Giant screens, fans, Carlsen: Chess at EWC 2026 gets louder on the es…

In Paris, chess found a louder stage at the Esports World Cup, where giant screens, live crowds, music and esports-style production surrounded the world’s best players. Magnus Carlsen defended his title, while India’s Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin reached the top eight. Through players, fans and organisers, this reported feature examines how chess is adapting to esports without changing the game itself - and what that could mean for its future.

Bangladesh completed a stunning nine-wicket victory over Australia in the first test on Sunday, securing its first win on Australian soil and only its second victory over the top-ranked Australia.

After making a vital half-century in Bangladesh’s first innings, Mehidy Hasan Miraz took five wickets in Australia’s second innings to restrict the hosts to a lead of just 56 runs, before Australia were bowled out for 284 midway through the afternoon session at Darwin’s Marrara Oval. argolida.life

Cameron Green scored his third test century, and his first in Australia, making a composed 104 from 201 balls to lead Australia’s resistance and give Bangladesh a modest target.

Bangladesh suffered some early nerves when Josh Hazlewood (1-5) dismissed first-innings centurion Tanzid Hasan for a duck, but Shadman Islam (25 not out) and Mominul Haque (30 not out) held their composure to chase down the target in 14.2 overs sparking wild celebrations within the contingent of Bangladesh fans seated behind the team’s dugout on the boundary.

It was a thoroughly deserved result for Bangladesh, which had outplayed Australia for much of the test after home captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat.

Australia managed just 198 in its first innings, with Steve Smith top-scoring with 71, before Bangladesh capitalised as the pitch flattened to post 426 and take a commanding 228-run lead.

That advantage ultimately proved too much for Australia to overcome, despite Green’s breakthrough century, as Bangladesh secured a historic victory, and only its second against Australia after its maiden win in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2017.

For Australia, this defeat will rank as one of its most humiliating home reverses in its 149-year test history with considerable pressure now on the team’s selectors to make changes ahead of the second test in Mackay, Queensland, starting August 22.

Mehidy takes 5

With the door still ajar for Australia at 161-4 at the start of Day 4 with Green and Alex Carey at the crease, Mehidy (5-66) firmly closed it with a superb spell either side of lunch to claim four more wickets, to accompany the huge wicket of Steve Smith late on Day 3 to turn the match decisively towards Bangladesh.

The off-spinner picked up Alex Carey (30) with the wicketkeeper batter expertly caught behind by his counterpart Litton Das.

Mehidy then produced a superb delivery that straightened past the bat of Beau Webster (5) and clipped the top of off stump to have Australia at 6-193, still trailing by 35 runs and with the tail exposed.

Pat Cummins’ (8) stay was brief as he offered a catch to Hasan Miraz at short leg to give Mehidy his third wicket of the morning.

Mehidy’s deserved fifth was Nathan Lyon leg before wicket to end Australia’s innings.

Green’s defiance

Green was the only constant across Australia’s innings and combined with the tail to help the hosts avoid the ignominy of a home innings defeat and frustrate Bangladesh.

The all-rounder brought up a deserved century after lunch from 192 balls, with four boundaries and a six. His celebration was understated given the circumstances for his team, but should not detract from what was his finest innings for Australia in his 37 matches, many of which have been accompanied by questions as to the merits of his selection in the team.

Green’s vigil ended when a delivery from Hasan Mahmud (3-56) kept low and bowled Green for 104.

The two-test ‘Top End’ series starts a heavy 12-month schedule for the Australians that will feature 20 test matches, including tours to South Africa, India and England.

Historical moment for Bangladesh Men’s cricket as they registered their first-ever Test victory over Australia on Australian soil. In the first of the two-match Test series in Darwin, Bangladesh stunned the Aussies by 9 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Overall, in their Test history, this is only the second time Bangladesh have defeated Australia. Before this ongoing tour, the Bangla Tigers had played Tests in Australia only once, back in 2003. They lost both matches on that tour, but 23 years later, Bangladesh, under the captaincy of Najmul Hossain Shanto, have written a golden chapter in their Test history.

Speaking of the match, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. However, the home team failed to capitalise, getting bundled out for 198 in 53 overs. The conditions appeared favourable to the bowlers, particularly the pacers, as Bangladesh’s pace trio of Ebadot Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud shared all 10 wickets between them. Ebadot and Taskin picked up two each, while Hasan became the first Bangladeshi bowler to claim a Test five-wicket haul in Australia, finishing with figures of 6/55.

For Australia, only Steve Smith showed some resistance with a 71, as none of the other batters managed to convert their starts into substantial scores or stitch together a significant partnership.

In reply, Bangladesh’s batters showed courage and grit, putting the world’s No. 1-ranked Test team under immense pressure. They batted for 138 overs, scored 426 and secured a massive 228-run lead. The 25-year-old opener, Tanzid Hasan, made history by becoming the first Bangladeshi batter to score a Test century in Australia, scoring 101. Skipper Najmul added 84, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz contributed 65 down the order to keep the visitors firmly in control.

For Australia, Josh Hazlewood led the attack with a six-wicket haul and also entered the 300-Test-wicket club, becoming only the ninth Australian bowler to achieve the feat. However, faced with the daunting task of overcoming a 228-run deficit, Australia once again lost both openers cheaply, reducing them to 37/2.

Marnus Labuschagne, Smith and Alex Carey all failed to convert their starts into big scores. At one end, Cameron Green put up a fight, scoring his first home Test century and third overall, with a 104. However, Australia could manage only a 56-run lead, with the lack of support from the other end clearly visible as Bangladesh moved closer to a historic victory.

