Latest News
Gill ton in vain as Bangladesh sign off with victory
Shubman Gill’s fifth ODI century and a counter-attacking 42 by Axar Patel were in vain as Bangladesh held their nerve to pick up a thrilling six run win –their third in four ODIs against India — in the inconsequential final Super Fours encounter of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. India rested five key players, having already booked their final berth, and found themselves chasing a competitive 266 after allowing Bangladesh’s tail to script a brilliant death-overs recovery in their batting innings. In reply, Gill held one end up to set up the platform with a 133-ball 121 and Axar provided the late impetus but his penultimate-over dismissal tilted the game in Bangladesh’s favour.
Bangladesh enjoyed the upper hand for most part of India’s chase, managing to break every substantial partnership at crucial junctures. Rohit Sharma chipped the second ball of the chase straight to cover-point to hand debutant Tanzin Hasan Shakib his maiden ODI wicket. The youngster then knocked over India debutant Tilak Varma’s stumps to make it two in his first two overs in international cricket. He finished an extended six-over opening spell with the impressive figures of 6-1-15-2.
Gill began the repair work in the company of KL Rahul, who lent an ideal supporting hand in the 54-run third-wicket stand. The pair got their eye in after the early jitters and steadied the ship but the pressure of dot balls eventually got to Rahul, who drilled one from Mahedi Hasan straight to short midwicket in his attempt to break free. Despite slowing down a tad in his 40s, Gill raised his fifty with a six off Mahedi, dancing down the track to loft it over cow-corner. However, Bangladesh hit back soon after with the wicket of Ishan Kishan, who burnt a review trying to overturn the LBW call against Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Gill got Suryakumar for company as India looked to rebuild again but Bangladesh kept chipping away at regular intervals. Suryakumar made his intentions clear from the word go, sweeping his first ball to the fence and was a more proactive partner in the 45-run partnership over the next nine overs. However, a similar premeditated sweep brought an end to his knock on 26.
Gill sent two tossed up deliveries from Mehidy over long-on to enter 90s in style, but Bangladesh again managed to send back his partner, Ravindra Jadeja, in the over after drinks. The young opener carried on undeterred, welcoming Tanzin back into the attack with a brace to get to triple figures first and then celebrating the landmark with back to back fours. With 64 required off the last seven, Gill decided to step on the accelerator and heaved one over deep midwicket but Mahedi Hasan made a terrific comeback on the very next delivery, throwing it wider and having the opener caught at long-off in an attempt to clear the fence once again.
Down to 209/7, the onus fell on Axar Patel to see India through. His entertaining 34-ball 42, in the company of India’s tail, brought the equation down to 17 off 12 balls but Mustafizur Rahman’s twin strikes in the 49th over effectively put an end to India’s fight.
Earlier, contrasting fifties from Shakib Al Hasan (80 off 85) and Towhid Hridoy (54 off 81) and a fightback from the tail helped Bangladesh to a competitive 265/8 after poor shot selection from the top-order had them reeling at 28/3 shortly after being put in to bat. Mohammed Shami got the early breakthrough when he got one to nip back in, brush Litton Das’s pads and crash into the off-stump, while Shardul Thakur sent Tanzid Hasan and Anamul Haque packing off short balls.
Shakib led from the front in the rescue act, resurrecting the innings through a 101-run stand with Hridoy after Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s dismissal had once left them staring down the barrel at 59/4 inside 14 overs. Shakib built on the reprieve he got on 28, and notched up his 55th ODI fifty. Hridoy joined in after a watchful start and upped the ante by tonking two off Tilak Varma over the ropes. Shakib meted out similar treatment to Axar Patel at the other end, bringing up his half-century with the first.
It was Thakur who broke the blossoming century partnership first ball after drinks. Batting on 80, Shakib dragged an inside edge onto his leg-stump. One brought two and Ravindra Jadeja grabbed his 200th ODI scalp by trapping Shamim Hossain LBW in the very next over. Nasum Ahmed provided the impetus at one end as Hridoy marched on to a 77-ball fifty. He perished soon after but Nasum kept the odd boundary an over coming in his run-a-ball 44 that was instrumental in Bangladesh picking up some much-needed pace in the death overs. Bangladesh’s tail also put their hand up. While Mahedi Hasan (29* off 23) showed excellent running between wickets, debutant Tanzim Hasan Sakib dealt in boundaries in his brief 8-ball cameo of 14, enabling Bangladesh to collect 93 runs in the last 12 overs.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 265/8 in 50 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 80, Towhid Hridoy 54; Shardul Thakur 2-65, Mohammed Shami 2-32) beat India 259 all out in 49.5 overs (Shubman Gill 121, Axar Patel 42; Mustafizur Rahman 3-50, Tanzin Hasan Shakib 2-32) by 6 runs
Several tankers carrying Iranian oil have crossed the United States blockade line in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a tracking website, two days before Washington and Tehran are to launch more talks after reaching a framework agreement to end their war.
