SPORTS SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015 England coach Pakistan tighten grip on Moores facing sack again — reports decisive Bangladesh Test LONDON: Peter Moores is set to be sacked for the second DHAKA: Bangladesh faced a long haul to time as England coach after Andrew Strauss takes up a new save the second and final Test against post in the national set-up, several British newspapers Pakistan in Dhaka after they were set an reported yesterday. improbable victory target of 550 on the Strauss is the overwhelming favourite to land the post of third day yesterday. England director of cricket, a job created by the England and The hosts were 63 for one at stumps Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last month following Paul Downton’s sacking as managing director. Further evidence with Tamim Iqbal (32) and Mominul Haque that former England captain Strauss was on course to take up (15) together at the crease after Imrul Kayes the administrative role at Lord’s came when he was with- was bowled by Yasir Shah for 16 on a wear- drawn from the Sky television commentary team covering ing pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. the washed-out one-day international between Ireland and Bangladesh will still need to bat out six ses- England in Malahide yesterday. sions over the last two days to avoid losing James Taylor, England’s stand-in captain against Ireland, the short series after the first Test ended in said the players were unaware of any possible changes to the a draw in Khulna last week. coaching set-up. Bangladesh’s highest fourth innings “I haven’t heard anything on that,” Taylor told BBC Radio’s score to win a Test is 217 against the West Test Match Special. “I haven’t heard any echoes of that being Indies in 2009. The Tigers were bowled out the case. I know in my brief time with England in the last six for 203 in their first innings before lunch in months he’s been really good with me, really positive, so I reply to Pakistan’s 557-8 declared, but the haven’t heard anything like that.” tourists did not enforce the follow-on If Strauss does take over and Moores is removed from his despite a a mammoth lead of 354 runs. post, it will mean the coach’s second spell in charge will have Batting a second time, Pakistan declared lasted barely a year since he was brought back in 2014 fol- their second innings at 195-6 with skipper lowing England’s 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia, which led Misbah-ul Haq leading the way with a 72- Andy Flower to step down as coach. ball 82 that included nine boundaries and Moores’s second spell in charge-he was initially dismissed in 2009 after a falling out with then captain Kevin Pietersen- three sixes. has so far yielded just one series win, at home to India last Pakistan lost opener Mohammad Hafeez year, and included England’s embarrassing exit from the before lunch, caught behind by hard-work- World Cup, where they failed to beat a single Test nation, ing seamer Mohammad Shahid off the and a disappointing 1-1 series draw in the West Indies. fourth ball of the innings. Shahid struck Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie, now the again soon after resumption when he coach of English county champions Yorkshire, having been removed Sami Aslam, before Azhar Ali, a brought on board at Headingley by incoming ECB chairman double-centurion in the first innings, Colin Graves, has been touted as a possible replacement for became Soumya Sarkar’s first Test victim Moores. Speculation has also focused on another former after making 25. Australia international, Justin Langer, who was a mentor to Misbah put on 58 for the fourth wicket Strauss early on in his professional career when the two left- with Younis Khan before he closed the handed batsmen played for county side Middlesex. — AFP innings soon after he was sixth out caught in the deep in a bid to step up the run-rate. Pakistan are seeking their first win on Contador aiming for the month-long after being routed 3-0 in the one-day series and losing to slow Giro challenge Bangladesh for the first time in a Twenty20 DHAKA: Pakistan cricketer Yasir Shah appeals unsuccessfully for leg before international. wicket decision against Bangladesh cricketer Imrul Kayes during the third day ITALY: Alberto Contador will begin his bid for a Giro