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BPL Football: Sk Jamal beat Swadhinata KS 3-1
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, riding on a hattrick by Matthew Chinedu, beat newcomer Swadhinata KS by 3-1 goals on the resuming day of the 12-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football '2021-22 at the Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi on Sunday.
Country's most prestigious soccer league BPL, resumed on Sunday at four different venues after a two-week recess for national team's engagements in two FIFA International Friendlies against the Maldives and Mongolia.
With the day's feat, three times champions Sheikh Jamal DC advanced to the 2nd slot in the league table securing 20 points from 10 matches while Swadhinata KS remained at the bottom with six points from 10 encounters.
Also read: Sheikh Russel likely to leave BPL Football protesting 'controversial refereeing'
In the day's match, Nigerian attacking midfielder Matthew Chinedu made a hattrick scoring all the three goals for Sheikh Jamal DC in the 29th, 38th and 67th minutes.
Bosnian striker Nedo Turkovic scored the lone goal for Swadhinata KS in the 53rd minute.
In the day's another league match, Saif Sporting Club outplayed Uttar Baridhara Club by 3-0 goals at Bir Shreshtho Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj.
Sunday Udoh, Asror Gafurov and Sajjad Shakil scored for Saif SC in the 12th, 45+1 and 65th minutes respectively .
Nasirul Islam of Saif SC and Y Kochnev of Uttar Baridhara Club got marching order after receiving the red cards just three minutes before the final whistle.
Also read: FIFA Int'l Friendly: Bangladesh play out goalless draw with Mongolia
In the day's another match, Chittagong Abahani Ltd defeated lowly Muktijoddha Sangsad KC by 2-1 goals at the Shaheed Direndranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla.
Paul Ebimobowel Thankgod and Sohel Rana scored one each for Chittagang Abahani in the 27th and 66th minutes respectively while Soma Otanj scored the lone goal for the freedom fighters team in the 45th minute
FIFA World Cup 2022: GroupWise Favourites to Advance to Round of 16
Qatar will host the 22nd FIFA World Cup, which will begin on November 21 and finish on December 18. 29 teams have already qualified for the main event, and the rest of the three teams will be confirmed in June. All 32 teams will be divided into eight groups, with four teams in each group. The Doha Exhibition and Convention Center hosted the group stage draw on April 1. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 16. Let's have a look at who plays with whom in the group phase in FIFA World Cup 2022.
Favourites to progress to the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Each team will play three matches in the group stage in order to qualify for the Round of 16. The matches will take place at eight different venues. Let's see which teams have the best chance of making it to the first knockout round.
Group A
The four teams in Group A are the Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador, and Qatar. The Netherlands are favourites to claim the top spot in the group, while Senegal and Ecuador will be eyeing the second spot. Oppositely, participating in the World Cup is a significant achievement for Qatar's national team.
Verdict: Netherlands and Senegal.
Read Qatar stages draw for World Cup amid protests
Group B
The four national teams in group B are England, Iran, the USA, and the UEFA Path A winner (Wales/Scotland/Ukraine). England are one of the favourites to win this year’s World Cup and they will aim to finish top of this group. Iran were one of the first teams to qualify from the AFC region, and they will be very competitive during the main event. The United States also has a fair chance to advance to the next round.
Verdict: England, Iran
Group C
Argentina are one of the favourites for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and they will likely finish top of Group C. Mexico and Poland will fight for the second spot in this group, while Saudi Arabia have a slim chance.
Verdict: Argentina and Mexico.
Read FIFA Int'l Friendly: Bangladesh play out goalless draw with Mongolia
Group D
The reigning champions, France, will start as hot favourites to lift the 2022 Qatar World Cup. They will be up against Denmark, Tunisia, and the AFC-CONMEBOL winner (Peru, Australia, UAE) to seal the first position in the group. Denmark will have a better chance to finish second in the group than the other participants.
Verdict: France and Denmark
Group E
Spain and Germany are the favourites to win the World Cup 2022, and they will almost certainly finish first and second in their group. Japan and the CONCACAF-OFC Winner (Costa Rica/New Zealand) are the other two teams in the group.
Verdict: Spain and Germany.
