Cricket
SA vs BAN Series 2022: Joy's Joyful knock is an Inspiration to Bangladeshi Players
The first Test between Bangladesh and South Africa began on Thursday (March 31, 2022) at Kingsmead in Durban. When Tamim Iqbal was dropped from the playing XI for the first Test due to stomach pain, there was a fear that Bangladesh’s batting order would collapse against a well-versed South African bowling attack in the conditions. The concern was justified as most of Bangladesh's batters failed completely in the first innings, except for Mahmudul Hasan Joy. He was there at the crease till the end, playing the anchor role for the team. How Bangladesh players can take inspiration from Joy’s knock to save the first Test of the SA vs BAN series 2022 is discussed in this article.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy's Maiden Test Hundred Highlights
21-year-old Mahmudul Hasan Joy made his Test debut last December against Pakistan. He made 0 and 6 in his first Test match but caught the eye of many after playing a determined 78-run knock against New Zealand in the first Test of 2-match series earlier this January. He stunned everyone by staying five hours at the crease and making 78 runs in 228 balls. His knock laid the foundation of Bangladesh’s first innings and eventually took a commanding lead over New Zealand. Bangladesh went on to win the contest by 8 wickets, and that was arguably the best ever Test win in Bangladesh's history.
Read Pakistan easily beat Australia and clinch ODI series 2-1
Mahmudul Hasan’s 78-run knock can easily take a spot among the greatest Test innings by Bangladesh players. However, within three months, Joy produced his first Test hundred, which can be regarded as even better than the innings he played against New Zealand earlier this January. Mahmudul Hasan Joy opened the innings along with Shadman Islam in the first innings in the ongoing first match of the two-match Test series against South Africa. He stayed at the crease till the end and was the last man to get dismissed.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy played the anchor role for the team and constructed some crucial partnerships in the middle. He found himself in both good and difficult situations while building his innings, but he didn’t lose his concentration. Mahmudul Hasan’s determination was on another level, which can’t be compared to other Bangladesh batters.
Read Bangladesh 298 all out, South Africa lead by 75 in 1st Test
Mahmudul Hasan made 137 runs in 326 balls after spending more than seven hours at the crease. Overall, he hit fifteen boundaries and two sixes in the innings. Mahmudul Hasan formed two vital partnerships: one with Najmul Hossain Shanto for 55 runs for the second wicket, and the other with Litton Das for 82 runs for the sixth wicket.
The level of maturity and responsibility he showed in his innings was really admirable. It was an unbelievable effort by a 21-year-old batter. The rest of Bangladesh's players, especially the batters, should take inspiration from his attitude and focus to thrive in the middle.
With 137 runs, Mahmudul Hasan Joy also became the highest scorer among the Asian openers in South Africa. This was a really special achievement by Mahmudul Hasan.
Read Magnificent Mahmudul hits ton against South Africa
The Top Five Test Knocks in South Africa by Asian Openers
Player
Runs
Mahmudul Hasan Joy (BAN)
137
Taufeeq Umar (PAK)
135
KL Rahul (IND)
123
Saeed Anwar (PAK)
118
Wasim Jaffer (IND)
116
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
First Test Match Scenario of SA vs BAN Series 2022
Batting first, South Africa scored 367 in their first innings. Tamba Bavuma scored the most runs for the Proteas, while pacer Khaled Ahmed took the most wickets for Bangladesh. In reply, Bangladesh were bowled out for 298 in their first innings, 69 runs behind South Africa’s first innings (367) total.
South Africa started their second innings in the final hour of day-3, and they would try to construct a lead in excess of 300 before giving Bangladesh a target to chase. The Bangladesh team has to play with a lot of determination in the fourth innings in order to earn a positive result. Therefore, the last two days of the match would be very interesting to watch.
Read Pakistan level ODI series with 6-wicket win over Australia
Bottom Line
Mahmudul Hasan Joy showed real promise in the first innings. Joy's knock displays that anyone can play long innings on this surface if they can give themselves some time to adapt to the pitch conditions. Joy’s determination was on a different level, and the rest of the Bangladesh players needed to learn how to stay long at the crease in order to play long innings.
