United News of Bangladesh

Delhi Capitals have had a difficult start to the IPL 2022 season despite winning their first match by four wickets against the Mumbai Indians. Rishab Pant's side has only won one game in three matches so far, and they need to get back on track if they want to remain in playoffs contention. The Delhi Capitals next encounter is on Sunday at 4 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time) against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Delhi's Bangladeshi recruit, Mustafizur Rahman, might be a key player in this match because his cutter is very effective in these conditions. The KKR vs DC match preview is discussed in this article. Team News: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals With six points after four games, Kolkata Knight Riders presently top the IPL 2022 points table. On the other side, the Delhi Capitals are in the seventh position with only two points. The Indian Premier League's 15th season is now in its early stages, with each team competing to craft the best plan for this campaign. However, no club can afford to lose consecutive games in a row since it will jeopardize their chances of making the playoffs. Read Taijul bags six, South Africa end on 453 Delhi Capitals The Delhi Capitals have a well-balanced lineup with a wide range of bowling options. They only need to find the appropriate combination to get positive results. Left-arm pacer from Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman might be an excellent weapon for the Delhi Capitals. Mustafizur took three wickets in his first match of the season. His cutter delivery, slower bouncer, and pinpoint accuracy have the potential to stem the run flow while also assisting in wicket-taking. Besides, Prithvi Shaw and Kuldeep Yadav are performing well for Delhi. Most runs (Delhi): Prithvi Shaw (109) | Most Wickets (Delhi): Kuldeep Yadav (6) Read Mohammedan in trouble after another defeat Probable Playing XI (Delhi) Top Order: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan, Middle-Orders: Rishabh Pant (Captain & wicket-keeper), Lalit Yadav, Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Lower-Order: Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Mustafizur Rahman Kolkata Knight Riders  The performance of Pat Cummins against the Mumbai Indians elevated the standard for the remainder of the season even higher. His aggressive batting style would instill confidence in the team. Among the players, Andre Russell and Umesh Yadav are doing well for Kolkata. Most runs (KKR): Andre Russell (106) | Most Wickets (KKR): Umesh Yadav (9) Probable Playing XI (Kolkata) Top Order: Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Middle-Orders: Sam Billings (wicket-keeper), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Lower-Order: Umesh Yadav, Rasikh Salam, Varun Chakravarthy. Read Bangladesh 139-5 at stumps, trails South Africa by 314 runs Match Time (KKR vs DC): Sunday (April 10) at 4 pm (Bangladesh Standard Time) | Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai Head-to-Head: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders In a head-to-head encounter, the Kolkata Knight Riders have a small lead over the Delhi Capitals. Kolkata have won 16 of the 29 games that the two teams have played against each other. Oppositely, the Delhi Capitals have won 13 games. Among the batters, Robin Uthappa has the most runs (392) against the Delhi Capitals for Kolkata. Gautam Gambhir, on the other hand, has scored the most runs (569) for Delhi against the Kolkata Knight Riders. In bowling, Sunil Narine has picked up 22 wickets for Kolkata against Delhi, while Umesh Yadav has picked up 21 wickets for Delhi against Kolkata. Read IPL 2022: Pat Cummins Makes Headlines with Fastest IPL Fifty Bottom Line Delhi Capitals have to make a strong comeback against the current league leader. Because three consecutive losses will put them under a lot of pressure to get back on track. Delhi’s foreign recruits, David Warner, Mustafizur Rahman, and Anrich Nortje, could be vital in this match. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders are in very good form, especially after a thumping win over Mumbai Indians. They will be hoping to continue the momentum in this KKR vs DC match as well and keep hold of their number one position in the 2022 IPL points standings.