d’Italia-Tour Bangladesh, resuming the day at 107-5, of the second cricket Test match. — AFP de France double today aiming to keep out of the limelight for as conceded the huge lead despite an unbeat- long as possible in Italy. en 89 off 91 balls by Shakib Al Hasan that The 32-year-old Spaniard, who won the Vuelta a Espana for included 14 boundaries and two sixes. SCOREBOARD the third time last year, is bidding to become the first person Shakib, who was on 27 when the eighth since disgraced Italian Marco Pantani in 1998 to do the Giro-Tour wicket fell at the total of 140, smashed 62 DHAKA: Scoreboard yesterday at stumps on the third day of the second test double in the same year. He last attempted the feat in 2011 and of the 63 runs he added for the ninth wick- between Bangladesh and Pakistan at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. although he won the Giro, he faded to fifth in the Tour two et with Mohammad Shahid, who held firm months later. However, he was later stripped of both results at the other end for nine overs. Shakib Pakistan 1st Innings 557-8 declared Mahmudullah 82 when the Court of Arbitration for Sport found him guilty of admitted his team faced a tough task, but Bangladesh 1st Innings 203(overnight Asad Shafiq b Shuvagata 15 Sarfraz Ahmed not out 18 ingesting the banned substance clenbuterol during the 2010 vowed to go down fighting. “We won’t give 107-5) Tour de France and stripped him of all results from then onwards. Tamim Iqbal lbw b Junaid 4 Extras (2lb, 6w) 8 up without a fight, that’s for sure,” the star Total (for 6 wickets declared) 195 Even so, Contador will come into the race as clear favourite all-rounder said. “Nobody has ever chased Imrul Kayes b Yasir 32 simply because his record in Grand Tours is so remarkable. Of the M Haque c Sarfraz b Junaid 13 Overs: 41.1. such a total so if we don’t play well tomor- Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-25, 3-49, 4-107, 5-140, 12 he has started, he has finished top of the pile in eight of them. row, we won’t be thinking about the chase Mahmudullah c Azhar b Riaz 28 Shakib Al Hasan not out 89 6-195. Even after taking into consideration the results he was obviously. Mushfiqur Rahim b Yasir 12 Did not bat: Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Junaid stripped of for doping, his record still reads six victories (two “But if we can get a 200-run stand from Soumya Sarkar c Azhar b Riaz 3 Khan, Imran Khan. Tours, one Giro and three Vueltas) from nine. But this time Bowling: Mohammad Shahid 10-4-23-2 the top-order, we can build from there. Shuvagata Hom c Asad b Riaz 0 around, he is mindful of saving energy to be able to reach the (6w), Taijul Islam 10-0-56-1, Soumya Sarkar There is a lot of time left in the game and Taijul Islam b Hafeez 15 Tour de France in top shape. To do so he says that he would 9-0-45-1, Shakib Al Hasan 8-0-43-0, the wicket is not as slow or low as it was in Shahid c Azhar b Yasir 1 rather not take the race lead until the final week, and even then Khulna. “If we can spend the first hour Shuvagata Hom 2-0-18-1, Mahmudullah Shahadat Hossain absent hurt 2.1-0-8-1. as late as possible. “I’d be happy with taking it on the last day. tomorrow without losing a wicket, we have Extras: (2lb, 2w, 2nb) 6 Better than having it for two weeks straight,” Contador told hope in this match.” Shakib said he was sur- Total: (all out) 203 Bangladesh 2nd Innings Spanish newspaper Marca. prised by Pakistan’s decision to bat again Overs: 47.3. “This Giro is very different to 2011, firstly because of the way Tamim Iqbal not out 32 instead of enforcing the follow-on. “Frankly, Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-38, 3-69, 4-85, 5-107, 6- Imrul Kayes b Yasir 16 I’m planning on tackling it. “In terms of the route, there are a lot I did not expect them to bat again,” he said. 113, 7-119, 8-140, 9-203. Mominul Haque not out 15 of mountains, but not so much at the ends of stages. There won’t “I don’t know why they did that. But hope- Bowling: Junaid Khan 6-2-26-2 (1w), Imran Extras 0 be out-and-out mountain stages until after stage 14.” fully this will go in our favor. Khan 7-0-31-0, Wahab Riaz 15-2-73-3 (1w, Total (for 1 wicket) 63 It means Contador will likely be looking to control proceed- “I am sure they will think about their 2nb), Yasir Shah 15.3-4-58-3, Mohammad Overs: 14.