Did you know? Poland’s Radwanska has won for the first time against Belarus’s Azarenka. She lost all seven previous meetings against the Belarusian
Sport
Thursday, January 23, 2014
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14 Gervinho sees
DAYS TO GO
Roma past Juve in Cup quarters
DHAKA TRIBUNE
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15 Loss to NZ
robs India of top ODI ranking
Toklis rescues Jamal against 9-man MSC n Shishir Hoque
Sheikh Jamal’s Haitian forward Sony Norde goes airborne after a rough tackle by Cameroonian defender Bayebeck, (L) consequentially sent off during their Bangladesh Premier League match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MUMIT M
Afusi content with draw
National Cricket League ready to go n Minhaz Uddin Khan n Raihan Mahmood The National Cricket League is set to start from January 30. Though the first-class cricket tournament, which features eight teams, was scheduled to start on December 20, the pre-election political turmoil pushed back the schedule. “The divisional sports associations requested 2-3 days to conform their respective 15-men squads. There will not be any hike in the match fees. A side will be able to register five foreigners but make only one play. We have already handed over Taka five lakhs to every team for their initial expenditures,” Ziaur Rahman Topu, member of the BCB tournament committee, told the media. Most of the sides will start practicing from today and the first round matches of the league will be played at Rajshahi, Khulna, Bogra and Fatullah.l
The thrilling draw between Sheikh Jamal DC and Mohammedan was followed by an exciting post match conference as the two coaches - Josef Afusi and his Portuguese counterpart Rui Jose Capela Batista - expressed contrasting emotions over the 1-1 result yesterday. Both parties had different displeasure with Afusi focusing on the missed chances while Batista cursed the refereeing along with the seven minutes stoppage time. “I inserted an all attacking eleven ahead of our Indian tour and I was hapless to see my forwards miss the scoring chances,” said Afusi. “The match should have been closed in the first 20 minutes if we had not squandered the opportunities. We have to work on what was wrong.” The Nigerian also defended the lengthy stoppage time and said it was
BCB to discuss Big 3 proposals n Mazhar Uddin The ICC is considering a comprehensive structural overhaul of world cricket administration that will effectively cede most executive decision-making to the Big 3 - India, Australia and England– and the matter will be on top of the agenda as the directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) meet at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today. BCB president Nazmul Hassan will discuss the proposal with his colleagues and may provide Bangladesh’s stance on the issue before the ICC Executive Board gathers for its quarterly meeting in Dubai on January 28 and 29. According to the proposed draft which has been reported widely in the world media in the last couple of days, new executive committee (ExCo) will be set up permanent memberships for BCCI, CA, and ECB – who will also have the power to override all other committees. Promotion and relegation in Test cricket will be determined, with the exceptions made in the cases of BCCI, CA, ECB. ICC will not have the power to have FTP arrangements, with bilateral agreements only taking over. A new finance model of ICC revenue distribution is also on the cards. There is also a suggested two-tier Test cricket system in which England, Australia and India are guaranteed to avoid relegation from the top tier because of their commercial value. Some of the Test playing countries have already raised their voice in dissent against the proposed draft and even South Africa, the top placed Test
team,also coming up with a strong statement. South Africa directly stated that the proposals were unconstitutional and that they should not be discussed at the next ICC board meeting, but their stance has been rejected by the ICC. Sri Lankan Sports Minister opposed the changes as well and scheduled a meeting this week to provide an official stance on it.The proposals need seven votes from the ICC’s 10 leading nations to pass. Therefore in the wake of situation, Bangladesh needs to make an official decision on it.
