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Najmul Hossain Shanto Likely To Step Down As Bangladesh Captain After South Africa Test Series

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Najmul Hossain Shanto has informed the board of his decision to step down.© AFP




Bangladesh’s all-format captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is likely to step down from the leadership role after the conclusion of the ongoing home Test series against South Africa. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had appointed Najmul as captain across formats for a year in February 2024, with plans for him to lead the team in the Champions Trophy next year. However, Najmul has informed the board of his decision to step down and is awaiting approval from board president Faruque Ahmed, who is currently abroad and expected to return soon.

“Yes, he informed us that he is not ready to lead the side after the South Africa series,” Cricbuzz quoted a top BCB official as saying.

Najmul confirmed the same with elaborating on his decision to leave the leadership role. “Let’s see what happens (as far as leading Bangladesh is concerned) because I am still waiting to hear it from the president (BCB),” he said.

A senior BCB director is attempting to persuade Najmul to reconsider his decision to step down as captain, though a reversal appears unlikely at this point, the report said. Following the 2024 T20 World Cup, Najmul initially planned to resign from T20 captaincy, but later decided to quit as captain across all formats.

Najmul’s leadership has recently faced criticism due to a prolonged period of poor results. A BCB official mentioned that if Najmul ultimately declines to continue as captain after the ongoing Test series against South Africa, the board may consider appointing Mehidy Hasan as captain for Tests and ODIs, with Towhid Hridoy likely to lead in T20s.

During his tenure, Najmul led Bangladesh in nine Tests, winning three and losing six, highlighted by a historic series win over Pakistan. In ODIs, he captained in nine matches with three wins and six losses. In T20Is, he led the team in 24 games, securing 10 victories.

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Hakan Calhanoglu Fires Inter Milan To Champions League Win Over Angered Arsenal

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Hakan Calhanoglu fired Inter Milan to a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday to continue their unbeaten start in the Champions League and inflict a first defeat on the Gunners in this year’s revamped tournament. Turkey captain Calhanoglu rifled home the winning penalty in first-half stoppage time to put Inter on 10 points at the halfway point of the new single league phase. Unbeaten Inter are one of four teams to sit two points behind leaders Liverpool and look a good bet to finish in the top eight places which offer direct qualification for the last 16 as they are yet to concede a goal.

“The boys were magnificent. We beat a really good team, who have been fighting with Manchester City,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi told reporters.

“Tonight was a night to remember because we played in front of a stadium which pushed us on all the way, and we deserved to bask in their applause.”

Arsenal meanwhile continued their shaky run of form and sit 12th on seven points, although Mikel Arteta‘s team deserved more from an engaging encounter at the San Siro.

Arteta was angry at the decision to give Inter’s penalty, for Mikel Merino handling Mehdi Taremi‘s flick, as he believed his defender couldn’t get his arm out of the way.

He also couldn’t believe that his team weren’t given a spot-kick early in the first half when Sommer clattered into Merino — who was substituted at half-time due to the impact — while trying to clear the ball.

“If you are going to give a penalty, the other one has to be because he punches him in the head,” he said to TNT.

“There is no deflection, nothing you can do in the box, so can he get away from it? If he is going to give that the other has to be 100 percent a penalty.”

Calhanoglu’s winner was the first goal Arsenal have conceded in the Champions League this campaign and came on his first start since picking up a thigh injury on international duty last month.

Inter march on

His third goal of the season was followed by a clutch of good chances for the away side who were denied a leveller in the second half by a combination of desperate defending and one spectacular Yann Sommer save from Kai Havertz.

Inter now face Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday with the chance to move top after five of Inzaghi’s first-choice players — including Italy stars Nicolo Barella and Federico Dimarco and France forward Marcus Thuram — started Wednesday’s match on the bench.

Arsenal face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as they try to snap a run of three Premier League matches without a win and get a faltering season back on track.

Arteta will be able to count on his skipper Martin Odegaard after the Norway international made an appearance as a late substitute for Havertz.

Odegaard had missed Arsenal’s 12 previous matches after picking up an ankle injury with his country, and his return is a boost for Arteta who is also sweating on Declan Rice who played no part at the San Siro.

Inter started on the front foot and were unlucky not to be ahead in the first minute when Denzel Dumfries crashed a powerful strike off the crossbar.

But little else happened until just before break when Merino’s contentious handball led to Calhanoglu’s neatly slotted spot-kick.

With that lead and Napoli coming up on Sunday, Inter tried to soak up Arsenal’s pressure, but after Dumfries had to scramble to clear off the line and Sommer somehow tipped away Havertz’s dipping effort, Inzaghi called upon his stars from the bench.

Thuram, Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all came on in the 62nd minute but Arsenal kept pouring forward. 

And Havertz had his head in his hands in disbelief in the 75th minute when he spun and let off a shot which seemed destined for the net until Yann Bisseck flung out a leg to save the day for grateful Inter fans.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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‘They Will Cook Jasprit Bumrah’: Australia’s ‘Smart’ Strategy Against India Revealed

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Former New Zealand cricket team fast bowler Simon Doull believes that Australia have come up with a ‘clever’ plan to counter Jasprit Bumrah during the Border-Gavaskar Test series. In a recent discussion on JioCinema, Doull pointed out that Bumrah will be the ‘biggest threat’ for Australia in the series and he thinks that the hosts are trying to ‘cook’ him with the scheduling. According to the ex-NZ star, Australia will tire out Bumrah with the first Test taking place in the ‘heat’ of Perth followed up by the pink-ball Test in Adelaide – something that may force India to rest him in the middle of the series.

