Competing duo look to India warm-up

Saif Hassan and Sabbir Rahman scored hundreds in the Dhaka Premier League helped Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Legends of Rupganj to seal their second win in the tournament over Agrani Bank Cricket Club and City Club, respectively, on Saturday.

On the other match of the day Sabbir Hossain's century was in vain as Brothers Union went on to lose the game by 58 runs over Prime Bank Cricket Club at BKSP-3 ground in Savar.

Courtesy of Saif's 108 off 112 balls, where the right hander struck seven sixes and six fours, alongside Fazle Mahmud's 80 and Shykat Ali' 78, Jamal posted a huge total of 317 for five in 50 overs.

In reply, Agrani Bank were bundled out for just 114 runs. Only three batters were able to reach double figures. Saif also bagged three wickets for Jamal.

At the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Rupganj chased the target of 249 runs, riding on an unbeaten hundred from Sabbir Rahman to seal a comfortable seven-wicket win over City Club.

Sabbir struck 17 fours to remain not out on 110 off 107 deliveries while Irfan Shukkur scored a run-a-ball 74 run to chase the target after losing three wickets and with 52 balls to spare.

Earlier, City Club were all-out on 248 after being sent in to bat. Abdullah Al Mamum top-scored with 50 while Nayeem Islam Jr picked three wickets for Rupganj.

At Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium in Fatullah, Prime Bank posted 268 for eight by riding on Prantik Nowrose's 83-run knock.

Sabbir, who picked three wickets in the first innings, fought the lone battle with the bat before being dismissed on 128 off 118 deliveries as Brothers were all out for 210 in 40.1 overs. Pacers Rejaur Rahman Raja scalped four and Rubel Hossain picked up three wickets as Prime Bank began the DPL with a win.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan hit a blazing century to set up a 36-run win over Australia in the World Cup on Sunday as the reigning champions suffered their first defeat of this year’s tournament.

Dhawan’s 117 and his 127-run opening stand with Rohit Sharma laid the foundation for India posting 352 for five after captain Virat Kohli win the toss on a sunny London morning at the Oval.

Kohli himself hit a brisk 82 and combined with Hardik Pandya for an 81-run third-wicket partnership that saw the pair pummel the Australian bowling attack.

India then dismissed Australia for 316 in 50 overs to record their second straight victory of this World Cup after an opening win over South Africa.

Half-centuries by David Warner and Steve Smith were not enough for the five-time champions whose record in the round-robin group stage now stands at two wins from three.

Former captain Smith and Warner have both returned to international cricket in fine form after completing one-year bans for their part in a ball-tampering scandal.

Smith top-scored for Australia with 69 off 70 balls, while opener Warner made 56 but it never looked like being enough in the face of some tight bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, who took three wickets apiece.

Earlier, Dhawan and Sharma overcame a cautious start against Australia’s new-ball duo of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc to put India in control with their 16th century partnership in ODIs.

Paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile finally struck in the 23rd over to have Sharma caught behind for 57 to get his first wicket of the World Cup.

Dhawan went on to reach his 17th ODI ton as he acknowledged the huge cheers from a largely India-supporting crowd.

Starc had Dhawan caught at deep midwicket to end an innings featuring 16 boundaries.

Dhawan took no further part in the match as he nursed a blow to his thumb off Coulter-Nile that needed medical attention during his time at the crease.

Kohli and all-rounder Pandya, pushed up the order, combined to good effect.

Kohli registered his 50th fifty at this level in an already illustrious career that has taken him to the top of the batting standings in both Test and ODI cricket.

Pandya, who was dropped first ball by wicket-keeper Alex Carey, made the most of his reprieve to hit 48 runs off just 27 deliveries before falling to Cummins.

MS Dhoni also chipped in with a brisk 27.

India’s total meant Australia were left needing to surpass Ireland’s 329 for seven against England in 2011, the highest score by any team batting second to win a World Cup match

They put up a spirited fight but the ever-increasing run-rate kept pulling them back.

Skipper Aaron Finch was run out for 36 while opening partner Warner survived an early scare when he edged a Bumrah delivery on to his stumps only for the bails to stay put.

