Bangladesh seals the 3-match ODI series 2-1 against West Indies

Bangladesh cricket team’s ODI series victory against West Indies was perhaps the best gift for the entire nation in the month of victory. The host nation defeated the Caribbean team by eight wickets in the series decider third and final ODI match at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Friday (December 14). This victory helped the home team clinch the ODI series 2-1. With this victory, the Tigers also enhanced their tally of ODI series victory at home.

Winning the toss, Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza invited the touring side to bat first. Due to Bangladesh bowlers’ tight bowling, West Indies could manage to score 198 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their stipulated overs. Shai Hope played an unbeaten knock of 131-ball 108, including nine fours and one six. His endeavor failed to put up a competitive total on the board as other West Indies batsmen performed miserably. The second best of their innings was Marlon Samuels’ 19.

With two back-to-back centuries:146 and 108 runs in the second and third ODIs respectively, Hope finished the three-match ODI series with a total of 297 runs, beating the previous record held by Australia’s Shane Watson who scored 294 runs against Bangladesh back in 2011.

Bangladesh off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz finished with a figure of 4 for 29 in 10 overs while Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza each claimed two wickets. Mohammad Saifuddin took one wicket.

However, after coming to chase, Bangladesh reached the target with 69 balls left at hand. The home team scored 202 runs losing only two wickets in 38.3 overs. Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar made a 131-run partnership for the second wicket stand. Tamim remained not out on 81 while Soumya scored 80 runs, hitting five boundaries and as many sixes. After the dismissal of Soumya, Mushfiqur Rahim came to bat and played a 16-run innings decorated with two fours and one six. The right-handed opening batsman Liton Das made a good start, but once again became the victim of poor shot selection. For this reason, he could not extend his innings. Scoring 23 off 33 balls with 5 boundaries, he got caught out at mid-off by Rovman Powell off Keemo Paul.

Both wickets were taken by Keemo Paul conceding 38 runs. Apart from him, none of the bowlers could put any pressure on the Bangladesh batsmen.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh was declared “Player of the Match” while West Indies’ Shai Hope was awarded the “Player of the Series” title.

Scorecard-http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18783/scorecard/1153316/bangladesh-vs-west-indies-3rd-odi-wi-in-bangladesh-2018-19 

Bangladesh seals the two-Test series 2-0 over West Indies

Bangladesh cricket team is becoming indomitable on home ground day by day. The Tigers do not care who they are playing against or how strong their opponent team is. When they come to the playground, their only intention is to win the match at any cost. They are breaking old records to set the new one in all formats of the game. In the recently concluded two-match Test series, Bangladesh cricket team not only defeated their opponent but also beat some old records.

Winning the second and final Test match by an innings and 184 runs on Sunday at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, the Bangladesh cricket team whitewashed West Indies in the recently concluded two-match Test series. Like the first Test match, the host team also wrapped up their opponent team within three days of the second Test match. This victory is so far considered Bangladesh’s biggest-margin victory in Test cricket. It is also their first ever Test match victory by an innings margin.

Luck favored the home team from the beginning of the series. If Shakib Al Hasan, captain of the Bangladesh Test cricket team, did not win the toss, result would have gone in favor of their opponent team. Winning the toss, Shakib Al Hasan decided to bat first, which later proved to be a right decision in a bowling friendly pitch. Batting first, the host nation put a mammoth total of 508 runs losing all wickets in their first innings. The debutant batsman Shadman Islam came under attention playing an inning of 199-ball 76. Shakib Al Hasan scored 80 runs. Mahmudullah scored 136 runs off 242 balls. It was his third Test century. He made a 111-run partnership with Shakib for the sixth wicket. Mahmudullah then made a 92-run seventh-wicket partnership with Liton Das who scored 54 runs from 62 balls. Liton Das was the only batsman to hit an over boundary in Bangladesh’s only innings in the match. 

For West Indies, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican, Devendra Bishoo and Kraigg Brathwaite took two wickets each while the other two wickets were shared by Shermon Lewis and Roston Chase. 

Coming to reply, West Indies was bowled out for just 111 runs in the first innings and was forced to follow on. Shimron Hetmyer and Shane Dowrich were top run scorers as they respectively scored 39 and 37 runs. However, their second innings ended on 213, with Shimron Hetmyer top scored with 93 off 92 balls. However, Kemar Roach, the nightwatchman, remained not out on 37. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the pick of the bowlers. He finished with 12 for 117. His figures: 7 for 58 and 5 for 59 in the first and second innings respectively helped Bangladesh wrap up the victory in three days. Shakib Al Hasan also played an important role with ball as he took 4 wickets in the match. In the first innings, all wickets were taken by only two spinners- Mehidy and Shakib. However, Taijul Islam claimed three wickets while Nayeem Hasan picked up a wicket in the second innings.

