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When the clouds drape over Table Mountain, to form the proverbial cloth, bowlers can come out to feast

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town08-Nov-2011When the clouds drape over Table Mountain, to form the proverbial cloth, bowlers can come out to feast. So says Evan Flint, the Newlands groundsman who has prepared what is looking like a “win the toss and bowl” pitch in cool and rainy Cape Town.”If there are clouds on the mountain, it will nip around quite a bit” Flint told ESPNcricinfo. “So everything really does depend on the mountain.”Some though, will be hoping the mountain, its clouds and north westerly wind, which brings persistent rain, could disappear for the next week. With drizzle, and more, dropping down for most of Tuesday and the forecast predicting it will continue into the first day, both teams plans are likely to be thwarted, along with Flint’s, who started preparing the surface nine days before the match, instead of the usual seven.”We’ve had to keep the pitch under cover through the day so it might be a bit tacky in the morning,” he said. “We haven’t had baking heat, even though there has been some sunshine, but it will probably be slower with less bounce. There won’t be as much for spinners as there is in December or January but a quality spinner will still be able to turn the ball.”South Africa were toying with the idea of playing two spinners on a pitch that is likely to turn the most in the country, but the wet weather might force them to rethink that, unless the wind changes. “Once the south-easter kicks in, it will dry out the surface,” Flint said. A south-easter is only forecast for days four and five of the match, although conditions are expected to clear from Thursday.The weather will fuel what is being talked up as the most anticipated contest of the series, between fast bowlers and batsmen. “It’s been a lot cooler than normal and if it stays cloudy, obviously it will nip around.” Flint said.It remains impossible to predict exactly what to expect because a Test match has not been played in November in Cape Town for ninety years. It is traditionally the home of the New Year’s Test and has occasionally hosted matches in late summer months, such as February or March.Coincidentally, the only two November Tests held in Cape Town have featured the same two teams. In 1921, in a Test that started on November 26, South Africa lost to Australia by 10 wickets. Nineteen years before that, the same result was achieved in a match that started on November 8. It’s little wonder then that Graeme Smith is also unsure about what lies ahead.”Newlands this time of the year is a little bit of an unknown, I haven’t played too many Tests this time of year,” Smith said. “The wicket will be a bit different to what we are used to. So far this season, the wickets haven’t been the easiest to bat on. Through the three one-dayers, you would have seen none of the batsmen has really got a grasp on things and I expect it to be pretty similar. It will be about who can get stuck in and get a grip on things. One big partnership may make the difference in the game.”

Scotland’s Matthew Parker and Afghanistan’s Samilullah Shenwari have both been reprimanded and warned of their future conduct by the ICC

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2010Scotland’s Matthew Parker and Afghanistan’s Samiullah Shenwari have both been reprimanded and warned of their future conduct for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during Saturday’s Intercontinental Cup final, which Afghanistan won by seven wickets. A reprimand and a warning is the minimum penalty for a Level 1 violation.The two players admitted to the charges and accepted match referee David Jukes’ sanctions, thereby eliminating the need for a disciplinary hearing. Parker was guilty of violating Section 12, Article 2.1.6 of the code, which covers pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion by a bowler or a fielder during an international match.”It is very unfortunate that Mr Parker acted in this way,” Jukes said in a statement, “and whilst I am certain that he was highly elated – following the fall of such an important wicket – he must take responsibility for his actions, and learn that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated in international cricket.”Shenwari admitted to violating Article 2.1.5 of the same section, which deals with excessive appealing. “Excitement and occasion aside, it is unfortunate that Mr Shenwari failed to follow the advice he was offered by both the on-field umpires and his captain,” Jukes said. “He has since been warned and reprimanded, and I sincerely hope that he has learned that this type of behaviour is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.” Shenwari took 3 for 15 in Scotland’s second innings, helping to bowl them out for 82, and set-up Afghanistan’s victory.Parker was reported to the match referee by on-field umpires Kumara Dharmasena and Buddhi Pradhanm, who both also reported Shenwari, along with third umpire Fidel Ja’ary. The match referee’s decision is final and binding.

