Cricket
Uncertainty over Bangladesh team’s departure to cyclone-hit Oman
Bangladesh national cricket team could not fly to Oman as scheduled on Sunday morning after a tropical cyclone forced the sultanate’s Muscat International Airport to postpone all flights for now.
According to Gulf News, Oman has announced a two-day holiday for both public and private sectors on October 3 & 4 as the sultanate was lashed by cyclone Shaheen.
Read:Tigers test negative for Covid-19 before flying for WC
“International Airport has been postponed and rescheduled to further notice to avoid any risks that may result from the direct impact of climate conditions on the Airport’s operations,” Muscat International Airport authority said in a Tweet.
Dear travelers ⚠️We would like to inform you that all flights to and from Muscat International Airport have been postponed and rescheduled to a further notice to avoid any risks that may result from the direct impact of climate conditions on the Airport’s operations. https://t.co/4OyLe5Xtqc
— مطارات عُمان (@OmanAirports) October 3, 2021
As of Bangladesh time, Sunday 4:00 pm, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport authority couldn’t confirm the fate of the flight to Muscat.
Sources close to Bangladesh team said they are yet to receive any message regarding a new schedule of the flight.
Read:Bangladesh leave Sunday for ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign
Tigers will travel to Oman to take part in the T20 World Cup 2021. They will play three matches of the first round of the event in Oman, and other parts of the event in the UAE.
Bangladesh leave Sunday for ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign
Bangladesh's cricketers, lovingly called the Tigers, will leave the capital for Oman on Sunday (October 3) night on a chartered flight to take part in the Men's T20 World Cup to be hosted by Oman and United Arab Emirates.
Ahead of flying for Oman, all the members of the Bangladesh Cricket team tested for Covid-19 here on Saturday and after that they are maintaining a strict home quarantine for a day.
The Tigers will reach Oman capital Muscat on Monday ( October 4) and will start their practice session on the next day (Tuesday).
All the coaching staff of Bangladesh team including head coach Russell Domingo, now abroad, will join the team in Oman by October 5 before the first practice session.
Later, Bangladesh team will fly for UAE from Oman on Oct 9 to play two warm-up matches there against Sri Lanka and Ireland on October 12 and 14.
Read: National Cricket League to be more competitive, hopes Habibul
They will return to Oman on October 15.
Bangladesh must play in a round robin leauge qualifiers to enter the main competition. Placed in qualifying Group B, will start their campaign taking on Scotland on Oct 17, before facing hosts Oman on Oct 19 and Papua New Guinea on Oct 21. Top two in the group will advance to the main competition.
Bangladesh stand a chance to qualify for the Super 12 stage if they finish in the top two of their group.
Mahmudullah Riyad will lead the Tigers in the T20 World Cup coming off three consecutive T20 series wins: against Zimbabwe 2-1, Australia 4-1 and New Zealand 3-2.
The team has no major surprises, given that leading batsman Tamim Iqbal ruled himself out well in advance.
Tamim Iqbal was the highest scorer for Bangladesh in the 2016 T20 World Cup in India scoring 295 runs at an average of 73.7.
Read: Bangladesh U-19 to travel Sri Lanka in October
Bangladesh team comprises seven new faces, who are set to play their first World Cup.
Pacer Rubel Hossain and Aminul Islam Biplob, the leg spinning-all rounder, are named as reserves.
Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2021 squad are: Mahmudullah Riyad (Captain) ,Mohammad Naim, Liton Kumar Das, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin and Shamim Hossain.
Two reserved cricketers are: Rubel Hossain, and Aminul Islam Biplob.
KKR vs. PBKS: KL Rahul guides Punjab to 5-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021
Punjab Kings needed to win over Kolkata Knight Riders to stay in contention for a playoff spot in IPL 2021. They won the match courtesy of a short cameo by Shahrukh Khan while chasing a challenging total. Punjab and Kolkata currently have the same number of points in the standings, with the net run rate separating them. Knight Riders will play two of the bottom teams in their next two matches. On the other hand, the Kings will play RCB and CSK in their final round-robin league matchups. The match report of KKR vs. PBKS is discussed in this article.
Match Report: KKR vs. PBKS
Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul chose to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday in Dubai.
Kolkata’s Innings
Kolkata batted first and scored 165/7 in their allotted 20 overs. They lost their star opener, Shubman Gill in the third over with only 18 runs on the board. However, a 72-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi for the second wicket helped Kolkata reach 90 runs in 12 overs.
Read IPL 2021: Shakib's Kolkata leads over Mustafiz's Rajasthan in the playoffs race
Knight Riders were on set for 200 runs at that point. However, Punjab managed to disrupt the flow of runs by taking two successive wickets in the 14th and 15th overs, respectively.
