[U20] Announcements

[UtopiaRay]

T20 Division "1" Tour Review

So titled because both groups under the new format are called division 1.

Tour Details

This was the first tour under the new league structure where instead of bidding for hosting rights, teams play 3 games at home and 3 away. That said, the tour was treated as if Pakistan were hosting so no fixtures were actually at home. We played the same 3 teams twice on this tour - Nepal, Kenya and England - and that appears to be how the league will be run in its first iteration.

Fixtures
Game 1 v Kenya - Won by 13 runs

We started our tour on the right foot, with a 13-run victory over a strong Kenyan outfit in Sunny/Uneven conditions. We lost the toss and were asked to bat, and we responded by making 3/162. Openers Aminul Bishwash (75 off 53) and skipper Robin Kulkarni (48 off 45) did most of the heavy lifting, with the middle order not called upon until late in the innings to make sure we finished strongly. Kenya fell short, ending on 5/149 despite a valiant unbeaten knock from opening bat Jeremiah Pillani (65* off 48). LF Semi Valemei (1/19) and RM Ashok Karthik (2/26) were the pick of the bowlers.

Game 2 v Nepal - Won by 18 runs

We move on to game 2 where we took on international newcomers Nepal. We lost the toss and were asked to bat again, and in Cloudy/Uneven conditions we limped to 5/123. Like the previous game, Aminul Bishwash (31 off 29) and Robin Kulkarni (34 off 34) scored the bulk of the runs, this time assisted by keeper Shahid Khalim (26* off 20). RFM Lucky Bogati (1/17) and LF Purna Suwal (2/22) were the standout bowlers in what was a strong performance by the Nepalese bowling attack. Despite a seemingly chaseable target of 124, Nepal could only muster 7/105 in response. Destroyer in chief was LF Semi Valemei again, with a truly incredible performance in taking 5/8, the 2nd best T20 figures in Bangladesh U20/19 history.

Game 3 v England - Lost by 5 wickets

Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for this tour. After notching up a pair of victories, we took on England in Humid/Uneven conditions and completed the trifecta of losing the toss & batting first. In the most pace-friendly conditions of the tour, we managed 5/132 with no. 3 Syed Zobair (39 off 36) as the top scorer. In a solid team performance by the English attack, LM Randal Lawes was marginally the best bowler with 1/24. Despite strong performances from Subhash Kardar (2/12 off 3.2 overs) and Debojit Das (2/30), England got home with 5 wickets and 4 balls to spare. Captain Sammy Walters top scored with 40 off 44, but the real thorn in our side was no. 4 Jeremy Boardman who belted 34* off 18 to seal the win.

Game 4 v Kenya - Lost by 3 runs

Looking to bounce back from our first loss, we come to game 4 against Kenya in Humid/Dry conditions. We once again lost the toss but were instead asked to field and despite a strong start by our bowlers, Kenya recovered to make 6/152. Numbers 3-5 made the vast majority of the runs, specifically Hamisi arap Kogsey (33 off 27), Kenneth Waiswa (46 off 34) and keeper Dabir wa Njonjo (45* off 29) all making substantial contributions. RM Ashok Karthik was superb, taking 2/18 and giving us what felt like a chaseable total. Instead, we fell 3 runs short in a frustrating batting performance that saw us go under a run a ball for the first 10 overs. Opener Raja Narayan anchored the innings (perhaps a bit too well) with 66* off 59, and found some support from Arafat Khadim (29 off 23), Shahid Khalim (24 off 18) and Mizan Mamun (14 off 7) who's last over heroics weren't quite enough to see us home. Pick of the bowlers was Darweshi arap Moi, with 1/23.

Game 5 v Nepal - Lost by 5 wickets

On to game 5, and the single most disappointing result of this tour. For the first time, we won the toss and elected to bat first in Cloudy/Uneven conditions. We made 5/133, with a 3-way tie for top scorer as each of Aminul Bishwash, Shahid Khalim and Moinul Chowdhury made 28 off 26, 25 and 21 balls respectively. Our score felt a little underwhelming, but it was more than what we successfully defended against Nepal in round 2. RF Chandra Bhusal was comfortably pick of the bowlers with 2/17. Despite a very strong start with the ball, reducing Nepal to 4/43 at the start of the 8th over, we then drifted out of the game and only managed one more wicket (Ganesh Ghale for 27 off 32) as Nepal cruised home with 5 wickets to spare. Keeper Ravi Shepra top-scored with 48 off 37, and best of the bowlers was Ashok Karthik with 1/22. A bitterly disappointing result against a beatable opponent.

