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Bangladesh leave for T20I series in India with depleted squad

Mohammad Isam30-Oct-20191:19

Shariar: Everyone is shocked by the news of Shakib’s ban

Named Bangladesh’s T20I captain just over an hour after Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC on Tuesday, Mahmudullah has called on his players to “play with our heart” in the three-match series in India.Shakib’s absence has weakened an already depleted team further. Tamim Iqbal had earlier opted out of the tour, while Mohammad Saifuddin was sidelined with an injury. Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam and Abu Hider have since been brought in as replacements, with Mahmudullah promoted to the leadership role.ALSO READ: Bal – Just what was Shakib thinking?The conversations centred on Shakib as the team assembled at the airport in Dhaka for the trip across to New Delhi, where the first T20I will be played on November 3.”We have to play with our heart for the country,” Mahmudullah said. “I think this [Shakib’s absence] will work as motivation for us. I think there’s no greater honour than playing for the country. The responsibility to lead the side lies with me, so I will try to give it my all.”The statistics don’t lie. It is a tough ask, but it is not impossible. We have to perform as a team, and ensure we take advantage of every opportunity.”In what is a rather young side, Mahmudullah will have only Mushfiqur Rahim to lean on for help with Shakib and Tamim out.”Definitely I will miss him [Shakib], since we have played together for so long,” Mushfiqur said. “It is tough to play without him as he is the No. 1 player. But it is also a good opportunity for youngsters.”If someone was injured for a year, which could have been anyone, then it would have been an opening for the younger players. It is a challenge to beat India in their home turf but a challenge also means an opportunity.”Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny, who has made a return to the senior side after being banned for an illegal action in 2016, said, “Shakib has been the No. 1 allrounder in the world for a long time. I would have been more comfortable as a bowler knowing he is also around. He has a good sense of wickets in India given his experience in the IPL. So we will definitely miss him.”Bangladesh will play two Test matches, including a day-nighter in Kolkata, after the T20Is, with Mominul Haque leading the long-format side.

Leeds United and the 49ers Enterprises have made an enquiry to sign another new midfielder ahead of Premier League rivals Burnley and Everton.

Leeds bolster midfield with Longstaff and Stach signings

The Whites have been busy in recent weeks ahead of their top flight return, with two of their recent signings coming in midfield.

After bolstering Daniel Farke’s defence with Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Gabriel Gudmundsson, Leeds have since added Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach.

Signed for a combined £29.4m from Newcastle United and Hoffenheim respectively, the duo look set to provide competition for Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev this season.

Talking after signing, Longstaff said: “I think from the first time I spoke to Leeds, I got a feeling that they really wanted me. It just fills you full of confidence and it just makes you want to repay those people. It is a massive, massive football club – similar to Newcastle in a lot of ways.”

Meanwhile, Stach added: “I am excited to join such a good team, such a good Premier League team, and I am looking forward to the next season. My style of play, I would say I am an aggressive player. I am good in duels. I am good at anticipating passes from the opponents and it would be good for the Premier League. Now we will see, I will try my best.”

Even better than Muniz: Leeds lining up move to sign "dominant" £30m star

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing a striker who is even better than Rodrigo Muniz.

ByDan Emery Jul 31, 2025

The Whites don’t seem to be stopping there when it comes to midfield reinforcements, though, going off a new transfer update.

Leeds make contact to sign Benfica’s Florentino Luis

According to journalist Gianluigi Longari, relayed by MOT Leeds News, Leeds have made an enquiry to sign Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis.

It is claimed that the Portuguese side could be open to selling Luis after bringing in Richard Ríos, with Leeds, Everton and Burnley all making approaches in recent weeks.

The 25-year-old appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €22m Transfermarkt valuation. Luis has been with Benfica since 2019, winning two league titles, and is under contract until 2027.

He caught the eye of football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who dubbed the midfielder the “Portuguese Octopus”, and he also ranks high for a number of areas over the last 12 months.

Tackles

97th percentile

Interceptions

99th percentile

Tackles won

94th percentile

Passes blocked

82nd percentile

Pass completion (long)

94th percentile

A move to England could be one to keep an eye on following the recent transfer update and it’ll be interesting to see if Leeds firm up their interest after making contact.