Earlier, in the first Test match, Bangladesh beat West Indies by 64 runs and took 1-0 lead in the two-Test series. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz was declared “Player of the Match” while Shakib Al Hasan was named “Player of the Series”.

Now, both teams will take on each other in the 3-match ODI series, scheduled to be started from December 9, 2018 at 1:00 PM Bangladesh time.

Scorecard- http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18783/scorecard/1153312/bangladesh-vs-west-indies-2nd-test-wi-in-bangladesh-2018-19

Bangladesh takes 1-0 lead with an emphatic 64-run win against West Indies

Bangladesh cricket team took a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series after beating West Indies by 64 runs in the first Test at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. With this achievement, the Tigers also registered their first ever Test victory against West Indies on home ground.

Coming to chase Bangladesh’s 204-run target, the visitors were bowled out for 139 runs just before tea break on the third day. When the Caribbean top-order struggled against Bangladesh’s bowling attack, the ninth-wicket partnership between Sunil Ambris and Jomel Warrican not only took the team’s total from 75 for 8 to 138 for 9 but also revived an implausible hope. They put on 63 runs for the ninth wicket. Ambris and Warrican scored 43 and 41 runs respectively in the second innings.

Bangladeshi left-arm spinner, Taijul Islam, alone, bagged six wickets while Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took two wickets each and together led the team towards victory. It was Taijul’s seventh five-wicket haul in Tests. Shakib Al Hasan reached the landmark of 200-Test wickets and became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to do so. Debutant spinner Nayeem Hasan became the youngest bowler to pick five wickets on his Test debut.

Early in the morning the host team resumed their second innings on the third day with overnight score of 55 for 5 and bundled out for 125 runs, thus giving the touring side a winning target of 204 runs. Mahmudullah Riyad scored 31 runs and became the highest run getter for Bangladesh in the second innings. He made a 37-run partnership with Mehidy Hasan for the seventh wicket stand. 

Devendra Bishoo claimed 4 wickets giving 26 runs. He was backed by Roston Chase who took 3 wickets. Jomel Warrican took 2 wickets while Shannon Gabriel bagged one.

Bangladesh and West Indies will play their second and final Test match on November 30, 2018 at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur.

Scorecard- http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18783/scorecard/1153311/bangladesh-vs-west-indies-1st-test-wi-in-bangladesh-2018-19

New Zealand batsmen scores a record breaking 43 runs in List A cricket

How many runs can be scored in an over? You might be curious to know why I am asking this type of question. There is a specific reason behind asking this question. Recently two New Zealand batsmen, Joe Carter and Brett Hampton, put their names in record books after setting a new world record in a domestic 50-over cricket match in New Zealand. The duo jointly scored 43 runs from a single over while batting for Northern Districts against Central Districts in a Ford Trophy match at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday (November 7). To set this new record, the pair smashed six sixes, one four and a single, in addition to two no-balls. Willem Ludick, who conceded 85 runs for one in 10 overs, also became a part of this record as the medium pacer gave 43 runs in his last over.

Earlier the record for the highest run from an over in List A cricket was held by Elton Chigumbura of Zimbabwe. In a domestic one-day game, the player scored 39 runs from an over off Alauddin Babu while batting for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi against Abahani Ltd in the Dhaka Premier League.

However, Carter remained not out on 102 while Hampton was dismissed for 95 as Northern Districts scored 313 runs losing seven wickets in their stipulated overs and eventually won the game by 25 runs. 

Source- https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/watch-the-over-that-went-for-43-runs-20181107

2018 SAFF U-15 Championship: Bangladesh wins the trophy beating Pakistan by 3-2 goals in penalty shootout

Bangladesh Under-15 national football team emerged as an unbeaten champion after defeating Pakistan by 3-2 goals in the final match of the 2018 SAFF U-15 Championship at All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Complex in Lalitpur, Nepal on Saturday (November 3). With this victory, Bangladeshi youth not only finished the tournament with an all-win record but also took a sweet revenge of their 0-2 goals defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the SAFF U-16 Championship in 2011. It was not their first trophy in the South Asian age-based football competition as the boys in red and green also bagged the SAFF U-16 Championship title beating India in a tie breaker at their home ground in Sylhet. 

Haseeb Ahmed Khan put Bangladesh ahead scoring a goal in the 25^th minute, but Mohib Ullah of Pakistan equaled the score 1-1 in the 54^th minute after successfully converting a spot kick. As a result, the title-decider match ended in a draw in the regulation time, thus forcing it to roll into penalty shootout. Bangladeshi substitute goalkeeper, Mehedi Hasan, saved three penalties of Pakistan and ensured Bangladesh’s victory.

