Sports
FIFA suspends India's football body over 'third party influence'
In a big blow to Indian football, international apex body FIFA on Tuesday suspended the country's soccer association "due to undue influence from third parties".
This means that India will not be able to host the big-ticket Women's Under-17's World Cup, slated to begin in the country on 11 October.
"The Bureau of the FIFA Council has unanimously decided to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes," the apex soccer body said in a release.
"The suspension means that the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022, scheduled to take place in India on 11-30 October 2022, cannot currently be held in India as planned," it added.
Also read: Rights group urges FIFA, Qatar to compensate WCup workers
However, on an optimistic note, FIFA said that the suspension will be revoked "once the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF's daily affairs".
"FIFA is in constant constructive contact with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India and is hopeful that a positive outcome to the case may still be achieved," it added.
In May this year, India's Supreme Court disbanded the AIFF and appointed a committee of administrators to govern the popular sport in this country.
Also read: US stays top of FIFA women's rankings; England up to No. 4
This was because of the Indian football association's failure to hold elections since December 2020 when the tenure of its last governing body ended, with the AIFF attributing the same to the pending legal cases regarding its constitution.
2nd four-day match between Bangladesh A & West Indies A team ends in draw
The 2nd unofficial four-day test match between touring Bangladesh A team and hosts West Indies A team ended in a draw on the 4th and final day at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium , Gros Islet in St Lucia on Saturday.After the match, the two-match first class series between the two teams ended in 0-0 draw.Sent into bat first, the 2nd string Bangladesh team, riding on a century by Saif Hasan, declared the first innings scoring 300 runs for 9 against hosts West Indies on the 3rd day (Friday).
Also read: Unofficial Test: Bangladesh A team declare 1st Innings for 300/9 against West Indies ABangladesh team reached three hundred marks featuring 146 runs by one down batsman Saif Hasan, who furnished his 348 balls innings with13 fours and four sixes. Besides, wicket keeper Jaker Ali (33), Shadman Islam (25), Mahmudual Hasan Joy (17), Zakir Hasan (15), Fazle Mahmud (14), captain Mohammad Mithun (14) and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury (14) were the other notable batsmen of Bangladesh reaching double figureColin Archibald and Anderson Phillip claimed three Bangladesh wickets each conceding 48 and 72 runs respectively. .In reply, West Indies A team, which was on batting with 43 for 2 in 18 overs on the 3rd day (Friday), scored 277 runs for the loss of five wickets in 115.1 overs when the bails were drawn for the 4th and final day (Saturday). Opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul hammed a century scoring 109 runs off 337 balls with the help of nine boundaries before he was retired hurt. Lower order Alick Athanaze contributed a polished 82 runs off 121 balls featuring seven boundaries to carry the home side in a respectable total.
Also read: Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket SquadNayeem Hasan captured three Caribbean wickets conceding 69 runs in his 42.1 overs spell while Mrittunjoy Chowdhury took two wickets for 38 runs.The three-match one-day series between two teams will be held on August 16, 18 and 20 at the same venue in Jamaica.
Islamic Solidarity Games: Bangladesh's prospective event archery begins Monday
Bangladesh will start their campaign in their most prospective event of the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games Archery on Monday in the Turkish city of Konya The qualifying round of the games archery will begin at 1 pm Bangladesh time on Monday.Twelve archers will represent Bangladesh in all the ten events of the 5th Islamic Solidarity GamesBangladeshi archers are -Ruman Shana, Hakim Ahmed Rubel, Sagar Islam (recurve men's), Diya Siddiqui, Nasrin Akhter, Beauty Roy (recurve women's) , Mithu Rahman, Mohammad Ashiquzzaman, Sohel Rana (compound men's), Shymoly Rai, Pushpita Zaman and Roxana Akhter (compound women's).
Also read: Islamic Games: Imranur finishes 6th in 100-meter sprintMeanwhile, Bangladeshi athletes took part in the day's fencing and shooting competitions of the games. Kamrul Islam of Bangladesh lost to Asranov Yousuf of Uzbekistan 1-15 in the fencing table of sixteen while another Bangladeshi Monir Hossain lost to Elias Molinar.
