Day: March 21, 2022

Although five members of Shakib Al Hasan’s family are hospitalized due to different illnesses the allrounder is willing to continue playing in South Africa, said Jalal Yunus, the chairman of the cricket operation department of the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Shakib’s mother, mother- in-law, his three children are also suffering from different illnesses. But none of them is in critical condition.

“Shakib wants to continue playing for now,” Jalal told the media. “I have talked to Shakib. For now, we are keeping an eye on the situation.”

Shakib was reluctant to travel to South Africa for this series even after the squad was announced by the board. Shakib had said that he is not fit mentally to play international cricket. The board had accepted a two-month leave for him as well.

But eventually, Shakib changed his mind and travelled to South Africa. He won the player of the match award as well in the first match of the series which was Bangladesh’s maiden win in South Africa against South Africa.

After the three-match ODI series, the Bangladesh team is scheduled to take on the Proteas in a two-match Test series. Shakib is also a part of the Test squad.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Barcelona’s losing run against Real Madrid finally ended Sunday as the Catalan club enjoyed a stunning 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and showed its title hopes in the Spanish league may not be over yet.

Barcelona kept its recent momentum going under coach Xavi Hernández in the last “clásico” of the season. The win ended Barcelona’s five-match losing streak to its rival and maintained an outside chance of fighting for the title after a difficult start to its first season without Lionel Messi.

The victory was its first against Madrid since 2019 and came in style — like a few others Barcelona enjoyed with Messi in his prime.

Barcelona’s losing run against Real Madrid finally ended Sunday as the Catalan club enjoyed a stunning 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and showed its title hopes in the Spanish league may not be over yet.

Barcelona kept its recent momentum going under coach Xavi Hernández in the last “clásico” of the season. The win ended Barcelona’s five-match losing streak to its rival and maintained an outside chance of fighting for the title after a difficult start to its first season without Lionel Messi.

The victory was its first against Madrid since 2019 and came in style — like a few others Barcelona enjoyed with Messi in his prime.

It was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who thrived this time, scoring twice to continue his great streak since being signed in the final minutes of the winter transfer window. Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres added a goal each to give Barcelona its seventh win in the last eight matches in all competitions.

“Of course we didn’t expect this scoreline, but we did everything we intended to do from the start,” Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets said. “Everything went our way and we could have scored even more goals.”

The result moved Barcelona within 12 points of league leader Madrid with nine rounds to go, and it could further cut the gap to nine points if it wins its game in hand against Rayo Vallecano.

“If we have a minimum chance, we will keep fighting,” Busquets said. “We know it’s going to be hard, but in soccer anything can happen.”

Barcelona is level on points with fourth-place Atlético Madrid and is three points behind second-place Sevilla, which was held 0-0 at home against Real Sociedad earlier Sunday for its third straight draw in the league.

Madrid, which badly missed the injured Karim Benzema, was unbeaten in its last eight games in the league, with six wins. It had beaten its Catalan rival 2-1 at Camp Nou in their first league game last year.

“The result says it all,” Madrid defender Nacho Fernández said. “We played badly and they played well. Nothing worked for us. It was our first bad match this season. Maybe we were too relaxed because of our advantage in the standings.”

It was Madrid’s first home loss in 24 league games, since losing to Levante in January 2021.

Barcelona has been revitalized by Xavi and its attack has been red hot, outscoring opponents 24-5 in its last eight matches, with Aubameyang and Torres combining for 15 goals since arriving at the club this year.

Aubameyang has now scored nine goals in his 11 appearances since arriving from Arsenal.

He opened the scoring with a close-range header after a cross by Ousmane Dembélé in the 29th minute, and sealed the victory with a nice flick over goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in a breakaway in the 51st.

Araujo had added to the lead with a header off a corner kick in the 38th before Torres scored the third in the 47th after a clever flick-pass by Aubameyang as the Madrid defense collapsed yet again.

Barcelona had several other significant scoring opportunities throughout the match, with Aubameyang, Torres and Dembélé among those missing good chances.

