Tigers set 266 for Afghans

Bangladesh set a moderate target of 266 for Afghanistan in the first ODI in Mirpur.

Decided to bat first, Bangladesh managed to make 265 losing all wickets in the 50 overs.

Opener Tamim Iqbal scored a superb 80 from 98 balls.

Tamim, dropped on 30, hit nine boundaries while Mahmudullah smashed five boundaries and both the sixes of the Bangladesh innings to score 62 runs.

A quick 48 from 40 balls by ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan helped Tigers accelerate their score.

Imrul Kayes also contributed to Bangladesh innings with his patient 37 runs.

Tamim brought up his 33rd ODI fifty in the 22nd over.

With this 80-run, the Bangladesh opener became the first batsman to cross 9000 runs in ODIs.

Tamim and Mahmudullah batted together for 17 overs, and their partnership yielded 79 runs.

To open Bangladesh innings, Soumya failed to score a single run before being caught out by Afghans’ bowler Dawlat Zadran.

Dawlat Zadran picked four wickets for 73 runs including crucial Soumya and Shakib while Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan took two wickets each.

Earlier, Tigers won the toss and elected to bat first against the visitors in the first one-day international match of a three-match ODI series that started at 2:30pm.

Tigers will play all three matches at the national cricket stadium, with the second game on 28 September and the finale on 1 October.

Both teams made several changes from their previous ODIs, with Afghanistan right-arm fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq making his debut.

For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed returned for his first international match since his suspension for an illegal bowling action in March.

Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Afghanistan: 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Shabir Noor, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 5 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mirwais Ashraf, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Naveen-ul-Haq

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Aguero keeps Man City perfect under Guardiola

Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City made it 10 wins in as many games this season with a 3-1 victory away to Swansea in the Premier League on Saturday.

Aguero marked his return to action with two well-taken goals for Pep Guardiola’s league leaders after serving a three-game ban for throwing an elbow in last month’s victory over West Ham.

The Argentinian striker opened the scoring in the ninth minute and he made it 2-0 25 minutes from time before Raheem Sterling beat Lukasz Fabianski in the 77th minute at the Liberty Stadium as City beat Swansea for the second time in a week after their EFL Cup success.

A swift move on the right, a clever turn from Aguero and the visitors were a goal to the good.

Swansea came close to levelling matters in the 12th minute when Kyle Naughton, playing out of position at left back, found himself one on one with Claudio Bravo, the City goalkeeper.

Bravo pulled off a decent save before City cleared. However, a minute later and the Swans were level.

Gylfi Sigurdsson poked a ball through to Fernando Llorente, who having been played onside by John Stones, beat Bravo with a stunning volley from 16 yards.

With the ball at their feet, Swansea showed decent quality. They were confident in moving through the gears and lacked only one aspect—the final delivery.

Still, it was enough to keep City on their toes. Bacary Sagna was shown the yellow card for man-handling Kyle Naughton and Sterling was fortunate to escape similar punishment when he tripped Angel Rangel.

Silva cheers -
Although Swansea were causing one or two problems at the right end, they almost conceded a second 11 minutes from half time.

Kevin de Bruyne was sent through by Ilkay Gundogan, but with only Fabianski to beat, the Belgian hooked his shot well wide.

A booking for David Silva, for dissent, was greeted with loud cheers from the Swansea supporters who, after an exacting start to the season, were beginning to see some light.

For City, there was growing frustration. They dominated the ball for long periods but struggled to break down Swansea’s resolute back four, led ably, by Jordi Amat.

The second half was barely two minutes old when Swansea had a golden opportunity to edge themselves in front.

Wayne Routledge found himself in acres of space on the right, but, inexplicably, chose to dissect Bravo’s far post and Llorente with a ball that rolled harmlessly out of play.

Five minutes later, the imperious Sigurdsson sent a crisp volley high and wide after Routledge had picked out the Icelandic midfielder with a lobbed pass of real quality.

At the opposite end, it was Aguero who came close to restoring City’s lead. A smart move involving Gundogan and Silva ended with Aguero shooting over via the foot of van der Hoorn. Sterling was then too tentative with a shot from 12 yards.

The breakthrough came in the 64th minute when van der Hoorn was penalised for putting his elbow into the face of De Bruyne inside the Swansea penalty area.

Referee Neil Swarbrick had no hesitation in yellow carding the Dutchman and Aguero, with a cheeky chip, did the rest from the spot.

