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Australia batsman David Warner has leapt to the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings, a result of a sensational run in the format since the start of 2016. Warner has scored 1755 runs in 28 ODIs since early last year at an average of 65 and a strike-rate of 106.94, including nine hundreds and four fifties. Warner became the No. 1 ODI batsman for the first time in his career, overtaking AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.He capped the home ODI summer with a career-best 179 off just 128 balls in the fifth match in Adelaide, leading Australia to a 4-1 series win against Pakistan. Warner also won the Allan Border Medal for the second consecutive year and bagged the ODI Player of the Year title at the function, too. “It is a huge year for one-day cricket with the ICC Champions Trophy later this year and I am hoping I can take my good form into that tournament and help Australia lift the trophy for the third time,” Warner said.Pakistan batsman Babar Azam broke into the top 10 for the first time, gaining five spots to finish tenth. Azam also had a stellar year in ODIs: he has struck 938 runs in 16 games since the start of 2016, including three consecutive hundreds against West Indies in October.Azam became the joint-fastest batsman to 1000 ODI runs, reaching the landmark in 21 innings, equaling Sir Viv Richards’ record. He also became only the second Pakistan batsman to hit an ODI century against Australia in Australia, when he struck 100 in the fifth game in Adelaide.In the ODI bowlers rankings, Australia quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood made significant jumps after the Pakistan series. Starc moved up to second spot, from fourth, after picking up 15 wickets in the home ODI summer. In seven matches, he returned an average of 19.06 and an economy rate of just 4.67. Hazlewood jumped five places to fifth spot. He took 13 wickets in seven ODIs at an average of 23.46 and an economy rate of 4.70.After their 4-1 series loss against Australia, Pakistan continued to remain in danger of failing to directly qualify for the 2019 World Cup. They are currently in eighth place, two ranking points behind Bangladesh. Hosts England and the other top-seven sides as on September 30, 2017 will receive direct qualification for the event.

Pakistan have added batsman Sharjeel Khan and fast bowler Mohammad Sami to their squads for the Asia Cup and World T20, following injuries to Babar Azam and Rumman Raees. The selectors also made another change to the World T20 squad, bringing in batsman Khalid Latif in place of Iftikhar Ahmed.Azam has been ruled out for 3-4 weeks after suffering a fracture on his left forearm during a practice session in the ongoing Pakistan Super League. Raees has a Grade-1 hamstring strain and is “operating at 60% of his fitness currently”, the PCB stated in a release.Pakistan’s selection committee chairman Haroon Rashid said that PSL performances played a part in the selection. Sharjeel, Sami and Latif are with Islamabad United, who will face Quetta Gladiators in the final of the inaugural edition of the league on Tuesday.Sharjeel has hit the only century of the league till date, with his 62-ball 117 against Peshawar Zalmi booking Islamabad United’s place in the final. He is the third-highest run-scorer, with 287 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 151.05. Sami has picked up 11 wickets in six matches, including a haul of 5 for 8 against Karachi Kings. Latif was included on the basis of his power-hitting, according to Rashid, who clarified that the batsman could not join the Asia Cup squad due to technical reasons. Latif has scored 190 runs in six innings, at a strike rate of 114.45.”After having looked at the performance of the players in the PSL competition, the selection committee along with Captain Shahid Afridi and Head Coach Waqar Younis have come to the conclusion that keeping in view the outstanding performances of Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Sami in PSL matches, they should be included as replacements for injured Babar Azam and Ruman Raees respectively for both Asia Cup and World Cup,” Rashid said.”Since we have the option available to bring in changes in our World Cup squad before the support period starting from March 8, 2016, it has also been decided to use this option and decided to include Khalid Latif, who showed tremendous display of power hitting in the PSL matches, which paved the way for his inclusion in the World Cup squad in place of Iftikhar Ahmed.”Sharjeel’s previous T20 international appearance was in December 2013, while Sami made his comeback into the Pakistan side after nearly three years during the home series against Zimbabwe in May 2015. Latif last played an international match for Pakistan in June 2012.

