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It is likely to be Friday, at the earliest, before a final decision is made on Nathan Astle’s immediate playing future with the TelstraClear Black Caps.Astle returned home from Pakistan at the weekend with a patella tendon injury and surgeon Paul Armour has requested an MRI Scan be taken of Astle’s knee.New Zealand Cricket’s medical co-ordinator Warren Frost said Armour would not make a judgment until all the information was in.Frost said Astle had been struggling with his knees for a couple of seasons and wanted to get things sorted out in order to look ahead and to be better equipped to go ahead in stronger style.”It is a big year ahead and he wants no half measures to get it sorted out,” Frost said.That could mean that Astle misses the tour of the West Indies next month.A report is also being awaited on the side strain injury suffered by Jacob Oram.”They can be a nasty thing and can hang around a while,” Frost said.

MELBOURNE, June 14 AAP – Australian speed ace Brett Lee defended his one-day cricket tactics here today as he was recalled to the national eleven.Lee was the controversial choice for 12th man two days ago when Australia thrashed Pakistan by seven wickets at Colonial Stadium in the opening match of their three-game series.Opening bowler Jason Gillespie will carry the drinks tomorrow and Lee will take his place.The series was billed as a pace showdown between Lee and Shoaib Akhtar, the two fastest bowlers in the world.Shoaib also missed Wednesday’s match because of a leg injury, but trained fully today and is expected to play tomorrow.”In the past, I have been playing under specific instructions from Steve Waugh and they were to bowl fast and take as many wickets as I can,” Lee said in a statement released this afternoon through the Australian Cricket Board.”Under Ricky (Ponting), my instructions for one-day international cricket have changed a little.”I’m still going to bowl fast, but I have been asked to contain my bowling a little more.”I’m fully supportive of my new game plan and I’m hoping to be an economical bowler and still take as many wickets for Australia in the future.”Captain Ponting said before game one and again today he wanted Lee to concede fewer runs per over.After Wednesday’s match, Ponting conceded Lee and Andy Bichel were borderline selections for the one-day side and had to start stringing together consistent performances.Bichel impressed on Wednesday, taking 3-30 from 10 overs.Ponting said today he wanted all his bowlers to be more miserly, saying it was “fairly unacceptable” Australia had conceded nearly 100 runs in the last 10 overs at times earlier this year against South Africa.Ponting also made it clear today he had no problem with Lee’s attitude, saying they had been working on “a few things” at training this week.”He’s keen to do that, he wants to be a valued member of our side and we know he’s going to do his best to make sure he gets his economy rate on the next few games he plays,” Ponting said.”He still is required to be as economical as the other guys, but it’s nice for him to have that wicket-taking ability as well.”He’s always going to have that because he’s so fast and he can blast guys out.”Ponting added Lee probably had to bowl a little slower in one-dayers, but said he would lose his effectiveness if he went down to medium pace.Ponting had no doubt Pakistan would be much tougher tomorrow night and added he and his team-mates had been surprised “a lot” with the ease of Wednesday’s win.Counterpart Waqar Younis said Pakistan often made a slow start to its Australian trips and would be stronger in game two.The two captains asked for the bowlers’ run-ups and the creases to be dried ahead of tomorrow, because of concerns about players losing their footing.Australia would no doubt prefer Shoaib did not emulate his team-mates on Wednesday and unleash a top-speed “bean ball” because he lost his footing.Australia made a second change for tomorrow, with opening batsman Matthew Hayden returning to Brisbane to be with wife Kellie as they expect their first child and Jimmy Maher taking his place.Pakistan will name its side tomorrow.AUSTRALIA: Ricky Ponting (capt), Andy Bichel, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Jimmy Maher, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Jason Gillespie (12th man).