Game 6 v England - Lost by 7 wickets

Game 5 was disappointing as we got ourselves into a winnable position against a team we expect to beat and blew it. Game 6 was disappointing because we were never at the races. We won the toss and elected to bat first in Cloudy/Dry conditions and were made to heavily regret the decision. We ended on a pitiful 5/105, with keeper Tonoy Hassan (23* off 17) and AR Dhawal Shewag (21* off 19) the only batters to remember what format they were playing. LM Randal Lawes was again the best English bowler on display, taking 3/18 and squeezing the life out of our top order. Our bowlers did what they could, but 106 was never going to be anywhere near enough and England sauntered home with 7 wickets and 10 balls to spare. Keeper Dion Potts top-scored with 45* off 49, and LFM Debojit Das took 2/14.

T20 Division "1" - Touring Squad

Batters

Aminul Bishwash - Welsh Fire (5 games) - Aminul had a much better time on the T20 tour, ending with 153 runs @ 30.60 (SR 114.18) and a top score of 75 in the opening round. He still made some valuable contributions after his half-century in the opening fixture in what was a noticeable improvement from the OD tour.

Moinul Chowdhury - ARKACHIEVERS (2 games) - Moinul only managed 2 appearances and didn't face a ball in one of them. He made a spirited 28* off 21 in the loss to Nepal that indicated he could do a job at U20 nat level.

Mahir Kamal - Oxhey Players (2 games) - Mahir struggled in his 2 appearances this time around, making 15 off 13 in the loss to Kenya along with 20 off 24 in the final fixture against England. Not ideal, but Mahir remains part of our plans going forwards.

Arafat Khadim - Revolution (5 games) - Arafat was a largely anonymous figure on his first nat tour, ending with 65 runs @ 16.25 from his 4 innings (SR 104.84). A disappointing return from a batter who is absolutely capable of better performances.

Robin Kulkarni - Hoarders CC (4 games) - Robin performed competently in his final U20 tour, ending with 110 runs @ 27.50 (SR 102.80) in 4 innings. His captaincy and ability to lay a platform set us up well in the 2 wins, though he did struggle to accelerate in admittedly difficult conditions.

Mizan Mamun - Halcyon (4 games) - Mizan found the going very tough on this tour, managing just 43 runs @ 14.33 (1 not-out, SR 104.88). His only notable innings was 14 off 7 as he nearly snatched a win over England in game 3, but otherwise he struggled greatly. Mizan has been moved on as we look to build for the WC.

Raja Narayan - RedPanthers (4 games) - Raja's one and only U20 tour was a mixed affair. On one hand he found consistency that eluded all of our batters apart from Bishwash and Kulkarni in scoring 114 runs @ 38 (1 not out) in his 4 innings. The issue was his strike rate of just 92.68 displayed an inability to accelerate which is critical in T20s.

Syed Zobair - The Shrill Otters (4 games) - Syed's entry to U20 nats was not particularly notable, as he managed just 55 runs @ 13.75 (SR 100) in conditions where we expect more from a Seam Specialist.

Wicketkeepers

Shahid Khalim - Mekerz Tanks (4 games) - With the departure of Bipul Binny, Shahid took over the role of primary keeper and performed competently, ending with 95 runs @ 47.50 (2 not outs, SR 130.14) and taking 4 catches. Shahid never batted higher than 4 and displayed an ability to accelerate effectively that eluded much of the squad.

Tonoy Hassan - Glen Fruin (2 games) - Tonoy did a solid job as Shahid Khalim's understudy, hitting 18* off 10 against England in game 3 and 23* off 17 against the same opponents in game 6. He also took 2 catches, both in game 3. A solid pair of performances as the backup keeper in his first and last U20 nats appearance.

Allrounders
Subhash Kardar - Hoarders CC (3 games) - Subhash performed creditably with the ball, taking 3/68 off 11.4 overs @ 22.67 (ER 6, SR 22.67) in his first and last U20 nat tour. He was not called upon to bat, but he posted solid returns with the ball.

Ashok Karthik - The Far Side (5 games) - Ashok was nigh-unhittable, returning figures of 5/101 @ 20.20 across his 20 overs (ER 5.05). He was restricted solely to cameo appearances with the bat (20 runs off 18 balls in 2 innings without being dismissed), but his excellent economy and sufficient wicket-taking threat were greatly valuable on their own.

