Bangladesh put themselves in a strong position in the opening Test against New Zealand after skipper Najmul Shanto struck a well-crafted century on the third day at Sylhet. Shanto remained unbeaten on 104 and was involved in an unbroken stand of 96 with Mushfiqur Rahim as the hosts went into stumps with a lead of 205.

New Zealand started off well after managing to erase the deficit even though Bangladesh were favourites to fetch the first-innings lead when play began. The visitors were trailing by 44 runs with only the tail left to bat but Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee kept the home side at bay in the first hour before Jamieson was trapped lbw. New Zealand then managed to eke out a 7-run lead before Southee departed to give Mominul Haque his third wicket.

While Bangladesh batted out a tricky 10-over period before the lunch break, New Zealand struck immediately in the second session. Ajaz Patel got one to turn in sharply and Zakir Hasan failed to connect while attempting a nudge. As a result, the batter was trapped plumb in front to give New Zealand the first breakthrough. And then came a cruel blow in the next over as Shanto drove one straight off Southee, who got a touch before the ball hit the stumps with the non-striker Mahmudul Hasan caught short of his crease.

At 26/2, the home side needed a partnership to steady the ship. They got exactly that with Shanto and Mominul adding 90 for the third wicket. Mominul, who took time to get going, hit three boundaries in the space of five deliveries as the duo counterattacked before a drinks break. The two batters guided Bangladesh to a good position before the Tea break but the visitors struck again immediately after resumption.

This time, it was a run out again as Shanto was caught ball watching, leaving Mominul stranded. Despite the unfortunate dismissal, Bangladesh took control of the game with Shanto remaining firm at one end. Rahim, who didn’t open his account for ten deliveries, broke free against Ajaz with two boundaries in the span of three deliveries and raced to 19 off just 28 at one point.

Glenn Phillips, who had a fruitful outing with the ball in the first innings, couldn’t recreate the magic this time around as Shanto picked him apart for three boundaries in two overs. New Zealand just couldn’t create any chances before the close of play as Shanto kept going before bringing up a brilliant ton that has now firmly put Bangladesh in the driver’s seat.

Brief scores:
Bangladesh 310 & 212/3 (Najmul Shanto 104*, Mushfiqur Rahim 43*) lead New Zealand 317 (Kane Williamson 104, Glenn Phillips 42; Taijul Islam 4/109) by 205 runs

For the first time in their cricketing history, Uganda qualified for the T20 World Cup after brushing aside Rwanda in their final game of the Africa region qualifier. In the process, they denied Zimbabwe a spot in the main event next year that is scheduled to be held in the West Indies and the USA.

Earlier in the competition, Namibia became the first team to clinch one of the two available spots for qualification to the tournament proper.

Going into the final round of fixtures on Thursday (November 30), Uganda were favourites to get the job done as they were up against a winless Rwanda. For Zimbabwe to usurp Uganda in the points table, they had to defeat Kenya and hope for Uganda to slip against Rwanda. However, Rwanda lost a wicket in the very first over of their innings and never recovered.

Only two batters from Rwanda managed to hit double digits with the batting lineup crumbling in stunning fashion. Eventually, Rwanda were bowled out for just 65, a total Uganda chased down with ease to prevail by nine wickets and seal their place in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Zimbabwe did all they could from their end as the in-form captain Sikandar Raza promoted himself up the order and smashed eight sixes en route his 48-ball 82. Zimbabwe ended up posting 217 on the board as a result but that loss to Uganda four days ago came back to hurt them in the end.

Today (November 30) is the final day for players to register for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Players are required to submit their names along with No Objection Certificates (NOCs) through their respective boards. The auction is scheduled for December 19.

With expectations of over 700 players registering for the auction, this time, some prominent names are anticipated to be on the list. Notable World Cup performers such as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Travis Head, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, among others, are expected to be the top draws.

In particular, Starc is expected to be hotly pursued by franchises, despite his history of making himself unavailable after being acquired in previous auctions. Sources close to Cricket Australia have disclosed that at least five franchises have reached out to the left-armer, and he is likely to feature prominently on the marquee list.