Sports
World Archery: Ruman Shana eliminated from recurve singles
Bangladesh's celebrated archer Mohammad Ruman Shana's journey in the Archery World Cup stage-two ended Wednesday with his loss to the USA's Brady Ellison in round-16 of the men's recurve individual event in Switzerland's Lausanne.
Shana lost to Ellison by 2-6 set points after eliminating Estonia's Mart Oonna by 6-0 set points in round-24.
Also, Bangladeshi female archers Diya Siddiqui and Beauty Roy were eliminated from recurve women's singles in round-24.
In the compound men's singles event, archer Asim Kumar Das lost to Iran's Kowsar Seyed Hesameddin by 134-136 points.
On Tuesday, Bangladesh recurve men's team – comprising of Ruman Shana, Ram Krishna Saha and Tamimul Islam – advanced to round-8 where they will play against Spain.
UEFA Euro 2020: All you need to know
The month-long UEFA Euro 2020 tournament will take place in various parts of Europe from June 11 to July 11. The Union of European Football Associations is hosting the 16th UEFA European Championship. The European Championship is regarded as the most important football competition after FIFA World Cup. So there is an added interest among the fans for this tournament. Portugal are the defending champion. The video assistant referee system will be used in this edition of the European Championship. There is a curiosity about this year's tournament, so all you need to know about Euro 2020 is discussed in this article.
Why has UEFA Euro 2020 been delayed for a year?
UEFA was concerned about the safety of players and personnel as traveling all the host cities would have been risky amid the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020. The UEFA reported in early March that they were optimistic in their ability to cope with the crisis and that they were in touch with the World Health Organization to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection.
Read: International Athletes show solidarity with the Palestinians
However, numerous domestic and UEFA competitions had begun to be postponed because of the impact of covid-19. Big European leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 had been suspended by mid-March. UEFA held a videoconference with representatives from its affiliates in March 2020 to discuss the effect of the epidemic on football tournaments, including Euro 2020. Following that meeting, UEFA announced that the tournament will be postponed until next year.
Who will host Euro 2020?
The European Championships will take place in 11 cities across Europe for the first time. The tournament will take place between mid-June and mid-July.
The cities that will be hosting the tournament are London (England), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Baku (Azerbaijan), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Copenhagen (Denmark), Glasgow (Scotland), and Seville (Spain).
The stadiums where the matches will take place are as follows:
Wembley Stadium: 7 matches including semifinals and the championship match
Saint Petersburg Stadium: 7 matches
Baku Olympic Stadium: 4 matches
Football Arena Munich: 4 matches
Olimpico in Rome: 4 matches
Johan Cruijff Arena: 4 matches
National Arena Bucharest: 4 matches
Puskás Aréna: 4 matches
Parken Stadium: 4 matches
Hampden Park: 4 matches
Stadium La Cartuja Sevilla: 4 matches
Read: Greatest Football XI: Best Brazil Team of All Time
Who will play who in the group stage?
The format of the tournament is that the best two teams from six groups will reach the last 16 and the top four third-place finishers from all groups will also ensure the round of 16.
Let's take a look at the groups at a glance
Group A
Group C
Group E
Italy
Austria
Poland
Wales
Ukraine
Sweden
Turkey
North Macedonia
Spain
Switzerland
Netherlands
Slovakia
Group B
Group D
Group F
Russia
Croatia
Portugal
Denmark
England
France
Finland
Czech Republic
Germany
Belgium
Scotland
Hungary
UEFA Euro Prize Money 2020
At least 9.25 million euros will be awarded to each team competing in Euro 2021. In addition, for any win in the group stage, teams will receive 1.5 million Euros, and for a draw, they will receive 7, 50,000 Euros.
Teams will be awarded 2 million Euros if they progress to the last 16; 3.25 million Euros if they advance to the quarterfinals and 5 million Euros if they qualify to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the runner-up will receive 7 million euros and the champion team will get 10 million euros.