The TankerTrackers website, which monitors oil shipments and storage, on Wednesday identified Iran’s “first crude oil exports in two months”, citing digital tracking data corroborated by satellite imagery.
The talks on a final settlement to end the war, triggered by US Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, are to begin on Friday at Switzerland’s Burgenstock mountain resort as news that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen sent world oil prices tumbling.
According to TankerTrackers, two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) tankers – the Diona and Hero 2 – carrying a total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian oil, exited the blockade line on Tuesday while another tanker, Stream, was sailing towards Iranian ports on Wednesday.
A third tanker operated by the NITC and carrying 1 million barrels of Iranian crude sailed past the US Navy’s blockade line in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, according to TankerTrackers.
In a post on X, the maritime tracking service said the Sonia I “exited the blockade line” at 01:11 GMT.
[Aljazeera]
An ODI between Canada and Netherlamds in King City Toronto on Tuesday was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. The fixture was part of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 competition, which is part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The match was abandoned just 4.1 overs into the Netherlands innings after they had chosen to bat. They were 15 for 1, with Max O’Dowd the batter dismissed for a duck in the second over. The pitch had uneven bounce and the batters were struck several times during the short passage of play.
On June 12, four days before the abandoned match, the ICC had issued a statement saying the pitch at King City that was used for an ODI between USA and the Netherlands on June 8 had been given an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point.
“This was a pitch that fell below the standard expected for this level of cricket,” match referee Phil Thompson had said about the surface for the USA-Netherlands match. “Both captains expressed disappointment with how it turned out, and the match officials assessed it as ‘very poor’. The inconsistent bounce created challenging and potentially unsafe playing conditions. Taking all factors into consideration, I believe the pitch merits an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.”
According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, pitches that get an “unsatisfactory” rating will be given one demerit point, while an “unfit” pitch rating will result in three demerit points for the venue. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period, and an accumulation of six demerit points will result in the venue being suspended from hosting international matches for 12 months (12 demerit points will lead to a 24-month ban).
(Cricinfo)
Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo have earned recalls to West Indies’ squad for the two-match World Test Championship series at home against Sri Lanka starting later this month, while the two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, are back after missing the tours of India and New Zealand late last year because of injuries.
Trevin Imalch had kept wicket when West Indies last played Test cricket, in New Zealand last December, but Da Silva, 33 Test matches old, has returned after scoring 996 runs across the last two seasons of the West Indies Championship. Imlach, who failed with the bat in New Zealand with a total of 81 runs across six innings – after scoring 33 runs in his only Test in India – has been named captain of a West Indies Select XI to play the Sri Lankans in a tour match in Coolidge from June 18 to 21. Roston Chase will continue to captain the Test side.
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests
Jangoo, dropped after only one Test appearance, in Multan in January 2025, where he scored 0 and 30, has returned to the side following a fruitful WI Championship in which he scored 411 runs in seven innings. He finished second on the scorers’ table there, only behind Da Silva, who scored 413 in seven outing. The highlight of Jangoo’s season was the 203 not out he scored for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands
The pair of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, meanwhile, last played Test cricket during the home series against Australia in mid-2025.”Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity,” Darren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. “Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead.”For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”
Some of the squad members are currently participating in a high-performance training camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and will run till June 22. The members of the Test squad who were also part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs and won the T20Is – will join the camp on June 15. The Tests will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29 and July 3 to 7.
“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent,” Sammy said about the camp. “It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.
“Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our Test hopefuls to play in high-intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series.”
West Indies are currently bottom of the nine-team WTC table, having lost seven of their eight games in the ongoing cycle.
West Indies squad for Test series against Sri Lanka
Iranian tankers exit US blockade zone before talks to end war
Hundreds of cats stolen for food in Vietnam rescued by police, welfare group says
Canada-Netherlands ODI abandoned due to dangerous pitch in Toronto
Da Silva and Jangoo earn recalls for West Indies’ Tests against Sri Lanka
Spinners make it two in two for England
Messi hat-trick fires holders Argentina to win over Algeria at World Cup
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News6 days agoCIABOC summons Yoshitha over his participation in British Navy training programme
-
News3 days agoRelease of 2025 O/L results likely to be delayed
-
Sports3 days agoTharanga set for high-profile javelin clash in Ostrava
-
News6 days agoJustice Minister responds to social media claims he represented Easter Sunday ringleader
-
Features4 days agoPolitics of protected species
-
News5 days agoCommonwealth lawyers urge Lanka to uphold rule of law
-
News3 days agoTheft of USD 2.5 mn from Treasury: CoPF accused of complicity in NPP cover-up
-
News2 days agoBeijing Capital Airlines to resume flights to Colombo signalling boost to tourism