Leicestershire have made a double Pakistan pace bowler signing for the 2018 season, with Paul Nixon beginning his tenure as head coach by bringing in Mohammad Abbas and Sohail Khan to share overseas player duties.Abbas, 27, has made a good impression since his Test debut last year, taking 23 wickets at 21.34 in five matches. He will be available for Leicestershire’s first Championship match, starting on April 20, and then again from mid-June – given his likely involvement with Pakistan’s tour of England and Ireland during the first half of the season.Sohail, an experienced seamer who has played all three formats for Pakistan and claimed Test five-fors at Edgbaston and The Oval in 2016, will deputise while Abbas is away. He could feature in four Championship games, as well as Leicestershire’s Royal London Cup campaign.”We have been looking for a quality fast bowler as our overseas professional and Mohammad Abbas ticks all of the boxes,” Nixon said. “His Test match record is different class, he is the new kid on the block, and I am delighted to secure his signature.”But we expect to be without Mohammad for the first part of the season and it was vital that we secured high-class cover. Sohail Khan has a superb record both in red- and white-ball cricket, he has good experience on English conditions, and really stood out on the last tour when Pakistan played here. Sohail’s bowling will be ideally suited to early season conditions here.”Leicestershire finished bottom of the Championship in 2017, for the fourth time in five seasons, and replaced coach Pierre de Bruyn after less than a year in charge. Clint McKay, who had spent three seasons as Leicestershire’s overseas player, was also not asked to return.Nixon, the former England international and long-serving former player at Leicestershire, was appointed to try and build on the work started by chief executive Wasim Khan. In 2015, Leicestershire won their first Championship fixture in almost three years, while the following season they improved enough to finish seventh in Division Two – although they have still faced criticism for their recruitment policies.Abbas follows in the footsteps of recent Pakistan internationals to sign for Leicestershire, such as Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq. His first-class record is impressive, with 304 wickets at 21.05, and he is also expected to play in the T20 Blast, filling one of the two overseas slots.”I am really pleased to be joining Leicestershire County Cricket Club for the 2018 season,” he said. “It has been a dream of mine to play in county cricket and I am looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and working with head coach Paul Nixon and the staff.”

The BCCI’s existing power structure has been dismantled by the Supreme Court of India in a landmark order, which directed the removal of the board president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke from office with immediate effect.The order was the culmination of a long-standing impasse between the BCCI and the Lodha Committee: the board had resisted implementing the majority of the committee’s recommendations despite being told to do so by a Supreme Court order on July 18.The court also ordered that other office bearers of the BCCI and state associations who did not meet the eligibility criteria set by the Lodha Committee shall “cease to hold office” immediately. According to the committee’s recommendations, an office bearer should be a citizen of India, should not be 70 years or older, should not be a government servant or minister, should not hold office in another sports organisation, should not have held office with the BCCI or state association for more than nine years, should not be insolvent or of unsound mind, and should not have a criminal record.All existing office bearers who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were permitted to continue in their roles, but were asked to file an “unconditional undertaking” in the Supreme Court within four weeks from January 2 that they would implement the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.To fill the gap created by Thakur and Shirke’s removal, the court said the most senior vice-president of the BCCI would perform the duties of president in the interim, and the joint secretary – Amitabh Chaudhary – will perform the secretary’s role.

I wish them all the best – Anurag Thakur

In a video on Twitter, Anurag Thakur said he had fought for the autonomy of the BCCI and not a personal battle. “Over the years, Indian cricket saw its very best in terms of administration and development of the game. BCCI is the best-managed sports organisation in the country, with defined procedures. India has the best cricket infrastructure, built and maintained by the state associations with the help of BCCI. India has more quality players than anywhere in the world.
“I respect Supreme Court as any citizen should. Supreme Court judges feel that BCCI could do better under retired judges, I wish them all the best. I’m sure Indian cricket will do well under their guidance.”
Shirke said he wasn’t too concerned by the development. “If I am removed, there is absolutely no issue. I will go back to my work,” he told CNN News from the UK. “The enforcement of the order is not in my individual control. The members decide. They have accepted many recommendations. Now that the Supreme Court has settled the matter, let the new dispensation carry on the good new work.”

