United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka Mohammedan emerged as the unbeaten champions of the Dhaka Premier Division Women's Cricket League 2021-22 on a better net run rate as their last match with Indira Road at Savar's BKSP Ground was washed out due to rain Saturday. The last league match of their nearest rival Rupali Bank with Khelaghar also could not be held due to rain. Mohammedan and Rupali Bank secured 18 points each from nine matches. But Mohammedan clinched the title due to their better net run rate. Read: Women’s cricket: All matches abandoned due to rain Highest scorer  Fargana Hoque Pinky (Rupali Bank, innings 9, 490 runs, highest 124*, average 163.33, strike rate 70.91) Highest wicket taker Marufa Aktar (BKSP, matches 10, wickets 22, economy rate 3.36) Most promising player Marufa Aktar (BKSP, matches 10, wickets 22, innings 6, 119 runs, strike rate 102.59, highest 63) Player of the league Sobhana Mostary (Sheikh Russell Sports Development Academy, matches 9, 307 runs, highest 84*, average 76.75, strike rate 75.62)

England defeated the Netherlands by 232 runs at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen in the opening of a three-match ODI series on Friday (June 17). They scored 498 runs in the contest, the highest total ever in an ODI. The wicket suited the batters, as English batters took an aggressive approach to demolish the Dutch bowling line-up. Let's take a look at the first match report of the ENG v NED 2022 series as well as the top five highest ODI team scores so far. England vs Netherlands First ODI 2022: Match report Netherlands captain Pieter Seelaar had no idea that England would put up such a spectacular batting effort after putting them to bat first in the opening match. Three English batters made hundreds in this match, and Jos Buttler had 200 strike rates off them. The Dutch got off to a good start by dismissing Jason Roy in the second over. However, that was the only wicket the hosts managed to capture in the first innings. Phil Salt and Dawid Malan put England on the right track with a 222-run second-wicket partnership. Their partnership took the total to 223 runs in 29.4 overs. The Netherlands were looking to make a comeback after Logan Van Beek dismissed Salt (122) in the 30th over. However, their hope was dashed as Dawid Malan and Jos Buttler's stunning partnership startled local fans. Read: BAN vs WI 1st Test 2022: Can Tigers avoid Innings defeat? A 184-run third wicket partnership between Malan (125) and Buttler came in just 89 deliveries and took the total to 407 within the 45th over. Jos Buttler reached the three-figure mark in just 47 deliveries during the partnership, the second fastest century by an English batter. England were even more aggressive in the last five overs thanks to some unbelievable power-hitting by Liam Livingstone. England scored 84 runs in the final five overs of the innings, in which Livingstone made 66 off just 22 balls. He reached his fifty in just 17 balls, the fastest half-century by an English batter. Top scorer Jos Buttler remained unbeaten with 162* off 70 deliveries. England finished their innings on 498/4 and set up a new world record. The Netherlands' main target was to minimize the margin of defeat, and they tried their best to achieve that. The Dutch side were bowled out for 266 runs in 49.4 overs and lost the contest by 232 runs. Scott Edwards was the best of the batters. He played some good strokes in the middle and was unbeaten with 72* off 56 balls. Moeen Ali picked up the first three wickets for England. Read: England hits ODI world-record 498-4 against the Netherlands England rules in highest Team-total records in ODI In the ODI format, England have the top three highest innings totals and have twice beaten their own record to create a new world record. England scored 444/3 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in Nottingham in 2016, breaking Sri Lanka's 443/9 record. England eventually won the match by 169 runs. Two years later, in 2018, England set a new world record by scoring 481/6 against Australia at the same venue. They defeated Australia by 242 runs in that contest, their biggest victory margin in ODI cricket. England smashed their own record by amassing 498 runs at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen against the Netherlands on Friday. The highest ODI Innings Totals (top five) Team Score Opposition Ground Match Date England 498/4 Netherlands Amstelveen 17 June 2022 England 481/6 Australia Nottingham 19 June 2022 England 444/3 Pakistan Nottingham 30 Aug 2016 Sri Lanka 443/9 Netherlands Amstelveen 4 July 2006 South Africa 439/2 West Indies Johannesburg 18 Jan 2015    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Bottom Line ENG v NED 1st ODI 2022 again proved that England have more power hitters than any other country. England have three of the top five highest ODI team scores, indicating that they have evolved into a more aggressive side than they were a few years ago. That is why England can crush any team in the world on their best days. England were able to win the 2019 World Cup by changing their batting style to limited overs cricket. They will dethrone Bangladesh as the top team in the 2022–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points table, if they win the series. Read: Antigua Test: WI take early control after Bangladesh’s poor batting

