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Sri Lanka seek boost against Zimbabwe after dire World Cup
Rtv news
05 Jan 2024, 18:53
Sri Lanka's white ball series against Zimbabwe starting at the weekend is a chance for the team to show improvement after last year's dismal World Cup campaign, skipper Kusal Mendis said Friday (Jan 5).
Mendis led the team to a second-from-bottom placing at the World Cup, after captain Dasun Shanaka withdrew injured, finishing ahead only of the Netherlands.
Appointed one-day captain this week, Mendis said the team had trained intensely to bolster their fielding, after 16 catches were dropped in India.
"Fielding is one area that we have worked really hard during the last two weeks. It was a big letdown for us during the World Cup," he said.
"It was bitterly disappointing. We could have fared better in the World Cup had we been more disciplined on the field," he added.
"I can promise you that there's been a lot of hard work and you can see the results in this upcoming series."
Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will play three ODIs starting Saturday followed by three T20 fixtures, all in Colombo.
The one-day matches form part of the Super League that will determine qualification for the next ODI World Cup, in southern Africa in 2027.
The past two World Cups were restricted to 10 teams, meaning two-time champions West Indies missed out on the Id=ndia showpiece.
Eleventh-ranked Zimbabwe also missed the last two tournaments, after attending every World Cup from 1983 to 2015, and captain Craig Ervine welcomed plans to accommodate more teams in the next edition.
"It is hugely important that more teams compete in global events such as World Cups. It's better for cricket," he said.
"Teams like us don't get to play top teams like India, Australia and England often and events like the World Cup are the only occasion we get to compete against the best."
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Tigers drop to 7th position in WTC standings after defeat to SL
Bangladesh dropped to equal seventh on the updated World Test Championship (WTC) standings after being swept in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
They started the series, sitting at fourth position and the chance came to their way to bolster it further but they failed to do so. The Tigers lost the first Test by 328 runs before tasting yet another thumping 192-run defeat in the second and final Test.
Bangladesh currently have 12 points with a 25 percentage point from one win in four matches. They have drawn one and lost two in the current Test Championship cycle.
South Africa shared the seventh position with Bangladesh with an equal number of wins, draws and defeats.
The Tigers' next series is against Pakistan later this year when they travel for two Test matches.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have boosted their chances of reaching next year's ICC World Test Championship final after sweeping the series against Bangladesh.
The victory sees Sri Lanka overtake Pakistan and move up to fourth place on the updated World Test Championship standings with a 50 percent points percentage, with India (first), Australia (second) and New Zealand (third) the only teams ahead of them.
Source: BSS
Team Hexagon reaches VCT Game Changers South Asia fainals
Team Hexagon is the Bangladeshi professional female E-sports team who has qualified for the finals by defeating multiple qualifiers and teams from South Asia.
The team members are Tasnia Naina, Sabrina Islam, Sidratil Nuran, Zarrin Saiyara, Jannatul Ferdous and Kayanat Kaiser.
Female teams from Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh joined this game. The tournament is aimed at showcasing the talent and prowess of female gamers from across the South Asia region.
On its official Facebook page the group stated, “It's a remarkable accomplishment that showcases the team's dedication, skill, and determination. We will keep up the excellent performance as we continue with the tournament. Please wish us luck and cheer us on further.”
VCT Game Changers South Asia organized by VALORANT Official and hosted by NODWIN Gaming. Where Team Hexagon, the Bangladeshi professional female E-sports team secured berth in the final through various qualifiers and defeating teams from South Asia. The final of the tournament will start from April 6.
However, VCT Game Changers is a new program which will supplement the competitive season by creating new chances and exposure for women as well as marginalized genders within VALORANT E-sports.
Kyrgios to return from injury next week with 'fire in belly'
Nick Kyrgios expects to return to the tennis court next week after the Australian missed virtually the entire 2023 season with injury.
The former Wimbledon finalist has played just one ATP Tour match since late 2022 after suffering wrist and knee injuries.
However, the 28-year-old told the Australian Open Show podcast he will soon be practising again, having previously hinted his tennis career could be over.
"I'm hitting for the first time next week, so as soon as I get back out on court, I guess it's just going to be starting up, getting that load back through my wrist and my body," he said.
Kyrgios, who lost the 2022 Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, didn't give a date when he will be back playing on the ATP Tour.
"I'm going to take my time, come back and just enjoy being back out there," he said.
Kyrgios, who once reached a career-high 13 in the world, called it "one of the hardest years of my life, tennis-wise".
"Everything else has been amazing, I can't complain about anything else," he said.
"But tennis-wise I've had some really hard conversations with myself, if I want to keep doing this.
Source: BSS
"So I know there's still fire in the belly, which is good, it's healthy."
Emmanuel Macron wants to see Mbappe in Paris Olympics
The French president hopes the forward will take part in the football tournament, despite Euro 2024.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his desire to see the superstar of the French national team, Kylian Mbappe, play at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
The coach of the men’s national team of the World Cup runners-up has already stated that this would be very difficult due to Mbappe’s participation in the European Championship in Germany.
“I hope Mbappe can play at the Olympic Games,” Macron shared, responding to questions from children during a visit to a primary school in the French capital.
Emmanuel Macron also shared under what condition he would visit Germany for Euro 2024: “I will go if we reach the semifinals or final. The final is on July 14, a national holiday.”
Source: 7sport
Jasprit Bumrah becomes 2nd Indian pacer to pick 150 IPL wickets
Jasprit Bumrah became the second Indian bowler and third-fastest pacer to pick 150 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday.
