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Sikandar Raza spent his formative years preparing to become a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). An eye condition prevented him from becoming one, but the time he spent in his childhood dreaming to be a fighter pilot, and the training he went through in the PAF college, have shaped his outlook in life and cricket to become a fighter, he says.Raza went on to become a software engineer, and then a cricketer after starting quite late in the sport. After nine years in the international circuit, Raza is in red-hot form. In the last few weeks, he has been the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup Qualifiers, the Player of the Series against Bangladesh in the T20I series, and the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 135 against Bangladesh in the first ODI on Friday.Chasing 304, Zimbabwe were 62 for 3 in the 14th over. They hadn’t beaten Bangladesh in 19 ODIs across nine years. The way Raza rescued Zimbabwe from there with his knock of 135 off 109 and took them across the line, it showed he wasn’t too fazed by the pressure.Related

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“There’s pressure to do well and win the game, there’s pressure. I won’t lie,” Raza told ESPNcricinfo on Friday. “Of course, it helps that I am from an Air Force background. We don’t give up. I get hit, I get hurt, broken fingers, toes, etc. I don’t care. I personally feel it helps spending the three-and-a-half years in PAF college. I will always be a fighter within myself. I couldn’t become a fighter pilot. But I think as a person, I will always be a fighter. The training mentally and physically is paying dividends now.”Zimbabwe were chasing with the knowledge that the hard-hitting Ryan Burl, who suffered a side strain while bowling, may not bat. Raza was batting with the newcomer Innocent Kaia, and against a Bangladesh bowling attack hungry for wickets. He was also fighting pain after an inside edge slammed into his inner thigh earlier.”I usually go out with a blank mind,” Raza said. “I want to watch the ball. It is an ODI so I want to leave well if I can. Just play a couple of shots that will give me my boundary options. Otherwise, I make sure my shape is good. Make sure I am picking the length early enough.Innocent Kaia and Sikandar Raza added 192 runs for the fourth wicket•Associated Press

“The innings was starting to flow. Innocent was playing magnificently, so the pressure was off me. We hit a few boundaries and then it was just momentum. The plan was to win the game but we broke it down to small parts. We wanted to achieve those small targets, and take it from there.”Raza was going well until the 25th over when the Zimbabwe pair seemed to have hit a wall. They batted quietly for about five overs but when Raza blasted Mustafizur Rahman down the ground for a six to bring up his half-century, Zimbabwe had turned a crucial corner.”I think the secret to my six-hitting is my cricket bats,” he explained. “I don’t do anything different than what the other guys do. I just have good enough bats.”I look for one or two balls that gives me the boundary. I make sure I time the ball well. Once I start timing the ball well, Allah has blessed me with the fact that if I hit it well, I can clear the big boundaries. Once you have the confidence, and you get the ball that you wanted, it is what it is after that. There’s no real secret, basically.”Raza was also full of praise for Kaia, who struck his maiden hundred in only his fourth ODI. “He played a proper quality and class knock. It was a special innings. We play franchise cricket together. We spend a lot of time with him. I always told him that when the opportunity comes, I know that he will shine. His century was very satisfying to watch from the other end.”This was a big win for Zimbabwe, particularly in a format they have struggled in lately. “It was great to break that shackle. We didn’t beat Bangladesh in nine years,” Raza said. “They were 19-0 up on us. The wins are coming at the right time. India is coming. We are going to Australia. We have the World Cup to look forward to. It is a good time for Zimbabwe.”Raza, however, remained wary about Bangladesh’s quality as an ODI side with two games still left in the series. “We can’t take away the fact that Bangladesh is a big cricket country. They are sitting No. 1 or 2 in the [World Cup Super League] table. They won 2-1 [3-0] in West Indies. I refuse to disrespect Bangladesh. They are a powerhouse. Zimbabwe would love to win the series on Sunday. We want to turn up with the right attitude.”

Big picture: A ‘proper contest’ awaits

Long gone is the “little brother vs big brother” equation in Bangladesh-England matches. The 2015 World Cup game brought a bit of edge into the contests, and then came the pushing and shoving between players in the end-of-game beeline during the last bilateral series back in 2016. Since then, this fixture has become a ‘proper contest’ although the two sides are playing a bilateral series after a seven-year gap.This is now a battle between the world champions and the team that aspires to be new world champions. Bangladesh have won seven home ODI series in a row after beating India in December. Mehidy Hasan Miraz single-handedly won them two games but it is the nature of the Bangladesh team these days that they have matchwinners all through the XI.Related

