All posts by h716a5.icu

The father of Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi, Khobai Isakhel, has been kidnapped on the outskirts of Jalalabad in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2013The father of Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi, Khobai Isakhel, has been kidnapped on the outskirts of Jalalabad in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Tuesday.”Yesterday at around 10.00 am, unknown armed man seized him [Isakhel] from his car,” Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government, told AFP. “No trace of him has yet been found.”Nabi said the kidnappers had not yet made contact with him and he had no idea about their identity.

Robin Peterson hadn’t been able to stem the runs when Pakistan were batting, but on the third day it was Pakistan who couldn’t stop the runs when Peterson was batting

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran16-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Robin Peterson slammed 84 to cut into Pakistan’s first-innings lead•Getty ImagesA fascinating Test in Cape Town provided its third day of unexpected twists as the man who was the weak link for South Africa on the first day made amends with his first Test half-century in almost a decade to even up the contest. Robin Peterson hadn’t been able to stem the runs when Pakistan were batting on the second day, but on the third it was Pakistan who couldn’t stop the runs when Peterson was batting. With AB de Villiers also scoring a half-century, South Africa showed their resilience as what could have been a game-deciding lead for Pakistan was trimmed to just 12.In their second innings, Pakistan’s top order once again folded cheaply and South Africa were threatening to run away with the game. However, they were thwarted by a patient partnership between Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq in the final hour-and-a-half before stumps to leave the match evenly poised. The day ended with a bit of bad news for the hosts, as Morne Morkel sustained a leg injury. He is unlikely to bowl again in this Test.In the morning, de Villiers had survived another intense examination from the outstanding Saeed Ajmal to play an innings that married classical drives and cuts with chutzpah, as shown by an inventive dink over the slips for four when the ball was banged in short. He reached his half-century off a rare poor ball down the leg side from Ajmal, and if he was beginning to feel comfortable in the middle, Ajmal followed up with a ripping delivery similar to the one that accounted for Faf du Plessis. De Villiers got the edge again but the keeper couldn’t hold on to the catch.Ajmal had begun the day by adding Dean Elgar’s wicket to make it six out of six and briefly raised visions of him joining the elite club of Jim Laker and Anil Kumble as the only bowlers to take all ten wickets in an innings. Thoughts of that spectacular feat came to an end when the seven-footer Mohammad Irfan struck with the new ball to dismiss de Villiers for his first Test wicket. He then showed that even in the intense battle of Test cricket there is space for levity, as the towering fast bowler raised his arms in celebration after his team-mates huddled around him, forcing them to jump to high-five him.Pakistan could have taken total control of the match once de Villiers was dismissed but Peterson again showed how much his batting has improved. He swept Ajmal when the ball was on the pads, cut powerfully when width was provided, and generally began to look more and more settled in the middle. With the help of Vernon Philander, he brought the deficit below 100 before lunch.Peterson had just begun, though, and opened out after the break with a series of drives as 77 runs came off 13 overs. Besides the scorching drives, there was even a switch-hit off Ajmal. As the score went past 300, Peterson set his sights on a maiden hundred, going for his shots even as he lost his partners. The crowd loved it, and when last man Morne Morkel solidly defended a few deliveries, the fans welcomed it with rousing cheers. Peterson finally perished on 84 as he looked to clear long-on, though he had already done enough to hurt Pakistan by then.The turnaround continued when South Africa had the ball in hand as, yet again, they removed both openers cheaply. Pakistan’s opening stands this series now read 0, 10, 7 and 9. Steyn struck in his first over, with an indipper that had Mohammad Hafeez lbw. Philander joined in with a wicket in his first over, sending back Nasir Jamshed lbw for a duck. Though South Africa’s quicks kept asking questions around off stump, Younis Khan and Ali negotiated the new ball till tea. A pumped-up Steyn then delivered the quickest spell of the match, regularly threatening to hit the 150kph mark, and it culminated with him getting Younis to chop on to the stumps.While the second session was full of runs, the third was the opposite. Ali began with a boundary past square leg that took him to 23 off 23 balls, but he then went into a shell, especially against Peterson, playing out maiden after maiden. He couldn’t work the singles, at one stage had managed only five runs off 53 deliveries against Peterson, and just survived a confident lbw appeal.At the other end, Misbah wasn’t in any hurry either, and the pair went through 34 scoreless deliveries early on in their partnership. Misbah was patient as ever, except when he pulled off three of those out-of-the-blue straight sixes he loves to hit.Many times, the strategy to just block everything against a high-quality attack doesn’t work because the lack of runs means the pressure isn’t lifted, and when there is a breakthrough, the batting side hasn’t made much progress. It worked for Pakistan on the day, though, as it sucked the momentum from a rampant South Africa attack, and steadily increased the lead above 100, setting up an intriguing fourth day.

