It’s fair to say that last night probably represented something in the way of a chastising baptism of fire to international football, for Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross. There’s absolutely no shame in being taught a lesson by the imperious Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as the Swede did when he ran the 25-year-old ragged during his 15-minute cameo in the 4-2 loss to Sweden last night.

But as much as a learning curve it may be, Shawcross will want to push on from his initial taste of international football. It’s only in playing against the Ibrahimovic’s of this world, in which the Potters man will ever improve as a central defender. There’s probably not much he can pick up from facing Cameron Jerome in training every day, for much longer.

And if reports are to be believed, then Shawcross may soon finally get his chance to try and prove himself on a much bigger stage. Last week, not for the first time this year, the Stoke skipper has been linked with a return to Manchester United, the club in which he learnt his craft as a youngster.

On face value, it would certainly represent a slight surprise, given the resources that Sir Alex Ferguson has available to him should he go out looking for a new centre half. But given the injuries that have scorched the Manchester United defensive ranks in recent times, a January move for Shawcross would offer Fergie a proven Premier League talent at decent value aswell.

It’s easy to get a little snobbish when mulling over a move for Shawcross, with Stoke City being far from the most glamorous team within the Premier League. But don’t let that for even five minutes cloud your vision upon Shawcross’ ability. Just because his side indulge in a, shall we say, attritional style of football up at the Britannia, it doesn’t mean his talents couldn’t be equally adept within a different style of football.

His aerial gifts, reading of the game and ability to pull his sleeves up and graft for his side would work just as well at Old Trafford as they would do at the Emirates. A great talker on the pitch, he’s proven within this league and knows what it takes to keep a clean sheet.

Most importantly, he does the basics right, something that Ferguson’s team have struggled to get to grips with this season. Basic decision making is as important a trait as the ability to pick out a 40 yard pass from the back and at times this season, Shawcross’ presence would have certainly helped avoid some of the dreadful early goals United have shipped.

But while he may have come in handy a few times this season, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a good fit as a permanent addition to the Old Trafford ranks.

When the cupboards are bone bare, as Manchester United’s defensive one has looked in recent weeks, of course Shawcross would improve the side. Remember that Michael Carrick has had to be drafted in as an emergency centre half, there isn’t really any way that Shawcross wouldn’t be a step-up. Although the cupboards aren’t going to be empty forever, it’s here when you have to ask yourself whether the Stoke man would really be such a good signing.

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When fit, United have a central defensive division that encompasses Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans. Now although you can label the aforementioned quintet as injury prone, they don’t half possess a bit of quality. Would Ryan Shawcross really rank higher than any of them?

Even if he did come and attain solid game time, as good as Shawcross has been in the red and white of Stoke City, pulling on a Manchester United shirt is a very different prospect indeed. On their day, Shawcross and the rest of his Stoke City defense resemble a formidable unit, particularly at home. But stepping up from a tightly drilled side built around the very direct principles of Tony Pulis to the free flowing ones of Sir Alex Ferguson, represents a huge challenge.

How would Shawcross cope in a side that plays the ball out of defence, as opposed to one where he currently looks for the easier, longer option? Does he have the discipline or the ability, to step things up onto the European stage? Could he cut it with the very best?

These are all questions that Fergie has to take into consideration, but if he’s really looking for more than a bit of Premier League depth, than Ryan Shawcross might not be the answer he’s looking for.

Yes, Shawcross can cut it at the top level, but it’s difficult to see where he might find the extra gear needed to really make any form of sustained impact at Old Trafford. While he’s competent with the ball at his feet, his range of passing and distribution is of a reasonable level, but not much more. At United he’d be expected to play football, as well as defend, as that is perhaps where the litmus test lies. Getting the basics right is an undervalued commodity, but you have to have a little more to play for a title-chasing team. Whether he has that, it remains to be seen.

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Ryan Shawcross would give United a tough, reliable and consistent central defender at a price that shouldn’t necessary hurt the wallet. But he equally doesn’t represent an improvement on anything that they’ve already got.

If Fergie is looking merely for some added depth, then why not give Shawcross a go? But if he’s really looking to strengthen his side, as opposed to solidify it, than he may be better off looking elsewhere.

Would you have Shawcross at United? Join me on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and let me know what you think. 

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With six new debutants in Saturday’s victory over Bournemouth there was certainly a fresh new look about Tim Sherwood’s side.