Read: Best Argentina Football XI of All Time
Bottom Line
The above discussion covers all you need to know about Euro 2020. The European Championship will finally be held after overcoming all the obstacles amidst the novel coronavirus. The positive news is that the spectators will be allowed to enter the stadium to see all the matches of this tournament, but that will be limited. The tournament committee is determined to follow health and safety guidelines in order to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection. Hopefully, the best team will win this year's event.
Bangladeshi archers leave for Switzerland to compete in World Archery
An 11-member Bangladesh Archery team left Dhaka for Switzerland Sunday morning to participate in the World Archery Championships.
The global event will take place between May 17-23 in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
Also read: Heralding a new era in Bangladesh Archery
Bangladeshi archers will compete in stage-2 of six events – men's recurve individual and team, women's recurve individual and team, recurve mixed team and men's compound individual.
The Bangladesh team includes head coach Martin Frederick, coach Ziaul Haque; Ruman Shana, Ram Krishna Saha, Hakim Ahmed Rubel, Tamimul Islam, Ashim Kumar Das, Beauty Roy, Diya Siddiqui and Mehnaj Akhter Monira.
Also read: National archery: Ruman Shana finishes with bronze consolation
Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapol, general secretary of Bangladesh Archery Federation, also accompanied the team as a delegate.
Bangladesh's Predicted XI: If ODI and Test Teams Played on the Same Day
Cricket resumed at the end of last year after a notable number of international cricket series were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak in March 2020. However, we missed some FTP fixtures due to the pandemic. Cricketers are now not getting enough rest while playing the international series. In light of this, the BCCI has confirmed that India will play two international series at the same time in July and August. What would the XIs be if Bangladesh's ODI and Test Teams Played on the Same Day? We form two separate Bangladesh national teams for Test and ODI format in this article.
ICC's initiatives to resume cricket
Bringing cricket back to the field was the biggest challenge for the international cricket council. Initially, ICC’s medical board handed over a guideline manual to the cricket boards across the world, and the cricket committee had taken some important decisions to create a bio-secure environment for the players.
Read: Ban vs SL 2021: How Bangladesh can clinch the ODI series against Sri Lanka
Following their advice, Cricket boards across the world are now organized international series by encapsulating the players in a bio-secure bubble. However, spectators are not permitted to come into the stadium for the time being in order to maintain social distance.
Is playing two international series simultaneously realistic?
It was predicted that ICC will face difficulty organizing the suspended matches when the situation gets normal. That prediction came true as we saw ICC had to cancel a notable number of international series due to the complexity of the schedule. Many think that two international series can be played simultaneously to solve this problem. But is it possible to make two squads for teams other than Australia, England, New Zealand, and India?
The Indian Cricket Board has already confirmed that two separate teams will be announced for the July and August tours to England and Sri Lanka. Both teams will be representing India simultaneously. In July, the Indian white-ball team will face Sri Lanka for ODI and T20I series, while Virat Kohli will lead the Indian red-ball team in a five-match Test series against England in July-August. India has shown that two separate international teams can be formed.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka ODI series 2021: Expected personal milestones to Reach
Is BCB ready to accept two separate teams for Test and ODI?
If a circumstance like this appears in the near future, is BCB ready to develop entirely independent Test and ODI teams? The Cricket Board has a lot of very good players, but the reality is, BCB is not ready to accept the formation of two separate national cricket teams for Bangladesh at this moment.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board officials previously told the media that they are exploring the option of forming separate teams for each format, but little has been done other than the selection of different captains for each format. The pandemic coronavirus has taught us that we must be ready for any situation that arises.
