Bangladesh’s lower-order batsmen kept their cool under pressure to beat Pakistan by five wickets and qualify for the Asia Cup Twenty20 final in Dhaka on Wednesday. Soumya Sarkar made highest 48 runs in as many balls as Bangladesh reached 131-5 in 19.1 over after restricting Pakistan to 129-7 at the packed Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Sports
We always believed we’d win, says Mashrafee
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafee bin Murtaza hailed their Wednesday’s five-wicket win over Pakistan as their biggest achievement in Twenty20 format and hoped it will give them a perfect boost for the ICC World Twenty20 in India. Mashrafee, who led the Tigers from the front with 12 crucial runs, said he always believed that Bangladesh would reach ... Read more
Pacers show the way again
Bangladeshi pace bowlers proved once again why they are considered a dominant force in world cricket today as they put up a commendable show against Pakistan on Wednesday despite missing their key member Mustafizur Rahman. The absence of Mustafizur was expected to be a big blow for the Tigers as he is considered to be ... Read more
BFF suspends Mamumul, Zahid for one year
Two others banned for six months The Bangladesh Football Federation on Wednesday suspended national captain Mamunul Islam and winger Zahid Hossain from the national side for a year for breaching the code of conduct. The BFF’s national team committee also imposed a six-month ban on defender Yeasin Khan and midfielder Sohel Rana. The committee also ... Read more
The opening woes in Asia Cup
If Soumya Sarkar could hold the catch of Dinesh Chandimal at slip in the second ball of Sri Lankan innings it would have been five straight ducks for an opener in the Asia Cup. Opening is a privilege in every format of cricket and it is more so in Twenty20 because batsmen get the opportunity ... Read more
Sussex sign Mustafiz
English county team Sussex have signed Bangladesh left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman for this season’s NatWest T20 Blast competition, the club announced on Wednesday. Mustafiz, 20, will become the first ever Bangladesh international to play for Sussex. Mustafiz will be the third Bangladeshi player
‘Taskin, Mustafiz better than Bumrah’
Former Pakistan fast bowler and current United Arab Emirates coach Aaqib Javed feels Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed are better bowlers than Indian medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Speaking to reporters ahead of UAE’s today’s last Asia Cup match against India, Aaqib said Bumrah is someone, who will ‘find it difficult’ to play a decade
Tigers eye big hunt in Asia Cup opener
Bangladesh will fancy their chances against red-hot favourites India as the Asia Cup Twenty20 Tournament commences today with the hosts taking on pre-tournament favourites at Mirpur. The game, which starts at 7:30pm, will give the Tigers a chance to see where they stand after two months of intense training away from Dhaka amid tranquility of ... Read more
All eyes on Mustafiz
Mashrafee bin Murtaza’s press conference lasted for nearly 15 minutes and Mustafizur Rahman dominated nearly half of them. The progress of Mustafiz took the centre stage even during the press conference of Indian batsman Virat Kohli. Hardly a single player could dominate the talks in a way before a tournament as big as Asia Cup. ... Read more
Kohli wishes Amir all the best
Star Indian batsman Virat Kohli welcomed the return of tainted Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Amir in international cricket and wished him all the best ahead of their Asia Cup contest in Dhaka. India and Pakistan will renew cricket’s most bitter rivalry this week after a one-year gap when they face off in the Asia Cup, a ... Read more
New-look squad for last WC qualifier
Bangladesh Football Federation on Tuesday announced a 22-member preliminary squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifier against Jordan, excluding 12 players from the previous squad. Newly-appointed Spanish coach Gonzalo Sanchez Moreno called up two new faces—defender Shakil Ahmed and midfielder Fazle Rabbi – along with nine players
Sakib turns to old mentor
Ace Bangladeshi all-rounder Sakib al Hasan is determined to rectify his shortcomings as he knows it is time to deliver in the national jersey. The talismanic cricketer began his preparation earlier than his national team-mates through a rigorous three-hour session with his childhood mentor Mohammad Salahuddin. He followed his individual workout by joining his national
Zadrans keep Afghan hopes alive in Asia Cup
Afghanistan pacer Dawlat Zadran struck two sixes in consecutive deliveries of last over in their Asia Cup qualifying round match against Oman on Saturday at Fatullah to help his side clinch a three-wicket victory. Oman made 165-4 and Zardan came into the wicket in the second ball of the last over with the score of ... Read more
Tigers in dilemma over Tamim
Opener Tamim Iqbal has become the biggest dilemma for Bangladesh team management which is planning their squad for the third Twenty20 International against Zimbabwe in Khulna today. The Tigers seek to wrap up the four-match series with the match and at the same time want to continue their experiments ahead of some bigger challenges.
Shawon gets away with a scare
Hosts Bangladesh received a scare ahead of their ICC Under-19 World Cup campaign as left-arm spinner Shawon Gazi was admitted to hospital after sustaining a blow on his head on Tuesday. The incident left a shiver in the dressing room of the Junior Tigers as they are preparing with high ambitions for the forthcoming gala ... Read more
Nepal storm into final
Nepal gave a footballing masterclass as the Himalayan nation romped into the final of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup with a 4-1 win over favourites Maldives in the second semi-final in Dhaka on Tuesday. The Nepalese will now take on Bahrain Under-23 team in the final of the competition on January 22 at the Bangabandhu National ... Read more
Soumya happy to return to groove
Opening batsman Soumya Sarkar said on Tuesday that he is happy to regain his form in international cricket after a prolonged lean period in domestic tournaments. Soumya was in epic form in his last international series against South Africa when he made 88 not out and 90 in the last two one-day internationals to help ... Read more
Footballers leave Jamal en masse
Bangladeshi footballers, much-taunted for recent poor showing at international level, have seen their demand dramatically raised at club football hours after they were eliminated from the Bangabadhu gold Cup on Monday. Officials and supporters of different Bangladesh Premier League Clubs staged an ugly tug of war over the last two days to secure
Shamsur hits ton for Central
Opening batsman Shamsur Rahman scored a century for Central Zone against South Zone on the opening day of the second round match of Bangladesh Cricket League when both the matches saw some balance between bat and bowl. Shamsur scored 103 to help his side post 233-5 off 63.2 overs at stumps in Rajshjahi while East Zone ... Read more
SA Games promotional campaign begins
India, which hosts the forthcoming SA Games in Guwahati and Shillong in February 5–16, officially began the promotional campaign from Bangladesh on Tuesday. Indian Olympic Association representative SM Bali and India’s sports secretary Rakesh Kumar held a briefing at the Bangladesh Olympic Association on Tuesday where