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NCL: Rajshahi pull off record win
Rajshahi Division pulled off a record-breaking win in the second round of the Bangabandhu National Cricket League (NCL), the most prestigious First-class cricketing event in the country, on Tuesday.
In the four-day game, Rajshahi beat Barishal Division in less than two days. There is no precedent of winning a First-class match within this short period in Bangladesh.
Barishal scored 142 runs in their two innings, which is now the lowest match aggregate in First-class in the country.
Sunzamul Islam bagged 10 wickets conceding 33 runs, the most economical haul of ten or more wickets in the country’s first-class history, and Taijul Islam took eight wickets. The tremendous bowling efforts set the foundation for Rajshahi’s win.
Brief scores of the 2nd round games of NCL after 2nd day:
Khulna vs Rangpur:
Khulna 1st innings: 221/10 in 49.2 overs (Tushar 116, Nurul 31, Nahidul 29; Mukidul 6/64, Nobin 2/31, Ariful 2/54)
Rangpur 1st innings: 364/10 in 97.1 overs (Ariful 97, Nasir 66, Dhiman 43, Tanbir 31; Masum 4/78, Robiul 2/41, Abdul Halim 2/88)
Khulna 2nd innings: 4/1 in 1.3 overs (Imrul Kayes 4*, Amit 0*; Mukidul 1/4)
Sylhet vs Dhaka Division:
Sylhet 1st innings: 370/10 in 114.4 overs (Zakir 159, Jaker 67, Asadullah 67; Shuvagata 4/86, Taibur 2/31, Sumon 2/55)
Dhaka 1st innings: 239/6 in 63 overs (Shuvagata 89*, Saif 42, Joyraj 41, Sunny 34*; Rahatul 3/65, Tanzim 2/42)
Barishal vs Rajshahi Division:
Barishal 1st innings: 82/10 in 29.3 overs (Moin 18, Salman 13, Moinul 12; Sunzamul 4/18, Taijul 4/39, Mohor 2/7)
Rajshahi 1st innings: 151/10 in 48.5 overs (Junaid 43, Taijul 37, Tanzid 36; Sohag 6/65, Monir 1/4)
Barishal 2nd innings: 60/10 in 34 overs (Moinul 28, Kamrul 14; Sunzamul 6/15, Taijul 4/23)
Result: Rajshahi win by an innings and 9 runs. Taijul man of the match
Chattogram vs Dhaka Metro:
Chattogram 1st innings: 402/8 (declared) in 126.3 overs (Pinak 159, Shahadat 53, Yasir 49; Arafat Sunny 3/120, Shohidul 2/78, Al Amin 1/26, Abu Haider 1/30)
Dhaka Metro 1st innings: 132/3 in 48 overs (Shamsur 68, Zabid 46*; Nayeem 1/42)
Agreement on new Champions League format delayed until April
A decision on the new Champions League format has been delayed until next month after hitting a late stumbling block over how the commercial and broadcasting rights will be sold to European football's elite competition.
UEFA hoped to use an executive committee meeting on Wednesday to ratify the expansion of the group stage from 32 to 36 teams, jumping from six to 10 rounds of matches from 2024.
There is broad agreement between European clubs and domestic leagues on the new format after years of wrangling. But UEFA has to resolve the broad details with the European Club Association over the creation of a joint venture to sell rights to the Champions League, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Clubs will gain a say only in the marketing and television rights sales of the competition, leaving UEFA to still control the sporting and governance aspects, the person said on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential talks.
UEFA wants a minimum guarantee of revenue to protect its financial position, while also taking a 6.5% cut of the cash generated by the joint venture that would replace Switzerland-based agency TEAM Marketing, which has had exclusive rights from UEFA to sell the Champions League since 1992.
The Champions League currently shares almost 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) each season among 32 clubs, who are split into eight groups of four to start with. The new format will add 100 games as a 36-team single-standings league is created, adding in four more clubs from the current format.