Mason Greenwood has been named Player of the Season at Getafe as reports suggest Manchester United are looking to put another transfer deal in place.

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Forward starred during Spanish loan spellBeing linked with clubs across EuropeRed Devils expected to sanction a saleWHAT HAPPENED?

The 22-year-old forward is expected to sever ties with the Red Devils on a permanent basis during the summer window. He has plenty of options to consider, with a loan spell in Spain bringing him to the attention of clubs across Europe.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Greenwood has been billed as a “starboy” at Getafe, with a 10-goal haul endearing him to team-mates, coaching staff and a loyal fan base. Said efforts have been recognised with a prestigious award, as the one-cap England international is considered to be the best performer at Coliseum Alfonso Perez in 2023-24.

WHAT GREENWOOD SAID

Greenwood has said of picking up a Player of the Season prize: “It feels amazing to receive this kind of award but I obviously wouldn’t be able to get this kind of achievement if it wasn’t for my team-mates and the coaching staff. Everyone has done well in helping me get this award and I just want to say thank you.”

WHAT NEXT?

Juventus, Napoli, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs to have been credited with interest in Greenwood, as United open themselves up to offers, while there has been talk of teams in the Premier League and Saudi Arabia asking to be kept updated on future developments.

Kagiso Rabada takes seven wickets in the match as England slide to innings defeat

Alan Gardner19-Aug-2022South Africa completed a crushing innings win over England at Lord’s, dismantling the home batting line-up for the second time in three days to go 1-0 up in the series. Anrich Nortje ripped the heart out of innings with a three-wicket salvo after lunch, while Kagiso Rabada finished with match figures of 7 for 79, as England were blown away in 37.4 overs.The result handed Ben Stokes his first defeat as England’s full-time Test captain, and confirmed that after a run of four wins in a row, South Africa would present a stern test of the new management’s attacking philosophy.In the build-up, Dean Elgar had bullishly declared he was not concerned with how England might try to play, and his players backed up that stance by asserting themselves from the outside in a concerted collective display. The bowlers, in particular, were ruthless. Rabada and Nortje shared 13 wickets and they had superb back-up from Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj, the spinner who struck twice before lunch on day three to undermine England’s hopes of batting their way back into the contest.Related

Brendon McCullum wants England to go 'harder' after regime's first setback

Ben Stokes urges England to keep the faith as rollercoaster hits first dip

Dean Elgar's quiet achievers lay another marker for resurgent South Africa

Kagiso Rabada: numbers worthy of bowling greatness

Dean Elgar revels in South Africa's 'positivity' after winning Lord's Test in style

Although South Africa’s innings only contained one half-century, from the opener Sarel Erwee, nine of the XI reached double-figures as they carved out a decisive 161-run lead on first innings. England could point to having been inserted in helpful conditions but, for the first time this summer, they found themselves deep in a hole and without the carrot of trying to engineer a chase. It did not take long for the wheels to come off.Alex Lees was dropped in the cordon in Rabada’s second over, and Elgar’s decision to turn to spin brought a few raised eyebrows. But Maharaj responded by taking wickets in his first and third overs, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope both trapped lbw. Crawley fell sweeping at his third ball from the left-armer, extending his trough of form – he averages 15.64 from his last seven Tests – and Pope was pinned on the back foot, via a review, with the last ball before lunch.South Africa had the bit between their teeth, and Lungi Ngidi claimed the prize wicket of Joe Root, tempted into pushing at one that left him down the slope for a low catch at second slip. A three-day finish was suddenly looking increasingly likely, but such was the speed of England’s subsequent capitulation that the result was done and dusted before tea, Nortje ripping out three wickets in 10 balls before the last four were blitzed for the addition of eight runs in 3.3 overs.Anrich Nortje roars in delight after netting Jonny Bairstow for the second time in the Test•PA Photos/Getty ImagesIf South Africa’s success was largely marked by a quiet intensity, in the manner of their captain, Elgar, the passage in which Nortje removed Jonny Bairstow, Lees and Ben Foakes was pure fast-bowling bombast. Although he seemed to be battling with the slope from the Nursery End, he found his range during an over in which every delivery was above 90mph/145kph and at one stage topped 95mph/153kph.Bairstow had twice used the extra pace to cut boundaries but was caught behind by one that left him. Nortje then went round the wicket in his next over, taking the ball up the slope to feather Lees’ outside edge; two balls later, Foakes flinched at a 92mph/148kph delivery in the channel, and Kyle Verreynne again completed the dismissal.The response from Stokes and Stuart Broad was to try and hit their way out of trouble, and their success during a stand worth 55 from 45 balls briefly raised the possibility of South Africa having to bat again. Broad closed his eyes and swung Nortje for six into the Tavern Stand, but was then foxed by Rabada’s slower ball for the second time in the match.A diving catch in the deep from Maharaj presented Rabada the wicket of Stokes, and with Jansen hitting the stumps of Matt Potts and James Anderson either side, the end came swiftly. With England batting for fewer than 90 overs across their two innings, South Africa’s four-man pace attack could look forward to two extra days of rest before the second Test of three begins at Old Trafford next Thursday.The morning began with England claiming a wicket third ball, but that was about as good as it got, as South Africa’s solid batting effort cemented their hold on the Test. The lead was already a handy 124 overnight, and although Rabada was dismissed early, via a spectacular one-handed catch from Broad, England’s attempts to finish the innings quickly by bowling short were frustrated by a 29-run stand between Nortje and Jansen.Nortje dealt with the barrage capably, despite a couple of half-chances that did not go to hand, and began to push the scoreboard on, driving Stokes sweetly through mid-on from one of the rare balls in his half. Jansen was the more watchful, adding just seven runs to his overnight score before edging Broad to slip just shy of a maiden Test fifty, as England finally reverted to a more orthodox approach. Ngidi also fell to a catch in the cordon – Bairstow holding on at the second attempt – but there was to be no Bazballing their way out of this one.

Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister has named a player who was very nearly his team-mate as his toughest-ever midfield opponent.

Liverpool midfielder names toughest opponentPlayer could have been his team-mateTransfer saga saw him move to PL rivalsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Speaking to GOAL at the PFA Awards in Manchester, the midfielder revealed that Chelsea's Moises Caicedo has given him the sternest tests of his career to date. Mac Allister and Caicedo were team-mates at Brighton and Liverpool tried to sign them both in the same summer in 2023. However, while the former headed to Anfield, the latter was snatched by Chelsea despite the Reds having a deal agreed in a then-British-record £115 million ($146m) transfer.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT MAC ALLISTER SAID ABOUT CAICEDO

Asked his toughest midfield opponent on the red carpet at the PFA Awards ceremony, Mac Allister named Caicedo as his toughest midfield opponent and said: "It always stays the same. Caicedo, I think he's a very good player."

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MAC ALLISTER & LIVERPOOL

The Liverpool man was forced to sit out Monday night's dramatic win against Newcastle through injury but will hope to be fit in time for Sunday's blockbuster clash with Arsenal. He has two meetings with Caicedo coming up – one in the international arena against Ecuador in September and another in the Premier League when Chelsea host the champions in early October.

The 264-run win placed Nigeria at No. 3 in the list for biggest victory margins in men’s T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2024Ivory Coast have entered the record books for the lowest total in a men’s T20I, rolling over for just 7 in a 264-run defeat to Nigeria in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier Group C game on Sunday in Lagos.Batting first after winning the toss, Nigeria rode on Player-of-the-Match Selim Salau’s 53-ball 112 (retired out) and half-centuries from Sulaimon Runsewe (50 in 29) and Isaac Okpe (65* in 23) to put up 271 for 4. It was carnage after that. Left-arm spinner Isaac Danladi and left-arm quick Prosper Useni picked up three wickets each, right-arm quick Peter Aho got two, and Sylvester Okpe got one, with one batter run out, as Ivory Coast were dismissed in 7.3 overs. Opener Ouattara Mohamed was the top-scorer with 4 from six balls. The batters’ scores read: 4, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0* and 0.This was the first instance of a single-digit team total in a men’s T20I, and beat the earlier lowest total in the format, 10 all out, which has been recorded twice: Mongolia vs Singapore in September this year and Isle of Man vs Spain last year.The 264-run win also made it to No. 3 in the list for largest victory margins in men’s T20Is. The leader there is the 290 runs Zimbabwe beat Gambia by last month, followed by Nepal’s 273-run win over Mongolia at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September 2023.The win was Nigeria’s second in as many games in the group, and Ivory Coast’s second loss in as many games – they had been bowled out for 21 to lose by 168 runs to Sierra Leone in their first match. Nigeria are top of the six-team table, while Ivory Coast are bottom.