Former Test batsman Hashan Tillakaratne has replaced Hemantha Wickramaratne in Sri Lanka’s new selection panel

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jan-2013Former Test batsman Hashan Tillakaratne has replaced Hemantha Wickramaratne in Sri Lanka’s new selection panel, after Wickramaratne stepped down due to work commitments, new chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya said.Tillakaratne had been among the nominees sent to the sports minister by Sri Lanka Cricket, but had not been appointed in the five-member panel on Monday. Tillakaratne is a member of provincial council for the United National Party, which is in opposition to the United People’s Freedom Alliance of which Jayasuriya and the sports minister are members.Wickramaratne had resigned because he was called upon to become one of the two full-time selectors on the panel, but was unable to relinquish his other commitments. “He can’t be a full time selector with us because of his work,” Jayasuriya said. “Because of that we’ve got Hashan Tillakaratne in our panel, who has played a lot of international cricket and brings that experience.”Tillakaratne will be a full time selector alongside former fast-bowling team-mate Pramodya Wickramasinghe, while Jayasuriya, Eric Upashantha and Chaminda Mendis will be employed part-time. Tillakaratne had been a critic of the current administration, and had even alleged political interference in the last SLC elections. He said he would continue to hold his post as a member of provincial council, while he worked as a full-time selector.”I took this job because I see it as a duty,” Tillakaratne said. “I played for a long time and benefited from the game, and I think if I can help take Sri Lanka cricket forward in any way, I have a duty to do that.”I do have the time to be both a member of provincial council and a full time selector, and it is after considering all that that I decided to accept this position. Sanath was one of the best cricketers in the world and I’m enthusiastic about working with him and the rest of the panel. I think we will be able to do something good.”SLC had said it would endeavour to cut its ties with politics after Haroon Lorgat issued his report recommending less political influence in the board, but with two politicians now on the selection panel and the with no moves having been taken to cut the sports minister out of the selection process, superficially, politics has become even more embedded in cricket administration.Jayasuriya was adamant however, that his panel’s sole focus would be on cricket, and that the selectors’ political affiliation would not affect their work for SLC. “We’re not concerned with the politics of either party on this panel. What we are concerned with is Sri Lanka’s cricket and that will be our top priority. We should thank the sports minister for choosing someone like Hashan, who has played for Sri Lanka and also been a good captain.”The sports minister has given us the freedom to act independently of political affiliations and it was encouraging to hear that. We will stay focused on improving Sri Lanka’s cricket.”Tillakaratne was a stylish left-handed batsman who played 83 Tests and 200 ODIs for Sri Lanka. He captained the side in 11 Tests between 1999 and 2004, and was a member of the World Cup winning side alongside Jayasuriya and Wickramasinghe in 1996.

Having postponed talks on a new deal until next month, Anthony McGrath is putting up a strong case to continue a county career already spanning 17 years.

Myles Hodgson at Headingley16-Aug-2012
ScorecardAnthony McGrath reminded the Yorkshire management of his ability•PA PhotosAs a negotiating tactic to try and secure another contract, scoring a century to guide Yorkshire to maximum batting points against one of their main promotion rivals is probably as good as any. Having postponed talks on a new deal until next month, Anthony McGrath is putting up a strong case to continue a county career already spanning 17 years.Expected to be the player most under threat by the emergence of Joe Root at the start of the summer, McGrath has responded to the challenge impressively. He scored his first century in a year earlier this summer against Hampshire and has now followed that with 104 against Derbyshire, the Division Two leaders, to put Yorkshire in command of a rain-affected match.His innings, which included 10 fours and a six, helped secure maximum batting points with three balls of their allocated 110 overs remaining with McGrath bringing up the landmark in conjunction with his century by on-driving Tim Groenewald. It laid the platform for Yorkshire to either declare immediately to give themselves more time to bowl at Derbyshire, or advance quickly towards a major first innings total.In the event they did neither, losing five wickets for nine runs in the next 15 balls to a succession of ill-conceived shots and were dismissed for 420. They only recovered their momentum when Tim Bresnan, who raced up the M1 to join the match after being overlooked by England for the final Test, won an lbw decision against Wayne Madsen with the final delivery of the day.”The bonus points system always keeps it interesting at the end,” McGrath admitted. “Derbyshire probably did us a bit of a favour by sticking people on the fence, which made it a bit easier. Three, four or five runs were available every over from 98 overs, so we were confident of getting there. We wanted to bowl at them, but we also wanted to try and get as many as possible.”Yorkshire’s equation was complicated by the 26-point lead Derbyshire had secured at the top of Division Two, ensuring they have little to gain in engineering a finish should more time be lost in the match. It put the onus on quick run-scoring when Yorkshire resumed on 127 for 2 having lost the final two sessions of the opening day to rain.Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance provided that impetus, scoring at nearly four an over throughout the morning session during a 116-run partnership. Lyth fell seven short of his century and Ballance followed shortly after lunch for an eye-catching 79, both perishing to loose shots attempting to push the scoreboard along.Restricted to only two runs an over for the first half hour after lunch, McGrath teamed up with Andrew Hodd, making his debut as a loan signing from Sussex and also hoping to secure a new contract at the end of the summer. They were both frustrated by Derbyshire’s initial accuracy, but needing 24 off the final four overs of allocated bonus point overs, they accelerated to reach their objective during a 131-run stand.They fell in quick succession with Wes Durston, Derbyshire’s off-spinner, exploiting Yorkshire’s desire for rapid runs to finish with career-best figures of 5 for 34, although Hodd must also have gone a long way towards securing a permanent contract by scoring 58 precious runs on debut.”It’s probably different to what he’s used to down in Sussex because the wickets are different up here, especially this one because there’s more grass on this pitch than there has been for a long time,” McGrath explained. “If you bowl straight with pace it’s difficult to score. He found it tough during that period, but got through that and played really well and was integral towards us getting full batting points.”Having given themselves only 11 overs to bowl at Derbyshire, Yorkshire looked likely to be frustrated until Bresnan struck with the final ball, but it will take fair weather and an exceptional performance on an easy-paced wicket to contrive the victory they require to close the gap on the leaders.

The Pakistan Twenty20 squad, led by Mohammad Hafeez, has left Lahore for Delhi to play their first bilateral series against India since 2007

Umar Farooq22-Dec-2012The Pakistan Twenty20 squad, led by Mohammad Hafeez, has left Lahore for Delhi to play their first bilateral series against India since 2007. The players selected in the ODI squad – Misbah-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Wahab Riaz, Imran Farhat and Anwar Ali – will depart Pakistan on December 26.”We are ready and prepared for the India challenge,” Hafeez had said at the end of a training camp in Lahore. “We have trained so hard to get ready for the India series. India might be low at the moment [after losing to England in the Test series] but it’s a new format and they have a very balanced T20 team.”Nobody can deny the fact that a Pakistan-India series carries intense pressure. The contest is always full of pressure and full of expectations of people of both countries. We will try to express ourselves without any pressure.”Although it was Pakistan’s turn to host a bilateral series, India were not keen to play at a neutral venue. There has been no international cricket in Pakistan since March 2009, when terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus. Bilateral ties between the two countries, however, had been suspended even before that incident, because of the terror attacks in Mumbai in November 2008.The longest gap in bilateral series between Pakistan and India was from 1962 to 1977, in the wake of wars in 1965 and 1971. The Kargil conflict in 1999 led to another break, until 2004. India’s home ministry cleared the way for the upcoming series on October 30, four years after the Mumbai attacks.”Cricket has always played its role in toning down the tensions,” Shaharyar Khan, an ex-PCB chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “There should have a series of Test matches as well but anyways its better to have something rather than nothing.”Shaharyar was the PCB chairman who brought India to Pakistan in 2004 for their first full series in 14 years. “Both countries have to play on regular basis,” Shaharyar said. “No matter who wins, this cricket diplomacy will improve the relationship of both countries. It’s a meaningless debate whose turn it was to host; the foremost intention was to revive the ties.”

