BANGLADESH

Mahela Jayawardene stepped down as Sri Lanka's 20-over captain after failing to lead his team to their maiden World Twenty20 title on Sunday.

Hosts Sri Lanka lost to West Indies by 36 runs for their fourth successive defeat in World Cup finals in front of a full house at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

"It's not a surprise... I have had a chat with the selectors before the tournament started. I was going to step down from T20 captaincy after this World Cup," Jayawardene told reporters.

"I personally feel that for Sri Lanka going forward, we need a younger leader. I think it's a great opportunity for somebody to start in the T20 format.

"So I have spoken to the selectors. They were quite happy with the choice I have made."

Jayawardene, who played in each of the team's two 50-over World Cup final losses in 2007 and 2011 and the T20 final loss to Pakistan in 2009, said he would continue to lead the team in the other two formats.

"I haven't stepped down from other formats. I took over (to lead) till the Australian tour (in December)," he said.

"I will assess what I want to do after that. But this I am going to step down, they will make a call on who is going to lead the national team in T20."

Jayawardene said Sri Lanka would have to figure out how to break the World Cup final jinx.

"It hurts a lot, because you want to do something special, not just personally, but for the public as well," the stylish right-handed batsman said.

"We've been playing really good cricket but we haven't been able to cross that hurdle. So it hurts as a player, as a cricketer, as an individual...

"But we just need to move on, try, and see how well we can get over this and get back on and keep fighting again."

It was a rare off-day for Lasith Malinga, considered one of the best bowlers in the shortest format with his unique slinging action and toe-crushing yorkers.

Marlon Samuels hit five sixes off Malinga to wrest back the momentum as the unorthodox paceman gave away 54 runs off his four overs.

"He (Malinga) went to areas where he is very comfortable with when somebody is going after him. That's why I brought him because they were going big and I backed my number one bowler to deliver.

"But Marlon batted really well, so hats off to him. He played some really good shots. So that's one of those days when the momentum shifted and it was pretty tough to get back in it again."

Marlon Samuels turned up with more than just his best form in Sunday's World Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka on Sunday.

The 31-year-old Jamaican, architect of West Indies' 36-run victory over the hosts, was seen wearing a yellow neckerchief, which he later described as his lucky charm.

"(It's for) good luck," Samuels, who hit a match-winning 78 runs off 56 balls and claimed one wicket for 15 runs to walk away with the man-of-the-match award, said in the presentation ceremony.

"I take it on tour and I decided I am going to wear it in the final. I batted with it underneath my shirt and I field with it outside. Thought it would bring some luck today."

Asked if he would keep it around his neck when he partied on Sunday night, Samuels said, "No definitely, I'm going to give it some rest until the test series starts in Bangladesh. That's what I'm looking for. I need to set my standard to get at least five centuries per year."

Sunday's victory meant a lot for Samuels, who was banned in 2008 for passing on team information to a bookmaker during a one-day series in India in January 2007.

"Everything what happened to me in my life is important, everything that happened to me in tough times. I know that I'm someone who never gives up," Samuels said.

"Never-say-die, I think that's the person I am, dominant inside. That is the reason I'm still here playing cricket and not giving up."

Samuels was particularly harsh on Sri Lankan pace bowler Lasith Malinga on Sunday, hitting him for five sixes, including three in the same over.

"The wicket was a bit slow. But today was a different mindset. I decided to attack their best bowler which is Malinga and it paid off for me," he said, revealing he a score to settle.

"Well, I was facing him one time in Mumbai when he got me out bowled and I was very upset. So it was my time today..."

West Indies defied the odds to claim their first World Cup in 33 years after upstaging Sri Lanka by 36 runs in the final of the World Twenty20 at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

The Caribbeans, always favourites with the game's romantics, bowled their opponents for 101 in 18.4 overs defending a modest 137-run total. This is their first major global title since 2004 when they won the Champions League.

