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Scorecard
Scotland won by way of the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-affected game against Namibia in Windhoek. After choosing to bat, Namibia got themselves into a good position thanks to half-centuries from opener Christi Viljoen and No.3 Sarel Burger. The pair added 102 for the second wicket and at 151 for 1, Namibia looked good to reach a formidable score. But Richie Berrington dismissed Viljoen for 78 and offspinner Majid Haq accounted for Louis van der Westhuizen, who had begun well with a quickfire 24 that included two sixes.It went downhill for Namibia from there, as Haq had Burger caught for 58. The last eight wickets fell for 73 runs and the side was bowled out for 257, much lower than Namibia would have liked after their second-wicket stand. Haq finished with 3 for 66 and though he was expensive, he was well supported by the others who were largely economical.Scotland lost Kyle Coetzer in the second over of the chase but opener Fraser Watts and Calum MacLeod put on 80 in good time to get their team on track. After MacLeod left for 46 off 48 balls, Watts was joined by Josh Davey who didn’t allow the required-rate to dip. Watts finished with an unbeaten 46 and Davey not out on 35 as Scotland’s chase was halted by rain after 26 overs. They had reached 137 for 2, well ahead of what they needed at that stage according to Duckworth-Lewis calculations.The second ODI will also be played in Windhoek on Thursday.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirat Kohli, who played a key role in RCB’s chase, celebrates an extraordinary finish•Associated Press

Arun Karthik produced the six most important runs of his 15-match Twenty20 career off the last ball of the CLT20 league phase to propel Royal Challengers Bangalore past South Australia Redbacks in a game that had everything except for a Super-Over finish. It featured an astonishing century from Daniel Harris – only the third in Champions League history. It had a five-for from Shaun Tait, in a game where 429 runs came off 40 overs. It also featured sublime stroke play from Virat Kohli, who played his best T20 innings. It had strong helping hands from Callum Ferguson and Tillakaratne Dilshan.It all boiled down to the last ball, off which six were needed, and Karthik stepped up to smash Daniel Christian into the stands beyond midwicket. The crowd went up as one, the RCB dug-out exploded in joy, and even the usually laidback Chris Gayle walked out shirtless with a broad smile.In a game that unfolded like a Hitchcock whodunit, it was fitting that the winning blow came off the bat of someone who was playing only because AB de Villiers was injured. At the other end was S Aravind, the worst bowler of the day, who got close to redemption with a boundary off the third ball of that electric final over. Christian bowled a slower ball on the fourth, which Aravind slogged for two, making it seven needed off the last two. Aravind couldn’t connect with the fifth, but the batsmen scrambled through for a bye. Six needed off one, and Christian delivered a slower ball as hittable as Chetan Sharma’s infamous full toss to Javed Miandad in Sharjah. Karthik coolly stayed in his crease and heaved with all his might over midwicket to become a hero.It was heartbreak for the Redbacks, who had somehow regrouped after a virtually unstoppable 100-run stand between Kohli and Dilshan off 8.5 overs. By the time Kohli fell, he had reduced the equation to 50 off the last five overs, but RCB’s light-weight middle order gave the Redbacks a chance. Nathan Lyon piled on the pressure with a four-run 16th over, but Tait ceded the advantage with two sixes in the 17th, though he managed to dismiss Saurabh Tiwary. The next over from Aaron O’Brien also produced two sixes and a wicket, making it 18 required off 12 balls. Tait then lasered Dilshan’s stumps with a stunning yorker and got Daniel Vettori to miscue, before completing his five-for with Raju Bhatkal’s wicket. That set up the last-over climax, Christian blinked after five balls, and Karthik held his nerve to complete the first win for an IPL side against an Australian team.The performances from Tait and Karthik dominated the ending, but the contest got its substance from Harris and Kohli. Both produced innings that had no business featuring in an unabashed exhibition for T20 batting. Harris’ effort stood out for the shots he didn’t play – he went almost 18 overs without trying to hit a six, and yet coasted to a century with time to spare. Kohli’s was elevated by the shots he chose to play. Faced with an asking-rate nearing 11, and with Gayle dismissed, Kohli unfurled a series of astonishingly correct strokes.Equally telling were the chalk-and-cheese support acts from Ferguson and Dilshan. With the spinners pulling things back after Harris’ Powerplay boundary blitz, Ferguson took his time settling in before opening up in style. Dilshan, on the other hand, ignited RCB’s chase with a series of outrageous strokes, which included a couple of trademark scoops.Gayle was more subdued at the start, but he gradually found his range to muscle three sixes, before Michael Klinger caught him in the deep even as he collided grievously with Tom Cooper. Kohli walked in like he belonged in the cauldron, and opened his account with a pulled six through wide long-on. The slowness of the pitch and the variations of the Redbacks attack could not stop him from hitting through the line, and repeatedly in front of the wicket. He charged out to O’Brien and launched him with the turn over long-off, before carving Richardson for the shot of the day – an inside-out six into the stands behind extra-cover. He then gave Harris a taste of his own medicine, taking him for two sixes and three fours in the 13th over to put RCB on course for a heist.The script was completely different in the first half of the match as, for the second night on the trot, an IPL side took a hiding from an Australian batsman. Aravind’s pathetic lengths made this considerably easy – he finished with figures of 4-0-69-0, the second worst in T20 history – but that could not take any credit away from Harris.The floodgates opened in the second over, when Aravind sent down a series of slow freebies angled into the hitting zone. Harris gratefully opened up his stance and carved boundaries straight, square and fine through the off side to set the Redbacks on their way. Kohli missed a run-out in the next over, and Harris celebrated by smashing seven of his next eight balls for fours. Vettori daringly persisted with Aravind for the fourth over, only to see him repeat his predictable lengths from either side of the stumps. Harris indulged himself to move to 43 off 19 balls by the fourth over, and Vettori was left playing catch-up for the remaining 16.With the spinners coming on, Harris settled into cruise-mode, while Ferguson assuredly got his eye in. Just when the momentum seemed to be flagging a touch Aravind returned, and the Redbacks resumed their run-glut. Having taken two fours and a six off Aravind’s 16th over, Ferguson thumped Nannes emphatically for a six off the first ball off the 17th. He holed out in the 18th over, prompting Harris to finally attempt a big hit. He pounded Bhatkal over midwicket for his first six, before dumping Nannes behind square-leg to bring up the century. Incredibly, Aravind got the 20th over, and Christian duly bludgeoned five more fours to take the Redbacks to 214.Twenty overs later, Christian and Aravind had their roles reversed. And how.