Sarvesh Rayudu - Xanadoosra (1 game) - Sarvesh Rayudu is a very promising talent, but he did not have a good day at the office on his nat debut. He made 10* off 6 at the death against England in game 3, but his 4 overs disappearing for 42 runs played a major role in our inability to defend 133. He did manage 1 wicket but it was too little, too late.

Dhawal Shewag - El Dude Brothers (5 games) - Dhawal was only required to bat on one occasion, making 21* off 19 in the loss to England in game 6. With the ball, he was serviceable on Uneven pitches and ok on the Dry tracks, ending with 4 wickets @ 37 (ER 7.66, SR 29) as our specialist death bowler.

Bowlers

Atif Alam - 74nks (1 game) - Atif was particularly disappointing in his lone appearance, conceding 0/41 in the loss to Kenya in Humid/Dry conditions. He was selected to gives us a solid RWS option and it did not pay off at all.

Debojit Das - Sydney Cricket Club 52 games) - Debojit gave a good account of himself on his debut tour, ending with 6 wickets @ 20 (ER 6, SR 20) from his 5 appearances. A solid wicket-taking threat who could keep the scoring rate manageable.

Vinay Joshi - Hyderabad Badshahs (2 games) - Vinay performed well on the 2 Dry pitches we played on, ending with 2 wickets @ 23.50 (ER 6.71, SR 21). He was difficult to score off against England (0/18 off 3 overs), and a took 2 wickets in the loss to Kenya (2/29).

Imrul Rahman - Hoarders CC (1 games) - Imrul was quite good in his lone appearance (to be expected given 4 Uneven pitches), taking 1/20 off 4 overs in the otherwise dismal performance in game 6 against England.

Mehrab Matin - Glen Fruin (2 games) - Mehrab was a little disappointing in his 2 appearances, taking 0/30 in the win over Nepal and 2/30 in the loss to Nepal. Despite being a decent wicket-taking threat, he was unable to maintain control over the run rate.

Semi Valemei - Mackay Cutters (5 games) - Semi had a very up and down tour. His figures seem decent, as he ended with 6 wickets @ 20 (ER 6, SR 20) from his 5 games. However, after taking 1/19 and 5/8 in games 1 & 2, he did not manage another wicket all tour. The 2 games he played well, he was fantastic. His other 3 performances were totally unremarkable, which was rather disappointing.

[UtopiaRay]

OD Division 1 Squad Announcement

Tour Details
Hosting Rights Won By Bangladesh
First Choice Pitch - Uneven
Second Choice Pitch - Green
Third Choice Pitch - Hard

Fixtures
15th Dec v Australia - Uneven
16th Dec v New Zealand - Hard
17th Dec v Kenya - Green
18th Dec v UAE - Uneven
19th Dec v Canada - Uneven

This means we have a 3-1-1 allocation for our final tour under the existing touring format.

The games for this tour will be played at 2:00am FTP time.

OD Division 1 - Tour Selection

Much like the previous two tours, I have opted to go for a balanced 10 bats/10 bowlers selection as I'll lay out below.

Batters
Aminul Bishwash - Welsh Fire (15 Caps)
Santosh Dutta - The North Howick Diamondbacks (U20 Debut)
Mahir Kamal - Oxhey Players (4 Caps)
Arafat Khadim - Revolution (5 Caps, OD Debut)
Milon Rafique - Illawarra Dragons CC (3 Caps)
Sarvesh Rawant - Glen Fruin (2 Caps)
Habibul Sarkar - Caradon CC (U20 Debut)
Syed Zobair - The Shrill Otters (4 Caps, OD Debut)

As we build towards the WC at the end of the season, we have an increasingly experienced side with just a few newcomers to U20 nats. Given the very pace-friendly pitches, the bats will have their work cut out for them on this tour.

Wicketkeepers
Debojit Kapoor - Mekerz Tanks (U20 Debut)
Shahid Khalim - Leinster Lightning (8 Caps)

Shahid Khalim is now the experienced keeper who will pass the torch at the conclusion of this tour to the promising Debojit Kapoor.

