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With his focus firmly on a reboot, Nair found ways to make up for lost chances, making a carefully constructed 92 not out against India Blue in Alur

Shashank Kishore in Alur23-Aug-2019Having fallen behind in the race to be in the middle order of the Test team, Karun Nair served a timely reminder of his ability to dig in and make it count, and in the process be in sight of his first first-class century since December 2017. His 92 not out for India Red, a carefully constructed knock full of restraint and self-discipline, left India Blue wondering if they had misread the surface. On a day in which only 68 overs were possible, India Red put up 163 for 2, Nair putting together an unbroken 120-run stand with Ankit Kalsi, who ended the day unbeaten on 48.The make up of the Duleep Trophy is such that the focus is largely on individuals rather than teams – made up of fringe players and domestic performers – and the platform was Nair’s to do what he could with after his side lost openers Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran – both in the frame to be India’s third opener – inside the first hour. Abhimanyu was out in the day’s first over, lbw to a full-inswinging delivery from left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary. Panchal fought through the first hour and then fell shortly after drinks when he wafted at one from Diwesh Pathania that left him.From there on, Nair reconstructed the innings with a stoic display, going through long periods where he left the ball repeatedly even as the bowlers asked questions of him. The restraint also involved leaving alone full deliveries around the fifth stump, despite cover left open. He wasn’t in the mood to oblige invitations to drive.Against left-arm seamers, after being troubled early on by late inswing, he resorted to shuffling from outside leg, and found his groove immediately with a delightful on-drive to get going. The only lofted hit through the day was the chip over mid-off to bring up his half-century off left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, off the 101st delivery he had faced. It was a shot that drew applause from his father, who for most parts of his knock was unmoved from his vantage point up in the grass banks.His temperament and approach stood out in his 189-ball knock. Nair didn’t play a single shot in anger and completely shelved the cut and sweep. Yet, he found ways to make up for the lost scoring opportunities. As the afternoon progressed and the field spread, he milked the singles without much hassle, and offered words of encouragement to his younger batting partner, who made 511 runs in seven Ranji Trophy innings last season.

‘I had time to go away and think about my cricket and where I’m at. I thought about the mistakes and worked towards rectifying it.’Karun Nair

“I had to grind my way early on, it wasn’t easy,” Nair said afterwards. “The ball was moving around early, and we needed stability at that stage. As a batsman, you have to first play to the situation. I was happy to have been able to fight my way through. It’s not as if I made a conscious effort to cut down on some of the shots, but when you show discipline and it pays off at the end of the day on the scoreboard, it feels nice.”This has come about because of my hard work. I’ve realised you can’t keep throwing away starts, so I wanted to focus that much more. Starting the season well was important.”The last one year or so has been a testing one for Nair, who was dropped from the Test side after the England tour without being given an opportunity. Then he saw his replacement Hanuma Vihari make the XI and score a fighting half-century on debut. Then a string of low scores led to him being left out of the India A squad, of which he was captain until November 2018. Then an underwhelming Ranji Trophy season – 224 runs in ten innings – even led to the coaching staff contemplating resting the Test triple centurion. On to the IPL, where he was signed by Kings XI Punjab for INR 5.6 crore in 2018, he was largely forced to carry drinks. These led him to introspection, before he finally decided it was time to look ahead to the future “without any baggage”.This could have dented the confidence of most. It most certainly hurt Nair, something he made apparent in a rare blow-over of inner thoughts, which he likes to keep to himself at the best of times. He stated firmly that no one from the team management or the selection committee had spoken to him – an India A captain, a domestic regular for Karnataka. For Nair, recently engaged and in a phase he describes as “very happy”, it’s all in the past. The focus is on a reboot.”I needed the break [after the IPL] mentally,” he said. “I had time to go away and think about my cricket and where I’m at. I thought about the mistakes and worked towards rectifying it. I realised that I needed to just keep batting, even if it meant doing double sessions at times. The time lost can’t come back. The best way to overcome confidence issues is if you can keep batting and spend long periods. So the last two months gave me that time and chance to work on my game and improve. Hoping it will pay off.”

