Cricket
BPL 2023: What Mashrafe, Perara and Amir can bring to Sylhet Strikers
As the first team of the forthcoming edition of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Sylhet Strikers revealed the names of their icon and some initially contracted players.
Let’s have a look at what Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the icon of Sylhet, and Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir, Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva can bring for Sylhet Strikers in the next BPL.
Read:BPL 2023: Syhet Strikers ropes in Mashrafe, Amir, Perera
Mashrafe — the most successful captain in BPL history
As the first and only captain to date to win the BPL title for three different franchises, Mashrafe is the icon and the main force of the Sylhet Strikers.
Mashrafe is no longer a regular face on the cricket field due to various personal commitments as a lawmaker. He has also moved away from the national team. Still, Mashrafe said he is putting his best foot forward to make his inclusion count in the BPL for Sylhet.
Mashrafe played 171 T20s in the domestic circuit and 54 T20Is for Bangladesh. He bagged around 200 wickets in this format. His vast experience is surely going to help Sylhet shine in this BPL. And if Mashrafe leads the team, it will be a bonus for the Strikers.
Thisara Perera — who knows Bangladesh like most Bangladeshis!
Thisara Perera is one of the best all-rounders that Sri Lanka has ever produced. He represented more than 20 teams around the globe including the Sri Lanka national team and several teams in BPL.
The pace-bowling allrounder played in almost all seasons of BPL and proved his impact on nearly every occasion. The most important thing about Perera is his experience in Bangladesh. The allrounder, along with BPL, took part in Dhaka Premier League, Bangladesh’s main 50-over contest, on more than one occasion. So, he knows Bangladesh very well which will help him perform well as well.
Perera played 327 T20s at the domestic level around the world and bagged 266 scalps while scoring more than 4000 runs. He has 12 fifties under his belt as well. So, Perera is a great recruit for the Strikers.
Mohammad Amir — a pace-bowling hero
It is true that when Mohammad Amir is talked about, his controversies also come up. But that doesn't hide his pace bowling skills at all. Avoiding many controversies, Amir has been conquering the world for a long time with his pace bowling personality. Even though he is not considered for the national team, Amir continues to play well in different franchise-based leagues around the globe.
Amir has previously played for Chittagong Vikings and Khulna Tigers in BPL and proved his mettle on the soil of Bangladesh. It is expected that he will continue showing his pace and swing for the Strikers as well. Amir has more than 250 wickets in T20s.
Read: BPL: From “world’s second-best” to “best domestic” league
Dhananjaya de Silva — one of the best in Sri Lanka
A right-handed batter and a right-arm off-break bowler. He is one of the best cricketers that Sri Lanka have currently. Dhananjaya scored more than 1700 runs and bagged 29 wickets in T20s. He is more useful as a batter at the top of the order. In 2016, he was one of the best T20 batters in Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket.
Kamindu Mendis — the ambidextrous bowler!
A special talent who can bowl with both right and left hands! He is also a good batter whose best innings in T20s is 99 not out. Kamindu Mendis grabbed 13 wickets in 45 T20s and scored more than 800 runs at an average of 24.36 in the format.
These five players can bring a good fortune to Sylhet Strikers. They are a mix of experience and talent, which events like BPL need most. The next BPL will commence in early January 2023.
T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka qualify for Super 12s
In their cut-throat clash against the Netherlands on Thursday in Geelong, Sri Lanka won by 16 runs and progressed to the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup.
At Kardinia Park, Sri Lanka was slow after they decided to bat first winning the toss.
The Netherlands bowling attack bowled remarkably well to restrict the island nation to 60 runs after the first 10 overs. Sri Lanka has nothing to do but press the accelerator to go up and post a challenging total.
Riding on the well-composed and watchful 79 off just 44 balls by the wicketkeeper batter Kusal Mendis, they posted a big total of 162 for six in 20 overs. It was enough for Sri Lanka to offer a tough time for the Netherlands.
In reply, the Netherlands did well but fell short of 16 runs while facing a quality bowling attack from Sri Lanka which is well-mixed with spinners and pace bowlers who recently won the Asia Cup in the UAE.
