Dhaka, Oct 23 (UNB) – Bangladesh Women’s Cricket team left the capital for West Indies to play in the Women’s World T20 which will begin at Providence on November 9.

Bangladesh, put in Group A of the women’s world meet, will face the hosts West Indies in the opening match.

The Tigress will face England on November 12, Sri Lanka on November 14 and South Africa on November 18 in the remaining group engagements.

Bangladesh team, emerged as the most successful team in this year by winning its maiden Asia Cup title in last June and winning the qualification tournament in the Netherlands in last July.

Experienced all-rounder, Salma Khatun was in the leading side that has won 12 out of 20 T20Is this year, while 24 year old batsman Sharmin Sultana, who was in the every squad of this year team, missed out but has been named among four stand-by cricketers.

On even of the tour, Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun said, “We are going to West Indies two weeks ahead of the meet to adjust ourselves with the local atmosphere and conditions.”

Bangladesh's bowling, particularly leg spinner Rumana Ahmed and left-arm spinner Nahida Akter, will have to keep the team afloat throughout the competition. Rumana is the second highest wicket-taker this year, with 26 wickets at 10.73.

Bangladesh Squad : Salma Khatun (capt.), Rumana Ahmed, Jahanara Alam, Fargana Haque, Khadija Tul Kubra, Fahima Khatun, Ayesha Rahman, Shamima Sultana (wk), Nahida Akter, Panna Ghosh, Ritu Moni, Sanjida Islam, Nigar Sultana, Lata Mondol, Sharmin Akter Supta

Dhaka, Oct 23 (UNB) – A 32-member Bangladesh Football team reached at the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on Tuesday to participate in the six-nation SAFF U-15 Championship which will begin from Thursday at ANFA Complex with an initial target of reaching to the semifinals.

The team left the Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka in the morning and reached safely at Kathmandu by a BG flight at noon.

The Bangladesh team, which comprised of 23 players and nine officials, were staying at Hotel Pilgrems in Thamel area of the Nepalese capital and taking rest as there was no training session on the day.

Bangladesh, which was placed in Group A of the SAFF U-15 Championship with the Maldives and hosts Nepal, will play their first match against the Maldives on Saturday (October 27) at 3:30 pm and will face Nepal on Monday (October 29), at the same time and venue.

Two arch-rivals--India and Pakistan—will play the inaugural match on Thursday (October 25) at 11:30 am at the same venue while the Maldives will face host Nepal in the other opening day’s fixture at 3:30 pm. All the South Asian countries except Sri Lanka were taking part in the meet.

Pakistan, which was put in Group B with India and Bhutan, will play Bhutan at 11:30 am on October 27 while India will meet Bhutan on October 29 at 11:30 am.

Earlier, in a pre-tour press conference at BFF office on Monday afternoon, coach of Bangladesh U-15 team, Mostofa Anwar Parvez Babu said “We have prepared the team for two and half months and our initial target is to play in the semifinals, despite we have no clear idea about the opponents.”

Bangladesh Team leader, Mohammad Sabbir Hosain and Team Manager, Amit Khan Shuvro also spoke on the occasion.

Both the semifinals will be held on November 1 while the final match will commence on November 3 at 3:30 pm at the same venue.

Bangladesh women’s emerged champions in the SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship in Bhutan early this month while another Bangladesh Women’s team is now in Tajikistan to play in the AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers and this is the time for Bangladesh U-15 boys’ team to make a good result in Nepal.

Dhaka, Oct 23 (UNB) – Hosts Bangladesh will take on visiting Zimbabwe in the 2nd game of the three-match day-night basis ODI series on Wednesday at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the port city of Chattogram with a hope to seal the series with a match to spare.

The match will begin at 2:30pm where the Tigers will miss the entertaining services from dashing opener and local hero Tamim Iqbal and talismanic world famed all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan like the first ODI as both of them are sidelined from the squad due to injury.

