CRICKET UPTADE

[TAHIR]

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan batsman, has been signed by Hobart Hurricanes for the upcoming season of the Big Bash League. It will be Malik's first stint in the Australian T20 league, in which Shahid Afridi has featured in the past seasons.

"He's an exciting player, a fast paced batsman who will likely bat in our middle order and he'll add another option to our bowling stocks as well," Damian Wright, the Hurricanes coach, said. "He is a quality player with a quality T20 record and his performances in the Caribbean Premier League suggest he's in red-hot form right now."

Representing the Barbados Tridents, Malik was the leading run-scorer in the inaugural edition of the Caribbean Premier League with 272 runs from eight matches. Overall, Malik has played 134 T20 matches and scored 3396 runs at a strike rate of 123.31. He has also picked up 75 wickets with his offspin.

"Those are impressive stats for someone who has played so many games in a format where you often have to place little value on your wicket in search of quick runs at the end of an innings," Wright said.

Hobart Hurricanes, led by George Bailley, also include Dmitri Mascarenhas and Owais Shah as their overseas players for the season.

[TAHIR]

The three day practice match between chairman PCB eleven and Chief Minister eleven ended in a draw at Qaddafi Stadium Lahore.

[TAHIR]

[TAHIR]

[TAHIR]

Pakistan's 12-man squad for SA Tests
Khurram Manzoor, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Umar Amin, Adnan Akmal (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Abdur Rehman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali
Out: Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz
In: Mohammad Irfan, Zulfiqar Babar

[TAHIR]

OFFICIAL LOGO OF PAK SA SERIES

[TAHIR]

[TAHIR]

[TAHIR]

Mohammad Hafeez's omission from the Pakistan Test squad has given South Africa a clear indication of where to draw the battle lines for the two-match series. With Khurram Manzoor set to occupy one opening spot, and the other yet to be decided but likely to be filled with a less experienced batsman than Hafeez, South Africa's seamers are targeting Pakistan's fragility at the top.

"Our pace attack against their opening batters will be important to set up the series for us," South Africa's coach Russell Domingo said ahead of the first training session in Dubai. "Hafeez's form has been a bit of a concern for them for a period of time. But he is a quality bowler and a quality batsmen and we are not displeased that he is unlikely to play a part."

Despite conditions expected to suit spinners more than quicks, Domingo said the fast men will be tasked with putting Pakistan under pressure from the get-go, by exploiting what appears to be their most obvious weakness. Domingo said Test achievements were built on strong first-wicket stands and if South Africa can prevent Pakistan from establishing one, it will set them up in pushing for victory.

"If you look at South Africa's Test cricket, it has been successful because of the way the openers have gone about their business," Domingo said. "Its the most important partnership in any format. If you think of great Test sides, like Australia had Hayden and Langer, that's the kind of thing you need."

Domingo also played down talk of raging turners, saying he was ready should the groundstaff prepare something different. "We've been involved in series where we want a certain type of wicket and we don't get it, so it's difficult to pre-empt," he said. The practice pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Ground told a different story. Imran Tahir and JP Duminy spent a significant amount of time bowling and both found substantial turn.

And Pakistan certainly seem to be expecting spin. Without Hafeez to add to the bowling options, they have Zulfiqar Babar, who will be hopeful of a first Test cap, and who could be their surprise package. "We'll need to have an in depth look at him and do some analysis," Domingo said. "He has obviously got a lot of experience but we need to sit down and do our homework."

So far South Africa have only had time to reacquaint themselves with each other, after not playing as a Test outfit since March. On arrival in Sharjah, they held a bonding session of sorts at an establishment where they watched the country's national rugby team, the Springboks, lose to New Zealand's All Blacks on Saturday afternoon.

The rest of the day was devoted to enjoying some quiet and Domingo hoped it would help in acclimatising, especially to the heat. "When you get here to start with the heat is always stifling but after four or five days, you tend to get used to it."

Work, as is customary in this part of the world, began on Sunday morning when they held their first team meeting. "We had a good chat and emphasised the important elements that made this Test side so successful and how we want to try and continue to do well," Domingo said.

They will have two days of training - today and tomorrow - before a three-day warm-up game against Pakistan A. Domingo said he would have preferred another practice outing but is satisfied that the cricket some of the squad has played in the last few months will ensure they are match-ready. "One warm-up game is not ideal. But its better than nothing," he said. "Quite a lot of the guys have been playing cricket in Champions League, Hashim [Amla] was playing county cricket and some preparing with their franchises."

The last arrival from the CLT20 flew in today. Faf du Plessis was with the Chennai Super Kings and left India on Sunday morning. He traveled straight to the ground to join the practice. Thami Tsolekile, the reserve wicketkeeper, will arrive later in the week. He is on compassionate leave following the death of his mother-in-law.

