Durand Cup: East Bengal march into semis with 1-0 win over Indian Arm…

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 17 (ANI): A first-half header from PV Vishnu saw East Bengal FC edge past a spirited Indian Army FT side and book their place in the semifinals of the IndianOil Durand Cup played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

On Sunday, heading into the knockout match, East Bengal went with an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation.

Phurba Lachenpa started in goal, protected by Jay Gupta, Narender Gahlot, Lalchungnunga and Boris Singh in defence. Rohit Kumar and Mohamad Basim Rashid formed the double pivot, providing a platform for Dani Ramirez, Christopher Ikonomidis and P.V. Vishnu to operate behind lone striker David Lalhlansanga, as per a press release. asg-reflektory.pl

Indian Army FT, meanwhile, opted for a defensive 5-3-2 formation to absorb the anticipated pressure. Bhabindra Malla Thakuri started between the sticks, with Sunil Benchamin, Pardeep Singh, Lethaolen Khongsai, Chabin Rabha and Shafeel PP forming the five-man defensive line. Abhishek Shankar Pawar, P Christopher Kamei and Shubham Rana comprised the midfield, while Samir Murmu and Saikhom Borish Singh led the attack.

East Bengal stamped their authority on the contest from the opening whistle, dominating possession and pinning the Army men deep inside their own half. The first major opening arrived in the sixth minute following an excellent passing move, but Spanish playmaker Dani Ramirez could not capitalise.

The Kolkata side continued to probe and came close again in the 12th minute from a set-piece. Ramirez delivered a beautifully struck left-footed in-swinging free-kick that beat the goalkeeper but narrowly missed the target, brushing the wrong side of the side-netting.

The one-way traffic continued through the second quarter, with Indian Army struggling to cope with East Bengal’s intensity. Ramirez turned provider in the 20th minute, playing a precise ball to release David Lalhlansanga, but the forward could not apply the finishing touch.

Moments later, centre-back Lalchungnunga ventured forward and unleashed a powerful long-range effort that forced Bhabindra Malla Thakuri into an acrobatic save.

Indian Army struggled to put together sustained passages of possession, often relying on aerial duels and long balls to relieve the pressure. East Bengal’s best opportunity of the half came in the 29th minute when Jay Gupta delivered a pinpoint cross for P.V. Vishnu, who found himself unmarked in a one-on-one situation. However, the forward’s grounded effort went straight into the arms of the grateful goalkeeper.

East Bengal finally found the breakthrough in the 38th minute. Christopher Ikonomidis delivered an inviting cross into the box, and Vishnu made amends for his earlier miss, rising highest to meet the delivery with a perfectly timed header into the right corner. Thakuri got his fingertips to the effort but could not keep it out as East Bengal took a deserved 1-0 lead.

The Red-and-Gold Brigade maintained their control for the remainder of the half, with Mohamad Basim Rashid trying his luck from distance shortly before the interval, although his effort drifted wide.

Indian Army showed greater attacking intent after the restart and earned an early corner, which the East Bengal defence dealt with comfortably. Rashid then attempted an ambitious long-range strike from well outside the box, but his powerful effort sailed over the crossbar.

East Bengal nearly doubled their advantage around the hour mark when substitute Jesin TK intercepted a long ball from Rashid and raced past the advancing goalkeeper. However, his attempt struck the crossbar, denying the substitute an immediate impact.

Indian Army produced their best opportunity of the contest shortly afterwards. Substitute Abhi S. Biju found space before unleashing a powerful low effort that flashed just wide of the target.

East Bengal responded in the 67th minute when substitute Edmund Lalrindika picked out Ramirez inside the box, but the Spaniard’s effort flew narrowly over the crossbar.

As the match entered its final stages, East Bengal’s attacking intensity dipped, but they continued to create clear-cut opportunities. The closing ten minutes became a frustrating sequence of missed one-on-one chances.

In the 80th minute, Bipin Singh set up Jesin TK with a precise pass, but the forward failed to convert from close range. Moments later, Jesin returned the favour by putting Bipin through, only for the winger to squander another one-on-one opportunity.