The game was up for Swansea when Sterling, on the counter attack, kept his composure and beat Fabianski with a wonderful finish.

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United 4-1 Leicester without Rooney

Manchester United dismantled Premier League champions Leicester in a ruthless 20-minute burst as Jose Mourinho's decision to drop Wayne Rooney was rewarded with a 4-1 win at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Leicester imploded defensively as United racked up four goals between the 22nd and 42nd minutes.

It was a stylish display from a United side who had entered the game under pressure after losing their last two league games, against Manchester City and Watford, with Chris Smalling opening the scoring after replacing Rooney as captain.

Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba, with his first United goal following his world record £89 million ($115 million, 102 million euros) arrival from Juventus, were also on target after England captain Rooney was dropped to the substitutes' bench.

But it was a chastening afternoon for Leicester despite an improved second-half display and a brilliant consolation goal from half-time substitute Demarai Gray.

It was the second successive Premier League away game in which Leicester had shipped four goals after doing so at Liverpool two weeks ago.

Leicester held their own early on with Robert Huth lashing a shot just over but it was United who edged in front in the 22nd minute after some neat play wide on the left had forced a corner.

It was delivered by Daley Blind and Smalling escaped the United defence to power home a header from six yards.

Rashford should have doubled United's lead moments later when Leicester squandered possession and Zlatan Ibrahimovic galloped forwards and squared for the teenager.

But Rashford's first touch was heavy and his shot flew over.

Ibrahimovic then went close to a goal after collecting a fabulous pass by Pogba, but the Swede's effort on the turn just cleared the bar.

Next it was Pogba's turn to let fly with an outrageous effort from 30 yards that bent towards the top corner but was forced away by Leicester goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler.

United finally added a second goal as they turned on the style eight minutes before half-time.

Ander Herrera started the move with a fine ball to Mata before a clever pass by Pogba and a fine flick by Jesse Lingard allowed Mata to blast past Zieler.

And the third goal arrived just two minutes later as Leicester handed a chance to Rashford which the youngster snapped up.

The visitors were caught napping as Blind took a quick corner and Mata was free to square for an unmarked Rashford to finish from close range.

Double change

It was 4-0 before half-time as another corner by Blind was headed in by Pogba as he leapt above Christian Fuchs.

Leicester made a double change at half-time with key duo Vardy and Riyad Mahrez withdrawn ahead of the Champions League meeting with FC Porto on Tuesday.

And they almost had some joy when David De Gea dived at the feet of Islam Slimani but gifted possession back to the visitors with a poor throw.

Fuchs wasted the chance, however, with a poor cross.

And at the other end Mata tried to add his second goal with a firm shot that Zieler parried well.

It was one of the half-time substitutes who salvaged a modicum of respectability for Leicester with a goal of real quality on the hour-mark.

Gray collected a crossfield pass from Daniel Amartey and cut inside Lingard before lashing a brilliant shot past a helpless De Gea from 25 yards.

But United were soon back on the attack as Zieler made a smart save from Ibrahimovic.

Two more Leicester substitutes combined for what should have been a second goal but Andy King produced a tame shot from a Jeff Schlupp cross and De Gea saved easily.

Gray then went within a whisker of replicating his stunning goal with an almost identical effort which De Gea scrambled back to push over the bar.

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De Villiers to have crunch fitness test

South African captain and star batsman AB de Villiers will undergo a fitness test on Tuesday to determine if he needs surgery that would rule him out of the Test series with Australia.

The world’s number one-ranked one-day international batsman is already out of the one-off ODI against Ireland in Benoni on Sunday because of the persistent elbow injury.

And if he fails the fitness test next week he will need surgery, ruling him out of the one-day series against Australia starting next Friday and the Test series in Australia in November.

South African team manager Mohammed Moosajee acknowledged that de Villiers’ spectacular hitting, especially in limited-overs cricket, had contributed to the problem.

“When he plays certain cricket shots, he gets excruciating pain in the left elbow,” said Moosajee.

De Villiers, 32, has become a virtual year-round cricketer, playing in all formats for South Africa as well as in Twenty20 tournaments such as the Indian Premier League and Caribbean Premier League, where his ability to score at a dizzying rate has made him a crowd favourite.

“We refer to it as overload, whether that’s doing too much and playing different shots, or related to overuse,” said Moosajee.

The injury was diagnosed about six weeks ago, he said, causing de Villiers to miss a Test series against New Zealand.

