Dhaka, Sept 29 (UNB) - Bangladesh U-18 Women’s team are ready to start their maiden SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship taking on Pakistan in their first match at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan on Sunday.

The match between Bangladesh and Pakistan will kick-off at 7 pm.

Bangladesh U-15 Women’s team outplayed Pakistan by 14-0 goals in the SAFF U-15 Champions in Bhutan last August and Bangladesh Men’s team beat Pakistan 1-0 in the SAFF Championship in Dhaka early this month.
 
Even, Bangladesh yet to play their first match, but their Group B rivals Nepal made a flying start crushing group opponent Pakistan by a massive 12-0 goals in the opening group encounters Friday evening.  

In Group A, India also made a good start beating hosts Bhutan 4-0 on the same same day and same venue.

The Maldives, which was also place in Group A with India and Bhutan, will play Bhutan in Sunday’s other match at the same venue. 

On completion of group matches, two top teams from each of the group will play in the semifinals on October 5 while the final match will be held on October 7.

Bangladesh team finished runners-up in the SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship in Bhutan in last August.  

Meanwhile, all the players of Bangladesh are now fully fit and well prepared to give their best in the newly introduced SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship on Sunday.

Ahead of the Sunday’s match, Bangladesh skipper Mishrat Jahan Moushumi is confident of putting up a good show in their first match against Pakistan on way to their initial target of reaching final. 

Bangladesh Head Coach Golam Rabbani Choton and National Technical and Strategic Director Paul Thomas Smalley also have expressed their full confidence to the players to pick up a good result in the opening game.   

All the players of Bangladesh team had a walk session after breakfast on Saturday before groomed them in the gym and conditioning session. They also had a light development program on the day.

The team members also took part in a team meeting including video analysis and presentation before their final practice session on Saturday ahead of the Pakistan game on Sunday.

Bangladesh U-18 Women’s Football team, which reached Bhutan on Wednesday to participate in the six-nation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship keeping their bird eyes on the final, will play Nepal in their last group match on Tuesday (Sept 2).

Thirteen players of the just concluded AFC U-16 Group F champions Bangladesh team like Maria Manda, Akhi Khantun, Monika Chakma, Tohura Khatun, Anuching Mogini, Anai Mogini, Sajeda Khatun and Shamsunnahar were included in the U-18 team.

Besides, comparatively senior players like Krishna Rani Sarkar, Sanjida Khatun, Ratna, Swapna, Mousumi who were excluded from the Bangladesh U-16 team due to over age, were also in the Bangladesh team.   

Members of Bangladesh team: Mahmuda Akhter, Rupna Chakma, Ruksana Begum, Masura Parvin, Sheuli Akhter, Krishna Rani Sarkar, Sanjida Akhter, Ishrat Jahan Ratna, Sirat Jahan Shopna, Mishrat Jahan Mousumi, Marzia, Nazma, Ritu Porna Chakma,  Nilufa Yesmin Nila, Maria Manda, Akhi Khantun, Monika Chakma, Tohura Khatun, Anuching Mogini, Anai Mogini, Sajeda Khatun, Shamsun Nahar, Razia Khatun and Sajeda Khatun.

Dhaka, Sept 29 (UNB) – Bangladesh failed to materialise the third chance of bringing their maiden Asia Cup title as India got a three-wicket win in a last-ball thriller in the 14th edition final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday night.

India got their 7th Asia Cup title, registering the second successive win against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup final after an eight-wicket victory in the Twenty20 version in 2016.

Bangladesh lost the 1st title winning chance in the 50-over version Asia Cup in 2012 with a two-run loss to Pakistan.

In the day’s final, India chased a target of 223 for 7 in 50 overs as Kedar Jadhav hit required one last run from one ball off Mahmudullah Riyad to shore the victory and skipper-cum-opener Rohit Sharma top-scored 48 off 55 balls, including three fours and three sixes.

Jadhav played unbeaten 23* off 27 balls with one boundary and one six while Kuldeep Yadav [5*] gave him a company of five-ball in the end to managing India six off last six balls.

