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James Pattinson’s international future is clouded, after scans showed a worrying recurrence of shin stress problems, following his exertions for Australia in their recent Test series victory in New Zealand

Daniel Brettig01-Mar-20161:02

Cloud over Pattinson’s immediate future

Fast bowler James Pattinson’s international future is clouded, after scans showed a recurrence of shin stress problems, following his exertions for Australia in their recent Test series victory in New Zealand.”James had a recurrence of his left shin soreness following the second Test in Christchurch and had follow-up scans in Melbourne yesterday,” Australia physio David Beakley said. “These scans have shown some inflammation around the shin consistent with bone stress. James will now require some time off to allow this injury to resolve and will not be available for the remainder of the domestic cricket season.”After working to find his rhythm in Wellington, Pattinson bowled with pace, hostility and accuracy in Christchurch, while also gaining useful reverse swing. However his demanding stints at Hagley Oval, including one eight-over spell in which he claimed two vital wickets, have taken a toll.The shin soreness had been a problem for Pattinson earlier in the summer. Following the West Indies series, he was unavailable for Big Bash League and Sheffield Shield duty until immediately before the New Zealand tour began. He had admitted previously that he was gambling on his maturing body being able to cope with the stresses of his action, which has been modified several times in order to try to reduce chances of an injury.After his debut against New Zealand in November 2011, Pattinson was first ruled out of Australian duty by a foot stress fracture at the SCG in January 2012. He did not return to the team until South Africa’s visit in November of the same year, whereupon he suffered a torn side in Adelaide and resumed on the tour of India the following year. He then suffered further injury during the Lord’s Ashes Test, and was out of Test cricket until the third Test of the 2014 tour of South Africa due to a back stress fracture.Having bowled well there, Pattinson was found to have suffered the early signs of more back stress, and was again kept out of international cricket for a long time, not playing a Test again until Hobart against the West Indies last December.

In the shadow of Sunil Narine’s action being reported, it will be interesting to see how Kolkata Knight Riders respond against Rajasthan Royals

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria25-Apr-2015Match factsSunday, April 26, 2015
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)Big pictureThe news of Sunil Narine’s action being reported again would have come as a distraction for Kolkata Knight Riders amid their preparation for the home game against Rajasthan Royals, but judging on how their campaign has gone till now, they are in slightly better state than they were in the Champions League T20 last year when they lost Narine just before the final. With their fast bowlers – Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav – in good wicket-taking form, Narine’s lack of wickets has not affected them. In Johan Botha and Azhar Mahmood, they have two experienced T20 campaigners waiting to fill in the gaps. The issue, however, is still grating and it will be interesting to see how Knight Riders respond.Royals, who lost two out of their three home games in Ahmedabad, are now on the move again and wouldn’t mind a Narine-less attack. The Eden Gardens pitch this year will also be to their liking; it has a good for batting this year, unlike the slow-turner it used to be. But after being strangled by Royal Challengers Bangalore, they need to prove to themselves that their policy of not holding back with the bat is one worth holding on to.Form guideKolkata Knight Riders LWWLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals LLWWWWatch out for…Gautam Gambhir has been in top form this season as well. With three half-centuries, he is already the team’s leading run-scorer, and has helped keep one end solid every time Robin Uthappa has fallen early. The most-prolific four-hitter in the IPL, he is also just one hit short of becoming only the third batsman to reach 3000 IPL runs.The day Tim Southee was running through the England side during the World Cup, Chris Morris was helping Lions take a first-innings lead in Johannesburg with a fifty after a wicketless spell the previous day. Two months later, he is now the lynchpin of the Rajasthan Royals bowling attack and has pipped Southee as the first-choice seamer. He has been good both at the start and the end of the innings, bowling with pace, and without, as per team needs. His angle and bounce will be key in neutralising the prolific Gambhir.Stats and trivia Deepak Hooda has faced 56 balls in this IPL, the same number as Stuart Binny and Karun Nair, but has scored 117 runs, 55 and 46 more than the other two. Sanju Samson has faced 73 deliveries, but has scored only 68 runs Gautam Gambhir has the most fifties in all Twenty20s without ever getting to a century. He is fourth overall for most 50-plus scores in T20 format Quotes”We have the firepower, we have the guys who can take the score to 200 in the back end of the game. The starts have been excellent so far; we messed up only one start so far. “