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Tamim Iqbal, who missed the India series through a groin injury, returns to a strong line-up that includes Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. But these days, Litton Das, Mehidy and Taskin Ahmed are dangerous opponents too.England will have their hands full, but there’s also a lot of respect for this side in Bangladesh. The English players are BPL regulars, and even played plenty of Dhaka Premier League in the past decade. Just like everywhere else in the world, England now have better understanding of conditions, attitudes and cultures, and Bangladesh expects nothing different this time.They will be without Harry Brook and Ben Duckett – who are in New Zealand with the Test side – but they have Will Jacks, James Vince and Mark Wood among their recalls into the ODI side. Rehan Ahmed is another intriguing inclusion, given how the Dhaka pitches tend to assist spinners.It promises to be a great contest between the England and the side, like many others around the world, that wants to be the next England.

Form guide

Bangladesh LWWWL
England WLLLL

In the spotlight: Tamim-Shakib and Moeen

Much of the focus will be on how Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan carry themselves in the wake of the BCB president’s revelations that they don’t see eye-to-eye. Tamim has stressed that their on-field relationship is sound, and that’s all that matters. They have been the most successful cricketers for Bangladesh, and both are current captains. But would the opposition let them forget this topic when they are batting together in the middle?There will be a lot riding on how Moeen Ali comes into the game in the middle-order and middle overs. Moeen’s role as vice-captain was essential to England’s T20 World Cup success in Australia and he has the skills to make a difference in the subcontinent, ahead of the ODI World Cup in India in October-November. Moeen’s local knowledge – he was with the Comilla Victorians that lifted their fourth BPL title two weeks ago – will come handy, especially to know when the press the accelerator.

Team news: Taijul, Rehan in focus

Tamim will slot into Anamul Haque’s place. Taijul Islam could play in Ebadot Hossain’s slot as the third specialist spinner.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Litton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Towhid Hridoy, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.England are expected to lean towards picking an extra spin-bowling allrounder in Will Jacks, rather than an extra seamer. They are likely to rotate the quicks over the course of the tour. Rehan Ahmed is likely to get a game at some stage in the series, but missed two days of training this week due to illness.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 James Vince, 5 Jos Buttler (capt/wk), 6 Will Jacks, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes/Mark Wood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra Archer/Saqib Mahmood.Will Jacks made the trip to Bangladesh during England’s defeat in Wellington•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

The Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch is expected to assist spinners as usual, but the BPL’s knockout phase, couple of weeks ago, saw plenty of runs scored here. The 12pm start time is to avoid heavy dew after sunset.

Stats and trivia

• Shakib is six wickets away from becoming the first Bangladesh bowler to take 300 ODI wickets.
• Shakib has another milestone on his radar. He and Mushfiqur are 165 and 189 runs away, respectively, from reaching 7,000 ODI runs.
• Moeen needs four wickets to complete 100 ODI wickets.
• The series will be broadcast live by Sky Sports and on the ECB website after a last-minute deal with the BCB.

Quotes

“They are the world champions. They have one team playing somewhere else, they have another team here. They have mind-blowing depth of talent. We want to see where we are at, and find out the gap that we have to bridge. If we do well in these conditions, it will give us confidence.”
“We have lost 8 in the last 10 but we are also the champions of the world and have done well before that. And actually, we haven’t really had our best team for a lot of the time recently.”

It feels like there is something significant stirring in Australia’s middle order.Not for the first time this year, Cameron Green and Alex Carey joined forces to define a match. They had done it twice before at crucial junctures: in the third Test against Pakistan, they added 135 to build what became a match-winning first-innings total, and during the opening Test against Sri Lanka, they added a quick 84 on a spiteful surface to ensure a decisive lead.On Tuesday in Cairns, they combined to turn what appeared a likely defeat into a gripping victory, putting on 158 for the sixth wicket after Australia had been in a mess at 44 for 5.Related

