United News of Bangladesh

England will play a three-Test series in Pakistan as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) in December, the Pakistan Cricket Board said Monday. Rawalpindi will host the first test from December 1-5 while the second Test will be played at Multan from December 9-13. Pakistan's favourite home ground – the National Stadium at Karachi – will host the third and final Test from December 17-21. Pakistan have lost just two Test matches at Karachi out of 44, with one of the defeats coming against England in 2000. South Africa won the other Test when it beat Pakistan by 160 runs in 2007. Pakistan have won 23 test matches at the National Stadium. It will be England's first Test tour to Pakistan since 2005. England are also scheduled to play a seven-match Twenty20 series in Pakistan next month as a build-up for the T20 World Cup in Australia before returning in December for the Test series. England will play a Test match in Rawalpindi for the first time. Pakistan has happy memories in Multan where they beat England by 22 runs during their last tour 17 years ago. Read: Hasnain replaces injured Afridi for Asia Cup "We have been working closely with the PCB over recent months and I am grateful to them for everything they have done, and continue to do, to make our Test and T20 tours a mouth-watering prospect for all involved," ECB's interim chief executive officer Clare Connor said in a statement. "The return of our men's Test team to Pakistan for the first time since 2005 will be a historic occasion. The opportunity to play Test cricket in front of passionate cricket lovers in Pakistan after such a long time is something to be cherished." Zakir Khan, the PCB's director of international cricket, said Pakistan and England have historically produced some close test matches. "Pakistan cricket fans have waited for almost 17 years to see elite England players in action," Khan said.  "Both the sides have evolved since they last played in Pakistan in 2005 and have recently been playing entertaining and exciting cricket. I remain confident this series will live up to the expectations of the global cricket fans who want to watch and enjoy competitive and thrilling matches." England are in seventh place in the WTC points table while Pakistan is fifth.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain has replaced the injured Shaheen Shah Afridi for the Asia Cup in the UAE. The 22-year-old Hasnain returned to cricket in June after remodelling his bowling action. He was suspended in February after being called by umpires during the BBL. The right-arm fast bowler has taken 17 wickets in 18 T20s and played his last T20 against the West Indies in Karachi in December 2021. Hasnain is representing the Oval Invincibles in the Hundred competition in England and will join the Pakistan team in the UAE. During the Hundred competition, Australia's Marcus Stoinis mimicked Hasnain's bowling action with a throwing motion when he was walking back to the dugout after being caught by the fast bowler's short-pitched delivery. Read: Sridharan to call the shots in Asia Cup as consultant However, the Australian batter was not formally sanctioned for questioning the legality of Hasnain's bowling action. Afridi was ruled out of the Asia Cup and also from next month's seven-match T20 series against England after doctors advised him to rest for at least four to six weeks to fully recover from a knee injury. Pakistan are placed in Group A along with archrival India and a qualifier. Pakistan will play their opening game against India Saturday. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group B with the top two teams going through the Super 4 stage.

In a decisive shift, newly-appointed technical consultant Sridharan Sriram will call the shots for Bangladesh during the upcoming Asia Cup, and overall in T20Is going forward, BCB president Nazmul Hasan Papon confirmed to the media today. Head Coach Russell Domingo, will now work concentrate on Tests and ODIs - as such, he is not even going to be with the team in UAE for the regional T20I honours. Last week, the BCB confirmed the appointment of Sridharan— a former Indian player and coach of several IPL teams. “As of now, we have no head coach during the Asia Cup,” Nazmul told the media on Monday. “Domingo will remain our coach in Tests in ODIs. We have a fielding coach, batting coach and other staff. Sridharan will give us the plan to do well in T20Is, now why do we need a head coach?” Also read: Asia Cup squad: Md Naim called up on eve of departure In an unconventional move, the BCB president said the coaching staff will be under the leadership of himself and other directors of the board who will be travelling with the team. UNB has learnt that the board president and Jalal Yunus, the chairman of the BCB cricket operations committee, are confirmed to travel with the team during the Asia Cup. “We may have different captains in white-ball and red-ball cricket,” Nazmul added. “We also need different teams in the different formats of the game with different coaching panels for our teams. Unless we have all of these, we are not prepared well.” This is not the first time that the BCB is thinking to appoint different captains for different formats of the game. Until Mominul Haque was removed from the Test captaincy, Bangladesh had three different captains in the three different formats of cricket. While Mominul was the Test captain, Mahmudullah Riyad and Tamim Iqbal were the captains of T20Is and ODIs respectively. But some dismal results led to Mominul's resignation from the longest format, and Riyad's time was up in the shortest one. Also read: Don't expect big things at Asia Cup: Shakib Shakib was bestowed the responsibility in both cases. Tamim remains ODI skipper. The Bangladesh team will fly to the UAE on August 23 to play in the Asia Cup. A total of six teams are going to play in the biggest cricketing event in Asia. In the group stage, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on August 29 and September 1.

