Dhaka, Jan 16 (UNB) – Winning the toss on Wednesday, Rajshahi Kings decided to bat first against table-topper Dhaka Dynamites at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in their sixth match of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). 

In the previous five matches, Kings lost three and came up victorious in two matches. In the most recent match against Khulna Titans, Kings lost by 25 runs which was Titans’ first triumph in the contest. 

On the other hand, Dynamites won all of their first four matches. The current runners-up of BPL are performing well since the start of the contest.

In the first meeting of these two teams, Dhaka Dynamites won by a big margin of 83 runs. Hazratullah Zazai and Sunil Narine hit 116-run in the opening partnership which proved to be the main pillar of Dynamites’ win. 

While Dynamite’ success heavily relies on their captain Shakib Al Hasan, all-rounder Sunil Narine and opening batsman Hazratullah, Kings’ good run depends on their captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, pace-bowler Mustafizur Rahman and batsmen Mominul Haque and Soumya Sarkar. 

Dhaka, Jan 15 (UNB) – Players and officials of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise Rajshahi Kings will sport their mothers’ names on their jerseys when they take on league leader Dhaka Dynamites at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

The announcement was made on Tuesday to recognise the role in and contributions of mothers to their daily life.

Kings captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz is very much excited ahead of the occasion. ‘It’ll be my first experience with something like this. Of course, to do something for our mothers is very special for us. We want to win the match and dedicate it to our mothers,” he added.

Kings vice-captain Soumya Sarkar thinks it is a great chance to make the mothers proud. “Of course, it’ll be the first time in our country. We’ve always played with our own names or nicknames in our shirts. Now, this would be something we didn’t think about. We always say we want to dedicate the match to our mothers. Now, this is the time we can truly show it. It’s a chance for ourselves to make our mothers proud.”

Kings coach Lance Klusener urged everyone to remember their mothers at least once in a day.  “‘My mother is a very special person. She is always the first person to ask me how my day was. I speak to her every day. Quite often we forget our mothers. We always worry about the people around us. I appeal to everybody just speak to your mother at least once in a day and appreciate what she has done for you.”

Kings Chief Executive Officer Tahmeed Azizul Huq sees the occasion as a tribute to mothers. “Mothers can inspire millions of people and it is no exception to the Kings. We consider this venture from us as a tribute to real backbones of our nation.”
 

Dhaka, Jan 15 (UNB) — Comilla Victorians earned their third win in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) beating hosts Sylhet Sixers by eight wickets at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. 

The Victorians stepped up to win the game in the first innings after they restricted the Sixers to 68 for all wickets. 

While replying to Sylhet’s meagre total, the Victorians lost both of their openers in 10 runs. Anamul Haque Bijoy got dismissed when they had nothing on the board and Tamim Iqbal fell after his team reached only 10. 

Tamim fell for duck for the second time in succession. In the previous match, he also failed to score any run. He failed to touch double-digit score thrice in his five innings of the ongoing BPL with two ducks to his name. 

However, in the third wicket stand, Shamsur Rahman and Imrul Kayes added 59 runs off 51 balls. This pair earned the win by eight wickets (69/2) and they ended in 11.1 overs. Imrul remained unbeaten on 30 off 22 and Shamsur who was playing the first match of the season remained unconquered on 34 of 37 balls. 

Earlier, Sylhet Sixers disappointed their home crowd with a poor batting show as they were bowled out for 68 in 14.5 overs. Right-arm off spinner Mahedi Hasan scalped four wickets conceding 22 runs for Comilla Victorians.

Victorians bowlers sent back five Sixers batsmen in the first five overs with only 15 runs on the board.

Right-arm pacer Mohammad Saifuddin bowled the first over and managed a rare maiden. In the second over, Mahedi scalped three wickets in a flash conceding just five runs. 

Andre Fletcher hit a four in the first ball but in the very next delivery, he fell prey to Mahedi. Liton Das took a single in the third ball but in the next two deliveries, Mahedi bagged the wickets of David Warner and Afif Hossain. 

Nicholas Pooran defended the last ball of that nightmarish over for Sixers. 

Saifuddin came back in the third over and took the wicket of Pooran. The Sixers splattered to eight runs for four wickets. Victorians captain Imrul Kayes surprisingly replaced Mahedi in the fourth over as he called up left-arm Pakistani pacer Wahab Riaz. 

In the fifth over, Imrul handed the ball to left-arm spinner Liam Dawson who trapped Liton Das to cover. Wahab took a superb catch. The Sixers lost half of their batsmen in 15 runs. After adding two more runs, they lost Sabbir Rahman who was struggling in the middle. Dawson took Sabbir’s wicket.

In his second over, Mahedi took the wicket of Sohail Tanvir conceding five more runs. Mahedi took four wickets for 10 runs after finishing his two overs. Sixers lost seven wickets posting only 22 on the board. 

But in last three wickets, they added 46 runs which helped them avoid the lowest BPL total of all time. 

