Alick Athanaze of West Indies. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

Mikyle Louis and Alick Athanaze fell agonizingly short of maiden centuries as the West Indies rallied from 25-2 to reach 250-5 against Bangladesh on the first day of the first test.

Louis was out for 97 and Athanaze on 90 after sharing a dogged 140-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

At stumps, Justin Greaves was 11 not out and Joshua Da Silva 14 not out.

Louis shared a 59-run partnership for the third wicket with Kavem Hodge (25) which steadied the West Indies innings after captain Kraigg Brathwaite (4) and Keacy Carty (0) fell early to the bowling of Taskin Ahmed.

Louis and Athanaze then came together to wrest the advantage on the first day to the home team which had been sent in after losing the toss.

Louis was the senior partner for most of the fourth-wicket stand but as he became bogged down in the 90s Athanaze became the more assertive batter.

Athanaze was 49 when Louis reached 90. When Lewis was out 25 balls later for 97, Athanaze was 88 and scoring freely.

Athanaze reached a chancy half-century — his third in tests — from 85 balls with six fours. When he fell in the 78th over with stumps approaching, he had 90 from 130 balls with 10 fours and a six, the last 40 runs from 45 balls.

Louis was dropped on 90 by Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz at first slip from the bowling of Taijul Islam, a chastening experience which seemed to make him more cautious. He stepped back to cut a short ball from Taijul but simply guided to the left of Mehidy, who extended his hand but couldn’t hold the catch.

From then on, Louis advanced to 94 with a boundary off Hasan Mahmud, then to 97 with singles. He reached his half-century with care and concentration from 104 balls, eclipsed his previous highest score in tests of 57, and seemed set to go on to a century in his sixth test.

But he fell three runs short. Clearly affected by frustration, he charged a ball from Mehidy which sat up enticingly outside off, intended to hit it down the ground but instead edged to Shahadat Hossain at slip.

“Initially the pitch had an element of moisture so it was difficult at first for the pair opening the batting,” Louis said. “As it went on it got a bit easier, the ball started coming on a bit better. Just unfortunate I couldn’t get to three figures.” Athanaze approached his century with a feeling of inevitability, looking on top of the bowlers. But at 90 he tried to sweep a ball from Taijul, mis-timed his shot and the ball popped from a top edge to wicketkeeper Litton Das.

It was the second time in four innings Athanaze has been out in the 90s. He was out for 92 against South Africa in August.

Earlier, the first session belonged to Bangladesh as the West Indies went to lunch at 50-2. Brathwaite was trapped lbw by Taskin in the 14th over and Carty was bowled for a duck two overs later.

Hodge was run out by Taijul’s throw from fine leg as he attempted a second run when the West Indies was 84-3 in the 38th over.

Taskin took 2-46 as the most successful of the Bangladesh bowlers. (AP) AM AM AM

Afghanistan vs Bangladesh Live Score Updates 1st ODI© AFP

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named Najmul Hossain Shanto as captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sharjah next week, in a shakeup following Shanto’s request to step down from all-format captaincy. The decision came after a discussion between Shanto and BCB president Faruque Ahmed on Thursday following Bangladesh’s recent Test in Chattogram. Though Shanto will lead the squad against Afghanistan, the BCB has yet to announce a long-term decision on his captaincy or the squad for the West Indies tour later in November, where Bangladesh will play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is.

As Shanto’s vice-captain for the Afghanistan series, Mehidy Hasan Miraz is seen as a leading candidate for future captaincy, with Taskin Ahmed also considered a strong option. Both players are in the ODI squad for the Afghanistan series and have shown leadership potential. Taskin, with his pace and experience, has been a mainstay in Bangladesh’s bowling attack, while Miraz’s all-round abilities make him a versatile asset.

The 22-year-old uncapped pacer Nahid Rana is set to make his debut in the ODI format. Known for his impressive pace and bounce, Rana has taken 26 wickets in List A cricket at an average of 16.46, adding fresh talent to the squad. Also returning to the team are opener Zakir Hasan and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed. Zakir, who has played a single ODI and 12 Tests, will add depth to the top order, while Nasum brings spin options, having last represented Bangladesh in the 2022 World Cup.

The squad, however, will be missing a few key names. Shakib Al Hasan, one of Bangladesh’s star players, has voluntarily stepped down from consideration for this series. Litton Das, sidelined by a fever that kept him out of the recent Chattogram Test, is also unavailable. Anamul Haque, Taijul Islam, and Hasan Mahmud, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, will not join the team either.

