Zimbabwe arrive in Dhaka for Test series

Published at : 16 April 2025, 10:00 am
Zimbabwe arrive in Dhaka for Test series

Zimbabwe national cricket team arrived in Dhaka for two-match Test series against Bangladesh on Tuesday. 

The team stayed overnight in Dhaka before flying to Sylhet today (April 16).

Sylhet International Cricket Stadium will host the first Test, starting from April 20. Chattogram will host the second and final Test, beginning on April 28.

Zimbabwe named an experienced Test team with Sean Williams and Craig Ervine returning to the fold. Wellington Masakadza also made room in the Zimbabwe Test squad, which will play a Test series in Bangladesh after four-year gap.

Apart from the return of the big names, the squad also sees a few notable changes, with wicketkeeper-batter Tafadzwa Tsiga being recalled two years after making his Test debut against West Indies.

Head Coach Justin Sammons was confident about their chance. “We are very excited to be heading into a period where Test cricket will be our sole focus,” he said.

“I am certain this group of players will continue to grow as individuals and as a team as they face new challenges in different conditions.

“The squad has been set up to give us the best balance to deal with whatever may be thrown our way."
 
The last time the two nations squared off in Bangladesh, in February 2020, the hosts emerged victorious with an innings and 106-run win in Mirpur, with Mushfiqur Rahim smashing an unbeaten double hundred.

Bangladesh and Zimbabwe so far have met 18 times in Test format with Bangladesh winning eight and losing seven. The rest of the three Tests ended in a draw.

This marked Zimbabwe’s sixth visit in Bangladesh following 2001, 2005, 2014, 2018 and 2020. Overall they had played 10 Tests on Bangladesh’s backyard, winning just two. 

Zimbabwe Test Squad: Craig Ervine (c), Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Ben Curran, Trevor Gwandu, Wessly Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Vincent Masekesa, Nyasha Mayavo, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams.

Mushfiqur to play for Fortune Barishal in BPL 2024

Published at : 24 September 2023, 03:42 pm
Mushfiqur to play for Fortune Barishal in BPL 2024

Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim is set to feature for Fortune Barishal in the forthcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

 

Mushfiqur had played for Sylhet Strikers in the last edition. His price was fixed at 80 lakhs in the players' draft according to the category. Which means he was in 'A' category.

The top category player will play along with other star players like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Khaled Ahmed in Fortune Barishal.

Neymar quits PSG to sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:06 pm
Neymar quits PSG to sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal

Neymar said he was relishing “new challenges and opportunities in new places” after he joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal Tuesday, becoming the latest big name lured to the oil-rich Gulf state.

The Brazil forward, 31, ends a six-year stay in the French capital and follows in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane in swapping Europe for the Middle East.

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said in a statement from the Saudi Pro League.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment,” he added.

Neymar ‘in negotiations’ over Saudi move as Mbappe returns to PSG good books

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:05 pm
Neymar ‘in negotiations’ over Saudi move as Mbappe returns to PSG good books

Neymar was “in negotiations” on Sunday to become the latest football superstar to decamp for Saudi Arabia, leaving Paris Saint-Germain just as Kylian Mbappe was brought back in from the cold by the French champions.

A source close to PSG told AFP that 31-year-old Neymar “no longer figures in the club or manager’s plans” with the Brazilian immediately linked to Al-Hilal in the Gulf kingdom.

Another source in Saudi Arabia said that “direct negotiations” between Neymar’s agents and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) were ongoing.

PSG get better of Dortmund in Champions League opener

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:03 pm
PSG get better of Dortmund in Champions League opener

Paris Saint-Germain got their Champions League campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday as a Kylian Mbappe penalty set them up for a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at the Parc des Princes.

The French champions had dominated the first half without overly troubling the Dortmund defence, but they went ahead four minutes after the break when Mbappe scored a spot-kick awarded for a Niklas Suele handball.

Achraf Hakimi added a memorable second, and PSG could have won the Group F encounter by a far more handsome margin in the end.

The result immediately puts them in control of the group, after AC Milan and Newcastle United drew 0-0 earlier, and coach Luis Enrique will hope they can build on this performance when they visit the English side next in a fortnight.

"It was an almost perfect evening," said Luis Enrique.