But of all the new signings there was one who stole the show, and he only played half an hour – Rudy Gestede.

He came off the bench and and rose highest and powered a superb header past Artur Boruc in the Cherries goal. It was a classic battering ram type of goal by an old fashioned centre forward.

However, Villa boss Tim Sherwood insists that he is “more than just a battering ram,” The former Spurs boss went on to say: “He attacks the ball for his life and throws everything at it.

“He flies in, he hurts people if they get in his way, but he seems to get up himself.

“He terrorises defenders – he doesn’t give them a minute – but he is more than just a battering ram.”

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And it does indeed look like that first, albeit early glimpses, of the former Blackburn man in a Villa shirt that the £6m fee paid for the striker was an absolute bargain.

But the real question Villa supporters will be asking is can Gestede replace the void left by losing Christian Benteke to Liverpool?

And given all of his key attributes, the mould and build of the Frenchman, he certainly looks like the perfect replacement for Benteke at least.

He is strong, powerful, equally as strong in the air as Benteke, if not better, he can hold the ball up and is a real handful defenders due to the way he “attacks the ball with his life.” His no fear approach will reap its rewards in the Premier League and the big striker will score goals for Sherwood’s side, providing he gets the service from the likes of Scott Sinclair, Leonardo Bacuna and Jordan Amavi is on the money.

If they get it right the Villa fans will get to see many more goals like the 6ft 4in striker notched on his debut on Saturday, it really is that simple.

Perhaps in the past it wasn’t for Gestede as he had chances to prove himself in the Premier League with Cardiff, but it didn’t quite work out. He went back to the Championship with Blackburn and transformed himself into a prolific goal scorer – scoring 22 goals in 44 games for Rovers last season.

He transformed and turned his career around as he had attitude problems, and didn’t really apply himself properly and we never got to see the best of the striker, but now we could well get to see the best of Gestede this season.

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But for all the positives about Gestede, there is one negative when comparing the Frenchman to Benteke and that is he hasn’t got the turn of speed of the Belgian. That does restrict his ability in terms of running in behind defences and scoring goals from through balls.

That is an issue if Villa choose to solely rely on Gestede for goals, however the signing of Jordan Ayew from Lorient will provide Sherwood’s side with the pace to get in behind defences, and there could even be the possibility to play the two strikers at the same time as they could well complement each other’s game well.

Finally, Gestede is in the mould of Benteke and in many ways is a like for like replacement and given his good promising start there is every chance the new Villa man can replace Benteke.

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Hyderabad were in sight of an innings victory at close on the third day oftheir South Zone Ranji Trophy match against Kerala at the National FuelComplex Ground in Hyderabad on Friday. After being rolled over in the firstinnings for a disappointing 165, Kerala showed some spine the second timeround, advancing to 210/4. With a day to spare, that still leaves thevisitors 114 runs adrift of Hyderabad’s huge first innings score of 489.Renjith Menon was the sole beacon of light in Kerala’s first innings,racing to 50 off 79 balls, inclusive of eight boundaries, before the wilyKanwaljit Singh, now in his 43rd year and his 20th domestic season, bowledhim to terminate the innings in the 47th over. Kanwaljit finished withfigures of 2/1 in the fourteen balls he bowled. Seamer NP Singh rippedthrough the late order to bag 4/70 while left arm spinner VenkatapathyRaju, who’d taken out the top three in the order last evening, added onemore scalp to return figures of 4/49.After Hyderabad had enforced the follow-on, Parth Satwalkar drew firstblood, bowling MP Sorab in the fourth over. Varun Girilal (31) and RenjithMenon (49) showed some application, putting together a stand of 70 beforeboth were prised out within five runs of each other by NP Singh. Ajay Kuduaand Sunil Oasis strove to salvage Kerala’s honour with a battling 86 runfourth wicket association. The loss of Kudua late in the day, trapped infront by Satwalkar for 61 (115 balls, 9 fours) was a major blow for thevisitors. Oasis (39) held out until stumps in the company of B Ramprakashbut the prospects look distinctly gloomy for Kerala.

