DT
26 Sport
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
Afridi slams Australia over Bangladesh tour n AFP, Karachi
Dhaka Metro’s Marshal Ayub bats during his 107 against Khulna during the third day of their National Cricket League match at SBNS yesterday
South Africa calls off women’s tour n Minhaz Uddin Khan
Cricket South Africa (CSA) followed the footsteps of Cricket Australia as they became the second nation to withdrew from a tour to Bangladesh. CSA postponed the tour of their women’s team to Bangladesh on security grounds, a decision that came inside five days after Australia pulled the plug on their tour here. Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan said the decision of postponing the tour was made on mutual discussion. “They (CSA) were concerned about the security arrangements for the women’s team. We had the option to send them our planned arrangements but later we thought we will be meeting during the ICC meeting (on October 9) so it is better to discuss the issue face to face rather than communicating through emails,” said Nazmul. He said, “They (CSA) showed concerns and we thought it is not possible to explain them the situation over phone or emails, so we will wait till the ICC meeting. At the same time we have our women’s team in Pakistan now, so the delay will provide them some rest.” Nazmul was confident that rescheduling the series will not be an issue and hopefully the series will take place in the ongoing month. “You see the women’s team are not as busy as the men. We will meet CSA members on October 9 and I am hopeful that we will come up with new dates. We will try that the series is held this month,” said the BCB president. The South Africa women’s team were scheduled to reach Dhaka on October 16 and were set to play five ODIs and three Twenty20s. l
MI MANIK
Rajshahi, Khulna and Metro eye last-day win n Minhaz Uddin Khan Sylhet trail Barisal
Sylhet are fighting hard to get something out of the game against Barisal who racked up a mammoth 527 in the first two days. On the third day, Imtiaz Hossain’s 127 enabled Sylhet minimise the lead although they are still 164 runs behind with three wickets in hand. Resuming the day on 51, Imtiaz stretched his innings to 127 off 315 balls with the help of 15 boundaries. The heroics was complimented by half centuries from Zakir Hossain and Rajin Saleh. Off-spinner Sohag Gazi led the Barisal bowling chart with three scalps.
Mosharraf spins Rangpur in trouble
Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain bagged six wickets to enforce follow-on on Rangpur who were bundled out for 248 after resuming the day on 98-3. Dhaka division, who made 449 in their first innings, claimed three more wickets before the close of day three as Rangpur are looking at a defeat at 55 for three, still 143 runs behind.
Barisal v Sylhet, SANS Barisal (1st innings): 527/9 Sylhet (1st innings): 363/7 in 138 overs (Intiaz 127, Zakir 89, Rajin 55, Gazi 3/75)
Dhaka Metropolis v Khulna, SBNS Khulna (1st innings): 455-allout in 112.1 overs Metro (1st innings): 271 allout in 95.3 overs (Ayub 107, Sharifullah 66*, Mehedi 6/61)
Khulna push Metro to back-foot
The rain interrupted third day saw Dhaka Metropolis, who trail by 184 runs, being dominated by Khulna who are in a prime position to enforce the follow-on. Resuming on 78 for four, Metro’s innings ended on 271 despite a come-back hundred from Marshal Ayub. The right-handed made 107 while Sharifullah was unbeaten on 66. Bangladesh Under-19 performer Mehedi Hasan led the Khulna attack with six wickets while pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman bagged three victims.
Rajshahi on verge of a win
Rajshahi need another 159 runs, with all wickets intact, to beat Chittagong on the last day today. Despite a solid 383 in the first innings, Chittagong managed just 181 in the second innings and throw a target of 257 to win for Rajshahi. In reply, Rajshahi openers Nazmul Hossain Shanto (45) and Junaed Siddique (53) provided a sound start to their run-chase as the former champions ended the day with 98 on the scorecard without any casualty. l
Dhaka v Rangpur, SCS Dhaka (1st innings): 449-allout in 138.3 overs Rangpur (1st inns): 248 and 2nd inns: 55/3 (Saymon 21, Mosharraf 2/13)
Chittagong v Rajshahi, SKS Chittagong (1st innings): 383 and 2nd Inns 181 allout in 67.2 overs (Yasir 61, Irfan 55, Taijul 3/72) Rajshahi (1st innings): 308 and 2nd Inns 98/0 in 20 overs (Junaid 53*, Shanto 45*)
Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi criticised Australia’s decision to call off their Bangladesh tour citing terrorism fears, saying Monday that while security was paramount tours should “not be cancelled over minor issues”. Afridi echoed that statement on the sidelines of a visit in Karachi to meet Pakistan and Bangladesh’s women’s teams. “Security is paramount but tours should not get cancelled over minor issues,” he told reporters. “Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka should show some unity and counter these security fears as we have suffered a lot with international teams not coming to Pakistan,” said Afridi. Afridi said Bangladesh’s decision to send their women’s team was a good sign. “I am sure this is the first good step before sending Bangladesh men’s team.” “It’s nice to see women playing good cricket and I congratulate both the teams for their competitive style,” said Afridi. Former Bangladesh opener Athar Ali Khan said Afridi’s visit had been “great encouragement” for the women’s teams. “It will go a long way in raising their performance in the last match,” said Khan, who played 19 one-day internationals for Bangladesh. l
AFC U-19 QUALIFIERS
Bangladesh look to beat Uzbeks for survival n Shishir Hoque
Nothing but a win will quench the thirst of Bangladesh who will be fighting for their existence in the AFC Under-19 Championships against Uzbekistan. The outcome of the last Group A qualifying game will determine which team will progress through to the final round and as things stand, the hosts are not in a comfortable position. With one win and a draw, Bangladesh sit behind the Uzbeks with four points while the latter have full six points in their bag. According to the rules, apart from the 10 group champions, five best runner-up teams will also get the ticket to Bahrain next year. And given Bangladesh's standings, a draw will not be enough to carry them through as five teams have already bagged six points from two games. Prior the start of the qualifiers, Bangladesh coach Saiful Bari Titu expressed his desire to win against Sri Lanka and Bhutan and draw against Uzbekistan. However, they now have to focus in only a win at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today at 6pm. Uzbekistan put 10 goals in the two matches so far and are comfortable sitting at the top with six points. “Uzbekistan are tactically and technically a better side than us and realistically it is difficult to get away with a win against them but anything can happen in football. I'm trying to boost the players mentally after what happened against Bhutan. We want to bring out our best,” said Bangladesh head coach Titu ahead of their must-win encounter. l