Max O'Dowd was the tragic hero of the Netherlands. He made 71 off 53 deliveries and remained not out but his team failed to seal the game.
Wanindu Hasaranga bagged three wickets conceding 28 runs while Maheesh Theekshana scalped two.
It was Sri Lanka’s second win after the shocking defeat to Namibia in their event opener.
After the defeat to Sri Lanka, the Netherlands' chances of qualifying for the Super 12 will now depend on the outcome of the match between Namibia and the United Arab Emirates. Only a win for the UAE can help them qualify for the next leg.
Shakib reclaims his position as No. 1 T20I all-rounder
Bangladesh’s T20I captain, Shakib Al Hasan, has risen to the top spot of the ICC’s latest rankings for all-rounders in the shortest format of the game. The ace all-rounder has been in good form with the bat lately, which has impacted his rankings. Let’s take a look at who made the top 10 on the list.
Shakib Al Hasan’s T20I performances in the recent international series
After being named the T20I captain of Bangladesh's national men's cricket team, Shakib Al Hasan has played in five games and lost each one. His bowling performance hasn't been effective either; he just has 1 wicket and a 7.50 economy rate. Therefore, Shakib has recaptured the top spot in the ICC's T20I all-rounder rankings from Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi based on his batting performances.
Read: India to arrive in Bangladesh on Dec 1 for cricket series: BCB
The ace all-rounder has scored 189 runs in 5 innings with an average of 37.80. His strike rate of 142.10 has been impressive as well. Shakib played two aggressive knocks in the recently concluded tri-nation series; 70 off 44 balls against New Zealand and 68 off 42 balls against Pakistan, respectively. These two performances clearly helped Shakib to boost his overall rating points.
Who made the top 10 in the updated ICC T20I all-rounder rankings?
The top 10 all-rounders in the ICC T20I rankings are represented by players from ten different nations. Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan dropped to second place after Shakib took the top spot. Moeen Ali, England's impactful all-rounder, is ranked third but is much below the top two in terms of rating points. Other prominent all-rounders who are among the top 10 include Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka, Hardik Pandya of India, Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe, and Glenn Maxwell of Australia.
Read: T20 World Cup 2022: Group phase scenarios for Sri Lanka, West Indies
The ICC's latest T20I rankings for the all-rounders
Position
Player
Rating
1
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
266
2
Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan)
246
3
Moeen Ali (England)
188
4
J.J. Smit (Namibia)
183
5
Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
176
6
Hardik Pandya (India)
173
7
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
164
8
Zeeshan Maqsood (Oman)
158
9
Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
152
10
Dipendra Airee (Nepal)
151
Bottom Line
According to the latest ICC rankings, Shakib Al Hasan has a 20-rating point edge over Mohammad Nabi in the all-rounder rankings for the T20 format. Shakib will have the chance to improve his overall rating points when Bangladesh begins their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign on Monday (October 24). The Tigers will compete in five games in the Super 12 Round, and the team is counting on Shakib Al Hasan to perform at his maximum capacity.
Read: T20 World Cup 2022: Key stats for Bangladesh match venues
India to arrive in Bangladesh on Dec 1 for cricket series: BCB
India's national cricket team is slated to arrive in Dhaka on December 1 to play a series of three ODIs and two Tests. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) revealed the schedule on Thursday.
It will be India’s first series in Bangladesh since 2015. In their last tour, India played two Tests and three ODIs. Bangladesh won the ODI series 2-1, with Mustafizur Rahman being the light of Bangladesh’s bowling line taking 11 wickets in the first two matches.
In the forthcoming series, the ODIs will be played on December 4, 7 and 10 at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium while the first Test will be played in Chattogram’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium and the second in Dhaka.
The first Test will be played from December 14-18 and the second Test will take place from December 22-26.
These two Tests of this series are parts of the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championship.
Read: T20 World Cup: Rain plays spoilsport for Bangladesh
“The Bangladesh-India matches in recent history have given us some epic contests and fans from both the countries are eagerly waiting for another memorable series,” Nazmul Hasan, the BCB president, said in a release.
“I thank the Board of Control for Cricket in India for working closely with the BCB in confirming the schedule. We look forward to welcoming the Indian team to Bangladesh,” the release said.
