After angry outburst, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka to play India in final

Agencies
March 17, 2018

Colombo, Mar 17: Bangladesh pulled off a sensational two-wicket victory over Sri Lanka under dramatic circumstances to set up a summit clash against India in the Nidahas Twenty20 cricket tri-series.

Mahmudullah (43 not out) struck a stunning six in the penultimate delivery to reach to the target of 160 to the wild celebration of the Bangladesh camp after tempers were frayed due to debatable decisions from the umpires.

The match at the R Premadasa Stadium was marred by drama at the fag end of the virtual semifinal as Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan gestured to his two batsmen to come out of the field apparently in protest against giving a run-out decision to Mustafizur Rahman on a seemingly shoulder-height ball.

But better sense prevailed in the end after arguments between the players of the two sides and intervention by match officials. Bangladesh, who have also beaten the same opponents earlier in the tournament, secured four points from four matches to enter the final.

India, with six points from four matches, have already qualified for the summit clash to be played at R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday. Sri Lanka finished last with two points.

Chasing a target of 160, Bangladesh were nicely placed at 80 for 2 at the halfway stage but they lost their way after that as their three key batsmen -- Mushfiqur Rahim (28), Tamim Iqbal (50) and Soumya Sarkar (10) -- fell one after the other in the next three overs as Sri Lanka sought to turn the tables in the second half of the innings.

But it was still a chaseable target as Bangladesh needed 30 runs from three overs with captain Shakib Al Hasan (7) and Mahmadullah at the crease. But the departure of Shakib, who was playing his first match of the tournament after sitting out due to a finger injury, in the 18th over made matters difficult for Bangladesh.

But Mahmadullah kept his nerve and after a brief period of frayed tempers took his side home. Bangladesh needed 12 from the final over but Mustafizur Rahman (2) was given run out in the second ball which triggered a wave of wild protests both from Mahmadullah and the team bench beyond the ropes.

After the matters were sorted out, Mahmadullah hit the third ball of the final over for a boundary and then hoisted Isuru Udana for a six to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Earlier, captain Thisara Perera and Kusal Perera struck half centuries in a fine counter-attacking batting display as Sri Lanka recovered from a top-order batting collapse to post a competitive 159 for 7.

Put into bat, Sri Lanka were in all sort of trouble early in their innings against the Bangladeshi bowlers, led by young left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman whose incisive pace spell rocked the home side batsmen.

But the Perera duo, Thisara (58) and Kusal (61) showed their mettle with a fine counter-attacking batting display to take their side past the 150-run mark. Put on a crucial 97-run stand with stand-in skipper Thisara, who hit 58.

Sri Lanka were 41 for 5 in the ninth over and they were staring at a meagre total but Thisara and Kusal had other ideas as the duo flayed the Bangladesh bowlers at the later stages of their innings.

Kusal ,who scored his third half century of the tournament, needed 40 deliveries for his 61. He hit seven fours and one six. Thisara, on the other hand, faced 37 balls for his 58 and struck three fours and as many sixes. Both Kusal and Thisara hit the bowlers to all parts of the ground at the R Premadasa Stadium, hitting 10 fours and four sixes between them.

Bangladesh were, however, on top initially with their bowlers, led by Mustafizur Rahman (2/39), creating havoc on the home side top-order batsmen. The 22-year-old Mustafizur, who was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 2.2 crores for the upcoming IPL season, had in-form Kushal Mendis (11) in the fourth over and then dimissed Dasun Shanaka (0) in his next over. At one stage, his figures read 2-1-4-2.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan gave the first breakthrough by claiming opener Danushka Gunathilaka (4) . Shakib struck in his comeback after he made it to the team after sitting out of the previous matches due to to a finger injury.

Mustafizur was also involved in the run out of Upul Tharanga (5) in his second over, as the sixth over yielded two wickets. The back of Sri Lankan batting was broken by the end of powerplay overs as they were reduced to 35 for 4 at the end of sixth over.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz joined the party by removing Jeevan Mendis in the ninth over as Sri Lanka lost half of their batsmen for just 41 runs. This was before Thisara and Kusal resurrected the Sri Lankan innings with a stunning batting display.

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News Network
June 22,2020

Zadar (Croatia), Jun 22: Grigor Dimitrov took to Instagram to announce that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The tennis star was one of the players who took part in the Adria Tour with the likes Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem among others.

Taking to Instagram, the player wrote: "Hi Everyone-I want to reach out and let my fans and friends know that I tested positive back in Monaco for Covid-19. I want to make sure anyone who has been in contact with me during these past days gets tested and takes the necessary precautions. I am so sorry for any harm I might have caused. I am back home now and recovering. Thanks for your support and please stay safe and healthy."

He also urged those who had come in contact with him over the last few days in Monaco should also get tested for the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, World no.1 Djokovic reached the final of his exhibition tournament in Zadar, Croatia, after easing through the round-robin group stage on the first day. This is the second stage of the Adria Tour with Austrian Dominic Thiem winning the first leg in Belgrade, Serbia.

Djokovic started by saving three set points in his 4-3, 4-1 win over fellow Serb Pedja Krstin. He then beat home favourite Borna Coric 4-1, 4-3 in front of several thousand fans at the Visnjik tennis complex.

The tournament in Zadar is being played on red clay over two days. In the other group, Russian Andrey Rublev is in pole position to advance into the final after wins over 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic and Serb Danilo Petrovic. He faces German star Alexander Zverev in the final round robin match on Sunday who stayed in contention after beating Cilic 4-3, 0-4, 4-3.

Djokovic''s own inconsequential final group match is against Croatian Dino Serdarusic who replaced Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian pulled out of the tournament with sickness following his opening 4-1, 4-1 loss to Coric.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Mumbai, Mar 5: Former India spinner Sunil Joshi was on Wednesday named chairman of the national selection panel by the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which also picked ex-pacer Harvinder Singh to the five-member group.

The CAC, comprising Madan Lal, R P Singh and Sulakshana Naik, picked the two selectors with Joshi replacing South Zone representative MSK Prasad.

In an unprecedented decision, the BCCI said the CAC will review the panel's performance after one year and make recommendations accordingly.

"The committee recommended Sunil Joshi for the role of chairman of the senior men's selection committee. The CAC will review the candidates after a one-year period and make the recommendations to the BCCI," read a statement from BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

Harvinder was chosen from central zone and replaces Gagan Khoda in the panel.

The existing members of the selection panel are Jatain Paranjpe, Devang Gandhi and Sarandeep Singh.

"We have picked the best guys for the job," Lal told news agency.

The CAC had shortlisted five candidates for interviews -- Joshi, Harvinder, Venkatesh Prasad, Rajesh Chauhan and L S Sivaramakrishnan -- from a list of 40 applicants.

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News Network
January 6,2020

Jan 6: Former India opener Kris Srikkanth on Sunday said he would prefer K L Rahul over Shikhar Dhawan in the T20 World Cup later this year.

Former India opener Kris Srikkanth on Sunday said he would prefer K L Rahul over Shikhar Dhawan in the T20 World Cup later this year.

Dhawan is returning to international cricket after a long gap. During the senior left-handed batsman's absence, Rahul has emerged as one of the top contenders for the opener's slot in limited-overs cricket.

"Runs against SL (Sri Lanka) don't count. If I was chairman of selectors, I won't pick Dhawan in the T20 WC squad. There is no competition between him and Rahul. Only one winner," Srikkanth said on Star Sports.

Before the series, the 34-year-old Dhawan said that he is looking forward to a "new start" in a new year and wants to win the World Cup for India.

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