Opening batsman Mohammad  Naim has been included in the Bangladesh squad for the Asia Cup 2022 beginning on August 27 in the UAE, replacing the injured pacer Hasan Mahmud. The Bangladesh team will depart from Dhaka for Dubai tomorrow (Tuesday) evening to compete in the T20 Asia Cup. Naim, who was part of the Bangladesh A team during the recent Tour of the West indies, will join the team in Dubai on Tuesday. The 23-year-old left-hander has been capped 34 times for Bangladesh in T20 internationals Meanwhile, Hasan and wicket-keeper Nurul Hasan Sohan, who were originally selected in the squad, will miss the Asia Cup due to injury. Read: Asia Cup 2022 Group B Preview: Can Bangladesh Reach Super 4 Round? Mahmud suffered a ligament damage to his right ankle during training on Saturday, and is sidelined for at least three weeks. Sohan underwent a surgery on his left index finger in Singapore two weeks ago and needs more time to recover. It means although the selectors initially named a 17-man squad, the final selection under captain Shakib Al Hasan is 16.  Bangladesh squad for Asia Cup: Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Musaddek Hossain Saikat, Mahmud Ullah, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Shaif Uddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Shabbir Rahaman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Parvez Hossain Emon and Mohammad Naim.

Bangladesh T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan has asked the country's cricket community not to expect big things at the Asia Cup, starting August 27 in the UAE. Playing down his team's chances at the tournament, the all-rounder said Bangladesh played 35 T20s in the last two years and won only 13 of them. "If we can show a bit of improvement at the Asia Cup from what we have done over the last few years, it would be an achievement," Shakib told the media Monday. "One should not expect that we will make it to the final." Also read: Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022 The last time the Asia Cup was played as a T20 event was in 2106 when hosts Bangladesh finished runners-up to India. Shakib said rather than hoping to win the Asia Cup, the expectations should be about doing better in the shorter format of the game in the next four years. "We are a good team and we have done it before. And we do not have to change the way we play cricket but it is important that we use our resources properly," the all-rounder added. Bangladesh will not get the service of head coach Russell Domingo at the Asia Cup. Domingo will coach the Bangladesh team in Tests and ODIs only. Also read: T20s: Need to be like a baby learning to walk, says Shakib The BCB has appointed the former Indian cricketer Sridharan Sriram as the technical consultant (T20 head coach) for the Bangladesh T20 team. The Tigers will travel to the UAE for the upcoming Asia Cup on August 23. Six teams will play in the biggest cricketing event in Asia. In the group stage, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on August 29 and September 1.