The BCB appointed veteran Shakib Al Hasan as the new Test captain in order to rejuvenate the Bangladesh squad. So, there was an expectation that the Shakib-led Bangladesh team would show a better performance in the BAN vs WI First Test 2022. However, the way the batters performed in the first innings was utterly disappointing. Bangladesh lost all of their wickets for 103, the second lowest total at this ground. Interestingly, they also hold the record for the lowest total at this venue. The Tigers were all-out for 43 in the first innings of the first Test of the 2018 bilateral series. Let’s take a look at the first Test match scenario. Bangladesh vs West Indies First Test Match 2022: Match Scenario Bangladesh have made 50/2 at the end of day-2 and they need 112 runs more to avoid an embarrassing innings defeat. Mahmudul Hasan Joy (18*) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (8*) are the two unbeaten batsmen. Prior to that, West Indies were all-out for 265 after taking a 162-run first innings lead. Captain Kraigg Brathwaite made the highest score of 94, while Jermaine Blackwood scored 63. Bangladesh pacers bagged five wickets in West Indies' first innings and the spinners took the rest of the five wickets. However, in Mustafizur Rahman's bowling, the fielders dropped a number of catches. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the most successful bowler for Bangladesh in the first innings. He picked up four wickets. Read Antigua Test: WI take early control after Bangladesh’s poor batting Earlier, West Indian captain Kraigg Brathwaite asked Bangladesh to bat first as the surface was suited for the fast bowlers to shine in the early morning of day 1. His decision and strategy panned out perfectly as the visitors were bowled out for 103 within the first hour of the second session. Only skipper Shakib Al Hasan showed some fighting spirit against the hosts. He went after the bowlers and made 51 off 67 deliveries. Tamim Iqbal (29) and Litton Das (12) were the other two batters to reach double digit numbers. Six out of eleven batters for Bangladesh made ducks in the first innings. The batters who failed to score a run in the first innings are Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mustafizur Rahman, and Kahled Ahmed. Bangladesh batters' approach against Caribbean bowlers indicate that they are having some difficulties. Fear of getting out, lack of confidence in ability, lack of trust in the pitch, and inability to read the ball are the most notable. Bangladesh batters need to overcome these issues in order to show a potent display, particularly in unfamiliar overseas conditions. West Indian pacers took all of Bangladesh’s wickets as Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph bagged three wickets each. Read Antigua Test: Bangladesh 103 all out in first-innings Third innings Record at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium: What Do the Stats Say? Bangladesh already lost one of their main batters, Tamim Iqbal, in the second innings. Shakib promoted Mehidy Hasan Miraz to bat at No. 3, but he too failed with the bat to shine. Two of the promising stars of Bangladesh, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Najmul Hossain Shanto, have remained unbeaten and will resume the innings on day 3. It will be tough for them to negotiate the West Indian pace attack early in the morning, but it will also be a golden opportunity for them to showcase their true potential to the world. Joy and Shanto should seize the opportunity by forming a big stand in the middle. Certainly, they have the ability to play long innings as both of them have big Test knocks under their belt. Mahmudul Hasan made a brilliant century against South Africa this year, while Najmul Hossain played a 163-run knock against Sri Lanka last year. Will they be patient enough to perform to their full potential? And will the pitch be good enough to survive and score runs? As per stats, the lowest third innings total at this ground is 132 by England in 2019. Bangladesh’s 144 runs in 2018 is the second lowest at this venue. Read Tamim becomes fastest Bangladeshi to score 5000 runs in Test So far, only two times has this venue seen less than 200 runs in the third innings. In the third innings, Four times I scored 200 or higher, and three times I scored 300 or higher. Sri Lanka’s 476 runs in the last year is the highest third innings total at this venue. More importantly, all of the 300+ scores have come from the visiting teams. Top five Third innings Total at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua Team Score Opposition Year Sri Lanka 476 West Indies 2021 England 349/6d West Indies 2022 India 343/7d West Indies 2019 England 333/7d West Indies 2015 West Indies 280/4d Sri Lanka 2021    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read WI vs BAN Series 2022: Where to Watch Live Streaming Considering this stat, there is no reason Bangladesh can’t score 200 runs at this venue in the second innings of the BAN vs WI 1st Test 2022. Besides, scoring a century isn’t impossible either. All of the centuries in the third innings have come from the visiting teams, and three of them have scored in the last 15 months. List of centuries in the third innings at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua Player Runs Opposition Year Gary Ballance (ENG) 122 West Indies 2015 Zak Crawley (ENG) 121 West Indies 2022 Joe Root (ENG) 109 West Indies 2022 Pathum Nissanka (SL) 103 West Indies 2021 Ajinkya Rahane (IND) 102 West Indies 2019     Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Bottom Line Bangladesh batters' approach in the first innings of the BAN vs WI First Test 2022 was uninspiring. They were not brave enough to deal with the Caribbean bowlers. The players need to be courageous enough and trust the pitch to play to their full potential. The main expectation from Bangladesh's batting line-up would be to bat as long as possible. If the players play sensibly, then there is no reason to form fruitful partnerships in the middle in order to avoid an innings defeat. Read England hits ODI world-record 498-4 against the Netherlands