“At the time the recommendation was to have a period of rest, physiotherapy and aggressive rehabilitation. He has subsequently seen an elbow specialist and the area was infiltrated with cortisone,” said Moosajee.

But the talisman continues to feel pain.

“We are going to reassess when we reassemble on Tuesday and thereafter a call will be made,” said Moosajee.

“He needs to pass the fitness test, the elbow needs to be able to stand up to the rigours of international cricket.

“If he does not come through the fitness test, a date for surgery will be set.”

All-rounder Chris Morris was on Friday sidelined for up to two months with a left knee injury, ruling him out of Australia.

Uncapped fellow all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius, originally only selected for the match against Ireland, will remain with the squad for the one-day series against Australia.

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De Villiers still struggling to recover from injury

South African captain AB de Villiers, struggling to recover from a left elbow injury, will miss a one-off one-day international against Ireland in Benoni on Sunday.

The world’s number one-ranked one-day international batsman is also in doubt for a five-match series against Australia, which starts in Centurion on September 30.

Cricket South Africa announced on Thursday that De Villiers had been given “an extended period of rehabilitation” and his participation in the series against Australia would be subject to a fitness test.

He suffered the injury in August and did not play in two Test matches against New Zealand later that month.

Faf du Plessis, who captained the team against New Zealand, will again stand in as captain against Ireland.

South African team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said: “AB has been on a rigorous rehabilitation and treatment plan for the last six weeks but is still complaining of pain in the elbow region.

“We consulted with a specialist, who advised extensive rehab and injected the elbow with cortisone. The CSA medical committee has recommended a few more days of rehab to allow the elbow to improve.”

Moosajee said surgery was a last option.

“But we hope that the extra time will allow the injury to respond to treatment.”

Rilee Rossouw has been added to the squad as batting cover.

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Ceferin unveils Euro 2020 logo

New UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin unveiled the logo for Euro 2020 at the tournament’s official launch in London on Wednesday.

The logo shows multicoloured fan silhouettes standing either side of the competition’s Henri Delaunay Trophy on a green bridge, representative of the links between the 13 host countries.

The 2020 European Championship is being staged in 13 cities across Europe to mark the 60th anniversary of the competition, with the semi-finals and final to take place at London’s Wembley Stadium.

“UEFA wanted the 2020 tournament to be a true celebration of the game we all love and cherish,” Ceferin said in a speech at London’s City Hall municipal building.

“What better way could there be than to take the tournament, for one time only, to all four corners of our beautiful continent?”

Matches will also be played in Azerbaijan, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Scotland and Spain.

Ceferin was accompanied by Greg Clarke, new chairman of England’s Football Association, and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming supporters from across Europe,” said Khan.

“As a truly international city, London has a fanbase for almost every nation on earth. One of the great things about football in our city is that it brings people from different backgrounds together.”

England manager Sam Allardyce was also present.

Ceferin, a 48-year-old Slovenian lawyer, beat Royal Dutch Football Association chief Michael van Praag by 42 votes to 13 in last week’s presidential election.

He succeeded Michel Platini as head of European football’s governing body after the former France captain was banned over a suspect $2 million payment.

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Falcao header fires Monaco top

A towering Radamel Falcao header helped send Monaco top in France on Saturday as a 3-0 home win over Rennes saw them leapfrog Paris Saint Germain.

The win means Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco have 13 points from five games ahead of PSG on ten, while Nice can join Monaco at the top with a win at Montpellier Sunday.

This was Monaco’s seventh consecutive win and follows a slick 2-1 triumph over Tottenham at Wembley in the Champions League in midweek.

“The favourite to win the title, which will be a long haul, is Paris,” warned Jardim.

“Nice, Lyon and Marseille have also invested in their teams, but we are a better side this season, more experienced and organised,” said the Portuguese coach whose side came third last year.

Falcao’s career has hit the buffers since quitting Atletico Madrid saw him endure unsuccessful injury-blighted loan stints at Manchester United and Chelsea.

But on Saturday, the 30-year-old Colombian leapt high at the back post and powered in a header in the 42nd minute to score his first goal for Monaco since August 2014 -- 755 days ago.

Rennes, who had made the long journey from Brittany, rarely had the south coast side in trouble and lost concentration as the slightly built 20-year-old Thomas Lemar scored twice at the end of the game.

His first was a far post tap-in set up by Bernardo Silva and the second a lob which left Rennes keeper Benoit Costil watching the ball drop behind him into the net.

