Bangladesh Cricket News

Bangladesh win Twenty20 match to register first victory in New Zealand

2007-12-23T07:04:00.002-08:00

Bangladesh win Twenty20 match to register first victory in New Zealand

23 December 2007

Bangladesh won its first match in New Zealand soil when they beat a New Zealand XI by four wickets in a charity Twenty20 game at Seddon Park in Hamilton today.

Young all-rounder Farhad Reza scored a match wining blitzkrieg 31 from 17 balls and shared a 48-run fifth wicket partnership with Mehrab Hossain to guide Bangladesh to 134-6 in reply to New Zealand XI's 133-7 and victory with t3 overs to spare. Mehrab remained unbeaten on 21 from 26 deliveries.

The win would boost confidence ahead of Bangladesh's three-match National Bank limited overs series against New Zealand from Boxing Day.

Previously on this tour, Bangladesh had lost to a Northern Districts and Auckland team in limited overs matches. The only match in which Bangladesh averted defeat was washed out due to inclement weather.

A 17 ball 31 from Farhad Reza helped Bangladesh to secure victory against New Zealand XI © AFP

New Zealand fielded a strong XI for the charity match that contained the nucleus of the New Zealand team they will play in the upcoming limited overs series. None of the current New Zealand players except Scott Styris who made 29 from 22 balls, made a significant contribution with the bat.

Two early strikes from Bangladesh opening bowlers Shahadat Hossain and Sajidul Islam pushed New Zealand XI on the back foot after Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful won the toss and opted to field first.

For New Zealand, opener Jamie How was out for 10, Peter Fulton for 3, Ross Taylor for 15 and Gareth Taylor for 12, leaving the New Zealanders with more concerns than the tourists as the first one-day match approaches in two days time. In form, Northern Districts captain, James Marshall who dominated Bangladesh in the warm up match remained unbeaten on 33.

A disciplined bowling effort supported by some electrifying fielding set up Bangladesh's victory in front of a packed crowd. Lanky paceman Shahadat Hossain took 3-15 from four overs and captain Mohammad Ashraful took 2-28 with his leg spin.

Bangladesh lost their first wicket with no run on the board as the batsmen initially showed vulnerability against the Kiwi seam bowlers but a counter attack by Aftab Ahmed and Mohammad Ashraful set the platform for a well-planned run chase. Ashraful scored 20 from 10 balls — hitting a four and six from the first two balls he faced — and Aftad Ahmed contributed 20 from 15 balls.

After their departure Saqibul Hasan (22 from 19) maintained the run flow and the 47 run 6th wicket partnership between Farhad Reza and Mehrab Hossain sealed the victory for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh will play the first of three one-day internationals against New Zealand in Auckland on December 26.

The one-day series is followed by two tests, the first starting in Dunedin on Jan. 4. The second begins Jan. 12 in Wellington.

Bangladesh lose by 7 wickets despite Tamim heroics

2007-12-23T07:04:00.001-08:00

Bangladesh lose by 7 wickets despite Tamim heroics

21 December 2007

Auckland made light work to see off Bangladesh in the third and final warm-up match before the three match one day international series against the Black Caps and handed the Bangladeshis their second defeat in three matches on their tour of New Zealand so far. The only match in which Bangladesh averted defeat was washed out due to inclement weather.

Auckland breezed past Bangladesh's total of 242 with 7 wickets in hand and 4 overs to spare. Former international and Auckland skipper Richard

Bangladesh lose by 7 wickets despite Tamim heroics

Jones made 85 not out while another former New Zealand representative, Paul Hitchcock, made 35.

Earlier Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first. A 122 ball 104 from young opener Tamim Iqbal failed to inspire rest of the Bangladeshi batting as Bangladesh slumped to 242 all out in 48.5 over.

Left handed Tamim, who was struggling with his recent batting form, hammered 10 boundaries and 4 huge 6's in his finely constructed innings. His departure right after the century mark initiated the collapse and Bangladesh failed to utilize the platform to post a challenging total at Seddon Park in Hamilton .

At one point Bangladesh were heading to a 275+ total with Tamim and Ashraful flaying Auckland attack with some fine stroke play. After receiving the initial brunt, Auckland bowlers came back strongly and once Morgan broke the 55 runs partnership, rest of the Bangladeshi batsmen offered little resistance against the spirited bowling attack.

Bangladesh lost 5 quick wickets in a space of 30 runs and were eventually bundled out by some inspired bowling from the Auckland Aces. 6 of the Bangladeshi batsmen including in-form opener Zunaed Siddique failed to reach the double figure and short cameos from top order mainstream Aftab and Ashraful weren't enough to steer Bangladesh to a winning position.

GJ Morgan was the pick of the bowlers for Auckland and bagged 3 wickets for 33 runs while Mackay, Hitchcok and Hira grabbed two wickets each.

Bangladesh will play the first of three one-day internationals against New Zealand in Auckland on December 26.

The one-day series is followed by two tests, the first starting in Dunedin on Jan. 4. The second begins Jan. 12 in Wellington.

Sajidul replaces injured Rasel

2007-12-23T07:03:00.001-08:00

Sajidul replaces injured Rasel

17 December

Bangladesh's hope to secure victory in the one dayers against New Zealand received a severe blow as their premium seam bowler Syed Rasel has been ruled out of the entire tour due to a collarbone injury. Rasel sustained the injury in the warm-up match against Northern Districts in which Tigers succumbed to a 7 wicket loss.

Bangladesh will miss the service of Syed Rasel against the Kiwis

Young left arm seamer Sajidul Islam (19), who is enjoying a fine form in the domestic cricket, has been named as the replacement of Rasel. Sajidul will fly to New Zealand on Tuesday to join the rest of the squad members.

According to tigercricket.com, the official website of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Rasel was examined by an orthopaedic surgeon in Hamilton Monday and the report is expected by Tuesday morning. He will undergo further investigation and treatment before a final assessment on his condition is made.

Meanwhile chief selector Rafiqul Alam expressed his optimism about young Sajidul who is currently the leading wicket taker in the domestic first class competition.

"Sajidul is a bowler identical to Rasel and is in the peak of form in the ongoing National Cricket League. So the selection committee unanimously picked him as the replacement of Rasel," said Rafiqul.

Bangladesh plays another warm-up one-dayer against Northern Districts in Hamilton tomorrow, ahead of a one-day game against Auckland on Friday.

They play the first of three one-day internationals against New Zealand in Auckland on December 26.

The one-day series is followed by two tests, the first starting in Dunedin on Jan. 4. The second begins Jan. 12 in Wellington.

Bangladesh lose the tour opener warm-up

2007-12-23T07:02:00.000-08:00

16 December 2007

Left-handed batsman Nick Horsley scored a career-best 92 in Hamilton, New Zealand, on Sunday as Northern Districts beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in a one-day match in the visitors' tour opener.

Northern Districts made 228 for three in reply to Bangladesh's 222 for eight at Seddon Park.

Bangladesh's innings was built around opener Zunaed Siddique, who scored 73 off 114 balls. The tourists were well positioned at 121 for two in the 32nd over before they collapsed to lose five for 56.

Bangladesh plays another one-dayer against Northern Districts in Hamilton on Tuesday, ahead of a one-day game against Auckland on Friday.

They play the first of three one-day internationals against New Zealand in Auckland on December 26.

The one-day series is followed by two tests, the first starting in Dunedin on Jan. 4. The second begins Jan. 12 in Wellington.

Explosive Bangladesh storm into the second round

2007-09-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

An astounding display of power hitting by Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful and dashing Aftab Ahmed secured a comprehensive 6 wicket win over West Indies with 2 overs to spare at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg today.

Chasing a victory target of 164 in 20 overs, Bangladesh did not get the desired start as they lost reliable Nazimuddin in the second over of the match with only 2 runs on the board.

Explosive Bangladesh storm into the second round © Cricinfo

Tamim Iqbal soon departed while trying to clear Rampaul out of the ground finding Chanderpaul at mid off. Bangladesh were in a spot of bother and the spotlight was on Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful to produce an extra-ordinary innings similar to one in Guayana which denied South Africa in the last world cup.

Ashraful responded to the situation brilliantly and shared a 109 run partnership with Aftab Ahmed in just 10.2 overs with blistering display of cricket shots to send West Indies packing without a win in the inaugural Twenty20 world cup.

Ashraful tore West Indies attack apart in his 27 ball 61 and registered fastest fifty in the history of Twenty20 International, off just 20 balls. At the other end Aftab played his innings of life to guide Bangladesh home after the departure of skipper Ashraful and remained unbeaten on 62.

Ashraful nonchalantly clouted boundaries after boundaries and Aftab Ahmed aptly joined the party as West Indian attack imploded at Wanderers. Ashraful smacked 7 fours and 3 sixes in his blitzkrieg innings and Aftab walloped 8 boundaries and one six which sailed over the fine leg to the stand.

Earlier, Bangladesh won the crucial toss and decided to field first after an unscheduled one hour delay due to damp pitch caused by over watering by groundstaff. Syed Rasel removed the danger man Chris Gayle with a gem of delivery in the very first over and set the tone of the match for Bangladesh. While run leaked from the other end, Rasel kept everything tight and conceded only 10 runs which is the most economical spell in Twenty20 history.

A second-wicket 95 run stand between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Devon Smith helped West Indies to recover from the shoddy start, and West Indies were well on course for yet another big score after their mammoth 205 in the first match of the tournament.

Introduction of spin pegged West Indies back and Bangladesh were well on top until 16th over of the innings. The West Indian innings gathered a dramatic momentum in the last 4 overs as Bangladesh skipper continued with his leg spin, and Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith clobbered Ashraful for flurry of fours and sixes. Ashraful conceded 44 runs in his last 2 overs and West Indies posted a challenging 164 in the must win game.

Shakib Al Hasan was the most successful Bangladesh bowler and pouched 3 wickets in the last over of the match to raise his match tally to 4 for 34. Abdur Razzak grabbed 2 wickets in his impressive spell conceding 25 runs.

Bangladesh is now leading the points table of Group A, also involving South Africa, and progressed into the second round with one match remaining.

Bangladesh will play their last group match against host South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday. The day night affair will be Bangladesh's first appearance under light in Twenty20 cricket.

Bangladesh canter to 5-wicket win against Kenya

2007-09-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh have comfortably won their first match against Kenya by 5 wickets in the Twenty20 Quadrangular tournament at Nairobi Gymkhana Ground in Kenya today (Saturday).

Chasing a modest victory target of 139 set by Kenya, Bangladesh effected a well-constructed all-round display and reached the target with 14 balls remaining.

Ashraful tasted first win as International captain in todays 5 wicket victory against Kenya © Cricinfo

Bangladesh was well on the top right from the beginning of the run chase and never looked in trouble as Kenya bowlers failed to restrict the run flow in the first 10 overs.

Bangladesh opener Nazimuddin struck a flamboyant 43 off 36 balls and Aftab Ahmed struck a blitzkrieg 17 off 6 balls to set the tone of the Bangladesh run chase. Nazimuddin was adjudged man of the man for his debut innings in international cricket which included three 4’s and two 6’s.

Despite some quick fall of wicket, Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful steadied the Bangladesh innings along with all-rounder Alok Kapali to ensure an easy Bangladesh win. Ashraful hammered 36 off 20 deliveries including four boundaries and one six while Alok Kapali took a more patient approach and remained unbeaten on 17 off 19 balls to guide Bangladesh home.

P J Ongondo was the most successful Kenya bowler and grabbed 2 wickets for 21 runs while Odoyo, Kamande and Onyango picked 1 wicket each.

Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field first on a sunny afternoon in Nairobi. A double strike from Bangladesh pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza in early on left Kenya rebuilding their innings for most part of their innings.

Left arm seamer Syed Rasel and spinner Abdur Razzak kept the pressure on and Kenya found it difficult to post a big total in front of the home crowd. Tanmay Mishra top scored with 38 runs off 41 deliveries and Steve Tikolo chipped in with a useful 24 runs off 21 deliveries.

Some late strike from Thomas Odoyo (22 off 13) and Collins Obuya (14 off 10) helped Kenya to post a respectable 138/7 in the stipulated 20 overs, but at the end it was proved inadequate to restrict the victory charge by young Bangladesh line-up.

Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak and Farhad Reza bagged 2 wickets each for Bangladesh while skipper Mohammad Ashraful grabbed 1 wicket in his debut Twenty20 international.

Bangladesh face Pakistan while Kenya meet Uganda in the same ground on Sunday.

Shakib ruled out of Twenty20 Quadrangular due to finger injury

2007-09-01T04:48:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan is ruled out of the Twenty20 quadrangular tournament due to an injury in his right index finger. The news came as a severe blow to the Bangladesh team who will be facing Kenya in their first match of the Quadrangular tournament today (1 September).

"Shakib has an impact fracture on his right index finger," said team physio Azmal Ahmed. The 20-year-old sustained the injury while playing a Twenty20 match in practice on Thursday.

Shakib will be monitored for the next few days and is expected to play a part in the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa.

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful remains hopeful about the prospect of his team in the tournament and also in the Twenty20 World Cup.

"It will be an ideal build-up for the Twenty20 World Championship. The conditions here are pretty similar to South Africa and we have good sides to play against. Kenya will be especially tough at home while Pakistan are a world-class team," said Ashraful at the pre-tournament media briefing.

Bangladesh Academy made a winning start in the Institute Challenege Tournament

2007-08-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

BD Academy Vs Western Australia
BD Academy 219/5 Over -40; Rokibul 59 (59), Nasiruddin 47 (97), Mehrab 34* (23), Imrul 31 (44)
Western Australia 209/8 Over -40; Scott 39, Mick 60, Wes 42, Tim 24; Nazmul1/34, Talha 1/37, Mosharraf 2/17, Dollar 1/23, Naim 1/39
Grameenphone-BCB National Cricket Academy won by 10 runs (Date-27/08-2007; Toss-BD Academy)

Kenya confirm itinerary of four nation Twenty20 tournament

2007-08-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh are going to experience some vital Twenty20 match practices in Kenyan capital Nairobi in the four nation Twenty20 tournament to boost their morale ahead of Twenty20 world cup to be held in South Africa in September.

The Kenyan Cricket Association have confirmed the itinerary of the preparatory tournament which kicks off at Kenyan capital Nairobi on September 1. In the highly anticipated match of the tournament, Bangladesh are going face their sub-continent rivals Pakistan on September 2.

Kenya and Uganda are other two teams in the tournament, but attractions will centre over the participation of the two Test playing nations from the sub-continent who are famous for their explosive nature of batting.

Bangladesh will start their campaign on 1 September with the match against arch rival Kenya in the tournament opener and will face Uganda on September 4 before flying to Johannesburg to participate in the first ever Twenty20 World Cup on September 6.

Itinerary

September 1 : Match 1 - Bangladesh Vs Kenya, Match 2 – Pakistan Vs Uganda

September 2 : Match 3 – Kenya Vs Uganda, Match 4 - Bangladesh Vs Pakistan

September 4 : Match 5 – Bangladesh Vs Uganda, Match 6 – Pakistan Vs Kenya

Training camp of Tigers starts on Monday

2007-08-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

After the exhilarating boot camp experience, Bangladesh are starting their official preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa in next month from Monday.

Interim coach Shaun Williams, who returned from USA yesterday, will conduct the week long training camp which features six

Shaun Williams and Mohammad Ashraful, time to redeem Bangladesh Cricket © Cricinfo

practice matches against various oppositions.

The national team will play two Twenty20 matches against Australia bound Academy team on Tuesday and Wednesday, opponents of other practice matches are yet to be announced.

Tigers are due to leave for Nairobi on 29th August to participate in the 4 nation Twenty20 tournament as past of their preparation for the Twenty20 world cup. Pakistan, Kenya and Uganda are the other teams in the six day competition.

Bangladesh management are a bit concerned with the minor niggling injuries of Mushfiqur Rahim, Abdur Razzak, Tamim Iqbal and Alok Kapali, sustained during the week long commando training, although none of them are threatening enough to keep themselves out of action for long.

Bangladesh are placed along with host South Africa and West Indies in group A and will face West Indies in their first match on September 13.

"Boot camp experience will help us in International cricket" – Ashraful

2007-08-18T12:27:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful expressed his satisfaction over the week long commando style boot camp and believes the experience will help the young Tigers to adjust with the pressures of international cricket.

The camp, organized at Bangladesh Army's School of Infantry and Tactics in Sylhet, ended yesterday and was an important part of the team's preparation for next month's ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa.

Tigers enjoyed the first ever boot camp; Syed Rasel in action © Cricinfo

Despite suffering some minor injuries, most of the players enjoyed the action packed training program and are willing to undergo similar programs in future.

In the post-camp briefing Bangladesh captain was high vocal about the positives of the commando effort. "Each and every player in the camp firmly believes that this hard training will make them tough both mentally and physically.

"Honestly speaking, initially we were a bit shaky with a kind of training we had never attended before but ultimately we started to enjoy everything about the new adventure. "Definitely we would have missed something if we had not taken part in this kind of training."

The players were thoroughly overwhelmed by the self-counseling part of the program in which they had to discuss each others strengths and weaknesses.

"It's really an amazing experience the way we talked openly in this session. Everybody sometimes admitted their faults or defended their position.

"We criticized each other. I must say it is the best part of this training. We have had discussion in our team meetings but never spoke as openly as we did in this session," Ashraful added.

This was the first ever boot camp for Bangladeshi cricketers and only members of South Africa bound Twenty20 squad participated in the program, but Bangladesh Cricket Board want to arrange similar program for A team, Academy team and age group teams in near future.

Bangladesh name three uncapped players in the Twenty20 Squad

2007-08-10T03:08:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh selectors have named a youthful 15 member squad for the upcoming Twenty20 world cup to be held in South Africa in September 2007.

The squad led by Mohammad Ashraful includes three uncapped players Junaed Siddique Imroz, Nazim Uddin and Ziaur Rahman, the first two are known for their big hitting abilities while the

Rafique Alok Kapali recalled for Twenty20 World Cup © Cricinfo

last one is a fresh face in the pace bowling department.

Lanky paceman Shahadat Hossain is the only notable omission from the 30 man provisional squad and left arm spinner Mohammad Rafiq opted out due to a minor fracture in his left rib.

Alok Kapali, who was out of contention for the last two years has been handed another opportunity to prove his worth largely due to his outstanding form in last domestic season.

Bangladesh Squad

Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Masrafe Bin Mortaza (Vice-Captain), Alok Kapali, Abdur Razzak, Aftab Ahmed Chowdhury, Syed Rasel, Forhad Reza, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicketkeeper), Tamim Iqbal Khan, Mahmud Ullah Riyad, Junaed Siddique Imroz, Nazim Uddin, Nadif Chowdhury, Ziaur Rahman.

Boot camp for Tigers ahead of Twenty20 World Cup

2007-08-04T03:16:00.000-07:00

Bangladeshi cricketers will go through an "Australian style boot camp" next week in the north-eastern Sylhet division under a special military unit as part of their warm up campaign for the Twenty20 World Cup.

The boot camp will last for six days and will be supervised by the "Special warfare unit" of the Bangladesh army. The camp will start on 11 August and will only include players selected for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa in September 2007. National selectors will announce the 15 member squad from the provisional squad of thirty on 9 August.

Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, former Bangladesh captain and now chairman of the cricket operations committee of BCB's new ad hoc committee is hoping to bring out the best inn the players through intensive training programmes.

"This training is for gaining fitness and getting harder as quickly as possible as they will go through a strenuous routine during the camp. An Army unit will be in charge of the players," he said.

Pace spearhead Masharfe Mortaza is spared from the camp due to a minor ankle injury and to attend his ailing wife.

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful, who went through a similar camp under Gordon Greenidge, believes the camp will help in building mental toughness of the players:

"We once did it in Cox's Bazar with Gordon Greenidge. I don't remember much but I still recall that doing our regular workouts on sand was tougher. We need this type of exercises because it will naturally make us stronger mentally and physically, "said Ashraful.

Shaun Williams to remain in charge of Bangladesh for twenty20 World Cup.

2007-08-04T03:15:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), still struggling to find out the successor of Dave Whatmore, have appointed Shaun Williams, BCB game development manager, as interim Bangladesh coach for the up-coming twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa.

Williams acted as the interim coach in the recently concluded Sri Lanka tour in which Bangladesh were whitewashed in both Test and ODI series. Sarwar Imarn, who acted as the deputy of Williams for the Sri Lanka tour will also remain in charge.

The decision was taken in the first meeting of the newly formed committee at Navana Tower office of BCB on Wednesday afternoon. Ahmed Sazzadul Alam, member of the BCB executive committee, made the decision public in a news conference after the meeting.

Bangladesh are placed in group A along with host South Africa and West Indies, and will start their campaign against West Indies on 13 September in Johannesburg.

Bangladesh make changes to avoid whitewash in the ODI series

2007-07-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh think tank has opted for couple of changes in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka in a desperate bid to avoid whitewash. Sri Lanka have already gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match Laqshya series by defeating Bangladesh comfortably in the first two ODIs.

Mahmudullah Riyad, can a new face help saving blushes? © Cricinfo

To bring solidity to the top order batting, Bangladesh have picked veteran opener Javed Omar in place of struggling Shahriar Nafees and Tushar Imran, who made a duck and 9 in last two matches, is also dropped in favour of uncapped off-spinning all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad.

