[U20] Announcements

[UtopiaRay]

Sorry for not responding sooner but I definitely agree that Aftab would be better off as a batter.

[UtopiaRay]

Apologies for my extended period of inactivity on the forums. You'll be getting squad announcements, match reports & tour reviews for season 63 in full. This sunday, we submitted our squads for the first tour of season 63, to Sri Lanka in YOD Division 2.

Tour Details
Hosting Rights Won By Sri Lanka
First Choice Pitch - Dry
Second Choice Pitch - Slow
Third Choice Pitch - Crumbling

Fixtures
3rd Oct v Zimbabwe - Dry
4th Oct v Sri Lanka - Dry
5th Oct v India - Dry
6th Oct v Netherlands - Slow
7th Apr v Canada - Slow

This means we have a 3-2-0 allocation, for the second last time under the existing touring model. Spinners will very much be to the forefront (weather depending), and mediums will get some assistance in the final 2 fixtures.

The games for this tour will be played at 5:30am FTP time.

OD Division 2 - Tour Selection

This is our first squad of 20 players selection, and I have opted to go for a balanced 10 bats/10 bowlers selection. I will be interested to see how this plays out, given how U20 players recover quickly from fatigue.

Batters
Timothy Bancroft - Bancroft (8 Caps)
Aminul Bishwash - Welsh Fire (5 Caps)
Mahir Kamal - Oxhey Players (U20 Debut)
Robin Kulkarni - Hoarders CC (U20 Debut)
Mizan Mamun - Halcyon (U20 Debut)
Rajib Morshed - Hoarders CC (U20 Debut)
Milon Rafique - Illawarra Dragons CC (U20 Debut)
Sarvesh Rawant - Glen Fruin (U20 Debut)

As you'd expect at the start of a new season, we have a couple players continuing on from season 62 but the vast majority are newcomers to the U20 Nat scene. Bancroft, Morshed and Kulkarni are all moving on after this tour, but the rest bar Mamun will still be available for the WC.

Wicketkeepers
Bipul Binny - Caradon CC (8 Caps)
Shahid Khalim - Mekerz Tanks (U20 Debut)

Bipul Binny continues on for his final tour, with the impressive Shahid Khalim coming in as his understudy. Khalim misses the WC but is simply too good to pass over.

Allrounders
Shakib Huq - Ohoka Swamphens (3 Caps)
Ashok Karthik - The Far Side (10 Caps)
Dhawal Shewag - The El Dude Brothers (U20 Debut)

Ashok Karthik has firmly established himself as the premier AR in the country, Shakib Huq tours as his understudy and immense young talent Dhawal Shewag makes his first tour while still only 19.

Bowlers
Mohammad Baisya - Welsh Fire (3 Caps)
Saurav Bhatt - Dingo Town (U20 Debut)
Ravindra Kumar - Try Hards (3 Caps)
Khaled Omar - Bedford Falls (9 Caps)
Imrul Rahman - Hoarders CC (U20 Debut)
Sreesanth Ramchand - Sitakunda Leopards (U20 Debut)
Semi Valemei - Mackay Cutters (U20 Debut)

There's quite a bit of variety amongst the specialist bowlers - capped internationals in Khaled Omar, Mohammad Baisya and Ravindra Kumar coming to the end of their careers, a one-and-done in Saurav Bhatt who was simply too good to overlook, and three youngsters to round the bowlers out. Sreesanth Ramchand will still be 18 when the tour kicks off on Monday, while Imrul Rahman is only 19. There's one other thing to mention - Semi Valemei is the first homegrown player from my own club to warrant a U20 callup, and I couldn't be prouder.

With this mixture of promising young talents guided by experienced veterans, we look to improve on a disappointing season 62.

[UtopiaRay]

Welcome to the first U20 of season 63, to Sri Lanka for OD Division 2 where we take on Zimbabwe in the opening fixture. Conditions are Windy & Dry, so spinners are expected to play a significant role in proceedings, and you'd expect the quicks to struggle.

We won the toss and debutant captain Rajib Morshed elected to bat first. Things did not get off to an ideal start, with openers Aminul Bishwash and Tim Bancroft departing for 5 and 12 respectively. After a 49-run partnership for the third wicket, debutant Shahid Khalim fell for 19 and our innings hit the skids. We were 3/74 after 13.2 overs and in the 6 overs before we lost Robin Kulkarni for 33, we could only manage another 10 runs. We hobbled in to the drinks break on 4/99, falling just short of 4 RPO. Keeper Bipul Binny and skipper Morshed set about rebuilding the innings, and we came to the end of the 40th over on 4/148. From the moment the 41st over started, it was like a switch flicked inside the heads of Binny and Morshed, as we plundered 2/116 off the final 10 overs, ending on 6/264. Binny made 98*, and Morshed made 83 as well. RWS Stuart Mzema was virtually unhittable through the middle of the innings, ending with 1/25 and RFS Tichandepi Kaondera was the pick of the bowlers with 3/34.

Zimbabwe started in a much more assured manner, putting on 61 for the first wicket in 10.3 overs before Nathan Mkhululi fell for 32 to RWS Khaled Omar. His opening partner in Rilee Crosthwaite ran himself out for 25 just 4 balls later, but Zimbabwe stabilised before keeper Mduduzi Mdhlongwa fell with the score reading 3/113. That was, however, as good as things got for the Zimbabweans. What followed was them collapsing from 3/113 to 7/146 in the space of 6 overs, as RFM Saurav Bhatt and RWS Mohammad Baisya tore through their highly rated middle order. No. 7 Ephat Khumalo fought valiantly with an unbeaten 44 (making him Zimbabwe's top scorer), but his partners were unable to show the same resolve as they were dismissed for 201, in 41.5 overs. Saurav Bhatt and Khaled Omar were the equal best bowlers, picking up 3/51 off 10 overs and 3/46 off 7.5 overs respectively.