The first Test match of the SA vs BAN series 2022 is evenly matched. Both Bangladesh and South Africa have the potential to win the opening match if they play with confidence for the remaining two days and execute their respective game plans properly.
Read Tigers to host Lankan Lions in May for two Tests
Pakistan easily beat Australia and clinch ODI series 2-1
Pakistan romped to a nine-wicket win over depleted Australia in the third one-day international on Saturday and clinched the series 2-1.
Captain Babar Azam made his second successive century in an unbeaten 105 and Imam-ul-Haq continued his dream run of form with an unbeaten 89 as Pakistan cruised to 214-1 in 37.5 overs.
Read: Bangladesh 298 all out, South Africa lead by 75 in 1st Test
Australia, which posted 300-plus scores in the last two ODIs, crashed against Pakistan pace and was all out for 210 in 41.5 overs after Babar won his third consecutive toss and opted to bowl.
Haris Rauf (3-39) and Shaheen Afridi (2-40) jolted the top order with their pace and young fast bowler Mohammad Wasim polished off the lower order to take 3-40.
Bangladesh 298 all out, South Africa lead by 75 in 1st Test
South Africa bowled Bangladesh out for 298 in its first innings despite opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s 137, giving the Proteas a clear lead in the opening test on Saturday.
South Africa took that advantage to 75 runs on the third day by reaching 6-0 in its second innings by stumps, which was forced by bad light and then rain.
South Africa made 367 in its first innings after being put in to bat at Kingsmead in Durban.
Read: Magnificent Mahmudul hits ton against South Africa
Bangladesh was 98-4 overnight in reply and slumped to 101-5 in the third over of the day when nightwatchman Taskin Ahmed fell for 1.
But Mahmudul celebrated his first test century in the afternoon session and eventually hit 15 fours and two sixes before he was the last man out.
He was pivotal to Bangladesh’s score, sharing an 82-run stand with Litton Das (41) for the sixth wicket and then a partnership of 51 with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (29) for the eighth wicket.
Mahmudul cleverly shepherded the tailenders and 197 of Bangladesh’s runs came from the last five wickets.
Read: Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
Debutant Lizaad Williams collected his first test wickets to finish with 3-54 for South Africa. His haul included the wicket of Mahmudul, who was finally beaten when he edged to Simon Harmer at slip to end the Bangladesh innings.
Despite Mahmudul’s knock, South Africa had clear control of the match by way of a 69-run first-innings lead.
South Africa openers Dean Elgar (3 not out) and Sarel Erwee (3 not out) extended that lead by six runs and avoided any late blows as the light faded in Durban.
Magnificent Mahmudul hits ton against South Africa
Mahmudul Hasan Joy hit his maiden Test ton on Saturday against South Africa in the ongoing Test in Durban.
Mahmudul completed the magical three-figure off 269 deliveries. And along the way, he became the first Bangladeshi to hit a Test ton against South Africa, and that is in South Africa. It was also Mahmudul’s first Test against South Africa.
During the 97th over of Bangladesh’s first innings, Mahmudul cut Keshav Maharaj to the deep backward point region and ran for a couple which brought up his hundred.
At the end of day two, Mahmudul was unbeaten for 44.
Along the way to smashing his first hundred for Bangladesh, Mahmudul hit 10 fours and one six.
Read: Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
While replying to South Africa’s first innings total of 367, Bangladesh lost opener Shadman Islam quickly for just nine runs. In the absence of Tamim Iqbal, it was Shadman’s onus to guide the innings early. But he failed to do so.
On the second wicket, Mahmudul and Najmul Hossain were going well but Najmul failed to carry on. After him, Mominul Haque suffered a duck and Mushfiqur Rahim was also dismissed quickly.
Mahmudul, however, was firm at the other end of the wicket. The gritty batter kept his wicket safe and scoreboard afloat.