Warner got going with Smith to put on 72 runs for the second wicket but the left-hander fell to the guile of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

Smith kept Australia in the hunt along with Usman Khawaja, who made 42.

But Kumar saw off Smith as part of a double strike in the 40th over that also accounted for Marcus Stoinis.

Chahal got the dangerous Glenn Maxwell for 28 and the chase was all but over, although Carey’s unbeaten 55 did get Australia past 300.

The national selectors yesterday named Sabbir Rahman in Bangladesh's 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand in February, despite the batsman being in just the fifth month of a six-month ban from international cricket.

Pacer Taskin Ahmed also made a comeback to both ODI and Test squads, while young off-spinner Nayeem Hasan was the only new inclusion in the ODI squad.

Imrul Kayes was the surprise exclusion from the one-day side after the left-hander scored two hundreds and a fifty in the home series against Zimbabwe last year. However, after failing in the two games against West Indies in the following series, Imrul was dropped from the team.

All-rounder Ariful Haque, left-arm seamer Abu Hider and left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam were also dropped from the ODI squad that was picked for the West Indies series.

There was a lot of talk about the inclusion of Sabbir, who was banned for abusing a fan on social media. as his original ban was supposed to end on March 1, which would have ruled him out of the three-match ODI series in New Zealand ending on February 20.

The selectors however said that they received clearance from the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB's) disciplinary committee, which reduced Sabbir's ban by one month. The selectors also added that Bangladesh ODI skipper Mahsrafe bin Mortaza had urged the selectors to include the batsman.

The 15-member Test squad for the three-match Test series that will follow the ODI series in New Zealand was also named yesterday. Alongside Taskin, Tamim Iqbal also made a comeback after recovering from a left knuckle fracture, while pacer Abu Jayed was also recalled to the side.

Bangladesh will take part in the first match of the three-ODI series on February 13. The second and third matches will take place on February 16 and 20 respectively. The visitors will also take part in a three-Test series with the first one starting from February 28 and the other two matches scheduled for March 8 and 16 respectively.

15 member squad for first three ODIs:

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan (Vice Captain), Tamim Iqbal,Liton Kumer Das, Soumya Sarker, Mushfiqur Rahim, Md Mithun, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehedi Miraz, Naeem Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mohammed Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Sabbir Rahman

Batters Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman may just be in contention for the upcoming Asia Cup in Dubai, slated to be played in UAE from August 27 till September 11.

Bangladesh have a few injury concerns ahead of the tournament with batter Yasir Ali, wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan and pacer Mustafizur Rahman all currently injured.

The BCB already petitioned for three extra days to submit their squad for the Asia Cup squad and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) granted them permission to submit the squad on August 11 instead of the cut-off date on August 8.

Soumya and Sabbir were both included in Bangladesh A's tour of West Indies to play in three one-day matches on August 16th, 18th and 20th respectively.

Asked if Soumya and Sabbir are in contention due to the injury crisis, cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus said that their names maybe in the list as 'backup' options.

"This [Soumya and Sabbir's inclusion] is a matter for the selectors. They are thinking about various kinds of things. Since there is an injury issue, we need support players and the ones you mention, maybe their names are also there. The selectors are thinking of these things since we want backup players. The selectors have kept their name," Jalal told the media today.

When chief selector Minhajul Abedin was asked to comment on the matter. "It's not really certain and they have to perform with the A team in Windies at the moment," he told The Daily Star today.

Soumya last played for the Tigers in the T20 World Cup's Super 12 match at UAE. Sabbir last played during the home tri-nation series involving Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in September 2019.

Meanwhile, the BCB gave an update on Nurul Hasan's finger injury which saw him ruled out of the Zimbabwe series after the first two T20Is.

He underwent a surgery at the Raffles Hospital in Singapore earlier today, the BCB said in a press release.

BCB Chief Sports Physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury, who has accompanied Sohan to Singapore, said: "A closed reduction and pinning procedure was performed on Sohan's left index finger by hand surgeon Dr Anthony Foo at the Raffles Hospital this afternoon. Recovery is estimated at three to four weeks."

Nurul is expected back in the country on Tuesday.