Bangladesh Under-19s won their first game on tour, beating Sri Lanka Under-19s by 39 runs in the third ODI in Colombo, after the home side had won the first two games

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2015
ScorecardBangladesh Under-19s won their first game on tour, beating Sri Lanka Under-19s by 39 runs in the third ODI in Colombo, after the home side had won the first two games.Batting first, Bangladesh rode on half centuries from Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Zakir Hasan to post 251 for 6 in 50 overs. Shanto made 69 while Zakir struck 62 off 46 balls.In reply, the home side were bowled out for 212 runs in 47.2 overs with Charith Asalanka making 83. This was his third consecutive fifty in the Youth ODI series. Offspinners Mehedy Hasan and Sanjit Saha took three wickets each.

It was a large and varied crowd that turned out to pay tribute to Phillip Hughes in Macksville, with several eminent names thrown in, but the farewell was personal, fitting and a good reminder of the meaning of life

Daniel Brettig in Macksville03-Dec-2014It was Phillip Hughes’ sister Megan who spoke these words, but there was nary a soul in Macksville on Wednesday afternoon who did not feel the same way. From Trinidad to Sydney, from cricket to politics, from close family to far-flung friends, they had assembled for Hughes. Every last one wished they had come to see him bat.The sense of loss was palpable, but so too was one of gratitude. Hughes had shown many of them great lessons in life. In his death playing the game, the example of his life will endure, and in the service that farewelled him, there were plenty to call upon.Neither Macksville nor cricket has seen an event quite like it. Helicopters hovered overhead, a Test match-sized media contingent floated outside the Macksville High assembly hall, and buses conveyed a broad list of dignitaries and figureheads in addition to those who knew Hughes well.For a time it felt as if the rolling cavalcade of notables, including Brian Lara, Virat Kohli, Shane Warne and Australia’s prime minister Tony Abbott, would become too outsized for a gathering designed to celebrate Hughes’ rich life, not ogle over the freakish circumstances of his death. Apart from the 1000 mourners in the hall, many scores more sat on the school’s two ovals to watch on big screens.But the deeply moving words of his family and his friends ensured that Hughes was farewelled in an entirely fitting manner, belying the scale of the event. Personal, teary and insightful, they told the world still more about how Hughes had inspired, well before and well beyond the daring deeds he performed with the bat for his hometown, club, state and country in a career too short.From the eulogy delivered by his cousin Nino Ramunno, to personal letters by his siblings Megan and Jason and a tribute from his friend and cattle-business partner Corey Ireland, the full picture of Hughes emerged. Michael Clarke’s tribute was mournful and emotional but also hopeful, that Hughes would be not only remembered but remain present in the thoughts, words and actions of all cricketers.Ramunno’s recollections said much about Hughes’ cheekiness, his preference for “street smart” over “book smart”, and his happenstance introduction to cricket via Jason, who challenged him to play as a fill-in one day or risk the quintessential sibling jibe of “wuss”. Twenty-five runs on debut were not bad for a tailender, and there would soon be plenty more, even as Ramunno sat on his grade debut through the sorts of questions often asked of Hughes, like “geez he’s small” and “has he got the power to hit the ball off the square”.’Cricket’s heart has been pierced by pain but it will never stop beating’•Getty ImagesBut Hughes’ progress could be measured by the words of Jason, who spoke of his younger brother in ways commonly reserved for an older one. Having given up on ever getting to bat first, Jason bowled to Phillip for hours, covered for him when he once ran away from home for three days to the New South Wales central coast, and was eventually inspired to follow when the younger brother trekked more permanently to Sydney for cricket. They enjoyed a final grade stand together for Western Suburbs – a partnership of 210 against Mosman that drove Jason to follow up by plucking 5 for 19.Ireland showed that there was far more to Hughes’ life than cricket. Not a follower of the game, he admitted to being clueless when a crowd surrounded the then Test opener and his father Greg when they perused Ireland’s collection of cattle at a Royal Easter Show. This comic beginning grew into a friendship that offered one of the more poignant insights of the day. Hughes was forever asking Ireland and his wife about how they met, when they married and how much later they had children. There was more than cricket and cattle in his future.Clarke’s words were always likely to be tinged with sobs, and his lasting sense of disbelief was writ large across an affecting address. Resting a hand on his coffin as he went up to speak, among Clarke’s first words were to express that widely held emotion: “I don’t know about you but I keep looking for him; I know it’s crazy, but I expect any minute to take a call from him or to see him around the corner.”When Clarke ventured out to the SCG on Thursday night following Hughes’ death, to the spot where he fell against New South Wales last Tuesday, he “swore” his friend was with him. Taking a leaf from Australian indigenous lore, Clarke said Hughes spirit had touched the turf, “and it will forever be sacred ground for me”. He suggested that Hughes had embodied the spirit of the game, and concluded with a message remembered from countless innings together with Hughes, when simple messages and reminders are so often best.”We must dig in, and get through to tea. And we must play on. Rest in peace my little brother, I’ll see you out in the middle.”A video produced by Cricket Australia’s Adam Goldfinch then brought Hughes very much to life, through visions of him training or offering the sort of infectious enthusiasm he was known for. He could joke at himself, and he always intended to return to Macksville in the end. At this, Mitchell Johnson was far from the only one to wipe away tears.With a few words from Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland, who declared “cricket’s heart has been pierced by pain but it will never stop beating”, the funeral drew to a close, Hughes taken from the room on the shoulders of men including his father Greg and his captain Clarke. The procession that followed on through the heart of Macksville made a stirring sight. No witness will forget it, nor will they forget Hughes.