“What Australia have done smartly is scheduling. They know that while batters are going to be key in some shape or form, their biggest threat is Jasprit Bumrah. So they have gone with the three hardest and fastest surfaces, plus the Pink-Ball Test. They are trying to cook Bumrah. They will cook him in the heat of Perth, where he will have to bowl a lot of overs. Then he is going to have to go and bowl a lot of overs in that second pink-ball Test match in Adelaide. And then you’ve got to go to Brisbane where generally, first up, the seamers are quite good as well,” he said.

“So we’re going to cook Bumrah in the first two, three Test matches, make sure he bowls a lot of overs. And then they’re going to have to make a change. They’re going to have to go to someone else. So I think the scheduling from Australia’s point of view has been quite smart because very rarely do they start a series in Perth,” the former New Zealand fast bowler added.

Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar on Monday said that if India captain Rohit Sharma is not playing in the first Test against Australia in the upcoming marquee series, then Jasprit Bumrah should lead the side for the entire tour Down Under.

He said Rohit, whenever he comes in, should participate in the series only as a player.

The Australia tour for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins on November 22 in Perth, and Rohit is likely to miss the first match as his wife is expecting their second child. He is expected to join the team from the second game of the series.

Rohit is, however, not sure about the schedule yet.

In the absence of Rohit, Bumrah is likely to captain the team in Perth.

“It is important for the captain to play the first Test match. It’s different if he is injured, but if he is not available, then the deputy leader will be under a lot of pressure,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.

“I have been reading that Rohit Sharma might not play the first two Tests of the Australia series. I feel that, in that case the selection committee should appoint Jasprit Bumrah the captain of the side for the entire Australia tour, and tell Rohit Sharma that you will participate as a player in this series. For the first Test match, Rohit Sharma has to be there.”

(With PTI inputs)

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Atletico Madrid Stun PSG In Champions League With Last-Gasp Angel Correa Winner

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Substitute Angel Correa scored a dramatic winner with the last kick of the game as Atletico Madrid snatched a 2-1 victory away to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, kickstarting their Champions League campaign and casting a large cloud over the French club’s European hopes. It looked as if the game at the Parc des Princes would end in a draw after Warren Zaire-Emery’s early opener for PSG was quickly cancelled out by Nahuel Molina in the first ever meeting of the clubs.

PSG have been let down by their finishing in the Champions League all season and that was the case again here as they failed to convert a host of chances, but Atletico did not look like winning it until Correa struck in the 93rd minute.

The Spaniards would have been the happier of the two teams with a draw, especially as goalkeeper Jan Oblak had been forced into several second-half saves.

Having lost back-to-back matches against Benfica and then Lille, the win puts Atletico back on track to at least make the play-off round of this new-look Champions League, with the league phase now at the halfway stage.

“Today PSG played better but we had the extra force that we lacked against Lille,” said Atletico coach Diego Simeone.

“We came here missing five players, we conceded a goal early on, but the team did not collapse.”

The evening was also notable for the pre-match unfurling by PSG fans at one end of the stadium of an enormous banner in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

“War on the pitch but peace in the world,” said the banner, which also featured a Lebanese flag.

That may lead to disciplinary action from UEFA, but that will probably be the least of PSG’s worries now.

‘Inexplicable’

They may be top of Ligue 1 but in the Champions League last season’s semi-finalists have just four points, despite playing three of their four games so far at home.

Having edged Girona 1-0 on the opening matchday and then lost 2-0 at Arsenal, the French champions have since drawn at home to PSV Eindhoven and now lost to Atletico.

They face a tough assignment next away to Bayern Munich and still have to play Manchester City, meaning their hopes of finishing in the top 24 places and qualifying at least for the play-off round must be in doubt.

“Without any doubt,” coach Luis Enrique admitted, adding that he felt the defeat was “inexplicable” and “unfair”.

“I don’t think anyone who saw this game could say it was a fair result,” he said. “With the run we are on I can’t guarantee that we are going to qualify.”

Luis Enrique’s side will need to quickly improve in front of goal having now scored just three times in their last six Champions League matches, a run stretching back to last season’s semi-final against Borussia Dortmund.

Atletico were missing two key defenders here in Jose Maria Gimenez and Robin Le Normand. Clement Lenglet therefore started at centre-back and he was at fault as PSG went ahead in the 14th minute.

Lenglet dithered on the ball in his own box and was dispossessed by Ousmane Dembele. He set up Zaire-Emery and the 18-year-old took his time before coolly clipping the ball over Oblak and in.

However, Atletico were level just four minutes later when a ball into the box by Giuliano Simeone came off a PSG defender and fell for Molina to fire in.

Atletico were then more than happy to soak up PSG’s pressure, and the hosts could not find a second goal despite ending the game with almost 70 percent possession and 22 attempts.

Oblak excelled in the second half with notable saves twice from Bradley Barcola, as well as one from a Marquinhos header and another to deny Achraf Hakimi.

Then came the third minute of injury time, in which Lee Kang-in was denied by the Atletico goalkeeper and Hakimi failed to convert the follow-up.

Atletico then broke downfield and the ball came to Correa who stroked a shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma to leave the PSG fans stunned.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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