Sports
Threats of expulsion as UEFA confronts Super League rebel 12
The deceptions, distrust and divisions in European soccer erupted in public on Monday between teams and even within the clubs breaking away to form a Super League that could leave them and their players outcasts in the global game.
Condemnation of the 12 rebels clubs from England, Spain and Italy even came from Prince William, who followed the British government in railing against moves to split from longstanding structures to play in a largely closed competition rather than Europe’s existing UEFA-run Champions League.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin turned on club leaders he called “snakes” and “liars,” singling out Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United vice chairman Ed Woodward for betraying him by reneging on a pledge to stick within existing structures.
Ceferin threatened players from the Super League clubs with being banned from the European Championship and next year’s World Cup.
Also read:UEFA could ban Super League players from Euro 2020, WCup
“They will not be able to represent their national teams at any matches,” Ceferin warned earlier. “UEFA and the footballing world stand united against the disgraceful self-serving proposal we have seen in the last 24 hours from a select few clubs in Europe that are fueled purely by greed above all else.”
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, the founding chairman of the Super League, downplayed UEFA’s threat to ban players.
The players “can be assured that this won’t happen,” Pérez said in a late-night Spanish television interview. “It’s not going to happen. We won’t get into the legal aspects of it, but it won’t happen. It’s impossible.”
The strident rhetoric from Ceferin was followed on Monday by criticism of the Super League even by Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, despite Liverpool’s owner John Henry securing the six-time European champion’s participation in the new competition.
“I don’t think it’s a great idea,” he said after Liverpool was held by Leeds to 1-1. It’s a result that puts Liverpool two points from the four Champions League qualification places, showing just why Henry would want the team in a Super League where the spot is locked in.
Three of the 12 rebel clubs — Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid — are scheduled to play in the Champions League semifinals next week. Two more, Manchester United and Arsenal, are in the Europa League semifinals. Ceferin said he wants to boot them out as “as soon as possible” from UEFA competitions, but that will require “legal assessments” that will begin Tuesday.
Also read: UEFA makes formal proposal to delay Euro 2020 by one year
Pérez said the new competition is being created to “save soccer” and complained of a campaign to make the Super League look bad by those who would “lose their privileges.”
“We have to explain to everyone that this is not a league for the rich clubs,” Pérez said in an interview broadcast early Tuesday on the Spanish television program El Chiringuito de Jugones. “It’s a league to save all the clubs. Otherwise, soccer will die.”
He also said the new league likely won’t start next season if no deal is reached with European soccer’s governing body.
Ceferin led a meeting of UEFA’s executive committee Monday only hours after the 12 clubs announced the Super League project that threatens to split the historic structure of European soccer. He received backing from the English Football Association President Prince William, the second-in-line to the British throne.
“Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football community – from the top level to the grassroots – and the values of competition and fairness at its core,” he tweeted on the Kensington Palace account. “I share the concerns of fans about the proposed Super League and the damage it risks causing to the game we love.”
The 12 clubs planning to start the breakaway Super League have informed the leaders of FIFA and UEFA that they have begun legal action aimed at fending off threats to block their competition.
The letter was sent by the group to Ceferin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino saying the Super League has already been underwritten by funding of 4 billion euros ($5.5 billion) from American bank JPMorgan Chase.
Currently, teams have to qualify each year for the Champions League through their domestic leagues, but the Super League would lock in 15 places every season for the founding members. The seismic move to shake up the sport is partly engineered by the American owners of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, who also run franchises in closed U.S. leagues — a model they are trying to replicate in Europe.
UEFA warned the Super League clubs, including Barcelona and Juventus, that legal action would be taken against them and said they also would be barred from existing domestic competitions such as the Spanish league and the Premier League.
“We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions,” the Super League clubs wrote to Infantino and Ceferin in a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
“Your formal statement does, however, compel us to take protective steps to secure ourselves against such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardize the funding commitment under the grant but, significantly, would be unlawful. For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the competition in accordance with applicable laws.”