The directors will discuss the matter at the meeting and then we’ll provide our stance on it “Everything has its positive and negative impact, so we’ve to read it carefully. The directors will discuss the matter at the meeting and then we’ll provide our stance on it,” said BCB acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury. Bangladesh’s chance to play Test cricket will effectively diminish despite if the proposals are put into effect.Nizamuddin however, was cautious in commenting on this aspect of the matter. “The proposals are still being reviewed. Before our meeting is takes place, we can’t say anything about these implications,” he said. Other topics that will be discussed at the meeting are the financial aspects of the board and process of formal approval from the board for announcing a squad before an international series. l
justified. “All the negative elements were there, they were taking too much time for throw-ins and the goal kicks and there were two red card incidents too. The DVD of the match should be reviewed and I think it would be justified,” he said. However, the Jamal coach was happy with the character his players showed against the “negative” approaches and said, “It’s all about teamwork. It’s not Sony or Mamun alone, Toklis came off the bench and scored the equalizer. We remain top of the table though we lost two points, it’s also important in a 27 match league.” National forward Toklis Ahmed, who played his first match in four months after he injured himself on Under-19 national duty in Kuwait said, “I was looking forward to help my team and the strike definitely will boost my confidence.” Meanwhile, Batista was frustrated
over the way the referee conducted the match and labeled him as the third team in the match. “I had a good strategy to implement and we took the field to win, but due to a bad third team we did not win. Seven minutes (stoppage time) was too much and you also have to consider that we were playing two big matches within four days,” said the Mohammedan coach. Mohammedan manager Amirul Islam Babu, also an executive committee member of BFF, echoed his coach’s sentiments. “Baybeck’s red card was justified, but Zahid’s one was not. The referee should have warned him. I also want to say that the seven minutes stoppage time finished before the throw-in that resulted in the equaliser. “Now we will miss two key players in a crucial tie against Sheikh Russell. We have been wronged in many ways,” said Babu. l
Nine-man Mohammedan side put an end to Sheikh Jamal’s 10-match winning streak, in all professional competitions, as they held the table toppers to a 1-1 draw in an exhilarating Bangladesh Premier League encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. A 96th minute majestic header by substitute forward Toklis Ahmed rescued Sheikh Jamal from conceding their first defeat in the season after Mezbabul Hoq Manik’s screamer put the traditional Black and Whites ahead at the hour mark. The game had literally all the elements possible - suspense, two red cards and an injury time equaliser followed by the post-match clash between the referee and the players while the spectators also broke into the field to punt on the referee. After thoroughly dominated by the opponents in the opening half, Mohammedan managed to take the lead and tried to do everything to hold onto it, but two send offs in space of 10 minutes made the job difficult for the Motijheel outfits. And when the clock ticked closer to the end of the seven-minute added time, left back Rayhan took a flawless free-kick from left as Toklis Ahmed beat all his obstacles to head home past Mohammedan keeper Titumir Titu to steal a point for his side. On a brighter note, it was arguably one of the best matches so far this season where for the first time in the league, Mohammedan managed to salvage at least a point against the new powerhouse of Dhaka. Despite the draw, Sheikh Jamal stood comfortably at the top of the chart with three points clear of Abahani, though the Sky Blues played one game less. Mohammedan moved to sixth spot with six points from five matches.
Tamim urges saving Test cricket n Minhaz Uddin Khan The amendments in the ICC (International Cricket Council) constitution planned by the Big Three – BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), ECB (England Cricket Board) and CA (Cricket Australia) - will see the ninth and tenth ranked Test teams sidelined from the long format of the game. The proposed draft, which seeks to give greater control of the global game to India, Australia and England and vehemently shake up the game’s governance, has become a major talking point in cricketing fraternities around the world. Bangladesh national opening batsman Tamim Iqbal also showed concern on the issue and said that the plan, if implemented, will hamper the promotion of the game. “I have played Test cricket in quite a few countries and I don’t think any other country is as cricket-crazy as Bangladesh, whether it’s India, Pakistan or whichever (nation). ICC wants to promote cricket. If this (Test cricket) goes away from here, how will that work?” Tamim said to the media following his training session yesterday. The left-hand batsman hoped that the Bangladesh Cricket Board will take the necessary steps to stop the damage. “I want to request that this thing does not happen. I don’t know much about the details of the draft, so I cannot comment much on it. However, I am sure that the BCB will take the right steps in this regard,” he said. Meanwhile, Bangladesh are about to start a home series against Sri Lanka from January 27, with the first Test at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Tamim thought the national players had benefited by playing in the Bangladesh