Allrounders
Shukla Kaif - Glen Fruin (U20 Debut)
Ashok Karthik - The Far Side (18 Caps)
Sarvesh Rayudu - Xanadoosra (1 Cap, OD Debut)
Dhawal Shewag - The El Dude Brothers (9 Caps)
Saeed Uddin - ARKACHIEVERS (OD Debut)

Ashok Karthik will be signing off after this tour, with Sarvesh Rayudu looking to develop in to his long-term replacement. Dhawal Shewag has firmly established himself as our premier spinner, and Shukla Kaif is a very promising youngster in the form of his life. Saeed Uddin is another allrounder like Kaif who should do well in very friendly conditions for F/FMs.

Bowlers
Mehrab Ahmed - Caradon CC (U20 Debut)
Debojit Das - Sydney Cricket Club (5 Caps, OD Debut)
Sreesanth Ramchand - Sitakunda Leopards (2 Caps)
Semi Valemei - Mackay Cutters (7 Caps)
Jaffor Wadud - Bancroft (U20 Debut)

We've got a pair of debutants joining the bowling attack to give us a lineup that should be able to make the most of the allocated pitches.

After a disappointing T20 tour, we look to finish the regular season strongly on the run in to the WC.

[UtopiaRay]

Just a heads up to anyone who might be interested, but we are on the lookout for new assistant managers. If you're interested in joining the U20 setup, message me here, in-game or on the FTP or Bangladesh discords.

[UtopiaRay]

Today was the first game of OD Division 1 against Australia, in the final tour under the old 3 Division touring format.

We lost the toss and were asked to bowl first in Sunny/Uneven conditions, and Australia made a sluggish start, reaching 1/27 after 8 overs. Despite the early wobble, Australia recovered to reach 3/108 at the drinks break, laying a decent platform to launch from later in the innings. For a period of time, it looked like the Aussies would take full advantage of their position as 55 runs came off the next 10 overs as they reached 3/163, until veteran AR Ashok Karthik came back in to the attack. From 3/163, Australia collapsed to 229 all out with 8 balls left in their innings, with Karthik (4/49) and Semi Valemei (3/36 off 9 overs) the destroyers-in-chief. Opening bat Clayton Rintoul (48 off 59) and keeper Sebastian Lorenzini (46 off 56) both made solid contributions, but were unable to kick on and play an innings of substance.

Our chase got off to an unconvincing start with opener Aminul Bishwash (12 off 13) and no. 3 Arafat Khadim (golden duck) both departing in the 5th over, with the score on 2/22. Despite these early setbacks, Bishwash's opening partner Syed Zobair calmed things down with 46 off 60 before running himself out in the 21st over. We reached the drinks break on 3/115, 7 runs ahead of where the Aussies were at the same juncture. Being ahead of the RRR can sometimes lead to disastrous collapses, but that was not the case here as no. 4 Milon Rafique carried us home with a composed 105* off 132, reaching the target with 4 wickets and 3.2 overs in hand. LFM Henry Camp was the pick of the Australian bowlers, taking 2/51.

We have started our tour with a convincing win over a powerful Australian outfit, and in just under an hour we will take on NZ in Cloudy/Hard conditions.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7135982

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 Australia U20
Batting - Top Order 9,954 10,372
Batting - Middle Order 9,860 9,542
Batting - Tail 5,207 4,565
Bowling - Seam 10,024 (40) 9,864 (40)
Bowling - Spin 10,301 (10) 11,413 (10)
Fielding/Keeping 11,499 11,711
Overall 179,775 179,351

[UtopiaRay]

Yesterday we played the second match of the OD Division 1 tour against New Zealand, at the Shere-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium.

NZ's captain Alexander Monaghan won the toss and elected to bat in Cloudy/Hard conditions. New Zealand's innings could be split in to three separate parts, the first of which was some initial troubles against the new ball. NZ were 2/16 after 4 overs and under pressure, before the largest partnership of the match. The second part of NZ's innings was overs 5 to 44 as they raced to 3/280 when Charles Coulstock finally departed for 145 off 141. Coulstock was the highest scorer in the match and provided the lion's share of the 268 run partnership with opening bat Frances Marks, who scored a superb century himself (120 off 122). 3/280 with 39 balls left seemed like a very good platform to launch from, but our bowlers instigated a late collapse as NZ finished on 6/326. LF Semi Valemei was the pick of the bunch with 3/58 off his 10 overs.