The Bangladesh squad will depart for Dubai in two groups over the weekend, with matches scheduled for November 6, 9, and 11 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Bangladesh’s ODI squad

Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Zakir Hasan, Nazmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana

Indian players are the best in the world and can bat well in any conditions, said Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed while conceding that batting frailties have let down the visitors in the T20I series, which the hosts lead 2-0 with one match left to play. Bangladesh face a potential series whitewash after losing the second T20I by 86 runs, having lost the first match by 7 wickets. “(There is) no doubt that they are (the) best in the world, not only in their (home) conditions but all over the world. They are more experienced and better players than us,” Taskin told the media on Wednesday.

The pace trio of Taskin, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman outfoxed the Indian top order inside the powerplay, putting Bangladesh in a strong position.

However, the spinners couldn’t maintain that advantage, allowing the pair of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh to rescue the hosts and get to a formidable total of 221/9.

“In the powerplay, we did well, but they batted well in the end and unfortunately spinners had a bad day. Normally, we don’t have these kind of bad days but in T20 anything can happen on any day,” Taskin said.

“The spinners could not grip the ball as there was dew. We were in the game till the 11th or 12th over and on this wicket, if we had kept them under 180 runs, it was chaseable,” said Taskin, who was the pick among the bowlers with 4-0-16-2.

In reply, Bangladesh managed a mere 135/9 in their 20 overs, a total that would have been even lower if not for the veteran Mahmudullah’s contribution of 41 runs off 39 balls.

“We all know the Delhi ground is a high scoring (venue), the average (score) is more than 200. But unfortunately we didn’t bat well in both the games (in the series). Both wickets were pretty good to bat but as a team we didn’t play to our best potential,” he said.

“They batted really well till the end. It doesn’t matter if a few wickets fell, they were still coming at us and because of the big total (to chase), we tried to hit and lost a couple of wickets early on and also the momentum.”

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto previously acknowledged that his team struggles to consistently score 180 or more runs, and Taskin believes this ongoing difficulty stems from their lack of experience on quality pitches back home.

“They score 180 to 200 runs regularly. For us that is 130-40 at home. We don’t have that habit (of scoring big runs) and that is the reality. Hopefully, in the coming days, our home conditions will get better and at that point we can chase big runs and defend as well.

Apart from their lacklustre performance with the bat, Bangladesh also missed a crucial opportunity by dropping Nitish Kumar Reddy, who went on to score a match-winning 74. He was let off the hook by wicketkeeper Litton Das when he was on just 5 runs.

“(A) catch drop is always costly, especially against an opponent like them who are best in the world. The margin of error is very small and so it was costly,” Taskin said.

Team India will look to seal the series as they lock horns with Bangladesh in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Suryakumar’s side has already taken a 1-0 lead in the series after clinching a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first T20I match in Gwalior. India and Bangladesh have faced each other on 15 occasions in the shortest format of the game so far. India have dominated the visitors as they have managed to emerge victorious 14 times.

Speaking of the team’s form in this format in recent times, the hosts have won all their last five encounters. On the other hand, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side have won only one game out of their last five.

In the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League this year only five matches took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. In these five matches, the teams were able to cross the 200-run mark in eight innings out of ten. So, the match is expected to be a high-scoring clash. The weather at the venue is believed to be clear, with a little bit of dew later in the match, according to ESPNcricinfo.

India’s left-arm speedster Arshdeep Singh asserted that skipper Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir will check the wicket and share the plan for the game.

“We [Punjab Kings] did not play here this IPL, but after seeing the scores, I did not feel like checking the wicket. But yeah, we will come tomorrow and see what could be a good plan here. And of course, the captain and the coach will check the wicket and share their plan,” Arshdeep Singh said in the pre-match press conference as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Further the Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah heaped praise on the team’s bowlers saying that they have been doing a wonderful job in the last few years.

“Our bowlers are doing a wonderful job for the last few years. I don’t think we played that badly in the first game. We shouldn’t doubt ourselves based on one game. That’d be unfair. We have to come out of that zone and try to win the game. We tried to play aggressively with the bat. We have to be more organised, which will serve us better,” Mahmudullah said.

