Sports
Asia Cup Cricket 2023: Analysis of Group A
India, Pakistan, and Nepal will play in Group-A at the Asia Cup Cricket 2023, which is set to start on September 2 and end on September 17. While Pakistan and India joined as the ICC full member, Nepal qualified for the tournament after winning the 2023 ACC Men’s Premier Cup. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will play in Group B. Among the two groups, Group A will surely provide an intense battle as two rivals, India and Pakistan, will compete to become the group champion. That brings a question, will Nepal get any chance? Let’s find out in Group A analysis of the 2023 Asia Cup Cricket tournament.
Analysis of Group A
Unlike Group B, all the focus in Group A will be on the India vs. Pakistan match. As a newcomer and less experienced team, Nepal might not give a good fight against these heavy-weight teams.
India
India has appeared in 14 Asia Cups since 1984. Among these, 12 appearances were in ODIs, and 2 were T20I Asia Cup. And India is the most successful team in the tournament, as they won 6 ODI tournaments and one T20I. However, India’s last title came in the 2018 Asia Cup, which was the ODI tournament. So far, India played 49 ODIs in Asia Cup and won 31 of them, losing 16 matches. As the ODI World Cup is approaching this year, the tournament will be played in the ODI format.
Read more: Asia Cup Cricket 2023: Analysis of Group B
Analyzing India’s most recent ODI matches, it can be said that India is a strong contender for the 2023 Asia Cup. Although India lost their last ODI series against Australia by 2-1 in March, they have won two series by 3-0 against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. However, before starting the Asia Cup, India will play a series against the West Indies in August. So this will also help them to prepare for the tournament.
Pakistan
In addition to India and Sri Lanka, Pakistan stands as the only other country to have emerged victorious in the Asia Cup cricket tournament. Similar to Sri Lanka and India, Pakistan started their campaign as the continental champions back in 1984.
Since then, they have participated in an impressive 14 out of the 15 editions of the prestigious Asia Cup. Their consistent presence in the tournament reflects their status as a tough cricketing nation in the Asian region. Pakistan played 45 Asia Cup matches in the ODI format and won 26 of them.
In the last two years, Pakistan played several ODI series. Out of their last 4 series, Pakistan won three of them. The most recent series win came against New Zealand, which took place in April- May this year. They won by 4-1, which reflects them as another strong team in the Asia Cup 2023.
Read more: Bangladesh to host Afghanistan in June-July 2023
Nepal
Nepal made it to the group stage of the Asia Cup for the first time. Nepal's remarkable journey in cricket continues as they secured their qualification for the Asia Cup by defeating the United Arab Emirates in a thrilling final of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Premier Cup on May 2. In the final match, Nepal showcased their bowling ability, stopping the Emirates team to 117 runs.
Lalit Rajbanshi proved to be the standout performer, claiming an impressive four wickets for just 14 runs. The talented Sandeep Lamichhane also made a significant contribution, taking two wickets for 34 runs in his 10 overs. Chasing the target, Nepal displayed their batting skill, reaching the required total in 19.3 overs. Gulshan Jha emerged as the batting hero, scoring a magnificent 67 runs off 84 balls for the team's victory.
This year has undoubtedly been a momentous one for Nepalese cricket, as they not only secured their qualification for the World Cup qualifiers earlier in the year but also earned their spot in the prestigious Asia Cup.
Read more: Bangladesh A earn hardfought draw against West Indies A
Who Will Proceed to Super Four from Group A?
It is clear that India and Pakistan will surely advance to the Super Four as the other opponent Nepal has less experience. Although Nepal has been doing well recently, they are yet to play a big team like India and Pakistan.
Final Words
India, being the champions of the inaugural edition, holds the record of being the most successful team in the Asia Cup. Since the inception of the tournament, a total of 15 editions have taken place, showcasing thrilling battles among Asian cricketing nations. The tournament format expanded to include the T20I format in 2016, adding an additional layer of excitement to the competition. Now, it is time to see the years-old rivalry between India and Pakistan in Asia Cup Cricket 2023 Group A.
Bangladesh’s ODI Series Win Against Ireland: Records, best performances, milestones achieved
Bangladesh finished a great series against Ireland. The tigers touched new heights in the first two matches as the team scored the highest total. Bangladesh wanted to demonstrate their power and expertise through its performance in the field by playing an aggressive style of cricket. And the plan worked well as the tigers won the three-match series by 2-0 against the young Ireland team.