The court also said that a committee of administrators would be appointed on January 19 to supervise the functioning of the BCCI through its chief executive officer. The committee will also oversee the functioning of the BCCI and states’ office bearers and ensure that the Lodha Committee recommendations approved by the Supreme Court order on July 18 are implemented.Amicus Curiae Gopal Subramanium and senior advocate Anil Divan* were asked by the court to suggest names of persons having “integrity and experience in managing a similar enterprise” for the committee of administrators. “We request the learned Counsel appearing on behalf of the parties to also place their suggestions before the Court so as to facilitate a considered decision,” the court said.At the previous hearing on December 15, before breaking for the winter holidays, the court had reserved its order in response to the Lodha Committee’s status report, which recommended that all ineligible BCCI office bearers be removed and an observer be appointed to oversee the board’s operations.On Monday, the three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, approved the Lodha Committee’s view of the BCCI’s office bearers.”The Committee has in its status report dated 14 November 2016 drawn the attention of the court to the fact that several office bearers both of BCCI and the State Associations continue to hold posts although they stand disqualified in terms of the above norms which have been accepted by this Court,” the order read. “Persons who have a vested interest in continuing in their positions in spite of the norms noted above have ensured that the writ of the court is obstructed and impeded.”We need to emphasise that the turf of the cricket field is not a personal turf or fiefdom. We must hence order and direct that no person shall hereafter continue to be or be entitled for appointment as office bearer of BCCI or a State Association in breach of the above norms. All existing office bearers of BCCI and of the State Associations who do not fulfill the above norms shall with effect from the date of this Order stand disqualified.”The course of events indicates that though sufficient opportunities have been granted to BCCI to comply with the judgment and order of this Court, it has failed to do so. The President and Secretary and office bearers of BCCI have obstructed the implementation of the final directions of this Court on the basis of a specious plea that its State Associations are not willing to abide by the directions. This Court having furnished sufficient opportunities to BCCI to comply, it is constrained now to take recourse to coercive steps to ensure that the directions contained in its final judgment and order are not left to be a writ in sand.”5:04

Ugra: A legacy judgement from Justice Thakur

Former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, the chairman of the Lodha Committee, said the court order was “the logical consequence” of the position the BCCI had taken. “Once the recommendations were accepted by the court, it had to be implemented,” he said. “There were obstructions, there were impediments … obviously this had to happen, and it has happened. The Supreme Court itself has ensured that its order of 18 July is now enforced.”It’s a victory for the game of cricket and it will flourish. Administrators come and go, ultimately it is for the game.”The Lodha Committee was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.In January 2016, the committee released its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the BCCI’s governance and administrative structures. On July 18, the Supreme Court approved the majority of the recommendations and directed the Lodha Committee to supervise the BCCI’s implementations of the same. However, despite the Lodha Committee laying out timelines and other directives, the board did not cooperate because its state associations objected to the recommendations.

Ramachandra Guha, the prominent historian who stepped down from the Supreme Court-appointed committee of administrators (CoA), has left with a scathing resignation letter that expresses frustration with inaction over conflicts of interest, superstar culture, poor treatment of domestic players who don’t play IPL, among other issues.”It has been clear for some time now that my thoughts and views are adjacent to, and sometimes at odds with, the direction the Committee is taking as a whole,” Guha wrote.Here is a summary of Guha’s concerns:Conflict of interest of coaches
Guha was unhappy with the system where national coaches are contracted for 10 months a year and then go away for IPL duty. Rahul Dravid, R Sridhar, Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun are examples of coaches who are, or have been, part of the support staff of both national teams and IPL franchises.Guha also alleged preferential treatment when it came to awarding these contracts. “The more famous the former player-turned-coach, the more likely was the BCCI to allow him to draft his own contract that left loopholes that he exploited to dodge the conflict of interest issue,” he wrote. “I had first raised this issue to my COA colleagues in an email of 1st February, and have raised it several times since. I had urged that coaches and support staff for national teams be paid an enhanced compensation, but that this conflict of interest be stopped.”Guha went on to mention an NCA camp where at least one national coach was not available because of IPL duties.Conflict of interest of commentators
Guha said Sunil Gavaskar was a BCCI-contracted commentator and the director of PMG, a player management company, which has Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan on its rolls.”Sunil Gavaskar is head of a company which represents Indian cricketers while commenting on those cricketers as part of the BCCI TV commentary panel,” Guha had written to his colleagues on March 19. “This is a clear conflict of interest. Either he must step down/withdraw himself from PMG completely or stop being a commentator for BCCI.”Without naming possibly Sourav Ganguly, Guha wrote: “One famous former cricketer is contracted by media houses to comment on active players while serving as President of his State Association.”Superstar culture in awarding national contracts
Even though the new contracts rewarded Cheteshwar Pujara’s Test performances, Guha also noted: “As you will recall, I had pointed out that awarding MS Dhoni an ‘A’ contract when he had explicitly ruled himself out from all Test matches was indefensible on cricketing grounds, and sends absolutely the wrong message.”Ramachandra Guha questioned awarding a Grade-A contract to MS Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket in 2014•AFP

