Sports
19th Asian Games in Hangzhou postponed
The Executive Board of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Friday (May 6) decided to postpone the 19th Asian Games scheduled to be held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from September 10 to 25 this year.
The OCA postponed the Asian Games, the biggest sports carnival of Asia, indefinitely amid a recent surge in Covid-19 cases in China, the host country of the games.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Executive Board met in Tashkent on Friday to discuss the situation and felt postponing the Games was the best decision under the circumstances.
Also Read: BFF initially selects 30 booters for Asian Games
The new dates of the 19th Asian Games will be announced in the near future, said a BOA media release on Friday.
The OCA board also decided to cancel the 3rd Asian Youth Games scheduled to be held in another Chinese city of Shantou from December 20 to 28 next.
However, the next Asian Youth Games will therefore be held in 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the media release added.
14th round of BPL Football begins Saturday; holders Kings to play Muktijoddha day one
Holders Bashundhara Kings to play lowly Muktijoddha Sangsad KC in one of the four Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football matches on Saturday (May 6) at 3:45 pm at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj.
Former champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will play Bangladesh Police FC at the Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi, also at 3:45 pm on the same day.
In the other two Saturday's matches, Saif Sporting will face Sheikh Russel KC at 3:45 pm at the Bashundhara Sports Complex here while six times champions Dhaka Abahani Limited will encounter lowly Rahmatganj MFS at 5:30 pm at the Sylhet District Stadium.
Also Read: BPL Football: Holders Bashundhara Kings make good start in 2nd phase beating Swadhinata KS 2-0
Last two times champions Bashundhara Kings dominated the league comfortably securing 32 points from 13 matches while Dhaka Abahani Ltd and Sheikh Jamal DC followed the leaders distantly with 28 and 27 points respectively.
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC and newcomers Swadhinata KS are struggling at the bottom securing seven and six points respectively.
Asian Games Hockey Qualifier: Bangladesh to play Indonesia on Saturday
Bangladesh National Hockey team will start their campaign in the nine-nation Men's Asian Games Qualifiers taking on Indonesia in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday.
The match will kick-off at 10 am local time and 11 am Bangladesh time.
The Men's Asian Games Hockey Qualifier already began in Bangkok on Friday despite the Asian Games Authority postponed the Hangzhou Asian Games indefinitely amid a recent surge in Covid-19 cases in China, the host country of the games.
The Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled for September 10-25 this year in China.
Also Read: National Hockey team for Men's Asia Cup, Asian Games Qualifiers announced
Bangladesh team, which was placed in four-team Pool B of the Men's Asian Games Qualifiers with Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Singapore, will play Sri Lanka on May 10 and Singapore on May 12 in the remaining group matches.
Bangladesh team, which reached Bangkok on Thursday to compete in the Asian Games Qualifiers scheduled May 6-15, made their first practice session the same day (Thursday) and made another one and half hour long practices Friday morning.
Earlier, Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) announced an 18-member final national squad to compete in both the Asian Games Qualifiers and the Men's Asia Cup Hockey, also naming two stand-by players.
BHF named also two separate captains for two tournaments keeping the same squad intact.
Rezaul Karim Babu will lead the Bangladesh team in the Asian Games Hockey Qualifier scheduled for May 6-15 in Bangkok while Khorshedur Rahman will captain the Bangladesh team in the Men's a Asia Cup Hockey in Jakarta from May 23 to June 1.
Iman Gobinathan Krishnamurthy of Malaysia named as the head coach, Zahirul Islam Mitul as assistant coach and Mohammad Rafiul Haque as team leader of Bangladesh for both the tournaments..
In the eight- nation Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey, Bangladesh team also been placed in Pool B with Malaysia, Korea and Oman.
Bangladesh will face Korea on May 23, Oman on May 24 and Malaysia on May 26.
Earlier, Bangladesh qualified for the Men’s Asia Cup as they clinched the fourth consecutive title of the Men’s AHF Cup last month.
Also Read: Bangladesh beat Oman to lift Men's AHF Cup Hockey title
Oman, who finished as runners-up in the meet, also qualified to play in the eight-nation Men's Asia Cup Hockey with auto-qualifiers– India, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, hosts Indonesia.