The courts were not named by the Super League, which intends to launch a 20-team competition with 15 founding members. Tottenham from England, Atletico Madrid from Spain, and AC Milan and Inter Milan from Italy are also among the 12 that have already signed.
The breakaway was launched just as UEFA thought it had agreement on an expansion of the Champions League from 2024. Now, the same officials who backed the plans have decided to go it alone while claiming the existing competitions could remain.
UEFA approved the new Champions League format proposal on Monday amid the turmoil.
The agreement was negotiated with the 246-member European Club Association. The ECA leader, Agnelli of Juventus, quit the UEFA executive committee overnight.
“He is probably the biggest disappointment of all,” Ceferin said of Agnelli. “I have never seen a person that would lie so many times and so persistently as he did.
“Now I know who is who. Who is honest. Who loves football.”
In their letter to the FIFA and UEFA presidents, the Super League clubs said their competition could also play alongside domestic leagues and cups.
“We do not seek to replace the UEFA’s Champions League or the Europa League,” they said, “but to compete with and exist alongside those tournaments.”
IPL 2021: The best IPL playing XI 2021 from each team
The 14th season of IPL has just begun. Every team in the competition had worked hard to build a solid squad for this year's campaign. Even so, not all the teams were able to form a balanced squad. That being said, each team has at least a handful of superstar players. The teams' main goal is to field the best possible playing XI, but selecting the ideal 11 can be hard at times. Now, imagine how difficult it would be to pick the best IPL playing XI 2021 from each team? However, we have attempted to do that in this article.
The best IPL 2021 playing XI could be like this
We followed the IPL laws when selecting the XI. In other words, this playing XI features four overseas players and seven Indians players.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Top five memorable performances in Test Cricket
Top-order
1) Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is the most effective captain in IPL history as Mumbai Indians have won the Indian Premier League five times under his leadership. Therefore Rohit Sharma is the most ideal person to captain this XI. Rohit is the fifth-highest run-scorer in IPL history. In 203 matches, he has scored 5,324 runs at an average of 31.31 and 130.71 strikes. That is why he is also the most sought-after opener.
2) David Warner
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the IPL 2016 under the leadership of Australian batsman David Warner. Hyderabad team has consistently performed well in every Indian Premier League event thanks to his leadership abilities. Warner has also had a lot of success as an opening batsman in the IPL. The left-hander has scored 5,347 runs in 145 matches at an average of 42.43 and 141.19 strike rates, the fourth highest in IPL history. So, David Warner is the ideal opening partner for Rohit Sharma.
3) Virat Kohli
One of the best batsmen in the world today, Virat Kohli has yet to win an IPL title for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Despite his failure as a captain, Virat is the most successful batsman in the IPL. Because Kohli is the highest run-scorer in the history of IPL. He has scored 5,347 runs in 195 matches at an average of 37.89 and 130.46 strikes. So there is no alternative to Virat for the number three position.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Recap of the Key Test Records
Middle-order
4) AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers is one of the most fearsome batsmen in cricket history. Mr. 360 has helped Royal Challengers Bangalore to win many matches. Despite winning countless matches, he is yet to win the IPL title. AB de Villiers is the best middle-order batsman in IPL history. He has scored 4,974 runs at an average of 40.77 and 152.67 strikes in 172 matches.
5) Rishabh Pant (Wk)
In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, India's number one wicket-keeper Rishab Pant is captaining the Delhi Capitals in this year's IPL. Pant has already solidified his reputation as an aggressive batsman. Pant must excel at batting, keeping, and captaincy if Delhi is to win the trophy. So far, he has scored 2,160 runs in 71 matches with a strike rate of 151.26. Pant also made a total of 55 dismissals.
6) Andre Russell
Windies power hitter Andre Russell is the most deadly all-rounder in the world right now. Russell plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL who is equally good at batting and bowling. He has helped Kolkata to win many matches. So Knight Riders fans will have a lot of expectations from him again. Russell has scored 1,562 runs in 77 matches with a staggering strike rate of 179.12. He also has taken 67 wickets.
7) Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya is the most fearsome batsman in India's lower middle order. He has the ability to hit big shots with the bat in the death overs. Pandya, who has won several IPL titles, wants to prove his true class for Mumbai once again. Pandya has taken 42 wickets in 83 matches while also making 1,384 runs at a strike rate of 157.45.
Read: Who will win the IPL 2021? The favorites, underdogs, and outsiders
Spinners
8) Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is one of the most successful spinners in the Indian Premier League's history. His flawless spin always kills batsmen. Narayan plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and is just as capable with the bat as he is with the ball. He has taken 127 wickets in 120 matches and scored 892 runs at a strike rate of 164.27.
9) Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzbendra Chahal, one of the best spinners in the Indian national team, plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Chahal has been RCB's main spinner in recent years. So his inclusion in this playing XI is very normal. Chahal has 123 IPL wickets at an average of 22.98 and 7.70 economy rates in 102 matches.
Read: BAN vs SL Cricket Test series 2021: Expected personal milestones to achieve
Pacers
10) Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Right-arm fast-medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of India's most effective pace bowlers, as well as one of the most successful bowlers in the history of the Indian Premier League. In 2016, Bhuvneshwar won the IPL trophy for Hyderabad. Needless to say, Bhubaneswar Kumar is leading Hyderabad's pace attack. He has 138 wickets in 124 matches, with an average of 24.44 and an economy rate of 7.30.
11) Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is currently the best fast bowler in the Indian national team. His superb bowling has helped India and his IPL team Mumbai Indians to win many matches. Bumrah, who has won the IPL more than once for Mumbai, has 112 wickets in 95 matches, averaging 23.68 and with an economy rate of 7.35.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series
Bottom Line
Forming the best IPL playing XI 2021 from each team was a challenging task as we had plenty of options to create the team. The cricketers' experience, record, and recent form were given priority while forming the pre-tournament IPL playing XI for this season. In that perspective, this is a really destructive IPL XI. Because this XI has some of the finest all-rounders in the world, as well as some fantastic bowlers and batsmen. It will be exciting to see who will make the IPL's best XI at the end of the tournament.
UEFA could ban Super League players from Euro 2020, WCup
Players at the 12 clubs setting up their own Super League could be banned from this year’s European Championship and next year’s World Cup, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said Monday.
Ceferin spoke following a UEFA executive committee meeting held only hours after the English, Italian and Spanish clubs announced the project that threatens to split European soccer.
“They will not be able to represent their national teams at any matches,” Ceferin said. “UEFA and the footballing world stand united against the disgraceful self-serving proposal we have seen in last 24 hours from a select few clubs in Europe that are fueled purely by greed above all else.”
UEFA’s 55 member federations are gathering for an annual meeting on Tuesday, including 24 nations that are playing in Euro 2020.
“My opinion is that as soon as possible they (the clubs) have to be banned from all our competitions, and the players from all our competitions,” Ceferin said.
Three of the 12 rebels — Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid — are scheduled to play in the Champions League semifinals this month.
Also read: Super League clubs tell FIFA legal action already started
Earlier, the 12 clubs planning to start the breakaway Super League told the leaders of FIFA and UEFA that they have begun legal action aimed at fending off threats to block the competition.
The letter was sent by the group to Ceferin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino saying the Super League has already been underwritten by funding of 4 billion euros ($5.5 billion) from American bank JPMorgan Chase.
Currently, teams have to qualify each year for the Champions League through their domestic leagues, but the Super League would lock in 15 places every season for the founding members. The seismic move to shake up the sport is partly engineered by the American owners of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, who also run franchises in closed U.S. leagues — a model they are trying to replicate in Europe.
UEFA warned the Super League clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, that legal action would be taken against them and said they also would be barred from existing domestic competitions like the Spanish league and the Premier League.
“We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions,” the Super League clubs wrote to Infantino and Ceferin in a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
“Your formal statement does, however, compel us to take protective steps to secure ourselves against such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardize the funding commitment under the Grant but, significantly, would be unlawful. For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the Competition in accordance with applicable laws.”
The courts were not named.
“It is our duty, as SLCo’s board members, to ensure that all reasonable actions available to protect the interests of the Competition and our stakeholders are duly taken, given the irreparable damage that would be suffered if, for any reason, we were deprived of the opportunity to form promptly the Competition and distribute the proceeds of the Grant,” the Super League letter continued.
The Super League intends to launch a 20-team competition with 15 founding members but only 12 have currently signed up. The others are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham from England, Atletico Madrid from Spain, and AC Milan and Inter Milan from Italy.
The breakaway was launched just as UEFA thought it had agreement on an expansion of the Champions League from 2024. Now, the same officials who backed the plans have decided to go it alone while claiming the existing competitions could remain — despite losing their most successful teams, including record 13-time European champion Real Madrid and six-time winner Liverpool.
Also read: Tension growing around Haaland
“The Competition is to be played alongside existing domestic league and cup competitions, which are a key part of European football’s competitive fabric,” reads the Super League letter to Infantino and Ceferin. “We do not seek to replace the UEFA’s Champions League or the Europa League but to compete with and exist alongside those tournaments.”
Tigers reach Kandy for Sri Lanka Tests
Bangladesh national team have reached Sri Lanka's Kandy to play a two-match Test series against the hosts.
Bangladesh's media manager Rabeed Imam who is travelling with the team in the island nation confirmed this on Monday.
The Tigers played a two-day practice game in Katunayake ahead of the series. Twenty-one players have travelled to Sri Lanka for the preliminary squad.
The team management will announce the final squad ahead of the first Test, which will start on April 21.
Due to the Covid-19 situation in Sri Lanka, both Tests will take place at the same venue – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium of Kandy – so that the players do not have to move much.
This series is part of the World Test Championship. Bangladesh have played five matches of this event but failed to win any of them while Sri Lanka played 10 games of this event and won only one.
The series will be Bangladesh's first Test competition abroad during the pandemic. Mominul Haque, Bangladesh's Test captain, earlier said they can win this series.
"If we can give 100% effort, we can win this series," Mominul told the media before leaving for Sri Lanka.
"What we have done in Tests in the past is past. We do not know what will happen in the future. We have to play well in every session of the game."
Also read: Tour match: Tamim's Red team beat Mominul's Green by 89 runs
Bangladesh will miss the service of all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the series.
Both of them are busy playing in the Indian Premier League; Shakib is representing Kolkata Knight Riders, Mustafizur is playing for Rajasthan Royals.
Bangladesh played 12 Tests in Sri Lanka and won just one on their 100th Test and drew one.
Tottenham fires manager Jose Mourinho after 17 months
Tottenham fired Jose Mourinho on Monday after only 17 months in charge, and just as he was preparing to coach the club in the League Cup final.
Mourinho was hired in November 2019 to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who unexpectedly led the London club to the Champions League final before the team collapsed the following season.
Mourinho failed to get Tottenham back into the Champions League and has overseen another collapse this season. The team was in first place in December but a run of poor results has seen it fall to seventh place.
“Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a club,” Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said. “Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged. He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.”
Mourinho’s exits comes two days before a Premier League game against Southampton and with the League Cup final on Sunday against Manchester City. Tottenham, which hasn’t won a trophy since the 2008 League Cup, said youth coach Ryan Mason had been put in charge of training.
It is Mourinho’s shortest spell at a club since breaking into the big time with Porto in 2004.
Disgruntlement over his tactics and methods have resurfaced in recent months, with Tottenham slipping out of the Champions League places and getting eliminated from the Europa League in the round of 16 after a surprising 3-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb.
Tottenham is five points behind fourth-place West Ham, which occupies the final Champions League qualification place. The club has won only one of its last five games.
The two teams above Tottenham — Chelsea and Liverpool — have games in hand.
Tottenham now heads into the League Cup final against City at Wembley Stadium without a manager and probably without its best player, with Harry Kane having hobbled off late in the 2-2 draw at Everton in the Premier League on Friday. That was Mourinho’s last game in charge.
Super League clubs tell FIFA legal action already started
The 12 European clubs pursuing a Super League have told the leaders of FIFA and UEFA that legal action is already being pursued to stop them from action intended to thwart the launch of the breakaway competition, according to a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
The letter was sent by the group of English, Spanish and Italian clubs to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA counterpart Aleksander Ceferin saying the Super League has already been underwritten by funding of 4 billion euros ($5.5 billion) from a financial institution.
UEFA warned the Super League clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United, after leaks of their plans on Sunday that legal action would be taken against rebel clubs and saying they would barred from existing domestic competitions like La Liga in Spain and the Premier League in England and international competitions.
“We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions,” the Super League clubs wrote to Infantino and Ceferin
“Your formal statement does, however, compel us to take protective steps to secure ourselves against such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardize the funding commitment under the Grant but, significantly, would be unlawful. For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the Competition in accordance with applicable laws.”
The courts were not named.
“It is our duty, as SLCo’s board members, to ensure that all reasonable actions available to protect the interests of the Competition and our stakeholders are duly taken, given the irreparable damage that would be suffered if, for any reason, we were deprived of the opportunity to form promptly the Competition and distribute the proceeds of the Grant,” the Super League letter continued.
The Super League intends to launch a 20-team competition with 15 founding members but only 12 have currently signed up. They are also Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham from England. Atletico Madrid and Milan rivals AC and AC are also part of the plan.
The breakaway was launched just as UEFA, which runs European football, thought it had agreement on an expansion of the Champions League from 2024. Now, the same officials who backed the plans have decided to go it alone while claiming the existing competitions could remain — despite losing their most successful teams, including record 13-time European champion Real Madrid and six-time winner Liverpool.
“The Competition is to be played alongside existing domestic league and cup competitions, which are a key part of European football’s competitive fabric,” reads the Super League letter to Infanatino and Ceferin. “We do not seek to replace the UEFA’s Champions League or the Europa League but to compete with and exist alongside those tournaments.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Top five memorable performances in Test Cricket
A player must be well disciplined in order to play Test cricket. Both batsmen and bowlers should have a great deal of patience to succeed in the longer version format. Batsmen must demonstrate a true fighting spirit against the bowling unit for a great outcome. On the other side, bowlers should diversify their bowling to pick up wickets. Bangladesh have played 20 Test matches against Sri Lanka over the last two decades. We have witnessed some excellent individual performances in the matches between these two teams. This article highlights the top five memorable performances in Test cricket between Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka.
Remarkable individual performances in Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
We've seen a lot of game-changing Test performances between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but picking the best from the bests is always difficult. Keeping this in mind, we've made a list of some of the most memorable cricket performances. So, without further ado, let’s look at the top five memorable performances in Test cricket between Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Recap of the Key Test Records
5) Shakib Al Hasan: 5/70 & 1/134; 26 & 96 (SBNCS, Dhaka,2008)
In 2008, Bangladesh hosted Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series. Sri Lanka came close to losing the first match of the series to Bangladesh. However, the Lankans eventually won the match by 108 runs thanks to the responsible bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan and Dhammika Prasad. Shakib Al Hasan showed a great all-round performance in this match. He took five wickets in the first innings to help Sri Lanka all out for 293 runs.
