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Hridoy’s stunning 96* lifts Bangladesh to 286
Following innings of substance Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy’s slow-burn innings provided the ideal finishing touches as he propelled Bangladesh to a competitive total of 286 for 7 in the second ODI in Chattogram.
Hridoy, who had come into bat in the 13th over, ended unbeaten on 96 off 102, an innings and strike rate that belied the acceleration he provided at the death, to boost an innings that had looked in danger of stumbling at the final hurdle. Along with Taskin Ahmed, whose cameo of 18 off 10 also provided excellent support, the pair put on 50 off just 23 deliveries as Bangladesh scored 80 off the final 10 overs – 54 of which came in the final five. The hosts’ showcase of big hits late in the innings helped them grab the momentum at the break.
Before that Wanidu Hasaranga who had gone wicketless last time out, had threatened to derail Bangladesh’s efforts grabbing four wickets for 45 runs, while Dilshan Madushanka too proved pivotal grabbing two wickets early in the innings, as well as a superb take in the deep to dismiss Sarkar. But worryingly for Sri Lanka he walked off the field midway through his seventh over clutching his left hamstring.
With the potential of evening dew firmly on their minds, Sri Lanka had won the toss and elected to bowl first this time out. Madushanka wasted little time – just three deliveries in fact – in sending Litton Das packing for a second consecutive duck.
And it might have been even better for the visitors had Pathum Nissanka at slip held on to a thick edge from Shanto off Pramod Madushan an over later, or indeed if Sri Lanka had had the presence of mind to review a waft from the same batter two balls later, one which replays showed he had nicked.
Shanto to his credit rode this luck and used it as a catalyst to take the attack to the Lankan seamers, scoring 64 inside the first powerplay. A couple of sumptuous drives through the covers on the up showed his growing confidence, but his innings was cut short as he edged a seaming delivery from Madushanka through to Kusal Mendis for an acrobatic take.
The scoring rate however would not ease as by this time Sarkar had also got his eye in. With an uncertain Hridoy at the other end, Sarkar took on the role of aggressor and ensured the scoring rate stayed above six an over. The pair put on 55 off 54, and were threatening much more – particularly Sarkar who was starting to middle the ball with increasing consistency – before he was dismissed by an outstanding catch in the deep by Madushanka.
After Sarkar had nailed a reverse sweep off Hasaranga destined for the ropes, Madushanka sprinted to his right and threw himself at the ball grabbing an incredible catch with both hands in full flight. Sarkar could only stand there in disbelief, while the shouts of jubilation from Hasaranga provided insight into the pasting he had suffered at the hands of Sarkar before that.
One then brought two, as a moment of madness from Mahmudullah saw his charge Hasaranga and swing all around a googly to find himself stumped miles out of his crease. This meant Bangladesh had suddenly gone from 130 for 2 to 130 for 4, and it was left to Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim to consolidate. And so they did in a stand worth 43 off 57.
But just as Mushfiqur had begun to shift gears, Hasaranga struck once more. A tossed-up leg break on leg stump saw Mushfiqur miss his attempt at a sweep, and the resulting appeal for leg before was both loud and long. But with umpire Masudur Rahman unmoved, Sri Lanka went for the review, which vindicated their excitement with three reds.
When Hasaranga then dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz a couple of overs later, Bangladesh were suddenly in danger of floundering at the pivotal moment in their innings – much like Sri Lanka had two days earlier.
But Tanzim Hasan Sakib in a 33-ball innings of 18 proved an able and stubborn deputy, holding up one end as Hridoy kept the scoreboard ticking over before Hridoy and Taskin imparted the flourish the crowd in Chattogram was crying out for.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 286 for 7 in 50 overs (Soumya Sarkar 68, Towhid Hridoy 96* Najmul Hossain Shanto 40, Mushfiqur Rahim 25; Dilshan Madushanka 2-30, Wanidu Hasaranga 4-45) vs Sri Lanka
(Cricinfo)
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to further jail terms following a fraud case involving state gifts.
They were convicted of breaking Pakistan’s rules on gifts after Bibi was given a luxury jewellery set by Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman during a 2021 state visit.
The pair are already serving time in prison for earlier convictions, and the new sentences – 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, and a fine – will reportedly run concurrently to their earlier terms.
Khan has described the charges as politically motivated and his lawyer told BBC News his team plan to challenge the verdict.
Speaking to the BBC after the hearing, the former prime minister’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said Khan’s legal team had only been informed about the sentencing late on Friday night, after normal court hours.
They planned to mount a challenge to the verdict in the high court, Mr Safdar said.
This case is the latest in a series of charges laid against the cricket star-turned-politician, who has been detained since August 2023. In January he was sentenced to 14 years in prison over a separate corruption case. He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts. The BBC has been unable to confirm the exact number brought against him.
The jewellery case, referred to as Toshakhana 2 in Pakistan, concerns a Bulgari jewellery set given to Bushra Bibi by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a state visit in 2021, according to court documents.
Under Pakistan’s rules on state gifts, these items go to Pakistan’s Toshakana department (state treasury), but politicians are able to purchase the items back.
Khan is alleged to have asked a private firm to undervalue the jewellery set, before purchasing it back at a significantly reduced price.