Bangladesh squad:
Goalkeepers: Biplob Kujur, Abu Sayeed Nippon,
Defenders: Khorshedur Rahman, Farhd Ahmed Shitul, Ashraful Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Rezaul Karim Babu, Shohanur Rahman Sabuj
Midfielders: Sarwar Hossain, Roman Sarkar, Naim Uddin, Fazle Hossain Rabbi, Prince Lal Samanta.
Forwards: Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Milon Hossain, Pushkor Khisha Mimo, Arshad Hossain, Rakibul Hasan Rocky (Jr).
Two stand by players are: Al Nahian Shuvo and Deen Islam Imon.
Madrid stun City to enter Champions League final
Young Brazilian Rodrygo's goals in the 90th minute and in stoppage time have inspired another win for the ages.
The 3-1 victory over Manchester City Wednesday gave Madrid yet another comeback and set it up for a showdown with Liverpool in the Champions League final on May 28 in Paris.
City were moments away from returning to the final before Rodrygo, the substitute forward, stunned the English team with his back-to-back goals, inspiring Madrid to victory like a bruised boxer who lands a knockout combination.
Madrid, who had trailed City ever since minute 2 of their first-leg match in Manchester, were finally level.
Pep Guardiola's team still had another half hour of extra time, but they never recovered. It seemed inevitable that once resuscitated there was no stopping Madrid.
And fittingly it fell to Karim Benzema, the man who had carried Madrid to the final four with hat-tricks in the previous two rounds, to earn and convert the decisive penalty that clinched a 6-5 aggregate victory.
"I couldn't hear what my teammates were saying to me because I couldn't believe what was happening," the 21-year-old Rodrygo said about the mayhem that erupted after his goals. "We were dead, and then what happened was what happened."
Perhaps City can take solace in that Paris Saint-Germain and defending champion Chelsea were also zombified by whatever wizardry Madrid somehow conjure up at the biggest moments of the biggest games.
All good teams occasionally score against the flow of the game. But most, and especially this City engineered by soccer's top stylist in Guardiola, need to dominate stretches of play to produce lots of goals.
Not Madrid. Not when they play in front of their fans.
The clock becomes meaningless for Madrid at home. The 13-time European Cup winners produce those magic moments when time is suddenly compressed, the crowd roars, opponents freeze, and the goals just flow in quick succession.
Ask PSG how Benzema was able to score three goals in less than 20 minutes of the second leg of their round-of-16 series that Kylian Mbappé's team had once controlled to advance 3-2 overall.
Ask Chelsea how it was they could have the momentum going into the final period of their quarterfinal in Spain's capital only for Rodrygo and Benzema to score late for a 5-4 aggregate win in extra time.
City entered the second leg against Madrid with the advantage after coming out on top of their 4-3 shootout last week. Riyad Mahrez's goal in the 73rd minute appeared to give them the cushion they needed to avoid any last-minute scares. Jack Grealish then went oh-so-close to padding that lead.
But that just set the scene for Rodrygo, who coach Carlo Ancelotti had sent on for a tired Toni Kroos, looking to spark his attack.
First, he slipped to the near post to tap in a cross knocked to him by Benzema just when City suffered a momentary drop in concentration. Seconds later, with Madrid seizing the moment, came his header when the slight forward managed to open up a bit of space in a packed area to push in a cross by Dani Carvajal flicked on by Marco Asensio.
Once again, faith had trumped reason at the Santiago Bernabéu.
"The whole world thought the game was nearly over – it was a little detail, a good combination, the goal of Rodrygo, and from there we put in all the energy we had. You need a bit of luck," Ancelotti said.
While Ancelotti embraced his son and assistant Davide Ancelotti, Guardiola was left to run a hand over the top of his head and put on his best sportsman's grin as he shook hands with the players.
The Catalan coach had just witnessed his grand design to finally win a European Cup for City succumb before that gift that Madrid have of making their players believe that by donning the all-white shirt they are destined for glory. Only the golden years of Lionel Messi's Barcelona, which Guardiola helped forge, was able to somewhat dim that mystique.
Also read: Madrid clinch record-extending 35th Spanish league title
UEFA Champions League 2022 Final: Liverpool to Face Real Madrid
The final of the UEFA Champions League 2022 will be held in the Stade de France on Saturday, May 28th. There are still three weeks until the final game, so a lot may happen in the next several days. Both teams will be looking to avoid injuries in their remaining regular-season games before facing off in the title match. This will be the third Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. In the previous two matches, each team had won once. Let's look at who have the best chance of winning this year's UEFA Champions League 2022 final match.