Jesin had another chance to seal the result in the 87th minute when he met a cross from Edmund, but his header went straight at Thakuri.

With five minutes of stoppage time added, Indian Army almost produced a dramatic equaliser against the run of play. In the 91st minute, Abhishek Shankar Pawar unleashed a dangerous effort that briefly threatened to spoil East Bengal’s dominant display, but the Kolkata side survived the late scare.

Although Indian Army improved considerably after half-time and created a couple of genuine openings, East Bengal remained in control for much of the contest, enjoying around 80 per cent of the overall possession.

The Red-and-Gold Brigade ultimately secured a deserved victory, although their dominance could have been reflected in a more emphatic scoreline had they converted the numerous clear-cut opportunities they created. (ANI)

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World Test Championships (WTC) 2025-27: Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Bangladesh team left the cricketing world stunned with their nine-wicket win over former World Test Championships (WTC) champions Australia at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin on Sunday. While Australia retain their top spot in the WTC 2025-27 Points with 7 wins and 2 losses and a PCT of 77.78, Bangladesh have improved their ratings to 66.67 with 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw in their 5 matches so far.

Bangladesh’s win has proven to be bad news for WTC finalists Teams India – who are behind their Asian counterparts in 5th place with a PCT of 48.15 with 4 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw in 9 Tests so far. Before Bangladesh’s win over Australia, Shubman Gill’s side need 7 wins in remaining 9 Tests to reach the WTC final next year but now those chances have dimmed to 5 per cent as they need 8 wins now.

India are currently facing Sri Lanka in first of two Test matches at Galle and have 2 Tests against New Zealand and five Tests against Australia remaining in the current WTC cycle. Bangladesh have slightly better odds than India currently of reaching the WTC Final at this stage at 9 per cent.

They need to 5 out of their remaining 7 Tests in the cycle to book a berth in the final for the first time. They have one Test remaining in the current series against Australia, then have a couple of away Tests against WTC reigning champions South Africa and two Tests each at home against England and West Indies.

Here are the chances of top teams of reaching the WTC 2025-27 final…

WTC Finals chances update after the Darwin Test

Australia’s chances dropped from 89% to 61% after the loss to Bangladesh

New Zealand benefitted the most from the result with this result allowing them a better chance of qualifying with 6 wins itself. pic.twitter.com/yge9BpwUM6

— Krishna Kumar (@KrishnaKRM) August 16, 2026

South Africa, who defeated India at home 2-0 last year, have the best chance of reaching the final at 79 per cent – needing to win only 6 out of their remaining 10 Tests. Out of these 8 Tests will be at home and two away against Sri Lanka.

Pat Cummins-led Australia are also in a comfortable position, needing 7 wins in 13 Tests but out of these only 5 are at home – one against Bangladesh and 4 against New Zealand. They have 61 per cent chance of reaching the final.

Former WTC winners New Zealand are behind SA and Australia with odds of qualifying for the final. They also need six wins in 10 Tests but have six Tests away from home against Australia and Pakistan. They have about 45 per cent chance of reaching the final at this stage.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was aiming for a series whitewash against Australia ahead of the second Test.

“Of course we are thinking that way (clinching the series), and we want to stay focused on the approach we have taken,” Mehidy Hasan Miraz was quoted as saying by ICC.

“Since we won the first match, an even bigger challenge awaits us. (But) winning a Test match is never easy. Right now, we just want to carry this momentum forward, and we will plan for the next match later,” he added.

The second Test between Australia and Bangladesh will begin at Mackay on Saturday.

In a remarkable performance, Devdutt Padikkal achieved his first Test century, scoring an impressive 167 in Galle. KL Rahul praised Padikkal's dedication over the years that led to this well-deserved chance. His experience with India A provided him crucial insights into local conditions. This milestone century alleviates the psychological pressure for the promising young batter. India’s total reached 462, thanks to significant contributions from Padikkal, Rahul, and Jurel.