Pakistani cricket fans were left tearing their hair out in frustration after the first two matches in Kenya. Yet again, a team that promises much, fails to deliver, crumbling under the pressure exerted by the thoroughly professional Australians was the universal lament here. It was thought that Pakistan would put up a good show, having recently beaten the Aussies in the Super Challenge II competition. To say that the performance in the first two matches at Kenya was far below par, would probably be an understatement.Even though the Pakistanis may have emerged victors against the Kenyans, their standard of play was certainly not worth praise. The bowlers sprayed the ball all over with a massive number of wides and no-balls, and the batsmen limped to victory inspite being asked to chase modest totals against a very weak opposition. While the Kenyans were not good enough to take advantage, the Australians cashed in. What this points towards is an obvious lack of discipline and a major lack of planning.Firstly, the main problem plaguing the team in this triangular tournament was the absence of their top batsmen. Youhana was sent home after a squabble with the tour management and Inzamam’s injury compounded the problems for an already fragile batting order.Even more mystifying was that Misbah-ul-Haq not getting a chance even when the big guns were absent. Misbah has been touring along with the team for over 6 months but has played only one game. The lack of confidence in his abilities is obvious as the management preferred to play Shoaib Malik as a batsman. Misbah has been included in the squad as a specialist batsman, and if he cannot justify that position, then other alternatives must be sought. It is essential that any squad of 15 should contain those players who can be slotted into the playing eleven whenever needed, not just mere tourists. The selectors would do well to reconsider the likes of Taufeeq Umar and Imran Farhat who performed well in the domestic competitions.The next problem that must be addressed is the indiscipline of our bowling attack. Waqar and Wasim are highly experienced campaigners, and for them to be bowling such a large number of wides and no-balls is inexcusable. They were wayward in both line and length and the Australians punished them thoroughly. Shoaib Akhtar looked totally out of sorts after his return to the team, and seemed to be all over the place with his bowling. In the Super Challenge II he had bowled with great aggression and control, which was no where to be seen in Kenya. There is some way to go in this tournament, and the Pakistani attack must try and get their act together, especially cut down on the extras. The over rate is another problem for Pakistan, with the fielders and bowlers showing no interest in rushing things during the change of overs. The team has been very lucky in not being penalised for their atrocious over rate.Lastly, the Pakistanis in general need to work out a plan against the Aussies, who have come back brilliantly after their loss in the Super Challenge II. They are a very difficult side to beat, when they are on top, and a lot of hard work has to be put in if the Pakistanis are to ruffle their feathers. They need to work out what to do after winning the toss, as chasing is certainly not one of Pakistan’s strengths, even if that means exposing the batsmen to the overcast conditions at the start of play. The batting order needs to be thought about in detail, as asking Razzak to open was not a very clever idea. Afridi should be utilized a little lower down the order in such conditions, once the ball has lost its shine, so that he can be more effective. Plus the Pakistani side is playing with too many all rounders and hardly any specialist batsmen. Misbah must be given a chance to prove himself, and if he fails to do so, then its fair to axe him.