That would guarantee 10 games for each of the 36 teams, against 10 different opponents with balanced schedules based on seedings. The current format consists of six group games against three opponents. The top eight teams would advance to the round of 16. The next best 16 teams would enter a two-leg playoff to complete the bracket. The tournament would also play matches for the first time on Thursdays which has previously been reserved for the Europa League.
While the second-tier competition is envisaged to stay at 32 teams, it is also set to adopt a variation of the "Swiss System" format from chess tournaments. So the number of rounds in the group stage would rise from six to eight.
UEFA confirmed the future of club competitions from 2024 would still be discussed at the executive committee meeting on Wednesday.
"However, any official decision in this respect will only be made at the next UEFA executive committee meeting on 19 April, in order to finalize ongoing discussions," the governing body said in a statement.
European Leagues president Lars-Christer Olsson said last week he received "guarantees that no clubs are taking over the club competitions from UEFA" during a conversation with the governing body's leadership.
"It's UEFA club competitions and they will always have the final say," Olsson said. "That is not handed over to any other body for decision making."
Soumya hit fifty but Tigers lose T20Is series against Kiwis
Despite a blazing fifty from Soumya Sarkar, Bangladesh lost the 2nd T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand at Napier on Tuesday by 28 runs in DL method.
At the end of the match, there are many talks are about the DL method under which Bangladesh’s revised target in the rain-hit game raised from 148 to 170 and then to 171. There was no official explanation about it after the game.
New Zealand batted first and scored 173 for five in 17.5 overs and right after that the rain hit the game and that was the end of the New Zealand innings.
2nd T20I: Bangladesh need 170 in 16 overs as rain hits the game
Bangladesh started chasing knowing that they have to score 148 in 16 overs to level the series. But the game stopped after 1.2 overs and the target changed to 170 by the match referee Jeff Crowe. And later, the target was reset again to 171 runs in 16 0vers.
Liton Das fell early once again, and the right-hander continued on a poor run. He scored six this time around. Some came at number three and for the first time in this series, he looked like his expected form. The southpaw hit 51 off 27 balls with five fours and three sixes.
But his aggression came to the end when he tried to clear Tim Southee and Adam Milne took a fine catch at the long-on area. The onus was on Mahmudullah Riyad to carry on the good batting display. He tried as well hitting 21 off 12 balls with four fours. But while scooping Milne through the leg area, he missed the ball and his stumps were shattered.
Also Read: Bangladesh opt to bowl first in 2nd T20 vs New Zealand
With the dismissal of Mahmudullah, Bangladesh lost the race to the Kiwis. Eventually, the Tigers ended up on 142 for seven in 16 overs and lost the game by 28 runs under the DL method.
For New Zealand, Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett and Adam Milne scalped two wickets each.
Earlier, after losing the toss and opted to bowl first, Bangladesh leaked away many runs in the first few overs. But in the fourth over of the game, Taskin Ahmed bagged the first wicket removing Finn Allen for 17 off 10 balls.
In the same over, Finn was dropped by the captain Mahmudullah Riyad. However, in the last ball of the over, Mohammad Naim took an easy catch to dismiss Finn who was playing his second ODI.
New Zealand lost two more wickets when Martin Guptill and Devon Conway fell prey to Mohammad Saifuddin and Shoriful Islam respectively. While Guptill fell in the last ball of the sixth over by a stunning catch from Taskin, Conway was dismissed off the first ball of the seventh over.
The rain hit the game for the first time in the match during the 13th over when the Kiwis were batting at 102 for four in 12.2 overs. The game was delayed by 10 minutes and no over was lost.
The rain came back when the Kiwis were batting at 173 for five in 17.5 overs and that was the end of their innings with Glenn Phillips scoring the highest— 58 off 30 balls.
For Bangladesh, Mahedi Hasan took two wickets while Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful took one wicket each.
The third and final T20 of the series will take place on April 1.
Before the T20Is series, the Tigers faced off the Kiwis in three ODIs and lost the series 3-0. Bangladesh are yet to register any win in New Zealand.