Bangladesh's response began with a 119 run opening partnership, ending with Syed Zobair nicking RF Desmond Quaid through to keeper Jarrad Gibson for 39 off 57. No. 3 Habibul Sarkar could only manage 14, but game 1's hero Milon Rafique joined Aminul Bishwash and put on a 53 for the third wicket before Bishwash fell for a tone-setting 119 off 108. Bangladesh entered the final 10 overs on 3/246, 7 runs behind where the Kiwis were at the same point. Thanks largely to a free-flowing 86* off 59 from Milon Rafique and 48 off 40 from Shahid Khalim, we reached the target with 6 wickets and 14 balls to spare.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7135987

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 New Zealand U20
Batting - Top Order 9,663 9,813
Batting - Middle Order 9,449 8,072
Batting - Tail 5,688 4,534
Bowling - Seam 9,588 (40) 9,078 (50)
Bowling - Spin 9,786 (10) 0 (0)
Fielding/Keeping 11,145 11,352
Overall 175,090 164,594

[UtopiaRay]

Yesterday was game 3 of OD Division 1, where we took on Kenya in Sunny/Green conditions.

We won the toss and elected to bat first, and despite the early departure of Aminul Bishwash for 5, we reached 2/109 at drinks and were looking comfortable. From there we cruised to 4/209 after 40 overs, driven by opener Syed Zobair (73 off 105) and no. 4 Arafat Khadim (68 off 64). While we were able to take 83 runs off the final 10 overs, we lost 4 wickets in the process to end on 8/292. RF Adin Njoroge was picked of the Kenyan bowlers with 2/47 including the wicket of Khadim.

Kenya lost an early wicket in Hamisi arap Kogsey for 19 but were seldom trouble by our attack, reaching 2/127 at drinks. Despite the best efforts of RM Ashok Karthik (1/35 off 9), Kenya continued to accelerate on their way to a 5 wicket victory with 14 deliveries to spare. At the forefront of the Kenyan efforts were opener Chilemba Shundu (62 off 58) and no. 3 Moses 'Ole Kaparo (100 off 107), who also took out the MOTM award.

We then move on to today's game, against UAE in Hot/Uneven conditions where we look to get back to winning ways.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7135984

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 Kenya U20
Batting - Top Order 9,646 10,068
Batting - Middle Order 9,221 8,843
Batting - Tail 6,020 4,282
Bowling - Seam 9,517 (50) 8,387 (40)
Bowling - Spin 0 (0) 10,506 (10)
Fielding/Keeping 10,345 11,876
Overall 172,151 168,180

[UtopiaRay]

We then move on to today's game in OD Division 1 against UAE, in Hot/Uneven conditions.

We lost the toss and were asked to bowl first, and the UAE quickly vindicated their decision with a 63-run opening partnership. The partnership was broken in the 12th over when revived Egyptian monarch King Ramesses II became RM Jaffor Wadud's first international wicket, caught by Aminul Bishwash for 23. The UAE did start to decelerate on the run in to drinks, where they were 2/132. While we were able to slow things down for the following 10 overs, the last 15 saw UAE cut loose. 4/182 after 35 overs became 6/291 after 50, with captain Ramiz Hadi (61 off 66) and Kalid Khatib (114* off 119) at the forefront.

Our chase started strongly as we were consistently ahead of UAE's RR throughout the first 25 overs of their innings. The issue, however, was that we kept losing wickets regularly. 1/39 became 2/62 became 3/85 and we reached drinks on 4/137. 5 runs ahead of UAE at the same juncture, but for the cost of 2 additional wickets. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got. Where the UAE were able to recover strongly at the end of their innings, our lower order fell in a heap and we were dismissed for a dismal 203. Keeper Shahid Khalim made 50 off 57, and for the UAE RF Atif Kaleel (3/45) and Dirar Omar (4/43) were the best on show.

That leaves us 2/4 ahead of our final game against a Canadian outfit with the same record but worse NRR, in the same conditions as today's match.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7135983

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 UAE U20
Batting - Top Order 9,521 9,484
Batting - Middle Order 8,574 8,872
Batting - Tail 4,512 6,434
Bowling - Seam 9,657 (30) 9,347 (30)
Bowling - Spin 9,397 (20) 10,280 (20)
Fielding/Keeping 11,015 10,796
Overall 166,728 173,714

[UtopiaRay]

We finished off OD Division 1 against Canada in Hot/Uneven conditions.

Canada won the toss and sent us in to bat, and we made 5/334. Habibul Sarkar made a run-a-ball 100 and fellow opener Santosh Dutta made 132 off 134. I would go into more detail, but Canada did not set orders and two of their bowlers were wicketkeepers, who we punished severely.

