Sports
Women's Football: Brahmanbaria beat Suddopuskorini 3-2
FC Brahmanbaria earned a 3-2 victory over Suddopuskorini Jubo Sporting Club SC in the second phase match of the Women's Football League 2020-21 Friday.
The winners dominated the first half by 2-1 at the Kamalapur Stadium.
Also read: Women's Football: Bashundhara hands 20-0 drubbing to Nasrin DA
Sadia Akter struck twice in the 17th and 41st minutes while Selina Khatun netted the other goal for FC Brahmanbaria in the 46th minute.
Soma Akter and Tonni Biswas scored one goal each for Suddopuskorini in the 21st and 85th minutes.
Also read: Women's Football: Ataur Rahman College thump Suddopuskorini 6-0
The day's other league match between Cumilla United Club and Jamalpur Kacharipara Ekadash ended in a goalless draw at the same venue.
Archery World Cup: Bangladesh recurve men's, women's teams eliminated
Bangladesh recurve men's and women's teams were eliminated from the pre-quarterfinals of the Archery World Cup 2021 Stage-3, a final qualification tournament of the Olympic Games, in Paris Friday.
Bangladesh recurve men's team of Ruman Shana, Hakim Ahmed Rubel and Ram Krishna Saha – conceded a 1-5 set points defeat to the US.
Also read: Asia Cup Archery: Bangladesh team earn two silver, one bronze medal
Recurve women's team of Diya Siddiqui, Nasrin Akhter and Mehnaj Akhter Monira suffered a 2-6 set points defeat against Mexico at the same venue.
Earlier, Bangladesh's celebrated archer Ruman Shana directly qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after winning the bronze medal in the recurve men's singles of the Archery World Championship in 2019.
Also read: Bangladesh win first silver in Archery World Cup
Women archer Diya Siddiqui also got a wild card to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
From U-19 star to national team prospect: The incredible journey of Shamim
Shamim Hossain was one of Bangladesh's best performers during his U-19 cricketing days. He was picked for the primary squad of the Bangladesh U-19 team for World Cup 2018 but was overlooked in the main tournament.
The all-rounder's wait for playing in the U-19 World Cup ended in 2020 when he and Bangladesh lifted the title of the event for the first time, beating India. Shamim could not do much for the team in the World Cup with the bat but was one of the best fielders of the tournament.
Despite the pandemic, Shamim kept himself fit and ready to do well whenever a chance arrives. In the Bangabandhu T20 League, which took place later last year, he won the best fielder's award. The all-rounder also proved his batting prowess during the death overs over the last two years.
Women's Asian Cup: Bangladesh placed in Group G with Iran, Jordan
Hosts Bangladesh have been placed in strong Group G of the AFC Women's Asian Cup India '2022 Qualifiers to be held in September 13-25 next at Sylhet District Stadium.
In Asian Group G, Bangladesh National Women's Football team will battle for the group title with stronger Iran and Jordan.
A total of 28 Asian teams, divided in eight groups, will compete in the qualifiers for the 12-team final round.
Also read: Women's Football: ARB College thump Cumilla United 7-0
The 12-team final round of the AFC Women's Asian Cup will be held in India from January 20 to February 6 next year .
The ceremonial draw, conducted virtually at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, on Thursday put all 28 teams into eight groups.
Groups A to D has four teams while E to H has three. The group champions will qualify for the AFC Women's Asian Cup in India next year.
Also read: Women's Football: Bashundhara crush Suddopuskorini 5-0
The 8 qualifying teams will join the four which has already made the cut for the tournament, which are reigning champions Japan, Australia, China PR and India.
AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 QualifiersGroup A: Chinese Taipei (H), Bahrain, Turkmenistan, Laos.Group B: Vietnam, Tajikistan (H), Maldives, Afghanistan.Group C: DPR Korea, Singapore, Iraq, Indonesia (H).Group D: Myanmar (H), United Arab Emirates, Guam, Lebanon.Group E: Korea Republic, Uzbekistan (H), Mongolia.Group F: Philippines, Hong Kong, Nepal (H).Group G: Jordan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Bangladesh (H).Group H: Thailand, Palestine, Malaysia.The hosts (H) for Group H will be announced.
Ashraful steer Sheikh Jamal to win against Abahani
Mohammad Ashraful smashed an unbeaten 72 off 48 Thursday to help Sheikh Jamal beat Abahanli by six wickets in the Super League match of the ongoing Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division T20 Cricket League.
Abahani won the toss and opted to bat first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. They posted a challenging total of 173 for seven in 20 overs despite losing opener Munim Shahriar in the first over.
