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“We have been talking about what we want to get better at, and that, for me, is the shining light for the way the boys have bowled”

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-20244:04

McClenaghan: RCB’s whole bowling unit made contributions

Faf du Plessis was buoyed by the new-found aggression in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s approach that helped them beat Delhi Capitals by 47 runs to stay in the race for the playoffs in IPL 2024.”We want to play that style of cricket – RCB talks about playing bold,” du Plessis said, “and just proud that we can actually do that now, putting our performance together.”RCB came into the game with the knowledge that a loss would knock them out of the tournament. They even lost their du Plessis and Virat Kohli cheaply after being sent in. But that didn’t stop Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar from putting on a counter-attacking 88-run stand for the third wicket. In the end, they finished on 187 for 9.”It’s just confidence, isn’t it?” du Plessis said of the batting performance. “First half of the season, we were really fighting for it, didn’t quite come together for us; you just need a couple of guys to find their form in the tournament, and it’s happened.”From a batting perspective, we’ve been around that 200 mark six-seven games in a row now [five in their last seven], so boys are batting really well. And then the bowling obviously – I think the first five or six games, we almost couldn’t get wickets at all, and now, this is the third time [in a row] we have bowled a team out. So that’s a good effort. Especially today’s game, with the extra guy batting.”RCB took control in the chase by reducing Capitals to 30 for 4 inside four overs. Swapnil Singh, the left-arm fingerspinner, dismissed David Warner in the first over before Mohammed Siraj and Yash Dayal settled in with testing lines and lengths. Lockie Ferguson’s 2 for 23 helped them keep a leash on the scoring in the middle overs even as Axar Patel fought back with a half-century.”A lot of work has gone in behind the scenes,” du Plessis said. “I think that’s for me the most obvious thing where the change has happened. I feel that behind closed doors, we are getting it right in our processes – we have been talking about what we want to achieve and what we want to get better at. And that, for me, is the shining light for the way the boys have bowled.”Also, as a captain, I feel we have a lot of variety in our bowling attack. Six or seven options, all very different. So you assess the conditions on the night and you can just pull the best options almost out. But since Siraj has come back, obviously wanting to prove a point, has bowled beautifully. Yash has been exceptional right through the tournament. And Lockie the last few games has been brilliant.”

Some players in the Manchester United dressing room are said to have immediately turned on Rasmus Hojlund after he switched to former boss Erik ten Hag's agency. Following a nightmare 2024-25 campaign, the Danish striker is now in line to exit Old Trafford this summer, with AC Milan reportedly showing an interest in signing him.

Team-mates questioned HojlundStriker joined Ten Hag's agencyLikely to leave Man Utd amid Milan interestFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to the , the Danish forward faced an uphill battle in the dressing room after he switched representatives and joined Erik ten Hag's SEG agency. This was a month or so before he had even joined United in the summer of 2023, during which time there were concerns over the influence of SEG on transfers, and so Hojlund had already 'marked his card' with some of his new team-mates.

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Some team-mates are not happy with his performances on the pitch since, as his work rate and lack of aerial prowess have come into question. During United's pre-season tour of the U.S., Hojlund was seen kicking the post after Patrick Dorgu denied him a pass and took a shot himself. Hojlund, who has scored just three goals in his last 35 appearances for United, is likely to leave the club this summer, amid strong interest from AC Milan.

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Hojlund is set to continue to struggle for game time under Ruben Amorim this season, as the club are on the verge of completing a transfer for RB Leipzig's star forward Benjamin Sesko. 

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Amorim's side will play their final pre-season friendly this Saturday as they host Serie A side Fiorentina. Sesko could be unveiled to the Old Trafford crowd before or during the game.

The loss, by a huge 98-run margin, has pushed LSG out of the top four with the playoffs not far away

