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All the pressure is now on Sri Lanka for if they lose tomorrow, they will have to go back home

The Preview by Sriram Veera02-May-2010Match FactsMonday, May 3,
Start time 0930 (1330 GMT)The aggressive Ray Price will lead Zimbabwe’s spin attack•AFP

The Big PictureIt’s what Zimbabwe did in the warm-up games that has made this game a cracking prospect. They defeated both Australia and Pakistan to announce themselves in the Caribbean. All the pressure is now on Sri Lanka, for if they lose tomorrow, they will have to go back home. Only Mahela Jayawardene turned up in the first game. He sparkled as an opener in the IPL and promises to continue doing so here but it remains to be seen who steps up to support him. Angelo Matthews had a few good games with the bat in the IPL but Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan struggled to get going.For Zimbabwe, the spinners have done the demolition job: Ray Price, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer and Greg Lamb have been accurate and miserly. And Elton Chigumbura has starred with the bat. It’s been a common theme in the recent months. Price and Utseya have often bowled with the new ball and Cremer has impressed with his legbreaks.Form guide (most recent first)Sri Lanka LLWLL
Zimbabwe WWLWL
Watch out for…Ray Price is one of the more aggressive spinners out there in the world circuit. He can almost snarl at the batsman and has the longest follow-through for a spinner. He can attack or defend aggressively and is known for his nagging line and length.Angelo Mathews is one of those impact cricketers who can win a game single-handedly. He has an undeniable talent with the bat and can be quite crafty with the ball. He is a rapidly maturing batsman who is learning how to finish games.Team newsSri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Sanath Jayasuriya, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.Zimbabwe (possible) 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Tatendu Taibu, 4 Brendon Taylor, 5 Charles Coventry, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Andy Blignaut/Craig Ervine, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Prosper Utseya, 10 Ray Price, 11 Greg Lamb.Pitch and conditionsThe scores are likely to remain low in Providence, where the slow surface has been difficult for stroke making.Stats and triviaMahela Jayawardene smashed 81 runs as an opener in the first game against New Zealand. It was the first time he had opened in an Twenty20 international but he has had considerable success as an opener in domestic T20s and in the IPL games. Ray Price has played five Twenty20 games with an economy rate of 3.5, and has been hit for only two sixes.Quotes”Everyone is excited by the prospects for Zimbabwean cricket, but we arealso realistic in terms of what we feel we can achieve in the short term.”
“If we win every game from here we’ll be champions. But there’s no room for any more mistakes.”

Norwegian football is going through a golden spell with a number of players now performing at the highest level in Europe. They look like a national team that are on the up and should start making their mark in major tournaments in the near future.

Here is a look at four of their players who could be set for big moves in 2022.

Erling Haaland

Striker Erling Haaland is the real star of Norwegian football. The Dortmund striker is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world at the moment. His goal scoring record at the German club over the last three years backs that up.

Last season’s Best Forward of the Season in the Champions League is being monitored by all the major European clubs, including Manchester United; their boss Ralf Rangnick is thought to be an admirer of the player. They will be fully aware that Haaland’s release clause of £64 million will be activated in the summer. This is much lower than what they will value the player at, as he would be expected to go for at least £100 million in today’s market.

As reported by ESPN, Barcelona are thought to be preparing a move for the striker this summer. They are doing their best to reduce their wage bill before then by offloading players like Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti. This will allow them to be able to finance a deal later this year.

Haaland will be hoping he can help Dortmund to some silverware this season if it does end up being his last campaign for their club. They are the 11/2 favourites to win the Europa League with Unibet, one of the leading sport betting sites in Norway who offer odds on the European competition.

Jørgen Strand Larsen

Another Norwegian striker who has a big future is Jørgen Strand Larsen. He currently plays his club football for Groningen in the Eredivisie in the Netherlands. In his debut campaign for the Dutch club last season, he scored nine goals. He looks on course to beat that record this year.

Stand Larsen has played for Norway and may end up being Haaland’s strike partner going forward. He has recently been linked with a move to the Premier League to join Leicester.

Celtic are another club who are thought to be interested in Larsen. They bought Virgil van Dijk from Groningen in 2013. If they do sign the 21-year-old, they will be hoping the striker goes on to have a similar career to the former PFA Player of the Year.

Ola Brynhildsen

Only one player had more assists in Norway’s Eliteserien last season than Ola Brynhildsen. He helped Molde finish second in the final standings behind FK Bodø/Glimt.