تنتظر جماهير نادي طرابزون سبور تألق جناح منتخب مصر الأول، محمود حسن تريزيجيه، في مباراة هاتاي سبور مساء اليوم، الإثنين، في الدوري التركي.

ويلتقي طرابزون سبور وهاتاي سبور في الجولة السادسة من البطولة في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “ميرسن”.

وكان تريزيجيه قد عاد قبل أيام قليلة من إصابة في الكتف، وشارك في الديربي أمام بشكتاش في الجولة الماضية كبديل وقام بصناعة هدف لطرابزون سبور.

اقرأ أيضًا | تأكيدًا لـبطولات.. فناربخشة يُعلن رحيل عمر فايد رسميًا على سبيل الإعارة

ولكن تريزيجيه لم يسجل أي هدف في الموسم الحالي في أي مباراة ودية، رغم مشاركته في 3 مباريات ولكن لم يهز شباك أي فريق.

وبحسب موقع “61Saat” المختص بأخبار نادي طرابزون سبور، أشار إلى أن جماهير النادي تنتظر الهدف الأول من تريزيجيه أمام هاتاي سبور.

يأتي ذلك في ظل أن تريزيجيه كان هداف الفريق في بطولة الدوري التركي الموسم الماضي حيث سجل 11 هدفًا وصنع 3 آخرين في 28 مباراة.

Alastair Cook has called for “something to be done” about what he sees as personal attacks upon his ability as a captain by Shane Warne

George Dobell in Leeds19-Jun-2014Alastair Cook has called for “something to be done” about what he sees as personal attacks upon his ability as a captain by Shane Warne.Warne, who has a column in the and works as a pundit on Sky Sports, has been a persistent critic of Cook since he was appointed to the England Test captaincy at the end of 2012. Often describing him as “boring” and “negative”, he even suggested Cook should be replaced by Kevin Pietersen or Graeme Swann ahead of the winter Ashes series.Just as Warne used to test the patience and confidence of many England captains as a bowler, he has continued to trouble them as a pundit. While his recent criticism has been no more severe than normal, the repetitive nature of his comments – and he is nothing if not consistent – appears to have worn down Cook. The England captain finally snapped on Thursday in a radio interview with the BBC.”Something needs to be done,” Cook said, “because in three years I’ve been England captain I have just, in my eyes, been criticised for a hell of a lot of that.”Yes, when we lose games of cricket as a captain you get criticised. But I’ve also won a lot of games cricket for England, won more one-day games than anyone as England captain, won an Ashes, won in India away and that’s what I’m proud of as well. So to be criticised for three years, totally, with those results, I find quite hard to take to be honest with you.”Support and positivity is what this England team needs. The crowd at Lord’s were brilliant, the public there were fantastic, got behind the lads and they really drove off it and a bit more support like that will hold everyone in good stead.”Asked whether he thought the criticism was personal and whether a century at Leeds, where England play Sri Lanka in the second Test, would change anything, Cook replied: “Yeah, I think it is [personal]. It probably won’t change anything, which is sad.”Quite what Cook means by “something to be done” remains to be seen. The prospect of the ECB attempting to interfere in the editorial stance of independent media companies would surely be most unwelcome.It is unlikely Warne will be discomforted by Cook’s words. Indeed, he may delight in Cook’s irritation. Warne’s loyalty to Australia is never too far from the surface and there were times over the recent Ashes series when he appeared to be goading England to change the tactics that had served them well in the previous few years. The ‘mental disintegration’ he used to attempt on the pitch, he continues to deliver from behind a microphone. Cook will, at least, enjoy some respite in Leeds, as Warne is not part of the Sky team for the game.And while Cook may win some sympathy from those who find it ironic that Warne accuses anyone of being boring – suffice it to say his commentary stints are remarkably consistent – his somewhat intemperate comments risk making him appear weak and defensive. This was an occasion when Cook might have been better advised to play with the straightest of bats.