Continuing the momentum he gained with the bat, Mehidy then shone with the ball, claiming a five-wicket haul. He became only the second Bangladeshi bowler to take a Test fifer in Australia and the first Bangladeshi spinner to achieve the feat.

In reply, Hazlewood gave the visitors an early scare by removing first-innings centurion Tanzid for a five-ball duck. However, Bangladesh did not allow the setback to put them under further pressure as they chased down the 57-run target.

Last week, from being bundled out for just 54 in the second innings of their warm-up clash against the Cricket Australia XI and losing that game by an innings and 38 runs to securing a thumping victory over Australia inside four days (11 sessions), Bangladesh have made a huge statement.

The victory also strengthens Bangladesh’s position in the ongoing World Test Championship points table. With this win, Bangladesh now have three wins and a draw in five games, taking their points percentage to 66.67. Australia’s points percentage, meanwhile, has dropped to 77.78 from 87.50, having now suffered two defeats in nine games.

The second Test will take place at Mackay from August 22-26.

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Boria Majumdar

I did a piece on Rohit Sharma yesterday in which I made two fundamental points. First, no one can ask anyone to retire. It is entirely a personal call, and only Rohit can decide when he wants to exit the stage. He can very well be dropped if he doesn’t score runs, but to say he should retire is way off the mark.

Second, I argued that the only thing of relevance here is performance. Not reputation, not age, not anything else. As long as Rohit scores runs, he will have control of his fate. If he doesn’t, the selectors are well within their rights to drop him.

Many have responded to the piece and shared their opinions on retirement. While it is impossible to respond to every comment, let me make the moot point one more time: age isn’t even relevant here.

Luka Modrić played at the World Cup for a record sixth time. Yes, he wasn’t his usual self, but he continued to play on. The decision to pick him was the manager’s. But to offer himself for selection was entirely Modrić’s call.

I would argue the very same thing for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Messi has won everything in the game. That he is the greatest is now largely accepted. And yet, after the World Cup, he went back to Inter Miami and continues to play on.

How many will say, ‘What more does he have to prove?’ The counter-question is: why should he leave? He is there purely on merit, and if Inter Miami don’t want him in the team, let them drop him.

The very same applies to Rohit. To ask what he will achieve by playing on for a couple more series is a banal argument. He can choose to play on for one game or 100 more. That call is his. Whether or not he is picked is a different matter altogether.

He has clearly worked on his fitness and is leaner than ever. He is fielding well, and some of his efforts in England stood out. All of this points to his desire to play on. He clearly has the passion. Why else would he continue?

To ask for his retirement is to ask for something over which you don’t even have a say.

Will he be there for the 2027 World Cup? That is the question doing the rounds. The answer entirely depends on his ability to score big runs consistently. If he does, he will be around. If he doesn’t, the selectors have every right to look beyond him and turn to Yashasvi Jaiswal.

For anyone to claim they know Rohit won’t be picked is pure kite-flying. The selectors don’t know either. They will have to base their judgement on whether he continues to score or not. Second, there could be changes in the selection committee, and the new committee will have to take this call.

As I said yesterday, asking Rohit to retire is a nice social-media talking point. You will surely get numbers, but nothing more than that.

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The post Rohit Sharma’s Retirement Is His Call, Not Ours appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

Darwin [Australia], August 16 (ANI): Bangladesh pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Test cricket as they defeated Australia by nine wickets in Darwin on Sunday.

The victory made Bangladesh only the third Asian team, after India and Pakistan, to win a Test in Australia.

The visitors needed just 57 runs in their fourth innings to complete the win and comfortably chased the target during the second session of the fourth day. Mominul Haque remained unbeaten on 30, while Shadman Islam finished on 25 not out.

Australia, who had entered the contest as overwhelming favourites, were bowled out for 284 in their second innings after Bangladesh’s bowlers maintained pressure throughout the day.

Player of the Match Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the chief architect of the Australian collapse. The off-spinner claimed five wickets and finished now has 15 five-wicket hauls in his Test career. He had earlier played a crucial role with the bat, scoring 65 to help Bangladesh in the match.

Mehidy made effective use of the rough areas created by the fast bowlers and repeatedly troubled Australia’s right-handed batters. He dismissed Alex Carey, Beau Webster and Nathan Lyon among his five victims, with Lyon falling lbw while attempting a sweep.

Hasan Mahmud also delivered a memorable performance for Bangladesh, taking nine wickets across the match for 111 runs. His match figures were the best by a visiting bowler in Australia in 15 years, excluding India’s Jasprit Bumrah.

Australia’s hopes were kept alive by Cameron Green, who scored his maiden Test century at home. Green battled for nearly five hours and made 100 to give the hosts a chance of setting Bangladesh a challenging target.

However, Hasan Mahmud eventually broke Australia’s resistance by dismissing Green, leaving the hosts in deeper trouble. Mehidy then wrapped up the innings by removing Lyon.

Bangladesh had been considered underdogs heading into the match, having struggled in Test cricket outside Asia. Australia, meanwhile, had won 18 of their previous 23 Tests and appeared in the last two World Test Championship finals.

The result marks a landmark moment for Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side and gives Bangladesh an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

The second Test will provide Australia with an opportunity to respond, while Bangladesh will look to build on one of the most memorable victories in their cricketing history.

Brief Scores: Australia: 198 and 284 (Steve Smith 71, Cameron Green 104, Hasan Mahmud 6/55, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5/66) vs Bangladesh 426 and 57/1 [Tanzid Hasan Tamim 101, Mominul Haque 30*, Josh Hazlewood 6/89, Josh Hazlewood 1/5, win by nine wickets]. (ANI)

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