Left-handed spinner Nazmul Islam Apu made the first breakthrough for Bangladesh, removing the 'player of the tournament' Shikhar Dhawan [15 off 14b; 3x4] at India’s 35 in 4.4 overs, before skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza dismissed Ambati Rayudu on single digit when Indians were at46/2 in 7.3 overs.

Pace bowler Rubel Hossain dragged India’s big hitter, skipper-cum-opener Rohit Sharma, who caught by Apu on 83/3 in 16.4 overs.

Mahmudullah removed India’s 4th pair of 54 off 14 overs between Dinesh Karthik [37 off 61b; 1x4; 1x6] and Mahendra Singh Dhoni as lbw Karthik, keeping India at 137/4 in 30.4 overs.

Dhoni [36 off 67b; 3x6] was caught behind by Mushfiqur Rahim off Mustafizur Rahman on 160/5 in 36.1 overs before Jadhav retired-hurt for a while on team’s 167 from 38th over and India eventually needed 36 off 42 balls with Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the crease.

The hope resurfaced a bit in Bangladesh camp as Rubel and Mustafiz stumbled Indian innings -- dismissing Jadeja [23 off 33b; 1x4] and Kumar [21 off 31b; 1x4; 1x6] on 212/6 in 47.2 and 214/7 in 48.1 overs -- and India were in need of 9 off 11 balls before Jadhav came back to hold nerves with Kuldeep Yadav for the remaining job.

Rubel [2/26] and Mustafiz [2/38] equally shared four wickets while Mahmudullah [1/33], Mashrafe Mortaza [1/35] and Nazmul Islam [1/56] shared three wickets for Bangladesh.

Sent in to bat first, Bangladesh’s total collection of 222 for all in 48.3 overs spurred by opener Liton Kumar Das completing his maiden ODI century of 121 runs.

Man of the final Liton shared a solid partnership of 120 off 20.5 overs in the opening wicket with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, which is the first hundred-run stand for Bangladesh openers in the tournament as their openers managed only 5, 16, 15, 15 and 1 for the first wicket partnerships in the last five matches.

Miraz [32 off 59b; 3x4] was removed from opening stand as he was caught by Ambati Rayudu off Kedar Jadhav, and then Bangladesh’s next four wickets -- Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, and Mahmudullah Riyad -- were out on single digits within a span of 23 off 7.1 overs, from 128/2 in 23.5 to 151/5 in 32.2 overs.

Liton continued up to 188/6 in 47 overs, featuring 12 boundaries and two sixes in his innings of 117 balls before being stumped by keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Kuldeep Yadav, reportedly by a bad umpiring decision.

Number-seven batsman Soumya Sarkar [33off 45b; 1x4; 1x6] was another double-digit scorer who was run out on 222/9 in 48.1 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav got three wickets for 45 runs while Kedar Jadhav [2/41] and Yuzvendra Chahal [1/31] and Jasprit Bumrah [1/39] shared four wickets for India.

Bangladesh reached final having three wins and two losses while Indians maintained an unbeaten record throughout the contest before the final.

Bangladesh started their campaign with a 137-run win against Sri Lanka in the tournament opener before an upset by 136-runs against Afghanistan in their Group ‘B’ last match.

The Tigers’ made a frustrating start in the Super-Four stage with conceding a seven-wicket loss against India but got the track eliminating Afghanistan by three runs in a last-ball thriller before the 37-run victory against Pakistan in a virtual semifinal on September 26.

Indians were pushed to a tie by Afghanistan in their last Super Four game after they crushed Pakistan by nine wickets and Bangladesh by seven wickets.

In their Group ‘A’ matches, India defeated Hong Kong and Pakistan by 26 runs and eight wickets respectively.

Dhaka, Sept 28 (UNB) - Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first again Bangladesh in the final of the 14th Asia Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.  

Bangladesh brought one change to their best eleven for the title deciding game as Nazmul Islam Apu has come in replacing Mominul Haque while defending champions India brought five changes to the squad that played against Afghanistan in their last match.

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah replaced Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Deepak Chahar, Siddarth Kaul and Khaleel Ahmed. 

The spirited Tigers are playing the final of the Asia Cup for the 3rd time but they are yet to clinch the title. They have a great chance to lift the trophy this time after missing out the title twice -- once in the 50-over Asia Cup in 2012 and the Twenty20 version in 2016, losing to Pakistan and India by two runs and eight wickets respectively.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza-led Bangladesh are a determined bunch of having a habit of toppling big teams and taking on six-time champions India for the second consecutive Asia Cup final.  

