Bangladesh bowl out South Africa for 248 on day 1

Bangladesh left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman took 4-37 on debut and just missed a hat trick as South Africa was bowled out for 248 on the first day of the first test on Tuesday.

Legspinner Jubair Hossain, with 3-53, also dented the progress of the Proteas, who slumped from 136-1, and scored at less than three runs per over.

Another big contributor was fast bowler Mohammad Shahid, who was wicketless but brought pressure by conceding only 34 runs in 17 overs, and notching nine maidens in his fourth test.

Temba Bavuma top-scored for South Africa with 54, the only half-century. Faf du Plessis made 48, and opener Dean Elgar 47.

Bangladesh was 7-0 in two overs by stumps.

Fresh from a first series loss to Bangladesh in one-day internationals, the visitors made fluent progress in the first session after winning the toss, posting 104-1 by lunch.

Opener Stiaan van Zyl scored a brisk 34 in an opening stand of 58, the only wicket to fall in the morning. Elgar and Du Plessis took South Africa to lunch, after which they stalled.

They added 78 for the second wicket and were then removed within three balls.

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam delivered one with extra bounce, and Elgar nicked behind. Wicketkeeper Liton Das dived to his right to take the catch at his second attempt. Elgar hit three fours in his 111-ball knock.

In the immediate next over, another left-arm spinner, Shakib Al Hasan, dismissed Du Plessis with a straighter delivery which trapped him. Du Plessis sent the ball five times across the boundary rope in his 122-ball stay at the crease.

South Africa had to claw for runs in the session, but captain Hashim Amla and Bavuma appeared settled and reviving the side until Mustafizur sparked a collapse, taking three wickets in just four deliveries.

Amla was his maiden test wicket with an edge behind on 13, and JP Duminy was hit on his front pad next ball for a duck, and didn’t survive Bangladesh’s video appeal. Quinton de Kock blocked the hat-trick ball, then was late to the next one and lost his off stump. South Africa was 173-6.

Bavuma occupied the crease for a career-best score, while his teammates regularly departed.

England 64 for 5 chasing a target of 509

England, chasing an unlikely 509 for victory, reached 64 for 5 at tea on the fourth day of the second Ashes test against Australia at Lord's on

Sunday.

The Australian bowlers removed Alastair Cook (11), Lyth (7), Ballance (14), Ian Bell (11) and Ben Stokes (0) before the tea interval.

Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Marsh bowled brilliantly to restrict England for 64 for 5. Starc, Johnson, Marsh and Lyon took one wicket apiece.

Earlier, the touring side had declared on 254 for two after piling up 146 runs in the sunshine at the home of cricket to set up a commanding

position from which to secure a series-levelling win.

The only concern for Australia was the retirement of Chris Rogers on 49 after the opening batsman suffered a dizzy spell.

The left-hander had added five runs to his overnight score when he signalled to the dressing-room that he was feeling unwell and, looking groggy, he

was led off the field by medical staff.

It did little to disrupt the momentum of the Australians, however, as David Warner and Steve Smith made hay.

Warner struck 12 fours and was closing in on a century when he was well caught at short cover by Alastair Cook off spinner Moeen Ali.

Smith, who made 215 in the first innings, plundered 58 off 48 balls including nine boundaries to continue his remarkable run of form.

The right-hander came up with some outrageous improvised shots and hit Stuart Broad for three successive fours before he charged down the pitch to

Moeen and was bowled.

Michael Clarke (32 not out) and Mitchell Marsh (27 not out) lashed a few more boundaries before Clarke declared.

Keywords: Australia's tour of England, England-Australia Test series, Ashes Test series, Ashes 2015

Zimbabwe beat India

Zimbabwe beat India by 10 runs in 2nd T20

India, who had won the ODI series 3-0, thus ended with a 1-1 stalemate in the two-match Twenty20 series.

India’s quest to maintain a clean slate in their short cricket tour of Zimbabwe went up in smoke as they suffered a 10—run loss to the hosts in the second and final Twenty20 international here today.

Chasing 146 for win, India were looking down the barrel at 69 for five in nine overs. Stuart Binny (24) and debutant Sanju Samson (19) played cameos, but the visitors still fell short at the Harare Sports Club.

India, who had won the ODI series 3-0, thus ended with a 1-1 stalemate in the two-match Twenty20 series.

For Zimbabwe, Graeme Cremer snapped up three wickets for 18 runs in his four overs, while SC Williams (1/31), Taurai Muzarabani (1/23) and Chris Mpofu (1/26) took one each.

Earlier, Indian bowlers produced an impressive performance to restrict Zimbabwe to 145 for seven, riding on Chamu Chibhabha’s fourth T20I half-century.

India suffered an early blow, losing skipper Ajinkya Rahane only in the third ball. He was run out after a mix—up with his partner Murali Vijay.

Vijay (13) and Robin Uthappa (40) then added 53 runs in 34 balls before the former was sent packing by leg—spinner Cremer, who beat him for pace and toppled his off-stump in the seventh over.

