Mahmudullah XI clinched the hastily-arranged BCB President’s Cup on Sunday, outclassing surprise finalists the Najmul XI by seven wickets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. 

Najmul XI were asked to bat first after losing the toss and posted a below par total of 173 runs riding on the wonderful innings of 75 runs off Irfaan Shukkur. In reply, Liton Das (68), and Imrul Kaeys (53) hit the fifties for Mahmudullah XI, and they won the title. 

Mahmudullah XI ended up on 177 for three in 29.4 overs and won the game in a canter with seven wickets and more than 20 overs to spare. But this was an occasion where the bowlers deserve the credit for having done the hard work earlier, bowling the Najmul XI out for a paltry total of just 173, in 47.1 overs.

The wrecker in chief was 20-year-old Sumon Khan, who in partnership with the experienced Rubel rattled Najmul XI with the new ball, and ended up with 5/38 off his 10 overs. thanks to wonderful bowling by Sumon Khan who scalped five wickets conceding 38 runs in 10 overs.

Openers of Najmul XI— Saif Hassan and Soumya Sarkar— posted only 4 and 5 runs respectively. Rubel Hossain grabbed the first wicket removing Saif. Soumya, in the course of scoring just 5, already had to retire hurt once - although he did come back out to bat, only to be snared by a fired up Sumon.

Najmul Hossain Shanto (32) and Mushfiqur Rahim (12) tried to control the initial damage, but failed to come up with the bigger effort when Najmul XI were in dire straits.

Afif Hossain disappointed again as he failed to add anything to the board. He was hunted by Sumon as well. Towhid Hridoy, who had come up with some imperious displays earlier, scored 26 this time.

The rampant Irfaan Shukkur was the best batsman for Najmul XI posting 75 off 77 balls with eight fours and two sixes. He didn't look like he was batting in the same match, at the same venue, or against the same opponents as his teammates, before Rubel came back in the death overs to bowl him out.

During his stay at the crease, Najmul XI added a total of 107 runs to their total, of which Irfaan contributed 75.

Eventually, Najmul XI tumbled for 173. To go with Sumon's 5-for and Rubel's brace, Ebadat, Mehidy and Mahmudullah grabbed a wicket apiece.

It was the first bit of 'competitive' cricket played in Bangladesh since the Coronavirus lockdowns. In that sense, it may have heralded a return of sorts for the game. Yet a triangular series between 3 different sets of the players in contention to represent the same team at international could hardly count as 'competitive' - especially when compared to the chance to compete in a proper 3-Test series against Sri Lanka that was missed, and the BCB President's Cup had to replace.

Next up, BCB is planning to host a T20 league comprising five teams. 

Brief score: 

Najmul XI 173/10 in 47.1 overs, Irfaan 75, Najmul 32, Towhid 26, Mushfiqur 12; Sumon 5/38, Rubel 2/27

Mahmudullah XI 177/3 in 29.4 overs, Liton 68, Imrul 53*, Mahmudullah 23*; Nasum 2/48, Al Amin 1/32

Also: BCB President’s Cup: Najmul XI fail to post challenging total

Unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial arts after stopping Justin Gaethje with a triangle choke early in the second round at UFC 254 on Saturday night, reports AP.

Nurmagomedov (29-0) made the announcement immediately after he impressively finished his first fight since the death of his father and lifelong coach in July. Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov had a heart problem exacerbated by COVID-19, and his son was overcome by tears in the cage moments after choking Gaethje unconscious 1:34 into the second round of his third UFC title defense.

“This is my last fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “There’s no way I’m going to be back without my father. I spoke to my mother. She don’t know how I fight without father, but I promised it’s going to be my last fight, and if I give my word, I have to follow it.”

The 32-year-old Nurmagomedov was active with strikes and with grappling against Gaethje (22-3), the dangerous brawler who had knocked out four consecutive elite opponents while winning the UFC’s interim lightweight title.

After spending the first round largely trading punches and kicks with the aggressive Gaethje, Nurmagomedov used his unparalleled wrestling skills to take down Gaethje early in the second round and then worked into position for the finishing choke.