2023 BAN vs IRE ODI Series Analysis
In the Bangladesh vs Ireland series, Bangladesh won the three-match ODI series by 2-0. The first match was won by Bangladesh with a huge margin of 183 runs. The second match was washed away by rain, and Bangladesh got a 10 wicket victory in the last match.
Considering the performance in three matches, Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto have been very consistent. And as a new batter, Towhid Hridoy’s performance was also eye-catching. In addition to that, Shakib’s 93 for 89 in the first match was also remarkable. For the bowling part, Hasan Mahmud and Ebadot Hossian’s performance played a crucial role in winning the first and third matches. Overall, all the Bangladeshi players gave their best on the field.
From Ireland, George Dockrell played a brilliant inning of 45 runs off 47 balls, including six fours in the first match. But the rest of the Irish batting lineup failed to perform in both games they batted. If we look at Ireland’s bowling in all three matches, Graham Hume was the only bowler that stopped Bangladeshi batters. Although Hume’s economy rate was quite high, he took 7 wickets in total.
Read More: Shakib launches cancer foundation to support underprivileged patients
Records and Achievement for Bangladesh
We have seen aggressive cricket from both Bangladeshi batters and blowers. And In the eyes of captain Tamim, Bangladesh just completed the perfect series. Let's take a look at the accomplishments of this remarkable series.
Biggest Win by Runs
Bangladesh achieved a record-breaking victory in their first match, winning by an incredible 183 runs - the largest margin of victory in the nation's ODI history. After winning the toss, Ireland sent Bangladesh to batting, and the Tigers scored 338 runs. In response, the Bangladeshi bowlers stopped them to 155 runs.
Shakib’s 7000 Runs Milestone
After Tamim Iqbal, Shakib became the second Bangladeshi cricketer to cross 7,000 runs milestone in ODIs. Shakib achieved a remarkable feat with his 93-run score. He entered the field with 24 runs away from 7000 runs, and Shakib achieved the landmark easily.
Mushfiqur Rahim’s 7000 Runs
Mushfiqur Rahim scored a century in the second ODI, and he also crossed 7000 runs in ODI cricket. Mushfiqur has become the third batsman from Bangladesh to achieve 7000 runs landmark after Tamim and Shakib. He needed 55 runs to reach the milestone but achieved it with the century, and now Mushfiques total ODI runs are 7045.
Read More: Analysis of Bangladesh T20 Squad Against Ireland
Mushfiqur Rahim set another record in this match. He took five catches as the wicketkeeper in the first match. He has taken the most catches as a wicketkeeper in ODIs for Bangladesh. However, Khaled Masud Pilot had five dismissals with three catches and two stumpings against Kenya in 2006.
Mushfiq’s Fastest Century
In 2009, during a match in Bulawayo, Shakib achieved an impressive accomplishment by scoring a century in only 63 balls against Zimbabwe. Mushfiqur topped Shakib's 14-year record as he hit a century off just 60 balls in the second ODI. He achieved his ninth century in the last ball of the innings, scoring 14 fours and 2 sixes for a total of 100 runs.
Independence Day Handball begins on Wednesday
The Independence Day Handball Tournament (Men's and Women's), organised by Bangladesh Handball Federation (BHF), will begin on Wednesday (Match 15) at the Shaheed Capt (Retd) M Monsur Ali National Handball Stadium here.
Former Chairman of Rajuk and former BHF Vice President Abdur Rahman will inaugurate the tournament.
Six teams, split into two groups, will participate in both the men's and women's competitions.
Participating Men's teams:
Group A - Border Guard Bangladesh, Team Handball, Dhaka and Ideal Handball Garden Chapainawabganj)
Group B- Ansar & VDP, Police Handball Club and Chattogram Zila Krira Sangstha.
Also read: Youth Games Handball: Rangpur Div clinch women's title beating Dhaka Div by 30-17 goal
Women's teams:
Group A- Ansar & VDP, Badalgachi Handball Association and Tetulia Upazila KS
Group B - Jamalpur Sports Academy, Police Handball Club and Handball Training Center, Dhaka
Eight matches will be held on the opening day (Wednesday).