The low-scoring final was turned on its head after Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene's dismissal for 33.

Concerned at being behind the Duckworth-Lewis score, an unsettled Jayawardene tried to reverse sweep but succeeded in top-edging to point.

And thereafter the Lankans lost three more wickets, two of them being run outs for nine runs.

Nuwan Kulasekara entertained the crowd with cameo 16-ball 26 that took them close to the 100-run mark.

Sunil Narine took 3 for 9 and Darren Sammy 2 for 6.

Sri Lanka's chase got off to a terrible start when Tillaratne Dilshan (0 ) was clean bowled by Ravi Rampaul with the score on six in the second over.

Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara however steadied the ship putting on 42 runs.

But Sangakkara (22) was taken out at deep midwicket trying to pull Samuel Badree.

All-rounder Angelo Mathews, having faced a couple of dot balls, tried to scoop over short fine leg but was bowled by Sammy.

Earlier, Marlon Samuels launched an audacious counter-attack under pressure to smash a superb half-century and rally the West Indies to 137 for six after they won the toss.

The right-hander, Man of the Final, saved his best performance for the final with a 56-ball 76 that contained six sixes and three fours.

Towards the end, Sammy made a quick 15-ball 26 not out.

All of Sri Lanka's frontline bowlers subjected the West Indies to a torrid time at the crease. Ajantha Mendis led the show with four wickets for 12 runs.

The West Indians laboured to 32-2 after 10 overs.

Johnson Charles was out for a duck off the fifth ball of the opening over that was a maiden bowled by Angelo Mathews.

Much was expected of Chris Gayle; however, he was trapped lbw by Ajantha in the sixth over when he missed a straight delivery. He faced 16 balls to make three – a rare failure.

Such was the dominance of the Lankan bowlers that the West Indies had managed to score just one four at the halfway point of the innings.

Samuels and Dwayne Bravo added 59 runs for the third wicket after their side slumped to 14-2 after six overs.

But Mendis ended the stand getting Bravo lbw for 19 in the 14th over.

The spinner then put the Windies under more pressure with a double-wicket strike to remove Kieron Pollard (2) and Andre Russell (0), who tried to sweep the first ball he faced. It made the score read 87-5.

All the time though Samuels was dealing in boundaries until Akila Dananjaya had him caught at mid-wicket as he pulled one from outside off for another big hit.

West Indies qualified for the final after inflicting a crushing 74-run defeat on Australia. Sri Lanka sealed their place with a 16-run victory against Pakistan in their semi-final.

The West Indians, the original kings of one-day international cricket, last won a global title at the 2004 Champions Trophy held in England. Sri Lanka had been to three major finals - two World Cup 50 overs finals losses in 2007 and 2011 and the T20 final loss to Pakistan in 2009.

Meanwhile, Australia's Shane Watson has been named World Twenty20 player of the tournament after dominating the event with both bat and ball.

The opener topped the run-scoring list with 249 at an average of 49.80, including three half-centuries.

Watson also claimed 11 wickets at 16.00, second on the bowling list behind Mendis (15 victims at 9.80)

Rapid Action Battalion on Sunday night arrested Hallmark Group Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud in Mirpur on charge of taking loan from Sonali Bank against phony collateral.

RAB's Media and Legal Wing Director Commander M Sohail confirmed bdnews24.com the arrest of the first high-profile official in Bangladesh's biggest bank scandal.

Mahmud was detained around 9:30pm from the house of one 'Pavel' on road 2 of Mirpur-6. Mahmud's brother-in law Tusher Ahmed, the Hallmark General Manager and the third accused in the corruption case, was also arrested with him.

The MD was hiding in the two-room flat on the fourth floor of the five-storied apartment building.

RAB found five BlackBerry mobile-phone sets, a foreign pistol loaded with four rounds of bullets and over Tk 0.2 million in cash on him, said Sohail.