The 22-year-old joined Molde from Stabaek in July 2020. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Norwegian club. Despite his age, he has already appeared 100 times in the Eliteserien, so he has lots of experience.

Brynhildsen has featured for Norway under-21s, however, he remains uncapped with the senior team. That is likely to change in 2022, especially if he continues with the form he showed last year.

Unlike Haaland and Strand Larsen, it may not take a huge transfer fee to scoop the talented attacking midfielder away from Molde. There are likely to be clubs across Europe who are happy to take a chance on him to see if he can step up to a higher level. It would be relatively low risk for them.

Marius Lode

Defender Marius Lode has been an integral part of FK Bodø/Glimt’s title success in 2020 and 2021. The towering centre-back has played in the heart of their defence and his form has been very consistent.

Lode received his first two caps for Norway in 2021. Unlike many players in his position, Lode is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. He is also versatile in that he can play at full back and as a defensive midfielder, if required.

The Bodø/Glimt man has featured in Europe across all three leading competitions. British clubs will get a chance to see him close hand when the Norwegian club take on Celtic in the Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs, which takes place over two legs.

In the Europa League Conference League group stage, Lode finished fourth in the most completed passes. As documented by UEFA, he ended the group with 392 passes. Those sorts of stats showcase how much of an all-round player he is.

Stoke City are one of the clubs in England that has been linked with the Norway international. They are unlikely to be the only Championship side to do be doing so. Many English clubs have scouts regularly watching football in the Eliteserien.

If all four of the above players get their moves to bigger clubs in 2022, it can only benefit the Norway national team, as they look to improve their results on the international stage.

Photo by Emilio Garcia on Unsplash

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has dropped the latest information regarding the future of Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier, with the Englishman reportedly keen on a move to Newcastle United.

What’s the story?

Speaking to BBC 5Live’s Euro Leagues show, Balague said: “Trippier has been approached. He likes the idea of going back. He doesn’t want to play in the Championship.

“But he would like to play for Newcastle next season, yes. I think he’s got a buy-out clause of about €31m or something like that.

“He has enjoyed Atletico Madrid but I feel he is ready to go back, go back to England.

“They [Newcastle] do want him January. He has said yes to them for January. It’s Atletico Madrid now who’s got to say, ‘We let him go now or at the end of the season.’”

Newcastle United are facing their first transfer window since the completion of their Saudi-backed takeover and have had countless amounts of players linked with moves to the North-East since the takeover was completed.

However, their Premier League status still remains well and truly in the balance, which could arguably prevent potential suitors from joining in January with their fate uncertain…Trippier included.

Newcastle fans will be buzzing

A swoop for the 31-year-old would be a major statement of intent from Eddie Howe and co. However, the uncertainty surrounding whether or not the Magpies will be relegated could prove a significant factor in the likelihood of a deal.

The Englishman has been a core member of Gareth Southgate’s England squad since the 51-year-old took charge of the national team as well as playing a major part in Atletico Madrid’s La Liga triumph last season.

Balague explained: “He was crucial last season, they changed their formation because of him and they took advantage of a lot of his fantastic crosses and his pushing on, going forward.”

However, this season the right-back hasn’t enjoyed similar fortunes with a shoulder injury holding him back lately.

Alas, Trippier’s quality and experience would prove to be a seismic improvement on the current options of Javier Manquillo and Emil Krafth, neither of whom have particularly impressed this campaign.

It’s exactly why Magpies fans will be buzzing with the potential of a deal.

Close England 180 (Steyn 5-51) and 48 for 3 (Pietersen 9*, Collingwood 0*) trail South Africa 423 for 7 (Smith 105, Boucher 95) by 195 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMark Boucher was South Africa’s driving force as they declared with a lead of 243•PA Photos