Tamim in jovial mood after speaking to the press at SBNS yesterday Cricket League for the challenge ahead. “We played two four day games – everyone is in touch and the preparation has been better than before. We have to take the confidence form the two matches that our cricket board arranged for us in the BCL, and bring it into the Test series. “They (Sri Lanka) also played a good Test series (against Pakistan) and we are aware that they are a quality side. This time we are facing them on our own ground which will be an added advantage but we still need to play well. If we do play well, then I am sure that we will be able to cause a surprise,” said Tamim. The wickets in the BCL games, which were held at BKSP,have been
DHAKA TRIBUNE
criticized for not being fair. The opening round of the first-class tournament produced 8 fifties, 5 hundreds and a double hundred, while the bowlers leaked 2,201 runs and picked up just 45 wickets. “It is true that the wickets were bad for the bowlers because they were too flat but as a batter, I feel it was a decent track to bat on. I was very confident. When there are big performances ahead of a Test match, like (Imrul) Kayes and Shamsur (Rahman), it is a plus point, since they will be confident. We play cricket after long gaps, but this time I would like to thank the cricket board for arranging the BCL games. We are better prepared than last time,” said Tamim. l
Haitian international striker Sony Norde returned from the injury he sustained during the Federation Cup and made his premier league debut for Jamal while skipper Mamunul Islam also returned to the squad. Mohammedan coach Batista made three changes to the squad bringing in goalkeeper Titu, midfielders Sabuz and Manik. Jamal dominated the first 45 minutes and could have easily secured the game inside the first 25 minutes. In the 32nd minute, Jahid Hossain tried his luck with a looping shot from 30 yards that almost beat Jamal keeper Ziaur Rahman, who was a yard away from the six yard box, but eventually he fisted it away for a corner. Mohammedan staged a come-back after the breather and to everyone’s surprise Mezbabul Hoq Manik’s powerful strike from 20 yards put Mohammedan ahead. Jahid Hossain’s corner deflected off a defender and fell to Manik who fired the ball past Zia. Manik’s delight however was short lived as he had to leave the pitch injured two minutes later. Jamal unleashed all their weapons for the equaliser and put more pressure on their opponents. Mohammedan’s Cameroonian defender Bayebeck was sent off in the 71st minute after receiving his second booking for a poor foul on Sony just outside the box. Mohammedan strengthened their defence line replacing Emily with Tapu Barman, but they were further reduced to 9-man 10 minutes later after Jahid Hossain was shown a straight red after he fouled Sohel Rana off the ball. The decision made the Mohammedan supporters go wild while the players crowded the referee and got involved in a war of words. The Black and Whites inched closer to the win as they held on to their lead until the 96th minute before Toklis, who replaced Linkon, snatched the point right under their nose. l
BHF distributes high class hockey sticks Dhaka schools n Raihan Mahmood Mizanur Rahman, a class eight student of Barnamala Adarsha High School in Dania, Dhaka, was excited to hold the composite hockey stick for the first time at the kits distribution programme of the Bangladesh Hockey Federation yesterday. Ahead of the First Security Islami Bank National School Hockey, scheduled to start from February 1, the hockey federation distributed 16 latest composite sticks and nine balls to each of the 21 participating school of the Dhaka district. A total of 102 schools from all over the country will be participating in the tournament in spread over ten venues. Meanwhile the sponsors declared that they will step up with their monetary scholarships for higher education of selected players who will undergo long term training. Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, the chairman of the organising committee, also declared a monetary award of Tk100000, 50000 and 25000 for the top three goal scorers in the competition. The participating schools are - Narayanganj High School, Joy Gobinda High School, Fatullah Pilot High School, Police Line High School and Hariharpara High School (Narayanganj), Satirapra KK Institution, Narsingdi, Poisha High School, Munshiganj, Motijheel Government High School, BAF Shahin High School, Barnamala Adarsha High School, Dania, Armanitola High School, Ahmed Bawani Academy, PM Pilot High School Zinjira, Shahid Nabi High School, West End High School, Nawab Habibullah School, Rayerbazar High School and Barnamala Pathshala. l