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-May-20242:49

Narine has joined Russell on the ride to success – McClenaghan

Sunil Narine crashed 81 off 39 deliveries and Ramandeep Singh got only six balls to face and smashed 25 in those. In addition, Phil Salt, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Shreyas Iyer played aggressive innings. All of which meant that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) surged to 235 for 6 in their 20 overs, which in Lucknow – one of the lower-scoring venues in IPL 2024 – was always going to be incredibly difficult to surpass.The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) innings didn’t really take off. There was a 50-run second-wicket partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis, but even that went at too slow a pace (they took 33 balls) to cause serious problems for KKR. Once that stand was broken, the innings fell apart quickly, the last nine wickets falling for 67 runs, as the required rate ballooned out of control.Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana took three wickets each. Andre Russell took two. And Ramandeep claimed two catches, the first of which was one of the most spectacular of the season.Sunil Narine brought up his fifty in 27 balls•BCCINarine crushes it in the first 12 oversSalt was the first aggressor, hitting 24 off the first nine balls he faced. But he was soon out for 32 off 14, and from then, it was the Narine show.Narine warmed up with five fours, then started getting the big hits going at the end of the fourth over, bludgeoning a Mohsin Khan short ball over deep square-leg, clubbing Krunal Pandya over deep midwicket not long after, and later thrashing Yash Thakur over the square-leg boundary. In the middle overs, he dealt almost exclusively in sixes, and by the end of his stay, he had walloped seven, to go with six fours. He holed out to long-off attempting another six off LSG’s best bowler Ravi Bishnoi, who was the only one to finish with an economy rate lower than 11.Ramandeep Singh celebrates after taking a back-tracking blinder•BCCIRamandeep plays a cameo to rememberLSG had a good period between overs 14 and 18, where they conceded only 45 while taking three wickets. Thanks to Narine, Salt and Raghuvanshi, with whom Narine shared a 79-run partnership, KKR were headed for a mammoth score. But the slight slowdown might have given LSG a foot in the door.Ramandeep pushed the total back into gargantuan territory in spectacular style. He took a two in front of square on the leg side to start with, bashed a six over cow corner second ball, bludgeoned one over long-on fourth ball, ramped a four over short third next, then thumped a full toss over midwicket to finish the innings. To recap, he went 2, 6, 1, 6, 4, 6.As if scoring at a strike rate of more than 400 wasn’t impressive enough, he also pulled off one of the catches of the season to get rid of Arshin Kulkarni. Speeding towards the boundary from point, he kept his eyes on a leading edge that had gone high into the air, and put in a spectacular dive to get his hands on a ball whose trajectory he did not seem like he would intersect. He took another catch at deep point later, to dismiss Rahul, the other LSG opener.Harshit Rana, on return from disciplinary suspension, sent back KL Rahul on his way to a three-for•Associated PressAnd then LSG crumbleWith a required rate of almost 12 set from the start of the innings, LSG were always going to struggle, given the quality in KKR’s attack. They scored 13 off the fourth over, bowled by Mitchell Starc, but then Narine came in with a four-run fifth over, and by the end of the powerplay, the required rate was up near 13.When LSG tried to hit out, wickets fell rapidly. At no point did they seem to have the measure of this chase. On a slow track, on which KKR’s slower bowlers were effective, Rahul’s wicket set off a collapse.

Chelsea have revealed their stance on Nicolas Jackson's transfer this summer, as the Senegalese continues to be linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge. The Blues have signed Liam Delap and Joao Pedro to strengthen their attack in this transfer window and both forwards have shown early promise by performing fairly well in the Club World Cup, where Enzo Maresca's side emerged victorious.

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Jackson wants to leave Chelsea this summer in a bid to get more game time, following the arrivals of Pedro and Delap at Stamford Bridge earlier in the transfer window. The Senegal international is reportedly keen on a move to Newcastle United if they sell their star forward, Alexander Isak to Liverpool.

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According to The Daily Mail, the Blues are in no hurry to offload their out-of-favour striker Jackson in this window. Chelsea have a set squad ahead of the 2025-26 campaign and are not planning to buy another forward, even if Jackson decides to move out. The 24-year-old forward was kept away from the club's matchday squads during the pre-season friendlies against AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen last week, as he trained alone at Cobham. Although Jackson was not part of the team's 'bomb squad' featuring stars like Raheem Sterling, Renato Veiga, Carney Chukwuemeka, Alfie Gilchrist, David Datro Fofana and others.

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The Daily Mail got in touch with the CIES Football Observatory based in Switzerland to get a scientific transfer algorithm, which revealed that Jackson is valued at €85 million (£73.3m/$99m).

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The Blues kick off the new Premier League season on Sunday as they host Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Crystal Palace talisman Eberechi Eze is heading to Arsenal in a blockbuster £67.5 million deal, and manager Oliver Glasner has made no attempt to hide his fury at how the saga has unfolded, leaving them with little time to find a replacement. The England international pulled out of Thursday night’s historic 1-0 Conference League play-off victory over Fredrikstad just hours before kick-off, with Glasner admitting he was blindsided by the timing.

