Bangladeshi army commandos abseiled into the national stadium on October 6 in a show of strength designed to reassure England’s cricketers over their security on the eve of the opening ODI of their controversial tour.
More than a dozen commandos scaled down ropes from helicopters hovering over the nets at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, which is hosting the first two games in a three-match series beginning on Friday night.
The side is being skippered by Jos Buttler after regular one-day captain Eoin Morgan decided not to go on the tour in the wake of an attack by jihadists earlier this year on a cafe full of foreigners.
Twenty-two people were killed in July’s assault on the Holey Artisan Cafe in Dhaka’s upmarket Gulshan district, casting doubt over whether Bangladesh’s security forces could guarantee the England team’s safety.
But speaking to reporters on October 6, Buttler insisted there had been no sense of unease among the players since they had arrived last weekend.
“Everything has been in good order. Travel to and from the ground has been great for us although I’m sure it’s been a bit frustrating for the locals,” he said in reference to road closures ordered on security grounds.
“Security has been great so far, I think the guys within the group haven’t even mentioned it. That’s fantastic for us as the guys in the group are very settled and focused on cricket.”
Reg Dickason, the England board’s security chief who endorsed the tour after a field trip to Bangladesh, expressed his satisfaction on October 6 with the safety measures.
“It gives a lot of confidence,” he told reporters. “The security overall ... in Bangladesh is outstanding.”
Bangladesh is desperate to avoid the fate of Pakistan who – apart from a lone series against Zimbabwe – have not hosted any international cricket since gunmen attacked Sri Lanka’s team bus during a 2009 Test in Lahore.
Australia pulled out of a planned tour a year ago after their cricket board cited a “risk of terrorism” while Australia’s football team was only persuaded to travel to Dhaka for a World Cup qualifier last November after authorities drew up an extensive security plan.
While Morgan has stayed home, Alistair Cook will fly out later to take charge of the team for two Test matches that follow the three ODIs, the last of which is being held in the port city of Chittagong.
Buttler, who hit an unbeaten 80 in their only warm-up, said his team would start as “underdogs” against a side which has won home ODI series against India, New Zealand and Pakistan in the last few years.
“They are very strong at home in their own conditions,” he said.
With opener Alex Hales also staying home on security grounds and Joe Root being rested for the ODIs, Buttler indicated that batsmen James Vince and Ben Duckett would be in the starting XI.
England were soundly beaten by Bangladesh in Adelaide during last year’s World Cup but they have improved dramatically since and recently broke the record for the highest ODI score by spanking 444 against Pakistan.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said England were now a very different proposition from the team they humbled in Adelaide.
“If you look at the makeover of England team I think we are going to play one of the best team in the world. Since the World Cup they’ve played like champions,” said Mortaza.
Bangladesh have recalled paceman Al-Amin Hossain in their 14-man squad after he was left out for the recent home series against Afghanistan.
Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain, who played his first ODI in more than eight years against Afghanistan last Saturday, has been retained for the England ODIs.
SOUTH AFRICA captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bowl against Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord's on Wednesday.
The conditions in London were overcast, which could assist South Africa's fast bowlers. Australia, the reigning champions, also have a strong pace attack.
Marnus Labuschagne is opening the batting for Australia for the first time in his Test career.
"We'll have a bowl first," said Bavuma at the toss. "The surface looks a good one, with solid overhead conditions.
"I'm happy. It's too late now for anything else. We've selected the best team for the conditions."
He added, "It's massive. I think all of us have some sort of allegiance to Lord's. It should be a spectacle of a game."
Australia captain Pat Cummins said they were satisfied with batting first.
"There's a few clouds but that's not unusual for England," Cummins said. "It's dry and might turn later in the match.
"I don't think there's any extra pressure (as defending champions). We've been here before and won it. This week is about enjoying it."
Both teams had announced their playing XIs on Tuesday.
For Australia, all-rounder Beau Webster stays at number six, and Josh Hazlewood has been included in the pace attack ahead of Scott Boland.
South Africa selected Wiaan Mulder at number three and chose Lungi Ngidi over Dane Paterson. Paterson is familiar with the conditions at Lord's, having played for Middlesex this season.
Kagiso Rabada returns to Test cricket after serving a one-month ban earlier this year for cocaine use.
South Africa are aiming to win their first major title since the 1998 ICC Knockout, the predecessor to the Champions Trophy.
Australia, the top-ranked Test team, won the 2023 WTC final against India and have claimed several white-ball titles.
Teams
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wkt), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (capt), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZL), Richard Illingworth (ENG) TV Umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) Match Referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)
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The ICC described Dhoni as someone who redefined the role of a wicketkeeper-batter, bringing 'brute force and power-hitting' to a position traditionally filled by lower-order players. (Photo: Getty Images)
FORMER India captain MS Dhoni has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame for 2025, along with six other cricketers, including South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, and two women players – former Pakistan captain Sana Mir and England’s Sarah Taylor.
Also inducted were Australia’s Matthew Hayden, New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori, and England’s Taylor, who joins Mir as the only two women recognised this year.
The induction ceremony was held at Abbey Road Studios in London, near Lord’s, where the World Test Championship final begins on Wednesday. Both captains – Australia’s Pat Cummins and South Africa’s Temba Bavuma – attended the event.
Dhoni’s unmatched leadership record
Dhoni, who led India to three ICC white-ball titles – the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy – was acknowledged by the ICC for his overall contribution to cricket. The former wicketkeeper-batsman scored 10,773 runs in 350 ODIs at an average of 50.57, including 10 centuries and 73 fifties. He also played 90 Tests, scoring 4,876 runs with six centuries, and 98 T20Is, with 1,617 runs.
“It is an honour to be named in the ICC Hall of Fame, which recognises the contributions of cricketers across generations and from all over the world,” said Dhoni, who played in this year’s Indian Premier League at age 43. “To have your name remembered alongside such all-time greats is a wonderful feeling. It is something that I will cherish forever.”
Dhoni remains the only captain to win all three ICC white-ball tournaments. He also led India in 60 Tests, with 27 wins, 15 losses, and 18 draws. In ODIs, he captained the side in a record 200 matches, winning 110. In T20Is, he led India in 72 games, with 41 wins.
ICC tribute: calm, consistent and unconventional
The ICC praised Dhoni’s achievements, stating, “Celebrated for his calm under pressure and unmatched tactical nous, but also a trailblazer in the shorter formats, MS Dhoni’s legacy as one of the game’s greatest finishers, leaders and wicketkeepers has been honoured with his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.”
“With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals and 538 matches across formats for India, Dhoni’s numbers reflect not just excellence but extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity,” it added.
“Dhoni’s ODI legacy is studded with records, including the most stumpings in the format (123), the highest individual score by a wicketkeeper (183*), and the most matches as captain for India (200), to name a few,” the ICC said. “His glove work defied convention. Dhoni’s technique behind the stumps was unorthodox, yet extraordinarily effective... completing stumpings in the blink of an eye, and pulling off catches with a style all his own.”
The ICC described Dhoni as someone who redefined the role of a wicketkeeper-batter, bringing “brute force and power-hitting” to a position traditionally filled by lower-order players. It said the 2007 T20 World Cup win under Dhoni sparked a new era in Indian cricket and confirmed “that the future of its leadership was in safe hands”.
Other inductees honoured
Hashim Amla, who became the first South African to score a triple century in Tests with 311 not out at the Oval in 2012, was honoured alongside his former teammate Graeme Smith. Smith, who captained South Africa in a world-record 109 Tests, said, “This is also a proud moment for South Africa, as two of us have got recognition this year.”
Amla added, “It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, especially alongside Graeme.”
Hayden was a key part of Australia’s successful sides in the early 2000s, scoring 30 Test centuries at an average above 50. Vettori, who now serves as an assistant coach with Australia, is one of only three players to score 4,000 runs and take 300 wickets in Tests.
Women stars recognised
Sarah Taylor, regarded as one of the finest wicketkeepers in women’s cricket, helped England win multiple global tournaments, including the 2017 ODI World Cup on home soil.
Pakistan’s Sana Mir, the first woman from her country to enter the ICC Hall of Fame, took 151 wickets in ODIs and led the national team to gold at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games.
“From dreaming as a little girl that one day there would even be a women’s team in our country to now standing here, inducted among the very legends I idolised long before I ever held a bat or a ball – this is a moment I couldn’t have dared to imagine,” said Mir.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Alcaraz became the first man to win a Grand Slam after saving match point since Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final.
CARLOS ALCARAZ came from two sets down to defeat Jannik Sinner in a five-set French Open final on Sunday, saving three championship points in a match that lasted five hours and 29 minutes.
Alcaraz, the defending champion, won 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/2) to claim his fifth Grand Slam title. The 22-year-old remains unbeaten in Grand Slam finals and ended Sinner's 20-match winning streak in majors.
"This was the most exciting match that I've played so far without a doubt," said Alcaraz. "I think the match had everything."
The Spaniard completed his first-ever comeback from two sets down in what became the longest final in Roland Garros history. He saved three match points while trailing 5-3 in the fourth set.
"Today was all about believing in myself. Never doubted myself today and I tried to go for it," he said. "Real champions are made in those situations."
Alcaraz became the first man to win a Grand Slam after saving match point since Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final. The only other man to do so in the Open era was Gaston Gaudio at Roland Garros in 2004.
Comeback from the brink
Sinner missed out on a third straight Grand Slam title, following wins at the 2023 US Open and 2024 Australian Open.
"It's easier to play than talking now," Sinner said. "I won't sleep very well tonight but it's OK.
"We try to delete it somehow and take the positive and keep going. There are no other ways," he said. "It hurts, but you cannot keep crying."
This was Sinner's fifth consecutive loss to Alcaraz and their first meeting in a Grand Slam final. It was also the first major final between two men born in the 2000s. Alcaraz now leads their head-to-head 8-4, having also beaten Sinner in the Rome final after the Italian returned from a three-month doping ban in May.
Set-by-set battle
Alcaraz started the final by creating three break points, but Sinner held and created his own chance soon after. Alcaraz broke in the fifth game to lead 3-2 but gave it back immediately. Sinner took the first set after breaking again at 5-4.
Sinner went up 3-0 in the second set and tightened his serve after facing seven break points in the first. Alcaraz broke back when Sinner served for the set, but Sinner won the tie-break with a series of strong points, including a cross-court forehand to finish.
Sinner then broke at the start of the third set, but Alcaraz responded by winning four straight games to go up 4-1. After losing serve at 5-3, Alcaraz broke to love to take the set, ending Sinner’s 31-set winning streak in Grand Slams.
The fourth set was close, with Sinner breaking for a 5-3 lead and reaching three match points. But Alcaraz broke back and forced a tie-break, which he won to take the match into a decider.
Dramatic final set
Alcaraz broke early in the fifth and held on despite pressure.
Sinner broke back while trailing 5-3 and went on a three-game run, forcing Alcaraz to hold serve to stay in the match.
Alcaraz held, and then dominated the 10-point tie-break, winning on his first championship point with a forehand winner.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Rahul, who has experience batting across the order, is seen as a likely option to partner Jaiswal at the top. (Photo: Getty Images)
KL RAHUL scored a century in the second unofficial Test against England Lions, offering some clarity to India’s top-order plans ahead of the five-match Test series in England.
Rahul, opening alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, made an unbeaten 116 on Friday in Northampton. He batted on a lively pitch under overcast skies without offering any chances.
India are currently without experienced batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who both retired from Test cricket last month. The team, now led by Shubman Gill, is looking to rebuild its top order.
Rahul, who has experience batting across the order, is seen as a likely option to partner Jaiswal at the top. Gill or Karun Nair could be considered for the No. 4 position previously held by Kohli.
Nair, who last played a Test in 2017, made a double hundred in the first unofficial Test in Canterbury.
“We haven't really decided on the (batting order), we still have some time,” Gill had said at his pre-departure press conference in Mumbai.
“We will be playing an intra-squad match and we will be having a 10-day camp in London. So we still have a little bit of time and I think we can decide on the batting order once we go there.”
The five-Test series starts in Leeds on June 20.
(With inputs from agencies)
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FILE PHOTO: Piyush Chawla. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)
VETERAN leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who played key roles in India's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup victories, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday (6) after more than two decades in the sport.
The 36-year-old made the announcement through an Instagram post, describing his decision as the end of an "incredible journey" while hinting at a new unspecified venture ahead.
"After more than two decades on the field, the time has come to bid adieu to the beautiful game," Chawla wrote. "Though I step away from the crease, cricket will always live within me. I now look forward to embarking on a new journey, carrying with me the spirit and lessons of this beautiful game."
Chawla represented India across all three formats, playing three Tests, 25 ODIs and seven T20 internationals, claiming 43 wickets in total. However, his most memorable contributions came as part of India's World Cup-winning squads in 2007 and 2011.
"From representing India at the highest level to being part of the victorious 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup squads, every moment in this incredible journey has been nothing short of a blessing," he said. "These memories will forever remain etched in my heart."
The spinner enjoyed particular success in the Indian Premier League, playing for four franchises during his career - Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. He was part of KKR's 2014 IPL championship team and famously hit the winning runs in the final against Punjab Kings in Bengaluru.
Chawla paid tribute to the IPL franchises who showed faith in him, describing the tournament as "a truly special chapter in my career". He also thanked his coaches, particularly K.K. Gautam and the late Pankaj Saraswat, for nurturing his development.
The Uttar Pradesh player burst onto the cricket scene as a teenager, making his competitive debut at just 15 and his first-class debut at 17. He gained national attention when he bowled out batting legend Sachin Tendulkar with a googly during the Challenger Series in 2005-06.
In domestic cricket, Chawla accumulated over 1,000 wickets across all formats, representing India Under-19 and Uttar Pradesh Under-22 teams during his early career.
"Today is a deeply emotional day for me as I officially announce my retirement from all forms of international and domestic cricket," he said, paying special tribute to his late father. "A special mention to my late father, whose belief in me lit the path I walked. Without him, this journey would never have been possible."