Canada got lucky in the respect that their top 3 was comprised of a pair of specialist bats and a wicketkeeper, as evidenced by no. 3 Dario Evans top scoring with a fine 79. Specialist bowler Tyree Hernandez scored a particularly frustrating 57 off 71 while batting at 5 as Canada made 9/252, losing by 82 runs.

We had a remote chance of winning the tour as we were 2 from 4 with Aus & UAE both 3 from 4 coming into the final round. Due to our negative NRR we needed them both to lose and for us to win. While UAE did get run down by Kenya, Australia secured a narrow victory over NZ to wrap up the trophy.

We now move on to the OD World Cup in 3 weeks’ time, where we will look to go for glory once again.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7135986

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 Canada U20
Batting - Top Order 9,449 7,977
Batting - Middle Order 9,245 7,109
Batting - Tail 4,607 5,727
Bowling - Seam 9,509 (30) 9,023 (30)
Bowling - Spin 8,966 (20) 4,522 (20)
Fielding/Keeping 10,646 7,919
Overall 166,997 137,400

[UtopiaRay]

OD Division 1 Tour Review

Tour Details

This was the final tour under the existing 18 teams/3 divisions format, and the final tour to qualify for the YOD WC starting next week. We had already secured qualification, so the decision was made to only include 2 players who would age out before the WC in Ashok Karthik and Shahid Khalim. Karthik and Khalim toured as they were a cut above the rest of the squad, where the rest of the older players had replacements of directly comparable quality. As you'll see below, results were simply adequate, but it means we enter the WC with a fairly settled side.

Fixtures
Game 1 v Australia - Won by 4 wickets

The tour got off to a strong start, with a comfortable win over the perennial powerhouse that is Australia. We lost the toss and were asked to field, and the bowlers responded superbly by rolling the Aussies for 229 in Sunny/Uneven conditions. Ashok Karthik (4/49) and Semi Valemei (3/36) were comfortably the best bowlers on display in an innings where no Australian reached 50. Our chase started weakly with 2 wickets inside the first 5 overs, but we rallied strongly through Milon Rafique's unbeaten 105 off 132, reaching the target with 20 balls to spare.

Game 2 v NZ - Won by 6 wickets

Game 2 saw our most impressive batting performance of the tour, against Div 1 regulars New Zealand. The Kiwis won the coin flip and elected to bat and made the most of the Cloudy/Hard conditions on their way to 6/326. Frances Marks (120 off 122) and Charles Coulstock (145 off 141) looked peerless in a very up-and-down performance by the Bangladeshi bowlers. Semi Valemei (3/46) found solid support from Mehrab Ahmed (0/46), but fellow quicks Shukla Kaif (2/82) and Ashok Karthik (0/73) were punished severely. In response, we chased the target with 6 wickets and 14 balls remaining. Aminul Bishwash (119 off 108) was supported by Milon Rafique (86* off 59) and Shahid Khalim (48 off 40).

Game 3 v Kenya - Lost by 5 wickets

Our momentum did not carry into game 3, as we ran aground against Kenya attempting to defend 293. In Sunny/Green conditions, we elected to bat first and made 8/292, with the pitch being better for batting than expected. Syed Zobair laid a platform with a fine 73 off 105, which Arafat Khadim (68 off 64) made a fist of. Kenya's opening bowlers in Desta Kaloki (3/59) and Adin Njoroge (2/47) were particularly threatening, but our bowlers did not adjust to the conditions as well. Kenya reached the target with 14 balls left, driven by Chielmba Shundu (62 off 58), Moses 'Ole Kaparo (100 off 107) and Isaiah Kipketer (61 off 48). Medium-pacers Ashok Karthik (1/35) and Jaffor Wadud (0/40) were tidy but largely unthreatening, as the rest of the attack struggled greatly.

Game 4 v UAE - Lost by 88 runs

We then come to our worst performance on the tour, with a disappointing 88 run loss to a formidable UAE outfit. UAE chose to bat in Hot/Uneven conditions and compiled 6/291, with the primary contributors being Ramiz Hadi (61 off 66) and Kalid Khatib (114* off 119). Semi Valemei took 1/38 and RFS Sreesanth Ramchand managed 1/51, but the rest of the bowlers went above 6 rpo which let UAE off the hook whenever any pressure would be built up. After Kenya ran down 293 the day before, we felt we were in with a shout in chasing 292 in Hot weather, but it was not to be. For the first 25 overs we were ahead of where the UAE were, but we kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Despite a spirited 50 by Shahid Khalim, we crumbled for 203 with 8.5 overs remaining. Atif Kaleel (3/45) and Dirar Omar (4/43) were simply too much for our batting lineup to handle.