We move on to game 2 against the hosts Sri Lanka in Sunny & Dry conditions, where we look to continue our good start to the season.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7133466

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 Zimbabwe U20
Batting - Top Order 9,609 10,084
Batting - Middle Order 8,430 9,438
Batting - Tail 5,003 5,836
Bowling - Seam 9,588 (20) 9,594 (20)
Bowling - Spin 10,387 (30) 9,707 (30)
Fielding/Keeping 11,375 10,541
Overall 171,632 175,536

[UtopiaRay]

Today we played our second game of the Division 2 OD tour where we played the hosts, Sri Lanka. Conditions were Sunny & Dry, so the spinners will be the primary threats as they were in game 1.

We lost the toss and were asked to bowl first, and snared an early wicket – opener Shantha Andrahennadee trapped in front for 12 by RFM Saurav Bhatt. SL put on 39 for the 2nd wicket before Neomal Claessen was knocked over for 22 by RWS Khaled Omar, and no.3 Thilan Sharath departed 5 overs later for 38. Keeper Pediya Woutersz fell a few overs after drinks for 34, but then the hosts really hit their stride. No. 4 Diogo Jota (98* off 95) led the charge, assisted by no. 6 Dayasiri Udana with 34 off 42 as the two Boundary Hitters upped the ante. Udana departed just before they could bring up the hundred partnership (leaving them 5/230 after 44.2 overs), but our death bowlers stepped up their game considerably. With 5.4 overs to go, SL managed just 19 more runs for the loss of 3 wickets, ending on 8/249. A solid total in difficult conditions to chase, if round 1 was anything to go buy as no chasing team won yesterday. Dhawal Shewag was pick of the bowlers with 4/51 off his full allotment of overs.

Our response got off to a wobbly start, with Tim Bancroft (4) and Aminul Bishwash (26) departing with just 37 runs on the board. From there we rallied strongly, with debutant Mizan Mamun (50 off 82) and Shahid Khalim (51 off 76) putting on a 97 run partnership before Mamun was caught off SL’s best-performed bowler, Pediya Kulathilaka (on his way to 3/39 off 10 overs). RWS Babiya Farcy removed Khalim 3 overs later, bringing the two heroes from match 1, Rajib Morshed and keeper Bipul Binny to the crease. Neither man was able to repeat their heroics, falling for 36 and 23 respectively, but they did enough to set things up for the two ARs in Ashok Karthik and Dhawal Shewag. We were 6/226 and needed 24 off 28 balls, and Karthik (38* off 31) and Shewag (7* off 10) guided us home with 4 wickets and 8 balls to spare.

We move on to game 3 against India tomorrow, looking to extend our winning streak in Sunny & Dry conditions once again.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7133462

Sri Lanka U20 Bangladesh U20
Batting - Top Order 10,118 9,602
Batting - Middle Order 8,026 9,054
Batting - Tail 4,779 5,027
Bowling - Seam 9,784 (10) 9,484 (20)
Bowling - Spin 9,826 (40) 10,070 (30)
Fielding/Keeping 10,893 11,073
Overall 168,685 172,102

[UtopiaRay]

Earlier this evening (depending on your timezone) we had game 3 of the Division 2 OD tour to SL, against India in Sunny & Dry conditions.

We won the toss and elected to bat, and lost a wicket inside the first 5 overs for the third time in a row. This time it was Aminul Bishwash caught at third man for 8. 1/19 became 2/87 when Mizan Mamun was stumped on 24, but Mamun’s departure saw a period of acceleration. Mamun fell at the end of the 18th over, and when skipper Robin Kulkarni fell 5.1 overs later, the score read 3/122 with Kulkarni’s share being 76 off 81. We rolled in to the drinks break on 3/130 – hopefully enough wickets down to avoid a horrendous collapse, but still in a comfortable enough position to go big later on. From here onwards we ramped up constantly until a stumble in the last 4 overs, but we still made a commanding total of 6/314. Debutant no.4 Mahir Kamal top scored with 95* off 85, and RFS Ravi Bishnoi was pick of the bowlers with 2/59.

India’s chase also saw an early wicket fall, with debutant LF Semi Valemei removing Raju Thakare for 1 with his fifth delivery. What followed, however, was quite different to our innings. Where we were able to steadily increase the run rate up until the very end of the innings, our bowlers kept India in check the entire way. Each bowler took 1 wicket, but Valemei was the only one to go above 6 rpo (1/63) and fellow quick Ravindra Kumar took 1/53, where each spinner went for under 5 rpo. Khaled Omar was marginally ahead of the others with 1/41, but the two 19yos Imrul Rahman (1/44) and Dhawal Shewag (1/45) made sure that India were never really in the hunt, and they ended on 5/249. Sumanjit Ghani (73 off 93) and Pushkar Chaudhry (55 off 78) were the best Indian batters on display, with only no. 6 Tanmay Baweja (38* off 33) able to go at better than a run per ball.