Superstar captain
In all likelihood, India’s coach Kumble will not get an extension of his contract even though India have won every series bar one – a rain-affected T20 dash against West Indies in USA – under his watch. The reason being given by BCCI officials is that Kumble has lost the trust of the captain Kohli. The news broke a day after Kumble made a presentation for better contracts for all stakeholders.”Kumble was left hanging, and then told the post would be re-advertised afresh,” Guha wrote. “Clearly, the issue has been handled in an extremely insensitive and unprofessional manner by the BCCI CEO and the BCCI office-bearers, with the COA, by its silence and inaction, unfortunately being complicit in this regard.”Guha questioned the timing and intent of the advertisement for the coaching job. “If indeed the captain and the Head Coach were not getting along, why was not this attended to as soon as the Australia series was over in late March?”Surely giving senior players the impression that they may have a veto power over the coach is another example of superstar culture gone berserk?”Poor payments for domestic cricketers
Domestic cricketers end up making about INR 1.4 lakh for a Ranji Trophy match, but they are paid only INR 10,000 upfront. The balance is often delayed.”There are many more Indian cricketers who make their living via the Ranji Trophy than via IPL; besides, for us to have a consistently strong Test team (especially overseas) we need a robust inter-state competition and therefore must seek to compensate domestic players betters,” Guha wrote. “And yet, shockingly, Ranji match fees have remained at a very low level (a mere Rs 30,000 odd for each day of play); moreover, cheques for match fees sent by the BCCI are sometimes not passed on by the state associations to the players.”CoA complicit in Champions Trophy pullout threats
Guha did not spare the CoA for its inaction until the last minute when the BCCI delayed the team selection for the Champions Trophy because they were unhappy with the outcomes of the ICC meetings.The BCCI meetings that decided this course of action were attended by disqualified officials such as N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah. “All these illegalities were widely reported in the press; yet the COA did not bring them to the notice of the Court, and did not issue clear directions asking the offenders to desist either,” Guha wrote.Not everyone kept in loop
In perhaps the most damning indictment of the CoA, Guha accused the commitee of changing its lawyer without informing him. “There were several crucial decisions made where all the COA members were not brought into the loop,” Guha said. “For instance, a capable, non-political Senior Counsel representing the COA and the BCCI in the Supreme Court was abruptly replaced by another Senior Counsel who is a party politician.”Male cricketer missing
Guha said he believed CoA’s inaction was down to the absence of a senior male cricketer in the committee. He said he had suggested the names of Bishan Bedi and S Venkataraghavan to the committee, but both of them were disqualified by the virtue of their age over 70. He then suggested the name of Javagal Srinath, but this was not acted upon. He ended the letter saying he hoped he would be replaced by a senior male cricketer.

It can be assumed that Rahul Dravid doesn’t take anything for granted since he has twice declined doctorates that were being conferred on him by two different universities in Karnataka. Dravid believed in earning the honour.No surprise then that Dravid recently asked the BCCI to halve the monetary reward he was being allotted for helping India win the Under-19 World Cup. To celebrate the victory, the BCCI, at the behest of the Committee of Administrators (COA), decided to give Dravid, the Under-19 coach, INR 50 lakhs while granting the players INR 30 lakhs each, and the support staff members INR 20 lakhs each.Once the garlands and bouquets were binned and the celebratory noise died, Dravid quietly contacted the BCCI chief executive officer Rahul Johri and informed him that as a matter of principle, he would not want any more than the players or the support staff members, who had played an equal role in India winning the title.In fact, Dravid expressed his disagreement over the BCCI’s decision on the day India beat Australia in the final to win the Under-19 World Cup. ESPNcricinfo understands Dravid informed Ratnakar Shetty, incharge of women’s and Under-19 cricket at the BCCI, of his displeasure, saying the board could not hold him over the rest of the coaching staff.The CoA chief Vinod Rai confirmed that Dravid’s request was accepted at a meeting in Mumbai this week. Although the BCCI is yet to communicate the decision officially to the Under-19 support staff, they are set to receive the same amount as Dravid: INR 25 lakhs each. “He felt that all the support staff should be adequately compensated, too. So he gave a viewpoint,” Rai told ESPNcricinfo. “He (Dravid) said you can reduce my [reward] but pay the players and other people, too.”In the past, whenever India have won global tournaments, the BCCI has paid the players more than the coach. This was the first time the coach was getting nearly double that of the players. According to Rai, the decision to pay Dravid more was because of his seniority. “Our logic was since he is a senior official and he has been involved with the team [for a long time], so we can’t equate him with the junior players. But he talked about principle and so we have acceded to his request and accepted his proposal.”According to Rai, Dravid had submitted a “list” of coaching staff who were assisting him in the lead-up to the World Cup and ought to have been compensated in addition to the coaching bench that assisted him during the tournament. Along with Dravid, the support staff that was involved in the Under-19 campaign comprised Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), Abhay Sharma (fielding coach), Yogesh Parmar (physiotherapist), Anand Date (trainer), Mangesh Gaikwad (masseur) and Devraj Raut (video analyst).During his meeting with Johri upon returning from New Zealand, Dravid said the preparations for the World Cup had started early last year, including the tour of England.According to the , Dravid had listed the following people saying that they should also be rewarded for their contributions: former Indian opener WV Raman, who was the head coach of the Indian Under-19 team on the tour of England last summer, Amogh Pandit (trainer), Rajesh Savant (another trainer who died on Under-19 duty last year), Manuj Sharma and Sumeet Malahapurkar (logistics managers). It is not clear yet what amount Raman and others, who were not in New Zealand, would get. Dravid had asked the BCCI to work it out themselves without giving any set figure.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga and South Africa allrounder Chris Morris have been signed up as marquee players in the Caribbean Premier League, a day before the draft. The tournament is scheduled to run from August 1 to September 9.Williamson and Morris are set for their maiden CPL season, having been recruited by Barbados Tridents and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots respectively. Malinga will be part of the St. Lucia Stars (formerly St. Lucia Zouks) set-up in the upcoming season, having previously represented Guyana Amazon Warriors.Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, and Kumar Sangakkara, meanwhile, have been retained by Guyana, Trinbago Knight Riders, and Jamaica Tallawahs respectively. Chris Gayle, who led Tallawahs to the title in 2016, will now play for the Patriots, the side that finished bottom last season.England T20 specialist Tymal Mills and several Afghanistan players – including IPL-bound Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi – are among the big names in the CPL draft.Marquee CPL players in 2017: Martin Guptill (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Lasith Malinga (St. Lucia Stars), Brendon McCullum (Trinbago Knight Riders), Chris Morris (St Kitts & Nevis Patriots), Kumar Sangakkara (Jamaica Tallawahs), Kane Williamson (Barbados Tridents)