South Africa will look to play 13 in their practice match to ensure everybody has a "bit of a go," and have the opportunity to size up some of the players who could form part of the opposition. Given that Pakistan are likely to pick their other opener from the cricketers who do duty in the warm-up match, with Ahmed Shehzad the leading candidate, it will also give South Africa's quicks the chance to make a first impression on whoever partners Manzoor at the top.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa corresponden

[TAHIR]

Match facts
October 9-13, 2013
Start time 0930 local (0330 GMT)

Nathan McCullum is disappointed after being run out, Bangladesh v New Zealand, 4th ODI, Mirpur, October 14, 2010
New Zealand have good Test memories against Bangladesh, but their ODI nightmare of 2010 will be more fresh in their minds © Associated Press
Enlarge
Related Links
Features : 'Time to focus on the cricket' - Mushfiqur
Matches: Bangladesh v New Zealand at Chittagong
Series/Tournaments: New Zealand tour of Bangladesh
Teams: Bangladesh | New Zealand
Big Picture
As far as cricket contests are concerned, New Zealand taking on Bangladesh doesn't quite set the pulse of the average cricket fan racing. One out of the nine Test matches between these teams has been a draw. New Zealand have won the other eight, five of them being innings victories. So why bother about two Tests between the teams?
The answer lies in Bangladesh's 4-0 win against the same opposition in an ODI series three years ago, and the impact of it on their psyche. Shakib Al Hasan rose as a world-class allrounder after he picked up two Man-of-the-Match awards and the Man of the Series for doing the job with bat, ball and his captaincy in that series. It was Bangladesh's breakthrough performance on the world stage, despite their once-in-a-while one-day wins over other Test-playing nations. And although it was just ODIs, it has given them the confidence to hold up their head against an opposition that has often annihilated them.

In the intervening period, since October 2010, Bangladesh and New Zealand have met once in the 2012 World Twenty20s, when Brendon McCullum took as much revenge as can be fitted into a 58-ball 123. But the ghosts of 0-4 hover over New Zealand, as can be seen in their preparation ahead of the series. They spent some time in Sri Lanka to train, while some of their players have been touring India too with the A team. Their fine-tuning was disrupted by rain in Chittagong, though, with the three-day practice match completely washed out.

Their Test form in 2013 has been patchy, albeit against superior opposition: they've had a 0-2 defeat to England back in May, drew the previous series at home, also against England, and had lost the one previous to South Africa.

Bangladesh have been going through a progressive phase over the last two years, particularly under Mushfiqur Rahim. They have won their previous Test match, against Zimbabwe, which helped them draw the series after getting crushed in the first game of the series. The middle order has been firing almost regularly while Tamim Iqbal has always been a threat at the top. Robiul Islam was in form in Zimbabwe, bowling more than any Bangladesh fast bowler had done in one series and ending up with the Man-of-the-Series trophy for his sustained pressure. Shakib will be key but don't count out Nasir Hossain and Mushfiqur.

New Zealand have the likes of Kane Williamson and Hamish Rutherford as their new force, but the likes of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor would have to be really forceful if they are to start the series well.

Form guide
Bangladesh WLLDL (last five matches, most recent first)
New Zealand LLDDD
Players to watch
Kane Williamson has had steady growth as a batsman since his Test debut in 2010. This year hasn't been particularly good for him however, averaging 28.16 in 13 innings. He hasn't scored a hundred yet, though he fell nine runs short against England in Auckland. Bangladesh was the scene of his first ODI hundred, so this should be a great place to rectify an average year so far.
Robiul Islam, after his success in Zimbabwe, will be tested in home conditions, where his natural movement is not likely to be assisted by overhead conditions or the pitches. He has also just recovered from two leg injuries. But form is on his side and expect a lot of heart from his end.

Team news
New Zealand's last Test match was in England in late May, where conditions dictated that they use four fast bowlers. Here, Tim Southee won't be one of them as he is recovering from ankle surgery. Opener Martin Guptill too is out with an injury. Left-arm spinner Bruce Martin will be a shoe-in in these conditions while legspinner Ish Sodhi could debut to give them a second spin option. BJ Watling is likely to take over wicketkeeping duties from captain Brendon McCullum. McCullum also hinted at it being a toss up between Corey Anderson, whose left-arm pace coupled with his batting ability make him an all-round option, and batsman Dean Brownlie.
New Zealand (probable): 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Dean Brownlie/Corey Anderson 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Neil Wagner, 9 Doug Bracewell/Ish Sodhi, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Bruce Martin

In Mohammad Ashraful's absence, Bangladesh will have to post someone new at No 3, with Marshall Ayub tipped to make his debut. Either Naeem Islam or Mominul Haque will play at No 4. Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak too could be making a Test comeback after two years if Bangladesh want to take advantage of the visitors' right-handed middle-order.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Marshall Ayub, 4 Mominul Haque/Naeem Islam, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Mahmudullah, 9 Sohag Gazi/Abdur Razzak, 10 Robiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain

Pitch and conditions
The playing square at this venue is brand new. In fact, the entire outfield has been relaid to put in a drainage system. The ground has been raised 2ft, so that water can quickly drain away. Both sides reckon the surface will be dry and helpful for spinners.
After a sunny, clear couple of days, there was some rain on the evening before the game. There's a 50% chance of rain on the opening day, the forecast is clear for the second and third day, but then there's more rain forecast for the weekend.*

Stats and trivia
There are only two survivors in the New Zealand team from the thrilling 2008 Chittagong Test between these two sides. The two, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, got out cheaply in both innings there
Mushfiqur Rahim is just seven runs short of 2,000 Test runs. Shakib Al Hasan is 16 runs away from the same milestone
Quotes
"The better prepared side will have more chances to win the series. We are not less than them in terms of strength. If we play to our potential… it is natural for us to think positively."
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal is confident heading into the series
"It doesn't come naturally to us to play aggressively against spin bowling, but we use our own formulas to succeed. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you can play the ball and score runs. Hopefully we can do that."