However, the left-hand spinner had to be satisfied with just one wicket in the second innings. In chase of 521 runs to victory, Shakib Al Hasan first put up a 112-run stand with Mohammad Ashraful (101) in the sixth wicket before forming a 109-run partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim (61) in the seventh wicket, which hurled the Lankan campaign into turmoil. The best player of the match Shakib Al Hasan batted brilliantly in the second innings, scoring 96 runs.
Read: Who will win the IPL 2021? The favorites, underdogs, and outsiders
4) Mushfiqur Rahim: 200 (Galle International Stadium, Galle, 2013)
During the Sri Lanka tour in 2013, young Mushfiqur Rahim put in a strong performance in the first Test in Galle. In that match, Mushfiqur Rahim made history by being the first Bangladeshi batsman to score a double century in a Test match. In response to Sri Lanka's 570, Bangladesh scored 638 in the first innings thanks to Mushfiqur Rahim's 200, Mohammad Ashraful's 190, and Nasir Hossain's 100. The match ended in a draw after eight centuries were scored in four innings. This match will go down in Bangladesh cricket history because of Mushfiqur Rahim's record-breaking knock.
Read: BAN vs SL Cricket Test series 2021: Expected personal milestones to achieve
3) RanganaHerath: 5/68 & 7/89 (Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, 2013)
The host, Sri Lanka, were under a lot of pressure heading into the second Test after drawing the first match. Because the Bangladeshi batsmen had been in good form during that series. As a result, RanganaHerath had to carry the most of the burden of defeating the visitors with a comparatively inexperienced Sri Lankan bowling attack. He took 5 wickets in the first innings and also 7 wickets in the second innings. Herath was instrumental in Sri Lanka's 7-wicket victory in the series decider after taking 12 wickets in the match. Sri Lanka eventually clinched the series 1-0 after winning the second Test.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series
2) Kumar Sangakkara: 319 & 105 (ZACS, Chattogram, 2014)
The legendary Sri Lankan cricketer, Kumar Sangakkara, scored his only triple century against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2014. During the Bangladesh tour, Sangakkara scored 319 runs in the first innings of the second match of the two-match Test series. Sri Lanka scored 587 runs in the first innings due to his exceptional performance.
Both teams' batsmen scored multiple hundreds in this match on this batting-friendly pitch. As a result, the match ended in a draw. However, Kumar Sangakkara's knock was superb and one of the best performances in the Test format between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Five Things Bangladesh Cricket Team Must Do To win the Test Series in Sri Lanka
1) Mohammad Ashraful: 26 & 114 (SSCG, Colombo, 2001)
Bangladesh's Mohammad Ashraful scored a century in his debut match in 2001 at the age of just 17. As a result, Ashraful became the youngest player to score a century in Test cricket history. Bangladesh were bowled out for only 90 in the first innings of the Asian Test Championship match against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Bangladesh's campaign was fearful of innings defeat in the match after Sri Lanka declared their first innings on 555. Mohammad Ashraful's record-breaking 114 runs brought joy to Bangladesh cricket fans even though they could not avoid defeat in the end.
Read: T20 World Cup 2021: Five Things the Bangladesh Team Needs To Address Before the World T20 2021
Bottom Line
The above-mentioned performances between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are among the best in the Test format to date and have deservedly earned a place in the top five most memorable performances in Test cricket between these two sides. Hopefully, the players on both teams will put on even better shows in the forthcoming series.
Kolkata suffers second defeat as Shakib disappoints
Kolkata Knight Riders suffered their second consecutive defeat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday against Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 38 runs.
Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan had a bad day as well as he failed both while bowling and batting. He bowled two overs and ended up giving away 24 runs. While batting, he faced 25 balls and posted 26 runs with a four and a six.
Bengaluru won the toss and opted to bat first. They posted a big total of 204 for four wickets in 20 overs, with Glenn Maxwell scoring 78 off 49 balls with nine fours and three sixes while AB de Villiers posted an unbeaten 76 off 34 balls with nine fours and three sixes.