Liverpool’s ideal formation and Squad Analysis
Based on Liverpool's performance over the past two months, they should be confident of capturing the trophy for the seventh time, equaling AC Milan as the tournament's second-most successful side. Jurgen Klopp doesn't have to worry about team selection since the squad has adequate backup players. All of Klopp's players are capable of grasping his philosophy and exhibiting his techniques on the pitch.
Liverpool trailed Villarreal 2-0 after the first half in the second leg of their semifinal match. They were on the verge of being knocked out in the semi-finals, but Klopp's half-time team talk spurred the players to outshine their opponents and reassert their dominance on the field. Liverpool seized the lead within the first 30 minutes of the second half and went on to win 3-2. This demonstrates Jurgen Klopp's importance to his team.
Read Madrid clinch record-extending 35th Spanish league title
Klopp expects more from his players since he wants to press the opponent's defense. Therefore, every player who wants to be a part of his squad must be physically and mentally capable. This Liverpool team loves to play in a classic 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation.
Alisson Becker is one of the top goalkeepers in the world. They have Virgil van Dijk in defense, who is perhaps the finest center-back in the world. In addition, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Joel Matip, and Fabinho are also formidable defenders. Thiago Alcantara is in fantastic form at the moment, having successfully carried out Klopp's strategy on the pitch.
Aside from that, players like James Milner, Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are well-suited to Klopp's system. Liverpool have the finest attacking options in the world right now. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Firmino, and Jota can all be devastating on any given day.
Read BPL Football: Dhaka Abahani regain 2nd place beating Police FC 2-1
Predicted Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Alisson; Defenders: Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita; Forwards: Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah.
Real Madrid’s squad breakdown and preferred formation
Real Madrid have had a fantastic run this season, something they certainly didn't expect at the start of the season. Los Blancos have already won their 35th La Liga title and have advanced to the Champions League final after defeating PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City in the knockout phases.
Real Madrid were underdogs against those opponents. But they came out on top owing to some spectacular late equalizers, which have been a feature of their games this season. They appeared to be done and out at one point, but they fought back strongly with some outstanding individual performances in most of the knockout games.
Read BPL Football: Bashundhara Kings put half a dozen past Uttar Baridhara
Carlo Ancelotti has instilled enough drive in his players to allow them to mount a powerful comeback at any stage of the game. The players believe they have a chance until the last whistle blows. Counter-attacking football is Ancelotti's major strategy. Madrid prefer to play in a 4-3-3 formation, although they generally play it safe until they are obliged to.
The number one goalkeeper for Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois has been outstanding this season. He has made numerous outstanding saves and is a vital component of the team. In the backline, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, and David Alaba have looked solid for their team.
Toni Kross, Casemiro, Valverde, and Luka Modric have all been outstanding this season for the Los Blancos. Croatian Modric in particular has shown tremendous consistency at the age of 36. His passing, vision, and field positioning have all been outstanding.
Read Champions League 2021-22: Man City, Liverpool in Strong Position to Reach Final
Real Madrid's true star this season is French striker Karim Benzema, who is having a great campaign. He always comes through for Madrid when they need someone to step up. Karim Benzema is without a doubt the finest forward in the world right now, and Real Madrid will be counting on him to produce in the crucial final against Liverpool.
Apart from that, two young Brazilian attackers, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have been outstanding for Los Blancos this season. They have a fantastic camaraderie on the field, which shows in their performance week after week.
Predicted Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois; Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Midfielders: Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric; Forwards: Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Karim Benzema.
Read Liverpool vs Villarreal 2022: Champions League Semi-Final Preview, Team News, Prediction
Bottom Line
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is aiming for a quadruple this season. They have already won the EFL Cup and advanced to the finals of the Champions League and FA Cup. Furthermore, Jurgen Klopp's side is only one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League's 2021–2022 season. With four games remaining, Liverpool are confident of dethroning Manchester City in the Premier League points standings. Therefore, the All-Red’s remaining matchups are extremely important. Liverpool can't afford to lose any games in their pursuit of the quadruple.