In the second wicket stand, they added 69 runs riding on Mohammad Naim and Liton Das. Naim fell prey to Minhajul Abedin Afridi for 42 off 28; Liton scored 70 off 51 balls with eight fours and one six.
Also read: Abahani seal top spot beating Prime Doleshwar
For Sheikh Jamal, Ziaur Rahman and Afridi bagged two wickets each conceding 42 and 25 runs.
In reply, Sheikh Jamal lost two wickets within 12 runs. But in the third wicket stand, Ashraful and Nasir Hossain added 69 runs which helped Sheikh Jamal lay a good foundation.
Nasir fell for 36, and Nurul Hasan Sohan scored 36 off 22 with two fours and two sixes.
Also read: Abahani, Prime Bank, Prime Doleshwar in Pole Position to Win DPL T20 2021
Ashraful stood tall at the other end of the wicket and remained unbeaten for 72. Right-handed all-rounder Ziaur smashed 22 off nine balls and sealed the game for Sheikh Jamal.
In the first match of the day, Gazi Group Cricketers beat Mohammedan by three wickets. It was the fifth consecutive defeat for Mohammedan, fourth in the Super League.
Mahedi Hasan played a superb knock of 92 runs off 58 balls with 11 fours and three sixes for Gazi Group.
UEFA Euro 2020: Round of 16 Qualified Teams, Fixtures
The group stage of the ongoing Euro 2020 tournament came to an end on Wednesday. We had seen some thrilling matches in this round and had to wait until the final group stage matchups to find out who would advance to the next round. 16 teams have qualified for the first knockout round at the completion of the first phase of the tournament. All the expected teams have reached the next round. The first knockout round of the competition will begin on Saturday. The qualified teams and fixtures of the UEFA Euro 2020 round of 16 have been covered in this article.
Qualified Teams for the Round of 16
The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as the top four third-place teams across all groups, have qualified for the round of 16 of UEFA Euro 2020. Let's see which teams from each group have advanced to the next round.
Group A
Italy topped group A with the most points (9), followed by Wales, Switzerland, and Turkey. Wales and Switzerland have also progressed to the next round of the championship.
Read:Messi Reaches Another Milestone as Argentina Win Tough Match at Copa America 2021
Group B
Hot favorite Belgium won all three matches in group B and finished first in the standings. Denmark, Finland, and Russia all earned three points, but Denmark took second place due to a better goal difference. The Danish national team have qualified for the Round of 16 in the European Championship.
Group C
The Netherlands finished first in the group stage with 9 points after winning all of their matches. North Macedonia failed to qualify for the knockout stage, while Austria and Ukraine both have advanced for the next round.
Group D
One of the favorites of the tournament England topped the Group D points table followed by Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Scotland. The Czech Republic and Croatia have advanced to the round of 16 of the European Championship.
Read European Football Season 2020-21: Individual Award Winners
Group E
Sweden claimed the top spot of group E, while Spain had to settle for second place in the points standings. They've both progressed to the next round. Slovakia and Poland were unable to qualify for the knockout stage.
Group F
Hot favorite France finished top in the group of death with 5 points. Germany and Portugal have both qualified to the next round, but Hungary came in fourth in the points table and did not make it to the last 16.
Read:Depay, Wijnaldum score, Netherlands beats NMacedonia 3-0
Fixtures of the Round of 16
Date
Match
Venue & Time (BST)
Jun 26 (Saturday)
Wales vs Denmark
Amsterdam (10 PM)
June 27 (Sunday)
Italy vs Austria
London (1 AM)
June 27 (Sunday)
Netherlands vs Czech Republic
Budapest (10 PM)
June 28 (Monday)
Belgium vs Portugal
Seville (1 AM)
June 28 (Monday)
Croatia vs Spain
Copenhagen (10 PM)
June 29 (Tuesday)
France vs Switzerland
Bucharest (1 AM)
June 29 (Tuesday)
England vs Germany
London (10 PM)
June 30 (Wednesday)
Sweden vs Ukraine
Glasgow (1 AM)
Sources: https://www.uefa.com/
Read:Wembley may have 65,000 fans for Euro 2020 semifinals, final
Bottom Line
The best national teams in Europe have qualified for the round of 16 stage of the UEFA Euro 2020 competition. So, we can anticipate the deserving team to win the championship in the end.Defending champion Portugal will face hot favorite Belgium in the next round, making it extremely difficult for them to retain the title. Though, no match in the round of sixteen will be easy. The teams must perform at their best to advance to the quarterfinals.
