Bangladesh whitewash world champion England in T20 series
Mirpur, Mar 14: Bangladesh whitewashed world champion England in their Twenty20 series by winning the third game by 16 runs on Tuesday.
Opener Liton Das hit a career-best 73 and Najmul Hossain Shanto 47 not out for Bangladesh to put up 158-2 on a slow Mirpur pitch.
Dawid Malan and skipper Jos Buttler had England on track to avoid being swept until their dismissals in consecutive deliveries. England slumped to 142-6.
Bangladesh earned its first T20 sweep of major opposition, while England was swept for only the third time after Australia in 2014 and South Africa in 2016.
"We talked about showing character ahead of the series and that's what we showed," Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said.
"We were put into a tough position but won the game. That's the thing that will give us the confidence as we are build a team for the 2024 T20 World Cup."
Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, on debut, struck with his third ball when he removed opener Phil Salt for a duck.
Then Malan hit a 47-ball 53 with six fours and two sixes and put on a 95-run stand with Buttler, who appeared to be in supreme touch with 40 off 31, including four fours and a six.
But Malan edged behind to give pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman his 100th T20 wicket, and Mehidy Hasan ran out Buttler with a direct hit from point.
England collapsed from there, trying to maintain the asking run rate.
"Our fielding was top notch. Those two wickets in two balls changed the game completely," Shakib said.
England coach Mathew Mott agreed.
"The turning point was the run out, it was an amazing piece of fielding," Mott said. "You'd back yourself with Jos set at the back end there, got his eye in, and was ready to go. It really turned the game.
"We lost two wickets in the over. I thought we had enough of a platform that, if one of those two batted through, we would have given it a big shake at the back end."
Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed took 2-26 to receive man of the match and, when England needed an unlikely 27 off the last over, Hasan Mahmud conceded just two boundaries.
England also bowled superbly at the death, giving up only 27 runs in five overs to Bangladesh, and only one four.
But Bangladesh capitalized on dropped catches to build a competitive total.
Opener Liton Das, who made just 26 runs in the last five matches against England, returned to form with a 57-ball 73 studded with 10 fours and one six.
Liton brought up his ninth fifty off 41 balls, then was dropped on 51 by Ben Duckett.
Rony Talukdar was dropped by Rehan Ahmed off Jofra Archer but the damage was limited.
Liton and Talukdar shared 55 in the opening stand before Talukdar gave legspinner Adil Rashid a return catch, and Liton and Najmul Hossain Shanto combined for 84 for the second wicket.
Liton was finally fooled by a slower ball from Chris Jordan which carried to Salt.
Shanto saw the innings out with an unbeaten 47 off 36.
"We were really proud of our one-day (series) win (2-1). That was a massive effort," Mott said. "To finish the way we did today will leave a bit of a sour taste in our mouths but it also should act as an eye-opener for us on where we need to improve."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Stalin takes veiled dig at Palaniswami for doing ''politics'' by donning a farmer''s garb
Tiruvannamalai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday took a veiled dig at AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami saying some do politics by donning the garb of a farmer and yet support laws that are detrimental to ryots.
In his address after inaugurating an agriculture expo and seminar here, the chief minister said that in giving priority to agriculture and farmers, "our Dravidian model government is a pioneer."
As soon as the DMK assumed office in 2021, the Department of Agriculture was renamed as "Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department."
Taking a veiled dig at the BJP, and DMK President said "some will change names according to their whims and fancies, but they will make farmers helpless and prompt them to hit the streets to stage protest."
The reference is perceived to be aimed at the BJP and the three controversial farm laws that were repealed later by the Centre following protests by farmers.
Furthermore, apparently targeting AIADMK chief Palaniswami, Stalin said, "some others engage in politics by donning the garb of a farmer."
ALSO READ: Delhi Police apprehends 966 people in southeast Delhi ahead of New Year under Operation Aaghat 3.0
"However, they support laws that affect farmers; they will trivialise the struggles of farmers."
Stalin said that unlike others, for the Dravidian model government, the welfare and growth of farmers alone is important.
"That was why we thought of raising the income of farmers by increasing production and productivity," the CM noted.
As part of steps to achieve that goal, a separate budget --encompassing a slew of welfare measures-- for agriculture was introduced.
So far, 5 agri-budgets have been presented in the Assembly and in total, Rs 1.94 lakh crore was the allocation. The last agri-budget alone had an allocation of Rs 45,661 crore and when compared to allocation made in 2021-22, it was a 33 per cent increase.
The chief minister said: "Today, technology has advanced so much. Science and technology have progressed to the extent that tasks which used to take many hours can now be completed in a few minutes, and work done by hundreds of people can now be accomplished by a few machines."
Only when such advancement reaches the hands of farmers, it would transform into true development.
"We are organising these agricultural exhibitions so that you do not have to wander in search of these technologies," the CM said told the farmers.
Wondering if it was enough to hold only an exhibition, Stalin said, in order to make farmers understand concepts and use advancements, discussions with agricultural scientists in as many as 13 topics have been arranged to benefit them.
Through such seminars, farmers could learn new cultivation methods and agricultural business opportunities, he added.
On the occasion, the CM distributed welfare assistance to farmers, marking distribution to as many as 518 farmers, worth about Rs 9.43 crore.
The 2-day exhibition (on Dec 27 and 28, 2025 at Tirukovilur Road) that was inaugurated by the chief minister here was the third such event held by the state government this year. The first expo was held in June at Perunthurai in Erode district and the second was held at Chennai Trade Centre in the month of September.
In a separate government function held at Malappambadi in the district, the chief minister inaugurated as many 314 projects which includes new buildings for state-run healthcare facilities, government offices and a new police station in Tiruvannamalai (New Temple PS) town.
He laid foundation stone for 46 initiatives including a new paddy godown to be set up at Vembakkam. Also, he distributed welfare assistance --which includes housing pattas, houses under Kalaignar Kanavu Illam Thittam and crop loans-- to beneficiaries marking commencement of distribution to as many as 2,66,194 beneficiaries.
All such initiatives (including projects inaugurated by the CM) are cumulatively worth about Rs 2095.07 crore, the government said.