The Indian board is yet to finalise the schedule for the home series against South Africa early next year but has decided on Jaipur as the venue most likely to host the first ODI of the tour

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Dec-2009The Indian board is yet to finalise the schedule for the home series against South Africa early next year but has decided on Jaipur as the venue most likely to host the tour’s first ODI. A decision is also yet to be taken on whether the series will include Tests, as India have sought.Lalit Modi, chairman of the board’s tours and fixtures panel, said the final schedule will be worked out at a later date – it was held up by the absence of some members at the board’s working committee meeting today.Jaipur, he said, was picked because it had missed out during the Australia series earlier this year. That match was shifted to Vadodara due to a dispute at the Rajasthan Cricket Association between Modi and Sanjay Joshi, the then president. “As chairman of the BCCI’s tours and fixtures committee I’m going to recommend to the first ODI should be allotted to Jaipur because they had missed their term last time. In principle we have decided to give it to them,” Modi said.It was also decided that Ahmedabad will host the first four Rajasthan Royals games in the next IPL, with Jaipur allotted the final three. “The last three games will happen in Jaipur, as we have recommended some upgrading to be done. The first four will happen in Ahmedabad as they have already done a lot (of preparations),” Modi said. The arrangement was only for 2010, with Jaipur restored as the host venue for the 2011 edition.But barring that, the schedule as well as the venues for the other planned fixtures weren’t confirmed. “We are just fixing the schedule,” Modi said after the two-hour meeting at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai. “Unfortunately all the members were not present so the committee would be meeting in the next ten days to finalise the schedule,” he said.Last week the BCCI had sent a revised itinerary to Cricket South Africa requesting to play two Tests and three ODIs instead of the originally planned five-match ODI series. CSA is yet to approve the new schedule, though Gerald Majola, the South African board’s chief had given an in-principle nod.Modi also took the opportunity to make a public show of bonding with CP Joshi, the newly-elected RCA president, but said his gesture should not be read as a “compromise”. Earlier this month Joshi had defeated Modi in an acrimonious tussle to the RCA president’s post, winning the elections 19-13. Joshi was attending his first board meeting and cordially nodded to Modi’s suggestions.

On the flip side to his one-day omission, the pace-bowling allrounder is one of just three frontline quicks heading to Sri Lanka

Andrew McGlashan13-Jan-2025It’s been a bittersweet few days for Sean Abbott: included in the Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, with a baggy green perhaps closer than ever, but omitted from the group heading to the Champions Trophy.Given the Test cap is one of the missing pieces from a fine career, perhaps it’s not the worst way it could have played out. Abbott was also realistic in assessing his absence from the Champions Trophy, having been part of the victorious ODI World Cup squad in 2023, after struggling to make an impact in his last two series.Related

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Against England and Pakistan he took one wicket in five outings at an economy rate 7.36. He will be in the selectors’ thoughts should replacements be needed (captain Pat Cummins’ status is still uncertain) but Nathan Ellis has taken the spot as the fourth quick behind the big three.”I didn’t really take selection out of the selectors’ hands,” Abbott said ahead of Sydney Sixers’ trip to Adelaide for their next BBL clash. “I didn’t perform and bowl as well as I would have liked in my last five games for Australia over in the UK and back home here against Pakistan.”My goal at all times when I play is to obviously contribute and do what I need to do for the team, but on top of that, it’s [to] take the decision to drop you out of the selectors’ hands, and I haven’t done that. So that’s fair. The guys who have been picked are in form and I think we’ve got a great squad to go over and compete for the Champions Trophy.”1:52

Smith: Konstas can bat conventionally too, he’s got ‘all the tools’

However, as one of just three specialist quicks heading to Sri Lanka for the two Tests – alongside Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland – it is possible to see an elusive debut. Abbott was officially part of the squad for the final two matches against India but Starc, Cummins and Boland were able to get through the Melbourne and Sydney games.There remains a chance Australia go with just one frontline quick in Galle and use Beau Webster’s medium pace to supplement it, but Abbott believes he has a skillset which could be valuable. George Bailey noted Abbott’s “durability” when the squad was named while he is also a good exponent of reverse swing.”It would have been nice to debut out here the other day [against India] on what was a bowler-friendly wicket,” he said with a smile. “Sri Lanka typically is more spin-friendly than anything, but I feel like conditions might suit me perhaps more than others. But, again, we’ve got such depth with our bowling at the moment.”It gets mentioned a lot, but every time Scotty comes in and bowls, no matter the conditions, he does well. And then Starcy is obviously bowling high 140s, and then reverse swing will play a role, or being able to tie up an end so the spinners can attack, whatever that looks like. Being one of only three quicks going over, I suppose I feel a little bit closer. But I certainly feel like conditions might suit the way I go about my bowling.”Sean Abbott still has a huge part to play in how Sydney Sixers’ season plays out•Getty Images

