Cricket

Bangladesh's practice match against the West Indies Select XI in Coolidge ended in a draw due to rain, but the visitors had a productive outing. Despite a four-and-a-half-hour delay on the second day, Bangladesh's bowlers reduced the hosts to 87 for 9, with rookie left-arm spinner Hasan Murad claiming a hat-trick.Murad's hat-trick, which included the wickets of Daniel Beckford, Navin Bidaisee, and Chaim Holder, came in the 28th over, prompting Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons to end the match. Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud also took two wickets each, while Shoriful Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz chipped in with one apiece.Earlier, Bangladesh had batted for 73.2 overs on the first day, declaring on 253 for 7. Jaker Ali and Mahidul Islam retired on 48 and 41, respectively, while Litton Das, who missed the second Test against South Africa due to fever, retired on 31. Mominul Haque, Bangladesh's most experienced cricketer on tour, also made 31.However, Bangladesh's concerns remain with opening batters Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Zakir Hasan, who both got out cheaply. For the West Indies Select XI, Jair McAllister and Holder took two wickets each, while Kimani Melius top-scored with 23.Despite the rain interruption, Bangladesh's bowlers had a moderate workout, and the team will be looking to build on this performance in the upcoming Test series against the West Indies, which starts in Antigua on Friday.

Team India's decision to cancel their practice match in Australia has drawn criticism from legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. The team had initially planned to play a warm-up game against India A at the WACA ground before their opening Test match against Australia, which begins on November 22 at Perth Stadium.Gavaskar expressed his disbelief at the decision, stating that the batters needed the practice game, especially given their struggles against New Zealand at home. He pointed out that despite scoring over 400 in the second innings of the first Test in Bangalore, the Indian batters looked clueless in the subsequent innings against a spin attack that was not particularly dangerous.Gavaskar emphasized the importance of playing in real practice matches over just facing bowlers in net sessions. He acknowledged that some may argue that 'A' team bowlers might hold back against top players in practice games to avoid injuries, but he countered that in the nets, batters often face less prepared pitches and bowlers who sometimes bowl no-balls without penalty.He also highlighted the benefits for bowlers in playing proper matches, such as getting into a proper rhythm with their run-up and gaining confidence in not overstepping. He stressed that line and length are also aspects that can be learned in a proper game rather than in the nets.Gavaskar concluded by expressing his hope that the decision to cancel the warm-up game and reduce the match between the first and second Test against the Australian Prime Minister's XI to two days would prove to be the right one for Indian cricket. However, he emphasized that the batters and bowlers would have benefited greatly from the additional practice and match experience.

Former Indian cricket team spinner Anil Kumble has expressed surprise over the BCCI's decision to cancel the practice game ahead of the first Test match against Australia in Perth starting November 22. The Indian cricket team was going to play a practice match against India A, but following the Test series whitewash against New Zealand, the BCCI decided to scrap the encounter.Kumble, during a discussion on JioCinema, said that the practice match would have been ideal preparation for Rohit Sharma and Co. He added that such match practice cannot be achieved by just net sessions."I'm a bit surprised that India don't have a practice match going into the first Test because that would have been an ideal preparation. No matter how much you practice in the nets, going out in the middle and facing a few bowlers in the match is totally different," he said.Right-handed batter KL Rahul and wicketkeeper-batter Dhurv Jurel are on their way to link up with the India A squad ahead of their second four-day game against Australia A, set to begin at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from November 7.Sources told IANS that Rahul and Jurel left for Melbourne on Sunday night after the third Test ended at the Wankhede Stadium, which India lost by 25 runs to New Zealand and suffered a 3-0 series defeat.As per the sources, Rahul and Jurel will join the India 'A' squad by Tuesday and get to play in the second four-day game, with an eye to give them some game time before linking up with the main Test team to prepare for the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, starting on November 22 in Perth. It will be followed by games in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney till January 7, 2025.Rahul played three Tests in the Indian home season, with his last game coming via the hosts' series opener against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After making scores of 0 and 12 in that game, where India lost by eight wickets, he didn't feature in the remainder of the series.On the other hand, Jurel didn't get a game to play in the five Tests India played at home, though he did get to feature as a substitute wicketkeeper in the first Test at Bengaluru after Rishabh Pant hurt his knee while being on keeping duties.The first four-day game saw India A, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, suffer a heavy seven-wicket defeat at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, Queensland, with left-handed batters B Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal along with pacer Mukesh Kumar being the standout performers.