Read CONMEBOL World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Peru, Colombia, Chile vying for playoff spot
Group F
Belgium and Croatia will start as favourites to qualify for the Round of 16 from this group. But, Canada and Morocco can also surprise everyone with their performances.
Verdict: Belgium and Croatia
Group G
Brazil are one of the hot favourites to win the Qatar World Cup 2022, and they will attempt to dominate the tournament by finishing first in their group. The other three teams in this group, Switzerland, Cameroon, and Serbia, all have an equal chance to advance to the next round.
Verdict: Brazil and Cameroon.
Read FIFA World Cup 2022 European Qualifiers: The Probable last three qualified teams
Group H
This is the most difficult group of all. Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal team cannot afford to be complacent and believe they will breeze through the first round. Because their opponents in this group, Uruguay, Ghana, and South Korea, are all capable of defeating one another.
Verdict: Portugal and Uruguay
Bottom Line
It is clear from the draw that group H will be the death group. There is no obvious favourite in this group. Because Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana, and South Korea all are capable of defeating one another. Moreover, like with every edition, there may be some surprises and upsets in the group phase. However, all of the top-ranked teams are expected to proceed to the FIFA World Cup 2022 Round of 16. Middle Eastern country, Qatar will host the World Cup for the first time, and everyone will be paying special attention to the tournament.
Read Women's SAFF U-18s: Bangladesh bow out as runners-up with victory against India
SA vs BAN Series 2022: Joy's Joyful knock is an Inspiration to Bangladeshi Players
The first Test between Bangladesh and South Africa began on Thursday (March 31, 2022) at Kingsmead in Durban. When Tamim Iqbal was dropped from the playing XI for the first Test due to stomach pain, there was a fear that Bangladesh’s batting order would collapse against a well-versed South African bowling attack in the conditions. The concern was justified as most of Bangladesh's batters failed completely in the first innings, except for Mahmudul Hasan Joy. He was there at the crease till the end, playing the anchor role for the team. How Bangladesh players can take inspiration from Joy’s knock to save the first Test of the SA vs BAN series 2022 is discussed in this article.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy's Maiden Test Hundred Highlights
21-year-old Mahmudul Hasan Joy made his Test debut last December against Pakistan. He made 0 and 6 in his first Test match but caught the eye of many after playing a determined 78-run knock against New Zealand in the first Test of 2-match series earlier this January. He stunned everyone by staying five hours at the crease and making 78 runs in 228 balls. His knock laid the foundation of Bangladesh’s first innings and eventually took a commanding lead over New Zealand. Bangladesh went on to win the contest by 8 wickets, and that was arguably the best ever Test win in Bangladesh's history.
Read Pakistan easily beat Australia and clinch ODI series 2-1
Mahmudul Hasan’s 78-run knock can easily take a spot among the greatest Test innings by Bangladesh players. However, within three months, Joy produced his first Test hundred, which can be regarded as even better than the innings he played against New Zealand earlier this January. Mahmudul Hasan Joy opened the innings along with Shadman Islam in the first innings in the ongoing first match of the two-match Test series against South Africa. He stayed at the crease till the end and was the last man to get dismissed.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy played the anchor role for the team and constructed some crucial partnerships in the middle. He found himself in both good and difficult situations while building his innings, but he didn’t lose his concentration. Mahmudul Hasan’s determination was on another level, which can’t be compared to other Bangladesh batters.
Read Bangladesh 298 all out, South Africa lead by 75 in 1st Test
Mahmudul Hasan made 137 runs in 326 balls after spending more than seven hours at the crease. Overall, he hit fifteen boundaries and two sixes in the innings. Mahmudul Hasan formed two vital partnerships: one with Najmul Hossain Shanto for 55 runs for the second wicket, and the other with Litton Das for 82 runs for the sixth wicket.
The level of maturity and responsibility he showed in his innings was really admirable. It was an unbelievable effort by a 21-year-old batter. The rest of Bangladesh's players, especially the batters, should take inspiration from his attitude and focus to thrive in the middle.
With 137 runs, Mahmudul Hasan Joy also became the highest scorer among the Asian openers in South Africa. This was a really special achievement by Mahmudul Hasan.