Arsenal to snap up Eze in £67.5m swoopGlasner blasts Palace chiefs for transfer failingsGuehi also linked with LiverpoolFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

Eze, who was expected to start against the Norwegians, rang Glasner on matchday claiming he felt unwell. That forced the Austrian to turn to 21-year-old Justin Devenny, who stepped into the starting XI on a night that marked Palace’s first-ever taste of European action.

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After the slender 1-0 victory, Glasner launched a blistering attack on the club’s hierarchy, accusing them of sleepwalking through the transfer market while their prized asset’s exit loomed large.

"I can't do anything," said Glasner. "I can't sign a player's contract. We have to act. We need this. This is Crystal Palace's future. It's easy to add numbers, we need to add the right players.

"The profile has been defined for months, for months. Also it's not surprising for everyone that Ebs left, because five days earlier we couldn't have done anything if he leaves [due to a release clause]. We knew that this chance is very high that this would happen, and honestly, I say it like it is, we missed the chance to replace him early enough. That's completely our fault, and nobody else's fault."

He was brutally honest with Eze's future and added, "I'm responsible for Crystal Palace and I think he won't play for us again. So I have to prepare the team for Nottingham [Forest, in the Premier League on Sunday] and for the second leg against Fredrikstad, and I'm planning without Eberechi."

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The storm clouds may not stop at Eze. Centre-back and captain Marc Guehi played the full 90 minutes against Fredrikstad, but has been deep in discussions with Liverpool over a summer switch. Losing both Guehi and Eze in the same window would be nothing short of catastrophic for Palace, robbing them of leadership and star power in one hit.

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Palace have so far signed Croatian defender Borna Sosa for £2m and goalkeeper Walter Benítez on a free. However, club chairman Steve Parish insisted further reinforcements would arrive before the window closes, though he conceded Palace may not be able to replace Eze like-for-like.

Speaking to British broadcaster after the victory, he said: "It is what it is. We've got to move past [it]. He's been fantastic for the club. We all love him for what he's done and achieved, and we're pleased that he can go on and fulfil the other ambitions that he's got. The king is dead, long live the king. We have to move past it and we have to find other players to bring in that can support the rest of the team and Oliver.

"We will bring in players. It is about finding the right ones. It is difficult to replace players like that, and the squad was probably a little bit thin anyway. We will try and use the money and try to make ourselves, maybe not individually as good, but a bit broader with a stronger base. A few more options, that is what we will try and do."

Critics of Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal have been told to stop focusing on his lifestyle and enjoy his brilliance by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.

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The Spain boss urged critics to celebrate his "genius" on the pitch instead of off-field matters. Speaking on , De la Fuente stressed that Yamal should be “enjoyed the same way you do Lionel Messi,” dismissing scrutiny of the winger’s cars, girlfriend and birthday controversies. His remarks come amid headlines about Yamal’s public relationship with Argentine singer Nicki Nicole and off the back of a legal probe into entertainment at his 18th birthday party.

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Yamal has faced criticism over his private life, but he has been staunchly defended by those close to him, who insist attention should remain firmly on his football, including his national team's manager.

De la Fuente said: "Lamine is an 18-year-old, but very mature young man. He lives football intensely and knows how to handle a situation as complicated as making his debut with the national team at 16. We talk about the less pleasant aspects of football when we should be conveying the values it embodies. Lamine has a fantastic capacity for self-sacrifice, generosity… He's a football genius. We should focus on that more than whether he's bought a car, a motorcycle, or is seen with a girlfriend. Lamine hasn't done anything that could be criticised."

In addition to pushing back on off-field distractions, the starlet was compared with superstar Lionel Messi, not as a burden, but as inspiration for Yamal, saying: "He has a big mirror in front of him to look into. He has to embrace all the great things Messi has done. I hope we can enjoy Lamine in the same way we enjoyed Messi."

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At just 18, Yamal is carrying the weight of Blaugrana’s future while being compared to Messi, the starlet is also in the contention of the football's most prestigious award Balllon d'Or. While, these off-field distractions highlight the growing challenges for modern football stars, who are often judged as much for their lifestyles as their performances. De la Fuente’s words are a reminder that Spain and Barca must shield Yamal from the noise if they want him to flourish.

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Yamal made his Spain debut at just 16 years and 57 days old, becoming the youngest player and scorer in La Roja’s history. He also holds the record for the youngest player to appear in a Champions League knockout tie, underlining the once-in-a-generation nature of his rise.

Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after the team's shocking Bundesliga collapse against ten-man Werder Bremen. Ten Hag has been dismissed after just two Bundesliga games and 62 days in charge of the German side, who were held to a 3-3 draw after blowing a two-goal lead against Bremen on Saturday.

