Australia
Rubel, Taijul included in squad for Australia T20Is
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 17-member team for the five-match T20I series against Australia starting from Tuesday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
BCB has included Rubel Hossain, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain and Mohammad Mithun in the squad, all of them were out of the T20I squad during Bangladesh’s Zimbabwe tour last month. But they were in the bio-secure bubble of the Bangladesh team.
Read:Domingo disappointed over “stringent” rules keeping Mushfiq away
The absence of the ace batsmen Mushfqiur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das has paved the way for Mosaddek and Mithun, who have been failing to do good for the Tigers for a long time.
In his last 10 innings in international cricket, Mosaddek passed the 50-run mark only once while he got dismissed for a single-digit score on three occasions with three scores under 15-run.
Mithun has also been failing regularly despite getting adequate chances. In his last 10 innings in the international circuit, Mithun failed to reach a two-digit score six times.
Read:Five-match T20Is: Australian cricket team arrives in Dhaka
In the series against Australia, Bangladesh will be heavily reliant on young guns like Mohammad Saifuddin, Mohammad Naim, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan and Shamim Hossain.
In the last T20I series against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh’s newest T20I inclusion Shamim did really well. He drew the attention of many in just two innings he played for the Tigers.
While the opening match of this series will take place on August 3, the other matches will be played on August 4, 6, 7 and 9. All the matches will be hosted by the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Read:Bangladesh and Australia will play a five-match Twenty20 International series starting from August 3
Bangladesh squad: Mahmudullah Riyad (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan (wk), Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Naim, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Afif Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Shamim Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan
Bangladesh vs. Australia 2021: Expected Personal Milestones to Reach
The 5-match bilateral twenty20 series between Bangladesh and Australia will begin on August 3 this year. Australia are well ahead of Bangladesh in T20I statistics between the two countries. Both countries have never faced each other in a T20 series. They have met four times in T20 cricket, with each match taking place in a world cup. Bangladesh have never won a T20 match against Australia. Some players will be able to reach personal milestones during the Bangladesh-Australia T20 bilateral series. In this article, we highlighted a few predicted personal milestones that can be accomplished during Bangladesh vs. Australia 2021 series.
Personal Milestones Expected to be Reached in the Bangladesh vs. Australia 2021 series
100 Twenty20 International Wickets
Shakib Al Hasan will become only the second player in history after Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga to take 100 twenty20 international wickets if he snatches 6 wickets during the upcoming 5-match bilateral series against Australia. Shakib Al Hasan has taken 94 wickets in 78 matches for Bangladesh.
50 Twenty20 International Wickets
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is only 2 wickets shy to complete his 50 T20I wickets. Starc has taken 48 twenty20 international wickets in 39 matches for Australia.
READ: Zimbabwe restore parity in T20 series
50 Twenty20 International Wickets
Aussie leg-spinner Adam Zampa will need only 2 wickets to snatch his 50 twenty20 international wickets. Zampa has taken 47 wickets in 46 T20I matches.
50 Twenty20 International Matches
Adam Zampa is expected to make his 50th Twenty20 appearance for Australia during the series against Bangladesh. He has so far appeared in 46 T20 matches for the Australian national team.
Read Australia’s August tour of Bangladesh 'on'
9,000 International Runs
Bangladesh’s T20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad needs 81 runs to complete his 9,000 international runs for Bangladesh. Riyad has scored 8,909 runs in 351 innings for Bangladesh.
1,000 International Runs
All-rounder Mosaddek Hossain only needs 20 runs to score 1,000 international runs for Bangladesh.
Read Tamim to miss home series against Australia, New Zealand
600 International Wickets
Shakib Al Hasan may become the first Bangladeshi player to snatch 600 international wickets during the series against Australia. Shakib has taken 586 wickets in 351 matches for Bangladesh.
100 International Wickets
Fast medium-pacer Taskin Ahmed will get a chance to snatch his 100 international wickets during the upcoming twenty20 series. Taskin needs 11 more wickets to reach the milestone.
