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Tamim announces T20I retirement
Tamim Iqbal retired from T20 International right after leading Bangladesh in an ODI series victory over West Indies on Saturday.
The left-handed batter announced his retirement through a short message on his official social media page. He wrote: “From today, consider me retired from T20 Internationals. Thank you, everyone.”
Tamim had taken a six-month break from the format in January this year. Since then, there was speculation over his future in this format. While taking the break, Tamim said he is not retiring from T20Is.
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The batter has played his last T20I in 2020 against Zimbabwe in Mirpur. He later skipped the T20 World Cup that took place in the UAE and Oman— which was a surprising move from the batter.
While skipping the World Cup, Tamim said the younger players deserve more chances in the format to do well. Tamim’s decision had opened the door for Mohammad Naim and Soumya Sarkar to try their hand at the top of the order. But both failed to cement their places.
It is expected that Tamim, one of the best batters that Bangladesh has ever produced, will continue to play T20s on the domestic circuit, though, he did not say a word about it.
Tamim played 78 T20Is for the Tigers and scored 1758 runs with a century and seven half-centuries. Tamim remained the only Bangladeshi batter to have scored a century in the T20Is— that came against Oman in the T20 World Cup 2016 in India.
Gazdag's PK goal rallies Union to 2-1 win over Revolution
Dániel Gazdag scored on a penalty kick in the 79th minute to lift the Philadelphia Union to a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday.
Gazdag's ninth goal of the season for Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia (10-2-9) came four minutes after Mikael Uhre pulled the Union even with his seventh netter.
Gustavo Bou's seventh goal of the campaign — all in the last eight matches — gave New England (6-7-7) a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute.
The Union had a 20-18 advantage in shots, but the Revolution had a 7-6 edge in shots on goal.
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Andre Blake had five saves for Philadelphia. Djordje Petrovic saved four for New England.
Gazdag opened the scoring last time out with a PK goal in the 26th minute in the Union's 2-1 win over Inter Miami.
Japanese marathon runners to miss worlds due to COVID-19
Two Japanese marathon runners have tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the race at the world championships.
World Athletics announced Saturday that two of the country's six athletes entered in the marathon tested positive along with the head coach and four members of the support staff.
All will have to be isolated for five days, a period that will run through the men's race Sunday and the women's race Monday.
The federation did not say which of the six Japanese runners entered in the marathons had tested positive.
Gaku Hoshi, Yusuke Nishiyama and Kengo Suzuki are entered in the men's race and Mao Ichiyama, Mizuki Matsuda and Hitomi Niiya are entered in the women's.
Read: Athlete dies completing marathon in Chattogram
Athletes had to be fully vaccinated to be participate at the worlds. Organizers are recommending, but not requiring, masks to be worn in indoor areas during the championships.
3rd ODI: Tremendous Taijul takes five as Bangladesh wrap WI for 178
Taijul Islam, the left-arm spinner, recorded his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs in his first match in two years, and riding on his tremendous bowling effort Bangladesh wrapped up the hosts West Indies for 178 runs for all in 48.4 overs in the third and final ODI of the three-match series on Saturday in Guayana.
Taijul, often considered a Test bowler, was playing only his 10th ODI in seven years. He bagged his first wicket on Saturday removing Brandon King for eight. It was a beautiful delivery from the left-hander. The ball tossed up at the middle of the leg and middle stumps and turned to the off-stump and uprooted it.
Taijul never looked back after that. He ended up taking five wickets including the one of Nicholas Pooran who hit the highest (73) for the hosts conceding 28 runs.
Taijul’s five for 28 is now the best bowling record in ODI for Bangladeshi spinners. He surpassed Abdur Razzak who had taken five for 29 against Zimbabwe in 2009 in Mirpur.
Bangladesh won the toss in this match and opted to bowl first aiming to clean sweep the hosts.
Three of West Indies’ first five batters failed to reach a double-digit score. They lost the first three wickets inside 16 runs. But in the fourth-wicket stand, Keacy Carty and Pooran added 67 runs. The stand was broken by another left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed who ended up taking two for 39 runs.
Pooran was firm at one end of the wicket while the other batters failed to impress against the quality spin-attack of Bangladesh led by Taijul.
Mosaddek Hossain, the right-arm spinning allrounder, bowled 10 overs to take one wicket, but he conceded only 23 runs.
