All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan delivered with bat and ball as Bangladesh beat England by 50 runs in the third one-day international in Chattogram.
The consolation win denied the tourists a clean sweep in the series.
After top scoring with 75 runs to help Bangladesh post 246, Shakib returned to finish with figures of 4-35 as the 35-year-old became the first Bangladesh player to take 300 ODI wickets.
“We have been very good in the last five to seven years at home and unfortunately we lost this series, but we can take a lot from what we’ve shown in this series,” Shakib said.
“I thought we showed a lot of character, we could have easily lost 3-0. We thought we were 20 to 30 runs short but our bowlers talked about stepping up and doing a job for the team and all the bowlers contributed.”
England’s openers Jason Roy and Phil Salt laid the foundation for the run-chase with a 54-run partnership before the tourists lost three quick wickets.
James Vince, Sam Curran and Jos Buttler also got starts but wickets fell at regular intervals as Shakib dismissed three of the top four batsmen.
Shakib almost capped his performance with a five-wicket haul when he trapped Jofra Archer lbw with his final delivery but the England pacer successfully reviewed the decision before Chris Woakes became the last wicket to fall in the next over.
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat but all-rounder Curran gave England an ideal start after dismissing the two openers in his first spell.
But Shakib smashed 75 off 71 deliveries while Mushfiqur Rahim (70) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (53) also notched half centuries to help Bangladesh post a respectable total.
The hosts’ last six batsmen failed to build on the middle order’s partnerships, however, as England pacer Archer finished with three wickets while Adil Rashid picked up two.
With England defending their ODI World Cup title in India later this year, captain Buttler said the series in Bangladesh helped them get the measure of wickets in the sub-continent.
“We wanted to play on wickets like this and the two that we played on in Dhaka. It’s great preparation for us and great to challenge ourselves in these conditions, which I’ve said are the conditions we find the hardest,” he said.
“I think it will be really valuable for us to reflect on this, what we did well and areas that we can improve. We can take that into our game and improve on this building into the World Cup later in the year.”
India hosts the 50-overs World Cup in October and November.
England will next play Bangladesh in three Twenty20 matches starting on Thursday.
In a dramatic twist from the chessboard to the Wild West, the world’s top chess players swapped pawns for pistols, sieves, and lassos in this year’s edition of Norway Chess Games.
Held on a tournament rest day, the tradition of light-hearted competition continued in unforgettable fashion with the “Chess Cowboy Challenge”, a high-spirited showdown in Westernbyen, a Western-themed village in Ålgård, just outside Stavanger.
This year’s participants was -the star-studded lineup from Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh was unfortunately not able to join, and stepping in was Ella Carlsen, wife of Magnus, proving to be quite the sharpshooter in more ways than one.
Adopting their new Western personas, the players embraced the theme wholeheartedly:
Magnus “The Lone GOAT” Carlsen Caruana “The Sicilian Sniper” Hikaru “The Blitz Bandit” Nakamura Arjun “No Slip” Erigaisi Wei “The Quiet Storm” Yi Gukesh “The Chennai Sharpshooter” D
Vaishali “The Rising Rider” Rameshbabu Anna “Ice Veins” Muzychuk Humpy “The Hammer” Koneru Lei “The Lockdown” Tingjie Ju “No-Loss” Wenjun Ella Carlsen (stepping in as an honorary cowgirl)
With nicknames as fierce as their over-the-board styles, the competitors were more than ready to tackle the cowboy gauntlet ahead.
The Chess Cowboy Challenge took them through a series of wild tasks. They faced the Sheriff’s memory test in a jail escape, sought enlightenment by solving the priest’s riddle in the chapel, mined for gold, and tried their hand at axe throwing beside the church. Air rifles, lasso tosses, cowboy quizzes at the pleasure house, and classic horseshoe throws added to the flavor of the day, with real horses roaming the scene for that authentic atmosphere.
Each team, made up of one male and one female player, competed across all stations as they worked their way through the village.