My friend Khalid Butt is finding it increasingly difficult to defend the PCB’s much-sullied image these days in the face of wide media outrage. And that unfortunately is his job as PCB’s media manager. After the unending spate of defeats, he is full of protest and indignation. Not at the string of setbacks, but at hacks like me taking potshots at his boss and the organisation that he represents.Butt’s beef with this writer is the last piece one wrote, titled “Pakistan addicted to its losing ways”, which appeared on May 21. Butt says that my basic argument is flawed. To him the PCB’s performance should not be evaluated together with the national team’s. Rather, it should be looked at in terms of what other magnificent infrastructure the Board has put up or what fine academies they have created.This argument doesn’t wash, on a number of counts, the foremost being that it defies common logic. In military parlance, which the current PCB management should readily grasp, would mean that a major military defeat should not be blamed on the Head Quarters!And, conversely, if the Board should not be blamed for defeats why should everybody who is anybody in the PCB – from the Chairman, to chief selector, right down to the last brigadier, colonel, captain, lieutenant and the tea boy – wrangle for media credit in case of the odd victory. If you have forgotten, recall the gushing at the last good news they got – after the Auckland Test. The obverse side of basking in reflected glory is egg on the face in case of a setback. And those who choose to opt for limelight are condemned to face this situation whenever things go wrong.Anyway, this PCB defence, the only one they have been able to muster after months of head-scratching, has been accepted by some writers from the south of the country; most of them chose to remain nameless, and the one who didn’t was perhaps enamoured towards the idea due to a lucrative book sponsorship deal offered him. Those close to the powers-that-be divulge that the sum involved is likely to be in millions.Passing the buck in its entirety to the team, however, is an idea that did not cut much ice with the rest of the country. And the proof that the PCB’s position is considered untenable was that the opprobrium has been across the board, echoing in the editorials and other writings, in all the popular leading dailies, vernacular as well as English. One of them was titled, “Partners in Crime”, while others unequivocally asked for the sacking of the Board.And if the PCB’s position on the issue is as sound as they’d want us believe, why hasn’t a single credible voice been raised in support? That, of course, means leaving out those on the payroll, one way or the other. Frankly, even they are looking for cover most of the time.The men residing in Pakistan cricket’s ivory tower these days do not realise that the people’s fascination with the game is fast turning to disgust, and that’s why they are not getting many positive opinions. To be fair, in this the fault is not entirely set-up’s, but the fact is that people are sick of the shenanigans of players and administrators alike.It has also been ‘advised’ that one should not over-react, “not lose one’s balance at the Lord’s defeat”. Such arguments miss the whole point, and that is why they cannot befool men in the street any longer. Nobody is talking about an isolated defeat, there is a whole string of them: as many as 12 major debacles – a tournament or a series loss – in less than a year and a half.This reflects a pattern, and the current PCB set-up has singularly failed to break the cast.That when the General took over, the Pakistan team was rated as the second best in one-day cricket and was close to the top in the longer version of the game. In the previous year it had reached the World Cup Final and won the inaugural Asian Test championship. Only two years ago, it had attained the status of the top-ranked outfit in the world in Test cricket. That status was achieved without the high-fly advisors and new-fangled systems.Where are we today, despite the state of the art systems? Far from the top and hugging the bottom. Some achievement in only a year and a bit!That when hopes were high at the time the new command came in. The favourable argument was, if a serving general in a military government – can’t sort out the mess, then who can? But the General has obviously failed.More about it in the next column, looking at the last one year and a half encompassing the other so-called achievements – focussing on the human resource, the infrastructure, the systems and the academies. The PCB’s apologists do claim that they are without compare – more than what all the Boards combined achieved; well, then they surely deserve a dispassionate look and we will.Chronology of defeats under the present Board:

• 1999-2000: World Series Cup in Australia – Pakistan ends up second behind the hosts
• 1999-2000: At home against Sri Lanka – Pakistan was blanked out in one-day series 3-0
• 1999-2000: Pakistan loses the Test rubber 2-1 to Sri Lanka
• 1999-2000: In the West Indies, Pakistan loses the three-Test series 1-0
• 2000-01: Ends up third in a three-nation event in Sri Lanka, involving hosts and South Africa
• 2000: Loses a three-way one-day tournament at Singapore
• 2000: Loses in the semi-final against New Zealand of the ICC knock-out tournament at Nairobi
• 2000-01: Loses a Test series at home, its first in about four decades, against England 1-0
• 2000-01:Loses the one-day series in New Zealand 3-2
• 2000-01: The three-match Test series against the Black Caps is drawn 1-1 after Pakistan is beaten by an innings in the third Test
• 2000-01: Defeat in the final of the three-nation ARY Gold Cup against Sri Lanka
• 2001: First Test of the two-match rubber is lost at Lord’s by an innings and 9 runs – the first loss by an innings margin against England since 1978 and the second successive one by Pakistan.

