PCB and CSA to increase ties

The PCB and CSA have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding that will increase cricketing ties between the two countries. Pakistan will tour South Africa later this month, filling a void left by India's truncated visit, and the boards have now signalled their intention to cooperate further after a meeting between Najam Sethi, the interim PCB chairman, and the CSA chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, in Abu Dhabi.

The arrangement could see more Pakistani players taking part in South Africa's domestic competitions. Sethi said that it was time for the PCB "to stand with CSA", while Lorgat welcomed Pakistan's decision to come to South Africa for three ODIs and two T20s in November, following the ongoing meeting between the two teams in the UAE.

"[The] ideal thing would be for us is to play a series at home but unfortunately for various reasons that is not possible," Sethi said. "It's important for our players at the national and Under-19 levels to play internationally and I am very keen to support that, so when the opportunity came along, although it's a tight time frame, it was time for us to stand with CSA. We don't end up making too much money but we don't lose anything and our boys get to play South Africa in South Africa, which is very exciting."

Pakistan have already toured South Africa once this year and their players could gain further experience of the conditions by turning out for the franchises. Sohail Tanvir has been a successful recruit for the Lions over the past two seasons and his international team-mates may now follow in his footsteps.

Pakistan has not hosted a series since terrorist attacks on a Sri Lanka team bus in 2009, limiting the team's game time, although they have been successful playing in the Emirates. Pakistan players have also been excluded from the IPL in that period, after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, but Sethi expressed a hope that this situation may be reversed.

"Our players will also play in South African domestic cricket and that will give them more cricket," he said. "I have talked to Lorgat, he has promised me to encourage our players to play in their local leagues. My concern is that our players should play in India in the IPL and in county cricket, we want to do that. If they let our players in the local leagues then it will give them good outing and good education."

The visit of Pakistan was hastily arranged after India cut their South Africa tour to two Tests and three ODIs. Such was CSA's desire to arrange the fixtures, it is prepared to make a financial loss. Lorgat has been a supporter of cricket in Pakistan, travelling there as a consultant to the proposed Pakistan Super League after finishing his tenure as ICC chief executive last year. He denied, however, that a tightening of relations between the two countries would stoke the ire of the BCCI.

"We are excited and happy with that great engagement with Pakistan and it's pretty obvious that it fills a gap that has risen out of a curtailed tour," Lorgat said. Asked whether the Indian board would be unhappy with the arrangement, he replied: "I don't see why it should, Pakistan was available and it's a bilateral arrangement between the two and we are simply delighted that we can get Pakistan to South Africa."

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Bopara signs up for BBL

England allrounder Ravi Bopara has signed up to play for the Sydney Sixers in this season's Big Bash League. He will replace Chris Tremlett, who is in England's Ashes squad, for the first part of the tournament.

Bopara is part of England's limited-overs teams, putting in a series of impressive displays during the northern summer, but has not played a Test since 2012. He is currently in action in the Dhaka Premier Division and will join up with fellow England batsman Michael Lumb for the Sixers.

"I'm delighted to be joining the Sydney Sixers for the first half of the Big Bash," Bopara said. "The Sixers are famous throughout the cricketing world and I'm privileged to have the opportunity to represent them.

"The team is full of absolutely fantastic talent and I'm looking forward to catching up and playing alongside them when we meet up next month."

Bopara has scored 2850 T20 runs, including one century, at a strike rate of 113.50, as well as taking 88 wickets with his medium pace. He played in all but one of Essex's games in last season's Friends Life t20, as they reached the semi-finals.

"Ravi fills a great role for us at the Sixers, as an allrounder with excellent strokeplay and medium-pace bowling," the Sixers general manager, Dominic Remond, said. "He has played at the highest level of international cricket and will bring great experience to our team."

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Mills confident of youngsters stepping up

Successive ODI series losses in Bangladesh might stretch the optimism of even the most seasoned international captain, but ahead of his first full series at the helm of a youthful side in Sri Lanka, Kyle Mills found cause for positivity in New Zealand's 0-3 result.


Leading the New Zealand team in the absence of Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, who have been ruled out by either injury or selectors' discretion, Mills said that individual performances from the previous series boded well for New Zealand, despite the net result in Bangladesh.  

Mills had also been part of the New Zealand team that lost their last ODI series in Sri Lanka 0-3  - albeit in a series heavily affected by rain - but familiarity with subcontinent conditions and the enthusiasm among young players seeking international acclaim, will make New Zealand competitive in Sri Lanka, Mills said. Tearaway quick Adam Milne and allrounder James Neesham are among the young prospects who will attempt to establish themselves in the national team, while older players like Colin Munro and Anton Devcich will also be on trial.