England broke its own world record for the highest score in one-day international cricket by hitting 498-4 against the Netherlands, with Jos Buttler leading the way Friday with an unbeaten 162 off only 70 balls. The total achieved in Amstelveen, outside Amsterdam, surpassed the 481-6 made by England against Australia at Trent Bridge in June 2018. While Dawid Malan and Phil Salt also compiled centuries, it was Buttler’s that took the breath away. He reached three figures in 47 balls for the second-fastest hundred for England and his crowd-pleasing knock contained 14 of the team’s 26 sixes. Buttler now has the three quickest ODI centuries for the national team — off 46 balls, 47 balls and 50 balls. Liam Livingstone weighed in with a 22-ball 66 not out after joining Buttler for the final 5.2 overs. He brought up England’s fastest ODI fifty, from 17 balls, to beat the one in 21 deliveries set in a partnership between Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow. Read: Stokes chosen as England test captain Livingstone had the chance to take England to 500 — a total that would have seemed unrealistic only 20 years ago — by taking strike with two balls left, with his team on 488. Off the next-to-last ball of the innings, his slog toward the midwicket boundary landed a couple of meters short of the rope and bounced for four. He smashed a six in the same area off the next ball. The Netherlands — playing an ODI against England for the first time outside a Cricket World Cup — had only a few moments to savor amid a barrage of big-hitting from the tourists, which led to a number of balls being lost outside the stadium. Shane Snater bowled his cousin, Jason Roy, to leave England 1-1 and Pieter Seelaar took two wickets off successive balls — including Morgan for a golden duck. Malan’s century was his first in ODIs and came off 90 balls. He now has hundreds in all three formats — the second England player to achieve that feat after Buttler. Read: Root quits as England test cricket captain after 5 years England — the defending 50-over world champion — has the top three ODI scores of all time, all of them being recorded since 2016. Dropping to No. 3 in the all-time list is its 444-3 against Pakistan in August 2016, also made at the traditionally fast track at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. England’s latest huge total was the highest made in either internationals or at first-class level. The previous best was 496-4 by English county team Surrey against Gloucestershire at The Oval in 2007.