Ernest Hilaire, the chief executive of the WICB whose tenure has been marked by standoffs with a number of senior players, most notably Chris Gayle, has decided not to seek a renewal of his contract when it expires in October

Tariq Engineer05-Jul-2012Ernest Hilaire, the chief executive of the WICB whose tenure has been marked by standoffs with a number of senior players, most notably Chris Gayle, has decided not to seek a renewal of his contract when it expires in October, ESPNcricinfo has learned.Hilaire has already informed the WICB board of directors of his intention not to continue in the role and they have appointed a recruitment agency to find a replacement. He has been appointed St Lucia’s new ambassador in London by the newly elected St Lucia Labour party government.He took over as chief executive in November 2009, when he was given a three-year contract, and presided over a somewhat tumultuous time in West Indies cricket as the team struggled to win matches. However, the side has shown improved competitiveness under the captaincy of Darren Sammy recently, especially in the limited-overs formats, and espouses a commitment to playing as a team.Hilaire had also been involved in high profile disputes with Dinanath Ramnarine, the former head of the West Indies Players’ Association, and a number of senior players, including Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Gayle’s troubles with the board began when he chose to play in the 2011 IPL and miss the home series against Pakistan. It was only in June 2012 that Gayle’s exile ended after he signed a CARICOM-brokered agreement with the WICB. Sarwan has not played for West Indies since June 2011, having lost his central contract in 2010 on fitness grounds.In May 2012, Hilaire, said the selectors should focus on picking a strong collective unit rather than one just comprising 11 star players. “For a decade or so the selectors were guided by a process which had them arriving at the eleven best players to take the field,” Hilaire had said. “With the eleven best players on the park our results went from bad to worse and yet worse still.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab in Hyderabad

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran07-May-2012Match factsTuesday, May 8
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Will Adam Gilchrist get a place in the starting XI even if fit?•AFPBig PictureKings XI Punjab have developed a reputation of being one of the best teams on the road, beating four of the top five teams in away matches. At home, they haven’t been as good, losing their previous four matches at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali.The last of those was a heavy defeat to Rajasthan Royals, which their captain David Hussey termed one of their worst matches in IPL. Kings XI aren’t considered among the top teams in the competition, and rarely go into a game as favourites, but against a demoralised Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad, they won’t be the underdogs for once.They are still waiting on the fitness of their regular captain, Adam Gilchrist, who has missed their previous six matches with hamstring problems. If he is fit in time for tomorrow, Kings XI will have a difficult choice to make: which of their overseas players to leave out? Shaun Marsh has been one of the most consistent batsmen in the IPL across seasons, Hussey is also a confirmed starter, Azhar Mahmood provides muscular hitting as well as four bankable overs with the ball, while Ryan Harris took four wickets in his previous game.Kings XI still have a realistic chance of reaching the play-off but Chargers don’t after an AB de Villiers onslaught on Sunday pretty much confirmed a second miserable season in a row for them. In 2011, they managed to save face by winning the final three games of the campaign to finish seventh, climbing three places in the final week. They have been bottom of the pile virtually the entire tournament this year, and will hope for another winning run to avoid becoming the first team to finish last twice in the IPL.Form guide (completed games, most recent first)
Deccan Chargers: LLWLW
Kings XI Punjab: LWWLWPlayers to watchDale Steyn has produced some of the most testing spells of the tournament, but has also had some forgettable days. In the two matches against Mumbai Indians, he proved nearly unplayable but against Rajasthan Royals and Pune Warriors he went wicketless and leaked runs at 11 an over or more. On Sunday against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he was very good at the start – bowling a maiden to Chris Gayle – before being taken apart by de Villiers at the death, with his 23-run over turning the match. Which Steyn will turn up on Tuesday? And will Chargers pick Rusty Theron ahead of him?Praveen Kumar hasn’t had the best of seasons, struggling to pick wickets and make an impact in a side where he is the leading Indian quick bowler. He was outstanding against Royal Challengers, sending down one of the most economic spells in IPL history, but Kings XI will expect more from him than just three wickets in 11 matches.Stats and trivia Chargers have tried 23 players this season, more than any other team. Mumbai and Royal Challengers are next with 22 players each. Chargers’ fielding has let them down all tournament, reflected by the fact that they have the least number of catches among all teams this year.Quotes”I don’t think it’s difficult to motivate us because we want to play our best cricket. We know if we play our best cricket, we will climb up the table.”