ScorecardEngland’s women continued their dominance over South Africa, winning the opening Twenty20 in Potchefstroom easily after having sealed the ODI series 3-0. Sarah Taylor and captain Charlotte Edwards shared an aggressive 96-run second-wicket partnership that ensured England chased South Africa’s 128 with time to spare.After reaching a middling total, South Africa struck in the first over of the chase. But it was a false dawn, as Taylor and Edwards took the game away from them. Taylor was the aggressor, smashing nine fours in her 50 off 33 balls. Edwards hit five boundaries and a six herself, on the way to 49. Both were dismissed in quick succession but by then England were well ahead of the asking-rate, and cruised home.South Africa had stuttered early in their innings, after electing to bat, and were reduced to 49 for 3. The run-rate stayed at around five an over till the 15th before Alison Hodgkinson launched a late onslaught. Hodgkinson hit seven fours and a six in her 51 and got South Africa to a competitive total but England made light work of it.Taylor was awarded the Player-of-the-Match award but said it was the bowlers who had won the game for England. “There was some great boundary-hitting from both teams today. Even the good balls went for four,” she said. “I feel in good nick and it was good to bat with Charlotte but the bowlers did the work for us today by restricting South Africa.”It’s a nice wicket and if you get your hands through the ball it just goes flying to the boundary; it’s such a quick outfield.”The second Twenty20 is on October 29 in Potchefstroom.