Bangladesh have already won the series, now the visitors are needing 179 runs to clean sweep the hosts.
Ahead of the ODIs, both teams locked horns in a two-match Test and three-match T20I series with Bangladesh losing all the matches except a T20I which ended in no-result due to bad weather.
Pakistan lose openers after Sri Lanka post 222 in 1st Test
Pakistan reached 24 for two at stumps on day one in reply to Sri Lanka's first innings total of 222 all out in the first Test Saturday.
The visitors trail Sri Lanka by 198 runs with eight wickets in hand at Galle International Stadium.
Having elected to bat first, Sri Lanka's batting collapsed as they slumped to 133 for eight but the lower order fought back to enable them to get to 222 on a good batting surface.
Sri Lanka was in danger of being shot out for less than 150, but the last two wickets produced 89 runs to salvage some pride.
Dinesh Chandimal, who had a career-best 206 not out earlier this week to inspire Sri Lanka's innings and 39-run win over Australia, came to the team's rescue again by top scoring with 76. The former captain added 44 runs for the ninth wicket with Maheesh Theekshana.
The stand was broken when Chandimal was spectacularly caught by Yasir Shah off the bowling of Hasan Ali. Chandimal's 76 came in 115 deliveries with 10 fours and one six.
"They are playing five specialist bowlers, so whenever someone comes on to bowl, he's fresh," Chandimal said of the disciplined Pakistani attack.
"This pitch is something in between what we had got for the first and second Tests against Australia," he added. "When you have got to 30 or 40, when the ball pitches in certain areas, it's easier for you to go for your shots. On this wicket, even when you are settled, you can't play with too much confidence."
Read: SL vs PAK Test Series 2022: Fixtures, Venues, H2H Records
After Chandimal's dismissal, Theekshana added 45 runs with No. 11 Kasun Rajitha. Theekshana was the last man dismissed when he was caught behind. He made 35 off 65 deliveries with four fours and a six. It was the No. 10's career-best score in first-class cricket.
Shaheen Afridi bowled superbly to finish with four for 58. The left-arm quick, who dismissed Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne (1) cheaply, provided the breakthrough when a partnership was building between Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva (14). His pace was too much for Sri Lanka's batsmen as both Karunaratne and de Silva dragged deliveries onto their stumps.
The very next over after claiming the wicket of de Silva, Shaheen had wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella caught at gully. As the last pair provided stubborn resistance, he was called up again and he broke the stand with the first delivery of his new spell.
Yasir Shah and Hasan Ali finished with two wickets apiece. Leg-spinner Yasir is making a comeback after injuries sidelined him since August last year.
After posting a record total of 554 earlier in the week against Australia at the same venue, Sri Lanka's batting flopped Saturday as they lost four wickets each in the first two sessions before a fine rearguard action by the tail.
During Pakistan's innings, Sri Lanka got off to a good start as Kasun Rajitha trapped Imam-ul-Haq leg before wicket for two.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Prabath Jayasuriya deceived Abdullah Shafique with a straight one to have him leg before wicket for 13.
The two-match series got underway in the southern coastal town of Galle despite Sri Lanka's economic crisis. There are severe shortages of essential items like fuel, cooking gas and medicine while there are long hours of power cuts throughout the island.
There have been nationwide protests, which forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and resign as president.
With Parliament set to meet next week to elect a new president, more protests are expected in the capital Colombo and cricket officials were looking at the possibility of shifting the second Test from Colombo to Galle.
Chelsea signs Senegal defender Koulibaly from Napoli
Chelsea completed the signing of center back Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli on Saturday.
The Premier League club paid a fee reported to be 40 million euros ($40 million) for the 31-year-old Senegal international, who arrives at Stamford Bridge following the departures of defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Koulibaly, who signed a four-year contract, joined his new teammates in Las Vegas for their preseason tour of the United States.
Koulibaly played eight seasons with the Italian club, making 317 appearances and scoring 14 goals. He began his career with Metz in France and moved to Belgian club Genk for two seasons before joining Napoli.
“Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didn’t make it,” Koulibaly said. “Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them.”
Koulibaly will play in front of Senegal teammate and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Koulibaly is Senegal’s captain and this year led the team to its first African Cup title.