Not even the loss of an average of 30 overs per day, nor the smokescreen of an ECB-led witch-hunt into the failings of the UDRS system, seem likely to save England from a crushing series-squaring defeat in the fourth and final Test at Johannesburg, after another day in which South Africa’s superior technique with bat and ball overcame a series of interruptions for thunderstorms and bad light. When play was suspended with 20 overs of the third day still to be bowled, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood were clinging on desperately, having watched as three of their colleagues were blown away by a trio of pumped-up pace bowlers.If England were lucky to escape with draws at Centurion and Cape Town, then at least it can be said that they were equal to the specific challenges that they faced on those pivotal final days. With a maximum of six sessions of this contest still to come, however, a third escape in four games would be the most incredible result of the lot, regardless of how many overs are gobbled up by the weather. With Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel proving once again that they are the pre-eminent new-ball pairing in world cricket, South Africa claimed two wickets in seven overs before a break for bad light, then returned in the gloaming to extract the vital scalp of Andrew Strauss for 22, trapped lbw to give Wayne Parnell a precious maiden Test wicket.By the close, England had limped for 48 for 3, and were still a hefty 195 runs from asking South Africa to bat again. If that is to happen, it will require an innings of re-established brilliance from Pietersen to turn their current predicament around, because his solid unbeaten 9 from 20 balls was about as comfortable as any England batsman looked in the 13.2 overs before the close. Alastair Cook, the rock of their batting at Durban and Cape Town, lasted six deliveries before Morkel’s steepling bounce found a defensive edge to first slip, while Jonathan Trott’s shattered confidence could not be repaired by a brace of fours including a periscope deflection from a Morkel bouncer. The first delivery he received from Steyn was full, fast and swung away at the last moment, for AB de Villiers to snaffle the edge at third slip.Strauss did his damnedest to dig in for the cause, swaying out of line from a lethal Steyn bouncer that left him on his backside, before riding a Morkel throat-ball that led to a sharp exchange of words between two men whose encounters have been somewhat one-sided in this series. But this time it was Parnell who prised the captain from the crease, finding a full length with his left-arm line, allied to an increase in confidence after a nervy three-over spell on the first day. In what turned out to be the penultimate over of the day, he skidded his ninth ball into Strauss’s front pad, and after a review that was more in desperation that hope, Strauss was sent on his way for the final time this series.If England made the day’s conditions look especially tricky, then their struggles merely conferred an extra heap of plaudits onto an exceptionally paced performance from Mark Boucher, whose 95 from 118 balls was the driving force behind an impressively timed declaration. South Africa resumed on 208 for 2 overnight, a handy lead of 28, but from the outset they realised that quick accumulation was the order of the day if they were to guarantee themselves sufficient time to beat both the weather and the opposition. What they got was a masterclass in tempo-setting from Boucher, who brushed off the loss of three big wickets inside the first hour of the day to drive the innings along at nearly four runs an over.In the course of his innings, Boucher became only the second specialist wicketkeeper after Adam Gilchrist to pass 5000 Test runs, and though he eventually fell five runs short of a richly deserved sixth Test century, he did his job and more. He added 120 for the fifth wicket in a 29-over stand with AB de Villiers (whose well-compiled 58 nevertheless contained a handful of moments that highlighted the current flaws in the review system) and 64 in 87 balls with the debutant Ryan McLaren, who rose above a nervy start to compile a useful 33 not out. A violent downpour forced an early tea, but when play resumed, South Africa racked up 41 runs in ten further overs, before Graeme Smith declared on 423 for 7, a lead of 243.Boucher’s innings began in the second hour of the day’s play, after a spirited fightback had reduced South Africa to 235 for 5, a slightly precarious advantage of 55. Hashim Amla added only two runs to his overnight 73 before edging Stuart Broad to a diving Matt Prior behind the stumps, before Jacques Kallis flapped a surprise bouncer from Ryan Sidebottom to James Anderson in the gully, who hurtled forwards, stuck out his left hand, and clung onto a brilliant low chance.With the new ball looming, England’s seamers were finding plenty assistance from a still-lively track, but it was their golden-armed spinner, Swann, who made the next incision, as he continued his remarkable habit of striking early in a spell. This time he didn’t even need a sighter, as JP Duminy, whom he also bagged for a first-ball duck at Cape Town, propped forward to a sharp offspinner that bounced and turned, and Collingwood at slip did the rest. Remarkably, Swann even repeated the feat three hours later, when Boucher top-edged the first delivery of his post-tea spell to a tumbling Trott at deep square leg.Boucher, however, had broken England’s resolve long before his departure, and the seeds of their discontent were sown in the course of his morning partnership with de Villiers. Though he batted with typical confidence, and even seemed to make light of a hamstring strain, de Villiers required a hefty dollop of good fortune to progress as far as he did. In the course of his innings, he successfully overturned two upheld appeals from Swann, the first of which – a gloved sweep-shot – appeared from later replays to be too close to call with a “high degree of confidence”, as per the ICC’s guidelines. De Villiers then survived an apparent inside-edge off Sidebottom shortly before lunch that England would surely have reviewed, had they not just wasted their final lifeline on a speculative and slightly desperate lbw appeal against Boucher.In a further pair of ironies, the Sidebottom caught-behind appeal came only moments after the ECB announced that they had formally asked the ICC to reinstate the review that they had lost during the controversy involving Smith on the second morning. And what is more, Boucher would already have fallen lbw to Swann, and England would consequently still have had that extra chance up their sleeve, had England used their final lifeline in his previous over, when a seemingly innocuous appeal was shown by the Hawkeye replay to have been heading straight into leg stump.By the close, however, all such gripes had been rendered utterly redundant, despite the best efforts of the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke, who toured the various media outlets at the Wanderers during the course of the day to make his views abundantly clear. The only thing that truly mattered, however, was the battle going on out in the middle. And in that regard, England are already closer to defeat than they ever appeared to be in Tests one and three.