Rahul Dravid has called for cricket’s players and administrators to tackle the game’s challenges by taking decisions that would always “respect the fan.” He was delivering the annual Bradman Oration on Wednesday, the first cricketer from outside Australia invited to do so in the ten-year history of the event.The 40-minute speech, delivered at the Anzac Hall at the National War Memorial, Canberra, urged the game’s stakeholders to remember that “everything that has given cricket its power and influence in the world of sports has started from that fan in the stadium.”Dravid said players needed to think of the fans when they played the game, in terms of conduct, intensity and integrity. Administrators, he believed, needed to keep the viewing public in mind when they tried to handle the trickiest of the challenges, balancing the three formats in cricket.”They [the fans] deserve our respect and let us not take them for granted. Disrespecting fans is disrespecting the game. The fans have stood by our game through everything. When we play, we need to think of them. As players, the balance between competitiveness and fairness can be tough but it must be found.”Dravid said he had been surprised to see grounds half-full during the India v England ODI series in October which to him was an indicator that there had been a “change in temperature” in Indian cricket over the last two years. “Whatever the reasons are – maybe it is too much cricket or too little by way of comfort for spectators – the fan has sent us a message and we must listen…Let us not be so satisfied with the present, with deals and finances in hand that we get blindsided.”
The administrators’ biggest challenge in terms of retaining public interest and support of the game all over the world was, he said, to work out a sensible road-map for the game’s three formats. An alternate plan giving every game context and relevance would have to be worked out because, “the three formats cannot be played in equal numbers – that will only throw scheduling and the true development of players completely off gear. Cricket must find a middle path,” he said.”It must scale down this mad merry-go-round that teams and players find themselves in: heading off for two-Test tours and seven-match ODI series with a few Twenty20s thrown in.”Dravid described Test cricket as “the gold standard” and the form that the players most wanted to play, ODI cricket had kept the game’s revenues going for three decades while T20 was the format the fans wanted to see. Despite the popularity of T20, Dravid said, “Test cricket deserves to be protected, it is what the world’s best know they will be judged by”.”Where I come from, nation versus nation is what got people interested in cricket in the first place. When I hear the news that a country is playing without some of its best players, I always wonder, what do their fans think?”He said the popularity of Test cricket could be reflected not so much in packed grounds but how its most loyal fans followed the scores. “We may not fill 65,000 capacity stadiums for Test matches, but we must actively fight to get as many as we can in, to create a Test match environment that the players and the fans feed off. Anything but the sight of Tests played on empty grounds.It was where the administrators had to ensure that teams played, “Test cricket that people can watch,” and ensure that Tests, “fit into 21st century life, through timing, environments and the venues they are held in.” He supported discussions around day-night Tests and a Test championship, despite anxieties over its financial difficulties. He spoke of playing a day night first-class game for the MCC in Abu Dhabi which left him convinced, “day-night Tests is an idea seriously worth exploring. There may be some challenges in places where there is dew but the visibility and durability of the pink cricket ball was not an issue.”Dravid also said that a Test championship would encourage every team and player to deliver strong performances in every match, with context provided for every Test. At the moment, there is an ICC Test rankings table but the inaugural Test championship will not be held until 2017, when Dravid will be 44 years old. The ICC had hoped to bring the championship forward to 2013 and use it to replace the Champions Trophy, but commitments to the broadcaster and sponsors meant that could not be done. Dravid said he was against the idea of scrapping ODIs altogether but believed that events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy should be the focus, with other ODIs contributing to rankings for those events.”Since about, I think 1985, people have been saying that there is too much meaningless one-day cricket,” he said. “Maybe it’s finally time to do something about it … Anything makes more sense than seven-match ODI series.” More context for matches might also help draw crowds back to the game. Dravid said he had been surprised to see the lack of spectators at an ODI series featuring India this year and he described the sight of empty stands as “alarming”.Dravid said that even if fans were watching on television, the experience was not the same. And that, he argued, could have consequences in the long term. “Whatever the reasons are – maybe it is too much cricket or too little by way of comfort for spectators. The fan has sent us a message and we must listen. This is not mere sentimentality. Empty stands do not make for good television. Bad television can lead to a fall in ratings, the fall in ratings will be felt by media planners and advertisers’ looking elsewhere.”If that happens, it is hard to see television rights around cricket being as sought after as they have always been in the last 15 years. And where does that leave everyone?”

Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s interim coach, has said that his team’s series against England in the UAE will be more than just a battle between spinners. He also said Pakistan had enough talent to make up for the advantage England have in terms of experience and team balance.”It won’t be a battle between spinners only, because both teams have a good spin and pace attack,” Mohsin said on the first day of Pakistan’s camp in Lahore. “I can say proudly that Saeed Ajmal is probably the best offspinner in the world. We have Abdur Rehman, and [Mohammad] Hafeez plays an important role. They have Swann, and Panesar is also there. But the pressure, I feel, is on batsmen from both the sides.”Pakistan’s Test players began a four-day training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium ahead of the three Tests against England. “The basic aim of organising the camp is to bring the boys back into rhythm as we have a very important series ahead of us,” Mohsin said. “The players were given a brief rest after the tour of Bangladesh because we have been playing cricket consistently.” Pakistan had only a three-day gap between the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE and the tour of Bangladesh, which ended on December 21.Pakistan have ample experience of conditions in the UAE, which has become a successful offshore venue for them after the suspension of international cricket in Pakistan because of the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. England, who are coming off a long break from international cricket, will warm up for the series with two practice matches before the first Test in Dubai on January 17.”We know we have tough opposition,” Mohsin said. “They [England] are the No. 1 ranked team in the world. I must admit the balance of the England team is very good – their pace attack, their spin attack, their batting order is very good and experienced one. We don’t have an experienced combination like they do. But I must say our team is very talented and the captain [Misbah-ul-Haq] is very sensible. We do have a good pace and spin attack, and depth in the batting order.”Pakistan had a successful 2011 but Mohsin said the team would not be complacent and would play positive cricket according to the situation. “Aggressiveness and safety is planned according to the conditions. You go game to game, especially in Test matches. There are three sessions in one day and I break it in three pieces. So my basic purpose is to play positive cricket in each session and every player has to give 100%. Whether it’s England or any other team, we will go for a win.”

Central Zone booked their place in the final of the Duleep Trophy on the basis of a first-innings lead over South Zone at Chepauk. They had reached an impregnable position at the end of the third day, and continued batting on the fourth. Robin Bist stretched his score to 160, Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with 85 and Piyush Chawla made 53. Central declared on 530 for 8, setting South 641 to win. In the 39 overs that followed, South ended on 152 for 2, captain S Badrinath making an unbeaten 58.East Zone also advanced to the final of the Duleep Trophy by way of a first-innings lead over North Zone in Delhi. Their overnight batsmen Manish Vardhan and Anustup Majumdar batted the bulk of the fourth day, scoring centuries and stretching East’s lead to 347. Vardhan scored his fourth first-class ton and Majumdar his third in a row. North reached 126 for 3 in the 33 overs they played out on the final day.East and Central will play the final in Indore on February 12.