We face a winless Netherlands outfit in game 4, in Sunny & Slow conditions where we aim to keep our hot streak going.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7133454

Match Ratings

India U20 Bangladesh U20
Batting - Top Order 8,778 9,353
Batting - Middle Order 7,165 8,016
Batting - Tail 3,959 4,973
Bowling - Seam 8,353 (20) 9,604 (20)
Bowling - Spin 9,082 (30) 9,266 (30)
Fielding/Keeping 9,636 10,594
Overall 148,511 163,186

[UtopiaRay]

Today we played the penultimate game of our tour to Sri Lanka for OD Division 2, against Netherlands. We got a different pitch for the first time this series, with Sunny & Slow conditions offering a little for spinners and medium pacers.

We won the toss and elected to bowl, and it started to look like a questionable decision as the Netherlands put on 98 for their first wicket. RWS Mohammad Baisya eventually removed Tjalling Kroon for 45, and Douwe Biermans nicked the following delivery to keeper Bipul Binny. We had our opening, but were unable to make anything of it as the Dutch put on 74 for the 3rd wicket before top scorer Michael van Zandt fell for a fine 92 off 124 balls, bowled by LF Semi Valemei. There was no quick second wicket this time, with Netherlands reaching 234 with 4.1 overs to go when Jos de Vrij was caught behind off Imrul Rahman for 71 off 67. The Netherlands finished strongly to end on 4/275, which looked a good total. Mohammad Baisya was pick of the bowlers with 2/56 off his allotted 10 overs.

Unlike the Dutch, we did lose an early wicket with opener Robin Kulkarni run out for 11 in the 6th over. We were able to consolidate effectively with a 72 run partnership ending with the dismissal of Aminul Bishwash for 45, 13 balls before drinks. Debutant Sarvesh Rawant fell 2 overs after the drinks break for 42, leaving us on 3/116 and needing a further 160 runs to win. The Dutch had contained our batters very effectively for much of our innings, thanks largely to RM Tjalling Koerts (0/37) and RFS Youp Dost (3/39, and pick of the bowlers). We lost two further wickets – Milon Rafique for 20 and Bipul Binny for 19 – before reaching the end of the 36th over. We were 5/155 with 121 runs to get, and the Netherlands had saved their two RFMs with Old Ball Bowler to close out the remainder of the innings. Fortunately for us, it did not work out as planned – captain Rajib Morshed (62* off 49) and AR Ashok Karthik (67* off 49) charged home and secured victory with 8 balls and 5 wickets to spare.

In addition to winning 4 on the bounce, we have now secured qualification for the next OD World Cup and move on to the final game against Canada tomorrow in Hot & Slow conditions, as we aim to go 5 from 5.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7133456

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 Netherlands U20
Batting - Top Order 9,154 9,465
Batting - Middle Order 8,279 6,326
Batting - Tail 4,455 3,499
Bowling - Seam 9,369 (20) 8,966 (40)
Bowling - Spin 9,099 (30) 10,210 (10)
Fielding/Keeping 10,545 10,036
Overall 160,772 149,849

[UtopiaRay]

Today was the final game of OD Division 2, against 2nd place Canada in Hot & Slow conditions.

We won the toss and elected to chase, and felt vindicated when RM Ashok Karthik took 2 wickets in the first 7 overs of Canada’s innings. We managed to really tighten the screws on the Canadians from there, with them reaching just 2/51 after 18 overs. That was as good as it got, as Canada broke free from the vice-like grip they were in and made 1/49 off the 7 overs to leave them on 3/100 at drinks. What was still a decent situation from our perspective unfortunately turned sour – the second half of the innings saw Canada score 5/181, ending on 8/281. Skipper Cody Dejesus top scored with 86, which was particularly frustrating as he was dropped on 35. Khaled Omar (3/40), Ashok Karthik (2/55) and young Sreesanth Ramchand (2/56) were pick of the bowlers. Special mention to Bipul Binny, who took an incredible 6 dismissals - 2 catches and 4 stumpings.

Our chase got off to a rocky start with Aminul Bishwash’s difficult tour continuing as he was caught for 9. We made it to 53 before his opening partner Mahir Kamal fell for 32. We kept going at a reasonable pace, reaching 97 at the start of the 22nd over when Sarvesh Rawant fell for 27. We looked to be getting back on track as 3/97 became 4/194, but we lost Shahid Khalim (45) and Bipul Binny (43) in quick succession. We hobbled to the end of the 40th over on 7/205 with no.6 Milon Rafique as the only recognized batter remaining. He made a valiant 57 but was run out off the final ball of the innings, as we were dismissed for 257, losing by 24 runs. Canada’s wicket takers were Julius Stevenson (3/31 off 9.3), Evan Roberts (3/58) and Mohammed Grace (3/51).

We ended in 2nd place, falling behind Canada on NRR but still promoting to Div 1. We move on to the first T20 tour under the new format, where we hope to give a similarly good impression of ourselves.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7133453

Match Ratings

Canada U20 Bangladesh U20
Batting - Top Order 9,763 8,860
Batting - Middle Order 7,836 8,775
Batting - Tail 4,017 4,525
Bowling - Seam 8,407 (10) 9,600 (20)
Bowling - Spin 10,462 (40) 9,158 (30)
Fielding/Keeping 10,225 10,543
Overall 163,382 162,421

[UtopiaRay]

OD Division 2 Review

Tour Details
Hosting Rights Won By Sri Lanka

For the 2nd last time in U20 nats, SL won touring rights and opted for Dry, Slow and Crumbling pitches in that order. Our allocation was 3 Dry & 2 Slow pitches, so a 3-2-0 spread.