Also read: Islamic Games: Bangladeshi sprinter Imranur Rahman advances to 100-meter semifinalIn the day's shooting competition, two Bangladeshi shooters scored 25 and 23 points in the first round while the shooters of Oman and Kuwait scored 27 and 28 points respectively.
Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad
The BCB named a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022, which is to start on August 27 in the UAE. The ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been selected as captain of Bangladesh for the tournament as well as for the forthcoming New Zealand tri-nation series and T20 World Cup in Australia. There have been a few surprises in the team Tigers squad. The SWOT analysis of the Bangladesh twenty20 team is discussed in this article.
SWOT Study of Bangladesh T20 Team for the 2022 Asia Cup Cricket
The BCB made some important decisions when picking players for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 tournament. One of the key decisions was selecting a new captain for the game's shortest format.
Shakib Al Hasan's selection as Twenty20 skipper seemed all but assured after Bangladesh's series defeat to the West Indies in July. However, Shakib's appointment as captain had become complicated due to the player's commercial involvement with a betting site - BetWinner.
Read Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy?
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has taken a firm stance that to get a chance in the national squad, Shakib has to revoke his deal with the betting company. The ace all-rounder eventually agreed with the BCB’s proposal and, subsequently, he was announced as the new T20 captain of Bangladesh for the next three series—the Asia Cup, Tri-Nation series in New Zealand and the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia on Saturday (August 13).
The selectors picked 17 players for the tournament. Sabbir Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, and Mushfiqur Rahim were recalled in the Twenty20 setup, while pacer Ebadot Hossain was included in place of Shoriful Islam.
Sabbir Rahman’s inclusion was a major surprise as he last featured for Bangladesh in a T20I match against Afghanistan back in September 2019. Sabbir’s inclusion was mainly due to his reputation as being an aggressive-minded batter. He is likely to play the role of power-hitter in the death overs.
All-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin hasn't played for Bangladesh in a T20 match this year due to injury. Saifuddin has reportedly made enough progress to be taken into consideration for the Asia Cup team.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Munim Shahriar, and Shoriful Islam were not selected, and Litton Das was excluded because of a hamstring injury.
Bangladesh Squad for the 2022 Asia Cup
Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Anamul Haque, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed
Let’s analyze the Bangladesh Asia Cup 2022 squad’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Read Shakib captain for Asia Cup, T20 World Cup
Strengths: The return of experienced players and the diversified bowling attack
The statistics make it clear that Bangladesh's performance has declined after the 2021 World Cup. As a result, the Tigers' expectations for the Asia Cup are relatively low this time. However, Bangladesh can manage to put up a strong show during the main event if the players overcome their shortcomings and make a proper strategy based on the opponents.
The return of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim to the T20 squad will bolster confidence among the players. Both missed the last bilateral Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe, which the Tigers lost 2-1. Shakib’s vast experience in the Twenty20 format and Mushfiqur Rahim’s solid presence in the middle-order will be key for Bangladesh during the tournament. Besides, former captain Mahmudullah Riyad could be a game-changing player if he finds his tune with the bat in the event.
The top three run scorers for Bangladesh against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan are Shakib, Mushfiqur, and Mahmudullah. Sabbir Rahman, who scored the most runs for Bangladesh against India, is also in the team.
Read Shakib cancels contract with Betwinner News after BCB warning
Most runs scorers in the T20 format by a Bangladeshi player against ICC full members from Asia (as on August 2, 2022)
Player
Opposition
Innings
Runs
HS
Ave
SR
50s
Sabbir Rahman
India
6
236
77
47.20
134.85
1
Shakib Al Hasan
Pakistan
9
292
84
41.71
127.51
3
Mushfiqur Rahim
Sri Lanka
10
296
72*
42.28
149.49
3
Mahmudullah Riyad
Afghanistan
7
169
45
24.14
121.58
0
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read: Shakib captain for Asia Cup, T20 World Cup
Bangladesh’s bowling line-up has versatility and diversity, which is another important strength that can be effective during the tournament. They have five pacers, two left-arm orthodox spinners, two off-spinners, and three part-timers who have the ability to give a breakthrough when needed. All the players are well capable of putting up a strong display, especially in Asian conditions. They need to be fit and well-prepared in order to show their true potential in the main event.