Read: Sterling bids farewell to City, edges closer to Chelsea
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly described Koulibaly as “one of the world’s elite defenders... A great leader and an exemplary team player, Kalidou brings a wealth of experience and attributes that will benefit our squad and the club as a whole.”
Barcelona set to sign striker Lewandowski from Bayern Munich
Barcelona is set to sign Poland striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich in a bold move by the debt-ridden club to acquire a world-class scorer who can finally help fill the void a year after Lionel Messi’s exit last summer.
The two European clubs have reached an agreement in principle for Lewandowski’s move to Camp Nou, Bayern president Herbert Hainer said Saturday.
“We have come to a verbal agreement with Barcelona. It’s good to have clarity for all parties,” Hainer said on Bayern’s official Twitter account. “Robert is an incredible player and he won everything with us. We are incredibly grateful to him.”
Spanish media reports that the transfer would cost Barcelona some 50 million euros ($50.4 million).
The 33-year-old Lewandowski, one of soccer’s most prolific scorers of the past decade, would greatly boost Barcelona’s chances of rebuilding a competitive team after winning nothing last season following the departure of Messi, its all-time top scorer.
Lewandowski scored 312 goals in 384 Bundesliga games for Bayern and previous club Borussia Dortmund. He hit 35 goals in 34 appearances last season to become the Bundesliga’s leading scorer for the seventh time overall. Barcelona’s top scorers were Memphis Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with 13 goals each last campaign.
Barcelona also gets a proven winner. Lewandowski helped Bayern win the 2020 Champions League, after it humiliated Barcelona 8-2 in the quarterfinals. He also scooped up 10 Bundesliga titles, four German Cups, and a Club World Cup with the Bavarian powerhouse.
Only the dominance of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has likely stopped Lewandowski from receiving more individual accolades.
Read: Barça reaches deal with Man U for reluctant De Jong
But Lewandowski said in late May that “my story with Bayern Munich is over” after contract extension talks with Bayern broke down. He had one more season left on his contact with Bayern.
He will now join a team coached by Xavi Hernández that relied on Aubameyang and Ferran Torres for its goals after they joined last winter as Depay was injured and lost his starting job as striker. He will have Spain’s young and gifted midfielders Pedri González and Gavi Páez to set him up.
Barcelona is mired in debt mostly due to the huge transfer fees and salaries paid out by its previous president and board. In order to make signings this summer, current president Joan Laporta had to sell 10% of the team’s Spanish league television rights for the next 25 years in exchange for 207.5 million euros ($207.5 million).
That infusion of cash also helped it secure the transfer of Brazil winger Raphinha and sign Ousmane Dembélé to a new contract last week as its hopes to challenge Spanish and European champion Real Madrid in the upcoming season. Local media said Barcelona agreed to play Leeds nearly 60 million euros ($60 million) plus add-ons for the 25-year-old Raphinha.
Now, with a veteran like Lewandowski soon to be on board, the club is clearly betting on winning titles again in the short term. Last season, Barcelona finished a distant second in Spain to Madrid and failed to advance beyond the Champions League group phase.
To compensate the spending, Barcelona said this week that it had reached an agreement with Manchester United to potentially send Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong the Premier League club for 75 million euros ($75 million) plus another possible 10 million euros in variables. That move, however, would have to be approved by De Jong, who has no interest in leaving Barcelona according to media reports.
The sale allows Bayern to cash in on a player turning 34 next month who would have become a free agent next year and had made clear his desire to leave.
Read: Dembélé signs new contract with Barcelona through 2024
If the fee is confirmed, it would be a club-record sale fee for Bayern, exceeding the 40 million euros ($40.3 million) the German champion received from Juventus for Douglas Costa in 2018.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is Bayern’s typical backup for Lewandowski but rarely starts, while other forwards like Sadio Mané, Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry are primarily wide players.
So replacing a player who was Bundesliga top scorer for each of the last five seasons — and who set the league record of 41 goals in 2020-21 -- will be no easy task.
Mo Farah’s story draws horror, understanding in Somalia
Many Somalis are reacting with horror — and a sense of understanding — at British runner Mo Farah’s tale of being trafficked to Britain as a child and forced to look after other children.
Olympic champion Farah was born in present-day Somaliland, a territory by the Gulf of Aden that has asserted independence from the Horn of Africa nation of Somalia. In a BBC documentary aired earlier this week Farah revealed how as a boy of 8 or 9 he was separated from his family and trafficked from neighboring Djibouti to the UK under a new name under which he eventually ran for glory.
Here, in the Somali capital Mogadishu, those who have heard of Farah’s account express sadness for what he went through as a child forced to work in servitude. But they also point out that he was not alone in facing exploitation.
Conflict, climate change and economic collapse are displacing record numbers of people around the world, pushing more and more migrants into the hands of criminals who profit by smuggling them into Britain, the European Union and the U.S.
Somalis, like their neighbors in Ethiopia and Eritrea, are often among the desperate — people fleeing conflict and hunger in hopes of safety and a better life. Convinced they have little to lose, the young, in particular, risk their lives on flimsy boats organized by human traffickers who get them across the English Channel to Britain.
Those who can afford it pay thousands of dollars to reach countries where they hope to find jobs and security. Others fall prey to criminals who force them into sex work, drug crimes and domestic servitude.
Wealthier countries lack robust policies to respond to this complicated situation. Britain has welcomed refugees from Ukraine, for example, while proposing to deport asylum seekers from other places to Rwanda. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the Rwanda plan will break the business model of criminals who smuggle people across the Channel in inflatable boats, immigrant activists are suing over a plan they describe as illegal and inhumane.
Read: Olympic champion Mo Farah to make track comeback in 10,000
Farah, who represented Britain at three straight Summer Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, is a rare success story. Many others trying to escape poverty, hunger and violence in countries such as Somalia don’t get so lucky — the reason many activists here say efforts must be put into supporting local governments to eradicate the many reasons people wish to go.
“It is certainly sad that Mo Farah had such a bad experience as a boy,” said Ahmed Dini, who runs the Mogadishu-based children’s rights group Peace-Line. “It has become evident that there are many contributing factors to child trafficking, such as poverty, a lack of adequate education, and insufficient security.”
Farah still has family members — including his mother and two brothers — living on a farm near Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital. He said in the BBC film that his father was killed during unrest when the boy was 4.
In the documentary, produced by the BBC and Red Bull Studios, Farah said that when he left Africa he thought he was going to Europe to live with relatives and had a piece of paper with the contact details. But the woman he ended up with tore his papers and took him to an apartment in west London where he was forced to care for her children.
Farah said his fortunes in Britain changed when he was finally allowed to attend school. A teacher who was interviewed for the documentary recalled a 12-year-old boy who appeared “unkempt and uncared for,” was “emotionally and culturally alienated” and spoke little English.
Farah eventually told his story to a physical education instructor. The teacher contacted local officials, who arranged for a Somali family to take him in as a foster child. He soon blossomed on the track.
Anti-slavery advocates say Farah is the most prominent person to come forward as a victim of modern-day slavery, a crime that is often hidden because it occurs behind closed doors and inflicts such trauma on its victims.
Now that a man of such celebrity has spoken of his experience, there can no longer be any doubt about the horror of child servitude even among ordinary Somalis who otherwise would find his account “unusual,” said Bashir Abdi, an academic based in Mogadishu.
“Children consistently face abuses, but the story this renowned athlete revealed has captured the attention of many people, including Somalis,” he said. “We often hear of child exploitations and I believe that significant (numbers of) Somali children go through domestic violence and abuses, but little is exposed to the public.”
Amina Ali, a stay-home mother of four in Mogadishu, told The Associated Press that it was tough for her to hear the story of a 9-year-old boy “so weak and helpless forced to clean house and change the diapers of other kids.”
“As a mother, I felt sadness for him once I have listened,” she said. “Praise be to Allah that he is no longer under those circumstances. However, he is now at some point where he can reveal his story and I wish those (who) committed that abuse to be brought before justice one day.”
Bangladesh bowl first in 3rd ODI against West Indies
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl first in the third and final ODI of the three-match series against hosts West Indies at Guyana Saturday.
Bangladesh did not include Anamul Haque Bijoy in the squad for the third ODI.
The batter recently scored more than 1,100 runs in a single List-A event, which helped him return to the national side after a long gap. However, Anamul failed to impress while playing a Test and three T20Is in the ongoing tour.
Bangladesh won the first ODI match by six wickets. Mehidy Hasan won the player of the match award after taking three wickets for 36 runs.