He’s long been one of the first names on the team sheet, but Douglas Luiz has a new role in the Aston Villa midfield and he’s absolutely thriving under new boss Steven Gerrard.

Traditionally playing as the holding midfielder, Luiz made a name for himself under Dean Smith as one of the best in the division. A strong tackler, with good positional awareness and excellent physical qualities, Luiz joined from Manchester City in a £15m deal after he was unable to secure a work permit for the then-champions.

He walked straight into the newly promoted midfield and featured in 36 Premier League fixtures, level with Jack Grealish for the most of anyone in the squad. After avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth, he continued to be a mainstay the following season and made 33 appearances as Villa made a push for Europe.

His form during that season saw him linked with potential transfers back to Man City and abroad, with his ball-playing qualities becoming more apparent. He even earned more regular call-ups to the senior Brazil national team, winning four caps in both 2020 and 2021 to take his total tally to nine.

The start of this season saw his form drop off, as the Midlands side claimed just ten points from the first 11 games and Smith was sacked, replaced by Liverpool legend Gerrard. Since then, Villa fans have seen Luiz play in a slightly different role but they have seen the 23-year-old recapture his old form but with an added twist of creativity.

Luiz has managed to register three assists already this season, with the most recent coming in the 2-1 defeat to Man City where he started the game in a more advanced, box-to-box role. With Marvelous Nakamba holding the fort behind him, Luiz has been able to use his excellent passing range and dribbling in a more attacking way to help Villa build their play from the back. He was excellent against Leicester in the 2-1 win at the weekend, winning 80% of his duels including a team-high four aerial duels.

The three assists he’s registered in 11 appearances so far trump or equal the tally of the previous two full seasons in that department, while his ability to win the ball back higher up the pitch is a positive and a big part of why Gerrard’s side have been successful since he took over this season.

The £31.5m-rated bulldozer is currently averaging 1.6 key passes per game this season compared to 0.6 last season, while he’s also averaging 1.1 successful dribbles compared to 0.7 last season.

With the Villa squad taking on a new lease of life under the new boss, Luiz is a big part of that and deserves the plaudits for taking to his new role so well.

AND in other news, Matty Cash stole the show against Leicester City

MatériaMais Notícias

O destino do atacante Rafael Sobis é incerto para a próxima temporada. De acordo com o Superesportes, o Cruzeiro foi consultado por um clube mexicano para saber a situação do jogador e uma proposta de US$ 2 milhões, cerca de R$ 6,5 milhões, será entregue ao presidente Gilvan de Pinho Tavares nesta quinta-feira.

O clube interessado ainda disputará partidas importantes neste ano e pretende contar com jogador. Por conta disso, há pressa para a contratação de Rafael Sobis. O empresário do atleta, Jorge Machado, confirmou que o primeiro contato já foi feito e o clube mexicano se reunirá com a diretoria celeste nas próximas horas para tratar do futuro do atacante.

– Os caras do México me ligaram. Só vai ser oficial no momento que chegar essa proposta. Não tenho o que te falar. Rafa tem contrato de dois anos com o Cruzeiro, é bem tranquilo. Primeiro lugar, vai chegar a proposta ao Cruzeiro, depois conversamos – concluiu sem citar valores monetários.

O início de Rafael Sobis no Cruzeiro deu esperanças à torcida celeste. Ao lado de Ramon Ábila, o atacante foi titular absoluto durante várias rodadas do Campeonato Brasileiro do ano passado e ajudou a Raposa a se livrar do rebaixamento. Além disso, sua atuação foi determinante na conquista do penta da Copa do Brasil, quando se tornou o terceiro maior artilheiro da história do clube na competição, ao marcar cinco gols.

