Sports
Three international teams to tour Sri Lanka in October and November
by Rex Clementine
While Sri Lanka’s national team will be engaged in the T-20 World Cup in UAE next month, there will be two international teams playing in Sri Lanka simultaneously with Bangladesh Under-19 and Pakistan ‘A’ expected to arrive in the island next month. That will be followed by the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka and Galle is set to host two Test matches followed by the Lanka Premier League in December. With the LPL set to finish on the 23rd of December, cricket will be stretched to Christmas week.
The sport had come to a standstill after the outbreak of the pandemic and Sri Lanka Cricket has taken steps to go ahead with planned series in bio-secure bubbles. SLC has conducted several bilateral international series deploying the bubble concept having hosted England and Bangladesh for Test cricket while South Africa and India were in Colombo for limited overs cricket this year.
Bangladesh Under-19 will arrive in Colombo next month and will play five one-dayers against their counterparts from the 15th to 25th of October. The venue for the games is yet to be confirmed.
Bangladesh Under-19 are the current world champions having won the ICC Youth World Cup last year beating a strong Indian side in the final.
This will be the first assignment for Avishka Gunawardene as Sri Lanka Under-19 coach. The series is expected to be a good exposure for the young players ahead of next year’s Under-19 World Cup.
Bangladesh Under-19 tour will be followed by Pakistan ‘A’ team, who will play two unofficial Tests at Pallekele and three One-Dayers. The venue for the 50 over games is not announced as yet.
This year Sri Lanka has played just three Test matches with the last being in May when they hosted Bangladesh at Pallekele. Two more Test matches are scheduled for November and December when the West Indies tour the island. The schedule is yet to be announced but the Tests are expected to take place in Galle.
The year will conclude with the Lanka Premier League that is set to take place from the 4th to to 23rd of December.
Sri Lanka Under-19 versus Bangladesh Under-19
15th October 1st One-Day
18th October 2nd One-Day
20th October 3rd One-Day
23rd October 4th One-Day
25th October 5th One-Day
Sri Lanka ‘A’ versus Pakistan ‘A’
28th to 31st October 1st Unofficial Test
4th November to 7th November 2nd Unofficial Test
10th November 1st One-Day
12th November 2nd One-Day
15th November 3rd One-Day
West Indies tour of Sri Lanka
Two Tests matches in November – December
Lanka Premier League
4th to 23rd December.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has removed Nazmul Islam as chairman of the board’s finance committee, following the CWAB’s player boycott of cricket in country until he resigns from his position.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wishes to inform that, following a review of recent developments and in the best interest of the organisation, the BCB President has decided to release Mr. Najmul Islam from his responsibilities as Chairman of the Finance Committee with immediate effect,” the BCB said in a statement.
“The decision has been taken in accordance with the authority vested in the BCB President under Article 31 of the BCB Constitution and is aimed at ensuring the continued smooth and effective functioning of the Board’s affairs. Until further notice, the BCB President will assume the role of Acting Chairman of the Finance Committee.
“The BCB reiterates that the interests of the cricketers remain its highest priority. The Board remains fully committed to upholding the honour and dignity of all players under its jurisdiction.
“In this regard, the BCB hopes that all cricketers will continue to display the highest standards of professionalism and dedication to the betterment of Bangladesh cricket during what is a challenging period for the game, and will do their utmost to ensure continued participation in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).”
Both BPL matches on Thursday – the first between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, and the second between Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans – have been postponed due to the player boycott.
Even though there seemed to be movement on the issues – the BCB agreed to the player body CWAB’s demands and removed Nazmul Islam from his position as head of the board’s finance committee – but it came too late in the day for the matches to go ahead as scheduled. There was no confirmation yet whether the boycott would be called off or not, and whether the BPL matches on Friday would also be impacted.
[Cricinfo]
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has issued a show cause notice to its director M Nazmul Islam over his “objectionable comments” in public against the country’s cricketers on Wednesday.
The notice came a couple of hours before the scheduled start of the BPL matches for the day, though the players’ body CWAB has called for a nationwide boycott on all forms of cricket unless Islam tenders his resignation.
The four first-division matches in the Dhaka Cricket League scheduled for the day didn’t start on Thursday morning, which caused serious concern in the BCB. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express players, who were supposed to play the first BPL match on Thursday, are sticking to the boycott.
“The board has already initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against the board member concerned,” the BCB statement read. “A show cause letter has been issued, and the individual has been instructed to submit a written response within 48 hours. The matter will be dealt with through due process and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the proceedings.”
ESPNcricinfo understands that some board directors contacted the CWAB president Mohammad Mithun late on Wednesday night, offering that they would make Nazmul stand down from his role as the finance committee chairman. But Mithun said the cricketers’ call for the boycott remained in place.
The toss of the first BPL match on Thursday is at 12.30 pm local time. Once the start time for the match has passed, the CWAB leaders are supposed to hold a press conference, where they will present the BCB with their demands, including the resignation of the director.
[Cricinfo]
Sadio Mane fired Senegal into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over seven-time winners Egypt.
The two-time African Footballer of the Year broke the deadlock in the 78th minute on Wednesday when he let fly from just outside the penalty area inside the bottom left corner after Lamine Camara’s initial effort was blocked.
It sparked joy and relief among the Teranga Lions’ fans in Tangier, where the 2021 champions – after beating Egypt in the final – had taken the initiative but struggled to create clear chances against the Pharaohs’ stubborn defence.
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly will miss the title match – against either host Morocco or Nigeria, who were to play in Rabat later on Wednesday – after picking up a yellow card that meant a suspension and then going off injured in the 23rd minute.
Koulibaly was booked in the 17th for a tactical foul on Omar Marmoush. The captain was also sent off in the group-stage win over Benin and consequently missed the win over Sudan. His tournament was effectively ended when he had to be replaced by Mamadou Sarr because of injury.
Nicolas Jackson had fired over just before Senegal displayed more attacking intent. Habib Diarra and Pape Gueye also had efforts saved.
Tensions boiled over when Mohamed Salah fouled his former Liverpool teammate Mane, but Senegal coach Pape Thiaw and Egypt counterpart Hossam Hassan managed to cool tempers.
Senegal’s Habib Diarra was booked for arguing, however, meaning he will miss the final, too.
[Aljazeera]
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