"I think we have one of the most exciting cricket teams to leave New Zealand's shores," Mills said. "There are a number of young talents, and their names might not be familiar now, but in the two weeks, I'm sure some of the young guys will step up for us.

"Looking back on the Bangladesh series, even thought we went down, a number of guys stepped up. The guys who did step up were younger members within the group, and it's exciting to see young emerging members. It was nice to win the last game - the T20. There were almost 400 runs scored in that game and it was a bit of a thriller. To come out on top in that instilled a lot of confidence in the group."

Defusing Sri Lanka's spin bowlers will be key to New Zealand's prospects in the series, and in this too, the experience in Bangladesh would prove invaluable. Ajantha Mendis has in the past dominated batsmen who have not played him before, and in Sachithra Senanayake, Sri Lanka have a second spinner who possesses a variety of difficult variations.

"Between now and the series starting, there is going to be a bit of scouting going into what's going to come upon the top order in the next three games," Mills said. "But we've just been to Bangladesh, where there was a spin-oriented type of attack as well, so that helps. It's important to accumulate your ones and your twos off the spinners, to keep it rotating, and we've learned that thanks to a good diet of facing spin bowlers for the last wee while. The most important thing is to adapt as quickly as possible. Hopefully we can upskill on the Sri Lankan bowling between now and the first game."


Beyond recent experience in Bangladesh, several players in New Zealand's squad have also played in Sri Lanka in the last few months, during the A team's tour. Milne, Devcich, Munro, Corey Anderson, Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi and Andrew Ellis all played at least one match in Sri Lanka on the tour in September and October.


"It's nice that they came on that Sri Lankan tour and had some good, solid performances against that Sri Lankan A side," Mills said. "They've had a bit of practice time in the kind of conditions we're going to get over the coming two weeks. Those guys also played well in Bangladesh. We've been in the subcontinent for a while now, so the lads are acclimatised."

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'Win series first, blood youth later' - Mathews

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said his team would aim to secure the three-match ODI series against a depleted New Zealand before entertaining the prospect of blooding young players, despite his team's continuing quest for regeneration.

One of the senior batsmen had been rested for each match of the most recent Twenty20 series against South Africa, in order to free a space up for a young player, but Mathews quelled notions a similar strategy would be employed against New Zealand. Uncapped middle-order batsman Ashan Priyanjan and developing medium-pace bowler Suranga Lakmal have both been named in Sri Lanka's squad for the first two ODIs.

"The youngsters are good fighters, and they may have a chance, but the main thing is that we win this thee match series. The current squad of 16 has only been selected for the first two matches to in Hambantota. If we win the series, then of course we can think about giving an opportunity to the youngsters."

The series is Sri Lanka's first' top-level assignment since South Africa departed in early August, but Mathews was confident his side would not show signs of rust, given their industry during the international hiatus. Sri Lanka's top players took part in a four-day first-class triangular series in October, and also had two practice matches against a Sri Lanka A team ahead of New Zealand's arrival.

The long gap in international cricket had been brought about by postponements to home Tests against South Africa and an away tour to Zimbabwe.

"It's unfortunate to miss the Zimbabwe series but we had some good matches here and it was a good two months to refresh for us. We had a lot of strength training, in addition to preparing specifically for this tour, so I think we're in good shape."

Mathews expressed disappointment at the prospect of playing a New Zealand team without their of their best batsmen, one of whom captains the team, but insisted that there would be no dip in intensity from his side. Earlier this week Sri Lanka chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya had also voiced his dismay at New Zealand's choice to withdraw Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor from the series, before Kane Williamson was also injured.

"We aren't just playing against individual players, we're playing against the New Zealand team, so we're not going to be complacent no matter what the opposition is doing," Mathews said. "This is a very important series for us, partly because it gives us a chance to tune up ahead of the Pakistan tour as well. We're disappointed that a few of their best players aren't here, but as they proved when they beat us in a nailbiter in Cardiff this year, they're still a very good team and we can't take them lightly."

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England insist on Ashes cookbook

The leaking of England's minutely detailed dining requirements highlights their attention to details. The days of pies, pizza and pints are long gone

Australia still idly likes to imagine England as a depressing culinary backwater of fish and chips and bacon butties, but if they serve that up for the England cricket team in the forthcoming Test series it could create the greatest Ashes stand-off since Bodyline.