Liton Das partnered Mahmudul in an 82-run stand for the sixth wicket. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter looked confident and comfortable at the wicket. But suddenly he lost his concentration and lost his wicket to Lizaad Williams.
After Liton’s dismissal, Yasir Ali trapped run-out for 22 off 37 balls. Mehidy Hasan Miraz joined Mahmudul in the eighth wicket stand.
Read: Tigers to host Lankan Lions in May for two Tests
Earlier, Simon Harmer, the left-arm spinner, bagged four wickets for the hosts and put immense pressure on Bangladesh.
At the end of 106 overs of Bangladesh’s innings, the visitors are trailing by 111 runs with only three wickets in hand.
Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
Left-arm spinner Simon Harmer grabbed four top-order Bangladesh wickets to put South Africa in dominance on the second day of the first Test in Durban.
Bangladesh ended day two at 98 for four wickets in their first innings with opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy unbeaten on 44, along with nightwatchman Taskin Ahmed yet to open his account.
The visitors are trailing by 269 runs with six wickets in hand after bowling the hosts out for 367 in the first innings.
After a cautious start, Bangladesh lost three quick wickets in the last session of day two.
Simon Harmer, the left-arm spinner bagged four wickets conceding 42 runs in 20 overs.
Bangladesh scored 25 in the first wicket stand. After Shadman Islam fell for 9, Mahmudul and Najmul Hossain added 55 runs on the board.
From 80 for one wicket Bangladesh suffered a mini-collapse when they lost three wickets to reach 94 runs.
Najmul scored 38, Mominul Haque suffered a duck and Mushfiuqr Rahim added 7 only.
Earlier, Khaled Ahmed took four wickets for 92 to help Bangladesh restrict South Africa to 367 runs.
Read: Pakistan level ODI series with 6-wicket win over Australia
This was also the best bowling by any Bangladeshi pacer on the soil of South Africa. He surpassed Subashis Roy’s 3/118 in 2017.
South Africa began the second day with 233 for four. They added 134 runs more in their first innings losing the remaining wickets.
Khaled bagged the first two wickets of the second day removing wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder. While Verreynne posted 28 off 81 balls, Mulder suffered a duck.
Temba Bavuma, however, was firm at the other end of the wicket until Mehidy Hasan removed him for 93 off 190 deliveries.
In the last two partnerships, South Africa added 69 runs that helped them pass the 350-run mark.
Simon Harmer, the all-rounder, remained unbeaten for 38 off 73 balls.
Right-arm spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz scalped three wickets for Bangladesh while Ebadot Hossain bagged two.
Bangladesh are missing the services of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in this match. While Shakib is out of the team due to family reasons, Tamim missed this Test due to illness.
Pakistan level ODI series with 6-wicket win over Australia
Captain Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq smashed powerful centuries Thursday as Pakistan leveled the three-match series against a depleted Australia with its biggest ever successful run-chase in an ODI.
Babar made a blistering 114 off 83 balls and Imam scored 106 as Pakistan marched to 349-4 with an over to spare for a six-wicket win.
Australia had earlier made another imposing total of 348-8 after Babar won the toss and elected to field for the second game in a row. Ben McDermott’s (104) maiden test hundred formed the cornerstone of Australia’s strong total.
Khushdil Shah scored an unbeaten 27 off 17 balls and Iftikhar Ahmed (8 not out) raised Pakistan’s memorable victory with six balls to spare after Babar and Imam had dominated an inexperienced Australian bowling attack.
Travis Head (89) missed out on his second successive century while Marnus Labuschagne (59) and Marcus Stoinis (49) also played cameos to set up another challenging total for Pakistan after Australia had defended 313-7 in the first game of the three-match series.
The emphatic win broke Pakistan’s 10-match losing streak against Australia, which is missing several leading players and only had 13 fit players to chose from after the white-ball squad in Lahore was hit by COVID-19.
The imposing Pakistan chase eclipsed its previous highest successful chase in the 50-over format when it made 329-7 to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in an Asia Cup game at Mirpur in 2014.