2nd T20I: Bangladesh need 170 in 16 overs as rain hits the game
Bangladesh have to chase down a target of 170 in 16 0vers to win the second T20I vs New Zealand on Tuesday at Napier after New Zealand’s innings came to an abrupt end when the rain hit the game after 17.5 overs with the hosts posted 173 for five.
Also read:Bangladesh opt to bowl first in 2nd T20 vs New Zealand
Bangladesh started chasing before knowing the target officially, and thus the chasing was stopped after at 12/0 in 1.3 overs. After a drama for a few minutes, it was decided that Bangladesh need to score 170 to win the game in 16 overs.
After losing the toss and opted to bowl first, Bangladesh leaked away many runs in the first few overs. But in the fourth over of the game, Taskin Ahmed bagged the first wicket removing Finn Allen for 17 off 10 balls.
In the same over, Finn was dropped by the captain Mahmudullah Riyad. However, in the last ball of the over, Mohammad Naim took an easy catch to dismiss Finn who was playing his second ODI.
Also read:Tigers start T20 series vs New Zealand with big defeat
New Zealand lost two more wickets when Martin Guptill and Devon Conway fell prey to Mohammad Saifuddin and Shoriful Islam respectively. While Guptill fell in the last ball of the sixth over by a stunning catch from Taskin, Conway was dismissed off the first ball of the seventh over.
The rain hit the game for the first time in the match during the 13th over when the Kiwis were batting at 102 for four in 12.2 overs. The game was delayed by 10 minutes and no over was lost.
The rain came back when the Kiwis were batting at 173 for five in 17.5 overs and that was the end of their innings with Glenn Phillips scoring the highest— 58 off 30 balls.
Also read: Bangabandhu T20 Cup: playoff begins Monday
For Bangladesh, Mahedi Hasan took two wickets while Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful took one wicket each.
Bangladesh opt to bowl first in 2nd T20 vs New Zealand
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first in the second T20 of the three-match series against New Zealand on Tuesday at Napier.
The visitors have lost the first game by 66 runs. So this match is a chance for the Tigers to keep the series alive. The third and final match of this series will take place on April 1.
Also read: Bangladesh vs New Zealand ODI Series 2021: Bangladesh Team Report Card
Mushfiqur Rahim, the wicketkeeper-batsman of Bangladesh, who missed the first game of the series, is also unavailable in the second game for a shoulder injury.
Bangladesh made a change to the playing XI replacing Mustafizur Rahman with Taskin Ahmed who bowled well in the ODI series.
There is the possibility of rain during this game, and that is why the Bangladesh captain opted to bowl first under the overcast condition.
Also read: New Zealand post 210 in 1st T20I vs Bangladesh
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Mohammad Naim, Liton Das(w), Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah(c), Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed
New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Tim Southee(c), Ish Sodhi, Hamish Bennett, Adam Milne
How Can Bangladesh directly qualify for the world cup 2023?
Teams must finish in the top eight of the current ICC One-Day International Super League points table to be qualified for the 2023 World Cup. On the other hand, India will automatically qualify for the World Cup as the host nation. In that case, Bangladesh must ensure its place among the other seven nations in order to advance to the World Cup's main event. Each country will do its best to compete in the league. As a result, every ODI Super League match is crucial. This article has discussed how can Bangladesh directly qualify for the world cup 2023?
The ICC ODI Super League format for direct qualification
Twelve Test playing nations: Bangladesh, England, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ireland, tournament host India, and associate nation Netherlands are taking part in the ICC ODI super league.
The top eight teams in the standings at the end of the league will automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup. For the final two slots, the remaining five teams will compete in another qualification round. Five additional teams from associate nations will also be part of that tournament.
Also read: Bangladesh vs New Zealand ODI Series 2021: Bangladesh Team Report Card
The ODI Super League tournament will finish at the end of 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of the tournament, each team will participate in eight bilateral series, four at home and four away. Every series consists of three one-day international matches, which means each team will play a total of 24 ODIs.
Each match will be worth a total of ten points and the winning team will get all the points. In addition, all teams will be awarded 5 points if the tie/match is abandoned. If two or more teams have the same number of points, the net run rate will be used. If still equal, the better-ranked team will be placed higher as per the ICC's ODI rankings on July 1, 2020.