Also read: Shakib's KKR fail to close the deal against Mumbai
Virat Kohli, the captain of Bengaluru, was the first batsman to get dismissed scoring only five. With only nine runs on the board, Bengaluru lost their second wicket when Rajat Patidar fell prey to Varun Chakravarthy who bagged the first wicket as well.
In the third wicket stand, Devdutt Padikkal and Maxwell added 86 runs. Coming to bat at number five, de Villiers smashed a fierce innings of 76.
For Kolkata, Chakravarthy took two wickets while Pat Cummins and Prasidh Krishna took one wicket each.
Also read: Kolkata kicks off IPL with 10-run win despite Shakib’s lean show
In reply, Kolkata ended up on 166 for eight in 20 overs with Andre Russell scoring the highest runs of 31 for the team. Four of Kolkata's batsmen surpassed the 20-run mark including Shakib but failed to come up with a big innings to change the game.
For Bengaluru, Kyle Jamieson took three wickets conceding 41 runs while Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel bagged two wickets each.
Tour match: Tamim's Red team beat Mominul's Green by 89 runs
Tamim Iqbal led Red team earned a comfortable 89 runs victory over Test captain Mominul Haque's Green team in an intra-squad two -day practice match that concluded at the Katunayeke CMC ground in Colombo on Sunday.
Earlier on Saturday, Red team batted first and scored 314 for 6 in 79.2 overs with top four order batsmen self retired making 50 plus runs.
Skipper cum opener Tamim Iqbal scored 63 runs off 69 deliveries hitting nine fours and two sixes,another opener Saif Hasan made 52 runs off 94 balls with six four and one six, one down Nazmul Hossain Shanta contributed 116-ball 53 runs featuring three fours and two sixes while reliable Mushfiqur Rahim hammered 66 runs off 82 balls hitting nine fours and one six.
Also read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Recap of the Key Test Records
Besides, Nurul Hasan Shohan added 62-ball 48 runs making three four and three sixes, Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored 44-ball 24 runs with three boundaries while Taijul Islam made three -ball two runs for the Tamim Iqbal's Red team.
Shuvagata Hom claimed one wicket for 46 runs.
In reply, Test captain Mominul Haque 's Green team opened the innings and were all out for 225 runs in 71 overs with Mominul back to pavilion with duck in the first attempt.
Read: BAN vs SL Cricket Test series 2021: Expected personal milestones to achieve
However, Mominul batted for the 2nd time and scored 47 runs, Litton Das contributed highest 64, Mithun made 28, Shariful not out 20 for the Green team.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz grabbed three wickets for 41 runs, Abu Jayed Rahi and Taijul Islam took one wicket each for 28 and 30 runs respectively.
Also read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series
Touring Bangladesh team will play the first Test against Sri Lanka on April 21-25 at the Pallekela International Stadium in Kandy and will play the 2nd test at the same venne from April 29 to May 3.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Recap of the Key Test Records
Bangladesh's current position among the Test-playing nations is deplorable. They have only won one Test match in the last two years. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan Test team is currently struggling in the longer version format. If we consider this issue, the upcoming series will be highly significant for both teams. The record between these two teams shows that Sri Lanka are well ahead of Bangladesh in the Test format. However, winning the series against Sri Lanka won't be impossible if Bangladesh play at their best. Let's recap the Key Test Records between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Head to head Bilateral Test series record
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh would lock horns in a 2-match Test series, starting from April 21. Bangladesh will miss their two of the most important players Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman as both are currently busy playing IPL in India. They will be missed but Bangladesh still have a very competitive squad to upset the home side. On the other side, DimuthKarunaratne-led Sri Lanka will be eying to whitewash Bangladesh in the series. Here are the head-to-head bilateral Test series record between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Read: BAN vs SL Cricket Test series 2021: Expected personal milestones to achieve
Ninth bilateral Test series:
Prior to the upcoming series, both teams competed in eight bilateral Test series. Bangladesh only managed to draw one series, while Sri Lanka won seven.
