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Mustafizur’s six-wicket haul scripts big win for Bangladesh
Mustafizur Rahman’s career-best 6 for 10 backed up by an unbeaten century-stand between Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar helped Bangladesh claim a resounding ten-wicket win over USA in the third and final T20I in Dallas. It brought down the series margin to 2-1 for USA who would nonetheless celebrate a milestone performance.
Mustafizur’s six-for – the first time a Bangladesh bowler claimed a six-wicket haul in T20Is – restricted USA to 104 for 9. In reply, Tanzid and Sarkar added 108 runs in just 11.5 overs to take Bangladesh home. This was Mustafizur’s second six-for in white-ball cricket after his 6 for 43 against India in an ODI in 2015.
Apart from Mustafizur, wristspinner Rishad Hossain also bowled brilliantly conceding just seven runs in his four overs and picking a wicket. This was Bangladesh’s most economical T20I spell (minimum four overs). Before both of these milestones though, Shakib Al Hassan reached a unique feat, too.
Having secured the series, USA rested four first-choice players in Monank Patel, Steven Taylor, Harmeet Singh and Ali Khan. They got off to a blazing start after being sent in, with Shavan Jahangir creaming Hasan Mahmud for two fours in the second over before Andries Gous launched Shakib for a huge six over midwicket. Gous then took a liking to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, hitting him twice through point and cover, in between a beautiful flick shot.
Gous finished the fourth over with another four through fine leg. After Jahangir lofted Shakib for his first six next over, Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped Gous on 23. He smacked the next ball for four, but Shakib finally removed Gous in the same over. He made 27 off 15 balls, becoming Shakib’s 700th international wicket. Shakib became the 17th cricketer to reach the milestone but the first to get to the mark with 14000-plus runs under his belt.
Jahangir was dismissed in the last over of the powerplay caught at deep square leg off Mustafizur. Nitish Kumar and Milind Kumar could only add ten runs in 3.5 overs before Mustafizur broke this stand in the 10th over when Nitish was caught behind for 3.
Rishad meanwhile kept things tight at the other end. Milind was his only wicket, getting caught in the deep leg-side boundary after a painstaking 7 off 20 balls. Before Milind’s wicket, Tanzim had removed Aaron Jones in the 12th over, when the USA captain for the day half-heartedly struck a pull shot down Rishad’s throat at the deep square-leg boundary.
When Shadley van Schalkwyk struck Mahmudullah for a four through long-on, it was USA’s first boundary in 10.5 overs. Corey Anderson then hit Tanzim for a four and six in the next over and it looked like the home side were warming up for a fast finish.
Mustafizur put paid to those thoughts removing both van Schalkwyk and Anderson in the 18th over. Bowling from the around-the-wicket angle to both left-handers, he first got one to slide away from van Schalkwyk to hit the top of his off stump while Anderson chopped one onto his stumps for 18. Mustafizur then pinned a yorker through Jasdeep Singh’s legs in the last over, before getting Nisarg Patel to hole out at point for his sixth wicket.
Bangladesh motored along through the powerplay as USA struggled without their three first-choice bowlers. Tanzid slapped two Saurabh Netravalkar half-volleys for fours through the covers. Soumya survived two mistimed shots in between a four and a six in van Schalkwyk’s first over before Tanzid went after Jasdeep and Milind in the next two overs. The pair struck one four each in Nitish’s over, and then one six each off Netravalkar
Tanzid reached his third T20I fifty in the 11th over before his second six got the partnership to three figures. Soumya played the perfect foil with his unbeaten 43 off 28 balls with two sixes. The pair put on their second century stand in 15 days.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh108 for 0 in 11.4 overs (Tanzid Hasan 58*, Soumya Sarkar 43*) beat USA 104 for 9 in 20 overs (Andries Gous 27, Shayan Jahangir 18, Corey Anderson 18; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-32, Shakib Al Hassan 1-23, Mustafizur Rahman 6-10, Rishad Hossain 1-07) by ten wickets
(Cricinfo)
Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, just over a week after the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , in joint United States-Israeli strikes that have.plunged the entire region into a sprawling war.
The 56-year-old, who will now be charged with leading the Islamic Republic through the biggest crisis in its 47-year history, was named by clerics as his father’s successor on Sunday.
Key leaders, Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the armed forces were quick to pledge their backing to the new leader.
Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who has been tasked with steering Iran’s security strategy since the US and Israel launched their all-out offensive, called for unity around the new supreme leader.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf welcomed the choice, saying that following the new supreme leader was a “religious and national duty”.
Mojtaba Khamenei has never run for office or been subjected to a public vote, but has for decades been a highly influential figure in the inner circle of the supreme leader, cultivating deep ties to the IRGC.
In recent years, Khamenei has increasingly been touted as a top potential replacement for his father. His selection could be a sign that more hardline factions in Iran’s establishment retain power, and could indicate that the government has little desire to agree to a deal or negotiations in the short term as the war enters its second week.
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem described Khamenei as his “father’s gatekeeper”.
“He adopts the positions of his father with respect to the United States, with respect to Israel. So we are expecting a confrontational leader. We’re not expecting any moderation,” he said.
“However, if this war comes to an end and he is still alive, and he is able to continue running the country, there is going to be big potential… to find new routes for Iran,” Hashem said.
(Aljazeera)
Global oil prices have jumped above $100 (£75.11) a barrel for the first time since 2022 as the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran has fuelled fears of prolonged disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader, signalling that a week into the conflict hardliners remain in charge of the country.
The US and Israel launched fresh waves of airstrikes across Iran over the weekend, hitting multiple targets including oil depots.
Major disruption to energy supplies from the region threatens to push up prices for consumers and businesses around the world.
Early on Monday in Asia, Brent crude was around 15.5% higher at $107.16, while Nymex light sweet was up by more than 17% at $106.77.
Stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region fell sharply in early trading on Monday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 index down by more than 5% and the ASX 200 in Australia more than 3.5% lower.
Many in the markets predicted that oil would hit the $100 a barrel mark this week.
In the event it took about a minute to jump 10%, and then another 15 minutes to rise a further 10% in early Asian trading.
Last week the markets had been relatively relaxed about the seeming nightmare scenario for millions of barrels of crude and liquefied natural gas trapped in the Gulf, unable or unwilling to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
But the escalations over the weekend, alongside scenes of destruction of energy infrastructure both in Iran and across the Gulf, saw the markets take rapid fright.
The question now is where does this go? Some analysts argue that if the shutdown in the strait lasts until the end of March, we could see record oil prices above $150 a barrel.
The existing rise is likely to further increase petrol prices, and those of important derivative products such as jet fuel and vital precursors for fertilisers.
The physical supplies from the Gulf are mainly consumed in Asia.
Already however there are signs that Asian consumers are bidding up prices for US gas, with some tankers originally heading for Europe turning around in the mid-Atlantic.
US President Donald Trump responded to the jump in prices by saying that short term rises were a “small price to pay” for removing Iran’s nuclear threat.
His energy secretary told US broadcasters on Sunday that Israel, not the US, was targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure, amid some concern about rising domestic pump prices caused by the war.
(BBC)
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