Two days ago Imam’s century went in vain when Australia recorded an emphatic 88-run, but the left-handed opening batter ensured Pakistan did not slip up for the second successive time by featuring in two solid century partnerships.
Imam laid a rollicking platform of 118 runs with Fakhar Zaman, who made 67 before Fakhar was undone by Stoinis’ slower delivery and was clean bowled in the 19th over.
Australia’s understrength bowling attack cracked up against the brilliant strokeplay of Babar, who dominated the twin spin threat of Adam Zampa and Mitchell Swepson with flurry of boundaries on both sides of the wickets.
Imam, who also scored a century in each innings against Australia in the first test earlier this month, batted resolutely and hit six fours and three sixes before he perished in the 35th over when he holed out at long-on off Zampa.
But Babar, who was criticized for his slow strike rate in the first game, took charge against the spinners and inexperienced fast bowlers as he raised his century off just 71 balls.
Babar departed in the 45th over with Pakistan needing 40 for victory when he was smartly caught at mid-wicket by Labuschagne in Ellis’ return spell before Khushdil kept his cool and carried Pakistan home with two sixes and two fours.
Earlier, McDermott, who scored his maiden ODI half century in Australia’s 88-run win on Tuesday, added 162 runs for the second-wicket stand with Head after captain Aaron Finch was out plumb leg before wicket off the first ball he faced from Shaheen Afridi.
McDermott reached his half century with a straight six off spinner Iftikhar and raised his century with an identical shot against left-arm spinner Khushdil.
McDermott hit 10 fours and four sixes before he missed a full toss from Mohammad Wasim and holed out to mid-wicket but Stoinis provided a late flourish with his breezy knock off 33 balls.
Afridi, who returned after missing the first game due to a knee injury, picked up three late wickets to finish with 4-63, but it was the Pakistan spinners who struggled against Australia’s top-order batters.
Iftikhar and Khushdil leaked 95 runs off their combined 10 overs while Zahid Mahmood went for 71 off his 10 overs for the sole wicket of Head, who top-edged a sweep against the leg-spinner.
The third and final ODI will be played on Saturday before Australia round off its tour to Pakistan with a one-off Twenty20 next Tuesday.
Tigers to host Lankan Lions in May for two Tests
Sri Lanka will visit Bangladesh in May this year for a two-match Test series, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said Thursday.
The series is part of the ICC Test Championship 2021-23
The first Test of the series will be played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on May 15, and the second Test at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on May 23.
Read: Elgar, Bavuma hit fifties as South Africa post 233/4 on day 1
Before the series, Sri Lanka will play a two-day practice match at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram on May 11 and 12.
Bangladesh national team is now touring South Africa for a three-match ODI and two-match Test series.
The Tigers finished their ODI campaign with a historic series win. The Test series began Thursday at Durban.
Elgar, Bavuma hit fifties as South Africa post 233/4 on day 1
South African captain Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma hit a fifty each on day one of the Durban Test against Bangladesh on Thursday.
At stumps, the hosts cruised to 233 losing four wickets with Bavuma remaining unbeaten for 53.
Bangladesh have won the toss and opted to bowl first. They failed to impress with the ball in the first session of the day.
The hosts took advantage of the poor bowling display by the visitors.
In the second session, Bangladesh managed to take three wickets and it was the best session for the visitors so far.
In the first wicket stand, Elgar and Sarel Erwee added 113 runs. Right-arm pacer Khaled Ahmed broke the stand taking the wicket of Elgar during the 33 over.
Read: Bangladesh bowl first against South Africa in first Test
The other two wickets were taken by Ebadot Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The hosts lost a wicket trapped in a run-out by a good effort from Mehidy.
The play of the first day was called off early due to the bad light on the ground. The match was also delayed to start due to a malfunction at the sightscreen.
Ahead of this series, Bangladesh faced South Africa in 12 matches and failed to win any of them. But in this tour of South Africa, Bangladesh already won the ODI series, and they are charged up to do something memorable in the Test series too.