Bangladesh, which enjoyed an upper hand advantage in the three-match ODI series beating Zimbabwe by 28 runs in the first ODI on Sunday in Dhaka featuring opener Imrul Kayes’ career best 144 runs, will play the 3rd and last ODI on Friday (Oct 26), also at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

Cutter mater Mustafizur Rahman may be rested for Wednesday’s match subject to his injury and pacer Rubel Hossain, who almost recovered from fever, may return to the best eleven.

Despite not having two reliable senior cricketers, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza wants to win the series beating Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

“We don’t like to take Zimbabwe lightly. They have also some good and senior players to change the game, but we’re ready to give our full efforts displaying our best performance with professionalism to win the match,” he said during the team’s practice session at Sagarika in Chattogram Tuesday.

Both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe made their practice on Tuesday ahead of the 2nd ODI match. 

Dhaka, Oct 23 (UNB) – Bangladesh Women’s Football team, now in Tajikistan, will start their campaign in four-team Group D of the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship Qualifiers taking on Asian giant South Korea on Wednesday at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe.

The match will kick off at 2pm local time.

Hosts Tajikistan will play Chinese Taipei in the other opening day’s fixture at 5pm local time at the same venue.

Putting in tough Group D of the AFC U-19 Women’s meet along with South Korea, Chinese Taipei and hosts Tajikistan, Bangladesh will play Chinese Taipei on October 26 and hosts Tajikistan on October 28, all at the Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe.

Mishrat Jahan Mousumi will lead the Bangladesh team, mostly consisting of the players of SAFF U-18 Champions Bangladesh team that played in Bhutan, against the tough match against South Korea.

In a pre-match press conference at the conference room of Tajikistan International Hotel on Tuesday, Bangladesh Head Coach Golam Robbani Choton said, “All the teams in our group are good enough and very strong. Our team also had a good preparation for the last 12 months.”

“We won the SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship in Bhutan this month. We have some players who also played in the SAFF U-15 and AFC U-16 Championship in 2017 and our team are now well experienced and confident to play in the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship,” the Bangladesh coach added.

Bangladesh captain Mishrat Jahan Mousumi said, “We’re ready to play a good brand of football against South Korea. Everybody of our team is very serious for our first match and ready to give their full efforts in the match.”

Addressing the press conference, South Korea Head Coach Hut Jung Jae said, “We are prepared very strongly to win all the group matches. Bangladesh are also a good and nice team. It will be a good competitive match.”

London, Oct 23 (AP/UNB) — The brilliance of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang kept Arsenal rolling along on Monday.

Ozil scored one goal and helped set up Aubameyang for two more as Arsenal came from behind to beat Leicester 3-1 in the English Premier League.

The win was the Gunners' 10th straight overall, their longest run in 11 years.

It was also their seventh consecutive league victory and moved them up to fourth place, two points behind leaders Manchester City.

"We are beginning to play with heart," first-year Arsenal coach Unai Emery said. "When you continue to improve your demands are very high. We need to control the matches more than we are doing now. First half we didn't play well but then we played with quality and heart. This feeling together is very good."

Leicester made a good start and was rewarded in the 31st minute when Ben Chilwell charged down the left side and sent a shot which deflected off Hector Bellerin and past goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Arsenal then started to take control and equalized just before halftime when Ozil made a run from the midway line, passed to Bellerin on the right and side-footed the defender's quick return off the inside of the far post.

Though Arsenal carried the momentum into the second half, it was Leicester which almost regained the lead as Wilfred Ndidi's header hit the crossbar.

Aubameyang then came off the bench and needed just three minutes to make impact as he tucked home a cross from Bellerin, who had been released down the right side by Ozil, in the 63rd minute.

Arsenal then wrapped things up three minutes later with Ozil at the center of a brilliant team goal .

The German let a pass from Bellerin go through his legs to Alexandre Lacazette and continued his run into the area.

Lacazette slid a perfect ball back into Ozil's path and he crossed for Aubameyang, who easily tapped home at the far post.

"I do not have to tell you how good a player Mesut Ozil is, he has shown that," defender Shkodran Mustafi said. "When you give him the opportunities in his favorite position behind the striker, he has the capability of doing everything - making goals and scoring. He can make us look very dangerous going forward."