RAWALPINDI: Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said his team’s first win in Test cricket against Pakistan on Sunday was a tribute to people killed during protests that toppled former premier Sheikh Hasina.
The South Asian nation endured weeks of student-led protests that ultimately forced Hasina to resign and flee to India this month after 15 years of autocratic rule.
“We are paying tribute to the individuals who recently passed away in our nation during the protest and we are praying for their souls,” Najmul said after his side’s 10-wicket victory in the first Test in Rawalpindi.
More than 450 people were killed during the protests, many by police fire.
Bangladesh’s tour to Pakistan was hit by a lack of preparation, with foreign coaches unable to attend training sessions because of travel warnings.
However, the new interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, allowed the two-Test tour to Pakistan to go ahead.
Bangladesh led by 117 runs on the first innings after a record score against Pakistan of 565, the hosts having declared their innings at 448-6 on a batting-friendly pitch.
They then dismissed Pakistan for a paltry 146 on day five, with spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz (4-21) and Shakib Al Hasan (3-44) doing the damage.
Bangladesh scored the 30 runs required without losing a wicket, sparking celebrations in the visitors’ dressing room.
Najmul, who also celebrated his 26th birthday on Sunday, said it was a special feeling.
“It is nice to win on a birthday, special feeling,” he said. “But more special is the team’s win. It’s a historic day for us, it is massive.
“I think before we started this series, we believed we can win this time. And then... everyone really believed that we can do something special this time.”
Najmul also praised his bowlers for keeping Pakistan in check.
“Everyone showed his character, I am really happy with them. We have worked hard to achieve this win. Our bowlers did so well,” he said.
He also praised veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim, whose 191 in the first innings set the foundation for Bangladesh’s highest total against Pakistan.
“He has been playing cricket for 15-17 years and he never looks tired, doing things repeatedly over and over again,” Najmul said.
“The way he batted in these hot conditions was impressive and I am really happy for him, that’s why we probably win the match.”
Pakistan skipper Shan Masood apologized to home fans for a poor result.
“We all are disappointed, the whole of Pakistan is disappointed,” said Masood, who has lost all four matches since being appointed Test captain last year.
“As a team, as a leader of the team, obviously I would apologize to our fans that we were unable to give the desired result that Pakistan deserved.”
Masood denied his team took Bangladesh lightly.
“I thought they were very disciplined, with the ball and in the field, they played the game to their strengths,” he said.
Masood hoped his players would be able to lift themselves for the second Test, which begins in Rawalpindi on Friday.
“We have to raise our hands that we have committed mistakes, so we have to lift ourselves and train hard to come back strongly,” he said.
Najmul dedicates Bangladesh’s historic win over Pakistan to protest victims
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Najmul dedicates Bangladesh’s historic win over Pakistan to protest victims
- Bangladesh led by 117 runs on the first innings after a record score against Pakistan of 565, with the hosts having declared their innings at 448-6
- Bangladesh endured weeks of student-led protests that ultimately forced Hasina to resign and flee to India this month after 15 years of autocratic rule
Australia’s two-time World Cup champion Glenn Maxwell retires from one-day international cricket
- Two-time World Cup champion Glenn Maxwell is retiring from one-day international cricket in a bid to play a role in Australia’s push for a Twenty20 world title next year
- Australia’s selection chairman George Bailey says Maxwell is one of the one-day game’s most dynamic players and “his level of natural talent and skill is remarkable”
Cricket Australia confirmed Maxwell’s decision Monday. The 36-year-old Maxwell played 149 ODIs for Australia in an enduring career that is memorable for his unbeaten double-century in the 2023 World Cup, his unconventional shot-making and his brilliant fielding.
Maxwell said the physical toll of the ODI game, which can take up to eight hours and be played on short turnarounds, was beginning to impact on his fielding ability and he didn’t think he’d make it to the 2027 World Cup.
“I always said I wasn’t going to hand my position over if I felt like I was still good enough to play. I didn’t want to just hold on for a couple of series and almost play for selfish reasons,” Maxwell said.
The Australian selectors “are moving in such a clear direction,” he said, so the retirement confirmation “gives them the best look at what the lineup is leading into that next World Cup. I know how important that planning is.”