But the Tigers are not getting the service of two of their mainstays— Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. While Shakib is out for some personal reason, Tamim failed to make it to the playing XI due to stomachache.
The second Test of the series will take place at Port Elizabeth on April 8.
ICC Women’s World Cup 2022: Australia to Face England in the Final
Both Australia and England combined have won ten out of eleven World Cups since the beginning of the competition in 1973. This stat clearly indicates how dominating these two teams were in the World Cup event. Their dominance in the history of the tournament has continued in the twelfth edition of the tournament as Australia will face England in the championship match. Only New Zealand have won a World Cup other than these two in the year 2000. Let's take a look at how Australia and England have qualified for the 2022 ICC Women's World Cup final.
2022 Women’s World Cup: Australia’s Road to Final
The Australian Women’s team has taken part in the tournament as a hot favourite and they have performed like a real winner. Australia are the only team that has remained undefeated in the tournament. They have won eight matches on the trot, including the semifinal clash against the West Indian Women’s team. Here are the results of Australia's women’s team so far.
Australia vs England
Australia started the campaign with a 12-run win over arch-rivals England. England failed to reach Australia’s 311-run target as they finished the innings on 298/8. Rachael Haynes won the player of the match for her 130-run knock.
Also Read: PAK vs AUS Series 2022: Australia Eye Third Spot in ICC CWC Super league
Pakistan vs Australia
Australia comprehensively beat Pakistan by 7 wickets in their second match. Batting first, Pakistan made 190/6 in their allotted 50 overs. Australia chased down the target with 92 balls to spare for the loss of 3 wickets.
Australia vs New Zealand
New Zealand suffered a heavy defeat in front of their home crowds against Australia. Australia made 269/8 and, in reply, New Zealand were bowled out for only 128 in 30.2 overs. Australia sealed their third consecutive victory by 141 runs.
West Indies vs Australia
Australia didn’t have to work hard to beat the West Indies, as batting first, the Caribbean side was bowled out for only 131 runs. The Australian women’s team chased down the total in 30.2 overs for the loss of 3 wickets and won the match by 7 wickets.
Also Read: SA vs BAN Series 2022: Bangladesh Aim Unprecedented Feat on South African Territory
India vs Australia
There was a lot of buzz prior to this contest, as India were hoping to end Australia’s winning momentum. The Indian side put up a great battle against Australia to defend their 277 runs. But Australia sealed the match by 6 wickets with 3 balls to spare. Meg Lanning won the player of the match for her crucial 97-run knock.
South Africa vs Australia
South Africa also fought hard against Australia but couldn't stop their winning run. Australia comfortably chased down South Africa’s 271 runs in 45.2 overs for the loss of five wickets.
Bangladesh vs Australia
Australia finished their group stage fixtures with a 5-wicket victory. Australia struggled a bit to chase down Bangladesh’s 135 runs. They had to lose five wickets to reach the winning target.
Read ICC ODI Rankings 2022: Bangladesh Surpass Pakistan to Grab the Sixth Position
Australia vs West Indies (Semi-final)
After a dominating show in the group stage, Australia's women’s team were favourites against West Indies in the first semi-final match in Wellington. A good contest was expected from the fixture, but Australia were ruthless and completely outplayed the West Indies.
Batting first, Australia's women’s team made 305/3 and, in reply, the Caribbean women’s team were bowled out for only 148 runs. Australia clinched the match by 157 runs and secured a place in the final. The experienced Alyssa Healy made 129 runs and won the player of the match award.
Probable playing XI (final against England)
Top Order: Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy (Wicket-Keeper), Ashleigh Gardner, Middle-Orders: Meg Lanning (Captain), Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, Darcie Brown, Lower-Order: Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt.
Read Top Performers of Bangladesh in the ICC Women's World Cup 2022
Women’s World Cup 2022: England’s Road to Final
England were one of the favourites, but they had a pretty rocky start to the tournament. The English women lost three consecutive matches before registering four straight victories in the group stage to earn a place in the semifinals. Besides, they overcame South Africa in the second semifinal to earn a place in the championship match. Here are the results of England's women’s team so far.
