Thanks to a brilliant bowling display and an explosive knock from Towhid Hridoy, Bangladesh got off to a winning start in the ongoing T20 World Cup as the Tigers beat Sri Lanka by two wickets in their Group D encounter at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today.

After Rishad Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman claimed three wickets each to restrict Sri Lanka to 124 for nine, Hridoy smashed a 20-ball 40 and Liton Das played a sensible 38-ball 36-run knock to see Bangladesh over the line in 19 overs. 

However, things got a bit nervy at the end as Bangladesh lost four wickets for just 14 runs, slumping from 99 for four to 113 for eight in 17.4 overs. Pacer Matheesha Pathirana had Shakib Al Hasan caught at third man before Nuwan Thushara got rid of Rishad Hossain and Taskin Ahmed in successive deliveries in the 18th over. 

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ICC T20 World Cup 2024: All Bangladesh fixtures

Bangladesh did manage to survive and got within just five runs of the target when Mahmudullah Riyad smashed Dasun Shanaka for a maximum in the first ball of the penultimate over. The Tigers got over the line when Mahmudullah ran hard for a double in the final delivery of the 19th over as Bangladesh beat a Test-playing nation for the first time since their six-wicket win over the West Indies in their first-ever T20 World Cup game in 2007. 

Bangladesh also stuttered at the beginning of the chase today, losing both the openers -- Soumya Sarkar (0 off 2) and Tanzid Tamim (3 off 6) -- in the first two overs. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto also extended his lean patch as he could only manage seven off 13 deliveries before being dismissed off a Nuwan Thushara delivery to see Bangladesh in a spot of bother at three for 28 after 5.2 overs.   

It was Hridoy and Liton who helped Bangladesh recover from the early slump, stitching together a quickfire 63-run fourth-wicket stand. Hridoy was looking unstoppable, with the right-hander smoking Sri Lanka skipper Wanindu Hasaranga for three successive sixes -- two in the midwicket region and one over cover -- in the 12th over. However, Hridoy was trapped in front in the very next delivery as he failed in his attempt to sweep Hasaranga. 

Earlier, Bangladesh bowlers did a magnificent job to restrict Sri Lanka to a modest total following their flying start which saw them score 53 for the loss of two wickets in the Powerplay. Pacers Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur, and young leggie Rishad got wickets at crucial junctures as Sri Lanka could only score 24 runs in the final six overs. 

Rishad returned figures of three for 22 and Taskin ended with two for 25 in his four overs. Mustafizur was the most economical of all, giving away just 17 in his four overs.

Hridoy departs after smashing 40 off 20

Towhid Hridoy's explosive innings of 40 off just 20 deliveries helped Bangladesh recover from a slump and get them closer to victory in their T20 World Cup game at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today.

Hridoy was looking unstoppable, with the right-hander smoking Sri Lanka skipper Wanindu Hasaranga for three successive sixes -- two in the midwicket region and one over cover -- in the 12th over. However, Hridoy was trapped in front in the very next delivery as he failed in his attempt to sweep Hasaranga. 

Bangladesh were reduced to three for 28 after 5.2 overs, but it was Hridoy and Liton Das who stitched a quickfire 63-run fourth-wicket stand to help Bangladesh get back into the game in stunning fashion.   

Tigers lose openers, skipper early

Bangladesh's top-order struggles continued as the Tigers lost both the openers and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto inside the Powerplay of their T20 World Cup game against Sri Lanka at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today. 

Dhananjaya de Silva removed Soumya Sarkar for a two-ball duck in just the third ball of the innings before Nuwan Thushara rattled the stumps of Tanzid Tamim in the next over to leave Bangladesh in a spot of bother at two for six after 1.4 overs.  

Bangladesh skipper Shanto failed to snap out of his recent poor run of form as he was the next to fall when he drove a Thushara delivery straight into the hands of Charith Asalanka, who did a good job holding onto the low catch. Shanto departed after a 13-ball 7, leaving Bangladesh desperately in need of a partnership in their chase of a mediocre 125-run target.

Rishad, Fizz star as Tigers bounce back to restrict Sri Lanka to 124

Young leg-spinner Rishad Hossain and ace left-arm paceman Mustafizur Rahman shone with the ball in hand as Bangladesh bowlers did a tremendous job to restrict Sri Lanka to a modest total of 124 for nine following their flying start in a T20 World Cup game at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today. 