Earlier in the Saturday morning, India defeated the hosts Nepal by 1-0 in the 3^rd place deciding match at the same venue. Thanks to Thalacheu Vanlalruatfela’s lone goal in the 18^th minute, India finished third.

Bangladesh made it to the final after beating India by 4-2 goals in tiebreaker as the first semi-final between them was ended in 1-1 goals at ANFA Complex in Lalitpur on Thursday (November 1). However, Pakistan made their entry into the final round easily after eliminating Nepal by 4-0 in the second semi-final match at the same venue.

Bangladesh President, Md Abdul Hamid, and Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Saturday congratulated the young Tigers for their victory. Both the President and Prime minister greeted the players, coach and officials of the team and also the officials of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) for this achievement. 

Source- https://en.prothomalo.com/sports/news/185899/Bangladesh-boys-lift-SAFF-title-beating-Pakistan

Shakib Al Hasan gets NOC for the UAE T20x tournament

World’s number one all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, is very much interested in playing in the first edition of the UAE T20x, a franchise-based T20 tournament that will take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). For this reason, the 31-year-old cricketer requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to allow him to play in the upcoming UAE T20x tournament. In response to his request, the BCB has granted him a No Objection Certificate (NOC), suggesting the player will have no problem participating in the inaugural edition of the Dubai-based franchisecricket tournament.

In order to be fully fit for the tournament, Shakib Al Hasan will start strength training from next week. Even the player will have to prove his fitness before a medical team before his departure. He is likely to play in the tournament from December 23 to January 1 next year, before the start of the sixth season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which is slated to be played from January 5 next year.

The 2018-19 UAE T20x tournament, which will be played from 19 December 2018 to 11 January 2019, is likely to feature a number of star players like Steven Smith, Andre Russell and Shahid Afridi.

Shakib Al Hasan is currently recovering from his figure injury, which turned worse because of an infection during the Asia Cup. As a result, he was sent home in the middle of the tournament and went under an operation immediately at a city hospital. After that, he left for Australia for advanced treatment. Coming back to Bangladesh early in October, he said that he would return to competitive cricket as soon as his infection would be completely healed. If he is cured early, he might be seen playing in the bilateral series against West Indies at home ground starting from November 22.

Bangladeshi Youth beats India and reached the 2018 SAFF U-15 Championship final

Bangladeshi youth made their way to the 2018 SAFF U-15 Championship final after defeating the reigning champion India by 4-2 in a tie-breaker at All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Complexin in Lalitpur, Nepal on Thursday (November 1). In order to decide the title of the tournament, both Bangladesh and Pakistan will take on each other in the final match on Saturday (November 3) at the same venue. This match will begin at 2:45 pm Bangladesh time. 

Bangladesh and India met each other in the first semi-final match, which ended in 1-1 draw in the stipulated time. As a result, the match moved to a penalty shootout. Harsh Shailesh Patre gave India 1-0 lead after scoring a goal from a long distance in the 17^th minute. However, Ashikur Rahman equaled the score 1-1 in the 90+3 minute from a penalty and led the match towards the tie-breaker. 

In the penalty shootout, Tauhidul Riday, Raja Ansari, Kamran Raju and Rostom Mia successfully sent all four spot kicks inside the goal post. Thanks to Bangladesh’s substitute goalkeeper, Mehedi Hasan, India could covert two of their four goals correctly. Saving the first two Indian attempts, Mehedi became hero of the match. 

Pakistan made their easy access to the final round of the six-nation South Asian football tournament after beating the hosts Nepal by 4-0 goals at the same venue in the day’s second semi-final match in the afternoon. 

In the group stage, the boys in red and green humiliated the Maldives by 9-0 goals and then moved to the semi-final as group A champion after beating Nepal by 2-1 goals. 

Source- https://bdnews24.com/sport/2018/11/01/mehedis-penalty-heroics-help-bangladesh-beat-india-set-up-saff-u-15-final-against-pakistan

Bangladesh whitewash Zimbabwe in the three-match ODI series

Winning the 3rd and final ODI match by 7 wickets at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Friday (October 26), Bangladesh whitewashed Zimbabwe in the three-match ODI series.

Riding on two centuries from Imrul Kayes and Soumya Sarkar, the host team chased down Zimbabwe’s modest target of 287 runs with 47 balls remaining at hand.

Coming to bat, Bangladesh lost the wicket of Liton Das in the first ball of the innings, which put the Tigers backward. But both Imrul Kayes and Soumya Sarkar skillfully guided the team towards victory with a record breaking 220-run partnership in the second-wicket, surpassing the previous record of 217-run partnership between Tamim and Shakib against West Indies this year. For Bangladesh, it is the second-highest partnership for any wicket.