With 18 overs lost during the day, Leicestershire just remain with the upperhand in this fixture.Leicestershire finishing their innings on 351 made early breakthroughs intothe Yorkshire batting line up. It was Vince Wells that finished with thebest figures for the day but it was the bowling of Jimmy Ormond that leftthe biggest impression.Gavin Hamilton played sensibly for his 58 not out and was very patient inwaiting for the rare bad balls bowled by this well disciplined and variedLeicestershire attack.Hamilton was joined by the acting Yorkshire Captain, Darren Lehmann, was thescore was 123 and together they have put on 71 for the sixth wicket. Lehmannhad one lucky escape when he was dropped at square leg off the bowling ofWells. His score at that time was 41.Leicestershire must now break this partnership quickly to give themselvesevery opportunity to win this game. Yorkshire finishing the day on 194-5 still 157 runs behind.

With India’s selectors choosing to rest the regular ODI players for the forthcoming tour to Zimbabwe, the decision to appoint Ajinkya Rahane as captain was considered a surprising move. What is perhaps more surprising is the absence of a specialist wicketkeeper in the 14-member squad for three ODIs and two Twenty20s.The selection panel, led by Sandeep Patil, has instead picked Robin Uthappa, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu as makeshift keepers. While Uthappa and Jadhav have kept wicket regularly for their IPL franchises and domestic teams in limited-overs competitions, Rayudu has kept wicket only in the IPL, for Mumbai Indians.Both Rayudu and Jadhav clarified they have not been doing wicketkeeping drills as part of their preparations for the series. “At the moment I have only been preparing as a batsman. I haven’t been sounded off about keeping so I have been preparing as a batsman only,” Jadhav said before the team’s departure for Zimbabwe. “Keeping in a 50-over game is a very difficult ask for a non-keeper, so I am only looking forward to enjoying my batting and fielding.”Uthappa, on the other hand, has spent long hours practicing wicketkeeping over the last fortnight. During a preparatory camp in Mumbai with personal batting coach Pravin Amre, Uthappa also had a session with former Mumbai wicketkeeper Vinayak Samant. Uthappa had initially approached former India wicketkeeper Kiran More, but with More out of the country, he turned to Samant, who was considered to be among the best wicketkeepers in India during his decade-long career for Mumbai.Does this mean Uthappa had already been sounded off about his role as a keeper-batsman for the series? While captain Rahane said he will discuss the issue with the three coaches once the team reaches Harare, Uthappa indicated he is ready for the responsibility. “I am not waiting for anyone to indicate it to me. I am just taking it up, putting my hand up and saying I am doing it,” he said.Uthappa elaborated on how keeping wicket helps a batsman assess the pitch and conditions better. “Keeping gives me the information that I am seeking when I go out to bat. All the information that I would probably take five or seven overs to get, I probably get in two overs because I have already got so much information,” Uthappa said. “You just need a little bit of understanding, sometimes just a little bit of confirmation when you are batting out there, if what you have read while keeping is the right thing. It takes one or two overs, so you save that much more time. It’s a massive advantage.”With MS Dhoni indicating that he will take a call on his future in the shorter formats after next year’s World Twenty20 in India, Uthappa is one of the contenders in the race for Dhoni’s alternative, alongside Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Sanju Samson and Parthiv Patel.”I see myself more as a successor than as an alternative but I think MS will play for a very long time. I think people are predicting something that isn’t true,” Uthappa said. “He is extremely motivated, takes a lot of pride in playing for our country and am certain he will play for a long time. But yeah, definitely I see myself as a successor to him.”

Ten out of the 16 South Africa A players have been hospitalised in Chennai, forcing their match on Monday against Australia A to be postponed to Tuesday. A press release from CSA said the squad had been “ravaged by food poisoning.” As a result, India A, who were due to have a day off, will step in and play Australia A on Monday, with the BCCI confirming the change in schedule.Half the South African A roster had fallen ill overnight and Quinton de Kock, who had only flown in last afternoon, was thrust into the XI to face India A today. He managed a gritty century in conditions he has a history of struggling in – slow, turning pitches. But as well as he coped with the challenge from underfoot, the overhead conditions became a little too much. He did not keep wicket, but even fielding on a severely hot afternoon took its toll. He was seen cramping and, in the 32nd over, had to go off the field. CSA has confirmed he was among those who was hospitalised.Opener Reeza Hendricks, middle-order batsman Khaya Zondo and left-arm seamer Mthokozisi Shezi had not been fit prior to the start of the match, but all three were forced to play because South Africa A did not have enough players to field. The three players also ended up going to the hospital during the course of the match.Things were so dire that South Africa A’s video analyst Hendrikus Coertzen and India A’s Mandeep Singh had to be roped in as substitute fielders. Their reserves list for today included Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks, Cameron Delport, Cody Chetty and Keshav Maharaj. But only Hendricks and Maharaj came out as a substitute fielders.

