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• Five-star Miraz runs riot in second Test against Pakistan

  Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed five wickets to hand Bangladesh the advantage against Pakistan, with the hosts bowled out for 274 on the second day of their rain-hit second Test. 

  Miraz, who took five wickets during the opening Test, again starred with the ball for Bangladesh, crucially dismissing Saim Ayub (58) and Shan Masood (57). 

  Taskin Ahmed (3-57), who was brought in for the injured Shoriful Islam, got Bangladesh off to a flying start with the wicket of Abdullah Shafique (0) in the very first over. 

  Ayub and Masood steadied the ship to have the hosts 99-1 at lunch, only for the latter to fall soon after, which resulted in the wickets beginning to tumble. 

  Babar Azam again struggled with the bat, scoring 31 from 77 deliveries, with Khurram Shahzad (12), Mohammad Ali (two) and Abrar Ahmed (nine) all falling victim to Miraz's impressive bowling display. 

  Bangladesh openers Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan ended the day at the crease with the visitors 10 without loss as they look to confirm the series triumph on Sunday. 

  Data Debrief: Miraz the man

  Miraz's impressive bowling display proved to be the difference on the second day, putting Bangladesh in a strong position in the series. 

  It was also the 10th five-wicket haul of his career, three of which have come away from home.

• Patriots edge Falcons as Republic Bank CPL opens with a thriller in Antigua

  A thrilling final ball victory for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots over Antigua & Barbuda Falcons kicked off the twelfth iteration of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua on Thursday night.

   Patriots captain Andre Fletcher called the coin correctly and elected to field first and South African pace merchant Anrich Nortje, who would play a crucial cameo with the bat later in the game, skittled Falcons opener Teddy Bishop for just 1. Fakhar Zaman then opened his muscular shoulders, hitting five fours and two sixes in making 43 off 32 balls with Kofi James ably supporting with a 22 off 24.

   England’s Sam Billings was spectacularly caught on the boundary rope at deep midwicket, Odean Smith showcasing pristine footwork and clear thinking in juggling the catch to himself on the boundary edge.

   The star of the Falcons innings though was 17-year-old Jewel Andrew, who showed maturity beyond his years and an eye-catching talent by striking 50 off just 30 balls to post a challenging target of 163-4 for the Patriots to chase.

  

  An ebb and flow of runs and wickets followed as a dramatic match headed down to the final over and then the final delivery. Nortje held his nerve to get the single needed off Roshon Primus to give the Patriots a last gasp win, they equal their win tally of last year’s tournament after just one game.

  Kyle Mayers was awarded Player of the Match for a crucial 39 off 24 balls from number three but when he was dismissed by Mohammad Amir in the 16th over it left the Patriots on 133-6 and with plenty still to do. Despite wickets falling steadily, including two in the final over, the Patriots lower order managed to get over the line and chalk up a win to kick off their campaign.

   “I’m happy we won this game” Patriots captain Andre Fletcher reflected in the moments after victory. “I want us to be positive but at the same time, we have to be smart about it. Enjoy the cricket as much as possible, enjoy each other's success and stick together as a team. Once we do that, we have the personnel to do well.”

   The 2024 CPL is up and running and the opening match well and truly whetted the appetite for the next five weeks of action.

   

• Nicholas Pooran leads the way as Windies players make big gains in ICC Men's T20I Rankings

  West Indies players enjoyed big moves in the ICC Men’s T20 International Rankings, which serves as just reward for another convincing 3-0 series sweep of South Africa in Trinidad and Tobago.

  Wicketkeeper batsman Nicholas Pooran moved three spots to break into the top 10 after scores of 65 not out, 19 and 35 across the three games. The aggressive left-hander is now the Caribbean side’s highest-ranked batsman in the format, overtaking the injured Brandon King, who slipped one place down to 10 after he sat out the series.

  Johnson Charles, who also didn’t feature in the series, also slipped one place down to 11^th, while West Indies captain Rovman Powell stood still at number 34.

  Shai Hope continues to prove his worth in the games shortest format, as his scores of 51, 41, and an unbeaten 42 saw him jump 32 places up to 40th, overtaking out-of-favour Kyle Mayers, who slipped three spots down to 42^nd as the next West Indies players in the top 50.

  Despite the loss, South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks also made gains, as he moved up to 13^th position.

  In the bowling rankings, West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein of moved up four places to second position after taking four wickets in three matches. He was joined by fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who moved 10 slots up to third, while Romario Shepherd moved 13 spots up to 31st position.

  Alzarri Joseph, who slipped four spots to 15^th, Jason Holder (44^th) and left-arm seamer Obed McCoy (50^th) are the other West Indies bowlers in the top 50.

  Meanwhile, England batter Harry Brook moved up to fourth position, while Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Rizwan have reached career-best positions in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after their fine performances over the past week.

  Brook’s scores of 56 and 32 in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka in Manchester lifted him three places to fourth position, just one adrift of his career-best third position attained following his second-innings century against the West Indies at Trent Bridge last month.

  Bangladesh batter Mushfiq’s match-winning 191 in the first Test of the WTC series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi has helped him advance seven places to a career-best-equalling 17^th position, while Pakistan’s Rizwan is in the top 10 for the first time after scores of 171 not out and 51.

  Others to move up the Test rankings include Sri Lanka batters Dinesh Chandimal (up four places to 23^rd) and Kamindu Mendis (up eight places to 36^th), Bangladesh’s Liton Das (up two places to 27^th) and England’s Jamie Smith (up 22 places to 42^nd).

  In the Test bowling rankings, England’s Chris Woakes is up four places to 16^th after taking three wickets each in both innings against Sri Lanka while Asitha Fernando is up 10 places to 17^th after also finishing with six wickets in the match.

  Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah (up four places to 33^rd), England’s new-ball bowler Gus Atkinson (up four places to 42^nd) and Matthew Potts (up five places to 57^th) are the prominent movers in the bowling rankings.