The Bodyline controversy in the 1930s was all about potential damage to the body because of deliberate short-pitched bowling, but Bodyline II is more obsessed with the attainment of physical perfection as England have issued detailed instructions about the health foods they expect to receive during the Ashes series.

England's culinary requirements, which have been leaked to the Sydney Morning Herald, are outlined in a glossy 70-page cookbook plus accompanying instructions and include exact instructions for preparing nearly 200 different types of meals and drinks. Beware, Australia, if your muffins are not wholewheat or if your cranberries are not poached until soft.

Superfoods such as kale, agave nectar and yogurt (probiotic, naturally) are present in abundance and, as for the main courses, expect heavy demand for the mungbean and spinach curry.

Most international sides issue dietary requirements - Australia among them - but it is a safe bet that there has never been anything as detailed as this. If you are reading this while reheating last night's pizza, you may wish to feel ashamed.

England's methodology is based upon micro-planning every aspect of their performance, all supervised by the largest backroom staff in cricket history. This even extended to organising a pre-tour dinner for the team director, Andy Flower, with the players' wives and girlfriends to advise about their responsibilities (no menus are available, sadly).

They never miss an opportunity to discuss with other elite sports coaches and competitors how to gain minute advantages. These prescriptive demands for Australia to prepare healthy meals to their requirements will only strengthen their growing reputation for unashamed professionalism.

Chris Rosimus, the ECB's performance nutritionist, has backed up the cookbook with a further 12-page file titled, Test Catering Requirements. Rosimus used to work as a nutritionist for Manchester United Soccer Schools in Abu Dhabi before he joined the ECB more than two years ago.

He provides guidance to England players, men and women, at all levels and is tasked with identifying potential problem players. Gary Ballance, who some feel carries a little extra poundage, could find Rosimus on his shoulder at any moment.

Rosimus' secret? Well, England guard such information closely, but after intense research, we can reveal this mantra: "At the end of play, have a good meal that provides one-third carbohydrate, one-third lean protein and one-third vegetables or salad. This will help your body recovery to do it all again the next day."

It is all a world away from England's three-month tour of India in 1993 when the tour manager, Bob Bennett, kept spirits up by occasionally running what became known as Bob's Kitchen, with birthday cakes for the players a speciality.

By the end of the century, England's physiotherapist, Wayne Morton, part of a backroom staff that was tiny by comparison with today, would insist on checking the hygiene of hotel kitchens and was not averse to brandishing bottles of anti-bacterial liquid and suggesting that the staff attended to their cleaning rota.

What Ben Stokes, one of the least experienced members of England's Ashes tour party, makes of it, heaven knows. When Durham won a decisive late-season Championship match against their closest challengers, Yorkshire, at Scarborough, Stokes gleefully tweeted a picture of the boys tucking in with a celebratory Chinese takeaway. Now, as he wonders if he will make his Test debut in the Ashes series, he must learn to love butternut squash and falafel coronation. Be warned, Australia: it must only be made with low-calorie mayonnaise.

Even now, Nancy, the much-loved Middlesex cook during their glory years, who claimed to prepare for a day's work at 8am with "a cup of tea and a fag", must be looking askance from whatever celestial cloud she has alighted upon.

It was Nancy, whose lunchtime apple crumble could famously slow a bowler's approach in the post-lunch session, who once responded to the gentle concern of the former Middlesex and England captain Mike Brearley (and you can insert your own swear words, because there were plenty) by raging: "You take care of the cricket, Michael, and I'll take care of the cooking."

Times have changed, but when England have a captain, Alastair Cook, who goes by the nickname of Chef, what did you expect?

Cook even took part in a fund-raiser for the Chance to Shine cricket charity in September, judged by the TV chef Ainsley Harriott. His own delicacy, a chocolate brownie recipe which he borrowed from his wife, would presumably be on England's banned list.

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Sethi committee gets extended run

A two-judge bench of Islamabad High Court heard arguments of the PCB and the petitioners on a judgment passed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui before adjourning the case till the first week of December. Till then, the bench said, the Najam Sethi-run Interim Management Committee in the PCB could continue to function.

The PCB is appealing the judgment passed by Justice Siddiqui that called for fresh elections to elect the board chairman. That judgement was itself a formal and full version of the order delivered on May 28 that ordered the suspension of Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman over what it called the "dubious" and "polluted" process to elect him.