Imrul Kayes, who scored 115 runs off 112 balls, was caught by Chigumbura at deep while trying to play big against Wellington Masakadza. In his fourth ODI century, the left-handed opener smashed 10 fours and two sixes. With two hundreds and one fifty- 144, 90 and 115 runs- he took his run tally to 349, which made him the highest run getter in a three-match ODI series. Earlier this record was under Tamim Iqbal who scored 312 runs against Pakistan in 2015.

Soumya Sarkar, who was recalled to the squad for the third ODI, made his second ODI century. He scored 117 runs off 92 balls, including nine fours and six sixes, before being dismissed by Hamilton Masakadza. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Mithun remained not out on 28 and 7 runs respectively. 

Batting first, Zimbabwe scored 286 runs losing five wickets. Sean Williams was the highest run scorer for his team. He struck 10 fours and one six to score 129 runs playing 143 balls and completed his second ODI hundred. Brendan Taylor and Sikandar Raza also played a vital role as they scored 75 and 40 runs respectively. At one stage, it seemed the touring team would go past the 300 mark, but due to Bangladeshi bowlers’ tight bowling at death overs, they could not make it happen. 

Nazmul Islam took two wickets while Abu Hider and Mohammad Saifuddin got one wicket each. 

Imrul Kayes was announced “Player of the Series” while Soumya Sarkar was named “Player of the Match”. 

Bangladesh cricket team selectors brought three changes in the squad. They included Abu Hider and Soumya and gave a debut to Ariful Haque. Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza won the toss for the third consecutive time and decided to field first. 

Despite the absence of two key players- Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan- due to their respective injuries, Bangladesh cricket team did quite well in the recently concluded ODI series. The youngsters did not let others feel the absence of them. 

Scorecard- http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18815/scorecard/1153637/bangladesh-vs-zimbabwe-3rd-odi-zimbabwe-in-bangladesh-2018-19

Source- https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/bangladesh-cricket/news/bangladesh-vs-zimbabwe-third-odi-updates-1652167

Chittagong Vikings ropes in Mohammad Ashraful in the club

Mohammad Ashraful is very happy because he has been taken by Chittagong Vikings during the players’ draft for the sixth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which will kick off on January 5.

Mohammad Ashraful, former captain of the Bangladesh cricket team, was found guilty of match and spot-fixing during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. As a result, he was given a punishment of eight years ban from all formats of cricket game by anti-corruption tribunal of BPL. Later it was reduced to five years following an appeal against the suspension by the batsman. His ban ended on August 13, 2018, thus making him eligible to play international and franchise-based Twenty20 cricket tournaments. However, he started playing domestic cricket two years ago after being cleared by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

Mohammad Ashraful was and still is very much desperate to make his comeback to the national team. Playing 13 List A matches in the last season, he scored 665 runs at an average of 66.50 with five centuries. With this magnificent performance, he has increased his possibility of getting recalled to the national squad. If he can do well in the upcoming season of the BPL, his inclusion to the national team might come much earlier than expected. 

Apart from Mohammad Ashraful, another controversial cricketer in the BPL 6 is Australia’s David Warner who has been picked by Sylhet Sixers. Cricket Australia banned him for a year for his role in the ball-tampering scandal earlier this year. 

Since making debut, Mohammad Ashraful has so far represented Bangladesh in 61 Tests, 177 ODIs and 23 T20Is before being banned. 

Source-

http://www.theindependentbd.com/post/172275

Bangladesh takes 2-0 lead beating Zimbabwe by 7 wickets

Bangladesh cricket team took a 2-0 lead of the three-match ODI series after beating Zimbabwe by 7 wickets at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Wednesday (October 24). 

The host team chased down Zimbabwe’s 247-run target with 5.5 overs remaining and losing only three wickets. Liton Das and Imrul Kayes opened the innings for Bangladesh. The duo made a 148-run partnership for the first wicket stand. Liton Das played a brilliant knock of 77-ball 83. The right-handed batsman struck twelve fours and one six before being caught by Donald Tiripano off SikandarRaza. Imrul Kayes became the victim of nervous nineties. He was caught out for 90 and eventually failed to score back-to-back hundreds. In his innings, he hit seven fours and one six. Fazley Mahmud, who made his ODI debut in the 1^st ODI match against Zimbabwe, got out without scoring any run. However, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Mithun remained not out on 40 and 24 runs respectively. 

All three wickets were taken by SikandarRaza. 

Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza won the toss and invited the touring team to bat first. Brendan Taylor scored the highest run for his team. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored 75 runs from 73 deliveries with nine fours and 1 six. In his innings, he made two partnerships- a 52-run partnership with Cephas Zhuawao and then a 77-run partnership with Sean Williams. Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza scored 47 and 49 runs respectively. After them, none of the players could keep contribution with the bat. However, Bangladeshi bowlers gave their best performances in the death overs, which eventually helped them to restrict Zimbabwe to 246 taking seven wickets in their stipulated 50 overs. 