Australia’s selection chairman George Bailey said Maxwell was one of the one-day game’s most dynamic players and played a key role in two ODI World Cup titles. The shorter T20 format is still a good vehicle for Maxwell’s rare talents.
“His level of natural talent and skill is remarkable. His energy in the field, under-rated ability with the ball and longevity has been superb,” Bailey said. “What else stands out is his passion for and commitment to playing for Australia.
“Fortunately, he still has much to offer Australia in the T20 format.”
’Hand of Neymar’ earns Brazilian red card in potential Santos send off
- Neymar had returned to his boyhood club Santos in January after a stint at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, with his contract at the Brazilian side running until June 30
With Santos and Botafogo locked at 0-0 heading into the last 15 minutes of their Brazilian league game, Neymar launched himself at a rebound in the penalty area and steered the ball into the net with his hand.
The Brazilian was quickly surrounded by furious Botafogo players before the referee flashed a second yellow card at the forward, cutting short his first start for the club since he made his return from injury last month.
Rubbing salt into the wound, Botafogo scored with four minutes left to secure a 1-0 victory.
The 33-year-old former Barcelona and Paris St. Germain attacker later apologized to his team and fans.
“I made a mistake, forgive me!” he posted on social media.
“Today, if I hadn’t been sent off, I’m sure we would have gotten the three points. You can count these three points against me!“
Neymar had returned to his boyhood club Santos in January after a stint at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, with his contract at the Brazilian side running until June 30.
The red card rules him out of Santos’s match against Fortaleza on Thursday, meaning he will only be able to play for the club again if he extends his contract before the league’s resumption in July following the Club World Cup.
Santos are 18th in the league having lost seven of their 11 matches.
Pyramids survive tense finish to be crowned African champions
- Competing in the premier African club competition for only the second time, Pyramids triumphed 3-2 on aggregate after the first leg was drawn 1-1 in Pretoria last weekend
JOHANNESBURG: Pyramids of Egypt survived late pressure to beat Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa 2-1 in Cairo on Sunday and win the CAF Champions League for the first time.
Competing in the premier African club competition for only the second time, Pyramids triumphed 3-2 on aggregate after the first leg was drawn 1-1 in Pretoria last weekend.
Fiston Mayele scored after 23 minutes and Ahmed Samy on 56 minutes for the Egyptian outfit before Iqraam Rayners reduced the arrears in the 75th minute.
Listless for much of the match, Sundowns pressed in the closing stages, but the second goal that would have given them overall victory on away goals proved elusive.
Pleas by Pyramids, who normally attract crowds of just a few thousand, for support led to their 30,000-seat stadium being about half full for the second leg.
Both clubs made one change to the first-leg starting line-ups last weekend in Pretoria, where Walid el Karti headed an added-time equalizer after Lucas Ribeiro gave Sundowns an early second half lead.
Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurcic, a former Croatia midfielder, dropped forward Ibrahim Adel, scorer of six goals en route to the final, and promoted ex-English Premier League forward Ramadan Sobhi.
Sundowns’ Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso left out Brazilian forward Arthur Sales and gave a starting place to midfielder Jayden Adams.
Cardoso is only the second coach after Argentine Oscar Fullone to reach consecutive Champions League finals with different clubs.
Fullone, who died in 2017 aged 78, guided ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast in 1998 and Raja Casablanca of Morocco the following year to victory in finals of the premier African club competition.
Cardoso took Esperance of Tunisia to the 2024 final, which they lost to Al Ahly of Egypt with an own goal separating the sides.
A new Champions League trophy, unveiled before the first leg, was brought to the touchline at the 30 June Stadium by 48-year-old Nigerian legend and former Inter Milan and Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu.
On a warm, windy first day, both teams constantly surrendered possession cheaply before Pyramids took the lead when Mayele scored his ninth goal of the African campaign.
A cross by Ahmed Atef was partially cleared by Grant Kekana and Mayele pounced to slam a snap low shot across goalkeeper Ronwen Williams into the far corner of the net.
Tensions rose and the Somali referee yellow-carded Atef and Aubrey Modiba after the duo had an angry clash, leading with their heads.