Game 5 v Canada - Won by 82 runs

In our final game under the old system, we picked up a consolation win against a Canadian team that didn't set orders. Habibul Sarkar (100 off 100) and Santosh Dutta (132 off 134) tonned up, and Ashok Karthik bowled superbly in his farewell appearance (4/28).

OD Division 1 - Touring Squad

Batters

Aminul Bishwash - Welsh Fire (4 games) - Aminul scored a brilliant century against NZ in round 2 but did not cross 20 for the rest of the series and ended with 156 runs @ 44. His one good innings was match-defining, but he was otherwise anonymous.

Santosh Dutta - The North Howick Diamondbacks (3 games) - Santosh made a pair of solid contributions against Kenya (40) and UAE (45) before taking full toll of a Canadian attack comprised of 3 good quicks and 2 wicketkeepers (132). While his figures of 217 runs @ 72.33 are a little deceptive, he still performed competently against proper bowling attacks and has booked himself a spot at the OD WC.

Mahir Kamal - Oxhey Players (3 games) - Mahir hade a quiet tour, managing 76 runs @ 38 with one not-out against NZ. In the NZ game, he finished off the chase (14*) and made a useful cameo (39) in the win over Australia but could only muster 23 against UAE. Not bad, not particularly good.

Arafat Khadim - Revolution (3 games) - Arafat was a bit more notable on this tour with his aggressive 68 against Kenya, but he could only muster 12 runs in his other 2 appearances. Arafat is a fine player who has not realised his potential at this level.

Milon Rafique - Illawarra Dragons CC (4 games) - Milon was fantastic in the wins against Australia (105*) and NZ (86*) but struggled against UAE (3) and Canada (19), ending with 213 runs @ 106.50 (2 not-outs). Overall, a good tour as he builds towards the WC.

Sarvesh Rawant - Glen Fruin (1 game) - Sarvesh only managed a lone appearance on this tour, scoring just 8 against Canada. Until we move to 6 game OD tours next season, there is always going to be players playing 0-1 games in each touring squad, and Sarvesh fell afoul of that here.

Habibul Sarkar - Caradon CC (3 games) - Habibul was anonymous against NZ (14) and Kenya (23) and put the cleaners through the weakened Canadian attack (100). Habibul is a fine young batter who we will see plenty of in season 64.

Syed Zobair - The Shrill Otters (3 games) - Syed rose to the challenge on this tour, ending with 158 runs @ 52.67, doing his job of laying a platform for the rest of batters to capitalise on. He made solid contributions against Aus (46) and NZ (39), before making a fine 73 against Kenya. A good tour for the seam specialist.

Wicketkeepers

Debojit Kapoor - Mekerz Tanks (2 games) - Debojit Kapoor performed competently in his 2 appearances, registering 2 catches v Kenya along with a pair of quickfire cameos - 22 off 19 v Kenya and 39* off 28 against Canada. A sound start to his U20 nat career.

Shahid Khalim - Leinster Lightning (4 games) - Shahid signed off from U20 nats with a competent tour - 132 runs @ 34 and 7 catches. His 48 against NZ helped us close out the chase, and his 50 against UAE would have been more impactful if his fellow batters could stay with him.


Allrounders

Shukla Kaif - Glen Fruin (1 game) - Shukla was called upon once and struggled greatly against NZ, taking 2/82. Conceding 82 runs is quite the turnaround from taking a wicket with your first ball at U20 nats, but unfortunately not the one you want.

Ashok Karthik - The Far Side (4 games) - Ashok's farewell tour saw him register 3 fine performances - 4/49 v Aus, 21 & 1/35 v Kenya and 4/28 v Canada - and one absolute shocker - 0/73 v NZ. At the end of the day, 9 wickets at a smidge over 20 is what I expected from a bowler of his calibre. His batting was minimally utilised, as he only came in at the very end of an innings with the game largely decided already.

Sarvesh Rayudu - Xanadoosra (1 game) - Sarvesh made the lone appearance this time (taking 1/66 and making 6) but will have a much larger role going forwards with the departure of Ashok Karthik.