Tottenham Hotspur are only five points better off in the Premier League this season than they were last year, but Ange Postecoglou is clearly shifting the cogs to chart a course to success unseen in many years.

A painful reminder, but unless Tottenham pull off a sensational and implausible title triumph, a barren trophy drought will stretch to 16 successive seasons without silverware.

This interminable wait for the unbridled joy that one of the game's major honours would bring rages on, but Postecoglou arrived in the summer to steer the ship back on course and has navigated through several obstacles to instil his vision and give the squad an identity.

Harry Kane ended his career-long affiliation with the London club in August and headed for the footballing riches Bayern Munich can offer, but Heung-min Son was handed the primary talismanic role and Spurs spent shrewdly to counter the blow.

Micky van de Ven and shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario proved excellent pieces of business to shore up a defence that leaked goals like a ruptured container, but it is the capture of James Maddison from relegated Leicester City that has been the centremost success of Postecoglou's reign so far.

Why Tottenham signed James Maddison

Signed for £40m in June, Tottenham saw an opportunity following the Foxes' demise in 2022/23 and snatched it, bypassing lasting interest from wealthy Newcastle United to steal away with one of the Premier League's standout playmakers.

Last season, Leicester fell into the second tier on the final day but Maddison emerged with his head held high, posting ten goals and nine assists from just 28 starting appearances.

He also ranks among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists and progressive passes and the top 1% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, making good on praise from pundit Jermaine Jenas that he is "on the verge" of being world-class.

The £170k-per-week star started life in London with a bang, crowned the Premier League's Player of the Month for August and having now plundered three goals and six assists from 13 matches, also completing 86% of his passes and averaging 2.8 key passes per game.

With Heung-min Son and Richarlison raking in goals for Postecoglou's side this season, Maddison's efficiency in his creative endeavours has proved invaluable for the club's progress this term, and he's undoubtedly one of Tottenham's most important and influential members.

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He's not, however, the Spurs star with the highest market value right now, that tag lies with Dejan Kulusevski, who has been phenomenal this season and is arguably Postecoglou's most underrated ace.

Tottenham's signing of Dejan Kulusevski

Spurs captured Kulusevski and centre-midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus back in 2022, with the former joining on an initial 18-month loan.

An electric start to life on English shores saw the Sweden international clinch five goals and eight assists across the latter half of the 2021/22 Premier League season, but he was very much at the core of Spurs' issues last term and scored twice from 37 outings in all competitions, said to be "blowing hot and cold" by pundit Glenn Murray.

The 23-year-old has always been regarded as a high-class talent and there was clearly a tacit belief that he would return to the forefront under Postecoglou's wing, with a £25m permanent transfer agreed upon last summer.

Dejan Kulusevski's market value now

Typically found on the right wing but capable of doing fine work centrally, Kulusevski is actually considered to be Tottenham's most valuable player by Football Transfers and this is an illustration of his prowess and unrelenting energy – the very quintessence of his manager's fluid, guns-blazing approach.

1.

Dejan Kulusevski

£46m

2.

Brennan Johnson

£40m

3.

James Maddison

£34m

4.

Heung-min Son

£33m

5.

Richarlison

£32m

More valuable than Maddison (who, admittedly, is sure to see a sharp rise in the near future), Kulusevski is versatile and dynamic and is finally flourishing with the kind of constancy that portends an illustrious future at the top of the game.

As per Sofascore, the 6 foot 1 phenom has scored five goals and supplied two assists from 21 matches in the top flight this year, though his brilliance stretches far beyond the constraints of direct goal contributions.

Indeed, he has also completed 83% of his passes, averaged 1.7 tackles, 4.3 ball recoveries and 4.2 successful duels per fixture, leading Sky Sports journalist Jamie Weir to state: "Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart."

The former Juve starlet also ranks among the top 18% of positional peers for tackles made per 90 to emphasise the application that has made him such an indispensable figure for his side.

1.

Heung-min Son

11

2.

Pedro Porro

10

3.

Dejan Kulusevski

8

4.

James Maddison

6

5.