How Bangladesh can secure direct qualification in the World Cup 2023
Bangladesh’s ODI Super League fixture
Bangladesh are a strong one-day international team that can beat any team in the world on any given day. The opponent's capabilities should not be overlooked as every team will give their all in order to qualify for the World Cup 2023.
Home Series
Windies (Jan, 2021) Bangladesh win (3-0)
Sri Lanka (May, 2020)
England (Oct, 2021
Afghanistan (Feb, 2022)
Away Series
Ireland (postponed) to be confirmed
New Zealand (Feb, 2021) New Zealand win (3-0)
Zimbabwe (June, 2021)
South Africa (March, 2022)
Bangladesh’s main focus should be to score 150 points from the ODI super league in order to finish the top eight in the points table. Team tigers’ target should be to win the home series against the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and collect as many points as possible. They also have to secure the away series against Ireland and Zimbabwe.
Read: Mashrafe Mortaza drops a bombshell over his alleged T20 retirement in 2017
Bangladesh will definitely retain their current ODI rankings should they win these five ODI super league series.
Thankfully, Bangladesh already whitewashed the Windies at home and gained 30 valuable points. But team tigers’ failed to collect a point in New Zealand after losing all three matches against the Blackcaps.
Read: Key T20I Records between Bangladesh and New Zealand
Bangladesh will finish inside the top eight in the ODI super league points table if they score at least 100 out of 120 points in the series against Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Afghanistan.
ICC ODI Super League Points Table (As of March 30, 2021)
Position
Team
Pld
W
L
Pts
NRR
1
England
9
4
5
40
0.468
2
Australia
6
4
2
40
0.347
3
New Zealand
3
3
0
30
2.352
4
Afghanistan
3
3
0
30
0.527
5
Bangladesh
6
3
3
30
-0.128
6
West Indies
6
3
3
30
-0.876
7
India (Q)
6
3
3
29
-0.252
8
Pakistan
3
2
1
20
0.741
Source: ESPNCricinfo
Bottom Line
Bangladesh need not be concerned about the ODI Super League's final outcome because they should comfortably finish in the top eight in the points table. Rather, BCB should concentrate on developing a Bangladesh ODI squad in preparation for the World Cup 2023.
Read Top Online Shops to Find Sports Equipment in Bangladesh
Top Table Tennis players in Bangladesh of All Time
There are many big stars in other sports besides cricket and football. They have been shining in their own field silently. Here we will talk about those big stars of a small game, Table Tennis. Usually, Table Tennis players don’t get highlights like other big games. But they are silently representing Bangladesh in international arenas.
We have listed the top Bangladeshi table tennis players of all time. We have considered both retired and current players while making this list.
Zobera Rahman Linu
Zobera Rahman Linu is considered the Queen of table tennis in Bangladesh. She dominated the women’s table tennis section for more than two decades. This athlete has taken herself to a unique height and has spread Bangladesh’s name in the world. Furthermore, Linu won the National Championship 18 times, which led her to the Guinness Book of the World record.
Read How to become a professional table tennis player in Bangladesh: An overall guideline
Linu started her national career at the age of 12 in 1977 and became the national champion. After that, she won the championship 16 times from 1979 to 2011. Besides, she also won table tennis three times in Bangladesh games in 1988, 92, and 96.
Due to her outstanding performance and contribution to table tennis, Zobera Rahman Linu won many awards throughout his career. She holds more than 150 table tennis championship awards from different countries.
Read Memorable Match Winning Knocks in Tests
NCL: Tushar, Zakir continue to shine with bat
Veteran batsman Tushar Imran of Khulna Division, Zakir Hasan of Sylhet Division and Pinak Ghose of Chattogram Division hit First-class centuries on Monday, the day one of the second round of the Bangabandhu National Cricket League (NCL).
It was Zakir’s second century of the season.
Sohag Gazi of Barishal Divison and Mukidul Islam of Rangpur Division bagged six wickets each on Monday as well.