Three balls later, Cremer struck again when he trapped new man Manish Pandey in front of the wicket with a googly that pitched on middle and leg and skidded on to beat the batsmen, leaving India at 57-3.

In the next over, Sean Williams bowled and caught Uthappa, who was looking good till then. The batsman popped a return catch as Williams stretched his hands over his head to latch onto it.

Jadhav too was run out when Muzarabani produced a direct hit as India lost half their side in nine overs.

Binny and Samson raised hopes with a 36-run partnership, but the former was sent back into the hut by a stunning catch by Chibhabha as Cremer picked up his third wicket.

In the 18th over, Samson holed out at long-on with Malcolm Waller taking the catch off Chris Mpofu as India slipped to 117-7.

Axar Patel (13) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (9), too, perished in the process as India ended their campaign with a loss.

Earlier, the Indians took wickets at regular intervals to deny momentum to the home side, but opener Chibhabha ensured that Zimbabwe put up a respectable total with a superb 51-ball 67 after his side elected to bat on a slow pitch.

For India, pacers Mohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar grabbed two wickets each while Sandeep Sharma, Stuart Binny and Axar Patel took one apiece. For Sandeep, it was his maiden international wicket after getting his first India cap in the first T20 two days back.

Zimbabwe did not start brightly as they lost opener Hamilton Masakadza (19) in the fourth over off the bowling of Sandeep, who induced a faint edge off the bat for Robin Uthappato do the rest behind the stumps.

The home side were soon 48 for two as Sikandar Raza (8), who captained Zimbabwe in the absence of Elton Chingumbura, could stay at the crease for just two overs before becoming Sharma’s second victim. Zimbabwe were 48/2 in the sixth over.

With India gaining the upper hand, captain Rahane gave the ball to part-timer Vijay to bowl his off-breaks. Vijay, bowling for the first time in T20Is, did a decent job by conceding nine runs in his two overs as Zimbabwe could reach 76 for 2 at the halfway mark.

Zimbabwe needed to push the scoring rate and in doing so, lost the wickets of Sean Williams (17) and Charles Coventry (4) in the 12th and 16th overs without much contributions.

It was left to Chibhabha to take Zimbabwe to a respectable total and he did it to quite an extent before he was out in the penultimate over. Ultimately, Zimbabwe failed to give the final push as they lost three wickets in the last two overs. They added just 33 runs in the last five overs and lost four wickets.

India post 178/5 against Zimbabwe in 1st T20 match

Robin Uthappa top-scored with an unbeaten 39 as India posted a challenging 178 for five in the first T20 International cricket match at Harare on Friday. Uthappa, who struggled during the ODI series played before these T20 matches, batted sensibly and held the innings together after coming one down in the seventh over after India elected to bat at the Harare Sports Club. He shared 45 runs for the third wicket with Manish Pandey (19) to accelerate the Indian innings towards the end after openers Ajinkya Rahane (33) and Murali Vijay (34) gave a good start at the top. Uthappa hit just two fours in his 35-ball innings. The Indians made a strong start with captain Rahane and Vijay stitching 64 runs for the opening wicket in seven overs. The duo were scoring runs with ease and at a brisk pace before a run out snapped their partnership. Vijay, who was shaping up to play a big innings, fell short of reaching his crease as a brilliant throw from Sikandar Raza from midwicket hit the stumps. Vijay hit five fours and a six in his aggressive 19-ball innings. Rahane did not take any risk, scoring in singles and twos and rotating strikes before he was out in the 10th over off a fine delivery from leg-spinner Graeme Cremer. The ball drew Rahane onto the front foot and turned a bit to take the edge of his bat before looping to point fielder Masakadza for an easy catch. India were 82/2 at Rahane’s departure. Rahane faced 32 balls and hit two fours. Zimbabwe slow bowlers then put brakes on the Indian scoring rate with Cremer (1/20 from his four overs) playing the lead role. The Indians could score just 31 runs in five overs from the 10th to 14th over. It was then left to Pandey and Uthappa to push the Indian score up. While Pandey could not make a substantial contribution by getting out in the 16th over after scoring a run—a—ball 19, Uthappa made his presence felt with an unbeaten innings. For Zimbabwe, pacer Chris Mpofu grabbed three wickets for 33 runs from his four overs while Cremer got one.

ten-man shortlist for the 2014/15 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.

Eight UEFA Champions League finalists and last season's winner Cristiano Ronaldo have made the ten-man shortlist for the 2014/15 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, with the recipient to be announced on 28 August.
As in previous years, journalists from each of UEFA's 54 member associations provided a list of their five best-ranked players, with the first receiving five points, the second four and so on. The ten players with the most points have advanced to the second vote, which will determine the three finalists to be named on 12 August.
The jury will then cast their votes for the outright winner during the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on 28 August. Past editions have been won by Lionel Messi (2011), Andrés Iniesta (2012),Franck Ribéry (2013) and Ronaldo (2014)
The nominees, in alphabetical order, are

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy – Juventus)
• Kept five successive clean sheets at the start of the 2014/15 season, Juventus's fourth consecutive Scudetto-winning campaign.
• Captained Juve to the UEFA Champions League final and, six days later, became the first man to make 50 UEFA European Championship appearances as Italy drew 1-1 with Croatia
Eden Hazard (Belgium – Chelsea FC)
• Was Chelsea's second-top scorer behind Diego Costa with 14 goals as the Londoners won the English Premier League title for the first time since 2009/10.
• Voted the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year.