South Africa were in sight of a series victory Sunday as Bangladesh stumbled to 27-3 chasing 413 to win the second Test. South Africa forced out Mahmudul Hasan Joy (0), Najmul Hossain Shanto (7) and Tamim Iqbal (13) in 9.1 overs of the Bangladesh second innings before stumps were called on the third day in Gqeberha.   Bangladesh need another 386 runs and their overall target is only five runs short of the world record for a successful fourth-innings run chase.  Also read:Mehidy escapes injury scare after being hit on stomach The tourists would have to make far more than the highest fourth innings total ever at St George's Park, which stands at 281. South Africa's spinners again came through late in the day, with Keshav Maharaj claiming two of the wickets and Simon Harmer one to leave Bangladesh in deep trouble with two days of the Test remaining. South Africa lead the two-test series 1-0 after a 220-run win in the first match. The Proteas dismissed Bangladesh for 217 in their first innings earlier in the day and then the hosts made 176-6 declared in their second innings to set the huge target. Those runs came in 39.5 overs, with opener Sarel Erwee hitting 41 and Kyle Verreynne making 39 not out in the middle order.   It gave the Proteas enough time to put the Tigers back in near the end of the day. Also read:SA vs BAN Second Test 2022: Taijul Islam Reaches Unique Milestone There was a worrying moment at the very start of South Africa's second innings when Erwee hit a powerful shot off the back foot straight at fielder Mehidy Hasan Miraz at backward point. Mehidy lost sight of the ball completely and was turning his head to his left believing it had gone past him when it hit him square in the chest. He left on a stretcher but returned to the field later and appeared to have sustained no serious injury. South Africa batter Temba Bavuma and Bangladesh fast bowler Khaled Ahmed were also involved in a strange incident that left both hurting. Bavuma was not watching where he was going and ran straight into Khaled, with his helmet crashing into the bowler's outstretched left arm. They both grimaced in pain and had treatment but played on.

Mohammedan Sporting Club on Saturday endured their fifth defeat in the ongoing Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League against Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club. Mohammedan’s chances of qualifying for the Super League stage of the event is slim now. Mohammedan batted first in Saturday’s match and posted only 143 runs for all wickets in 38.1 over. Mahmudullah Riyad was the best batter for them scoring 48 off 52 balls. Also read: Ashraful’s List A career-best carries Brothers past Rupganj The other batters failed to play well against Enamul Haque Jnr of Rupganj Tigers who bagged five wickets conceding 41 runs in 9.1 overs. It was his maiden five-for in a 20-year-long career. In reply, Rupganj Tigers chased down the target in just 36.2 overs and won the match by seven wickets. It was their fourth win in eight matches. In other matches of the day, City Club beat Brothers Union by three wickets while Legends of Rupganj beat Shinepukur Cricket Club by nine runs. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club are at the top of the table with 14 points from seven wins in eight matches while Prime Bank Cricket Club are right behind them with 12 points from six wins in nine matches. The other teams in the top eight are: Legends of Rupganj (12 points), Abahani Club Limited (10), Gazi Group Cricketers (10), Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club (8), Shinepukur Cricket Club (6), and City Club (6).

Despite a tremendous bowling display by the left-arm Bangaldshi spinner Taijul Islam, who bagged six wickets in Port Elizabeth, the hosts South Africa posted a huge total of 453 in the first innings of the second Test of the two-match series.  South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first.  Four batters of the hosts’ side have hit a fifty each. Keshav Maharaj scored 84— the highest by any South African batter in this Test so far.  The other batters who have hit the fifties are Dean Elgar, Keegan Petersen and Temba Bavuma. At the end of day one, South Africa were at 278 for five. They added 175 more runs to their overnight total, losing five more wickets. 