Alok Kapali remained unbeaten scoring 33 off 31 balls with four fours and one six. He was the only Sixers batsman to reach the double-digit. 

Wahab bagged three wickets for 15 runs while Liam took two wickets and Saifuddin took another.

Sylhet will play their next match against Rangpur Riders on January 16 and Comilla will lock horns with Khulna Titans on January 18 at the same venue.
 

Adelaide, Jan 15 (AP/UNB) — Virat Kohli made 104 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni an unbeaten 55 from 54 balls as captains past and present guided India to a six-wicket win over Australia in the second one-day cricket international on Tuesday, leveling the three-match series at 1-1.

Kohli posted his 39th ODI century, his 24th in a second innings and his sixth against Australia, to lead a perfectly measured run chase which saw India surpass Australia's total of 298-9 with four balls to spare.

He put on 82 in 13 overs in a critical partnership for the fourth wicket with Dhoni, which steered India at a cautious pace towards a winning total but he was out at a critical moment, with his team still needing 57 from 38 balls.

Former captain Dhoni played a subdued role in support of his successor Kohli as two players with the joint experience of more than 550 ODIs steadily chipped away at Australia's total. With Kohli's untimely dismissal, Dhoni took up the chase and carried India to a victory which will see the series decided on Friday in the third international at Melbourne.

India came to the final over needing seven runs to win and Dhoni smashed the first ball over the long straight boundaries at the Adelaide Oval for a six which tied the scores, then clinched the win with a single from the next ball.

India was ahead of Australia's scoring rate for much of its innings, though it became a little bogged down during the partnership between Kohli and Dhoni.

Australia was successful in staunching the flow of boundaries and Dhoni hadn't hit a four or six in the time he batted with Kohli, preferring to take singles to yield the strike to the younger man.

Kohli evinced every confidence in his ability to manage the chase and he seemed unconcerned when the run rate required crept up above eight, though with plenty of overs at India's disposal.

He had just begun to step up his scoring rate, taking 13 runs from an over from Jason Behrendorff when he was out. At that point the match was still in the balance and it was clear Dhoni had to find a way to beat Australia's restrictive field settings.

He announced his intention to do so with a six from the last over bowled by offspinner Nathan Lyon, which signaled to the many India fans in the crowd that the chase was in good hands. But Dhoni, now 37, looked close to exhaustion at times late in his innings, slumping to the ground and receiving treatment from the India team physio with two overs remaining and India still needing 16 runs.

Dhoni was fortunate to have the heady support of Dinesh Karthik, who came to the crease at a difficult moment when Kohil had just fallen. He scored 25 from just 14 balls to ensure India reached its target.

"It was a pretty tight finish," Karthik said. "They were bowling some good areas and we absorbed pressure well.

"Credit to Virat and Dhoni, the way they played. We got a good start as well so it's the sort of win that will give the team a lot of confidence, chasing 300.

"(Dhoni) has been doing it for years now and the fact he can stay calm, the fact he can absorb pressure and watch the ball, keep the plan very simple. You need the big shot and then he delivers."

Earlier, Shaun Marsh produced a magnificent innings of 131 from 123 balls to guide Australia as it batted after winning the toss. He batted through the greatest heat of the day, as temperatures soared past 40 degrees, but he never wilted.

He built Australia's total through moderate partnerships with Usman Khawaja (21), Peter Handscomb (20) and Marcus Stoinis (29) before launching a final assault on India's bowling with Glenn Maxwell, who hit 48 from 37 balls.

Australia looked headed for a total well in excess of 300 but lost four wickets, including those of Marsh and Maxwell, for three runs in the 48th and 49th overs.

"India outplayed us," Marsh said. "The finish (of the Australia innings) was a little disappointing but that's cricket.

"I thought 298 was a competitive total out there but unfortunately India was too good."

Dhaka, Jan 14 (UNB) — Former Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions Comilla Victorians won the toss and opted to bowl first against Sylhet Sixers at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Victorians played four matches in BPL so far and managed to win two of them against Sixers and Rajshahi Kings. Sixers, on the other hand, won one of their three matches this season.

Before coming to this match, Victorians suffered a big blow as they lost their captain Steve Smith to a hand injury. Smith has been ruled out of action for at least six weeks. 

Victorians suffered another blow when Evin Lewis, their West Indian recruit, sustained a hamstring injury in the last match against Chittagong Vikings. But they got a lifeline in form of Thisara Perera. The former Sri Lankan captain joined them in the previous match and hit the fastest fifty of the season. 

Comilla Victorians (Playing XI): Tamim Iqbal, Shamsur Rahman, Anamul Haque(w), Imrul Kayes(c), Shahid Afridi, Thisara Perera, Liam Dawson, Mohammad Saifuddin, Wahab Riaz, Mahedi Hasan, Ziaur Rahman

Sylhet Sixers (Playing XI): David Warner(c), Liton Das(w), Andre Fletcher, Afif Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Nicholas Pooran, Alok Kapali, Sohail Tanvir, Nabil Samad, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain