ICC MEDIA RELEASE Dubai, 6 October 2011: Sammy, Mushfiqur, Misbah and Dilshan all on this week’s ICC Cricket World Radio Show captains’ special Ex-England captain Mike Gatting pays tribute to former team-mate Graham Dilley.On this week’s ICC Cricket World Radio Show captains’ special, West Indies captain Darren Sammy is joined by Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Both Sammy and Mushfiqur discuss the upcoming series between the two sides that begins on 11 October at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur with a Twenty20 International.
“Playing Bangladesh at home is always tough, as New Zealand found out last time when they were there. An important factor for us will be how well we play spin. That will pose our biggest challenge. Also, our batting has to come to the fore (because) in the last series (against India), until the last Test in Dominica, our batsmen didn’t really dominate. These are the two areas we will definitely have to improve on,” says Sammy.
Meanwhile, Mushfiqur says: “It is a big series for us, but we have had a good preparation for this series. It is really a big responsibility to be the captain. The biggest challenge is the new rules that have come into force. We have to cope with pressure. I was captain of the U19 side in the past. I love to take responsibility that is one of my strengths.”
Joining Sammy and Mushfiqur this week are the captains of Pakistan and Sri Lanka who are preparing to face-off in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when the two sides begin the series with the first Test in Abu Dhabi on 18 October.
Pakistan captain Misbah says: “Our team is playing well in the last two series and we have improved very well. Sri Lanka is a tough side. The conditions in the UAE are like Pakistan, so it is hard work for bowlers. We just have to work hard to get 20 wickets to win a Test match. Fielding will have to be at its best, since not too many chances will be created, so we have to grab whatever comes our way.”
Dilshan says: “It is an exciting series. I have learnt a lot of things from the last two series since I am new to captaining international sides. We have never played Test cricket in the UAE, so it will be a challenge to adjust to the conditions quickly. Geoff Marsh and I have had a chat on how we can work closely to take Sri Lanka cricket higher. We can move forward with Geoff Marsh.”
Also on this week’s show, former England captain Mike Gatting looks back on the career of former England fast bowler Graham Dilley, who passed away earlier this week aged 52.
“He was a very fine bowler. At his peak, he was one of the best. He was a gentleman on and off the pitch. He never wanted to be in the limelight, always happy to be on the outside. He contributed hugely in the 1986-87 Ashes series as a senior bowler and was absolutely amazing. He was very good with young bowlers,” reflects Gatting.
Finally on the show, ICC Global Development Manager, Tim Anderson, talks about the exciting changes afoot in global development and the upcoming major global qualifiers that are due to take place.
“There are a number of exciting development events coming up including the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier next month in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from where four teams will qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup to be staged in 2013 in India, while two will also head to next year’s ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.
“Then, there is the biggest event the ICC Development department has run in the form of the 16-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier which will be staged here in the UAE from 13 to 24 March 2012. The tournament has 13-teams qualified for the event so far, and the last three will be known by mid-December after the ACC Trophy which takes place in Nepal from 1 to 10 December,” says Anderson.
This show has been put together by the ICC’s global broadcast partner, ESPN STAR Sports.
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