READ: Mushfiqur to miss T20 series against Australia over isolation norms
100 International Catches
Shakib Al Hasan will get a chance to become the second Bangladeshi player to achieve 100 international catches after Mahmudullah Riyad during the upcoming Twenty20 series. Shakib just needs two catches to reach the milestone.
50 International Catches
Wicket-keeper batsman Liton Das will need only 3 catches to complete his 50 international catches for Bangladesh's national side.
Read Tamim, Shohan guide Tigers to ODI series sweep against Zimbabwe
50 International Matches
All-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin will play his 50th international match for Bangladesh during the series against Australia.
8,000 International Runs
Aussie skipper Aaron Finch needs only 17 runs to complete his 8,000 international runs. He has scored 7,983 runs in 213 international appearances for Australia.
Read Bangladesh-Zimbabwe T20 series rescheduled
500 International Wickets
Fiery left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc will get a chance to snatch his 500 international wickets during the forthcoming twenty20 international series against Bangladesh. Starc needs 8 more wickets to reach the milestone.
150 International Wickets
Aussie leg spinner Adam Zampa needs 10 more wickets to reach his 150 international wickets milestone for the Australian national side.
200 International Appearances
Pacer Mitchell Starc will play his 200th international match for Australia during the 5-match twenty20 series against the host Bangladesh.
READ: Tigers crush Zimbabwe in the first T20 match
Verdict
Cricketers from both teams would have the opportunity to reach their personal goals during Bangladesh vs. Australia 2021 series. However, the two sides in this series will have distinct objectives as a team. Australia will be aiming for a 5-0 victory in the T20 series.
On the other side, Bangladesh's objective will be to win at least 1/2 matches during the contest. The Bangladesh team management would like to improve their record against Australia and team tigers have a good chance of making that happen with their present Twenty20 squad.
Read Chakabva, Raza, Burl propel Zimbabwe to 298 in 3rd ODI
Mushfiqur to miss T20 series against Australia over isolation norms
Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim is set to miss next month's five-match T20 home series against Australia over strict isolation norms.
As per the conditions set by Cricket Australia, every Bangladeshi cricketer needs to be quarantined for at least 14 days ahead of the T20 series. Mushfiqur missed this isolation deadline even after coming back without playing the ODI series in Zimbabwe.
Mushfiqur flew back home from Harare on July 14 after coming to know that his parents had contracted Covid-19. To fulfil the requirement of the 14-day mandatory quarantine before the series, Mushfiqur needed to isolate himself by July 20, but he missed the deadline due to family commitments.
Also read: Tamim to miss home series against Australia, New Zealand
Mushfiqur wanted to isolate himself on July 22, but the operations committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) told him that "it won’t work now".
“Mushfiqur wanted to play the series, but he missed the deadline by two days,” Akram Khan, the chair of cricket operations of BCB, told the media. “A specific quarantine period is in our agreement with Cricket Australia. So, we cannot include Mushfiqur now. We talked to them, but they did not agree."
The first match of the series will take place on August 3, while the other matches will be played on August 4, 6, 7 and 9. All the matches will take place at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
Also read: Australia’s August tour of Bangladesh 'on'
Australia’s August tour of Bangladesh 'on'
Australia's tour of Bangladesh for a five-match T20 series in August will go ahead despite an alarming spike in Covid-19 cases in this country, according to a media report.
Quoting unnamed sources, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that Cricket Australia is satisfied with the bio-security arrangements that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has promised to provide the players during the tour.
Read:Tamim to miss home series against Australia, New Zealand
Meanwhile, the BCB has announced the itinerary for the August tour. The visiting side will play five T20 internationals against the hosts at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. The Australians will arrive in Dhaka on 29 July.
BCB's chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said, “The BCB and Cricket Australia have worked tirelessly together for confirming the itinerary. Naturally this was a challenge due to the Covid-19 pandemic as ensuring health safety and security is a priority prerequisite for holding any cricket series in these times.
"I am pleased to say that a comprehensive bio-security plan is in place and will be implemented during the tour for the protection of players and staff of the two teams and the match officials. We are really looking forward to an exciting and enjoyable contest between Bangladesh and Australia."