Pakistan have an experienced squad, excellent World T20 pedigree, and come into the tournament having acclimatised to conditions in Bangladesh. Will all that help them get out of a difficult group?

Umar Farooq20-Mar-2014OverviewPakistan have a reputation for unpredictability and for unleashing young talent onto the world stage, but their squad at this World T20 reflects a safety-first approach. This might have something to do with a makeshift selection committee at the helm amid all the administrative uncertainty and legal tussles that have swirled around Pakistan cricket over the last year or so.Led by Mohammad Hafeez, the world’s leading allrounder in the shorter formats, Pakistan’s 15-man squad offers a lot of flexibility while being centered around senior campaigners including surprise inclusions such as Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik. Pakistan have four allrounders, three of whom are spinners – a factor that might prove instrumental given the slow pitches.It remains to be seen where Kamran – if he takes the wicketkeeping gloves from his brother Umar – will bat, whether he will split the opening combination of Ahmed Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan or come in lower down. Hafeez is likely to bat at No. 3 while the middle order, containing Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi, looks potent.Bowling has usually been Pakistan’s strength but their attack, particularly the seamers, has struggled for wickets in recent times. As recently as the Asia Cup, they took all ten wickets only once, against Afghanistan. Pakistan were dented by the absence of Mohammad Irfan, and they have gambled on Umar Gul to bear the strike bowler’s burden.Pakistan’s T20 squads, over the years, have had no exposure to the IPL. Hafeez suggested it was a missed opportunity for the players, but it hasn’t been a handicap in terms of their World T20 performances. This time around, they are part of the so-called group of death, alongside India, Australia and West Indies, with Bangladesh looking likely to join them.Key players Given the conditions in Bangladesh you can’t think beyond Saeed Ajmal but T20 is all about big runs and hard-hitting batsmen. Sharjeel Khan is the key man in the top order. He is relatively new to international cricket and only has a handful of T20s under his belt but his strike rate of 141.66 suggests he could buy Pakistan a few muscular starts.Kamran Akmal, who has played all the previous World T20s, is back in the team after a year in the wilderness. He last played for Pakistan in last year’s Champions Trophy and last played a T20 international in South Africa in March 2013. His inclusion in the squad is a surprise but it provides him possibly one last chance to re-energise a fading international career.Surprise package Pakistan’s bowling is full of variety, and 35-year-old Zulfiqar Babar’s left-arm spin could spice up the attack. He made a big impact on T20 debut last year, taking 3 for 23 against West Indies in Kingstown. A hand injury halted his progress, but he has returned and could possibly add a left-arm element to a strong spin attack alongside Ajmal, Afridi and Hafeez.Weakness Pakistan had a good Asia Cup, but showed flashes of their tendency to self-destruct against Afghanistan and in the opening game against Sri Lanka. Inconsistency still dogs the side. Fielding too has been a concern, and it has the potential to undo their good work in other departments.World T20 history Pakistan have featured in two finals, winning the 2009 title in England and losing the 2007 final, to India, in South Africa. They entered the semi-finals in the West Indies in 2010 and posted a mammoth total of 191 but a famous final-over assault by Michael Hussey on Ajmal cost them a place in their third straight final. They also reached the semi-finals in 2012, but hosts Sri Lanka halted their progress.Recent form As Hafeez has said, Pakistan already have momentum from the Asia Cup, where they pulled off emotional wins over India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The tournament also gave them good exposure to the conditions in Bangladesh and although they lost the final to Sri Lanka, they gained plenty of confidence, with all of their batsmen contributing at some stage.

