Inside Ground

Bangladesh win toss, opt to bat first

Publish: 09:53 AM, 06 Nov, 2022


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Bangladesh have won the toss in a do or die match against Pakistan. If Bangladesh can beat Pakistan in this match, the tigers will go to the semi-final stage of the T-20 world cup.

Bangladesh have brought three changes in their Playing XI. Soumya Sarkar, Nasum Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain have replaced Shoriful Islam, Yasir Ali Rabbi and Hasan Mahmud respectively.

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Najmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan(w), Mosaddek Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.

Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi.


Bangladesh   Pakistan   T-20 world cup  


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Inside Ground

Returning Halep rails at Wozniacki after 'cheat' comments

Publish: 01:45 PM, 20 Mar, 2024


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Simona Halep returned to tennis on Tuesday, losing in three sets to Spaniard Paula Badosa at the Miami Open and then hit back at Caroline Wozniacki after the Dane criticised the decision to give her a wildcard into the tournament.

Former world number one Halep was given a warm welcome by the Miami crowd before fading as she lost 6-1, 4-6, 3-6 in her first game since the 2022 US Open.

But while the Romanian flags and chants of her name showed she retains plenty of support after having her doping ban reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last week, former world number one Wozniacki questioned the way Halep was allowed into the tournament.

"This is not directly at Simona, but if someone purposely cheats, if someone has tested positive for doping... I understand why a tournament wants a big star in the tournament, but it's my personal belief, and it's not a knock on anyone, but it's my personal belief that I don't think people should be awarded wild cards afterwards," said the Dane.

"If you want to come back, and it's been a mistake, I understand, you should work your way up from the bottom. That's my personal opinion upon things.

"Simona's situation has obviously dragged on for a long time. She got her suspension reduced. It wasn't a clearance, it was a reduced sentence," she added.

Asked about Wozniacki's comments, Halep said she did not understand her motivation.

"Why did she say that? I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't cheat. I didn't dope. So it's better if we read the decision from CAS that it was a contaminated supplement, it wasn't doping. I never had something to do with doping. I never doped, so I'm not a cheater.

"Thank you to the tournament for giving me the wild card and have the possibility to play in such a big tournament. It was great to be back," said the 32-year-old.

"Only one person being negative about me is not that important because I have hundreds of people that are giving me love, so I will take that," added Halep.

Halep looked like her old self in the opening set, cheered on by a small but passionate crowd, including many of her compatriots, she struggled later in the near two-hour contest.

There were the familiar chants of 'Simona' as she broke to go 4-1 up in the first set and the fist-pump showed the level of motivation after her lengthy, enforced absence.

But she needed treatment to her shoulder during the second set and she lost the accuracy of her serve while looking increasingly tired.

But she was upbeat about her fist match after such a long absence from the court.

- Positive emotions -

"It felt really good. I had emotions, but positive emotions. To see the crowd supporting me so nice gave me a lot of energy. The level of tennis was pretty good. Unexpected, I think, for most of the people.

"At this high level, like Paula played, I think I did a good job today. So I'm happy with the first match coming back," she said.

Halep's career had been on hold since October 7, 2022, the date of the start of her provisional suspension after testing positive for roxadustat at the US Open.

The winner of the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon singles titles was then caught up in a second affair, this time "irregularities" in the data of her biological passport.

She was handed a four-year ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) which would have effectively ended her career.

Halep appealed to CAS in February, arguing her positive test for roxadustat -- used to treat anaemia and banned as a blood doping agent -- was the result of a tainted supplement.

CAS determined that Halep had "established, on the balance of probabilities" that the banned substance did come from the contaminated product and her violations were therefore "not intentional."

CAS also ruled that the "irregularities" cited by the ITIA in Halep's biological passport, a longterm monitoring tool of an athlete's blood indicators that can provide evidence of doping, did not, in fact, support "the doping scenarios put forward by the ITIA."

Halep had protested her innocence and refused to accept the ITIA decision, which would have kept her off the courts until October 6, 2026.


Simona Halep   Spaniard Paula Badosa   Caroline Wozniacki   Miami  


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Inside Ground

Sabalenka sent packing at Indian Wells as Medvedev, Gauff advance

Publish: 01:52 PM, 14 Mar, 2024


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American Emma Navarro shocked Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Indian Wells ATP-WTA Masters quarter-finals on Wednesday as Coco Gauff sailed through.