South Africa elected to bat first in the SA vs BAN second Test 2022 that could be helpful to the spinners in the later stages of the match. The reason behind this decision was not to face Bangladesh's slower bowlers in the final four sessions at least. As per experts, the final day could be hard for the batters to negotiate spinners. South Africa are in line for 400 runs in the first innings after finishing on 278/5 at the end of day 1. On the other hand, the Bangladesh team is hoping to pick all of the South African wickets as early as possible so that they can bat deep in the first innings. First Day Report of the South Africa-Bangladesh Second Test of 2022 Bangladesh made two changes for this match, and one was inevitable after Taskin Ahmed’s departure from South Africa due to an injury. Taijul Islam, a left-arm orthodox spinner, has been selected in place of Taskin Ahmed, and veteran opener Tamim Iqbal has been selected in place of Shadman Islam. South Africa made no changes to their playing XI. Bangladesh bowlers were on top of their game in the final session. They conceded 79 runs in 32 overs and picked up two crucial wickets. Taijul Islam and Mehidy Miraz bowled the majority of the overs in the third session, and they were successful in keeping the batters relatively quiet. South Africa's total would have surpassed 300 runs on day one if Bangladesh had conceded as many runs as they did in the first two sessions. Therefore, the bowling unit deserves credit for making a strong recovery in the last session. Read Taijul bags three as Bangladesh put some pressure back on hosts Earlier, Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee made a fantastic start to the South African innings. They went hard at the Bangladesh bowlers and scored at a rapid pace. Though a part of the blame should go to the bowlers, who didn’t follow the basics of Test bowling. The majority of the bowls were either wide outside the off-stumps or ineffective shot length deliveries. Understandably, The Proteas batters picked them early on and gave them the treatment they deserved.  South Africa made 52/0 at the end of 11 overs, a start that the hosts were hoping for. However, Bangladesh bowlers started to find rhythm after that and got the first breakthrough in the 12th over by pacer Khaled Ahmed. He made some adjustments in his bowling and bowled the first maiden over of the innings, including the wicket of Sarel Erwee. South Africa finished with 107/1 at lunch but lost skipper Dean Elgar (70) within five overs of the second session. Taijul Islam picked the wicket of Dean Elgar and also removed Keegan Petersen (64) before the tea. Read South Africa 199-3 vs. Bangladesh after Elgar, Petersen 50s On day 1, Taijul Islam and Khaled Ahmed were the only wicket-takers for Bangladesh, and they combined to bowl 52 overs out of 90. Taijul’s bowling stats on day 1 was 32-7-77-3, indicating that he would be the main weapon of Bangladesh's bowling attack in the remainder of the match. What to Expect from the Bangladesh Batting Unit in the First Innings  Bangladesh team management will be hoping for a strong start in the first innings of the SA vs BAN second Test 2022. The belief comes from Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s marvelous knock in the first innings of the first Test at the Kingsmead in Durban. With 137 runs, Joy became the highest scorer in an innings in South Africa among the Asian openers. If Bangladesh's opening pair can provide a firm foundation for the innings, the middle order should be able to perform better. Mominul, Mushfiqur, and Litton are all capable of producing a big knock on any surface in the world. They did it before, and there is no reason why they can't do it again against a less-strong South African bowling unit. The surface may get flattered a bit on day three and day four before giving more assistance to the slower bowlers in the last few sessions. In that context, Bangladesh's middle order should feel confident in their ability to bat deep for a big total in the first innings. Read South Africa bat first in 2nd Test vs Tigers Apart from them, the selectors focus would be on Najmul Hossain Shanto and Yasir Ali. These two are promising young talents, but they need to showcase their ability on the international stage on a regular basis. Mehidy Hasan Miraz has shown real promise with the bat in recent international matches and has given the Bangladesh team a lot of confidence in the lower order. Miraz can add some valuable runs in the Bangladesh innings by forming some crucial partnerships with the tailenders. Bangladesh’s primary target should be to take some lead in the first innings, but before that, the bowlers have to do their job by bowling South Africa out for less than 350. Bottom Line  The Bangladesh team’s performance in the year 2022 has been mostly fantastic. It seems Bangladesh cricket is ready to go to the next level if properly nurtured. They astonished New Zealand away from home earlier in January, and only a few weeks ago, they surprised the cricketing world by winning an ODI series against South Africa by 2-1. The Test series is now 1-0 in favour of South Africa. They are now playing against the hosts in the second Test at St. George's Park in Port Elizabeth. The Bangladesh team has a good opportunity in the second match because the hosts have a poor record here. However, Bangladesh’s chances in the SA vs BAN second Test 2022 will increase if they can take a good first-innings lead over South Africa.  Read SA vs BAN 2022: Bangladesh Aspire to Level the Test Series with Fresh Strategy

