European champions Portugal got their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start thanks to an Azerbaijan own goal in a tight 1-0 Group A victory in Turin on Wednesday.

It was a batting fiasco in the first ODI in Dunedin which saw Bangladesh get thumped while the whole unit’s abysmal failure in the fielding department saw the second match in Christchurch slip away from the Tigers.

Around the time that the Tigers reached Wellington yesterday -- again aiming to clinch their first-ever win against New Zealand in their backyard when they play the last ODI of the three-match series on Friday -- Shakib Al Hasan was getting back to business and preparing himself for the upcoming Indian Premier League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur after returning home from the United States on Monday night.

Kenya and Poland are scheduled to arrive in the capital today to take part in the Bangabandhu Cup International Kabaddi tournament, which gets underway from March 28.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been handed a further six years and eight months ban from the game and fined a million Swiss francs ($1.07 million) by the body’s Ethics Committee after a probe into massive bonus payments.

The name Nasir Hossain used to evoke images of a genuine all-rounder for the Tigers over the years in the past, but that same name nowadays is mostly related to off-field controversies more than any performance on the field.

Triumphs for Abahani, BKSP

The men in red and green had a splendid day at the hotel premises in Kathmandu yesterday after making a winning start to the Three Nations Cup, with head coach Jamie Day also expressing satisfaction over the performance.

Bangladesh began the Three Nations Cup on a winning note, handing a 1-0 defeat to Kyrgyzstan’s U-23 team in the opening match at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu yesterday.

Young batsman Shahadat Hossain Dipu smashed his maiden century on his first-class debut to put Chattogram Division in the driving seat against Rajshahi Division on the second day of their Tier 2 fixture of the Bangabandhu National Cricket League (BNCL) yesterday.

“Catches win matches” is one of the oldest adages in cricket. There are several occasions when catches have won matches and dropped catches have cost matches.

Bangladesh’s five-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the second ODI at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch yesterday meant that the Tigers lost the three-match series with a game left to play.

Bangladesh defeated to Kyrgyzstan U-23 team 1-0 in the opening match of the Three Nations Cup at Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal today. Bangladesh would need a draw against Nepal on March 27 to make the final of the tournament.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal rued the two dropped catches which ultimately saw the Tigers lose control of the game and suffer a five-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their second ODI at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch today.

New Zealand called up an uncapped Finn Allen and picked Will Young for the three-match Twenty20 series against Bangladesh on Tuesday in their bid to compensate for the absence of six players bound for next month's Indian Premier League (IPL).

Tom Latham scored an unbeaten century to guide New Zealand to a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second ODI at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch today.

The Bangladesh national football team will perhaps start an international tournament without the pressure of winning it for the first time when they take on Kyrgyzstan U-23 team in the opening match of the Three Nations Cup at the Dasharath Rangasala in Kathmandu today.

All eyes will be on the batsmen after a disappointing showing in the first game when Bangladesh take on New Zealand in the second ODI at the Hagley Oval today, fighting to stay alive in the three-match series.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan yesterday said that he is yet to see the interview that Shakib Al Hasan gave to Cricfrenzy, an online news portal, on Saturday.

Juventus managing director Fabio Paratici said that the club have no intention of allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the club.