Bangladesh played 11 Tests against India and lost nine of them with two draws. In ODIs, the two neighbouring countries faced each other in 36 matches, with five wins, 30 defeats and with one no result.
T20 World Cup: West Indies beat Zimbabwe to boost Super 12 hopes
Two-time champions West Indies kept their Super 12 hopes alive from Group B of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup beating Zimbabwe by 31 runs in a must-win match in Australia's Hobart Wednesday.
The Caribbean side suffered a 42-run defeat against Scotland in their first group match but came back strongly against Zimbabwe, who made a flying start by beating Ireland by 31 runs Monday.
In Wednesday's other Group B match, Ireland beat Scotland by six wickets, also in Hobart.
After the day's first phase Group B matches, all four teams – Scotland, Zimbabwe, the West Indies and Ireland – secured two points each from as many matches.
Friday's deciding final round of matches will see Ireland face the West Indies before Scotland take on Zimbabwe.
Read: T20 World Cup: Rain plays spoilsport for Bangladesh
The top two sides from each group will qualify for the Super 12s, which start Saturday. The winner of Group A and the runner-up from Group B will go into a group.
In today's crucial match, the West Indies batted first after winning the toss and scored 153-7 in 20 overs. Opener Johnson Charles was the top scorer for them (45 runs off 36 balls).
In today's match, Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe claimed three wickets for 19 runs in four overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe were all out for 122 runs in 18.2 overs. Lower-order batter Luke Jongwe (29) and opener Wesly Madhevere (27) were the top scorers for them.
Alzarri Joseph ripped through the Zimbabwe batting order, grabbing four wickets for 16 runs in four overs and was adjudged the player of the match. Jason Holder took three wickets for 12 runs in 3.2 overs.
T20 World Cup 2022: Group phase scenarios for Sri Lanka, West Indies
The first round of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 has heated up after West Indies and Sri Lanka’s losses to Scotland and Namibia in their respective groups' opening fixtures. The former two World Cup winners are now in danger of being eliminated from the first round. Let’s have a look at the West Indies and Sri Lanka’s current group phase scenarios.
2022 ICC Twenty20 World Cup: Group A’s present scenario
Namibia's victory over Sri Lanka in the tournament's opening match on October 16 came as a surprise. But their victory over the Lankan side has made the group A’s point standings wide open. Sri Lanka came back strong against the UAE after losing their first match by 55 runs. They beat the United Arab Emirates by 79 runs and moved up to the third spot in the point standings.
Read: T20 World Cup 2022: Key stats for Bangladesh match venues
On the other hand, Namibia failed to maintain the momentum after their historic triumph over Sri Lanka. They were defeated by the Netherlands by 5 wickets and dropped to second place.
The Netherlands are currently the unbeaten side in this group after two consecutive victories over the UAE and Namibia, respectively. They have taken the top spot with 4 points, but their run rate is the major concern at the moment. Despite winning two matches, the Dutch side is still behind in net run rate compared to Namibia and Sri Lanka. They have to beat the Lankan team in their final group stage fixtures on Thursday in order to qualify for the Super 12s. Otherwise, they have to rely on the match between Namibia and the UAE, where the latter is already out of the competition.
Both Namibia and Sri Lanka will move to the next round if they win their respective final fixtures in the group. However, who will top the group depends on the run rates. Given the current scenario, Namibia will likely top the group if they beat the UAE and advance to the Group 1 Super 12 Round.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are most likely to finish second in the final point table of this group if they overcome the Netherlands on Thursday. The Lankan side will join Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and South Africa in Group 2 of the Super 12s if they finish second in the standings.
2022 T20 World Cup Group A points table
Team
Match
Win
Lose
Points
NRR
Netherlands
2
2
0
4
+0.149
Namibia
2
1
1
2
+1.277
Sri Lanka
2
1
1
2
+0.600
UAE
2
0
2
0
-2.028
Read: T20 World Cup: Rain plays spoilsport for Bangladesh
ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2022: Group B’s current scenario
Like Sri Lanka, the two-time Twenty20 World Cup champions, West Indies, suffered a huge defeat against Scotland by 42 runs in their tournament opener on October 17. The Caribbean side made a comeback in their second match, beating Zimbabwe by 31 runs on Wednesday. The West Indies moved up to the third position in Group B's point standings.