Bangladesh best XI: Liton Kumar Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. 

India best XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah.

Barcelona, Sep 28 (AP/UNB) — Barcelona says it plans to redesign the club's emblem for the start of next season.

The most significant change would be the removal of the letters "FCB," standing for Futbol Club Barcelona, which have been at the center of the design for more than 100 years.

The current emblem was introduced in 2002.

The updated version must be approved in a membership vote on Oct. 20. It would be the 11th design of the emblem in the 119-year history of the Spanish club.

London, Sep 28 (AP/UNB) — Whenever Jose Mourinho runs into trouble, there's always a scapegoat.

In the early years of his managerial career, referees, rival coaches and — of course — the media were the target of Mourinho's ire.

Then, the Portuguese coach grew more suspicious of perceived foes and relished conflict within his clubs.

The relationship with key players broke down at Real Madrid before he left in 2013. Strained relations led to his second spell in charge at Chelsea ending midway through his second season in 2015. The firing was blamed on the "palpable discord" he created, exacerbated by a public row with the team doctor.

If Manchester United thought it could tame Mourinho in the job he craved for so long, the club was wrong.

With Manchester City outspending United on players and pulling further ahead on the pitch, Mourinho has grown increasingly frustrated with the club's leadership and his own squad — and ensured the world knows.

Questioning the professionalism of his players has become a trait of Mourinho, a boss calling out his employees in public. There was stinging criticism of defender Luke Shaw's training regime. Anthony Martial's commitment to the team was even called into doubt in July because he left the tour of the United States to spend time with his newborn child.

"My family will always come first," Martial said on social media in a clear rebuke of his manager.

As Mourinho's mood has darkened — while failing to secure the players desired in the summer transfer window — so has his demeanor.

Talk of a rift with Paul Pogba, the club's most expensive signing, has simmered for months. Now it has boiled over in public.

Mourinho would be in a position of strength to assert his authority if his team was flourishing. But the early-season unease at Old Trafford has heightened by United being dumped out of the League Cup in the third round for the first time in 11 years with Tuesday's home loss to second-tier Derby.

It was a third-round game Pogba watched from the stands on the day it was revealed his hopes of leading the team again looked to be over. Mourinho fanned the flames of controversy by announcing the France midfielder had been stripped of the vice-captaincy.

However much Mourinho maintained there had been "no fallout," the lack of public explanation just fermented the opposite impression. The frostiness between the pair played out in public on Wednesday during a training session. Cameras are usually kept far from the Carrington complex but rights holder Sky Sports was allowed in to film ahead of its Saturday broadcast of United's game at West Ham.

Mourinho will have known his actions were being caught on camera as he was heard asking a press officer about an Instagram post by Pogba.

If Pogba's posts from the stands during the Derby game irritated Mourinho, then the midfielder should be confused. From the manner of the player's signing announcement, which was accompanied by a flashy video, United has seized on his marketability to drive up online interest in the club. Vice chairman Ed Woodward even updates investors on social media growth while delivering the quarterly results.

The flagship recruit for Mourinho's first season in charge of United two years ago, Pogba cost a then world-record 105 million euros (then $116 million).

Agent Mino Raiola made tens of millions of euros from the transfer. Moving Pogba on again would earn Raiola another bumper pay day and he has publicly discussed the prospect of him leaving Old Trafford.

Whenever United is underperforming — and the team is already eight points behind leader Liverpool after six games — Pogba's performances often face the most scrutiny. That comes with the price tag.

But World Cup-winning France coach Didier Deschamps used a visit to London for this week's FIFA Best awards to argue that Pogba is far from being self-centered and is a team player.

"People have this image of someone individualistic, who thinks about himself," Deschamps said. "He has sometimes been unfairly criticized by the media and felt this aggressive vibe."

Now the negative vibe seems to be caused by his club coach. Mourinho appears to be always spoiling for a spat, and Pogba is in the firing line.

Given the United coach's recent history at clubs, the discord is far from surprising. Nor would it be if Mourinho doesn't enjoy a long career at United.