The Asia Cup cricket 2022 will begin with the group phase contest. Six teams will be divided into two groups, each containing three. India, Pakistan and the winner of the qualifier will play in Group A. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will play in Group B, which is considered the group of death. The Asia Cup 2022 Group B preview is discussed in this article. Asia Cup Cricket 2022: Group B Preview Finishing in the top two in the Group B points table will be a real challenge as all are well capable of advancing to the Super Four phase. A fiercely contested battle is expected in all three matches in this group. Let’s take a closer look at each squad in this group. Bangladesh   The Bangladesh cricket team’s recent T20 performances have been unimpressive. Their two T20I victories this year have come against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, respectively. They even failed to win a series against the Zimbabwean team a few weeks ago. Read Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan So, the Bangladesh team is not heading to the Asia Cup with their best of form. Appointing Shakib Al Hasan as captain and hiring Sridharan Sriram as technical consultant are two good decisions the BCB made prior to the tournament. However, as per recent form, Bangladesh will not start as the favourite to finish in the top two in Group B. Strengths Having Shakib Al Hasan as captain could be Bangladesh’s main strength in the tournament. The Shakib-led Bangladesh team is expected to be rejuvenated during the main event. His decision-making ability, game awareness and leadership qualities are compared to none at the moment in Bangladesh. Besides, spinners can play a vital role in the middle overs to check the run flow of the opposition. Weaknesses The Bangladesh team has two major weaknesses in the T20 format of cricket. The team doesn’t have an established opening pair, and there is no proper power hitter for the death overs. It remains to be seen how they will address the deficiencies during the Asia Cup. Multiple sources have claimed that Shakib wants Mushfiqur Rahim to open the innings. The selectors recalled Sabbir Rahman to play the power hitting role in the middle order. Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament T20 Records against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan Bangladesh have a poor T20 record against both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The team Tigers has won only four matches and lost eight against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Bangladesh have three victories and five losses against Afghanistan. Predicted Playing XI: Top-Order: Mushfiqur Rahim (wicket-keeper), Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (captain); Middle-Order: Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddeck Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin; Lower-Order: Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed Sri Lanka Sri Lanka have played eleven Twenty20 matches this year, eight against Australia and three against India. They have won two matches and both came against Australia. So, playing against tough opposition will boost Sri Lanka’s confidence ahead of the group stage clashes. The Lankan side will start as favourites to finish top in Group B. Read Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022 Strengths Over the last one year, the cricket world has witnessed some seriously talented T20 format cricketers from Sri Lanka. They have some individual match-winners, which is their biggest strength. Among them, all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga will top the list. Besides, Dushmantha Chameera, Pathum Nissanka, and hard-hitter Dasun Shanaka are some of Sri Lanka’s top performers in recent series. Weaknesses Most of the Lankan players don’t have enough international experience. Besides, constructing a match-winning playing XI could be a major concern for them. T20 Records against Afghanistan and Bangladesh Sri Lanka have won eight matches against Bangladesh and lost four. On the other hand, Sri Lanka won the only T20 game they played against Afghanistan in 2016. Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka,  Middle-Order: Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wicket-keeper), Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne,  Lower-Order: Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama. Read Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad Afghanistan Afghanistan have won the majority of their T20 matches this year. However, all of their fixtures were against weaker opponents. They have some T20 specialist players who have the ability to change the scenario of a match on their own. Afghanistan will start as the second favourite to qualify for the Super Four round from this group. Strengths     Afghanistan have some of the best T20 format spinners in their squad. Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid Khan are all world-class bowlers. Besides, their captain, Nabi, is the current world No. 1 all-rounder. He would probably be the most vital player for the Afghan side. They have some quality power hitters as well, and one of them is Hazratullah Zazai. Weaknesses The Afghanistan team sometimes tends to lose grip whenever they face any tough opposition. The Afghan players have to develop patience and a steady approach to have a solid performance against stronger opponents. T20 Records against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Afghanistan have won five matches against Bangladesh and lost three. On the other hand, Afghanistan lost the only T20 match they played against Sri Lanka in 2016. Read Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy? Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran,  Middle-Order: Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan,  Lower-Order: Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi Asia Cup 2022: Full Fixtures of Group B The Asia Cup of Cricket 2022 will kick off with the Group B match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Here are the fixtures for Group B. Date: 27 August | Match: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium  Date: 30 August | Match: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan | Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium  Date: 1 September | Match: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium  Verdict According to the Asia Cup 2022 Group B preview, Bangladesh will not begin the match as the favourites to advance to the next round. However, if the Shakib Al Hasan-led Tigers T20 team can reach their full potential during the competition, they have the ability to shock everyone. The favourites in this group, the Sri Lankan campaign is in full confidence, especially following a strong performance in their most recent T20 series against Australia. Afghanistan, on the other hand, has a reputation for being a deadly T20 team and is innately confident in their ability to defeat anyone. Bangladesh must thus work hard to defeat these two confident teams to secure a spot in the Super Four. Read ICC CWC Super League: WI, SL, SA could miss out on direct qualification