Fixtures
Game 1 v Zimbabwe - Won by 63 runs

Our tour got off to a strong start, with a comfortable win over Zimbabwe in Windy/Dry conditions. Our top 4 struggled but keeper Bipul Binny (98* off 104) and skipper Rajib Morshed (83 off 96) rallied strongly on our way to 6/264. We were particularly severe on the Zimbabwean quicks, Lachlan Ainslie (1/67) and Ephat Khumalo (1/84). That ended up being a point of difference as Zimbabwe were all out for 201 in response, with our quicks Ravindra Kumar (0/50) and Saurav Bhatt (3/51) handling the unhelpful conditions much better. Binny got man of the match for his fine knock along with 3 catches & 2 stumpings in his best performance at U20 nat level.

Game 2 v Sri Lanka - Won by 4 wickets

We then took on the hosts in game 2. This time we were asked to bowl first, and kept SL to 8/249 in Sunny/Dry conditions. Young AR Dhawal Shewag was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4/51 and halting any potential late-overs charge (SL could only muster 4/53 off the last 10 overs). SL's Diogo Jota became the next player to miss out on a ton, making 98* off 95. Our response got off to a shaky start, losing both openers inside 8 overs, but the top order were able to recover and lay a platform for the middle order to launch from. Mizan Mamum (50 off 82) and Shahid Khalim (51 off 76) did well at 33 and 4 respectively, with captain Rajib Morshed (36 off 41) and AR Ashok Karthik (38* off 31) providing the late-innings impetus to get us over the line with 4 wickets and 8 balls to spare.

Game 3 v India - Won by 65 runs

Our hot start to the tour continued, as we took on India who had just come up from Division 3. Stand-in skipper Robin Kulkarni won the toss and elected to bat in Sunny/Dry conditions, and we managed to make a decent start for the first time this tour. Opener Aminul Bishwash did fall in the 5th over for 8, but we immediately steadied the ship and the top order did the bulk of the heavy lifting on our way to 6/314. Robin Kulkarni (76 off 81), Mahir Kamal (95* off 85) and keeper Shahid Khalim (69 off 55) all played significant roles in setting such a commanding total. India could only manage 5/249, in a chase where they simply could not catch up to the RRR. Our spinners did a very fine job in restricting the Indian bats, with Khaled Omar (1/41), Imrul Rahman (1/44) and Dhawal Shewag (1/45) all making sure India could never get going.

Game 4 v Netherlands - Won by 5 wickets

In our fourth game of the tour to SL, we took on a winless Netherlands team in Sunny/Slow conditions. For the first time this tour, our bowling was a bit off the pace as the Netherlands made 4/275, powered chiefly by Michael van Zandt (92 off 124), Jos de Vrij (71 off 67) and Martijn Spaan (41* off 38). RWS Mohammad Baisya was the pick of bowlers with 2/56, supported by LF Semi Valemei (1/47) and RFS Imrul Rahman (1/51). We continued our trend of losing a very early wicket (Robin Kulkarni for 11), but his opening partner in Aminul Bishwash made his first meaningful contribution of the tour with 45 off 68. No.3 Sarvesh Rawant chipped in with 42 off 69, but we had a middle order wobble that left us 5/150 after 33.4 overs. Enter the ever-reliable Rajib Morshed and star AR Ashok Karthik, who carried us home with 62* off 49 and 67* off 49 respectively, clinching the win with 5 wickets and 8 balls to spare.

Game 5 v Canada - Lost by 24 runs

That brings us to the final game of the tour, against Canada. We were 4 from 4, and a win would wrap up top spot. Canada were 3 from 4 but with a similar NRR, so any loss had to be very minor to hang on to top spot but the worst case scenario was we still finish 2nd and promote. Unfortunately, in Hot/Slow conditions, that's what happened. We bowled first and Canada made 8/281, led by skipper Cody Dejesus with 86 off 106. Our two FSs did well, with Sreesanth Ramchand taking 2/56 and Dhawal Shewag picking up 1/56, but WS Khaled Omar had a rough day at the office (3/70), being penetrative but very wayward. We lost an early wicket yet again (Bishwash, for 9) but our top and middle order rallied through innings from Shahid Khalim (45 off 61), Bipul Binny (43 off 48) and Milon Rafique (a run-a-ball 57). Unfortunately, our lower order fell apart and we were dismissed for 257 with 9 balls left in the innings. Defeat pushed us down to 2nd spot, but still guaranteed promotion for the final Div 1 tour under the current format. Special mention for Bipul Binny, who took an incredible 6 dismissals behind the stumps with 22 catches and 4 stumpings in his final U20 nats game.

OD Division 2 - Touring Squad

Batters
Aminul Bishwash - Welsh Fire (5 games) - Aminul had a bit of a shocker, playing all 5 games but only managing 93 runs @ 18.60 (SR 69.92). He was persisted with given he absolutely has the ability to come good and did turn up in game 4, but fell cheaply yet again in what was a very difficult tour for opening bats.

Mahir Kamal - Oxhey Players (2 games) - Mahir did very well in his 2 appearances, scoring 127 runs with only dismissal and a SR of 107.63. He entered this tour as a depth player but has validated his selection and will be a regular member going forwards.

Robin Kulkarni - Hoarders CC (3 games) - Robin had a decent tournament, making 120 runs @ 40 with a SR of 83.92. His highlight of the tournament was scoring 76 against India in our best batting performance of the whole tour. Robin will play the upcoming T20 tour before moving on to senior cricket.