Benzema, the league’s top scorer with 22 goals, couldn’t play because of a left-leg injury sustained in the league match against Mallorca, when he scored for the eighth time in five games in all competitions. The French striker had netted a hat trick in Madrid’s thrilling comeback win against Paris Saint-Germain last week in the Champions League at the Bernabéu.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti did not replace Benzema with another striker, instead using Luka Modric in a false-nine position at the top of the attacking line along with Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo. Madrid barely threatened, though, and Ancelotti had to change tactics in the second half by putting Mariano Díaz up front, which also didn’t help much.

Barcelona has also secured a place in the quarterfinals of the Europa League. It hosts Sevilla in the league after the international break, while Madrid visits midtable Celta Vigo.

OTHER RESULTS

Fifth-place Real Betis missed a chance to gain some ground after being held to a 0-0 draw at Celta. Manual Pellegrini’s team stayed four points behind Barcelona and Atlético, and two points ahead of Real Sociedad in a tight fight for the Champions League places.

Villarreal stayed three points behind Betis after a 1-0 loss at Cádiz, which is just outside the relegation zone. Mallorca stayed a point behind Cádiz after losing 1-0 at Espanyol for its sixth consecutive defeat.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

The twelfth edition of the women’s fifty-over World Cup began on March 4. The Bangladesh women’s team is competing in their first-ever world cup in this edition of the competition. The Bangladesh team is scheduled to play seven matches in the group stage. The top four teams in the points table will go to the semifinals, and the tigresses have a chance to advance to the knockout phase. Let’s have a look at how Bangladesh’s women’s team can reach the semifinals of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022.

How Can Bangladesh Qualify for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 Semi-Finals?

Bangladesh women’s team has made significant progress by competing in the ICC World Cup. No one imagined the tigresses would have a chance to upset the big teams in the competition before the event. However, the Bangladesh team has shocked everyone by putting up some strong performances thus far in the competition. They began their World Cup campaign with a match against South Africa on March 5. Bangladesh lost their first two matches but came back strong against Pakistan in their third encounter. Let’s take a look at how the Bangladesh women’s team has performed so far in the World Cup.

Bangladesh Women vs South Africa Women

Bangladesh were defeated by South Africa by 32 runs in the match. South Africa scored 207 runs in their innings. Bangladesh were bowled out for 175 runs in reply. Bangladesh’s Sharmin Akhter scored 34 runs and Fariha Trishna took three wickets.

Bangladesh Women vs New Zealand Women

New Zealand won the match by nine wickets. Bangladesh scored 140 runs in their innings. In response, New Zealand successfully chased down the target with only one wicket loss. Bangladesh’s Fargana Haque scored 52 runs and Salma Khatun took one wicket.

Bangladesh Women vs Pakistan Women

Bangladesh created history by defeating Pakistan by 9 runs. It was Bangladesh women’s team’s first victory in a 50-over world cup tournament. Bangladesh scored 234 runs in their innings. Pakistan responded with a score of 225 in their allocated 50 overs. Bangladesh’s Fargana Haque scored 71 runs and Fahima Khatun took three wickets.

Bangladesh Women vs West Indies Women

Bangladesh were defeated by the West Indians by four runs. The West Indies scored only 140 runs when they batted first. Bangladesh were bowled out for 136 runs after failing to chase down the target. Bangladesh’s Nahida Akter scored 25 runs and took two wickets.

Bangladesh women’s team has three more matches to play, and their remaining opponents are the World Cup favourites. As a result, defeating India, Australia, and the English women’s teams will be difficult. Bangladesh have two points and need at least six points to advance to the knockout stage. Therefore, they will have to win at least two matches to qualify for the semi-finals. Though having six points will not confirm a spot in the next round, and they will have to rely on other fixtures. However, Bangladesh will almost certainly move to the knockout stage if they win all three matches.