On the other hand, Real Madrid will be far less under pressure because they have already claimed the 2021–2022 La Liga title and only have one critical encounter left, the UEFA Champions League 2022 Final. Real Madrid can thus be considered early favourites to win Europe's most coveted club championship this season.
Read BPL Football: Dhaka Abahani regains 2nd slot beating Muktijoddha SKC 4-3
Athletes Worldwide Celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr 2022
Muslims celebrate the Ramadan Feast when a new moon rises on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal. The followers of Islam are always keen to observe the day with a heart full of happiness. Over the past decade, people have tended to share their moments during the Eid festival, showing how special this day was for them. Celebrities are no exception. They share happy moments on their verified social media accounts and get plenty of well-wishes from their followers. Let’s have a look at some of the notable Eid-ul-Fitr 2022 wishes by athletes around the world.
The Celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr 2022 by the Athletes
Nowadays, sports celebrities have a huge influence on their fans thanks to various social media platforms. Fans usually pay attention to how their favorite athletes dress, what they wear, how they behave, and what they do in their personal lives. So, they have the power to influence heavily on their fans' lives. Fans also argue with each other regarding who has the best dress sense and has the best outfits for celebrating the Sugar Feast. Put that aside, athletes also give special messages to their followers on this special day, which normally speaks of brotherhood. Without further ado, let’s take a look at a few noteworthy Eid-ul-Fitr 2022 wishes and ways of celebration by the athletes.
Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan wished everyone a happy Eid Mubarak by putting a wishes banner on his social media account.
Read Madrid clinch record-extending 35th Spanish league title
Tamim Iqbal
Bangladesh's ODI skipper, Tamim Iqbal Khan shared a family photo and wished everyone "Eid Mubarak."
Mushfiqur Rahim
Bangladesh's dependable batter, Mushfiqur Rahim shared a photo with his son.
Mominul Haque
Bangladesh's Test captain, Mominul Haque posted a couple of pictures of himself and his wife and greeted everyone with "Eid Mubarak."
Read: Bangladesh celebrates Eid as pandemic fades
Mahmudullah Riyad
Bangladesh's T20I captain, Mahmudullah Riyad posted a family picture and wished everyone a happy Eid Mubarak.
Madrid clinch record-extending 35th Spanish league title
In a dominating season for Real Madrid, it was fitting that they did not even need their best players to win the Spanish league.
Using their backups ahead of the Champions League semifinals, Madrid earned a record-extending 35th Liga title with a comfortable 4-0 home win over Espanyol Saturday.
Players and coaches celebrated with the crowd at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium long after the match ended, then paraded to the team's usual party spot at Cibeles plaza, but there was not a lot of time to rejoice.
Wednesday, Madrid is back at the Bernabéu to host Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals. Madrid lost 4-3 in the first match in England.
"We know we have an important match ahead of us, but today we have to celebrate," said Brazilian veteran Marcelo, who reached a milestone with his 24th career title with Madrid, the most in the club's history.
"We have to enjoy it, this could help us Wednesday," said Carlo Ancelotti, who became the first coach to lift trophies in the top five European leagues.
The Italian manager won with AC Milan in Serie A, Chelsea in the English Premier League, Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
Rodrygo scored twice and Marco Asensio and substitute Karim Benzema added on to give Madrid their second league title in three seasons, and third in six years.
Madrid have an insurmountable lead with four rounds to go. It was 17 points in front of Sevilla, who drew with Cádiz 1-1 Friday, and 18 points ahead of Barcelona, who host Mallorca on Sunday.
"This is how you win leagues," Madrid midfielder Casemiro said. "We've done a great job the entire season, being consistent from the start."
Madrid has nine more league titles than Barcelona.
Ancelotti rested most of his regular starters against Espanyol, including Benzema and his attacking teammate Vinícius Júnior. Only goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and midfielders Casemiro and Luka Modric made the starting lineup.
Benzema, Vinícius and Toni Kroos entered the match in the second half, and Benzema closed the scoring in the 81st for his league-leading 26th goal.
Casemiro had to play improvised as a central defender because David Alaba was out injured, and Nacho Fernández and Éder Militão were suspended.
Marcelo started at left-back and surpassed the 23 titles won by Francisco "Paco" Gento, who died this year at age 88. The 33-year-old Brazilian tied Gento when Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup in January, a few days before Gento's death.