Bangladesh have shown some improved performances in the bowling and fielding departments in the ODI series, but top order batting has let them down throughout the tour.

Bangladesh pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza failed to recover from his sprained right ankle and is ruled out of the third ODI. The match will be played tomorrow (Wednesday) at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Squads

Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Javed Omer Belim, Mushfiqur Rahim, Aftab Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad, Farhad Reza, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain Rajib, Syed Rasel.

Sri Lanka (From) : Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Chamara Silva, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Malinga Bandara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Upul Chandana

Jayasuriya stars in Sri Lanka win

2007-07-23T14:27:00.001-07:00

Sri Lanka trounced Bangladesh by 5 wickets inside 32 overs in the second ODI to obtain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Laqshya series at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today.

Bangladesh top order displayed their familiar collapse after Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and sent Bangladesh in. After losing 4 wickets for a mere 26 runs, Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and middle order batsman Aftab Ahmed tried to steady Bangladesh innings and formed a 61 run partnership in the fifth wicket.

Bangladesh lost their captain at the score of 87 when Ashraful unnecessarily poked at a Jayasuriya delivery and could only manage to guide the ball to waiting gloves of Sangakkara. Bangladesh again lost their way and finally were bundled out for a meager 137 in 46.5 overs.

Aftab Ahmed top scored for Bangladesh with 47 runs while 7 Bangladeshi batsmen returned to the pavilion with single digit score. Sanath Jayasuriya was the pick of the Sri Lanka attack and grabbed 4 wickets for 31 runs to complete 300 wickets in one day international. Lasith Malinga produced an impressive opening spell and bagged 3 wickets for 22 runs.

Bangladesh bowlers bowled to their heart out to create some sort of competitiveness but 137 runs were too little to resist experienced Sri Lanka batting line up. After reducing Sri Lanka to 79-4, Bangladesh failed to press on and Sri Lanka finally reached home comfortably losing 5 wickets in 31.1 overs.

Syed Rasel was the most successful Bangladeshi bowler and bagged 2 wickets for 39 runs while Shadadat, Razzak and Ashraful grabbed one wicket each.

Bangladesh will play the 3rd and final ODI on 25th July at the same venue.

Mahmudul Guides Bangladesh U-19 Home Over Sri Lanka

2007-07-23T14:26:00.001-07:00

A brilliant all-round performance from captain Mahmudul Hasan ensured Bangladesh U-19 recorded a 43 run win host Sri Lanka U-19 in the Tri-Nation Under-19 tournament at P Saravanamattu Stadium in Colombo today (Monday).

Winning the toss Bangladesh captain Mahmudul opted to bat first under overcast conditions. Sri Lanka U-19 new ball pair Tissara Perera and Charith Jayampathi struck early blows to remove both Bangladeshi openers with the score on 23.

Mithun Ali and Ashraful Aziz steadied the Bangladesh innings and once medium pacer Ishara Jayaratne removed both of them, Mahmudul took charge of the innings with some patient stroke play. Some late hitting from Taposh Ghosh helped Bangladesh to post a competitive total of 204 before being bowled out in 48.4 overs. Taposh made a quick fire 27 off 20 balls with 2 boundaries and 1 six.

Ashraful Aziz top scored for Bangladesh with 35 runs while Mahmudul Hasan and Mithun Ali added 32 and 27 respectively. Tissara Perera was the most successful Sri Lanka bowler and bagged 3 wickets for 38 runs.

Chasing a victory target of 205 runs in 50 overs, Sri Lanka received a double blow from fast bowler Rubel Hossain and were reduced to 20 for 2. Opener Dinesh Chandimal (36 off 62) and middle order batsman Lahiru Thirimanna (31 off 44) tried to repair the Sri Lanka innings but were undone by the Bangladesh spin trio Mahmudul Hasan, Taposh Ghosh and Nasir Hossain.

Sri Lanka U-19 kept losing wickets regularly and were finally bundled out for 161 runs in 45.2 overs. Bangladesh spinners shared 7 wickets between them conceding only 67 runs. Mahmudul Hasan was the pick of Bangladeshi bowlers and grabbed 3 wickets for 20 runs while Rubel Hossain, Taposh Ghosh and Nasir Hossain bagged 2 wickets each.

India U-19 is the third team of the tournament. Bangladesh will play their next match against India–U 19 on 26 July.

Bangladesh prevail in tense finish against Sri Lanka Invitation XI

2007-07-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

A match winning 92 not out by Aftab Ahmed ensured a 3 wicket Bangladesh win over Sri Lanka invitation XI in the only practice match of the three match ODI series at Police Park Ground in Colombo today.

Winning toss Sri Lanka XI decided to bat first and posted a competitive 241 for 5 in the stipulated 50 overs. Sri Lanka Academy Team opener NT Paranavitana

Aftab guides Bangladesh to victory © Cricinfo

top scored with an unbeaten 63 while Sri Lanka Academy team captain Ian Daniel struck a fine 57. Syed Rasel and Sakib Al Hasan grabbed two wickets each for 37 and 41 runs respectively.

In reply to a victory target of 242, Bangladesh chase was initially thwarted by Sri Lankan new ball bowlers as Shahriar Nafees, Captain Mohammad Ashraful and Tushar Imran failed to reach double figures. After losing opener Tamim Iqbal for 45 runs, Bangladesh were in a spot of bother on 112-5 at the end of 29 overs.

Aftab Ahmed and young wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim steadied Bangladesh innings and after the departure of Mushfiq, Aftab found a partner in Farhad Reza to carry Bangladesh towards victory. Mushfiqur Rahim scored 25 runs while Farhad Reza added 26 runs to Bangladesh total.

The first match of the three match ODI series will be played on 20th July at P Sara Stadium in Colombo.

Bangladesh emerge as Champion in ACC Women's Tournament

2007-07-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh women cricket team made a dream debut in the international circuit by winning the inaugural ACC Women's Championship in Johor Bahru, Malaysia today. They outperformed Nepal by 8 wickets in the rain affected final to become the unbeaten champion of the eight nation tournament.

Bangladesh dominated throughout the tournament and the one sided final only reaffirmed the gulf of differences between Bangladesh and other associate nations participated in the tournament.

Winning toss Nepal opted to bat first under overcast conditions, but failed to stand firm against the fearsome Bangladesh bowling line up. Midday rain curtailed the match to 18 overs a side and Nepal could only manage 26 runs for the loss of 8 wickets at the end proved too little to challenge Bangladesh.

Bangladesh pace trio Salma Khatun, Shamima Akhter, Tithi Rani Sarkar and left arm chinaman bowler Champak Chakma ripped through the Nepal innings and bagged 2 wickets each for only 21 runs.

Bangladesh needed only 9.2 overs to reach the winning target with the loss of two wickets to emerge as the superior team of the tournament.

Bangladesh all-rounder Panna Ghosh was adjudged player of the tournament while glove women Mina Khatun earned the best wicketkeeper of the tournament award.

Murali milestone sinks Bangladesh

2007-07-14T12:01:00.001-07:00

A match winning 12-82 by Muttiah Muralitharan completed a 3-0 whitewash and Bangladesh lost the third match by an innings and 193 runs to end a forgettable series against Sri Lanka at Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy today.

Muralitharan required exactly 12 wickets to reach 700 Test wicket milestone after Aussie wizard Shane Warne, and he achieved the feat in style in front his home crowd in Candy today. Murali now needs only 9 wickets to supersede Warne to become the most successful bowler of the Test history.

Bangladesh could only manage 176 runs in the second innings in reply to Sri Lanka's 500-4d and got bundled out within the second session of 4th day. Shahriar Nafees top scored with 64 runs while all other batsmen refused to learn from their previous mistake and got out cheaply playing flashy shots.

Bangladesh will now play a 3 match ODI series against the Islanders which starts from July 20 at P Sara Stadium in Colombo.

Bangladesh continue their first day blue amid showers

2007-07-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh failed to capitalize on the solid start on the stop-start rain affected first day of the third and final Test and were struggling at 72-4 at close an Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy today.

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful could not pick the right side of the coin and his counterpart Mahela Jayawardene made no hesitation to send Bangladesh in under gloomy

Muralitharan picked two quick wickets to convert Bangladesh’s steady start into struggle © Cricinfo

overcast conditions. Sri Lankan pace sensation Lasith Malinga picked a leaden-footed Javed Omar in his 2nd over to reduce Bangladesh to 10-1.

Former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar in a bid to rediscover his form promoted him up the order, and formed a useful 38 run partnership with Shahriar Nafees to steady the Bangladesh innings. Bangladesh went to an early rain forced lunch without losing any further wicket.

After a rain break of 117 minutes, play finally resumed but this time Bashar was undone by the very first delivery he faced from Farveez Maharoof after the break. The ball jagged back sharply from the good length and may have kissed Bashar's glove faintly on the way to the wicketkeeper. The replay was inconclusive and Bashar might consider him unlucky for the dismissal.

After the departure of Bashar, spin wizard Muralitharan plucked two quick wickets to convert Bangladesh's steady start into struggle. Rajin Saleh was first to go for a painstaking 29 ball duck and a restless Shahriar Nafees soon followed him gifting his wicket away for the third consecutive time in the series. Nafees scored 29 from 77 deliveries and appeared set to produce a big score before the rush of blood again thwarted his progress.

After another couple of rain induced stop-start, play was finally called off due to bad light, and Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful have to perform another rescue act tomorrow with flown in Tushar Imran to save Bangladesh’s face in the Test match.

Bangladesh aim to restore pride in the dead rubber

2007-07-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh, mauled by the Lankan Lions in the first two Test, are desperately looking for some rescue act by top order batsman to restore some pride in the thirst and final Test match of the Laqshya series due to start tomorrow in Kandy Asgiriya Stadium.

Bangladesh have flown in A team captain Tushar Imran to stabilise the fragile middle order who had an excellent Sri Lanka tour

Tushar Imran is flown in to perform rescue act © Cricinfo

with Bangladesh A team in early this year. Mehrab Hossain Jr. who made his debut in the second Test lost his place to make way for Tushar.

Bangladesh is approaching the match with three pacers and left arm paceman Syed Rasel finally received the nod of the team management ahead of out-of-sort Mohammad Sharif who played in the first two Tests without any success.

Traditionally the wicket of Kandy is pacer friendly and offers movement in early hours. Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful is expecting to win first toss as Captain to exploit the condition. Bangladesh lost the toss on previous occasions and were blown away in their first innings in both Tests played in Colombo.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka are aiming the whitewash to keep the momentum going. Sri Lanka have brought in all-rounder Farveez Maharoof in place of Chaminda Vaas who was released after the second Test for his county duty with Middlesex.

Upul Tharanga, who suffered a hairline fracture on the left foot during a practice session, is set to start in the third Test and Sujeewa De Silva might get the chance to impress as Sri Lankan management wants to explore the reserves in the dead rubber match.

Teams:

Bangladesh from: Javed Omar, Nafees Ahmed, Rajin Saleh, Habibul Bashar, Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Tushar Imran, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Syed Rasel, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Rafique, Shahadat Hossain.

Sri Lanka from: Upul Tharanga, Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sujeewa de Silva

Resolute Bangladesh extend Colombo Test

2007-06-27T10:35:00.002-07:00

Bangladeshi batsmen have put a gritty effort to extend first Test beyond third day at SSC ground in Colombo today. Bangladesh ended the day at 233-5 and still trailing by 255 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the second innings.

After fighting hard throughout the day, Bangladesh have blown the advantage away when some lapse of concentration resulted in the downfall of Saleh and Ashraful, and Bangladesh slumped to 231-5 from a commanding 227-3.

Javed Omar led Bangladesh's resistance in Colombo © Cricinfo

All Bangladeshi batsmen got start but none of them were able to capitalize on it to produce a much needed big score. Veteran opener Javed Omar and stocky Rajin Saleh showed promise to play a long innings but could only manage half-centuries before returning to the pavilion. Javed was undone by a reverse swing toe crusher from slingy Lasith Malinga while Rajin offered a slip catching practice off Tilakaratne Dilshan.

Javed Omar was the top scorer for Bangladesh with 62 runs while Rajin Saleh struck a sedate 51 to deny Sri Lankans in the first two sessions of the day.

Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh’s newly appointed captain, again missed out the opportunity to stamp his authority by throwing his wicket away after making a determined 37. Muralitharan, who found wickets were far more precious to come by compared to first innings, gleefully accepted the gift from Ashraful in the penultimate over of the day.

Bangladesh have to bat extraordinarily well to avert the imminent innings defeat but weather might play its own part in deciding the fate of the Test match.

A no-contest in Colombo

2007-06-27T10:35:00.001-07:00

A battered and bruised Bangladesh managed to see off the last 3 overs of the day but could not escape humiliation in day two of the first Test in Colombo today. An innings defeat is looming as Bangladesh are trailing by 485 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the second innings at stumps.

Vaas en route to his maiden Test century after 92 Tests © Cricinfo

Bangladesh managed to show some promise in the first session of the days play as they picked three wickets and reduced Sri Lanka from 304-3 to 354-6, but an unbroken 223 run partnership between Prasanna Jayawardane and Chaminda Vaas left Bangladesh bleeding in the Sri Lankan capital. Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful used eight bowlers to break the partnership which only saw a futile end.

Both Jayawardne and Vaas have registered their maiden Test century, and Sri Lanka eventually declared at 577 for 6 taking a mammoth 488 run lead in the first innings.

A dead track and a showery weather forecast won't be enough to prevent complete mortification in the Test match unless Bangladeshi batsmen learn the patience and grittiness displayed by their Sri Lankan counterpart.

Bangladeshi batsmen have to come out of their reputation to deny Sri Lankan bowlers who have got the ability to inject life on the comatose pitch of Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.

Sri Lanka toy with Bangladesh to stamp authority in Colombo

2007-06-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh experienced yet another forgettable day of Test cricket in the first day of the first Test match against Sri Lanka at SSC ground in Colombo today.

After rattling Bangladesh to a paltry 89 within 33 overs, Sri Lanka finished the day with 227 for the loss of 3 wickets and are leading by 137 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the first innings.

Bangladesh had no answer to Murali magic © Cricinfo

Bangladesh, put into bat by Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardane, failed to show any kind of temperament or resistance against Lankan bowlers. Poor shot making, lack of footwork and poor technique all contributed to Bangladesh's misery and none of the batsmen showed enough guts to take the challenge to the opposition.

Spin wizard Muttiah Muraliatharan was the wrecker-in-chief for the Lankans and took 5 wickets for 15 runs to dismantle the fragile Bangladeshi batting line up. Dilhara Fernando joined the party and picked 3 wickets for 33 runs.

Bangladesh created some false sense of competitiveness in the Sri Lankan innings when Shahadat Hossain picked two quick wickets and reduced Sri Lanka to 14-2. Sri Lanka took no time to bounce back and finished the day with full authority over the Test match.

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardane top scored with 93 before retiring due to a calf strain while opener Michael Vandort is 13 short of a well deserved century at the end of the first day.

Bangladesh opt for experience in Colombo Test

2007-06-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh team management has kept their belief on struggling wicket keeper Khaled Mashud despite his poor show in the only practice match and named him in the playing XI for the first Test in Colombo. Bangladesh have left out Mehrab Hossain Jr., Syed Rasel, Mohammad Sharif and Mushfiqur Rahim from the 15 man squad.

Bangladesh pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza regained his

Ashraful's innings as Bangladesh Captain will start tomorrow in Colombo Test © Cricinfo

fitness ahead of the first Test which will start at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo tomorrow. However concern remained over the fitness of opening batsman Javed Omar who is suffering from viral fever.

Bangladesh named Mehrab Hossain Jr. as his backup and he will make his Test debut if Javed fails to recover in time. "Javed has been suffering from fever since the last day of the three-day warm up game against Sri Lanka A. He did not train yesterday (Saturday) but is expected to practice today. We will decide whether he would play or not after the practice session," said the newly appointed selector Akram Khan who is in Colombo for the Test series.

"If Javed is unable to play then Mehrab would come in and open the batting," he added.

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardane promised a professional display against the touring side in their first home Test in 12 months. Sri Lanka have named 12 man squad for leaving out Malinga Bandara and Sujeewa De Silva from the 14 member squad.

Bangladesh (from): Shahriar Nafees Ahmed, Javed Omer, Rajin Saleh, Habibul Bashar, Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Khaled Mashud (Wicketkeeper), Mohammed Rafique, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (Vice-Captain), Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain Rajib.12th man - Mehrab Hossain (Jr.)

Sri Lanka (from): Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Farveez Maharoof

"Bangladesh will do better in Sri Lanka" - Ashraful

2007-06-15T12:11:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh's newly appointed captain Mohammad Ashraful believes Bangladesh will start performing in the test arena from starting with the upcoming Sri Lanka series. According to Ashraful, Bangladesh will perform much better compared to their last outing in Sri Lanka in 2005, which was dubbed as the worst test series played by Bangladesh.

After returning to the test arena after a 13 months break, Bangladesh managed to draw one test and lost the other in the recently concluded two match test series against India.

Bangladesh enter into Ashraful era through Sri Lanka tour © Cricinfo

Ashraful, in his first assignment as a captain, wants to work hard to extend each test match to five days with some good batting display.

"My personal team target is to play throughout the five days in all the three tests. We have emphasized on our batting in the practice sessions. All of us have batted for a long time in the nets and the centre wicket. We have been playing good cricket in the ODIs for the last 12-13 months. That is why there is more confidence is the team," said a confident looking Ashraful during the final press briefing before leaving for Colombo.

Despite suffering heavy defeats against the islanders on all previous occasions, the Bangladesh captain is confident of putting up a good fight against Sri Lanka in the away series.

Most teams have struggled there in recent times. We toured Sri Lanka four times but could not play well. But this time I see more self-confidence in every player. Also we have plenty of international experience. That gives me reasons to feel optimistic about this series," said Ashraful.

Ashraful was critical about the form of the top order batsmen in recent times, but remains hopeful that they will learn from their mistakes.

"We did not play well against India in the tests. But after that we practiced a lot in the nets. Our batsmen have a problem with ball selection. We have been working on this for the last seven days. We hope that we will not repeat the same mistakes in the upcoming series."

He was also keen to utilise the three-day warm up match before the test series to acclimatize to Sri Lankan conditions.

"We have a three-day match prior to the test series. We will try to gain more confidence by putting up a good show in that match. We will probably go into that game with the best squad we have."

Most of the Bangladesh?s current crop of players came through age-group cricket and Ashraful, the youngest test captain of Bangladesh, is optimistic that the team spirit of the young Tigers will help each other to lift their game.

"There are a number of players in our team who have been playing together from the under-13, 17, 19 levels. We have also played with the senior players for the last five-six years in the national team. So there is a very good understanding between us. I think it is a plus point for our team".

Bangladesh leave for Sri Lanka on June 17, and the three match test series will kick off on June 25 with first test to be played in Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Sri Lanka announce Test and ODI squads

2007-06-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cricket Sri Lanka have declared the squads for the three match Test and ODI series against Bangladesh later this month. Left handed opening batsman Malinda Warnapura, who had a successful stint with Sri Lanka A team, is the only new face in the Test squad.

Sri Lankan selectors rested ace opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya for the series and recalled former captain Marvan Atapattu and leg spinner Upul Chandana after almost two years.

Marvan Atapattu recalled in the Test squad after a break of 18 months © Cricinfo

Left arm seamer Sujeewa De Silva, who had a very successful series against Bangladesh in 2002, has been recalled to the Test squad.

Sri Lanka A team captain Jehan Mubarak is named in the ODI squad along with Chamara Kapugedera who missed out his place in the Test squad.

Mahela Jayawardane, who recently led Asia XI in the Afro-Asia cup, will lead both the sides and Kumar Sangakkara will act as his deputy.

Sri Lankan selectors have opted for a full strength team ending speculations about testing young and promising players in the home series against Bangladesh. The tour will kick off with a three day warm up match on 20th June at Colts Cricket Ground in Colombo. The first Test of the series will start on 25th June at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground also in the Sri Lankan capital.

Sri Lanka Test squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Upul Tharanga, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Malinga Bandara, Malinda Warnapura, Sujeewa de Silva.

Sri Lanka ODI squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Upul Tharanga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Jehan Mubarak, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Farveez Maharoof, Upul Chandana, Dilhara Fernando, Chamara Kapugedera, Malinga Bandara, Nuwan Kulasekera.

BCB Propose Major Reforms in National Cricket League

2007-06-07T06:18:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have proposed some major reforms in the domestic first class competition to make it more competitive and effective to raise the standard of longer version cricket in Bangladesh.

According to new proposal, Bangladesh’s first class cricket is going to be open again for the foreign recruits after a break of 4 years. From next years National Cricket League (NCL), each first class team can register two foreign players with first class experience and can field one of them in a match.

To develop the skill of the Bangladeshi batsmen against pace bowlers, BCB will only allow pace bowlers with foreign origin to be registered as a test case for next years NCL.

Match fee for the players is another significant addition for the upcoming edition of the NCL, and BCB have decided to double the daily remuneration in a bid to provide financial security to the first class cricketers.

According to BCB sources, cricket board is trying to persuade some major banks and financial institutions to sponsor each divisional side in the competition.

Meanwhile, BCB arranged an award giving ceremony for the recently completed 8^th National Cricket League. National discard Alok Kapali bagged the prestigious best all-rounder prize and Rakibul Hasan, who scored a record triple century in his debut season, was awarded as the emerging player of the year.