Rennes captain Pedro Mendes saluted the winners.

“That is one very good side and we won’t be the only ones to suffer here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bordeaux’s fungus-infected pitch at their new stadium was described as a “potato field” by disgruntled fans.

Adding to their problems, the home team also missed the chance to go second, suffering a 1-0 defeat as a Karl Otoko Kembi strike in the 38th minute gave Angers a narrow win.

The second and third bottom sides Nancy and Nantes drew 1-1, but rock bottom Lorient celebrated their first points of the season after Benjamin Moukandjo slammed home a penalty on 76 minutes to seal a 1-0 win over Lille.

Lorient remain 20th, a point behind five clubs on four points.

High-flying northerners Metz, now fourth on ten points, drew 0-0 with Dijon in a match between two newly-promoted sides and where both missed a penalty each.

Toulouse came from behind for a 2-1 home win over Guingamp thanks to a penalty from Denmark’s Martin Braithewaite on 63 minutes and the winner from Jimmy Durmaz two minutes later.

It was a fourth league goal of the season from captain Braithewaite, who donates a 1,000 euros to charity every time he scores.

On Friday, Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani banged four goals past Caen in a 6-0 win for PSG.

Lucas Moura and Jean-Kevin Augustin added the other two goals after the break as PSG ended a run of three games without a win in all competitions.

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England to announce Bangladesh tour squad today

Teenage batsman Haseeb Hameed could find himself helping to solve one of England’s trickiest problems if he is included when the squads for the tour of Bangladesh are announced on Friday.

Finding a reliable partner for Test captain Alastair Cook at the top of the order has been a problem ever since former skipper Andrew Strauss retired in 2012.

The past four years have seen eight men-Nick Compton, Joe Root, Michael Carberry, Sam Robson, Jonathan Trott, Adam Lyth, Moeen Ali and Alex Hales-all given a chance to make the job their own.

But left-hander Cook will likely find himself walking out with a ninth different opening colleague after Hales, the most recent incumbent, ruled himself out of the tour last weekend, together with England limited overs captain Eoin Morgan, on security grounds.

The tour-which begins on 30 September and will include two Tests and three ODIs-had been called into question after an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July which saw 20 hostages killed, including 18 foreigners.

Following the attack, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sent a fact-finding delegation to Bangladesh led by Reg Dickason, their security officer.

Dickason said it was safe to tour but his reassurance was not enough to persuade Hales and Morgan to travel to Bangladesh.

If selected in the squad and then in the XI to play in the first Test in Chittagong on 20 October, the 19-year-old Hameed would become England’s youngest-ever opening batsman.

Although he has played just 18 first-class matches, Hameed has scored more than 1,000 runs this season.

England, unlike India and Pakistan, are traditionally reluctant to pick teenagers but coach Trevor Bayliss, when asked about Hameed’s chances, said earlier this month: “If he’s good enough, he’s old enough.

“I wouldn’t have any problem (picking him),” the Australian added.

From Bangladesh, England head straight into a five-Test series in India with no warm-up matches ahead of the second leg of their tour programme.

The absence of Hales-who made an England one-day international record 171 in August-will leave the team needing a new opening partner for Jason Roy at the top of their 50-over side.

England’s selectors have also to decide on whether to retain out of form top-order batsman James Vince and, if they don’t, whether to bring another specialist in to replace him, with Ian Bell aiming for an England recall.

They also have to work out if they need a third or even a fourth spinner in addition to Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid for the turning tracks they are likely to encounter in the sub-continent.

Hampshire left-armer Liam Dawson is most likely to be that extra spinner while uncapped batsman Ben Duckett, in prolific form for Northamptonshire and the second-string England Lions this season, could be in line for at least a one-day call-up.

England have already announced wicket-keeper Jos Buttler will captain the one-day side in Morgan’s absence.

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Bangladesh make new safety pledges for England

Bangladesh made fresh assurances Friday that England’s cricketers would be accorded top-level security on their controversial upcoming tour amid growing doubts over whether ODI skipper Eoin Morgan will travel.

The tour, which begins on 30 September and will include two Tests and three ODIs, had been called into question after an attack in July on a cafe in Dhaka in which 20 hostages were killed, including 18 foreigners.

But England’s board gave it their go-ahead following a fact-finding visit to Bangladesh by their security expert and most of the players, including Test skipper Alistair Cook, are understood to be ready to make the trip.