ScorecardRyan ten Doeschate passed 50 against Derbyshire for the eighth time in 11 first-class games•Getty Images

Ryan ten Doeschate again left his mark on Derbyshire to put Essex on top on the opening day of their Championship Division Two game at Derby. The allrounder scored 88 to take his average against Derbyshire to above 65 in 11 first-class games to put a big dent in their hopes of winning at home in the Championship for the first time this season.He shared a sixth-wicket stand of 145 in 28 overs with Mark Pettini who was unbeaten on 70, although Derbyshire were handicapped by injuries to seam bowlers Tony Palladino and Shiv Thakor after tea. Mark Footitt took 3 for 88 from 28 overs but Essex closed on 360 for 6 which included 87 from the highly promising 18-year-old opener Dan Lawrence.A far more difficult day looked in prospect for Essex when Derbyshire won the toss on an overcast morning but the bowling lacked the usual discipline and they took only one wicket before lunch.Lawrence got away with a couple of false shots but generally showed sound judgement and, with Nick Browne, batted through the first 75 minutes before Footitt found some late movement to bowl Browne.Derbyshire improved in the afternoon and the game was finely poised at tea before ten Doeschate and Pettini prospered against a weakened attack in the final session.Ben Cotton struck with the 11th ball after lunch when Tom Westley was lbw for 21 playing half forward and Lawrence should have gone on 49 but Wes Durston put down him down at second slip. Ravi Bopara looked determined to make up for a lean Championship season in which he has scored only one 50 but, after he was dropped at first slip by Chesney Hughes on 17, he dabbed at one from Thakor he could have left alone and was caught behind.Lawrence threw away the chance of a second century for Essex when he skied a drive at Wes Durston’s offspin and was well caught on the run by Cotton at deep mid-off and when Jesse Ryder became Footitt’s 65th Championship victim of the season, Essex were 199 for 5. But both ten Doeschate and Pettini played positively and with Derbyshire two bowlers down, they put Essex in control before Footitt broke through with the second new ball.There was something of an inevitability about another major contribution from ten Doeschate who has now scored 847 runs, including four hundreds and four fifties, against Derbyshire. He reached his latest half-century by pulling Chesney Hughes for six and also hit nine fours before he edged a drive at Footitt but by then he had turned the game firmly towards Essex.

ScorecardJack Leach’s arduous stint found little help from a placid surface•Getty Images