Mohammad Saifuddin took three wickets giving 45 runs in 10 overs, and for his performance he was later declared Man of the Match. Mashrafe, Mustafizur, Mehidy and Mahmudullah each took one wicket. 

Bangladeshi selectors did not make any change in the squad for the second ODI. On the other hand, Zimbabwe made one change from first ODI, brining in all-rounder Elton Chigumbura to replace Craig Ervine. 

Both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will play their third and final ODI match in the same venue on Friday, beginning at 2:30 pm local time. 

Scorecard- http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18815/scorecard/1153636/bangladesh-vs-zimbabwe-2nd-odi-zimbabwe-in-bangladesh-2018-19

Source-

https://www.dhakatribune.com/sport/cricket/2018/10/24/bangladesh-win-toss-ask-zimbabwe-to-bat-first

Bangladesh takes 1-0 lead, beating Zimbabwe by 28 runs

Defeating Zimbabwe by 28 runs in the first ODI match at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Bangladesh cricket team has taken 1-O lead in the three-match ODI series. The host nation will once again take on the touring side in the second ODI match at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on October 24 with a hope of confirming the ODI series victory with one match remaining at hand. 

Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza won the toss and decided to bat first. The home team could make a competitive score of 271 runs for the loss of 8 wickets, thanks to Imrul Kayes’ third ODI century and Mohammad Saifuddin’s maiden ODI half-century.

Imrul Kayes, the 31-year-old veteran left-handed opener, played his career best innings in this match. He scored 144 runs off 140 balls with 13 fours and 6 sixes, the second-highest ODI score by any Bangladeshi batsman shared with Mushfiqur Rahim who also scored the same runs against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded Asia Cup. However, the record of Bangladesh’s highest individual score in ODI is still held by Tamim Iqbal who scored 154 runs against Zimbabwe on August 16, 2009. 

Imrul Kayes on his way to scoring century got huge support from Mohammad Saifuddin who scored 50 runs from 69 balls. The duo also shared a 127-run seventh-wicket partnership, which helped the home team coming out of danger after tottering at 137 runs losing 6 wickets. Mohammad Mithun also played a useful innings of 40-ball 37, including one four and three sixes. He also made a 71-run partnership with Kayes in the fourth wicket stand. 

For Zimbabwe, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara and Brandon Mavuta took 4, 3 and 1 wicket respectively.

Coming to chase Bangladesh’s target, Zimbabwe could manage to score 243 runs losing 9 wickets in their stipulated overs. Sean Williams remained not out on 50 runs playing 58 deliveries in which he hit five fours and one six. Kyle Jarvis’ all-round performance helped his team to avoid a big margin defeat. With bat, he played a crucial innings of 33-ball 37. He and Williams made a 67-run partnership for the eight-wicket stand. This pair was also showing their team hope of winning the 1st ODI match. However, due to Bangladeshi bowlers’ controlled bowling, their effort did not come true. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the highest wicket taker. The off-spinner took three wickets while Nazmul Islam picked up two wickets. Other two wickets were shared between Mustafizur Rahman and Mahmudullah. 

Selectors of the Bangladesh cricket made two changes in the squad that lost to India in the Asia Cup final last month. They picked up the uncapped Fazle Mahmud Rabbi to replace Shakib Al Hasan, who has been nurturing his finger injury. Another change is the recall of pace-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin in place of fast bowler Ruble Hossain, who is recovering from fever.

Scorecard- http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18815/scorecard/1153635/bangladesh-vs-zimbabwe-1st-odi-zimbabwe-in-bangladesh-2018-19

Hazratullah Zazai becomes the sixth player to hit 6 sixes in the same over

Hitting six sixes in an over, Hazratullah Zazai of Afghanistan has included himself in an elite club of cricketers. The 20-year-old left-handed batsman has accomplished this rare feat in the inaugural edition of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL). He has put his name on the record list as the sixth player after Garry Sobers, Ravi Shastri, Herschelle Gibbs, Yuvraj Singh and Ross Whiteley who hit six sixes in the same over. He also became the third player to share this record with Yuvraj Singh and Ross Whiteley in T20s. Not only that, he also reached fifty off just 12 balls, which made him equal the record for the fastest half-century in T20 format, a record held by Yuvraj and Chris Gayle beforehand.

Hazratullah Zazai played this record equaling innings on Sunday (October 14) when his franchise Kabul Zwanan met Balkh Legends in the league stage of the APL 2018. Opening for Kabul Zwanan, Zazai smashed six sixes off Abdullah Mazari in the fourth over of the innings. The left-arm spinner Abdullah Mazari conceded 37 runs, including a wide delivery.