Read Magnificent Mahmudul hits ton against South Africa
The Top Five Test Knocks in South Africa by Asian Openers
Player
Runs
Mahmudul Hasan Joy (BAN)
137
Taufeeq Umar (PAK)
135
KL Rahul (IND)
123
Saeed Anwar (PAK)
118
Wasim Jaffer (IND)
116
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
First Test Match Scenario of SA vs BAN Series 2022
Batting first, South Africa scored 367 in their first innings. Tamba Bavuma scored the most runs for the Proteas, while pacer Khaled Ahmed took the most wickets for Bangladesh. In reply, Bangladesh were bowled out for 298 in their first innings, 69 runs behind South Africa’s first innings (367) total.
South Africa started their second innings in the final hour of day-3, and they would try to construct a lead in excess of 300 before giving Bangladesh a target to chase. The Bangladesh team has to play with a lot of determination in the fourth innings in order to earn a positive result. Therefore, the last two days of the match would be very interesting to watch.
Read Pakistan level ODI series with 6-wicket win over Australia
Bottom Line
Mahmudul Hasan Joy showed real promise in the first innings. Joy's knock displays that anyone can play long innings on this surface if they can give themselves some time to adapt to the pitch conditions. Joy’s determination was on a different level, and the rest of the Bangladesh players needed to learn how to stay long at the crease in order to play long innings.
The first Test match of the SA vs BAN series 2022 is evenly matched. Both Bangladesh and South Africa have the potential to win the opening match if they play with confidence for the remaining two days and execute their respective game plans properly.
Read Tigers to host Lankan Lions in May for two Tests
Pakistan easily beat Australia and clinch ODI series 2-1
Pakistan romped to a nine-wicket win over depleted Australia in the third one-day international on Saturday and clinched the series 2-1.
Captain Babar Azam made his second successive century in an unbeaten 105 and Imam-ul-Haq continued his dream run of form with an unbeaten 89 as Pakistan cruised to 214-1 in 37.5 overs.
Read: Bangladesh 298 all out, South Africa lead by 75 in 1st Test
Australia, which posted 300-plus scores in the last two ODIs, crashed against Pakistan pace and was all out for 210 in 41.5 overs after Babar won his third consecutive toss and opted to bowl.
Haris Rauf (3-39) and Shaheen Afridi (2-40) jolted the top order with their pace and young fast bowler Mohammad Wasim polished off the lower order to take 3-40.
Bangladesh 298 all out, South Africa lead by 75 in 1st Test
South Africa bowled Bangladesh out for 298 in its first innings despite opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s 137, giving the Proteas a clear lead in the opening test on Saturday.
South Africa took that advantage to 75 runs on the third day by reaching 6-0 in its second innings by stumps, which was forced by bad light and then rain.
South Africa made 367 in its first innings after being put in to bat at Kingsmead in Durban.
Read: Magnificent Mahmudul hits ton against South Africa
Bangladesh was 98-4 overnight in reply and slumped to 101-5 in the third over of the day when nightwatchman Taskin Ahmed fell for 1.
But Mahmudul celebrated his first test century in the afternoon session and eventually hit 15 fours and two sixes before he was the last man out.
He was pivotal to Bangladesh’s score, sharing an 82-run stand with Litton Das (41) for the sixth wicket and then a partnership of 51 with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (29) for the eighth wicket.
Mahmudul cleverly shepherded the tailenders and 197 of Bangladesh’s runs came from the last five wickets.
Read: Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
Debutant Lizaad Williams collected his first test wickets to finish with 3-54 for South Africa. His haul included the wicket of Mahmudul, who was finally beaten when he edged to Simon Harmer at slip to end the Bangladesh innings.
Despite Mahmudul’s knock, South Africa had clear control of the match by way of a 69-run first-innings lead.
South Africa openers Dean Elgar (3 not out) and Sarel Erwee (3 not out) extended that lead by six runs and avoided any late blows as the light faded in Durban.
Magnificent Mahmudul hits ton against South Africa
Mahmudul Hasan Joy hit his maiden Test ton on Saturday against South Africa in the ongoing Test in Durban.
Mahmudul completed the magical three-figure off 269 deliveries. And along the way, he became the first Bangladeshi to hit a Test ton against South Africa, and that is in South Africa. It was also Mahmudul’s first Test against South Africa.