In the dying overs, Nitesh Rana's fiery batting helped Kolkata put up a competitive total on the board. Venkatesh Iyer scored the highest 67 runs for the Knight Riders. Apart from him, Rahul Tripathi made 34 runs and Nitesh Rana played a 31 off 18 balls knock. Arshdeep Singh was a little expensive, but he took the highest three wickets for Punjab Kings.
Punjab’s Innings
Chasing a difficult target, openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal gave Punjab Kings a perfect start with a 70-run stand between them in 8.5 overs. They were a bit watchful but they kept a solid pace in the middle.
Kolkata's spinner Varun Chakravarthy provided the much-needed breakthrough in the ninth over, dismissing Mayank Agarwal (40). He struck again in two overs, sending West Indian Nicholas Pooran back to the pavilion.
Read Tigers to leave for T20 World Cup on October 3
KL Rahul and Proteas power hitter Aiden Markram then put up a crucial 45-run partnership to take the total to 129 in 16 overs. Markram lost his wicket after an important 18-run innings.
Despite losing wickets at the other end, Captain KL Rahul stayed at the crease till the last over and made sure Punjab remained in the chase. Rahul's anchoring innings (67) came to an end in the second delivery of the 20th over.
Punjab's young power hitter Shahrukh Khan played a key role with the bat. He scored an unbeaten 22* from 9 balls to give Punjab a five-wicket victory. Kolkata's most successful bowler was Varun Chakravarthy (4-0-24-2).
Read Mushfiqur, Imrul hit fifties as Bangladesh A register easy win
Player of the Match
Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul was named the best player of the match for his guided 67-run innings.
Bottom Line
Kolkata lost the KKR vs. PBKS contest after three consecutive victories in the UAE phase. Kolkata cannot afford to lose momentum at this crucial stage of the round-robin league. The Knight Riders must win their next two matches for a playoff berth. Otherwise, Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings will seize the opportunity and move up the points table.
On the other hand, defeating Kolkata was a huge result for the Punjab team. Now they are heading to their next two matches with greater confidence. Punjab's next two opponents, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore have already qualified for the playoffs. Both teams may deploy some young players against Punjab in order to test the strength of their respective squads. If they do, Punjab will have the upper hand in both the fixtures.
Read BCB election 2021: 32 candidates submit nomination papers
IPL 2021: Shakib's Kolkata leads over Mustafiz's Rajasthan in the playoffs race
Kolkata Knight Riders are ahead of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021 round-robin league points table. Kolkata Knight Riders resumed their campaign with a thumping win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, moving them into fourth place in the points standings. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals resumed with a narrow victory against Punjab Kings before losing three consecutive matches. Any defeat from this stage onward will be a huge setback for both teams. Let's have a look at who has the best chance of making it to the next round.
Read: IPL 2021: Will Shakib Al Hasan Play in a crucial MI vs. KKR match?
IPL 2021 Playoffs Race: Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Rajasthan Royals
Kolkata Knight Riders have accumulated 10 points in 11 games. While Rajasthan Royals have 8 points in the same number of matches. Among others, Mumbai Indians have 10 points, but Kolkata have better run rates than Mumbai. On the other hand, Punjab Kings have 8 points, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have only 4.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders were behind Rajasthan Royals in the points table before the IPL 2021 resumed in mid-September in UAE. However, they made an encouraging start in the UAE phase, winning three of their past four league games. They are now in fourth place, ahead of the defending champion Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.
Kolkata defeated Bangalore by a crushing 9-wicket margin on September 20. They defeated Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets on September 23. However, they were defeated by Chennai Super Kings by a mere 2-wicket margin on September 26. Kolkata fought back strong against Delhi Capitals, winning by three wickets on Tuesday (September 28).
Read:IPL 2021: Scenarios of Playoffs Qualification for Eight Teams
Kolkata's current team combination has looked solid, and they are on track to maintain their domination over their opponents. Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has yet to play a match in the UAE phase, and he is unlikely to do so before the end of the round-robin league.
So far, Rahul Tripathi has scored the most runs (315 in 10 innings) for Kolkata with a strike rate of 144.49. On the other hand, Prasidh Krishna has 12 wickets in 10 innings at a strike rate of 19.2 for the Knight Riders.
Kolkata Knight Rider’s remaining fixtures:
01/10/2021: Punjab Kings (at Dubai)
03/10/2021: Sunrisers Hyderabad (at Dubai)
07/10/2021: Rajasthan Royals (at Sharjah)
Tigers to leave for T20 World Cup on October 3
Bangladesh will depart for Oman on October 3 on their mission for the T20 World Cup which will be played in Oman and UAE.
A day before departure the members of the Bangladesh team will undergo a Covid-19 test on October 2. Right after that they will have to maintain a strict home quarantine for a day.
The Tigers will arrive in Muscat on October 4 and take the field for practice the next day.
Bangladesh will play two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Ireland on October 12 and 14. Since these matches will take place in UAE the Tigers will fly there on October 9. They will return to Oman on October 15.
