Sports
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.”
Shamim called up as BCB announces squad for Zimbabwe tour
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced squads for the Zimbabwe tour starting on July 7 with the solitary Test in Harare.
Shamim Hossain Patwary, a right-arm spinner and left-arm batsman, has been called up to the 16-member T20I squad as the only uncapped player.
He was one of Bangladesh’s main performers during the U-19 World Cup triumph in 2020 in South Africa.
Read:Mushfiqur hurts his finger ahead of Zimbabwe tour
Nurul Hasan Sohan, the right-hand wicketkeeper-batsman, made a comeback to all three formats for the tour, which consists of one-off Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. Nayeem Hasan, the right-arm spinner, has been added to the Test squad as well. He was out of Bangladesh’s last Test squad during the Sri Lanka tour.
Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan Sohan and Naeem Hasan have been called up to the Test squad while Mohammad Mithun has been omitted.
Sohan also made a comeback to ODIs along with Taijul Islam and Rubel Hossain while Soumya Sarkar and Mahedi Hasan have been removed from ODIs.
Sohan, the wicketkeeper-batsman, has also returned to the T20I squad along with Tamim and Shakib while Mosaddek Hossain, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Mithun, Al Amin Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim have been omitted from the T20I squad.
The Zimbabwe series will kick off with the one-off Test on July 7 while three ODIs will take place on July 16, 18 and 20 while the T20Is will be played on July 23, 25 and 27 respectively.
Read: BAN vs Zim 2021: BCB May Use the Zimbabwe Series as an Opportunity to Find New Talents
Test and ODIs will start at 1:30 pm (Bangladesh time) while T20Is will commenced at 4:30 pm (Bangladesh time).
All the matches of this series will be hosted at the Harare Sports Club.
Bangladesh Test squad:
Muminul Haque (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Shdman Islam, Saif Hassan, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehedy Hasan Miraz, Taizul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed Rahi, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and Shoriful Islam.
In: Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan Sohan and Naeem Hasan
Out: Mohammad Mithun.
Bangladesh ODI squad:
Tamim Iqbal (captain), Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Mithun, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehedy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain and Shoriful Islam.
In: Nurul Hasan Sohan, Taijul Islam, Rubel Hossain.
Out: Soumya Sarkar, Mahedi Hasan.
Read: Bangladesh will undergo one-day quarantine in Zimbabwe
Bangladesh T20 squad:
Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Aminul Islam Biplob, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam.
In: Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shamim Hossain
Out: Mosaddek Hossain, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Mithun, Al Amin Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (On leave).
Tokyo shapes up to be No-Fun Olympics with many rules, tests
The Tokyo Olympics, already delayed by the pandemic, are not looking like much fun: Not for athletes. Not for fans. And not for the Japanese public. They are caught between concerns about the coronavirus at a time when few are vaccinated on one side and politicians who hope to save face by holding the games and the International Olympic Committee with billions of dollars on the line on the other.
Japan is famous for running on consensus. But the decision to proceed with the Olympics — and this week to permit some fans, if only locals — has shredded it.
“We have been cornered into a situation where we cannot even stop now. We are damned if we do, and damned if we do not,” Kaori Yamaguchi, a member of the Japanese Olympic Committee and a bronze medalist in judo in 1988, wrote in a recent editorial published by the Kyodo news agency. “The IOC also seems to think that public opinion in Japan is not important.”
Support for going ahead seems to be increasing, but there’s persistent opposition with small street protests planned on Wednesday, one month before the July 23 opening. Much of that concern stems from qualms about the health risks. While the number of new cases has been receding in Tokyo, only about 7% of Japanese are fully vaccinated — and even though the government is now supercharging its vaccine drive after a slow start, the vast majority of the population still won’t be immunized when the games start.
Read:Japan’s vaccine push ahead of Olympics looks to be too late
That’s left the IOC and the Japanese government going through contortions to pulls this off. Dr. Shigeru Omi, the government’s top COVID-19 adviser, called it “abnormal” to hold the world’s biggest sports event during a pandemic. He also said the safest Olympics would be with no fans.
He was overruled on both counts by the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and organizers.
The official cost of the Tokyo Olympics is $15.4 billion, but government audits suggest it’s twice that. All but $6.7 billion is public money. The IOC chips in only about $1.5 billion to the overall cost.
The pressure to hold the games is largely financial for the Switzerland-based IOC, a nonprofit but highly commercial body that earns 91% of its income from broadcast rights and sponsorship. Estimates suggest a cancelation could cost it $3 billion to $4 billion in broadcast rights income.
Beyond financial concerns, putting on a successful Olympics is also a major source of pride for the host country. Some economists compare it to throwing a big party. You overspend but hope your guests go away bragging about the hospitality.
“It’s a bit like a gambler who already has lost too much,” said Koichi Nakano, a political scientist at Sophia University in Tokyo. “Pulling out of it now will only confirm the huge losses made, but carrying on you can still cling to the hope of winning big and taking it all back.”
