Bangladesh powered to the second highest run chase in World Cup history as Shakib Al Hasan's brilliant century clinched a remarkable seven-wicket win over the West Indies on Monday.
Shakib blasted 124 from 99 balls and Linton Das hit a superb 94 from 69 deliveries to lead Bangladesh to 322-3 with 8.3 overs to spare at Taunton.
Bangladesh's highest one-day international run chase put them behind only Ireland's 329-7 against England in 2011 in the history of successful World Cup chases.
"Shakib Al Hasan has made it in this World Cup now. In every match he's doing something that's exceptional and let's hope it continues for the team," Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said.
"Liton Das normally opens or bats at number three but he's coped with moving down the order and he's delivered the goods."
Mashrafe's side remain in with a chance of reaching the semi-finals after their second win in five matches.
"We have a chance to go through but we have to win all of our matches," Mashrafe added.
It was a brutal day for the West Indies, who were shambolic in the field and bowled far too loosely.
A third defeat from their five games means a semi-final berth is extremely unlikely as the optimism from the thrashing of Pakistan in their opener fades away.
"We could have been more disciplined with the ball and we let ourselves down in the field as well," Windies captain Jason Holder said.
"I thought we got through the first 10 overs well batting but never got the momentum and had too much to do at the back end."
The highest chase in the current World Cup prior to the masterclass from Mashrafe's men was New Zealand's 248 against Bangladesh.
But the Tigers had already posted 330 in the first innings of their win over South Africa earlier in the competition and they were never intimidated by their task against the Windies.
Opener Tamim Iqbal set the tone in the chase with six fours in his 53-ball innings of 48 before being superbly run out by Sheldon Cottrell.
Soumya was dismissed for 29 when he scooped Andre Russell to Chris Gayle in the slips.
But there were huge cheers from the Bangladesh fans around the ground when Shakib became just the second player to score 6,000 career ODI runs for the Tigers.
After reaching his fifth successive ODI 50, Shakib -- who scored 121 against England earlier in the tournament -- took command with a scintillating innings that climaxed when he stroked a boundary to reach his century.
Shakib is now the highest run scorer at this year's World Cup so far and the West Indies were helpless as he and Das demolished their wayward bowling to romp home.
- Epic success -
Adding to the epic nature of the success, the unbroken stand of 189 between Shakib and Das was the second highest for the fourth wicket in World Cup history.
Shakib finished with 16 fours, while Das, playing his first World Cup match, bludgeoned eight fours and four sixes.
Earlier, Shai Hope's 96 and the joint-fastest fifty of the tournament from Shimron Hetmyer helped the West Indies reach 321-8.
The Windies couldn't be contained in the second half of the innings as Hope laid the foundations for his country's fourth highest World Cup score with a resolute 121-ball innings.
Hitting around Hope, Evin Lewis made 70 from 67 balls before Hetmyer smashed 50 in 26 balls, featuring four fours and three sixes.
It was the equal fastest 50 in this year's tournament and the third quickest by a West Indies batsman in World Cup history.
Lewis's partnership of 116 with Hope was the West Indies' first century stand of the World Cup.
Holder's 33 from 15 balls ensured the Windies went past 300.
But Shakib and Das showed that total was nowhere near enough with their sublime display.
The pair of Yuki Bhambri and New Zealand's Michael Venus lost 7-6 (2) 6-7 (5) 4-6 to sixth seeds Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury of UK. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA's Yuki Bhambri ended his campaign at the US Open men’s doubles with a semifinal finish, partnering Michael Venus. It was Bhambri’s best performance at a Grand Slam tournament.
The pair lost 7-6 (2) 6-7 (5) 4-6 to sixth seeds Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury of Great Britain.
Bhambri, 33, became the fourth Indian man in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam doubles semifinal, following Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna.
The Indian-New Zealand team had a strong run at Flushing Meadows, defeating several higher-seeded pairs on their way to the last four. Their wins included fourth seeds Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz of Germany, and 11th seeds Rajeev Ram and Nikola Mektic.
"This has been a special week for me. To be playing at this level and in the semifinal of a Slam is a big moment," Bhambri said after the match. His run comes during a good phase for Indian tennis, with Rohan Bopanna also producing consistent results on the doubles circuit.
For Bhambri, who has faced multiple injuries in his career, the result marks an important step in his progress in doubles.
The semifinal finish will give Bhambri a boost in rankings and confidence for the rest of the season.
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INDIA batting great Rahul Dravid has stepped down as head coach of Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals after just one season with them, the franchise said on Saturday (30).
Dravid, 52, was offered a "broader position" after a structural review of the team set-up but the former Indian captain declined the offer, the franchise said in a statement.
"Head coach Rahul Dravid will conclude his tenure with the franchise ahead of IPL 2026," it said.
Dravid had returned to the team as head coach ahead of this year's T20 tournament, but Rajasthan failed to make the playoffs and ended a dismal ninth in the 10-team table.
"Rahul has been central to the Royals' journey over many years," the inaugural IPL champions said.
"His leadership has influenced a generation of players, built strong values within the squad, and left an indelible mark on the culture of the franchise."
Dravid first joined Rajasthan as a player in 2011 and captained them for two seasons in 2012 and 2013.
The announcement comes amid rumours that captain Sanju Samson also wants to leave the franchise. Should Samson also depart, it would leave the Royals in a challenging position just months before the mini-auction.