Marcelo gave the pass to countryman Rodrygo to open the scoring from near the penalty spot in the 33rd minute. Rodrygo added to the lead 10 minutes later, and Marco Asensio scored the third goal in the 55th.
It was a well-deserved title as Madrid got off to a good start and fended off every run by their challengers. They led after all but six rounds early in the season, being at the top since the 14th round in November.
The only question now is if Atlético Madrid will agree to give its city rival a "guard of honour" before the teams meet at Atlético's Wanda Metropolitano Stadium next Sunday.
IPL leader Gujarat beats Bangalore despite Kohli 58
Virat Kohli’s first half-century in 14 Indian Premier League games went in vain as the high-flying Gujarat Titans routed the Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets on Saturday.
Kohli made 58 off 53 balls and led Bangalore to 170-6 but Gujarat’s strong middle order continued to prosper and reached 174-4 with three balls to spare.
Read: RR vs MI: Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2022 playoff dream is about to sink
Rahul Tewatia’s power-hitting exploits earned him an unbeaten on 43 off 25 balls, David Miller was unbeaten on 39, and the two left-handers combined in a match-winning 79-run stand.
Gujarat improved to a two-win lead on the league with a fifth straight win. It has lost just one of its nine games.
Bangalore slipped to fifth after a third straight loss.
Kohli finally got amongst the runs after coming into the game with scores of 9, 0 and 0 in his last three matches.
Kohli, who stepped down from Bangalore captaincy at the start of the season, shared a 99-run partnership for the second wicket with Rajat Patidar, 52 runs, after fast bowler Pradeep Sangwan found the outside edge of skipper Faf du Plessis in the second over.
But both batters survived tough chances before completing their half-centuries.
Read: Australia names full-strength squads for Sri Lanka tour
Sangwan returned and broke the stand when Patidar top-edged the left-arm fast bowler to square leg, and Kohli was clean bowled by Muhammed Shami off a yorker in the 17th over.
Glenn Maxwell added two sixes and three fours in his quickfire 33 off 18 balls.
Spinners Shahbaz Ahmed and Wanindu Hasaranga brought Bangalore back in the game by claiming four wickets in the middle overs to pull back Gujarat to 95-4 in the 13th over.
But Tewatia and Miller controlled the chase in the death overs before Tewatia raised the victory with a boundary against Josh Hazlewood in the final over.
BPL Football: Dhaka Abahani regain 2nd place beating Police FC 2-1
Coming from behind, six-time champions Dhaka Abahani Limited again advanced to the 2nd slot of the 12-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football '2021-22 beating Bangladesh Police FC by 2-1 goal at the Sylhet District Stadium on Saturday.
Dhaka Abahani also beat Muktijoddha Sangsad KC by 4-3 goal in the previous match after trailing by 0-2 goal.
After the day's match, Dhaka Abahani regained the 2nd slot toppling Sheikh Jamal DC securing 28 points from 13 matches.
Read: BPL Football: Bashundhara Kings put half a dozen past Uttar Baridhara
Last two times champions Bashundhara Kings comfortably dominated the league collecting 32 points from 13 outings while Sheikh Jamal DC went down to 3rd slot with 27 points, also playing 13 matches.
In the day's match, Mohammad Al Amin put the Police team ahead in the 17th minute with the frustration of Abahani fans (1-0).
But, local winger Jewel Rana rescued the sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit from a debacle scoring twice--first in the 22nd minute (1-1) and the match winning 2nd goal in the 68th minute (2-1).
In the day's another match, former champions Sheikh Russel KC almost avoid the relegation fear defeating Chittagong Abahani also by 2-1 goals at the Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla.
Ibrahim Akinade scored first for Sheikh Russel in the 32nd minute (1-0) while Aizar Akmatov sooredthe Russel margin in the 51st minute from a penalty (2-0).
Read: BPL Football: Dhaka Abahani regains 2nd slot beating Muktijoddha SKC 4-3
Shakhawat Hossain netted the lone goal for Ctg Abahani in the stoppage time of the match (90+5 minute).
In the day's other match, Saif SC defeated Rahmatganj MFS by 4-2 goalsat the Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj.