Dhawal Shewag - El Dude Brothers (4 games) - Dhawal was required to bat twice, mustering 11 runs which is far below what he is capable of. With the ball, he took 4 wickets @ 61.25 in conditions that gave him nothing to work with, operating as a death bowler given his OBB talent. A rather disappointing tour, even with the pitches doing him no favours.

Saeed Uddin - ARKACHIEVERS (1 game) - Saeed suffered a similar fate to fellow LFM AR Shukla Kaif, getting belted on his way to 2/87 in his lone appearance v Kenya. He did manage 18* off 10 and a catch, but his inability to stop bleeding runs did not help us in a tight contest.

Bowlers

Mehrab Ahmed - Caradon CC (3 games) - Mehrab may have struggled for wicket-taking threat, ending up with 2 wickets @ 62, but his ability to keep it tidy no matter the conditions (ER 4.13) was still valuable. A decent first tour for Mehrab.

Debojit Das - Sydney Cricket Club (3 games) - Debojit was a disappointment in conditions that should have played directly in to his hands. He could only manage 2 wickets @ 88 from his 3 games, with his economy rate of 6.14 doing him no favours either. Well below what he is capable of achieving as the T20 tour showed us.

Sreesanth Ramchand - Sitakunda Leopards (2 games) - Sreesanth was sufficiently tidy in his 2 appearances, taking 2 wickets @ 51.5 but with an ER of 5.15 being decent for a FS in unhelpful conditions.

Semi Valemei - Mackay Cutters (4 games) - Semi performed very well in his role of pace spearhead, taking 8 wickets @ 24.75 (ER 5.08) across his 4 appearances. His consistent wicket-taking threat was a great boon to our attack on this tour.

Jaffor Wadud - Bancroft (2 games) - Jaffor was a little disappointing on this tour, ending up with 1 wicket @ 105. His 0/40 on the Green top v NZ was a bit of a letdown in conditions where he should have been a major threat, and he leaked 65 runs against UAE for a lone wicket, admittedly with the Hot/Uneven conditions giving him little to work with. Jaffor is capable of much more than this, as we should see next week.

[UtopiaRay]

OD World Cup Squad Announcement

Fixtures
5th Jan v Pakistan - Flat
6th Jan v Bermuda - Uneven
7th Jan v Canada - Flat
8th Jan v Australia - Green
9th Jan v Sri Lanka - Uneven

The games for this tour will be played at 11:00am FTP time, as the Netherlands are hosting the WC this season.

OD WC - Tour Selection

Once again, we have opted to go for a balanced 10 bats/10 bowlers selection.

Batters
Aminul Bishwash - Welsh Fire (19 Caps)
Rishi Chauhan - Armstrong's 13 (U20 Debut)
Moinul Chowdhury - ARKACHIEVERS (2 Caps, OD Debut)
Santosh Dutta - The North Howick Diamondbacks (3 Caps)
Mahir Kamal - Oxhey Players (7 Caps)
Arafat Khadim - Revolution (8 Caps)
Milon Rafique - Illawarra Dragons CC (7 Caps)
Syed Zobair - The Shrill Otters (7 Caps)

A much more experienced lineup, with a bolter in Rishi Chauhan and the returning Moinul Chowdhury as well. Our batting has performed well in ODs this season, and we look to step it up at the WC.

Wicketkeepers
Zahed Haque - W&HCC (U20 Debut)
Debojit Kapoor - Mekerz Tanks (2 Caps)

With Shahid Khalim moving on, Debojit Kapoor steps into the role of primary keeper and Zahed Haque will be his stand-in & vice-captain.

Allrounders
Sarvesh Rayudu - Xanadoosra (2 Caps)
Dhawal Shewag - The El Dude Brothers (13 Caps)
Saeed Uddin - ARKACHIEVERS (1 Cap)

Sarvesh Rayudu has some very big boots to fill with Ashok Karthik moving on, but he still has the veteran Dhawal Shewag with the skilful Saeed Uddin for company.

Bowlers
Mehrab Ahmed - Caradon CC (3 Caps)
Debojit Das - Sydney Cricket Club (8 Caps)
Rubel Hafiz - ALIENS (U20 Debut)
Akram Matin - Crowlandia Cricket Club (U20 Debut)
Imrul Rahman - Hoarders CC (3 Caps)
Semi Valemei - Mackay Cutters (11 Caps)
Jaffor Wadud - Bancroft (2 Caps)

A couple of bolters in Hafiz and Matin, and a very pace-heavy attack given our allocation of pitches. We should see a strong performance with some impressive talents really coming to the fore at this WC.