When asked about his relations with Pavel, Mahmud said he was taken there by one of his employees and that he did not know Pavel.

Sohail said they will hand over Mahmud to police after the formalities.

On Oct 11, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed 11 cases against 27 people, including Mahmud and a former Manager of Sonali Bank, after investigations pointed to their collaboration in misappropriating over Tk 15.68 billion taken as loan through forgery.

Seven of the accused are Hallmark officials while the rest are from the largest state-owned commercial bank.

Investigators are set to submit their reports before court on Nov 18, 19 and 20 in connection with the cases.

State-run news agency BSS said the elite force raided Mahmud's favourite retreat at Nandokhali in Hemayetpur of Savar in the early hours of Sunday, but did not find him there.

RAB-4 Camp Commander at Nabinagar in Savar Tahsin Salehin said they launched the raid tipped off that Tanvir was staying in his factory at Hemayetpur. The raid lasted until 5am from 2:30am.

The scam surfaced after Bangladesh Bank in May revealed branches of the state-owned commercial bank had given out over Tk 36 billion to little-known textile firm Hallmark Group and five other dubious organisations between 2010 and 2012. Hallmark Group alone took Tk 26.86 billion of the sum.

A six-strong special ACC investigation team headed by Deputy Director Mir Joynal Abedin Shibli investigated the scandal.

On Oct 2, Mahmud had admitted before a Parliamentary Sub-Committee on the Ministry of Finance that they took loans from Sonali Bank flouting rules.

Sonali Bank suspended a couple of General Managers and 18 other officials on Aug 30 for their alleged link with the scam. The bank has also asked the Group to return the credit money.

ACC also interrogated Prime Minister's Health and Family Affairs Advisor Syed Modasser Ali after newspapers reported that he had influenced the disbursement of the loan and frequented the branch.

The graft-busters on Sept 26 also quizzed several members of the bank's Board of Directors who also held the bank's management responsible.

They said the board on Jan 2, 2011 had issued an order banning issue of Inland Bill Purchase (IBP). But the Hallmark Group was given the loan violating that order as the board had based its decision on the information provided by the management.

Biman Bangladesh Airline Ltd has resumed flights on domestic routes through connecting flights.

The national carrier in a media statement made the announcement on Sunday.

The statement said a total of 30 flights are operating on Dhaka-Chittagong and Sylhet-Dhaka routes every week, with 11 flying on Dhaka-Chittagong, 14 on Chittagong-Dhaka and five to seven on Sylhet-Dhaka routes.

DC-10, Boeing-777 and 737 are the carriers being used for transporting passengers, said the statement.

Biman hoped it would help passengers travel at a lower cost.

It will cost Tk 3,500 and Tk 2,800 to travel to Chittagong and Sylhet per passenger.

Biman shut its flights on local routes until Nov 29 for avoiding schedule chaos and facilitating unhindered operation of flights for Hajj pilgrims.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday has arrived in Cox's Bazaar to visit the sites of Sep 29 communal violence in Ramu Upazila.

She left Dhaka for Cox's Bazaar around 8:45am on a special plane from Kurmitola Air Base and landed here around 10:15am. Then she straight headed to Ramu.

Hasina is expected to return to Cox's Bazar from Ramu around 1pm after visiting the affected areas.

The PM will meet with senior officials and political leaders at Cox's Bazaar Circuit House to discuss the overall situation in the area. She is expected to leave Cox's Bazaar around 4pm.

Religious fanatics, apparently stirred up by a Facebook post allegedly defaming the Quran, attacked Buddhist locality in Ramu on Sep 29. At least seven Buddhist monasteries, 30 houses and shops were vandalised, looted and torched during the overnight frenzy.

The string of violence continued the following day as similar attacks took place in Chittagong's Patia, and Cox's Bazaar's Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas.

Hasina, who was in US to attend the UN General Assembly at that time, strongly criticised the attacks and ordered strict measures against the people responsible for the hate attack.