The tour had looked a solid prospect until the Bangladesh government eased the lockdown restrictions for eight days for the holy festival of Eid-ul-Adha, raising concerns about the Covid situation in the country.
Read:Tamim, Shohan guide Tigers to ODI series sweep against Zimbabwe
Health experts in Australia, including the chief of the national advisory committee to Covid-19, have criticised the move. They have warned the ease could fuel the already devastating Covid situation of the country.
Despite that, Cricket Australia is reportedly happy with Bangladesh's proposed bio-security arrangements for the tour.
BCB had earlier proposed that Cricket Australia split the series into two venues in Dhaka and Chattogram, which the latter disagreed due to the grim Covid-19 situation.
The Australia cricket team will take a chartered flight from the Caribbean, where they are touring currently, to Dhaka next week. They will travel to the team hotel directly from the airport. While travelling to the team hotel from the airport, the Australian team members will not require traditional immigration procedures at the airport to avert Covid-19 risks.
Read:Chakabva, Raza, Burl propel Zimbabwe to 298 in 3rd ODI
The Australian cricket team was scheduled to tour Bangladesh in June 2020 for a Test series, which was a part of the World Test Championship. But due to the Covid-19 situation then, they had cancelled the tour. However, the Covid-19 situation then was better than now.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh national team is touring Zimbabwe for a one-off Test, three ODIs and three T20s. The Test and ODIs had already been played, and won by the Tigers. The T20 series is set to kick off on Thursday at the Harare Sports Club.
Australia’s Brisbane selected to host 2032 Summer Olympic Games
Australia’s Brisbane has been selected to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.
The decision was made at the 138th IOC (the International Olympic Committee) Session in Tokyo and Brisbane was the only candidate city bidding to host the Summer Olympics in 2032.
Read: 6 athletes to represent Bangladesh in Tokyo Olympics
"The secret ballot was held at the 138th Session in Tokyo, two days before the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games, under strict COVID-19 restrictions," the IOC said in a statement. "Brisbane received 72 yes and 5 no votes from 77 valid votes."
Commenting on the selection of Brisbane, IOC President Thomas Bach said: "The Brisbane 2032 vision and Games plan fit into long-term regional and national strategies for social and economic development in Queensland and Australia, and complement the goals for the Olympic Movement outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5, while focusing on providing memorable sports experiences for athletes and fans."
"Today’s vote is a vote of trust that Brisbane and Queensland will stage magnificent Olympic and Paralympic Games 2032," Bach stated. "We have heard a lot of positive feedback from IOC Members and International Federations in the past few months."
Australia was the venue for the Olympic Games on two occasions in the past, with Melbourne hosting the Olympics in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.
Following the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Paris will host the Summer Games in 2024 and Los Angeles - in 2028.
Read: It's Olympic month for Japan
The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Japan’s capital of Tokyo are held this year between July 23 and August 8. In March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan for one year due to the spread of COVID-19.
UNESCO chides Australia over Great Barrier Reef proposal
The Chinese host of this year’s meeting of the U.N. World Heritage Committee has defended the body’s proposal to label the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger” against Australian government suspicion that China influenced the finding for political reasons.
The committee, which is meeting both virtually and in the Chinese city of Fuzhou for the next two weeks, will consider the draft decision on Friday.
Read: China dinosaur footprint fossil named after Doraemon's "Nobita"
“Australia, as a member state of the World Heritage Committee, should ... attach importance to the opinions of the advisory bodies and earnestly fulfill the duty of World Heritage protection instead of making groundless accusations against other states,” said Tian Xuejun, the Chinese vice minister of education and the president of this year’s session, on Sunday.
The UNESCO committee will consider adding new sites to the World Heritage list, taking some off and adding others to the in-danger category. A draft decision to put Venice on the in-danger list prompted the Italian government to ban cruise ships from the lagoon city in a bid to avoid the designation.
Tian, speaking at the first news conference since the meetings opened last Friday, said the Great Barrier Reef proposal was based on data from Australia and recommendations from an advisory body.
Australian Environment Minister Susan Ley, who is in Europe lobbying UNESCO delegates against supporting the in-danger listing, was not immediately available to comment on the Chinese criticism.