Brennan Johnson

4

With tools to inflict damage on opposition from many, many angles, Kulusevski is sure to feature at the centre of Tottenham's projected rise under their Australian manager, and while he doesn't have the finishing ability of Son, or the raw creative excellence of Maddison, he is undoubtedly one of the most important ingredients in the Spurs side – the flour in the cake, if you like, vital and unseen.

The acquisitions of both players are just an illustration of the upward curve that Spurs are seeking to continue, embarking on a new journey under new leadership with a fresh vision and rekindled optimism.

Next summer, Levy will bolster Tottenham's ranks further, with centre-forward and central midfield signings likely, and given the judiciousness that is at the centre of the recent business, the future looks bright and the likes of Kulusevski will be at the heart of it.

Manchester United winger Antony has been branded the Premier League's flop of the season after scoring just one goal in the competition.

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• Antony has endured dismal season with Man Utd
• Brazilian told he's 'let down' manager Erik ten Hag
• Duo both facing uncertain futures at Old Trafford

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Antony has come in for criticism after a dismal season where he's managed just three goals in all competitions for Manchester United, with only one of those coming in the Premier League. The Red Devils invested heavily to bring in Antony from Ajax in 2022, splashing out up to £85 million ($99m) to land the Brazilian. However, he has simply failed to live up to his huge transfer fee and a second poor season for the Red Devils has brought fresh scrutiny on the 24-year-old.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Antony took until the end of April to score his first Premier League goal of the season for United in a 1-1 draw with Burnley. The winger's poor form has led to speculation he could be sold if the Red Devils revamp their squad this summer. Brazil legend Rivaldo has also urged Antony to move clubs but United may find it hard to shift a player who arrived for a massive transfer fee but has underperformed at Old Trafford and has also faced allegations of domestic abuse.

• WHAT SUTTON SAID

  Former Chelsea and Blackburn striker Sutton told Mail Sport's It's All Kicking Off! podcast: "[Antony] actually made me look value for money! For the outlay on him, in terms of goals and assists they just simply haven't been there. He is a show pony. That's what he is and I think he's let Erik ten Hag down."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANTONY

  Antony's future at Manchester United may well depend on whether Ten Hag stays at the club. The Dutchman raided his former club Ajax for the winger but is also facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford despite ending the season with an FA Cup win. Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Frank have all been linked with a move to United if Ten Hag departs.

The medical team will continue assessing the allrounder’s progress after he left a training session midway when he was hit on the right forearm

Nagraj Gollapudi in London24-May-20191:09

Vijay Shankar leaves training session midway

On the eve of their first warm-up match of the World Cup, India suffered an injury scare with allrounder Vijay Shankar leaving the training session midway after being hit on his right hand. Vijay was hit on the forearm while attempting a pull against left-arm fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed, who is among the four quicks travelling with the Indian squad as net bowlers.Vijay, who was part of the second group of batsmen alongside MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, immediately walked back to the dressing room carrying two bats in his left hand. He went for scans in the evening and no fracture was detected, but he sat out of India’s first warm-up match, against New Zealand, as a precautionary measure. Vijay will continue to be part of the squad, and the medical team will continue to assess him in the coming days to figure his fitness for India’s second warm-up match.ALSO WATCH: ‘Vijay Shankar has changed the dynamics’ – chief selector MSK PrasadIndia would hope Vijay’s injury is not serious considering Kedar Jadhav is yet to hit full tilt in the training. Jadhav, who picked up a left shoulder injury during the IPL on May 5, was retained in the 15-man squad by the selectors based on a positive assessment by team physiotherapist Patrick Farhart.India trained at the Oval on Thursday and Friday, and on both days Jadhav started with light drills with Farhart following him like a shadow. On Thursday, Jadhav took some throwdowns without batting in the main nets. However, on Friday, he did the complete drill, including some fielding practice, before wrapping it by batting in the nets.Jadhav, though, is likely to sit out of the warm-up game against New Zealand. If Vijay recovers, he is set to bat at No.4, the position MSK Prasad, Indian chairman of selectors, had said the allrounder was ideal for while announcing the World Cup squad.In case Vijay does not play, then it is likely that KL Rahul would replace him. Rahul, who was part of the last batch of batsmen in India’s second training session, was included in the squad mainly as the cover for the openers, but Prasad said he was equally capable of batting in the middle order.