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They have now batted together twice in ODIs and have already added 239 runs for the sixth wicket, albeit the 81 they accrued against Pakistan in Lahore came in a heavy defeat.Their runs against New Zealand came after Carey had been pushed down from No. 4 to No. 6 and Green moved a slot higher than originally listed to No. 7 after Australia’s early collapse. There is the natural complementary element of a right-hander and a left-hander, but there is clearly something that is clicking between the two when they join forces.”Batting with Kez [Carey] is awesome,” Green said. “He just puts so much pressure back on the bowler. He’s always looking to score and I think that complements both of us. We are both guys who like to rotate the strike and obviously a left and right combination. Hopefully there’s a few more [partnerships] with him in the future.”Green had to battle severe cramps in the closing stages of the chase – he said on Wednesday that it was a problem he has had to deal with throughout his career and when he played Aussie Rules football as a youngster – but for the most part had appeared unflustered by the challenge in front of him.”We enjoy batting together, we work really well,” Carey said. “He scores pretty freely at the other end and we just bounce off each other nicely. You saw that he can come in any time so that’s a great feather in his cap. He’s a really calm character with bat, ball and in the field. Just goes about his business. We know how good he is but [he’s] taking this format [up] another step.”Green has become part of Australia’s ODI side as they experiment with a deep batting order. Having played Ashton Agar in the last two matches against Zimbabwe following Mitchell Marsh’s injury, they reverted to that model by recalling Marnus Labuschagne in Cairns. It means that on some occasions, Green’s immense batting talents won’t be fully utilised, but having a Test-class batter to rescue Australia last night was key against the moving ball.Despite it being just his 11th ODI, in the post-match presentation Green said his first half-century was a “monkey off his back” and he explained that it was more about having a template to use again. “Everyone wants to get that first one so you have an innings to look back on, so I can see how I went about it and replicate it in the future,” he said.It feels inevitable that as the years go on, Green will move higher – No. 4 would not be over promotion when the vacancy arises – but for now he is focusing on expanding his white-ball batting, particularly power-hitting early in an innings, and will get a chance with the T20I side on the upcoming tour of India.”[Hitting from ball one] is definitely something you have to work [on],” he said. “Doesn’t really come naturally to anybody, maybe a few of the best in the world, but it’s something everyone has to work on. Building your innings slowly comes a bit more naturally to most people.”Everyone aspires to be [a three-format player] but will just have to wait and see how heavy the schedule is, how much time you get to actually improve your T20 game.”

Ghulam Fatima’s maiden ODI five-wicket haul backed up by half-centuries from Sadaf Shamas and Bismah Maroof helped Pakistan secure a comfortable five-wicket win over Ireland and complete a 3-0 series sweep in Lahore.Batting first, Ireland started strongly with Leah Paul and Gaby Lewis adding 84 runs for the opening wicket. Fatima removed Lewis, but Paul recorded her third ODI fifty to keep Ireland going. She got good support from Amy Hunter with the duo adding a 65-run stand for the second wicket.It was Fatima who once again broke the stand, getting rid of Hunter, whose wicket signalled an Irish collapse. Paul fell soon after for 65 while Orla Prendergast too did not last long as Ireland slipped from 149 for 1 to 161 for 4. There was brief resistance from Eimear Richardson, but once she fell in the 44th over to Fatima, the visitors lost their way again.They lost their last six wickets for 23 runs to be bowled out for 225 in 49.5 overs. Fatima with 5 for 34 was the star of the show with the ball.Pakistan’s chase then got off the wrong foot with both openers falling cheaply. Prendergast castled Muneeba Ali for 12 before Jane Maguire sent back the in-form Sidra Ameen for 10. However, Maroof and Shamas made sure the chase never got out of hand. Shamas, playing just her second ODI innings, recorded her maiden fifty while Maroof too chugged along.The duo added 124 runs for the third wicket in quick time before both fell in quick succession, but their stand had ensured the chase was on solid ground. While Shamas was stumped off Richardson for 72 off 80, Rachel Delaney brought about the downfall of Maroof for 57.There were no alarm bells for Pakistan though as Omaima Sohail, Aliya Riaz and Sidra Nawaz all chipped in to take their team over the line in 47.1 overs.Fatima was named Player of the Match while Ameen, having scored 277 runs in the three-match series, was named Player of the Tournament.

Harry Brook has made a stunning start to his career as a Test cricketer but this weekend he will swap Bazball for baseball as he tries his hand at a different kind of hitting.Brook, who has made 809 runs and four hundreds in his first four Tests, arrived in the United States on Wednesday following England’s one-run defeat to New Zealand in the second Test in Wellington, and will join the St Louis Cardinals at spring training in Florida.His code-switch will not last long. Brook’s involvement with the Cardinals has come about through a commercial deal with Major League Baseball (MLB), which will see Brook and England fast bowler Issy Wong become MLB ambassadors in Europe.Related

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“I’m really excited for this partnership and can’t wait to try my hand at hitting some home runs,” Brook said in an MLB press release. “I’m intrigued to see how different it is to cricket and what similarities there are too – will a home run feel as good as hitting a six?”I’m also excited to learn from how other professional sportspeople go about their game and see if there are any transferable skills between batting in baseball and cricket. It’s going to be amazing to see baseball first hand in the US and help spread the word back in the UK and hopefully help build baseball’s fan base here.”