Para contar com o jogador, o Cruzeiro pagou R$ 17 milhões, valor bem acima do oferecido pelo clube mexicano. Apesar de ser o artilheiro do time nesta temporada, com 16 gols em 49 jogos, Rafael Sobis já foi alvo de inúmeras críticas da torcida, principalmente no período em que viveu um jejum de 17 partidas sem balançar as redes. A fase oscilante pode adiantar a saída do jogador.

Contratado pela Raposa ao Tigres (MEX) em 2016, Rafael Sobis terá seus direitos ligados ao clube até dezembro de 2019, quando termina o vínculo. O nome da equipe interessada no jogador é mantido em sigilo pelas partes envolvidas e a diretoria ainda aguarda um documento oficial para se manifestar a respeito da situação do atacante.

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Many Everton fans have been slamming the performance of Fabian Delph in their game against his former club Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The midfielder did not enjoy his return to the Etihad Stadium as he was hauled off after just 63 minutes for Salomon Rondon, with the score at 2-0 to the hosts thanks to a cool finish from Raheem Sterling after a sublime pass from Joao Cancelo in the first half, and a rocket from Rodri after the interval.

Bernardo Silva added a third goal late on when Delph was no longer on the pitch, but some Everton fans thought that he should have done better to try and block the shot from the Spaniard for the second goal as it rifled into the back of Jordan Pickford’s net.

Delph failed to block any of City’s shots in the match and also failed to record a single interception or tackle, while losing out on all three of his duels (SofaScore).

Everton fans hammer Delph

These Everton supporters slammed Delph’s performance on Twitter, with one Toffee fans claiming that the 32-year-old was ‘pathetic’ against the Premier League champions:

“#delph not good enough, sorry”

Credit: @Cstyles1878

“Allan is so sloppy and Delph do me a favour, go as far as you can from Goodison”

Credit: @abbot551

“Delph just stopped then, pathetic.”

Credit: @GOT_Micknick

“Allan air shot. Delph air shot. Bunch of clowns.”

Credit: @rulitos14

“Is Delph playing for City???”

Credit: @g4j4s4

“Delph is playing against us”

Credit: @Evertxn

In other news, find out what stadium news has left these Evertonians gushing

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will be without one of his standout performers since the 41-year-old’s arrival last month on Sunday as they host Midlands rivals Leicester City.

What’s the latest? 

Speaking in his press conference, Gerrard confirmed that left-back Matt Targett will face a late fitness test before the Villa boss makes a decision on whether or not to include the 26-year-old against Leicester.

The 41-year-old said: “Matty Targett will probably struggle for this game, but we’ll make a late decision on him.”

The defender was taken off in the 67th minute during the Midlanders’ clash with Manchester City on Wednesday night due to a head injury and therefore faces a race against time to be available to face the Foxes.

Leon Bailey is a confirmed absentee for the game, with Gerrard also sweating on the fitness of Danny Ings (Birmingham Live) as Villa face the prospect of being without several valuable players this weekend.

Gerrard will be gutted

Villa have been excellent during Gerrard’s short time at the helm, winning twice and losing narrowly to Manchester City. One of the key factors to the former Liverpool captain’s instant success has been the performances of Targett at left-back, who has been a standout performer in the last couple of games.

The 26-year-old was rated 8.1 by SofaScore in Gerrard’s first game, a 2-0 win over Brighton, and then scored the opener in their 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace last week.

This is a stark contrast to his start to the campaign under former manager Dean Smith, where the defender’s performances were under par, particularly against Watford on the opening day as he was withdrawn at half-time after a tricky test against Ismalia Sarr.

Villa do have a natural replacement in Ashley Young, but the 36-year-old has started just one Premier League game at left-back this term, also being deployed as a winger and central midfielder on occasion.

However, the £900k-rated veteran has also vastly improved under Gerrard, recording his two assists to date this season against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

It appears that Targett won’t beat the race against time to be fit for the Leicester clash, which is a significant blow to Gerrard, who will be gutted if he has to do without the 26-year-old. Villa fans shouldn’t panic though, as in Young they have a vastly experienced replacement to fill in at left-back.

In other news – Forget McGinn: Gerrard must stick with £52k-p/w Villa beast dubbed “better than Pogba”

Crystal Palace welcome Wolves to Selhurst Park in the Premier League this afternoon as they look to extend their unbeaten run to six games.