Today, the bench heard arguments by Ashraf's lawyer Afnan Karim Kundi for close to two hours. "The learned judge had no authority to legislate on the PCB constitution," Kundi said. "My client acted only to comply with the ICC direction. The [PCB] constitution was vetted by all the concerned departments of the government of Pakistan and he was elected according to the constitution."

The bench then asked the main petitioner, Ahmad Nadeem Sadal, to present his arguments. The judges asked Sadal - a former official of the Army Cricket Club in Rawalpindi - how he was an aggrieved party so as to file a petition and how his fundamental rights were affected by the PCB's actions. Sadal's lawyer argued that the petition was filed in the public interest.

Sadal's petition, and the court's response, has effectively derailed the PCB by throwing its daily functioning into confusion. The lack of administrative leadership forced it to sign a short-term broadcasting deal, affecting its major source of income, and cricket is currently being run on an interim annual budget.

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Another century for Aparajith

Tamil Nadu 294 for 3 (Badrinath 126*, Aparajith 118) v Madhya Pradesh
Scorecard

Nineteen-year-old B Aparajith struck another hundred, his fourth in five matches, and along with Tamil Nadu veteran S Badrinath, took the team to a commanding position on the first day against Madhya Pradesh in Indore. While Aparajith fell for 118 ten balls before stumps, Badrinath was unbeaten on a patient 126 after Tamil Nadu were put in to bat.

Openers Arun Karthik and Abhinav Mukund provided a steady start till the 12th over when medium-pacer Amarjeet Singh broke the partnership by having Mukund caught by Udit Birla for 13. Karthik was joined by Badrinath but their stand didn't survive for too long either as Salman Baig bowled Karthik for 31, which included five fours.

Badrinath and Aparajith then started the partnership which buried all hopes of any more success for the MP bowlers, until the penultimate over of the day. The duo put on 240 runs for the third wicket, with Badrinath, who struck 16 fours being a bit slower than Aparajith, who hit 14 fours and two sixes. Tamil Nadu scored at just over three-and-a-half runs per over and Aparajith brought up his fifth first-class hundred, while it was number 30 for Badrinath.

Ishwar Pandey gave MP the only other success of the day when he got Aparajith caught behind after an innings that lasted nearly five hours. Dinesh Karthik survived six deliveries after that as Tamil Nadu ended the day at 294 for 3.

Saurashtra 88 for 4 (Vasavada 44*, Anureet 3-24) v Railways
Scorecard

Saurashtra were in deep trouble as lost their top four batsmen in quick succession after rain and fog delayed the start of their match against Railways at the Jamia Milia Cricket Ground in Delhi.

Medium-pacer Anureet Singh took the first three wickets within nine overs of the match and Krishnakant Upadhyay took the fourth wicket to leave Saurashtra reeling at 24 for 4 after 13.4 overs. The opening stand was broken with the wicket of Sagar Jogiyani who was caught for six. Anureet struck twice in the ninth over, when he had Chirag Pathak caught for 12 and Sheldon Jackson caught behind for duck three balls later.

Just when Saurashtra thought they had a partnership going, Upadhyay dismissed Bhushan Chauhan for a 23-ball duck. They were finally given respite with Aarpit Vasavada and Jaydev Shah seeing their side till stumps with a 64-run stand, surviving 32.2 overs. Vasavada was unbeaten on 44 and Shah not out on a patient 25 from 97 to take the total to 88 for 4.

Rajasthan 222 for 6 (Saxena 110*, Bist 44, Lahiri 2-24) v Bengal
Scorecard

Opener Vineet Saxena saved Rajasthan from an embarrassing collapse with a fighting hundred against Bengal in Jaipur. Out of the eight batsmen who batted on the first day, only three got in double digits and Saxena remained unbeaten on 110.

Ashok Dinda broke the opening stand in the very first over with the wicket of Sourabh Chouhan for a duck. Saxena and Robin Bist had a strong partnership going as they scored 96 runs, out of which Bist scored 44 with six fours. But offspinner Saurashish Lahiri ended the stand and Shib Paul added to Rajasthan's troubles with two quick wickets. He bowled Ashok Menaria and Hrishikesh Kanitkar within eight runs scored by Rajasthan to leave them at 124 for 4.

Rajesh Bishnoi and Saxena revived the innings for 11 overs with 48 runs but Bishnoi was caught behind for 25 and another 11 overs later, Dishant Yagnik became Lahiri's second wicket when he was bowled for 6. Saxena kept going at the other end and brought up 13th first-class century to take Rajasthan to 222 for 6 with Ramesh Powar at the other end.