Hazratullah Zazai played an aggressive innings of 17-ball 62 before being caught by Gulbadin Naib off Ben Laughlin. Despite playing such a beautiful innings decorated with four fours and seven sixes, he could not guide his team to a victory. Coming to chase Balkh Legends’s 245-run target, Kabul Zwanan was restricted to 223-7. As result, Balkh Legends won the match by 21 runs. 

However, Hazratullah Zazaihas so far represented his country in two ODI and three T20 internationals. This youngster with good physique has huge potential. He is likely to break many records in future. I congratulate him for his performance and pray for his better cricket career. 

Source- https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/878428

Bangladesh announces 15-man ODI squad against Zimbabwe

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday 11 October 2018 announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe. Of them, national team selectors picked up only two uncapped players namely Fazle Mahmud Rabbi and Ariful Haque.

Fazle Mahmud Rabbi, the 30-year-old batting all-rounder, earned his place in the Bangladesh squad after scoring 708 runs at an average of 47.2 in the last season of the Dhaka Premier League. He got this golden opportunity to wear national team’s jersey after showing consistency in domestic circuit for almost 15 years and in the Ireland tour with Bangladesh A team recently. He also can bowl left-arm spin, which has been proved effective in domestic cricket. The reason behind taking him was to replace Shakib Al Hasan. Ariful Haque is another batting all-rounder. He has so far played only 6 T20Is. His performance in domestic cricket is quite satisfactory. So, Minhajul Abedin, Bangladesh's chief selector, is expecting that Ariful will play a vital role both with bat and ball.

Cricket fans might know that all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and opener Tamim Iqbal were ruled out of the squad for their respective injuries. The 31-year-old Shakib, who worsened his left little finger injury during the 2018 Asia Cup, is undergoing rehabilitation. He might take four to six months to get recovery from his finger infection and before that, he cannot go under surgery. Tamim Iqbal fractured his left hand in the opening match of the same tournament.

It is a matter of great joy that Mushfiqur Rahim has recovered from hip injury in time, thus he has been named in the squad. Experienced players like Mahmudullah Riyad, Liton Das, Rubel Hossain, Imrul Kayes have retained their places.

The exclusion of Mominul Haque, Mosaddek Hossain and Soumya Sarkar, who were part of the Bangladesh squad in the recently concluded Asia Cup campaign, might upset the cricket lovers.

Mohammad Saifuddin impressed the coach in the net practice and made his way to the Bangladesh’s ODI squad. His inclusion is likely to fill up the shortage of pace bowling all-rounder.

However, this team will be led by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza as usual. He will try to lead his team to a series victory, leaving behind the frustration of losing out to India in the Asia Cup final.

This two-sided ODI series is scheduled to kick off from October 21.

Bangladesh ODI Squad against Zimbabwe: Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Liton Das, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Ariful Haque, Mehidy Hasan, Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider Rony, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Saifuddin, Fazle Mahmud.

Source- https://bdnews24.com/cricket/2018/10/11/bangladesh-picks-uncapped-fazle-rabbi-for-zimbabwe-odi-series-saifuddin-returns

Rashid Khan becomes the top all-rounder in ICC ODI rankings

International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday (September 30) released its latest rankings for ODI all-rounders on which Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan came top, replacing Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh. The 20-year-old player achieved this place showing outstanding performance in the recently-concluded Asia Cup that took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Rashid Khan performed pretty well with both bat and ball in the Asia Cup 2018. Taking 10 wickets in five matches, he became the leading wicket taker in this tournament. With the bat, he scored 87 runs at an average of 43.50. Because of his excellent all-round performance, Afghanistan could beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the group stage and tied the match against India in the Super Four round.

For his endeavors in Dubai and Sharjah, Rashid Khan earned 67 points, which helped him to go up six places to take the top position of the ICC ODI All-Rounder Rankings, overtaking Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan who is taking second position with 342 points. Rashid’s co-worker Mohammad Nabi also witnessed improvement in the rankings, moving one place up to the third position after totaling 134 runs and taking five wickets. However, Shakib maintained his dominance in the Test all-rounder rankings despite suffering from a long standing finger injury.

In the latest ICC ODI bowlers’ rankings, Rashid Khan held no to No. 2 spot and was sandwiched between two Indian bowlers- Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav- who are respectively taking first and third spot.

Source- https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/864074

India wins their seventh Asia Cup title beating Bangladesh by 3 wickets

India beat Bangladesh by three wickets in the final match of the 2018 Asia Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday (September 28). With this triumph, the ‘Men in Blue’ snatched the trophy for the seventh time in 14 events. It was bad luck for team Bangladesh. They reached the Asia Cup final third time in the last four seasons and each time handed a defeat by a narrow margin.