Her office on Monday released a report by the government-funded Australian Institute of Marine Science that indicated widespread recovery of the reef’s coral. Monitoring by the institute found coral cover had increased during the respite from severe weather over the last year.
“The release of the full report underlines our view that the World Heritage Committee proposed listing had not been based on the latest information,” Ley said in a statement.
Read:India cranking up border infrastructure to narrow gap with China
Australia reacted angrily when the draft was released last month.
“This decision was flawed. Clearly there were politics behind it,” Ley said, without mentioning China by name.
Relations between the two nations have soured in recent years, with Australia blocking Chinese technology and investment in key infrastructure, and China using tariffs and other measures to reduce its imports from Australia.
Australia was warned in 2014 that an in-danger listing was being considered for the Great Barrier Reef, which was designated a world heritage site in 1981.
The draft decision said that Australia’s long-term plan for the reef, a network of 2,500 reefs covering 348,000 square kilometers (134,000 square miles), “requires stronger and clearer commitments, in particular towards urgently countering the effects of climate change.”
“We acknowledge very much the work which has been done in Australia, but our text in the draft decision ... is a proposal for putting the site on the list of world heritage in danger because of the threats which were identified,” said Mechtild Roessler, the UNESCO director of the World Heritage Committee.
Read:Australian court upholds ban on most international travel
Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, the assistant director-general for culture at UNESCO, said that an in-danger listing should be viewed as a collective call for action from all the member states.
“It’s something that should be seen as something positive and not, as what we heard from some of the authorities in other countries, as a punishment,” he said, joining the news conference from Paris. “It’s how we preserve our heritage for future generations.”
Australia and Bangladesh to square off in 5 T20Is early August
The Australian cricket team is scheduled to tour Bangladesh in August. Ahead of the T20I World Cup that will be played in the UAE this year, they will play a five-match series against the hosts in early August. The tentative dates set for the series are August 2-8.
Akram Khan, the chair of cricket operations of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), on Wednesday said the BCB is trying to fulfil every demand of Cricket Australia to ensure a safe tour.
“We have been working to ensure all that Cricket Australia demanded,” Akram told the media. “If everything goes well, we hope they will continue with the tour. We have already completed 90-95 percent preparation to host them.”
Also read: Bangladesh to host Australia for five T20Is in August
The series was originally scheduled for three T20Is, but the BCB requested Australia to play five matches instead of three, and Australia agreed to that.
As part of the safety requirements, Cricket Australia asked BCB to manage free emigration for the Australian team members. They have also asked to arrange a hotel free from other guests, and a single venue for all the matches.
Akram Khan said the board is doing its best to fulfil all these demands.
Also read: BAN vs ZIM 2021: Significant Test and T20I Records Between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe
He also played down allegations flying around that the Bangladesh A team is suffering from lack of activity or neglect. He said: “It’s a misconception that we are not doing anything with the Bangladesh A team. All the cricketing activities were on hold due to the Covid-19 situation. We had arranged a series in October 2021. We couldn’t continue it due to the outbreak of Covid-19.”
Akram also said that Bangladesh A team will tour Sri Lanka in November this year, and it might be for a series of longer version cricket. However, he didn’t disclose more about this series.
Australia official urges against AstraZeneca
The top health official in Australia’s Queensland state is advising adults under age 40 not to take the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine because of the risk of a rare blood clotting disorder, even though the Australian government is making those shots available to all adults.
Read:Australia battles several clusters in new pandemic phase
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said Wednesday that younger adults should wait for the scarce Pfizer vaccine to become available. Young says that with only 42 coronavirus cases active in Queensland, AstraZeneca is not worth the risk for younger adults.
The federal government decided Monday to make AstraZeneca available to all adults as concerns grow about clusters of the delta variant of the coronavirus, which is thought to be more contagious.
Read:Australian court upholds ban on most international travel
Australian authorities still say Pfizer is the preferred option for people younger than 60.
Australia to provide AUD 85mn to Brac under SPA
Australia will provide AUD 85 million to Brac under the third phase of the Strategic Partnership Arrangement (SPA) for 2021-2025.