For all that they could not drive home their advantage and win this game on the final day Somerset’s players can take considerable comfort from the match. For all they batted obstinately for the draw, Hampshire’s cricketers may have been troubled men as they returned from the West Country on Saturday evening.Arithmetic and the fixture-list explain these judgements. Somerset gained 13 points, the maximum possible, from the draw, which was agreed at 4.20 with Hampshire holding a lead of 21 runs and still having six wickets to fall. At that point Marcus Trescothick reasonably conceded that his side could not force the victory after a day in which his bowlers had taken one wicket in each of three sessions.Eighth-placed Hampshire took seven points from the game at Taunton and they are now 11 points shy of Somerset and Sussex, who meet at Hove on Monday. On the same day Hampshire entertain Yorkshire, the re-crowned champions, who scarcely make a habit of losing successive games and will be smarting following their embarrassing defeat at Lord’s. There is still a lot of cricket to play but it seems fair to suggest that it is Hampshire who need to win at least one of their final two matches in order to put pressure on the two counties above them.Yet Hampshire’s attempt to avoid relegation will be far from hopeless if they can play with the same technical skill and mental strength their batting evinced on Saturday. All the batsmen dismissed made at least fifty and the only batsman to give his wicket away when it really mattered was the captain James Vince, who cut Craig Overton straight to Tom Abell in the sixth over of the morning.That, though, was the high point of Somerset’s day: rain trimmed eight overs from the allocation; Jimmy Adams and Will Smith batted carefully until lunch; and the next wicket did not fall until the fourth over of the afternoon when Adams, having laboured six-and-a-half hours over his 136 runs, pushed forward and feathered a ball from Peter Trego to Luke Ronchi.Yet again, Somerset supporters in their many pavilions wondered if that success would herald others. Shoppers in town hoped that another wicket would indeed go down, thus curtailing their sojourn in the land of Buynow and leaving them free to wander down James Street. Flags tugged at their poles and even the larger birds were forced to bank in the capricious breezes. Hampshire resisted still and both Overtons retired from the field, Jamie with a slight sickness, Craig with an ankle twinge. Both are expected to be fit for Monday’s game at Hove.The next wicket was taken after tea by Tom Cooper when Smith drove him to substitute fielder Calvin Harrison at mid-on. By then, though, people were making plans for the evening and assessing what a draw might mean for Somerset and Hampshire’s chances. The first two sessions of this game had seen ten wickets fall; the next ten sessions yielded a mere 13. Slow left-armer Jack Leach bowled 51 overs in Hampshire’s second innings and he will display his skills on more responsive surfaces. Taunton wickets do not crumble like dry cake.Yet there were deeper reasons for Somerset and their followers to be encouraged on Saturday evening. To understand them one needed to visit the Priory Barn which lies some fifty yards behind the Ondaatje Pavilion. The barn houses of the very best county cricket museums in the country and some would argue that its atmosphere is superior to the the famous museum at Lord’s.Indeed, they can throw up all the glossy new stands and pavilions they like at the County Ground; the best building will be one that was originally constructed as a gate-house for the priory in the early 15th century and which now contains a salmanazar of delights. One of the reasons why the Priory Barn is worth many visits is that one can trace the succession of cricketers who have represented Somerset since its formation in 1845. Mere antiquity never supplants the human.There are seam bowlers: Woods, Wellard, Alley, Caddick…..and now the Overtons, who bowled well in this game. There are opening batsmen: Palairet, Gimblett, Atkinson, Roebuck, Trescothick…..and now Tom Abell, whose century will remain many spectators’ clearest memory from this match long after its details and even the season itself have been clouded by time.”Pass it on, boys. That’s the game I want you to learn. Pass it on,” says Hector in Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys. On Thursday evening as Trescothick sat alongside Abell in the post-match press conference, it seemed clear that passing on what he knew was just one of his reasons for signing another contract. That such an attitude prevails should hearten Somerset supporters as a tough season draws to a close.

Match facts

Sunday, October 11, 2015
Start time 0900 local (0330 GMT)

Big picture

Both India and South Africa’s ODI teams have suffered the same fate in the recent past: a first-ever series defeat to Bangladesh. They recovered with victories over Zimbabwe and New Zealand respectively but their difficulties against one of cricket’s so-called smaller sides contained many similarities.For India, Virat Kohli’s form was in the spotlight. His scores of 1, 23 and 25 extended his run without an ODI fifty to 10 innings. For South Africa, Hashim Amla struggled for runs with scores of 14, 22 and 15 in Bangladesh to record his longest streak without an international fifty – seven innings.Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed to take just five wickets between them in Bangladesh at an average of 42.6. Morne Morkel and Kyle Abbott fared even worse with just a single scalp at a cost of 126 runs. On that evidence, both India and South Africa were teams in trouble.The difference is that while Kohli remains in a barren patch in ODIs, Amla scored a century in the immediate aftermath of that tour and while India’s seamers are still looking for incisiveness, South Africa found Kagiso Rabada who was the leading wicket-taker in Bangladesh and has continued to impress on surfaces that are supposed to thwart him. On that evidence, South Africa seem to be getting out of trouble faster than India. Not that it really matters right now.Fifty-over cricket remains a low-priority on the global stage at this time though, with the next World Cup four years away. There are more pressing matters coming up – the World T20 and before that, a four-Test series between these two teams.So these five matches can almost be played without pressure but only almost. India have something to prove after their defeat in the T20 series, South Africa need to build some continuity in the format and there’s no such thing as a game that does not matter to either side. Expect entertainment and intensity and maybe a bit of fun on the side.