India’s stand-in captain, Rohit Sharma, won the toss and invited Bangladesh to bat first. Riding on Liton Das’ maiden ODI century, the Tigers scored 222 runs losing all wickets in 48.3 overs. The right-handed batsman scored 121 runs off 117 balls. In his innings, he hit 12 fours and two sixes. He made open with Mehidy Hasan Miraz who scored 32 runs before being run out. The opening pair made a 120-run partnership. However, apart from these two players, only Soumya Sarkar could reach the double figure as he scored 33 runs. Because of the poor performances of the middle-order batsmen including Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudullah- the ‘Men in Green and Red’ failed to set a competitive score to defend. Another fact that went against Bangladesh is that they suffered three run outs. 

For India, Kuldeep Yadav claimed three wickets while Kedar Jadhav took two wickets. Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah took one wicket each.

In reply, India reached the target in the last ball of their innings. For India, Rohit Sharma scored the highest run of 48 runs from 55 balls. Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni played useful innings of 37 and 36 runs respectively. Kedar Jadhav and Kuldeep Yadav remained not out on 23 and 5 and led their team to a thrilling three-wicket win.

For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain took two wickets each while Nazmul Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza and Mahmudullah equally shared three wickets.

Scorecard- http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8532/scorecard/1153255/bangladesh-vs-india-final-asia-cup-2018-19

Source- https://en.prothomalo.com/sports/news/184142/Tigers-make-222-despite-Liton-ton

Was Liton Das out?

The dismissal of Bangladeshi cricketer Liton Das in the final match of the 2018 Asia Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday (September 28) created a lot of controversy in social media. Considering it a wrong decision given by the TV umpire or third umpire, Bangladesh cricket fans burst out of anger. Cricket crazy fans claimed that this decision was responsible for Bangladesh’s defeat. They did not stop here. To show anger and hatred towards the cricket’s governing body, International Cricket Council (ICC), thousands of followers raised a storm in social media, including Facebook and Twitter, calling ICC as “Indian Cricket Council”. 

This contentious decision was given in the last ball of the 41st over. Liton Das was batting against Kuldeep Yadav, who gave a googly in the last ball. Beating the batsman, the ball went to the gloves of the wicketkeeper, who instantly broke the wickets and appealed to the leg-umpire for out. Leg-umpire being not sure forwarded it to the TV umpire who then reviewed it from different angles for quite a long time and signaled for out. On the basis that his back toe was on the line and not behind it, he was given out. 

No doubt, this decision surprised the whole world. During the match, commentators said they were not sure if Liton Das was out. They also expected that, in this case, the benefit of doubt would be given to the batsman, but TV umpire Rod Tucker had something else in his mind. It looked like he was biased towards Indian cricket team. I hope that ICC will take some kind of action against the TV umpire to prevent this type of controversial decisions in future.

The 23-year-old right-handed batsman scored 121 runs off 117 balls and single-handedly kept Bangladesh in the match. If he were not given out, more runs could have been added to the scoreboard, meaning Bangladesh bowlers would have had a much better total to defend. However, Bangladesh was bundled out for 222 in 48.4 overs.

Source- https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/icc-liton-das-dismissal-bangladesh-fans-foul-cry-asia-cup-2018-india-vs-bangladesh-1352272-2018-09-29

Shakib Al Hasan sends back home after his finger injury turns worse

Bangladesh premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan sent back home from the United Arab Emirates on Thursday (September 27) after his finger injury turned worse. Because of his injury, the left-handed cricketer was left out of the remaining Asia Cup matches, including Wednesday’s virtual semi-final against Pakistan and the Asia Cup final against India on Friday (September 28).

According to Akram Khan, operations chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Shakib might require four to six weeks to recover from injury. That means, he will miss out on the home series against Zimbabwe which is scheduled to start from September 30 and will continue till October 14. However, Akram Khan thanked the player for playing the first four matches of the tournament with his injury. He is likely to travel to the USA soon for treatment.

The 31-year-old player sustained injury in his left little finger during the ODI series against Sri Lanka in January and as a result, he missed the following Test and T20 series. Since then he has been carrying this injury. He wanted to skip the Asia Cup and go under surgery for getting complete recovery from the injury, but the BCB forced him to play in the tournament, delaying his surgery till October when they will host Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 37 runs and secured a place in the final round of the Asia Cup. Batting first, the ‘Bengal Tigers’ scored a competitive score of 239 runs and restricted their opponent to 202/9.

