The Ashes | 4th Test, Day 5 - With 20 overs remaining, England batsmen hanging on

No NOC for Sri Lankan players to play Bangladesh Premier League

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have decided that they will not be offering No Objection Certificates to any player for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League. The development comes right before BPL 2022 which is scheduled to begin on January 21. The decision is aimed at making the national stars prioritise international cricket holding them responsible to their Futures Tour Programme (FTP) calendar in a busy year. Cricbuzz reported that the SLC have been forced to take this decision after two of their players retired from international cricket. The board has apparently been taken aback by the decision and have considered the development ‘alarming’. In a knee jerk reaction, the board has set up guidelines for its players. The media release from SLC reads National players would have to provide three month’s notice to the board ahead of their retirement. The retired players will have to serve a six month cooling period if they wish to play any franchise league across border. The retired players have to complete at least 80 per cent of the domestic matches ahead of the local leagues like the Lanka Premier League.

NZ vs Ban | 2nd Test, Day 1: Tom Latham century puts hosts on top

Hosts New Zealand came back strong in the second and the final Test match of the series by putting themselves in a commanding position on Day 1 at Hagley Oval. Forced to bat first on a greenish deck on Sunday, 9 January, openers Tom Latham and Will Young put up a partnership of 148 runs for the first wicket, blunting the Bangladesh attack. Both scored at quick rate taking advantage of wayward lines and lengths from the visitors. While Young completed his half century, Latham scored his fastest hundred in the Test format, completing the three figure mark in 133 balls. The visitors were guilty of putting down chances that arrived to them on day one and failed to bowl as a unit. At the time of writing, Tom Latham and Devon Conway were at the crease having built a partnership of 94 runs in just 150 balls. Both batsmen have been aggressive in the approach, punishing short balls mercilessly on both sides of the ground. NZ lost their first Test match at home in a long time after Bangladesh rocked them in the first Test match and are looking to level the series in the final match to keep their undefeated streak at home.

The Ashes | 4th Test, Day 5: Rain takes over after entertaining first session

Keeping it true to the predictions, rain took over after the end of first session’s play at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, 9 January. The morning session of the final day bore three wickets for Australia and 122 runs for England. Zack Crawley was the only one amongst the top three batters to reach double figures and scored an entertaining 77 runs off 100 balls. Dawid Malan and Haseeb Hameed were dismissed cheaply for 4 and 9 respectively. The reigns were stabilised once again by captain Joe Root and Ben Stokes, who had negotiated 79 balls in the morning session and put up 26 runs together looking to save the match. Rain is expected to play a part on Sunday with light drizzle predicted throughout the day, however, it is expected that the crowd will get to see specs of play inconsistently on the day.

I am happy they did it without me: Shakib Al Hasan on Bangladesh’s historic Test win vs New Zealand

Bangladesh’s most popular cricketer Shakib Al Hasan said that he was actually happy that the national team was able to register its first Test win against New Zealand without him being part of the squad. According to him, it just goes on to show the depth that the team possesses and the talent that the youngsters have. "I don't think my presence was necessarily important. I am actually happy that they did it without me. Not just me…(others like Tamim as well),” he said. “I think what really delighted me was that the notion, particularly in the media, that not many players apart from the four or five senior ones can win games for the team - that will be changed. If they are handed the responsibility, these youngsters will play better,” added the 35-year-old. Shakib, who chose to sit out of the Test tour to New Zealand citing familial commitments at the very end moment, said that 2021 was not really good for the team, but he believes that the new year will bring newer opportunities for the team to improve upon. "We made an unbelievable start to 2022. I am very happy. Credit goes to all the players and coaching staff for playing well under so much pressure and in these conditions. Everyone tried hard. This was always going to be a challenging year after a difficult time in 2021 for us. I hope we can continue in this manner. Bangladesh do not play this well all the time, “ he said. Asked if this Test win was indeed game-changing, Shakib, the leading wicket-taker across formats for Bangladesh and one of the top run-getter as well, replied, "Not everything will change after a Test win. But it creates the opportunity for change. I think if we can hold onto this belief, particularly the BCB, we can do well in the World Test Championship.” Bangladesh, who lead the two-match Test series 1-0, will have an opportunity to win their first-ever series against New Zealand, which could also be their first Test away series win against a top-five Test-playing nation if they either beat or draw the game starting January 09th at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.