Other awards,

First-Class champions: Dhaka

First-Class Runners up: Rajshahi

One-day champions: Dhaka

One-day Runners up: Rajshahi

Highest Wicket-taker (First Class): Shabbir Khan, Chittagong (54 wickets)

Highest Wicket-taker (One-day): Ariful Haq, Barisal (eight wickets)

Highest Run Scorer (First Class): Gazi Salahuddin, Chittagong (791 runs)

Highest Run Scorer (One-day): Dhiman Ghosh, Chittagong (324 runs)

Best All-rounder: Alok Kapali, Sylhet (First Class: 744 runs & 44 wickets; One-day: 294 runs & 7 wickets)

Best Emerging Player: Rakibul Hasan, Barisal (First Class: 499 runs; One-day: 267 runs).

Tigers start training for Sri Lanka tour

2007-06-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh, under new captain Mohammad Ashraful, are getting prepared for the upcoming Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka. The training camp of the Tigers are starting today (Thursday) at Mirpur Sher E Bangla Stadium with Shaun Williams as the interim coach for the tour.

Sarwar Imran, pace bowling coach of Bangladesh Cricket Academy, will act as the deputy of Shaun and Mohammad Salahuddin will remain in charge of the fielding department.

Mohammad Rafique and Mashrafe Mortaza, who are playing for the Asia XI in the Afro-Asia cup, are likely to miss the week long camp.

Bangladesh will leave Dhaka on 17th June for the Sri Lankan capital, and the only 3-day warm up match before the Test series will start on 20th June.

Bangladesh announce Test squad for Sri Lanka tour

2007-06-07T06:16:00.000-07:00

The newly revised selection panel of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the 15 member Test squad for the upcoming 3 match Test series against Sri Lanka.

Selectors recalled Left arm spinner Abdur Razzak and young wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim to the squad.

Bangladesh recall Mushfiqur Rahim in Test squad © Cricinfo

Tushar Imran and Enamul Haque Jr., who played in the recently concluded series against India, have been left out.

Habibul Bashar, former skipper of Bangladesh, has retained his place as a batsman in the Test squad.

The three match Test series will kick off on 25th June in Colombo.

Test squad

Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Masharafe Mortaza (vice captain), Habibul Bashar, Javed Omar, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Shahriar Nafees, Rajin Saleh, Saqibul Hasan, Khaled Mashud, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mohammad Sharif, Mushfiqur Rahim.

Aftab Ahmed, Tamim Iqbal, Tushar Imran, Farhad Reza and uncapped off spinner Mahmudullah Riyad will join the squad before the start of the one-day series.

However, the squad for the ODI series will be announced at the end of the Test series.

Mohammad Ashraful appointed as Bangladesh captain, Mortaza deputy

2007-06-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have appointed Bangladesh middle order batsman Mohammad Ashraful as captain for both Test and ODI team till the end of the Twenty20 world cup in September. Pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza has been named as the deputy of Ashraful in both forms of the game.

With this appointment, Ashraful replaces Habibul Bashar, who recently stepped down as ODI captain, but was willing to continue as Test captain. Bashar was the most successful captain of Bangladesh history, and led Bangladesh in 29 ODI wins and the solitary Test win.

Ashraful in his instant reaction paid tribute to outgoing captain Bashar and promised to lead the team with examples.

"I must say Bashar was the most successful captain of the country. His ability to lead the team both on and off the field with calmness along with coach Dav Whatmore has set a standard for the team, so I have to continue it. It's a big challenge but I am ready for it," said Ashraful, who so far has played 35 Tests and 101 one-day internationals for Bangladesh.

Ashraful’s first assignment will be to lead the team in Sri Lanka, where he made his Test debut, for a three match Test series and equal number of ODIs.

Meanwhile Bangladesh have appointed Shaun Williams, current Bangladesh A team coach, as the interim coach for Sri Lanka tour. Former Bangladesh coach Sarwar Imran will act as the deputy of Williams for the test and ODI series.

India complete emphatic win in Dhaka

2007-05-27T05:46:00.001-07:00

India won the second and final Test of two match GrameenPhone Test series by an emphatic margin of an innings and 239 runs inside three days. Through this win they secured the Test series 1-0. Zaheer Khan was adjudged Man of the Match for his 7 wicket haul in the match, while Sachin Tendulkar was chosen as man of the series for his back to back centuries.

India enforced the follow on after restricting Bangladesh for a meager 118 in the first innings. Couple of half centuries from Ashraful (67 off 41 deliveries) and Mashrafe (70 off 68 deliveries) lifted Bangladesh to 253 in the second innings, but could not prevent the inevitable.

The first Test between the two sides in Chittagong ended in a draw.

Defiant Mortaza rescues Bangladesh in Chittagong

2007-05-21T10:06:00.001-07:00

A brilliant all-round performance by Mashrafe Mortaza saved the blushes of Bangladesh as they averted the follow-on on the fourth day of the first Test at Chittagong Divisional Stadium on Monday.

After taking 4 wickets with ball which is his premium duty, Mashrafe struck a brilliant 79 off 91 balls to lift Bangladesh from a tottering 122/7. Mashrafe found his new ball partner Shahadat Hossain as perfect company in his rescue act, and they shared an invaluable 77 run partnership in the 9th wicket to keep India at bay. Shahadat scored a career best 31 off 55 balls with 5 boundaries.

Defiant Mortaza rescues Bangladesh in Chittagong © Cricinfo

It was Mortaza, who started the fight back as Bangladesh top order batsmen hurried to the pavilion with rash shots and poor judgments. He forced Indian think-tank to change the game plan as he was equally aggressive against both spinners and pace bowlers. He started with a huge hit over mid-wicket for maximum and continued his breathtaking display of shots to guide Bangladesh towards safety. In his career best 79 which is also his maiden half century in test cricket, Mortaza hammered seven boundaries and three huge sixes.

Earlier, India decided to bat on as play resumed after a frustrating wash-out on the third day. India failed to capitalize on the decision, as Bangladesh picked two quick wickets which forced India to declare at 387/8, adding only 3 runs with their overnight score.

Anil Kumble was ill and didn?t turn up to bat, and Zaheer Khan perished in the third ball he faced nicking Shahadat Hossain to wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud without disturbing the scoreboard. Dhoni followed immediately, as he tried force on a delivery off Mashrafe Mortaza that pitched just outside the off stump and Javed Omar took a simple catch at point.

Bangladesh made a stuttering start as they lost two quick wickets early on in their innings. Javed Omar was first to go, as he was adjudged LBW to a delivery that clearly pitched outside the leg stump. RP Singh was the lucky bowler to get the nod from umpire Billy Doctrove.

Captain Habibul Bashar added further misery to his batting form, and played a reckless shot to get himself out for a duck in the third ball he faced. Sachin Tendulkar took a nice reflex catch in the first slip as Bashar edged an away delivery off Zaheer Khan without moving his feet. After the dismissal of Bashar, Bangladesh tried to repair the damage and Shahriar Nafees shared a 27 run partnership with Rajin Saleh with ease. Unfortunately for Bangladesh, when things were looking good, Shahriar Nafees lost his cool and edged one straight delivery of Zaheer Khan to Tendulkar at first slip. Nafees, who scored 32 with two boundaries, was again guilty of playing away from the body.

The misery continued after lunch, newly appointed Bangladesh vice-captain, Mohammad Ashraful played a nothing shot, as he glided a delivery to gully to the safe hands of Dinesh Karthik., leaving Bangladesh tottering at 58-4. Debutant Shakib Al Hasan paired with Rajin Saleh and started to repair the innings with some positive but cautious stroke play. The pair shared a useful 56 run partnership before Indian bowlers picked them up. Shakib was first to go, a rising delivery from VRV Singh clipped the inside edge of his bat on to the stumps and Bangladesh middle order collapsed in a space of 7 overs. Saleh followed him almost immediately after making a polished 41, when he tried to cut a Ramesh Powar delivery against the spin, only finding Sourav Ganguly at point.

Bangladesh collapsed to 122/7 from 114/4, and follow on looked inevitable, as Khaled Mashud was unlucky to be given LBW to a delivery that would have missed leg stump, and also took a faint edge before hitting the pad. At that point India were on top, and expected to wrap Bangladesh innings within 150, Mashrafe Mortaza started his fight back.

At first, he shared a 27 run partnership with Mohammad Rafique to guide Bangladesh to close to the follow-on target, and then he formed the best partnership of the day with his new ball partner Shahadat Hossain. The pair played positive cricket shots all over the park and Indian attack looked ordinary for that part of the match. Indian skipper Rahul Dravid rotated his attack but failed to break the partnership.

Shahadat started slowly but started to cut loose as Bangladesh were approaching to the follow-on mark. A googly from Sachin Tendulkar returned him to the pavilion, but only after Bangladesh averted the follow-on. Mashrafe continued his stroke play after losing the partner and was finally denied by an over pitched delivery from RP Singh that kept low. Bangladesh were finally all-out for 238 conceding a 149 run deficit in the first innings.

The spirited performance of the Bangladeshi pacers with bat continued with ball, and Shahadat Hossain picked two quick wickets to reduce India to 6/2. Wasim Jaffer got a pair in the match as his mistimed pull shot found Habibul Bashar at mid-off and an acrobatic catch by Rajin Saleh returned Dravid to the pavilion.

Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik prevented any further damage and India finished day 4 on 44 for 2, taking an overall lead of 193 runs. If weather permits a full days of play on fifth and final day, an exciting finish might be on the cards in Chittagong tomorrow.

Bangladesh to Host India and Pakistan in Tri Series in 2008-09

2007-05-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

India have agreed to play a tri-series in Bangladesh with Pakistan as the third side in 2008 or 2009. The decision was taken after a discussion meeting between BCB and BCCI top officials on Saturday night.

Niranjan Shah, general secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced the decision today (Sunday) in Chittagong.

"We have agreed to play the tri-series in Bangladesh. I think it can be played in 2008 or 2009," said Shah.

"We have to make some adjustments to the ICC calendar. The BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) has readily agreed to all the conditions put before them” he added.

With this decision, BCCI scrapped the previously scheduled tri series between Bangladesh, India and South Africa in February 2008. According to BCCI, the originally scheduled tri series clashes with India’s tour of Australia around the same period.

The BCCI official also expressed their willingness to host Bangladesh for a full series in near future.

"We are very much willing to call them. We want to help them. That’s the reason we have agreed to play the tri-series. Bangladesh is welcome to India," Shah said.

Bangladesh are yet to play a Test series since obtaining Test status in 2000, as BCCI refused to host them on financial ground.

Bangladesh hosted India in their inaugural test match in November 2004 and India also played a full series in December 2004. Currently India is visiting Bangladesh for the third time on the trot.

Weather rules in Chittagong

2007-05-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Overnight heavy shower followed by early morning downpour forced umpires to call off the third day's play of the first Test between India and Bangladesh at Chittagong Divisional Stadium on Sunday.

Only 20 overs play was possible on the 2nd day, and as play was called off today without a ball being bowled, any realistic chance of getting a positive result in the first Test match of the GrameenPhone series is highly unlikely.

Weather rules in Chittagong © Cricinfo

The groundsmen had no opportunity to make the field ready for play, as rain created several puddles in the outfield, and poor drainage system further worsened the situation.

Umpires, Daryl Harper and Billy Doctrove, after consultation with the team managements have decided to abandon the day's play after a brief inspection at 11:30 AM local time.

The forecast is not encouraging, and meteorological office is predicting more rain tonight and tomorrow morning, casting a serious doubt on the fate of fourth day's play.

Umpires have decided to start 30 minutes earlier on fourth and fifth day, if rain permits any play at all.

Only 97 overs have been bowled in the rain marred Test match, and India accumulated 381 runs for the loss of 6 wickets after deciding to bat first.

Bowlers keep Bangladesh alive in Chittagong Test

2007-05-19T07:49:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh bowlers fought hard to keep Bangladesh alive in the first Test of the GrameenPhone series against India on day two which was marred by rain and wet outfield.

India lost 3 wickets in the days play and added 89 runs to their overnight score of 295/3, as wet outfield, caused by overnight shower and early morning drizzle, allowed only 20 overs play on the second day at Chittagong Divisional Stadium on Saturday.

Bowlers keep Bangladesh alive in Chittagong Test © Cricinfo

However, the day will be remembered for two brilliant centuries from two legends of Indian cricket, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. It was the first Test century for Ganguly in two years time and he continues his impressive comeback to the Indian Test squad. He smashed 304 runs in seven innings at an average of 52.33, since his return to Test cricket in December 2006.

Surprisingly enough, both the experienced pros, Tendulkar and Ganguly, perished in similar fashion, just after reaching the century mark.

Ganguly was first to go after sharing a record 189 run 4th wicket partnership with Tendulkar. He received an awkward bouncer from Shahadat Hossain to complete his 13th Test century and was dismissed in the very next over without adding any more runs. Ganguly was hurried to a short of length ball from Mashrafe Mortaza, and the miscued pull could only reach the hands of Mohammad Rafique at mid off.

Tendulkar followed the footsteps of Ganguly, and played with extreme caution to reach his record 36th Test century. A rare lapse of concentration from the little genius saw the ball ballooned in the air when he tried to cut loose after reaching the century. The shot was identical to that of Ganguly, this time the bowler was Shahadat Hossain.

Ganguly smashed thirteen boundaries and 2 sixes in his 165 ball 100 while Sachin Tendulkar in his gritty hundred struck only six boundaries and laboured 51 singles.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar turned to the spinners as light was fading quickly and veteran Mohammad Rafique cleaned up debutant Ramesh Powar cheaply to celebrate his first wicket in the Test.

A brisk 36 off 35 balls from Mahendra Singh Dhoni kept the scoreboard ticking, but Bangladesh is right back in the match as India finished day two on 384/6 with only bowlers left to extend the first innings total.

Mashrafe Mortaza was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers and grabbed 3 wickets for 95 runs on an unfriendly surface while his new ball partner Shahdat Hossain bagged 2 wickets for 75 runs. Mohmmad Rafique was the only spinner to take a wicket on a pitch that was expected to suit slow bowlers.

Earlier, wet outfield took the centre stage, as grounds men worked hard to make the field ready to play for most part of the day. The sun was out but overnight rain created some patchy areas in the outfield of the newly built stadium. After three bouts of inspections, umpires finally decided to start the play at 4:30 PM local time allowing only 20 overs cricket on the second day.

According to revised playing condition, play will start 30 minutes earlier for the remaining three days to compensate the lost time.

Wet outfield delays start in Chittagong

2007-05-19T03:19:00.000-07:00

Wet outfield caused by overnight shower and early morning drizzle is delaying the start of the second day's play of the first Test between India and Bangladesh at Chittagong Divisional Stadium on Saturday.

The sun is out and grounds men are trying hard to make the field ready to play, but poor drainage system of the newly built stadium has resulted in some patchy areas. The wicket was covered with six different layers of different covering and looks pretty dry.

After first bout of inspection, the umpires have decided to inspect the field again at 2:00 PM local time (8 AM GMT). Play is expected to start shortly after the inspection.

India ended the first days play with score of 295/3 as bad light stopped play after 77 overs. Two experienced pros Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly remained unbeaten on 80 and 82 respectively. They already shared a 163 run partnership, and India is heading towards a massive score unless Bangladeshi bowlers can produce some magic on a very unfriendly wicket.

Richard McInnes Front Runner For Bangladesh Coaching Job

2007-05-18T03:33:00.001-07:00

Former Bangladesh U-19 coach and high performance manager Richard McInnes, who is currently working as assistant coach of Australia and senior coach of Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence, is likely to replace Dav Whatmore as Bangladesh coach.

According to sources close to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), McInnes has already accepted Bangladesh’s initial offer and the details will be finalized within a week. Bangladesh’s current coach Dav Whatmore is leaving Bangladesh right after the India series.

During his tenure as Bangladesh U-19 coach, McInnes worked with most of the current national players who graduated from the age group level. BCB believe this will help McInnes in understanding and managing the team compared to other high profile coaches.

Other names of the BCB short-list, John Right and Ray Jennings have already declined to accept offers for Bangladesh coaching job.

BCB will also appoint a specialist bowling and batting coach after appointing the head coach. Sri Lankan Champaka Ramnayeke and former Pakistani pacer Aaqib Javed are in frame for the bowling coach of Bangladesh.

Double strike after lunch put Bangladesh in command

2007-05-18T03:32:00.000-07:00

Bangladeshi bowlers have removed both Rahul Dravid and Dinesh Karthik after lunch to put Bangladesh in control in the first innings of the first test at Chittagong Divisional Stadium on Friday.

Former skipper Saurav Ganguly have joined batting prodigy Sachin Tndulkar as India is batting on 141/3.

After producing a beauty to remove Wasim Jaffer in the first ball of the Match, Mashrafe Mortaza broke the 124 run 2nd wicket Partnership by removing Dinesh Karthik as Bangladeshi bowlers dominate the proceedings after lunch.

After playing a brilliant 56 off 102 balls (8x4) Karthik was caught at mid-off while mistimed an attempted pull off a Mashrafe Mortaza bouncer.

Shahadat Hossain, Mashrafe?s new ball partner, struck immediately and removed Indian skipper as Dravid edged an attempted cut shot to wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud. Dravid scored 61 runs off 99 balls and hammered eleven boundaries.

After the first ball glory, Dravid and Karthik frustrated Bangladesh and raced to 113-1 at lunch. Indian skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss and made no hesitation to bat first on a flat track.

During the 124 run partnership, both Dravid and Karthik dominated the bowling and boundaries flew all over the park. Mashrafe Mortaza was the most expensive bowler in his opening spell and conceded 45 runs in 9 overs.

Introduction of spin failed to dent Indian aggression and India went to lunch with absolute control over the proceedings.

Bangladesh hand Test cap to Shakib Al Hasan

2007-05-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Young all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is making his Test debut against India in the first match of the GrameenPhone Test series at Chittagong Divisional Stadium today (Friday).

The young all-rounder has already made his presence felt in ODI arena with his consistent batting and slow left arm spin. He has played only 13 first class matches where he has a good all-round record.

hand Test cap to Shakib Al Hasan © Reuters

Paceman Shahadat Hossain gets the nod over left arm seamer Syed Rasel, who was the highest wicket taker of the ODI series. Bangladesh is playing the match with three slow left arm bowlers; test specialist Enamul Huq Jr. took the place of Abdur Razzak, who is Bangladesh?s highest ranked ODI bowler.

However, Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar was excited about his pace bowling duo and believes they can make the difference even in unfriendly bowling conditions.

"Shahadat can be very effective even in such a batting paradise but what makes me happy is that Mashrafe is in his best form. In his last Test series, he was not in rhythm but fortunately he not only got it back but is bowling at good pace," said Bashar.

Bashar, who is facing constant criticism for his poor form in ODI, expressed his relief to be back in Test fold where he is by far the best batsman of Bangladesh.

"There lies a big challenge for us with the Test series but personally it gave me some sort of relief. I think it gives me an opportunity to, at least, put aside all the question marks over my one-day career for a while. I feel comfortable in Tests but I don?t know why," said Bashar, who has three centuries and 24 fifties in Test cricket.

"India are better at Tests and they will have an edge because of the one-day series win. But when the game starts, both teams start from zero. I think it is important for us to start the match on the right note. That will set the tone. We have got the potential to push India, like we did against Australia" added Bashar.

Bangladesh is struggling to cope with injury problems. The squad was hit by the viral fever and as many as five members have recovered from flu with Tushar Imarn still suffering from the seasonal fever that kept him out of the squad.

India have decided to go with five bowlers that surprisingly left both VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh out of the playing XI.

Teams

Bangladesh (XI) : Habibul Bashar (captain), Mohammad Ashraful (vice-captain), Javed Omar, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan, Rajin Saleh, Khaled Mashud (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Enamul Haque and Shahadat Hossain.

India (from): Rahul Dravid (captain), Wasim Jaffer, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, M Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Zaheer Khan, VRV Singh, Munaf Patel, Rudra Pratap Singh, Anil Kumble, Ramesh Powar and Rajesh Pawar.

Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Billy Doctrove (West Indies)

TV umpire: Enamul Hoque Moni (Bangladesh)

BCB To Extend Payroll For Academy And Age Group Cricketers

2007-05-17T21:23:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is going to extend its contracted players in a bid to offer financial security to up-coming talents. BCB is expecting the new move will encourage players to concentrate on cricketing developments throughout the year.

For the first time, cricketers playing for Academy side and age group teams will come under the payroll. It was decided at a meeting of the Cricket Operations Committee on Wednesday, May 16.

BCB is also looking forward to increase salaries of the national players who are centrally contracted for different periods. BCB general secretary Mahbub Anam at the end of the meeting informed that the board is going to introduce match fee for Twenty20 internationals and also raise the match fees for Test and ODIs.

The board has also outlined the calendar for the 2007-08 season with eyes on giving priority to the domestic competitions to make sure the schedules do not clash much with international matches.

Dav Whatmore Unhappy With BCB Comments

2007-05-17T21:22:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore is extremely unhappy after BCB CEO Mahmudur Rahman questioned his communication ability with sub-continent teams.

Mahmudur Rahman in an interview with Indian news agency Times Now said, "Whatmore being an Australian approaches things the Australian way, whereas the players in the sub-continent are an emotional lot. Dav is not used to giving explanations."

