’s coach, has demanded higher standards from his fielders after a series of dropped catches left the team struggling to save the second Test against Pakistan in Mirpur.”We are under pressure from Pakistan’s performance; when you’re dropping good players, you’re giving them two chances at bat,” he said. “There’s no excuse, there are no 38-year-olds [in the Bangladesh team] running out there. They are all in their mid-twenties. Young men should be fighting fit for four to five days.”That is an area of concern for us. I think our bowlers did well and created enough opportunities. It’s not a practice thing. We practice till hands are sore.”On the fourth day, Bangladesh put down three catches – Robiul Islam shelled a simple chance at mid-on, Mahmudullah dropped another at slip and Sunny one at midwicket – as Pakistan went on to take a lead of 132 and then knock over five Bangladesh wickets with the hosts still in the deficit.However, Law has confidence that Bangladesh can still draw the game. “If the two at the crease [Mushfiqur Rahim and Nasir Hossain] can bat, we can [secure a draw]. If we can bat 2-2.5 sessions, I believe we can.”Bangladesh had lost wickets in a hurry, after making up a commendable 338 in the first innings, with some of their batsmen – Mahmudullah in particular – playing questionable strokes. That shot, Law said, stemmed from the fact that Bangladesh play more one-day cricket.”I’ve spoken to him [Mahmudullah] about that. It comes from being a one-day cricketer. We don’t play a lot of Tests. It’s okay if you play that shot when you chase eight or nine an over but in a Test match, when you’re looking to save the Test, it’s not the right option. We need to play more of long format of the game, as a team.”Bangladesh were set back by a double-strike from Umar Gul that accounted for Tamim Iqbal and Shahriar Nafees on the stroke of tea. Both batsmen, though, received rough umpiring decisions in a series where the DRS isn’t available.”They [the umpires] have the most difficult out there,” Law said. “It’s not the decisions, but the timings of them. Just before tea to lose two wickets in two balls to decisions that we felt were quite questionable. It’s a massive kick in the guts.”It’s just a great reminder to everybody that this DRS is something that as a team [we could use]. A lot of talk about us fighting for survival in the international scene. If decisions don’t go our way, and there seem to be quite a few, it makes our job that much more difficult.”Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez said his bowlers had put the team in a fine position. “Our bowlers have worked very hard and have taken five wickets today. The new ball was doing a bit. We are in a position where we can put pressure on the Bangladesh batsmen and we are very much on track [to win the Test].”Hafeez also appreciated Shakib Al Hasan’s effort – the allrounder followed up his century with six-wicket haul. “Shakib’s performance was great. I think he was under some pressure for not scoring in the ODIs. He came out with a strategy and executed it well.”He bowled really well after scoring the hundred, which is something special. He is doing a wonderful job for Bangladesh.”