During the 97th over of Bangladesh’s first innings, Mahmudul cut Keshav Maharaj to the deep backward point region and ran for a couple which brought up his hundred.
At the end of day two, Mahmudul was unbeaten for 44.
Along the way to smashing his first hundred for Bangladesh, Mahmudul hit 10 fours and one six.
Read: Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
While replying to South Africa’s first innings total of 367, Bangladesh lost opener Shadman Islam quickly for just nine runs. In the absence of Tamim Iqbal, it was Shadman’s onus to guide the innings early. But he failed to do so.
On the second wicket, Mahmudul and Najmul Hossain were going well but Najmul failed to carry on. After him, Mominul Haque suffered a duck and Mushfiqur Rahim was also dismissed quickly.
Mahmudul, however, was firm at the other end of the wicket. The gritty batter kept his wicket safe and scoreboard afloat.
Liton Das partnered Mahmudul in an 82-run stand for the sixth wicket. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter looked confident and comfortable at the wicket. But suddenly he lost his concentration and lost his wicket to Lizaad Williams.
After Liton’s dismissal, Yasir Ali trapped run-out for 22 off 37 balls. Mehidy Hasan Miraz joined Mahmudul in the eighth wicket stand.
Read: Tigers to host Lankan Lions in May for two Tests
Earlier, Simon Harmer, the left-arm spinner, bagged four wickets for the hosts and put immense pressure on Bangladesh.
At the end of 106 overs of Bangladesh’s innings, the visitors are trailing by 111 runs with only three wickets in hand.
Qatar stages draw for World Cup amid protests
Coaches and soccer officials are gathering in Qatar for Friday’s draw for the Middle East’s first World Cup.
There will be 37 nations involved in the draw ceremony but five teams will ultimately not reach the tournament, which begins on Nov. 21.
The full lineup will not be known until at least June, when the intercontinental playoffs and the final European qualifiers are completed.
Read: FIFA World Cup 2022 European Qualifiers: The Probable last three qualified teams
The show at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center starts at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT) and lasts one hour. Teams will be split into eight groups of four, with 16 advancing from the group stage.
The day began with a protest outside FIFA headquarters in Zurich. German artist Volker-Johannes Trieb used balls filled with sand to protest against the suffering of migrant workers in Qatar who have worked on the infrastructure related to the World Cup.
Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
Left-arm spinner Simon Harmer grabbed four top-order Bangladesh wickets to put South Africa in dominance on the second day of the first Test in Durban.
Bangladesh ended day two at 98 for four wickets in their first innings with opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy unbeaten on 44, along with nightwatchman Taskin Ahmed yet to open his account.
The visitors are trailing by 269 runs with six wickets in hand after bowling the hosts out for 367 in the first innings.
After a cautious start, Bangladesh lost three quick wickets in the last session of day two.
Simon Harmer, the left-arm spinner bagged four wickets conceding 42 runs in 20 overs.
Bangladesh scored 25 in the first wicket stand. After Shadman Islam fell for 9, Mahmudul and Najmul Hossain added 55 runs on the board.
From 80 for one wicket Bangladesh suffered a mini-collapse when they lost three wickets to reach 94 runs.
Najmul scored 38, Mominul Haque suffered a duck and Mushfiuqr Rahim added 7 only.
Earlier, Khaled Ahmed took four wickets for 92 to help Bangladesh restrict South Africa to 367 runs.
Read: Pakistan level ODI series with 6-wicket win over Australia
This was also the best bowling by any Bangladeshi pacer on the soil of South Africa. He surpassed Subashis Roy’s 3/118 in 2017.
South Africa began the second day with 233 for four. They added 134 runs more in their first innings losing the remaining wickets.
Khaled bagged the first two wickets of the second day removing wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder. While Verreynne posted 28 off 81 balls, Mulder suffered a duck.
Temba Bavuma, however, was firm at the other end of the wicket until Mehidy Hasan removed him for 93 off 190 deliveries.
In the last two partnerships, South Africa added 69 runs that helped them pass the 350-run mark.
Simon Harmer, the all-rounder, remained unbeaten for 38 off 73 balls.
Right-arm spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz scalped three wickets for Bangladesh while Ebadot Hossain bagged two.