Weaknesses: Shaky opening combination and lack of reliable power hitters
The BCB is in desperate need of a reliable opening pair after Tamim Iqbal decided not to play Twenty20 cricket last year. Since January 2021, the selectors have tried 10 players for the opening batter positions, but none of them have been able to permanently secure their spot on the team as opening batters. Therefore, Bangladesh’s main weakness in the tournament would be not having a solid opening pair.
Only two genuine openers have been picked for the upcoming tournament and they are Anamul Haque Bijoy and Parvez Hossain Emon. Anamul failed miserably in the Twenty20 format series against Zimbabwe, while Parvez played only one T20I match. Huge responsibilities will be on their shoulders as it seems both the players will open the innings for Bangladesh in all the matches. Will they be able to live up to the Tigers' high expectations?
Read Sri Lanka to host Asia Cup in UAE, ACC confirms
Another major weakness for Bangladesh is that they don’t have any genuine power hitters in the squad. The veteran Mahmudullah Riyad is arguably the best hitter in the squad, but he is currently out of form. That is why the selectors have picked Sabbir Rahman to play the power hitting role in the death overs. Sabbir has a reputation for making big shots and can be an asset to the Tigers. Besides, Mosaddek Hossain, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan, and Mahedi Hasan can all play big shots but have failed to show their true potential on the international stage.
Bangladesh’s middle-order batting performance (between 4 and 8) in the T20 format since January 2022 (Top five)
Player
Innings
Runs
HS
Ave
SR
50s
Afif Hossain
8
195
50
32.50
119.63
1
Mahmudullah Riyad
6
99
27
16.50
112.50
0
Nurul Hasan
4
76
42*
38.00
133.33
0
Najmul Hossain
3
72
37
36.00
109.09
0
Mosaddek Hossain
4
38
15
12.66
135.71
0
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read Asia Cup 2022 Schedule: Groups, full fixtures, venues
Opportunities: Captain Shakib Al Hasan, two openers, Sabbir Rahman and Hasan Mahmud
The Asia Cup 2022 will be a great opportunity for newly appointed Captain Shakib Al Hasan to prove that he is the ideal person to lead the Bangladesh Twenty20 team. Shakib is a vastly experienced cricketer and knows what to do, especially in crisis moments. The ace all-rounder is expected to showcase his true potential as a leader in the main event.
The upcoming Asian Cup cricket competition is also important for the openers – Anamul Haque Bijoy and Parvez Hossain Emon. They will likely play all the games, and showing good performances with the bat will guarantee spots in the Twenty20 World Cup 2022. Therefore, both the top-order batters will be eager to display strong performances with the bat.
The competition is also important for middle-order batter Sabbir Rahman and right-arm pacer Hasan Mahmud. Sabbir will try to capitalize on his return to the Bangladesh national side after three years of absence, while Hasan Mahmud needs to display a strong performance with the ball in order to cement his place in the T20 setup. He had a nice international comeback in the series against Zimbabwe, picking up 3 wickets in two matches with a strike rate of 6.75.
Read Asia Cup 2022: What could Bangladesh’s squad look like?
Threats: Lack of form for Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Mahmudullah Riyad
Even though Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman’s performances in the ODI format have been quite impressive this year, they haven’t been able to show the same form in Twenty20 cricket. Mustafizur Rahman has featured in all T20I matches for Bangladesh in the year 2022 but picked only 5 wickets with an economy rate of 8.25.
Taskin, on the other hand, has only played two matches. The right-handed bowler has an extremely high economy rate of 12.57 and no wickets to his credit. They are the front-line pace bowlers for Bangladesh and need to be in their best form in the tournament. Otherwise, the Tigers will be in danger of conceding too many runs, which potentially will lead to defeat.