Galle [Sri Lanka], August 16 (ANI): Indian batter Dhruv Jurel expressed satisfaction with the team’s score but stressed the need to bowl in good areas on Day 3 as the Shubman Gill-led side ended Day 2 on 460/9.

Resuming from 288/2, India lost Rishabh Pant for 39 and KL Rahul for 82 before Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed for an impressive 167. Dhruv Jurel then scored an impressive 51, while Manav Suthar made 24, but Sri Lanka fought back strongly in the final session. Prabath Jayasuriya was the pick of the bowlers with 4/109, supported by debutant Keshara Nuwantha’s 3/175.

Sri Lanka claimed several late wickets, including Jurel, Suthar and Mohammed Siraj, but India still finished with a commanding total. At stumps on Day 2, Kuldeep Yadav was unbeaten on 12 and Prasidh Krishna on 1.

Speaking at the post-day press conference, Dhruv Jurel said he was pleased with India’s 450-plus total, calling it a strong score on the Galle pitch. He added that India now needs to bowl in the right areas consistently and see how the match progresses.

“I am very happy with this score. 450 odd runs are a good score on this wicket. Just that from now on, we need to bowl in good areas. Let’s see how it goes," he said.

Jurel praised Devdutt Padikkal, saying his strong performances are no surprise given his success with India A. He expressed happiness as a fellow cricketer to see Padikkal performing well for the Indian team.

“As for Devdutt, he was with me in India A; he has already scored a lot of runs for India A here. So whenever he gets an opportunity, he scores runs. So it feels good as a fellow cricketer that he is doing great for the Indian team," Dhruv Jurel said. (ANI)

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Darwin [Australia], August 17 (ANI): Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz is eyeing a series win and anticipates an even bigger challenge after defeating Australia by nine wickets in a dominant fashion at Darwin.

On Sunday, Bangladesh Cricket experienced one of its biggest moments, defeating a full-strength side with a nine-wicket haul from Hasan Mahmud, with an all-round show from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and a historic century from Tanzid Hasan being the highlights.

Miraz was sensational, scoring a 154-ball 65 to balloon Bangladesh’s first innings lead to 228 runs and taking a five-wicket haul later to set a chase of just 57 runs, which Bangladesh completed with nine wickets in hand.

It provides Bangladesh the opportunity to clinch a rare 2-0 series result when the teams move to Mackay in north Queensland for the second and final Test of the series, and Miraz believes his side is well placed to complete the rout.

“Of course we are thinking that way (clinching the series), and we want to stay focused on the approach we have taken," he said as quoted by ICC.

“Since we won the first match, an even bigger challenge awaits us. (But) winning a Test match is never easy. Right now, we just want to carry this momentum forward, and we will plan for the next match later," he added.

Bangladesh received plenty of strong efforts from a variety of their XI across the first Test, with Player of the Match Hasan Mahmud picking up six wickets in the first innings and nine for the match, opener Tanzid Hasan scoring a superb century when the game was on the line and Miraz making strong contributions with both bat and ball.

The victory came on the back of a disappointing thrashing to Cricket Australia XI just before the first Test when they were bowled out for just 54 in their second innings of Bangladesh’s only tour match, but Miraz said the side’s management never lost faith in their ability.

“When I was struggling myself, our team manager, Nafis Iqbal, gave me a lot of encouragement on how to play in these conditions," said Miraz.

“I was very happy mentally and talked to him a lot. At one point, he even bowled to me in the nets, and I faced his bowling."

“I also want to mention Mushtaq Ahmed from the team management. After we lost the first match, he went to every single player and told us, ‘Have faith. If you believe, winning is possible, and faith can take you a long way. Starting from those small things, we began to believe, and you can all see the results today," he concluded.

The second Test commences in Mackay on Saturday, where a victory for Bangladesh will catapult them past Australia and into third place on the World Test Championship standings as they attempt to win a place in the final for the first time.

Series schedule:

First Test: Bangladesh won by nine wickets

Second Test: August 22-26, Mackay. (ANI)

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