According to the recent updates, Australia are in first place with ten points, followed by South Africa with eight points. The Windies are also in an excellent position with 6 points. India, England, and New Zealand have four points apiece. However, the Kiwis only have one game remaining in the group phase. With two games remaining, India and England have a better chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Verdict

The top four teams with the most points at the end of the group stage will advance to the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 semifinals. As a result, each match is significant for the teams involved. According to the most recent point standings, the Australian women’s team is the first to qualify for the knockout phase. The South African team has a good chance of finishing in the top two in the points table. Therefore, the final two positions in the semi-final lineups are up for grabs among the remaining six teams. With three games left in the group phase, Bangladesh’s women’s team is still in contention for a semifinal spot. However, Bangladesh will have to put in their best effort in the remaining matches if they want to win them.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

The ongoing Pakistan-Australia Test series has been criticized for its pitches. Experts believe the hosts have adopted a safe approach by constructing flat wickets in order to prevent a series loss. The visitors had a chance to win the second match but were only denied by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s outstanding effort. Therefore, the third Test in Lahore has turned into a series decider, with a lot on the line. The third match preview of the PAK vs AUS Test series 2022 is discussed in this article.

Third Match Preview of the PAK vs AUS Test Series 2022

The latest Test match in Karachi offered a lot of positives for both Pakistan and Australia. The manner the Australian team played and created a genuine opportunity to upset Pakistan should be acknowledged. On the other side, the Pakistan team should be pleased with how they managed to draw the match and Captain Babar Azam’s brave knock. The decider will be hosted at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from March 21 to 25. The third Test is slated to begin at 11 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).

Pakistan

Pakistan does have a strong bowling unit given the characteristics of the surface. Spinners might be a serious threat on day three and beyond. Therefore, Pakistan will almost likely deploy two spinners. In addition, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali will be crucial since they both know how to take wickets with the new ball.

Babar Azam’s present form in the batting order will be key for Pakistan. He has the potential to make a huge impact in the series decider yet again. Apart from him, both openers and the veteran Azhar Ali are in fantastic form with the bat. Pakistan should be able to go up against Australia with confidence. The hosts may keep their playing lineup unchanged, although there’s a chance that promising pacer Naseem Shah may be included.

Probable playing XI

Top Order: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (captain).

Middle-Orders: Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali.

Lower-Order: Nauman Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah.

Australia

The Australian side was disappointed after losing out on defeating Pakistan in the last match. It is better to forget about the previous Tests, and they should be well prepared for the third. Usman Khawaja has been a revelation for Australia since his comeback to the side in the Ashes series. Khawaja will be the biggest source of concern for Pakistan along with Steven Smith and David Warner. Also, Labuschagne has the capacity to surprise the opposition by delivering a superb innings.

In bowling, Australia will almost certainly use two spinners in the Lahore Test, indicating that the playing XI will remain unchanged. Mitchell Starc and skipper Pat Cummins must provide early breakthroughs for Australia to maintain pressure on Pakistan’s batting line-ups.

Probable Playing XI

Top Order: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne.

Middle Orders: Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins (captain).

Lower Order: Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon.

Weather Prediction and Pitch Report

Forecasts indicate that the weather will continue dry for the next five days, with no chance of rain. As a result, the match will take place in a hot and sunny environment. The pitch is likely to stay the same in the Lahore Test. Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam feels that spinners would be useful throughout the match. The toss-winning captain is likely to bowl first if the surface offers anything for the quicker bowlers in the early morning of day one.

Pakistan vs Australia Third Test 2022: Gaddafi Stadium Stats

Lahore’s famous Gaddafi Stadium is the venue for the third match of the Pakistan vs Australia Test series 2022. Let’s take a look at some of the ground’s interesting Test cricket statistics.