Mahmudullah announced his decision to retire from T20I cricket on Saturday to shift his focus to the ODI format. The final T20I between India and Bangladesh at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, will mark Mahmudullah’s final appearance in Bangladesh colours in the T20I format.

Squads:

India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Nitish Reddy, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, Jitesh Sharma, Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana.

Bangladesh: Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (wk), Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, Rakibul Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz grabbed five wickets to help Bangladesh skittle Pakistan for 274 on the second day of the second Test in Rawalpindi on Saturday. The 26-year-old recorded his 10th five-wicket haul in Tests to cap a good day for the tourists, who are looking to win only their third away series. Bangladesh finished the day on 10-0 despite opener Shadman Islam being dropped by Saud Shakeel off Mir Hamza on the first ball of the innings. But it was Bangladesh’s bowlers who steered them to a strong position.

Mehidy dismissed Pakistan captain Shan Masood for 57 and opener Saim Ayub for 58 after the home team had been well-placed on 99-1 at lunch.

He produced match-turning figures of 4-21 in Bangladesh’s 10-wicket win in the first Test a week ago, and snared Khurram Shahzad for 12 and then Mohammad Ali and Abrar Ahmed to end the innings with 5-61.

Mehidy was ably assisted by fast bowler Taskin Ahmed, who took 3-57.

Agha Salman, dropped on nought by Zakir Hasan off Shakib Al Hasan, was Taskin’s third wicket after scoring 54 with three boundaries and two sixes.

Taskin said he was happy to be back in the longer format of Test cricket.

“It’s a good sporting pitch and we need to bat the full day and get a good lead,” Taskin said.

“It’s great to be back in red ball (cricket) after one-and-a-half years. I enjoyed that and adapted well.”

Salman said the pitch was better than the first Test track and should provide help for the spin bowlers.

“Unlike the first Test, this wicket has lively grass and I believe we have enough runs,” he said.

Desperate for a win to level the two-match series, Pakistan started well but lost wickets at regular intervals to slump from a relatively strong 107-1 on a greenish but slow Rawalpindi pitch.

Taskin bowled first Test centurion Saud Shakeel for 16, the left-hander having already survived a dropped catch by Mehidy off Nahid Rana on one.

Babar Azam, Pakistan’s best batter, fell leg-before to spinner Shakib Al Hasan for 31, having now gone 15 Test innings without a half-century.

The first day’s play on Friday was washed out due to rain but Pakistan shone with solid batting in the first session.

Masood, under pressure after scores of six and 14 in the first Test, hit two boundaries before he fell leg-before to Mehidy in the third over after the lunch break.

Fellow left-hander Ayub was more aggressive, hitting two sixes and four boundaries before he was stumped by wicketkeeper Liton Das off Mehidy.

Taskin, brought in for the unfit Shoriful Islam as Bangladesh’s only change, bowled Abdullah Shafique for nought off the sixth ball of the match.

Bangladesh’s 10-wicket win in the first Test, also in Rawalpindi, was their first over Pakistan in 14 attempts.

Pakistan made two changes from the first Test, resting spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah to bring in pace bowler Hamza and spinner Abrar Ahmed.

The two-match series is part of the World Test Championship, with Pakistan now ranked eighth and Bangladesh seventh in the nine-team table.

Taskin Ahmed in action for Bangladesh during T20 World Cup 2024© AFP

Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed received surprise call-up to his team’s campaign at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2024.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Despite nursing a side strain, pacer Taskin Ahmed was on May 14 included in Bangladesh’s squad for the T20 World Cup to be held in the Americas next month.

Ahmed, who has also been named the vice-captain, picked up the injury ahead of the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe last week.

But before that the 29-year-old had a great outing in the series, bagging eight wickets in four games at an impressive economy rate of 4.56.

The Tigers will be led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, as all the familiar and experienced players have been included in the squad of 15. Opener Litton Das too has been named in the squad despite his poor recent form.

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is the senior-most player in the squad, having featured in every event since its inception in 2007.

Bangladesh will start their campaign against Sri Lanka on June 7 in Dallas, Texas. They have been clubbed in Group D, which also has South Africa, Netherlands and Nepal.

It will be their ninth straight appearance in the tournament, qualifying this time based on the T20I Team Rankings criteria set by the International Cricket Council.

Bangladesh squad:

Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Taskin Ahmed (vc), Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan.

Travelling reserves: Hasan Mahmud, Afif Hossain.