Sundowns squandered a great chance in first half added time when Tashreeq Matthews broke through only to see his shot parried by the left leg of goalkeeper Ahmed el Shenawy.
It was the only time the Pretoria outfit threatened in the opening half despite having much more possession.
Pyramids struck again when Mohamed Chibi placed a free kick into the goalmouth and central defender Samy headed powerfully into the net.
It was the first goal for Samy in the 16-match Champions League campaign and he became the 19th Pyramids player to score in the competition this season.
Sundowns replied when a weak headed clearance offered Rayners a chance and he fired past El Shenawy from close range.
Alcaraz, Swiatek pass tough French Open tests
- Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago
- Lorenzo Musetti continued his rich vein of form with an impressive 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 success against Danish 10th seed Holger Rune in the night session
PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz fought past American Ben Shelton in a tight four-set match to reach the French Open quarterfinals on Sunday, while Iga Swiatek staged a comeback to defeat Elena Rybakina and keep her bid for a fourth straight title alive.
Reigning champion Alcaraz clinched a 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory after three hours and 19 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier to book a last-eight berth for a fourth straight year.
Alcaraz will take on Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals, after the 12th seed saw off Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
“Today I fought against myself in the mind,” he said.
“In some moments I was mad, I was thinking not very good things. But I’m really happy that I didn’t let the bad thoughts play against me... I tried to calm myself down and keep going.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion saved three set points in a dramatic opening-set tie-break before clinching it himself on his second.
He crucially then saved six break points in a marathon first game of the second set, before going on to win it courtesy of a break in the eighth game.
American 13th seed Shelton deservedly got a set on the board to extend the match, but Alcaraz quickly bounced back with an early break in the fourth.
The second seed saw a match point come and go in the ninth game of the set, but he quickly brought up another one on his own serve and took the opportunity with a trademark forehand winner.
Lorenzo Musetti continued his rich vein of form with an impressive 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 success against Danish 10th seed Holger Rune in the night session.
The Italian eighth seed, who reached at least the semifinals in clay-court Masters events in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, will face Frances Tiafoe in the last eight.
American 15th seed Tiafoe booked a place in his first-ever French Open quarter-final with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over unseeded German Daniel Altmaier.
Four-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek, who has been struggling for her best form and has not reached a final since winning the title last year, was in serious trouble when trailing 2-0 to Rybakina in the second set.
But the 24-year-old dug deep to clinch a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
The Pole will next face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who knocked out 2024 losing finalist Jasmine Paolini, in the last eight on Tuesday.
Swiatek is now on a 25-match winning streak at the French Open and boasts a remarkable 39-2 win-loss record in the tournament.
Rybakina had won both of her previous career meetings with Swiatek on clay and the Kazakh dominated the opening set, hammering 12 winners past her bewildered opponent.
“Well it was tough you know, first set I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner,” said Swiatek.
“I needed to do something to get back in the game, but with her playing like that I didn’t feel like I had much hope.”
Rybakina broke in the first game of the second set as she threatened to run away with the match.
But Swiatek impressively turned the set around with a run of five straight games.
The fifth seed was one game from defeat when trailing 5-4 in the deciding set, but she managed to end Rybakina’s resistance and held her nerve to serve out the match.
Svitolina made the quarterfinals for the fifth time with a comeback 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 win over Paolini, saving three match points in a dramatic opening clash on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The former world number three, who has never made a Grand Slam final, will be bidding to reach a first Roland Garros semifinal when she faces Swiatek.
“I still cannot believe that this match finished my way,” said Svitolina.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka needed eight match points to wrap up a 7-5, 6-3 win over American Amanda Anisimova.
The three-time Grand Slam champion reached her 10th successive major quarter-final, where she will face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
“I want to get this win after Rome, so I’m happy to face her (Zheng) in the quarters,” said Sabalenka, who lost to Zheng in the Italian Open last eight last month.
Zheng secured a quarterfinal place with a hard-fought three-set victory over 19th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova.