Patrick Vieira’s charges secured a famous victory over reigning champions Manchester City last week, providing them with a huge confidence boost coming into today’s clash.

Talisman Wilfried Zaha and loanee Conor Gallagher grabbed the goals in that memorable 2-0 win over the Cityzens, lifting the south Londoners up to 13th as a result.

In Friday’s press conference, Vieira confirmed that he has no fresh injury issues to contend with ahead of Wolves’ visit, but the fixture has come too soon for Eberechi Eze to make his first team comeback.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the Eagles to line up today, with two changes from the side which started at the Etihad Stadium…

The ever-dependable Vicente Guaita will start between the sticks for Palace as he goes in search of a second successive clean sheet.

Ahead of the Spanish shot-stopper will be what has now become a very settled back four for Vieira’s side. Tyrick Mitchell and Joel Ward will line up either side of this season’s new centre-back partnership of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen.

In midfield, Cheikhou Kouyate could make way for club captain Luka Milivojevic at the base of the engine room, providing a solid foundation for Gallagher and James McArthur to join the attack. The Senegal midfielder may have been preferred over the Serbian last week due to his superior tackling and interception figures against a free-scoring City outfit, but the skipper could get the nod this time around.

Completing the starting XI is an exciting trio of Zaha, Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise, which means that the £7.2m-rated Jordan Ayew would drop to the bench.

The Ghanaian was preferred to Olise against City due to his defensive work and impressive pressing skills, but the 19-year-old has bagged one goal and provided two assists in just 139 minutes of Premier League action this season, making him likely to feature from the off today.

In other news… £10.1m in the bank: Parish sealed dream CPFC deal over “quality” £29k-p/w beast

The Bangladesh captain said the team had been playing good cricket in the past seven to eight months

Cricinfo staff24-Jul-2009

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said his side’s Test series win in the West Indies will lead to more consistency in their performance. The team, he said, had been knocking on the doors of a big win for some time and were confident it was round the corner.Mortaza was speaking on his return to Bangladesh, his tour cut short by a knee injury that ruled him out of the second Test and the ODI series.”We did something which never happened to Bangladesh cricket,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I was not playing for the most part. Our cricket can only go forward from here. We are not going to win every game from now on but I believe you will see more consistency because the boys have confidence and belief in their abilities.”He said the team put the loss to Ireland in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup behind them. “We have been playing good cricket for seven-eight months. We pushed teams like New Zealand and Sri Lanka really close and the players were confident that a result was just around the corner. One Twenty20 loss to Ireland doesn’t wipe out the good cricket we played before that.”Bangladesh’s win came against a severely weakened West Indies side, the hosts ravaged by an internal contracts dispute, but Mortaza wasn’t about to let it take the gloss off the result. “We had planned for Gayle and the rest but then their line-up changed. We couldn’t do anything about that and decided to stick to the same plan against players we didn’t know much about. We executed our plan really well and it worked.”Mortaza praised the effort of the top-order batsmen in the series, an area of worry for Bangladesh recently. “That had been one of our areas of concern in the past but Tamim (Iqbal) was excellent in the opening slot. Imrul (Kayes), Zunaed and some others may not have made big runs to show but balanced that by staying at the crease for long periods. Spending time at the wicket is decisive in Test cricket.”Mortaza was unsure about the details of his injury, and said he would travel to Australia to receive treatment. “I’m still not sure about the extent of the damage. I’ve heard that there could be a bit of internal bleeding probably. I will have to travel abroad and get it checked and we’ll see whether a surgery is required or not. But I’m confident that I would return to cricket pretty soon.”Fast bowler Shahadat Hossain, who also returned to Bangladesh after being omitted from the ODI team, admitted it was not a memorable Test series for him. “I am disappointed with my bowling. We played on wickets where you had to bowl long spells to get wickets. I didn’t do that and that’s probably the reason why I wasn’t successful. The pitches are slow in the Caribbean and we have Shakib who is super and then (Abdur) Razzak, Riyad (Mahmud Ullah) and Naeem (Islam). I expect the spinners to do well in the ODIs.”Newcomer Sahgir Hossain did not get to play in any of the Tests, but was happy to be part of the winning national team. “Obviously I would have been happier if I had played but the feeling of winning a Test series on my first trip with the National team is still a most memorable experience,” he said.