Bangladesh lifts ban on ICL rebels

The Bangladesh Cricket Board Tuesday lifted its ban on players who had defected to the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), allowing them to rejoin domestic cricket.
"The board has withdrawn the ban against all 14 cricketers who joined the Indian Cricket League," board spokesman Rabeed Imam said.
"They are now free to play all forms of domestic cricket. They can also be considered for the national team provided they are fit and excel in the local leagues," he said.
The board said the ban was lifted after the players, including former captain Habibul Bashar and ace bowler Mohammad Rafique, resigned from the ICL and submitted their termination papers.
The board had offered the ICL players an amnesty last month, asking them to return to the official fold by June 15.
In September, the rebels were slapped with a 10-year ban for joining the ICL, which is not recognised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The ICL's recruitment of the players, reportedly for contracts worth 200,000 dollars each, dealt a huge blow to cricket in Bangladesh, with the national side forced to recruit from academy and under-19 teams.
Last week, an under-strength Bangladesh crashed out of World Twenty20 in the first round after losing to India and non-Test nation Ireland.

Fans abuse Bangladesh captain for T20 exit

Bangladesh cricket captain Mohammad Ashraful was harangued by protesting fans when he returned home after his team crashed out of the World Twenty20 tournament in the first round.
About a dozen furious supporters rallied at Dhaka airport, carrying placards and chanting "resign, resign" at Ashraful, who apologised for Bangladesh's failure.
Ashraful flew back from England late Saturday after his side lost to India and lowly Ireland in their two first-round matches.
"We really played badly against Ireland. On behalf of my team, I am sorry to the nation," he told reporters.
"I can understand that the fans are very much disappointed and angry after our defeat to Ireland. Even my family is upset with our performance. I apologise for the poor show."
Bangladesh needed a victory against Ireland in their second match at Nottingham on June 8 but they lost by six wickets.
The 24-year-old batsman said he would not quit as captain despite making only 11 and 14 runs in the two matches.
"The board has given me this job and it's up to them whether they will let me continue or not," Ashraful said. "But I want to continue as captain as I am enjoying the role and trying my best."
The team's Australian coach, Jamie Siddons, criticised Bangladeshi players for refusing to listen to his guidance and for "ridiculous" batting in the tournament.

Yuvraj Singh, Ojha do the star turn for India

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha grabbed 4-21 as defending champions India overpowered Bangladesh by 25 runs in the World Twenty20 here on Saturday.
Gautam Gambhir hit 50 and Yuvraj Singh cracked a blistering 41 off 18 balls as India scored 180-5 after electing to bat in blustery conditions at the overflowing Trent Bridge.
Ojha then returned the best figures in the competition so far as Bangladesh faded after a rousing start to finish with 155-8 at the end of their 20 overs in the group A match.
Left-handed Gambhir, who began by cutting the second ball of the match from Mashrafe Mortaza for a boundary, held steady at one end for 17 overs before falling to off-spinner Naeem Islam.
But it was the other left-hander Yuvraj who set the innings alight with three boundaries and four sixes in a knock that included 19 runs in the 17th over bowled by Naeem.
Yuvraj's blitz helped India plunder 59 runs in the last four overs to set Bangladesh a tough victory target of just over nine runs an over.
The Tigers made a rollicking start in reply, scoring 74 runs by the eighth over for the loss of two wickets.
Opener Junaid Siddique led the early charge with 41 off 22 balls that included two fours and three sixes.
Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, playing his first competitive match in a month due to a shoulder injury, was smashed for 20 runs in his first two overs.
The Hyderabad-based Ojha turned the game around with two wickets in his first over, the ninth of the innings, including that of Siddique who was caught in the deep by Harbhajan Singh.
Ojha, who had removed Shakib Al Hasan with his first ball, later had Mohammad Mahmudullah caught by Yuvraj and bowled Mashrafe Mortaza to effectively end Bangladesh's challenge.
Naeem, who took two wickets in India's innings, made 28 off 17 balls in the final overs to narrow the margin of defeat.
Naeem's bowling effort was, however, overshadowed by left-arm spinner Shakib, whose four overs cost just 24 runs for one wicket.
India's rising star Rohit Sharma put on 59 for the first wicket with Gambhir by the eighth over when he was bowled by Shakib for 36 after surviving a stumping chance off the previous delivery.
Sharma, who opened the innings in place of the injured Virender Sehwag, smashed three boundaries and two sixes during his 23-ball innings.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) helped Gambhir add 53 for the second wicket, but when he was bowled by Naeem in the 15th over, India only had 112 runs on the board.
Yuvraj took charge at that stage, pulling the spinners and seamers alike hard and high, to help India make a winning start in the 12-nation tournament.
Bangladesh play Ireland next at Trent Bridge on Monday, while India take on Ireland on Wednesday at the same venue.

Under-performing Bangladesh seek T20 redemption

Given Bangladesh's track record, few rivals will lose sleep over Mohammad Ashraful's men during the World Twenty20 tournament.
The Tigers have lost their last six T20 internationals, 13 of their last 14 Tests and 13 of their last 15 one-day matches, a record that will make even their most ardent supporters squirm.
But write-off Bangladesh at your own peril, as title hopefuls India famously discovered at the 50-overs-a-side World Cup in 2007 when they were knocked out in the first round.
Later the same year, the West Indies suffered the same fate when they lost to Bangladesh in the inaugural T20 Worlds in South Africa and failed to make the second round.
Those two wins in an otherwise dismal international record propelled Bangladesh to centre-stage and sparked a joyous frenzy in the cricket-crazy South Asian nation.
But success continues to elude Bangladesh and it will need a remarkable turn in fortunes for Ashraful's men to excel in the showpiece event of cricket's shortest format.
Bangladesh need to beat either defending champions India or Ireland in the preliminary round to make the Super Eights stage for the second successive time.
"We have a good team suited for Twenty20 cricket, so I am confident we can deliver if we play to out potential," Ashraful said. "We are not scared of taking on the best."
Bangladesh's chief selector Rafiqul Alam said his team's initial target was to repeat the 2007 feat and qualify for the Super Eights.
"I have a lot of confidence in this team which is a nice blend of youth and experience," he said. "The best thing is that the boys have played together for a long time at different levels and know their strengths.
"I am very hopeful that Bangladesh will play some quality cricket in England."
Desperate to see favourable results, Alam and his co-selectors have not hesitated to gamble with raw, young talent for the T20 Worlds.
Among the new faces are two hard-hitting batsmen in Shamsur Rahman, 20, and reserve wicketkeeper Mithun Ali, 19. Ali was picked in the 15-man squad despite the presence of frontline 'keeper Mushfiqur Rahim.
Bangladesh's fortunes will, however, still revolve around their experienced trio of skipper Ashraful, pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
The Tigers will be based in Nottingham where they play India on June 6 and then clash with Ireland on June 8.