AFC U-20 Women's Asia Cup Qualifiers to begin tomorrow
The three-nation Group H matches of the AFC U-20 Women's Asia Cup Qualifiers will begin tomorrow (March 8) at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mustafa Kamal Stadium here.Hosts Bangladesh have been placed in strong Group H of the Asian meet along with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkmenistan. In the group matches, Iran will play Turkmenistan in the opening match at 5 pm tomorrow (Bangladesh time),Host Bangladesh will start their campaign by taking on Turkmenistan on Friday (March 10) also at 5 pm while Bangladesh will encounter stronger Iran on Sunday (March 12) at the same time and same venue in the last group match.Bangladesh Television will telecast the matches live while Bangladesh Betar will broadcast the running commentary of the matchesThe final round of the tournament will be held next year in Uzbekistan.The coaches and captains of all three participating teams, in a press conference at BFF House today, expressed their optimism to play an entertaining football to clinch the group titleEarlier last Thursday, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) announced a 35-member national team for the meet, which comprises 23 booters and 12 officials.Booters of Bangladesh team:Goal Keppers: Rupna Chakma (vice-captain), Sathi Biswas, Swarna Rani MondalDefenders; Surma Jannat, Afeida Khandakar, Nasrin Akter, Kohati Kisku, Ety Khatun and Unnoti KhatunMidfielders: Swapna Rani. Sohagi Kisku, Mahfuza Khatun, Nouson Jahan, Miss Rupa, Rehena Khatun, Shamsunnahar (captain). Halima Akter and Trishna RaniForwards: Shaheda Akter Ripa, Aklima Khatun, Anika Tanjum, Airin Khatun and Souravi Akhand Prity.Team Leader -Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, Team Manager Amirul Islam Babu, BFF Technical Director -Paul Thomas Smalley, Head Coach - Golam Rabbani Choton.
BPL: Comilla beat Rangpur to cement 2nd place in league phase
Comilla Victorians dominated Rangpur Riders in their final match of the league phase of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Friday, securing a decisive 70-run victory in Mirpur.
Victorians’ victory in their final league phase has solidified their position in second place on the points table. As a result, they will face off against the Sylhet Strikers in the first qualifier on February 12.
On the same day, Rangpur Riders will face Fortune Barishal, the third and fourth team in the points table, in the eliminator. The outcome of this match will determine which team will be eliminated from the competition. The winner of the first qualifier will proceed to the final on February 16, while the loser will have to compete in the second qualifier against the winner of the eliminator. The team that emerges victorious from the second qualifier will then advance to the final to compete against the winner of the first qualifier.
In Friday's match, the opening duo of the Comilla Victorians, Mohammad Rizwan and Litton Das, got off to a strong start, contributing 43 runs to the first wicket before Rizwan was dismissed for 24. Despite this setback, Litton was firm in the middle.
Read more: BCB to mark month of language during BPL matches Friday
Sunil Narine came to the crease with high expectations, but he was unable to convert his start and was dismissed for just 8 runs. This was a major setback for the team, and the pressure was on to find a new source of runs.
However, Liton was quick to step up and took control of the situation, scoring 47 runs off 33 balls with three fours and as many sixes. Despite his strong effort, he was unable to carry on. Skipper Imrul Kayes and Jaker Ali then took over the responsibility of keeping the scorecard ticking, scoring 19 and 34 runs, respectively. The star of the show for Victorians was undoubtedly Khushdil Shah, who remained not out on a remarkable 40 runs off just 20 balls, hitting 2 fours and 3 sixes. This innings was instrumental in posting a challenging total for the Victorians.
Comilla finished their innings on a strong note, scoring 177/5 in 20 overs.
For the Riders, Azmatullah Omarzai took two wickets, conceding 34 runs.
Rangpur Riders had a rough start in their pursuit of 178 runs, as opener Mohammad Naim was dismissed for just 6 runs. Rony Talukdar and Rahmanullah Gurbaz attempted to steady the innings, but both fell short with scores of 13 and 29 runs respectively.
Despite the efforts of Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Nurul Hasan, and Shamim Hossain, Rangpur Riders struggled with the bat and were eventually all out for 107 runs in 17 overs.
The bowlers for Comilla Victorians, however, put in a fantastic performance. Tanvir Islam took 2 wickets, while Narine and Mustafizur Rahman took 2 and 3 wickets respectively. Andre Russell also contributed with 1 wicket to secure a decisive 70-run victory for Comilla Victorians.