Hosts West Indies tightened the grip on the Antigua Test on the opening day after Bangladesh batted poorly in the first innings on Thursday. The opening day was a miserable day for the Tigers as they failed to bat well and also failed to field in a way they needed most. In reply to Bangladesh’s paltry first innings of 103 runs, the Windies made 95 for two in 48 overs to end day one. Kraigg Brathwaite and Nkrumah Bonner remained unbeaten for 42 and 12 respectively. Bangladeshi pacers bowled lion-heartedly but the fielders failed them missing three catches. Also read: Antigua Test: Bangladesh 103 all out in first-innings In the first 15 overs, West Indies scored only 15 runs. They started their first innings on a cautious note on the brown wicket that has plenty of help for the pacers. They lost the first wicket in 44 runs Mustafizur Rahman, who was playing his first Test after a long gap, scalped the wicket of John Campbell for 24. Raymon Reifer was the second Windies man to fall. Ebadot Hossain took the second wicket. Earlier, the hosts won the toss and bowled first. They scalped three wickets inside 31 runs, and six wickets inside the first session. Six Bangladeshi batters failed to add anything to their names. It was the first time in cricket’s history when a team suffered six ducks in two consecutive Tests. Bangladesh’s last six ducks came against Sri Lanka last month at home. But centuries from Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das had concealed the batting failure. But this time around, Shakib Al Hasan was the only Bangladeshi batter to show some resistance. He made 51. Apart from Shakib, Tamim Iqbal (29) and Liton Das (12) were the only other batters to have scored a double-digit innings. “I have no explanation of this batting display,” Shakib, the Bangladesh captain said in the post-day briefing. “I don’t have anything to say about this batting. I’m not sure anyone in our team has any explanation.” While scoring 29, Tamim became the second Bangladeshi batter after Mushfiqur Rahim to have scored 5000 runs in Tests. Also read: Tamim becomes fastest Bangladeshi to score 5000 runs in Test Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph bagged three wickets each for the hosts while Kemar Roach and Kyle Mayers took two wickets each. After a dismal show on the opening day, Bangladesh have already in trouble in this Test. The Tigers need to demonstrate something big to come out of this situation in Antigua.

Bangladesh were all out for 103 in the first-innings of the Antigua Test against the hosts West Indies Thursday. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Nurul Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman and Khaled Ahmed were out for ducks. Put to bat first after losing the toss, the visitors lost six wickets before the lunch break in 32.5 overs. For the hosts, Jayden Seales, Alzari Joseph took three wickets each, and Roach, Kyle Mayers bagged two wickets each. Bangladesh lost their first wicket when Joy made a golden duck off the second ball of the innings after Tamim Iqbal managed to score a single off the first ball. Kemar Roach picked up the first two wickets. After that, Mominul, Nurul, Mustafizur and Khaled also made golden ducks. This is the second consecutive Test when Bangladesh made six ducks in a single innings. Bangladesh made as many ducks in the second Test in Dhaka against Sri Lanka. New Bangladesh Test captain Shakib Al Hasan top-scored for the Tigers (51).  Tamim scored the second-highest runs (29). The other batter who reached a double-digit figure was Liton Das (12). The Test is not being broadcast in Bangladesh as no television channel showed interest to do so. However, visitors from Bangladesh can watch the match on a website managed by the International Cricket Council by subscribing to it. Also read: Tamim becomes Bangladesh's fasted 5,000 runs scorer in Test

Tamim Iqbal became Bangladesh's fastest 5,000 runs scorer in Test cricket against the West Indies on the first day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua Thursday. The southpaw who perished on 29 reached the milestone after scoring three runs off a Kemar Roach delivery in the seventh over. Among the Bangladeshi cricketers, Tamim is the second batsman to enter the 5,000 runs club in Test, playing 129 innings in 68 Tests. Also Read: Shakib wants to see ‘team performance’ Former captain Mushfiqur Rahim became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to score 5,000 runs in Test cricket, playing 149 innings in 81 Tests. Tamim, who needed just 19 runs to achieve the feat in the last Test match against Sri Lanka at home, failed due to his injury. The other leading scorers of Bangladesh in Test Cricket are Shakib Al Hasan (4113), Mominul Haque (3525), and Habibul Bashar (3026).

West Indies have won the toss and sent Bangladesh to bat first in the first of the two-match Test series in Antigua Thursday. Bangladesh included left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the playing XI. Liton Das will not keep wicket in this match. Nurul Hasan Sohan was added to the playing XI as specialist wicketkeeper. Along with Mustafizur, the other two pacers of Bangladesh are Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain – both playing their first Test in the West Indies. In this Test, the West Indies are relatively younger compared to Bangladesh. However, the late inclusion of Kemar Roach will be a boost to the hosts. Also Read: Shakib wants to see ‘team performance’ Before this series, Bangladesh took on the West Indies in 18 matches and won only four of them.  The Tigers played eight Tests in the West Indies and won two of them with the last win being in 2018 during their last tour to the Caribbean. Bangladesh will miss the service of batter Mushfiqur Rahim who chose not to take part in this series for personal reasons. Right before the first Test, Bangladesh also lost Yasir Ali Rabbi who suffered a blow on his back that eventually ruled him out of the series. To replace him, Bangladesh recalled Anamul Haque to the Test team after eight years. He will be available to play in the second Test slated to be played on June 24. Bangladesh playing XI Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das, Nurul Hasan (w), Mehdi Hassan, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman West Indies playing XI Kraigg Brathwaite (c), John Campbell, Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, Kyle Mayers, Joshua Da Silva (w), Raymon Reifer, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales

Newly appointed Bangladesh Test captain Shakib Al Hasan said he seeks the players will perform as a team in the series against the West Indies starting on Thursday at Antigua. Shakib took over the role of the Test captain after previous captain Mominul Haque decided to step aside after failing to find a rhythm in captaincy. In the last series at home against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost 1-0 in two-match Test competition. “I’m looking for a team performance in this series,” Shakib told the reporters ahead of the first match. “We haven’t been able to play well in Tests recently. So this series is a great chance for us to prove everyone wrong and play well. We have to take a good performance from this Test.” The allrounder said he is not worried about his individual performance as he has done well against Sri Lanka at home. Also read: Siddons backs Shakib as captain In the last tour to the West Indies in 2018, Bangladesh failed to do well. But Shakib believes the situation is better now for Bangladesh and they are upbeat to display a good brand of cricket. The Bangladesh captain also said the wicket of Antigua looks completely different than he saw it earlier. “The wicket looks good to me. It would help the batters early on, but batting may get tough in the fourth innings of the match when spinners should come into the effect,” Shakib said. Bangladesh will not get the service of the veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim who opted to not play this series for personal reasons. The visitors also lost Yasir Ali Rabbi, a middle-order batter, due to a back injury that he sustained during the tour match. Also read: Shakib Al Hasan's Captaincy Record in Test Cricket: An Overview To replace him, Bangladesh called in Anamul Haque Bijoy to the Test side after eight years. Anamul played his last Test in the venue where Bangladesh will play the second Test of this series— Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia. In this four-Test career, Anamul scored only 73 runs with the best of 22 runs. However, he has done well in First-class cricket since his last omission from the Test team in 2014. He will be available to play Tests ahead of the second match that would begin on June 24. He is now the youngest Bangladeshi batter to have scored 7000 or more runs in First-class cricket. He also has 22 centuries and 37 half-centuries in First-class cricket. Mustafizur Rahman, the left-arm pacer, is set to return to Test after a while. The pacer was not willing to play in the longer format of the game. But the team management convinced him to do so. Meanwhile, Bangladeshi fans might not be able to watch the Test series on television as no channel has shown interest to broadcast the game in Bangladesh. In that case, the spectators might need to turn to the internet to watch the game through alternative channels. The two-match Test series is a part of the ongoing cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. Apart from two Tests, Bangladesh will take on the hosts in a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series on this tour.

Right-hand batter Anamul Haque Bijoy returned to the Bangladesh team after eight years, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said Wednesday. He will be available to play Test from the second match of the two-match Test series between West Indies and Bangladesh which will begin on June 24 at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia – the same venue where Anamul played his last Test against the same team in 2014. In his four-Test career, Anamul scored 73 runs with the best innings of 22 runs. In the last edition of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, a 50-over format, Anamul scored more than 1100 runs at an average exceeding 81 with nine fifties and three centuries. With this batting display, he became the first and only Bangladeshi batter to score 1000 or more runs in a List A event. READ: WI vs BAN: Tigers eye to thrive against younger Caribbeans  The batter was part of the limited-overs team when the squad was announced. Also, a back injury of Yasir Ali Rabbi, which eventually ruled him out of the Test series, paved the way for Anamul. The 29-year-old is among the batters who have scored 7000 or more runs in first-class cricket for Bangladesh, and he is the youngest among them. He has 7348 runs in first-class cricket, with 22 centuries and 37 fifties. In the ongoing series in the West Indies, apart from the two-match Test series, Bangladesh will take on the hosts in a three-match ODI and three-match T20 series. The first two T20s will be played at Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica on July 2 and 3. The third T20 and all three ODIs will be played at Providence Stadium, Guyana on July 10, 13 and 16.