Qualification for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is well and truly heating up. Thirteen teams have participated in the ICC CWC Super League to earn a spot in the next 50-over World Cup. The top seven teams in the points standings and the host of the 13th edition of the ODI World Cup, India, will automatically advance to the main event. As the qualifier competition is nearing its end, three full members—West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa—are in danger of missing out on direct qualification. Let’s take a look at the complete World Cup qualification scenario. Which teams are in a strong position in the ICC CWC Super League? With less than one third of the fixtures left in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League 2020-2023, the points table has nicely shaped up to understand which teams are in a better position to qualify for the main event. Reigning champions, England became the first team to secure a place in the World Cup 2023 with 125 points in 18 matches. Bangladesh and Pakistan are in second and third place, respectively, with 120 points each. Both teams are one win away from booking their place in the main event. With six matches left for Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively, their places in the next World Cup are all but assured. However, they may not need to win any more matches if the bottom-placed teams continue to lose points. Read Pakistan sweeps ODI series with 9-run win vs Netherlands New Zealand and Afghanistan are in very strong positions as well in the ICC CWC Super League points table. The Blackcaps are in fourth position with 110 points, followed by the Afghan side in fifth position with 100 points. With both teams having 12 matches left each, their route to World Cup qualification is clear. The tournament host, India, are in sixth position with 99 points. India will likely be in fifth place if they whitewash Zimbabwe in the ongoing 3-match series. The Indian side will finish in the top half of the standings as they have six matches left. West Indies, the two-time World Cup champions, are in seventh place with 90 points. The Caribbean side completed their allotted matches and they are in serious danger of missing out on direct qualification. Australia are in eighth position at the moment with 70 points, but they have 12 matches in hand to secure a direct World Cup berth. Ireland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands are in the bottom half of the points table. Read Sridharan Sriram to take big role in Bangladesh team Points standings of the 2020-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League (as on August 21, 2022) Team Matches Won Lost Points England 18 12 5 125 Bangladesh 18 12 6 120 Pakistan 18 12 6 120 New Zealand 12 11 1 110 Afghanistan 12 10 2 100 India (Q) 14 10 4 99 West Indies 24 9 15 90 Australia 12 7 5 70 Ireland 21 6 13 68 Sri Lanka 18 6 11 62 South Africa 13 4 7 49 Zimbabwe 17 3 13 35 Netherlands 19 2 16 25   Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup-super-league/standings Read Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan Who among the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa have a better chance to qualify? In the current point standings scenario, the West Indies team is most likely to miss out on direct qualification. They have no remaining matches and only a 20-point lead over the eighth-placed Australian team. The Aussie side will surely topple the Caribbean team in their upcoming fixture against Zimbabwe. Ireland are in ninth position with 68 points, and they have three matches left against Bangladesh. Ireland must defeat Bangladesh in order to surpass the West Indies in the standings, which is highly unlikely. However, Sri Lanka are in a better position to surpass the West Indies. They have 62 points and six matches in hand. With 60 points up for grabs, winning the remaining matches will most certainly guarantee a World Cup berth for the Lankan side. Read FTP Cycle 2023-2027: Bangladesh National Men’s Cricket Team’s Full Fixtures South Africa, on the other hand, have eight matches in hand and they are currently in eleventh position with only 49 points. They gave a walkover to Australia and lost thirty valuable points without playing the matches. The Proteas side can reach 129 points if they win their remaining fixtures. It seems the West Indies are most likely to miss out on finishing in the top eight in the points table. On the other hand, Sri Lanka and South Africa will battle it out till the end to finish in the top eight to earn a place in the next World Cup. West Indies’ remaining series:  None Sri Lanka’s remaining series:  Afghanistan (3 matches), New Zealand (3 matches) South Africa’s remaining series:  England (3 matches), India (3 matches), Netherlands (2 matches). Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament Aftermath The West Indies and Sri Lanka are former World Cup champions, while South Africa are one of the best teams in the world. Failing to qualify for the World Cup 2023 through direct qualification will be a major blow for top cricketing nations like the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Each of these three sides has a significant risk of finishing outside the top eight teams given the ICC CWC Super League's current standings. 