Afghanistan have strengthened their bowling arsenal for their first ‘home’ Test – against Ireland on March 15 – by adding left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan and left-arm seam bowler Sayed Shirzad to the squad.Zahir was initially not selected for the Test since the ACB was awaiting his fitness report. But now that Zahir has been declared fit, he will join the team in Dehradun. He has an outstanding first-class record, with 34 wickets in seven matches, at an average of 13.14. The 24-year-old Shirzad has played 15 first-class games, taking 49 wickets – including four five-wicket hauls – at an average of 25.38.”Both Zahir Khan and Sayed Shirzad have very good bowling records in first-class cricket and have played in the ICC Intercontinental Cup for Afghanistan,” Afghanistan’s chief selector Dawlat Ahmadzai said while announcing the update. “We were awaiting Zahir’s fitness report when announcing the initial 14-member Test squad and now that he is fully fit, we have decided to add him to the squad.”Sayed Shirzad is added as an additional pacer in the squad to have another bowling option if needed.”It will be Afghanistan’s second Test in India but will be designated as their first home game. For their opponents Ireland, it will be their first away Test, having made their debut against Pakistan in Dublin last year.Afghanistan squad: Asghar Afghan (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Ihsanullah Janat, Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ikram Alikhail, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Wafadar Momand, Yamin Ahmadzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Waqar Salamkhail, Zahir Khan, Sayed Shirzad.

Newcastle United are believed to be “taking first steps” to sign a “superb” title-winning maestro, according to an update from journalist Rudy Galetti.

Newcastle's midfield search

The Magpies have had a dramatic 2023/24 season to date, having gone into it with so much positivity after last term's heroics saw them return to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. While results have been more positive than negative, Eddie Howe's side are on the verge of crashing out of Europe in the group stages, while in the Premier League, there have been some disappointing moments.

That being said, injuries have hurt Newcastle badly throughout the campaign – they are arguably doing impressively considering the number of key players who are out – and it seems likely that new signings will arrive during the January transfer business. The 10-month ban for Sandro Tonali is an added blow that nobody saw coming when he joined in the summer, and his absence for the rest of the season means that a midfielder could be at the forefront of Howe's focus.

Kalvin Phillips has been linked with a move to Newcastle plenty of times in recent months, as he continues to struggle for minutes under Pep Guardiola, but lots of other midfielders have been backed to move to St James' Park, too, including Manchester United's Scott McTominay.

Now, a significant update has dropped regarding the Magpies' potential business next month, with progress seemingly being made with one rumoured addition.

Newcastle make Kalvin Phillips progress

Taking to X, Galetti, provided an update on Newcastle's pursuit of Kalvin Phillips, claiming "first steps" have been taken to secure a move for the 27-year-old.

"Newcastle are taking the first steps to sign Kalvin Phillips in Jan. NUFC consider the player a main target. With a suitable offer, Man City could let him go. Tottenham are still monitoring him, but to date is not a priority. First of all, THFC need a striker."

It has looked as though Phillips, who shares the same agent as Nick Pope, is Newcastle's priority midfield target for a while now, and he appears to tick so many boxes when it comes to helping fill the Tonali-shaped void at St James'.

The City man may well be desperate to seal a move away from the Etihad in January, not least because Euro 2024 is around the corner and competition for places in England's midfield is stronger than ever.

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It looks as though Gareth Southgate could go with Declan Rice, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham as his go-to trio currently, but a strong run for Phillips in a Magpies shirt could change that, having often been a favourite of the England manager during his time in charge.

The former Leeds United man is someone who has been described as "superb" by none other than Xavi, and he has shown his class so often in the past, so there is no reason why he couldn't be a shrewd signing for Newcastle, even if it was just on loan initially.

Journalist Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail has lifted the lid on a "frosty" confrontation between Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and one Spurs player.

Ange suffers third consecutive league defeat

Manager Ange Postecoglou won his third Premier League Manager of the Month award in a row recently, but on the pitch, he's now suffered a third league defeat on the bounce.

A succession of killer injury blows and suspensions have stripped Spurs' squad to the bare bones since their 4-1 defeat to Chelsea at the start of November, with as many as 10 players unavailable to play right now.