In addition to their jail terms, the pair were handed a fine of over 16 million Pakistani rupees (£42,600).
Khan was also convicted in an earlier, different Toshakhana case – but he challenged that conviction, meaning his sentence is suspended until the outcome of his appeal.
He also has other cases outstanding against him.
These include terrorism charges relating to violent protests that took place on 9 May 2023, when he was previously arrested.
Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister until April 2022 when he was ousted in a vote of no confidence.
Although he has not been seen in public, his social media accounts have continued to operate with messages attributed to him on X often appearing after jail visits.
These have been highly critical of Pakistan’s current government and its politically powerful army Chief Field Marshall Asim Munir, including posts calling him a tyrannical dictator.
In November, he was denied any visitors for nearly a month.
After campaigning by his family and party, his sister was allowed to visit in early December; a few hours after she saw him, his account posted a comment credited to Khan calling the Field Marshall Asim Munir a “mentally unstable person”.
Khan, 73, has not been allowed any family visits since.
The judgement states the judge was lenient in sentencing because of Khan’s “old age”.
[BBC]
The US has seized an oil tanker that had recently departed from Venezuela, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
It is the second time this month that an oil-carrying ship has been seized off the country’s coast.
The move comes after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was ordering a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Venezuela has described the latest US move as “theft and kidnapping”. It has previously accused the Trump administration of trying to steal its resources.
“These acts will not go unpunished,” a statement from the Venezuelan government said, adding that it intended to file a complaint with the UN Security Council and “other multilateral agencies and the governments of the world”.
The operation was led by the US Coast Guard, similar to the operation earlier this month. The ship was boarded by a specialised tactical team, and was in international waters when it was taken.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees the Coast Guard, shared a seven-minute video of the operation on X.
It shows US helicopters landing on the deck of a ship with the name Centuries written on the side.
It is a Panamanian-flagged ship, but in the past five years it has also sailed under the flags of Greece and Liberia, according to records seen by BBC Verify.
It is not on the US Treasury’s list of sanctioned vessels, but in the hours after the announcement, the White House clarified that its cargo was sanctioned.
“The tanker contained sanctioned PDVSA oil,” said a post from Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, referring to Venezuela’s state-run oil company .
The post said the tanker was “operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil and fund the narcoterrorist Maduro regime.”
In recent weeks, the US has been building up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea and has carried out deadly strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats, killing around 100 people.
It has provided no public evidence that these vessels were carrying drugs, and the military has come under increasing scrutiny from Congress over the strikes.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro of leading a designated-terrorist organisation called Cartel de los Soles, which he denies.
Trump has accused Maduro’s government of using “stolen” oil to “finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping”.
Following the seizure of the second ship, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the US would continue to “unflinchingly conduct maritime interdiction operations… to dismantle illicit criminal networks.”
“Violence, drugs, and chaos will not control the Western Hemisphere.”
Venezuela – which is home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves – is highly dependent on revenues from its oil exports to finance its government spending.
Trump’s announcement of a blockade came less than a week after the US seized an oil tanker believed to be part of the “ghost fleet” off the coast of Venezuela, which allegedly used various strategies to conceal its work.
Venezuela’s government decried the move, with Maduro saying the US ” kidnapped crew” and “stole” the ship.
[BBC]
There was a little bit of rustiness as India returned to action 50 days after becoming ODI world champions, but not so much to prevent them from registering a dominant win in the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam.
Despite dew being a constant presence on a cool evening, India’s spinners rallied to keep Sri Lanka’s top order in check – even if they did not pick up wickets in a heap – thus restricting them to 121 for 6. It was a below-par total given that the dew was only going to increase as the temperatures reduced – something Harmanpreet Kaur had alluded to while choosing to chase at the toss. India made easy work of it to get home with eight wickets and 32 balls to spare, starting their road to the T20 World Cup 2026 in June on the right note.
Jemimah Rodrigues, batting for the 100th time in T20Is, struck a 14th half-century in the format to help the hosts canter. There was a mild intrigue around India’s No. 3, with Harleen Deol batting at that spot for two games in England, and Harmanpreet signaling her intent to be India’s one drop at the last T20 World Cup. But Rodrigues’ 69 not out from 44 balls should dispel any doubts India would have had.
This was India’s sixth win in ten games since being knocked out in the league stage of the 2024 iteration.
Brief scores:
India Women 122 for 2 in 14.4 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 69*, Smriti Mandhana 25, Harmanpreet Kaur 15*; Kawya Kavindi 1-20, Inoka Ranaweera 1-17) beat Sri Lanka Women 121 for 6 in 20 overs (Vishmi Gunaratne 39, Chamari Athapaththu 15, Hasini Perera 20, Harshita Samarawickrama 21; Deepti Sharma 1-20, Kranti Gaud 1-23, Shree Charani 1-30) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
Imran Khan and wife given further jail terms after state gift fraud case
Rights groups condemn new record number of executions in Saudi Arabia
US seizes second oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast
Rodrigues fifty leads India’s chase after bowlers set up victory against Sri Lanka
Sameer Minhas 172 powers Pakistan to Under-19 Asia Cup title
No Christmas miracle for England as Australia make it 3-0 to retain the Ashes in 11 days
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