The trade-off from heading to Sri Lanka is that Abbott – alongside Steven Smith and Todd Murphy – will miss the BBL finals, where Sixers are assured of a spot. But there are still positions to play for with hosting rights for the Qualifier – which provides a direct path to the final – a major incentive, although it is out of Sixers’ hands with Hobart Hurricanes having a game in hand.”It’s definitely a huge advantage if you can finish in the top two and get home game advantage for sure,” Abbott said.All Sixers can do is win their remaining matches against Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder. They will have Smith available for both those outings following his spectacular 121 not out from 64 balls against Perth Scorchers. Abbott, the leading wicket-taking in BBL history, also played a key role in that victory with 4 for 43 but was critical with himself for a final over that went for 20 and gave Ashton Turner an outside chance of heist.”I had six more balls there at the end to bowl and didn’t really bowl anywhere near as good as I should have,” he said. “Pretty disappointing with the way that over went and how close it ended up getting. So I’ll give myself a little bit of a rap on the knuckles for that one.”

Bangladesh are playing an ODI against India in India for the first time since 1998

Mohammad Isam18-Oct-20235:31

Bond: India could turn up 80% and still be good enough to win

Big Picture: Can Bangladesh spring a surprise?

The defending champions have been upset by Afghanistan. Australia haven’t looked like Australia of World Cups past. Pakistan seem lacking too. And the South African juggernaut fell apart against Netherlands. Of all the pre-tournament favourites, only India and New Zealand have played like favourites. The latter have made it four wins in four, and now India are looking to do the same, against Bangladesh in Pune.Bangladesh may have a favourable 3-1 ODI record against India in the last 12 months – most recently winning their Super Four encounter in the Asia Cup last month – but beating India in India is easier said than done.The hosts have played with plenty of main-character energy in their first three fixtures, scoring convincing victories against Australia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were tested to varying degrees in all those games – reduced to 2 for 3 in the chase against Australia; Afghanistan setting a target of 273; and Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan building a solid platform – but in the end it wasn’t even close.India’s outstanding bowling attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, has taken 28 out of a possible 30 wickets so far, while they have lost only nine wickets in three chases and never more than four in a game. Rohit Sharma’s ultra-aggressive approach has been the highlight of their batting performances and he’s got another batting-friendly surface waiting for him in Pune.Related

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Bangladesh’s only win against India in the ODI World Cup was 16 years ago – in Trinidad in 2007. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim were just starting their careers then, and they have played India three times on the biggest stage since, losing quite convincingly on each occasion.This Bangladesh squad has enough experience and young talent in their ranks to stretch India, but their current form isn’t promising. Mushfiqur has scored two fifties in three matches so far but the rest have struggled with consistency. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das had one good knock each. Rookie Tanzid Hasan hasn’t had much impact. Towhid Hridoy, who scored 500 runs before the World Cup this year, is batting lower than his usual No. 5 position. Mehidy Hasan Miraz also hasn’t been effective.Shakib suffered a quadriceps injury last week but could play – as per their coach, Bangladesh are awaiting results of a scan done on match eve before taking the final decision.* With Bangladesh looking to lengthen their batting by having Mahmudullah at No. 8, Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed, both of whom played a part in the Asia Cup win against India, are unlikely to make the XI.Whether Bangladesh runs India close or not could come down to how their fast bowlers fare. Mustafizur Rahman aside, the others have been off-colour. Shoriful Islam has been expensive at times and Taskin Ahmed is not the force he was earlier this year. If these three, or Hasan Mahmud and Tanzim Hasan, can fire it will give Bangladesh a stronger foothold in the contest.Kuldeep Yadav took eight wickets in a Test the last time he played Bangladesh•AFP/Getty Images

