Sport
Bangladesh sweep test series in Pakistan in healing touch for troubled nation
Bangladesh arrived last month having failed to beat Pakistan in a test match in their previous 13 attempts and then went on to win two in a row.
Bangladesh cruised to a six-wicket victory in the second test against Pakistan on Tuesday to complete a 2-0 series sweep and provide a healing touch to a nation recovering from a political upheaval.
Chasing 185 for victory, Bangladesh rode a string of cameos to seal their third test series victory away from home with more than one session left at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Opener Zakir Hasan (40), skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (38) and Mominul Haq (34) chipped in with useful cameos.
Veterans Mushfiqur Rahim (22) and Shakib Al Hasan (21) combined to guide the visitors to a memorable victory.
“It means a lot, I can’t express it in words,” an emotional Shanto said at the presentation ceremony.
“We were looking to win here and I’m very happy with the way everyone has done their job.”
All-rounder Mehedy Hasan Miraz dedicated his player-of-the-series award to a victim of the recent anti-government protests in Bangladesh, which culminated with ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing to India last month.
The country’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus called Shanto to congratulate the team on their series victory.
Bangladesh arrived last month having failed to beat Pakistan in a test match in their previous 13 attempts and then went on to win two in a row.
They won the series opener by 10 wickets , their first ever test victory against Pakistan, after the home side had declared their first innings on 448-6.
Bangladesh showed similar resilience in the second test when they slumped to 26-6 in the first innings before player-of-the-match Litton Das smashed 138 to rescue them.
For the first time, Bangladesh seamers claimed all 10 wickets as they skittled out Pakistan for 172 in the second innings to lay the foundation of their victory.
“Extremely disappointed, especially at the start of the home season,” rued Pakistan captain Shan Masood.
“We had two opportunities to bowl them out, especially here when they were 26-6, but we let them back in the game.”
Afghanistan’s cricket stars Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai have maintained their positions at the top of the latest ICC Men’s ODI rankings.
Rashid Khan remains the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world with 714 rating points.
Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed is second with 675 points, while South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj has moved up to third with 667 points.
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner is fourth with 644 points, followed by India’s Kuldeep Yadav on 623.
Meanwhile, Azmatullah Omarzai continues to hold the top position in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings with 337 points, giving Afghanistan two players at No. 1 in different ODI categories. Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe and Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh follow him in the list.
Abu Muslim Farah beat Omar Zawak Herat 4-0 in the 30th match of the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League, delivering an impressive performance.
The match was played today (Wednesday) at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Samiullah Naderi scored Abu Muslim Farah’s opening goal in the final minutes of the first half.
Abu Muslim Farah continued their attacking play in the second half, with Aman Sardari scoring the team’s second goal in the 69th minute with a spectacular header.
Omid Rajabi and Mirois Ghafouri then added two more goals to complete a 4-0 victory for Abu Muslim Farah.
Amanullah Sardari, captain of Abu Muslim Farah, was named Player of the Match against Omar Zawak Herat.
Abu Muslim Farah will face Ariana Khost in their next match on October 2, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Istiqlal Kabul on the same day.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s High Performance Center is set to launch a nationwide fast-bowling talent identification program, titled “Afghan Thunder,” across several provinces throughout October.
According to the ACB, the program will begin in Kunduz on October 4, with assessments continuing in Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, Khost, Paktia and Kunar before concluding in Nangarhar on October 27.
The board says eligible participants must be between 19 and 26 years old, at least 180 centimeters tall, hold a valid electronic National ID (e-Tazkira) and be capable of bowling at speeds of at least 140 kilometers per hour.
The assessment schedule is as follows: Kunduz on October 4–5, Herat on October 9–10, Kandahar on October 12, Kabul on October 14–15, Khost on October 19, Paktia on October 21, Kunar on October 25 and Nangarhar on October 27.
The ACB has encouraged eligible players who believe they have the potential to develop into high-level fast bowlers to take part in the Afghan Thunder Fast-Bowling Talent Hunt Program on the designated dates.
The board says the initiative aims to identify promising fast-bowling talent from across Afghanistan and provide talented players with a pathway into the country’s high-performance cricket system.
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