Bangladesh are missing the services of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in this match. While Shakib is out of the team due to family reasons, Tamim missed this Test due to illness.
Pakistan level ODI series with 6-wicket win over Australia
Captain Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq smashed powerful centuries Thursday as Pakistan leveled the three-match series against a depleted Australia with its biggest ever successful run-chase in an ODI.
Babar made a blistering 114 off 83 balls and Imam scored 106 as Pakistan marched to 349-4 with an over to spare for a six-wicket win.
Australia had earlier made another imposing total of 348-8 after Babar won the toss and elected to field for the second game in a row. Ben McDermott’s (104) maiden test hundred formed the cornerstone of Australia’s strong total.
Khushdil Shah scored an unbeaten 27 off 17 balls and Iftikhar Ahmed (8 not out) raised Pakistan’s memorable victory with six balls to spare after Babar and Imam had dominated an inexperienced Australian bowling attack.
Travis Head (89) missed out on his second successive century while Marnus Labuschagne (59) and Marcus Stoinis (49) also played cameos to set up another challenging total for Pakistan after Australia had defended 313-7 in the first game of the three-match series.
The emphatic win broke Pakistan’s 10-match losing streak against Australia, which is missing several leading players and only had 13 fit players to chose from after the white-ball squad in Lahore was hit by COVID-19.
The imposing Pakistan chase eclipsed its previous highest successful chase in the 50-over format when it made 329-7 to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in an Asia Cup game at Mirpur in 2014.
Two days ago Imam’s century went in vain when Australia recorded an emphatic 88-run, but the left-handed opening batter ensured Pakistan did not slip up for the second successive time by featuring in two solid century partnerships.
Imam laid a rollicking platform of 118 runs with Fakhar Zaman, who made 67 before Fakhar was undone by Stoinis’ slower delivery and was clean bowled in the 19th over.
Australia’s understrength bowling attack cracked up against the brilliant strokeplay of Babar, who dominated the twin spin threat of Adam Zampa and Mitchell Swepson with flurry of boundaries on both sides of the wickets.
Imam, who also scored a century in each innings against Australia in the first test earlier this month, batted resolutely and hit six fours and three sixes before he perished in the 35th over when he holed out at long-on off Zampa.
But Babar, who was criticized for his slow strike rate in the first game, took charge against the spinners and inexperienced fast bowlers as he raised his century off just 71 balls.
Babar departed in the 45th over with Pakistan needing 40 for victory when he was smartly caught at mid-wicket by Labuschagne in Ellis’ return spell before Khushdil kept his cool and carried Pakistan home with two sixes and two fours.
Earlier, McDermott, who scored his maiden ODI half century in Australia’s 88-run win on Tuesday, added 162 runs for the second-wicket stand with Head after captain Aaron Finch was out plumb leg before wicket off the first ball he faced from Shaheen Afridi.
McDermott reached his half century with a straight six off spinner Iftikhar and raised his century with an identical shot against left-arm spinner Khushdil.
McDermott hit 10 fours and four sixes before he missed a full toss from Mohammad Wasim and holed out to mid-wicket but Stoinis provided a late flourish with his breezy knock off 33 balls.
Afridi, who returned after missing the first game due to a knee injury, picked up three late wickets to finish with 4-63, but it was the Pakistan spinners who struggled against Australia’s top-order batters.
Iftikhar and Khushdil leaked 95 runs off their combined 10 overs while Zahid Mahmood went for 71 off his 10 overs for the sole wicket of Head, who top-edged a sweep against the leg-spinner.
The third and final ODI will be played on Saturday before Australia round off its tour to Pakistan with a one-off Twenty20 next Tuesday.
Tigers to host Lankan Lions in May for two Tests
Sri Lanka will visit Bangladesh in May this year for a two-match Test series, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said Thursday.
The series is part of the ICC Test Championship 2021-23
The first Test of the series will be played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on May 15, and the second Test at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on May 23.
Read: Elgar, Bavuma hit fifties as South Africa post 233/4 on day 1
Before the series, Sri Lanka will play a two-day practice match at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram on May 11 and 12.
Bangladesh national team is now touring South Africa for a three-match ODI and two-match Test series.
The Tigers finished their ODI campaign with a historic series win. The Test series began Thursday at Durban.