A round-up of the sixth round of matches in the National Cricket League 2011-12

Mohammad Isam01-Dec-2011Dhaka Metropolis regained top spot in the National Cricket League after their sixth-round win over Rangpur, by nine wickets at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan Ground in Savar. It was Asif Ahmed who set up the victory with an aggressive 152 that took him just over three-and-a-half hours to compile, and included 22 boundaries and a six. He shared a 225-run second-wicket stand with his batting hero Mohammad Ashraful, who made 71. Shamsur Rahman and Tasamul Haque also made healthy contributions in Dhaka Metro’s 518 that went past Rangpur’s strong first innings score by 164 runs. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny’s six-for sunk the northerners in the second innings and gave Dhaka a meagre 30-run chase which they completed on the final day.Khulna, who now trail Dhaka Metro by 7.22 points, crushed Chittagong by eight wickets in Jessore thanks mainly to seamer Al-Amin Hossain’s twelve wickets. He first ripped through the Chittagong lower order in the first innings, in which they scored just 200 runs, before leaving an even bigger impression in the second innings. Al-Amin finished with 7 for 36 in the second innings, with Chittagong getting bowled out for 144 runs on the third day. Nazmus Sadat’s quick half-century saw Khulna home inside three days.Rajshahi moved into the top four through an easy win over Dhaka, by nine wickets at the Abdur Rab Serniabad Stadium in Barisal. Winless Dhaka were shot out for 131 twice, a display that sums up the season for the biggest division in the country. Rajshahi made just 214 in their first innings, with Hamidul Islam scoring 57, but the defending champions’ bowling attack, led by left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib and seamer Delwar Hossain, ensured the fourth-innings target was a modest one and Rajshahi chased it easily.Sylhet are also in the top four, after a four-wicket win over Barisal at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. In a close game, Barisal’s Iftekhar Nayeem hammered 132 and 77 in each innings but it was not enough for the perennial underachievers. Sylhet banked largely on their seamers and Tapash Baisya and Abu Jayed took five wickets each in the first innings. Later it was left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jnr who took a seven-for to bowl Barisal out for 199 runs in the second innings. Nadif Chowdhury played an important hand as Sylhet chased down the 186-run target on the final day.

Gautam Gambhir has called for “rank turners” when teams visit India after India have lost seven consecutive away Tests on pitches that he reckons had lot of grass on them

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval22-Jan-2012Gautam Gambhir has called for “rank turners” when teams visit India after India have lost seven consecutive away Tests on pitches that he reckons had lot of grass on them. He said the real test of a team was to win overseas, and that Indian curators shouldn’t hesitate to make it as tough as possible for visiting teams.”We need to realise that when we go overseas every country prepares wickets to their own strengths,” Gambhir said. “So once the other teams come home we need to prepare tracks to our advantage as well. So there should not be a lot of talk when Australia or South Africa or England come home that we should not be preparing turners. I think we should be playing to our strengths, and if we can prepare rank turners, that’s where their technique and their temperament will be tested.”Gambhir said there was a lot of movement available to seam bowlers in all of their seven defeats starting from the English summer onwards. “We have seen in last three Tests matches and even in England, there was a lot of grass and that helped their seamers,” he said. “Once these people come to India we should not be hesitant in making turners, and that’s where we would get to know whether they are mentally strong, and [what happens to] the kind of chit chat do they do when we go overseas and they talk about our techniques.”That’s where they will be tested, and we’ll see how good they are against spin bowling. So we shouldn’t be hesitant in preparing turners to our advantage, and that has been our strength and if we can do that people should support us rather than saying we should not be preparing turners. We should always be preparing something which is to our advantage.”Gambhir was asked what progress he saw in Peter Siddle’s bowling from the time he debuted against India in 2008-09 to now being the leader of the Australian bowling attack. “The only difference is the conditions,” Gambhir said. “He made his debut in Mohali. He played really well in that Test series. It’s [these are] his own conditions, it’s his own backyard. The important thing is once you start doing well in subcontinent, that’s when you are rated as a very good bowler.”He has bowled really well in this series – no doubt about that – he has been their main bowler who has always taken wickets whenever he has got into his spell. The important thing is, how he bowls well in the subcontinent. Here he has bowled well, but let’s see what he does in other conditions as well.”That didn’t stop Gambhir from praising the Australian bowling unit, whose performance he rated higher than the English bowlers last summer. “When you see the results both have been at par,” Gambhir said. “England had a lot of lateral movement, but over here a lot of credit goes to them [the Australian bowlers]. They had a very inexperienced attack. England have far more experience than the Australian fast bowlers. The way they have bowled in this series is tremendous.”They have never let us off the hook, they have always kept us under pressure though they were playing with just three seamers and a spinner. They kept coming at us, which is important, because there are times in Test cricket where you can get easy runs, especially in middle sessions. A lot of credit has to go to them.”Even in the middle sessions they kept hitting those areas, and never let us score freely. As we all know Indians are known to score runs freely. Most of our middle order has been boundary hitters. They never let us score those boundaries. Never gave us balls where we can score freely. Especially in that middle session.”COMMENT – A frustrated reactionGambhir’s comments about the pitches seem to be a combination of many factors. At worst they could be indicative of the defensive attitude of a team that has lost seven away Tests in a row. They can easily be seen as an extension of the response of Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli to sledging by Australian players about the Indian batsmen’s technique and average. You would expect better from a team that wants to be the best in the world.There also seems to be a lack of awareness that India’s recent wins outside the subcontinent have all come on seaming tracks that make it easier for their bowlers to take 20 wickets. Also the pitches in Sydney and Perth were hardly the monsters they are being made out to be.However, at such times, it is easy to miss the deep-rooted frustration at the kind of pitches the Indian curators have been rolling out over the recent years: slow, low, devoid of life and excitement. The last time India actually got a pitch that turned and bounced was in Kanpur in 2007-08. Otherwise the pitches in India are all designed to last the longest possible distance. Gambhir is also understandably annoyed at how easily the turning tracks are labelled “disgraceful” by the media and the ICC. Sidharth Monga

Bangladesh’s new skipper Mushfiqur Rahim has spoken of his ambitions as a captain, and the realistic goals he has set ahead of the series against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2011Mushfiqur Rahim had to break a long-held superstition after being appointed Bangladesh’s captain. For the past six years, he has made it a point not to speak to anyone in the media on the eve of an international match. Though he stuck to it on every occasion, that all changed on Monday when he spoke of his ambitions as a captain, and the realistic goals he has set ahead of the series against West Indies; he even admitted to prepping himself mentally before he betrayed his routine.Bangladesh take on West Indies in the solitary Twenty20 on October 10, marking Mushfiqur’s debut as captain. He hardly resembles one; the towering Darren Sammy even jokingly crouched as they posed with the trophies. But Mushfiqur wasn’t asking the West Indians to bend down as yet, the 23-year-old instead wishing for a good start and a lockdown by the spinners.”The start is very important,” said Mushfiqur. “Like it was against New Zealand who were well prepared last year, it is going to be the same with West Indies. We need to believe that we can win against them and that will come when we make a good start.”In international cricket, whether you’re a captain or not, there’s a lot of pressure. We’ll get home support and help from the wicket, so I think sometimes it’s better to look at the positives,” he added.He wants to mark his ascent as the leader of the pack with change in Bangladesh’s fortunes. “We couldn’t find the results as expected during the last tour. I want the team to perform as a unit. The difference that I want to create is by finding positive results,” said Mushfiqur.Coach Stuart Law, in his first home series in charge, believed that the new skipper is the sort of character everyone wants in a team. “Mushy is very much his own man,” said Law. “He’s very driven and knows what he needs to do to get the best out of himself.”He’s one of those players you love having in your team. He works very hard and hopefully that ethic comes into the team now. He’s a great example to the younger players.”I believe we can win the series. West Indies are a good outfit. We have to play well to beat them. They’re ranked higher than us, I believe we go into this as the underdog.”As long as we play smart cricket, we are a force at home,” he said, adding that he wanted some international teams taking part in the BCB Cup though he regarded the preparatory one-day tournament as satisfactorily “competitive”.