He served as a team director in 2014 and as mentor a year later. Dravid scored 13,288 runs in 164 Test matches in a glittering career before hanging his boots in 2012.
(Agencies)
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Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga celebrates after taking the wicket of Bangladesh's captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz during the first one-day international (ODI) cricket match at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo on July 2, 2025. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
SRI LANKA have picked Wanindu Hasaranga in their Twenty20 squad for the Asia Cup next month though the all-rounder has been ruled out of the tour of Zimbabwe as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Hasaranga sustained the injury during the home series against Bangladesh in July and the injury will keep him out of Sri Lanka's limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe beginning on Friday (29).
A leg-spinner who is also a handy batter down the order, Hasaranga will replace Dushan Hemantha from the squad in Zimbabwe.
Apart from Hasaranga, Sri Lanka will have strong spin options in Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana.
Angelo Mathews, who quit test cricket earlier this year but remains available in shorter formats, did not make the cut for the 16-member Asia Cup squad led by Charith Asalanka.
Another ex-captain, Dasun Shanaka, has been picked as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
The six-time champions will begin their Group B campaign against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 13.
INDIA and England have named their squads for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, with several surprise selections and omissions, highlighting the competitive nature of the tournament.
India’s squad announcement brought disappointment for explosive opener Shafali Verma, who was left out after a poor run of form. The 21-year-old, who last played a oneday international in October 2024, has managed just one half-century in six innings for India A.
Women’s team chief selector Neetu David insisted the door remained open for Verma, saying: “She’s in the system, not like she’s not. We’ve got our eyes on her. Hope she plays a lot more and garners experience, it’ll help serve India in the 50-overs format.”
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the 15-member Indian squad as they seek their first World Cup title after reaching two previous finals. “We didn’t want to make a lot of changes, we wanted continuity,” said Kaur, who will be leading India in the World Cup for the first time.
Nat Sciver-Brunt
The selectors welcomed back medium-pace bowler Renuka Thakur after a lengthy injury lay-off, adding experience to an attack that will be crucial on home pitches. India’s campaign begins on September 30, and they will warm up with three ODI matches against Australia.
England’s squad features the return of former captain Heather Knight despite her not playing since damaging her hamstring in May. Current coach Charlotte Edwards expressed her delight at Knight’s inclusion, saying: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to select her. She’ll be a huge asset for us.”
However, experienced seamer Kate Cross has been left out as England adapt their strategy for subcontinental conditions. Edwards has included four specialist spinners – Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean, and the returning Sarah Glenn – expecting plenty of turn on Indian and Sri Lankan pitches.
England enter the tournament seeking to end an eightyear drought since their last ODI World Cup triumph on home soil in 2017. They underperformed badly at last year’s T20 World Cup and will be eager to make amends. The announcements come as organisers scramble to relocate matches originally scheduled for Bengaluru in India following safety concerns at the city’s stadium.
The opening match between cohosts India and Sri Lanka will now take place in Guwahati instead of Bengaluru, after the International Cricket Council cited “unforeseen circumstances” for moving games away from Chinnaswamy Stadium. The venue change follows a tragic incident in June when 11 cricket fans died during celebrations for IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with supporters as young as 14 crushed to death outside the stadium gates. A judicial commission subsequently deemed the ground “unsafe” to host large crowds.
The tournament faces logistical challenges beyond the Bengaluru venue change. Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo as part of a compromise arrangement, while the final will now be held in either Mumbai or Colombo rather than the originally planned Bengaluru.
England squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt (CK), Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
The 13th edition of the Women’s World Cup runs till November 2, with Mumbai now joining the list of Indian venues alongside Guwahati and other cities, plus Colombo in Sri Lanka.
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Gukesh, as the reigning world champion, is not in the Candidates race, and his participation will be for prize money and rating points.
GOA will host the Chess World Cup from October 30 to November 27. The FIDE World Cup 2025 carries a prize fund of USD 2 million and offers three qualifying spots for next year’s Candidates tournament.
The 206-player field includes world champion D Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and R Praggnanandhaa. However, Gukesh, as the reigning world champion, is not in the Candidates race, and his participation will be for prize money and rating points.
India has 21 players in the list, among them five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who qualified through the June 2025 FIDE rating list. Anand has not played classical chess for some time, leaving uncertainty over his participation.
The event returns to India after 23 years. It was last held in Hyderabad in 2002, when Anand won the title. Indian chess has since expanded, with players like Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin among the qualified entries.
The World Cup will follow a two-game knockout format over eight rounds. Each round consists of two classical games, with rapid and blitz tie-breaks if required. The top 50 seeds will start from the second round with byes, while players ranked 51 to 206 will face off in the first round on top-half vs bottom-half pairings.
“Every round is win-or-go-home, making the World Cup one of the most dramatic tournaments on the calendar,” FIDE said on its website on Tuesday.
FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich said, “India has become one of the strongest chess nations, with outstanding players and passionate fans. After the success of the FIDE Women's World Cup held in Georgia earlier this year, we are proud to bring the FIDE World Cup to Goa.”
“It will be a celebration of chess, and a unique experience for players and spectators from around the world. The representatives of 90+ countries are expected to take part, and it will be one of the most followed events in chess history,” he added.
AICF president Nitin Narang said, “The World Cup will not only inspire millions across the country but also showcase India's growing stature as a global hub for chess.”