Him comments came as a bolt from the blue to the Bangladeshi media and players, and Whatmore is now considering legal action against the BCB for bringing his name to disrepute.

BCB high officials are trying hard to clear the air but Rahman’s comment has irked Whatmore as it effectively put a question mark over his man-management skill.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar rubbished Rahman’s claim and thanked Whatmore for his outstanding contribution for Bangladesh cricket. According to Bashar, players never experienced any communication problem with Whatmore in his 4 years tenure.

Dav Whatmore has worked in excess of nine years as a coach of sub-continental team and is the most likely contender to succeed Greg Chappell as India coach.

Kumble: Bangladesh Can Challenge India In Tests

2007-05-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble believes Bangladesh will be able to pose significant challenge in the up-coming two match test series which starts on Friday.

Speaking to Tigercricket.com, Bangladesh Cricket Board’s official site, Kumble paid respect to the progressing Bangladesh side that have already shown some improvements in the longer version of the game in their last test series against Australia.

“Definitely Bangladesh have improved a lot. They won many matches in the last two years and that gave them a lot of confidence. They have a good side and we respect them. They can challenge any opposition in their day.” said Kumble.

“Obviously Test cricket is different but they have done well in the Test match arena as well. They came close to beating Australia last year. So we know their strengths and we will try to do our best,” he added.

However, Kumble was concerned about the hot and humid conditions. It's summer in Bangladesh and mercury is regularly hitting levels well above the 360^oC mark.

“It is pretty hot. The team which copes with the heat better will come out top,” said Kumble who was the most successful bowler in the previous test series against Bangladesh.

Answering on a question about Bangladeshi batsman’s success against Shane Warne in the last test series, Kumble showed his optimism about his performance and winning the test series.

“I think when last time I came here I was pretty successful. We won the Test series. That’s how I like to play the game. This time I will also try to do what I can and help the team to win the game”.

Bangladesh is playing test cricket after a break of 13 months. Bangladesh managed to win only one test match with four draws since gaining test status in 2000.

Bangladesh seek redemption but wash-out looms

2007-05-15T03:20:00.000-07:00

After conceding the ODI series 0-2, Bangladesh will be playing for pride in the third and final ODI of the GrameenPhone series at Bir Shresta Ruhul Amin Stadium in the port city of Chittagong tomorrow (Tuesday).

Bangladesh failed to capitalise on opportunities and struggled with the fitness problems of the key players throughout the series. Only 7 days rest after a gruelling three-month long Caribbean tour is taking its toll on the bodies of the young Bangladesh side.

Bangladesh seek redemption but wash-out looms © Cricinfo

After missing Mashrafe Mortaza in the series opener, Bangladesh is set to play the final ODI without their ace batsman and vice-captain Mohammad Ashraful who is suffering from a fever and is hospitalised.

The Bangladesh cricketers will definitely try to give a befitting farewell to their coach Dav Whatmore and captain Habibul Bashar, who is playing his last ODI at home soil, by trying to win the third one-dayer but weather is set to play a major role in their fight back.

It drizzled overnight in Chittagong and this morning there was a brief recess. But the outfield was understandably damp and both teams were forced to practice at the indoor facility.

The forecast for tomorrow is not looking good at all, as the depression in the east central Bay intensified into a cyclone, compelling the Chittagong maritime port to issue danger signal number seven. According to meteorological office sources, tomorrow there is a 60 percent chance of rain and it could be accompanied by gusty wind.

Although India have avenged the World Cup loss Bangladesh by winning the first two ODIs in Dhaka, the visitors will be keen to keep their winning momentum if weather permits any play tomorrow.

India have already declared the 12 man squad for the match leaving out paceman Sreesanth who is nursing an injury, and Zaheer Khan who has been rested. RP Singh and Robin Uthappa are set to get their first match of the tour as India wants to experiment in the match, which is of academic interest only.,/p>

Bangladesh is forced to make one change in their 12 man squad as Mohammad Ashraful is out due to fever, all-rounder Farhad Reza is getting the nod over Shahriar Nafees to fill the slot.

Teams (from):

India : Rahul Dravid (c), Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, M S Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Dinesh Mongia, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, R P Singh.

Bangladesh: Habibul Bashar (c), Mohammad Ashraful, Javed Omar, Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Rafique and Farhad Reza.

Umpires: Ashoka de Silva (Sri Lanka) and Enamul Haque (Bangladesh).

Bangladesh Announce Test Squad for the Two-Match GrameenPhone Series against India

2007-05-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh selectors have announced the 14 member test squad for the two-match GrameenPhone test series against India which starts from May 18 right after the ODI series.

Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud, who lost his place in the ODI side, have retained his place in the test squad as selectors preferred him over Mushfiqur Rahim, who is considered as a long term prospect for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh A team captain Tushar Imran received a much anticipated recall after his consistent performances with the A team. Selectors have also picked current Academy team captain Mehrab Hossain Jr. ahead of dashing opener Tamim Iqbal.

However, the most surprising omission is Abdur Razzak who in recent past is the most successful ODI bowler of Bangladesh. Selectors kept their faith on Enamul Haque Jr. who played 10 tests for Bangladesh and picked 32 wickets.

Aftab Ahmed, who featured in the last test Bangladesh played against Australia in 2006, paid the price of his restlessness in the middle and lost his place to Rajin Saleh.

Bangladesh Test Squad

1. Habibul Bashar ( Captain) 2. Mohammad Ashraful (Vice Captain) 3. Javed Omer Belim 4. Shahriar Nafees Ahmed 5. Shakib Al Hasan 6. Rajin Saleh Alam 7. Tushar Imran 8. Khaled Mashud (Wicketkeeper) 9. Mohammed Rafique 10. Enamul Haque (Jr.) 11. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza 12. Shahadat Hossain Rajib 13. Syed Rasel 14. Mehrab Hossain Jr.

Gambhir ton guides India to series victory

2007-05-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

A fine century from opener Gautam Gambhir steered India to a 46 run win over Bangladesh in the second ODI of the three-match GrameenPhone ODI series at Mirpur Sher E Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka today (Saturday).

With this win India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the GrameenPhone ODI series. The third and final ODI of the series will be played on Tuesday, May 15 at Chittagong.

Gambhir ton guides India to series victory © Cricinfo

Indian opener Gambhir smashed second ODI century of his career to propel India to a commanding 284-7 in stipulated 49 overs, after Indian skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss, and opted to bat first. Man of the match Gambhir in his 113 ball 101 struck 11 fine boundaries, and held the Indian innings together for the major part of the innings.

Gambhir received useful support from the last ODIs man of the match Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36 off 54 balls) and skipper Rahul Dravid (42 off 47 deliveries) during his match winnings knock. At one point India were heading towards a total of in excess of 300, but Bangladeshi bowlers did well in the late overs to hold them back. India managed only 68 runs from the last 10 over losing 5 wickets. At the end 284-8 posted by India proved well enough to secure an easy win.

Mohammad Rafiq took 3 wickets for 59 runs and was the most successful bowler for Bangladesh. Left-arm paceman Syed Rasel with his controlled swing bagged 2 wickets for 49 runs.

Chasing a victory target of 285 in 49 overs, Bangladesh lost their way at the very beginning when their dashing opener Tamim Iqbal ran him out scoring only 7 runs. Indian opening bowlers Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel received the reward of a disciplined bowling effort as Bangladesh slipped to 86-4 in 16.4 overs.

Bangladesh failed to recover from that position and some poor batting in the middle over ruled them out of the match. Under fire skipper Habibul Bashar played a sedate 43 off 88 balls which didn't help Bangladesh's cause as the scoring rate soared to 11 per over. A blitzkrieg 42 off 22 balls by Mashrafe Mortaza could only reduce the margin of defeat as the result of the match was already certain by that time. .

Mashrafe scored 25 runs off Dinesh Mongia's 7th over with four successive sixes to provide some entertainment to the packed crowd who were disappointed by the poor show from the home side. Aftab Ahmed (40 off 41 balls) and Muhfiqur Rahim (35 off 43 balls) were the other notable contributors for Bangladesh.

Indian promising leg spinner Piyush Chawla made an impressive debut and bagged 3 wickets for 37 runs in his spell of 10 overs. Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh picked two wickets each for 32 and 40 runs respectively.

Bangladesh look to bounce back in the must win game

2007-05-11T21:22:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh is desperate to win the second ODI against India to stay alive in the three-match GrameenPhone ODI series. The match is scheduled to start today (Saturday) at 9:30 AM local time at the Mirpur Sher E Bangala National Stadium (SBNS), Dhaka.

The return of leading paceman Mahsrafe Mortaza is a timely boost for the hosts who came close to winnings the first ODI but eventually lost by five wickets.

Bangladesh look to bounce back to stay alive in the series © Cricinfo

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar rued the missed opportunity to win the first ODI, but showed his optimism to win the second match to level the series.

"We have no option to stay in the series other than winning the second match tomorrow. We came close to winning the match on Thursday, but it is now over. We are confident and positive about winning the second match," said Bashar after the scheduled light practice session at the SBNS today.

"We just hope that we can get everyone fit tomorrow because the second match is very important for us as India took the lead in the series" said Bashar, who is also under tremendous pressure due his poor show with the bat.

"If you don't score, the pressure will be there. The best thing is to come back and score runs, the pressure won't be there," Bashar added.

However, Bangladesh suffered another setback as their leading spinner Abdur Razzak is doubtful for todays crunch game due to an untimely attack of flu.

The relieved Indians enjoyed their time off from cricket and passed the day with light training and swimming, as no practice was scheduled for the day. Indian wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth suffered severe cramp during Thursday's match, but both of them are expected to be fit for today's encounter.

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (captain), Mohammad Ashraful, Javed Omar, Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Rafique, Farhad Reza.

India (from): Rahul Dravid (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Mahendra Dhoni, Dinesh Karthick, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar.

Umpires : Ashoka De Silva (Sri Lanka), Enamul Huq Moni (Bangladesh)

Dhoni guides India to victory in the first ODI

2007-05-10T10:01:00.001-07:00

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik with unbeaten half centuries steered India to a five-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the first one-day international on Thursday.

Replying to Bangladesh's 250 for seven in 47 overs in a match reduced by rain, India made 251 for five.

Man of the match Dhoni (91 not out) hit the winning run in the last ball of the 46th over to complete an unbeaten 107-run partnership with Karthik (58 not out).

Earlier, opener Javed Omar made 80 and Saqibul Hasan 50 to help Bangladesh to their total after electing to bat.

Omar faced 117 balls, hitting two sixes and seven fours to make his 11th ODI half-century.

Bangladesh ready to live up to expectation

2007-05-09T12:59:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh are facing India in the first of the three match GrameenPhone ODI series at Mirpur Sher E Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) in Dhaka tomorrow (Thursday, May 10th).

This is the first time the two teams are facing each other after the historic World Cup encounter at Queens Park Oval in Trinidad, where Bangladesh toppled India by 5 wickets to send India home from the first round of the World Cup.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar said they are ready to live up to the high expectations of fans in the ODI series.

"We know the expectation is high after the successful World Cup campaign and we are also ready to meet that expectation," said Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar at a pre-match conference at the SBNS Wednesday.

Bangladesh ready to live up to expectation © Reuters

Bangladesh is playing at home and Bashar believes this will help Bangladesh to raise their game.

"We have the belief that we can beat any team if we play to our potential. India are a good side and we can't afford to take them lightly just because we beat them in the World Cup. But playing at home is always an advantage," said Bashar.

India are also keen to avenge their World Cup defeat and want to concentrate only on playing good cricket. The Indian team is under scrutiny after their World Cup exit and their build-up to the series suffered many problems. Recent revelations about the divisions within the team by an Indian TV channel is the latest blow to the Indian morale.

However, Indian captain Rahul Dravid wants to put everything related to the World Cup behind and start afresh for the ODI series.

"We want to put the disappointment of the World Cup behind us and move on. We look forward to getting on the park to play some good cricket".

Dravid praised Bangladesh for their recent development but promised a professional display to outshine Bangladesh.

"Bangladesh are obviously a very improved team and they showed that at the World Cup. They are very competitive, but we will be equal to the challenge," said Dravid in the pre-match press conference.

Both India and Bangladesh have been hit by injury blows. India?s promising youngster Manoj Tiwary is already out of the ODI series after suffering a shoulder injury, while Bangladesh?s leading paceman Mashrafe Mortaza remains a doubt for tomorrow?s match.

Umpires : Ashoka De Silva (Sri Lanka), Nadir Shah (Bangladesh)

India arrive Dhaka for GrameenPhone series

2007-05-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

A 15-member Indian cricket team, led by captain Rahul Dravid, arrived Dhaka amidst heavy security in the early Monday morning to play GremeenPhone ODI and Test series against Bangladesh.

India's coach-cum-manager Ravi Shastri Monday promised to play hard cricket against Bangladesh in the one-day series beginning on May 10.
It's not a revenge series - Dravid

It's not a revenge series - Dravid ©Cricinfo

"We know how well Bangladesh played in the World Cup and there is a very clear message for Bangladesh. We came here to play hard cricket," said Shastri on arrival at Zia International Airport, Dhaka.

The Indian skipper Rahul Dravid, who is expecting to be fit before the first ODI, said all the players are eagerly awaiting the series and he expects it to be an interesting one. "I am looking forward to this tour in Bangladesh. I strongly believe, we've the capability to perform well and it is going to be an interesting series," he said.

"I have told the players that the main challenge is to bring out our best performance. All the players are eagerly waiting for this series and I am sure they will prove their worth," Dravid added.

He however dismissed the talk of revenge and promised to play some positive cricket in their first outing after their world cup debacle.

"I don't really believe in revenge and there is no place for it in our book. What has a place is for us to show the true potential and play really very good cricket. And I think that's what we are looking to do here," said Dravid.

India will play the first two one-dayers in Dhaka on May 10 and May 12 and the third one in Chittagong on May 15.

India ODI Squad
Rahul Dravid (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, M S Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Manoj Tiwari, Dinesh Mongia, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Zahir Khan and R P Singh.

Tigers set to play practice match to acclimatize with home condition

2007-05-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

Tigers will play a practice match today (Sunday) at Mirpur Sher E Bangla National Stadium as part of their preparation for up-coming three match ODI series against India. The match will allow the cricketers to acclimatize with the home condition after a three month long Caribbean tour.

National cricketers will play against a team consists of centrally contracted players, Bangladesh A team and academy players.

Bangladesh A team captain Tushar Imran, former skipper Khaled Mashud, Rajin Saleh, Nafis Iqbal, Alok Kapali, Zunaed Siddiqe, Nazmus Sadat, Sajedul Islam and Dollar Mahmud will feature in the team that is expected to provide a tough challenge for the Tigers.

The Tigers had played a good number of international matches for last couple of months but the chief selector Faruque Ahmed believes the practice match will provide an ideal opportunity for the players to get an idea about the pitch.

"There is nothing better than playing matches. I think this preparation match gives the players an idea about the surface in Mirpur," said Faruque when asked about the practice match.

No practice match is scheduled for the touring India team before the start of the ODI series on May 10.

Pay Disputes Hinder Indian Plans For Bangladesh Tour

2007-05-04T07:58:00.001-07:00

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), one of the richest cricket boards in world cricket, have not paid salaries to the centrally contracted players for the last seven months.

The news emerged as the players refused to sign new contracts ahead of the Bangladesh tour until the old payments are released.

BCCI have retreated from their efforts to get the new contracts signed and assured cricketers that their salaries for the last seven months will be paid after the Bangladesh tour. Some of the senior players compared the scenario with Zimbabwe, where payment disputes resulted in boycotts and the eventual decline in cricketing standards.

According to Times Now, a leading Indian news agency, the cricketers are very upset over the recent developments, but the gag order and fear of being targeted after the 'World Cup debacle' has forced them to keep quiet.

Players have not received any payments for the following tournaments from the board:

- ICC Champions Trophy in India: October 2006
- Tour of South Africa: Nov 2006 to Jan 2007
- India-West Indies ODI series: January 2007
- India-Sri Lanka ODI series: February 2007
- World Cup: March-April 2007

BCB announce match officials for GrameenPhone India tour of Bangladesh 2007

2007-05-02T10:38:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have announced the match officials for the up-coming GrameenPhone India tour of Bangladesh. ICC Emirates international panel umpires Ashoka De Silva, Enamul Huq Moni and Nadir Shah will be in charge of the 3 match ODI series which starts from 10th May 2007.

Nadir Shah will stand with Sri Lankan Ashoka in the first ODI while Enamul Huq will join him for the last two matches. Akhtar Uddin Shaheen from Bangladesh will act as the TV umpire for the ODI series.

The two match test series which starts from 18th May will be officiated by ICC elite panel umpires Daryl Harper and Billy Doctrove. Nadir Shah and Enamul Huq will act as the TV umpires for the test series.

Roshan Mahanama will act as the ICC match referee for the GrameenPhone India tour of Bangladesh 2007.

Tour Itinerary and Officials

Match

Date & Venue

Match Referee

Field Umpire

TV Umpire

Reserve Umpire

1st ODI

10 May 2007, Dhaka

Mr. Roshan Mahanama

Mr. Nadir Shah

Mr. Asoka De Silva

Mr. A.F.M. Akhtar Uddin

Mr. Sayed Mahbub Ullah

2nd ODI

12 May 2007,

Dhaka

Mr. Roshan Mahanama

Mr. Enamul Hoque Moni

Mr. Asoka De Silva

Mr. A.F.M. Akhtar Uddin

Mr. Sayed Mahbub Ullah

3rd ODI

15 May 2007,

Chittagong

Mr. Roshan Mahanama

Mr. Enamul Hoque Moni

Mr. Asoka De Silva

Mr. A.F.M. Akhtar Uddin

Mr. Jahangir Alam

1st Test

18- 22 May 2007,

Chittagong

Mr. Roshan Mahanama

Mr. Daryl Harper

Mr. Billy Doctrove

Mr. Enamul Hoque Moni

Mr. Jahangir Alam

2nd Test

25 - 29 May 2007,

Dhaka

Mr. Roshan Mahanama

Mr. Daryl Harper

Mr. Billy Doctrove

Mr. Nadir Shah

Mr. Monzur Rahman

Pakistan Win Academy Cup

2007-05-01T10:05:00.001-07:00

The Pakistan Cricket Academy has emerged as the champion of tri-nation Academy Cup by defeating hosts Bangladesh Academy by the narrow margin of five runs at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan Ground in Savar, Dhaka on Monday (May 1st).

After having been put in to bat, the Pakistan Academy were all out for a modest 237 runs on the last ball of their allotted fifty overs. In reply, Bangladesh were dismissed for 232 runs in 48.5 overs, the Pakistan team winning with just seven balls to spare.

Bangladesh skipper Mehrab Hossain was instrumental in the final with a brilliant all-round performance but could not secure a win for Bangladesh.

With his slow left-arm bowling, Mehrab first captured four wickets for 57 runs and then hit a brilliant 75 off 97 balls, but three run outs in the middle overs cost Bangladesh a chance of victory.

Bangladesh opening batsman Junaid Siddique smashed 69 off 63 balls with 11 boundaries and 1 six as Bangladesh raced to 112-2 after just 19 overs but paceman Najaf Shah (3-37) and medium-fast Junaid Zia (2-34) of the Pakistan academy restricted the middle order to ensure a Paksitan win.

Earlier, Afaq Rahim with a knock of 55 off 62 balls and Khalid Latif 31 off 57 balls lifted Pakistan Academy to 237 which in the end proved enough to lift the trophy. For Bangladesh, right-arm medium-pacer Mahmudullah Riyad took five wickets for 42 runs while skipper Mehrab picked up 4-57.

Sri Lanka Academy was the other team in the competition.

Bashar set to retire from ODIs after India series

2007-05-01T09:11:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar is going to retire from One-day Internationals in a bid to extend his Test career. Bashar revealed his decision in a press conference yesterday (Monday) and hinted that the upcoming home series against India is going to be his last outing in the shorter version of the game.

Bashar is set to retire from ODI © Reuters

"What I want to concentrate fully on is Test cricket to prolong my career and that's why I'm thinking about my one-day career, I want to give the young guys more opportunities," said Bashar.

"I will officially announce my plan before the India tour but I want to convey my decision to my teammates first," Bashar added.

However, the 34 year-old most successful ODI captain of Bangladesh ruled out speculations that his poor form with the bat in the World Cup is the reason behind his decision.

"It's not that I have had a very poor show with the bat in the World Cup rather I had been thinking before the World Cup. I even talked with some of my colleagues and well-wishers about my plan before leaving the country for the World Cup," he said.

In the press conference Bashar admitted that he failed to live up with the expectations of fans in one-day cricket.

"I must admit that I have not batted well in one-day cricket throughout my career. But interestingly I have had very good performances for the preceding year except the World Cup," he added.

Bashar has a remarkably good Test record with 2838 runs in 42 matches including three hundreds at an average of 34.60, which is in stark contrast with his one-day record. Bashar managed 2125 runs in 109 matches at a modest average of 21.68.

The three match GrameenPhone one-day series against India starts from 10th May at Sher E Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka.

Bangladesh announce ODI Squad for India series

2007-04-30T05:36:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have announced a 14 member ODI squad for up-coming 3 match home series against India in a media conference at a local hotel today (Monday).

Habibul Bashar is retained as the captain of the side amid growing speculation about his retirement from ODI. It is learnt that Bashar is set to retire from ODI after the India series and he will declare his decision very soon. Bashar will continue playing test matches and will lead Bangladesh in longer version of the game.

