Dhaka, Feb 28 (UNB) — Visiting Tigers failed to post a handsome total on the scoreboard despite Timam Iqbal’s fine century in the first innings of the first Test of three-match series against New Zealand at Hamilton on Thursday.

Bangladesh was bowled out for 234/10 in 59.2 overs where Tamim struck 126 off 128 but the others batsmen managed only 108 runs. They have lost the last nine wickets in 122 runs.

The wicket of Hamilton looked slightly better for the batsmen but Bangladesh disappointed to take advantage of the wicket. Despite not having much help from the wicket, left-arm Kiwi pacer Neil Wagner registered a five-wicket haul. Most of his wickets were notched by short deliveries and Bangladesh have proved again their fragile technic against the short balls.

Earlier in the morning, New Zealand won the toss and decided to put Bangladesh on bat first. The Tigers responded with a wonderful approach as they accumulated 50-runs partnerships in the first wicket stand in 10 overs.

Tamim took the advantage of the wicket in the very second over of the innings hitting two boundaries off Tim Southee. That was enough to prove the nature of the wicket.

The confident start of the Tigers came to the end when Trent Boult struck for the first time. He scalped the wicket of Shadman Islam. The 23-year-old opener went to flick the full delivery but missed it, and he was bowled for 24.

Tamim continued to show his capabilities against the quality pace attack in spite of losing his partner. Tamim and Mominul Haque brought up another half-century stand in the second wicket.

Bangladesh lost the second wicket when Niel Wagner struck to take the wicket of Mominul. The left-handed top-order batsman failed to grab the chance of bringing the team to a comfortable zone in spite of having a good surface to bat on.

Bangladesh were 122/2 at lunch of the day one of the first Test. Tamim was unbeaten for 86 at the time. He completed his ninth Test ton which was first against New Zealand after the lunch. He was reprived by Colin de Grandhomme who missed an easy catch by his own ball when Tamim was at 65. The left-handed Bangladesh stalwart utilized the chance in a better way.

After the dismissal of Mominul, Mohammad Mithun and Soumya Sarkar departed quickly. While Mithun fell prey to a short ball for eight by Wagner, Soumya dismissed for one by Southee.

Tamim was strong enough to launch a counter-attack, but failed to continue his run. He fell for 128 off 126 balls. Colin de Grandhomme scalped the wicket of Tamim. He finished at 128 with 21 fours and one six to his name.

Mahmudullah (22) and Liton Das (29) started well but failed to maintain the run. On the other hand, the Kiwi bowlers kept taking the wickets to restrict the Tigers for 234.

Along the way, BJ Watling, the wicketkeeper-batsman of New Zealand, completed his 200th dismissal while taking an upper steer of Abu Jayed Rahi.

Eventually, Bangladesh finished scoring 234 in the first innings of Hamilton Test. They failed to stretch their good start to the end of the innings.

While Wagner took five wickets for 47 runs, Southee bagged three for 76. Along with them, Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme took one each for the hosts.

Dhaka, Feb 27 (UNB) - With the back-to-back wins, Prime Bank Cricket Club and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club advanced to the semifinals of Dhaka Premier Division T20 Cricket League on Wednesday.

Both the semifinals will be held on Friday (March 1) at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur with Sheikh Jamal DC taking on Shinepukur CC and Prime Bank CC playing against the champions of Group D.

At the Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah, Sheikh Jamal beat Uttara Sporting Club by four runs. The match was also hit by rain and was reduced to eight-over-a-side one.

Sheikh Jamal posted 72 runs for five wickets in eight overs with the help of Fardeen Hasan’s 25. Imtiaz Ahmed (12) and Nasir Hossain (11) were the other notable contributors for Sheikh Jamal DC.

Sajjad Hossain was the best among Uttara SC bowlers taking three wickets for eight runs in one over.

In reply, Uttara scored 59 for five in eight overs and lost the match by four runs under the DLS method.
 
Tanzid Hasan (11), Anisul Islam Emon (13), Mohimenul Khan (12) and Shakhir Hossain (12) tried their best to register a win for Uttara but failed. 

In the day’s other match in Fatullah, Mohammedan Sporting Club beat Legends of Rupganj by 30 runs. But that was not enough to help them march to the semifinals as Shinepukur Cricket Club have ensured semifinal berth as the first team of this group with two consecutive wins. 

Mohammedan posted 143 for nine wickets after batting first in the match with the help of Nadif Chowdhury (41), Sohag Gazi (21) and Alauddin Babu (30). 

Mohammad Shahid took three wickets for Rupganj while Mizanur Rahman bagged two. 

In reply, Rupganj scored 113 for eight wickets in 20 overs and lost the match. 

Azmir Ahmed (18), Shahriar Nafees (15), Naeem Islam (28), Muktar Ali (10) and Asif Hasan (14) reached double digits but disappointed to win the game. 

Saqlain Sajib, Nihaduzzaman and Shahadat Hossain took two wickets each for Mohammedan while Sohag Gazi and Alauddin Babu bagged one wicket each. 

In the day’s other match at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Prime Bank beat Abahani by 49 runs and ensured the semifinal berth. 

Prime Bank scored 176 for 6 in 20 overs after batting first. Abahani tumbled for 127 for nine in 20 overs. 

Anamul Haque (37), Rubel Mia (76), Al Amin (20), Ariful Haque (21) were the main scorers for Prime Bank. 

Mohammad Saifuddin, Rubel Hossain, Ariful Islam, Zakaraia Islam and Sabbir Rahman took one wicket each for Abahani. 

Abahani lost four wickets inside 50 runs and eventually lost the game. 

Monir Sheikh and Alok Kapali took three wickets each for Prime Bank to help them secure a place in the semifinals. 