Form guide

India WWWLW (last five ODIs, most recent first)Bangladesh LLWLL

In the spotlight: Kuldeep Yadav and Najmul Hossain Shanto

Kuldeep Yadav has five wickets from three games and his economy of 3.9 in 30 overs is testament to the control he’s offered during the middle overs. He revealed recently that increasing his pace has allowed him to bowl better in the last 12 months. Bangladesh’s most recent memory of Kuldeep is his eight-wicket haul in the Chattogram Test late last year – India will be hoping for more of the same from him.After his unbeaten fifty against Afghanistan, Najmul Hossain Shanto‘s low scores against England and New Zealand have had an impact on Bangladesh’s top-order returns. His free-flowing batting has been a huge boost to Bangladesh in 2023 and they desperately need him back among the runs.

Team news: Bangladesh to gamble with extra bowler?

India are unlikely to change their winning combination. The small ground dimensions and flat pitch could mean that Shardul Thakur is likely to keep his spot ahead of R Ashwin.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed SirajIf Bangladesh can play Shakib, they will. They could be tempted to promote Mehidy Hasan Miraz to open with Litton and Mushfiqur could also bat higher in the order. The question is whether Bangladesh will look to strengthen their bowling by sacrificing some batting depth.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Mahmudullah, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions: High scores in Pune?

Since 2017, teams batting first have posted 300-plus totals in three out of five ODIs in Pune, though this will be the first international at this venue in nine months. There was some drizzle on the eve of the match but the forecast is for sunshine on match day.

Stats and trivia: A 25-year wait ends

• This is Bangladesh’s first ODI against India in India in 25 years. From those who played their previous ODI against India at the Wankhede in 1998, Minhajul Abedin is the current chief selector, Khaled Mahmud is the team director, and Athar Ali Khan is a TV commentator.
• Virat Kohli has an average 67.25 and strike rate of 101.25 in 15 ODIs against Bangladesh, with four centuries.
• Shakib, Taskin and Mustafizur all have five-wicket hauls against India in ODIs.

Quotes

“He had a good batting session yesterday. He did a bit of running between the wickets as well. We are waiting for the result of the scan we did today. We haven’t tried his bowling yet. We will assess him tomorrow morning, and make a decision. If he is not ready to play, we won’t risk it. If he is ready, there’s a chance of him playing tomorrow.”

“When you enter a World Cup, every team will pose you a challenge. So, from our perspective, I don’t think we’ll take anyone lightly.”

Luke Wood, Sam Cook chime in as Rockets bowl Spirit out for 122 in first defeat of season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2022Trent Rockets spin kings Rashid Khan and Samit Patel launched their side to the top of the Men’s Hundred table as they won by six wickets against London Spirit at Trent Bridge.Returning for his final game of the Hundred, Khan produced his best, clean bowling three victims for 25 runs. Patel (2 for 29) took the prize wickets of Eoin Morgan (27 from 16 balls) and Ben McDermott (30 from 25 balls) as they both threatened big scores. Luke Wood also impressed with economical figures of 2 for 23, with the Rockets bowling Spirit out for 122.In reply, Colin Munro’s 67 not out from 37 balls and a confidence-boosting 41 off 28 balls from Tom Kohler-Cadmore were enough to take the Rockets home with 21 balls to spare. The result gives the Spirit their first loss of the season and puts the Rockets in prime position to finish the season in the top spot.Put in to bat, the Spirit got off to a flying start as Daniel Bell-Drummond (24 from 15 balls) caught the eye with consecutive sixes in the first set of 10. The Spirit did lose the in-form Adam Rossington, but at 41 for 1 from the powerplay, they’d have been the happier side.The next 25 balls would only produce 20 runs for the loss of two wickets, as the Rockets’ bowling attack fought back. Bell-Drummond was the first to go, miscuing off the bowling of Sam Cook. Dan Lawrence would join him soon after, bowled by a Khan googly, to leave the Spirit in a difficult position.The away side needed to rebuild and quickly if they were to post a defendable total. Morgan answered the call, striking two sixes in Khan’s next set. But when he attempted the same trick on the 64th ball against the ever-impressive Patel, he was caught at deep midwicket, leaving the Spirit 86 for 4.Sensing the moment to turn the screw, skipper Lewis Gregory threw Khan the ball and he delivered. The Afghan bowled Kieron Pollard and Jordan Thompson in a set of five which conceded just two. Three balls later, Patel would remove McDermott and the wickets kept falling. The Londoners lost their last five wickets for just 27 runs.Morgan’s team talk would have surely mentioned getting the Rockets’ in-form openers early and his side did just that. The first was by luck rather than design. Dawid Malan, run out from the first ball of the innings, his partner Hales looking sheepish as his teammate trudged off without facing. Hales was back to apologise sooner than the Rockets would have liked, caught at mid-on off the bowling of Ellis as they ended the powerplay 33 for 2.Hales’s wicket brought Kohler-Cadmore to the crease. Bought at the auction for a £125,000 fee, the Yorkshire player was in need of a big score to match his top-bracket price. He proved his value as the partnership with Munro brought 85 off 51 balls and all but secured victory. The Rockets crowd would have one last big roar as Gregory smashed a six to end the game and put his team top of the league.