Mohammad Ashraful, the future ODI captain of Bangladesh © Cricinfo

Mohammad Ashraful is appointed as the new vice captain of Bangladesh ODI team and is likely to take the captaincy of the ODI team after the retirement of Bashar. Former vice-captain Shahriar Nafees managed to retain his place in the squad after a forgettable world cup in which he scored only 29 runs from 5 innings but failed to retain vice-captaincy.

The selectors have retained all players of the world cup squad except Rajin Saleh who hasn?t played a single match in the world cup.

The test squad will be declared after the completion of ODI series which starts on 10th May. Bangladesh will be playing test after a one year break, they played their last Test in April last year against Australia at home.

Bangladesh ODI squad:

Habibul Bashar (capt), Mohammad Ashraful (vice-capt), Javed Omar, Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Rafique, Farhad Reza.

Bangladesh secure second win in Academy Cup

2007-04-28T04:16:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh registered their second victory in the tri-nation Academy Cup by defeating Pakistan by 4 wickets at BKSP ground, Dhaka on Friday.

Overnight rain delayed the start of the match and it was reduced to 33 overs a side. Chasing a victory target of 124, Bangladesh academy were in serious trouble as Pakistan paceman Najaf Shah reduced Bangladesh to 23-4 in 7 overs. Bangladesh opening batsman Imrul Kayes launched a remarkable fight back and shared a match deciding 80 run partnership with Nadif Chowdhury in the 5^th wicket to ensure a Bangladesh win.

Bangladesh finally reached the target in 30.3 overs losing 6 wickets to keep their hope alive for the final place.

Imrul in his impressive 61 off 69 balls hammered 5 boundaries and 2 sixes. Nadif Chowdhury was the only other batsman to reach double figures who struck a patient 19 off 52 deliveries to support Imrul. Najaf Shah of Pakistan grabbed 3 wickets for 23 runs.

Earlier, Bangladesh skipper Mehrab Hossain won the toss and sent Pakistan to bat first. Bangladeshi bowlers used the damp conditions efficiently and reduced Pakistan to 76-7. Pakistan never recovered from that position and finally managed to post a modest 123-9 in stipulated 33 overs.

Five of the Pakistani top order batsman except Khalid Latif returned to the pavilion with single digit scores which diminished Pakistan’s chances to post a challenging score. Khalid scored a patient 23 off 46 balls and was the highest scorer or Pakistan along with wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed who remained unbeaten on 23 off 36 balls.

Mehrab Hossain was pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers, he bagged 3 wickets for 21 runs. Kamrul Islam joined the party with 2 wickets for 29 runs.

Despite this win Bangladesh failed to secure their place in the final. They have to rely on the outcome of Pakistan-Sri Lanka match to know their fate. A Sri Lanka win will secure a final spot for both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

If Pakistan win the clash, they will move into the final and the other team will be decided on the basis of net run rate.

Academy Tri-Series 2006/07 Table

		P	W	L	NR	BP	Pts	NetRR
1	Sri Lanka Cricket Academy	3	2	1	0	0	8	0.152
2	Bangladesh Cricket Academy	4	2	2	0	0	8	-0.353
3	Pakistan Cricket Academy	3	1	2	0	1	5	0.385

Heroes returning home after successful world cup mission

2007-04-25T15:31:00.001-07:00

Tigers are returning home after a successful world cup campaign, they will reach Bangladesh tomorrow (26th April) in the early morning. BanglaCricket is welcoming the Tigers to their den and expressing gratitude for raising the image of the country.

Bangladesh team have already left London via flight number BA 145 which is expected to land at Zia International Airport at 06:10 AM. Tigers who brought immense pride for the country are expected to be received by BCB officials, former captains, journalists, and thousand of fans.

Heroes returning home © Cricinfo

In the world cup Bangladesh managed to achieve their target to reach the super eights by toppling India at the group stage. Tigers continued their giant-killing act by defeating top ranked South Africa in the super eights encounter and eventually revived the world cup. Bangladesh also managed to defeat New Zealand in the warm-up match and registered win over Bermuda in their last group match.

Despite some poor performances, this is the biggest achievement by Bangladesh team in their cricket history. Bangladesh finished 7th in the 14 nation tournament.

After a gruelling three months long Caribbean tour in which they won the ICC tri-series and reached the top stage of the world cup, Tigers will be back on the field within a very short time. The home series against India will be starting from 10th May.

Bangladesh To Announce One-Day Team On 30 April

2007-04-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is going to pick the squad for the upcoming ODI series against India on 30th April.

The BCB will also appoint captain and vice-captain of Bangladesh team on the same day as the tenure of Habibul Bashar and Shahriar Nafees expired at the end of the world cup.

After completing a successful World Cup campaign,the Bangladesh team is returning home on 26th April but has only few days to rest as the India series will be starting from 10th May.

It is learnt that under-fire captain Habibul Bashar who had a dismal show in the world cup is facing calls from different quarters to retire from one-day internationals. But Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) general secretary Mahbub Anam hinted that the BCB is going to retain Bashar considering his one-day record and contribution to Bangladesh cricket.

It is widely tipped that Bashar might retire from one-day cricket after the series to concentrate on test matches where he is by far the leading performer in Bangladesh.

Vice-captain and opener Shahriar Nafees who had a forgettable World Cup is likely to lose his place from the ODI side along with fellow opener veteran Javed Omar.

Junaid Siddique and Nazmus Sadat, who recently performed well with the A team and Academy sides are likely contenders to open with another young man Tamim Iqbal in the ODI matches against India.

Current Bangladesh A captain Tushar Imran, who had a number of unsuccessful runs with the national team is also likely to get another recall. Former captain and wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud who lost his place from the ODI side before the World Cup is likely to sit out as chief selector Faruk Ahmed showed his satisfaction with the progress of young Mushfiqur Rahim as the wicket-keeper.

The squad for the test series which starts from 18th May will be declared after the ODI series.

Rokibul Guides Bangladesh Academy to Win Over Sri Lanka

2007-04-23T05:34:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Academy secured a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Academy at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium yesterday (Sunday) and strongly bounced back in the tri-nation academy tournament after losing the opener against Pakistan.

An unbeaten 69 off 73 balls from Rokibul Hasan was the mainstay of Bangladesh innings as the home side reached the revised victory target of 201 in 42.5 overs (44 over max.) in the rain affected match. Rokibul hammered 4 boundaries and 2 sixes in his masterful innings to guide Bangladesh home.

Skipper of Bangladesh Academy Mehrab Hossain shared a 98 run partnership in the 4th wicket with Rokibul and scored a valuable 47 runs off 59 balls with the help of 3 boundaries and one six. Nuwan Zoysa grabbed 1 wicket for 24 runs and Paranavithana took 2 wickets for 22 runs for Sri Lanka

Earlier, Sri Lanka Academy managed a modest 218-8 in 50 overs. Sri Lanka A lost their way as wickets tumbled from the very beginning of the innings. Only Skipper and opener Ian Daniel stood tall and top scored with 64 off 73 deliveries with 10 boundaries. The middle order collapsed to the left arm spin bowlers of Bangladesh as Mehrab Hossain and Mosharraf Hossain grabbed 2 wickets each for 46 and 42 runs.

Some late hitting from number seven batsman A Matthew who scored 42 runs from 52 deliveries with 3 boundaries and 2 sixes enabled the visitors to cross the two hundred mark.

Brief scores

Sri Lanka Academy: 218-8 in 50 overs (Daniel 64, Mathew 42* ; Mosharraf 2-42, Mehrab 2-46).

Bangladesh Academy: 202-5 in 42.5 overs (Nazimuddin 33, Rokibul 69*, Mehrab 47; Zoysa 1-24, Paranavithana 2-22).

Pakistan Make a Winning Start in Academy Cup

2007-04-22T05:18:00.000-07:00

An unbeaten century from Khalid Latif guided the Pakistan Academy team to a comfortable six-wicket win over the Bangladesh in the opener of the tri-nation Academy Cup tournament at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) ground on Saturday.

Latif in his blazing 100 off 88 balls smashed 10 fours and 5 sixes and Pakistan Academy raced to victory with more than 15 overs to spare.

Chasing a victory target of 220 in 50 overs, Pakistan opener Babar Naeem set the platform with a quick fire 69 off 46 balls including 6 boundaries and 5 sixes. He shared a 115 run partnership with Latif in only 12.1 overs to ensue an emphatic victory. Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain claimed two wickets for 55 runs in 8.5 overs for Bangladesh.

Earlier, Bangladesh captain Mehrab Hossain won the toss and opted to bat first. Bangladesh made a reasonably good start and reached to 173-4 in 30 overs as opener Zuanid Siddique hammered a prolific 62 off 40 balls smashing 10 boundaries.

Bangladesh innings lost their way as Pakistan Skipper Fawad Alam took 3 quick wickets and they were eventually bundled out for a modest 219 in 47.3 overs.

Babar Naeem and Fawad Alam each took three wickets giving away 32 and 33 runs respectively..

Sri Lanka Academy is the other team in the competition.

Brief Scores

Bangladesh Academy: 219 all out in 47.3 overs (Zunaid 53, Mahmudullah 31; Babar 3-32, Fawad 3-33).

Pakistan Academy: 220-4 in 35.5 overs (Babar 69, Khalid 100*; Moshrraf 2-55).

Dav Whatmore resigns as Bangladesh coach

2007-04-20T10:10:00.001-07:00

After coaching Bangladesh for 4 years and leading them to World Cup Super Eights, Dav Whatmore has stepped down as Bangladesh's coach citing personal reasons.

He has decided not to renew his contract with BCB which expires at the end of April. However, he has agreed to remain in charge of Tigers until the end of May to cover the India series. This will allow Bangladesh Cricket Board to find his successor before the away series to Sri Lanka which starts in July.

Dav Whatmore quits as Bangladesh coach © Cricinfo

Whatmore took the charge of Bangladesh after Tigers infamous debacle in World Cup 2003 and in his 4 years (he extended his initial 2 years contract in June 2005 for another 2 years) he has transformed them into one of the most exciting side of world cricket.

Whatmore has led Bangladesh to 33 wins in 86 one-day internationals and also coached the side to a first ever test victory, against three draws and 21 defeats.

Bangladesh Cricket Board in a media release expressed gratitude to Dav Whatmore for raising the standard of performance of the National Team in International cricket.

BCB also formed a six-member committee to find the successor of Dav Whatmore

BCB decides Bashar and Whatmore's fate today.

2007-04-17T15:42:00.001-07:00

The fate of Dav Whatmore as Bangladesh coach will be decided in the executive committee meeting of Bangladesh Cricket Board to be held today (Wednesday).

Whatmore's contract is due to the end of this month after his 4 year tenure as Bangladesh coach. BCB will set its course of action whether they will renew the contract with coach Whatmore, or going for a change of guard with fresh vision.

BCB decides Bashar and Whatmore's fate today © Cricinfo

It was learnt that board general secretary Mahbub Anam communicated with Dav Whatmore who currently in the Caribbean about his interest and Dav expressed his willingness to continue with new terms and conditions. Whatmore is expecting a significant pay rise compared to his previous contract and that might dominate the agenda of the meeting.

Dav Whamore irked some high-ups of BCB after expressing his willingness to take India job and a quarter is not willing to continue with him. BCB might opt for a temporary solution by retaining him next month's home series against India and decide his fate after the series.

Selection of captain and vice-captain for the upcoming India series is another key agenda of the meeting. Habibul Bashar was named captain and Shahriar Nafees his deputy till the World Cup. Both them earned huge criticism for their lack of form in world cup.

Bashar is likely to retain captaincy for the test team and board is expected to declare a new captain for the ODI team. This will be the first instance of separate captains for tests and ODI's in Bangladesh cricket.

Fawad Puts Pakistan Academy In Control

2007-04-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

A fine batting performance led my skipper Fawad Alam placed Pakistan Cricket Academy in a very comfortable position in the second and final four day match against Bangladesh Cricket Academy on Monday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

After dismissing Bangladesh for a modest 243, the openers of Pakistan Academy laid a solid foundation as openers Khurram Manzoor (64 off 100 balls) and Babar Nayeem (57 off 68 balls) shared a 102 run opening partnership.

After their departuare skipper Fawad Alam (82 off 169 balls) took the charge and shared another century stand with Shahid Yousuf (73 off 168 balls) and lifted Pakistan to 401-6 ate the end of second day.

Bangladesh spin duo Mosharraf Hossain and Mahmudullah shared 5 wickets between them but could not resist the run flow.

Pakistan Academy has already taken a commendable 158 run lead and will be looking to further extend the lead with another set batsman Adnan Reza is batting on 52.

Bangladesh Cricket Academy is leading the 2 match series 1-0 after defeating their Pakistani counterpart by 77 run in the opening match.

Brief Scores
Bangladesh Academy first innings: 243. (Mehrab 71, Rokibul 51; Najaf 5-38,)
Pakistan Academy first innings: 401-6 in 109 overs (Manzoor 64, Naeem 57, Yusuf 73, Alam 82, Raza 52*; Mosharraf 3-101)

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has declared the itinerary of the Academy One Day Tri-Series in which Sri Lanka Academy is the other team.

Itinerary

April 21 – Bangladesh vs Pakistan,
April 22 - Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka,
April 24 - Sri Lanka vs Pakistan,
April 25 - Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh,
April 27 - Pakistan vs Bangladesh,
April 28 - Sri Lanka vs Pakistan,
April 30 - Final.

Bashar hails spin trio of Bangladesh

2007-04-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar paid tribute to the slow left arm army of Bangladesh for their leading role in the Bangladesh's fine run in the world cup 2007.

Bangladesh played every game with 5 specialist bowlers and 3 of them are left arm spinners. The trio has taken 25 wickets in 7 matches conceding only 3.48 runs per over. Experienced Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak and young all-rounder Sakib al Hasan can effectively tie down opposition batsmen in the middle overs and took the leading role in Bangladesh's historic win over India and South Africa.
Bangladesh's unique slow left arm army.

Bangladesh's unique slow left arm army © Cricinfo

Even in a fast and bouncy Barbados pitch and defending a meager 143, they caused panic in the England dressing room by reducing England to 112-6.

Bashar believes the spin trio gives Bangladesh a very unusual strength in Bangladeshi bowling line-up.

"It is a bit unusual, you don't see three spinners, leave alone three left-arm. (But) We believe that is our strength. They might share same bowling style but they are not the same. Razzak bowls with pace, Sakib is slower and Rafique uses his experience to flight and turn the ball" said Bashar in an interview with Reuters.

Mohammad Rafique is the highest wicket taker for Bangladesh in both format of the game and grabbed 7 wickets in this world cup averaging 26.75.

Razzak who is the leading Bangladeshi wicket taker in this world cup with 12 wickets paid respect to veteran Mohammad Rafique for the support.

"We talk to Rafique all the time, I'm more confident when he bowls from the other end. He always tells me to focus on line and length and understand what the batsman wants you to do and don't give him that" said Razzak who considers Rafique as his mentor.

He also showed his willingness to crucial match situations, "I like to bowl in every tight situation, especially during Powerplay and the slog overs," Razzak added.

The youngest member of the spin trio Sakib Al Hasan is a fine all-rounder and in addition to his 5 wickets, he is the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in the world cup. He averages 50.70 with bat in his ODI career.

Bashar also praised the consistency of his spinners and believes they can perform regardless of wicket types.

"Our spinners do not rely much on wicket type. If they get a little bit of help, they ensure the fullest use. The Guyana pitch definitely helped us but otherwise not much," he said.

Bangladesh will play Ireland in their next super eights game on Sunday, 15 April.

Bangladesh Academy Take The Lead Over Pakistan

2007-04-12T13:08:00.002-07:00

The Bangladesh Cricket Academy defeated the touring Pakistan Cricket Academy by 77 runs on the final day of the first 4 day match at Sher E Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka and took a 1-0 lead in the 2 match series. The match saw a number twists and turns but at the end Bangladesh Academy bowlers proved too much for their Pakistani counterparts.

Neither team could establish domination after the first innings as Pakistan Academy were all out for 225 in the first innings and took a narrow 3 run advantage over Bangladesh Academy.

Bangladesh made solid progress in the second innings and reached a commending 165/2 but a fine bowling performance from off spinner Atif Maqbool caused a sudden collapse for the home side. He took 5 wickets for 50 runs as Bangladesh Academy lost their last eight wickets for 57 runs. Bangladesh was eventually bundled out for 222 and set 221 as the victory target for Pakistan Academy.

Pakistan Academy lost momentum at the very beginning of their victory chase as Bangladesh Academy new ball pair Ziaur Rahman and Sajidul Islam ripped through the top order and reduced them to 17/4 in 8.5 overs. Pakistan Academy failed to recover from that position as left arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain removed the middle order by talking 3 wickets for 50 runs to raise his match figure to 7-129.

Ziaur Rahman grabbed 3 wickets for 32 runs while Sajidul Islam took 2 wickets for 23 runs.

Only the skipper Fawad Alam fought a lone battle with his 47 but could only reduce the margin of defeat. When his Bangladeshi counterpart Mehrab Hossain trapped him in front, it was all over for Pakistan Academy. They finished the 3rd day on 130/9 and Bangladesh Academy finished the formality in the final day within first hour to ensure a 77 run victory.

The second and final four-day match between these two teams will start on the 14th April at Fatullah Stadium.

Bangladesh Academy 223/10 (Jahurul 52, Nadif 55; Najaf 4/33, Rauf 2/29 & 222/10 (Raqibul 83, Nazimuddin 59; Atif 5/50, Nazaf 3/52)

Pakistan Academy 225/10 (Tanveer 58, Raza 35 ; Mosharraf 4/79, Mehrab 2/18) & 143/10 (Fawad 47, Zhoaib 33; Ziaur 3/32, Mosharaf 3/50)

England labour to defeat gritty Bangladesh

2007-04-12T13:08:00.001-07:00

England overcame another nervy batting display to defeat Bangladesh by four wickets in their World Cup Super Eights match in Bridgetown, Barbados on Wednesday to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

England pacemen led by man-of-the-match Sajid Mahmood skittled out Bangladesh for 143 in the 38th over on a bouncy Kensington Oval pitch.

However, Bangladesh bowlers piled on the pressure as the new pitch slowed down before England reached 147 for six in the 45th over.

Bangladesh left-arm seamer Syed Rasel and left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Rafique grabbed two wickets each to rattle England. Rasel had makeshift opener Ian Bell (0) caught at point and trapped Andrew Strauss leg before for 23.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak then removed skipper Michael Vaughan for a chancy 30 before taking the prize scalp of Kevin Pietersen for 10 runs. Vaughan, dropped on five by wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim after nicking Rasel, top-edged a sweep to Habibul Bashar at short fine leg.

Veteran Mohmmad Rafiq brought Bangladesh back into the match after removing dangerman Flintoff and Ravi Boapara in the same over but at the end the total proved too low to restrict England

Grameenphone To Sponsor India-Bangladesh Series

2007-04-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh’s leading cellular phone company Grameenphone has earned the sponsorship right for the upcoming India – Bangladesh series. The highly anticipated series starts from 10 May and contains 3 ODI’s and 2 tests. Gramenphone, the main sponsor of Bangladesh national team, has recently extended its sponsorship to Bangladesh National Cricket Academy and with this sponsorship became the leading sponsor of Bangladesh Cricket.

Grameenphone won the sponsorship battle against India-based Nimbus Sports Marketing after a two phase bidding. The sponsorship value of USD 445,000 (3.02 crore BDT) is the highest in Bangladesh cricket history for any international series.

Nimbus managed to earn the right to name the pitch mates at the expense of USD 52,000.

In India, the series is now main talk of the country after Bangladesh ousted India from the world cup that resulted in a ring of changes in Indian cricket. Bangladesh will have little time to respire after the world cup super eights stage to face the Indian challenge.

This is a second visit by India to play a full series, last time they visited Bangladesh in November - December 2004. Bangladesh is yet to tour India as BCCI is reluctant to host Bangladesh on commercial ground.

Itinerary

Thu May 10 : Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, 1st ODI
Sat May 12 : Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, 2nd ODI
Tue May 15 : Bangladesh v India at Chittagong (CDS), 3rd ODI
May 18-22 : Bangladesh v India at Chittagong (CDS), 1st Test
May 25-29 : Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, 2nd Test

Bangladesh crush South Africa by 67 runs

2007-04-07T18:32:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh silenced their critics in style and crushed world number one South Africa at Providence Stadium in Guyana. Bangladesh came into the match after suffering two crushing defeats in their last two games and had to justify their elevation to the Super Eights in today's match. And they did it in style by defeating top ranked South Africa by 67 runs.

The good work of Bangladeshi batsmen was equally supported by the bowlers as they emerged as the better team in every discipline with some electrifying fielding. Captain Habibul Bashar used his bowlers with excellent effect and kept the pressure on South Africans right from the beginning with very good field placements. Scoring runs seemed to be one of the most difficult jobs in the world as batsmen could not find gaps in either side of the wicket.

Chasing a victory target of 252 in 50 overs, South Africa lost their way at the very beginning by some tight bowling from Bangladeshi opening bowlers and when captain Graeme Smith fell to Syed Rasel, Soth Africa?s demise started immediately. Syed Rasel bowled with lots of variation and took the pace off to deceive Smith.