Rishad removed Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga in successive deliveries in the 15th over, helping the Tigers assume control of the innings. Rishad got another big fish in Dhananjaya de Silva in the very first ball of his next over as he drew the right-handed batter forward to have him stumped.    

The 21-year-old Rishad, playing his first-ever World Cup game, ended with impressive figures of three for 22 in four overs. 

Taskin, who was also impressive with the ball, made Dasun Shanaka his second victim of the day when he had the batter edge one back to the keeper in the final delivery of the 18th over. Taskin also claimed the wicket of Kusal Mendis earlier and finished with figures of two for 25 in four overs. 

Mustafizur Rahman finished things off nicely, giving just three and also taking the wicket of Maheesh Theekshana in the penultimate over. He was also the most economical, giving away just 17 in his four overs while claiming a total of three wickets as Sri Lanka managed to score just 24 runs in the last six overs.   

However, things were very different in the beginning, with Sri Lanka making 53 for the loss of two wickets in the Powerplay. Nissanka looked the most dangerous, smashing seven fours and a six during his 28-ball 47 which is also the team-high for the Lankans in this game. 

Rishad gets two in two as Tigers bounce back

Bangladesh bowlers managed to take quick wickets and stem the flow of runs following a blistering start by Sri Lanka in their T20 World Cup game at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today. 

Sri Lanka scored 109 for five after 16 overs.

Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain removed Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga in successive deliveries in the 15th over as the Tigers made amends for giving plenty in boundaries in the first 10 overs. While Asalanka was caught at backward square leg as he tried to slog sweep, Sri Lanka skipper Hasaranga was outdone by a brilliant delivery from Rishad, who induced an edge of the batter's willow to have him caught at slip.  

Before that, Mustafizur Rahman removed a dangerous-looking Pathum Nissanka in the ninth over -- caught at cover after the batter mistimed and skied a slower -- and since then the Lankans struggled to score as rapidly as they had done in the beginning.  

Sri Lanka off to flying start despite losing two wickets in Powerplay

Sri Lanka lost two wickets but managed to rack up the runs in the Powerplay as they raced to 53 after six overs in their T20 World Cup game against Bangladesh at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today.

Mustafizur Rahman had Kamindu Mendis chip one straight to Tanzim Hasan Sakib at mid-off in the very first ball of the final over of the Powerplay while pacer Taskin Ahmed had given the Tigers their first breakthrough with the wicket of Kusal Mendis in the third over. 

However, the wickets did very little to stem the flow of runs, with Sri Lankan batters already hitting a total of nine fours and one maximum. Pathum Nissanka, in particular, has been in exquisite touch, smoking Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for four boundaries in the fifth over. Nissanka remains unbeaten on 34 off 18 deliveries. 

Taskin removes Mendis to give Tigers early breakthrough

Pacer Taskin Ahmed gave Bangladesh an early breakthrough in their opening T20 World Cup game against Sri Lanka at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today. 

Having been struck for boundaries in his first two deliveries, Taskin had Sri Lanka opener Kusal Mendis chop one onto his stumps in the very next ball of the third over. Taskin, however, remained expensive as he was hit for another boundary, giving away 12 in his first over. 

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, raced to 25 runs in three overs, with the Lankans' top-order batters not sparing any loose deliveries on top of playing some exquisite shots. 

Photo: X

Bangladesh opt to bowl against Sri Lanka

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bowl as the Tigers open their T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka in Dallas today.

"We would like to bowl first as we expect some seam and swing early on," Shanto said following the toss. 

Bangladesh are going with three seamers -- Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib -- with leg-spinner Rishad Hossain and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan the two frontline spinners for the game. Despite being off-colour in white-ball formats for a while, Liton Das gets a nod as he forms the top-order also featuring openers Tanzid Tamim and Soumya Sarkar. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka made one change from their opening game, with Dhananjaya de Silva coming in for Sadeera Samarawickrama.

Having featured in all the editions of the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh will be hoping to re-write their records in the ninth edition of the mega event this time around as the Tigers have never progressed beyond the group stage of the tournament. 

The omens, however, have not been inspiring for Bangladesh in their build-up to the tournament. They won a series against Zimbabwe at home but played very poor cricket in that 4-1 victory. Then they suffered a humiliating 2-1 series defeat against associates and co-hosts USA just before the World Cup. 