…and successes:

• 1999-2000: Pakistan wins the three-nation one-day tournament in Sharjah in April
• 1999-2000: Pakistan wins the three-nation one-day tournament in the West Indies – their first victory in one-dayers in the Caribbean
• 1999-2000: Pakistan triumphs in the Asia Cup – its first continental trophy in seven attempts
• 2000-01: Pakistan wins the away Test series in Sri Lanka 2-0
• 2000-01: Pakistan beats England 2-1 in the one-day series at home

Sharjah Cup has assumed great importance after Pakistan’s dismal defeat in the Asian Test Championship. Fortunately the selectors have made amends for their mistakes in the ATC Selection.Waseem Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq have once again been included in the team as dropping them was an unpardonable lapse that Pakistan dearly paid for. Anyway better late than never.The team that the selectors have picked is in my view appropriate barring the inclusion of Misbahul Haq and Faisal Iqbal. In fact there could not have been a better squad. The only shortcoming is the absence of leg-break bowler – left arm or right arm. We have not produced a noteworthy left-arm spinner after Iqbal Qasim. But there is no dearth of talent to fill this gap only if the selectors launch an earnest search. Ofcourse it will take time and sincere effort.As regards the right-arm leg-spinner also called a wrist spinner, we have a talented player in Danesh Kaneria who proved his worth even on the slowest pitches in Bangladesh and Sharjah. The selectors should focus attention on him as he can prove to be an invaluable asset for Pakistan in future, provided he is given ample attention and opportunity. True, he is a poor fielder but I have seen him improving on this count in recent matches.We presently have two spinners – both of whom are off-spinners. While Saqlain is world class Shoaib Malik is ordinary. The selection committee during the tenure of Dr Zafar Altaf had picked Shoaib Malik as Saqlain’s under study for Australian tour. But contrary to expectations he could not improve. Anyway he is a very good fielder and a useful batsman. But he does not actually serve as an off-spinner the burden of which Saqlain has to carry.Misbahul Haq, has however, no place in the team. In my opinion which may not exactly tally with the selectors and the coach, the playing eleven should be as follows: 1. Shahid Afridi, 2. Imran Nazir, 3. Younus Khan, 4. Inzimamul Haq, 5. Yousuf Youhana, 6. Abdul Razzaq, 7. Rashid (WK), 8. Wasim Akram, 9. Saqlain Mushtaq, 10. Waqar Younus (Captain) and 11 Shoaib Akhtar.If the top five batsmen cannot score I think Pakistan doesn’t deserve to win a match. In the past batting posed a problem but we do not have a better line-up. The selectors deserve credit for picking fourteen players on merit. Danesh, as I pointed out earlier, should have been the 15th member if there was room for one. But probably he doesn’t have the same recommendation that Faisal Iqbal has. This lucky lad has had a free trip to Dhaka, Sharjah and the ATC venue.Recently he was given an opening slot in the PIA team against the weakest contestants in the group – Hyderabad and Bahawalpur and when the contest was challenging against Customs – the strongest team after PIA, the batting order was changed to shield him. Who are they trying to fool! He is still a part of the latest outfit perhaps over the heads of Waqar and Mudassar Nazar, the skipper and the coach.When a player monopolises the reserved seat at the expense of others, a front is naturally formed against him – a handicap he has to suffer from all his life. In the past too there are many such examples. If selection depends on relationship and connections what is poor Bazid Khan’s fault when Majid Khan has had special equation with Mudassar, Rameez Raja and Mohsin Kamal. I think the PCB should now float a next of kin XI to put the pressure lobby at rest.I am glad that Waqar will continue as captain till the World Cup. As I have written before he is a good captain and his bowling changes as well as field placing reflected the much-needed cricketing sense. Besides that he enjoys respect among players which is very important. He should not, however, allow his ego to affect his decisions. He has got an excellent team – class fast bowlers, a world class off-spinner and a very competent wicket-keeper in Rashid Latif, a courageous and useful batsman and a fighter to the core.Pakistan team under the leadership of Waqar is no doubt a strong contender for the forthcoming World Cup. Only the in-fighting will have to be controlled. The PCB Chairman who is bent upon building up a high-class outfit and an infrastructure, we have been dreaming about for a long time is capable of fulfilling these ambitions.In Karachi where cement pitches have been dismantled and stadium floodlights are beaming, significant development is in sight. Promotional activities in remote areas are in progress. The whole nation is appreciating these developments. He should continue this commendable effort and give due recognition to merit totally rejecting all pressures to prepare a level field.