The Chinese eighth seed extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches, winning 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Sweden’s Maja Stark wins US Women’s Open for her first major championship
- Stark became the sixth Swede to win a women’s major, and the first since Anna Nordqvist in the 2021 Women’s British Open
- Stark maintained her poise well enough to earn a $2.4 million prize in the most lucrative event of the year
ERIN, Wisconsin: Maja Stark has lost her confidence heading into the US Women’s Open.
Her decision to stop worrying about that sparked her to the biggest title in women’s golf.
The 25-year-old Swede shot an even-par 72 on Sunday and stayed ahead all day. Her four-day total of 7-under 281 at Erin Hills left her two strokes ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda and Japan’s Rio Takeda.
“I think that I just stopped trying to control everything, and I just kind of let everything happen the way it happened,” Stark said. “During the practice days, I realized that, if I just kind of hovered the club above the ground a little bit before I hit, I released some tension in my body. I think that just doing my processes well and knowing, giving myself little things like that was the key this week because I don’t really want to rely on my confidence for stuff.”
Stark became the sixth Swede to win a women’s major, and the first since Anna Nordqvist in the 2021 Women’s British Open. Stark also won her second career LPGA Tour title.
The former Oklahoma State player is the first Swede to win a US Women’s Open since Annika Sorenstam earned her third title in 2006. The only other Swede to win this event was Liselotte Neumann in 1988.
“They texted me yesterday and just kind of said, ‘Bring it home,’ ” Stark said.
Stark’s steadiness made the difference as she held off Korda and a host of other challengers.
Korda closed with a 71, and Takeda had a 72 to tie for second. Hye-Jin Choi (68), Ruoning Yin (70) and Mao Saigo (73) tied for fourth at 4 under. Hailee Cooper (70) and Hinako Shibuno (74) were 3 under.
Stark’s playing partner, Julia Lopez Ramirez, fell out of contention early on her way to 79 that left her tied for 19th. Lopez Ramirez, who entered the day just one shot off the lead, had a triple bogey on 18.
This was as close as Korda has come to winning a US Women’s Open.
Korda discussed her “complicated relationship” with the US Women’s Open this week, as her best previous finish was a tie for eighth place in 2022 at Pine Needles. She missed the cut at this tournament last year after posting a 80 in the opening round.
“I played this event when I was 14 years old, so maybe a little bit more emotional about it,” Korda said. “I mean, definitely it’s gotten my heart broken a couple times. ... To have that showing last year definitely put a dagger into my heart, but that’s just golf. You’re going to lose more than you win a majority of the time.
“I feel like I actually learn a lot about myself and my game and where I need to improve playing the US Women’s Open because it does test every part of your game.”
Korda birdied Nos. 7 and 8, but missed a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 9 that would have tied her for the lead. Korda’s birdie attempt on No. 9 came minutes after Stark’s bogey-free streak ended at 21 on No. 7.
Stark then extended her lead to three by making a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 11 immediately after Korda missed a par putt of just under 5 feet at No. 13.
Korda, Shibuno and Takeda got within two strokes of Stark with birdies on the par-5 14th, though Korda missed a 14-foot eagle putt and Shibuno missed an eagle attempt from 9 1/2 feet.
Stark then made a birdie of her own on No. 14 to regain her three-stroke advantage at 9 under. She maintained that lead despite bogeying the last two holes.
“I didn’t look at the leaderboards until I was on like 17,” Stark said. “I caught a glimpse of it. It was nice. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought that I would be because it felt like I have somewhat control of my game and I kind of know what’s going on.”
Stark credited caddie Jeff Brighton, a former standup comedian who helped keep her loose by telling jokes and making sure she didn’t dwell on what was at stake.
“We just kind of tried to talk about some stuff and not be too into my own putt,” she said.
Said Brighton: “I would say Maja’s quite an intense player. She tries really hard and is really competitive, so when (a player’s) intense, you’re trying between shots to just get their head away from golf.”
He spoke wearing a cheesehead similar to the ones seen at Green Bay Packers games
Stark maintained her poise well enough to earn a $2.4 million prize in the most lucrative event of the year. Now she just needs to figure out how to spend her winnings.
“Maybe move out of my studio apartment can be one thing,” Stark quipped.