Final Standings:
1st place: Magnus & Ella Carlsen — crowned Chess Sheriffs
2nd place: Hikaru Nakamura & Anna Muzychuk
3rd place: Fabiano Caruana & Vaishali Rameshbabu
4th place: Gukesh D & Ju Wenjun
5th place: Wei Yi & Lei Tingjie
6th place: Arjun Erigaisi & Humpy Koneru
About Norway Chess Games
Norway Chess Games is an annual tradition held during the tournament’s rest day. It gives the world’s best players a break from intense competition and a chance to connect in creative, unexpected ways. Previous editions have included:
Chess Chefs– a culinary battle where players cooked for top chefs
Cake Decorating Challenge– full of icing, sprinkles, and strategy
Farmer for a Day– featuring hand-milking cows and driving tractors
Design Your Own Knit Sweater– where players designed patterns later hand-knitted into real sweaters as unique keepsakes
India’s cricket superstar Virat Kohli has become an investor in the World Bowling League (WBL), a Dubai-founded initiative set to reinvent bowling as a fast-paced, global spectator sport.
Kohli joins Major League Baseball (MLB) icon Mookie Betts as a high-profile partner in the WBL, which was launched by Dubai-based entrepreneur Adi K. Mishra. The league is reimagining the traditional game with a dynamic format featuring mixed-gender teams, international tournaments, and a modern media-first approach aimed at younger audiences.
With franchises expected in Dubai and other global cities, the WBL plans to host 12 to 15 tournaments annually across the United States, Europe, and Asia, as part of its ambitious five-year growth plan.
“When I discovered Virat is also a bowler, it was exciting to align with this new-age vision for the sport,” said Mishra, founder and CEO of League Sports Co.
Kohli, one of the most followed athletes in the world on social media, revealed a long-standing personal connection to the sport.
“I started bowling when I was 11 years old,” Kohli said. “It’s clear how popular the sport is, yet it remains underappreciated as a business.”
The 36-year-old’s global influence and passion for sport are expected to significantly boost the league’s visibility and credibility as it enters its debut season. The WBL aims to position bowling not just as a recreational activity but as an engaging, competitive, and commercially viable sport with global appeal.
After a difficult season that saw Manchester City fall short of their lofty standards, Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has assured fans the team will bounce back in 2025 with renewed hunger and ambition.
Speaking in his annual end-of-season interview, published on the club’s website, Al Mubarak acknowledged that the recently concluded campaign was below par by City’s expectations. The team, which previously captured a historic Treble in 2022/23 and a record fourth consecutive Premier League title in 2023/24, ended this season with only the Community Shield to show.
“This season is now behind us,” Al Mubarak said. “Today is a new day. We’ve already started preparing for next season – in fact, we’ve been doing that since January.”
Transfer plans in motion
With the FIFA Club World Cup in June fast approaching, Al Mubarak confirmed that City are targeting new signings this summer to strengthen Pep Guardiola’s squad.
“We will take all the good things and the not-so-good things from this season, learn from them, and come back stronger,” he said.
“The club will do everything possible to return to the standards we know we can achieve.”
He also revealed that top-level discussions were already underway, with Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, CEO Ferran Soriano, manager Pep Guardiola, and Football Partnerships Director Hugo Viana all working closely on transfer strategy.
“I just got off the phone with Ferran. He spent the day with Txiki, Pep, and Hugo today. We finished our last game yesterday, and today we’re working. Nobody’s going on vacation yet,” he added.
Hunger in the squad
Despite the underwhelming season, the mood in the dressing room remains determined and focused. Al Mubarak attended City’s final game of the campaign, a 2-0 win at Fulham, and noted a strong sense of motivation among the players.
“Everyone I saw after the Fulham game was excited about coming back,” he said.
“They’re hungry. Rodri is already looking for games. Erling [Haaland] didn’t want to go on vacation, he wanted to stay with the physios and prepare for next season. That’s the attitude you want.”
Al Mubarak’s confidence in the club’s future stems from this player-driven determination and the leadership’s proactive approach to the upcoming transfer window.
“We’re going to come back strong, with a lot of positivity,” he said. “And I can assure you – we will be back competing for the biggest prizes next season.”