In a match that witnessed some steller individual performances and tall scores by both teams, Mumbai drew their three day West Zone Under-22 league match at the Middle Income Group Ground in Bandra, Mumbai on Monday.Opting to bat on the first day, Gujarat put up a fighting total of 334. The innings was held together by a gallant 135 by A Sood in the midst of a fine seven wicket haul by S Kannan. Sood, who came in at the fall of the second wicket, that of his skipper AA Christian (0) – forged a 117-run fifth wicket partnership with H Joshipura (67). Sood was the fifth batsman to be dismissed when he gave a return catch to U Malvi. During a 238-minute stay at the crease, Sood faced 181 balls and found the signboards 23 times. Thereafter, Joshipura added 70 runs for the seventh wicket with VL Parikh. The total was boosted by some wayward bowling by Mumbai as they conceded 44 extras.In response, Mumbai took a 223-run first innings lead thanks to the centurions K More (117) and A Dhulap (133). At stumps on the second day, Mumbai were 183 for five. More and Dhulap came together for the sixth wicket and added 240 runs off just 47 overs. While More needed 141 balls to reach his century, Dhulap required only 110 balls. The pair was separated when Dhulap was caught by Parikh off Sood. But More kept going until he was finally dismissed with the total on 475, caught by Joshipura off J Patel. Then stumper AM Shetye(50 not out) and MA Khote (61) added 82 runs for the eighth wicket. The fall of Khote prompted the Mumbai skipper HS Shinde to declare the innings at 557 for 8. Gujarat played out the final 15 overs on the final day to score 18 for no loss.

At the end of a day when 42 overs were lost to rain, Northamptonshire finished the day trailing Essex by 87 runs with six first innings wickets standing in this compelling encounter between two of last season’s promoted teams.The complete afternoon session was washed out but when Northants resumed at 4.15pm on 35 without loss, both openers were dismissed inside five overs. Mal Loye pushed forward to Ronnie Irani and was trapped lbw and then Michael Hussey touched a ball down the leg side to the wicket-keeper off the bowling of Ricky Anderson.Russell Warren and Jeff Cook patiently attempted to rebuild the innings but having added 38 for the third wicket, Cook was undone by a ball from 20-year-old Andrew McGarry that nipped back.The home side were given further encouragement shortly before the rains arrived again when Anderson found the edge of Alec Swann’s bat for a catch to third slip.Warren though has played with confidence, his unbeaten 29 spanning 62 deliveries to complete the highest innings of the day.Earlier in the day, Northants needed only 80 minutes to capture the remaining four Essex wickets for whom Ashley Cowan hit a spirited 27 including a six that took his side to their only batting point. Former Essex paceman Darren Cousins collected his fourth wicket of the innings, assisted by a magnificent slip catch by Hussey, that removed Tim Mason for a duck .