He said he wants to be ready for a “big 12 months” with Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2021Australia and Chennai Super Kings fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has withdrawn from this year’s IPL in order to stay in shape for Australia’s upcoming calendar. He becomes the third Australian player, after Josh Philippe and Mitchell Marsh, to withdraw ahead of this season.Related

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Hazlewood, 30, has been jumping in and out of bio-secure bubbles since July last year, including with the Super Kings at the IPL, and said he now wanted to focus on staying physically and mentally ready for a big year with Australia.”It’s been a long 10 months in bubbles and quarantine at different times, so I decided to have a rest from cricket and spend some time at home and in Australia in the next two months,” Hazlewood told . “We’ve got a big winter ahead too. The West Indies is going to be a long tour, with Bangladesh (T20 tour) potentially thrown on the end of that.”Then potentially the T20 World Cup leading into the Ashes, so it’s a big 12 months, as it always is with Australia, and I want to give myself the best chance to be mentally and physically ready for that. That’s the decision I’ve made, and it sits pretty well with me.”Hazlewood wasn’t a frontline option for the Super Kings last year, playing in only three matches as they lined up their bowling with domestic options alongside allrounders Sam Curran and Dwayne Bravo for the most part.

Haryana no match for Karnataka after collapsing in the last over of their innings

The Report by Shamya Dasgupta29-Nov-2019It was a six fest at Surat’s Lalabhai Contractor Stadium as a sizeable crowd was treated to some outstanding short-format hitting from KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal to start with, and then by Mayank Agarwal. But that Karnataka were chasing 195 on a belter of a pitch and not something in the region of 210 was down to a very special performance from Abhimanyu Mithun, who made history by picking up five wickets, including four off the first four deliveries, in the final over of the Haryana innings.When Mithun was handed the ball for the final over, Himanshu Rana was on 61 from 33 balls, Rahul Tewatia was on 32 from 19, and Haryana 192 for 3. Ball one: Rana holes out to Agarwal at cow corner. Second ball: Tewatia slogs one to Karun Nair at long-on. Third ball: Sumit Kumar scoop-pulls a slower one to Rohan Kadam at short fine-leg. Hat-trick! Fourth ball: Amit Mishra hits to K Gowtham in the covers. Double hat-trick! This is followed by a wide and a single, taking Haryana to 194. Then, sixth ball: Jayant Yadav moves outside the off stump and guides it straight to Rahul behind the stumps. Five in an over!Smiles, whoops of joy, high-fives – the momentum was certainly with Karnataka at the break.”I kept wickets, so I knew they were 10-15 runs short,” Rahul told after the game. “That was the chat at the halfway mark. To chase this down in 15 overs tells you everything about the pitch. We knew if we got a good start, we had the batting to chase this down.”That’s what happened. Once they came out to bat, Rahul and Padikkal pressed home the advantage ruthlessly.ALSO READ: Fitness revolution helps Rohan Kadam chart a new courseTo be fair, Harshal Patel started well, conceding just one run in the first over of the chase. But Padikkal hit an inside-out drive over the off side and then a delicate flick for fours in the second over, bowled by Ashish Hooda, and Karnataka were on their way. Patel was taken for 16 runs in the third, Hooda then gave away 23 in the next, and the Haryana fielders were mostly spotted retrieving the ball as the Powerplay yielded 82 runs.With that sort of platform, there was no real threat of Karnataka losing, not with Agarwal, Nair, Manish Pandey and Kadam to follow, and the question really was about how soon they would cross the line. It took them 15 overs.Rahul got to his half-century in the seventh over, reaching the milestone off 21 balls. He was dismissed not long after, though, mistiming a hoick off a Yadav slower delivery to long-on a ball after slamming yet another maximum, but his 31-ball 66 was an outstanding innings, the four fours and six sixes keeping the crowd entertained.Not that Padikkal wasn’t turning it on at the other end. He was on 56 off 26 balls when Rahul fell, and ensured the big hits kept coming even as Agarwal walked in and hit Mishra for back-to-back sixes down the ground in the 11th over. With Padikkal in sight of a century, Agarwal did look like he was putting the big hits away, and the youngster obliged with a flurry of fours and sixes, taking his tally up to 11 fours and four sixes. But, with both his century and the target just 13 runs away, a flick off Patel refused to go high enough or long enough, and landed in Chaitanya Bishnoi’s hands at deep midwicket.KL Rahul combined with Devdutt Padikkal to give Karnataka the perfect start•PTI

