Sports
37th National Badminton Championship begins
The 37th National Badminton Championship, organized by Bangladesh Badminton Federation (BBF), began on Sunday at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium in the capital.State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP inaugurated the meet as the chief guest while secretary of the Youth and Sports Ministry Mesbah Uddin was also present as the special guest at the opening ceremony, chaired by BBF president and Information Commissioner Dr Abdul Malek.
Read: National Ranking Open Archery Tournament in Tongi on ThursdayA total of 377 shuttlers – 313 men’s and 64 women’s – from 71 teams are taking part in the national championship.After the opening ceremony of the championship, the State Minister inaugurated the modernization works of the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium, costing Taka 3.06 crore (three crore and six lacs).
SAFF U-20 Football: Bangladesh will start their campaign taking on Sri Lanka on Monday
Last two- time runners-up Bangladesh will start their campaign in the five-nation SAFF U-20 Championship'2022 taking on Islander Sri Lanka in one of the two opening day's fixture on Monday.
The match will kicks-off at 8 pm local time at the Kalinga Stadium in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar while two-time champions Nepal will play the Maldives in the opening match at 4 pm at the same venue.
Five South Asian nations – India, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka-- will take part in this year's fourth edition of the regional soccer meet.
In the remaining matches, Bangladesh will play hosts India on July 27, the Maldives on July 29 and Nepal on August 2.
Also read: SAFF U-20 Football :Bangladesh team makes practices in Bhubaneswar on Saturday
After the league basis matches, top two teams will play in the final on August 5.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Under-20 Football team, now in the Indian city of Bhubaneshwar to participate in the SAFF Under-20 Championship, made their practice session on the 2nd consecutive day today.
Bangladesh team, which reached Bhubaneshwar Friday night made their first practices on Saturday to achieve their target of playing in the final.
Touring Bangladesh team made strength and conditioning, gym and pool session at the team hotel on Sunday morning and made their practices at the Capital Practice ground in the afternoon.
During the day's practice session under the head coach Paul Smalley, Bangladesh worked on ball possession, attacking football and set pieces.
Also read: BPL Football :Bashundhara Kings will play Dhaka Abahani on Monday
The tournament was introduced in 2015 as U-19 competition. However, the tournament was later changed to SAFF U-18 Championship in 2017. But, this year it will be played as a U-20 Championship.
Nepal are the most successful nation in the meet winning the title twice while India lifted its first title in 2019 after beating two times runners-up Bangladesh.
All the matches of 2022 edition of SAFF U-20 will be played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.
Fixture of the Tournament :
Nepal vs Maldives, July 25, 4:00 pm
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, July 25, 8:00 pm
Bangladesh vs India, July 27, 4:00 pm
Sri Lanka vs Nepal, July 27, 8:00 pm
India vs Sri Lanka, July 29, 4:00 pm
Maldives vs Bangladesh, July 29, 8:00 pm
Maldives vs Sri Lanka, July 31, 4:00 pm
Nepal vs India, July 31, 8:00 pm
Bangladesh vs Nepal, August 2, 4:00 pm
India vs Maldives, August 2, 8:00 pm
Final (August 5)
Group Champion 1 vs Group Champion 2
BPL Football :Bashundhara Kings will play Dhaka Abahani on Monday
Newly crowned Bashundhara Kings will play league runners-up Dhaka Abahani Limited in a battle of pride in the 12-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football at 4 pm at the Bashundhara Sports Complex here on Monday.
The two soccer giants--champions Kings and runners-up Abahani will play the Monday's match just for upholding their pride and glory as the result of the match will not affect their league positions.
Bashundhara Kings earned a rare feat of clinching the hattrick title of BPL Football with two matches to spare securing 51 points from 20 matches while Dhaka Abahani Ltd also assured the runners-up position with two matches to spare collecting 44 points from 20 encounters.
Read: BPL Football: Muktijoddha upset Mohammedan 2-1
This was the first hattrick title for Bashundhara Kings and the 2nd hattrick title in the BPL history after Dhaka Abahani, which won the BPL crown for a record six times, including first three times in a row in the year 2007, 2008-2009, 2009-2010.
Bashundhara Kings, which were deprived of the season's two major soccer trophies, deprived the Independence Cup and Federation Cup Football champions Dhaka Abahani for winning the triple crown in the season, by clinching the league title comfortably
The fresh BPL champions Kings will play three times champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club on July 31 while Dhaka Abahani will play lowly Uttar Baridhara Club on the same day (July 31) in their last league matches.
Sohan up for new challenges
After being named as the captain of the Bangladesh T20I team for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour, Nurul Hasan Sohan Sunday said he is up for new challenges.
Bangladesh will take part in a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. Sohan replaced Mahmudullah Riyad, who recently led the team in the West Indies but failed to impress.
The wicketkeeper-batter has played 33 T20I matches so far. But he is yet to cement his place in the national team.
"It's a proud moment for me," Sohan told the media. "And at the same time, it's a challenge for me. But, I'm ready for it."
The appointment of Sohan as T20I captain was a surprising move from the board. It was expected that Shakib Al Hasan would lead the team if Riyad had to be replaced.
However, Sohan has the experience of leading teams at age-level cricket. He led several teams in the Bangladesh Premier League, Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, National Cricket League and Bangladesh Cricket League.
Read:Mashrafe, Mushfiq congratulate new T20 captain Sohan
He played 93 first-class matches along with more than a hundred List-A and T20 matches in the domestic arena.
"I do not buckle under pressure," Sohan said. "I don't think much about the past or future. What I love to do is to work hard and continue the process."
Sohan will not get the services of Tamim Iqbal, Shakib, Mushfiuqr Rahim and Riyad. Shakib is out of the team due to personal reasons; Mushfiq and Riyad have been rested. And Tamim recently announced retirement from T20s.
Bangladesh has played 128 T20I matches so far. And on only one occasion, they played without these four players.
The Tigers are scheduled to start their Zimbabwe tour on July 27. The first group of cricketers will fly for Zimbabwe on July 27 and the second group on July 30.
Bangladesh will also play a three-match ODI series against the hosts. All the matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club Ground.
BAN vs ZIM 2022: 5 Bangladeshi players who can capitalize on Zimbabwe series
Bangladesh's fringe players will get a chance to showcase their abilities on the international stage following the BCB’s decision to not include their senior players in the BAN vs ZIM 2022 T20I series. The players will have a great opportunity to impress the selectors by putting on strong performances during the series against Zimbabwe, who will be a much easier opponent. The five Bangladeshi players for whom the upcoming Zimbabwe Twenty20 International series is important are discussed in this article.
5 Bangladesh cricketers for whom the BAN vs ZIM 2022 T20I Series is important
Wicket-keeper batter Nurul Hasan Sohan will lead Bangladesh in place of regular captain Mahmudullah Riyad, who has rested for the series. The BCB selectors also didn’t include Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim in the squad in order to provide the in-form players who have performed well in the domestic competitions a chance to prove their capability on the international stage.
This will be a great opportunity for the called-up players to show their cricketing ability against an international team. There are five cricketers who need to perform exceedingly to find a permanent spot in Bangladesh’s T20I setup.
Read Fixture revealed for matches between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh
Nurul Hasan
T20I Match: 33 | Runs: 271 | HS: 30* | Ave: 12.90 | SR: 111.98
Stand-in captain Nurul Hasan Sohan has been a regular member of Bangladesh’s Twenty20 International setup since last year. Nurul’s recent performances in the domestic white-ball competitions have been pretty impressive. However, he has failed to live up to the expectations for the national side, scoring 193 runs in 21 innings with a strike rate of 107.82. Nurul has made 17 dismissals in 24 matches as a keeper since last year.
Nurul’s position in the Bangladesh T20 squad has not yet been guaranteed. He has to become a better batter in the T20 format if he wants to be a regular member of the team. Besides, Nurul has been named captain of the side for the Zimbabwe series, and this is an added responsibility for him. The right-handed middle order batter has a decent record as a captain on the domestic circuit. If Nurul can flourish both as a captain and as a batter, he can cement his place as a crucial member of the Bangladesh T20 squad.