Read Copa America 2021: Brazil Win, Argentina Draw With Chile, Messi’s Stunning Goal
New Zealand Win Inaugural ICC Test Championship Final
New Zealand have won the first ICC Test Championship after beating India in the final by 8 wickets on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. There was a reserve day for the championship match in case the rain interrupts during the play. Eventually, the match ended on the sixth day. New Zealand were superb on the final day and they were desperate to win the contest. It was a collective effort that guided New Zealand to win the most prestigious ICC tournament. This article discusses how New Zealand crowned champion after beating India in the inaugural edition of the ICC Test Championship final.
ICC Test Championship Final Match Report
Rain disrupted every day of the ICC Test Championship Final between New Zealand and India, and the game was not even held on the first day. As a result, the match lasted till the reserve day.New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson opted to bowl first in a swinging condition at the Rose Bowl ground.
The Kiwi pacers were excellent in line and length in the first innings, with neither bowler conceding more than 3 runs per over. Especially, Kyle Jamieson was outstanding in terms of accuracy. He took five wickets for 31 runs, including Rohit Sharma, Rishab Pant, and Captain Virat Kohli.
Read BAN vs AUS: How Ashraful, Shakib shocked Australia
India were bowled out for 217 after playing 92.1 overs. Ajinkya Rahane was the top scorer (47) for team India, while Virat made 44 runs.
In response, New Zealand scored 249 runs to take a crucial 32-run lead over India in the first innings. Devon Conway led the way with 54 runs, while Captain Kane Williamson chipped in with 49. Fast Bowler Mohammad Shami picked up the highest 4 wickets for India.
India had hoped to bat out the whole day on the final day but were bowled out for 170 after the drinks break in the second session. Rishab Pant scored the highest 41 runs for India, while Tim Southee claimed the most four wickets for New Zealand.
Read BAN vs Zim 2021: BCB May Use the Zimbabwe Series as an Opportunity to Find New Talents
New Zealand had nearly 50 overs to reach the 139-run winning target. Thanks to 96* runs unbeaten stand between Kane Williamson (52) and Ross Taylor (47) guided New Zealand to the victory in the third session of the sixth day. Spinner Ravi Ashwin snatched both the wickets for India. Pacer Kyle Jamieson was named player of the match after taking seven wickets in the match.
Top Performers in the Inaugural ICC Test Championship
We saw some incredible performances and unforgettable matches over the course of the two-year-long ICC Test Championship. Here we mentioned some of the top performers in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Most Runs
Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne was the most runs scorer in the Test Championship tournament, He made 1,675 runs in 23 innings with an average of 72.82. England’s Joe Root (1,660) and Aussie middle-order batsman Steven Smith (1,341) came in second and third respectively on the list.
Read Who was The Best Captain of Bangladesh Cricket team?
Most Wickets
India’s off-spinner Ravi Ashwin had the most wickets in the tournament. He picked up 71 wickets with an average of 20.33 in 26 innings. Australia’s Pat Cummins (70) and England’s Stuart Broad (69) were among the top three wicket-takers in the tournament.
High Scores
Australia’s David Warner was the only player to score 300 runs in an innings in this tournament. His unbeaten 335* runs against Pakistan was the highest innings of the competition, followed by Zak Crawley (267) and Virat Kohli (254*).
Best Bowling Figures
Lankan bowler Lasith Embuldeniya's 7/137 wickets haul against England was the best bowling figure in an innings in the championship. Ravi Ashwin (7/145) and Jasprit Bumrah (6/27) finished second and third respectively on the list.
Read:DPL Super League: Abahani overpower Mohammedan
Bottom Line
Before winning the Test championship, New Zealand’s biggest achievement on the international stage was winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2000. The Kiwis played two back-to-back 50-over World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019 but lost both the finals against the arch-rivals Australia and England respectively.
So, New Zealand were desperate to win a major ICC tournament prior to the ICC Test Championship Final against India, and they finally have done it. This New Zealand team is arguably the best ever in their cricket history and they deserve a lot of credit.
Read BAN vs. ZIM 2021: Individual Milestones expected to Reach
Abahani seal top spot beating Prime Doleshwar
Abahani topped the points table in the Super League of the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division T20 Cricket Wednesday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
They beat Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club by seven wickets through the DL Method to secure their third consecutive win.
Prime Doleshwar batted first and scored 135 for six in 20 overs, with Fazle Mahmud scoring 32, and Imran Uzzaman posting 31.
For Abahani, Mohammad Saifuddin bagged three wickets while Mehedi Hasan Rana took two wickets.
Due to rain, Abahani's target was revised to 91 off 13 overs. They chased it down in 11.5 overs, with Munim Shahriar scoring the highest of 44 off 34 balls, and Liton Das posting 27.