In a signing ceremony held on Monday, Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer has reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to its SPA with Brac. Brac was represented by its Executive Director Asif Saleh.
Read:UN wants Asia, Pacific to register deaths to detect emerging health crises
“Australia and Bracc have built a strong relationship for over a decade under the SPA. We share a joint commitment to innovation, inclusive growth, the most marginalised people and gender equality”, the High Commissioner said.
The envoy said he is very pleased to announce the continuation of their partnership as part of Australia’s support to Bangladesh to help address the impact of COVID-19 and support inclusive economic recovery.
Brac’s Executive Director, Asif Saleh, said they are extremely pleased to embark on the third phase of the SPA with Australia.
Read:Bangladesh to host V20 Climate Vulnerables Finance Summit on July 8
Over the past decade, he said, their partnership has tackled some of the most pressing challenges posed by poverty, refugee crises and gender inequality.
"Considering the socio-economic damages caused by COVID-19, this renewed partnership between trusted friends could not have come at a more crucial time”.
Australia battles several clusters in new pandemic phase
Australia was battling to contain several COVID-19 clusters around the country on Monday in what some experts have described as the nation’s most dangerous stage of the pandemic since the earliest days.
Sydney in the east and Darwin in the north were locked down on Monday. Perth in the west made masks compulsory for three days and warned a lockdown could follow after a resident tested positive after visiting Sydney more than a week ago.
Brisbane and Canberra have or will soon make wearing masks compulsory. South Australia state announced new statewide restrictions from Tuesday.
Australia has been relatively successful in containing clusters throughout the pandemic, registering fewer than 31,000 cases since the pandemic began. But the new clusters have highlighted the nation’s slow vaccine rollout with only 5% of the population fully vaccinated.
Read:Australian court upholds ban on most international travel
Most of the new cases stem from a Sydney limousine driver who tested positive on June 16 to the delta variant, which is thought to be more contagious. He was not vaccinated, reportedly did not wear a mask and is suspected to have been infected while transporting a foreign air crew from Sydney Airport.
New South Wales state on Monday reported 18 new cases in the latest 24-hour period. The tally was fewer than 30 cases recorded on Sunday and 29 on Saturday.
Authorities warned that a two-week Sydney lockdown that began on Friday would not reduce infection rates for another five days.
“We have to be prepared for the numbers to bounce around and we also have to be prepared for the numbers to go up considerably,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
Health policy adviser Bill Bowtell, who was the architect of Australia’s first AIDS response in the 1980s, said the government needed to consider hastening vaccinations by shortening the gap between AstraZeneca shots from 12 to 8 weeks.
“We really face the most serious crisis in the COVID pandemic since the early days in February-March last year,” Bowtell said.
The crisis has also highlighted the dangers posed by hotel quarantine, which is the source of most cases of community virus spread in Australia.
Read:Australia’s Victoria state to return to lockdown
A mine worker is suspected to have become infected with the delta variant while in hotel quarantine in Brisbane in Queensland state before flying to a gold mine in the Northern Territory.
The miner infected at least six people at the mine. One of the infected miners had since traveled home to Queensland and another to New South Wales.
Authorities were attempting to track down 900 mine workers around the country who could have been infected by the initial case.
The Northern Territory capital Darwin, and neighboring Palmerston, on Sunday locked down for 48 hours after an infected miner returned home to Palmerston.
That lockdown would be extended to Friday after another miner tested positive after returning home to Darwin on Friday, officials said on Monday. The Northern Territory has never before experienced COVID-19 spreading in the community.
Queensland on Monday reported three new cases, including the miner. She is one of 170 potentially infected miners who live in the state and fly to an from work.
Read:Australia won’t buy J&J coronavirus vaccine
Masks will become compulsory from Tuesday for two weeks in Brisbane and several surrounding towns.
“The next 24-to-48 hours are going to be very crucial in Queensland about whether or not we see any spread of this delta strain,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczu said.
The Queensland government has called on the federal government to tighten already tough border restrictions to reduce the number of travelers arriving in Australia.
Western Australia state reported one new case in Perth linked to the Sydney cluster. The state is home to 177 of the potentially infected miners.