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Naseem's 5-57 sets up Pakistan's ODI win over NZ
Fast bowler Naseem Shah took five wickets as Pakistan cruised to a six-wicket win over New Zealand in the first one-day international on Monday.
Naseem, aged 19, snapped up 5-57 as New Zealand was made to bat first and was restricted to 255-9.
Mohammad Rizwan, who was rested for the preceding drawn two-test series, top-scored with an unbeaten 77 off 86 balls and eased Pakistan to 258-4 in 48.1 overs.
“You enjoy your performance more when you win the match,” Naseem said. “The pitch was good for batting and initially there wasn’t much assistance for the bowlers but the (old) ball started to reverse.”
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam made 66 off 82 balls and continued his red-hot form in white-ball cricket with his 19th ODI fifty. Opener Fakhar Zaman also made a fine 56 in his comeback match from a knee injury.
New Zealand batters couldn’t convert good starts on a slow pitch against disciplined bowling by debutant legspinner Usama Mir (2-42) and Mohammad Nawaz (1-38) in the middle overs.
Naseem dismissed opener Devon Conway for a first-over duck off a full-pitched delivery as the left-hander tried to flick the fast bowler but the ball ricocheted off his back leg onto his stumps.
Hard-hitting Finn Allen (29) successfully overturned a lbw decision against him in Haris Rauf’s first over. Allen hit Naseem for two boundaries in an over and smashed Rauf for three boundaries in a row before falling to a spectacular Agha Salman diving catch at short extra cover.
Mir tied down New Zealand through his googlies and sharp legspin, and stunned Kane Williamson on 26 off a turning delivery which knocked back the off stump.
Tom Latham (42) and Daryl Mitchell (36) rebuilt the innings with a half-century stand before falling to Mir and Nawaz respectively. New Zealand slipped to 147-5 in the 32nd over.
“We just didn’t quite do things for long enough with the bat,” Latham said. “Whenever we threatened for a big partnership, we lost a wicket . . . if we’re able to close to that 300 mark, then maybe things would have been different.”
Michael Bracewell, who top-scored with 43 off 42 balls, and Glenn Phillips (37) also had good starts before Naseem returned and picked up four wickets in his return spell.
Naseem was on a hat trick after he clean bowled Bracewell and debutant Henry Shipley, but Tim Southee denied the pacer.
Mitchell Santner made a brisk 21 and Southee contributed 15 to get New Zealand past 250 runs.
Babar featured in two half-century stands with Zaman and Rizwan after offspinner Bracewell (2-44) dismissed Imam-ul-Haq (11) early in Pakistan’s chase.
Latham dropped a tough edge by Zaman before the left-hander's 15th half-century. Zaman was clean bowled soon after while going for a slog sweep against Bracewell.
Babar also survived two close lbws against the spinners. Latham stumped him off part-time spinner Phillips.
Rizwan kept his cool and batted with cramps in the latter half of the run chase. Salman, 13 not out, hit the winning runs with a straight six against Southee.
The second ODI is on Wednesday followed by the last match on Friday.
BPL 2023: Usman ton powers Chattogram to nine-wicket win over Khulna
Pakistan's Usman Khan smashed his first T20 century to help Chattogram Challengers get their first victory in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) after defeating Khulna Tigers on Monday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka's Mirpur.
Batting first, Khulna Tigers posted 178 runs, riding on the century of another Pakistani, Azam Khan.
In response, Usman upstaged Azam to power Chattogram to a nine-wicket win. He remained unbeaten on 103 off 58 balls, with five fours and three sixes.
Chasing 179, Usman and Max O'Dowd shared an opening stand of 141 runs.
Read more: BPL 2023: Who Can Win the 9th Bangladesh Premier League
Nahidul Islam broke the partnership, but it was too late for Khulna.
Earlier, Azam hit the first ton of the BPL 2023, helping Khulna post 178 for five with his unbeaten 109 off 57 balls.
Azam came to the crease as the number four batter after Khulna lost two wickets for only 12 runs.
On the way to his first T20 century, Azam hit nine fours and eight sixes. His previous best in T20 was 88.