Emeka Ogbugh struck twice in the 8th and 79th minutes, Bayisenge and Sunday Udoh scored the remaining goals for Saif SC in the 4th and 58th minutes respectively.Enamul and Ashraful scored one each for the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj in the 63rd and 76th minutes respectively.
Mosaddek or Nayeem: Who Should Play in CTG Test of BAN vs SL Series 2022?
A key member of Bangladesh's Test team, Mehidy Hasan Miraz suffered a finger injury while playing in a Dhaka Premier League match. According to the BCB's physio, Miraz's full recovery would take two to three weeks. Therefore, he was excluded from the Test squad for the Sri Lanka series. Mosaddek Hossain and Nayeem Hasan were chosen to replace the injured Miraz. Let's see who has the best longer-version record to earn a place in the playing XI of the BAN vs SL series 2022's Chattogram Test.
Test Records of Mosaddek Hossain and Nayeem Hasan
Mosaddek Hossain and Nayeem Hasan have both played Test cricket for Bangladesh. Nayeem Hasan is more consistent than Mosaddek in the Test format. Nayeem has appeared in seven Tests, whereas Mosaddek has only been in three. Nayeem Hasan is a specialist off-spinner, which is one of the reasons he plays more longer-version cricket than Mosaddek. Specialist players are given more preference in Test cricket than regular all-rounders.
Read RR vs MI: Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2022 playoff dream is about to sink
Test Profile of Mosaddek Hossain
Mosaddek made his Test debut in 2017 against Sri Lanka, and his most recent match was in September 2019 against Afghanistan. He has 164 runs and a 41-run average in three outings. Mosaddek has the highest score of 75 in this format, which he achieved against Sri Lanka. He is also a good off-spinner, especially in limited-version formats. Mosaddek is yet to take a wicket in a Test match.
Mosaddek Hossain’s Test Stats
Match
Runs
HS
Ave
50s
3
164
75
41.00
1
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read IPL 2022: Mustafizur’s Delhi seek win against Kolkata in the race for top four finish
Nayeem Hasan’s Test Profile
Nayeem Hasan made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2018, and his most recent encounter came in February 2021 against the same opponents. He is a promising off-spinner with 25 wickets at a strike rate of 26.24 in seven games. Nayeem has two fifers in his career, with his best bowling figures of 5/61 against the West Indies. Nayeem can also bat and he has the ability to play crucial knocks in the lower order.
Nayeem Hasan’s Test Stats
Match
Wickets
BBI
Ave
5W
7
25
5/61
26.24
2
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read Key Takeaways from the DPL 2022
Who would be a better fit for Bangladesh's team against Sri Lanka?
Given their respective Test performances, Nayeem Hasan should have the upper hand against Mosaddek Hossain. Nayeem is a wicket-taking off-spinner who may be even more devastating against the Lankan batting order in Bangladesh's conditions. Nayeem may be a potential match-winner on day four or five when the surface offers more bounce and turn for the slower bowlers. Furthermore, Nayeem's abilities as a batter in the lower order can help Bangladesh's innings.
Mosaddek Hossain, on the other hand, is a limited-overs specialized all-rounder, but his all-round abilities in the longer-version format may not be as impactful. Mosaddek can help with a good knock with the bat. Though, in bowling, he may not be the best choice because the Bangladesh team requires a proper off-spinner in their playing XI. In this scenario, Nayeem Hasan, rather than Mosaddek Hossain, would be the best pick to play the first Test in Chattogram.
Read DPL 2022: Sheikh Jamal win championship, while Khelaghar are relegated
Test Schedule of BAN vs SL Series 2022
First Test: 15-19 May | Venue: Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram
Second Test: 23-17 May | Venue: Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
Bottom Line
The head coach and captain usually have the final say when it comes to selecting players for a game. However, the opinions of the Bangladesh team management and senior players will be taken into account when picking the playing XI for the first Test of the BAN vs SL series 2022. Chattogram's pitch will most likely be more conducive to batting than Dhaka's.
Read BAN vs SL Series 2022: Bangladesh Test Squad Analysis
Therefore, adding a specialized spinner rather than a batting all-rounder might be a wiser option. However, the Bangladesh team may want to have a strong batting lineup. Anyone who will get the opportunity to play in the match should try to make the most of it by giving their all for the Bangladesh team.