Kallis tried to steady the innings with de Villiers and lifted South Africa to 63-1 but Syed Rasel struck again and broke the partnership by removing Kallis with a gem of delivery. Bangladeshi slow left arm bowlers kept the things tight and got the reward when Ashwell prince ran himself out feeling the pressure.
Mohammad Ashraful led the Bangladesh's revival with a fine 87.

Mohammad Ashraful led Bangladesh's revival with a brilliant 87 © Cricinfo

Experienced campaigner Mark Boucher tried to break the shackle but fell to Saqibul Hasan immediately after hitting a powerful six. Bangladesh eventually took the control of the game when Justin Kemp returned a simple catch to Saqib in the very next delivery. The world number one team were reduced to 87-6 by world number 9 team and South Africa never recovered from that position and eventually bundled out for 184 in 48.4 overs conceding a 67 run defeat.

Some late strike from Herschelle Gibbs who played as no.7 batsman due to calf muscle injury could only reduce the margin of defeat.

Bangladesh used only five front line bowlers to bundle south Africa and all bowlers except Mashrafe Mortaza joined the party. Abdur Razzak was the pick of the bowlers and took 3 wickets for 25 runs. Saqibul Hasan and Syed Rasel grabbed two wickets each for 49 runs and 41 runs respectively. Experienced Mohammad Rafique was the most economic bowler and conceded only 22 runs from his 10 over and took 1 wicket. Bangladesh?s slow left arm army proved too much for the Proteas as they shared 6 wickets between them in 29.4 overs giving away only 96 runs.

Earlier, Bangladesh posted challenging 251/8 in 50 overs riding on a blazing 87 run off 83 balls by young batting prodigy Mohammad Ashraful. Ashraful hammered 12 boundaries in his masterful innings and that laid the foundation for the memorable victory.

South Africa Captain Graeme Smith won the toss and sent Bangladesh to bat under overcast conditions. The pitch was expected to offer some early assistance due to continuous rain over the last couple of days.

Bangladesh started cautiously and after a sedate opening partnership of 42 between Javed Omar (17 off 41 balls) and young Tamim Iqbal (38 off 59 balls), Bangladesh were in a spot of bother after losing captain Habibul Bashar (5) and Saqibul Hasan (9) cheaply. Mohammad Ashraful shared a crucial 87 run partnership with Aftab Ahmed in the 5th wicket to steady Bangladesh.

Aftab scored 35 runs off 43 deliveries with 2 boundaries and 2 huge sixes. After his departure a Bangladesh maintained the acceleration with a fluent 54 run partnership between Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafe Mortaza who scored a quick fire 25 runs off just 16 deliveries with 3 boundaries and 1 six.

Andre Nel was the pick of the South African attack and took 5 wickets for 45 runs. Ntini and Kallis picked 1 wicket each but went for runs. Shaun Pollock bowled well with no luck.

Bangladesh post challenging total in Guyana

2007-04-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh posted challenging 251/8 in 50 overs in their crucial super eights match against South Africa at providence stadium in Guyana.

Batting prodigy Mohammad Ashraful's 87 run off 83 balls with 12 boundaries helped Bangladesh to get past 250 for the first time in the world cup history. After a sedate opening partnership of 42 between Javed Omar (17 off 41 balls) and young Tamim Iqbal (38 off 59 balls), Bangladesh were in a spot of bother after losing captain Habibul Bashar (5) and Saqibul Hasan (9) cheaply. Mohammad Ashraful shared a crucial 87 run partnership with Aftab Ahmed in the 5th Wicket to steady Bangladesh.

Aftab scored 35 runs off 43 deliveries with 2 boundaries and 2 huge sixes. After his departure a Bangladesh maintained the acceleration with a fluent 54 run partnership between Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafe Mortaza who scored a quickfire 25 runs off just 16 deliveries with 3 boundaries and 1 six.
Mohammad Ashraful led the Bangladesh?s revival with a fine 87.

Mohammad Ashraful led the Bangladesh's revival with a fine 87 © Cricinfo

Andre Nel was the pick of the South African attack and took 5 wickets for 45 runs. Earlier, South Africa Captain Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to bowl first under overcast conditions in Guyana. The pitch is expected to offer some early assistance due to continuous rain over the last couple of days.

Guyana, the venue for todays match could provide an ideal opportunity for them to put up a much-improved performance. The hot and humid nature of Guyana weather is quite similar with sub-continents and pitches have traditionally been slow and low, similar to the ones in the sub-continent. Bangladesh need to post some decent total to give a chance to their slow left arm spinners to exploit the conditions. Proteas batting line up has records of having problems against quality spinners.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith is not taking Bangladesh lightly but has already expressed his desire to avoid Australia in semi final. South Africa needs to win all their remaining matches against the likes of Bangladesh, West Indies and New Zealand to make that happen.

Both Bangladesh captain Bashar and coach Dav Whatmore promised a better display and asked the Tigers to learn from their mistakes in previous two games.

"We just have to pick up our game and we still have four matches left. We will go out thinking we can win those games. The goal is not to repeat the mistakes of the last two matches," said Bashar who also suffered criticism in Bangladesh for his poor show on the field.

"I have faith in my players. They have showed in the past that they can beat any team on their day," added Bashar.

Bashar also insisted that Bangladesh team is not getting distracted due to coach Dav Whatmore's interest in India job.

"He has been working very hard with us and has given no indication that he's not enjoying himself," said Bashar.

"I don't want to talk too much about his thoughts. It's purely for him to decide. But our performance shows what kind of hard work he has put in."
Bangladesh have included Shahadat Hossain in the 12 man squad in place of Tapash Baisya who suffered ankle injury in previous match. Andre Nel may return for South Africa to reinforce the pace attack.

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Javed Omar.

South Africa (from): G Smith (captain), J Kallis, L Bosman, M Boucher, AB de Villiers, H Gibbs, A Hall, J Kemp, C Langeveldt, A Nel, M Ntini, R Peterson, S Pollock, A Prince, R Telemachus.

Umpires : M Benson (England), B Doctrove (WI)

Bangladesh aim to restore pride

2007-04-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

After getting thrashed by Australia and New Zealand in first tow matches of the super eights, Bangladesh is facing top ranked South Africa at Providence Stadium in Guyana today. Pressure has mounted on Bangladesh to justify their inclusion in the super eights stage after two consecutive below par performances.

After reaching super eights by toppling India, Bangladesh thought that they will win few more matches in the super 8 stage but things are not going as planned. They have managed only 104 and 174 against Australia and New Zealand to concede humiliating 10 and 9 wickets defeat.

In both matches Bangladesh batted first and virtually lost the game before the end of their innings. Bangladesh have a formidable bowling line up but batsmen failed to rise to the occasions and now Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar is urging top order batsmen to perform better.
Bangladesh aim to restore pride.

Bangladesh aim to restore pride © AFP

Guyana, the venue for todays match could provide an ideal opportunity for them to put up a much-improved performance. The hot and humid nature of Guyana weather is quite similar with sub-continents and pitches have traditionally been slow and low, similar to the ones in the sub-continent. Bangladesh need to post some decent total to give a chance to their slow left arm spinners to exploit the conditions. Proteas batting line up has records of having problems against quality spinners.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith is not taking Bangladesh lightly but has already expressed his desire to avoid Australia in semi final. South Africa needs to win all their remaining matches against the likes of Bangladesh, West Indies and New Zealand to make that happen.

Both Bangladesh captain Bashar and coach Dav Whatmore promised a better display and asked the Tigers to learn from their mistakes in previous two games.

"We just have to pick up our game and we still have four matches left. We will go out thinking we can win those games. The goal is not to repeat the mistakes of the last two matches," said Bashar who also suffered criticism in Bangladesh for his poor show on the field.

"I have faith in my players. They have showed in the past that they can beat any team on their day," added Bashar.

Bashar also insisted that Bangladesh team is not getting distracted due to coach Dav Whatmore's interest in India job.

"He has been working very hard with us and has given no indication that he's not enjoying himself," said Bashar.

"I don't want to talk too much about his thoughts. It's purely for him to decide. But our performance shows what kind of hard work he has put in."
Bangladesh have included Shahadat Hossain in the 12 man squad in place of Tapash Baisya who suffered ankle injury in previous match. Andre Nel may return for South Africa to reinforce the pace attack.

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Javed Omar.

South Africa (from): G Smith (captain), J Kallis, L Bosman, M Boucher, AB de Villiers, H Gibbs, A Hall, J Kemp, C Langeveldt, A Nel, M Ntini, R Peterson, S Pollock, A Prince, R Telemachus.

Umpires : M Benson (England), B Doctrove (WI)

BCB convenes emergency meeting on Dav Whatmore

2007-04-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

After criticizing Dav Whatmore's interest in India job in the middle of the world cup campaign, Bangladesh Cricket Board has now convened an emergency meeting on April 10 to discuss the fate of Dav Whatmore as Bangladesh coach.

It is learned that BCB members are divided in their opinions and Whatmore lost some grounds after expressing his willingness to take vacant India position in the middle of the most crucial world cup campaign of Bangladesh. Board general secretary Mahbub Anam clarified BCB's position about convening the meeting.

"We've convened an emergency meeting of the board on April 10 when we will discuss the Dav Whatmore issue,"

"We have read some of his interviews in the media. Before the meeting, we will talk to him about these interviews and reports. And then we will discuss all the issues in the meeting," Anam added.
Whatmore under scrutiny.

Whatmore under scrutiny © Cricinfo

Whatmore enjoyed good support from the board and it was highly anticipated that he will be offered an extended contract after taking Bangladesh to the second round of world cup for the first time. Whatmore's current contract expires in May.

Earlier BCB joint secretary Riazuddin Al Mamun criticized Whatmore after he expressed his interest in succeeding Greg Chappell as India coach in a television interview with CNN-IBN. While some board members are pledging support for Whatmore who is the main man behind Bangladesh?s recent success, some of them are critical about the timing of Whatmore's interview and interest.

Anam in his interview also praised Whatmore's work to lift Bangladesh's cricket and credited him for recent success in world cup.

"It was a tremendous performance, we set the goal of winning a place in the Super Eights and we have just won that. Definitely it was a great performance by the team and the coach. Under him the team has grown. We are no longer the same old team."

Bangladesh has little time to respire after world cup as they face India for 2 tests and 3 ODI's which starts on May 10.

Warnapura Ton Guides Sri Lanka A To Series Win

2007-04-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

A classy unbeaten century from opener Malinda Warnapura sealed the one day series for Sri Lanka A as the hosts defeated Bangladesh A by six wickets in the second one dayer to take an unassailable 2-0 lead at P. Saravanamuthu Stadium in Colombo.

In his 104 run innings off of 113 balls, Warnapura smashed 9 boundaries and 3 sixes. Chasing a victory target of 207, a breezy opening partnership of 91 runs from 17.4 overs effectively laid the platform for the series win. Warnapura’s opening partner Dilruwan Perera scored 46 off 63 balls with the aid of 8 boundaries.

The Sri Lankan top order suffered a wobble after Enamul Haque Jr. trapped Perera in front and they were reduced to 138-3. Jehan Mubarak and Warnapura restored Sri Lanka A’s command and won the match convincingly with 5.3 overs to spare.

Earlier, Bangladesh A captain Tushar Imran won the toss and elected to bat first. Bangladesh made a disastrous start as Akalanka Genegama and Ranga Dias ripped through the Bangladesh top order to reduce them to 57-5. Tushar Imran (38 off 55 balls) tried to steady the innings but it was mainly a 7th Wicket 82 run partnership between Farhad Reza and wicket keeper Sahagir Hossain that added some respectability to the Bangladesh total.

Farhad Reza scored 82 runs off 84 balls and cracked 7 boundaries and 3 sixes.

Lokuarachchi broke the partnership by removing Sahagir which triggered another collapse and the last 3 Bangladesh wickets fell for just 6 runs.

For Sri Lanka A, Ishara Amerasinghe and Kaushal Lokuarachchi took 3 wickets each for 34 and 57 runs while Akalanka Genegama and Ranga Dias grabbed two wickets each for 22 and 36 runs respectively.

Bangladesh will play their third and final one-dayer on Wednesday at the same venue.

Bangladesh A: 206 all out in 45 overs (Tushar Imran 38, Farhad Reza 82, Sahagir Hossain 25; Ishara Amerasinghe 3-34, Kaushal Lokuarachchi 3-57).

Sri Lanka A: 207-4 in 44.3 overs (Malinda Warnapura 104 n.o, Dilruwan Perera 46; Mahmudullah Riyad 2-28,).

New Zealand crush Bangladesh by 9 wickets

2007-04-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh continued their struggle in the super eight as Kiwi captain Stephan Fleming struck a superb unbeaten century to guide New Zealand to a convincing nine-wicket win against Bangladesh in their second Super 8 match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua today.

Fleming hammered 102 off 92 balls and shared a 134 run partnership with Hamish Marshall who raced to the fifty with a huge six to secure the win. New Zealand reached their target in just 29.2 overs to maintain the 100% winning record in the tournament. Fleming struck ten fours and three sixes in his match-winning knock. Marshall, who provided vital support to his captain, struck two fours and one six in his 54 ball 50.

New Zealand were well on course from the first over of their run chase and only lost opener Peter Fulton to reach the victory target of 175. Syed Rasel took the only wicket for Bangladesh who wasted couple of opportunities on the field.

Bangladesh looked completely out of sort and failed to pose any threat to Kiwis, a team they defeated in a practice match ahead of the gala event.

Earlier, New Zealand captain Stephen Flemming won the toss and decided to field first. Bangladesh made a cautious start and did not lost any wickets for the first 15 overs. After a sedate 55-run opening stand between Tamim Iqbal and Javed Omar, who replaced out-of-form opener Shahriar Nafees, Bangladesh lost their way in the middle and lost regular wickets without much resistance.

The disintegration started when left-handed Tamim (29) was brilliantly stumped by Brendan McCullum in the 16th over. Javed Omar soon followed him after making a patient 22 off 52 balls.

Aftab Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan repaired the innigs after two quick wickets and formed a 43 run partnership. Aftab again failed to consolidate after a brilliant start and eventually was caught in the deep after making 27 off 38 balls with three boundaries.

New Zealand strike bowler Shane Bond in his second spell ripped through the middle order and removed Saqibul Hasan (25) and Mushfiqur Rahim (0). Bangladesh failed to recover from the double strike and New Zealand established their domination over the course of the game.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar and prolific batsman Mohammad Ashraful did not help Bangladesh?s cause as both them returned to the pavilion without significant contribution.

Finally veteran Mohammad Rafique entertained the crowd with some lusty blows that included two sixes off Scott Styris. The left-hander, who was unbeaten on 30 off 36 balls, shared 34 runs with Syed Rasel for the last wicket to give the Bangladesh total some respectability after the Tigers were reduced to 140-9 in 42.3 overs.

Scott Styris was the pick of New Zealand bowler and grabbed 4 wickets for 43 runs. Jacob Oram continued his impressive run and took 3-30, he made the early breakthrough to remove Bangladeshi opener and finally put the final nail in Bangladesh?s coffin by removing Syed Rasel to bundle out Bangladesh for a meager 174. .

Cautious New Zealand face wounded Tigers in Antigua

2007-04-02T02:17:00.000-07:00

After getting thrashed by champion Australia in their super eight opener, Bangladesh is facing another trans Tasmanian giant New Zealand at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua today. The job of the Tigers are not getting any easier as New Zealand is the only team in the competition, except Australia with a 100% winning record.

Bangladesh brought Kiwis back to the earth after they tormented Australia in the Chappel Hadlee series prior to the world cup and that very recent memory is forcing the Kiwis to keep their feet on the ground ahead of the super eight clash.

New Zealand skipper Stephen Flemming was cautiously optimistic to ease past Bangladesh but paid respect to the potential challenge the Tigers might pose.

"They turned us over in the warm-up game and if conditions are right, they can be quite a handful," he said.

"The danger is complacency, under-estimating what they can do. They bowl a different length, they provide different challenges, challenges you don't get facing your own bowlers in the nets - so that's where the adjustment comes from," he added.

Apart from the in-form fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh's key weapon is their slow left arm army led by Mohammad Rafique. The spin trio has got the variation and discipline to keep things tight in the crucial middle overs to check the run flow. Bangladesh will be certainly hoping for a full 50 over match for the best utilization of their strengths.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar is determined to bounce back after the humiliating defeat in the curtailed opening match and promised a better show.

"We have beaten New Zealand in a warm-up game and we had a good win against India. The match against Australia was a tough one and 22 over match made the situation even more difficult. We made few early mistakes and the boys are keen to rectify those against the Kiwis" said Bashar.

"We strongly believe that if we play together, we can beat anyone" Bashar added. It shows that the huge defeat against Aussies has failed to dent the fearlessness of the young Tigers and they want to continue their hunt in the second round of the world cup.

"We had a team talk after the (Australia) match and I heard from all the boys they think, they are not finished yet. They want to do something against New Zealand to keep their tournament alive."

If Bangladesh's youth brigade can translate their optimism in the field, they have got the potential to topple the Kiwis yet another time.

Syed Rasel is likely to regain his place in Bangladesh side after Tapsh Baisya suffered a foot injury against Australia. For New Zealand, Mark Gillespie might get the nod to play his first match of the competition.

Squads

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (capt), Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Tapash Baisya, Syed Rasel, Rajin Saleh, Javed Omar.

New Zealand (from): Stephen Fleming (capt), Peter Fulton, Hamish Marshall, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum (wk), James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Michael Mason, Shane Bond, Jeetan Patel.

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Rudi Koertzen (South Africa)

Australia blow away Bangladesh by 10 wickets

2007-03-31T14:42:00.001-07:00

Australia made light work to see off Bangladesh in their rain affected super eight encounter at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. After restricting Bangladesh to 104-6 in 22 overs, Australia raced to the victory in just 13.5 overs without losing any wicket. Wet outfield caused by overnight rain forced a curtailed match of 22 overs a side.

In-form Aussie opener Matthew Hayden remained unbeaten on 47 runs and his opening partner Adam Gilchrist scored a fluent 59 runs in 44 balls in the 106 run partnership. Bangladesh wasted the only opportunity when young wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim misjudged an outside edge from Gilchrist of the bowling of Tapsh Baisya which went for a boundary.

Australia made a terrific reply and raced to 50 in just 6.4 overs, spinners reduced the run flow but failed to cause any damage in the Australian innings and they reached the target with more than 8 overs to spare.

Earlier, a disciplined bowling display from Australia led by Glenn McGrath restricted Bangladesh to a meager 104-6 in the stipulated 50 overs. McGrath took 3 wickets for 16 runs to reduce Bangladesh to 25-3 and Bangladesh never recovered from that position.

Bangladeshi top order batsmen played too many shots too early and that caused their downfall. Dashing opener Tamim Iqbal was first to go when he was deceived by a slower from Nathan Bracken. McGrath immediately removed Shahriar Nafees by a beautiful Yorker and Bangladesh lost the momentum required to post a competitive total.

Aftab Ahmed and Mohammad Ashraful played some beautiful shots but failed to carry on and went cheaply which effectively blown away the opportunity to crate any upset against Australia.

Habibul Bashar played a patient innings of 24 taking 43 balls which slowed Bangladesh progress remarkably. A 36 ball 25 from Saqibul Hasan and some late hitting from Mashrafe Mortaza lifted Bangladesh score to 104.

Nathan Bracken continued his impressive form in the tournament and picked 2 wickets for 20 runs, Shaun Tait who was the most expensive among Australian bowlers picked 1 wicket for 28 runs.

There were plenty of drama and uncertainty before the start of the match as overnight rain resulted in a wet outfield with a number of patchy areas. After an unscheduled delay of about 5 hours and six bouts of inspection the match was finally started at 14:30 local time (18:30 GMT) and was curtailed to 22 overs a side.

Two big quagmires on the boundary's edge were the main area of concern for umpires in every inspection. Poor ground management and lack of initiatives from WICB caused resulted in longer delay than expected.

First, the ?super sopper? broke down and then the grounds men lacked resources to make the field ready for play. Some ground staff even tried to soak water by jumping on pieces of sponges. The efforts were inadequate to say the least and as the sun was shining and there were good wind, the field was finally left to the nature?s will to dry up.

Fearless Bangladesh ready to face rampant Australia in Antigua

2007-03-31T05:10:00.001-07:00

An intrepid Bangladesh begins their world cup super eight campaign against in-form Australia today at Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua. Bangladesh team has shown no intention to succumb to the fear factor of facing raging Australia and are determined to pull off another surprise like they did in Cardiff in 2005.

Current holder Australia is back in its best after drubbing tournament favorites South Africa and West Indies in previous two matches. On the way to the record hattrick world cup crown they are aiming to brush Bangladesh aside while Bangladesh camp has shown a lot of character ahead of the clash and are ready to embrace the champions. Australia has scored over 300 runs in their last six ODI and they 83 run defeat they inflicted on South Africa is the lowest margin of their victory.

After Australia captain challenged the oppositions to put them in after winning toss, Bangladesh captain Bashar vowed to follow their own game plan to interrupt winning trot of the Aussies. Bashar insisted that Bangladesh will make the life of the world champion's difficult to secure the win.

"We're not finished yet, it is not going to be easy; it will be very tough. But we believe it is not an impossible task. We had a good win against New Zealand, another against India - and we strongly believe that if we play well together on our day we can beat anyone" said Bashar in an interview with Prothom Alo, a Dhaka based daily.