Test stats: Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore

Matches Played: 40 | Result (win): 18 | Result (Draw): 22 | Highest Innings: 329 (Inzamam-ul-Haq) | Best Bowling (Innings): 9/56 (Abdul Qadir) | Highest Team innings: 699/5 | Lowest Team Innings: 73

Pakistan’s record at the Gaddafi Stadium: Played: 40 | Win: 12 | Lost: 6 | Draw: 22

Australia’s record at the Gaddafi Stadium: Played: 5 | Win: 1 | Lost: 1 | Draw: 3

Bottom Line

Both teams will aim to win this Test in order to clinch the series. Interestingly, Australia and Pakistan are currently in first and second place in the ongoing ICC Test Championship points standings. Therefore, winning the match will help them improve their Test Championship points table. In light of this, both teams will strive to win the series decider to secure the PAK vs AUS Test series 2022.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Left-handed batter Shamim Hossain hit 108 off 66 balls to guide Abahani Limited to an 111-run victory against City Club in the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League on Monday.

Abahani batted first and lost five wickets for 138 runs.

In the sixth wicket stand, Shamim and Jaker Ali added 171 runs on the board. Along the way, Shamim hit a ton and Jaker scored 65. Abahani ended up on 309 for five in 50 overs.

In reply, City Club tumbled for 198 in 42 overs. For them, Ashik Ul Alam and Moinul Islam hit a fifty each. Arafat Sunny bagged five wickets for Abahani.

In the other two matches of the day, Prime Bank beat the Legends of Rupganj by four wickets, and Gazi Group Cricketers beat Khelaghar Samaj Kalyan Samity.

Raqibul Hasan scored a century for Rupganj, while Shahadat Hossain Dipu hit a century for Prime Bank Cricket Club.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh speedster Taskin Ahmed overlooked a call from the Indian Premier League team Lucknow Super Giants due to tight national team duty, confirmed Jalal Yunus, the cricket operation chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

Taskin is currently in South Africa to play a three-match ODI and two-match Test series. He has done well in the first two ODIs of the series.

“The Lucknow IPL team contacted us about Taskin,” Jalal said. “But we have a lot of matches coming up. In this situation, we don’t want Taskin to leave the national team and play in IPL.”

Jalal added that Taskin also wants to continue performing his national duty instead of IPL.

The pacer did not respond to UNB message for a comment.

Taskin started his international career back in 2014. He got his ODI cap against India when he bagged a five-for in Mirpur. Bangladesh, however, lost that rain-hit match.

Due to injury and off-forms, Taksin had been going through a chequered time in his international career. But in the last two years, the pacer proved his improvement in every format of cricket.

In his last 10 international bowling innings, he bagged 10 wickets. In his last 10 ODIs, Taksin conceded runs at an economy rate of under 5 with scalping 14 wickets with the best bowling of 4-46.

The pacer has recently expressed his desire to become the number one bowler in the world.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

The winners of BYLC Ventures: Cohort 4 were announced on Sunday.

The winning teams are Animo.AI, Biotech Energy Ltd, Premium Fruits, and Savoir Bangladesh.

They will receive seed funding of Tk8 lakh with the option of having extra money as scale-up funding.

Also, the winning teams will get access to a world-class business accelerator programme, in-house mentoring and networking support, legal and virtual CFO support, rigorous leadership training, as well as a co-working space in the Mohakhali office of Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC).

BYLC Ventures opened applications for Cohort 4 on November 1, and received applications from diverse sectors.

During December 10-12, more than 80 founders from 37 shortlisted startups took part in a three-day bootcamp in Sreemangal.

Sessions at the bootcamp covered different aspects of developing a startup idea, from identifying a real problem in society and refining the startup’s solution to addressing the problem, to understanding the customer persona and demographics of the target audience.

After that, 12 startups were selected for the final jury session, which was held on February 5.

The jury included Tina Jabeen, president of Bangladesh Startup Consortium, Anita Ghazi Rahman, founder and managing partner of The Legal Circle, Mridul Chowdhury, founder and CEO of mPower Social Enterprises, Nirjhor Rahman, CEO of Bangladesh Angels, and Ejaj Ahmad, founder and president of BYLC.

The four winning startups will join BYLC Ventures’ existing portfolio of 16 startups from the last three cohorts.

Source: United News of Bangladesh