SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) — Former Bangladesh cricket captain Tamim Iqbal’s condition has improved, doctors said Tuesday, after he was hospitalized following cardiac arrest during a Twenty20 match.
The 36-year-old Tamim was being kept under observation after undergoing an emergency procedure to address a blockage in one of the arteries of his heart, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He reportedly complained of chest pains while fielding as he was leading the Mohammedan team against Shinepukur in Savar in the Dhaka Premier Division.
Abdul Wadud Chowdhury, director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, visited Tamim on Tuesday and gave a positive diagnosis, while remaining cautious.
“We were studying his heart’s function through an eco cardiograph this morning. It shows everything is alright, as if there is no problem,” Chowdhury said in quotes carried by the Prothom Alo newspaper in Bangladesh. “But we must remember that this is a veil. An abnormal beat could be there again.”
Chowdhury said the risk to Tamim is “very small, less than 1%.”
“But if something happens, then the risk is 100% for the patient,” he added. “Tamim is Tamim, our national asset. He should stay here (in the hospital) for 48-72 hours. Then he could move.”
Chowdhury said Tamim “should talk a little, should take rest and should not be agitated about anything.”
In a message to his 7.9 million followers on his Facebook page, Tamim — the only Bangladesh batter to score centuries in all three international formats — said he had been “lucky” to have had “amazing people by my side” and expressed his “heartfelt gratitude and love to all of you.”
Tamim scored more than 5,000 test runs in his 15 years as Bangladesh’s opener, including 10 centuries and a top score of 206 against Pakistan in 2015.
He amassed more than 8,000 one-day international runs with 14 centuries and a best of 158, and hit one T20 hundred.
In late 2023, Tamim opted out of the ODI World Cup after a dispute with a BCB member.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
FILE - Bangladesh's captain Tamim Iqbal reacts as he walks off the field after losing his wicket during the third one day international cricket match between Bangladesh and England in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on March 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Lauren Betts was so dominant inside that she barely missed, scoring 31 points on 15-of-16 shooting to lead UCLA past Mississippi 76-62 on Friday night and sending the Bruins to the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
The 6-foot-7 Betts added 10 rebounds and three blocks for the No. 1 overall seed, which will face LSU on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four. The Tigers beat N.C. State 80-73 earlier Friday.
UCLA coach Cori Close called Betts a “generational player.”
“She’s not only dominant for herself, but she makes everybody on the floor better. And so you just want to put the ball in her hands as many ways and as many times as possible,” Close said.
Kiki Rice added 13 points and seven assists and was the only other player in double figures for the Bruins (32-2).
Tameiya Sadler scored 14 points for the fifth-seeded Rebels (22-10), who had reached the Elite Eight five times, but not since 2007.
Betts had a similar line — 30 points and 14 rebounds — in the Bruins' second-round 84-67 victory over Richmond.
“We’ve worked so hard to get here and I’m just so proud of the selflessness,” Betts said. “I think that to get to this point, it doesn’t matter who’s having their best game, it’s just getting wins at the end of the day. It took a lot of grit from everybody tonight, but I’m so proud of this program.”
Betts is one of just three players to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the tournament in the last 25 seasons.
Ole Miss beat Baylor on its home floor to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in the past three years. In 2023, the Rebels upset Stanford in the second round before falling to Louisville.
“When I look at the season, no one wanted us here, and no one thought we would be here. And we’re still here," Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “We got this far, but unfortunately, we ran into a tough team tonight and did not prevail. But at the end of the day, we will continue to build."
Betts' layup put the Bruins ahead 19-10 in the opening quarter, but Ole Miss closed within 21-19 on KK Deans' jumper.
Deans' fast-break layup at the end of the first half got the Rebels within 30-29 at the break.
The Bruins opened the second half with an 8-0 run and went up 45-33 on Londynn Jones' 3-pointer.
Gabriela Jaquez was all alone on a fast-break layup that put UCLA up 63-46 in the final quarter, and Ole Miss never threatened after that.
UCLA’s only two losses this season came against JuJu Watkins and Southern California before the Bruins got their revenge in the Big Ten Tournament final, beating USC 72-67.
“Honestly, I feel like ever since our loss to SC, I’ve just completely changed my mindset going forward. I think just being aggressive, no matter what, and doing whatever I need to do to help my team and just continuing to be positive regardless of what happens,” Betts said.
The Trojans will also play in Spokane, facing Kansas State on Saturday. It will be their first full game without Watkins, who tore the ACL in her right knee during the first quarter of a 96-59 second-round victory over Mississippi State.
There were not enough superlatives for Betts' performance. She scored 16 of UCLA's 30 first-half points, the second time this season that she's scored more than half of the Bruins' points in a half.
She finished the game with a plus-23 rating, the highest of any player. And the Big Ten's defensive player of the year now has 93 blocks this season.
Last year, UCLA lost to LSU 78-69 in the Sweet 16. Now the Bruins have a chance at revenge.
“We expected to be in this position and it’ll be a good opportunity for all of us who were on the team last year because LSU’s the team that knocked us out,” Rice said. “So obviously want to come out, play hard and play really well against them.”
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) looks to get around Mississippi forward Starr Jacobs (7) during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) runs to guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) and forward Kendall Dudley (22) as they celebrate after the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Mississippi, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
UCLA head coach Cori Close directs her team during the first half against Mississippi in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) dribbles the ball during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Mississippi, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
UCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) looks to get around the defense of Mississippi guard Sira Thienou (0) during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) looks to pass the ball as Mississippi forward Starr Jacobs (7) defends during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