Read ENG vs SA 2022: Revived South Africa hope to win ODI series in Manchester
Anamul Haque
T20I Match: 16 | Runs: 384 | HS: 58 | Ave: 27.42 | SR: 117.79
Anamul Haque scored three ODI hundreds within his first 20 international matches and was once regarded as one of the shining stars of Bangladesh cricket. However, Anamul lost his place after the World Cup 2015 and had to wait three years to make a return to the Bangladesh national team setup. Anamul couldn’t fulfil his expectations every time he got an opportunity and was finally dropped after an ODI match against Sri Lanka in 2019.
The right-hand top-order batter recently had a brilliant outing in the DPL 2022 and was called-up for the West Indies series for the white-ball formats. Anamul has been included in the squad for the forthcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe. The series will be an important opportunity for Anamul to showcase his talent once again on the international scene. If Anamul is given the proper chance and does well with the bat, the selectors could decide to include him in the upcoming two major competitions.
Read WI vs IND ODI Series 2022: India eye whitewash, Windies aim strong show
Munim Shahriar
T20I Match: 3 | Runs: 23 | HS: 17 | Ave: 7.66 | SR: 74.19
Munim Shahriar wowed everyone with his aggressive batting style in the Bangladesh Premier League 2022. Munim made 178 runs in 6 innings with a strike rate of 152.13 in the BPL 2022 and earned a maiden call-up for the Bangladesh national side for the Afghanistan series.
Shahriar has been with the Bangladesh Twenty20 team since then and hasn’t made any big impact with the bat. His 23 T20I runs came in 3 innings with a very disappointing 74.19 strike rate. Munis is a talented top-order batter, but he needs to show his ability on the international stage, otherwise someone else will take his spot. Therefore, the BAN vs ZIM 2022 Twenty20 International series is very crucial for the right-handed batter.
Read Asia Cup 2022 moved from Sri Lanka to UAE: Ganguly
Hasan Mahmud
Hasan Mahmud is a talented young fast bowler who has the ability to generate a decent amount of pace with the ball. Mahmud made a good impression on the selectors with his pace in the BPL season 7 and was immediately called up for the Zimbabwe series in 2020 and made his international debut.
Hasan Mahmud made his ODI debut against West Indies in January 2021 but lost his place after being hit by multiple injuries. The talented right-hand pacer has been included in the T20I series against Zimbabwe along with the other three regular starters – Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam. Therefore, finding a place in the Bangladesh playing XI will be difficult for him. If Hasan gets a chance, he should capitalize on it to re-establish his place in the Bangladesh team.
Read BAN vs ZIM T20I Series 2022: Nurul Hasan to lead young Bangladesh side
Parvez Hossain Emon
The U19 World Cup winning player, Parvez Hossain Emon, got the limelight after scoring a 42-ball century against Minister Rajshahi for Fortune Barishal in the 2020 Bangabandhu T20 Cup. He was named in Bangladesh’s T20 squad for the Pakistan series in 2021. However, the left-handed, aggressive-minded batter didn’t get a chance to make his senior debut for Bangladesh.
Parvez was named in Bangladesh’s 15-man T20I squad for the upcoming Zimbabwe series. With five top-order batters in the squad, Emon’s chances of finding a place in the team will be difficult. However, Parvez should try to cash in on the opportunity if he finds a place in the playing XI.
Read Mashrafe, Mushfiq congratulate new T20 captain Sohan
Aftermath
The Bangladesh national team will compete in an international series without one of its four senior players—Mamudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Tamim Iqbal—for the first time in many years. This is an obvious sign that veteran national team players are reaching the twilight of their cricketing careers. It's now up to the young, gifted players to take the stage and showcase their talents on the big stage.
The players who will get a chance to participate in the BAN vs ZIM 2022 Twenty20 International series should try to take advantage of the opportunity and impress the BCB selectors. The selectors would consider including them in the Bangladesh Twenty20 teams for the next Asia Cup 2022 as well as the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 if they show strong performances in the series.
Read Women’s cricket team’s conditioning camp from Sunday
SAFF U-20 Football :Bangladesh team makes practices in Bhubaneswar on Saturday
Bangladesh Under-20 Football team, now in the Indian city of Bhubaneshwar to participate in the SAFF Under-20 Championship, made their first practices on Saturday.
The Bangladesh team reached Bhubaneshwar Friday night and is staying at Hotel Swosti Premier there.
Touring Bangladesh team made strength and conditioning, gym and pool session at the team hotel Saturday morning and made their practices at the Capital Practice ground in the afternoon.
During the day's practice session under the head coach Paul Smalley, Bangladesh worked on ball possession, attacking football and set pieces.
Read: SAFF U-18: Bangladesh thrash Nepal 4-2
Bangladesh team will also make their strength, conditioning, gym and pool session Sunday morning and will make their field practices at the same venue in the afternoon.
Five South Asian countries-India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives and Sri Lanka -will take part in the meet beginning on Monday (July 25) with Bangladesh taking on Sri Lanka in the opening day .
Sports Journalists’ Association’s AGM held
The 15th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Bangladesh Sports Journalists’ Association (BSJA) was held on Saturday at its office premises at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here.BSJA general secretary Anisur Rahman Paltu and treasurer Mazhar Uddin Omi presented their reports at the AGM, presided over by BSJA President ATM Saiduzzaman. The AGM gave emphasis on forming a welfare fund to help the BSJA members during crisis situation. Former BJSA Presidents Majurul Haque and Syed Mamun, former Vice Presidents Dilu Khodakar, Kamal Ahmed, Arifur Rahman Babu, among others, took part in the discussion on different issues.
Read: Babu emerges best player in Walton-BSJA Sports CarnivalCountry's leading sports journalists and sports editors of national dailies, news agencies, electronic and online media were present at the meeting.
Women’s cricket team’s conditioning camp from Sunday
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday announced a 28-member Women’s national cricket team for a strength and conditioning camp starting on Sunday.
The camp will last from July 24 to August 9 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The players selected for the camp are: Murshida Khatun Happy, Shamima Sultana, Nigar Sultana Joty, Fargana Hoque Pinky, Rumana Ahmed, Mst. Ritu Moni, Nahida Akter, Salma Khatun, Lata Mondol, Fahima Khatun, Fariha Islam Trisna, Mst. Shanjida Akther Maghla, Sobhana Mostary, Suraya Azmim, Most. Sharmin Akter Supta, Jahanara Alam, Nuzhat Tasnia, Rubya Haider Jhilik, Rabeya, Puja Chakrabortty, Disha Biswas, Shorna Akter, Marufa Akter, Shohaly Akhter, Fatema Jahan Sonia, Khadiza-Tul Kubra, Mst. Sarmin Sultana and Shaila Sharmin.
Read: Top Performers of Bangladesh in the ICC Women's World Cup 2022
Mashrafe, Mushfiq congratulate new T20 captain Sohan
Former national team captains Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Mushfiqur Rahim have congratulated Nurul Hasan Sohan on becoming Bangladesh's T20 captain for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Friday announced the squads for the tour where the Tigers will play a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series from July 30 to August 10.
Sohan replaced Mahmudullah Riyad as the T20 captain. Riyad had been leading the Tigers in T20s since February 2018. He failed to guide the team to T20 victories and could not perform well with the bat in the West Indies.
"Hard work is better than talent when talent refuses to work hard. Congratulations Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan on becoming the captain of the Bangladesh T20 squad. Wish you all the luck," Mashrafe wrote on his social media profile.
"Congrats to Sohan on becoming the new T20I captain for the Zimbabwe series. The young team has my full support and I strongly believe this team will do well in the upcoming series," Mushfqiur wrote on his social media page.
Read: BAN vs ZIM T20I Series 2022: Nurul Hasan to lead young Bangladesh side
Sohan regularly leads Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, a 50-over format event at the domestic level of Bangladesh.
In his first assignment as the captain of Bangladesh, Sohan will have to face a tough challenge. He will not get the services of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Riyad and Mushfiq.
Tamim recently announced his retirement from T20s. Riyad, Shakib, and Mushfiq have been rested for the T20 series.
The Bangladesh team is set to travel to Zimbabwe on July 26.
The T20I series will begin on July 30. The last two matches of the series will take place on July 31 and August 2. The first ODI will be played on August 5, and the other two matches on August 7 and 10.
Mushfiq will be part of the ODI team.
The ODI series of this tour is not part of the ICC World Cup Super League.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2022: Pre-season el clasico match preview
The European clubs are currently busy playing pre-season friendlies in order to be well-prepared for the upcoming 2022–2023 season. Two Spanish giants, Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona will meet each other for a friendly match on Sunday (July 24) at the USA’s Allegiant Stadium. The Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2022 friendly match is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). Despite the fact that this El Clasico is a friendly game, football fans all around the world have no shortage of interest. The pre-season el clasico match preview between Real Madrid and Barcelona is discussed in this article.
2022 Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Pre-season match prediction
Real Madrid surprised everyone by winning the UEFA Champions League in 2021–2022 despite starting the campaign as hot favourites. Carlo Ancelotti is pretty confident with his current squad and Madrid have made only two signings this summer. They are unlikely to make any more signings before the transfer deadline.
Last season, Carlo Ancelotti preferred a 4-3-3 formation, and they were successful playing with this tactic. Karim Benzema played a huge part in Ancelotti’s tactics. Madrid might not have won the Champions League and La Liga if Benzema hadn't been there. It will therefore be interesting to see how Real Madrid perform if Benzema gets injured in the middle of next season. For Sunday’s clash, Real Madrid will likely play the same system they played last season.
Read Cristiano Ronaldo's Summer Football Transfer 2022: 5 potential destinations
Madrid’s arch-rivals, Barcelona, had a tough 2021–2022 season, but they made a remarkable turnaround in the second-half and finished the season second, 13 points behind champion Real Madrid. Barcelona have gone through a difficult financial situation in recent seasons.
The La Liga authorities have put an embargo on their salary structure. As a result, Barcelona must make some deals that go against their club spirit in order to improve their current financial situation. Barcelona are able to sign big names this season thanks to their recent financial deals.
Barcelona’s preferred formation is 4-3-3, and Xavi has some quality options upfront and in the midfield to pick his best three players in each area. The signing of Andreas Christensen has bolstered their defense line. Xavi is most likely to field his best players in this Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2022 friendly contest as winning el clasico before the upcoming season will boost the confidence among the players.
Read Dembélé signs new contract with Barcelona through 2024
Prediction: Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid
FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid CF: Probable Team Lineups
Real Madrid have already made two very important signings this season to strengthen their squad. They have signed free agent defender Antonio Rudiger to a four-year deal and also bought talented defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco for a reported fee of around 100 million euros. These two will likely start for Real Madrid against Barcelona. However, head coach Carlos Ancelotti may pick any player from the squad as this is a friendly contest.
Predicted Starting XI (Real Madrid)
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois;
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba;
Midfielders: Aurelien Tchouameni, Casemiro, Toni Kroos;
Forwards: Rodrygo, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior
Two of Barcelona’s biggest signings of this summer transfer window, Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich and Raphinha from Leeds United, are likely to start in Sunday’s match against Real Madrid. Besides, head coach Xavi may give some young talents a chance in the match to showcase their abilities.
Read Summer Football Transfer Window 2022: 13 most significant moves so far
Predicted Starting XI (Barcelona)
Goalkeeper: Marc-Andre ter Stegen;
Defenders: Sergino Dest, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Jordi Alba;
Midfielders: Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Pedri;
Forwards: Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres
Verdict
Barcelona and Real Madrid are two of the biggest teams in European club football. Fans always look forward to watching this fixture whenever they meet each other, be it in domestic competitions or friendlies. Sunday’s Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2022 pre-season el clasico will be no exception. The possibility of seeing two of the world's top strikers, Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona and Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, face off against one another makes the match even more intriguing.
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