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who was overlooked in the first Test of the ongoing two-match series against South Africa, bagged three wickets in the second Test so far. Bangladesh’s persistence was rewarded with two late wickets as South Africa went to stumps on 278 for 5 on the opening day of the second and final Test on Friday. Three South African batters made half-centuries after the home team chose to bat first at St. George’s Park, but none of them went on to a big score and Bangladesh took something from the day by removing Ryan Rickelton (42) and Temba Bavuma (67) in the space of three overs just before stumps of day one. Bavuma was the third South African to pass 50 after captain Dean Elgar provided a solid start with his 70 and No. 3 Keegan Petersen made 64. But Bangladesh found success through left-arm spinner Taijul, who was called into the team following a 220-run defeat in the series-opener. Taijul claimed the crucial wickets of Elgar, Petersen and Rickelton for his 3 conceding 77. Read: South Africa 199-3 vs. Bangladesh after Elgar, Petersen 50s South Africa has the advantage as it seeks to seal a series victory, but not by much. Elgar hit 10 fours in his third half-century in three innings this series and South Africa made an imposing start by putting together four half-century stands for its first four wickets. Bavuma and Rickelton combined for the last and best of those, a stand of 83 that looked to be taking South Africa to a position of clear dominance. Their late dismissals gave the day a different complexion as South Africa went from 267 for three to its 278 for five. Rickelton was in sight of his first Test half-century in just his second Test when he tried to reverse sweep a delivery from Taijul. He had pulled the shot off successfully earlier in his innings but this time he missed, the ball clipped the wristband of his glove and looped to Yasir Ali at slip. Bangladesh asked for a TV review after it was initially given not out and was rewarded. Bavuma went soon after to a low catch at first slip, giving seamer Khaled Ahmed his second wicket of the day. It also meant the wait for a second Test century for Bavuma continued. His 67 was his 19th Test half-century but he is yet to add to his one and only hundred, which he made six years ago. He was out for 93 in the first Test. Read: SA vs BAN 2022: Bangladesh Aspire to Level the Test Series with Fresh Strategy South Africa leads the series 1-0 after its big win in Durban, where Bangladesh had looked competitive at times but collapsed to 53 all out on the final day. Bangladesh made two changes for the second Test, bringing back opening batsman Tamim Iqbal and giving Taijul his chance. South Africa retained the same lineup and continued without a number of its top players, who have opted out of the short series to appear in the Indian Premier League.

Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen both made half-centuries to push South Africa to 199-3 against Bangladesh in the second test on Friday. Elgar, the South Africa captain, went for 70 and Petersen scored 64 to help the Proteas to a strong position at tea on the first day at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha, the city formerly called Port Elizabeth. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who was brought into the Bangladesh team for the second test, claimed both their wickets for the most important strikes. Elgar edged behind to wicketkeeper Litton Das and Petersen was eventually given out lbw after Bangladesh called for a review. Petersen greeted the decision with disbelief but had to go. South Africa still started the test with three half-century partnerships after opting to bat first. Openers Elgar and Sarel Erwee (24) put on 52 runs, Elgar and Petersen 81 and Petersen and Temba Bavuma 51. Read: SA vs BAN 2022: Bangladesh Aspire to Level the Test Series with Fresh Strategy Bavuma was 33 not out at tea and Ryan Rickelton with him on 7 not out. South Africa leads the two-test series 1-0 after a 220-run win in Durban. Bangladesh had looked competitive at times in that first test but collapsed to 53 all out on the final day to hand South Africa the series lead. Bangladesh made two changes for the second test, bringing back opening batsman Tamim Iqbal and giving Taijul his chance. South Africa retained the same lineup.