Mizan Mamun - Halcyon (2 games) - Mizan did well in his limited appearances (74 runs @ 37, particularly with his half-century against SL laying the platform for our successful chase. Mizan will be available for the remainder of the regular season but misses the WC.

Milon Rafique - Illawarra Dragons CC (3 games) - Milon gave a good account of himself playing mostly at 6, ending with 104 runs @ 34.67 and striking at 101.96. He has missed the upcoming T20 tour but don't be surprised if he makes a return this season.

Sarvesh Rawant - Glen Fruin (2 games) - Sarvesh was competent in his limited appearances, making 27 off 40 and 42 off 69 in his two innings. He has missed the cut for the T20 but is available through to the WC.

Timothy Bancroft - Bancroft (2 games) - Tim's farewell to U20 cricket did not quite pan out as planned, making just 17 runs in 2 innings. He entered as our premier batter and was a victim to the continued struggles of openers on this tour.

Rajib Morshed - Hoarders CC (3 games) - Rajib first and last U20 tour was highly successful, as he made 181 runs @ 90.50 (SR 97.31), won all 3 games and played 2 match-defining innings against Zimbabwe and the Netherlands. His Outstanding captaincy was also valuable, making him a real asset to the team.


Wicketkeepers
Shahid Khalim - Mekerz Tanks (4 games) - Shahid was only required to keep once in his four appearances, and ended the tour as our leading run-scorer with 184 runs @ 46 (SR 83.64). His Spin Spec talent was invaluable on Dry and Slow pitches, and he was competent behind the stumps in his lone game as keeper.

Bipul Binny - Caradon CC (4 games) - Bipul only missed out on being our leading run-scorer by a single run, ending with 183 runs @ 61 (SR 92.42), but he was genuinely incredible behind the stumps. In 4 appearances he managed a scarcely-believable 15 dismissals (8 catches, 7 stumpings), including what I believe to be a Bangladesh U20 record 6 dismissals in the loss to Canada. An ideal swansong for a wonderful player.


Allrounders
Shakib Huq - Ohoka Swamphens (0 games) - Shakib Huq was a victim of the new 20 man squads, making the touring squad but not getting on the park. Shakib was selected as cover for his fellow AR Ashok Karthik, but Karthik was only required for 3 games and as a result, he never got on the park. It is a shame, as he is a fine player in his own right but things did not fall his way this tour.

Ashok Karthik - The Far Side (3 games) - Ashok's bowling figures may seem mediocre (3 wickets @ 46.67, SR 60), but he was our 2nd most economical bowler (ER 4.67) and was very effective with the bat (105 runs @ 105, SR 128.05), particularly given he had the highest SR of the whole touring squad. Ashok is finally starting to realise his immense potential at U20 nat level.

Dhawal Shewag - El Dude Brothers (4 games) - Dhawal's batting did not come off at all (12 runs 4, SR 70.59), but he ended as our 2nd highest wicket-taker (7 wickets @ 24.29, ER 4.72, SR 30.86) and was consistently very effective at the death with his OBB talent. Dhawal had a good tour overall, given his batting struggles only came up in the loss to Canada, and he bowled superbly all tour long.

Bowlers
Imrul Rahman - Hoarders CC (2 games) - Imrul was solid and economical, ending up with 2 wickets @ 47.5, with a fine economy rate of 4.75 (SR 60). He managed to keep things tidy in both of his appearances, and we look forward to his continued development.

Sreesanth Ramchand - Sitakunda Leopards (2 games) - Sreesanth was not as effective this tour (2 wickets @ 65, ER 6.50 & SR 60), but given he made the touring squad at just 18.14yo, he is a very exciting long-term prospect.

Semi Valemei - Mackay Cutters (2 games) - Semi fairly anonymous in his 2 appearances on this tour, taking 2/110 @ 55 (ER 5.50, SR 60) but he was at least serviceable in unhelpful conditions.

Mohammad Baisya - Welsh Fire (3 games) - Mohammad did well in his farewell tour, taking 4/124 @ 31, ER 4.43 (best on tour) & SR 42. He managed to be difficult to score off and a consistent wicket-taking threat in a creditable series of performances.

Saurav Bhatt - Dingo Town (3 games) - Saurav was our best performing seamer on a tour where the conditions gave him nothing to work with. He ended with figures of 4/143 @ 35.75 (ER 4.77, SR 45), and captained his final U20 appearance against Canada as well. Given the circumstances, a fine tour for a very skillful RFM.

Ravindra Kumar - Try Hards (has since moved to Smashes, 2 games) - Ravindra may have only managed a lone wicket (1/102 @ 102, ER 5.10, SR 120), but he was sufficiently economical in his two appearances, again in unhelpful conditions.

Khaled Omar - Bedford Falls (has since moved to No Use For A Name, 3 games) - Khaled was our leading wicket-taker on the tour, returning figures of 9/215 @ 23.89, ER 5.68 & SR 25.22. He was wayward at times, but he was also the spearhead of our spin attack in conjunction with Dhawal Shewag. A fantastic to way for Khaled to sign off from U20 cricket.

[UtopiaRay]

T20 Division 1 Squad

Fixtures
24th Nov v Kenya - Uneven
25th Nov v Nepal - Uneven
26th Nov v England - Uneven
27th Nov v Kenya - Dry
28th Nov v Nepal - Uneven
29th Nov v England - Dry

This is the first tour under the new format, where games are home & away instead of touring to a country that won the bidding process. This will also be the first 6 game tour as well.

The games for this tour will be played at 10:00am FTP time.