Navarro, ranked 23rd in the world, pushed Sabalenka hard on a breezy Stadium Court to notch her first career win over a top-five player 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

US Open champion Gauff, seeded third, celebrated her 20th birthday with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory over Belgian Elise Mertens.

It wasn't quite so easy for last year's men's runner-up Daniil Medvedev, but the fourth-seeded Russian managed the windy conditions to post a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

Medvedev next faces seventh-seeded Holger Rune, who saved a match point then roared through the second-set tiebreaker on the way to a 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 victory over 2022 champion Taylor Fritz.

"It was a crazy match," Rune said. I managed to raise my level in the end of the second set. I just kept believing. I was always behind in the match, I was struggling to break his serve, but once I found my rhythm ... especially the tiebreak was very good for me and then I just gained confidence."

Medvedev said consistency was the key to his victory in windy conditions.
"I think in general I played well. I was really consistent," said Medvedev, who had just 13 unforced errors as he moved a step closer to a first title at Indian Wells -- the only hardcourt ATP Masters tournament he has never won.

In other men's matches, American Tommy Paul ended Italian Luca Nardi's dream week with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Nardi, who lost in qualifying but gained a place in the main draw as a "lucky loser" thanks to a withdrawal, was coming off a stunning upset of world number one Novak Djokovic in the third round.

Paul will play for a place in the semi-finals against ninth-seeded Casper Ruud, who rallied to beat French veteran Gael Monfils 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.

Navarro's victory over world number two Sabalenka continues a strong season for the 22-year-old, who won the WTA title in Hobart and reached the semi-finals in Auckland and San Diego.

"It's definitely cool to be able to play an opponent like that and feel like I can hang and I can win," she said. "I've worked really hard over the years to kind of just get to this point and be able to play at a level that can compete with the best players in the world.

"I think that showed today," she added.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, has found it frustrating since her successful title defense at the year's first Grand Slam. The Belarusian's fourth-round exit follows her opening-match defeat in Dubai last month.

After the two exchanged just two breaks of serve in the first two sets, Navarro came out ahead as they traded three straight breaks in the third to take a 3-1 lead.

She broke Sabalenka again to seal the match, finishing with 22 winners to 14 unforced errors while Sabalenka's 38 winners were countered by 34 unforced errors.

- Learning experience -

Sabalenka, who saved four match points to win her opener against 64th-ranked American Peyton Stearns, acknowledged that she never really got comfortable in the California desert this year.

"I tried to adjust," she said. "I would say that we did our best and we'll learn."

Navarro next faces face ninth-ranked Maria Sakkari of Greece, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 winner over France's Diane Parry.

Gauff, who turned 20 on Wednesday, will next face China's Yuan Yue, who beat Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

"Feels good -- finally got a win on my birthday," Gauff said after what she called a "pretty straightforward" victory.

Thursday's other quarter-finals were already set, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to take on Germany's Alexander Zverev and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner to face Czech Jiri Lehecka.

Women's world number one Iga Swiatek will face returning veteran Caroline Wozniacki while Anastasia Potopova of Russia will play Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk.


Emma Navarro   Aryna Sabalenka   Indian Wells ATP-WTA Masters quarter-finals  


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Inside Ground

India become number one Test side overtaking Australia

Publish: 04:55 PM, 10 Mar, 2024


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India have climbed to the number one spot in Test cricket rankings following an emphatic 4-1 series victory against England.

The Indian team moved past Australia who are now second in the table, according to the rankings released by the International Cricket Council late Saturday.

India lost the opening Test against England before bouncing back to win the remaining four matches, including the final game which ended in Dharamsala on Saturday.

In January, India had slipped to second place in Test rankings after a drawn 1-1 series against South Africa.

Australia overtook India at the top after sweeping the three-Test series at home against Pakistan.

Currently Australia lead the two-Test series against New Zealand 1-0 following their 172-run victory in Wellington.

India will remain at the top regardless of the outcome of the second New Zealand-Australia Test in Christchurch.

India are already the number one team in one-day and T20 internationals. They are also at the top of the ICC World Test Championship Standings table.


India   Australia   Cricket  


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Inside Ground

Madrid 'suffer' in Leipzig draw to reach Champions League quarters

Publish: 03:25 PM, 07 Mar, 2024


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Real Madrid scraped through into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 1-1 second-leg draw against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, progressing 2-1 on aggregate.

The record 14-time champions were far below their best but did just enough over the two legs of the last-16 clash to edge out their Bundesliga opponents.

Despite Leipzig shading the game, Vinicius Junior opened the scoring in the 65th minute after being set up well by Jude Bellingham.

Willi Orban quickly levelled for the visitors but they could not find a second goal to force extra-time at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team suffered and did not approach the game well mentally.

"We played badly, with little intensity, with worries ... the psychological aspect conditioned our game a lot," Ancelotti told Movistar.

"We played against an opponent with quality, who had nothing to lose, and we had the brakes on from start to finish -- we suffered, but the important thing was to get to the quarter-finals."

Ancelotti warned his players before the game they needed to be at their best to progress and showed his cautious side by playing four midfielders behind Bellingham and Vinicius.

The Italian brought Aurelien Tchouameni forward into defensive midfield, also deploying Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde and Toni Kroos, as he looked to protect the 1-0 first-leg lead.

However Ancelotti's gameplan stunted Madrid's own attacking game without completely stifling Leipzig's.

"It was not our best day, but we have to be happy because the objective is complete," Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez told Movistar.

"When things don't go as you want, you have to battle, to fight, to play games like today's that make you grow and learn."

The German side had the better of the first half, albeit without carving out clear chances until just before the break.

Andriy Lunin palmed away a strike from Xavi Simons, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, while Lois Openda rifled a shot into the side netting.

Ancelotti shifted back to a more typical set-up for the second half, introducing Rodrygo at half-time for Camavinga.

It opened up the game at both ends and Vinicius began to have more influence after a quiet first half -- albeit not always for good. The Brazilian was booked for barging Orban in the back and then shoving the Leipzig captain.

- 'So tough' -

Vinicius' frustration quickly turned to joy though when Bellingham burst forward, showing superb timing to release the forward, who fired into the top corner at the end of a smart counter-attack.

Toni Kroos started the break and despite being outnumbered, Bellingham and Vinicius showed their decisive quality to send the hosts ahead.

Madrid's delight was short-lived though, with Orban levelling just three minutes later.

The Hungarian defender's excellent diving header from David Raum's cross set up a gripping denouement.

Madrid striker Joselu, on as a substitute, sent a tame effort at Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi before Dani Olmo hit the woodwork.

The former Barcelona youth player's lob dropped on to the crossbar and out of play as thousands of Madrid fans held their breath.

Europe's most crowned side were taken to the wire on a nervy night by Marco Rose's side, only founded in 2009, but steeled themselves and held on to progress.

"If you add the 180 minutes up, we clearly had the better chances -- I don't know how they scored today," Leipzig defender Benjamin Henrichs told DAZN.

"We played so well and it's so tough that we're out."


Champions League   Real Madrid  


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Inside Ground

Britain's Boulter beats Kostyuk in WTA San Diego final

Publish: 06:00 PM, 04 Mar, 2024


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Britain's Katie Boulter won the biggest title of her career on Sunday, beating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to claim the WTA San Diego Open title.

The 27-year-old, whose only previous WTA crown came at Nottingham last June, moves into the world rankings top 30 for the first time in her career.

Boulter had upset third seed Emma Navarro of the United States in the semi-finals.

Kostyuk, ranked 34th, had beaten top-seeded Jessica Pegula to reach the final but struggled after winning the first set against the big-hitting Briton.

After rain forced a delay in the final, Boulter handed the hard-fought first set to the Ukrainian on her seventh set point after she double faulted.

But having forced her way back from 5-2 down to 5-5 in that set, the momentum was with Boulter and she took that into the second set.

A fine forehand winner down the line put her 3-1 ahead and she broke again to lead 5-2 on the way to forcing a third set.

As Kostyuk tired, Boulter grew in confidence, breaking her opponent twice before firing two emphatic aces in the final game.

Boulter converted seven of her 11 break points and saved seven of the 11 that she faced in a win that will move her to 27th in the world rankings.

"I really didn't think I would be standing here with a trophy right now, I really didn't," said Boulter, who was cheered on by her Australian boyfriend Alex de Minaur, who had flown in after winning the ATP title in Acapulco on Saturday.


Katie Boulter   Britain   Tennis  


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