Uttar Pradesh 291 for 9 (Raina 123, Bhatt 5-48, Patel 4-74) v Baroda
Scorecard

Left out of India's Test squad, Suresh Raina nudged the national selectors with an attacking century on the opening day of Uttar Pradesh's second-round match against Baroda at Moti Bagh. Raina's 123, off 154 balls, helped UP to 291 on an evenly-matched day. Baroda struck with quick wickets on the final session and had all but wrapped up the innings before stumps.

Read the full report here.

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Warne critical of Clarke's off-field role

Australia's captain Michael Clarke must improve as a leader off the field and redouble his efforts to create a happier team environment during the forthcoming Ashes series, Shane Warne has said. In a significant departure from usually glowing support of his "best friend", Warne has conceded the national team lapsed into an insular mode that recalled the doomed England teams of the 1990s under Clarke's leadership, before improving later in the previous Ashes encounter.

Warne made his critique of Clarke in a column for the Telegraph that also suggested England's captain Alastair Cook should be replaced by Kevin Pietersen or Graeme Swann if the tourists are to seriously challenge for the position of undisputed world No. 1. The floating of such a concept was not surprising considering Warne's earlier attack on Cook in an interview with English media, but his words about Clarke were more telling.

Clarke and Warne have had a close relationship ever since the younger man's early days in the Australian Test team. Always Clarke's strongest defender, Warne has very seldom offered any criticism of a cricketer he has mentored, most recently attacking Ricky Ponting for his quite balanced and detailed observations of Clarke in his autobiography. So his admission that Clarke must be more focused on the welfare of his team is notable.

"Clarke has Cook covered on tactics but where he must improve is in creating a happier team environment," Warne wrote. "The Australian team were noticeably happier at the end of the English summer and, as Clarke and Lehmann's partnership started to take hold, Australia played better. If we look back over the years to when England lost eight Ashes series in a row there were a lot of people in their side playing for themselves and their own positions. It was a selfish environment. This is what Clarke has to avoid at all costs.

"If you look at the last three Tests in the Ashes, and the recent one-day series in India, there were a lot more Australian players smiling and in form. It looks a happier team than during the ICC Champions Trophy in June and the first couple of Test matches in England but the work has to continue. To me Australia have to improve in more areas than England if they are to regain the Ashes. But if England want to be the best Test side in the world, then Cook has to be more aggressive and proactive."

While he pushed the point about Cook's lack of tactical flair and aggression, Warne said that he had been more critical of Clarke in private conversations between the pair than anything he had previously said publicly. He also offered the view that Australia's results over the years had reflected the standard of the captains who commanded the teams.

"This week I have been critical of Cook as a captain, maybe a bit harshly, as he has a great record," Warne wrote. "For your information, I am not paid by Cricket Australia and have no official role with them. Sure, Clarke is one of my best friends but ask him and he will tell you I am one of his harshest critics. I honestly believe that Cook has to improve tactically if England are to become the No. 1 team in the world again and I do not think too many people would disagree with me.

"I am also speaking from the experience of playing under some great captains - and some who were not so great. If you look at the leaders Australia had when we did well and when we struggled, it generally reflected the standard of the captains. If I had to choose a captain out of the England side it would be Kevin Pietersen or Graeme Swann. That may sound like an unbelievable thing to say after all the controversy of last year but I think KP has the best cricket brain in the team.

"Graeme Swann is good too, as we have seen from his Twenty20 captaincy of England. They are both imaginative, good readers of the game and take the aggressive option first, whereas Cook retreats too quickly. He goes very defensive when he should be stamping his authority on the match."

Warne has often said that Allan Border and Mark Taylor were the best two captains he played under, while being far more critical of Ponting and Steve Waugh. Border's record was poor for many years as the national team regenerated under his guidance, before Taylor took over and lifted the team to No. 1 in the world. Waugh and Ponting carried on the era of success, and both finished with better overall records than either Border or Taylor.

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Houghton gets role in Somerset restructuring

Somerset have moved to strengthen their coaching structure by bringing in Dave Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain and Derbyshire's batting coach for the last two seasons, and promoting Jason Kerr to assist with the bowlers. Andy Hurry will no longer deal with the first team, moving into the role of high performance director, with responsibility for players coming through the academy and 2nd XI.

Dave Nosworthy, Somerset's director of cricket, denied the restructuring amounted to a demotion for Hurry, telling the Bristol Post: "Andy's new role is a vital role in the club, to get that area sorted out. There is no better person for the role than 'Sarge' in terms of the experience he has had at the top level.