The youthful Bangladesh wants to enjoy their game against the tournament favorites and feeling no pressure ahead of their toughest encounter of the tournament. Mohammad Ashraful, the hero of Cardiff win against Australia promised positive cricket on the field and Mashrafe Mortaza, the center point of Bangladeshi bowling vowed to unsettle the dominant Aussie top order to take the command. These optimisms can only show the part of the morale of Bangladesh team who qualified to the super eight after toppling India.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting rubbished speculations of a Cardiff replay and believes the cricket they are playing will be good enough to outperform Bangladesh. Australia in current form can easily demolish the young Bangladesh side but taking them lightly can turn into a costly affair as Bangladesh has already established them as the "Surprise Packet" of the tournament.

Australians are a bit concerned about the batting form of Michael Hussey and he may get a promotion in batting order in today's match. Bangladesh is most likely field the same team that played against India.

Australia (probable) Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Mike Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Tait.

Bangladesh (probable) Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Saqibul Hasan, Aftab Ahmed, Habibul Bashar (captain), Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Abdul Razzak, Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafee Mortaza, Syed Rasel.

Umpires - Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Billy Bowden (New Zealand).

Ponting Wary of Improved Bangladesh

2007-03-31T05:09:00.001-07:00

Australian captain Ricky Ponting showed his awareness about the potential challenge from a youthful and improved Bangladesh in their super eight clash at Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua on March 31.

Ponting admitted that Bangladesh has made a dramatic progress in their cricketing ability over the last couple of years and they can pose significant threat to major oppositions.

"Bangladesh has progressed quite dramatically, they could have almost won the first Test match over there (last year )", Ponting said recalling the memories of famous Fatullah test in Bangladesh.

According to Ponting the young Bangladesh side can only progress upwards from their current position and they are in the right direction under Dav Whatmore.

"You just have to look at some of the younger guys in their side now, and see how they played against India early on, they're definitely a nation on the way up, and they've got good, exciting young players. Dav Whatmore is doing a fantastic job with them," added Ponting while talking to AAP ahead of Bangladesh tie.

He particularly picked dashing opener Tamim Iqbal as one of the most aggressive player of Bangladesh side and Australians are analyzing his strengths and weaknesses to get him cheaply.

"The young left hander (Tamim Iqbal) who got 51 early on in the tournament looked particularly aggressive and we've got some footage."

Australians have a lot of knowledge about the young Tigers as two of their coaching staff worked with Bangladesh U-19 squad with current bunch of players. Australians are using their experience to find out tactics to tame the Tigers.

"(Centre of Excellence senior coach) Richard McInnes and (Australia strength and conditioning coach) Justin Cordy worked with a lot of the Bangladeshis when they were over there so we have a bit of information on them."

Bangladesh will be banking on the memories of toppling Australia in Cardiff in 2005 and after qualifying from group of death they are keen to progress further.

There are no injury worries in Bangladesh side and they have declared 12 men squad for the Aussie clash and included young exciting fast bowler Shahadat Hossain for the first time in the tournament.

Ponting Wary of Improved Bangladesh

2007-03-30T06:33:00.001-07:00

Ponting admitted that Bangladesh has made a dramatic progress in their cricketing ability over the last couple of years and they can pose significant threat to major oppositions.

"Bangladesh has progressed quite dramatically, they could have almost won the first Test match over there (last year )", Ponting said recalling the memories of famous Fatullah test in Bangladesh.

According to Ponting the young Bangladesh side can only progress upwards from their current position and they are in the right direction under Dav Whatmore.

He particularly picked dashing opener Tamim Iqbal as one of the most aggressive player of Bangladesh side and Australians are analyzing his strengths and weaknesses to get him cheaply.

"The young left hander (Tamim Iqbal) who got 51 early on in the tournament looked particularly aggressive and we've got some footage."

Bangladesh will be banking on the memories of toppling Australia in Cardiff in 2005 and after qualifying from group of death they are keen to progress further.

There are no injury worries in Bangladesh side and they have declared 12 men squad for the Aussie clash and included young exciting fast bowler Shahadat Hossain for the first time in the tournament.

"Bangladesh ready for super eight challenge" - Bashar

2007-03-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar trashed negative talks about Bangladesh's qualification in the world cup super eight and want to prove their worth with some victories.

Bashar was upbeat ahead of the first super eight encounter against current champion Australia.

"Making the Super 8s is a significant step for improvement of Bangladesh cricket, we've played well to be here," said Bashar while talking to AP. "It's an exciting time for Bangladesh, we want to continue our good performance and are seeking to post some victories," Bashar added. "We're not here to make up the numbers."

Bangladesh captain also showed optimism about Bangladesh's chances in the super eight and is keen to silence the critics with performances on the field.

"There were people who doubted our ability and this is our chance to prove things," Bashar said.

According to Bashar, Bangladesh will be under less pressure in the super eight stage as they will have opportunities to learn from their mistakes to bounce back.

"The preliminary round was more of a knock out competition, we'd been out of the tournament had we lost both to India and Sri Lanka, but now we'll have six matches."

Bangladesh has reached Antigua where they will play their first two super eight matches against Australia and New Zealand. Bangladesh captain was happy to start super eight campaign in Antigua as they are already familiar with the island conditions. Bangladesh launched their world cup campaign playing a tri-series featuring Bermuda and Canada in Antigua.

"We're glad to be back in Antigua, where we won that tri-series," he said. "We like this venue, the boys are upbeat about the upcoming challenge."

Chandana Spins Sri Lanka A To Victory

2007-03-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka A completed the clean sweep in the 2 match test series against Bangladesh A by winnings the 2nd Match by 101 runs at Colts Cricket Ground in Colombo today (Wednesday).

Bangladesh A succumbed to the Sri Lanka A slow bowlers as they shared all 10 wickets of the second innings and were all out for 239 runs in 84 overs.

It was Upul Chandana who put Sri Lanka in command after Bangladesh A started the final day confidently chasing a victory target of 341. Once part-timer Jehan Mubarak broke the 60 run opening partnership, Chandana ripped through the Bangladesh top order with 3 quick wickets and reduced them to 76-4 and Bangladesh never recovered from that position.

In the middle of the Bangladesh innings Nadif Chowdhury (75) and Mohammad Sharif (35) formed an 83 run partnership in a bid to save the match but Chandana struck again to remove Sharif to end any Bangladesh hope.

Jehan Mubarak and Rangana Herath shared the last four wickets as the Bangladesh tail could not provide sufficient resistance and lost last 3 wickets for 9 runs.

Upul Chandana was the pick of the Sri Lanka A attack and took 4 wickets for 67 runs, Rangana Herath and Jehan Mubark took 3 wickets each for 38 and 53 runs respectively.

The two teams will play a 3 match one day series which starts at the same venue on March 31, the last two limited-over games will take places at the P Sara Stadium also in the Sri Lankan capital on April 2 and 4.

Final Scores

Sri Lanka A: 395 (Michael Vandort 114, Jehan Mubarak 55, Kaushal Silva 75 ; Enamul Haque 6-106, Mohammad Sharif 2-36) and 184-6 dec (Jehan Mubarak 51, Kanchana Gunawardene 51; Mosharraf Hossain 5-69)

Bangladesh A: 239 (Mehrab Hossain 51, Tushar Imran 38, Mahmudullah 37*; Rangana Herath 5-45, Sujeewa Silva 2-44) and 239 (Nadif Chowdhury 75, Mohammad Sharif 35; Upul Chandana 4-67, Rangana Herath 3-38, Jehan Mubarak 3-53)

Mosharraf Revives Bangladesh A In Colombo

2007-03-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

After the magic of Enamul Haque Jr., another slow left arm bowler Mosharraf Hossain took 5 wickets in the Sri Lanka A second innings to revive Bangladesh A in the second test match at Colts Cricket ground in Colombo.

Bangladesh A need 325 runs on the final day of the test to square the series. Bangladesh A captain Tushar Imran showed optimism to finish the uphill task and end the series on a high.

Earlier, Bangladesh could only add 38 more runs to their overnight score of 201-7 and conceded a massive 156 run deficit. Sri Lankan test cap Rangana Herath grabbed 5 wickets for 45 runs.

Sri Lanka A declared their second innings on 184-6 setting 341 as the victory target for Bangladesh. Kanchana Gunawardene and Jehan Mubarak scored 51 runs each amid wicket feast of Mosharraf. He effectively slowed Sri Lanka A charge and bagged 5 wickets for 69 runs.

Bangladesh A opener Jahurul Islam (7) and Mehrab Hossain (6) negotiated the 7 oevrs left in the day. Bangladesh finished the day on 16-0 and still require 325 runs to win the test and level the series.

Sri Lanka A: 395 (Michael Vandort 114, Jehan Mubarak 55, Kaushal Silva 75 ; Enamul Haque 6-106, Mohammad Sharif 2-36) and 184-6 dec (Jehan Mubarak 51, Kanchana Gunawardene 51; Mosharraf Hossain 5-69)

Bangladesh A: 239 (Mehrab Hossain 51, Tushar Imran 38, Mahmudullah 37*; Rangana Herath 5-45, Sujeewa Silva 2-44) and 16-0 (Jahurul Islam 7* and Mehrab Hossain 6*)

"Bangladesh has the right combination" - Dav Whatmore

2007-03-27T07:02:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore believes his Tigers can surprise the stronger teams in the super eight and has got bright future ahead. He expressed his satisfaction with the overall progress of the team leading to world cup and was in jubilant mood after Tigers world cup success. Bangladesh will be starting their second round campaign against Whatmore's home country Australia on 31 March at Antigua.

Before the start of the world cup, Whatmore termed his team as the "Surprise Packet" of the world cup and after defeating India and progressing to second round; Bangladesh is looking forward to make more surprises.

"It's a terrific combination, young boys are enjoying their game and are keen to produce more surprises in the super eight", said Whatmore pointing out the exuberance and fearless nature of his youth brigade in an interview with AFP. "We've got a couple of more experienced players, but the vast majority of them are under 25, which is absolutely perfect for an emerging team like us", Whatmore added.

Whatmore was particularly happy that his boys are getting opportunity to prove their worth against the top teams of the world. "They now have an absolutely wonderful opportunity to play against seven of the world's best sides and they will grow enormously because of that experience. I understand that we are still ranked number nine in the world and have a long way to go before we are consistently challenging the big boys".

"But we've got the resources and talent to really progress and we will be going to the Super Eights to really enjoy ourselves. And from a personal point of view it's great to be in a position where your team is playing well and your methods are being validated," said Whatmore who was the mentor of Sri Lankan resurgence 1996 world cup.

Whatmore also showed his satisfaction with the approach of Bangladesh team in the crucial match against Bermuda which they won by 7 wickets despite some early wobbling.

"I thought the last game against Bermuda was an extremely difficult one and the boys did brilliantly to keep their focus," said Whatmore. "I know we were only chasing a small total [96], but the ball was doing all sorts of things out there in the first ten overs, and it took a very brave batting performance from the middle order to get us through", he added.

"They've never really been in that situation before, with so much on the line and with so much to lose. This is very significant for us. It's something we always believed we could do if we played to the best of our ability and had a little bit of luck".

Within the super eights, Bangladesh was the first team to arrive in the Caribbean to play a tri-series involving Bermuda and Canada at Antigua. Whatmore believes this early arrival helped Bangladesh to understand the Caribbean condition and was crucial for their group stage success.

Sri Lanka A On Top Despite Enamul Magic

2007-03-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh A is fighting to reduce the first innings deficit in the second unofficial test match against Sri Lanka A at Colts Cricket Ground in Colombo. The tourists ended day 2 with a score of 201-7, still trailing by 194 runs.

Earlier, Bangladesh test cap Enamul Haque Jnr. took 6 wickets for 106 runs to restrict Sri Lanka A to 395 runs. The home side added 99 runs to their overnight score of 296-5 as Enamul picked up 4 of the 5 Sri Lanka A wickets to fall on day 2.

In reply, Bangladesh A started well but lost the momentum in the middle. After sharing a 69 run opening partnership Jahurul Islam (23) was first to go and his departure triggered a mini collapse in Bangladesh innings as they were reduced to 114-4. Captain Tushar Imran (37) and young all-rounder Mahmudullah (37*) restored some respectability to the Bangladesh A total. Mehrab Hossain top scored for Bangladesh with 51 runs. Sujeewa Silva, Rangana Herath and Upul Chandana took 2 wickets each for Sri Lanka A.

Earlier, Sri Lanka A started the day confidently as veteran Upul Chandana (43) and wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva (75) shared a 105 run partnership to put Sri Lanka A in the driving seat. After Enamul trapped Chandana in front of the stumps, Sri Lanka A innings lost the direction and lost last 5 wickets for 28 runs. Enamul wrapped up the innings as the last 3 Sri Lanka A wicket fell without troubling the scorers on 395.

Sri Lanka A: First innings 395 all out in 117 overs (Michael Vandort 114, Jehan Mubarak 55, Kaushal Silva 75 ; Enamul Haque 6-106, Mohammad Sharif 2-36).

Bangladesh A: First innings 201 -7 in 57 overs (Mehrab Hossain 51, Tushar Imran 38, Mahmudullah 37*; Sujeewa Silva 2-36, Rangana Herath 2-39, Upul Chandana 2-54)

Bangladesh storm into "Super Eights"

2007-03-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh cricket team stormed into the super 8 of ICC Cricket World Cup by defeating Bermuda by 7 wickets at Queens Park Oval in Trinidad. With this win Bangladesh joins Sri Lanka to Super 8 and eliminates pre-tournament favorite India from the World Cup.

Bangladesh Cricket has reached a new height today as they reached the second round of World Cup for the first time in history. This is the biggest ever success for Bangladesh Cricket.

This historic win came as the Independence Day gift for 150 million Bangladeshis.

Chasing a revised target of 96 for victory in 21 overs, Bangladesh did not start well as opening bowler Saleem Mukaddem ripped through the Bangladesh top order and reduced Bangladesh to 37 for 3. He bowled with good line and got tremendous assistance from the wicket. Runs were hard to come and some indiscipline bowling from the other end kept the score board ticking.

Bangladesh batsmen kept their nerve and an unbeaten 59 run fourth wicket partnership between Mohammad Ashraful and Sakib Al Hasan guided Bangladesh to victory in 17.3 overs. Mohammad Ashraful top scored with 29 runs in 32 balls and Sakib Al Hasan was equally prolific in his 35 ball 26.

The match was not that easy for Tigers as the scoreboard is suggesting. After quick loss of 3 wickets Bangladesh were under immense pressure as ball was moving around and Bangladeshi batsmen were struggling to score runs. The arrival of Mohammad Ashraful changed the scenario as he efficiently found the gap and formed the useful partnership with Sakib Al Hasan. The pair finally guided Bangladesh home with 3.3 overs to spare. Mohammad Ashraful was adjudged Man of the Match for his assured 26 run.

Saleem Mukaddem of Bermuda took all the 3 wickets fell and finished with an impressive figure of 3 for 19 in 5 overs.

Earlier, rain dominated the proceedings of the crucial group B tie between Bangladesh and Bermuda at Queens Park Oval. Bangladesh restricted Bermuda to 94 for 9 in the rescheduled 21 over match and requires 95 runs in 21 overs to reach super 8.

It was more than drama in Trinidad today as players were on and off the field at natures will and finally rain allowed the match to resume after 4 unscheduled rain breaks. The start of the match was delayed by one and half hour due to morning shower.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar won the toss and decided to field first. Bangladesh got the desired result in the 5th ball of the match when paceman Mashrafe Mortaza removed Outerbridge for 0. After the first rain break, both Bangladesh opening bowler took one wicket each to put Bangladesh in firm command of the match.

After another painstaking rain delay of another 1 hour, play resumed and the match was initially curtailed to 30 overs a side. Rain again interrupted play at 15.1 overs when Bermuda was 45 for 4. Play remained stopped for another 2 and half hour and the match restarted as a 21 overs affair.

Bermuda had only 5.5 overs play left after the resumption of play. Wickets fell regularly but Bermuda have utilized the opportunity with some brief but effective hitting from DA Minors and Lionel Cann to lift themselves to 94/9 utilizing full 21 overs. Cann took only 6 balls to make 16 with 2 fours and one six.

A poor over from part-timer Aftab Ahmed which costed 17 runs boosted Bermuda innings

Abdur Razzak was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowler. He took 3 wickets for 20 runs in his 4 overs. Saqibul Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza took 2 wickets each for 8 and 12 runs respectively.

"Bangladesh is taking nothing for granted" - Bashar

2007-03-24T12:45:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh camp is much relieved after Sri Lanka trounced India by 69 runs to revive Tigers world cup dream. Now they face a relatively straightforward task of beating Bermuda in their last group match to reach the main stage of the gala event.

Bangladesh Captain Habibul Bashar showed cautious optimism about his side's progress to the super 8 but is not taking super 8 berth for granted while talking to TigerCricket, official site of Bangladesh Cricket Board.

"Bangladesh came to the world cup with the target of reaching super 8. We had our game plan which worked against India. Now after India's loss to Sri Lanka we have a genuine chance of reaching our target", said Bashar.

He also showed his relief due to the outcome of India-Sri Lanka match. "I have to say we are a little relieved because if India had won, then there would not have been any realistic chance of us progressing."

Bangladesh camp closely followed the proceedings of yesterdays match during their training session. After the scheduled session, they went to the Queens Park Oval to watch the action live. Bangladesh team including Coach Dav Whatmore appeared much reassured during the live broadcast after watching India's tame surrender to Sri Lanka

Both India and Sri Lanka created world cup records to brush aside Bermuda in their group B encounters and Bangladesh also outplayed them in recently concluded ICC tri series. But Bashar admitted that this time his side will be under pressure to face Bermuda.

"I'd be lying if I said that there is no pressure on us. Off course there will be pressure because a win would get us into the Super Eight of the World Cup. That is why I will sit with the players today to discuss our mental preparation for the match. For us the Bermuda match will be more of a mental test than a skill related one."

"On the other hand, Bermuda has nothing to lose and they will try to finish the world cup with a high", Bashar added.

Bangladesh Captain is relying on the exuberance of his youth brigade to outshine Bermuda. He is also pleased with the attitude of the young tigers despite suffering massive defeat in their last match against Sri Lanka.

"What pleases me though is the fact that the boys badly want to play in the Super Eight. After losing to Sri Lanka, they were really tensed. After India's loss to Sri Lanka, they are keen to make super 8 a reality."

Bashar urged a spirited performance from his young guns in the next game against Bermuda. "We still have a job to do. We are not thinking about the Super Eight yet. We need a committed and spirited performance against Bermuda and that is our main focus. We are taking one game at a time," Bashar added.

Bangladesh camp is a bit concerned about the fitness of left arm spinner Abdur Razzak who developed a minor groin problem during Sri Lanka clash.

Bangladesh will play Bermuda in the last match of the group stage on 25 March at Queens Park oval

Ruthless Lions revive Tigers world cup dream

2007-03-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka showed another clinical display on the field to see off media favorite India and stormed into the super 8 of the ICC cricket world cup. Sri Lanka crushed India's super 8 dreams by defeating them by 69 runs.

Sri Lanka's convincing win over India revived Bangladesh's super 8 dream and they just need to win the match against Bermuda to reach the second round of the world cup. Considering the form of the two teams it should not take much effort from Bangladesh to defeat Bermuda.

This loss will be come hard to billions of Indian fans as before the tournament they were highly tipped as one of the favorites to lift the cup. India's demise started from the first match of the tournament when a below par performance resulted in an unexpected 5 wicket loss to Bangladesh. India?s departure will also mean huge loss to the sponsors and television companies as India is the main revenue earning ground for cricket.

Sri Lanka was completely dominant in todays match and never allowed India to play their normal game. They batted well, fielding was extra ordinary and Indians had no answer to their controlled bu aggressive bowling attack.

Chasing a victory target of 255 to win, India started well but once they lost Uthappa, India started to derail. Chaminda Vaas took an outstanding catch of his own bowling to dismiss Uthappa. India lost wickets regularly and was never on the track since then. former Captains Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar failed to rise to the occasion fell cheaply for 7 and 0 respectively. In the middle Sehwag and captain Rahul dravid tried to resist the Sri Lankan dominance but Sehwag eventually fell to a brilliant Murali doosra. When Murali trapped Dhoni for a golden duck, 255 looked completely out of reach for India.

Indian Captain Rahul Dravid tried his best to steady to the innings but found no one to give him company. At the end he desperately tried to keep the tempo with the ever increasing run rate and took 17 runs from Malinga's eighth over. He had to play his shots to have any chance in the match and that eventually caused his down fall. After getting a life courtesy of Arnold, he fell in the next delivery when he tried to clear the in field. Muttiah Muralitharan took a superb catch covering a lot of ground.

After Dravid's departure Harbhajan Singh made an desperate attempt with a 20 ball 17 but that could only reduce the margin of the defeat. Finally India got bundled out for 180 in 42.1 overs.