Senior players are picked for Test cricket because the longer version format requires a test of maturity and patience. Mominul Haque is our choice to lead the Bangladesh Test side. On the other hand, Bangladesh thrives in limited-over cricket. However, we put an emphasis on selecting young cricketers for the One-Day International format. We believe they can provide the team with a lot of energy and variety. We pick veteran Mahmudullah Riyad to lead the Bangladesh ODI team.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series 2021: ODI Ranking Prediction
Bangladesh Test XI:
Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam
Bangladesh ODI XI:
Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahadi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain
Bottom Line
Several international and domestic cricket series were deferred last year in the wake of the pandemic coronavirus. By the end of 2020, all kinds of cricket-related activities resumed cricket and we've had a good amount of international series in the last six months. BCB has now realized that they should be prepared for any circumstance. Then all kinds of problems will be easy to solve. If Bangladesh's ODI and Test Teams Played on the Same Day, the cricket board would have no trouble forming separate squads if they developed players for each format.
Read: Who will host the T20 World Cup and the rest of IPL 2021?
BPL Football: Arambagh KS pull off biggest upset outplaying Sheikh Jamal DC 3-1
Bottom-ranked Arambagh KS pulled off the biggest upset in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football, outplaying former champion Sheikh Jamal DC by 3-1 goals at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Tuesday.
Despite the victory, Arambagh KS remained at the bottom of the 13-team league securing five points from 16 matches.
Also read: BPL Football: Baridhara taste 2nd victory crushing Brothers 3-0
In the match, Arambagh KS not only tasted the first victory in the league but also took revenge of their embarrassing 6-0 goals defeat against Sheikh Jamal in the first phase league.
With the day's maiden defeat in their 15 league match, Sheikh Jamal DC went to third place in the league table after Bashundhara Kings (43 points) and Dhaka Abahani Ltd (32) with their previous credit of 32 points from 15 encounters.
Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan move to 4th spot beating Sheikh Russel 1-0
In Tuesday’s match, both sides had scored a goal in the first half.
Gambian forward Omar Jobe put Sheikh Jamal ahead in the 15th minute (1-0) while Uzbek striker Islomjon Abdukadyrov restored the parity for Arambagh KS in the stoppage time (45+1) of the first half (1-1).
Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan move to 5th spot beating Saif 2-1
Midfielder Omar Faruq and local forward Nihat Zaman Ucchash scored two quick goals for Arambagh KS in the span of only three minutes (54th and 57th) to seal the fate of the match much to the frustration of three-time champion Sheikh Jamal.
Ban vs SL 2021: How Bangladesh can clinch the ODI series against Sri Lanka
Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman will play in the ODI series against Sri Lanka that means a full-strength Bangladesh team will play in the upcoming 3-match ODI series, which will not be pleasant for the opponents. Because Sri Lanka lags behind Bangladesh in terms of strength in limited-overs cricket. In addition, Bangladesh are a difficult opponent in their own backyard. However, Sri Lanka are gaining confidence as a couple of senior players will make a comeback to the squad. Overall, cricket fans are waiting for a thrilling contest. This article discusses how Bangladesh can clinch the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Here are five things Bangladesh need to do to win the series against Sri Lanka
The 3 matches ODI series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will start later this month. The first match will be held on May 23 at the SBNCS, Mirpur and the rest of the matches will take place at the same venue on May 25 and May 28 respectively.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka ODI series 2021: Expected personal milestones to Reach
Veteran Tamim Iqbal's visionary captaincy
Tamim Iqbal is still learning the ropes as a leader. He needs more time in order to mature as a captain. Tamim should not be afraid to make critical decisions when needed. Tamim Iqbal is a reserved person, but he needs to be more constructive if he is to lead the team. He must inspire the bowlers and extend his decision-making, especially when fielding. The captain's personality may have an impact on the team's performance. That's why the emphasis should be on his efforts that motivate the team to succeed. Tamim Iqbal will advance one step further in his captaincy if Bangladesh win the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Making an effective plan for each match
Having a proper game plan and using an effective strategy is important in ODI cricket. To succeed in the limited-overs format, you must first understand the opponent's weaknesses before putting together the best playing 11 for the contest. Bangladesh have a very strong spin attack and Sri Lankan spinners are equally good as well. In that situation, the tigers' team management must formulate a coherent strategy to defeat the Lankans. Bangladeshi pacers have lately performed better than spinners, which is great news for the team tigers'. They now have a lot of options for pace bowling. It is possible to do well in the ODI series against Sri Lanka if the strategy is properly implemented. In this case, the commitment of the players is important, and the team manager must assume responsibility.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series 2021: ODI Ranking Prediction
Forming big partnerships for a winnable total
After scoring a half-century, Bangladeshi batsmen usually lose focus. It is extremely disappointing that cricketers have yet to develop the mentality of playing long innings. Big partnerships will be vital if Bangladesh want to whitewash Sri Lanka for the first time. Players should not be content with just a fifty. They must concentrate on making a score of a hundred or even a hundred and fifty. If Bangladesh bat first, they should aim to score high. The opposition team will be under pressure if Bangladesh post a huge total to defend. Batsmen must improve their fighting instinct, particularly when they are under extreme pressure. Then we can expect positive outcomes from the match.
Focus on getting all the wickets of the opponent
A team must be capable of taking all ten wickets to win ODIs on a regular basis. Thankfully, Bangladesh are now one of the toughest one-day international sides in the world, with enough quality bowlers to threaten any batting line-up. Spinners typically have the advantage on subcontinent pitches. Therefore, the Bangladeshi spinners must bear most of the responsibility in the series against Sri Lanka. Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, and Mahadi Hasan all can put the Lankan batters under a lot of pressure. Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, and Taskin Ahmed are all capable pacers who can put the Lankan batsmen on the back foot. Therefore, picking up all ten wickets would not be a difficult task if Bangladesh bowlers play to their full ability.
Minimize fielding errors
Bangladesh's fielders have been underwhelming since resuming international cricket in January. Players are now making a lot of errors in ground fielding, they are dropping catches, and sometimes appearing uninterested at times. All of these are worrying matters, particularly when playing international cricket. At any level of cricket, players must keep their attention on fielding. They must always be proactive on the ground because one massive mistake could cost them the match.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Key ODI Records
Bottom Line
Bangladesh are now one of the strong ODI teams in the world. Bangladesh have been doing well in the limited-overs home series as well as in major ICC events. Every match is very important as the series against the Lankans is part of the ICC ODI World Cup Super League. Not just Bangladesh can clinch the ODI series against Sri Lanka, they will even try to whitewash the Lankans as each match is worth ten points. So, we can expect every match will be exciting.
BPL Football: Mohammedan move to 4th spot beating Sheikh Russel 1-0
Dhaka Mohammedan advanced to the fourth spot in the points table of 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football after beating former champions Sheikh Russel 1-0 Saturday.
Burkina Faso defender Mounzir Coulidiati scored the match-winning goal for Mohammedan at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the 37th minute of the match with a brilliant header off a corner of Habibur Rahman Shohag (1-0).
Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan move to 5th spot beating Saif 2-1
This was the third straight victory for Mohammedan in the second phase of the league, followed by their victory against Arambagh and Saif.
Mohammedan, which advanced to fifth place beating Saif in the last match, today moved one step ahead, pushing Sheikh Russel to fifth place.
Also read: BPL Football: Bashundhara Kings beat Police FC
Meanwhile, Bashundhara Kings (43 points), Dhaka Abahani (32) and Sheikh Jamal (32) have occupied the top three spots in the league points table.
Saifuddin eager to exploit home advantage
Bangladesh allrounder Mohammad Saifuddin has said that he is looking forward to doing well in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting from May 23 in Dhaka.
Bangladesh’s last ODI series was in New Zealand against the hosts where they lost 3-0. They failed to pose any challenge to the Kiwis. But Saifuddin believes they can overcome that failure at home.
“It was very disappointing to lose all the games in New Zealand. We failed to play according to our ability,” Saifuddin told the media on Friday during a training session at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium ahead of the series.
Also read: Bangladesh-Sri Lanka ODI series: Tigers start practising
“Now we are set to play a series against Sri Lanka at home. I hope we can do better in this series. We have been working very hard during Ramadan, and many of us are fasting as well. We lost a Test series against them recently, so it’s a good chance to do well against them in ODIs. And at the same time, there are World Cup Super League points to grab from this series. So we have to do well,” Saifuddin added.