Shaun Marsh’s 79 in the Shield game against Queensland has pleased national coach Mickey Arthur, but Marsh will need sustained performance in first-class cricket if he is to make it to the West Indies trip, Arthur said. At the same time, the national team is keen to give Peter Forrest a few games in the triangular ODI series to test another option. Also, Shane Watson begins playing grade cricket this week, and if he recovers well he could provide more competition for Marsh’s slot as there is a fair chance Watson might be allowed to bat lower down the order when does come back.”I was very pleased for Shaun,” Arthur said. “Shaun has been through some really tough times over the last two months. His confidence took a little bit of a knock. I spoke to him last night and it’s really good to hear that he was a lot chirpier and a lot more upbeat. Amazing what a couple of runs do for you.”Arthur said Marsh’s way back was through Shield cricket and not ODIs. “That would be his path for the West Indies,” Arthur said. “He will have to keep knocking the door with the weight of shield runs. Confident he is going to do that, and I am hoping he does.”Shield is a really good breeding ground for young players. And Shaun needs to get his runs and get his form and his confidence back in the Shield. We will see how things unfolds later in the one-day series, but for now we are content to see him get runs in the Shield consistently and doing it day after day and putting himself in the frame for West Indies.”Arthur also wants to have a look at Forrest before West Indies. “We do need to see Peter Forrest at some stage,” he said. “We haven’t given it too much thought; that’s tomorrow’s problem. Likely Peter Forrest might get a go. We still got to have a lot of discussion around that. I am not sure where he fits in, but we will have some discussion leading up to the game.”It is heartening for Australia that Watson is making a comeback to fitness. “It’s been frustrating for us and frustrating for Shane, it really has,” Arthur said. “I speak to Shane weekly and just keep track of where he is, and I guess it would be true to say that we thought we would have Shane back a lot earlier. We haven’t. But it’s really good because he has built his body up to where it needs to be, and hopefully we can get sustainable performance from Shane once he gets back in. So hope it goes well for him in grade cricket this week, and we can reassess where we think he is and hopefully we can get him back into the one-day competition.”Australia are happy to wait for Watson to get back to full fitness, to a stage where he can both bowl and bat. “I don’t think we can put a timeframe on that [comeback],” Arthur said. “We’ve got to be happy, and he’s got to be happy. He’s got to be happy that his body can sustain batting and bowling. I’m not sure. As long as we’re all happy and he fits the bill, then I’m sure we’ll consider bringing him back in.”Arthur indicated Watson might not be needed to open in Tests again once he does come back. “He can bat anywhere,” Arthur said. “I think ultimately he’ll bat down the order and bowl at some stage. We need to have that discussion. We’ve broached it once or twice before but [there’s been] nothing definite. It’s where best he fits for us and where best it fits for him. He’s going to be doing some bowling and Michael [Clarke] has used him wisely through the period that he had him before this summer. It’s how he can sustain that bowling and open the batting that’s going to be the question.”Fitness-wise, Australia have more good news around the corner. They are expecting James Pattinson back towards the final stage of the ODI triangular, and Pat Cummins is on his way back too. “Pattinson bowled at us [in the nets] in Melbourne, so he’s coming back,” Arthur said. “Pattinson we could see at the back end of the one-day series. Cummins we probably won’t see until West Indies time. If we’re comfortable that he’s done everything possible, we’re comfortable to select him…”Arthur didn’t rule out Brad Haddin’s comeback into the side despite Matthew Wade’s promising start to his international career. Haddin could possibly play a few ODIs in the middle stages of the ODI series. “I couldn’t commit to that just yet,” Arthur said. “There’s been talk for it, yes, but again it will be results-driven and how everyone’s going at that time. Brad is certainly nowhere near out of the equation. We still regard Brad very highly.”I thought he was okay, he did the job through the Indian series. He would have liked a little bit more runs but didn’t get that much opportunity to get massive scores because our top order generally did the job. Good to see Wadey pushing him. It’s likely we’ll take two keepers to the West Indies anyway, so it will be a nice little internal battle going on and I look forward to seeing who comes up trumps out of that.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has suggested the ICC executive board evolve a consensus among cricket boards on the recommendations of the Woolf report on cricket’s global governance before deciding whether to implement it or not.This comes a week after Cricket Australia said the ICC executive board would be “silly” to simply reject the recommendations of the Woolf report; that itself was a reaction to the Indian board’s objections.”We are studying it and it isn’t that bad,” Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “If you look at it in a broader form, it can prove useful for international cricket. Obviously there are reservations but those need to be debated instead of being rejected outright.”I have suggested to the ICC that it make a consensus report after taking inputs from all member boards so that the recommendations are implemented amicably for the betterment of world cricket.”The PCB has called a governing board meeting on March 1, with the Woolf report one of the main points on the agenda. The PCB will then write back to the ICC with its detailed observations on the report.”I am studying it, and our lawyers are assessing all aspects of the report, and we will definitely respond to ICC. But there is no point in rejecting this report at all, obviously there are certain points that need to be debated before approval but that has to be discussed… there are several points positive for international cricket.”The ICC, at its meeting last month, also recommended splitting the role of the president with a new chairman’s post from 2014, and deferred the nomination of Bangladesh’s Mustafa Kamal as vice-president. The recommendations create a new system whereby the presidency will be an ambassadorial role, appointed on a one-year rotational basis, while the chairman will lead the board.”Though the resolution was brought up by India and England, that is their own view, which is yet to reach a consensus in the board. And I think some more debate has to be carried out on this (presidential issue) with a cool mind.””Apart from this, there are so many things that are scrapped and never implemented – most notably playing bilateral series and obviously for many boards it’s a concern. For Pakistan, hosting international cricket is the main concern. India don’t always fulfill their bilateral commitments and they hardly play against the weaker teams. I think cricket needs to be expanded.”

Match facts

Friday, April 6, Jaipur
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Rahul Dravid is without the services of his ace-man Shane Watson for the first half of the season•AFP

Big picture

While the richer teams have grown stronger with big-name buys during the 2012 auction, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab have been slowly pushed to a second-tier status in the IPL. However, under captains Rahul Dravid and Adam Gilchrist, both teams are capable of punching above their weight.Dravid was an automatic choice for captain after the departure of Shane Warne and he will be intent on making an impression on Kings XI as much as on his own team. His first job will be to shape the team according to his vision, after the leadership of Warne, who was synonymous with brand Royals. Dravid can take cues from his opposite number Gilchrist, who hasn’t been the force he used to be with the bat, but led Deccan Chargers to a title and has extracted performances from little known players, Paul Valthaty for example, after moving to Kings XI.A win in the opening game is important for Royals because their next three matches are against strong teams and any points from this game will provide that initial boost. Kings XI will look to do the same and identify who their superstar this season will be.The match will also have a bowl-off between Sreesanth and Praveen Kumar. Sreesanth, who joined Royals this year, has the opportunity to score points over a jaded Praveen, who appeared ineffective in international matches in Australia and Bangladesh.