In the first round of the World Cup, Bangladesh will take on Scotland, Oman and Papua New Guinea on October 17, 19 and 21.
Read: Tigers record maiden T20I series win vs New Zealand
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the squad for the World Cup on September 9.
Mahmudullah Riyad will lead the Tigers in the T20 World Cup. The team, however, will miss the service of Tamim Iqbal. The ace opener opted out of the World Cup as he lacks enough match time due to a knee injury.
Bangladesh has included seven players who are set to debut in their first World Cup.
Bangladesh squad for T20 World Cup 2021: Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed Saifuddin and Shamim Hossain.
Additional with the team: Rubel Hossain, Aminul Islam Biplob.
Mushfiqur, Imrul hit fifties as Bangladesh A register easy win
Bangladesh A registered a six-wicket win against High-performance Unit (UP) on Tuesday in the first one-day match at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Imrul Kayes hit half centuries for Bangladesh A to help the team chase down a target of 248 in 47.5 overs.
Bangladesh A won the toss and opted to bowl first. Mossadek Hossain Saikat bagged four wickets for them to restrict HP for 247 for 10 in 48.5 overs. Rubel Hossain and Shahidul Islam took two wickets each.
For HP Tanzid Hasan hit 81 while Shahadat Hossain scored 51. Along with them, Mahmudul Hasan and Akbar Ali also did well with the bat scoring 38 and 28 respectively.
Read: Mushfiqur opts to quit wicket-keeping in T20Is: Domingo
In reply Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto added 35 runs in the first wicket stand. Najmul was the first to fall to Shamim Hossain scoring 27 off 18 balls. In the second wicket stand, Mominul and Imrul added 58 runs. Mominul fell on 29.
Mushfiqur came to bat at number four and posted an unbeaten 70 off 91 balls while Imrul was out on 60 off 81 balls.
After the departure of Imrul, Mosaddek and Mohammad Mithun came in and scored 24 and respectively. They eventually ended up on 252 for four wickets in 47.5 overs and won the match by six wickets.
Mushfiqur was not part of the Bangladesh A team, but he decided to play for them as he was going through a bad patch for a while now.
BCB election 2021: 32 candidates submit nomination papers
All the 32 candidates who had collected the nomination papers for the upcoming general election of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), submitted the documents to the election commission on Monday.
The aspirants will compete for the 23 director posts. In category 1, which consists of regional and district cricket bodies, a total of 13 councillors will contest for 10 director posts while in category 2, which is consists of the members of cricket clubs of Dhaka metro, a total of 17 councillors will contest for 12 director posts, and, in category others, two councillors will contest for one director post.
At least seven directors are going to win the election unopposed. There is no competitor for Shafiul Alam Chowdhury from Sylhet, Akram Khan and A J M Nasir Uddin from Chattogram, Sheikh Sohel and Kazi Inam Ahmed from Khulna, Alamgir Khan from Barishal, and Anwarul Islam from Rangpur.
However, there will be a contest in choosing directors from Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions. In Dhaka, Tanvir Ahmed, Naimur Rahman, Ashfakul Islam and Khaled Hossain will compete for two posts while in Rajshahi, Saiful Alam Swapan Chowdhury and former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud Pilot will compete for one post.
The incumbent BCB president Nazmul Hassan will take part in the election as the councillor of the Abahani Limited, while former vice-president of BCB, Mahbub Ul Anam, will also compete in the election as a councillor of Mohammedan Sporting Club.
The election commission, which is led by the former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), Farhad Hossain, will sort the nomination papers and publish a list of the candidates on September 28.
The candidates will be able to withdraw their participation in the election on September 30. After that, the election commission will announce the final list of the candidates the same day.
The election will take place on October 6, and the result will be declared on October 7, according to the election schedule.
Naimur urges BCB to spend more money for development
Former Bangladesh captain and director of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Naimur Rahman, said the board should spend more money for the development of cricket around the country instead of depositing the cash in banks.
Naimur, also a member of the parliament, is contesting in the upcoming general election of BCB which is slated to take place on October 6.
“We had many limitations earlier, but we are more capable now,” Naimur told the reporters on Monday. “I believe that it’s more important to spend money to develop regional cricketing bodies and academies than depositing it to the banks.”
Read: Papon set for another unopposed election?
Recently, BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that the board has FDR of about BDT 1000 crores.
Naimur also said the board has started working on regional cricket bodies in Chattogram and Sylhet. According to him, this sort of initiatives should get priority to the board.
The first Test captain of Bangladesh is leading the High-performance Unit (HP) of BCB. He said it has been a pleasure for him to develop the next generation of the cricketers through this programme.
“I’m happy that I was able to work with HP. This programme is so important to develop a new bunch of cricketers. About 6-7 cricketers have advanced to the national team from HP which is really a good achievement. If I get another chance of being the director of the board, I will work as per the direction of the board president,” Naimur told the reporters.