Bangladesh are currently placed at number six at the World Cup Super League points table with six wins and as many as defeats from six games. The top seven teams of this event will qualify to the World Cup 2023 with the hosts India.
Also read: Saifuddin eying a spot in Test team
“The first ten overs are crucial to set a good foundation. So if we want to do well against the islanders, we have to take some quick wickets when we bowl first and we have to bat well when we bat first. We failed to do this in New Zealand. Now we are going to play at the familiar wicket and condition, so we have a good chance to do well,” Saifuddin added.
The 24-year-old allrounder played a total of 24 ODIs so far and bagged 34 wickets with the best of taking four conceding 41 runs and amassed 302 runs with two fifties. The allrounder played only two ODIs against Sri Lanka and failed to shine as he scored only 14 runs in two scalped a wicket.
BPL Football: Belfort nets hat-trick as Abahani crush Rahmatganj 6-0
A brilliant hat-trick by Haitian forward Kervens Belfort inspired Dhaka Abahani to a 6-0 win against Rahmatganj in the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football Friday.
Abahani, which split points with Police FC in a 2-2 draw in the second phase opener and outplayed Brothers Union 5-2 in the next match, moved to the second spot in the points table with the result.
In the day's one-sided affair at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, six-time champions Abahani took lead in the 27th minute when Rahmatganj's Tajik defender Khurshed Beknazaov sent the ball to his net while trying to turn down a shot at the goal.
Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan SC make good start beating Arambagh KS 2-1
Abahani's Haitian forward Kervens Belfort scored the first hat-trick in the second phase of the game, netting three goals in the 37th, 43rd and 62nd minutes.
Local defender Mamun Miya and Afghan defender Masih Saighani scored two more goals for Abahani in the 65th and 85th minutes.
Dhaka Abahani and Sheikh Jamal have so far secured 32 points each from 15 and 14 matches, but Abahani have advanced to the second slot with a better goal difference, pushing Sheikh Jamal to the third spot.
Also read: BPL Football: Bashundhara crush Baridhara 6-0
Rahmatganj now remains in the eighth slot with 14 points from 15 matches.
Star-studded Bashundhara Kings have already dominated the league table comfortably with an unbeaten record, securing 40 points from 14 matches.
Soumya eyes home series win against Lankans
Bangladesh left-handed top-order batsman Soumya Sarkar has said that he is not bothered much about what has happened in the New Zealand tour earlier this year, he rather is looking forward to winning the home series against Sri Lanka later in May.
Bangladesh national team is currently gearing up for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting from May 23. Soumya missed the two-match Test series against the same opponent which was played recently.
“We have been working hard to forget what we have done in New Zealand. We are looking forward to doing well in the home series against Sri Lanka,” Soumya told the reporters on Wednesday.
“Every series is important for us. We are hopeful of keeping the title of the home series at the home and we will come up with a good brand of cricket,” he added.
Bangladesh played the last ODI series in New Zealand. The hosts won the series 3-0. Bangladesh failed to pose any strong challenge in that series. During that contest, Bangladesh missed the service of the ace allrounder Shakib Al Hasan who was on leave. But he is set to join the team in this home series.
“It’s a big thing that we will get the service of Shakib back,” Soumya added. “And we will also have the service of Mustafizur (Rahman) who was playing well in IPL. They are set to make a comeback together. I hope they will complete the series well.”
The Tigers played a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2019 in Sri Lanka which the hosts won 3-0. Soumya believes if Bangladesh can play according to their ability, the series would be an exciting one.
“When we take the field we eye to win. In this series, we will go match by match. At first, we have to win the opening game, then we will try to win the second one,” Soumya added.
Soumya played 61 ODIs till the date but failed to cement his place in the national team. He scored 1768 runs in an average of 32.14 with two centuries and 11 fifties. He also bagged 11 wickets with the best of 3 for 56.