Bottle-flinging fans in Pallekele caused a 35-minute disruption, and prompted the intervention of riot police, in the closing stages of India’s six-wicket victory on Sunday. In the 44th over of India’s innings, plastic bottles began to be thrown from the two grass embankments that flank the ground – many of these projectiles made their way on to the playing area. Ground staff were seen clearing the bottles, but more continued to be flung, thereby forcing the Sri Lanka fielders to move to the centre of the field in order to avoid being hit.At one stage, there was doubt as to whether the match could even be concluded, because the bottle-throwing persisted for so long. Having spent about 20 idle minutes near the pitch – MS Dhoni even finding time for a nap – players eventually shook hands and made their way off the field. Later, however, after the embankments were cleared of spectators, match referee Andy Pycroft decided the match could continue. India required only seven further deliveries to close out the game.This is the second crowd-related incident in Sri Lanka in the space of two years. In 2015, a fight between two groups of fans had broken out in the stands at Khettarama, and had subsequently degenerated into stone-throwing. That incident had also caused a disruption of play, though on that occasion, no projectiles had been thrown towards the players.Earlier in the month, fans in Dambulla had also held up the team bus in order to voice their displeasure after the first ODI. That incident, however, had not been marked by any violence.

Karun Nair and KL Rahul put on 239 runs for the sixth wicket•PTI

Rahul, Nair added to Karnataka squad: KL Rahul and Karun Nair have been named in Karnataka’s squad for the third round of Ranji Trophy matches beginning October 24, against Hyderabad in Shimoga. Both of them are currently part of the Board President’s XI squad chosen to play the two warm-up fixtures against New Zealand ahead of the limited-overs series starting October 22.Rahul, who has been left out of the New Zealand ODIs, struck a 68 in the first warm-up game in Mumbai on Tuesday. Nair, who led India A in the two unofficial Tests against New Zealand A, top scored with a 64-ball 78, in the side’s 30-run victory.”Having Rahul and Karun is a big boost for Karnataka,” R Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka captain, said. “Rahul has cemented his place in the Indian team while Karun is also doing well. The sight of their names on the team sheet will put opponents under pressure.”

Big picture

Rangpur Riders and Comilla Victorians will battle it out in the second qualifier to determine who will face Dhaka Dynamites in the final of this BPL season. Both Rangpur and Comilla have plenty of international stars who have lit up the league. Rangpur, however, have had a better build-up to this clash, after having crushed an impressive Khulna side in the Eliminator. Chris Gayle unleashed his firepower, his 14 sixes entertained the Mirpur crowd as much as it did his team-mates and the Rangpur owners.Comilla have racked up nine wins – the most by any side in the tournament – but their confidence was dented by a heavy loss against Dhaka in the first qualifier. In pursuit of 192, Comilla crashed to 96 all out in 18 overs with only captain Tamim Iqbal passing 30.Tamim and the other Bangladesh internationals such as Imrul Kaues and Liton Das need to step up further under pressure. Marlon Samuels and Shoaib Malik have been among the runs, but Jos Buttler has struggled on the slow, dry pitches.Comilla’s bowling, however, looks in good shape with offspinner Mahedi Hasan attacking the pads in the Powerplay and Hasan Ali attacking the stumps with the end overs.

Form guide

Rangpur Riders: WLWLW (completed matches, most recent first)
Comilla Victorians: LWLWW

In the spotlight

The wait for a Jos Buttler blitz in this BPL continues. He has managed only 199 runs in 12 innings with just one fifty. Buttler’s last five innings have been particularly poor: 5,3,11,5 and 4.Brendon McCullum, another big hitter, hasn’t fired like he can. He has only 152 runs in 10 innings but his strike-rate of 97.43 is more worrying.

Team news

Rangpur have Ziaur Rahman, Shahriar Nafees, Isuru Udana and Samuel Badree as replacement options but it is unlikely that they will break the winning XI that won the Eliminator with ease.Rangpur Riders (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Brendon McCullum, 4 Mohammad Mithun (wk), 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Nahidul Islam, 7 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 8 Sohag Gazi, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Nazmul Islam, 11 Rubel HossainComilla could consider replacing Dwayne Bravo, who leaked 45 runs on Friday, with Graeme Cremer.Comilla Victorians (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Liton Das (wk), 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Jos Buttler, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Mohammad Saifuddin, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Dwayne Bravo/ Graeme Cremer, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Al-Amin Hossain

Pitch and conditions

It rained in Dhaka on Saturday and Sunday’s forecast doesn’t seem very promising either. The pitch, which has been under the covers, is likely to offer some assistance to the bowlers.

Stats and Trivia

• Comilla had beaten Rangpur twice in the group stage.
• Comilla’s 96 all out in the first qualifier was their lowest total in the BPL.