The Scottish side remained in the top spot despite losing to Ireland by 6 wickets in Hobart thanks to better run rates. Zimbabwe remained in second position, while the Ireland team is in fourth place at the moment.
Group B is wide open and any team can finish top in the points standings depending on the final match day’s outings. On Friday, West India will meet Ireland, while Scotland will face Zimbabwe. The winners of these two fixtures will advance to the Super 12 Round.
Depending on the current run rate, the West Indies are in a difficult position. They have to beat the Irish side by a big margin in order to finish top of the group. The Caribbean side will advance to Group 2 of the Super 12 Round if they finish at the top of the points table.
T20 World Cup 2022 Group B points table
Team
Match
Win
Lose
Points
NRR
Scotland
2
1
1
2
+0.759
Zimbabwe
2
1
1
2
+0.000
West Indies
2
1
1
2
-0.275
Ireland
2
1
1
2
-0.468
Verdict
No team has yet secured a spot in the Super 12 Round after the end of two games for each side. Which two teams from each group advance to the next round will be determined by the outcomes of the first round's remaining matches. Sri Lanka and West Indies must win their respective games against the Netherlands and Ireland in order to advance to the Super 12s of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
Read: ICC T20 World Cup: Only Shakib and Rohit have competed in all events to date
T20 World Cup: Rain plays spoilsport for Bangladesh
Due to persistent rains, Bangladesh's second warm-up ahead of the Super 12s stage of the T20 World Cup against South Africa was abandoned on Wednesday in Brisbane.
In the first warm-up match, Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan. So the match against South Africa was Bangladesh's last chance to finalize their plan ahead of their main event.
This year, Bangladesh are going to take part in the Super 12s stage of the biggest T20 event directly-- where they will take on South Africa, India and Pakistan and two teams from the first round.
Bangladesh are having a tough time with their opening pair. In recent times, they have tried so many pairs but none came out to perform well.
Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector of Bangladesh national team, said it is the players who have to play well to break the bad chain of the bad times.
"We have prepared well, now the time has come to do well in the field," Minhajul told the media on Tuesday. "We can advise them to play well, but it is them who have to play well."
END/UNB/SHT/FH
BPL 2023: Syhet Strikers ropes in Mashrafe, Amir, Perera
As the first franchise of this year's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Sylhet Strikers named their icon players and some important foreign recruits.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the former captain of Bangladesh national team, is the icon of Sylhet Strikers. They also roped in Pakistan pace-bowling star Mohammad Amir along with Sri Lankan stars Thisara Perera, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva.
They have announced it in their logo unveiling ceremony on Wednesday in a Dhaka hotel.
Read: BPL: From “world’s second-best” to “best domestic” league
Sylhet have also named Rajin Saleh, the former national team captain, as their assistant coach and Nafis Iqbal as their team manager respectively.
A total of seven teams will participate in this year's BPL which will begin in early January 2023.
T20 World Cup 2022: Key stats for Bangladesh match venues
Bangladesh will start their Super 12 Round with a match against the second-placed team in Group A in Hobart. They also have fixtures in Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide. Getting to know the venues and their records is important in order to make a doable strategy for the match. Let’s take a look at Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2022 match venues and their key stats.
The venues where Bangladesh will play at the Twenty20 World Cup 2022
The majority of Bangladeshi players don’t have experience playing in Australia. Therefore, playing in Australia’s famous cricket stadiums will be an intriguing experience for the players. Tigers will play at some of Australia's well-known grounds.
Read: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh to take on South Africa Wednesday in warm-up match
Their first match will be at the Bellerive Oval Cricket Ground in Hobart on October 24 (Tuesday), where they will face the Group A runner-up from the first round. Two days later, on October 27, Bangladesh will meet South Africa at the famous Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. They will take on the Group B winner of the first round on October 30 at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The Bangladesh team then travels to Adelaide to play their final two fixtures of the Super 12 Round at the Adelaide Oval. They will play India on November 2, followed by Pakistan on November 6 at the same venue.