ScorecardYuvraj Singh’s second first-class double-century – 208 off 241 deliveries – put North Zone in a commanding position against Central Zone on the second day of the semi-final in Hyderabad. There had been doubts about Yuvraj’s fitness after his return from cancer treatment, and whether he could last the rigours of long-form cricket. This performance would have put to rest some of those questions.Yuvraj’s innings helped North Zone score 451, and by the end of the day Central Zone were 146 for 5, trailing by 305 runs.”I was not trying to prove any point to anyone. My aim was to go and enjoy myself out there in the middle. I wanted to have fun,” Yuvraj told . “Especially, after what I went through, it really felt good that I batted for so long. What makes this double hundred special is that I had spent a good amount of time in the middle which is satisfying.”As he had on the first day, Yuvraj scored quickly on the second. North Zone were 346 for 4 overnight and they added 105 more before they were dismissed. Yuvraj’s contribution was 75. Praveen Kumar and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik took eight wickets between them for Central Zone.Besides Yuvraj, the other North Zone batsmen didn’t last against Praveen and Kartik. North Zone lost four wickets for 36 runs and were in danger of being dismissed for less than 400. Ishant Sharma then stayed with Yuvraj for 11.2 overs for a stand of 51 to take the total beyond 450.Central Zone made a solid start to their reply, with the openers adding 64. Once Tanmay Srivastava was run out, however, the innings lost direction and four more wickets fell for 46 runs. Parvinder Awana took 2 for 29 to reduce Central Zone to 146 for 5 at stumps.
ScorecardIn Visakhapatnam, Saurabh Tiwary scored a century to help East Zone fight back after they were reduced to 66 for 6 by South Zone on the first day. Tiwary was dismissed for 145, and after East Zone were all out for 267, their bowlers reduced South Zone to 134 for 5.Tiwary and Basant Mohanty, who had already added 121 runs for the seventh wicket on the first day, scored 32 more before Mohanty was dismissed by seamer Abhimanyu Mithun. Iresh Saxena and Tiwary added 24 for the eighth wicket and Tiwary was eventually the last man out. East Zone’s last four wickets had added 80 runs on the second day.Biplab Samantray ensured the day would belong to East Zone, as he took three wickets to peg South Zone back. East Zone took their first wicket only in the 20th over, after openers Abhinav Mukund and Robin Uthappa had put on 69 runs. South Zone lost two more wickets for the addition of only two runs, and after a stand of 44 between Manish Pandey and Amit Verma, they lost two more to Samantray.

ScorecardMurray Goodwin made his first substantial innings since joining Glamorgan from Sussex•Getty Images

As part of Glamorgan’s community programme, schoolchildren from Ysgol Llandrillo yn Rhos and Ysgol Llangelynnin were invited to the Rhos-on-Sea ground on the second day of this match. They provided a guard of honour and played games of Kwik Cricket in the lunch interval. For the rest of the time they watched the two teams compete at a rather slower tempo as they fought for dominance in this excellent advertisement for Division Two cricket.One hopes that the young enthusiasts learned that this game does not have to be played at a helter-skelter pace in order to be absorbing. Maybe one or two of them understood the value of Murray Goodwin’s 69 in Glamorgan’s first innings total of 242, which gave the home side a lead of 119. Whatever their national loyalties, one hopes that they appreciated the skills exhibited by James Anderson in taking 3 for 63 and Simon Kerrigan in bagging 4 for 48 to limit that advantage. Finally, one or two may have stayed behind as Ashwell Prince and Simon Katich defied the Welsh side’s attack for well over an hour to give Lancashire supporters hope that they may yet turn around a match in which they have been more or less second best throughout.For while this day’s play was not “cricket for the connoisseur”, a phrase implying very specialist knowledge that has nothing but mere alliteration in its favour, it was cricket for those who realise that there is more to the modern game than a free hit and a freebie. By the close of play Lancashire had scrapped their way to 104 for 4 and were still 15 runs behind. Yet for all that the late dismissal of Prince turned the match significantly in Glamorgan’s favour, it is still by no means clear what the outcome will be or even when that outcome will be reached. Excellent.Cricket is settling into its charming rhythms and this was also a Thursday to sharpen the appetite for the next five months – and for the English summer too. “The trees are coming into leaf / Like something almost being said,” wrote Philip Larkin in one of the late Peter Roebuck’s favourite poems. As this match’s beguiling architecture subtly changed, the pleasure and involvement of the good crowd was almost palpable as they accustomed themselves to what, for many of them, will be a glad season indeed.For example, it is difficult to think that many sessions of Championship cricket will be more tenaciously fought than was this second morning. Every hard-won run was treasured by Glamorgan’s batsmen and Kerrigan’s successes could not have been more warmly greeted had they been vital breakthroughs in the business end of the summer. Standing firm against Anderson, who left not an ounce of effort in his England kitbag, was Murray Goodwin, squat, pugnacious and skilled. Glamorgan’s decision to sign the Zimbabwean after he had racked up just 360 first-class runs for Sussex in 2012 may yet come to be seen as one of the coups of the summer.Just when Glamorgan’s superiority threatened to become dominance, Kerrigan had a driving Jim Allenby pouched at midwicket for 46. Three more wickets left Glamorgan eight down with a lead of 70 at lunch, by which time the spectators needed a break almost as much as the players. Goodwin reached his fifty soon after the resumption and was last out, attempting to work Hogg through third man. He had batted 206 minutes and faced 134 balls. It was a noble effort, the type of innings the professionals admire.The one certainty about Lancashire’s second innings was that it needed to be a better, ballsier effort than their first. Even in conditions which assisted swing bowlers, that 123 was not really halfway towards a par score and for all that the Red Rose have achieved two substantial first-innings leads this season, their top order is pretty flaky. So it proved again. Michael Hogan caught the edge of Luke Procter’s bat with the final ball of the fifth over and brought one back off the seam to pluck out Karl Brown’s middle pole. In between, Mike Reed, 6ft 4in tall and exhibiting plenty of well-directed aggression, had Paul Horton taken by Wallace. That left Lancashire on 49 for 3 and there were still 25 overs left in the day.Katich and Prince approached their task in the manner of international cricketers who have proved themselves in the fire. They mastered Wallace’s bowlers even if they did not bully them, and it seemed they would both survive to face another morning. Then Prince padded up to the third ball of Hogan’s final over and Tim Robinson raised his finger. Nightwatchman Anderson helped Katich ensure that there were no further losses before the close. The crowd trooped homewards.