T20 Division 1 - Tour Selection

As with the OD Division 2 tour, I have opted to go for a balanced 10 bats/10 bowlers selection. I will be interested to see if there are any meaningful differences in fatigue management as though we may have an extra game, T20s are a bit lighter on fatigue so it may not change much.

Batters
Aminul Bishwash - Welsh Fire (10 Caps)
Moinul Chowdhury - ARKACHIEVERS (U20 Debut)
Mahir Kamal - Oxhey Players (2 Caps, T20 Debut)
Arafat Khadim - Revolution (U20 Debut)
Robin Kulkarni - Hoarders CC (3 Caps, T20 Debut)
Mizan Mamun - Halcyon (2 Caps, T20 Debut)
Raja Narayan - RedPanthers (U20 Debut)
Syed Zobair - The Shrill Otters (U20 Debut)

There are a few changes from the OD tour, with some players moving on and some new blood entering the squad for the start of the S64 T20 WC qualification cycle. Only Narayan, Mamun and Zobair miss the WC this season, so it is a balance between guys at their maximum potential and boom youngsters.

Wicketkeepers
Tonoy Hassan - Glen Fruin (U20 Debut)
Shahid Khalim - Mekerz Tanks (4 Caps, T20 Debut)

Shahid Khalim takes the role of first-choice keeper, with Tonoy Hassan stepping in to the role of backup wk.

Allrounders
Subhash Kardar - Hoarders CC (U20 Debut)
Ashok Karthik - The Far Side (13 Caps)
Sarvesh Rayudu - Xanadoosra (U20 Debut)
Dhawal Shewag - The El Dude Brothers (4 Caps, T20 Debut)

Ashok Karthik continues on as our premier AR, with Dhawal Shewag as the top spinning AR. Immense young talent Sarvesh Rayudu makes the step up to U20 nats, and is joined by tearaway quick Subhash Kardar.

Bowlers
Atif Alam - 74nks (U20 Debut)
Debojit Das - Sydney Cricket Club (U20 Debut)
Vinay Joshi - Hyderabad Badshahs (U20 Debut)
Mehrab Matin - Glen Fruin (U20 Debut)
Imrul Rahman - Hoarders CC (2 Caps, T20 Debut)
Semi Valemei - Mackay Cutters (2 Caps, T20 Debut)

Our bowling attack looks quite different from the previous tour, with several players moving on after it concluded. That said, we have some impressive bowlers coming in to replace them, so we should be able to make full use of the Uneven & Dry pitches on offer. Kenya and England look to be strong opponents, and Nepal are making their U20 international debut and we look forward to playing against them on their first ever tour.

[UtopiaRay]

Today was the first game of T20 Division 1 against Kenya, in the new touring format with 6 game tours and 10 team groups.

We lost the toss and were asked to bat first in Sunny/Uneven conditions at "home" (it's counted as a home game, but the tour takes place in Pakistan). Openers Aminul Bishwash and captain Robin Kulkarni started in confident fashion, scoring 48 runs off the first 5 overs before losing momentum and reaching 0/70 at the halfway mark. Big opening partnerships can lead to collapses at times, but that was not the case today with the opening partnership ending on 122 as Kulkarni fell for 48. It did turn into a collapse with 3 wickets falling in 3 overs, but they were the only wickets as we scored 38 runs off the last 4 overs to end on 3/162. Aminul Bishwash top-scored with 75 off 53, a stirring return to form after a difficult OD tour. For the Kenyans, LM Elija wa Ndambuki was the pick of the bowlers with 1/27 off his 4 overs.

Our defence of the target got off to a good start, with LF Semi Valemei removing opening bat Isaiah Kipketer for a duck in the first over of the innings. Kenya's subdued start to the chase continued, with no. 3 Hamisi arap Kogsey falling to LFM Debojit Das for 15 off 17. At that point they were 2/34 off 5.3 overs and lost their third wicket as they attempted to catch back up to the NRR with Kenneth Waiswa falling for 20 to Ashok Karthik. 3/60 after 9 overs became 4/86 in 12.2 with keeper Barnabas Ntalami nicking off to LFS Dhawal Shewag for 14, and no. 6 Moses 'Ole Kaparo fell in the following over for 1 off 4, lbw to Karthik. With 6 overs to go, Kenya were 5/92 needing 71 overs at effectively 2 runs per ball. Opening bat Jeremiah Pillani was 40 off 31, joined at the crease by spinner Etana Nairob. Pillani and Nairob were able to accelerate, but their early innings struggles weighed them down too heavily and they ended on 5/149, Pillani carrying his bat for 65* off 48 and Nairob ending with 33* off 21. RM Ashok Karthik was pick of the bowlers with 2/26.

In the end, a solid start to our tour. We move on to game 2 tomorrow against U20 Nat newcomers Nepal, in Cloudy/Uneven conditions.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7134160

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 Kenya U20
Batting - Top Order 9,567 10,361
Batting - Middle Order 9,422 8,968
Batting - Tail 5,397 4,322
Bowling - Seam 9,619 (16) 8,664 (16)
Bowling - Spin 10,104 (4) 10,300 (4)
Fielding/Keeping 11,411 11,732
Overall 174,968 170,438

[UtopiaRay]

Today was the second game of T20 Division 1, against national scene newcomers Nepal.

We lost the toss and were asked to bat first in Cloudy/Uneven conditions and though we may have taken 11 off the first over, only 3 runs came from the following 2 overs as Nepal's seamers adjusted to the conditions. Openers Aminul Bishwash and Robin Kulkarni put on 66 for the first wicket, but the end of the partnership brought a collapse. Bishwash fell for 31 off 29 in the 10th over, Kulkarni was caught for a run-a-ball 34 and debutant Raja Narayan was trapped in front for 6 off as many deliveries in the space of 3 overs. Run-scoring became very difficult and with 5 overs to go we were 3/86 and going under 6 RPO. No. 4 Mizan Mamum was clean bowled for 8 off 13, and no. 6 Arafat Khadim followed him back to the pavilion in the following over for just 4. Keeper Shahid Khalim (26* off 20) was able to regain some momentum in the company of AR Ashok Karthik (12* off 13) and we ended on 5/123. Kulkarni's 34 was the top score, with LF Purna Suwal the pick of the bowlers with 2/22.

Nepal's chase got off to a rocky start, with 8 runs off the first two overs and opener Abiral Gurung falling off the next ball for 4. Captain and fellow opener Lalit Chohan departed 6 balls later for 4 as well, and Nepal were 2/12 after 3.1 overs. Buddha Ghimire and Ganesh Ghale were able build a partnership before Ghale was lbw for 22, with Nepal on 3/46 after 10 overs. Asif Sheikh joined the struggling Ghimire (16 off 24 at this point) and Nepal made their largest partnership of the innings - 49 runs in 7.1 overs - before Sheikh was caught off LFS Dhawal Shewag for 23 off 21. It was at this moment, with Nepal on 4/95 and needing 28 runs in 3 overs, that LF Semi Valemei returned to bowl his final over. He had taken 2/7 off his first 3 overs, dismissing Gurung and Ghale already, but what followed put the game to bed. Valemei dismissed Buddha Ghimire (36 off 47), keeper Lokendra Ruwal (golden duck) and quick Purna Suwal (2nd ball duck). Nepal were now 7/96 and could only muster a further 9 runs to end on 7/105, losing by 18 runs. Buddha Ghimire's 36 off 47 was the top score, and Semi Valemei's incredible 5/8 was pick of the bowlers, and the 2nd best figures in Bangladesh U20 T20 history.

Tonight we aim to continue our good start to the tour against England, in Humid/Uneven conditions.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7134166

Match Ratings

Nepal U20 Bangladesh U20
Batting - Top Order 9,021 9,523
Batting - Middle Order 6,421 9,158
Batting - Tail 3,750 4,591
Bowling - Seam 8,607 (20) 9,518 (16)
Bowling - Spin 0 (0) 9,902 (4)
Fielding/Keeping 10,205 11,047
Overall 146,671 169,618

[UtopiaRay]

Last night we played the 3rd game of T20 Division 1, facing off against England in Humid/Uneven conditions.

We lost the toss and were asked to bat first again, and the openers found it tough going in very pace-friendly conditions. Aminul Bishwash was knocked over for a laboured 14 off 21, and Robin Kulkarni was caught for 22 off 23 a few overs later. We were 2/56 at the halfway mark and struggling for fluency, exemplified with Mizan Mamun getting trapped in front for 8 off 13. With 6 overs to go we had reached 3/75 before finally hitting our stride - we managed 2/57 off the last 6 overs to end on 5/132, guided by no. 3 Syed Zobair (39 off 36) and cameos from Arafat Khadim (17 off 12), debutant keeper Tonoy Hassan (18* off 10) and AR Sarvesh Rayudu (10* off 6). England didn't have one stand-out bowling performance, instead 4 of their 5 bowlers all made valuable contributions with RF Luke Crichton (0/22), RM Darrel Need (1/26), LM Randal Lawes (1/24) and RFS Mark Minagall (1/27) all chipping in.

England's chase also started slowly with Klaus Steinvogel the first to fall for 12 off 13, having been dropped before troubling the scorers. Though England scored at a very similar rate to us for much of their innings, we struggled to take early wickets with next one to fall (keeper Dion Potts for 17 off 22) coming in the middle of the 13th over. England were now 2/71, the exact same score we were at the same juncture, but England's acceleration came an over earlier. Though they did lose some wickets in the process, England made 3/62 off the next 6.2 overs to hand us our first defeat of the tour. Captain Sammy Walters laid the platform from the opening position with 40 off 44, and no. 4 Jeremy Boardman capitalised on it with an uninhibited 34* off 18. Pick of the bowlers for us was RF Subhash Kardar with 2/12 off his 3.2 overs.

Tonight we will look to bounce back against Kenya, in Humid/Dry conditions.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7134171

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 England U20
Batting - Top Order 9,316 10,234
Batting - Middle Order 8,925 7,881
Batting - Tail 5,333 4,087
Bowling - Seam 9,278 (20) 9,234 (16)
Bowling - Spin 0 (0) 11,893 (4)
Fielding/Keeping 10,753 11,050
Overall 167,619 166,707

[UtopiaRay]

We are now 4 games in to T20 Division 1, with the completion of last night's match against Kenya.

We lost the toss for the fourth game on the bounce, but this time Kenya elected to bat first in Humid/Dry conditions. Kenya got off to a difficult start with both openers gone inside 5 overs for 4 and 5 runs respectively, but the recovery began in earnest as Hamisi arap Kogsey was joined at the crease by Kenneth Waiswa. Arap Kogsey fell a few overs later for 33 off 27 but Kenya were not deterred, and they charged through the middle overs on their way to 6/152. Waiswa top scored with 46 off 34 and he was supported well by keeper Dabir wa Njonjo with a free-wheeling 45* off 29. Pick of the bowlers was Ashok Karthik with 2/18, supported by finger spinners Dhawal Shewag (1/29) and Vinay Joshi (2/29).

Our chase started in relatively sedate fashion after the loss of skipper Mahir Kamal for 15. We ambled along at around 6 RPO for the first 12 overs which was in line with how the Kenyan innings progressed, before finally losing our 2nd wicket in the 13th over (Arafat Khadim for 29 off 23). Opening bat Raja Narayan anchored our innings with a fine 66* off 59, but we were not able to get the same middle overs acceleration as the Kenyans did. Keeper Shahid Khalim fell for 24 off 18 with 10 balls left in the innings, and we entered the final over needing 18 runs to win. After a missed runout off the first ball, no. 5 Mizan Mamun belted consecutive fours, ran a 3 off the 4th ball, Narayan ran a 3 off the following ball and we needed 4 to win off the last delivery. Mizan Mamun swung and missed, RFS Isaack Mac Obama hit and Mamun was bowled for 14 off 7, and we lost by 3 runs. Narayan's 66* was easily the top score, and Kenya had 2 competitors for the best bowler - mac Obama with 2/33, and RFM Darweshi arap Moi with 1/23.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7134175

Match Ratings

Kenya U20 Bangladesh U20
Batting - Top Order 10,179 9,553
Batting - Middle Order 7,810 9,074
Batting - Tail 3,963 3,754
Bowling - Seam 8,697 (8) 9,397 (8)
Bowling - Spin 9,711 (12) 9,743 (12)
Fielding/Keeping 10,796 11,000
Overall 162,763 166,799

[UtopiaRay]

Last night was the fifth game of T20 Division 1 against Nepal, Cloudy/Uneven conditions.

We won the toss for the first time all tour and elected to bat first. Returning captain Robin Kulkarni didn't last long, getting trapped in front for just 6 and no.3 Syed Zobair fared little better, departing for 10. Aminul Bishwash fell shortly after that for 28, before we had our 2 biggest partnerships of the game - 31 and 32 runs for the 4th and 5 wickets respectively as we ended on 5/133. Top scorer was a 3-way tie between Bishwash, keeper Shahid Khalim (28 off 25) and no. 6 Moinul Chowdhury (28* off 21), and RF Chandra Bhusal as pick of the bowlers with 2/17, removing both opening bats. We felt that a few runs had been left out there, but it was 10 runs more than when we beat Nepal on Tuesday.

Nepal lost and early wicket with Buddha Ghimire gone for just 3, but they were able to stay close to the NRR despite the early setback. Their innings was rocked when they lost 3 wickets over the space of 4 overs - captain Lalit Chohan for 19 off 18, Ashish Bhattarai for a run-a-ball 12 and all-rounder Kamal KC for 7 off 8, leaving them on 4/43. Unfortunately for Bangladesh, that was as good as it got. Ganesh Ghale was the only other wicket to fall for 27 off 32, as Nepal got home with 1 ball and 5 wickets to spare. Keeper Ravi Sherpa top-scored with 48* off 37, an innings that took the game away from Bangladesh. RFs Mehrab Matin (2/30 off 3.5 overs), Subhash Kardar (1/24) and RM Ashok Karthik (1/22) were the major contributors, but it just wasn't quite enough.

We take on England in just over an hour's time as we look to end this tour on a high note.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7134181

Match Ratings

Bangladesh U20 Nepal U20
Batting - Top Order 9,175 8,525
Batting - Middle Order 8,871 7,650
Batting - Tail 5,231 4,780
Bowling - Seam 9,247 (16) 8,726 (20)
Bowling - Spin 9,902 (4) 0 (0)
Fielding/Keeping 10,817 10,523
Overall 167,221 154,241

[UtopiaRay]

The dust has just settled on the final game of the T20 Division 1 tour, against England in Cloudy/Dry conditions.

We won the toss, batted first and were made to regret the decision very quickly, with Aminul Bishwash and Syed Zobair both departing inside 7 balls. From here until the end of the 18th over, the English bowlers had our batters in a straitjacket as we hobbled to 5/84 with 2 overs to go. Keeper Tonoy Hassan and AR Dhawal Shewag tried in vain to salvage the innings but even with them hammering 21 off the final 2 overs, we could only muster 5/105. Hassan top-scored with 23* off 17, with Shewag's share being 21* off 19. LM Randal Lawes was the standout performer with the ball, taking 3/18.

Our bowlers managed to keep England quiet for much of their innings, starting with removing openers Sammy Walters (9 off 13) and Jeremy Boardman (19 off 18) cheaply. No. 4 Jason Tett fell shortly afterwards for 14 off 13, but we did not manage another wicket for the rest of the innings. Keeper Dion Potts anchored the chase with 45* off 49 as England got home with 7 wickets and 10 balls to spare. LFM Debojit Das was easily the pick of the bowlers, taking 2/14 in an inspired but ultimately futile performance.

We end the tour with 2 wins and 4 losses, a wholly unsatisfactory performance especially considering the 2 wins were the first 2 games. The post-mortem will be up on the forums and on the Bangladesh discord in the coming week.

https://fromthepavilion.org/scorecard.h ... Id=7134186

Match Ratings

England U20 Bangladesh U20
Batting - Top Order 9,830 9,038
Batting - Middle Order 7,988 7,969
Batting - Tail 3,992 4,060
Bowling - Seam 9,064 (8) 9,151 (8)
Bowling - Spin 10,238 (12) 9,668 (12)
Fielding/Keeping 10,887 10,386
Overall 164,752 158,675