Earlier, Khulna played their first match against Dhaka Dominators, which they lost by six wickets.
Read more: Azam Khan smashes first BPL 2023 century
Azam Khan smashes first BPL 2023 century
Pakistan's Azam Khan hit the first century of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Monday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka's Mirpur.
The right-handed batter is playing for Khulna Tigers in the BPL. Riding on his 58-ball century, Khulna posted 178 for five against Chattogram Challengers.
On the way to his first T20 century, Azam hit nine fours and eight sixes. His previous best in T20 was 88.
Azam came to the crease as the number four batter after Khulna lost two wickets for only 12 runs. He remained unbeaten on 109.
Earlier, Khulna played a match against Dhaka Dominators, which they lost by six wickets.
Junior AHF Cup: Bangladesh thrash Uzbekistan 6-1 to top group
Coming from behind, Bangladesh overpowered Uzbekistan 6-1 Monday to top Pool B, with a 100 percent win record, before their semi-final match of the eight-nation Men's Junior Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup (Under-21) Hockey Tournament.
Bangladesh dominated the first half (second quarter) of their last group match 2-1 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Oman's Muscat.
Abdusalom scored for Uzbekistan in the 18th minute off a penalty corner.
Amirul Islam, who scored five goals in Bangladesh's 14-0 win over Sri Lanka, scored three goals off penalty corners.
Joy struck two field goals, and Hasan scored another to guide Bangladesh to a comfortable win.
With today's win, Bangladesh secured nine points from three straight matches.
As the semi-finalist of the ongoing tournament, Bangladesh also qualified to play in the next Youth Asia Cup Hockey.
They will play the first semi-final of the tournament Wednesday at 4:15pm local time either against Thailand or Chinese Taipei at the same venue.
Despite the day's defeat, Uzbekistan also made the semi-final as Pool B runners-up, with six points from three group matches.
In their previous group matches, Uzbekistan defeated Sri Lanka 7-3 and managed a 1-0 goal win over Hong Kong.
Pool B includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Uzbekistan. Pool A includes hosts Oman, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia.
Ronaldo set to face PSG, Messi in first game in Saudi Arabia
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first game in Saudi Arabia is set to be against Paris Saint-Germain and a possible reunion with his career-long rival Lionel Messi.
PSG said Monday it will play a Jan. 19 friendly in Riyadh against a composite team of players from Ronaldo’s new club Al Nassr and Al Hilal, the current Asian Champions League title holder.
Read: What can Ronaldo expect from Saudi Pro League soccer?
Ronaldo should have to wait until Jan. 22 to make his formal debut for Al-Nassr in a league game against Al Ettifaq.
World soccer rules require the 37-year-old star to finish serving a two-match suspension imposed by the English Football Association in November ahead of the World Cup. Ronaldo slapped a mobile phone out of a fan’s hand following a game against Everton last April.
Read: Deschamps extends contract as France coach to next World Cup
Qatar-owned PSG is visiting Saudi Arabia during a two-day break in the region, including a visit to Doha for promotional work with the club’s portfolio of Qatari sponsors.
BPL 2023: Sylhet Strikers continue winning streak
The Sylhet Strikers continued their impressive winning streak in the current season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), beating the most successful team in the tournament, the Comilla Victorians, by a margin of five wickets today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The Sylhet Strikers, led by former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, achieved their third consecutive victory, while the Comilla Victorians suffered their second consecutive defeat.
The Victorians batted first and put up a formidable 149 runs for the loss of six wickets. In response, the Strikers successfully chased down the target of 150 with five wickets still in hand at the end of 17.4 overs.
Read more: BPL 2023: Ticket prices for first phase revealed
Mohammad Haris, the Pakistani opener of the Sylhet Strikers, fell short of expectations, scoring only six off three deliveries. Abu Hider broke the opening stand with his early dismissal. However, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy then stitched together a good partnership, providing a strong platform for the Strikers to build on.