"He has been at the club for a long time, and being on the road for an eight-year period with the first team has been taxing. But he has done a superb job and has been excellent - and now he has a chance to look into other areas."

Houghton, who averaged 43.05 in 22 Tests for Zimbabwe, parted company with Derbyshire last month after the club announced they could no longer afford a specialist batting coach. He was previously Derbyshire's director of cricket between 2004 and 2007 and also coached Zimbabwe. Kerr played for Somerset between 1993 and 2001 and moves up from his role in charge of the academy.

The changes follow a review of Somerset's coaching set-up, after a season in which they flirted with relegation to Division Two of the Championship and suffered semi-final and quarter-final defeats in the YB40 and FLt20 respectively. Somerset will now have specialist batting and bowling coaches for the first time, something Nosworthy admitted had been "an area of concern" since his arrival for 2013, replacing Brian Rose.

"We are really excited to have someone of Dave Houghton's stature and credibility on board and know that he will have a lot to offer us going forward," Nosworthy said. "He is a good man with an excellent work ethic and I am really looking forward to having his expertise around.

"The appointment of Jason Kerr from within our own structures is also really exciting as he has the respect of the players and will no doubt also bring his vast knowledge and expertise into the first eleven environment. I look forward to working closely with Dave and Jason and together taking this team forward."

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Mills pleased with NZ's T20 comeback

New Zealand captain Kyle Mills said he was happy with the manner in which his team had overcome Bangladesh's aggressive charge in the only Twenty20 between the two sides in Mirpur. New Zealand won the game by 15 runs their first on this tour after they drew the Test series 0-0 and lost the ODI series 3-0.

"I think we were on the front foot from ball one," Mills said. "To post 204 runs, I think the Bangladesh side was behind the game from then on. They batted really well in the first seven overs to keep it just under par. With us picking up wickets, we were always slightly in front. I think we batted magnificently well. The opening partnership took the game by the scruff of the neck.

"Ross Taylor crafted another beautiful innings and Colin Munro carried on the form from the last game. When you put up a decent score on the board, you're reasonably confident at the halfway mark. But we still had a job to do with the ball. The Bangladesh side, like they have done all series, came pretty hard at us. It was a good, entertaining match and it was nice to come out on the right side."

Apart from Munro, who scored an unbeaten 73 to follow up his 85 in the third ODI, Mills also praised allrounder Corey Anderson and opener Anton Devcich. Anderson gave away 21 runs in four overs and picked up two wickets, while Devcich hit a half-century on his T20I debut, setting the platform for the visitors' total.

"Devcich assessed the conditions really well. He didn't try to be anyone else," Mills said. "He played his own shots and played them with confidence. I was really pleased for him. This is the first time that he has played the T20 international for his country and he stood up and played with great confidence.

'I think the Bangladesh side played our spinners really well today and Corey Anderson really stood up, which he has done every time he's had an opportunity with the bat or ball in this series. He is a great find for us and today I think he bowled exceptionally well," said Mills.

New Zealand's bowlers managed to strike early and Bangladesh were struggling at 19 for 3 in the second over. However, Mushfiqur led the charge and helped Bangladesh keep pace with the high asking rate. By the seventh over, Bangladesh were 85 for 4 and Mills said that the aggressive batting was a glimpse of how Bangladesh had improved in the last few years.

"At the halfway mark, I was pretty confident that we were going to do the job," Mills said. "We just had to bowl well and take the early wicket. The bowling group really stepped up today from what was an adequate performance in the last ODI. But you have to hand it to the Bangladesh side who played well in those first seven overs.

"They are playing pretty aggressive cricket under Shane Jurgensen. I think when you get into a situation like this - a sell-out crowd, one-game series - there is only one way the Bangladesh side was going to play. We were fully aware that they were going to come pretty hard at us, which they did. We were fortunate to pick up early wickets which nullified it."

New Zealand are a far better side in the T20 format, having won their third game of five completed matches this year, and the scheduling of the game was an advantage for them, coming at the end of an average tour.

"We turned the page pretty quickly from the 3-0 ODI series. We really had to," Mills said. "We had two days to prepare for this game. Let's not forget we beat Bangladesh the last time we played a T20 against them in Sri Lanka in March 2012.

"We were pretty confident that we could come out and do the job today if we played good cricket. I think in the previous games, we always had two or three guys stick up for our side, but today we had four or five put in pretty solid performances."

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