The main question mark is over Morgan who gave his strongest hint yet on Thursday that he will stay home as he recounted how two previous scares had made him weary of ever jeopardising his personal safety again.

Bangladesh Cricket Board chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said it was “the prerogative of the England and Wales Cricket Board who they will send” but made clear he would be disappointed if key players stayed away.

“We just hope they will send the best available squad, which we expect to be competitive,” Chowdhury told AFP.

Another senior board official, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave an outline of some of the measures being put in place to ensure the team’s safety which are usually reserved for visiting heads of state.

While requesting that the details not be made public, the official said “there would be nothing to worry about” for the tourists.

Chowdhury recalled how the board had managed to stage a trouble-free Under-19 World Cup earlier this year by also beefing up security.

“As you all know some countries had expressed their concern during that tournament also. But we successfully managed to convince them to come here and hosted the tournament without any incident.

“England will be given the same security as we had during the tournament when additional measures were put in place,” he said without elaborating.

Australia pulled out of the Under-19 World Cup in January and their place was taken by Ireland.

Australia’s senior team also pulled out of a series in October last year over safety fears and Bangladesh, the newest Test-playing nation, has been desperate to ensure that England does not follow their example.

They are determined to avoid the fate of Pakistan who—apart from a lone series against Zimbabwe—have not hosted any international cricket since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus during a 2009 Test in Lahore.

Although Morgan has yet to rule himself out, he has admitted that memories of a bomb blast during one of his matches in India in 2010 and a bout of deadly political violence while he was playing in a Bangladeshi domestic tournament three years ago were weighing heavily on his mind.

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Barca trio reunited

Barcelona’s fearsome front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar could join forces for the first time in four months against Alaves, while Cristiano Ronaldo will make his Real Madrdid return on Saturday.

Neymar has missed Barca’s 100 percent start to the season due to his efforts in leading Brazil to Olympic gold on home soil, but returned to Spain for the first time since May after more international duty in World Cup qualifying this week and is expected to start at the Camp Nou.

Messi is a much bigger doubt after missing Argentina’s clash with Venezuela in midweek due to a groin problem. The five-time World Player of the Year has played a limited part in training in recent days and coach Luis Enrique is likely to be cautious for the first of seven games in 22 days for Barca.

Paco Alcacer is in line to make his debut after sealing a 30 million-euro ($33 million) move from Valencia and the Spanish international striker is aware he will have to make the most of limited opportunities as fourth choice behind Messi, Suarez and Neymar.

“I will do everything I can to take advantage of the chances I have to the full,” Alcacer said as he was presented on Thursday.

Andres Iniesta has also returned to training following a knee injury and will battle Arda Turan and Denis Suarez for a place in midfield as both have impressed early in the campaign.

Ronaldo makes his long-awaited return at the Santiago Bernabeu against Osasuna earlier on Saturday in what will be his first appearance since suffering ligament damage in his left knee during Portugal’s Euro 2016 final win over France.

Real haven’t suffered in Ronaldo’s absence with two wins from their opening two La Liga games and victory over Sevilla in the European Super Cup.

And after winning two Champions League titles in his first three seasons at Madrid, Gareth Bale insists the European champions have to put more emphasis on ending a four-year run without winning La Liga.

“It’s important to try to win La Liga because it’s been a few years since we have and it’s normal that it’s our focus,” said Bale.

“I’m looking forward to next weekend’s game against Osasuna and I’m sure that they will make it difficult for us, but it’ll be great to be able to call upon almost the whole squad.”

Karim Benzema and Pepe have also returned from injury to leave Zinedine Zidane with a fully-fit squad bar the absence of goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Heat risk -

Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid desperately need to kickstart their season after back-to-back disappointing draws with Alaves and Leganes when they visit Celta Vigo in the first match in a new early Saturday kick-off time of 1300 (1100GMT) designed to compete with the English Premier League in Asian television markets.

Celta finished sixth last season, but have also endured a poor start with defeats in both their opening matches and the Galicians will be without influential playmaker Fabian Orellana for a month due to a muscle tear.

Early season leaders Las Palmas have been on fire in scoring nine goals in their opening two games to shoot ahead of Barca and Madrid to the top of the table for the first time in 38 years.

However, the searing Spanish heat could get in their way this weekend with record temperatures for September registered across the country.

League chief Javier Tebas has promised players’ safety won’t be risked and Las Palmas’ visit to Sevilla is one of a number of games that could be delayed or even postponed if temperatures are deemed to be too high.

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