With a misfiring top order and an overall inconsistent batting line-up, Bangladesh will have their work cut out against the Lankans. This game, however, remains a crucial one for the Tigers as a victory today would go a long way in helping them progress from a group that also includes South Africa, Nepal, and the Netherlands. 

Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 77 and suffered a six-wicket defeat in their first group game against South Africa in New York. The Lankans will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways and better their current net run rate of -1.048.

Playing XIs:

Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das(w), Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga(c), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana
 

Former National cricketer ASM Faruque breathed his last in Dhaka today following a cardiac arrest, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said. Faruque, a former BCB Board Member and councillor, was 75 at the time of his death.

One of the cricketers of the Bangladesh side that played against the visiting MCC team in 1976, the first tour by a foreign team to independent Bangladesh, Faruque had performed various roles with the BCB as an administrator.

He was team manager at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and at the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2016. He had been BCB's Game Development Committee Chairman in 2007 as well as a member of the Technical Committee.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board officially announced today that Kazi Anik, a 21-year-old pacer on the domestic circuit who represented Bangladesh in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, tested positive for a prohibited substance in November 2018 and accepted a two-year suspension for his first doping offence.

The player tested positive for Methamphetamine (d-) during an in-competition test conducted on 06 November, 2018 in Cox's Bazar. He admitted the offence and accepted a two-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation involving his use of prohibited substance, the release said.

The substance is included as a stimulant, prohibited under section S6a of the 2018 ICC Prohibited list and consequently prohibited under the BCB Anti-Doping code 2.1, which has adapted the ICC Anti-Doping code.

According to the code, it is athlete's personal duty to ensure that prohibited substances enter his or her body. Furthermore, each athlete is responsible for any prohibited substances found in their bodily specimen, regardless of how it entered their body.

According to the press release, taking into account Articles 10.10.1, 10.10.2, 10.10.3 of the BCB Anti-Doping Code, and the fact that this is the player's first anti-doping rule violation, the two-year period of ineligibility commenced on February 8 last year -- the day of formal notification of the player's adverse analytical finding and the day upon which he accepted a provisional suspension

"He will therefore be re-eligible to participate in cricket and cricket activities at midnight on 07 February 2021," the release said. "According to the BCB Anti-Doping Code (Article 9 and 10.8), all individual results of the athlete obtained from 6th November, 2018, day of sample collection, shall be disqualified. This includes the forfeit of any medals, points and prizes."

Onik, a left-arm pace bowler, has played four first-class matches, 26 List A games and nine T20s – including in the Bangladesh Premier League -- since his debut as a professional cricketer in April 2017.

Half-centuries from Lokesh Rahul and Shreyas Iyer led India to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the opening Twenty20 match in Auckland Friday with the winning runs coming with an over to spare.

Talk of possible travel fatigue after only arriving in New Zealand three days ago, did not eventuate as Virat Kohli's men hauled in New Zealand's 203 for five with Rahul making 56 and Iyer unbeaten on 58.

New Zealand did not help their chances by bowling 10 wides and missing wicket opportunities with sloppy fielding.

Kohli won the first play of the day when he called correctly at the toss and elected to bowl.

Half centuries by Colin Munro (59), Kane Williamson (51) and Ross Taylor (54 not out) paved the way for New Zealand to pass the 200 mark, but with Eden Park's short boundaries -- there were 20 sixes in the match -- it was not enough against one of the best sides in the world.

When India started their run chase, New Zealand took the bold option of throwing the new ball to spinner Mitchell Santner for the second over and after conceding 12 off his first three deliveries the left-armer claimed the wicket of Rohit Sharma for seven.

But it was merely a momentary blip as Kohli joined Rahul to pound the New Zealand attack.

At 59 for one in the sixth over New Zealand butchered a double chance to remove Rahul on 27 when he was slow away on a quick single.

Southee missed the first shy at the stumps and the mid-wicket fielder missed the return throw with Rahul still short of the crease.

Kohli on 33 skied a Blair Tickner delivery in the ninth over which Ish Sodhi had plenty of time to get under, but he missed the ball completely.

But when the pair had put on 99 off 50 deliveries New Zealand briefly fought back as the catches stuck.

Tim Southee caught Rahul and Shivam Dube in the deep and a diving Martin Guptill accounted for Kohli (45) as India slumped from one for 99 to four for 142 in the 14th over.