Najmul scored 19 runs off 21 balls, while Towhid remained steadfast in the middle, smashing a 56 from just 37 deliveries, with three fours and four sixes. His performance was truly remarkable against a quality Victorians bowling attack, which includes the likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Mohammad Nabi. It was a triumphant day for the batter.
Zakir Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim scored 20 and 28 runs respectively, helping the Strikers secure the victory.
For the Victorians, Mohammad Nabi and Khushdil Shah put up a valiant effort, bagging two wickets each, but it was not enough to avoid a defeat.
Read more: BPL 2023: Who Can Win the 9th Bangladesh Premier League
Earlier, Jaker Ali aided the Victorians in setting a challenging total of 149. He scored 57 off 43 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes. Dawid Malan also performed well, scoring 37, but it was not enough to meet the Comilla Victorians' expectations. Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera and Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir bagged two wickets for Sylhet Strikers, while Mashrafe and Imad Wasim scalped one wicket each.
International business department lift DU inter-department basketball trophy
The international business department have clinched the Dhaka University (DU) Inter-Department Basketball Competition title after beating the microbiology department by 37-33 points in the final on Sunday.
DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Md Akhtaruzzaman watched the match as the chief guest at the gymnasium of the university's Physical Education Centre and later distributed prizes.
DU Physical Education Centre Adviser Professor Ashim Kumar Sarkar and acting director of the centre Mohammad Shahjahan Ali also spoke at the function, chaired by President of the DU Basketball Committee Professor Billal Hossain.
Bangladesh Championship League: Wanderers, Swadhinata play out 1-1 draw
Dhaka Wanderers Club and Swadhinata Krira Sangha split points Sunday after their Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football 2022-23 clash in the capital ended in a 1-1 draw.
At the Birshreshtha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur, Sourav put Dhaka Wanderers Club in front in the 21st minute in the day's only BCL match.
Read: Dhaka Abahani drop more points in BPL Football
Sagor found the back of the net for Swadhinata Krira Sangha in the 90th minute.
Junior AHF Cup: Bangladesh, Uzbekistan lock horns Monday to decide group-toppers
Bangladesh will play Uzbekistan in their last Pool B match of the eight-nation Men's Junior Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup (Under-21) Hockey Tournament Monday to decide the group-toppers at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Oman's Muscat.
The match will kick off at 12pm local time.
Both Bangladesh and Uzbekistan already made the semi-finals of the tournament from Pool B with an unbeaten run, securing six points from two straight matches. Bangladesh are leading the group table with a better goal difference.
Read: Bangladesh thrash Sri Lanka 14-0 to make Men's Junior AHF Cup semi-finals
Bangladesh will play semi-finals on January 11; their opponents are yet to be decided.
Bangladesh beat Hong Kong 4-0 in their first group matches and crushed Sri Lanka 14-0 in the second match, riding on Amirul Islam's five goals.
Uzbekistan defeated Sri Lanka 7-3 and managed a 1-0 victory against Hong Kong.
Pool B includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Uzbekistan. Pool A includes hosts Oman, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia.
National Handball: Police Handball Club finish 3rd beating Dhaka DSA by 32-29 goal
Bangladesh Police Handball Club finished 3rd in the Exim Bank 33rd National Men's Handball Championship beating Dhaka District Sports Association by 32-19 goal in a 3rd place deciding match at the Shaheed (Capt) M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium here on Saturday.
The winners were trailing by 12-15 goal in the first half.
Munshi Omar Faruque of Polce HC scored the match highest nine goals.
Also Read: BPL 2023: Who Can Win the 9th Bangladesh Premier League
Bangladesh Ansar & VDP and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will meet each other in the final for the national men's handball title on Tuesday (January 10) at 3 pm at the same venue.
State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russell will be the chief guest in the final and will distribute the trophies.
Managing Director and CEO of the meet's sponsor of Exim Bank Limited Mohammad Firoz Hossain will be the special guest at the function to be chaired by Handball Federation President AKM Nurul Fazal Bulbul.
Earlier in the semifinals, Ansar & VDP eliminated Bangladesh Police Handball Club by 34-27 goal while BGB booked a seat for the final eliminating Dhaka DSA by 41-15 goal.