Gaethje appeared to tap out at least twice before the referee noticed and stopped the bout, by which time Gaethje was unconscious. He bounced up quickly and shared a moment of mutual respect with the dominant Russian champion.

“I know he was in a bad spot, but whether he was or not, he did what he needed to do,” Gaethje said. “I know his father is so proud.”

Also at UFC 254, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker made his case for another title shot with a solid unanimous decision over fellow contender Jared Cannonier in the penultimate bout on Fight Island.

Nurmagomedov’s first fight in 13 months would be an appropriate farewell for one of the most dynamic competitors in recent MMA history. The Dagestan-born grappling specialist developed a well-rounded game under the tutelage of his father and a Bay Area-based MMA gym, culminating in his ascent to the UFC title in 2018.

Nurmagomedov stopped Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier in his next two bouts before his yearlong absence from competition. His victory over McGregor made him one of the world’s most famous combat sports athletes, and the UFC scheduled this pay-per-view show at an earlier-than-normal time to cater to his vast fan base in Russia and Europe.

But Nurmagomedov has spoken of retirement before, and his announcement confirmed he is finished with the sport after running through most of the UFC lightweight division.

“Dustin and Conor are going to fight in January,” Nurmagomedov said, referring to the probable meeting between the former contenders at UFC 257. “I choked them both out. I’m not interested in this.”

Earlier, Whittaker (22-5) gave a disciplined, active performance with impressive striking to earn his second straight UFC victory since losing his title to Israel Adesanya in late 2019.

Capping his effort by dropping Cannonier with a combination midway through the final round, Whittaker won two of three rounds on every scorecard while soundly outstriking Cannonier (13-5), who took his first loss in nearly 2 1/2 years.

Whittaker likely earned a chance at a rematch with Adesanya with the victory, but he didn’t call out the champion after his bout, instead expressing only excitement about returning home to put up his family’s Christmas tree. Whittaker withdrew from a bout with Cannonier scheduled for March in Las Vegas because he felt burned out on MMA.

“I’m very happy it’s all over,” Whittaker said. “We got the result we wanted. Work’s done, baby. I’m coming home.”

Earlier in the show, Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov stopped Walt Harris with a kick to the chest and punches on the ground 1:15 into the second round. Flyweight Lauren Murphy also bolstered her case for a title shot with a second-round stoppage of Liliya Shakirova by rear naked choke for her fourth straight victory.

UFC 254 was the last of five shows in a month inside the promotion’s secure bubble on Yas Island. The UFC, which paused competition for only eight weeks early in the coronavirus pandemic, returns to its hometown next week to begin a series of at least five consecutive shows on its corporate campus in Las Vegas.

Bangladesh Navy clinched the Bangabandhu Under-23 (3 on 3) Basketball title beating Josephites Club by 14-12 points in the final at the Dhanmondi Wooden floor gymnasium on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Flame Boys B team emerged champions in the  Bangabandhu Under-16 (3 on 3) Basketball Tournament beating Flame Boys A team by 8-6 points in the event’s final at the same venue.

In the Bangabandhu Under-18 (3 on 3) Basketball competition, Bangladesh Air Force lifted the crown beating Hornets SC by 17-14 points in the event's final at the same venue, also on Saturday.

President of Bangladesh Basketball Federation Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, who is also the president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and a former MP, witnessed the day's finals as the chief guest and later he distributed the trophies of all the three events.

The final of the BCB President’s Cup between Mahmudullah XI and Najmul XI, originally scheduled for Friday, has been shifted to Sunday due to inclement weather.

The decision has been taken considering the inclement weather forecast over the next couple of days. 

BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said: “This has been a very well-received tournament so far and we want to finish it in a befitting manner. 

“The weather prediction is not favourable in the next two days and therefore, the final has been rescheduled for next Sunday to give every opportunity of holding a full-time game.”       

The final will start at 1:30pm (local time) on Sunday with Monday being a reserved day.

Also read: BCB President's Cup: Mahmudullah XI beat Tamim XI

Bangladesh team were eliminated from the preliminary phase in the open section of the Asian Nations Cup Online Chess Championship 2020 on Sunday.