South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first in the second of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh at Port Elizabeth on Friday. Bangladesh has, however, made two changes in the playing XI -- Tamim Iqbal has replaced Shadman Islam, and Taijul Islam is in the team in place of Taskin Ahmed, who has been ruled out due to a hand injury. With the return of Tamim, Bangladesh can hope for a strong top-order batting display. Bangladesh lost the first Test in Durban by a big margin of 220 runs after a batting collapse in the second innings. Also Read: SA vs BAN 2022: Bangladesh Aspire to Level the Test Series with Fresh Strategy Mahmudul Hasan Joy was the best performer for Bangladesh in the first Test. The young batter hit a ton in Durban, which was the maiden Test century by any Bangladeshi batter in South Africa. While Bangladesh have made two changes, the hosts are playing with an unchanged XI. Bangladesh (Playing XI): Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das (w), Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Also Read: Pat Cummins Makes Headlines with Fastest IPL Fifty 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

At an age when most top athletes are hoping to maintain their form, Karim Benzema is reaching the pinnacle of his career. The 34-year-old France striker is enjoying the best season of the 13 he has spent at Real Madrid and making a strong argument for being considered the top player in the world. Benzema has put in remarkable back-to-back performances in soccer’s elite club competition, scoring consecutive hat tricks in Champions League matches against Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. Benzema’s three goals at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday gave Madrid a commanding 3-1 advantage in their Champions League quarterfinal with Chelsea. Last month he singlehandedly brought Madrid back against PSG with a stunning second-half treble to advance his team on a 3-2 aggregate score. Madrid hosts Getafe in the Spanish league on Saturday before Chelsea visits the Santiago Bernabéu needing a big win to keep alive its European title defense. But with Benzema playing like he is, Madrid has a great chance to add to its 34 Spanish league titles and 13 European Cups, both competitions records. Read: Another Benzema hat trick gives Madrid 3-1 edge over Chelsea Fueled by Benzema’s league-high 24 goals, 10 more than his nearest chasers, Madrid leads Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Sevilla by 12 points with eight games remaining in Spain. Beside his two exquisite headers to put Madrid up 2-0 at Chelsea, Benzema has also shown that hustle pays off. Against both PSG and Chelsea he produced goals by pressuring goalkeepers into gifting him the ball. Add to that his superb sense of timing, knowing just when he should drop into midfield to help unlock the opposing defense and cue an attack, and you have what Carlo Ancelotti calls “a complete player.” “He’s just like a fine wine,” the Madrid coach said about Benzema. “He gets better every day and feels as if he’s gaining in importance within the team every day and is becoming more of a leader. That’s making all the difference in him.” When Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid’s all-time leading scorer, left in 2018, Benzema stepped to fill the void. Even so, he appeared to only be a temporary fix until president Florentino Pérez brought in a true superstar, such as PSG forward Kylian Mbappé, to restore Madrid to greatness. Benzema, however, has blossomed into that stellar player well over a decade since joining Madrid from his hometown club of Lyon. He has scored 10 of Madrid’s last 11 goals and has 37 goals in 36 games in all competitions this season. That already surpasses his previous best of 32 goals for Madrid in the 2011-12 season. And if Mbappé does come, Benzema has shown throughout his career that he can play alongside stars that may even outshine him. He was content to play second fiddle, and sometimes even third fiddle, to Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. That ability to put the team first even earned him the scorn of some Madrid fans— and voices in Spain’s sports media— who demanded more hunger and ambition of a player of his talents. Former coach Zinedine Zidane more than once had to defend Benzema when pressed to give then youngster Álvaro Morata a chance to fight for his starting job. Zidane knew what has since become clear to everyone: that Benzema had the potential to become the best striker in the game. FOR SECOND PLACE Barcelona visits Levante on Sunday tied on points with Atlético and Sevilla but with a game in hand on both as they fight it out for a likely second-place finish. Sevilla will look to end a four-match winless skid against Granada on Friday while Atlético travels to Mallorca on Saturday before hosting Manchester City next week needing to overturn a 1-0 loss in their Champions League quarterfinal. Read: Chelsea vs Real Madrid: Champions League Quarter-Final First Leg Team News, Preview Villarreal hosts Athletic Bilbao also on Saturday after beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in the opening leg of their final-eight clash in Europe.

After winning the limited-overs series, the Bangladesh team was hoping to carry the momentum into the longer-version format against a less-strong South African side. However, their effort in the first Test was dashed as the team tigers' batters choked severely against the Proteas spinners in the second innings on the fifth day. Senior batters need to step up if the visitors want to upset the hosts in the second match. The second match preview of SA vs BAN 2022 is discussed in this article. Second Match Preview of the 2022 South Africa-Bangladesh Test Series Two of Bangladesh’s premier pacers—Takin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam—will miss the series finale match due to fitness issues. Therefore, one change is confirmed for the next match. Bangladesh's playing XI may include one more spinner. On the other hand, South Africa’s playing XI may remain unchanged for the second Test as they want to keep the winning combination intact. The second match of the SA vs BAN 2022 series will be played at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, with a scheduled start time of 2 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).   Bangladesh Bangladesh’s biggest challenge in the contest would be to bat well in the second innings. Bangladesh had a decent chance in the first Test when they came out to bat to chase 274 runs in the final session on day four. But Bangladesh’s batters were clueless against the South Africans' jubilant spinners. In particular, the senior batters didn’t perform well with the bat, which put huge pressure on the middle orders. The Bangladesh team will be hoping for a strong showing in the batting department in the second match. Read: SA vs BAN Test Series 2022: Team-Wise Statistics of St. George's Park Ground Bangladesh team management made a mistake by not picking an additional spinner in the playing XI in the first match. Therefore, the selection of left-arm spinner Taijul Islam in the second match is a genuine possibility.  Probable playing XI Top Order: Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Middle-Orders: Mominul Haque (Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (Wicket-Keeper), Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Lower-Order: Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed South Africa The South African side is missing some of their main Test players in this series. However, their absence had little impact on the contest, as they easily defeated Bangladesh in the opening match and seized a 1-0 lead in the series. The South African team management is hoping that their team will keep up the momentum in the second match and will whitewash the Bangladesh side to clinch the series 2-0.  Probable Playing XI Top Order: Dean Elgar (captain), Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Middle Orders: Temba Bavuma, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne (Wicket-Keeper), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Lower Order: Simon Harmer, Lizard Williams, Duanne Olivier Read: IPL 2022: Pat Cummins Makes Headlines with Fastest IPL Fifty Weather Forecast and Pitch Report There is a possibility of rain on day one of the match, but the rest of the days are likely to remain sunny and a bit cloudy. However, there will be severe wind in Port Elizabeth and the Bangladesh players, especially the bowlers, need to adapt to the conditions. Bowlers have to be creative on this surface to put pressure on the opposition's batting line-up. Therefore, the toss would be a crucial factor in this contest. Bottom Line After clinching the first match, South Africa's team will start the second match as favourites. The unfamiliar Port Elizabeth atmosphere may cause some trouble for Bangladesh players, while South African players know the conditions very well. The Proteas coaching setup can help Bangladesh take the right decisions during and before the match. Captain Mominul Haque has to be brave enough in his decision-making because he was criticized for some of his bad decisions during the opening match of the series. Bangladesh's chances in the match will be determined largely by how they respond to South Africa's first innings, as well as how much pressure the bowling unit can put on the Proteas batting line-up. Hopefully, the SA vs BAN 2022 Test series will end with a nicely-contested match.  Read Australia beat Pakistan by 3 wickets in one-off Twenty20