Zimbabwe opener Vusi Sibanda said that being dropped for the first ODI against Bangladesh had served as inspiration during his century in the third game, one that secured a series victory. Sibanda’s unbeaten 103 helped Zimbabwe chase down the target of 247 in Bulawayo and win the series 2-1.”It [the hundred] means a lot to me,” Sibanda said after the game. “All the hard work that I have put in, it is finally paying off. I was dropped from the team in the first ODI so it wasn’t easy to come back, but I grabbed whatever chance I got. I hope this is the beginning of more hundreds to come. I would continue to work hard on my game.”Sibanda stayed through the entire chase, playing the first and last ball of the innings, forming a succession of substantial partnerships to beat Bangladesh. He added 50-plus stands with Hamilton Masakadza for the first wicket and Sikandar Raza for the second. Then he added 109 for the unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with Sean Williams. Sibanda played second fiddle in all those stands.”Today was a learning curve for me, to keep myself calm and to keep the situation of the game simple. Sean Williams kept knocking it around, which made it easier for me,” Sibanda said. “I just had to support him and the others who batted with me. They did the exact same thing as well.”Sibanda had nervous moments towards the end of the match, when the runs required to win were nearly the same as those needed by him to reach his second one-day hundred. Then the scoreboard said six runs were needed but actually it was one. Williams played out five dot balls to give Sibanda the strike, and he promptly edged the ball past the wicketkeeper to get his century.”Unfortunately the scoreboard was wrong,” Sibanda said. “We thought we had six runs so weren’t under any pressure. But then we found out that only one run was needed. We just stayed calm and I hoped I get a chance to complete the hundred. It worked out well.”Zimbabwe’s captain Brendan Taylor said the victory was a “massive” moment for his team, which won its first international series since August 2011. Since Taylor’s debut in April 2004, Zimbabwe have won three ODI series and a Test series, all against Bangladesh.”I think this is probably our third or fourth series win in Tests and ODIs in the last eight or nine years,” Taylor said. “It is massive for us. It will give the players the self-belief.”I think losing the first game got the best out of us. Our bowlers were different bowlers after that game, putting pressure on the Bangladeshis in the morning period. So the credit goes to our bowlers and the top and middle-order batsmen.”