The visitors need to win in Dambulla on Sunday if they are to keep the T20I series alive

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Jul-2025Big picture: Are SL’s batters finally getting it right?For years, Sri Lanka’s bowlers have prevented a full-blown slide into irrelevance in the white-ball format. While there have been the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, and occasionally Dilshan Madushanka putting in good bowling performances over the past few years, there has been a dearth of batting stars, and a shortage of firepower.But it has begun to feel like Sri Lanka are serious of fixing this. From the way players in the camp are talking, the message has gone out from captain Charith Asalanka especially, that bowlers have been carrying the side for too long, and that it’s time for the batters to win matches with their own performances.In the first T20I on Thursday, the bowlers were good, restricting Bangladesh to a total that was perhaps 15 runs short of par. But the batters were exceptional, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis putting on a rollicking opening stand. Right through the tour, at least one batter in the top five has contributed heavily to Sri Lanka’s victories.Bangladesh must now find ways to halt these supremely in-form players. Nissanka and Kusal Mendis are perhaps in the form of their life at the moment, while Asalanka continues to perform consistently. Which of their bowlers can deck the top order? Sri Lanka have had trials against legspinners in the past, so perhaps if Rishad Hossain was deployed earlier in the match, he might have more say on the outcome. Could Mustafizur Rahman prove a greater challenge than Taskin Ahmed, who was expensive in the first match?In the first match, Bangladesh’s batters could also have shown a bit more hustle during the middle overs especially. Captain Litton Das finding some touch with the bat could also make a significant difference.Form guideSri Lanka: WWLLL
Bangladesh: LLLLLIn the spotlight: Dasun Shanaka and Shamim HossainIn domestic cricket, Dasun Shanaka tends to be a big-hitting monster. Although there have been moments in international cricket in which he has showcased his power, he has not done so consistently. He’s back in the team after a while outside it, and in his first game back impressed with the skill and smarts with which he bowled. His bouncers were especially useful. If he can put a couple of good batting performances together this series, he will seriously recommend himself as an option for Sri Lanka’s 2026 World Cup campaign.In cynical terms, Shamim Hossain is a “bits-and-pieces”player. These players are the sorts that captains and selectors like because they allow decision makers to hedge their bets (or so the story goes).. But analysts are increasingly against, because these sorts of players rarely contribute to victories (or so that story goes). So far on tour, Shamim has contributed a tight spell in an ODI win, and in the first T20I, hit two sixes in a five-ball innings, and took a spectacular leaping catch running back from short cover. If he’s a bits-and-pieces player, he’s making plenty of all the bits and pieces at the moment.Taskin Ahmed sweats it out during a training session•AFP/Getty ImagesPitch and conditionsDambulla was a relatively high-scoring venue until mid-2024, when the curators started churning out more spin-friendly tracks. It remains to the seen whether the surface for the second T20I will favour the batters or spinners. Dambulla, a dry-zone venue, is fairly clear of rain this time of year.Team newsDespite the big loss in the T20I series opener, Bangladesh may show faith in the same XI. Jaker Ali may continue to be unavaiable due to his thigh strain.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt, wk), 4 Mohammad Naim, 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mehiday Hasan Miraz, 7 Shamim Hossain, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Rishad Hossain, 11 Tanzim Hasan SakibSri Lanka may not change much.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Jeffrey Vandersay, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Binura Fernando 11 Nuwan ThusharaStats and triviaShanaka has never scored a T20I fifty against Bangladesh, but does strike at 145 against this team, compared to a career T20I strike rate of 122. Rishad has more T20I wickets against Sri Lanka (seven) than any other team. His economy rate of 7.05 against them, over 19 career overs, is also impressive.Quotes”I think his confidence is a bit low. We know what we can produce. We are working hard to get him to that stage. Hopefully he can get there in the next match, shows his ability.”
“If you compare since 2023, we have improved our fielding substantially. We analysed where we needed to improve, and worked on our fitness, and increased repetition in training.”
Sri Lanka fielding coach Upul Chandana