Inter-University Hockey: Chittagong University emerge champion
Chittagong University clinched the five-team Inter University Hockey Tournament title beating Cumilla University by 2-0 goal in the final at the Dhaka University Central playground here on Wednesday.
Hosts Dhaka University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) finished 3rd jointly.
Read more: Five-team Inter-University Hockey begins
Pro Vice Chancellor (Administration) of Dhaka University Prof. Dr Mohammad Samad was present at the day's closing function as the chief guest and later he distributed the prizes.
Five University teams—Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Chittagong University, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and Cumilla University—took part in the four-day meet that began last Sunday (January 22).
Australian High Commission celebrates women’s success in sports at Australia Day event
The Australian High Commission has celebrated the achievements of women in sports at an event marking Australia Day at the Australian High Commission.
Leading Bangladeshi sportswomen in badminton, swimming, shooting, weightlifting and archery, as well as members of the BKSP women’s team, attended the function held on Tuesday.
The Australian High Commissioner, Jeremy Bruer, recognised their achievements.
“We celebrate their achievements as champions of women’s empowerment, and role models for millions of women and girls across Bangladesh.”
The High Commissioner described Australia Day as an occasion on which to celebrate modern, multicultural Australia.
At the same time, it was a day on which to interrogate and reflect upon the country’s 60,000-year-old history and to acknowledge indigenous Australians’fundamental place in Australia’s story.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni was the chief guest.
Read more: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh Women’s team off to Australia
The event was attended by ministers, members of parliament, members of the diplomatic community, senior officers from the Bangladesh Armed Forces, senior officials from the Bangladesh Government and business, development, humanitarian, political and civil leaders, and the media.
Five-team Inter-University Hockey begins
The five-team Inter University Hockey Tournament began on Sunday (January 22) at the Dhaka University Central playground in the capital.
Dhaka Univeristy Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Mohammad Akteruzzaman inaugurated the four-day meet on Sunday as the chief guest.
Five University teams—Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Chittagong University, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and Cumilla University—are taking part in the meet.
The opening match of the tournament between Buet and Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU) ended in draw.
Bangamata Hall Sports: Swatabdi champion, Tumpa runner-up
The annual sports competition of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall of Dhaka University (DU) was held on Thursday at the university's central playground.
Aspia Sarker Swatabdi of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism became the champion and Papiya Akter Tumpa of the Department of Islamic History and Culture runner-up in the day-long competition.
Read more: Bangamata Football: Rajshahi clinch title beating Mymensingh 2-0
DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Mohammad Samad inaugurated the competition Thursday morning.
At the closing ceremony, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor ASM Maksud Kamal handed out the prizes to the winners. Bangamata Sheikh Fazlilatunnesa Mujib Hall Provost Professor Nilufar Parvin was also present.
Kool-BSJA Media Cup Football begins Saturday
The Kool-BSJA Media Cup Football Tournament 2023, organised by the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA), will begin Saturday at the artificial turf of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in the capital's Motijheel.
Thirty-two teams from print and electronic media, split into eight groups, will take part in the first phase of the six-a-side tournament on a knock-out basis.
Later, eight group champions will play in the quarterfinals.
BSJA President ATM Sayeduzzaman disclosed the details of the competition at a press conference at the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) Wednesday.
Assistant Manager (Marketing) of tournament sponsor Square Toiletries Tehsina Khanam, BSJA General Secretary Anisur Rahman, tournament convenor Raihan Al Mugni and tournament secretary M Robiul Islam also spoke.
The champions of the competition will get Tk30,000 as prize money; the runner-ups will get Tk15,000. Also, the best player of the tournament and the best player of each match will be awarded.
Read more: BCL Football: NoFel SC beat Gopalganj SC 2-1
Participating teams
Group A: Boishakhi TV, Ekushey TV, Janakantha, Desh Rupanthar
Group B: Channel i, T Sports, Daily Sun, Ekhon TV
Group C: Maasranga TV, Channel 24, Bangla Tribune, Samoyer Alo
Group D: Jagonews, GTV, Jugantor, Ajker Patrika
Group E: Independent TV, Rtv, Dhaka Post, Deepto TV
Group F: Daily Star, ATN Bangla, Bangladesh Pratidin, BTV
Group G: Banga Vision, News 24, Samakal, Kalbela
Group H: Dhaka Tribune, DBC, Kaler Kantho, bdnews24.com