Sharifullah, Kamrul Islam and Rejaur Rahman took one wicket each for Prime Bank.
Prime Bank stay alive in title hunt
Beating Gazi Group Cricketers by two wickets Wednesday, Prime Bank Cricket Club stayed alive in the title hunt.
Gazi batted first after losing the toss and posted 125 for nine, with Mahedi Hasan hitting 33, and Ariful Haque scoring 31. For Prime Bank, Alok Kapali and Shoriful Islam taking three and two wickets.
In reply, Prime Bank chased down the target of 126 with two wickets and one ball in hand. Nahidul Islam scored the highest score of 39 for them. For Gazi, Mahedi, Nasum Ahmed and Mominul Haque took two wickets each.
3 defeats in a row for Mohammedan
Mohammedan lost their way in the title race with their seven-wicket defeat to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Wednesday. It was their third defeat in a row in the Super League.
Asked to bat first, Mohammedan posted 133 for nine. Shamsur Rahman and Parvez Hossain Emon scored 49 and 46; but due to the failure of the other batsmen, Mohammedan failed to post a challenging total.
For Sheikh Jamal, Ebadot Hossain and Ziaur Rahman bagged three wickets each.
In reply, Sheikh Jamal lost their first wicket before adding anything on the board. However, the steady batting performance of Mohammad Ashraful, 38 off 42, Nurul Hasan Sohan, 36 off 31, Tanbir Hyder, 32 off 17, helped Sheikh Jamal secure their second win in the Super League, with seven wickets to spare.
Olympic Day 2021 observed in Dhaka
The Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) Wednesday observed the Olympic Day 2021, a global programme to celebrate the 127th founding anniversary of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with a day-long program in the capital.
The BOA programme started in the morning with the hoisting of the IOC, Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and BOA flags at the BOA Bhaban.
BOA Secretary General Syed Shahed Reza hoisted the IOC flag, Vice-President Sheikh Bashir Ahmed OCA flag and BOA Deputy Secretary-General Asaduzzaman Kohinoor BOA flag.
Also read: BOA to observe Olympic Day on Wednesday
The programme also featured the seminar "Olympic Values and Ethics in Perspective of Bangladesh" at the Dutch-Bangla Auditorium at noon.
Later, the BOA Medical and Anti Doping Committee arranged an anti-doping workshop at the same venue in the afternoon.
Shakib inclusion to boost team’s confidence: Minhajul
Bangladesh chief selector Minhajul Abedin says Shakib Al Hasan’s inclusion in the Zimbabwe tour for a Test, three ODIs and three T20Is will boost the confidence of the team. The allrounder missed the previous Test tour of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka, and he was also out of action during Bangladesh’s New Zealand tour earlier this year.
Bangladesh national team will travel to Zimbabwe on June 29, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday announced three different squads for this tour. Left-handed allrounder Shakib made it to all these squads.
“It’s a plus point for us that we got our best player back into the setup,” Minhajul told the media in a press conference after announcing the team on Wednesday. “I believe the team will be boosted morally with this inclusion. I hope he will deliver well which eventually will help the team’s performance.”
Also read: Shakib banned for three matches, fined Tk 5 lakh
Bangladesh included newbie Shamim Hossain Patwary in the T20I squad. Shamim was one of Bangladesh’s main weapon during their U-19 World Cup-winning campaign in South Africa in 2020.
“We have been observing him since he came into the High-performance Unit. He did well when Ireland Wolves toured Bangladesh this year. He also did well in the matches he got a chance at afterwards. We hope his skill will help the national team do well,” Minhajul added.
Shamim played 19 List-A, 27 T20s and only First-class matches to the date. He is known as one of the best fielders who are currently playing in Bangladesh. The left-handed batsman is also capable of scoring runs quickly, and he can also be handy as a right-arm off-spin.
Left-handed top-order batsman Soumya Sarkar has been omitted from the ODI squad. Minhajul said to pave way for a left-arm spinner, they considered resting Soumya from ODIs for now.
Also read: DPL Super League begins Saturday without Shakib, Tamim
“The team management wanted to have a left-arm spinner in the squad. So have decided to include Taijul Islam instead of Soumya, and we also added Nurul Hasan Sohan,” Minhajul told the media.
Sohan is added to all three squads of the game for the Zimbabwe series. He has been doing tremendously well in the ongoing edition of the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 League for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.
“His current form is enough to call him back to the national team,” Minhajul said about Sohan. “He did well in the practice sessions in Sri Lanka when he was in the primary squad. We believe he has the ability to do well for the national team.”