The Tigers won the second match by nine wickets, and Mehidy picked up four wickets. Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed bagged three wickets in the match and became the player of the match.
Before the ODIs, both teams locked horns in a two-match Test and three-match T20I series. Bangladesh lost all the matches except a T20I which was a no result one because of rain with the West Indies in charge.
Read: WI vs BAN ODI Series 2022: Bangladesh eye West Indies whitewash
Bangladesh playing XI
Tamim Iqbal (c), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (w), Mehidy Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taijul Islam, and Mustafizur Rahman
West Indies playing XI
Shai Hope(w), Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, and Alzarri Joseph.
SL vs PAK Test Series 2022: Fixtures, Venues, H2H Records
The race for the ICC Test Championship 2021–2023 finals has intensified after Sri Lanka's 1-1 series draw with Australia. The Australian Test side has moved down to the second spot after drawing the series with Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Sri Lanka have moved up to the third spot with a 54.17 percentage, while Pakistan have moved down to the fourth spot with a 52.38 percentage. The SL vs PAK Test Series 2022 can change the scenario of the points table. Both teams can improve their positions in the Test Championship points standings. Let’s take a look at the series fixtures and head-to-head Test records between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Test Series 2022: Venues Statistics
The two matches of the SL vs PAK Test Series 2022 will be held in the cities of Galle and Colombo, respectively. Here are some notable Test statistics of the venues.
Test stats: Galle International Stadium, Galle
Matches Played: 39 | Batting first (won): 21 | Fielding first (won): 12 | Highest Individual Innings: 333 (Chris Gayle) | Best Bowling (Innings): 7/46 (Muttiah Muralitharan) | Highest Team innings: 638 | Lowest Team Innings: 73
Read Anamul needs to wait more to make a comeback, says Domingo
Test stats: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Matches Played: 9 | Batting first (won): 2 | Fielding first (won): 3 | Highest Individual Innings: 340 (Sanath Jayasuriya) | Best Bowling (Innings): 7/89 (Rangana Herath) | Highest Team innings: 952/6d | Lowest Team Innings: 86
2022 SL vs PAK Test Series: Fixtures
The Galle International Stadium in Galle is hosting the series-opening Test, while R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will host the second Test match.
First Test: July 16-20 | Venue: Galle international Stadium | Start Time: 10.30 a.m. (BST)
Second Test: July 24-28 | Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium | Start Time: 10.30 a.m. (BST)
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: Head-to-Head Test Records
Sri Lanka first met Pakistan in a Test match in 1982 at the Karachi National Cricket Stadium. Pakistan won the contest by 204 runs. Since then, both sides have met each other in 55 Test matches, where Pakistan have led the head-to-head battle with 20 wins. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have won 16 matches while 19 matches have ended in a draw. Overall, Pakistan have won nine bilateral Test series, while Sri Lanka have won six bilateral series.
Read WI vs BAN ODI Series 2022: Bangladesh eye West Indies whitewash
Notable Test records between Sri Lanka and Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Pakistan
Matches Played (55)
16 wins
20 wins
Most Runs
Kumar Sangakkara (2,911 runs in 45 innings)
Younis Khan (2,286 runs in 48 innings)
Highest Score
Sanath Jayasuriya (253)
Younis Khan (313)
Most Hundreds
Kumar Sangakkara (10)
Younis Khan (8)
Most Wickets
Rangana Herath (106 wickets in 40 innings)
Saeed Ajmal (66 wickets in 28 innings)
Best Bowling Figures
Rangana Herath (9/127)
Imran Khan (8/58)
Most Matches
Mahela Jayawardene (29)
Younis Khan (29)
Highest Partnership
Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera (437)
Qasim Umar and Javed Miandad (397)
Most Catches
Mahela Jayawardene (37)
Younis Khan (33)
Most Dismissals
Prasanna Jayawardene (29)
Moin Khan (40)
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read Sabbir, Soumya added to Bangladesh A team for WI tour
Aftermath
In the ICC Test rankings, Pakistan are in sixth place while Sri Lanka are in seventh position. However, both sides are in a much better place in the ongoing ICC Test Championship and are currently fighting for the number three spot in the standings. Sri Lanka’s recent Test victory over Australia will boost their confidence to show a more concrete performance against Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan’s recent Test performances have been impressive. Therefore, the SL vs PAK Test Series 2022 promises to be an exciting affair.