Muralitharan was pick of Sri Lankan bowling attack and bowled brilliantly to take 3 wickets for 36 runs. Another veteran Chaminda Vaas removed both the Indian openers and finished with 2 for 39. Malinga, Fernando and Jayasuriya took one wicket each in a aggressive bowling display from Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Indian captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and decided to field first. In a seaming wicket Indian bowlers bowled with aggression and accuracy and restricted Sri Lanka's run flow. Jayasuriya fell cheaply in the deep of Zaheer Khan?s bowling but Tharanga kept his cool and rotated strikes nicely to keep the scoreboard ticking. He formed useful partnerships with Sangakkara to reach his 50. After his departure two brilliant innings from Tilakaratne Dilshan and young Chamara Sillva steadied Sri Lankan innings in the middle. Some late hitting from Chaminda Vaas took Sri Lanka's total to a commanding 254. Zaheer Khan was the most successful Indian bowler ended with a figure of 2 for 49. Agarkar, Patel, ganguly and Tendulkar chipped in with 1 wicket each.

Sonargaon Moves Into Independence Cup Cricket Final

2007-03-24T12:43:00.002-07:00

24 March 2007
Sonargaon Cricketers continued their winning streak and reached into the final of the Independence Cup Cricket Tournament. After drubbing Mohammedan Sporting by 58 runs in the tournament opener, they comfortably defeated Victoria Sporting Club by 22 runs at Dhanmondi Cricket Ground.

After winning toss, Sonargaon Captain Al Shahriar decided to bat first and young guns Marhsall Ayub and Arafat sunny hammered half centuries to lift Sonargaon to a challenging total of 248-9 in 50 overs.

Marshall Ayub made a prolific 78 ball 67 and Arafat sunny took 63 balls to reach his fifty. Captain Al Shahriar made a polished 48 to maintain Sonargaon’s dominance. Sabbir Khan of Victoria took 3 wickets for 54 runs.

In reply, Victoria Sporting had no answer to the bowling of former test player Fahim Muntasir who took four wickets for 24 runs and restricted Victoria to 226 in 46.5 overs.

Nazmul Hossain topscored with 50, while Gazi Salahuddin and Shahnewaz Kabir contributed 42 and 43 runs respectively but could not prevent the loss as Victoria fell 22 runs short from victory target.

The winner between Mohammedan and Victoria will meet Sonargaon in the March 26 final.

Brief Scores
Sonargaon Cricketers : 248-9 in 50 overs (Al-Shahriar 48, Elias Sunny 51, Marshall Ayub 67; Sabbir Khan 3-54).

Victoria: 226 all out in 46.5 overs (Gazi Salahuddin 42, Nazmul Hossain 50, Shahnewaz Kabir 43; Fahim Muntasir 4-24, Marshall Ayub 2-20).

Independence Cup Cricket Gets Underway

2007-03-24T12:43:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has organized the Independence Cup Cricket Tournament to mark the 36th year of independence from Pakistan.

In the opening match last year’s Premier League runner up Sonargaon Cricketers comfortably defeated giant Mohammedan Sporting Club by 58 runs at Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium.

In the absence of leading cricketers of the country, on national duty in the World Cup and touring Sri Lanka with the A team, both the Premiership sides relied on guest players from other Premier league clubs.

After winning the toss Sonargaon Captain Al Shahriar opted to bat first and posted a fighting total of 236 all out in 49.1 overs with opener Hannan Sarkar top scoring with 64 off 68 balls slamming nine fours and one six. Former national all-rounder Alok Kapali and young wicketkeeper Dhiman Ghosh provided useful company in the middle. Dhiman’s 43 ball 44 proved crucial to lift the score above 200.

Farhad Reza, Nabil Samad and Rezaul Islam shared two wickets each for Mohammedan Sporting.

In reply, Mohammedan lost wickets at regular intervals and was eventually bundled out for 184 in 44.2 overs. Sharif Ullah was the top scorer for Mohammedan with 34 runs and Farhad Reza and Ehsanul Haque each scored 32 runs to reduce the margin of defeat. 7 bowlers were utilized by Sonargaon captain Al Shahriar and all chipped in with wickets. Mohammad Azim and Elias Sunny grabbed 2 wickets each while others joined the party with one wicket each.

Victoria Sporting Club is the other team involved in the three-team competition.

Sonargaon Cricketers: 236 all out in 49.1 overs (Hannan Sarkar 64, Dhiman Ghosh 44 , Alok Kapali 25, Manjurul Islam 2-37, Farhad Reza 2-30, Nabil Samad 2-46, Rezaul Islam 2-40).

Mohammedan Sporting Club: 184 all out in 44.2 overs (Rashedul Islam 22, Farhad Reza 32, Ehsanul Haque 32, Sharif Ullah 34, Mohammad Azim 2-32, Elias Sunny 2-28).

Tigers aiming to tame Lions

2007-03-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

After stunning the world cricket by a professional performance against India in the world cup opening match, Tigers are now preparing themselves to repeat similar performance to outshine Sri Lanka.

The confidence is running high in the Bangladesh camp and they are eager to continue the momentum they achieved after arriving in the Caribbean. Since their arrival, Bangladesh have won all the matches they played which includes two memorable wins against title contenders New Zealand and India.

Tigers first match against India was a testing ground for them who weren't playing top teams for about a year. After showing their might against the star-studded India, Bangladeshi think tank is optimistic to outperform Sri Lanka and take the revenge of their World Cup 2003 loss against the Islanders.

Bangladesh came to the Caribbean with the aim to achieve a second round berth and after defeating India, the possibility of progressing to the second round is very bright. Now a win against Sri Lanka can seal the deal and make the India - Sri Lanka tie on March 23 as the do or die clash.

Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore is keen to ensure the second round berth before the final match against Bermuda, as net run rate can be a crucial factor if Tigers fail to beat Sri Lanka.

After a full day rest on Sunday, Tigers returned to their training on Monday and relished every bit of their success during the training session. The boys looked sharp on the field and they enjoyed their practice in the centre wicket of the Queens Park Oval.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar showed his optimism but was aware of the situation before facing the Sri Lankan Lions.

"We are concentrating on one game at a time. We had certain advantages against India as they have not played us for a while but that's not the case against Sri Lanka. We played Sri Lanka in the last year at home and also in the Champions trophy", said Bashar.

"We are playing good cricket, every member of the team is contributing and are in a positive frame of mind. We want to win the match to ensure our second round place. We have defeated them before and are optimistic to repeat the performance", added a smiling Bashar.

Bangladesh team is basking in media lime light after outplaying India in their tournament opener. Coach Dav Whatmore believes this will create a positive impact in the performance of the Tigers on the field.

"The boys are enjoying their success, they have earned the attention they are receiving from the media. After defeating India, they are no longer afraid of any names. It is important to keep that belief and continue the winning momentum," said Whatmore.

Meanwhile, more Bangladeshi fans are arriving in Trinidad every day to follow Tigers dream world cup mission. The first destination for the die-hard supporters is Trinidad Hilton where the Tigers are staying.

Bangladesh team has no reported injury problem and is expected to play the same team that won their first match against India.

Sri Lanka A Take Command Against Bangladesh A

2007-03-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka A dominated the proceedings of the first unofficial test against Bangladesh A at the Colts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo on Monday.

Sri Lanka A captain Thilan Samaraweera and Malinda Warnapura placed Sri Lanka A in a commanding position after scoring magnificent centuries.

The hosts posted 335-2 at close of play with Samaraweera finishing on 129 having received perfect company in Warnapura who remained unbeaten on 177.

Bangladesh A won the toss and asked Sri Lanka A to bat. The tourists got off to a bright start when paceman Nazmul Hossain dismissed openers Michael Vandort (10) and Mahela Udawatte (5) with 22 runs on board.

However, 30-year old Samaraweera, a veteran of 39 Tests and 17 ODIs, and Warnapura dominated the Bangladeshi bowling and prevented any further loss of wickets.

The two added 313 runs for the unbroken third wicket with Samaraweera smashing ten fours in 232 balls while 27-year old left-hander Warnapura was the more aggressive partner as he smashed 21 boundaries in his 291 balls innings.

Sri Lanka A 335/2 (90 overs): Vandort 10, Udawatte 5, Warnapura 177*, Samaraweera 129*; Nazmul 2/57

Aftermath of historic win: Tigers are keeping feet on the ground

2007-03-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh camp was in jubilant mood after the historic win against India in their world cup opener at Queens Park Oval, but they refused to get carried away with the win. The tigers are aiming to take one match at a time to fulfill their world cup target which is a second round berth.

After Mushfiqur Rahim hit the winning run in the famous victory, the Tigers enjoyed every minute of the triumphant victory. Everyone was on their toes jumping, singing and shouting. Sources close to Tigers reveal that, they were confident of this win long before the match started in Trinidad. This only shows the confidence level of Bangladesh after defeating former world champions.

The wonder boy Mushfiqur Rahim said "I hope, this is the last time media uses the word 'minnow' for Bangladesh" the post match presentation, The tone of the dressing room was nothing different.

According to captain Habibul Bashar, Tigers early arrival in the Caribbean and in particular the tri-seris at Antigua gave them a much needed edge over India.

"We have adjusted to the wickets here and know exactly what to expect. We were the first team to arrive in the Caribbean and the warm-ups in Antigua and Barbados have certainly helped," said Bashar.

The confidence of Bangladesh team was echoed by vice-captain Shahriar Nafees who is one of the key figures of Tigers recent success.

"The pressure is on them but we don?t really care. In fact most of the boys do not even bother about reputation of the opponents. This is not something enforced; it has come from within,"

"The boys were walking tall, enjoying tall and training tall", he added.

The memory of Manjural Islam Rana was all over the place in the victory celebration of the Tigers.

Man of the match Mashrafe Mortaza recalled the memory of friend Late Manjural Islam and said "This one's for (Manjural) Rana" and "(Manjural) Rana's death have shattered us but we were keen to win the match for Rana". "He was my best friend. I dedicate today's man of the match award to (Manjural) Rana,"

"(Manjural) Rana would have been so proud. I'm sure he's watching us from above," said Bashar who admitted that he had difficulty sleeping the night before the match as Rana's face kept appearing in his thoughts.

The young Tamim Iqbal who was a revelation against India was in top mood after his heroics.

"I just forgot that I had been hit. I don't think I could have continued for long if I had let that thought get to me. It was a good ball and that's about it," said Tamim.

When asked about his on-field bust up with Munaf Patel, Tamim promptly replied "He (Munaf Patel) said something and I told him some things too,"

The Tigers enjoyed a rest day on Sunday and only went for a light swimming session. Tigers will face Sri Lanka in their next match on March 21.

"It is a great victory for Bangladesh cricket" - Bashar

2007-03-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh Captain Habibul Bashar termed yesterday's historic win against India as a great victory for Bangladesh Cricket. He was understandably very happy with the way the Tigers brought down India with a superior display in all departments of the game.

"It is a memorable day. The boys have done a very good job today. It was difficult to know what to do so it was a good toss to lose. I think we would have had a bowl first anyway because we always thought it would do something in the first overs", Bashar said in the post match presentation.

Bangladesh restricted star-studded Indian batting line up to a modest 191 with a much disciplined one day bowling which was equally supported by agile fielding by the young Tigers. He had all sorts of praise for his bowlers -

"I was very happy with how we bowled. Because we only have two seamers we knew we had to get a breakthrough with the new ball and they did that. Mushrafe (Mortaza) did a great job, as did Syed Rasel. After that the spinners came to the party and did a terrific job as well".

Three young Tigers with an average age of 18 led the Bangladesh reply in batting and Bashar acknowledged their invaluable contribution which ensured Bangladesh win.

"When you are playing a team like India you always have to work hard for it. So in all I was delighted with how we batted. Tamim Iqbal got us off to a great start and after that Mushfiqur Rahim and Saqib al Hasan took it up and made sure we won the match", said Bashar who could not hide his enjoyment with this emphatic win.

However Bashar was not overjoyed by the situation, he was very clear about the ultimate goal of Bangladesh team which is a second round berth.

"This is a World Cup victory and it is great for us. It gives us a real chance of qualifying for the Super Eight stage. I think it is a great victory for Bangladesh."

Bashar eventually dedicated the win to Manjural Islam Rana who was killed in a tragic road accident on March 16.

Bangladesh declares emergence crushing Indian hopes by 5 wickets

2007-03-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh made history today by defeating pre-tournament favorite India by 5 wickets in their world cup opener in Queens Park Oval, Trinidad.

Bangladesh bowled out India's star studded batting line up to a modest 191 on a good batting pitch which at the end proved inadequate to restrict Bangladesh, the emerging powerhouse of cricket world. Bangladesh romped to the victory by 5 wickets with 9 balls to spare.

Bangladesh made the perfect start to overcome Indian challenge when left-handed rookie opener Tamim Iqbal, three days short of his 18th birthday, smashed a 53 ball 51 with 7 boundaries and 2 sixes. He showed brilliant maturity with aggressiveness and balls started to disappear all over the park.

After his departure fellow left hander Sakib Al Hasan (53 of 86 balls) took the charge and formed a match deciding 84 run partnership with wicket keeper Batsman Mushfiqur Rahim (56* of 107 balls). Indian bowling had almost no answer to their calm and assuring batting. Mushfiqur Rahim was promoted to the batting order after early departure of opener Shahriar Nafees and he steered the Tigesr home through scoring the winning run.

With this win, Bangladesh made a significant progress to reach the second round of world cup while India faces a stern challenge to qualify. They must win the remaining two matches against group mate Sri Lanka and Bermuda to remain alive in the tournament.

Bangladesh made Indian batting and bowling ordinary and outperformed India in every discipline of the game.

None of Indian bowlers except Munaf Patel posed any threat to Bangladeshi young batting line up. Munaf removed danger man Tamim and Aftab Ahmed. Patel finished the game with a figure of 39-2. Lately Sehwag chipped in with couple of wickets but it was too late for the Indians.

Bangladesh dedicated this win to fellow Tiger, Manjural Islam Rana who was killed in a tragic road accident on 16 March.

Earlier, Bangladesh restricted India to 191 in their opening match of world cup in Trinidad. Indian long and experienced batting line up had almost no answer to an aggressive and disciplined bowling display from Bangladesh.

Only former captain Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh showed some resistance and scored 66 and 47 respectively to add some respectability to the total. India was all out in 49.3 over. Indian Captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and decided to bat first. Bangladesh took no time to prove the decision wrong when their opening bowler Mashrafee Mortaza removed out of form Sehwag in his second over and in form Robin Uthappa to reduce India to 21-2 in 6.4 overs. Experienced Sachin Tendulkar tried to repair the Indian innings with former Captain Sourav Ganguly. But scoring runs looked one of the most difficult job in the world.

Bangladesh kept the pressure on India with tight bowling and equally inspiring fielding. When Razzak in his first over removed Sachin, Indian hope of making big score looked a far cry. Captain Rahul Dravid tried to steady the Indian innings with a 32 run partnership but eventually fell to Mohammad Rafiq who trapped him LBW in his very first over. In-form Yuvraj joined with Ganguly, they played with caution and posted a vital 85 run partnership in the middle. Once Razzak removed Yuvraj, Indian innings disintegrated immediately. Ganguly was next to follow and then Rafiq and Razzak caused the havoc in the Indian innings as they lost 5 wickets scoring only 2 runs. At one point India was struggling at 159/9 but a 32 run partnership in the last wicket frustrated Bangladesh and add some valuable runs to Indian total.

For Bangladesh, Mashrafee Mortaza was the pick of bowlers with a figure of 4 for 38, Slow left arm spinner duo, Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Rafiq shared the rest 6 wickets with figures of 3-38 and 3-36 respectively.

Bangladesh plays their next match on 21 March against Sri Lanka while India will take on Bermuda on 19 March.

Bangladesh Dedicates World Cup Mission To Manjural

2007-03-16T11:12:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh team received the news of the sad demise of fellow Tiger 'Manjural Islam Rana' at their team hotel at Port of Spain. The team was in shock to hear the loss of a close friend who was very popular among his team mates.

In a team meeting they decided to dedicate their world cup mission to Manjural.

"If we do something good in this World Cup we will dedicate that to (Manjural) Rana," said skipper Habibul Bashar.

He also paid tribute to Manjural’s eternal soul, "It is terribly distressing news and we don’t have words to express our shock and grief. The players are absolutely stunned. Our heart goes out to Rana’s family and may the Almighty grant his soul eternal peace".

Bashar also expressed his grief at the sad demise of Setu who was on the back seat of the same motorbike Rana was riding.

"It is a great loss for our cricket. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to Setu’s young family," he added.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh have selected rookie opener Tamim Iqbal for tomorrow’s vital clash against India. They have declared a 12 man squad leaving out veteran opener Javed Omer, batsman Rajin Saleh and fast bowler Shahadat Hossain Rajib. The final playing XI will be selected after seeing the wicket tomorrow.

Bangladesh squad

Habibul Bashar (Captain), Shahriar Nafees Ahmed (VC), Tamim Iqbal Khan, Aftab Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mohammed Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Syed Rasel, Tapash Baishya.

© Khondaker Mirazur Rahman

Whatmore: Bangladesh Poised to Face India Challenge

2007-03-16T11:11:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore has played down speculation that Bangladesh will be under pressure when facing India in their opening World Cup encounter on 17th March at Port of Spain.

Whatmore believes that his boys are aware about the “off the field” luminary status of the opponents but are equals on the field.

"I hope our guys are not influenced by the superstar status of Indian cricketers. Maybe off the field, but I would be very upset if it is on the field," said Whatmore who turned 53 today.

A win against India will definitely be his dream birthday gift from his Tigers.

"Once you walk on to the ground, we are equals. We would be looking to keep our focus despite who the person is, after all he too has got two arms and legs." Whatmore admitted that India is still favorite for the clash and his side will play as the underdog but he talked down the discussions about the minnow status of Bangladesh.

"I would like to know what minnows stand for in the Oxford Dictionary. We have beaten better ranked teams but yes they are all rated above us. India is just one of them. We have to contend with that and India is the first one." He added.

Whatmore preferred the term “surprise packets" to describe the young Tigers. Bangladesh’s group B tie with India will be their 150th one-day international.

© Khondaker Mirazur Rahman

Bangladesh Mourns Loss Of Manjural Islam Rana

2007-03-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh left arm spinner Manjarul Islam Rana died in a road accident near his hometown of Khulna on Friday. Manjarul, 23, died instantly on the Baliakhali bridge in Dumuria Upazila, 18 km from the divisional headquarters Khulna.

His Khulna team mate Sajjadul Hasan Setu was also killed in the same accident. Manjarul returned to Khulna yesterday after the final round tie of the National Cricket League against Dhaka.

Manjural played six tests and 25 one-day internationals for Bangladesh. He made his ODI debut against England at Chittagong in November 2003 and test debut at Harare in February 2004. He last played for Bangladesh on 25 March 2006 in the 4th ODI against Kenya.

Manjural was the only Bangladeshi bowler to claim a wicket in his first international over. In recent years, Manjural turned into a fine all-round player and was the leading performer of the recently concluded National Cricket League. He was considered as a bright prospect for Bangladesh cricket and was highly tipped to be as the replacement of veteran Mohammad Rafiq after his retirement from the one day cricket.

Sajjadul Hasan played 50 first class matches for Khulna and scored 2443 runs.

The Bangladesh national team will wear a black band to mourn the incident in their World Cup match against India tomorrow.

© Khondaker Mirazur Rahman

National Cricket League One Day Competition

2007-03-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Bangladesh Cricket Board have announced the itinerary of the National Cricket League one day (list A) competition. The List A competition will start on 27th March in 3 different venues and the final round will be played on 4th April. In the opening day current holder Rajshahi hosts Khulna, Dhaka hosts Barisal and Chittagong will travel to Sylhet. Six divisional teams will play with each other in a single league. The team with the highest points after the final round will be the winner.

Itinerary of the one-day competition of the Ispahani Mirazapore Tea 8th National Cricket League 2006-2007:

Date Team VS Team Venue

27/03/07 Rajshahi Division vs Khulna Division NOS
27/03/07 Dhaka Division vs Barisal Division DCS
27/03/07 Chittagong Division vs Sylhet Division BKSP
29/03/07 Rajshahi Division vs Barisal Division BKSP
29/03/07 Dhaka Division vs Sylhet Division NOS
29/03/07 Chittagong Division vs Khulna Division DCS
31/03/07 Rajshahi Division vs Sylhet Division NOS
31/03/07 Dhaka Division vs Chittagong Division BKSP
31/03/07 Barisal Division vs Khulna Division DCS
02/04/07 Rajshahi Division vs Chittagong Division NOS
02/04/07 Dhaka Division vs Khulna Division DCS
02/04/07 Sylhet Division vs Barisal Division BKSP
04/04/07 Rajshahi Division vs Dhaka Division DCS
04/04/07 Chittagong Division vs Barisal Division NOS
04/04/07 Sylhet Division vs Khulna Division BKSP

DCS: Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
NOS: Narayangonj Osmani Stadium, Fatullah
BKSP: Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan

"Hard Work Of Whatmore Is Paying The Dividend" - Bashar

2007-03-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

gladesh's recent turn around in world Cricket. According to Bashar, their coach Dave Whatmore has changed the overall approach of Bangladesh team and transformed his side into a winning outfit.

"Whatmore has helped our players realise that the importance of hard work. They have been told what role to play. He has given us the confidence to beat strong teams and we have been doing it," he said.

He was very clear about his goal and said "Our performances in the warm-up matches have been encouraging. If we play good cricket we will keep on winning. No one should take us lightly anymore. Our target is to play second round"

Bangladesh's opening game in the World Cup will be their 150th one-day international. Tigers are keen to celebrate the land mark with the same result they obtained in their 100th one-day international against the same opposition in December 2004.