Pakistan resisted a determined chase from the Netherlands to win the third one-day international by nine runs on Sunday and sweep the series 3-0. The visitors scored 206 in 49.4 overs before limiting the Dutch pursuit to 197 all out with four balls left. Naseem Shah took 5-33 in 10 overs of pace for Pakistan and Mohammad Wasim got key wickets in his 4-36. Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss, chose to bat first and hit 91 in 125 balls before the No. 3 was caught and bowled by spinner Aryan Dutt. Azam had seven fours and two sixes. Netherlands pacer Bas de Leede finished with 3-50. Read: Sridharan Sriram to take big role in Bangladesh team In reply, Dutch opener Vikramjit Singh was caught behind off Wasim for an 85-ball 50. Singh shared a 71-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Tom Cooper (62 off 105). The Netherlands needed 56 runs off the last 10 overs with five wickets left but Cooper was finally dismissed by Wasim, leaving his team on 174-7 in the 46th. Wasim bowled Dutt to finish the match. Pakistan had already clinched the three-match series. It won the first ODI by 16 runs and the second by seven wickets.

Former Indian cricketer and coach Sridharan Sriram arrived in Dhaka on Sunday. He will soon take up the role of the technical consultant of the Bangladesh T20 team this week. After coming to Dhaka, Sridharan visited Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, and he also watched the practice match of the Bangladesh squad that would tour the UAE later this month to play the Asia Cup. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Sridharan aiming to bring some changes to the T20 team that recently lost a series against Zimbabwe. The former Indian cricketer has the experience of coaching IPL teams— Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab. He will work with the Bangladesh team till the T20 World Cup which will take place later this year in Australia. “We want him to infuse an aggressive cricketing mindset into the team,” Khaled Mahmud, the technical director of the Bangladesh team has said recently. “We won’t play any format of cricket other than T20Is until the World Cup. So this is the time to inspire the boys to play aggressive cricket.” Read: Bangladesh A v West Indies A: ODI series ends in 1-1 draw BCB is yet to finalize if the head coach Russell Doming stays in the same role in the Asia Cup. Nazmul Hasan, the BCB president, said last week that they are considering not sending Doming to the Asia Cup. In that case, Sridharan may be the head coach of the Bangladesh team in the Asia Cup. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team played an intra-squad match on Sunday where Shakib Al Hasan was the best batter scoring 36 off 24 balls while Mahedi Hasan scored 31 off 16 balls. Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan and Hasan Murad did well with the ball taking two wickets each. Shakib led the Red Team in this match and Afif Hossain was the captain of the Green Team. The Bangladesh team will fly to the UAE on August 23. On August 30, Bangladesh will play their first match against Afghanistan in Sharjah, and on September 1, Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in Dubai.  

The series deciding 3rd one-day match between touring Bangladesh A team and hosts West Indies A team was washed out due to rain at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium at Gros Islet in St Lucia Saturday night.With the result, the three-match one-day series between two teams ended in 1-1 draw  as both the teams won one match each. In the 3rd and series deciding match, the 2nd string West Indies team opened the innings first after winning the toss and scored a moderate total of 238 runs for the loss of nine wickets in stipulated 50 overs, featuring 60 runs by one down batsman Teddy Bishop.Besides, opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul (43), Justine Greaves (36), captain Joshua Da Silva (23), Shamar Springer (23) and Tevin Imlach (14) were the other notable scorers for the West Indies.Rejaur Rahman Raja of Bangladesh grabbed four wickets conceding 50 runs in his 10 overs spell , Mrittunjoy Chowdhury claimed two wickets for 43 runs while Rakibul Hasan and Mukidul Islam took one wicket each. Read: Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over PakistanReplying to Caribbean modest total, Bangladesh team scored 61 for 3 in 15.4 overs before the match was washed out due to rain.  Earlier, Bangladesh A team faced initial batting collapse losing two wickets --Mohammad Naim (3), Saif Hasan (2) -- for only seven runs in in two overs, but opener Soumya Sarkar pairing with captain and two down batsman Mohammad Mithun repaired the early damage contributing 51 runs in the 3rd wicket stand.Soumya Sarkar contributed the team highest and unbeaten 30 runs off 45 balls hitting four boundaries while Mohammad Mithun made 41-ball 20 runs with the help of one four and a six. New batsman Shahadat Hossain remained not out on one run.Shermon Lewis captured two wickets for 18 runs in his three over spell.