Kohli turns his hand to carpentry

Having left India with big expectations and even bigger bats, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli and Ravi Jadeja had to reassess.

A hallmark of the sub-continental smasher, thick, low-middle bats have offered batsmen the perfect counter to the slow, low bounce pitches of Asia. Graham Thorpe would often take time to visit local bat manufacturers to sample the local sticks, while Matt Prior was reported to have done the same during England's tour of India in 2012.

But a handful of Indian players have been surprised by the responsiveness of the Bangladeshi pitches. The day before their match against the West Indies the trio of Yurvraj, Kohli and Jadeja enlisted the help of two local carpenters to shave some excess wood off the back of their bats.

While Yuvraj and Jadeja were happy to leave it to the experts, Kohli took hold of the block plane himself and set about on his own. Is there a more complete batsman-turned-wood-shearer in world carpentry?

Stuart Broad doesn't like lightning. Neither does Johannesburg native Michael Lumb. Understandable really, considering, you know, it's lightning.

The umpires supposedly didn't see it and didn't think there was a problem before the heavens opened. It's evident in the aftermath, among Broad's fine and the comments of players, that both sides were uncomfortable being out in the middle.

But Bangladesh does have a history with fatalities due to lightning, which have been on the rise in recent years. In 2011, a total of 179 people were struck and killed by lightning. The following year 152 lost their lives to electrical storms in April and May alone. There is also a feeling within the Dhaka-based Disaster Forum that the actual level of casualties over the years could be much higher as many cases go unreported.

While Broad may have been rightly fined for his comments under ICC legislation, his words should be taken very seriously.

Dhaka is set to see a mass influx of Chittagong residents (Chittagongers?) with none of Bangladesh's Super 10 matches taking place in the port city.

Having packed out the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium for the win against Nepal and humbling at the hands of Hong Kong in the qualifying stage, fans have maligned the lack of "home" fixtures in Chittagong. Most feel robbed that they were only deemed good enough for "lesser" teams, with a large contingent expected to make it over for the India match on March 28.

With Dhaka hosting the semi-finals and final, the majority of Chittagongians have already had their last in-the-flesh experience of their men in green-orange-red-yellow.

Ireland's men may have been hounded out of the tournament by a sensational assault from the Dutch, but their women begin their campaign tomorrow against New Zealand. They do so with their own members of the Joyce clan.

Captained by Isobel, a right-hand bat and left-arm medium pacer, who still dabbles in hockey and sub-editing, she will lead out her twin sister, Cecelia, a batsman who dabbles in a bit of leg-spin.

They are two of seven siblings - the only daughters - all of whom have played the game to a good standard. Johnny and Damian are established club cricketers, while Dominick, Gus and Sussex's Ed have international honours. "We can pretty much get a team in," Cecelia remarked.

Wonder if anyone has used the "at least I'm the eighth best cricketer in my family" on them?

A village kid, from a working class background, Dinesh Chandimal's ascension through Sri Lanka's rickety first-class system and into the national side, as a captain elect, has been heart-warming.

While his focus is usually on expanding his range of strokes, he has also taken time over the last year to learn English. His improvement is noticeable, as is his use of general phrases which he throws out liberally when confronted with a mic.

For those playing along at home, ESPNcricinfo's particular favourites are "over the moon", "I'm full of beans" and "wily old fox".

As long as he refrains from using "skill-sets", "team ethic" and "momentum", he's fine by us.