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

Bangladesh beats Sri Lanka by 137 run in the Asia Cup opener

Bangladesh cricket team started their Asia Cup campaign with an amazing 137-run win over Sri Lanka on Saturday (September 15) at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

Winning the toss, Bangladesh ODI skipper, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, decided to bat first. Tigers could manage to score 261 runs losing all wickets in 49.3 overs. Mushfiqur Rahim played his career best innings of 150-ball 144, including 11 fours and 4 sixes. It was his sixth ODI century. However, on his way to scoring ODI hundred, he got two lives on 10 and 85. He along with Mohammad Mithun shared a 131-run partnership for the third-wicket stand. Mohammad Mithun scored his maiden ODI fifty. He scored 63 from 68 balls. 

Despite Mushfiqur scoring century, Tamim Iqbal got the maximum media publicity. Photos and videos of this southpaw batting with one hand spread across the social media. His wrist was hit by a delivery from Suranga Lakmal, forcing him to retire hurt. After the departure of Mustafizur in the 47^th over, he came to bat with one hand, allowing Mushfiqur to score as many runs as possible and make his highest ODI score before he was caught on the boundary with three balls left in the innings. He scored 2 runs facing four balls and remained unbeaten.

Lasith Malinga finished with an impressive bowling figure of 4-23 in 10 overs. With this match, the 35-year-old fast bowler made his return to ODI cricket from retirement. He played his last ODI in September last year. Suranga Lakmal, Amila Aponso and Thisara Perera took one wicket each.

In reply, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 124 in 35.2 overs, Dilruwan Perera top scoring with 29 runs. Apart from him, two other players reached 20 for Angelo Mathews’ side. It was Bangladesh’s seventh win in 45 ODI matches against Sri Lanka.

For Bangladesh, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took two wickets apiece while Shakib Al Hasan, Rubel Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain equally shared three wickets.

Scorecard link- http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8532/scorecard/1153243/bangladesh-vs-sri-lanka-1st-match-group-b-asia-cup-2018-19

Source- https://www.dhakatribune.com/sport/cricket/2018/09/15/bangladesh-to-bat-first-against-sri-lanka-in-asia-cup-opener

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/45536128

Unilever is the new sponsor of Bangladesh Cricket

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) fell in a big trouble after Robi Axiata Limited, a telecommunications company, terminated its contract with the cricket’s governing body prior the stipulated time. Robi’s second time two-year contract was supposed to be extended till the 2019 World Cup. However, BCB did not have to wait for a long time as they got a new title sponsor for the national cricket team within 11 days after the telecom giant brought an end to its deal. 

Unilever Bangladesh Limited, a prominent consumer goods company based in Dhaka, has become the new sponsor of the Bangladesh cricket team. This sponsorship deal was signed on Thursday (September 6) by BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury and Unilever Bangladesh’s Finance Director Zahidul Islam Malita on behalf of their respective sides at BCB Management Office at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka.

Unilever’s journey with the national cricket team will start with the 2018 Asia Cup beginning from September 15 and will continue till January 2020. As per the agreement, logo of its product, Lifebuoy, will be shown on their jerseys. Because of this deal, the Bangladesh women’s cricket team, Bangladesh A team and the Bangladesh U-19 team will also have to carry the company’s logo.

Source- https://www.daily-sun.com/post/334214/2018/09/06/Unilever-becomes-Bangladesh-cricket-team-sponsor

https://www.dhakatribune.com/sport/cricket/2018/09/06/unilever-becomes-tigers-new-sponsor

Mominul Haque is added to the Asia Cup 2018

Since the announcement of the Bangladesh cricket squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2018, Mominul Haque has been in talks. Despite his eye catching performance during Bangladesh A’s recent tour of Ireland, the diminutive player was not selected in the squad. He scored 297 runs at an average of 74.25 in four innings, with his career best List A innings of 183 off 133 balls. The 26-year-old player has so far played 26 ODIs, last of which is played during the 2015 World Cup. 

That is why, when cricket loves saw him not being selected in the squad, they became surprised and at the same time angry. They even raised the question of their selection process. However, he has been added to the Asia Cup squad as the 16^th player. The main reason behind taking him to the squad is to keep him as backup to several players carrying injuries. The best thing of Mominul Haque is that he can play in top order, either as an opener or in one-down position. His inclusion will help the selectors to replace any of the injured players in the tournament.

Opener Tamim Iqbal, all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and uncapped player Nazmul Hossain are carrying injuries. For this reason, their participation in the 14^th edition of the Asia Cup is uncertain. Shakib, the premier all-rounder, in a recent interview with The Daily Star said he is 20-30 percent fit. However, his statement has been denied by Coach Steve Rhodes saying that the player is a lot fitter than that. Rhodes also said, “He is not fully fit. But if he plays anything like he played in the Caribbean, then that will be a massive asset to Bangladesh cricket.”

Shakib wanted to skip the Asia Cup and go under a finger surgery. But because of the insistence of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), he agreed to play in the tournament, delaying his surgery till October when they will host Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh has been drafted along with Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in this six-nation tournament, which will kick off from September 15 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Source- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/injury-hit-bangladesh-recall-mominul-haque-for-asia-cup/articleshow/65719856.cms