Despite what was a pretty decent performance overall against Aston Villa, having created many openings and could've easily won the game, Tottenham lost 2-1 and now go into a contest against league champions Man City on their worst run of form since the Antonio Conte era.

"I said during the week I wasn't happy with way we played at Wolves, so that's a different performance," said Postecoglou on Spurs' 2-1 loss to Villa.

"Again, it's not a game we couldn't have got a result but it was not something I was pleased in terms of the progress we need to make. Today is different. I thought today we play that game again and we keep playing in that manner when we do get everyone back, we're going to be a pretty good football side as we've already shown.

"We've just got to make sure the players stay focused on what's important right now and you need to win games of football to keep yourself in the mix to be in a strong position come the end of the year, but right now we're still building a side. What's more important is the way forward has to be with what the end goal is in mind and today was about trying to play the football we want to play. If we fell short, we fell short but I didn't think we fell short today. I thought it was just fine margins for us and not getting the rewards."

There were definitely positives to take from the thoroughly entertaining 90 minutes in north London, and on any other day, Spurs would've had something to show for their efforts.

Postecoglou opted for a centre-back duo of Emerson Royal and Ben Davies during the clash, which speaks volumes about his faith in Eric Dier.

Levy's "frosty" confrontation with Dier

Dier is a real candidate to leave Tottenham in 2024, with his contract expiring at the end of the season. The 29-year-old could even leave as soon as January. Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are reportedly eyeing Dier in a "shock" mid-season move, according to recent reports.

Now, Mail journalist Mokbel backs that Dier could leave Spurs very soon, as his days look "numbered" at N17. More interestingly, the reporter also says that chairman Levy and the player were at the centre of some "frosty" behind-the-scenes talks with one another earlier this year.

Passing

Concentration

The former Sporting Lisbon star has been a fantastic servant for the club, but his future may be far, far away.

Left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava has been ruled out of Zimbabwe’s two-Test series against Bangladesh after he sustained a groin injury during the third one-day international on Friday. Ngarava, 20, was in line to make his Test debut, but his injury means that Chris Mpofu has been called up as a replacement.

Zimbabwe Test squad

Hamilton Masakadza (capt), Brian Chari, Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Peter Moor, Regis Chakabva, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Brandon Mavuta, John Nyumbu, Wellington Masakadza, Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu

“Ngarava sustained a groin injury and also complained of pain in the gluteal region after our last ODI,” said Zimbabwe national team physiotherapist Anesu Mupotaringa. “Even with aggressive treatment, he will not recover in time for the Test series.””Ngarava is part of our plan to deliberately inject youth into the team and he has worked hard on this tour, on the sidelines, readying himself for an opportunity to play,” said Zimbabwe convener of selectors, Walter Chawaguta.”We had plans to possibly rotate our seamers and rest those who have played all matches since the tour of South Africa and this would have presented an opportunity for Ngarava.”As part of their preparations for the Test series, the Zimbabweans will take on Bangladesh A in a three-day practice match starting on Monday at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The first Test begins on 3 November in Sylhet, while the second starts on 11 November in Dhaka.Chawaguta is confident Mpofu’s experience will prove useful in the series. The 32-year-old seamer has played 15 Test matches since making his debut against Bangladesh in Chittagong in January 2005. He has been on three further tours to Bangladesh since then.”Mpofu was with the team in the build-up to South Africa and, having toured Bangladesh before, he would know how to quickly adjust to conditions here,” said Chawaguta. “He is very experienced and would give us an opportunity to continue with our set plan of rotating our pace bowling department.”Zimbabwe suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series against Bangladesh, and Chawaguta said that they would look to make amends in the Tests with the senior players expected to lead the way.”The team was obviously saddened by our performance in the ODI series and we are looking to make amends during the Test matches,” he said.”It’s a different ball game demanding a specific set of skills. We have decent Test experience in the squad and are calling on our experienced players to carry the team and show the younger players how to play Test cricket.”

وجه البرتغالي جوزيه جوميز، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، التهنئة للمنتخب الأولمبي، بعد التأهل إلى نصف نهائي أولمبياد باريس 2024، ورد على علاء عبد العال المدير الفني للجونة بعد غضبه في نهاية اللقاء.