The future of the West Indies Test team will be mapped out early next year with the coach Ottis Gibson and the new director of cricket Richard Pybus set to meet to discuss how to respond to the recent slump in results.Four of West Indies’ last five Tests have been heavy defeats and without rain in Dunedin it would have been five losses on in a row, undoing the strides made over the previous year where the side had strung together six straight Test victories.Their next Test assignment is not until May when they host New Zealand in a return series, but although Gibson wants to use the gap to make a considered judgement on his team, it seems inconceivable that significant changes won’t take place. Pybus only joined the WICB in late October, shortly before West Indies went to India, so there has been limited opportunity for him to work with Gibson.”We’ve had some discussions already about where we are and my thoughts on what we need to do to move forward,” Gibson said. “There’s a meeting pencilled in for us when we get back, including the selectors, to try and plot the way forward. We have five months before the next Test series which gives us some time.”West Indies were hampered in New Zealand by the absence of Kemar Roach, due to a shoulder injury, and Chris Gayle, but the discussions between Gibson and Pybus will also need to focus on the status of players such as Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards, who have doubts over their viability for Test cricket, and whether to recall other experienced figures such as Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo.In the aftermath of the 2-0 loss against New Zealand, which was sealed by a collapse for 103 in the second innings in Hamilton where all 10 wickets fell in a session, Darren Sammy spoke about careers being on the line but Gibson said there will be no hasty decisions.”When you’ve just lost a series, and the way we’ve lost, emotions run high and people start talking about careers being on the line and it’s a bit premature,” he said. “We can get home, let the dust settle and assess where we are. We can come up with a plan, but also decide who the right personnel are.”He did, though, concede that patience was wearing thin especially when it came to the batting performances. “Batting collapses happen. In our team they happen too often. It’s a sickening feeling when it happens to your team.”In the short term Gibson has the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour to focus on, which brings with it a change of captain – Dwayne Bravo replaces Sammy for the ODIs, but not the T20s – and Gibson hopes for a fresh approach.”Dwayne brings his own energies,” he said. “Sometimes what is going on in the Tests can drain the players, it can have a drain on the captain as well. Having a new figure head in the one-dayers, and some new players, means we aren’t taking too much baggage into the series.”There is also the chance that Gayle will be available for the two Twenty20s that round off the tour next month. Gayle picked up a hamstring injury during the one-day series in India and was ruled to have not recovered in time for the 50-overs segment of this trip. He is currently in Sydney, believed to be as part of his rehabilitation programme, and Gibson said the main target for him was the World Twenty20 defence in Bangladesh.”We’re in communication with him and the people he’s working with in Australia,” Gibson said. “He’s still injured so would be an unnecessary risk to fast track him with what lies ahead. The World T20 is coming up – a format where he is king. He should be available for the two T20s.”

Shane Warne has accused Ricky Ponting of being motivated by “jealousy” in criticising his Australian captaincy successor Michael Clarke, while also asserting that Alastair Cook will risk losing the Ashes for England should he continue to lead in a “negative” manner.In a typically showstopping stream of opinions ahead of Australia’s return bout with England, Warne leapt to the defence of his “best friend” Clarke, arguing that Ponting’s written critique of the incumbent leader in his autobiography was the result of bitterness. He also said Ponting’s actions did not compare favourably with those of Allan Border and Mark Taylor, the “two best captains” the former legspinner played under.”I know he beats himself up mercilessly about being the only Australian captain ever to lose three Ashes,” Warne said in a press conference call with English media for the Ashes broadcaster Sky Sports. “And I know Ricky made that horrific decision to put England in at Edgbaston in 2005. I don’t want to be mean about Ricky – he’s a good guy and he tried to do the best he could.”But to bring up the stuff about Pup [Clarke] – maybe there was a bit of jealousy, because Pup was batting so well and Ricky was not making any runs. To me, Michael’s very well respected. The best captains keep stuff in the dressing room. No-one ever finds out about it. That’s what good leaders are about. So to hear all this in a book is pretty ordinary.”Cook’s leadership of England has thus far been characterised by a close relationship with the coach Andy Flower and a calm guiding hand rather than any great invention in the field. England’s preferred approach is of a more conservative nature than that of Clarke and the Australian coach Darren Lehmann.”If Michael Clarke did the same things, I’d say he was negative, but he’s not. That’s not the way he captains,” Warne said. “Cook can be negative, boring, not very imaginative – and still win and be pretty happy. But I think he needs to be more imaginative. If Australia play well and he continues to captain the way he does, I think England are going to lose the series.”I don’t think he can captain like that – and I’m not working in any capacity whatsoever for Cricket Australia. Darren Lehmann is a good mate of mine, and Michael Clarke is my best friend, of course I speak to them a lot but I call it as I see it. And I’m not the only one who thinks Alastair Cook is a negative captain.”He lets the game drift. He waits for the game to come to him. I don’t think he can captain the side like that. For me, Michael Clarke is the best captain in the world at the moment. He just has a lot of imagination. Cook would never have a leg slip, bat-pad and leg gully, like Clarke did for Jonathan Trott in the summer.”To round off his serve, Warne said England would do well not to play Joe Root at the top of the order during the series, suggesting the young Yorkshireman would be “crucified” facing the new ball on Australian pitches. Warne preferred to see Michael Carberry as Cook’s opening partner, with Joe Root to bat at No. 6 instead of Jonny Bairstow.”I don’t think Root’s an opener because of his technique. Australia found him out in England, and in Australian conditions they’ll find him out more. You can’t get stuck on the crease in Australia because of the pace of the wickets.”It could be crucifying him if he has got to face Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson on some fast, bouncy pitches. I think he’s just going to nick off a lot. Besides Lord’s, where he got 180, Australia really did have his number.”