Padikkal’s 87 came from 42 balls, and took his tally for the tournament up to 548, comfortably ahead of second-placed Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 419. With this coming close on the heels of the 19-year-old opener’s chart-topping 609 runs from the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, it’s been quite the season for Padikkal.It’s also been quite the season for Mithun, the seasoned pro, who recorded the second instance of a bowler picking up five wickets in an over in a T20 game. Not to forget, the double hat-trick came just over a month after he picked up a hat-trick in the final of the Hazare trophy, as Karnataka beat Tamil Nadu.Before Mithun’s heroics, however, it did look like Haryana meant business. In the first ten overs, they had 92 for 2 on the board. The start was frenetic, with Bishnoi and Patel putting on 67 for the first wicket by the seventh over before Patel, the medium-pacer who has enjoyed a good time as an opener this season, fell for a 20-ball 34. Shivam Chauhan didn’t last long either, Shreyas Gopal accounting for both of them, but Rana and Bishnoi kept the tempo up with some lusty hitting.After Bishnoi fell, run out for a 35-ball 55, having been sent back by Rana when trying to steal a quick single to Pandey, Tewatia performed his role well and it was all going swimmingly for Haryana till the last over. But Rana first, for a 34-ball 61, and Tewatia next, for 32 off 20 balls, were sent back going for big hits by Mithun in that remarkable final over, and the game slipped away from Haryana rather quickly.

The batsman had incidentally opted out of England’s tour of Bangladesh in 2016, citing security reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2018Alex Hales has signed up for BPL franchise Rangpur Riders for the 2018-19 season, their CEO Ishtiaque Sadeque has confirmed. Hales became Riders’ first of the two signings from outside the draft, apart from their four retained players Chris Gayle, Mashrafe Mortaza, Nazmul Islam and Mohammad Mithun.Hales’ deal with Riders is an interesting one given that he had pulled out of England’s 2016 tour of Bangladesh, citing security fear, alongside Eoin Morgan. There was some criticism of the duo especially as the tour passed off without any incidents.The BPL is scheduled to be held in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet from early January, clashing with the Big Bash League in Australia and the UAE T20x tournament.Hales, who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year’s IPL, will be reunited with coach Tom Moody who took Riders to their maiden BPL title last year. Riders will fill the rest of their squad during the October 25 players’ draft.While Hales does face a hearing in front of the ECB’s Cricket Disciplinary Commission in December, over his part in the incident last year that saw Ben Stokes charged with affray, he would only not be available for the BPL if any suspension was extended beyond England involvement. England are due in the Caribbean in January, but will begin their tour playing Tests.Meanwhile, Chittagong Vikings owners DBL Group confirmed earlier this week of their participation in the BPL after they had reportedly threatened to pull out of the competition. But on October 4, they announced Luke Ronchi, Sikandar Raza, Najibullah Zadran and Sunzamul Islam as their four retained players.