Jasprit scripted history by becoming only the second Indian bowler and the third-fastest pacer to claim 150 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Bumrah achieved the landmark during the IPL 2024 group clash between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals at Wankhede Stadium.
Bumrah accomplished this significant milestone in his 125th IPL match, showcasing his prowess as one of the premier fast bowlers in the world. Notably, the former Mumbai Indians player and current bowling coach, Lasith Malinga, achieved the feat in just 105 games, while the crafty leg-spinner of Rajasthan Royals, Yuzvendra Chahal, reached it in 118 appearances.
Dwayne Bravo (137) and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (138) follow closely in the rankings.
The 30-year-old speedster reached his 150th IPL wicket during the match by dismissing Abhishek Porel in the 16th over of the second innings. A mistimed shot by Porel off a full toss from Bumrah resulted in a simple catch for Tim David at long-on. With this, Bumrah now stands as the second-highest wicket-taker for the Mumbai Indians franchise, trailing only behind Malinga, who boasts an impressive tally of 195 wickets.
Bumrah's journey to IPL stardom began in 2013 when he made a memorable debut by claiming the prized scalp of Virat Kohli. Since then, he has been a consistent performer in every IPL season, earning accolades and securing a permanent spot in the national side. His standout season came in 2020, where he scalped 27 wickets from 15 fixtures.
Remarkably, Bumrah has maintained an impressive economy rate since 2016, consistently conceding runs at less than eight runs per over.
Moreover, Bumrah's 150-wicket haul places him at the tenth position in the list of all-time IPL wicket-takers, sharing the spot with former Mumbai Indians spinner Harbhajan Singh, who claimed 160 wickets in 163 matches. Bumrah had reached a significant milestone by securing his 150th wicket for MI in T20 cricket, further extending his tally to 151 with a stellar three-wicket haul against GT.
While he has been a potent force in the Indian Premier League, claiming a remarkable 148 scalps, Bumrah has also left his mark in the now-defunct Champions League T20, where he captured three wickets. Notably, Bumrah's achievement places him in an elite club alongside Lasith Malinga, who stands as the only other player to have surpassed the 150-wicket mark for Mumbai Indians, boasting an impressive tally of 195 wickets.
Source: India Today
Mustafizur joins CSK
Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman returned to Chennai to join his side Chennai Super Kings (CSK) today after completing his visa procedure.
Mustafizur came back to Bangladesh from IPL on April 2 as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) called him to complete the visa process for the USA where the T20 World Cup will be held alongside West Indies in June.
Mustafizur was the part of CSK in the first three matches and took seven wickets so far to occupy the second spot. Chennai played the last game without him and lost the game.
However, CSK will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) tomorrow and Mustafizur is expected to be available for the selection.
Source: BSS
Frattesi late show pushes Inter close to title glory
Davide Frattesi fired Inter Milan one step closer to the Serie A title with his last-gasp winner in Monday's comeback 2-1 victory at struggling Udinese.
Italy midfielder Frattesi poked home the decisive goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time in Udine to maintain Inter's 14-point lead at the top of the table with seven matches left in the season.
Inter looked to be heading for a draw as they toiled to add to Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty, scored nine minutes after half-time, which levelled Lazar Samardzic's freak deflected opener for Udinese.
"We absolutely don't think we've won it yet. We have other matches to play and we need to go out and get it," said Frattesi to Sky Sport.
"I'm really happy, it's a really big win towards we need to do. You can't win every match 4-0, it's important that you also manage to win the tough matches."
AC Milan are Inter's closest challengers and Monday's win ensured that the champions-elect could seal their 20th Scudetto in a hotly-anticipated derby with their local rivals in a fortnight's time.
Claiming the league crown with a sixth straight derby win would be some revenge for Calhanoglu who is detested by Milan supporters after switching sides of the northern Italian city three years ago.
"In all honesty I don't like talking about the other side from where I came," said Calhanoglu.
"I respect them and I have a good relationship with the players. What happened in my first year here is history.
"I'm concentrated on my teammates because they're fantastic... That's what matters."
Udinese meanwhile are in a desperate fight for survival as they are two points above the relegation zone and have to face Napoli, Roma and Bologna before the end of the season.
Inter near glory
Inter are not playing with the same flair as they did before being knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid but they gritted their teeth to come from behind at the Bluenergy Stadium.
Simone Inzaghi's side not only have the chance to win the title in the Milan derby but can also beat the single-season points record of 102 set by Juventus in 2014.
On 82 points, Inter need to win all of their remaining seven matches to take their total for this campaign to 103.
Samardzic's goal came towards the end of a first half in which Inter went close to scoring three times only to be denied by super saves from Maduka Okoye.
Nigeria goalkeeper Okoye twice denied Calhanoglu from opening the scoring with fine efforts from distance before Samardzic gave the hosts a shock lead.
And Okoye pulled off another stunning stop two minutes after his team went ahead, stretching to his left to keep out Lautaro Martinez's thumping goal-bound header.
Inter were further frustrated again right after the break when Carlos Augusto's close-range finish was ruled out for offside but not long afterwards Okoye was penalised for crashing into Marcus Thuram and gave away the spot-kick from which Calhanoglu levelled.
The away side dominated the ball but barely threatened until deep into added time, when Frattesi struck the killer blow.
Frattesi was in the right place at the right time after Lautaro Martinez's rasping shot was pushed onto the post by Okoye, forcing home his seventh and most important goal of the season.