Form guide

(last five completed games, most recent first)
India WWWWL
South Africa WLWLL

In the spotlight

Although South Africa are making a point of playing down the spin factor Imran Tahir‘s influence cannot be ignored. He is their leading bowler in ODI cricket this year with 30 wickets at 22.46 and has been both containing and attacking in the middle overs. But India’s batsmen are not expected to treat him with the same tentativeness as other teams have so it will make for an interesting challenge to see how he deals with them.After scores of 11 and 3 in the T20s, Shikhar Dhawan will be under pressure to perform and lay a solid platform at the start of the innings. He has history on his side in his quest to assert authority. Dhawan averages 65.75 against South Africa in four innings and has scored two centuries in big matches against them – in the 2013 Champions Trophy and the 2015 World Cup.

Team news

India were looking to play Ajinkya Rahane in the third T20 but he may have to wait his turn if the hosts return to a familiar top order to kick things off in the ODI series. The same may apply to Amit Mishra, who could find himself benched in favour of Axar Patel. Umesh Yadav is likely to return to the attack.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin , 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Umesh YadavQuinton de Kock should make his return after being dropped in Bangladesh. De Kock will partner Amla at the top of the order and keep wicket to free AB de Villiers up to concentrate on batting and captaincy. South Africa may face a choice between an extra batsman at No. 7, which could be one of David Miller or Farhaan Behardien, or an allrounder in Chris Morris. Their premier pace pair of Dale Steyn and Morkel are back and the only question will be who they choose as a third seamer, with Rabada likely to edge out Abbott.South Africa (probable) 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 and 7 Two out of David Miller/Farhaan Behardien/Chris Morris, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

This is the only day game in the series which means teams will not have to worry about dealing with a white ball under lights, but they will be in the full glare of the sun. A scorching day is expected in Kanpur with temperatures set to reach 38 degrees and the heat could take its toll on the players. On inspecting the surface, de Villiers said it looked like a good wicket and he did not expect it to do anything out of the ordinary.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have scored over 400 runs in an innings three times this year but may not be able to have their eye on something similar in the series opener. The highest score at Kanpur is 294 for 6 by India against Pakistan in November 2007
• Hashim Amla is 27 away from completing 1,000 ODI runs this year

Quotes

“We’ll have a look at the wicket, we’ll see how dry it is and what are the chances of it breaking up and assisting the spinners. But with no dew, the three-spinners option is definitely available to us.”
“The series is not being seen around spinners. The pacers have won games for us mostly. We have a balanced bowling attack.”

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has urged the batsmen in the side to carry on and make a big score once they are set instead of leaving it for the others in the batting group. Having clinched a 145-run win in the first ODI, Bangladesh will look to wrap the series in the second ODI in Mirpur on Monday.In the first ODI, Mushfiqur Rahim struck his fourth century that guided the hosts to a competitive 273, before Shakib Al Hasan’s five-wicket haul sealed the big win.Tamim said that if Mushfiqur hadn’t made the big score or hadn’t added 119 for the fifth wicket with Sabbir Rahman during a critical phase, things would have panned out differently. A set batsman should try to make the big score himself, Tamim said referring to his innings of 40 which ended in the 24th over after 96 minutes in the middle.”It is good for the team that someone comes up with a big score,” Tamim said. “But none of us should think about it. I got out for 40 and then what if [Sabbir Rahman] Rumman and Mushfiqur didn’t do well? The question would have been different. Whoever gets set, should try to score big. It shouldn’t be left to others.”My dismissal wasn’t great. I was set. I should have batted longer. I was doing what I wanted but my application, in that delivery, wasn’t correct. I was trying to hit the ball over cover but I ended up playing that way [long-on]. It was a mistake. I have to start from zero in the next match. I was on 40 yesterday so in that regard, it was a big miss. I wasn’t scoring freely at the time of my dismissal but I could have covered it. I will try to play a bigger innings tomorrow.”Tamim also said that there was some unusual extra bounce in the Mirpur pitch but conditions would get easier once batsmen spent more time in the middle. When asked whether the Bangladesh batting line-up has the potential to make 300-plus scores, Tamim agreed saying that they can do it against most bowling attacks if things go according to plan.”There was extra bounce on some deliveries in the early stages, which isn’t usual here,” Tamim said. “But I felt it was easier to play the pace bowlers than the spinners. There was some turn, either quick or slow. It took a bit of time to adjust. But those who batted for 20-30 balls, it became easier for them. We thought we would get around 250-260 when Mushfiqur and Sabbir were batting quite well. I think 273 is a good score on this wicket.”If everything goes to plan and we bat properly, we can get a bigger score [like 320-plus]. And that can be against any team. We have to keep an eye on their bowling too.”