Lionel Messi (Argentina – FC Barcelona)
• Broke Telmo Zarra's record of 251 Liga goals with a hat-trick against Sevilla on 22 November; finished Barcelona's treble-winning term with 58 strikes in all competitions, including a double in the Blaugrana's Copa del Rey final victory over Athletic Club.
• Ended the UEFA Champions League campaign as the ten-goal joint-top scorer along with Ronaldo and club-mate Neymar.

Neymar (Brazil – FC Barcelona)
• Rounded off the scoring in the Azulgrana's UEFA Champions League final triumph over Juventus in Berlin, one of ten European goals he registered last season.
• Was also on target in both legs of the quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain and the semi-final versus Bayern München.

Paul Pogba (France – Juventus)
• Netted a career-best eight league goals as Juventus topped the Serie A table by 17 points.
• Set up the Bianconeri's decisive equaliser in their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg away to Real Madrid.

Andrea Pirlo (Italy – Juventus, now New York City FC)
• Curled in a trademark free-kick against Olympiacos on his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance – his only European Cup goal for Juventus.
• Named the best player in Itay for the third year running, Pirlo helped the Turin giants to a Serie A and Coppa Italia double.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal – Real Madrid CF)
• The leading scorer in the Spanish Liga (48 goals) and the joint-top UEFA Champions League marksman. His output of 61 on all fronts for Madrid was a career-best from a season in which he leapfrogged Alfredo Di Stéfano into second place on the club's all-time list.
• Notched five in a match for the first time as the Whites defeated Granada 9-1 on 5 April. Finished the campaign with three successive hat-tricks – against Espanyol, Getafe and Armenia.

Luis Suárez (Uruguay – FC Barcelona)
• On target twice in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg against Manchester City, his first return to England since leaving Liverpool.
• Formed a devastating three-pronged strike force with Neymar and Messi which yielded 122 goals in all competitions.

Carlos Tévez (Argentina – Juventus, now CA Boca Juniors)
• His tally of 20 Serie A goals was his highest since the 2009/10 season.
• Was part of the Argentina squad that reached the final of the Copa América in Chile.

Arturo Vidal (Chile – Juventus)
• Struck the decisive goal against Sampdoria on 2 May that secured the Scudetto for Juventus.
• Was ever-present in Chile's Copa América success on home soil, scoring three goals.

Bangladesh crush South Africa to win series

Bangladesh thrashed South Africa by nine wickets to take a three-match one-day international series 2-1 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowd-hury Stadium in Chittagong on Wednesday.

Set an easy target of 170 runs in 40 overs according to the Duck-worth/Lewis method after South Africa were restricted to 168/9, Bangladesh reached home with nine wickets and 83 balls to spare.

The teams will now play a two-Test series, with the first Test starting in Chittagong on July 21.

Scores: SA 168/9 in 40 overs (D/L) (J.P. Duminy 51, D. Miller 44, Shakib al Hasan 3/33) lost to Bangladesh 170/1 in 26.1 overs (S. Sarkar 90, T. Iqbal 61 n.o., Imran Tahir 1/37)

Ton-up Jadhav, Pandey help India complete 3-0 clean sweep

Young Kedar Jadhav struck his maiden international century as India thrashed Zimbabwe by 83 runs in the third and final cricket ODI to complete a 3-0 series whitewash, here today.

Jadhav smashed a career-best 105 not out off just 87 balls to enable India recover from a top-order collapse and post a competitive 276 for five after being asked to bat at the Harare Sports Club.

Jadhav, in the able company of Manish Pandey (71), put on a crucial 144-run stand for the fifth wicket to revive India after a sloppy start.

Chasing the target, Chamu Chibhabha kept Zimbabwe in the hunt with an 82-run knock but the hosts kept on losing wickets from the other end to be eventually bowled out for 193 in 42.4 overs.

Chibhabha, the most successful batsman for the hosts in the series with two consecutive half centuries, played a gritty knock that came off 109 balls with the help of seven boundaries.
Zimbabwe's chase never got going after the early dismissal of Hamilton Masakadza (7), who fell LBW to Mohit Sharma (2/33) in the sixth over.

Chibhabha and Regis Chakabva (27) then put on a 70-run second wicket stand to keep Zimbabwe afloat before Indian bowlers picked up two wickets in quick succession to derail the hosts' chase.

Chakabva was cleaned up by left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2/39)in the 23rd over before skipper Elton Chigumbura (10) fell LBW to part-time spinner Murali Vijay (1/19).

Wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami (22) played a good hand and shared a 53-run fourth-wicket stand with Chibhabha before he departed LBW by Stuart Binny (3/55).