Key Stats of Bangladesh’s 2022 Twenty20 World Cup Venues
Australian cricket grounds are usually larger than those in other parts of the world. The wickets usually prefer the faster bowlers to have extra bounce and swing. Spinners, on the other hand, don’t get any additional advantages in these conditions. Australia usually makes sporting pitches where both batters and bowlers can thrive.
Bangladesh will have to adjust quickly to the Aussie weather and the bouncy wickets in order to have better outings during the T20 World Cup 2022. Let’s have a look at the important stats of the stadiums Bangladesh will play in the Super 12 round.
Read: T20 warm-up: Bangladesh suffer a heavy defeat to Afghanistan
Bellerive Oval Cricket Ground in Hobart
The Bellerive Oval Cricket Ground is located in Hobart, the state capital of Tasmania, an Australian island. The playing field is 175m by 135m in size, which is a little bit longer but also a little bit narrower than the MCG. Only five T20I games have been played here thus yet. This venue will host a game involving Bangladesh.Key Stats Bat first won: 4 Bat second won: 1Highest Team Innings: 213/4Lowest Team Innings: 118Highest Run Chased: 161/5Highest Individual Innings: 103*Best Bowling Figures: 4/30
Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney
The renowned Sydney Cricket Ground is situated in Sydney, New South Wales's capital city. The playing surface of the SCG is 156m x 154m. There have already been eleven T20I games held here. At this venue, the Bangladeshi team will face South Africa in a Super 12 round match. Key Stats Bat first won: 4 Bat second won: 5Highest Team Innings: 221/5Lowest Team Innings: No completed innings Highest Run Chased: 200/3Highest Individual Innings: 124*Best Bowling Figures: 4/12
The Gabba, Brisbane
The Gabba Cricket Ground is situated in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland. The dimensions of the Gabba’s playing surface are 170.6m x 149.9m. So far, six T20I matches have been played at this Australian stadium. The Bangladesh side will have a Super 12 phase match at this ground.Key Stats Bat first won: 4 Bat second won: 2Highest Team Innings: 209/3Lowest Team Innings: 114Highest Run Chased: 161/4Highest Individual Innings: 96Best Bowling Figures: 4/20
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, is home to the Adelaide Oval Cricket Ground. The playing surface in Adelaide is 190.2m x 126.2m, which is a fairly long distance. There have only been five matches held here thus far. In the Super 12 round, the national men's T20 cricket team of Bangladesh will play its two neighbours, India and Pakistan, there. Key Stats Bat first won: 3Bat second won: 2Highest Team Innings: 233/2Lowest Team Innings: 146 Highest Run Chased: 158/9Highest Individual Innings: 100*Best Bowling Figures: 4/15
Read: ICC T20 World Cup: Only Shakib and Rohit have competed in all events to date
Bottom Line
Bangladesh will play at four different venues in the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup 2022. The Tigers will play at either the Sydney or Adelaide stadiums if they advance to the semifinals. Bangladesh have no scheduled matches at the MCG, where the final game will be played. Some cricket fields in Australia have small widths and large lengths. The Bangladesh team management should concentrate on developing game plans based on stats and stadium dimensions.
T20 World Cup: Bangladesh to take on South Africa Wednesday in warm-up match
The cornered Tigers are set to take on South Africa on Wednesday in their last warm-up ahead of the Super 12s of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia.
In the first warm-up match, Bangladesh suffered a heavy defeat to Afghanistan. So the match against South Africa came as the last chance for Bangladesh to finalize their plan and the playing XI ahead of the main event.
Bangladesh has been going through a prolonged bad patch in T20Is for a while. They failed to do well in the Asia Cup, they also failed to do well in the last few series as well. So the team now came under immense pressure to do well.
Read: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021: Bangladesh Cricket Team’s Full Schedule
Ahead of Wednesday’s clash, Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector of Bangladesh, said it’s the players who have to play well on the field.
“We have done enough experiments, now the players should play well,” Minhajul said on Tuesday while talking to the media in Brisbane. “We have a few practice sessions after the warm-up match. After that, we have to play well in the World Cup.”
The match will begin at 2 pm (Bangladesh time) on Wednesday.