Ten Hag sacked after two Bundesliga matchesLeverkusen held to a 3-3 draw by 10-man BremenEx-Man Utd manager lasts just 62 days in jobFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Following Leverkusen's 3-3 draw against a 10-man Werder Bremen at the weekend, the club hierarchy decided to part ways with their head coach Ten Hag. The Dutchman lost his first game in charge against Hoffenheim and Leverkusen failed to bounce back away at Bremen, leaving his position untenable in the eyes of the senior officials at Bay Arena.

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Leverkusen released an official statement to confirm the manager's departure, which read: "Bayer 04 Leverkusen has parted ways with head coach Erik ten Hag with immediate effect. Training will be taken over by the assistant coaching staff for the time being."

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Sky Sports' further reported that the Leverkusen management took the decision on Monday morning and informed Ten Hag, which delayed the team's training session. Ten Hag did kick off the new season with a 4-0 win over SG in the DFB Pokal first round, but a poor start in the Bundesliga put Ten Hag under extreme pressure, just two months after his initial arrival as Xabi Alonso's replacement.

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Leverkusen underwent a major squad overhaul in the summer window, losing five pillars of their 2023-24 title-winning side in the form of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky, and Jonathan Tah.

Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres has spoken out in support of close friend Alexander Isak following his controversial transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool.

Gyokeres congratulates Isak on Liverpool moveStriker defends his friend after Newcastle exitSweden internationals share close relationshipFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Isak’s record-breaking £125m switch to Liverpool was one of the summer’s most dramatic transfer sagas, with the striker refusing to train with Newcastle in the final days before the deal went through. The saga drew heavy criticism from fans and pundits, but Isak has now been publicly backed by fellow Sweden international Gyokeres, who revealed he congratulated his friend and insisted the move was the right step for his career.

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"I haven't spoken with him too much because he's just come. I said hi to him and congratulated him for the move and not so much more," Gyokeres said when asked about Isak. "Yeah, I said earlier about my situation [leaving Sporting CP for Arsenal], it can be the same. You don't know what has been going on behind [the scenes]. I don't know in his case what has gone on exactly so it's difficult for me to speak about that.

"When it is a player who is not wanted in that club I think it's the total opposite, He doesn't have any power, the club can literally do whatever they want with the player. It's difficult but it's how the situation is."

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Gyokeres' move to Arsenal this summer followed a similar story to Isak's Anfield switch. The 27-year-old reportedly refused to return to Sporting for pre-season and insisted on a move away. He eventually got his wish, as did Isak, with the pair set to link up for their national team before battling it out for the Premier League title this season.

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Isak has missed out on the chance to face compatriot Gyokeres in the Premier League until 2026, but instead they will share the pitch against Slovenia and Kosovo in two World Cup qualifiers this month.

Jhon Duran bailed out a wasteful Cristiano Ronaldo after a dreadful penalty miss as Al-Nassr edged out Al-Khaleej to keep their ACL Elite hopes alive.

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Al-Nassr beat Al-Khaleej 2-0Ronaldo scored after missing from the spotDuran was the brightest spark on the pitchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPTELL ME MORE

It was a must-win game for Al-Nassr to keep their Champions League Elite hopes alive. And after a lacklustre first half, they somehow managed to get the three points.

In the opening 45 minutes, Stefano Pioli's men resembled a Sunday league team who had forgotten their shooting boots. Ronaldo had several opportunities to break the deadlock, but the Portuguese missed the target. His strike partner, Duran, had an empty net to aim at in the 23rd minute, but he somehow managed to hit wide.

After the hour mark, Al-Nassr earned a penalty after Sultan Al-Ghannam was brought down inside the box. Ronaldo stepped up to convert, but the forward hit the outside of the post, much to the dismay of the home support. Minutes later, he was set up by Duran, but the 40-year-old once again failed to hit the target.

Just as panic was setting in at Al-Awwal Park, the former Aston Villa star rose highest to head home a cross from Sadio Mane in the 75th minute. Although it was a nervy final quarter for the hosts, Ronaldo's stoppage-time spot-kick put the game to bed.

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Duran emerged as the difference-maker between the two sides, and the Colombian was undoubtedly the MVP of the match. On an evening when both Ronaldo and Mane went missing, the striker rose to the occassion in what was a must-win encounter for Al-Nassr.

THE BIG LOSER

Denied a couple of times by the woodwork, it was just not Ronaldo's evening in Riyadh. The Portuguese found himself on the receiving end of several goal-scoring opportunities, but luck was not on his side. Although he did redeem himself marginally in stoppage time from the penalty spot, one would expect better from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

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WHAT COMES NEXT?

After this win, Al-Nassr are now just a point behind third-placed Al-Qadsiyah. Ronaldo and Co. must win their final league match against Al-Fateh on Monday and hope that Al-Qadsiyah drop points against Al-Hilal to qualify for the Champions League Elite.

Shakib notches a half-century and four wickets in an ODI for record-breaking fourth time

Mohammad Isam06-Mar-2023Bangladesh 246 (Shakib 75, Mushfiqur 70, Shanto 54, Archer 3-35) beat England 196 (Vince 38, Shakib 4-35) by 50 runsShakib Al Hasan capped the achievement of reaching 300 ODI wickets with another great all-round showing to lead Bangladesh to a 50-run win against England. The small Chattogram crowd burst into life when Shakib took his fourth wicket, making him the first Bangladeshi to reach this feat.Shakib scored a quickfire 75 to help Bangladesh to a fighting 246 all out, before taking 4 for 35. It was the fourth time in his career that Shakib made a fifty and took four wickets in ODIs, moving him ahead of Shahid Afridi and Chris Gayle on three. This was also Shakib’s tenth four-wicket haul.The amazing showing was a reminder of Shakib’s quality and class as an allrounder. He wrestled Bangladesh out of a tough situation in the latter part of their innings, before giving them breakthroughs throughout the England innings.The visitors were off to a flyer after Jason Roy and Phil Salt struck a flurry of boundaries in the first nine overs. But when Salt hit one to cover point where Mahmudullah took a simple catch, Shakib had given Bangladesh the important first wicket. Having started brightly for his 35 off 25 balls, creaming seven fours, Salt was furious with himself.Ebadot Hossain had Dawid Malan, centurion from the first game, caught at mid-on for a duck, before Shakib removed Roy for 19 off 33 balls. The ball kept a little low but that’s usually how Shakib’s undercutter looks as it skids into the stumps. Three wickets in nine balls turned 54 for no loss into 55 for 3, bringing the home side back in the contest.Sam Curran, promoted to No. 5 in the absence of Will Jacks, scratched around for 49 balls for his 23, before hitting one down long-off’s throat in the 24th over. His partnership with James Vince added 49 runs, but the direction of the match would always depend on the next pair.Vince however fell in the 27th over when Shakib got one to rip from middle and leg, take Vince’s outside edge. Mushfiqur Rahim juggled once before gripping it properly, as Shakib gave Vince a send-off, possibly for getting hit the previous ball. Ebadot then roared a yorker through Moeen Ali’s attempted push, as England started to slip away.Taijul Islam broke through in the 35th over when he had Jos Buttler lbw for 26, a surprising innings that had no boundaries. Adil Rashid also fell to Taijul, in his last over.Shakib returned for his last two overs, removing England debutant Rehan Ahmed with a half-tracker, caught at midwicket, before Mustafizur Rahman caught and bowled Chris Woakes, who made 34.Bangladesh had to thank their bowlers as even three fifties in their batting innings wasn’t enough for a big total. There weren’t enough contributions from the other batters.Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim scored fifties•BCBCurran removed both openers in the first three overs. Litton Das fell for his second successive duck, before Tamim Iqbal top edged a flick after making 11.Mushfiqur and Najmul Hossain Shanto took them out of that spot with a 98-run third wicket. Both struck fifties as they stuck around for more than 21 overs. It was slow going at times, but they had to consolidate. But shortly after reaching his fifty, Shanto was run out after he responded late to a Mushfiqur call for a tight single.Mushfiqur missed with his slog-sweep against Adil Rashid’s googly in the 33rd over, having made 70 off 93 balls with six fours. Rashid removed Mahmudullah cheaply too, before Shakib took over the bulk of the scoring. He added 49 for the sixth wicket with Afif, who struggled to 15, before Mehidy Hasan and Taijul fell cheaply as Shakib lacked support, eventually holing out off Jofra Archer.Rashid was England’s best bowler once again, although Archer took one more wicket than his two scalps. Curran took those two early wickets while Woakes and Rehan took a wicket each. They made sure Bangladesh were bowled out before playing 50 overs for all three matches in this series.This is the first instance in 15 years in a home ODI series for Bangladesh. But the home side’s relief was to have avoided a whitewash at home, with Sri Lanka having inflicted the last one in 2014.