England vs Australia
England’s World Cup campaign started with a 12-run loss to Australia. England finished their innings on 298/8 in the chase of Australia’s 310 runs.
West Indies vs England
England were favourites against the Caribbean side, but they couldn't chase down the West Indies women’s 225 runs. England were bowled out for 218 and lost the match by 7 runs.
Read SA vs BAN Test Series 2022: Five Bangladeshi players with High Potency
England vs South Africa
In the group stage, South Africa were the second-most successful team after Australia. The South African side as a team played superb cricket in the group stage fixtures. England suffered a 3-wicket defeat to South Africa after failing to defend 235 runs.
India vs England
It was a crucial match for both sides in order to stay alive in the tournament. England eventually came out as the winner. England chased down India’s 134 for the loss of six wickets.
New Zealand vs England
England have gained momentum after defeating India in their fourth match of the group stage. England won their second match in a row after clinching the encounter against New Zealand. However, the English team had to battle hard to overcome the Kiwis, eventually winning by one wicket.
Read ICC Women’s World Cup: Bangladesh end campaign with heaviest defeat against England
Pakistan vs England
England registered a dominating 9-wicket victory over Pakistan. They chased down Pakistan’s 105 runs in 19.2 overs for the loss of one wicket.
England vs Bangladesh
Bangladesh were beaten by England by 100 runs in their final World Cup encounter. England scored 234/6 in 50 overs. Bangladesh were dismissed for 134 runs in 48 overs.
England vs South Africa (Semi-final)
The South African campaign was hopeful that they could beat the English side after some brilliant performances in the group stage. But South Africa’s performance in the second semi-final match against England were very lacklustre. England made 293/8 in their allotted 50 overs and successfully defended the total by bowling South Africa out for 156 runs. England went on to win the contest by 137 runs and seal a place in the Women’s World Cup 2022 final.
Read SA vs BAN Test Series 2022: Ten Expected Milestones for Bangladesh Players
Probable playing XI (final against Australia)
Top Order: Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Heather Knight (captain), Middle-Orders: Nat Sciver, Amy Jones (Wicket-Keeper), Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Lower-Order: Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Anya Shrubsole
Verdict
The Australian women’s team’s road to the final was pretty smooth in comparison to England’s women’s team. Australia have dominated the tournament with commanding performances, while England had to wait till the last group stage fixtures to confirm their participation in the final. However, no team is a favourite in the championship match. The team that executes their game plan properly has a greater chance of winning the ICC Women's World Cup trophy 2022. The final match of the 12th edition of the Women's World Cup will be staged at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Sunday (April 3). The Australia vs England match will start at 7 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).
Also Read: Bangladesh bowl first against South Africa in first Test
Bangladesh bowl first against South Africa in first Test
Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque won the toss and opted to bowl first in the first Test of the two-match series against South Africa in Durban.
Tamim Iqbal is missing this match due to stomach problem, team physio Bayezedul Islam has said.
Read:Tigers look to continue the winning streak against South Africa
Ahead of this series, Bangladesh and South Africa played 12 Tests against each other. Bangladesh failed to win any of those games.
Bangladesh are charged up with their recent ODI series win against South Africa. Taskin Ahmed did tremendously well in that series. The right-arm pacer is expected to lead the Bangladesh pace battery in the Test series as well.
Bangladesh are going to miss the service of Shakib Al Hasan. The allrounder returned home after the ODI series in South Africa to stay with the ailing members of his family.
While Bangladesh are without Shakib, South Africa are without some of their key players who preferred IPL over the Test series against Bangladesh.
Read:SA vs BAN Series 2022: Bangladesh Aim Unprecedented Feat on South African Territory
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque (c), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das (w), Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain
South Africa (Playing XI): Dean Elgar (c), Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Temba Bavuma, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne (w), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, Lizaad Williams, Duanne Olivier