The day’s other match between Gazi Group Cricketers and Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club was abandoned due to persistent rain in Mirpur. The match was rescheduled for Thursday (February 28) at the same venue. 
 

Dhaka, Feb 27 (UNB) - Bangladesh have played 51 overseas Tests and won just four of them. Ahead of another Test series of the Tigers away from home against New Zealand starting from February 28, a common question has been raised— will Bangladesh be able to strengthen their overseas record in Tests? 

Bangladesh have lost the three-match ODI series against the same opponent ahead of the Tests which has created a fresh concern regarding the performance of the Tigers in the toughest form of cricket. 

This concern might climb to the next level as the Tigers are all set to miss the service of Shakib Al Hasan in the first Test. Along with him, there is a cloud over Mushfiqur Rahim’s participation in the series opener as well. While the regular Test captain is recovering from a finger injury, Mushfiqur is suffering from several issues with rib and finger. 

“How are doing in the overseas condition in Tests is always a challenge for us. Everyone doubts  whether we can win an overseas Test or not. However, we are not thinking about that, I can assure you as the captain of the team,” Mahmudullah Riyad, the captain of Bangladesh, has said ahead of the first Test of three-match series which will take the place in Hamilton. 

There was a bit of hope of Mushfiqur’s participation in the first Test; however, Mahmudullah said he is yet to get a green signal from the physio. 

“He is getting better. But perhaps we are not lucky enough to get his service in the first match. Along with Mushfiqur, Shakib Al Hasan has also been an integral part of our team. It is really tough to set our best combination without them. I hope who are ready to replace them will perform well and take advantage of the chances,” the interim Bangladesh captain further said. 

In recent past India and Sri Lanka have displayed imperious performance in overseas Tests as they beat Australia and South Africa respectively. Bangladesh can gather inspiration from their history-making effort. 

However, Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah said they are not bothered with the performance of the other teams. 

“We have many things to take as motivation from the recent past. But we want to play relying on our own strength. We know how the condition can behave, and we also have ideas about their bowlers. Now the thing is on us. We have to perform in the field, and we need to execute ourselves in a better way,” said Mahmudullah. 

The Kiwi pace-attack comprising Trent Boult and Tim Southee can be the biggest challenge for the Bangladeshi batsmen. However, Mahmudullah said he has faith in their fast-bowlers as well. 

He said, “Abu JayedRahi is our premium fast bowler. He has played some matches and performed well too. We have Ebadat Hossain, a new talent, who can bowl at a great pace. And we also have Mustafizur. Everyone has ideas about his capabilities, about what he can do in his day.”

Bangladesh have played 13 Tests against New Zealand and lost 10 of them with managing three draws in the home. But they lost all seven matches in the home of New Zealand.

Ahead of this series against New Zealand in their home, Bangladesh are in the challenge of winning more overseas Tests.

Sri Lanka , Feb 27 (AP/UNB) — Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya was banned from cricket for two years on Tuesday for refusing to cooperate in an investigation of corruption in his country's cricket.

The International Cricket Council made the decision after Jayasuriya admitted to breaching two counts of its anti-corruption code.

He was charged last October with failing or refusing to cooperate, and obstructing or delaying the investigation, and said at the time he has "always conducted (himself) with integrity and transparency" in cricket.

"This conviction under the code demonstrates the importance of participants in cricket cooperating with investigations," Alex Marshall, the general manager of the ICC anti-corruption unit, said in a statement. "Compelling participants to cooperate under the code is a vital weapon in our efforts to rid our sport of corruptors. These rules are essential to maintain the integrity of our sport.

The unit has been trying to rid Sri Lanka cricket of inherent corruption for the past year, and Marshall said a recent amnesty drew 11 players and others to come forward with information.

Jayasuriya helped Sri Lanka win the Cricket World Cup in 1996, captained the team to the semifinals in 2003, and came back from retirement to help the team at age 38 reach another final in 2007.

The allrounder played 445 one-day internationals and 110 tests before retiring for good in 2011. By then he was a member of parliament. He also became the chairman of selectors in 2013 and resigned in 2017 after a second stint.

Dhaka, Feb 26 (UNB) - Uttara Sporting Club and Prime Bank Cricket Club registered wins in their respective matches of Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPDCL) T20 on Tuesday. 

Uttara beat Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity by six wickets in Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium, and Prime Bank outplayed Brothers Union by 47 runs at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Both of the losing sides were eliminated from the tournament as they failed to win a single game in the group stage.

In the rain-hit game against Khelaghar, Uttara bowled first and restricted the opponents to 109/7 in 17 overs. Only three of their batsmen - Rafsan Al Mahmud (28), Moinul Islam (20) and Robiul Haque (17) -- reached two-digit scores. 

Abdur Rashid and Sajjad Hossain took two wickets each for Uttara Sporting Club. 

In reply, Uttara chased the target of 110 in 15.5 overs (110/4 15.5 overs) and won the game by six wickets. Tanzid Hasan struck unbeaten 72 for Uattara, and he was awarded man of the match later. 

In Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Prime Bank batted first and accumulated 169/4 in 20 overs. Rubel Mia (44), Ariful Haque (59) and Nazmul Hossain Milon (45) shone with the bat for them. 

Sharifullah took two wickets for brothers while Mehedi Hasan and Mohammad Shahzada bagged one wicket each. 

In reply, Brothers finished on 122/8 in 20 overs. They failed to make partnerships when they needed it most. Fazle Mahmud was the highest run-getter for Brothers as he scored 39. 

Monir Hossain scalped three wickets for Prime Bank while Abdur Razzak bagged two. Their bowling effort was enough to register a win by 47 runs.