Mahmudullah Riyad has received harsh criticism for not performing to the best of his ability in the recent international bilateral series. Riyad is a reliable batter, and his performance may aid Bangladesh in winning important games. No matter how viciously others may criticize him, experience is something you cannot buy. Therefore, Mahmudullah Riyad's inconsistent batting might pose yet another serious threat to the Tigers.
Read: Twenty20 World Cup 2022: 5 issues Bangladesh team should address
Aftermath
Bangladesh's recent performance in the Twenty20 format has been abysmal; they have won only two games out of eight so far this year. The Tigers' most recent Twenty20 International series loss to Zimbabwe raises questions about their ability in the game's shortest format.
Bangladesh's primary aim in the Asia Cup 2022 cricket competition is to reach the Super Four round. Will they be able to compete well in Group B against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan to qualify for the Super Four? The SWOT analysis of the Bangladesh twenty20 team predicts that Bangladesh are capable of winning their group and advancing to the next phase if the players carry out the game plan as planned on the field.
New-look Barcelona held 0-0 by Rayo in Lewandowski's debut
Barcelona mortgaged its financial future to give Xavi Hernández the talent he wanted.
But Rayo Vallecano showed Xavi he still has work to do to forge a winning team after his new-look Barcelona was held to a 0-0 draw on Saturday in their Spanish league opener.
The modest club from Madrid frustrated Robert Lewandowski and his fellow Barcelona newcomers by defending well and producing the most dangerous scoring threats. As the minutes ticked by, the energy drained from the 81,000-strong Camp Nou crowd that had turned out to cheer the team that was only made possible by the constroversial decision by club president Joan Laporta to sell off television rights and other assets in exchange for some much needed cash.
The biggest applause Lewandowski heard from the crowd was to show their appreciation for his hustle on defense late in the match with Barcelona stymied in attack. The closest the former Bayern Munich star went to scoring was a header flicked well over the bar in the first half.
Fittingly, given its poor finish to the match, Barcelona ended with 10 men after Sergio Busquets got a second booking in stoppage time when he swung his arm into the face of Rayo substitute Radamel Falcao. Busquets’ explusion will rule him out of Barcelona’s visit to Real Sociedad. Falcao then had what looked to be a winner waived away for offside as Rayo went close to claiming a third straight win over Barcelona after it stunned the Catalan club twice last season.
“It is too bad because we wanted to show our fans that we are on the right path,” Xavi said. “We had generated a lot of expectations, but this is just the beginning. Today is disappointing for every Barcelona supporter, but we have to keep our faith in this way of playing as being the right one to win titles.”
Lewandowski, winger Raphinha and defender Andreas Christensen, who also joined Barcelona this summer, all made Xavi's starting 11. The three players along with fellow newcomer Franck Kessié and the recently re-signed Ousmane Dembélé and Sergi Roberto were only declared eligible to play by the Spanish league on Friday after Barcelona sold yet another stake in its in-house production company to improve its troubled financial balance.
The delicate state of Barcelona’s finances meant that it was unable to register Jules Koundé, its top defensive signing, in time for the season opener.
Xavi had said the demands placed on him and his team were higher this season because of the effort the club had made to give him a lot more talent after Barcelona won nothing last campaign following the exit of Lionel Messi.
But Xavi still has a way to go to create a team as well-honed as Andoni Iraola's Rayo, which for a third meeting in a row held Barcelona without a goal. Iraola’s team, led by midfielders midfielders Isi Palazón and Óscar Trejo, erased all the passing lanes for Lewandowski. Barcelona was unable to find the answer through Raphinha and Dembélé, who both wasted the one good chance they each got.
Read: Barcelona sells more assets as it hopes to register players
Barcelona’s best chance came from late substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose goal-bound shot was saved by defender Alejandro Catena in the 85th.
Previously, Barcelona had needed goalie Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to keep the game scoreless.
Ter Stegen closed out quickly to block Álvaro García’s point-blank shot after the forward had streaked away down the left flank and cut back past the sliding Ronald Araújo just before halftime.
Barcelona had another scare early in the second half when Sergio Camello pounced on a ball lost by Araújo. Again Ter Stegen came to the rescue, forcing Camello into taking a shot from a narrow angle that trickled just past the far post.
“My team played tense and with nerves. I had tried to tell them that the pressure was on me,” Xavi said. “But Rayo played well and closed off our passing game. They executed their game plan.”
Iraola, a former Athletic Bilbao player who has impressed as a coach, said his team played well enough to claim another victory at Camp Nou.
“I think we played a great match. I am not satisfied because we wanted a win. It is too bad we couldn’t take the three points,” he said. “Maybe they had more chances, but we had three or four clear opportunities. I am happy for the effort of my team and for having neutralized a great rival.”
OTHER RESULTS
Álex Baena scored a double as Villarreal eased to a 3-0 win at newly promoted Valladolid.
Nicolas Jackson scored his first topflight goal in the 50th. Baena slotted a second goal in the 82nd before he struck an exquisite shot from outside the area in the 90th.
Joselu Mato converted a penalty deep in stoppage time to complete Espanyol’s fightback to secure a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo.
Joselu, teammate Edu Expósito, and Celta's Goncalo Paciencia all scored goals in debuts for their teams. It was also the debut for Espanyol coach Diego Martínez, who returned to coaching after a one-year hiatus following his successful stint at Granada.
The league season kicked off on Friday with Osasuna beating Sevilla 2-1.
Meltdown: Man United feels heat after 4-0 loss at Brentford
Temperatures soared in England on Saturday and no one was feeling the heat more than Manchester United's latest manager, Erik ten Hag.
On another humiliating day for a massive club in freefall, United conceded four goals in the first 35 minutes and was swept aside in a 4-0 loss at Brentford in the Premier League.
It’s two matches, two losses so far for Ten Hag, the Dutchman who arrived from Ajax in a bold offseason appointment as United's fifth manager in nine years and looked shell-shocked in the dug-out as the goals poured in at Brentford Community Stadium.
It was understandable, too. United had never gone into halftime of a Premier League match trailing 4-0. Never before in the Premier League had United conceded so many goals so quickly.
There were so many individual mistakes — goalkeeper David de Gea let a weak shot dribble underneath him for the first goal, Christian Eriksen was tackled inside his own box prior to the second, and Brentford had two free headers at a corner for the third — that Ten Hag probably wanted to change most of his team at halftime.
He made three halftime substitutions, with Cristiano Ronaldo — back in United's team after an offseason when he pushed to leave the club — staying on and playing the full match. He wore a frustrated look throughout.
“What I asked them to do was play with belief and take responsibility for their performance,” Ten Hag said. “That is what they didn't do.”
Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo were the scorers for Brentford, which pressed relentlessly and blew United away.
“It felt like we were on top of everything," Jensen said. “They couldn’t cope with our pressure, our second balls, our intensity. You could see they were struggling.”
It might get even worse for Ten Hag and his new team, which opened with a 2-1 home loss to Brighton last weekend. Up next? It's only fierce rival Liverpool, which will be eager to hand United a fifth straight loss stretching back to last season.
“We are, as a team, in a difficult process,” Ten Hag said. “Of course, you expect a different start. It is not what we expected ... It seems like what happened in the past, last season, we bring into the new season. We have to change that really quickly.”
United's meltdown came in the last of Saturday's seven games that were played in sweltering conditions that reached as high as 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
Manchester City and Arsenal both scored four goals in home wins and continue to set a hot early-season pace.
Read: Barcelona sells more assets as it hopes to register players
CITY CRUISE
Man City didn't even need Erling Haaland to score in its 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth.
Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden were City’s scorers along with an own-goal, with Haaland barely getting a sight on goal in his first match at Etihad Stadium.
The Norway striker scored both of City’s goals in its opening-weekend 2-0 win at West Ham but was mostly crowded out a week later, making just eight touches before coming off in the 74th.
JESUS' DOUBLE
A player who left City is thriving at Arsenal.
Gabriel Jesus played a starring role in the 4-2 win over Leicester, scoring the first two before halftime and providing the assists for second-half strikes by Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Jesus, the Brazil striker who left City in the summer for a reported £45 million ($54 million), was in hot form for Arsenal in preseason and appears to be relishing being the starting striker once again after being in and out of City's team.
An own-goal by William Saliba and James Maddison's strike brought Leicester twice to within one goal of Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
GERRARD TOPS LAMPARD
Teammates for England, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were rivals in the dugouts as they went head-to-head for the first time as managers on Saturday.
Gerrard came out on top.
Despite a late wobble, Aston Villa beat Everton 2-1 for its first win of the season and left its opponent without a point. Danny Ings and Emi Buendia scored for Villa before an 87th-minute own-goal by Lucas Digne gave Everton hope.
Like Man United, Everton is on zero points after two games.
PENALTY SAVED
Back-to-back draws was probably as much as Fulham could have expected on its return to England’s big time.
It could have been much more, though, with Aleksandar Mitrovic having a late penalty saved in a 0-0 draw at Wolverhampton.
Jose Sa dived to his right to claw away the spot kick from the Serbia international, who scored twice in the 2-2 with Liverpool last weekend and was looking to score his 45th league goal in as many appearances for Fulham.
There were two other draws, with Brighton and Newcastle toiling to a 0-0 stalemate and Southampton coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Leeds.
Unofficial Test: Bangladesh A team declare 1st Innings for 300/9 against West Indies A
Touring Bangladesh A team, riding on a Saif Hasan century, declared the first innings scoring 300 runs for 9 in the first innings of the 2nd unofficial test against hosts West Indies on the 3rd day of the four-day affairs at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium , Gros Islet in St Lucia on Friday. Sent into bat first, Bangladesh reached three hundred marks featuring 146 runs by one down batsman Saif Hasan, who furnished his 348 balls innings with13 fours and four sixes.
Read: Mahedi aims to take a bigger role in Bangladesh teamBesides, wicket keeper Jaker Ali (33) and opener Shadman Islam (25) were the other notable batsmen for Bangladesh.In reply, West Indies A team lost two wicket scoring 43 runs in 18 overs on the day.
Dhaka Abahani announces day-long program marking 47th death anniversary of Sheikh Kamal
Dhaka Abahani Limited announced a day-long program marking the 47th death anniversary of its founder Shaheed Sheikh Kamal on Monday (August 15).The day-long program will begin on 12.01 am Monday pacing wreath at the portrait Sheikh Kamal at the Abahani Club premises in Dhanmondi. Later, the players and officials of the club will offer doa and special munajat for the salvation of the departed soul.
Read: Barcelona sells more assets as it hopes to register playersThe programmes include hoisting national half –mast and club flags, hoisting of black flag, Quran Khwani at the club house and placing of wreath and offering Ziarat at Sheikh Kamal's grave at Banani graveyards at 10 am on Monday. The programmes also include distribution of food among the poor and destitute after the Zohr prayers and a Doa Mahfil after the Asr prayer sat the club premises.
New Zealand beats Windies by 90 runs, leads T20 series 2-0
Glenn Phillips struck a half century from 33 balls to propel New Zealand to a 90-run win over the West Indies in the second Twenty20 international on Friday, clinching the three-match series with a 2-0 lead.
After reaching his fifth T20 half century, Phillips went on to 76 from 40 balls and led New Zealand to 215-5 as it batted after winning the toss, exceeding the 185-5 that was a winning total in the first match of the series. His innings included six sixes and four fours.
The West Indies managed only 125-9 in reply, lacking the partnerships that underpinned a New Zealand total which was the highest by a visiting team against the West Indies in a T20 in the Caribbean.
Phillips put on 71 for the third wicket with Devon Conway who made 42 from 34 balls and 83 with Daryl Mitchell who made 48 from 20.
The West Indies’ best were stands of 35 for the seventh wicket between Romario Shepherd and Rovman Powell which began when the home team was 40-6 and the match probably was already lost. Hayden Walsh (10) and Obed McCoy (23) put on 38 in an unbroken stand for the last wicket.
Phillips put to good use his knowledge of conditions at Sabina Park, which is his home ground in the Caribbean Premier League.
“Coming back to Sabina Park is amazing. I’ve got great memories here,” Phillips said in a television interview. “Being able to get a 50 for my country over here in front of a crowd which I really love is definitely very special for me.
“Credit to the West Indies for the way they bowled up front with the new ball which was really, really good in terms of taking the pace off the ball when it was new and harder. As it got older the pitch became a bit nicer to bat on.”
Seven West Indies wickets fell to spin bowlers, including the first four of the innings.
Read: West Indies Suffer Innings Defeat; New Zealand Win Series Against England
Mitchell Santner, who was Man of the Match for his 3-19 in the first match, took a wicket with his first ball and two wickets in his opening over to set back the West Indies’ run chase.
Off spinner Michael Bracewell, who replaced fast bowler Lockie Ferguson in the New Zealand lineup, also took a wicket with his first delivery, dismissing captain Nicholas Pooran (1) as the West Indies slumped to 12-3 at the start of the fourth over.
Santner and Bracewell both finished with 3-15 while Ish Sodhi took 1-36. Tim Southee took the only wicket which fell to a fast bowler, removing Odean Smith at the tail and returning 1-34.
Shimron Hetmeyer was the first batsman not to fall to a spin bowler, run out by a direct hit at the bowlers end by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. The West Indies were 28-5 at that point and couldn’t recover.
“We just didn’t show up today,” Pooran said. “They batted us out of it and we couldn’t see our way with the bat. We had to stay in the game. It just didn’t start well for us. We are struggling but the more cricket we play our performance will grow.”
The final T20 will be played on Sunday at the same venue, followed by three one-day internationals.
Shakib captain for Asia Cup, T20 World Cup
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Saturday named Shakib Al Hasan as the Bangladesh T20 team captain.
The all-rounder will now lead the Bangladesh team in the Asia Cup, starting on August 27 in the UAE, the T20I tri-series in New Zealand, starting on October 7, and the T20 World Cup later this year in Australia, Jalal Yunus, chairman of the cricket operations of the BCB, said Saturday.
Shakib met with BCB President Nazmul Hasan Saturday afternoon.
"Shakib has been named captain of the Bangladesh T20I team till the T20 World Cup," Jalal said. "Before making the decision, we discussed it with the board president, members, and selectors."
Shakib recently signed a business contract with a news website called Betwinner News owned by a betting company.
Read: BCB to Shakib: Quit Betwinner News or get out of national team
According to the BCB's regulation, no cricketer can work for any organisation that is involved in betting-related activities.
Also, every player needs to take the permission of the board before partnering with any organisation as an ambassador. But Shakib did not do so while teaming up with Betwinner News.
"Shakib understood his mistake. He thinks he had been misguided to sign a contract with that kind of company," Jalal said.
The BCB's decision to appoint Shakib, who had made the same kind of mistakes before, as the T20 captain of Bangladesh came as a surprise to many. Shakib is the captain of the Bangladesh Test team as well.
The International Cricket Council banned the all-rounder in 2018 for "failing to report corrupt approaches." He accepted three charges relating to requests for "inside information for betting purposes."
"It's not right to make a compromise with a player who broke disciplines," Jalal added. "But since he said he would not make the same mistake again, we appointed him as the captain for the sake of the team."
The BCB also announced the squad for the Asia Cup. Right-handed batter Sabbir Rahman made a comeback to the national team. He played his last international match in 2019. Also, Mohammad Saifuddin and Nurul Hasan Sohan were added to the team.
Both Saifuddin and Nurul were suffering from injuries. While Saifuddin was out of action for a long time, Nurul played his last match during Bangladesh's recent Zimbabwe tour. However, Nurul's inclusion is subject to a full recovery from injury.
Left-handed batter Parvez Hossain Emon was added to the team too. He made his T20 debut during the Zimbabwe tour.
Liton Das, one of Bangladesh's best batters in every format of the game, was left out of the team due to a hamstring injury. His injury paved the way for Sabbir who was once considered Bangladesh's best T20 batter.
Bangladesh squad for T20 Asia Cup
Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Sabbir Rahman, Mehdi Hasan Miraj, Ebadot Hossain, Parvez Hossain, Nurul Hasan and Taskin Ahmed.
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