In the first round of the games, Khulna and Dhaka divisions won their first Tier-one games while Dhaka Metro and Chattogram won their Tier-two games.
Also read: Zakir, Nazmul best performers of NCL 1st round
Brief score of day one of NCL second round:
Khulna vs Rangpur:
Khulna 1st innings: 221/10 in 49.2 overs (Tushar 116, Nurul 31, Nahidul 29; Mukidul 6/64, Nobin 2/31, Ariful 2/54)
Rangpur 1st innings: 103/3 in 29 overs (Jahid 32, Tanbir 29*, Nasir 19*; Masum 1/24, Abdul Halim 1/34, Ziaur 1/38)
Also read: NCL: Nasir hits 100, claims 4 wickets
Sylhet vs Dhaka Division:
Sylhet 1st innings: 282/6 in 90 overs (Zakir 159, Jaker 67, Asadullah 24*; Shuvagata 3/56, Sumon 2/48)
Barishal vs Rajshahi Division:
Barishal 1st innings: 82/10 in 29.3 overs (Moin 18, Salman 13, Moinul 12; Sunzamul 4/18, Taijul 4/39, Mohor 2/7)
Rajshahi 1st innings: 151/10 in 48.5 overs (Junaid 43, Taijul 37, Tanzid 36; Sohag 6/65, Monir 1/4)
Also read: NCL opening day: Saif hits 100; Tushar gets run-out on 99
Chattogram vs Dhaka Metro:
Chattogram 1st innings: 281/4 in 88 overs (Pinak 137*, Yasir 49, Shahadat 32*; Arafat 2/66, Abu Haider 1/30)
Bangladesh vs New Zealand ODI Series 2021: Bangladesh Team Report Card
Bangladesh lost the three-match ODI series (3-0) against host New Zealand after losing the third match by a massive 164-run margin on Friday at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. Except for the second match, Bangladesh had shown little intent against the host during the contest. Shakib Al Hasan didn't take part in the series for Bangladesh due to injury and personal reasons. Bangladesh had struggled against the Blackcaps because of his absence, which was understandable. Young players were regarded highly, but we had seen nothing remarkable from them. Here is the Bangladesh team report card at the end of the ODI series.
BAN vs NZ ODI Series 2021: Team Performance Breakdown
Batting/Top orders
Captain Tamim Iqbal was inconsistent in batting
Bangladesh’s top orders failed again in the series. Captain Tamim Iqbal only had a good outing in the do-or-die second ODI. Bangladesh had a real chance to upset New Zealand in the second match thanks to Tamim's 78 runs, but they eventually lost by 5 wickets.
Read: Key T20I Records between Bangladesh and New Zealand
Liton Das was unexciting. In the series, he only scored 40 runs, with his highest score of 21 runs coming in the third ODI. On the other side, Soumya Sarkar contributed 32 runs to an 81-run partnership with skipper Tamim in the second match. Soumya was promoted to no.3 position but he only managed to score 33 runs in three innings.
Batting/Middle-Order
Mohammad Mithun justified his selection for playing XI
Bangladesh's most important middle-order batsman Mushfiqur Rahim had a quiet series. He made some shot selection mistakes, resulting in just 78 runs in three innings. There was a high expectation from Mushfiqur but he was a massive disappointment throughout the series.
Mohammad Mithun was outstanding with the bat in the second ODI. He played an aggressive 73* runs knock and guided Bangladesh to post a challenging total defend and justified his inclusion in the playing XI. While Mahmudullah Riyad did his part with the bat as well. He played a couple of fiery knocks including unbeaten 76* runs in the third match. However, Bangladesh's batting performance in the series was not up to the mark.
Read: Mashrafe Mortaza drops a bombshell over his alleged T20 retirement in 2017
Bowling/Pace
Bangladeshi pacers were expensive in the series
Among the fast bowlers, Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain took the highest 3 wickets. While Taskin Ahmed scalped 2 and Hasan Mahmud took 1 wicket. However, every fast bowler was quite expensive.
The series was quite disappointing for Taskin Ahmed who made a comeback in the last series. Bangladesh fielders dropped at least 6 catches off Taskin's ball. Taskin could have been Bangladesh's most successful bowler if the catches had not been dropped.
Besides, Mohammad Saifuddin was able to slow down the scoring rate a little, but he did not take a wicket in the series.
Read: Shakib's 34th Birthday: 34 achievements to celebrate the no.1 all-rounder
Bowling/Spin
Mahedi Hasan exploited the opportunity with an encouraging bowling display
There was a lot of speculation about who would be in the starting XI between Mehidy Hasan and Mahadi Hasan. Tamim finally put both of them in the XI. Mahadi made the most of the chance. Considering all aspects, he was the most effective Bangladeshi bowler in the contest. Mahadi took two wickets with 4.58 economy rates in the series. He couldn't do much with the bat, though.
On the other hand, Mehidy Hasan Miraz couldn't pick up a wicket but he was the most economical (4.11) Bangladeshi bowler in the series.
Fielding
One of the main reasons Bangladesh conceded so many runs when bowling was poor fielding. They were less productive and displayed no real urge to put in extra effort, as they dropped countless catches. Mushfiqur Rahim's wicket-keeping was also subpar.
Read: Bangladesh vs New Zealand T20 Series 2021: Who can replace Tamim in the opening slot?
Bottom Line
With the exception of two or three players, the Bangladesh team report card shows that none of the other players had satisfactory performances in the series. Bangladesh still remains winless in New Zealand against the Blackcaps, but they should have played much better this series to build confidence for the future. For the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka, team management and selectors should carefully consider the overall performance of Bangladesh players.
Tigers start T20 series vs New Zealand with big defeat
Bangladesh national cricket team continued on losing streak after losing the ODI series 3-0, they lost the three-match T20Is series opener against New Zealand on Sunday by 66 runs.
Devon Conway and Will Young took the game away from the Tigers hitting unbeaten 92 and 53 respectively. Riding on their batting efforts, New Zealand posted 210 for three at the Seddon Park, Hamilton.
In reply, Bangladesh tumbled for 144 for eight in 20 overs and lost the game by 66 runs. Afif Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin and Mohammad Naim offered some resistance, but that wasn’t enough to avoid a big defeat.
Ltion Das failed once again to come up with an effective innings as he fell prey to Tim Southee, the New Zealand captain, for four. After Southee’s initial blow, hosts’ leg-spinner Ish Sodhi bagged four wickets conceding 28 runs in four overs. In the absence of Mushfiqur Rahim, the onus was on Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudullah Riyad to bat well, but they failed to do so.
Also read; New Zealand post 210 in 1st T20I vs Bangladesh
Coming to bat at number six, Afif scored 33-ball 45 with five fours and one six while Saifuddin smashed an unbeaten 34 off 34 deliveries and Naim scored 27 off 18 balls with five fours.
For New Zealand, Sodhi bagged four wickets while Lockie Ferguson took two wickets.
Earlier, New Zealand lost their first wicket to the debutant Nasum Ahmed. In spite of this blow, they posted a big total riding on the second and third wicket stands.
In the second wicket stand, New Zealand added 57 runs with the help of Martin Guptill and Devon Conway, who is on good form for a while now.
Inside the powerplay, New Zealand lost only a wicket. But in the very next over, Mahedi Hasan removed Guptil for 35. In the third wicket stand, Conway and Martin Guptill added 105 runs off 60 balls. They were destructive against the Bangladeshi bowling attack.
Also read: Key T20I Records between Bangladesh and New Zealand
Glenn Phillips hit 24 off 10 balls coming into the crease at number five. With his blazing batting display, New Zealand passed the 200-run mark.
For Bangladesh, Nasum bagged two wickets while Mahedi took one. Shoriful Islam, the other debutant of Bangladesh, had a bad day at the office as he conceded as many as 50 runs in his four overs.
Also read: Bangladesh vs New Zealand T20 Series 2021: Who can replace Tamim in the opening slot?
The remaining matches of this series will take place on March 30 and April 1 at McLean Park, Napier and Eden Park, Auckland respectively.