Players to watch

With performances belying his 41 years, Brad Hogg was the leading spinner in this year’s Big Bash League, taking 13 wickets. Using his mix of chinaman deliveries and googlies, Hogg could fill the void left by Warne in the Rajasthan attack.Punjab spent $200,000 to buy the services of Azhar Mahmood, the only player who has played for Pakistan* in this IPL. That could prove to be a bargain as Mahmood can be dangerous with bat and ball.

2011 head-to-head

Kings XI won their only match against Royals last year, a 48-run win set up by Shaun Marsh’s 42-ball 71.

Stats and trivia

• Brad Hodge, who is now part of the Royals, is the second-highest run-getter in Twenty20 cricket, only 44 behind David Hussey’s 4270.
• Azhar Mahmood is one of four players* to have more than 100 wickets and 2000 runs in the Twenty20 format.
• Royals and Kings XI have played seven games against each other and the head-to-head record is 4-3 in Royals’ favour.

Quotes

“Warnie’s absence is undoubtedly a big loss. In the first four years he has done a lot for the team. But this time the responsibility is on Rahul Dravid. Having so much experience, even Dravid knows how to handle the situations and we are ready for the challenge. We have players who have performed well in all formats of the game. The seniors like Rahul, Sreesanth and I will also ensure that we play our part right and help the team perform in the tournament.”

“There are bigger hitters than me in the IPL, but I realise that the pressure will definitely be on me since I’ve done well last year, and I’m ready for it. I won’t change the way I play and will approach my batting in the same fashion – strokes and all – and hope to have the same results”
An IPL 2011 success story, Paul Valthaty, will have the weight of expectation this time round. *April 6, 19:30 GMT: The article earlier said that Azhar Mahmood is the only player to take more than 100 wickets and score more than 2000 runs in Twenty20 cricket.*04:44 GMT, April 6: The article had stated that Azhar Mahmood was the only Pakistan-born player in this IPL. This has been corrected.Edited by George Binoy

Bangladesh’s hunt for a head coach may prove easier this time, with one candidate throwing his hat in the ring and another acknowledging he was considering an offer. This, even before the board has formally advertised the vacancy left by Stuart Law – a sea change from the past, and credited to Bangladesh’s recent successes on the field and off it.Days after Dean Jones, the former Australia batsman tweeted that he’d been contacted by the board and was considering the offer, Dermot Reeve, the former England allrounder, said he was keen to succeed Law when he steps down at the end of June. It is also understood that some of Law’s current colleagues on the coaching staff are interested in replacing him.Reeve, 49, has coached Somerset and Central Districts in New Zealand and has also been bowling coach of the New Zealand Twenty20 side and of Pune Warriors in the IPL. He is currently working as a television commentator and says there hasn’t been an offer laid on the table.”Yes, I would be very interested in the job,” Reeve told ESPNcricinfo, “but there have been no offers or formal talks or anything like that. Coaching Bangladesh would be a wonderful opportunity. I honestly believe they will win world cups one day and there is no reason it shouldn’t start with the World T20 in Sri Lanka in September.”There is a huge amount of talent within the Bangladesh set-up. Shakib Al Hasan is ranked the No. 1 allrounder in the world in Tests and ODIs; others can do that if they follow his commitment and acquire his mental toughness. They just need absolute, total belief and some fine tuning to turn them into one of the world’s leading sides.”According to the BCB, the candidates will be asked to send in their applications with a forwarding letter to the acting CEO, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, by May 15.The board’s cricket operations committee chairman Enayet Hossain Siraj said that they have only just begun the process so there’s no question of a favourite, but he was happy to learn that coaches are interested in the job.”This is a positive [development] and think it has come about, firstly, through the BPL, where the foreign coaches understood that the working environment in Bangladesh is favourable,” Siraj said. “Second, of course, is the Asia Cup performance of the team where the world has learned that success is possible for Bangladesh.”We have only just started to look for a coach so by the deadline we have provided, we will draw up a shortlist and then process our requirements.”It’s a far cry from the BCB’s past struggles to find a coach. After Dav Whatmore left the job in 2007, the BCB made Shaun Williams the interim coach and only after Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the former national captain, intervened and traced Jamie Siddons did he take the job. The appointment of Law, too, had its problems as he was keen on having roles in the Twenty20 tournaments apart from holding the Bangladesh job. Other candidates sounded out at the time wanted the option of being able to have a freelance role during the off season.