But Iyer and Manish Pandey recovered the momentum for the tourists and knocked off the remaining 62 runs needed for victory in 34 balls with the match finishing on Iyer's third six.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes says he was flattered to be nominated for New Zealander of the Year but the country's beaten World Cup cricket captain Kane Williamson should win it.

Stokes, 28, was born in New Zealand but moved to England at the age of 12 when his father Gerard took a rugby league coaching job.

A man-of-the-match performance in England's dramatic super over victory against New Zealand in this month's World Cup final earned Stokes some early nominations for New Zealander of the Year, according to the nation's media.

In a statement issued through his management on Tuesday, Stokes said that while he was proud of his New Zealand and Maori heritage the nomination "would not sit right".

"I feel the whole country should align their support to New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. He should be revered as a Kiwi legend. He led his team in this World Cup with distinction and honour," Stokes said.

"He was the player of the tournament and an inspirational leader of men. He shows humility and empathy to every situation and is an all-round good bloke. He typifies what it is to be a New Zealander.

"He would be a worthy recipient of this accolade. New Zealand, fully support him. He deserves it and gets my vote."

Nominations for the award opened on July 1 and close on Sept. 15. A shortlist is confirmed in December, with the winner named next February.

The last sportsman to win the award was former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw in 2016 after he led the side to their second successive Rugby World Cup title in late 2015.

Jos Buttler, the England wicketkeeper-batsman, revealed he was struggling with fear of failure before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 final against New Zealand last week.

While England went on to win the tournament and lift their maiden men’s World Cup, Buttler, who scored 59 runs and affected a match-winning run-out, needed counsel from team psychologist David Young before the game.

“I had played in eight finals before Sunday and lost seven of them,” Buttler told the Daily Mail. “I’d played in lots with Somerset, the Champions Trophy with England and when we lost the [World] T20 [final] in Kolkata. I knew how much it hurt watching the other team lift the trophy. I didn’t want to feel that pain and that regret again.”

Since crashing out in the group stage of the 2015 World Cup, England underwent an ODI revolution with the sole aim of lifting the trophy at Lord’s four years later. They rose to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Rankings and were one of the favourites to win the tournament. With the dream final before a home crowd turning into reality, Buttler found himself overawed by the historic occasion.

“What was scaring me was if we lost, I didn’t know how I’d play cricket again,” he explained. “This was such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a World Cup final at Lord’s. It felt like destiny and I was thinking: ‘If it doesn’t happen, I will have no motivation to pick up a cricket bat for a very long time.’

“When I was talking to David, I knew the answers. I knew all I could look after was the stuff I could look after, and I needed to get into my zone, which allows me to perform the best I can. But what happens if it goes wrong?”

Buttler had similar worries in the group stage as well, when England had needed to win at least two of their last three games to ensure qualification into the knockouts. Defeats to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia had put them in a difficult position.

The umpire who awarded England six runs from a freak overthrow in the last over of the World Cup final has admitted he made an “error” and should have given one run fewer, a report said Sunday.

A throw to the stumps deflected off the bat of a diving Ben Stokes as he tried to complete a second run and raced to the boundary, with Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena awarding six.

Three balls later the scores at 50 overs were tied as England reached 241 all out replying to New Zealand’s 241-8.

It took the nail-biting final to a Super Over which again was tied but England lifted the trophy by virtue of having scored more boundaries

Critics, including former leading umpire Simon Taufel, said England should have been awarded five runs, not six, as the batsmen had not crossed for the second run at the moment the ball was thrown.

Former Sri Lankan Test player Dharmasena told the Sunday Times he did not have the benefit of television replays which showed the batsmen had not crossed.

“I agree that there was an error of judgement when I see it on TV replays now,” Dharmasena, who was umpiring the final with South Africa’s Marais Erasmus, told the local Sunday Times.

“But we did not have the luxury of TV replays at the ground and I do not regret the decision I made.”

Dharmasena said he signalled six after consulting the other match officials. “So, I did consult the leg umpire (Erasmus) through the communication system which is heard by all other umpires and the match referee,” he told the newspaper.

“While they cannot check TV replays, they all confirmed that the batsmen have completed the second run. This is when I made my decision.”

Taufel had told Fox Sports Australia the umpires made a “clear mistake” as the batsmen had not crossed for their second run.

But the Australian also defended the match umpires, who he said had to make a complicated judgement, and said it would be “unfair” to say the decision altered the outcome of the tournament as it was impossible to now what would have happened in the final balls had five been awarded.