ونجح منتخب مصر الأولمبي في الفوز على باراجواي بركلات الترجيح، خلال المباراة التي انتهت منذ قليل بدورة الألعاب الأولمبية باريس 2024 ليتأهل إلى نصف النهائي.

وفاز الزمالك، على نظيره الجونة، بهدف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الجمعة، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وقال جوميز في المؤتمر الصحفي بعد المباراة: “أبارك للمنتخب المصري الأولمبي على الفوز اليوم، وسعيد لأنني أعتبر نفسي في بلدي الثاني”.

طالع..موعد مباراة الزمالك القادمة بعد الفوز على الجونة في الدوري المصري

وتابع: “أحاول أن أقدم أفضل أداء في مباريات الزمالك، والاعتماد على الناشئين سيكون بالتدريج ليكونوا أكثر تطورًا وجاهزية وتقديم أنفسهم بالشكل الأمثل”.

وواصل: “المشكلات الفنية التي يمر بها الزمالك هي فرصة للاعبين الصغار من أجل المشاركة”.

وأضاف: “الزمالك يمتلك لاعبين صغار جيدين، مثل حازم أسامة ومحمد السيد ومحمود الشناوي، وكلهم أسماء واعدة”.

واستطرد: “أدينا مباراة جيدة وصنعنا الكثير من الفرص أمام فريق قوي بدنيًا ويقوم بضغط كبير، وصعب أن تفوز عليه بطريقة اللعب التي يلعب بها”.

وأكمل: “أعلم أن الجماهير تريد الفوز في كل المباريات، وأنا كذلك، ولكني أنظر للمستقبل ولدي افكار مختلفة بسبب الاستعداد للكونفدرالية والبطولات المرتبط بها الفريق”.

وحرص جوميز على الحديث عن محمد عواد حارس الفريق، قائلًا: “لا توجد مشكلة مع محمد عواد وإذا احتجناه في الفترة المقبلة سيتواجد معنا”.

وأتم جوميز تعليقًا على تصريحات علاء عبد العال: “المدرب المفترض أن يتحدث عن فريقه ويحاول أن يحل المشاكل الخاصة به، أنا مدرب للزمالك، وأتحدث عن فريقي فقط”.

تجدر الإشارة إلى أن علاء عبد العال اشتكى للاعبي الزمالك من جوزيه جوميز بسبب اعتماده على الناشئين في مباراة المقاولون العرب الماضية، ودفعه بالأساسيين في مباراة الجونة، في ظل المنافسة بين المقاولون والجونة على الهروب من مراكز الهبوط، وذلك وفقًا لما سرده مراسل “بطولات” من ملعب اللقاء اليوم.

It was a comeback of sorts for the home team, which had lost the T20I series 3-0 only two days ago

Mohammad Isam08-Oct-2018Offspinner Khadija Tul Kubra’s best ODI figures – 6 for 20 – upended Pakistan and laid the foundation for a six-wicket Bangladesh win in the one-off ODI in Cox’s Bazar. The visitors were bundled out for 94, their second-lowest score against Bangladesh, which proved inadequate despite two early wickets, as an 81-run third-wicket stand between Fargana Hoque and captain Rumana Ahmed sealed the fate of the match.Fargana was the dominant partner, top scoring with 48 off 81 balls, and Rumana made 34, to go with her two wickets. When the duo finally departed in quick succession, Bangladesh only required eight runs more, which were shrugged off by Lata Mondal and Fahima Khatun. The hosts won with 21 overs to spare.It was a comeback of sorts for the home team, which had lost the T20I series 3-0 only two days ago. The win on Monday was only their eighth in ODIs and their first since they beat Ireland in February 2017.Khadija became the first Bangladesh bowler – and 14th overall – to take six or more wickets in women’s ODIs. Coming in as the third-change bowler, Khadija removed Ayesha Zafar in the 15th over before accounting for Nida Dar, Umaima Sohail, captain Javeria Khan – who top scored for Pakistan with 29 – Sidra Nawaz and Nashra Sandhu.