Source- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/injured-shakib-al-hasan-to-miss-bangladeshs-asia-cup-final/articleshow/65979851.cms

Bangladesh reaches Asia Cup final after beating Pakistan by 37 runs

Bangladesh cricket team secured a place in the final round of the 14^th edition of the Asia Cup after beating Pakistan by 37 runs at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (September 26). Bangladesh Tigers reached the Asia Cup final for the third time in the last four seasons. Earlier in 2012 and 2016, they finished the tournaments as runners-up being beaten by Pakistan and India respectively. Now, they will take on India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday (September 28) with a hope of clinching their first ever major trophy.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza won the toss and decided to bat first. The ‘Bengal Tigers’ started off poorly as they were reduced to 12-3 losing the wickets of Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque and Liton Das inside five overs. It could have been much worse if Mushfiqur Rahim (99) and Mohammad Mithun (60) did not score half centuries. This duo made a 144-run partnership for the fourth wicket, their second 100 plus partnership of the tournament. With the fall of Mithun, who was caught and bowled by Hasan Ali, this crucial partnership was broken. Mushfiqur missed out on his seventh ODI century for just one run as he was dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi. He also became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to be dismissed for 99 in ODIs. If he could complete the century, it would become his second ton of the tournament. Tailenders- Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mashrafe- played useful innings, but Pakistani bowlers picked the lower orders up quickly and bundled them out for 239 runs.

Pakistani fast bowler Junaid Khan finished with an impressive figure of 4-19. However, he was supported by other two fast bowlers- Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali who claimed two wickets each while Shadab Khan took one wicket.

Coming to chase Bangladesh’s 240-run target, Pakistan lost three early wickets of Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed for 18 runs in just 3.3 overs. The team could not come out of that wound as they lost wicket at a regular interval though Imam-ul-Haq, nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq, remained steady at one end. He scored 83 runs off 105 balls and made two good partnerships with Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali. With Shoaib Malik, he added 67 runs in the fourth wicket while with Asif Ali, he made a 71-run sixth wicket partnership and kept Pakistan’s hope of winning the match alive. Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali scored 30 and 31 runs respectively. Playing their full quota of overs, Pakistan scored 202 runs losing 9 wickets.

Bangladeshi left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman grabbed four wickets conceding 43 runs in 10 overs while Mehidy Hasan Miraz took two wickets giving 28 runs. Rubel Hossain, Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar took one wicket each.

Scorecard-http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8532/scorecard/1153254/bangladesh-vs-pakistan-6th-match-super-four-asia-cup

Source- https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/373480-asia-cup-2018-bangladesh-thrash-pakistan-by-37-runs-face-india-in-final

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 3 runs and keeps their Asia Cup final hope alive

In Super Four round of the 2018 Asia Cup, Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by three runs at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (September 23) and with this victory, they kept their hope of playing in the tournament final alive.

Bangladeshi left-arm fast bowler, Mustafizur Rahman, played the most crucial role. Because of his brilliant last over bowling, Bangladesh could win the match in the end. The Afghans were in need of eight runs to win the match and eventually kept them in the tournament, but Mustafiz gave only four runs. As a result, Afghanistan’s innings ended in 246 for 7 in 50 overs. 

For Afghanistan, Mohammad Shahzad and Hashmatullah Shahidi scored 53 and 71 runs respectively. It was Shahidi’s third consecutive fifty. He along with Mohammad Shahzad added 63 runs for the third wicket stand and then 78 runs with skipper Asghar Afghan in the fourth wicket.

Despite losing these three wickets, Afghanistan looked set for a victory as they required just 58 runs with five wickets left at hand. However, the rest of the players like Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari, Rashid Khan and Gulbadan Naib tried hard to lead their team to victory, but because of Bangladeshi bowlers, their attempt failed.

For Bangladesh, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman took two wickets apiece while Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah took one wicket each.

Coming to bat first, Bangladesh scored 249 runs for 7 in their stipulated overs. The Tigers could put on this competitive score riding on two fifties from Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes. These two players also made a 128-run partnership in the sixth wicket stand. Mahmudullah scored 74 runs off 81 balls, including three fours and two sixes. Imrul played an unbeaten innings of 72 facing 89 balls. He hit six fours in his innings. With this performance, he showed the management that not selecting him in the squad was a wrong decision.

Opener Liton Das was just 9 runs short from his maiden half century, but his 41-run innings saved Bangladesh from a disaster after losing two early wickets of Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mohammad Mithun within 6 overs. However, Liton Das made a 63-run partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim in the third wicket stand. Bangladesh innings could have been bigger if Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan were not run out.

For Afghanistan, Aftab Alam claimed three wickets while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan took one wicket each.

Mahmudullah was named the Player of the Match for his match saving innings and the valuable wicket of Shahzad.

Scorecard- http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8532/scorecard/1153252/afghanistan-vs-bangladesh-4th-match-super-four-asia-cup-2018-19

Source-

https://bdnews24.com/cricket/2018/09/23/bangladesh-lose-shanto-mithun