Pakistan cricketers are welcome to play in the 2013-14 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, but have to provide no-objection certificates (NOC) from the PCB

Mohammad Isam09-Sep-2013Pakistan cricketers are welcome to play in the 2012-13 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, but have to provide no-objection certificates (NOC) from the PCB, said a BCB official on Monday. On the eve of the tournament, this was one of two major concerns as the organisers, Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), also kept an eye on the weather.”We do not have any embargoes on players from any country,” CCDM chairman Jalal Yunus said. “We have repeatedly said that a player has to get the NOC from his cricket board. The process is for our clubs to contact the player, who will get the clearance from his board and if needed, we will help him with the visa with a letter.”From what we have heard from the media, they (PCB) want us to write to them. We haven’t done that with any cricket board. We have followed the usual practice with Sri Lanka Cricket, who have provided NOCs to their players for this league. We will continue to follow the usual practice.”The clubs have sourced players from Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but have so far failed to sign those from Pakistan and India.Apart from player recruitment, the CCDM is also worried about the weather as it has been raining in most parts of Bangladesh. Bogra, Rajshahi and parts of Dhaka district are the main venues in the first two rounds of matches, and all three areas have experienced lots of rain in the past week. Rain was expected in September, and the CCDM has kept a reserve day following each day’s play.Defending champions Victoria Sporting Club will play their opening match against Kala Bagan Cricket Academy without any foreign players, rare for a Dhaka club. They will rely heavily on Bangladesh players Nasir Hossain, Anamul Haque, Robiul Islam and fringe players like Soumya Sarkar, Monir Hossain, Mohammad Sharif and Shaker Ahmed.Last season, Victoria enjoyed an exorbitant budget through the businessman Lutfar Rahman who has now moved on to become the chairman of Gazi Tank. Apart from Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, their Pakistan recruits Kamran Sajid and Ahmed Shehzad contributed heavily. Shoaib Malik too played three matches while the left-arm spinner from India, Iqbal Abdulla, was effective in his four matches.This year will be different for the four-time champions who admitted that they had to spend cautiously. Gazi Tank have confirmed the services of the former New Zealand allrounder Scott Styris and the Sri Lankan Kaushalya Weeraratne, and boast local stars like Mahmudullah, Imrul Kayes, Raqibul Hasan, Rubel Hossain and Aftab Ahmed.But history will favour Abahani, who have won the tournament a record 17 times. Their stronghold began in the inaugural season in 1974-75 when they defeated little-known Shantinagar to win the title. They have also claimed three hat-tricks (1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87; 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95; 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09). They last won the DPL in the 2010-11 season.This season the Dhanmondi-based club have focused on youth, much to the frustration of their fans. Liton Kumar Das, Alauddin Babu and Taposh Ghosh, three uncapped but promising players were their first picks in the player-by-choice programme last month. They have only picked Shahriar Nafees and Nazimuddin as experienced players, while also bringing in Tharanga Paranavitana, Janaka Gunaratne and the 40-year-old Indika de Saram from Sri Lanka, seemingly to offset the heavy presence of youngsters in the side.