Before the postponement 15 months ago, Japan was on track to host a well-run if expensive Olympics. It had a beautiful new National Stadium by architect Kengo Kuma, meticulous organization, and a grand stage for a country that mounted historic games in 1964 — just 19 years after defeat in World War II. IOC President Thomas Bach called Tokyo the “best prepared Olympics ever” — and he still says it repeatedly.
But now, worries that the games will be become an incubator for the virus hang over them. For now, the rolling averages of deaths and cases have stabilized in a country that has reported more than 14,000 deaths — good by global standards but worse than many of its Asian neighbors.
While the games may still end up wowing television audiences who will tune in around the world, the pandemic has removed any sense of celebration. Athletes are meant to stay in the village or venues. Most others entering Japan for the Olympics can only shuttle between their hotels and venues for the first 14 days, must sign a pledge of follow the rules, and could have their movements monitored by GPS.
Read:Torch relay for Tokyo Olympics kicks off its 121-day journey
There will be no public viewing areas in Tokyo. The few fans who can attend venues must wear masks, social distance, refrain from cheering, and go straight home afterward. No stopping off at the local izakaya for beer and skewers of grilled chicken.
With spectators from overseas ruled out months ago, there’s little business for hotels. Local sponsors have paid more than $3 billion to be involved, and some have complained about lost advertising possibilities. Others have expressed concern about being tied to an event that’s unpopular at home.
In perhaps a last-ditch effort to save some of the festive spirit, organizers said Tuesday they were looking into selling alcohol at the venues.
Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa indicated financial concerns were at play: Japanese brewer Asahi is one of the sponsors and has kicked millions into the local operating budget.
But after immediate pushback, organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto reversed the decision at a Wednesday news conference.
“We decided as Tokyo 2020 not to sell alcoholic beverages and to ban drinking alcoholic beverages in the venues,” she said.
And athletes who might want a drink to celebrate have been told by organizers to “drink alone” in their rooms.
Alcohol is otherwise banned in the athletes’ village.
This village will also have a fever clinic, the first stop for anyone who fails a daily test — and the last place anyone wants to go.
Read:What drives possible boycott of Beijing Olympics
“We are hoping that there won’t be so many people,” Dr. Tetsuya Miyamoto said, director of medical services for Tokyo 2020. “This is an infectious disease we are talking about. It has the possibility of spreading. So once that happens, the numbers could start to explode.”
Details of the opening ceremony are always kept a secret. But this time the questions aren’t about which celebrity will light the cauldron but rather will athletes social distance and wear masks as they march through the venue? And how many will march at all?
One of the symbols of the celebratory atmosphere of the Olympics has long been its notorious policy of handing out condoms. At the games in Rio de Janeiro, officials distributed 450,000 through vending machines with signs that read, “Celebrate with a Condom.”
This time there will be 150,000 — but only given to athletes as they leave for home.
Abahani, Prime Bank, Prime Doleshwar in Pole Position to Win DPL T20 2021
Abahani, Prime Bank, and Prime Doleshwar are in a great position to win the ongoing DPL T20 after the second round of the super league.Prime Bank and Abahani are in first and second place respectively with 20 points each. Prime Bank have risen to the top of the points table thanks to better net run rates.Prime Doleshwar are in third place with 19 points, followed by Gazi Group, Sheikh Jamal, and Mohammedan. With three rounds left in the super league, one of the top three teams in the DPL T20 2021 points table is most likely to win the tournament.
Read:Naeem stars as Rupganj keep Premier League place intact
Who Has the Best Chance to Win DPL T20 2021?
Prime Bank Cricket Club
Prime Bank won nine out of eleven games in the round-robin stage of the DPL T20 2021. We saw that the opening combination of Tamim Iqbal and RonyTalukdar had a great rapport in the first phase of the tournament. But Prime Bank are competing in the Super League without the country's best opener Tamim Iqbal. In place of him, Rubel Mia has opened the innings with RonyTalukdar in this round.
Rubel has made an instant impact as an opener. Prime Bank Cricket Club won the Super League round for the first time thanks to his 65-run knock against Mohammedan Sporting Club. They are currently in first position in the points table and will win the championship if they win their remaining games.
Mohammad Mithun has scored the most 353 runs in 13 innings while pace bowler Shoriful Islam has grabbed the most 18 wickets in 13 matches for Prime Bank Cricket Club.
Read:Abahani pull off a thriller against Gazi Group
Prime Bank's remaining fixtures:
Gazi Group (23rd June)
PDSC (24th June)
Abahani (26th June)
Abahani Ltd
So far, Abahani Ltd is the only unbeaten team in the super league round. They defeated Mohammedan Sporting Club and Gazi Group in their first two Super League matches, respectively. Abahani are now in second place in the points table, but their progress may be hindered due to Captain Mushfiqur Rahim's injury.
Will Abahani be able to maintain the momentum without Mushfiqur? They have a number of talented national team cricketers who can take the team forward. The tournament's new sensation, MunimShahriar has been in fine form since the beginning. He has played some magnificent match-winning knocks in this twenty20 competition. Apart from him, Mohammad Saifuddin, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Taijul Islam will have to bear more responsibilities In order to win the title for Abahani.
Read:DPL Super League: Abahani overpower Mohammedan
Mohammad Naim has scored the most 333 runs in 13 innings while all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin has taken the most 18 wickets in 13 matches for Abahani Ltd.
Abahani's remaining fixtures:
PDSC (23rd June)
SJDC (24th June)
PBCC (26th June)
Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club
Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club are one of the most consistent teams in the Dhaka Premier League 2021. This team don't have many star players, but they have worked well together. So far, Prime Doleshwar have won eight games and lost two in this year's campaign.
Read:Shykat, Sohan guide Shiekh Jamal to first Super League victory
Prime Doleshwar are in third place in the points table, and they need to win their remaining games to win the championship. They must work together as a team in order to achieve favorable results.
Saif Hasan has scored the most 307 runs in 11 innings while pacer Kamrul Islam Rabbi has snatched the most 21 wickets in 13 matches for Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club.
Prime Doleshwar's remaining fixtures:
Abahani (23rd June)
PBCC (24th June)
MSC (26th June)
Read:Who is the favorite to win DPL T20 Cricket League?
Verdict
Abahani Ltd have remained unbeaten in the super league stage and have demonstrated more commitment to winning the competition. But their superstar captain Mushfiqur Rahim is out of the tournament after suffering an injury in Monday's encounter against the Gazi Group. So, Rahim's absence might affect their chances. Prime Bank and Prime Doleshwar will seize the opportunity to win the DPL T20 2021 title if Abahani fail to maintain their momentum.
Croatia advances, beats Scotland 3-1
Croatia advanced to the round of 16 at the European Championship by beating Scotland 3-1.
Nikola Vlašić, Luka Modrić and Ivan Perišić all scored for the 2018 World Cup finalists.
READ: Messi Reaches Another Milestone as Argentina Win Tough Match at Copa America 2021
Scotland briefly equalized at 1-1 when midfielder Callum McGregor scored with a long-range shot in the 42nd minute.
Scotland finished last in Group D with one point from its three matches.
BCL Football: Fakirerpool YMC beat Victoria SC 4-0
Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club earned a comfortable 4-0 victory over Victoria Sporting Club in the 2nd phase match of the 12-team Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football' 2020-21 at the Kamalapur Stadium here on Tuesday.
Kankar struck twice in the 21st and 74th minutes while Amiruzzaman and Roman netted two more goals for the winners in the 57th and 58th minutes respectively.
Hossain of Victoria SC got marching order after receiving red card in the match.
Naeem stars as Rupganj keep Premier League place intact
Legends of Rupganj kept their Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League place intact beating Old DOHS by six wickets in the Relegation League clash on Tuesday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The veteran allrounder and Rupganj captain, Naeem Islam, bagged two wickets conceding 12 runs in two overs and scored 27 off 14 balls with one six and four fours. He also won the player of the match award for his match-winning performance.
In order to avoid relegation to the first divisional league, it was a do-or-die affair for Rupganj. In this match, they won the toss and opted to bowl first. The rain-hit game was interrupted regularly, and which eventually reduced the game to 18-over a side.
DOHS posted 117 for six despite a wonderful knock of 51 off 39 by Anisul Islam Emon. Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Aliss Al Islam were the two other batsmen to do well for DOHS scoring 20 each.
For Rupganj, Hossain Ali bagged three wickets conceding 23 runs in three overs while Naeem took two.
In reply, Rupganj lost two wickets within 29 runs. They recovered this early damage riding on the 61-run stand between Sabbir Rahman and Mehedi Maruf. But both were dismissed by Abdur Rashid off two successive deliveries scoring 30 each.
In the last three overs, Rupganj needed to score 23 off 18 balls with six wickets in hand. Naeem smashed a six and a four off Abdur Rashid in the 16th over to ease the final job. He cleared Al Islam for a four in the next over and close the match well. Off the first ball of the last over, Naeem hit another four off Abdur Rashid and sealed the game for Rupganj. Naeem and Al Amin remained unbeaten for 27 and 7 respectively.
While Rupganj kept their Premier League place intact, Old DOHS and Partex Sporting Club relegated to the First Division. They will now have to be champions or runners-up in the First Division in order to take part in the next edition of the Premier League.
BOA to observe Olympic Day on Wednesday
Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) will observe Olympic Day 21, a global program on the occasion of the 127th founding anniversary of International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the capital on Wednesday (June 23) .
On the occasion, the BOA, as a member of IOC, has arranged a brief program this time cancelling the traditional 'Olympic Day Run' to celebrate the day due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The day's BOA program includes hoisting of flag at Olympic Bhavan in the city at 11 am, seminar at Dutch- Bangla auditorium of BOA at 12 noon and Anti Doping Workshop at 4 pm at the same venue.