Sixth bilateral Test series in Sri Lanka:
This will be the sixth bilateral Test series in Sri Lanka. Interestingly, Bangladesh’s only Test victory against Sri Lanka came in Sri Lanka back in 2017. Sri Lanka won 9 Test matches at home against Bangladesh.
Three bilateral Test series in Bangladesh:
Bangladesh have hosted Sri Lanka for three bilateral Test series. In which, Sri Lanka won five out of six matches they played in Bangladesh and understandably, team tigers’ lost all the series.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Key Test Records ahead of the series
Bangladeshi players have had a lot more success against Sri Lanka in Test cricket. In below mentioned some of the most noteworthy individual Test Records between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
Matches Played (20)
01
16
Most Runs
Mohammad Ashraful (1,090 runs in 26 innings)
Kumar Sangakkara (1,816 runs in 21 innings)
Highest Score
Mushfiqur Rahim (200)
Kumar Sangakkara (319)
Most Hundreds
Mohammad Ashraful (5)
Kumar Sangakkara (7)
Most Wickets
Shakib Al Hasan (29 wickets in 12 innings)
MutiahMuralitharan(89 wickets in 22 innings)
Best Bowling Figures (Innings)
Shakib Al Hasan (5/70)
Rangana Herath (7/89)
Best Bowling Figures (match)
Taijul Islam (8/159)
MutiahMuralitharan (12/82)
Most Matches
Mohammad Ashraful (13)
Kumar Sangakkara (15)
Highest Partnership
Mohammad Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahim (267)
Kumar Sangakkara and MahelaJayawardene (311)
Most Catches
ShahriarNafees (8)
MahelaJayawardene (17)
Most Dismissals
Khaled Mashud (15)
PrasannaJayawardene (29)
Source: Espncricinfo
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Five Things Bangladesh Cricket Team Must Do To win the Test Series in Sri Lanka
Test Record at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Matches Played: 07 | Bat-first (won): 03 | Bat-Second (won): 01 | Draw: 03 | Highest Innings: 176 (Kusal Mendis) | Best Bowling (innings): 6/115 (Akila Dananjaya) | Best Bowling (match): 9/103 (Rangana Herath) Highest Team innings: 487 | Lowest Team Innings: 117 | Highest Run Chase: 382/3
Bangladesh’s record at the Pallekele Stadium: N/A
Sri Lanka’s record at the Pallekele Stadium: Won: 01 | Lost: 03 | Draw: 03
Source: Espncricnfo
Series fixture:
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh:
1st Test: 21-25 April | 2nd Test: 29 April-03 May | Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Read: T20 World Cup 2021: Five Things the Bangladesh Team Needs To Address Before the World T20 2021
Players to watch out in Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Test Series 2021
Bangladesh
Three Key Batsmen: Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, MominulHaque
Three Key Bowlers: Taijul Islam, MehidyHasanMiraz, Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi
Predicted Playing XI for the first Test
Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, MominulHaque (Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, MehidyHasanMiraz, NayeemHasan, Taijul Islam, Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi, Ebadat Hossain
Sri Lanka
Three Key Batsmen: DimuthKarunaratne, LahiruThirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal
Three Key Bowlers: SurangaLakmal, Lahiru Kumara, WaninduHasaranga
Predicted Playing XI for the first Test
DimuthKarunaratne (c), LahiruThirimanne, Oshada Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, NiroshanDickwella, SurangaLakmal, Lahiru Kumara, WaninduHasaranga, Vishwa Fernando
Read: Mustafiz's Rajasthan vsShakib's Kolkata: Which team has the best chance to win the IPL 2021?
Bottom Line
The Lankan players appear to be very well ahead of the tigers in key Test records between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.Given the fact that this two-match series is part of the ICC Test Championship, both teams will be eager to give their best display during the contest. So, we can expect a closely contested series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Read: Who will win the IPL 2021? The favorites, underdogs, and outsiders